A
I travel a lot，and I find out different“styles (风格)”of directions every time I ask“How can I get to the post office？”
The foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don't have names.People use landmarks(地标)in their directions instead of street names.For example，the Japanese will say to travelers，“Go straight down to the corner.Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market.The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest，there are not usually many landmarks.There are no mountains，so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles.Instead of landmarks，people will tell you directions and distances.In Kansas or Iowa，for example，people will say，“Go north two miles.Turn east，and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles，California，have no idea of distance on the map；they measure distance in time，not miles.“How far away is the post office？”，you ask.“Oh，”they answer，“it's about five minutes from here.”You say，“Yes，but how many miles away is it？”They don't know.
It's true that a person doesn't know the answer to your question sometimes.What happens in such a situation？A New Yorker might say，“Sorry，I have no idea.”But in Yucatan，Mexico，no one answers“I don't know.”People in Yucatan believe that “I don't know”is impolite.They usually give an answer，often a wrong one.A tourist can get very，very lost in Yucatan!
【语篇解读】 本文讲述的是在问路方面各国的文化差异。
1．When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place，they usually ________.
A．describe the place carefully
B．show him the names of the streets
C．tell him a map of the place
D．refer to recognizable buildings and places
D [细节理解题。根据文章第二段中的“...in Japan...People use landmarks(地标)in their directions instead of street names.”可知选D项。]
2．What is the place where people measure distance in time?
A．New York. B．Los Angeles.
C．Kansas. D．Iowa.
B [细节理解题。见倒数第二段第一句。]
3．People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ________.
A．in order to save time B．as a test
C．so as to be polite D．for fun
C [细节理解题。见最后一段倒数第二、三句。]
4．What can we infer from the text?
A．It's important for travelers to understand cultural differences.
B．It's useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly.
C．People have similar understandings of politeness.
D．New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors.
A [推理判断题。通读全文可知，作者介绍了一些地方人们对方向的不同回答方式，因此可推出对旅行者来说理解文化差异是重要的，故选A项。B、D两项在文中并未提到；根据最后一段可知C项错误。]
