After I made it to the city center, I started to feel it might be easy for a foreigner to deal with the great size of Beijing. With growing confidence, I decided to take the subway to the hotel, not realizing that the network didn’t go that far. Impressed with the cleanliness of the station, I bought a ticket and boarded the first train that came along.
After a few minutes I asked in English of course a young man seated next to me where I should get off closest to the Friendship Hotel. Wearing a smart business suit and tie, he would surely speak English, wouldn’t he? Unfortunately, he couldn’t undersold me but seemed very friendly. I showed him the room card with all the information of the Friendship Hotel in Chinese characters (汉字). He looked at it, and then his eyes moved quickly to the carriage (车厢) subway map. Next, he raised three fingers of his right hand.
In Australia, raising fingers at someone is not usually nice, but this man wasn’t smiling. At the next station he showed me two fingers. Now in Australia, that’s really rude, but I got the message. When we stopped at the third station, he didn’t just point to the door, but got up, took me out of the train, and led me to the top of the stairs, and out onto the street. Then he stopped a taxi and told the driver where to take me.
All this came from a man who couldn’t speak my language, and I couldn’t speak his. I was now speechless, especially when he refused my offer of money. I felt a little embarrassed having even thought he would accept a tip.
This experience made it clear I had to learn some Chinese quickly or my adventures might start turning into bad luck.
1. The author decided to take the subway because ________.| A．he believed in his ability to deal with the trip | B．the network covered most of the stops |
| C．he lived near the city center | D．he had a good impression of its cleanliness |
| A．still remained puzzled | B．understood the author well |
| C．answered the author directly | D．pointed at the subway map |
| A．prove the importance of being careful | B．appreciate the kindness of the young man |
| C．complain some cultural misunderstanding | D．describe one of his adventurous experiences |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Traveling without a map in different countries, I find out about different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused in Japan because most streets there don’t have name signs. In Japan, people use landmarks 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.”
People in Los Angeles, the US, have no idea of distance on the map: they measure distance by time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You don’t understand completely, “Yes, but how many miles away is it, please?” To this question you won’t get an answer, because most probably they don’t know it themselves.
People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because tourists seldom understand the Greek language. Instead, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.
Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. What happens in the situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People there believe that “I don’t ” is impolite. They usually give an answer, but often a wrong one. So a tourist can get lost very easily in Yucatan!
However, one thing will help you everywhere in the world. It’s body language.
1. Which of the following is probably an example of Japanese directions?| A．“Go south two miles. Turn west and then go another mile.” |
| B．“Turn right at the hospital and go past a school.” |
| C．“The post office is about five minutes from here.” |
| D．“The post office is at Street Kamira.” |
| A．They use landmarks in their directions instead of distance. |
| B．They prefer to lead you the way. |
| C．They often have no idea of distance measured by miles. |
| D．They prefer to use body language. |
| A．Using street names. |
| B．Using landmarks. |
| C．Leading people the way. |
| D．Giving people a wrong direction. |
| A．In the USA. | B．In Japan. |
| C．In Greece. | D．In Mexico. |
| A．People in Yucatan always give right directions. |
| B．There are different ways to give directions in different parts of the world. |
| C．People in some places give directions in miles, while in other places in time. |
| D．A person’s body language can help you understand directions |
【推荐2】I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of giving directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office？”
In Japan, people use landmarks (地标) in their directions because most streets don't have names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight ahead and turn left at the hotel. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are no towns or buildings in many places. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas, 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. They measure(测量)distance in time, not miles.“How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh, ” they answer. “It's about five minutes from here.”
It's true that a person doesn't know the answer sometimes. What happens in such a situation？A New Yorker might say, “Sorry，I don't know.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers, “I don't know.” People 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!
1. Why do Japanese people use landmarks in their directions?| A．Because they have no idea of distance. |
| B．Because there are no towns or buildings. |
| C．Because most of the streets have no names. |
| D．Because people don't know the answer. |
| A．“Turn left at the traffic lights and you will see a school.” |
| B．“It will take one day and a half.” |
| C．“Turn south and then walk 300 meters.” |
| D．“Go along Autumn Street and turn right at the crossing.” |
| A．People there usually say, “Sorry, I don't know the way.” |
| B．Local people often give a right answer. |
| C．People there have no idea of distance. |
| D．Visitors may lose their way. |
| A．Asking the Way in Different Places |
| B．Getting Lost in Yucatan |
| C．Traveling in Different Places |
| D．Where is the Post Office? |
【推荐3】Traveling without a map in different countries. I find out about different ways of giving directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often puzzled in Japan because most streets there don’t have name signs. In Japan, people use landmarks (标志性建筑) to give directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the comer. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
People in Los Angeles, the US, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance by time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “It’s about five minutes from here.” You don’t understand completely. “Yes, but how many miles away is it, please?” To this question you won’t get an answer, because most probably they don’t know it themselves.
People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because tourists seldom understand the Greek language. Instead, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.
Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. What happens in the situation? A New Yorker might say. “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People there believe that “I don’t” is impolite. They usually give an answer, but often a wrong one. So a tourist can get lost very easily in Yucatan! However, one thing will help you reach your destination everywhere in the world. It’s body language.
1. Which of the following is probably an example of Japanese directions?| A．“The post office is at Street Kamira.” |
| B．“Turn right at the hospital and go past a school.” |
| C．“The post office is about five minutes from here.” |
| D．“Go south two miles. Turn west and then go another mile.” |
| A．They prefer to lead you the way. |
| B．They prefer to use body language. |
| C．They use landmarks to give directions instead of distance. |
| D．They often have no idea of distance measured by miles. |
| A．Using street names. | B．Leading the way. |
| C．Using landmarks. | D．Giving people a wrong direction. |
| A．people in Mexico know street names well |
| B．body language makes you get lost in Yucatan |
| C．people in Mexico prefer to use body language |
| D．people in Yucatan sometimes give wrong directions |
