The Americanfinds his friends next door and among those with whom he works. It has beennoted that we take people up quickly and drop them just as quickly.Occasionally a friendship formed during schooldays will persist, but this israre. For us there are few well-defined rules governing the obligations offriendship. It is difficult to say at which point our friendship gives way tobusiness opportunism or pressure from above. In this we differ from many otherpeople in the world. As a general rule, in foreign countries friendships arenot formed as quickly as in the United States but go much deeper, last longer,and involve real obligations. For example:

It is importantto stress that in the Middle East and Latin America your “friends” will not letyou down. The fact that they are personally in trouble is never an excuse forfailing their friends. They are supposed to look out for your interests.

Friends andfamily around the world represent a sort of social insurance that would bedifficult to find in the United States. We do not use our friends to help usout in disaster as much as we do as a means of getting ahead—or, at least, ofgetting the job done. The United States systems work by means of a series ofclosely tabulated favors and obligations carefully doled out where they will dothe most good. And the least that we expect in exchange for a favor isgratitude.

The opposite isthe case in India, where the friend’s role is to “sense” a person’s need and dosomething about it. The idea of reciprocity as we know it is the unheardfriendship pattern. He gains nothing by extending himself on behalf of others,because the Indian assumes that what he does for others he does for the good ofhis own psyche. He will find it impossible to make friends quickly and isunlikely to allow sufficient time for friendships to ripen. He will also notethat as he gets to know people better they may become more critical of him, afact that he finds hard to take. What he does not know is that one sign offriendship is speaking one’s mind.

1．Americans tend to ______.

A. make friendswith people they don’t know

B. make friendsquickly and drop them just as quickly

C. build deepand long-lasting friendships

D. sacrificebusiness opportunities for friendship obligations

2．Which of the following is NOT true aboutfriendships in the Middle East?

A. They go deep.

B. They lastlong.

C. They involvereal obligations.

D. They formquickly.

3．It is more likely that Americans resortto friends when they ______.

A. need a senseof social insurance

B. are indisaster

C. want to get ajob done

D. feel lonely

4．Americans help others in expectation for______.

A. gratitude

B. nothing

C. trust

D. a returnfavor

5．Which is NOT true according to the lastparagraph?

A. Indians arewilling to help friends for no return.

B. Indians don’twant to allow sufficient time for friendships to ripen.

C. Indians knowthat good friends should reveal their feelings to each other.

D. Indiansbelieve that what he does for friends is also good for themselves.

【答案与解析】

1．B 根据第一段，美国人通常在邻居或同事中结交朋友，而且交朋友很快，忘记朋友也同样快。因此B为正确答案。

2．D 在第一段结尾处讲到，其他国家的友谊会长久、深刻得多，而且友谊的含义包括义务，比如在中东和拉丁美洲。第二段中又进一步讲了中东人是不会令朋友失望的。由此可知，只有D说他们结交朋友很快，这是不对的，因此D是本题正确答案。

3．C 在文章第三段中讲到，朋友和家庭在其他国家代表一种社会保险，而这在美国是很难找到的。美国人不依靠朋友在危难时帮助他们摆脱困境，而更多的是靠朋友使自己前进，如让朋友帮忙把工作干完。所以，C是正确答案。

4．D 根据第三段最后一句，美国人最不希望用“gratitude”交换帮助，而第四段开头又讲到印度人与美国人正相反，美国人众所周知的“互惠观”在印度是从未听说的友谊观。因此可知，美国人是讲求互惠，即他们帮助别人，期望别人也会对他们有帮助。因此D是对的。

5．C 根据最后一段，印度人帮助朋友不期待任何回报，因为他们认为帮助别人就是改善自己。故选项A和D正确。他们觉得快速结交朋友是不可能的，允许充足的时间让友谊成熟也是不可能的。故排除B项。友谊越深，对朋友就越苛刻，这是他们不能接受的事实，他们不认为友谊的一个标志是对朋友袒露心胸。由此可知，印度人是不会对朋友直言不讳、袒露心胸的。故C是本题正确答案。 2zM1cqATDUyubO+N5p29HeS5FiBE++STIqIIutE6Lj5s9vMoKj+EYIJyQQ0yxfPT