20．Several years ago，Jeremy Clarkson，presenter of the famous BBC television programme‘Top Gear'，discovered that one of his guests was half German and half Irish．Immediately，he said："That's quite an odd combination．It's like，‘this must be done absolutely perfectly…tomorrow'"．
This joke played on stereotypes （刻板印象） of the Germans as efficient and the Irish as lazy．Many people could understandably be offended by these kinds of assertions．We do not know every Irish person，so how can we then conclude that every Irish person is lazy？
I recently read on a website that Irish business people were described as being‘generally rather casual'and‘more outwardly friendly than many European countries''．German business people，on the other hand，are considered to be very direct and according to the website，they‘do not need a personal relationship in order to do business'．Once you hear advice like this，it becomes easier to understand where jokes like the one in the first paragraph come from．
So why do some people disapprove of the kind of stereotypes as seen in Clarkson's joke，but not batting an eyelid when it comes to generalisations．What is the difference between the two？
By definition，a stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing．A cultural characteristic，on the other hand，is a pattern of behaviour that is typical of a certain group．
So what does this really mean？Stereotypes are simply overstated assumptions about groups of people．Imagine if a tourist visited a small town in Switzerland and saw a number of locals playing the alphorn instrument，and then claimed that Swiss people can play the alphorn．This would be a stereotype!This is an overstated image of the Swiss which is based on one tourist's experience．
If，however，this tourist were to say that the Swiss are very punctual，this could be seen as a cultural characteristic．This is because it is a pattern of behaviour which is very typical in Switzerland：from their transport system to their business meetings．
In this way，some people argue that generalising another culture is not just useful，but important．Politicians always have to be mindful of the cultural characteristics of different countries．By becoming aware of different cultural characteristics，they can avoid causing offence in those cultures．
However，others argue that generalising cultures will always lead to offensive stereotypes．They argue that the best thing we can do is to stop generalising cultures and start treating people as individuals．
All this raises important questions：can making generalisations about groups of people be a positive thing？Or should we always avoid making broad assumptions about different groups？
29．When he said，"It's like，‘this must be done absolutely perfectly…tomorrow'"，Jeremy Clarkson really meantC．
A．the Germans will do it perfectly tomorrow while the Irish won't
B．the combination of half German and half Irish is interesting
C．the characteristics of the Germans and the Irish are opposite
D．the stereotypes of the Germans and the Irish are not so good
30．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？D
A．The Irish people are considered as lazy，direct and casual．
B．The Germans are thought to be efficient，friendly and direct．
C．The Swiss can play the alphorn quite well．
D．It's typical of the Swiss to be punctual．
31．Politicians think it important to generalize another culture becauseB．
A．they think different cultural characteristics are useful
B．they don't want to offend other people
C．cultural characteristics are better than stereotypes
D．generalizing will lead to offensive stereotypes
32．The main purpose of this passage is toA．
A．discuss whether it is good to make generalizations about groups of people
B．tell us the differences between stereotypes and cultural characteristics
C．illustrate the importance of making generalizations
D．show it is wrong to play jokes on stereotypes of different people．
分析 这是一篇社会热点话题议论文，讨论了是否需要对民族特性作概括．由于文化，习俗习惯的不同，不同的民族总是有其独有的特点，社会应予以保护．
解答 29． C 细节理解题．根据文章第一段第二句Immediately，he said："That's quite an odd combination．It's like，‘this must be done absolutely perfectly…tomorrow'"．
和第二段第一句This joke played on stereotypes （刻板印象） of the Germans as efficient and the Irish as lazy．可知，人们对德国人和爱尔兰人的印象是相反的．结合选项，故选C
30． D 细节理解题． 根据文章．If，however，this tourist were to say that the Swiss are very punctual，this could be seen as a cultural characteristic如果游客们说瑞士人很守时，那么这就是他们的文化特征．结合选项，故选D
31． B 推理判断题． 根据文章倒数第三段最后一句话By becoming aware of different cultural characteristics，they can avoid causing offence in those cultures．通过对不同的民族特征做了解和掌握，有助于避免文化冲突，结合选项，给选B
32． A 主旨大意题． 根据文章尤其是最后三段内容，主要讨论了是否需要对民族特性作概括．由于文化，习俗习惯的不同，不同的民族总是有其独有的特点，社会应予以保护．结合选项，故选A
点评 本文是一个社会文化类阅读，题目涉及多道细节理解题，做题时结合原文和题目有针对性的找出相关语句进行仔细分析，结合选项选出正确答案．推理判断题也是要在抓住关键句子的基础上合理的分析才能得出正确答案，切忌胡乱猜测，一定要做到有理有据．
