Foreign visitors are often puzzled in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks 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 just across the bus stop.”
In the Midwest of America, usually there are not many landmarks. So people will tell you directions(方向) and distance. In Kansas(堪萨斯州), 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(测量) distance by telling time. “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.
People in Greece(希腊) sometimes do not even try to give directions because few visitors understand the Greek language. Instead of giving you the direction, 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. A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico(墨西哥), no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan think “I don’t know” is not polite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A visitor can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
One thing will help you everywhere. You might not understand a person’s words, but maybe you can understand his body language. He or she will usually turn and then point in the correct direction. Go on in that direction, and you may find the post office!
【小题1】What do you think of the word “landmarks” mean?

Mrs. Clark moved to the small village when she was twenty-four. And she has lived there for thirty-nine years. She has a poor farm. She works hard on it, but she is often hungry. Her son Henry joined the army(参军) eight years ago and then found a job at a post office in London after he left the army.
One day, he wrote to his poor mother and asked her to go to the capital. The old woman was very happy when she received the letter. The next morning she started. Because it was the first time, her daughter took her to a small station and bought a ticket for her. A train came and she hurried to get on. Before long, a conductor came up to her and said, ‘Ticket, please.’ The old woman showed her ticket to the conductor. The man looked at it and said, ‘You must take a train to London. But it is a train to Manchester. I am afraid you’ve taken a wrong train.’ ‘Is it possible?’ Mrs. Clark said angrily, ‘I am sure it’s your driver’s fault (过错).
【小题1】Mrs. Clark is __________ years old now.

Mrs. Clark moved to the small village when she was twenty-four. And she has lived there for thirty-nine years. She has a poor farm. She works hard on it, but she is often hungry. Her son Henry joined the army(参军) eight years ago and then found a job at a post office in London after he left the army.

One day, he wrote to his poor mother and asked her to go to the capital. The old woman was very happy when she received the letter. The next morning she started. Because it was the first time, her daughter took her to a small station and bought a ticket for her. A train came and she hurried to get on. Before long, a conductor came up to her and said, ‘Ticket, please.’ The old woman showed her ticket to the conductor. The man looked at it and said, ‘You must take a train to London. But it is a train to Manchester. I am afraid you’ve taken a wrong train.’ ‘Is it possible?’ Mrs. Clark said angrily, ‘I am sure it’s your driver’s fault (过错).

1.Mrs. Clark is __________ years old now.

A．twenty-four

B．thirty-nine

C．sixty-three

D．eighty

2.The old woman took a wrong train because _______________

3.A ‘conductor’ means _________

4.Which of the following is NOT true?