（美国打电话）
In the United States,it is not customary to telephone someone very early in themorning.If you telephone him early in the day,while he is shaving or havingbreakfast,the time
of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediateattention.The same meaning is attached to telephone calls made after 11:00p.m.If someone receives
a call during sleeping hours,he assumes it’s a matter of life or death.The timechosen for the call communicates its importance.In social life,time plays avery important part.In
the U.S.A.guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation toa dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date.But itis not true in all
countries.In other areas of the world,it may be considered foolish to make anappointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date morethan a week away
tend to be forgotten.The meaning of time differs in different parts of theworld.Thus,misunderstandings arise between people from different cultures thattreat time
differently.Promptness is valued highly in American life,for example.If peopleare not prompt,they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible.In theU.S.no one
would think of keeping a business associate waiting for an hour,it would be tooimpolite.A person who is 5 minutes late,will say a few words ofexplanation,though perhaps
he will not complete the sentence.(260 words)
在美国，一般不习惯每天很早打电话给某个人。如果你很早打电话给他，在他刮胡子或吃早饭的时候，那就说明这件事情非常重要，需要立刻处理。晚上十一
点以后打电话也是同样的意思。如果一个人在睡觉的时候接到电话，那他肯定觉得这是一件事关生死的大事。打电话的时间也显示事情的重要程度。在社会生
活中，时间是一个非常重要的角色。在美国，如果在宴会三四天前才受到邀请，那受邀者就会认为自己不是很受重视。但并不是在所有的国家都如此。在世界
上的其它地方，提前很多时候做约定被认为是很愚蠢的，因为约好一个星期以后的事情很容易忘记。所以时间的意义在不同的地方是不一样的。因此，来自不
同文化背景的人之间就会产生误会。举个例子，准时在美国社会是受到高度认可的。如果某些人不准时，就会被认为不礼貌或不够负责任。在美国，没有一个
人会把一次商务活动和等待一小时联系起来，这太不礼貌了。一个人如果迟到五分钟，就要做出解释，也许这还不够。

What is the main idea of this passage?__________以下哪项表达了本文的中心思想？

A.It is not customary to telephone someone in the morning and in sleeping hoursin the U.S.

B.The role of time in social life over the world.世界各地时间在社会生活中扮演的角色。

C.If people are not prompt,they may be regarded as impolite or not fullyresponsible in the U.S.

D.Not every country treats the concept of time as the same.