18．As a Fulbright（富布莱特法案基金）scholar at Yale，I wanted very much to get some individual help from some famous professors，but their office-hours were only once a week and there were always students waiting outside．At first，I was too polite to get their help．Then I realized that Chinese politeness does not work in this society．I needed to be aggressive to get what I wanted．I also noticed that Chinese students or Asian students were very polite in class while American students often interrupted the professor，asking questions and dominating the discussion．The Chinese students were not as aggressive as American students．
I was impressed by the role of the professor in the class．The professor didn't act as an authority，giving final conclusions，but as a researcher looking for answers to questions together with the students．One linguistic feature of his interacting with his students was that he used many modal verbs-far more than I did in Beiwai．When answering questions，he usually said："this is my personal opinion and it could be wrong．It would be a good idea if you could read the book I mentioned the other day．"Or，"You may find the book I recommended helpful．"Or，"You could be right，but you might find this point of view also interesting．"When making comments on students'performances，the professor usually said："It might have been much clearer if you had taken in some of the ideas we discussed earlier this semester．"
In China，authorities are always supposed to give wise decisions and correct directions．Therefore students always expect the professor to give an answer to the question．I still remember how annoyed they were when foreign teachers did not provide such an answer．Their expectations from authorities are much higher than those of American students．Once the Chinese students got the answer，they were sure about it．That is why they make far more certain statement than American students．That is why Chinese students find it difficult to use modal verbs because the function of modal verbs is to provide room for negotiation and different ideas．
1．The American professors use many modal verbs because they want toD．
A．argue with their students
B．be more sure about their answers
C．express their ideas more clearly
D．develop their students'own way of thinking
2．Which of the following statements best expresses the author's idea？D
A．Chinese professors can always give correct answer to the question．
B．American professors are not responsible since they don't give students answers．
C．American education produces aggressive students．
D．Education in China is not helpful in developing students'creativity．
3．Which of the following methods did the author mainly employ in developing the article？A
A．Comparison and contrast．
B．Cause and effect．
C．Giving examples．
D．Description．
4．What is the author's attitude towards education in U．S．？C
A．Positive
B．Negative
C．Neutral
D．Unsure．
分析 本文是一篇人生感悟类阅读，属于记叙文，主要讲述了美国教授使用许多情态动词，因为他们想要发展学生的独立的思维方式，以及中美教育的区别．
解答 1．D．推理判断题．根据The professor didn't act as an authority，giving final conclusions，but as a researcher looking for answers to questions together with the students．One linguistic feature of his interacting with his students was that he used many modal verbs-far more than I did in Beiwai．可以推测出，美国教授使用许多情态动词，因为他们想要发展学生的独立的思维方式．故选D．
2．D．细节理解题．结合上下文，根据That is why Chinese students find it difficult to use modal verbs because the function of modal verbs is to provide room for negotiation and different ideas．可知，作者认为中国的教育方式不利于学生的创造力．故选D．
3．A．推理判断题．根据文章内容可知，文章是通过美国和中国教育方式的对比和比较来发展的．故选A．
4．C．推理判断题．根据文章内容可知，作者对于美国的教育是很客观地评价，是中立的态度．故选C．
点评 本文是一篇人生感悟类阅读，题目涉及多道主旨大意题，细节理解题，推理判断题．做题时学生应仔细阅读原文，把握文章主要内容，联系文章上下文内容并结合所给选项含义，从中选出正确答案，一定要做到有理有据，切忌胡乱猜测．
