It is commonly believed among many Chinese that Westerners who take “Yes’，and “No” by their facial expressions are more straightforward than Chinese. Normally Westerners don * t have to adopt Chinese ways like sweeping the floor or constantly checking the clock to indicate to a guest that it’ s time to leave. They don’ t have to hesitate in saying “No” when they are not able to, or don’ t want to, offer help to a friend in need. There is no embarrassment attached to this behavior. But it is too simple to conclude that Westerners are more direct speakers than the Chinese.
There are many occasions when the way Westerners express themselves makes Chinese look more straightforward and honest. When I was a fresh international student，the director of our program once asked students in an e-mail what we thought about a young professor. I simply said ’ “She seems to know a lot but doesn* t know how to teach. ” And the director replied with “Thank you for being honest. ”
Only years later when I better understood the new culture，I realized why I had gone too far. If that question were asked now，the reply would have three paragraphs devoted to the qualities of the professor before the last line came out — ” There are some gaps in her teaching method. ” Still tough, but at least it wouldn't be considered rude.
Indeed, the reserved social norms and the deeply - rooted “face issue" make honest speaking risky in China ； Americans have their own ways of being polite. This results partly from political correctness. It also results from several generations of people who have been told they have done well even when they have failed. It may not be unfair to suggest that many Americans are oversensitive and obsessed with a perfect self image.
So，the next time you hear about indirect Chinese，it would be worth challenging the source and pointing out that the cultural comparisons are much more complex. But maybe you should do it in a roundabout way，to be polite.
The passage mainly aims to •

A． tell us something about culture distinctions

B． remind us of the conflicts between cultures

C． ask us to take positive attitudes to Chinese cultures

D． keep us informed of the various communications

According to the passage, the young professor lacked   .

A． confidence in her job
B． teaching experience
C． interaction with her students m	D．responsibility for her students

   The underlined words “obsessed with" (para.4) probably means   .

A．satisfied with

B．proud of

C．addicted to

D．stuck in

   It can be inferred from the passage that    .

A． the writer has a good knowledge of American culture

B． Americans are much more straightforward than Chinese

C． the new professor was very angry with the writer' s comments

D． different culture backgrounds make cultures comparison complicated