Americans have a great love for informality and nowhere is this better expressed than in their love for nicknames (昵稱、綽號). Upon greeting strangers for the first time they will quickly introduce themselves by their nickname. These are shortened forms of their given name at birth and reflect the casual relationships which exist among friends and coworkers. Family names are hardly ever used in daily situations and the use of one's father's last name is saved only for rare and formal occasions.

　　In many traditional cultures the use of the family name is seen as a sign of respect. For Americans, however, it's the nickname which creates an immediate intimacy between two people upon which to build a relationship. By speaking to another on a first name basis and using his nickname, walls are immediately torn down and equality between two people is established.

　　At work bosses will refer to their employees by their nicknames. Should an employer use a worker's family name, you can be sure that some kind of correction or serious business will follow.

　　This love for nicknames can create a sense of closeness between people who are otherwise not related. Even the presidents of the United States have borne nicknames. Abraham Lincoln was known as Honest Abe. John F. Kennedy was known as Jack or JFK and William Clinton has no reservations in letting people know he prefers to be called Bill, but those who look upon him with disfavor may call him Slick Willy.

　　Not only people but cities often carry their own nicknames. Chicago is called the "Windy City" because of the strong winds which come down from Canada throughout the year. New York City is considered the "Big Apple" for reasons which are still obscure to most people including many New Yorkers.

　　Not every nickname, however, is positive and some can be rather rude and insulting. If someone should demonstrate a certain negative characteristic, a label will soon be attached to describe that person in an unpleasant way.

　　Likewise a person's physical traits which are very dominant may lead to nicknames but not necessarily to one's liking or choice. A nickname, therefore, is a way of identifying or describing someone or something for better or worse.

　　1. Why do Americans prefer to use nicknames when addressing one another?

　　A. Nicknames are easy to remember.

　　B. Americans are a friendly people.

　　C. Nicknames help build a closer relationship.

　　D. Nicknames are convenient to use in daily life.

　　2. Americans tend to use others' family names ________.

　　A. on formal occasions B. when writing letters

　　C. in the work place D. when making phone calls

　　3. Many traditional societies see the use of one's family name as a sign of_________.

　　A. respect B. distance C. importance D. gratitude

　　4. An American employer is likely to use a worker's family name when __________.

　　A. the worker is to get a promotion

　　B. the worker has done something wrong

　　C. he speaks to the worker at a gathering

　　D. he is being friendly with the worker

　　5. In Paragraph 5, the word "obscure" is closest in meaning to“__________”.

　　A. funny B. sound C. unclear D. popular

　　6. What’s the main idea of the passage ?

　　A. Americans would like informality.

　　B. Americans prefer to use nicknames to help build a closer relationship.

　　C. A nickname stands for a person's physical traits.

　　D. At work bosses will refer to their employees by their nicknames.

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　　答案解析：

　　1. C。答案在第一段第三句，文中說昵稱顯示出人與人之間親近的關系。另外，第二段第二句說，對于美國人來說，昵稱能夠立刻建立起兩人之間的親密關系。故答案為C。

　　2. A。答案在第一段最后一句，文中說日常生活中姓氏只在少數正式場合使用。故答案為A。

　　3. A。答案在第二段第一句，文中說在許多傳統文化中使用姓氏來表示尊敬。respect意為“尊敬”;distance意為“距離”;importance意為“重要”;gratitude意為“感謝”。故答案為A。

　　4. B。答案在第三段，文中說一旦老板叫了某位員工的姓，那么我們可以肯定，他一定是犯錯了或是老板有很嚴肅的話要說。故答案為B。

　　5. C。obscure出現在原文第五段最后一句，由上下文語義可知，紐約“BIG APPLE”的綽號，很多紐約人都不清楚。funny意為“有趣的”。sound意為“圓滿的”。unclear意為“不清楚的”。故答案為C。

　　6. B。答案在第一段，文中說美國人喜歡用綽號，而且昵稱容易建立親密的關系。故答案為B。