单项选择题

The increase in international business and in foreign investment has created a need for executives with knowledge of foreign languages and skills in cross-cultural communication. Americans, (1) , have not been well trained in either area and, consequently, have not enjoyed the same level of (2) in negotiation in an international arena as have their foreign (3) .
Negotiating is the (4) of communicating back and (5) for the purpose of reaching an agreement. It (6) persuasion and compromise, but in order to (7) in either one, the negotiators must understand the ways in (8) people are persuaded and how compromise is (9) within the culture of the negotiation.
In many international business negotiations abroad, Americans are perceived as (10) and impersonal. It often appears to the foreign negotiator that the American represents a large multi-million-dollar corporation that can afford to pay the price without (11) further. The American negotiator’s role becomes (12) of an impersonal purveyor of information and cash.
In (13) of American negotiators abroad, several traits have been identified that may serve to (14) this stereotypical (15) , while undermining the negotiator’s position. Two traits in (16) that cause cross-cultural misunderstanding are directness and impatience (17) the part of the American negotiator. Furthermore, American negotiators often insist on realizing short-term goals. Foreign negotiators, on the other hand, may value the relationship established between negotiators and may be (18) to invest time in it for long-term benefits. In order to (19) the relationship, they may opt for (20) interactions without regard for the time involved in getting to know the other negotiator.