[长难句突破]

The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition.

主体句式：The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted...

结构分析：这个句子的复杂成分在于be interpreted后面的内容，这个部分由三个并列结构构成，分别为"neither as superficial"、"nor as artificial"和"but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition"。这种并列结构对应于汉语里面的"不是......也不是......而是......"。

[全文译文]

A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly, courteous, and helpful most Americans were to them. To be fair, this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians, and should best be considered North American. There are, of course, exceptions. Small minded officials, rude waiters, and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US. Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment.

For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in an otherwise dull existence. Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another. Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion, and brought news of the outside world.

The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality. Someone traveling alone, if hungry, injured, or ill, often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement. It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers. It reflected the harshness of daily life: if you didn't take in the stranger and take care of him, there was no one else who would. And someday, remember, you might be in the same situation.

Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the weary traveler. Yet, the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US, especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails. "I was just traveling through, got talking with this American, and pretty soon he invited me home for dinner - amazing." Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon, but are not always understood properly. The casual friendliness of many Americans should be interpreted neither as superficial nor as artificial, but as the result of a historically developed cultural tradition.

As is true of any developed society, in America a complex set of cultural signals, assumptions, and conventions underlies all social interrelationships. And, of course, speaking a language does not necessarily mean that someone understands social and cultural patterns. Visitors who fail to "translate" cultural meanings properly often draw wrong conclusions. For example, when an American uses the word "friend", the cultural implications of the word may be quite different from those it has in the visitor's language and culture. It takes more than a brief encounter on a bus to distinguish between courteous convention and individual interest. Yet, being friendly is a virtue that many American value highly and expect from both neighbors and strangers.

去过美国的人经常带回报告说，大多数美国人对他们非常友善、好客、且他们都很乐于助人。公正地说，人们对加拿大和加拿大人也有这样的评论，因而，应当认为这是北美一个普遍的现象。当然也有例外。在美国，心胸狭隘的官员，举止粗鲁的招待和缺乏教养的出租车司机也并非罕见。尽管有不如意的地方，但因为人们经过观察常常得出美国人好客的意见，因而这也就值得讨论一番了。

过去很长的一段时间内，在美国很多地方，旅行者的到来因暂时打破了本地人原本的单调生活而受人欢迎。那个时候，人们的住处彼此非常遥远，沉闷、孤独是是一个普遍的问题。因此陌生人和旅行者很受欢迎，他们给当地人带来了娱乐消遣，同时还带来了外面世界的消息。

拓荒者的严酷生活现实也进一步促成了这一好客的传统。人们在独自旅行时，如果缺少食物、受伤或生病，通常只能向附近的小屋或村落求助。因而对于旅行者来说，这不是一个选择的问题；而对当地居民来说，这也并非是想要行善的一时冲动。这种情况反映了日常生活的严峻性：如果你不收留他，那他便无处可以落脚和求助了。请记住，说不定有一天你也可能陷入相同的遭遇。

现在有很多慈善组织专门致力于帮助疲惫不堪的旅行者。不过，热情接待陌生人的传统在美国仍然非常流行，尤其是在远离旅游热线的小城镇。"我只是随便走了一圈，和这个美国人聊了聊。没过多久，他就请我到他家吃饭--这真是不可思议。"来美国的旅客中碰到这种事件的还不少，但他们并非对这个现象都能正确理解。很多美国人在不经意间表现出的友好不应被看做是表面应酬或故作姿态，而应该视为是在历史发展中形成的一种文化传统。

同任何发达国家一样，美国人所有的社会交往的基础是一整套复杂的文化特征，信念和习俗。当然，会讲一种语言并不意味着就理解该语言的社会和文化模式。不能正确"诠释"文化含义的旅行者经常得出错误的结论。例如，美国人嘴里所说的"朋友"一词所包含的文化内涵可能与旅行者母语和文化中的"朋友"涵义大相径庭。要想分清称呼"朋友"是出于好客的文化习俗还是出于个人兴趣，只靠在公共汽车上的萍水相逢是不够的。然而，友好是很多美国人推崇备至的美德，同时他们也希望自己的邻居和陌生人也能够如此。