Question

    When you speak to foreigners, what will you do if you can’t understand their languages? Will you use your body language to help you, or just say sorry to them and then go away? Learning spoken language is very important, but learning local gestures (手势) is also very necessary.

I often use gestures to communicate with someone whose language I don’t know. We use our hands to talk with each other. Although we don’t understand the other’s words, our hand movements make our conversation more necessary.

However, gestures aren’t always clear. Different gestures may have different meanings in different countries and cultures.

In many countries, people move their hands at someone to call him to come near. In the United States, people usually move hands at someone with their palms (手掌) up and sometimes move just one finger. But in many countries in Asia, hand movements like that would be impolite. In Asia, many people move hands at someone with their palms down using all fingers.

Do  you  use  your  thumb,  your  thick  short  finger  to  make  gestures?  In  western countries, “thumbs-up” means agreement. But it is very rude in parts of Africa.

If you want to say “OK” in America, you can make a circle (圆) with the thumb and the second finger. But in France, it means “zero”, and it is very rude in many other countries.

You can use your second finger to point at something but not at somebody in the United States. However, in some parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, pointing at something with one’s second finger is not polite.

“V” form is often used when people take photos. But using two fingers to make up the “V”  shape means “peace” in the West.

The last example is that people in parts of Asia point to their noses to mean themselves, but people in western countries usually point to their chests.

Gestures are important, but also have different meanings.

1.The writer begins with the questions in order to________.

A.tell a story B.solve some problems

C.catch readers’ attention D.introduce some gestures

2.It’s OK to________ to call someone to come near by moving just one finger.

A.America B.Asia C.Africa D.Europe

3.According to the passage, we can learn that________.

A.pointing one finger at someone in the United States is sometimes allowed B.using “thumbs-up” as your body language is very rude in parts of Africa

C.making a circle with the thumb and the next finger means “0” in America D.using two fingers to make up the “V” shape means “success” in the West.

4.The best title of this passage can be “_______”.

A.Work hard to Learn Different Cultures around the World B.Talk to Other People with Spoken Language Successfully              C.Different Gestures Are Difficult to Understand and Learn

D.Making Sure Your Gestures Are Saying What You Want to Say

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.B

4.D

【解析】

当你和外国人说话时，如果你听不懂他们的语言，你会怎么做？你会用你的肢体语言来帮助你，还是只是向他们道歉然后离开？学习口语很重要，但是学习本地手势也是非常必要的。手势相同，但是它们也有不同的意思。

1.细节理解题。作者以问题来开始文章，主要是吸引读者的注意。故选C。

2.细节理解题。根据“In the United States, people usually move hands at someone with their palms (手掌) up and sometimes move just one finger.”，可知在美国叫一个人靠近的时候，可以只移动一个手指。故选A。

3.细节理解题。根据文中的句子“In western countries, “thumbs-up” means agreement. But it is very rude in parts of Africa.”，可知在非洲的部分地区，竖起大拇指是非常不礼貌的。符合原文题意，故选B。

4.主旨归纳题。本文主要讲了同一个手势，但它们有不同的意思，使用合适手势来表达自己想说的话。选项D概括了本文，故选D。