Question

In a foreign country, a man visited a local restaurant. He didn’t speak their language. He ordered something indecipherable off the menu. When the waiter brought him a plate of delicious looking fried noodles, he smiled and made an OK sign at the waiter with his thumb and forefinger linked in a circle. Looking angry, the waiter then picked up the dish and thrown it to his lap. What he did wrong, he wondered. Well, nothing is quite as it seems when it comes to using hand gesture in another country.

Gestures have been used to replace words in many countries, and they are often specific to a given culture. Gesture may mean something complimentary in one culture, but is highly offensive in another.

The gesture “thumb-up” is commonly misinterpreted. In English, it is popularly known as ‘thumbs up’, despite the fact that the action is commonly performed with only one hand. English-speaking Caucasians use it to signal ‘OK’, which is the same meaning as O.K. ring gesture. The two can in fact be used almost interchangeably.

Avoid using this gesture in Southern Sardina or Northern Greece unless you want to invite a fight. While American, British and Australian would use the thumb up to signal hitch-hiking to the drivers, this message will not encourage a Greek driver or motorist to stop to give them a ride.

There are no right or wrong signals, only cultural differences. Lack of cultural understanding will lead to disharmony among people from different cultures. When we know what to look for, such encounters with other cultures are actually very interesting, fascinating and fun. It is certainly a great topic to discuss over a cup of coffee and cakes.

1.What did the man in the first paragraph do wrong?

A. He misunderstood the waiter.    B. He didn’t realize cultural differences.

C. He ordered something off the menu.    D. He made the signal in a rude way.

2.What does the underlined word in the second paragraph mean?

A. Full of admiration.    B. Full of aggression.

C. Full of complexity.    D. Full of certainty.

3.What will happen if you make a thumb up toward a man in Northern Greece?

A. He will stop to give you a lift.    B. He will get annoyed and fight against you.

C. He will ask you to give him a lift.    D. He will make the same signal toward you.

4.What’s the purpose of the passage?

A. To explain the meaning of different gestures.

B. To tell stories about different cultures.

C. To advise us to have an understanding of cultural differences.

D. To persuade people from different countries live in harmony.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.B

4.C

【解析】

这篇文章主要讲了身势语在不同的文化背景下，有不同的意义。如果不理解文化差异，很可能会造成误会，所以作者建议我们要理解文化差异。

1.推理判断题。由Gesture may mean something complimentary in one culture, but is highly offensive in another.可知这个人的错误在于他没有意识到文化的差异，选B。

2.细节理解题。由but is highly offensive in another.可知Gesture may mean something complimentary in one culture意思是手势在一种文化中是称赞，所以complimentary意思是满是赞赏，选A。

3.细节理解题。由Avoid using this gesture in Southern Sardina or Northern Greece unless you want to invite a fight.可知在希腊北部，如果你对一个人伸出大拇指，他会很生气，并且和你打架，选B。

4.写作意图题。由文章最后一个自然段可知这篇文章主要讲了身势语在不同的文化背景下，有不同的意义。如果不理解文化差异，很可能会造成误会，所以作者建议我们要理解文化差异，所以选C。