Question

C 

In the world of communication,we focus a lot on what our customer is saying,which includes understanding their body language and gestures. But we must not forget that it is equally important to pay attention to our own body language and gestures when communicating with others.

In our personal and business lives,careful consideration must be given to whom we are with and where they are from. One thing for sure is that failure to be prepared when dealing with other cultures can be rather embarrassing.

Many years ago,the then President of the United States,Richard Nixon arrived in a foreign country in South America and upon his arrival,stood at the top of the stairs leading to the side door of his Presidential Jet. As he looked over the crowd below him,he had a great smile and proudly raised both hands high in the air,palms (手掌) facing outward and the index finger and the third finger raised,and gave a gesture of the famous “Peace” sign as he had done so often before.

Immediately,the crowd below began to laugh at the President who couldn’t figure out why all of a sudden,he was receiving such a rude welcome.

The reason was that in the country he was visiting,the two-fingered,palms outward ^aPeacesign,which was acceptable in North America,was an absolutely impolite symbol to the local people.

As you can see,it is really important to know your audience and if travelling to other countries,you need to be aware that some of the most commonly acceptable gestures at home can have a completely different meaning abroad.

In some countries such as France and Italy,it is acceptable to exchange a kiss on one or both cheeks while shaking hands upon entering or exiting a business meeting. In other countries such as Japan,this type of behaviour is considered impolite as Japanese are not a “touch oriented society”.

The Japanese have a respectful custom to bow to each other with the most senior status (身份) person bowing the least and the least status person having to bow first and display the deepest bend from the waist.

51. In Paragraph 1 ,the author mainly asks us to pay attention to .

   A. our words

   B. our body language

   C. our customers’ words

   D. the way of communication

52. Richard Nixon was laughed at because he .

   A. stood at the top of the stairs

   B. looked over the crowd below him

   C. raised both hands high in the air

   D. gave a gesture of the “Peace” sign 53. The author mentions Richard Nixon's story to show that .

   A. the crowd were too rude

   B. Richard Nixon was unfriendly

   C. Richard Nixon loved peace very much

   D. gestures have different meanings in different cultures

54. Which of the following is the gesture Nixon gave?

55. According to the passage,   .

   A. in Japan,senior people needn’t bow to others

   B. Japanese think exchanging a kiss is acceptable

   C. French people can't accept the behaviour of shaking hands

   D. in Japan,the degree of bowing is connected with people's status

Answer 1

51. B 52. D 53. D 54. A 55. D

51. B解析：主旨大意题。第一段主要讲在 交流时，不仅要注意对方的身势语和手势， 还要特别注意自己的身势语和手势。

52. D解析:细节理解题。根据第五段可知， 用两个手指表示“和平”的意思在北美洲是 可以接受的，但对(南美洲) 当地人来说是 无礼的，所以他被嘲笑了。

53. D解析：推理判断题。作者用尼克松的故事进一步说明了身势语在不同文化中表 达的含义不同。    ，

54. A解析：细节理解题。根据第三段最后 的描述 palms facing outward and the index finger and the third finger raised (掌 心向外，竖起食指和第三个手指) 可知A 项的手势正确。

55. D解析：细节理解题。由文章最后两段 可知A、B、C三项表述均有误。根据最后 一段的内容可知，在日本，地位最髙的人鞠 躬最少，身份最低的人则要先鞠躬且要深 深鞠躬，这表明在日本，鞠躬的程度与人的 地位有关。