A
Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships.For example,in American culture(文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure.Yet it also has other uses.A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child.A smile may show love or politeness.It can also hide true feelings.It often causes confusion(困惑) across cultures.For example,many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper.Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities).Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places;some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough.In Southeast Asian cultures,a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings.Vietnamese may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.
Our faces show emotions(情感),but we should not attempt(尝试) to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture.The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as members of another do does not mean that they do not experience emotions.
Rather,there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressions permitted.For example,in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do.When with friends,Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.
It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States.People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others.The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different.If we judge according to our own cultural habits,we may make the mistake of “reading” the other person incorrectly.
【语篇解读】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了面部表情的丰富意义。
21.What does the smile usually mean in America?
A.Love. B.Politeness.
C.Joy. D.Thankfulness.
答案C
解析细节理解题。根据文章第一段中的“in American culture the smile is in general an expression of pleasure”可知,在美国文化中,一般说来,微笑是快乐的表情。故选C项。
22.The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that smile can .
A.show friendliness to strangers
B.be used to hide true feelings
C.be used in the wrong places
D.show personal habits
答案B
解析细节理解题。文章第一段中的“It can also hide true feelings.It often causes confusion across cultures.”是中心句。其后用越南人讲故事的例子来证明这一观点:微笑能隐藏真正的感情。故选B项。
23.What should we do before attempting to “read”people?
A.Learn about their relations with others.
B.Understand their cultural backgrounds.
C.Find out about their past experience.
D.Figure out what they will do next.
答案B
解析推理判断题。根据文章最后一段中的“The key is to try...make the mistake of ‘reading’ the other person incorrectly.”可知,我们在“读”人们的表情的时候,首先要了解他们的文化背景,否则就会犯错,故选B项。
