Question

1．The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups．Silences may be thoughtful，or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say．A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness，uneasiness，or worry．Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable； therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap（间隙）with conversation．Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a person's needs．
Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people，just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do．Therefore，when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops，what may be implied（暗示） is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing．In these cultures，silence is a call for reflection．
Other cultures may use silence in other ways，particularly when dealing with conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power．For example，Russian，French，and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion．However，Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her．In still another use，persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect，particularly to an elder or a person in authority．
Nurses and other care-geivers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be expericencing．Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient's silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily．A nurse who understands the healing（治愈） value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures．

32．What does the author say about silence in conversations？C
A．It implies anger．
B．It promotes friendship．
C．It is culture-specific．
D．It is content-based．
33．Which of the following people might regard silence as a call for careful thought？A
A．The Chinese．
B．The French．
C．The Mexicans．
D．The Russians．
34．What does the author advise nurses to do about silence？D
A．Let it continue as the patient pleases．
B．Break it while treating patients．
C．Evaluate its harm to patients．
D．Make use of its healing effects．
35．What may be the best title for the text？B
A．Sound and Silence
B．What It Means to Be Silent
C．Silence to Native Americans
D．Speech Is Silver； Silence Is Gold．

Answer 1

分析 本文是一篇说明文，主要介绍了沉默在不同文化背景下的不同内涵．美国人重视沉默，并且认为沉默是人们之间日常交流的基本部分，而中国人则在谈话时将沉默视为认真思考的标志；另外俄国、法国、西班牙等国家则将沉默看作是对所谈论话题的一种认可，恰恰相反，墨西哥人则将沉默视为对比自己职位高或者年长的人意见的一种不认可，这样用沉默要不和他们争论、吵要礼貌的多．而护士则可以把沉默当作是治疗疾病的一种方法．

解答 32C 33A  34D  35B
32．C．．细节理解题．根据文章首段首句"The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups"可知，作者认为沉默是有文化特性的．根据后面的第四句"Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable"以及第五句"Persons in other cultural groups value silence"也是很好的佐证；故选C．
33．A．细节理解题．根据第二段中"what may be implied is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing"以及"In these cultures，silence is a call for reflection．"可知中国人认为谈话时人们沉默是在思考．故选A．
34．D．细书理解题．根据末段末句"A nurse who understands the healing value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients"可知，作者建议护士要用沉默来冶疗病人．故选D．
35．B．标题归纳题．文章主要介绍了在不同文化背景下谈话期间沉默的不同含义，由此判断B选项可以概括文章内容．故选B．

点评 在做说明类的阅读文章时可以先通读全文，明白文章所描述的中心内容是什么，再结合题干要求，带着问题去读文章会更节省时间，也能做到针对性更强一些，尤其是最后的标题归纳题，一定要有针对性和概括性．