Handshaking, though a European practice, is
now often seen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice
started in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met,
they showed their unarmed (无武器的) hands to each other as a sign of goodwill. As time went on and
trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other’s hands
to make a deal or to reach an agreement. The practice was later changed into
shaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. “Let’s shake
(hands) on it” sometimes means agreement reached.
Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they
go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out
their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to give your
hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman,
shows little interest in shaking hands with
you and when the meeting does not mean
anything to him or her. Even if, for
politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand,
just touch it slightly. There is generally a misunderstanding(误解) among the Chinese that
westerners are usually open and straightforward, while the Chinese are rather
reserved (保守的) in
manner. But in fact some people in western countries are more reserved than
some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a westerner only
when he shows interest in further relations with you.
1. In the old days in Europe, people put
out their unarmed hands to each other.
A. to make a deal B.
to greet each other
C. to show friendliness D.
to reach an agreement
2.The first paragraph mainly tells us
______.
A. where handshaking was first practised
B. how handshaking came about
C. about the relationship between
handshaking and trade
D. about the practice of handshaking both
in Europe and in China
3.According to the text, which of the
following statements is true?
A. Westerners are more reserved than the
Chinese.
B. Westerners are unwilling to shake hands.
C. We should make a judgement before
shaking hands.
D. We shouldn’t shake hands with European
women.
4.The main purpose of the text is______.
A. to tell us some differences between the
East and the West
B. to offer us some important facts about
handshaking
C. to introduce us to some different
customs in the West
D. to give us some advice before we travel
abroad
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