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

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