Americans are careful about how and when they meet one another's eyes．In their 1 conversation, each eye contact(接触) 2 only about a second before one or both persons look away．When two Americans look searchingly into each other's 3 , emotions are heightened and the relationship becomes more intimate(亲密)． 4 , they carefully avoid this, except in proper occasions．
Proper steer behaviors in the United States require a nice 5 of attention and inattention．You are 6 to look at a passer－by just enough to show that you're aware of his presence．If you look too 7 , you appear too proud; if you look too much, you are too curious．Usually． 8 happens is that people watch each other until they are about eight 9 apart, at which point both cast down their eyes．In England the polite listener stares at the 10 attentively and blinks(眨眼)his eyes occasionally as a sign of 11 ．That eye－blink says 12 to Americans, who expect the listener to nod or to 13 some thing－such as“mm－hum”．
Americans living abroad 14 find local behaviors hard to understand．Such complaints(抱怨)can often be 15 “People there were 16 ．They stared right at me on the street．They looked me 17 ．I kept wondering whether I was 18 or not．”They don't 19 that people in some places think nothing of staring at 20 on the street．