Interpersonal Distance

With the outbreak of SARS,everyone tried to avoid coming into close contact with each other.In those days,interpersonal distance increased,“close contact” almost became synonymous with “danger”,and even children couldn’t have close contact with their mothers.Now SARS has disappeared,and we return back to normal living again.Then,how can we do handle interpersonal distance in our everyday lives?

Studies show that interpersonal distance can be divided into 4 different types:intimate distance,personal distance,social distance,and public distance.

Intimate distance is the interpersonal distance of a person with the people closest to him or her.It ranges from 0 to 45 cm.When a stranger comes within this distance,a person will have strong negative reaction.In crowded buses,strangers usually maintain rigid poses and try to avoid body contact,but couples,lovers,children and their mothers usually lean close to each other.Intimates who aren’t able to live close together for a long time can become alienated.Also,touching is also very important.A contrast test shows that the nervous systems of babies who are often caressed by their mothers develop much faster and their weight increases faster,by 47%,than that of other babies.

Personal distance ranges from 45 cm to 1 m.People can converse genially at this distance without invading each other’s personal space.When friends and acquaintances meet on the street,they usually greet and converse at this distance.

Social distance generally ranges from 1 m to 3 m.Among this range,1-2 m is usually the distance in which people deal with private affairs in social activities.For example,when you get money from banks,in order to protect your privacy,other customers are required to stand at least 1 m away from you.2-3.5 m is a farther social distance.Business talks usually occur at this distance.Besides talking,proper eye contact is also indispensable.Otherwise,each side will feel disrespected.

Public distance is usually used in public gatherings.It generally ranges from 3.5 m to about 7 m.Beyond this range,people can’t communicate using a normal voice.In classrooms,experienced teachers usually leave their lecture platforms to enhance their teaching.

Under different cultural contexts,the interpersonal distance differs slightly,but its basic laws are the same.When conversing,people in love lean very close to each other,acquaintances lean closer than strangers,females lean closer than males,and extraverts lean closer than introverts.In life,harmonious interpersonal relationships are set upon proper interpersonal distances,and some conflicts start from improper interpersonal distances.

According to the text,the strangers standing close to each other in a crowded bus may_________.

A.try to keep a distance away                                   B.feel uneasy

C.feel nervous                                                  D.be rude to each other

The distance between a teacher and students in class belongs to _________.

A.intimate distance                                           C.personal distance

C.social distance                                               D.public distance

The interpersonal distance between two people is mainly determined by _________.

A.how familiar they are with each other                    B.their relationship in a special activity

C.their characters                                             D.their cultural background

To keep proper interpersonal distance is important because _________.

A.it makes people feel respected or loved

B.it helps to protect privacy

C.wrong interpersonal distance may result in misunderstanding

D.improper interpersonal distance may hurt others

It was a party. I was 18 and it was fresher(大一新生) week. I was at the beginning of a course in English Literature and full of enthusiasm for my subject. She was also 18 and enrolled in a course in physics.

“Your major is of no use to society. What will you do with it when you graduate, other than teach? Plus, you’re going to be poor your whole life,” she said. “You have no soul and your degree is boring. I don’t care how much money you’re going to earn. I’d rather be poor and don’t mind being a teacher. If I love my work I’ll have something far more meaningful than a big bank account!” came the reply.

And so it went, back and forth, neither of us giving the other an inch, each of us stubbornly committed to our prejudice. We were both ignorant, but our ignorance was also society’s ignorance. It had always been that way. Scientists mocked(嘲笑) humanists; humanists laughed at scientists. Back in the 1960s, the physicist-turned novelist C. P. Snow labeled the sciences-humanities divide “a problem of ‘the two cultures’” . He said it was bad for society. The modern world needed well-rounded people.

I think I know better now, but it would have helped if we had been encouraged to think a little more outside our science and arts “boxes”.

That’s why I believe it is healthy that China is beginning a debate on whether it’s wise for young people to have to choose which direction their careers – and lives – will take at such an early age. At the moment, in their second year of high school, students must choose either the sciences or the humanities. After making the choice, they focus their energies on passing the appropriate college entrance exam.

But now, people in China are asking: Is this forced, early decision good for young people or society? Young people need time to explore, to discover where their real talents and interests lie. There are more than just a few middle-aged people out there, stuck in jobs they hate because they made the wrong choice at the wrong time.

And from the point of view of society, isn’t it better for students to delay a while before they decide what to study? Scientists can benefit from learning to develop the critical skills associated with the humanities; students in the humanities, surely, only stand to gain by finding out a little more about science and technology, which are so important to the future of a developing country like China.

With any luck, in the future young people fresh to college will be better informed about the possibilities of education than people of my generation.

The author describes what happened at a fresher party to ________.

A. show that he was ready to defend the subject he enjoyed

B. lead up his argument that the sciences-humanities divide is harmful

C. prove that doing something meaningful is better than having a lot of money

D. describe how fierce students of different majors can be when arguing with each other

What was C. P. Snow’s attitude towards the sciences-humanities divide?

A. Indifferent.         B. Uncertain.         C. Positive.          D. Negative.

In the sixth paragraph, an example mentioning middle-aged people is used to show that ________.

A. students should not make decisions too early

B. not all people have a talent for or are interested in the sciences

C. these people did not have the chance to make a choice earlier in life

D. the earlier young people make a decision, the better it will be for them

According to the text, it is safe to say that ________.

A. sciences are more practical in the modern world

B. C. P. Snow was a novelist who became a physicist

C. future generations will be able to get more out of education

D. a command of both the sciences and humanities is important to society

What’s the best title for the article?

A. The sciences or the humanities, which to choose?

B. High school education in China

C. Isn’t it better to delay the choice of the career direction?

D. A better time to decide what to study

One dark stormy night, an elderly couple hurried into a hotel and asked whether they could be put up for the night. “I’ m very   31   ,” the clerk(职员) on night shift（值晚班） said politely, “we are all    32 tonight. But you could stay in my room if you don’t    33 . As I’m on duty, I’ll be staying up in the office anyway,” The young man gave the    34 _ advice.
The elderly couple    35  his offer with gratitude(感激). They    36  for the inconvenience(不便) they had caused him. The next day, the rain stopped and it cleared up. When the old gentleman went to pay his   37 , the clerk behind the counter was that same helpful young man. “The room you and your wife stayed in is not a proper guest room in this hotel,  38  you don’t need to pay,” said the clerk, with the same friendly smile.
The old gentleman nodded in    39 , “You are an employee that every boss in the hotel business would    40 . Perhaps   41  I’ll build a hotel for you. ” The clerk was surprised but, deciding that the guest must have been joking, he gave the words no more    42 .
Two years later, the young man received a registered letter(挂号信) from the old gentleman, in which he   43 the experience of that dark stormy night. The letter also enclosed（附上） a formal    44  and a round-trip air ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay a visit.
At a street comer in Manhattan, the young man met his   45  guest. The old gentleman, pointing to a beautiful new    46  towering over(耸立) the crossroads, said, “Look, that is the hotel I    47 to build for you. I hope you will manage it for me. Remember what I said then? Well, I was serious about it.”
“But…will there be any conditions, sir? Why do you choose me? And who are you?”
“My name is William Aster. There’s not any condition.   48  I told you before, you are the best employee…!”
This building was    49 the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Starting business in 1931, this hotel has been a symbol of honor in the city of New York. The young man who became its first    50  was George Boldt, the man who turned Waldorf into one of the best hotels in the world.

One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the hall of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, they came to the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.
“Could you possibly give us a room here?” the husband asked.
The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town.“All of our rooms are taken,” the clerk said.“But I can’t send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o’clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It’s not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night.”
When the couple declined, the young man pressed on.“Don’t worry about me; I’ll make out just fine.” the clerk told them. So the couple agreed.
As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk,“You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I’ll build one for you.” The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh. As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn’t easy.
Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round—trip ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit.
The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a pale reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.“That,” said the older man,“is the hotel I have just built for you to manage.”“You must be joking,” the young man said.“I can assure you I am not,” said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth.
The older man’s name was William Waldorf Astor, and that magnificent structure was the original Waldorf—Astoria Hotel. The young clerk who became its first manager was George C.Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world’s most glamorous hotels.
【小题1】The purpose of the author writing this story is to_______.

One dark stormy night, an elderly couple hurried into a hotel and asked whether they could be put up for the night. “I’ m very   36   ,” the clerk on night shift said politely, “we are all    37 tonight. But you could stay in my room if you don’t    38 . As I’m on duty, I’ll be staying up in the office anyway,” The young man gave the    39 _ advice.
The elderly couple    40  his offer with gratitude(感激). They    41  for the inconvenience they had caused him. The next day, the rain stopped and it cleared up. When the old gentleman went to pay his   42 , the clerk behind the counter was that same helpful young man. “The room you and your wife stayed in is not a proper guest room in this hotel,  43  you don’t need to pay,” said the clerk, with the same friendly smile.
The old gentleman nodded in    44 , “You are an employee that every boss in the hotel business would    45 . Perhaps   46  I’ll build a hotel for you. ” The clerk was amazed but, deciding that the guest must have been joking, he gave the remark no more    47 .
Two years later, the young man received a registered letter(挂号信) from the old gentleman, in which he   48 the experience of that dark stormy night. The letter also enclosed（附上） a formal    49  and a round-trip air ticket to New York, asking the young man to pay a visit.
At a street comer in Manhattan, the young man met his   50  guest. The old gentleman, pointing to a magnificent new    51  towering over the crossroads, said, “Look, that is the hotel I    52 to build for you. I hope you will manage it for me. Remember what I said then? Well, I was serious about it.”
“But…will there be any conditions, sir? Why do you choose me? And who are you?”
“My name is William Aster. There’s not any condition.   53  I told you before, you are the best employee…!”
This building was none    54 the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Starting business in 1931, this hotel has been a symbol of supreme status and honor in the city of New York. The young man who became its first    55  was George Boldt, the man who turned Waldorf into one of the most glamorous hotels in the world.