Question

Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture (文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian culture, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.

Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions. Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressions permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.

It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of “reading” the other person incorrectly.

1. What does the smile usually mean in the U.S?

A. Love.B. Politeness.

C. Joy. D. Thankfulness.

2. The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that smile can ___ .

A. show friendliness to strangers

B. be used to hide true feelings

C. be used in the wrong places

D. show personal habits

3. What should we do before attempting to “read” people?

A. Learn about their relations with others.

B. Understand their cultural backgrounds.

C. Find out about their past experience.

D. Figure out what they will do next.

4.What would be the best title for the test?

A. Cultural Differences B. Smiles and Relationship

C. Facial ExpressivenessD. Habits and Emotions

 

Answer 1

1.C

2.B

3.B

4.C

【解析】

试题分析: 面部表情通常由语境和社会关系决定，然而不同的文化背景，相同的表情也可能表示不同的含义。所以为了不误读他人的表情，我们应该理解他人的文化背景。

1.1】C。细节题。根据第一段For example, in American culture (文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure.可知美国文化中微笑代表快乐。故选C。

2.2】B。细节题。根据第一段In Southeast Asian culture, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.可知在东南亚国家微笑经常用来掩盖痛苦的情绪。故选B。

3.3】B。推理判断题。根据第二段Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture.我们经常以自己的文化背景来解读他人的表情，这是不对的。可知要解读他人的表情前，我们应该了解他人的文化背景。故选B。

4.4】C。标题推测题。通读全文可知，本文主要讲不同的文化背景对表情的影响很大，相同的表情在不同的文化环境下有不同的意思。故选C。

考点：考查说明类短文阅读。