Body language around the world世界各地的肢体语言
作者: 潘艳雷
同一种肢体语言表达的意思可能相同,也有可能截然相反。因此,在跨文化交际中,熟悉各国肢体语言的异同就显得尤为重要。
主题语境:人与社会 篇幅:359词 建议用时:7分钟
1 It is said that our body language exhibits much more information about our thoughts and feelings than is possible to articulate verbally. But the implied meaning of these common signals we use every day can mean something wildly different in another culture. Here's an introduction to the most unusual examples across the globe, so you can know how to integrate, and what to avoid.
Greetings
2 In various parts of India, it's common to greet one
another by touching feet. Handshakes and hugs are common in Western societies in places like the US and UK, but in parts of Europe such as France and Italy, handshakes are a slightly more personal greeting. It's common to linger (继续存留) for longer, which some visitors may find uncomfortable.
Hand and arm gestures
3 As standard, Italians use their arms and hands to gesture constantly while talking, whereas in Japan, this is considered impolite. If you're in Belgium or Northern Italy, be sure to avoid brushing your hand underneath your chin when speaking—it's a vivid way to tell someone to go away! Do you think the thumbs⁃up sign is a universal hand gesture for “great”? Well, hopefully you haven't visited Greece or Sardinia yet, where it's considered to be as rude as a middle finger signal in the West. In the US, a “V” sign means victory. In the UK and Australia, however, it's an offensive.
Head movements
4 In many parts of Eastern Europe, the standard nodding and shaking signifying yes and no respectively are switched, which can, of course, get very confusing. In Japan, staring too long is considered rude, invasive (侵略性的) or even an act of aggression. Our special gesture, though, has to be this traditional signal from Tibet, China. If someone is sticking their tongue out at you in the street, all may not be as it seems! In fact, it's a way of demonstrating respect, rather than being playful, silly or even bad⁃mannered like it is in Western cultures.
5 All in all, body language plays an important role in communicating with people from other cultures. It can send signals stronger than words.
Reading][Check
Ⅰ. Fill in each blank with only one word according to the text.
Ⅱ. Discussion
Do you know other types of body language? Which type of body language do you prefer? And why?
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Language Study
Ⅰ. Discover useful structures in the text
1. it作形式主语,that引导主语从句
It is said that our body language exhibits much more information about our thoughts and feelings than is possible to articulate verbally. 据说,我们的肢体语言所展示的关于我们的思想和感受的信息比口头表达的要多得多。
2. where引导定语从句
Well, hopefully you haven't visited Greece or Sardinia yet, where it's considered to be as rude as a middle finger signal in the West. 好吧,希望您还没有访问过希腊或撒丁岛,在那里它被认为与西方的中指手势同样粗鲁。
Ⅱ. Memorize some theme⁃centered chunks
an introduction to ……介绍;……入门
across the globe 世界各地
one another 彼此;互相
as standard 作为标准
all in all 总而言之;总之;总的说来;从各方面考虑
play an important role in 在……中发挥重要的作用;在……中扮演重要的角色