Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing(令人迷惑的). Some Americans who taught English in other countries recently talked about their experiences.
On her first day in Micronesia(密克罗尼西亚), an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought people weren’t paying any attention to her. It was hot. She went into a store and asked, “Do you have cold drinks? ” The woman there said nothing. Lisa repeated the question. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She had raised her eyebrows(眉毛), which in Micronesia means “yes”.
Jane remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria(保加利亚), a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant. She asked the waiter, “Do you have cabbage today?” He nodded his head. Jane waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.
Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class, he asked his students if they understood. Some nod and others shake. He thought some students had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon knew that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake their heads in different ways depending on where they come from. You have to know where a person is from to understand whether they mean “yes” or “no”.
These Americans in the passage found that they__________ .
A.should go abroad for vacations |
B.needed to learn foreign languages |
C.should often discuss their experiences |
D.had problems with communication in other countries |
People in Micronesia show “yes” by ________ .
A.nodding heads |
B.raising eyebrows |
C.shaking heads |
D.saying “no” |
Tom misunderstood(误解)his class at first because_______ .
A.he didn’t know much about Indian culture |
B.he didn’t explain everything clearly enough |
C.some students didn’t speak English |
D.he didn’t know where the students came from |
Which of the following is TRUE?
A.In Bulgaria, nodding heads means “no”. |
B.Jane taught English on a Pacific island. |
C.Lisa was trying to buy some cabbage. |
D.In India, only shaking heads means “yes”. |
The passage is mainly about_________ .
A.body language in foreign restaurants |
B.class discussion in Indian schools |
C.different language cultures in different countries |
D.English teaching in other countries |