Question

Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing(令人迷惑的). A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences. They decided that miscommunications were always possible, even over something as simple as“yes”and“no”.

On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought people weren’t paying any attention to her. The day was hot. She went into a store and asked, “Do you have cold drinks? ”The woman there didn’t say anything. 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”.

Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was known for its cabbage. She asked the waiter, “Do you have cabbage today? ”He nodded his head. Jan 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. They answered with many different nods and shakes of the head. He thought some people had not understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, they did the same thing. He soon found out 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”.

1. These Americans teaching English in other countries 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 communications

2.People in Micronesia show“yes”by ______ .

A. nodding heads     B. raising eyebrows

C. shaking heads     D. saying “no”

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to(根据)this passage?

A. In Bulgaria, nodding heads means no.

B. Jan taught English on a Pacific island.

C. Lisa was trying to buy some cabbage.

D. In India, only shaking heads means” yes”.

4.The passage is mainly about ______ .

A. body language in foreign restaurants

B. class discussion in Indian schools

C. miscommunication in different cultures

D. English teaching in other countries

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.A

4.C

【解析】

试题分析：这篇文章的主要意思是在不同文化的国家里生活可能是很令人兴奋的，但同时因为文化的不同，风俗习惯的不同，也可能会带来一些问题，使你感到困惑。文章中给我们举了三个这样的例子，例子中的三个人就遇到了这种因文化不同而带来困惑的情况。

1.D主旨大意题。文章中给我们举了三个例子，这三个在别的国家教英语的美国人发现，因为文化的不同与当地人交流是很困难的，如在密克罗尼西亚这个国家里，人们用抬高眉毛的这种方式来表示是；在保加利亚，点头代表不；在印度，来自不同地方的人用相反的方式表示是或不是。故本题选D。

2.B细节理解题。根据文章第二段She had raised her eyebrows(眉毛), which in Micronesia means “yes”.可知，在密克罗尼西亚这个国家，人们用抬高眉毛这种方式表示Yes,是。故选B。

3.A细节判断题。根据文章第三段In that country, a nod means “no”可知，在保加利亚这个国家，点头表示不是。故A正确。B选项Jane是在保加利亚教书，所以不对；C选项应该是Jane想买卷心菜；D选项在印度有的地方摇头是“是”，但有的地方不是，故D也不对。

4.C主旨大意题。这篇短文主要是通过三个例子来告诉我们不同的国家有不同的语言文化，故选C。

考点：考查文化类短文阅读。