People from East Asia tend to have more difficulty than those from Europe in distinguishing facial expressions — and a new report published online in Current Biology explains why.
Rachael Jack, University of Glasgow researcher, said that rather than scanning evenly(均匀的) across a face as Westerners do, Easterners fix their attention on the eyes.
"We show that Easterners and Westerners look at different face features to read facial expressions," Jack said. "Westerners look at the eyes and the mouth in equal measure, whereas Easterners favor the eyes and neglect (忽略) the mouth."
According to Jack and her colleagues, the discovery shows that human communication of emotion is more complex than previously believed. As a result, facial expressions that had been considered universally recognizable cannot be used to reliably convey emotion in cross-cultural situations.
The researchers studied cultural differences in the recognition of facial expressions by recording the eye movements of 13 Western Caucasian and 13 East Asian people while they observed pictures of. expressive faces and put them into categories: happy, sad, surprised, fearful, disgusted, angry, or neutral. They compared how accurately participants read those facial expressions using their particular eye movement strategies.
It turned out that Easterners focused much greater attention on the eyes and made significantly more errors than did Westerners. "The cultural difference in eye movements that they show is probably a reflection of cultural difference in facial expressions," Jack said. "Our data suggest that whereas Westerners use the whole face to convey emotion, Easterners use the eyes more and mouth less."
In short, the data show that facial expressions are not universal signals of human emotion. From here on, examining how cultural factors have diversified these basic social skills will help our understanding of human emotion. Otherwise, when it comes to communicating emotions across cultures, Easterners and Westerners will find themselves lost in translation.
1.The discovery shows that Westerners .
A. pay equal attention to the eyes and the mouth
B. consider facial expressions universally reliable
C. observe the eyes and the mouth in different ways
D. have more difficulty in recognizing facial expressions
2.What were the people asked to do in the study?
A. To make a face at each other. B. To get their faces impressive.
C. To classify some face pictures. D. To observe the researchers' faces.
3.What does the underlined word "they" in Paragraph 6 refer to?
A. The participants in the study.
B. The researchers of the study.
C. The errors made during the study.
D. The data collected from the study.
4.In comparison with Westerners, Easterners are likely to .
A. do translation more successfully
B. study the mouth more frequently
C. examine the eyes more attentively
D. read facial expressions more correctly
5.What can be the best title for the passage?
A. The Eye as the Window to the Soul
B. Cultural Differences in Reading Emotions
C. Effective Methods to Develop Social Skills
D. How to Increase Cross-cultural Understanding
When Mary Moore began her high school in 1951, her mother told her, "Be sure and take a typing course so when this show business thing doesn't work out, you'll have something to rely on." Mary responded in typical teenage fashion. From that moment on, "the very last thing I ever thought about doing was taking a typing course," she recalls.
The show business thing worked out, of course. In her career, Mary won many awards. Only recently, when she began to write Growing Up Again, did she regret ignoring her morn," I don't know how to use a computer," she admits.
Unlike her 1995 autobiography, After All, her second book is less about life as an award-winning actress and more about living with diabetes (糖尿病). All the money from the book is intended for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), an organization she serves as international chairman. "I felt there was a need for a book like this," she says." I didn't want to lecture, but I wanted other diabetics to know that things get better when we're self-controlled and do our part in managing the disease."
But she hasn't always practiced what she teaches. In her book, she describes that awful day, almost 40 years ago, when she received two pieces of life-changing news. First, she had lost the baby she was carrying, and second, tests showed that she had diabetes. In a childlike act, she left the hospital and treated herself to a box of doughnuts (甜甜圈). Years would pass before she realized she had to grow u p ---again---and take control of her diabetes, not let it control her. Only then did she kick her three-pack-a-day cigarette habit, overcome her addiction to alcohol, and begin to follow a balanced diet.
Although her disease has affected her eyesight and forced her to the sidelines of the dance floor, she refuses to fall into self-pity. "Everybody on earth can ask, 'why me?' about something or other," she insists. "It doesn't do any good. No one is immune (免疫的) to heartache, pain, and disappointments. Sometimes we can make things better by helping others. I've come to realize the importance of that as I've grown up this second time. I want to speak out and be as helpful as I can be."
1.Why did Mary feel regretful?
A. She didn't achieve her ambition.
B. She didn't take care of her mother.
C. She didn't complete her high school.
D. She didn't follow her mother's advice.
2.We can know that before 1995 Mary
A. had two books published
B. received many career awards
C. knew how to use a computer
D. supported the JDRF by writing
3.Mary's second book Growing Up Again is mainly about her .
A. living with diabetes
B. successful show business
C. service for an organization
D. remembrance of her mother
4.When Mary received the life-changing news, she .
A. lost control of herself B. began a balanced diet
C. Med to get a treatment D. behaved in an adult way
5.What can we know from the last paragraph?
A. Mary feels pity for herself.
B. Mary has recovered from her disease.
C. Mary wants to help others as much as possible.
D. Mary determines to go back to the dance floor.
L1PITOR
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ABOUT LIPITOR Lipitor is a prescription medicine．Along with diet and exercise，it lowers “bad，’ cholesterol(胆固醇)in your blood．It can also raise “good'’ cholesterol. Lipitor can lower the risk of heart attack in patients with several common risk factors， including family history of early heart disease，high blood pressure，age and smoking. |
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WHO IS LIPITOR FOR? Who can take LIPITOR： ．People who cannot lower their cholesterol enough with diet and exercise · Adults and children over l0 Who should NOT take LIPITOR： ．Women who are pregnant，may be pregnant，or may become pregnant. Lipitor may harm your unborn baby. ．women who are breast-feeding．Lipitor can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby. · People with liver(肝脏)problems |
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POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF LIPITOR Serious side effects in a small number of people： ．Muscle(肌肉)problems that can lead to kidney(肾脏)problems，including kidney failure ．Liver problems．Your doctor may do blood tests to check your liver before you start Lipitor and while you are taking it． Call your doctor right away if you have： ．Unexplained muscle pain or weakness，especially if you have a fever or feel very fired ．Swelling of the face，lips，tongue，and／or throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing · Stomach pain Some common side effects of LIPITOR are： · Muscle pain · Upset stomach · Changes in some blood tests |
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HOW TO TAKE LIPITOR DO： ．Take Lipitor as prescribed by your doctor. ．Try to eat heart-healthy foods while you take Lipitor. ．Take Lipitor at any time of day, with or without food. ．If you miss a dose(一剂)，take it as soon as you remember.But if it has been more than 12 hours since your missed dose，wait．Take the next dose at your regular time. Don’t： ．Do not change or stop your dose before talking to your doctor. ．Do not start new medicines before talking to your doctor. |
1.What is a major function of Lipitor?
A. To help quit smoking.
B. To control blood pressure.
C. To improve unhealthy diet.
D. To lower "bad" cholesterol.
2.Taking Lipitor is helpful for .
A. breast-feeding women
B. women who are pregnant
C. adults having heart disease
D. teenagers with liver problems．
3.If it has been over 12 hours since you missed a dose, you should
A. change the amount of your next dose B. eat more when taking your next dose
C. have a dose as soon as you remember D. take the next dose at your regular time
4.Which of the following is a common side effect of taking Lipitor?
A. Face swelling. B. Upset stomach.
C. Kidney failure. D. Muscle weakness.
5.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To teach patients ways for quick recovery.
B. To present a report on a scientific research.
C. To show the importance of a good lifestyle.
D. To give information about a kind of medicine.
Directions: Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with one word that best fits the context.
Parents are busy people. If they are working, they are usually not at home 1.when/ after their children return from school. Sometimes it is necessary for a parent to write 2.an after-school note for their children. They sometimes put the note on the kitchen table, the refrigerator, 3.or another place where their children are sure to find it. A note is often a 4.better way to "talk" with a child than using the telephone. For one thing, parents have time to think about 5.what they want to say before they write. For6.another, the note lists all the information in one place. It is easy to read again and again People often forget all the details that they 7.hear in a telephone call. Finally, cell phones can be turned 8.off or telephone calls not answered. For these reasons, after-school notes are very popular with parents.
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
Behind our house is the start of a fascinating trail (小径). This trail is one of the old roads that wind through untold miles of forest. My 1, Beans, and I walk the trail frequently. Normally, Beans sniffs alongside the trail to follow the smell of a deer track or 2some cause known only to him.
Beans is a white dog, quite handsome and very 3. He not only understands what we tell him, but also often makes sounds as if he were trying to 4back.
One morning, we took a different route, which led us to an unfamiliar trail. I was sure this trail would eventually lead us to our familiar 5. But, no. We seemed to be far off course. After two hours, I suddenly realized that Beans probably 6the way home. So I urged, "Beans, take me home." He ran down a new trail. But it merely led to an intersection (岔道口) of trails.
Soon it became 7that we were getting nowhere. I began to picture the rest of the day in the 8, without food or drink. We had walked about ten miles. But Beans seemed totally 9. The sniffing and exploring was going well for him.
Finally, we 10a crossroad near a highway. Lady Luck suggested I should turn left. We did and 11reached a cottage beside a field. I knocked on the door and explained my situation to an old man. He laughed and then drove us home.
Since our adventure, I 12that Beans probably knew all along how to get home. He was just having too much fan exploring new trails.
1.A. deer B. dog C. lady D. man
2.A. imagine B. consider C. explore D. present
3.A. smart B. sweet C. slow D. shy
4.A. turn B. kick C. jump D. speak
5.A. driveway B. path C. crossroad D. highway
6.A. knew B. saw C. showed D. made
7.A, mysterious B. ridiculous C. fascinating D. apparent
8.A. house B. forest C. field D. cottage
9.A. unconcerned B. unconscious C. undecided D. uncomfortable
10.A. left for B. went off C. came to D. drove toward
11.A. punctually B. frequently C. formally D. shortly
12.A. regretted B. remembered C. concluded D. confirmed
Cindy shut the door heavily and burst into tears. No one in the office knew she was so angry.
A. where B. whether C. that D. why
