Question

Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture 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. For example, many people in Russia consider 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（尝试）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 conclude 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 Expressiveness                D. Habits and Emotions

Answer

1.C

2.B

3.B

4.C

【解析】

1.细节理解题。由“For example, in American culture (文化) the smile is in general an expression of pleasure”可知，在美国文化中，一般地说，微笑是快乐的表情。此处joy是pleasure的同义词。故选C。

2.写作意图题。根据文章第一段中的“It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures.”可知这是一个中心句，其后用例证法阐述：微笑能隐藏真正的感情。它常常导致跨文化间的困惑。其中越南人讲故事的例子就是为了说明这一观点。故选B。

3.判断推理题。根据文章最后一段中的“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.”可知，我们在“读”人们的表情的时候，要现理解他们的文化背景，否则，就会出错。

4.文章标题题。文章通篇阐述了面部表情的种种表现形式，以及文化之间的差异导致的面部表情的含义不同。所以C正确。