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. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia 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 cultures, 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, but we should not attempt 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 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 generalize 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.Joy. B.Politeness.

C.Love. 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.Figure out what they will do next.

B.Find out about their past experience.

C.Understand their cultural backgrounds.

D.Learn about their relations with others.

4.What would be the best title for the text?

A.Appearance and Figure B.Smiles and Relationships

C.Habits and Emotions D.Facial Expressiveness

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。本文说明了面部表情的含义是由情景和文化背景决定的。作者通过举例做了详细说明。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段中For example, in American culture the smile is in general an expression of pleasure.可知例如，在美国文化中，微笑通常是快乐的一种表达。由此可知，在美国，微笑通常意味着快乐。故选A。

2.推理判断题。根据第一段中It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures.可知它也可以隐藏真实的感情。它常常导致不同文化之间的混淆。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。由此可推知，作者提到了越南人的微笑，是为了证明微笑可以用来隐藏真实的感情。故选B。

3.推理判断题。根据最后一段中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.可知关键是尽量不要去评判那些表达情感方式不同的人。如果我们根据自己的文化习惯来判断，我们可能会错误地“解读”他人。由此可推知，在试图“解读”他人之前，我们应该了解他们的文化背景，否则，就会出错。故选C。

4.主旨大意题。根据第一段中Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships.可知面部表情所承载的意义是由情境和人际关系所决定的。结合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。故D选项“面部表达”符合文章标题。故选D。