【文章內容簡介】 sing situation that when Chinese people converge with Englishspeaking people facetoface, during conversation Englishspeaking people will be unpleasant about Chinese people’s rarely eye contact, which will make them feel selfcontemptuous or be looked down upon by the partner. However, Chinese people feel unfortable and uneasy about the partner’s too much eye contact, because which make them suspect if they make some mistake. “The language of the eyes” — also one of the most mon and ancient ways of exchanging feelings between boys and girls, men and women— is especially elaborate in the United States. Many studies have been made: how people of the opposite sex show interest or indifference, encouragement or discouragement, approval or disapproval, affection or aversion. However, there are many differences even within the United States. Men use their eyes in more different ways than women。 there are differences of age, class or social status, geographical region。 and ethnic background. The story is told of a teenage Puerto Rican girl in a New York high school who was taken with a number of other girls to the principal for suspected smoking. Although there was no proof of any wrongdoing and she had a good record, the principal thought she should be punished and suspended her. “There was s omething sly and suspicious about her,” he said in his report. “She dared not meet my eyes. She dared not look at me.” When she was questioned by the principal it was true that she kept staring at the floor and refused to meet his eyes. And in English there is a saying “Don’t trust anyone who won’t look at you in the eye.” It happened that one of the teachers had a Latin American background and knew about Puerto Rican culture. After talking with the girl’s parents, he went to the principal and explained that according to Puerto Rican culture, a good girl didn’t meet the eyes of an adult. Such behavior, he explained, was a sign of respect and obedience. Fortunately, the principal accepted the explanation, admitted his mistake and the matter was settled properly. This difference in interpreting a simple eye gesture was a lesson in cultural diversity that he would not easily fet. According to the above cases, we can know the rules about eye contact are plicated and various, the meaning of eyes contact can be very different according to countries, districts, ethnics, gender, social status, and ages. The cases mentioned above are mon ones in daily life. We can learn a lot from it. But we still need practice actually. B. Body Distance Psychologists discover any person needs personal space, yet skins are not the boundary of personal space, their personal spaces are encircled by bubbles and other people can’t break in at will. 1. The Kind of Body Distance People always carry personal space with them no matter how far they will go, and they always have a kind of instinctive mon sense of selfguard. So the speakers talking with him need to keep a distance during conversation to avoid offence. The anthropologist and socialist Doctor Hall advanced 4 kinds of definitions for it. 1. Intimate distance (045cm)— proper for spouse and lovers。 distance(5120cm)— Proper for friends, acquaintances, and relatives。 distance (120360cm)— proper for dealing with impersonal thing。 4,public distance(360750cm)— proper for informal party. Actually these concepts are deeprooted in the whole society, but in some degree which are effected by many factors: ① density of population in specific unit space。 ② influence of accept level and intimate extent.③ influence of different custom and culture background.④ influence of social status.(, 47) Here author mainly talk about the use of body distance in different custom and culture background. The people of different countries, ethnic, races and areas have different habit when they talk with each other in intercultural munication。 we can choose proper body distance according to the above definition of body distance during conversation with different people. 2. Culture Difference about Body Distance Arab and Spanish try to stand close to show friendliness. In their culture standing closely is the manner of the people when they converge. They stand close as possible as they can as if they want to smell the smells of the partner。 Englishman wants to keep their personal space when they talk with the others, so pay attention not to taking up the partners’ space 。 Chinese people conform with the principle of nontouching culture during the conversation. They keep a moderate distance when talking with others. There is a very interesting picture when Englishmen talk with Arab. The Arab, showing amicable to Englishman, will walk close to the Englishman, but the latter continues moving back. The Arab moves forward to be closer again, but the Englishman keeps moving backward. By the end of the conversation, the two people may be quite a distance from the place where they were originally standing! We have just talk about the personal space above. Everyone needs specific personal space, but it seem that the relationship of parents and children between China and American have great differences. Natural affection is most divine in Chinese people’s eyes, and children are more i mportant than any thing else, so Chinese parents are always busy for children all life. They are worried about children’s eating, clothing, sleeping and try any way to pave rode for children’s future。 they hope their children stay with them and obey with all the arrangement of them. Completely contrary to Chinese parents, western mother would rather children earn their own life independently, they don’t interfere with children’s private affairs including marriage. With the further deepening of culture exchange and corporation of the world, the opp