【導(dǎo)讀】Yesterday,anotherstudentandI,representing

　　

【正文】 . Ahm ed Azi z, on the contrary, sim pl y nodded at the gi rl s. Men from Mi ddl e Eastern and other Muslim countri es wi l often stand qui te cl ose to other m en to tal k but wil l usual ly not touch wom en. As I get to know more i nternati onal fri ends, I learn m ore about thi s cul tural “body l anguage”. Not al l cultures greet each other the sam e way, nor are they fortabl e i n the sam e way wi th touchi ng or distance between peopl e. In the sam e way that peopl e m uni cate with spoken l anguage, they al so express thei r feeli ngs usi ng unspoken “l(fā) anguage” through physi cal di stance, acti ons or posture. Engli sh peopl e, for exam pl e, do not usual y stand very close to others or touch strangers as soon as they m eet. H owever, peopl e from pl aces li ke Spai n, Ital y or South Am eri can countri es aproach others cl osel y and are m ore li kely to touch them. Most peopl e around the worl d now greet each other by shaki ng hands, but some cul tures use other greeti ngs as wel l, such as the Japanese, who prefer to bow. These actions are not good or bad, but are sim pl y ways in which cul tures have devel oped. I have seen, however, that cul tural custom s for body l anguage are very general not al l m em bers of a cul ture behave i n the sam e way. In general, though, studyi ng internati onal custom s can certai nl y hel p avoi d di ffi culti es i n today’s worl d cultural crossroads! Showi ng our feeli ngs Body l anguage i s one of the m ost powerful s of m uni cati on, often even m ore powerful than spoken language. People around the worl d show al l knds of feel i ngs, wi shes and ati tudes that they mi ght never speak al oud. It is possi bl e to “read” others around us, even i f they do not intend for us to catch their unspoken m uni cati on. O f course, body l anguage can be m isread, but m any gestures and acti ons are uni versal. The most uni versal faci al expressi on i s, of course, the sm il e – it’s function i s to show happi nes and to peopl e at ease. It does not al ways m eans that we are truly hapy, however. Sm il es around the worl d can be fal se, hi di ng other feel i ngs l i ke anger, fear or worry. There are unhapy smi l es, such as when som eone “l(fā) oses face” and smi l es to hi de it. H owever, the general purpose of sm il ng i s to show good feel ings. From the tim e we are babie, we show unhappi nes or anger by frowni ng. In m ost pl aces around the worl d, frowni ng and turni ng one’s back to som eone show anger. Maki ng a fi st and shaki ng i t al omost m eans that som eone i s angry and threateni ng another person. There are m any ways around the worl d to show agreem ent, but noddi ng the head up and down s for agreement alm ost worl dwi de. Most peopl e al so understand that shaki ng the head from si de to si de m eans disagreem ent or refusal. H ow about showi ng that I am bored? Looki ng away from peopl e or yawni ng wil l, i n m ost cases, m ake m e appear to be uninterested. However, i f I turn toward and l ook at som eone or som ethi ng, peopl e from alm ost every cul ture wi l thi nk that I am interested. If I rol m y eyes and turn m y head away, I m ost l ikel y do not beli eve what I am heari ng or do not li ke i t. Bei ng respectful to peopl e i s subjective, besed on each cul ture, but i n general i t i s probably not a good i dea to give a hug to a boss or teacher. In al m ost every culture, i t i s not usual l y good to stand too cl ose to someone of a higher rank. Standi ng at a l ittl e distance with open hands wi l show that I am wil li ng to li sten. Wi th so m any cul tural di fferences between peopl e, i t i s great to have some simi l ari ti es i n body l anguage. We can ofen be wrong about each other, so it i s an am azi ng thi ng that we understand each others as wel as we do! TH E O PEN H AN DA UNICERSAL SIGN When m eti ng peopl e at the ai rport, m ost peopl e smi l e and shake hands with peopl e they m et. We know that sm il e i s usual l y a si gn that peopl e feel fri endl y and happy, but what i f we don’t know who the new person i s? What i f we are not i ntroduced by a fri end? What i f we are m eeti ng a stranger i n a unfami li ar place? Som etim es people are dangerous and humans have to fi nd ways to protect them sel ves. We have to m ake sure we can trust peopl e we don’t know, and we have to show that we are not dangerous. Showi ng our hands m eans that we are not arm ed. In m any cultures today, the Western custom of shaki ng hands i s used. We use our ri ght hand, whi ch i s usual ly strong than the l eft one. If we are usi ng our hand thi s way, in canot be hol di ng a kni fe or a gun. It shows that we trust the other person, and that the other person can trust us. N ot al l cultures use the handshake, and peopl e in m any Asi an cul tures do not al ways touch another person. The traditi onal greeti ng i n Chi na was to cover the l eft hand with the ri ght and bow. Japanese peopl e mi ght cover one hand wi th other and, dependi ng on whom they are greeti ng, bow sli ghtl y or qui te l ow. In Indi a , Hi ndu peopl e joi n thei r hands i n front of thei r faces and bow thei r heads. A Musl im wi l touch hi s heart, m outh and forehead to show respect. Even young peopl e i n the West now give each other the “hi gh fi ve”, when they sl ap each other’s hands hi gh i n the ai r. They are al l keeping thei r hands busy. In al most al cul tures, to sm il e and show an open ri ght hand m eans, “Wel e, you are safe wi th me. ” Uni t 5 Them e parks – f un and m or t ha f un Whi ch them e park woul d you l ike to vi si t? There are vari ous ki nds of them e parks, with a different park for al most everythi ng: food, cul ture, sci ence, cartoons, m ovi es or hi story. Som e parks are fam ous for havi ng the bi ggest or longest rol l er coasters, others for showi ng the fam ous si ghts and sounds of a culture. Whi cheve