Living in the foreign culture can be exciting, but it can also be confusing. A group of Americans who taught English in other countries recently discussed their experiences . They discussed that miscommunications were always possible, even over something as simple as “yes” and “no”.
On her first day in Micronesia, an island in the Pacific, Lisa thought the waitress wasn’t paying any attention to her. The day was hot she went into a store and asked, “ Do you have any cold drinks ?” The woman there didn’t say anything. Lisa repeated the question again. Still the woman said nothing. She later learned that the woman had answered her: She has raised her eyebrows , which in Micronesia , it means, “yes”.
Jan remembered an experience she had in Bulgaria, a country in Europe. She went to a restaurant that was known for its cabbage. She asked the writer, “Do you have cabbage today ?” He nodded his head. Jan waited, but the cabbage never came. In that country, a nod means “no”.
Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in India. After explaining something in class , he asked his students if they understood . They answered with different nods and shakes of heads. He thought some people hadn’t understood, so he explained again. When he asked again, the did the same thing. He soon found out that his students did understand. In India, people nod and shake heads in different ways . It depends on where they come from.
小题1:These Americans teaching English in other countries found that they _____________.
needed to learn foreign languages.
should often discuss their experiences
had problems with communications
小题2:People in Micronesia show “yes” by _________.
A. nodding heads B. raising the eyebrows C. shaking hands.
小题3: Tom misunderstood his class at first because __________.
he didn’t know much about Indian culture
he didn’t explain everything clearly enough
he didn’t know where the students came from
小题4:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
In Bulgaria, nodding heads means “no”
Jan taught English on a Pacific island
Lisa was trying to buy some cabbage.
小题5:The passage is mainly about _________.
body language in foreign restaurants
class discussion in Indian schools
miscommunicaions in different cultures
