小题训练 06(阅读简答)

小题训练之五（阅读简答）

A

The period of engagement is the time between the marriage proposal and the wedding ceremony. Tw o people agree to marry when they decide to spend their lives together. The man usually gives the woman a diamond engagement ring. That tradition is said to have started when an Austrian man gave a diamond ring to the woman he wanted to marry. The diamond represented beauty. He placed it on the third finger of her left hand. He chose that finger because it was thought that a blood vessel (血管) in that finger went directly to the heart. Today，we know that this is not true. Yet the tradition continues.

Americans generally are engaged for a period of about one year if they are planning a wedding ceremony and party. During the time，friends of the bride may hold a party at which women friends and family members give the bride gifts that she will need as a wife. These could include cooking equipment or new clothing.

Friends of the man who is getting married may have a bachelor party for him. This usually takes place the night before the wedding. Only men are invited to the bachelor party.

During the marriage ceremony，the bride and her would-be husband usually exchange gold rings that represent the idea that their union will continue forever. The wife often wears both the wedding ring and engagement ring on the same finger. The husband wears his ring on the third finger of his left hand.

Many people say the purpose of the engagement period is to permit enough time to plan the wedding. But the main purpose is to let enough time pass so the two people are sure they want to marry each other. Either person may decide to break the engagement. If this happens，the woman usually returns the ring to the man；they also return any wedding gifts they have received.

81. According to the passage，on which finger does a woman wear her engagement ring today？(No more than 12 words)

82. Why will a bride receive such gifts as cooking equipment？(No more than 8 words)

83. When does a bachelor party usually take place？(No more than 10 words)

84. What is the most important reason for there to be the engagement period？(No more than 18 words)

B

According to one study, words send only 7 percent of a person’s message. Intonation (语调) and voice quality communicate 38 percent, and nonverbal(not using or involving words) cues (暗示) transmit a large 55 percent. That means people pick up more from nonverbal communication than from the words a person says. When studying a foreign culture then, it just makes sense to pay attention to how people use nonverbal cues.

Gestures consist of a major form of nonverbal communication. But often these gestures are culture-bound. For example, when the Maoris of New Zealand stick out (伸出) their tongue at someone, it is a sign of respect. When American schoolchildren make the same gesture, it means just the opposite. Also, Americans often indicate “OK” with their thumb and fore-finger touching to form a circle. The same gestu re means “money” to the Japanese and “zero” to the French. For that reason, people in a foreign culture must use gestures with caution.

Another part of nonverbal communication is the one that you might not think about —space. When someone comes too close, he feels uncomfortable. When he knocks into someone, he feels obligated (有义务的) to apologize. But the size of a person’s “comfort zone” varies, depending on his cultural or ethnic origin. For example, in casual conversation, many Americans stand about four feet apart. People in Latin or Arabic cultures, instead, stand very close to each other and touch each other often.

Considering the effects of nonverbal communication, we never really stop communicating. How we walk, how we stand and how we use our han ds all send a message to others. That’s why it’s possible to “read someone like a book”.

81. How does an American feel when an Arab stands too close to him ?（no more than 3 words）

82. What does the gesture “OK” mean in Japan? （no more than 3 words）

83. Why do we pay more attention to nonverbal cues in a foreign country?（no more than 10 words）