新编大学英语视听说教程第六册听力原文Unit_1.docVIP

Unit 1 view Zhang Li: Hi, James. Hi, Joyce. Nice to see you. James Joyce: Hi, Zhang Li, Wang Hong. Nice to see you, too. ... Wang Hong: (She turns to Joyce and James.) You know, maybe you can help us with something weve been talking about. I read an article a few days ago and learned that when the Maoris of New Zealand stick out their tongue at someone, its a sign of respect. Is that also true in America? Joyce: Mm... no, in America, when people make the same gesture, it means just the opposite. James: You know, many gestures are culture-bound. What is acceptable in one culture may be unacceptable or even offensive in another culture. Zhang Li: Yeah, thats an interesting thought. It seems that we can never learn enough about cultural differences. James: Its true and it helps to avoid problems if we learn some culture-specific things when we speak with people from other cultural backgrounds. Wang Hong: Sure. But can you give us an example of something that means one thing in your culture and an entirely different thing in another culture? Joyce: Well, a typical example is of the expression OK. We Americans often indicate OK with our thumbs and our forefingers touching to form a circle. Ive read that the same gesture means money to the Japanese, zero to the French and a vulgarity to the Brazilians. For that reason, we must use gestures with caution in a foreign culture. Wang Hong: Oh, yes, that reminds me of a story of an American tourist in France. On his first trip to France, the well-meaning American thanks the waiter for a good meal well-served by making the OK gesture with his thumb and forefinger. The waiter is unhappy because the OK gesture means zero to him and he thought he would get no tip from the American. Zhang Li: Wow, thats interesting. Ive heard that space is also an important cultural aspect of nonverbal communication. Can you tell me how space as a concept varies from one culture to another? James: Well, you know, everybo