People smile at times. However, the meaning of a smile in different cultures may be different. Depending on different cultures, smiling can express joy and amusement, but it can also show embarrassment.
People in the United States smile a lot. Every one smiles at each other in order to show they are open and friendly. However,in China, smiling is not only an expression of happiness, but also a way to avoid being embarrassed. Chinese people like smiling when they are embarrassed in order to avoid embarrassment. Smiling is a kind of good will but not sneer(嘲笑). For example: When a child falls off from a bike, the adults in China may smile, which is a kind of gentle encouragement and not a kind of impolite laugh.
When a person from the United States might blush(脸红)with embarrassment or become offensive(冒犯的), a Chinese might blush with smile. To avoid serious misunderstanding, people who engage in intercultural communication should be able to understand the meaning of smiling properly.
小题1: We can use smile to express all of the following feelings except _________,
A.joy and happiness | B.amusement | C.embarrassment | D.fear |
小题2: People often smile at each other in the United States because _________.
A.they are very happy |
B.they want to show they are friendly |
C.they want to hide their true feelings |
D.they want to avoid embarrassment |
小题3: In China, seeing a child falls off a bike, an adult will smile in order to _______.
A.laugh at him |
B.avoid his own embarrassment |
C.avoid embarrassment and encourage the boy |
D.show his politeness |
小题4: What is mainly talked about in the passage?
A.People smile at times. |
B.Smiling can express different feelings depending on different cultures. |
C.Americans are more open and friendly than Chinese people. |
D.The Chinese people often hide their true feelings. |