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  3. Although there are body languages that can cross cultural boundaries, culture is still a significant factor in all body language

Although there are body languages that can cross cultural boundaries, culture is still a significant factor in all body language

admin2010-11-02  71
问题      Although there are body languages that can cross cultural boundaries, culture is still a significant factor in all body languages. This is particularly true of personal space needs. For example, Dr. Edward Hall has shown that in Japan crowding together is a sign of warm and pleasant intimacy. In certain situations, Hall believes that the Japanese prefer crowding.
     Donald Keene, who wrote Living Japan, notes the fact that in the Japanese language there is no word for privacy. Still, this does not mean that there is no concept of the need to be apart from others. To the Japanese, privacy exists in terms of his house. He considers this area to be his own, and he dislikes invasion of it. The fact that he crowds together with others does not contradict his need for living space.
     Dr. Hall sees this as a reflection of the Japanese concept of space. Westerners, he believed, see space as the distance between objects; to them space is empty. The Japanese, on the other hand, see space as having as much meaning as their flower arrangements and art, and the shape of their gardens as well, where units of space balance the areas containing flowers or plants.
     Like the Japanese, the Arabs too prefer to be close to one another. But while in public they are crowded together, in privacy, they prefer a great deal of space. The traditional or wealthy Arab house is large and empty, with family often crowded together in one small area of it. The Arabs do not like to be alone, and even in their spacious houses they will huddle together.
     The difference between the Arab huddling and the Japanese crowding is a deep thing. The Arabs like to touch his companion. The Japanese, in their closeness, preserve a formality and a cool dignity. They manage to touch and still keep rigid boundaries. The Arabs push these boundaries aside.
     Along with this closeness, there is a pushing and shoving in the Arab world that many Westerners find uncomfortable, even unpleasant. To an American, for example, there are personal boundaries even in a public place. When he is waiting in line, he believes that his place there is his alone, and may not be invaded by another. The Arab has no concept of privacy in the public place, and if he can rush his way into a line, he feels perfectly within his rights to do so. To an American, the body is sacred; he dislikes being touched by a stranger, and will apologize if he touches another accidentally. To an Arab, bodily contact is accepted.
     Hall points out that an Arab needs at times to be alone, no matter how close he wishes to be, physically, to his fellow men. To be alone, he simply cuts off the lines of communication. He retreats into himself, mentally and spiritually, and this withdrawal is respected by his companions. If an American were with an Arab who withdrew in this way, he would regard it as impolite, as lack of respect, even as an insult.  
What’s the main idea of the passage?
选项 A、Arabs and Japanese have different ideas of privacy.
B、Body languages reflect cultural concepts.
C、Cultural differences between the West and the East.
D、People in different cultures have different concepts of space.
答案D
解析 首段第2句中的particularly表明本文即将要讨论的话题是personal space needs，接着作者分别讨论了日本人和阿拉伯人对空间的要求，最后几段还提到了美国人对空间的要求，可见选项B正确。
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