There is so much more meaning to a message than what exists in the spoken or written words. For example, if a person says, "you

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问题     There is so much more meaning to a message than what exists in the spoken or written words. For example, if a person says, "you know, Barbara, I really like you," it has different meanings depending on whether it is said by man or a woman, in an office or a bar. Context, the tone of voice, the stress put on certain words, as well as the eye contact, physical distance , and the relationship between the speaker and the listener are all factors which give meaning to what’s being said. Sometimes, these factors can generate much more meaning than the words themselves. If a friend says to me, " Gee, I can’t wait to see the result of the upcoming election," my interpretation of that message will be based upon my knowledge of my friend’s political views, the situation with the current campaign, and my ability to understand the meaning behind the tone of voice.
    Our ability to understand such cues is developed without us being aware of it through our process of socialization. Our interpretation of these cues just comes naturally. Every culture has its own set of culture cues that each member of that culture understands. It’s common how a person from culture A and a person from culture B interpret the very same words in totally different ways. Here are some examples:
    When "Sarcasm" Means "Sincerity"
    Marsha thought things were going well with her new French friends, particularly Ber-trand. He often invited her to interesting and fun events, but he was often making fun of her. One day at an art exhibition, while looking at a particularly abstract piece, Marsha said that she couldn’t understand what the artist was trying to express. Bertrand smiled and responded , " Yes, I’m afraid French art is far too advanced for Americans to understand. Marsha was upset; she really liked him and couldn’t figure out what caused him to frequently make fun of her. So she asked her host mother about it. "My dear," the host mother told her, "this means that he really likes you. In France, when someone feels comfortable enough to make fun of you, that means that you have been welcomed as a very-close friend.
    When "Now" Doesn’t Mean "Now"
    Joshua, an American student in Heredia, invited a Costa Rican partner to meet for coffee. When he asked what time they should meet, the response was " Nos encontramos ahora en el parquet". " Ahora" literally means now. So he grabbed his jacket and headed straight to the park where they agreed to meet. Half an hour later, his friend arrived without the least sign of regret for being late. After discussing the matter with his Spanish teacher, Joshua learned that in Costa Rica, "Ahora" means sometime within the hour. And if people decide to meet someplace like in a park, it is no problem for one or the other to wait for a while because they will spend some nice time in the park, probably running into some other friends, or meeting someone friendly.
    When "Yes" Doesn’t Means "Yes"
    Many business people might have experienced this frustrating situation in Japan. Sarah, a young businesswoman from New York, was sent to Japan to close a big deal for her company. While giving her presentation, she became more and more certain of the sale because her Japanese business partners continually nodded their heads as she spoke. When she finished, she thought the deal was made and asked when they would like to sign the a-greement. She was shocked when she was told that they were not yet sure if they wanted to make the deal or not. What Sarah did not know is that in Japan, nodding head does not necessarily mean "yes" as it does in the US. It can also mean "Yes, I am listening and understanding what you are saying" .
    These stories provide just a few examples of how language skills are simply not enough to achieve effective communication in another culture. To get the most of your international learning experience, focus on gaining cross-cultural skills which enable you to do the following :
    understand how culture affects communication;
    deal with behavior that seems to you strange or offensive;
    learn from your cultural adaptation process; communicate more effectively.
    These skills will also help you when you learn a new language. After all, language is a reflection of die culture from which it developed.
The stories told in the passage show that language skills are not enough for people to communicate effectively in______.

选项 A、the same culture
B、another culture
C、family members
D、in the same situation

答案B

解析 仅仅学好(某种外语)语言技能不足以使你在其文化中有效地交流。文章中三个故事都说明了这一点,尤其是倒数第二段。
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