2. 外语
  3. The word hug is of uncertain origin. The Oxford English Dictionary cautions against confusing it with hugge—a variant of the Mid

The word hug is of uncertain origin. The Oxford English Dictionary cautions against confusing it with hugge—a variant of the Mid

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问题     The word hug is of uncertain origin. The Oxford English Dictionary cautions against confusing it with hugge—a variant of the Middle English ug, meaning "to inspire with dread, loathing, or disgust." Nevertheless, I find myself drawn to the possibility that hug does, in fact, have some kinship with ug. It seems apt to me. At the prospect of a tight embrace, dread and loathing, if not disgust, do come to mind. So does the sound ug.
    So why is it that when I go over to your house for dinner, you wrap your arms around me, even though I saw you last Friday at the movies? And why do you come at me again after the meal is over, even though we hugged not three hours ago and I’ll probably see you next week? It’s not that I don’t like you—I do—but it’s such an awkward interaction. One arm or two? Should there be space between us? How much? Should I brush my cheek against yours? Maybe even kiss your cheek? And for how long, exactly, should we be touching?
    I’m willing to believe that some people really love to hug. They rush to enfold not only family and friends but also friends of friends and near strangers. Yet most people are just going through the motions; they’re looking for a way to say hello or goodbye, and so they open their arms wide. Not wanting to seem rude, I submit to this ritual of friendship. That, or I make sure I’m carrying something heavy.
    After one particularly confounding interaction, I looked for expert counsel. An advice columnist, Emily Yoffe, offered her sympathy: "I’ve become a non-hugger who hugs. Recently after breakfast with a new friend, I went in to hug her goodbye, and I could see a kind of horror in her eyes, but it was too late to back off and say, ’ I’m really not a hugger either. ’" That’s me: the girl with the look of horror in her eyes.
    The Emily Post Institute, which specializes in manners, explains that when greeting someone, you should look him or her in the eyes and smile, speak clearly, say the person’s name, add a "glad to see you" or "how’s it going?" and then shake hands with a firm grip, pump two or three times, and then release. The institute suggests adding a hug "if it’s a relative or close friend. " No mention of friends of friends or friends’ dates. Nor any specific information on what a proper hug entails.
    There are several hug alternatives, among them: the handshake, the cheek kiss, the wave, the arm squeeze, and the nod. Handshakes seem formal, cheek kisses un-American, waves rather odd. Arm squeezing would be a good solution if it weren’t for the danger of getting pulled into something more full-bodied. The nod, though, can be very effective when combined with a smile, especially when executed with confidence and with one hand already grasping the door handle.
What do the first two paragraphs imply about "hug"?
选项 A、The word arouses common disfavor.
B、The behavior appears disgusting.
C、The rite is somewhat confusing.
D、The manner is unsuitable for friends.
答案C
解析 推断题。作者在第一段中主要探讨hug“拥抱”一词的词源。在第二段中开始讨论拥抱作为日常礼节给作者带来的众多困扰。从文中一连串的问题以及第三句中的awkward interaction“尴尬的互动”可以看出，这种礼仪有些令人困惑，故[C]为本题答案。在作者看来，“拥抱”的词源和发音与中世纪英语中表示负面含义的词汇有关，但仅是其个人感觉，不能推出“引起普遍反感”，故排除[A]；[B]将词源讨论中提到的ug表示disgust与“拥抱”这一动作相混淆，故排除；[D]是对第二段前两个问题的误解，作者认为经常见面的人似乎不宜频繁使用拥抱礼，而不是“朋友间不适用”。
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