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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

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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 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 as his own, and he dislikes invasion of it. The fact that he crowds together with others does not contradict his needs 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 arrangement 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 a public place, and if he can push 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 this 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 本题属于全文主旨题，需要总结各段主题，考试的时候本题可以放到最后做。本文各段主题为：第一段：荷尔博士以日本人为例，指出文化因素影响肢体语言。第二段：唐纳德.基恩发现日本人也需要私人空间。第三段：日本人对于空间的认识。第四段：阿拉伯人与日本人对空间概念认识的异同点。第五段：阿拉伯人和美国人对于私人空间的认识差异和对待肢体接触的不同态度。第六段：荷尔博士认为，阿拉伯人也需要独处，但其方式可能会冒犯美国人。文章第一段第一句提出文化是肢体语言中的重要因素后，第二句用particularly一词进一步点明了文章要讨论的中心内容，即personal space needs，而后通过具体例子，进一步阐明了不同文化背景下的人对于私人空间的需求和理解不同。所以，选项D概括全面，是正确选项。选项A“阿拉伯人和日本人对于隐私的理解不同”属于偷换概念， “隐私(private)”一词在文章中总是伴随着 “空间(space)”出现的，是为了进一步阐述人们对于空间的需求，而且该选项也不能全面涵盖本文内容。选项B“肢体语言反映了文化概念”，这是文章的第一句话，但第二句话用particularly将文章主旨细化到space上，所以这个选项过于笼统，属于扩大范围。选项C“东西方之间的文化差异”属于夸大事实，文章以日本人、阿拉伯人以及美国人为例，从几个方面讨论了不同文化背景下的人对于空间的不同理解，但文章并没有上升到东西方的文化差异。
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