Themeaningofsilencevariesamongculturalgroups.Silence...

問題詳情：

    The meaning of silence varies among cultural nces may be thoughtful, or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say. A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness, uneasiness, or worry. Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable; therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap(間隙) with conversation. Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a person's needs.

Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people, just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore, when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops, what may be implied(暗示) is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before these cultures, silence is a call for reflection.

Other cultures may use silence in other ways, particularly when dealing with conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. For example, Russian, French, and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion. However, Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her. In still another use, persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect, particularly to an elder or a person in authority.

Nurses and other care-givers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be experiencing. Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient’s silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily. A nurse who understands the healing(治癒) value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.

207．What does the author say about silence in conversations?

A．It implies anger.

B．It promotes friendship.

C．It is culture-specific.

D．It is content-based.

208．Which of the following people might regard silence as a call for careful thought?

A．The Chinese.

B．The French.

C．The Mexicans.

D．The Russians.

209．What does the author advise nurses to do about silence?

A．Let it continue as the patient pleases.

B．Break it while treating patients.

C．Evaluate its harm to patients.

D．Make use of its healing effects.

210．What may be the best title for the text?

A．Sound and Silence

B．What It Means to Be Silent

C．Silence to Native Americans

D．Speech Is Silver; Silence Is Gold

【回答】

207．C

208．A

209．D

210．B

【分析】

本文是一篇説明文。主要介紹了沉默在不同文化背景下的不同內涵。

207．細節理解題。根據第一段The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups. A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness, uneasiness, or worry. 可知，沉默的含義因文化羣體而異，交談中的沉默也可能表示固執、不安或擔憂。所以作者認為談話中的沉默是有文化特*的。故選C項。

208．細節理解題。根據第二段中Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people, just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do. Therefore, when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops, what may be implied(暗示) is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing可知，許多印第安人珍視沉默，認為這是人與人之間交流的基本組成部分，就像一些傳統的*人和泰國人一樣。因此，當一個來自其中一種文化的人説話時突然停下來，暗示説話者想要傾聽者在繼續之前思考一下所説過的話。所以*人認為談話時人們沉默是為了讓別人思考。故選A項。

209．細節理解題。根據末段末句A nurse who understands the healing value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients 可知，瞭解沉默的治療價值的護士可以利用這種瞭解來幫助護理病人。所以作者建議護士要用沉默來治療病人。故選D 。

210．主旨大意題。根據第一段“The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups”可知， 沉默的含義因文化羣體而異。以及先問介紹了在不同文化背景下談話期間的沉默的不同含義。所以短文的最佳標題是“沉默意味着什麼”。故選B 。

知識點：語言學習

題型：閲讀理解