Eye Language

Just back from a tour of several Arabian Gulf countries, a woman recalls how jumpy she felt talking to men there. "Not because of what they said," she explains, "but what they did with their eyes." Instead of the occasional blink, Arabs lowered their lids so slowly and languorously that she was convinced they were falling asleep. In Japan eye contact is a key to the way you feel about someone. And the less of it,the better. What a Westerner considers an honest look in the eye, the Oriental takes as a lack of respect and a personal affront. Even when shaking hands or bowing — and especially when conversing — only an occasional glance into the other person's face is considered polite. The rest of the time, great attention should be paid to fingertips, desktops, and the warp and woof of the carpet. "Always keep your shoes shined in Tokyo," advises an electronics representative who has spent several days there. "You can bet a lot of Japanese you meet will have their eyes on them."

閱讀自測

I. Do you understand the meaning of the following sentences relating to eye and could you explain them in your own words ?

1. His eye s are bigger than his stomach.

2. He's got a black eye .

3. Mary spent the whole evening making eyes at other men.

4. The trip to Australia was quite an eye-opener.

5. My wife and I don't see eye to eye on this matter.

6. She is always the apple of her father's eye .

Ⅱ. Fill in the blanks with proper prepositions:

1. The discovery of the murder weapon provided the key the mystery.

2. Please keep an eye the baby for me.

3. Can you look me the eye and say you didn't steal it?

4. For a moment her words didn't sink .

參考答案

Ⅰ.

1. He is too greedy in asking for or taking more food than he can eat.

2. He's been beaten by somebody and there is a dark bruised skin around his eye.

3. Mary spent the whole evening looking at other men amorously and seductively.

4. The trip to Australia was very enlightening and brought some surprises to me.

5. I don't agree with my wife on this matter.

6. She is loved much by his father.

Ⅱ. 1. to 2. on 3 . in 4 . in

參考譯文

眼睛的語言

從波斯灣的幾個國家旅行回來后, 一位女士回想起她同當?shù)啬凶诱勗挄r忐忑不安的情景?！安皇撬麄冋f話的內(nèi)容，”她解釋說，“ 而是他們說話時的眼神讓我緊張不安。”阿拉伯人不是偶爾眨一下眼睛，而是緩慢而倦怠地垂下眼瞼，這使她誤以為這些阿拉伯人就要睡著了。

在日本，眼神的接觸是你了解別人的關(guān)鍵所在。眼神接觸越少越好。西方人認為看著別人的眼睛是一種誠實的表現(xiàn)，而東方人則將盯視對方看作是不尊敬別人，是對他人的一種冒犯。實際上，在握手或鞠躬的時候，尤其是在兩人交談的時候，偶爾朝對方的臉上掃一眼才是禮貌的舉動。其他時候，談話人則應(yīng)把注意力集中在指尖、桌面以及地毯表面的紋理上?！?在東京，記住一定要讓你的皮鞋保持光亮可鑒。”一位已經(jīng)在那里呆了幾天的電子產(chǎn)品代理人提出忠告，“ 我敢說許多你遇到的日本人都會對你的鞋盯上幾眼的。”

閱讀導評

眼睛被譽為“心靈的窗戶”, 它傳達著無聲的語言, 具有反映深層心理的功能。眼神的交流是人們一個非常重要的交際手段。西方文化中有這樣一句話———不要相信那些不敢直視你的人。在美國人看來, 不直視對方眼睛是不誠實、虛偽、心不在焉的表現(xiàn); 而在東方人看來, 避免直視對方則是為了表示禮貌、尊敬或服從。因為文化不同而造成誤解是在所難免的, 化解尷尬、成功交際的唯一辦法是設(shè)法了解彼此間的文化差異和風俗習慣。

詞意解析

1. 阿拉伯灣, 也稱為Persian Gulf ( 波斯灣) , 是印度洋的一個邊緣海, 位于伊朗高原與阿拉伯半島之間。

2. languorously adv. 倦怠地, 無精打采地。該詞的名詞形式是languor ( 倦怠, 慵困) , 動詞形式是languish, 如: His vigilance never languished. ( 他的警覺從未松懈過。)

3. 眼神接觸越少越好。這種結(jié)構(gòu)相當于漢語中的“ 越??越??”, 表示兩個過程按比例同時遞增。better 后面省略了it is, 因為這種結(jié)構(gòu)往往有省略。例如: The sooner, the better.( 越早越好。)

4. 東方人, 尤指中國人和日本人。與該詞相對應(yīng)的是the Occidental ( 西方人, 歐美人) 。

5. take . . . as 視??為, 把??理解為, 如: She took what he said as a compliment. ( 她把他的002 話看作是恭維話。)

6. conversing 是converse 的動名詞形式, 意為“ 談話, 交談”。其名詞形式是conversation。例如: Although they were strangers, they conversed with ease. ( 他們雖然互不相識, 卻談得很自在融洽。)

7. warp n. ( 織物的) 經(jīng)線; woof n. ( 織物的) 緯線; the warp and the woof of the carpet 指“ 地毯表面的紋理”。the warp and woof of sth. 還可以引申為“ 某事物的基礎(chǔ)或結(jié)構(gòu)”。

8. have one's eyes on 密切注意, 注視, 如: Businessmen always have their eyes on the new trade opportunities. ( 商人們總在關(guān)注著新的貿(mào)易機會。)

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大家加油啊， 堅持就是勝利！