A
When you move, gestures say as much about you as what comes out of your mouth.
Jenny Smith, 34, an assistant vicepresident at a bank in New York, was interviewing candidates(申请人) for a position which required a person with good communication skills.
One candidate in particular stood out, but not in a good way.While she could have been very intelligent, her body language sent out very different messages.Her handshake was more of a finger shake, and her eye contact was weak.
To Jenny, what the candidate said didn't matter because her body language said everything:she wasn't suitable for the position.The candidate may have been quite appropriate (合适的), but she didn't manage to get that across.So our body language may not do us justice.But there are some signals which are very common and are worth a thousand words.
For example, a handshake can say much more than “hello, nice to meet you”.The most important part of a handshake is palmtopalm contact.It's even more important than how strong your handshake is.The palmtopalm contact makes people seem honest:it seems to say “I am sincere (真诚的)”.A weak handshake — when the palms don't touch — makes you seem unfriendly and insincere.
But people sometimes use body language to give each other the wrong impression.Somebody who has a firm handshake may pretend to be sincere, and somebody with a weak handshake may just be a bit shy and nothing more.
Body language can also be overdone.While eye contact gives an impression of friendliness, too much eye contact or eye contact which is too intense (十分强烈的) can make people feel uncomfortable.
语篇解读:本文是一篇说明文。文章主要通过一个面试者的故事说明肢体语言在日常生活中的重要性并对肢体语言做了相应的介绍。
1.The candidate for the job failed because .
A.she wasn't clever enough
B.she used improper body language
C.she said the wrong things
D.she expressed a bad attitude
解析:选B 细节理解题。根据第四段前两句可知,应聘者因没有用合适的肢体语言而导致面试失败。
2.When you shake someone's hand, you should .
A.hold his hand with great strength
B.make frequent eye contact
C.say something sincere
D.make good contact with his/her hand
解析:选D 细节理解题。根据第五段中的“The most important part of a handshake is palmtopalm contact.It's even more important than how strong your handshake is.”可知,当你和别人握手时,应采用合适的力度控制手部之间的接触。
3.According to the sixth paragraph, our body language .
A.may give other people the false idea
B.is much more important than what you say
C.tells other people what you really like
D.is ignored by most people
解析:选A 细节理解题。根据第六段首句“But people sometimes use body language to give each other the wrong impression.”可知,我们的肢体语言有时会给对方错误的印象。
4.What is the main purpose of the text?
A.To help readers get a better job.
B.To show why handshakes are important.
C.To introduce body language to readers.
D.To explain what the right communication skills are.
解析:选C 写作意图题。作者通过一个面试者的故事向读者介绍了如何正确使用肢体语言。