【新编大学英语】（第一册）Unit 3 A 无声交流（1/3）

英语自学网

Hints:
文中多处在mean之后要用引号~When you learn a foreign language you must learn more than just the vocabulary and the grammar. To communicate successfully in speech, you must also learn the nonverbal language, or body language, of that culture. Body language is a term used to describe facial expressions, gestures, and other movements of the body that send messages. This means of communication is so important that we may actually say more with our movements than we do with words.
Speaking a foreign language is sometimes difficult because we may not understand the nonverbal signals of another culture, or they may mean something very different from what they mean in our own culture. For example, nodding the head up and down is a gesture that communicates a different message in different parts of the world. In North America, it mean "I agree." In the Middle East, nodding the head down means "I agree." and up means "I disagree." In a conversation among Japanese, it often simply means "I am listening." One Japanese student in the United States learned the difference the hard way. While speaking with a salesman, the student nodded his head politely to show that he was paying attention. The next day the salesman brought a new washing machine to the student's apartment.