Did you know that all human beings have a "comfort zone" regulating the distance they stand from someone when they talk? This distance varies in interesting ways among people of different cultures. Greeks, others of the Eastern Mediterranean, and many of those from South America normally stand quite close together when they talk, often moving their faces even closer as they warm up in a conversation. North Americans find this awkward and often back away a few inches. Studies have found that they tend to feel most comfortable at about 12 inches apart. In much of Asia and Africa, there is even more space between two speakers in conversation. This greater space subtly lends an air of dignity and respect. This manner of space is nearly always unconscious, but it is interesting to observe. This difference applies also to the closeness with which people sit together, the extent to which they lean over one another in conversation, how they move as they argue or make an emphatic point. In the United States, for example, people try to keep their bodies apart even in a crowded elevator, in Paris they take it as it comes. Although North Americans have a relatively wide "comfort zone" for talking, they communicate a great deal with their hands—not only with gesture but also with touch. They put a sympathetic hand on a person's shoulder to demonstrate warmth of feeling or an arm around him in sympathy; they nudge a man in the ribs to emphasize a funny joke; or they pat an arm in reassurance. To many people—especially those from Asia or the Moslem countries—such bodily contact is unwelcome, especially if inadvertently (不注意地) done with the left hand. (The left hand carries no special significance in the U.S. Many Americans are simply left-handed and use that hand more.)

单选题 What would most probably happen when a Greek meets a North American?

单选题 For Asians, the "comfort zone" _____.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】解析：选项B是对第2段倒数第2句中的lends an air of dignity的近义改写，为本题答案。第2段末句中的unconscious(无意识的)与选项A中的subconsciousness(潜意识)并非同义，因此选项A没有原文依据；选项C中的social customs和D中的social status在原文均无提及。

单选题 Which of the following statements is true about the people in the United States?

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】解析：第2段末句中的this manner of space指的是该段提到的所有不同人种保持距离的方式，也就是说，该说法也适用于形容北美人，由此可见，A正确。第2段只提到了亚洲人的距离感与自尊和尊重有关，没有提到北美人是否也如此，B没有原文依据；末段首句中的a great deal with their hands表明C和D过于绝对。

单选题 It can be inferred from the passage that the Frenchmen prefer_____.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】解析：根据第3段首句，每个国家的人对自己在不同的社交场合对距离的感觉应该是一致的，法国人在电梯里可以接受较近的距离，可推断在其他如谈话、坐、争论或强调观点时保持的距离也应该比较近，因此A正确。本段主要讨论距离，并无提及body language，因此B不正确；C与文意相反；原文只表明法国人对距离“听之任之”，但这并不意味着他们很“高兴”保持这种距离，D属于过度推断。