PART 3           Questions 31 – 35

You will hear three different talks or lectures. In each talk or lecture there are five questions. For each question, choose the correct answer A, B, C or D. You will hear the talks or lectures only once.

Talk/Lecture 3: Listen to a talk about body language in American Culture at a student orientation meeting.

31.        Who is listening to the orientation talk?

A.  the director of international students    

B. new international students

C. teachers of international department

D. all first-year students in the college

32.        What is the purpose of this talk?

    A. to introduce the director for international student affairs.

    B. to deal with all international students’ problems.

    C. to inform the importance of using English in class.

    D. to introduce common problems in non-verbal communication.

33.        According to the speaker, what is body language?

    A.   It’s the use of verb tenses and modals.

B.   It’s the way to ask for directions.

C.   It’s the language used in class only.

D.   It’s the language of movements and facial expressions.

34.        In American culture, …

    A.   eye contact is the same as most cultures.

B.   making eye contact is a sign of disrespect.

C.   people don’t look in others’ eyes while talking.

D.   eye contact is considered as a sign of honesty.

35.          According to the speaker, what is TRUE about handshakes in American Culture?

    A. A handshake shouldn’t be too strong.

    B. Handshakes are not common.

    C. Handshakes need to be firm.

    D. Shaking hands is not important.

31. B

32. D

33. D

34. D

35. C

_________________________________________________________________

Now open your question paper and look at Talker Lecture 3. You now have 35 seconds to look through the questions and the options in each question.

 

Now we are ready to start. Listen carefully.

Talk 3:

Hi. I'd like to welcome all of you to the International Student Orientation at Norwalk College.

 

I hope that your travels from your home country have been easy and that you are all settling in well. I believe I've met everyone, but just in case, I'm the Director for International Student Affairs, the person you can come to if you are having problems with your classes, your housing, or visas. You're always welcome to stop by my office.

 

We'll have several short workshops today, and we'll be talking about some common issues that international students face. The first one that I want to deal with is about communication, and in particular, nonverbal communication. Now, all of you have been studying English for some time.

 

You have a good vocabulary, and you probably know all about verb tenses and modals and can ask directions and order from a menu. But communication is not only verbal. That is, talking is not the only language we use to communicate.

 

Another way we communicate is through nonverbal communication, or body language. The term body language means the movements we use and the facial expressions we have, like smiling or frowning, the way we sit or stand, the way we touch or look at someone, the distance we stand from another person. Some psychologists say that more than 60% of our communication is actually done through body language.

 

We do it without thinking or without ever having been specifically taught what the gestures or expressions mean. The problem is that body language is a little bit different in each culture, and this can often cause some problems with communication. Here's an example.

 

In many places, it may be a little rude or disrespectful to look at another person directly in their eyes as you talk with them. So many international students will avoid this eye contact. But in America, we expect it.

 

We think of eye contact as a sign of honesty and straightforwardness. American parents actually encourage their children to look people in the eye when speaking. Just imagine a conversation where an international student was trying to be respectful by not looking into the eyes of her American classmate.

 

The American might wonder why her classmate wouldn't look directly at her, and the international classmate would be wondering why she was being stared at. The end result is an awkward and frustrating interaction. Oh, here's another one.

 

Americans shake hands firmly when they greet each other, because to Americans, a firm handshake signifies strength and power. But a soft or limp handshake is considered a sign of weakness. In some cultures, handshakes are less common, or a gentle, soft handshake is acceptable.

 

So students need to know that when shaking hands, it's important to be firm. In America, a thumbs-up sign, a thumb raised in the air...

 

That is the end of Part 3. Now you have 5 minutes to check your answers and transfer your answers onto the answer sheet.