Just back from a tour of several Arabian Gulf1 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 conversing6 — 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 eyeson them."

阅读自测

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 eye s at other men.

4. The trip to Australia was quite an e ye -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 .

参考答案

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

参考译文

眼睛的语言

从 波斯湾的几个国家旅行回来后, 一位女士回想起她同当地男子谈话时忐忑不安的情景。“不是他们说话的内容, ”她解释说,“ 而是他们说话时的眼神让我紧张不安。”阿拉伯人不是偶尔眨一下眼睛, 而是缓慢而倦怠地垂下眼睑, 这使她误以为这些阿拉伯人就要睡着了。

在日本, 眼神的接触是你了解别人的关键所在。眼神接触越少越好。西方人认为看着别人的眼睛是一种诚实的表现, 而东方人则将盯视对方看作是不尊敬别人, 是对他人的一种冒犯。实际上, 在握手或鞠躬的时候, 尤其是在两人交谈的时候, 偶尔朝对方的脸上扫一眼才是礼貌的举动。其他时候, 谈话人则应把注意力集中在指尖、桌面以及地毯表面的纹理上。“ 在东京, 记住一定要让你的皮鞋保持光亮可鉴, ”一位已经在那里呆了几天的电子产品代理人提出忠告,“ 我敢说许多你遇到的日本人都会对你的鞋盯上几眼的。”