Reading An American professor once visited an elementary school in Japan. He spent an hour with the children, and as he was leaving, he noticed the children were crowding around the door to watch him. So, he turned and waved goodbye.

Reading The children saw this gesture and began to run toward him. The professor waved again and then started to walk away. In response, the children began to run after him. They stopped only when their Teacher called them to return.

Reading Waving your hand can mean different things in different cultures. In Japan, a wave of the hand while curling the fingers downward is used to call someone over to you. Yet, Americans use almost the same gesture to say goodbye to others.

Reading In fact, in the United States, no other gesture is as common as this one for saying farewells. Unfortunately, the poor American professor and the Japanese children were not aware of this cultural difference.

Reading Generally speaking, we communicate almost half of our ideas and feelings without using words. According to an expert in the field of communication, only 30 to 35 percent of our communication is verbal. We often communicate with nonverbal language, or “body language.” Gestures, for example, are one of the most common ways for people to communicate.

Reading Many gestures, however, have different meanings in different parts of the world. For instance, a Taiwanese tourist was once in Greece, eating in a restaurant full of happy locals. He wanted to tell everyone around him that he liked the food there. Since he did not speak any Greek, he used the thumbs-up sign. All of a sudden, the restaurant was full of angry, upset Greeks, and the Taiwanese man left, wondering what he had done wrong.

Reading In fact, the thumbs-up sign is a very misunderstood gesture. Most people have the misconception that it was first used in ancient Rome by the emperor when he wanted to spare someone’s life. This, however, is incorrect.

Reading Studies have shown that when the Roman emperor gave the thumbs-up signal, he was actually giving an order for a person to be killed. Today, in Taiwan or the United States, when someone puts his or her thumb up, it means “everything is great” or “all right.” Nevertheless, in Spain, Greece, and Iran, the gesture is insulting, and it should not be used in these countries.

Reading Another gesture that may cause some misunderstanding is the OK sign. Perhaps no other gesture is as confusing as this one. For example, an American woman once went scuba diving in South America. She wanted to let her Brazilian friends know that everything was fine, so she gave them the OK sign. She was puzzled, however, when the Brazilians were offended.

Reading For an American, it is common to express that everything is “OK” by holding a hand up with the thumb and index finger in a circle and the other three fingers spread out. Yet, in Brazil, no other gesture is as offensive as this one. So, the American woman had unintentionally insulted her Brazilian friends by making this gesture. To make matters even more confusing, this same gesture may mean “money” to the Japanese. What’s more, in France and Belgium, it can even mean “You’re worth nothing!”

Reading So, if you want to communicate with others, it may not be enough just to be able to speak the same language. Clearly, to communicate effectively with others, it is essential to understand body language as well. Cultural Note

....as he was leaving, he noticed the children were crowding...watch him. ‧Remember to close the windows as you leave the classroom. (2) crowd around/round表示「擠滿，聚集 (某區域)」。例： ‧On weekends, many shoppers like to crowd around the flea market.

wave (sb) goodbye表示 「(向某人)揮手告別」。例： ‧The hostess came out and waved her guests goodbye.

in response 表示「回應」，若後 面要指出回應某事物時，則用 "in response to + sth"。例： ‧The price of gasoline continues rising. In response, many people go to work by bike. ‧In response to the rising price of gasoline, many people go to work by bike.

...while curling the fingers downward ...over to you. (1) while curling為簡化的分詞構句，原句為 while you curl...。 (2) over表示「從一處至另一處」。例： ‧ The lady got off the bus and went over to the shop. yet = however adv.然而

...no other gesture is as common as this one for saying farewells. 此為"No other + N1 + be + as Adj as + N2“ 的句型，詳細用法請參見本課句型解析一。 be aware of 表示「知道的；察覺的」。 ‧Nowadays, more and more people are aware of the importance of health.

generally speaking 「一般來說」 常放置句首，用來表達對某事物的看法，常 見的相關用法有：strictly speaking「嚴格來 說」、roughly speaking「粗略地說」。

according to = based on，表示「根據…」。例： ‧According to the evidence, the man was killed in the room. or 在此為「亦或是」，相當於 that is 或是 namely。

...a Taiwanese tourist was once in Greece, [eating in a restaurant full of happy locals]. (1) ...eating in a... S + V1..., V2-ing.... 此為and的對等子句簡化的分詞構句用法， 原句還原為...a Taiwanese tourist was once in Greece, and he ate in a restaurant full of happy locals.

(2) local 在此為名詞，表示「當地人」， 通常用複數。例： ‧The locals in the small town are very friendly.

since conj. 既然，因為 ‧Since you are free, why not help me do the dishes?

...the restaurant was full of angry, upset Greeks, and the Taiwanese man left, wondering what he had done wrong. (1) be full of = be filled with 充滿的 (2) wondering what he had done wrong為表 附帶狀態的分詞構句，表示臺灣旅客離開 時，心中同時納悶著他到底做錯何事。原 句可還原為...the Taiwanese left, and he wondered what he had done wrong.。

in fact = as a matter of fact = actually = virtually 事實上 Most people have the misconception [that it was first...]. N + that-clause (同位語) 此為同位語句型，詳細用法請參見本課句型 解析二。

give an/the order for sb to V 表示 「下令給某人去做某事」。例： ‧The captain gave an order for the passengers to leave the ship.

Nevertheless, in Spain, Greece, and Iran, the gesture is insulting.... (1) nevertheless = however = yet　然而 (2) 豎起大拇指的手勢在一些中東國家是非常 羞辱人的，這個手勢對他們來說相當於 “Up yours, pal!”此外，這個手勢在西非部 分地區、南美洲(巴西除外)、伊朗、希臘 和西班牙也有相同羞辱人的意思。

Perhaps no other gesture is as confusing as this one. No other + N1 + be + as Adj as + N2 此為用原級表達最高級的句型，詳細用法請 參見本課句型解析一。

...let her Brazilian friends know.... let/make/have + O + V 此為常見的使役動詞用法，表示「允許或 讓某人去做某事」。例： ‧I let Tom ride my bike today.

...when the Brazilians were offended. 在巴西比出 OK 手勢是相當失禮粗俗的，但 是在巴西可以使用豎起拇指的手勢，在當地 這是表達贊同的意思。

...with the thumb and index finger in a circle and the other three fingers spread out. with + O + OC (Adj/V-ing/Vpp/介系詞片語) 此為with + O + OC的用法，第一個OC為介 系詞片語(in a circle)，而第二個受詞前面省 略了重複的with，而OC (spread out)為過去 分詞片語(Vpp)，由which are spread out簡 化而來。

To make matters even more confusing.... worse (更糟的是)。 (2) even為修飾比較級的程度副詞，類似用 法有much, far, a lot, a great deal, a bit, a little等。 ‧The visit was far more interesting than I had expected.

what’s more表示「此外」，用來補充 說明前面的論點。例： ‧The price is reasonable, and what's more, the location is perfect. So, I decide to buy this house.

...“You’re worth nothing!” 詞。例： ‧The museum is worth a visit. ‧The watch is probably worth NT$6,000. worth後面接動名詞時，其形式雖是主動， 意義卻是被動的。例： ‧The novel is worth reading.

Clearly, to communicate effectively with others, it is essential to understand body language as well. (1) 不定詞片語(to communicate...others) 在此表示目的。 (2) essential adj. 必要的，不可缺的 (+ to/for) ‧A balanced diet and exercise are essential to one's health. (3) as well 也；同樣地 ‧Mandy is a great photographer and a talented musician as well.

美國加州大學洛杉磯分校的 Albert Mehrabian 博士曾做過一項研究，結果顯 示，人們喜歡或厭惡一個人，其中有 55% 的線索來自視覺，大多是臉部表情，另外 有 38% 來自於音調，7% 來自語言。其便 形成以下公式：Total Liking = 7% Verbal Liking + 38% Vocal Liking + 55% Facial Liking。雖然此研究並非是不變的真理與定 律，但也突顯出肢體語言在人際溝通 (communication) 上的重要性。

再者，肢體語言之中，更因文化價值差異 的不同，在手勢 (gesture) 與眼光接觸 (eye contact) 或是人與人之間的距離 (social distance)方面，所表現出來的行為 更為不同。以亞洲與西方國家相比，由於 亞洲多受到儒家傳統觀念的影響，在肢體 與臉部表情的傳達上皆較為含蓄、謙卑。

例如，日本人會用鞠躬代替握手或是 擁抱來問好、亞洲女子在笑時，必須用手 遮住嘴巴、晚輩在看長輩時，眼神切勿直 視，須往下看表示尊敬；相對地，西方人 強調個體的獨立性與自由開放的觀念，在 肢體與臉部表情的傳達上皆較為開放與直 接。例如，法國人會以熱情的擁抱來打招 呼、美國人會在交談中，直視對方表示敬 重或用合適的眼神傳達意見或個人情意， 這些都是亞洲人較不會出現的肢體語言。

然而，肢體語言並非用東西方文化來 做分野就可以完全劃分清楚。以文章中的 「豎起拇指」手勢為例：在一般的價值觀 是代表「很棒、完美的」意義，但在西 非、南美洲 (除了巴西之外)、伊朗、希 臘、薩丁尼亞這些國家，thumbs-up卻是相 當於「比中指」的罵人手勢。

然而在英國西北部，「豎起拇指」卻是年 輕男子之間見面或是告別的用語。在美國 道路上，對著來來往往的車比上你的拇指 時，也就是發出「我要搭便車」 (hitchhiking) 的訊號。

而 “OK” 手勢就美國與臺灣而言， 表示「準備妥當，一切就緒」，也有「一 切都很好」之意；而在法國南部地區，此 手勢表示「零」之意，或是「某件事情不 值得一提」、「你是一無是處的人」，或 表示「不贊成」；在中東地區，OK手勢則 象徵了孔或洞，有「同性戀」的意涵；在 巴西及地中海國家，這就相當於「比中 指」罵人的手勢；而在日本、菲律賓就有 「錢」或「請找給我銅板」的意義了。

世界大不同，也造就了解讀各種肢體 語言的差異性。有的手勢動作一樣，表達 的意義不同；有的意義相同，而手勢動作 卻有差異。那要如何在不同文化中傳達合 適的肢體語言呢？不二法門就是多觀察、 多詢問與多學習不同的地方文化！