Handshaking, though a European practice, is often seen in big cities of China. N

   Handshaking, though a European practice, is oftenseen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice started inEurope. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showedtheir unarmed hands to each other as a sign of goodwill. As time went on andtrade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other’s handsto make a deal or to reach an agreement, This practice was later changed intoshaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. “Let’s shake(hands) on it” sometimes means agreement reached.

Do the Europeans shake handswherever they go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroadreach out their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to giveyour hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman, shows littleinterest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not mean anythingto him or her. Even if, for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand inanswer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly. There is generally amisunderstanding among the Chinese that westerners are usually open and straightforward,while the Chinese are rather reserved (保守的) in manner. But in fact some people inwestern countries are more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a goodidea to shake hands with a westerner only when he shows interest in furtherrelations with you.

1.The first paragraph mainly tells us        .

    A. where handshaking was first practised.

B. how handshaking came about.

C. about the relationship betweenhandshaking and trade.

D. about the practice of handshakingboth in Europe and in China.

2.According to the text, which of the following statements istrue?

    A. Westerners are more reserved than theChinese.

B. Westerners are unwilling toshake hands.

C. We should make a judgementbefore shaking hands.

D. We shouldn’t shake hands withEuropean women.

3.The main purpose of the text is        .

    A. to tell us some differences between theEast and the West

B. to offer us some importantfacts about handshaking

C. to introduce us to some differentcustoms in the West.

D. to give us some advice beforewe travel abroad

试题答案

【答案】

1.B

2.C

3.B