We use both words and gestures to express our feelings, but the problem is that these words and gestures can be understood in different ways.

It is true that a smile means the same thing in any language. So does laughter or crying. There are also a number of striking¹ similarities in the way different animals show the same feelings. Dogs, tigers and humans, for example, often show their teeth when they are angry. This is probably because they are born with those behavior patterns.

Fear is another emotion that is shown in much the same way all over the world. In Chinese and in English literature, a phrase like “he went pale and begin to tremble” suggests that the man is either very afraid or he has just got a very big shock. However, “he opened his eyes wide” is used to suggest anger in Chinese whereas² in English it means surprise. In Chinese surprise can be described in a phrase like “they stretched out their tongues”! Sticking out your tongue in English is an insulting³ gesture or expresses strong dislike.

Even in the same culture, people differ in ability to understand and express feelings. Experiments in America have shown that women are usually better than men at recognizing fear, anger, love and happiness on people’s faces. Other studies show that older people usually find it easier to recognize or understand body language than younger people do.
6. According to the passage, ___.
A. we can hardly understand what people’s gestures mean
B. we can not often be sure what people mean when they describe their feelings in words or gestures
C. words can be better understand by older people
D. gestures can be understand by most of the people while words can not

7. People’s facial expressions may be misunderstood because ___.
A. people of different ages may have different understanding
B. people have different cultures
C. people of different sex may understand a gesture in a different way
D. people of different countries speak different languages

8. In the same culture, ___.
A. people have different ability to understand and express feelings
B. people may have the same understanding of something
C. people never fail to understand each other
D. people are equally intelligent

9. From this passage, we can conclude ___.
A. words are used as frequently as gestures
B. words are often found difficult to understand
C. words and gestures are both used in expressing feelings
D. gestures are more efficiently⁴ used than words

10. The best title for this passage may be ___.
A. Words and Feelings
B. Words, Gestures and Feelings
C. Gestures and Feelings
D. Culture and Understanding

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