英语听力—环球英语 1417 Shaking Hands

 　　Voice 1

 

　　Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Liz Waid.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　How do you say hello? Do you greet people with a kiss? Do you place your arms around new people, with a hug? Or do you shake hands? Shaking hands is a very common greeting, especially in countries with an English history. In particular, it is common in business situations. But it is also easy to make a mistake in shaking hands. Today's Spotlight is on handshakes³.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Indonesia⁴, November 2010. United⁵ States President Barack Obama stepped off the airplane. His wife Michelle followed him. They were happy to be in Indonesia. They had many people to meet, and many places to visit. At the State Palace, a large group of government ministers met them, to greet them and welcome them to the country. They stood in a reception line. The Obamas greeted each person.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　One of these men was Communication and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring. When Michelle Obama met him, she held out her hand. He took it in his hands, and they shook hands, up and down. They smiled at each other, and then she moved to the next person. It seemed like a normal, natural action, and everyone was happy.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　But the next day, on the website Twitter, Indonesians began to question Minister Tifatul. He is known⁶ for his traditional Muslim beliefs. He shares these beliefs widely on the internet. And one of these beliefs is that he should not touch women who are not part of his family. So why had he shaken hands with Michelle Obama? Some Indonesians mocked⁷ Tifatul - they laughed at him because he had not acted within his beliefs. He quickly explained that he had no choice. There was no way to refuse the handshake² without being very rude.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　This was a simple handshake. But it had very different meanings to the people involved. Was it a greeting? A simple welcome? Or was it offensive⁸? Was it wrong? The handshake was a very small part of the visit. It did not affect relations between the two countries. And yet many people were talking about it. It showed the power of this small ritual⁹.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　September 1993. A large crowd gathered in front of the White House, in the United States. It was a historic¹⁰ day. The crowd would witness¹¹ the signing of a peace deal between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Liberation¹² Organization, the PLO. Many groups had worked to develop this peace deal. It had taken years of preparation, and many peace talks. But were the leaders truly devoted¹³ to peace?

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Yitzhak Rabin was the Prime¹⁴ Minister of Israel. Yasser Arafat was the leader of the PLO. Both men had agreed to attend. In front of the crowd, the foreign ministers signed the peace agreement. And then, the two leaders shook hands. It was the first time that the leaders of these two enemies had touched. The enemies had become allies¹⁵ - partners in building peace.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　This meeting did bring a new peace in Israel-Palestine. Sadly, since that time, conflict¹⁶ has started again. It is difficult to imagine a similar handshake now. A handshake showed that peace and partnership¹⁷ was possible then. And we hope that it will be possible again.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　These are examples of very important handshakes. But of course, most of the time, handshakes do not have as much importance as in that meeting. Most handshakes are a simple greeting. However, they are more common in some places than in others. As we said earlier, this is especially true in English speaking countries. In these countries, handshakes are common in every situation - when meeting a new person, or even when greeting someone that you have not seen for a long time. People also use handshakes to congratulate, or to say goodbye. Men and women shake hands equally¹⁸.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　In Asian countries, handshakes are used in business. But in other situations, there are other greetings. For example, in Thailand, people greet each other using the wai. A person holds his hands so that the palms¹⁹, the inside of the hands, press together. Then, the person gives a small bow, bending at the waist²⁰. If the hands are closer to his face, the person is showing more respect. Similar gestures are used in India, Cambodia and other countries.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　In Latin²¹ America, people shake hands. But they also may greet with a kiss. For example, a woman greeting another woman will kiss lightly on each cheek, and then shake hands. In some places, men may also greet this way, but it is not as common. Cheek kissing is common in many other parts of the world too, but it is slightly different in each place. For example, in Greece, two people may kiss twice, one kiss on each cheek. But in parts of France, people will kiss FOUR times!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　There are also different kinds of handshakes to give. For example, have you considered how hard or soft to hold the other person's hand? In Asian countries, it is common to have a "soft" handshake - to hold the hand lightly, and only move up and down a small amount. But in the United States, people have a harder handshake - they hold the hand more tightly²², or firmly, and shake up and down more. In Latin American countries, people may feel that a handshake that is too hard is hostile²³. But a handshake that is too soft may communicate weakness.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　So, if you are shaking hands, how do you know the best way to communicate a simple greeting? Do you use a hard or soft handshake? Do you hold with both hands, or just one? Do you kiss? Or is a handshake not the right thing at all?

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　There are a few ways to know what to do. You can start by asking questions like these. What do you know about the person you are greeting? Where are they from? If they are from another culture, do not be worried if they greet in a different way. Just follow what they do. Sometimes, you can look to your host - the person whose home or business you are in. How are they greeting?

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　But if you make a mistake, do not worry. And do not judge too quickly if someone else makes a small mistake. The important thing is the greeting, and the feeling behind it. The greeting is just the first step in your meeting. Not every handshake is the center of a peace agreement, or a statement²⁴ of belief. The most important thing is your friendly attitude!

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　How do you shake hands? Write and tell us about your experiences. Our email address is [email protected]. Or, you can write to us on our website at http://www.radio.english.net

 

　　.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The writer of this program was Christy VanArragon. The producer was Joshua Leo. The voices you heard were from the United States. This program is called "Shaking Hands." We hope you can join us for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 handshake   

n.握手

参考例句：

• He welcomed me back with a smile and a handshake.他微笑着和我握手，欢迎我归来。
• Fawcett gave me a hearty handshake.福西特和我亲切地握了握手。

3 handshakes   

n.握手( handshake的名词复数 )；（大笔的）退职金，解雇费

参考例句：

• As the meeting broke up, Celia left first, amid smiles and friendly handshakes. 会议结束时，在带着友好笑容的握手致意中，西莉亚最先离开。 来自辞典例句
• Handshakes are not customary among Chinese for first meetings. 没有握手的习惯中的第一次会议中。 来自互联网

4 Indonesia   

n.印度尼西亚

参考例句：

• You see,I stayed in Indonesia for eight years.你知道，我在印度尼西亚呆了8年。
• Indonesia has more active volcanoes than any other country.印尼是世界上活火山最多的国家。

5 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

6 known   

adj.大家知道的；知名的，已知的

参考例句：

• He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
• He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。

7 mocked   

愚弄，嘲弄( mock的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 不尊重，蔑视

参考例句：

• Those who mock history will be mocked by history. 嘲弄历史的人必将被历史所嘲弄。
• The river mocked all the enemy's efforts to cross. 敌人作了一切努力还是没能过河。

8 offensive   

adj.令人不快的，侮辱的，攻击用的；n.进攻

参考例句：

• His mode of doing business is offensive to me.他干事情的方式叫我很不喜欢。
• If all else fails,I will take the offensive.如果其他方法不行，我将采取攻势。

9 ritual   

adj.例行的，老规矩的，惯常的

参考例句：

• This was the monthly ritual.这是每月一次的例规。
• I realized that here the conventions required me to make the ritual noises.我意识到此时按照惯例我应该说些客套话。

10 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

11 witness   

n.证人，目击者，证据，证明，证词；vt.目击，作证，证明，表明，经历；vi.作证人

参考例句：

• She was a witness of the incident.她是事件的目击者。
• A witness was examined by him in a court of law.他在法庭上质问一个证人。

12 liberation   

n.解放，解放运动（为获得平等权利和地位的行为）

参考例句：

• We should help those who are still struggling for liberation.我们应当帮助那些仍在为独立而斗争的人们。
• Many people died during famines every year before liberation.解放前每年有许多人在饥荒中死亡。

13 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

14 prime   

adj.首要的，主要的；最好的，第一流的

参考例句：

• The prime minister spoke of the general insecurity in the country.总理谈到了全国普遍存在的不安全。
• He met with the Prime Minister of Japan for an hour.他和日本首相会见了一个小时。

15 allies   

联盟国，同盟者； 同盟国，同盟者( ally的名词复数 )； 支持者； 盟军

参考例句：

• The allies would fear that they were pawns in a superpower condominium. 这个联盟担心他们会成为超级大国共管的牺牲品。
• A number of the United States' allies had urged him not to take a hasty decision. 美国的一些盟友已力劝他不要急于作决定。

16 conflict   

n.冲突，矛盾，争执；vi.争执，撞斗，冲突，抵触

参考例句：

• Your statement is in conflict with the rest of the evidence.你的陈述同其余证据有矛盾。
• The conflict between them seems ceaseless.他们之间冲突似乎没个止息。

17 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

18 equally   

adv.平等地；公平地

参考例句：

• Divide the cake into quarters and share it equally.把蛋糕分成四份，大家平均享用。
• The blue sky belongs equally to us all.蓝天为人所共有。

19 palms   

n.胜利( palm的名词复数 )；（象征胜利的）棕榈叶；（四足动物的）前足掌

参考例句：

• He spread his palms in a gesture of openness. 他展开手掌，以示坦诚。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His palms were excoriated by the hard labor of shoveling. 他的手掌因干挖土的活儿而磨破了皮。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 waist   

n.腰，腰部，腰身，背心

参考例句：

• The coat is a bit tight at the waist.这件上衣腰身瘦了点。
• The sound is from the waist of a violin.声音是从小提琴的中间部分发出的。

21 Latin   

adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语

参考例句：

• She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
• Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。

22 tightly   

adv.紧紧地，坚固地，牢固地

参考例句：

• My child holds onto my hand tightly while we cross the street.横穿马路时，孩子紧拉着我的手不放。
• The crowd pressed together so tightly that we could hardly breathe.人群挤在一起，我们几乎喘不过气来。

23 hostile   

adj.不友好的，敌对的；敌方的，敌人的

参考例句：

• The local people are hostile to outsiders.当地人敌视外地人。
• Their hostile looks showed that he was unwelcome.他们怀敌意的表情说明他不受欢迎。

24 statement   

n.陈述；声明；综述

参考例句：

• The government will put out a new statement tomorrow.政府将于明天发布一项新声明。
• Put down your statement in black and white.把你的话用白纸黑字写下来。