1．The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups．Silences may be thoughtful，or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say．A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness，uneasiness，or worry．Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable； therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap（間隙）with conversation．Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a person's needs．
Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people，just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do．Therefore，when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops，what may be implied（暗示） is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing．In these cultures，silence is a call for reflection．
Other cultures may use silence in other ways，particularly when dealing with conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power．For example，Russian，French，and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion．However，Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her．In still another use，persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect，particularly to an elder or a person in authority．
Nurses and other care-geivers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be expericencing．Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient's silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily．A nurse who understands the healing（治愈） value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures．
32．What does the author say about silence in conversations？C
A．It implies anger．
B．It promotes friendship．
C．It is culture-specific．
D．It is content-based．
33．Which of the following people might regard silence as a call for careful thought？A
A．The Chinese．
B．The French．
C．The Mexicans．
D．The Russians．
34．What does the author advise nurses to do about silence？D
A．Let it continue as the patient pleases．
B．Break it while treating patients．
C．Evaluate its harm to patients．
D．Make use of its healing effects．
35．What may be the best title for the text？B
A．Sound and Silence
B．What It Means to Be Silent
C．Silence to Native Americans
D．Speech Is Silver； Silence Is Gold．
分析 本文是一篇說明文，主要介紹了沉默在不同文化背景下的不同內涵．美國人重視沉默，并且認為沉默是人們之間日常交流的基本部分，而中國人則在談話時將沉默視為認真思考的標志；另外俄國、法國、西班牙等國家則將沉默看作是對所談論話題的一種認可，恰恰相反，墨西哥人則將沉默視為對比自己職位高或者年長的人意見的一種不認可，這樣用沉默要不和他們爭論、吵要禮貌的多．而護士則可以把沉默當作是治療疾病的一種方法．
解答 32C 33A 34D 35B
32．C．．細節(jié)理解題．根據文章首段首句"The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups"可知，作者認為沉默是有文化特性的．根據后面的第四句"Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable"以及第五句"Persons in other cultural groups value silence"也是很好的佐證；故選C．
33．A．細節(jié)理解題．根據第二段中"what may be implied is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing"以及"In these cultures，silence is a call for reflection．"可知中國人認為談話時人們沉默是在思考．故選A．
34．D．細書理解題．根據末段末句"A nurse who understands the healing value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients"可知，作者建議護士要用沉默來冶療病人．故選D．
35．B．標題歸納題．文章主要介紹了在不同文化背景下談話期間沉默的不同含義，由此判斷B選項可以概括文章內容．故選B．
點評 在做說明類的閱讀文章時可以先通讀全文，明白文章所描述的中心內容是什么，再結合題干要求，帶著問題去讀文章會更節(jié)省時間，也能做到針對性更強一些，尤其是最后的標題歸納題，一定要有針對性和概括性．
