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12 READING
A Read the article. Then answer the questions.
1. What were these Americans doing in other countries?
2. What was Lisa trying to buy?
3. How do people show "yes" in Micronesia?
4. Who was Jan talking to?
5. What does a head nod mean in Bulgaria?
6. Why did Tom misunderstand his class?
B What do these words refer to? Write the correct word (s).
1. it (par. 1, line 2).
2. their (par. 1, line 4).
3. her (par. 2, line 8).
4. that country (par. 3, line 6).
5. the same thing (par. 4, line 7).
C Group work Have you ever had a similar communication problem? What happened?
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1 Living in a foreign culture can be exciting, but.
it can also be confusing. A group of Americans
who taught English in other countries recently.
discussed their experiences. They decided that
miscommunications were always possible, even
over something as simple as "yes" and "no.".
2 On her first day in Micronesia, Lisa thought.
people were ignoring her requests. The day was
hot, and she needed a cold drink. She went into a
store and asked, "Do you have cold drinks?" The.
woman there did not say anything. Lisa rephrased
the question. Still the woman said nothing. Lisa
gave up and left the store. She later learned that
the woman had answered her: She had raised.
her eyebrows, which in Micronesia means "yes.".
3 This reminded Jan of an experience she had in.
Bulgaria. She had gone to a restaurant that was.
known for its stuffed cabbage. She asked the waiter,
"Do you have stuffed cabbage today?" He nodded.
his head. Jan eagerly waited, but the cabbage never.
came. In that country, a nod means "no.".
4 Tom had a similar problem when he arrived in.
India. After explaining something in class, he asked.
his students if they understood. They responded
with many different nods and shakes of the head.
He assumed some people had not understood, so he.
explained again. When he asked again if they
understood, they did the same thing. He soon
found out that his students did understand. In
India, people nod and shake their heads in different.
ways depending on where they come from. You
have to know where a person is from to understand.
if they are indicating "yes" or "no.".