She Says/He Says(U1B1) reading she says: Boys are so different from girls! They never show their emotions

It is clear that Shel Silverstein is one of the best-loved poets in modern American literature. He authored several collections of poetry, including classics like Falling Up and Where the Sidewalk Ends. One of his most popular books of children’s poetry, A Light in the Attic, remained on the New York Times best-seller list for more than two years. Undoubtedly, Silverstein’s poetry has become an essential part of American culture, and his poems have been read and enjoyed by many Americans since they were children.

Silverstein was born in Chicago in 1930, and he began to write poetry as a young man. However, as a matter of fact, Silverstein’s first love was drawing, and he attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for one year. He eventually dropped out and started to pursue other interests, including writing songs, plays, and poems. Though Silverstein went on to become a great poet, he claimed that he had never studied the poetry of others. Therefore, he was able to develop his own style of writing independently.

Silverstein wrote in an informal way, with a simple and straightforward style. He used short and snappy lines to create ridiculous characters and weird situations in his fantastic imaginary world. Silverstein often combined the serious with the funny and the common with the strange. Although his poems were written for children, they could also serve to remind adults of how it feels to be a child, living between real and imaginary worlds.

Thus, it is no wonder that Silverstein’s poems, unlike those written strictly for either adults or children, are so popular with readers of all ages. His poems are funny but not offensive. It is true that Silverstein makes fun of adults in ways that children find especially interesting, but his humor is meant only to tease and never to criticize.

Sadly, Silverstein passed away in 1999, but he lives on in his poetry. Without a doubt, readers have loved Silverstein’s poems all along, so his poems still remain popular today. The following are two of his most popular poems.

“Messy Room”

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!

His underwear is hanging on the lamp.

His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,

And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.

His workbook is wedged in the window,

His sweater’s been thrown on the floor.

His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,

And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.

His books are all jammed in the closet,

His vest has been left in the hall.

A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,

And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.

Whosever room this is should be ashamed!

Donald or Robert or Willie or―

Huh? You say it’s mine? Oh, dear,

I knew it looked familiar!
“The Acrobats”

I’ll swing

By my ankles,

She’ll cling

To your knees

As you hang

By your nose

From a high-up

But just one thing, please,

As we float through the breeze―

Don’t sneeze.

If you had lived in Japan in the 1800s and had sparkling white teeth, it might have been difficult for you to find a wife or a husband. Black teeth were considered attractive in Japan at that time, so people used to dye their teeth black. In ancient Egypt, having a huge belly represented wealth. Thus, the fatter you were, the richer you were considered to be. During the Middle Ages in Europe, the rich didn't have tans. On the contrary, their skin was usually pale. It was the poor who had darker skin because they had to work outdoors on farms. Therefore, people at that time believed that pale skin was a symbol of wealth and beauty. They would often cover up their bodies completely whenever they went out to make sure their skin stayed as light as possible.

What would these people of the past think of today's image of "ideal" beauty─a skinny, brown-skinned supermodel with bleached white teeth? They would probably consider this person very ugly. The ideals of beauty are always changing in different cultures and times. However, one thing always remains true: People want to be good-looking and attractive. In the past, people dyed their teeth black, ate a lot to become fat, and covered up their bodies to remain pale. Nowadays, people use more radical ways to follow the trends toward "physical perfection." In many countries, it's fashionable for people to do dangerous surgery to change their appearance. Some common procedures include having fat removed from their bellies and having their eyes changed to look bigger. A few people would even rather have a poison called Botox injected into their faces than have any wrinkles.

Today, being slim is considered beautiful, but being too skinny isn't actually healthy. Eating a balanced diet is important for one's health, while starving to achieve some "ideal" weight can make one sick. Tanned skin is also popular these days, although we now know that the more exposure to the sun, the more wrinkles skin will get. What's more, the risk of skin cancer is also higher for people with tanned skin.

So, let's just stop and think for a minute: Is our appearance really that important? According to a survey of the Masai tribe in Kenya, the people there believe that being a nice person is real beauty. In the Masai culture, people think attractiveness and morality are connected. In other words, the nicer you are, the more beautiful you are. The researcher carrying out the survey was amazed to learn that 100 percent of the Masai people were satisfied with their appearance!

Everyone is unique, and feeling good about yourself is essential. If we all looked like supermodels, then the world would be a very boring place. More importantly, taking pride in your appearance is a way of telling the world that you like the way you look and that you have respect for yourself. Next time, when people ask you if you are satisfied with your appearance, what will your answer be?

　　It is the Carnival in Brazil, and David, an American tourist, is having a blast during this annual spring festival. However, as he raises his camera to take a photograph of a parade, a passing reveler accidentally bumps into him, knocking David’s camera to the ground. Luckily, the camera is not damaged, and thus David wants to give the Brazilian reassurance that everything is fine. Since David does not speak Portuguese, he decides to use some nonverbal communication instead. Therefore, David flashes the OK sign to the man by making his thumb and index finger into a circle and spreading his other three fingers out.

　　Imagine David’s surprise when the Brazilian is very offended by this sign. Unfortunately, David had no idea that in Brazil, no other gesture is as offensive as this one. To make matters even more confusing, this same gesture has different meanings in different countries. For example, if David had used this OK sign in Japan, the people there might have thought that there was some kind of financial issue because this sign means “money” to the Japanese. What’s more, David might have caused considerable confusion─and even more offense─by making this gesture in France or Belgium because it can mean “You’re worth nothing!” in these two nations. It should come as no surprise that for some people, no other gesture can be as confusing as this one.

　　When it comes to communication, almost half of our ideas and feelings are communicated without words. In fact, some experts say that only 30 to 35 percent of our communication is actually verbal. This means that we often express ourselves with nonverbal language, or “body language,” and this can lead to misunderstandings, especially when we travel to other countries.

　　Take the case of a Taiwanese tourist who was enjoying a meal in a local restaurant in Greece. Because he wanted to let everyone know how much he liked the food there, the tourist made an innocent mistake: He used the thumbs-up sign. Before he knew it, all the Greeks in the restaurant had become furious with him, so the hapless Taiwanese man quickly paid his bill and made for the exit. Little did he know how much trouble this small gesture could cause him.

　　Many people have the misconception that the thumbs-up gesture was first used in ancient Rome by the emperor when he wanted to spare someone’s life. Research, however, has shown that the thumbs-up signal was in truth used by the emperor to give the order for someone to be executed. Today, in Taiwan and the United States, when someone puts his or her thumb up, it means “everything is great” or “all right.” Yet, in Greece, Iran, and Spain, the gesture is insulting, so it should never be used.

　　It goes without saying that it is beneficial to speak a little of the local language when we travel abroad. However, it is also clear that an understanding of the body language used locally is equally important. As the old saying goes, “Actions speak louder than words,” and what is expressed nonverbally can be just as crucial as any words that are spoken.

I. Reading for the Main Idea―Skimming

( )	The reading is mainly about _____. (A) the meanings of the thumbs-up sign in different cultures (B) the fact that gestures have different meanings in different cultures (C) the different gestures that Americans use to communicate (D) misunderstandings caused by OK sign in different countries

II. Reading Strategy: Cause and Effect

A cause is the thing that makes something happen, while an effect is the result of a cause. In the reading, several events are connected by a cause-and-effect relationship. Recognizing these cause-and-effect relationships will help you understand their connections better while you are reading.

Example:

Effect: David’s camera is knocked to the ground.

Exercise:

Use the reading strategy to match the correct cause or effect listed in the box with the statements below.


A. The Taiwanese tourist used the thumbs-up sign.

B. David does not speak Portuguese.

C. All the Greeks in the restaurant had become furious with the Taiwanese tourist.

D. This sign means “money” to the Japanese.

E. David flashes the OK sign.

_____	1.	David wants to give the Brazilian reassurance that everything is fine.
_____	2.	The Taiwanese tourist wanted to let everyone know how much he liked the food there.
_____	3.	David decides to use some nonverbal communication instead.
_____	4.	The Taiwanese tourist quickly paid his bill and made for the exit.
_____	5.	If David had used the OK sign in Japan, the people there might have thought that there was some kind of financial issue.

Unit 2(Book5) Working While Traveling

READING

　　For many high school and university students, having the opportunity to travel abroad is a lifelong dream. However, it is one thing to have such a dream, but quite another to get the money needed to realize this dream. Fortunately, there is a ready-made solution for those who have a strong sense of adventure but would otherwise be held back by troublesome money problems. Numerous working holiday programs now exist, allowing would-be travelers to earn money by working in the country they choose to visit. Meanwhile, these programs give the travelers chances to go sightseeing and experience the local culture. Does this sound too good to be true? Read on, and judge for yourself.

　　Working holidays themselves are not new, but the popularity of the idea has exploded in recent years. Australia, New Zealand, and Canada are among the more popular choices these days, especially for young people from Asia. Most programs are open to people who are aged between eighteen and thirty, and people can let the program agents take care of all the paperwork for their jobs, housing, and necessary visas. These agents will also help traveler-workers settle in once they reach the host country.

　　Of course, even though a person can get all this help having everything sorted out, how well the person adapts to life in a new country is up to him or her. Everyone’s experience is bound to be different, but to varying degrees, adjusting to the food, the language barriers, and homesickness are the three main challenges. Still, having other people who are also in a similar situation means there’s usually someone with a sympathetic ear to talk to, and this makes it easy to make friends. These new friendships may only last for the summer, or they may last for a lifetime.

　　The jobs in these programs usually last for a few months at a time and involve unskilled, entry-level work, or physical labor. For example, traveler-workers may be employed in cleaning parks or city streets, cutting grass, or working at restaurants as servers or kitchen helpers. Working as housekeepers or porters in hotels are other possibilities. One of the most common kinds of work is fruit picking. If living on a farm and getting up at dawn is your thing, this might be right up your alley.

　　While it’s true that an overseas trip can open the door to adventure and discovery, a working holiday is not just fun and games. The hours can be long, and you may find the work either boring or backbreaking─or both. It is never a good idea to take a job without finding out as much information about it as possible in advance, especially when it means working in an unfamiliar country far from home. Still, this hard work can pay off, and the rewards are usually nothing to sneeze at. Besides covering your room and board, the additional spending money you earn will enable you to explore the sights and attractions that drew you to the country in the first place. Now that you know the pros and cons of a working holiday, do you still think you’re up for it?