Scholars and researchers have tried to discover what personality characteristics go along with success in intercultural experiences. Their findings have often been unclear or incomplete. But three characteristics stand out in their reports: patience, a sense of humor, and the awareness of being unclear.
Patience, of course, is the ability to keep calm even when things do not go as one wants them to, or hopes they will, or has even been sure they will. Impatience sometimes brings improvements in relations with other people, but usually it does not.
A person with a sense of humor is less likely to take things too seriously and more ready to see the humor in his own reactions than a humorless person. The value of a sense of humor really needs to be paid more attention to.
The awareness of being unclear is a more difficult concept than patience or a sense of humor. Foreigners often find themselves in situations that are unclear to the newcomers. That is, they do not know what is happening in the situation. Perhaps they do not understand the local language well enough, or they do not know how some system or organization works, or they can’t be sure of different people’s roles in what is going on. “It’s like I just got here from the moon,” a Chinese graduate student who newly arrived in the United States said, “things are just so different here.”
小題1:The passage mainly tells us .
A．that it’s not easy to travel abroad
B．that humor is very important in communication
C．of some characteristics in dealing with foreigners
D．of three main ways useful for communicating with foreigners
小題2:According to the passage, what characteristic should be most focused on?
A．Patience.B．The awareness of being unclear.
C．The sense of humor.D．Understanding each other.
小題3:“The awareness of being unclear” refers to .
A．knowing the meaning of an exact situation
B．not stating clearly what happens
C．realizing the possible misunderstanding in a situation
D．being aware of the unclear situation
小題4:According to the writer, the Chinese students is .
A．a hard-working studentB．recently back from the moon
C．interested in the study of moonD．not used to the culture in America
小題5:Which of the following can best sum up the passage?
A．It is necessary to learn the language before you go to the country.
B．Americans are used to the culture of other countries.
C．One needs many characteristics to live in a foreign country.
D．To live in a foreign land one should get fully prepared.[
