Body Language
New Everyday English 3 (Showa 56) pg. 58-61
| Body Language | |
|---|---|
| ボディーランゲージ | |
| Details | |
| Word count | 256 |
| Book | Everyday English |
| Grade | 3 |
| Year | 1981 |
Do you know that you can say a lot without speaking a word? Yes, you can say a lot just with the look on your face. You smile when you are happy. You cry when you are very sad. You raise your eyebrows when you are surprised. You can also understand what your friends want to say by watching their gestures. Now, let's study how people use body language to mean certain things.
In sports, players and coaches often make signs that mean something. A catcher asks a pitcher to throw a certain kind of pitch. They do not speak a word. They make signs by moving their arms and hands. They sometimes touch their noses or ears with their fingers. In this way, players and coaches often use their own signs to talk to each other.
Traffic policemen use arm gestures to direct traffic. They tell drivers to stop or to turn left or right. The city noises are so loud that people can not hear a policeman. So traffic policemen use their arms for talking to people on the streets. Now you know body language is very important.
Japanese people bow to each other as a friendly gesture. It means, "It's good to see you again." It can also mean, "Welcome" or "Good-bye, and I hope we will meet again."
Instead of bowing, British and American people shake hands.
It is not always easy to learn the many kinds of gestures of another country. But with a friendly smile, you can make many friends.
