Question

Exchange a glance with someone, and then look away. Do you realize that you have made a statement? Hold the glance for a second longer and you have made a different situation, there is a permissible time that you can hold a person’s stare without being friendly, rude, or aggressive. If you are on a lift, what stare-time are you permitted? To answer this question, consider what you typically do. You very likely give other passengers a quick glance to size them up and to assure them that you mean no harm. Since being close to another person signals the possibility of interaction, you need to send out a signal telling others you want to be left alone. So you cut off eye contact----what sociologist Erving Goffiman calls “a dimming(變暗) of the lights”. You look down at the floor, at the indicator(指示) lights, anywhere but into another passenger’s eyes. Should you break the rule against staring at a stranger on a lift, you will make the other person extremely uncomfortable, and you are likely to feel a bit strange yourself.

If you hold eye contact for more than 3 seconds, what are you telling another person? Much depends on the person and the situation. For instance, a man and a woman communicate interest in this manner. They stare at each other for about 3 seconds at a time, and then drop their eyes down for 3 seconds, before letting their eyes meet again. But if one man gives another man a 3-second-plus stare, he signals, “I know you”, “I am interested in you” or “You look peculiar(奇怪) and I am curious about you”. This type of stare often produces hostile(敵意的) feelings.

1. If one is looked at by a stranger for too long, he tends to feel ________.

A. depressed B. uneasy

C. curious D. amused

2. If you want to be left alone on a lift, the best thing to do is _____.

A. to look into another passenger’s eyes

B. to avoid eye contact with other passengers

C. to signal you don’t mean to do harm to anyone

D. to keep a distance from other passengers

3.It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ________.

A. every glance has its significance

B. staring at a person is an expression of interest

C. a stare longer than 3 seconds is unacceptable

D. a glance conveys more meaning than words

Answer 1