Question

You get on an almost-empty bus, but the next passenger decides to ignore all the empty seats to sit right next to you. While you are waiting in line at the supermarket, the next

customer stands just behind you shouting into his phone.

These are attacks of the personal space invaders(侵略者). Though preferences for personal space differ from culture to culture, we Britons do love our independence and personal space.

As the British customs website Debrett has said, as a British person, somebody standing too close may make you “focus less on what somebody is saying than on how close they are to you”. Simple acts like putting an arm around someone you don’t know that well may seem friendly in China, but they can make us very uncomfortable. The ediplomat.com website explains: “The British are not back slappers (拍打者) or touchers and generally do not show affection (喜歡) in public.”

Being a British person around people from other countries can therefore be full of problems. People from many European countries such as France and Spain kiss each other on the cheek when they meet, yet to us this seems too friendly and “touchy-feely”.

Simple matters like how close others stand can be problems to Britons who want to keep their own personal space. Giving advice on how to behave around a British person, Debrett’s says that “if you can feel the warmth of their worried breath upon your face, then you’re standing too close”.

So, are British people unfriendly? No. The ediplomat.com website explains that we are not as “indifferent” as we may seem, but “very friendly and helpful to foreigners”. However, we do have different ideas about our own space to many people from other countries. Just let us know if you’re going to come any closer than arm’s length, and you’ll be fine!

1.What is the article mainly about?

A. How to make friends with British people.

B. Some tips on British table manners.

C. Ways in which British people show affection.

D. British people’s preference for personal space.

2.If you were meeting a British person for the first time, it would be polite of you to ______, according to the article.

A. kiss him/her on the cheek

B. put an arm around him/her

C. keep an arm’s length away from him/her

D. slap his/her back or shake his/her hands

3.The underlined word “indifferent” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “_____”.

A. cold B. modest

C. gentlemanlike D. independent

4.What can we conclude from the article?

A. British people like to sit next to others on empty buses.

B. British people are helpful, although they may not appear to be.

C. British people do not like staying with other Europeans.

D. British people are happy to show affection in public.

Answer 1