The handshake has existed in some form or another for thousands of years, but there are different ideas about its source. One popular theory is that the gesture began as a way of expressing peaceful purposes. By holding out their empty right hands, strangers could show that they were not holding knives and bore no ill-will toward one another. Yet another explanation iso that the handshake was a symbol of good faith when making a promise. When they held others’ hands, people showed that their word was a close relationship.
“An agreement could be expressed quickly and clearly in words,” the historian Walter Burkert once explained, “but was only made effective by a ritual gesture: open, empty hands reached out toward one another, catching each other in a handshake.”
One of the earliest descriptions of a handshake is found in the ninth century B.C. The Assyrian King Shalmaneser III pressed the flesh with a Babylonian ruler to form a union. Poet Homer described handshakes several times in his “Iliad” and “Odyssey,” most often in relation to expressions of trust. The gesture was also common in the fourth and fifth century B.C. Greek, funeral. Gravestones would often show the dead person shaking hands with a member of their family, meaning either a final goodbye or the lasting connection between the living and the dead. In ancient Rome, meanwhile, the handshake was often used as a symbol of friendship. Pairs of shaking hands even appeared on Roman coins.
【小题1】What did people want to show with their empty right hands?
| A．They were very poor. | B．They were healthy. |
| C．They meant no threat. | D．They had special customs. |
【小题2】What does Walter Burkert mean?
| A．An agreement must be accepted by empty hands. |
| B．An agreement came into effect after a handshake. |
| C．Spoken words were enough to confirm an agreement. |
| D．Shaking hands was polite while making an agreement. |
【小题3】What does the underlined part “pressed the flesh” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．Started an attack. | B．Shook hands. |
| C．Had a discussion. | D．Compared strength. |
【小题4】What is the suitable title for the text?
| A．Ways of Greetings | B．Importance of Gestures |
| C．Benefits of Handshake | D．History of Handshake |
