My interest in body language began with a professor of mine at university. He mentioned “Pinocchio” to me one cold morning after saying that I always rubbed my nose when giving excuses for being late to his courses. Actually, when someone tells a lie, the person’s blood rushes to the nose and the extra blood makes it itchy (发痒的). This little example of non-verbal communication inspired me to become a body language expert. Now, I earn my living by training people in non-verbal communication. Knowing when someone is lying and knowing how to persuade people you’ re telling the truth are two of the most important skills you’ll ever learn.
I have spent a lot of time studying the ways the human body gives more reliable information than the words we speak. The words say one thing but the body may say something completely different. We know that crossed arms can be seen as either defensive (防御性的) or aggressive (攻击性的), but what about facial expressions, postures and gestures? All of these say a lot and can only be understood if you know how to make sense of the signs.
Business clients are always in need of my services and I try to improve their confidence by teaching them about body language. I give advice about handshakes, which should always be firm and steady, and I teach the importance of personal space. They may seem like minor matters, but these codes of behaviour can be the key to making or breaking a business deal.
My working life gives me a great deal of satisfaction. I feel that I’ m providing a public service, but it is a service that has had its downside. Whenever I meet someone new and I tell them what I do for a living, they immediately put their guard up and they’re no longer relaxed. They quite literally freeze in the attempt to hide all the signals that they think I’ m reading. It makes life difficult at times, but I consider it a small price to pay for a job I enjoy so much.
【小题1】What is the author’s purpose of mentioning his professor?| A．To describe his professor’ s success. | B．To explain why he chose his career. |
| C．To show his professor’s study of the “Pinocchio” effect. | D．To introduce what impressed him most during his career. |
| A．It usually tells the real story. | B．It always benefits one’ s career. |
| C．It plays an important part in persuading people. | D．It provides people with great career opportunities. |
| A．They dislike his services. | B．They think he is too proud. |
| C．They consider him unreliable. | D．They believe he is studying them. |
| A．He thinks little of minor gestures. | B．He travels the world giving advice. |
| C．He is happy with his work. | D．He is good at pretending. |
