As the global pandemic (传染病) speeds up, many are wondering about whether the face masks (口罩) really work and when it's proper to wear them. Most people from the East believe that wearing a mask is necessary to control the spread of NCP (新冠肺炎). But people in the West generally would argue that unless one is already ill, wearing a mask is simple unnecessary.
In Eastern countries, mask-wearing is mostly due to their cultures. In fact, people in the East wear masks not just to protect themselves from illness but also for all kinds of other reasons. In China, masks are worn in any situations in daily life, such as doing homework or visiting parents in the hospital. They can give people the comfort of being protected.
In recent years, some of Asian people wear masks just to make themselves look good. Young people in Japan, for example, like to wear masks as a fashion, expressing their personal style through special drawings and patterns.
Some sociologists (社会学家) even make some deeper study about the different ideas about wearing masks between eastern countries and western countries.
In Asia, wearing a face mask is also a direct expression of group values. With one's face half covered, one becomes part of the group. "People communicated their responsibilities to the social group of which they were members." wrote Peter Bachr, a researcher in sociology (社会学) at Lingnan University, Hong Kong.
In Western countries, however, ▲ . As a member in the city, it's one's duty to prevent the spread of illness by following proper hygienic (卫生) steps, such as washing one's hands and not getting touch with others. But a face mask is showing some signs of illness. They will never do what they don't want to do for the public.
Whether from the East or the West, social culture and peer pressure (同伴压力) have played an important role in one's decision about whether or not to wear a mask. That's because human beings belong to society, who will properly consider what other members of society think of us. The most important thing is to respect others' opinions, no matter how different they are.
【小题1】According to the passage, ________ people like to wear masks to make themselves look fashionable.| A．French | B．American | C．Japanese | D．Chinese |
| A．Group values are more important. | B．Personal values are more important. |
| C．People are not afraid of the spread of illness. | D．People try their best to prevent the spread of illness. |
| A．Eastern people wear masks, but western people think it unnecessary. |
| B．Western people regard wearing masks as a sign to show illness. |
| C．If an easterner wears a mask, his friends around him will keep away from him. |
| D．If a westerner finds his friends around him wearing masks, he may also wear a mask. |
| A．①; ② ③; ④ ⑤ ⑥; ⑦ | B．①; ② ③ ④; ⑤ ⑥; ⑦ |
| C．① ② ③; ④ ⑤; ⑥ ⑦ | D．① ②; ③ ④; ⑤ ⑥ ⑦ |
