Read the passage and answer the questions about it below.
Cross-Cultural Miscue
Several years ago while walking to class with an arm-load of books, Gary Ferraro, met a group of five
students who were also on their way to class. Four of the students were local, born and raised in North Carolina, while the fifth was a foreign student from Nigeria. Upon meeting, they all greeted one another and proceeded to walk together to class. Almost immediately the Nigerian student turned to him and asked if he could carry his load of books. Professor Ferraro refused, but the young man insisted, so he relented. As soon as he handed over the books, he noticed that the Nigerian student was receiving some “funny looks” from the North Carolina students. It became immediately apparent to him that they were witnessing a classic example of cross-cultural misunderstanding.
When they arrived in class, Professor Ferraro decided to see if this incident could provide them with
some insight into the nature of cross-cultural miscommunication. After describing the incident to the
class, he asked the four students from North Carolina to share with us what was behind those negative “nonverbal” looks they were giving their classmate from Nigeria when he took the load of books. As predicted, all four of the students thought that the Nigerian had offered to carry the teacher’s books in an effort to curry favor with the professor and perhaps get a higher grade in the course than he might deserve. The four U.S. students were clearly put off by what they considered to be a blatant attempt to “suck up” to the professor.
Hearing this explanation, the Nigerian student was shocked that his gesture was so thoroughly
misunderstood. He then explained that he offered to carry Professor Ferraro’s books out of a deep sense of respect for his high status as a college professor. Professors in Nigeria enjoy much higher social status
than do their counterparts in the United States. It would be considered demeaning for a Nigerian professor to engage in any form of manual labor, including carrying a heavy load of books. The somewhat startled Nigerian student went on to say that he offered to carry Professor Ferraro’s books, so he would not “lose face” by engaging in physical labor. Clearly the status system in Nigeria is appreciably different from that found in the United States
What is the thesis statement of the passage?
It became immediately apparent to him that they were witnessing a classic example of cross-cultural
misunderstanding.
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The most compelling reason given for becoming a teacher involves the interpersonal interactions resulting from continuous contact with children and young people. Specifically, teachers mention that they like to work with children and youth, make a difference in their lives, and see the look of joy when a student finally "gets it." Reasons such as these are given by teachers who view teaching as a
special mission in our society and consider teaching a valuable service and a way to make a lasting contribution to society. One teacher explained her career choice by saying, "I want to be a difference in somebody's life. I want to mean something...change something. I would choose teaching again in a minute if I had the chance. It's what I want to do." Other reasons people mention when discussing the decision to be a teacher include ease of entry, exit, and reentry into the profession, flexibility of time, and material benefits. The teaching career is accessible to individuals who start their careers in other fields and develop a second career. Parents enjoy the hours that parallel their children's hours, including the time off during holidays and in the summer. Satisfying salaries, job security, and benefits also attract individuals into teaching careers. Nevertheless, without fail, surveys continue to demonstrate that teachers who indicate that they are not likely to leave the profession give "love of teaching" as the reason they will continue. Perhaps due to the influences of family, teaching often continues as a family tradition. One future teacher in five reports a mother or father who taught at one time or is still teaching. Parents serve as models and have a great influence on their children's decision to become teachers. As one future teacher wrote, "I never had the opportunity to have my Dad as a teacher, but I have always heard wonderful things about him from his exstudents....I guess you could say I am in the 'family' business." Despite the statistics, some parents may not support their children's decision to become teachers. Many beginning teachers report that family members tried to dissuade them from entering the teaching profession. Future teachers are often aware of the negative perceptions associated with a teaching career but are not daunted by them. One future teacher admitted, "When I made it to college—graduating at the top of my high school class—my whole family said I shouldn't go into teaching. 'You're too smart to teach,' they said. 'You need to be a doctor or lawyer and make some money.' I was the only one in my extended family to ever get a degree, so everyone was pushing me to do different things. I looked at business, but nothing excited me like being a teacher." The word daunted in the last paragraph means a. excite d. b. attracte d. c. intimidate d. d. refuse d.
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What will be an ideal response?
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