新高级阅读前（双语）94（904）

PASSAGE NINETY-FOUR

The meaning of silence

1.The meaning of silence varies among cultural groups. Silences may be thoughtful, or they may be empty when a person has nothing to say.  

2.A silence in a conversation may also show stubbornness, uneasiness, or worry.  

3.Silence may be viewed by some cultural groups as extremely uncomfortable; therefore attempts may be made to fill every gap with conversation.  

4.Persons in other cultural groups value silence and view it as necessary for understanding a person’s needs.

5.Many Native Americans value silence and feel it is a basic part of communicating among people, just as some traditional Chinese and Thai persons do.  

6.Therefore, when a person from one of these cultures is speaking and suddenly stops, what may be implied is that the person wants the listener to consider what has been said before continuing.

7.In these cultures, silence is a call for reflection. Other cultures may use silence in other ways, particularly when dealing with conflicts among people or in relationships of people with different amounts of power. 

8.For example,Russian, French, and Spanish persons may use silence to show agreement between parties about the topic under discussion.  

9.However, Mexicans may use silence when instructions are given by a person in authority rather than be rude to that person by arguing with him or her.  

10.In still another use, persons in Asian cultures may view silence as a sign of respect, particularly to an elder or a person in authority.

11.Nurses and other care-givers need to be aware of the possible meanings of silence when they come across the personal anxiety their patients may be experiencing.  

12.Nurses should recognize their own personal and cultural construction of silence so that a patient’s silence is not interrupted too early or allowed to go on unnecessarily.  

13.A nurse who understands the healing value of silence can use this understanding to assist in the care of patients from their own and from other cultures.

第九十四篇

沉默的含义

1.沉默的含义在不同的文化群体中有所不同。沉默可能是深思熟虑的，或者当一个人无话可说时，沉默可能是空虚的。

2.谈话中的沉默也可能表示固执、不安或担心。

3.沉默可能被一些文化群体视为极其不舒服;因此，人们可能会试图用谈话来填补每一个空白。

4.其他文化群体的人看重沉默，认为沉默是理解一个人需求的必要条件。

5.许多印第安人重视沉默，认为这是人与人之间交流的基本组成部分，就像一些传统的中国人和泰国人一样。

6.因此，当一个来自这些文化的人正在说话时突然停下来，可能暗示的是这个人希望听者在继续之前考虑一下他说了什么。

7.在这些文化中，沉默意味着反思。其他文化可能会以其他方式使用沉默，特别是在处理人与人之间的冲突或不同权力的人之间的关系时。

8.例如，俄罗斯人、法国人和西班牙人可能会用沉默来表示双方对正在讨论的话题的一致意见。

9.然而，墨西哥人在受到权威人士的指示时可能会保持沉默，而不是粗鲁地与他或她争论。

10.在另一种用法中，亚洲文化中的人可能认为沉默是一种尊重的表现，尤其是对长辈或权威人士。

11.当护士和其他护理人员遇到病人可能正在经历的个人焦虑时，他们需要意识到沉默的可能含义。

12.护士应该认识到自己对沉默的个人和文化建构，这样病人的沉默就不会过早地被打断或被允许不必要地继续下去。

13.一个了解沉默的治愈价值的护士可以利用这种理解来帮助照顾来自自己和其他文化的病人。