“Hi，howareya.” some people say when they see a familiar face.The words run together into a mass，all sense and meaning lost. All the same，people do care how you are.After they greet you，it’s likely you will greet them back，with an equally meaningless phrase like，“Can’t plain，can’t plain.”You could probably plain，at length，or share a brilliant thought you were just beginning when a greeting interrupted you.You don’t though，you say，“Great，you？”
You are not giving each other information about your health and wellbeing.All the same，you are sharing information.You’re acknowledging each other’s positions as acknowledged friends，or at least as accepted acquaintances.And you are reestablishing the ties that may have lapsed(衰退) since yesterday，when you last met at the elevator or the entrance to the train station.
It’s what anthropologist(人类学家) Bronislaw Malinoski called a phatic(交流感情的) munication.Its message is not in the words you use，but in the fact that you speak ritually(仪式上地) accepted words.In Asia，for example，people may ask one another if they have eaten，or if they are busy.They’re not really asking for their lunch menu or their agenda，they are saying hello.A phatic signal merely says, “I see you there.” It says hi.
There’s embarrassment of being near people without acknowledging them.That unfortable feeling is one reason why lonely passengers in the subway may behave as if they cannot see anyone around them or may escape their unfortable situation with a book.Some people read all the way home，and never turn a page.
Your friend isn’t asking how you are，and you aren’t telling him.However，he is recognizing your existence，and when you answer，you are recognizing his.In addition，the set speech you have shared opens the door to closer munications if both agree.Someday，you may e to real close friendship，and really tell one another how you are.
Meanwhile，people who greet one another this way do care.They care enough to recognize someone’s essential humanity(人性)．They send a signal across the space between，to share，very briefly and lightly，in awareness of one another.
Your greetings prove that neither of you has bee a social outcast.How are you？You are still a member of society in good status.You are still the one who knows the rituals and secret passwords necessary to get to work each day.
【小题1】When people greet，they .A．want to show their different educational backgroundsB．show nothing related with the words themselvesC．want to know other people’s privacyD．express something special【小题2】According to Bronislaw Malinoski，a phatic munication .A．is rarely used by Asian peopleB．is too plex to be used oftenC．helps establish or keep certain relationshipsD．often ruins the normal relationships between friends or acquaintances【小题3】Some people seldom greet strangers because .A．they want to be polite to othersB．they feel unfortable to do itC．they don’t know when to greet themD．they want to do something meaningful【小题4】What does the text mainly tell us?A．Greetings should be given better expressions.B．Greetings convey different meanings to different people.C．Greetings help prove an individual’s social independence.D．Greetings help an individual be connected with the society.B
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(答案→)B
解析：
【小题1】B
解析 细节理解题。第一段强调，人们见面打招呼时的用语仅是人们之间交流的一种方式，没有实际的含义。
【小题2】 C
解析 细节理解题。由第二、三段可知，Bronislaw Malinoski所提到的“a phatic munication”指的是在交际中所使用的语言，没有特定含义，而仅是一种交际方式。这种方式可以帮助建立或巩固一定的人际关系。
【小题3】 B
解析 细节理解题。根据第四段的“There’s embarrassment of being near people without acknowledging them.”和下文所举的例子可知，有些人不愿意和陌生人打招呼，因为那样会让他们感觉很尴尬、不舒服。
【小题4】D
解析 主旨大意题。文章对打招呼用语进行了介绍，认为一些用语并没有实际含义，仅是被用来建立或者维持人们之间的关系，使人们能更好地融入社会。