The word hug is of uncertain origin. The Oxford English Dictionary cautions

游客2023-11-16  25

问题     The word hug is of uncertain origin. The Oxford English Dictionary cautions against confusing it with hugge—a variant of the Middle English ug, meaning "to inspire with dread, loathing, or disgust." Nevertheless, I find myself drawn to the possibility that hug does, in fact, have some kinship with ug. It seems apt to me. At the prospect of a tight embrace, dread and loathing, if not disgust, do come to mind. So does the sound ug.
    So why is it that when I go over to your house for dinner, you wrap your arms around me, even though I saw you last Friday at the movies? And why do you come at me again after the meal is over, even though we hugged not three hours ago and I’ll probably see you next week? It’s not that I don’t like you—I do—but it’s such an awkward interaction. One arm or two? Should there be space between us? How much? Should I brush my cheek against yours? Maybe even kiss your cheek? And for how long, exactly, should we be touching?
    I’m willing to believe that some people really love to hug. They rush to enfold not only family and friends but also friends of friends and near strangers. Yet most people are just going through the motions; they’re looking for a way to say hello or goodbye, and so they open their arms wide. Not wanting to seem rude, I submit to this ritual of friendship. That, or I make sure I’m carrying something heavy.
    After one particularly confounding interaction, I looked for expert counsel. An advice columnist, Emily Yoffe, offered her sympathy: "I’ve become a non-hugger who hugs. Recently after breakfast with a new friend, I went in to hug her goodbye, and I could see a kind of horror in her eyes, but it was too late to back off and say, ’ I’m really not a hugger either. ’ " That’s me; the girl with the look of horror in her eyes.
    The Emily Post Institute, which specializes in manners, explains that when greeting someone, you should look him or her in the eyes and smile, speak clearly, say the person’s name, add a " glad to see you" or "how’s it going?" and then shake hands with a firm grip, pump two or three times, and then release. The institute suggests adding a hug " if it’s a relative or close friend. " No mention of friends of friends or friends’ dates. Nor any specific information on what a proper hug entails.
    There are several hug alternatives, among them; the handshake, the cheek kiss, the wave, the arm squeeze, and the nod. Handshakes seem formal, cheek kisses un-American, waves rather odd. Arm squeezing would be a good solution if it weren’t for the danger of getting pulled into something more full-bodied. The nod, though, can be very effective when combined with a smile, especially when executed with confidence and with one hand already grasping the door handle. [br] What’s the author’s attitude towards hug?

选项 A、Cautious.
B、Hesitant.
C、Puzzled.
D、Opposed.

答案 D

解析 态度题。作者在开篇时就提出,尽管牛津词典上指出hug与负面词ug无关,但是作者还是觉得dread and loathing“可怕,厌恶”。后文中从人们的普遍感受和专家意见等角度,多方证明这种礼仪易引起尴尬、缺乏统一的适用规范,最后还提出了替代这种礼仪的各种选择,并进行了点评和取舍。由此可见,作者对采用拥抱礼是不赞同的,故D为本题答案。
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