Because so much of culture is learned implicitly, we may be unaware that certain “invisible“ aspects of our culture exist: how long we can be late before being impolite, what topics we should avoid in conversation, or how we show attention through listening behavior. Differences in invisible culture can cause problems when we are unable to recognize behavioral differences as cultural rather than personal. Formal institutions— schools, hospitals, the legal system, and so on—are places where invisible cultural differences come together, and where we may misinterpret the behavior of others or misjudge their intentions. For example, when we see someone wearing exotic clothes and speaking a language other than ours, we do not assume that we understand that person or that he understands us. However, when someone is dressed like us and speaks our language, we may fail to recognize invisible cultural differences. If that person spoke “too loudly“ or stood “too close“ to us, we might interpret his behavior as rude rather than culturally different.

The orca is an Aextremely intelligent and Befficient predator that is Cspecial skilled at finding and Dcatching harbor seals.

Speeding stars Anear the center of the Milky Way Bsuggestion that a huge black hole is acting Clike an anchor at the Dcenter of the galaxy.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton______proposed that women should have the right to vote. , an early feminist. She ; an early feminist , an early feminist, an early feminist

The traditional American breakfast is loaded with fatty foods______. : butter, bacon, and fried potatoes , butter, bacon; and fried potatoes —butter, bacon—fried potatoes ; butter and bacon; and fried potatoes

Many Adrives use cellular phones Bduring their commute, and this is Cvery dangerous to Dothers on the road.

Range managers must Aconstantly deal with ranch owners, government Bofficers, and people who Cspecialize in Dothers areas of conservation.

Regulated change is often a reaction to a problem______the human body reacts to certain infections by raising its temperature. , such as . Such as , for example ; for example,

Radio was tremendously______for many years before the arrival of television. popular popularity popularize popularly

The tower Acrane, unlike the mobile crane, Bdoes not expand like a Ctelescope, instead it extends Ditself section by section.

AAlike those of bald eagles, the nests of ospreys are Bless successful in areas where Ctheir food is contaminated with toxic Dchemicals.

If chronic hepatitis______can cause cirrhosis or liver failure. progresses. It progresses, it progresses; it progresses it

The relationship between dance and sound varies widely______the right sound is important for creating the mood. , .But : but , but

Hydropower is the leading source of renewable energy______more than 97 percent of all electricity generated by renewable sources. : it provides . And it provides , it provides ; it provides:

The______of the steam engine occurred before the development of the railroad. invent inventive inventor invention

A caricature is a portrait in art or______that makes its subject appear ridiculous. literate literary literature literally

When one restaurant is as good as______ difficult to choose a favorite. another; its another, it is another. It’s another—is it

Cardiovascular diseases, which involve the heart and blood vessels, are the leading cause of death in many developed nations. Atherosclerosis, a chronic cardiovascular disease, involves the gradual buildup of growths called plaques on the inner smooth muscle wall of blood vessels. As atherosclerosis progresses, the risk of heart attack or stroke increases because a blood clot is more likely to become trapped in an artery that has been narrowed by plaques. Hypertension—high blood pressure—also increases the risk of heart attack or stroke. Sometimes called the silent killer, it may cause no symptoms until a heart attack or stroke occurs. Fortunately, hypertension is simple to diagnose and can usually be treated by medication, diet, exercise, or a combination of these.

Because so much of culture is learned implicitly, we may be unaware that certain “invisible“ aspects of our culture exist: how long we can be late before being impolite, what topics we should avoid in conversation, or how we show attention through listening behavior. Differences in invisible culture can cause problems when we are unable to recognize behavioral differences as cultural rather than personal. Formal institutions— schools, hospitals, the legal system, and so on—are places where invisible cultural differences come together, and where we may misinterpret the behavior of others or misjudge their intentions. For example, when we see someone wearing exotic clothes and speaking a language other than ours, we do not assume that we understand that person or that he understands us. However, when someone is dressed like us and speaks our language, we may fail to recognize invisible cultural differences. If that person spoke “too loudly“ or stood “too close“ to us, we might interpret his behavior as rude rather than culturally different.

TOEFL iBT Writing. In this integrated writing task, you will write a response to a question about a reading passage and a lecture. Your response will be scored on the quality of your writing and on how well you connect the points in the lecture with points in the reading. Typically, an effective response will have 150 to 225 words. Reading Time - 3 minutes Business revolves around making decisions, and good decisions are based on good intelligence. Creating useful intelligence involves the following steps: asking appropriate questions, carefully interpreting the answers, and gathering sufficient information to make a decision. The intelligence-gathering process can be seen in the experience of a greeting card company. The company wanted to attract more of their core customers into their stores, so they considered expanding their product line by selling fresh flowers. The company rarely dedicated resources to a new idea without first doing a considerable amount of market research, planning, and preparation. They began collecting the information needed for the decision to sell flowers. They set up a number of focus groups composed of their core customers (women aged thirty to fifty). In these groups, the company asked relevant questions, for example, “If fresh flowers were available in our stores, would you be inclined to buy them?“ The response from participants was extremely positive, with 78 percent saying “yes.“ The company also decided to get answers from flower producers, so they interviewed botanists and investigated facilities. They identified personnel and equipment needs and estimated costs, concluding that the venture was feasible. The extensive information that the company gathered supported their belief that the flower business would be successful. The project was approved, and a fresh flower facility opened in the central region. The company’s major stores were equipped with refrigeration units to keep the flowers fresh. A team of botanical experts ensured that the flowers were handled with care during the distribution process. As the stores began receiving shipments of flowers, the company felt optimistic, knowing their decision was based on extensive planning and good intelligence. Now listen to the lecture. You may take notes, and you may use your notes to help you write your response. After you hear the question, you have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. You may look at the reading passage during the writing time. Summarize the points made in the lecture, explaining how they cast doubt on points made in the reading. Stop Time - 20 minutesNow listen to part of a lecture on this topic in a business management class. You’ve read about the greeting card company’s decision to sell flowers. The company did a great deal of research, including focus groups with customers. Yet, in spite of all that, the flower venture failed. Flowers literally died on the shelves, and before long the flower operation was shut down. Why? Why did it fail, when all the research pointed to success? Well, the company’s biggest mistake was bias—both in the information they gathered and in how it was interpreted. They had been confident that fresh flowers would be a great addition to their product line. This bias caused them to interpret the available information positively. They didn’t ask enough questions that would have proved their theory wrong. They didn’t realize that the information they had was incomplete. They stopped researching too soon. They felt certain that the venture would succeed, and all the information they gathered supported this belief. In the focus groups, for example, they asked if people would buy flowers from the company’s stores. Of course the answer was “yes.“ However, the company neglected to ask when and how customers usually bought flowers. Only later did they learn that people usually buy flowers at the end of their shopping routine. The company’s stores, however, were usually the first or second stop on their list. Furthermore, people don’t like going to malls, where the company’s stores are located, if flowers are the only thing they want. At those times, their neighborhood florist shop is much more convenient. The company failed because they had been excessively optimistic, and this distorted their intelligence. The lesson here is that decision-makers have to avoid bias when they are collecting and evaluating information. Summarize the points made in the lecture, explaining how they cast doubt on points made in the reading.

Which of the following is an example of invisible culture?

Why does the author use the phrases “too loudly“ and “too close“ in the passage?