新编跨文化交际英语教程 参考答案(11)

In this case, to the Chinese director as well as many other Chinese people, it is natural to handle the other things which needed to be dealt with immediately. He may have thought that, in this way, he utilized the time best. But to Katherine and most Westerners, it?s quite different. They tend

to do things strictly according to their schedule and appointments with others, which is their concept of using time best.

Case 26

Jack felt his privacy violated when he saw Magid standing at the door. It was absolutely a big

?surprise? for Jack---a surprise deviated from the giver?s real intention, and jack immediately showed his emotion as a conditioned reflex ,which wrote on the look ,saying ― I am completely not happy to see you . A few seconds later, he smiled and said,Hi, Magid, come on in. This obvious change on his face was certainly noticed by Magid. Then, during the whole afternoon, they had coffee and chatted. It seemed they had a nice time together. However, it turned out that they both felt a little uncomfortable. I guess. Jack, out of politeness, had to pretend he was very happy to see Magid, but from the bottom of his heart, he was so displeased with this dear old friend for not having phoned to say he was coming that he might have expressed his unhappiness from time to time through nonverbal messages, such as facial expressions, hand movements and body postures. These messages might contradict his words. Magid could more or less perceive this subtle awkwardness that he might be perplexed about.

Here?s one thing I don?t understand. As Magid was aware of the embarrassment between Jack and him, why did he choose to stay such a long time at Jack?s instead of leaving earlier ?

Next time, Magid should call his friend first to make sure it?s a right time to pay a visit when he wants to see Jack.

Case 27

We Chinese people usually attach great importance to taking good care of our guests. We often go out of our way to make a guest feel comfortable, and our kindness often knows no bound when it comes to a foreign visitor. But westerners including North Americans are trained to spend time alone and to do things for themselves from the time they are still very young. Therefore, they may feel uncomfortable when they are always surrounded by people attempting to be kind to them.

Hospitality itself may be something universal, but the form and amount of hospitality differ greatly from culture to culture.

Case 28

The most striking feature of the Japanese house was lack of privacy; the lack of individual, inviolable space. In winter, when the fusuma were kept closed, any sound above a whisper was clearly audible on the other side, and of course in summer they were usually removed altogether. It is impossible to live under such conditions for very long without a common household identity emerging which naturally takes precedence over individual wishes.

Although it has become a standard practice in modern Japan for children to have their own rooms, many middle-aged and nearly all older Japanese still live in this way. They regard themselves as ―one flesh‖, their property as common to all; the uchi (household, home) is constituted according to a principle of indivisibility. The system of moveable screen means that the rooms could be used by all the family and for all purposes: walls are built round the uchi, not inside it.

Unit 8

Cross-cultural Perception

Reading I

Comprehension questions

French Leave and Dutch Courage

1. Among the English idioms mentioned in Reading I, some are emotionally “neutral” in that they only deal with “flora and fauna and products” that are not native to England. However, some other idioms may carry the British cultural values and attitudes toward other nations. Can you divide the idioms into two different groups under the title of “culturally neutral” and “culturally loaded”?

Idioms which are culturally neutral include: Danish pastry, Flemish bond, Irish stew, Italic handwriting, Portuguese man-or-war, Russian roulette, Spanish fly, Scotch pine, Swiss roll, Turkish delight and Welsh rarebit. Idioms which are culturally loaded include: Belgian hare, Dutch barn, French letter, German measles, Greek gifts and Swedish drill.

2. What psychological effects may those “culturally loaded” idioms have upon people who use them?

Such culturally loaded idioms may make people who use them form negative stereotypes about

those from other nations.

3. How do those idioms indicate the British perception of different nations and of themselves as well?

Many idioms concerning other nations suggest that the British?s used to hold others in derision and contempt. But all those related to the British themselves indicate that the British used to view themselves in positive ways.

4. Why is it the Dutch who have contributed the greatest number of the most pejorative terms in English?

Because the Dutch used to be the commercial and maritime rivalries with the British for centuries.

5. What are the examples in the French language that suggest the French?s attitude toward the British?

The examples given in this reading are ―une capote anglaise‖ for French letter and ―filer a l?anglaise” for French leave, which indicate that in their language the French?s attitude toward the British is the same as that of the British towards the French in English.

6. Why is it said that English seems to be kinder to small nations than those of its own size once seen as rivals?

Because those countries such as Switzerland and Denmark have not been the British?s major rivals.

7. How are the British reflected in their own language?