新编跨文化交际英语教程 参考答案(14)

We can use generalizations to hypothesize likely areas of contrast and possible communication

problems and then acquire specific cultural differences through intercultural practice.

Case Study Case 33

The problems that Li Li has encountered during her stay in the United States are typically some of those that people will usually be faced with when they enter a new culture.

There are obviously distinct stages that Li Li has gone through in the process of her adaptation to the American cultural environment: honeymoon period (Letter 1), when she was fascinated and excited by almost everything in the United States and felt elated to be in the new culture; culture shock. (Letter 2), when she was immersed in many problems that she had not been prepared for and became extremely homesick; initial adjustment (Letter 3), when she learned more about American culture and cultural adaptation and began to feel much better then; mental isolation (Letter 4), when she felt frustrated and became even somewhat hostile towards Americans; and acceptance period (Letter 5), when she began to realize the positive and negative aspects of the country and have a more balanced perspective about her experiences there.

What she means by writing in her fifth letter that ―I think I have finally arrived in America‖ is that she has finally learned to accept the culture very different from her own and begun to integrate herself into it. She is no longer like a fish out of water, and does not feel alienated from the new environment any more.

Case 34

In this case, it seems that Kevin failed to understand that customs for such a social gathering

would be culturally different and Blanca were not properly prepared for experiencing a culture shock like this when she came to work and live in a new cultural environment.

In Dominican culture, it is usually considered inappropriate for a young unmarried female to go to a social gathering alone without anyone else accompanying her. A chaperone is often required, and getting one?s parents? permission is also necessary. However, all this may be very strange to North Americans nowadays. Kevin could not quite understand why Blanca, already an adult supposed to be independent, had to bring her little sister along to the gathering so as to get her parents? permission.

Another thing at which they differ is that in Dominican culture, somewhat like our Chinese culture, people going out together to eat seldom pay separately. The elder one(s) would pay for the younger one(s), and the male(s) would pay for the female(s). Because of having expected that Kevin would pay for their meals, Blanca didn?t bring much money with her when she was going to The Blue Hat. Therefore, when Kevin said ―separate checks, please‖ to the waiter, as North American people usually do while going out together to eat, he didn?t realize that he had put Blanca in a very embarrassing situation. That?s why Blanca whispered to her sister, telling her that she didn?t have much money with her then and just ordered something to drink when she said they were not hungry at all.

Case 35

The American?s personal experience in Russia has taught us not to jump to a conclusion about any other culture. We may misinterpret the behavior and intention of people in other cultures, for we are easily influenced by some popular overgeneralizations about other cultures. We have to be aware that things in other cultures may not be what they appear to us foreigners. One of the difficulties we will experience in adjusting to a new culture is that we may have taken too much of our own

―cultural baggage‖: misleading stereotypes and preconceptions about members of that culture. In intercultural communication it is sometimes true that a little learning about other cultures can be a dangerous thing. Distorted or biased knowledge may be worse than no knowledge at all. Even if what we know about other cultures has been proved to be right and well grounded, we still have to remember that there will often be variation within any culture. We should always be prepared for exceptions when interacting with individuals from another culture.

Case 36

We all know that we are members of a particular culture and we share the same cultural identity with other members of the culture. However, much of our cultural identity may simply be outside of our awareness. Not until we find ourselves in situations where our sense of self --- our values, beliefs, practices --- is called into question do we perceive the tacit dimensions of our cultural identity. In this incident, the German woman has found out that Americans treat their neighbors in a way that is different from the way Germans do. As her expectations were thwarted, she became aware of her own cultural identity, her cultural way of thinking, of interpreting the world. This could be a painful

process, which many of us, as the German woman in this case, may not be prepared for. Therefore, it is important to raise people?s awareness of their culturally shaped identity and acknowledge the likelihood of some emotional disturbance during the cultural adjustment.

Unit 10

Acquiring Intercultural Competence

Reading I

Comprehension questions

A Culture Learning Story

1. Why did English attract the author so much?

The author was attracted by the musicality of English, its different rhythm, intonation, and fluency which took her into a completely different world than the world of Japanese. .

2. What did the author consider to be important in learning English after she entered university? She strongly believed that English as a language should be communicative, and that the number of words one remembered was not the top priority.

3. Why did the author think that n …… 此处隐藏：6608字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……