成人高等教育英语教材第三册03

UNIT 3 Social Customs¹

Integrated² Skills Development

Passage
Different Cultures and Different Customs

There are many things that we do in our own culture that we never ask questions about. We do things without thinking about them because we have always done them in the same way. When we are in another culture or with people from a different culture, we see that people do things in many different ways. One of the first differences we notice is the forms of address that are used in the culture. The language that people use to address each other tells us many things about a culture.
There are many ways of addressing teachers and students and introducing oneself in other cultures. In many parts of the world, students must show politeness³ and respect to teachers; one way of doing this is not to use the teacher's name. Some teachers in the U.S. don't think it is rude if their students call them by their first names. This may be their way of having a close informal⁴ relationship with students. In the U.S., one way to show closeness and friendliness⁵ is to use a person's first name.
When Americans greet each other, introduce each other, and have conversations, they usually stand about an arm's distance (about eighteen inches) to two feet (twenty-four inches) apart. This is not always a comfortable distance for people in other cultures, who may prefer less or more distance.
It is sometimes difficult to know when to shake hands with Americans. In business situations men always shake hands when they first meet each other. Recently, especially in the business world, women have begun shaking hands, too. In social situations when two people meet, they often shake hands. You may find that younger women shake hands more often than older women do.
When Americans shake hands, they usually only shake hands for a few seconds. When they shake, they shake hands firmly, not loosely. "He shakes hands like a dead fish" refers to someone whose handshake⁶ is not firm enough. In American culture, a weak handshake is a sign of a weak character. In other countries people shake hands differently. They may take the other person's hand loosely and may shake it for more than a few seconds.
Every language has certain rules of speaking and every culture has rules about how people should interact⁷ with each other. These rules are not usually written down, but are learned⁸ by people living together in one culture. When you learn about other cultural ways of doing things, you start to think about what you've been doing in your own language and culture.

New Words and Expressions

apart
ad. 分别；相距

character
n. 性格；特性；角色

cultural
a. 文化上的；文化的

dead
a. 死的

firmly
ad. 坚定地，坚固地

greet
V. 问候

handshake
n. 握手

informal
a. 非正式的，不拘礼的，通俗的

interact
V. 相互作用，相互影响

loosely
ad. 松松地，松散地

recently
ad. 近来

refer
V. 提到；指称；适用

respect
n. & v.尊敬，尊重

rude
a. 无礼的；粗鲁的

social
a. 社会的；社交的

younger
a. 较年幼者；较年轻者

forms of address
称谓的形式

interact with
与…相互作用，相互影响

Merry Learning⁹

A Joke

The owner of a bakery was closing the shop on a stormy winter's night when a man came in and asked for two sweet rolls. The baker¹⁰ amazed¹¹ that anyone would come out in such weather for just two sweet rolls, "Are you married?" he asked.
"Of course," replied the customer. "Do you think my mother would send me out on a night like this?

1 customs   

n.海关，关税

参考例句：

• The customs officials turned the man over to the French police.海关官员把那个人移交给了法国警察。
• They are collecting customs.他们正在收缴关税。

2 integrated   

a.整合的，完整的

参考例句：

• A fully integrated low phase noise LC voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) is presented.介绍了一种全集成的LC压控振荡器(VCO)的设计。

3 politeness   

n.礼貌，客气

参考例句：

• His politeness was only on the surface.他只是表面上客气。
• Although she hated him,she put on a show of politeness.尽管她恨他，但还是装出一副很客气的样子。

4 informal   

adj.非正式的，不拘礼的，通俗的

参考例句：

• I got an informal reception.我受到了非正式接待。
• The leaders met over informal lunches.领袖们在非正式午餐时进行会晤。

5 friendliness   

n.友谊，亲切，亲密

参考例句：

• Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面，我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
• His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。

6 handshake   

n.握手

参考例句：

• He welcomed me back with a smile and a handshake.他微笑着和我握手，欢迎我归来。
• Fawcett gave me a hearty handshake.福西特和我亲切地握了握手。

7 interact   

vi.相互作用，相互影响，互通信息

参考例句：

• All things are interrelated and interact on each other.一切事物互相联系并相互作用。
• The policeman advised the criminal to interact with the police.警察劝罪犯与警方合作。

8 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

9 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

10 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

11 amazed   

adj.吃惊的，惊奇的v.使大为吃惊，使惊奇( amaze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Just the size of the place amazed her. 仅仅地方之大就使她十分惊奇。
• I was amazed at her knowledge of French literature. 她的法国文学知识之丰富使我大为惊奇。