成人高等教育英语教材第四册09

UNIT 9
Welcoming
Integrated Skills Development

Passage Culture Shock

　　When a person moves from one culture to another, he suddenly finds that much of what he has learned about interpreting the actions of people around him is suddenly irrelevant¹. He finds that the strategies he has used to influence people or events in certain ways are no longer effective, and the assumptions that guided his understandings and reactions are no longer reliable. Even distinguishing between the significant and the insignificant² in a given situation becomes difficult, if not impossible.
This sudden psychological transition from competent adult to ineffective child inevitably³ results in the serious impact of the individual's feelings of self-worth. He experiences feelings of frustration⁴ and helplessness. In short, he experiences culture shock.
Culture shock is the result of the removal of the familiar. Suddenly the individual is faced with the necessity of working, commuting⁵, studying, eating, shopping, relaxing, even sleeping, in an unfamiliar⁶ environment organized according to unknown rules. In mild form, culture shock shows itself in symptoms of fatigue⁷, irritability⁸ and impatience⁹. Being unable to interpret the situations in which they find themselves, people often believe they are being deliberately¹⁰ deceived or exploited by host-country nationals. They tend to perceive rudeness where none is intended. Their efficiency and flexibility¹¹ is often impaired¹³ and both work and family suffer. Some people may respond by developing negative stereotypes¹⁵ of the host culture, by refusing to learn the language and by mixing exclusively with people of their own cultural background. In extreme cases, rejection¹⁶ may be so complete that the individual returns immediately to their own culture, regardless of the cost in social, economic or personal terms. Alternatively, people may retreat into their own private world, either mentally or physically¹⁷.
Physical symptoms of culture shock may include headaches, stomachaches, constant fatigue, difficulty in sleeping and a general feeling of uneasiness. Unfortunately, many doctors are unfamiliar with culture shock and attempt to treat the symptoms rather than the cause.
The important thing to recognize about culture shock is that it is universal. It is experienced to a greater or lesser¹⁸ degree by all those who move from one culture to another. Experiencing culture shock does not mean that an individual is inflexible¹⁹ or unadaptable. It does mean that recognition of its inevitability²⁰ can lead to the development of steps to reduce its impact.

New Words and Expressions

alternatively
ad. 或者

assumption
n. 假定，设想；担任

commute²¹
V. 乘车上下班

constant
a. 持续的，不变的

deceive
V. 欺骗，行骗

deliberately
ad. 故意地

exclusively
ad. 专有地，排外地

exploit
V. 利用；剥削；开发

fatigue
n. 疲乏，疲劳

flexibility
n. 适应性，弹性

frustration
n. 挫折

impact
n. 影响；冲击；效果

impair¹²
V. 削弱

inevitably
ad. 不可避免

insignificant
a. 无意义的，无关紧要的

irrelevant
a. 不相关的，不切题的

mentally
ad. 精神上，智力上

mild
a. 温和的，温柔的

necessity
n. 需要，必要性

negative
a. 消极的，否定的

perceive
V. 感到，感知，察觉

physically
ad. 身体上地

psychological
a. 心理（上）的

rejection
n. 拒绝

reliable
a. 可靠的，可信赖的

removal
n. 除去，移动，免职

retreat
V. 撤退，退却

shock
n. 冲击；震惊

significant
a. 有意义的，重要的

stereotype¹⁴
n. 偏见，固定看法

strategy
n. 策略

transition
n. 转换

unadaptable
a. 不能适应的

universal
a. 普遍的，世界的

be faced with
面临

be unfamiliar with
不熟悉

in short
简言之

lead to
导致

rather than
而不是，胜于

regardless of
不管，不顾

result in
导致

to a greater or lesser degree
多少，或多或少地

Merry Learning

A, B and C were boasting about how fast trains went in their countries.
A said: "In my country trains go so fast that the telegraph poles along the line look like a garden fence."
B said: "At home trains go so fast that we have to pour water on the wheels, otherwise they would get white-hot（白热化的）and melted（熔化）."
"That's nothing," said C, "I was once travelling in my country and my daughter came to the platform to see me off. While I was getting into the train it started. I leaned out of the window to kiss her, and kissed instead a farmer in a field six miles away."
 

1 irrelevant   

adj.不恰当的，无关系的，不相干的

参考例句：

• That is completely irrelevant to the subject under discussion.这跟讨论的主题完全不相关。
• A question about arithmetic is irrelevant in a music lesson.在音乐课上，一个数学的问题是风马牛不相及的。

2 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

3 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

4 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

5 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。

6 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

7 fatigue   

n.疲劳，劳累

参考例句：

• The old lady can't bear the fatigue of a long journey.这位老妇人不能忍受长途旅行的疲劳。
• I have got over my weakness and fatigue.我已从虚弱和疲劳中恢复过来了。

8 irritability   

n.易怒

参考例句：

• It was the almost furtive restlessness and irritability that had possessed him. 那是一种一直纠缠着他的隐秘的不安和烦恼。
• All organisms have irritability while alive. 所有生物体活着时都有应激性。

9 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。

10 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

11 flexibility   

n.柔韧性，弹性，（光的）折射性，灵活性

参考例句：

• Her great strength lies in her flexibility.她的优势在于她灵活变通。
• The flexibility of a man's muscles will lessen as he becomes old.人老了肌肉的柔韧性将降低。

12 impair   

v.损害，损伤；削弱，减少

参考例句：

• Loud noise can impair your hearing.巨大的噪音有损听觉。
• It can not impair the intellectual vigor of the young.这不能磨灭青年人思想活力。

13 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

14 stereotype   

n.固定的形象，陈规，老套，旧框框

参考例句：

• He's my stereotype of a schoolteacher.他是我心目中的典型教师。
• There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen.人们对于成功商人一直都有一种固定印象。

15 stereotypes   

n.老套，模式化的见解，有老一套固定想法的人( stereotype的名词复数 )v.把…模式化，使成陈规( stereotype的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Such jokes tend to reinforce racial stereotypes. 这样的笑话容易渲染种族偏见。
• It makes me sick to read over such stereotypes devoid of content. 这种空洞无物的八股调，我看了就讨厌。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 rejection   

n.拒绝，被拒，抛弃，被弃

参考例句：

• He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
• The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。

17 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

18 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

19 inflexible   

adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的

参考例句：

• Charles was a man of settled habits and inflexible routine.查尔斯是一个恪守习惯、生活规律不容打乱的人。
• The new plastic is completely inflexible.这种新塑料是完全不可弯曲的。

20 inevitability   

n.必然性

参考例句：

• Evolutionism is normally associated with a belief in the inevitability of progress. 进化主义通常和一种相信进步不可避免的看法相联系。
• It is the tide of the times, an inevitability of history. 这是时代的潮流，历史的必然。

21 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。