新编跨文化交际英语教程测试题(五)

高三英语跨文化交际练习题20题1.In the United States, people often eat turkey on _____.A.ChristmasB.ThanksgivingC.EasterD.Halloween答案：B。

解析：在美国，人们通常在感恩节吃火鸡。

选项 A 圣诞节一般吃烤鸡等食物；选项C 复活节有彩蛋、兔子等元素；选项D 万圣节主要是糖果等。

2.Which of the following is not a traditional activity on St. Patrick's Day?A.Wearing green clothesB.ParadesC.Exchanging giftsD.Drinking green beer答案：C。

解析：在圣帕特里克节，人们会穿绿色衣服、举行游行、喝绿色啤酒。

但没有交换礼物这个传统活动。

3.On Halloween, children go from house to house asking for _____.A.candiesB.giftsC.toysD.flowers答案：A。

解析：在万圣节，孩子们挨家挨户要糖果。

选项B 礼物一般在圣诞节等节日交换；选项C 玩具不是万圣节主要索要的东西；选项D 花不是万圣节的常见物品。

4.In many Western countries, people decorate Christmas trees with _____.A.flowersB.candlesC.balloonsD.leaves答案：B。

解析：在许多西方国家，人们用蜡烛装饰圣诞树。

选项 A 花不是主要装饰圣诞树的物品；选项 C 气球一般不用于装饰圣诞树；选项D 树叶也不是圣诞树的常见装饰。

5.Which festival is associated with egg hunts?A.Valentine's DayB.EasterC.Independence DayD.Mother's Day答案：B。

Unit1 Sportsmanship:It is the ability to practise a sport according to its rules, while also showing generosity to one’s opponent and good temper in defeat.2. Traditionally, an Englishman is thought to be reserved, unemotional, courteous, shy of strangers, suspicious of change, and slow to accept new ideas.3.It is the ability to practise a sport according to its rules, while also showing generosity to one’s oppo nent and good temper in defeat. Moreover, sportsmanship as an idea is applied to life in general.The pioneering spirit:Except for the brought from Africa, immigrants came to America voluntarily, early in search of greater prosperity and freedom.Rags-to-riches:It is story about a poor boy who, because he was hardworking, honest, and lucky, grew up to become rich and respected.American dream: The belief that any individual, no matter how poor, can achieve weather and fame through diligence and virtue.1.Traditionally, individualism, independence and collaboration, practice, tolerance, melting pot and racial discrimination are the character of Americans.3.The American Dream is the belief that any individual, no matter how poor, can achieve wealth and fame through diligence and virtue.Unit 2 Key concepts Five relationships Five relationships: ruler-minister, father-son, husband-wife, elder-younger brother and friend-friend.Humanism Humanism means that man not only had the right to enjoy the beauty of their life, but also had the ability to perfect themselves and perform wonders. Individualism An individualism culture is one in which people tend to view themselves ad individuals and to emphasize the needs of individuals.Collectivism A collectivism culture is one in which people tend to view themselves as members of groups (families, work units, tribes, nations), and usually consider the needs of the group to be more important than the needs of individuals. Comprehension questions1.According to Confucianism, what are the five cardinal relationships in Chinese society and what should these relationships be?That is the well-known five relationships: ruler-minister, father-son, husband-wife, elder-younger brother and friend-friend. This was explained as" There should be affection between man and wife, stratification between old and young, and good faith between friends."2.What is the difference between collectivism and individualism?Firstly, westerns tend to believe that people should rely on themselves as much as possible- and they usually expect other people to do the same. So they don't think they have the obligation to help family members and friends during emergency situations. In contrast, people in collectivist cultures generally feel that they have a right to help other members of their groups.Secondly, westerns generally feel that the rights of individuals should not be subordinated to the needs of a larger group, or at least that individuals should have the right to decide for themselves whether to sacrifice their personal benefit for the sake of the group. In contrast, people in collectivist cultures are generally more willing to accept the idea that individuals should sacrifice for the benefit of the group.Thirdly, westerners tend to believe that individuals should make decisions for themselves, and that individuals should take credit and responsibility for what they have personally done. In contrast, people in collectivist cultures tend to feel more that they are representatives of their group, and to accept more responsibility for the other members of their groups too.A final difference lies in the way people in different cultures view the idea of "individualism". Westerners tend to view individualism as a good thing. In contrast, the Chinese term for "individualism", often has a somewhat negative connotation, and is sometimes used as a synonym for "selfishness."Unit3 Nuclear family: include a husband, a wife and their childrenExtended family: adult couples are expected to form their own household with either of their biological families.2. Because they desire a close and intense bond with their partners，they expect so much from marriage that so many get divorcedImpermanence: the property of not existing for indefinitely long durations. Stable: resistant to change of position or conditionConnection vs. contract: relationship4. ①Chinese are likely to react more to the other person as a whole and will avoid forming friendships with those values and behaviors are in some way deemed undesirable. ②In China a friend is accepted completely or not at all ③Chinese friends give each other much more concrete help and assistance than Western friends do.①American have casual, friendly relationships with many people, but deeper, closer friendships with only a few. ②American friendships tend to be very compartmentalized. ③American friendships is mostly a matter of providing emotional support and spending time together.Unit5 Nutrition and balance: a look at the nutritional information, like the number of calories preserving, grams of fat, sodium, cholesterol, fiber and sugar content will make you more knowledgeable in selecting foods to reduce your nutritional health risk.Pragmatism:in the westerns’ eyes, food or eating is just a way to keep healthy, having little to do with artistry. Nor will they be particular about the taste of food too much.Unit6 Creativity: the ability to createSelf-reliance: is a principal value of child rearing in middle-class American. Originality：1.How do the Chinese teach their children？A: Chinese teach their children by holding their handsHow do Americans do？A: On their own and even to discover new problem for which creative solutions are wanted.Can you find the theories supporting the two different teaching method？A: Evolutionary and revolutionary2. Can you tell any other differences between the two educational systems?A: The contrast between the two cultures can also be seen in the fears we both harbor. Chinese teachers are fearful that if skills are not acquired early, they may never be acquired; there is, on the other hand, no comparable hurry to promote creativity.American educators fear that unless creativity has been acquired early, it may never emerge; on the other hand, skills can be picked up later.Unit7 Key concepts Monochronic time Monochronic time is an approach that favors linear structure and focus on one event or interaction at a time.Polychronic time A polychronic time system is a system where several things can be done at once, and a more fluid approach is taken to scheduling time. Unlike Americans and most northern and western European cultures, Latin American and Arabic cultures use the polychromic of time.Linear structure In monochromic time, linear structure means people focus on one event or interaction at a time.Schedule oriented People in polychronic time cultures treat time as a less tangible medium so that they can interact with more than one person or do more than one thing at a time.People oriented Polychronic individuals are oriented toward people, human relationships, and the family, which is the core of their existence. Family takes precedence over everything else, close friends come next..Comprehension questionsWhat is monochronic culture? What is polychronic culture?Monochronic cultures typically emphasize doing one thing at a time during a specified time-period, working on a single task until it is finished.Polychronic cultures are involved with many things at once, usually with varying levels of attention paid to each.What are the different attitudes monchronic people and polychronic people hold toward time?Monochronic people see time as being divided into fixed elements (seconds, minutes, hours, etc.)Sequential blocks that can be organized, quantified, and scheduled.What are the strengths and weaknesses of M-time system and P-time system?Once the time is set, it is rarely changed, and people take it seriously. M-time cultures is one who violates the rule of punctuality shall be punished seriously. Matters in a polychronic plans for the future: even important plans maybe changed right up the minute of execution.Unit 9Key concepts High-context culture High context cultures rely on the context, either the actual physical environment of communication or an internalized social context or both, or convey a large part or even all of a message’s meaning.Low-context culture Low context culture, in which context is not assumed to be understood, messages are explicit, direct, and completely encoded in words, and meaning is entrusted almost entirely to words.ImplicitnessThe message which someone expressed is elliptical, indirect, and allusive. Explicitness The message which someone expressed is direct, and completely encoded in words, and meaning is entrusted almost entirely to words..Verbalizing Verbalizing- that is, to put things in words, whether written or oral. Comprehensive questionsWhat is High-context culture? What is Low-context culture?High context cultures rely on the context, either the actual physical environment of communication or an internalized social context or both, or convey a large part or even all of a message’s meaning.Low context culture, in which context is not assumed to be understood, messages are explicit, direct, and completely encoded in words, and meaning is entrusted almost entirely to words.ImplicitnessWhat does silence mean in high-context cultures? What is the function of silence in high-context cultures?It means entirely accepted.In the individual level, silence can be viewed as a state of being allowing you to experience the highest truth and bliss; on the interpersonal level, silence can be used to promote harmony, cooperation, and other collectivistic values; on the level of social movements, silence can be protest.Why does silence mean differently in different cultures?Different in the uses of silence can be best examined in high-context and low-context cultures. High-context cultures are relational, collectivist, intuitive, and contemplative. Low-context cultures are logical, linear, individualistic, and action-oriented.Key conceptsCulture shock Culture shock happens to people who have been suddenly transplanted abroad. It is, first and foremost an emotional phenomenon; then comes cognitive disorientation and identity dissonance.Comprehension questionsWhat are the five stages of the cultural adjustment process? Does everyone have the same experience?The five stages of the cultural adjustment process:Honeymoon period: Initially many people are fascinated and excited by everything of the new culture.Culture shock: The individuals are immersed in news problems: housing, transportation, employment, shopping, and language.Initial adjustment: Everyone activities such as housing and shopping are no longer major problems. The visitors may not yet be fluent in the spoken language, but they can express their basic ideas and feelings.Mental isolations: Individuals away from their family and good friends for a long time may feel lonely.Acceptance and integration: A routine ( eg; work, business, or school) has been established. The newcomer has become accustomed to the habits, customs, foods, and characteristics of the people in the new culture.Individuals experience the stages of adjustment in different ways. Some people never experience a “honeymoon” period because the circumstances of their coming to a new country may have been too painful. In addition, certain stages last longer for some than for others, dep ending on such factors as the newcomer’s personality, age, language and cultural competence, support from family and friends, financial situation, job status, and motivations for being in the new country.。

新编跨文化交际英语教程答案详解[整理版]龄言“新龄跨文化交龄英龄程教?龄用龄”主要是龄使用“新龄跨文化交龄英龄程”教教教龄配套的指南。

“新龄跨文化交龄英龄程”是在原有“跨文化交龄英龄程”的基龄上教学教教龄龄全面、系龄修龄而成～我龄龄全龄做了龄大的更新和完善～龄整和增龄了龄多材料～力求使其更具龄代性～更适合教学学龄龄和生需求。

龄了龄一步推龄跨文化交龄～在多教学从教学研年事跨文化交龄和究的基龄上～我龄又特地龄了龄写教本“新龄跨文化交龄英龄程?龄用龄”～教教教学广希望能龄使用本材龄行的大龄龄～尤教教教帮其是初次使用龄本材的龄龄提供一些必要的引龄和龄龄性的助。

龄此～我龄尽几参可能地龄各龄元中乎所有的部分和龄目都提供了考提示。

除此之外～龄龄充了一些取自跨文化交龄学教重要著作的龄段～供龄龄一步了解相龄背景知龄和理龄基龄～以拓龄龄野～有利于更好地龄行。

教学荐同龄我龄龄在龄后附上了推的中文龄龄龄目;英文龄龄龄目可看参教上海外龄育出版社的“跨文化交龄龄龄”系列,和有龄跨文化交龄的部分龄影龄料龄介。

“新龄跨文化交龄英龄程”主要教学教学适用于高等校英龄龄龄中的跨文化交龄龄程～旨在通龄龄堂及相教学学当龄活龄使生龄龄跨文化交龄龄代世界所具有的重要意龄和作用～了解文化龄人龄生活各个响并方面、尤其是交龄活龄的制龄和影～理解把握交龄活龄的重要性、丰构富性、龄龄性～熟悉跨文化交龄的基本成以及所涉及的各龄因素～培龄跨文化意龄～形成和龄展龄文化差异异灵的敏感和龄容、以及龄理文化差龄龄的活性～提高使用英龄龄行跨文化交龄的技能～龄最龄龄得不同与文化背景人龄龄行深入交流的能力奠定基龄。

通龄使用本材教教从～龄也可中龄得更多有龄文化;包括我龄自己文化和外族文化,和跨文化交龄的知龄。

龄本材教共分龄 10 龄个与异元～涉及全球化龄代的交龄龄龄、文化交龄、各龄文化差、龄言文化、跨文化言龄交龄、跨文化与与非言龄交龄、龄龄空龄使用上的文化、跨文化感知、跨文化适龄、跨文化能力等～包括了跨文化交龄的各个方面～龄其中一些重要龄龄都有相龄深入的介龄与探龄。

导言“新编跨文化‎交际英语教‎程·教师用书”主要是为使‎用“新编跨文化‎交际英语教‎程”教师配套的教‎学指南。

“新编跨文化‎交际英语教‎程”是在原有“跨文化交际‎英语教程”的基础上经过全面、系统修订而‎成，我们对全书‎做了较大的‎更新和完善‎，调整和增补‎了许多材料‎，力求使其更具‎时代性，更适合教学‎实际和学生‎需求。

为了进一步‎推进跨文化‎交际教学，在多年从事‎跨文化交际‎教学和研究‎的基础上，我们又特地编写了‎这本“新编跨文化‎交际英语教‎程·教师用书”，希望能对使‎用本教材进‎行教学的广‎大教师们，尤其是初次‎使用这本教‎材的教师们‎提供一些必‎要的引导和‎实质性的帮‎助。

为此，我们尽可能‎地为各单元‎中几乎所有‎的部分和项‎目都提供了‎参考提示。

除此之外，还补充了一‎些取自跨文‎化交际学重‎要著作的选‎段，供教师进一‎步了解相关‎背景知识和‎理论基础，以拓宽视野，有利于更好‎地进行教学‎。

同时我们还‎在书后附上‎了推荐的中‎文阅读书目‎（英文阅读书‎目可参看上‎海外语教育‎出版社的“跨文化交际‎丛书”系列）和有关跨文‎化交际的部‎分电影资料简介。

“新编跨文化‎交际英语教‎程”主要适用于‎高等学校英‎语专业教学‎中的跨文化‎交际课程，旨在通过课‎堂教学及相‎关活动使学‎生认识跨文‎化交际对当‎代世界所具‎有的重要意‎义和作用，了解文化对‎人类生活各‎个方面、尤其是交际‎活动的制约‎和影响，理解并把握‎交际活动的‎重要性、丰富性、复杂性，熟悉跨文化‎交际的基本‎构成以及所‎涉及的各种‎因素，培养跨文化‎意识，形成和发展‎对文化差异‎的敏感和宽‎容、以及处理文‎化差异问题‎的灵活性，提高使用英‎语进行跨文化交际‎的技能，为最终获得‎与不同文化‎背景人们进‎行深入交流‎的能力奠定‎基础。

通过使用本教材，教师也可从‎中获得更多‎有关文化（包括我们自‎己文化和外‎族文化）和跨文化交‎际的知识。

Unit 1Communication Across CulturesReading IIntercultural Communication：An Introduction Comprehension questions1. Is it still often the case that “everyone‟s quick to blame the alien” in the contemporary world?This is still powerful in today‘s so cial and political rhetoric. For instance, it is not uncommon intoday‘s society to hear people say that most, if not all, of the social and economic problems are caused by minorities and immigrants.2. What‟s the difference between today‟s intercultural contact and that of any time in the past?Today‘s intercultural encounters are far more numerous and of greater importance than in any time in history.3. What have made intercultural contact a very common phenomenon in our life today?New technology, in the form of transportation and communication systems, has accelerated intercultural contact; innovative communication systems have encouraged and facilitated cultural interaction; globalization of the economy has brought people together; changes in immigration patterns have also contributed to intercultural encounter.4. How do you understand the sentence “culture is everything and everywhere”?Culture supplies us with the answers to questions about what the world looks like and how we live and communicate within that world. Culture teaches us how to behave in our life from the instant of birth. It is omnipresent.5. What are the major elements that directly influence our perception and communication?The three major socio-cultural elements that directly influence perception and communication are cultural values, worldview (religion), and social organizations (family and state).6. What does one‟s family teach him or her while he or she grows up in it?The family teaches the child what the world looks like and his or her place in that world.7. Why is it impossible to separate our use of language from our culture?Because language is not only a form of preserving culture but also a means of sharing culture. Language is an organized, generally agreed-upon, learned symbol system that is used to representthe experiences within a cultural community.8. What are the nonverbal behaviors that people can attach meaning to?People can attach meaning to nonverbal behaviors such as gestures, postures, facial expressions,eye contact and gaze, touch, etc.9. How can a free, culturally diverse society exist?A free, culturally diverse society can exist only if diversity is permitted to flourish without prejudice and discrimination, both of which harm all members of the society.Reading IIThe Challenge of GlobalizationComprehension questions1. Why does the author say that our understanding of the world has changed?Many things, such as political changes and technological advances, have changed the worldvery rapidly. In the past most human beings were born, lived, and died within a limited geographical area, never encountering people of other cultural backgrounds. Such an existence, however, nolonger prevails in the world. Thus, all people are faced with the challenge of understanding thischanged and still fast changing world in which we live.2. What a “global village” is like?As our world shrinks and its inhabitants become interdependent, people from remote cultures increasingly come into contact on a daily basis. In a ―global village‖, members of once isolated groups of people have to communicate with members of other cultural groups. Those people maylive thousands of miles away or right next door to each other.3. What is considered as the major driving force of the post-1945 globalization?Technology, particularly telecommunications and computers are considered to be the major driving force.4. What does the author mean by saying that “the …global‟may be more local than the …local‟”?The increasing global mobility of people and the impact of new electronic media on human communications make the world seem smaller. We may communicate more with people of other countries than with our neighbors, and we may be more informed of the international events than ofthe local events. In this sense,“the‘global’may be more local than the ‘local’”5. Why is it important for businesspeople to know diverse cultures in the world?Effective communication may be the most important competitive advantage that firms have tomeet diverse customer needs on a global basis. Succeeding in the global market today requires theability to communicate sensitively with people from other cultures, a sensitivity that is based on an understanding of cross-cultural differences.6. What are the serious problems that countries throughout the world are confronted with?Countries throughout the world are confronted with serious problems such as volatile international economy, shrinking resources, mounting environmental contamination, and epidemicsthat know no boundaries.7. What implications can we draw from the case of Michael Fay?This case shows that in a world of international interdependence, the ability to understand and communicate effectively with people from other cultures takes on extreme urgency. If we areunaware of the significant role culture plays in communication, we may place the blame for communication failure on people of other cultures.8. What attitudes are favored by the author towards globalization?Globalization, for better or for worse, has changed the world greatly. Whether we like it or not, globalization is all but unstoppable. It is already here to stay. It is both a fact and an opportunity. The challenges are not insurmountable. Solutions exist, and are waiting to be identified and implemented. From a globalistic point of view, there is hope and faith in humanity.Case StudyCase 1In this case, there seemed to be problems in communicating with people of different cultures inspite of the efforts made to achieve understanding.We should know that in Egypt as in many cultures, the human relationship is valued so highly that it is not expressed in an objective and impersonal way. While Americans certainly value human relationships, they are more likely to speak of them in less personal, more objective terms. In this case, Richard‘s mistake might be that he chose to praise the food itself rather than the total evening,for which the food was simply the setting or excuse. For his host and hostess it was as if he had attended an art exhibit and complimented the artist by saying, What beautiful frames your picturesare in.In Japan the situation may be more complicated. Japanese people value order and harmony among persons in a group, and that the organization itself－be it a family or a vast corporation－ismore valued than the characteristics of any particular member. In contrast, Americans stress individuality as a value and are apt to assert individual differences when they seem justifiably inconflict with the goals or values of the group. In this case: Richard‘s mistake was in making greatefforts to defend himself. Let the others assume that the errors were not intentional, but it is not rightto defend yourself, even when your unstated intent is to assist the group by warning others of similar mistakes. A simple apology and acceptance of the blame would have been appropriate. But for poor Richard to have merely apologized would have seemed to him to be subservient, unmanly.When it comes to England, we expect fewer problems between Americans and Englishmenthan between Americans and almost any other group. In this case we might look beyond the gesture of taking sugar or cream to the values expres sed in this gesture: for Americans, ―Help yourself; for the English counterpart, ―Be my guest. American and English people equally enjoy entertaining and being entertained but they differ somewhat in the value of the distinction. Typically, the ideal guest at an American party is one who ―makes himself at home, even to the point of answering the door or fixing his own drink. For persons in many other societies, including at least this hypothetical English host, such guest behavior is presumptuous or rude.Case 2A common cultural misunderstanding in classes involves conflicts between what is said to bedirect communication style and indirect communication style. In American culture, people tend to say what is on their minds and to mean what they say. Therefore, students in class are expected to ask questions when they need clarification. Mexican culture shares this preference of style with American culture in some situations, and that‘s why the students from Mexico readily adopted the techniques of asking questions in class. However, Korean people generally prefer indirect communication style, and therefore they tend to not say what is on their minds and to rely more on implications and inference, so as to be polite and respectful and avoid losing face through any improper verbal behavior. As is mentioned in the case, to many Koreans, numerous questions would show a disrespect for the teacher, and would also reflect that the student has not studied hard enough. Case 3The conflict here is a difference in cult ural values and beliefs. In the beginning, Mary didn‘trealize that her Dominican sister saw her as a member of the family, literally. In the Dominican view, family possessions are shared by everyone of the family. Luz was acting as most Dominican sisters would do in borrowing without asking every time. Once Mary understood that there was a different way of looking at this, she would become more accepting. However, she might still experience the same frustration when this happened again. She had to find ways to cope with her own emotional cultural reaction as well as her practical problem (the batteries running out).Case 4It might be simply a question of different rhythms. Americans have one rhythm in their personal and family relations, in their friendliness and their charities. People from other cultures have different rhythms. The American rhythm is fast. It is characterized by a rapid acceptance of others. However, it is seldom that Americans engage themselves entirely in a friendship. Their friendships are warm, but casual, and specialized. For example, you have a neighbor who drops by in the morning for coffee. You see her frequently, but you never invite her for dinner --- not because you don‘t think she could handle a fork and a knife, but because y ou have seen her that morning. Therefore, you reserve your more formal invitation to dinner for someone who lives in a more distant part of the city and whom you would not see unless you extended an invitation for a special occasion. Now, if the first friend moves away and the second one moves nearby, you are likely to reverse this --- see the second friend in the mornings for informal coffee meetings, and the first one you will invite more formally to dinner.Americans are, in other words, guided very often by their own convenience. They tend to make friends easily, and they don‘t feel it necessary to go to a great amount of trouble to see friends often when it becomes inconvenient to do so, and usually no one is hurt. But in similar circumstances people from many other cultures would be hurt very deeply.Unit 2Culture and Communication Reading IWhat Is CultureComprehension questions1. Which of the definitions given above do you prefer? Why?Some may prefer a short definition, such as the one given by E. Sapir or R. Benedict, for it is highly generalized and easy to remember. Some may prefer a longer one, such as Edward T. Hall‘s definition of culture, because it provides us with a more comprehensive understanding of culture and points out the all-pervasive impact of culture on human life in different dimensions.2．What have you learned from those definitions about culture?Many things can be learned from those definitions, for each definition, though not without its limitations, tells us something very important about culture or certain aspect(s) of culture.3. Do you agree that our lower needs always have to be satisfied before we can try to satisfy the higher needs?Even though this is generally the case, there will still be some exceptions. Sometimes people might prefer to satisfy higher needs, for instance, esteem needs, before their lower needs, such as certain physiological needs or safety needs are satisfied.4. What examples can you give about how people of different cultures achieve the same ends by taking different roads?For example, everyone has to eat in order to live and this is universally true. However, to satisfy this basic need, people of various cultures may do it in very different ways: what to eat and how toeat it vary from culture to culture.5. What behaviors of ours are born with and what are learned in the cultural environment?Instinctive behaviors are behaviors that we are born with and ways of doing things in daily life, such as ways of eating, drinking, dressing, finding shelter, making friends, marrying, and dealingwith death are learned in the cultural environment.6. What other cultural differences do you know in the way people do things in their everyday life?We can also find cultural differences in ways of bringing up children, treating the elderly, greeting each other, saving and spending money, and many other things people do in everyday life. 7. In what ways are the Chinese eating habits different from those of the English-speaking countries?We Chinese may enjoy something that is not usually considered as edible by theEnglish-speaking people. Generally we prefer to have things hot and lay much emphasis on tastes.We tend to share things with each other when we are eating with others.Reading IIElements of CommunicationComprehension questions1. What are the aspects of context mentioned above?One aspect of context is the physical setting, including location, time, light, temperature, distance between communicators, and any seating arrangements. A second aspect of context is historical. A third aspect of context is psychological. A fourth aspect of context is culture.2. In what ways would your posture, manner of speaking or attire change if you move from onephysical setting to another, for example, from your home to a park, to a classroom, to a restaurant, to a funeral house, etc?One‘s posture, manner of speaking or attire change from being casual to formal gradually from home to a park, to a classroom, to a restaurant, to a funeral house, etc, according to different formalness and seriousness of these situations.3. How do people acquire communication norms in their life?People acquire communication norms from their experiences in life.4. What examples can you give to describe some Chinese norms in our everyday communication?For example, it seems to be a norm in China to address one‘s boss by his or her title and neverto express one‘s disapproval directly to him or her.5. How can we play both the roles of sender and receiver in communication?As senders, we form messages and attempt to communicate them to others through verbal and nonverbal symbols. As receivers, we process the messages sent to us and react to them both verbally and nonverbally.6. Does the sender plays a more important role than the receiver in communication?No, they are equally important for both of them are essential in the process of communication.7. In what ways do the differences between participants make communication more or less difficult?Three especially important variables affecting participants which are relationship, gender, and culture make communication more or less difficult.8. What is a symbol and what is a meaning?The pure ide as and feelings that exist in a person‘s mind represent meanings. The words, sounds, and actions that communicate meaning are known as symbols because they stand for the meanings intended by the person using them.9. How can meanings be transferred from one person to another? What problems may arise in thisprocess?A message from one person is encoded into symbols and then decoded into ideas and feelings to another person. In this process of transforming include nonverbal cues, which significantly affect the meaning created between the participants in a communication transaction.10. When are unintended or conflicted meanings likely to be created?Unintended meanings are created when the decoding person receives a meaning unrelated to what the encoder thought he or she was communicating. Conflicting meanings are created when the verbal symbols are contradicted by the nonverbal cues.11. Which channels do you usually prefer in communication? Why?Of the five channels, some may prefer sight. As the old saying goes, words are but wind, but seeing is believing.12. What examples can you find to show that one channel is more effective than others for transmitting certain messages?For example, when asking a lady for a date, a young man may wear an immaculate suit and spray some perfume to show that he highly values this date with her. In this case, sight and smell are definitely more effective than words for conveying that particular message.13. What are the things that can create noises in the process of communication?Sights, sounds, and other stimuli in the environment that draw people‘s attention away from intended meaning are known as external noise. Thoughts and feelings that interfere with the communication process are known as internal noise. Unintended meanings aroused by certain verbal symbols can inhibit the accuracy of decoding. This is known as semantic noise.14. What should we do to reduce the interference of noise in communication?When communicating with others, we should pay undivided attention to communication itself, avoiding being distracted by any external or internal noise. Besides, we should make sure that what we say is correctly understood by others and vice versa to prevent semantic noise from generating. 15. Why is feedback a very important element of communication?Feedback is very important because it serves useful functions for both senders and receivers: it provides senders with the opportunity to measure how they are coming across, and it provides receivers with the opportunity to exert some influence over the communication process.16. What will you usually do when you receive negative feedback in communication?Open.Case StudyCase 5In China, it is often not polite to accept a first offer and Heping was being modest, polite andwell-behaved and had every intention of accepting the beer at the second or third offer. But he had not figured on North American rules which firmly say that you do not push alcoholic beverages on anyone. A person may not drink for religious reasons, he may be a reformed alcoholic, or he may be allergic. Whatever the reason behind the rule, you do not insist in offering alcohol. So unconscious and so strong are their cultural rules that the Americans equally politely never made a second offer of beer to Heping who probably thought North Americans most uncouth.However, what we have to remember is that cultures are seldom a strict either-or in every instance for all people and there are always individual differences. Probably this young Chinese nurse was very different from Heping or, unlike Heping, she may have known something about the American cultural rules and was just trying to behave like an American when she was in an American family.Case 6When a speaker says something to a hearer, there are at least three kinds of meanings involved: utterance meaning, speaker‘s meaning and hearer‘s meaning. In the dialogue, when Litz said ‗How long is she going to stay?‘ she meant to say that if she knew ho w long her mother-in-law was goingto stay in Finland, she would be able to make proper arrangements for her, such as taking her out todo some sightseeing. However, her mother-in-law overheard the conversation, and took Litz‘s question to mean ―Litz does not want me to stay for long‖. From the Chinese point of view, it seems to be inappropriate for Litz to ask such a question just two days after her mother-in-law‘s arrival. If she feels she has to ask the question, it would be better to ask some time later and she should not let her mother-in-law hear it.Case 7Keiko insists on giving valuable gifts to her college friends, because in countries like Japan, exchanging gifts is a strongly rooted social tradition. Should you receive a gift, and don‘t have oneto offer in return, you will probably create a crisis. If not as serious as a crisis, one who doesn‘t offer a gift in return may be considered rude or impolite. Therefore, in Japan, gifts are a symbolic way to show appreciation, respect, gratitude and further relationship.Keiko obviously has taken those used items from Mary, Ed and Marion as gifts, for she probably doesn‘t know that Americans frequently donate their used household items to church or to the community. Mary, Ed and Marion would never consider those used household items given to Keiko as gifts. No wonder they felt very uncomfortable when they received valuable gifts in return. Case 8As the Chinese girl Amy fell in love with an American boy at that time, it seems that shepreferred to celebrate Christmas in the American way, for she wanted very much to appear the same as other American girl. She did not like to see her boyfriend feel disappointed at the ―shabby‖Chinese Christmas. That‘s why she cried when she found out her parents had invited the minister‘s family over for the Christmas Eve dinner. She thought the menu for the Christmas meal created by her mother a strange one because there were no roast turkey and sweet potatoes but only Chinese food. How could she notice then the foods chosen by her mother were all her favorites?From this case, we can find a lot of differences between the Chinese and Western cultures in what is appropriate food for a banquet, what are good table manners, and how one should behave to be hospitabl e. However, one should never feel shameful just because one‘s culture is different from others‘. As Amy‘s mother told her, you must be proud to be different, and your only shame is to have shame.Unit 3Cultural DiversityReading IDifferent Lands, Different Friendships Comprehension questions1. Why is it comparatively easy to make friends in the United States?Because few Americans stay put for a lifetime. With each move, forming new friendship becomes a necessity and part of their new life.2. Do people from different countries usually have different expectations about what constitutesfriendship and how it comes into being?Yes. The difficulty when strangers from two countries meet is their different expectations about what constitutes friendship and how it comes into being.3. How is friendship in America different from friendship in West Europe?In West Europe, friendship is quite sharply distinguished from other, more casual relationships,is usually more particularized and carries a heavier burden of commitment, while in America theword ―friend‖can be applied to a wide range of relationship and a friendship may be superficial, casual, situational or deep and enduring.4. In what country does friendship have much to do with one‟s family? And in what country does itnot?In Germany, friendship has much to do with one‘s family as friends are usually brought into the family, while in France it doesn‘t as, for instance, two men may have been friends for a long timewithout kn owing each other‘s personal life.5. What is friendship like when it is compartmentalized?For instance, a man may play chess with a friend for thirty years without knowing his political opinions, or he may talk politics with him for as long a time without knowing about his personal life. Different friends fill different niches in each person‘s life.6. What are friendships usually based on in England?English friendships are based on shared activity. Activities at different stages of life may be ofvery different kinds. In the midst of the activity, whatever it may be, people fall into steps and findthat they participate in the activity with the same easy anticipation of what each will do day by dayor in some critical situation.7. Do you think friendship shares some common elements in different cultures? If you do, what arethey?Yes. There is the recognition that friendship, in contrast with kinship, invokes freedom ofchoice. A friend is someone who chooses and is chosen. Related to this is the sense each friend givesthe other of being a special individual, on whatever grounds this recognition is based. And between friends there is inevitably a kind of equality of give-and-take.8. What do you think is the typical Chinese concept of friendship? Is it similar to or different fromany of the Western friendships?It seems that the typical Chinese concept of friendship lays great emphasis on personal loyaltyand also has much to do with family. It may be similar to Germany friendship to some extent andquite different from other Western friendships.Reading IIComparing and Contrasting CulturesComprehension questions1. How is the mainstream American culture different from the Japanese culture?Americans believe that human nature is basically good and man is the master of nature. Theyare future-oriented and ―being‖-oriented. Their social orientation is toward the importance of the individual and the equality of all people. However, the Japanese believe that human nature is amixture of good and evil. Man is in harmony with nature. They are both past-oriented andfuture-oriented. And they are both “growing-”and “doing-”oriented. They give emphasis to authorities and the group.2. Can you find examples to support the author‟s view of traditional cultures in different valueorientations?For example, the traditional Indian culture believes that man is subjugated by nature and it isbeing-oriented (which can be exemplified by its caste system). Also, traditional Chinese culture ispast-oriented, for emphasis has long been given to learning from the old and past.3. Why do Americans tend to equate “change” with “improvement” and regard rapid change asnormal?Concerning orientation toward time, Americans are dominated by a belief in progress. They are future-oriented. They believe that ―time is money‖and have an optimistic faith in the future andwhat the future will bring. So they tend to equate ―change‖with ―improvement‖and consider a rapid rate of change as normal.4. What does “Electric Englishman” mean when it is used to describe the American?As for activity, Americans are so action-oriented that they tend to be hyperactive. That‘s whythat they have been described as ―Electric Englishmen‖, who always keep themselves busy.5. How would you explain the fact that contradictory values may exist in the same culture?As time changes faster and faster and there is more contact between cultures, it is more likely to find contradictory values existing in the same culture. This is especially the case in a society that is being transformed from a traditional one into a modern one. For example, in the Japanese culture, some people may still be very past-oriented and some are rather future-oriented, and even the same people may be sometimes past-oriented in certain situations and sometime future-oriented in other situations.6. What can we get from models of this kind about cultural differences?Models of this kind are quite useful in giving rough pictures of striking contrasts and differences of different cultures. However, such a model only compares cultures on some basic orientations. It does not tell us everything about every conceivable culture. We have to recognize that models of this kind are over-simplifications and can only give approximations of reality.7. Do cultural values change as time changes?Yes, the values may be in the process of marked change due to rapid modernization and globalization. However, they have a way of persisting in spite of change. The evolution of values is a slow process, since they are rooted in survival needs and passed on from generation to generation.8. How is communication influenced by differing cultural values?Putting people from one culture into another culture with radically different value orientations could cause stress, disorientation, and breakdowns in communication.Case StudyCase 9Hierarchy is significant in the Japanese culture. This structure is reflected everywhere inJapanese life, at home, school, community, organizations, and traditional institutions such as martial arts or flower arrangements.In this case, the young chairman must have had his own ideas about how to manage the company; however, when encountered with his grandfather‘s dissenting opinions, he dared not to take a stand against him. This may manifest the rigid hierarchical structure in the Japanese society. In the Japanese society, how hierarchy is formed depends mainly on seniority, social roles, and gender. Asa respectable senior member of the family and the former leader of the company, the grandfather obviously overpowered the inexperienced young chairman. In other words, the grandfather seemedto be an absolute authority for the young chairman. In Japanese culture, challenging or disagreeing with elders‘ opinions would be deemed as being disrespectful and is often condemned. People in lower positions are expected to be loyal and obedient to authority. That‘s why the young chairman didn‘t say anything but just nodded and agreed with his grandfather.But Phil seemed to know little about the Japanese culture in this aspect. In many Western cultures, particularly American culture, seniority seldom matters very much in such situations, and young people are usually encouraged to challenge authority and voice their own opinions. Unfortunately, his outspoken protest could easily offend the grandfather and he might be regarded as a rude and ill-bred person by other Japanese.Case 10In Japan, a company is often very much like a big family, in which the manger(s) will take goodcare of the employees and the employees are expected to devote themselves to the development ofthe company and, if it is necessary, to sacrifice their own individual interests for the interests of the company, from which, in the long run, the employees will benefit greatly. But for the French, a company is just a loosely- knit social organization wherein individuals are supposed to take care of themselves and their families. Moreover, the way the French make decisions in the family might also be different from the typical Japanese one, which may not often involve females and the power to decide usually lies with the dominating male. As there are such cultural differences between the Japane se and the French, Mr. Legrand‘s decision made Mr. Tanaka feel dumbfounded.Case 11。

跨文化交际测试题（一）I. Multiple Choice (20 points, 2 points each)Directions: There are some statements in this section. For each statement there are four choices marked A, B, C and D, choose the ONE that best completes the statement.1.The United States continues to welcome a large number of immigrants each year and has been referred to as a melting-pot society. This trend can reflect the theory of _____.A. macrocultureB. microcultureC. globalizationD. modernization2. A teenager dresses like and talks like a gang member but not a member of any gang. This case reflects the _______ characteristic of subgroup.A. deviant labelB. temporalityC. wanna-be behaviorD. unexamined3.When you talk with your friends about Picasso, Beethoven, you are talking about culture from ______ perspective.A. anthropologicB. intellectualC. socialD. psychological4.The dialogues at the United Nations, for example, would be termed _________.A. interracial communicationB. interethnic communicationC. international communicationD. interpersonal communication5.There is a Chinese belief that “One is good in nature with different characteristics but similar habits. However, if he is not well educated, his nature changes”. This belief can reflect that_______.A. Human nature is evil but perfectible.B. Human nature is a mixture of good and evil.C. Human nature is good but corruptible.D. None of the above.6.Mr. Wang, a Chinese immigrate in U.S, has adapted himself so well to American culture that he gradually lost his Chinese cultural identity. This process is called_____.A. separation and segregationB. integrationC. assimilationD. marginalization7.Liming, a Chinese student, just began his study in a university in the United States. In his first week in U.S, he thought everything was new and exciting, and he enjoyed himself a lot. Liming is in_____ stage of culture shock.A. honeymoonB. crisisC. reintegrationD. gradual adjustment8._____ is the process of putting an idea into a symbol.A. DecodingB. ChannelC. EncodingD. Source9._____ refers to anything that distorts the message the source encodes.A. NoiseB. MessageC. SourceD. Context10._____ refers to that portion of the receiver response of which the source has knowledge and to which the source attends and assigns meaning.A. ReceiverB. DecodingC. EncodingD. FeedbackII. Terms(15 points, 3 points each)Directions: There are five terms in this section. Try to explain the following terms in your own words. Then write down the answers on the Answer Sheet.11.Intercultural communication12.Culture (from intercultural communication perspective)13.Norms14.Acculturation15.EuphemismIII. Case Analysis(20 points, 5 points each)Directions: In this section you are supposed to analyze the following cases from the perspective of intercultural communication. Then write down the answers on the Answer Sheet.16.At a reception for a U.S. political candidate, the guests appear to be divided into groups. People in some groups are all African Americans, others are Latin Americans; and others are Asians. Explain the cultural phenomena that are operating at this political gathering.17.The U.S. automotive manufacturers have complained about Japanese automotive imports and that the U.S. car firms are locked out of the Japanese market. The Japanese have countered that the U.S. firms have not done their homework; they offer cars that are too big or are not fuel efficient. While U.S. car sales have decreased in the United States, Japanese car sales have increased. Japanese manufacturers have begun to assemble cars in the United States; many U.S. firms are moving part of their operations to Mexico. Discuss the implications to these firms as they globalize.18.The United States has globalized faster than it has paid attention to mindsets that differ from U.S. mindset. The world is connected by news satellites, and that allowed the Gulf War Crisis to be viewed as it unfolded ----- the world literally watched the war happen. Explain how the world and public opinion have been affected by mass media, including how world negotiations have changed for governments, diplomats, politicians, and businesses.19.The origin of the hand salute is uncertain. Some historians believe it began in late Roman times when assassinations were common. A citizen who wanted to see a public official had to approach with his right hand raised to show that he did not hold a weapon. Knights in armor raised visors with the right hand when meeting a comrade. The practice gradually became a way of showing respect and, in early American history, sometimes involved removing the hat. By 1820, the motion was modified to touch the hat, and since then it has become the hand salute used today.IV. Short Answer(30 points, 5 points each)Directions: In this section you are supposed to answer the following questions with the knowledge of intercultural communication.Then write down the answers on the Answer Sheet.20.What are the elements contributing to the globalization?21.How is culture learned?22.What does the power distance measure according to Hofstede?23.What shall be considered in planning business messages?24.How have been individualism and collectivism associated with direct and indirect styles of communication?25.Explain high-context culture and low-context culture.V. English –Chinese Translation(15 points, 3 points each)Directions: In this section you are supposed to translate the underlined sentences into Chinese. Then write down the answers on the Answer Sheet.26. American restaurant customs are somewhat different from those in other countries. Elsewhere , it may be appropriate to get a waiter or waitress’ attention by calling, whistling , or snapping the fingers. 27. In America, you put up a finger to catch his or her eye. In many parts of the world a fixed service charge is added to restaurant bills. 28. In most American restaurants it is common to tip the waiter or waitress about 15% of the total bill. If the service was very good, you should leave a larger tip. If it was bad, you should leave less. 29. The tip is usually left on the table , but you can also give it directly to the waiter or waitress. In better restaurants you pay your bill through the waitress or waiter. 30. In inexpensive ones, you pay at the cash register. Finally , if you are not able to finish your food, it is perfectly acceptable to ask for a “doggie bag” for the extra food.。

Unit 1Communication Across CulturesReading IIntercultural Communication：An Introduction Comprehension questions1. Is it still often the case that “everyone‟s quick to blame the alien” in the contemporary world?This is still powerful in today‘s so cial and political rhetoric. For instance, it is not uncommon intoday‘s society to hear people say that most, if not all, of the social and economic problems are caused by minorities and immigrants.2. What‟s the difference between today‟s intercultural contact and that of any time in the past?Today‘s intercultural encounters are far more numerous and of greater importance than in any time in history.3. What have made intercultural contact a very common phenomenon in our life today?New technology, in the form of transportation and communication systems, has accelerated intercultural contact; innovative communication systems have encouraged and facilitated cultural interaction; globalization of the economy has brought people together; changes in immigration patterns have also contributed to intercultural encounter.4. How do you understand the sentence “culture is everything and everywhere”?Culture supplies us with the answers to questions about what the world looks like and how we live and communicate within that world. Culture teaches us how to behave in our life from the instant of birth. It is omnipresent.5. What are the major elements that directly influence our perception and communication?The three major socio-cultural elements that directly influence perception and communication are cultural values, worldview (religion), and social organizations (family and state).6. What does one‟s family teach him or her while he or she grows up in it?The family teaches the child what the world looks like and his or her place in that world.7. Why is it impossible to separate our use of language from our culture?Because language is not only a form of preserving culture but also a means of sharing culture. Language is an organized, generally agreed-upon, learned symbol system that is used to representthe experiences within a cultural community.8. What are the nonverbal behaviors that people can attach meaning to?People can attach meaning to nonverbal behaviors such as gestures, postures, facial expressions,eye contact and gaze, touch, etc.9. How can a free, culturally diverse society exist?A free, culturally diverse society can exist only if diversity is permitted to flourish without prejudice and discrimination, both of which harm all members of the society.Reading IIThe Challenge of GlobalizationComprehension questions1. Why does the author say that our understanding of the world has changed?Many things, such as political changes and technological advances, have changed the worldvery rapidly. In the past most human beings were born, lived, and died within a limited geographical area, never encountering people of other cultural backgrounds. Such an existence, however, nolonger prevails in the world. Thus, all people are faced with the challenge of understanding thischanged and still fast changing world in which we live.2. What a “global village” is like?As our world shrinks and its inhabitants become interdependent, people from remote cultures increasingly come into contact on a daily basis. In a ―global village‖, members of once isolated groups of people have to communicate with members of other cultural groups. Those people maylive thousands of miles away or right next door to each other.3. What is considered as the major driving force of the post-1945 globalization?Technology, particularly telecommunications and computers are considered to be the major driving force.4. What does the author mean by saying that “the …global‟may be more local than the …local‟”?The increasing global mobility of people and the impact of new electronic media on human communications make the world seem smaller. We may communicate more with people of other countries than with our neighbors, and we may be more informed of the international events than ofthe local events. In this sense,“the‘global’may be more local than the ‘local’”5. Why is it important for businesspeople to know diverse cultures in the world?Effective communication may be the most important competitive advantage that firms have tomeet diverse customer needs on a global basis. Succeeding in the global market today requires theability to communicate sensitively with people from other cultures, a sensitivity that is based on an understanding of cross-cultural differences.6. What are the serious problems that countries throughout the world are confronted with?Countries throughout the world are confronted with serious problems such as volatile international economy, shrinking resources, mounting environmental contamination, and epidemicsthat know no boundaries.7. What implications can we draw from the case of Michael Fay?This case shows that in a world of international interdependence, the ability to understand and communicate effectively with people from other cultures takes on extreme urgency. If we areunaware of the significant role culture plays in communication, we may place the blame for communication failure on people of other cultures.8. What attitudes are favored by the author towards globalization?Globalization, for better or for worse, has changed the world greatly. Whether we like it or not, globalization is all but unstoppable. It is already here to stay. It is both a fact and an opportunity. The challenges are not insurmountable. Solutions exist, and are waiting to be identified and implemented. From a globalistic point of view, there is hope and faith in humanity.Case StudyCase 1In this case, there seemed to be problems in communicating with people of different cultures inspite of the efforts made to achieve understanding.We should know that in Egypt as in many cultures, the human relationship is valued so highly that it is not expressed in an objective and impersonal way. While Americans certainly value human relationships, they are more likely to speak of them in less personal, more objective terms. In this case, Richard‘s mistake might be that he chose to praise the food itself rather than the total evening,for which the food was simply the setting or excuse. For his host and hostess it was as if he had attended an art exhibit and complimented the artist by saying, What beautiful frames your picturesare in.In Japan the situation may be more complicated. Japanese people value order and harmony among persons in a group, and that the organization itself－be it a family or a vast corporation－ismore valued than the characteristics of any particular member. In contrast, Americans stress individuality as a value and are apt to assert individual differences when they seem justifiably inconflict with the goals or values of the group. In this case: Richard‘s mistake was in making greatefforts to defend himself. Let the others assume that the errors were not intentional, but it is not rightto defend yourself, even when your unstated intent is to assist the group by warning others of similar mistakes. A simple apology and acceptance of the blame would have been appropriate. But for poor Richard to have merely apologized would have seemed to him to be subservient, unmanly.When it comes to England, we expect fewer problems between Americans and Englishmenthan between Americans and almost any other group. In this case we might look beyond the gesture of taking sugar or cream to the values expres sed in this gesture: for Americans, ―Help yourself; for the English counterpart, ―Be my guest. American and English people equally enjoy entertaining and being entertained but they differ somewhat in the value of the distinction. Typically, the ideal guest at an American party is one who ―makes himself at home, even to the point of answering the door or fixing his own drink. For persons in many other societies, including at least this hypothetical English host, such guest behavior is presumptuous or rude.Case 2A common cultural misunderstanding in classes involves conflicts between what is said to bedirect communication style and indirect communication style. In American culture, people tend to say what is on their minds and to mean what they say. Therefore, students in class are expected to ask questions when they need clarification. Mexican culture shares this preference of style with American culture in some situations, and that‘s why the students from Mexico readily adopted the techniques of asking questions in class. However, Korean people generally prefer indirect communication style, and therefore they tend to not say what is on their minds and to rely more on implications and inference, so as to be polite and respectful and avoid losing face through any improper verbal behavior. As is mentioned in the case, to many Koreans, numerous questions would show a disrespect for the teacher, and would also reflect that the student has not studied hard enough. Case 3The conflict here is a difference in cult ural values and beliefs. In the beginning, Mary didn‘trealize that her Dominican sister saw her as a member of the family, literally. In the Dominican view, family possessions are shared by everyone of the family. Luz was acting as most Dominican sisters would do in borrowing without asking every time. Once Mary understood that there was a different way of looking at this, she would become more accepting. However, she might still experience the same frustration when this happened again. She had to find ways to cope with her own emotional cultural reaction as well as her practical problem (the batteries running out).Case 4It might be simply a question of different rhythms. Americans have one rhythm in their personal and family relations, in their friendliness and their charities. People from other cultures have different rhythms. The American rhythm is fast. It is characterized by a rapid acceptance of others. However, it is seldom that Americans engage themselves entirely in a friendship. Their friendships are warm, but casual, and specialized. For example, you have a neighbor who drops by in the morning for coffee. You see her frequently, but you never invite her for dinner --- not because you don‘t think she could handle a fork and a knife, but because y ou have seen her that morning. Therefore, you reserve your more formal invitation to dinner for someone who lives in a more distant part of the city and whom you would not see unless you extended an invitation for a special occasion. Now, if the first friend moves away and the second one moves nearby, you are likely to reverse this --- see the second friend in the mornings for informal coffee meetings, and the first one you will invite more formally to dinner.Americans are, in other words, guided very often by their own convenience. They tend to make friends easily, and they don‘t feel it necessary to go to a great amount of trouble to see friends often when it becomes inconvenient to do so, and usually no one is hurt. But in similar circumstances people from many other cultures would be hurt very deeply.Unit 2Culture and Communication Reading IWhat Is CultureComprehension questions1. Which of the definitions given above do you prefer? Why?Some may prefer a short definition, such as the one given by E. Sapir or R. Benedict, for it is highly generalized and easy to remember. Some may prefer a longer one, such as Edward T. Hall‘s definition of culture, because it provides us with a more comprehensive understanding of culture and points out the all-pervasive impact of culture on human life in different dimensions.2．What have you learned from those definitions about culture?Many things can be learned from those definitions, for each definition, though not without its limitations, tells us something very important about culture or certain aspect(s) of culture.3. Do you agree that our lower needs always have to be satisfied before we can try to satisfy the higher needs?Even though this is generally the case, there will still be some exceptions. Sometimes people might prefer to satisfy higher needs, for instance, esteem needs, before their lower needs, such as certain physiological needs or safety needs are satisfied.4. What examples can you give about how people of different cultures achieve the same ends by taking different roads?For example, everyone has to eat in order to live and this is universally true. However, to satisfy this basic need, people of various cultures may do it in very different ways: what to eat and how toeat it vary from culture to culture.5. What behaviors of ours are born with and what are learned in the cultural environment?Instinctive behaviors are behaviors that we are born with and ways of doing things in daily life, such as ways of eating, drinking, dressing, finding shelter, making friends, marrying, and dealingwith death are learned in the cultural environment.6. What other cultural differences do you know in the way people do things in their everyday life?We can also find cultural differences in ways of bringing up children, treating the elderly, greeting each other, saving and spending money, and many other things people do in everyday life. 7. In what ways are the Chinese eating habits different from those of the English-speaking countries?We Chinese may enjoy something that is not usually considered as edible by theEnglish-speaking people. Generally we prefer to have things hot and lay much emphasis on tastes.We tend to share things with each other when we are eating with others.Reading IIElements of CommunicationComprehension questions1. What are the aspects of context mentioned above?One aspect of context is the physical setting, including location, time, light, temperature, distance between communicators, and any seating arrangements. A second aspect of context is historical. A third aspect of context is psychological. A fourth aspect of context is culture.2. In what ways would your posture, manner of speaking or attire change if you move from onephysical setting to another, for example, from your home to a park, to a classroom, to a restaurant, to a funeral house, etc?One‘s posture, manner of speaking or attire change from being casual to formal gradually from home to a park, to a classroom, to a restaurant, to a funeral house, etc, according to different formalness and seriousness of these situations.3. How do people acquire communication norms in their life?People acquire communication norms from their experiences in life.4. What examples can you give to describe some Chinese norms in our everyday communication?For example, it seems to be a norm in China to address one‘s boss by his or her title and neverto express one‘s disapproval directly to him or her.5. How can we play both the roles of sender and receiver in communication?As senders, we form messages and attempt to communicate them to others through verbal and nonverbal symbols. As receivers, we process the messages sent to us and react to them both verbally and nonverbally.6. Does the sender plays a more important role than the receiver in communication?No, they are equally important for both of them are essential in the process of communication.7. In what ways do the differences between participants make communication more or less difficult?Three especially important variables affecting participants which are relationship, gender, and culture make communication more or less difficult.8. What is a symbol and what is a meaning?The pure ide as and feelings that exist in a person‘s mind represent meanings. The words, sounds, and actions that communicate meaning are known as symbols because they stand for the meanings intended by the person using them.9. How can meanings be transferred from one person to another? What problems may arise in thisprocess?A message from one person is encoded into symbols and then decoded into ideas and feelings to another person. In this process of transforming include nonverbal cues, which significantly affect the meaning created between the participants in a communication transaction.10. When are unintended or conflicted meanings likely to be created?Unintended meanings are created when the decoding person receives a meaning unrelated to what the encoder thought he or she was communicating. Conflicting meanings are created when the verbal symbols are contradicted by the nonverbal cues.11. Which channels do you usually prefer in communication? Why?Of the five channels, some may prefer sight. As the old saying goes, words are but wind, but seeing is believing.12. What examples can you find to show that one channel is more effective than others for transmitting certain messages?For example, when asking a lady for a date, a young man may wear an immaculate suit and spray some perfume to show that he highly values this date with her. In this case, sight and smell are definitely more effective than words for conveying that particular message.13. What are the things that can create noises in the process of communication?Sights, sounds, and other stimuli in the environment that draw people‘s attention away from intended meaning are known as external noise. Thoughts and feelings that interfere with the communication process are known as internal noise. Unintended meanings aroused by certain verbal symbols can inhibit the accuracy of decoding. This is known as semantic noise.14. What should we do to reduce the interference of noise in communication?When communicating with others, we should pay undivided attention to communication itself, avoiding being distracted by any external or internal noise. Besides, we should make sure that what we say is correctly understood by others and vice versa to prevent semantic noise from generating. 15. Why is feedback a very important element of communication?Feedback is very important because it serves useful functions for both senders and receivers: it provides senders with the opportunity to measure how they are coming across, and it provides receivers with the opportunity to exert some influence over the communication process.16. What will you usually do when you receive negative feedback in communication?Open.Case StudyCase 5In China, it is often not polite to accept a first offer and Heping was being modest, polite andwell-behaved and had every intention of accepting the beer at the second or third offer. But he had not figured on North American rules which firmly say that you do not push alcoholic beverages on anyone. A person may not drink for religious reasons, he may be a reformed alcoholic, or he may be allergic. Whatever the reason behind the rule, you do not insist in offering alcohol. So unconscious and so strong are their cultural rules that the Americans equally politely never made a second offer of beer to Heping who probably thought North Americans most uncouth.However, what we have to remember is that cultures are seldom a strict either-or in every instance for all people and there are always individual differences. Probably this young Chinese nurse was very different from Heping or, unlike Heping, she may have known something about the American cultural rules and was just trying to behave like an American when she was in an American family.Case 6When a speaker says something to a hearer, there are at least three kinds of meanings involved: utterance meaning, speaker‘s meaning and hearer‘s meaning. In the dialogue, when Litz said ‗How long is she going to stay?‘ she meant to say that if she knew ho w long her mother-in-law was goingto stay in Finland, she would be able to make proper arrangements for her, such as taking her out todo some sightseeing. However, her mother-in-law overheard the conversation, and took Litz‘s question to mean ―Litz does not want me to stay for long‖. From the Chinese point of view, it seems to be inappropriate for Litz to ask such a question just two days after her mother-in-law‘s arrival. If she feels she has to ask the question, it would be better to ask some time later and she should not let her mother-in-law hear it.Case 7Keiko insists on giving valuable gifts to her college friends, because in countries like Japan, exchanging gifts is a strongly rooted social tradition. Should you receive a gift, and don‘t have oneto offer in return, you will probably create a crisis. If not as serious as a crisis, one who doesn‘t offer a gift in return may be considered rude or impolite. Therefore, in Japan, gifts are a symbolic way to show appreciation, respect, gratitude and further relationship.Keiko obviously has taken those used items from Mary, Ed and Marion as gifts, for she probably doesn‘t know that Americans frequently donate their used household items to church or to the community. Mary, Ed and Marion would never consider those used household items given to Keiko as gifts. No wonder they felt very uncomfortable when they received valuable gifts in return. Case 8As the Chinese girl Amy fell in love with an American boy at that time, it seems that shepreferred to celebrate Christmas in the American way, for she wanted very much to appear the same as other American girl. She did not like to see her boyfriend feel disappointed at the ―shabby‖Chinese Christmas. That‘s why she cried when she found out her parents had invited the minister‘s family over for the Christmas Eve dinner. She thought the menu for the Christmas meal created by her mother a strange one because there were no roast turkey and sweet potatoes but only Chinese food. How could she notice then the foods chosen by her mother were all her favorites?From this case, we can find a lot of differences between the Chinese and Western cultures in what is appropriate food for a banquet, what are good table manners, and how one should behave to be hospitabl e. However, one should never feel shameful just because one‘s culture is different from others‘. As Amy‘s mother told her, you must be proud to be different, and your only shame is to have shame.Unit 3Cultural DiversityReading IDifferent Lands, Different Friendships Comprehension questions1. Why is it comparatively easy to make friends in the United States?Because few Americans stay put for a lifetime. With each move, forming new friendship becomes a necessity and part of their new life.2. Do people from different countries usually have different expectations about what constitutesfriendship and how it comes into being?Yes. The difficulty when strangers from two countries meet is their different expectations about what constitutes friendship and how it comes into being.3. How is friendship in America different from friendship in West Europe?In West Europe, friendship is quite sharply distinguished from other, more casual relationships,is usually more particularized and carries a heavier burden of commitment, while in America theword ―friend‖can be applied to a wide range of relationship and a friendship may be superficial, casual, situational or deep and enduring.4. In what country does friendship have much to do with one‟s family? And in what country does itnot?In Germany, friendship has much to do with one‘s family as friends are usually brought into the family, while in France it doesn‘t as, for instance, two men may have been friends for a long timewithout kn owing each other‘s personal life.5. What is friendship like when it is compartmentalized?For instance, a man may play chess with a friend for thirty years without knowing his political opinions, or he may talk politics with him for as long a time without knowing about his personal life. Different friends fill different niches in each person‘s life.6. What are friendships usually based on in England?English friendships are based on shared activity. Activities at different stages of life may be ofvery different kinds. In the midst of the activity, whatever it may be, people fall into steps and findthat they participate in the activity with the same easy anticipation of what each will do day by dayor in some critical situation.7. Do you think friendship shares some common elements in different cultures? If you do, what arethey?Yes. There is the recognition that friendship, in contrast with kinship, invokes freedom ofchoice. A friend is someone who chooses and is chosen. Related to this is the sense each friend givesthe other of being a special individual, on whatever grounds this recognition is based. And between friends there is inevitably a kind of equality of give-and-take.8. What do you think is the typical Chinese concept of friendship? Is it similar to or different fromany of the Western friendships?It seems that the typical Chinese concept of friendship lays great emphasis on personal loyaltyand also has much to do with family. It may be similar to Germany friendship to some extent andquite different from other Western friendships.Reading IIComparing and Contrasting CulturesComprehension questions1. How is the mainstream American culture different from the Japanese culture?Americans believe that human nature is basically good and man is the master of nature. Theyare future-oriented and ―being‖-oriented. Their social orientation is toward the importance of the individual and the equality of all people. However, the Japanese believe that human nature is amixture of good and evil. Man is in harmony with nature. They are both past-oriented andfuture-oriented. And they are both “growing-”and “doing-”oriented. They give emphasis to authorities and the group.2. Can you find examples to support the author‟s view of traditional cultures in different valueorientations?For example, the traditional Indian culture believes that man is subjugated by nature and it isbeing-oriented (which can be exemplified by its caste system). Also, traditional Chinese culture ispast-oriented, for emphasis has long been given to learning from the old and past.3. Why do Americans tend to equate “change” with “improvement” and regard rapid change asnormal?Concerning orientation toward time, Americans are dominated by a belief in progress. They are future-oriented. They believe that ―time is money‖and have an optimistic faith in the future andwhat the future will bring. So they tend to equate ―change‖with ―improvement‖and consider a rapid rate of change as normal.4. What does “Electric Englishman” mean when it is used to describe the American?As for activity, Americans are so action-oriented that they tend to be hyperactive. That‘s whythat they have been described as ―Electric Englishmen‖, who always keep themselves busy.5. How would you explain the fact that contradictory values may exist in the same culture?As time changes faster and faster and there is more contact between cultures, it is more likely to find contradictory values existing in the same culture. This is especially the case in a society that is being transformed from a traditional one into a modern one. For example, in the Japanese culture, some people may still be very past-oriented and some are rather future-oriented, and even the same people may be sometimes past-oriented in certain situations and sometime future-oriented in other situations.6. What can we get from models of this kind about cultural differences?Models of this kind are quite useful in giving rough pictures of striking contrasts and differences of different cultures. However, such a model only compares cultures on some basic orientations. It does not tell us everything about every conceivable culture. We have to recognize that models of this kind are over-simplifications and can only give approximations of reality.7. Do cultural values change as time changes?Yes, the values may be in the process of marked change due to rapid modernization and globalization. However, they have a way of persisting in spite of change. The evolution of values is a slow process, since they are rooted in survival needs and passed on from generation to generation.8. How is communication influenced by differing cultural values?Putting people from one culture into another culture with radically different value orientations could cause stress, disorientation, and breakdowns in communication.Case StudyCase 9Hierarchy is significant in the Japanese culture. This structure is reflected everywhere inJapanese life, at home, school, community, organizations, and traditional institutions such as martial arts or flower arrangements.In this case, the young chairman must have had his own ideas about how to manage the company; however, when encountered with his grandfather‘s dissenting opinions, he dared not to take a stand against him. This may manifest the rigid hierarchical structure in the Japanese society. In the Japanese society, how hierarchy is formed depends mainly on seniority, social roles, and gender. Asa respectable senior member of the family and the former leader of the company, the grandfather obviously overpowered the inexperienced young chairman. In other words, the grandfather seemedto be an absolute authority for the young chairman. In Japanese culture, challenging or disagreeing with elders‘ opinions would be deemed as being disrespectful and is often condemned. People in lower positions are expected to be loyal and obedient to authority. That‘s why the young chairman didn‘t say anything but just nodded and agreed with his grandfather.But Phil seemed to know little about the Japanese culture in this aspect. In many Western cultures, particularly American culture, seniority seldom matters very much in such situations, and young people are usually encouraged to challenge authority and voice their own opinions. Unfortunately, his outspoken protest could easily offend the grandfather and he might be regarded as a rude and ill-bred person by other Japanese.Case 10In Japan, a company is often very much like a big family, in which the manger(s) will take goodcare of the employees and the employees are expected to devote themselves to the development ofthe company and, if it is necessary, to sacrifice their own individual interests for the interests of the company, from which, in the long run, the employees will benefit greatly. But for the French, a company is just a loosely- knit social organization wherein individuals are supposed to take care of themselves and their families. Moreover, the way the French make decisions in the family might also be different from the typical Japanese one, which may not often involve females and the power to decide usually lies with the dominating male. As there are such cultural differences between the Japane se and the French, Mr. Legrand‘s decision made Mr. Tanaka feel dumbfounded.Case 11。

Unit 3Cultural DiversityReading IDifferent Lands, Different FriendshipsComprehension questions1. Why is it comparatively easy to make friends in the United States? Because few Americans stay put for a lifetime. With each move, forming new friendship becomes a necessity and part of their new life.2. Do people from different countries usually have different expectationsabout what constitutes friendship and how it comes into being?Yes. The difficulty when strangers from two countries meet is their different expectations about what constitutes friendship and how it comes into being.3. How is friendship in America different from friendship in West Europe? In West Europe, friendship is quite sharply distinguished from other, more casual relationships, is usually more particularized and carries a heavier burden of commitment, while in America the word “friend” can be applied to a wide range of relationship and a friendship may be superficial, casual, situational or deep and enduring.4. In what cou ntry does friendship have much to do with one’s family? And in what country does it not?In Germany, friendship has much to do with one‘s family as friends are usually brought into the family, while in France it doesn’t as, for instance, two men may have been friends for a long time without knowing each other‘s personal life.5. What is friendship like when it is compartmentalized?For instance, a man may play chess with a friend for thirty years without knowing his political opinions, or he may talk politics with him for as long a time without knowing about his personal life. Different friends fill different niches in each person’s life.6. What are friendships usually based on in England?English friendships are based on shared activity. Activities at different stages of life may be of very different kinds. In the midst of the activity, whatever it may be, people fall into steps and find that they participate in the activity with the same easy anticipation of what each will do day by day or in some critical situation.7. Do you think friendship shares some common elements in different cultures? If you do, what are they?Yes. There is the recognition that friendship, in contrast with kinship, invokes freedom of choice. A friend is someone who chooses and is chosen. Related to this is the sense each friend gives the other of being a special individual, on whatever grounds this recognition is based. And between friends there is inevitably a kind of equality of give-and-take.8. What do you think is the typical Chinese concept of friendship? Is it similar to or different from any of the Western friendships?It seems that the typical Chinese concept of friendship lays great emphasis on personal loyalty and also has much to do with family. It may be similar to Germany friendship to some extent and quite different from other Western friendships.Reading IIComparing and Contrasting CulturesComprehension questions1. How is the mainstream American culture different from the Japanese culture?Americans believe that human nature is basically good and man is the master of nature. They are future-oriented and “being”-oriented. Their social orientation is toward the importance of the individual and the equality of all people. However, the Japanese believe that human nature is a mixture of good and evil. Man is in harmony with nature. They are both past-oriented and future-oriented. And they are both “growing-”and “doing-”oriented. They give emphasis to authorities and the group.2. Can you find examples to support the author’s view of traditional cultures in different value orientations?For example, the traditional Indian culture believes that man is subjugated by nature and it is being-oriented (which can be exemplified by its caste system). Also, traditional Chinese culture is past-oriented, for emphasis has long been given to learning from the old and past.3. Why do Americans tend to equate “change” with “improvement” and regard rapid change as normal?Concerning orientation toward time, Americans are dominated by a belief in progress. They are future-oriented. They believe that “time is money”and have an optimistic faith in the future and what the future will bring. So they tend to equate “change” with “improvement” and consider a rapid rate of change as normal.4. What does “Electric Englishman” mean when it is used to describe the American?As for activity, Americans are so action-oriented that they tend to behyperactive. That’s why that they have been described as “Electric Englishmen”, who always keep themselves busy.5. How would you explain the fact that contradictory values may exist in the same culture?As time changes faster and faster and there is more contact between cultures, it is more likely to find contradictory values existing in the same culture. This is especially the case in a society that is being transformed from a traditional one into a modern one. For example, in the Japanese culture, some people may still be very past-oriented and some are rather future-oriented, and even the same people may be sometimes past-oriented in certain situations and sometime future-oriented in other situations.6. What can we get from models of this kind about cultural differences? Models of this kind are quite useful in giving rough pictures of striking contrasts and differences of different cultures. However, such a model only compares cultures on some basic orientations. It does not tell us everything about every conceivable culture. We have to recognize that models of this kind are over-simplifications and can only give approximations of reality.7. Do cultural values change as time changes?Yes, the values may be in the process of marked change due to rapid modernization and globalization. However, they have a way of persisting in spite of change. The evolution of values is a slow process, since they are rooted in survival needs and passed on from generation to generation.8. How is communication influenced by differing cultural values?Putting people from one culture into another culture with radically different value orientations could cause stress, disorientation, and breakdowns in communication.Case StudyCase 9Hierarchy is significant in the Japanese culture. This structure is reflected everywhere in Japanese life, at home, school, community, organizations, and traditional institutions such as martial arts or flower arrangements.In this case, the young chairman must have had his own ideas about how to manage the company; however, when encountered with his grandfather’s d issenting opinions, he dared not to take a stand against him. This may manifest the rigid hierarchicalstructure in the Japanese society. In the Japanese society, how hierarchy is formed depends mainly on seniority, social roles, and gender. As a respectable senior member of the family and the former leader of the company, the grandfather obviously overpowered the inexperienced young chairman. In other words, the grandfather seemed to be an absolute authority for the young chairman. In Japanese culture, challenging or disagreeing with elders’ opinions would be deemed as being disrespectful and is often condemned. People in lower positions are expected to be loyal and obedient to authority. That‘s why the young chairman didn’t say anything but just nodded and agreed with his grandfather.But Phil seemed to know little about the Japanese culture in this aspect. In many Western cultures, particularly American culture, seniority seldom matters very much in such situations, and young people are usually encouraged to challenge authority and voice their own opinions. Unfortunately, his outspoken protest could easily offend the grandfather and he might be regarded as a rude and ill-bred person by other Japanese.Case 10In Japan, a company is often very much like a big family, in which the manger(s) will take good care of the employees and the employees are expected to devote themselves to the development of the company and, if it is necessary, to sacrifice their own individual interests for the interests of the company, from which, in the long run, the employees will benefit greatly. But for the French, a company is just a loosely- knit social organization wherein individuals are supposed to take care of themselves and their families. Moreover, the way the French make decisions in the family might also be different from the typical Japanese one, which may not often involve females and the power to decide usually lies with the dominating male. As there are such cultural differences between the Japanese and the Frenc h, Mr. Legrand’s decision made Mr. Tanaka feel dumbfounded.Case 11Incidents such as these can point to possible cultural differences in so-called “polite” behavior, and at the same time highlight the tendency for people to react emotionally to unexpected behavior.People in most cultures would probably agree that an apology is needed when an offence or violation of social norms has taken place. However, there may be differing opinions as to when we should apologize (what situations call for an apology) and how we should apologize. To many Westerners, Japanese apologize more frequently and an apology in Japanese does not necessarily mean that the person is acknowledging a fault. To many Japanese, Westerners may seem to be rude just because they do not apologize as often as the Japanese would do. In this case, for instance, the attitude of the Australian student’s parents is shocking to the Japanese but will be acceptable in an English-speaking society, for the student is already an adult and can be responsible for her own deeds.Case 12In this case, it seems that the Chinese expectations were not fulfilled. First, having two people sharing host responsibilities could be somewhat confusing to the hierarchically minded Chinese. Second, because age is often viewed as an indication of seniority, the Chinese might have considered the youth of their Canadian hosts as slight to their own status. Third, in China, it is traditional for the host to offer a welcome toast at the beginning of the meal, which is the reciprocated by the guests; by not doing so, the Canadian might be thought rude. The abrupt departure of the Chinese following the banquet was probably an indication that they were not pleased with the way they were treated. The Canadians’ lack of understanding of the Chinese culture and the Chinese ways of communication clearly cost them in their business dealings with the visiting delegation.。

Unit 3Cultural DiversityReading IDifferent Lands, Different FriendshipsComprehension questions1. Why is it comparatively easy to make friends in the United States?Because few Americans stay put for a lifetime. With each move, forming new friendship becomes a necessity and part of their new life.2. Do people from different countries usually have different expectations about whatconstitutes friendship and how it comes into being?Yes. The difficulty when strangers from two countries meet is their different expectations about what constitutes friendship and how it comes into being.3. How is friendship in America different from friendship in West Europe?In West Europe, friendship is quite sharply distinguished from other, more casual relationships, is usually more particularized and carries a heavier burden of commitment, while in America the word “friend” can be applied to a wide range of relationship and a friendship may be superficial, casual, situational or deep and enduring.4. In what country does friendship have much to do with one’s family? And in what country does it not?In Germany, friendship has much to do with one‘s family as friends are usually brought into the family, while in France it doesn’t as, for instance, two men may have been friends for a long time without knowing each other‘s personal life.5. What is friendship like when it is compartmentalized?For instance, a man may play chess with a friend for thirty years without knowing his political opinions, or he may talk politics with him for as long a time without knowing about his personal life. Different friends fill different niches in each person’s life.6. What are friendships usually based on in England?English friendships are based on shared activity. Activities at different stages of life may be of very different kinds. In the midst of the activity, whatever it may be, people fall into steps and find that they participate in the activity with the same easy anticipation of what each will do day by day or in some critical situation.7. Do you think friendship shares some common elements in different cultures? If you do, what are they?Yes. There is the recognition that friendship, in contrast with kinship, invokes freedom of choice. A friend is someone who chooses and is chosen. Related to this is the sense each friend gives the other of being a special individual, on whatever grounds this recognition is based. And between friends there is inevitably a kind of equality of give-and-take.8. What do you think is the typical Chinese concept of friendship? Is it similar to or different from any of the Western friendships?It seems that the typical Chinese concept of friendship lays great emphasis on personal loyalty and also has much to do with family. It may be similar to Germany friendship to some extent and quite different from other Western friendships. Reading IIComparing and Contrasting CulturesComprehension questions1. How is the mainstream American culture different from the Japanese culture? Americans believe that human nature is basically good and man is the master of nature. They are future-oriented and “being”-oriented. Their social orientation is toward the importance of the individual and the equality of all people. However, the Japanese believe that human nature is a mixture of good and evil. Man is in harmony with nature. They are both past-oriented and future-oriented. And they are both “growing-”and “doing-”oriented. They give emphasis to authorities and the group.2. Can you find examples to support the author’s view of traditional cultures in different value orientations?For example, the traditional Indian culture believes that man is subjugated by nature and it is being-oriented (which can be exemplified by its caste system). Also, traditional Chinese culture is past-oriented, for emphasis has long been given to learning from the old and past.3. Why do Americans tend to equate “change” with “improvement” and regard rapid change as normal?Concerning orientation toward time, Americans are dominated by a belief in progress. They are future-oriented. They believe that “time is money”and have an optimistic faith in the future and what the future will bring. So they tend to equate “change” with “improvement” and consider a rapid rate of change as normal.4. What does “Electric Englishman” mean when it is used to describ e the American? As for activity, Americans are so action-oriented that they tend to be hyperactive. That’s why that they have been described as “Electric Englishmen”, who always keep themselves busy.5. How would you explain the fact that contradictory values may exist in the same culture?As time changes faster and faster and there is more contact between cultures, it is more likely to find contradictory values existing in the same culture. This is especially the case in a society that is being transformed from a traditional one into a modern one. For example, in the Japanese culture, some people may still be very past-oriented and some are rather future-oriented, and even the same people may be sometimes past-oriented in certain situations and sometime future-oriented in other situations. 6. What can we get from models of this kind about cultural differences?Models of this kind are quite useful in giving rough pictures of striking contrasts and differences of different cultures. However, such a model only compares cultures on some basic orientations. It does not tell us everything about every conceivable culture. We have to recognize that models of this kind are over-simplifications and can only give approximations of reality.7. Do cultural values change as time changes?Yes, the values may be in the process of marked change due to rapid modernization and globalization. However, they have a way of persisting in spite of change. The evolution of values is a slow process, since they are rooted in survival needs and passed on from generation to generation.8. How is communication influenced by differing cultural values?Putting people from one culture into another culture with radically different value orientations could cause stress, disorientation, and breakdowns in communication. Case StudyCase 9Hierarchy is significant in the Japanese culture. This structure is reflected everywhere in Japanese life, at home, school, community, organizations, and traditional institutions such as martial arts or flower arrangements.In this case, the young chairman must have had his own ideas about how to manage the company; however, when encountered with his grandfather’s dissenting opinions, he dared not to take a stand against him. This may manifest the rigid hierarchical structure in the Japanese society. In the Japanese society, how hierarchy is formed depends mainly on seniority, social roles, and gender. As a respectable senior member of the family and the former leader of the company, the grandfather obviously overpowered the inexperienced young chairman. In other words, the grandfather seemed to be an absolute authority for the young chairman. In Japanese culture, challenging or disagreeing with elders’ opinions would be deemed as being disrespectful and is often condemned. People in lower positions are expected to be loyal and obedient to authority. That‘s why the young chairman didn’t say anything but just nodded and agreed with his grandfather.But Phil seemed to know little about the Japanese culture in this aspect. In many Western cultures, particularly American culture, seniority seldom matters very much in such situations, and young people are usually encouraged to challenge authority and voice their own opinions. Unfortunately, his outspoken protest could easily offend the grandfather and he might be regarded as a rude and ill-bred person by other Japanese.Case 10In Japan, a company is often very much like a big family, inwhich the manger(s) will take good care of the employees and the employees are expected to devote themselves to the development of the company and, if it is necessary, to sacrifice their own individual interests for the interests of the company, from which, in the long run, the employees will benefit greatly. But for the French, a company is just a loosely- knit social organization wherein individuals are supposed to take care of themselves and their families. Moreover, the way the French make decisions in the family might also be different from the typical Japanese one, which may not often involve females and the power to decide usually lies with the dominating male. As there are such cultural differences between the Japanese and the French, Mr. Legrand’s decision made Mr. Tanaka feel dumbfounded.Case 11Incidents such as these can point to possible cultural differences in so-called “polite” behavior, and at the same time highlight the tendency for people to react emotionally to unexpected behavior.People in most cultures would probably agree that an apology is needed when an offence or violation of social norms has taken place. However, there may be differing opinions as to when we should apologize (what situations call for an apology) and how we should apologize. To many Westerners, Japanese apologize more frequently and an apology in Japanese does not necessarily mean that the person is acknowledging a fault.To many Japanese, Westerners may seem to be rude just because they do not apologize as often as the Japanese would do. In this case, for instance, the at titude of the Australian student’s parents is shocking to the Japanese but will be acceptable in an English-speaking society, for the student is already an adult and can be responsible for her own deeds.Case 12In this case, it seems that the Chinese expectations were not fulfilled. First, having two people sharing host responsibilities could be somewhat confusing to the hierarchically minded Chinese. Second, because age is often viewed as an indication of seniority, the Chinese might have considered the youth of their Canadianhosts as slight to their own status. Third, in China, it is traditional for the host to offer a welcome toast at the beginning of the meal, which is the reciprocated by the guests; by not doing so, the Canadian might be thought rude. The abrupt departure of the Chinese following the banquet was probably an indication that they were not pleased with the way they were treated. The Canadians’ lack of understanding of the Chinese culture and the Chinese ways of communication clearly cost them in their business dealings with the visiting delegation.。

Unit 3Cultural DiversityReading IDifferent Lands, Different FriendshipsComprehension questions1. Why is it comparatively easy to make friends in the United States Because few Americans stay put for a lifetime. With each move, forming new friendship becomes a necessity and part of their new life.2. Do people from different countries usually have different expectationsabout what constitutes friendship and how it comes into beingYes. The difficulty when strangers from two countries meet is their different expectations about what constitutes friendship and how it comes into being.3. How is friendship in America different from friendship in West Europe In West Europe, friendship is quite sharply distinguished from other, more casual relationships, is usually more particularized and carries a heavier burden of commitment, while in America the word “friend” can be applied to a wide range of relationship and a friendship may be superficial, casual, situational or deep and enduring.4. In what countr y does friendship have much to do with one’s family And in what country does it notIn Germany, friendship has much to do with one‘s family as friends are usually brought into the family, while in France it doesn’t as, for instance, two men may have been friends for a long time without knowing each other‘s personal life.5. What is friendship like when it is compartmentalizedFor instance, a man may play chess with a friend for thirty years without knowing his political opinions, or he may talk politics with him for as long a time without knowing about his personal life. Different friends fill different niches in each person’s life.6. What are friendships usually based on in EnglandEnglish friendships are based on shared activity. Activities at different stages of life may be of very different kinds. In the midst of the activity, whatever it may be, people fall into steps and find that they participate in the activity with the same easy anticipation of what each will do day by day or in some critical situation.7. Do you think friendship shares some common elements in different cultures If you do, what are theyYes. There is the recognition that friendship, in contrast with kinship, invokes freedom of choice. A friend is someone who chooses and is chosen. Related to this is the sense each friend gives the other of being a special individual, on whatever grounds this recognition is based. And between friends there is inevitably a kind of equality of give-and-take.8. What do you think is the typical Chinese concept of friendship Is it similar to or different from any of the Western friendshipsIt seems that the typical Chinese concept of friendship lays great emphasis on personal loyalty and also has much to do with family. It may be similar to Germany friendship to some extent and quite different from other Western friendships.Reading IIComparing and Contrasting CulturesComprehension questions1. How is the mainstream American culture different from the Japanese cultureAmericans believe that human nature is basically good and man is the master of nature. They are future-oriented and “being”-oriented. Their social orientation is toward the importance of the individual and the equality of all people. However, the Japanese believe that human nature is a mixture of good and evil. Man is in harmony with nature. They are both past-oriented and future-oriented. And they are both “growing-”and “doing-”oriented. They give emphasis to authorities and the group.2. Can you find examples to support the author’s view of traditional cultures in different value orientationsFor example, the traditional Indian culture believes that man is subjugated by nature and it is being-oriented (which can be exemplified by its caste system). Also, traditional Chinese culture is past-oriented, for emphasis has long been given to learning from the old and past.3. Why do Americans tend to equate “change” with “improvement” and regard rapid change as normalConcerning orientation toward time, Americans are dominated by a belief in progress. They are future-oriented. They believe that “time is money”and have an optimistic faith in the future and what the future will bring. So they tend to equate “change” with “improvement” and consider a rapid rate of change as normal.4. What does “Electric Englishman” mean when it is used to describe the AmericanAs for activity, Americans are so action-oriented that they tend to behyperactive. That’s why that they have been described as “Electric Englishmen”, who always keep themselves busy.5. How would you explain the fact that contradictory values may exist in the same cultureAs time changes faster and faster and there is more contact between cultures, it is more likely to find contradictory values existing in the same culture. This is especially the case in a society that is being transformed from a traditional one into a modern one. For example, in the Japanese culture, some people may still be very past-oriented and some are rather future-oriented, and even the same people may be sometimes past-oriented in certain situations and sometime future-oriented in other situations.6. What can we get from models of this kind about cultural differences Models of this kind are quite useful in giving rough pictures of striking contrasts and differences of different cultures. However, such a model only compares cultures on some basic orientations. It does not tell us everything about every conceivable culture. We have to recognize that models of this kind are over-simplifications and can only give approximations of reality.7. Do cultural values change as time changesYes, the values may be in the process of marked change due to rapid modernization and globalization. However, they have a way of persisting in spite of change. The evolution of values is a slow process, since they are rooted in survival needs and passed on from generation to generation.8. How is communication influenced by differing cultural valuesPutting people from one culture into another culture with radically different value orientations could cause stress, disorientation, and breakdowns in communication.Case StudyCase 9Hierarchy is significant in the Japanese culture. This structure is reflected everywhere in Japanese life, at home, school, community, organizations, and traditional institutions such as martial arts or flower arrangements.In this case, the young chairman must have had his own ideas about how to manage the company; however, when encountered with his grandfather’s dissenting opinions, he dared not to take a stand against him. This may manifest the rigid hierarchicalstructure in the Japanese society. In the Japanese society, how hierarchy is formed depends mainly on seniority, social roles, and gender. As a respectable senior member of the family and the former leader of the company, the grandfather obviously overpowered the inexperienced young chairman. In other words, the grandfather seemed to be an absolute authority for the young chairman. In Japanese culture, challenging or disagreeing with elders’ opinions would be deemed as being disrespectful and is often condemned. People in lower positions are expected to be loyal and obedient to authority. That‘s why the young chairman didn’t say anything but just nodded and agreed with his grandfather.But Phil seemed to know little about the Japanese culture in this aspect. In many Western cultures, particularly American culture, seniority seldom matters very much in such situations, and young people are usually encouraged to challenge authority and voice their own opinions. Unfortunately, his outspoken protest could easily offend the grandfather and he might be regarded as a rude and ill-bred person by other Japanese.Case 10In Japan, a company is often very much like a big family, in which the manger(s) will take good care of the employees and the employees are expected to devote themselves to the development of the company and, if it is necessary, to sacrifice their own individual interests for the interests of the company, from which, in the long run, the employees will benefit greatly. But for the French, a company is just a loosely- knit social organization wherein individuals are supposed to take care of themselves and their families. Moreover, the way the French make decisions in the family might also be different from the typical Japanese one, which may not often involve females and the power to decide usually lies with the dominating male. As there are such cultural differences between the Japanese and the French, Mr. Legrand’s de cision made Mr. Tanaka feel dumbfounded.Case 11Incidents such as these can point to possible cultural differences in so-called “polite” behavior, and at the same time highlight the tendency for people to react emotionally to unexpected behavior.People in most cultures would probably agree that an apology is needed when an offence or violation of social norms has taken place. However, there may be differing opinions as to when we should apologize (what situations call for an apology) and how we should apologize. To many Westerners, Japanese apologize more frequently and an apology in Japanese does not necessarily mean that the person is acknowledging a fault. To many Japanese, Westerners may seem to be rude just because they do not apologize as often as the Japanese would do. In this case, for instance, the attitude of the Australian student’s parents is shocking to the Japanese but will be acceptable in an English-speaking society, for the student is already an adult and can be responsible for her own deeds.Case 12In this case, it seems that the Chinese expectations were not fulfilled. First, having two people sharing host responsibilities could be somewhat confusing to the hierarchically minded Chinese. Second, because age is often viewed as an indication of seniority, the Chinese might have considered the youth of their Canadian hosts as slight to their own status. Third, in China, it is traditional for the host to offer a welcome toast at the beginning of the meal, which is the reciprocated by the guests; by not doing so, the Canadian might be thought rude. The abrupt departure of the Chinese following the banquet was probably an indication that they were not pleased with the way they were treated. The Canadians’ lack of understanding of the Chinese culture and the Chinese ways of communication clearly cost them in their business dealings with the visiting delegation.。