武汉大学研究生英语unit1、3、4、5、7原文及译文.doc

武汉大学研究生英语课文原文 Stumbling Blocks inInterculturalStumbling Blocks inIntercultural Communication1. Why is it that contact with persons from other cultures is so often frustrating and fraught with misunderstanding? Good intentions, the use of what one considers to be a friendly approach and even the possibility of mutual benefits don't seem to be sufficient to ensure success-to many people's surprise. Sometimes rejection occurs just because the group to which a person belongs is\changes in the international scene to take a look at some of the reasons for the disappointing results of attempts at communication. They are actually stumbling blocks in intercultural communication.2. Assumption of similaritiesOne answer to the question of why misunderstanding or rejection happens might be that many of us naivety assume there are sufficient similarities among peoples of the world to enable us tosuccessfully exchange information or feelings, solve problems ofmutual concerns, cement business relationships, or just make the kind of impression we wish to make. The tendency for all peopleto reproduce, group into families or societies, develop a language, and adapt to their environment is particularly deceiving because it leads to the expectation that the forms of these behaviors and the attitudes and values surrounding them will also besimilar. It's comforting to believe that\we'reall alike,\a determined search for proof of this leads to disappointment.3. Promising are the cross-cultural studies seeking to supportDarwin's theory that facial expressions are universal and researchers found that theparticular visible pattern on the face, the combination of muscles contracted for anger, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, and happiness is the same for allmembers of ourspecies, but this seems helpful until it is realized that a person’s cultu ral upbringing determines whether or notthat emotionwill be displayed or suppressed, as well as on which occasions and to what degree. The situations that bring about the emotional feeling also differ from culture to culture, for example, the death of a loved one may be a cause forjoy, sorrow, or some other emotion, depending upon the accepted cultural belief.4. Since there seems to be no universals of “human nature” that can be used as a basis for automatic understanding, we must treat each encounter as an individual case, searching for whatever perceptions and communication means are held in common and proceed from there. If we realize that we are all culture bound andculturally modified, we will accept the fact that, being unlike, wedo not reallyknow what someone else\5. The aura of similarity is a serious stumbling block to successful intercultural communication. A look-alike facade is deceiving when representatives from contrasting cultures meet, eachwearing Western dress, speaking English, and using similar greeting rituals. It is like assuming that New York, Tokyo, and Tehran are all alike because each has the appearance of a moderncity. Without being alert to possible differences and the needto learn new rules for functioning, persons going from one city tothe other will be in immediatetrouble, even when acting simple roles such as pedestrian and driver.6. Theconfidence that goes with the myth of similarity is much more comfortable than the assumption of differences, the latter requiring tentative assumptions and behaviors and a willingness toaccept the anxietyof\knowing.\with the assumptionof differences, however, can reactionsandinterpretationsbeadjustedtofit\happening.\someone is likely tomisread signs and judge the sceneethnocentrically.7. The stumbling block of assumedsimilarity is a “troublem,”as one English learner expressed it, not only for the foreigner but for the people in the host country with whom the internationalvisitor comes into contact. The native inhabitants are likely to be lulled into the expectation that, since the foreign person isdressed appropriately and speak some of the language, heor she will also have similar nonverbal codes, thoughts and feelings. Thus, nodding, smiling, and affirmative comment will probably be confidentlyinterpreted as meaning that they have informed,helped, and pleased the newcomer. It is likely, however, that theforeigner actually understood very little of the verbal and nonverbal content and was merely indicating polite interest or trying not to embarrass himself or herself of the host with verbalized questions. 8. Language DifferenceThe second stumbling block is so obvious that it hardly needs mentioning--language. Vocabulary, syntax, idioms, slang, dialects, and so on all cause difficulty, but the person strugglingwith a different language is at least aware of being in this kind oftrouble. A worse language problem is thetenacity with whichsomeone will cling to just one meaning of a word or phrase in thenew language, regardless of connotation or context. The variations in possible meaning, especially if inflection and tonal qualities are added, are so difficult to cope with that they are oftenwaved aside. The reason this problem is worse than simple struggling to translate foreign words is because each person thinks heor she understands. The nationwide misinterpretation of Khrushchev's sentence \example.Even\causetrouble.WhenaJapanesehears,\you have some tea?\or she listens to the literalmeaning of the sentence and answers,\that he orshe wants some.\host or hostess that there may be a misunderstanding. Also, in some culture, it is polite to refuse the first or second offer of refreshment. Many foreign guests have gone hungrybec ause their US host or hostess never presented the thirdoffer―another case of “no\9. Nonverbal misinterpretationsLearning the language, which most visitors to foreign countries consider their only barrier to understanding, is actually onlythe beginning. The third stumbling block is nonverbal misinterpretations. People from differentcultures inhabit different sensory realities. They see, hear, feel, and smell only that which has some meaning or importance for them. They abstractwhatever fits into their personal world of recognition and then interpret itthrough the frame of reference of their own culture. For example, a Saudi Arab would nonverbally signal that he liked a girl by smoothing back his hair, which to an American girl would be justa common nervous gesture signifying noting.10. The lack of comprehension ofnonverbal signs and symbols that are easyto observe--such as gestures, postures, and otherbody movements--is a definite communication barrier. But it is possible to learn the meanings of these observable messages, usually in informal rather than formal ways. It is more difficult tonote correctly the unspoken codes of the other culture that are further from awareness, such as the handling of time and spatialrelationships and subtle signs of respect of formality. 11. The Presence of Preconceptions and StereotypesThe fourth stumbling block is the presence of preconceptions and stereotypes. If the label\inscrutable\thus we explain the Japanese constantand inappropriate smile. The stereotype that Arabs are\”may cause the US students to keep their distance or even alert authorities when an animated and noisy group from the Middle Eastgathers. A professor who expects everyone from Indonesia,Mexico, and many other countries to%unfairly interpret a hesitationor request from an international student as amove to manipulate preferential treatment.12. Stereotypes help do what Ernest Becker says the anxiety--prone human race must do--reduce the threat of the unknownby making theworld predictable. Indeed, this is one of the basicfunctions of culture:to lay out a predictable world in which the individual is firmly oriented. Stereotypes are overgeneralized, secondhand beliefs that provide conceptual bases from which to\whether or not they are accurate or fit the circumstances. In a foreign land theiruse increases our feeling of security and is psychologically necessary to the degree that we cannot tolerate ambiguity orthe senseof helplessness resulting from inability to understand and dealwith people and situations beyond our comprehension.13. Stereotypes are stumbling blocks for communicators becausetheyinterfere with objective viewing of stimuli--the sensitivesearch for cues to guide the imagination toward the other persons' reality. Stereotypes are not easy to overcome in ourselves or tocorrect in others, even with thepresentation of evidence. Theypersist because they are firmly established as myths or truisms byone's own national culture and because they sometimesrationalize prejudices. They are also sustained and fed by the tendency toperceive selectively only those pieces of new information that correspond to the image held.14. ThePractice ofImmediate EvaluationThe fifth stumbling block and another deterrent to understanding between persons of differing cultures or ethnic groups isthe tendency to evaluate, to approve or disapprove, the statements and actions of the other person or group. Rather than to try to comprehend completely the thoughts and feelings expressedfrom the world view of the other, we assume our own culture or way of life always seems right, proper, and natural. This biasprevents the open-minded attention needed to look at the attitudes and behavior patterns fromthe other’s point of view.15. Fresh from a conference in Tokyo where Japanese professorshad emphasized the preference the people of Japan for simple natural settings感谢您的阅读，祝您生活愉快。

Unit One核心员工的特征大卫·G．詹森1核心员工究竟是什么样子的?几乎每次进行调查时，我都会从雇主们那里听到“核心员工”这个名词。

我请一位客户——一位正参与研究的人事部经理，给我解释一下。

“每家公司都有少数几个这样的员工，在某个专业领域，你可以指望他们把活儿干好。

在我的小组中，有七名化工流程工程师和生物学家，其中有那么两三个人是我赖以生存的，”他说，“他们对我的公司而言不可或缺。

当请你们公司替我们招募新人的时候，我们期待你们会去其他公司找这样的人：其他公司经理不想失去的员工。

我们只招募核心员工。

”2这是一段充满了鼓动性的谈话，目的是把猎头们派往竞争对手的公司去游说经验丰富的员工们做一次职业变更。

他们想从另一家公司招募核心员工。

然而，每家公司也从新人中招人。

他们要寻找的是完全一样的东西。

“我们把他们和公司顶级员工表现出的特质进行对照。

假如他们看起来有同样特征的话，我们就在他们身上赌一把。

”只是这样有点儿冒险。

3“这是一种有根据的猜测，”我的人事经理客户说。

作为未来的一名员工，你的工作是帮助人事部经理降低这种风险，你需要帮助他们认定你有潜力成为一名核心员工。

4特征1：无私的合作者职业顾问和化学家约翰·费策尔最早提出了这个特征。

关于这个特征，人们已经写了大量的文章。

它之所以值得被反复谈及，是因为这一特征是学术界和企业间最明显的差别。

“这里需要合作，”费策尔说，“企业的环境并不需要单打独斗，争强好胜，所以表现出合作和无私精神的员工就脱颖而出了。

在企业环境中，没有这样的思维方式就不可能成功。

”5许多博士后和研究生在进行这种过渡的过程中表现得相当费力。

因为生命中有那么长一段时间他们都在扮演一个独立研究者的角色，并且要表现得比其他年轻的优秀人才更出色。

你可以藉此提高在公司的吸引力：为追求一个共同的目标和来自其他实验室和学科的科学家们合作——并且为你的个人履历上的内容提供事迹证明。

这个方法，加上你在描述业绩时开明地使用代词“我们”，而不是“我”，能使公司对你的看法从“单干户”转变成“合作者”。

Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication1.Why is it that contact with persons from other cultures is so often frustrating and fraught with misunderstanding? Good intentions, the use of what one considers to be a friendly approach and even the possibility of mutual benefits don't seem to be sufficient to ensure success-to many people's surprise. Sometimes rejection occurs just because the group to which a person belongs is"different." It's appropriate at this time of major changes in the international scene to take a look at some of the reasons for the disappointing results of attempts at communication. They are actually stumbling blocks in intercultural communication.2.Assumption of similaritiesOne answer to the question of why misunderstanding or rejection happens might be that many of us naivety assume there are sufficient similarities among peoples of the world to enable us to successfully exchange information or feelings, solve problems of mutual concerns, cement business relationships, or just make the kind of impression we wish to make. The tendency for all people to reproduce, group into families or societies, develop a language, and adapt to their environment is particularly deceiving because it leads to the expectation that the forms of these behaviors and the attitudes and values surrounding them will also be similar. It's comforting to believe that"people are people"and "deep down we're all alike," but a determined search for proof of this leads to disappointment.3.Promising are the cross-cultural studies seeking to support Darwin's theory that facial expressions are universal and researchers found that theparticular visible pattern on the face, the combination of muscles contracted for anger, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, and happiness is the same for all members of our species, but this seems helpful until it is realized that a person’s cultural upbringing determines whether or not that emotion will be displayed or suppressed, as well as on which occasions and to what degree. The situations that bring about the emotional feeling also differ from culture to culture, for example, the death of a loved one may be a cause for joy, sorrow, or some other emotion, depending upon the accepted cultural belief.4.Since there seems to be no universals of “human nature” that can be used as a basis for automatic understanding, we must treat each encounter as an individual case, searching for whatever perceptions and communication means are held in common and proceed from there. If we realize that we are all culture bound and culturally modified, we will accept the fact that, being unlike, we do not really know what someone else "is."5.The aura of similarity is a serious stumbling block to successful intercultural communication. A look-alike facade is deceiving when representatives from contrasting cultures meet, each wearing Western dress, speaking English, and using similar greeting rituals. It is like assuming that New York, Tokyo, and Tehran are all alike because each has the appearance of a modern city. Without being alert to possible differences and the need to learn new rules for functioning, persons going from one city to the other will be in immediate trouble, even when acting simple roles such as pedestrian and driver.6.The confidence that goes with the myth of similarity is much more comfortable than the assumption of differences, the latter requiring tentative assumptions and behaviors and a willingness to accept the anxiety of"not knowing." Only with the assumption of differences, however, can reactions and interpretations be adjusted to fit"what's happening." Otherwise someone is likely to misread signs and judge the scene ethnocentrically.7.The stumbling block of assumed similarity is a “troublem,” as one English learner expressed it, not only for the foreigner but for the people in the host country with whom the international visitor comes into contact. The native inhabitants are likely to be lulled into the expectation that, since the foreign person is dressed appropriately and speak some of the language, he or she will also have similar nonverbal codes, thoughts and feelings. Thus, nodding, smiling, and affirmative comment will probably be confidently interpreted as meaning that they have informed, helped, and pleased the newcomer. It is likely, however, that the foreigner actually understood very little of the verbal and nonverbal content and was merely indicating polite interest or trying not to embarrass himself or herself of the host with verbalized questions.nguage DifferenceThe second stumbling block is so obvious that it hardly needs mentioning--language. V ocabulary, syntax, idioms, slang, dialects, and so on all cause difficulty, but the person struggling with a different language is at least aware of being in this kind of trouble. A worse language problem is the tenacity with which someone will cling to just one meaning of a word or phrase in the new language, regardless of connotation or context. The variations in possible meaning, especially if inflection and tonal qualities are added, are so difficult to cope with that they are often waved aside. The reason this problem is worse than simple struggling to translate foreign words is because each person thinks he or she understands. The nationwide misinterpretation of Khrushchev's sentence "We'll bury you" is a classic example. Even"yes"and"no"could cause trouble. When a Japanese hears,"Won't you have some tea?"he or she listens to the literal meaning of the sentence and answers,"No."Meaning that he or she wants some."Yes, I won't"would be a better reply because this tips off the host or hostess that there may be a misunderstanding. Also, in some culture, it is polite to refuse the first or second offer of refreshment. Many foreign guests have gone hungry because their US host or hostess never presented the third offer—another case of “no"meaning"yes."9.Nonverbal misinterpretationsLearning the language, which most visitors to foreign countries consider their only barrier to understanding, is actually only the beginning. The third stumbling block is nonverbal misinterpretations. People from different cultures inhabit different sensory realities. They see, hear, feel, and smell only that which has some meaning or importance for them. They abstract whatever fits into their personal world of recognition and then interpret it through the frame of reference of their own culture. For example, a Saudi Arab would nonverbally signal that he liked a girl by smoothing back his hair, which to an American girl would be just a common nervous gesture signifying noting.10.The lack of comprehension of nonverbal signs and symbols that are easy to observe--such as gestures, postures, and other body movements--is a definite communication barrier. But it is possible to learn the meanings of these observable messages, usually in informal rather than formal ways. It is more difficult to note correctly the unspoken codes of the other culture that are further from awareness, such as the handling of time and spatial relationships and subtle signs of respect of formality.11.The Presence of Preconceptions and StereotypesThe fourth stumbling block is the presence of preconceptions and stereotypes. If the label "inscrutable" has preceded the Japanese guest, it is thus we explain the Japanese constant and inappropriate smile. The stereotype that Arabs are"inflammable” may cause the US students to keep their distance or even alert authorities when an animated and noisy group from the Middle East gathers. A professor who expects everyone from Indonesia, Mexico, and many other countries to "bargain" may unfairly interpret a hesitation or request from an international student as a move to manipulate preferential treatment.12.Stereotypes help do what Ernest Becker says the anxiety--prone human race must do--reduce the threat of the unknown by making the worldpredictable. Indeed, this is one of the basic functions of culture: to lay out a predictable world in which the individual is firmly oriented. Stereotypes are overgeneralized, secondhand beliefs that provide conceptual bases from which to "make sense"out of what goes on around us, whether or not they are accurate or fit the circumstances. In a foreign land their use increases our feeling of security and is psychologically necessary to the degree that we cannot tolerate ambiguity or the sense of helplessness resulting from inability to understand and deal with people and situations beyond our comprehension.13.Stereotypes are stumbling blocks for communicators because they interfere with objective viewing of stimuli--the sensitive search for cues to guide the imagination toward the other persons' reality. Stereotypes are not easy to overcome in ourselves or to correct in others, even with the presentation of evidence. They persist because they are firmly established as myths or truisms by one's own national culture and because they sometimes rationalize prejudices. They are also sustained and fed by the tendency to perceive selectively only those pieces of new information that correspond to the image held.14.The Practice of Immediate EvaluationThe fifth stumbling block and another deterrent to understanding between persons of differing cultures or ethnic groups is the tendency to evaluate, to approve or disapprove, the statements and actions of the other person or group. Rather than to try to comprehend completely the thoughts and feelings expressed from the world view of the other, we assume our own culture or way of life always seems right, proper, and natural. This bias prevents the open-minded attention needed to look at the attitudes and behavior patterns from the other’s point of view.15.Fresh from a conference in Tokyo where Japanese professors had emphasized the preference the people of Japan for simple natural settingsof rocks, moss, and water and misty landscapes, I visited the Katsura Imperial Gardens in Kyoto. At the appointed time of the tour a young Japanese guide approached the group of 20 waiting Americans and remarked how fortunate it was that the day was cloudy. This brought hesitant smiles to the group who were less than pleased with the prospect of a shower. The guide's next statement was that the timing of the midsummer visit was particularly appropriate in that the azalea and rhododendron blossoms were gone and the trees had not yet turned to their brilliant, fall colors. The group laughed loudly now convinced time the young man had a line sense of humor. I winced at his bewildered expression, realizing that had I come before attending the conference I, also evaluating the weather as"not very good," would have shared the group's inference that he could not be serious.munication cutoff caused by immediate evaluation is heightened when feelings and emotions are deeply involved; yet this is just the time when listening with understanding is most needed. Look and listen empathetically rather than through the thick screen of value judgments that impede a fair understanding.17.High AnxietyHigh anxiety or tension is common in cross-cultural experiences due to the number of uncertainties present and the personal involvement and risk. Moderate arousal and positive attitudes prepare one to meet challenges with energy, but high arousal, caused by a buildup of continued moderate stress, depletes the body's energy reserve quickly and defense must be used whether or not the person wills it. If the stay in a foreign country is prolonged and the newcomer cannot let down his or her high alert level, the"culture shock”phenomenon occurs. Illness may result, the body forcing needed rest and recuperation.18.Anxious feelings usually permeate both parties in an intercultural dialogue. The host national is uncomfortable when talking with a foreigner because he or she cannot maintain the normal flow of verbal and nonverbalinteraction. There are language and perception barriers; silences are too long or too short; proxemic and other norms may be violated. He or she is also threatened by the other's unknown knowledge, experience, and evaluation--the visitor's potential for scrutiny and rejection of the host national and his or her country. The foreign members of dyads are even more threatened. They feel strange and vulnerable, helpless to cope with messages that swamp them. Their self-esteem is often intolerably undermined unless they employ such defenses as withdrawal into their own reference group or into themselves, screening out or misperceiving stimuli, or becoming aggressive or hostile. None of these defenses leads to effective communication.19.Knowing the six stumbling blocks is certainly a help in avoiding them, but these particular ones cannot be easily circumvented. For most people it takes insight, training, and sometimes an alteration of long-standing habit or cherished beliefs before progress can be made. However, the increasing need for global understanding and cooperation makes the effort vital. we can study other languages and learn to expect differences in nonverbal forms and other cultural aspects. We can train ourselves to meet intercultural encounters with more attention to situational details, using an investigative approach rather than preconceptions and stereotypes. We can gradually expose ourselves to differences so that they become less threatening. By practicing conscious relaxation techniques, we can also learn to lower our tension level when needed to avoid triggering defensive reactions. Roger Harrison summarizes what the intercultural communicator must seek to achieve:The communicator cannot stop at knowing that the people he is working with have different customs,goals, and though pattern from his own. He must be able to feel his way into intimate contact with these alien values, attitudes, and feelings. He must be able to work with them and within them, neither losing his own values in the confrontation nor protecting himself behind a wall of intellectual detachment.。

TRAITS OF THE KEY PLAYERS核心员工的特征What exactly is a key play？核心员工究竟是什么样子的?A “Key Player” is a phrase that I've heard about from employers during just about every search I've conducted.几乎每次进行调查时，我都会从雇主们那里听到“核心员工”这个名词。

I asked a client — a hiring manager involved in recent search — to define it for me.我请一位客户——一位正参与研究的人事部经理，给我解释一下。

“Every company has a handful of staff in a given area of expertise that you can count on to get the job done.“每家公司都有少数几个这样的员工，在某个专业领域，你可以指望他们把活儿干好。

On my team of seven process engineers and biologists, I've got two or three whom I just couldn't live without,” he said.在我的小组中，有七名化工流程工程师和生物学家，其中有那么两三个人是我赖以生存的，”他说，“Key players are essential to my organization.“他们对我的公司而言不可或缺。

And when we hire your company to recruit for us, we expect that you'll be going into other companies and finding just:当请你们公司替我们招募新人的时候，我们期待你们会去其他公司找这样的人：the staff that another manager will not want to see leave.其他公司经理不想失去的员工。

Unit 1 对F的赞美1今年将有好几万的十八岁青年毕业，他们都将被授予毫无意义的文凭。

这些文凭看上去跟颁发给比他们幸运的同班同学的文凭没什么两样。

只有当雇主发现这些毕业生是半文盲时，文凭的效力才会被质疑。

2最后，少数幸运者会进入教育维修车间——成人识字课程，我教的一门关于基础语法和写作的课程就属于这种性质。

在教育维修车间里，高中毕业生和高中辍学生将学习他们本该在学校就学好的技能，以获得同等学力毕业证书。

他们还将发现他们被我们的教育体系欺骗了。

3在我教课的过程中，我对我们的学校教育深有了解。

在每学期开始的时候，我会让我的学生写一下他们在学校的不快体验。

这种时候学生不会有任何写作障碍！“我希望当时有人能让我停止吸毒，让我学习。

”“我喜欢参加派对，似乎没人在意。

”“我是一个好孩子，不会制造任何麻烦，于是他们就让我考试通过，及时我阅读不好，也不会写作。

”很多诸如此类的抱怨。

4我基本是一个空想社会改良家，在教这门课之前我将孩子们的学习能力差归咎于毒品、离婚和其他妨碍注意力集中的东西，要想学习好就必须集中注意力。

但是，我每一次走进教室都会再度发现，一个老师在期望学生全神贯注之前，他必须先吸引学生的注意力，无论附近有什么分散注意力的东西。

要做到这点，有很多种办法，它们与教学风格有很大的关系。

然而，单靠风格无法起效，有另一个办法可以显示谁是在教室里掌握胜局的人。

这个办法就是亮出失败的王牌。

5我永远也忘不了一位老师亮出那张王牌以吸引我的一个孩子的注意。

我的小儿子是个世界级的万人迷，学习不怎么动脑筋却总能蒙混过关。

直到施蒂夫特夫人当了他的老师，这种局面才彻底改变了。

6当她教我儿子英语时，我儿子是一个高中高年级学生。

“他坐在后排和他的朋友说话。

”她告诉我。

“你为什么不把他换到前排来？”我恳求道。

我相信令他难堪的做法会让他安心学习。

施蒂夫特夫人从眼睛上方冷冷地看着我。

“我不会换高年级学生的座位。

”她说，“我会给他们不及格的成绩。

Unit 1 Stay hungry, stay foolish!Thank you.I'm honored to be with you today for your commencement [kə'mensmənt] from one of the finest universities in the world. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today, I want to tell you three stories from my life.The first story is about connecting the dots.I dropped out of Reed College after the first six months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?At the age of 17, I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms. I returned coke bottles for the five cent deposits to buy foodwith, and I would walk the seven miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna ['hɑ:re'kriʃnə] temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy [kə'liɡrəfi] instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand cal ligraphed ['kæliɡrɑ:f]. I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif ['serif] and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography [tai'pɔɡrəfi] great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards 10 years later. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have totrust in something -- your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.My second story is about love and loss.I was lucky -- I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents' garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage ['ɡærɑ:dʒ, ɡə'r-] into a two billion dollar company with over 4000 employees. We just released our finest creation -- the Macintosh -- a year earlier, and I had just turned 30.And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. And so at 30, I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating ['devəsteitiŋ].I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs [,ɔntrəprə'nə:] down -- that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me -- I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world's first computer-animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, and I returned to Apple. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle.My third story is about death.When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I've looked in themirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.About a year ago I was diagnosed [daiəɡ'nəuz] with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor ['tju:mə] on my pancreas ['pænkriəs]. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable [in'kjuərəbl], and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for "prepare to die." I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy ['bai,ɔpsi], I was sedated[si'deit]. It turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic [,pænkri'ætik] cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and, thankfully, I'm fine now.This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you witha bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept.No one wants to die.Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It's Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away.Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma ['dɔɡmə]. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the "bibles" of my generation. This was in the late 1960’s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and Polaroid ['pəulərɔid]cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: It was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.Then when it had run its course, a final issue was put out. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message. And I've always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.Thank you all very much.译文如下：今天，很荣幸来到各位从世界上最好的学校之一毕业的毕业典礼上。

1．One answer to the question of why misunderstanding or rejection happens might be that many of us naively assume there are sufficient similarities among peoples of the world to enable us to successfully exchange information or feelings, solve problems or mutual concerns, cement business relationships, or just make the kind of impression we wish to make. (Para2)这个问题的一个答案就是，大部分人天真地认为世界上的人有足够的相似之处，可以让我们成功地交流信息或者感受，解决共同关注的问题，加强商业关系，或者只是产生我们所希望产生的印象。

2. Promising are the cross-cultural studies seeking to support Darwin’s theory that facial expressions are universal and researchers found that the particular visible pattern on the face, the combination of muscles contracted for anger, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, happiness is the same for all members of our species, but this seems helpful until it is realized that a person’s cultural upbringing determines whether or not that emotion will be displayed or suppressed, as well as on which occasions and to what degree. (Para3)力求证明达尔文关于面部表情是共同的这一理论的跨文化研究给人极大的希望，研究者发现脸部的某些看得见的形状，即因愤怒、恐惧、惊讶、悲伤、厌恶、幸福而产生的系列肌肉收缩，我们人类各成员都是一样的。

Unit One stumbling blocks in interculturalcommunication跨文化交流中的绊脚石1．为什么我们与来自其它文化的人们的交流总是充满了误会、让人感到沮丧呢？令很多人奇怪的是，即使怀着良好的愿望、使用自己认为是友好的方式，甚至有互利的可能性，也似乎都不足以保证交流的成功。

有时候，出现排斥现象正是因为一方所属的文化群体团体是“不同”的。

在这个国际舞台发生重大变化的时刻，探讨为什么尝试交流的结果却令人失望的原因是必要的，这些原因实际上是跨文化交流中的绊脚石。

2．相似性的假设为什么误解或反对会产生呢？这个问题的一个回答就是，大部分的人天真地认为世界上的人有足够的相似之处，可以让我们成功地交流信息或感受，解决共同关注的一些问题，加强商业关系，或者只是产生我们所希望产生的印象。

所有的人都会生儿育女，组成家庭或社会，发展一种语言以及适应他们周围环境的这种倾向特别具有欺骗性，因为它带来了一种期望，这种期望就是这些行为的形式以及围绕这些行动的态度与价值观念将是相似的。

相信“人就是人”和“我们在本质是相似的，”这让人感到心安理得，但是下定决心去寻找证据却只会令人失望。

3．力求证明达尔文关于面部表情是共同的这一理论的跨文化研究给人极大的希望，研究者发现脸部的某些看得见的形状，即因愤怒、恐惧、惊讶、悲伤、厌恶、幸福而紧缩的肌肉组合,我们人类各成员都是一样的。

但是这似乎无济于事，只要我们意识到一个人生长的文化决定了这种情感是否会表露或压抑,决定了在何种场合和多大的程度上会表露或压抑。

带来这种情绪感受的情形也因文化而异，例如：由于崇拜的文化信仰不同，一个心爱的人死亡可能带来欢乐、悲哀或其他情感。

4．因为似乎没有普遍的人性可以作为自动理解的基础，所以我们必须把每交往当作个别案例来处理，寻求任何共同的认知和交流方法并以此作为出发点。

如果我们认识到我们受文化的约束，受文化的改变，那么我们就会受这一现实：因为各自不同，我们确实不太清楚其他人“是”什么样的。

硕士英语课后翻译(unit 1 text A)Text A注：自己查找结合老师课堂所讲的内容翻译的，有疏漏之处希望能在评论中指出1-a-1Since there seems to be no universals of "human nature" that can be used as a basis for automatic understanding, we must treat each encounter as an individual case, searching for whatever perceptions and communication means are held in common and proceed from there.既然没有普遍的人性可以作为自动理解的基础，所以我们必须把每次交往当作个别案例来处理，寻求任何共同的认知和交流方法并以此作为出发点。

1-a-2Without being alert to possible differences and the need to learn new rules for functioning, persons going from one city to the other will be in immediate trouble, even when acting simple roles such as pedestrian and driver.如果没有意识到可能存在的差异和学习生活的新规则的需要，从一个城市去另一个城市人将会立刻陷入困境，甚至在完成诸如行人、司机之类的简单角色时也会如此。

1-a-3The confidence that goes with the myth of similarity is much more comfortable than the assumption of differences, the latter requiring tentative assumptions and behaviors and a willingness to accept the anxiety of "not knowing".相信相似性的错误观念比设想存在差异更让人觉得舒服，因为后者要求试探性的设想和行为并且乐意接受由于“不知道”而产生的焦虑。