Unit 2
Culture and Communication
Reading I
What Is Culture
Comprehension questions
1. 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
1 Unit 3 Cultural Differences in Daily Conversations
Part I Blank Filling
Directions: Fill in each underlined space with a proper expression.
1. The way to show care to others like this: “ Are you sick? You should drink plenty of water and
put on more clothes” is wrong. The proper way can be__________.
2. There may be some nonverbal ways of greeting such as __________ and __________.
3. When Liu Ying runs into a British woman on the bus, she’d better immediately say,
“__________”.
4. It is __________ to greet your foreign teacher “Professor Smith!”
5. When Li Ming’s American friend Leo came to visit his house, if Li Ming’s mother wants to
offer some tea, it’s appropriate for her to ask Leo, __________?
Part II T or F
Directions: Read the following statements and decide whether they are true or false.
Unit 1
Communication Across Cultures
Reading I
Intercultural Communication：An Introduction
Comprehension questions
1. 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 social and political rhetoric. For instance, it is not
uncommon in today„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
期末考试范围•1. 阅读理解2篇（20%）•2. 选词填空：15个句子（15个备选项，课后的key concepts,概念的词为主。（15%）•eg: ———the belief that any individual, no matter how poor, can achieve wealth and fame through diligence and virtue.•3. 简答题：课后comprehension questions和case study( 课内或者稍微改动的）。（25%）4. 实用写作：一封信什么的（格式）（10%）5. 写作：给出某个文化现象观点，运用所学文化差异进行评论（comment)。（30%）如: 说给一个关于教育的话题（文化现象），我们要用所学的中美教育差异进行评论，议论文形式。价值观，家庭观，社会关系朋友观，饮食观，教育观，时间观等篇目：Unit1: A B C Unit2 A Unit3 A B Unit5A Unit6A Unit7 AUnit10 B
Unit1 A
Key concepts
reservation: 谦逊的 coldness: 冷静的 modesty：谦虚的
humor：幽默的 sportsmanship：运动员精神
Q1、what is a reserved person like?
Answer: A reserved person is one who does not talk very much to strangers,
does not show much emotion, and seldom gets excited.
Q2、what is the character of the Englishmen?
Answer: reserved 、humor、modesty、cold、sportsmanship.
