Part B Reading
Different Cultures and Different Customs
There are many things that we do in our own culture that we never ask questions about. We do things without thinking about them because we have always done them in the same way. When we are in another culture or with people from a different culture, we see that people do things in many different ways. One of the first differences we notice is the forms of address that are used in the culture. The language that people use to address each other tells us many things about a culture.
There are many ways of addressing teachers and students and introducing oneself in other cultures. In many parts of the world,students must show politeness and respect to teachers; one way of doing this is not to use the teacher’s name. Some teachers in the U.S. don’t think it is rude if their students call them by their first names. This may be their way of having a close informal relationship with students. In the U.S., one way to show closeness and friendliness is to use a person’s first name.
When Americans greet each other, introduce each other, and have conversations, they usually stand about an arm’s distance (about 18 inches) to two feet (24 inches) apart. This is not always a comfortable distance for people in other cultures, who may prefer less or more distance.
It is sometimes difficult to know when to shake hands with Americans. In business situations men always shake hands when they first meet each other. Recently, especially in the business world, women have begun shaking hands, too. In social situations when two people meet, they often shake hands. You may find that younger women shake hands more often than older women do.
When Americans shake hands, they usually only shake hands for a few seconds. When they shake, they shake hands firmly, not loosely.“He shakes hands like a dead fish” refers to someone whose handshake is not firm enough. In American culture, a weak handshake is a sign of a weak character. In other countries people shake hands differently. They may take the other person’s hand loosely and may shake it for more than a few seconds.
Every language has certain rules of speaking and every culture has rules about how people should interact with each other. These rules are not usually written down, but are learned by people living together in one culture. When you learn about other cultural ways of doing things,you start to think about what you’ve been doing in your own language and culture.
(433 words)
Exercises
Task One Answer the following questions according to the text.
1. How do students address their teachers in American culture?
2. What does the language that people use to address each other tell us?
3. How do students address their teachers in your culture?
4. What is a comfortable distance for American people to stand apart when they greet and introduce each other?
5. What does a loose handshaking mean in American culture?
6. What does one do when he learns about other cultural ways of doing things?
Task Two Match the words.
1. apart A. not formal, irregular, without ceremony or formality
2. cultural B. not long ago or before, lately
3. address C. in a loose manner
4. informal D. to admire or have a high opinion of somebody/something
5. prefer E. to choose something rather than something else; like something better
6. loosely F. showing no respect or consideration, impolite
7. recently G. of or in society; living in groups, not separately; for companionship
8. respect H. of or involving culture
9. rude I. use a particular name or title in speaking or writing to somebody
10. social J. to or at a distance(https://www.daowen.com)
Task Three Fill in the blanks with the suitable words or expressions given below. Change the word forms if necessary.
1. Most of the time Americans_______________gifts that people give to them.
2. However, in the workplace, supervisors or bosses sometimes_______________uncomfortable accepting gifts.
3. They do not want to feel that they have to do something_______________or different for the employee who gave a gift.
4. They don’t want their other employees to think that they have_______________among the employees.
5. They may find it difficult to criticize their employee’s work if they’ve just_______________a gift from him or her.
6. Many companies have a_______________that says that a supervisor is not allowed to accept gifts from employees.
7. In America, students sometimes call their teachers by their frist names to show_______________.
8. It’s not easy to understand these rules of speaking from_______________cultures.
9. He_______________to stay at home rather than go with us.
10. You may find that younger women_______________hands more often than older women do.
Task Four Cloze.
( ) 1. A. this B. that C. these D. those
( ) 2. A. because B. for C. while D. although
( ) 3. A. this B. which C. that D. those
( ) 4. A. that B. this C. they D. those
( ) 5. A. address B. addresses C. addressed D. addressing
( ) 6. A. may B. must C. can D. could
( ) 7. A. do B. to do C. done D. doing
( ) 8. A. since B. that C. if D. which
( ) 9. A. having B. to have C. has D. had
( ) 10. A. they B. who C. whom D. that
Task Five Order the words to make a sentence.
Task Six Translate the following sentences into English and use the given words or expressions.
