Activity 3　Reading and Understanding

Read the following reception tips and try to get some cultural knowledge.

Cultural Notes to Making Appointments (https://www.daowen.com)

The scheduling of an appointment is very important in western culture. If you want to visit somebody or invite somebody to do something, the best way is to make an appointment with him in advance, because most westerners often keep a strict personal schedule. They don’t welcome unexpected visitors. Usually, for a westerner, three schedules are kept, one for daily events, one for weekly planning and one for long term planning. You have to show respect for their cultural custom. Often appointments are made on the phone by talking with the guest directly or with his or her secretary who can help him or her to arrange the appointment. Remember to tell him or her directly why you want to meet him. Before making an appointment, you must know the full name and title of the person you want to meet. If necessary, you can check with his or her secretary. All the appointments should be double-checked for accuracy. The time, address, names of involved parties, and spelling and pronunciation of the names should be verified. Don’t be late for the appointment. You have to get to the meeting place on time. If something urgent happens, which prevents you from keeping the appointment, you can change or cancel the appointment immediately. It is very impolite for you to fail to keep an appointment.