新编跨文化交际英语Unit课后答案
新编跨文化交际英语U n i t课后答案
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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 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 represent the 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.
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.
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 to eat 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 dealing with 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 the English-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.
1. 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.
people from different countries usually have different expectations about 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 country do es 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 ha ve 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.
9. What is your family like In what aspects is it the same as or different from the traditional What problems may arise when people from different family backgrounds communicate with one another
As we all know, many cultural differences exist in family structures and values. In some cultures, the family is the center of life and the main frame of reference for decisions;
while in others, the individual, not the family, is primary. Many Chinese families are still quite traditional. They are often extended families, with three or even four generations living under the same roof. In such families, people may care a lot about families’ welfare, reputation and honor. No matter what they do, they tend to put the interest of the whole family as the top priority. For them, the family as a whole always comes first, and its individual members are second. However, there are also many Chinese families now in which individual needs are given more stress than ever before and the relationship between parents and children are more egalitarian than hierarchical. Therefore, communication between people from different family backgrounds may be intercultural to some extent. What one considers as appropriate may be regarded as improper by the other, and sometimes it would be very difficult for them to understand each other in the way each of them prefers to be understood.
1. What can we do to avoid attributing a very different meaning to the phrase or interpret it much more literally
We have to be aware of the cultural implications of the phrase.
2. What are the other functions of using question forms apart from asking for information
It serves as a lubricant to move the conversation forward. A question that has this function can be called a ―social question.
3. Why are those Germans getting stiffer and more reserved all the time when visiting Ingrid Zerbe
They are confused about how to address her, for she introduces herself by first and last name rather than by last name and professional title.
4. How does the environment influence the use of language Language reflects the environment in which we live. We use language to label the things that are around us.
5. Does the author think there are exact equivalents in dictionaries that have the same meanings in different cultures No. According to the author, there are no such equivalents between languages; therefore, to communicate concepts effectively, cultural knowledge is as important as linguistic knowledge.
6. How does the language change over time
Words and phrases that are used commonly at one time may be discontinued or their meaning may change over time.
7. Does the author think it is possible for countries such as France and Iceland to keep their language pure by implementing language policy to ensure the use of standardized language
The author does not think so, because, for instance, the Academie Francaise may insist on certain rules, but other
French-speaking groups may make their own rules and consider
their French just as correct.
8. What are the possible language barriers in classroom
teaching
In some cases the professors actually may have a poor command
of the language; however, in most cases the problem is not the language but different intonation patterns and different
cultural signals.
9. What are the major differences between Chinese and English
in categorizing kinfolk What other examples of connotative differences can you give between the two languages
In categorizing kinfolk, what the Chinese language finds
signifi cant are the person‘s sex, age, and whether he or she
is closely related to one‘s father or mother. All t hese things, however, are not significant in the English language.
1. What made the author feel learning to converse in Mexico
City was easier for him/her in one way, more difficult in another
It's easier because Mexicans service the relationship and they care about everyone in the conversation. But their conversation doesn‘t move in a straight line, drifting around both in the topic and in the way they use words.
2. Why did the Mexican customer slide into the topic of the
full eclipse of the sun
For the Mexican, the conversation starts with one topic, but if another interesting topic seeps in he or she will ride it around for a while. Sticking to the first topic is less important than having an interesting conversation.
3. What did the American businessman feel about the Mexican?s way of conversation
For the American, a conversation should have a topic, and he wants to take a straight line through it from beginning to end. So he felt very impatient about the Mexican‘s way of conversation.
4. What “conversational ideal” was represented by the example of a championship skier who was interviewed on TV
The Swedish conversational ideal is to response in a concise manner without elaborating specific details, especially those for self-promotion. .
5. What problems are likely to occur if an American talks with
a Swede
The American may feel totally lost in the conversation since he or she would not get as much information from the Swede as he
or she has expected.
6. What are the differences between Anglos and Athabaskans in conversation
There are a lot differences between them. For instance, at the beginning of a conversation, Anglos almost always speak first. Athabaskans think it is important to know what the social relationship is before they talk with someone. There is another difference in how long one should talk. Athabaskans tend to have longer turns when they talk with each other, but Anglos expect shorter turns.
7. Is it enough just to learn to speak in grammatically correct manners when one learns a foreign language What else does he or she also need to know
It is far from enough just to learn to speak in grammatically correct manners when one learns a foreign language. One also
has to know about the culture of using the language in social life, things like who talks first, who talks next, who opens
and closes conversations and how they do it, in order to be
able to use the language in culturally appropriate manners.
8. In what ways are Chinese similar to or different from the Americans, Mexicans and Swedes
It seems that we Chinese are somewhat similar to Mexicans in
the way we are having a conversation. Unlike Americans, we do
not usually move in a straight line in a conversation and may also care much about the other‘s feeling.
9. Do you think there has been some change in the way we
Chinese respond to compliments in the last decade or two What basic differences can we still find between the English-
speaking people and the Chinese people in the use of compliment and response
There seems to have been some change in the way we Chinese respond to compliments in the last decade or two. For example, like the English-speaking people, more and more Chinese, particularly young people, nowadays tend to use 谢谢 (Thank you) to respond to a compliment. However, we Chinese are still different from the English-speaking people in the use of compliment and response to it. For instance, implicit
compliments（隐性恭维语）are more likely to be found in the Chinese society.
●纵观历史，我们可以清楚地看到，人们由于彼此所处地域、意识形态、容貌服饰和行为举止上存在的差异，而长久无法互相理解、无法和睦相处。在这种情况下，跨文化交际作为一个特定的研究领域得以形成和发展。值得注意的是，人类文明在发展过程中所遭受的许多挫折，既是个人的，又是全球性的；人类历史进程总是充满了个人间的直接冲突和民族间的误解——从骂骂咧咧到孤立主义直至到武装冲突，大大小小争端不绝。很显然，文化间以及亚文化间的交往比以前多了，这迫切要求我们共同努力，去理解有着不同信仰和文化背景的人们，并与之和睦相处。通过加深认识和理解，我们能够与生活方式、价值观念不同的人们和平共处；这不但有益于我们周遭环境的安定，也是维护世界和平的决定性因素。
●文化有时候被称为我们的心智程序，我们“头脑的软件”。但是，我们可以进一步引申这个用电脑所做的类比，把文化看作是支持运行的操作环境。文化就像电脑使用的 DOS 或者Unix 或者“视窗”（Windows）等操作系统一样，使我们能在各种各样的实际应用中处理信息。用“视窗”这个比喻来描述文化似乎也很有吸引力。文化就是我们心灵的视窗，透过它我们审视生活的方方面面。一个社会中不同个体的视窗是不大一样的，但都有着一些重要的共同特征。文化就好像是鱼畅游于其中的水一般，人们想当然地把文化看成是客观存在的事实，因而很少去研究它。文化存在于我们所呼吸的空气之中，文化对于我们了解
我们自身之为何物是必不可少的，就正如生命离不开空气一样。文化是特定群体的共有财产，而不单是个体的特征。社会按照文化设定的程序运作，这种程序来自于相似的生活体验以及对这种生活体验之含义的相似阐释。如果文化是一种心智程序，那么它也是现实的心灵地图。从我们很小的时候开始，文化就告诉我们应该看重什么、偏好什么、规避什么和做些什么，文化还告诉我们事物应该是什么样。文化为我们提供超越个体经验可能的理想典范，帮助我们决定应该优先考虑的人或事。文化为我们建立起行为准则，并视遵守这些准则的行为为正当、合法。●由于在性别、年龄、种族或文化群体、教育、国家或城市的地域、收入或职业群体、个人经历等各方面的差异，人们分属不同的语言群体，这些差异使我们很难完全领会另一个群体成员所表达的意思。在当今世界的跨文化交际中，人们之间的差异是相当大的。人们每天要与来自世界各地不同文化背景、不同群体的人交往，成功交际的关键在于尽可能地共享对话语意义的推定。当我们与迥然不同的人打交道时，我们往往不知道该怎样推导出他们的语句意义。因此，在交际过程中，就很难依靠共享的知识和背景来有把握地诠释他人表达的意义。就是来自相同文化、甚至相同家庭中的男性和女性也会经常误解对方的意思，原因是男性和女性对交际目的有不同的预期。为了让女人高兴，男人要送她一件她真正想要的礼物。他问女人想要什么礼物——哪怕是上天摘星星。糟糕的是，女人最想要的却是男人可以凭直觉就知道她想要的是什么。至少在北美社会中，男性和女性对于表达的看法往往不同：前者倾向于直接明了，后者则倾向于间接委婉。女性觉得不用直接问就知道她想要什
么是很重要的。男性则觉得，如果女性能爽快地告诉他怎样做才能让她高兴就再好不过了。
Case 1
this case, there seemed to be problems in communicating with people of different cultures in spite 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 pictures are in.
2. 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－is more 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 in conflict with the goals or values of the group. In this case: Richard‘s mistake was in making great efforts to defend himself. Let the others assume that the errors were not intentional, but it is not right to 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.
3. When it comes to England, we expect fewer problems between Americans and Englishmen than between Americans and almost any other group. In this case we might look beyond the gesture of taking sugar or cream to the values expressed 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.