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Lesson 3 Living Abroad When I first arrived in San Francisco,I had a difficult time understanding certain aspects of the American way of doing things. Once I went to visit an American friend. After a splendid evening, I finished my cocoa and got ready to leave. As soon as we said goodbye, my friend went back to his room closing the door behind him. It made me feel that I was not really welcome. Jin Li I've always been outgoing but since an embarrassing experience in a New York restaurant I've been much more cautious. I was enjoying my dessert and talking to my American friend Janice at the table when I noticed people staring at us. I asked Janice what was wrong and she told me that I was talking too loudly. She said that to some American people, it sounded like I was shouting. I whispered for the rest of the evening. Wang Lei What did I learn about Chinese customs from my exciting exchange to China? Well, the Chinese are extremely welcoming. One evening, I was invited to a Chinese family dinner. I had a good appetite and the food was yummy. But my host kept on putting more food in my rice bowl. They didn't seem to hear me saying "No, thank you" in my poor spoken Chinese. This was a very special experience I had in China. In my culture, you don't get more food if you don't ask for more. Martin I had a similar experience the last time I visited China. The Chinese are the friendliest people I have ever met. After my visit to a Chinese family,my friend's grandfather wouldn't let me go to the bus station alone. He insisted on walking me to the station to see me off. I kept saying that I knew the way myself, but it just did not work. What he did was amazing. This will not happen in many other cultures, I guess. Tom Chinese people are very modest too. Last time, when I visited China,we saw the tour guide wearing a very pretty fur coat on the day we left. I told her the coat suited her, but she looked very embarrassed,saying that it was a cheap one she had bought a long time ago. I was surprised. In my culture, when people say nice things about us, we feel very happy and say thanks. Tina 第3课 在国外生活 我刚到旧金山时，有段时间我觉得很难理解美国人的某些处事方式。 一次，我去拜访一位美国朋友。 过了美好的一个夜晚后，我喝完可乐，准备离开。 但是我们刚互致再见，这位朋友转身就关上了门。 这使我感到自己不是很受欢迎。 金力 我是一个外向的人，但是自从在纽约的一家饭店有过一次尴尬的经历后，我比较小心了。 我和我的美国朋友詹妮斯正在餐桌前边吃甜点边聊天，突然发现人们在注视着我们。 我问詹妮斯出什么事了，她说是因为我说话声音太大了。 她告诉我，在某些美国人看来，我说话的声音听起来就像在喊叫。 那天晚上后来的时间，我一直在小声说话。 王磊 我从令人兴奋的中国文化交流学到了什么？ 嗯，中国人特别好客。 有一天晚上，我被邀情参加一个中国家庭的晚餐。 我胃口很好，吃了很多可口的食物。 但是吃饱后主人还是不停地往我碗里夹菜。 好像根本没听见我用蹩脚的中文说“不用了，谢谢。” 这是我在中国的一次特殊经历。 在我们国家，如果你不想再要的话，没人会给你再加饭菜。 马丁 上次访问中国时，我的经历和你差不多。中国人是我见过最友好的。 一天，拜访我的一个中国朋友后离开时，朋友的祖父不让我独自去车站。他坚持要陪我走到车站。 我反复说我认识路，但他就是不听。他的做法很让人诧异。 我想这样的事在许多别的国家是不会发生的。 汤姆 中国人还很谦虚。 上次访问中国时，离开那天，我看到导游穿着一件非常漂亮的外衣。 我对她说，这件衣服真合身。没想到她看上去很不好意思，解释说这件外衣是很早以前买的，而且很便宜。这真让我吃惊。 在我们国家，当人们称赞时，我们会感到很高兴，而且会马上道谢的。 蒂娜 |
