[精华版]Cultural Iceberg

[精华版]Cultural Iceberg Cultural Iceberg ?. Listening and Speaking 1. Discussion 1) What’s your understanding of cultural differences? 2) What cultural differences do you know? 3) Suppose you are studying aboard, what problems you would meet? 2. Listen to the following text and complete the tasks. 1) Which country has the speaker been to for studying? A. America B. Briton C.Japan 2) Why did she blush in the first story? A. She did not bring enough money with her. B. She was not accustomed to the way the storekeeper treat her. C. She found that she bought the wrong article and wanted to change. 3) What did the westerners always say according to the listening material? A. Excuse me B. Hello C. Thank you 4) What could we conclude from the two stories? (Open-ended) 5) On what occasions mentioned in the text did the westerners say “thank you”? (Tick the right ones) ?pouring out a cup of tea ?seeing their guest off ? handing over a spoon ?offering fruits ? passing the sugar ?cleaning the house 6) How did she feel about that? (Open-ended) 3. Listen to the following conversation and complete the tasks. Tony was invited to a Chinese friend’s home. He had a good time, but he felt a little unpleasant. The following is a conversation between Tony and his friend Bill, listen and see what happened on earth. 1. What did Tony bring with him as a gift for his Chinese colleague? 2. Did Tony wrap up the tapes? 3. When Tony gave his Chinese hosts the gift, what did they do? 4. What did Tony expect them to do? 5. How do the westerners and Chinese people differ in receiving presents? 4. Challenge to Speak Conversation one: thA: I am curious. My foreign teacher told me that March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day. I don’t know what that means. Can you help me? B: I heard that St. Patrick’s Day is a religious festival that celebrated in the English-speaking countries in the West, mainly by people of Irish descent, but also by others. A: How do people celebrate this day? B: Some cities hold parties. There is a superstition that says you must wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. If not, others have permission to come up and pinch you. On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone who wants to get into the spirit of the day wears green. A: Hmm, it sounds very interesting. B: It’s all just for fun. Conversation two: A: Did you hear Xiao Wang? He just asked that foreign lady her age? B: You are kidding? Doesn’t he know it is impolite to ask a foreigner his or her age? A: He probably doesn’t know that custom. He doesn’t know very much about foreigners and their ways. B: Yeah, he’s a little ignorant of the outside world. But he has a good understanding of Chinese customs and appropriate behavior here at home. By the way, I wonder why foreigners are so sensitive about revealing their ages. A: I’m not sure. I think they like to give the impression that they are young. They feel flattered to be thought younger than they actually are. B: How strange! I would like to appear older so I can get more respect! 5. Role Play 1) John is invited for dinner at his Chinese friend Li Ming’s home. But when he sits at the table, he finds he cannot use the chopsticks. 2) A Chinese girl loses her in New York City. She says “hello” to passers-by and asks for direction, but people give her contemptuous look and go away. Act it out and discuss with your partners why she is treated like that. 6. Function items: ? Expressing Curiosity What’s that, Excuse me, can you tell me why/what/where/who/when…? I wonder why…? I am curious to know…? I am dying to know…? ? Confessing Ignorance I am sorry, I didn’t know that. I am afraid I don’t know. I have no idea. I did not realize that. Forgive me. Excuse my ignorance, but what is that? Doesn’t he know that…? Proverb: A single flower does not make a spring. ?. Reading: Pre-Reading: 1. What’s your understanding of an iceberg? 2. Do you think cultural differences can cause conflict? 3. What similarities between cultural differences and an iceberg? The following expressions may help you answer the above questions. above the water below the water food festival fashion value religion salary age marriage Text A: Culture Is an Iceberg The Iceberg metaphor for culture shows a cruise ship sailing close to the iceberg for a look at this foreign territory. Part of the iceberg is immediately visible; part of it emerges and submerges with the tides, and its foundations go deep beneath the surface. Culture' is rather like an iceberg; you can see a little of it, in the same way that you can see how we behave 'on the surface.' But the biggest and most important part- our cultural values- are hidden below the surface. They are like underground rivers that run through our lives and relationships, giving us messages that shape our perceptions, attributions, judgments, and ideas of self and other. Cultures are more than language, dress, and food customs. Cultural groups may share race, ethnicity, or nationality, but they also arise from cleavages of generation, socioeconomic class, sexual orientation, ability and disability, political and religious affiliation, language, and gender -- to name only a few. Culture is an essential part of conflict. Many Chinese people tend to ask about age, marital status, and even salary when first meeting one another. To them, these are open conversational topics. Knowing a person's age helps them use appropriate terms of address, such as 'Lao Wang', 'Xiao Li', or kin terms such as 'uncle' or 'aunt', etc. And Chinese people pay a lot of attention to family life, so naturally talk of family members features as a common topic. As to salary, since there is a national system of salaries, people usually don't consider it a secret and they talk about it openly. However, in Britain, weather and sports are common topics. Age, marriage and salary are some taboo questions. These are considered too private or too personal to talk about when first meeting someone. Here is another typical case. 'Lao ' is a commonly used term by Chinese people to address someone who is older than the speaker to show his politeness, respect and closeness, e.g. 'Lao Zhang', 'Lao Wang '. The term does not necessarily mean old age. 'Lao Wai ' is a colloquial term of address for foreigners. While westerners dislike being labeled as 'old', for they assume that old means useless. Confronting with cultural conflicts, we can take in some strong points from the foreign cultures. But at the same time, we cannot throw away our own culture and accept another one totally. Every culture is a treasure to the history of the Earth, so we should only pick out those we lack to perfect our own. Different cultures add the most colorful element to the world of 21st century. The cultural gap should not be the obstacle to the civilization of human being. It ought to be the motivation of our going farther. vocabularies: 1. territory: n. the extent of the land under the jurisdiction of a ruler, state, city. 领 土， 版图 2. emerge: v.come up or out into view, esp. when formerly concealed. 浮现，露 出 3. submerge: v. a place under water. 浸没，淹没，使浸入。 4. beneath: adv. Below, under, underneath. 在???之下。 5. perception: n. an interpretation or impression based on one’s understanding of something. (基于理解上的)解释，印象。 6. attribution;n. a characteristic quality. 特征，特性。 7. ethnicity: 少数民族 8. cleavage: n. a division or splitting. 分裂，劈开。 9. orientation: n. the act or an instance of orientating 定位。 10. gender;性别。 11. labeled as: assign to a category. 把???归类为。 12. assume: v. take or accept as being true. 认为。 13. colloquial: adj. belonging to or proper to ordinary or familiar conversation, not formal or literary. 口语的，非书面的。 14. take in: absorb into the body. 吸收。 15 .confront with: meet or stand facing. 面临，面对。 Post-Reading 1. Read the text carefully again and discuss the following questions. 1) What’s your understanding that culture is rather like an iceberg? 2) What specifically does it refers to? 3) How many conflicts are mentioned in the text? What are there? 4) What other taboos do you know? 5) What attitudes should we take towards different cultures, 2. Filling the gaps. Culture is like an _____. Par of it is visible, part of it _____ and _____ beneath the surface. You can see a little of it on the surface, but the biggest and most important part of our values are hidden below the surface. As for issue of age, _____ and marital status, Chinese people and western people response totally different. _____ with culture conflicts, we should _____ _____the excellent part of foreign culture and hand down our Chinese traditional culture. Grammar: -ing分词分句在句中作状语，表示多重意义。 1)-ing分词作时间状语: Climbing to the top of the tower, we saw a magnificent view. While flying over the Channel, he saw a ship sinking. 2) -ing分词作原因状语: Being a hard-working young man, he is praised by all his fellow workers. Having worked hard all day, I was ready for bed by eight o’clock. 3)-ing分词作条件状语: A large meteor hitting the moon(=if it hits the moon) would melt the surface rock by the force of collision. You will make yourself more tired, keeping on your feet (=if you keep on your feet). 4)-ing分词作让步状语: Knowing all this, they still insisted on my paying for the damage. Many boys, having had feel advantages in their youth, have nevertheless done great things for their country. 5)-ing分词作结果状语: He spread a rumor that the president was going to resign, leading to a great confusion in that country. It rained heavily, causing severe flooding in that area. 6)-ing分词作伴随状语: He ran up to her, breathing heavily. The old man was fast asleep, holding a book in his hand. Exercises: 1. Multiple choice 1) Weather____, we will have a picnic tomorrow. A. permits B. permitted C. permitting D. to permit 2) ____, He can now only watch it on TV at home. A. Obtaining not a ticket for the match B. Not obtaining a ticket for the match C. Not having obtained a ticket for the match D. Not obtained a ticket for the match 3) _____at in his way, the situation doesn’t seem so desperate. A. Looking B. Looked C. Being look D. To kook 4) If not ____with the respect he feels due to him, Jack gets very ill-tempered and grumbles all the time. A. being treated B. treated C. be treated D. having been treated 5) The three men tried many times to sneak across the border into the neighboring country, ________by thee police each time. A. had been captured B. being always captured C. only to be captured D. unfortunately captured 2. Rewrite the following sentences using V–ing participle. 1). Since we sit at the back of the classroom, we can not hear clearly., 2). He was lying on the couch. He was enjoying his pipe. 3). After supper, we went out for a walk. 4). Whether he was awake on asleep, the subject was always in his mind. 5). Always she knows everything, she does not pass the exam. 3. Translate the following with -ing participle clauses. 1) 他买好车票之后就开始收拾行李。 2) 看到面前坐着这么多人，他感到很紧张。 3) 我在四川住过很多年，对那里情况很了解。 4) 我们开始敲门，以为那就是他的住所。 5) 当他到达村里时，发现姑娘们正在田里摘棉花。 Text B Cultural Difference between West and China Everything is relative, cultural difference being no exception. Culture, as the total pattern of human behavior and its products, oversteps geographical limits and historical conditions in many ways, and it is characterized by its strong penetrativeness and fusibility. Therefore, the culture differences are everywhere. They affect people’s ways of thinking and their views of the world. Even in everyday life, the cultural differences show up from the moment the eyes are opened to the minute the dreams are invited. Greeting is the first step to form a culture, because people begin to communicate with others. The individuals become a community. How do we Chinese greet each other? Informally, if we meet a friend in the street, we are used to say: “Hi, have you had your meal?” or “Where are you going?” When it is the case of two gentlemen, they tend to shake hands. However, in the western countries, the above questions are just questions, not greeting at all. They may think you’re inviting them to dinner if you ask about their meals. Usually, they’ll just give each other a smile or greet with a “Hi.”. They’ll shake hands only in some formal situations. By the way, Westerners can leave a party or meeting halls without a formal conge, nor should they shake hands with every attendee like most of us will do here. Secondly, think of the situations below. Your mother is busy in the kitchen. She suddenly asks you to fetch a bowl for her. You do so. What’ll your mother’s response be? Probably she’ll just continue doing the cooking. After a while, the dinner is ready. Your mother hands you your bowl of rice. What’s your response? Probably just begin to eat. That’s what I want to say. In Chinese families, we rarely say “Thank you” to other family members for receiving help or service. Neither will we say so between good friends. It’s such an unpopular response that if you say it, the counterpart will think you are treating him as a stranger, otherwise you are lacking of intimacy. But in the West, "thank you" is one of the most frequently used sentences. Teachers will thank a student for answering a question; husbands will thank his wife for making a coffee. Thirdly, the ways people eat, that is, the table manner, really distinguish a lot. The reason for this is probably because of the different dining tools and menus. Chinese use chopsticks or sometimes even grasp rice straightly with hands as Indians do. The thin and long chopsticks cannot be used to cut food, so we usually use our teeth to act as knives. We hold our food, meat or vegetable, with the chopsticks, send them to the mouths, bite off a part of it and remain the other part on the chopsticks. That’s the usual way we eat. We are also used to hold up our bowls when having rice or soup. But all these habits are considered rude in the Western countries. The etiquette in the West requests that when eating, bowls and plates cannot leave the tables. Food should be cut by knives to fit into the mouths. Of course your mouth cannot touch the plates or bowls. So the regular process is like this. You cut your steak on the plate with fork and knife, send the meat cube into the mouth with fork and nothing will be returned back but the fork alone. To sum up, Different cultures add the most colorful element to the world of 21st century. The cultural differences should not be the obstacle to the civilization of human being. It ought to be the motivation of our going further. New vocabularies: 1. exception: n. the state of being excepted.例外,除外。 2. overstep: v. pass beyond a boundary or mark. 逾越,越 过,界限或标志,。 3. characterize: v. describe the character of. 描绘???的特征。 4. community: n. a body of people having a religion, a profession etc in common.,宗教或职业等,团体,界。 5. conge: n. leave-taking 告辞,告别。 6. counterpart: n. a person or thing extremely like another. 相似的人或物。 7. intimacy: n. close familiarity or friendship. 亲密,密切。 8. distinguish: v. draw distinctions between. 区别,辨别。 9. menu: n. a list of dishes available in the restaurant etc. 菜单。 True or False 1. In western countries, people greeting others by saying “Hi, have you had your meal? ” or “Where are you going?” 2. Westerns always greet each other with a smile or say “Hi” instead of shaking hands like Chinese. 3. In Chinese family, we rarely say “Thank you” to other family members for receiving help or service. 4. Chinese often leave a party or meeting halls without a formal leave-taking. 5. Chinese use their teeth to act their knives; however, this behavior is considered rude in western countries. 6. It’s normal in westerners’ eyes that your mouth can touch the bowls or plates when eating. ?.Writing After class, design a questionnaire, surveying the people around you to know their understanding of cultural differences, and hand in a report paper. DOS and DON'TS (Taboos) in England Do stand in line: In England we like to form orderly queues (standing in line) and wait patiently for our turn e.g. boarding a bus. It is usual to queue when required, and expected that you will take your correct turn and not push in front. 'Queue jumping' is frowned upon. Do take your hat off when you go indoors (men only): It is impolite for men to wear hats indoors especially in churches. Nowadays, it is becoming more common to see men wearing hats indoors. However, this is still seen as being impolite, especially to the older generations. Do say "Excuse Me": If someone is blocking your way and you would like them to move, say excuse me and they will move out of your way. Do Pay as you Go: Pay for drinks as you order them in pubs and other types of bars. 7. Do cover your Mouth: When yawning or coughing always cover your mouth with your hand. Do Shake Hands: When you are first introduced to someone, shake their right hand with your own right hand. Do Smile: A smiling face is a welcoming face. Do Drive on the left side of the road.