Low-power-distance countries such as Denmark, Norway and South Korea hold that inequality in society should be minimized. In such countries, subordinates consider superior to be the same kind of people as they are, and superiors perceive their subordinates the same way.
If you make a presentation in a business meeting and the audience are the Americans, it should be direct and to the point.
We can find many equivalent idioms and proverbs between English and Chinese.
If you say you are relaxed, yet your voice quaversand your hands shake. The audience can get the meaning that you are nervous.
The gesture of nodding does not mean Yes in all cultures.
When engaging in a small talk with a person of another culture, remember that discussing one’s family and political discussions are always the appropriate topics in all cultures.
At Mary's birthday party, Jane introduced Joe to Jack. They had not known each other before. The most appropriate utterance（话语）for Jack would be How do you do?
People in high-power-distance countries such as Mexico, the Phillippines and the United States believe that power and authority are facts of life. Both consciously and unconsciously, these cultures teach their members that people are not equal in this world and that everybody has a rightful place in the society.
5. Women in the west like indirect ways of
speaking, which is taken by men as confident.
Nonverbal communication is used only as a means of contradicting verbal communication.
5. He is a bit of dragon here. The equivalent Chinese version of this sentence is: 他在这一带为非作歹。
6. as cunning as a dead 回答
The appopriate Chinese version for the Engish idiom a rat in a hole is 瓮中之鳖。
At the honeymoon stage of intercultural communication, differences in language, concepts, values, etc. lead to such feelings and emotions as anxiety, homesickness, and loneliness in daily life, school and work.
Nations with a strong uncertainty avoidance tendency are Peru, Japan, Finland and the Netherlands.
Where do their meanings come from? The answer is that meanings of words are usually conventionalized, influenced enormously by culture.
At the core of uncertainty avoidance is the idea that the future is predictable.
Inductive thought pattern is a pattern in which a topic is introduced at the beginning and minor or supporting arguments are presented afterwards.
Individualistic cultures require an absolute loyalty to the group.
The appopriate Chinese version for the Engish idiom like a duck to water is 如鱼得水。
Because of the cultural differences, many idioms come from history only have half-equivalent idioms in another language.
At Mary's birthday party,
Mary introduced Tom to Peter. They had not known each other before. The most
appropriate utterance（话语）for Tom would be Nice to meet you.
Cultures such as France, the Netherlands and the United States are relatively highly individualistic, believing that the autonomy of the individual is paramount.
Cultures such as Belgium, the Netherlands and Australia are relatively highly individualistic, believing that the autonomy of the individual is paramount.
Nonverbal communication can be used as a means of repeating or complementing verbal communication.
Low-power-distance countries such as Finland, Denmark and Greece hold that inequality in society should be minimized. In such countries, subordinates consider superior to be the same kind of people as they are, and superiors perceive their subordinates the same way.
7. What
can we infer（推理）from the text about intercultural communication?
8. Don’t be depressed. Let’s work hard and our company will soon be out of the 回答.
The appopriate Chinese version for the Engish idiom like a drowned rat is 落汤鸡。
Directions: There are 10 terms of cultural values and countries. Choose the appropriate one to complete each sentence. Please note that capitalized letters are a must where necessary.
long-term orientation masculinity collectivism
short-term orientation power distance individualism
Germany Great Britain South Korea Latin America
1. By high degree of 回答 of a culture, it means that few people on the top of a society hold a lot of power which is more or less accepted by others.
In all cultures people nod to show agreement.
5. as quiet as a 回答
Euphemisms are offensive expressions that are used in place of words with negative connotations.
People in high-power-distance countries such as Greece, Singapore and the United States believe that power and authority are facts of life. Both consciously and unconsciously, these cultures teach their members that people are not equal in this world and that everybody has a rightful place in the society.
The words masulinity and femininity do not refer to men and women, but refer to the degree to which masculine or feminine traits are valued and reserved.
Deductive thought pattern is a pattern in which a topic is introduced at the beginning and minor or supporting arguments are presented afterwards.
We learn ethnocentrism very early in life, and primarily on the unconscious level.
Nonverbal communication can be used as a means of repeating verbal communication.
Nonverbal behaviors can regulate and manage the flow of communication.
Normally, when hearing compliments, a typical British reaction is to show modesty and humility.
As cultures vary, misunderstandings and difficulties in intercultural communication arise when there is little or no awareness of different cultural values, beliefs, behaviors, and so on.
Nonverbal behaviors can replace verbal communication to convey certain meanings. For example, you can wave hands to friends far away to greet them.
While you are saying You must do it, you hit the table with your fist.
This means that nonverbal behaviors can be used to emphasize verbal messages.
Cultures such as Australia, Belgium and Japan are relatively highly individualistic, believing that the autonomy of the individual is paramount.
Feminine cultures expect men to be assertive, ambitious, and competitive.
Nonverbal communication can be used as a means of repeating or regulating verbal communication.
7. What does a raised eyebrow mean?
Nations with a strong uncertainty avoidance tendency are Portugal, Greece, Denamark and Norway.
Passage One
According to the American
linguist, Deborah Tannen, communication habits vary depending on individual
personality, culture, and among other factors, gender（性别）. Since male ways of communicating are standard in
business, women’s ways of talking are often ignored or misunderstood in the
workplace. Tannen emphasizes that female and male style are both valid（有效的）. Here are some of Tannen’s main points:
Conversational styles in
boys and girls show up（显现）early. Even 5-year-old boys care about
their ranks in the group, while 5-year-old girls care more about being in or
out of the group. Therefore, men’s conversational styles often use competition（竞争）, while women try to keep the appearance of equality（平等）.
Women tend to apologize more
than men, as an attempt（试图）to restore（恢复）the
power balance （权力平衡） in conversation. When men simply accept the
apology rather than part of the responsibility, women feel unjustly （不公正地）blamed. Western women favor indirect ways of speaking,
which is interpreted（理解）by Western men as showing insecurity（局促不安） and lack of confidence（缺乏自信）.
However, this gender difference is also a cultural difference: Japanese
business culture demands indirectness, and direct approach used by Western
businessmen is often seen as rude by the Japanese.
Questions
1-5: Decide whether the following statements are True or False according to the
passage.
1. Communication habits vary depending on
individual personality, culture and diet.
In western countries, personal space is highly valued.
Nonverbal communication can be used as a means of repeating or contradicting verbal communication.
Low-power-distance countries such as Austria, Finland and Greece hold that inequality in society should be minimized. In such countries, subordinates consider superior to be the same kind of people as they are, and superiors perceive their subordinates the same way.
To some extent, culture shock needs not be negative.
Passage Two
Verbal skills in another culture can generally be mastered if one studies hard enough,
but nonverbal skills are much more difficult to learn. Nonverbal behavior includes areas
such as eye contact, facial expressions, postures, gestures, and the use of time, space,
and territory. The messages sent by body language and the way we arrange time and
space have always been open to interpretation. Does a raised eyebrow mean that your
boss doubts your statement or just that she is seriously considering it? Does a closed
door to an office mean that your coworker is angry or just that he is working on a
project that requires concentration? Deciphering nonverbal communication is
difficult for people who are culturally similar, and it is even more troublesome when
cultures differ.
In Western cultures, for example, people perceive silence as negative. It suggests
rejection, unhappiness, facial expression, regret, embarrassment, or ignorance.
However, the Japanese admire silence and consider it a key to success. A Japanese
proverb says, Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know.
Over 60 percent of Japanese businesswomen said that they would prefer to marry
silent men. Silence is equated with wisdom.
Questions 6-10:
Choose the best choice to complete each statement or answer each question.
6. According to this passage, what does nonverbal communication include?
Low-power-distance countries such as Norway, the United States and New Zealand hold that inequality in society should be minimized. In such countries, subordinates consider superior to be the same kind of people as they are, and superiors perceive their subordinates the same way.
8. What is the main idea of Paragraph One?
People usually experience many emotions while adapting to a foreign culture, with culture shock as the adaptation phase of transition into a new culture.
Nations such as Ireland, the Phillippines and Greece tend towards a masculine world view.
Passage One
Animals are friends of human beings, so the languages of all nations contain a lot of words about animals. Certain words for animals do carry similar denotative and connotative meanings in both languages. In English, for instance, dove is often related to peace, and in Chinese we have a similar term 和平鸽. Another example is that fox and 狐狸 both imply the quality of being sly, as is obvious in the idioms of as sly as a fox and 像狐狸一样狡猾.
However, there are many words with the same denotative meanings but different connotative meanings. For instance, bat is an evil animal in European folk legends. The English idioms like as blind as a bat and as crazy as a bat give explanation by themselves. But many Chinese people believe that bat is the symbol of good luck, health and happiness. This is mainly because in 蝙蝠 蝠 is pronounced the same with 福 (good fortune) in 幸福 (happiness) and 洪福 (limitless blessing).
Still, there are many other words whose denotative and connotative meanings are both different in English and Chinese. For example, in the western world, dragon is a fire-spitting mythical animal, signifying violence, as in He is a bit of dragon here. By contrast, most Chinese people regard 龙 (Long) as a symbol of dignity and power, as in the idiom 望子成龙 (hold high hopes for one’s child).
Questions 1-5: Decide whether the following statements are True or False according to the passage.
1. Some English words about animals carry both denotative and connotative meanings.
Stereotypes develop through limited personal contact.
10. Most people of western
countries such as 回答, Australia,
Great Britain and Canada keep a
short-term orientation.
The appopriate Chinese version for the Engish idiom as stupid as a goose is 蠢得像猪。
Nonverbalbehaviors can be used in order to repeat or clarify verbal messages.
All cultures require and value politeness, but the ways in which the politeness is achieved may vary significantly.
The connotation of the black color is the same in both English and Chinese cultures.
Logo gifts are fine as small remembrances for meetings held as well as the sincerest form of a thank-you gift.
In cultures that tend toward individualism, competition rather than cooperation is encouraged; personal goals take precedence over group goals.
Nonverbal communication can be used as a means of repeating, complementing or accenting verbal communication.
The appopriate Chinese version for the Engish idiom to cry up wine and sell vinegar is挂羊头卖狗肉。
Normally, when hearing compliments, a typical Chinese reaction is to show modesty and humility.
People learn the lessons of culture through ___________.
5. A computer would be a 回答 elephant to him, because he doesn’t
know how to use it.
People in high-power-distance countries such as Brazil, Mexico and France believe that power and authority are facts of life. Both consciously and unconsciously, these cultures teach their members that people are not equal in this world and that everybody has a rightful place in the society.
Individualism-Collectivism describes the degree to which a culture relies on and has allegiance to the self or the group.
Nations such as Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden tend towards a masculine world view.
What determines the connotations of words? Culture does.
While you are saying You must do it, you hit the table with your fist.
This means that nonverbal behaviors can be used to repeat verbal messages.
Wang Ming is invited to a meal at the home of an American couple. He is offered a second helping but he has already had enough, so he says, That was delicious but I’ve already had plenty. Thanks. This is the inappropriate utterance（话语）for him.
At the beginning of a new term, when you meet your foreign teacher, Miss Black, you say You must have a good time during the vacation. You look like you gained a lot of weight. This is not the appropriate greeting for you.
When you stay in a new environment for a period of time, people may move to the crisis stage from the honeymoon stage.
Low-power-distance countries such as Austria, Denmark and Finland hold that inequality in society should be minimized. In such countries, subordinates consider superior to be the same kind of people as they are, and superiors perceive their subordinates the same way.
Stereotypes, found in nearly every intercultural situation, are a means of organzing our images into fixed and simple categories that we use to represent an entire collection of people.
Nonverbal communication can be used as a means of contradicting or accenting verbal communication.
Nonverbal communication is used only as a means of contradicting verbal communication.
First name is used almost immediately by people from the United States and Great Britain.
Travel and foods are appropriate topics of conversation in the USA.
The person ahead of Wang Lin in line （排队）at a café dropped his pen. Wang Lin picked it up and gave it back to him. When he said Thank you, Wang Lin answered Never mind.
This is the inappropriate response for him.
In high masculinity societies, sex roles are clearly differentiated and men are dominant.
For many words of the English language there are only denotations.
When nonverbal behavior contradicts a verbal message, people tend to believe the
nonverbal message more because it happens at a more subconscious level.
Arrive on time for meetings since time and punctuality are so important to Americans.
Chinese businesspeople expect a prolonged getting to know you process at the beginning of negotiations.
回答is the
situation where you are focused on the future. You are willing to delay
short-term material success in order to prepare for the future.
Countries like Brazil, the Phillippines and China rank high in long-term orientation index.
Culture shock is a necessary stage in intercultural communication and passes with time.
At the recovery stage of staying in another country or culture, people begin to compare the home culture to the new culture and realize that the new culture have not only disadvantages but also merits.
People in high-power-distance countries such as India, Mexico and the Phillippines believe that power and authority are facts of life. Both consciously and unconsciously, these cultures teach their members that people are not equal in this world and that everybody has a rightful place in the society.
Weather is an appropriate topic of conversation in the UK.
Deductive pattern of thinking is from general to specific.
The connotation of the white color is the same in both English and Chinese cultures.
