China is anation of etiquette (礼仪).Chinese people are1the most hospitable (好客的) people in the world. If2visit a Chinese family,they would be3at the warmth that they would receive asguests.
When youvisit a Chinese family, the host usually makes tea for you and4yousnacks like biscuits or candy. Someone in the family will also chat with you,never letting you feel5.
At thesame time, other family members will be busy6ameal for you. Chinese people treat their guests7abig meal. They always present more food than the guests can eat. On the table,the guests must be the8to eat. Perhaps one of the things thatsurprises a (n)9guest most is that the Chinese hostlikes to pick food for guests, which won't happen at western tables. TheChinese family10to make you feel at home. As you finisheating, the host usually says, "It seems that you didn't eat much. Pleasehave11." You tell them you are full,12theystill put more food in your bowl.
13warmand hospitable has been an important part of Chinese culture and tradition. AsConfucius (孔子) said14yearsago:
To meetfriends from a place far away, how15we are!
Tablemanners are about how to behave when you eat a meal. Different countries havedifferent table manners. Now let's see some table manners in the followingcountries.
Japan
It is OKto make some noises when you eat noodles in Japan. Making some noises is notrude but is praise to the cook. The Japanese also say it tastes better if youmake some noises while eating.
What elseto watch: it's important to say "Thanks." before and after a meal.
France
In France,a meal is like a ceremony. People enjoy it and make it a special event. Youshould never discuss money over dinner. And going Dutch (各自付费) is not polite.
What elseto watch: you need to finish everything on your plate.
Mexico
In Mexico,whenever you catch the eye of someone who's eating, even a stranger, it's goodmanners to say "provecho", which means "enjoy".
What elseto watch: where you sit is important in this country. Before you get seated,look for place cards, or wait until the host seats you. And you must say"Enjoy your meal." before you leave the table.
The SpringFestival is one of the most important festivals in China. During the festival,Chinese people have many activities. Theypaste Spring Festival couplets(春联) , greeting the New Year andsaying goodbye to the old year. On the first day of the Spring Festival, peoplehang out, wearing new clothes. Nowadays, children get red packets from theirparents and their relatives. It is a good time for people to visit relativesand friends. More importantly, the Spring Festival is celebrated not only in Chinabut also in other parts of the world.
The SpringFestival was celebrated in the UK from 1980. Every New Year, people also gettogether and have lots of activities. They sing songs and share photos withfriends or watch movies in the cinema. Besides, the Spring Festival has becomea key time for Chinese living in the US. They join in a large evening party towelcome the traditional Chinese New Year. The Chinese New Year will be welcomedwith three weeks of celebration across Australia. Thousands of people come toSydney's Chinatown. They enjoy fireworks and lion dances. The family dinner onNew Year's Eve is an important tradition for Chinese whether they were born inSingapore or moved there from China. They usually hold it at home becausehaving it in a restaurant takes away the meaning of the tradition.
Last year, I went to a summer camp in the United States with my classmates. It was my first time to go abroad.
I lived with a host family in Los Angeles for five days. My host family was friendly and gave me lots of advice. For example, they said I should say "excuse me" if I have to interrupt (打断) someone or ask for directions.
I also took some classes. They were different from the classes I had had back home. In the US, each class is like a seminar. Students join groups, speaking freely and creating a cheerful atmosphere (氛围). I had to work hard to learn more vocabularies, so I could better communicate with my international classmates. I used to pay little attention to my word usage (使用), but now I pay more attention.
During my visit, I also went to some famous universities in Boston, New York and Washington, D. C. We learned about the history behind the universities. At MIT (麻省理工学院), we saw lots of names on a wall in the hall. The tour guide told us they were the names of students who had lost their lives during wars. I was inspired (鼓舞) by the fact that they fought for their country.
ManyChinese students may want to study abroad after high school. But at the sametime, more and more foreign students are coming to study in China.
Accordingto a report from www.the Students.com, 397,633 international students came toChina in 2015. China is now the third most popular country for internationalstudents, behind the United States and the United Kingdom.
In thesummer of 2016, 55 students and teachers from Germany came to China and joineda summer camp. They were interested in traditional Chinese culture, and theyvisited several schools in Beijing. They learned to make dumplings, playChinese kung fu and do paper cutting. If they like Chinese handwriting, theycan learncalligraphy. By communicating with Chinese people, they couldhave a close relationship with their new friends, and they could know moreabout China.
In 2018,young people in Germany have become more interested in learning Chinese. Thereare more cultural exchanges between Germany and China. German students have hadchances to learn more about Chinese culture, history and its life today. Almost400 German schools have Chinese classes. Over 8,000 German students study inChina.
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hundreds of instead of similar to such as a bit |
Now over the years, real Chinese snacks have become more popular in foreign countries.
In the United States, people are eating roujiamo. Many people call roujiamo from Shaanxi Province of China the "Chinese hamburger". It has two pieces of bread with delicious meat between them. The US news blog (博客) even regards roujiamo as "the world's first hamburger". It is very an American hamburger. In fact, it has a long history in China.
In Russia, tanghulu were sold in just a few hours. Tanghulu is a traditional Chinese snack that is made of fruit, usually Chinese hawthorns (山楂). It is like candy apples in the US. They are the hawthorns with sugar candy. A stick is pushed into the fruit so you can hold it like a lollipop (棒棒糖). Some Chinese people think tanghulu has the same shape as a bottle gourd (葫芦). That's why it has this name. Of course, the new kind made of other fresh fruit strawberries and oranges has also appeared in China now.
Youtiao is like a popular snack in Spain. Some people outside China eat youtiao as well. For example, people in Malaysia eat it. They often eat it with milk tea or noodles. In Indonesia, they eat it with porridge (粥) doujiang in China.
American and British people both speak English. But sometimes there are some important differences between British English and American English.
Often, Americans don't say each word separately. They say words together. Americans may say "I dunno" instead of "I don't know". However, the British are more careful. They usually say all the words and keep them separate.
Sound is not the only difference. Words sometimes have different meanings too.Americans drive trucks, but in England, people drive lorries.
In England, if you are going to call your friends, you "phone them up". In America, you "give them a call".
There are also some differences in grammar. For example, Americans usually use the helping verb "do" when they ask a question. They say "Do you have a pen?" But the British often leave out the helping verb.
Most languages are like this. Languages change over time. When people live in separate places, the languages change in different ways. This is what has happened to English.Many people in Canada speak French but their French is very different from the French of France.
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A. Many expressions are also different in the two countries. B. It can also happen to other languages like French. C. For example, the vocabulary for cars and driving is very different. D. They say "Have you a pen?" E. First of all, they sound very different. |
