新編跨文化交際英語Unit5課后答案

Isitstilloftenthecasethat“everyone/squicktoblamethealien”inthecontemporaryworldThisisstillpowerfulintoday’ssocialandpoliticalrhetoric.Forinstance,itisnotuncommonintoday‘ssocietytohearpeoplesaythatmost,ifnotall,ofthesocialandeconomicproblemsarecausedbyminoritiesandimmigrants.What’sthedifferencebetweentoday’sinterculturalcontactandthatofanytimeinthepastToday‘sinterculturalencountersarefarmorenumerousandofgreaterimportancethaninanytimeinhistory.WhathavemadeinterculturalcontactaverycommonphenomenoninourlifetodayNewtechnology,intheformoftransportationandcommunicationsystems,hasacceleratedinterculturalcontact;innovativecommunicationsystemshaveencouragedandfacilitatedculturalinteraction;globalizationoftheeconomyhasbroughtpeopletogether;changesinimmigrationpatternshavealsocontributedtointerculturalencounter.Howdoyouunderstandthesentence“cultureiseverythingandeverywhere”Culturesuppliesuswiththeanswerstoquestionsaboutwhattheworldlookslikeandhowweliveandcommunicatewithinthatworld.Cultureteachesushowtobehaveinourlifefromtheinstantofbirth.Itisomnipresent.WhatarethemajorelementsthatdirectlyinfluenceourperceptionandcommunicationThethreemajorsocio-culturalelementsthatdirectlyinfluenceperceptionandcommunicationareculturalvalues,worldview(religion),andsocialorganizations(familyandstate).Whatdoesone’sfamilyteachhimorherwhileheorshegrowsupinitThefamilyteachesthechildwhattheworldlookslikeandhisorherplaceinthatworld.WhyisitimpossibletoseparateouruseoflanguagefromourcultureBecauselanguageisnotonlyaformofpreservingculturebutalsoameansofsharingculture.Languageisanorganized,generallyagreed-upon,learnedsymbolsystemthatisusedtorepresenttheexperienceswithinaculturalcommunity.WhatarethenonverbalbehaviorsthatpeoplecanattachmeaningtoPeoplecanattachmeaningtononverbalbehaviorssuchasgestures,postures,facialexpressions,eyecontactandgaze,touch,etc.Howcanafree,culturallydiversesocietyexistAfree,culturallydiversesocietycanexistonlyifdiversityispermittedtoflourishwithoutprejudiceanddiscrimination,bothofwhichharmallmembersofthesociety.1.WhichofthedefinitionsgivenabovedoyoupreferWhySomemaypreferashortdefinition,suchastheonegivenbyE.SapirorR.Benedict,foritishighlygeneralizedandeasytoremember.Somemaypreferalongerone,suchasEdwardT.Hall‘sdefinitionofculture,becauseitprovidesuswithamorecomprehensiveunderstandingofcultureandpointsouttheall-pervasiveimpactofcultureonhumanlifeindifferentdimensions.haveyoulearnedfromthosedefinitionsaboutcultureManythingscanbelearnedfromthosedefinitions,foreachdefinition,thoughnotwithoutitslimitations,tellsussomethingveryimportantaboutcultureorcertainaspect(s)ofculture.DoyouagreethatourlowerneedsalwayshavetobesatisfiedbeforewecantrytosatisfythehigherneedsEventhoughthisisgenerallythecase,therewillstillbesomeexceptions.Sometimespeoplemightprefertosatisfyhigherneeds,forinstance,esteemneeds,beforetheirlowerneeds,suchascertainphysiologicalneedsorsafetyneeds,aresatisfied.WhatexamplescanyougiveabouthowpeopleofdifferentculturesachievethesameendsbytakingdifferentroadsForexample,everyonehastoeatinordertoliveandthisisuniversallytrue.However,tosatisfythisbasicneed,peopleofvariousculturesmaydoitinverydifferentways:whattoeatandhowtoeatitvaryfromculturetoculture.WhatbehaviorsofoursarebornwithandwhatarelearnedintheculturalenvironmentInstinctivebehaviorsarebehaviorsthatwearebornwithandwaysofdoingthingsindailylife,suchaswaysofeating,drinking,dressing,findingshelter,makingfriends,marrying,anddealingwithdeatharelearnedintheculturalenvironment.WhatotherculturaldifferencesdoyouknowinthewaypeopledothingsintheireverydaylifeWecanalsofindculturaldifferencesinwaysofbringingupchildren,treatingtheelderly,greetingeachother,savingandspendingmoney,andmanyotherthingspeopledoineverydaylife.InwhatwaysaretheChineseeatinghabitsdifferentfromthoseoftheEnglish-speakingcountriesWeChinesemayenjoysomethingthatisnotusuallyconsideredasediblebytheEnglish-speakingpeople.Generallyweprefertohavethingshotandlaymuchemphasisontastes.Wetendtosharethingswitheachotherwhenweareeatingwithothers.1.WhyisitcomparativelyeasytomakefriendsintheUnitedStatesBecausefewAmericansstayputforalifetime.Witheachmove,formingnewfriendshipbecomesanecessityandpartoftheirnewlife.peoplefromdifferentcountriesusuallyhavedifferentexpectationsaboutwhatconstitutesfriendshipandhowitcomesintobeingYes.Thedifficultywhenstrangersfromtwocountriesmeetistheirdifferentexpectationsaboutwhatconstitutesfriendshipandhowitcomesintobeing.HowisfriendshipinAmericadifferentfromfriendshipinWestEuropeInWestEurope,friendshipisquitesharplydistinguishedfromother,morecasualrelationships,isusuallymoreparticularizedandcarriesaheavierburdenofcommitment,whileinAmericatheword-friendcanbeappliedtoawiderangeofrelationshipandafriendshipmaybesuperficial,casual,situationalordeepandenduring.Inwhatcountrydoesfriendshiphavemuchtodowithone’sfamilyAndinwhatcountrydoesitnotInGermany,friendshiphasmuchtodowithone‘sfamilyasfriendsareusuallybroughtintothefamily,whileinFranceitdoesn‘tas,forinstance,twomenmayhavebeenfriendsforalongtimewithoutknowingeachother‘spersonallife.WhatisfriendshiplikewhenitiscompartmentalizedForinstance,amanmayplaychesswithafriendforthirtyyearswithoutknowinghispoliticalopinions,orhemaytalkpoliticswithhimforaslongatimewithoutknowingabouthispersonallife.Differentfriendsfilldifferentnichesineachperson’slife.WhatarefriendshipsusuallybasedoninEnglandEnglishfriendshipsarebasedonsharedactivity.Activitiesatdifferentstagesoflifemaybeofverydifferentkinds.Inthemidstoftheactivity,whateveritmaybe,peoplefallintostepsandfindthattheyparticipateintheactivitywiththesameeasyanticipationofwhateachwilldodaybydayorinsomecriticalsituation.DoyouthinkfriendshipsharessomecommonelementsindifferentculturesIfyoudo,whataretheyYes.Thereistherecognitionthatfriendship,incontrastwithkinship,invokesfreedomofchoice.Afriendissomeonewhochoosesandischosen.Relatedtothisisthesenseeachfriendgivestheotherofbeingaspecialindividual,onwhatevergroundsthisrecognitionisbased.Andbetweenfriendsthereisinevitablyakindofequalityofgive-and-take.WhatdoyouthinkisthetypicalChineseconceptoffriendshipIsitsimilartoordifferentfromanyoftheWesternfriendshipsItseemsthatthetypicalChineseconceptoffriendshiplaysgreatemphasisonpersonalloyaltyandalsohasmuchtodowithfamily.ItmaybesimilartoGermanyfriendshiptosomeextentandquitedifferentfromotherWesternfriendships.WhatisyourfamilylikeInwhataspectsisitthesameasordifferentfromthetraditionalWhatproblemsmayarisewhenpeoplefromdifferentfamilybackgroundscommunicatewithoneanotherAsweallknow,manyculturaldifferencesexistinfamilystructuresandvalues.Insomecultures,thefamilyisthecenteroflifeandthemainframeofreferencefordecisions;whileinothers,theindividual,notthefamily,isprimary.ManyChinesefamiliesarestillquitetraditional.Theyareoftenextendedfamilies,withthreeorevenfourgenerationslivingunderthesameroof.Insuchfamilies,peoplemaycarealotaboutfamilies,welfare,reputationandhonor.Nomatterwhattheydo,theytendtoputtheinterestofthewholefamilyasthetoppriority.Forthem,thefamilyasawholealwayscomesfirst,anditsindividualmembersaresecond.However,therearealsomanyChinesefamiliesnowinwhichindividualneedsaregivenmorestressthaneverbeforeandtherelationshipbetweenparentsandchildrenaremoreegalitarianthanhierarchical.Therefore,communicationbetweenpeoplefromdifferentfamilybackgroundsmaybeinterculturaltosomeextent.Whatoneconsidersasappropriatemayberegardedasimproperbytheother,andsometimesitwouldbeverydifficultforthemtounderstandeachotherinthewayeachofthempreferstobeunderstood.WhatcanwedotoavoidattributingaverydifferentmeaningtothephraseorinterpretitmuchmoreliterallyWehavetobeawareoftheculturalimplicationsofthephrase.WhataretheotherfunctionsofusingquestionformsapartfromaskingforinformationItservesasalubricanttomovetheconversationforward.Aquestionthathasthisfunctioncanbecalleda-socialquestion.WhyarethoseGermansgettingstifferandmorereservedallthetimewhenvisitingIngridZerbeTheyareconfusedabouthowtoaddressher,forsheintroducesherselfbyfirstandlastnameratherthanbylastnameandprofessionaltitle.HowdoestheenvironmentinfluencetheuseoflanguageLanguagereflectstheenvironmentinwhichwelive.Weuselanguagetolabelthethingsthatarearoundus.DoestheauthorthinkthereareexactequivalentsindictionariesthathavethesamemeaningsindifferentculturesNo.Accordingtotheauthor,therearenosuchequivalentsbetweenlanguages;therefore,tocommunicateconceptseffectively,culturalknowledgeisasimportantaslinguisticknowledge.HowdoesthelanguagechangeovertimeWordsandphrasesthatareusedcommonlyatonetimemaybediscontinuedortheirmeaningmaychangeovertime.DoestheauthorthinkitispossibleforcountriessuchasFranceandIcelandtokeeptheirlanguagepurebyimplementinglanguagepolicytoensuretheuseofstandardizedlanguageTheauthordoesnotthinkso,because,forinstance,theAcademieFrancaisemayinsistoncertainrules,butotherFrench-speakinggroupsmaymaketheirownrulesandconsidertheirFrenchjustascorrect.WhatarethepossiblelanguagebarriersinclassroomteachingInsomecasestheprofessorsactuallymayhaveapoorcommandofthelanguage;however,inmostcasestheproblemisnotthelanguagebutdifferentintonationpatternsanddifferentculturalsignals.WhatarethemajordifferencesbetweenChineseandEnglishincategorizingkinfolkWhatotherexamplesofconnotativedifferencescanyougivebetweenthetwolanguagesIncategorizingkinfolk,whattheChineselanguagefindssignificantaretheperson‘ssex,age,andwhetherheorsheiscloselyrelatedtoone‘sfatherormother.Allthesethings,however,arenotsignificantintheEnglishlanguage.WhatmadetheauthorfeellearningtoconverseinMexicoCitywaseasierforhim/herinoneway,moredifficultinanotherIt'seasierbecauseMexicansservicetherelationshipandtheycareabouteveryoneintheconversation.Buttheirconversationdoesn‘tmoveinastraightline,driftingaroundbothinthetopicandinthewaytheyusewords.WhydidtheMexicancustomerslideintothetopicofthefulleclipseofthesunFortheMexican,theconversationstartswithonetopic,butifanotherinterestingtopicseepsinheorshewillrideitaroundforawhile.Stickingtothefirsttopicislessimportantthanhavinganinterestingconversation.WhatdidtheAmericanbusinessmanfeelabouttheMexicanswayofconversationFortheAmerican,aconversationshouldhaveatopic,andhewantstotakeastraightlinethroughitfrombeginningtoend.SohefeltveryimpatientabouttheMexican‘swayofconversation.What“conversationalideal”wasrepresentedbytheexampleofachampionshipskierwhowasinterviewedonTVTheSwedishconversationalidealistoresponseinaconcisemannerwithoutelaboratingspecificdetails,especiallythoseforself-promotion..WhatproblemsarelikelytooccurifanAmericantalkswithaSwedeTheAmericanmayfeeltotallylostintheconversationsinceheorshewouldnotgetasmuchinformationfromtheSwedeasheorshehasexpected.WhatarethedifferencesbetweenAnglosandAthabaskansinconversationTherearealotdifferencesbetweenthem.Forinstance,atthebeginningofaconversation,Anglosalmostalwaysspeakfirst.Athabaskansthinkitisimportanttoknowwhatthesocialrelationshipisbeforetheytalkwithsomeone.Thereisanotherdifferenceinhowlongoneshouldtalk.Athabaskanstendtohavelongerturnswhentheytalkwitheachother,butAnglosexpectshorterturns.IsitenoughjusttolearntospeakingrammaticallycorrectmannerswhenonelearnsaforeignlanguageWhatelsedoesheorshealsoneedtoknowItisfarfromenoughjusttolearntospeakingrammaticallycorrectmannerswhenonelearnsaforeignlanguage.Onealsohastoknowaboutthecultureofusingthelanguageinsociallife,thingslikewhotalksfirst,whotalksnext,whoopensandclosesconversationsandhowtheydoit,inordertobeabletousethelanguageinculturallyappropriatemanners.InwhatwaysareChinesesimilartoordifferentfromtheAmericans,MexicansandSwedesItseemsthatweChinesearesomewhatsimilartoMexicansinthewaywearehavingaconversation.UnlikeAmericans,wedonotusuallymoveinastraightlineinaconversationandmayalsocaremuchabouttheother‘sfeeling.DoyouthinktherehasbeensomechangeinthewayweChineserespondtocomplimentsinthelastdecadeortwoWhatbasicdifferencescanwestillfindbetweentheEnglish-speakingpeopleandtheChinesepeopleintheuseofcomplimentandresponseThereseemstohavebeensomechangeinthewayweChineserespondtocomplimentsinthelastdecadeortwo.Forexample,liketheEnglish-speakingpeople,moreandmoreChinese,particularlyyoungpeople,nowadaystendtouseWW(Thankyou)torespondtoacompliment.However,weChinesearestilldifferentfromtheEnglish-speakingpeopleintheuseofcomplimentandresponsetoit.Forinstance,implicitcompliments(隱性恭維語)aremorelikelytobefoundintheChinesesociety.?縱觀歷史，我們可以清楚地看到，人們由于彼此所處地域、意識形態(tài)、容貌服飾和行為舉止上存在的差異，而長久無法互相理解、無法和睦相處。在這種情況下，跨文化交際作為一個特定的研究領(lǐng)域得以形成和發(fā)展。值得注意的是，人類文明在發(fā)展過程中所遭受的許多挫折，既是個人的，又是全球性的；人類歷史進程總是充滿了個人間的直接沖突和民族間的誤解一一從罵罵咧咧到孤立主義直至到武裝沖突，大大小小爭端不絕。很顯然，文化間以及亞文化間的交往比以前多了，這迫切要求我們共同努力，去理解有著不同信仰和文化背景的人們，并與之和睦相處。通過加深認(rèn)識和理解，我們能夠與生活方式、價值觀念不同的人們和平共處；這不但有益于我們周遭環(huán)境的安定，也是維護世界和平的決定性因素。?文化有時候被稱為我們的心智程序，我們“頭腦的軟件”。但是，我們可以進一步引申這個用電腦所做的類比，把文化看作是支持運行的操作環(huán)境。文化就像電腦使用的DOS或者Unix或者“視窗”(Windows)等操作系統(tǒng)一樣，使我們能在各種各樣的實際應(yīng)用中處理信息。用“視窗”這個比喻來描述文化似乎也很有吸引力。文化就是我們心靈的視窗，透過它我們審視生活的方方面面。一個社會中不同個體的視窗是不大一樣的，但都有著一些重要的共同特征。文化就好像是魚暢游于其中的水一般，人們想當(dāng)然地把文化看成是客觀存在的事實，因而很少去研究它。文化存在于我們所呼吸的空氣之中，文化對于我們了解我們自身之為何物是必不可少的，就正如生命離不開空氣一樣。文化是特定群體的共有財產(chǎn)，而不單是個體的特征。社會按照文化設(shè)定的程序運作，這種程序來自于相似的生活體驗以及對這種生活體驗之含義的相似闡釋。如果文化是一種心智程序，那么它也是現(xiàn)實的心靈地圖。從我們很小的時候開始，文化就告訴我們應(yīng)該看重什么、偏好什么、規(guī)避什么和做些什么，文化還告訴我們事物應(yīng)該是什么樣。文化為我們提供超越個體經(jīng)驗可能的理想典范，幫助我們決定應(yīng)該優(yōu)先考慮的人或事。文化為我們建立起行為準(zhǔn)則，并視遵守這些準(zhǔn)則的行為為正當(dāng)、合法。?由于在性別、年齡、種族或文化群體、教育、國家或城市的地域、收入或職業(yè)群體、個人經(jīng)歷等各方面的差異，人們分屬不同的語言群體，這些差異使我們很難完全領(lǐng)會另一個群體成員所表達的意思。在當(dāng)今世界的跨文化交際中，人們之間的差異是相當(dāng)大的。人們每天要與來自世界各地不同文化背景、不同群體的人交往，成功交際的關(guān)鍵在于盡可能地共享對話語意義的推定。當(dāng)我們與迥然不同的人打交道時，我們往往不知道該怎樣推導(dǎo)出他們的語句意義。因此，在交際過程中，就很難依靠共享的知識和背景來有把握地詮釋他人表達的意義。就是來自相同文化、甚至相同家庭中的男性和女性也會經(jīng)常誤解對方的意思，原因是男性和女性對交際目的有不同的預(yù)期。為了讓女人高興，男人要送她一件她真正想要的禮物。他問女人想要什么禮物——哪怕是上天摘星星。糟糕的是，女人最想要的卻是男人可以憑直覺就知道她想要的是什么。至少在北美社會中，男性和女性對于表達的看法往往不同：前者傾向于直接明了，后者則傾向于間接委婉。女性覺得不用直接問就知道她想要什么是很重要的。男性則覺得，如果女性能爽快地告訴他怎樣做才能讓她高興就再好不過了。thiscase,thereseemedtobeproblemsincommunicatingwithpeopleofdifferentculturesinspiteoftheeffortsmadetoachieveunderstanding.WeshouldknowthatinEgyptasinmanycultures,thehumanrelationshipisvaluedsohighlythatitisnotexpressedinanobjectiveandimpersonalway.WhileAmericanscertainlyvaluehumanrelationships,theyaremorelikelytospeakoftheminlesspersonal,moreobjectiveterms.Inthiscase,Richard‘smistakemightbethathechosetopraisethefooditselfratherthanthetotalevening,forwhichthefoodwassimplythesettingorexcuse.Forhishostandhostessitwasasifhehadattendedanartexhibitandcomplimentedtheartistbysaying,-Whatbeautifulframesyourpicturesarein.InJapanthesituationmaybemorecomplicated.Japanesepeoplevalueorderandharmonyamongpersonsinagroup,andthattheorganizationitself—beitafamilyoravastcorporation—ismorevaluedthanthecharacteristicsofanyparticularmember.Incontrast,Americansstressindividualityasavalueandareapttoassertindividualdifferenceswhentheyseemjustifiablyinconflictwiththegoalsorvaluesofthegroup.Inthiscase:Richard‘smistakewasinmakinggreateffortstodefendhimself.Lettheothersassumethattheerrorswerenotintentional,butitisnotrighttodefendyourself,evenwhenyourunstatedintentistoassistthegroupbywarningothersofsimilarmistakes.Asimpleapologyandacceptanceoftheblamewouldhavebeenappropriate.ButforpoorRichardtohavemerelyapologizedwouldhaveseemedtohimtobesubservient,unmanly.WhenitcomestoEngland,weexpectfewerproblemsbetweenAmericansandEnglishmenthanbetweenAmericansandalmostanyothergroup.Inthiscasewemightlookbeyondthegestureoftakingsugarorcreamtothevaluesexpressedinthisgesture:forAmericans,―Helpyourself;fortheEnglishcounterpart,—Bemyguest.AmericanandEnglishpeopleequallyenjoyentertainingandbeingentertainedbuttheydiffersomewhatinthevalueofthedistinction.Typically,theidealguestatanAmericanpartyisonewho-makeshimselfathome,eventothepointofansweringthedoororfixinghisowndrink.Forpersonsinmanyothersocieties,includingatleastthishypotheticalEnglishhost,suchguestbehaviorispresumptuousorrude.Acommonculturalmisunderstandinginclassesinvolvesconflictsbetweenwhatissaidtobedirectcommunicationstyleandindirectcommunicationstyle.InAmericanculture,peopletendtosaywhatisontheirmindsandtomeanwhattheysay.Therefore,studentsinclassareexpectedtoaskquestionswhentheyneedclarification.MexicanculturesharesthispreferenceofstylewithAmericancultureinsomesituations,andthat‘swhythestudentsfromMexicoreadilyadoptedthetechniquesofaskingquestionsinclass.However,Koreanpeoplegenerallypreferindirectcommunicationstyle,andthereforetheytendtonotsaywhatisontheirmindsandtorelymoreonimplicationsandinference,soastobepoliteandrespectfulandavoidlosingfacethroughanyimproperverbalbehavior.Asismentionedinthecase,tomanyKoreans,numerousquestionswouldshowadisrespectfortheteacher,andwouldalsoreflectthatthestudenthasnotstudiedhardenough.Theconflicthereisadifferenceinculturalvaluesandbeliefs.Inthebeginning,Marydidn‘trealizethatherDominicansistersawherasamemberofthefamily,literally.IntheDominicanview,familypossessionsaresharedbyeveryoneofthefamily.LuzwasactingasmostDominicansisterswoulddoinborrowingwithoutaskingeverytime.OnceMaryunderstoodthattherewasadifferentwayoflookingatthis,shewouldbecomemoreaccepting.However,shemightstillexperiencethesamefrustrationwhenthishappenedagain.Shehadtofindwaystocopewithherownemotionalculturalreactionaswellasherpracticalproblem(thebatteriesrunningout).Itmightbesimplyaquestionofdifferentrhythms.Americanshaveonerhythmintheirpersonalandfamilyrelations,intheirfriendlinessandtheircharities.Peoplefromothercultureshavedifferentrhythms.TheAmericanrhythmisfast.Itischaracterizedbyarapidacceptanceofothers.However,itisseldomthatAmericansengagethemselvesentirelyinafriendship.Theirfriendshipsarewarm,butcasual,andspecialized.Forexample,youhaveaneighborwhodropsbyinthemorningforcoffee.Youseeherfrequently,butyouneverinviteherfordinner--notbecauseyoudon‘tthinkshecouldhandleaforkandaknife,butbecauseyouhaveseenherthatmorning.Therefore,youreserveyourmoreformalinvitationtodinnerforsomeonewholivesinamoredistantpartofthecityandwhomyouwouldnotseeunlessyouextendedaninvitationforaspecialoccasion.Now,ifthefirstfriendmovesawayandthesecondonemovesnearby,youarelikelytoreversethis--seethesecondfriendinthemorningsforinformalcoffeemeetings,andthefirstoneyouwillinvitemoreformallytodinner.Americansare,inotherwords,guidedveryoftenbytheirownconvenience.Theytendtomakefriendseasily,andtheydon’tfeelitnecessarytogotoagreatamountoftroubletoseefriendsoftenwhenitbecomesinconvenienttodoso,andusuallynooneishurt.Butinsimilarcircumstancespeoplefrommanyothercultureswouldbehurtverydeeply.InChina,itisoftennotpolitetoacceptafirstofferandHepingwasbeingmodest,politeandwell-behavedandhadeveryintentionofacceptingthebeeratthesecondorthirdoffer.Buthehadanyone.Apersonmaynotdrinkforreligiousreasons,hemaybeareformedalcoholic,orhemaybeallergic.Whateverthereasonbehindtherule,youdonotinsistinofferingalcohol.SounconsciousandsostrongaretheirculturalrulesthattheAmericansequallypolitelynevermadeasecondofferofbeertoHepingwhoprobablythoughtNorthAmericansmostuncouth.However,instanceforallpeopleandtherearealwaysindividualdifferences.ProbablythisyoungChinesenursewasverydifferentfromHepingor,unlikeHeping,shemayhaveknownsomethingabouttheAmericanculturalrulesandwasjusttryingtobehavelikeanAmericanwhenshewasinanAmericanfamily.Whenaspeakersayssomethingtoahearer,thereareatleastthreekindsofmeaningsinvolved:utterancemeaning,speaker‘smeaningandhearer’smeaning.Inthedialogue,whenLitzsaidHowlongisshegoingtostay‘shemeanttosaythatifsheknewhowlonghermother-in-lawwasgoingtostayinFinland,shewouldbeabletomakeproperarrangementsforher,suchastakingherouttodosomesightseeing.However,hermother-in-lawoverheardtheconversation,andtookLitz'squestiontomean-Litzdoesnotwantmetostayforlong.FromtheChinesepointofview,itseemstobeinappropriateforLitztoasksuchaquestionjusttwodaysafterhermother-in-law‘sarrival.Ifshefeelsshehastoaskthequestion,itwouldbebettertoasksometimelaterandsheshouldnotlethermother-in-lawhearit.Keikoinsistsongivingvaluablegiftstohercollegefriends,becauseincountrieslikeJapan,exchanginggiftsisastronglyrootedsocialtradition.Shouldyoureceiveagift,anddon’thaveonetoofferinreturn,youwillprobablycreateacrisis.Ifnotasseriousasacrisis,onewhodoesn’tofferagiftinreturnmaybeconsideredrudeorimpolite.Therefore,inJapan,giftsareasymbolicwaytoshowappreciation,respect,gratitudeandfurtherrelationship.KeikoobviouslyhastakenthoseuseditemsfromMary,EdandMarionasgifts,forsheprobablydoesn’tknowthatAmericansfrequentlydonatetheirusedhouseholditemstochurchortothecommunity.Mary,EdandMarionwouldneverconsiderthoseusedhouseholditemsgiventoKeikoasgifts.Nowondertheyfeltveryuncomfortablewhentheyreceivedvaluablegiftsinreturn.AstheChinesegirlAmyfellinlovewithanAmericanboyatthattime,itseemsthatshepreferredtocelebrateChristmasintheAmericanway,forshewantedverymuchtoappearthesameasotherAmericangirl.Shedidnotliketoseeherboyfriendfeeldisappointedatthe—shabbyIIChineseChristmas.That,swhyshecriedwhenshefoundoutherparentshadinvitedtheminister'sfamilyoverfortheChristmasEvedinner.ShethoughtthemenufortheChristmasmealcreatedbyhermotherastrangeonebecausetherewerenoroastturkeyandsweetpotatoesbutonlyChinesefood.HowcouldshenoticethenthefoodschosenbyhermotherwereallherfavoritesFromthiscase,wecanfindalotofdifferencesbetweentheChineseandWesternculturesinwhatisappropriatefoodforabanquet,whataregoodtablemanners,andhowoneshouldbehavetobehospitable.However,oneshouldneverfeelshamefuljustbecauseone'scultureisdifferentfromothers'.AsAmy'smothertoldher,youmustbeproudtobedifferent,andyouronlyshameistohaveshame.HierarchyissignificantintheJapaneseculture.ThisstructureisreflectedeverywhereinJapaneselife,athome,school,community,organizations,andtraditionalinstitutionssuchasmartialartsorflowerarrangements.Inthiscase,theyoungchairmanmusthavehadhisownideasabouthowtomanagethecompany;however,whenencounteredwithhisgrandfather'sdissentingopinions,hedarednottotakeastandagainsthim.ThismaymanifesttherigidhierarchicalstructureintheJapanesesociety.IntheJapanesesociety,howhierarchyisformeddependsmainlyonseniority,socialroles,andgender.Asarespectableseniormemberofthefamilyandtheformerleaderofthecompany,thegrandfatherobviouslyoverpoweredtheinexperiencedyoungchairman.Inotherwords,thegrandfatherseemedtobeanabsoluteauthorityfortheyoungchairman.InJapaneseculture,challengingordisagreeingwithelders'opinionswouldbedeemedasbeingdisrespectfulandisoftencondemned.Peopleinlowerpositionsareexpectedtobeloyalandobedienttoauthority.That'swhytheyoungchairmandidn'tsayanythingbutjustnoddedandagreedwithhisgrandfather.ButPhilseemedtoknowlittleabouttheJapanesecultureinthisaspect.InmanyWesterncultures,particularlyAmericanculture,seniorityseldommattersverymuchinsuchsituations,andyoungpeopleareusuallyencouragedtochallengeauthorityandvoicetheirownopinions.Unfortunately,hisoutspokenprotestcouldeasilyoffendthegrandfatherandhemightberegardedasarudeandill-bredpersonbyotherJapanese.InJapan,acompanyisoftenverymuchlikeabigfamily,inwhichthemanger(s)willtakegoodcareoftheemployeesandtheemployeesareexpectedtodevotethemselvestothedevelopmentofthecompanyand,ifitisnecessary,tosacrificetheirownindividualinterestsfortheinterestsofthecompany,fromwhich,inthelongrun,theemployeeswillbenefitgreatly.ButfortheFrench,acompanyisjustaloosely-knitsocialorganizationwhereinindividualsaresupposedto