新编跨文化交际英语教程 参考答案.docx
《新编跨文化交际英语教程 参考答案.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《新编跨文化交际英语教程 参考答案.docx(76页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
新编跨文化交际英语教程参考答案
Unit1
CommunicationAcrossCultures
ReadingI
InterculturalCommunication:
AnIntroduction
Comprehensionquestions
1.Isitstilloftenthecasethat“everyone‟squicktoblamethealien”inthecontemporaryworld?
Thisisstillpowerfulintoday‘ssocialandpoliticalrhetoric.Forinstance,itisnotuncommonin
today‘ssocietytohearpeoplesaythatmost,ifnotall,ofthesocialandeconomicproblemsarecausedbyminoritiesandimmigrants.
2.What‟sthedifferencebetweentoday‟sinterculturalcontactandthatofanytimeinthepast?
Today‘sinterculturalencountersarefarmorenumerousandofgreaterimportancethaninanytimeinhistory.
3.Whathavemadeinterculturalcontactaverycommonphenomenoninourlifetoday?
Newtechnology,intheformoftransportationandcommunicationsystems,hasacceleratedinterculturalcontact;innovativecommunicationsystemshaveencouragedandfacilitatedculturalinteraction;globalizationoftheeconomyhasbroughtpeopletogether;changesinimmigrationpatternshavealsocontributedtointerculturalencounter.
4.Howdoyouunderstandthesentence“cultureiseverythingandeverywhere”?
Culturesuppliesuswiththeanswerstoquestionsaboutwhattheworldlookslikeandhowweliveandcommunicatewithinthatworld.Cultureteachesushowtobehaveinourlifefromtheinstantofbirth.Itisomnipresent.
5.Whatarethemajorelementsthatdirectlyinfluenceourperceptionandcommunication?
Thethreemajorsocio-culturalelementsthatdirectlyinfluenceperceptionandcommunicationareculturalvalues,worldview(religion),andsocialorganizations(familyandstate).
6.Whatdoesone‟sfamilyteachhimorherwhileheorshegrowsupinit?
Thefamilyteachesthechildwhattheworldlookslikeandhisorherplaceinthatworld.
7.Whyisitimpossibletoseparateouruseoflanguagefromourculture?
Becauselanguageisnotonlyaformofpreservingculturebutalsoameansofsharingculture.
Languageisanorganized,generallyagreed-upon,learnedsymbolsystemthatisusedtorepresent
theexperienceswithinaculturalcommunity.
8.Whatarethenonverbalbehaviorsthatpeoplecanattachmeaningto?
Peoplecanattachmeaningtononverbalbehaviorssuchasgestures,postures,facialexpressions,eyecontactandgaze,touch,etc.
9.Howcanafree,culturallydiversesocietyexist?
Afree,culturallydiversesocietycanexistonlyifdiversityispermittedtoflourishwithoutprejudiceanddiscrimination,bothofwhichharmallmembersofthesociety.
ReadingII
TheChallengeofGlobalization
Comprehensionquestions
1.Whydoestheauthorsaythatourunderstandingoftheworldhaschanged?
Manythings,suchaspoliticalchangesandtechnologicaladvances,havechangedtheworld
veryrapidly.Inthepastmosthumanbeingswereborn,lived,anddiedwithinalimitedgeographical
area,neverencounteringpeopleofotherculturalbackgrounds.Suchanexistence,however,no
longerprevailsintheworld.Thus,allpeoplearefacedwiththechallengeofunderstandingthis
changedandstillfastchangingworldinwhichwelive.
2.Whata“globalvillage”islike?
Asourworldshrinksanditsinhabitantsbecomeinterdependent,peoplefromremotecultures
increasinglycomeintocontactonadailybasis.Ina―globalvillage‖,membersofonceisolated
groupsofpeoplehavetocommunicatewithmembersofotherculturalgroups.Thosepeoplemay
livethousandsofmilesawayorrightnextdoortoeachother.
3.Whatisconsideredasthemajordrivingforceofthepost-1945globalization?
Technology,particularlytelecommunicationsandcomputersareconsideredtobethemajordrivingforce.
4.Whatdoestheauthormeanbysayingthat“the„global‟maybemorelocalthanthe„local‟”?
Theincreasingglobalmobilityofpeopleandtheimpactofnewelectronicmediaonhuman
communicationsmaketheworldseemsmaller.Wemaycommunicatemorewithpeopleofother
countriesthanwithourneighbors,andwemaybemoreinformedoftheinternationaleventsthanof
thelocalevents.Inthissense,“the‘global’maybemorelocalthanthe‘local’”
5.Whyisitimportantforbusinesspeopletoknowdiverseculturesintheworld?
Effectivecommunicationmaybethemostimportantcompetitiveadvantagethatfirmshaveto
meetdiversecustomerneedsonaglobalbasis.Succeedingintheglobalmarkettodayrequiresthe
abilitytocommunicatesensitivelywithpeoplefromothercultures,asensitivitythatisbasedonan
understandingofcross-culturaldifferences.
6.Whataretheseriousproblemsthatcountriesthroughouttheworldareconfrontedwith?
Countriesthroughouttheworldareconfrontedwithseriousproblemssuchasvolatile
internationaleconomy,shrinkingresources,mountingenvironmentalcontamination,andepidemics
thatknownoboundaries.
7.WhatimplicationscanwedrawfromthecaseofMichaelFay?
Thiscaseshowsthatinaworldofinternationalinterdependence,theabilitytounderstandand
communicateeffectivelywithpeoplefromotherculturestakesonextremeurgency.Ifweare
unawareofthesignificantrolecultureplaysincommunication,wemayplacetheblamefor
communicationfailureonpeopleofothercultures.
8.Whatattitudesarefavoredbytheauthortowardsglobalization?
Globalization,forbetterorforworse,haschangedtheworldgreatly.Whetherwelikeitornot,
globalizationisallbutunstoppable.Itisalreadyheretostay.Itisbothafactandanopportunity.The
challengesarenotinsurmountable.Solutionsexist,andarewaitingtobeidentifiedandimplemented.
Fromaglobalisticpointofview,thereishopeandfaithinhumanity.
CaseStudy
Case1
Inthiscase,thereseemedtobeproblemsincommunicatingwithpeopleofdifferentculturesin
spiteoftheeffortsmadetoachieveunderstanding.
WeshouldknowthatinEgyptasinmanycultures,thehumanrelationshipisvaluedsohighly
thatitisnotexpressedinanobjectiveandimpersonalway.WhileAmericanscertainlyvaluehuman
relationships,theyaremorelikelytospeakoftheminlesspersonal,moreobjectiveterms.Inthis
case,Richard‘smistakemightbethathechosetopraisethefooditselfratherthanthetotalevening,
forwhichthefoodwassimplythesettingorexcuse.Forhishostandhostessitwasasifhehad
attendedanartexhibitandcomplimentedtheartistbysaying,Whatbeautifulframesyourpictures
arein.
InJapanthesituationmaybemorecomplicated.Japanesepeoplevalueorderandharmony
amongpersonsinagroup,andthattheorganizationitself-beitafamilyoravastcorporation-is
morevaluedthanthecharacteristicsofanyparticularmember.Incontrast,Americansstress
individualityasavalueandareapttoassertindividualdifferenceswhentheyseemjustifiablyin
conflictwiththegoalsorvaluesofthegroup.Inthiscase:
Richard‘smistakewasinmakinggreat
effortstodefendhimself.Lettheothersassumethattheerrorswerenotintentional,butitisnotright
todefendyourself,evenwhenyourunstatedintentistoassistthegroupbywarningothersofsimilar
mistakes.Asimpleapologyandacceptanceoftheblamewouldhavebeenappropriate.Butforpoor
Richardtohavemerelyapologizedwouldhaveseemedtohimtobesubservient,unmanly.
WhenitcomestoEngland,weexpectfewerproblemsbetweenAmericansandEnglishmen
thanbetweenAmericansandalmostanyothergroup.Inthiscasewemightlookbeyondthegesture
oftakingsugarorcreamtothevaluesexpressedinthisgesture:
forAmericans,―Helpyourself;for
theEnglishcounterpart,―Bemyguest.AmericanandEnglishpeopleequallyenjoyentertainingand
beingentertainedbuttheydiffersomewhatinthevalueofthedistinction.Typically,theidealguest
atanAmericanpartyisonewho―makeshimselfathome,eventothepointofansweringthedoor
orfixinghisowndrink.Forpersonsinmanyothersocieties,includingatleastthishypothetical
Englishhost,suchguestbehaviorispresumptuousorrude.
Case2
Acommonculturalmisunderstandinginclassesinvolvesconflictsbetweenwhatissaidtobe
directcommunicationstyleandindirectcommunicationstyle.InAmericanculture,peopletendto
saywhatisontheirmindsandtomeanwhattheysay.Therefore,studentsinclassareexpectedto
askquestionswhentheyneedclarification.Mexicanculturesharesthispreferenceofstylewith
Americancultureinsomesituations,andthat‘swhythestudentsfromMexicoreadilyadoptedthe
techniquesofaskingquestionsinclass.However,Koreanpeoplegenerallypreferindirect
communicationstyle,andthereforetheytendtonotsaywhatisontheirmindsandtorelymoreon
implicationsandinference,soastobepoliteandrespectfulandavoidlosingfacethroughany
improperverbalbehavior.Asismentionedinthecase,tomanyKoreans,numerousquestionswould
showadisrespectfortheteacher,andwouldalsoreflectthatthestudenthasnotstudiedhardenough.
Case3
Theconflicthereisadifferenceinculturalvaluesandbeliefs.Inthebeginning,Marydidn‘t
realizethatherDominicansistersawherasamemberofthefamily,literally.IntheDominicanview,
familypossessionsaresharedbyeveryoneofthefamily.LuzwasactingasmostDominicansisters
woulddoinborrowingwithoutaskingeverytime.OnceMaryunderstoodthattherewasadifferent
wayoflookingatthis,shewouldbecomemoreaccepting.However,shemightstillexperiencethe
samefrustrationwhenthishappenedagain.Shehadtofindwaystocopewithherownemotional
culturalreactionaswellasherpracticalproblem(thebatteriesrunningout).
Case4
Itmightbesimplyaquestionofdifferentrhythms.Americanshaveonerhythmintheirpersonal
andfa