大连海事大学研究生英语听力文本 Unit5.doc

Unit FiveLanguage and CulturePart OneWarm-up Listening Differences Between Western Language Styles and Japanese Language StyleTask One StylesDescriptionWestern-style conversationBetween two peopleIt is like a game of tennis. If I introduce a topic, a conversational ball, I expect you to hit it back. If you agree with me, I dont expect you simply to agree and do nothing more. I expect you to add somethinga reason for agreeing, another example, or a remark to carry the idea further. But I dont expect you always to agree. I am just as happy if you question me, or challenge me, or completely disagree with me. Whether you agree or not, your response will return the ball to me. And then it is my turn again. I dont serve a new ball from my original starting line. I hit your ball back again from where it has bounced. I carry your idea further, or answer your questions or objections, or challenge or question you. And so the ball goes back and forth.Between more than two peopleIt is like doubles in tennis, or like volleyball. There is no waiting in line. Whoever is nearest and quickest hits the ball, and if you step back, someone else will hit it. No one stops the game to give you a turn. You are responsible for taking your own turn and no one person has the ball for very long.Japanese-style conversationIt is like bowling. You wait for your turn, and you always know your place in line. It depends on such things as whether you are older or younger, a close friend or a relative stranger to the previous speaker, in a senior or junior position, and so on. The first thing is to wait for your turn, patiently and politely. When your moment comes, you step up to the starting line with your bowling ball, and carefully bowl it. Everyone else stands back, making sounds of polite encouragement.Differences Between Western Language Styles and Japanese Language StyleAfter I was married and had lived in Japan for a while, my Japanese gradually improved to the point where I could take part in simple conversations with my husband, his friends and family. And I began to notice that often, when I joined in, the others would look startled and the conversation would come to a halt. After this happened several times, it became clear to me that I was doing something wrong. But for a long time, I didnt know what it is. Finally, after listening carefully to many Japanese conversations, I discovered what my problem was. Even though I was speaking Japanese, I was handling the conversation in a Western way.Japanese-style conversations develop quite differently from western-style conversations. And the difference isnt only in the languages. I realized that just as I kept trying to hold western-style conversations even when I was speaking Japanese, so were my English students trying to hold Japanese-style conversations even when they were speaking English. We were unconsciously playing entirely different conversational ballgames.A western-style conversation between two people is like a game of tennis. If I introduce a topic, a conversational ball, I expect you to hit it back. If you agree with me, I dont expect you simply to agree and do nothing more. I expect you to add somethinga reason for agreeing, another example, or a remark to carry the idea further. But I dont expect you always to agree. I am just as happy if you question me, or challenge me, or completely disagree with me. Whether you agree or not, your response will return the ball to me. And then it is my turn again. I dont serve a new ball from my original starting line. I hit your ball back again from where it has bounced. I carry your idea further, or answer your questions or objections, or challenge or question you. And so the ball goes back and forth.If there are more than two people in the conversation, then it is like doubles in tennis, or like volleyball. There is no waiting in line. Whoever is nearest and quickest hits the ball, and if you step back, someone else will hit it. No one stops the game to give you a turn. You are responsible for taking your own turn and no one person has the ball for very long.A Japanese-style conversation, however, is not at all like tennis or volleyball. Its like bowling. You wait for your turn, and you always know your place in line. It depends on such things as whether you are older or younger, a close friend or a relative stranger to the previous speaker, in a senior or junior position, and so on. The first thing is to wait for your turn, patiently and politely. When your moment comes, you step up to the starting line with your bowling ball, and carefully bowl it. Everyone else stands back, making sounds of polite encouragement.Part Two Focus Listening EthnicityTask One1. The easiest way to look forwards is to look back to the Great Labo(u)r Migration of 1948-552. Racism diminishes in times of prosperity. When the economic going gets tough, people want someone to take their feelings out on.3. He envisages it in two ways: a mosaic of communities and a pick-and-mix social landscape.4. They are excluded and disadvantaged. 5. It implies a Britain in which people will construct multiple identities defined by all sorts of factors: class, ethnicity, gender, religion, profession, culture and economic position. It wont be clear-cut.6. Enduring communities linked by blood through time versus flexible, constantly shifting identities.7. Identity wont be about where you have come from; it will be a set of values you can take anywhere that is compatible with full participation in whichever society you live in.EthnicityI find it easiest to look forwards by looking back, to the “Great Labour Migration” of 1948-55, seen at the time as a matter of black guests coming to a white host. Its a quasi-imperial perception that has shifted since the 1970s, but the social problems and deficiencies it engendered dog us still. Its highly questionable whether Britain is an open society even now. Against the upward trend in the 1980s of ethnic minorities breaking into the professions and the media must be set objective evidence of a very racist society. Since the Stephen Lawrence affair the government has at least been talking about the existence of racism, but its always the case that racism diminishes in times of prosperity. When the economic going gets tough, people want someone to take their feelings out on. The social landscape seems to me at a surreal crossroads. Britain fosters images of itself as homogeneousto be white is no longer the central defining featurebut there remain various kinds of Britishness. So I can envisage the future in two very different ways. The first is broadly the way Britain is at the moment: a mosaic of communitiesBangladeshi, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese or Jewish holding fast to a strong social identity, but lumbered also with a whole raft of benefits and disadvantages, most of them defined in economic terms. Its possible that will still be the pattern in 50 years time, but not very likely. Instead, I expect the old duality of a “host community” and “immigrants” whose bad luck it is to be excluded and disadvantaged to have vanished. Some ethnic communities may make a point of survival, but only those who are most proud of their cultural roots. The alternative is a pick-and-mix social landscape. At the moment ethnic minorities are moving in different directions at different rates, with personal and social engagement across ethnic boundaries increasing all the time. One crude indicator is the level of mixed-race marriage: one in five Bangladeshi and Pakistani men born in Britain now has a white wife, and one in five babies born in Britain has one Afro-Caribbean and one white parent. This implies a Britain in which people will construct multiple identities defined by all sorts of factors: class, ethnicity, gender, religion, profession, culture and economic position. It wont be clear-cut. Not all ethnic minorities, or members of an ethnic minority, will be moving in the same direction or identifying the same issues at the heart of their identities. Its about deciding who you are, but also about how other people define you. Thats what will be at the heart of the next 50 years: enduring communities linked by blood through time versus flexible, constantly shifting identities. Identity wont be about where you have come from; it will be a set of values you can take anywhere that is compatible with full participation in whichever society you live in.Notes:DiminishdecreaseProsperityaffluenceGoing(unfavorable) conditionsToughdifficult, hardTake sth. out on 拿出气，向发泄LandscapeenvironmentSurreal超现实的bizarre, weird, strangeAt a crossroad到达关键的发展阶段reach a very important stage in the developmentFosterdevelopHomogeneous单一的uniformEnvisage 设想，预见foresee, see in the mind as a future possibilityMosaic马赛克，用小色块拼成的图案a mosaic of communities马赛克式的多元社区fast紧紧地firmly, tightlybe lumbered with受的拖累a whole raft of一大堆，大量duality二元结构vanishdisappearmake a point of特别注意，重视take particular care aboutcrudenaturalindicator指标clear-cutclear, definiteenduring持续的lastingversus 用一方面一方面表示对立的双方against be compatible with与相容，不妨碍参考译文：民族特性我发觉展望未来的最简便方法是回顾过去。1948-55年的劳工大迁移在当时被视为黑皮肤客人来到白皮肤主人家。这种带有帝国意识的看法自20世纪70年代以来已有转变，不过它产生的诸多社会问题和缺陷依然跟随着我们。即便到现在英国是不是个开放社会仍令人怀疑。鉴于少数民族打入专业性职业和媒体在20世纪80年代已呈上升趋势，必须拿出客观证据才能说社会上有严重的种族歧视。斯蒂文劳伦斯事件后，政府至少一直在谈论种族主义的存在，但情况总是：每逢经济繁荣，种族主义问题便减少；每逢经济不景气，人们就想拿什么人撒气。在我看来，社会形势正处于一个超现实的十字路口。英国总让人觉得它是个单一民族国家尽管白皮肤不再是英国人的核心定义性特征，但仍存在各种英国人特性。因此我可以把未来设想成两种截然不同的局面。一种大体是英国目前的样子：马赛克式的多元社区孟加拉人、非洲裔加勒比人、华人或犹太人，各自保持其牢靠的社会身份，但也受一大堆好处和坏处的拖累，这些利弊大多是经济方面的。五十年后可能仍是这种格局，但可能性不太大。相反，我预计主流社区和外来移民(其厄运就是受排挤和吃亏)那种老的二元结构到时候将会消失。一些少数民族社区可能会力求生存，但只会是那些对自己的文化根源深感自豪的社区。可能性较大的是出现一种拼凑式的社会局面。少数民族目前正以不同速度朝不同方向发展，个人及社会跨越民族界线的交往一直在增加。一个显而易见的标志就是异族通婚的程度：英国出生的孟加拉裔和巴基斯坦裔男子现在有五分之一娶了白人妻子，英国出生的婴儿有五分之一父母一方是非洲裔加勒比人另一方是白种人。这就意味着在英国人们将构建由阶级、民族、性别、宗教、职业、文化和经济地位等各种因素界定的多重身份，结果不会一清二楚。并非所有少数民族(或少数民族的成员)都将朝同一方向发展，或认定同一些问题构成他们身份的核心。这关系到决定自己是谁，也关系到别人如何界定自己。这就是今后五十年的核心问题：一方面是靠长期血缘关系而延续的各个社区，一方面是灵活而不断转变的各种身份。身份将不是你来自哪里的问题；而是一套你可以带到任何地方的价值观，不论你生活在哪个社会，它都不妨碍你完全加入。(选自剑桥校友杂志1999年第28期)Part ThreeHome ListeningDo as the Romans DoTask One CustomsStories or ExplanationSalutinga. It originated from the days when knights wore armor.b. Their helmets covered their faces that they could not recognize even ones best friend.c. So the knights had to identify themselves by lifting the visors of their helmets.Shaking handsa. It was dangerous to travel because of the large number of robbers that lurked along the roads.b. So two travelers might extend their hands to show that they carried no weapons.c. Today, the handshake is merely a sign of our good will and sincerity, but we also express our friendliness by various greetings.Table mannersa. In parts of Japan, it is a sign of appreciation to drink ones tea or soup with much gusto and smacking of lips. And the Japanese use chopsticks.b. In most Western countries, it is considered impolite to make noise while eating. Western people usually employ the knife and fork.Do as the Romans Do Sometimes the rules of etiquette seem to be bothersome, but they are designed to make social relations pleasant. Etiquette is merely acting like a well-bred human being should act. However, the meaning behind some polite customs is not always apparent at first glance. The custom of saluting, for example, stems from the days when knights wore armor. Their helmets covered their faces to such an extent that it was impossible to recognize even ones best friend. Therefore it became customary for knights to identify themselves by lifting the visors of their helmets. Nowadays, the average soldier does not wear a visor, but he still preserves this old medieval custom by saluting. Shaking hands is another polite custom with an old history. During the Middle Ages it was very dangerous to travel because of the large number of robbers that lurked along the roads. Therefore, when two travelers met, they commonly extended their hands to show that they carried no weapons. Today the handshake is merely a sign of our good will and sincerity, but we also express our friendliness by various greetings. Such expressions as “How are you?” and “I hope youre feeling well.” are designed to express our interest in the welfare of others. Even the word “goodbye” is a shortened form of “God be with ye.” Such expressions stem from mans desire to be friendly and polite. The old saying “When in Rome do as the Romans do.” is never more true than when at the dinner table. In some parts of Japan, it is a sign of appreciation to drink ones tea or soup with much gusto and smacking of lips. But in most Western countries no noise should be made while eating. Eating utensils, too, differ from country to country. The Japanese use chopsticks, while Western people usually e