跨文化交际英文案例

Ｃａｓｅ1Giｒl－ｎeｓs

AsavｉsitｉngｐrｏfessorｉnａnAmericanuniｖｅｒsiｔy,ZhangHuawaｓinｖiｔedtogiｖealecturetｏagrouｐoｆAmeｒicanstuｄeｎts．HetalkedaｂoutｕｎiversiｔystudentsinＣhｉna.Duｒingthequestioｎ－and-ansｗerpｅｒioｄaftｅrtheｌeｃｔｕｒe,onｅfemalｅstudentaｓkedaquestionｔｈａtｓurpriseｄZhanｇHｕa．“Ｗhenyoutaｌkeｄaｂoutfemａlestudents,yourｅfeｒrｅdtｏｔheｍaｓgirlｓ．Why?”

“Bｅcausetheyarｅｇirls.Ｔhat’sｗｈａｔthｅyaｒecalｌed,”ZｈａnｇHuatrieｄtoａｎswｅr,buthｅknewhedidnoｔrｅalｌyｕnderstａndtheinｔentofｔhequestioｎ.“Idｏn’tquiｔeundｅrstandyourqｕｅstion,Ｉ’mａｆｒaid.”

“IntheStａtes,wecallourseｌves‘women’ｉfwe’reｏlｄenouｇhｔogototheuniversiｔy.Cａlliｎｇｕs‘girls’isinｓulｔｉng.”

DoCｈineseｆｅmａlecｏｌleｇｅstudeｎtsprefｅrtobｅcａlｌedwomeｎ?

Casｅ2

Mａnyｙearｓaｇo,aChineseｍanshｏwｅｄaphｏtoofhiｓwifeｔｏsomeAmeｒicａnvisiｔｏrs.Outofcourteｓy，tｈｅyallｓaid,”Shｅｉｓverｙbeauｔiｆul.”Alsooｕｔｏｆcｏurteｓｙ，themanｒepliｅdwithwhａｔｈewouldhavedｏneinChiｎesｅundeｒｔｈecｉrcuｍｓtance,”Wｈeｒe！Wheｒe!”Ｑuitｅtａｋenaｂack,ｎｏbodysaidanythｉngforamomｅｎt,uｎtilthemostingｅnｉouｓonｅaｍoｎｇthevisｉtors,takinganotｈeｒｌookattｈephoto,saｉd,“Oh，everｙwhｅｒe!”

WhaｔdidthｅChineseｉntendtomeａnbyｒeｐlｙingwith“Ｗherｅ!Wherｅ!”?

Cａｓｅ1Ｇｉrl-ness

AsaｖｉsitｉnｇｐroｆessｏｒinａnAmeｒicanunｉversity,ZhangHuawaｓinvitedtogｉveaｌeｃtｕｒetｏagroupoｆＡmerｉｃaｎstudenｔｓ.HetalkedaboutｕniｖｅｒsitystudentsinＣhiｎa.Duｒingthequｅｓtiｏｎ-and-ａnsｗeｒpeｒiodaftｅｒｔheｌecturｅ,onefemalｅsｔudeｎtaskedaquesｔionｔhatsuｒｐrｉｓｅｄZhaｎgＨua.“Whenｙｏuｔａlkedaｂoutfemaleｓtudeｎts,yｏｕｒeｆｅrreｄｔothemasgirls.Why？”

“Beｃausethｅｙaregｉrls.Ｔhａt’swhatｔhｅｙarecalｌed，”ZｈangＨｕatriedｔoansｗer,bｕthｅｋnewhedidnotｒeallyｕｎｄｅｒstandtｈeintentoｆthequestion．“Iｄon’tquitｅundeｒstandyourquestion,I’mafraid.”

“IｎthｅＳｔaｔes,wecaｌlourｓelvｅs‘ｗomen’iｆwe’reoldeｎouｇｈtoｇototｈｅuｎｉversiｔy.Calｌｉngus‘ｇirls’isinsｕlｔiｎｇ．”

ＤoChiｎesｅfeｍalｅcolleｇestudeｎtsprefertｏｂecallｅｄwomｅn?

Case2

Mａnyyearsago,ａＣhiｎesemanshoｗedaphotoofhiswifetosoｍeＡmｅricanvisｉｔoｒｓ.Outｏfcourｔesy,thｅｙaｌlsaid,”Sheisverybeａｕtiful.”Aｌｓooutofcouｒtesy,ｔhｅmanrｅplｉedｗｉthwhaｔhewｏulｄhaｖｅdoneinChineseundｅｒｔhｅcｉrｃｕmsｔance,”Wherｅ!Whｅre!”Quiｔetaｋenaｂack,ｎｏbｏdysａｉdanｙthiｎｇforａmoｍｅnt,untiｌthemosｔinｇenioｕｓoneamｏnｇtheｖisitｏrs，taｋingａnｏｔｈerloｏkａtthｅphotｏ，sａid,“Oｈ,ｅvｅrｙwｈere!”

ＷｈaｔdiｄtｈeCｈiｎeｓeintendtｏmｅaｎbｙrepｌyingwith“Wｈｅre!Where!”？

Casｅ３“IJustWantｅdｔoTalk”.

WuｔongwaｓagraｄuａtestuｄentinａＣhineｓeｕnivｅrsiｔy.Liｋeｍanystudeｎtsｔheｓｅｄays，heｗaｓｖｅrykeｅnｏnｌearnｉｎｇＥngｌiｓh.HewoｕlｄtａlｋwithEnｇlishspｅakｅｒsasoftenａshecｏuｌd．

Onedaｙ，hｅsａwaneｗforeｉgnerｏncampus,ＬeonａrdRaｍsay,andoveｒhｅardhiｍｓpｅakingEnglish.WhenＭr.Ramsａyfｉnｉsheｄsｐｅakingwｉththeothｅrperson,hetｕrnedｔogo,butＷuTongstoppedhim.Hewｅnｔuｐandsaｉd,“YoｕspeakＥnｇlish，isｔhａｔright？”

“Ｙes，why?”

“I’ｄlikｅｔopracｔiｓｅｍyＥngｌishwithｙou,ｉfｙｏｕdon’tmｉｎd．”

Ｍｒ.Ramsayloｏkedalittｌeannoyeｄ．“Ipｒefｅrnotto,ifyoudon’tｍind.”

Ｃａse4ＡnUnｗanｔｅｄFoodService

ＤuringalｕｎｃhbuffetaｔａconferenｃeinChina,WuFa,tｈeiｎｔeｒpreterofthecｏｎｆereｎce,ｓａｔｗithfourforeｉｇnpaｒticipants．Theywｅrｅhavｉngagoodｔｉｍeｔalking.ＷheｎＷuFastoodupｆormorｅfｏod,sheaskedｗｈetheｒsｈeｃouldbｒinganｙｔhｉngbacｋfortｈem．

Everyonethankedherandsaid“no”.Aｗhilelaｔer,ＷuFaｃameｂａｃｋwitｈaplatｅfuｌｌoffood，andaｓkedｗheｔhertheotｈeｒswouldlｉketoｈａｖesoｍｅｔｈｉnｇｆromheｒpｌａｔe．

Ａｇain,ｔhefｏｕrothｅrｓsaiｄ,“No”.

“Oh,pleasｅｔakesomｅｔhing,Ｉｃaｎ’teatｔhｉsmuchfoodmyｓelf.”

Thｅfｏreｉｇnｅｒｓshｒuggedandｏneoｒｔｗooftｈｅｍevenfｒownedalｉttle.

Cａｓe5ＳiｍｐｌeCａｎＢeＳpecial

ＷenHonghadanAmeｒicanｐrofesｓoｒinhｅrｅcｏｎomicsclaｓsｉnChina.Sheｈaｄgivｅｎthｅpｒｏfｅsｓoralｏtoｆhelpdｕringthecourｓe．Attheenｄofｔhｅsemeｓter,ｔhｅpｒoｆessｏrａnｄｈiswifeinvｉtedheｒtotheiｒhomｅfoｒdｉnneｒ.ThｅｙsaｉdtｈｅyweregoingtoｃookheｒanAmeｒicanmeal.

WｅnHongfｅlｔvｅrｙfｌatｔeredandｅxcitｅd,sinceMcDonald，ＫFCaｎdPizzaHｕtｈａdbeenheｒonlyexｐoｓｕrｅtｏWｅsternｃoｏｋｉng．

Theｙhadsaｌaｄtｏstartwith，thensteaｋwithpｏtatoes，folｌoweｄbyicecream．WeｎHongｈａdｅxpｅcｔedmoｒｅcｏｕｒsｅsbutｔhemealcamｅtoaｎend.Ｓhekneｗtｈｅｐrｏfｅsｓorａnｄhiswｉｆeｗｅrｅbeingkiｎｄtｏhｅr，bｕtsoｍehowｓhｅｗasａlｉｔtlｅｄiｓaｐpoiｎtｅd．ShewondｅreｄｗｈeｔｈerＡmeｒiｃaｎｓdoeａｔliketｈatathome.

Caｓｅ6ＣhiｎeseＣoｆｆeｅCustoms

WｈileｓtudyinｇintｈｅUnitｅｄＳtateｓ,ＬinJｕnmadeafeｗAmeｒiｃａnfriｅｎds.Ｏneｄaｙhｅinｖiｔedｔwｏoftｈemtoｈｉｓapaｒtmeｎtaｎdcookｅdｔｈeｍaｍeａl.Ｗhｅnhisfrienｄsｓaidtｈeｙwouldlikesoｍecoffeｅ,ｈestaｒｔｅｄｂoilingsomｅwater.Withｏutaskiｎgｔheｍanyquｅｓtｉｏns,hｅmａｄethreecｕpsoｆ3-ｉn－1coffee,theｗayheｕsuallytoｏkiｔ.

Botｈfｒieｎdstａstedtheｃｏffeeａnｄfroｗnｅｄ．Oneｓaidsheaｌwayｓtookcoffｅｅblaｃｋ，ｔheｏｔｈersａidhｅprｅferredtohａvelｅｓｓｓuｇarinhiscｏffｅe．Theyalｓotolｄｈｉmtｈaｔtｈespoonｉsfoｒsｔiｒrｉｎgthecofｆee,nottｏdriｎｋfromｌikehedid.ＬｉnJunwaｓembaｒｒasｓed.Heｈadｔhougｈｔthateｖeｒyonedrankcofｆeethｅsａｍewａyashedｉd.

Casｅ7NoiｓｅｆromＮｏoｄles

JaneandＰeｔeｒｗereＣhenDonｇ’slandｌordaｎｄlandｌadｙｗhenｈeｗasintｈeStaｔeｓ.Thｅyhａdbecomegooｄfriendsbythｅendｏfhisone－ｙeａrstaｙ.ＴheyｋｅｐtｉｎtouchwｉｔheａchｏｔhｅraｆterChenＤongreｔｕrnedtoCｈｉｎa.ＪaneaｎｄPeterdeｃｉｄｅdtovisitChｉnasooｎaｆterChenDoｎｇlefttheStａtes.

TheｙmａdｅaｓpeciaｌstｏｐinGuａngzhouwhｅrｅCheｎDonglives.ChenDonｇhａdprｏmｉsｅdtoshoｗthｅmarｏuｎdtheｃityandleｔｔhemtｒyｓoｍeauｔｈentiｃCanｔｏnｅsefoｏd．Oneｔhing,inpaｒticulaｒ，ｈewａntedｔhemtｏtrywaｓnoｏdlｅs．Ｈeｋnｅwseveraｌreｓtaurａｎtsｔｈatserｖedgoodnｏodlesandtookｔhecoupletｏoneoｆtheｍfoｒｌunchonedaｙ.

NoｏdlesｔypicaｌlyｃoｍeinsｏupｉｎCantoｎeｓecookinｇ．CｈenDonｇstarｔedeatiｎgｔhenoｏdleswiｔhchopsticｋs，ｗhilｅＪaneandPeterｅxｃhａngedａlooｋatthｅnoｉｓｅthａtcamｅｗithｈiseaｔing.Aｆｔｅrａｌitｔlｅhｅｓｉｔａtｉon，theyaskedforfｏrks.Awａiｔresstoldthemthattheｙdidnothaｖefｏrks，ａｎdChenＤｏngexplainedthatnoodleｒesｔauｒanｔsdonotｕｓuaｌlykeeｐｆoｒksｂeｃaｕsｅnooｎewｏuldｔhｉnｋofusingfｏrｋｓforｎoodles.

Intheｎexｔhａlfanhｏur,JaneaｎdPetｅrhadahardｔｉmeｔryｉｎgtoｒoｌltheloｎｇnoｏｄlｅsｏntotｈｅircｈopsｔｉckｓ.ＣhｅｎDoｎgsaiｄ,“tｈaｔ’snotｔｈeｗayweｅaｔｎooｄles.Yoｕputtｈeｎoｏｄlesdｉrectlｙｔｏｙoｕｒmouthwｉｔｈｙourchoｐｓticｋs．”

“Buttｈａｔ’snotthewayweeaｔnooｄles,”JaｎeaｎｄPeteｒｓaid,fｒowniｎg.

Case8ＤｉnnerｉnａCｈiｎeｓeＨomｅ

BeｓidesｔakinｇPetｅrａｎｄＪａneｔｏrestaｕrａnｔs，DongChenalsｏinｖitｅdthemtohishomeforｄiｎneronce.DｏngCｈｅｎ‘smｏtherｉsaniｃewｉfe,ａndｍadeeigｈｔcoursｅsfoｒfｏｕrｏftｈem.

“I'msorrytheｒｅiｓｎ’tmｕchfordiｎneｒ,sheｓaid.”

“Goｄthｉsｉsmuchmorｅthａｎenougｈｆｏｏd,”Jaｎesaid.ＰetｅrｗaｓtｏoｏverwｈeｌmｅｄtoevenreｓpondtｏDonｇＣhen‘mothｅr

DongCheｎwasaｌittｌeｅmbaｒｒassed.“Tｈisｉswｈａtweｕsuallysaｙtｏgｕeｓts,eｖeｎtｈoｕghtｈere’ｓpｌｅｎtyｏfｆood”hｅexplａineｄ．

ＷhａtbewilderｅdＪanｅaｎｄＰetｅrmｏstwaｓｔhatthougｈDoｎgChen’ｓｍoｔherkeｐtsayinｇthatｔheｆoｏdwａsnotgooｄ,sheｃoｎｓｔantlysｅrvedhｅlpｉngstoJaneandＰｅteｒ．Pｅteｒdiｄnoｔliｋｅtwｏoftｈeｃoursｅsvｅｒyｍuch，anｄfeltbadthathiｓpｌatewasfｕlｌwｉtｈwhａｔeverheｗouldnｏｔbeabｌeｔoeat.AtseeinｇDonｇChｅｎ＇smｏtｈｅｒ’ｓnexｔmoｖetｏｓeｒｖｅhimfood，hｅsａｉdinａbｅggｉngvoice,“Plｅasedon’tgivemeanｙmoｒeｆooｄ.Ｌｅtｍedｏitmysｅlf.

Cａse9ANot-soｃiａｂｌeDrｉnｋ

MaｒtiｎwasseｎtｂyanAｍericａncｏmpanytoｗoｒkiｎaspecialecｏnｏmｉｃｄeｖelopmｅｎtzoneｉnＣhｉnａforayeａr.ＨebｅcameveryｆrｉendlywiｔhafewＣｈinesｅcolleａgues.Soon,hestartedtoｇｏoｕtwitｈtheｍ．HenotｉcｅdｔhaｔChｉnｅsｅlikeｔohavesomeｔhinｇ,ｓuchaspeａnuts,whenｔｈeyhavebeer,insteadofjustdrinkｉngｂeｅｒwithｏuｔaｎｙthingtoｅataｓmanyNorｔhAmerｉcａnsdo．

Onedayhewasiｎvｉtedｔoadinneｒｐartyｔocｅlebｒaｔeａcoｌleaｇue’ｓbｉrthday.Tｈeyoｒｄeredalｃoholiｃbeveragｅsａndtoastｅdtheｇuestｏfhｏnｏrfｒｅqｕeｎｔlｙ.SoonMarｔinrealiｚeｄthａtthｅｐlａｎwａｓtogeｔｔｈｅiｒfｒienｄdruｎk.Eａｃhcoｌｌeaguewoulｄoｆfｅratoａsｔ,concｌudingｗithａcｈeｅry“ｇａnｂeｉ!”ａndｔrieｄtｏgetMartintojoinin，eventhｏughｈewａsuｎｗilｌinｇtodoit.Ｍａｒtindidn’tthinkitａgooｄidｅa,aｎｄtriｅdｔoｔａlktｈemoutｏfthegame．Ｈｏweｖer,ｈeｗasaccuｓedofnoｔbeiｎｇａgoｏdfrｉendfｏｒnotｃo-operating.

Mａｒtinremainedaｎouｔsｉderdurinｇthｅrｅｓtofｔhedｉnner．Hewaｓgｅttｉngincreasiｎgｌywｏrriedasｈewaｔchｅdｔｈepoｏｒguestbｅｃoｍeincreasiｎｇlyinebｒiaｔed.

Cａｓe10AMisunderｓtandingataDｉnnerTable

RogｅrwasastｕdentmａjoriｎginＥastAsiaStudiesiｎanAmeｒｉcanuniｖｅrsity.Hｅstartedaｎe-maｉlｃoｒｒespondenｃeｗｉtｈZhangLi,asｏciolｏｇymajorinChiｎa,whowaｓinｔroｄucedtohiｍthroughamutualfrienｄ.

Ｕpｏnｇraduａｔioｎ,Ｒｏgerｇotabiggiftfromhｉsｇranｄｆather.Ｇranｄｐawouldｐａyｆoraroｕnd－ｔriptｉｃkettoCｈina.HｅｔoldZhangＬithegoodｎｅwｓ,aｎdthｅtwodｅcidedtoｍeeｔ.

ZhaｎgLidｅcidｅdtogｉveＲoｇeｒavｅryｓpeｃiａｌｗｅlcｏｍｅ:sheandtｈethrｅewomenstuｄｅｎtsinheｒdoｒmitoryｗoulｄｃooｋｈｉｍaｎａuthｅnｔicChｉnｅsemeal,ａsRｏｇerhadｔoldhｅrｔhａthelovedChiｎesｅｆooｄ．

Howevｅr，ｗhenRogerwasprｅｓeｎｔedｔhedｉnner,hｅｗasalmoｓｔteｒriｆiedbysoｍｅｏftheｆoｏｄ：porkstomacｈｓoup,ｐigｌｉｖeｒwithgｉnｇｅraｎdｓpriｎgｏnion，ｃｈiｃｋenwｉthmｕshroｏmsinｗhｉcｈｔhechickｅｎhadｂeenｃutｔｏpiｅceswithboneｓａttａｃheｄtｏthemeaｌ.

Fｏrtｕnately，tｈeｒeweｒeｃｏursesｌikeｔofu,stiｒredfrieｄｂｅef,stｅamedfishandveｇetａbｌestｈａｔRogerlｏvｅd.ＨetriedtosｔｉcktｏtｈemｂｕtZhanｇLikeptｐｕttiｎgｆoｏｄｈeｄiｄnotlikｅoｎhispｌate．Whensheaskeｄhowｈelikedthelｉver,Rogｅrsaid,“It’ｓveryunuｓｕaｌ…andｉntｅresｔiｎg.“ThisｓeｅmedtｏmaｋeＺhangＬihａppy.Ａｎdshegaveｈiｍｍoreｌｉveｒ.Ｒｏｇｅｒtriｅdｔoｓtoｐｈer，ｂuｔshewoulｄnotbeｓtoｐpｅd.Rogeｒwassｏｆrustrａtedｔhatheｔｏldheｒtｈaｔhedｉdnoｔｒealｌylikｅittｈａｔｍucｈ.“Butｙousaｉdiｔwasuｎusｕalandinｔeresｔing!”ＺhａngLisaｉｄ.“Wｅlｌ,tｈeyｂｏthmeａnsｏmethinｇlｅｓｓｔhanpｏsitive,”Ｒｏgeｒsaidcarefully,ｔryingnottｏhｕｒｔtheiｒｆeelingｓ.

ZhaｎgLiandｈerfrｉendｓbｅcａmecｏnceｒnｅdatｔhis．”“Soyｏudon’tliketｈｅfood?”I’mnotusedtｏeaｔiｎglｉvｅr，thaｔ’sａll.ＢｕtIdｏｌikeｔhecｈickｅn，thｅbｅｅf,ｔhｅtｏfu，andｔhevegetableｓ.Ihaｖehａdmoretｈanenoughtoeat.Ｉnevermakethｉｓmuchfoodathｏme,”Rogerwaseａgertolｅtthemkｎoｗhｏwmuｃｈhｅapｐrecｉaｔedthｅｉreｆｆort.“Trustme,I’menjoｙingtｈｅｆooｄ．IknowwhatIlikｅ．”

Havingsaiｄtｈat,hefｏｕｎdapieceofchickｅnthａtｗaslessbony，hｅldｉtinｈisｈａｎdtoeatit,ａndthenlickeｄhisfingers.ＺhａngLiaｎｄherｆriendslookｅｄateachoｔhｅrinｓhock．

ＩtwaｓnｏtapeｒｆectfirｓtmｅｅtingｆoreitherＺhanｇＬiorRogeｒ.

Cａｓe11Over-dresｓedTourists

AｓavaｎｓtoｐpedｉnfｒontofNiａgaraFａllｓ,agrｏuｐoｆＣｈineseoｆficiaｌｓstreａmedouｔ.Tｈeywerｅdｒessedinｓｕｉtsandｔieｓ,wearingｌeａthｅrshoes.Ｍanyｏftheｍｅｎaｌsohadlefｔthemａｎufacｔｕrｅ’ｓｔagｏnthｅsｌeeｖeoftheirsuitｊacｋet．ＡｓｔheｙwandeｒｅdaｒoundNiaｇａraFaｌls,ｓomeofthemstaｒtｅdtoｓmoｋe．ＴheｉratｔｉreｄreｗtheｓｔarｅsofＮortｈAmｅriｃaｎtoｕｒｉｓts,someoｆwhｏmｑｕietlｙlaughedｗitｈtheirfｒieｎｄsaｎｄpoｉnｔeｄatthｅChiｎｅｓｅvisitors.Otherｓfrowneｄａｔseｅingthesmｏkinｇandshooｋtheｉrhｅａｄsindisaｐｐrovaｌ.

Caｓe12TieCulture

JanewａｓaｔoｕriｓtaｎdｓpenｔsｏmetimestayiｎgwitｈａＣhinｅsｅｆrieｎdａtherhome.Theywａtcheｄachilｄreｎ’sporgrａmwｈileｈavingbｒeaｋfastｏneｍornｉｎg.Ayｏｕngmａn,thehostofthｅprogram,gaveinstructionsoｆａgamｅtoafewchildrｅｎ,ａndtheｎｊｏiｎｅdtｈeｍrｕｎninginaｃircle.

“My,he’sｗearingatieandrunningcｒazywiｔhthechiｌdren！”Janeexｃｌaiｍed.

TheCｈinesefｒｉendshｒuｇgeｄ，”Isｔｈisveryunusual？”

Cａｓe１３AnAmeｒicaｎinCｈina

PｒofeｓsorSｍｉtｈandhisassistant，ChenＭｉng，weredoingfｉｅldwoｒｋinasmａlｌｃityinChina.Ｉtwashotanｄｈumiｄ,ａｎdbothｗｅｒｅcaｓualｌｙdｒeｓsed．Oneｅveningaｓtheｙwｅreｌeavｉngｆorｄｉｎneｒ,ａlocalaｄｍinisｔrａtortoｌｄtｈeｍｔhａtthemaｙｏｒofthｅｃｉty,whｏwasｉntｅreｓtedinｔhetypeｏfreseaｒchthｅｙwｅredｏiｎg，woｕldliketosayhelｌotoPｒoｆｅssoｒSmiｔh.Asluckwouｌdhａveiｔ,tｈeMaｙorwaｓdｉnｉnｇintｈｅsamerｅsｔaurａnｔasSmｉthanｄChenMing.

ProfessorSmithｓaｉｄhehadtogobａcｋtoｈｉｓｒoomtｏｃhａngｅ．

“Yｏulooｋfine,Comeon,theｍaｙoriswaｉｔing，”theadmｉnistrａtｏrsａid.

“Ｎｏ，Icａn’tmeetｔhemayoｒｉｎmyshoｒts”

Case14ＴheGeｎerosｉtｙｏｆaCｈiｎeseＳtudｅnt

MattwaｓｉnvitedtｏaChineseuniverｓiｔｙtogivｅaｆewｌeｃturｅs.Duriｎｇhissｈortｓtaｙthere,agraｄuatestuｄｅntvoluｎｔeｅredtoshowhiｍaroundtheciｔy．Ｍaｔｔａccｅptedtheoffeｒgraｔefullｙ.IｔwaｓsummｅraｎdsoonboｔhMatｔａnｄthegｒadｕatｅstudeｎtbegantogｅtquitｅｈｏt.ＷhileＭatttooｋsｏmepiｃtｕres,ｔｈeｇraｄuaｔestudｅnｔwenttobuyｓomedrｉｎks.

“Tｈａｎkyou．HowmuchdoIｏweyou?”Ｍａttasked.

“Ｎothｉng．”Ｔhｅstudeｎｔｓmiled.

“Ａreｙousure?”

“Ｙes.”

Ａtlｕnｃｈtｉme,Mａttｓugｇestｅｄtheyhaｖeaqｕiｃkｍeａl.ＴｈeｙstｏpｐedbｙaMｃDonald.Ａｇaｉｎ,ｔhｅgraduatestuｄenttｒｉｅdtｏpayfｏrMａｔt．

“No,thｉsismyｔrｅａt.Yｏu’ｒｅａsｔudeｎt,I’maｐrofeｓｓor.You’vegiｖeｎmethｅtimetoｓｈowmeａrｏund.Youalｒeaｄypaidｆoｒmyｄriｎk.Ｉcan’tｌetyoupayｆoｒmylunchagain．”

Caｓe15AＧiftｆroｍａCｈinｅseＳｔｕｄｅｎt

XieDongdidhiｓgraduateｓtｕdyｉnanAmericanunivｅrｓity.HecamebacktoCｈinaforsｕmｍeｒvacaｔiｏn.Wｈｅnhewentｂaｃkｔohisprogｒam,hepaidhiｓsupｅrｖisoravisitａｎｄｐreseｎtedhiｍagiｆt.

Theprofｅsｓoropeneｄthegift.Itwaｓaｇinsｅngwithitsmanｙtinyｒｏｏtｓspｒｅadingｏutinaｖeryartｉsticpatteｒｎ.Ｉtclearlywasａｎeｘpenｓivegｉｆt．

Tｈeｐroｆｅｓsoｒ’ｓｅyesshoneattheginseng,buthethenbegaｎtofeｅluneaｓy．“XｉeDｏng,Iappreｃｉateyｏuｒｋinｄｎess，butIｃan’ttａkethisasagift．”

“Wｈｙ？Don’tｙoｕlikeｉt？”IｔwａsXieDｏng’sｔuｒntｏbeunｅasynoｗ.

“Oｈ,ｓuｒe,Ilｏveｉｔ.ButIｃan’taｃcｅptｉt.”

“Why?”

“ＢecauseIdidn’tdoａnythiｎgtoｄeｓervｅｓｕchagiｆｔ.”

Ｃase１6ＴｅleｐhoneＣｏｕrtesy

KathｙanｄＤａvid，ａcｏuplｅｆromtheUS,signｅdａone-ｙearcontｒａcttｏwｏｒｋｉnChiｎa.BoｔｈｗｅｒeeｘｔroveｒｔｅｄandsooｎmadｅsomeChinｅsefｒiｅnds.

Beforelong，peoplesｔartｅdcａllｉngthemathoｍe．Daｖidwａｓｓomeｔiｍｅｓａwayonbusiｎesstripsforafewdays,ａndifsoｍｅonelookeｄforhiｍ,Kathyofｔｅnwoｕldfinｄtｈecｏｎverｓaｔｉoｎａwkward.

“Ｗherｅdｉdhego?”Thecallertypiｃallywoulｄａｓｋ.

“CanＩpａｓｓoｎanyｍｅssage？”Kathｙａskedpoｌitely,tｒyinｇtoavoidtheｑuestion.

“Isheｏutoftown?”Ｔｈecａlｌｅrwasusuallyvｅrypeｒsiｓtent.

“Yes,canIhelpyouｉnanyway？”Kａthytriｅdtobｅpｏｌｉtｅ，ｂutshecouｌdnｏｔｈelpfeelｉnguncomfoｒtａｂｌe.

Ｃase17“NotSoClose,Please”

HeＪiahadｌiｖediｎtheUnｉtedＳtateｓfｏr7yeaｒsｂefｏresheｃamebａckｔowｏrkinChina.ShefounｄｔhatshehaｄbeｃｏmeaｃcusｔomｅdtosocialhａｂitsｉnNｏrthAｍｅricaaｎｄthatsｏmｅＣhinesebｅhaviｏｕrｓｎｏｗcausedｈeｒsomediscomfoｒt.Foｒexample，oｎeday,backiｎChina,shｅwasｉnaqueｕetouseａnATＭ．Shehadｎoｔicedｔｈatpｅoplewｅｒesｔaｎdiｎgｖerycｌosｅtｏeacｈother.Iｎｆact，tｈeｐersoｎbehindｈercould，ifｓｈｅorｈewantｅｄ，ｔoseｅherenteｒtheＰIＮoｆherATMcarｄ.HeJｉawanteｄｔomakepeopleawａrｅｏfthedｉscomｆortoftｈeuseｒｂｙkeｅpingherdistancefromthepeｒsｏninｆrｏntofher．However,thepeoｐｌｅｂｅｈiｎdhｅrpushedhertomoveｆoｒwaｒｄ.

Caｓe18TｈePrivacyoｆthePａge

SiｍoｎaｎdＣｈengＦengoｆtｅnstudiｅｄtogeｔherｔopreｐarefoｒｅxams.Oｎedaｙ，iｎthemｉddlｅｏfaｓtudysessｉoｎ，Siｍonsaｉｄｈeｗanteｄtoｇetacoffee.ＨeａskｅｄChenｇFengifhewaｎｔedaｎy，bｕthesaiｄ,“No”．Whｅnhecａmｅback，ｈeｆoundＣｈenｇFeｎｇｒeaｄinghiｓnoｔes.Hewasupsetａnd,aｌtｈouｇhｈｅdidn’ｔsaｙaｎythingaｔthｅtiｍe,heneverstudieｄwiｔhCheｎgFｅngａgain.ＣｈengFenｇnotiｃeｄthechangｅaｎｄｗｏｎderｅdｗhathadhａｐｐenｅｄ.

Ｃａse1９ＴhePrｉvacｙofPhoｔogｒａphs

RoseiｎviｔedLｉｌitoherhoｍｅｏｎeday.Ｗhiletheｙwereｈavingcofｆeｅ,RoｓｅshowedＬｉliafｅｗpicturｅsoｆherbｏyｆrｉendinaphｏtoalbum.Lｉlicａsuallｙｔｕrnedtoｏtｈeｒpageｓafteｒthat.

Roｓesｔoｐpedher,“I’ｄｒatheｒyｏuｎｏtlookａtｏｔherpictures．”

Ｌiｌiwasembarｒａsseｄ,ａｎdapｏlogizeｄ,“I’msｏrｒy.”

Caｓe20ＴhePrivacｙofPｒice

AfterlivｉnｇｉntｈeSｔateｓfｏrsomｅtimｅ,PingLｉoｂserｖedthatAｍericanｓliｋetocommeｎｔonｅachotｈeｒ’slooksaｎdｃlotｈes.Ｓowhｅnsｈesａwａfｅllowgraｄuatｅsｔudentwearinganicedｒessataparty，sｈecｏmｐlimentｅｄhｅrbysaｙing.“Thisisaverｙbeauｔiｆｕlｄress.”“Oｈthankyou，ＩboughtitlａstyｅarbefｏrｅChriｓtmas,”thestudeｎｔveｒyplｅaｓed.“Hｏｗmucｈwaｓit?”ＰingLｉａsｋｅd．

“WｅｌlIｄon’tquiterｅmeｍｂｅr,”thestudentseｅmedｕｎpｒeparｅｄforthequｅstioｎ,andanswｅredａlittlehesｉtatｉnglｙ.

Case21ThePrivacｙｏfｔhePerｓon

ZouQingaｎdNaｎcybecameｆrieｎdsaftｅrｔheymeｔｉｎａｃｏuｒseｔｈeｙbothｔoｏｋ．Ｎancyhadｈadgｒaｙhａiｒmucｈeａrliｅｒｔhanpeopleofｔhｅsamｅagｅ，aｎdhａｄbeｅｎｄyeｉngｈｅｒhａirfｏrｓevｅralyeａｒｓ.

Ｗhilethｅyｗeｒeｈａvingａbreakonedayinbｅtwｅeｎtｗoclasses，ａndＺoｕQingｎotｉceｄtｈａｔNaｎcyhadsomeiｎvｉsｉbｌegraｙhairｏｎher.Shetｏlｄｈersｏ，bｕtNanｃycｈangedthetopicrｉghtawａy．

Wheneveryｏneｅlseleft,ＮaｎｃysaｉdtoZｏuQinｇ,“Pleaseｄon’tmentiｏnｍygrayｈaiｒｗｈileｔheｒewｅremenarouｎd.”

Ｃaｓe2２UｎａcceptableCｕrｉosiｔy

MrandMrsPetersoｎcａmｅtoChｉnawiｔｈaｔｏurｇroup.Oｎeeｖｅning，theyｄｅcｉｄeｄtｏtaｋｅawalkouｔsidｅtｈeｉrhotel.Tｈｅｙsｏonnotｉceｄthａtquｉteaｆewpｅopｌｅｓtaredattｈem.Onemanｅvenquiｃｋlyｗalｋｅdpastthｅｍandｔheｎtｕrnedbacktｏlooｋattｈｅmｓeveｒaｌｔimes.BotｈMｒandMrsPeｔersonfｅlｔuncomｆortableabouｔthｅｓｔaringａｎｄwｅntbaｃktｏtｈｅhotelsoonｅrthaｎtheyhadpｌanｎｅd.

Ｃase23CｏnfusｉｏｎinCommｕｎｉcaｔiｎgLoｖe

Le,ａChinesｅwomaｎ,andＢiｌl,anAmericanman,wereｖｅrｙmｕchinlove．Ｔheirreｌatｉｏnshｉpｓtaｒtedwiｔhｔheiｒshａredinｔerestiｎphotogｒaphｙ．Ａstiｍewentｏn,however,LebecaｍedｅpendenｔonBillwheｎevｅｒsｈewanｔｅdtotakeａpicture,becauｓeｓｈefelｔｔhatBｉllwasamuchbetterphｏtogrａpheｒthaｎｓhewas．Wheneveｒshenｏticedａｓcenethａtwoulｄmakeａgｏodimage,sheｗｏulｄaskBilltotakethepｉcｔurefoｒhｅr.

Bｉlｌwasnｏtvｅｒyplｅasｅdｂutdidnotｓayanｙthingforawhile.Howevｅr,ＬesoｏnｇottoａpoｉｎｔｗheｒｅshebeｇantoａskＢilｌtoloadanｄｕｎlｏaｄｔhefilｍ．Bｉｌldeｃiｄeｄthａtitｗastoｏmuchｆoｒhimtｏbeaｒ.Heexplｏded，“What’sthemaｔterｗithyｏu？Doｎ’tｙｏｕkｎowｈowtoloａdandunｌoaｄaｆｉlm?Ｃａn’ｔｙoutakeapiｃturｅanymore？”

Leｗassｏshockedthatsheburｓtintｏtears.“Ｉaskyoｕtｏdothingｓoｎｌybｅcaｕseyoudｏitbetｔｅrｔｈanme.What’sｗrｏｎgwｉtｈtｈａｔ?”

Cａse24ＵnwaｎteｄAｔtention

TｅｒｅsaｉsａChineｓeAｍericanｔeacｈinｇＥｎｇｌishtemｐoraｒiｌyatａChinesｅunｉversｉty.Sheisveｒｙｅａsｙgoing,andｓoｏnｔｈestudｅntsgotｔoknowhｅrｗellenｏughｔｏｉnｖiteheroｕtreguｌａrly.

ＣrosｓｉngthｅｖeryｂusyandwｉdestreetｓｉntｈeｃitｙwasascaryexｐerｉeｎcｅfｏrTeｒesa,ａｎdshｅcomplainedofitrｅｐeatedly.Ａｓａresｕlt，thefemａlestｕdentsbegantotrｙtoheｌｐhｅｒｂytａkｉnｇhｅrｈandorｇraspingherarmwｈilｅtｈｅｍalestudｅntsseeｍｅdｔoｂeｓhyａboutprotｅctingher.

Teｒesａwasｕncomｆortablｅwｉthｈｅrfemalestuｄentｓtouchingher,anｄｔolｄthｅwoｍｅｎtheydｉdｎotneedtodｏit.Heｒfemalｅstudentsthoughtshewasbeingｐoliｔeａndconｔinuedtｏｔakecａreofheｒthesameway.Teｒeｓabecamｅsoｕncomfortａbleｔhaｔsheｔｒieｄｔoｍoveawaｙｆromherｆemalesｔuｄenｔswheneｖertheyｈaｄtoｃrosstheｒoａd．

Case2５HolｄｉngＨanｄs

ＣhrｉｓwasaｖisitinｇｐｒoｆeｓsｏrinChiｎa.Ononedaｙ,oneofhisｓtuｄents,SuｎＨuｉ，ｓhowedhiｍａｒoｕｎｄthｅｃiｔy.SunＨuisooｎnotｉcedthａtＣｈrisｗaｓinteｒestedｉｎtａkingpicｔｕresofmeｎthａtweｒewalkingarm-iｎ-armortoｕchｉｎgeａｃｈｏｔhｅrwhentheytalkｅｄ.

“Idon’tseeanyｔｈinｇspｅcｉaｌaｂoutthoｓeｍeｎ,”SuｎHuiｓａidｃurioｕｓly．

“Weｌｌ,ｗedon’tseemuｃｈｏｆｔhatiｎmｅnintｈeＳtates,”Chrisｓaid,“They’regａｙ,aren’ttｈey？”

Ｃase26FｒｉｅndｓhipMisunderstood

YａｎHｏngwasaCｈinesepainteｒwhoimmiｇratedｔotheUｎｉtｅdＳtａtes．ＳhemetJeｎny,anAmｅricaｎphyｓicianｉnaｃｌubonｅday.Theyｓｏonｂecａmefrienｄｓ，ａndsｏmeｔimeswｅntoutfｏｒｃoｆfeeａndlｕｎchtogeｔｈer.

Oｎｅday,JennygａｖｅYａnHongaｖerybｅａutifulｖase.YanHongｌovｅdthevaseverymuｃh，ａndfeltsｈeｓhoｕlｄgiｖeJennysoｍethinginrｅtｕｒn.SoｓhegaveＪｅnnｙａpainｔｉngｓhebroughtfromChiｎａ.Jennｙwａｓｖerypleaseｄ.

Aｆewdaｙsｌaｔer,JeｎnyｉnｖitedYanHongtohｅrｈｏmｅforthefｉｒsｔtiｍe.Ｔｈeymadｅｄinｎertogetherandenjoyedｔhemeａlａｌｏt.ThenｔheysaｔdowntowaｔｃhTV.WｈeｎJｅnnytenｔativelｙheldYａnHｏｎg’shand,YanHｏｎgwasｎoｔawareofａnythingunusual.Hoｗeｖeｒ，ｗｈenＪｅnnysａｔｃlosｅｒtohｅｒandｋissedher，YaｎHｏngｗasterrified.SｈepushedJennyａwayａnｄcried，“Ｉ’mnoｔaｌesbｉａn!”

Ｊｅnnｙwasinｓhｏck,andaskｅｄaｃcusiｎgly,“Thenwhydｉdｎ’tyoutellmeeaｒlier?”

Casｅ27LeａrninｇaboutFｌｉrｔinｇ

ＣhenＱｉnｇｗaｓavｉsｉｔiｎgscholarｉnａｎAmeriｃａnunｉversiｔy.Ｈeｈadmadｅｓomｅfriendswithprofｅssｏｒsａnｄstudｅntsｔheｒe.Ｏnｅdaｙｈeｗeｎtｔoapaｒtywhｅretｈeaｔｍospherebecａmelesｓａndlｅssinhibiｔed.ChenQiｎgnoｔiｃeｄthatmenａｎｄwoｍentouchedｅａchｏtherａlotmorethanhｅwasusedto.Ａttheenｄｏfthepａrtｙ,ｍostpeｏplehuｇｇedeachoｔhergood－ｂyｅ.OnewoｍancametoｈuｇChｅｎＱinｇ,buthesｔiffeｎeｄasｓｈｅattempｔedtogiveｈiｍahug.Hehadneveｒｈuｇgedanywｏmeneｘcepｔｈiswiｆeinhiｓｌife.Otherwomeｎnｏｔicedthis,anｄnoｏneｅlsｅtriｅdtohｕｇhｉm.

Ｈowever,CheｎＱiｎgｆeltleftouｔｗhｅnpeopｌeｈｕgｇeｄeachoｔherｂuｔnotｈim.Heｆounｄｈimselfinaveryａwkｗardsituａtion:hｅdidｎ’ｔwaｎttｏbｅhuｇｇed,neｉtherｄidhewａntｔobeleftｏｕt.Ｈedidｎｏtknowwｈａthewａｎteｄorhoｗtｏｒｅsolvｅhisconｆlictｉngemotions.

Ｃasｅ2８LｏｓtinLｏve

LiＹｉngｆｅlliｎｌoｖewithaｎAmericａnmaninhｅｒseｃondyearｉntheUniｔedStaｔes．Ｔhｅyｓpeｎtaloｔoftｉmetｏgeｔher.Aftｅｒtheyhadbeｅntｏaｌｌtheｐｌacｅsofintｅreｓｔｉnｔhｅcｉty,theyhadtoｄeｃidewherｅtogｏorｗｈattｏdofｏｒthenextdate.JohｎtypiｃalｌyｗouldaskLiYiｎg,“Ｗｈatdoyouwanｔtoｄｏｔoday？”,or“Whｅrｅshａｌlweｇo？”ＬｉＹｉｎgwoｕldsomｅtimestellｗhatｓhewａｎｔeｄ，butmｏrｅofteｎｔhanｎot,sｈewouldsay“It’ｓuｐtｏｙoｕ”，or“Ｗhａｔevｅrｙouwanｔtodo”,or“Ｗhｅreｖeryouｗanttogo.”

JoｈnfrｏｗnedaｔsuchresponsesseverａltimｅｓｕntiloｎｅｄaywｈenＬiＹingｓaiｄ“uptoyoｕ”aｇain.“FｏrGoｄ’ｓsakｅ,ｔellｍewhaｔyｏuwaｎttoｄo!”Ｈｅｃrｉedoutloud.

LiＹｉngwassｈockedathiｓｒeactｉｏn.“Isn’tｉtcｌｅartｏyou？Ｉ’llｄowhatｙoｕwanttodｏ.”

“No,itisn’tcｌｅaratａll.Iｗanttokｎｏwｗhatyouwａntｔodo!”Ｊoｈnwasalmostangrｙ.“Dｏn’tyourｅaｌizethａｔsｏmｅｔｉmesIwanttodｏwhaｔｙoｕwａnttodo，ｔｏo?”

Case29ＬovｅrsBｅｃomeStrａngeｒs

ＸｉａoXinandPｅｔeｒarenewly-weds.Ｔｈouｇｈtheｙsｐｅntａlｏtofｔimewiｔheachotｈｅrｂeｆｏrｅｇｅttｉngmａｒriｅd，theyｎeverrｅallylivedｔogetheｒ．Notｓｕrｐrisinｇly,thｅirmarｒiagewａｓfolloweｄｂｙaseriesofminorprobｌemswｈileｔheyｔrｉedtoadｊuｓｔtoeaｃhｏｔheｒ’swａyｓofｌｉfe.Oneｄｉｆficulｔｉｓsｕeｃameｕｐaboｕttｗomoｎthｓaｆtｅrthｅiｒｎｅwｌifｅ,whenPeterｃaｍeｈｏmｅfｒｏmworｋlｏokiｎgｕnｈappｙ.

“Whathappｅneｄ?”XｉaｏXinasked.

“Nothｉnｇmuch,I’ｍjustverｙtired,”Pｅtｅｒｓaid.

“Icaｎtelltｈatｉｔ’ｓｍoretｈanthat.”

PeteｒｇａｖｅXiaoXinaquiｅtlook,wentintｏthebeｄrooｍ，ａndtｈrewｈimｓｅlftｏbed.

XｉaｏＸｉnｆollowｅdhimｉn.“Don’ｔｙｏuｗantｔoｔalkaboｕtiｔ?”

“No，Idｏn’ｔ．”

“PerhapsIcaｎheｌp?”XiaｏXｉnsｕggeｓteｄ.

“ＸiaoXin，ｓomeｔｉmesｙoujustｈaｖetｏｇｉｖemesomespaｃe.AllIneeｄnowiｓsoｍeprivacy！”Petｅrｙelleｄ.

ＸiaoXｉnｗaｓｉnｓhock.“Don’tyoutrｕstme?”

“Geｅｚ，it’snotamattｅrofｔrust!Cａn’ｔyoｕａcceptｔhｅfａｃtｔhattａlkinｇtoyｏuiｓn’ttheｓoluｔｉｏｎtoeveryｏnｅｏfmyｐｒoblems?”Pｅterwａsbeｃominｇｆrustrａｔedandiｍpatient.

ＸiaoXinwasiｎｔｅａrs.Herhuｓbandseemedtohavebｅｃｏmeastranｇertoｈer.

Case3０ＡGｉfｔofＳelｆ

ZｈangGｅanｄSimonｗｅrehｅａdoveｒhｅelsinlｏｖewitheachotｈeｒ.Ｔheydecidｅdtogoawaytｏspendamajoｒｈolｉdaysomｅｗhｅｒｅ.Ｉtｗaswiｎterｔime，sotheyfleｗsｏuｔhinseａrchoｆｓunshiｎｅandwarｍwater.

Hoｗｅｖｅｒ,Simoｎdｅvelopeｄｄiarrheasｏｏnaftertheｙsｅttledinahoｔel.Hefeltweakandhaｄtoｌiedｏwnfｏｒaｒest.ＺhanｇGｅwaｓworrieｄandstayｅdｈimintheroｏm.Outｓideｔheｗiｎdow,thｅsｕnｗａsshining，andｔheycouldｈｅａrthesurf.Ｔhｅsｕnaｎdbeａchｉｓｗhaｔtｈeyhaｄdｒｅamｅdabｏｕtfｏrmonthｓduringｔｈewinｔerｂａckｈome.

“Goanｄhavesomeｆun,”SiｍonsａidｔoZhaｎgＧe.

“ＨowcanIgｏandhaveｆunｗｈileyｏｕ’ｒesｉｃkｉnbｅd?”

“Whynoｔ,it’sｎotyourfauｌtｔhatI’msiｃk.Besides,thｅre’snoｔhingyｏｕｃaｎdohere.”

“Nonｓense!Icａｎkeｅpyourcoｍpaｎy,ａnｄｙou’llfｅelbｅｔteｒwithmearｏuｎdｙou．”

“Areyｏusuｒeyｏｕwanttodotｈiｓinsteadofｇoiｎgouｔ?”

“Yes,I’msure.Iwon’tgowithoｕtyoｕ.”

“Oh,yｏｕ’ｒeｓｏspeｃiａl.Iloveyｏusomｕｃh!”ＳimonｄreｗZhaｎｇGenearanｄkiｓsｅdｈｅr.

Caｓe3１ＡCｌoｓeGｉrlfｒｉend

LiuHongandWuXinｈavebeengｏodfriendsｓinceｔheywereyouｎggirls.BｏtheｖｅntuallyhadｔhｅｏpporｔunitｙtｏstudyintheUｎitedStateｓ，aｌtｈｏuｇｈtheyｅnｄeｄupｉntｗodiffeｒentcitｉes.Afterｔheirｆirｓtyｅaｒｏfｈardwork,theydeciｄedtｏｄosomｅｔrａvelingtｏgｅther.LiuHongｗｅnttoｓtayｗiｔhWuXinforｔｗodaysbeforetｈeysetoｆf.Tｈｅnｔhｅｙvｉsｉtｅdthrｅｅcitieｓovertｈenｅxｔ10dayｓ.

LiuHｏngcameｂackｆromｔheｔripandtoldｈerAmeｒｉcanfriｅnｄsaｂｏｕtｔhｅｔrｉp.Ｓhecasｕａｌｌｙmeｎtionｅdthatthｅyhadｔosｈａrｅoneｂｅdinonｅparticularmotｅl.

“Oｈ,ｄidyｏu?”,saidｏｎeofｔhefrｉendsinａｔoｎethａｔmadｅLiｕHongfeelunｃoｍfortablｅ.

Case32ＩnterpretiｎｇａSmile

.PｅtｅｒｉｓthegenｅralmａｎaｇerofａｎAmｅｒicancoｍpａnyinChiｎａ.Reｃｅntly,CｈeｎJｕｎ,oneｏftｈeChinesemanａgersmadｅａｍistakｅ