Culture A I think the phrase "culture shock" is not proper. When you think of a shock, it’s something that strikes your mind in a second. In most cases, culture shock is more like something that eats slowly your defenses until you find yourself crying on the floor. This is happening to me in France! It really has nothing to do with France or the French. It has everything to do with being outside of my own culture for a long time. It has to do with doing things and communicating with people. Sometimes I say the wrong word or I don’t remember to greet the store owner as I walk through the door. I feel like crying just thinking about the life we left back home. I don’t know how to fill out our tax forms according to French law, and I certainly don’t like to look it up on some website in French. Again, it really has nothing to do with France or the French. We have made some wonderful French friends. Fortunately, my husband is not going through culture shock right now, so he’s able to pick me up off the floor if I need it. This afternoon I did some research, largely looking for an estimation1 of how long culture shock lasts. What I found was comforting. It seems that the cycles of culture shock are a normal process when introduced into a new environment. One website even offered some tips and advice on pulling yourself out of the culture shock depression2. While I wasn’t particularly encouraged by the idea that time heals the dislikes of foreign culture, I was happy to see that there were no cases of culture shock being deadly. Now I’m determined to fight back. Then I’ll celebrate with a cup of coffee, made in the way only French people can. Notes: 1. estimation n.估计 2. depression n.消沉 1. The writer wrote about this experience to ________. A. show her determination to fight the culture shock B. show her disappointment with the lifestyle of the French C. attract more tourists to France D. tell people about culture shock 2. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE? A. The writer found it hard for her to live comfortably in her own country. B. The writer likes the idea that as time goes by the culture shock disappears. C. The writer always greets the store owner with a smile when she walks into a store. D. The writer doesn’t know how to fill out the tax forms based on French law. 3. Compared with the author, her husband _________. A. feels more strongly about culture shock in France B. is doing better in the new environment C. is good at making friends D. can speak French better B The movie Joy Luck Club shows the challenges faced by four China-born women and their Americanized1 daughters. It shows how love can be misunderstood. Different cultural or generational values and the style of parenting can cause many family problems. For many Asian parents, the values of the teachers and their children’s friends are important areas of concern. If their ideas and values are similar, it can make the relationships in the family more harmonious2, an important value in Asian cultures. It is my observation, and a feeling shared by many others, that Asian parents are among the most devoted people when it comes to family matters. In addition, it seems that a lot of pain and family conflicts3 often result from the interaction4 between family members. Interaction problems can deepen when children reach their teenage years. Asian parents typically raise their kids by teaching, advising and directing. Face and family fame are the most important. Parents have the "we" concept, but youths often believe more in independence and identity (Who am I?). They are more concerned with the "I" concept. With those different views, it is easy to see how conflicts can take place. When you try reducing the rate and severity of these troublesome situations, it is important to know the different feelings and attitudes that are held by family members. The parents have beliefs that they learned in their Asian home country while the youths have become Americanized. How do we bridge those differences? First, we must accept that they exist and that they are normal. Next, we must establish good communication. Notes: 1. Americanize v.使美国化 2. harmonious adj.和谐的 3. conflict n.冲突 4. interaction n.相互作用 1. This passage is mainly about _______. A. the challenges of parenting in a different culture B. the movie Joy Luck Club C. family conflicts in different countries D. Asian parents and their children 2. Because they have different opinions, it is the most important to _______. A. understand how conflicts can happen B. try to remove these troublesome situations C. know the different feelings and attitudes of the family members D. know how the parents and the youths develop new viewpoints 3. Unlike their parents, youths often __________. A. have a sense of responsibility and want to make their families famous B. want to make their own career decisions and be supported in these decisions C. feel happy to accept their parents’ guidance and follow them D. only care about themselves and don’t care about their parents 阅读新题型 Interesting Cultural Diversity Read the passage and choose the proper sentences to fill in the blanks. There are two extra sentences that you do not need. A. So do the French and the Germans. B. It would be impossible to study other people’s cultures if one believes that his own culture is much better than other people’s. C. I became good friends with an Italian family and their neighbors from France and Germany. D. The Italians pay much attention to the matter of culture. E. The more we realize and appreciate the diversity, the more interesting place the world will become to live in. F. There are many kinds of cultures around the world. Let me tell you about how interesting cultural diversity can be by telling you my experience. It was during my stay in Italy from 1989 to 1992. 1 While we were talking, I noticed many times, that they joked and made fun of their cultures and lifestyle differences. I found this to be very interesting. The Italians have their own culture. 2 And they all had a great time joking about and pointing out each other’s differences. I believe it is very natural to have different customs and cultures. 3 That is because the diversity is not there to show which culture is better or worse but to give us something to appreciate about each one. If we want to get along with people with different nationalities, customs and cultures, it is necessary for us to learn about and respect others. Unfortunately many people still think that their culture is the best of all and look down upon other cultures and customs. 4 I don’t understand why people cannot sit down and learn about cultural diversity. It is fun to learn about these differences. Note: diversity n.差异,多样性 参考答案： 阅读理解A 1-3 A D B 阅读理解B 1-3 A C B 阅读新题型 1-4 C A E B
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