6.
Competition is part of an American’s life from early childhood on. Whether it be the games we play or our striving to be more ______1______ than the person we are sitting next to in class, our ______2______ nature is encouraged in the United States. We are ranked, graded, classified, and _____3_____ so that we will know if we are ―the best‖. In sports and at work, we are told the importance of ―being number one.‖ Young people are even advised that if they lose and it does not bother them, there is something ______4______with them. As is the case with all the patterns found in a culture, the origin of a specific pattern has a long history. Notice the call for competition in the following proverb—written at the beginning of the first century by the Roman philosopher Ovid: ―A horse never runs so fast as when he has other horses to catch up and outpace.‖ The ______5______was clear then and it is clear now—we need to ―______6______‖ all the other horses.
Competition is yet another pattern that often causes problems for Americans when they ______7______ with people who do not espouse this value. Harris and Moran offer an ______8______ example of this problem as it applies to the French:
When ______9______ with individuals with a competitive drive, the French may ______10______ them as being antagonistic, ruthless, and power-hungry. They may feel threatened, and overreact or withdraw from the discussion.
1. attractive 2. competitive 3. evaluated 4.
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wrong explicit
5. message 6. outpace 7. interact 8. 9. confronted 10. interpret
7.
The anxiety one experiences when moving to a new place is a 1 combination of emotions, and often a foreign feeling in itself. This confusing jumble of emotions has been dubbed ―Culture Shock‖ and yes, we all experience it.
Every day we use signs and familiar markings to 2 ourselves. The signs often come in the form of 3 with others and with the place we’re in. Based on the social standards you adhere to, you use these interactions to appropriately position yourself to function throughout the day. These 4 can be as simple as a waiter nodding his head, indicating he’s ready to take your order or the markings on the road that show you where it’s safe to cross. It’s the 5 of these small signals that give peace of mind, and suggest that you do in fact understand what’s going on in the world around you. But what happens when a nod no longer means ―I’m ready,‖ and the markings on the road no longer indicate it’s safe to cross?
That’s where Culture Shock comes in. After being placed in a foreign culture, the 6 of where you are, and just how far away you are from your home will inevitably set in. This is where one begins to experience the 7 of culture shock. Culture Shock is often divided into three stages of emotion:
Commonly known as ―The Honeymoon Stage.‖ This is characterized by the 8 and joy of everything around you that is new.
Resentment. Feelings of 9 , nervousness, anxiety and related emotions lead to a general resentment of the new society and its culture.
Adjustment. Soon you will be to recognize cultural signs and symbols and function at a proficient level, near how you functioned back home. This stage shows you are on the path to full 10 and enjoyment of the new culture.
1. bizarre 2. orient 3. interactions 4. cues 5. accumulation 6. realization 7. symptoms 8. embrace 9. inadequacy 10. immersion
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8.
Although there is still some disagreement among communication scholars about how best to conceptualize and measure communication competence, there is increasing 1 about certain of its fundamental characteristics. The following definition of communication competence illustrates the 2 components of their approach: Competent communication is interaction that is perceived as effective in fulfilling certain rewarding objectives in a way that is also appropriate to the context in which the interaction occurs. This definition provides 3 for understanding communicative and intercultural competence in several ways. A key word is 4 because it means that competence is best 5 by the people who are interacting with each other. In other words, communicative competence is a social 6 about how 7 a person interacts with others. That competence involves a social perception suggests that it will always be specific to the context and interpersonal 8 within which it occurs. Therefore, whereas judgments of competence are influenced by an 9 of an individual’s personal characteristics, they can not be wholly determined by them, because competence involves an 10 between people.
1. agreement 2. key 3. guidance 4. perceived
5. determined 6. judgment 7. well 8. relationship 9. assessment 10. interaction
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9.
The 20th century witnessed great change in communication tec The English, as a race, have the reputation of being very different from all other nationalities, including their closest 1 , the French, Belgians and Dutch. It is claimed that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it. 2 the reasons, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has developed many attitudes and habits which 3 him from other nationalities. Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, 4 person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well. In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems inhibited, even embarrassed. You have only to witness a commuter train any morning or evening to see the 5 of this. Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their 6 or dozing in a corner; no one 7 . In fact, to do so would seem most unusual. There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behaviour which, if broken, makes the person 8 the object of suspicion.
It is a well-known fact that the English have an obsession with their 9 and that, given half a chance, they will talk about it at length. Some people argue that it is because English weather defies forecast and hence is a source of interest and speculation to everyone. In fact, so 10 is the weather that even the weatherman can’t be accurate in his predictions. The 11 visitors may be excused for showing surprise at the number of references to weather that the English make to each other in the course of a single day. Very often 12 greetings are replaced by comments on the weather. ―Nice day, isn’t it?‖ ―Beautiful!‖ may well be heard instead of ―Good morning, how are you?‖ 13 the visitor may consider this exaggerated and comic, it is worthwhile pointing out that it could be used to his advantage. If he wants to start a conversation with an Englishman (or woman) but is at a loss to know where to begin, he could do well to 14 the state of the weather. It is a safe 15 which will provoke an answer from even the most reserved of Englishmen.
1. neighbours 2. Whatever 3. distinguish 4. reserved 5. truth
6. newspapers 7. speaks 8. immediately 9. weather 10. variable
11. overseas 12. conventional 13. Although 14. mention 15. subject
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选择题
第一．
1. In the United States, life is seen as a set of problems to be solved . For Chinese, however, life is seen as a set of situations to be accepted. This difference can explain _____.
正确答案： 正确 A. attitudinal problems
2. A teenager dresses like and talks like a gang member but not a member of any gang. This case reflects the _______ ---one of the characteristics of subgroups. 正确答案： 正确 C. “wanna-be” behavior
3. When you grow up in one culture, you learn one way of classifying, coding, prioritizing, and justifying reality. All the activities of learning one’s culture are called______. 正确答案： 正确 A. enculturation
4. Communication does not occur in isolation or in a vacuum, but rather it takes place in a physical and a social context; both establish the rules that govern the interaction. It reflects _____.
正确答案： 正确 B. communication is systematic
5. The dialogues between nations and governments at the United Nations, for example, would be termed _________.
正确答案： 正确 C. international communication
6. The “American dream” is clearly a representation of _____. 问题 6 答案
所选答案： 正确 B. individualism 正确答案： 正确 B. individualism
7. When you are hungry, you are more likely to attend to food advertisements. This case reflects the step for _____in the perception process. 正确答案： 正确 A. selection
8. ______ refers to hostile words and/or actions that people say or do against a certain group because that group is different. 正确答案： 正确 A. Hate speech
9. Assumption of superiority may lead to _____ , people everywhere tend to assume their own culture is right and normal, and to assess all other cultures by how closely they resemble their own.
正确答案： 正确 C. Ethnocentrism
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