跨文化教材电子参考答案1.doc

《跨文化交际与地球村民》部分练习参考答案
Key to Some of the Exercises
(for your reference only)

UNIT 1 Globalization and Intercultural Communication
Part One Warm Up
Question 4
This is a Canadian host family (Canadian husband on the left, Russian wife in the middle and their son left to the mother) hosting students abroad. From left to right, there are Chinese, Malaysian, Japanese and Singaporean who are international students in Canada. This picture best illustrates the concept of global village where people from different cultural backgrounds meet and even live together for whatever reasons.

Part Three Exercises
Section A Filling the Blanks
1. contact 2. right 3. amazing 4. cultural 5. assume
6. decades 7. characteristics 8. viruses 9. important 10. minimized

Section D Case Studies
Case 1 Finding an Interested Buyer
Explanations
A. This could be an explanation for what happened. However, not enough information was provided to support this choice. Had he truly been interested and then unexpectedly detained by important business matters, it is most likely that Mr. Li would have left additional instructions suggesting a new time to meet or a method of contact. There is a better alternative.
B. This is an inaccurate generalization. Although time concepts vary across national borders, businesspeople in China are generally as dependable as those in the United State and dependability is considered a virtue in Chinese society. If Mr. Li believed that he had set a firm appointment with George, he would have been at the appointed place, and he would have been on time.
C. This is the best answer. There are two important cultural aspects at work in this interaction. The first is the issue of directness. In many situations where Americans tend to prefer directness, the Chinese are usually more comfortable with indirectness and ambiguity. The second is the concept of “face”. Having face means that one is in good standing with others vis-à-vis（面对） his or her obligation to peers, subordinates, and superiors and is maintaining harmony in society as a whole. It is important to preserve one’s face and, as much as possible, the face of others.   
A Chinese person would have recognized that Mr. Li was clearly not interested in George’s products at all. He had indicated his lack of interest by saying that he was busy. However, George failed to pick up the signal. Instead of saying “I am not interested” directly, Mr. Li chose a more polite way, according to Chinese cultural norms, to convey this message to George. Mr. Li did not want to tell George “no” directly and cause George to lose face (because his products were rejected). By failing to set a definite time for a follow-up meeting and by only half-agreeing to the specifics that George was pressing on him, Mr. Li was saying, in no uncertain terms（直截了当地）, that he was not interested in pursuing the matter. George didn’t have the cultural sensitivity to interpret Mr. Li’s response correctly.
D. This is not a good explanation. Mr. Li didn’t show any interest in the exchange. George was the one who showed a lot of enthusiasm.
E. This is a true statement. However, it doesn’t apply to the situation described in the incident. This was a trade show, where companies could establish initial contacts and introduce new products. Therefore, George really had no chance to develop a relationship of trust with Mr. Li, who was obviously not impressed by George’s initial approach.

Case 2 Understanding the Cultural Background
Explanation
The insurance saleswoman could argue that the people she deals with are in the United States and therefore, should adapt to American practices; however, with that attitude she would not reach her customers, who are from East Asian countries. The result would have been a severe restriction of her business practice. Instead, her ability to communicate in a foreign language and at the same time understand the cultural background of her clientele makes her successful.

UNIT 2 Human Behavior and Culture
Part Three Exercises
Section A Filling the Blanks
1. participation 2. how 3. speak 4. isolated 5. Bible
6. behavior 7. cultural 8. association 9. indirectly 10. develop

Section B Solving the Culture Puzzle
Explanation
Some would call this cheating; while Wang in this case calls it helping a friend. For one thing, he may not want Hassan to feel embarrassed by doing poorly on the test. Avoiding shame — especially public embarrassment — is a paramount Chinese virtue. For another, Wang wants to be cooperative: in this case, he will help Hassan; in another case, perhaps Hassan will help him. In that way, the two of them face life’s challenges together and fare rather better than each might on his own. What purpose is to be served by Wang keeping what he knows to himself when he could help someone else by sharing it?
For her part, Anderson, no doubt, sees this test as a chance to find out what Hassan and Wang know. If Hassan doesn’t know very much about the subject, this test will motivate him to go back and learn, which will only be to his benefit in the future; that is, at some point down the road Hassan may need this information, and if he doesn’t know, to whom is he going to turn?
Notice the assumption here that in the end each of us ultimately has only our own self to rely on, which Hassan would not understand in this case. Self-reliance may be a key value in one culture, but the Chinese view would be that you would always have your primary group (family or intimate friends) to turn to if you needed help, just as family and friends can always depend on you if they need help. The phrase “To stand on your own two feet” doesn’t resonate in many cultures.

Section D Case Studies
Case 1 In or Out?
Explanation
Japanese culture is similar in many ways as Chinese culture such as body language and indirect way of refusal. It is a kind of virtue to refuse the first offer whether it is a gift or marriage proposal. Sawada may apply this same social rule to the girl from Holland which has a very different cultural norm.

Case 2 Sharing the Wealth
Explanation
An important value orientation in Chinese culture is the concept of “insider” and “outsider”. Usually, Chinese people will show high enthusiasm and closeness to “insiders” and try their best to give help. Meanwhile, they will be cold towards strangers who are considered as “outsiders”. So the common phenomenon in China is that if one who belongs to a different community needs help, he or she must first try to establish a relationship with them and become one of the community’s “insiders”, since “insiders” are expected to help each other in face of obstacles and difficulties. This is one of the reasons why Chinese are unwilling to share their materials with “outsiders”.

UNIT 3 Communication and Culture
Part Three Exercises
Section A Filling the Blanks
1. communication 2. extent 3. establish 4. express 5. material
6. environment 7. influence 8. messages 9. symbols 10. similar

Section D Case Studies
Case 1 First Name or Last Name?
Explanation
It is because they have different cultural backgrounds. There is a tendency in American business circles to prefer close, friendly, egalitarian (平等的) relationships in business engagements. This system of symmetrical solidarity (一致) is often expressed in the use of given (or “first”) names in business encounters. Mr. Richardson feels most comfortable in being called Andy, and he would like to call Mr. Chu by his first name. At the same time, he wishes to show consideration of the cultural differences between them by avoiding Mr. Chu’s western name, David. His solution to this cultural difference is to address Mr. Chu by the given name he sees on the business card, Hon-fai.
Mr. Chu, on the other hand, prefers an initial business relationship of symmetrical deference (尊敬). He would feel more comfortable if they called each other Mr. Chu and Mr. Richardson. Nevertheless, when he was away at school in North America he learned that Americans feel uncomfortable calling people Mr. for extended period of time. His solution was to adapt a western name. He chose David for use in such situations.
When Mr. Richardson insists on using Mr. Chu’s Chinese given name, Hon-fai, Mr. Chu feels uncomfortable. The name is rarely used by anyone, in fact. What Mr. Richardson does not know is that Chinese have a rather complex structure of names which depends upon situations and relationships, which includes school names, intimate and family baby names, and even western names, each of which is used just by the people with whom a person has a certain relationship. Isolating just the given name, Hon-fai, is relatively unusual and to hear himself called this by a stranger makes Mr. Chu feel quite uncomfortable. His reaction, which is also culturally conditioned, is to smile.
Unfortunately, Mr. Richardson is not aware that one means of expressing acute embarrassment for Mr. Chu is to smile. While within North American culture there is consciousness of what might be called “nervous laughter”, there is a general expectation that a smile can be taken as a direct expression of pleasure or satisfaction. Mr. Richardson misinterprets Mr. Chu’s embarrassment as agreement or even pleasure at their first encounter, and as a result, he goes away from the encounter unawareness of the extent to which he has complicated their initial introduction.
We can see from the above case, culture plays a very important role in the communication between these two men. Though everyone has a unique style of communication, culture determines a general style for its members. We are not always aware of the subtle influences of our culture. Likewise, we may not perceive that others are influenced by their cultures as well.

Case 2 Friends Were Friends Forever?
Explanation
In the above case, neither Yaser nor Steve is to be blamed for their relationship. The reason why Yaser felt confused is that he is an outsider to American culture. He doesn’t understand the way Americans view friendship. Americans use the word “friend” in a very general way. They may call both casual acquaintances and close companions “friends.” Americans have school friends, work friends, sports friends and neighborhood friends. These friendships are based on common interests. When the shared activity ends, the friendship may fade. Now Steve and Yaser are no longer classmates. Their friendship has changed.
In some cultures friendship means a strong life-long bond between two people. In these cultures friendships develop slowly, since they are built to last. However, American society is one of rapid change and studies show that one out of every five American families moves every year. American friendships develop quickly, and they may change just as quickly.
People from the United States may at first seem friendly. Americans often chat easily with strangers. They exchange information about their families, hobbies and work. They may smile warmly and say, “Have a nice day” or “See you later.” Schoolmates may say, “Let’s get together sometimes.” But friendliness is not always an offer of true friendship in America.
People like Yaser shouldn’t give up trying to make American friends. Americans do value strong life-long friendship, with Americans and non-Americans. When making friends, it helps to have a good dose of cross-cultural understanding.
Here are just a few tips given by Americans to non-Americans who want to make friends with Americans.
1. Visit places Americans enjoy: parties, churches, western restaurants, parks, sports clubs.
2. Be willing to take the first step. Don’t wait for them to approach you. Americans may not know if you speak English. They may be embarrassed if they can’t speak your language.
3. Use small talk to open the conversation. Ask them where they’re from. Why they came to China, etc. Remember: Be careful to avoid personal questions about age, salary, marital status and appearance.
4. Show an interest in their culture, their country or their job. (Americans like to talk about themselves!)
5. Invite them to join you for dinner or just for coffee or tea. Try to set a specific time. Americans sometimes make general invitations like “Let’s get together sometimes.” Often this is just a way to be friendly. It is not always a real invitation.
6. Don’t expect too much at first. Maybe they’re just being friendly. But maybe they do want to be your good friends. It will take time to tell.

UNIT 4 Language and Culture
Part Two Readings
Translate the following proverbs into English:
1. 挂羊头，卖狗肉
2. 只许州官放火，不许百姓点灯
3. 平时不烧香，临时抱佛脚
4. 前人栽树，后人乘凉
5. 一人得道，鸡犬升天
1. Hang up a sheep’s head and sell dog-meat; try to palm off something inferior to what it purports to be.
2. Magistrates are free to burn houses, while the people are forbidden even to light lamps; One may steal a horse, while another may not look over the hedge.
3. Never light incense when all is well but clasp Buddha’s feet when in dire need; seek help at a crucial moment from whom one usually pays no attention to; doing nothing until the last minute.
4. One generation plants the trees in whose shade another generation rests; enjoying the fruits of labor of one’s predecessors; planting trees for the benefit of posterity.
5. When a man attains the Tao, even his pets ascend to heaven; when a man gets to the top, all his friends and relations get there with him.

Part Three Exercises
Section A Filling the Blanks
1. Eastern 2. Western 3. relation 4. collectivistic 5. influence
6. high-context 7. similarities 8. classified 9. overlooked 10. subtle

Section B Solving the Culture Puzzle
Explanation
Americans are uncomfortable with periods of silence in conversation; they rush to fill any void longer than five seconds. They think silences mean the other person hasn’t understood or that things aren’t going well --- that the other person is upset, not pleased, or just not interested. The Chinese believe it is polite not to respond immediately after someone has spoken, especially if that person has made a proposal of some sort or other. A pause of up to thirty seconds before answering shows respect to the speaker, indicating that one is carefully considering what one has heard and is carefully composing one’s reply. An immediate response suggests a person is not careful or reflective, a dubious business partner.
In the present case, Janet assumed Zhang Ming’s silence meant displeasure or disappointment, and she lowered her price in response, only to be met with silence again. Mr. Zhang, meanwhile, can scarcely believe his good fortune.

Section C Activity
Picture E