中西餐饮差异.doc

种族 National race
The whole question of the changing role of Blacks in American society as been the subject of newspaper articles around the world so frequently that visitors to the United States do not know what to expect when they arrive. They may be surprised when they see that Blacks and Whites work side by side in offices , factories , and schools across the country . The majority of Blacks in the United States, however, live in and around only a small number of American cities.
Many dark-skinned visitors arrive in the United States fearing personal attack or expecting various degrees of racial prejudice. Some forms of discrimination [1] still exist ,unfortunately, especially in the areas of the housing , schools , and jobs . The school equality is still more a dream than a reality. There are still too many areas of the country where Black Americans do not enjoy the same full opportunities as White Americans . However, the vast majority of American s are working , studying , and sharing public places together. This was not true even a few years ago in some parts of the country , but progress is steadily being made . You will be able to observe the improvement in race relations as soon as your plane lands . You will see it in the airport, in public buses and trains , in theaters , restaurants , rest room, in sops and libraries , in offices and factories . Close personal friendships between Blacks and Whites , full trust and social relationships are still not common , except in certain areas, However, even in this - the slowest area of progress-there has been change , especially among young people.
[1] discrimination n. 辨别, 区别, 识别力, 辨别力, 歧视
Excerpted from " A Guide to U.S.A. ", edited by Li Yang, Li Yi, published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.

Culture Difference
it is not a novel knowledge that culture difference exists between eastern and western countries. But not until I heard the lecture given by a Chinese scholar, who has been lived in Australia for several years, did I came to understand that how different it is.
The scholar summarized that we, as Chinese, prefer to think in a spiral, casual way, while western people, more often than not, are fond of a linear, business-is-business way. Supporting the idea, he named out examples he himself experienced while staying in Australia. Here are some excerpts.
Firstly, line up matter. If you are in China, it is not rare to see that a crowd of people throng in the supermarket, trying to get service first. People in China do line up, the scholar said in a humorous tone, but they prefer to line up at a horizontal way.
In contrast, in western countries, say, in Australia, people always line up, no matter in a big bank or a small grocery store. And they take it for granted. Lining up has long since become part of their life that they scarcely doubt it or grow impatient while doing it.
Secondly, first come, first served. Though in words it is a normal principle here in China, it’s mostly not the case in reality. Take an example of what usually happens in a bank. Here when we are in a middle-sized bank, and suppose we are talking with the cashier, it always tends to have someone butt in, claiming that his or her request takes only one second.
And it seems that we have already been accustomed to it. So has the cashier. But in western countries, it never applies. It is always rude that you butt in while the cashier is serving his customer. No matter how little time your request costs, the cashier, more often than not, is likely to turn you down. Only one customer at a time is his principle.
Thirdly, change stuff. Suppose I am in a shopping mall and the stuff I purchase cost me 142 RMB. While lining up at the casher’s and happening to check my wallet, I find I have 200 RMB and two one-yuan coins. What will I do? To give the cashier 200 RMB, or give him 200 RMB and the two one-yuan coins so that he could return me 60 RMB, which is more convenient for both of us.
I think when the Chinese were in this situation, they would mostly choose the latter one. But the scholar said, in Australia, they won’t do so. He then told that he himself did try it once, and he thought it was self-evident to do so. But the cashier did not understand. So the scholar latter on summarized that western people are prone to lack of flexibility while doing their work. Then how about us in their eyes? They think we
Chinese have a tendency to make things complicate. What an interesting contrast!

Here I don’t intend to tell which is better and which is worse. What I try to say is just that we might well be in conformity with the customs and be aware of the culture differences while being abroad. Like the saying goes—while you are in Rome, do as Romans do. If you don’t want to put yourself in the public, bearing all this in mind is perhaps the best policy.