A
My English friends Vic and Esther invited me out to dinner on their last evening in Toronto. They were really pleased with it — but then Vic only left a five-dollar tip for the waiter! The bill was almost $150 and in Canada, it’s normal to leave a 15% tip. The waiter looked shocked — he must have thought we were really unhappy! I didn’t want to embarrass (使尴尬) Vic by putting more money on the table, so I quietly gave the waiter another $10 as we were leaving.
— Neil, Canada
I particularly remember a party I went to soon after I came to Australia. The people were friendly and the food was wonderful but all the time I kept thinking, ‘Where’s the music? When does the dancing start?’ Where I come from, a party isn’t a party without music and dancing! But nothing happened and I left early, which probably wasn’t very polite, but I just felt so out of place.
— Daniela, Colombia
When I went to meet my Italian friend at the airport, she ran over and hugged me and kissed me on both cheeks. I felt totally uncomfortable! Kissing and hugging in public is not how people usually behave here! People were staring at us and some children were even laughing. There was nothing wrong with what she did but I couldn’t deal with it at the time.
— Haneul, Korea
Soon after I arrived in China I was invited to be a judge at a local school’s English speech contest. After the contest the head teacher invited me to dinner, but before I could accept my guide politely refused for me. Afterwards he told me that it was common practice to make invitations like this just to be polite, which is quite different from my home country where invitations are sincere and you are expected to accept them.
— Dr. Finckel, Britain
1. What did Neil do after Vic left a small tip?
A. He explained the reason to the waiter in detail.
B. He told Vic it was an improper amount.
C. He gave the waiter some money secretly.
D. He put more money on the table.
2. What was Daniela confused about at the party?
A. The people. B. The music. C. The food. D. The time.
3. How did Haneul feel about her friend’s behavior?
A. Amused. B. Puzzled. C. Bored. D. Embarrassed.
4. What do the four people’s experiences show?
A. Multi-cultural education problems.
B. Different means of communication.
C. Cross-cultural misunderstandings.
D. The development of Western culture.
