Unit 6 The Preparations
1.Listen and practice in pairs.
LiMeng is asking a student counsellor,Mr.Wang,
about procedures for getting a passport and visa.
LiMeng:Good morning,Mr.Wang.May I ask you a few things?
Mr.Wang:Of course you may.What can I do for you?
LiMeng:It's like this.My sister and I want to study in a foreign high school
but we don't know yet what we need to get.
Mr.Wang:Have you applied to a foreign high school?
LiMeng:You mean write to a foreign school?
I did and they have sent me a form called an application form.
Mr.Wang:Ok.When you are accepted by that school,they'll send you another letter.
LiMeng:Then what?
Mr.Wang:Then you can go and apply for your passport and visa.
LiMeng:I know every going abroad carries a passport.But what is a visa?
Mr.Wang:A visa is what you get from a foreign embassy.
It allows you to go to that country.
LiMeng:I see.So a passport is from our country
and a visa is from a foreign country.
Both sides have to agree I can go.
Mr.Wang:You are so smart.
LiMeng:Thank you,Sir.
Can I ask you where to go for these things when I'm accepted by the school?
Mr.Wang:Of course.Any time.
4.Listen and practice in pairs.
LiMeng is calling Air China about baggage requirements for international flights.
Clerk:Good morning,Air Chia.Can I help you?
LiMeng:Yes.Can you tell me how heavy my suitcases can be?
Clerk:You mean baggage requirements.
Is it for a domestic flight or an international flight?
LiMeng:What is"domestic"?
Clerk:Inside China.
LiMeng:Oh,it's international.
Clerk:Are you going as a student or a tourist?
LiMeng:I'm going to study in a foreign school.
Clerk:You are allowed 30 kilos for your checked baggage
and 5 kilos for carry-on baggage the first time you travel abroad.
Just a minute.Let me make a note of that...OK,thanks.Bye.
Clerk:You're welcome.Goodbye.
5.Listen and read.
Culture shock
We often hear the sentence,"When in Rome,do as the Romans do."
This is indeed true when you are in a new culture.
You have to watch carefully not to make a fool of yourself.
Having dinner in western countries is quite different from that in China.
Courses come one after another.
First appetizers,then soup,next main course and finally dessert.
But in China,we always start with beer or wine,together with many cold dishes.
Then we have the hot dishes.Later on,we have soup and finally we have fruit.
If you learn what to expect,the differences are less of a shock or surprise.
In many western countries,if plates of food are placed on the table,
you should ask a person to pass the dish to
you instead of reaching for the dish by yourself
On receiving a gift from your foreigh friend,
you should open it immediately and tell them how beautiful the thing is
and express your thankfulness.
Most westerners pay a lot of attention to their own privacy.
They don't like people to inquire about their age,salary,weight,
marital status,home address and telephone numbers.
On the countary,Chinese people are interested in finding out people's salary,
marital status,age,weight and they are eager
to give you their home address and telephone numbers.
Westerners greet people by saying things like,"Beautiful day,isn't it?"
or"Terrible weather,isn't it?"
However,Chinese greetings are more likely to include quesstions such as,
"Have you eaten anything yet?"or"Where are you going?"
Westerners make apologies to anybody,their bosses,their co-workers,
their doctors,their hairdressers and even to their children.
Chinese people,however,mostly make apologies only to their bosses and their co
-workers,
But not to their children or to others.
The more you lean English,the more you will find out
about the cultural differences between westerners and Chinese people.
Being aware of these differences makes you a better communicator
and may protect you from the shock and surprise
which may come from meeting these differences face to face.
Ask & answer the following questions in pairs.
1.At the dinner table,
what do you do when you want to get the dish at the other end?
2.What topics are considered"private"in western countries?
3.What sentences do westerners often use when they start their conversations?
4.What is the Chinese way of greeting each other?
5.Do westerners make apologies to the younger ones?
6.Listen and write.
Listen to the dialogue and fill in the blanks.
Dr.Berry:Sweetie,you know what?
When I arrived in Beijing for the first time,I made a _____mistake,
and I missed some very______food.
Mrs.Berry:How_______,Honey?
Dr.Berry:They served a lot of_______dishes when we were drinking__________.
There were so many dishes that I_________they were all we would have.
So I took a portion of each on my own________to enjoy myself.
Mrs.Berry:It must have been very delicious,huh?I love___________food!
Dr.Berry:Yeah,sure.
But the problem was they__________hot dishes after the cold dishes.
Mrs.Berry:My!I guess you were too_______to eat anything else.
Dr.Berry:Exactly.But I_________to taste all of them.
Very tasty!After that they served_________,rice,and dumplings.
The only thing I could do was to watch other people eating.
Mrs.Berry:Ha! Ha! Ha!
8.Listen and practice.
LiMeng and his sister are talking about collecting information for their trip.
Xiaohong:Now what do we still need to know?
LiMeng:Mum told me we should find out about the local weather and local time.
Xiaohong:What is that?
LiMeng:The weather and time in teh place where our school is.
Xiaohong:The weather is easy.We can go on-line and find out.
But why do we need the time?It's already on the airline ticket.
LiMeng:Sorry,I mean thetime difference.
Xiaohong:Oh,right.It might be a few hours earlier or later.
LiMeng:It depends on where you go.
Xiaohong:What are we waithing for now?Turn on the computer and have a look.