资源描述：
《大学英语跨文化交际教程翻译 杨晓萍 陶岳炼 主编.doc》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在教育资源-天天文库。
1、Unit1passageATheEnglishcharacterTootheEuropeans,thebestknownqualityoftheBritishis"reserve".Areservedpersonisonewhodoesnottalkverymuchtostrangers,doesnotshowmuchemotion,andseldomgetsexcited.Itisdifficulttogettoknowareservedperson;henevertellsyouanythingabouthimself,and
2、youmayworkwithhimforyearswithouteverknowingwherehelives,howmanychildrenhehas,andwhathisinterestsare.Englishpeopletendtobelikethat.Iftheyaremakingajourneybybus,theywilldotheirbesttofindanemptyseat;ifbytrain,anemptycompartment.Iftheyhavetosharethecompartmentwithastrange
3、r,theymaytravelmanymileswithoutstartingaconversation.Ifaconversationdoesstart,personalquestionslike"Howoldareyou?"oreven"Whatisyourname?"arenoteasilyasked.Questionslike"Wheredidyoubuyyourwatch?"or"Whatisyoursalary?"arealmostimpossible.Similarly,conversationinBritainis
4、ingeneralquietandrestrainedandloudspeechisconsideredill-bred. Thisunwillingnesstocommunicatewithothersisanunfortunatequalityinsomeways,sinceittendstogivetheimpressionofcoldness,anditistruethattheEnglish(exceptperhapsintheNorth)arenotnotedfortheirgenerosityandhospita
5、lity.Ontheotherhand,theyareperfectlyhumanbehindtheirbarrierofreserve,andmaybequitepleasedwhenafriendlystrangerorforeignersucceedsforatimeinbreakingthebarrierdown. CloselyrelatedtoEnglishreserveisEnglishmodesty.Withintheirhearts,theEnglishareperhapsnolessconceitedthan
6、anybodyelse,butintheirrelationswithotherstheyvalueatleastashowofmodesty.Self-praiseisfelttobeill-bred.Ifapersonis,letussay,verygoodattennis,andsomeoneaskshimifheisagoodplayer,hewillseldomreply"Yes,"becausepeoplewillthinkhimconceited.Hewillprobablygiveananswerlike,"I'm
7、notbad,"or"Well,I'mverykeenontennis."Thisself-deprecationistypicallyEnglish,and,mixedwiththeirreserve,itoftenproducesasortofgeneralairofindifferencewhichappearstoforeignersdifficulttounderstandandevenirritating. ThefamousEnglishsenseofhumorissimilar.Itsstartingpoint
8、isself-deprecation,anditsgreatenemyisconceit.It’sidealistheabilitytolaughatoneself—atone'sownfaults,one'sownfailuresandembar
