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1、英语畅谈中国文化50主题第13章TheImportanceofChopsticks筷子的重要性A:Inthe17thcentury,whenaBritishbusinessmanheardthattherewere100millionpeopleinChina,hewasdeterminedtogothereandsellspoons.Hethought,evenifaspoonwouldonlysellforonepenny,hewouldstillmake100millionpennies,buthedidn’tsucceed.TheChin
2、esepeopleusedchopsticks,notspoons.B:SomepeopledidsomeresearchontheoriginofChina’schopstickscomparedtotheknifeandforkintheWest.OnetheoryisthatChinawasanagriculturalsocietyandreliedonvegetablesforfood.Chopstickswereveryconvenienttoolsforeating.TheWesterners,ontheotherhand,weren
3、omadsandlivedonmeat.Theknifeandforkweremorepractical.OthersbelievethatChinadidnothavemuchindustry,andthereforepeopleusedchopsticks.TheWestwasanindustrialsociety,sotheireatingutensilsweremadeofmetal. A:Soundsinteresting!WhenIfirstlearnedthattheChineseuseapairofstickstoeatwith,
4、Iwascurioushowtheywoulddrinksoup.JustliketheIndianswhousetheirfingerstoeat,dotheyalsousetheirfingerstodrinksoup?B:WhateverthereasonswhytheChineseusechopsticksandWesternersuseknifeandfork,itisaresultoftheirrespectivecultures.Chinesecultureisdevelopedaroundcollectivismwhichstre
5、ssescommunionandharmony.Westerncultureemphasizesindividualism.Intermsofeatingcustoms,chopsticksandknivesandforksaretwodesperateexpressionsofthisculturaldifference.TheChineseliketohavecommunalmealswhereeverybodyeatsoutofthesamebowloffood.Chopstickswereusedinordertodiscouragepe
6、oplefromeatingmorethanothers.Thiswasnotonlyagoodwaytopreservecollectiveness,butalsotolimitindividualism.ItismorestraightforwardintheWest.Peopleeattheirmealsontheirown,andthereisnorestrictiononhowtoeat. A:Thatsoundsquitereasonable.B:Inaddition,tablemannersareverystrictduringth
7、eChinesemeal.Respecthastobegiventotheelderly.Eachtimeadishisserved,everyonehastowaituntiltheelderpersonstartsor,“tocuttheribbon,”asitisnowcalled.TheWesternerswillsimplysay,“Helpyourself,”tostart.Thefoodisbroughttothetableallofthesametimesoeverybodyisonthesamestartingline.This
8、lacksthewarm2atmospherewhichprevailsataChinesedinner. A:Thismaybethe
