It is said that manners can be quite different from country to country. Is that true, Diana?
据说各国的礼仪各不相同，是真的吗，黛安娜？
Yes, Chen. When you go to a strange country you' d better learn something about its customs and manners first. You must know what is polite and what is impolite.
是的，小陈。当你去一个陌生国家，你比较好先学习一下那里的风俗和礼仪。你必须明白什么是礼貌，什么是不礼貌。
A foreigner is often puzzled by the greeting among our Chinese people. In China, when people meet, we often ask each other “Where are you going?” or “Have you had your meal?”
外国人经常被中国人之间的打招呼用语弄得困惑不解，在中国，人们见面经常互相问“你到哪去？”或“你吃饭了吗？”
Yes. It often puzzled me.
是的，这也常常使我困惑。
What about in your country?
你们国家是怎样一种情况？
In England, the topic is usually about the weather. You can talk about weather to anybody at any time. So it is a good topic to begin a conver
sation.
在英国，话题通常是关于天气。你可以同任何人在任何时候谈论天气。所以那是一个开始一场谈话的好话题。
We like to ask others about their ages and salaries. Is it polite or impolite?
我们喜欢询问别人的年龄和薪金，礼貌不礼貌呢？
It' s impolite. English people do not ask about the ages and salaries of others. So, you' d better not ask “How old are you?”especially not to a woman. Don' t try to shake hands with a woman unless she puts out her hand first.
不礼貌。英国人不打听别人的年龄和薪金，所以你比较好不问别人多大年纪，尤其是对妇女。不要试着同妇女握手，除非她首先伸出手来。
Some people say that reactions to praise are quite different.
有些人说对赞扬的反应也是大不相同。
Yes, when someone tells you “Your English is very good.”，you are expected to say “Thank you.” If your reply is “No, my English is poor.” or “Not at all.”You will make the speaker feel rather awkward.
是的，当有人说你“你英语讲得非常好”时，期待你能说“谢谢”。如果你的回答是：“不，我英语讲得不好”或“根本不行”，你会让讲话老外到相当尴尬。
