In England recently three foreign gentlemen came
to a bus stop and waited . About five minutes later, the bus they wanted came
along. They were just going to get on when suddenly there was a loud noise
behind them. People rushed onto the bus and tried to push them out of the way .
Someone shouted at them. The bus conductor came rushing down the stairs to see
what all the trouble was about. The three foreigners seem all at sea and looked
embarrassed (窘迫的 . No one had told them about the British
custom (习惯)of lining up for a bus that the first
person who arrives at the bus stop is the first person to get on the bus .
Learning the
language of a country isn't enough. If you want to have a pleasant visit, find
out as much as possible about the manners and customs of your host country. You
will probably be surprised just how different they can be from your own. A
visitor to India would do well to remember that people there consider it
impolite to use the left hand for passing food at table. The left hand is supposed
to be used for washing yourself. Also in India, you might see a man shaking his
head at another to show that he doesn't agree. But in many parts of India a
shake of the head means agreement. Nodding (点头) your head
when you are given a drink in Bulgaria will most probably leave you thirsty .
In that
country, you shake your head to mean 'yes'— a nod means 'no' . At a meal in
countries on the Arabic Peninsula, you will find that your glass is repeated
refilled as soon as you drink up . If you think that you have had enough , you
should take the cup or glasses in your hand and give it a little shake from
side to side or place your hand over the top.
In Europe it
quite usual to cross your legs when you are sitting talking to someone even at
an important meeting. Doing this in Thailand, however, could bring about
trouble . Also, you should try to avoid (避免)touching
the head of an adult (成人) ——it's just not done in Thailand .
1.The British people tried to push the three gentlemen
out of the way, because the gentlemen______
A．were
foreigners B．didn't have
tickets
C．made a loud
noise D．didn't line
up for the bus
2. According to the article, if you want to have a
pleasant journey in a foreign country, you should ____
A．learn the
language of the country
B．understand
the manners and customs of the country
C．have enough
time and money
D．make friends
with the people there
3.In India it is considered impolite ___________.
A．to use the
right hand for passing food at table.
B．to pass food
with the left hand.
C．to eat food
with your hands.
D．to help
yourself at table.
4.To cross one's legs at an important meeting in
Europe is _______.
A．a common (平常的) habit B．an important
manner
C．a serious (严重的) trouble D．a bad manner
阅读快车系列答案