天天背诵小段落

liverbj

Croatia: Married female relatives remove the bride's veil and replace it with a kerchief and apron, symbols of her new married status. She is then serenaded by all the married women. Following the wedding ceremony, those assembled walk three times around the well (symbolizing the Holy Trinity,) and throw apples into it (symbolizing fertility).


克罗地亚：由已婚的女性亲戚摘下新娘的面纱，换上一块头巾和一条围裙，意味着新娘的已婚新身份。然后由所有的已婚妇女为新娘唱小夜曲。婚礼之后，所有来宾围绕着井走三圈（象征着圣三位一体），并向井中扔苹果（象征着生育）。

【这是世界各地婚俗之一。希望你也能脱口而出^*^】

[此贴子已经被liverbj于2002-9-10 16:13:04编辑过]

liverbj

The Czech Republic: Friends would sneak into the bride's yard to plant a tree, then deco rate it with ribbons and painted eggshells. Legend said she would live as long as the tree. Brides in the countryside carry on the very old custom of wearing a wreath of rosemary, which symbolizes remembrance. The wreath is woven for each bride on her wedding eve by her friends as a wish for wisdom, love, and loyalty.


捷克共和国：朋友们溜进新娘的院子去种一棵树，然后再用彩带和彩绘的蛋壳将树加以装饰。传说新娘将与这树活得一样长。乡村的新娘还保留着佩带迷迭香花环的古老习俗，以表怀念之情。花环是在婚礼前夕由新娘的朋友编织而成，它象征着智慧、爱情和忠诚。

【这是世界各地婚俗之一。希望你也能脱口而出^*^】

liverbj

Egypt: Families, rather than grooms, propose to the bride. In Egypt, many marriages are arranged. The zaffa, or wedding march, is a musical procession of drums, bagpipes, horns, belly dancers, and men carrying flaming swords; it announces that the marriage is about to begin.


埃及：在埃及，由新郎的家人，而不是新郎本人，向新娘求婚。许多婚姻还是父母之命，媒妁之言。Zaffa，也就是婚礼，其实是一个充满音乐的列队游行，有鼓、风笛、号角及肚皮舞，男人们手持火红的剑。这个仪式宣告，婚姻即将开始。

【这是世界各地婚俗之一。希望你也能脱口而出^*^】

liverbj

England: Traditionally, the village bride and her wedding party always walk together to the church. Leading the procession: a small girl strewing, blossoms along the road, so the bride's path through life will always be happy and laden with flowers.


英格兰：按照传统，乡村的新娘和参加婚礼的人们总是一起步行走向教堂。一个小姑娘走在队列最前面，她一路抛撒鲜花，预示着新娘一生的道路上也将开满鲜花，永远幸福。

【这是世界各地婚俗之一。希望你也能脱口而出^*^】

liverbj

Another example of friendly, but impersonal, behavior may occur in work relationships with Americans. During working hours, he may be joking and talking with you and making you feel included. Then, as soon as working hours are over, their behavior seems to change. They act as if they hardly know you any more and don't even include you in any of their personal activities. Many of us from foreign countries have"comprehensive"or "whole"friendships that include all aspects of our lives. Americans usually do not. American friendships tend to be compartmentalized; certain friendships revolve around work or school activities while others revolve around church or club activities. Some even revolve around the family. Friendships that are centered around the office often do not spill out into recreational or even school activities.


在与美国人的工作关系中，还有另外一种友好但却属一般的举止行为。上班时间他们会和你开开玩笑，聊聊天，使你感到你也是他们中的一员。然而一旦下了班，他们简直判若两人，好像他们不再认识你了，将你排除在个人活动圈子之外。许多外国人都有着"广泛的"无所不在的友谊，但美国人没有。美国人的友谊常常是间隔式的。一些属工作范围、学校环境的友谊，而另一些则属教堂或俱乐部活动中的友谊。还有另一些是家庭之间的友谊。以办公室为中心的友谊通常不会延伸进入休闲活动或学校活动中去。

【这是美国的文化模式及价值观之一。希望你也能脱口而出^*^】

liverbj

The most important and most basic characteristic of American culture is individualism. Daniel Boorstin, the well-known sociohistorian, has written that"…of all American myths, none is stronger than that of the loner moving west, across the land.. [this] pioneering spirit is a synonym for individualism."the pioneering spirit, handed down to the present generation of Americans from their American forefathers, includes the concepts of self-reliance, self-actualization, autonomy, and personal growth. So, the seeming self-centeredness of the American child, for example, is seldom questioned by parents or teachers. It is implicitly accepted that each person, whether he is an adult or a child, should be encouraged to make his own decisions, develop his own opinions, solve his own problems, and have his own possessions. In general, Americans learn to view the world from their own point of view, that of the individual self.


美国文化最重要最根本的特点就是个人主义。著名的社会历史学家丹尼尔·鲍斯汀这样写道："……在全部美国神话中，没有什么能像孤身一人闯荡西部那样的行为给人以强烈的印象了。这种先驱精神就是个人主义的同义词。"这种在美国世代相传的先驱精神，还包含着自力更生实现自己的抱负，自治及自然发展等观念。所以，美国孩子们看起来像是以自我为中心的表现很少受到家长或教师的责难。勿庸置疑，不管对成人还是小孩，应鼓励每个人自己作决定，形成自己的观点，解决自己的问题，以及拥有自己的财产。通常美国人学会以自己的观点看世界，也就是以个人的角度看世界。

【这是美国的文化模式及价值观之一。希望你也能脱口而出^*^】

[此贴子已经被liverbj于2002-9-13 14:14:17编辑过]

liverbj

A second aspect of American culture shared by most Americans is the concept of friendship. Given the American values of self-reliance and self-actualization, we can realize why Americans tend to avoid personal commitments that might bring obligations. They simply do not like to get involved. If an American smiles at you, that smile may not mean what a smile means in your country. It may mean no more than an acknowledgement of your presence.


为大多数美国人崇尚的美国文化的第二个方面则是对友谊的观点。了解了美国人那种依靠自己充分实现个人抱负的价值观点，我们就会明白为什么美国人不愿与人深交。他们的个人关系尽管看起来很友好，但美国人一般都避免承担会给自己带来义务的委托或承诺，他们不愿受牵连。如果一个美国人冲你笑了笑,这和你在自己国家里看到的那种笑可能有着不同的意义。它可能仅仅意味着对你出现的认可而已。

【这是美国的文化模式及价值观之一。希望你也能脱口而出^*^】

[此贴子已经被liverbj于2002-9-13 14:15:32编辑过]

liverbj

A fourth important aspect of American culture is the value placed on progress. In three different areas, we can see how the value of progress affects the American people. The first concerns the relationship between parents and their children. Most foreign students have been raised to respect their parents. They consider and value highly what their parents have taught them. Moreover, what their parents have taught them has generally become their own standard for living. Because of the idea of progress, most American children believe that their parents' ideas and standards are not necessarily the best. Americans think that there is always some change to be made for the better. A second area affected by the idea of progress concerns the material world. Many American assume that there are enough material goods for everyone; they tend to think that the supply is endless. So they are always trying to work for more, more, and still more. A third area involves the American's concept of time. They are very time-conscious, perhaps because time is such an important factor in the world of business and material acquisition. Americans tend to live by the motto, "Time is money." They believe you should use your time well and get the most that you can from it.


美国文化的第四个重要特点则在于重视进步。在三个不同的方面，我们可以看到这种价值观对美国人的影响。首先是父母与子女之间的关系．大多数外国学生从小就知道尊敬父母。对父母所教育的一切他们都听从并且十分珍视，父母的教诲通常都会变成他们自己的生活准则。由于重视进步，大多数英国儿童都认为他们父母的观点及标准未必就是尽善尽美．美国人认为，要生活得更好，必须不断变化。重视进步的第二个方面是关于物质世界的。许多美国人认为，每个人消费的物资是足够的，供给是无穷尽的。他们干活就是为了能得到更多，更多。第三个方面是美国人的时间观念。他们的时间意识很强，原因在于在商业及物质财富的获得中，时间是一个十分重要的因素。美国人的格言是："时间就是金钱。"他们认为一个人应当充分利用自己的时间，以求从中获取最大收益。




【这是美国的文化模式及价值观之一。希望你也能脱口而出^*^】

liverbj

An elephant family is ruled by a matriarch (older female), and generally consist of her female offspring and their young.


大象的家族是由一头年高的母象来控制的，由其生育的母象和幼象组成。



【这是关于大象的常识之一。希望你也能脱口而出^*^】

liverbj

In Africa, a basic family unit consists of six to twelve animals, but families of twelve to twenty elephants are quite common.


在非洲，最小的大象家族通常由6至12头组成，但12-20头象群也不足为奇。


【这是关于大象的一些常识之一。希望你也能脱口而出^*^】