1、优质文档优质文档Unit 1 FriendshipFriendship of American StyleSteve and Yaser first met in their chemistry class at an American university. Yaser was an international student from Jord an. He was excited to get to know an American. He wanted to learn more about American culture. Yaser hoped that he and Steve
2、 would become good friends.来源:Zxxk.ComAt first, Steve seemed very friendly. He always greeted Yaser warmly before class. Sometimes he offered to study with Yaser. He even invited Yaser to h ave lunch with him. But after the semester was over, Steve seemed more distant. The two former classmates didn
3、t see each other very much at school. One day Yaser decided to call Steve. Steve didnt seem very in terested in talking to him. Yaser was hurt by Steves change of attitude. “Steve said we were friends,“ Yaser complained. “And I thought friends were friends forever.“Yaser is a little confused. He is
4、an outsider to American culture. He doesnt understand the way Americans view friendship. Americans use the word friend in a very general way. They may call both casual acquaintances and close companions “friends“. Americans have school friends, work friends, sports friends and neigh borhood friends.
5、 These friendships are based on common interests. When th e shared activity end s, the friendship may fade. Now Steve and Yaser are no longer classmates. Their friendship has changed.In some cultures friendship means a strong life-long bond between two people. In these cultures friendships develop s
6、lowly, since they are built to l ast. American society is one of rapid change. Studies show that one out of five American families moves every year. American friendships develop quickly, and they may change just as quic kly.People from the United States may at first seem friendly. Americans often ch
7、at easily with strangers. They exchange information about their families, hob bies and work. They may smile warmly and say, “Have a nice day“ or “See you later“. Schoolmates may say, “Lets get together sometime.“ But American friendliness is not always an offer of true friendship.After an experience
8、 l ike Yasers, outsiders may consider Americans to be fickle. Learning how Americans view friendship can help non-Americans 美式友谊史蒂夫和亚瑟最初是在一所美国大学的化学课上认识的。亚瑟是从约旦来的国际学生。他很兴奋能够认识美国人，他要学习更多美国文化；亚瑟希望他和史帝夫会成为好朋友。来源:Z,xx,k.Com刚开始史蒂夫似乎非常友善，上课前他总是热情地和亚瑟打招呼，有时他主动和亚瑟一起学习；他甚至邀请亚瑟和他一起共进午餐。但是学期结束后，史蒂夫似乎较冷淡了，这两个以前的
9、同学在学校不常碰面了。有一天，亚瑟决定打电话给史蒂夫，史蒂夫似乎沒有很大兴趣和他讲话。对于史蒂夫态度的改变，亚瑟感到很受伤。 “史蒂夫曾说我们是朋友， ”亚瑟抱怨道， “而且我认为一朝是朋友就永远是朋友。 ”来源:学科网 ZXXK亚瑟有点儿困惑了，对于美国文化 ，他是个局外人。他不了解美国人对友谊的看法。美国人把“朋友”这个词用得非常广泛，在他们眼中，泛泛之交和亲密的伙伴都算是朋友。美国人的朋友包含有学 校的朋友、工作的朋友、运动的朋友或是街坊邻居。这些友谊都是建立在共同的兴趣上，当共同从事的活动结束时，友谊也可能跟着消失了。现在，史蒂夫和亚瑟不再是同学，他们的友谊也就改变了。在一些文化里，友
10、谊意即两人之间一种强烈的、一世之久的情感。在这些文化里，友谊发展得很慢，因为要持久。但美国是个急速变化的社会，有些研究发现每年每五个美国家庭之中，就有一个家庭搬家。美国人的友谊建立得快，但也可能改变得快。从美国来的人可能刚开始看起来很亲切。美国人常能很容易地和陌生人聊天，他们交换关于自己的家庭、爱好和工作的信息，他们可能热情地微笑着说“祝你有愉快的一天”或是“待会儿见” ，同学也许会说“我们找一天 聚聚” ，但是美国人的友善并不总意味着真正的友谊。经过像亚瑟的经历之后，局外人也许会视美国人为善变的。了解美国人如何看待友谊能够帮助非美国人士避免误会，也能帮助他们以美国人的方式avoid misu
11、nderstandings. It can also help them make friends in the American way.Here are a f ew tips on making friends with 优质文档优质文档Americans:1. Visit places Americans enjoy: parties, churches, Western restaurants, parks, and sports clubs.2. Be willing to take the first step. Dont wait for them to approach yo
12、u. Americans in China may not know you speak English. They may be embarrassed if they cant speak your language.3. Use small talk to open the conversation. Ask them where theyre from, why they came to China, etc. Remember: Be careful to avoid personal questions about age, salary, marital status and a
13、ppearance.来源:学.科. 网 4. Show an interest in their culture, thei r country or their job. (Americans like to talk about themselves!)5. Invite them to join you for dinner or just for coffee or tea. Try to set a specific time. Americans sometimes make general invitations like “Lets get together sometime“
14、. O ften this is just a way t o be friendly. It is not always a real invitation.来源: 学科网 ZXXK6. Dont expect too much at first. Maybe theyre just being friendly. But maybe they do want to be your good friends. It will take time to tell. People like Yaser shouldnt give up trying to make American friend
15、s. Americans do value strong, life-long friendships, even with non-Americans. When making friends, it helps to have a good dose of cultural understanding.来源:学&科&网来源:学科网 ZXXK交朋友。以下是一些和美国人交朋友的秘诀：来源:学&科&网 Z&X&X&K1.到一些美国人喜欢去的地方：宴会、教会、西餐厅、公园和健身房。2.乐意跨出第一步。不要等他们来接近你。在中国的美国人可能不知道你会讲英语。如果他们不会讲你的语言，他们可能会觉得不好
16、意思。3.以闲聊来展开话题，问他们来自哪里，为什么到中国等等。切记：注意避免涉及非常私人的问题，例如年龄、薪水、婚姻状况和长相。来源:学&科&网4.对他们的文化、国家或者工作表示兴趣。（美国人喜欢谈论自己!）5.邀请他们和你一起吃饭或只是喝咖啡或茶。要讲定时间。美国人有时会用一些一般性的邀请，像“找个时间聚聚吧” ，但这经常只是表示友善的一种方式，而非真正的邀请。来源:学科网6.不要一开始就对你们的友谊期待太多。也许他们只是表示友善，但他们也可能真的要做你的好朋友，这需要时间来证明。像 亚瑟一样的人不应放弃交美国朋友。美国人还是看重牢固的、一生之久的友谊，即使是和非美国人士。交朋友时，对于文化有某种程度的了解将会有所帮助。
