南京审计学院
跨文化交际试卷2
Achievement Test for Intercultural Communication Course
(Paper Two, Type A)
Part I. Reading Comprehension (20%)
Directions: In this section there are two passages. Read each of them carefully and then answer
each question at the end of each passage. Please write your answers on the Answer Sheet.
Passage One
Questions 1-3 are based on the following passage:
People in low and high-context cultures tend to communicate differently with words. To Americans and Germans, words are very important, especially in contracts and negotiations. People in high-context cultures, on the other hand, place more emphasis on the surrounding context than on the words describing a negotiation. A Greek sees a contract as a formal statement announcing the intention to build a business for the future. The Japanese treat contracts as statements of intention, and they assume changes will be made as a project develops. The Mexican treat contracts as artistic exercises of what might be accomplished in an ideal world. They do not expect contracts to apply consistently in the real world. An Arab may be insulted by merely mentioning a contract; a man's word is more binding(有约束力的).
Americans tend to take words literally, while Latins enjoy playing on words and Arabs sometimes speak with extravagant or poetic figures of speech that may be misinterpreted if taken literally. Nigerians prefer a quiet, clear form of expression; and Germans tend to be direct but understated.
In communication style, Americans value straightforwardness, are suspicious of evasiveness, and distrust people who might have a \close to the chest.\Americans also tend to be uncomfortable with silence and impatient with delays. Some Asian businesspeople have learned that the longer they drag out negotiations, the more concessions impatient Americans are likely to make.
Western cultures have developed languages that use letters describing the sounds of words. But Asian languages are based on pictographical characters representing the meanings of words. Asian language characters are much more complex than the Western alphabet; therefore, Asians are said to have a higher competence in the discrimination of visual patterns.
North Americans consider time a precious commodity to be conserved. They correlate time with productivity, efficiency, and money. Keeping people waiting for business appointments wastes time and is also rude.
In other cultures, time may be perceived as an unlimited and never-ending resource to be enjoyed. An American businesswoman, for example, was kept waiting two hours past a scheduled
南京审计学院
appointment time in South America. She wasn't offended, though, because she was familiar with Hispanics' more relaxed concept of time.
Although Asians are punctual, their need for deliberation and contemplation(仔细考虑) sometimes clashes with our desire for speedy decisions. They do not like to rush. A Japanese businessperson considering the purchase of American appliances, for example, asked for five minutes to consider the seller's proposal. The potential buyer --- the Japanese, resumed his arms, sat back, and closed his eyes in concentration. A scant 18 seconds later, the American resumed his sales pitch to the obvious bewilderment of the Japanese buyer.
1. Is American culture low context or high context?
2. To what kind of people is the surrounding context more important than the words
describing a negotiation?
3. What have some Asian businesspeople learned about their American negotiation partners?
Passage Two
Questions 4-5 are based on the following passage:
A culture can also be understood as a particular way to satisfy our human needs.
All human beings have certain basic needs. Everyone of us needs to eat and to make friends, for instance. Abraham Maslow, a psychologist, has suggested that people all over the world share five basic needs:
1). The physiological needs --- Our fundamental needs for things that keep us alive, things such as food, water, air, rest, clothing, shelter, and all necessary to sustain life. These needs come first. We must meet them or we will die.
2). The safety needs --- First we need to stay alive, and then we need to be safe. There are two kinds of safety needs: the need to be physically safe and the need to be psychologically secure. That is why various insurance programs are becoming increasingly popular nowadays.
3). The belongingness needs --- Once we are alive and safe, we then try to satisfy our social needs, the needs to be with and accepted by other people. For example, the need for friendship is universal.
4). The esteem needs --- These are needs for recognition, respect, reputation. The needs involve self-esteem (thinking well of ourselves) and the esteem of others. Efforts to achieve, to accomplish, and to master things and people are often efforts to gain respect and attention from others and from ourselves.
5). The self-actualization needs --- The highest need of a person is to actualize oneself, to reach one’s full potential, to become all that he or she might be. No one ever satisfies this need completely, partly because we are too busy trying to satisfy our lower needs.
According to Maslow, people satisfy those needs in the order mentioned above. A good way to visualize the order is to think of a pyramid. People are always trying to climb the pyramid. You have to climb over the first step before you can get to the second. You must pass the second before you reach the third, and so on.
Though the basic human needs are often said to be universally the same, people all over the world satisfy these needs in different ways. Each culture offers its people a number of options for satisfying any particular human need. Some of these options are widely shared across cultures, but
南京审计学院
many others are not. Just as Maslow has stated, ends in themselves are far more universal than the roads taken to achieve those ends since the roads are determined locally in the specific culture.
4 Do you agree that our lower needs always have to be satisfied before we can try to
satisfy the higher needs? Why or why not?
5. Why do people all over the world satisfy those five basic needs in different ways?
Part II. Situational Dialogues (10%)
Directions: Complete the following dialogues by choosing the best answer. Then write the
corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.
6. Linda: Hello. I’d like to send this package, please. Clerk: ______________
Linda: First class. How long will that take? Clerk: About three days.
A. How would you like to send it? B. Which class are you in?
C. Where do you want to send it to? D. Which class is it in?
7. James: Could I have my bill, please? Can I pay by credit card or eurocheque? Receptionist: _____________
James: I’ll pay by credit card, then.
Receptionist: That’s fine. I hope you enjoyed your stay here.
A. Here’s your bill.
B. Sorry, we don’t take credit card. C. You can pay by eurocheque. D. Yes, we take both.
8. Stan: Thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving my little girl’s life. John: ______________
Stan: I can’t tell you how much I appreciate what you’ve done. John: I’m just happy I could help.
A. There’s nothing to be afraid of. B. This is a wonderful day.
C. Anybody would have done the same. D. I am glad to save her.
9. Harry: I hear you are going to get married soon.
Ron: That’s right, next June. June 21st. Can you come to the wedding? Harry: Oh! _____________ That’s when we’re away on vacation. Ron: Never mind we’ll send you some wedding cake.
A. That’s great! B. What a pity!
C. You have my deepest sympathy. D. You certainly can.
南京审计学院
10. Karen: I’m not optimistic about finding a job after I finish college. Joseph: Oh? Why not?
Karen: The economy is going downhill-fast.
Joseph: I know. ___________ It’s getting to the point where even a degree won’t help you
anymore.
Karen: That’s right. And I’ll be lucky to even move out of my parents’ house.
A. My friend could offer me a job. B. I am not sure where I agree or not. C. How do you feel about the economy? D. What is this world coming to?
11. Rob: Hey Jill, you’re looking great. Jill: Thanks, Rob. ______________ Rob: Well, you did it. How?
Jill: I jog every morning, and I go to aerobics（增氧健身法）every other day.
A. I bought this dress yesterday. Really smart. B. You are looking fine too. C. I’m recovering fine too.
D. My New Year’s resolution was to get in shape. 12. Bob: Hi Jane. How are you?
Jane: ____________ I didn’t sleep a wink last night. The people next door were making a lot of
noise again till very late at night.
A. I’m feeling a bit out of sorts this morning. B. Fine, thank you. And you?
C. I slept like a log and didn’t want to get out of bed. D. It seems a bit unusual, you know.
13. Ann: Aah! He’s gorgeous! Look at those big, golden paws. When did you get him? Roger: Yesterday. _____________ Ann: Oh, right. What kind is she? Roger: A Labrador.
A. Susan’s got a more beautiful one. B. What’s up?
C. It’s a she actually. D. Isn’t it right?
14. Tina: Wow, look at all the things on sales. ____________ Andrew: Yes. Look, this shirt is 50% off.
Tina: And look at these shoes. They are 30% off the normal price.
A. I’d like to buy a shirt.
B. There are some real bargains. C. Are the prices reasonable?
D. These shoes are the same as mine.
15. Customs Officer: _____________ Mrs. Johnson: No, nothing at all.
Customs Officer: No perfume, alcohol or cigarettes?
南京审计学院
Mrs. Johnson: Well, I have 200 cigarettes; that’s all.
A. Do you have anything in the bag, ma’am? B. Do you have anything to declare, ma’am? C. Do you want to buy something, ma’am? D. Is there anything I can do for you, ma’am?
Part III. Translation from English into Chinese or the Other Way Round
(20%)
Directions: Put the first five into Chinese and another five into English and then write your
translation on the Answer Sheet.
16. kill the goose that lays golden eggs
_________________________________________________________________ 17. the “four tigers” of Asia
_________________________________________________________________ 18. Many hands make light work.
_________________________________________________________________ 19. Action speak loader than words.
_________________________________________________________________
20. Human beings draw close to one another by their common nature, but habits and customs keep
them apart.
_________________________________________________________________ 21. 如鱼得水
_________________________________________________________________ 22. 红白喜事
________________________________________________________________ 23. 小菜一碟
________________________________________________________________ 24. 力大如牛
_________________________________________________________________ 25. 学习跨文化交际既有趣又有用。
______________________________________________________________
Part IV. Mini-case Studies (20%)
Directions: There are two mini-case studies in this section, and in each of them, there is a basic
cultural conflict between the people involved. Try to identify the source of the conflict and suggest how it could have been avoided or minimized if possible. You can do each mini-case study by answering the question just below each case and write your analysis on the Answer Sheet.
Case 1
Li Lan had an American friend Susan. They usually had lunch together and Li Lan often asked Susan for advice on problems she faced adjusting to American society. Susan gave Li Lan a lot of advice and helped her to improve her English. Once Li Lan needed urgently a big
南京审计学院
sum of money to pay her tuition fee. Since she has no other friends in the States, she turned to Susan for help and promised that she would return the money soon.
To Li Lan's great disappointment, this time Susan didn't seem happy to lend the money to her. Though Li Lan returned the money as she promised, they didn't get along well from then on.
Question: What are the differences in what American and Chinese young people expect from
their friends? What kind of advice would you give to both of them so that they could get to know each other better?
Case 2
Phil Downing, an eager young executive, was involved in the setting up of a branch of his company that was merging with an existing Japanese counterpart. He seemed to get along very well with the executive colleagues assigned to work with him, one of whom had recently been elected chairman of the board when his grandfather retired. Over several weeks’ discussion, they had generally laid out some working policies and agreed on strategies that would bring new directions needed for development.
Several days later, as they were going over some details, the young chairman’s grandfather happened to drop in. He began to comment on how the company had been formed and had been built up by the traditional practices that the young executives had recently discarded. Phil expected the new chairman to explain some of the new innovative and developmental policies they had both agreed upon. However, the young man said nothing; instead, he just nodded and agreed with his grandfather. Phil was bewildered and frustrated over the days of work he had put into the development of those strategies, and he started to protest. The atmosphere in the room became immediately tense, but no one offered any further argument.
A week later the Japanese company withdrew from the negotiations concerning a relationship with Phil’s company.
Question: Why did the young chairman say nothing but just nod and agree with his
grandfather? How would you behave if you were the young chairman?
Part V. Essay Questions (30%)
Directions: Choose one of the following essay questions and write an essay as long as possible (at
least in no less than 100 words ). Please write it on the Answer Sheet as legibly as you can.
1. What are similarities and differences between the Chinese concept of friendship and the
western ones (for example, the American, the French or the English)?
2. How do you understand “language is a part of culture and reflects culture; learning a
language is inseparable from learning its culture”? You may explain your view by commenting on some culturally loaded words, or some idioms, proverbs, or their translations.
跨文化交际与地球村民-试卷
