首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Time Pattern in America A)Susan Anthony has an eight-to-five job with two 15-minute coffee breaks, a one-hour lunch break, sched
Time Pattern in America A)Susan Anthony has an eight-to-five job with two 15-minute coffee breaks, a one-hour lunch break, sched
admin
2014-02-25
30
问题
Time Pattern in America
A)Susan Anthony has an eight-to-five job with two 15-minute coffee breaks, a one-hour lunch break, scheduled appointments and weekly deadlines. Every time she enters and leaves her office building she "punches" the clock. Although she is not aware of it, her workday is strongly influenced by her culture’s attitudes toward time.
B)When travellers lack an awareness of how time is regulated in a foreign country, they can expect to feel somewhat confused. Since most people take time for granted, the effects of values, customs, and social manners on the use of time are seldom examined. A culture that values achievement and progress will discourage people from "wasting" time. Highly efficient business people from these cultures may feel frustrated in a country where work proceeds at a low pace. In religious societies, customs specify times of the day, week, or year for prayer and religious celebrations. If an individual tries to make an appointment during a sacred holiday, he or she could unknowingly offend a religious person. Social manners determine appropriate times for visits, meetings, and even phone calls. Arriving two hours late for an appointment may be acceptable in one culture, whereas in another, keeping someone waiting fifteen minutes may be considered rude.
C)Promptness is important in American business, academic and social settings. The importance of punctuality is taught to young children in school. Slow slips and the use of bells signal to the child that punctuality and time itself are to be respected. An amusing report of a schoolchild’s experience with time appeared in a recent newspaper article: As a child, my mother used to tell me how crucial it was to be at school when the first bell rang. Preparation for my "on-time" appearance began the night before. I was directed to go to bed early so I could wake up wide-eyed at 7 a.m. with enough time to get ready. Although I usually managed to watch my share of TV cartoons, I knew that in one hour I had to get dressed, eat breakfast, brush my teeth, comb my hair, and be on my way to school or I would be violating an important rule of Mum’s, the school’s, or of the world’s. It was hard to tell which.
D)People who keep appointments are considered dependable. If people are late to job interviews, appointments, or classes, they are often viewed as unreliable and irresponsible. In the business world, "time is money" and companies may fine their executives for slowness to business meetings. Of course, it is not always possible to be punctual. Social and business etiquette also provides rules for late arrivals. Calling on the telephone if one is going to be more than a few minutes late for scheduled appointments is considered polite and is often expected. Keeping a date or a friend waiting beyond ten to twenty minutes is considered rude. On the other hand, arriving thirty minutes late to some parties is acceptable.
E)Respecting deadlines is also important in academic and professional circles. It is expected that deadlines for class assignments or business reports will be met. Students who hand in assignments late may be surprised to find that the professor will lower their grades or even refuse to grade their work. Whether it is a question of arriving on time or of meeting a deadline, people are culturally conditioned to regulate time.
F)Time is "tangible(有形资产)": one can "gain time", "spend time", "waste time", "save time", or even "kill time"! Common questions in American English reveal this concrete quality as though time were a possession. "Do you have time?" "Can you make some time for this?" "How much free time do you have?" The treatment of time as a possession influences the way time is carefully divided.
G)Generally, Americans are taught to do one thing at a time and may be uncomfortable when an activity is interrupted. In businesses the careful scheduling of time and the separation of activities are common practices. Appointment calendars are printed with 15-, 30-, and 60-minute time slots. A 2:30-3:00 interview may end in time for a brief break before 3:15-4:00 meeting. The idea that "there is a time and place for everything" extends to American social life. Visitors who "drop by" without prior notice may interrupt their host’s personal time. Thus, calling friends on the telephone before visiting them is generally preferred to visitors’ "dropping by". To accommodate other people’s schedules, Americans make business plans and social engagements several days or weeks in advance.
H)Cultures tend to favour either a past, present, or future orientation with regard to time. A future orientation, including a preference for change, is characteristic of American culture. The society encourages people to look to the future rather than to the past. Technological, social and artistic trends change rapidly and affect people’s lifestyles and the relationships. Given this inclination toward change, it is not surprising that tradition plays a limited role in the American culture. Those who try to support traditional patterns of living or thought may be seen as rigid or "old-fashioned". In a society where change is so rapid, it is not uncommon for every generation to experience a "generation gap". Sometimes parents struggle to understand the values of their children. Even religious institutions have had to adapt to contemporary needs of their followers. Folk singers in church services, women religious leaders, slang versions of the Bible, all reflect attempts made by traditional institutions to "keep up with the times".
I)High rates of change, particularly in urban areas, have contributed to a focus on the future rather than the past or present. Some Americans believe that the benefits of the future orientation are achievement and progress which enable them to have a high standard of living. Others believe that high blood pressure and stomach ulcers are the results of such a lifestyle. As individuals in a culture, we all have an intuitive(直觉的)understanding about how time is regulated. Usually we do not think about the concept of time until we interact with others who have a different time orientation. Although individuals from any two cultures may view time similarly, we often sense that in another culture, life seems to proceed either at a slower or faster pace. Knowing how time is regulated, divided and perceived can provide valuable insights into individuals and their cultures.
It is impolite for a visitor to visit his friend without telling him ahead of time in America.
选项
答案
G
解析
根据题目中的visitor,ahead of time可将本题出处定位于G)段。该段倒数第3句指出,拜访者没有打招呼就来到朋友家可能会打扰到主人的私人时间。倒数第2句指出了正确的做法,即拜访者在拜访之前,应该提前打电话告诉朋友,本题是对这两句的同义转述。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/XOS7777K
0
大学英语四级
相关试题推荐
A、Thefirstlecture.B、Aclassmeeting.C、Theopeningceremony.D、Anorientation.D男士询问经济学课程的相关信息,女士表示前一天介绍会发放的资料中都可以查到这些信息。而男士说
A、Carlshouldgoonworking.B、Carlshouldcomebacktoclass.C、SheissurprisedthatCarlearnedalotofmoney.D、Shealsowa
YoungWorkersPushEmployersforWiderWebAccessRyanTracythoughthe’denteredtheDarkAgeswhenhegraduatedcollegean
A、Itisthecheapestandmostconvenientwayoftravelling.B、Itisthemostenvironmentallydesirableformoftransport.C、Iti
Recently,theUnitedNationsscientificpanelstudyingclimatechangedeclaredthattheevidenceofawarmingtrendis"unequiv
A、Becausepeoplelackedtheknowledgetoprovidescientificanswers.B、Becausepeoplewantedtounderstandwhycertainthingsha
A、Carrotscanonlybegrowninbiggardens.B、Carrotsareeasytoplantandhardtoharvest.C、Carrotscontainfewnutritions.D
A、Weshouldtrytoavoidfailures.B、Weshouldbemoreopen-minded.C、Weshouldneglectthefailureexamples.D、Weshouldlearn
A、IntroducingPhotography.B、LandscapePhotography.C、BlackandWhitePhotography.D、TheArtofDigitalPhotography.A选项均为不同摄影课程
A、LearnAmericanEnglish.B、Askexpertsforsuggestions.C、Thinkoverwhichmovietobeselected.D、Glanceoverthemovieforth
随机试题
根据《保险法》的规定,保险公司对每一危险单位,即对一次保险事故可能造成的最大损失范围所承担的责任,不得超过其
Office小助手显示______色灯泡时,表示此时有相应操作的提示信息。
正常脐带脱落的时间产后新生儿恢复出生时体重的时间是
有关宫颈糜烂的分度正确的是:
牛皮制男式皮带
甲股份有限公司(以下简称甲公司)2004年至2012年度有关业务资料如下:①2004年1月1日,甲公司股东权益总额为46500万元(其中股本总额为10000万股,每股面值1元;资本公积为30000万元;盈余公积为6000万元;未分配利润为
公元7世纪初至9世纪末,日本为学习中国文化,多次派出了人数众多的使团,这种使团被称作()。
人们知道鸟类能感觉到地球磁场,并利用它们导航。最近某国科学家发现,鸟类其实是利用右眼“查看”地球磁场的。为检验该理论,当鸟类开始迁徙的时候,该国科学家把若干知更鸟放进一个漏斗形状的庞大的笼子里,并给其中部分知更鸟的一只眼睛戴上一种可屏蔽地球磁场的特殊金属眼
在长度为97的顺序有序表中作二分查找,最多需要的比较次数为
下列表示纯虚函数的成员函数是()。
最新回复
(
0
)