Task(1): Writing a letter to explain cultural misunderstandings: Skills building 1 and 2教案（名师）

Task: Writing a letter to explain cultural misunderstandings

江苏省滨海中学

张力闻

Learning objectives:

1. Listen and complete a text;

2. Read about

taboos（文化或宗教习俗方面的）禁忌;

3. Write a letter of apology（道歉）

to explain cultural misunderstandings（误解，误会）. Learning procedures: Step 1. Listening: Showing foreign visitors around Some foreign visitor came to China.. Some students volunteered to show the guests around. Listen to the conversation between two students, and fill in the banks. Had a great day yesterday. We showed 1___________ visitors around Beijing. They seemed to enjoy it although there were some 2______________ incidents. One man called Mr. Singh 3___________ shake hands with me when I held out my left hand. In the restaurant, we ordered a lot of food, but he would not eat the 4__________ dish. Mr. Takashi enjoyed the Forbidden City and asked so many questions. He spent lots of money on 5___________. I have no idea what he will do with them at all, and it took up a lot of time. He seemed to give out a lot of 6_____________________ and got a bit upset when my classmates just put it in his pocket without looking at it. Finally, we went to the Summer Palace. There was a boat we could go on, but Mr. Hudson said that it was too 7__________. I thought there was lots of 8___________ on it. Even with these incidents, I think showing foreign visitors around is a great way to improve our English, and hopefully we can do it again next year. Foreign visitors Mr. Singh Nation

Strange behaviors 1.Wouldn’t shake my_____________ hand

2.Wouldn’t eat ____________. 1. Bought lots of_____________; 2. Got ____________ when people didn't look at his business card. wouldn’t get on a boat, thinking it was too _____________. 1 Mr. Takashi

Mr. Hudson

Step 2. Reading: Taboo or not taboo ------ that is the question! A few days after the students had shown the visitors around Beijing, they found this article in a magazine. Read the article carefully and answer the questions below. Taboo or not taboo ---- that is the question! There are many different taboos around the world. A taboo is a social action that is not allowed. Almost every culture in the world has its own taboos. Taboos are often connected with religion（宗教）. Usually, taboos can include eating certain foods, relations between people, body language and gestures. The breaking of a taboo is usually upsetting or embarrassing for the person concerned and the people around him or her. When you meet people from different cultures, it is important to understand what you can and cannot do. If we are not aware of

these differences, some unusual things might happen. For example, if you are from India, you may not eat beef because of your religion, and it is rude to shake hands or give someone something with your left hand. In North America and the UK, people greet one another by shaking hands. In Thailand and other parts of South-east Asia, the normal greeting is a slight bow（鞠躬，弯腰行礼）

with the hands pressed together. Japanese people may bow and even give out their business cards to greet others. They dislike it when

people do not look at the cards, so remember not to just put them in your pocket without looking.

People from the USA often feel uncomfortable if people are in their ‘personal space’

(about 50cm around their body). But business people from Asia have a different idea about personal space and usually stand closer than some people from the USA might like. South Americans are the same, and like to greet people with a hug. In the USA, giving gifts is not as important a part of culture as it is in some other countries. However, giving gifts is very important in Japan, and so on a trip, Japanese people must bring back lots of gifts. There are also gestures which mean different things in different countries. In the USA, the gesture which means ‘OK’ is formed by touching the thumb（拇指）

to the first finger. This is a good gesture in US, but in France, it means ‘zero’, and in Japan it means money. While these different forms of greetings and customs might seem strange to you, remember that what you consider normal probably seems just as unusual to others.

Questions: 1.

What is a taboo? ________________________________________________________________________ 2.

Underline the taboos in Para. 2 and Para.3 that may help explain some of the unusual incidents of Mr. Singh, Mr. Takashi and Mr. Hudson. ________________________________________________________________________ 3.

Fill in the table.

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strange behaviors Singh wouldn’t shake my left hand or eat beef. Takashi bought lots of gifts and got upset when people didn’t look at his business card. Hudson would not get on a boat, thinking it’s too crowded. explanations

Step 3. Writing a letter of apology Now that you have read the article about cultural misunderstandings, you might have understood why the three guests acted so strangely. Now you feel it necessary to write them a letter of apology.

Sample writing:

Binhai High School Zhongshi Road No.188 Binhai County, 224500 December 18, 2015 Dear Mr.Singh, I'm writing to apologize for any misunderstandings that occurred when I showed you around Beijing the other day.

I felt rather strange when you would not shake hands with me. I did not realize that there are some taboos in different countries and cultures. After reading a magazine article, I know that people from India do not shake hands with their left hands. I should not have held out my left hand to you. And I now know you do not eat beef because of your religion. I feel very sorry for not having known these taboos earlier. I hope you can forgive me for all these misunderstandings. I hope our next meeting will be happier. Yours sincerely,

Mary

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Task: Write a letter of apology to Takashi/Hudson to explain misunderstandings.

A letter of apology to explain cultural misunderstandings

Binhai High School Zhongshi Road No.188 Binhai County, 224500 December 18, 2015 Dear Mr.____________ I'm writing to apologize for any misunderstandings that occurred when I showed you around Beijing the other day.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I feel very sorry for not having known these taboos earlier. I hope you can forgive me for all these misunderstandings. I hope our next meeting will be happier. Yours sincerely, Johnson

Step 4. Homework: Proofread your letter and try your best to polish it up.

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