Directions: You are expected to study this section in class. Don’t preview.

1. Word Pretest

For each italicized word, choose the best meaning below.

1. My cousin is an acquaintance of the president of that company; they greet each other when they meet.

Ａ．a close friend　　　Ｂ．a person who works with

Ｃ．a person one has met but doesn’t know very well　　　　Ｄ．a classmate

2. The first symptom of a cold is often a sore throat.
A. sign                  B. symbol　　　 C. idea                  C. disease
3. After he failed his math exam, he’s been feeling depressed for several weeks.
A. happy                 B. angry　　　 C. puzzled                D. low in spirits
4. Because of their different opinions on the issue, there is now open hostility between the two leaders.
A. friendly feelings         B. cooperation　　 C. unfriendly feelings        D. relationship
5. Students often find temporary jobs during their summer vacation.
A. interesting              B. lasting forever　　 C. lasting for a short time  　   D. professional
6. Making mistakes is inevitable, so do not be discouraged.
A. cannot be blamed         B. cannot be avoided
C. cannot last long           D. cannot be found
7. I have located a better restaurant in the next street. Why don’t we go there for  lunch?
A. found     B. recognized  C. opened   D. explored
8. Stop dwelling on your problems and do something about them.
A. living in                 B. thinking a little about
C. forgetting about           D. thinking too much about

Key

Text　　　　　　　　　

Cultural Background:　　

Browse the Culture Shock Photo Gallery, filled with eye-opening snapshots that remind us we live in a world of dynamic and infinite cultures.
浏览“文化震惊”照片集，用这些令人瞠目结舌的照片提醒自己，我们生活在一个充满动态而无限的文化的世界里。


[China]A woman walks her grandson home. She has bound feet, making it quite difficult to walk and at times very painful. The practice, now illegal, required breaking the arch of the foot, then constricting it, which resulted in a stylized, mincing qait in the name of beauty.
[中国]一位老媪牵着她的孙子回家。她的脚是裹足的，让她的行走颇为不便，而且还时常疼痛。裹足现在在中国是违法的，它需要打断人的足弓，然后压缩之，使之成为固定的形状，这一切都是以追求“美”的名义进行的。


[Thailand]A "katoey." Half of his face is made up to look like a woman, while the other half is male.
[泰国]人妖，半张脸化妆成女性，另外半张则为男性。

Making a Cultural Change

    　Until a relatively short time ago, traveling abroad was limited to rich tourists and wealthy businesspeople. Flying abroad was not common for the average person. In time, however, plane travel became safer, more convenient, and less expensive. As a result, people of different backgrounds now fly to distant places for pleasure, and businesspeople fly to one country for a breakfast or lunch conference, they fly to another country for a dinner meeting.
　　With the world becoming smaller, many young adults make the decision to study in foreign universities. It is an exciting, challenging experience to live in a foreign country. Anyone who can study abroad is fortunate, but, of course. It is not easy to change from one culture to another. One faces many difficulties.
　　The student who studies in a foreign country leaves behind a familiar, loving comfortable environment. Back home, he has his family, friends, and acquaintances. He knows the language, politics, money, food, social customs, and so forth. He knows all the unclear aspects of his native culture, such as body language, and bargaining practices, etc. In short, he knows “the system” in his native country. Then one day he leaves all this behind and suddenly finds himself in a place where everyone and everything is strange, perhaps even confusing. All this strangeness is a major surprise to a person’s self-confidence. This sudden change often leads to a reaction called culture shock.
　　Foreigners experience different degrees of culture shock. The symptoms range from being ill at ease to being seriously depressed. Feeling homesick, unhappy, and very sensitive are other signs of culture shock. It is easy to understand that the endless frustrations of the early days in a new country would produce dissatisfaction, and perhaps even hostility. People are always at ease in a familiar environment. A mature, realistic person experiences mild, temporary symptoms, the insecure newcomer suffers more seriously from a culture shock.

　　During the inevitable period of adjustment, the international student tends to complain about everything in the new environment. In fact, the student is likely to  exaggerate the problems. When the student meets another miserable person from the some country, he will pour out his unhappy feelings. Together they can complain in their native language. Although this complaining provides temporary satisfaction, it certainly does not help him adapt to a new society. Being negative will never get rid of the feelings of frustrations. The mature person understands that a positive attitude, determination, and flexibility are important in making the change successful. A sense of humor is a big help.
　　The following suggestions have been found to be helpful in fighting culture shock.

　　1. keep busy. Get to know the area where you live by walking around and observing. Become familiar with the stores in the neighborhood and the kinds of goods sold. Locate the post office, library, schools, hospital and supermarkets. Say hello to a neighbor in your building, and perhaps start a friendship.
　　2. Become friendly with classmates. Spend some out-of-school time together.
　　3. Do something you enjoy. Phone your family back home. Write a letter to a friend. Contact a relative or acquaintance whose address you may have. Browse through department stores. Visit a museum. Walk through a new area of town. See a play. Go to a movie.
　　4. Forge that your English is less than perfect, and feel free to ask people for information, guidance, or directions. Many people are friendly, and helpful. It is important not to dwell on negative incidents. Disappointments are simply a fact of life.
　　5. Be flexible. Laugh at the mistakes you make, they are usually not serious. Make up your mind that you are going to enjoy your new adventure.

    　With the right attitude, living in a foreign country can be a priceless, enriching period in a person’s life. It is a form of education—an exciting form. The above suggestions will help a person cope with life abroad.

Total words:665
Total reading time:          minutes          seconds          
The text is based on The Independent Reader, by Betty Sobel Lorraine C. Smith. New York: CBS College Publishing House, 1987..

Reading Skill: Context Clues to Word Meaning

Guess what the italicized word or phrase means in each sentence.

1. When the student meets another miserable person from the same country, he will pour out his unhappy feelings. Together they can complain in their native language.
2. Those cues or signs include various ways in which we adapt ourselves to the situation of daily life.

3. If you are driving across the country or through a city, you can also check the billboards you will see along the roads. They advertise not only products but also coming events and sights to see.

4. Another phase of culture shock is homesickness. This is a period when the foreigner misses his hometown back at his native country.

5. The symptoms range from being ill at ease to being seriously depressed. Feeling homesick, unhappy, and very sensitive are other signs of culture shock.

Reading Comprehension

Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. Nowadays, flying abroad is          .

　　Ａ．limited to rich tourists and wealthy businesspeople

　　Ｂ．more convenient but less safe

　　Ｃ．common for the average person

　　Ｄ．not common for the average person

2. “The system” in the third paragraph includes the following except          .

　　Ａ．social customs　　Ｂ．bargaining practices　　Ｃ．politics　　Ｄ．foreign culture

3. Culture shock affects foreigners          .

　　Ａ．in just the same way　　Ｂ．in the same degree

　　Ｂ．in quite similar ways　　Ｄ．in different degrees

4. Endless frustrations of the early days in a new country would create          .

　　Ａ．dissatisfaction　　Ｂ．discomfort　　Ｃ．hostility　　Ｄ．all of the above

5. The following are important in fighting culture shock except          

　　Ａ．determination　　　Ｂ．a positive attitude

　　Ｃ．a sense of humor　　Ｄ．hostility

6. In a foreign country, you should feel free to talk with people because          .

　　Ａ．your English is almost perfect　　Ｂ．you need information

　　Ｃ．people are friendly and helpful　　Ｄ．you need guidance

　 Vocabulary Building

Word Match

Match the following words with their definitions within each group of five words.

exaggerate         too much
excessive          weak, uncertain; unprotected
adapt             situation
insecure           say more than the truth about something
circumstance       make or become suitable

challenging        difficult, but in an interesting way
range             change slightly in order to make suitable
adjust             deal with
resident           vary within limits
cope with          person who lives in a place

indulge            pressure
genuine            explain the cause of
account for         real
fascinate           satisfy
strain              interest; excite

Complete the sentences by using the words above. Change the forms if necessary.

1. His illness          his absence today.
2. Tom won $5,000 in the lottery. He ran home and said to his wife, “we are rich! We won more money than we can ever spend!” His wife said, “Don’t          .Tell me how much money you really won.”
3. Susan is quiet and shy, she finds it difficult to          strangers.
4. Racing car drivers find the yearly 500-mile race          . The competing drivers are brave and skilled, and the route is difficult and dangerous.
5. In a new place, we must          ourselves to the new environment.
6. The children’s ages          from 5 to 15.

Suffixes

Many adjectives end in suffixes such as –able, or –ible. Study the examples, and  then list some words that end in these suffixes in the space provided. Add more if  you can.

suffixes      examples
-able         comfortable, unforgettable
-ible         possible, responsible

-able   1.          2.          3.          4.          5.          
-ible   1.          2.          3.          4.          5.          

Many nouns end in suffixes such as –tion, -ation, and –ition. Study the examples, and then list some nouns that end in these suffixes in the space provided. Add more  if you can.

suffixes      examples
-tion         concentration, introduction, attention
-ation        imagination, information
-ition        addition, definition

-tion    1.          2.          3.          4.          5.          
-ation   1.          2.          3.          4.          5.          
-ition   1.          2.          3.          4.          5.          

Fill in each of the blanks with a given word in its proper form.

1. 45 is          by 5. (divide)
2. You must carry out your plan with          .(determine)
3. Xiao Li is a          friend. If he can help you, he will do his best. (depend)
4. He smiled in          . He was very pleased with what he had done.(satisfy)
5. The          of compositions took a large part of the teacher’s time. (correct)
6. The          between mother and child is the closest in the world. (relate)
7. Although the black-and-white TV set is old-fashioned, it is still          .(use)
8. The picture’s faded, but the people in it are still          .(recognize)

Cloze

Fill in the blanks with the words given below.
frustrations       anxious       unsure      transportation     native
mean            appear        foreign     approach         stranger

　“Culture shock” happens to people who have been suddenly placed in a           land. Newcomers may be          because they do not speak the language, know the customs, or understand people’s behavior in daily life. The visitor finds that “yes” may not always          “yes,” that friendliness does not necessarily ea friendship, or that statements that          to be serious are really intended as jokes. The foreigner may be          as to when to shake hands or embrace, when to start conversations, or how to          a stranger. Langrage problems do not account for all the          that people feel. When one loses everything that was once familiar, such as understanding a         system, knowing how to make friends, difficulties in coping with the new society may arise.

Key