[00:00.00]Unit 6 The preparations
[00:04.60]1.Listen and practice in pairs.
[00:10.24]LiMeng is asking a student counsellor,Mr.Wang,
[00:15.52]about procedures for getting a passport and visa.
[00:20.79]LiMeng:Good morning,Mr.Wang.May I ask you a few things?
[00:25.94]Mr.Wang:Of course you may.What can I do for you?
[00:30.41]LiMeng:It's like this.My sister and I want to study in a foreign high school
[00:36.75]but we don't know yet what we need to get.
[00:41.43]Mr.Wang:Have you applied to a foreign high school?
[00:45.37]LiMeng:You mean write to a foreign school?
[00:49.14]I did and they have sent me a form called an application form.
[00:55.07]Mr.Wang:Ok.When you are accepted by that school,they'll send you another letter.
[01:01.54]LiMeng:Then what?
[01:04.60]Mr.Wang:Then you can go and apply for your passport and visa.
[01:09.96]LiMeng:I know every going abroad carries a passport.But what is a visa?
[01:16.43]Mr.Wang:A visa is what you get from a foreign embassy.
[01:21.40]It allows you to go to that country.
[01:25.66]LiMeng:I see.So a passport is from our country
[01:30.41]and a visa is from a foreign country.
[01:34.35]Both sides have to agree I can go.
[01:38.93]Mr.Wang:You are so smart.
[01:42.16]LiMeng:Thank you,Sir.
[01:45.33]Can I ask you where to go for these things when I'm accepted by the school?
[01:50.89]Mr.Wang:Of course.Any time.
[01:54.23]4.Listen and practice in pairs.
[02:00.40]LiMeng is calling Air China about baggage requirements for international flights.
[02:07.66]Clerk:Good morning,Air Chia.Can I help you?
[02:12.23]LiMeng:Yes.Can you tell me how heavy my suitcases can be?
[02:17.98]Clerk:You mean baggage requirements.
[02:22.05]Is it for a domestic flight or an international flight?
[02:27.51]LiMeng:What is"domestic"?
[02:30.86]Clerk:Inside China.
[02:34.10]LiMeng:Oh,it's international.
[02:37.86]Clerk:Are you going as a student or a tourist?
[02:42.30]LiMeng:I'm going to study in a foreign school.
[02:46.24]Clerk:You are allowed 30 kilos for your checked baggage
[02:51.60]and 5 kilos for carry-on baggage the first time you travel abroad.
[02:57.45]LiMeng:Just a minute.Let me make a note of that...OK,thanks.Bye.
[03:04.29]Clerk:You're welcome.Goodbye.
[03:07.85]5.Listen and read.
[03:17.80]Culture shock
[03:21.56]We often hear the sentence,"When in Rome,do as the Romans do."
[03:28.20]This is indeed true when you are in a new culture.
[03:33.45]You have to watch carefully not to make a fool of yourself.
[03:38.51]Having dinner in western countries is quite different from that in China.
[03:44.44]Courses come one after another.
[03:48.99]First appetizers,then soup,next main course and finally dessert.
[03:57.95]But in China,we always start with beer or wine,together with many cold dishes.
[04:05.89]Then we have the hot dishes.Later on,we have soup and finally we have fruit.
[04:13.15]If you learn what to expect,the differences are less of a shock or surprise.
[04:20.23]In many western countries,if plates of food are placed on the table,
[04:26.58]you should ask a person to pass the dish to
[04:31.65]you instead of reaching for the dish by yourself
[04:36.09]On receiving a gift from your foreigh friend,
[04:40.66]you should open it immediately and tell them how beautiful the thing is
[04:46.90]and express your thankfulness.
[04:51.06]Most westerners pay a lot of attention to their own privacy.
[04:56.70]They don't like people to inquire about their age,salary,weight,
[05:03.36]marital status,home address and telephone numbers.
[05:09.13]On the countary,Chinese people are interested in finding out people's salary,
[05:16.08]marital status,age,weight and they are eager
[05:22.74]to give you their home address and telephone numbers.
[05:27.71]Westerners greet people by saying things like,"Beautiful day,isn't it?"
[05:33.95]or"Terrible weather,isn't it?"
[05:38.31]However,Chinese greetings are more likely to include quesstions such as,
[05:44.87]"Have you eaten anything yet?"or"Where are you going?"
[05:50.43]Westerners make apologies to anybody,their bosses,their co-workers,
[05:57.41]their doctors,their hairdressers and even to their children.
[06:03.57]Chinese people,however,mostly make apologies only to their bosses and their co-workers,
[06:11.12]But not to their children or to others.
[06:15.51]The more you lean English,the more you will find out
[06:20.97]about the cultural differences between westerners and Chinese people.
[06:27.32]Being aware of these differences makes you a better communicator
[06:32.78]and may protect you from the shock and surprise
[06:37.95]which may come from meeting these differences face to face.
[06:43.41]Ask & answer the following questions in pairs.
[06:48.66]1.At the dinner table,
[06:53.10]what do you do when you want to get the dish at the other end?
[06:58.46]2.What topics are considered"private"in western countries?
[07:05.40]3.What sentences do westerners often use when they start their conversations?
[07:13.35]4.What is the Chinese way of greeting each other?
[07:19.12]5.Do westerners make apologies to the younger ones?
[07:25.36]6.Listen and write.
[07:30.12]Listen to the dialogue and fill in the blanks.
[07:35.16]Dr.Berry:Sweetie,you know what?
[07:38.61]When I arrived in Beijing for the first time,I made a _____mistake,
[07:44.88]and I missed some very______food.
[07:49.32]Mrs.Berry:How_______,Honey?
[07:52.87]Dr.Berry:They served a lot of_______dishes when we were drinking__________.
[07:58.72]There were so many dishes that I_________they were all we would have.
[08:04.47]So I took a portion of each on my own________to enjoy myself.
[08:10.34]Mrs.Berry:It must have been very delicious,huh?I love___________food!
[08:16.20]Dr.Berry:Yeah,sure.
[08:19.25]But the problem was they__________hot dishes after the cold dishes.
[08:25.70]Mrs.Berry:My!I guess you were too_______to eat anything else.
[08:31.16]Dr.Berry:Exactly.But I_________to taste all of them.
[08:36.34]Very tasty!After that they served_________,rice,and dumplings.
[08:43.70]The only thing I could do was to watch other people eating.
[08:49.27]Mrs.Berry:Ha! Ha! Ha!
[08:52.14]8.Listen and practice.
[08:57.18]LiMeng and his sister are talking about collecting information for their trip.
[09:03.56]Xiaohong:Now what do we still need to know?
[09:07.40]LiMeng:Mum told me we should find out about the local weather and local time.
[09:12.96]Xiaohong:What is that?
[09:15.60]LiMeng:The weather and time in teh place where our school is.
[09:20.46]Xiaohong:The weather is easy.We can go on-line and find out.
[09:25.42]But why do we need the time?It's already on the airline ticket.
[09:30.88]LiMeng:Sorry,I mean thetime difference.
[09:34.93]Xiaohong:Oh,right.It might be a few hours earlier or later.
[09:40.57]LiMeng:It depends on where you go.
[09:44.12]Xiaohong:What are we waithing for now?Turn on the computer and have a look.
