Directions: Complete the summary with the given words. Each word can be used only once. modest; discreet; gulf; recipient; courtesy; censorship; configuration; suspicious of; out of necessity; If anything Once, at a dinner, my mother whispered to me confidentially: “Sau-sau pretends too hard to be a polite ____1_____! Why bother with such nominal ____2_____? In the end, she always takes everything.” My mother no longer patient with old taboos and courtesies. I read an article in The New York Times Magazine, where the author mentioned that the interwoven ______3_____ of Chinese language and culture renders its speech indirect and polite. Chinese people are so “____4_____ and ___5____”, that there aren’t even words for “yes” and “no”. If I consider my upbringing carefully, I find there was nothing discreet about the Chinese language I grew up with, no _____6_____ for the sake of politeness. Having listened to both Chinese and English, I’m ______7____ comparisons between the two languages, as I notice the reciprocal challenges they each present. Even more dangerous is the temptation to view the _ __8__ between different languages and behavior in translation. There is no one word for “yes” or “no”, but not ________9_______to be discreet. ____10______, I would say the Chinese equivalent of answering “yes” or “no” is specific to what is asked.
举一反三
- What’s the main idea of Part I A: A story about a family dinner to introduce the topic of the essay, i.e. whether Chinese language and culture are indirect and polite. B: There is no one word in Chinese for “yes” or “no”, which is not because Chinese people are discreet, but because their answer is specific to what is asked.
- In the text: Speaking Chinese in America, why the author feels suspicious of comparisons between the Chinese and English languages? A: Because these two languages have something in common. B: Because she thinks English is much easier. C: Because she has noticed the reciprocal challenges they each present. D: Because she does not know how to compare these two languages.
- How did the article in The New York Times Magazine describe Chinese language and culture? A: Direct B: Indirect C: Polite D: Impolite
- Fill in the blanks with the words given below. Change the form where necessary. Each word can be used only once.strategicsympatheticconfirmationlocationreflectionprovisioninstallationregistrationquotesympathizecriticizeindustrializeTo illustrate my point of view, I would like to ______ from a source that many of us find more authoritative than the words of a businessman.
- Ex. 5 Fill in the blanks with the newly-formed words in Ex. 4. Change the form where necessary. Each word can be used only once. 5. To illustrate my point of view, I would like to _____ from a source that many of us find more authoritative than the words of a businessman.