英語國家文化題型整理Word版

1、傳播優(yōu)秀Word版文檔 ，希望對(duì)您有幫助，可雙擊去除！第一單元文化1.Communication breakdown sometimes takes place not only because of language, but more frequently because of cultural differences. A、what is culture?1) Culture is a very extensive concept, it is very difficult to define it strictly and accurately, because culture inv

2、olves too much. what we see in usual just like we see the edge of an iceberg, though it has been rather big, there still far more that we can not see.2) Culture is a learned pattern of behavior, and is a way in which a person lives his life. It is an integral part of every society, and creates a fee

3、ling of belonging and togetherness among the people of that society. Every society has a different culture, which gives it an identity and uniqueness.3) Culture is the way of life of a group of people developed over time and passed down from generation to generation We have to remember that, most of

4、 the time, the different ways that are the customs of different cultures are neither right nor wrong. It is simply that different people do the same things in different manners.B、Could you please give an example and make a brief analysis?Example:For example, if you cooked a meal, and you asked a Dut

5、ch person, how was it? He said: “yes, I like it.” That means he really liked it. But once you had this answer from a person from high-context culture, such as China, you have to think: “Does he really like my meal? Or just dont want me to lose face.” Example : Steve and Yaser first met in their chem

6、istry class at an American university. Yaser was an international student from Jordan. He was excited to get to know an American. He wanted to learn more about American culture. Yaser hoped that he and Steve would become good friends.At first, Steve seemed very friendly. He always greeted Yaser warm

7、ly before class. Sometimes he offered to study with Yaser. He even invited Yaser to eat lunch with him. But after the semester was over, Steve seemed more distant. The two former classmates didnt see each other very much at school. One day Yaser decided to call Steve. Steve didnt seem very intereste

8、d in talking to him. Yaser was hurt by Steves change of attitude. “Steve said we were friends,”Yaser complained. “and I said friends were friends forever.”Analyze: Americans use the word “friend” in a very general way. They may call both casual acquaintances and close companions “friends”American fr

9、iendships develops quickly, and they may change just as quickly.2. In the text “Communication Breakdown”, we get to know that language is probably not always the most important reason for cross-cultural communication breakdown. What could be other reasons for such breakdown? Please analyze the issue

10、 with real life examples.1)Example：AisanEnglishlearner;BisanativeEnglishspeaker. AonedayjumpedintoBsarmsandfeltsorry,“Imsorry.” B:“Imsorry,too.” A:“Imsorrythree.” B:“Whatareyousorryfor?” A:Imsorryfive.2）Explanation:AWesternersoftenthinkthebestwaytocommunicateisforeveryonetospeakdirectly.Onceallthein

11、formationhasbeenshared,adecisioncanbemade.Theypayattentiontowords,ratherthancontext.BButpeoplefromahighcontextcultureoftencommunicateindirectly. Cultureisaveryextensiveconcept,itisverydifficulttodefineitstrictlyandaccurately.Cultureisthewayoflifeofagroupofpeopledevelopedovertimeandpasseddownfromgene

12、rationtogeneration.Cultureisthatcomplexwholewhichincludesknowledge,belief,art,morals,law,customs,andothercapabilitiesandhabitsacquiredbymanasamemberofsociety.Cultureincludestheorganizationofproduction,thestructureofthefamily,thestructureofinstitutionwhichexpressorgovernsocialrelationships,thecharact

13、eristicformsthroughwhichmembersofthesocietycommunicate.Cultureseemstobe(almost)everythingandculturalstudiesthestudyof(almost)everything.Cultureisalsosomethingthatmanlearnsfromhisfamilyandsurroundings,leadinghimtoliveamorecomfortableandbetterlife.3.What is your understanding of “culture”? Compare cul

14、ture to another concrete thing (as we have culture is an iceberg in textbook) and explain your reasons with examples.Culture is just like an iceberg. What Datong accepted were aspects of American culture that were easily observed and often referred to as objective culture. But most of his culture wh

15、ich was below the surface of his awareness, not easily observed referred to as subjective culture is that of traditional Chinese culture.第二單元希臘神話1.The appearance of characters from Greek mythology in everyday speech is undoubtedly a modest evidence of the active role played by Greek myths. For insta

16、nce, a huge or heroic task is said to be Herculean, which is in tribute to the Greek mythological hero Hercules and his Labors. Can you think of 2 more phrases which come from Greek myths and are still widely used by people nowadays?1) An Achilles heel is a deadly weakness in spite of overall streng

17、th, which can actually or potentially lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to downfall are common. In Greek mythology, when Achilles was a baby, it was foretold that he would die young.

18、 To prevent his death, his mother Thetis took Achilles to the River Styx, which was supposed to offer powers of invulnerability, and dipped his body into the water. But as Thetis held Achilles by the heel, his heel was not washed over by the water of the magical river. Achilles grew up to be a man o

19、f war who survived many great battles. But one day, a poisonous arrow shot at him was lodged in his heel, killing him shortly after.2) An Apple of Discord直譯為糾紛的蘋果，出自荷馬史詩Iliad中的希臘神話故事 。傳說在希臘阿耳戈英雄(Argonaut)珀琉斯(Peleus)和愛琴海海神涅柔斯的女兒西蒂斯(Thetis)在珀利翁山舉行婚禮，邀請了眾神，惟獨(dú)沒有邀請掌管爭執(zhí)的女神厄里斯(Eris)。這位女神惱羞成怒，決定在這次喜筵上制造不和。于

20、是，她不請自來，并悄悄在筵席上放了一個(gè)金蘋果，上面鐫刻著屬于最美者幾個(gè)字。天后赫拉(Hera)，智慧女神雅典娜(Athena)、愛與美之神阿芙羅狄蒂(Aphrodite)，都自以為最美，應(yīng)得金蘋果，獲得最美者稱號(hào)。她們爭執(zhí)不下，鬧到眾神之父宙斯(Zeus)那里，但宙斯礙于難言之隱，不愿偏袒任何一方，就要她們?nèi)フ姨芈逡恋耐踝优晾锼?Paris)評(píng)判。三位女神為了獲得金蘋果，都各自私許帕里斯以某種好處：赫拉許給他以廣袤國土和掌握富饒財(cái)寶的權(quán)利，雅典娜許以文武全才和勝利的榮譽(yù)，阿芙羅狄蒂則許他成為世界上最美艷女子的丈夫。年青的帕里斯在富貴、榮譽(yù)和美女之間選擇了后者，便把金蘋果判給愛與美之神。為此，赫

21、拉和雅典娜懷恨帕里斯，連帶也憎恨整個(gè)特洛伊人。后來阿芙羅狄蒂為了履行諾言，幫助帕里斯拐走了斯巴達(dá)國王墨涅俄斯的王后絕世美女海倫(Helen)，從而引起了歷時(shí)10年的特洛伊戰(zhàn)爭。不和女神厄里斯丟下的那個(gè)蘋果，不僅成了天上3位女神之間不和的根源，而且也成為了人間2個(gè)民族之間戰(zhàn)爭的起因。 3) The Trojan Horse has come to mean any trick or stratagem that causes a target to allow a foe into a securely protected bastion or space. A malicious comput

22、er program which tricks users into willingly running it is called a Trojan horse. It is a tale from the Trojan War about the subterfuge that the Greeks used to enter the city of Troy and win the war. In the canonical version, after a fruitless 10-year siege, the Greeks constructed a huge wooden hors

23、e, and hid a select force of men inside. The Greeks pretended to sail away, and the Trojans pulled the horse into their city as a victory trophy. That night the Greek force crept out of the horse and opened the gates for the rest of the Greek army, which had sailed back under cover of night. The Gre

24、eks entered and destroyed the city of Troy, decisively ending the war.4) Pandoras box is an artifact in Greek mythology, taken from the myth of Pandoras creation in Hesiods Works and Days. Today the phrase to open Pandoras box means to perform an action that may seem small or innocent, but that turn

25、s out to have severely detrimental and far-reaching consequences. In classical Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on Earth. Zeus ordered Hephaestus to create her. So he did, using water and earth. The gods endowed her with many gifts: Athena clothed her, Aphrodite gave her beauty, Apollo g

26、ave her musical ability, and Hermes gave her speech.When Prometheus stole fire from heaven, Zeus took vengeance by presenting Pandora to Prometheus brother Epimetheus. Pandora was given a wedding gift of a beautiful jar, with instructions to not open it under any circumstance. Impelled by her curios

27、ity (given to her by the gods), Pandora opened it and all evil contained therein escaped and spread over the earth. She hastened to close the container, but the whole contents had escaped; Apate and all the others, except for one thing that lay at the bottom the Spirit of Hope, named Elpis.6 Pandora

28、, deeply saddened by what she had done, feared she would have to face Zeus wrath, since she had failed her duty. However, Zeus did not punish Pandora because he knew this would happen.2difference between Chinese myths and Greek myths 1）The Origin Chinese myth was the product of ancient sages imagina

29、tions, which can conquer nature, dominate nature and make the power of nature have its own image. Chinese myth mainly talked about the origin of human being, everything in nature, and tribal fights, etc. It reflected the ancient living surroundings, conditions and cultural development. Chinese cultu

30、ral derived from The Yellow River basin（黃河流域）, so it could be said that Chinese myth was based on the closed inland cultural（內(nèi)陸文化）. Greek myth derived from Cretes Minoans Civilization（克里特島的“米諾斯文明”）. it was an open culture which absorbed other excellent cultures to develop itself. Greek geographical

31、location was very superior, and the navigation cause and overseas trade developed rapidly, so Greek myth was mainly concerned about Greek persons value orientation（希臘人的價(jià)值取向），which was more important than moral. The Greek myth praised and admires the individualism（個(gè)人主義）, which was the most basic and

32、biggest difference between Chinese and Greek myths. 2）Their Beliefs Greeks were “a tough, restless, ambitious, hard-living, imaginative race.”The Greeks loved life. They believed in living life to the fullest, because death was going to happen whether you wanted it to or not.The only response to dea

33、th was to make a mark on the world. Be a legendbe grandiose.In Greek myth, the gods all possessed the capabilities of superman, and had fairly low moral standards. The gods were all extremely selfish ,but wouldnt be to blame. Greece people didnt create the gods as perfect as Chinese gods. In some wa

34、y, Greek gods were just the mortals, with the same feelings and behaviors as the mortals . The Greek gods had different pursuit of beauty from Chinese gods ,many of them were elegant, graceful, and beautiful, such as Zeus, Hera, Athena, or Apollo. So we can draw a conclusion that Greek gods pursued

35、physical beauty and the beauty of facial appearance. In the Chinese myth, Both good and evil comes from the gods.Heroes and monsters came from the gods.This idea has influenced all religions that came after. Many of the conflicts that are portrayed in the myths are between family members.Though thei

36、r appearances were not beautiful, they were great gods. They all had high moral standards and had responsibility for everything they did. For example, Fuxi made a great deal of inventions. He taught men how to use fire, to cook and to fish and helped Yu try to tame the flood. And they didnt have hum

37、an beings emotion or other human features, they were holy and perfect and ideal. So we can see that Chinese myth pursues mental beauty. 3. Which is your favorite story in Greek mythology? Talk about that in your own words and make a critical comment about the gods or the heroes.In Greek mythology,Pr

38、ometheus create the human.He also served as a human teacher, and make human satisfaction and happiness. Similarly,people alsothank himwith their love andloyalty,which he rewarded.But the highestgod-Zeusask the human to worshiphim,and let the human come up with the best thingsto him. Prometheusviolat

39、edZeus.As for punishment,Zeus refused to givethe fire to human which is usedto complete their civilizationsfinal goods.But Prometheushas thought of a way. He used a long fennel branches,passing theflamingsuncar,stealing fire and bringing tothe human.So,Zeuswas furious,hesent Prometheus tothe Caucasu

40、s mountains and claim that he will never go to sleep.He endured hunger,the wind and the sun.In addition, Zeus alsosent aneagle to peckPlo Michel Js liver every day,but the being eaten the liver then come backnext day.In this way,day after day,year after year, Untila man namedHerculesherorescued hims

41、o far,he stop enduring this indescribable pain and suffering.Zeus (Jupiter):the king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus, and god of the sky and thunder .He is represented as the god of justice and mercy, the protector of the weak, and the punisher of the wicked. ymbols: the thunderbolt, eagle,

42、bull and the oak ZeusAs a god1. the supreme god of the heavens and the earth, preserver of order and justice2. patron of hospitality and the keeper of oaths3.weather god: thunder and lightning, rainZeus (Jupiter)As a man a conqueror of women, mortal as well as immortal: a conqueror of new land; expa

43、nsion of territory; increase and spread of people; close relation to life in the region (bull, swan, bird, snake, sunshine)a conqueror of the old matriarchal system; the harassing, vexing(令人苦惱的) and philandering(花心的) husbanda contradictory image of the God of highest law and justice 4希臘神話對(duì)西方文學(xué)和社會(huì)的影響

44、1）Many western literature are influenced by Greek mythology. Romantic poetry and giving new life to the old myth. Shelley, Byron, Lang Feiluo and other poets, had a poem eulogizing stealing fire Plo Michel J for human. Under Byrons pen, Plo Michel J indeed cool angry, become the embodiment of resist

45、ance to oppression firm and indomitable will and strength. The poet is often cited mythological allusions to King Lyric, worried and indignant expression, as. Greek mythology described the ancients dont yield to the fate of the tenacious will, and gods and heroes with superhuman strength and the nat

46、ure of the refuse to be cowed or submit struggle, inspire romantic poet, inspired their reverie;. Greek mythology is the western literature good story.第三單元宗教文化1. How do you think about the following roles who appeared in the bible stories?Choose one to talk about and connect him/her to the person in

47、 the real society.- GodAdamEveSatan (the serpent)NoahAbrahamMosesJesusAccording to the creation myth of Abrahamic religions, she is the first woman created by God (Yahweh, the god of Israel). Her husband was Adam, from whose rib God created her to be his companion. She succumbs to the serpents tempt

48、ation via the suggestion that to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would improve on the way God had made her, and that she would not die, and she, believing the lie of the serpent rather than the earlier instruction from God, shares the fruit with Adam. As a res

49、ult, the first humans are expelled from the Garden of Eden and are cursed. Though Eve is not a saints name, the traditional name day of Adam and Eve has been celebrated on December 24 since the Middle Ages in many European countries such as Germany, Hungary, Scandinavia, Estonia, and Lithuania.2. Ho

50、w do you think aboutthe Ten Commandments?Can you point out the relationship betweenthe Ten Commandmentsand the western society today?The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue, are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and Christ

51、ianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the sabbath; as well as prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, murder, theft, dishonesty, and adultery. Different groups follow slightly different traditions for interpreting and numbering them. Because religion influence a society

52、s law, we can still see several of the Ten Commandment rules in western countries laws. The influence has decreased over the year, with many countries in the West becoming more liberal. Nevertheless, almost every adult in the West know most - if not all - of the Ten rules even if they are not Christ

53、ians. The rules have continued to set the behaviour norms in western societies. The Ten Commandments say people should have no other God, so people in western society believe in one god who created the universe and all that in it. Its very different from many people in china who believe in Buddhism,

54、 they could believe in many idols. And the Ten Commandments are actually Gods covenant. God is the law, so western society is a society ruled by God and no one can abuse freedom. Everyone is equal and everyone should obey the rules. Everyone has the equal rights, so, the western society is a democra

55、tic society which pays much attention to human rights.3.The word “Christmas” comes from the old English term Cristes maesse, meaning “Christs mass”. This was the name for the festival service of worship held on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus Christ? What does he p

56、reach? In what way has he influenced the western world?Jesus is the central figure of Christianity, whom the teachings of most Christian denominations hold to be the Son of God. Christianity regards Jesus as the awaited Messiah (or Christ) of the Old Testament and refers to him as Jesus Christ,a nam

57、e that is also used in non-Christian contexts.其他單元1.“We realize that womens problems are linked to many broader questions of social justice.” What movement is this statement associated with? Please comment this movement according to your own understanding.The foundation of National Organization for Women (NOW) Women joined together to request equal pay and protection against employment discrimination by persuading the government.enf