Dec 30, 2015
Fast readingPlease go through the dialogue quickly and
then answer several questions.
1. How many people are involved in this dialogue? Who are they?
2. Where did this dialogue take place?
3. Where do they come from?
Detailed readingPlease spot the topics that are mentioned in this
dialogue.1. Thanksgiving2. eye contact3. wedding in Brunei4. Wedding in Italy is different from one in the UK.5. body language6. Common people can’t wear yellow.7. People open the present as soon as he is given it.8. Chinese people greet each other by shaking
hands.9. Take off shoes before going inside a house.10. Use thumb to point
Detailed Reading
1. What does Thanksgiving celebrate?
It’s to do with celebrating the first
harvest after the settlers from Europe
went to live in the USA.
2. What is eaten at Thanksgiving?
The huge turkey.
3. In the West, when is the polite time to open a present? Why?
In the west , it is polite to open a present when someone gives you one. Because people want to see the person’s reaction.
4. What can you not drink at a wedding in Brunei?
Alcohol.
5. What should you do instead of
pointing with your first finger in
Brunei?
Pointing with our thumb.
6. What customs do Chinese cities and
Brunei have in common?
Taking shoes off before you go inside
someone’s house.
Detailed reading Italy Brunei USA
People celebrate Thanksgiving.
There are some differences in a
wedding reception.
The newly-weds are expected to
give presents to the guests.
Common people can’t wear yellow.
People there usually use thumb to point.
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Detailed reading
Suppose you have a good friend from Britain, you are going to give a present to him/her…and after two days he/she gives you one in return…
act out
Read the passage carefully and fill
the table.
People from
different
countries
Different
situations
Different
reactions
The
American/
the British
About
Thanks-
giving
The
American/
the British
About
PresentsThe American open it when receiving it and so do the Britishpeople
The American: talk much about Thanksgivingthe British: know nothing about it
The
British/
the Italian
About
the
wedding
The guests give
presents to the
newly-weds in the
UK while it is
opposite in Italy
People from
Brunei/
people in
some other
countries
Pointing
to othersPeople in Brunei
point with their
thumb while
others with their
first finger
People from
Brunei/the B
ritish
About
the
wedding
Men and
women sit in
different areas
in Brunei and
with no alcohol
in the wedding
similarities ?
1. People from UK and USA usually have the same attitudes towards receiving presents.
2. There are similarities between wedding traditions in the west.
open as soon as receive
throw confetti
3. People in both Brunei and China take off shoes before going inside a house.
Consolidation
This time you are supposed to retell the cultural differences you have got from the dialogue, you may start like this:
I am Ma Li/Waled/Peter, today in the chat room I learned a lot about cultural differences, in Brunei…and in the UK… in Italy…all these are so amazing.
Reading Strategy: understanding the use of examples
The text we read is a dialogue on cultural differences. So in this kind of text we should use examples to explain concepts and ideas. Sometimes we use examples to support arguments and sometimes used as interesting stories.
Read the dialogue carefully and try to find out the sentences explaining the concept of cultural differences between English speakers from different countries.
Our American teacher is always talking about Thanksgiving…The British teachers didn’t know what he was talking about…
Try to find out the sentences supporting
the argument that there are differences
as well as similarities between West
weddings.
In the UK, the guests are expected to give
presents to the newly-weds, but in Italy
…
Try to find out the example used as
an interesting story about cultural
misunderstanding.
The British teacher who opened the
present as soon as he was given it at
the end-of-the term ceremony…
Extension (more information about cultural differences)
cultural differences
body language
eating
festivals
architecture style
Debate A world full of cultural differences or a world
full of cultural similarities, which are you for?
Homework
1. Please search for more cultural differences.
2. Review what we have leant today.
3. Finish the exercises in workbook.
on the 4th Thursday of November
turkey
Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate the first harvest after the first settlers from Europe went to live in the USA.
Differences in wedding reception in Brunei?
The man and the woman __________________.
No ________.
Play _______ for a long time, sometimes _______.
Detailed reading
sit in a different area
alcoholdrums
all night