美国人的问候方式.doc

美国人的问候方式 East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet." At least, that's what English writer Rudyard Kipling said. Truth is, nowadays Easterners and Westerners meet quite often. And when they do meet, naturally, they have to find an appropriate greeting. Aye, there's the rub. What's culturally appropriate for people in one culture may pletely out of line in another culture. So the best approach is to follow the well-known maxim, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." 「东方是东方,西方是西方,两者是不会相会的。」至少,英国短篇小说家吉普林是如此认为。事实上,当今东方人与西方人时常碰面。当他们会面时, 自然而然地必须找出一种合适的问候方式。唉, 这就麻烦了! 在某个文化里可能恰到好处的事, 到另一个文化里, 就可能过分踰矩。因此, 最佳的做法就是遵守这个耳熟能详的行事准则:「入境随俗」。 So what's an appropriate salutation for Americans? Maybe you already know how to say, "How are you?" You might even know the customary response, "Fine, thanks, and you?" Is that all there is to greeting people American-style? Well, Americans do often use this trite greeting, and they generally expect nothing but the standard answer. (If you want to shock an American friend, the next time he greets you this way, tell him how you're really doing.) But most Americans enjoy a little variety now and then. In informal settings, you might hear Americans say, "How's it going?" (which doesn't mean, "What's your destination?") or "What's up?" (which isn't an inquiry about the stock market). Formal situations, on the other hand might call for express