零距离美语会话[文化风俗差异]Lesson 4:How much did this painting cost

Four     How much did this painting cost?
这幅画多少钱？

 1    Introduction
A    Many Americans love adventures.  They are often interested in exploring other cultures when they have a chance to.  When they return from their vacations, they usually bring back souvenirs from their travels. 
许多美国人热爱冒险。一旦有机会，他们就经常喜欢探索异国文化。当他们渡假归来，他们通常带回一些旅游纪念品。

B    Americans are often very affectionate people when it comes to family and close friends.  They often exchange hugs and kisses with those who are very close to them. 
一谈到家庭、亲密的朋友，美国人一般都充满了深情。他们经常与那些亲密的人互相拥抱、亲吻。

C   Another aspect of American culture is the tendency to say “I love you” to those they are particularly close to.  Men usually don’t say that to another man. 
    美国文化的另一个方面是他们喜欢说“我爱你”，尤其是对那些与他们特别亲密的人。男人通常不对另一个男人说这句话。

D    Very rarely would one American ask another what their income is.  Such things are considered private.  So, it is not unusual that a family member would not know how much money another one earns.
很少时候一个美国人会向另外一个人问起他们的收入。这样的事被认为是私事。所以一个家庭成员不知道另外一个家庭成员的收入是多少是很平常的。

 2    Sample Sentences
1.   I hope things turn out for the best.
我想事情会圆满解决的。
2.   He likes his independence and does not want to be a burden.
     他喜欢独立，不想成为一个负担。
3.   I’m looking for someone I can go on vacation with.
     我在找一个能和我一起去度假的人。
4. At the harbor 1 festivals, you get to taste that group's foods, hear their music, and buy traditional things from their country.
在港口节日上，你可以品尝到那个民族的食物，听到他们的音乐，并买到来自他们国家的传统物品。
5. If he wants to live by himself, why don't you see if you can arrange for a nurse to visit him every week?
     如果他想独自生活，你们为什么不看看是否能安排一个保姆每周去探望他呢？
6.  Within five years, I hope I’ll have seen more of the world.
在五年内，我希望我将会目睹世界上更多的地方。
7. I should have thought more about my finances 2 before I took such an expensive trip.
在我开始这次豪华旅行之前，我早就应该多考虑到了我的经济状况。
8.  It usually doesn’t embarrass 3 me very much when someone criticizes 4 me in front of other people.
    别人当着其他人的面批评我时，通常我不觉得很尴尬。
9.  I really enjoyed the adventures I had in China these five years.
我真的好好享受了这五年来在中国激动人心的经历。
10. Something I’d feel comfortable about is living alone.
一件让我感到舒适的事是：一个人住。

 3    Conversations
1. An innocent 5 hug.  At a party.
Hans:  Diana is such a warm, friendly person.  I always love seeing her.
Werner:  Me, too.  She smiles so easily, and I like the way she hugs people when she greets them.
Elsa:  Well, I don't.  Back in my village, a girl doesn't hug a boy unless she's seriously dating him.
Hans:  Are you jealous1 because she's so popular?  Perhaps you don’t understand her culture.
Elsa:  I'm friendly, and lots of people like me.  I listen to my friends, and I care about them.  I just don't want boys to get the wrong idea.
Werner:  How can you get a wrong idea about something as innocent2 as a hug?  It's a friendly way to greet people.  I like it.  You should try it.
Elsa:  Well, I don't think it's right.
【译文】
——戴娜是个热情友善的人，我总是很喜欢见到她。
——我也有同感。她喜欢微笑，我喜欢她问候别人时拥抱别人的方式。
——噢，我就不喜欢。要是在我的村里，女孩子是不会拥抱男孩子的，除非这个女孩子真在和他谈朋友。
——她如此受欢迎，你是不是吃醋? 也许你不懂她们那儿的文化。
——我很友善的；很多人喜欢我。我倾听朋友诉说，我关心朋友。我只是不想男孩子会错了意。
——仅仅是单纯地拥抱怎么会让你错意呢？这是一种友好地问候别人的方式。我很喜欢。你应该尝试一下！
——噢，我认为这样子不好。

2.  How much do you make?
A Chinese businessman is visiting a government trade official in Washington, D.C., the nation's capital.
Wong:  Thank you for showing me your offices, Mr. Becker.  I can see why Washington bureaucrats3 enjoy their jobs.
Becker:  Why do you say that?
Wong:  The city is beautiful, the off ..., the offices are modern and comfortable, and the work is so interesting.
Becker:  Many people work for the federal4 government their entire adult lives.  Government service can be a rewarding and secure 9 career.
Wong:  Do you mean financially rewarding?
Becker:  Well, many positions pay salaries that are comparable 10 to5 those in private industries. 
Wong:  I've always thought that most bureaucrats 7 are lazy. 
Becker:  Sometimes that's true, but not usually.  Most feds are honest, hard-working professionals.  It’s hard to keep highly 11 trained people, so the pay and working conditions have to be attractive.
Wong:  How much do you make?
Becker:  I'm a GS-15.  That's high on the scale of workers, but even a GS-1 is paid a living wage.

Helpful Information：
Often, government workers are paid according to a salary scale.  Their salaries increase with years of service, education, or promotion 12.  A new employee might be a “G-1”, and an older employee might be a “G-13”.
政府员工拿薪水往往是根据一个工资表。他们的薪水随着工作的年数、受教育程度和晋级而增加。一个新员工可能是“G-1”级，而一个老员工可能就是“G-13”级。

【译文】
——贝克先生，谢谢你带我参观你们的办公室。我能看出为什么华盛顿政府人员会喜欢他们的工作。
——你为什么这么说呢？
——城市很漂亮，办……，办公室既现代化又舒适，而且工作又是这么有趣。
——许多人的成年生活都在联邦政府度过。政府部门的工作可以很有回报，很有保障。
——你是说经济回报吗？
——很多工作付的薪水和那些在私人企业工作的能媲美。
——我一直以为多数政府人员很懒惰。
——有时候是真的，但不是通常这样。大部分联邦官员都很专业，诚实又努力工作。很难留住这些受过高水平培训的人，所以工资和工作环境必须要具有吸引力。
——你赚多少钱？
——我是GS-15。在员工当中，算是高的，但是连GS – 1 的人，起码的生活薪水还是有的。

3.  Compliments 13.
Cindy, a Chinese girl, is visiting an American woman’s apartment with other two foreigners.
Bruce:  Hey, look at these paintings on the wall!  Aren’t they beautiful?  Linda bought some good paintings.
Gilbert:  Yeah, very impressive6.  Oh, this one’s marvelous 15!
Cindy:   Sure, they’re very colorful.
Linda:   Thank you.  You are very generous with your compliments7.
Bruce:  You know the first thing most Chinese students would ask is “how much did this painting cost?”
Gilbert:  Right.  I’ve noticed that too.  They always ask that question before they say anything else.
Cindy:   That’s true.  Most Chinese do that.  I don’t know why.  It’s just a habit.  I’ve noticed that foreigners often make compliments soon after they see a product someone has bought - even if they don’t really mean it.
Bruce:  Yeah, we’re just different.  We can’t figure out why many Chinese people don’t give big hugs to their own parents after they grow up.
Cindy:   No, we don’t do that.  At least very few people I know do that.
Gilbert:  And as far as I know, it’s not common for a Chinese to say, “I love you” to anyone including his or her soul mate8.
Linda:   Cindy, please don’t misunderstand.  We’re not saying that one way is better than another.  They’re just different, that’s all.
Cindy:  I know.  Americans say those three words a lot, especially in movies.  I wonder if they really mean it.
Gilbert:  We do, most of the time.  Sometimes we tell our loved ones that we’re proud of them too.  Words are important.
【译文】
——喂，看墙上这些画！它们难道不漂亮吗？琳达买的油画真不错。
——是啊，很令人钦佩。噢，这幅画很了不起哦!
——当然，它们很鲜艳。
——谢谢你们。你们真乐于夸奖别人。
——你知道大部分中国学生第一件会问的事便是“这画多少钱？”
——是啊。我也注意到了。在他们说其它话之前，他们老喜欢问那个问题。
——的确是这样。许多中国人都这样做。我不知道为什么。只是个习惯。我注意到了外国人看见别人买的东西常常会马上称赞一番——即使他们并不真正发自内心。
——是啊，我们就是不一样。我们不明白为什么许多中国人成年以后就不再拥抱他们自己的父母亲。
——不，我们不这么做。至少我认识的人中很少人会这样。
——而且据我所知，对于一个中国人来说，说声“我爱你”是很不常见的，即使对他们的心上人。
——辛迪，你不要误会。我们不是在说哪一个比另一个好。它们只是不同，就这样。
——我知道。美国人说这三个字说得特别多，尤其在电影里。我想知道他们是否是说真的。
——大部分时间，我们是说真的。有时候我们也告诉我们爱着的人我们很为他们自豪。言语是重要的。

 4   Words and Expressions
1. jealous  妒忌的, 吃醋的
2. innocent  无罪的,清白的
3. bureaucrat 6 官僚;官僚主义者
4. federal 8 美国联邦政府的,国家的
5. comparable to 比得上的
6. impressive 14 予人深刻印象的;感人的
7. compliment  赞美的话;恭维;敬意
8. soul mate  性情相投的人,情人