英语PK台 第90期:生活在国外容易吗?(2)

 听力对话中英文本如下：

Dialogue:
JJ: So, Xiao Gao. Now that you’ve been living abroad for so many years, what were some of the difficulties you ran into? Is there anything that you still have a hard time coping 1 with?
京晶：那个，小高啊，既然你已经在国外生活居住了这么多年，有没有遇到过什么困难？有没有什么事儿现在还难以适应的？
XG:That’s a good question. I can honestly say that my life as an expat in China has been quite pleasurable. A lot of expats living abroad say that they feel lonely, but I actually felt less lonely in China. I think it’s because there’s so many people here in Beijing. Who could possibly feel lonely here?
小高：这是个好问题！老实说，最为一个生活在中国的外国人，我的生活还是挺惬意的。很多外国人人在异乡会觉得孤独，而我在中国却反而感到不那么孤独，也许是因为北京人口密集吧，这么多人围绕着，谁会感到孤单呢？
JJ:What about culture shock? What were some of the things that were hard to adjust to?
京晶：那么有没有遇到文化冲突呢？有没有哪些事你觉得挺难适应的？
XG:Well, when I first came to China, I was in my early 20’s. Everything was new and exciting. I actually liked how different everything was, believe it or not! It wasn’t until about two years later when I started being ethnocentric. Eventually the long lines wherever I went started to take a toll 2 on me.
小高：嗯，我刚来中国的时候也就二十来岁吧，看见什么都很新鲜、有趣，我就是喜欢这种什么都不一样的感觉，真的！直到两年过后，我就变得有点带着美国人的眼光来看中国了（有种族优越感的）。后来，去哪儿哪儿都得排大队让我有点崩溃了。
JJ:Yeah, I can understand that. What about the language barrier? You speak pretty good Chinese now. But didn’t you have a hard time when you first arrived?
京晶：我能理解。那你有没有语言障碍呢？现在你中文说得这么好，可一开始才来的时候就没有遇到困难吗？
XG:I did have a hard time, but that made me want to learn the language even more. After only two weeks or so I was able to get my wants and needs without a problem.
小高：有过艰难啊！但是遇到困难反而让我更想学这门语言。过了差不多两周，我就能简单描述需求了。
JJ:Wow, that’s amazing! So tell me, were you able to find a girlfriend here? Is having a girlfriend in China different than one in the United States?
京晶：哇，那很了不起哦！那你再说说，找个中国女朋友容易么？交个中国女朋友跟交个美国女朋友有何不同？
XG:Yeah, I have a sweet girlfriend now. To be honest, the biggest problems we’ve had in our relationship aren’t necessarily 3 cultural, just normal boyfriend and girlfriend issues that aren’t related 4 to culture, like spending enough time with each other.
小高：有呢，我现在有个可爱的女朋友了，其实呢，我们关系里遇到的最大的问题还真不是文化的问题，就是那些寻常的男女朋友间都会遇到的问题呗！比如花点时间多陪陪对方啦什么的。
JJ:I see. Is there anything you like better about living here than in your hometown?
京晶：原来如此。有没有什么是你觉得住在这儿比住在美国家乡好的呢？
XG:Of course. I feel a lot safer here than in Detroit, especially at night! The amount of people here makes it hard to feel lonely. Also, since I can speak English, everyone is interested in being my friend. I’ve never had a problem finding 5 a language partner! But most of all, I love the food here. C’mon, let’s go eat!
小高：当然有啦！我觉得住在这吧感觉比住底特律安全，尤其是晚上。而且那么多人也不容易你让你感到孤单。还有就是，因为我说英语，人们都想跟我交朋友，我从来没有找不到语伴的烦恼哦！更重要的事，我太喜欢这儿的美食了，走，这就吃点儿去！
New words for dialogue:
Cope 6 with[something] = to deal with [something] 处理（某事）
Expat = short for“expatriate”. Someone living abroad 移居外国者
Culture shock =having a hard time adjusting to a different country’s culture 文化冲突
In my early 20’s =The age of 20, 21, 22, 23. —20来岁
Ethnocentric =evaluating other peoples and cultures according to the standards of one's own culture 种族优越感的
Take a toll on[someone/something] = to cause suffering or damage to [someone/something] 对（某人/事）造成伤害
Language barrier =The difficulties faced when people have no language in common 语言障碍
Or so = about; 左右
Wants and needs =the things that you want and need 需求