零距離美語會話[文化風俗差異]Lesson 4:How much did this painting 

Four How much did this painting cost?
這幅畫多少錢？

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.
許多美國人熱愛冒險。一旦有機會，他們就經常喜歡探索異國文化。當他們渡假歸來，他們通常帶回一些旅遊紀念品。

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.
一談到家庭、親密的朋友，美國人一般都充滿了深情。他們經常與那些親密的人互相擁抱、親吻。

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.
美國文化的另一個方面是他們喜歡說“我愛你”，尤其是對那些與他們特別親密的人。男人通常不對另一個男人說這句話。

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.
很少時候一個美國人會向另外一個人問起他們的收入。這樣的事被認爲是私事。所以一個家庭成員不知道另外一個家庭成員的收入是多少是很平常的。

2 Sample Sentences
1. I hope things turn out for the best.
我想事情會圓滿解決的。
2. He likes his independence and does not want to be a burden.
他喜歡獨立，不想成爲一個負擔。
3. I’m looking for someone I can go on vacation with.
我在找一個能和我一起去度假的人。
4. At the harbor festivals, you get to taste that group's foods, hear their music, and buy traditional things from their country.
在港口節日上，你可以品嚐到那個民族的食物，聽到他們的音樂，並買到來自他們國家的傳統物品。
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?
如果他想獨自生活，你們爲什麼不看看是否能安排一個保姆每週去探望他呢？
6. Within five years, I hope I’ll have seen more of the world.
在五年內，我希望我將會目睹世界上更多的地方。
7. I should have thought more about my finances before I took such an expensive trip.
在我開始這次豪華旅行之前，我早就應該多考慮到了我的經濟狀況。
8. It usually doesn’t embarrass me very much when someone criticizes me in front of other people.
別人當着其他人的面批評我時，通常我不覺得很尷尬。
9. I really enjoyed the adventures I had in China these five years.
我真的好好享受了這五年來在中國激動人心的經歷。
10. Something I’d feel comfortable about is living alone.
一件讓我感到舒適的事是：一個人住。

3 Conversations
1. An innocent 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.
【譯文】
——戴娜是個熱情友善的人，我總是很喜歡見到她。
——我也有同感。她喜歡微笑，我喜歡她問候別人時擁抱別人的方式。
——噢，我就不喜歡。要是在我的村裏，女孩子是不會擁抱男孩子的，除非這個女孩子真在和他談朋友。
——她如此受歡迎，你是不是吃醋? 也許你不懂她們那兒的文化。
——我很友善的；很多人喜歡我。我傾聽朋友訴說，我關心朋友。我只是不想男孩子會錯了意。
——僅僅是單純地擁抱怎麼會讓你錯意呢？這是一種友好地問候別人的方式。我很喜歡。你應該嘗試一下！
——噢，我認爲這樣子不好。

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 career.
Wong: Do you mean financially rewarding?
Becker: Well, many positions pay salaries that are comparable to5 those in private industries.
Wong: I've always thought that most bureaucrats are lazy.
Becker: Sometimes that's true, but not usually. Most feds are honest, hard-working professionals. It’s hard to keep highly 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. A new employee might be a “G-1”, and an older employee might be a “G-13”.
政府員工拿薪水往往是根據一個工資表。他們的薪水隨着工作的年數、受教育程度和晉級而增加。一個新員工可能是“G-1”級，而一個老員工可能就是“G-13”級。

【譯文】
——貝克先生，謝謝你帶我參觀你們的辦公室。我能看出爲什麼華盛頓政府人員會喜歡他們的工作。
——你爲什麼這麼說呢？
——城市很漂亮，辦……，辦公室既現代化又舒適，而且工作又是這麼有趣。
——許多人的成年生活都在聯邦政府度過。政府部門的工作可以很有回報，很有保障。
——你是說經濟回報嗎？
——很多工作付的薪水和那些在私人企業工作的能媲美。
——我一直以爲多數政府人員很懶惰。
——有時候是真的，但不是通常這樣。大部分聯邦官員都很專業，誠實又努力工作。很難留住這些受過高水平培訓的人，所以工資和工作環境必須要具有吸引力。
——你賺多少錢？
——我是GS-15。在員工當中，算是高的，但是連GS – 1 的人，起碼的生活薪水還是有的。

3. Compliments.
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!
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.
【譯文】
——喂，看牆上這些畫！它們難道不漂亮嗎？琳達買的油畫真不錯。
——是啊，很令人欽佩。噢，這幅畫很了不起哦!
——當然，它們很鮮豔。
——謝謝你們。你們真樂於誇獎別人。
——你知道大部分中國學生第一件會問的事便是“這畫多少錢？”
——是啊。我也注意到了。在他們說其它話之前，他們老喜歡問那個問題。
——的確是這樣。許多中國人都這樣做。我不知道爲什麼。只是個習慣。我注意到了外國人看見別人買的東西常常會馬上稱讚一番——即使他們並不真正發自內心。
——是啊，我們就是不一樣。我們不明白爲什麼許多中國人成年以後就不再擁抱他們自己的父母親。
——不，我們不這麼做。至少我認識的人中很少人會這樣。
——而且據我所知，對於一箇中國人來說，說聲“我愛你”是很不常見的，即使對他們的心上人。
——辛迪，你不要誤會。我們不是在說哪一個比另一個好。它們只是不同，就這樣。
——我知道。美國人說這三個字說得特別多，尤其在電影裏。我想知道他們是否是說真的。
——大部分時間，我們是說真的。有時候我們也告訴我們愛着的人我們很爲他們自豪。言語是重要的。

4 Words and Expressions
1. jealous 妒忌的, 吃醋的
2. innocent 無罪的,清白的
3. bureaucrat 官僚;官僚主義者
4. federal 美國聯邦政府的,國家的
5. comparable to 比得上的
6. impressive 予人深刻印象的;感人的
7. compliment 讚美的話;恭維;敬意
8. soul mate 性情相投的人,情人