What is culture? Culture is like an iceberg, only some of culture is visible. Culture is our software, the basic operating system that makes us human. Culture is like the water a fish swims in. Culture is the story we tell ourselves about ourselves. The world is diversified and the cultures are of great variety. This unit is going to tell what will happen when different cultures meet.

Passage 1 Cross-Cultural Conversation

[A] “You want to talk about culture?” Alain began the conversation in a proud voice. “The United States is only a few hundred years old. Americans aren’t lucky enough to have any culture—they have zero culture, I say.” He made the sign for “nothing” with his hand.

[B] “You are completely correct,” interrupted Werner, loudly. He was pointing his finger. “Older Europe of the last thousand years—it’s easy to tell that’s where the great culture was! The age of architecture—just look at the magnificent historical cathedrals and castles. Our ancestral art legacy—if you don’t know the works of world-famous painters and sculptors from previous centuries, it’s essential to see them in our excellent museums. And everyone has the chance to experience our classical literature and music in first-class theaters and concert halls. I just gave you a logical description of a long and significant cultural history!”

[C] “You call a short millennium a cultural history?” Waving his arms, Kamil was objecting strongly to Werner’s views. “The real beginning of culture—I mean, significant civilization—was in the Middle East and Africa over five thousand years ago. Ancient communities not only knew how to create magnificent architecture and art; they also made amazing scientific and technological discoveries. They invented things. They figured out how to write and do mathematics; they studied astronomy—the science of the skies, the sun and the planets—and invented the calendar. They even had medicine; it’s important to remember that the ancient religions came from that area too. I’m happy to tell you about their achievements because they made world civilization possible. Those were the civilizations that gave humanity the most meaningful cultural legacy.”

[D] With his hands together and his head down, Jade agreed with Kamil. In a soft but nervous voice, he added, “But the really important science and technology began to develop in Asia and the Americas. While the ancient Chinese were building walled cities, they organized the first governments. They invented tools for work and weapons for protection. And the native peoples of the Americas had very, very old civilizations and societies. That was ancient traditional culture.”

[E] “Ancient culture? That’s a contradiction in definitions!” Grinning, Kevin objected in an enthusiastic way. Going against Jade’s views, he said, “It’s impossible for culture to be old or traditional. The opposite is true! Culture isn’t dead—it’s alive. Culture is modern! Culture is now!”

[F] Ken was starting to fall asleep, but suddenly he came alive. “I agree!” he said, interrupting Kevin in a forceful way.

[G] “You tell me!” said Kevin, wanting support for his point of view.

[H] “Culture is worldwide—it’s universal!” answered Ken in his clear speaking style. He had a wide smile on his face. “I mean, like—take today’s food culture. With our global fast food, I have to say, everyone eats the same. And because of the worldwide media—movies, TV, CDs (compact disks), the Internet—everybody knows the same information, plays the same music, enjoys the same stories—even the jokes! And I mean, it’s like—people everywhere have a chance to buy the same clothes—all because of advertising. A beautiful young couple in jeans and bright Hawaiian shirts anywhere in the world, eating hamburgers and French fries with their friends from many countries—finally, we have a global culture! And tradition has nothing to do with it!”

[I] However, Monika was of another opinion. “You want to call modern movies, music, food, and clothes culture?” she said, beginning to get irritated. “Culture isn’t about the sameness of people in communities around the world; it’s about their differences. Like—it’s important for people to greet one another in various ways, and they need to use different titles and follow a variety of social rules in their relationships. Some societies are formal, while others are informal, or casual. Some groups are friendly, and others aren’t. And another example is the diverse use of language—is it direct or indirect? How do communication styles include motions, gestures, facial expressions and other body language? And customs are so interesting! They’re what people of different national groups do in heir everyday lives and on special occasions like holidays or celebrations. Culture means cultural diversity. What makes life amusing? It’s the variety of cultures around the world, its contradictions and opposites!”

[J] “Why are you talking so much?” interrupted Alain, impolitely.

[K] “Yeah, and why don’t you understand what culture is?” said Werner in a loud voice.

[L] “And another thing—what’s your problem with ancient civilizations and tradition?” disagreed Kamil with an unpleasant expression on his face. He liked to contradict Monika in a rude way.

[M] “And why do you always have a different view of things?” asked Kevin and Ken. They weren’t smiling either, and they wanted to talk a lot more.

 

Notes to the Text

1.Americans aren’t lucky enough to have any culture—they have zero culture: The United States as an independent country only have a history of 200 years or so. The first settlers on the North American land were people from Europe. Later, immigrants from many other countries crowded into this new country, hence the name “melting pot”, which suggests the mixture of various ethnic groups, customs and cultural features within the society. As it came be called as a country of immigrants and the history is relatively short, some people hold the idea that America just borrows cultures from countries all over the world and then weaves all of them into a hybrid fabric, colorful and diversified yet with nothing of its own.

2.Older Europe of the last thousand years—it’s easy to tell that’s where the great culture was! It is a rule of thumb that people evaluate the cultural legacy and richness of a country by the length of its history. The longer the history is, the more culture it has, the greater its civilization is. Since Old Europe has existed for thousands of years and a lot of social movements or reforms have happened to European countries, compared to short-living America, it has in its possession a rich fund of civilization and cultural legacy for its descendents to learn and appreciate.

3.The age of architecture—just look at the magnificent historical cathedrals and castles. The most magnificent examples of European architecture are cathedrals and castles, which has a lot to do with the historical situation back then. Europe in the past was a continent ruled by the Pope and the king at the same time, that is to say, the religious power and royal power rule together. It was a continent not only highly devoted to religion in spirit but also strictly loyal to the reign of kings or queens and aristocracy in reality. During the Middle Ages, missionaries were quite active in getting people to believe in God, and a growing number of common actually believed in God as a way of relieve the pain or suffering in their daily lives.

Churches as the place for people’s prayers and worship were in huge demand, and therefore, the construction began. A lot of churches and cathedrals were built during that time. Since they were considered as the symbol of the Pope, or the religious power, these building structures were highly refined and magnificent with delicate designs and carvings. On the other hand, the continent was politically ruled by the noble class, who takes elegance and grace as the criteria for everything.

In contrast to the shabby crowded houses of common people, they lived in their comfortable castles, which are richly decorated and splendid in grandeur. Different periods saw the change of people’s taste with different styles of the buildings. Both for their grand style and refined decoration, the cathedrals and castles in the elapse of time have become monuments in European architecture, the most precious cultural legacy.

4.works of world-famous painters and sculptors: Europe has given birth to a lot of famous painters and sculptors, just to name a few here. The most famous Italian painter Leonardo Da Vinci created marvelous works that nobody else can achieve. Among his masterpieces are Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and The Virgin of the Rocks. The famous sculptor at the same period was Michaelangelo, well-known for his sculpture at the Sistine Chapel in Vatican.

5.classical literature and music: In addition to the remarkable art legacy, Europe produced the greatest literary giant ever—William Shakespeare, whose influence goes beyond the continent and time. The versatile author of plays and sonnets are widely read and studied on the earth even today. The other influential literary figures include Dante, author of Divine Comedy 神曲 and Cervantes for the creation of Don Quixote 唐吉坷德.

As for classical music, since Europe prides itself on its highbrow taste and elegant style, recreation like classical music concerts, operas and theatrical plays is among their top interests.

6.logical: following the nature of logic 逻辑的，合理的

7.significant: meaningful, important 意义重大的

8.object: to present an opposing argument 反对

9.The real beginning of culture—I mean, significant civilization—was in the Middle East and Africa over five thousand years ago: Despite the heated argument on this topic, the speaker here thinks that the beginning of culture was the civilization in the Middle East and Africa, which includes Nile Civilization and Mesopotamian civilization fostered by the two rivers, Tigris and Euphrates. As a matter of fact, academic debate over the four great civilizations has never stopped. Scholars hold different views on the history and significance of each civilization. The generally accepted ideas in the academic study about the four great civilizations are like this:

First, Nile Civilization over 6000 years ago

Second, Mesopotamian Civilization over 5000 years ago, as mentioned here

Third, Indian Civilization over 4000 years ago

Fourth, Yellow River Civilization over 3000 years ago

10.magnificent architecture and art: People in the Middle East produced a lot of architectural wonder, like Egyptian Pyramids, the Great Sphinx and so on. The sculpture, carving, relief works and clay figures and so on are now gems of artistic works of humanity.

11.amazing scientific and technological discoveries: It refers to the inventions by people in Ancient Middle East and Africa, which are further exemplified in the following part of the paragraph.

12.They figured out how to write: People living around the two rivers, the Sumerians 苏美尔人, invented the first characters in human history—cuneiform. This writing form is the unique invention of the Sumerians and best reflects their civilization, and most important, it contributed to the development of human writing language. Later, the Egyptians invented the world-famous hieroglyphics, which is quite close to the modern writing system.

13.do mathematics: Ancient Egyptians managed their countries on mathematics. They paid laborers according to the amount of work they had done. They could calculate the area of their fields and house, the numbers of bricks needed for a house, the capacity of a barn, and so on. They had already grasped the basics in mathematical calculation, such as plus, minus, multiplication, etc. And the great pyramids stand as a testament to their highly advance geometry.

14.they studied astronomy: They studied the law of the universe and learned information about weather by observing the changes in the sky. Based on the study on the movement of the celestial bodies天体 in the universe, they got sense of time and measured it by days, months and years. So the invention of calendar depends on astronomy. They can even foretell the fate of a person or the development of a situation just by studying the constellations in the night sky. According to Egyptians’ observation, there are altogether twelve constellations: The Nile（尼罗河—月亮之神）, Amon-Ra（阿孟．雷—太阳之神）, Mut（玛特--大地之母），Geb（吉伯--大地之神）, 埃及星座∶Osiris（欧西里斯—智能之神）, Isis（伊西丝--魔法女神）, Thoth（透特—鸟形魔法神）, Anubis （阿努比斯—狗形神）, Horus（欧罗斯—锐智之眼）, Seth（赛特—宇宙生命之神）, Bastet（贝丝蒂—猫面女神）, Sekhmet（赛克麦特—狮子女神）.

15.invented the calendar: The ancient Egyptians also invented not only the modern 365 day calendar but the leap year system as well. Ancient civilizations recorded and marked time using a lunar calendar system. A solar system established calendar, based on twelve months of 30 days each, with five extra days, was first conceived of by the ancient Egyptians. The Egyptians also devised the leap year calendar of adding an extra day every fourth year in the year 238 B.C.

16.ancient religions: Throughout the ancient Middle East, various religions and forms of worship sprang up or evolved at different times. Many of these are mentioned in Biblical accounts and in the records of the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Babylon. The origin of Christianity lied in the Middle East, as the Bible was first written by Jews who lived in that region.

17.achievements: something accomplished successfully 成就，成绩

18.humanity: the human race 全人类

19.legacy: something handed down from an ancestor from the past 遗产

20.the really important science and technology began to develop in Asia and the Americas. According to this speaker, Asian people came up with some of the most significant discoveries and inventions in human history, such as the four great inventions in China—printing, paper, gun-powder, and compass. All of them greatly facilitated human life and contributed to the development of society and culture. On the other hand, the Americans in the past and present showed to the world a series of inventions under the effort of many famous scientists from Franklin’s lightning rod, Edison’s light bulb, Wright brothers’ airplane, to modern xerography, computer and the communication giant—internet. Each of them enabled the whole society to step forward and improved people’s living.

21.the ancient Chinese were building walled cities, they organized the first governments. With strong awareness of power and class, Chinese people were among the first nation to establish a complex system to strengthen the position and power of the upper class. This intense concept of power led them to build up the first country under the slavery system, Xia, right after the death of the democratic ruler YU. In order to protect his kingdom and establish his prestige, the emperor set up a series of organizations and institutions to control and manage common people to make sure they were as meek as lambs to his rule. The form of government came into being for this need, and cities and fortresses were built to protect his palace and throne. For thousands of years, China was controlled and ruled by this highly centralized power system.

22.the native peoples of the Americas had very, very old civilizations and societies. Although a lot of people say Native Americans are backward and primitive, they do have a rich heritage, which is full of wisdom and experience. One example from their culture can illustrate the wisdom or thought buried in their culture. In Native American culture, there is a type of story called the trickster stories, in which a man dressed in half white and half black will go between two travelers. The “trickster” will ask each of them the same question, “What is the color of my dress?” Naturally the two travelers usually got into fight as one says white and the other black. Upon their argument and fighting, the trickster will take his leave and leave there to figure out the answer for themselves. The story is very simple; however, the meanings embedded in it are plentiful and thought-provoking.

23.ancient: of great age, very old 年代久远的,古老的

24.contradiction: contrariness 矛盾，冲突

25.Grin: to laugh while showing the teeth 咧嘴而

26.enthusiastic: having enthusiasm热心的, 热情的

27.came alive: become active活跃起来

28.bright Hawaiian shirts: As most part of the island belongs to the tropical climate, people wear T-shirts and skirts or shorts for the major part of a year. Hawaiian people are warm-hearted and passionate people, always filled with enthusiasm and energy. They like singing and dancing in a group in the evening around a pile of bonfire. Outgoing and active, they prefer bright colors for their dresses so as to show their warm and energy inside. As now it is a famous tourist resort, these bright-colored shirts become the hottest item on the tourists’ purchase list for the shirts suggest the local culture and exotic experience. Nowadays, people call these shirts as “Aloha shirts”.

29.irritated: angry, or annoyed恼怒的,生气的.

30.it’s important for people to greet one another in various ways, and they need to use different titles and follow a variety of social rules in their relationships. As the customs of a people are formed in a social environment during a historical period, each group has its distinctive way about how things go around, which is their culture. As people from different regions or societies come to know each other, they realize their difference. Here in the sentence is just one example of their difference, which is exhibited in ways of greeting.

In China, people are used to greeting each other by saying 到哪儿去，吃了吗，去哪儿呀 or 忙着哪. Many of this kind of casual greetings cannot be translated literally into English and used as greetings. Otherwise, misunderstanding may occur. If you ask an American “Have you eaten yet?”, he will think that you want to invite him to have a dinner, or he will think you are jeering at him for lack of money. Besides, when the Chinese meet familiar persons, they will ask about private topics in English people’s opinion such as salary, marriage and age.

The English people greet each other with “Good morning (afternoon, evening)” or “Lovely weather, isn’t it?” or “Hello”. There are some other fixed expressions that are used almost exclusively to greet each other in English. “How do you do” is used between strangers when they are introduced to each other. “How are you” is a very common expression of greeting and the speaker is not really concerned about the hearer’s state of health when he says this, and thus the common reply to it is “Fine, thank you”.

31.contradict: to be contrary to 驳斥，否认，违背

32.rude: lacking education or knowledge, ill-mannered 无教养的, 没文化的, 没礼貌的,粗鲁的.

 

Vocabulary

Nouns

architecture: buildings and other large structures建筑物.

cathedral: a large, important church 大教堂

sculptor: one who shapes, or molds with artistic skills 雕塑家

museum: a building or institution that preserves and exhibits objects of scientific,

historical, or artistic value 博物馆

literature: imaginative or creative writing, especially of artistic value 文学

achievements: something accomplished successfully 成就，成绩

civilization: an advanced state in the development of human society, marked by progress in various fields of the social life 文明

astronomy: the scientific study of matter in outer space 天文学

calendar: a table showing the months, weeks, and days in one specific year 日历. In China, we

have two kinds of calendar: solar calendar 阳历 and lunar calendar阴历.

legacy: something handed down from an ancestor from the past 遗产

religion: a personal or institutionalized system rooted in belief and worship 宗教

contradiction: contrariness 矛盾，冲突

diversity: variety or difference. 差异，多样性

weapon: an instrument of attack or defense in combat 武器

concept: something formed in the mind; a thought or notion 概念, 想法

Verbs

interrupt: to stop the action or talking by breaking in 打断，干扰

grin: to laugh while showing the teeth 咧嘴而笑

object: to present an opposing argument 反对

irritate: to rouse or anger 激怒

contradict: to be contrary to 驳斥，否认，违背

Adjectives

logical: following the nature of logic 逻辑的，合理的

magnificent: splendid in appearance, grand外表华丽的, 宏伟的

first-class: the highest, best. 一流的. It is a compound adjective with an adjective and a noun. Words of the same kind includes high-class (高级的), large-scale (大规模的), full-time(专职的), long-term (长期的).

historical: 历史(上)的, 有关历史的

significant: meaningful, important 意义重大的

ancient: of great age, very old 年代久远的,古老的

amazing: wonderful, superb 令人惊异的

enthusiastic: having enthusiasm热心的, 热情的

compact: closely and firmly united or packed together 紧密的；挤满的，不占空间的

pleasant: giving pleasure or enjoyment, agreeable 令人愉快的

unpleasant: the opposite of being pleasant 让人不愉快的，讨厌的

rude: lacking education or knowledge, ill-mannered 无教养的, 没文化的, 没礼貌的,粗鲁的. E.g. rude behavior 粗鲁的行为

Phrases

works of art: a product of the fine arts, especially a painting or sculpture 艺术作品

classical music: 古典音乐

concert halls: 音乐厅

French fries: 炸薯条，炸土豆片

cultural diversity: 文化多样性

Culture Note

Basic American Values and Beliefs

Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance

The belief in freedom of the individual is probably the most basic and most strongly held of all American beliefs. The desire for freedom is what motivated immigrants to come to America. By limiting the power of the government and the churches and eliminating a formal aristocracy, they created a climate of freedom where the emphasis was on the individual. Scholars call this value individualism. By “freedom”, Americans mean the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference from the government, a ruling noble class, the church or any other organized authority. The price for this is self-reliance. It means that Americans believe they should take care of themselves, solve their own problems and stand on their own two feet.

Equality of Opportunity and Competition

Because titles of nobility were forbidden in the Constitution, no formal class system developed in America. Individuals are free from excessive political, religious and social controls. In the early years of American history many immigrants chose to leave the older European societies, believing that they had a better chance to succeed in America. Americans firmly believe each individual should have an equal chance for success. A price to be paid for this equality of opportunity is competition. If much of life is seen as a race, then a person must run the race in order to succeed, a person must compete with others. If every person has an equal chance to succeed in the United States, then it is every person’s duty to try. The pressure of competition in the life of an American begins in childhood and continues until retirement from work. Learning to compete successfully is part of growing up in the United States. The pressure to compete causes an American man to be energetic, but it also places a constant emotional strain on him. When he retires at age 65, he is at last free from the pressures of competition. But a new problem arises. He tends to feel useless and unwanted in a society that gives so much prestige to those who compete well. This is one reason why older people in the United States do not have as much honor and respect as they have in other societies.

Material Wealth and Hard Work

Another reason why immigrants have come to America is to have a better life, to raise their standard of living. The phrase “going from rages to riches” became a slogan for the great American dream. Because of the vast riches of the North American continent, the dream came true for many of the immigrants. They achieved material success; they became a value to the American people. Because Americans rejected the European system of hereditary aristocracy and titles of nobility, they had to find a substitute for judging social status. The quality and quantity of an individual’s material possessions became the accepted measure of success and social status. Americans pay a price for their material wealth: hard work. American continent was rich in natural resources when the first settlers arrived, but all these resources were undeveloped. Only by hard work could these natural resources be converted into material possessions and a comfortable standard of living. Hard work has been both necessary and rewarding for most Americans throughout their history. Because of this, they have come to see material possessions as the natural reward for their hard work. In some ways, material possessions are seen not only as tangible evidence of people’s work, but also of their abilities.