New Words and Expressions
1.conformity[kən'fɔ：miti]n.依照，遵从，符合，一致
2.value['væIju]vt.重视，尊重
3.proper['prɔpə]adj.适当的
4.decorum[di'kɔ：rəm]n.礼貌；端庄，风雅
5.reluctant[ri'Iʌktənt]adj.不情愿的，勉强的
6.disclose[dis'kIəuz]vt.揭露，揭开
7.highly['haiIi]adv.高度地，极，非常
8.setting['setiŋ]n.情形，环境
9.underscore[，ʌndə'skɔ：]vt.强调，划线于……下
10.superficial[，sju：pə'fiʃəI]adj.肤浅的，浅薄的；缺乏深度的
11.reticent['retisənt]adj.有保留的，含蓄的（of, about, on）
12.reserved[ri'zə：vd]adj.保守的
13.transfer[træns'fə：]vt.&vi.转移；迁移
14.admire[əd'maiə]vt.赞赏；钦佩
15.multicultural[，mʌIti'kʌItʃərəI]adj.多种文化的；反映多种文化的；适合于多种文化的
16.binational[bai'næʃənəI]adj.两个国家的，两个民族的
17.contemporary[kən'tempərəri]adj.当代的
18.tolerant['tɔIərənt]adj.容忍的，忍受的
19.thrilling['θriIiŋ]adj.毛骨悚然的，颤动的，发抖的
II
Li Yucui comes back and goes on their talking：“Other common stereotypes 2 about Germans such as punctuality and cleanliness are more characteristic of the older than of the younger generation. For instance, if you have an appointment with your professor you should certainly not keep him or her waiting for a single minute.However, among students punctuality is taken much less seriously and being a little late（probably up to 15 minutes）is pretty widespread and does not really offend anybody, especially if you are friends or good acquaintances.”
It is also rather unusual for students to keep their accommodation very clean and tidy. In those（rare）cases of extreme tidiness, that student might even be held up to ridicule and be mocked at for being‘snobby'or‘unrelaxed'by his/her fellow students.The same might happen if you dress too formal（e.g.suit and tie）or stylish（e.g.expensive designer clothes）.Therefore German students generally always prefer casual wear and dislike any kind of overdressing.But this usually changes quickly after graduation as most jobs, of course, require a more formal dress code.
“What should I pay attention to in Germany?”asks Wang Chenxin.
Western culture is similar to each other. In Germany, you should talk about everything directly.There is a Greek proverb：“Nothing done with intelligence is done without speech.'This Greek saying emphasizes the importance of talk as a means of communication in the western world.You must have felt and learnt about it in the USA，”says Li Yucui.
“Anything else?”asks Wang Chenxin.
“What you should not do unless you are really good friends, is to drop in unannounced：this is considered importunate and impolite behavior. Whenever you plan to visit somebody, you should by all means make an appointment in advance.Germans though are rather reticent with invitations to begin with and it will usually take quite a long time until they come forward to invite you to their home.Instead of waittng to be asked, it is then recommendable to take the initiative and invite them first.After that, you are likely to receive an invitation in return.If you do not know the other person so well and would like to get to know him/her better, you should first meet in a café or other public place because inviting them to your home would very likely be considered obtrusive.”
“It is also rude and harassed to drop in unannounced in the USA, but it is all right in China，”says Wang Chenxin.
“Another important aspect in dealing with people is the appropriate use of the‘Du'-form（informal‘you'）and the‘Sie'-form（formal‘you'）. An old lady from a farm met a policeman.She used“Du”and was sued by the policeman.At the end it was the policeman that won in the case.Adults generally address each other in the‘Sie'-form and also with‘Herr’（Mr.）or‘Frau’（Ms./Mrs.）plus surname and possibly even a tttle, e.g.“Guten Morgen, Herr Professor Schmidt”（“Good Morning, Prof.Schmidt”）.Titles are extremely important in Germany and you should, whenever applicable, never forget them, especially when addressing your teachers at university.Also very especially, when the person you are talking to is having a higher rank or positton, so for example, I am just Frau Dr.Händel and I talk to Prof.Dr.Klein, then I need to say every single tttle, but he is not forced to mentton my Dr.To abandon the formal‘Sie’-form is only possible if you have become very close friends and only after it has been formally offered.Students, friends and relatives though always use the informal‘Du’-form amongst themselves.
When greettng each other, shaking hands can somettmes be quite a complicated matter.As a general rule, you should shake hands when meeting somebody for the first time or in a more formal se ng.Among students or friends, you can feel free to do so, but it is not obligatory.If you attend an interview or go to a professor’s o ce hour, you must shake hands, but you better ffrst wait until the senior person offers you his/her hand.If you are not sure about the situatton, the best rule is to inittally wait and see how the other person is going to approach you.
Besides these points, German etiquette is very strict concerning the right use of polite speech. Whenever you ask for something, make a request, do somebody a favour or give something to somebody, you should say‘bitte'（please/you are welcome）.And you should always say‘danke'（thank you）whenever you are offered or receive something and whenever somebody helps you or is polite to you.This implies that you are required to reply with‘danke'if somebody says‘bitte'and vice versa.It will be considered very impolite and people might even take it as an offence, if you neglect this very essential rule of conduct.
Some of the rudest kinds of misconduct in Germany with a strong likelihood of making people seriously angry are：not being able to wait and jumping a queue, incorrect disposal of garbage, disrespect for somebody's privacy, speaking too loudly in public places and any kind of excessive noise in general. In these cases, people might somettmes even get so upset that they will call the police to issue a complaint.
If you respect and follow the manners discussed above, you will have no problems living and studying in Germany, you will be able to settle in and make many German friends, broaden your cultural horizon and bring home an unforgettable memory.You will also discover, after having gotten used to the social differences, that life and people abroad are not as alien as you may imagine or might have been taught.Friendliness, tolerance and honesty are the basic human qualities that will easily bring people together and connect people from all over the world.”says Li Yucui.
“Thank you so much, my expert.”says Wang Chenxin.
“OK. I am afraid we should go now.We have an appointment with friends.”
Cultural Case 4
A group of German business men negotiated on a deal with some pretty business ladies from a famous Brewery in China. They concentrated on the business items while it seemed that they disregarded the fame of the brewery and beauttes.Why?
Explanation of Cultural Case 4
Germans do not care about fame or ladies. They only know the product and quality.
二
李玉翠返回后继续他们的谈话。“其他对德国人的常见传统看法，例如守时和爱干净，比起德国年轻人来，这种特性对年纪较大的德国人来说更加典型。举例来说，如果你和你的教授有约，你肯定一分钟都不能让她/他等。然而，在学生们中间，准时就遵守得不是那么严格了。晚来一会儿（可能长达15分钟）是非常普遍的。尤其是在彼此是朋友或者同事的情况下，通常这种推迟不会真的冒犯对方。”
“学生们把他们的房间保持得非常整洁也是很不多见的。那些极少数特爱整洁的人，甚至会被他（或者她）的同学们当作笑料，被嘲笑为‘势利’或者‘不会放松’。如果你穿着太正式（例如：穿西装，打领带），或者太时髦（例如：穿昂贵的品牌服装），同样的事也会发生。德国学生总是穿着随便，不喜欢任何过分的穿着打扮。当然，毕业之后这通常会迅速改变。因为大多数工作都要求穿着正式。”
王晨馨问：“在德国我应该注意些什么？”
李玉翠说：“西方文化都差不多。在德国说什么事情都要直来直去。有一个希腊谚语说：‘任何有智慧的事情都要用语言来表达。’这个希腊谚语就强调了在西方世界，话语作为交际方式的重要性。你在美国必定也心领神会了。”
王晨馨问道：“还有其它需要注意的吗？”
李玉翠说：“千万不要不通知就拜访，除非你们是非常好的朋友。这是令人讨厌和不礼貌的行为。无论何时，你要拜访某人，你应当用各种方法预约。德国人很少一开始交往就邀请，交往很长时间之后，他们才会邀请你到他们家里去。与其等待，不如先主动邀请他们，然后，您大概会收到一个邀请作为回报。如果你和某人不大熟，想要和他或她的关系进一步，您应当先在咖啡馆或其它公众场合见面，这是因为邀请他们到你家去，很可能会使人感到唐突。”
王晨馨说：“不通知就拜访在美国也是粗鲁烦人的，但在中国很正常。”
李玉翠说：“在德国和人交往的另一个重要方面是正确使用非正式的'你-du'这个称呼，还是是用正式的'您-Sie'这个称呼。一个农场老太太碰到一位警察。她用了'Du'，警察把她告上法庭。最后是警察赢了官司。成年人之间总是互相称'您-Sie'，也用'Herr'相当于英语的'Mr.'或者'Frau'（相当于英语的'Ms.或Mrs'），再加上姓及头衔，例如：'Guten Morgen, Herr Professor Schmidt'（施密特教授先生，早晨好）。在德国头衔非常重要，能用则用，千万不要忘记，特别是在大学里，对您的老师说话的时候，更是如此。非常特别的是，和你谈话的人职位和地位比你高，就没关系。举例来说我是韩德尔夫人博士，我和克兰博士教授谈话，他的每个头衔，我都要叫到，他却不必提我的博士头衔。如果你们已经成为非常亲近的朋友，只有在对方正式向您提出要求，您才可以不用‘Sie-您’这种正式称呼。学生、朋友和亲戚中，常用非正式的‘Du-你’这个称呼。”
“互相问候、相互握手看似简单，有时会是一种相当麻烦的事情。作为常规，当你和某人初次见面时或者在一个比较正式的场合，应当握手。学生或者朋友中间，想握就握，不是必要的礼节。你如果是参加一个面试或者被约谈，或者在工作时间走进某位教授的办公室，您必须握手；但最好是等着地位较高或年纪较长的人先伸手。如果情况不好确定，最好先等待，观察一下其他人如何做。”
“除了这些之外，德国礼节对礼貌语言的正确使用要求非常严格。无论什么时候你需要什么东西，提出一个请求，或者，帮助什么人，给别人什么东西，你都应该以‘bitte’（‘请’，或者，‘不客气’）开头。每当你得到什么，收到什么，或者某人帮助你，对你礼貌的时候，你都应该回敬‘Danke’（谢谢你）。这意味着如果别人说了‘Bitte’，你就得回答‘Danke’，反之亦然。如果忽视这种最基本的准则，会被认为不礼貌。有时候别人甚至会把这当作一种冒犯。”
“在德国，容易引起别人生气的一些野蛮和不礼貌行为包括：不等待而插队、乱扔垃圾、不尊重别人的隐私、在公共场合大声喧哗或者发出任何过分的噪音等。在这些情况下，有时人们甚至可能会叫来警察发泄怨气。”
“如果你尊重、遵循以上谈到的行为规范，你在德国学习、生活就不会有问题。你将能够较快地融入德国社会，交很多德国朋友，扩大你的文化视野，带回难忘的记忆。适应了这种文化差别之后，你将会发现外国的生活和人们并不像你想象或者在课堂上学到的那么离奇。友好、包容和诚实是把全世界各国人民联系在一起的基本品质。”
王晨馨说：“非常感谢。我的专家小姐！”
李玉翠说：“恐怕我们要走了。我们和朋友有个约会。”
文化案例4
一些德国商人在和中国某知名啤酒厂的漂亮女职员们洽谈。德国人如此专注以至于认人感觉他们忽视了啤酒厂的声望以及职员的美貌，为什么？
文化案例4—讲解
德国人对声望和女士们并不关心，他们关心的是产品和产品质量。