大卫：乐乐你大学毕业几年了？ 乐乐：三年多了。 大卫：那你应该二十三四岁了吧？ 汉生：嘿，你怎么随便问女孩子年龄啊？这不是隐私嘛！ 大卫：咦？不是说在中国年龄不是隐私吗？ 乐乐：你是只知其一，不知其二啊！过去啊，中国人比较看重年龄，比我们年龄大的人我们要尊重，所以我们常常问年龄，然后知道应该怎么说话更尊重对方。 汉生：而且过去我们是农业社会，大都住在乡村，大家常常见面，所以就无话不说。 大卫：哦，是这样啊。那么现在，为什么年轻人都不愿意谈论年龄了呢？ 乐乐：在你们西方社会，年龄是隐私。这些年西方文化对中国的影响越来越大，年轻人也不愿意谈你们认为的隐私。还有，城市的发展也让人们的距离越来越远了，人们的隐私也随之增多了，年龄就是其中一个。 汉生：不过中国人要是很想知道对方的年龄，也有办法。 大卫：哦？什么办法呀？ 乐乐：中国人不是用12生肖来纪年嘛！每个人就有自己的属相，如果你知道了这个人的属相，就能大概猜出这个人的年龄了！ 大卫：哇！中国人真是聪明啊！汉生、乐乐，你们都属什么呀？ 汉生：哈哈，你也变聪明啦！ David: Le Le, how long has it been since you graduated from university?
LL: Over three years.
David: So you should be 23 years old right?
HS: Hey, how can you simply ask a girl's age as you wish? Isn't that supposed to be private!
David: Eh? I thought in China age isn't a private matter?
LL: You only have a one-sided view, there's another aspect that you aren't aware of! In the past, the Chinese placed a lot of importance on age, as we have to be more respectful towards people who are older than us, we'd often ask a person's age so that we can accord the elder person with more respect.
HS: Moreover we used to be an agricultural society, living mostly in villages, seeing each other all the time, there's nothing we don't talk about.
David: Ah, so that's how it is. So why is it that young people nowadays don't want to talk about their age?
LL: To westerners, age is considered private. Of late, the impact of westernculture on China is growing, so the youth isn't willing to disclose information that you people consider private. Also, with urbanization, people are drifting further and further apart, so accordingly people has become more private with their personal information and age is one of it.
HS: But if we Chinese people want to know another person's age, there is a method.
David: Oh? And what is it?
LL: Don't the Chinese use the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac to count the years! Everyone has an animal sign, so if you know a person's animal sign, then you can guess his age!
David: Ah! You Chinese people are really smart! Han Sheng, Le Le, what are your animal signs?
HS: Haha, looks like you've just gotten real smart!
-- atchooo@
LL: Over three years.
David: So you should be 23 years old right?
HS: Hey, how can you simply ask a girl's age as you wish? Isn't that supposed to be private!
David: Eh? I thought in China age isn't a private matter?
LL: You only have a one-sided view, there's another aspect that you aren't aware of! In the past, the Chinese placed a lot of importance on age, as we have to be more respectful towards people who are older than us, we'd often ask a person's age so that we can accord the elder person with more respect.
HS: Moreover we used to be an agricultural society, living mostly in villages, seeing each other all the time, there's nothing we don't talk about.
David: Ah, so that's how it is. So why is it that young people nowadays don't want to talk about their age?
LL: To westerners, age is considered private. Of late, the impact of westernculture on China is growing, so the youth isn't willing to disclose information that you people consider private. Also, with urbanization, people are drifting further and further apart, so accordingly people has become more private with their personal information and age is one of it.
HS: But if we Chinese people want to know another person's age, there is a method.
David: Oh? And what is it?
LL: Don't the Chinese use the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac to count the years! Everyone has an animal sign, so if you know a person's animal sign, then you can guess his age!
David: Ah! You Chinese people are really smart! Han Sheng, Le Le, what are your animal signs?
HS: Haha, looks like you've just gotten real smart!
LL: Over three years.
David: So you should be 23 years old right?
HS: Hey, how can you simply ask a girl's age as you wish? Isn't that supposed to be private!
David: Eh? I thought in China age isn't a private matter?
LL: You only have a one-sided view, there's another aspect that you aren't aware of! In the past, the Chinese placed a lot of importance on age, as we have to be more respectful towards people who are older than us, we'd often ask a person's age so that we can accord the elder person with more respect.
HS: Moreover we used to be an agricultural society, living mostly in villages, seeing each other all the time, there's nothing we don't talk about.
David: Ah, so that's how it is. So why is it that young people nowadays don't want to talk about their age?
LL: To westerners, age is considered private. Of late, the impact of westernculture on China is growing, so the youth isn't willing to disclose information that you people consider private. Also, with urbanization, people are drifting further and further apart, so accordingly people has become more private with their personal information and age is one of it.
HS: But if we Chinese people want to know another person's age, there is a method.
David: Oh? And what is it?
LL: Don't the Chinese use the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac to count the years! Everyone has an animal sign, so if you know a person's animal sign, then you can guess his age!
David: Ah! You Chinese people are really smart! Han Sheng, Le Le, what are your animal signs?
HS: Haha, looks like you've just gotten real smart!
-- atchooo@
Lesson Summary:
Asking someone's age comes across as prying into people's private affairs, but what if we ask them their Chinese zodiac? Is this considered prying? Lesson Content: David: Le Le, how long has it been since you graduated from university?LL: Over three years.
David: So you should be 23 years old right?
HS: Hey, how can you simply ask a girl's age as you wish? Isn't that supposed to be private!
David: Eh? I thought in China age isn't a private matter?
LL: You only have a one-sided view, there's another aspect that you aren't aware of! In the past, the Chinese placed a lot of importance on age, as we have to be more respectful towards people who are older than us, we'd often ask a person's age so that we can accord the elder person with more respect.
HS: Moreover we used to be an agricultural society, living mostly in villages, seeing each other all the time, there's nothing we don't talk about.
David: Ah, so that's how it is. So why is it that young people nowadays don't want to talk about their age?
LL: To westerners, age is considered private. Of late, the impact of westernculture on China is growing, so the youth isn't willing to disclose information that you people consider private. Also, with urbanization, people are drifting further and further apart, so accordingly people has become more private with their personal information and age is one of it.
HS: But if we Chinese people want to know another person's age, there is a method.
David: Oh? And what is it?
LL: Don't the Chinese use the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac to count the years! Everyone has an animal sign, so if you know a person's animal sign, then you can guess his age!
David: Ah! You Chinese people are really smart! Han Sheng, Le Le, what are your animal signs?
HS: Haha, looks like you've just gotten real smart!
- supposed [sə´pəuzd]
a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词) - aspect [´æspekt] n.面貌；神色；方向 (初中英语单词)
- accord [ə´kɔ:d] n.&vi.符合 vt.给与 (初中英语单词)
- moreover [mɔ:´rəuvə] ad.再者，此外，而且 (初中英语单词)
- agricultural [ægri´kʌltʃər(ə)l] a.农业的 (初中英语单词)
- mostly [´məustli] ad.主要地；多半；通常 (初中英语单词)
- western [´westən] a.西的；西方的 (初中英语单词)
- culture [´kʌltʃə] n.修养；文化；饲养 (初中英语单词)
- willing [´wiliŋ] a.情愿的，乐意的 (初中英语单词)
- accordingly [ə´kɔ:diŋli] ad.因此；从而；依照 (初中英语单词)
- everyone [´evriwʌn] pron.=everybody 每人 (初中英语单词)
- seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)
- disclose [dis´kləuz] vt.揭露；透露；泄露 (高中英语单词)
- gotten [´gɔtn] get的过去分词 (英语四级单词)
- summary [´sʌməri] a.&n.摘要(的) (英语四级单词)
- respectful [ri´spektfəl] a.恭敬的；尊敬人的 (英语六级单词)
- impact [´impækt] n.影响，作用；冲击 (英语六级单词)
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