Social Time The Heartbeat of Culture

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SocialTime:TheHeartbeatofCulture1“Ifamandoesnotkeeppacewithhiscompanions,perhapsitisbecausehehearsadifferentdrummer.”ThisthoughtbyThoreaustrikesachordinsomanypeoplethatithasbecomepartofourlanguage.Weusethephrase“thebeatofadifferentdrummer”toexplainanypaceoflifeunlikeourown.Suchcolorfulvaguenessrevealshowinformalourrulesoftimereallyare.Theworldover,childrensimply“pickup”theirsociety’stimeconceptsastheymature.Nodictionaryclearlydefinesthemeaningof“early”or“late”forthemorforstrangerswhostumbleovertheannoyingdifferencesbetweenthetimesensetheybringwiththemandtheonetheyfaceinanewland.2Ilearnedthisafewyearsago,andtheresultingcultureshock1forcedmetosearchforanswers.Itseemedclearthattime“talks”.Butwhatisittellingus?3MyjourneystartedshortlyafterIacceptedanappointmentasvisitingprofessorofpsychologyatthefederaluniversityinNiteroi,Brazil,asmallcityacrossthebayfromRiodeJaneiro.AsIlefthomeformyfirstdayofclass,Iaskedsomeonethetime.Itwas9:05a.m.,whichallowedmetimetorelaxandlookaroundthecampusbeforemy10o’clocklecture.AfterwhatIjudgedtobehalfanhour,IglancedataclockIwaspassing.Itsaid10:20!Inpanic2,Ibrokefortheclassroom,followedbygentlecallsof“Hola3,professor”and“Tudobem4,professor?”fromunhurriedstudents,manyofwhom,Ilaterrealized,weremyown.Iarrivedbreathlesstofindanemptyroom.4Frantically,Iaskedapasserbythetime.“Nineforty-five”wastheanswer.No,thatcouldn’tbe.Iaskedsomeoneelse.“Ninefifty-five.”Anothersaid:“Exactly9:43.”Theclockinanearbyofficeread3:15.IhadlearnedmyfirstlessonaboutBrazilians:Theirtimepiecesareconsistentlyinaccurate.Andnobodyminds.5Myclasswasscheduledfrom10untilnoon.Manystudentscamelate,someverylate.Severalarrivedafter10:30.Afewshowedupcloserto11.Twocameafterthat.AllofthelatecomersworetherelaxedsmilesthatIcame,later,toenjoy.Eachonesaidhello,andalthoughafewapologizedbriefly,noneseemedterriblyconcernedaboutlateness.TheyassumedthatIunderstood.6TheideaofBraziliansarrivinglatewasnotagreatshock.Ihadlearnedabout“mãnha”,thePortugueseequivalentof“manana”inSpanish.Thisterm,meaning“tomorrow”or,“themorning”,stereotypestheBrazilianwhoputsoffthebusinessoftodayuntiltomorrow.Therealsurprisecameatnoonthatfirstday,whentheendofclassarrived.7BackhomeinCalifornia,Ineverneedtolookataclocktoknowwhentheclasshourisending.Theshufflingofbooksisaccompaniedbystrainedexpressionsthatsay,“I’mstarving...I’vegottogotothebathroom...I’mgoingtosuffocateifyoukeepusonemoresecond.”(Thepainusuallybecomesunbearableattwominutestothehour5inundergraduateclassesandfiveminutesbeforethecloseofgraduateclasses.)8WhennoonarrivedinmyfirstBrazilianclass,onlyafewstudentsleftimmediately.Othersslowlydriftedoutduringthenext15minutes,andsomecontinuedaskingmequestionslongafterthat.Whenseveralremainingstudentskickedofftheirshoes6at12:30,Iwentintomyown“starving/bathroom/suffocating”routine.9Icouldnot,inallhonesty,attributetheirlingeringtomysuperbteachingstyle.IhadjustspenttwohourslecturingonstatisticsinhaltingPortuguese.Apparently,formanyofmystudents,stayinglatewassimplyofnomoreimportancethanarrivinglateinthefirstplace.AsIobserved thiscasualapproachininfinitevariationsduringtheyear,Ilearnedthatthe“mãnha”stereotypeoversimplifiedtherealAnglo/Braziliandifferencesinconceptionsoftime7.(651words)ProperNamesAnglo//adj.盎格鲁的[Anglo-作形容词前缀，表示“与英国（人）有关的”。美国人中有许多是有英国血统的，故该词也适用于本文。]Brazil//n.巴西（南美洲国家）Brazilian//n.巴西人(HenryDavid)Thoreau//(男子名)(亨利·大卫·)梭罗(美国作家，超验主义运动的代表人物)Niteroi//n.尼泰罗伊（巴西东南部港市）RiodeJanerio//n.里约热内卢（巴西东南部港市）NewWordsattribute//v.believeorsaythatasituationoreventiscausedbysomething归因于e.g.I)Weattributeourgoodhealthtowell-balanceddietandregularexercise.II)Somepeopletendtoattributetheirsuccesstoexternalcausessuchasluck.n.qualityregardedasanaturalortypicalpartofsomebodyorsomething属性，特质e.g.I)Hergreatestattributewasherkindness.II)Patienceisoneofthemostimportantattributesinateacher.briefly//adv.1)inafewwords简单地说e.g.I)Soniaexplainedbrieflywhatwehadtodo.II)Briefly,Ithinkweshouldaccepttheiroffer.2)forashorttime简短地，短暂地e.g.I)HeworkedbrieflyforWaltDisneyStudios.II)WestoppedoffbrieflyinLondononourwaytoGeneva.★conception//n.ageneralideawhichonehasinone’smind概念e.g.I)Hehadaconceptionofhowhewantedthingsarranged.II)Thereportchallengestraditionalconceptionsoftheroleofwomeninsociety.consistently//adv.inawayofconstantlyadheringtothesameprinciples,course,form,etc.一贯地，一致地e.g.I)Heconsistentlygotmarksofover90.II)OvereatingissomethingIhaveconsistentlydenied.drummer//n.someonewhoplaysdrums鼓手e.g.I)Hehopestobecomeagooddrummer.II)BeforehismanagementcareerEdworkedasadrummer.inaccurate//adj.havingerrors;notcompletelycorrectoraccurate不准确的e.g.I)Tocalltheirrelationship“love”isinaccurate.II)Someoftheinformationprovidedwasinaccurateorincomplete.informal//adj. 1)notofficialandhavingnofixedrules非正式的，不拘礼节的e.g.I)Thisisaninformalparty,sothissweaterisOK.II)Iwasofferedthejobafteraninformalinterviewinthestaffcanteen.2)beingmoreappropriateforuseinthespokenlanguage通俗的;口语的e.g.I)InformalEnglishisverypopularamongstudents.II)Aninformalstyleofwritingorspeakingissuitableforordinaryconversationsorletterstofriends.latecomer//n.onewhoarriveslate迟到者，后来者e.g.I)I’mafraidtherearenomoreticketsforlatecomers.II)Thiscompanywasalatecomertothevideo-gamemarket.oversimplify//v.describeorexplainsomethingtoosimply过于简单化e.g.I)Wemustbecarefulnottooversimplifytheissue.II)Todescribeallthesepeopleasrefugeesistooversimplifythesituation.★stumble//v.1)falterorhesitate,asatanobstacletoprogressorbelief迟疑，生疑e.g.I)Hestumbledoverthemathproblembeforefinallysolvingit.II)Thepianiststumbledonthefastpartofthepiece,butrecoveredandfinishedhisprogram.2)walkunsteadilyandoftenalmostfall跌跌撞撞地走e.g.I)Inherhurry,shestumbledandspilledthemilkalloverthefloor.II)Hestumbledovertheupturnedpotbutscrambledbacktohisfeet.stereotype//v.haveafixedideaaboutwhataparticulartypeofpersonislike对……形成固定看法e.g.I)It’swrongtostereotypepeople,asiftheywereallalike.II)It’sdistressingtoseestereotypedimagesofwomeninadvertisementseveryday.n.afixedbelieforideaofwhataparticulartypeofpersonorthingislike固有模式，老一套，旧框框e.g.I)There’salwaysbeenastereotypeaboutsuccessfulbusinessmen.II)Hecertainlydoesn’tfitthestereotypeoftheemotionalItalian.superb//adj.1)ofthehighestquality;excellent极好的e.g.I)Thelilieswegotfromtheflowermarketwereabsolutelysuperb.II)Thewatersarecrystalclearandofferasuperbopportunityforswimming.2)majestic;imposing威严的，壮丽的e.g.I)MountainsceneryoftheGrandCanyonareaissuperb.II)Thisisquiteasteadyclimbbutwellworthitforthesuperbviews.terribly//adv.1)very;extremely非常地，极度地e.g.I)Theywereterriblypleasedtoseeyou.II)Thecoachwasnotterriblyworriedabouthisteam’spoorperformance.2)inaverybadway很糟糕e.g.I)What’swrong?You’replayingterriblytoday.II)Mysonhassufferedterribly.Hehaslosthisbestfriend.undergraduate//n.acollegeoruniversitystudentwhohasnotyet receivedabachelor’sorsimilardegree大学本科生（阶段）e.g.I)TheymetwhentheywereundergraduatesatCambridge.II)Theyareundergraduatessotheycannottakegraduatecourses.vagueness//n.astateofbeingunclearlyexpressed模糊e.g.I)Thetermsoftheagreementcontaintoomuchvagueness.II)ThereisavaguenessinJohn’slateraccountofhisfeelings.PhrasesandExpressionsattributetobelieveorsaythatasituationoreventiscausedbysomething归因于e.g.I)Herteachersattributedherlearningdifficultiestoemotionalproblems.II)Thefallinthenumberofdeathsfromheartdiseaseisgenerallyattributedtoimprovementsindiet.breakforsuddenlyrunordrivesomewhere突然跑向……，将车开到……e.g.I)Teddybrokefortheexitbutwascaught.II)Icaughtaglimpseofhimwhenhebrokeforthedoor.inallhonestytruthfully;withouthidinganything坦诚地e.g.I)Itwasnot,inallhonesty,averygoodstart.II)Imustadd,inallhonesty,thatIthinkthetaskaheadofuswillbedifficult.keeppacewithmoveorchangeasfastassomeoneorsomethingelsee.g.I)ShefollowedBobby,barelykeepingpacewithhim.II)Farmersareangrybecausetheirriseinincomefailedtokeeppacewithinflation.showuparriveorappear到达，出现e.g.I)IwasalmostasleepwhenChrisfinallyshowedup.II)Wewerehopingforafullteamtodaybutonlyfiveplayersshowedup.Notes1.“cultureshock”：文化冲击（指首次去国外或一个新地方的人感受到的震惊和焦虑）e.g.JohnfoundlifeinLondonabitofacultureshockatfirst.2.“inpanic”：惊慌地e.g.ShoppersfledthestreetinpanicaftertwobombsexplodedinCentralLondon.3.“Hola”(Portuguese):“Hello”inEnglish.4.“Tudobem”(Portuguese):“Howareyou?”inEnglish.5.In“attwominutestothehour”,theword“hour”meansthecloseortheendofclass.“Hour”isoftenusedtorefertoaperiodinaclasswhichisoftenlessthanonehourandwhichcanbeginorendatanytime(e.g.from10:30to11:20).6.“Kickoffone’sshoes”means“reallyrelax”.Here,thestudentsmaynothaveactuallyremovedtheirshoes,buttheyappearedtotallyrelaxed,showingnosignsofwantingtoleave.e.g.Isatinacomfortablearmchairandkickedoffmyshoes.7.“AsIobservedthiscasualapproachininfinitevariationsduringtheyear,Ilearnedthatthe‘mãnha’stereotypeoversimplifiedtherealAnglo/Braziliandifferencesinconceptionsoftime.”此处大意为：在这一年里，我观察到这种对时间的随意态度千变万化，于是我懂得了“manha”这个老生常谈把盎格鲁与巴西人之间在时间概念上的真正差异过分简单化了。 ComprehensionandVocabulary1.Directions:Choosethebestanswerforeachitem.1)“Thebeatofadifferentdrummer(l.1)”mostprobablyrefersto__________.A.theonewhoplaysamusicalinstrumentB.adifferentwatchC.adifferentwayofthinkingaboutthingsD.adifferentsocialstandard2)Theprofessorsays“Nodictionaryclearlydefinesthemeaningof‘early’or‘late’”.(l.6)Hesaysthistoshow__________.A.theuselessnessofadictionaryB.theincompletenatureofdictionariesC.thevaguenessofourrulesoftimeD.thereasonswhychildren“pickup”theirsociety’stimeconcepts3)Whatdidtheprofessor’scultureshockinBrazilresultin?A.ThedesiretoexperiencedifferentculturesB.HisdeterminationofsearchingforanswersC.ThedeterminationtoseetheworldD.Hisloveofteaching4)Whatcanbeinferredfromthefactthathegotdifferentanswerswhenheaskedaboutthetime?A.ThattheexacttimeisnotveryimportanttoBrazilians.B.ThatthetimepiecesinBrazilareofpoorquality.C.ThatBraziliansdon’tkeepthemechanicaltime.D.ThatBraziliansareirresponsibleinansweringquestions.5)Whatcanbesaidaboutthelatecomersinhisclass?A.Theywereinahurry.B.Theywereafraidofbeinglate.C.Theyenjoyedbeinglate.D.Theywererelaxed.6)Theprofessormentions“mãnha”toindicatethat________.A.Braziliansoftenputoffthingsuntilthenextday.B.heisquitegoodatPortugueseC.BraziliansaregoodlanguagelearnersD.PortugueseissimilartoSpanish7)InCalifornia,theprofessordoesn’tneedtolookathiswatchtoknowwhenaclassisendingbecause________.A.hecanschedulehistimeappropriatelyB.hehasagoodbiologicalclocktohelphimC.whathisstudentsdotellshimD.hisstudentstellhimwhentimeisup8)Whatwasthegreatestshocktotheprofessor?A.Hehimselfwentintothe“starving/bathroom/suffocating”routine. B.Thestudentswerenotinahurrytoleavewhentheclassended.C.Somestudentswerealmostanhourlatefortheclass.D.Thestudentslikedhisclassverymuch.9)Whatdoes“kickedofftheirshoes”imply?(l.39)A.Thestudentswereboredbyhislecture.B.Thestudentslefthappily.C.Thestudentswerenotreadytoleaveyet.D.Thestudentsenjoyedhislectureverymuch.10)Thetoneofthepassageis____________.A.ironicB.sympatheticC.worriedD.humorous2.Directions:Fillineachoftheblankswithanappropriateformofthewordgiven.1)revealA.Hewasjailedfor____________secretstotheRussians.B.Ajokecanbevery__________ofwhatsomeone’sreallythinking.2)matureA.__________malesofthespecieshavebrightlycoloredtailfeathers.B.Howlongdoesittakeforthechickstogrowto__________?3)defineA.Inthisdictionary,__________havebeenwrittenusingwordsfromaspeciallychosenlist.B.Eachofusmight__________theconceptoffreedominaverydifferentway.4)consistentA.Whatthewitnesssaidincourtwasnot____________withthestatementhemadetothepolice.B.I’mneverquitesureofherpoliticalviewsbecausetheylack____________.5)strainA.Don’treadinthislightoryou’ll__________youreyes.B.Shewaslooking____________andhaddarkcirclesunderhereyes.6)haltA.Securityforces__________thedemonstratorsbyblockingtheroad.B.Hisspeechwasslowand____________,asifhismindwereconfused.7)breathA.Iwas____________afterswimmingthreemiles.B.Shelayawakelisteningtohersister’ssteady____________.8)expressA.Agreatactorneedstohavean_____________face.B.Icouldtellfromher__________thatsomethingserioushadhappened.9)inaccurateA.I’vefoundonesmall____________inyourcalculation.B.Heclaimedhisremarkshadbeenreported_____________.10)relaxA.Yogaisoneofmyfavorite______________.B.Ispenta____________holidayonthebeach,readingandsunbathing. KeytoPassageIExercise11)C2)C3)B4)A5)D6)A7)C8)B9)C10)DExercise21)revealing,revealing2)Mature,maturity3)definitions,define4)consistent,consistency5)strain,strained6)halted,halting7)breathless,breathing8)expressive,expression9)inaccuracy,inaccurately10)relaxations,relaxing