时间:2018-12-04 作者:英语课 分类:新视野大学英语读写教程词汇 第二册


英语课
Culture Shock

Do you think studying in a different country is something that sounds very exciting? Like many young people who leave home to study in another country, do you think you would have lots of desirable fun? Certainly, it is a new experience, which brings the opportunity of discovering fascinating things and a feeling of freedom. In spite of these advantages, however, there are also some challenges you will encounter. Because your views may clash with the different beliefs, norms, values, and traditions that exist in different countries, you may have difficulty adjusting to a new culture and to those parts of the culture not familiar to you. This is culture shock. Evidently, at least four essential stages of culture-shock adjustment occur.

The first stage is called "the honeymoon 1". In this stage, you feel excitement about living in a different place, and everything seems to be marvelous. You like everything, and everybody seems to be so nice to you. Also, the amusement of life in a new culture seems as though it will have no ending.

Eventually, however, the second stage of culture shock appears. This is the "hostility 2 stage". You begin to notice that not everything is as good as you had originally thought it was. You become tired of many things about the new culture. Moreover, people don't treat you like a guest anymore. Everything that seemed to be so wonderful at first is now awful, and everything makes you feel distressed 3 and tired.

Usually at this point in your adjustment to a new culture, you devise some defense 4 mechanisms 6 to help you cope and to protect yourself against the effects of culture shock. One type of coping mechanism 5 is called "repression 7". This happens when you pretend that everything is acceptable and that nothing bothers you. Another type of defense mechanism is called "regression". This occurs when you start to act as if you are younger than you actually are; you act like a child. You forget everything, and sometimes you become careless and irresponsible. The third kind of defense mechanism is called "isolation 8". You would rather be home alone, and you don't want to communicate with anybody. With isolation, you try to avoid the effects of culture shock, or at least that's what you think. Isolation is one of the worst coping mechanisms you can use because it separates you from those things that could really help you. The last type of defense mechanism is called "rejection 9". With this coping mechanism, you think you don't need anybody. You feel you are coping fine alone, so you don't try to ask for help.

The defense mechanisms you utilize 10 in the hostility stage are not helpful. If you only occasionally use one of these coping mechanisms to help yourself survive, that is acceptable. You must be cautious, however. These mechanisms can really hurt you because they prevent you from making necessary adjustments to the new culture.

After you deal with your hostile feelings, recognition of the temporary nature of culture shock begins. Then you come to the third stage called "recovery". In this stage, you start feeling more positive, and you try to develop comprehension of everything you don't understand. The whole situation starts to become more favorable; you recover from the symptoms of the first two stages, and you adjust yourself to the new norms, values, and even beliefs and traditions of the new country. You begin to see that even though the distinctions of the culture are different from your own, it has elements that you can learn to appreciate.

The last stage of culture shock is called "adjustment". In this stage, you have reached a point where you actually feel good because you have learned enough to understand the new culture. The things that initially 11 made you feel uncomfortable or strange are now things that you understand. This acquisition of understanding alleviates 12 much of the stress. Now you feel comfortable; you have adjusted to the new culture.

Evidently, culture shock is something you cannot avoid when living in a foreign country. It does not seem like a very helpful experience when you are going through its four stages. However, when you have completely adjusted to a new culture you can more fully 13 enjoy it. You learn how to interact with other people, and you learn a considerable amount about life in a culture that is not your own. Furthermore, learning about other cultures and how to adjust to the shock of living in them helps you learn more about yourself.

1 honeymoon
n.蜜月(假期);vi.度蜜月
  • While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
  • The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。
2 hostility
n.敌对,敌意;抵制[pl.]交战,战争
  • There is open hostility between the two leaders.两位领导人表现出公开的敌意。
  • His hostility to your plan is well known.他对你的计划所持的敌意是众所周知的。
3 distressed
痛苦的
  • He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑,无法回答他们的问题。
  • The news of his death distressed us greatly. 他逝世的消息使我们极为悲痛。
4 defense
n.防御,保卫;[pl.]防务工事;辩护,答辩
  • The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
  • The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
5 mechanism
n.机械装置;机构,结构
  • The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
  • The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。
6 mechanisms
n.机械( mechanism的名词复数 );机械装置;[生物学] 机制;机械作用
  • The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms. 这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He explained how the two mechanisms worked. 他解释这两台机械装置是如何工作的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 repression
n.镇压,抑制,抑压
  • The repression of your true feelings is harmful to your health.压抑你的真实感情有害健康。
  • This touched off a new storm against violent repression.这引起了反对暴力镇压的新风暴。
8 isolation
n.隔离,孤立,分解,分离
  • The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
  • He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后,生活比较孤寂。
9 rejection
n.拒绝,被拒,抛弃,被弃
  • He decided not to approach her for fear of rejection.他因怕遭拒绝决定不再去找她。
  • The rejection plunged her into the dark depths of despair.遭到拒绝使她陷入了绝望的深渊。
10 utilize
vt.使用,利用
  • The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
  • You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。
11 initially
adv.最初,开始
  • The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
  • Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。
12 alleviates
减轻,缓解,缓和( alleviate的名词复数 )
  • Heat often alleviates pain. 热常常能减缓疼痛。
  • A cold compress often alleviates pain. 冷敷常会减轻疼痛。
13 fully
adv.完全地,全部地,彻底地;充分地
  • The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气,然后全部呼出。
  • They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。
学英语单词
annual sustained working
antiradiation
application program exit routine
arundinella nepalensis
atomic hydrogen maser
attune
barrister counsel
blue-dog
buggahs
burweeds
capret
chromones
city's environment
cleat spar
clitocybe dealbatas
closing of a file
common bed
compressed terete
cost money
crecy
cum-shot
denouncement
drosophila (drosophila) lividinervis
elbowlike
electric arc lighting
electric power station
enculturation
enhedge
ethoxylated amine
family Eurylaimidae
fan shaped laser beam
genus steliss
ginmill
graded measured daywork
grecian alhambra
gully grating
H-language
Harvey Smith salute
hearon
hex.
high strength thermal resistant alloy
hold the market
ill-humours
image-manipulation
internal action
invalidation
kassarjian
line-sequential system
locomotive technical specification
mane-kynd
mesoscale convective (cloud) cluster
metalworker
metatelevisual
mizlers
morphology
multiple beam interference micrograph
natural electromagnetic energy
Nishiokoppe
oculocraniosomatic disease
One hand washes another
Orchard Hill
Orlovskaya Oblast'
Otaria Byronia
out with the tail of one's eye
participials
perturbed problem
philanthropised
phosphate assimilation
pod setting
polar tip
positive staining
pump room bilge slop
push-pull signal
quadriped
radicofunctional
recirculation loop break
retractable fin stabilizer
rockamboy
ruler line
safety cushion
San Rocco
sauro-
saw-tooth curve
Scalpellidae
Separability of Arbitration Agreement
service attribute
sinkhole Plain
Sinosenecio oldhamianus
slant-eyed
soil operation
spin-statistical factor
thin-boiling starch
track sensitive volume
transparent tape
trimedoxime
ultraviolet therapy
under-labourer
vitreous ceramic fuel
wandi
Wiechert seismograph
with heart and soul
your arse