III. Comprehension check

Decide if the following statements are true or false.

1. In France you are expected to shake hands with everyone you meet.

2. People in Britain shake hands just as much as people in Germany.

3. In France people prefer talking about business during meals.

4. It is not polite to insist on paying for a meal if you are in Italy.

5. Visitors to Germany never get taken out for meals.

6. German business people don't like to be called by their surnames.

7. Make sure you know what the titles of the German people you meet are.

8. Italian professionals are usually addressed by their titles.

9. A humorous remark always goes down well all over the world.

IV. Discussion

1. What are the main ideas of the article? Which of them do you disagree with?

2. What would you tell a foreign visitor about 'good manners' in your country?

3. How much do you think international business is improved by knowing about foreign people's customs?

4. Do you agree with the saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”? Do you have a similar saying in your language?

5. What are the rules about greeting people in your country? When do you shake hands? When do you kiss? When do you say good-bye?

6. Think of one or two examples of bad manners. For example, in Britain it is considered impolite to ask people how much they earn.

7. What advice would you give somebody coming to live and work in your country?

V. Writing

In writing describe a situation which proves the following saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”.

Text 2 notes on the british*

(Upper-intermediate)

I. Pre-reading task

In the following extract Bill Bryson, an American writer, makes observations of the British people.

• They are the happiest people on earth.

• They are so easy to please.

• They have a curious attitude to pleasure.

• They have a tireless, dogged optimism.

1. Why do you think he says these things? Have you got any experiences to back them up or contradict them?

2. Do any of these observations surprise you?

II. Read the text and find more information about the observations in Exercise 1.

One of the charms of the British is that they have so little idea of their own virtues, and nowhere is this more true than with their happiness. You will laugh to hear me say it, but they are the happiest people on earth. Honestly. Watch any two Britons in conversation and see how long it is before they smile or laugh over some joke or pleasantry. It won't be more than a few seconds.

And the British are so easy to please. It is the most extraordinary thing. They actually like their pleasures small. That is why, I suppose, so many of their treats - teacakes, scones, crumpets, rock cakes, rich tea biscuits, fruit Shrewsburys -are so cautiously flavourful. They are the only people in the world who think of jam and currants as thrilling constituents of a pudding or cake. Offer them something genuinely tempting — a slice of gateau or a choice of chocolates from a box - and they will nearly always hesitate and begin to worry that it's unwarranted and excessive, as if any pleasure beyond a very modest threshold is vaguely unseemly.

'Oh, I shouldn't really,' they say.

'Oh, go on,' you prod encouragingly.

'Well, just a small one then,' they say, and dartingly take a small one, and then get a look as if they've done something terribly devilish.

All this is completely alien to the American mind. To an American the whole purpose of living, the one constant confirmation of continued existence, is to cram as much sensual pleasure as possible into one's mouth more or less continuously. Gratification, instant and lavish, is a birthright. You might as well say 'Oh, I shouldn't really' if someone tells you to take a deep breath.

I used to be puzzled by the curious British attitude to pleasure, and that tireless, dogged optimism of theirs that allowed them to attach an upbeat turn of phrase to the direst inadequacies. - 'well, it makes a change', 'mustn't grumble', 'you could do worse', 'it's not much, but it's cheap and cheerful', 'it was quite nice really' - but gradually I came round to their way of thinking and my life has never been happier.

I remember finding myself sitting in damp clothes in a cold cafe on a dreary seaside promenade and being presented with a cup of tea and a teacake and going 'Ooh, lovely!', and I knew then that the process had started. Before long I came to regard all kinds of activities - asking for more toast in a hotel, buying wool-rich socks at Marks & Spencer, getting two pairs of trousers when I really only needed one - as something daring, very nearly illicit. My life became immensely richer. [2,55]

III. Comprehension check

What do you learn about Americans from the text?

1. What is alien to the American mind?

2. What, for them, is the whole purpose of living?

3. What is a birthright for them?

4. Do you think Bryson is serious in his comments on the Americans?

5. Can you think of any other characteristics you could attribute to Americans?