Foreigners experience varying degrees of culture shock.The symptoms range from being ill-at-ease to being seriously depressed.Feeling homesick，irritable,unhappy, and very sensitive are other signs of culture shock.It is easy to understand that the endless frustrations of the early days in a new country would generate discontent,discomfort and perhaps hostility.People are always at ease in a familiar environment.A mature, realistic person experiences mild,temporary symptoms; the insecure newcomer suffers from a more serious case of culture shock.
During the inevitable period of adjustment, the international student tends to complain about everything in the host country.In fact,she is likely to exaggerate the problems.When she encounters another miserable compatriot，she has a real outlet for unhappy feelings.Together they can gripe in their native language.Although this complaining provides temporary satisfaction, it certainly does not facilitate adapting to a new society.Being negative will neveralleviate the feelings of frustrations.The mature person understands that a positive attitude, determination, and flexibility are crucial in making the transition successful.A sense of humor is a big help.
The following suggestions have been found to be helpful in combating culture shock.
1.Keep busy.Get to know the area where you live by strolling around and observing.Become familiar with the stores in the neighborhood and the kinds of merchandise sold.Locate the post office, library, schools,hospital, and supermarkets.Say hello to a neighbor in your building, and perhaps start a friendship.
2.Become friendly with classmates.Spend some out-of-school time together.
3.Do something you enjoy.Phone your family back home.Write a letter to a friend.Contact a relative or acquaintance whose address you may have.
Browse through department stores.Visit a museum.Walk through a new area of town.See a play.Go to a movie.
4.Forget that your English is less than perfect,and feel free to ask people for information, guidance, or directions.Many people are friendly,sympathetic, and helpful.It is important not to dwell on negative incidents.
Disappointments are simply a fact of life.
5.Be flexible.Laugh at the errors you make; they are usually not serious.
Make up your mind that you are going to enjoy your new adventure.
With the right attitude, living in a foreign country can be a priceless,enriching period in a person s life.It is a form of education.The above recommendations will help a person cope with life abroad.
Notes on language and culture
1.atypical: not conforming to type; unusual or irregular.
2.host : one who receives or entertains guests in a social or an official capacity.
3.hurdle: an obstacle or difficulty to be overcome.
4.acquaintance: knowledge of a person acquired by a relationship less intimate than friendship.
5.currency: money in any form when in actual use as a medium of exchange,especially circulating paper money.
6.internalize: to take in and make an integral part of one s attitudes or beliefs 7.intangible: incapable of being perceived by the senses.
8.perplex: to confuse or trouble with uncertainty or doubt.
9.symptoms: a sign or an indication of disorder or disease, especially when experienced by an individual as a change from normal function, sensation，or appearance.
10.hostility: the state of being unfriendly; antagonism or enmity.
11.exaggerate: to enlarge or increase to an abnormal degree.
12.compatriot : a person from one s own country.
13.outlet: a means of release or gratification,as for energies, drives, or desires.
14.gripe: to complain petulantly; grumble.
15.facilitate: to make easy or easier.
16.alleviate: to make (pain, for example) more bearable.
17.culture shock : The term, culture shock, was introduced for the first time in 1958 to describe the anxiety produced when a person moves to a completely new environment.This term expresses the lack of direction, the feeling of not knowing what to do or how to do things in a new environment,and not knowing what is appropriate or inappropriate.The feeling of culture shock generally sets in after the first few weeks of coming to a new place.
C.Post-reading activity
Answer the following questions:
1.What is the topic sentence of paragraph 4?2.What is the main idea of the article?3.What are some of the signs of culture shock?4.What is crucial in making the transition successfully?5.How can culture shock be overcome?Ⅳ.Fast ReadingIn this part,you are required to read three passages and choose the best answers for the questions after each passage, using the skill you have just learned.
Although still used in many school systems, intelligence tests are no longer routinely administered to all students everywhere.This is partly because of a strong anti-test movement among parents and others and partly because of agrowing recognition of the potential weaknesses and abuses of testing.
Chief among the purposes for which intelligence tests are used are counseling, career guidance, class placement,and diagnosis for remedial or enrichment purposes.There is little doubt that when skillfully administered and intelligently interpreted, they can be of considerable value for any and all of these purposes.Unfortunately, they are not always skillfully administered and intelligently interpreted.
