(西方文化）美国人的待客之道AnAmericanfriendhasinvitedyoutovisithisfamily.You'veneverbeentoanAmerican'shomebefore,andyou'renotsurewhattodo.Shouldyoutakeagift?Howshouldyoudress?Whattimeshouldyouarrive?Whatshouldyoudowhenyougetthere?Gladyouasked.Whenyou'retheguest,youshouldjustmakeyourselfathome.That'swhathospitalityisallabout:makingpeoplefeelathomewhenthey'renot.一位美国朋友邀请你去他家。你以前从未去过美国人的家，你不确定该怎么做。该带一个礼物吗？该怎么穿？该几点到？到了那里该做什么？很高兴你发问。你若是客人，只要使自己感到自在就好了。待客之道就是这样：虽然不是在家里，却使客人有实至如归之感。Thequestionofwhetherornottobringagiftoftenmakesguestssquirm.Givingyourhostagiftisnotjustasocialnicetyinsomecultures-it'sexpected.ButinAmericanculture,aguestisnotobligatedtobringapresent.Ofcourse,somepeopledobringasmalltokenofappreciationtotheirhost.Appropriategiftsforgeneraloccasionsmightbeflowers,candyor-ifthefamilyhassmallchildren-toys.Ifyouchoosenottobringagift,don'tworry.Noonewillevennotice.是否带礼物的问题常使客人不安。在某些文化中，送主人礼物不只是社交礼节——还是必要的。但是在美国文化中，客人并不一定要带礼物。当然，有些人的确会带个表示感谢的小礼物给他们的主人。在一般情況下，带花或是糖果，如果这家人有小孩，玩具应当是恰当的礼物。如果你选择不带礼物，別担心，甚至沒有人会注意到的。Americanhospitalitybeginsathome-especiallywhenitinvolvesfood.MostAmericansagreethatgoodhomecookingbeatsrestaurantfoodanyday.Wheninvitedforameal,youmightask,"CanIbringanything?"Unlessit'sapotluck,whereeveryonebringsadish,thehostwillprobablyrespond,"No,justyourself."Formostinformaldinners,youshouldwearcomfortable,casualclothes.Plantoarriveontime,orelsecalltoinformyourhostsofthedelay.Duringthedinnerconversation,it'scustomarytocomplimentthehostessonthewonderfulmeal.Ofcourse,thebiggestcomplimentistoeatlotsoffood!美国人的待客之道从家里开始——尤其是和食物有关。大多数美国人都同意，无论如何，好的家常菜胜过餐馆的菜。受邀吃饭时，你或许可以问：「我可以带些什么吗？」除非是每人带一道菜的聚餐，否则主人很可能会回答：「不用，你来就可以了。」大多数非正式的聚餐，你应该穿舒适、轻便的衣服。设法准时到，否则打电话告诉主人你会晚点到。用餐时，习惯上，人们会称赞女主人烹调的美食。当然，最大的赞美是多吃！Whenyou'vehadplenty,youmightoffertoclearthetableorwashthedishes.Butsinceyou'retheguest,yourhostsmaynotletyou.Instead,theymayinviteeveryonetomovetothelivingroomfordessertwithteaorcoffee.Afteranhourorsoofgeneralchit-chat,it'sprobablytimetoheadforthedoor.Youdon'twanttowearoutyourwelcome.Andaboveall,don'tgosnoopingaroundthehouse.It'smorepolitetowaitforthehosttoofferyouaguidedtour.Butexceptforhousewarmings,guestsoftendon'tgetpastthelivingroom.当你吃得差不多时，或许可以主动表示要帮忙清理桌子或洗碗盘，但你既是客人，你的主人可能不会让你这样做。他们或许会邀请大家到客厅吃点心、喝茶或咖啡。聊个大约一小时或许就该离去了，你可不希望变得不受欢迎吧。还有最重要的是不要在屋子里四处窥探，等主人邀请你参观才较有礼貌。可是除了乔迁喜宴之外，客人通常都只待在客厅里。Americansusuallyliketohaveadvancenoticewhenpeoplecometoseethem.Onlyveryclosefriendsdropbyunannounced.Thisisespeciallytrueiftheguestswanttostayforafewdays.Here'sagoodruleofthumbforhouseguests:Shortstaysarebest.Asone19thcenturyFrenchwriterputit,"Thefirstdayamanisaguest,thesecondaburden,thethirdapest."Evenrelativesdon'tusuallystayforseveralweeksatatime.Whileyou'restayingwithanAmericanfamily,trytoke...
