ENGLISH HANDOUT 1(06.07.

2021) GREDE 11 DUE DATE

13.06.2021
Much of today's business is conducted across international borders, and while
the majority of the global business community might share the use of English
as a common language, the nuances and expectations of business
communication might differ greatly from culture to culture. A lack of
understanding of the cultural norms and practices of our business
acquaintances can result in unfair judgements, misunderstandings and
breakdowns in communication. Here are three basic areas of differences in
the business etiquette around the world that could help stand you in good
stead when you next find yourself working with someone from a different
culture.

Addressing someone
When discussing this topic in a training course, a German trainee and a British
trainee got into a hot debate about whether it was appropriate for someone
with a doctorate to use the corresponding title on their business card. The
British trainee maintained that anyone who wasn't a medical doctor expecting
to be addressed as 'Dr' was disgustingly pompous and full of themselves. The
German trainee, however, argued that the hard work and years of education
put into earning that PhD should give them full rights to expect to be
addressed as 'Dr'.
This stark difference in opinion over something that could be conceived as
minor and thus easily overlooked goes to show that we often attach meaning
to even the most mundane practices. When things that we are used to are
done differently, it could spark the strongest reactions in us. While many
Continental Europeans and Latin Americans prefer to be addressed with a title,
for example Mr or Ms and their surname when meeting someone in a business
context for the first time, Americans, and increasingly the British, now tend to
prefer using their first names. The best thing to do is to listen and observe
how your conversation partner addresses you and, if you are still unsure, do
not be afraid to ask them how they would like to be addressed.

Smiling
A famous Russian proverb states that 'a smile without reason is a sign of
idiocy' and a so-called 'smile of respect' is seen as insincere and often
regarded with suspicion in Russia. Yet in countries like the United States,
Australia and Britain, smiling is often interpreted as a sign of openness,
friendship and respect, and is frequently used to break the ice.
In a piece of research done on smiles across cultures, the researchers found
that smiling individuals were considered more intelligent than non-smiling
people in countries such as Germany, Switzerland, China and Malaysia.
However, in countries like Russia, Japan, South Korea and Iran, pictures of
smiling faces were rated as less intelligent than the non-smiling ones.
Meanwhile, in countries like India, Argentina and the Maldives, smiling was
associated with dishonesty.

Eye contact
An American or British person might be looking their client in the eye to show
that they are paying full attention to what is being said, but if that client is
from Japan or Korea, they might find the direct eye contact awkward or even
disrespectful. In parts of South America and Africa, prolonged eye contact
could also be seen as challenging authority. In the Middle East, eye contact
across genders is considered inappropriate, although eye contact within a
gender could signify honesty and truthfulness.
Having an increased awareness of the possible differences in expectations and
behaviour can help us avoid cases of miscommunication, but it is vital that we
also remember that cultural stereotypes can be detrimental to building good
business relationships. Although national cultures could play a part in shaping
the way we behave and think, we are also largely influenced by the region we
come from, the communities we associate with, our age and gender, our
corporate culture and our individual experiences of the world. The knowledge
of the potential differences should therefore be something we keep at the back
of our minds, rather than something that we use to pigeonhole the individuals
of an entire nation.
1 The British trainee felt that the people who want to be addressed
as 'Dr' must be …
A hard-working.
B conceited and self-important.
C doing a medical degree.
D from Germany.
2 If you are not sure how to address someone, you should …
A use the title you see on their business card.
B make your decision based on cultural stereotypes about their country.
B address them the way you'd like to be addressed.
D ask them what they would like you to call them.
3 There might be a misunderstanding if an American smiles at a
Russian business associate because the Russian might think that the
American is ...

A being fake.
B challenging their authority.
C trying to break the ice.
D Disrespectful
4 The Japanese, South Koreans and Iranians might interpret a
smiling face as being …

A friendlier.
B less open.
C not as intelligent.
D dishonest.
5 The last paragraph warns the reader not to

A engage in international business.

B let national cultures shape the way we behave and think.
C let miscommunication damage our business relationships.
D overgeneralise using our knowledge of cultural stereotypes.
Read the following paragraphs to answer the next five questions
(Questions 6 - 10).
When I returned to the common the sun was setting. The crowd about the pit
had increased, and stood out black against the lemon yellow of the sky-a
couple of hundred people, perhaps. There were raised voices, and some sort
of struggle appeared to be going on about the pit. Strange imaginings passed
through my mind. As I drew nearer I heard Stent's voice: "Keep back! Keep
back!" A boy came running towards me. "It's movin'," he said to me as he
passed; "it’s screwin' and screwin' out. I don't like it. I'm goin' home, I am."
I went on to the crowd. There were really, I should think, two or three hundred
people elbowing and jostling one another, the one or two ladies there being
by no means the least active. "He's fallen in the pit!" cried some one. "Keep
back!" said several. The crowd swayed a little, and I elbowed my way through.
Everyone seemed greatly excited. I heard a peculiar humming sound from the
pit. "I say!" said Ogilvy. "Help keep these idiots back. We don't know what's
in the confounded thing, you know!" I saw a young man, a shop assistant in
Woking I believe he was, standing on the cylinder and trying to scramble out
of the hole again. The crowd had pushed him in. The end of the cylinder was
being screwed out from within. Nearly two feet of shining screw projected.
Somebody blundered against me, and I narrowly missed being pitched onto
the top of the screw. I turned, and as I did so the screw must have come out,
for the lid of the cylinder fell upon the gravel with a ringing concussion. I stuck
my elbow into the person behind me, and turned my head towards the Thing
again. For a moment that circular cavity seemed perfectly black. I had the
sunset in my eyes. I think everyone expected to see a man emerge-possibly
something a little unlike us terrestrial men, but in all essentials a man. I know
I did. But, looking, I presently saw something stirring within the shadow:
greyish billowy movements, one above another, and then two luminous disks-
like eyes. Then something resembling a little grey snake, about the thickness
of a walking stick, coiled up out of the writhing middle, and wriggled in the air
towards me-and then another. A sudden chill came over me. There was a loud
shriek from a woman behind. I half turned, keeping my eyes fixed upon the
cylinder still, from which other tentacles were now projecting, and began
pushing my way back from the edge of the pit. I saw astonishment giving
place to horror on the faces of the people about me. I heard inarticulate
exclamations on all sides. There was a general movement backwards. I saw
the shopman struggling still on the edge of the pit. I found myself alone, and
saw the people on the other side of the pit running off, Stent among them. I
looked again at the cylinder and ungovernable terror gripped me. I stood
petrified and staring. A big greyish rounded bulk, the size, perhaps, of a bear,
was rising slowly and painfully out of the cylinder. As it bulged up and caught
the light, it glistened like wet leather. Two large dark-coloured eyes were
regarding me steadfastly. The mass that framed them, the head of the thing,
was rounded, and had, one might say, a face. There was a mouth under the
eyes, the lipless brim of which quivered and panted, and dropped saliva. The
whole creature heaved and pulsated convulsively. A lank tentacular
appendage gripped the edge of the cylinder, another swayed in the air. Those
who have never seen a living Martian can scarcely imagine the strange horror
of its appearance. The peculiar V-shaped mouth with its pointed upper lip, the
absence of brow ridges, the absence of a chin beneath the wedgelike lower
lip, the incessant quivering of this mouth, the Gorgon groups of tentacles, the
tumultuous breathing of the lungs in a strange atmosphere, the evident
heaviness and painfulness of movement due to the greater gravitational
energy of the earthabove all, the extraordinary intensity of the immense eyes-
were at once vital, intense, inhuman, Reading Comprehension Practice Test
Page 9 crippled and monstrous. There was something fungoid in the oily brown
skin, something in the clumsy deliberation of the tedious movements
unspeakably nasty. Even at this first encounter, this first glimpse, I was
overcome with disgust and dread.
From ‘The War of the Worlds’, by H G Wells
Question
6 This is part of a science fiction story. The most important clue to
this would be:
A: the cylinder in a hole on the common.
B: something unscrewing the cylinder from within.
C: the sense of terror and apprehension in the crowd.
D: the emergence of a Martian.
E: the author’s feelings of disgust and dread.
Question
7 The people in the crowd were first ‘elbowing and jostling’ one
another because:
A: they were retreating in fear from the pit.
B: some were trying to push others into the pit.
C: they were excited and curious to see what was in the pit.
D: a few had lost their tempers.
E: there were no police present to control them.
Question
8 The author hints that the women in the crowd were:
A: just as aggressive as the men.
B: more aggressive than the men.
C: reluctant to push forward.
D: merely passive onlookers.
E: None of these.
Question
9 The mood of the crowd altered suddenly when:
A: the cylinder opened.
B: a bear emerged from the cylinder.
C: a pair of eyes was detected peering at them from the cylinder.
D: tentacles appeared out of the top of the cylinder.
E: the creature opened its mouth.
Question
10 Of the Martian’s features, the one most causing the writer’s
disgust and dread was:
A: the slobbering mouth.
B: the huge, intensely staring eyes.
C: the oily, fungoid skin.
D: the Gorgon-like tentacles.
E: the heaving, pulsating body
11 It’s possible to make two passive voice sentences with each of
these sentences.
a) Somebody gave the information to the police.

Passive voice1
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Passive Voice2
____________________________________________________________________________________

b) We gave a very nice speech to the school principal.

Passive voice1
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Passive Voice2
____________________________________________________________________________________

12. These sentences sound unnatural in the active voice. Rewrite

them using the passive.
a) They built our house in the 17th century.
_____________________________________________________________
b) Someone’s decorating our flat at the moment.
_____________________________________________________________
c) Has someone fixed the coffee machine yet?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
d) They won’t recognize her in those dark clothes.
_____________________________________________________________
13. Change these sentences into thereported speech.

a) We are going on holiday next month so the children are staying with my
cousin. Said
Mary.________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

b) I believe that the robbers have escaped on a motorbike. Said the police.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

c) Yesterday, the children spent the whole day playing with dolls. Explained
the babysitter.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

d) Open your English books and do the exercises on page 10. Ordered the
teacher_______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

e) Will you always make the same mistakes?

____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
THE END!