英语大赢家-最文化口语 免费在线课程
Topic 036 The Country with the Largest Number of Races - Brazil 种族最多的国家 —— 巴西
Brazil is a mixture of races and ethnicities, resulting in rich diversity. Many original Portuguese settlers married native women, which created a new race, called "mestizos". "Mulattoes" are descendents of the Portuguese and African slaves. Slavery was abolished in 1888, creating over time a further blurring of racial lines. Unlike many other Latin American countries where there is a distinct Indian population, Brazilians have intermarried to the point that it sometimes seems that almost everyone has a combination of European, African and indigenous ancestry.
As in other countries, Brazil has many unique etiquette and customs of its own.
Brazilian men shake hands when greeting one another, while maintaining steady eye contact. And women generally kiss each other, starting with the left and alternating cheeks. Hugging and backslapping are common greetings among Brazilian friends. If a woman wishes to shake hands with a man, however, she should extend her hand first.
If you are invited to a Brazilian house, you should bring the hostess flowers or a small gift. Orchids are considered a very nice gift, but avoid purple ones. Avoid giving anything purple or black as these are mourning colours. And handkerchiefs are also associated with funerals, so they do not make good gifts.
When you are invited to a Brazilian house, make sure that you arrive at least 30 minutes late if the invitation is for dinner, and arrive up to an hour late for a party or large gathering. Brazilians dress with a flair and judge others on their appearance. Casual dress is more formal than in many other countries. So you should always dress elegantly and err on the side of over-dressing rather than under-dressing. If you did not bring a gift to the hostess , flowers delivered the next day are always appreciated.
巴西是多个种族广泛融合的国家, 这就形成了丰富的民族多样性。许多最早的葡萄牙移民与土著妇女联姻,创造了一个新的种族—— “麦斯蒂索”。而“黑白混血儿”则是葡萄牙人和非洲奴隶所生的后裔。 1888年废除奴隶制度后, 随着时间的流逝,种族界限进一步变得模糊。和其他大多数有着纯血统的印第安人的拉美国家不同, 巴西各种族之间的通婚几乎使每个人都有着欧洲人、非洲人和土著居民的混合血统。
与其他国家一样, 巴西有它自己特有的礼节和风俗。
打招呼时,巴西男人会保持眼神交流,握手致意;而女士通常则是亲吻对方双颊,从左到右。朋友之间通常会拥抱和拍肩以示问候。如果女士希望和男士握手,则女士需要先伸出手。
如果你应邀去巴西人家里做客,记住要为女主人带去鲜花或者小礼物,兰花是很好的选择,但应避免送紫色的花。在巴西风俗中,紫色和黑色是丧服的颜色,要避免送紫色或者黑色的礼物。同样,手帕也与葬礼有关,因此,手帕也不是好的礼物之选。
去巴西人家里做客时,如果是赴宴,确定比约定时间至少晚到30分钟;若是参加派对或者大型聚会,则可晚到1个小时。巴西人穿着文雅并且通常以貌取人。巴西人的便装也比别的国家的便装更加正式。所以,在巴西,你总是需要穿着得体大方,宁可身着盛装,也不要过于朴素。如果你没有给女主人带礼物,次日补送一束鲜花也是不错的。
mixture n. 混合
descendent n. 后代
extend vt. 伸出
appearance n. 外表
ethnicity n. 种族划分,种族性
distinct adj. 明显的,清楚的
mourning n. 哀悼;丧服
Daniel 路过足球场时,看见了踢球踢得大汗淋漓的Tom, 他同Tom 打招呼,接着两人攀谈起来。
D = Daniel 丹 = 丹尼尔 T = Tom 汤 = 汤姆
D: So you like playing football. Which team do you like most?
T: Brazil, of course! I am also longing to visit that colorful country some day.
D: Oh? It is said that Brazil mixes many different races and ethnicities together; you could meet many mestizos and mulattoes there.
T: Really? That's amazing! But what are mestizos?
D: They are descendents of Portuguese and native Indians. And I think if you really go there you'd better dress elegantly.
T: Why?
D: Brazilians pay much attention to their appearance, you know.
T: OK, I get it.
丹:原来你喜欢足球啊!你最喜欢哪个足球队?
汤:当然是巴西队!我盼望着有一天能去那个多肤色的国家看看。
丹:是吗?听说巴西融合了许多不同的种族,你在那里会看到很多“麦斯蒂索”和黑白混血儿。
汤:真的吗?那太好了!可是什么是“麦斯蒂索”呢?
丹:他们是葡萄牙人和土著印第安人的后代。而且如果你真的要去巴西,我想你最好穿着得体大方。
汤:为什么?
丹:你知道,巴西人是很看重外表的。
汤:好, 我知道了。
Brazil n. 巴西
amazing adj. 令人惊异的
long vi. 渴望
attention n. 关注
假设你刚去巴西参加了朋友的婚礼。有个外国朋友问起你对巴西的感受。试着完成下面的对话。
1. 外国朋友 :What do you think of Brazil?
你:______________________________
2. 外国朋友 : What do you think of Brazilians?
你 : _______________________________
3. 外国朋友 : What kind of present did you give to your friends?
你:_______________________________
1. Oh, it is really a mixture of many races.
2. They are from different races and they attach great importance to people's appearance.
3. I gave them a bundle of white orchids.