Saudi Arabia is a culturally diverse country itself, with many foreign nationals working there. Thus one will find many Egyptians, Yemenies, Syrians, Lebanese, Sudanese, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Indians, Filipinoes, and Malaysians there. The dominant social norms stem from a highly-literal interpretation of Islamic texts, stricter than in most of the Islamic world.

The social norms of native Saudis have the external appearance of puritanical Islamic practice. Men and women typically dress in cultural and religious dress, and women must cover their heads and bodies. Mixing of the sexes in public areas is strongly discouraged. Men are not supposed to talk to the opposite sex except out of necessity.

The typical dress of the Saudi man consists of the thobe, a brilliant white gown, the agal, a black ring that holds the scarf in place, and the ghutra, a red and white, square-shaped scarf that covers the head. Most Saudis from all social strata wear this clothing, although Western-style clothing is also popular among Saudi youths. Women are not allowed to drive or ride bicycles on public roads. Adult men and women may not mingle in public, unless they are married or close relatives.

There are several forms of greeting in Saudi Arabia. The most common is a handshake with the right hand. Frequently, males will follow the greeting by extending the left hand to each other's right shoulder and kissing the other's right and left cheeks. The greeting used depends on the individuals' relationship to each other and their status in society. When accompanied by a woman wearing a veil, a man will not normally introduce her, and one does not expect to shake hands with her.

While eating, hosts encourage guests to take second helpings and are pleased when they do, but a person can also politely decline further helpings. An empty cup is always refilled, so when a person has had enough tea or coffee to drink, the cup should be covered with the hand or shaken gently from side to side. The word "bas" means "enough".

沙特阿拉伯是一个文化多样化的国家，有许多外国侨民在那里工作。因此，在那里，你可以看到埃及人、也门人、叙利亚人、黎巴嫩人、苏丹人、巴基斯坦人、孟加拉国人、印度人、菲律宾人和马来西亚人。在那个国家，由对伊斯兰经文极为精确的解释而衍生出来的社会主流规范，比伊斯兰世界的大多数国家都要严格得多。

当地沙特阿拉伯人的社会规范表现为伊斯兰教徒严谨的行为举止。男人和女人都穿着典型的具有浓厚宗教文化色彩的服饰，女人必须将她们的头和身体都包裹起来。在公共场合，绝不允许男女聚在一起。如非必要，男人是不能够跟异性说话的。

沙特阿拉伯男人的典型服饰包括：阿拉伯长袍 —— 亮白色的长袍，头巾绳 ——一条黑色的用来固定头巾的绳子，和头巾 —— 用来包头的红白相间的方形头巾。尽管西方服饰在沙特年轻人中也很流行，但是沙特各个阶层的大多数人还都身着这种传统服饰。妇女不能在公共道路上开车或骑自行车。成年男女在公共场合不能待在一起，除非他们已经结婚或者是近亲。

在沙特阿拉伯，有很多种问候的方式。最平常的就是用右手握手。通常情况下，男人们还会将左手放在对方的右肩上并且互相从右向左地亲吻双颊以示问候。问候方式的不同取决于个人之间的关系和他们的社会地位。如果男人和带着面纱的女士同行，他一般不会向别人介绍他的女性同伴，而对方也不会期望和这位女士握手。

吃饭的时候，主人会鼓励客人多吃一份，如果客人照做，主人会很高兴。但是客人也可以有礼貌地婉言谢绝主人的盛情。空杯子一般都会被重新加满，所以，当客人不想再添茶或咖啡时，他就得用手盖住杯子或者轻轻地摆动筷子。“bas”这个词的意思就是“已经够了”。

dominant adj. 占优势的

puritanical adj. 清教徒的，严格的

brilliant adj. 灿烂的， 鲜艳的

decline vt. 婉谢

norm n. 标准，规范

status n. 地位

Todd 和 Lenna 到沙特阿拉伯探亲。这天，Lenna 看到了满脸怒气的Todd.

L = Lenna 蕾 = 蕾娜 T = Todd 托 = 托德

L: Todd, what's the matter? You look so angry!

T: I don't think I like here. Maybe I should change the place.

L: What actually happened?

T: Just now I met an Arabic girl next door on the street and I waved to her and called her loudly. But do you know what happened? She didn't even answer me and ran away.

L: Oh, come on, guy! It's OK. In this country, if not necessary, men should never talk to the opposite sex, and the adult men and women will never mingle in public. It's their custom. It's your fault.

T: That's ridiculous!

L: You can't say that. Every nation has its own way of living; we should respect these traditions even though we may not agree with them.

T: Er... I think you are right. Can you tell me more about the customs here?

L: Sure!

蕾：托德，出了什么事儿？你看起来很生气。

托：我想我不喜欢这里。可能我需要换个地方。

蕾：究竟发生了什么事情？

托：我刚才在街上遇见了邻居的阿拉伯女孩，我向她招手并且大声叫她。你知道吗？她居然连理都不理我就跑了。

蕾：拜托，老兄！这没什么！在这个国家，如果不必要的话，男人是不能和异性说话的，并且成年的男女在公共场合是不能待在一起的。这是他们的风俗。是你不对了。

托：这太荒唐了！

蕾：你可不能这么说。每个民族都有它自己的生活方式，尽管我们可能不认同这些传统，我们还是应该尊重它们。

托：嗯... ... 我想你说得对。你能再详细给我说说这里的习俗吗？

蕾：当然可以。

necessary adj. 必要的

mingle vi. 混合

opposite adj. 相对的

respect vt. 尊重

假设你的美国同事要去阿拉伯出差，而你之前去过那里，于是他就向你讨教一些问题。试着完成下面的对话。

1. 美国同事：What do you think of Saudi Arabia?

你： ___________________________________

2. 美国同事： Are there any foreigners?

你：____________________________________

3. 美国同事： If I'm invited to the local home, do you have any special suggestions?

你：____________________________________

1. The Islamic social norms are very strict there.

2. Yeah, there are many foreigners working there, such as Filipinoes and Malaysians.

3. Don't always drink up tea or coffee in your cup. They will never let it empty and will keep refilling it.

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