When You Finish a Course As in Chinese etiquette, the hostess tries to keep eating as long as the slowest guest.A thoughtful guest will try to eat neither too fast,so as to seem to gobble, nor too slow, so as to keep others waiting.And when he has eaten all he intends to eat,he should lay down his knife and fork，or his spoon, as the case may be, with a final air, so that his hostess is in no doubt as to whether he has finished or not.
Leaving the Table It is impolite for a guest to leave the table during a meal,or before the hostess gives the signal at the end.When the hostess indicates that the dinner is over, she will start to rise from her seat and all the guests should rise from theirs at the same time.It is polite for the gentlemen to help replace the ladies chairs after they rise.In formal society the gentlemen stay around the table for a brief period of conversation before joining the ladies in the drawingroom, but this custom is not observed in many places.Guests follow the host s and hostess s custom in such matters.Should it be absolutely necessary for you to leave the table during the meal, you should ask the hostess to excuse you.
Various Rules and Suggestions Sit up straight on your chair; do not lean heavily against the back.Never tilt the chair backward on two legs.You may lean the body slightly forward when you eat, but never lower the head down toward the plate.Your arms should be held close to your sides, so as not to touch the person next to you and they should not rest on the table when you are eating.
Do not put too much food in your mouth at a time.Keep your lips closed while you are chewing.And as long as there is food in your mouth, do not try to talk.
Drink only when there is no food in your mouth.It is bad manners to take a mouthful of food and then wash it down with a gulp of water.Be sure your lips are not greasy when you drink from your glass.Try not to get your lips greasy.If you do, you have your napkin to wipe them with.
Try not to get into your mouth anything that will have to be taken out.But if you have a small bone or some other objects you cannot swallow, remove it in a way that will not be noticed.If you are eating with a spoon,take it in the spoon from your mouth to the plate; if not,use your hand.Do not spit anything from your mouth on to the plate or on to the floor.
Be careful not to drop any food or water on the table cloth.If you have an accident,do not do anything which will make others notice it；but always apologize quietly to the hostess.You might say,“Oh, I am so sorry, I was very careless.”
Do not make any noise when you eat.It is bad manners at a Western meal to make any noise with the mouth.And if you have to cough or choke, use your napkin to cover your mouth.
Avoid cleaning your teeth at the table or anywhere in public, with your finger or with your tongue.If you have to get something out that is caught between your teeth, cover your mouth with your napkin while you do so, but it is better to leave it until you are alone sometime later.
Notes on Language and Culture
1.caveman ancestors: our ancient forefathers who lived in mountain caves.
2.social institution : a custom, practice, relationship, or behavioral pattern of importance in the life of a community or society.
3.pleasantry: a humorous remark or act.
4.napkin: a piece of cloth or absorbent paper used at table to protect the clothes or wipe the lips and fingers.
5.lap: the front area from the waist to the knees of a seated person.
6.gobble: devour in large, greedy gulps.
7.drawingroom: a large room in which guests are entertained.
8.tilt : to cause to slope, as by raising one end; incline.
9.greasy: coated or soiled with grease so seem dirty.
10.choke: to have difficulty in swallowing.
C.Post-reading activity
According to the passage, are the following statements true (T) or false (F)?1.Nowadays, a formal meal is often regarded as a social occasion.
2.According to Paragraph 4, we may conclude that the hostess usually eats slowly.
3.It is embarrassing to follow the hostess custom.
4.From the passage we can draw the conclusion that how you behave at a dinner party reveals the kind of person you are.
Ⅳ.Fast Reading
In 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.
I was driving a cab in a suburb of Boston and time was a little slow.No one was making much money and the lines at the cabstand (出租车停 车场) were long.But this particular cabstand was my favorite, because I grew up right down the street.I was sitting there for almost an eternity, getting more and more angry at my lack of income.After all, we only made money when the meter was running.
When I finally got to the front of the line I was hoping for a good, long fare.After about fifteen minutes I got a call to pick up at the local supermarket.I was so angry, knowing that this fare would only be a couple of dollars.I was cursing everyone and everything from the cabstand to the supermarket ! When I got to the market I saw her, a little old lady with four or five bags.She asked me to put them in the trunk (汽车 尾部行李 箱),which annoyed me even more.Something about her voice was familiar but I was too mad to think about it.When she got in, I noticed that she closed the door not with her arm that was closest to the door but with her other arm, reaching across her body.Then I said in a rather gruff voice,“ Where to ? ”I think she could tell I was upset.
When she gave me her address, a flood of memories came rushing back.
This house was only four or five houses down from my old house, and I knew exactly which house it was and who she was.Twenty-five years earlier, when I was in grade school, my friends and I would always stop at her house on the way home from school for cookies.We could always count on Mrs.Lynch.She always had something nice to say and good to eat.Her husband was one of those guys who was always home but you never saw him.She was in her fifties back then so she had to be in her late 70 s or early 80 s now.Still spry, and still in that perpetually (永远的) happy mood.