實用英語對話:問屬相不算隱私？

大衛(wèi)：樂樂你大學畢業(yè)幾年了?

樂樂：三年多了。

大衛(wèi)：那你應該二十三四歲了吧?

漢生：嘿，你怎么隨便問女孩子年齡啊?這不是隱私嘛!

大衛(wèi)：咦?不是說在中國年齡不是隱私嗎?

樂樂：你是只知其一，不知其二啊!過去啊，中國人比較看重年齡，比我們年齡大的人我們要尊重，所以我們常常問年齡，然后知道應該怎么說話更尊重對方。

漢生：而且過去我們是農(nóng)業(yè)社會，大都住在鄉(xiāng)村，大家常常見面，所以就無話不說。

大衛(wèi)：哦，是這樣啊。那么現(xiàn)在，為什么年輕人都不愿意談論年齡了呢?

樂樂：在你們西方社會，年齡是隱私。這些年西方文化對中國的影響越來越大，年輕人也不愿意談你們認為的隱私。還有，城市的發(fā)展也讓人們的距離越來越遠了，人們的隱私也隨之增多了，年齡就是其中一個。

漢生：不過中國人要是很想知道對方的年齡，也有辦法。

大衛(wèi)：哦?什么辦法呀?

樂樂：中國人不是用12生肖來紀年嘛!每個人就有自己的屬相，如果你知道了這個人的屬相，就能大概猜出這個人的年齡了!

大衛(wèi)：哇!中國人真是聰明啊!漢生、樂樂，你們都屬什么呀?

漢生：哈哈，你也變聰明啦!

David: Le Le, how long has it been since you graduated from university?

LL: Over three years.

David: So you should be 23 years old right?

HS: Hey, how can you simply ask a girl's age as you wish? Isn't that supposed to be private!

David: Eh? I thought in China age isn't a private matter?

LL: You only have a one-sided view, there's another aspect that you aren't aware of! In the past, the Chinese placed a lot of importance on age, as we have to be more respectful towards people who are older than us, we'd often ask a person's age so that we can accord the elder person with more respect.

HS: Moreover we used to be an agricultural society, living mostly in villages, seeing each other all the time, there's nothing we don't talk about.

David: Ah, so that's how it is. So why is it that young people nowadays don't want to talk about their age?

LL: To westerners, age is considered private. Of late, the impact of western culture on China is growing, so the youth isn't willing to disclose information that you people consider private. Also, with urbanization, people are drifting further and further apart, so accordingly people has become more private with their personal information and age is one of it.

HS: But if we Chinese people want to know another person's age, there is a method.

David: Oh? And what is it?

LL: Don't the Chinese use the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac to count the years! Everyone has an animal sign, so if you know a person's animal sign, then you can guess his age!

David: Ah! You Chinese people are really smart! Han Sheng, Le Le, what are your animal signs?

HS: Haha, looks like you've just gotten real smart!

 

實用英語對話