Medieval (中世纪的) manners

While I was growing up, “keep your elbows (肘) off the table” was a common remark at dinner time. But, as I learned in our recent podcast episode with medieval historian and author Cybulskie, such remarks have a long history —     1     (date) all the way back to the Middle Ages.

In the medieval period, manners proved more important than today and     2     (prize) particularly by social climbers, because a firm grasp of manners was a way of standing out from the crowd: “It showed you were worldly and educated, and ready to hang out with the most important people of the day.”

But what would have ingratiated (讨好) you with a medieval host, and what kinds of social faux pas (失礼) would have ensured     3     you were never invited back? Practising good hygiene was key, particularly when it came to the dinner table. In this era, dining was a much     4     (intimate) experience, according to Cybulskie, than it is today. When sharing a meal with a dining partner, you would also be sharing cups and plates.

“Don’t blow your nose at the table, or wipe your face on the tablecloth,” Cybulskie advised. As well as listing some behaviour     5     (avoid), Cybulskie shared tips on how to be an attentive dining partner. “You would want to give the best portions of food to your partner at the table,” she said, “and make sure they were comfortable and well taken care of.”

Such social codes were set out in handbooks at the time, one of     6    , The Book of the Civilised Man, written in the early 14th century, was aimed at boys and young men — and, with advice     7     (tailor) to this audience, warned its young readers against “making bodily function jokes at the table”.

Social conventions extended     8     the dining hall. When visiting someone’s house, for instance, it was considered fashionable to wash your hands on arrival,     9     that you didn’t bring dirt inside. Though this is one custom that is in line with us in the 21st century, others feel decidedly medieval: one book asks readers “to make sure you     10     (get) down from your horse before entering someone’s house”.

2 . What My Year Abroad Taught Me About Cultural Differences

Imagine going to study abroad. You walk into the local shop and bam!, Golliwogs (黑面木偶) everywhere. I’m talking salespeople dressed as Golliwogs. Surprised, you go to the junk food section as that’s the only thing that will give your body the sugar rush it needs to shock your body out of the state of bewilderment (困惑). And there they were: Golliwog cookies.

I’m using the word “Golliwogs” because to a British person abroad that’s what they are. But in the Netherlands and Belgium the image is known as Zwarte Piet (Black Pete). There has been much discussion about whether or not it’s racist.     1     Zwarte Piet is understood by most in the Netherlands to be Santa’s helper whose black face was due to his delivering presents through the chimney.

Working as a trainee with the European Commission, I met people from all over the world, not just Europe. Working alongside my German, Spanish and Italian colleagues, I learned some valuable lessons.     2     You shouldn’t wait to say “excuse me,” or wait for a gap in the conversation to give your opinion, because you’ll walk out at the end of the meeting wondering how three hours have passed without you managing to say anything. I learned how to stop my colleagues and interject (插话) my thoughts.

Another lesson was the value of the coffee break. Coffee breaks in Brussels were not just time to get coffee. It was a chance to develop new ideas with colleagues in a more informal setting. At first I declined the invitation to attend, but after a while I began to notice that almost everyone went on these trips to the coffee machine and decided to join them.     3    

Graduates and students who have worked abroad gain an understanding of what it means to be truly European and how this can benefit you at work. Not only do you bring home experiences, skills and practices from other countries, but you also seek to take your work further afield (向远方).

    4     Remember the Golliwog cookies? All I really wanted were some Mr. Kipling’s cakes but they’re nearly impossible to find abroad. When I finished my trainee ship with the Commission, I came home and started a business called Packed Munches, a service sending boxes of British snacks to Britons all over the world. And to think, it all started with Zwarte Pict.

What are the things that first come to your mind when you think of the UK? Are they nonstop rain, polite manners, boring food and tea drinking?

Some of the UK’s     1     stereotypes are true, a new survey has found. For example, British people do have a (n)     2     to drink lots of tea.

The research polled 1, 402 foreigners living in the UK on their opinions about the British way of life. Unsurprisingly, the majority of them, almost 70 percent, said they enjoyed living in the country—good manners, especially UK people’s extraordinary ability to queue, are the main reasons for foreigners’     3    . More than one-third said they liked British people’s restrained     4     to emotion.

However, there are aspects of British culture that are     5     of. The heavy alcohol drinking culture ranked as the least favorite trait, followed by the British sense of humor and the country’s bad weather.

It may not be too hard to understand why heavy drinking and bad weather are     6    , but what’s wrong with the British sense of humor?

British humor is known for being dry and satirical (讽刺的), so it is generally more     7    . When it comes to making the British laugh, there is nothing more effective than a     8     inappropriate joke, noted the BBC. “Britons are more comfortable with life’s losers,” wrote English actor Ricky Gervais in an article published in Time magazine.

“The majority of nationalities have stereotypes     9     around them and Britons don’t escape this,” said Liam Clifford, the founder of Global Visas, the website that conducted the research. “People probably come here with a stereotype-based preconception of what to expect. It’s good to see from our survey, though, that, in the majority of cases, this reputation is actually     10     upon living here.”

A large-scale cultural exploration program National Treasure made its first show on CCTV on Sunday night. In the first episode, the Palace Museum in Beijing showcased three treasures.

As a     1     variety show, the National Treasure aims to showcase the background stories of national treasures and     2     various art forms. In the show, “national treasure keepers” acted by famous and common people will present treasures, telling their stories with the collections and interpreting the historical     3    . The show aims to inspire the ancient Chinese civilization and make the national treasures “come alive”.

This is not the first time for the Palace Museum in Beijing to be     4     welcomed online in China, thanks to its efforts in cultural products and self-promotion in recent years.

Last year, the museum     5     so much attention because of the huge success of the three-episode TV documentary, Masters in the Forbidden City and a movie with the same name. Over the last few years, the museum has     6     495 signposts and 1,400 new chairs have been provided. In addition, the Palace Museum opened a (an)     7     online store on e-commerce platform Taobao, selling related products. It also started their self-promotion through new media, publishing articles to promote the culture of the museum. It     8     swept the Internet by its humorous style and interesting content. At the same time, the Palace Museum has published several mobile apps, one of which saw over 200,000 downloads just two weeks after its     9     in 2013. Its self-promotion has achieved great results. In 2012, the museum saw 15 million visitors. And it received 16 million visitors last year.

The museum is also a popular     10     among foreign leaders. For example, US President Donald Trump and his wife visited the Palace Museum on Nov 8.

New look on the Museum

Museums have changed. They are no longer places for the privileged few or for bored vacationers to visit on rainy days.

At a science museum in Ontario, Canada you can feel your hair stand on end as harmless electricity passes through your body. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, you can look at 17 century instruments while listening to their music. At the Modern Museum in Sweden, you can put on costumes provided by the Stockholm Opera. As these examples show, museums are reaching out to new audiences, particularly the young, the poor and the less educated members of the population. As a result, attendance is interesting.

Many museums have changed in appearance. Some old, gray museums have been rebuilt, and the newer ones are open and modern in their architecture. Inside, there is modern lighting, color, and sound. Instead of displaying everything they own, museum directors show fewer objects and leave open spaces where visitor can gather and sit down. They also bring together in one display a group of objects drawn drawn from various parts of the museum to represent the whole lifestyle of region or a historical period. In one room, for instance, you may find materials, clothing, tools, cooking pots, furniture, and art works of a particular place and time.

More and more museum directors are realizing that people learn best when they can somehow become part of what they are seeing. In many science museums, for example, there are no guided tours. The visitor is encouraged to touch, listen, operate, and experiment so as to discover scientific principles for himself. The purpose is not only to provide fun but also to help people feel at home in the world of science. The theory is that people who do not understand science will probably fear it, and those who fear science will not use it to the best advantage.

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10 . In American culture, I am noticing a lack of respect, especially among children. This should be treated _________ since disrespectful children will become disrespectful teenagers, and then disrespectful adults. American culture is _________ the ways of teaching respect, while other cultures have methods that Americans could learn from.

In 1995, I spent a couple of months in Kenya where I lived with a pastor’s family. This pastor was a part of the Maasai tribes that have some unique customs. One of them is the _________ that the children give the adults. When an adult approaches a Maasai child, the child will _________ and tilt their head slightly saying “Suppa”. The adult responses by saying “Ippa” touching the top of their heads. This simple act shows respect for the adult. The children _________ that they are their elder and that the adult deserves respect.

In my early 20’s, I worked at a children’s home in South Carolina where the children from 4 to 19 years old were taught to respect their elders. They _________ me as “Mr. Vince” and every adult worker there with a “Mr, Mrs, or Ms.”. However, as I counsel and talk to teachers and other professionals who work with children now, there seems to be a _________ in such as friendly behavior that children give adults. Fewer students treat teachers with respect: Children frequently talk back to their teachers, parents or seniors, interrupt conversations, and disregard their _________. Children casually speak with other adults like waiters, store clerks, postmen, cashiers, etc. in the way as if they are children’s _________.

Immanuel Kant expressed two __________ attitudes in Europe that are still dominant today. One is that only humans are persons because they have autonomy—they freely choose to act on principles by __________ laws on themselves, and not on desires. It is this mind based on __________ that gives humans special status. Second, to learn to follow principles instead of desires, a human child needs to learn __________ to the laws of adults. They must practice __________ regulation before they are able to practice autonomy. Kant said that “act in the way you want others to act in the situation, taking other people as persons, not __________ you use for your own goals”. Only in this way can you become a real person with intrinsic values.