1 . There are many customs and traditions connected to yearly celebrations which are part of Britain’s folklore (民俗). Lughnasadh is a celebration at the beginning of August.     1     The doll is saved until the following spring when it is put back into the earth with new seeds. People believe that the doll contains the spirit of the corn and will bring a good harvest. Christmas too is full of ancient customs. The traditions of lighting a fire and decorating the home with an evergreen have their roots in times. The fire is to keep away evil spirits and fill the home with light and the evergreen is valued because it is a sign that life continued during those cold, dark days.

    2     The roots of Morris dancing, for example, are not known. This is a dance in which men(and sometimes women)dressed in white dance together. Some people think the dance may be from pre-Christmas times, and others say it was introduced into Britain in the late 15th century and that it comes from Moorish dancing. In any case, it is interesting to see that Morris dancing is not a dying tradition.     3    

Although these customs have been passed down to us from forgotten generations, they themselves have not been forgotten and continue to play a part in our modern lives.     4     This month people all over Britain shall be preparing their homes for the ancient celebration we now call Christmas, lighting fires and putting up Christmas trees, just as their great-great-grandfathers once did.

2 . Symptoms of Culture Shock and Their Stages

Like any new experience, there’s a feeling of euphoria (兴高采烈) when you first arrive in a new country and you’re in awe of the differences you see and experience.     1    During this stage, you still feel close to everything familiar back home.

The Distress Stage

Everything you’re experiencing no longer feels new; in fact, it’s starting to feel like a thick wall that’s preventing you from experiencing things. You feel confused, alone, and realize that the familiar support systems are not easily available.

Re-integration Stage

During this stage, you start refusing to accept the differences you meet.     2    You start to idealize life “back home“ and compare your current culture to what is familiar. You dislike the culture, the language and the food. You throw it as inferior. You may even develop some prejudices (偏见) towards the new culture. Don’t worry. This is normal. You’re adjusting.

Autonomy Stage

This is the first stage of acceptance. It’s the emergence stage when you start to rise above the clouds and finally begin to feel like yourself again. You start to accept the differences and feel like you can begin to live with them.     3    You no longer feel isolated and instead; you’re able to look at the world around you and appreciate where you are.

Independence Stage

    4    You embrace the new culture and see everything in a new, yet realistic light. You feel comfortable, confident, and able to make decisions based on your preferences. You no longer feel alone and isolated. You appreciate both the differences and similarities of your new culture. You start to feel at home.

4 . Customs and traditions in China have been formed over thousands of years, and today, there exists a traditional system of values, with the etiquette as its major aspect.

The formation process of Chinese culture began in the Ⅲ millennium BC. Over time, many of the traditions were lost, but most of them have survived and come to our days. In addition, the Chinese traditions are very diverse, since the country consists of different nations and nationalities.

    1     Tibet is the western part of China, where the people have their own unique, and the only one in the world culture, therefore their traditions differ from those of the rest of China. Along with the Buddhists, there also live the Confucians and Muslims who, in their turn, also follow their own traditions and customs.

However, the Chinese have a lot of specific customs and traditions observed by everybody. In particular, it concerns the greetings. Chinese welcoming traditions extend back over 2,000 years.     2     Today, the modern Chinese just nod their heads, but if they want to show respect, they may bow.

    3     When the Chinese come on a visit, they usually give some wine, tea or candy. If you happen to visit a Chinese you should bear in mind not to give an odd number of presents, as odd numbers are considered unlucky in China. You should not give presents in number of 4 or in black-and-white colour, which are considered as symbols of death in China. The Chinese should not be presented with clocks. They also symbolize death and funerals.

    4     There, a large part of the population still observes traditions and customs, which extend back over three thousand years. There, you can not only visit the unique historical monuments of ancient Chinese civilization, but also plunge into the mysterious and sometimes closed world of the Chinese East.

5 . At the top of a hill called Mount Lee in Los Angeles on the west coast of the USA is a very famous sign, recognizable to people around the world. My job is to look after this sign.     1     The first film was made there in 1907 and by 1912, at least 15 independent studios could be found making films around town.

In the 1940s, TV started to become popular and some Hollywood film studios closed, but then TV companies moved in and took them over. Modern Hollywood was born.     2     If one of them ever fell down I would have to put it back up at exactly the same angle. They follow the shape of Mount Lee and this is part of their fame.

I am responsible for maintaining and protecting the sign.     3     When I first arrived in 1989, security was pretty low-tech-we put up a fence around the sign to stop people messing with it. But people just jumped over the fence. The back of the sign was black with graffiti(涂鸦)there was wire across it, but they still got through. So I decided to improve the effectiveness of the security.

Now we have motion-detectors and cameras. Everything goes via the internet to a dedicated surveillance(监控)team watching various structures around the city. Even so, people still try to climb over the barrier, mostly innocent tourists surprised that you can’t walk right up to the sign. But they can get a closer look on one of my regular tours.

    4     They want to light the sign, paint it pink, or cover it in something to promote their product. You’ll get a really enthusiastic marketing executive call up, terribly excited because they think they’re the first person to think of this or that idea. They mostly get turned down. That’s because we don’t like to change the image and we hope it will have the same significance for generations to come.