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请用英语写篇关于美国风俗习惯的文章

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请用英语写篇关于美国风俗习惯的文章
文章不帮你写了,给你点资料算了,加油~~~
Life in the USA:
Customs and habits
Meeting someone
When meeting someone for the first time, it is customary to shake hands, both for men and for women. Hugs are only exchanged between close friends. Kissing is not common, and men never kiss other men.
Americans will usually introduce themselves by their first name and last name (such as “Hello, I’m John Smith”), or, if the setting is very casual, by their first name only (“Hi, I’m John”). The common response when someone is introduced to you is “Pleased to meet you.” Unless someone is introduced to you with their title and last name (such as Mister Smith or Miss Johnson), you should address them by their first name. Americans normally address everyone they meet in a social or business setting by their first name. However, you should always address your college professors by their title and last name (such as Professor Jones), unless they ask you to do otherwise.
Speaking on the telephone
Americans normally answer the telephone by simply saying "Hello". If you are calling a business, the person answering the phone will give the name of the business and usually their own name as well. If the person you would like to speak to has answered the phone, you should say hello and state your name. If not, you should ask for that person politely: “May I please speak with Andrew Brown?”
The majority of Americans have answering machines in their homes. Also, the majority of businesses have voice mail accounts for their employees. When leaving a message, state your name clearly and leave a telephone number where you can be reached. Telephone messages should be brief and to the point.
Eating out
All restaurants in America accept cash for payment, and most (even some fast food restaurants) also accept credit cards. A few restaurants also accept ATM cards for payment. You will rarely find a restaurant that accepts checks.
It is common to have to wait for a table at a popular restaurant. There are many popular restaurants that do not accept reservations, or will only accept reservations for large parties (for example, six or more people). At these restaurants, the wait can be very long on a weekend night, sometimes up to 1 hour. However, almost all upscale, or more formal, restaurants will accept reservations.
Many restaurants in America (except for fast food restaurants) have a license to serve alcohol. Beer and wine are always available, and at some restaurants hard liquor (such as vodka or whisky) is also available. Restaurants that serve hard liquor are said to have “a full bar.” The drinking age in America is 21. If you look young, be prepared to show proof of your age when ordering alcohol.
Tipping
There are only a few situations where tipping is expected. The one you will encounter most often is at restaurants. American restaurants do not add a service charge to the bill. Therefore it is expected that the customer will leave a tip for the server. Common practice is to leave a tip that is equal to 15% of the total bill for acceptable service, and about 20% for superior service. If the service was unusually poor, then you could leave a smaller tip, about 10%.
Other professions where tipping is expected include hairdressers, taxi drivers, hotel porters, parking valets, and bartenders. The general rule is to tip approximately 15% of the bill. In situations where there is no bill (as with hotel porters and parking valets), the tip may range from $1 to $5, depending on the type of establishment and on how good the service was.
Smoking
Smoking is not as common in America as in many other countries. Generally, Americans smoke less than Europeans and much less than Asians. It is a practice that is becoming less and less socially acceptable.
Smoking is prohibited in many places. It is not allowed in any public buildings, on any public transportation (including airplane flights within the United States), in shops, movie theaters, schools, and office buildings. The general rule is if you are indoors, then you probably are not allowed to smoke. The exceptions are bars, nightclubs, and some restaurants. If a restaurant does allow smoking, it will only be in an area that is designated for smokers. If you are with someone, even outdoors, it is polite to ask if they mind before you start smoking.
The legal smoking age in America is 18. If you are buying cigarettes (or another tobacco product) and you look young, the store clerk is required by law to ask you for proof of legal age. You should be prepared to provide identification.
中国人见面打招呼时,喜欢问“你吃了吗?”“你去哪呀?”而西方人对此都感到很怪异.
Greeting
An American studying in China had an appointment at noon. As he was getting on his bicycle a Chinese friend passed by. "吃了吗?" the young Chinese asked. This, of course, is a common Chinese greeting around meal time and the American merely nodded with a smile, waved goodbye and went off. He realized that his friend' s remark was nothing more than a Chinese way of saying Hello or Hi. If the greeting had been put literally into English "Have you eaten yet?" Or " Have you had your lunch? " It would have sounded rather unusual. To Americans, this greeting might mean this: "I haven't either. Come on, let' s go together and get something to eat." or "If you haven' t, I was just going to invite you to my place." In other words, it could indicate an invitation to a meal.
Actually , another foreign student who had not been long in China once complained in broken Chinese:" 你们为什么老问我吃了饭没有?我有钱."To his way of thinking, people were concerned that he was not getting his meals properly because of lack of money. Clearly, he was offended. There is a similar Chinese greeting, such as ”上哪儿去啊?””到哪儿去啦?” which if translated literally, would be "Where are yon going?" Or "Where have you been?" The natural reaction of most English-speaking people to this greeting would most likely be "It' s none of your business!"
Fortunately, not all greetings sound strange or arouse displeasure. Many are similar , some are merely different. While greetings in many languages often indicate the time of day, there may be inconsistencies within a language. English has Good morning, Good afternoon and Good evening but not Good noon. And Good night is not a greeting at all, but an expression of farewell.
打招呼 一天中午,一个在中国学习的美国留学生有个约会.他刚要骑上自行车,一位中国朋友从旁边走过,问他:“吃了吗?”这是中国人在吃饭前后打招呼的常用语.美国留学生笑着点点头,挥挥手表示告别,就走了.他知道,中国朋友的话等于英语中的Hello或Hi,但如果照字面译成Have you eaten yet?或Have you had yourlunch?外国人听起来就很怪. 美国人会以为,这种打招呼似乎是说:“我也没有吃.走吧,我们一起去吃点东西吧.”或者说:“如果没有吃的话,我正要请你到我家去呢.”;总之,这样打招呼有时意味着邀请对方去吃饭 .
发生过这样的事.有一次,一个刚到中国不久的外国留学生结结巴巴地用汉语说:“你们为什么老问我吃了饭没有?我有钱.”他以为人们总问他“吃饭了吗”是因为怕他没钱吃饭.他显然对这种问法感到生气. 再如,汉语中的“上哪儿去啊?”和“到哪儿去啦?”这样打招呼的话直译成英语就是Where are you going?和Where have you been?用这两句英语来打招呼,大部分讲英语的人听了会不高兴,他们的反应很可能是:It' s none of your business! 你管得着吗!
幸而,打招呼的话并不都令人感到奇怪或者引起对方反感.有许多打招呼的话是相似的,有些只是说法不同.在许多语言里,打招呼的话往往是相似的,有些只是说法不同.在许多语言里,打招呼的话往往与时间有关,但即使在一种语言中也有不一致的地方.英语中有Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening 都相当于汉语中的“您好”,只是说的时间不同而已,但不说Good noon.而 Good night (晚安;明天见;再会)根本不是打招呼的话,这只是告别时说的话.
两个中国人初次见面时,没有什么特别的汉语说法,而多数讲英语的人初次见面总要说 I'm pleased to meet you (认识你很高兴)之类的客套话.分手时,他们还要说句 It's nice meeting you或It's nice to have met you(能认识你很高兴)之类的话.
人们分手时通常说Good-bye,Bye-bye,相当于中国人说“再见”.几乎所有语言中都有类似的说法.但在说 Good-bye或“再见”之前,还有些客套语很有意思,各种语言也不尽相同.如有贵客或不大熟的人来访或串门儿,客人离开时,按中国的习惯,主人要把客人送到房门口或大门口.客人对主人说“请留步”,主人最后要说“走好”、“慢走”、“慢点儿骑(自行车)之类的客套话.这些说法部不能直接译成英语.如果说Stay here,听起来十分别扭.如果说Go slowly, Walk slowly或Ride slowly,也很不自然.其实,微微一笑并作个表示再见的手势就可以了.