Test yourself. See how you do. What comes to mind when you think of France? Why of course①, the most romantic place in the world. Thailand? Oh yes, the home of transvestites! How about the British? Everyone knows that one: they're all perfect gentleman. Or are they? What about the football hooligans?

　　Picture the scene: you're a student in London. In order to guarantee getting a decent job upon your return, or so you hope, you're working your guts out②to finish a one-year MA in marketing. One morning, following your usual routine, you get up, grab a quick bite to eat and head straight out. Bracing yourself for yet another journey through the London fog, you gently close the front door, desperately trying not to wake the landlord. Still munching your toast, you walk briskly toward the bus stop. You smile wryly as you join the end of the orderly bus queue and yet again experience that sense of djvu. You overhear the two middle-aged men in front: "Good morning." "Good morning." "Another dreary one, isn't it?" "They forecast rain later." The bus arrives, and it's the turn of the men in front to get on board. "After you." "No, please, after you."

　　Does anything in this vision seem unlikely to you? Probably not. After all, you've been taught to believe that London is the city of fog! Please, please, please, get this misconception out of your system now! Yes, London was notorious for fog till the 1950s, but believe it or not, things have changed. Those of us living in Beijing should understand that more than most. London isn't the world's cleanest city, but if it were competing for the title of most smoggy city, it wouldn't stand a chance against many other capitals, including, dare I suggest...

　　How about the exchange of pleasantries between the two men? Are the British really obsessed with the weather? No. British small talk does often start off with what the weather is or isn't doing. But this is not a trait of culture: the average Brit is not an amateur meteorologist. It's just that when you live in such an unpredictable climate, the weather forecast is truly significant, and therefore a convenient topic for launching a conversation. British expats in reliably sunny southern California don't prattle about the weather.

　　What did you make of③the orderly queue? The etiquette of the men getting on the bus is indeed standard in Britain. Nonetheless, such good manners do not characterise each and every holder of a British passport, as I'm sure anyone who's spent time in the UK would agree.

　　The tendency to have a fixed image of what a particular type of person or thing is like is something all human beings share. Stereotypes in China are both prevalent and deeply rooted. My point is that these stereotypes should be checked against experience, not taken as valid simply because they're current. Clearly some generalisations are needed to deal with social reality, but the more sweeping and unquestioned they are, the more likely to be inaccurate or false.

　　Cultures change constantly. Is it fair to say that today's average Brit is a real gent? Well, what IS an "average" Brit? Factors of age and ethnicity all have to be taken into account. We must beware of outdated stereotypes. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if foreigners thought that all mainlanders still dressed in blue Mao suits?

　　The generation someone is from makes a big difference in that person's probable habits and attitudes. History shapes and re-shapes culture. For example, the make-up of the British population has undergone huge change in the last 40 years because of immigration from the Commonwealth. "In China we eat rice or noodles. What do you eat in Britain?" It depends. Believe it or not, the former British foreign secretary caused quite a stir recently when he suggested that Britain's national dish is chicken korma, traditionally a rice dish associated with India!




老外直言：英国人是绅士or足球流氓
　　(本文作者现在北京工作)

　　在北京生活了4年之后，我毫不怀疑中国的首都会举办一次非常成功的奥运会，问题是这一盛事将留给世界什么样的持久印象。为2008奥运会作好准备，并习惯于与外界打交道对我们大家都是学习新事物的好机会。来到北京的外国人用不了几小时就能发现他们先入为主的很多看法是不准确的，而你对其他国家和文化的看法又是如何呢？

　　考考你自己，看看你是怎么想的。当你想到法国时心中浮现的是什么？当然是世界上最浪漫的地方啦。那么泰国呢？噢，是的，那是人妖的故乡！英国人呢？谁不知道，他们都是十足的绅士，等等，是这样吗？他们不是足球流氓吗？

　　设想这一情景：你是一名在伦敦的留学生，为了确保回国后找到一份体面的工作，或者希望如此，你正在竭尽全力攻读为期一年的市场营销学硕士学位。一天早晨，按照你的惯例，起床，抓起方便食品，向门外走去。准备好了在伦敦大雾中的又一次出行，你轻轻地关上大门，尽量不吵醒房东。嘴里一边嚼着面包，一边快步走向汽车站。当你站到井然有序的队尾，不禁苦笑，你又一次经历了那种似曾相识的感觉。无意中你听到前面两个中年人在谈话：“早晨好。”“早晨好。”“又是个阴天，是不是？”“天气预报说要下雨。”汽车来了，轮到前面的那个人上车了，“您请。”“不，您请。”

　　在这一情景中对你来说有没有似乎不大可能的事？大概没有。毕竟，老早就有人告诉你伦敦是个雾都。但是，千万，千万，千万请你现在就把这一错误概念从你的头脑中去掉。不错，直到20世纪50年代，伦敦都以雾著称，但是不管你信不信，如今变了。我们这些生活在北京的英国人对此应该比大多数人都知道得多。伦敦虽不是世界上最洁净的城市，但若要争当烟雾最大的城市，与许多其他国家的首都相比，其中包括，恕我冒昧……伦敦并没有机会当选。

　　那两位男士之间的相互问语怎么样？英国人真的是一天到晚谈天气吗？非也，英国人闲聊时的确常常从天气如何谈起，但这并不是文化的特征：一般的英国人并不是业余气象学家，只不过当你住在这样一个天气无常的地方，天气预报的确重要，因此天气便成为开始聊天的一个方便话题。住在常年阳光明媚的美国南加州的英国人就不聊天气了。

　　对有秩序地排队你怎么看？两位先生上汽车时表现出的礼貌在英国的确很普遍。然而，这样的举止并非是每个持英国护照的人的特征，而我也肯定每个在英国住过的人会同意我的观点。

　　对某些人或事往往有一种固定看法，是人类共有的毛病。中国人的一些固定看法既普遍又根深蒂固。我认为这些成见应该拿到实践中去检验，而不要因为它们流行就认为是对的。我们无疑需要某些概括性的结论来诠释社会实际现象，但它们越是流传得广泛，让你确信无疑，就越可能不准确甚至是错误的。

　　文化在不断地变化，今天一般的英国人都是真正的绅士，这么说公正吗？什么是“一般”的英国人？年龄与种族的因素都不得不考虑进去。我们必须小心过时的“套话”，如果外国人认为所有的内地中国人还都穿着蓝色的中山装岂不荒谬？

　　一个人所属的不同时代会造成其习惯、态度上的很大差异；历史塑造而且重塑着文化。比如，过去40年中，由于英联邦国家移民的进入，英国人口的组成已经发生了巨大的变化。“在中国我们吃米饭和面条，你们英国人吃什么？”这可要依情况而定了。不管你信不信，前英国外交大臣最近惹起了一场不小的风波，他说最具英国特色的食物是奶油鸡肉饭，而传统上这是印度人常吃的饭食！(待续)

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关键字:双语新闻,中英文对照