Text B Table Manners and Customs Ⅰ. Introductory Remarks In different parts of the world, there are different table manners and customs. People in the East eat in different ways from those in the West. Even among western countries there are differences between table manners. And what’s more, in one country, table manners have not always been the same and changed with time. Ⅱ. Text-related Information Rules and Suggestions as to Table Manners Sit up straight on your chair, do not lean heavily against the back. Never tilt the chair backward on two legs. You may lean the body slightly forward when you eat, but never lower the head down toward the plate. Your arms should be held close to your sides, so as not to touch the person next to you, and they should not rest on the table when you are eating. Do not put much food in your mouth at a time. Keep your lips closed while chewing. And as long as there is food in your mouth, do not try to talk. Drink only when there is no food in your mouth. It is bad manners to take a mouthful of food and then wash it down with a gulp of water. Be sure your lips are not greasy when you drink from your glass. Try not to get your lips greasy. If you do, you have your napkin to wipe them with. Celery, radishes, olives, fruit, dry cakes, nuts, candies, potato chips, corn on the cob, artichokes, frog’s legs, lobster claws, and bread and rolls of all kinds are handled with the fingers, but for all other food the rule is “hands off”. Try not to get into your mouth anything that will have to be taken out. But if you have a small bone or some other object you cannot swallow, remove it in a way that it will not be noticed. If you are eating with a spoon, take it in the spoon from your mouth to the plate; if not, use your hand. Do not spit anything from your mouth on to the plate or on to the floor. Be careful not to drop any food or spill any water on the table cloth. If you have an accident, do not do anything which will make others notice it, but always apologize quietly to the hostess. You might say, “Oh, I am so sorry, I was very careless.” Do not make any noise when you eat. It is bad manners at a Western meal to make any noise with the mouth, such as noisily sipping the soup or smacking the lips or the still more unpleasant sound of belching. And if you have to cough or choke, use your napkin to cover your mouth. Do not clean your teeth at the table or anywhere in public, either with your finger or a tooth pick, not even with your tongue. If you have to get something out which is caught between your teeth, cover your mouth with your napkin while you do so; but it is better to leave it until you are alone sometime later. Ⅲ. Detailed Study of the Text Words and Phrases: manner: n. 单数时指”方式”, “方法”, “态度, 举止”; 复数时指”礼节”, “风俗,习俗”. e.g. The sheets are usually folded in this manner. She has written a book on the manners and customs of the ancient Egyptians. It isn’t good manners to try to talk while there is food in your mouth. avoid: vi. e.g. I avoided punishment by running away. She avoided answering my question. avoidable a. unavoidable a. avoidance n. avoid sth., avoid doing sth. cf. avoid, escape, evade avoid (故意地)避开 escape 与from搭配, 指逃避不好的东西, 有时可与avoid互用 evade 指逃避, 避开应尽的义务,责任 e.g. The little boy avoided / escaped from being scolded by running away. John was sent to the prison because he tried to evade taxes. By driving home over the bridge, Professor Smith purposely avoided the block at the tunnel. 3. appreciate: to recognize and enjoy the good qualities of something; understand something and show consideration or sympathy. e.g. You can’t fully appreciate foreign literature in translation. I really appreciate a good cup of tea. I appreciate your problem, but I don’t think I can help you. You don’t seem to appreciate how busy I am. appreciation n. appreciative a. appreciable a. 相当大的, 明显的 appropriate a. 适当的, 恰如其分的 4. educate: v. 教育, 培养, 训练(= instruct, teach) e.g. He was educated at a very good school. You should educate your child to behave well. educated a. education n. educational a. educationist n. educator n. replace v. ①. substitute for…, take the place of … 取代, 代替 e.g. George has replaced John as a captain of the team. ②. 放回原处. e.g. He replaced the book on the shelf. replaceable a. replacement n. replace A with / by B 用B 代替A cf. substitute, replace 主要区别在于用法上: substitute指代替他人或他物, 日常用语, 与for连用, 它的常见用法有: substitute for, substitute A for B (用A代替B); replace指填补或取代那些陈旧的, 用坏的或遗失的东西; 作”代替”解时与substitute同义,但与介词by或with搭配,它的常见用法有: replace A, replace A by / with B (用B代替A) e.g. We substituted brown sugar for white sugar. If you don’t want to go, I can substitute for you. They have replaced trams by /with buses. When one of the players on the team was hurt, another replaced him. 6. vary: 1)to be different e.g. Teaching methods vary greatly from school to school. flowers that vary in color and size 2)to change often e.g. His mood seems to vary according to the weather. cf. change 1)to become different e.g. Susan has changed a lot since I last saw her. 2)to stop having or doing one thing and start having or doing something else instead e.g. We’re changed from traditional methods of production to an automated system. vary in…(from…to…) 在…方面不同 A vary with B… A随着B变化 vary from… 偏离, 违背 a (wide) variety of… 多种多样的 varied a. 变化的, 各种各样的 various a. 各种各样的, 许多的 variable a. 易变的 variety n. 多样化, 种类 7. course: a part of a meal which is served separately from the other parts e.g. a four-course lunch A traditional British main course consists of a meat dish with potatoes and other vegetables. 8. fall off: to come off (something) by falling e.g. A button has fallen off my coat. Has that child fallen off the bicycle again? 9. the same (…) as: used to mean two or more people, things, etc. that are exactly like each other. e.g. He gets the same pay as me but he has his own office. I think the same as you do about this. 10. to a great/large extent: to a great/large degree e.g. These policies are to a large extent responsible for the region’s economic decline. To a great extent (=Mostly) people go on holiday there to enjoy the good weather. cf. to a certain extent/ to some extent: used to mean that something is partly, but not completely, true to a lesser/ greater extent: used when comparing two things to mean that one thing has less or more influence than the other. 11. take up: to learn or start to perform a certain activity, esp. for pleasure; start or begin something, esp. a job. e.g. She has taken up golf. She has taken up a job as a teacher. 12. side by side: together e.g. The two communities exist happily side by side. cf. The children sat side by side (=next to each other) watching television. We’re worked side by side for years. wait on sb.: to serve food to someone at their table 14. eat off: to eat (one’s food) from (certain dishes) e.g. Does the Queen really eat her meals off gold plates? 15. prevent (from): to stop someone from doing something e.g. The rain prevented me (from) coming. B. Important and Difficult Sentences: 1. …there are also rules for people to follow when they are eating, but they are not the same as those of Britain. When people are eating they act according to some rules, but these rules are different from those of Britain. 2. Indeed, what are considered good table manners in some other countries are what British people try hardest to avoid. Indeed, certain ways of behaving at table are considered good manners in some other countries but British people would try their best to avoid them. 3. The richer and more educated people in the East have, however, to a great extent taken up the table manners… However, the richer and more educated people in the East have largely accepted and learned to practice the table manners… 4. …both traditional and Western styles of eating exist side by side. …there are both traditional and Western table manners 5. …in various countries, although they are not so marked. … in different countries, although it is not easy to notice these differences / although the differences are not so obvious and easily noticed. 6. Drinking customs at table also vary in different countries. Drinking customs at table are also different from country to country. 7. Table manners of course have changed with time. As time went by, table manners also have changed/ become different. 8. Food was eaten off wooden dishes with the noblemen sitting above a large salt cellar called simply “the salt”. Note the sentence structure here: a main clause + with + N + V-ing. 9. Henry Ⅷ: (1491-1547) one of the most famous English Kings 10. Louis ⅩⅣ: (1638-1715) a King of France, who is also called the Sun King because of the beauty and riches of his court at Versailles. Ⅳ. Outline Para. 1 There are different table manners in different parts of the world.  Para. 2 Some people in the East have taken up the table manners and customs of Western peoples.  Paras. 3-4 In the West, there are differences between table manners in various countries. Drinking customs at table also vary in different countries.  Paras. 5-7 Table manners have changed with time.   Ⅴ. Summary of the Text Table manners in our world differ from country to country and from region to region. Western style of eating is considered to have largely influenced Eastern countries. But even Western countries themselves differ in this respect. People in these countries do not use the knife and fork in the same way. There are also differences in drinking customs. And naturally table manners have seen many changes throughout history, from ancient times, through the Middle Ages, to the 17th century. These changes include the kinds of food, the containers for holding food and special rules of behaviour.