hosts sometimes look rude(粗鲁的) in the eyes of Chinese guests.

In China, guests are almost like gods. Whenever I enter a Chinese person's home, there is always fruit on the table for me, and someone is quick to bring me a cup of tea or water. In the west, generally the guest is not a god.

Acting according to the host's way of doing things is usual behavior for a guest. My wife's mother, a very kind elderly Chinese lady, doesn't smoke. When I see some of her guests smoking in her house, as a non-smoker, I feel unhappy. Usually I want to stop them directly, but I must realize that in China, to be a good host, she must not do that. In most North American homes, if you are a guest, and the hosts are not smokers, you should not smoke in their house. At the very least, you could ask, “Is it OK if I smoke?”But, don't be surprised if they say, “No, you can't smoke.”In our culture, if you smoke in their home, you are a bad guest, but if they do not allow you to smoke in their house, they are not a rude host.

Guests in China also have special habits. Some western people may not adapt to these habits very soon. Thankfully my wife is Chinese, so whenever we visit a Chinese family she tells me to buy them a gift. However, giving a gift to a host is not always necessary in my country. So, if you invite international guests to your house, don't be too surprised if they don't bring you a gift.

In China, you probably won't need to change the guest-host relationship very much because you will probably only be the host, and Chinese are naturally very good hosts. If western hosts invite you to their house, try not to be too surprised if their style of treating you is not what you have expected.

1.Many foreigners think that Chinese hosts are the_______in the world.

A.best

B.worst

C.most natural

D.most different

2.When a western guest visits a Chinese family, he often _____.

A.buys some fruit

B.feels like a god

C.wants some gifts

D.takes a cup of tea

3.If the writer's guests want to smoke in his house, what will he probably say?

A.It's OK if you smoke here.

B.Let's smoke together.

C.Sorry, you can't smoke here.

D.Smoking is a bad habit.

5 / 14