英语小达人 403:Help foreign guests at formal dinner(1)

 　　Help foreign guests at formal¹ dinner

　　中国餐桌礼仪

　　With the Spring Festival just round the corner, your mouth might already be watering at the thought of the coming banquet².

　　春节就要到了。节日里自然少不了聚餐。一想到宴会上的美食，你是不是就直接流口水了？

　　The traditional family banquet is the year's most important meal for millions of Chinese at home and abroad. You probably know all about the food and have tried many different dishes. But do you really know how to behave properly³ at such an important meal? If a foreign friend was visiting, could you explain Chinese table manners⁴? Don't worry if you are not sure, here are some tips⁵.

　　中国传统的春节家宴是海内外亿万华人一年中最重要的一顿饭。大家品尝了各式各样的菜肴，可能对春节里的饭菜很熟悉了，但是，你知道在春节宴会上如何做到举止得体吗？倘若有外国朋友前来拜访，你能给他说说中国的餐桌礼仪吗？不必担心，这儿有一些建议。

　　The main difference between Chinese and Western eating habits is that unlike⁶ the West, where everyone has their own plate of food, in China the dishes are placed on the table and everybody shares. It is always polite to let guests or elder people at the table taste every dish first.

　　中西餐桌礼仪最主要的差别在于，西方人有自己单独的菜盘，而中国人喜欢把所有的菜放在餐桌上，大家一起吃。出于礼貌，中国人总是让客人或者年纪大的人先品尝每一道菜。

　　Although there are no strict rules on how to set chopsticks and spoons, there are some things you should never do during a Chinese banquet.

　　尽管怎样摆放筷子和调羹并没有严格的规定，但是，用餐时有一些举止是应当避免的。

1 formal   

adj.正式的，正规的，形式的

参考例句：

• The letter is written in a formal style.这封信是用正式文体写的。
• Today's trend is toward less formal clothing.眼下时尚趋向于穿着随便。

2 banquet   

n.宴会，盛会，酒席

参考例句：

• We had a banquet,which ended up with soup.我们举行了一个宴会，最后一道菜是汤。
• He is in the person of his father for the banquet.他以他父亲的名义赴宴。

3 properly   

adv.适当地；正当地；严格地

参考例句：

• He has disposed of the rubbish properly.他已经适当地处理了垃圾。
• Do your shoes fit properly?你的鞋适合吗？

4 manners   

n.礼貌；规矩

参考例句：

• You should mend your manners.你的态度应当纠正。
• His manners are rough,but he is a kind man at heart.他虽然举止粗鲁，但心地善良。

5 tips   

abbr.Tax Intercept Programs 税务拦截计划；to insure prompt service (gratuities) 确保快捷服务（赏金）；topical information packages 论题信息包n.顶端( tip的名词复数 )；倾斜；末端；（鸟或飞机的）翼尖v.（使）某物侧边提高，倾斜，翻倒( tip的第三人称单数 )；给小费；将（所盛之物）倒出；轻打

参考例句：

• the tips of your fingers 手指尖
• See Tips&Tricks for an exploit. 参见Tips&Tricks章节。 来自互联网

6 unlike   

adj.不同的，不相似的；prep.不像，和...不同

参考例句：

• She's very unlike her mother.她一点也不像她母亲。
• It's unlike him to be late;he's usually on time.他不是会迟到的那种人，他通常很准时。