It is time to get on the flight.Ding Rui said good bye to Li Yi and Sarah Xu.She walked downstairs at the sign of Gate 36 and walked into a corridor.There are free China Daily and New York Times.She took one China Daily and one New York Times.When she got on the plane, the airhostess directed her to her seat that was an aisle one.There was an announcement:
“Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen:
The crew of United Airlines, Flight UA716 has the pleasure of welcoming you aboard. Would you please put your seat in the upright position, fasten your seat belts and lock your table in place.We will be taking off in a few minutes.You are reminded that smoking is not permitted at any time during flight.Use of all electronic equipment is banned during taking off and landing.Please make sure your telephone is switched off for the duration of the flight.Please use your‘call button’if you require assistance, our crew will attend to your needs.Thank you for choosing the United Airlines.”
Ding Rui fastened her safety belt and looked out of the window. The airplane was taxiing to its runway.Suddenly her ears felt a little uncomfortable and she knew the airplane was taking off.She opened her bag and took the book“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”.She started to read.She felt it was necessary to go to restroom.She unfastened the belt and stood up.She walked to the restroom.A stewardess extended her two hands in parallel with two palms facing floor, then raised one slantingly.Ding Rui understood the gesture.She indicated that she should go back because the airplane was still taking off.Ding Rui followed her order.
Time went quickly. Now they were near Japan and it was lunch time.Two stewardesses serviced rice, Japanese sashimi, coffee and other soft drinks.The girl in the window seat put her share of sashimi into Ding Rui’s plate.
“Please help me. I can not enjoy it,”said she.
“Thank you,”said Ding Rui.
“It is interesting to enjoy another country's meal when the airplane flies near her,”thought she.
Ding Rui had a nice sleep. When she woke up, she was over the USA.She was very excited.She looked out of the window and saw thousands of cars along the roads.The cars were one after another.They were so small that they seemed like toy cars.
Ding Rui thought aloud:“The USA is nothing but cars.”
The stewardess handed her a customs form to fill out.
Another announcement:“Ladies and Gentlemen, the airplane is about to land. Please fasten your seatbelt.”
That was San Francisco Airport. Ding Rui walked out of the gate towards the USA customs officers.After she answered questions such as“Where will she go?”and her passport and visa were checked, she had her thumb print recorded and her photo taken against a blackboard with numbers on it.After checking out, she walked with crowds.She suddenly saw Anna and Jennifer who came to pick her at the airport.
登机的时间到了。丁瑞向李奕和萨拉·徐道别。在36门标志处,她走下楼梯,进入走廊。那里有免费的中国日报和纽约时报供读者阅读。她取了一份中国日报、一份纽约时报。走上飞机,空姐领她到座位上,那是个靠走廊的座位。广播响了:
“女士们、先生们:早上好!
联合航空公司,UA716航班全体机组人员和乘务人员欢迎您乘坐本次航班,深感荣幸!请将您的座椅调到竖立位置,系上您的安全带,锁住您的桌子。我们将在几分钟内起飞。请允许我们提醒:飞行期间,禁止抽烟,起飞和降落时,禁止使用一切电器,请确认,飞行期间,你的手机处在关闭状态,如果需要帮助,请使用您的呼叫按钮,我们的乘务员将会前来服务。非常感谢您选择了联合航空公司。”
系好安全带,丁瑞向窗外望去。飞机正滑向跑道。突然,她的耳朵有点不舒服,她知道飞机正在起飞。她打开包,取出那本《哈利·伯特和凤凰社》,读了起来。想上厕所了,她松开安全带,站起来向厕所走去。一个女乘务员平直伸出两手,手心向下,随后,一只手斜着抬起。丁瑞明白她手势的意思,飞机正在起飞,她让丁瑞回到座位上去。丁瑞照她的手势做了。
时间过得飞快。飞近日本,午饭时间到了。两位女乘务员送来了米饭、日本生鱼片,咖啡和其它软饮料。靠窗座位的女孩,把她的那份生鱼片放入丁瑞的盘子:
她说:“帮帮忙,我享受不了。”
丁瑞说:“谢谢!”
她想:“飞到一个国家,就享受那个国家的美食,真有趣!”
好好睡了一觉,丁瑞醒来时,飞机已经到美国上空了。她非常兴奋。从窗外望去,成千上万辆小汽车沿着公路跑着!一辆接着一辆。它们都那么小,像是玩具汽车。
丁瑞自言自语道:“美国就是汽车多。”
乘务员发给她一张海关报关单填写。
广播响了起来:“女士们、先生们,飞机就要着陆了,请您系好安全带!”
这是旧金山机场,出了机舱,丁瑞走向美国海关。回答了诸如“到哪里去?”之类的问题,检查了护照和签证,按了大拇指的指纹后,她拿着一块写有数字的黑板照了一张像。办完手续,随着人群出关,突然,她看到了到机场迎接她的安娜和詹尼弗。
1.boarding pass n. 登机牌(上飞机前,用飞机票的一页换登机牌)。
2.an aisle seat 靠过道的座位
3.window seat 靠窗的座位
4.crew n. 机组,全体机组人员
5.the United Airlines 美国联合航空公司
6.aboard prep. 在(飞机上、船上),adv. 上(飞机,船)
7.upright adj. 垂直的,直立的
8.fasten vt. 系紧,拴牢
9.take off 起飞
10.taxi vi. 滑行
11.runway n. 跑道
12.unfasten vt. 松开,解开
13.stewardess n. 女乘务员
14.extend vt. 伸开
15.parallel adj. 平行的
16.palm n. 手掌
17.slantingly adv. 倾斜地
18.sashimi n. 生鱼片
读书笔记__________________________________________________________
1.hard currency:硬通货,指在世界范围内都能够自由兑换的货币,如美元、欧元、日元、英镑、瑞士法郎,港币、澳大利亚元、加拿大元等。
2.I should learn to be independent in a country of individualists:美国是一个个人主义的国度。在《Eastern and Western Daily Culture 东西方日常文化》一书中,Jenny写道:
“个人主义和集体主义是人的本性、社会和人与人之间关系的两个矛盾的体系。个人主义是一种理论,坚持个体的政治和经济独立,强调个人意愿、行为和兴趣。但是,请理解:这种观点并不否认社会的存在,贬低或者否认人们在社会团体中生活的好处。相反,它把社会定义为个体的集合,并且声明,团体并不限制个人。
个人主义者认为,一个人只是被自己的能力限制,一个人不应当为他人做出牺牲。集体主义认为,个人的需求和目的,依靠集体。如果集体利益需要、集体发展需要牺牲,个人应当提供那种牺牲。”
3.English, German and Swedish are sisters in the same Language Branch, Indo-European
Language Family:英语、德语和瑞典语都属于印欧语系,日耳曼语族。日耳曼语族现存两个语支:
西日耳曼语支:英语、德语、荷兰语、佛莱芒语、依地语(犹太德语)、阿非利堪斯语(南非荷兰语)、卢森堡语、弗里西亚语等。
北日耳曼语支(斯堪的那维亚语支):瑞典语、丹麦语、挪威语、冰岛语等。
4.Power Distance权利距离,它是由吉尔特·霍夫斯塔德(GEERT HOFSTEDE)提出的用来衡量社会承认机构和组织内权力分配不平等的一种文化尺度。它所涉及的基本问题是人之不平等的问题,在等级制度中,上司B与下属S之间的权利距离是指B能决定S之行为的程度与S能决定B行为的程度的差异,通过权利距离指数来衡量。根据他的统计和计算:东方国家的权利距离差距-power distance gap大于西方国家,北欧国家的权利距离差距最小。
读书笔记__________________________________________________________