What is culture shock? It is a phenomenon that all types of outside experience, no matter if people work abroad for the first time or they are new in the field of foreign assignments. Often, it is the deeper cultural differences in mindset, customs and interpersonal interaction that lead to this phenomenon(现象)and turn cultural transition into a struggle.
◇An Emotional Roller-coaster(过山车)
Whereas every expatriate(侨民, 旅居国外者)will experience some form of culture shock, not everyone goes through all the well—known stages. Culture shock is a sense of anxiety and nervousness caused by being exposed to a strange environment and culture. However, it’s an essential part of the transition process: A willingness to work through it is the first step towards integration(融合).
Those who refuse to face it often fail to overcome it. This may result in great disillusionment. For some, the only logical solution is then going back home before the end of their assignment. Such expatriate failures occur particularly often in cases where the cultures of home and host country differ greatly.
The first step towards fighting this unavoidable phenomenon is to ask yourself “What is culture shock?” and try to understand it. Most experts describe it as a roller-coaster riding process where they experience waves of positive and negative feelings.
◇Minimizing the Effects
Culture shock is not a myth, but a predictable phenomenon. Anybody who spends more than just a vacation abroad has to go through it. Those who receive the least support on a professional and personal basis are usually hit the hardest. Expatriate spouses(配偶)in particular often feel lonely and angry when they experience life in a new cultural environment. If expatriates learn about the culture and people in their host countries in advance, they will be less shocked by obvious differences in social customs, religion, language or food.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “outside“ in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．outdoors | B．strange | C．overseas | D．special |
| A．cannot answer the question “What is culture shock” |
| B．faces culture shock fearlessly |
| C．is careful and stays away from culture shock |
| D．tries to ignore culture shock |
| A．Culture shock is everywhere and we can’t avoid it. |
| B．As long as you come from a foreign country, the degree of being hit by culture shock remains the same. |
| C．One thing we can do to get less hurt by culture shock is to learn ahead of time. |
| D．Family members such as husbands or wives of the expatriates usually get less culture shock. |
