Don't touch! We are English!

English people think that you should avoid （避免） physical contact （接触） with strangers. When they ride on an underground train or stand in a crowded lift,   they keep themselves to themselves. They read on trains or buses so that they don't have to talk to people they don't know. They try to avoid eye contact with other people.

Research has shown that the English are much more aware （有意识的） of their personal space than other nationalities,   especially the Irish or the Scots. The Irish and the Scots look relaxed and comfortable with physical contact.The English don't like much physical contact, even with friends.And they can be unhappy if you touch them unexpectedly（出乎意料地）. You should never,   for example,   touch an English person on the shoulder if you want to catch his or her attention（注意力）. It's safe to cough or say, " Excuse me?"

When the English meet people for the first time,   they shake hands,   but then move further away very quickly.Other nationalities, such as Spanish people or Egyptians, move closer to someone they are speaking to, but not the English. The English think you shouldn't get too close because it shows you want to have a close connection with them. And they almost never kiss people they have just met at a party when they are leaving.

The Richmond family left their home in Cardiff two years ago. They went to live in Los Angeles. We asked them about the differences between their old life in Britain and their new life in the USA.

Do you have any foreign friends? Do you know their characteristics（特征）?

The Germans are very quiet and they always keep calm. They don’t like to speak more words. They look very serious. They like different kinds of amusements（娱乐）. The Germans are very hard-working. They like tidiness, especially the women, who always keep their home clean.

In some ways, the Englishmen look the same as the Germans. They are very quiet and never talk too much with the strangers. They are really polite, so we often hear they say “Thank you.” or “Sorry.” The gentlemen are also the Englishmen.

The French’s holidays are very long. They like traveling and usually spend their long time staying in other countries. The Frenchmen are more outgoing than the Germans. It is very easy to make friends with them.

Compared to the Frenchmen, the Americans are more outgoing. And they are even opener than all of the Europeans（欧洲人）. They don’t like to depend on others. So it is very common that the students do part-time jobs in their free time. And in Americans’ eyes, success is an important part in their life.