Culture

Your Gender:

Male

Female

1. From your point of view, which of the following are the most important differences between your mother tongue and English?

A. grammar

B. language style (e.g. preciseness, elegancy)

C. pronunciation

D. no obvious differences

2. Have you ever encountered cultural differences reflected during your English learning?

3. If you have, which are the main cultural differences?

A. customs and practices

B. beliefs

C. living styles

D. outlooks

E. people’s personality (gentle, outgoing, precise, etc.)

F. history

G. social environment

4. Which of the following are the most correct descriptions of you?

A. I immediately get used to the new culture

B. It takes some time for me to adapt to the new culture

C. I have tried, but it is rather hard for me to get used to it

D. I would never adapt to it

5. Have you ever felt puzzled or perplexed when learning the new culture?

A. Yes, I found a lot of differences and conflicts btw the two cultures and had no idea of where to go

B. I am a little puzzled, but I often make myself agreeable to the new culture

C. I am a little puzzled, but I often keep myself consistent with the original one

D. I have had a clear idea of the two since the very beginning and seldom feel puzzled

E. I feel puzzled sometimes, but I usually forget it soon

6. English is helpful for you because_______________

A. Learning English prepares me to know more about other new cultures, which is rather exciting for me

B. Learning English enhances my better understanding of my own culture, and the way and extent I understand my culture now did not often appear to me before

C. Learning English is mainly a tool and means for me to communicate with people from other corners of the world

D. Learning English is a process that I have to go in order to be more competent in competition.

7. Do you often give cultural comparison and thought to the target culture and your original one?

A. Yes, I do. Whenever I meet differences btw the two, I would think about it carefully and seriously, and would finally come up with some new understanding.

B. I make up my mind to think about it sometimes, but it is always a too complicate and time-consuming job, so I usually end up with nothing definite

C. It sounds a good idea, but it is so troublesome that I usually give up when I am beginning to do so

D. I am seldom so boresome as to do so, for it does not affect my study or my life much

8. Which of the following are true to you, in terms of the relation btw the two cultures (the target culture and your own culture)?

A. They are two totally unrelated, very different in all kinds of aspects

B. They are mostly divergent and have few similarities or relations

C. they are related and similar in many areas

D. I can not tell clearly

9. Does learning English have some effects on your understanding of your own culture? If it does, are the effects positive or negative?

A. Yes, learning English and other cultures leads to my understanding my own culture from new perspectives and I have a better idea of some of its aspects that once puzzled me most

B. Yes, learning English leads me to a totally new world. I find all kinds of novelty and fancy that gradually I find more and more shortcomings of my own culture.

C. Yes, learning English gives me everything new and it requires much effort to master it that I mostly have little time to learn more about my own culture, even though I have the intention to.

D. I don’t see any obvious effects. My understanding of my own culture is neither decreased nor improved.

10. After you have learned English and new cultures some time, you find_________________

A. I am pleased to find my gradual personal growth. I am capable of being integrated and living harmonically in cultural communication.

B. I come across quite a lot of frictions and conflicts btw two cultures and I usually hesitate btw them.

C. As I learn more about new cultures, I become more and more approval of my own culture for its many an advantages, and reject the new one.

D. As I learn more about the new culture, its advantages become more and more obvious.

11. Do you think you are greatly affected by new cultures after you learn English?

A. Yes, I have been changed quite a lot since I began to learn English

B. No, I am still exactly what I was before I began to learn English

C. Not really. Some of my views and behaviors have been changed, but I still basically maintain my personality. (For example_______________)

D. Sorry, I am not clear about that.

12. In what way does learning English and new cultures affect you?_____

A. personal views

B. living styles

C. tastes for clothes, furniture, etc.

D. hobbies

E. my character (becomes more outgoing, passionate, considerate, etc.)

13. In what kinds of views does learning English and new cultures affect you?____________
Views towards:

14. Have you ever fall into the situation that you find yourself unable to express your idea with your mother tongue. For example, when you want to speak out something, an English word rather than a Chinese one comes into your mind?

A. Yes, a lot of times. I find English is of more use in expressing myself.

B. Yes, sometimes, and it become more frequent as I learn more English.

C. Yes, occasionally.

D. Seldom. My English is not so good as to take the place of my mother tongue.

E. Never. I speak and think in my mother tongue all of the time.

15. What aspects of the two cultures do you appreciate most respectively?
1) Your original culture:_______

2) The new culture___________

If you are now living in an English-speaking country, please answer the questions below.
1. Who are you more willing to make friends with? foreign friends, friends of your own country or both?

A. Both (Go on with Q2)

B. Foreign friends (Go on with Q3)

C. Friends of my own country (Go on with Q4)

2. Why do you like to make friends with both? Because ______

A. I always find differences and things in common between foreigners and us Chinese so that through comparison and contrast I conclude new ideas of culture clash.

B. I find no difference making friends with others from what I do in my own country.

C. It is fun to have friends from both countries.

D. Other reason

3. Why do you like to make friends with foreign friends? Because ______

A. I always find their culture different from my own and thus can learn something new through comparing the two cultures.

B. This is one way to improve my proficiency of English.

C. I like foreigners; they are exotic, interesting and quite different from people of my own country.

D. Other reason

4. Why do you like to make friends with people of your own country? Because _____

A. We always share the topics related to our own culture.

B. We speak the same language and it is easy for me to communicate with them.

C. It is of convenience to have intercourse with them for some reason, e.g., we live together or near each other. (Your reason______)

D. I don’t like foreigners.

E. Other reason