【英语周报】2015-2016学年人教版选修九Unit 3备课资料：文章 Culture.docVIP

Culture CustomsAustralia is a young and diverse nation and Australian people come from many different cultural backgrounds. As you settle in and make friends you will find that there is no such thing as a typical Australian. You will encounter a wide range of social customs, habits and perspectives on life that may be new and different from what you have experienced before. This section may help you to prepare for some of these new experiences. GreetingsAustralia is considered to be a relaxed, informal society. When greeting others in most situations, students and young people say Hello or Hi. Sometimes they will say Hows it going? or Gday. In more formal situations they usually shake hands the first time they meet. Good morning, Good afternoon or Pleased to meet you are formal greetings. When you say goodbye to someone informally, See you later or See you around are common. In a more formal situation you could say: It was a pleasure to meet you or It was nice to meet you. First names are used more frequently in Australia than in some other countries. Australians will often greet their friends and even people they dont know (both male and female) with Hey mate or Hows it going guys. An Australian may encourage you to use their given name (e.g. Call me Susan), in which case you will not need to continue to use their formal title. Often, Australian academics will encourage you to use their given name. The use of nicknames (or pet names) is very common. A nickname is usually used among friends, and is a sign of acceptance and friendship. The formal title or family name is usually only used in formal situations, when meeting someone for the first time, or when speaking to someone like a professor, medical doctor, politician or VIP. Titles such as Mr, Mrs, Ms or Dr are used with the surname or family name (e.g. Graham Williams is Mr Williams). In Australia it is customary to look someone in the eye when you are talking to him/her. It is not insulting to do this, but in