清华大学新四级模拟题新题型2006fastreading.docVIP

Passage One Doing Business in Asia Many Westerners wanting to do business in Asian nations seek information and advice about things they need to know in order to be successful. By Westerners who have already been working in Asian nations, they are told to remember as priorities the five Fs: family, face, fate, favors and friends. Although they do have some subtle differences in meanings and connotations in different parts of Asia, nevertheless, Western businessmen need to be sensitive to these issues if .they wish to be successful. The five Fs are explained in the following way. Family: This means that business is often closely connected to family and that there is a family network that branches out regionally and internationally, providing efficient political, financial and emotional support, as well as distributing knowledge. This networking is particularly obvious among Chinese who control huge business segments in Asia and are by far the most successful business group in the region. Their large presence also helps------Singapore is 77 percent Chinese; Malaysia, 45 percent; Taiwan, a Chinese province, 99 percent. Indonesia and the Philippines also have sizable(相当的) and prosperous Chinese communities. It is explained that the importance of family goes back to Confucius, who taught that family represents relationships that one can trust. Although families in the West may be connected, theyre almost never as closely connected as in Confucian Asia. This family dependence is also true in Korea. The largest corporation in South Korea is Hyundai, a multibillion-dollar company. Headed by the eldest brother, the companys five major divisions are either managed by one of the five brothers, a brother-in-law or a son-in-law. Face: Two interpretations are given for the meaning of face. One is literal------Asians like to do business face-to-face. They want to put. a face together with a business, to recognize an individual and to associate an individual with a g