阅读理解
As we know, there are differences between
Western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay
attention to the way words are used. Let's look at the words about animals and
plants. Most expressions in Chinese are about the dog, for example, "a
homeless dog" "a mad dog" "a running dog" and "a
dog catching a mouse", having negative meanings. But in Western
countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans. In
English, people use the dog to describe positive things. For example, "you
are a lucky dog" means "you are a lucky person". And "every
dog has its day" means "each person has good luck some time". To
describe a person's serious illness, they say "sick as a dog". The
word "dog-tired" means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very
much. But in Western culture, "cat" is often used to describe a woman
who is cruel(无情的) .
The rose is a symbol of love in both China
and some Western countries. People think the rose means love, peace, courage
and friendship. And the rose is a kind of important flowers in England, America
and many other countries.
The words about plants and animals are used
in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many
differences in culture by comparing how some words are used.
