Being the biggest and the oldest in America， the Chinatown in San Francisco is a very popular tourist attraction， can be visited at any time of the year. The place used to be the （settle） of Chinese immigrants. With time （go）by，it turned into a centre for Chinese culture.
In the 1906 earthquake，most of Chinatown （destroy），but the city and residents rebuilt it，taking care to include lots of Chinese architecture，such the legendary Dragon Gate，the Tin How Temple and Bank of Canton. On Portsmouth Square， visitors can experience （tradition） Chinese culture in real life. You can find all kinds of souvenirs，goods，clothing and Chinese herbal medicine there. What's more，you can taste and buy （variety） of Chinese tea. The Chinese food there is （especial）appealing with traditional dishes from all over China.
Chinatowns play important part in the diverse culture of the USA. They allow visitors who have never been to China （experience） traditional Chinese culture first hand.
In America，we have a thing called stand-up comedy. This popular form of entertainment consists of a comedian standing up at the front of a club，holding a microphone，and telling jokes. Of course，comedy is popular in Chinese culture as well，but the performances are quite different from the style in the US. In China，it's called cross-talk，which usually involves two guys engaging in an entertaining dialogue.
It's believed that cross-talk came into being in the Qing Dynasty as a bit of a by-product of the imitation shows that were a popular form of entertainment in the Song Dynasty. After the PRC was established in 1949，this comedic art became more and more popular. Today，it's still heavily featured in the CCTV New Year's Gala programmes in China. The 1990s was the golden age of cross-talk；even foreigners studied the art of cross- talk. Mark Roswell，a Canadian named Da Shan in Chinese was relatively unknown in his native land but was a superstar in China. At the turn of the century，cross-talk began to decline，and many well-known actors left the stage.
There are four skills that are essential in cross-talk：speaking，imitating，teasing，and singing. Most of the time，it is performed with two actors—one serves as the lead actor while the other plays a support role. However，sometimes it is performed simply as a one-man show，and at other times there are several actors. In order to criticize something，the humor involved in cross-talk is satirical.
Every culture has set rules about how people should act. Patterns of good behavior，or manners，show respect and care for others.
Greeting people cheerfully is almost always considered polite. For example，when you enter a store in France，you should always greet the person working there. Other cultures also value greeting people. But of course the greetings vary as people speak different languages.
It creates and keeps the harmony（和谐）of human relationships and is used as greetings，encouragement and so on. In American society，people usually widely use praise and compliments，which plays an important role in communication. The right answer to others' praise and compliments is "thank you". However，refusing a compliment is accepted and even approved of in China.
Some of the biggest cultural differences have to do with table manners.That means chewing with your mouth closed and not slurping （出声地喝）your soup. The same goes for burping （打嗝）. But in parts of Asia，slurping shows that you are enjoying your meal. And burping is a sign of being full and content.
Saying "please" and "thank you"，for example，is almost always polite. If you show appreciation and try to follow local customs，people will generally respond well. Showing kindness can bring people together，no matter what culture they come from.
A. Yet the details of how to express respect vary. B. Yet there are also similar points across cultures. C. Diversity exists when it comes to the choice of food. D. Attitudes to praise and compliments can be different. E. But it's more important in some cultures than others. F. It's polite to eat as quietly as possible in North America. G. Praise and compliments is a kind of communicative action. |
