新視野大學英語2讀寫教程第一單元課文原文

課文指教科書中的正文，區別於註釋和習題等，一般在語文或地理中出現。英語，有對話和短文。下面我們來看看新視野大學英語2讀寫教程unit 1 Time-Conscious Americans課文原文吧。

Section A

Pre-reading Activities

First Listening

Please listen to a short passage carefully and prepare to answer some questions.

Second Listening

Listen to the tape again. Then answer the following questions with your own experiences.

1) What precious resource do Americans value and save?

2) What are the three kinds of behaviors that Americans consider to be a waste of time?

3) In what different ways do Americans approach time in business relations?

Time-Conscious Americans

Americans believe no one stands still. If you are not moving ahead, you are falling behind. This attitude results in a nation of people committed to researching, experimenting and exploring. Time is one of the two elements that Americans save carefully, the other being labor.

"We are slaves to nothing but the clock," it has been said. Time is treated as if it were something almost real. We budget it, save it, waste it, steal it, kill it, cut it, account for it; we also charge for it. It is a precious resource. Many people have a rather acute sense of the shortness of each lifetime. Once the sands have run out of a person's hourglass, they cannot be replaced. We want every minute to count.

A foreigner's first impression of the U.S. is likely to be that everyone is in a rush — often under pressure. City people always appear to be hurrying to get where they are going, restlessly seeking attention in a store, or elbowing others as they try to complete their shopping. Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in this country. Working time is considered precious. Others in public eating-places are waiting for you to finish so they, too, can be served and get back to work within the time allowed. You also find drivers will be abrupt and people will push past you. You will miss smiles, brief conversations, and small exchanges with strangers. Don't take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else "wasting" it beyond a certain appropriate point.

Many new arrivals to the States will miss the opening exchanges of a business call, for example. They will miss the ritual interaction that goes with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee that may be a convention in their own country. They may miss leisurely business chats in a restaurant or coffee house. Normally, Americans do not assess their visitors in such relaxed surroundings over extended small talk; much less do they take them out for dinner, or around on the golf course while they develop a sense of trust. Since we generally assess and probe professionally rather than socially, we start talking business very quickly. Time is, therefore, always ticking in our inner ear.

Consequently, we work hard at the task of saving time. We produce a steady flow of labor-saving devices; we communicate rapidly through faxes, phone calls or emails rather than through personal contacts, which though pleasant, take longer — especially given our traffic-filled streets. We, therefore, save most personal visiting for after-work hours or for social weekend gatherings.

To us the impersonality of electronic communication has little or no relation to the significance of the matter at hand. In some countries no major business is conducted without eye contact, requiring face-to-face conversation. In America, too, a final agreement will normally be signed in person. However, people are meeting increasingly on television screens, conducting "teleconferences" to settle problems not only in this country but also — by satellite — internationally.

The U. S. is definitely a telephone country. Almost everyone uses the telephone to conduct business, to chat with friends, to make or break social appointments, to say "Thank you", to shop and to obtain all kinds of information. Telephones save the feet and endless amounts of time. This is due partly to the fact that the telephone service is superb here, whereas the postal service is less efficient.

Some new arrivals will come from cultures where it is considered impolite to work too quickly. Unless a certain amount of time is allowed to elapse, it seems in their eyes as if the task being considered were insignificant, not worthy of proper respect. Assignments are, consequently, felt to be given added weight by the passage of time. In the U. S., however, it is taken as a sign of skillfulness or being competent to solve a problem, or fulfill a job successfully, with speed. Usually, the more important a task is, the more capital, energy, and attention will be poured into it in order to "get it moving".

Section B

Culture Shock

Do you think studying in a different country is something that sounds very exciting? Like many young people who leave home to study in another country, do you think you would have lots of desirable fun? Certainly, it is a new experience, which brings the opportunity of discovering fascinating things and a feeling of freedom. In spite of these advantages, however, there are also some challenges you will encounter. Because your views may clash with the different beliefs, norms, values, and traditions that exist in different countries, you may have difficulty adjusting to a new culture and to those parts of the culture not familiar to you. This is culture shock. Evidently, at least four essential stages of culture-shock adjustment occur.

The first stage is called "the honeymoon". In this stage, you feel excitement about living in a different place, and everything seems to be marvelous. You like everything, and everybody seems to be so nice to you. Also, the amusement of life in a new culture seems as though it will have no ending.

Eventually, however, the second stage of culture shock appears. This is the "hostility stage". You begin to notice that not everything is as good as you had originally thought it was. You become tired of many things about the new culture. Moreover, people don't treat you like a guest anymore. Everything that seemed to be so wonderful at first is now awful, and everything makes you feel distressed and tired.

Usually at this point in your adjustment to a new culture, you devise some defense mechanisms to help you cope and to protect yourself against the effects of culture shock. One type of coping mechanism is called "repression". This happens when you pretend that everything is acceptable and that nothing bothers you. Another type of defense mechanism is called "regression". This occurs when you start to act as if you are younger than you actually are; you act like a child. You forget everything, and sometimes you become careless and irresponsible. The third kind of defense mechanism is called "isolation". You would rather be home alone, and you don't want to communicate with anybody. With isolation, you try to avoid the effects of culture shock, or at least that's what you think. Isolation is one of the worst coping mechanisms you can use because it separates you from those things that could really help you. The last type of defense mechanism is called "rejection". With this coping mechanism, you think you don't need anybody. You feel you are coping fine alone, so you don't try to ask for help.

The defense mechanisms you utilize in the hostility stage are not helpful. If you only occasionally use one of these coping mechanisms to help yourself survive, that is acceptable. You must be cautious, however. These mechanisms can really hurt you because they prevent you from making necessary adjustments to the new culture.

After you deal with your hostile feelings, recognition of the temporary nature of culture shock begins. Then you come to the third stage called "recovery". In this stage, you start feeling more positive, and you try to develop comprehension of everything you don't understand. The whole situation starts to become more favorable; you recover from the symptoms of the first two stages, and you adjust yourself to the new norms, values, and even beliefs and traditions of the new country. You begin to see that even though the distinctions of the culture are different from your own, it has elements that you can learn to appreciate.

The last stage of culture shock is called "adjustment". In this stage, you have reached a point where you actually feel good because you have learned enough to understand the new culture. The things that initially made you feel uncomfortable or strange are now things that you understand. This acquisition of understanding alleviates much of the stress. Now you feel comfortable; you have adjusted to the new culture.

Evidently, culture shock is something you cannot avoid when living in a foreign country. It does not seem like a very helpful experience when you are going through its four stages. However, when you have completely adjusted to a new culture you can more fully enjoy it. You learn how to interact with other people, and you learn a considerable amount about life in a culture that is not your own. Furthermore, learning about other cultures and how to adjust to the shock of living in them helps you learn more about yourself.

Section C

Adjustment to a New Culture

I had to find more friends. After several weeks in school I knew a couple of students but saw them only a few minutes, perhaps three times a week. I decided to learn a few more names. I came ten minutes early to my News Media and U.S. Government class. Two young women, one black and one white, were already there. I told myself to be aggressive and went up to them.

"Hi." I tried to be casual. "My name is Liu Zongren. I come from Beijing, China." I stressed Beijing, hoping that might create some attention.

"Oh, really? How do you find it here? " The white woman seemed interested.

I couldn't understand what she meant. "I came here by plane, of course." I must have looked lost. The white woman added quickly, "I mean, do you like this country?"

"Well, I don't know. " How foolish I was. Why had I said this?

"My name is Ann. This is Geri."

Several other students had arrived by now. I didn't know if the two women wanted to go on talking. I began feeling nervous when I realized I was standing in the middle of the classroom.

Ann started to move away. "Glad to meet you, Mr.— "

"Liu," I said in haste, "Just call me Liu. My last, no, my first name is too hard to pronounce."

"Glad to meet you, Mr. Liu," Ann repeated.

"Thank you," I said, my face turning red. I wondered what I had thanked them for, as I made my way to a seat.

After the class began, most of what the professor said escaped my ears and I left as soon as the lecture ended. I had no other class that day and I didn't want to go back to the loneliness of the McKnight house, so I explored around the grounds. Many students were entering a particular lecture hall. I stopped and checked my list of classes. It was a history class. Good.

I went in. I sat in a seat away from the lecture stand. Nobody paid any attention to me. I saw several Asian faces among the crowd. I relaxed, took out my notebook, and opened the school newspaper, pretending to be an old hand. A young man sat down beside me and smiled. It was five minutes until class. Perhaps I could strike up a conversation with this friendly looking man. I started my set introduction. "My name is Liu Zongren. I come from Beijing, China."

"Glad to meet you. My name is George Christi." He seemed ready to talk.

"Please write down your name for me." I handed my notebook to him. "You know, it is very hard for me to remember American names without seeing them spelled out." I said this out of a desire to speak two more sentences, rather than as an explanation. I looked at what he wrote. "Is yours the same name as that British woman who writes mystery novels? "

"Sort of," he answered.

Seeing me at a loss, he asked, "How do you like the weather here?"

"Much the same as that in Beijing. We have cold winters, too."

"I hope someday I can go to Beijing."

"You'll be welcome. If you wait for two years, I can show you around." I was so very eager to make a friend of him.

Unfortunately, the professor appeared and the class began. I would be sure to come to this class again and locate this friendly person.

I didn't try my luck anymore that afternoon. Instead I found a seat in the library and tried to finish some assignments. I took out my books, but my mind refused to absorb anything. I glanced around the library; some students were doing their homework; a few were dozing on the sofa along the wall. Looking at those tired students, I remembered an article in the newspaper had reported that the 1981 fees would be $6,900. How could I blame them for not wanting to talk to me? Costs were so high; they had to put their time and energy into their studies.

I closed my books and began a letter to Fengyun, but couldn't finish it. Sad, I packed up my books and walked slowly back to my room. I knew my sadness came not only from missing my family, but also from the frustration of being unable to learn. People in Beijing must be thinking I was enjoying myself here in the richest country in the world. Yet I was suffering, not because people in America were not accepting me, but because they didn't understand me and didn't seem to care how I felt — and because I didn't understand them, either. After my three classes each day, I walked without aim around the grounds like a lost soul. I had no place to go.

I felt better when dusk fell, knowing that another day had passed.

新視野大學英語課文翻譯

Unit1SectionA

我哥哥吉米出生時遇上難產，因爲缺氧導致大腦受損。兩年後，我出生了。從此以後，我的生活便圍繞我哥哥轉。伴隨我成長的，是“到外面去玩，把你哥哥也帶上。”不帶上他，我是哪裏也去不了的。因此，我慫恿鄰居的孩子到我家來，盡情地玩孩子們玩的遊戲。我母親教吉米學習日常自理，比如刷牙或系皮帶什麼的。我父親宅心仁厚，他的耐心和理解使一家人心貼着心。我則負責外面的事，找到那些欺負我哥哥的孩子們的父母，告他們的狀，爲我哥哥討回公道。父親和吉米形影不離。他們一道吃早飯，平時每天早上一道開車去海軍航運中心，他們都在那裏工作，吉米在那搬卸標有彩色代號的箱子。晚飯後，他們一道交談，玩遊戲，直到深夜。他們甚至用口哨吹相同的曲調。所以，父親1991年因心臟病去世時，吉米幾乎崩潰了，儘管他儘量不表現出來。他就是不能相信父親去世這一事實。通常，他是一個令人愉快的人，現在卻一言不發，無論說多少話都不能透過他木然的臉部表情瞭解他的心事。我僱了一個人和他住在一起，開車送他去上班。然而，不管我怎麼努力地維持原狀，吉米還是認爲他熟悉的世界已經消失了。有一天，我問他：“你是不是想念爸爸？”他的嘴脣顫抖了幾下，然後問我：“你怎麼看，瑪格麗特？他是我最好的朋友。”接着，我倆都流下了眼淚。六個月後，母親因肺癌去世，剩下我一人來照顧吉米。吉米不能馬上適應去上班時沒有父親陪着，因此搬來紐約和我一起住了一段時間。我走到哪裏他就跟到哪裏，他好像適應得很好。但吉米依然想住在我父母的房子裏，繼續幹他原來的工作。我答應把他送回去。此事最後做成了。如今，他在那裏生活了11年，在許多人的照料下，同時依靠自己生活得有聲有色。他已成了鄰里間不可或缺的人物。如果你有郵件要收，或有狗要遛，他就是你所要的人。當然，母親的話沒錯：可以有一個家，既能容納他的缺陷又能裝下我的雄心。事實上，關照像吉米這樣一個深愛又感激我的人，更加豐富了我的生活，其他任何東西都不能與之相比。這一點，在9·11災難後幾天更顯真切。那天是吉米57歲生日。我在紐約自己的家裏爲他舉辦生日宴會，但是我們家的人都沒能來參加，因爲交通困難，而且災難帶來的恐懼使他們依然心有餘悸。我邀請了我的好友，請他們來幫忙把宴會弄得熱鬧些，增加點歡快氣氛，沒去理會他們多數人在情感上都有些疲憊這一事實。於是我一反常態，沒說“請不要帶禮物”，而是向他們喊“請帶禮物來”。我的朋友──吉米認識他們多年了──帶來了中意的禮物：鄉村音樂CD、一件長袖運動衫、一條有“吉米”字樣的皮帶、一頂編織的羊毛帽，還有一套牛仔

服。那天晚上，我們先是送禮物，然後是切從他喜歡的麪包店裏買來的巧克力蛋糕，當然還唱了“生日歌”，否則宴會就不算完整了。吉米一次次地問：“該切蛋糕了吧？”等用完餐和送完禮物後，吉米再也控制不住了。他焦急地等着點上蠟燭，然後在我們“生日快樂”的歌聲中，一口長氣吹滅了蠟燭。戶然而吉米對我們的努力還是感到不滿足。他縱身跳到椅子上，直挺着身子，雙手食指朝天，一邊喊一邊指揮我們唱歌：“再──來──次！”我們全力以赴地唱。待我們唱完時，他翹起兩個拇指喊道：“好極了！”本來我們想讓他知道，無論世上有多難的事情，總是有人來關心他。現在反倒是提醒了我們自己。對於吉米來說，我們唱歌時的愛心，是他心中額外的禮物，但是他原先更想看到的，是別人再次感到快樂。有如父親的去世一夜之間改變了吉米的世界，9·11也改變了我們的生活；我們熟悉的世界不復存在了。但是，當我們爲吉米唱歌，相互緊擁，祈禱全球和平時，我們也意識到，朋友、家人間永恆的愛和支援可以讓我們克服生活中的任何困難。吉米以樸素的方式爲我們協調了眼前的一切，他做到這一點並不令人吃驚。吉米的愛可以征服一切，這是任何東西都限制不了的。

Unit1SectionB

時值秋夜，在我的故鄉新斯科舍，小雨淅瀝，輕叩錫鐵屋頂。我們週末度假寄住的古老小屋，瀰漫着一股黴味。空氣寒冷得讓人發抖，於是我們點上了富蘭克林取暖爐。我們悠然地喝着熱朱古力，接着父親走向立式鋼琴，捲起襯衣袖，伸出一指敲一曲。他算不上一個鋼琴家，可他知道歌中的情、家中的愛。母親放下手中的針線活，和他同坐在一條凳子上，然後我哥哥也快緩步走向鋼琴。最後，不太能唱歌卻能拉拉小提琴的我也湊熱鬧唱了一兩句。一向體貼人的父親說：“你看，你也可以唱的，寶貝。唱得很好。”我常常記得成長的過程中感受到的溫暖、幸福和關愛。雖然我花了好些年才知道，家人的愛不是憑空產生的。葉事實上，愛從來就不是憑空產生的，甚至對那些看上去像我父母那樣天生充滿愛的人來說也一樣。但是，我願打賭，你必須生活於一個構架之中，方能讓愛這一無與倫比的禮物瓜熟蒂落。首先，愛需要時間。也許人們可以一眼看到愛的可能，見面幾周後就鄭重宣佈“我愛你”等等，但是這樣的愛，相當於剛開始爬山，而這漫長的爬山之路充滿着起起落落。瓜熟蒂落之愛就像一個有生命的機體。它跟一棵橡樹的生命一樣，從土裏的一粒種子開始，慢慢地長成幾乎無葉的細枝，最後枝繁葉茂、足以遮蔭，成就其輝煌。我們不可調控或者加速其成長所需的年月，相反，我們必須用才智和耐心，始終欣賞相互間的差異，分享彼此的快樂和痛苦。因此，如果因小怒而離婚，父母孩子相互不信任，在第一次受傷害後中斷友誼，或不再相信愛，那是令人痛心的'事情。我們常常未經深思熟慮就向某人說“再見”，結果付出了非常昂貴的感

情代價。我曾經認識一對父子，他們被各自的生活困難困擾，多年來距離越拉越遠，結果相互間幾乎沒話可說，而相互間沒了依靠，他們的生活變得空虛。兒子大學畢業後的那個夏天，打算開着黃色老卡車到連通全國的雙車道公路上週遊一番（那時還沒有免費高速公路）。有一天，在準備出發時，他看見父親沿着繁忙的街道走來。父親熟悉的臉上帶着的孤苦令他震動。他邀父親停下來喝杯啤酒。衝動之下，他說：“來吧，爸爸。讓我們一塊兒度過一個夏天吧。”他父親是個傢俱推銷商。雖然冒着家裏生意受損失的大風險，父親還是跟兒子走了。他們一道宿營，一道爬山，一道坐在海邊，一道探索城市的街道和幽靜的鄉村。在他們旅行後不久，他父親告訴我：“在過去的兩個月裏，我學到的爲父之道比我在我兒子成長的21年的歲月裏學到的都多。”每個人的生活，都應該爲愛的人留出空間，爲我們愛的人抽出我們認爲抽不出的時間是值得的。我們不應該誤導自己，認爲我們所愛的人必須像自己一樣。關鍵是認可和欣賞我們間的差異。這些差異使得人們之間的關係有了一絲神祕和新奇。愛也需要另一種更爲難得的能力──放手的能力。在我結婚的頭幾年，我錯誤地認爲我丈夫應該想時刻和我在一起。我們第一次去拜訪他家時，我發現他們家的人做事時男的和男的在一起，女的與女的在一起。我公公佔了我的位子，坐到前車座我丈夫的旁邊。他倆常常一道出去，將我留下和女人們在一起。我向我丈夫抱怨，讓他夾在他所愛的人當中，痛苦不堪。我婆婆說得好：“和父親在一起是他生活的一部分；和你在一起是另一部分。你對二者都該感到高興啊。”我明白，愛就像根鬆緊帶，在它將你們緊緊拉在一起之前，必須先鬆開。愛又像涌來的潮水，一浪過後先退卻一點，下一浪纔會比前一浪離你的心更近。最後，愛需要言語來實現。沒有言語，爭吵不能得到解決，這樣我們就失去了分享自己生活意義的能力。重要的是承認並表達自己的情感。這樣，我們才能真正使我們自己和我們所愛的人興高采烈。愛不是一次性的行爲，而是一生的探索。我們總是在這種探索中學習、發現和成長。一次失敗不能毀滅愛，一次親吻也不能贏得愛。唯有耐心和理解才能得到愛。

Unit3SectionA

海德中學的辦學宗旨是：如果你向學生傳授諸如求真、勇敢、正直、領導能力、好奇心和關心他人等美德的話，學生的學習成績自然就會提高。該校的創始人約瑟夫·高爾德聲稱學校的教學很成功。海德中學位於緬因州巴思市，每年的學費高達1.8萬美元，因其教導問題少年有方而聞名遐邇。“我們並不把自己看作一所專爲某一類孩子而開設的學校，”馬爾科姆·高爾德說。他是約瑟夫的兒子，畢業於海德中學，現任海德中學校長。“我們把幫助孩子培養一種生活方式看作自己的職責，辦法是倡導一整套能影響所有孩子的價值觀念。”現在，喬·高爾德(約瑟夫·高爾德)正試圖將他尚有爭議的“品德第一”的理念向舊城區的公立學

校推廣。這些學校願意將用於傳統教學計劃的稅金用於實施這一新的教學方法。海德公立學校第一個教學計劃始於1992年9月。但幾個月後，該計劃即告暫停。教師們對教學計劃的高要求以及高強度工作所帶來的壓力錶示抗議。今年秋天，海德基金會計劃在巴爾的摩啓動初步的公立學校教學計劃。教師要接受培訓，以便今後能在整個巴爾的摩體系內勝任工作。美國其他學校的領導們也在關注這個教學計劃。去年秋天，在家長的一片抗議聲中，海德基金會在康涅狄格州紐黑文市郊區的一所中學內啓動了一個引人注目的教學計劃。當地居民擔心該校可能招進來舊城區的少數民族學生和問題學生。就像在緬因州那樣，求真也在康涅狄格州的這所中學得到廣泛推崇。在一堂英語課上，11名學生用最後的5分鐘展開激烈的討論，依照1－10的評分標準相互評價他們當天的課堂表現。“我得10分。”“我有意見。你既沒做語法作業，也沒做拼寫練習。”“那好，就7分吧。”“你只能得6分。”“等等，我可是全力以赴的。”“是的，可你今天沒提問。”在解釋自己的教育方法時，喬·高爾德指出，對傳統的教育體制不能

只是改革。他說“無論怎樣改革”，用馬和馬車“是改革不出汽車的”。海德中學認爲“每一個人都有自己的獨特潛能”，這種潛能的基礎是品格而不是智力或財富。良知和苦幹受到推崇。成功由不斷進步來衡量，而不是由學習成績來評定。學生必須相互負責。爲了避免美國中學使用的其他品格培養方案所引發的爭議，高爾德解釋說，“全力以赴”這一概念並不是要強迫學生接受某一套道德原則或宗教觀念。海德中學的課程與那些爲升入大學做準備的傳統學校所開設的課程相似，包括英語、歷史、數學和自然科學。但所有的學生都必須選修表演藝術和體育，還要提供社區服務。在每門課程中，學生都會得到一個綜合了學習成績和“努力程度”的分數。在巴思市，97%的海德中學畢業生都升入了大學本科。在海德中學的綜合教育中，父母的參與是一個關鍵的組成部分。爲了使孩子被該校錄取，家長也必須同意接受並實踐學校的思想和觀點。家長們簽約同意每月出席一次區域小組會議(共20個區域小組)，每年去區域休養所三天，每年至少參加三次巴思市的研修班、討論組和研討會。在很多活動中，緬因州學生家長的出席率高達95%。喬和馬爾科姆·高爾德都說，當孩子們見到自己的父母都在全力以赴時，他們也會竭盡全力。他們說，對許多家長而言，最困難的是讓他們意識到自己的不足。公立學校學生家長的活動計劃仍在制定之中。這項工作的困難要大得多，因爲很難使家長相信他們的參與很有價值。在紐黑文市錄取的100名學生中，有30%左右的家長出席了各類特別會議。這一低出席率違背了他們在教學計劃開始實施時所做的承諾，當時海德中學的官員曾與300個家庭進行了面談。巴思市一名在公立學校教書達14年之久的教師說，一旦問題得到解決，海德教學計劃就會在公立學校中獲得成功。他樂觀地認爲，一旦家長們投入到計劃當中，他們就會成爲孩子們日常行爲的榜樣，這與寄宿學

校的學生家長完全不同。一名曾任教於舊城區學校的教師如今在從事紐黑文教學計劃。他說，教師也能從中受益。“在這裏，我們真正開始集中精力與每一個學生建立卓有成效的關係。我們的重點真的是先考慮師生關係，然後是師生共同探討學業。而在傳統的中學裏，是先考慮教師和教材的關係，然後再考慮師生關係。”師生關係在海德中學被進一步深化了。對教職員工的評估由學生來進行。19歲的吉米·迪巴蒂斯塔今年5月將從巴思校區畢業，並準備升入大學。對此他感到驚奇。幾年前，他還覺得自己的前途“是在監獄，而不是在大學”。迪巴蒂斯塔還記得他剛到海德中學時的情景。“我來這兒時，見人就侮辱，就咒罵。其他每所學校都會說：?滾出去！我們這兒不要你。?我來到這兒，他們卻說：?我們有幾分喜歡這種活力，但並不喜歡它消極的一面，我們要將它轉化成積極的東西。?”

Unit3SectionB

以國家爲背景探討解決問題或做出決策的方式就意味着研究許多複雜的文化因素。它意味着設法評估這些因素對現代生活的影響，也意味着把握目前正在發生的變化。在日本，最重要的是你爲什麼單位工作。

在對取向或決策過程進行分析時，這一點尤爲重要。

至少，它說明了美國工作流動性大而相比而言日本工作穩定性高的原因。

儘管我們在許多方面存在差異，但這些差異並無優劣之分。

一種特定的管理行爲模式是由多個獨特的文化因素複合發展而成的──因而僅在一定的文化中起作用。

讓我來描述一下三四種日本文化的特徵，它們以某種方式影響着決策以及解決問題的方式。

這些特徵是相互聯繫的。

首先，在日本，任何處理問題的方法或任何談判都體現着“你對你”的方式，這有別於西方“我對你”的方式。

差別在於：在“我對你”的方式中，雙方都坦率地從自己的觀點出發提出主張──他們說出自己想要什麼，希望得到什麼。

如此一來就形成了對峙的局面，西方人也十分善於應付對峙局面。

日本人所採用的“你對你”方式則立足於雙方──自然而然地並常常是下意識地──力圖理解對方的觀點。

因此，會晤的目標是雙方共同努力減少對峙，謀求和諧。

第二個特點基於“一致共識”及“由下而上”的原則。