蓝鸽听力

Everyone is Culturally Ignorant About Something

Marco: I suppose you speak Japanese?

Fang: No, I'm Chinese.

Marco: Yeah, but you look Japanese! Do you speak Korean? You look Korean too.

Fang: (Sigh) Well, do you speak German?

Marco: No, I'm Italian. What does Italy have to do with Germany? They are culturally and philosophically different. Besides, we don't look alike at all!

Fang: To me you do. I've lived here long enough to know, but my mother wouldn't be able to tell you and David apart.

Marco: That's ridiculous. David's got light brown hair and I've got jet-black hair. And he has brown eyes and mine are green.

Fang: Yes, but those are not features we look for. We all have black hair and dark brown eyes, so we aren't used to using hair and eye color to distinguish people. We speak about skin-tone and the size of people's eyes. So, you are all pale and have big eyes, so you all look the same. Marco: That's amazing! And we think all Asians look alike. So you don't look alike to each other?

I wonder if Africans use different features to distinguish each other.

Fang: For sure they do. As our own societies are special to ourselves, so are others to themselves. It's pure ignorance to think that other races, societies and nations are less intelligent or refined than our own. Each has developed intelligence for its own environment.

Marco: Yeah, I heard that Australian Aborigines can orient themselves in the desert by the sun and stars alone and tell where underground yams are growing. I can't even go to my aunt's house without getting totally disoriented! But instead of yams I can make a great cheese!

Fang: That stuff's disgusting! How can you stand the smell of cheese?

Marco: Ah! Look who's making culturally ignorant statements here!

Dialogue 2

Transportation Possibilities

Tom: What can we take? I suppose it's too far to walk there.

Lee: What do you think? We have the bus, taxi, jeepney or rickshaw.

Tom: What's a jeepney? Is it like a rickshaw?

Lee: No, rickshaws are those two-wheeled contraptions pulled by a person. Nowadays, they could be a tricycle with a person pedaling rather than running and pulling. Jeepneys are old jeeps that have the sides cut out and long benches put in lengthwise so more passengers can sit in the back of it.

Tom: So jeepneys are public?

Lee: Kind of. You tell the driver where you want to go and if it coincides with where the other customers want to go, then they let you on.

Tom: Which is more expensive? I mean a taxi must be the most expensive. But how about the bus, is it cheaper than a jeepney or a rickshaw?

Lee: No, actually buses are more expensive because they are air-conditioned and the standing room is limited. Rickshaws are the next most expensive because you're the only customer and