Task 1. Work in pairs. Express your point of view on the following ideas, using the words or expressions in the box. (Làm việc theo cặp. Trình bày quan điểm của bạn về những ý kiến sau, sử dụng các từ và cách diễn đạt trong khung.)

Hướng dẫn dịch:

Ở Việt Nam, ba hoặc thậm chí bốn thế hệ có thể sống chung trong một ngôi nhà.

Hôn nhân hạnh phúc phải dựa trên tình yêu.

Ở một số nước châu Á, người ta cho rằng tình yêu đến sau chứ không phải đến trước hôn nhân.

Ở một số nước, nam và nữ có thể nắm tay và hôn nhau ở nơi công cộng.

Gợi ý:

Ý kiến 1:

A: I think it’s a good idea to have three or four generations living together under one roof. They can help one another a lot.

B: I don’t agree. It’s been said there’s a “generation gap” between the old and the young. Therefore, there may usually be conflicts among family members. In some countries, specially in developing countries, old-aged people like to live in a nursing homes, where they can lead independent lives.

Ý kiến 2:

A: In my opinion, it’s obvious a happy marriage should he based on love, the true love, because love is the prerequisite for the family happiness. Only the true love can bring about forgiveness and sacrifice.

B: That’s true. It’s love that joins a man with a woman together.

Ý kiến 3:

A: I don’t think it’s a good idea that love can be supposed to follow the marriage. It’s an obsolete thought. Everyone should have a right to make decisions for his/her own, especially the one relating to his/her personal life. In the other hand, he/she determines and chooses his/her spouse freely. We love something whenever we know and understand it well. The more we know, the more we like.

B: That’s my thought, too. A happy marriage should he built on love.

Ý kiến 4:

A: I think it’s OK. Holding one’s hands is a way to express one’s feelings or love, especially the intimacy.

B: I agree with you. How about kissing each other in public?

A: Personally, it’s not our traditional culture. Our personal feelings may not be performed in public. I mean in front of other people, except for appropriate or necessary circumstances.

Task 2. Below are some typical features of the American culture. Work in pairs, discuss and find out the corresponding features of the Vietnamese culture. (Dưới đây là một vài nét đặc trưng của văn hóa Mĩ. Làm việc theo cặp, thảo luận và tìm những nét tương đồng của văn hóa Việt Nam.)

Task 3. Work in groups. Talk about the similarities and differences between Vietnamese and American cultures, using the features discussed in Task 2. (Làm việc nhóm. Thảo luận những nét tương đồng và khác biệt giữa văn hóa Việt Nam và văn hóa Mĩ, dùng những đặc điểm đã thảo luận ở Bài tập 2.)

Gợi ý:

A: I think there are various differences between Vietnamese and American cultures.

B: For example?

C: Well. In the United States, usually only two generations (parents and children) live under one roof. Meanwhile in Viet Nam you can see three or more generations living in the same home.

D: And old-aged Americans often live in nursing homes, but Vietnamese old people usually live with their children or grandchildren.

A: In America, asking about age, income and marriage is considered impolite, but it’s OK or acceptable in Viet Nam. This custom, however, is also kept by some Vietnamese people, especially among young citydwellers.

B: About greetings, in the US anyone can greet the others in the family first, but in Viet Nam young or inferior people must greet the old or superior first.

C: Christmas and New Year are the most important holidays in America, but in Viet Nam only Lunar New Year is the most important.

D: Americans usually buy groceries or go shopping at weekends, but Vietnamese people can buy groceries or things at any time they need or want. I think it depends on lifestyle and family activities.

A: About the ways of expressing love or sentiments, Americans can kiss or embrace each other in public, but this is considered unpleasant to eyes in Viet Nam.

C: One more difference in two cultures: American children sleep in their own rooms, meanwhile Vietnamese parents let their children sleep with them, especially small children.

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