这篇范文不够“范儿”
假定你是李华，你的澳大利亚笔友Chris 将到你校交换学习，他来信向你询问与中国人交往的注意事项，请你给他回一封邮件，内容包括：
1. 你的建议；
2. 说明理由。
所给的范文是这样的：
Dear Chris:
I am delighted to know you will be studying in my school for one year. The following are my suggestions for you.
First ,upon your arrival, what you need to do is be yourself. Chinese people are generous and friendly, so you don't have to act exactly like the local people even though you want to connect with them quickly. What's more, you can join in some local events and activities to expand your social circle. Last but not least, because Chinese people are ready to help others, you can ask for help when facing problems.
作为一个信件，按照一般的范儿，应该有一个greetings，譬如 How is everything going? Is everything going well? 这样一类的问候语还是需要的。
delighted固然很高大上，但显得生分了一点，我们回头审题，知道他们两个已经是笔友，可见至少之前有一些很好的交流，即便不是很intimate，也算是close friends了，因此，用比较口语化的glad就够了，而且显得亲切随和一点。没有所谓的高级词汇或者高级句型，只有用得合适、得体、恰当、准确的词汇和句型。如果这是一封正式的商业信函，则另当别论，譬如，风格上要与delighted这一类的词统一，所以下面的The following are my suggestions就不够和它（delighted）在风格上更具同一性。这点我们应该尽力避免，就是一会儿显得正式，一会儿又显得亲切随和，不够那么“装”。
而be yourself也不是一下飞机、一到中国就要做的事，be yourself和题目中询问与中国人交往的注意事项完全不搭嘎。为啥呢？你注重和中国人交往的礼仪等等，并不等于不要being yourself，这是两码事。可以说，回信这样写，是答非所问。而且being yourself这种事，也不是到了就立即做。范文的作者，显然误解了upon your arrival的意思，我们来看一些例句：
1.Give me a call upon your arrival.
你一到就给我打电话。
2.Contact Lida upon your arrival in Los Angeles.
当你到洛杉矶时跟琳达联络。
3.You must present the following documents upon your arrival.
当你入境时你必须携带以下文件。
4.Your hotel reservation will be confirmed upon your arrival.
你到达后便可确定你预约的旅馆。
一你到就做你自己，这话，就是换成汉语也很难理解。这跟中国人交往时要注意哪些事项，确实风马牛。而李华这样一本正经地将之作为一个建议提出来，确实显得滑稽可笑。李华对upon your arrival的误解之深，可见一斑。而李华提出这条建议的理由是中国人大方、友好，这有点逻辑不通，中国人大方友好，实在很难成为一个外国人being yourself的理由。being yourself与中国人是否大方、友好，几乎没有什么关系。中国人再小气、冷漠，一个外国人也完全可以being him/herself，没有问题的。
而第二个建议是说要做参加活动之类的。这不是Chris要询问的东西。因为他询问的，恰恰是要参加events and activities是要注意哪些事项，以便让自己在社会交往中举止得体。别人问你，怎么和中国人举止得体地交往，你回答说，要多和他们交往。这实在是有点儿他问的大马猴子，你答的街门楼子的感觉了。估计那边的cChris读了李华的回信，会急得跳脚：这哪里是在告诉我在和中国人交往中要注意的事项？这是挖了坑，要我跳啊！因为举止不得体，你交往活动越多，造成的后果岂不是越严重？！
第三点也许不能算错。但中国人乐于助人，不等于每一个中国人都乐于助人，因为前者是作为一个群体特征来描述，后者是作为一个个体特征来描述，而群体特征并不能代表每一个个体。如果Chris相信了李华，遇到困难见人就寻求帮助，估计会被弄得一脸懵：因为你无法保证他寻求帮助的中国人都会热情地提供帮助，具体情况得具体对待。再说了，这是他与中国人交往时要注意的事项吗？似乎沾点边，但仔细一分析，恐怕有问题。
如果李华真的想给Chris提出具体有效的建议，可能我们从譬如greetings，addressing, punctuality, gifting, dinning, politeness, personal space等方面选取一两个，来谈一谈注意事项，可能对Chris更好一些。譬如，It is customary to greet Chinese people with a handshake. However, a slight bow or nod of the head is also acceptable. Avoid using overly familiar gestures, such as hugging or kissing, unless you have a close relationship with the person. 譬如：Use the person’s last name followed by their title, such as “Mr. Zhang” or “Director Li,” until you are invited to use their first name. Avoid using nicknames unless given permission. 再譬如：Giving gifts is a common practice in Chinese culture. When presenting a gift, use both hands to show respect. Avoid giving clocks or sharp objects as they symbolize death or cutting ties. Instead, choose items like tea, wine, or souvenirs from your home country.
可能这才是Chris写邮件真正要询问的东西，也是对Chris真正有帮助的建议。
当然，最后应该有一个looking forward to your coming之类的东西来结尾，会更好一些。范文里把这个虽不重要但必须的东西给忘了，似乎也不够合适。
总之，既然是范文，就应该有足够的“范儿”让学生能够模仿、学习，最后能够在考试中用得上。
.
我和学生共同搞了一版，大家也给分析分析，看有什么问题：
Dear Christ,
How ar you dong now?( Is everything going well? Does everything go well? )
I'm glad to know that you will be studying as my school as an exchange student for one year. I'm writing to tell you some suggestions concerned about contacting with Chinese people.
When you greet Chinese people, you can shakes hands with them or just make a slight bow or even a nod is ok. Don's use overly familiar gestures such as hugging or kissing unless you have established a close relationships with each other.
When giving gift, never use a clock as a gift, as it is related to death in Chinese. This is my second suggestion I. Can tell you more upon your arrival.
Looking forward to your coming.
Yours
Li Hua
