美國人的禁忌

Age. Yes， age is a very sensitive2 subject to many Americans， especially to women over age 30. In this youth upheld culture， the thought of growing older is a painful one and most of us， if possible， would like to have nothing to do with it. So many Americans work hard to maintain a youthful appearance. The last thing they want to be asked is the unthinkable3， “How old are you exactly？”

Weight. This is one of the touchiest4 subjects. In America， it is okay， even desirable5， to be thin but it is a sin6 and a huge embarrassment7 to be overweight. In fact， the thinner you are， the prettier you are considered. Looking through any American fashion magazines， you’ll notice that most models are nothing more than skin and bones. Believe it or not， the tall and thin look was the hottest look of the 1990s.

Americans very much mind their weight and rarely disclose how much they weigh ... even if they are thin and in great shape. Therefore， you’d better not ask. But if you absolutely have to comment on this subject， it’s always safe to say， “Oh， you look like you have lost weight” than “Oh， you look like you put on a few pounds”. However， if you would like to be honest but not hurtful， I recommend8 you choose your words carefully， perhaps by saying， “Hey， you look great. Very healthy looking.” And always remember， it’s not fat. It’s muscular9.

Income. You should never ask how much someone’s salary is. There’s no way around this one. However， it’s perfectly suitable to ask about their job title and what they do for a living. This information should give you some idea how much they make a year.

Matters of the Heart. This is a tricky10 one. Sometimes you’ll run into people who cannot wait to pour their hearts out to you. Then there are those who make sure their personal business stays behind closed doors. The general rule is not to get too personal， too fast. You don’t want others to think that you are looking into their lives. Therefore， try not to ask too many questions about someone’s love life， marriage and family until you have a friendship with this person. Even then， you’d better wait for your friend to come to you with the matters of their heart.

Anyhow， it’s difficult to always avoid conversation landmines11， so be sensible， watch your steps and try not to open a can of worms.

年齡。是的，對許多美國人來說，年齡是個非常敏感的問題，特別是對年過30的女人來說更是如此。在這個崇尚年輕的文化中，想到變老是很痛苦的。我們大多數(shù)人，如果有可能的話，都不想沾它的邊兒。所以，許多美國人竭力想維持外貌的年輕，他們最不愿別人問及的問題就是：“你到底有多大年紀了？”

體重。這是最敏感的話題之一。在美國，長得瘦是不錯，甚至會讓人羨慕，但超重就讓人極為難堪，是種罪過。實際上，你越瘦，別人會認為你越漂亮。隨便翻翻美國哪本時尚雜志，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)大多數(shù)模特都是皮包骨頭。不管你信不信，細高的身材可是20世紀90年代最酷的。

美國人很關注體重，且極少透露他們的體重……即使他們很瘦，身材很好。所以，你別問為妙。但如果你非得要講，那就說：“噢，你看起來掉磅了”比“噢，你看起來像是重了幾磅”常常要穩(wěn)妥。然而，如果你想說實話但又不傷人，我建議你用詞要小心，或許可以說：“嘿，你看起來棒極了。很健康?！鼻f要記住，那不是脂肪，是肌肉。

收入。你絕對不要問別人掙多少錢。這沒什么可說的。但你完全可以問他們的工作頭銜和以什么為生計。這個信息可以讓你對他們一年掙多少有所了解。

心里的事。這是個很微妙的問題。有時你會碰到迫不及待向你傾訴心聲的人。但有些人時刻確保自己的私事不為外人知曉。總的原則是，不要太急于跟人談個人私事。不要讓人認為你在刺探他們的生活。所以，不要對別人的愛情、婚姻和家庭情況提太多問題，直到你跟此人結成了朋友。即便那時，你最好還是等著你的朋友帶著心事來找你談。

不管怎樣，在談話中往往難免觸雷，所以頭腦要清醒些，行事要注意些，盡量不要觸及那些忌諱的話題。

Notes：

1. taboo "n. 禁忌

2. sensitive "adj. 敏感的

3. unthinkable "adj. 不能想的，想像不到的

4. touchy " adj. 易怒的，難以取悅的，過敏的

5. desirable "adj. 合乎需要的;稱心如意的;要得的

6. sin "n. 罪，罪孽

7. embarrassment "n. 困難，阻礙，困窘

8. recommend "v. 建議，推薦，勸告，介紹

9. muscular "adj. 肌肉的，肌肉發(fā)達的

10. tricky "adj. 狡猾的，機警的

11. landmine "n. 地雷