How to Be a Good House Guest 如何做一個(gè)好客人

陳延洲

When visiting someones home， whether theyre a close family member， a friend， or a colleague， it is important to be a polite guest. Your manners could make all the difference between a pleasant stay or a disastrous1 one. Be polite in order to make sure that your stay is enjoyable both for yourself and your hosts.

拜訪某人的家時(shí)，無(wú)論他們是親密的家庭成員、朋友或同事，做一個(gè)有禮貌的客人是很重要的。會(huì)是一次愉快的逗留還是一次災(zāi)難性的到訪將取決于你的禮貌。要有禮貌，以保證你的到來(lái)對(duì)于你和主人都是愉快的。

★Communicating with Your Host 與主人交流

1. Be specific with dates of arrival and departure.

Dont keep your visit open-ended2. Also， dont book an airline reservation before you first discuss it with your host. If your host has agreed to certain dates， dont try to add on to those dates without discussing it， and respect that your host may have to discuss your stay with their family or housemate.

Avoid overstaying your visit. Even though you have been invited into their home， your hosts may have rearranged their normal routines on your behalf. If you are staying for a period longer than three days， consider changing the arrangement， or finding ways to leave and stay elsewhere for a few days to give your hosts some private time.

1. 明確具體到達(dá)日期和離開(kāi)日期。

你的到訪不要太過(guò)隨意。另外，在你還未和主人討論之前，不要預(yù)訂機(jī)票。如果主人已經(jīng)同意你某個(gè)日期到訪，在沒(méi)有討論的情況下不要延長(zhǎng)到訪日期，主人可能需要與他們的家人或室友討論你的逗留，請(qǐng)予以尊重。

不要逗留過(guò)久。即使熱情地邀請(qǐng)你到他們家，主人也可能因?yàn)槟愕牡皆L要重新安排他們的日常生活。如果你呆的時(shí)間超過(guò)三天，就要考慮改變一下你的計(jì)劃，或想方法離開(kāi)并待在其它地方幾天，給主人留出一些私人時(shí)間。

2. Be respectful of the hosts time.

Dont show up earlier than the time you had agreed upon. Your host may not be ready for you and an early arrival could cause inconvenience to them. If， for some unforeseen3 reason， you caught an earlier connection or you had an extra days vacation and want to arrive earlier， call them first.

Avoid showing up later than the time you promised. This may upset many hosts who worry about what might have happened to you. If you are delayed for any reason， call them and explain.

2. 尊重主人的時(shí)間。

不要比你約定的時(shí)間早到。主人可能尚未準(zhǔn)備好迎接你的到來(lái)，早到可能會(huì)給他們帶來(lái)不便。如果出現(xiàn)一些不可預(yù)見(jiàn)的原因，你要提早聯(lián)系，亦或你有額外的一天假期，想早點(diǎn)到，請(qǐng)先給他們打電話。

也不要比你說(shuō)好的時(shí)間晚到。這可能會(huì)讓主人感到不安，他們擔(dān)心你可能發(fā)生意外。如果你因?yàn)槿魏卧虻R了，應(yīng)該打電話跟他們解釋一下。

3. Communicate clearly about comings and goings.

If you will not be with your hosts all the time， discuss your plans beforehand to make sure that you will not inadvertently4 inconvenience them. Dont leave their home， even for a short outing， without telling them. Your host should not have to guess whether you went out or not.

Be quiet when arriving back late， and， if given a key， use it. Turn out the lights and check to make sure that the door is locked behind you.

3. 清楚地告知你的行蹤。

如果你不是一直和主人呆在一起，事先討論一下你的計(jì)劃，以確保你不會(huì)無(wú)意中給他們帶來(lái)不便。即使是短暫的外出，也不要不告而別。不應(yīng)讓主人去猜測(cè)你是否外出。

晚回來(lái)時(shí)要保持安靜，如果有鑰匙，就用鑰匙開(kāi)門(mén)。記得關(guān)燈，并檢查一下進(jìn)來(lái)時(shí)是否鎖好了門(mén)。

★Showing Your Host Respect 對(duì)主人表示尊重

1. Be flexible with your time.

Make a conscious5 effort to adapt to your hosts preferences and patterns. To be clear， ask about their expectations of you during your stay. Ask if you are expected to share meals with them or at which time they would prefer you to turn out the lights. It is especially important to accept that others have to live in the house， too.

1. 靈活安排你的時(shí)間。

自覺(jué)地去適應(yīng)主人的喜好和模式。明確地說(shuō)，要問(wèn)問(wèn)他們?cè)谀愣毫羝陂g對(duì)你有什么樣的預(yù)期。詢問(wèn)一下你是否應(yīng)該和他們一起進(jìn)餐，或者他們希望你在什么時(shí)候關(guān)燈。尤其重要的是，要接受其他人也住在這所房子里的事實(shí)。

2. Share the household bathroom respectfully6.

If the house only has one bathroom， ask when it is convenient for you to use it. Remember to flush7 the toilet and put the lid8 down. Dont leave a dripping faucet9， and turn off the light when youre finished.

Dont rummage10 around in their cupboards looking for a toothbrush or other essentials； instead， ask your host if they have any spares.

2. 有禮貌地共享家庭浴室。

如果房子只有一個(gè)衛(wèi)生間，要問(wèn)問(wèn)你什么時(shí)候可以使用。記得沖馬桶，蓋上蓋子。不要讓水龍頭一直滴水，使用完衛(wèi)生間后要關(guān)燈。

不要為尋找牙刷或其他必需品而翻箱倒柜，應(yīng)該詢問(wèn)主人是否有備用物品。

3. Respect cultural and familial differences.

Do not criticize your hosts preferences. If eating a certain kind of food is a violation11 of your cultural or religious beliefs， let your hosts know before you arrive.

Adapt12 to your hosts lifestyle. There may be children， pets， elderly parents， or others in the home with whom you may be unaccustomed to living with. Go with the flow and try to learn something from the experience.

3. 尊重文化和家庭的差異。

不要批評(píng)主人的喜好。如果吃某種食物會(huì)與你的文化或宗教信仰沖突，在你來(lái)之前應(yīng)讓主人知道。

適應(yīng)主人的生活方式?？赡軙?huì)有孩子、寵物、年邁的父母，或其他人在家里，你可能不習(xí)慣和他們?cè)谝黄鹕?。但?qǐng)隨大流，從經(jīng)驗(yàn)中吸取教訓(xùn)。

★Staying Self-Reliant13 自力更生

1. Offer to make contributions.

Even if youre not eating at your hosts home， offer to buy something. Remember that your hosts have probably already been shopping for extra things and spent a considerable amount of time and money to get ready for your visit. You could either pay for their next supermarket trip， or offer to go out and buy things for both yourself and for them （ask them for a list）.

1. 主動(dòng)提出做貢獻(xiàn)。

即使你不在主人家吃飯，也要主動(dòng)去買(mǎi)點(diǎn)東西。請(qǐng)記住，由于為你的到來(lái)做準(zhǔn)備，主人可能已經(jīng)購(gòu)買(mǎi)了額外的物品，花了大量的時(shí)間和金錢(qián)。你可以為他們下一次超市購(gòu)物買(mǎi)單，或主動(dòng)出去為自己和他們買(mǎi)些東西（向他們要溝物清單）。

2. Do your own laundry.

Dont be embarrassed about asking whether or not it is okay to do your laundry at your hosts place. They understand that after a few days youll have dirty underwear.

Ask your host when the most convenient time for you to do your laundry would be， emphasizing that you dont want to cut into the households normal routine.

2. 自己洗衣服。

不要不好意思問(wèn)是否可以在主人家洗衣服。他們可以理解，幾天的時(shí)間你會(huì)有臟的內(nèi)衣。

問(wèn)問(wèn)主人，什么時(shí)候你洗衣服最方便。你要強(qiáng)調(diào)的是，你不想打亂主人家的正常生活。

3. Offer to help at mealtimes.

This doesnt mean crowding the host out of the kitchen， but instead it means collecting plates， carrying out dishes， offering to wash up， cleaning off the counters， and taking the garbage out. You could even offer to cook a meal or two yourself.

3. 在用餐時(shí)主動(dòng)提供幫助。

這并不意味著把主人從廚房里擠出來(lái)，而是指收拾盤(pán)子、端菜、洗碗、清理案臺(tái)、把垃圾倒出去。你甚至可以主動(dòng)提出由你來(lái)做一、兩頓飯。

★Showing Gratitude 感恩

1. Bring a gift to show gratitude14.

Offer something as a way of thanking your hosts in advance. It demonstrates your appreciation of their important efforts to make your stay a good one. Considerate， inexpensive gifts include a bottle of wine， a box of chocolates， a basket of fruit， or a bouquet of flowers.

1. 送禮物以示謝意。

事先準(zhǔn)備禮物作為向主人表示感謝的方式。這表達(dá)了你對(duì)他們?yōu)槟闫陂g圓滿逗留所花的功夫的感謝。準(zhǔn)備些體貼但并不一定昂貴的禮物，比如一瓶葡萄酒、一盒巧克力、一籃子水果或一束鮮花。

2. Be appreciative.

Express that you are pleased with the local food， sightseeing， and other attractions. If your hosts have provided you with a home-cooked meal， show your appreciation through compliments15 and by offering to take care of the next meal.

2. 表示欣賞。

表達(dá)你對(duì)當(dāng)?shù)氐氖澄?、觀光游覽和其他景點(diǎn)感到滿意。如果主人為你準(zhǔn)備了一頓家常菜，那么你可以通過(guò)贊美以及提出由你準(zhǔn)備下一餐的飯菜來(lái)表達(dá)你的感激之情。

3. Thank your hosts for the stay.

Help them clean up anything that you may have moved during your visit. Also dont rush out of the house when you are leaving， since the hosts might assume that you did not appreciate your stay.

Leave a thank-you note on your departure. It is polite to leave a small token16 to show that you are grateful for their hospitality. A handwritten card makes a thoughtful token of appreciation.

3. 感謝主人的招待。

幫助他們清理你在造訪期間可能移動(dòng)過(guò)的東西。當(dāng)你準(zhǔn)備離開(kāi)的時(shí)候也不要急匆匆的，因?yàn)橹魅丝赡軙?huì)認(rèn)為你不喜歡呆在這里。

在離開(kāi)時(shí)留下感謝信。留下一點(diǎn)小心意表示你對(duì)他們款待的感謝，這是禮節(jié)。一張手寫(xiě)的卡片很好地代表了感激之情。

Notes：

1. disastrous adj. 災(zāi)難性的

2. open-ended adj. 開(kāi)放式的；無(wú)限制的

3. unforeseen adj. 未預(yù)見(jiàn)到的，無(wú)法預(yù)料的

4. inadvertently adv. 非故意地，無(wú)心地

5. conscious adj. 意識(shí)到的；故意的

6. respectfully adv. 尊敬地

7. flush vt. 用水沖洗

8. lid n. 蓋子

9. faucet n. 旋塞；插口；水龍頭

10. rummage v. 檢查；翻找

11. violation n. 違反；違背

12. adapt vi. 適應(yīng)

13. self-reliant adj. 自力更生的

14. gratitude n. 感謝（的心情）；感激

15. compliment n. 稱贊；致意；道賀 16. token n. 表征；代幣；記號(hào)