ACT English practice test 18

Not the Same Old Song and Dance

After graduating from college, I decided to test my International Studies degree by living and working in China. I had studied₁ only a year of Mandarin Chinese at university, so I struggled with adaptation early on. I poured myself into work at first, finding that enduring the same 12-hour workdays as several of my Chinese coworkers was just as difficult as to adapt₂ to Chinese culture.

All the while, at the same time,₃ I slowly taught myself more Chinese with a language CD and forced myself to interact at local places like restaurants and markets. The easiest way to adapt, however, had been right under my nose₄ the entire time.

All I had to do was spend time with my coworkers outside of work. My project team had already taken a quickly liking of₅ me, and I had been invited to several functions. I hadn't accepted yet out of fear of being unable to communicate, but my feelings of guilt at having turned down so many kind invitations eventually outweighed that fear. When disappointed in myself,₆ I acquiesced one night, knowing this would be an important step in learning the Chinese way of life. The ensuing night would prove to be quite memorable and unforgettable.₇

We began the evening with dinner. I proudly requested to order since I had learned quite a lot of food vocabulary. Everyone seemed surprised,₈₉ and impressed by the variety of dishes I could order. Our post-dinner destination was a karaoke house (KTV), a very popular form of entertainment in China. The karaoke took place in a private room with just our group. The experience was accompanied by embarrassment as₁₀ karaoke often is, but mine did not come from singing.

When one girl refused to sing a song I had chosen, I decided to playfully chant to her the songs number₁₁ on the screen. The number was thirty-eight, but I chanted only three and eight, something which can be understood easily in English but is not common in Chinese. What I failed to realize was that the Chinese words for three and eight, when used as slang, can also mean crazy. Since my Chinese friends were not accustomed to number shortening, they could only assume I had just unreasonably insulted our female coworker. After much confusion and a difficult explanation on my part, the matter was resolved, and everyone had a good laugh over it.₁₂ A valuable lesson was certainly learned by me₁₃ about differences in slang. This experience was the first of many cultural lessons I would learn by simply being social in a foreign environment.₁₄₁₅

Not the Same Old Song and Dance

After graduating from college, I decided to test my International Studies degree by living and working in China. I had studied³¹ only a year of Mandarin Chinese at university, so I struggled with adaptation early on. I poured myself into work at first, finding that enduring the same 12-hour workdays as several of my Chinese coworkers was just as difficult as to adapt³² to Chinese culture. All the while, at the same time,³³ I slowly taught myself more Chinese with a language CD and forced myself to interact at local places like restaurants and markets. The easiest way to adapt, however, had been right under my nose³⁴ the entire time.

All I had to do was spend time with my coworkers outside of work. My project team had already taken a quickly liking of³⁵ me, and I had been invited to several functions. I hadn't accepted yet out of fear of being unable to communicate, but my feelings of guilt at having turned down so many kind invitations eventually outweighed that fear. When disappointed in myself,³⁶ I acquiesced one night, knowing this would be an important step in learning the Chinese way of life. The ensuing night would prove to be quite memorable and unforgettable.³⁷

We began the evening with dinner. I proudly requested to order since I had learned quite a lot of food vocabulary. Everyone seemed surprised,³⁸ and impressed by the variety of dishes I could order. Our post-dinner destination was a karaoke house (KTV), a very popular form of entertainment in China. The karaoke took place in a private room with just our group. The experience was accompanied by embarrassment as⁴⁰ karaoke often is, but mine did not come from singing.

When one girl refused to sing a song I had chosen, I decided to playfully chant to her the songs number⁴¹ on the screen. The number was thirty-eight, but I chanted only three and eight, something which can be understood easily in English but is not common in Chinese. What I failed to realize was that the Chinese words for three and eight, when used as slang, can also mean crazy. Since my Chinese friends were not accustomed to number shortening, they could only assume I had just unreasonably insulted our female coworker. After much confusion and a difficult explanation on my part, the matter was resolved, and everyone had a good laugh over it. A valuable lesson was certainly learned by me⁴³ about differences in slang. This experience was the first of many cultural lessons I would learn by simply being social in a foreign environment.⁴⁵

English practice 18