ALP - INTERMEDIATE TWO

Dear Intermediate Two students,

Your ALP assignment this month is going to be about “Etiquette and Behavior Worldwide”. The target grammar is gerunds and infinitives.

You will find information to start your research at: www.cyborlink.com/besite/

The countries you will work on are:

1) South Africa
2) China
3) Egypt
4) France
5) Great Britain
6) Hong Kong
7) India
8) Indonesia
9) Japan
10) Mexico
11) Russia
12) Saudi Arabia
13) Taiwan
14) United States

You should do research about the country you were assigned. You may consult the internet or books. After learning about your country you should put all important information in a well-organized presentation that will follow the INTRODUCTION - BODY - CONCLUSION format. You will use your own words for your presentation. Repeating like a parrot what's on the net won't lead you to getting 3 points. My “orientation page” will help you organize your material. You should also make a poster with pictures to illustrate your speech. It could be done with pictures sticked to cardboard or you can make a powerpoint presentation and upload it to our system through the ICPNA web site. Feel free to ask questions about the ALP in class.

Find hereunder a sample of what your speech could be like:

Good evening teacher and classmates. Today I am going to talk about etiquette and behavior in Italy. Italy has a population of over 52 million people. It is a coastal country surrounded by the Mediterranean. Italy also offers beautiful mountainous scenery. Italy has no official religion but the majority of its citizens are Roman Catholic.

Appearance plays an important role among Italians. People like to dress well, especially in business situations. Wearing good clothes is a signature of success for Italians. It is customary for men to wear fashionable, high quality suits. Women tend to wear quiet, expensive and elegant outfits.

Socially speaking Italian people are loud and very talkative. It is usual to hear all members of a family speak simultaneously at gatherings. It is common to observe the same type of behavior at business meetings and social events.
Generally speaking, wine is one of the drinks they love the most. Italians are experienced wine admirers. Having excellent quality wine at the dining table is customary.
When visiting someone’s house it is appropriate to bring gift-wrapped chocolates, pastries or flowers. If you are meeting someone for the first time, it is inappropriate to ask about their profession. Talking about religion, politics or World War II is not recommendable. Italians are very sensitive about those topics. Talking about Italian art, food, wine and films is advisable. Italians adore telling foreigners about their cultural background.

In business settings it is common for people to speak English. In terms of greetings, shaking hands is appropriate in business meetings. Italians are not quick decision makers. They would take long time to take any decision. Italian bureaucracy and legal systems are rather slow too. That is why “Time is money” is not a common phrase in Italy.

To conclude, let me say that Italians are sociable and good appearance lovers. They enjoy talking about their cultural background and are very sensitive about topics that could hurt their feelings.
Hope this information is useful!
Gabriela