小故事

Help foreign guests at formal dinner
中国餐桌礼仪
With the Spring Festival just round the corner, your mouth might already be watering at the thought of the coming banquet.
春节就要到了。节日里自然少不了聚餐。一想到宴会上的美食，你是不是就直接流口水了？
The traditional family banquet is the year's most important meal for millions of Chinese at home and abroad. You probably know all about the food and have tried many different dishes. But do you really know how to behave properly at such an important meal? If a foreign friend was visiting, could you explain Chinese table manners? Don't worry if you are not sure, here are some tips.
中国传统的春节家宴是海内外亿万华人一年中最重要的一顿饭。大家品尝了各式各样的菜肴，可能对春节里的饭菜很熟悉了，但是，你知道在春节宴会上如何做到举止得体吗？倘若有外国朋友前来拜访，你能给他说说中国的餐桌礼仪吗？不必担心，这儿有一些建议。
The main difference between Chinese and Western eating habits is that unlike the West, where everyone has their own plate of food, in China the dishes are placed on the table and everybody shares. It is always polite to let guests or elder people at the table taste every dish first.
中西餐桌礼仪最主要的差别在于，西方人有自己单独的菜盘，而中国人喜欢把所有的菜放在餐桌上，大家一起吃。出于礼貌，中国人总是让客人或者年纪大的人先品尝每一道菜。
Although there are no strict rules on how to set chopsticks and spoons, there are some things you should never do during a Chinese banquet.
尽管怎样摆放筷子和调羹并没有严格的规定，但是，用餐时有一些举止是应当避免的。

重点讲解

重点讲解：
1. round the corner
即将发生；
eg. Cheer up! Victory is just round the corner.
加油！胜利就在眼前！
eg. He told them that prosperity was just round the corner.
他告诉他们能马上就会出现繁荣。
2. at the thought of
一想到……（就）；
eg. Social phobics quake at the thought of meeting strangers.
患有社交恐惧症的人一想到要见陌生人就发抖。
eg. All are aflutter at the thought of his return.
想到他的归来，大家都很激动。
3. know about
了解；熟悉；
eg. I happened to know about him.
我正好了解一些他的情况。
eg. It's a marvel to me how much these kids know about computers.
这些孩子对电脑的熟悉让我感到惊讶。