8 Situations When Brits Behave Differently from Americans
（Sunday）
英国小伙子到了美国搭车，说：“Can I ride to New York?” 美国人很热情，说：“Sure, my car has full tank of gas.”英国小伙子一听害怕了：“Well, no, thank you. I still want to live.”
在这里，英式英语中汽油是“Petrol”而Gas是“煤气、瓦斯”的意思。热情的美国人邀请应该小伙子坐自己加满油的爱车，但是英国小伙子不想坐上马上就要爆炸的“亡命之车”……尴尬脸。
好吧好吧……美国的crisp到了英国变chips，英国的chips到了美国变成了french fries！英国的fizzy drink到美国就变成了soda……你被搞糊涂了吗？
美英和英英哪儿不同
英语是英美两国的官方语言和通用语言；正如爱尔兰著名作家萧伯纳曾经说过的那样：英国和美国是被同一种语言分开来的两个国家。英语属于印欧语系中日耳曼语族下的西日耳曼语支，并通过英国的殖民活动传播到世界各地；而英语本身在进化当中也出现了分化，从而产生了美式英语(又称美国英语)与英式英语(又称英国英语)这两大分支。
由于当今美国已经取得国际上较高的地位，美式英语逐渐流行起来，并且也已被一向高傲的英国人承认是存在的，他们开始学习使用比较简单化的美式英语，连其他英联邦国家，如澳大利亚、新西兰、爱尔兰、加拿大、南非、印度等也开始学习美式英语。虽然美式英语同英式英语一样，都是标准英语，但是其在语音、词汇和语法等方面却存在着一些差异。
Wilson将与各位有书英语共读的书友们分享英国人自己总结的和美国人之间表现迥异的几个方面，你更倾向谁呢？
Wilson推荐
Tips听力小贴士
练听力的朋友不论用什么材料一定不要上来就看文本哦！那样对听力提升的帮助微乎其微，正确打开姿势如下：
Step 1: 先盲听，尽自己最大能力多抓关键词，试猜大意，可以边听边记。
Step 2: 逐句听，逐句跟读，即使不知道是什么词也没关系，先学着声音跟读出来，试着把听不出来的词按读音规律拼写出来。这一步要尽最大能力模仿的和听力材料一模一样。
Step 3: 检验文本，核实每一个听的有出入的地方，看看问题来自哪里，是耳朵判断有误、大脑反应速度不够、单词不认识、单词发音有误、还是连音吞音没有做到。
Step 4: 重新模仿材料里的语音语调节奏速度反复大声练读。
8 Situations When Brits Behave Differently from Americans
8个英美人表现迥异的方面
Those of us who were born and raised in the U.K. have our own special, but not necessarily sensible, way of doing things.
1. When someone knocks into us
If someone bumps into an American, the victim will most likely take issue with his accidental aggressor and expect an apology. If, however, the wounded party happens to be British, their inappropriate “sorry” reflex will kick in, probably before the perpetrator can muster their own apology. The scenario is deeply confusing for anyone who isn’t British.
2. When we order food
As far as Brits are concerned, menus are set in stone. On home turf, we would never ask for changes or substitutions to our plate of restaurant food. We’d rather pick the walnuts out of a salad when it arrives than suggest that people we’re paying to make and deliver us a meal do it for us. Americans, meanwhile, think nothing of asking a waitress to “hold the bread” when they order a sandwich.
3. When we don’t finish our food
Having spent half the meal plucking out the unwanted parts, we wouldn’t think to capitalize on our dining experience by taking the leftovers home. The food is somehow “tainted” once we’ve poked at it with a knife and fork or, worst still, our mouths. In America, wrapping it up to take home (people don’t even pretend it’s for the dog anymore) is standard practice.
4. When someone opens up to us
I suspect a Brit came up with the phrase “uncomfortable silence” so they’d have something to call the dead time between being subjected to someone’s deeply personal revelation and thinking up a way to change the subject. Spill your guts to an American, however, and they’ll handle it like a professional, dabbing at your tears and spewing cushiony sentiment.
5. When a stranger sits next to us
Ever noticed how Brits will only take a seat next to someone as a last resort? Many of us would rather stand on crutches for a 45-minute bus ride than chafe flanks with a fellow citizen. So when someone breaks with this unwritten rule and puts their bottom next to your bottom, it makes you furious. What if they expect us to have a conversation? The only Brits who have comfortably abandoned this revulsion are the over 65s. People raised in the U.S., however, seem comfortable having individuals they’ve never met enter their personal space and talk to them.
6. When we get dressed for dinner
Don’t get me wrong. Brits don’t all change into evening dress for our supper like Lord and Lady Grantham. But we do tend to make an effort when we go out for dinner somewhere nice. Americans, I’ve noticed, aren’t averse to wearing the jumper they bought in Disney Land circa 1993 to a fancy eatery. They’ve probably got the right idea. It is borderline preposterous to don your nicest clothes only to ruin them half an hour later with a misdirected mouthful of bisque.
7. When we get ourselves a hot drink at the office
If you’ve worked in both a British and an American office, you may have noticed the following: Brits will always offer to make a “round” of teas and coffees for their nearest workmates (or risk becoming a pariah), while Americans tend to fetch their own. U.S. workers will, however, take their colleagues’ orders if they’re going out to buy coffee. It’s a subtle but not insignificant difference.
8. When we get into a taxi
Brits traveling by cab will give the driver an address then assume that’s it for interaction until it’s time to pay. Even if it looks like we’re being taken from one bit of London to another via Glasgow, we’re unlikely to interject. In America, however, imparting a destination would merely be phase one of the passenger/driver interaction. Most Americans will think nothing of telling their temporary chauffeur what route to take. Full-on rows can break out if the cabbie and customer don’t see eye to eye on this.
美式英语和英式英语词汇
虽然同为英语，美式英语和英式英语在发音、表达、拼写、语法和词汇方面仍然有所差异。虽然这些差异不一定都很明显，但如果能认出它们是很有帮助的。以下就都市生活词汇差异举几例：
电梯
American: elevator
British: lift
人行道
American: sidewalk
British: pavement
公寓
American: apartment
British: flat
电影院
American: movie theater
British: cinema
茄子
American: eggplant
British: aubergine
饼干
American: cookie
British: biscuit
薯条
American: french fries
British: chips
薯条或薯片
American: chips
British: crisps
裤子
American: pants
British: trousers
pants（裤子）一词在英国有特殊含义，它指的是男士underwear（内裤）。
垃圾桶
American: trash can, garbage can
British: dustbin
两周
American: two weeks
British: a fortnight
本月共读《Zero to One》英文版，长按图片立即加入！
☞ 编辑：刘亚南，英语共读负责人，85后
☞ 主播：Wilson：口语培训师。爱音乐，爱运动，爱英语，兴趣广泛，尤其对和声音有关的一切事情充满热情。个人公众号：Wilson语音范
—共读书籍简介—
《Zero to One》涉及哲学、历史、经济等多元领域，解读世界运行的脉络，分享商业与未来发展的落实。该书将帮助我们思考从0到1的秘密，在意想不到之处发现价值与机会。
值得关注的是，这本《Zero to One》绝非学术讨论或者思想大师们的论战，自问世起，它的影响就迅速超越了投资圈，在美国亚马逊图书畅销总榜上跻身前列。