一、D irect and Indirect Communication1. Do you feel that you are a direct communicator or an indirect communicator? Give anexample.2. Who do you feel you can communicate directly with and who do you feel you shouldcommunicate indirectly with?3. In the following situations, is direct communication or indirect communication moreeffective? Why?a) Asking a favorb) Breaking up with a boyfriend/girlfriendc) Telling your teacher you didn’t do your homeworkd) Firing an employee4. Have you ever had a bad experience in which someone said something to you toodirectly?5. If someone is communicating with you indirectly and you don’t understand the messagethey are trying to tell you, how do you deal with the situation?二、F riendship1) Come up with a definition for what friendship means in China.2) What are 3 qualities you want in a good friend? What are 3 qualities you don’t want in a friend?Why?3) How and where do people in China make their closest friendships?4) If you move to a new place, what is a good way to make new friends?5) What advice would you give a foreigner about how to develop good friendships with Chinesepeople?6) If there is a foreign volunteer in your group, ask him/her what advice he/she has about beingfriends with westerners.三、E ducation1. Tell your group about your most enjoyable learning experience of the past. What made it good?2. Describe what qualities you think the ideal teacher must have. What are some qualities you don’twant in a teacher?3. In Chinese society, do teachers have a high status or a low status? Do you think being a teacheris a good job? Why or why not?4. Is it the teacher/school’s or the parents’ responsibility to teach a child good morals and behavior?5. In your opinion, do men or women make better teachers?四、H olidays1. What is your favorite Chinese holiday? Which Western holiday most interests you?2. Do you think holidays are very significant? What meanings are expressed by such holidays asNational Day, Mid-Autumn Festival, Christmas, Spring Festival and Thanksgiving?3. What is the history of your favorite Chinese holiday? (For example, what’s the history of DragonBoat Festival?)4. What did you think of the National Day celebration?5. Describe your ideal holiday.五、R ich and Poor1. Rank the following in order of importance to you: a) health b) family c) money d) a good reputatione) education. Why did you choose that order?2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being rich? Do you advantages outweigh thedisadvantages or vice versa?3. Can a person be poor and happy? What do you think the hardest part about being poor would befor you if you were poor? What do you do you think would be the hardest part about being rich?4. Whose responsibility do you think is it to take care of the poor: their family, the government, theirneighbors, everyone?5. Has the economic crisis affected your life at all?六、F amily1. Describe your family, and tell your group a story about your family from your childhood.2. Who do you think should have the highest authority in the home- the husband, the wife, or bothequally share authority? If you think both should have equal authority, how should they make decisions on where to work or live if they don’t agree with each other?3. What do you expect to do to take care of your parents when they grow old? What do you expectyour child to do for you when you get old?4. Do you think the Chinese tradition of children taking care of elderly parents will change in thefuture because of the One Child Policy? How can only children cope with the pressure of taking care of their parents when they are old?七、C ities1. Describe your hometown, and tell your group 3 things you like about your hometown and threethings you don’t like about it.2. If you were the mayor of your hometown, what problems would you try to fix? How would you goabout fixing those problems? What things would you not want to change?3. How do you feel about Changsha? What challenges do you think Changsha will face in the next 2years? 10 years?4. In your mind, what city is the ideal city? Is there a place where you’d like to live for the rest of yourlife?八、W hat/If…1. What would you do if someone accused you of a crime you didn’t commit?2. If you could change a major historical event, what would it be?3. What would you do if a fierce animal was going to attack you?4. If you could be an employee of any company in the world, which company would you choose?5. What would you do if the person you loved didn’t love you back?6. If you could be a bird or a fish, which would you be?7. What would you do if it was your best friend’s wedding, but you didn’t have any money to givehim/her?8. If you had to choose one of the five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) to lose, which onewould you choose to lose?9. What would you do if you got lost in an unfamiliar city?10. If you were going to a foreign country and you could only take one thing with you, what would itbe?九、G ifts1. What’s the best gift you’ve ever received? What’s the worst gift you’ve ever gotten?2. What’s the best gift you’ve ever given someone else? Why was it special?3. There’s a saying that goes, “It’s better to give than to receive.” What does this saying mean? Doyou agree with it? Does China have any sayings about giving gifts?4. If you were given $1 million to buy gifts for your family and friends, what would you buy them andwhy?十、N ew Year’s1. What are some New Year’s resolutions you’ve made in the past? Were you able to keep thoseresolutions?2. What resolutions do you want to make for 2010? If you could accomplish one thing this year, whatwould it be? What steps can you take to carry out your New Year’s resolution?3. If you were to make “Life Resolutions,” meaning the things you want to accomplis h before you die,what kinds of resolutions would you make? Is there something you feel like you must accomplish in this life time? How can you accomplish it?十一、Cheating1. Have you ever cheated on an exam or a homework assignment? Do you know anyone who hastaken an exam for a classmate? Describe the situation.2. Do you think it’s ok to cheat on a homework assignment? On a exam? To take an exam foranother person? Is all cheating wrong or is it ok on some level?3. Have you or any of your classmates been caught while cheating? How did you/they feel whenyou/they got caught?4. If your classmate came to you and said that if you didn’t take his(her) English test for him(her),he/she would fail his/her class and not be able to graduate. Would you agree to take the test for him/her?十二、Winning and LosingQuotes about Winning:- “Winning isn’t everything, but the will to win is everything.”~Vince Lombardi (American Football Coach)- “Win as if you were used to it, lose as if you enjoyed it for a change.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Poet)- “Winning isn’t always finishing first. Sometimes winning is just finishing.”~ Manuel Diotte (Inspirational Speaker)1. What do you think each of these quotes mean?2. Do you agree with these quotes? Why or why not? Would you change them at all to fit yourviewpoint?3. What sayings are there in Chinese about winning and losing?十三、Spring Festival1. How will you celebrate Spring Festival? Who will you spend it with?2. Which performances are you looking forward to on the New Year’s Eve tv program? What aresome of your favorite ones of the past?3. If you were to receive a present (not money) for Spring Festival, what present would you like toreceive?4. How does Spring Festival these days compare with how it was when you were a child? Do youlike it better now or when you were a child?5. What do you think Spring Festival will be like in the future?十四、Charity1. What do you think ‘charity’ means? Is it an action, an attitude, an idea?2. Have you ever given money to a charitable cause? If so, which one? Have you ever volunteeredat or worked for a charitable group? What different charitable groups have you heard of in China?Internationally?3. Do you think people will give as much time and effort to the current earthquake victims as they didthe Sichuan victims? Why or why not?4. If you could create your own charitable group, what kinds of people would you help? Why thatkind of person and not other kinds of people that are in need?十五、Names1. Who chose your name? Why did they choose that name? Do you like your name? If you couldchange your name, would you?2. What’s the meaning of your name? Do you think a person’s name affects their personality? Haveyou ever disliked a person because of their name?3. Do y ou have a nickname? How did you get this nickname? What’s the funniest nickname you’veheard another person called?4. Do you think it’s better to give a child a more common name or an unusual name? What do youthink China should do about the problem of having too many people with the same name/family name?十六、Dreams1. Do you often remember your dreams? What’s the most recent dream you can remember? Didyou dream it in color or in black and white?2. Do you ever have recurring dreams? What are they about? Why do you think you dream aboutthat specific thing? Are your recurring dreams usually good dreams or nightmares?3. If you see a certain image in a dream, do you think it has a specific meaning? For example, if yousaw the following things in a dream, what do you think they would mean: a road, your middle school, your mom, a bird, sand, an open door, darkness, teeth?4. Have you ever dreamed something that came true in real life? Do you think it’s possible to knowsomething in a dream before it happens in real life? Do you think you dream about that thing because you fear it or is there another explanation?十七、Interests and HobbiesWhat are your hobbies? Are your hobbies mostly intellectual or athletic or something else? What do you like about those specific hobbies?If you have ten minutes of free time, how do you like to use it? One hour? One day? One week? If you unexpectedly have a couple hours of free time, what kinds of spontaneous things do you like to do for fun?If you had to read a book about something not related to your major, what would you like to read about? If it were a nonfiction book, what topic would you choose? If it were a fiction book, what genre of fiction would you read?Do you think that internet and tv have killed hobbies in Chin a? Do you have any friends who don’t like to use the internet or watch tv? If you couldn’t use a computer or tv for a year, how do you think you would spend your time differently?十八、Health1. On a scale of one to ten (1 being the most healthy, 10 being the least healthy) how healthy do youthink you are? In what areas of health do you think you are the healthiest? Least healthy?2. What do you think are your ‘healthy habits’? Do you drink enough water? What are some of yourunhealthy habits? Do you ever smoke or drink alcohol?3. How often do you exercise? What kinds of exercise do you like? What kinds do you not like?4. How is your diet? What thing do you think are important to a healthy, balanced diet? What is onething you think you could do to improve your diet?十九、Meeting People1. About how many new people do you meet a week? Do you like meeting new people? If so, why?If not, why not?2. In China, how do you know if you can trust a person you just met? Do you think it varies indifferent countries? A re there signs to tell you that you shouldn’t trust someone? What are they signs that tell you not to trust someone?3. Do you remember how you met your best friend/boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse? What did you thinkof that person the first time you met him/her?4. How important are first impressions to you? Do you think you are a good judge of character thefirst time you meet a person? Have you ever had a first impression of someone that later proved very wrong?二十、Fear1. What things/circumstances are you most afraid of? Do you think there is a reason you fear thosethings?2. Are your fears now the same as those you had as a child? Which ones have changed? Which arethe same?3. Do you think a person can overcome something they deeply fear? How? Would you ever chooseto face one of your deepest fears for money, like on the tv shows?4. Do you fear death? Why or why not? Do you think being afraid of death is a good thing or a badthing?二十一、The Weather1. What is your favorite kind of weather? Why do you like that kind of weather? What’s your leastfavorite kind of weather?2. Do you have a specific memory associated with a certain kind of weather? Maybe a time youwere afraid during a thunderstorm or a happy day in the sun.3. If the winter is very dark and rainy, does it affect your mood? What are some things you do to helpyourself cope if the weather is bad? How do different types of weather affect your mood?4. What do you think about weather manipulation using rockets? Do you think it’s ok for people t ochange the weather by using technology or do you think we should let weather be whatever it naturally is?。