【正文】 ational borders, businesspeople in China are generally as dependable as those in the United State and dependability is considered a virtue in Chinese society. If Mr. Li believed that he had set a firm appointment with George, he would have been at the appointed place, and he would have been on time.C. This is the best answer. There are two important cultural aspects at work in this interaction. The first is the issue of directness. In many situations where Americans tend to prefer directness, the Chinese are usually more fortable with indirectness and ambiguity. The second is the concept of “face”. Having face means that one is in good standing with others vis224。vis（面對(duì)） his or her obligation to peers, subordinates, and superiors and is maintaining harmony in society as a whole. It is important to preserve one’s face and, as much as possible, the face of others. A Chinese person would have recognized that Mr. Li was clearly not interested in George’s products at all. He had indicated his lack of interest by saying that he was busy. However, George failed to pick up the signal. Instead of saying “I am not interested” directly, Mr. Li chose a more polite way, according to Chinese cultural norms, to convey this message to George. Mr. Li did not want to tell George “no” directly and cause George to lose face (because his products were rejected). By failing to set a definite time for a followup meeting and by only halfagreeing to the specifics that George was pressing on him, Mr. Li was saying, in no uncertain terms（直截了當(dāng)?shù)兀? that he was not interested in pursuing the matter. George didn’t have the cultural sensitivity to interpret Mr. Li’s response correctly.D. This is not a good explanation. Mr. Li didn’t show any interest in the exchange. George was the one who showed a lot of enthusiasm.E. This is a true statement. However, it doesn’t apply to the situation described in the incident. This was a trade show, where panies could establish initial contacts and introduce new products. Therefore, George really had no chance to develop a relationship of trust with Mr. Li, who was obviously not impressed by George’s initial approach.Case 2 Understanding the Cultural BackgroundExplanationThe insurance saleswoman could argue that the people she deals with are in the United States and therefore, should adapt to American practices。 that he does not, that the best he can manage is “I see,” is a clear indication that he can’t e in.This is not exactly how Ms. Jones reads it. Indeed, Ms Jones doesn’t even realize that she’s asked a question yet, much less that it has already been answered. Accordingly, she now proceeds to ask Wu if he can e in. Wu is taken aback, of course, having already said he can’t, but he repeats his position with another indirect negative: “Yes, I think so,” Needless to say, this is probably going to e across as a yes to Ms. Jones, who interprets things quite literally.Imagine Wu’s surprise at the next line, “That’ll be a great help.” He has twice told Ms. Jones he can’t e in, and she still thinks he can. Now Wu doesn’t know what to do, so he tries what for him must be the direct approach, telling Ms. Jones exactly why he won’t be there on Saturdayit is his son’s birthday. Ms. Jones, who has been in the dark for most of this conversation (from Wu’s point of view, that is) goes even further astray at this point, finding Wu’s ment on the birthday quite far from the subject under discussion.Because of Wu’s absence, Saturday isn’t going to be a good day for Ms. Jones. Nor is Monday going to be much fun for Mr. Wu, since he would be blamed by Ms. Jones. 2. A Bit of NuisanceThis dialogue illustrates how two mon techniques of munication, understatement and changing the subject, are interpreted differently by direct and indirect municators. Karl and Gitti are two direct municators reviewing a conversation Karl had with a third person, the somewhat more indirect Arabella. As is their norm, Karl and Gitti have interpreted Arabella’s phrase “a bit of a nuisance” literally, assuming she means just that and nothing more. Indirect municators, however, will often use understatement like this to suggest a much stronger feeling which, for any number of reasons, they do not want to express openly. Hence, “a bit of nuisance” should be examined more closely to see if it means what it seems to on the surface or if it’s standing in for something stronger, for what Arabella is not fortable saying.Any doubt about what the phrase might mean is erased when Arabella then changes the subject. Although this is interpreted as a good sign by Karl and Gitti (that Arabella is moving on to another topic), they have probably misinterpreted this behavior. For Arabella and many indirect municators, changing the subject is often used as a way of indicating that they find the present subject unfortable to talk about and want to get away from it, and not, as the two speakers assume, that they have nothing more to say about the present subject.Section C Intercultural Practice1. I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.1) Do you think that’s a good idea?2) Are there any other ideas?3) I like most parts of that idea.2. That’s not exactly the point.1) That’s another good point.2) We could discuss that point later.3. I think we should…1) What do you think of this idea?2) Has anyone thought about doing it this way?4. Those figures are not pletely accurate.1) I have some other figures here.2) Those figures may be slightly old.5. That’s not the way to do that.1) I would do it this way.2) Have you ever tried doing it this way?3) Has anyone done that a different way?6. I don’t agree.1) That’s a good idea, but I have another one.2) What do you think of this idea?3) May I make a small suggestion?Section D Case StudiesCase 1 An Initial ProblemExplanationThe initials of . are the abbreviation for Water Closet, meaning a toilet. This abbreviation is ma