【正文】 until a couple of hundred years ago, couldn39。t the case. Lowine families in India, for instance, simply can39。ve been on the air for exactly one year now, and we thought it would be a nice idea to have a special program dedicated to birthday celebrations around the world. With us in the studio tonight we have Shaheen Hag and Pat Cane, who have a weekly column on birthdays in the Toronto Daily Star.Shaheen: Good evening.Pat: Good evening.Chairman: Shaheen, perhaps we could begin with you. How are birthdays celebrated in India?Shaheen: Well, perhaps we39。ll move on to our next topic.Kate amp。How do you do?39。t use someone39。t prepared, and I mean, I had my left hand in my pocket. And when we shook hands I realized my left hand was still in my pocket. Well, that was, you know, very bad manners and I was quite embarrassed.Interviewer: And how about using first names? Have you made any mistakes there?Rob: Oh, yes, I have! When I first went to Italy I thought it was OK to use everyone39。t they?Rob: Oh, yes, that39。 to all the people in the room. There were about half a dozen people there but I was in a hurry to leave, so I just said that and left. Well, I later found out that what I should have done is shake hands with everyone in the group before leaving. Now, apparently, it39。s silly of me because I found out later it upset everyone. I mean, I think they felt I was taking them for granted. Kate: Well, I know that because when I was in France the first time, I finished a meeting , with 39。Hello39。Unit 2Embarrassing ExperiencesInterviewer: Rob, you went to Brazil, didn39。 she said. 39。 Ben asked the nurse when she returned. 39。s voice and his melodious descriptions of the outside world! As he looked at the window, an idea suddenly occurred to him. Perhaps he could see for himself what it was like outside. As soon as it seemed appropriate, Ben asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was fortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself! He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall! 39。t hear the band he could see it in his mind39。Unit 1The Hospital Window Jack and Ben, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. Jack, whose bed was next to the room39。s only window, was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. But Ben had to spend all day and night flat on his bed. To kill time the two men began to talk. They talked for hours about their wives, families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, and where they had been on vacation. As days went by, a deep friendship began to develop between them. Every afternoon when Jack could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to Ben all the things he could see outside the window. And Ben began to live for those onehour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees beautified the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As Jack described all this in exquisite detail, Ben would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scenes. One warm afternoon Jack described a parade passing by. Although Ben couldn39。s eye as Jack portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed. One morning the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of Jack, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. Ben was heart broken. Life without Jack was even more unbearable. How he longed to hear Jack39。What could have pelled my roommate to describe such wonderful things outside this window?39。Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you to live on,39。You know, he was blind and could not even see the wall.39。t you?Rob: Yes, I did. Interviewer: So, what happened?Rob: Well, I went into this meeting and there were about, er... seven or eight people in there and I just said 39。 to everybody and sat down. Apparently, what I should have done is to go round the room shaking hands with everyone individually. Well, you know, it39。Goodbye, everyone!39。s the polite thing to do.Interviewer: Well, people shake hands in different ways, don39。s right, they do. See, normally I shake hands quite gently when I meet someone. So when I went to the US for the first time, I think people there thought my weak handshake was a sign of weakness. Apparently, people there tend to shake hands quite firmly.Kate: Oh, gosh, you know, that reminds me: on my first trip to Germany, it was a long time ago, I was introduced to the boss in the pany when he passed us in the corridor. Well, I wasn39。s first name so as to seem friendly. And I later discovered that in business you shouldn39。s first name unless you are invited to. Oh, and you should always use their title as well. Kate: Hm, yeah, well, when I met people in Russia, you know, they seemed to be puzzled when I shook hands with them and said 39。 Well, what they do when they greet a stranger is to say their own names, so I had that all wrong!Rob: Oh, yes, I agree with that. Remembering names is very important. Interviewer: Shall we take a break? When we e back we39。 Rob: OK.Unit 3Birthday Celebrations Around the World Chairman: Wele to this special birthday edition of One World. Yes, folks, we39。re all assuming that everyone in the world celebrates their birthday. This just isn39。t afford any festivities. And most Muslims don39。t even read and would