Why haven’t I left yet Everyone seems to be asking me this question now. Clearly their having to say goodbye as if it’s the last time they’re ever going to see me is beginning to wear out my friends. Some of the more unfortunate must have said goodbye at least three or four times. Much to everyone’s delight, I will be setting off this Saturday, but getting all the necessary visas for the journey has been far from quick, cheap or straightforward.
Getting a Chinese visa was easy enough. The Mongolian embassy seemed a bit unprepared for me, or in fact any other tourist, wanting .to visit the country in winter and it took half an hour of knocking on the door before I got an answer. The Mongolian visa, however, has a map of the country in the background that should come in handy if I get lost out on the grassland.
It was getting a Russian visa that had me wondering if I’d ever be able to leave. The requirements for the visa, especially for
A. Grateful.
B. Worried.
C. Delighted.
D. Impatient.
Western-style conversations often develop quite differently from Japanese-style conversations.
A Western-style conversation between two people is like a (1) of tennis. If I introduce a topic, a conversational ball, I expect you do (2) it back. If you agree with me, I don’t expect you simply to agree and to (3) more. I expect you to add something to carry the idea further. (4) I don’t expect you always to agree. I am just as (5) if you completely disagree with me. (6) you agree or disagree, your (7) will return the ball to me. And then it is my turn (8) . I don’t serve a new ball from my (9) starting line. I hit your ball back again to you by (10) your idea further. And so the ball goes back and forth, (11) each of us doing our best to give it a new twist.
A Japanese-style conversation, (12) , is not at all like tennis or volleyball. It&rsquo
A. response
B. action
C. operation
D. service
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