Abstract

Nowadays, the problem about students’ understanding errors in reading comprehension errors increasingly becomes a focal point of English teaching. These understanding errors or understanding obstacles are closely linked to the cultural differences between China and the West, which have profound impact on them. In essence, English reading is equivalent to a cross-cultural communication, so it is impossible to achieve the most accurate understanding from articles without cultural background. In the process of reading, students should not only pay attention to the content of an article, but also focus more on the hidden culture of the target language in the article, because there are collision and exchange between two cultures which can help students construct and accumulate foreign-language background knowledge for freely application.

In many cases, teachers will find students often face a dilemma in English reading comprehension, which is that students may understand the meaning of words and sentences, but cannot get the intent of the whole passage. This is normal, because English reading is a process of intercultural communication, so traditional cultures , political systems, history, customs, values, and many other factors in articles influence students in reading. These factors make students encounter cultural barriers and cultural conflict, which affects reading comprehension. In this paper, the author uses questionnaire survey method to study the impact of cultural differences on English reading. The aim is to solve the following questions: whether cultural differences have a impact on reading or not, and how to deal with it. The solution is to read with cultural background thinking skills.

Key Words: Cultural Differences; English Reading; Cross-cultural Communication；Cultural Barriers

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-2

1.1 Research Background-2

1.2 Research Purpose-5

1.3 Organization of this Paper-7

2  Literature Review-9

2.1 Language and Culture-9

2.1.1 The Definition of  Language-9

2.1.2  The Definition of  Culture-9

2.1.3  The Relationship Between Language and Culture-10

2.2 Effects of Culture Differences on English Reading Teaching-11

2.2.1 Effects of Culture Differences on English Reading Teaching at Home-11

2.2.2  Effects of Culture Differences on English Reading Teaching Abroad-13

3 Methodology-14

3.1 Research questions-14

3.2 Research Participants-14

3.3 Research methods-14

3.4 Data analysis methods-14

4 Findings and Discussion-16

4.1 Result of  Questionnaire-16

4.2 Discussion of  Questionnaire-18

5 Conclusion-21

5.1 Major Findings-21

5.2 Limitations-21

5.3 Suggestions-22

Bibliography-24

Appendix-26

Acknowledgements-28