We hear about the informality in an American class from time to time. For instance, American professors do not dress up and they generally call students by their first names. Students can speak out in class, where they do not even need to raise their hands. In addition, in many schools, students can drink coffee, tea or juice during classes. American students sometimes argue with their teachers in class, give teachers suggestions on things that need changing, or even criticize their ideas.

我们经常耳闻美国课堂上不拘礼节的现象。比如美国教授着装休闲，只叫学生的名字而把姓省略掉。学生在课堂上可以大胆地说出自己的想法，连举手都不用。此外，在许多学校，学生可以一边听课一边喝咖啡、茶、果汁等饮料。美国学生有时和老师在课堂上进行争论，建议老师在某些方面做出改进，甚至批判老师的观点。

In contrast, the relationship between teachers and students in China can be quite formal. It is not possible for students to "first-name"their teachers. Rather, we address them with "Prof." or "Mr." or "Ms.", and in class we seldom challenge the teacher's ideas. We're taught since the first day we go to the kindergarten that we should sit up straight and obey all the disciplines. In most cases, we just sit there and are passively crammed. Some students may be excellent note-takers, but on the whole, they do not take too many initiatives while learning.

相比之下，在中国，师生关系相当正式。学生直呼老师的名字是不可能的，要称呼老师为“某某教授”或“某某老师”。在课堂上我们也很少挑战老师的观点。从上幼儿园的第一天起，老师就教我们要坐姿端正，要遵守纪律。在大多数情况下，我们只是坐在教室里被动地接受灌输。有的学生可能非常善于记笔记，但总的来说，他们在学习过程中不够主动。

Also, the learning processes for American and Chinese students are at polar ends. For the former, they tend to learn what they believe is useful and interesting, whereas the latter focus more on learning information for the sake of learning.

同样，美国学生和中国学生的学习过程也截然不同。美国学生往往学习他们认为有用、有意思的东西，而中国学生更多地是为了学习而学习。

In clas, American teachers also want their students 100% concentration, and by this they mean to look at them, or have eye contact. It's so important of the eye communication in American classroom that they believe this is the way of respect and concentration. In many literary works, eyes have been a very fascinating topic. Shakespeare had these words: "Thou tell'st me there is murder in mine eye." Bob Dylan also had "Your eyes said more to me that night than your lips would ever say." Therefore, in western cultures, eye contact is highly valued. If you don't have eye contact with an American, it's very likely that they interpret this as a sign of disrespect, lacking self-confidence, or even lying.

在课堂上，美国老师还希望学生百分之百地投入，就是说学生要看着老师，和老师有眼神的交流。眼神交流在美国课堂上是非常重要的一环，他们认为这既是对老师的尊重，也表示学生在认真听讲。在很多文学作品中，眼睛都是让人着迷的话题。莎士比亚曾说过：“你对我说，我的眼中暗藏杀机。”鲍勃·迪伦也有类似的话：“那个夜晚，你的眼睛说的话比你的嘴说得还要多。”由此可见，在西方文化中，眼神交流是及其重要的。如果你和美国人说话的时候不看着对方，很有可能他们会以为你看不起人，缺少自信心，甚至可能是在撒谎。

But here in our culture, we're not used to looking at the other part directly in the eye. This practice--an "abrupt" one in the Chinese culture--would usually bring on discomfort, embarrassment or even misunderstanding, especially when it occurs between the opposite sexes. In class, it's not necessarily that we don't respect, or listen to, but we just don't have to stare at the teacher all the time.

然而在中国文化里，我们并不习惯直视对方。这在中国文化里是一种“无礼”的行为，通常会让人不舒服，造成尴尬甚至误解，尤其当对方为异性时。在课堂上，我们不是不尊敬老师，也不是没有听讲，只是我们不一定非得时时刻刻盯着老师。