Abstract Language and culture are inseparable from each other。 Language is an important part as well as a carrier of culture。 Every language possessing its instinct national characteristics and different cultures has different features。 To correctly understand one language, one must be familiar with the features and contents of its culture。 As two different languages established on two different cultures, English and Chinese bear their own unique national cultures and historical traditions。 Therefore, cultural differences reflected in English reading comprehension are actually caused by differences between Chinese and Western cultures。 The paper makes a concrete analysis of the influences of Chinese and Western cultural differences on English reading comprehension from three perspectives, namely vocabulary,  sentence and text。73936

Key Words: culture differences reading comprehension vocabulary sentences texts

摘要 语言和文化是密不可分的，语言是文化的载体又是文化的重要组成部分。

语言具有鲜明的民族性，不同文化具有不同的文化烙印。想要正确的理解某种语 言，必须熟悉相应文化的特点和内容。英语和汉语是建立在两种不同文化上的两 种不同语言，他们各自反映其特殊的民族文化和历史传统。因此，本文从文化差 异的根源，文化差异在英语阅读中的表现，从词汇、句子和文章三个方面具体分 析中西文化差异对英语阅读理解的影响。

毕业论文关键词：文化差异     阅读理解     词汇     句子    文章

Context

Abstract i

摘要 ii

Chapter One Introduction 1

Chapter Two Causes of Differences between Chinese and Western Cultures 2

2。1 Different value orientations 2

2。2 Different thinking patterns 2

2。3 Different religious beliefs 3

Chapter Three Influences of Cultural Differences on English Reading Comprehension 5

3。1 Influences of cultural differences on vocabulary 5

3。1。1 Words with different meanings 5

3。1。2 Words with special meanings 7

3。2 Influences of cultural differences on sentences 8

3。3 Influences of cultural differences on the text 9

Chapter Four Conclusion 13

References 14

The Influences of Cultural Differences on English Reading Comprehension

Chapter One Introduction

Language and culture are closely related to each other。 Deeply rooted in the culture, language reflects all the beliefs and emotions of a cultural community。 According to Edward Sapir, the American linguist, culture can be regarded as what a society does and thinks while language is a concrete form to express ideas。 (刘英爽， 2007，p8) Porter, the communication expert maintains that language is a product of culture and the comprehension of a language is restricted by specific cultural experience。(刘英爽，2007，p8) As far as he is concerned, language has a counteractive on culture and they are mutually results to each other。 L。R。Palmer also believes that the history of language and that of culture is complementary to each other and they can develop in a mutually coordinated way。 (王伟华, 2012, p267) Chinese experts have also made many researches on this。 They emphasize that language is the carrier of culture while culture provides language with the development environment。 Language is an indispensable part of culture。 Language and culture influence and act on each other。 To have a correct understanding of a language, one must learn about its culture first and vise versa。 From the perspective of linguistics, language is not only a reflection of culture but also a direct and effective tool to understand a culture。