Speaking English is not only about using proper grammar. To use English effectively, you need to understand the culture in which it is spoken. Here are a number of important tips to remember when speaking English in the United States.
說(shuō)英語(yǔ)不僅僅在于語(yǔ)法正確，想要得心應(yīng)手地使用英語(yǔ)，你還得了解語(yǔ)言的文化背景。如果你在美國(guó)說(shuō)英語(yǔ)，那么接下來(lái)的小貼士能夠提醒你需要注意的地方。

General Points to Remember
你需要記住的是：

Most Americans only?speak English1: While it is true that more and more Americans speak Spanish, most Americans only speak English. Don't expect them to understand your native language.
大多數(shù)美國(guó)人只說(shuō)英語(yǔ)：雖然現(xiàn)在越來(lái)越多美國(guó)人說(shuō)西班牙語(yǔ)，但是大部分美國(guó)人仍然只說(shuō)英語(yǔ)。所以就別太期望他們能理解你的母語(yǔ)。

Americans have difficulties understanding foreign accents: Many Americans are not used to foreign accents. This requires patience from both of you!
美國(guó)人理解外國(guó)口音有困難：很多美國(guó)人并不習(xí)慣外國(guó)口音，因此需要你們之間的耐心交流。

Conversation Tips
對(duì)話貼士

Speak about location: Americans love to talk about location. When speaking to a stranger, ask them where they are from and then make a connection with that place. For example: "Oh, I have a friend who studied in Los Angeles. He says it's a beautiful place to live." Most Americans will then willingly talk about their experiences living or visiting that particular city or area.
談?wù)摰攸c(diǎn)：美國(guó)人很喜歡聊關(guān)于地點(diǎn)的話題，當(dāng)你與一位外國(guó)人初次交談的時(shí)候，可以詢問(wèn)他們的家鄉(xiāng)以及與該地方相關(guān)的問(wèn)題。比如說(shuō)，“啊，我有一個(gè)在洛杉磯讀書的朋友，他覺(jué)得那里很漂亮?！苯又?，大多數(shù)美國(guó)人都會(huì)很樂(lè)意與你交談他們?cè)谀莻€(gè)地方生活或觀光的經(jīng)歷。

Talk about work: Americans commonly ask "What do you do?". It's not considered impolite (as in some countries) and is a popular topic of discussion between strangers.
談?wù)摴ぷ鳎好绹?guó)人通常會(huì)問(wèn) “What do you do?” 雖然在某些國(guó)家這是無(wú)禮的問(wèn)題，但在美國(guó)不是的，這只是一個(gè)陌生人之間的流行話題。

Talk about sports: Americans love sports! However, they love American sports. When speaking about football, most Americans understand "American Football", not soccer.
談?wù)擉w育：美國(guó)人太熱愛(ài)體育運(yùn)動(dòng)了！不過(guò)，他們熱愛(ài)的是美國(guó)體育。當(dāng)聊到football的時(shí)候，絕大多數(shù)美國(guó)人想到的是橄欖球而不是英式足球。

Be careful when expressing ideas about race, religion or other sensitive topics: The United States is a multi-cultural society. Especially in the last few years, Americans are trying very hard to be sensitive to other cultures and ideas. Talking about sensitive topics like religion or beliefs is often avoided in order to be sure not to offend someone of a different belief system. This is often referred to as being "politically correct".
當(dāng)談到關(guān)于種族，宗教或其他敏感話題的時(shí)候要注意：美國(guó)是一個(gè)多元文化的社會(huì)，特別是在這幾年，美國(guó)人對(duì)不同的文化和觀點(diǎn)特別敏感。在美國(guó)，像宗教或個(gè)人信仰的敏感話題通常是避免在交談中提到的，以免對(duì)別人造成冒犯。這就是通常所說(shuō)的“政治正確”。

Addressing People
稱呼他人

Use last names with people you do not know: Address people using their title (Mr, Ms, Dr) and their last names.
對(duì)于不熟悉的人，請(qǐng)使用姓來(lái)稱呼。稱呼人的時(shí)候，使用頭銜（如先生，女士，博士等）加上他們的姓。

Always use "Ms" when addressing women: It is important to use "Ms" when addressing a woman. Only use "Mrs" when the woman has asked you to do so!
請(qǐng)使用 “Ms” 來(lái)稱呼女性：用 “Ms” 來(lái)稱呼女性是比較重要的，只有在她要求你稱呼她為 “Mrs” 的時(shí)候才這樣做。

Many Americans prefer first names: Americans often prefer using first names, even when dealing with people in very different positions. Americans will generally say, "Call me Tom." and then expect you to remain on a first name basis.
美國(guó)人偏愛(ài)使用名字：美國(guó)人喜歡別人使用名字來(lái)稱呼他們，即使雙方的身份不同也這樣做。美國(guó)人一般會(huì)說(shuō)，“叫我Tom”，并且他希望你就這樣稱呼，不需要客氣。

Americans prefer informal: In general, Americans prefer informal greetings and using first names or nicknames when speaking with colleagues and acquaintances.
美國(guó)人更不拘小節(jié)：一般來(lái)說(shuō)，美國(guó)人更喜歡非正式的問(wèn)候語(yǔ)，當(dāng)提到同事和熟人的時(shí)候會(huì)使用他們的名字或昵稱。

Public Behavior
公共場(chǎng)合的行為

Always shake hands: Americans shake hands when greeting each other. This is true for both men and women. Other forms of greeting such as kissing on the cheeks, etc., is generally not appreciated.
握手的必須的：美國(guó)人在互相致意的時(shí)候都會(huì)握手，這是男女通用的，然而其他的問(wèn)候方式如親吻臉頰等，則不那么常用。

Look your partner in the eye: Americans look each other in the eyes when they are speaking as a way of showing that they are sincere.
看著對(duì)方的眼睛：為表示真誠(chéng)，美國(guó)人在與別人交談的時(shí)候會(huì)看著對(duì)方的眼睛。

Don't hold hands: Same sex friends do not usually hold hands or put their arms around each other in public in the United States.
別拉手：在美國(guó)，同性朋友在公共場(chǎng)合并不太會(huì)拉手或者挽住對(duì)方的胳膊。

Smoking is Out!!: Smoking, even in public places, is strongly disapproved of by most Americans in the modern United States.
不許抽煙?。≡诋?dāng)代美國(guó)，抽煙，特別是在公共場(chǎng)合，是非常不被人們接受的行為。