Part One Chinese Tea
Part Two Chinese Medicine and Tonics
Part Three Chinese Local Flavor Food
Words and Expressions
Exercises
Part One Chinese Tea
SA： Good afternoon， sir. Can I help you？
C： Yes， I'm looking for tea. What do you recommend？
SA： How about Longjing tea？ It is a first-class green tea. And it is fresh green， aromatic， sweetish and smooth in appearance.
C： Wonderful. I'll take two tins. I still need some other kinds of Chinese tea. You know， we're a big family， every one has his own taste.
SA： We have a variety of Chinese tea here. We have Qimen Black Tea， Wulong Tea， and Jasmine Tea.
C： Jasmine Tea？ What is it？
SA： It's a high quality green tea mixed with dried jasmine flowers. It has a wonderful fragrance.
C： What else have you mentioned？ Qi， …… Black Tea？
SA： Yes， Qimen Black Tea. It has a rich， sweet smell， fine both in appearance and in quality. It's one of the most famous black teas around the world.
C： I was told there's a sort of Chinese tea which has a reducing effect. Is that so？
SA： Yes， that's Wulong Tea. More and more foreign visitors， especially ladies， come to buy Wulong Tea in order to keep fit. Wulong Tea is very refreshing and helps you to get rid of tiredness.
C： It's very kind of you to tell me all about it. I'll take three tins of each. Should I pay in cash？
SA： Not necessarily. Traveler's checks or MC Master Card can also do.
Part Two Chinese Medicine and Tonics
SA： Good afternoon， sir. Are you being attended to？
C： No. Could you show me some highly nutritious tonics？
SA： Yes， of course. We have wild ginseng， Korean ginseng， young pilose antler， pearl powder， pearl oral liquid， ass-skin glue， tortoise-shell glue， gyrophora， white fungus， bird's nest， cordyceps， chicken essence with cordyceps. Do you want it for yourself？
C： No， my wife suffers from poor appetite and asthenia of the heart and lungs for years.
SA： I'm sorry to hear that. Please tell your wife not to worry too much， sir. I suggest she take cordyceps. （He shows him the cordyceps）
C： Ah， how queer it looks. What is it？
SA： It's a tonic only available in China， which can cure such ailments as anaemia. Most important， it has no side-effect.
C： Good. I'll buy three boxes of it. Will you please tell me how to take it？
SA： Yes， sir. You may fill 3 or 5 pieces of cordyceps into a cleaned and chopped open duck's head and cook with the whole duck or stew cordyceps with chicken.
C： That sounds very interesting. I think I should suggest my wife to take it as a must for her daily diet.
SA： Please remind your wife not to eat turnip and garlic when taking this medicine.
C： Thank you for your advice. How much is it？
SA： 168 yuan a box.
Part Three Chinese Local Flavor Food
SA： Good morning， madam and sir. Are you being attended to？
C： No， can you recommend for us some Nanjing specialities？
SA： Yes， sir. Will you try Nanjing Salted Duck？ It's vacuum-packed and can be kept for a period of time. People here enjoy eating it and often buy Nanjing duck as presents to send to their relatives and friends.
C： That's great. I'll buy 2 bags.
SA： Is there anything else you are interested in？
C： Yes. We're traveling to Xi'an tomorrow. We need some pickled cucumber and some other specialities for our journey to Xi'an.
SA： Oh. In that case， I recommend you Yangzhou pickles and five-flavored beans. Yangzhou pickles are well-known in China while five-flavored beans， Wu Xiang Dou， are one of Shanghai's specialities made by Yu Yuan Garden Bazaar.
C： O.K…… Get me two bags of Wu Xiang Dou and two bottles of Yangzhou pickles.
SA： Here you are. Now， let me put them in the plastic bag. Please check the goods in the package. Will that do？
C： That's very thoughtful of you.
SA： My pleasure.
Words and Expressions
recommend
v. 推荐
aromatic
a. 芳香的，芬芳的
sweetish
a. 略带甜味的
smooth
a. 光滑的
jasmine
n. 茉莉花
fragrance
n. 芬芳，芳香
appearance
n. 外表
sort
n. 种类
reduce
v. 减少
figure
n. 身材
refreshing
a. 令人爽快的
necessarily
adv.必要地
step
v. 走，步行
tonic
n. 滋补品
nutritious
a. 营养的
appetite
n. 胃口
asthenia
n. 无力，虚弱
cordyceps
n. 虫草
stem
n. 干
queer
a. 奇怪的
available
a. 可得到的
cure
v. 治疗
ailment
n. 疾病
anaemia
n. 贫血
side-effect
n. 副作用
chop
v. 剁碎
stew
v. 用文火慢慢地炖
must
n. 必需品，必做的事
diet
n. 饮食
turnip
n. 萝卜
garlic
n. 大蒜
vacuum
a. 真空的
wild ginseng
野山参
Korean ginseng
高丽参
young pilose antler
鹿茸
pearl powder
珍珠粉
pearl oral liquid
珍珠口服液
ass-skin glue
驴皮胶
tortoise-shell glue
龟板胶
gyrophora
灵芝
white fungus
银耳
bird's nest
燕窝
chicken essence with cordyceps
虫草鸡精
pack
v. 包装
pickle
n.& v.腌
cucumber
n. 黄瓜
specialty
n. 特产
flavor
n. 风味
bean
n. 豆子，蚕豆
Exercises
Topics for Discussion
1. What kinds of tea does the shop assistant introduce to the customer？
2. What kind of tea has a reducing effect？
3. Do you happen to know how to take cordyceps？
4. What kinds of local flavor food does the shop assistant recommend for the customer to buy？
5. Do you take any tonics at home？ What are they if you do？
Role Play
1. A customer wonders what he can buy at the pharmacy counter， since he has got very serious insomnia. You， the shop assistant， will try to recommend something for him to buy.
2. A customer wonders why there're so many small round cakes everywhere. You， the shop assistant， are trying to explain what the cakes are called； why they are called so （It is a special food for the Mid-autumn Festival）； and what does it represent？ （a symbol of family reunion） and recommend cakes with different stuffings （馅） and explain how long the cake can be preserved.
Complete the following：
1. C： I was told there is a kind of Chinese tea that is called “Vigorous and Graceful Tea” （健美茶）。 Is that so？
SA： Ah， that's __________ Tea. It's __________ and helps you to __________.
C： Does it have any special effect？
SA： Yes， __________. That's why many foreign visitors come __________.
C： Wonderful. My wife is gaining weight these days. She is taking aerobics class.
SA： That's a good exercise. But I suggest she also take some Anti-adiposia （减肥茶） Tea. That's __________.
C： Thank you. I'll take six boxes then.
2. SA： __________？
C： Yes. My wife has just had an operation. She is very weak. Doctor says she needs some tonics.
SA： __________， I suggest you buy some Chinese Ginseng. Many ancient Chinese medical classics have valued it as a panacea （治百病的灵药） which can overcome __________ （体虚） and __________
C： Oh， good. I'll buy some. But I don't know how to eat this root-like herbs.
SA： Just cut it __________， then stew them with the hen or put some pieces into a glass to drink.
C： It sounds interesting. How do you sell it？
SA： __________.
C： And how much does one box cost？
SA： __________.
C： Here's 500 yuan. I'll take 6 boxes.
Put the following into English：
1. 营业员要提醒顾客人参勿与萝卜、大蒜同吃。
2. 我们商场的宗旨是全心全意为顾客服务。
3. - 我妻子的身体非常虚弱，你能向我推荐些什么吗？
- 是的，她可服用人参蜂王浆（Ginseng Royal Jelly）。
4. 安溪铁观音（Anxi Tieguangyin）无论外形还是质量均属上乘，而且它具有减肥效果。
5. 极品龙井茶是手工焙制的。它色泽碧绿，香味特别浓郁。
6. 这种绿茶质量高，里面有晒干的茉莉花。
7. 越来越多的外国游客，尤其是女士们，来中国买乌龙茶，为的是保持身材。
8. 我妻子胃口不好，多年体虚。
9. 这是只有在中国才有的滋补品，可以治疗像体虚这样的疾病。
10. 我们想去西安旅游，想要一些腌黄瓜和其他一些土特产。
Put the following sentences into Chinese：
1. It's a high quality green tea mixed with dried jasmine flowers.
2. It has a rich， sweet smell， fine both in appearance and in quality.
3. No， my wife suffers from poor appetite and asthenia of the heart and lungs for years.
4. It's a tonic only available in China， which can cure such ailments as anaemia.
5. I think I should suggest my wife to take it as a must for her daily diet.
6. It is fresh green， aromatic， sweetish and smooth in appearance.
7. You may fill 3 or 5 pieces of cordyceps into a cleaned and chopped open duck's head and cook with the whole duck or stew cordyceps with chicken.
8. People here enjoy eating it and often buy Nanjing duck as presents to send to their relatives and friends.
9. Yangzhou pickles are well-known in China while five-flavored beans， Wu Xiang Dou， are one of Shanghai's specialties made by Yu Yuan Garden Bazaar.
10. Please check the goods in the package. Will that do？
Reading Material
Nowadays， competition in the hotel industry becomes very intense. By competition it does not only mean other hotels or countries competing for international tourism or conferences， but also manufacturing industries and retailers selling a whole range of products. It will be a battle for the consumers' disposable spending power. The question may well be whether the consumer buys a video tape recorder， changes a silent movie camera for a sound camera， buys a new home dishwasher， or takes a holiday and stays in a hotel. Hoteliers appear to be facing a period of continuous rising costs. After the growth decades of the 50s and 60s up to the 70s， and a decade of mixed fortunes， now hoteliers would face a decade when there is slow competition. The increased competition could rise from up-market self catering， time sharing， home entertainment and other area， as well as from producers of a whole variety of consumer products and services.
Many of the producers and retailers of other consumer products are very sophisticated in selling their products. So people in the hotel industry must ensure that they obtain their share of market spending. In order to do so， hoteliers should listen to the demands of the market and satisfy them at a profit. As a matter of fact， they have to listen to the market more intently than their competitors and satisfy the demands more effectively so as to survive in the intense competition.
As markets are changing continuously， it is important to redefine markets continuously. However， hotels and restaurants are built and designed on a fixed basis for a specific market opportunity， the management tends to make no attempt to redefine their role in the market place. When one has a physical building， it is not too easy to change the product to take into account changes in the market. There is， therefore， a great reluctance to change what was a success formula.
Nevertheless， the hoteliers can change the product in various ways， such as new decor， special themes， new staff uniforms， different menu， changes in tariff and menu prices， new sales literature （hotel and conference brochures）， and a grade up or a grade down.
Unless one is continuously seeing from the customer's point of view and trying one's best to satisfy the customers' demands， there is a danger that present guests and customers may drift away to competitors and new customers will not be attracted to one's property. Besides， it is absolutely essential to decide what the strengths and weaknesses of one's products are， bearing in mind the demands and requirements of the different sources of business and the strengths and weaknesses of one's main competitors. The last point on competitors is a critical factor. In isolation， one's own facilities do not matter - they are only relevant when compared with one' competition. For example， if one hotelier does not have their air conditioning， this is not a limitation if all his/her competitors have no air conditioning either. For too long many hoteliers have dissipated time and money by not selecting the source of business which they are best suited for and where they have least competition.
Questions
1. What factors do you think make the competition in the hotel industry very intense？
2. What are the characters of hotel product？
3. What necessary information should a hotelier know about his/her competitors？
4. In your opinion， what could a hotelier do to survive the competition？
