ENGLISH FOR RECEIVING
INTERNATIONAL CLIENTS
SITUATION 1.4
Entertaining Clients to Dinner
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Learning Goals
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Warm-up Activities
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Situated Learning
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Students Activities
5
Study Material
SITUATION
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RECEIVING UNEXPECTED VISITORS
SITUATION
1.4
 Learning Goal:
1. know how to entertain clients to
dinner
2. describe characteristics of
Chinese food.
3. master the basic expressions of
entertaining clients to dinner
4. be familiar with the etiquette of
business entertaining
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Warm-up Activities
SITUATION
1.4
Warm-up
Questions
1. Can you translate
some local food into
English? Ask your
partner to guess the
dishes' name which
you have translated.
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2. Which cuisine
does your local food
belong to？Can you
describe its
features?
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SITUATION
1.4
Typical Vocabulary
Complete the table by translating the English and Chinese equivalents of the words given
招待, 款待
牛排
toast
敬酒
套餐
dessert
甜食
餐具
tableware
steamed
蒸熟的
菜系
cuisine
entertain
I
boiled
煮熟的
主菜，正菜
fried
炸过的
开胃食品
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steak
set meal
entree
appetizer
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Situated Learning
Background
Mr. Stein is a business
representative from Echo
Technology, USA. Now he is
visiting Star Investment
Management Company in Tianjin.
Mr. Stein has the intention of
signing a cooperation contract with
Star Investment Management
Company.
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Task Description
 Sally Liu, the assistant
manager of Star Investment
Management Company, is
in charge of receiving Mr.
Stein. She entertains Mr.
Stein to dinner during his
staying in Tianjin.
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Situated Learning
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1.4
 Task Analysis
 The task of entertaining your
client to dinner mainly lies in
whether you will have a pleasant
talk between the two parties on
the right occasion. No one likes
to have a big entertainment in a
hurried time. Therefore, you
have to do a lot of preparation
work to ensure a good dinner
entertaining. When and where to
have meals, what dishes should
be selected and what to talk
should be considered carefully
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New Words
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entertainment [entə'teinmənt] n. 娱乐，宴请，款待
canteen [kæn'ti:n] n. 食堂
efficiency [i'fiʃənsi] adj. 有效的,生效的n. 效率
memo ['meməu] n. 备忘录
jelly ['dʒeli] n. 果冻
caviar ['kæviɑ:] n. 鱼子酱
chopstick ['tʃɔpstik] [常用复](中国的)筷子
hard nut 难事，难题，难对付的人
world wide adj 闻名世界的
Boiled Fish with Pickled Cabbage and Chili 酸菜鱼
Fried Diced Chicken with Chili and Peanuts宫保鸡丁
Twice Cooked Pork 回锅肉
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Situated Learning (Step 1)
SITUATION
1.4
Listen to their conversation and fill in the blanks
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(Business Lunch)
Ms. Liu: Mr. Stein, you must be very hungry.
a heavy breakfast . How about you?
Mr. Stein: Not really. I had ______________________
Ms. Liu: A little. Mr. Stein, what would you like to eat? __________________
Set meal
or noodles?
Mr. Stein: Set meal please.
Ms. Liu: OK. What would you like to drink?
A jar of beer , please.
Mr. Stein:__________________
Ms. Liu: OK. Would you like anything else, Mr. Stein?
take business lunchs
Mr. Stein: No, thank you. We usually _____________________________
part of
working hours.
Ms. Liu: Yes. We only have one-hour lunchtime. It is so short.
Mr. Stein: We take the __________________
as the top.
efficiency
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Situated Learning (Step 2)
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 Ms. Liu: Hello, Mr. Stein. How do you find the room service and food here?
 Mr. Stein: The room service is quite satisfactory and the food very delicious.
This is a very good hotel.
 Ms. Liu: I'm glad you find the hotel service satisfactory. Mr. Stein, I wonder
if you __________________
tonight.
are occupied
 Mr. Stein: I'm not sure, but let me check my memo. Ah, no, I __________________
have nothing on
tonight.
 Ms. Liu: Great! May I invite you to dinner this evening? I know a restaurant
where good _____________________
is served.
Western food
 Mr. Stein: How nice of you. I'll be delighted to go. But what time would you
like me to come?
 Ms. Liu: If you can be ready by, say, 6:30 o'clock, I'll be at the hotel to
pick you up .
__________________
 Mr. Stein: That's good. It's most ____________________
you to do this, Ms. Liu.
thoughtful of
 Ms. Liu: That's all right. Well, then, I'll say good-bye.
 Mr. Stein: Good-bye and see you tonight.
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Situated Learning (Step 3)
SITUATION
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this restaurant is well known for its western food .
 Ms. Liu: Mr. Stein, ___________________________________________________________
 Mr. Stein: Really? It is great. I have not eaten natural western food for several
weeks.
 Ms. Liu: Ha-ha. ___________________________________________
.
The steak here is quite special
 Mr. Stein: Great! I can’t wait for that.
 Ms. Liu: What appetizer _______________________________________
? Jelly or caviar?
would you like to order
 Mr. Stein: Jelly please.
 Ms. Liu: And a full course meal?
 Mr. Stein: Yea. And the dessert after the meal.
 (A few minutes later, the waiter serves the dishes)
 Ms. Liu: It tastes so good. But excuse me. Mr. Stein, I am always confused of
the western tableware. ______________________________________________
?
Which spoon is used to drink soup
 Mr. Stein: The largest one at your place is the soup spoon.
 Ms. Liu: I see. It is interesting but______________________________________________
the regulations really make me fuzzy .
 Mr. Stein:
Never mind. We are quite free. For me the chopsticks are
really hard nut.
 Ms. Liu: Are you interested in Chinese food?
 Mr. Stein: Very much. I hope I have the chance to know more about Chinese
food.
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Situated Learning (Step 4)
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Ms. Liu: Mr. Stein, are you free this evening?
Mr. Stein: Yes, ________________________________
.
I haven’t made any plans
Ms. Liu: Really? Do you like spicy food?
Mr. Stein: I’d love to.
Ms. Liu: If so,
I would like to invite you to dinner this evening at a typical Chinese restaurant .
__________________________________________________________________________________
Mr. Stein: It is very kind of you.
(In a Sichuan restaurant)
Ms. Liu: Mr. Stein, this dish is called Fried Diced Chicken with Chili and Peanuts.
That is Boiled Fish with Pickled Cabbage and Chili, and this is called Twice Cooked
Pork…. they are the dishes of SICHUAN cuisine. How do you like it?
I didn’t expect it to be so spicy
Mr. Stein: Wow. So spicy! Crazy! ___________________________________________
. But, the
spicy flavor makes me so comfortable. I love it. I really don’t know how to thank you
for taking me to have such nice food.
Ms. Liu: I am so glad you love it.
Mr. Stein: ________________________________________________
?
Could you introduce other cuisines in China
Ms. Liu: Ok. There are eight different cuisines in China. They are Shandong Cuisine,
Sichuan Cuisine, Guangdong Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine, Jiangsu Cuisine, Zhejiang
Cuisine, Hunan cuisine, Anhui Cuisine. The dishes from different cuisine have quite
different flavors.
Mr. Stein: Ohm, ___________________________________________
China is such an amazing country
.
Ms. Liu: If you stay here longer, we will have time to taste the dishes of other cuisines.
Mr. Stein: I hope so.
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SITUATION
1.4
Summary
 Good entertainment could promote the possibilities of the cooperation between two
companies. But not all the most expensive entertainment could satisfy your clients. Therefore,
proper entertaining should be flexible with the time. The workflow of entertaining your
clients to dinner is as follows:
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Students Activities
SITUATION
1.4
Task one
Tips for you (A)
Situation: You are in charge of entertaining a new client of your company to dinner. The
tips are for you to prepare a conversation.
 You are
Cheng Ming from China
The assistant manager of Xiamen Time Trade Co., Ltd. China
 You
Invite your client to have business dinners in a local restaurant
Introduce some delicious local food
Toast a successful cooperation
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Students Activities
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Task one
Tips for you (B):
Situation: You are invited to have a dinner while you are visiting a company in China. The
tips are for you to prepare a conversation.
 You are
Tom Smith from Dubai
The head of the Import Dept. Of the ABC Imp./Exp Corp., Dubai
 You
Accept Cheng Ming's invitation for a dinner
Show your interest in Chinese food
Toast a successful cooperation
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Students Activities
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Task Two
Background
Your boss asks you to arrange the entertaining issues for two Islamic clients from
October 11th to 13th. You are the sales representative of your company, and this is
the first time for you to receive Islamic clients.
Task Description
Group work. Search the Internet for information about the food habit and dietary
restrictions of Islamite. Then act out how you entertain your Islamic clients at
different places.
Task Requirement
The conversation should last at least 6 minutes. The following items should be
included:
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1. Inquiry what your clients want to eat
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2. Invite your clients to have dinner
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3. Introduce some typical food
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4. Talk about some cultural differences while having meals
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SITUATION
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Students Activities
Task Two
(group work)
1. Making a plan on how to entertain your clients to
dinner, then give a report to the whole class. Each
group should give your comments on all the reports.
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SITUATION
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Students Activities
Task Two
(group work)
2. Amend your arrangement of your entertainment
referring to the comments of your teacher and
classmates.
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SITUATION
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Students Activities
Task Two
(group work)
3. Act out how you entertain your client(s) to dinner.
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SITUATION
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Check list
Checklist for Entertaining Clients to Dinner
Questions
Yes
No
1. Have you asked your client whether he/she has any special diet?
2. Have you arranged the seats properly?
3. Have you introduced your leader or colleagues to your client?
4. Have you toasted to your client?
5. Have you introduced your local food?
6. Have your client enjoyed your entertaining?
7. Do you use appropriate business etiquette?
8. Do you speak fluently and loudly enough?
9. Are the sentences you said syntactically right?
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Assessment
Self- assessment Form
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Assessment
 Peer Assessment Form
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Study Material
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 New words
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premises ['premisiz] n.楼宇，处所
ensure [in'ʃuə] v. 确定，保证，担保
diplomacy [di'pləuməsi] n. 外交
maneuver [mə'nu:və] n. 演习，调遣，策略
barrier ['bæriə] n. 界线，屏障，障碍物
venue ['venju:] n. 地点
accessibility [,ækəsesi'biliti] n. 可以得到，容易得到
availability [ə,veilə'biliti] n. 有效，有用，有益
deadlock ['dedlɔk] n. 僵局，停顿
leisurely ['leʒəli; 'li:ʒəli] adv. 从容地，悠闲地
draught [drɑ:ft] n. 气流
12. napkin ['næpkin] n. 餐巾
13. etiquette [eti'ket, 'etiket] n. 礼仪,礼节,成规
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Study Material
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 Phrases and expressions
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be likely to 可能(可预期的)
from another perspective 从另一个角度
at one draught 一口气地，一下子
enough is enough 适可而止
lead to 导致
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Study Material
SITUATION
1.4
Entertaining Clients to Dinner
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1. Dining with a client normally happens if you
work in the corporate world. Gone were the days
when business dealings were typically conducted
inside the office premises. More so, it is likely to
happen in whatever field of business you find
yourself in. To ensure that you know of the proper
diplomacy and grace, it is best to handle these
situations with all the proper business dining etiquette.
If you know your manners, you increase your
chances of maneuvering successful business
meetings. However, an unhappy dinner could also be
a barrier of your cooperation.
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Study Material
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2. Determine the venue depending on the type of clients that
you have, the restaurant's accessibility, and your clients'
availability as well. When determining a restaurant, be sure of
the reliability and quality of food of the selected place. Don't
forget to invite the most important client to the top seat.
Generally speaking, the first seat the waiter shows is the top
one. If there is no waiter's direction, we should hold the view
that the seat beside the wall is the top one, and you can invite
the client to sit there. If there are more than two persons, we
should make a best arrangement before dinner. Based on the
principle of communicating easily, we should try to arrange
those who are familiar with each other to sit closely. It's our duty
to introduce each other to break the deadlock.
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Study Material
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3. The appropriate topics when having dinner are
sports, travel, cuisine, interests and so on. When the
clients ask you the questions about the food, you could
talk about the art of eating in China leisurely and make
them understand Chinese culture better from another
perspective. One of the reasons why foreigners have a
bad impression on Chinese is the bad drinking habits.
Once drinking too much, they will talk big or make loud
noises, which is rare seen for the foreign businessmen.
And westerners seldom drink the whole bottle at one
draught. So we should not ask them to drink again and
again. Even if we want to ask them to eat more
vegetables and drink more wine, we should obey the
rule that enough is enough. Don't force them.
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4. Should we talk about business or not when having
dinner with westerners? Generally speaking, it is very
common to talk about business at business lunch.
However, as for the official occasions such as dinner, it
depends. When the wife accompanies, it's better not to
talk that. If going to washroom or answer an urgent
phone when dinning, you should put the napkin on the
chair. The westerners always put the napkin on the table
to show the ending of his meal. At an official dinner, it is
not appropriate for the others put the napkin on the table
before the head clients do.
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5. Proper business dining etiquette and topics leads
to more business chances. When you behave yourself
well, clients are sure to get impressed!
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 Comprehension of the passage
1. When entertaining your clients to a dinner, you cannot
A. invite the clients in advance
B. determine the venue according to your clients' availability
C. forget to invite the most important client to the top seat
D. arrange the table layout
2. Figure out the wrong table manner
A. Once seated, unfold your napkin and use it wiping your lips or
fingers constantly.
B. Serve the lady sitting to the right of the host first, then the other
ladies in a clockwise direction.
C. Hold the knife and fork with the handles in the palm of the hand,
forefinger on top, and thumb underneath.
D. When you have finished eating, place tableware side by side in the
center of the plate.
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 Comprehension of the passage
3. If the food served is not to your liking, you could
A. Leave it as it is
B. Eat at least a small amount of it
C. Compliment the food without tasting it
D. Order the waiter to take it away
4. You'd better not talk about business while
______________
A. having a business lunch
B. having dinner with the client as well as his wife
C. drinking coffee
D. drinking tea
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Comprehension of the passage
5. You could make the following preparations when
attending a western business event
A. Dress according to the recommended dress code and
try to outdress the others
B. Arrive a little early in order to offer your assistance
C. Bring a partner to give the host a surprise
D. Take along a small gift for your host
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Tips for entertaining to business dinner
1. One must not wear loud perfumes and trendy fashion wears for the occasion
of Business Dining. Business Dining is an extension of the work place
breaks. It is often in the course of Business Dining that many significant
decisions are made.
2. Take note of the restaurant's parking space, noise level, and your clients'
dietary preference.
3. Being the host, you should arrive at least 30 minutes early. Check the table
arrangement, the menu, and the payment of the bill. You are the one who is
expected to pay the bill if you invited your clients.
4. Don't eat bread or anything unless your clients have arrived. The table
should be as pristine as ever.
5. Avoid ordering any exotic food. Prefer those that are familiar and easy to
eat using fork and knife. Chew your food gently and silently. Put bite-size
food into your mouth.
6. Ask your clients to order first unless you have ordered the entire meal
beforehand.
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Useful expressions
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1.4
Inviting clients
1. We are planning to have a casual get-together, and I
wonder if you (and...) can join us.
2. We want to hold a party for you. We hope you'll be able to
attend.
3. Our president wants to have dinner with you while you're
here. When would be convenient for you?
4. I'd like to take you out to dinner this evening.
5. May I invite you to dinner at a Chinese restaurant?
6. I will certainly come if I have time.
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Useful expressions
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Inquiring about the flavor of clients
7. What would you like to have for lunch?
8. Would you prefer Japanese, Chinese, or some other kind
of food?
9. Are you in the mood for Japanese, Chinese, or some
other cuisine?
10. Is there anything you don't eat?
11. How about a steak?
12. Have you ever had tempura (甜不辣，一种日本菜肴) before?
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Useful expressions
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Talks before dinner
13. Thank you for your invitation to dinner, Mr. Chen. It
was very kind of you.
14. I'm glad you were able to come, Mr. Hunter. I know how
busy you are.
15. This is a nice-looking place, nice atmosphere, pleasant
decor, and polite service.
16. Mr. Crane, please take a seat here, and Mr. White, please
sit next to Mr. Crane.
17. Let's sit here by the window, shall we?
18. I hope you like French Cuisine, Mr. White, because
that's what this restaurant specializes in.
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Useful expressions
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Talks in dinner
19. I'll try sashimi first. How about you, Mr. Smith?
20. Next, I think I'll have the flatfish. What kind of fish
would you like?
21. How about another glass of wine?
22. Please help yourselves to whatever you want. But you'd
better have a taste of each design because each has
different flavor.
23. Make yourself at home and eat it while it is hot.
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Useful expressions
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Talks after dinner
24. Thank you for your hospitality and your dinner.
25. I must thank you again for the very enjoyable dinner.
26. I've had a wonderful evening. Not only did you make me
a good business offer, but you treated me to a great
dinner.
27. This is not just an evening of business. It's also for the
cultivation of friendship.
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