No matter where you are, humans are always checking time. Some of us are good at it—planning and doing things way ahead of time(提前), while others are always in a hurry. And that's only if you're on time. What if you are late?
So, how late is late? Many cultures take timekeeping very seriously, while others seem to accept lateness as just a common way of things. In different countries, people's opinions are different. In Latin America, things may happen five minutes, twenty minutes，an hour or even two after they were planned. In Sri Lanka, lateness is a part of the daily habit. In Rwanda, this is a place where it is not unusual to arrive at 11 a.m. for a meeting which started at nine.
On the other hand, German and Japanese people have a stricter view about time. In Japan, it is common to arrive ahead of time to attend a meeting. Those who arrived at nine to a meeting starting at nine a.m. would be late in other people's view. In Germany, however, if a dinner party were to begin at eight, a person who arrived five minutes earlier may walk around the block to make sure that they get there at eight on time, without being too early or late.
| How late is too late? | |
| Countries | , Sri Lanka, Rwanda, Japan, Germany |
| Attitudes(态度) | ⒈Lateness is in some countries. ⒉Lateness is rejected(拒绝) in some countries. |
| Different about time. | ⒈People can be late at any time. ⒉Lateness is common in life. ⒊It is to be late. ⒋Try to appear ahead of time. ⒌Try to on time. |
