According to Expedia, punctuality is important in the United Kingdom. If you are invited to somebody’s house, you’re generally expected to arrive on time, but “you have a 10-15 minute grace period if you are running late.”

You should ask if you should remove your shoes when entering a British home. British people like to entertain others in their homes, but some of them like you to leave your shoes at the door, while others don’t mind you wearing them around the house.

British people love a debate, but you should avoid asking personal questions related to salary or religious and political affiliations if you’ve just been invited to someone’s house.

If someone asks you “How do you do?” the correct response isn’t “Fine, thanks.” Instead, you should ask “How do you do?” back — then it’s on the first person to answer. It’s not a common question to encounter, but it’s important you know how to respond if you are asked.

It’s not uncommon at dinner to remain standing until you are invited to sit down. This is less common if you know the other person well, and the meal is casual. You should also keep your elbows off the table, but again, this depends on the situation.

A fairly universal rule in the U.K. is to lay your knife and fork together at the clock position of 6:30 to signal you’re finished.

The Expedia guide says: “Be sure to pay for a round of drinks for everyone in your group when you’re at a pub.” You don’t have to force everyone to stay for another drink, but pub culture is big in the U.K., so you probably won’t have to. If someone gets you a drink, you should reciprocate. It’s unusual for someone to buy only their own drinks in a bar or pub.

Don’t wave your hand or call out to get the attention of a waiter in a restaurant. This is considered rude. Tipping isn’t compulsory in the U.K., but it is considered rude not to leave anything. The norm is 10 to 12.5 percent of the bill. But British people don’t tend to tip bar staff.

You should let people off before you try and get on a bus or train, otherwise everything turns into a crowded mess. And you don’t want angry Brits grumbling at you for not knowing the rules.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【宽限期】kuānxiànqī grace period a period after deadline during which an obligation may still be fulfilled without penalty

【酬答】chóudá reciprocate make a return for something

根据亿客行旅游网站，守时在英国很重要。如果你受邀去英国人家里，你通常都应准时到达，但如果你真的迟到了，有一个10到15分钟的宽限期。

在进入英国人的家之前，应该先询问主人自己要不要脱鞋。英国人喜欢在家招待客人，但有些人希望你脱了鞋再进屋，而有些人则不介意你穿着鞋在家里走。

英国人喜欢讨论，但如果你初次受邀上门拜访，你应该避免问一些和薪水、宗教或政治立场有关的私人问题。

如果某人问你“How do you do?（你

好吗？）”，正确的回答不是“Fine, thanks（很好，谢谢）”，而应该是同问“How do you do?”，然后由第一个人来回答。这不是你经常会遇到的问题，但如果被问到了，知道如何应对很重要。

在用餐前一直站着，直到主人请你坐下才入座，这很常见。如果你和主人很熟，这只是顿便饭，那么一般就不用这么做。用餐的时候不应把胳膊肘放在桌子上，当然，这也要视具体情况而定。

在英国，一个很普遍的规则是将刀叉摆放成钟表6点半的角度来表示自己用餐完毕。

亿客行网站的指南写道：“在酒吧里，一定要请朋友们喝一杯。”你不用强迫每个人都留下来再喝一杯，但英国的酒吧文化很盛行，所以很可能还轮不到你请。如果别人请你喝，你应该回请对方。在英国酒吧里很少有人只买自己的酒。

不要招手或大声叫唤以吸引餐厅服务员的注意。英国人认为这样做很粗鲁。在英国，给小费不是硬性要求，但如果什么也不给也会被认为很无礼。通常小费是账单金额的10%到12.5%。不过英国人通常都不会给酒保小费。

乘坐火车和巴士，你应该先让别人下车，然后才上车，否则就会挤成一团。你也不想听到英国人愤怒地抱怨你不懂规则吧。

(Chinadaily.com.cn)