時尚雙語:21種方式打造舉止優雅的紳士
In our chaotic world, everyone appreciates a little civility.
Now, more than ever, it pays to be a gentleman — admired by men for your ease in every situation and by women for your worldly ways.
A gentleman's manners are always impeccable. He dresses appropriately for any occasion, knows instinctively how to treat women, acts his age and is always fun to be around.
Yes, a gentleman follows some established rules. But in a revised and expanded edition of How To Be A Gentleman (Thomas Nelson, 160 pp. $14.99)author John Bridges insists that gentlemanly behavior is not about do's and don't's; it's about common sense and courtesy.
Take away even a few of Bridges' pointers, and your friends, lovers and business partners will be impressed.
A gentleman . . .
1. Keeps to the right, whether he is walking on a sidewalk, down a hallway or on the stairs.
2. . . . does not attempt to walk and send text messages simultaneously.
3. . . . waits for a woman to initiate a social kiss. If she leans toward him, he turns his cheek toward her lips. And when she graces him with a light, brushing kiss, he doesn't dawdle in accepting it.
4. . . . doesn't wipe away a lipstick smudge in the presence of the woman who planted it on him. He bears it, even if briefly, as a badge of honor, wiping it away later with a handkerchief.
5. . . . waits until a lady at the table lifts her fork before he takes his first bite.
6. . . . eats the garnish on his dinner plate if he so desires.
7. . . . places his knife and his fork on his plate side by side, as if they were the hands of a clock set at 5:25, when he's finished eating.
8. . . . always has an umbrella to share.
9. . . . never wears a belt when he is wearing suspenders.
10. . . . leaves the bottom button of his vest undone.
11. . . . never wears a bow-tie with a button-down shirt.
12. . . . owns at least one pair of black lace-up shoes.
13. . . . usually takes his shirts to the laundry but knows how to use an iron and spray starch.
14. . . . is careful about what he says in e-mails. He meticulously reviews his messages, editing if necessary to make sure recipients will understand what he's saying — and the tone in which he says it.
15. . . . knows how to make a grilled cheese sandwich at 2 a.m. and an omelet at 7 a.m.
16. . . . doesn't flaunt his newest gadgets, no matter how expensive or cutting-edge they may be.
17. . . . feels no necessity to wear socks after Memorial Day — at least in casual situations. If he is Southern, he may not even wear them to church.
18. . . . never wears the same pair of blue jeans two days in a row.
19. . . . puts the liquor away when he wants guests to leave.
20. . . . always offers to get up and make the coffee in the morning.
21. . . . never waits for something better to turn up.
在這個喧囂的世界，每個人都多少講究一些禮儀。
如今，有甚於往昔，做個紳士是有益的——男人們羨慕你處處得心應手，而女人們則崇拜你的練達。
紳士風度總是完美的：在任何場合都穿着得體，本能地知曉如何對待女人，行事符合其年齡，總給身邊的人帶來歡樂。
是的，一個紳士恪守某些既定規則。不過在修訂擴展版的《如何成爲一個紳士》（托馬斯·納爾遜公司出版，160頁，14.99美元）一書中，作者約翰·布里奇斯主張紳士行爲不是關於該做什麼和不該做什麼的，而是關於常識和禮貌的。
採納哪怕一兩條布里奇斯的建議，你的朋友，戀人和商業夥伴就會對你刮目相看。
一個紳士 . . .
1. 保持右行，無論是走在人行道上，走廊裏，還是在樓梯上。
2. . . . 不會邊走路邊發短信。
3. . . . 在行社交親吻禮時，總是等待女人去開始。 如果她靠近他，他會轉過臉頰迎向她的嘴脣。而當她向他施以一個又輕又快的吻時，他在接受時也不會表現出漫不經心的態度。
4. . . . 不會當着女人的面擦掉她留在他臉上的脣印，而是把它當成一種榮幸而留着它，即使時間很短。晚些時候再用手帕將它擦去。
5. . . . 等到同桌的女士拿起叉子纔開始用餐。
6. . . . 在宴席上不會去吃盤中的飾菜，除非他真的很想這麼做。
7. . . . 當他吃完時，會將刀叉並排放在盤子上，如同錶盤的指針在5:25時的樣子。
8. . . . 總有一把傘可以與人分享
9. . . . 穿吊帶褲時從不繫皮帶。
10. . . . 穿馬甲時不扣最下面一粒釦子。
11. . . . 穿帶衣領釦的襯衫時從不打蝶形領結。
12. . . . 至少有一雙黑繫帶鞋。
13. . . . 通常把襯衫送到洗衣店去洗，但知道熨燙和上漿。
14. . . . 在電子郵件裏謹慎地說話。他一絲不苟地檢查他寫的消息，如有必要就進行修改，以確保接收人能讀懂他所說的話——以及他說話時的語氣。
15. . . . 知道如何在凌晨兩點鐘做燒烤奶酪三明治和在早晨七點做煎蛋餅。
16. . . . 不會炫耀他的新玩意，即使有多麼貴重或多麼尖端。
17. . . . 過完陣亡將士紀念日後，覺得沒必要再穿短襪 —— 至少只在偶然情況下穿。如果他似乎美國南方人，他甚至不會穿着去教堂。
18. . . . 不會在連續兩天內穿同一條褲子。
19. . . . 當他想讓客人離開時，就把酒收起來。
20. . . . 早上總是主動起牀煮咖啡。
21. . . . 從不等着天上掉餡餅。
