One day, I heard an American boy say to a Chinese girl student, "You speak very good English." But the girl answered, "No, no. My English is very poor." The foreigner was quite surprised 1 the answer. Thinking he had not made 2 understood or the girl had not listened to him clearly, he said, "Yes, indeed, you speak very well." But the girl still kept saying: "No, no." This time the American boy could not understand and didn't know 3 to say.
What's wrong with the girl's answer? She didn't 4 a compliment (恭维) in the same way as the American people do. She should answer, "Thank you" instead of "No". She 5 did understand what the American boy said, but she thought she should be modest (谦虚的). In the 6, people will feel proud (骄傲) and 7 when they are praised (表扬). So if someone says the dishes you cooked are very delicious, you should say, "Thank you."
In our country we think being modest is a virtue (美德) and being proud is a bad thing. But in my opinion, being confident does not mean being proud, so sometimes you should be confident 8 being modest.
If you are modest and say, "No, I'm afraid I can't do it" while working in a western country, others may think that you really can't do it. If you often say "No", you will certainly be looked down by 9. When asking for a job, if one says something like "Yes, I can certainly do it" instead of "Let me have a try", he or she will 10. So in the west, you should be brave to show your self-confidence.
