Many Chinese people are confused with the two nations: one is known for its cheese and watches; the other for IKEA and Volvo.
The problem largely stems from the fact that both nation’s names are written similarly in Mandarin---Ruidian(Sweden) and Ruishi (Switzerland)------which begin with the same symbol, according to the Swedish Consul General Victoria Liu in China.
In an effort to put an end to the mix-up, the Swedish and Swiss governments have launched a competition on a website, asking Chinese people to come up with funny ways to help differentiate the two countries. Submissions can be accepted as a blog post, cartoon, photo, short film or in any other format.
The winner with the best submission will receive a 12-day trip to Sweden and Switzerland and will be expected to report back on his/her impressions of both countries following the trip, the website states. Entries will be accepted until November 20.
The organizers have also devised a humorous campaign logo with objects and people associated with Sweden and Switzerland on separate maps of each country. Sweden’s map features meatballs, a Viking, as well as two male cartoon figures with a heart between them symbolizing gay marriage, which remains illegal in Switzerland. Switzerland’s map features cheese, the Alps and a picture of Roger Federer.
China may not be the only country struggling to tell Sweden and Switzerland apart. Residents of Spanish-speaking countries also fall victim to the confusion as Sweden is spelt “Suecia” in Spanish while Switzerland is called “Suiza”.
Sweden and Switzerland aren’t the only places that have caused confusion among people. Last month, , a British holidaymaker hoped to explore the architecture of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, but instead mistakenly caught a flight across the Atlantic to the tropical Caribbean island of Grenada following a confusing booking blunder. Earlier this summer, two US holidaymakers were flown to the wrong continent after an airline confused two airport codes.
What can we learn about the competition launched by the two governments?
A.The winner of the competition will receive a 24-day trip altogether to both of the countries. |
B.The winner will report his/her impressions on the two countries in his/her submission. |
C.The competition is held among all people around the world. |
D.The competition is held in order to stop people’s confusion about the two countries. |
Why does the author mention the British holidaymaker?
A.To show us many people are confused by Sweden and Switzerland. |
B.To prove airports make mistakes about people’s places too. |
C.To explain Spanish-speaking people make mistakes too. |
D.To prove many people are confused about some places. |
In which part of a newspaper could you probably find the passage?
A.Tourism | B.News review | C.Business | D.Culture |
What does the underlined word “devised” mean?
A.Compared. | B.Collected. | C.Invented. | D.Installed |