Working at a college with a preponderance of non一English一speaking students，my sister sometimes had difficulty in communicating with the newly arrived. Once as she was enrolling¹ a young man，she reached a standstill at the question of birth date. No matter what words or motions she used，the young man remained puzzled. Finally，a Chinese student standing² nearby asked my sister，"What do you need to know?”After my sister explained，the Chinese woman turned to the young man and hummed the first few bars of“Happy Birthday to You”.

我妹妹在一所大多数学生都不会讲英文的大学里任教。她有时在与新生交谈时感到困难。有一次，她还在给一位新来的小伙子注册，她在问他的生日是哪天的时候，遇到了不可逾越的困难。无论她用什么词句或什么手势，这位年轻人不明白她的意思。后来，一位站在旁边的中国女学生问我妹妹:“您想要知道什么?”我妹妹向她解释后，这位中国女学生转向小伙子，嘴里哼起了“祝你生日快乐”歌的头几小节。

His eyes lit up in recognition as he explained，“May 12，1978.”The helpful student shrugged³ and said，"Same song，every country."

他眼里顿时流露出懂了的意思，说道:"1978年5月12日。”那位乐于助人的女学生耸耸肩说:“每个国家都唱这同一首歌。”