When we walk through the city, we all experience a kind of information overload but we pay attention only
to those that are important to us. We don't stop, we keep our faces expressionless and eyes straight ahead, and
in doing so, we are not just protecting ourselves but are avoiding overloading other people as well.
     We make use of stereotypes (刻板的模式) as convenient ways to make quick judgments about situations
and people around us. They may not always be accurate,and they can often be dangerously wrong, but they
are used regularly.
     The problem with the stereotypes is that they restrict experience. By using limited close to provide us with
a rapid opinion of other people or places we may choose to limit our communication. We may decide not to go
to certain places because we believe they will not offer something we enjoy.
     In the city, styles of dress are particularly important with regard to self-presentation. Different groups often
use clearly identifiable styles of clothes so that they can be easily recognized. It is becoming increasingly
common for brand names to be placed on the outside of clothes, and this labeling makes it easy to send out
information about fashion and price instantly, and lets others tell at a distance whether an individual has similar
tastes and is a suitable person to associate with.
     In England, where social grouping or class continues to make social distinctions (区分), clothes, hairstyles,
people's pronunciation and the manner of speaking are all clues to our social group. Class distinctions tend to
be relatively fixed, although in the city where greater variety is permitted, they are more likely to be secondary
determining factors of friendship and association.