首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The term "American dream" was first used in【B1】______in a novel written by Horatio Alger: Ragged Dick. The message was: No matte
The term "American dream" was first used in【B1】______in a novel written by Horatio Alger: Ragged Dick. The message was: No matte
admin
2014-09-09
61
问题
The term "American dream" was first used in【B1】______in a novel written by Horatio Alger: Ragged Dick. The message was: No matter what your【B2】______, hard work and【B3】______would always lead to success. This message is still【B4】______, but it has new【B5】______and variations. Some people think this term has led to an out-of-control consumerism and【B6】______. Another, more benign view of the American dream is that it is about the desire to create【B7】______for ourselves, usually through hard work. A classic example of this type of American dreamer would be Abraham Lincoln. This view of the American dream has also been associated with【B8】______and their【B9】______for a better life in a new country. Many immigrants have created a better life for【B10】______generations through hard work.
The American dream has also, 【B11】______, been associated with【B12】______expansion in this country. Many a dreamer set off for the West in search of【B13】______, jobs, 【B14】______, or other opportunities. Unfortunately, this idea of new opportunities in the West had a【B15】______side: native American Indians were often【B16】______, or met with【B17】______when they interfered with the visions or ideas of westward-migrating Americans. A more recent interpretation of the American dream has to do with【B18】______. 【B19】______; rights activists used the American dream to urge people to work for equal opportunities for【B20】______Americans.
【B4】
The term "American dream" is widely used today. But what exactly does this concept mean? Where does the term come from? Has the meaning of the term changed over time? Questions like these can complicate a seemingly simple term and lead us to an even more important question: is the American dream a myth or a reality today?
The term "American dream" began to be widely used in 1867. The term was used in a famous novel written by Horatio Alger. The novel, Ragged Dick, was a "rags to riches" story about a little boy who was orphaned and lived in New York. The boy saved all his pennies, worked very hard, and eventually became rich. The novel sent the message to the American public that anyone could succeed in America if they were honest, worked hard, and showed determination to succeed. No matter what your background, no matter where you were from, no matter if you had no money or no family, hard work and perseverance would always lead to success.
Today, the message from Alger’s novel is still a prevalent one in this country. It is still used to define the American dream. A very basic definition of the American dream is that it is the hope of the American people to have a better quality of life and a higher standard of living than their parents. This can mean that each generation hopes for better jobs, or more financial security, or ownership of land or a home.
However, new versions and variations of the American dream have surfaced since Alger’s novel was published. For one thing, the basic definition I stated a moment ago—the idea that Americans are always seeking to improve their lifestyle—also suggests that each generation wants more than the previous generation had. Some people would argue that this ever-increasing desire to improve the quality of one’s life may have started out on a smaller scale, in the past, but today has led to an out-of-control consumerism and materialism.
Another, more benign view of the American dream is that it is about the desire to create opportunities for ourselves, usually through hard work. A hallmark of the American dream, some would argue, is the classic "self-starter," the person who starts out with very little in life—little money, few friends, few opportunities—and works hard to make his or her way in the world. A classic example of this type of American dreamer would be former president Abraham Lincoln, who was born in a log cabin, was largely self-educated, and yet worked his way up in the world to eventually become a United States president.
This view of the American dream has also been associated with immigrants and their quests for a better life in a new country. Americans have long been fascinated by immigrant stories, and many feel great pride about their own families who may have come from other countries, worked very hard, and created a better life for future generations.
The American dream has also, historically, been associated with westward expansion in this country. Throughout most of the 1800s, the notion of the frontier—a vast expanse of largely unclaimed land in the West—symbolized new opportunities and a fresh start to people. Many a dreamer set off for the West in search of land, jobs, gold, or other opportunities, often with next to nothing in his pocket. Unfortunately, this idea of new opportunities in the West had a negative side. The American West was not unpopulated; native American Indians already lived there, along with other immigrant groups, and these people were often displaced, or met with violence, if they interfered with the visions or ideas of westward-migrating Americans.
A more recent interpretation of the American dream has to do with equality. Civil rights activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , used some of the rhetoric associated with the American dream to urge people to work for equal opportunities for all Americans, not just some Americans. A harsh reality was becoming clear to some people, especially in the 1960s and 1970s: not everyone had the same opportunities. If people were denied jobs, education, or other opportunities because of their race, ethnic background, or gender, was the American dream only a myth?
选项
答案
prevalent
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/JUSO777K
本试题收录于:
NAETI高级口译笔试题库外语翻译证书(NAETI)分类
0
NAETI高级口译笔试
外语翻译证书(NAETI)
相关试题推荐
Wehavetoacknowledgetooweneverknowtheoneswestop.It’snosmallthingstogofrom13to4,giventhewayitripplesthr
Healthsystemsstrengthening—which,inglobalhealthspeak,meansbuildingandreinforcingthestaff—mustcontinuetotakepl
Theschooldecidedtotrimtheirteachingmethodsaccordingtothestudents’______.
Childrenshouldalways________thesamebasicprocedure:seeingthewholeWord—hearingandpronouncing—writingfrommemory.
PhilanthropyIthasbecomeanAmericantraditionthatthosewhoattaingreatwealthreturnsomeofittothepublicthrough
I________withrageathisoffensiveremarks,findingitmeaninglesstoarguewithsucharudeman.
AlexEzehoftheCentreforGlobalDevelopment,isathink-tankinWashington,remembersshowingKenyanpoliticiansevidencetha
Wholefamiliesofmusiciansarenotexactlyrare.However,itisunusualtocomeacrossonethatincludesnotonlywritersandp
There’sasceneinthe2008movieIronManwhereTonyStark,thefilm’sinventor-superhero,threatenstodonateoneofhisrobot
A、Salesmen.B、Editors.C、Cooks.D、Advertisingagents.D
随机试题
Internet提供了电子购物服务,因此网络能传递物品。()
患者,男,48岁。近日腰部疼痛,重着而热,暑湿阴雨天气加重,活动后或可减轻,身体困重,小便短赤。苔黄腻,脉濡数或弦。分析出其中医证型为
韩某尚在管制执行期间,韩某的下列哪些行为是违反管制规定的行为?()
王富贵家的水牛吃了同村人田里的红花草,乡派出所以王富贵违反乡规民约为由,将其关押3天。王富贵出来后不服,要求派出所赔偿。下列说法正确的是:()
应付账款是指企业因()而付给其他单位的款项。
《水土保持法》规定,禁止在()度以上陡坡地开垦种植农作物。
公司有员工50人,知识考核平均成绩为81分,按成绩将员工分为优秀与非优秀两类,则可计算出非优秀员工人数.(1)优秀员工平均成绩为95分(2)非优秀员工平均成绩为70分
给定程序中,函数fun的功能是:判断形参s所指字符串是否是“回文”(Palindrome),若是,函数返回值为1;不是,函数返回值为0。“回文"是正读和反读都一样的字符串(不区分大小写字母)。例如,LEVEL和Level是“回文”,而LEVLEV不是
【B1】【B18】
FlatswerealmostunknowninBritainuntilthe1850swhentheyweredeveloped,alongwithotherindustrialdwellings,forthela
最新回复
(
0
)