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
American Values I. Individual freedom A. The one value every American would agree upon B. The 【T1】______of American val
American Values I. Individual freedom A. The one value every American would agree upon B. The 【T1】______of American val
admin
2019-11-02
29
问题
American Values
I. Individual freedom
A. The one value every American would agree upon
B. The 【T1】______of American values 【T1】______
C. Individual rights are guaranteed in the 【T2】______ 【T2】______
D. 【T3】______are small, owned by an individual or a family 【T3】______
II. 【T4】______ 【T4】______
A. Education is regarded as the key to opportunity.
B. Americans take 【T5】______to learning. 【T5】______
C. Internships, extracurricular activities are considered important.
D. 【T6】______is valued. 【T6】______
E. Americans decide their major field of study and select courses.
F. The belief "be all that you can be" emanates from 【T7】______. 【T7】______
III. Concept of family
A. 【T8】______
— Alien to most cultures in the world 【T8】______
— To bring about the happiness of 【T9】______
— Children disagree, even argue with their parents 【T9】______
B. Host families
— Foreign students are invited into Americans’ homes
— Visitors can do 【T10】______in host families
IV. Privacy 【T10】______
A. Privacy is important to Americans.
B. Individual privacy may make it difficult to 【T11】______.
V Reasons for American values 【T11】______
A. Individualism stems from American 【T12】______.
B. Early settlers had to be self-sufficient and 【T13】______. 【T12】______
C. The positive spirit enables Americans to take risks. 【T13】______
D. American heroes are 【T14】______.
VI. Suggested attitude toward values 【T14】______
A. Avoid 【T15】______
B. Evaluate a culture by its own standards 【T15】______
【T1】
American Values
Good morning, everybody. In today’s lecture, we shall start a new topic on American studies; that is American values. If you asked most Americans what the cultural values in the U.S. are, you might get some blank stares, or a statement of some basic beliefs. The question may seem simple, but the answer is quite complex. In a society as highly diverse as the United States, there is likely to be a multitude of answers. Since America is a country of immigrants, American culture has been enriched by the values and belief systems of virtually every part of the world. Consequently, it is impossible to be comprehensive. Nevertheless, a few selected values are at the core of the American value system.
The first is definitely individual freedom. It’s the one value that nearly every American would agree upon. Whether you call it individual freedom, individualism, or independence, it is the cornerstone of American values. It permeates every aspect of our society. The concept of an individual’s having control over his or her own destiny influenced the type of government that was established here, and individual rights are guaranteed in the United States Constitution. These rights are so protected in our judicial system that, even though Americans may complain that criminals sometimes "get away with murder", most people believe it is better to free a few guilty persons than to imprison one person who is innocent. While our economic system may be dominated by large corporations, the majority of American businesses are small, and many are owned by an individual or a family. It is part of the "American dream" to "be your own boss", and being an entrepreneur is one of the most appealing ways to improve one’s economic future.
The second American value I want to talk about is choice in education. Education is often regarded as the key to opportunity, including financial security. Americans take a pragmatic approach to learning, so what one learns outside the classroom through internships, extracurricular activities and the like is often considered as important as what is learned in the classroom. Consequently, lifelong learning is valued which results in many adult and continuing education programs. Americans have many choices. In school they decide their major field of study, perhaps with or without their parents’ influence, and students even get to select some of their courses. These "elective" courses often confuse foreign students who may expect a more rigid curriculum. The belief that Americans should "be all that you can be" emanates from the heritage descended by early settlers. Since the majority of the early settlers were Protestant, they believed that they had a responsibility to improve themselves, to be the best they could be, to develop their talents, and to help their neighbors. That is to say, they believe that they have certain missions to fulfill in the world. These convictions have not only influenced our educational system, but are often reflected in U.S. foreign policy.
Afterward, I’d like to say something about Americans’ concept of family. Another aspect of American society that may bewilder non-Americans is the family. The nuclear family structure is so alien to most cultures in the world that it is often misunderstood. The main purpose of the American family is to bring about the happiness of each individual family member. The traditional family values include love and respect for parents, as well as for all members of the family. However, the emphasis on the individual and his or her right to happiness can be confusing. It allows children to disagree, even argue with their parents. While in most other cultures such action would be a sign of disrespect and a lack of love, it is not the case in the United States. It is simply a part of developing one’s independence.
Many foreign students and visitors are welcomed by host families, who invite them into their homes for dinner or to join in family activities. Frequently visitors are told to "make themselves at home" and, at times, may appear to be "left alone". It certainly is nice to be treated as an honored guest in someone’s home, but one of the highest compliments that an American can give foreign guests is to treat them like members of the family, which means to give them the "freedom of the house" to do what they want, to "raid the refrigerator" on their own, or to have some quiet time alone.
The last value I want to emphasize is privacy. Privacy is important to Americans. The notion of individual privacy may make it difficult to make friends. Because Americans respect one’s privacy, they may not go much beyond a friendly "hello". Ironically, it is usually the foreigner who must be more assertive if a friendship is to develop.
Finally, are you interested in the reasons that have shaped today’s American values? The rugged individualism valued by most Americans stems from our frontier heritage. For much of our country’s history, there was a frontier. That experience greatly influenced American attitudes. Early settlers had to be self-sufficient which forced them to be inventive. Their success gave them optimism about the future, a belief that problems could be solved. This positive spirit enables Americans to take risks in areas where others might only dream, resulting in tremendous advances in technology, health and science. The American frontier also created our heroes: the self-reliant, strong-willed, confident individual who preferred action to words and always tried to treat others fairly. Many of these characteristics are represented by the myth of the American cowboy, and the more modern versions personified in movies by John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Sylvester Stallone. We can even look to "future" centuries and admire similar qualities in the heroes of the Star Trek and Star Wars movie series.
OK, in a nutshell, no matter what changes the next century brings or whether you agree with American values, the opportunity to visit the United States and to observe Americans first-hand is an experience well worth the effort. Be careful not to be ethnocentric, but to evaluate a culture by its own standards. Be aware that you’ll help shape American attitudes, just as they will influence you.
选项
答案
cornerstone
解析
要点题。讲座指出美国价值观的基石就是个人主义/个人自由,这种价值观渗透到社会的各个方面:“…it is the cornerstone of American values.It permeates every aspect of our society.”
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/N8bK777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
Educationalphilosophyhaschangedagreatdealinthe50yearssinceIwasinschool.Backthen,forexample,Ihadthehighe
Universalizationofeducationhasbeenapolicypriority,butitstillremainsanunfulfilleddream.Asaconsequence,thespre
ForadevelopingcountrylikeIndiawhoseecologicalandsocio-economicsystemsarealreadyunderpressurefromrapidurbaniza
A、Atremblingsoul.B、Emphasisonmasculinity.C、Amaskofanxiety.D、TheAmericanDream.A根据句(7)可知,有时人们认为海明威的小说表达了一种美国男性对他们的阳刚之
A、Thebowlingstyle.B、Therugbystyle.C、Thebasketballstyle.D、Thefootballstyle.A根据句(2)可知,在保龄球式风格的讨论中,人们会轮流发言,因此答案为[A]。
A、Itissatisfying.B、Itisnotessential.C、Itistoomuch.D、Itisbarelyenough.D本题考查重要细节。根据句(7-1)、句(7-2)和句(7-3)可知,人们每天要摄取75
A、Politicsandhistory.B、Writingskills.C、Nospecificsubjects.D、Languageandwriting.C在谈到成为记者所需要学习的科目方面,女士说没有专门的科目(noparti
把亲情放在适当的位置上,双方都不致失落。人到中年,亲情的互动,是阶段性的幸福,不要赋予它太严肃的意义,也不要把它看得无足轻重。上帝不允许孩子永远记住父母入骨的爱,那将使他们无法成长;也不允许父母永远记住自己对儿女所作的牺牲,那将使老人陷于期待回报的自怜。而
规劝乃是朋友中间应有之义,但是谈何容易。名利场中,沆瀣一气,自己都难以明辨是非,哪有余力规劝别人?而在对方则又良药苦口忠言逆耳,谁又愿意让人批评他的逆鳞?规劝不可当着第三者的面行之,以免伤他的颜面,不可在他情绪不宁时行之,以免逢彼之怒。孔子说:“忠告则善道
中国认为,人权的实现离不开世界的和平与发展。和平与发展是当今世界的两大主题,也是实现普遍人权和基本自由必不可少的前提。没有和平稳定的国际环境,没有公正、合理的国际经济秩序,就不可能实现普遍的人权。国际社会只有将促进人权同维护世界和平、促进人类发展联系起来,
随机试题
机构或者其管理人员对期货从业人员发出违法违规指令的,期货从业人员应当予以抵制,并及时按照所在机构内部程序向高级管理人员或者董事会报告。机构应当及时采取措施妥善处理。机构未妥善处理的,期货从业人员应当及时向( )报告。
梅毒病人宜选择使用
A、黛蛤散B、新雪颗粒C、牛黄至宝丸D、防风通圣丸E、清胃黄连片某男,24岁,牙龈肿痛三天,兼见口舌生疮,咽喉肿痛,证属肺胃火盛,宜选用的成药是()。
患儿,女,11个月。腹泻3天。大便为蛋花汤样,带黏液,无腥臭味。无尿8小时,胴窝凹陷极明显。血钠125mmol/L。诊断为小儿秋季腹泻。护士晨起观察到患儿出现四肢厥冷、脉弱、血压下降的情况,提示可能出现了
对某种特定的商品来说,下列关于市场容量的排序正确的是()。
【背景资料】某桥梁工程,每跨长30m,共21跨,0号和21号为桥台,1号~20号为桥墩。由于桥梁的基础设备只有一台,立柱和盖梁的模板有限,所以该桥的20个桥墩采用流水施工,每个桥墩分为三道工序完成,采用专业流水方式施工。每个桥墩的基础施工时间为22天,立
四川省共有()个地级行政区划单位。
“好孩子”阶段属于科尔伯格道德发展阶段理论中的()。
宪法规范的特点有()
Thelatestcensusisencouraging.
最新回复
(
0
)