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
24
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】______
【T3】
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
Many/Most American businesses
解析
归总题。讲座中明确说明: “…the majority of American businesses are small,and many are owned by an individual or a family.”这里需要考生对已知信息进行适当归纳或同义转述,使之符合题意要求。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/j8bK777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
ForadevelopingcountrylikeIndiawhoseecologicalandsocio-economicsystemsarealreadyunderpressurefromrapidurbaniza
TheabilitytomovetofindnewworkhaslongbeenacornerstoneoftheAmericanDream.Thereisgrowingconcernthatbeingst
Americans’circleofcloseconfidantshasshrunkdramaticallyinthepasttwodecadesbutthenumberofpeoplewhosaythey【M1】_
A、It’sverysimple.B、It’sverydifficult.C、It’simpossible.D、Itdepends.D根据句(6)可知,要想使人们后悔的事得以改善,需要具体问题具体分析,因此[D]为答案。
A、Anewbrandofsunscreen.B、Awebsiteandsmartphoneapp.C、Anewsmartphone.D、Anelectronicdevice.B女士在访谈开头从人们对商品安全的担忧引出了男士
A、Ambivalent.B、Subjective.C、Objective.D、Oppositive.C本题设题点在观点态度处。根据句(8-1)可知,乔安妮博士认为白天小憩有益,而在句(8-2)中乔安妮博士提到,小憩的时间太长反而不好,由此可以推出
谁能否认海的伟大呢?我爱海,并不仅仅因为她的颜色美丽,和藏在海底那有趣的玩意儿,而是爱她的胸襟广阔,化污秽为清洁。她容纳无数的细流,尽管它们的颜色有黑的也有黄的,一旦流到了海的怀抱,便立刻变成碧绿的了。碧绿是代表和平,代表一种静美。一个人,哪怕他的脾气犹如
金圣叹说过:“人生三十不仕,不当再仕,五十不娶,不当再娶。何则?用非其时也。”这一种说法,可代表中国人一般的普通思想。中国人的事业观,最羡慕“少年得志”,最伤感“大器晚成”。为了这个原因,便是有所成就的人,到了五十以上,便有退休的意思。六十七十的人若还在事
如果回归自然,各有不同的方式,后人总是尊重前辈的人生最后一次选择。一位朋友偶然讲起一件事,犹如一篇小小说,听者动容。在新开发的丛林里,一条蜿蜒的小径上,一个衣着素色的女子踽踽独行,径直走向林子里的一棵树。这里许多树大小参差不一,不过都长得很快,新生的树叶嫩
随机试题
控制噪声最根本的办法是()。
行政法律关系的主体是()和行政相对人。
下列哪一作用与吗啡治疗心源性哮喘的机制无关
属于财务费用的是( )。
下列项目会影响商业银行的营业利润的有()。
在校园突发的学生受伤事件中,班主任最关键的工作是进行危机控制。
根据2018年宪法修正案,爱国统一战线中新增加的阶层是:
商业银行的存款准备金加流通中的现金等于()。
两个以上的物品环绕一个中心组合在一起,两边平衡,重量或吸引力(包括形状、色彩方面的吸引力)都有同等的分量,使人产生一种宁静的感觉,这就叫做均衡。根据定义,下列不属于均衡的是()。
下面描述中错误的是()。
最新回复
(
0
)