Directions: Read the following passage, and then translate the underlined parts, numbered from (【A1】) to (【A5】), from English to Chinese. Please write your answer on the Answer Sheet.
How often have you said something like, “It seems like every other country has a culture but we don’t,” or ‘‘America is just a hodgepodge of groups—we don’t really have any values that distinguish us?” 【A1】 Even Mark Twain, often regarded as a spokesperson for 19 th century American popular culture, believed that the only thing Americans have in common as a culture is a fondness for ice water.
People talk about the “melting and say the United States is nothing but a conglomeration of cultures from around the world. 【A2】 It may be true that we are a “nation of immigrants,” but there are still unique American characteristics that resulted from the synergy or coming together of these many cultures. It is from that very fabric that American culture grew—from the Puritan work ethic brought by the English to the “all-American” German hot dog, and such “American” French words as rendezvous and hors d’oeuvres.
There are many reasons why it is important to remember that America does have a culture. The first reason, quite simple, is a question of pride. 【A3】 Having cultural self-awareness gives us all a sense of identity and core values that allow us to function more successfully in both our personal and professional lives. Equally important, however is that knowing our own culture makes it possible to more accurately interpret the needs and behaviors of colleagues, patients, and families who might be new arrivals to this country.
Why, you are probably asking, would knowing my own culture make me more able to understand people from other cultures? Perhaps it will help if you think of human beings as fish in a fishbowl. Each fish is surrounded by water and glass and is unaware that those elements exist and that they are distorting his view of the outside world. Human beings, similarly, function inside their own culture and, like the fish, have no idea that the culture exists. To most people, cultural values are assumed to be human nature. Surely, we reason, this is just the way people are. 【A4】 Many of us are utterly aware that much of what we believe to be proper behavior and attitudes is specific to each culture.
Because of this assumption that values are universal, we tend to assume that everyone what they are doing for the same reasons we would. If, for example, we did not really that the direct eye contact which American value is regarded as disrespectful in many cultures, we would always assume that someone who is not looking at us is deceitful, uninterested, or shifty. In fact, they are probably attempting to communicate respect. 【A5】 The trick to eliminating misunderstandings such as this is to become consciously aware of our values and of the fact that they are not necessarily shared by everyone we meet. Once we realize that our views are not human nature, we are in a far better position to accurately interpret the motivations and needs of those around us.