【正确答案】 A lot of foreigners who have frequently contact with the Chinese are deeply impressed by their diligence. It is acknowledged by quite a number of westerners that they themselves are less assiduous than their Chinese counterparts. Those who have come to China find it common for the Chinese to work extra hours with little time left for their personal life. How come that the Chinese are so diligent? It is because the traditional Chinese society was dominated by agriculture, small-scale peasant economy being the major form. As the arable land was limited, working from dawn to dusk became the primary way for most people to acquire wealth. It was diligence that kept a person from starving under this economic pattern. Although there were some people who acquired much fortune by engaging in business, and commerce was actually essential for the development of a society, businessmen still suffered discrimination due to the traditional thought of "valuing agriculture while despising commerce". Businessmen who made great fortune overnight tended to be looked down upon. In general, both peasants who accounted for the majority of population in traditional Chinese society, and businessmen who were the minority, had to accumulate wealth bit by bit. It can be concluded that the diligence of Chinese people has been the product of both its unique natural and social environment.

【答案解析】 本题介绍了外国人对中国人勤勉性格的印象，并阐释了中国人产生这种性格的自然和社会原因。文章长句不多，多为短句且使用了一些体现逻辑关系的连接词，降低了翻译的难度。