Why do Americans take to feng shui like fish to water? It owed its early success to the dogged efforts of a handful of Chinese feng shui experts. But from around 1990 onwards, numerous feng shui schools have sprung up in large American cities including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Boston and Houston. Their enrolments have risen by leaps and bounds.

　　Its adherents find its commonsensible approach to daily living an effective counterweight to materialism, and helps them to reduce the intrusion of technology into their lives. With its emphasis on achieving balance and harmony and peace and tranquillity at home and at work, this time-honoured art relaxes their minds and helps them overcome stresses and strains of modern living. They firmly believe that once their mental and physical well-being are in equilibrium2, then good health, work efficiency and prosperity will come their way naturally.

　　A conspicuous manifestation of feng shui is through the proliferation of miniature fountains strategically placed in the homes, offices, shops, restaurants and at other public places. This is because water attracts the all-important life -sustaining qi, or energy. The soothing rhythm of running water gently beating down on pebbles or bamboos can uplift one’s spirits as it symbolises a vital source of life .

　　Underpinning the growing popularity of Chinese things is the emergence of China as a potential world political and economic superpower. This coincided with its reopening up to the outside world which has enabled an increasing number of Americans to travel there in order to experience at first hand3 the splendours of this venerable civilisation.

　　Added to this, the thriving Chinese communities in many American urban centres and their reputation as a model minority have aroused further their interests in this distant land, which is so vastly different from theirs.

　　One of the palpable strengths of the United States is that it is truly an open society. This makes it easier for it to absorb cultural values and practices from other countries and to nurture them so that they become part of the social fabric of its own multiethnic and multicultural community.

　　---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　練習題：

　　Ⅰ. Choose the be st words to fill the bla nks:

　　1. Hitler, the enemy of Poland and the rest of European world , became more and more warlike.

　　A. public B. potential C. ancient D. effective

　　2. People who enjoy a good are respected by many.

　　A. balance B. harmony C. tranquility D. reputation

　　3. The growing of Internet makes the parents worry about its negative side over their kids.

　　A. equilibrium B. popularity C. icon D. emergence

　　4. The main of feng shui is to reconsider man ’s relationship with nature .

　　A. proliferation B. value C. practice D. fabric

　　Ⅱ. Question :

　　Which reason below Ca n No t explain why feng shui is so popular in US?

　　A. The United States is truly an open society.

　　B. The emergence of China as a potential world political and economic superpower.

　　C. Feng shui as an effective counterweight to materialism.

　　D. The dogged efforts of a handful of Chinese feng shui experts.

　　E. Feng shui’s theory and practice becoming easy.

　　-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　參考答案

　　Ⅰ. 1. B 2. D 3. B 4. B

　　Ⅱ. E

　　-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　參考譯文：

　　美國人以中國文化充實自己

　　目 前, 在美國最熱門的中國文化崇拜現象是風水學——— 關于位置安排的古老學問。我最近到過加利福尼亞州, 發現所有著名的書店和圖書館, 都有很多關于這門古老玄秘學問的出版物。

　　這些美國人為什么對風水趨之若鶩呢? 風水學早期在美國的成功, 歸功于一些中國風水師鍥而不舍的努力。大約從20 世紀90 年代開始, 風水學校便如雨后春筍般出現在美國的許多大城市, 如: 舊金山、紐約、芝加哥、波士頓和休斯敦。錄取的學生也成倍增長。

　　風水學的追隨者們覺得風水對日常生活問題做出清楚明白的解釋, 能夠幫助他們抵制物欲, 減輕科技對生活的干擾。這門歷史悠久的學問強調不論是在工作場所還是在家里都要保持平衡、和諧以及安寧的狀態, 這能幫助他們放松身心, 克服現代生活的緊張和壓力。他們深信一旦身心健康、平衡, 工作效率和富足的生活便會隨之而來。

　　改 進風水的一個顯著表現, 是在家里和辦公室、店堂、餐館等公共場所的重要位置安置小型噴泉, 因為水能夠吸引維持生命的氣或能量。象征生命之重要泉源的流水輕拍卵石或竹子的溫柔韻律也能夠提神養氣。

　　中國的逐漸崛起和可能成為政治經濟超級大國的潛力, 是中國文化在美國日益風行的內在原因。中國對外開放, 也讓越來越多的美國人有機會親身體驗這個文明古國的風采。

　　此外, 許多美國市中心繁榮的華人社區和華人享有的模范少數民族的美譽, 更讓美國人對這個和他們的文化大相徑庭的遙遠國度產生濃厚的興趣。

　　美國的一大優點在于它是個真正開放的社會。因此, 它很容易吸收他國的文化價值觀和習俗, 把它們融入并使其成為美國多元種族和多元文化社會的一部分。