One of the main reasons why the early settlers came to America was to escape the controls they had experienced in Europe. There , small groups of wealthy people prevented them from moving into a higher social position or becoming wealthy, and governmentsupported churches controlled their religious practices and beliefs. Because these early settlers wanted to be free from such controls, they brought to America the view that the individual was supremely important. The settlers were against the efforts of the church, the society, and particularly the government, to control their actions. These controls came to be viewed as“ un-American” .

　　This strong American belief in individualism has both positive and negative sides. On the positive side, it has strengthened Americans’inventiveness and their belief in hard work. On the negative side, the belief in individualism has sometimes prevented Americans from using their government to solve their common problems. Americans prefer not to have government solutions to social problems.

　　The belief in individualism is a basic part of the American character. This belief has at least two separate parts — idealism and materialism6. Although these two beliefs are quite different, most Americans try to live with them both at the same time, and idealism and materialism are both very much a part of the American character.

　　American idealism comes largely from the nation’s Protestant religious heritage . Early Americans did not have to belong to any particular church to have this belief. It influenced all Americans so strongly that idealism came to mean that each individual should possess a high moral character, and should live by his or her own beliefs. This is what American idealism means today.

　　Americans also have a strong belief in materialism, that is, that each individual should gain as much wealth as possible. The American belief in materialism is partly a result of the nation’s great material abundance. The early settlers found a continent with great forests, rivers, and fertile farmland in abundance. It is not surprising that many viewed America as the land of opportunity.

　　As the United States grew and developed, the supply of natural resources seemed endless, and so did the opportunities for personal economic advancement. Each generation had a chance to become wealthier than their parents had been. Generation after generation of new immigrants had the same opportunity. Americans eventually developed the belief that it was almost a duty to get rich.

　　閱讀自測

　　Ⅰ. Here a re some new sports words that people often use in daily life . Guess their Chinese meanings:

　　All-star Game———

　　Most Valuable Player ( MVP) ———

　　Rookie of the Year———

　　X-Games / Extreme Sports———

　　Bungee jumping———

　　Rock-climbing / Freeclimbing———

　　Bicycle Motocross ( BMX) ———

　　treadmill———

　　aerobics———

　　Ⅱ. When is a h ouse n ot just a house ? Guess the meanings of various houses:

　　playhouse———

　　Wendy house / dollhouse———

　　fun house———

　　lodging house———

　　Opera house ———

　　tea house———

　　Full House ———

　　Meeting House ———

　　Upper House and Lower House———

　　參考答案

　　Ⅰ. 全明星賽最有價值球員年度最佳新秀極限運動蹦極跳 攀巖自行車越野跑步機有氧運動

　　Ⅱ. 戲院、兒童游戲室兒童玩具房游樂場宿舍歌劇院茶館 客滿, 座無虛席禮拜堂、教堂上議院與下議院

　　參考譯文

　　個人主義的典范———美國人

　　國人的信念是什么? 美國人什么性格? 這些問題都難以回答, 因為美國人太多了,他 們有太多不同的信條。即便如此, 美國的歷史的確有助于我們理解許多美國人所擁有的 一些基本特征。

　　早期定居者來美國的主要原因之一是為了逃避在歐洲所受的管制。在歐洲, 由富人組 成的各種小圈子阻止他們步入上層社會或過富裕生活, 政府扶持的教會約束他們的宗教活 動和信仰。這些早期定居者力圖擺脫控制, 所以他們就帶著這樣一種信念來到了美國, 即 個人至關重要。那些居民反對教會、社會、特別是政府約束他們的行為。這些約束都被認 為是“ 不合美國原則的”。

　　美國人這種強烈的個人主義信仰, 既有積極影響也有消極一面。積極影響是, 它強化 了美國人的創新意識和努力工作的信念。消極一面就是, 個人主義精神時常妨礙美國人利 用政府力量去解決公共問題。美國人不愿請政府解決社會問題。

　　信奉個人主義是美國人性格的基本組成部分。這種信奉至少可分為兩個獨立的部 分——— 理想主義和物質主義。雖然二者截然不同, 但是大多數美國人卻都想同時擁有理想 和物質, 所以理想主義和物質主義二者都是美國人性格的重要組成部分。

　　美國人的理想主義信念主要來自他們的新教傳統。早期美國人并非一定得屬于某個 教會才能有這種信念。理想主義意味著每個人都應有高尚的道德品質, 并按自己的信仰生 活, 這深深地影響著所有的美國人。這也是今天美國人理想主義的內涵所在。

　　美國人同樣十分崇尚物質主義, 即每個人都應該獲取盡可能多的財富。國家豐富的物 產在一定程度上促成了美國人形成這種信念。早期定居者發現這塊大陸有廣袤的森林、寬 闊的河流和肥沃的良田。不足為奇, 許多人都認為美國是一片充滿機遇的土地。

　　在美國的發展與壯大的過程中, 自然資源似乎是取之不盡的, 而個人致富的機會也無 處不在。每一代都有機緣變得比父輩們更富裕。一代代的新移民擁有相同的機會變成富 人。最終, 美國人形成了這樣一種信念: 每個人都有義務成為富人。