美国人的个性
[b]The American character[/b]Most Americans have great vigor and enthusiasm. They prefer to discipline themselves rather than to be disciplined by others. They pride themselves on their independence, their right to make up their own minds. They are prepared to take the initiative, even when there is a risk to do so. They have courage and do not give in easily. They will take any sort of jobs anywhere rather than be unemployed. They do not care to be looked after by the government. The average American changes his or her job nine or ten times during his or her working life.
Americans have a warmth and friendliness which is less superficial than many foreigners think. They are considered sentimental. When on ceremonial occasions they see a flag, or attend parades celebrating American’s glorious past, tears may come to their eyes. Reunions with family and friends tend to be emotional, too. They like to dress correctly, even if “correctly” means flamboyantly（华丽地）. They love to boast, though often with tongue in cheek（别当真的话）. They can laugh at themselves and their country, and they can be very self-critical, while remaining always intensely patriotic（adj.爱国的）. They have a wide knowledge of everyday things, and a keen interest in their particular city and state. Foreigners sometimes complain, however, that they have little interest in or knowledge of the outside world.
Is the sole aim of most Americans to make money and posses luxuries which could be called excessive? The majority of Americans would certainly deny this, though most feel proud to amass wealth and possessions through hard work. In the USA, about 90% of the population is well-off enough to expect a brighter future. The USA still has one of the highest standards of living in the world, although, at the present time, 10% are below what the government considers to be the “poverty line”. While these underprivileged people receive help from the government, they have no high hopes for their future. It is from this “underclass” and those who take advantage of it, that most of the violence springs—the violence which is one of the least pleasant aspects of American society.
Americans are beginning to realize that this terrible problem of poverty is their problem and not just the Government’s. It has been said that the individual American is generous, but that the American nation is hard.
The USA is reputed to be a classless society. There is certainly not much social snobbery or job snobbery. The manual worker is usually quite at ease in any company. This is partly explained by the fact that people of all income groups go together to the same schools. Americans are far more race conscious than they are class conscious.
大部分美国人精力充沛，富有热情。他们喜欢自律而不喜欢受制于人。他们以自由、自主而感到骄傲。大部分美国人做事主动，即使这会给他们带来危险。他们充满勇气不轻易屈服。他们可以在任何地方从事任何职业而不愿意在家待业。大部分美国人不喜欢政府福利照顾。美国人在一生的职业生涯里平均会更换9-10份工作。
美国人热心、友好，并不像有些外国人想的那样表面化。人们都认为美国人比较感性。在庆典上看到国旗或者参加那些庆祝美国辉煌历史的阅兵式上，他们或许会眼含热泪。与家人或者朋友重聚时，他们也会感情流露。他们喜欢穿着得体，即时有时候带有炫耀的成分。他们喜欢自吹自擂，尽管多数只是说说而已。他们有时候嘲笑自己，嘲笑自己的国家，有时候还比较自责，但是他们却始终富于强烈的爱国之心。他们对于日常琐事了解非凡，对自己所在的州和城市充满兴趣。然而，外国人有时候常常抱怨，他们对于外部世界漠不关心也所知甚少。
赚钱和拥有众多奢侈品是否美国人唯一的追求呢？多数美国人当然会否认此点，虽然他们认为通过努力工作赚取财富是值得骄傲的。在美国，90%以上的人生活富裕，有美好的未来。美国具有世界上最高的生活标准，尽管现在仍有10%的人口生活在政府的贫困线标准以下。尽管这10%的贫困人口受到政府的帮助，但是他们对未来依然没有多大期望。正是这个“社会底层阶级”和利用这个阶级的人引发了大部分社会暴乱，这也是美国社会不为人喜爱的一个方面。
美国人开始了解到严重的贫困问题是他们自身的问题，而不仅仅是政府的问题。有句话是这么说的，美国的个人是慷慨的，但是美国民族却是窘迫的。
美国被认为一个没有阶级的社会。确实美国社会对社会地位和工作形式都没有什么严重的势利看法。体力劳动者在任何场合都很自在。不同收入阶层的人可以在同一所学校上学这个事实也部分阐释了这个观点。与其认为美国人有阶级意识不如说是种族意识。 It could be expected that many American people would change a lot during this recession peirod.
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