新视野大学英语第二册课文原文.docx

Unit 1
Time-Conscious Americans
Americans believe no one stands still. If you are not moving ahead, you are falling behind. This attitude results in a nation of people committed to researching, experimenting and exploring. Time is one of the two elements that Americans save carefully, the other being labor.
美国人认为没有人能停止不前。 如果你不求进取，你就会
落伍。这种态度造就了一个投身于研究、实验和探索的民族。时
间是美国人注意节约的两个要素之一，另一要素是劳力。
"We are slaves to nothing but the clock," it has been said. Time is treated as if it were something almost real. We budget it, save it, waste it, steal it, kill it, cut it, account for it; we also charge for it. It
is a precious resource. Many people have a rather acute sense of the shortness of each lifetime. Once the sands have run out of a person's hourglass, they cannot be replaced. We want every minute to count.
人们一直说：“只有时间才能支配我们。 ”人们似乎把时间当
作一个差不多是实实在在的东西来对待。 我们安排时间、节约
时间、浪费时间、挤抢时间、消磨时间、缩减时间、对时间的利
用作出解释；我们还要因付出时间而收取费用。 时间是一种宝
贵的资源，许多人都深感人生的短暂。 时光一去不复返。 我们
应当让每一分钟都过得有意义。
A foreigner's first impression of the US is likely to be that everyone is in a rush—often under pressure. City people always appear to be hurrying to get where they are going, restlessly seeking attention in a store, or elbowing others as they try to complete their shopping. Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in this country. Working time is considered precious. Others in public eating-places are waiting for you to finish so they, too, can be served and get back to work within the time allowed. You also find drivers will be abrupt and people will push past you. You will miss smiles, brief conversations, and small exchanges with strangers. Don't take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else "wasting" it beyond a certain appropriate point.
外国人对美国的第一印象很可能是： 每个人都匆匆忙忙──常常处于压力之下。 城里人看上去总是在匆匆地赶往他们要去的地方，在商店里他们焦躁不安地指望店员能马上来为他们服
务，或者为了赶快买完东西，用肘来推搡他人。 白天吃饭时人们也都匆匆忙忙， 这部分地反映出这