In the United States, a person can take credit onl...
In the United States, a person can take credit only for what he has accomplished by himself. Americans get no credit whatsoever for having been born into a rich or privileged family. (In the United States, that would be considered ―an accident of birth .) Americans pride themselves in having been born poor and, through their own hard work, having climbed the difficult ladder of success to whatever level they have achieved —all by themselves. The American social system has, of course, made it possible for Americans to move, relatively easily, up to the social ladder, whereas this is impossible to do in many other countries. The ―self -made man or woman is still very much the ideal in present-day America.
Americans believe that competition brings out the best in any individual. Consequently, the foreign visitor will see competition being fostered in the American home and in the American classroom, even at the youngest age levels. You may find the value placed on competition among individuals. But Americans teaching in Third World countries find the lack of competitiveness in a classroom situation equally distressing (令人苦恼的). They soon learn that what they had thought to be one of the universal human characteristics represented only a peculiarly American (or Western) value.
Americans, valuing competition, have devised an economic system to go with it – free enterprise (自由企业制). Americans feel very strongly that a highly competitive economy will bring out the best in its people and ultimately, that the society which fosters competition will progress most rapidly. If you look for it, you will see evidence in all areas – in all fields as diverse as medicine, the art, education, and sports – that free enterprise is the approach most often preferred in America.
What does the author mean by saying ―self -made man or woman is still very much the ideal in present-day America？
A.Americans no longer respect those who are born rich as they used to.
B.Americans still respect those who have climbed up the social ladderthrough hard work.
C.Americans think that an ideal man or woman should be born poor.
D.Americans think that only the self-made man or woman is worthy ofrespect.
What does the author think of the American social system？A.It is a system that does not favor those who are born rich.
B.It is a system that makes social climbing very difficult, if not impossible.
C.It makes it comparatively easy for the poor to move up the social ladder.
D.It is the best system possible in the world.
Americans teaching in Third World countries found that _____.A.competition is a unique American (or Western) value.
B.competition must be fostered in the classroom for success in business.
C.cooperation is more important than competition in bringing about progress.
D.competition is one of the universal human characteristics.
We can infer from the passage that free enterprise is _____.A.an economic system allowing free competition among business
B.a belief that competition brings out the best in any individual
C.an attitude that values competition rather than cooperation
D.a theory that advocates competition as the source of all progress
Americans would most likely frown at you if you _____.A.tell them you were born poor and had to work with your hands
B.go around telling people that your father is a self-made man
C.tell them that their social system is not necessarily the best
D.complain that you were born poor and had had no opportunities
5. Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II is not on...
5. Queen Elizabeth II Queen Elizabeth II is not only the queen of the United Kingdom, but she is also the queen of other 16 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Jamaica. Her face is seen on stamps and coins all around the world. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in London on April 21st 1926. Her parents were George, the Duke of York, and Elizabeth, the daughter of the Earl and Countess of Strathmore. As a child, Princess Elizabeth lived with her parents and younger sister in London and Windsor. Every summer, she traveled to Scotland to visit her mother's parents. She was interested in all sorts of sports, but her favorites were horse riding and swimming. She was also fond of acting, art and music. As princess Elizabeth grew older, she started to play a part in British public life. When she was 14, she broadcast a radio message to all the children of Britain and the Common-wealth. Two years later, she carried out her first public engagement, and started to go on official tours shortly after that. After a tour to South Africa in 1946, she married Philip Mountbatten. The couple had four children： Prince Charles, born in 1948, Princess Anne, born in 1950, Prince Andrew, born in 1960 and Prince Edward, born in 1964. After her father died, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony held in London in 1953. As a queen, she has many duties, and leads a very busy life. She travels throughout the world, meeting the leaders of other countries, and attends a large number of official functions. She also holds a meeting every week with the British Prime Minister. Every year, on Christmas Day, she broadcast a message to the people of British and the Commonwealth, talking about her hopes for the future. Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne for more than 40 years and has become one of the most famous women in the world. Lots of people in British believe that she tries hard to understand her people and be a good queen. More than her title, this quality has earned her much love and respect. 10. Which of the following statement is true？
A、She talks about her hopes for the future every day.
B、Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II in 1960.
C、She has been on the throne for more than forty years.
D、Lots of people in Britain depreciate her.
