新视野大学英语听说教程2 01a

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 labor¹.

"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 peoplehave a rather acute sence of the shortness of each lifttime. Once the sands have run out of a person's hourglass, they cannot be replaced. We want every minute to count.

A foreigner's first impression of the U.S. 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. Racing² 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 abrupt³ and people will push past you, You will miss smiles, brief conversations, and small exchanges with stranger. Don't take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else "wasting" it beyond a certain appropriate point.

Many new arrivals in the state will miss the opening exchanges of a business call, for example, they will miss the ritual interaction that goes with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee that may be a conventin in their own country. They may miss leisurely⁴ business chats in a restaurant or coffee house .Normally, Americans do not assess their visitors in such relaxed surroubdings over extebded small talk; much less do they take them out for dinner,or around on the golf course while they devlop a sense of trust. Since we generally assess and probe professionally rather than socially, we start talking business very quickly, Time is , therefore, always ticking in our inner ear.

Consequently, we work hard at the task of saving time. We produce a steady flow of labor-saving devices; we communicate rapidly through faxes, phone calls or emails rather than through personal contact, which through pleasant, take longer--especially given our traffic-filled streets. we, therefore, save most personal visiting for after-work hours or for social weekend gatherings⁵.

To us the impersonality⁶ of electronic communication has little or no relation to the significance of the matter at hand. In some countres no major business is conducted without eye contact, requiring face-to-face conversation. In Ameirica, too, a final agreement will normally be signed in person. However, people are meeting increasingly on television screens, conducting " teleconferences " to settle problems not only in this country but also--by satellite-- internationally.

The U.s. is definitely a telephone country. Almost everyone uses the telephone to conduct business, to chats with friends, to make or break social appointments, to say " thank you ", to shop and obtain all kinds of information. Telepones save the feet and endless amounts of time. This is due partly to the fact that the telephone service is superb here, whereas the postal⁷ service is less efficient.

Some new arrivals will come from cultures where itis considered impolite to work too quickly. Unless a certain amount of time is allowed to elapse, it seems in their eyes as if the task being considered were insignificant⁸, not worthy⁹ of proper respect. assignments are, consequently, felt to be given added weight bythe passage of time. In the U.S., however, it is taken as a sign of skillfulness or being competent to solve a problem, or fulfill¹⁰ a job successfully, with speed. Usually, the more important a task is, the more capital, energy, and attention will be poured into it in order to " get it moving".

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

3 abrupt   

adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的

参考例句：

• The river takes an abrupt bend to the west.这河突然向西转弯。
• His abrupt reply hurt our feelings.他粗鲁的回答伤了我们的感情。

4 leisurely   

adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的

参考例句：

• We walked in a leisurely manner,looking in all the windows.我们慢悠悠地走着，看遍所有的橱窗。
• He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.他从容的吃了早餐，高兴的开车去工作。

5 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

6 impersonality   

n.无人情味

参考例句：

• He searched for a topic which would warm her office impersonality into friendliness. 他想找一个话题，使她一本正经的态度变得友好一点。
• The method features speediness, exactness, impersonality, and non-invasion to the sample. 该法具有快速、准确、客观和不损坏样品等特点。

7 postal   

adj.邮政的，邮局的

参考例句：

• A postal network now covers the whole country.邮路遍及全国。
• Remember to use postal code.勿忘使用邮政编码。

8 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。

9 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

10 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。