第73课 盲目崇拜西方文化？

　　A:Some MNC employees in Shanghai prefer speaking English than Chinese. Many people disapprove of this phenomenon as a blind worship of Western culture.

　　A：在上海的一些跨国公司里，中国职员几乎不说中文而只说英文。许多人不认同这种现象，认为是在盲目崇拜西方文化。

　　B:I'm not surprised that this could happen in Shanghai. As a port city, Shanghai was heavily influenced by Western culture, beginning in the 1920s and 1930s. It was called "a paradise of the adventurers." A lot of Western companies opened offices there as trade and commerce began to develop. New ideas were brought in, together with the arrival of businessmen and foreigners. Shanghai residents were overwhelmed with imported merchandise, foreign languages, and jobs at foreign companies. As a result, Shanghai people are very open-minded and receptive to new things.

　　B：这种事情发生在上海是再自然不过的了。作为一个港口城市，上海在上世纪二三十年代就深受西方文化的影响，被称为“冒险家的乐园”。随着商业的发展，大量外国公司在此落户。新的观念也随着商人和洋人的到来而传入。上海人用洋货，讲洋文，在洋行做事。这一切造就了上海人观念开放、敢于尝试新鲜事物的特点。

　　A:I know many Westerners like Shanghai because of its cosmopolitan atmosphere. Shanghai people are both smart and pragmatic. They are business-minded and have a high standard of ethics. For example, you seldom hear people accuse Shanghai taxi drivers of cheating. If you ask a Shanghai person for directions,he or she will show you the most efficient routes to your destination.

　　A：我知道很多西方人喜欢上海，因为它有现代都市的氛围。上海人精明、务实。他们看重金钱，也重诚信。比如，上海的出租车司机很少欺骗外来客。向上海人问路，他们会告诉你最省钱的乘车路线。

　　B:Many new things were initially introduced to China through Shanghai. In the 1920s, some Shanghai art schools were the first in the country to use human models. Shanghai was also the first city to have movies. In the late 1970s, Shanghai was again among the first cities to send students to study abroad. Shanghai-made products. such as watches, bicycles and sewing machines, enjoyed a very favorable reputation throughout the country even during the years of central economic planning. This reputation still benefits Shanghai today.

　　B：很多的新生事物被引进中国都是从上海开始的。上世纪20年代，这里的美术学校率先使用人体模特；上海也是第一个放映电影的城市。上世纪70年代末的出国留学热源于上海。在计划经济时期，上海的产品就在全国拥有良好的口碑，包括手表、自行车、缝纫机等。这种信誉一直延续至今。

　　A:People from other cities always feel that Shanghai people are biased against them.

　　A：其他城市的人认为上海人看不起他们。

　　B:This is indeed very perplexing. A city as open and developed as Shanghai doesn't have the capacity to accommodate others. In the past, an outsider who didn't speak the Shanghai dialect was always ignored by the shop assistants. Now as more and more MNC employees prefer speaking English, will non-English speakers fee! disadvantaged?

　　B：这个确实令人费解，一个开放很早、发展很快的城市?反而缺少大都市应有的包容。在过去，一个不会讲上海话的外来者会遭到售货员的白眼。在大公司职员们热中于讲英语的今天，不会英文的人是不是会被人看不起呢？

　　A:Some people say Shanghai doesn't look like a Chinese city. It is more like New York.

　　A：有人说上海不像中国的城市，而像纽约。

　　B:People used to make that comment in the 1930s. In many ways, Shanghai does look like New York but it's not New York. It is a Chinese city, no matter what.

　　B：这种话在上世纪30年代就有人说过。的确，上海在很多方面像纽约，但它不是纽约。它依然是中国的一个都市。