11-2 美国人的时间观

Time As Americans See It

 

What is time? Is it a thing to be saved or spent or wasted, like money? Or is it something we have no control over, like the weather? Is time the same all over the world? That's an easy question, you say. Wherever you go, a minute is 60 seconds, an hour is 60 minutes, a day is 24 hours, and so forth¹. Well, maybe. But in America, time is more than that. Americans see time as a valuable resource. Maybe that's why they are fond of the expression, “Time is money.”

 

Because Americans believe time is a limited resource, they try to conserve²¹ and manage it. People in the U.S. often attend seminars³ or read books on time management. It seems they all want to organize their time better. Professionals carry around pocket planners some in electronic form to keep track of appointments and deadlines. People do all they can to squeeze⁴ more life out of their time. The early American hero Benjamin Franklin expressed this view best: “Do you love life? Then do not waste time, for that is the stuff⁵ life is made of.”

 

To Americans, punctuality² is a way of showing respect for other people's time. Being more than 10 minutes late to an appointment usually calls for an apology, and maybe an explanation. People who are running late often call ahead to let others know of the delay. Of course, the less formal the situation, the less important it is to be exactly on time. At informal get-togethers, for example, people often arrive as much as 30 minutes past the appointed time. But they usually don't try that at work.

 

American lifestyles show how much people respect the time of others. When people plan an event, they often set the time days or weeks in advance. Once the time is fixed⁶, it takes almost an emergency to change it. If people want to come to your house for a friendly visit, they will usually call first to make sure it is convenient. Only very close friends will just “drop by” unannounced. Also, people hesitate to call others late at night for fear they might be in bed. The time may vary⁷, but most folks think twice about calling after 10:00 p.m..

 

To outsiders, Americans seem tied to the clock. People in other cultures value relationships more than schedules. In these societies, people don't try to control time, but to experience it. Many Eastern cultures, for example, view time as a cycle. The rhythm⁸ of nature from the passing of the seasons to the monthly⁹ cycle of the moon shapes their view of events. People learn to respond to their environment. As a result, they find it easier to “go with the flow” than Americans, who like plans to be fixed and unchangeable.

 

Even Americans would admit that no one can master time. Time, like money, slips all too easily through our fingers. And time, like the weather, is very hard to predict. Nevertheless, time is one of life's most precious gifts. And unwrapping³ it is half the fun.

 

注释：

1. conserve [kEn5sE:v] vt. 保护，保藏，保存

2. punctuality [7pQNktju5Aliti] n. 遵守时刻，准时，正点

3. unwrap [5Qn5rAp] vt. 移去……上的包裹物，打开，展开

 

美国人的时间观

 

时间是什么？是一种像金钱一样可以节省、花用或浪费的东西吗？或者像天气那样，是一种我们无法控制的东西吗？全世界的时间是不是都一样呢？你会说，那是一个简单的问题，不管你去哪里，一分钟都是60秒，一小时是60分钟，一天是24个小时，等等。嗯，也许是这样吧。但是在美国，时间的意义不只如此。美国人视时间为一种宝贵的资源，也许这就是为什么他们喜欢说“时间就是金钱”的缘故。

　　美国人认为时间是一种有限的资源，所以他们尽量爱惜它，用好它。美国人经常参加有关利用时间的讨论会或阅读这方面的书籍。他们似乎都希望能把自己的时间安排得更好。专业人士随身带着袖珍记事本（有些是电子记事本），好随时留意约会时间和工作期限。人们想尽办法要在有限的时间内挤出更多的生活内容。早期的美国英雄本杰明·富兰克林将这种观念表达得最为透彻：“你爱生命吗？如果爱就不要浪费时间，因为生命即是由时间组成的。”

　　对美国人来说，守时是一种尊重他人时间的表现。通常若约会迟到超过10分钟，就应该向对方道歉或解释原因。知道自己会迟到的人往往会先打个电话告诉对方。当然，活动愈不正式，准时的重要性就愈小。例如，在非正式的聚会中，人们往往会在约定时间过后30分钟才到，不过，他们工作中通常就不会这样做。

　　美国人的生活方式表现出人们非常尊重他人的时间。当人们计划一项活动时，他们通常会在几天或几个星期前把时间定好。时间一旦决定，除非情况紧急，一般不会轻易改变。如果有人想去你家看望你，他们通常会先打电话问清楚这是否方便。只有很熟的朋友才会不约而至。此外，人们也不太喜欢太晚给人打电话，因为怕对方可能已上床睡觉了。何时才算太晚并不一定，不过，大部分的人若想在晚上10点钟以后打电话，都会再三考虑。

　　在外人看来，美国人似乎受制于时钟。其他文化背景的人则更看重人际关系而非时间表。在这些社会中，人们不会设法去控制时间，而是去感受认识它。举例来说，很多东方文化把时间视为一个周期。从季节的更替到每月月亮圆缺的变化，这些大自然的节奏形成了他们对事物的看法。人们学会去因应环境的变化，因此他们比美国人更易“顺应潮流”，而美国人则喜欢将计划固定好不要更动。

　　不过连美国人也都承认，没有人能够完全掌握时间。时间就像金钱一样，很容易就从我们的指间溜走；时间也像天气一样，是很难预测的。然而，时间是生命中最宝贵的礼物之一——打开它几乎就是一种乐趣。

 

 

1 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

2 conserve   

vt.保存，保护，节约，节省，守恒，不灭

参考例句：

• He writes on both sides of the sheet to conserve paper.他在纸张的两面都写字以节省用纸。
• Conserve your energy,you'll need it!保存你的精力，你会用得着的！

3 seminars   

n.研讨班( seminar的名词复数 )；研讨小组；研讨会；培训会

参考例句：

• Teaching is by lectures and seminars. 教学形式为讲座和研讨课。
• They are planning a series of workshops and business seminars. 他们正在筹划一系列研习班和商务研讨会。 来自辞典例句

4 squeeze   

vt.硬塞，硬挤；挤压；n.榨；经济困难；拮据

参考例句：

• This machine helps you to squeeze more juice out.这台机器能挤出更多的果汁。
• It was a tight squeeze in the crowded bus.公共汽车上载客太多，挤得很。

5 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

6 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

7 vary   

vi.变化，有不同；vt.改变，使不同

参考例句：

• Cherries vary in colour from almost black to yellow.樱桃的颜色由近乎黑到黄各不相同。
• Old people don't like to vary their habits.老年人不喜欢改变他们的习惯。

8 rhythm   

n.韵律；节奏

参考例句：

• He has an ear for the rhythm of Irish speech.他对爱尔兰语的节奏很敏感。
• His poem has a pleasing rhythm.他的诗有和谐的韵律。

9 monthly   

adj.每月的，持续一个月的，每月发生的；adv.每月，按月； n.月刊；(复数）monthlies:月经

参考例句：

• The rent on his apartment was his biggest monthly expense.他的房租是每个月最大的开支。
• The monthly rent is $15,inclusive of light and water.每月租金15美元，包括水电费在内。