【双语有声阅读】你所不了解的美国

The United States You May Not Know

 

你所不了解的美国

The United States is the only superpower in the world, and it is far more advanced than any other country.

美国是世界上唯一的超级大国，它比其他国家都先进得多。

However, we can't simply attribute its powerfulness and prosperity to its lucky escape from the destruction of the two world wars.

然而，我们不能简单把它的强大与繁荣归功于其幸运的避开了两次世界大战带来的破坏。

What other nations should reflect on is the American spirit and its social system.

其他国家应该深思的是美国精神和它的社会结构。

The most obvious features of the American Spirit are creativity and pragmatism.

美国精神最具特色的是创造与务实。

Nearly 70% of the important inventions have been made in the U.S. since the first industrial revolution.

第一次工业革命后几乎百分之七十的重要发明都产生于美国。

Since the U.S. occupies such an important position in science and technology, naturally it has become the first superpower in the world.

因其在科学和技术方面占有重要地位，美国自然成为了世界上首要的超级大国。

Americans are always discontent with what they have achieved, and they have an appetite for adventure over the love of ease.

美国人不会满足于他们取得的成就，比起安于现状，他们更倾向于开拓进取。

European countries have been pursuing a reformist policy of "high tax and high welfare" since the 1960s, while only the U.S. sticks to the policy of "high risk and high return".

欧洲其他国家自20世纪60年代起，一直追求改良主义的政策，即“高税收高福利”，只有美国坚持“高风险高回报”。

As a result, the U.S. has become the bellwether¹ of the third industrial revolution (in technology of information, materials and biology).

因此，美国成为第三次工业革命在信息科技，材料和化学领域的领头羊。

High salary is not the only attraction that the talents from other countries find in the United States.

高薪并不是吸引外国人才来美国的唯一原因。

Some characteristics of American society should not be ignored.

美国社会的一些特色也极具吸引力。

Family backgrounds and great wisdom in building connections and playing up the boss, to which great importance is attached in other countries, are not so important to individual development in the U.S.

家庭门第和聪明才智在其他国家进行社交和取悦老板很重要，而在美国对个人成长并没有很大帮助。

Most people are on the same starting line, and whether one can succeed or not depends on his own ability and hard work.

在美国，大多数人都有相同起点，个人成功与否主要取决于自身能力和勤奋努力。

However, the American character is full of paradoxes².

然而，美国特色也充满了矛盾。

The American people are both extremely romantic and pragmatic.

美国人浪漫的同时也很务实。

The American is a pleasure-seeking people, but in every field there are workaholics.

他们喜欢寻欢作乐，但每个领域都不乏工作狂。

The Americans are open-minded but they are very conservative on certain matters.

美国人很开放， 但在某些事情上却异常保守。

Since China's reform and opening-up to the outside world, many media in Western countries have greatly changed their attitudes towards China.

中国改革开放后，很多西方媒体对中国的态度也很大程度改变了。

However, the American media are singing the same old tune³ against China as they were in the Cold War period.

可是美国媒体还是对中国唱着自冷战时期之后一直延续的“老调子”。

The Americans value freedom, but their government is very fond of interfering⁴ in other countries' internal affairs.

美国人重视自由，但他们的政府却喜爱插足别国内政。

What's most puzzling is that the Americans defy authority, but they highly respect the laws and regulations of the society.

最令人困惑的是美国人敢于挑战权威，但他们在社会生活的方方面面都十分尊重法律和规章。

Therefore, in such a nation that values personal liberty, the society can still be kept in good order and operate with high efficiency.

因此，在这样一个重视自由的国家，社会才能保持良好的秩序，高效运转。

Is it odd? No one can provide a satisfactory answer.

这难倒不奇怪吗？没人能给出一个满意的解释。

1 bellwether   

n.系铃的公羊，前导，领导者，群众的首领

参考例句：

• University campuses are often the bellwether of change.大学校园往往引领变革的新潮。
• For decades the company was the bellwether of the British economy.几十年来，这家公司一直是英国经济的晴雨表。

2 paradoxes   

n.似非而是的隽语，看似矛盾而实际却可能正确的说法( paradox的名词复数 )；用于语言文学中的上述隽语；有矛盾特点的人[事物，情况]

参考例句：

• Contradictions and paradoxes arose in increasing numbers. 矛盾和悖论越来越多。 来自辞典例句
• As far as these paradoxes are concerned, the garden definitely a heterotopia. 就这些吊诡性而言，花园无疑地是个异质空间。 来自互联网

3 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

4 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。