大学英语课程第11套 - 副本

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The stereotype of the hard-working Chinese has been around for a long time in the West. As early as 1894, Arthur Smith, an American who spent 54 years in China, wrote books introducing the hard-working Chinese people to the world. In his book Chinese Characteristics, Smith wrote about the diligence of not just a single group of Chinese people, but of all the Chinese: young and old, rich and poor, farmers and scholars. Smith is not the only foreign guest to note that the Chinese are an extremely hard-working people. In 1895, another American in Beijing noted that Chinese people often worked from dawn to dusk, seven days a week, tirelessly. Later, in the early 20th century, British and American government officials serving in China also commented that Chinese people were without rest. Carl Crow, an American newspaperman and businessman who opened up the first Western advertising agency in Shanghai in the 1940s, once said: "If it is true that the devil can only find work for idle hands, then China must be a place of very limited satanic activities." Chinese literature and folklore have many moral tales about industrious farmers and peasants. The willingness to work hard and make maximum use of time has been highly valued in China since ancient times. There are many stories about farmers who go to their fields even during holidays, or of peasants who think not only of themselves and their families, but also of their community and future descendants. The Chinese trait of being unselfish and hard-working continues. Today, unselfish thinking, combined with the willingness to work hard, has given the Chinese a global reputation of having a stable and industrious workforce. Western employers note that the values and beliefs of the Chinese workforce are compelling: The Chinese value education, the virtue of hard work, and self-improvement. Whether working in the fields or in the factories, they are willing to do more and go beyond the minimum, because they assume that their work will benefit them and their families. Because of this extended benefit, the Chinese do not complain about working hard. This work ethic is not only for adults. All over China you will find children and young students attending classes outside their regular studies. Students take courses, often until late at night and during the weekends. Part of these activities may be related to the intense competition that Chinese students face, but part of them are based upon the desire to excel academically. Why do Chinese people work so hard, regardless of age or occupation? One answer rests in socialization. Chinese people are socialized differently from Westerners. They grow up with different values, including a different estimation about the importance of working hard. Hard work is considered a virtue in Chinese culture, as opposed to a necessity in American culture. For youth, Chinese textbooks and social activities emphasize this as well. Hard work is also part of the national ethic. The Chinese leadership is committed to building the country into a strong, successful, global nation and the country urges its citizens to participate in this process. Diligence is part of political awareness. Moreover, this political awareness fits into the economic ethic of Chinese entrepreneurship. In China, an entrepreneur is not just a small-time private business owner. He is someone who is willing to invest his resources (land, labor, capital) and look toward a long-term goal. The Chinese entrepreneur seeks to improve his life and also the material well-being of a group around him – his family, his community, and his nation. True, Chinese entrepreneurs want security. They tend to be conservative and frugal, in opposition to Western risk-takers. They also tend to seek to benefit the group rather than themselves alone. This ethic is found not just among businessmen, but in every occupation, gender and age. The quest for material gain, a financially secure family, and a peaceful, prosperous nation has been the goals of Chinese people for ages. Today, Chinese culture also has strategies that allow for economic mobility. By diversifying investments and extended study, many Chinese have become not only secure but also very wealthy. Could the Western world learn something from Chinese diligence? Certainly China's current economy reflects cultural values that benefit all people.【缺少答案,请补充】