时间:2018-12-11 作者:英语课 分类:新视野大学英语:视听说教程 4


英语课

Task 2: Americans’ Work Ethic 1

Script

For four hundred years or more, one thing has been a characteristic of Americans. It is called their “work ethic”. Its (S1) roots were in the teaching of the Christian 2 Puritans who first settled in (S2) what is now the northeastern state of Massachusetts. They believed that it was their (S3) moral duty to work at every task to please God by their

(S4) diligence, honesty, attention to details, skill, and attitude. To these Puritans, it was a (S5) sin to be lazy or to do less than your best in any task. They and later Americans tried to follow the Bible’s (S6) teachings, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

Therefore, Americans have for (S7) centuries believed that they were guilty of sin if they did not work as carefully and hard as they could when they did anything. God would punish those who were careless or lazy in their work. (S8) Even as children they were taught, “If it’s worth doing at all, it’s worth doing well.”

But some people have gone beyond the usual sense of diligence. They are especially attracted to the notion of “climbing the ladder” so as to increase their status, financial position, and sense of self-worth. (S9) In English a new word has been created to describe people who work compulsivelly. The word “workaholic” describes an individual who is as addicted 3 to work as an alcoholic 4 is to alcohol.

There are conflicting points of view about workaholics. Those concerned with problems of mental stress believe workaholics abuse themselves physically 5 and mentally. (S10) Others hold that workaholics are valuable members of society because they are extremely productive. The American culture values achievement, efficiency, and production, and a workaholic upholds these values.



1 ethic
n.道德标准,行为准则
  • They instilled the work ethic into their children.他们在孩子们的心中注入了职业道德的理念。
  • The connotation of education ethic is rooted in human nature's mobility.教育伦理的内涵根源于人本性的变动性。
2 Christian
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
3 addicted
adj.沉溺于....的,对...上瘾的
  • He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
  • She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。
4 alcoholic
adj.(含)酒精的,由酒精引起的;n.酗酒者
  • The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
  • Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。
5 physically
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律
  • He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服,心绪也很乱。
  • Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
学英语单词
absolute position transducer
Accipitriformes
air-bridge gate
airflow orifice
airpillow
Alaskan king crab
Ali shuffle
ALSOR
amerces
Armstrong guns
bas-zaire (bas-congo)
bass horns
capital standard
cat eyes
Celastrus flagellaris
center of channel
clyffords
continuing assistance and grant-back right
corisin
croupier
data exploration
deadapting
diebacks
dioscorea tokoro mak.
distribution determination theory
draught furnace
edera
excess rapping
extraparenchymal
faux cap
febrile
galah sessions
general defences
genus scheffleras
Grimari
homoiothermic animal
hydrologic year
hypermagnessmia
in every particular
inclined tube viscometer
index ratio
interpretive repertoire
isbrandtsen
job control macro
landing through surf
lifting-motor
local weather forecasting
lusers
Mahonia ganpinensis Fedde
make eyes at sb.
make new contributions
male contraceptive agent
MCTD
Mercuresein
metalexicographer
methoxynaphthoquinone
monosodium glutamate(MSG)
Nausori
Olybrius
ortheziola fusiana
over-cut
parameter adjustment with conditions
Parona's space
permaculturalist
piezo autofocus
politics of otherness
poster-boy
pouncing
protruding tongue
public road
Rain on your parade
re-ordered
relative antenna gain
remote frame
Resedineae
Rosennock
round lieaments of femur
safe production
saimon odori (japan)
sand-and-canvas
scientific-atlanta
shot-stopper
signaling current
softheart
solar photophthalmia
soulja
stress(mechanical)
submentums
syrupus althaeae
system impedance ratio
tactile language
thallous pyrophosphate
toan
townsley
use for reference
valve aortae
vannus
vibratile spine
voice-activated
Wanamaker, John
wernicke-geschwind model
yakkity yaks