阅读训练

Americans Looking To Chinese Culture

To Enrich Their Life The latest Chinese cultural icon to make its impact there is feng shui1, China's ancient art of placement. In my recent trip to California, virtually all leading book stores and public libraries were well-stocked with plenty of publications on this highly esoteric subject.

Why do Americans take to feng shui like fish to water? It owed its early success to the dogged efforts of a handful of Chinese feng shui experts. But from around 1990 onwards, numerous feng shui schools have sprung up in large American cities including San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Boston and Houston. Their enrolments have risen by leaps and bounds.

Its adherents find its commonsensible approach to daily living an effective counterweight to materialism, and helps them to reduce the intrusion of technology into their lives. With its emphasis on achieving balance and harmony and peace and tranquillity at home and at work, this time-honoured art relaxes their minds and helps them overcome stresses and strains of modern living. They firmly believe that once their mental and physical well-being are in equilibrium2, then good health, work efficiency and prosperity will come their way naturally.

A conspicuous manifestation of feng shui is through the proliferation of miniature fountains strategically placed in the homes, offices, shops, restaurants and at other public places. This is because water attracts the all-important life -sustaining qi, or energy. The soothing rhythm of running water gently beating down on pebbles or bamboos can uplift one’s spirits as it symbolises a vital source of life .

Underpinning the growing popularity of Chinese things is the emergence of China as a potential world political and economic superpower. This coincided with its reopening up to the outside world which has enabled an increasing number of Americans to travel there in order to experience at first hand3 the splendours of this venerable civilisation.

Added to this, the thriving Chinese communities in many American urban centres and their reputation as a model minority have aroused further their interests in this distant land, which is so vastly different from theirs.

One of the palpable strengths of the United States is that it is truly an open society. This makes it easier for it to absorb cultural values and practices from other countries and to nurture them so that they become part of the social fabric of its own multiethnic and multicultural community.

练习题：

Ⅰ. Choose the best words to fill the blanks:

1. Hitler, the enemy of Poland and the rest of European world, became more and more warlike.

A. public B. potential C. ancient D. effective

2. People who enjoy a good are respected by many.

A. balance B. harmony C. tranquility D. reputation

3. The growing of Internet makes the parents worry about its negative side over their kids.

A. equilibrium B. popularity C. icon D. emergence

4. The main of feng shui is to reconsider man's relationship with nature .

A. proliferation B. value C. practice D. fabric

Ⅱ. Question:
Which reason below Ca n No t explain why feng shui is so popular in US?

A. The United States is truly an open society.

B. The emergence of China as a potential world political and economic superpower.

C. Feng shui as an effective counterweight to materialism.

D. The dogged efforts of a handful of Chinese feng shui experts.

E. Feng shui’s theory and practice becoming easy.

参考答案

Ⅰ. 1. B 2. D 3. B 4. B

Ⅱ. E

参考译文

美国人以中国文化充实自己

目前, 在美国最热门的中国文化崇拜现象是风水学——— 关于位置安排的古老学问。我最近到过加利福尼亚州, 发现所有著名的书店和图书馆, 都有很多关于这门古老玄秘学问的出版物。

这些美国人为什么对风水趋之若鹜呢? 风水学早期在美国的成功, 归功于一些中国风水师锲而不舍的努力。大约从20 世纪90 年代开始, 风水学校便如雨后春笋般出现在美国的许多大城市, 如: 旧金山、纽约、芝加哥、波士顿和休斯敦。录取的学生也成倍增长。

风水学的追随者们觉得风水对日常生活问题做出清楚明白的解释, 能够帮助他们抵制物欲, 减轻科技对生活的干扰。这门历史悠久的学问强调不论是在工作场所还是在家里都要保持平衡、和谐以及安宁的状态, 这能帮助他们放松身心, 克服现代生活的紧张和压力。他们深信一旦身心健康、平衡, 工作效率和富足的生活便会随之而来。

改进风水的一个显著表现, 是在家里和办公室、店堂、餐馆等公共场所的重要位置安置小型喷泉, 因为水能够吸引维持生命的气或能量。象征生命之重要泉源的流水轻拍卵石或竹子的温柔韵律也能够提神养气。

中国的逐渐崛起和可能成为政治经济超级大国的潜力, 是中国文化在美国日益风行的内在原因。中国对外开放, 也让越来越多的美国人有机会亲身体验这个文明古国的风采。

此外, 许多美国市中心繁荣的华人社区和华人享有的模范少数民族的美誉, 更让美国人对这个和他们的文化大相径庭的遥远国度产生浓厚的兴趣。

美国的一大优点在于它是个真正开放的社会。因此, 它很容易吸收他国的文化价值观和习俗, 把它们融入并使其成为美国多元种族和多元文化社会的一部分。

阅读解释

1. 很多英美人士都会说一句"long time no see ( 很久不见)", 这种逐字将汉语变成英语的句子在英语中不多。汉语更多的是以词汇的方式进入英语, 如: ketch-up ( 番茄酱; 取的是粤方言"茄汁”的发音) ; typhoon ( 台风) ; tofu ( 豆腐这个用法有时比bean curd 更为英美人士所接受) 。

2. equilibrium n. 处于平衡中, 如: equilibrium constant ( 平衡常数) ; the equilibrium of demand and supply ( 供求均衡) ; indifferent equilibrium ( 随遇平衡) ; the theory of equilibrium ( 均衡论) 。

3. 第一手。second-hand ( 第二手的, 旧的, 用过的) ; second-hand books ( 二手书) 。