大學(xué)英語四級聽力美文第2篇:The English Character

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　　英語四級聽力美文第2篇:The English Character

　　To other Europeans, the best known quality of the British,and in particular of the English, is “reserved”.A reserved person is one who does not talk very much to strangers,does not showmuch emotion, and seldom gets excited.It is difficult to get to know a reserved person:henever tells you anything about himself,and you may work with him for years without everknowing where he lives,how many children he has, and what his interests are.English peopletend to be like that.Closely related to English reserve is English modesty.Within their hearts, the English are perhaps no less conceited than anybody else,but in their relations with othersthey value at least a show of modesty.Self-praise is felt to be impolite.If a person is, let ussay,very good at tennis and someone asks him if he is a good player,he will seldom reply “Yes,”because people will think him conceited.He will probably give an answer like,“I’m notbad,” or “I think I’m very good,” or “Well, I’m very keen on tennis.”Even if he had managed toreach the finals in last year’s local championships,he would say it in such a way as to suggestthat it was only due to a piece of good luck.Since reserve and modesty are part of his ownnature,the typical English tends to expect them in others.He secretly looks down on moreexcitable nations,and likes to think of himself as more reliable than they are.He doesn’t trustbig promises and open shows of feelings,especially if they are expressed in flowerylanguage.He doesn’t trust self-praise of any kind.This applies not only to what other peoplemay tell him about themselves orally,but to the letters they may write to him.To those who arefond of flowery expressions,the Englishman may appear uncomfortably cold.