高一英语限时阅读.docVIP

高一英语限时阅读（19） A BAD weather, bad food and grumpy (郁郁寡欢的) people – that’s what some people think of first when they think about Britain. Many online commentators even joke that Britons are so grumpy precisely because it constantly rains and they are always hungry. In fact, many believe that Britons are inherently (固有地) negative, in contrast to their neighbors across the Atlantic Ocean.“Americans are more optimistic, due to the fact that they are told they can become the next president of the United States,” Ricky Gervais, a British comedian, told online forum Big Think. “British people are told, it won’t happen to you. And they carry that. They carry that with them. We champion (支持) the underdog (弱者).” It’s no wonder that Britons hold the reputation of having a “stiff (僵硬的) upper lip” – being cold and not showing any emotion.Britain’s reputation as a grumpy country may, however, simply be the result of a cultural misunderstanding. According to the BBC, British actor Michael Caine once said: “I think what is British about me is my feelings and awareness of others and their situations. English people are always known to be well-mannered and cold, but we are not cold – we don’t interfere in your situation. If we are heartbroken, we don’t scream in your face with tears – we go home and cry on our own. It’s completely to do with your comfort – we don’t intrude (侵入) on your space. That’s very English.” A BBC reader noted that the perceived coldness of British people is actually their way of dealing with hardship. Remembering the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, 2005, Stuart Colley, who lived in the capital at the time, said: “It seemed to me that most people’s response was a [cruel] determination to carry on and not to [fall] into an over-emotional outpouring (流露) of grief or anger – despite what many of us felt inside. Our stiff upper lip seems to be something that gives us strength as a society when we most need it.” 1. What is the author’s main purpos