美国人眼中的道德观.docVIP

美国人眼中的道德观 　　1 　　Do Americans have any morals? That’s a good question. Many people insist that ideas about right and wrong are merely personal opinions. Some voices, though, are calling Americans back to traditional moral values. William J.Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education, edited The Book of Virtues in 1993 just for that. Bennett suggests that great moral stories can build character. The success of Bennett’s book shows that many Americans still believe in moral values. But what are they? 　　 　　2 　　To begin with, moral values in America are like those in any culture. In fact, many aspects of morality are universal. But the stories and traditions that teach them are unique to each culture. Not only have that, but culture influences how people showed these virtues. 　　 　　3 　　One of the most basic moral values for Americans is honesty. The well-known legend about George Washington and the cherry tree teaches this value clearly. Little George cut down his father’s favorite cherry tree while trying out his new hatchet. When his father asked him about it, George said, “I cannot tell a lie. I did it with my hatchet.” Instead of punishment, George received praise for telling the truth. Sometimes American honesty―being open and direct―can offend people. But Americans still believe that “honesty is the best policy.” 　　 　　4 　　Another virtue Americans respect is perseverance. Remember Aesop’s fable about the turtle and the rabbit that had a race. The rabbit thought he could win easily, so he took a nap. But the turtle finally won because he did not give up. Another story tells of a little train that had to climb a steep hill. The hill was so steep that the little train had a hard time trying to get over it. But the train just kept pulling, all the while saying, “I think I can, I think I can.” At last, the train was over the top of the hill. “I thought I could, I thought I could,” chugged the happy little train. 　　 　　5 　　Compassion may be the queen of Americ