【正文】 ?Text A ?The Values Americans Live By ? A culture can be viewed as a collection of values that go together to shape the way a group of people perceive and relate to the world around them. As people grow up, they learn certain values, which will influence and shape their way of life. How does American culture differ from others? The way to address this question is to consider the values Americans live by. ? “Values” are ideas about what is right and wrong, desirable and undesirable, normal and abnormal, proper and improper. Most people who grow up in a particular culture share certain values. These values overlap and support each other。 they fit together. Dr. L. Robert Kohls has developed a list of 13 monly held values which help explain why Americans act as they do. ? Background Information ? Prereading Questions ? Text A The Values Americans Live ? Vocabulary ? Exercises Contents 1. Information about the author 2. Information about Cultural Identity 3. Information about the Declaration of Independence Background Information ?Text Explanation amp。 Translation ?Organization of the Text Text A The Values Americans Live By l Comprehension II Word Study III Cloze V Writing IV Translation ? Dr. L Robert Kohls, Director of International Programs at San Francisco State University, is a renowned literary contributor to the research on cultural patterns. He has developed a list of 13 (8 are listed in Text A) monly held values which help explain to firsttime visitors to the United States why Americans act as they do. He is careful, and cautions to avoid labeling these values positive or negative. Whether one agrees with Kohls or not — or is willing to accept as valid any generalizations about Americans — his observations are thought provoking. 1. Information about the author : ? In recent decades, a new form of identification has emerged which breaks down the understanding of the individual as a coherent whole subject into a collection of various cultural identifiers. These cultural identifiers may be the result of various conditions including: locality, gender, race, history, nationality, language, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, aesthetics, and even food. Therefore, cultural identity refers to a feeling of belonging to a group. It is part of a person39。s selfconception and selfperception and is related to these cultural identifiers or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture. In this way, cultural identity is both characteristic of the individual but also of the culturally identical group of members sharing the same cultural identity. Cultural identity can also be expressed through certain styles of clothing or other aesthetic markers. ? . 2. Information about cultural identity : ? . 3. Information about the Declaration of Independence ? The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and then adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It was regarded as the nation?s most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson?s most enduring monument. “We hold these truths to be selfevident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ” was made by Abraham Lincoln as the centerpiece of his rhetoric (as in the Gettysburg Address of 1863), and his politics. Since then, it has bee a wellknown statement on human rights. ? Q1: How much do you know about the American values? Which part of American values do you think is acceptable to us? ? Q2: What is the cause of traditional American values? ? Q3: What is your view on American values? What are the effects of American values? ? Q4: How is the mainstream American culture different from the Chinese culture? ? Q5: Do cultural values change as time changes? ? Q1: How much do you know about the American values? Which part of American values do you think is acceptable to us? ? Open ? Q2: What is the cause of Traditional American values? ? The earliest settlers came to the North American continent to establish colonies that were free from the controls that existed in European societies. They wanted to escape the controls placed on their lives by the kings and governments, priests and churches, noblemen and aristocrats. In 1776, the British colonial settlers declared their independence from England and established a new nation, the United States of America. In doing so, they created a climate of freedom where the emphasis was on the individual. This is probably the most basic of all the American values, which is also called individualism by scholars. ? Q3: What is your view on American values? What are the effects of American values? ? By freedom, Americans mean the desire and the ability of all individuals to control their own destiny without outside interference. There is, however, a price to be paid for this individual freedom: selfreliance. Individuals must learn to rely on themselves or risk losing freedom. This means achieving both financial and emotional independence from their parents as early as possible, usually by age of means that Americans believe they should take care of themselves, solve their own problems, and “stand on their own two feet.” Q3: What is your view on American values? What are the effects of American values? ? Most Americans believe that they must be selfreliant in order to keep their freedom. If people are dependent, they risk losing freedom as well as the respect of their peers. In order to be in the mainstream of Ameri