中國人——愛你很容易

編者按：隨著2008年奧運會的即將到來，民眾越來越關心“中國”品牌的樹立，學習英語的熱情也被點燃。越來越多的外宣干部和業(yè)內同行向我們表達了期待看到雙語欄目的出現(xiàn)。因此，我們在2006年第一期開辦“雙語視窗”欄目滿足廣大讀者的需求。

看看周圍的媒體，《北京青年報》、《參考消息》、《國門時報》上有許多精粹的小短文，像一只只啄木鳥，善意地提醒了中國人習以為常的行為背后“尚未和國際接軌”的細節(jié)，讀后讓人回味不已，在獲得借鑒意義的同時，也帶來更深入的思考。我們效仿中英文對照的版面形式，旨在通過外國友人的視角來看中國，從中折射出東西方觀念、習俗的異同。通過一篇篇這樣的文章，讓讀者在領略異域文化的同時，也能達到學習英語的目的。

中國人有愛心，對人友好，他們很容易就能成為你親密的鄰居，變得如同兄弟姐妹、父母一樣親。他們容易微笑，以誠摯的情感笑出聲，以誠摯的情感回應你。

相反，我在英國、德國、加拿大逗留以及在我的祖國美國的旅行則給我留下這樣的印象：那些地方的人寧愿獨處，他們的注意力只限于已經(jīng)認識的人，他們當中恐怕十之有八不會對陌生人報以微笑，對你的主動上前會皺起眉頭。

但我的一個中國朋友最近對我說：“去過美國的中國人覺得，美國人比中國人更和氣、更樂于助人。友善地對待外國人或許是人類的共性，在歐洲，人們很難從面部特征把美國人和本地人區(qū)分開，所以他們待你如同本國人——不是很熱心。”

實際上，我發(fā)現(xiàn)歐洲人，比如德國人和荷蘭人，并不需要多長時間就能從舉止以及衣著上認出美國人，即使我們不說話，不露出我們的美音英語。我在歐洲經(jīng)常遭遇的緘默和冷淡是因為我是美國人呢，還是他們對本國的陌生人也是如此？對此我不能斷定。

然而，在我看來，中國人對陌生人友好而樂于助人，不管他們是本國人還是外國人。

北京人常常主動幫我上下出租車。我80多歲了，腿沒勁，平衡性差，行動往往緩慢。路人總是面帶微笑停下來幫我。

我散步時不管和誰說活，他們都會微笑，向我打招呼，有的人甚至停下來和我小聊一會兒。我喜歡這樣。

與美國相比，中國人有著更多的友善。無論對熟人還是生人，中國人日常生活中所體現(xiàn)出的各種友善比美國人強。中國人的慷慨是發(fā)自內心的，從不想要得到回報。平時我在不同場合遇到的人以不同方式向我饋贈，而送禮物在美國人之間可不是常事，即使是在親朋好友之間，但中國人了解這些之后并沒有改變做法。

就我而言，一說到買禮物，我可不內行，從不知該送什么才好。我對向我饋贈的人如是相告，但他們一如既往送我禮物——他們的慷慨是如此可愛！

這種對陌生人的友善在七八十年前的美國也不少見。我今年87歲了，對那時的情況仍然記憶猶深。那些慢慢旅行的陌生人可能會在沿途一戶農(nóng)家停下來，要點吃的，或許還要過夜。他們還可能收到農(nóng)家的饋贈，以備路上之用。但這種事今天可就稀少啦。作為一個社會群體，中國人彼此信任。行人經(jīng)常在行駛的車輛前快步走過，汽車之間能在最小的間距下插檔。但是，我從沒看到或聽到“路上的憤怒”。人們表現(xiàn)得非常克制。中國司機可謂防守型司機，他們始終對其他車輛和行人十分留意，可不想碰上他們。

然而，美國的司機通常是攻擊型的，而不是防守型的。在進攻心態(tài)下，他們的注意力主要集中在交通指示燈上，竭力在變燈之前開到燈前。如果他們撞了什么，首先會想，我這么開是否合法。

這種態(tài)度可能是由于各種因素促成的。一個年僅16歲、不承擔經(jīng)濟責任而且缺乏經(jīng)驗的人就可以拿到駕照，這些人也可能沒有意識到駕駛不當要被怎么罰。美國刑法典的規(guī)則是“在被證明有罪之前，你是無罪的”。這樣的制度所能產(chǎn)生的威懾力要比“在被證明是無罪之前，你是有罪的”弱得多。這種寬松使得司機在非法超速后逃脫，而且保險公司經(jīng)常會為交通事故埋單，這些對遏制司機的“進攻性”都毫無用處。它所導致的“別擋我的道”的精神，則以憤怒的爆發(fā)和對其他司機的威脅宣泄了出來。

我住在中國的這段日子里，許多中國人已經(jīng)成為我的好朋友，其中包括教了我3個月漢語的56歲的語言學校老師；我上的語言學校的校長，他總是面掛微笑，即使在工作十分緊張的情況下；還有我常去的那家餐廳的老板和他的妻子，他們常和我談論許多事情，總是那么快樂，總以同樣友好的方式接待所有的顧客。

總而言之，愛中國人是很容易的。

（本文作者約翰·雷曼先生年過八旬，

是美國Rexair Inc.公司前總裁）

原文：

Chinese people are caring and friendly people. They show that it is easy for them to be your close neighbor， to be like a brother， a sister， a mother or a father. They smile easily， and laugh and react with honest emotion.

In contrast， my visits to England， Germany， Canada， and traveling in my own home， the U.S.A. left me with the impression that people there prefer to be left alone. Their attention is restricted to those whom they know. Possibly eight out of ten would not return a smile to a stranger， they might even frown at your forwardness.

One of my Chinese friends， however， said to me recently， “Chinese people who visit the U.S. think Americans are kinder and more helpful than Chinese. Probably being friendly with foreigners is a common characteristic of human beings. In Europe， it is difficult to distinguish Americans from the locals by facial features， so they treat you as one of their countryman —— not very warmly!”

Actually， I have found that people of Europe， such as Germany and Holland， do not require much time to recognize an American by certain mannerisms or dress， even if we do not speak and reveal our style of English. I am not sure that the reserve or coolness I often encounter in Europe is because I am an American or whether they are the same with a stranger of their own country.

However it seems to me that the Chinese are friendly and helpful to strangers regardless of whether they are their own countrymen or from other countries.

People in Beijing often volunteer to help me to get in or to get out of a taxi. Being in my 80s， with weak legs and poor balance， I tend to move a little slowly. Passers by invariably smile and stop to offer assistance.

Everyone I speak to while walking， smiles and greets me. Some even pause to talk a little with me. I like that.

China has an abundance of good will compared to the U.S.A. Chinese outdo Americans in overall day-to-day friendliness to acquaintances as well as to strangers. Chinese show heart-felt generosity with no thought of receiving benefit. People I have met in different activities in my daily life have given to me in various ways. It makes no difference to them that giving gifts is not a common practice among Americans， even between close friends and relatives.

As for myself， I am a poor shopper when it comes to buying gifts and never know what to give. I tell people so， and yet they never quit giving me gifts. Their generosity is so endearing.

Such good will towards strangers was not uncommon in the U.S.A. 70 or 80 years ago. I am 87 and well remember those days. Strangers traveling slowly could stop at a farmhouse along their way for something to eat and perhaps stay overnight. They might also be given small gifts to help them on their way. Such behavior is a rarity today.

Chinese people as a society show trust in each other. Pedestrians frequently step out in front of moving vehicles. Cars cut each other off with a minimum of clearance. But， I see or hear of no “road rage”. People show great self-control. Chinese drivers are defensive drivers. They constantly watch other vehicles and pedestrians. They want no contact with either!

On the other hand， drivers in the U.S.A. are too often aggressive rather than defensive. In their aggression， their attention is focused primarily on traffic lights. They try to reach the lights before they change. Their first thought， if they hit anything， is whether they legally had the right of way.

This attitude may be caused by various factors. People as young as 16 years old， with no financial responsibilities and a lack of experience， can obtain a drivers’ license. They may also not realize the extent of penalties for poor driving. The U.S.A. penal code is “you are innocent until proven guilty”. Such a system invokes considerably less fear than “you are guilty until proven innocent”. The ease with which drivers can get away with illegal speeding and the fact that insurance companies frequently cover the costs of traffic accidents does nothing to deter aggressiveness. The resulting spirit of “Keep out of my way!” vents itself with outbursts of anger and threats towards other drivers.

In the time that I have lived here， many Chinese have become my good friends， including my 56-year-old language school instructor of three months; the owner of the language school I attend， who can always manage a beautiful smile， even under the stress of his work; the owner and his wife of the restaurant I often visit， who talk with me often about many things. They are always happy， and seem to treat all their customers in the same friendly manner.

To sum up， it is very easy to love Chinese!

（感謝北京青年報“雙語視窗”欄目

張愛學編輯對本文提供的支持。）

責編：周 瑾