11-2 美国人的时间观

Time As Americans See It

What is time? Is it a thing to be saved or spent or wasted, like money? Or is it something we have no control over, like the weather? Is time the same all over the world? That's an easy question, you say. Wherever you go, a minute is 60 seconds, an hour is 60 minutes, a day is 24 hours, and so forth 1. Well, maybe. But in America, time is more than that. Americans see time as a valuable resource. Maybe that's why they are fond of the expression, “Time is money.”

Because Americans believe time is a limited resource, they try to conserve 21 and manage it. People in the U.S. often attend seminars 3 or read books on time management. It seems they all want to organize their time better. Professionals carry around pocket planners some in electronic form to keep track of appointments and deadlines. People do all they can to squeeze 4 more life out of their time. The early American hero Benjamin Franklin expressed this view best: “Do you love life? Then do not waste time, for that is the stuff 5 life is made of.”

To Americans, punctuality2 is a way of showing respect for other people's time. Being more than 10 minutes late to an appointment usually calls for an apology, and maybe an explanation. People who are running late often call ahead to let others know of the delay. Of course, the less formal the situation, the less important it is to be exactly on time. At informal get-togethers, for example, people often arrive as much as 30 minutes past the appointed time. But they usually don't try that at work.

American lifestyles show how much people respect the time of others. When people plan an event, they often set the time days or weeks in advance. Once the time is fixed 6, it takes almost an emergency to change it. If people want to come to your house for a friendly visit, they will usually call first to make sure it is convenient. Only very close friends will just “drop by” unannounced. Also, people hesitate to call others late at night for fear they might be in bed. The time may vary 7, but most folks think twice about calling after 10:00 p.m..

To outsiders, Americans seem tied to the clock. People in other cultures value relationships more than schedules. In these societies, people don't try to control time, but to experience it. Many Eastern cultures, for example, view time as a cycle. The rhythm 8 of nature from the passing of the seasons to the monthly 9 cycle of the moon shapes their view of events. People learn to respond to their environment. As a result, they find it easier to “go with the flow” than Americans, who like plans to be fixed and unchangeable.

Even Americans would admit that no one can master time. Time, like money, slips all too easily through our fingers. And time, like the weather, is very hard to predict. Nevertheless, time is one of life's most precious gifts. And unwrapping3 it is half the fun.

注释：

1. conserve [kEn5sE:v] vt. 保护，保藏，保存

2. punctuality [7pQNktju5Aliti] n. 遵守时刻，准时，正点

3. unwrap [5Qn5rAp] vt. 移去……上的包裹物，打开，展开

美国人的时间观

时间是什么？是一种像金钱一样可以节省、花用或浪费的东西吗？或者像天气那样，是一种我们无法控制的东西吗？全世界的时间是不是都一样呢？你会说，那是一个简单的问题，不管你去哪里，一分钟都是60秒，一小时是60分钟，一天是24个小时，等等。嗯，也许是这样吧。但是在美国，时间的意义不只如此。美国人视时间为一种宝贵的资源，也许这就是为什么他们喜欢说“时间就是金钱”的缘故。

　　美国人认为时间是一种有限的资源，所以他们尽量爱惜它，用好它。美国人经常参加有关利用时间的讨论会或阅读这方面的书籍。他们似乎都希望能把自己的时间安排得更好。专业人士随身带着袖珍记事本（有些是电子记事本），好随时留意约会时间和工作期限。人们想尽办法要在有限的时间内挤出更多的生活内容。早期的美国英雄本杰明·富兰克林将这种观念表达得最为透彻：“你爱生命吗？如果爱就不要浪费时间，因为生命即是由时间组成的。”

　　对美国人来说，守时是一种尊重他人时间的表现。通常若约会迟到超过10分钟，就应该向对方道歉或解释原因。知道自己会迟到的人往往会先打个电话告诉对方。当然，活动愈不正式，准时的重要性就愈小。例如，在非正式的聚会中，人们往往会在约定时间过后30分钟才到，不过，他们工作中通常就不会这样做。

　　美国人的生活方式表现出人们非常尊重他人的时间。当人们计划一项活动时，他们通常会在几天或几个星期前把时间定好。时间一旦决定，除非情况紧急，一般不会轻易改变。如果有人想去你家看望你，他们通常会先打电话问清楚这是否方便。只有很熟的朋友才会不约而至。此外，人们也不太喜欢太晚给人打电话，因为怕对方可能已上床睡觉了。何时才算太晚并不一定，不过，大部分的人若想在晚上10点钟以后打电话，都会再三考虑。

　　在外人看来，美国人似乎受制于时钟。其他文化背景的人则更看重人际关系而非时间表。在这些社会中，人们不会设法去控制时间，而是去感受认识它。举例来说，很多东方文化把时间视为一个周期。从季节的更替到每月月亮圆缺的变化，这些大自然的节奏形成了他们对事物的看法。人们学会去因应环境的变化，因此他们比美国人更易“顺应潮流”，而美国人则喜欢将计划固定好不要更动。

　　不过连美国人也都承认，没有人能够完全掌握时间。时间就像金钱一样，很容易就从我们的指间溜走；时间也像天气一样，是很难预测的。然而，时间是生命中最宝贵的礼物之一——打开它几乎就是一种乐趣。