阅读理解 The English, as a race, are very different in many ways from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, the Belgians and the Dutch．It is claimed(断言)that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it．Whatever the reasons are, it may be fairly stated that the Englishman has developed many attitudes and habits which distinguish(使区别于)him from other nationalities． Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well．In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems restrained, even embarrassed(局促不安)．You have only to witness a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this．Serious looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having a light sleep in a corner, no one speaks．In fact, to do so would seem most unusual, An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to overseas visitors, once suggested,“On entering a railway carriage, shake hands with all the passengers．”Needless to say, he was not being serious, There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which if broken, makes the person immediately suspected(怀疑)． In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc．often accompanied by appropriate gesture．The Englishman is somewhat different．Of course, an Englishman feels no less deeply than anyone of a different nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less．This is reflected in his use of language．Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl．Whereas(当……时)a more emotional man might describe her state“Oh, she's all right”．An Englishman who has seen a highly successful and enjoyable film recommends(推荐)it to a friend by commenting,“It's not bad you know,”or on seeing very unusual scenery he might convey(表达)his pleasure by saying,“Nice, yes, very nice．”The overseas visitor must not be disappointed by this apparent lack of interest and involvement．Instead, he must realize that“all right” “not bad”and“nice”, very often have the sense of“first-class”“excellent”“beautiful．”This use of language of a unique style, particularly common in England is known as restrained statement． |
