Unit 8 Europeans Just Want to Have Fun
Background Information
1. About the author and the text
Michael Elliot is a TIME columnist who frequently writes TIME’s lead stories. He worked as the editor of the TIME Canada edition and now is the TIME Asia’s editor. He is a regular commentator on television, especially with CNN and CNN International, and with the Charlie Rose Show on PBS-TV.
2. Work hours in Europe and in America
In the early seventies hours worked per person were about the same in the U.S. and in Western Europe. Today they are almost 50 percent less in Europe than in the U.S. Americans average 25.1 working hours per person in working age, Italians 16.7, French 18.0 and German 18.7. The average employed American works 46.2 weeks per year; the average French 40.5; the average Swede 35.4.
3. The overworked American
In the last twenty years the amount of time Americans have spent at their jobs has risen steadily. Americans report that they have only sixteen and a half hours of leisure a week, after the obligations of job and household are taken care of. Working hours are already longer than they were forty years ago.
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The rise of work time was unexpected. For nearly a hundred years, hours had been declining. When this decline abruptly ended in the late 1940s, it marked the beginning of a new era in work time. U.S. manufacturing employees currently work 320 more hours — the equivalent of over two months — than their counterparts in West Germany or France.
How did this happen? In part, the answer lies in the difference between the markets for consumer products and free time. The legendary American market is a veritable consumer's paradise, offering a dazzling array of products varying in style, design, quality, price, and country of origin. Marketing experts and advertisers spend vast sums of money to make these choices appealing even irresistible. And they have been successful. In cross-country comparisons, Americans have been found to spend more time shopping than anyone else. They also spend a higher fraction of the ' money they earn. It seems that Americans came to be caught up in the cycle of work-and-spend.
Notes
1. Boulevard St. Michel, the Place des Vosges, and the Marais District (Para. I): The historical sites and major tourist attractions near Left Bank, the south bank
of the Seine River in Paris frequented by artists, writers, and student.
2. ... who told me he was taking up the tango. (Para. 1):… who told me he began to dance tango in his spare time.
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take up: adopt sth as a hobby or pastime 以某事作为爱好或消遣
e.g. I began to take up painting last year.
She took up tango when she was in Brazil.
3. A drop-dead-gorgeous crowd was tangoing away in a makeshift, open-air amphitheater. (Para. 2): A group of fabulously dressed-up people wag tangoing in a circular area which was used as a dance floor temporarily.
makeshift: (thing that is) used temporarily until sth better is available 临时凑合的
e.g. He had to take a makeshift measure.
They made a makeshift table from boxes.
4. Nearby a multiethnic group was doing the meringue. (Para. 2): Nearby people from different ethnic groups were dancing meringue together
5. An estimated 500,000 kids descended on Berlin for the annual Love Parade. (Para. 3): About 500,000 young people came unexpectedly to Berlin to take part in the Love Parade, a musical festival held every year in the city.
annual: yearly 一年一度的
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e.g. the annual celebration
an annual fee
Love Parade: The Love Parade is a popular festival and parade that originated in 1989 in Berlin, Germany. It was first celebrated 4 months before the demolition of the Berlin Wall as a political demonstration for peace and international understanding through music.
descend on: visit sb/sth unexpectedly or inconveniently 突然到来
e.g. My sister is descending on us this weekend.
Letters of application descended on them like snowflakes.
6. Europeans seem to be throwing themselves into fun and festivity with unprecedented zeal. (Para. 3): It seems that the Europeans are busy enjoying themselves with enthusiasms for fun-seeking which they never had before.
throw oneself into: work very busily at 投身于，积极地做起某事来
e.g. Beith threw himself enthusiastically into the task.
They threw themselves into the celebrations, a temporary release from the daily routine, but the problems would still be there once the party was over. unprecedented: never having happened before 空前的
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e.g. We had the unprecedented rainfall last summer.
China is undergoing an unprecedented change.
zeal: eagerness, keenness 热诚
e.g. He shows great zeal for knowledge.
The teacher tried everything to awaken my zeal.
7. Each weekend, central London is one great bacchanal. (Para. 3): Each weekend, central London is just like a big party where people flock to seek pleasure and get drunk.
8. Cities that for reasons of politics or religion were once gloomily repressive — Madrid, say, or Dublin — now rock to the small hours. (Para. 3): For political or religious reasons, cities like Madrid or Dublin used to be under tight control, with little entertainment available. Now people in these cities keep entertaining themselves until early in the morning.
9. In Prague the foreign visitors who get talked about are not the earnest young Americans who flocked there in the early 1990s, but British partygoers who have flown in for the cheap beer and pretty girls. (Para. 3): In Prague in the early 1990s, when they talked about foreign visitors they referred to the young Americans who went there in large numbers. Now when foreign visitors are
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mentioned, they refer to the streams of British young people who go there for parties, cheap beer, and pretty girls.
10．The place that British historian Mark Mazower once called the true dark continent — and from whose curdled soul the horrors of fascism sprang — has become Europa ludens, community at play. (Para. 3): The European continent was called the true dark continent British historian Mark Mazower, because it was from there that the terrifying fascism originated. Now this continent has become a paradise for pleasure-seekers.
at play: engaged in recreation; engaged in the function 玩乐；起作用
e.g. He sat there silently, watching the other kids at play.
Several factors are at play when determing the value of a house.
11. This is how the U. S. was supposed to be. (Para. 4): This is how the U.S. was believed to be.
be supposed to: be believed to be, though without much proof 应该 e.g. She is supposed to be wealthy.
You are supposed to have handed in your homework by now.
12．... how the decline of the Protestant small-town ethic had unhinged
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American capitalism from its moral foundation in the intrinsic value of work.
(Para. 4): The Protestant moral values that used to flourish in American small towns
are no longer popular now. Without this moral ethic to base on, American capitalism put less emphasis on the intrinsic value of work.
unhinge: remove (a door or the like) from hinges; detach or separate from something; unsettle or disorder (a person's mind, etc) 使分手
e.g. Although Kazrik survived, the experienced has unhinged him somewhat.
We've unhinged her from her original faith,
intrinsic: belonging to a thing by its very nature 内在的，实在的
e.g. intrinsic factors; intrinsic motivation; intrinsic value
Watson discusses the meaning of work and separates motivation to work into
intrinsic and extrinsic satisfactions.
13. The cultural justification of capitalism (had) become hedonism. (Para. 4): American capitalism had gone so far in its attempt to change the Protestant culture that it promoted the belief in pleasure as the only objective of life.
14.... the good, godless, gregarious pursuit of pleasure is what California is all about. (Para. 4): Life in California is just like this: people seek pleasure together without any religious repression.
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15. what... is all about (Para. 4): The way it goes
e.g. Going to lectures, sitting tests, that's what college is all about.
16. But the American future didn't turn out as we expected. (Para. 5): But the life Americans are living is actually not like what Bell predicted.
turn out: prove to be the case, result 结果
e.g. His words turned out to be true.
We shall wait and see how things turn out.
17. ... you could be happy only if you work hard and play hard. (Para. 5): ... you could not be happy until you work hard and play hard.
18. ... filling a day off with one appointment after another, as if it were no different from one at the office. (Para. 5): ... when they have a day off, they arrange so many activities that the schedule is as full as their work schedule.
19. ... Europeans'desire to devote themselves to the pleasures of life ... in any event, end in economic tears. (Para. 5): Europeans just want to enjoy life and have fun. This would eventually lead to an economic depression.
20. First, the crowded confines of Western Europe and the expansive space of North America have led to varied consumer preferences. (Para 6): First,
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Europeans and Americans favor different products because of their different geographical environment: Western Europe is crowded due to the space limits, while North America is very spacious.
confines: limits, borders 界限
e.g. During the time of peace, troops usually do not stop outside the
confines of the country.
He does nothing beyond the confines of his own work.
expansive: having a wide range or extent; comprehensive; extensive
e.g. It is such an open and expansive society that races live in harmony and cultures flourish side by side.
The game was set for 10:30 in the morning on the expansive lawn.
21. At least in the puritanical version of Christianity that has always appealed to Americans, religion comes packaged with the stern message that hard work is good for the soul. (Para. 6): Americans have always shown interest in Puritanism, which advocates that hard work is good for the soul.
22. Modern Europe has avoided so melancholy a lesson. (Para. 6): Modern Europe doesn't need to suffer this religious repression.
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23. Whatever the explanation, the idea of a work-life balance is a staple of European discourse, studied in think tanks, mulled over by policymakers. (Para. 7): No matter what the explanation is, the concept of a work-life balance is the
main part of European life. It is studied by researchers and considered by policymakers.
24. In the U.S., the term, when it's used at all, is said with the sort of sneer reserved for those who eat quiche. (Para. 7): The term is seldom used in the U.S., and when it is mentioned, it is treated as if it is not worthy of serious notice, in an ironic way.
Key to Exercises
I. Reading Comprehension
1. People dancing and having fun.
2. Kids going to Berlin for carnival, families trekking to the warm south, people in London and other cities enjoying themselves on weekends, British partygoers in Prague.
3. They are pleasure seekers.
4. The decline of the Protestant small-town ethic had unhinged American capitalism from its moral foundation in the intrinsic value of work, and this cultural
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justification of capitalism had become hedonism.
5. No. They work longer hours, and fill a day off with one appointment after another.
6. No. This is for two reasons. First, the crowded confines of Western Europe and the expansive space of North America have led to varied consumer preferences. Second, America's sense of itself as a religious nation has revived.
7. Hard work is good for the soul.
8. It is usually ignored or sneered at.
II. Structure of the Text
1. Introduction (Paras. 1-2)
Following the suggestion of a friend in Paris, I took a stroll along the left bank and found people enjoying themselves at parties.
2. Body (Paras. 3-6)
1) The different attitude toward work and leisure between Europeans and
Americans. (Paras. 3-5)
A.
Europe is enjoying itself (Para. 3)
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B. Americans were supposed to pursue pleasure, but they didn't turn out
as we expected (Paras. 4-5):
2) A.
The reason for the different attitudes. (Para. 6)
The crowded confines of Western Europe and the expansive space of
North America have led to varied consumer preferences.
B. America's sense of itself as a religious nation has revived.
3. Conclusion (Paras. 7-8)
Though the staple of European discourse, work-life balance, is sneered at in America, it might still catch on.
VIII. Translation
A.
1. Nowadays what get talked about is not how to enjoy life on the campus, but how to have a paper published, or how to find a good job.
2. Campus life is supposed to be happy and relaxed, full of fun activities, but my life is under great pressure.
3. If you're still wondering what this internship program is all about, check out
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the company website, where the director of the program, John Brown, gives a more detailed description.
4. Many young people believe that one could be happy only if one work hard and play hard.
5. My new life as a postgraduate student didn't quite turn out as I hoped, but I tried to adapt myself to it, and enjoyed meeting every unexpected challenge.
6. The boss often talks about work plans for the weekends as if they were no different from the ones for weekdays.
7. Can we conclude that we are in a society which values sports more than research and education just because the professional athletes are paid much more than even Nobel Prize winning scientists?
8. The root of the fierce competition in the present job market, when it is mentioned at all, is the booming population.
9. After a brief period in the employment of others, I set up my own company, but the venture ended in tears.
10. Prof. Smith, the leading researcher in this field, studied all the factors at play for the change.
B．
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真是可笑! 这本该是美国的模样嘛！丹尼尔.贝尔1976 年出版《资本主义文化矛盾》一书，书中收录的一系列著名文章，他描述了新教徒小镇式道德观的衰落怎样动摇了美国资本主义的道德基础和对工作内在价值的认识。20世纪60年代，贝尔声称，“资本主义文化经过拨乱反正已变成了享乐主义文化，享受成了生活的一种方式。”1969年《时代周刊》一篇名为《加利福尼亚；充满刺激之州》的封面故事中写道，“追寻美好的、非宗教的、交际性的快乐已经成为了加利福尼亚的全部。每个刚去过加州的人说，‘我看到了未来，自由自在的娱乐在发挥作用。’”当时绝大多数美国人对报道中提及的情况都是有目共睹的。
Key to Further Reading: C D A A C
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