How the Americans view love
An old song says that“love makes the world go around.”If you watch Americans on Valentine’s Day1), you can believe it. The whole country breaks out with little red hearts. Love-struck people give cards, flowers and candy to their sweethearts2). You might call it an annual3) celebration of love.
The American concept of love and romance begins with dating. Young people date in several ways. At first they might have group dates with several boys and girls together. Later, they start going on single dates—just one boy and one girl. Sometimes a boy and a girl will go to a movie. Maybe they will go to a party at a friend’s house. Or they might go out to eat.
When two couple go out together, it’s called double dating. A friend might even arrange a blind date for you with someone you don’t know. That doesn‘t mean you keep your eyes closed the whole evening. You just don’t know who your partner will be until the time of the date. If someone asks you out on any kind of d ate, and you don‘t want to go, you may politely say, “No, thanks.”
Americans view dating differently from people in other culture. American young people see a date as a time just to have fun. They don‘t always have a romantic interest in mind. Someone may go out with one person this week, and another person the next. After a while, a boy and a girl may decide they want to go steady4). This means they think of each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. It also means they don’ t want to date anyone else. Romance is beginning to bloom.
Romantic love is very much a part of American culture. Movies, TV shows and books in America all picture people falling in love. Americans know no romance is perfect, but still they try to find the ideal person. Actually, love is a part of every culture, not just American culture. People all over the world search for happiness in a loving relationship. Maybe love does make the world go around.
美國(guó)人的愛(ài)情觀(guān)
有一首老歌中唱道“愛(ài)讓世界轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)”。如果你看到美國(guó)人是如何慶祝情人節(jié)的, 你便會(huì)相信這句話(huà)。這一天在美國(guó)不論你走到哪里都能看到一顆顆小紅心。墜入愛(ài)河中的人向自己的心上人贈(zèng)送卡片、鮮花和糖果。你可以將情人節(jié)稱(chēng)之為一年一度的愛(ài)的慶賀日。
美國(guó)人的愛(ài)情和浪漫始于約會(huì)。年輕人有幾種約會(huì)方式。最開(kāi)始, 他們可能是好幾個(gè)男孩和女孩都參加的集體約會(huì)。之后, 他們單獨(dú)出去約會(huì)—只有一男一女。有時(shí)他們會(huì)去看電影, 也可能一起去參加朋友的晚會(huì), 或一起出去吃飯。
如果兩對(duì)男女一起出去, 這叫做雙重約會(huì)。一個(gè)朋友還可能安排一個(gè)“蒙眼約會(huì)”。那并不是說(shuō)你整個(gè)晚上都緊閉雙目。只是在約會(huì)之前你并不知道你的伴侶是誰(shuí)。如果有人請(qǐng)你出去約會(huì), 不管是哪種約會(huì), 假若你不想去, 你都可以禮貌地說(shuō)聲“不, 謝謝!”
對(duì)于約會(huì), 美國(guó)人與別的國(guó)家的人有不同的看法。美國(guó)的年輕人把約會(huì)看成是玩得開(kāi)心的時(shí)間, 并不一定就抱著浪漫的念頭。有的人可能這星期與一個(gè)人出去, 下星期又與另外一個(gè)人出去。經(jīng)過(guò)一段時(shí)間后, 一個(gè)男孩和一個(gè)女孩可能決定保持穩(wěn)定的關(guān)系。這意味著他們把彼此看成“男朋友和女朋友”, 這也意味著他們不想與別的人約會(huì)。浪漫之花開(kāi)始綻放。
浪漫愛(ài)情是美國(guó)文化的重要組成部分。美國(guó)的電影、電視和書(shū)籍都描繪人們?nèi)绾螇嬋霅?ài)河。美國(guó)人知道沒(méi)有哪段愛(ài)情是完美的, 但他們還是努力去尋找自己的意中人。事實(shí)上, 愛(ài)是每個(gè)文化的組成部分, 而不僅僅是美國(guó)文化。全世界的人們都在愛(ài)中尋求幸福。也許確實(shí)是愛(ài)使世界轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)。
NOTE 注釋?zhuān)?/span>
1. Valentine’s Day [5vAlEntainz dei] n. 情人節(jié)(二月十四日)
2. sweetheart [5swi:thB:t] n. 情人, 愛(ài)人
3. annual [5AnjuEl] adj. 一年一次的, 每年的
4. go steady [美口]成為關(guān)系相當(dāng)確定的情侶, 經(jīng)常只和某一異性朋友約會(huì)出游