美国人的个性

 　　The United States is a highly active society, full of movement and change, people always seem to be on the go. In this highly charged atmosphere, Americans can sometimes seem brusque or impatient. They want to get to know you as quickly as possible and then move on to something else. Sometimes, early on, they will ask you questions that you may feel are very personal. No insult is intended; the questions usually grow out of their genuine interest or curiosity, and their impatience¹ to get to the heart of the matter. And the same goes for you. If you do not understand certain American behavior or you want to know more about them, do not hesitate to ask them questions about themselves. Americans are usually eager to explain all about their country or anything "American" in which you may be interested. So much so in fact that you may become tired of listening. It doesn't matter because Americans tend to be uncomfortable with silence during a conversation. They would rather talk about the weather or the latest sports scores, for example, than deal with silence.

　　美国是一个高度活跃、充满运动和变化的社会，人们看起来一直在路上。在这种高度紧张的氛围里，美国人有时看似无礼或缺少耐心。他们想要尽快了解你，然后转身去做别的事。在交往初期，他们有时会问你一些你感觉很私人的问题。这不是有意的冒犯；问这些问题通常是出于他们真正的兴趣和好奇心或者他们没有耐心去得到事情的实质。换成你也一样，如果你不理解某些美国人的行为或你想知道他们更多的东西，就毫不犹豫地去问他们。美国人通常会热心地介绍有关他们国家或者你可能感兴趣的美国的任何事情。实际上他们如此地介绍这个东西可能使你听得很累。这无所谓，因为美国人往往会对交往中的沉默感到不安。例如，他们宁愿去谈天气或者最新的赛况，也不愿去对付沉默。

1 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。