In the United States, a person can take credit only for what he has accomplished by hims
elf. Americans get no credit whatsoever for having been born into a rich or privileged family. (In the United States, that would be considered “an accident of birth.”) Americans pride themselves in having been born poor and, through their own hard work, having climbed the difficult ladder of success to whatever level they have achieved--all by themselves. The American social system has, of course, made it possible for Americans to move, relatively easily, up the social ladder, whereas this is impossible to do in many other countries. The “self-made man or woman” is still very much the ideal in present-day America. Americans believe that competition brings out the best in any individual. They claim that it challenges or forces each person to produce the very best that is humanly possible. Consequently, the foreign visitor will see if you come from competition being fostered in the American home and in the American classroom, even at the youngest level. You may find the value placed on the competition disagreeable, especially if you come from a society that promote cooperation rather than competition among individuals. But Americans teaching in Third World countries find the lack of competitiveness in a classroom situation equally distressing. They soon learn that what they had thought to be one of the universal human characteristics represented only a peculiarly American (or Western) value.
Americans, valuing competition, have devised an economic system to go with-free enterprise. Americans feel very strongly that a highly competitive economy will bring out the best in its people and ultimately, that the society which fosters competition will progress most rapidly. If you look for it, you will see evidence in all areas--in all fields as diverse as medicine, the arts, education, and sports--that free enterprise is the approach most often preferred in America.
16. What does the author mean by saying “The ‘self-made man or woman’ is still very much the ideal in present-day America”？
A. Americans no longer respect those who are born rich as they used to.
B. Americans still respect those who have climbed up the social ladder through hard work.
C. Americans think that an ideal man or woman should be born poor.
D. Americans think that only the self-made man or woman is worthy of respect.
17. What does the author think of the American social system？
A. It is a system that does not favor those who are born rich.
B. It is a system that makes social climbing very difficult, if not impossible.
C. It makes it comparatively easy for the poor to move up the social ladder.
D. It is the best system possible in the world
18. Americans teaching in Third World countries found that ___.
A. competition is a unique American (or Western ) value
B. competition must be fostered in the classroom for success in business
C. cooperation is more important than competition in bringing about progress
D. competition is one of the universal human characteristics
19. We can infer from the passage that free enterprise is ____.
A. an economic system allowing free competition among businesses
B. a belief that competition brings out the best in any individual
C. an attitude that values competition rather than cooperation
D. a theory that advocates competition as the source of all progress
20. Americans would most likely frown at you if you ____.
A. complain that you were born poor and had had no opportunities
B. tell then you were born poor and had to work with your hands
C. go around telling people that your father is a self-made man
D. tell them that their social system is not necessarily the best
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