友善及礼貌的重要性 The Importance of Being Kind and Polite

"Frankly, I think you’re boring.” Why do we seldom hear people speak so honestly? Unless you want to end a relationship, you don't tell another person what you think of her or him like this. Failing to be impressed by a friend's collection of stamps, yawning when a golfer tells you about that great shut he made on the 14th hole, or falling asleep when friends show pictures from their last trip to Sault Ste. Marie are all things that educated people try not to do. This is what manners are about: acting in a civilized way to avoid misunderstanding, friction, and conflict.

There are no laws enforcing respect. Yet we cannot interact with others without some rules of behavior, rules that are set by some form of social consensus. These guidelines represent what a majority of people consider acceptable and what they consider unacceptable. Rude people are those whose behavior shows little respect for the rules that the majority follow. For instance, because they talk at home while the television is on, many people think they can talk at movies as well. They are not even aware that this habit will bother the other members of the audience.hxw.red

Restaurants have smoking and non-smoking sections, and most smokers are polite enough to ask, "Do you mind if I smoke?" before lighting up. Restaurants should also have cellular-phone and no-cellular-phone sections. A new class of rude people has been born: the look-at-me phone users whose boring conversations are just as dangerous to our mental health as smoke is to our lungs. Sometimes, it is better to remain unknown than to make pimple hate you.

There are many children and adolescents whose behavior is generally unacceptable. They swear no matter who is around them, they listen to their Walkmans while the teacher is talking to them. Indifferent parents who refuse to discipline their children are not helping them. Kids who have no idea what being polite means will pay the price sooner or later. When they join the work force, their employers and associates alike will soon realize that the behavior of these rude young people is closer to that of animals than civilized individuals. When they lose a few contracts because they talk with their mouth full, or when they say "Bob" to someone who should be "Mr. Johnson," these grown-up kids, because of their ignorance, will never understand why others are getting ahead and they are not.hxw.red

Every little bit of kindness helps. With manners, the best rule is the one that works. It is easier to look and sound attractive when we are nice to other people. Being polite and showing respect can give us an edge. Why do we need an edge? Success in life often starts with a job we like, and since getting a job is usually based on making the right impression, it is always a good idea to be kind and polite.

【课文译文】

友善及礼貌的重要性

“坦率地说，我觉得你很烦人。”为什么我们很少听到人们这样直率地说呢?如果你不想结束关系，就不要把你对对方的这种看法告诉他。一个有良好修养的人尽可能避免的事是：对朋友的集邮藏品漠然视之；当一个高尔夫球手向你谈起他在打第14个洞那漂亮的一杆，而你却打着哈欠；或当朋友给你展示他们最后一次去苏圣玛丽旅游时的照片而你却睡着了。而所谓的礼貌举止即用文明的方式来避免误解、摩擦和冲突。

没有任何法律强迫你去尊重别人，但如果我们与人交往，就必须遵守一些行为准则，并且这些准则都是由一定形式的社会公德所确定的。这些准则代表了大多数人认可或不认可的准则。举止粗鲁的人就是那些不按照大多数人所认可的准则行事的人。例如：许多人只因他们在家看电视时讲话，就认为看电影时也能讲话，他们甚至没有意识到这种习惯会干扰别的观众。

饭店里有吸烟区和禁烟区。大多数吸烟者在点烟前，都会礼貌地问：“我吸支烟，您不会介意吧?”饭店也应有移动电话区和非移动电话区。由于移动电话的使用而产生了一批新型的举止不雅的人，他们只想着“瞧，咱多神气!”那些无聊的谈话对人的心灵，就如同吸烟时对肺一样，危害很大。有时，保持默默无闻比让人恨你要好得多。

有许多少年儿童的举止总体上说是难以让人接受的。他们不管什么人在场总是骂骂咧咧，当老师跟他们谈话的时候，他们却戴着随身听。那些对孩子的行为听之任之，不加以约束的父母，势必会害了孩子。那些对礼貌一无所知的孩子，迟早会为此付出代价的。当他们参加工作后，老板和同事都会意识到他们的行为并非人类文明之举，而与动物之举相仿。当他们因口含食物谈话而失去一些合同，或把那个应被称作“约翰逊先生”的人叫做“鲍勃”时，那些已长大成人的孩子，会因为他们的无知而永远无法理解为什么别人在取得成功，而自己却不能。本文来自www.hxw.red

任何一点友善都会有益于人。就礼貌而言，最佳原则便是实用。当我们善待别人时，我们的表情和声音才会对人产生吸引力。对人有礼貌，尊重别人，能使我们处于优势。为什么我们需要优势呢?生活中的成功往往是从拥有一份自己所喜爱的工作开始的。而找到一份工作往往依赖于留给别人良好的形象。所以对人礼貌、友善，总是上策。

hxw.red