阅读理解

　　INDEPENDENCE

　　Most people in the US believe that independence is very important．They do not think of themselves as representatives of their families, communities, or social class．Students think those who depend on their family are dependent．Teachers expect students to be independent, to work alone, and to produce original work．

　　EQUALITY

　　The Declaration of Independence states,“All men are created equal．”In many ways, people believe this; you can see equality in such common practices as waiting in line．When you go to the bank or to the post office, you will be asked to take a number and wait．No matter how important you are, you will be treated like anyone else; first come, first served．You can also see equality in the classroom．All students are the same in the eyes of the professors．Similarly, professors sometimes ask students to call them by their first names．

　　PUNCTUALITY(准时)

　　Many people in the US are very punctual and organize their activities around schedules．Being late is rude．If you cannot be on time．tell the people who are waiting for you．For business appointments, you should arrive a few minutes early．For social appointments, you should arrive 10-15 minutes after the appointed time．

　　MATERIALISM(物质主义)

　　Success in the US is often measured in dollars．Many people in the US think more about money and material possessions than people in other countries．As a result, you may think that people ignore those more important things in life, like love and friendship．This is not true：like people in every country, most people in the US still value friendship or love more than wealth．

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