探究英国人的排队习惯.doc

探究英国人的排队习惯=“news_bd”> 　　英国人就算独自一人，也会整整齐齐地排成一个人的队 伍 　　匈牙利作家乔治•麦克斯的这句名言，可以说是贴切地总 结了英国人对于排队的态度 　　然而，英国人的排队习惯到底从何而来? 　　有人认为，这种习惯可以追溯到十八世纪末至十九世纪初 的工业革命时期当时，农村人口大量涌入大城市务工，由于 城市人口的急速增长，商店等公共场所变得人流众多，因此迫 切需要一种有秩序的等候方式——排队 　　然而，也有人称，第二次世界大战(1939—1945年)才 是让英国人养成排队习惯的关键在艰苦的战争年代，衣物、 汽油乃至食物都严重供应不足，政府大力鼓励人们为社会贡献 自己的一份力量，在物资短缺时期耐心等待配给在这样的时 代背景下，排队就成了英国社会所倡导的美德的象征——公平 竞争、正直得体而又彬彬有礼即使在今天，也有不少人将排 队视作英国国民精神的体现——注重实效、冷静理性、坚 苦忍耐 　　"An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue of one." 　　This quote, from Hungarian author George Mikes, could be said to sum up the British attitude towards queuing. But just where does this custom come from? 　　There are arguments that the practice dates back to the Industrial Revolution, in the late 1700s and early 1800s.This was a time when rural people suddenly migrated enmasse to our largest cities looking for work, and the sudden population growth in urban centres forced a need for more structured systems of waiting in places where many people gathered, such as shops. 　　However, it was arguably the Second World War (1939—1945) that really established the art of queuing as a British institution. During the tough war years—when clothes, petrol, and even food was in very short supplythe government heavily encouraged people to "do their bit" for society, and patiently wait their turn through shortages. The queue thus came to be symbolic of a number of principles valued in British society: fair play, decency, and politeness. Even today, the queue is seen by some to represent what they think of as the British "national character"—pragmatic, un-emotional, and stoic 。