Another virtue Americans respect is perseverance.Remember Aesop's fable about the turtle and the rabbit that had a race?The rabbit thought he could win easily,so he took a nap.But the turtle finally won because he did not give up.Another story tells of a little train that had to climb a steep hill.The hill was so steep that the little train had a hard time trying to get over it.But the train just kept pulling,all the while saying,"I think I can,I think I can."At last,the train was over the top of the hill."I thought I could,I thought I could,"chugged the happy little train.
另外一個為美國人所尊崇的美德為堅忍。記得再龜兔賽跑這則伊索寓言嗎？兔子以為他可以輕松取勝，于是他睡了一覺。但是龜最后贏了因為他沒有放棄。另一個故事講述了一個小火車必須攀爬陡峭的山。山如此陡峭以至于火車必須盡全力去翻越。當火車在攀爬時，它一直說“我認為我能行，我認為我能做到。”最終，火車爬上山頂。小火車歡快地喊道“我原來就認為我能行，我原來就認為我能行。”

Compassion may be the queen of American virtues.The story of "The Good Samaritan"from the Bible describes a man who showed compassion.On his way to a certain city,a Samaritan man found a poor traveler lying on the road.The traveler had been beaten and robbed.The kind Samaritan,instead of just passing by,stopped to help this person in need.Compassion can even turn into a positive cycle.In fall 1992,people in Iowa sent truckloads of water to help Floridians hit by a hurricane.The next summer,during the Midwest flooding,Florida returned the favor.In less dramatic ways,millions of Americans are quietly passing along the kindnesses shown to them.
同情心，可能是美國的道德之最了。圣經(jīng)中的「好撒瑪利亞人」的故事，描述一個流露同情心的人。在這個撒瑪利亞人出發(fā)去某城市的途中，看到一個可憐的旅客躺在路旁。這旅客被鞭打、搶劫，這位仁慈的撒瑪利亞人非但沒有視而不見，反而停下來幫助這位有需要的人。同情心還可以變成一個正面循環(huán)，在一九九二年的秋天，愛荷華州的居民將好幾輛卡車的水送到受颶風(fēng)侵襲的佛羅里達州；而就在第二年夏天，當中西部鬧水災(zāi)的時候，佛州人便投挑報李。數(shù)以百萬計的美國人民正用較不醒目的方式回報人們向他們表達的善意。

In no way can this brief description cover all the moral values honored by Americans.Courage,responsibility,loyalty,gratitude and many others could be discussed.In fact,Bennett's bestseller-over 800pages-highlights just 10virtues.Even Bennett admits that he has only scratched the surface.But no matter how long or short the list,moral values are invaluable.They are the foundation of American culture-and any culture.
在這么一篇短短的文章里，無論如何也不能將美國人所尊崇的道德述盡。勇氣、責(zé)任心、忠誠、感激之心還有許多其它可以討論的。事實上，班奈特最暢銷的書──超過八百頁──只談到了十種美德。即使班奈特也承認他只談到了皮毛而已。但是不論這張道德表是多長或短，道德價值都是無價的。他們是美國文化──和任何其它國家的文化之基礎(chǔ)。