251 Americans’ Business Spirit
251 美国人的商业精神
Henry Ford, the famous U.S. inventor and car manufacturer, once said, "The business of America is business." By this he meant that the U.S. way of life is based on the values of the business world.
美国著名的发明家和汽车制造商亨利·福特曾经说：“美国的一切都是商业”。此话意味着，美国人的生活方式建立在商品社会的价值观上。
Few would argue with Ford's statement. A brief glimpse at a daily newspaper vividly shows how much people in the United States think about business. For example, nearly every newspaper has a business section, in which the deals and projects, finances and management, stock prices and labor problems of corporations are reported daily. In addition, business news can appear in every other section. Most national news has an important financial aspect to it. Welfare, foreign aid, the federal budget, and the policies of the Federal Reserve Bank are all heavily affected by business. Moreover, business news appears in some of the unlikeliest places. The world of arts and entertainment is often referred to as "the entertainment industry" or "show business."
很少有人会对福特的说话提出异议。看一眼日报就可以看出有多少美国人在关心商业。比如，几乎每份报纸都设有商业版，每天报道各种工程项目，资金和管理，股票价格和公司的劳动力问题。此外，商业信息懒觉可以出现在其他任何版面中。大多数国内新闻都会涉及金融方面的重要信息。福利，外援，联邦预算以及联邦储备银行的政策都会极大地受到商业的影响。而且，商业信息还会在一些最不可能的地方出现。艺术和娱乐界就经常被称为“娱乐业”或“演艺业”。
The positive side of Henry Ford's statement can be seen in the prosperity that business has brought to U.S. life. One of the most important reasons so many people from all over the world come to live in the United States is the dream of a better job. Jobs are produced in abundance because the U.S. economic system is driven by competition. People believe that this system crates more wealth, more jobs, and a materially better way of life.
从商业给美国生活带来的繁荣景象中，可以看到福特的说法中积极的一面。众多的人从世界各地来到美国的最重要的原因之一，就是梦想着找一份更好的工作。美国的工作机会很多，因为美国的经济体系是由竞争驱动的。人们相信这种制度能创造出更多的财富，提供更多的工作机会和更好的物质生活。
The negative side of Henry Ford's statement, however, can be seen when the word business is taken to mean big business. And the term big business -- referring to the biggest companies, is seen in opposition to labor. Throughout U.S. history working people have had to fight hard for higher wages, better working conditions, and the fight to form unions. Today, many of the old labor disputes are over, but there is still some employee anxiety. Downsizing ---- the laying off of thousands of workers to keep expenses low and profits high -- creates feelings of insecurity for many.
但是，当“商业”这个词是用来指大财团的时候，福特的说法中消极的一面也会变得显而易见。“大财团”这个词指的是那些与工作对立的最大的商业集团或公司。纵观美国历史，工作们曾经为争取更高的工资，更好的工作环境以及为拥有组织工会的权利而艰苦地斗争。今天，许多旧的劳资纠纷已经消失，但是，雇员们仍然忧心仲仲。裁员，即解雇成成千上万的工作以保证低成本和高效益，这让很多人产生不安全感。