#183. What have you learned about a country from watching its movies?
One of the favorite pastimes of people today is watching movies. Movies can teach us a great amount about the world, especially if we watch movies from another culture. When watching a foreign movie, we can learn about the landscape and scenery of the country, the country's ethics and customs, and its historical events.
The world is a great and varied place, from the immense mountains of the Himalayas to the deserts of America. By watching movies, one can gain insight as to what these beautiful places are like. For example, I recently watched a number of movies filmed in America. I learned about the beautiful beaches of California, national parks such as Yellowstone and Niagara Falls, as well as man-made wonders such as the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, and the Golden Gate Bridge. Watching foreign movies is an excellent way to deduce where one wants to travel, if he/she has such an opportunity.
Watching movies also teaches us about a country's ethics and customs. For example, while watching American movies, I learned that children do not show as much respect to their parents as we do here in China. In some cases, children were very disrespectful of their elders, and ignored their wishes outright. I was shocked by this behavior. To give another example, I also learned about table manners in America, which are quite different from the rules we follow in China.
Furthermore, one can learn about a country's history by watching films. For instance, there are many movies that have been made about the wars in America, such as Gone With the Wind. Movies such as this show foreign viewers why America is the free and independent society that it is today.
Hence, watching foreign movies is an excellent way to learn about faraway lands. One can learn about the landscape of a place, about its culture, as well as its history. Perhaps schools should consider watching foreign movies in classes to provoke interest from the students about such lands.
183. 通过看某个国家的电影，你了解到了这个国家的什么情况？
今天，电影已成为了最受人们欢迎的娱乐方式之一。电影能告诉我们这个世界的很多方面，特别是观看来自另一种文化的电影。当我们观看一部外国电影时，我们可以了解到这个国家的风景名胜、人情风俗和历史事件。
从绵延的喜玛拉雅山到美洲大沙漠，我们的世界广大辽阔，而且处处都有不同。看电影能让人见识到这些美丽的地方。比如，我最近看了一些美国的电影，从中我了解到的地方有美丽的加尼福尼亚海岸、黄石公园和尼亚加拉瀑布这样的国家公园，还有诸如自由女神像、总统山和金门大桥这样的人造奇迹。若是一个人有机会出去旅游，看电影会是选择路线很好的参考。
看电影还能告诉我们一个国家的人情风俗。例如，通过观看美国电影，我了解到美国的孩子不用像中国孩子这样对父母非常尊敬。在有些情况下，孩子会非常不尊重长辈，并且毫不在意长辈的期望，看到这些时我觉得很吃惊。还有一个例子，美国人吃饭时的礼仪和我们中国人所遵守的礼仪有很大不同。
此外，一个人还能够通过看电影了解一个国家的历史。例如，有很多电影的内容都与美国的战争有关系，比如《乱世佳人》。这样一部电影向外国观众展现出美国社会之所以有今天的自由和独立的原因。
因此，看外国电影是了解其他国家的一个很好的途径。一个人能从中了解到一个地方的风景、文化和历史。也许，学校应该考虑安排在课堂中看看外国电影，从而唤起学生对这些国家的兴趣。
- favorite ［ˈfeivərit］ adj. 喜爱的
- Niagara falls 尼亚加拉瀑布
- pastime ［ˈpæstaim］ n. 消遣
- Statue of Liberty 自由女神
- a great amount 大量的
- Mount Rushmore 总统山
- landscape ［ˈlændˌskeip］ n. 风景
- Golden Gate Bridge 金门大桥
- scenery ［ˈsi:nəri］ n. 景致
- show respect to 尊敬
- ethic ［ˈeθik］ n. 伦理
- disrespectful［ ˌdisriˈspektfəl］ adj.无礼的
- immense ［iˈmens］ adj. 无边的
- outright ［ˈautˈrait］ adv. 率直的
- Himalayas ［ˌhiməˈleiəz］ n. 喜马拉雅山脉
- Gone With the Wind 《乱世佳人》insight ［ˈinˌsait］ n. 见识
- provoke ［prəˈvəuk］ v. 唤起
- Yellowstone ［ˈjeləustəun］ n. 黄石国家公园