Etiquette and Ethics 礼仪与道德

The key term in the Confucian philosophy of ancient China is "li": the etiquettes. Confucius holds that the proper performance of etiquettes is the key to social order and indeed to human happiness. We must execute the etiquettes exactly in the correct way, but also with perfect sincerity and perfect spontaneity. 在古代中国的孔子哲学思想中，最重要的术语就是“礼”，即礼仪。孔子认为：有了恰如其分的礼仪，才能有社会的秩序，也才有人们的真正幸福。我们必须正确地实行礼仪，而且要诚心诚意地、自觉自愿地实行。

Etiquette is a generally accepted mode of conduct. Etiquette takes as its essence being strict with oneself and showing respect for others. For example, dining etiquette facilitates people eating in a group without giving offense to one another. (1) (You wouldn't eat with your elbows on the table or talk with your mouth full of food). 礼仪是一种被人们普遍接受的行为模式。礼仪的精髓是严于待己和尊重他人。比如，进餐礼仪教导人们在一块儿进餐时不要相互冒犯（进餐时不要将肘部放在餐桌上，或者嘴里包着饭与别人谈话）。

Job search etiquette enables people who are essentially strangers to explore the possibility of entering into a mutually beneficial business relationship. (2) A violation of etiquette could strain feelings and raise questions about behavior that interfere with examining the overall fit between the job applicant and the job. 求职礼仪保证完全无知的人们，能够寻找机会建立一种互利的商业关系。违反礼仪可能造成感情紧张，在行为上出现问题，因而不能审视全局，处理好求职者和工作之间的关系。

Sometimes etiquette would not seem to play an important part in our life, and yet no man can ever tell when its knowledge may be of advantage, or its lack may turn the scale against him. (3) 有时，礼仪在我们的生活中会显得并不重要，但是，没有人能知道，什么时候礼仪知识会对人有利，缺乏礼仪知识会使人处于不利的境地。

Ethics is a search for the good or right way to do things. Ethics teaches that some values may transcend your personal best interests. Because of ethics, you may need to sacrifice some benefit simply because the legitimate interests of another party need to be taken into account. 道德寻求好的或正确的做事方式。道德教诲人们：某些价值观念可能超越个人的最大利益。因为道德的缘故，你可能需要牺牲某些利益，仅仅出于考虑到对方的合法利益。

For example, accepting a job offer as a safety valve while continuing to pursue other employment options might be in your personal interest. However, doing so would be a violation of ethics because that practice causes harm to others. 比如，从安全计，接受一份工作的同时，继续寻找另外的工作，这也许符合你的个人利益。然而，这样做可能违背道德，因为这种行为伤害了他人。

Manners are made up of trivialities of deportment which can be easily learned if one does not happen to know them; manners are personality—the outward manifestation of one’s innate character and attitude toward life. 礼貌由细微末节的举动构成。如果碰巧不懂这些礼貌行为，那是很容易学会的。礼貌体现个性，是一个人内在性格和生活观的外在表现。

One who has good manners is  un-self-conscious in the observance of etiquette. The precepts of etiquette must be so thoroughly absorbed as to make their observance a matter of instinct rather than of conscious obedience. (4) 懂礼貌的人遵循礼仪是自然而然的。必须吃透礼仪的全部含义，以便使遵守礼仪成为本能，而不是刻意去遵守。

Etiquette must include ethics as well as manners. Certainly what one really is, is of far greater importance than what one appears to be. A knowledge of etiquette is of course essential to one’s decent behavior, just as clothing is essential to one’s decent appearance. 礼仪必须包括道德准则和礼貌行为。当然，真实的自我远比表现出的自我重要。得体的行为举止离不开对礼仪的了解，正像得体的外表离不开对衣着的选择一样。

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NOTES

1.       …dining etiquette facilitates people eating in a group without giving offense to one another.

        句子中的谓语动词facilitate后面的宾语只能指事物，不能指人。本句的宾语是people eating（“人们进餐”，而不是“进餐的人们”）。这是一个现在分词独立结构，people 和eating之间的关系是主语和谓语的关系。

2.       Job search etiquette enables people who are essentially strangers to explore the possibility of entering into a mutually beneficial business relationship.

        句子中的enables表示“使……能够做某事”。它后面的宾语只能指人或有生命的东西，宾语后面接不定式，再比如：The bird’s large wings enable it to fly very fast. (那种鸟的大翅膀使它能飞得很快。)

3.       … its knowledge may be of advantage, or its lack may turn the scale against him.

       句子中的习惯用语turn the scale against表示“使情况变得对某人不利”，意思和turn the scale in one’s favor正好相反。比如：The arrival of the enemy reinforcement turned the scale against us. (敌人增援部队的到达，使形势变得对我们不利。) / The evidence turned the scale in the prisoner’s favor. (那个证据使情况变得对犯人有利。)

4.       The precepts …as to make their observance a matter of instinct rather than of conscious obedience.

        句子中的短语rather than表示“而不是”，强调客观差异。它连接两个同等的语法成分，即连接两个名词或代词、两个形容词、两个动词不定式或两个ing形式、两个名词性从句等。本句中，它连接两个名词性短语：a matter of instinct和（a matter）of conscious obedience。再比如：He ran rather than walked. (与其说他在走，不如说他在跑。— 连接两个谓语动词) / It wan what he meant rather than what he said. (这是他的本意，而不是他所说的话。— 连接两个名词性从句)

高考、中考试题：

1.       How should we execute etiquettes according to the text?

A.      We should know the importance of etiquette in our daily life.

B.      We should help each other.

C.      We should observe them sincerely and spontaneously.

D.     We should execute them once in a while.

2.       What is the essence of etiquette according to the text?

A.      To be strict with oneself and to respect others.

B.      To be easy-going with one’s colleagues.

C.      To be ready to facilitate others’ work.

D.     To enable others to have a chance to be promoted.

3.       What does ethics do according to the text?

A.      It searches for the good or right way to do things.

B.      It teaches people to be good at doing things.

C.      It demands people to make sacrifices when necessary.

D.     It may violate laws and do harm to others.

4.       The underlined word “essential” in the last paragraph of the text means __________.

A.      indispensable

B.      not important

C.      can be understood

D.     closely related

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