晨读英语美文100篇四级Chinese Americans
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Chinese Americans
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Most of today’s Chinese Americans
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are descendants of some of the early miners and railroad workers.
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Those immigrants had come from the vicinity
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of Canton in Southeast China,
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where they had been uneducated farm laborers.
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The same kind of young men,
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from the same area and from similar humble origins,
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migrated to Hawaii in those days.
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There they fared far better,
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mainly because they did not encounter hostility.
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Some married native Hawaiians,
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and others brought their wives and children over.
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They were not restricted to Chinatowns,
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and many of them soon became successful merchants
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and active participants in general community affairs.
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Chinese Americans retain many aspects of their ancient culture,
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even after having lived here for several generations.
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For example, their family ties continue to be remarkably strong.
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Members of the family lend each other moral support
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and also practical help when necessary.
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From a very young age
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children are imbued with the old values and attitudes,
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including respect for their elders
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and a feeling of responsibility to the family.
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This helps to explain
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why there is so little juvenile delinquency among them.
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The high regard for education
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which is deeply rooted in Chinese culture,
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and the willingness to work very hard to gain advancement,
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are other noteworthy characteristics of theirs.
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This explains why so many descendants of uneducated laborers
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have succeeded in becoming doctors, lawyers,
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and other professionals.
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Chinese Americans make up only a tiny fraction of our population;
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there are fewer than half a million,
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living chiefly in California, New York, and Hawaii.
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As American attitudes toward minorities and toward ethnic differences
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have changed in recent years,
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the long-reviled Chinese have gained wide acceptance.
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Today, they are generally admired for their many remarkable characteristics,
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and are often held up as an example worth following.
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And their numerous contributions to their adopted land
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are much appreciated.
