36 To Be Content with One's Lot乐天知命（be content with 对…满足；lot n. 命运）1. Peter Hessler described two lifestyles and asked his Chinese students to choose the one they preferred, either a very long yet<但是> ultimately<adv 最后，最终，终于，根本，基本上>average<平常的，平均的>and uneventful<adj 平凡的，无特别事件的> life, or a very exciting, fun-filled life that only lasted 24 years. Almost all of his 20 something<大约，左右> year old students chose the first option. This surprised Peter because, from his experience with American youths, he was sure the Americans wouldn't have chosen a long, uneventful life.1、彼得•赫斯勒请他的中国学生在以下两种生活方式中选择其一：一种是平庸却长寿，另一种是只能活24年却享乐无比。
那些20岁左右的学生们几乎都选择了第一种生活。
彼得十分惊讶，在他看来美国青年并不会如此一致地选择平庸但长寿的生活（可译为：这令彼得十分惊讶，因为以他对美国青年的经验，他认定他们不会选择平庸但长寿的生活）。
2. The Chinese traditionally think an uneventful, but long life is better than a short life full of fun and adventure. There's even an idiom<习语>for the traditional Chinese attitude, "A good death is worse than a lazy life." This saying<谚语>reveals<显示，揭露>a deeply ingrained<adj根深蒂固的，彻底的> sense of optimism<乐观> and acceptance of fate<宿命>. It's nothing at all like the Western idea of heroes made through tragedy<n悲剧>.2、无聊无趣但天长地久地活下去，好过冒生命之险求得享乐的短命，这似乎是中国传统的价值观(直译为：具有传统观念的中国人认为：平凡但长寿要好过沉浸于快乐与冒险的短寿)。
有习语为证：“好死不如赖活着。
”它透露出根深蒂固的乐观与宿命。
与英雄产生于悲剧的西方价值观完全不同(It's nothing at all；at all 根本；完全，用于否定句中)。
3. 30 years ago, at the beginning of China's reform<改革>, a group of intellectuals<知识分子>believed the acceptance of one's lot would hurt the growth of the People's Republic<中华民族>. The way they saw it, the Westerners' "seafaring culture<航海文化，蓝色文明>" had allowed them to expand<扩展，扩张> and advance while China's "agrarian culture<耕地文化，黄土文化>" had shut the country off from the world and kept it focusing on itself.3、30年前改革开放之初，一批知识分子认为乐天知命、安于本分的传统观念有害于中华民族的发展。
在他们看来，西方的“蓝色文明”使其开放、进步；（allow sb. to do sth. 允许某人作某事）而中国的“黄土文化”使之封闭、守旧（shut off 切断；keepdoing sth. 一直做某事；focus on 集中于）。
4. Researching the unique<独特的，独一无二的> traits<n特性，显著的特点> ofa nationality<民族> can reveal a number of interesting features<特色，特征，特点>. David N. Keightly is a professor of history at the University of California Berkeley and he made a study of the unique attitudes of the Chinese people. He believed their acceptance of fate originates from<来自，起源于>a geographical<地理的>standpoint<立场，观点>. The birthplace of the Chinese civilization<文明> is the Central Plains where the climate has less variation<变化> than the Mediterranean<地中海>or the Near East. China's two main rivers, the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, both run from West to East, and don't change much in latitude<纬度>. This means the cultivation<n耕作，培养，教养> both upstream<河流上游> and downstream<河流下游>are very similar. This uniformity<n均匀性，一致>of the agrarian culture<耕地文明>reduced the incentive<n动机，刺激adj激动的> for mutual<adj共同的，相互的>trade and the need for people to travel very far. Hence, the exchange of thoughts, ideas and technology became restricted<受限制的> and the ancient<古代的>Chinese culture tended to isolate<使隔离，孤立> itself within their regions of influence.4、研究一个民族的某种特性是件有趣的事情（直译为：研究一个民族的特质可以揭示许多有趣的事情）。
美国加州大学伯克利分校的历史学教授大卫•凯特利研究分析了中国人乐天知命的特性。
他认为这种特性源于中国特有的地理环境。
与地中海和近东地区相比，中国文明的发祥地中原地区的气候类型更加有规律可寻(直译为：中国文明的发源地是在中原地区，这里的气候与地中海和近东地区相比，更加缺少变化)。
中国的两大主要河流——黄河和长江——都是自西向东流，而且它们的纬度变化也不大，这意味着河流上游和下游所种植的农作物类型差别不大。
因此就缺乏了相互贸易的动力，中国的古代文明自然就成为农耕文明（直译为：上下游“耕地文明”的一致性减少了相互贸易的动力及人们向更远处旅行的必要）。
而那些很少旅行的人们就没有可能去交流思想和技术，封闭由此产生（直译为：因此交流思想和技术受到限制，中国古文化趋于在自身势力范围内自我封闭）。
5. According to<根据> Professor Keightly's theory, the climate of ancient China was very good. This would create a sense of optimism<n乐观主义> in the Chinese culture. In comparison<相比较之下>, the people of the Mediterranean and the Near East had to face more natural disasters<灾难> and were less optimistic. Besides the geographical factor which influences the development of cultures, Keightley believes the Chinese practice<惯例> of<有…的习惯>ancestor<祖先> worship<崇拜>has significantly influenced the makeup<特性>of the Chinesepeople. Keightley says, "I believe, the cultures that engage in<从事于，参加，忙于>ancestor worship are going to be conservative<保守的> cultures. They're not going to find new things attractive because, that will be a challenge<挑战>to the ancestors. There's no room in this culture for a skeptic<n怀疑者>."5、凯特利教授相信中国古代的气候良好（直译为：根据凯特利教授的理论，中国古代的气候良好），因此生成了中国文化中的那种乐观主义。