Western students enjoy a seemingly relaxed educational experience. This, however, is not the case for students in Asia, who face crushing workloads and are often very disciplined. In the first part of her Globalist. China has a long history of standardized tests, beginning with the ancient imperial exams initiated during the Sui Dynasty.Shelly Chen is at the top of the class at the Shanghai foreign language school, one of the citys best middle schools. Already near fluent in English, she is studying German and ranks among the highest in her grade in physics. Her goal is to get a full scholarship to Harvard to study biochemistry. It is not only Western expatriates that grow anxious when hearing about students like Shelly. Throughout England, politicians, parents and pundits worry that the industriousness and discipline of kids in the East are leaving relatively relaxed Westerners trailing behind. Though there is some debate surrounding the statistics, it is widely believed that North America is failing to produce sufficient graduates in sciences and engineering. Chinese students are taught that all questions have but one right answer and there is little room for debate.North American education needs to move away from an emphasis on fun, flexibility and individual learning styles.Instead, it has to shift towards a more strict, disciplined teaching environment that math and science, in particular, seem to demand.This shift can be discerned even in Canada, where there are no college entrance exams, and where, standardized testing, memorization and rote learning have long been frowned upon. 2 一，文化差异(Culture Difference):种族 National race The whole question of the changing role of Blacks in American society as bee n the subject of news* articles around the world so frequently that visitors t o the United States do not know what to expect when they arrive. They may b e surprised when they see that Blacks and Whites work side by side in offices , factories , and schools across the country . The majority of Blacks in the Unit ed States, however, live in and around only a small number of American cities . Many dark- skinned visitors arrive in the United States fearing personal attack or expectin g various degrees of racial prejudice. Some forms of discrimination 1 still exi st ,unfortunately, especially in the areas of the housing , schools , and jobs . T he school equality is still more a dream than a reality. There are still too many areas of the country where Black Americans do not enjoy the same full opport unities as White Americans . However, the vast majority of American s are wo rking , studying , and sharing public places together. This was not true even a few years ago in some parts of the country , but progress is steadily being ma de . You will be able to observe the improvement in race relations as soon as your plane lands . You will see it in the airport, in public buses and trains , in t heaters , restaurants , rest room, in sops and libraries , in offices and factories . Close personal friendships between Blacks and Whites , full trust and social relationships are still not common , except in certain areas, However, even in t his - the slowest area of progress- there has been change , especially among young people. 1 discrimination n. 辨别, 区别, 识别力, 辨别力, 歧视 二，文化差异(Culture Difference): 个人的进步 Personal Progress In many parts of the world , personal influence is essential in achieving succe ss. This is not true in the United States, where success usually results from ha rd work , education, skill, and personal initiative , America is truly a do-it- yourself society ; success is not dependent on family origins or the help of an influential person . Personal progress is the result of individual effort. Because effort and initiative are so important in America , there are many c ustoms that may be different from those practiced in other countries. For exa mple , it is not considered dishonorable to quit a job, even if you have had it fo r only a short time . Moving from job-to -job , or job- hopping , as it is called , is quite acceptable in the United States. Frequently , the opportunity to change jobs offers workers a chance to move up to a better position. Americans like to move from place to place trying new jobs, meeting new people and living in different parts of the country. Job- hopping also gives employers a chance to benefit from the new ideas and ski lls that different people bring to their jobs even if such people are employed fo r only a short time. 三，文化差异(Culture Difference): 真实还是礼貌？ Truth or Courtesy ? Just as the degree of individual * that exists in America seems loose and therefore uncomfortable to many visitors . In many countries , people will tell you what they think you want to here , whether or not it is true. To them , this i s the polite thing to do. To Americans it is considered confusing - even dishonest - to avoid telling the true facts. even if avoiding