6、“Made in America’’ must make a comeback

 One thing the financial crisis shows is that the United States is in trouble because Americans have stopped making things．

    It used to be that we made a lot of things：televisions，clothes，radios，typewriters，and telephones．And we also used to make the things out of which things were made：steel，plastic，and glass．Today they are largely made overseas．They send us their things and we send them our money．It also used to be that Americans liked to make things．Think of all the things Thomas Edison invented．Or Henry Ford．Countless others worked as toolmakers and machinists because they liked to work with their hands．A Japanese neighbor visiting a US factory told me once that he envied Americans because they did not accept cultural limitations in improving the way something is made．He said that you could never go against the grain like that in Japan． But today we rely on people around the world to do that innovation（創(chuàng)新）for us．

    To be sure，outsourcing（外購）has some benefits，but the danger in ending our desire to make things is that，in doing so，we forget what made America great．It was hard work and persistence．It was having a dream and being patient and self-sacrificing to achieve that dream．Forgetting that contributes to America’s deterioration（退化）．

 Nowadays，young people are not encouraged to work with their hands．It’s thought to lower their status．They want to work in the financial industry（at least until recently）．But working with your hands to create something new is rewarding．Even better，it helps you see how something can be improved．

 Be sure the “can-do spirit”is still alive in America．We just need to encourage it in our young people．Today’s schools must help teach our young people the value of physical labour and help us take advantage of the greatest place to be for innovation．

1． What is the second paragraph mainly about?

      A．People who worked with their own hands．

B．All the things Thomas Edison ever invented．

      C．A Japanese neighbor visiting a factory in the USA．

      D．The fact that Americans made things and liked to make them．

2． The underlined phrase “go against the grain” in Paragraph 2 probably means         ．

      A．do what is normally done                     B．not buy the grain

      C．not accept cultural limitations               D．obey the common rules

3． The main reason for America’s deterioration is that        ．

      A．people prefer outsourcing                            B．people lack the can-do spirit

C．schools don’t teach children well          D．people forget what made America great

4． What’s the writer’s attitude towards the present situation in America?

A．Neutral and objective．                       B．Worried but optimistic．

      C．Worried and pessimistic．                  D．Unconcerned and indifferent．

5． Young people in America don’t like working with their hands because they        ．

      A．think they will gain less respect from others

B．know the value of working with their hands

C．are not strong enough for it

      D．don’t like making things