As befits a nation originally settled by misfits,con-victs,adventurers,and religious fanatics (a demo-graphic mix that has changed hardly at all in nearly 400 years),the United States retains a strong flavour of intransigent noncooperation.

• 最初来到这片土地的是一些不适应环境的人、罪犯、冒险家和宗教狂热分子(将近四百年来，这种群体构成几乎没有什么变化)。与此相应，美国有一种强烈的绝不合作的气氛。