第一篇:全新版大学英语(第二版)综合教程3课文翻译Texts A
全新版大学英语综合教程3课文翻译
AppendⅡ
Chinese Translations of Texts A(Units 1-8)参考译文 第一单元
生活方式的改变
课文A
在美国,不少人对乡村生活怀有浪漫的情感。许多居住在城镇的人梦想着自己办个农场,梦想着靠土地为生。很少有人真去把梦想变为现实。或许这也没有什么不好,因为,正如吉姆·多尔蒂当初开始其写作和农场经营双重生涯时所体验到的那样,农耕生活远非轻松自在。但他写道,自己并不后悔,对自己做出的改变生活方式的决定仍热情不减。
多尔蒂先生创建自己的理想生活
售姆·多尔蒂
有两件事是我一直想做的——写作与务农。如今我同时做着这两件事。作为作家,我和E·B·怀特不属同一等级,作为农场主,我和乡邻也不是同一类人,不过我应付得还行。在城市以及郊区历经多年的怅惘失望之后,我和妻子桑迪终于在这里的乡村寻觅到心灵的满足。
这是一种自力更生的生活。我们食用的果蔬几乎都是自己种的。自家饲养的鸡提供鸡蛋,每星期还能剩余几十个出售。自家养殖的蜜蜂提供蜂蜜,我们还自己动手砍柴,足可供过冬取暖之用。
这也是一种令人满足的生活。夏日里我们在河上荡舟,在林子里野餐,骑着自行车长时间漫游。冬日里我们滑雪溜冰。我们为落日的余辉而激动。我们爱闻大地回暖的气息,爱听牛群哞叫。我们守着看鹰儿飞过上空,看玉米田间鹿群嬉跃。
但如此美妙的生活有时会变得相当艰苦。就在三个月前,气温降到华氏零下30度,我们辛苦劳作了整整两天,用一个雪橇沿着河边拖运木柴。再过三个月,气温会升到95度,我们就要给玉米松土,在草莓地除草,还要宰杀家禽。前一阵子我和桑迪不得不翻修后屋顶。过些时候,四个孩子中的两个小的,16岁的吉米和13岁的埃米莉,会帮着我一起把拖了很久没修的室外厕所修葺一下,那是专为室外干活修建的。这个月晚些时候,我们要给果树喷洒药水,要油漆谷仓,要给菜园播种,要赶在新的小鸡运到之前清扫鸡舍。
在这些活计之间,我每周要抽空花五、六十个小时,不是打字撰文,就是为作为自由撰稿人投给报刊的文章进行采访。桑迪则有她自己繁忙的工作日程。除了日常的家务,她还照管菜园和蜂房,烘烤面包,将食品装罐、冷藏,开车送孩子学音乐,和他们一起练习,自己还要上风琴课,为我做些研究工作并打字,自己有时也写写文章,还要侍弄花圃、堆摞木柴、运送鸡蛋。正如老话说的那样,在这种情形之下,坏人不得闲——贤德之人也歇不了。
我们谁也不会忘记第一年的冬天。从12月一直到3月底,我们都被深达5英尺的积雪困着。暴风雪肆虐,一场接着一场,积雪厚厚地覆盖着屋子和谷仓,而室内,我们用自己砍伐的木柴烧火取暖,吃着自家种植的苹果,温馨快乐每一分钟。
开春后,有过两次泛滥。一次是河水外溢,我们不少田地被淹了几个星期。接着一次是生长季节到了,一波又一波的农产品潮涌而来,弄得我们应接不暇。我们的冰箱里塞满了樱桃、蓝莓、草莓、芦笋、豌豆、青豆和玉米。接着我们存放食品罐的架子上、柜橱里也开始堆满一罐罐的腌渍食品,有番茄汁、葡萄汁、李子、果酱和果冻。最后,地窖里遍地是大堆大堆的土豆、葫芦、南瓜,谷仓里也储满了苹果和梨。真是太美妙了。
第二年我们种了更多的作物,差不多就靠着从自家树林砍伐的木柴以及仅仅100加仑的燃油过了冬。其时,我开始认真考虑起辞了职去从事自由撰稿的事来。时机选得实在太差。当时,两个大的女儿肖恩和埃米正在费用很高的常青藤学校上学,而我们只有几千美金的银行存款。但我们一再回到一个老问题上来:真的会有更好的时机吗?答案无疑是否定的。于是,带着老板的祝福,口袋里揣着作为累积津贴的半年薪水,我走了。
那以后有过一些焦虑的时刻,但总的来说,情况比我们料想的要好得多。为了写那些内容各不相同的文章,我为《体育画报》爬进过黑熊窝;为《史密森期刊》替参赛的一组组狗套上雪橇;为《科学文摘》调查过尚普兰湖水怪的真相;为《终点》杂志在明尼苏达划着小舟穿越美、加边界水域内的公共荒野保护区。
我挣的钱远比不上担任全职工作时的收入,可如今我们需要的钱也没有过去多。我挣的钱足以应付每月600美金的房屋贷款按揭以及一家人的日常开销。那些开销包括了所有支出,如音乐课学费、牙医帐单、汽车维修以及大学费用等等。至于保险,我们买了一份低收入者的主要医疗项目保险。我们需要为每一个家庭成员的任何一项医疗费用支付最初的500美金医疗保险则支付超出部分的80%。虽然我们仍要支付小部分医疗费用,但我们的保险费也低——每年只要560美金——而我们给自己生大病保了险。除了这一保险项目,以及两辆汽车每年400美金的保险,我们就没有其它保险了。不过我们每年留出2000美元入个人退休金贴。
我们通过节约开支而又不明显降低生活水准的方式来弥补收入差额。我们每个月仍出去吃一两次饭,不过现在我们光顾的是当地餐馆,而不是城里的高级饭店。我们仍去密尔沃基听歌剧看芭蕾演出,不过一年才几次。我们肉吃得少了,酒喝得便宜了,电影看得少了。铺张的圣诞节成为一种回忆,我们把完成稿约作为度假的一部分„„
我想,不是所有热爱乡村的人都会乐意过我们这种生活的。这种生活需要一些特殊素质。其一是耐得住寂寞。由于我们如此忙碌,手头又紧,我们很少请客。在作物生长季节根本就没工夫参加社交活动。吉米和埃米莉虽然参加学校的各种活动,但他俩大多数时间呆在家里。
另一项要求是体力——相当大的体力。小范围里实现自给自足的途径是抵制诱惑,不去购置拖拉机和其它昂贵的节省劳力的机械。相反,你要自己动手。我们仅有的机器(不包括割草机)是一台3马力的小型旋转式耕耘机以及一架16英寸的链锯。
没人知道我们还能有精力在这里再呆多久一也许呆很长一阵子,也许不是。到走的时候,我们会怆然离去,但也会为自己所做的一切深感自豪。我们把农场出售也会赚相当大一笔钱。我们自己在农场投入了约35,000美金的资金,要是现在售出的话价格差不多可以翻一倍。不过现在不是出售的好时机。但是一旦经济形势好转,对我们这种农场的需求又会增多。
但我们主要不是为了赚钱而移居至此的。我们来此居住是因为想提高生活质量。当我看着埃米莉傍晚去收鸡蛋,跟吉米一起在河上钓鱼,或和全家人一起在果园里享用老式的野餐,我知道,我们找到了自己一直在寻求的生活方式。
第三单元
安全问题
课文A
许多年前,在美国,家家户户白天黑夜不锁门是司空见惯的。在本文中,格林叹惜人们不再相互信任,不得不凭借精密的安全设备来保护自己和财产。
锁之国
鲍勃·格林
小时候在家里,我们的前门总是夜不落锁。我不知道这是当地的一种说法还是大家都这么说的;“不落锁”的意思是掩上门,但不锁住。我们谁都不带钥匙;晚上最后一个回家的人把门关上,这就行了。
那样的日子已经一去不复返了。在乡下,在城里,·门不再关着不锁上,哪怕是傍晚一段时间也不例外。
在许多方面,郊区和农村甚至比巡查严密的城市街道更易受到攻击。统计显示,那些据称是安宁的地区的犯罪率上升得比城镇更为显著。不管怎么说,前门虚掩不落锁的时代是一去不复返了。
取而代之的是防盗锁、防护链、电子报警系统,以及连接警署或私人保安公司的报警装置。郊区的许多人家在露台上安装了玻璃滑门,内侧有装得很讲究的钢条,这样就没人能把门撬开。
在最温馨的居家,也常常看得到窗上贴着小小的告示,称本宅由某家安全保卫机构或某个保安公司负责监管。
锁成了美国的新的象征。的确如此,一家大保险公司最近的一则公益广告没有用图表表明我们所处的危险有多大,而是用了一幅童车的图片,车身上悬着如今随处可见的挂锁。
广告指出,没错,确是保险公司理赔失窃物品,但谁来赔偿互不信任、担心害怕这种新氛围对我们的生活方式所造成的影响呢?谁来对美国从自由之国到锁之国这一蜕变作出精神赔偿呢?
因为那就是现状。我们已经变得如此习惯于保护自己不受美国生活新氛围的影响,如此习惯于设置障碍,以致无暇考虑这一切意味着什么。
出于某种原因,当我们觉得防范周密时才安心;我们没有想到问问自己:为什么会出现这种情况?为什么非得把自己与邻居和同住一城的居民隔绝开来,这一切究竟是从什么时候开始主宰我们生活的?
这一切确实主宰了我们的生活。如果你在一家大中型公司上班,你上下班很可能不好随意进出。你可能随身带着某种出入卡,电子的或别的什么的,因为这卡能让你进出工作场所。也许前台的保安认识你这张脸,平日一挥手让你进去,但事实明摆着,你所任职的公司深感面临威胁,因此要借助这些“钥匙”不让外人靠近。
这种现象并非向来有之。即使在十年前,大多数私营公司仍采取自由出入的做法。那时管理人员根本没想到过恰当的手段是不信任他人。
且看各地机场。过去家长常常带孩子去登机口看飞机起飞降落。这种事再也没有了。机场不再是一个有趣的学习场所;它们成了拥有最精密的安全检查系统的场所。
凭借着电子透视装置,我们似乎终于想出妙计让恐怖分子无法近身,无论是真的恐怖分子还是凭空臆想的。能解决这一问题真是如释重负,于是我们就不去多想这种状况对我们的生活质量意味着什么。如今我们走过这些电子搜查器时已经看都不看一眼了;这些装置,还有它们所代表的一切已经获胜。
我们的居住区处在强光源的照射之下;我们连哪怕像阴影这样小小的享受也不想给自己。
越来越多的商人正购置连接在电话机上、能剖析来电者声音的新机器。据说那种机器能让商人知道他的朋友或客户是否在撒谎,其出错概率很小。
所有这一切都是以“安全”的名义实施的:我们是这么跟自己说的。我们害怕,于是我们设法把害怕锁在外面,我们认定,那就是安全的意义。
其实不然;我们虽然有了这一切安全措施,但我们或许是人类文明史上最不安全的国民。还有什么更好的字眼能用来描述我们被迫选择的生活方式呢?还有什么更为可悲地表明我们在这个令人困惑的新时代所感受到的惶恐之情呢?
我们不信任何人。郊区的家庭主妇在家庭旅行用车钥匙链上挂着防强暴口哨,我们在自我防卫方面变得如此聪明,最终全都聪明反被聪明误。我们或许是把邪恶锁在了门外;但在这么做的同时我们把自己锁在里边了。
那也许是我们将来回顾这一时代时记得最牢的精神遗产:在对付我们中间无形的恐惧之时,我们成了自己的囚徒。在我们这个问题重重的时代,所有的人都是囚徒。
第五单元
如何欢庆节日
课文A
亚历克斯·黑利二战时在海岸警卫队服役。出海在外,时逢一个倍感孤寂的日子——感恩节——他开始认真思考这一节日的意义,对许多美国人而言,这个节日已成为大吃大喝、没完没了地看橄榄球比赛的日子。黑利决定写三封不同寻常的信,以此来纪念感恩节的真正意义。
写三封感谢信
亚历山大·黑利
那是在二战期间的1943年,我是个年轻的美国海岸警卫队队员。我们的船,美国军舰军市一号已出海多日。多数船舱装着成千上万箱罐装或风干的食品。其余的船舱装着不少五百磅重的炸弹,都小心翼翼地放在有软垫的架子上。我们的目的地是南太平洋图拉吉岛上一个规模很大的基地。
我是军市一号上的一个厨师,跟岸上的人一样,那个感恩节的上午,我们忙着在准备一道以烤火鸡为主的传统菜肴。
当厨师的都知道,要烹制一顿大餐,摆上桌,再刷洗、收拾干净,是件辛苦的事。不过,等到太阳快下山时,我们总算全都收拾停当了。
我想先去后甲板透透气。我信步走去,一边深深呼吸着空气,一边慢慢地踱着步,头上仍戴着那顶白色的厨师帽。
我开始思索起感恩节这个节日来,想着清教徒前辈移民、印第安人、·野火鸡、南瓜、玉米棒等等。
可我脑子里似乎还在搜索着别的什么一某种我能够赋予这一节日以个人意义的方式。大概过了半个小时左右我才意识到,问题的关键也许在于把Thanksgiving这个词前后颠倒一下——那样广来至少文字好懂了:Giving thanks。
表达谢意——就如在祈祷时感谢上帝那样,我暗想。对啊,是这样,当然是这样。可我脑子里仍一直盘桓着这事。
过了片刻,如同晨曦初现,一个更清晰的念头终于涌现脑际——要感谢他人,那些赐我多恩惠,我根本无以回报的人们。令我深感不安的实际情形是,我向来对他们所做的一之泰然,认为是理所应当。我一次也没想过要对他们中的任何一位真心诚意地说一句简单的谢谢。
至少有七个人对我有过不同寻常、影响深远的帮助。令人万分难受的是,我意识到,他们中有一半已经谢世了——因此他们永远也无法接受我的谢意了。我越想越感至惭愧。最后我想到了仍然健在的三位,几分钟后,我就回到了自己的舱房。
我坐在摊着信纸的桌旁,回想着他门各自为我所做的一切,试图用真挚的文字表达我对他们的由衷的感激之情:父亲西蒙·A·黑利,阿肯色州派恩布拉大那所古老韵农业机械师范学院的教授;住在田纳西州小镇亨宁老家的外祖母辛西娅·帕尔默;以及我的初中校长,退休后住在亨宁以北6英里处的里普利的洛纽尔·纳尔逊牧师;
我的信是这样开头的广出海在外度过的这个感恩节,令我回想起您为我做了那么多事,但我却从来没有对您说过自己多么想感谢您——”我简短回忆了他们每位为我所做的具体事例。
例如,我父亲的最不同寻常之处在于,从我童年时代起,他就让我深深意识到要热爱书籍、热爱阅读。事实上,这一爱好渐渐变成一种家庭习惯,晚饭后大家围在餐桌旁互相考查近日所读的书以及新学的单词。我对书籍的热爱从未减弱,日后还引导我自己撰文著书。多少次,当我看到如今的孩子们如此沉迷于电子媒体时,我不由深感悲哀,他们很少,或者根本不了解书中所能发现的神奇世界。
我跟纳尔逊牧师提及他如何每天清晨和集合在一起的学生做祷告,以此开始小镇初中的一天。我告诉他,我后来所做的任何有意义的事,都至少部分地是受了他那些学校晨祷的影响。
在给外祖母的信中,我谈到了她用了种种方式教我讲真话,教我与人分享,教我宽恕、体谅他人。我感谢她多年来让我吃她烧的美味菜肴,离开她后我从来没吃过那么可口的菜肴。最后,我感谢她,因为她在我的生命中撒下美妙的遐想。
睡觉前,我这三封信都送进了船上的邮袋。我们抵达图拉吉岛后都寄了出去。
我们卸了货,又装了其它物品,随后我们按熟悉的常规,再次出海。一天又一天,一星期又一星期,我个人的经历渐渐淡忘。我们在海上航行时,有时会与邮船会合,邮船会带给我们家信,当然,这是我们视为最紧要的事情。
每当船上的喇叭响起广大伙听好!邮件点名!”200名左右的水手就会冲上甲板,围聚在那两个站在宝贵的鼓鼓囊囊的灰色邮袋旁的水手周围。两人轮流取出一把把信件,大声念出收信水手的名字;叫到的人一边从人群中挤出来,一边应道广来了,来了!”
一次“邮件点名”带给了我外祖母、爸爸以及纳尔逊牧师的回信——我读了信,既震惊又深感卑微。
他们没有说他们原谅我以前不曾感谢他们,相反,他们却向我致谢,天哪;就因为我记得他们做的事,并认为他们做了不同寻常的事。
身为大学教授的爸爸向来特别留意不使用任何过于感情化的文字,因此,当他信中写道,在教了许许多多的年轻人之后,他现在认为自己最优秀的学生当中也包括自己的儿子时,我知道他是多么地感动。
纳尔逊牧师写道,他那平凡的老派校长的岁月随着学校里发生的如此迅猛的变化而告结束,他也怀着自我怀疑的心态退了休。“说我做得不对的远远多于说我做得对的,”他写道,接着又说我的信给他带来了令人振奋的信心:自己的校长生涯还是有其价值的。
一看到外祖母那熟悉的笔迹,我顿时回想起往日站在她的白色摇椅旁看她给亲戚写信的情景。外祖母一个字母一个字母地慢慢拼出一个词,接着再写下一个词,因此写满一页要花上几个小时。外祖母最近花费不少工夫对我表达了充满慈爱的谢意,读着老人家的信我禁不住流泪——从前是她给我换尿布的呀!
许多年后,我从海岸警卫队退役,试着靠写作为生,我一直不曾忘记那三封“感谢”信是如何使我认识到,大凡人都暗自期望着有更多的人对自己的努力表达谢意。
现在,感恩节又将来临,我自问,对此文的读者,对我们的祖国,事实上也是对全世界,我有什么祝愿,因为,用一位善良而且又有智慧的朋友的话来说,“我们究其实都是十分相像的凡人,有着相似的需求。”当然,我首先祝愿大家记住这一简单的常识:实现世界和平,这对我们自身的存亡至关重要。
此外我还有别的祝愿——这一祝愿是如此强烈,我将这句话印在我所有的信笺底部现并褒扬各种美好的事物。”
第一单元 学习方式 课文A
哈佛大学教育学教授霍华德?加德纳回忆其中国之行,阐述他对中西方不同的学习方式的看法。
中国式的学习风格 霍华德?加德纳
1987年春,我和妻子埃伦带着我们18个月的儿子本杰明在繁忙的中国东部城市南京住了一个月,同时考察中国幼儿园和小学的艺术教育情况。然而,我和埃伦获得的有关中蓁教育观念差异的最难忘的体验并非来自课堂,而是来自我们在南京期间寓居的金陵饭店的大堂。
我们的房门钥匙系在一块标有房间号的大塑料板上。酒店鼓励客人外出时留下钥匙,可以交给服务员,也可以从一个槽口塞入钥匙箱。由于口子狭小,你得留神将钥匙放准位置才塞得进去。
本杰明爱拿着钥匙走来走去,边走边用力摇晃着。他还喜欢试着把钥匙往槽口里塞。由于他还年幼,不太明白得把钥匙放准位置才成,因此总塞不进去。本杰明一点也不在意。他从钥匙声响中得到的乐趣大概跟他偶尔把钥匙成功地塞进槽口而获得的乐趣一样多。
我和埃伦都满不在乎,任由本杰明拿着钥匙在钥匙的槽口鼓捣。他的探索行为似乎并无任何害处。但我很快就观察到一个有趣的现象。饭店里任何一个中国工作人员若在近旁,都会走过来看着本杰明,见他初试失败,便都会试图帮忙。他们会轻轻握紧本杰明的手,直接将它引向钥匙的槽口,进行必要的重新定位,并帮他把钥匙插入槽口。然后那位“老师”会有所期待地对着我和埃伦微笑,似乎等着我们说声谢谢——偶尔他会微微皱眉,似乎觉得我俩没有尽到当父母的责任。
我很快意识到,这件小事与我们在中国要做的工作直接相关:考察儿童早期教育
(尤其是艺术教育)的方式,揭示中国人对创造性活动的态度。因此,不久我就在与中国教育工作者讨论时谈起了钥匙槽口一事。
两种不同的学习方式
我的中国同行,除了少数几个人外,对此事的态度与金陵饭店工作人员一样。”既然大人知道怎么把钥匙塞进槽口——这是处理槽口一事的最终目的,既然孩子还很年幼,还没有灵巧到可以独自完成要做的动作,让他自己瞎折腾会有什么好处呢?他很有可能会灰心丧气发脾气——这当然不是所希望的结果。为什么不教他怎么做呢?他会高兴,他还能早些学会做这件事,进而去学做更复杂的事,如开门,或索要钥匙——这两件事到时候同样可以
(也应该)示范给他看。
我俩颇为同情地听着这一番道理,解释道,首先,我们并不在意本杰明能不能把钥匙塞进钥匙的槽口。他玩得开心,而且在探索,这两点才是我们真正看重的。但关键在于,在这个过程中,我们试图让本杰明懂得,一个人是能够很好地自行解决问题的。这种自力更生的精神是美国中产阶级最重要的一条育儿观。如果我们向孩子演示该如何做某件事——把钥匙塞进钥匙的槽口也好,画只鸡或是弥补某种错误行为也好——那他就不太可能自行想方设法去完成这件事。从更广泛的意义上说,他就不太可能—共如美国人那样——将人生视为一系列的情境,在这些情境中,一个人必须学会独立思考,学会独立解决问题,进而学会发现需要创造性地加以解决的新问题。
把着手教
回想起来,当时我就清楚地意识到,这件事正是体现了问题的关键之所在——而且不仅仅是一种意义上的关键之所在。这件事表明了我们两国在教育和艺术实践上的重要差异。
那些善意的中国旁观者前来帮助本杰明时,他们不是简单地像我可能会做的那样笨拙地或是犹犹豫豫地把他的手往下推。相反,他们极其熟练地、温和地把他引向所要到达的确切方向。我逐渐认识到,这些中国人不是简单地以一种陈旧的方式塑造、引导本杰明的行为:他们是在恪守中国传统,把着手教,教得本杰明自己会愉快地要求再来斗次。
学习应通过不间断的精心塑造与引导而得以实现,这一观念同样适用于艺术。我们观看了孩子们在教室里学习艺术的情景,他们的娴熟技艺令我们惊讶。年仅5、6岁的孩子就带着成人的那种技巧与自信在画花、画鱼和动物;9岁:10岁的小书法家写出的作品满可以在博物馆展示。有一次去两位小艺术家的家里参观,我们从孩子的父母处得知,他们每天练习数小时以完善他们的技艺。
创造力第一?
从对创造力的态度来说,优先次序似乎是颠倒了:西方的年轻人先是大胆创新,然后逐渐深谙传统;而中国的年轻人则几乎离不开传统,但是,随着时间的推移,他们同样可能发展到具有创新的境界。
美国人的立场可以概括起来这么说,我们比中国人更重视创新和自立。我们两种文化的差异也可以从我们各自所怀的忧虑中显示出来。中国老师担心,如果年轻人不及早掌握技艺,就有可能一辈子掌握不了;另一方面,他们并不同样地急于促进创造力的发展。美国教育工作者则担心,除非从一开始就发展创造力,不然创造力就有可能永不再现;而另一方面,技艺可于日后获得。
但我并不想夸大其辞。无论在过去还是在当今,中国在科学、技术和艺术革新方面都展示了巨大的创造力。而西方的创新突破则有被夸大的危险。如果仔细审视任何一项创新,其对以往成就的依赖则都显而易见(“站在巨人肩膀之上”的现象)。
然而,假定我这里所说的反差是成立的,而培养技艺与创造力两者都是值得追求的目标,那么重要的问题就在于:我们能否从中美两个极端中寻求一种更好的教育方式,它或许能在创造力与基本技能这两极之间获得某种较好的平衡? 第四单元 虚拟世界 课文A
迈亚?塞拉维茨曾是电视制片人,目前从事写作。她在本文中探索了数字化世界及其后果。与此同时,她将数字化世界与真实世界做了比较,承认电子空间自有其魅力。
虚拟世界的生活 迈亚?塞拉维茨
在网上呆了太久,听到电话铃声也会吓一大跳。显示屏上看多了我男朋友那些一目了然的文字,他的利物浦口音一下子变得难以听懂;而秘书的清脆快速的语调听上去比我想象的要生硬。时间本身变得捉摸不定——几小时变成几分钟,或几秒钟延伸为几天。周末原本是我一周的黄金时段,现在却不过是平平常常的两天。
在我不再当电视制片人的这三年间,我的大部分工作都是在家里使用计算机终端进行的。我通过电子邮件投稿和校订,利用互联网上的人名地址与同行交流。我男朋友住在英国,因此两人的关系也在很大程度上借助于电脑维系。
我要是愿意的话,可以一连几个星期不出门而什么也不缺。我可以在网上订购食品、网上理财、网上恋爱、网上工作。事实上我有时独自呆在家里长达三个星期,只偶尔出去拿信、买报纸及日用品。1996年那一场接一场的暴风雪我大都是在电视上看到的。
然而,一段时间之后,生活本身就显得不那么真实了。我开始觉得自己似乎与机器融为一体了,我接收信息,再发送出去,就如同互联网的一个连接点。其他上网的人也谈到了同样的症状。我们开始厌恶外面的社交方式。我们的状况成了批评互联网的人们最害怕见到的一幕。
一下床就上机,不再为发型、服饰、面部化妆烦心,起初看似高级的享受如今却成为一种对生活的逃避,一种缺乏自律的表现。你一旦开始用网络交际取代人与人的真实接触,要走出这种穴居状态就会相当困难。
我发现自己变得比以前怯生、谨慎、焦虑。或者,反过来,当我突然面对现实中活生生的人时,会变得过于兴奋,说个不停,爱打断别人的讲话。我老是担心自己衣着是否得体,担心自己会不会真的忘了穿裙子,只穿着夜间睡觉、白天活动的那件T恤和内衣就出门了。
有时我把电视机开着,让它作为背景声音一直响着,以前我从不这样做。电视节目中的说话声让人感到宽慰,可那些广告又叫我心烦。我发现自己沉浸在肥皂剧里,或者不停地收看最新的新闻报道和天气预报。一而再再而三地从“每日新闻”、“一线新闻”、“夜间新闻”、有线新闻电视网、纽约一套上收看有关每一条新闻的各种不同视角的报道,尽管它们对我毫无用处。工作成了次要的。我决定去看一下自己的电子信箱。
在网上,我发现自己见谁攻谁。我脾气暴躁,动辄生气。我觉得我与之通信的每一个人都麻木不仁,认为他们已经忘却还有人真会去读他们那些刻薄伤人的言辞。直到有人礼貌地指出,她同意我的观点却遭到我的抨击时,我才意识到,自己是在以己度人,不由得深感尴尬。
在这种精神状态下,我也和男朋友吵架,常因键出的对话缺乏情感暗示而误解他的本意。由于系统常出故障,两人一争就是几个小时。我写一句,他回一句,接着系统失灵!可我们俩还是锲而不舍地接着吵。
以前我从未意识到日常的生活起居是多么重要,如穿戴整齐去上班,按时就寝。以前我从未想过自己会那么依赖同事做伴。我开始理解为什么长时间的失业会那么伤人,为什么一个人的生活缺少了外部支持的日常计划就会导致吸毒、犯罪、自杀率的增长。
为了恢复生活的平衡,我强迫自己回到真实世界中去。我给别人打电话,与所剩无几的仍然住在纽约城的几个朋友安排见面。我至少设法去去健身房,以便使周末与工作日有所不同。我安排采访好写报道,预约看医生——安排任何需要我出门与他人接触的活动。
但有时面对面地与人相处实在难以忍受。我与一位朋友见面,她那种响亮的笑声让人忍无可忍——饭店里的噪杂谈话声也让人受不了。我找了个藉口逃之天天。我重新回到我的公寓,冲向电脑,似乎那儿才是一个安全的地方。
我点击鼠标,打开调制解调器,曾经听了就烦的连接声此刻听起来就如同最心爱的曲子那么悦耳。我键入密码。真实世界转瞬便消逝了。
第五单元 逾越障碍 课文A 读一读以下两则名言,想一想迈克尔?斯通的故事是否印证了其间的道理。障碍越是巨大,逾越它也就越感自豪。——莫里哀
只有天空漆黑时,你才可以看到星星。——查尔斯?久比尔德 真正的高度 大为?纳史特
他手心在出汗。他需要用毛巾把握竿的手擦干。太阳火辣辣的,与他今天在全国少年奥林匹克运动会上所面临的竞争一样热烈。横杆升到了17英尺。比他个人的最高记录高出3英寸。迈克尔?斯通面临的是其撑竿跳高生涯中最具挑战性的一天。
尽管赛跑决赛一小时前就已经结束,看台上仍然观众满座,足有20,000人上下。撑竿跳高确实是所有田径比赛中最精彩的项目。它融合了体操运动员的优雅与健美运动员的力量。它还具有飞翔的特征,对观看该项目比赛的观众来说,飞跃两层楼的高度简直是一件不可思议的事情。
迈克尔自从能记事起就一直梦想着飞翔。从小到大,母亲给迈克尔念过无数关于飞翔的故事。她的故事总是从高空俯瞰描述大地。她对细节的激情和酷爱使得迈克尔的梦境色彩缤纷、绚丽无比。迈克尔总是重复做着一个梦。他在乡间大路上飞奔。当他奔跑在金色的麦田之间时,总是把开过的机车一路甩在身后。就在他深深吸上一口气的瞬间,他开始从地面一跃而起,就像一头雄鹰那样开始翱翔。
他飞越的都是母亲故事里描述的地方。无论他飞向何方,他都怀着母爱所赐予他的自由精神,用敏锐的目光观察入微。可他的父亲却不是个梦想家。伯特?斯通是个彻头彻尾的现实主义者。他信奉的是努力与苦干。他的格言是:簧键绢谚殉吼莳,腐挣努力工/户/
从14岁起,迈克尔就是这么做的。他开始按非常周密的计划训练。他每隔一天进行举重训练,其它的日子做些跑步训练。训练计划由迈克尔的教练、训练员兼父亲严加督导。迈克尔的投入、执着、自律正是每一个教练所梦寐以求的。迈克尔在学校是位优秀生,在家是个独生子,但他仍帮助父母在自家的农场上千些杂活。迈克尔的母亲米尔德里德?斯通希望他能更放松些,还是做那个“自由幻想”的小男孩。有一次,她试图跟他及其父亲好好谈一下,可当父亲的马上就打断了她,笑着说:“要想有所收获,就得努力工作!”
迈克尔今天跃过的所有高度显然都是对他刻苦努力的回报。迈克尔?斯通在成功跃过17英尺的横杆时是感到惊讶、激动还是得意,人们无从知晓。迈克尔身体刚刚落在充气垫上,观众还没坐下,他马上就开始准备下一次飞跃。他似乎并未意识到自己刚刚把个人最好成绩提高了3英寸,已经是全国少年奥林匹克运动会撑竿跳高项目最后两名决赛者之一。
当迈克尔成功跃过17英尺2英寸和17英尺4英寸高度的横杆时,他仍没有流露出丝毫感情。他仰面躺着,听到观众在叹息,他知道另一位撑竿跳运动员最后一跳没有成功。他知道自己最后一跳的时刻到了。由于那位运动员失败次数较少,迈克尔这一跳只有成功才能获胜。这一次跳不过就会使自己落到第二名。那也丝毫无愧,但迈克尔决不让自己产生哪怕一丝与冠军无缘的念头。
他翻了个身,照例指尖撑地做了三下俯卧撑。他找着了撑竿,站起身,踏上那引向其17年生命中最具挑战性的一跃的跑道。
这一回,那跑道显得有些异样。刹那间,他感到一阵惊吓。一种惶惑不安的感觉向他袭来。横杆升在高出他个人最高记录9英寸的高度。他想,这一高度与全国记录只差1英寸了。这一刻紧张异常,他感到焦虑不安。他想摆脱紧张情绪。没有用。他更紧张了。在这种时刻怎么会这样呢,他暗暗思忖着。他有点胆怯起来。说是恐惧也许更为恰当。怎么办?他以前从来不曾有过这种感觉。这时,不知不觉地,在内心最深处,出现了他母亲的身影。为什么是在这一刻?记忆中,母亲在这种时刻会怎样做呢?很简单。母亲过去总跟他说,当你觉得紧张、焦虑、、甚至害怕的时候,就深深地吸气。
于是他深深吸了一口气。在摆脱腿部肌肉紧张的同时,他轻轻地把撑竿放在脚边。他开始舒展双臂和上身。刚才飘过一阵轻风,此刻消失了。他小心翼翼地拿起撑竿,只觉得心怦怦在跳。他相信观众们的心也在怦怦跳动。场上鸦雀无声,令人透不过气来。当他听见远处飞鸟啼鸣时,他知道,自己飞身起跃的时刻到了。
他沿着跑道起跑冲刺,那感觉奇特无比,妙不可言,而又似曾相识。脚下的地面就好似过去常常梦见的乡间大路。金色麦田的景象映现在他的脑海中。他深深吸了一口气,于是奇迹发生了。他飞起来了。他的起岿L轻松自如。迈克尔?斯通此刻就像儿时梦境中的那般在飞行。不过这一次他知道自己不是在做梦。这一次他真的在飞。周围一切都似乎在缓缓移动。他感到周围空气从未像这样纯净清新。如同一头雄鹰,迈克尔在翱翔。
或许是看台上人们爆发出的欢呼声,或许是他着地时嘭的一声响使迈克尔回到现实之中。他仰面躺着,明媚的骄阳映照着他的脸。他知道自己只能想象母亲的笑靥,他知道爸爸或许也在微笑,甚或欢声大笑。他不知道的是,他爸爸正与妻子相拥而泣。没错,这位“要想有所收获,就得努力工作”的伯特?斯通在妻子怀里孩子似地泪流满面。米尔德里德从没见他那样哭过。她也知道,他流淌的是最难得的泪水:骄傲的泪水。迈克尔一下子被围住了,人们拥抱他,祝贺他所取得的一生中最辉煌的成就。那天稍后,他接着越过了17英尺6英寸半,创下了全国和世界少年奥林匹克撑竿跳高的新记录。
随着媒体的关注以及可能随之而来的各种赞助,迈克尔的生活肯定会不同以往。这不仅仅是因为他获得了全国少年奥林匹克冠军并刷新了一项世界记录,也不是因为他将自己的最高记录提高了9英寸半,而是因为迈克尔?斯通是个盲人。
第七单元 了解英语 课文A
有些语言拒绝引入新词。另一些语言,如英语,则似乎欢迎新词的引入。罗伯特?麦克尼尔回顾英语的历史,得出结论说,英语对变化的包容性体现了根深蒂固的自由思想。
英语中绚丽多彩的杂乱无章现象 罗伯特?麦克尼尔
我们的英语的历史是典型的大量窃取其它语言的历史。正因为如此,今日英语的词汇量据估计超过一百万,而其它主要语言的词汇量都要小得多。
例如,法语只有约75,000个单词,其中还包括像snackbar(快餐店)和A打parade肮行唱片目录)这样的英语词汇。但法国人不喜欢借用外来词,因为他们认为这样会损害法语的纯洁性。法国政府试图逐出英语词汇,宣称Walkman(随身听)一词有伤大雅,因此他们造了个新词balladeur让法国儿童用——可他们就是不用。
Walkman一词非常耐人寻味,因为这个词连英语也不是。严格地说,该词是由日本制造商发明的,他们把两个简单的英语单词拼在一起来命名他们的产品。这事儿我们不介意,法国人却耿耿于怀。由此可见英语中绚丽多彩的杂乱无章现象。这种乐意包容的精神,这种不管源自何方来者不拒的精神,恰好解释了英语为什么会这么丰富,解释了英语缘何在很大程度上第一个成了真正的国际语言。
欧洲沿海一个弹丸小岛的语言何以会成为地球上的通用语言,比历史上任何一种其他语言都更为广泛地被口头和书面使用?英语的历史体现在孩子最先学会用来表示身份(/,me,you)、所属关系(mine,yours)、身体部位(eye,nose,mouth)、大小高矮(tallshort),以及生活必需晶(food,water)的词汇当中。这些词都来自英语的核心部分古英语或盎格鲁一萨克逊英语。这些词通常简短明了,我们今天仍然用这些词来表示对我们真正至关重要的事物。
伟大的演说家常常用古英语来激发我们的情感。例如,在二战期间,温斯顿?丘吉尔作了如下的演讲来激励国民的勇气以抵抗屯兵英吉利海峡准备渡海作战的希特勒的军队:“我们要战斗在海滩上,我们要战斗在着陆场上,我们要战斗在田野和街巷,我们要战斗在群山中。我们决不投降。”
这段文字中几乎每个词都来自古英语,只有最后一个词——surrender是个例外,来自诺曼法语。丘吉尔原本可以说:“Weshallnevergivein,”但这正是英语迷人之处和活力所在,作家为了加强效果可以糅合来自不同背景的不同词汇。而演说中使用古英语词汇具有直接拨动心弦的效果。
尤利乌斯?凯撒在公元前55年入侵不列颠时,英语尚不存在。当时不列颠的居民凯尔特人使用的那些语言流传下来主要成了威尔士语。这些语言的起源至今仍是个不解之谜,但有一种理论试图解开这个谜。
两个世纪前,在印度当法官的一位英国人注意到,梵文中有一些词与希腊语、拉丁语中的一些词极为相似。系统的研究显示,许多现代语言起源于一个共同的母语,但由于没有文字记载,该母语已经失传。
语言学家找出了相似的词,提出这些语言的源头是他们称之为印欧母语的语言,这种语言使用于公元前3500年至公元前2000年。这些人使用同样的词表达“雪”、“蜜蜂”和“狼”,但没有表示“海”的词。因此有些学者认为,他们生活在寒冷的中北欧某个地区。一些人向东迁徙形成了印度和巴基斯坦的各种语言,有些人则向西漂泊,来到欧洲气候较为温暖的地区。最早西移的一些人后来被称作凯尔特人,亦即凯撒的军队在不列颠发现的民族。
新的词汇随日尔曼部落——盎格鲁、萨克逊等部落——而来,他们在5世纪的时候越过北海定居在不列颠。他们共同形成了我们称之为盎格鲁一萨克逊的社会。
盎格鲁一萨克逊人将他们的农耕词汇留传给我们,包括sheep,OX,earth,wood,field和work等。他们的日子一定过得很开心,因为他们留传给我们laughter一词。
下一个对英语产生重大影响的是基督教。基督教以400至500个希腊语、拉丁语词汇丰富了盎格鲁一萨克逊词汇,如angel(天使),disc扣Je(门徒)和martyr(殉难者)等。
接着北欧海盗从斯堪的,纳维亚来到了这块相对和平的土地。他们也给英语带来了许多以JA开头的词汇,如s勿和skirt。但古斯堪的纳维亚语和英语同时留传下来,因此你可以说rearachild(英语),也可以说raiseachild(斯堪的纳维亚语)。其他留传下来的这类同义词组有:wish和want,craft和skill,hide和skin。每一个类似的词的增添都使英语更加丰富,更加多样化。
另一次新词的大量涌入发生在1066年,诺曼人征服英国的时候。这时英国三种语言并用:贵族使用法语,教会使用拉丁语,平民使用英语。由于三种语言相互竞争,有时同一事物就出现了不同的名称。例如,盎格鲁一萨克逊语有king/y一词,但诺曼人入侵后,royal和sovereign作为替代词进入了英语。不同寻常的是,法语没有取代英语。三个多世纪后,英语逐渐吞并了法语,到15世纪末,发展成为一种经过改进,大大丰富了的拥有一万多个“借来”的法语词汇的语言——中古英语。
大约在1476年,威廉?卡克斯顿在英国制造了一台印刷机,由此掀起了一场信息传播技术的革命。印刷术把欧洲文艺复兴运动中涌现的大量新思想传入英国。希腊罗马经典著作的译文纷纷印成书册,成千上万的拉丁词,如capsule(密封小容器;航天舱)和habimal(惯常的),希腊词,如catastrophe(大灾难)和thermometer(温度计)等也随之涌入。今天我们仍借用拉丁、希腊语命名新的发明创造,如video,television和cyberspace(虚拟空间)等。
随着移民在北美登陆并建立美国,英语出现了两个源头——美式英语和英式英语。英国的学者担,b英语会失控,有人想成立一个有权威的学会,决定哪些词汇合适,哪些词汇不合适。幸运的是,他们的设想从未付诸实施。
这种对变化的包容态度也体现了根深蒂固的自由精神。丹麦学者奥托?叶斯柏森在1905年写道:“如果不是多少世纪以来英国人一向崇尚个人自由,如果不是人人都能自由地为自己开拓新的道路,英语就不会成为今天的英语。”
我喜欢这一观点。想想吧,孕育英语的文化土壤也同样为现今的世界培育了伟大的自由精神及人权准则。最初的根芽在英国萌发,接着在美国生长壮大。英语国家的人民挫败了种种意欲建立语言保护的企图。
事实上,英语不是语法学家、语言卫道士、教师、作家或知识精英的特殊领地。英语是,而且一向是,人民大众的语言。
第二篇:全新版大学英语综合教程3课文翻译Unit1-4
全新版大学英语综合教程3课文翻译
第一单元 课文A 多尔蒂先生创建自己的理想生活 售姆·多尔蒂
有两件事是我一直想做的——写作与务农。如今我同时做着这两件事。作为作家,我和E·B·怀特不属同一等级,作为农场主,我和乡邻也不是同一类人,不过我应付得还行。在城市以及郊区历经多年的怅惘失望之后,我和妻子桑迪终于在这里的乡村寻觅到心灵的满足。
这是一种自力更生的生活。我们食用的果蔬几乎都是自己种的。自家饲养的鸡提供鸡蛋,每星期还能剩余几十个出售。自家养殖的蜜蜂提供蜂蜜,我们还自己动手砍柴,足可供过冬取暖之用。
这也是一种令人满足的生活。夏日里我们在河上荡舟,在林子里野餐,骑着自行车长时间漫游。冬日里我们滑雪溜冰。我们为落日的余辉而激动。我们爱闻大地回暖的气息,爱听牛群哞叫。我们守着看鹰儿飞过上空,看玉米田间鹿群嬉跃。
但如此美妙的生活有时会变得相当艰苦。就在三个月前,气温降到华氏零下30度,我们辛苦劳作了整整两天,用一个雪橇沿着河边拖运木柴。再过三个月,气温会升到95度,我们就要给玉米松土,在草莓地除草,还要宰杀家禽。前一阵子我和桑迪不得不翻修后屋顶。过些时候,四个孩子中的两个小的,16岁的吉米和13岁的埃米莉,会帮着我一起把拖了很久没修的室外厕所修葺一下,那是专为室外干活修建的。这个月晚些时候,我们要给果树喷洒药水,要油漆谷仓,要给菜园播种,要赶在新的小鸡运到之前清扫鸡舍。
在这些活计之间,我每周要抽空花五、六十个小时,不是打字撰文,就是为作为自由撰稿人投给报刊的文章进行采访。桑迪则有她自己繁忙的工作日程。除了日常的家务,她还照管菜园和蜂房,烘烤面包,将食品装罐、冷藏,开车送孩子学音乐,和他们一起练习,自己还要上风琴课,为我做些研究工作并打字,自己有时也写写文章,还要侍弄花圃、堆摞木柴、运送鸡蛋。正如老话说的那样,在这种情形之下,坏人不得闲——贤德之人也歇不了。
我们谁也不会忘记第一年的冬天。从12月一直到3月底,我们都被深达5英尺的积雪困着。暴风雪肆虐,一场接着一场,积雪厚厚地覆盖着屋子和谷仓,而室内,我们用自己砍伐的木柴烧火取暖,吃着自家种植的苹果,温馨快乐每一分钟。
开春后,有过两次泛滥。一次是河水外溢,我们不少田地被淹了几个星期。接着一次是生长季节到了,一波又一波的农产品潮涌而来,弄得我们应接不暇。我们的冰箱里塞满了樱桃、蓝莓、草莓、芦笋、豌豆、青豆和玉米。接着我们存放食品罐的架子上、柜橱里也开始堆满一罐罐的腌渍食品,有番茄汁、葡萄汁、李子、果酱和果冻。最后,地窖里遍地是大堆大堆的土豆、葫芦、南瓜,谷仓里也储满了苹果和梨。真是太美妙了。
第二年我们种了更多的作物,差不多就靠着从自家树林砍伐的木柴以及仅仅100加仑的燃油过了冬。其时,我开始认真考虑起辞了职去从事自由撰稿的事来。时机选得实在太差。当时,两个大的女儿肖恩和埃米正在费用很高的常青藤学校上学,而我们只有几千美金的银行存款。但我们一再回到一个老问题上来:真的会有更好的时机吗?答案无疑是否定的。于是,带着老板的祝福,口袋里揣着作为累积津贴的半年薪水,我走了。
那以后有过一些焦虑的时刻,但总的来说,情况比我们料想的要好得多。为了写那些内容各不相同的文章,我为《体育画报》爬进过黑熊窝;为《史密森期刊》替参赛的一组组狗套上雪橇;为《科学文摘》调查过尚普兰湖水怪的真相;为《终点》杂志在明尼苏达划着小舟穿越美、加边界水域内的公共荒野保护区。
我挣的钱远比不上担任全职工作时的收入,可如今我们需要的钱也没有过去多。我挣的钱足以应付每月600美金的房屋贷款按揭以及一家人的日常开销。那些开销包括了所有支出,如音乐课学费、牙医帐单、汽车维修以及大学费用等等。至于保险,我们买了一份低收入者的主要医疗项目保险。我们需要为每一个家庭成员的任何一项医疗费用支付最初的500美金医疗保险则支付超出部分的80%。虽然我们仍要支付小部分医疗费用,但我们的保险费也低——每年只要560美金——而我们给自己生大病保了险。除了这一保险项目,以及两辆汽车每年400美金的保险,我们就没有其它保险了。不过我们每年留出2000美元入个人退休金贴。
我们通过节约开支而又不明显降低生活水准的方式来弥补收入差额。我们每个月仍出去吃一两次饭,不过现在我们光顾的是当地餐馆,而不是城里的高级饭店。我们仍去密尔沃基听歌剧看芭蕾演出,不过一年才几次。我们肉吃得少了,酒喝得便宜了,电影看得少了。铺张的圣诞节成为一种回忆,我们把完成稿约作为度假的一部分„„
我想,不是所有热爱乡村的人都会乐意过我们这种生活的。这种生活需要一些特殊素质。其一是耐得住寂寞。由于我们如此忙碌,手头又紧,我们很少请客。在作物生长季节根本就没工夫参加社交活动。吉米和埃米莉虽然参加学校的各种活动,但他俩大多数时间呆在家里。
另一项要求是体力——相当大的体力。小范围里实现自给自足的途径是抵制诱惑,不去购置拖拉机和其它昂贵的节省劳力的机械。相反,你要自己动手。我们仅有的机器(不包括割草机)是一台3马力的小型旋转式耕耘机以及一架16英寸的链锯。
没人知道我们还能有精力在这里再呆多久一也许呆很长一阵子,也许不是。到走的时候,我们会怆然离去,但也会为自己所做的一切深感自豪。我们把农场出售也会赚相当大一笔钱。我们自己在农场投入了约35,000美金的资金,要是现在售出的话价格差不多可以翻一倍。不过现在不是出售的好时机。但是一旦经济形势好转,对我们这种农场的需求又会增多。
但我们主要不是为了赚钱而移居至此的。我们来此居住是因为想提高生活质量。当我看着埃米莉傍晚去收鸡蛋,跟吉米一起在河上钓鱼,或和全家人一起在果园里享用老式的野餐,我知道,我们找到了自己一直在寻求的生活方式。
第二单元
课文A
给人以自由者
弗格斯·M·博得威奇
我步出这幢两层小屋,加拿大平原上轻风微拂。我身边是一位苗条的黑衣女子,把我带回到过去的向导。那时,安大略省得雷斯顿这一带住着美国历史上的一位英雄。我们前往一座普普通通的灰色教堂,芭芭拉.卡特自豪地谈论着其高祖乔赛亚·亨森。“他坚信上帝要所有人生来平等。他从来没有停止过争取这一自由权利的奋斗。”
卡特对其先辈的忠诚不仅仅关乎一己之骄傲,而关乎家族荣誉。因为乔赛亚·亨森至今仍为人所知是由于他所激发的创作灵感使得一个美国小说人物问世:汤姆叔叔,哈丽特,比彻·斯托的小说《汤姆叔叔的小屋》中那个逆来顺受的黑奴。具有讽刺意味的是,这一人物所象征的一切在亨森身上一点都找不到。一个不愿奋起力争、背叛种族的黑人?卡特对此颇为愤慨。“乔赛亚·亨森是个有原则的人,”她肯定地说。
我远道前来亨森最后的居所——如今已成为卡特曾管理过的一处历史遗迹——是为了更多地了解此人,他在许多方面堪称非裔美国人的摩西。亨森自己摆脱了黑奴身份获得自由之后,便暗中帮助其他许多黑奴逃奔北方去加拿大——逃奔自由之地。许多人和他一起在得雷斯顿这一带定居了下来。
但此地只是我所承担的繁重使命的一处停留地。乔赛亚·亨森只是一长串无所畏惧的男女名单中的一个名字,这些人共同创建了这条“地下铁路”,一个由逃亡线路和可靠的人家组成的用以解放美国南方黑奴的秘密网络。在1820年至1860年期间,多达十万名黑奴经由此路走向自由。
2000年10月,克林顿总统批准拨款1600万美元建造全国“地下铁路”自由中心,以此纪念美国历史上第一次伟大的民权斗争。中心计划于2004年在辛辛那提市建成。真是该建立这样一个中心的时候了。因为地下铁路的英雄们依然默默无闻,他们的业绩依然少人颂扬。我要讲述他们的故事。
听到轻轻的敲门声,约翰·帕克神情紧张起来。他开门窥望,夜色中认出是一位可靠的邻居。“有一群逃亡奴隶躲在肯塔基州的树林里,就在离河二十英里的地方,”那人用急迫的口气低语道。帕克没一点儿迟疑。“我就去,”他说着,把两支手枪揣进口袋。
二十年前,即19世纪20年代,生来即为黑奴的帕克才八岁就被从母亲身边带走,被迫拖着镣铐从弗吉尼亚走到亚拉巴马,在那里的黑奴市场被买走。他打定主意有朝一日要过自由的生活,便设法学会了铸铁这门手艺。后来他终于靠这门手艺攒够钱赎回了自由。现在,帕克白天在俄亥俄州里普利港的一家铸铁厂干活。到了晚上,他就成了地下铁路的一位“乘务员”,帮助人们避开追捕逃亡黑奴的人。在他正前往的肯塔基州,当局悬赏一千美元抓他,活人死尸都要。
在那个阴冷的夜晚,帕克渡过俄亥俄河,找到了十个丧魂落魄的逃亡者。“拿好包裹跟我走,”他一边吩咐他们,一边带着这八男二女朝河边走去。就要到岸时,一个巡夜人发现了他们,急忙跑开去报告。
帕克看见一条小船,便大喝一声,把那些逃亡黑奴推上了船。大家都上了船,但有两个人容不下。小船徐徐驶向对岸,帕克眼睁睁地看着追捕者把他被迫留下的两个男人团团围住。
其他的人都上了岸,帕克急忙安排了一辆车把他们带到地下铁路的下一“站”——他们走向安全的加拿大之旅的第一程。约翰·帕克在有生之年一共带领四百多名黑奴走向安全之地。
黑人去当乘务员常常是由于本人痛苦的经历,而那些白人则往往是受了宗教信仰的感召。在北卡罗来纳州长大的贵格会教徒利瓦伊·科芬解释说:“《圣经》上只是要我们给饥者以食物,无衣者以衣衫,但没提到过肤色的事。”
在19世纪20年代,科芬向西迁移前往印第安纳州的新港(即今天的喷泉市),在那里开了一家小店。人们传说,逃亡黑奴在科芬家总是能得到庇护。有时他一次庇护的逃亡者就多达十七人,他还备有一组人员和车辆把他们送往下一段行程。到后来有三条主要路线在科芬家汇合,科芬家成了地下铁路的中央车站。
科芬经常由于他做的工作受到被杀的威胁,收到焚毁他店铺和住宅的警告。几乎每一个乘务员都面临类似的危险——或者更为严重。在北方,治安官会对帮助逃亡的人课以罚金,或判以短期监禁。在南方各州,白人则被判处几个月甚至几年的监禁。一位勇敢的循道宗牧师卡尔文·费尔班克在肯塔基州被关押了十七年多,他记录了自己遭受毒打的情况:总共被鞭笞了35,105下。
至于那些黑奴,逃亡意味着数百英里的长途跋涉,意味着穿越自己极易被人辨认的陌生地域。没有路标,也几乎没有线路图,他们赶路全凭着口口相告的路线以及秘密记号——比如树上钉着的钉子——是乘务员用宋标示北上路线的记号。
许多黑奴在夜色掩护下赶路,有时脸上涂着厚厚的白粉。贵格会教徒经常让他们的“乘客”不分男女穿上灰衣服,戴上深沿帽,披着把头部完全遮盖住的面纱。有一次,利瓦伊·科芬运送的逃亡黑奴实在太多,他就把他们装扮成出殡队伍。
加拿大是许多逃亡者的首选终点站。那儿1833年就废除了奴隶制,加拿大当局鼓励逃亡奴隶在其广阔的未经开垦的土地上定居。其中就有乔赛亚·亨森。
还是孩子的亨森在马里兰州目睹着全家人被卖给不同的主人,看到母亲为了想把自己留在她身边而遭受毒打。亨森利用命运给他的一切机会,干活勤勉,深受主人器重。
经济困顿最终迫使亨森的主人将他及其妻儿送到主人在肯塔基州的一个兄弟处。在那儿干了几年苦工之后,亨森听说了一个可怕的消息:新主人准备把他卖到遥远的南方腹地去农庄干活。这名奴隶将与自己的家人永远分离。
只有一条路可走:逃亡。“我会认北极星,”许多年后亨森写道。“就像圣地伯利恒的救星一样,它告诉我在哪里可以获救。”
亨森和妻子冒着极大的风险带着四个孩子上路了。两个星期之后,饥饿疲惫的一家人来到了辛辛那提市,在那儿,他们与地下铁路的成员取得了联系。“他们为我们提供了食宿,非常关心,接着又用车送了我们三十英里。”
亨森一家继续往北走,最后来到纽约州的布法罗。在那儿,一位友善的船长指着尼亚加拉河对岸。“‘看见那些树没有?’他说,‘它们生长在自由的土地上。”’他给了亨森一美元钱,安排了一条小船,小船载着这位黑奴及其家人过河来到加拿大。
“我扑倒在地,在沙土里打滚,手舞足蹈,最后,在场的那几个人都认定我是疯子。‘他是个疯子,’有个沃伦上校说。”
“‘不,不是的!知道吗?我自由了!’”
第三单元
课文A
锁之国
鲍勃·格林
小时候在家里,我们的前门总是夜不落锁。我不知道这是当地的一种说法还是大家都这么说的;“不落锁”的意思是掩上门,但不锁住。我们谁都不带钥匙;晚上最后一个回家的人把门关上,这就行了。
那样的日子已经一去不复返了。在乡下,在城里,·门不再关着不锁上,哪怕是傍晚一段时间也不例外。
在许多方面,郊区和农村甚至比巡查严密的城市街道更易受到攻击。统计显示,那些据称是安宁的地区的犯罪率上升得比城镇更为显著。不管怎么说,前门虚掩不落锁的时代是一去不复返了。
取而代之的是防盗锁、防护链、电子报警系统,以及连接警署或私人保安公司的报警装置。郊区的许多人家在露台上安装了玻璃滑门,内侧有装得很讲究的钢条,这样就没人能把门撬开。
在最温馨的居家,也常常看得到窗上贴着小小的告示,称本宅由某家安全保卫机构或某个保安公司负责监管。
锁成了美国的新的象征。的确如此,一家大保险公司最近的一则公益广告没有用图表表明我们所处的危险有多大,而是用了一幅童车的图片,车身上悬着如今随处可见的挂锁。
广告指出,没错,确是保险公司理赔失窃物品,但谁来赔偿互不信任、担心害怕这种新氛围对我们的生活方式所造成的影响呢?谁来对美国从自由之国到锁之国这一蜕变作出精神赔偿呢?
因为那就是现状。我们已经变得如此习惯于保护自己不受美国生活新氛围的影响,如此习惯于设置障碍,以致无暇考虑这一切意味着什么。
出于某种原因,当我们觉得防范周密时才安心;我们没有想到问问自己:为什么会出现这种情况?为什么非得把自己与邻居和同住一城的居民隔绝开来,这一切究竟是从什么时候开始主宰我们生活的?
这一切确实主宰了我们的生活。如果你在一家大中型公司上班,你上下班很可能不好随意进出。你可能随身带着某种出入卡,电子的或别的什么的,因为这卡能让你进出工作场所。也许前台的保安认识你这张脸,平日一挥手让你进去,但事实明摆着,你所任职的公司深感面临威胁,因此要借助这些“钥匙”不让外人靠近。
这种现象并非向来有之。即使在十年前,大多数私营公司仍采取自由出入的做法。那时管理人员根本没想到过恰当的手段是不信任他人。
且看各地机场。过去家长常常带孩子去登机口看飞机起飞降落。这种事再也没有了。机场不再是一个有趣的学习场所;它们成了拥有最精密的安全检查系统的场所。
凭借着电子透视装置,我们似乎终于想出妙计让恐怖分子无法近身,无论是真的恐怖分子还是凭空臆想的。能解决这一问题真是如释重负,于是我们就不去多想这种状况对我们的生活质量意味着什么。如今我们走过这些电子搜查器时已经看都不看一眼了;这些装置,还有它们所代表的一切已经获胜。
我们的居住区处在强光源的照射之下;我们连哪怕像阴影这样小小的享受也不想给自己。
越来越多的商人正购置连接在电话机上、能剖析来电者声音的新机器。据说那种机器能让商人知道他的朋友或客户是否在撒谎,其出错概率很小。
所有这一切都是以“安全”的名义实施的:我们是这么跟自己说的。我们害怕,于是我们设法把害怕锁在外面,我们认定,那就是安全的意义。
其实不然;我们虽然有了这一切安全措施,但我们或许是人类文明史上最不安全的国民。还有什么更好的字眼能用来描述我们被迫选择的生活方式呢?还有什么更为可悲地表明我们在这个令人困惑的新时代所感受到的惶恐之情呢?
我们不信任何人。郊区的家庭主妇在家庭旅行用车钥匙链上挂着防强暴口哨,我们在自我防卫方面变得如此聪明,最终全都聪明反被聪明误。我们或许是把邪恶锁在了门外;但在这么做的同时我们把自己锁在里边了。
那也许是我们将来回顾这一时代时记得最牢的精神遗产:在对付我们中间无形的恐惧之时,我们成了自己的囚徒。在我们这个问题重重的时代,所有的人都是囚徒。
第四单元
课文A 爱因斯坦是外星人吗? 托尼.菲利普斯
艾伯特爱因斯坦被搞得筋疲力尽.连续第三个晚上,他的宝贝儿子汉斯,哭泣,让家人清醒直到黎明。当艾伯特终于睡着了是时候起床去工作。他不能跳过一天。他需要工作来养活家人。
他轻快地走到专利局,在那里他是一个“技术专家,第三级,”艾伯特担心他的母亲。她越来越虚弱,她不赞成他与米列娃结婚,关系紧张。艾伯特看了一眼路过商店的橱窗。他的头发是一个烂摊子;他忘了梳一遍。
工作。家庭。使收支平衡。艾伯特感受到任何年轻的丈夫和父亲所有的压力和责任的。
放松,他彻底改变了物理学。
1905年,在年龄26时,四年前他找到了工作作为一个物理学教授,爱因斯坦出版了五个最重要的论文在科学史”——所有在他的空余时间写的。”他证明了原子和分子的存在。1905年之前,科学家们不清楚那些。他认为光是小块(后来被称为“光子”),从而奠定了量子力的学基础。他描述了他的狭义相对论理论:空间和时间是同一个织物的线,他提出那是可弯曲,拉伸和扭曲的。
哦,顺便说一句,E = mc2。
在爱因斯坦之前,最后一个有这样突出创意的科学家,是艾萨克牛顿先生。它发生在1666时,牛顿隔离自己母亲的农场去避免爆发在剑桥的瘟疫。没有什么更好的事,他提出了他的万有引力。几个世纪以来,历史学家称为1666牛顿的“奇迹年。现在这些话有不同的意义:爱因斯坦和1905。联合国已经宣布2005年“世界物理年“庆祝爱因斯坦“奇迹年的100周年。
现代流行文化吧爱因斯坦画一个bushy-haired superthinker。我们被告之他的想法,是不可能远远领先于其他科学家。他一定是从其他星球来的——也许是牛顿长大的同一个星球。
“爱因斯坦不是外星人,”哈佛大学物理学家和科学史家彼得笑到。“他是他那个时代的人。”他所有的1905年的文件揭开问题正在被其他科学家研究,成败参半,“如果爱因斯坦没有出生的,[文件]将最终由他人以某种形式写出来”Galison说。
1905年值得注意的是,一个人撰写的五个文件的全部,加上原有的,爱因斯坦以不敬的方式得到自己的结论。
例如:光电效应。这在20世纪初是一个难题。当光照射到金属,如锌,电子会飞。只来一点点光集中集中撞击自由电子这才会发生。传播的波不具有光电效果。
解决办法似乎很简单——光的微粒。事实上,这是,爱因斯坦在1905年提出的解决方案并在1921获得了诺贝尔奖。其他物理学家如普朗克(工作相关的问题上:黑体辐射),比爱因斯坦更先一步更有经验,步步逼近答案,但爱因斯坦先到那里。为什么呢?
这是一个问题的权威。
“在爱因斯坦的时代,如果你想说,光是由粒子构成的,你发现自己不同意的物理学家杰姆斯麦斯威尔的理论。“没有人想做这样的事,”Galison说。麦斯威尔方程取得了巨大的成功,统一的物理电,磁和光学。麦斯威尔毫无疑问证明,光是一种电磁波。麦斯威尔是一个权威人物。
爱因斯坦不在乎权威。他没有反抗被告知要做什么,但他讨厌被告诉什么是真理。即使作为一个孩子,他不断的怀疑和质疑。“你的存在在这里破坏了班级对我尊敬,”他第七年级的老师约瑟夫博士狄根哈特说。(狄根哈特还预测,爱因斯坦将一事无成”)这一性格缺陷是爱因斯坦发现的一个关键因素。
“在1905年,”Galison记录,“爱因斯坦刚刚获得博士学位。他不感激于一个导师或任何其他权威人物。”他的思想在自由漫游因此。
回想起来,麦斯威尔是正确的。光是一种波动。但爱因斯坦也是对的。光是粒子。这个奇特的二元性物质物理困惑physic101的学生一样在1905年困惑爱因斯坦。怎么光是二元性?爱因斯坦不知道。
不过这不能使他慢下来。蔑视谨慎,爱因斯坦采用了直观的飞跃,作为一个基本工具。“我相信直觉和灵感,”他写道,在1931年。“有时我觉得我是对的但不知道原因。”
尽管爱因斯坦的五篇论文发表在一年的时间里,但他一直自童年开始在深深地思考物理学。“在爱因斯坦家中,科学是餐桌上的谈话”Galison解释到。艾伯特的父亲赫尔曼和叔叔雅各布一家制造发电机,电弧灯,灯泡、电话的德国公司。这是世纪之交的高科技,“像现在一个在硅谷公司,”Galison记录。“艾伯特对科技自然感兴趣。”
爱因斯坦的父母有时会带艾伯特参加聚会。保姆是不必要的:当其他人在他周围跳舞时艾伯特坐在沙发上,全神贯注,静静地做数学题而。笔和纸是艾伯特的玩具!
他有令人印象深刻的专注力。爱因斯坦的妹妹,玛雅,回忆说:“„„即使有很大的噪音,他会躺在沙发上,拿起纸和笔,悠悠地平衡一个放在靠背墨水瓶使他自己全神贯注的沉浸在问题中就如同背景噪声促进而不是打扰他。”
爱因斯坦很聪明,但没有比他的同行更特殊的地方。“我没有特殊的才能,”他说,“我只是有强烈的好奇心。”又说:“关于我力量的流行评估„和现实的对比真是荒唐。”爱因斯坦将他的发现归功于想象力和无止境的提问而不是传统的智慧。
在后来的生活中,我们应该记住,他努力产生一个统一场理论,结合重力和其他自然的力量。他失败了。爱因斯坦的智慧不是无限的。
爱因斯坦的大脑也是如此。它被托马斯博士哈维在1955年爱因斯坦死的时候移除。他可能期待会发现一些惊人的事:但爱因斯坦的大脑看起来像任何其他一样,灰色,起皱,并且,如果非要说什么不同,比一般人的小一点。
第三篇:全新版大学英语综合教程3课文原文及翻译
unit 4
Was Einstein a Space Alien? 1 Albert Einstein was exhausted.For the third night in a row, his baby son Hans, crying, kept the household awake until dawn.When Albert finally dozed off...it was time to get up and go to work.He couldn't skip a day.He needed the job to support his young family.1.阿尔伯特.爱因斯坦精疲力竭。他幼小的儿子汉斯连续三个晚上哭闹不停,弄得全家人直到天亮都无法入睡。阿尔伯特总算可以打个瞌睡时,已是他起床上班的时候了。他不能一天不上班,他需要这份工作来养活组建不久的家庭。Walking briskly to the Patent Office, where he was a “Technical Expert, Third Class,” Albert worried about his mother.She was getting older and frail, and she didn't approve of his marriage to Mileva.Relations were strained.Albert glanced at a passing shop window.His hair was a mess;he had forgotten to comb it again.2.阿尔伯特是专利局三等技术专家。在快步去专利局上班的路上,他为母亲忧心忡忡。母亲年纪越来越大,身体虚弱。她不同意儿子与迈尔娃的婚事,婆媳关系紧张。阿尔伯特瞥了一下路过的商店的橱窗,看见自己头发凌乱,他又忘了梳头了。Work.Family.Making ends meet.Albert felt all the pressure and responsibility of any young husband and father.3.工作,家庭,维持生计——阿尔伯特感受到了一位年轻丈夫和年轻父亲所要承担的全部压力和责任。
To relax, he revolutionized physics.他想放松下,却使物理学发生了突破性进展 In 1905, at the age of 26 and four years before he was able to get a job as a professor of physics, Einstein published five of the most important papers in the history of science--all written in his “spare time.” He proved that atoms and molecules existed.Before 1905, scientists weren't sure about that.He argued that light came in little bits(later called “photons”)and thus laid the foundation for quantum mechanics.He described his theory of special relativity: space and time were threads in a common fabric, he proposed, which could be bent, stretched and twisted.4.1905年,在他被聘为物理学教授的前四年,26岁的爱因斯坦发表了科学史上最重要论文中的五篇——这些论文都是他在“业余时间”完成的。他证明了原子和分子的存在。1905年之前,科学家们对此没有把握。爱因斯坦论证说光以微粒形态出现(后来被称为“光子”),这为量子力学奠定了基础。他把狭义相对论描写为:时空如同普通织物中的线,他提出,这些线可以弯曲、拉长和交织在一起。Oh, and by the way, E=mc2.5.对了,顺便提一下,E = mc2。Before Einstein, the last scientist who had such a creative outburst was Sir Isaac Newton.It happened in 1666 when Newton secluded himself at his mother's farm to avoid an outbreak of plague at Cambridge.With nothing better to do, he developed his Theory of Universal Gravitation.6.在爱因斯坦之前,最近一位迸发出如此创造性思想的科学家当数艾萨克牛顿
爵士。事情发生在1666,为了躲避在剑桥爆发的瘟疫,牛顿去母亲的农场隐居。由于没有什么更好的事可做,他便建立万有引力理论。For centuries historians called 1666 Newton's “miracle year”.Now those words have a different meaning: Einstein and 1905.The United Nations has declared 2005 “The World Year of Physics” to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Einstein's “miracle year.” 7.几个世纪以来,历史学家称为1666牛顿的“奇迹年”。现在这些话有不同的意义:爱因斯坦和1905。联合国已经宣布2005年“世界物理年“庆祝爱因斯坦“奇迹年”的100周年。8 Modern pop culture paints Einstein as a bushy-haired superthinker.His ideas, we're told, were improbably far ahead of other scientists.He must have come from some other planet--maybe the same one Newton grew up on.8.现代流行文化把爱因斯坦绘画成一位长着蓬乱头发的超级思想家。据说他的思想不可思议地远远超过其他科学家。他一定是从其他星球来的——也许是牛顿长大的同一个星球。9 “Einstein was no space alien,” laughs Harvard University physicist and science historian Peter Galison.“He was a man of his time.” All of his 1905 papers unraveled problems being worked on, with mixed success, by other scientists.“If Einstein hadn't been born, [those papers] would have been written in some form, eventually, by others,” Galison believes.9.“爱因斯坦决不是外星人,”哈佛大学物理学家、科学史家彼得加里森笑着说。“他是他那个时代的人。”他所有发表于1905年的论文解决了当时其他科学家正多多少少在解决的问题,“如果没有爱因斯坦,其他科学家最终也会以某种形式撰写出这些论文来的”加里森相信。What's remarkable about 1905 is that a single person authored all five papers, plus the original, irreverent way Einstein came to his conclusions.10.1905年不同寻常的是,爱因斯坦一个人撰写的五篇论文,而且他得出结论的方法既富原创性又显得不合常规。For example: the photoelectric effect.This was a puzzle in the early 1900s.When light hits a metal, like zinc, electrons fly off.This can happen only if light comes in little packets concentrated enough to knock an electron loose.A spread-out wave wouldn't do the photoelectric trick.11.例如:光电效应。这在20世纪初期的一道难题。当光照射到金属(如锌)上时,电子飞速飞离电子表面,这种现象只有当光的粒子集聚的程度足以把电子击撞松动的时候才会发生。漫延波不会产生光电效应。The solution seems simple--light is particulate.Indeed, this is the solution Einstein proposed in 1905 and won the Nobel Prize for in 1921.Other physicists like Max Planck(working on a related problem: blackbody radiation), more senior and experienced than Einstein, were closing in on the answer, but Einstein got there first.Why? 12.答案似乎很简单——光是粒子。事实上,这是爱因斯坦1905年提出的解答,并因此于1921年获得诺贝尔奖。其他物理学家们,比如比爱因斯坦资历更深、经验更丰富的麦克斯普兰克(从事研究相关的问题:黑体辐射),其研究正接近
该问题的答案,但爱因斯坦捷足先登。为什么? It's a question of authority.这是对权威的看法问题 “In Einstein's day, if you tried to say that light was made of particles, you found yourself disagreeing with physicist James Clerk Maxwell.Nobody wanted to do that,” says Galison.Maxwell's equations were enormously successful, unifying the physics of electricity, magnetism and optics.Maxwell had proved beyond any doubt that light was an electromagnetic wave.Maxwell was an Authority Figure.13.“在爱因斯坦的时代,如果你试图说光由粒子组成,你就会发现自己与物理学家杰姆斯.克拉克.马克斯威尔持不同观点。没有人想那么做,”加里森说道。马克斯威尔的方程式把物理学中的电学、磁学和光学统一起来,获得了巨大的成功。麦克斯威尔毫无疑问地证明了光是电磁波。他可是权威人物。Einstein didn't give a fig for authority.He didn't resist being told what to do, not so much, but he hated being told what was true.Even as a child he was constantly doubting and questioning.“Your mere presence here undermines the class's respect for me,” spat his 7th grade teacher, Dr.Joseph Degenhart.(Degenhart also predicted that Einstein “would never get anywhere in life.”)This character flaw was to be a key ingredient in Einstein's discoveries.14.爱因斯坦豪不在乎权威。他不太反对别人要求他做什么,但是他不喜欢别人告诉他什么是正确的。即使在小时候他也不停地质疑和问问题。“你呆在这里损害了全班学生对我尊敬,”他第七年级的老师约瑟夫狄根哈特博士愤怒地说。(狄根哈特还预言爱因斯坦“永远不会有出息”)这一性格缺陷成为日后爱因斯坦作出种种发现的主要因素。“In 1905,” notes Galison, “Einstein had just received his Ph.D.He wasn't beholden to a thesis advisor or any other authority figure.” His mind was free to roam accordingly.15.“在1905年,”加里森着重指出,“爱因斯坦刚刚获得博士学位,他不感激于论文导师或任何其他权威人士。”因此,他的思想在自由漫游。In retrospect, Maxwell was right.Light is a wave.But Einstein was right, too.Light is a particle.This bizarre duality baffles Physics 101 students today just as it baffled Einstein in 1905.How can light be both? Einstein had no idea.16.回想起来,麦克斯威尔是正确的。光是一种波。但爱因斯坦也是对的。光是粒子。这种异乎寻常的二象性使今天选修无力101课程的同学们感到困惑,就像在1905年使爱因斯坦感到困惑一样。光怎么可能既是波又是粒子呢?爱因斯坦无法理解。That didn't slow him down.Disdaining caution, Einstein adopted the intuitive leap as a basic tool.“I believe in intuition and inspiration,” he wrote in 1931.“At times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the reason.” 17.困惑并没有使爱因斯坦放慢探究的脚步。爱因斯坦不屑谨小慎微,他采用直觉跳跃思维作为基本工具。“我相信直觉和灵感,”他在1931年写道。“有时尽管不知道原因,但是我肯定我是对的。Although Einstein's five papers were published in a single year, he had been thinking about physics, deeply, since childhood.“Science was dinner-table conversation in the Einstein household,” explains Galison.Albert's father Hermann and uncle Jakob ran a German company making such things as dynamos, arc lamps, light bulbs and telephones.This was high-tech at the turn of the century, “like a Silicon Valley company would be today,” notes Galison.“Albert's interest in science and technology came naturally.” 18.虽说爱因斯坦在短短的一年内发表了五篇论文,其实他童年时代就一直深入地思考物理的问题。“科学是爱因斯坦在餐桌上聊天的话题。”加里森解释道。爱因斯坦的父亲赫尔曼和叔叔雅各布经营一家德国公司,制造发电机,电弧灯,灯泡、电话等诸如此类的产品。这是(20)世纪之初属于高科技,“像今天的硅谷公司,”加里森着重提到。“艾伯特对科学技术与生俱来怀有兴趣。” Einstein's parents sometimes took Albert to parties.No babysitter was required: Albert sat on the couch, totally absorbed, quietly doing math problems while others danced around him.Pencil and paper were Albert's GameBoy!19.爱因斯坦的父母有时会带儿子参加聚会。她们不常请人看孩子:当其他人在他周围跳舞时,阿尔伯特坐在沙发上,全神贯注,静静地做数学题。笔和纸是阿尔伯特的玩具!20 He had impressive powers of concentration.Einstein's sister, Maja, recalled “...even when there was a lot of noise, he could lie down on the sofa, pick up a pen and paper, precariously balance an inkwell on the backrest and engross himself in a problem so much that the background noise stimulated rather than disturbed him.” 20.他有极强的集中思想的能力。爱因斯坦的妹妹玛雅,回忆说:“„„即使周围非常吵闹,他也能躺在沙发上,拿起纸和笔,悠悠地把墨水池放在一个靠背上,专心致志得解题,北京声音不但没有打扰他,反而激励他。” Einstein was clearly intelligent, but not outlandishly more so than his peers.“I have no special talents,” he claimed, “I am only passionately curious.” And again: “The contrast between the popular assessment of my powers...and the reality is simply grotesque.” Einstein credited his discoveries to imagination and pesky questioning more so than orthodox intelligence.21.爱因斯坦显然很聪明,但不比他的同龄人超出多少。“我没有什么特别的才能,”他说,“只是我的好奇心非常强烈。”还有:“大众对我能力的评估„和现实之间的差异简直大得荒唐。”爱因斯坦把他的发现更多地归功于想象力和不断提问而不是普通所谓的智慧。Later in life, it should be remembered, he struggled mightily to produce a unified field theory, combining gravity with other forces of nature.He failed.Einstein's brainpower was not limitless.22.应该记住的是,爱因斯坦在晚年竭尽全力想象提出统一场论,把万有引力和自然界中其他的力结合起来。但他失败了。爱因斯坦的智力不是无限的。Neither was Einstein's brain.It was removed without permission by Dr.Thomas Harvey in 1955 when Einstein died.He probably expected to find something extraordinary:Einstein's mother Pauline had famously worried that baby Einstein's head was lopsided.(Einstein's grandmother had a different concern: “Much too fat!”)But Einstein's brain looked much like any other, gray, crinkly, and, if anything, a trifle smaller than average.23.爱因斯坦的大脑也是如此。他1955年去世的时候,托马斯哈维医生在未经许可的情况下解剖了他的大脑。也许他期盼发现一些惊人的东西。但是爱因斯坦死的大脑看起来和其他人的大脑很相似,灰色,波状的。如果非要说什么不同,那就是他的大脑比正常人的小一点。
轶事爱因斯坦
废纸篓他的错误时,艾伯特爱因斯坦抵达美国,在54岁驶入纽约港的远洋班轮westernland十月171933,官方欢迎委员会正在等着他。爱因斯坦和他的随行人员,然而,不知去向。亚伯拉罕弗莱克斯纳,导演在普林斯顿高等研究院,新泽西,被屏蔽他的名人教授从宣传。所以他派拖船精神伟人从westernland尽快通过检疫。他的头发拨出一个宽边黑帽,爱因斯坦偷偷地到拖船上岸,这使他和他的党下曼哈顿,在车接送到普林斯顿。”爱因斯坦博士是想求得和平和安静,”弗莱克斯纳告诉记者。诺贝尔奖得主在1921他对理论物理学,爱因斯坦得到一个办公室在学院。他问他需要什么设备。”一个写字台或桌子,椅子,纸和铅笔,”他回答说。“哦,和一个大篓,所以我可以扔掉我所有的错误。”他和埃尔莎,他的妻子,租了一个房子和定居生活在普林斯顿。他喜欢美国的事实,尽管其不平等的财富和种族不公正,更多的是一个精英比欧洲。”让新来的
致力于这个国家的民主特质的人,”他后来奇迹。”没有人谦卑自己,在另一个人。”不是一个爱因斯坦爱因斯坦,然而,没有爱因斯坦的时候他还是一个孩子的成长。在慕尼黑,德国,第一个孩子的赫尔曼和保罗爱因斯坦,他在缓慢的学习说话。“我的父母非常担心,”他回忆道,“他们找医生。”当他开始使用的话2岁之后,他制定了一个怪癖,促使他的保姆给他迟钝的人。”他所说的每一句,无论多么常规,”回忆起他的妹妹,玛雅,”他轻声地反复,动动嘴唇。”他缓慢发展的结合是一个厚脸皮的叛逆的权威,从而导致一个德国校长把他包装。另一个说,爱因斯坦不会多。“当我问自己这是怎么发生的,我发现了相对论,它似乎躺在下面的情况,”爱因斯坦后来解释说。“普通成人不会困扰他的头问题的空间和时间。这些都是他认为作为一个孩子。但我发展很慢,我开始思考的空间和时间,当我已经长大了。我更深入探讨的问题不是一个普通的孩子都有一个快乐的科学。”鼓励他的和蔼的父亲,谁经营家族生意,和他热爱音乐的母亲,爱因斯坦花了几个小时的工作上的难题和建筑 塔的玩具。”的毅力和韧性是他性格中的一部分,”他的妹妹说。一次,爱因斯坦生病在床上作为一个孩子,他的父亲带他一个指南针。爱因斯坦后来想起这么激动,当他检查了它的神秘力量,他颤抖着越来越冷。磁针的表现好像受到一个隐藏的力场,而不是通过机械的方法接触或接触。”深深的藏得背后的东西,”他说。他对磁域,重力,惯性和光束。他保留的能力,将两个念头的同时,感到困惑时,冲突和喜悦时,他看到一个潜在的团结。”像你我这样的人是永远不会老的,”他写道,一个朋友多年以后我们从来没有停止过。”都是好奇的孩童面前的伟大神秘的,我们是天生的。”普遍的看法相反,爱因斯坦擅长数学。在13岁的时候,他已经有了一个偏爱解决复杂问题的应用数学,他的妹妹回忆说。一个叔叔,雅各布爱因斯坦,工程师,把他介绍给欢乐的代数,称它是“快乐的科学,”当爱因斯坦取得了胜利,他“很高兴不已。”他从阅读科普书籍,这表明他“圣经不可能是真的,”爱因斯坦制定了一个抵制一切形式的教条。他写了1901,“一个愚蠢的信仰权威是真理最大的敌人。”
一个骄傲的美国在15岁时,爱因斯坦离开德国去了意大利北部,在那里他的父母迁往自己的业务,并在16,他写了他的第一篇文章在理论物理。爱因斯坦发现了相对论,他毕业于苏黎世理工大学1900当他21,涉及的直觉知识以及个人的经验。他发展的理论,从1905开始,后一个工作在瑞士专利局。但他的理论并不完全接受,直到1919,当观测在一次日食证实他的预测多少太阳的引力弯曲的光束。在年龄40,1919,爱因斯坦突然被世界著名。他也结婚的埃尔莎和他的妻子,是父亲的儿子从他的第一次婚姻。1921的春天,他的名声大爆炸导致盛大月访问美国,在那里他收到热烈欢迎,他会唤起大众疯狂所到之处。世界从未见过这样一个科学名人明星。爱因斯坦热爱美国,欣赏其连发繁荣的结果,自由和个人主义。在3月1933,希特勒在德国,爱因斯坦意识到他可以不再生活在欧洲的。秋天,他定居在普林斯顿,和1940,他是美国公民,自豪地称自己美国。自然界的和谐和数学
他的第一个万圣节生活在美国,爱因斯坦解除了一些捣蛋的小夜曲惊讶他们在门口和小提琴。在圣诞节,当成员的本地教会来唱圣诞颂歌,他走到外面,借了一把小提琴,愉快地陪他们。爱因斯坦很快获得的图像,它长到附近的一个传说,是一个亲切的教授,分散在次但始终甜,谁很少梳头穿袜子。”我已经到了一岁时,如果有人告诉我穿袜子,我不去,”他告诉当地的一些孩子。他曾经帮助一个15岁的学生,亨利·罗索,以新闻类。我们的老师提供了一个高档的人得分采访的科学家,所以我们出现在爱因斯坦的家,却被拒绝在门外。送牛奶的人给了他一个提示:爱因斯坦走了一段路每早晨9: 30.rosso溜出学校,同他搭讪。但学生,突然所有的困惑,不知道问什么。所以爱因斯坦提出的问题,关于数学的。”我发现大自然是建造在一个美妙的方式,我们的任务就是找到我们的[它]的数学结构,”爱因斯坦解释了自己的教育。”它是一种信念,帮助我通过我的整个生活。”访谈获得亨利罗索A。
unit 5 Writing Three Thank-You Letters
Alex Haley served in the Coast Guard during World War ll.On an especially lonely day to be at sea--Thanksgiving Day--he began to give serious thought to a holiday that has become, for many Americans, a day of overeating and watching endless games of football.Haley decided to celebrate the true meaning of Thanksgiving by writing three very special letters.亚历克斯·黑利二战时在海岸警卫队服役。出海在外,时逢一个倍感孤寂的日子――感恩节,他开始认真思考起这一节日的意义。对许多美国人而言,这个节日已成为大吃大喝、没完没了地看橄榄球比赛的日子。黑利决定写三封不同寻常的信,以此来纪念感恩节的真正意义。
Writing Three Thank-You Letters
Alex Haley
It was 1943, during World War II, and I was a young U.S.coastguardsman.My ship, the USS Murzim, had been under way for several days.Most of her holds contained thousands of cartons of canned or dried foods.The other holds were loaded with five-hundred-pound bombs packed delicately in padded racks.Our destination was a big base on the island of Tulagi in the South Pacific.写三封感谢信 亚利克斯·黑利
那是在二战期间的1943年,我是个年轻的美国海岸警卫队队员。我们的船,美国军舰军市一号已出海多日。多数船舱装着成千上万箱罐装或风干的食品。其余的船舱装着不少五百磅重的炸弹,都小心翼翼地放在垫过的架子上。我们的目的地是南太平洋图拉吉岛上一个规模很大的基地。
I was one of the Murzim's several cooks and, quite the same as for folk ashore, this Thanksgiving morning had seen us busily preparing a traditional dinner featuring roast turkey.我是军市一号上的一个厨师,跟岸上的人一样,那个感恩节的上午,我们忙着在准备一道以烤火鸡为主的传统菜肴。
Well, as any cook knows, it's a lot of hard work to cook and serve a big meal, and clean up and put everything away.But finally, around sundown, we finished at last.当厨师的都知道,要烹制一顿大餐,摆上桌,再刷洗、收拾干净,是件辛苦的事。不过,等到太阳快下山时,我们总算全都收拾停当了。
I decided first to go out on the Murzim's afterdeck for a breath of open air.I made my way out there, breathing in great, deep draughts while walking slowly about, still wearing my white cook's hat.我想先去后甲板透透气。我信步走去,一边深深呼吸着空气,一边慢慢地踱着步,头上仍戴着那顶白色的厨师帽。
I got to thinking about Thanksgiving, of the Pilgrims, Indians, wild turkeys, pumpkins, corn on the cob, and the rest.我开始思索起感恩节这个节日来,想着清教徒前辈移民、印第安人、野火鸡、南瓜、玉米棒等等。
Yet my mind seemed to be in quest of something else--some way that I could personally apply to the close of Thanksgiving.It must have taken me a half hour to sense that maybe some key to an answer could result from reversing the word “Thanksgiving”--at least that suggested a verbal direction, “Giving thanks.”
可我脑子里似乎还在搜索着别的事什么――某种我能够赋予这一节日以个人意义的方式。大概过了半个小时左右我才意识到,问题的关键也许在于把Thanksgiving这个字前后颠倒一下――那样一来至少文字好懂了:Giving thanks。
Giving thanks--as in praying, thanking God, I thought.Yes, of course.Certainly.表达谢意――就如在祈祷时感谢上帝那样,我暗想。对啊,是这样,当然是这样。
Yet my mind continued turning the idea over.可我脑子里仍一直盘桓着这事。
After a while, like a dawn's brightening, a further answer did come--that there were people to thank, people who had done so much for me that I could never possibly repay them.The embarrassing truth was I'd always just accepted what they'd done, taken all of it for granted.Not one time had I ever bothered to express to any of them so much as a simple, sincere “Thank you.”
过了片刻,如同晨曦初现,一个更清晰的念头终于涌现脑际――要感谢他人,那些赐我以诸多恩惠,我根本无以回报的人们。令我深感不安的实际情形是,我向来对他们所做的一切受之泰然,认为是理所应当。我一次也没想过要对他们中的任何一位真心诚意地说一句简单的谢谢。
At least seven people had been particularly and lastingly helpful to me.I realized, swallowing hard, that about half of them had since died--so they were forever beyond any possible expression of gratitude from me.The more I thought about it, the more ashamed I became.Then I pictured the three who were still alive and, within minutes, I was down in my cabin.至少有七个人对我有过不同寻常、影响深远的帮助。令人难过的是,我意识到,他们中有一半已经过世了――因此他们永远也无法接受我的谢意了。我越想越感到羞愧。最后我想到了仍健在的三位,几分钟后,我就回到了自己的舱房。
Sitting at a table with writing paper and memories of things each had done, I tried composing genuine statements of heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to my dad, Simon A.Haley, a professor at the old Agricultural Mechanical Normal College in Pine Bluff, Arkansas;to my grandma, Cynthia Palmer, back in our little hometown of Henning, Tennessee;and to the Rev.Lonual Nelson, my grammar school principal, retired and living in Ripley, six miles north of Henning.我坐在摊着信纸的桌旁,回想着他们各自对我所做的一切,试图用真挚的文字表达我对他们的由衷的感激之情:父亲西蒙·A·黑利,阿肯色州派因布拉夫那所古老的农业机械师范学院的教授;住在田纳西州小镇亨宁老家的外祖母辛西娅·帕尔默;以及我的文法学校校长,退休后住在亨宁以北6英里处的里普利的洛纽尔·纳尔逊牧师。
The texts of my letters began something like, “Here, this Thanksgiving at sea, I find my thoughts upon how much you have done for me, but I have never stopped and said to you how much I feel the need to thank you--” And briefly I recalled for each of them specific acts performed on my behalf.我的信是这样开头的:“出海在外度过的这个感恩节,令我回想起您为我做了那么多事,但我从来没有对您说过自己是多么想感谢您――”我简短回忆了各位为我所做的具体事例。
For instance, something uppermost about my father was how he had impressed upon me from boyhood to love books and reading.In fact, this graduated into a family habit of after-dinner quizzes at the table about books read most recently and new words learned.My love of books never diminished and later led me toward writing books myself.So many times I have felt a sadness when exposed to modern children so immersed in the electronic media that they have little or no awareness of the marvelous world to be discovered in books.例如,我父亲的最不同寻常之处在于,从我童年时代起,他就让我深深意识到要热爱书籍、热爱阅读。事实上,这一爱好渐渐变成一种家庭习惯,晚饭后大家围在餐桌旁互相考查近日所读的书以及新学的单词。我对书籍的热爱从未减弱,日后还引导我自己撰文著书。多少次,当我看到如今的孩子们如此沉迷于电子媒体时,我不由深感悲哀,他们很少,或者根本不了解书中所能发现的神奇世界。
I reminded the Reverend Nelson how each morning he would open our little country town's grammar school with a prayer over his assembled students.I told him that whatever positive things I had done since had been influenced at least in part by his morning school prayers.我跟纳尔逊牧师提及他如何每天清晨和集合在一起的学生做祷告,以此开始乡村小学的一天。我告诉他,我后来所做的任何有意义的事,都至少部分地是受了他那些学校晨祷的影响。
In the letter to my grandmother, I reminded her of a dozen ways she used to teach me how to tell the truth, to share, and to be forgiving and considerate of others.I thanked her for the years of eating her good cooking, the equal of which I had not found since.Finally, I thanked her simply for having sprinkled my life with stardust.在给外祖母的信中,我谈到了她用了种种方式教我讲真话,教我与人分享,教我宽恕、体谅他人。我感谢她多年来让我吃到她烧的美味菜肴,离开她后我从来没吃过那么可口的菜肴。最后,我感谢她,因为她在我的生命中撒下美妙的遐想。
Before I slept, my three letters went into our ship's office mail sack.They got mailed when we reached Tulagi Island.睡觉前,我的这三封信都送进了船上的邮袋。我们抵达图拉吉岛后都寄了出去。
We unloaded cargo, reloaded with something else, then again we put to sea in the routine familiar to us, and as the days became weeks, my little personal experience receded.Sometimes, when we were at sea, a mail ship would rendezvous and bring us mail from home, which, of course, we accorded topmost priority.我们卸了货,又装了其它物品,随后我们按熟悉的常规,再次出海。一天又一天,一星期又一星期,我个人的经历渐渐淡忘。我们在海上航行时,有时会与邮船会合,邮船会带给我们家信,当然这是我们视为最紧要的事情。
Every time the ship's loudspeaker rasped, “Attention!Mail call!” two hundred-odd shipmates came pounding up on deck and clustered about the two seamen, standing by those precious bulging gray sacks.They were alternately pulling out fistfuls of letters and barking successive names of sailors who were, in turn, shouting back “Here!Here!” amid the pushing.每当船上的喇叭响起:“大伙听好!邮件点名!”200名左右的水兵就会冲上甲板,围聚在那两个站在宝贵的鼓鼓囊囊的灰色邮袋旁的水手周围。两人轮流取出一把信,大声念收信水手的名字,叫到的人从人群当中挤出,一边应道:“来了,来了!”
One “mail call” brought me responses from Grandma, Dad, and the Reverend Nelson--and my reading of their letters left me not only astonished but more humbled than before.一次“邮件点名”带给我外祖母,爸爸,以及纳尔逊牧师的回信――我读了信,既震惊又深感卑微。
Rather than saying they would forgive that I hadn't previously thanked them, instead, for Pete's sake, they were thanking me--for having remembered, for having considered they had done anything so exceptional.他们没有说他们原谅我以前不曾感谢他们,相反,他们向我致谢,天哪,就因为我记得,就因为我认为他们做了不同寻常的事。
Always the college professor, my dad had carefully avoided anything he considered too sentimental, so I knew how moved he was to write me that, after having helped educate many young people, he now felt that his best results included his own son.身为大学教授的爸爸向来特别留意不使用任何过于感情化的文字,因此,当他对我写道,在教了许许多多的年轻人之后,他认为自己最优秀的学生当中也包括自己的儿子时,我知道他是多么地感动。
The Reverend Nelson wrote that his decades as a “simple, old-fashioned principal” had ended with schools undergoing such swift changes that he had retired in self-doubt.“I heard more of what I had done wrong than what I did right,” he said, adding that my letter had brought him welcome reassurance that his career had been appreciated.纳尔逊牧师写道,他那平凡的传统校长的岁月随着学校里发生的如此迅猛的变化而结束,他怀着自我怀疑的心态退了休。“说我做得不对的远远多于说我做得对的,” 他写道,接着说我的信给他带来了振奋人心的信心:自己的校长生涯还是有其价值的。
A glance at Grandma's familiar handwriting brought back in a flash memories of standing alongside her white rocking chair, watching her “settin' down” some letter to relatives.Character by character, Grandma would slowly accomplish one word, then the next, so that a finished page would consume hours.I wept over the page representing my Grandma's recent hours invested in expressing her loving gratefulness to me--whom she used to diaper!
一看到外祖母那熟悉的笔迹,我顿时回想起往日站在她的白色摇椅旁看她给亲戚写信的情景。外祖母一个字母一个字母地慢慢拼出一个词,接着是下一个词,因此写满一页要花上几个小时。捧着外祖母最近花费不少工夫对我表达了充满慈爱的谢意,我禁不住流泪――从前是她给我换尿布的呀。
Much later, retired from the Coast Guard and trying to make a living as a writer, I never forgot how those three “thank you” letters gave me an insight into how most human beings go about longing in secret for more of their fellows to express appreciation for their efforts.许多年后,我从海岸警卫队退役,试着靠写作为生,我一直不曾忘记那三封“感谢”信是如何使我认识到,大凡人都暗自期望着有更多的人对自己的努力表达谢意。
Now, approaching another Thanksgiving, I have asked myself what will I wish for all who are reading this, for our nation, indeed for our whole world--since, quoting a good and wise friend of mine, “In the end we are mightily and merely people, each with similar needs.” First, I wish for us, of course, the simple common sense to achieve world peace, that being paramount for the very survival of our kind.现在,感恩节又将来临,我自问,对此文的读者,对我们的祖国,事实上对全世界,我有什么祝愿,因为,用一位善良而且又有智慧的朋友的话来说,“我们究其实都是十分相像的凡人,有着相似的需求。”当然,我首先祝愿大家记住这一简单的常识:实现世界和平,这对我们自身的存亡至关重要。
And there is something else I wish--so strongly that I have had this line printed across the bottom of all my stationery: “Find the good--and praise it.”
此外我还有别的祝愿――这一祝愿是如此强烈,我将这句话印在我所有的信笺底部:“发现并褒扬各种美好的事物。”
Thanksgiving, like Spring Festival, brings families back together from across the country.Waiting for her children to arrive, Ellen Goodman reflects on the changing relationship between parents and children as they grow up and leave home, often to settle far away.如同春节那样,散居各处的美国人到感恩节就回家团聚。埃伦·古德曼在等待着子女回家的同时,思索着当子女长大离家,常常在远方定居之后,父母与子女关系的不断变化。
找不到b了
unit 6 The Last Leaf
When Johnsy fell seriously ill, she seemed to lose the will to hang on to life.The doctor held out little hope for her.Her friends seemed helpless.Was there nothing to be done?
约翰西病情严重,她似乎失去了活下去的意志。医生对她不抱什么希望。朋友们看来也爱莫能助。难道真的就无可奈何了吗?
The Last Leaf
O.Henry
At the top of a three-story brick building, Sue and Johnsy had their studio.“Johnsy” was familiar for Joanna.One was from Maine;the other from California.They had met at a cafe on Eighth Street and found their tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves so much in tune that the joint studio resulted.最后一片叶子 欧·亨利
在一幢三层砖楼的顶层,苏和约翰西辟了个画室。“约翰西”是乔安娜的昵称。她们一位来自缅因州,一位来自加利福尼亚。两人相遇在第八大街的一个咖啡馆,发现各自在艺术品味、菊苣色拉,以及灯笼袖等方面趣味相投,于是就有了这个两人画室。
That was in May.In November a cold, unseen stranger, whom the doctors called Pneumonia, stalked about the district, touching one here and there with his icy fingers.Johnsy was among his victims.She lay, scarcely moving on her bed, looking through the small window at the blank side of the next brick house.那是5月里的事。到了11月,一个医生称之为肺炎的阴森的隐形客闯入了这一地区,用它冰冷的手指东碰西触。约翰西也为其所害。她病倒了,躺在床上几乎一动不动,只能隔着小窗望着隔壁砖房那单调沉闷的侧墙。
One morning the busy doctor invited Sue into the hallway with a bushy, gray eyebrow.一天上午,忙碌的医生扬了扬灰白的浓眉,示意苏来到过道。
“She has one chance in ten,” he said.“And that chance is for her to want to live.Your little lady has made up her mind that she's not going to get well.Has she anything on her mind?
“她只有一成希望,”他说。“那还得看她自己是不是想活下去。你这位女朋友已经下决心不想好了。她有什么心事吗?”
”She--she wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day,“ said Sue.“她――她想有一天能去画那不勒斯湾,”苏说。
”Paint?--bosh!Has she anything on her mind worth thinking about twice--a man, for instance?“
“画画?――得了。她有没有别的事值得她留恋的――比如说,一个男人?”
”A man?“ said Sue.”Is a man worth--but, no, doctor;there is nothing of the kind.“
“男人?”苏说。“难道一个男人就值得――可是,她没有啊,大夫,没有这码子事。”
”Well,“ said the doctor.”I will do all that science can accomplish.But whenever my patient begins to count the carriages in her funeral procession I subtract 50 per cent from the curative power of medicines.“ After the doctor had gone Sue went into the workroom and cried.Then she marched into Johnsy's room with her drawing board, whistling a merry tune.“好吧,”大夫说。“我会尽一切努力,只要是科学能做到的。可是,但凡病人开始计算她出殡的行列里有几辆马车的时候,我就要把医药的疗效减去一半。”大夫走后,苏去工作室哭了一场。随后她携着画板大步走进约翰西的房间,口里吹着轻快的口哨。
Johnsy lay, scarcely making a movement under the bedclothes, with her face toward the window.She was looking out and counting--counting backward.约翰西躺在被子下几乎一动不动,脸朝着窗。她望着窗外,数着数――倒数着数!
”Twelve,“ she said, and a little later ”eleven“;and then ”ten,“ and ”nine“;and then ”eight“ and ”seven,“ almost together.“12,”她数道,过了一会儿“11”,接着数“10”和“9”;再数“8”和“7”,几乎一口同时数下来。
Sue looked out of the window.What was there to count? There was only a bare, dreary yard to be seen, and the blank side of the brick house twenty feet away.An old, old ivy vine climbed half way up the brick wall.The cold breath of autumn had blown away its leaves, leaving it almost bare.苏朝窗外望去。外面有什么好数的呢?外面只看到一个空荡荡的沉闷的院子,还有20英尺开外那砖房的侧墙,上面什么也没有。一棵古老的常青藤爬到半墙高。萧瑟秋风吹落了枝叶,藤上几乎光秃秃的。
”Six,“ said Johnsy, in almost a whisper.”They're falling faster now.Three days ago there were almost a hundred.It made my head ache to count them.But now it's easy.There goes another one.There are only five left now.“
“6”,约翰西数着,声音几乎听不出来。“现在叶子掉落得快多了。三天前差不多还有100片。数得我头都疼。可现在容易了。又掉了一片。这下子只剩5片了。”
”Five what, dear? “
“5片什么,亲爱的?”
”Leaves.On the ivy vine.When the last one falls I must go, too.I've known that for three days.Didn't the doctor tell you?“
“叶子。常青藤上的叶子。等最后一片叶子掉了,我也就得走了。三天前我就知道会这样。大夫没跟你说吗?”
”Oh, I never heard of such nonsense.What have old ivy leaves to do with your getting well? Don't be so silly.Why, the doctor told me this morning that your chances for getting well real soon were ten to one!Try to take some soup now, and let Sudie go and buy port wine for her sick child.“
“噢,我从没听说过这种胡说八道。常青藤叶子跟你病好不好有什么关系?别这么傻。对了,大夫上午跟我说,你的病十有八九就快好了。快喝些汤,让苏迪给她生病的孩子去买些波尔图葡萄酒来。”
”You needn't get any more wine,“ said Johnsy, keeping her eyes fixed out the window.”There goes another.No, I don't want any soup.That leaves just four.I want to see the last one fall before it gets dark.Then I'll go, too.I'm tired of waiting.I'm tired of thinking.I want to turn loose my hold on everything, and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves.“
“你不用再去买酒了,”约翰西说道,两眼一直盯着窗外。“又掉了一片。不,我不想喝汤。这一下只剩下4片了。我要在天黑前看到最后一片叶子掉落。那时我也就跟着走了。我都等腻了。也想腻了。我只想撇开一切, 飘然而去,就像那边一片可怜的疲倦的叶子。”
”Try to sleep,“ said Sue.”I must call Behrman up to be my model for the old miner.I'll not be gone a minute.“
“快睡吧,”苏说。“我得叫贝尔曼上楼来给我当老矿工模特儿。我去去就来。”
Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.He was past sixty and had a long white beard curling down over his chest.Despite looking the part, Behrman was a failure in art.For forty years he had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.He earned a little by serving as a model to those young artists who could not pay the price of a professional.He drank gin to excess, and still talked of his coming masterpiece.For the rest he was a fierce little old man, who mocked terribly at softness in any one, and who regarded himself as guard dog to the two young artists in the studio above.老贝尔曼是住在两人楼下底层的一个画家。他已年过六旬,银白色蜷曲的长髯披挂胸前。贝尔曼看上去挺像艺术家,但在艺术上却没有什么成就。40年来他一直想创作一幅传世之作,却始终没能动手。他给那些请不起职业模特的青年画家当模特挣点小钱。他没节制地喝酒,谈论着他那即将问世的不朽之作。要说其他方面,他是个好斗的小老头,要是谁表现出一点软弱,他便大肆嘲笑,并把自己看成是楼上画室里两位年轻艺术家的看护人。
Sue found Behrman smelling strongly of gin in his dimly lighted studio below.In one corner was a blank canvas on an easel that had been waiting there for twenty-five years to receive the first line of the masterpiece.She told him of Johnsy's fancy, and how she feared she would, indeed, light and fragile as a leaf herself, float away, when her slight hold upon the world grew weaker.Old Behrman, with his red eyes plainly streaming, shouted his contempt for such foolish imaginings.苏在楼下光线暗淡的画室里找到了贝尔曼,他满身酒味刺鼻。屋子一角的画架上支着一张从未落过笔的画布,在那儿搁了25年,等着一幅杰作的起笔。苏把约翰西的怪念头跟他说了,并说约翰西本身就像一片叶子又瘦又弱,她害怕要是她那本已脆弱的生存意志再软下去的话,真的会凋零飘落。老贝尔曼双眼通红,显然是泪涟涟的,他大声叫嚷着说他蔑视这种傻念头。
”What!“ he cried.”Are there people in the world foolish enough to die because leafs drop off from a vine? I have never heard of such a thing.Why do you allow such silly ideas to come into that head of hers? God!This is not a place in which one so good as Miss Johnsy should lie sick.Some day I will paint a masterpiece, and we shall all go away.Yes.“
“什么!”他嚷道。“世界上竟然有这么愚蠢的人,因为树叶从藤上掉落就要去死?我听都没听说过这等事。你怎么让这种傻念头钻到她那个怪脑袋里?天哪!这不是一个像约翰西小姐这样的好姑娘躺倒生病的地方。有朝一日我要画一幅巨作,那时候我们就离开这里。真的。”
Johnsy was sleeping when they went upstairs.Sue pulled the shade down, and motioned Behrman into the other room.In there they peered out the window fearfully at the ivy vine.Then they looked at each other for a moment without speaking.A persistent, cold rain was falling, mingled with snow.Behrman, in his old blue shirt, took his seat as the miner on an upturned kettle for a rock.两人上了楼,约翰西已经睡着了。苏放下窗帘,示意贝尔曼去另一个房间。在那儿两人惶惶不安地凝视着窗外的常青藤。接着两人面面相觑,哑然无语。外面冷雨夹雪,淅淅沥沥。贝尔曼穿着破旧的蓝色衬衣, 坐在充当矿石的倒置的水壶上,摆出矿工的架势。
When Sue awoke from an hour's sleep the next morning she found Johnsy with dull, wide-open eyes staring at the drawn green shade.第二天早上,只睡了一个小时的苏醒来看到约翰西睁大着无神的双眼,凝望着拉下的绿色窗帘。
”Pull it up;I want to see,“ she ordered, in a whisper.“把窗帘拉起来;我要看,”她低声命令道。
Wearily Sue obeyed.苏带着疲倦,遵命拉起窗帘。
But, Lo!after the beating rain and fierce wind that had endured through the night, there yet stood out against the brick wall one ivy leaf.It was the last on the vine.Still dark green near its stem, but with its edges colored yellow, it hung bravely from a branch some twenty feet above the ground.可是,瞧!经过一整夜的急风骤雨,竟然还存留一片常青藤叶,背靠砖墙,格外显目。这是常青藤上的最后一片叶子。近梗部位仍呈暗绿色,但边缘已经泛黄了,它无所畏惧地挂在离地20多英尺高的枝干上。
”It is the last one,“ said Johnsy.”I thought it would surely fall during the night.I heard the wind.It will fall today, and I shall die at the same time.“
“这是最后一片叶子,”约翰西说。“我以为夜里它肯定会掉落的。我晚上听到大风呼啸。今天它会掉落的,叶子掉的时候,也是我死的时候。”
The day wore away, and even through the twilight they could see the lone ivy leaf clinging to its stem against the wall.And then, with the coming of the night the north wind was again loosed.白天慢慢过去了,即便在暮色黄昏之中,他们仍能看到那片孤零零的常青藤叶子,背靠砖墙,紧紧抱住梗茎。尔后,随着夜幕的降临,又是北风大作。
When it was light enough Johnsy, the merciless, commanded that the shade be raised.等天色亮起,冷酷无情的约翰西命令将窗帘拉起。
The ivy leaf was still there.常青藤叶依然挺在。
Johnsy lay for a long time looking at it.And then she called to Sue, who was stirring her chicken soup over the gas stove.约翰西躺在那儿,望着它许久许久。接着她大声呼唤正在煤气灶上搅鸡汤的苏。
”I've been a bad girl, Sudie,“ said Johnsy.”Something has made that last leaf stay there to show me how wicked I was.It is a sin to want to die.You may bring me a little soup now, and some milk with a little port in it and--no;bring me a hand-mirror first, and then pack some pillows about me, and I will sit up and watch you cook.“
“我一直像个不乖的孩子,苏迪,”约翰西说。“有一种力量让那最后一片叶子不掉,好让我看到自己有多坏。想死是一种罪过。你给我喝点汤吧,再来点牛奶,稍放一点波尔图葡萄酒――不,先给我拿面小镜子来,弄几个枕头垫在我身边,我要坐起来看你做菜。”
An hour later she said:
一个小时之后,她说:
”Sudie, some day I hope to paint the Bay of Naples.“
“苏迪,我真想有一天去画那不勒斯海湾。”
The doctor came in the afternoon, and Sue had an excuse to go into the hallway as he left.下午大夫来了,他走时苏找了个借口跟进了过道。
”Even chances,“ said the doctor, taking Sue's thin, shaking hand in his.“现在是势均力敌,”大夫说着,握了握苏纤细颤抖的手。
”With good nursing you'll win.And now I must see another case I have downstairs.Behrman, his name is--some kind of an artist, I believe.Pneumonia, too.He is an old, weak man, and the attack is acute.There is no hope for him;but he goes to the hospital today to be made more comfortable.“
“只要精心照料,你就赢了。现在我得去楼下看另外一个病人了。贝尔曼,是他的名字――记得是个什么画家。也是肺炎。他年老体弱,病来势又猛。他是没救了。不过今天他去了医院,照料得会好一点。”
The next day the doctor said to Sue: ”She's out of danger.You've won.The right food and care now--that's all.“
第二天,大夫对苏说:“她脱离危险了。你赢了。注意饮食,好好照顾,就行了。”
And that afternoon Sue came to the bed where Johnsy lay and put one arm around her.当日下午,苏来到约翰西的床头,用一只手臂搂住她。
”I have something to tell you, white mouse,“ she said.”Mr.Behrman died of pneumonia today in the hospital.He was ill only two days.He was found on the morning of the first day in his room downstairs helpless with pain.His shoes and clothing were wet through and icy cold.They couldn't imagine where he had been on such a terrible night.And then they found a lantern, still lighted, and a ladder that had been dragged from its place, and some scattered brushes, and a palette with green and yellow colors mixed on it, and--look out the window, dear, at the last ivy leaf on the wall.Didn't you wonder why it never fluttered or moved when the wind blew? Ah, darling, it's Behrman's masterpiece--he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell."
“我跟你说件事,小白鼠,”她说。“贝尔曼先生今天在医院里得肺炎去世了。他得病才两天。发病那天上午人家在楼下他的房间里发现他疼得利害。他的鞋子衣服都湿透了,冰冷冰冷的。他们想不出那么糟糕的天气他夜里会去哪儿。后来他们发现了一个灯笼,还亮着,还有一个梯子被拖了出来,另外还有些散落的画笔,一个调色板,和着黄绿两种颜色,――看看窗外,宝贝儿,看看墙上那最后一片常青藤叶子。它在刮风的时候一动也不动,你没有觉得奇怪吗?啊,亲爱的,那是贝尔曼的杰作――最后一片叶子掉落的那天夜里他画上了这片叶子。”
He did not trust the woman to trust him.And he did not trust the woman not to trust him.And he did not want to be mistrusted now.他不敢相信这个女人居然会信任自己。他也不认为这个女人就不信任自己。不过,现在他不想失去别人对自己的信任。
第四篇:全新版大学英语综合教程3课文原文和翻译
unit 1 Mr.Doherty Builds His Dream Life
In America many people have a romantic idea of life in the countryside.Many living in towns dream of starting up their own farm, of living off the land.Few get round to putting their dreams into practice.This is perhaps just as well, as the life of a farmer is far from easy, as Jim Doherty discovered when he set out to combine being a writer with running a farm.Nevertheless, as he explains, he has no regrets and remains enthusiastic about his decision to change his way of life.在美国,不少人对乡村生活怀有浪漫的情感。许多居住在城镇的人梦想着自己办个农场,梦想着靠土地为生。很少有人真去把梦想变为现实。或许这也没有什么不好,因为,正如吉姆·多尔蒂当初开始其写作和农场经营双重生涯时所体验到的那样,农耕生活远非轻松自在。但他写道,自己并不后悔,对自己作出的改变生活方式的决定仍热情不减。
Mr.Doherty Builds His Dream Life
Jim Doherty
There are two things I have always wanted to do--write and live
on a farm.Today I'm doing both.I am not in E.B.White's class as a writer or in my neighbors' league as a farmer, but I'm getting by.And after years of frustration with city and suburban living, my wife Sandy and I have finally found contentment here in the country.多尔蒂先生创建自己的理想生活
吉姆·多尔蒂
有两件事是我一直想做的――写作与务农。如今我同时做着这两件事。作为作家,我和E·B·怀特不属同一等级,作为农场主,我和乡邻也不是同一类人,不过我应付得还行。在城市以及郊区历经多年的怅惘失望之后,我和妻子桑迪终于在这里的乡村寻觅到心灵的满足。
It's a self-reliant sort of life.We grow nearly all of our fruits and vegetables.Our hens keep us in eggs, with several dozen left over to sell each week.Our bees provide us with honey, and we cut enough wood to just about make it through the heating season.这是一种自力更生的生活。我们食用的果蔬几乎都是自己种的。自家饲养的鸡提供鸡蛋,每星期还能剩余几十个出售。自家养殖的蜜蜂提供蜂蜜,我们还自己动手砍柴,足可供过冬取暖之用。
It's a satisfying life too.In the summer we canoe on the river, go
picnicking in the woods and take long bicycle rides.In the winter we ski and skate.We get excited about sunsets.We love the smell of the earth warming and the sound of cattle lowing.We watch for hawks in the sky and deer in the cornfields.这也是一种令人满足的生活。夏日里我们在河上荡舟,在林子里野餐,骑着自行车长时间漫游。冬日里我们滑雪溜冰。我们为落日的余辉而激动。我们爱闻大地回暖的气息,爱听牛群哞叫。我们守着看鹰儿飞过上空,看玉米田间鹿群嬉跃。
But the good life can get pretty tough.Three months ago when it was 30 below, we spent two miserable days hauling firewood up the river on a sled.Three months from now, it will be 95 above and we will be cultivating corn, weeding strawberries and killing chickens.Recently, Sandy and I had to retile the back roof.Soon Jim, 16 and Emily, 13, the youngest of our four children, will help me make some long-overdue improvements on the outdoor toilet that supplements our indoor plumbing when we are working outside.Later this month, we'll spray the orchard, paint the barn, plant the garden and clean the hen house before the new chicks arrive.但如此美妙的生活有时会变得相当艰苦。就在三个月前,气温降到华氏零下30度,我们辛苦劳作了整整两天,用一个雪橇沿着河边拖运木柴。再过三个月,气温会升到95度,我们就要给玉米松土,在草莓地除草,还要宰杀家禽。前一阵子我和桑迪不得不翻修后屋顶。过些时候,四个孩子中的两个小的,16岁的吉米和13岁的埃米莉,会帮着我一起把拖了很久没修的室外厕所修葺一下,那是专为室外干活修建的。这个月晚些时候,我们要给果树喷洒药水,要油漆谷仓,要给菜园播种,要赶在新的小鸡运到之前清扫鸡舍。
In between such chores, I manage to spend 50 to 60 hours a week at the typewriter or doing reporting for the freelance articles I sell to magazines and newspapers.Sandy, meanwhile, pursues her own demanding schedule.Besides the usual household routine, she oversees the garden and beehives, bakes bread, cans and freezes, drives the kids to their music lessons, practices with them, takes organ lessons on her own, does research and typing for me, writes an article herself now and then, tends the flower beds, stacks a little wood and delivers the eggs.There is, as the old saying goes, no rest for the wicked on a place like this--and not much for the virtuous either.在这些活计之间,我每周要抽空花五、六十个小时,不是打字撰文,就是为作为自由撰稿人投给报刊的文章进行采访。桑迪则有她自己繁忙的工作日程。除了日常的家务,她还照管菜园和蜂房,烘烤面包,将食品装罐、冷藏,开车送孩子学音乐,和他们一起练习,自己还要上风琴课,为我做些研究工作并打字,自己有时也写写文章,还要侍弄花圃,堆摞木柴、运送鸡蛋。正如老话说的那样,在这种情形之下,坏人不得闲――贤德之人也歇
不了。
None of us will ever forget our first winter.We were buried under five feet of snow from December through March.While one storm after another blasted huge drifts up against the house and barn, we kept warm inside burning our own wood, eating our own apples and loving every minute of it.我们谁也不会忘记第一年的冬天。从12月一直到3月底,我们都被深达5英尺的积雪困着。暴风雪肆虐,一场接着一场,积雪厚厚地覆盖着屋子和谷仓,而室内,我们用自己砍伐的木柴烧火取暖,吃着自家种植的苹果,温馨快乐每一分钟。
When spring came, it brought two floods.First the river overflowed, covering much of our land for weeks.Then the growing season began, swamping us under wave after wave of produce.Our freezer filled up with cherries, raspberries, strawberries, asparagus, peas, beans and corn.Then our canned-goods shelves and cupboards began to grow with preserves, tomato juice, grape juice, plums, jams and jellies.Eventually, the basement floor disappeared under piles of potatoes, squash and pumpkins, and the barn began to fill with apples and pears.It was amazing.开春后,有过两次泛滥。一次是河水外溢,我们不少田地被淹
了几个星期。接着一次是生长季节到了,一波又一波的农产品潮涌而来,弄得我们应接不暇。我们的冰箱里塞满了樱桃、蓝莓、草莓、芦笋、豌豆、青豆和玉米。接着我们存放食品罐的架子上、柜橱里也开始堆满一罐罐的腌渍食品,有番茄汁、葡萄汁、李子、果酱和果冻。最后,地窖里遍地是大堆大堆的土豆、西葫芦、南瓜,谷仓里也储满了苹果和梨。真是太美妙了。
The next year we grew even more food and managed to get through the winter on firewood that was mostly from our own trees and only 100 gallons of heating oil.At that point I began thinking seriously about quitting my job and starting to freelance.The timing was terrible.By then, Shawn and Amy, our oldest girls were attending expensive Ivy League schools and we had only a few thousand dollars in the bank.Yet we kept coming back to the same question: Will there ever be a better time? The answer, decidedly, was no, and so--with my employer's blessings and half a year's pay in accumulated benefits in my pocket--off I went.第二年我们种了更多的作物,差不多就靠着从自家树林砍斫的木柴以及仅仅100加仑的燃油过了冬。其时,我开始认真考虑起辞了职去从事自由撰稿的事来。时机选得实在太差。当时,两个大的女儿肖恩和埃米正在费用很高的常春藤学校上学,而我们只有几千美金的银行存款。但我们一再回到一个老问题上来:真的会有更好的时机吗?答案无疑是否定的。于是,带着老板的祝福,口袋里揣着作为累
积津贴的半年薪水,我走了。
There have been a few anxious moments since then, but on balance things have gone much better than we had any right to expect.For various stories of mine, I've crawled into black-bear dens for Sports Illustrated, hitched up dogsled racing teams for Smithsonian magazine, checked out the Lake Champlain “monster” for Science Digest, and canoed through the Boundary Waters wilderness area of Minnesota for Destinations.那以后有过一些焦虑的时刻,但总的来说,情况比我们料想的要好得多。为了写那些内容各不相同的文章,我为《体育画报》爬进过黑熊窝;为《史密森期刊》替参赛的一组组狗套上过雪橇;为《科学文摘》调查过尚普兰湖水怪的真相;为《终点》杂志在明尼苏达划着小舟穿越美、加边界水域内的公共荒野保护区。
I'm not making anywhere near as much money as I did when I was employed full time, but now we don't need as much either.I generate enough income to handle our $600-a-month mortgage payments plus the usual expenses for a family like ours.That includes everything from music lessons and dental bills to car repairs and college costs.When it comes to insurance, we have a poor man's major-medical policy.We have to pay the first $500 of any medical fees for each member of the family.It picks up 80% of the costs beyond that.Although we are stuck with paying
minor expenses, our premium is low--only $560 a year--and we are covered against catastrophe.Aside from that and the policy on our two cars at $400 a year, we have no other insurance.But we are setting aside $2,000 a year in an IRA.我挣的钱远比不上担任全职工作时的收入,可如今我们需要的钱也没有过去多。我挣的钱足以应付每月600美金的房屋贷款按揭以及一家人的日常开销。那些开销包括了所有支出,如音乐课学费、牙医账单、汽车维修以及大学费用等等。至于保险,我们买了一份低收入者的主要医疗项目保险。我们需要为每一位家庭成员的任何一项医疗费用支付最初的500美金。医疗保险则支付超出部分的80%。虽然我们仍要支付小部分医疗费用,但我们的保险费也低--每年只要560美金--而我们给自己生大病保了险。除了这一保险项目,以及两辆汽车每年400美金的保险,我们就没有其他保险了。不过我们每年留出2000美元入个人退休金账户。
We've been able to make up the difference in income by cutting back without appreciably lowering our standard of living.We continue to dine out once or twice a month, but now we patronize local restaurants instead of more expensive places in the city.We still attend the opera and ballet in Milwaukee but only a few times a year.We eat less meat, drink cheaper wine and see fewer movies.Extravagant Christmases are a memory, and we combine vacations with story assignments...我们通过节约开支而又不明显降低生活水准的方式来弥补收入差额。我们每个月仍出去吃一两次饭,不过现在我们光顾的是当地餐馆,而不是城里的高级饭店。我们仍去密尔沃基听歌剧看芭蕾演出,不过一年才几次。我们肉吃得少了,酒喝得便宜了,电影看得少了。铺张的圣诞节成为一种回忆,我们把完成稿约作为度假的一部分„„
I suspect not everyone who loves the country would be happy living the way we do.It takes a couple of special qualities.One is a tolerance for solitude.Because we are so busy and on such a tight budget, we don't entertain much.During the growing season there is no time for socializing anyway.Jim and Emily are involved in school activities, but they too spend most of their time at home.我想,不是所有热爱乡村的人都会乐意过我们这种生活的。这种生活需要一些特殊的素质。其一是耐得住寂寞。由于我们如此忙碌,手头又紧,我们很少请客。在作物生长季节,根本就没工夫参加社交活动。吉米和埃米莉虽然参加学校的各种活动,但他俩大多数时间也呆在家里。
The other requirement is energy--a lot of it.The way to make self-sufficiency work on a small scale is to resist the temptation to buy a tractor and other expensive laborsaving devices.Instead, you do the work yourself.The only machinery we own(not counting the lawn mower)is a little three-horsepower rotary cultivator and a 16-inch chain saw.另一项要求是体力――相当大的体力。小范围里实现自给自足 的途径是抵制诱惑,不去购置拖拉机和其他昂贵的节省劳力的机械。相反,你要自己动手。我们仅有的机器(不包括割草机)是一台3马力的小型旋转式耕耘机以及一架16英寸的链锯。
How much longer we'll have enough energy to stay on here is anybody's guess--perhaps for quite a while, perhaps not.When the time comes, we'll leave with a feeling of sorrow but also with a sense of pride at what we've been able to accomplish.We should make a fair profit on the sale of the place, too.We've invested about $35,000 of our own money in it, and we could just about double that if we sold today.But this is not a good time to sell.Once economic conditions improve, however, demand for farms like ours should be strong again.没人知道我们还能有精力在这里再呆多久--也许呆很长一阵子,也许不是。到走的时候,我们会怆然离去,但也会为自己所做的一切深感自豪。我们把农场出售也会赚相当大一笔钱。我们自己在农场投入了约35,000美金的资金,要是现在售出的话价格差不多可以翻一倍。不过现在不是出售的好时机。但是一旦经济形势好转,对我们这种农场的需求又会增多。
We didn't move here primarily to earn money though.We came because we wanted to improve the quality of our lives.When I watch Emily collecting eggs in the evening, fishing with Jim on the river or enjoying an old-fashioned picnic in the orchard with the entire family, I
know we've found just what we were looking for.但我们主要不是为了赚钱而移居至此的。我们来此居住是因为想提高生活质量。当我看着埃米莉傍晚去收鸡蛋,跟吉米一起在河上钓鱼,或和全家人一起在果园里享用老式的野餐,我知道,我们找到了自己一直在寻求的生活方式。
Donna Barron describes how American family life has changed in recent years.She identifies three forces at work.What are they? Read on to find out.Then ask yourself whether similar forces are at work within China.Will family life here end up going in the same direction?
唐娜·巴伦描述了美国家庭生活近几年来的变化。她指出有三种力量在起作用。是哪三种力量?请读本文。读后问一下自己,同样的力量在中国是否也在起作用。中国的家庭生活最终是否会朝着同一个方向变化?
The Freedom Givers
Fergus M.Bordewich
A gentle breeze swept the Canadian plains as I stepped outside the small two-story house.Alongside me was a slender woman in a black dress, my guide back to a time when the surrounding settlement in
Dresden, Ontario, was home to a hero in American history.As we walked toward a plain gray church, Barbara Carter spoke proudly of her great-great-grandfather, Josiah Henson.“He was confident that the Creator intended all men to be created equal.And he never gave up struggling for that freedom.” 给人以自由者 弗格斯·M·博得威奇
我步出这幢两层小屋,加拿大平原上轻风微拂。我身边是一位苗条的黑衣女子,把我带回到过去的向导。那时,安大略省得雷斯顿这一带住着美国历史上的一位英雄。我们前往一座普普通通的灰色教堂,芭芭拉·卡特自豪地谈论着其高祖乔赛亚·亨森。“他坚信上帝要所有人生来平等。他从来没有停止过争取这一自由权利的奋斗。”
Carter's devotion to her ancestor is about more than personal pride: it is about family honor.For Josiah Henson has lived on through the character in American fiction that he helped inspire: Uncle Tom, the long-suffering slave in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.Ironically, that character has come to symbolize everything Henson was not.A racial sellout unwilling to stand up for himself? Carter gets angry at the thought.“Josiah Henson was a man of principle,” she said firmly.卡特对其先辈的忠诚不仅仅关乎一己之骄傲,而关乎家族荣誉。因为乔赛亚·亨森至今仍为人所知是由于他所激发的创作灵感使
得一个美国小说人物问世:汤姆叔叔,哈丽特·比彻·斯陀的小说《汤姆叔叔的小屋》中那个逆来顺受的黑奴。具有讽刺意味的是,这一人物所象征的一切在亨森身上一点都找不到。一个不愿奋起力争、背叛种族的黑人?卡特对此颇为愤慨。“乔赛亚·亨森是个有原则的人,”她肯定地说。
I had traveled here to Henson's last home--now a historic site that Carter formerly directed--to learn more about a man who was, in many ways, an African-American Moses.After winning his own freedom from slavery, Henson secretly helped hundreds of other slaves to escape north to Canada--and liberty.Many settled here in Dresden with him.我远道前来亨森最后的居所――如今已成为卡特曾管理过的一处历史遗迹――是为了更多地了解此人,他在许多方面堪称黑人摩西。亨森自己摆脱了黑奴身份获得自由之后,便秘密帮助其他许多黑奴逃奔北方去加拿大――逃奔自由之地。许多人和他一起在得雷斯顿这一带定居了下来。
Yet this stop was only part of a much larger mission for me.Josiah Henson is but one name on a long list of courageous men and women who together forged the Underground Railroad, a secret web of escape routes and safe houses that they used to liberate slaves from the American South.Between 1820 and 1860, as many as 100,000 slaves traveled the
Railroad to freedom.但此地只是我所承担的繁重使命的一处停留地。乔赛亚·亨森只是一长串无所畏惧的男女名单中的一个名字,这些人共同创建了这条“地下铁路”,一条由逃亡线路和可靠的人家组成的用以解放美国南方黑奴的秘密网络。在1820年至1860年期间,多达十万名黑奴经由此路走向自由。
In October 2000, President Clinton authorized $16 million for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to honor this first great civil-rights struggle in the U.S.The center is scheduled to open in 2004 in Cincinnati.And it's about time.For the heroes of the Underground Railroad remain too little remembered, their exploits still largely unsung.I was intent on telling their stories.2000年10月,克林顿总统批准拨款1600万美元建造全国“地下铁路”自由中心,以此纪念美国历史上第一次伟大的民权斗争。中心计划于2004年在辛辛那提州建成。真是该建立这样一个中心的时候了。因为地下铁路的英雄们依然默默无闻,他们的业绩依然少人颂扬。我要讲述他们的故事。
John Parker tensed when he heard the soft knock.Peering out his door into the night, he recognized the face of a trusted neighbor.“There's a party of escaped slaves hiding in the woods in Kentucky, twenty miles from the river,” the man whispered urgently.Parker didn't hesitate.“I'll
go,” he said, pushing a pair of pistols into his pockets.听到轻轻的敲门声,约翰·帕克神情紧张起来。他开门窥望,夜色中认出是一位可靠的邻居。“有一群逃亡奴隶躲在肯塔基州的树林里,就在离河20英里的地方,”那人用急迫的口气低语道。帕克没一点儿迟疑。“我就去,”他说着,把两支手枪揣进口袋。
Born a slave two decades before, in the 1820s, Parker had been taken from his mother at age eight and forced to walk in chains from Virginia to Alabama, where he was sold on the slave market.Determined to live free someday, he managed to get trained in iron molding.Eventually he saved enough money working at this trade on the side to buy his freedom.Now, by day, Parker worked in an iron foundry in the Ohio port of Ripley.By night he was a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, helping people slip by the slave hunters.In Kentucky, where he was now headed, there was a $1000 reward for his capture, dead or alive.20年前,即19世纪20年代,生来即为黑奴的帕克才8岁就被从母亲身边带走,被迫拖着镣铐从弗吉尼亚走到阿拉巴马,在那里的黑奴市场被买走。他打定主意有朝一日要过自由的生活,便设法学会了铸铁这门手艺。后来他终于靠这门手艺攒够钱赎回了自由。现在,帕克白天在俄亥俄州里普利港的一家铸铁厂干活。到了晚上,他就成了地下铁路的一位“乘务员”,帮助人们避开追捕逃亡黑奴的人。在他正前往的肯塔基州,当局悬赏1000美元抓他,活人死尸都要。
Crossing the Ohio River on that chilly night, Parker found ten fugitives frozen with fear.“Get your bundles and follow me, ” he told them, leading the eight men and two women toward the river.They had almost reached shore when a watchman spotted them and raced off to spread the news.在那个阴冷的夜晚,帕克渡过俄亥俄河,找到了十个丧魂落魄的逃亡者。“拿好包裹跟我走,”他一边吩咐他们,一边带着这八男二女朝河边走去。就要到岸时,一个巡夜人发现了他们,急忙跑开去报告。
Parker saw a small boat and, with a shout, pushed the escaping slaves into it.There was room for all but two.As the boat slid across the river, Parker watched helplessly as the pursuers closed in around the men he was forced to leave behind.帕克看见一条小船,便大喝一声,把那些逃亡黑奴推上了船。大家都上了船,但有两个人容不下。小船徐徐驶向对岸,帕克眼睁睁地看着追捕者把他被迫留下的两个男人围住。
The others made it to the Ohio shore, where Parker hurriedly arranged for a wagon to take them to the next “station” on the Underground Railroad--the first leg of their journey to safety in Canada.Over the course of his life, John Parker guided more than 400 slaves to safety.其他的人都上了岸,帕克急忙安排了一辆车把他们带到地下铁路的下一“站”――他们走向安全的加拿大之旅的第一程。约翰·帕克在有生之年一共带领400多名黑奴走向安全之地。
While black conductors were often motivated by their own painful experiences, whites were commonly driven by religious convictions.Levi Coffin, a Quaker raised in North Carolina, explained, “The Bible, in bidding us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, said nothing about color.”
黑人去当乘务员常常是由于本人痛苦的经历,而那些白人则往往是受了宗教信仰的感召。在北卡罗来纳州长大的贵格会教徒利瓦伊·科芬解释说:“《圣经》上只是要我们给饥者以食物,无衣者以衣衫,但没提到过肤色的事。”
In the 1820s Coffin moved west to Newport(now Fountain City), Indiana, where he opened a store.Word spread that fleeing slaves could always find refuge at the Coffin home.At times he sheltered as many as 17 fugitives at once, and he kept a team and wagon ready to convey them on the next leg of their journey.Eventually three principal routes converged at the Coffin house, which came to be the Grand Central
Terminal of the Underground Railroad.在19世纪20年代,科芬向西迁移前往印第安纳州的新港(即今天的喷泉市),在那里开了一家小店。人们传说,逃亡黑奴在科芬家总是能得到庇护。有时他一次庇护的逃亡者就多达17人,他还备有一组人员和车辆把他们送往下一段行程。到后来有三条主要路线在科芬家汇合,科芬家成了地下铁路的中央车站。
For his efforts, Coffin received frequent death threats and warnings that his store and home would be burned.Nearly every conductor faced similar risks--or worse.In the North, a magistrate might have imposed a fine or a brief jail sentence for aiding those escaping.In the Southern states, whites were sentenced to months or even years in jail.One courageous Methodist minister, Calvin Fairbank, was imprisoned for more than 17 years in Kentucky, where he kept a log of his beatings: 35,105 stripes with the whip.科芬经常由于他做的工作受到被杀的威胁,收到焚毁他店铺和住宅的警告。几乎每一个乘务员都面临类似的危险――或者更为严重。在北方,治安官会对帮助逃亡的人课以罚金,或判以短期监禁。在南方各州,白人则被判处几个月甚至几年的监禁。一位勇敢的循道宗牧师卡尔文·费尔班克在肯塔基州被关押了17年多,他记录了自己遭受毒打的情况:总共被鞭笞了35,105下。
As for the slaves, escape meant a journey of hundreds of miles through unknown country, where they were usually easy to recognize.With no road signs and few maps, they had to put their trust in directions passed by word of mouth and in secret signs--nails driven into trees, for example--that conductors used to mark the route north.至于那些黑奴,逃亡意味着数百英里的长途跋涉,意味着穿越自己极易被人辨认的陌生地域。没有路标,也几乎没有线路图,他们赶路全凭着口口相告的路线以及秘密记号――比如树上钉着的钉子――是乘务员用来标示北上路线的记号。
Many slaves traveled under cover of night, their faces sometimes caked with white powder.Quakers often dressed their “passengers,” both male and female, in gray dresses, deep bonnets and full veils.On one occasion, Levi Coffin was transporting so many runaway slaves that he disguised them as a funeral procession.许多黑奴在夜色掩护下赶路,有时脸上涂着厚厚的白粉。贵格会教徒经常让他们的“乘客”不分男女穿上灰衣服,戴上深沿帽,披着把头部完全遮盖住的面纱。有一次,利瓦伊·科芬运送的逃亡黑奴实在太多,他就把他们装扮成出殡队伍。
Canada was the primary destination for many fugitives.Slavery had been abolished there in 1833, and Canadian authorities encouraged
the runaways to settle their vast virgin land.Among them was Josiah Henson.加拿大是许多逃亡者的首选终点站。那儿1833年就废除了奴隶制,加拿大当局鼓励逃亡奴隶在其广阔的未经开垦的土地上定居。其中就有乔赛亚·亨森。
As a boy in Maryland, Henson watched as his entire family was sold to different buyers, and he saw his mother harshly beaten when she tried to keep him with her.Making the best of his lot, Henson worked diligently and rose far in his owner's regard.还是孩子的亨森在马里兰州目睹着全家人被卖给不同的主人,看到母亲为了想把自己留在她身边而遭受毒打。亨森非常认命,干活勤勉,深受主人器重。
Money problems eventually compelled his master to send Henson, his wife and children to a brother in Kentucky.After laboring there for several years, Henson heard alarming news: the new master was planning to sell him for plantation work far away in the Deep South.The slave would be separated forever from his family.经济困顿最终迫使亨森的主人将他及其妻儿送到主人在肯塔基州的一个兄弟处。在那儿干了几年苦工之后,亨森听说了一个可怕的消息:新主人准备把他卖到遥远的南方腹地去农庄干活。这名奴隶
将与自己的家人永远分离。
There was only one answer: flight.“I knew the North Star,” Henson wrote years later.“Like the star of Bethlehem, it announced where my salvation lay.”
只有一条路可走:逃亡。“我会认北斗星,”许多年后亨森写道。“就像圣地伯利恒的救星一样,它告诉我在哪里可以获救。”
At huge risk, Henson and his wife set off with their four children.Two weeks later, starving and exhausted, the family reached Cincinnati, where they made contact with members of the Underground Railroad.“Carefully they provided for our welfare, and then they set us thirty miles on our way by wagon.”
亨森和妻子冒着极大的风险带着四个孩子上路了。两个星期之后,饥饿疲惫的一家人来到了辛辛那提州,在那儿,他们与地下铁路的成员取得了联系。“他们为我们提供了食宿,非常关心,接着又用车送了我们30英里。”
The Hensons continued north, arriving at last in Buffalo, N.Y.There a friendly captain pointed across the Niagara River.“'Do you see those trees?' he said.'They grow on free soil.'” He gave Henson a dollar and arranged for a boat, which carried the slave and his family across the
river to Canada.亨森一家继续往北走,最后来到纽约州的布法罗。在那儿,一位友善的船长指着尼亚加拉河对岸。“‘看见那些树没有?’他说,‘它们生长在自由的土地上。’”他给了亨森一美元钱,安排了一条小船,小船载着这位黑奴及其家人过河来到加拿大。
“I threw myself on the ground, rolled in the sand and danced around, till, in the eyes of several who were present, I passed for a madman.'He's some crazy fellow,' said a Colonel Warren.”
“我扑倒在地,在沙土里打滚,手舞足蹈,最后,在场的那几个人都认定我是疯子。‘他是个疯子,’有个沃伦上校说。”
“'Oh, no!Don't you know? I'm free!'”
“‘不,不是的!知道吗?我自由了!’”
Jesse Jackson, a well-known leader of black Americans, reviews the progress they have made in recent years.Despite this, he argues, there is still much left to be done before they enjoy full equality.著名美国黑人领袖杰西·杰克逊回顾了近几年来民权运动所取得的成就。成绩固然不少,但他指出,要享受完全的平等权利,仍有许多工作要做。
unit 3 The Land of the Lock
Years ago in America, it was customary for families to leave their doors unlocked, day and night.In this essay, Greene regrets that people can no longer trust each other and have to resort to elaborate security systems to protect themselves and their possessions.许多年前,在美国,家家户户白天黑夜不锁门是司空见惯的。在本文中,格林叹惜人们不再相互信任,不得不凭借精密的安全设备来保护自己和财产。
The Land of the Lock Bob Greene
In the house where I grew up, it was our custom to leave the front door on the latch at night.I don't know if that was a local term or if it is universal;“on the latch” meant the door was closed but not locked.None of us carried keys;the last one in for the evening would close up, and that was it.锁之国 鲍伯·格林
小时候在家里,我们的前门总是夜不落锁。我不知道这是当地的一种说法还是大家都这么说;“不落锁”的意思是掩上门,但不锁住。我们谁都不带钥匙;晚上最后一个回家的人把门关上,这就行了。
Those days are over.In rural areas as well as in cities, doors do not stay unlocked, even for part of an evening.那样的日子已经一去不复返了。在乡下,在城里,门不再关着不锁上,哪怕是傍晚一段时间也不例外。
Suburbs and country areas are, in many ways, even more vulnerable than well-patroled urban streets.Statistics show the crime rate rising more dramatically in those allegedly tranquil areas than in cities.At any rate, the era of leaving the front door on the latch is over.在许多方面,郊区和农村甚至比巡查严密的城市街道更易受到攻击。统计显示,那些据称是安宁的地区的犯罪率上升得比城镇更为显著。不管怎么说,前门虚掩不落锁的时代是一去不复返了。
It has been replaced by dead-bolt locks, security chains, electronic alarm systems and trip wires hooked up to a police station or private guard firm.Many suburban families have sliding glass doors on their
patios, with steel bars elegantly built in so no one can pry the doors open.取而代之的是防盗锁、防护链、电子报警系统,以及连接警署或私人保安公司的报警装置。郊区的许多人家在露台上安装了玻璃滑门,内侧有装得很讲究的钢条,这样就没人能把门撬开。
It is not uncommon, in the most pleasant of homes, to see pasted on the windows small notices announcing that the premises are under surveillance by this security force or that guard company.在最温馨的居家,也常常看得到窗上贴着小小的告示,称本宅由某家安全机构或某个保安公司负责监管。
The lock is the new symbol of America.Indeed, a recent public-service advertisement by a large insurance company featured not charts showing how much at risk we are, but a picture of a child's bicycle with the now-usual padlock attached to it.锁成了美国的新的象征。的确,一家大保险公司最近的一则公益广告没有用图表表明我们所处的危险有多大,而是用了一幅童车的图片,车身上悬着如今无所不在的挂锁。
The ad pointed out that, yes, it is the insurance companies that pay for stolen goods, but who is going to pay for what the new atmosphere of distrust and fear is doing to our way of life? Who is going to make the
psychic payment for the transformation of America from the Land of the Free to the Land of the Lock?
广告指出,没错,确是保险公司理赔失窃物品,但谁来赔偿互不信任、担心害怕这种新氛围对我们的生活方式所造成的影响呢?谁来对美国从自由之国到锁之国这一蜕变作出精神赔偿呢?
For that is what has happened.We have become so used to defending ourselves against the new atmosphere of American life, so used to putting up barriers, that we have not had time to think about what it may mean.因为那就是现状。我们已经变得如此习惯于保护自己不受美国生活新氛围的影响,如此习惯于设置障碍,因而无暇考虑这一切意味着什么。
For some reason we are satisfied when we think we are well-protected;it does not occur to us to ask ourselves: Why has this happened? Why are we having to barricade ourselves against our neighbors and fellow citizens, and when, exactly, did this start to take over our lives?
出于某种原因,当我们觉得防范周密时就感到心满意足;我们没有问过自己:为什么会出现这种情况?为什么非得把自己与邻居和同住一城的居民相隔绝,这一切究竟是从什么时候开始主宰我们生活 的?
And it has taken over.If you work for a medium-to large-size company, chances are that you don't just wander in and out of work.You probably carry some kind of access card, electronic or otherwise, that allows you in and out of your place of work.Maybe the security guard at the front desk knows your face and will wave you in most days, but the fact remains that the business you work for feels threatened enough to keep outsiders away via these “keys.”
这一切确是主宰了我们的生活。如果你在一家大中型公司上班,你上下班很可能不好随意进出。你可能随身带着某种出入卡,电子的或别的什么的,因为这卡能让你进出工作场所。也许前台的保安认识你这张脸,平日一挥手让你进去,但事实明摆着,你所任职的公司深感面临威胁,因此要借助这些“钥匙”不让外人靠近。
It wasn't always like this.Even a decade ago, most private businesses had a policy of free access.It simply didn't occur to managers that the proper thing to do was to distrust people.这一现象并非向来有之。即使在十年前,大多数私营公司仍采取自由出入的做法。那时管理人员根本没想到过恰当的手段是不信任他人。
Look at the airports.Parents used to take children out to departure gates to watch planes land and take off.That's all gone.Airports are no longer a place of education and fun;they are the most sophisticated of security sites.且看各地机场。过去家长常常带孩子去登机口看飞机起飞降落。这种事再也没有了。机场不再是一个有趣的学习场所;它们成了拥有最精密的安全检查系统的场所。
With electronic X-ray equipment, we seem finally to have figured out a way to hold the terrorists, real and imagined, at bay;it was such a relief to solve this problem that we did not think much about what such a state of affairs says about the quality of our lives.We now pass through these electronic friskers without so much as a sideways glance;the machines, and what they stand for, have won.凭借着电子透视装置,我们似乎终于想出妙计让恐怖分子无法近身,无论是真的恐怖分子还是凭空臆想的。能解决这一问题真是如释重负,于是我们不去多想这种状况对我们的生活质量意味着什么。如今我们走过这些电子搜查器时已经看都不看一眼了,这些装置,还有它们所代表的一切已经获胜。
Our neighborhoods are bathed in high-intensity light;we do not want to afford ourselves even so much a luxury as a shadow.我们的居住区处在强光源的照射下;我们连哪怕像阴影这样小小的享受也不想给自己。
Businessmen, in increasing numbers, are purchasing new machines that hook up to the telephone and analyze a caller's voice.The machines are supposed to tell the businessman, with a small margin of error, whether his friend or client is telling lies.越来越多的商人正购置连接在电话机上、能剖析来电者声音的新机器。据说那种机器能让商人知道他的朋友或客户是否在撒谎,其出错概率很小。
All this is being done in the name of “security”;that is what we tell ourselves.We are fearful, and so we devise ways to lock the fear out, and that, we decide, is what security means.所有这一切都是以“安全”的名义实施的:我们是这么跟自己说的。我们害怕,于是我们设法把害怕锁在外面,我们认定,那就是安全的意义。
But no;with all this “security,” we are perhaps the most insecure nation in the history of civilized man.What better word to describe the way in which we have been forced to live? What sadder reflection on all that we have become in this new and puzzling time?
其实不然;我们虽然有了这一切安全措施,但我们或许是人类文明史上最不安全的国民。还有什么更好的字眼能用来描述我们被迫选择的生活方式呢?还有什么更为可悲地表明我们在这个令人困惑的新时代所感受到的惶恐之情呢?
We trust no one.Suburban housewives wear rape whistles on their station wagon key chains.We have become so smart about self-protection that, in the end, we have all outsmarted ourselves.We may have locked the evils out, but in so doing we have locked ourselves in.我们不信任任何人。郊区的家庭主妇在客货两用车钥匙链上挂着防强暴口哨。我们在自我防卫方面变得如此聪明,最终聪明反被聪明误。我们或许是把邪恶锁在了门外,但在这么做的同时我们把自己锁在里边了。
That may be the legacy we remember best when we look back on this age: In dealing with the unseen horrors among us, we became prisoners of ourselves.All of us prisoners, in this time of our troubles.那也许是我们将来回顾这一时代时记得最牢的精神遗产:在对付我们中间无形的恐惧之时,我们成了自己的囚徒。在我们这个问题重重的时代,所有的人都是囚徒。
Many people in America own handguns.Some, like Gail Buchalter, buy a gun for self-defense.Others, like her friends, refuse to do so because they think that guns cause more problems than they solve.Gail used to share her friends' views, but eventually changed her mind.Read what she has to say and decide whether she made the right choice.在美国,许多人拥有手枪。有人为了自卫买枪,如盖尔·巴卡尔特。另外一些人则拒绝这么做,比如她的许多朋友,因为他们认为,枪支引发的问题比解决的更多。以前盖尔与她的朋友们持有相同的观点,但后来她改变了看法。读一读她所说的一切,并判定她的选择是否明智。
Writing Three Thank-You Letters
Alex Haley
It was 1943, during World War II, and I was a young U.S.coastguardsman.My ship, the USS Murzim, had been under way for several days.Most of her holds contained thousands of cartons of canned or dried foods.The other holds were loaded with five-hundred-pound bombs packed delicately in padded racks.Our destination was a big base on the island of Tulagi in the South Pacific.写三封感谢信 亚利克斯·黑利
那是在二战期间的1943年,我是个年轻的美国海岸警卫队队员。我们的船,美国军舰军市一号已出海多日。多数船舱装着成千上万箱罐装或风干的食品。其余的船舱装着不少五百磅重的炸弹,都小心翼翼地放在垫过的架子上。我们的目的地是南太平洋图拉吉岛上一个规模很大的基地。
I was one of the Murzim's several cooks and, quite the same as for folk ashore, this Thanksgiving morning had seen us busily preparing a traditional dinner featuring roast turkey.我是军市一号上的一个厨师,跟岸上的人一样,那个感恩节的上午,我们忙着在准备一道以烤火鸡为主的传统菜肴。
Well, as any cook knows, it's a lot of hard work to cook and serve a big meal, and clean up and put everything away.But finally, around sundown, we finished at last.当厨师的都知道,要烹制一顿大餐,摆上桌,再刷洗、收拾干净,是件辛苦的事。不过,等到太阳快下山时,我们总算全都收拾停当了。
I decided first to go out on the Murzim's afterdeck for a breath of
open air.I made my way out there, breathing in great, deep draughts while walking slowly about, still wearing my white cook's hat.我想先去后甲板透透气。我信步走去,一边深深呼吸着空气,一边慢慢地踱着步,头上仍戴着那顶白色的厨师帽。
I got to thinking about Thanksgiving, of the Pilgrims, Indians, wild turkeys, pumpkins, corn on the cob, and the rest.我开始思索起感恩节这个节日来,想着清教徒前辈移民、印第安人、野火鸡、南瓜、玉米棒等等。
Yet my mind seemed to be in quest of something else--some way that I could personally apply to the close of Thanksgiving.It must have taken me a half hour to sense that maybe some key to an answer could result from reversing the word “Thanksgiving”--at least that suggested a verbal direction, “Giving thanks.”
可我脑子里似乎还在搜索着别的事什么――某种我能够赋予这一节日以个人意义的方式。大概过了半个小时左右我才意识到,问题的关键也许在于把Thanksgiving这个字前后颠倒一下――那样一来至少文字好懂了:Giving thanks。
Giving thanks--as in praying, thanking God, I thought.Yes, of course.Certainly.表达谢意――就如在祈祷时感谢上帝那样,我暗想。对啊,是这样,当然是这样。
Yet my mind continued turning the idea over.可我脑子里仍一直盘桓着这事。
After a while, like a dawn's brightening, a further answer did come--that there were people to thank, people who had done so much for me that I could never possibly repay them.The embarrassing truth was I'd always just accepted what they'd done, taken all of it for granted.Not one time had I ever bothered to express to any of them so much as a simple, sincere “Thank you.”
过了片刻,如同晨曦初现,一个更清晰的念头终于涌现脑际――要感谢他人,那些赐我以诸多恩惠,我根本无以回报的人们。令我深感不安的实际情形是,我向来对他们所做的一切受之泰然,认为是理所应当。我一次也没想过要对他们中的任何一位真心诚意地说一句简单的谢谢。
At least seven people had been particularly and lastingly helpful to me.I realized, swallowing hard, that about half of them had since died--so they were forever beyond any possible expression of gratitude from me.The more I thought about it, the more ashamed I became.Then I
pictured the three who were still alive and, within minutes, I was down in my cabin.至少有七个人对我有过不同寻常、影响深远的帮助。令人难过的是,我意识到,他们中有一半已经过世了――因此他们永远也无法接受我的谢意了。我越想越感到羞愧。最后我想到了仍健在的三位,几分钟后,我就回到了自己的舱房。
Sitting at a table with writing paper and memories of things each had done, I tried composing genuine statements of heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to my dad, Simon A.Haley, a professor at the old Agricultural Mechanical Normal College in Pine Bluff, Arkansas;to my grandma, Cynthia Palmer, back in our little hometown of Henning, Tennessee;and to the Rev.Lonual Nelson, my grammar school principal, retired and living in Ripley, six miles north of Henning.我坐在摊着信纸的桌旁,回想着他们各自对我所做的一切,试图用真挚的文字表达我对他们的由衷的感激之情:父亲西蒙·A·黑利,阿肯色州派因布拉夫那所古老的农业机械师范学院的教授;住在田纳西州小镇亨宁老家的外祖母辛西娅·帕尔默;以及我的文法学校校长,退休后住在亨宁以北6英里处的里普利的洛纽尔·纳尔逊牧师。
The texts of my letters began something like, “Here, this Thanksgiving at sea, I find my thoughts upon how much you have done
for me, but I have never stopped and said to you how much I feel the need to thank you--” And briefly I recalled for each of them specific acts performed on my behalf.我的信是这样开头的:“出海在外度过的这个感恩节,令我回想起您为我做了那么多事,但我从来没有对您说过自己是多么想感谢您――”我简短回忆了各位为我所做的具体事例。
For instance, something uppermost about my father was how he had impressed upon me from boyhood to love books and reading.In fact, this graduated into a family habit of after-dinner quizzes at the table about books read most recently and new words learned.My love of books never diminished and later led me toward writing books myself.So many times I have felt a sadness when exposed to modern children so immersed in the electronic media that they have little or no awareness of the marvelous world to be discovered in books.例如,我父亲的最不同寻常之处在于,从我童年时代起,他就让我深深意识到要热爱书籍、热爱阅读。事实上,这一爱好渐渐变成一种家庭习惯,晚饭后大家围在餐桌旁互相考查近日所读的书以及新学的单词。我对书籍的热爱从未减弱,日后还引导我自己撰文著书。多少次,当我看到如今的孩子们如此沉迷于电子媒体时,我不由深感悲哀,他们很少,或者根本不了解书中所能发现的神奇世界。
I reminded the Reverend Nelson how each morning he would open our little country town's grammar school with a prayer over his assembled students.I told him that whatever positive things I had done since had been influenced at least in part by his morning school prayers.我跟纳尔逊牧师提及他如何每天清晨和集合在一起的学生做祷告,以此开始乡村小学的一天。我告诉他,我后来所做的任何有意义的事,都至少部分地是受了他那些学校晨祷的影响。
In the letter to my grandmother, I reminded her of a dozen ways she used to teach me how to tell the truth, to share, and to be forgiving and considerate of others.I thanked her for the years of eating her good cooking, the equal of which I had not found since.Finally, I thanked her simply for having sprinkled my life with stardust.在给外祖母的信中,我谈到了她用了种种方式教我讲真话,教我与人分享,教我宽恕、体谅他人。我感谢她多年来让我吃到她烧的美味菜肴,离开她后我从来没吃过那么可口的菜肴。最后,我感谢她,因为她在我的生命中撒下美妙的遐想。
Before I slept, my three letters went into our ship's office mail sack.They got mailed when we reached Tulagi Island.睡觉前,我的这三封信都送进了船上的邮袋。我们抵达图拉吉岛后都寄了出去。
We unloaded cargo, reloaded with something else, then again we put to sea in the routine familiar to us, and as the days became weeks, my little personal experience receded.Sometimes, when we were at sea, a mail ship would rendezvous and bring us mail from home, which, of course, we accorded topmost priority.我们卸了货,又装了其它物品,随后我们按熟悉的常规,再次出海。一天又一天,一星期又一星期,我个人的经历渐渐淡忘。我们在海上航行时,有时会与邮船会合,邮船会带给我们家信,当然这是我们视为最紧要的事情。
Every time the ship's loudspeaker rasped, “Attention!Mail call!” two hundred-odd shipmates came pounding up on deck and clustered about the two seamen, standing by those precious bulging gray sacks.They were alternately pulling out fistfuls of letters and barking successive names of sailors who were, in turn, shouting back “Here!Here!” amid the pushing.每当船上的喇叭响起:“大伙听好!邮件点名!”200名左右的水兵就会冲上甲板,围聚在那两个站在宝贵的鼓鼓囊囊的灰色邮袋旁的水手周围。两人轮流取出一把信,大声念收信水手的名字,叫到的人从人群当中挤出,一边应道:“来了,来了!”
One “mail call” brought me responses from Grandma, Dad, and the Reverend Nelson--and my reading of their letters left me not only astonished but more humbled than before.一次“邮件点名”带给我外祖母,爸爸,以及纳尔逊牧师的回信――我读了信,既震惊又深感卑微。
Rather than saying they would forgive that I hadn't previously thanked them, instead, for Pete's sake, they were thanking me--for having remembered, for having considered they had done anything so exceptional.他们没有说他们原谅我以前不曾感谢他们,相反,他们向我致谢,天哪,就因为我记得,就因为我认为他们做了不同寻常的事。
Always the college professor, my dad had carefully avoided anything he considered too sentimental, so I knew how moved he was to write me that, after having helped educate many young people, he now felt that his best results included his own son.身为大学教授的爸爸向来特别留意不使用任何过于感情化的文字,因此,当他对我写道,在教了许许多多的年轻人之后,他认为自己最优秀的学生当中也包括自己的儿子时,我知道他是多么地感动。
The Reverend Nelson wrote that his decades as a “simple, old-fashioned principal” had ended with schools undergoing such swift changes that he had retired in self-doubt.“I heard more of what I had done wrong than what I did right,” he said, adding that my letter had brought him welcome reassurance that his career had been appreciated.纳尔逊牧师写道,他那平凡的传统校长的岁月随着学校里发生的如此迅猛的变化而结束,他怀着自我怀疑的心态退了休。“说我做得不对的远远多于说我做得对的,” 他写道,接着说我的信给他带来了振奋人心的信心:自己的校长生涯还是有其价值的。
A glance at Grandma's familiar handwriting brought back in a flash memories of standing alongside her white rocking chair, watching her “settin' down” some letter to relatives.Character by character, Grandma would slowly accomplish one word, then the next, so that a finished page would consume hours.I wept over the page representing my Grandma's recent hours invested in expressing her loving gratefulness to me--whom she used to diaper!
一看到外祖母那熟悉的笔迹,我顿时回想起往日站在她的白色摇椅旁看她给亲戚写信的情景。外祖母一个字母一个字母地慢慢拼出一个词,接着是下一个词,因此写满一页要花上几个小时。捧着外祖母最近花费不少工夫对我表达了充满慈爱的谢意,我禁不住流泪――从前是她给我换尿布的呀。
Much later, retired from the Coast Guard and trying to make a living as a writer, I never forgot how those three “thank you” letters gave me an insight into how most human beings go about longing in secret for more of their fellows to express appreciation for their efforts.许多年后,我从海岸警卫队退役,试着靠写作为生,我一直不曾忘记那三封“感谢”信是如何使我认识到,大凡人都暗自期望着有更多的人对自己的努力表达谢意。
Now, approaching another Thanksgiving, I have asked myself what will I wish for all who are reading this, for our nation, indeed for our whole world--since, quoting a good and wise friend of mine, “In the end we are mightily and merely people, each with similar needs.” First, I wish for us, of course, the simple common sense to achieve world peace, that being paramount for the very survival of our kind.现在,感恩节又将来临,我自问,对此文的读者,对我们的祖国,事实上对全世界,我有什么祝愿,因为,用一位善良而且又有智慧的朋友的话来说,“我们究其实都是十分相像的凡人,有着相似的需求。”当然,我首先祝愿大家记住这一简单的常识:实现世界和平,这对我们自身的存亡至关重要。
And there is something else I wish--so strongly that I have had
this line printed across the bottom of all my stationery: “Find the good--and praise it.”
此外我还有别的祝愿――这一祝愿是如此强烈,我将这句话印在我所有的信笺底部:“发现并褒扬各种美好的事物。”
Thanksgiving, like Spring Festival, brings families back together from across the country.Waiting for her children to arrive, Ellen Goodman reflects on the changing relationship between parents and children as they grow up and leave home, often to settle far away.如同春节那样,散居各处的美国人到感恩节就回家团聚。埃伦·古德曼在等待着子女回家的同时,思索着当子女长大离家,常常在远方定居之后,父母与子女关系的不断变化。
unit 6 The Last Leaf
When Johnsy fell seriously ill, she seemed to lose the will to hang on to life.The doctor held out little hope for her.Her friends seemed helpless.Was there nothing to be done?
约翰西病情严重,她似乎失去了活下去的意志。医生对她不抱
什么希望。朋友们看来也爱莫能助。难道真的就无可奈何了吗?
The Last Leaf
O.Henry
At the top of a three-story brick building, Sue and Johnsy had their studio.“Johnsy” was familiar for Joanna.One was from Maine;the other from California.They had met at a cafe on Eighth Street and found their tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves so much in tune that the joint studio resulted.最后一片叶子 欧·亨利
在一幢三层砖楼的顶层,苏和约翰西辟了个画室。“约翰西”是乔安娜的昵称。她们一位来自缅因州,一位来自加利福尼亚。两人相遇在第八大街的一个咖啡馆,发现各自在艺术品味、菊苣色拉,以及灯笼袖等方面趣味相投,于是就有了这个两人画室。
That was in May.In November a cold, unseen stranger, whom the doctors called Pneumonia, stalked about the district, touching one here and there with his icy fingers.Johnsy was among his victims.She lay, scarcely moving on her bed, looking through the small window at the blank side of the next brick house.那是5月里的事。到了11月,一个医生称之为肺炎的阴森的
隐形客闯入了这一地区,用它冰冷的手指东碰西触。约翰西也为其所害。她病倒了,躺在床上几乎一动不动,只能隔着小窗望着隔壁砖房那单调沉闷的侧墙。
One morning the busy doctor invited Sue into the hallway with a bushy, gray eyebrow.一天上午,忙碌的医生扬了扬灰白的浓眉,示意苏来到过道。
“She has one chance in ten,” he said.“And that chance is for her to want to live.Your little lady has made up her mind that she's not going to get well.Has she anything on her mind?
“她只有一成希望,”他说。“那还得看她自己是不是想活下去。你这位女朋友已经下决心不想好了。她有什么心事吗?”
”She--she wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day,“ said Sue.“她――她想有一天能去画那不勒斯湾,”苏说。
”Paint?--bosh!Has she anything on her mind worth thinking about twice--a man, for instance?“
“画画?――得了。她有没有别的事值得她留恋的――比如
说,一个男人?”
”A man?“ said Sue.”Is a man worth--but, no, doctor;there is nothing of the kind.“
“男人?”苏说。“难道一个男人就值得――可是,她没有啊,大夫,没有这码子事。”
”Well,“ said the doctor.”I will do all that science can accomplish.But whenever my patient begins to count the carriages in her funeral procession I subtract 50 per cent from the curative power of medicines.“ After the doctor had gone Sue went into the workroom and cried.Then she marched into Johnsy's room with her drawing board, whistling a merry tune.“好吧,”大夫说。“我会尽一切努力,只要是科学能做到的。可是,但凡病人开始计算她出殡的行列里有几辆马车的时候,我就要把医药的疗效减去一半。”大夫走后,苏去工作室哭了一场。随后她携着画板大步走进约翰西的房间,口里吹着轻快的口哨。
Johnsy lay, scarcely making a movement under the bedclothes, with her face toward the window.She was looking out and counting--counting backward.约翰西躺在被子下几乎一动不动,脸朝着窗。她望着窗外,数
着数――倒数着数!
”Twelve,“ she said, and a little later ”eleven“;and then ”ten,“ and ”nine“;and then ”eight“ and ”seven,“ almost together.“12,”她数道,过了一会儿“11”,接着数“10”和“9”;再数“8”和“7”,几乎一口同时数下来。
Sue looked out of the window.What was there to count? There was only a bare, dreary yard to be seen, and the blank side of the brick house twenty feet away.An old, old ivy vine climbed half way up the brick wall.The cold breath of autumn had blown away its leaves, leaving it almost bare.苏朝窗外望去。外面有什么好数的呢?外面只看到一个空荡荡的沉闷的院子,还有20英尺开外那砖房的侧墙,上面什么也没有。一棵古老的常青藤爬到半墙高。萧瑟秋风吹落了枝叶,藤上几乎光秃秃的。
”Six,“ said Johnsy, in almost a whisper.”They're falling faster now.Three days ago there were almost a hundred.It made my head ache to count them.But now it's easy.There goes another one.There are only five left now.“
“6”,约翰西数着,声音几乎听不出来。“现在叶子掉落得快
多了。三天前差不多还有100片。数得我头都疼。可现在容易了。又掉了一片。这下子只剩5片了。”
”Five what, dear? “
“5片什么,亲爱的?”
”Leaves.On the ivy vine.When the last one falls I must go, too.I've known that for three days.Didn't the doctor tell you?“
“叶子。常青藤上的叶子。等最后一片叶子掉了,我也就得走了。三天前我就知道会这样。大夫没跟你说吗?”
”Oh, I never heard of such nonsense.What have old ivy leaves to do with your getting well? Don't be so silly.Why, the doctor told me this morning that your chances for getting well real soon were ten to one!Try to take some soup now, and let Sudie go and buy port wine for her sick child.“
“噢,我从没听说过这种胡说八道。常青藤叶子跟你病好不好有什么关系?别这么傻。对了,大夫上午跟我说,你的病十有八九就快好了。快喝些汤,让苏迪给她生病的孩子去买些波尔图葡萄酒来。”
”You needn't get any more wine,“ said Johnsy, keeping her eyes fixed out the window.”There goes another.No, I don't want any soup.That leaves just four.I want to see the last one fall before it gets dark.Then I'll go, too.I'm tired of waiting.I'm tired of thinking.I want to turn loose my hold on everything, and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves.“
“你不用再去买酒了,”约翰西说道,两眼一直盯着窗外。“又掉了一片。不,我不想喝汤。这一下只剩下4片了。我要在天黑前看到最后一片叶子掉落。那时我也就跟着走了。我都等腻了。也想腻了。我只想撇开一切, 飘然而去,就像那边一片可怜的疲倦的叶子。”
”Try to sleep,“ said Sue.”I must call Behrman up to be my model for the old miner.I'll not be gone a minute.“
“快睡吧,”苏说。“我得叫贝尔曼上楼来给我当老矿工模特儿。我去去就来。”
Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them.He was past sixty and had a long white beard curling down over his chest.Despite looking the part, Behrman was a failure in art.For forty years he had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it.He earned a little by serving as a model to those young artists who could not pay the price of a professional.He drank gin to excess, and still talked of his coming masterpiece.For the rest he was a fierce little old man, who mocked terribly at softness in any one, and who regarded
himself as guard dog to the two young artists in the studio above.老贝尔曼是住在两人楼下底层的一个画家。他已年过六旬,银白色蜷曲的长髯披挂胸前。贝尔曼看上去挺像艺术家,但在艺术上却没有什么成就。40年来他一直想创作一幅传世之作,却始终没能动手。他给那些请不起职业模特的青年画家当模特挣点小钱。他没节制地喝酒,谈论着他那即将问世的不朽之作。要说其他方面,他是个好斗的小老头,要是谁表现出一点软弱,他便大肆嘲笑,并把自己看成是楼上画室里两位年轻艺术家的看护人。
Sue found Behrman smelling strongly of gin in his dimly lighted studio below.In one corner was a blank canvas on an easel that had been waiting there for twenty-five years to receive the first line of the masterpiece.She told him of Johnsy's fancy, and how she feared she would, indeed, light and fragile as a leaf herself, float away, when her slight hold upon the world grew weaker.Old Behrman, with his red eyes plainly streaming, shouted his contempt for such foolish imaginings.苏在楼下光线暗淡的画室里找到了贝尔曼,他满身酒味刺鼻。屋子一角的画架上支着一张从未落过笔的画布,在那儿搁了25年,等着一幅杰作的起笔。苏把约翰西的怪念头跟他说了,并说约翰西本身就像一片叶子又瘦又弱,她害怕要是她那本已脆弱的生存意志再软下去的话,真的会凋零飘落。老贝尔曼双眼通红,显然是泪涟涟的,他大声叫嚷着说他蔑视这种傻念头。
”What!“ he cried.”Are there people in the world foolish enough to die because leafs drop off from a vine? I have never heard of such a thing.Why do you allow such silly ideas to come into that head of hers? God!This is not a place in which one so good as Miss Johnsy should lie sick.Some day I will paint a masterpiece, and we shall all go away.Yes."
“什么!”他嚷道。“世界上竟然有这么愚蠢的人,因为树叶从藤上掉落就要去死?我听都没听说过这等事。你怎么让这种傻念头钻到她那个怪脑袋里?天哪!这不是一个像约翰西小姐这样的好姑娘躺倒生病的地方。有朝一日我要画一幅巨作,那时候我们就离开这里。真的。”
Johnsy was sleeping when they went upstairs.Sue pulled the shade down, and motioned Behrman into the other room.In there they peered out the window fearfully at the ivy vine.Then they looked at each other for a moment without speaking.A persistent, cold rain was falling, mingled with snow.Behrman, in his old blue shirt, took his seat as the miner on an upturned kettle for a rock.两人上了楼,约翰西已经睡着了。苏放下窗帘,示意贝尔曼去另一个房间。在那儿两人惶惶不安地凝视着窗外的常青藤。接着两人
第五篇:全新版大学英语综合教程3Unit5课文翻译
演讲稿 工作总结 调研报告 讲话稿 事迹材料 心得体会 策划方案
全新版大学英语综合教程3Unit5课文翻译
1, 那是在二战期间的1943年,我是个年轻的美国海岸警卫队队员。我们的船,美国军舰军市一号已出海多日。多数船舱装着成千上万箱罐装或风干的食品。其余的船舱装着不少五百磅重的炸弹,都小心翼翼地放在垫过的架子上。我们的目的地是南太平洋图拉吉岛上一个规模很大的基地。
2,我是军市一号上的一个厨师,跟岸上的人一样,那个感恩节的上午,我们忙着在准备一道以烤火鸡为主的传统菜肴。
3, 当厨师的都知道,要烹制一顿大餐,摆上桌,再刷洗、收拾干净,是件辛苦的事。不过,等到太阳快下山时,我们总算全都收拾停当了。4, 我想先去后甲板透透气。我信步走去,一边深深呼吸着空气,一边慢慢地踱着步,头上仍戴着那顶白色的厨师帽。
5,我开始思索起感恩节这个节日来,想着清教徒前辈移民、印第安人、野火鸡、南瓜、玉米棒等等。
6, 可我脑子里似乎还在搜索着别的事什么――某种我能够赋予这一节日以个人意义的方式。大概过了半个小时左右我才意识到,问题的关键也许在于把Thanksgiving这个字前后颠倒一下――那样一来至少文字好懂了:Giving thanks。
7, 表达谢意――就如在祈祷时感谢上帝那样,我暗想。对啊,是这样,当然是这样
8,可我脑子里一直盘桓着这事。
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9,过了片刻,如同晨曦初现,一个更清晰的念头终于涌现脑际――要感谢他人,那些赐我以诸多恩惠,我根本无以回报的人们。令我深感不安的实际情形是,我向来对他们所做的一切受之泰然,认为是理所应当。我一次也没想过要对他们中的任何一位真心诚意地说一句简单的谢谢。
10,至少有七个人对我有过不同寻常、影响深远的帮助。令人难过的是,我意识到,他们中有一半已经过世了――因此他们永远也无法接受我的谢意了。我越想越感到羞愧。最后我想到了仍健在的三位,几分钟后,我就回到了自己的舱房。
11, 我坐在摊着信纸的桌旁,回想着他们各自对我所做的一切,试图用真挚的文字表达我对他们的由衷的感激之情:父亲西蒙?A?黑利,阿肯色州派因布拉夫那所古老的农业机械师范学院的教授;住在田纳西州小镇亨宁老家的外祖母辛西娅?帕尔默;以及我的文法学校校长,退休后住在亨宁以北6英里处的里普利的洛纽尔?纳尔逊牧师。
12,我的信是这样开头的:“出海在外度过的这个感恩节,令我回想起您为我做了那么多事,但我从来没有对您说过自己是多么想感谢您――”我简短回忆了各位为我所做的具体事例。
13,例如,我父亲的最不同寻常之处在于,从我童年时代起,他就让我深深意识到要热爱书籍、热爱阅读。事实上,这一爱好渐渐变成一种家庭习惯,晚饭后大家围在餐桌旁互相考查近日所读的书以及新学的单词。我对书籍的热爱从未减弱,日后还引导我自己撰文著书。多少次,当我看到如今的孩子们如此沉迷于电子媒体时,我不由深感悲
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哀,他们很少,或者根本不了解书中所能发现的神奇世界。
14,我跟纳尔逊牧师提及他如何每天清晨和集合在一起的学生做祷告,以此开始乡村小学的一天。我告诉他,我后来所做的任何有意义的事,都至少部分地是受了他那些学校晨祷的影响。
15,在给外祖母的信中,我谈到了她用了种种方式教我讲真话,教我与人分享,教我宽恕、体谅他人。我感谢她多年来让我吃到她烧的美味菜肴,离开她后我从来没吃过那么可口的菜肴。最后,我感谢她,因为她在我的生命中撒下美妙的遐想。
16,睡觉前,我的这三封信都送进了船上的邮袋。我们抵达图拉吉岛后都寄了出去。
17,我们卸了货,又装了其它物品,随后我们按熟悉的常规,再次出海。一天又一天,一星期又一星期,我个人的经历渐渐淡忘。我们在海上航行时,有时会与邮船会合,邮船会带给我们家信,当然这是我们视为最紧要的事情。
18, 每当船上的喇叭响起:“大伙听好!邮件点名!”200名左右的水兵就会冲上甲板,围聚在那两个站在宝贵的鼓鼓囊囊的灰色邮袋旁的水手周围。两人轮流取出一把信,大声念收信水手的名z
19,一次“邮件点名”带给我外祖母,爸爸,以及纳尔逊牧师的回信――我读了信,既震惊又深感卑微。,叫到的人从人群当中挤出,一边应道:“来了,来了!”
20,他们没有说他们原谅我以前不曾感谢他们,相反,他们向我致谢,天哪,就因为我记得,就因为我认为他们做了不同寻常的事。
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21,身为大学教授的爸爸向来特别留意不使用任何过于感情化的文字,因此,当他对我写道,在教了许许多多的年轻人之后,他认为自己最优秀的学生当中也包括自己的儿子时,我知道他是多么地感动。22,纳尔逊牧师写道,他那平凡的传统校长的岁月随着学校里发生的如此迅猛的变化而结束,他怀着自我怀疑的心态退了休。“说我做得不对的远远多于说我做得对的,” 他写道,接着说我的信给他带来了振奋人心的信心:自己的校长生涯还是有其价值的。
23, 一看到外祖母那熟悉的笔迹,我顿时回想起往日站在她的白色摇椅旁看她给亲戚写信的情景。外祖母一个字母一个字母地慢慢拼出一个词,接着是下一个词,因此写满一页要花上几个小时。捧着外祖母最近花费不少工夫对我表达了充满慈爱的谢意,我禁不住流泪――从前是她给我换尿布的呀 24, 许多年后,我从海岸警卫队退役,试着靠写作为生,我一直不曾忘记那三封“感谢”信是如何使我认识到,大凡人都暗自期望着有更多的人对自己的努力表达谢意。
25, 现在,感恩节又将来临,我自问,对此文的读者,对我们的祖国,事实上对全世界,我有什么祝愿,因为,用一位善良而且又有智慧的朋友的话来说,“我们究其实都是十分相像的凡人,有着相似的需求。”当然,我首先祝愿大家记住这一简单的常识:实现世界和平,这对我们自身的存亡至关重要。此外我还有别的祝愿――这一祝愿是如此强烈,我将这句话印在我所有的信笺底部:“发现并褒扬各种美好的事物。
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