第一篇:新世纪大学英语阅读教程3阅读翻译U1-U4
Unit1
Part1
The graduation advice I never got but wish I had 全国的大学毕业生们都为春天令人最难以忍受的仪式做好准备: 毕业典礼致辞。大家都知 道这个程序,一个小有名气的人会趾高气昂地走上主席台,滔滔不绝地讲些陈词滥调: “世界正在等待着……你们是特别的一代……去拯救这个星球吧”等等等等废话。
一个好机会被白白地浪费了。如果这些毕业典礼的演讲者能够讲一些实际有 用的东西该有多好!像这样说:毕业生们,大家好,祝贺你们。今天你们将离开培育你们的学术环境,直面真实的世界。在未来的好几年里每个月你都会想起你的学校,比如当你接到一个又一个的来电,希望你为校友基金捐款时,甚至当你开出大额的支票去偿还助学贷款时。
但是我们来看看光明的一面。你们即将离开学校,终于可以开始接受教育了。为了帮助你开始毕业后生活,这里有一些建议:
花时间与跟你不一样的人在一起。从你进校的第一天起,你就听到了太多无关的人在一起于学校为创建“多样性”所付出的努力。所以当你发现你的校园几乎是全美国最隔离的环境之一时你很能会惊讶不已。校园里不同种族的人有不同的学习方向,参加不同的毕业典礼上,甚至在餐厅不同的区域用餐。你有可能会被有些教授华丽的辞藻弄糊涂。那些教授一边会说种族之间根本没有差别,同时又说,应该不惜一切保留种族之间的差别。
面对事实吧。真正的多样性简直是无处可寻。而且我并不只是指种族方面。当课堂活动都是按照群体思维设计的练习时,哪里还有思维上的多样性呢?想找到一位保守的教授,那比要找到一个雪人还难。若想挑战一些有关政治正确性的正统观点,那你将会被冠以一些难听的名号。
只有现在从大学毕业之后,你才能真正从多样性中获益。先从了解与你肤色不同的人开始。接触一群与你持有不同的政治立场的朋友,恭敬地听他们阐述他们的观点。随后去认识从事其他职业的人。往往人们在选择某一个职业之后,专业性会加强但是却不再关心其他方面的知识,因此知识面会变窄。但是,请千万不要落入这个圈套。一定要通过不断寻找真正的多样性来不断扩展自己的视野。
为乐趣而读书。你也许觉得这是个很奇怪的建议因为几年来你一直都在读书。如果你没读过什么书,现在也不会坐在这儿了。但大部分你艰难读完的书有与《异性恋的发明》或《怪异之人的社会构筑》(没错,它们的确都出自大学的 阅读目录)类似的题目。也难怪一提到阅读,你就会想到无聊的课本和宣传。现在(毕业了)你终于可以摆脱这些愚蠢 的行为了,也许你不想做的事就是坐下来 读一本好的小说,更不用说读一份严肃的杂志或报纸了(比如专业的杂志)。
这真令人惋惜,作为一个毕业生,你觉得你已经站在了世界的顶端,但是要想一直站在世界的顶端只有一个办法,那就是读书。这个简单的行为会区分出领导者与跟随者,也会区分出真正成功的人与其他一般的人。这是个不言而喻的道理,因为这就是事实:知识就是力量。而读书就是通往知识的道路。
所以试试这么做:去离你最近的书店,挑三本标题能够吸引你的书。然后,去读。阅读时忽略那些你在文中可能碰到的任何后现代的象征手法还有那些与性别有关的象征。换句话说,只是为享受阅读的乐趣而去阅读。这样做会给你带来出乎意料的结果。
选择实际而不是理论。这是一条法国的古语,很好地总结了大多数大学教授的错误想法“我们都知道这在实际可行。问题是‘在理论上这行得通吗’?" 理论本没什么错。你花了那么多时间沉浸在理论之中,所以你肯定知道理论可以是很有趣的。然而你就像身处在泡泡中——被保护着免受现实世界的伤害,大学就是如此。你的老师们在这个泡泡中兴旺,可以不受拘束地讲那些深受青睐的理论而不必去担心这些理论是否可行。
既然你马上会离开大学校园走向社会,你就不得不变成一个现实主义者。实际可行的才是最重要的。如果你不相信我的话,那不妨去问一问那些因追随网络公司是通往财富之路这一理论而破产的人们。现实击碎了他们的梦想。
因此,欢迎你来到我们生活的这个理性的世界。一旦你把那些不切实际的幻想拒之门外,你就会发现这个世界并不是太糟。
请忘记你的那些梦想吧。你会说我忘不了。抱歉,你在学校中所接受的自尊训练不过是一种痴心妄想的练习。你也许自我感觉良好,但是你要向别人证明你的天赋。
好好想一下吧。有些人天生就适合职业篮球,而多数人则不适合。从事核物理研究或木工活也是如此。对于大多数职业而言,你也许正好具备其所需的天赋,也许不具备。虽然说努力最终会决定成败,但这一切又都建立在你的天赋上。所谓无限的能力与无尽的选择纯粹只是胡话罢了。
我们直截了当地说吧。找出那些你真正擅长的事情,全情投入其间。如果你最终没能得到心仪的工作,不要着急。你的职业生涯可能会经历一些挫折——大多数人都会——而这些挫折常常会使你进步。在这个过程中,你会慢慢发现那些令你幸福的事情。其往往便是契合于你天赋的那些事物。
最后还是要老生常谈一下:在你真正了解自我之前,你的生命可能已然过半。也许已经是这样了。没有人能够知道。所以,不要浪费一分一秒,马上行动起来,祝你好运。
Part2
For College Deans,Crisis at Any Second
在一个阳光明媚的春日,在乔治城大学,你永远不会知道托德·奥尔森在为一件事发愁。他的办公室外面,树的花瓣下一对年轻夫妇在黄色毯子上午睡。一些学生正在计划一个拼字募捐活动,另一些人在草地上拍着学校的斗牛犬吉祥物,杰克。
但奥尔森让他的黑莓手机夹在皮带上:他是学生事务中心的副总裁,像院长在学院到处都是,他总是只有一个嗡嗡声带他远离危险。
他必须应付大多数人看不到的学生的生活的一面——事故,攻击,故障。即使是再好的事物也有黑暗面。
“在大学的头号药物是抗抑郁药,”哈佛大学的Richard Kadison去年出版的关于在高校日益心理健康危机的书说:“它超越了避孕药。”
乔治城今年秋天,一个学生溺亡在波托马克河的事故,还有一个学生在他的公寓中被烧死。这个冬天一个学生在约翰·霍普金斯大学被杀,仅仅几个月后,又一个学生被刺死。和马里兰大学的学生的尸体被发现漂浮在Anacostia河。这学期,一位大学生前几天在火灾中死亡。
“我们理想中的大学生活是一个无忧无虑的时光,”琳达克莱门特在U-马里兰州副总裁学生事务说到。对于许多人来说,大学是人生中最美好的时光 ——最好玩,最探索,最具启发性——但它也带来挑战。
凯文·克鲁格曾经在美国马里兰州巴尔的摩县的大学的工作,而且他总是在边缘,他说。逾期电话会引发肾上腺素激增。“当电话铃声响起,你不知道电话另一端发生了什么。自杀、强奸、重伤、战斗等等。”
“我甚至数不清有多少次在早上3点钟,我匆匆套上牛仔裤,开车到校园,处理任何在那里的突发事件,也许10分钟前一个学生刚被刺伤,或者一个孩子爬到塔顶想跳下来。“
NASPA学生事务管理员高等教育的副执行董事克鲁格说:“20世纪初,当大学校长不想处理违纪问题的时候,学生事务中心院长来处理。”随着高校的增长,院长担任了父母的职责,设定严格的规定:女生去找男生必须保持自己的脚在任何时候都牢牢地放在地上。然后是20世纪60年代到70年代,毒品和越南的性革命爆发,学生要求把他们视为成年人。
由于一系列的原因,这项工作是没有变得更容易:例如:过度保护的父母、恐怖威胁、诉讼、以及大学校园的青少年已经被紧张的高中烧坏。
大多数学校报告学生寻求心理咨询的越来越多,更多新生到达时已经服用精神科药物。因为其中一些学生今天更趋向于报告问题和寻求帮助,学校更趋向于提供及推广辅导。
但精神病的药物如百忧解突然出现在上世纪80年代和90年代,改变了校园生活的文化;它让那些服用过的学生有比以往更大的可能进入大学。
Kadison说:“在过去的25年左右的时间,在校园患抑郁症的可能性增加了一倍,自杀和性侵犯已经翻了两番。”
现在,10名学生中就一个认真地思考想在大学里自杀。近一半的人非常沮丧以至于无法正常活动。根据美国大学健康协会的报告,每年约1400大学生饮酒受伤甚至死亡。
乔治城的奥尔森发出平静的品质。他是一个高大,随和与中西部的照片他年幼的孩子散落在他的贴在墙上的办公室和建设纸乌龟。
他笑着说很容易,仔细倾听并采取长远的眼光:他的工作是确保那些事情发生在课堂之外是好,因为他们可以。
他并不担心每一个小恶作剧和疯狂的特技学生梦想。实验和冒险和嘲笑权威都长大了,搞清楚了生活的一部分,他说。但是,有时学校确实有设置,似乎可笑的学生规则比如在宿舍里没有蜡烛。
在上午的会议上,工作人员介绍了应急预案的更新,如何卡住的诊所已。他们要求志愿者给员工的机械公牛在春天的庆祝活动。
后来,Olson和居住生活导演走到宿舍,因为他们有时做检查的事情。没有人喷了灭火器的表演艺术宿舍数月,珍妮特新生被Orrock面糊舀入宿舍厨房锅,烘烤彩虹蛋糕片,她的化学助教。
回到自己的办公室,奥尔森不得不另一次会议,谈论雇用和关于谁在附近的比萨店被用刀子威胁学生。整整一天,他走进电梯,人们给他更新有关的资深谁曾做过手术当天早晨。搞懂了很多学生,尤其是领导人,很好;当天下午,资深科特奔进来问奥尔森的建议国外的奖学金,并拥抱他道别。在拼字比赛,当晚筹集金钱为辅导学校区,人群聚集通过toughies为参赛选手加油助威。奥尔森走到舞台上得到他的第一个字。
“致幻剂,”法官说。
奥尔森看着法官。大家都笑了。
这是周四晚上。地方在校园,蜡烛摇曳了在一间宿舍里。有的同学肯定翻了超过决赛。其他人以及他们的方式马虎醉。但一段时间至少,大学生活是因为它看起来的小册子一样好。
没有什么可担心的。
Unit2
Part1
Is love an art 爱是一种艺术吗?如果是,它就需要靠知识和努力来争取。或者爱是一种愉快的感觉,能够体验到它是一个机会的问题,如果一个人运气好就能够“掉入其中”。本文是基于前面的一种假设,而如今大部分人毫无例外地相信后一种。
并不是因为人们认为爱不重要。他们非常渴望得到它;他们看了无数关于快乐和不快乐的爱情故事的电影,他们听了数以百计的关于爱情的垃圾歌曲。然而,几乎没有人认为我们应该学习关于爱的一些东西。
这个特别的想法由几个关于爱的假设所支撑,大多数人一般相信其中的一个或几个。大多数人将爱这个问题主要视作被爱,而不是主动去爱,或者是一个人主动去爱的能力。因此,他们的问题是如何被爱,怎样变得更让人爱。为了达到这个目的,他们有几条道路可循。其中之一,特别是被男士所使用的,就是成功,就是有权力和钱,只要是在社会所允许的范围之内。另外一个,尤其是女士们所使用的,就是使自己更迷人,这是通过修整自己的身材、衣服等实现的。同时被他们采用的其它方法是发展优雅的举止和风趣的谈吐,变得乐于助人、幽默和友善。使自己变得更可爱的许多方法与用来使自己更加成功的方法相同,也就是“征服朋友并影响别人”。实际上,社会上大多数人变得可爱的意思基本上是在受欢迎和有迷人外表之间的混合体。
关于爱没有什么科学的想法背后的第二个前提是有一个假设,此假设认为爱的问题是一个对象的问题,而不是能力的问题。人们认为去爱很简单,但寻找正确的对象去爱,或者是被爱,是很困难的。在现代社会发展的过程中,这个想法有几个根深蒂固的原因。一个原因就是20世纪在有关一个“爱的对象”的选择方面所发生的巨大变化。在维多利亚时代,就像在许多传统文化中一样,爱几乎不是一个可能带来婚姻的自然地个人经历。相反,婚姻由约定所定义,这些约定做出者可以是有名望的家庭,或者婚姻经理人,或者没有这些中间人的帮助;它是在社会风俗的基础之上决定的,并且一旦结了婚,就认为产生了爱。在最近的几代人中,浪漫爱情的概念在西方世界中变得很普遍了。在美国,虽然传统文化的考虑并没有完全消失,很多人在寻找“浪漫的爱情”,这是一种应该带来婚姻的、个人爱的体验。这种自由爱情的新概念一定极大地增强了“对象”的重要性,而非“目的”的重要性。与此因素密切相关的是此暂时性文化的另外一个特色。我们整个文化是基于买卖的强烈欲望,基于相互受益的交换思想。现代人的欢乐是建立在看商店窗口,并且买他能够买得起的东西所带来的快乐感的基础之上的,支付手段是用现金或分期付款。他/她用相似的方式来看人。对一个男士来说一个有吸引力的女士(对一个女士来说一个有吸引力的男士)是他(她)追求的奖品。“吸引力”通常的意思是受欢迎的并且人品市场所推崇的品质的一个好的集合。使一个人有吸引力的特别的东西取决于时代、身体上和精神上的流行方式。在20世纪初,一个强健且性感的烟酒女孩是很有吸引力的;如今,时代要求她必须更保守和害羞。在19世纪末和20世纪初,一个男士必须要好斗且有雄心壮志,如今为了成为一个有吸引力的“包裹”,他必须要善于交际且隐忍执着。任何时候,只在此种个人商品在自己交换能力的范围之内的情况下产生了爱的感觉。我外出作一个交易;对象从他的社会价值的立场上来看应该是理想的,并且同时他也应该接受我,这是出于对我可见的和隐藏的品质和潜力的考虑。因此,两个人,当他们感觉到在市场上寻找到了可得的最好对象的时候便相爱了,这是考虑到他们自身交换价值的限制。通常,就像买房地产一样,在交易中能够开发出来的隐藏的潜力起了相当的作用。在市场导向盛行的文化中,物质的成功是最突出的价值,人类爱情关系遵循与控制商品和劳动市场的交换相同的模式,这就不足为奇了。
导致此种关于爱没有什么值得学习的假设的第三个错误是基于一种混淆,这种混淆是介于“陷入”爱中的早期体验和爱的永恒状态(或者我们可以更好地说是“站”在爱中)之间。如果两个人就像我们所有人一样是陌生人,突然之间让他们之间隔着的墙倒掉,并且感觉很靠近,感觉成为一体,这个时刻是一生中最令人振奋和激动的经历之一。对于那些封闭、被隔离、没有爱的人来说,这是如此的美妙和神奇。如果与性感的外表和婚姻结合,或者是被它们所触发,经常更容易得到这个神奇的突然间的亲密感。然后,正是由于它的这种特点,这种爱情不会长久。两个人变得很熟悉了,他们的亲密感越来越多地失去了它的神秘色彩,直到他们的冲突、失望和相互之间的厌倦感抹杀了留在初期兴奋感中的任何东西。然而,开始的时候,他们并不知道所有这些,实际上,他们将互相着迷的强烈感觉和为对方“疯狂”的状态当做他们爱的密度,而这可能只能证明他们之前孤独感的程度。
没有什么比爱更容易的这个态度(看法)继续成为关于爱的一个流行观点,即使有大量的证据与之相悖。几乎没有任何活动、任何事业像爱一样以如此巨大的希望和盼望开始,并且如此频繁地失败。如果这同其它任何活动一样,人们会急于知道失败的原因,并且想学会如何才能做得更好,否则他们会放弃此活动。既然在爱情的游戏中放弃是不可能的,那么看起来只有一个好办法来解决爱失败的问题-找到失败的原因,并且一步一步地学习爱的真正含义。
要做的第一步是知道正像生活是一门艺术一样,爱也是一门艺术。如果我们想学会如何去爱,我们必须要以想要学会其它任何艺术的方式来按部就班地进行,这些其它的艺术包括音乐、绘画、手工,或医学、工程艺术。
学习任何一门艺术的必要步骤是什么?
能够将学习一门艺术的过程简洁地分为两部分:一是掌握理论,二是掌握实践。如果我想学习医学艺术,我必须首先要知道有关人类身体和各种疾病的事实。当我有了所有这些理论的知识,我毫无疑问地成为了医学艺术的能手。只有在经过大量的实践之后,直到最后我的理论知识的结果和实践的结果融为一体—我的直觉(掌握任何一门艺术的根本),我就会变成此艺术的一位大师。但是,除开学习理论和实践,成为任何一门艺术的大师的必要的第三个因素是:掌握此门艺术一定是最终目的,世界上没有什么其它东西比这更重要。这对于音乐、医学、手工和爱情来说,都是正确的。并且,即使是人们经常失败,即使是对于爱根深蒂固的渴求,社会上的人们为什么不想努力来学习这门艺术的问题的答案在于:几乎任何事情都被认为比爱更重要,像成功、名声、钱和权力。几乎我们所有的精力都用于学习如何达到这些目的,并且几乎没有人学习爱的艺术。
是不是只有当那些能够给人带来金钱或名声的东西才认为是值得学习的,而“只是”有益心灵而在现代意识里“无利可图”的爱是一个我们没有权利花费太多精力在其上的奢侈品?
Part2In Sickness and In Health
1998年,我的家庭开始发生巨变。我的父亲,吉姆·迪尼恩,本来身体健康,热爱健身锻炼,从来没有生病请假,却突然被诊断出罹患肾病。我们不知道他患病的确切原因,而且他的康复之路也十分漫长。但是在2003年11月份,当时和我母亲生活在辛辛那提的他在基督教医院接受了一颗健康肾脏的移植。肾脏的捐赠者就是我的母亲乔伊斯。经过了多年的婚姻起伏,以及因并发症而接受的数十次复杂手术,我们的家庭态势发生了改变,这是我们全家人都未曾预料到的。
我的父母当然有着各自的问题,作为他们的孩子,我一直都想不明白他们如何能坚守3 8年的婚姻生活。他们爱着对方,但是他们似乎不太喜欢对方。父亲总是以高人一等的语气跟母亲说话。而当母亲试图与他抗争时,总免不了以吵闹收场。他们甚至考虑过要离婚。可是最终,我的父母还是继续在一起,因为他们相信能结为连理是冥冥之中的安排,所以尽管婚姻生活有诸多不完美,还是安下心来继续跟对方一起生活。
是父亲的疾病开始改变这一切。患病初期,他过着地狱般的生活。1999年,他因为服用利尿剂而使得体内的电解质水平骤然下跌,以致于他昏倒过去,跌到浴缸里,摔断了两只手肘和几根肋骨,脑部也受到震荡。他接受类固醇强的松注射,一开始时他的体内增加了40磅液体,几乎得一直在厕所里呆着。
父亲对他现在的外表感到有些自卑,甚至是到深夜才出去买东西。最近两年来他唯一一次出现在公众场合就是在一次婚礼上。爸爸很想去参加那次婚礼甚至不在乎被别人奚落。(他在家中唯一的一件适合他肿胀的身体的衣服是一套灰色的西装还有拖鞋。)我甚至不知道他怎么会有勇气去参加婚礼。
在这期间,我母亲时刻守护在旁,无比同情,无微不至。父亲做了六次腹部手术和超过35个治疗项目以排掉其体内因为服用强的松而积聚在腹部的液体,母亲则陪伴着父亲经历这一切。为了让父亲度过每一天,他们两人必须相互紧密合作。
父亲的血液透析治疗于2001年开始,起初在诊所进行,每周做三天。父亲的手臂因为扎针的次数太多而淤青了。难怪当医生批准父亲在家做血液透析时,母亲感到害怕极了——因为这相当于把这些程序以及父亲的健康交到了他们两人的手上。母亲依然很坚定,不肯让父亲独自经受这一切。每天晚上,就像飞机机长和大副一样,母亲和父亲一起逐项查看父亲的检查清单。有一段时期,父亲的肌肉出现萎缩,可能是服用强的松的原因,母亲还教他如何重新走路。整个过程似乎没完没了,把两人都困在家里,剥夺了他们如此多的自由。
因为他的肝脏也收到了损伤,我们做出了移植器官这个漫长而艰难的决定。有一个医生的助理告诉他:“根据你目前的医学报告,你极有可能会死。”甚至有一阵子,医生甚至误以为他已经不需要肾移植了,而且肝脏移植也不行了。爸爸的未来如若浮萍,飘忽不定。
2003年春天,捐赠测试终于开始了,包括我、叔叔汤姆和母亲在内的好几个人都发现有不同程度的匹配度。但是母亲却是那个坚持捐赠的人。她说自己并不感到害怕,觉得这样做是对的。我们全都在惊诧中让了步。
最后,手术日期确定为2003年11月11日。突然之间,父亲在意的唯一一件事情,就是告诉这个世界,母亲为他做了一件多么美好的事。手术前一个月,他在母亲生日时送了她一束花,上面的字条上写着:“我爱你,我也爱你的肾脏!谢谢你!”尽管身陷财务危机,在手术前不久,父亲递给我们一个钻石吊坠,让我们在他手术后替他送给母亲。这是他用偷偷藏起的私房钱买的。
手术很成功,术后不久,我和妹妹便被允许进去探望父亲。父亲当时还很痛苦,但是,又一次,他提到的全都关于母亲。她还好吗?她感觉如何?护士还破例让我们做了一件事。当他们把母亲用轮椅推出康复病房时,他们把她推到一间独立的凹室和父亲见面。看着我们的父母都连接着输液管和仪器,两眼噙满泪水地试着交谈,这样的场景太不真实了。护士准许我们把钻石吊坠送给母亲,好让父亲看着她打开礼盒。每个人都感动得哭了,护士也哭了。
我手中握着数码相机,站在那里,试图保持清醒,好记录下这一时刻。父亲艰难地克制住情感,突然,我的父母同时伸手握住对方。在将近35年的人生经历中,我从未见过父母这样做,看得我目瞪口呆。我拍了一张照片,然后冲回家去确认我记录下了当时那个珍贵时刻。父母亲紧握双手的那张照片道明了一切。在这么多年的吵吵闹闹之后,我清楚地看到,他们终于明白彼此是多么深爱着对方。
这次器官移植使得我们整个家庭似乎和解了一般。父亲变得温和了,这一点毋庸置疑。父亲和气了很多,也更有耐心。他对母亲再也不是一副高高在上的样子。而母亲,也轻松了许多,因为再没人向她发泄怒气了。他们之间多了一份从前没有的亲密,这一切经历使他们更加坚定了信念。
我住在纳什维尔,我现在通过视频和父母聊天,我和他们开玩笑道:“你们是谁啊?你们让我感到很开心啊。”因为现在的他们就像孩子一样。他们在一起的时候笑声多过抱怨。
圣诞节时,我和妹妹送给他们两张用钩子连在一起的镶框照片。上面的一张是1965年8月7日,他们在婚礼上紧握彼此的双手。相框上面写着:“无论未来是好是坏、富贵或贫穷。”第二张照片是在康复病房拍的那张。他们十指相扣,手上还缠着医院的胶布和输液管,而这个相框上则写着:“无论是疾病还是健康,直到死亡将我们分开。”
Unit3 Part1
Sunday in the park 星期日在公园,贝尔考夫曼 它仍然是温暖的下午的太阳,城市的喧闹来到公园闷在穿过树林。她把书放在长凳上,摘下太阳眼镜,叹了口气惬意。莫顿在读时报杂志部分,一只胳膊搂着她的肩膀猛地;其三十岁的儿子,拉里是在打沙箱:淡淡微风煽动反对她的脸颊她的头发轻柔。这是五下午三十一个星期天,小运动场,公园里藏在一个角落,很快被人遗弃。荡秋千,跷跷板和被遗弃的一动不动地站着,幻灯片是空的,只有在两个沙箱边的一个小男孩蹲在一边努力。这是多么好,她想,几乎是微笑着,她的幸福感。他们必须在阳光下进行更频繁;莫顿是如此城市苍白,屋子里闷factorylike大学一周内的灰色。她深情地挤压他的手臂和拉里看了一眼,脸有点喜出望外的浓度皱眉指出在隧道中,他在挖土。另一个男孩突然站起来,用快速,胖乎乎的摆动他的手臂故意扔在spadeful拉里沙子。它只是错过了他的头。拉里继续挖,男孩仍然站着,铲提出,笨头笨脑和冷漠。
“不,不,那个小男孩。”她摇了摇他,她的手指,她的眼睛护士寻找孩子的母亲或。“我们musn't扔沙子。它可能会在别人的眼睛和伤害。我们一定要很好地发挥了很好的沙箱中。“男孩预期不眨地看着她。他对拉里的年龄,但也许十磅重,一个沙哑的他脸上的小男孩,在没有拉里敏感性的速度和。他的母亲在哪里? 人留在操场上唯一的其他两个女人和一个滚轴溜冰鞋的小女孩走了穿过大门,和台男人要几英尺远。他是一个大男人,她似乎是占用了整个替补,他在周日举行的漫画贴近他的脸。她想他是孩子的父亲。他没有抬头看他的漫画,但他的嘴里吐出了一个巧妙的角球开出的。她把她的眼睛。
在那一刻,像以前那样迅速,脂肪小男孩扔在另一spadeful拉里砂。这一次,一些落在他的头发和前额。拉里看着他的母亲,他的嘴尚未确定;她的表情会告诉他是否哭或没有。
她的第一反应是要赶去她的儿子,他的头发刷沙出,并惩罚其他孩子,但她控制了。她总是说,她希望拉里要学会打他自己的战斗。
“不要那样做,小男孩,”她严厉地说,靠在长椅上前进。“你musn't扔沙子!” 板凳上的人再次提出他的嘴里吐出,仿佛在,而是她的发言。他没有看她,但只在小男孩。“你请便,乔,”他大声地说。“把所有你想要的。这里这是一个公开的沙箱。“
她感到她的膝盖,她突然感到无力在莫顿瞟了一眼。他已经成为了解发生了什么。他仔细地把他的时代传承下来的,他瘦削的脸上,腿上,转身对他的罚款人,害羞的微笑,歉意的微笑,他可能已经提供一个学生在他的思想指向了一个错误。当他说话的人,这是与他一贯的合理性。
“你说得对,”他愉快地说,“但只是因为这是一个公开的地方...。”
该名男子垂下漫画和莫顿看着。他看着他从头到脚,慢慢地,不慌不忙。“是吗?”他傲慢的声音燕山威胁。“我的孩子的一样好了就在这里与你,如果他感觉就像扔沙子,他会扔掉它,如果你不喜欢它,你可以把你的孩子离开这里的地狱。”
孩子们听,他们的眼睛和嘴大开,他们的铁锹被遗忘的小拳头。她注意到收紧肌肉莫顿的下巴。他很少生气,他很少发脾气。她泛着柔情,她的丈夫和他的无能怒斥涉及人讨厌他在如此陌生的情况等。
“现在,只需一分钟,”莫顿客气地说,“你必须明白...。” “噢,闭嘴,”那人说。
她的心开始英镑。莫顿一半玫瑰时代滑到了地上。慢慢地,另一名男子站了起来。他停了一对夫妇,然后向莫顿的步骤。他的伟大,他弯曲的手臂,等待着。她紧紧握住她颤抖的膝盖在一起。会不会有暴力,打架? 真可怕,多么令人难以置信的...。她要做的事,阻止他们,请求帮助。她想放的袖子她的手对她的丈夫,把他拉下来,但由于某种原因,她没有。
莫顿调整了一下眼镜。他很苍白。“这是可笑的,”他说不均。“我要问你...。”
“哦,是吗?”那人说。他站在他的双腿分开,摇晃了一下,看着莫顿以极其轻蔑。“你和谁?” 有一会儿,两个人赤裸裸地看着对方。然后把他的人莫顿回到了,轻声说道:“来吧,让我们让她出来的。”他笨拙地走了,几乎跛行与自我意识,沙箱。他弯下身撩起拉里和他的铲掉。
拉里在一来到生活,他的脸上失去了狂喜的表达和他开始踢哭了。“我不想回家,我想打得更好,我不希望任何晚饭,我不喜欢吃晚饭...。”它变成了一个聊天,他们走了,他们拉着他们的孩子之间,他的脚拖在地面上。为了到达出闸,他们不得不通过那里的人坐在长凳再次蔓延。她很小心,不去看他。与所有的尊严,她可以召唤,她拉着拉里的沙,出汗的小手,而莫顿拉对方。慢慢地,她走了,头高与她的丈夫和孩子走出了操场。
她的第一感觉就是放松的一个,一个斗争已被避免,没有人受伤。然而,它下面有一个不可推卸的一层别的东西,一些重。她感觉到,它不仅仅只是一个不愉快的事件的力量,更多地受到比理智战胜。她依稀觉得它是与她和莫顿,一些敏锐的个人,熟悉,而且重要的。
突然莫顿发言。“这不证明什么。” “什么?”她问道。
“打架。它证明了我不会有任何超出的事实,他比我大。“ “当然,”她说。
“唯一可能的结果,”他继续合理,“本来,什么? 我的眼镜坏了,也许是牙齿或两所取代,一对夫妇的工作天,错过了-为了什么? 为正义? 为真理?“
“当然,”她重复。她加快了一步。她只想要回家,并忙于自己的工作与她熟悉的,也许当时的感觉,心就像粘在她的沉重的石膏,也就不复存在了。在所有的愚蠢,卑鄙恶霸,她想,手拉着就更难拉里的。孩子还哭了。之前,她总是感到有点可惜,他的身体投标手无寸铁,虚弱的武器,不确定,但窄肩尖锐winglike肩胛骨,薄现在她的嘴和腿收紧不满。
“别哭了,”她严厉地说。“我是你感到羞耻!”她觉得好像他们三人都被跟踪的街道沿着泥泞。孩子大声喊道。
如果有个想法,这个问题涉及的,她最近有没有人去争取的东西...。但她可能还有什么可以做? 让自己被打? 尝试教育的人吗? 叫警察? “警官,有一个人在公园谁也不会停止我的...他的孩子从抛砂之一。”整个事情是因为这是愚蠢的,不值得我们思考。
“你不能让他安静,皮特的缘故?”莫顿忿忿地问道。“你以为我一直在想干什么?”她说。拉里拉回来,拖着他的双脚。
“如果你不能管教这个孩子,我会的,”莫顿啪,使一个男孩走向。
但她的声音叫住了他。她很震惊地听到它,薄,冷和蔑视穿透。“真的?”她听到自己说。“你和谁?”
Part2
Night Walker 1.我的第一个受害者是个妇女——白种人,穿着华丽,大概20出头。一个深夜,在海德公园的一条荒凉街上,我与她邂逅。这是芝加哥的贫困区,但从某一定角度上看这里相对而言是比较富有的片区了。当我朝着她的那条大道走去时,我们之间其实是有一段距离的。不过她不以为然。她不安地回头看了一下。在她看来,背后这个身高六尺,胡子2寸长,头发蓬乱,双手插在肥胖军装的口袋里,充满稚气的黑人就像一个毒瘤近在咫尺。回头粗略看了几次后,她加快了速度,急切地跑了起来,几分钟后消失在十字路口了。
2.这是十几年前的事情了。当时我22岁,是个刚到芝加哥大学报到的新生。那妇女受到惊吓后的脚步声不断在我耳边回响,让我第一次意识到我继承的沉重遗产--它让别人都离我远远地,让我很是难堪。
显然,她以为自己成了抢劫者、强奸犯甚至更可恶的人的追逐目标。失眠了一段日子,但我出去寻觅的是睡意,而不是跟踪毫无防备能力的旅行者。显然,我和那些偶然从贫民窟涌入城市的抢劫者没什么区别。那次邂逅,而那些跟随,标志着一个巨大的,令人不安的鸿沟在夜间行人之间铺设和我。我很快就聚集了被认为是危险的,这本身就是一个危险。我只需要转个弯就可以变成危险。我不久就得出结论,被别人当作危险人物,这本身就很危险,当恐惧和武器并存是—在美国的大城市里,恐惧往往引发武力——生命总有可能遭遇不测。
3.在第一年,我第一次离我的家乡,我是完全熟悉了恐惧的语言。在黑暗中,神出鬼没的十字路口,我可以在刚好找到停在红绿灯前的车,并咚,咚,敲驾驶员的玻璃在苏豪区,例如,在人行道很窄,紧密间隔建筑物拒之门外天空一个十几岁的表弟,对22个哥哥,在他二十多岁一个儿时的朋友胆小,但一位幸存者。
8.错误地归因于我在公共场所的fearsomeness往往有一个危险的味道。这些混乱的最可怕的一次发生在70年代末和80年代初,当我曾在芝加哥的一名记者。有一天,冲进一本杂志我写的在手限期故事的办公室,我被误认为是小偷。办公室经理所谓的安全,并与一个特设的一团,追求我通过迷宫般的大厅,近到我的编辑的大门。我没有办法证明我是谁的。我只能快步走向别人谁知道我的公司。
9.还有一次我是在分配一个当地报纸和消磨时间的采访之前。我进入这个城市的富裕北边附近一家珠宝店。所有人原谅自己,并与一个巨大的红色杜宾犬用力拴住年底返回。她站着,伸向我的狗,无声的我的问题,她的眼睛鼓鼓近了她的头。我花了粗略环顾四周,点了点头,吩咐她美好的夜晚。10.相对而言,但是,我从来没有表现为严重的另一个黑人男性记者。他到附近的沃基根,伊利诺伊州一对夫妇的夏天的前工作一本关于谁是出生在那里一个杀人犯的故事。误将记者的凶手,警察把他拽了从他的汽车在枪口下和,但他的记者证可能会试图预定了他。黑人男性交易这样的故事所有的时间。
11多年来,我学会了扼杀我感到所以经常被采取刑事风靡一时。不这样做一定会导致疯狂。我现在就采取预防措施,以使自己少威胁。我动一下小心,尤其是深夜。我给敬而远之到紧张的人在地铁平台在凌晨,尤其是当我已经牛仔裤交换业务的衣服。如果我碰巧进入后面的一些人谁出现水性杨花的建筑物,我可以通过散步,让他们明确大堂,才返回,以免似乎跟了上去。我一直冷静,非常融洽的那些罕见的场合,当我已经拉了警方。
12.而就傍晚constitutionals我采用什么已被证明是一个很好的张力减径测量:我吹口哨,从贝多芬,维瓦尔第和比较流行的古典作曲家的旋律。即使是钢铁般的纽约人对拱起夜间目的地似乎放松,偶尔他们甚至加入了调。几乎每个人都似乎感觉到一个抢劫犯不会从维瓦尔第的四季啁啾阳光明媚的选择。这是我等同于那个铃铛穿远足时,他们知道他们是在承担国家。
Unit4 Part1 A Promise Kept
现今,离婚和关系破裂粉碎了无数人的人生,然而在这样的一个时世,有着这么一个关于一对父女信守承诺的故事。
我父亲不善表露感情。我记得在我小时候,他从来不为我做的任何事情而发出“噢噢噢”或者“啊啊啊”之类的感叹。不要误会我的意思;我知道我父亲是爱我的,但是将感情外露不是他的性格。我知道他通过其他方式表达对我的爱。
在我人生中,只有这么一回让我感受到他的爱是如此的真实……
我一直深信我父母的婚姻很美满,但是当我——四个孩子中最小的一个——快满十六岁的时候,我这种想法受到了严峻的考验。以前父亲都会帮忙做些家务杂活的,但是他渐渐地变得泄气沮丧。从工厂下班回到家中直到上床睡觉,他几乎不跟母亲或者我们说一句话。很明显,父母亲的关系非常紧张。有一天,母亲让我们兄弟姐妹坐下来,告诉我们说父亲决定离开这个家,但是我对此完全没有心理准备。我能想到的就是我将要成为离婚家庭的产物。我从来没想过会发生这样的事,所以非常悲痛。我不断地告诉自己说爸妈不会离婚的,但是当我知道父亲真的要走的时候,我呆若木鸡。在他走之前的那一晚,我在自己的房间里熬到深夜。我祈祷,哭泣,然后写了一封长信给我父亲。我告诉他我有多么地爱他,我以后会多么地想念他。我告诉他我正在为他祈祷,而且希望他知道,无论如何上帝和我都会爱他。我告诉他我会永远都是他的小克莉丝……他的“面条”。折好这封信之后,我还塞了一张自己的照片进去,上面写着一句我常常听到的习语:“任何人都可以成为父亲,但是并非人人都能成为‘爹地’。”
第二天早上,我趁父亲走出房子的时候,偷偷溜到小汽车里,把这封信放进他其中的一个背包里。
两个星期过去了,父亲几乎音信全无。然后,一天下午,我放学回家后看到母亲坐在饭厅的餐桌旁,等着跟我谈一谈。我从她的眼睛可以看出她刚哭过。她告诉我父亲曾经来过,还和她谈了好久。他们认为,他们之间有很多地方可以改善,并且在将来也会得到改善,而且他们的婚姻值得挽救。然后妈妈把目光转过来,望着我的眼睛。
“克莉丝汀,你爸告诉我说你给他写了一封信。我可以知道你写了些什么吗?”
我所写的都是想对父亲说的肺腑之言,这些言语我很难向母亲启齿。所以我只是含糊地说了几句,然后耸耸肩。
母亲说:“嗯,你爸说,他读你的信读到哭了。这封信对他很有意义,而我几乎没见过你爸哭。他读完你的信之后,打电话来问我可不可以谈一谈。你的话真的对他影响很大。”
几天后,父亲回家了,这次他不走了。父亲和我之后再没提起过这封信。我想我一直把这封信当作了我们两人之间的秘密。
父母亲的婚姻维持了整整36年,直到父亲在53岁时早逝,才结束了他们在一起的时光。在父母亲婚姻的最后16年里,所有认识我父母亲的人以及我,都见证了这段非常美满的婚姻。他们的爱日渐牢固,而当我看到他们越来越亲密的时候,我的心里就会充满自豪。
当父母亲从医生那里得知父亲的心脏正在快速衰竭的时候,他们始终手牵手,肩并肩地一起面对疾病。
父亲逝世后,我们开始整理他的遗物,这是最为难受的任务。我从来不喜欢做这活儿,而选择了做跑腿,因此大部分遗物被分类和装箱的时候,我都不必在场。
当我办完事回家的时候,我的哥哥说:“克莉丝汀,这是妈妈让我给你的。她说你会明白其中的含义。”
我低头看他伸出的手,那时我才明白到我那封信在多年前那天所产生的影响。我哥哥手中拿的是那天我给父亲的那张照片。我那不善表露感情的父亲,从来不让内心的情绪左右自己;我的父亲,几乎从来没有大方地表达对我的爱,却一直保存着这张对他和我都极为重要的照片。我坐下来,眼泪开始滴落,我曾以为我的眼泪在他去世的时候就流干了,而现在当我意识到我对他是多么重要的时候,眼泪又开始“复苏”。母亲告诉我说,父亲始终珍藏着这张照片和那封信。我家里有一个我称之为“爸爸盒子”的盒子。里面放了许多可以让我回忆起父亲的东西。我不时从这个盒子里拿出这张照片,回忆往日。我记得许多年前一名年轻男子与他的新娘在结婚那天许下的誓言,我记得一个父亲和他女儿之间无言的承诺。
一个恪守一生的承诺。
Part2
The Perfect Family ①20世纪50年代,在我长大的时候,当时只有一种类型的家庭,就是我们每天在电视上看到的那种家庭。就在我们面前,黑白的电视节目告诉我们需要知道的有关家庭价值观念的一切:干净整洁的一片草坪,苹果树,永远不会大声说话的母亲,三个可爱的孩子: Princess, Kitten, Bud,还有一个最清楚的父亲。
②那个时候人们一旦结婚了就会永远在一起,门前会种着玫瑰花。我们会把萤火虫装在玻璃瓶里,在后院还有崭新的秋千,在黄昏时还会玩一会儿垒球。在一模一样的房子里、一模一样的街道上,我们有着永恒的夏夜、一天三顿营养均衡的膳食。在这个世界上生存,我们只要讲好一个小小的条件即可:永远不问为什么,永远不过问那些不如我们家底殷实的、和我们有所不同的人们。我们忽略了绝望的婚姻以及那钻心的孤独感。我们永远不会,也从来没有去想要了解那些我们看不到的东西,比如那些被藏在虚掩的门后的东西、我们邻居的卧室里私密的东西还有用多节的镶嵌板做成的密室里的东西。
③这是我母亲无法达成的协议。她曾一度相信她的生活会跟我们在电视看到的那种生活一样,只不过是真实的、彩色的。但事实上,她被迫要独自照顾她的孩子。而那时离婚还不常见。直到十年之后我去上了大学,才碰到另一个离异家庭的孩子。
④那时候,我最好的朋友不被允许来我家,这也可以理解;她的父母不赞成离婚或者我母亲的生活方式。我母亲,毕竟,有一份工作和一个男朋友,或许更令人有负罪感的是,每周一晚上她都要把银色的垃圾桶搬到街沿那。她那样做着,数年如一日,在入夜之后,在她已记好了账目、支付了账单、照顾好发疼的嗓子,并确保我们已经吃过晚饭之后;但住在整条街上的都知道:清理垃圾显然应该是一份男人的活。
⑤在我十岁的时候,我的母亲开始在社会服务部工作,在那里,郊区规则什么的并不适用。她给那些年轻未婚的母亲、还有些不被允许完成高中的女孩或必须呆在家里的女人们一些劝告。她们都没有选择堕胎的权利。之后,我的母亲将那些女人生下的大部分孩子放到了收养中心,又后来,她转去保护服务部,负责调查对于虐待和疏忽孩子的指控。她常常要检查孩子的背或者胳膊,看有没有淤青或者鞭痕。
⑥我母亲本来会在我的朋友身上找到一些伤痕(如果我母亲检查的话),被他“正义”的父亲打的,就是她父亲当初不允许她来我们家。几年之后,当他发现她的女儿正和一个他看不上的男孩交往的时候,他打青了她的眼睛。但是他的邻居没有一个敢举报他。(如果不出这个事)他们永远不会想到像我朋友的父亲这样的一个人,平时总是把垃圾桶整齐地放在路边,把草坪也照料的很好,这样的人需要被监视(看他还打不打孩子)。
⑦对于我母亲来说,一旦有人举报核实了之后,虐待是一个很明确的问题,但是疏忽孩子的问题则更多只是一个判断。实际上,这是对爱的本质进行判断。如果我的父亲没有准时地送来抚养费,如果我的母亲不是白人,如果她没有收到高等教育,那么我们家就很有可能像我母亲所拜访的那些众多的家庭一样。那些人家里,大冬天里没有暖气,灰尘堆积到就算打扫一整天依然不干净的地步,每顿饭只有薄饼和牛奶,或者,到了月底,只能用自来水冲麦片(没钱买牛奶了)。如果真的这样,这难道就说明我的母亲对她的孩子的爱比别人少吗?能说明我们不像一家人吗?
⑧我母亲从来不会仅凭地板是否干净,饭菜营养是否均衡或男朋友是否偶尔来过夜来评判一个母亲是否合格。但是在那时,有好些市民太急于用他们的标准来衡量妇女和儿童,而不考虑贫困或是疲惫或者仅仅就是信仰不同等因素。
⑨总有些人准备用他们的正义给出评价。我知道这个因为在十岁前,我也是这些所谓正义的人中的一个。当时我也认为女人应该呆在家里,男人每周一晚上把垃圾弄出去。当时我还认为如果父母试一下,他们可能就会创造出仅次于天堂的美好的家庭生活。别人就是这样跟我说的。在所有最美好的世界里,我们住在一模一样的房子里,过着一模一样的生活。
⑩这是一个简单的想法,甚至在童年时期看来都太过简单。当然,对于我们现在的生活来说,这种家庭也太有限了。现在在19个家庭中只有1个家庭是只靠父亲赚钱而母亲不在外工作,并且有两个或两个以上的孩子。在很久之前,在我逐渐成长的过程中,我们与其他人隔绝开来,为此付出了极高的代价。我们不敢与众不同。我们营造了安全,又受困于这种安全。
11仍然有一些地方人们会在黄昏的时候玩垒球,玫瑰花就种在门口。也有些家庭有温和慷慨的父亲和叫Bud的儿子,母亲也会在每年六月做草莓蜜饯,并且她总有时间唱摇篮曲。但这些家庭就真的比那些天天工作的单亲母亲更爱他们的孩子吗?她们的摇篮曲就一定会更动听吗?假如作为一个孩子我觉得被剥夺了什么,那仅仅是在有人用一个家应该如何的标准对我们家进行衡量的时候。而事实上,我们几乎什么都不缺。
12现在我也有了自己的孩子。一天中我失败了大概有一百件事情没做成功,下了班感到筋疲力尽。但女人自己也可以把事情做好(工作,照顾孩子等),对此我感到震惊。不说别的,她们事实上真地能做到很多事情。当孩子们大叫着找她们时,她们半夜从睡梦中醒来。她们急急忙忙找来止咳糖浆和凉毛巾,并盯着孩子直到天亮。这些都是真正的家庭价值,与当我们是孩子时所知道的那种家庭价值一样。就我们而言,我们的母亲可以只用一个吻治好感冒。关于爱,这可能是唯一的我们需要永远记住的事。剩下的,没有一个人可以评价。
Main idea:(作者的观点)单亲家庭里的孩子不缺少爱。单亲母亲虽然要工作,照顾孩子的时间可能会少一些,但她们给予孩子的爱并不比完美家庭少。
第二篇:新世纪大学英语综合教程3课文翻译1-6
译文
第一单元 友谊的真谛
米歇尔·E·多伊尔
马克·K·史密斯 我们探讨友谊这个概念时,遇到的第一个问题是,没有社会公认的择友标准。在某一情境下,我们会把某个人称为朋友;然而,情境一旦变迁,朋友这个称呼就显得没那么贴切了。因此,人们对友谊的真谛的理解往往是非常肤浅的。为了帮助我们理解友谊的真正含义,我们需要回顾有关友谊的几种传统的看法。
一种传统的友谊观在古希腊著名的哲学家亚里士多德的著作里得以阐述。他将自己心目中真正的友谊同另外两种友谊截然分开。这两种友谊分别是:基于互利的友谊;基于愉悦的友谊。因此,根据亚里士多德的观点,我们可以将友谊分为三类:
建立在功利之上的友谊。|功利并非永恒,它依照环境而变化。友谊的根基一旦消失,友谊也随之破灭。这类友谊似乎在老人之间最为常见,因为上了年纪的人需要的不是愉悦而是实用。基于功利的友谊也同样存在于追逐个人利益的中年人和青年人中。这些人不会在一起消磨时光,因为他们有时甚至不喜欢对方,因而觉得除非可以互相利用,否则没有交往的必要。只有当他们认为彼此有希望相互利用的时
候,才会乐于呆在一起。
建立在愉悦之上的友谊。|年轻人之间的友谊常被看作是建立在愉悦基础之上的,因为年轻人的生活受感情支配,他们感兴趣的主要是自己的快乐和眼前的重要机会。然而,他们的情趣随着自己日渐成长也会变化,他们交友容易,分手也干脆。年轻人的态度变化无常,甚至一日数变,难怪他们的友谊总是迅速地开始,又匆匆地结束。
建立在美德之上的友谊。|完美无瑕的友谊立足于美德。只有那些品德高尚而且拥有相似美德的人之间建立的友谊才是最完美的。品行高尚的人,其行为是相同的,或者是类似的。爱和友谊多半在品行高尚的人之间发生,而且以最高雅的形式出现。这种友谊是罕见的,需要时间,需要交
往。常言道,真正的朋友必须同甘共苦,历经风雨。只有当两个人互相证明自己值得爱并获得对方的信任之后,彼此方能接受对方为朋友。交友的意愿可能倏忽而至,但真正的友谊却要慢慢培养。
另一种传统的友谊观可以在古罗马政治家、演说家西塞罗的著作里找到。西塞罗认为,真正的友谊只能在好人之间发生。他进而将“好人”定义为“那些行为和生活无损于自己的荣誉、纯洁、公平和开明的人;那些摆脱了贪婪、欲念和暴力的人;那些敢于依照自己的信念说话和做事的人。”好人之间建立的这种友谊立足于美德,它确实可以带来物质利益,但决不以追求物质利益为目标。人类生活在以共同的理想为基础的社会。因此,在处理朋友关系和其他人际关系时,优越于他人的人必须平等地对待那些没那么幸运的人。美德创造友谊,美德使友谊之树常青。
我们由此可以看出,传统的友谊观由三个要素构成:朋友以相伴为乐;朋友必须彼此受益;彼此都有志于崇高的事业。这些传统的友谊观告诉我们,两个品德高尚的朋友是永不分离的,因为彼此认同对方的高尚品德。因此,认识朋友就是认识自我,了解朋友就是了解自我。可 1 以说朋友就好比是一面镜子,每个人都可以从朋友身上看清自己。置身于品德高尚的朋友之中,我们会对美德达成共识,共同为之不遗余力。这样的友谊是永恒的,因为朋友应该具备的一切品质都凝结在这种友谊关系中。
第二单元 你的爱有多深 有人认为爱如浮云 有人认为爱坚强如铁
有人认为爱是一种生活方式 有人认为爱是一种感觉 有人说爱要执着 有人说爱不要约束 有人说爱是生命的全部 有人说不知道爱为何物
在我们生命中的某个阶段,我们会经历难以名状的情 感。这种情感只能体会,无法用语言描述。莫大的喜悦伴随着丝丝的伤感一同降临,这就是爱。
在紧张忙碌的生活中,我们竟能找到时间,沉湎于感情之中,这的确令人感佩。然而,此时我想知道:我们是否懂得爱到底有多么深刻。记得上学的时候,我迷恋的对象真是数不清:我的数学老师、邻居的儿子、好朋友的弟弟,还有另外一些因为眼睛的颜色、胡子的形状或走路的姿势而让我倾慕的人。年少时的爱慕,不会带来伤害,如肥皂泡一样转瞬即逝。那些稚气、大胆的想法和行为,现在想来大可一笑了之。但是,在那时,对我来说,没有比恋爱更重要的事了。接着就进入了真正“谈”情“说”爱的阶段。
我在女子学校学习,和男孩子交往的机会寥寥无几,因此,我热切地期待着我们学校和男子学校举办的交谊会。交谊会上,一群精心打扮的年轻男子毫无顾忌地盯着我们。这三个小时中的点点滴滴,成了我们在以后四个星期中足够的谈资,我们在议论时,心情澎湃。即使是在那个时候,我也没有真正交男朋友的需要。
在我的成长岁月中,不知何故,我相信爱情该来的时候自然会来。事实果真如此。当我有了稳定的工作,有了长期的计划和比较安定的生活(我现在还不到25岁呢!)时,爱情降临了。我也比较成熟了,能够步入不贪图许多回报而需要大量付出的感情关系。
我的爱情是在友谊这块地基上建起的高楼大厦。爱情经过旷日持久的培养才开花。我和我的恋人相互理解、同甘共苦、相互关心,投入了丰富的感情,才使爱情发展到今天。爱情意味着情投意合。你也许会说,我属于浪漫的传统派。但是,依我看,爱情需要培养。我们必须把爱情同强烈而短暂的激情或身体的愉悦区别开来。
我们的父辈,接受了理想爱情的灌输。那是一个约束、压抑、崇敬、仰慕和十足浪漫的年代。长裙、娴静质朴的外表、卷曲的长发、恬静的气质、羞怯的目光——这一切常使人想起一个消逝久远的年代。那个年代,男女之间的距离无论如何都有助于维持爱情以及恋爱关系的神圣性。
年轻的一代人,由于观念开放,随着男女之间交往界线的消退,他们便急于赶浪头,匆忙恋爱,以至于难以区分身体的互相吸引与心灵的相投。我们从媒体中接触到的人和事,使我们的感情历程大大加速,要想慢慢地体会自己的感受,确实需要付出努力。
学校里的青少年在全然没有感情的关系中所背负的感情包袱,令我深感难过。也许有些人会把他们目前的感情状况归结为同龄人之间所施加的压力。但是,可曾有任何人停下来想一想同龄人之间的压力来自何处?我们是否尝试着弄清楚是谁造成了这样的转变?可曾有人费神去研究青少年的心理呢?
从这一代人处理个人生活的方式上,我们很容易看出他们的思想倾向。跟从前相比,现在有更多的情感在欲望的压力下扭曲。他们更注重外表的美丽而忽视内在的魅力。两性交往随便了,亲密无间却少了;激情多了,感情却少了;个人获得的多了,相互间分享的少了;寻机
获利的现象多了,无私的奉献少了。简而言之,“自我”多了,爱的分享少了。在这个竞争激烈的年代,我们已经变得麻木不仁,将恋爱的实质抛于脑后。作为恋爱中的人,不只是意味着把红色的玫瑰花和五毛钱一张的卡片送给恋人,我们要做的事情还很多。我们将自己的时间、陪伴、支持和友谊作为礼物送给自己的恋人了吗?我们是否确定了生活中最重要的事情,而后真诚地做好每一件事?我们是否先在情感上成熟起来,再尽情地追求爱情?我们是否给自己、给他人足够的时间和空间以巩固恋情的发展?我们是否为了追求有意义的、永恒的友谊而不遗余力?我们是否履行了自己的承诺?我们是否将自己的精力和感情倾注于终生不渝的关系而不是浪费在朝秦暮楚的关系中?
人的生命只有一次,我们必须去体验能使我们更为坚强的每件事。真正的爱情一生只有一次。我们任由轻佻的行为令自己身心疲惫,当真正的爱情到来时,我们却没有能力伸开双臂迎接它的降临。
第三单元
追求以公众利益为宗旨的幸福
在过去的50年里,我们西方国家的经济获得了史无前例的增长。我们的家园、车辆、假期、工作、教育,尤其是健康,均得以改善。依据标准经济理论,这些改善原本应该使我们更加幸福,然而,调查显示并非如此。英国人和美国人接受幸福程度的调查时说,在过去的50年里,他们的幸福程度并没有得到改善。抑郁症患者人数上升,同时犯罪率大幅增长也说明了人们对生活的不满足。
上述事实对我们个人以及社会优先考虑的诸多事情都提出了挑战。事实上,我们现在的处境是人类从未经历过的。当大多数人还在为温饱发愁时,物质条件的改善的确能令他们幸福一些。富庶国家(比如,人均年收入在两万美元以上)的人民比贫穷国家的人民幸福一些;而贫穷国家的人民,如果稍微富裕,也会幸福得多。然而,物质上的匮乏一旦消除,收入的增加便不如亲情、友情、邻里和睦等人际关系那么重要。但是,我们在追求更高的收入时牺牲了太多这样的关系,这很危险。
渴望幸福是人类本性的核心。人人都渴望这样一个社会:人们尽可能地幸福,每个人的幸福同等重要。这应当是我们这个时代的人生哲学,应当用来指导公共利益的维护准则和每个人 3 的行为,应当逐渐取代无法使我们更加幸福的极端的个人主义。
金钱的确是影响个人幸福的关键因素之一。但是,金钱本身能使我们最终获得幸福吗?在任何一个社会,富人往往比穷人幸福。然而,当一个西方国家越来越富有的时候,其人民的幸福程度在总体上并未得到改善。随着时间的推移,我们的标准和期望随着收入的增加而上升。盖洛普民意测验每年都向美国人提问:“一个四口之家至少需要多少钱才能在这个国家生活下去?”人们说出的数字上升的幅度与平均收入增加的幅度是一样的。因为人们总是拿自己的收入和他人的收入以及他们惯于拥有的收入相比较,只有当他们认为和平均水准相比有所上升时才感到幸福。
这一过程反而达不到预期的目的。我努力工作、赚更多钱的动力是:这会使我更幸福一些。其他的社会成员也同样如此,他们也关注自己相对的生活标准。既然社会整体无法以自己为参照物而提高自己的地位,那么社会成员为使自己更加幸福所付出的努力可以说是一种浪费
—— 当休闲与工作的天平偏向工作时,工作是“没有效率”的。
为了进一步证实这一论点,我从社会地位方面加以说明。人的地位可能来源于所挣得的收入或所花费的金钱。人们工作,至少部分原因是为了提高自己的地位。然而,地位是一种等级体系:第一,第二,第三,等等,所以当一个人的地位提高了,其他人的地位就同等程度地下降。这是一种得失平衡的游戏:从整个社会看,为了提高地位而牺牲个人的生活,是一种浪费。因此,永无止境的竞争极具破坏性:我们在追求一种总体不变的东西时失去了家庭生活和平和的心境。
在某种意义上,人们最渴望的是尊重。他们追求经济地位因为它可以赢来尊重。但是,我们可以重视也可以轻视经济地位。在一个竞争日益激烈的社会,如果我们不放宽尊重的标准,社会上能力偏低的人会感到生活更加艰辛。我们应该尊重那些同他人一起合作而自己没有获益的人,那些在各个阶层上施展才能、努力工作的人。因此,让每个人都能学会一种本领尤为重要。在英国,这意味着只要年轻人愿意,一定要确保他们每个人都学会手艺,使那些学业不成功的人也能在职业生涯中感到自豪,不会在长大成人时觉得自己是失败者。
人与人之间难免产生比较,因为等级体系的存在是必要的,不可避免的。有些人得到晋升,而另一些人却没有。此外,职位得以晋升的人薪水也要提高,因为他们有才华,雇主也乐意招贤纳士。所以,在人们挑选工作和选择雇主的关键时刻,薪水作为一个重要因素影响着他们的决定。存在的问题是,大部分的职业没有客观的标准来衡量个人的业绩,所以事实上只能拿一个人同自己的同事作比较才能得到评估。然而,这种等级评定的方法非常主观,从根本上改变了雇员与顾主、雇员与同事之间的合作关系。
如果我们渴望一个更加幸福的社会,我们就应该着重强调人们所珍视的经历——首要的是亲情关系、工作关系和邻里关系,人们珍视这些经历并非因为别人拥有它们,而是因为这些经历拥有内在的价值。我们当前享受的充分的舒适和安逸,看来有可能使我们的生活幸福一些,可是人与人之间关系的恶化又有可能降低了我们的幸福程度。
我们生活在一个空前的个人主义的时代。许多人都感到最重要的责任是充分发挥自己的才干,挖掘自己的潜力。这是一个可怕的、孤单的目标。当然,他们也感受到自己应该对他人承担的责任,但是在西方国家,这些责任缺乏一套清晰的理念。无论是古老的、虔诚的世界 4 观,还是战后社会的团结精神和国家的凝聚意识,皆荡然无存。我们全然丧失了公共利益或集体意义的概念。
我们要想幸福一些,必须在改变外在环境的同时改变我们内在的态度。我说的是一种永恒的人生哲学,它能使我们在自身找到积极的力量同时也能发现他人身上蕴涵的积极因素。这种对他人和自己怀有的同情心,是可以学会的,学校应该将这种同情心教给学生。每个城市都应该有这样的政策:在年轻人中间推广更健康的人生哲学,帮助他们区别肤浅的快乐和真正的幸福。
因此,我希望在这个新的世纪我们最终能够把人类的最大幸福当作我们的公益观。这可能有两个结果。这种人生观可以明确地指导政策的制定,但是更重要的是,在日常的生活中,它会激励我们因为别人幸福而感到更大的快乐,同时帮助他人获得更大的幸福。只有这样,我们才不会以自我为中心,才会更加幸福。
第四单元 如何变老
尽管文章的标题是“如何变老”,真正要谈的却是如何不老。在我这个年纪,讨论“如何不老”,着实更为重要。首要的一条忠告是,要慎重地选择祖先。虽然我的父母皆属早逝,但是考虑到我其他的祖先,我的选择尚好。我的外祖父在六十七岁风华正茂时早逝,这是事实,可我的外祖母,还有我的祖父、祖母,都活到了八十多岁。在那些与我血缘关系稍疏些的祖先中,我只发现有一位不长寿的,他死于一种当前罕见的病:被砍了头。我的一位曾祖母是吉本的朋友,活到九十二岁,其精神状态之好自始至终都让子孙们敬畏,一直到她撒手人寰的那天。我的外祖母,生养了十个孩子,其中一个夭折,另外九个健康成长。此外,她还有过多次小产。她守寡之后,即刻投身于妇女的高等教育事业。她是格顿学院的创始人之一,为促使医疗事业向妇女敞开大门而不遗余力。她过去常讲这样的一个故事:她在意大利遇见一个满面哀伤的老绅士,便询问他为何如此忧伤,老绅士说刚刚和自己两个孙子道别。“天哪!”她叫道,“我有七十二个孙子孙女,如果和其中的一个分别一次就伤心一次,那我的生活岂不太凄惨了!”“非同寻常的母亲啊!”老绅士回答道。
但是,作为七十二子孙中的一员,我更喜欢她的这一处世秘诀。外祖母八十高龄后感到入睡有些困难,她便常常在半夜到凌晨三点这段时间阅读科普书籍。我想,她无暇顾及自己是否老了。我认为这就是保持年轻的秘诀。如果你拥有广泛的、自己钟爱的兴趣和活动,又能从中体会自己老当益壮,你就没有理由从那些只有在统计学中才有意义的数字上考虑生命已经度过多少春秋,更没有理由担忧自己的未来也许很短暂。
说到健康,我很少生病,因此无法提供有用的建议。我随心所欲地吃喝,不能清醒时就睡觉。我做任何事情都不是因为这些事情对健康有利。不过,我喜欢做的事情实际上大多都有益于健康。
就心理而言,老年人应慎防两种危险。其一就是过度地沉湎于过去。人不能活在记忆中,不能生活在因美好往昔的逝去而怅然若失中,也不能生活在缅怀已故朋友的哀痛中。人的心思必须放在未来上,想想可以有所作为的事情。这并非一件轻而易举的事:一个人经历的往事,渐渐变成一个沉重的包袱。人们很容易以为过去的情感比现在强烈,过去的头脑也比现在敏锐。倘若真的如此,我们就要忘却这个事实;如果忘却了这个事实,事实也许就不再是事实 5 了。
另一种要提防的危险是:依恋年轻人,希望从他们的勃勃生机中汲取活力。当你的孩子已长大成人,他们就想过自己的生活;如果你仍像他们小时候那样关注他们,你很可能就成了他们的包袱。动物在下一代能够自食其力时就不再给予关注;人类因幼年时期较长而很难做到这一点。
孩子已长大成人,叮嘱他们不犯错误已经没有意义,因为他们不再相信你的话,再说错误是教育不可或缺的一部分。但是,如果你的兴趣无法摆脱个人感情的支配,你也许会发现,假如不关注子孙,生活就会空虚无望。在这种情况下,你必须意识到,虽然你仍可以给他们提供物质上的帮助,比如给他们一笔零花钱或为他们编织毛线外套,但是你绝不能期望他们会乐意和你呆在一起。
有些老人因害怕死亡而烦恼。年轻人有这种感受是可以理解的。年轻人害怕在战场上牺牲,这情有可原。他们认为,死亡会剥夺生活赋予的最美好的东西,这让他们深感痛苦。但是,饱尝人世酸甜苦辣的老者已挖掘自己的潜力、实现了自己的抱负,倘若再对死亡产生恐惧之心,未免有些可耻。克服恐惧之心的最好的办法是 —— 至少我这样看 ——
开拓更广泛的、不局限于个人感情的兴趣,让包围自我的墙壁渐渐地消失,你的生活就渐渐融入人类的生活中。一个人的存在应该像一条河——初始为涓涓细流,裹在狭窄的岸
间,在岩石的缝隙中、在呼啸的瀑布上奔泻。河床渐渐变宽,河岸逐渐隐退,水流平缓,河水没有明显的停滞,最终融入海洋的怀抱,毫无痛苦地结束了独立个体的存在。上了年纪的人,倘若能以这种态度看待人生,就不会因为害怕死亡而不安,因为他所喜爱的一切将继续存在。而且,当生命力衰竭之时,疲惫感油然而生,长眠的念头并非令人厌恶。我希望在尚能劳作之时告别人世,知道他人会将我未竟的事业继续下去,同时回想这一生有可能做的事情,都尽力而为了,由此可以满意地安息了。
第五单元 网络教育
在最近的一次出差途中,有人问及我的职业,我说自己是从事编写和教授大学课程的。“哦?那在哪儿教书?”他问道。我不假思索,老老实实地答道:“虚无空间里”。
我说的是实情。1990年起,我就在被朋友称作“键盘大学”里教远程学位教育课程并提供辅导。我的课堂是在充满电荷的空间里,其间一端连着我的电话插座,另一端连着一群年龄偏大的大学生家里的电脑。
1990年,我筹建了美国第一个远程学习者在线辅导中 心。迄今为止,我已在线辅导了7000多个学生,其中只有几个人不及格,而我本人却从未与他们谋面。
由于无法更清楚地解释我的工作环境,我只能告诉这位问话者:我在虚拟空间教书,“是个虚拟大学的教师。”我试着向他解释“远程教育······在线学位课程······虚拟大学”等
等。
那人的脸上仍旧一片茫然。我不清楚他沉默不语到底是因肃然起敬所致,还是纯粹对此稀里糊涂。我猜想两个原因都有。于是,我就开始解释这些天来经常解释的事情:我认为,美国 6 的大学教育在衰退,而美国的教育新思维正在兴起。
远程教学(即师生不用谋面的教育课程)并不是件新生事物。英国巴斯大学的艾塞克·彼特曼爵士曾突发奇想,让乡村居民把圣经转换成速记文字,然后邮寄给他评阅,以这种办法教会他们文秘技能。1840年他就开始实施,从中赚取了大笔的金钱。我并不教速记,我教心理学和职业拓展。但还是和艾塞克爵士一样,很多课程是自己编写的。我的岗位是在万维网,我把作业张贴在电子布告栏上,把批阅过的试卷用电子邮件通过国际电话线发送出去,而且免交关税;必要时,把班级学生召集起来,在网上聊天室里在线讲课。
难道这种方式能够摒弃现实中的大学教育吗?学生难道不用整齐地坐在教室里聆听老师——讲坛上的圣人——讲课就能学到知识吗?
绝对可以,毫无疑问。事实上,很多人都认为没有校园的大学难以想象,可我现在却以为不在网络空间这块充满自由氛围的地方教书才是匪夷所思呢。
在网络空间里,我倾听、阅读、评价、思考学生们表述的观点——一次一个,轮流发言。他们必须书面把见解传输给我,他们不能坐在后排座位上,无所事事地打发时光。他们必须思考,最令他们头疼的是,他们必须写作。思考与写作,那不就是传统教育培养出来的人才所具备的特质吗?
我不是凭借他们的脸庞或是他们在宽敞教室里所坐位置来认识我的学生,而是通过他们每周作业里的文字和观点了解他们。这些文字与观点大家都能在线读到。我不是讲坛上的圣人——我更像是他们身边的向导。通常,学生们之间“说”的或写的东西、把自己工作和职业体会融入论文和辩论的方式,比起我能够提供的任何东西都更加实用,更有启迪性。
我学生的年龄一般是四十岁,还有不少五六十岁。他们通过网络来上学。因为他们不能或者不愿意辞去工作、离开儿女或孙辈们搬进大学校园——那样的大学无非就是一个依照中世纪修道院模式建立起来的教育实体。
他们大多数了解自己所谈论的东西,不仅如此,他们清楚自己为何返回大学学习。网络教育适合他们,因为网络教育尊重学员界定知识和追求知识的能力,鼓励他们抒发自己的观点和见解,没有教师干扰,因为教师可能会情不自禁地介入他们的争论,把原本很有启发性的课堂讨论“平息”或者“引到别的话题上去”。
学生们体验到的东西完全不同于依照传统工厂模式运作的美国教育。在传统教育中,生产线上的每个人接收到相同标准单位的信息(讲座和教材),然后必须通过同一质量检查(客观考试)。学生们坐在整齐排列的座位上,举手请求允许后才发言,不断地看着钟表学课本、听讲座,课本和讲座被分解成不相关联的知识玩意儿。没有证据显示,这样的工厂模式是有效的学习途径,而只能证明这是一种很便利的方式:大学在成绩报告单上记录下标准份量的知识已如期地传授。
或许,在虚拟环境下教大学文科课程对我来说特别有意义,因为它可以追溯到我当年所了解到的真正的大学文科教育。在希腊雅典研读哲学时,老师教导我,要学到东西就得扔掉课本和笔记本这些不过是记忆工具的东西,要依赖我们与生俱来的本领进行批判性思考。
我的网络学生的确是有教材,但那都是学习的辅助材料,不是他们汲取知识的唯一源泉。他们还将从网上辩论、会议和论文写作的合作中学到知识。学生们要为发言认真思考;他们每周来上课时,充分准备好辩论,通过键盘上的交流获取真知。
说也奇怪,虚拟大学兴许正是柏拉图这样的古典哲学家喜欢授课的地方——假如他那个时期有因特网的话。你问我本人的意见?我也认为教育应该比较少地在校园里开展,而更多地应该在参与者的脑子里进行。
第六单元 文化冲击
我们不妨把文化冲击称为突然置身国外的人们所得的职业病。和大部分疾病一样,这种病有其独特的起因、症状和疗法。
文化冲击是因为我们失去熟悉的社会交往标记和符号而产生的焦虑所促成。这些标志或暗示包括我们应付日常生活各种情境时使用的诸多方式方法:与人会面时何时握手、该说些什么;在什么时间、以什么方式付小费;如何吩咐佣人;怎样购物;何时该接受、何时该拒绝他人的邀请;别人说的话,何时该当真,何时不该当真。这些暗示可以是语
言、手势、面部表情、风俗习惯或社会行为标准。我们在成长的过程中获得了这些暗示,就像我们的语言和我们所接受的信仰一样,它们已经成为我们文化的一部分。我们所有的人都依赖成百上千个这样的暗示才能拥有宁静的心境,过上高效率的生活。当你走进一种陌生的文化,你所熟悉的所有或大部分文化暗示也就随之消失。此时的你宛如一条离开水的鱼。无论你的心胸多么开阔,你赖以生存的支柱此时都已倒塌,挫折感和焦虑感油然而生。人们对此种挫折的反应非常相似:他们首先排斥令他们不适的环境:“我们所到之国的生活方式很不好,让我们感觉很糟糕。”当美国人或其他的外国人来到一个陌生的国度,聚在一起抱怨所到之国及其人民时 ——
可以肯定,他们正深受文化冲击之苦。文化冲击的另外一个阶段是回归。故乡的一草一木突然变得极为重要。一个美国人会不合理地美化美国的一切事物。在自己国家所经历的困难和问题都抛在了脑后,只记得故乡美好的事物。通常要回国一趟方可回到现实中。要克服文化冲击的心理,了解文化的性质及其与个人的关系会有所裨益。除了赖以生存的自然环境,一个人还生活在由人造的有形物体、社会风俗、观念和信仰构成的文化环境中。一个人并非天生就有文化,而是生来就具备学习和使用文化的能力。新生婴儿的身上不存在一种只许他最终说葡萄牙语、英语或法语的东西,也不存在一种只许他用左手而不是右手执叉或只许他用筷子吃饭的东西。这些东西都是要孩子去学习的。文化也不是由父母负责传递给孩子的。任何一个民族的文化都是历史的产物,经过漫长的、本民族意识不到的过程才得以积累形成。孩子通过文化学会适应周围的物质环境,学会和周围的人打交道。众所周知,青少年在学习和适应的过程中经常遇到困难。但是,文化一旦学会了,就会成为一种生活方式。
人们往往认为自己的文化是最好的,是生活的唯一方式。这非常正常,完全可以理解。我们把这种态度称为“民族优越感”,即一种认为自己的文化、种族和国家构成世界中心的想法。个人往往将自己与所处的群体等同起来,因此任何批评的言论在他们看来都是对个人及其群体不尊敬的:如果你批评我的祖国,你就是在批评我;如果你批评我,你就是在批评我的祖国。抱着这种态度,人们往往把个人的怪癖归结为民族的特点。例如,倘若一个美国人在国外做出怪异的或有悖社会公德的事情,在美国国内的人们会认为这纯属个人行为,但在国外 8 却被视为一种民族特性:他那样做并非因为他是乔·多克斯,而是因为他是个美国人。遭受责难的不是他这个个体,而是他的祖国。因此,我们最好把民族优越感看成是民族群体的一个永恒的特性。即使一个国家的公民批评了自己文化的某些方面,外国人也只应当听着,而不应该参与批评。
你一旦意识到面临的问题并非因为异域的敌意而是因为自己对其他民族的文化背景缺乏理解或者缺乏与对方沟通的方式,你同时就会意识到你本身能够了解他人的文化,并能够掌握那些交流的方式。你越早做到这一点,文化冲击就消失得越快。
接下来的问题是,你怎样做才能尽快克服文化冲击?答案是:了解所到之国的国民。但是,倘若不懂语言,你是无法成功地实现这一目标的,因为语言是用于交流的主要的符号系统。我们现在都知道,学习一门新的语言不容易,对成年人来说,尤为如此。无论教语言的老师多么擅长于减轻你学习语言的难度,单单学语言这项任务都足以让你焦虑不安、饱受挫折。不过,你一旦能够和女佣、邻居进行友好的交谈,能够单独出门购物,你就会重获信心,充满力量,一个蕴含各种文化意义的新世界就向你敞开了大门。
你开始发现人们做些什么、做事情的方式以及令他们感兴趣的事情。人们往往通过日常的谈话内容和时间、金钱的分配方式来表达自己的兴趣爱好。你一旦了解了他们的兴趣和价值模式,就很容易和他们交谈,也容易让他们对你产生兴趣。
有时候,参加人们举办的各种活动,不管是嘉年华会、宗教仪式还是经济活动,在活动中仔细观察,和人们一起喜怒哀乐,这都有好处。不过,你永远都不要忘记,你是一个外人,人们也会把你当成一个外人对待。你应当把参与活动看成角色扮演。了解一个民族的生活方式很重要,但这并非意味着你要放弃自己的文化。实际上,你已经具备两种行为方式。
作文
第一单元
1.Bob and I became brother-like friends in our childhood.We played, dined and discussed our ambitions together.Once grown up, he started for the West to make his fortune while I became a policeman in New York.Before his departure, we had dinner together and we agreed that we would meet at the same place exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come.Then came the day we were supposed to meet.I was on my beat then.Walking up to the appointed place which had been turned into a hardware store, I saw a man standing there with an unlighted cigar in his mouth.Before I could speak, he told me that he was waiting for a friend by the name of Jimmy Wells.When he struck a match to light his cigar, I saw a pale face with keen eyes and a scar.I recognized him immediately.It was Bob, and it was also the face of the man wanted by the Chicago Police.For a moment I felt like telling him to escape right away.After all, we had been friends for so many years and he had traveled all the way to see me!But then my sense of duty told me the right thing to do.I said good-bye to him and continued my patrol, his last words still ringing in my ear: “I’ll wait for half an hour.Jimmy will keep his promise if he’s alive…” I then sent for a plain clothes man and had Bob arrested.2.An Important Friend in My Life Li Qiang, one of my classmates, is fun to be with.He is always wearing a broad smile as if life is forever“sunshine and butterflies”.One day, I revealed to him my worries and anxieties: I, an ordinary-looking girl, was 177 centimeters tall, even taller than any of the boys in my class.I thought no boy would like to date me.Besides, I was very poor at my academic courses.He suggested that I should learn to be myself and then he introduced me to a fashion show team of the university.Encouraged, I decided to change myself.After a 3-month training program on weekends, I could perform beautifully as a model, and surprisingly, I could concentrate on the required academic courses as well.The applauses I won at each fashion show and the scholarship I earned proved that being myself was terrific.Since then, my life has changed a lot.Thus, Li Qiang became an important friend of mine.Last semester, we began to help young people who suffer pressures from physical defects, academic failures or financial problems.We set up a Confidence Club.Those who come to us for help find our work definitely beneficial.Our friendship has led me into a sparkling, rewarding life.第二单元
1.Male-female relations are indispensable to adults all through their lives.But different generations handle them differently.Our parents’ generation lived in an era of constraints, restraints, respect, admiration, and plenty of romance.They kept a distance from people of the opposite gender in order to preserve the holiness of love and relationships.My generation, on the other hand, began with countless crushes for the opposite sex just because of their superficial charm.Harmless as it was, the love was as brief as soap bubbles.As we grew up, we came to the stage of developing real relationships, believing that love demanded a lot of give and not so much of take.By comparison, the younger generation is more open-minded and less restricted in handling the matter of love and relationships.They jump on the bandwagon of love with so much haste that it is difficult for them to distinguish between physical attraction and mental compatibilities.In short, the younger generation focuses more on physical beauty, closeness and passion, and they tend to seek what they want from the relationships.The other two generations give priority to inner charm, intimacy, emotion and sharing in dealing with relationships.2.What Do Girl Students Look for in Love and Life? In order to know about girl students’ opinion about love and life, a survey with girl students was conducted in 2005 in two universities — Chongqing University of Technology and Business and East China Normal University.The survey sought answers to two questions: What do you look for first in a boyfriend? What’s the most important thing for a happy life? About one third of the students chose personality as the top factor in choosing a boyfriend, followed by 27 percent focusing on abilities.Next came common interests and goals, favoured by 17 percent, with only 14 percent of students claiming appearance to be uppermost in their minds.Fewer still, 11 percent, rated economic status as the first consideration.As to their views about a happy life, nearly seventy percent of the girls attached the greatest importance to marriage and family.“Career” was given top priority by just under 20 percent, while even fewer, around 9 percent, believed that money was the key to a happy life.Based on the survey, we may conclude that nowadays, girl students generally hold a rational attitude towards love and life.Admittedly
第三单元
1.Man Does Not Live by Bread Alone No one would doubt the truth that man’s existence relies essentially on material things.We need them to get fed, clothed and sheltered.Once we are living near the breadline, we’ll feel frustrated and miserable.However, our contentment does not merely lie in material things.This is especially the case in modern times.The fast-developing economy has noticeably improved our lives and fulfilled most of our material needs.Then there comes the need of spiritual satisfaction, which is derived from good health, close friends, a loving spouse, well-raised children, a home built on love, a clear conscience, a worthy goal and an enjoyable job.While material things may lose their charm over time, spiritual satisfaction will bring us lasting happiness.Therefore, to live a happy life, we should focus more on those things that meet our spiritual demands.After all, when our need for bread is met, happiness will not come unless we feel spiritually satisfied.2.I Really Made It I will never forget the awful feeling in my first Oral English class at college.I tried hard to listen to every word the teacher spoke, but what she was saying made no sense to me.Bitterly, I admitted that I was so poor at listening and speaking in English.I wept several times, cursing my middle school for failing to provide adequate listening and speaking practice.But finally I calmed down because the familiar words rang in my ears: There must be a way out.I had a rather solid foundation of English vocabulary and grammar.What was left for me to do was to increase my listening input and speaking output.I made it a rule that every morning I would do reading aloud by the campus lake for 40 minutes, and every evening I would stay in the language lab, listening to English for at least an hour.Then at the end of the second year came my happiest moment: I got the Scholarship for Academic Excellence.I wore a broad smile when the president granted me the award.I then came to realize that happiness can only be gained through hard work.第四单元
1.AIDS Across the Earth AIDS has killed and is threatening to kill millions all across the earth.Several million infections are reported by WHO each year.The virus does not care whether you are black or white, male or female, young or old.It will attack you as long as you are a human.Today, AIDS has become the leading killer of young adults and is turning the children whose parents suffer the disease into orphans.It is no exaggeration to say that we live under the shadow of AIDS.There are several possible causes for such a situation: unsafe sexual intercourse;sharing or reusing contaminated needles;transfusion of contaminated blood or blood products;an infected person’s pregnancy, giving birth and breastfeeding, etc.Unfortunately, our ignorance, prejudice and silence have carried the situation to a desperate extreme.Patients are isolated or treated as outcasts by their families and their communities.AIDS victims feel ashamed to be identified as such and try hard to hide their disease.For this reason, they cannot get immediate medical treatment.Our harmful attitudes towards the disease and its victims have actually placed more people at risk.In our fight against this deadly disease, we should educate people on how to avoid being infected with the disease and how to lead life and, more importantly, how to treat AIDS patients properly.Only in this way can we really bring AIDS under control.2.Why Do the Young Adults Kill Themselves? Young adults are in the prime of their lives and are supposed to pursue their dreams and enjoy themselves.Yet it was reported in the Guardian that suicide is the main cause of death among young adults in China.Why have so many young people ended their lives? Three factors are thought to account for the high suicide rate: increasing stress, loneliness and a lack of medical support for depression.The most pressing one, I think, is stress.Take my college life for example.From the first day I entered the university, I have been living under pressure.I used to worry that I could not quite fit into the campus life;I also feared that I might not catch up with my classmates in my studies or could not live up to my parents’ expectations.Now I am deeply concerned about whether I can find a desirable job after graduation.Endless pressures give rise to stress.Loneliness is another problem.Many young people find they just feel helpless when they are suffering intolerable sadness or frustration.Suicide is a great tragedy, especially for the young.If we can find ways to relieve them of their stress and offer timely help, we may save many young lives.第五单元
1.The Significance of Lifelong Education Decades ago, due to the low standard of living in China, only a small percentage of the nation's population could receive college education.Once given the opportunity, one would surely secure a well-paid and much-respected job, which he or she would probably do for a lifetime.Therefore, to secure a college degree used to be the ultimate goal of a person's education.Today, however, we are living in what is called a“knowledge society”, where creative ideas and innovations are generated at a fantastic speed.One must constantly renew one's knowledge and upgrade one's skills so as to meet the needs of the changing world.Moreover, at the stage of general education, it is pointless for a person to attempt to know everything.When one is required to settle down to be a specialist in a specific field, one has to make an in-depth study of the subject one is supposed to know.In this sense, general education can provide students with only a passport to lifelong education.As Robert Maynard Hutchins once said, the object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.In my opinion, life in modern society is not only a process of“learning to live”but also a process of“living to learn”.The slogan“Live and Learn”can best reflect the concept of lifelong education.2.Should Family Schooling Exist? Meng Mu Tang, a private school in Shanghai, is modeled after the educational system of ancient Chinese home schools, which favored rote memorization and recitation of classic works.But the local education authorities in Shanghai have declared it illegal according to a report in 21st Century.Should family schooling exist? What role should it play? In my opinion, family schooling should be permitted to play a positive role in the current educational system in China.Every family should be free to choose the form of education that best suits their children's interests and natural gifts.Although the existing education system in China has remarkably improved, it does not fit each child perfectly.Since family schooling provides a means to develop a person's talents and unique interest, Meng Mu Tang, as a private school geared to a specific group of children, should not be banned in haste.In view of the current dynamic, quality-minded educational reforms in China, we should permit family schooling to enrich and diversify our educational system.On the other hand, home schooling should adapt itself to the modern world.To prepare children for the future, it should equip them with knowledge and innovative power so that they can cope with the development of the modern world.While tapping children's innate talents on an individual basis, family schooling should never neglect their all-round development.Meng Mu Tang may not be a perfect private school, but we should let it live and have a try so that family schooling may eventually become an indispensable component of our formal education.第六单元
1.My Views on Cultural Differences In my opinion, cultural differences have more advantages than disadvantages.First of all, it is cultural differences that make our world so colorful.If you go to a foreign country, you will be impressed not only by its physical environment but also by its cultural environment — its foods, clothes, customs, social practices, etc.Differences between cultures have always been a source of joy and inspiration.Secondly, differences in culture enrich human civilization.Different cultures compete with as well as learn from each other.Roman culture was modeled on Greek culture, which had once borrowed a lot from Egyptian culture.American culture is also a blend of many different cultures.Thirdly, differences in culture give each culture its unique identity.A culture is usually seen in relation to other cultures.Chinese culture distinguishes itself from others by its peculiar concepts and things that can hardly be found elsewhere.Of course, cultural differences may cause conflicts and misunderstandings.But interdependence, common interests and mutual goals of different nations always outweigh differences in culture.Nations with different cultures should learn from each other and live peacefully together.To this end, we should be more tolerant to other cultures while preserving, protecting and developing our own.2.My Views on the Influence of Western Culture On weekends, I gather with my friends at MacDonald's or KFC.We eat fried chicken, drink Coco-cola and talk about the latest release of Hollywood movies.We read foreign novels, listen to Western music and watch NBA.We admire Bill Gates, George Michael and Princess Diana.We dress ourselves in the Western style and celebrate Christmas and Valentine's Day.Our way of life has thus changed.Indeed, the influence of Western culture is strongly felt in our everyday life.This influence in turn prepares us well to blend into the modern world and participate in the world market competition.But we should not ignore its side effects.Our national culture may gradually lose its ground if our attention is focused only upon Western culture.In following the trend of globalization we should maintain our own cultural identity, cherish our cultural tradition and develop our own culture.What Mahatma Gandhi once said can best sum up my views on the influence of Western culture:“I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed.I want the cultures of all the lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible.But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.” 14
第三篇:大学英语课文翻译答案(新世纪综合教程3)
大学英语课文翻译答案(新世纪综合教程3)BOOK 3 Unit 1 What is Friendship?
Michele E.Doyle&Mark K.Smith The text is excerpted and adapted from “Friendship: Theory and Experience” written by Michele E.Doyle & Mark K.Smith.It appears in The Encyclopaedia of Informal Education(2002).When we approach the notion of friendship, our first problem is that there is a lack of socially acknowledged criteria for what makes a person a friend.In one setting, we may describe someone as a friend;in another, the label may seem less appropriate.Therefore, people tend to have a very thin understanding of what friendship really means.To help us understand what friendship really means, we need to review some classical views of friendship.友谊的真谛
米歇尔·E·多伊尔 马克·K·史密斯 我们探讨友谊这个概念时,遇到的第一个问题是,没有社会公认的择友标准。在某一情境下,我们会把某个人称为朋友;然而,情境一旦变迁,朋友这个称呼就显得没那么贴切了。因此,人们对友谊的真谛的理解往往是非常肤浅的。为了帮助我们理解友谊的真正含义,我们需要回顾有关友谊的几种传统的看法。
One classical view of friendship is provided by Aristotle, the famous ancient Greek philosopher.Aristotle distinguishes between what he believes to be genuine friendships and two other forms: one based on mutual usefulness, the other on pleasure.So, according to Aristotle, we may find three kinds of friendship:
一种传统的友谊观在古希腊著名的哲学家亚里士多德的著作里得以阐述。他将自己心目中真正的友谊同另外两种友谊截然分开。这两种友谊分别是:基于互利的友谊;基于愉悦的友谊。因此,根据亚里士多德的观点,我们可以将友谊分为三类:close3RT Friendship based on utility.Utility is an impermanent thing: it changes according to circumstances.When the ground for friendship disappears, the friendship also breaks up.Friendships of this kind seem to occur most frequently between the elderly, because at their age what they want is not pleasure but utility.Friendships based on utility are also frequently found among those in middle or early life who are pursuing their own advantage.Such persons do not spend much time together, because sometimes they do not even like one another, and therefore feel no need of such an association unless they are mutually useful.They take pleasure in each other's company only in so far as they have hopes of advantage from it.建立在功利之上的友谊。功利并非永恒,它依照环境而变化。友谊的根基一旦消失,友谊也随之破灭。这类友谊似乎在老人之间最为常见,因为上了年纪的人需要的不是愉悦而是实用。基于功利的友谊也同样存在于追逐个人利益的中年人和青年人中。这些人不会在一起消磨时光,因为他们有时甚至不喜欢对方,因而觉得除非可以互相利用,否则没有交往的必要。只有当他们认为彼此有希望相互利用的时候,才会乐于呆在一起。close4RT Friendship based on pleasure.Friendship between the young is thought to be grounded on pleasure, because the lives of the young are regulated by their feelings, and their chief interests are in their own pleasure and the opportunity of the moment.As they grow up, however, their tastes change too, so that they are quick to make and to break friendships.That is why they fall in and out of friendship quickly, changing their attitude often, even within the same day.建立在愉悦之上的友谊。年轻人之间的友谊常被看作是建立在愉悦基础之上的,因为年轻人的生活受感情支配,他们感兴趣的主要是自己的快乐和眼前的重要机会。然而,他们的情趣随着自己日渐成长也会变化,他们交友容易,分手也干脆。年轻人的态度变化无常,甚至一日数变,难怪他们的友谊总是迅速地开始,又匆匆地结束。close5RT Friendship based on goodness.Perfect friendship is based on goodness.Only the friendship of those who are good, and similar in their goodness, is perfect.The conduct of good men is the same or similar.It is between good men that both love and friendship are chiefly found and in the highest form.Such friendships are rare and they need time and intimacy;for as the saying goes, true friends must go through trials and tribulations together.And no two persons can accept each other and become friends until each has proved to the other that he is worthy of love, and so won his trust.The wish for friendship may develop rapidly, but true friendship does not.建立在美德之上的友谊。完美无瑕的友谊立足于美德。只有那些品德高尚而且拥有相似美德的人之间建立的友谊才是最完美的。品行高尚的人,其行为是相同的,或者是类似的。爱和友谊多半在品行高尚的人之间发生,而且以最高雅的形式出现。这种友谊是罕见的,需要时间,需要交往。常言道,真正的朋友必须同甘共苦,历经风雨。只有当两个人互相证明自己值得爱并获得对方的信任之后,彼此方能接受对方为朋友。交友的意愿可能倏忽而至,但真正的友谊却要慢慢培养。close6RT Another classical view of friendship can be found in the writings of Cicero, an ancient Roman statesman and orator.According to Cicero, true friendship is only possible between good men.He further defines “the good” as “those whose actions and lives leave no question as to their honor, purity, equity, and liberality;who are free from greed, lust, and violence;and who have the courage of their convictions.” The friendship between good men, based on virtue, does offer material benefits, but it does not seek them.All human beings are bonded together in a community of shared reason.Therefore, in friendships and relationships, those who possessany superiority must regard themselves as equals of those who are less fortunate.It is virtue that creates and preserves true friendship.另一种传统的友谊观可以在古罗马政治家、演说家西塞罗的著作里找到。西塞罗认为,真正的友谊只能在好人之间发生。他进而将“好人”定义为“那些行为和生活无损于自己的荣誉、纯洁、公平和开明的人;那些摆脱了贪婪、欲念和暴力的人;那些敢于依照自己的信念说话和做事的人。”好人之间建立的这种友谊立足于美德,它确实可以带来物质利益,但决不以追求物质利益为目标。人类生活在以共同的理想为基础的社会。因此,在处理朋友关系和其他人际关系时,优越于他人的人必须平等地对待那些没那么幸运的人。美德创造友谊,美德使友谊之树常青。close7RT Thus, we may see that the traditional idea of friendship is made up of three components: Friends must enjoy each other's company;they must be useful to one another;and they must share a commitment to the good.According to the classical views, virtuous friends are bound together, as they recognize each other's moral excellence.To perceive a friend, therefore, is to perceive oneself;and to know a friend is to know oneself.Each can be said to provide a mirror in which the other may see himself.Through networks of such virtuous friends, we can develop a shared idea of the good and pursue it together.Friendship of this kind is permanent, because in it are united all the attributes that friends ought to possess.我们由此可以看出,传统的友谊观由三个要素构成:朋友以相伴为乐;朋友必须彼此受益;彼此都有志于崇高的事业。这些传统的友谊观告诉我们,两个品德高尚的朋友是永不分离的,因为彼此认同对方的高尚品德。因此,认识朋友就是认识自我,了解朋友就是了解自我。可以说朋友就好比是一面镜子,每个人都可以从朋友身上看清自己。置身于品德高尚的朋友之中,我们会对美德达成共识,共同为之不遗余力。这样的友谊是永恒的,因为朋友应该具备的一切品质都凝结在这种友谊关系中。
After Twenty Years
O.Henry The text is adapted from “After Twenty Years”, a short story written by O.Henry.close1RT It was barely 10 o'clock at night.The policeman on the beat(巡逻路线)moved up the avenue impressively.He turned now and then to cast his watchful eye over the doors and shop windows on both sides of the street.He was of a powerful build and made a fine picture of a guardian(卫士)of the peace.二十年之后 欧·亨利
将近夜里十点,巡逻警察来到这条街上,样子威严,不时地看看街道两边的店铺,警惕的目光落在店铺的大门和橱窗上。身材魁梧的他,俨然一副和平卫士的模样。close2RT Around the midway of a certain block, the policeman suddenly slowed his walk.In the doorway of a darkened hardware store stood a man, with an unlighted cigar in his mouth.As the policeman walked up to him, the man spoke up quickly.在一个街区走到一半时,他突然放慢了步伐。只见一个光线黯淡的五金店门口,站着一个人,嘴里叼着没有点燃的雪茄。他走了过去,那人赶紧开腔:close3RT “It's all right, officer,” he said.“I'm just waiting for a friend.It's an appointment made twenty years ago.Sounds a little funny to you, doesn't it? Well, I'll explain.Twenty years ago, there used to be a restaurant where this store stands now.”
“没事儿,警官,”他说道。“我只是在等个朋友。这可是二十年前的约定。听起来有点好笑吧?我跟你说,二十年前这里曾经是个饭店。”close4RT “Until five years ago,” said the policeman.“It was torn down then.”
“五年前才拆的。”警察说道。close5RT The man in the doorway struck a match and lit his cigar.The light showed a pale, square-jawed(方下巴)face with keen eyes, and a little white scar(伤疤)near his right eyebrow.门口那人划了根火柴,点燃了雪茄。火光中可见一张苍白的脸,方下巴,目光敏锐,右边眉毛附近有一道白色的细小伤疤。close6RT “Twenty years ago tonight,” said the man, “I dined here with Jimmy Wells, my best chum(好友)and the finest chap in the world.He and I were raised here in New York, just like two brothers, together.I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty then.The next morning I was to start for the West to make my fortune.You couldn't have dragged Jimmy out of New York;he thought it was the only place on earth.Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come.We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be.”
“二十年前的今晚,”那人说,“我和我最好的朋友吉米·韦尔斯就在这里吃的饭。他可是个再好不过的家伙了。我俩在纽约这儿一起长大,好得像兄弟俩,那年我十八,他二十。第二天早上我就要动身去西部发财。唉,要想让吉米离开纽约可是比登天还难哪!在他眼里人世间就只有纽约这么一个地方。不过我俩那天晚上约定,二十年后的今日此刻,无论各自的境况如何,无论各自远在何方,都要在这里相聚。我们当时认为,二十年后,不管各自做什么,有什么样的命运,发多大的财,一切都该成了定局。”close7RT “It sounds pretty interesting,” said the policeman.“Haven't you heard from your friend Jimmy since you left?”
“听起来还真有意思,”警察说道。“那你离开后就再没有你朋友吉米的消息了?”close8RT “Well, yes, for a time we corresponded,” said the other.“But after a year or two we lost track of each other.You see, the West is pretty big and wild, and I kept hustling(急速行进)around over it pretty lively.But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he's alive, for he always was the truest old chap in the world.He'll never forget.I came a thousand miles to stand in this door tonight, and it's worth it if my old partner turns up.He will keep his promise.”
“不,我们通过一阵子信,”那人答道,“可一两年后就断了音信。要知道,西部幅员辽阔,荒蛮原始,我又一直四处奔波,东跑西颠。不过,我确信,吉米只要活着,他会来见我的。他是这世界上我最信得过的人。他绝对不会忘记。我千里迢迢来到这儿就是为了今晚站在这门口,只要我那老伙计露面,我也就不虚此行了。他是不会食言的。”close9RT The waiting man pulled out a handsome watch, the lids of it set with small diamonds.那守候的人掏出一只精致的怀表,表盖上缀满了小粒钻石。close10RT “Three minutes to ten,” he announced.“It was exactly ten o'clock when we parted here at the restaurant door.”
“九点五十七分,”他说道,“我们是十点整在饭店门口的这个地方挥手告别的。”close11RT “You did pretty well out West, didn't you?” asked the policeman.“在西部混得不错吧?”警察问道。close12RT “You bet!I hope Jimmy has done half as well.”
“那还用说!吉米干得有我一半好就不错了。”close13RT The policeman twirled his club and took a step or two.警察转了转警棍,迈出了一两步。close14RT “I'll be on my way.Hope your friend comes around on time.”
“我走了,但愿你的朋友会按时赴约。”close15RT “I'll wait for half an hour at least,” said the man.“If Jimmy is alive on earth he'll be here by that time.So long, officer.”
“我至少会等他半个小时,”那人说,“吉米要是还活着,他会在我走之前来的。再见,警官。”close16RT “Good-night, sir,” said the policeman, passing on along his beat, checking up on the doors as he went.“晚安,先生,”警察说完,又继续巡逻,边走边检查店门。close17RT There was now a fine, cold drizzle(细雨)falling, and the wind had risen.The man who had come a thousand miles to keep the appointment with the friend of his youth still stood in the doorway of the hardware store, smoking his cigar.这时,天下起了蒙蒙细雨,冷冰冰的,起风了。为了履行和少时好友的约定,那个不远千里来到这里的人还站在五金店的门口,抽着雪茄。close18RT About twenty minutes had passed.Then a tall man in a long overcoat, with the collar turned up to his ears, hurried across from the opposite side of the street.He went directly to the waiting man.约二十分钟后,一个身着大衣、衣领立起的高个子男人从街对面匆匆走了过来,径直走向那守候者。close19RT “Is that you, Bob?” he asked, doubtfully.“鲍勃,是你吗?”他狐疑地问道。close20RT “Is that you, Jimmy Wells?” cried the man in the door.“你是吉米•韦尔斯?”门口那人高声叫道。close21RT “Bless my heart!” exclaimed the new arrival, grasping both the other's hands with his own.“It's Bob, sure as fate.I was certain I'd find you here if you were still in existence.Well, well, well!Twenty years is a long time.How has the West treated you, old man?”
“天哪!”新来者高兴地大叫了起来,一把握住了那人的双手。“是鲍勃,真的是鲍勃!我就知道,只要你还活着,我就会在这里找到你。哎呀呀,二十年啊,时间可真不短!老兄,西部待你怎样?”close22RT “It has given me everything I asked it for.You've changed a lot, Jimmy.I never thought you were so tall by two or three inches.”
“西部给了我想要的一切。你变了很多啊,吉米!没想到你长高了二三英寸呢。”close23RT “Oh, I grew a bit after I was twenty.”
“哦,二十岁后我又长了点个子。”close24RT “Doing well in New York, Jimmy?”
“在纽约混得不错吧,吉米?”close25RT “Just so-so.I have a position in one of the city departments.Come on, Bob;we'll go around to a place I know of, and have a good long talk about old times.”
“马马虎虎。在市政部门做事。走吧,鲍勃,咱们到我熟悉的一个地方去,好好地叙叙旧吧。”close26RT The two men started up the street, arm in arm.The man from the West was beginning to talk about the history of his career.The other listened with interest.两人手挽着手,沿街前行,西部来的这位开始讲他的发迹史,另一位饶有兴致地听着。close27RT At the corner stood a drug store, brilliant with electric lights.When they came into this glare(强光), each of them turned simultaneously(同时地)to gaze upon the other's face.拐角处有一家药店,灯光明亮。来到通明的光线里,两人同时转身盯住对方的脸。close28RT The man from the West stopped suddenly and released his arm.西部来的人突然停下来,抽出手臂。close29RT “You're not Jimmy Wells,” he shouted all of a sudden.“Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough to change a man's nose from a Roman nose(鹰钩鼻)to a pug nose(扁鼻).”
“你不是吉米•韦尔斯!”他突然喊道,“二十年时间是很长,但也不至于把鹰钩鼻变成了塌鼻梁。”close30RT “It sometimes changes a good man into a bad one,” said the tall man.“You've been under arrest for ten minutes.Chicago thinks you may have dropped over(顺便拜访)our way and they want to have a chat with you.Going quietly with us, are you? That's sensible.Now, before we go on to the station, here's a note I was asked to hand you.You may read it here at the window.”
“可是有时二十年会把一个好人变成恶棍,”高个子说道。“十分钟前你就已经被捕了。芝加哥方面认为你可能到我们这里来了,他们要和你谈谈。还是老老实实地跟我们走吧,放聪明点!不过,我们去警所之前,你先看看这张字条,是一个人托我交给你的。你就在橱窗边上看吧。”close31RT The man from the West unfolded(展开)the little piece of paper.His hand was steady when he began to read, but it trembled a little by the time he had finished.The note was rather short:
西部来的人展开小字条。开始读的时候手握得很稳,可读完时,手微微地抖动了起来。字条很短:close32RT “Bob: I was at the appointed place on time.When you struck the match to light your cigar I saw it was the face of the man wanted in Chicago.Somehow I couldn't do it myself, so I went around and got a plain clothes man to do the job.JIMMY.”
“鲍勃:我准时赴约了。当你划亮火柴点燃雪茄时,我发现你正是受到芝加哥警方通缉的人。可我自己无论如何动不了手,所以就走开,找了个便衣行使职责。吉米。”
Unit 2 T How Deep Is Your Love? Mansi Bhatia The text is excerpted and adapted from Writers Monthly, a US online magazine.close1RT Love to some is like a cloud To some as strong as steel For some a way of living For some a way to feel And some say love is holding on And some say let it go And some say love is everything Some say they don't know
你的爱有多深 曼茜·巴蒂亚
有人认为爱如浮云 有人认为爱坚强如铁
有人认为爱是一种生活方式 有人认为爱是一种感觉 有人说爱要执着 有人说爱不要约束 有人说爱是生命的全部 有人说不知道爱为何物
close2RT At some stage or the other in our lives we experience an emotion which defies definition.It's a feeling that can only be felt and not described.An overwhelming joy that comes together with its share of sadness.Love.在我们生命中的某个阶段,我们会经历难以名状的情感。这种情感只能体会,无法用语言描述。莫大的喜悦伴随着丝丝的伤感一同降临,这就是爱。close3RT Given the busy nature of our lives, it's to be appreciated that we even find the time to indulge in matters of the heart.But at the same time I wonder if we even understand its true depth.I remember having countless crushes while in school.My math teacher, our neighbour's son, my best friend's brother and lots of others whom I fancied for the colour of their eyes, the shape of their moustaches or just the way they walked.Harmless puppy loves that are as brief as soap bubbles.I can laugh about all those silly and adventurous thoughts and acts now but at that time nothing could be more serious an affair for me.Then came the stage of real relationships.在紧张忙碌的生活中,我们竟能找到时间,沉湎于感情之中,这的确令人感佩。然而,此时我想知道:我们是否懂得爱到底有多么深刻。记得上学的时候,我迷恋的对象真是数不清:我的数学老师、邻居的儿子、好朋友的弟弟,还有另外一些因为眼睛的颜色、胡子的形状或走路的姿势而让我倾慕的人。年少时的爱慕,不会带来伤害,如肥皂泡一样转瞬即逝。那些稚气、大胆的想法和行为,现在想来大可一笑了之。但是,在那时,对我来说,没有比恋爱更重要的事了。接着就进入了真正“谈”情“说”爱的阶段。close4RT Being in an all girls' school I hardly had the opportunity to interact with members of the opposite gender.Socials between our school and the boys' college, therefore, would be awaited anxiously.Those three hours of unhesitant attention by a group of well-groomed young gentlemen provided us with enough content to talk and feel excited about for the next four weeks.我在女子学校学习,和男孩子交往的机会寥寥无几,因此,我热切地期待着我们学校和男子学校举办的交谊会。交谊会上,一群精心打扮的年轻男子毫无顾忌地盯着我们。这三个小时中的点点滴滴,成了我们在以后四个星期中足够的谈资,我们在议论时,心情澎湃。close5RT And even then there was no real need of having a boyfriend.即使是在那个时候,我也没有真正交男朋友的需要。close6RT I somehow grew up believing that love would happen when it had to.And sure enough it did.It came at an age when I had a career, a long-term plan and a more or less settled life(and now I am not yet 25!).I was mature enough to enter a relationship which demands a lot of give and not so much of take.在我的成长岁月中,不知何故,我相信爱情该来的时候自然会来。事实果真如此。当我有了稳定的工作,有了长期的计划和比较安定的生活(我现在还不到25岁呢!)时,爱情降临了。我也比较成熟了,能够步入不贪图许多回报而需要大量付出的感情关系。close7RT Love was a magnificent building I built on the foundation of friendship.It took time to blossom.It took a lot of understanding, loads of sharing and caring, and plenty of affection to become what it is today.And it meant a meeting of minds.You might say that I belong to the traditional school of romance.But in my opinion, love needs to be nurtured.And it has to be distinguished from the intense but short-lived love or the pleasures of the flesh.我的爱情是在友谊这块地基上建起的高楼大厦。爱情经过旷日持久的培养才开花。我和我的恋人相互理解、同甘共苦、相互关心,投入了丰富的感情,才使爱情发展到今天。爱情意味着情投意合。你也许会说,我属于浪漫的传统派。但是,依我看,爱情需要培养。我们必须把爱情同强烈而短暂的激情或身体的愉悦区别开来。close8RT Our parents' generation was fed lavishly with ideals.It was an era of constraints, restraints, respect, admiration, and plenty of romance.The long skirts, the quiet and unpretentious looks, the curled long hair, the calmness, the shy glance — these are all so frequently remindful of a bygone era.An age when the distance between the sexes somehow managed to help preserve the holiness of love and relationships.我们的父辈,接受了理想爱情的灌输。那是一个约束、压抑、崇敬、仰慕和十足浪漫的年代。长裙、娴静质朴的外表、卷曲的长发、恬静的气质、羞怯的目光 —— 这一切常使人想起一个消逝久远的年代。那个年代,男女之间的距离无论如何都有助于维持爱情以及恋爱关系的神圣性。close9RT The younger generation, with its openness and fading lines of proximity, has jumped on the bandwagon of love with so much haste that it is difficult for them to distinguish between physical attraction and mental compatibilities.What we have been exposed to via the media have fast paced our sensibilities so much that taking things slow requires effort on our parts.年轻的一代人,由于观念开放,随着男女之间交往界线的消退,他们便急于赶浪头,匆忙恋爱,以至于难以区分身体的互相吸引与心灵的相投。我们从媒体中接触到的人和事,使我们的感情历程大大加速,要想慢慢地体会自己的感受,确实需要付出努力。close10RT I am sorry to learn about the kind of emotional baggage school kids are carrying in what are purely unemotional relationships.Some might blame the current state of affairs on peer pressure.But has anyone ever stopped to figure out where this peer pressure originates? Do any of us try and understand who is responsible for this shift? Does anyone bother to study the state of mind of the teenagers?
学校里的青少年在全然没有感情的关系中所背负的感情包袱,令我深感难过。也许有些人会把他们目前的感情状况归结为同龄人之间所施加的压力。但是,可曾有任何人停下来想一想同龄人之间的压力来自何处?我们是否尝试着弄清楚是谁造成了这样的转变?可曾有人费神去研究青少年的心理呢?close11RT The mindset of this generation is all too evident in the way it handles its personal life.There are more relationships being distorted under the pressures of lust than ever before.There is more focus on physical beauty than on inner charm.There is more of closeness and less of intimacy.There is more of passion and less of emotion.There is more of acquiring and less of sharing.There is more of opportunism and less of selflessness.In short, there is more of ME and less of US.从这一代人处理个人生活的方式上,我们很容易看出他们的思想倾向。跟从前相比,现在有更多的情感在欲望的压力下扭曲。他们更注重外表的美丽而忽视内在的魅力。两性交往随便了,亲密无间却少了;激情多了,感情却少了;个人获得的多了,相互间分享的少了;寻机获利的现象多了,无私的奉献少了。简而言之,“自我”多了,爱的分享少了。close12RT We have hardened ourselves so much in this competitive age that we have forgotten the essence of relationships.There's much more to being someone's lover than gifting them red roses and fifty-cent cards.What about gifting our object of affection, our time, our company, our support, our friendship? What about setting priorities in our lives and focusing on each with sincerity? What about trying to be self-sufficient emotionally before letting ourselves loose? What about giving ourselves, and others, time and space to forge relationships? What about working towards meaningful and lasting friendships? What about honouring our commitments? What about channeling our energies and emotions towards building lifelong bonds rather than wasting them on seasonal relationships?
在这个竞争激烈的年代,我们已经变得麻木不仁,将恋爱的实质抛于脑后。作为恋爱中的人,不只是意味着把红色的玫瑰花和五毛钱一张的卡片送给恋人,我们要做的事情还很多。我们将自己的时间、陪伴、支持和友谊作为礼物送给自己的恋人了吗?我们是否确定了生活中最重要的事情,而后真诚地做好每一件事?我们是否先在情感上成熟起来,再尽情地追求爱情?我们是否给自己、给他人足够的时间和空间以巩固恋情的发展?我们是否为了追求有意义的、永恒的友谊而不遗余力?我们是否履行了自己的承诺?我们是否将自己的精力和感情倾注于终生不渝的关系而不是浪费在朝秦暮楚的关系中?close13RT We have but one life and we must experience everything that can make us stronger.True love happens once in a lifetime.And we should not have become so tired by our frivolous acts that when it comes we aren't able to receive it with open arms.人的生命只有一次,我们必须去体验能使我们更为坚强的每件事。真正的爱情一生只有一次。我们任由轻佻的行为令自己身心疲惫,当真正的爱情到来时,我们却没有能力伸开双臂迎接它的降临。
Holding Hands
Helen Troisi Arnery This text is excerpted and adapted from A Second Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthorne and Marci Shimoff.close1RT My husband Paul's hands had a fine, firm feeling: warm, never cold, never moist, their slight pressure always reassuring(使安心的).And whenever those hands sought mine in the final days of his life, he pressed them both together around one of my hands.牵 手
海伦·托尔西·阿诺里
丈夫保罗的手舒服有力:暖暖的,从来不会发凉潮湿,轻轻的一握总是令我感到安心踏实。在他生命最后的那些日子里,每次他摸到我的手,都会把我的一只手放在他的两手之间握着。close2RT It was during that time, as I sat by his bed, that I tried to memorize his hands.They were twice as long as mine and half a hand wider.His fingers did not get thinner;they were long and square, laced with fine veins(血管)all the way to the tips.His nails squared off(使成方形)the ends of his fingers, with clearly defined white edges.He had always taken great care to keep them neat.They were not tough hands;nor soft, either.They were the hands of a college professor whose tools were chalk and red pens.也就是在那段时间里,我坐在他的床边,竭力记住他双手的样子。他的手比我的手要长一倍,宽一半;手指上下一般粗,方方长长的,毛细血管一直延伸到指尖。方正的指甲使得指尖也呈正方形,指甲一圈白色的边清晰可见。他总是悉心地让双手洁净无暇。它们既不粗糙,也不柔软多肉。那是双持粉笔和红墨水钢笔的大学教授的手。close3RT I wondered if his students had difficulty reading his handwriting.I had grown used to it the year we were apart — engaged to be married, but separated — so he could pursue a master's degree at Bradley University, 800 miles away from our Pennsylvania hometown.不知道他的学生是否觉得他的字难以辨认。我们分开的那年我渐渐熟悉了他的字体。我俩订婚后曾分隔两地,因为他要到距离宾夕法尼亚州(我们的家)800英里的布拉德利大学攻读硕士学位。close4RT Had I remembered to tell him that I found his large hands beautiful? Did I ever explain that, before our marriage, when he was invited regularly to dinner in my home, my mother was fascinated with the quiet way he managed the silverware and coffee cups in his hands in which they nearly disappeared? Did I mention that in his clasp — in a movie, in sad moments in church, in the hospital beds to which the illnesses of his last four years confined him — I felt pure and honest expressions of his love?
不知我是否记得告诉过他我觉得他那双大手很美。不知我是否告诉过他,结婚前他定期到我家做客吃饭时,他使用银制餐具和咖啡杯的斯文样子,令我母亲十分欣赏,银具和杯盏在他手里几乎都没了踪影。也不知我是否告诉过他,在看电影时,在教堂悲伤时,在那张最后四年病魔困得他脱不了身的病榻上,他紧紧的一握令我至真至切地感受到了他的爱。close5RT In those hands, also, originated his caring for his children.It was a point of pride that he gave our newborn daughter her first bath.At seven pounds and fourteen ounces, she fit comfortably into the length of those two hands, but his large fingers moved with grace and delicacy to bathe her and the five babies who followed.他对孩子们的关爱之情也源于他的那双手。大女儿的第一个澡就是他给洗的,这让他倍感骄傲。7磅14盎司的女儿舒舒服服地躺在他那双大手里,长长的手指灵巧细致地给大女儿和后来的5个孩子洗浴。close6RT Those hands, in our early hard times, gave haircuts to three sons in the course of their growing up and toweled three daughters' hair dry after showers.在我们早期艰难的日子里,那双手给三个正在长大的儿子理发,给三个浴后的女儿擦干头发。close7RT They manipulated suitcases, with a maximum of sweat and a minimum of complaints in top-of-the-car carriers(置物架)of station wagons for trips to Pennsylvania to visit grandparents.They traced patterns in the air as he taught his marketing students in the university in which he had studied so many years before.多少次要去宾夕法尼亚探望孩子的祖父母,在旅行大巴车顶上他那双手把一个个旅行箱往货架上放,他汗流浃背,但毫无怨言。在他早年曾就读过的大学里,他教授市场营销专业的学生,用这双手在空中比划出一个个营销模式。close8RT Those hands clasped mine in the most frightening moments of his illnesses.They reached for mine through seven months of chemotherapy(化疗)and its agonizing side effects, through the few weeks of the end of his life, when children came to visit, give service(宗教仪式)and mourn(为···哀痛)in advance what they could clearly see was the end of their father's seventy-five years.在他病得最令人胆颤心惊的时候,那双手紧紧地攥着我的手。在他经受7个月的化疗及其副作用的痛苦折磨期间,他向我伸出双手。在他生命的最后几个星期里,他向我伸出双手。孩子们来探视他,看出他们75岁的父亲命不久矣而提前祷告哀悼时,他还是向我伸出双手。close9RT Those hands clasped mine in the deepest, darkest moment when he whispered in my ear, “I wonder...how it is to die.I wonder if it hurts.” I could only give him what I believed was the sum of his life — that he would be surrounded, uplifted, overjoyed with the glory of God.在那最为黑暗的时刻,他攥着我的手,在我耳边小声说道:“不知道······会是怎样死去。不知道会不会疼痛。”我当时唯一能告诉他的就是我深信他此生将有个圆满的结局:他会被簇拥着抬起,在上帝的荣光中感到无比欢愉。close10RT Finally, he was no longer able to hold my hands.Early one morning, when I offered Paul a breakfast, he could no longer eat.In a state of nervous anxiety I clipped, filed(锉光)and whitened his fingernails.There was no movement, no recognition, no response as I laid his hands across his chest, where they had lain still for several days.Within an hour, when the nurse checked him with her stethoscope(听诊器), there was nothing left for me to do but close his bright green eyes and lay my hands on his for the last time, in the quiet peaceful corner of our bedroom.最后,他再也没有力气握住我的手了。清晨,我给保罗喂早餐,他再也不能下咽了。我在紧张焦虑中修剪、打磨他的指甲,把指甲白色的边缘弄干净。我把他的手放到他的胸前(他的手放在那儿一动不动已经好几天了),它们没有动静,没有认可,没有反应。一个小时的时间里,护士用听诊器做了检查,剩下我唯一能做的事就是合上他那双明亮的绿色眼睛,在我们卧室恬静的一隅里最后一次把我的手放在他的手上。close11RT Months later, I opened the top drawer of Paul's dresser one Sunday and reached in for one of his clean, pressed handkerchiefs — I liked to use them now.What I touched was an opened pack of emery boards(指甲砂锉).几个月后的一个周日,我打开保罗衣橱最上面的一个抽屉,取他折叠整齐的干净的手帕(我现在喜欢用那些手帕)时,我触摸到了一个开了封的指甲砂锉袋。close12RT For seven-and-a-half months, my grief for my husband had been frozen within me like an icy presence that would not yield.Then, this last Sunday of February, I was undone by the simple presence of emery boards.Tears came as I closed my eyes and tried in vain to remember the clasp of Paul's hands.7个半月里,对丈夫逝去的悲伤如同冰凌雪块封存在心中,不曾融化。可在二月的最后一个周日,目睹面前的指甲锉具,我无法克制自己了。我闭上眼睛,怎么也回忆不起保罗的双手握着我的手时的感觉,泪水夺眶而出。close13RT Soon after, Stephen, the youngest — who most resembles his father — came to see me.When it was time to go, Stephen kissed me good-bye and then, impulsively, took my hand in both of his large, broad ones.For several moments, I couldn't speak.It was as though his father's long, graceful hands clasped mine once again.Still reassuring me.那之后没过多少日子,斯蒂芬来看我,他是我们的最小的儿子,长得也最像他的父亲。临走的时候,斯蒂芬吻了吻我,和我道别;然后,把我的手一把攥在他那双又大又宽的手中。好一阵子,我说不出话来,仿佛他父亲那双长长的、雅致的手再次握住了我的手,令我依然感到安心平静。
Unit 3
T The Pursuit of Happiness for the Common Good
Richard Layard The text is an excerpt from the article “Happiness is Back” by Richard Layard in Prospect, March 2005.close1RT Over the last 50 years, we in the west have enjoyed unparalleled economic growth.We have better homes, cars, holidays, jobs, education and above all health.According to standard economic theory, this should have made us happier.But surveys show otherwise.When Britons or Americans are asked how happy they are, they report no improvement over the last 50 years.More people suffer from depression, and crime — another indicator of dissatisfaction — is also much higher.追求以公众利益为宗旨的幸福 <
理查德·莱亚德
在过去的50年里,我们西方国家的经济获得了史无前例的增长。我们的家园、车辆、假期、工作、教育,尤其是健康,均得以改善。依据标准经济理论,这些改善原本应该使我们更加幸福,然而,调查显示并非如此。英国人和美国人接受幸福程度的调查时说,在过去的50年里,他们的幸福程度并没有得到改善。抑郁症患者人数上升,同时犯罪率大幅增长也说明了人们对生活的不满足。close2RT These facts challenge many of the priorities we have set ourselves both as societies and as individuals.The truth is that we are in a situation previously unknown to man.When most people exist near the breadline, material progress does indeed make them happier.People in the rich world(above, say, $20,000 a head per year)are happier than people in poorer countries, and people in poor countries do become happier as they become richer.But when material discomfort has been banished, extra income becomes much less important than our relationships with each other: with family, with friends and in the community.The danger is that we sacrifice relationships too much in pursuit of higher income.上述事实对我们个人以及社会优先考虑的诸多事情都提出了挑战。事实上,我们现在的处境是人类从未经历过的。当大多数人还在为温饱发愁时,物质条件的改善的确能令他们幸福一些。富庶国家(比如,人均年收入在两万美元以上)的人民比贫穷国家的人民幸福一些;而贫穷国家的人民,如果稍微富裕,也会幸福得多。然而,物质上的匮乏一旦消除,收入的增加便不如亲情、友情、邻里和睦等人际关系那么重要。但是,我们在追求更高的收入时牺牲了太多这样的关系,这很危险。close3RT The desire to be happy is central to our nature.We all want a society in which people are as happy as possible and in which each person's happiness counts equally.That should be the philosophy for our age, the guide for public policy and for individual action.And it should come to replace the intense individualism which has failed to make us happier.渴望幸福是人类本性的核心。人人都渴望这样一个社会:人们尽可能地幸福,每个人的幸福同等重要。这应当是我们这个时代的人生哲学,应当用来指导公共利益的维护准则和每个人的行为,应当逐渐取代无法使我们更加幸福的极端的个人主义。close4RT Indeed, money is perceived as one of the key factors affecting a person's happiness.But can money alone make us happy in the long run? In any society, richer people are often happier than poor people.Yet, as a western country becomes richer, its people overall do not become happier.The reason for this is that over time our standards and expectations rise to meet our income.A Gallup poll has asked Americans each year: “What is the smallest amount of money a family of four needs to get along in this community?” The sums mentioned rise in line with average incomes.Since people are always comparing their incomes with what others have, or with what they are used to, they only feel better off if they move up relative to the norm.金钱的确是影响个人幸福的关键因素之一。但是,金钱本身能使我们最终获得幸福吗?在任何一个社会,富人往往比穷人幸福。然而,当一个西方国家越来越富有的时候,其人民的幸福程度在总体上并未得到改善。随着时间的推移,我们的标准和期望随着收入的增加而上升。盖洛普民意测验每年都向美国人提问:“一个四口之家至少需要多少钱才能在这个国家生活下去?”人们说出的数字上升的幅度与平均收入增加的幅度是一样的。因为人们总是拿自己的收入和他人的收入以及他们惯于拥有的收入相比较,只有当他们认为和平均水准相比有所上升时才感到幸福。close5RT This process can have counterproductive effects.I have an incentive to work and earn more: it will make me happier.So do other members of society, who also care about their relative standard of life.Since society as a whole cannot raise its position relative to itself, the effort which its members devote to that end could be said to be a waste — the balance between leisure and work has been shifted “inefficiently” towards work.这一过程反而达不到预期的目的。我努力工作、赚更多钱的动力是:这会使我更幸福一些。其他的社会成员也同样如此,他们也关注自己相对的生活标准。既然社会整体无法以自己为参照物而提高自己的地位,那么社会成员为使自己更加幸福所付出的努力可以说是一种浪费 —— 当休闲与工作的天平偏向工作时,工作是“没有效率”的。close6RT To reinforce the case, let me explain it in terms of status, which may derive as much from the earning of income as from the spending of it.People work, in part at least, to improve their status.But status is a system of ranking: one, two, three and so on.So if one person improves his status, someone else loses an equal amount.It is a zero-sum game: private life sacrificed in order to increase status is a waste from the point of view of society as a whole.That is why the rat race is so destructive: we lose family life and peace of mind in pursuing something whose total cannot be altered.为了进一步证实这一论点,我从社会地位方面加以说明。人的地位可能来源于所挣得的收入或所花费的金钱。人们工作,至少部分原因是为了提高自己的地位。然而,地位是一种等级体系:第一,第二,第三,等等,所以当一个人的地位提高了,其他人的地位就同等程度地下降。这是一种得失平衡的游戏:从整个社会看,为了提高地位而牺牲个人的生活,是一种浪费。因此,永无止境的竞争极具破坏性:我们在追求一种总体不变的东西时失去了家庭生活和平和的心境。close7RT In one sense, what people most want is respect.They seek economic status because it brings respect.But we can increase or decrease the weight we give to status.In an increasingly competitive society, life will become tougher for people in the bottom half of the ability range unless we develop broader criteria for respect.We should respect people who co-operate with others at no gain to themselves, and who show skill and effort at whatever level.That is why it is so important to enable everyone to develop a skill.In Britain, this means ensuring that all young people can take up an apprenticeship if they wish, so that those who have not enjoyed academic success at school can experience professional pride and avoid starting adult life believing themselves to be failures.在某种意义上,人们最渴望的是尊重。他们追求经济地位因为它可以赢来尊重。但是,我们可以重视也可以轻视经济地位。在一个竞争日益激烈的社会,如果我们不放宽尊重的标准,社会上能力偏低的人会感到生活更加艰辛。我们应该尊重那些同他人一起合作而自己没有获益的人,那些在各个阶层上施展才能、努力工作的人。因此,让每个人都能学会一种本领尤为重要。在英国,这意味着只要年轻人愿意,一定要确保他们每个人都学会手艺,使那些学业不成功的人也能在职业生涯中感到自豪,不会在长大成人时觉得自己是失败者。close8RT Some comparisons between people are inevitable, since hierarchy is necessary and unavoidable.Some people get promoted and others do not.Moreover, those who get promoted must be paid more, since they are talented and the employer wishes to attract talent.So pay is important at key moments as a way of affecting people's decisions about occupations or in choosing between employers.The problem is that in most jobs there is no objective measure of individual performance, so people must in effect be evaluated against their peers.But the ranking process, which is very subjective, fundamentally alters the relationship of co-operation between an employee and his boss, and between an employee and his peers.人与人之间难免产生比较,因为等级体系的存在是必要的,不可避免的。有些人得到晋升,而另一些人却没有。此外,职位得以晋升的人薪水也要提高,因为他们有才华,雇主也乐意招贤纳士。所以,在人们挑选工作和选择雇主的关键时刻,薪水作为一个重要因素影响着他们的决定。存在的问题是,大部分的职业没有客观的标准来衡量个人的业绩,所以事实上只能拿一个人同自己的同事作比较才能得到评估。然而,这种等级评定的方法非常主观,从根本上改变了雇员与雇主、雇员与同事之间的合作关系。close9RT If we want a happier society, we should focus most on the experiences which people value for their intrinsic worth and not because other people have them — above all, on relationships in the family, at work and in the community.It seems likely that the extra comforts we now enjoy have increased our happiness somewhat, but that deteriorating relationships have made us less happy.如果我们渴望一个更加幸福的社会,我们就应该着重强调人们所珍视的经历 —— 首要的是亲情关系、工作关系和邻里关系,人们珍视这些经历并非因为别人拥有它们,而是因为这些经历拥有内在的价值。我们当前享受的充分的舒适和安逸,看来有可能使我们的生活幸福一些,可是人与人之间关系的恶化又有可能降低了我们的幸福程度。close10RT We live in an age of unprecedented individualism.The highest obligation many people feel is to make the most of themselves, to realise their potential.This is a terrifying and lonely objective.Of course they feel obligations to other people too, but these are not based on any clear set of ideas in western societies.The old religious worldview is gone;so too is the postwar religion of social and national solidarity.We are left with no concept of the common good or collective meaning.我们生活在一个空前的个人主义的时代。许多人都感到最重要的责任是充分发挥自己的才干,挖掘自己的潜力。这是一个可怕的、孤单的目标。当然,他们也感受到自己应该对他人承担的责任,但是在西方国家,这些责任缺乏一套清晰的理念。无论是古老的、虔诚的世界观,还是战后社会的团结精神和国家的凝聚意识,皆荡然无存。我们全然丧失了公共利益或集体意义的概念。close11RT To become happier, we have to change our inner attitudes as much as our outward circumstances.I am talking of the everlasting philosophy which enables us to find the positive force in ourselves, and to see the positive side in others.Such compassion, to ourselves and others, can be learned and it ought to be taught in schools.Every city should have a policy for promoting a healthier philosophy of life in its youngsters and for helping them to distinguish between superficial pleasures and real happiness.我们要想幸福一些,必须在改变外在环境的同时改变我们内在的态度。我说的是一种永恒的人生哲学,它能使我们在自身找到积极的力量同时也能发现他人身上蕴涵的积极因素。这种对他人和自己怀有的同情心,是可以学会的,学校应该将这种同情心教给学生。每个城市都应该有这样的政策:在年轻人中间推广更健康的人生哲学,帮助他们区别肤浅的快乐和真正的幸福。close12RT So my hope is that in this new century we can finally adopt the greatest happiness of humankind as our concept of the common good.This would have two results.It would serve as a clear guide to policy.But, even more important, it would inspire us in our daily lives to take more pleasure in the happiness of others, and to promote it.In this way we might all become less self-centered and more happy.因此,我希望在这个新的世纪我们最终能够把人类的最大幸福当作我们的公益观。这可能有两个结果。这种人生观可以明确地指导政策的制定,但是更重要的是,在日常的生活中,它会激励我们因为别人幸福而感到更大的快乐,同时帮助他人获得更大的幸福。只有这样,我们才不会以自我为中心,才会更加幸福。
T Material Things and Happiness
Marshall Brain This text is excerpted and adapted from the book The Teenager's Guide to the Real World by Marshall Brain, published in 1997.close1RT Material things do not necessarily bring you happiness.That is a fact of life.It is a hard fact to understand sometimes, especially in a society that strives to teach you otherwise.2 物质财富与幸福生活 马歇尔·布雷恩
物质财富未必会带给你幸福。这是一个无可争辩的生活现实,但有时这一事实却难以理解,尤其在这个竭力向你灌输相反观念的社会里。close2RT It is not uncommon to get into a mode where you think, “If only I had object X, my life would be perfect and I would be happy.” You REALLY want something: a new TV, a new car, a special pair of shoes, whatever.Then you buy it and you LOVE having it for a few days.But over time you get bored or it wears out.You can see this pattern repeated constantly in your own life.For example, your parents and grandparents likely spent thousands and thousands of dollars on toys for you as you were growing up: Dump trucks(自卸货车)and Barbie dolls(芭比娃娃)and video games and electric cars and on and on and on.All of those toys got boring or broken or outgrown eventually.They brought happiness for a moment or a week, but over time they became worthless and your desire turned to a new object.通常,你会陷入这样一种思维模式:“要是我拥有了X,我的生活就会完美无缺,幸福无比了。”你非常想要的东西可能是一台新电视机、一辆新车或者是一双特别的鞋子等等。尔后,你就购买了,几天都在因为得到了它而喜滋滋的。可是,过了段时间,你感到厌烦了,或者东西给用旧了。你会发觉这样一个模式在你自己的生活中不断地重复。比如在你小时候,你父母或祖父母可能花费了成千上万美元给你买玩具:自卸货车、芭比娃娃、电视游戏、电动汽车,等等等等。所有的那些玩具最终都会遭你厌倦、被你玩坏或因你长大而被搁置一边。它们带来了一阵子或者一星期的快乐,可时间一长,它们变得一文不值,你的兴趣转向了某个新玩意儿。close3RT This pattern begs the following question: “If material things bring just a temporary and short-term happiness, then what does that mean?” It might mean that you have to buy material objects at a rate of perhaps one per day to sustain the temporary and short-term high of getting something new.This train of thinking(思路)can get you into thinking of such questions as: ●What is happiness? ●What does it mean to be happy? ●What do I want to do in my life?
这样一种模式自然让人们提出以下的问题:“假如物质的东西带来的幸福只是昙花一现,那么这一切又意味着什么呢?”或许这就意味着,你得以一天一件的速度购置物品,才能维持住你因得到新东西而感受到的那种短暂的快感。循着这个思路,你可以接着考虑下面的这些问题: ●什么是幸福?
●感到幸福意味着什么?
●我这一生想做些什么?close4RT There is a difference between material happiness, which implies having all the basic or extravagant(奢侈的)comforts necessary to live a life, and spiritual happiness, which implies something else altogether.I had a friend whose philosophy was this:
物质上的幸福和精神上的幸福是不同的。物质上的幸福基于生活所需的一切必需品和奢侈品;精神上的幸福则基于生活必需品和奢侈品之外的一切东西。我的一个朋友持有这样一个哲学观:close5RT No matter how much money you make, you always want more.So if you make $25,000 a year, you believe that if you just made $50,000 you would be happy.But then you begin to make $50,000.At that point you believe that if you just made $100,000 you would be happy, and so on throughout life.This pattern is true whether you make $25,000 or $10,000,000 a year, because as you earn more money you acquire more expensive tastes.It seems to me that you might as well learn to be happy on $25,000 a year, figure out an easy way to earn it and then have the rest of your time free to do what you want.你无论赚多少钱,你都想要更多的钱。假如你一年挣25,000美元,你会认为要是挣到50,000美元,你就会感到幸福了。于是,你就开始挣50,000美元。等挣够了那个数目,你又会想,假如挣到100,000美元你就会感到幸福了,就这样周而复始,终其一生。无论你一年挣25,000美元还是10,000,000美元,情况都是一样。因为你赚得越多,你的品味就越昂贵。依我看,不妨学会一年挣得25,000美元就感到满足,想出一个轻轻松松把它们赚到手的办法,然后用余下的时间去做你想做的事情。close6RT This sort of philosophy suggests that you can find something other than material happiness to make your life meaningful.根据这个哲学观,要想令你的生活富有意义,你可以寻找除物质幸福以外的东西。close7RT The thing about “wealth” is that there is more than one way to measure it.Traditionally it is measured in dollars, but there are many other scales.You can be “rich” in ways that have nothing to do with money.For example: ● Rich in friends.A person who cultivates friendships and who is a joy to be around can have hundreds of good friends and can be rich beyond the wildest dreams of others.Rich in health.A person who spends time eating right, exercising and relaxing from stress can be extremely healthy, and this health can be far more valuable than any amount of money.● Rich in strength.A person who works out with weights every day, runs, swims, etc.can be rich in strength and will have an attractive body.● Rich in family.A person who devotes time to his or her spouse and children will have a strong and happy family that is rewarding throughout life.● Rich in knowledge.A person who reads and studies will become rich in knowledge.● Rich in skill.A person who practices anything daily(a skill, a sport, whatever)will excel(擅长)in that skill area.Excellence has its own rewards.● Rich in character.A person who takes pains to be honest and truthful in all situations will become rich in character and will be trusted by everyone.衡量“财富”这东西,办法不止一种。传统上它是用金钱来衡量,但是还有很多其他的度量标准。在与金钱没有丝毫关系的方面,你照样可以“腰缠万贯”。例如:
●富有众多的朋友。一个与人为友、乐观待人的人可以拥有数以百计的好友,可以超乎其他人想象得富裕。
●富有健康的体魄。一个愿意花时间合理进食、锻炼身体、消除压力的人可以身强体健。健康的体魄比起任何数目的金钱都要有价值得多。●富有充沛的精力。一个每天举哑铃、跑步、游泳的人能够精力充沛,身材迷人。●富有和睦的家庭。一个愿意把时间给配偶和孩子的人可以拥有一个稳定幸福的家庭,令他获益终身。
●富有知识。一个爱好阅读和钻研的人可以学富五车。
●富有技能。一个每天勤学苦练(某种技能、运动项目等等)的人会在所操练的领域出类拔萃。出类拔萃,自有回报。●富有人格魅力。一个在一切场合殚精竭虑地做到真实、坦诚的人会富有人格的魅力,受到众人的信任。
close8RT One funny thing about all of these different areas is that none of them are taxed.You are taxed on the money you earn, and that is it.There is no knowledge tax, for example.You can learn freely throughout life and acquire a huge “bank account(银行账户)” of knowledge.No one can steal it or diminish(减少)it in any way.Presumably, knowledge is the one thing you might be able to take with you to Heaven.有趣的是,上述源自不同领域的这些财富都用不着上税。可你挣了钱是要缴纳所得税的,就是这么回事。没有什么(比如说)知识税。你可以分文不花地终身学习,获得丰厚才识的储备。没有人可以将其盗走、令其减少。知识很有可能就是那件你能够带入天堂的东西。close9RT All of these alternative types of wealth are different from financial wealth, and yet all of them can be equally rewarding in their own ways.The point is that the act of purchasing things by itself, despite what television informs you, may not be what will bring you maximum happiness in life.Things like good friends, a loving spouse, well-raised children, a home built on love, a clear conscience, a worthy goal and a job you truly enjoy bring you contentment that lasts and has meaning.These things are often quite beyond the simple-minded teenagers, but as you mature these things become more important.虽然所有这些可选择的财富都有别于金钱,但都能够以各自独特的方式令人受惠。撇开电视给你提供信息不说,单就购买东西这一行为本身是不会给你带来人生最大的幸福。好朋友,爱你的配偶,健康成长的孩子,充满爱的家,无愧的良心,值得奋斗的目标,你真心喜爱的工作,所有这些给你带来的满足感天长地久,意味深长。头脑简单的青少年通常是不能领悟到的,但这些东西随着年轻人逐渐成熟会变得愈加重要。close10RT As you look at the world around you and come to understand what is important to you, keep these things in mind.Think about what it is that you enjoy and what makes you truly happy.See what you find.In thinking about it consciously, you might be surprised by what you discover.Money is incredibly important, for you need it to survive.But it is not the only thing you need, and money itself will not bring lasting happiness to most people.Man does not live by bread alone.当你环顾周围的世界,明白什么对你才是至关重要的时候,你要将其铭记在心。考虑清楚你究竟心仪什么,什么才会给你真正幸福。审视一下你的发现。一番清楚的思考之后,你会吃惊于自己的发现:金钱固然极其重要,因你需要它活命;但金钱不是你唯一需要的东西。对于多数人来说,金钱本身不会带来恒久的幸福。人不是只靠面包生活的。
Unit 4
How to Grow Old
Bertrand Russell This text is slightly adapted from Portraits from Memory and Other Essays(1956), London: George Allen and Unwin;New York: Simon and Schustery.close1RT In spite of the title, this article will really be on how not to grow old, which, at my time of life, is a much more important subject.My first advice would be to choose your ancestors carefully.Although both my parents died young, I have done well in this respect as regards my other ancestors.My maternal grandfather, it is true, was cut off in the flower of his youth at the age of sixty-seven, but my other three grandparents all lived to be over eighty.Of remoter ancestors I can only discover one who did not live to a great age, and he died of a disease which is now rare, namely, having his head cut off.A great grandmother of mine, who was a friend of Gibbon, lived to the age of ninety-two, and to her last day remained a terror to all her descendants.My maternal grandmother, after having nine children who survived, one who died in infancy, and many miscarriages, as soon as she became a widow, devoted herself to women's higher education.She was one of the founders of Girton College, and worked hard at opening the medical profession to women.She used to relate how she met in Italy an elderly gentleman who was looking very sad.She inquired the cause of his melancholy and he said that he had just parted from his two grandchildren.“Good gracious”, she exclaimed, “I have seventy-two grandchildren, and if I were sad each time I parted from one of them, I should have a dismal existence!” “Madre snaturale,” he replied.But speaking as one of the seventy-two, I prefer her recipe.After the age of eighty she found she had some difficulty in getting to sleep, so she habitually spent the hours from midnight to 3 a.m.in reading popular science.I do not believe that she ever had time to notice that she was growing old.This, I think, is the proper recipe for remaining young.If you have wide and keen interests and activities in which you can still be effective, you will have no reason to think about the merely statistical fact of the number of years you have already lived, still less of the probable brevity of your future.“
如何变老 <
伯特兰·罗素
尽管文章的标题是“如何变老”,真正要谈的却是如何不老。在我这个年纪,讨论“如何不老”,着实更为重要。首要的一条忠告是,要慎重地选择祖先。虽然我的父母皆属早 逝,但是考虑到我其他的祖先,我的选择尚好。我的外祖父在六十七岁风华正茂时早逝,这是事实,可我的外祖母,还有我的祖父、祖母,都活到了八十多岁。在那些与我血缘关系稍疏些的祖先中,我只发现有一位不长寿的,他死于一种当前罕见的病:被砍了头。我的一位曾祖母是吉本的朋友,活到九十二岁,其精神状态之好自始至终都让子孙们敬畏,一直到她撒手人寰的那天。我的外祖母,生养了十个孩子,其中一个夭折,另外九个健康成长。此外,她还有过多次小产。她守寡之后,即刻投身于妇女的高等教育事业。她是格顿学院的创始人之一,为促使医疗事业向妇女敞开大门而不遗余力。她过去常讲这样的一个故事:她在意大利遇见一个满面哀伤的老绅士,便询问他为何如此忧伤,老绅士说刚刚和自己两个孙子道别。“天哪!”她叫道,“我有七十二个孙子孙女,如果和其中的一个分别一次就伤心一次,那我的生活岂不太凄惨了!”“非同寻常的母亲啊!”老绅士回答道。但是,作为七十二子孙中的一员,我更喜欢她的这一处世秘诀。外祖母八十高龄后感到入睡有些困难,她便常常在半夜到凌晨三点这段时间阅读科普书籍。我想,她无暇顾及自己是否老了。我认为这就是保持年轻的秘诀。如果你拥有广泛的、自己钟爱的兴趣和活动,又能从中体会自己老当益壮,你就没有理由从那些只有在统计学中才有意义的数字上考虑生命已经度过多少春秋,更没有理由担忧自己的未来也许很短暂。close2RT As regards health I have nothing useful to say since I have little experience of illness.I eat and drink whatever I like, and sleep when I cannot keep awake.I never do anything whatever on the ground that it is good for health, though in actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.说到健康,我很少生病,因此无法提供有用的建议。我随心所欲地吃喝,不能清醒时就睡觉。我做任何事情都不是因为这些事情对健康有利。不过,我喜欢做的事情实际上大多都有益于健康。close3RT Psychologically there are two dangers to be guarded against in old age.One of these is undue absorption in the past.It does not do to live in memories, in regrets for the good old days, or in sadness about friends who are dead.One's thoughts must be directed to the future and to things about which there is something to be done.This is not always easy: one's own past is a gradually increasing weight.It is easy to think to oneself that one's emotions used to be more vivid than they are, and one's mind more keen.If this is true it should be forgotten, and if it is forgotten it will probably not be true.就心理而言,老年人应慎防两种危险。其一就是过度地沉湎于过去。人不能活在记忆中,不能生活在因美好往昔的逝去而怅然若失中,也不能生活在缅怀已故朋友的哀痛中。人的心思必须放在未来上,想想可以有所作为的事情。这并非一件轻而易举的事:一个人经历的往事,渐渐变成一个沉重的包袱。人们很容易以为过去的情感比现在强烈,过去的头脑也比现在敏锐。倘若真的如此,我们就要忘却这个事实;如果忘却了这个事实,事实也许就不再是事实了。close4RT The other thing to be avoided is clinging to youth in the hope of sucking vigour from its vitality.When your children are grown up they want to live their own lives, and if you continue to be as interested in them as you were when they were young, you are likely to become a burden to them.Animals become indifferent to their young as soon as their young can look after themselves, but human beings, owing to the length of infancy, find this difficult.另一种要提防的危险是:依恋年轻人,希望从他们的勃勃生机中汲取活力。当你的孩子已长大成人,他们就想过自己的生活;如果你仍像他们小时候那样关注他们,你很可能就成了他们的包袱。动物在下一代能够自食其力时就不再给予关注;人类因幼年时期较长而很难做到这一点。close5RT It is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes, both because they will not believe you, and because mistakes are an essential part of education.But if you are one of those who are incapable of impersonal interests, you may find that your life will be empty unless you concern yourself with your children and grandchildren.In that case you must realize that while you can still render them material services, such as making them an allowance or knitting them jumpers, you must not expect that they will enjoy your company.孩子已长大成人,叮嘱他们不犯错误已经没有意义,因为他们不再相信你的话,再说错误是教育不可或缺的一部分。但是,如果你的兴趣无法摆脱个人感情的支配,你也许会发现,假如不关注子孙,生活就会空虚无望。在这种情况下,你必须意识到,虽然你仍可以给他们提供物质上的帮助,比如给他们一笔零花钱或为他们编织毛线外套,但是你绝不能期望他们会乐意和你呆在一起。close6RT Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death.In the young there is a justification for this feeling.Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer.But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows, and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat ignoble.The best way to overcome it — so at least it seems to me — is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life.An individual human existence should be like a river — small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls.Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being.The man who, in old age, can see his life in this way, will not suffer from the fear of death, since the things he cares for will continue.And if, with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will not be unwelcome.I should wish to die while still at work, knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do and content in the thought that what was possible has been done.有些老人因害怕死亡而烦恼。年轻人有这种感受是可以理解的。年轻人害怕在战场上牺牲,这情有可原。他们认为,死亡会剥夺生活赋予的最美好的东西,这让他们深感痛苦。但是,饱尝人世酸甜苦辣的老者已挖掘自己的潜力、实现了自己的抱负,倘若再对死亡产生恐惧之心,未免有些可耻。克服恐惧之心的最好的办法是 —— 至少我这样看 —— 开拓更广泛的、不局限于个人感情的兴趣,让包围自我的墙壁渐渐地消失,你的生活就渐渐融入人类的生活中。一个人的存在应该像一条河 —— 初始为涓涓细流,裹在狭窄的岸间,在岩石的缝隙中、在呼啸的瀑布上奔泻。河床渐渐变宽,河岸逐渐隐退,水流平缓,河水没有明显的停滞,最终融入海洋的怀抱,毫无痛苦地结束了独立个体的存在。上了年纪的人,倘若能以这种态度看待人生,就不会因为害怕死亡而不安,因为他所喜爱的一切将继续存在。而且,当生命力衰竭之时,疲惫感油然而生,长眠的念头并非令人厌恶。我希望在尚能劳作之时告别人世,知道他人会将我未竟的事业继续下去,同时回想这一生有可能做的事情,都尽力而为了,由此可以满意地安息了。
A Whisper of AIDS
Mary Fisher The article is adapted from The Art of Public Speaking, edited by Stephen E.Lucas, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2001.close1RT Less than three months ago, at platform hearings(政党纲领听证会)in Salt Lake City, I asked the Republican Party(共和党)to break the silence which has been kept over the issue of HIV/AIDS.I have come tonight to bring our silence to an end.低语艾滋
玛丽·费希尔
差不多三个多月前,在盐湖城召开的政党纲领听证会上,我曾向共和党提出了请求,请求打破长期对艾滋病病毒和艾滋病问题保持的沉默。今晚,我来到这儿,要给这样的沉默作个了断。close2RT I bear a message of challenge, not self-congratulation.I want your attention, not your applause.I would never have asked to be HIV-positive.But I believe that in all things there is a good purpose, and so I stand before you, and before the nation, gladly.我带来的是挑战的信息,而不是自鸣得意的信息。我需要的是大家的关注,而不需要大家的掌声。我从来也没有主动要求做一个艾滋病病毒的携带者。但是我相信,凡事都有好的一面。于是,我就站在众人的面前,站在国人的面前,心甘情愿。close3RT The reality of AIDS is brutally clear.Two hundred thousand Americans are dead or dying;a million more are infected.Worldwide, 40 million, 60 million, or a hundred million infections will be counted in the coming few years.艾滋病存在的现实残酷地摆在世人的面前。有20万美国人有的已经命丧黄泉,有的命悬一线;还有100万人已经染上了艾滋病。在世界范围内,在未来的几年里,将会出现4千万、6千万、乃至1万万个艾滋病感染的病例。close4RT In the context of an election year, I ask you — here, in this great hall, or listening in the quiet of your home — to recognize that the AIDS virus is not a political creature.It does not care whether you are Democrat(民主党党员)or Republican.It does not ask whether you are black or white, male or female, gay(同性恋的)or straight(非同性恋的), young or old.在这个选举年里,无论您此刻是在这宽敞的会议厅,还是在安静的家里,我都要请您明白:艾滋病病毒不是政治产物。它并不介意您是民主党人还是共和党人;它并不过问您是黑人还是白人,是男人还是女人,是同性恋还是异性恋,是青年人还是老年人。close5RT Tonight, I represent an AIDS community whose members came reluctantly from every segment of American society.Though I am white and a mother, I am one with a black infant struggling with tubes in a Philadelphia hospital.Though I am female and contracted this disease in marriage, and enjoy the warm support of my family, I am one with the lonely gay man sheltering a flickering(摇曳)candle from the cold wind of his family's rejection.今晚,我代表的是一个罹患艾滋病的社群。这个社群的成员来自美国社会的各个阶层,但都不是志愿加入的。尽管我是个白人,是个母亲,但我和一个正在费城医院和试管搏斗的黑皮肤的婴儿命运相连。尽管我是个女性,结婚时染上了艾滋病,同时也享受着家人温馨的支持,但我和一个孤独的同性恋男人命运相连;他正在家人厌弃的寒风下呵护着摇曳的生命烛火。close6RT This is not a distant threat;it is a present danger.The rate of infection is increasing fastest among women and children.Largely unknown a decade ago, AIDS is the third leading killer of young adult Americans today — but it won't be third for long.Because, unlike other diseases, this one travels.Adolescents don't give each other cancer or heart disease because they believe they are in love.But HIV is different.And we have helped it along — we have killed each other — with our ignorance, our prejudice, and our silence.艾滋病的威胁并非遥不可及,相反,它的危险近在咫尺。妇孺的染疾率正以最快的速度上升。艾滋病十年前还鲜为人知,可如今已是夺取美国年轻人生命的第三大元凶 —— 不过,它屈居第三的位置也将不会为时多久。因为有别于其他疾病的是,艾滋病四处游荡。青少年不会因为自认为相爱而相互传染癌症或者心脏病。可艾滋病病毒却是另外一回事儿。无知、偏见和缄默使得我们助纣为虐,相互残杀。close7RT We may take refuge(庇护)in our stereotypes, but we cannot hide there long.Because HIV asks only one thing of those it attacks: Are you human? And this is the right question: Are you human? Because people with HIV have not entered some alien(性质全然不同的)state of being.They are human.They have not earned cruelty and they do not deserve meanness.They don't benefit from being isolated or treated as outcasts(被抛弃的人).Each of them is a person.Not evil, deserving of our judgment;not victims, longing for our pity.They are people, ready for support and worthy of compassion.我们或许会固守成见,但成见不能长久保护我们。因为艾滋病病毒发起进攻时只会问:你们是人吗?问得好!你们是人吗?因为艾滋病病毒的携带者并非变成了某种怪异的生物体,他们是人。他们并没有犯下遭此残酷待遇的罪行,不应该受到刻薄的对待。他们在被孤立、被遗弃当中没有获益。他们每个人都是一名个体,他们不是祸害,不应该受到审判;他们不是受害者,不渴望大家的怜悯。他们是需要支持、值得同情的人。close8RT My call to the nation is a plea(恳求)for awareness.If you believe you are safe, you are in danger.Because I was not hemophiliac(患血友病的), I was not at risk.Because I was not gay, I was not at risk.Because I did not inject(注射)drugs, I was not at risk.我向国人发出的是“觉悟起来”的诉求。如果你们相信自己是安全的,那你们已身处危境了。当初不是因为我不是血友病患而没有危险,不是因我不是同性恋而没有危险,不是因我不吸毒而没有危险。close9RT Tonight, HIV marches firmly towards AIDS in more than a million American homes, littering its pathway with the bodies of the young — young men, young women, young parents, and young children.One of the families is mine.If it is true that HIV inevitably turns to AIDS, then my children will inevitably turn to orphans(孤儿).今晚,艾滋病病毒在一百多万美国家庭里正稳步地向艾滋病迈进,沿途丢弃的尽是年轻的尸骨 —— 年轻的男人、年轻的女人,年轻的父母和年幼的孩童。在这些众多的家庭中就有我的家庭。如果艾滋病病毒果真不可避免地令我患上艾滋病,那么我的孩子将不可避免地成为孤儿。close10RT My family has been a rock of support.My 84-year-old father, who has pursued the healing of the nations, will not accept the premise(假设)that he cannot heal his daughter.My mother refuses to be broken;she still calls at midnight to tell wonderful jokes that make me laugh.Sisters and friends, and my brother Philip(whose birthday is today)— all have helped carry me over the hardest places.I am blessed, richly and deeply blessed, to have such a family.我的家人一直给予我磐石般的支持。我84岁的父亲一直致力于上帝“医治万民”的事业,他不愿意接受自己无力医治女儿创伤的假定。我母亲拒绝放弃希望,午夜时分,她仍打来电话讲些令我捧腹的精彩笑话。姐妹、朋友、我的兄弟菲利普(今天是他的生日),他们都帮助我穿越了最艰难的地带。拥有这样一个家庭,我是“幸福”的,深深的、无比的“幸福”。close11RT But not all of you have been so blessed.You are HIV-positive but dare not say it.You have lost loved ones, but you dared not whisper the word AIDS.You weep silently;you grieve alone.但是,你们大家并非都如我这般幸福。你们是艾滋病病毒的携带者,但却没有勇气说出来;你们失去了心爱的人,但却没有勇气轻声说出“艾滋病”这个词。你们悄悄啜泣,独自悲伤。close12RT I have a message for you: It is not you who should feel shame;it is we.We who tolerate ignorance and practice prejudice, we who have taught you to fear.We must break the silence, making it safe for you to reach out for compassion.It is our task to seek safety for our children, not in quiet denial but in effective action.我要告诉你们的是:应该感到羞愧的不是你们,而是我们大家!是我们容忍无知、抱有偏见!是我们教会你们害怕!我们必须打破沉默,让你们在争取同情时感到心安理得。我们有义务给孩子们寻求安全,但不是通过默默的排斥而应是积极的行动。close13RT To the millions of you who are grieving, who are frightened, who have contracted AIDS firsthand: Have courage and you will find support.对那些哀伤着恐惧着罹患了艾滋病的数以百万计的人们,我想说:鼓起勇气,才能获得支援!close14RT To the millions who are strong, I issue this plea: Set aside prejudice and politics to make room for compassion and sound policy.对数以百万计的健康人,我恳求你们放下偏见和政见,施以怜悯,制定明智的政策。close15RT To all within the sound of my voice, I appeal: Learn with me the lessons of history and of grace, so my children will not be afraid to say the word AIDS when I am gone.Then their children, and yours, may not need to whisper it at all.我要向所有的人高声疾呼:和我一起汲取历史教训吧,和我一起学习宽容吧。这样,我的孩子在我离去时才会有胆量说出“艾滋病”这个字眼儿,孩子的孩子以及你们的孩子也许就再也不必窃窃私语说出“艾滋病”这个字眼儿了。
Unit 5 Education in Cyberspace
Vicky Phillips The text is taken and adapted from the website: http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1998/01/20feature.html
close1RT On a recent business trip a man asked me what I did for a living.I replied that I wrote and taught college courses.网络教育
维基· 菲利普斯
在最近的一次出差途中,有人问及我的职业,我说自己是从事编写和教授大学课程的。close2RT ”Oh?“ he said.”Where do you teach?“
“哦?你在哪儿教书?”他问道。close3RT A peculiarly honest answer came out of my mouth before I could think.”Nowhere,“ I said.我不假思索,老老实实地答道:“虚无空间里”。close4RT It's true.Since 1990 I have taught and counseled for what a friend of mine calls ”keyboard colleges“ — distance-learning degree programs.Where I teach is inside that electrically charged space that lies between my phone jack and the home computers of a group of generally older-than-average college students.我说的是实情。1990年起,我就在被朋友称作“键盘大学”里教远程学位教育课程并提供辅导。我的课堂是在充满电荷的空间里,其间一端连着我的电话插座,另一端连着一群年龄偏大的大学生家里的电脑。close5RT In 1990, I designed America's first online counseling center for distance learners.Since then I've worked with more than 7,000 learners online.I've flunked a few of them.I've never personally met any of them.1990年,我筹建了美国第一个远程学习者在线辅导中心。迄今为止,我已在线辅导了7000多个学生,其中只有几个人不及格,而我本人却从未与他们谋面。close6RT For want of a clearer explanation of my career situation, I told the man who inquired that I teach in cyberspace.”I'm a virtual professor,“ I tried explaining.”Distance learning...online degree programs...virtual universities.“
由于无法更清楚地解释我的工作环境,我只能告诉这位问话者:我在虚拟空间教书,“是个虚拟大学的教师。”我试着向他解释“远程教育······在线学位课程······虚拟大学”等等。close7RT The man's face remained as blank as a clear summer sky.I couldn't tell whether he was silent out of respect or keen confusion.I imagined both to be the case, so I settled in to explain what I have to explain frequently these days: the decline of the American college campus and the rise of the American educational mind — as I see it.那人的脸上仍旧一片茫然。我不清楚他沉默不语到底是因肃然起敬所致,还是纯粹对此稀里糊涂。我猜想两个原因都有。于是,我就开始解释这些天来经常解释的事情:我认为,美国的大学教育在衰退,而美国的教育新思维正在兴起。close8RT Distance learning, or educational programs where pupil and professor never meet face-to-face, is nothing new.Sir Isaac Pitman of Bath, England, hit upon the idea of having rural residents learn secretarial skills by translating the Bible into shorthand, then mailing these translations back to him for grading.He began doing this in 1840.And he made mounds of money doing it.远程教学(即师生不用谋面的教育课程)并不是件新生事物。英国巴斯大学的艾塞克·彼特曼爵士曾突发奇想,让乡村居民把圣经转换成速记文字,然后邮寄给他评阅,以这种办法教会他们文秘技能。1840年他就开始实施,从中赚取了大笔的金钱。close9RT I don't teach shorthand;I teach psychology and career development.I write many of my own lessons, though, just as Sir Isaac had to do.My post is the World Wide Web.I post assignments to electronic bulletin boards and send graded papers across the international phone lines in tariff-free e-mail packets.I convene classes and give lectures in online chat rooms when need be.我并不教速记,我教心理学和职业拓展。但还是和艾塞克爵士一样,很多课程是自己编写的。我的岗位是在万维网,我把作业张贴在电子布告栏上,把批阅过的试卷用电子邮件通过国际电话线发送出去,而且免交关税;必要时,把班级学生召集起来,在网上聊天室里在线讲课。close10RT Is this any way to dispense with a real college education? Can people learn without sitting in neat rows in a lecture room listening to the professor — the Sage on the Stage?
难道这种方式能够摒弃现实中的大学教育吗?学生难道不用整齐地坐在教室里聆听老师 —— 讲坛上的圣人——讲课就能学到知识吗?close11RT Yes, absolutely.Why not? In fact, while many people find it hard to imagine a college with no campus, I nowadays find it hard to imagine teaching anywhere other than in the liberal freedom that is cyberspace.绝对可以,毫无疑问。事实上,很多人都认为没有校园的大学难以想象,可我现在却以为不在网络空间这块充满自由氛围的地方教书才是匪夷所思呢。close12RT In cyberspace, I listen, read, comment and reflect on what my students have to say — each of them in turn.What they know, they must communicate to me in words.They cannot sit passively in the back row twiddling their mental thumbs as the clock ticks away.They must think;and horrors of horrors, they must write.Thinking and writing: Aren't these the hallmarks of a classically educated mind?
在网络空间里,我倾听、阅读、评价、思考学生们表述的观点 —— 一次一个,轮流发言。他们必须书面把见解传输给我,他们不能坐在后排座位上,无所事事地打发时光。他们必须思考,最令他们头疼的是,他们必须写作。思考与写作,那不就是传统教育培养出来的人才所具备的特质吗?close13RT I know my students not by their faces or their seat position in a vast lecture auditorium;I know them by the words and ideas they express in their weekly assignments, which everyone reads online.我不是凭借他们的脸庞或是他们在宽敞教室里所坐位置来认识我的学生,而是通过他们每周作业里的文字和观点了解他们。这些文字与观点大家都能在线读到。close14RT I am not a Sage on the Stage — I am more a Guide on the Side.Often what the students ”say“ or write to one another, or the way they incorporate their work and career ideas into their papers and debates with each other, is more practically inspiring than any help I could provide them with.我不是讲坛上的圣人 —— 我更像是他们身边的向导。通常,学生们之间“说”的或写的东西、把自己工作和职业体会融入论文和辩论的方式,比起我能够提供的任何东西都更加实用,更有启迪性。close15RT My average college ”kid“ is 40 years old.More than a few are in their 50s or 60s.They are telecommuting to campus because they could not, or would not, uproot their careers and kids or grandkids to move to a college campus — an entity modeled after the learning monasteries of medieval times.我学生的年龄一般是四十岁,还有不少五六十岁。他们通过网络来上学。因为他们不能或者不愿意辞去工作、离开儿女或孙辈们搬进大学校园 —— 那样的大学无非就是一个依照中世纪修道院模式建立起来的教育实体。close16RT Many of them know what they are talking about.Even more so, they know why they came back to college to learn.A cyber-education suits them because it respects their abilities to define for themselves what knowledge is and to go after it.It encourages them to argue their points and their perspectives without the interference of a professor, who might be tempted to step in to ”calm down“ or ”refocus“ an otherwise wonderfully enlightening classroom debate.他们大多数了解自己所谈论的东西,不仅如此,他们清楚自己为何返回大学学习。网络教育适合他们,因为网络教育尊重学员界定知识和追求知识的能力,鼓励他们抒发自己的观点和见解,没有教师干扰,因为教师可能会情不自禁地介入他们的争论,把原本很有启发性的课堂讨论“平息”或者“引到别的话题上去”。close17RT They are experiencing something very different from the traditional factory model of American education, in which everyone on the assembly line is delivered the same standardized units of information(lectures and textbooks)and then must pass the same quality inspection(objective exams).This factory model — where students sit in neat rows, holding up their hands for permission to speak, clock-watching their way through textbooks and lectures that are broken into discrete bits of knowledge — has never been shown to be an effective way to learn.It has, however, been proven to be a convenient way for colleges to record on transcripts that a standard body of knowledge has been duly delivered.学生们体验到的东西完全不同于依照传统工厂模式运作的美国教育。在传统教育中,生产线上的每个人接收到相同标准单位的信息(讲座和教材),然后必须通过同一质量检查(客观考试)。学生们坐在整齐排列的座位上,举手请求允许后才发言,不断地看着钟表学课本、听讲座,课本和讲座被分解成不相关联的知识玩意儿。没有证据显示,这样的工厂模式是有效的学习途径,而只能证明这是一种很便利的方式:大学在成绩报告单上记录下标准份量的知识已如期地传授。close18RT Maybe teaching a liberal arts curriculum via a virtual environment makes more sense to me because it brings me back to what I learned to be a true liberal arts education.Studying philosophy in Athens, Greece, I was taught that to learn anything, one had to throw away textbooks and notebooks — mere memory tools — and instead rely on one's native ability to think critically.或许,在虚拟环境下教大学文科课程对我来说特别有意义,因为它可以追溯到我当年所了解到的真正的大学文科教育。在希腊雅典研读哲学时,老师教导我,要学到东西就得扔掉课本和笔记本这些不过是记忆工具的东西,要依赖我们与生俱来的本领进行批判性思考。close19RT While my cyber-students do have textbooks, the books are learning aids;they are not the only pool of knowledge the students will drink from.Instead, they will learn also from the collaborative efforts of online debates, conferences and papers.They will think about what they have to say, and they will come to class each week amazingly prepared to argue and type their way toward insight.我的网络学生的确是有教材,但那都是学习的辅助材料,不是他们汲取知识的唯一源泉。他们还将从网上辩论、会议和论文写作的合作中学到知识。学生们要为发言认真思考;他们每周来上课时,充分准备好辩论,通过键盘上的交流获取真知。close20RT The virtual university: Oddly enough, it's just what a classical philosopher like Plato would have practiced — had there been an Internet way back then.Me? I'm in favor of less learning taking place on a campus and more that happens in the minds of the participants.说也奇怪,虚拟大学兴许正是柏拉图这样的古典哲学家喜欢授课的地方 —— 假如他那个时期有因特网的话。你问我本人的意见?我也认为教育应该比较少地在校园里开展,而更多地应该在参与者的脑子里进行。
The Four Pillars of Education in the Twenty-first Century
Jacques Delors The text is excerpted from Learning: The Treasure Within, a report to UNESCO of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, by Jacques Delors, 1996.close1RT In confronting the many challenges that the future holds in store, humankind sees in education an indispensable asset(资产)in its attempt to attain the ideals of peace, freedom and social justice.二十一世纪教育的四个支柱 雅克· 德洛尔
面对未来的种种挑战,教育看来是使人类朝着和平、自由和社会正义迈进的一笔不可或缺的财富。close2RT The role of education in the 21st century must be based upon the hope for a world that is a better place to live in.To this end, we have to confront and overcome some of the problems of the 21st century, namely:
●The tension between the global and the local.People need to become world citizens gradually but without losing their roots.●The tension between tradition and modernity, which is part of the same problem: how to adapt to change without turning one's back on the past.●The tension between long-term and short-term considerations.Public opinion always cries out for quick answers and ready solutions, whereas many problems call for a patient, concerted(协同完成的), negotiated strategy of reform.This is precisely the case where education policies are concerned.●The tension between, on the one hand, the need for competition, and on the other, the concern for equality of opportunity.This has led us to reconcile three forces: competition, which provides incentives;co-operation, which gives strength;and solidarity, which unites.●The tension between the spiritual and the material.It is education's noble task to encourage each and every one to lift their minds and spirits in accordance with their traditions and convictions.在二十一世纪,教育的作用必须立足于人类对更美好世界的向往。为此,我们必须正视二十一世纪面临的一些问题,并予以解决。这些问题是: ●全球与局域之间的紧张关系:各国人民在不失其根本的同时,需逐渐成为世界公民。
●传统和现代之间的紧张关系,这和“如何适应变革又不漠视过去”属于同一个问题。
●长远考虑和短期考虑之间的紧张关系。舆论总是迫切需要迅速得到问题的答案和现成的解决办法,而许多问题却需要从长计议,耐心协调,策略变通方能解决。教育政策正属于这种情况。●人类一方面需要竞争,另一方面也关注机会的均等,这两者之间也存在着紧张关系。这促使我们把三个因素协调起来:具有激励作用的竞争力、产生活力的合作精神以及具有凝聚力的团结精神。●精神和物质之间的紧张关系。在不违背每个人的传统和信仰的基础上,激励他们升华自己的思想和精神境界,这是教育的崇高使命。close3RT Having adopted this position, we propose to put greater emphasis on one of the four pillars which serve as the foundations of education: learning to live together.One of education's tasks is both to teach pupils and students about human diversity and make them aware of the similarities and interdependence of all people.From early childhood, schools should seize every opportunity to pursue this two-pronged(两方面的)approach.Some subjects lend themselves to this — human geography in basic education, foreign languages and literature later on, to name just a few.Learning to live together can be achieved by developing an understanding of others and their history, traditions and spiritual values and, on this basis, creating a new spirit which would induce people to implement common projects or to manage the inevitable conflicts in an intelligent and peaceful way.站在这个立场上,我们建议,人类需要更加重视作为教育基础的四个支柱之一:学会共同生活。教育的使命之一是让学生认识人类的多样性,同时还要让他们意识到所有人之间的相似性和相互依存性。从幼儿开始,学校就应该抓住各种机会进行这一双重教育。有些学科适合进行这种教育,例如,在基础教育阶段开设人文地理,晚些时候开设外语和外国文学。为了学会共同生活,我们可以多了解他人、了解他人的历史、传统和精神价值,在此基础上创造一种新的精神,这种精神会激励人们参与共同的项目或者用明智、和平的方式化解不可避免的冲突。close4RT In the meantime, we should not disregard the other three pillars of education which provide, as it were(可以说是), the bases for learning to live together.The first of these is learning to know.With the rapid changes brought about by scientific progress, the emphasis has to be on combining a sufficiently broad general education with the possibility of in-depth work on a selected number of subjects.同时,我们也不应该忽视教育的另外三个支柱,它们可以说是学会共同生活的基本要素。第一是学会认知。随着科学进步所带来的迅速变革,人类必须重视以下两个方面的结合:一是相当广泛的普通教育;二是就少量精选的学科进行深入研究的可能性。close5RT Learning to know, therefore, implies learning how to learn.Since knowledge is of multiple nature, any attempt to know everything becomes more and more pointless.In fact, after the basic education stage, the idea of being a multi-subject specialist is simply an illusion.A truly educated person nowadays needs a broad general education and the opportunity to study a small number of subjects in depth.General education, which gives pupils and students a chance to learn other languages and become familiar with other subjects, first and foremost provides a way of communicating with other people.Such a general background provides, so to speak, the passport to lifelong education, in so far as it gives people a taste — but also lays the foundations — for learning throughout life.因此,学会认知就意味着学会如何学习。由于知识涉及到方方面面,试图想什么都知道,这愈来愈做不到。事实上,在基础教育阶段之后,想成为多门学科的专家就成了不切实际的幻想。今天,一个真正受到良好教育的人需要接受广泛的通识教育,同时有机会深入地研究少量的学科。通识教育使学生有机会学习其他语言、熟悉其他学科,首先而且尤为重要的是,通识教育提供了与他人交流的手段。这种通识教育可以说是接受终身教育的通行证,因为它使人对终身学习产生了兴趣并为其奠定了基础。close6RT Learning to do is another pillar.This question is closely associated with the issue of occupational training: how do we adapt education so that it can equip people to do the types of work needed in the future? Here we should draw a distinction between industrial economies, where most people are wage-earners, and other economies where self-employment or casual(临时的)work is still the norm.The future of industrial economies hinges on(取决于)their ability to turn advances in knowledge into innovations that will generate new businesses and new jobs.In addition to learning to do a job, it also refers to the acquisition of a competence(能力)that enables people to deal with a variety of situations and to work in teams.In many cases, such competence and skills are more readily acquired if pupils and students have the opportunity to try out and develop their abilities by becoming involved in work experience schemes or social work while they are still in education.另外一个支柱是学会做事。这和职业培训密不可分:我们如何使教育和未来相适应、使人们有能力做好未来所需要的工作?这里我们应该将以雇佣劳动为主的工业化经济同以个体经营或临时工为主的其他类型的经济区别开来。工业化经济的未来取决于它们能否把知识的进步转化为革新,从而开创新企业、创造新的就业机会。除了学习从事一种职业外,学会做事也指获得一种能力,这种能力使一个人能够应付各种各样的情况,而且能够参与集体劳动。如果在校的中小学生和大学生都有机会参加一些以获取工作经验为目标的培训活动或社会福利工作,以此来实践和锻炼自己的能力,以上所说的能力和技能在许多情况下是比较容易获得的close7RT Last, but far from least, is the fourth pillar: learning to be.In the twenty-first century everyone will need to exercise greater independence and judgment.It is necessary to have a stronger sense of personal responsibility for the attainment of common goals.Education should contribute to every person's complete development — mind and body, intelligence, sensitivity, aesthetic(美感的)appreciation and spirituality.All people should receive in their childhood and youth an education that equips them to develop their own independent, critical way of thinking and judgment, so that they can make up their own minds on the best courses of action(行动步骤)in the different circumstances in their lives.None of the talents which are hidden like buried treasure in every person must be left untapped(未开发的).These are, to name but a few: memory, reasoning power, imagination, physical ability, aesthetic sense, the aptitude(才能)to communicate with others and the natural charisma(领袖气质)of the group leader, which again goes to prove the need for greater self-knowledge.最后但同样重要的是第四个支柱:学会生存。在二十一世纪,人人都需要发挥更强的自主能力和判断能力;每个人都要对共同目标的实现怀有更强烈的责任感。教育应当促进每个人的全面发展,即身心、智力、敏锐性、审美情趣以及精神的升华等方面的发展。每个人在青少年时代接受的教育应该使他们形成一种独立自主的、富有批判精神的思维方式和判断力。只有这样,他们才能够在人生不同的情况下自己确定最应该做的事情。蕴藏在每个人身上的像宝藏一样的才能都必须发挥出来,例如记忆力、推理能力、想象力、体能、审美意识、与他人交流的能力以及领导者天生的领袖魅力。这再次证明一个人需要对自己有更深入的了解。close8RT What we shall build in the twenty-first century is a learning society founded on the acquisition, renewal(更新)and use of knowledge.As the development of the ”information society“ is increasing the opportunities for access to data and facts, education should enable everyone to gather information and to select, arrange, manage and use it.我们要在二十一世纪建立以获取、更新和利用知识为基础的教育社会。由于“信息社会”不断发展,人们接触数据和事实的机会大增,教育应该使每个人都能收集种种信息,并能筛选、整理、管理和使用这些信息。close9RT Faced with a growing and at the same time increasingly quality-minded demand for education, how can educational policies achieve the twin aims of high educational standards and equity? These are the questions that we should address concerning courses of study, educational methods and content, and prerequisites(先决条件)for the effectiveness of education.面对这种对教育越来越多、越来越高的要求,怎样才能使教育政策实现既提高教育质量又体现教育公正这两个目标呢?这是我们应该解决的问题,其中涉及课程设置、教学方法和内容、以及提高教学效果应必备的条件。close10RT These four pillars of knowledge cannot be anchored(固定)solely in one phase in a person's life or in a single place.There is a need to re-think when in people's lives education should be provided, and the fields that such education should cover.The periods and fields should complement each other and be interrelated in such a way that all people can get the most out of their own specific educational environment all through their lives.教育的这四个支柱不能只涉及一个人一生中的某个阶段或单纯某个方面。我们有必要重新思考:人的一生什么时候应该获得教育?所受的教育应该覆盖哪些领域?教育的各个阶段和领域应该相互补充,相互关联,从而使每个人在一生中都能够充分利用自己拥有的独特的教育环境。Close
Unit 6 Culture Shock
Kalervo Oberg The text is excerpted and adapted from Kalervo Oberg's talk presented to the Women's Club of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 3, 1954.close1RT We might almost call culture shock an occupational disease of people who have been suddenly transplanted abroad.Like most ailments it has its own cause, symptoms, and cure.文化冲击
卡勒沃·奥伯格
我们不妨把文化冲击称为突然置身国外的人们所得的职业病。和大部分疾病一样,这种病有其独特的起因、症状和疗法。close2RT Culture shock is precipitated by the anxiety that results from losing all our familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse.These signs or cues include the thousand and one ways in which we orient ourselves to the situations of daily life: when to shake hands and what to say when we meet people, when and how to give tips, how to give orders to servants, how to make purchases, when to accept and when to refuse invitations, when to take statements seriously and when not.These cues which may be words, gestures, facial expressions, customs, or norms are acquired by all of us in the course of growing up and are as much a part of our culture as the language we speak or the beliefs we accept.All of us depend for our peace of mind and our efficiency on hundreds of these cues.文化冲击是因为我们失去熟悉的社会交往标记和符号而产生的焦虑所促成。这些标志或暗示包括我们应付日常生活各种情境时使用的诸多方式方法:与人会面时何时握手、该说些什么;在什么时间、以什么方式付小费;如何吩咐佣人;怎样购物;何时该接受、何时该拒绝他人的邀请;别人说的话,何时该当真,何时不该当真。这些暗示可以是语言、手势、面部表情、风俗习惯或社会行为标准。我们在成长的过程中获得了这些暗示,就像我们的语言和我们所接受的信仰一样,它们已经成为我们文化的一部分。我们所有的人都依赖成百上千个这样的暗示才能拥有宁静的心境,过上高效率的生活。close3RT Now when an individual enters a strange culture, all or most of these familiar cues are removed.He or she is like a fish out of water.No matter how broad-minded you may be, a series of props have been knocked from under you, followed by a feeling of frustration and anxiety.People react to the frustration in much the same way.First they reject the environment which causes the discomfort: ”The ways of the host country are bad because they make us feel bad.“ When Americans or other foreigners in a strange land get together to complain about the host country and its people — you can be sure they are suffering from culture shock.Another phase of culture shock is regression.The home environment suddenly assumes a tremendous importance.To an American everything American becomes irrationally glorified.All the difficulties and problems are forgotten and only the good things back home are remembered.It usually takes a trip home to bring one back to reality.当你走进一种陌生的文化,你所熟悉的所有或大部分文化暗示也就随之消失。此时的你宛如一条离开水的鱼。无论你的心胸多么开阔,你赖以生存的支柱此时都已倒塌,挫折感和焦虑感油然而生。人们对此种挫折的反应非常相似:他们首先排斥令他们不适的环境:”我们所到之国的生活方式很不好,让我们感觉很糟糕。“当美国人或其他的外国人来到一个陌生的国度,聚在一起抱怨所到之国及其人民时 —— 可以肯定,他们正深受文化冲击之苦。文化冲击的另外一个阶段是回归。故乡的一草一木突然变得极为重要。一个美国人会不合理地美化美国的一切事物。在自己国家所经历的困难和问题都抛在了脑后,只记得故乡美好的事物。通常要回国一趟方可回到现实中。close4RT In an effort to get over culture shock, there is some value in knowing something about the nature of culture and its relationship to the individual.In addition to living in a physical environment, an individual lives in a cultural environment consisting of man-made physical objects, social institutions, and ideas and beliefs.An individual is not born with culture but only with the capacity to learn it and use it.There is nothing in a new born child which dictates that it should eventually speak Portuguese, English, or French;nor that he should eat with a fork in his left hand rather than in the right or use chopsticks.All these things the child has to learn.Nor are the parents responsible for the culture which they transmit to their young.The culture of any people is the product of history and is built up over time largely through processes which are beyond his awareness.It is by means of culture that the young learn to adapt themselves to the physical environment and to the people with whom they associate.And as we know, children and adolescents often experience difficulties in this process of learning and adjustment.But once learned, culture becomes a way of life.要克服文化冲击的心理,了解文化的性质及其与个人的关系会有所裨益。除了赖以生存的自然环境,一个人还生活在由人造的有形物体、社会风俗、观念和信仰构成的文化环境中。一个人并非天生就有文化,而是生来就具备学习和使用文化的能力。新生婴儿的身上不存在一种只许他最终说葡萄牙语、英语或法语的东西,也不存在一种只许他用左手而不是右手执叉或只许他用筷子吃饭的东西。这些东西都是要孩子去学习的。文化也不是由父母负责传递给孩子的。任何一个民族的文化都是历史的产物,经过漫长的、本民族意识不到的过程才得以积累形成。孩子通过文化学会适应周围的物质环境,学会和周围的人打交道。众所周知,青少年在学习和适应的过程中经常遇到困难。但是,文化一旦学会了,就会成为一种生活方式。close5RT People have a way of accepting their culture as both the best and the only way of doing things.This is perfectly normal and understandable.To this attitude we give the name ethnocentrism, a belief that not only the culture but the race and the nation form the center of the world.Individuals identify themselves with their own group to the extent that any critical comment is taken as a remark which is rude to the individual as well as to the group.If you criticize my country, you are criticizing me;if you criticize me, you are criticizing my country.Along with this attitude goes the tendency to attribute all individual peculiarities as national characteristics.For instance, if an American does something odd or anti-social in a foreign country which back home would be considered a purely individual act, this is now considered a national trait.He acts that way not because he is Joe Doaks but because he is an American.Instead of being censured as an individual, his country is censured.It is thus best to recognize that ethnocentrism is a permanent characteristic of national groups.Even if a national criticizes some aspect of his own culture, the foreigner should listen but not enter into the criticism.人们往往认为自己的文化是最好的,是生活的唯一方式。这非常正常,完全可以理解。我们把这种态度称为“民族优越感”,即一种认为自己的文化、种族和国家构成世界中心的想法。个人往往将自己与所处的群体等同起来,因此任何批评的言论在他们看来都是对个人及其群体不尊敬的:如果你批评我的祖国,你就是在批评我;如果你批评我,你就是在批评我的祖国。抱着这种态度,人们往往把个人的怪癖归结为民族的特点。例如,倘若一个美国人在国外做出怪异的或有悖社会公德的事情,在美国国内的人们会认为这纯属个人行为,但在国外却被视为一种民族特性:他那样做并非因为他是乔·多克斯,而是因为他是个美国人。遭受责难的不是他这个个体,而是他的祖国。因此,我们最好把民族优越感看成是民族群体的一个永恒的特性。即使一个国家的公民批评了自己文化的某些方面,外国人也只应当听着,而不应该参与批评。close6RT Once you realize that your trouble is due to your own lack of understanding of other people’s cultural background and your own lack of the means of communication rather than the hostility of an alien environment, you also realize that you yourself can gain this understanding and these means of communication.And the sooner you do this, the sooner culture shock will disappear.你一旦意识到面临的问题并非因为异域的敌意而是因为自己对其他民族的文化背景缺乏理解或者缺乏与对方沟通的方式,你同时就会意识到你本身能够了解他人的文化,并能够掌握那些交流的方式。你越早做到这一点,文化冲击就消失得越快。close7RT The question now arises, what can you do to get over culture shock as quickly as possible? The answer is getting to know the people of the host country.But this you cannot do with any success without knowing the language, for language is the principal symbol system of communication.Now we all know that learning a new language is difficult, particularly to adults.This task alone is quite enough to cause frustration and anxiety, no matter how skillful language teachers are in making it easy for you.But once you begin to be able to carry on a friendly conversation with your maid, your neighbour, or to go on shopping trips alone, you not only gain confidence and a feeling of power but a whole new world of cultural meanings opens up for you.接下来的问题是,你怎样做才能尽快克服文化冲击?答案是:了解所到之国的国民。但是,倘若不懂语言,你是无法成功地实现这一目标的,因为语言是用于交流的主要的符号系统。我们现在都知道,学习一门新的语言不容易,对成年人来说,尤为如此。无论教语言的老师多么擅长于减轻你学习语言的难度,单单学语言这项任务都足以让你焦虑不安、饱受挫折。不过,你一旦能够和女佣、邻居进行友好的交谈,能够单独出门购物,你就会重获信心,充满力量,一个蕴含各种文化意义的新世界就向你敞开了大门。close8RT You begin to find out what people do, how they do it, and what their interests are.People usually express these interests by what they habitually talk about and how they allocate their time and money.Once you know this value or interest pattern it will be quite easy to get people to talk to and be interested in you.你开始发现人们做些什么、做事情的方式以及令他们感兴趣的事情。人们往往通过日常的谈话内容和时间、金钱的分配方式来表达自己的兴趣爱好。你一旦了解了他们的兴趣和价值模式,就很容易和他们交谈,也容易让他们对你产生兴趣。close9RT At times it is helpful to be a participant observer by joining the activities of the people, to try to share in their responses, whether this be a carnival, a religious ritual, or some economic activity.Yet the visitor should never forget that he or she is an outsider and will be treated as such.He or she should view this participation as a role playing.Understanding the ways of a people is essential but this does not mean that you have to give up your own.What happens is that you have developed two patterns of behavior.有时候,参加人们举办的各种活动,不管是嘉年华会、宗教仪式还是经济活动,在活动中仔细观察,和人们一起喜怒哀乐,这都有好处。不过,你永远都不要忘记,你是一个外人,人们也会把你当成一个外人对待。你应当把参与活动看成角色扮演。了解一个民族的生活方式很重要,但这并非意味着你要放弃自己的文化。实际上,你已经具备两种行为方式。
T Rich Met My Mother
Amy Tan This text is adapted from ”Four Directions“ by Amy Tan in Frame Work edited by Gary Colombo, Bonnie Lisle & Sandra Mano.Boston: Bedford Books.1997.close1RT After much thought, I came up with a brilliant plan.I worked out a way for Rich to meet my mother and win her over.In fact, I arranged it so my mother would want to cook a meal especially for him.I had some help from Auntie Suyuan.Auntie Su was my mother's friend from way back.里奇拜见我妈 谭恩美
一番深思熟虑之后,我想出了一个妙计,设法让里奇与我母亲见面,赢得她的好感。实际上,我巧加安排,让我妈特意为里奇做一餐饭。这回我得到了素云阿姨的一臂之力,她是我母亲的老朋友了。close2RT So one day, my mother called me, to invite me to a delayed birthday dinner for my father.My brother Vincent was bringing his girlfriend, Lisa Lum.I could bring a friend, too.终于,一天母亲打来电话,邀请我参加为父亲推迟举行的生日晚宴。我的弟弟文森特要带上女朋友林莉萨,那么我也可以带一个朋友。close3RT I knew she would do this, because cooking was how my mother expressed her love, her pride, her power, her proof that she knew more than Auntie Su.”Just be sure to tell her later that her cooking was the best you ever tasted, that it was far better than Auntie Su's,“ I told Rich.”Believe me.“
母亲这样做,不出我的意料。因为烹饪是母亲表达她的爱、她的骄傲、她的权威和证明她的学识胜过素云阿姨的一种方式。“饭后一定要告诉妈,她做的菜是你吃过的最好的,比素云阿姨做的好吃多了。”我跟里奇说,“听我的没错儿。”close4RT The night of the dinner, I sat in the kitchen watching her cook, waiting for the right moment to tell her about our marriage plans, that we had decided to get married next July, about seven months away.She was chopping eggplant into small pieces, chattering(喋喋不休)at the same time about Auntie Suyuan: ”She can only cook looking at a recipe.My instructions are in my fingers.I know what secret ingredients to put in just by using my nose!“ And she was slicing so fast that I was afraid her fingertips would become one of the ingredients of the red-cooked(红烧的)eggplant and shredded pork dish.生日宴会的那天晚上,我坐在厨房里看妈妈做菜,等着找机会告诉她我们的结婚计划,告诉她我们决定明年7月份(也就是7个月后)结婚。她一边把茄子切成小块,一边叨叨着素云阿姨:“她看着食谱才会做菜,而我对做菜的窍门可是了如指掌。闻闻就知道该用什么独家配料!”她飞快地切着薄片,我生怕她的指尖也成了红烧肉末茄子的配料。close5RT I was hoping she would say something first about Rich.I had seen her expression when she opened the door, her forced smile as she studied him from head to toe, checking her appraisal(评价)of him against that already given to her by Auntie Suyuan.I tried to anticipate what criticisms she would have.我希望她能主动提到里奇。我注意到了她开门时的表情。她挤出一丝笑容,把里奇从头到脚打量了个遍,心里一边在作比照,看从素云阿姨那听来的看法是否与自己所见相符。我努力设想她会做出什么样的批评。close6RT Rich was not only not Chinese, he was a few years younger than I was.And unfortunately, he looked much younger with his curly red hair, smooth pale skin, and the splash of orange freckles(雀斑)across his nose.He was a bit on the short side, compactly built.In his dark business suits, he looked nice but easily forgettable, like somebody's nephew at a funeral, which was why I didn't notice him the first year we worked together at the firm.But my mother noticed everything.里奇不仅不是华人,还比我小几岁。而且不幸的是,他一头红色的卷发,光滑苍白的皮肤,鼻子上布满了橙色的雀斑,让他比实际年纪更显年轻。他个头不高,长得结结实实。身着深色西装,他看起来不错,但是不会令人难忘,就像是谁家葬礼上某人的侄子那么不起眼。所以头一年在公司里与他共事时我就没注意到他。可母亲却把什么都看在了眼里。close7RT ”So what do you think of Rich?“ I finally asked, holding my breath.“那么你觉得里奇怎样?”我终于问道,屏息而待。close8RT She tossed the eggplant in the hot oil and it made a loud, angry hissing(发出嘶嘶声的)sound.”So many spots on his face,“ she said.她把茄子倒进热油里翻炒,锅里传出一阵愤怒的嘶嘶作响的声音。“脸上那么多斑点,”她说道。close9RT ”They're freckles.Freckles are good luck, you know,“ I said a bit too heatedly in trying to raise my voice above the noise of the kitchen.“是雀斑,要知道,有雀斑命好。”我说得有些过于激动,试图把声音提高,盖过厨房里的噪音。close10RT ”Oh?“ She said innocently.“哦?”她好像真的不知情似说道。close11RT ”Yes, the more spots the better.Everybody knows that.“
“真的,斑点越多越好,谁都知道这回事儿。”close12RT She considered this a moment and then smiled and spoke in Chinese: ”Maybe this is true.When you were young, you got the chicken pox(水痘).So many spots, you had to stay home for ten days.So lucky, you thought.“
她思忖了一会儿,笑了。用中文说道:“好像是这么回事儿。你小时候长水痘,长了好多的痘痘,在家呆了10天,你当时那个庆幸!”close13RT I couldn't save Rich in the kitchen.And I couldn't save him later at the dinner table.在厨房里我拯救不了里奇,在饭桌上我也救不了他。close14RT He had brought a bottle of French wine, something he did not know my parents could not appreciate.My parents did not even own wineglasses.And then he also made the mistake of drinking not one but two glasses full, while everybody else had a half-inch ”just for taste“.他带了瓶法国葡萄酒,他不知道我父母不会欣赏那玩意儿,我父母连酒杯都没有。后来他还犯了个错,大家都“只是为了尝尝”喝下半英寸酒杯高的酒量,可他不止喝一杯,而是喝了满满两杯。close15RT When I offered Rich a fork, he insisted on using the slippery ivory(象牙)chopsticks.He held them spread out clumsily while picking up a large chunk(厚块)of red-cooked eggplant.Halfway between his plate and his open mouth, the chunk fell on his crisp(崭新的)white shirt.当我给里奇叉子时,他坚持使用滑不唧溜的象牙筷。夹起一大块红烧茄子时,筷子在他笨拙的手上并不拢。当把茄子夹到他的碟子和大张着的嘴之间时,茄子竟然掉落在他崭新的白色衬衣上。close16RT And then he had helped himself to big portions of the shrimp and snow peas(糖荚豌豆炒河虾), not realizing he should have taken only a polite spoonful, until everybody had had a morsel(一小份).后来,他又自顾自地大吃糖荚豌豆炒河虾,殊不知他得等大家吃过一点才能够礼貌地吃上一小勺。close17RT He had declined the new greens, the tender and expensive leaves of bean plants plucked(采摘)before the sprouts(新芽)turn into beans.他谢绝吃新鲜青菜,那豆苗叶又嫩又昂贵,还没结豆子那叶子就给摘了下来。close18RT He thought he was being polite by refusing seconds, when he should have followed my father's example, who made a big show of taking small portions of seconds, thirds, and even fourths, always saying he could not resist another bite of something or other, and then groaning that he was so full he thought he would burst.他以为拒绝吃第二口就算是有礼貌了,实际上,他应该跟我爸爸学:架势大,但吃量少,就这样吃第二口、第三口、甚至第四口,边吃边要一个劲儿地说还是忍不住再吃上一口之类的话,然后就哼哼着说自己肚子饱得要撑破了。close19RT But the worst was when Rich criticized my mother's cooking, and he didn't even know what he had done.As is the Chinese cook's custom, my mother always made disparaging(贬低的)remarks about her own cooking.That night she chose to direct it toward her famous steamed pork and preserved vegetable dish, which she always served with special pride.可最为糟糕的是里奇数落了我母亲的做菜手艺,自己却浑然不觉。按照中国做菜人的习惯,我母亲老是说自己做的菜不好吃。那天晚上,她将矛头直指她那道著名的“梅菜扣肉”,她总是特别骄傲地端上这道菜。close20RT ”Ai!This dish not salty enough, no flavor,“ she complained, after tasting a small bite.”It is too bad to eat.“
“哎!不够咸,没味道。”尝了一小口后,她抱怨道。“太难吃了。”close21RT This was our family's cue to eat some and proclaim it the best she had ever made.But before we could do so, Rich said, ”You know, all it needs is a little soy sauce(酱油).“ And he proceeded to pour a riverful of the salty black stuff on the big plate, right before my mother's horrified(震惊的)eyes.在我们家,这是暗示我们大家先吃一点,然后就宣称这是她烧的最美味的一道菜。可是我们还没来得及这样做,里奇就开腔了:“没错,就差点酱油。”而后,他就把那黑乎乎的咸东西在母亲震惊的目光注视下往那大盘子菜上浇。close22RT And even though I was hoping throughout the dinner that my mother would somehow see Rich's kindness, his sense of humor and boyish charm, I knew he had failed miserably in her eyes.即使我一直希望在吃饭的整个过程中,母亲会设法看出里奇的善良、幽默和青年男子特有的魅力,但此刻我知道在母亲眼中他已一败涂地。close23RT Rich obviously had had a different opinion on how the evening had gone.When we got home that night, I was still shuddering(战栗), remembering how Rich had firmly shaken both my parents' hands with that same easy(不拘束的)familiarity he used with nervous new clients.”Linda, Tim,“ he said, ”we'll see you again soon, I'm sure.“ My parents' names are Lindo and Tin Jong, and nobody, except a few older family friends, ever calls them by their first names.里奇对晚上发生的事情明显有不同的看法。当晚我们回家时,想起他用力握我父母的手,就像他和紧张的新客户握手时表现出的潇洒随意,我浑身还在发抖。“琳达,蒂姆,”他当时说道,“我们不久会再来看望你们的,我保证。”我父母的名字分别叫琳朵(音译)和钟田(仿粤语音译)。除了家里来往的几个年长的朋友外,谁也不会直呼他们的名字。close24RT ”So what did she say when you told her?“ And I knew he was referring to our getting married.“你告诉她了,她怎么说?”我知道他指的是我们结婚的事儿。close25RT ”I never had a chance,“ I said, which was true.How could I have told my mother I was getting married, when at every possible moment we were alone, she seemed to remark on how much expensive wine Rich liked to drink, or how pale and ill he looked.“没有机会,”我说的是实话。在和母亲独处的所有时间里,她好像都在议论里奇喜欢喝的葡萄酒是多么的昂贵,他的面色多么地苍白、气色多么地差,我哪里可以跟她说我要结婚。close26RT Rich was smiling.”How long does it take to say, Mom, Dad, I'm getting married?“
里奇嬉皮笑脸。“就说声 ‘爸、妈,我要结婚了’ 能花上多长的时间?”close27RT ”You don't understand.You don't understand my mother.“
“你不明白,你不了解我母亲。”
Unit 7
T What Makes Olympic Champions?
John E.Anderson This article is adapted from Reader's Digest, Feb.1994.close1RT When Kristi Yamaguchi fell to the ice in the 1992 Winter Olympics at Albertville, France, spectators groaned.Surely the 20-year-old's chances for a gold medal in figure skating had evaporated with that tumble.But Kristi rose to her feet, flashed a dazzling smile and spun back into her program.When the judges' scores were announced, she had received near-perfect marks despite the fall.Her spirited recovery gave her the gold medal — a tribute to her
determination and courage.是什么造就了奥运冠军? 约翰· E· 安德森
1992年,在法国阿尔贝维尔冬季奥运会上,当克里斯蒂· 山口在冰场上跌倒时,观众席上一片遗憾的声音。这位20岁的运动员获得花样滑冰金牌的希望肯定会因这一失足而化为泡影。但是克里斯蒂站了起来,她灿然一笑,旋转身体,继续表演。她虽然不幸跌倒,但裁判却给她打了近乎完美的分数。她能鼓起勇气,重振旗鼓,获得了金牌,这足以证明她的决心和勇气。close2RT As a consultant to U.S.Olympic teams and many individual athletes, I've seen dozens of young men and women like Kristi who reached deep into themselves at a critical moment and found something that brought out their best.They mounted the winners' stand not simply because of athletic talent but because of firm inner fiber.作为美国奥运队及许多运动员的顾问,我目睹了许多像克里斯蒂这样年轻的男女运动员:他们在关键时刻能够挖掘自身,找到发挥潜能的一种力量。他们登上领奖台,不单纯是因为运动才能,还因为他们内在的不屈不挠的意志。close3RT They had a dream.Kristi Yamaguchi visualized herself as an Olympic champion the first time she put on skates, at age six.Bonny Warner, who represented the United States in three Olympic luge competitions, didn't have her dream until she was a college student.Before that, she had never heard of the racing sled called a luge.But once the dream took shape, both young women clung to it courageously and worked to make it come true.他们拥有梦想。
克里斯蒂·山口6岁时首次穿上溜冰鞋,那时她就想象自己是一名奥运冠军。邦妮·华纳三度代表美国参加奥运会的仰卧滑行小雪橇比赛。她直到上了大学才有自己的梦想。之前,她从未听说过有“仰卧滑行的小雪橇”这种比赛用的雪橇。这两个年轻女子,一旦拥有梦想,就锲而不舍地、勇敢地追求,为了梦想的实现不遗余力。close4RT Most important, their parents and those around them supported the dream.Loretta Dawes, whose 16-year-old daughter, Dominique, was one of the first female black gymnasts to represent the United States in the Olympics, recently told the press that bringing up a world-class athlete isn't easy.For an entire year before the 1992 Olympics, she rarely saw her daughter, who lived with her coach to be closer to the gym, a 45-minute drive from home.Dawes was asked what advice she would give other parents of athletes.She answered simply and eloquently.”Believe in your child,“ she said.最重要的是,这些运动员的父母以及周围的人都支持他们的梦想。洛雷塔·道斯16岁的女儿多米尼克是代表美国参加奥运会的第一批黑人女性体操运动员之一。洛雷塔最近告诉记者说,培养一个世界一流的运动员着实不易。在1992年奥运会之前整整一年中,她很少看见自己的女儿。为了离体育馆近一点,女儿和教练住在一块,那儿离家有45分钟的车程。当有人请她给其他运动员的父母提一些建议的时候,她的回答简单却极具说服力。“相信你的孩子吧,” 她这样说。close5RT That doesn't mean every child who dreams of Olympic fame will one day climb onto the winners' stand.But being able to dream is the first step on every road to success — even if the initial dream eventually leads to a different road.这并非意味着每个拥有奥运梦想的孩子都能有朝一日登上领奖台。但是,梦想是通向成功的第一步 —— 哪怕当初的梦想最终让孩子走向另一条不同的道路。close6RT They're fired up.The Olympic Flame that top performers pursue burns inside them.They're driven not only to be the best but to do their best —
always.他们满怀激情。
优秀运动员们梦寐以求的奥运圣火在他们的内心深处燃烧。他们有强大的动力,不仅要成为最优秀的运动员,还要竭尽全力去实现目标 —— 始终不渝。close7RT That's why Carl Lewis, who already holds eight Olympic gold medals, plans to compete again at 36 in the 1996 Games, against youngsters half his age;and why discus thrower Al Oerter, after winning gold medals in four consecutive Olympics, tried again for the Olympic team at age 47.正因为如此,已经获得八枚奥运金牌的卡尔· 刘易斯依然筹划在36岁时再度参加1996年的奥运会,同那些年龄只有他一半的年轻人决一雌雄;铁饼运动员艾尔· 奥特,在连续获得四届奥运会的金牌之后,47岁时依然为进入奥运队伍而努力。close8RT Swimmer Janet Evans, who won three gold medals in Seoul in 1988, embodied that same desire to win four years later.After she narrowly missed a gold medal in the 400-meter freestyle, she swam one of the most psychologically challenging races of her life in the 800-meter freestyle to win the gold.”I just wanted to be up there on that winners' stand one more time,“
she confessed.游泳健将珍尼特·埃文斯在1988年的汉城奥运会上虽获得三枚金牌,但她表达了同样的心愿:四年后再次夺冠。在400米自由泳项目中,她因毫厘之差与金牌擦肩而过。随后,她完成了800米自由泳项目,这是她一生中最具有心理挑战的一次比赛,结果她夺冠胜出。“我只是想再一次登上冠军的领奖台,”她坦白地说。close9RT They aim high.I once asked a world-class athlete to guess at the outcome of a major competition.”I'll come in fifth,“ he said.And that's exactly where he finished, even though he could easily have placed third, or even second, since two other major contenders performed poorly.他们胸怀大志。
我曾经让一个世界级的运动员猜测一次重大比赛的结果。“我会得第五名,”他说。他果真得了第五名。他本来可以轻而易举地名列第三,甚至是第二,因为另外两名主要对手发挥得不好。close10RT Contrast him with ”Flo Jo“ — Florence Griffith Joyner.Training a week before the 1988 Games, she wrote in her diary the time she expected to run and win the 100-meter dash: 10.54 seconds.When Flo Jo crossed the finish line, the clock showed 10.54.She had not only seen herself winning, but called her winning time to the split second.拿他和“弗洛·乔” —— 弗洛伦斯·格里菲斯·乔伊纳比比吧。在1998年奥运会前一周的训练中,乔伊纳在日记中写下预计自己百米短跑夺冠的成绩:10.54秒。当弗洛·乔跨过终点线时,刚好是10.54秒。她不仅能够在赛前看到自己夺冠,而且对夺冠的成绩也能作出毫秒不差的预测。close11RT They never quit.The 1992 Summer Olympics featured two tremendously poignant moments.American sprinter Gail Devers, the clear leader in the 100-meter hurdles, tripped over the last barrier.She agonizingly pulled herself to her knees and crawled the last five meters, finishing the fifth — but finishing.他们从不放弃。
1992年夏季奥运会有两个让人极度惋惜的特写镜头。在百米跨栏比赛中,本来绝对领先他人的美国短跑运动员盖尔· 德弗斯在跨越最后一道障碍时绊倒在地。但她双膝跪地,极其痛苦地爬完了最后五米,虽然仅获得第五名,但是完成了比赛。close12RT Even more heart-breaking was the 400-meter semifinal in which British runner Derek Redmond had one leg injured and fell to the track.He struggled to his feet and began to hobble, determined to complete the race.His father ran from the stands to help him off the track, but the athlete refused to quit.He leaned on his father, and the two limped to the finish line together, to
deafening applause.更加令人心碎的是400米半决赛。英国选手德里克· 雷德蒙的一条腿受了伤,跌倒在跑道上。他挣扎着站起来,只见他一瘸一拐地跑起来,显然是决心完成比赛。他的父亲从看台上跑下来,想搀扶他离开跑道,但是这个运动员拒绝放弃比赛。他倚靠着自己的父亲,父子俩蹒跚而行,直到终点,观众的掌声震耳欲聋。close13RT They make their own luck.When Paul Wylie won a silver medal in men's figure skating at Albertville, he surprised everyone but himself.Several skaters who had been expected to win medals had been injured or had performed poorly.”I was the last person expected to make the winners' podium, “ Wylie said.”But I had trained like crazy, and when the favorites faltered, I was
ready.“
他们创造运气。
当保罗·怀利在阿尔贝维尔赢得男子花样溜冰比赛的银牌时,除他以外,所有的人都很惊讶。本来有望得奖的几位选手有的受伤了,有的发挥不好。“没有人会想到我能登上领奖台,”怀利说,“但是,之前我拼了命地训练,当最有希望获胜的运动员比赛失利时,我已作好了夺冠的准备。”close14RT Month after month, year after year, Olympians I know go through a grind of pointing toward their big moment.Skaters arise at 4 a.m.to squeeze in a few hours of practice before a rink is open to the public.Cyclists put in hours of running exercises before reporting to their daily jobs.Boxers head for the gym and work out relentlessly
every day.我所了解的这些奥运选手,为了那个辉煌的时刻,日复一日、年复一年地埋头苦干。溜冰运动员凌晨四时起身,为的是在溜冰场向公众开放之前挤出几个小时的训练时间。自行车竞技运动员在每天上班前,进行长达几小时的长跑训练。拳击运动员每天都前往体育馆进行不懈的训练。close15RT In the Olympics, as in other aspects of life, luck certainly counts.The second clarinetist who has practiced diligently is lucky to get a chance to solo when the first clarinetist becomes ill.So is the assistant sales manager who fills in for the boss in an emergency.But both must be well prepared for their big break.In the Olympics — in everything — luck strikes those prepared to capitalize on it.奥运会上运气当然重要,这和生活的其他领域一样。当最优秀的单簧管手生病时,屈居第二但是勤奋练习的乐手就有幸获得独奏的机会。这就像在紧急情况下助理销售经理填补老板的位置一样。当然,在这两种情况下,要填补上来的人必须为自己的巨大转机作好准备。在奥运会上 —— 在任何情况下 —— 好运只光顾那
些做好准备迎接好运的人。
T Tokens of the Olympic Ideal This text is taken and adapted from the following http://www.xiexiebang.com/olympic/trivia/index.php
website: close1RT The Olympic motto, creed(信条), oath(誓言), flame, flag, and anthem(颂歌)— these are all tokens pointing to the Olympic ideal.Collectively, they represent the essence of the Olympic Movement;individually, they contribute to the legacy of the Olympic Games.奥林匹克理想的象征
奥林匹克的格言、信条、誓言、圣火、会旗及其会歌 —— 这些都是奥林匹克理想的象征。它们共同体现着奥林匹克运动的精髓,各自都为奥林匹克运动会的精神财富作出了贡献。close2RT The Olympic motto: The well-known motto of the Olympic Games, ”Citius, Altius, Fortius,“ is Latin for ”Faster, Higher, Braver“.However, this phrase is most universally recognized in English as ”Swifter, Higher, Stronger.“ Michel Breal, a French educator, introduced the phrase at the closing dinner of the congress for the reestablishment of the modern Olympic Games on June 23, 1894, where it was adopted as the official motto of the International Olympic Committee.奥林匹克格言:
著名的奥林匹克格言“Citius, Altius, Fortius”是拉丁语,意思是“更快、更高、更勇”。但在英语中,这一格言广为认同的说法是“更快、更高、更强”。1894年6月23日,法国教育家米歇尔·布里厄在现代奥林匹克运动会复兴大会的闭幕宴会上首度使用该用语。就在那次大会上,它被认可为国际奥林匹克运动委员会的正式格言。close3RT The Olympic oath: At the start of each Olympics, every athlete promises to play fairly and obey all of the Olympic rules.One athlete from the host country takes this oath at the opening ceremony on behalf of all athletes.Holding a corner of the Olympic flag, the chosen athlete repeats the oath: ”In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules that govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams.“ 奥林匹克誓言:
每一届奥林匹克运动会开幕时,所有的运动员都要承诺将公平比赛,遵守各项奥运规则。在开幕式上一名来自主办国的运动员代表全体运动员宣誓。他手执奥运旗帜的一角,背诵如下的誓言: “我代表全体参赛运动员宣誓,在本次奥林匹克运动会上,我们将尊重并遵守大会各项规则,恪守体育道德,为体育争光,为团体争光。”
close4RT Written by Baron de Coubertin, the athletes' oath was first taken at the 1920 Antwerp Games in Belgium.该运动员誓言的作者是德·顾拜旦男爵,1920年在比利时安特卫普奥运会上首次被宣读。close5RT The Olympic creed: A judge from the host country recites(背诵)the Olympic creed, which appears on the scoreboard during the Opening Ceremony: ”The most important thing in the Olympic games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle.The essential thing is not to have conquered, but to have fought well."
奥林匹克信条:
开幕式上,主办国的一个裁判诵读出现在记分牌上的奥运信条: “奥运重在参与,不在于夺冠,就像生活重在奋斗,而不在于成功;奥运的要旨不是已经征服,而是曾经奋斗拼搏。”
close6RT Although there have been many variations in the wording of this basic message throughout the history of the Games, the creed above, which was introduced at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, is still used today.尽管奥运历史上表达这一基本精神的措辞屡经变换,上述信条自1972年在慕尼黑奥运会上采用后就一直沿用到今。close7RT The Olympic Flame: Fire was sacred in Greek mythology(神话).The tradition of lighting an Olympic Flame comes from the ancient Greeks.During the ancient Olympic Games, a sacred flame was lit from the sun's rays at Olympia(奥林匹亚), and stayed lit until the Games were completed.奥林匹克圣火: 在希腊神话里,火是神圣的。点燃奥林匹克圣火的传统来自古希腊。古代奥林匹克运动会上,圣火采自奥林匹亚山上的阳光,它一直燃烧到运动会结束。close8RT In modern times, the Olympic Flame was first lit during the opening ceremony of the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.This legacy comes alive every four years when the ancient flame is lit again for a new Olympiad(奥林匹克运动会).现代奥林匹克之火是在1928年阿姆斯特丹奥林匹克运动会的开幕式上首次点燃。每隔四年当古老的火焰为新一届奥运会再次点燃时,这个古希腊的遗风得以复活。close9RT The Olympic anthem: The Olympic anthem began as a poem written in 1893 by one of the best known and loved Greek poets of the 20th century, Costas Palamas.Palamas's poem was set to music in 1896 by the Greek composer Spiros Samaras and introduced at the first revived(复兴的)Olympics in Athens that same year.奥林匹克会歌:
奥林匹克会歌原本是首诗,由20世纪最著名和最受人喜爱的一位希腊诗人科斯塔·帕拉马斯1893年所作。1896年希腊作曲家斯皮罗斯·萨马拉斯为帕拉马斯的这首诗歌谱曲,同年,这首歌曲首度唱响在雅典举行的第一个复兴后的奥林匹克运动会上。close10RT Throughout the years, many different versions were played and sung at the Olympics.Finally, in 1958, the International Olympic Committee adopted one version as the official anthem of the Olympic Games.The loose(不严谨的)translation of Palamas's poem that appears below is the English version that has been sung at every Olympic games since 1958: Immortal(不朽的)Spirit of antiquity(古老), Father of the true, beautiful, and good, Descend, appear, shed over us Thy(你的)light Upon this ground and under this sky.Which has first witnessed Thy imperishable(永存的)fame.Give life and animation(生气)to those noble games!
Throw wreaths(花环)of fadeless flowers to the victors(胜利者).In the race and in strife(争斗)!Create in our breasts, hearts of steel!Shine in a roseate(粉红的)hue(颜色)and form a vast temple To which all nations throng(蜂拥)to adore(崇拜)Thee(汝), O immortal Spirit of antiquity.多年来,许多不同版本的会歌在奥林匹克运动会上演奏和歌唱。1958年国际奥委会最终确定其中的一个版本作为奥林匹克运动会的正式会歌。下面引用的帕拉马斯诗歌不太确切的英文版译文便是自1958年起在每次的奥林匹克运动会上吟唱的英文版会歌。古代不朽之神 真善美之父
祈求你降临尘世彰显你的光辉 在这大地上苍穹间
它第一个见证你流芳百世的荣耀 请把活力与生气赐予这些崇高的竞技!把永不凋谢的花环颁赠给优胜者!塑造出钢铁般的意志!放射出玫瑰般的艳丽霞光 筑起一座巨大的神殿 世界各地的人们都来膜拜你,啊!永远不朽的古代之神。close11RT The Olympic Flag: The Olympic anthem is played as the Olympic flag is raised during the opening ceremony.Pierre de Coubertin is said to have found the original five-ring symbol engraved(雕刻)on an altar-stone unearthed(挖掘)at Delphi.The colorful Olympic rings are one of the most widely recognized symbols in the world today.奥林匹克会旗:
开幕式演奏奥林匹克会歌时,会旗冉冉升起。据说皮埃尔·德·顾拜旦在特尔斐掘出的一个祭坛石头上发现了雕刻其上的五环标志的真迹。如今,彩色奥运环是世界上最广泛认可的标志。close12RT The Olympic flag measures 2.06 m long, 60 cm high and is completely white with five circles in the center.The white background symbolizes peace and truth.The five rings represent the five continents of the world: ·Blue representing Europe ·Black representing Africa ·Red representing America ·Yellow representing Asia ·Green representing Oceania
奥运会会旗长2.06米,高60厘米,白底无边,中央有五个圆环。白色的背景象征和平和真理。五个环代表世界的五大洲: ●蓝色代表欧洲 ●黑色代表非洲 ●红色代表美洲 ●黄色代表亚洲
●绿色代表大洋洲close13RT The Olympic flag is a symbol of peace, goodwill, and global solidarity and tolerance.True to this meaning, she has lent her colors to many athletes who were unable to compete under their own flag.奥运会会旗象征和平、友好、全球团结和宽容。真正意义在于,它使那些无法在自己国度的旗帜下参赛的运动员有机会一展风采。close14RT The Olympic ideal is a living, dynamic institution(惯例)in our daily lives, not simply a homage(致敬)to the past.奥林匹克的理想使我们日常生活充满生气和活力,而不只是对过去的顶礼膜拜。
Unit 8 Competition and Cooperation
Donald J.Boudreaux and Hugh Macaulay This text is taken and adapted from The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty, Vol.46, No.3, 1996.
第四篇:新世纪大学英语综合教程4课文翻译Unit7
7A
1|返朴归真| 琳达·韦尔特纳 “我们讨论的是简化生活,而不是物质匮乏,”我的朋友萨拉
解释说,“绝对不是你不可以做你喜欢的那些事情,而是你在改变,不再喜欢同样的事情罢了。一些旧的习惯看上去是那样的浪费又不能令人满意,你真的对它们失去了兴 趣。所以你仍然拥有你需要的每一件东西——只不过不需要花那么多的钱罢了。”2当我第一次遇见他们时,萨拉和迈克尔夫妇双双从业,拥有自己的住宅和用一大笔贷款
购置的一条大船。随着女儿的出世而他们又想亲自抚养她,他们开始对“自愿简朴”的理念产生了兴趣。他们俩谁都不愿意把他们视为生活中最重要的部分仅仅局限于上班前的一小段时间和下班后已疲惫不堪的那几个小时。
3“许多人认为,因为有了孩子而且东西越来越贵,唯一的办法就是更加努力地工作以便挣
更多的钱。其实这并不是唯一的办法,”迈克尔坚持说。
4这对夫妻的决定是把两份全职工作业换成两份半日工 作,并且削减消费。他们决定只
把钱花在有助于实现他们的主要目标的东西上:构建一个把家庭和友谊、工作和娱乐融为一体的生活天地,而且还是一个不浪费地球资源的生活天地。
5现在他们还在原来的那个近郊社区,住在一幢自己设计的、漂亮而节能的房子里。按许
多标准来看,房子虽然小了点,却容易清扫、布置、维修和供暖。一层是个大房间,厨房靠墙,摆着一张桦木餐桌和吃饭用的几把椅子;一张舒适的长沙发和一个柴炉就把日常起居的范围圈定了;角落是工作区。楼上是他们的卧室、一个萨拉和迈克尔共用的办公室和一间浴室。整幢房子明亮简洁,同周围环境十分和谐。很快,前门外还要建一个太阳能温室。
6一对只有兼职工作的夫妻怎么会有钱建造自己的房子、拥有一辆汽车并同另一对夫妻共
享一艘小船,而且所有这一切都不曾贷款呢?他们如何能够维持足以提供他们想要的“一切”的那样一种高生活水平呢?他们放弃的而且不再怀念是哪些东西呢?
7首先,他们放弃了乱七八糟的昂贵东西:(浴室)药柜里满满的从来不用的化妆品和在柜台上随时可以买到的药 品;堆放在厨房壁柜里的最终只会丢弃的各种东西。萨拉和迈克尔共用的那个衣柜足可以装下他们必需的一些衣物,其中许多还是出自L·L·比恩公司的做工精细的经典款式呢。“我不断地把东西送给别人,”萨拉解释道。通过筛选和丢弃并凭借他们对所拥有的东西的了解,萨拉和迈克尔清楚地知道他们到底真正需要什么。
8他们没有洗碟机,他们家那几只手工陶制的碟子根本装不满一台洗碟机。他们没有衣服
烘干机;冬天把湿衣服晾在室内也就不需要增湿器了。萨拉的黑发很短,所以用不着吹风机、电动卷发夹或电动烫发钳。他们的前院长满了树,所以也不需要动力割草机或电动修枝剪。他们没有电视机,所以他们和孩子的脑子里都不会一直充满各种新玩具、新物品和新诱惑的图像。
9他们节省了通勤时代上下班必须支付的开支:另外的一辆车、汽油费、职业装、午餐和
经常外出吃晚餐的开销以及保姆费,换来的则是时间——用于关注生活质量的时间。他们已不再使用纸产品,不再吃加工过的食品,不再享受昂贵的嗜好、观看首映电影、上餐馆以及付钱接受别人的服务。取而代之的是他们所喜欢的自家烹饪、周中的家庭野餐、上图书馆借书、参加社区的艺术活动、逛廉价旧货商店以及自己动手做事。
10“那种渴望获得更多东西的感觉是我们这个文化的一个重要组成部分,而且还会永远继
续下去,”萨拉说。“但是,你赚1万5千美元还是5万美元并不重要。这世上总有许多你希望自己能买得起的东西。钱真的不是导致我们改变生活方式的原因。我们这样做是为了个人的满足。对于任何一个想简化自己生活的人来说,基本规则只有一个:如果一件事不能令人满意,那就索性不要去做。”
11萨拉和迈克尔借给我一本手册,名为《营造简朴生活方式的99种方法》,里面全是适
用于任何生活状况的实用可行的建议。我仔细地阅读了,在一些方面我给自己打了高分,而在另一些方面我为身上存在的社会所认可的不理智行为感到惊讶。
12那天晚上,我陪女儿去购物,碰巧看见一条和我们的厨房墙纸颜色匹配而价钱又不贵的擦手毛巾和一双漂亮得难以抵挡其诱惑的“特价”凉鞋。当我站在停车场时,感觉自己花了11美元离开商店之后并没有比进商店时更加开心,此时此刻我觉得自己就像个孩子,面对自己的一时冲动竟会不由自主。
13我们乘坐的这只购物旋转木马,其实是一个幻觉世界,但由于它不停地旋转并富有刺
激性,有时我们很难找到决心和勇气从木马上下来。
7B
1|我的俭朴生活| 在我五十出头的时候,我开始怀疑丈夫和我所过的生 活。我渴望一种
更简单的生活方式,不想要太多压力,而且厌倦了为过奢华生活而终日奔波忙碌的日子。2为了达成目标,最理智而且最有把握的方式就是永久地离开公司圈子,然后能够坦然地
处理其后果。确实,这是很多人都无法解决的一件棘手事儿。但是在丈夫的支持下,而我认为自己是个有能力处理好这件事情后果的人,于是我挥手告别了公司圈子,而且从来也没有为此而后悔。
3经过前两周的休息,恢复以及深思后,我开始把需要改变的东西一一列在纸上,包括仔
细管理丈夫继续带给我们生活的钱财以及在我们原来的基础上再寻找一些其他赚钱或增加收入的新门路。
4有些决定显然很容易做出,譬如取消长期固定的每周去一次美容院护发和修指甲的预约,或者过去由于没时间做饭而每周出去吃好几顿饭的惯例。但即使那样,我觉得这只不过是冰山的一角。
5第一个重大决定就是卖掉我们的房子,因为那房子对于我们两个来说确实太大而且太奢
华。有四个卧室和四个浴室的豪宅对于两个想过简单生活的人来说完全没有必要。三千多平方英尺的房子卖得相当快。我们搬进了一个较小而且去丈夫的工作单位也非常便利的家。然后我就开始精简我们的家当了。那或许是工作量最大的一项任务,而且需要几次旧物甩卖和寄售。
6我们搬家后,接下来就进入了让自己在一个小房子里过上称心快乐生活的调整期,这个
调整的确让我们花了一些时间来适应。我丈夫不在乎我们住什么样的房子。但我在开始时却遇到了一些困难,因为根据我们先前的生活方式,没有一件东西摆放到位。当我把房子的每寸空间都派上用场时,我发现还有很多东西没地方放。房子小了就意味着东西也得少,也就是意味着需要打扫和操心的东西也要少!为了避免杂乱,减少没用的东西,我制定了一条规则,那就是:我必须得在所有食橱和衣柜周围看到三面内壁。
7同时,我也开始着手处理由于以前没有制定过有效的节省计划而导致的经济方面的问题。
我开始意识到如果不好好盘算如何花钱的话,我可能会把很多的钱浪费掉。我发现,只有注意存小钱,才会积累出大钱。我尽量削减所有不必要的支出,因为我要确保自己我无需再重返劳务市场找工作。
8我觉得自己只需要两条牛仔裤,一条平常穿,一条好点的。只需要两三双鞋子,一件休
闲茄克和一件时髦的上衣 等。
9我还意识到,没有必要订阅杂志或者报纸,因为有电脑和电视,无需增加开销就足以满
足我的需求了。
10我发现,如果我把每天的零钱节省下来,而不是放在钱包里花掉,我就能防止一部分
钱从我的手里溜掉。每个月,我就能积攒一些零钱并且把它存在银行我们的储蓄账户里。
11我觉得我们不需要两部车,如果我把出去办事的时间计划好的话。裁掉一部车也减少
了分期付款、购买燃料、办理驾照、各种税费等方面的开支。
12我意识到我们只需要一张信用卡。我意识到日常开支比如买汽油时支付现金要比写支
票或者用信用卡支付节省的 多。
13我意识到如果我能控制住日常生活开支和信用卡上钱的流量的话,我就能更好地确保
我兜里有多少钱,从而减少每个月的开销。对我来说,说到理财,用信用卡会滋生疏忽大意,而我手里冷冰冰、硬邦邦的现金很可能还会留在我的手里。
14我意识到,我们没有必要每年花一千美金为朋友和家庭成员购置礼物和举办假日聚会。
如果全年都认真计划,并且留意购买廉价商品的话,只要用一小部分开支我们就能很好地满足那些需要了。
15现在,我们的生活方式很简单,很节俭,但是对于我们自己或者我们想做的事情来说
也不算是吝啬。我们在生活“所需”的期望从我们“想要”的东西中分离出来了,而且我们也知道这两者之间的差别。现在我们的生活中没有了过度的压力和焦虑,我们比以前生活得更幸福。我制定了一项财务计划,有了它我们可以生活得很舒适,我们知道,我们的将来有保障,因为我们有把握。我们期待着每个新的一天,那是上帝赐给我们的福气。
第五篇:新世纪大学英语综合教程第三册 textB 全文翻译
第一单元
二十年之后 欧·亨利
将近夜里十点,巡逻警察来到这条街上,样子威严,不时地看看街道两边的店铺,警惕的目光落在店铺的大门和橱窗上。身材魁梧的他,俨然一副和平卫士的模样。
在一个街区走到一半时,他突然放慢了步伐。只见一个光线黯淡的五金店门口,站着一个人,嘴里叼着没有点燃的雪茄。他走了过去,那人赶紧开腔:
“没事儿,警官,”他说道。“我只是在等个朋友。这可是二十年前的约定。听起来有点好笑吧?我跟你说,二十年前这里曾经是个饭店。”
“五年前才拆的。”警察说道。
门口那人划了根火柴,点燃了雪茄。火光中可见一张苍白的脸,方下巴,目光敏锐,右边眉毛附近有一道白色的细小伤疤。
“二十年前的今晚,”那人说,“我和我最好的朋友吉米· 韦尔斯就在这里吃的饭。他可是个再好不过的家伙了。我俩在纽约这儿一起长大,好得像兄弟俩,那年我十八,他二
十。第二天早上我就要动身去西部发财。唉,要想让吉米离开纽约可是比登天还难哪!在他眼里人世间就只有纽约这么一个地方。不过我俩那天晚上约定,二十年后的今日此刻,无论各自的境况如何,无论各自远在何方,都要在这里相
聚。我们当时认为,二十年后,不管各自做什么,有什么样的命运,发多大的财,一切都该成了定局。” “听起来还真有意思,”警察说道。“那你离开后就再没有你朋友吉米的消息了?”
“不,我们通过一阵子信,”那人答道,“可一两年后就断了音信。要知道,西部幅员辽阔,荒蛮原始,我又一直四处奔波,东跑西颠。不过,我确信,吉米只要活着,他会来见我的。他是这世界上最信得过的人。他绝对不会忘记。我千里迢迢来到这儿就是为了今晚站在这门口,只要我那老伙计露面,我也就不虚此行了。他是不会食言的。” 那守候的人掏出一只精致的怀表,表盖上缀满了小粒钻石。
“九点五十七分,”他说道,“我们是十点整在饭店门口的这个地方挥手告别的。” “在西部混得不错吧?”警察问道。
“那还用说!吉米干得有我一半好就不错了。” 警察转了转警棍,迈出了一两步。“我走了,但愿你的朋友会按时赴约。”
“我至少会等他半个小时,”那人说,“吉米要是还活着,他会在我走之前来的。再见,警官。” “晚安,先生,”警察说完,又继续巡逻,边走边检查店门。
这时,天下起了蒙蒙细雨,冷冰冰的,起风了。为了履行和少时好友的约定,那个不远千里来到这里的人还站在五金店的门口,抽着雪茄。
约二十分钟后,一个身着大衣、衣领立起的高个子男人从街对面匆匆走了过来,径直走向那守候者。“鲍勃,是你吗?”他狐疑地问道。“你是吉米·韦尔斯?”门口那人高声叫道。
“天哪!”新来者高兴地大叫了起来,一把握住了那人的双手。“是鲍勃,真的是鲍勃!我就知道,只要你还活着,我就会在这里找到你。哎呀呀,二十年啊,时间可真不短!老兄,西部待你怎样?”
“西部给了我想要的一切。你变了很多啊,吉米!没想到你长高了二三英寸呢。”
“哦,二十岁后我又长了点个子。”
“在纽约混得不错吧,吉米?”
“马马虎虎。在市政部门做事。走吧,鲍勃,咱们到我熟悉的一个地方去,好好地叙叙旧吧。” 两人手挽着手,沿街前行,西部来的这位开始讲他的发迹史,另一位饶有兴致地听着。拐角处有一家药店,灯光明亮。来到通明的光线里,两人同时转身盯住对方的脸。西部来的人突然停下来,抽出手臂。
“你不是吉米·韦尔斯!”他突然喊道,“二十年时间是很长,但也不至于把鹰钩鼻变成了塌鼻梁。”
“可是有时二十年会把一个好人变成恶棍,”高个子说
道。“十分钟前你就已经被捕了。芝加哥方面认为你可能到我们这里来了,他们要和你谈谈。还是老老实实地跟我们走吧,放聪明点!不过,我们去警所之前,你先看看这张字
条,是一个人托我交给你的。你就在橱窗边上看吧。”
西部来的人展开小字条。开始读的时候手握得很稳,可读完时,手微微地抖动了起来。字条很短: “鲍勃:我准时赴约了。当你划亮火柴点燃雪茄时,我发现你正是受到芝加哥警方通缉的人。可我自己无论如何动不了手,所以就走开,找了个便衣行使职责。吉米。”
第二单元
牵
手
丈夫保罗的手舒服有力:暖暖的,从来不会发凉潮湿,轻轻的一握总是令我感到安心踏实。在他生命最后的那些日子里,每次他摸到我的手,都会把我的一只手放在他的两手之间握着。
也就是在那段时间里,我坐在他的床边,竭力记住他双手的样子。他的手比我的手要长一倍,宽一半;手指上下一般粗,方方长长的,毛细血管一直延伸到指尖。方正的指甲使得指尖也呈正方形,指甲一圈白色的边清晰可见。他总是悉心地让双手洁净无暇。它们既不粗糙,也不柔软多肉。那是双持粉笔和红墨水钢笔的大学教授的手。
不知道他的学生是否觉得他的字难以辨认。我们分开的那年我渐渐熟悉了他的字体。我俩订婚后曾分隔两地,因为他要到距离宾夕法尼亚州(我们的家)800英里的布拉德利大学攻读硕士学位。
不知我是否记得告诉过他我觉得他那双大手很美。不知我是否告诉过他,结婚前他定期到我家做客吃饭时,他使用银制餐具和咖啡杯的斯文样子,令我母亲十分欣赏,银具和杯盏在他手里几乎都没了踪影。也不知我是否告诉过他,在看电影时,在教堂悲伤时,在那张最后四年病魔困得他脱不了身的病榻上,他紧紧的一握令我至真至切地感受到了他的爱。
他对孩子们的关爱之情也源于他的那双手。大女儿的第一个澡就是他给洗的,这让他倍感骄傲。7磅14盎司的女儿舒舒服服地躺在他那双大手里,长长的手指灵巧细致地给大女儿和后来的5个孩子洗浴。
在我们早期艰难的日子里,那双手给三个正在长大的儿子理发,给三个浴后的女儿擦干头发。
多少次要去宾夕法尼亚探望孩子的祖父母,在旅行大巴车顶上他那双手把一个个旅行箱往货架上放,他汗流浃背,但毫无怨言。在他早年曾就读过的大学里,他教授市场营销专业的学生,用这双手在空中比划出一个个营销模式。
在他病得最令人胆颤心惊的时候,那双手紧紧地攥着我的手。在他经受7个月的化疗及其副作用的痛苦折磨期间,他向我伸出双手。在他生命的最后几个星期里,他向我伸出双手。孩子们来探视他,看出他们75岁的父亲命不久矣而提前祷告哀悼时,他还是向我伸出双手。
在那最为黑暗的时刻,他攥着我的手,在我耳边小声说道:“不知道······会是怎样死去。不知道会不会疼痛。”我当时唯一能告诉他的就是我深信他此生将有个圆满的结局:他会被簇拥着抬起,在上帝的荣光中感到无比欢愉。
最后,他再也没有力气握住我的手了。清晨,我给保罗喂早餐,他再也不能下咽了。我在紧张焦虑中修剪、打磨他的指甲,把指甲白色的边缘弄干净。我把他的手放到他的胸前(他的手放在那儿一动不动已经好几天了),它们没有动静,没有认可,没有反应。一个小时的时间里,护士用听诊器做了检查,剩下我唯一能做的事就是合上他那双明亮的绿色眼睛,在我们卧室恬静的一隅里最后一次把我的手放在他的手上。
几个月后的一个周日,我打开保罗衣橱最上面的一个抽屉,取他折叠整齐的干净的手帕(我现在喜欢用那些手帕)时,我触摸到了一个开了封的指甲砂锉袋。
7个半月里,对丈夫逝去的悲伤如同冰凌雪块封存在心
中,不曾融化。可在二月的最后一个周日,目睹面前的指甲锉具,我无法克制自己了。我闭上眼睛,怎么也回忆不起保罗的双手握着我的手时的感觉,泪水夺眶而出。
那之后没过多少日子,斯蒂芬来看我,他是我们的最小的儿子,长得也最像他的父亲。临走的时候,斯蒂芬吻了吻我,和我道别;然后,把我的手一把攥在他那双又大又宽的手中。好一阵子,我说不出话来,仿佛他父亲那双长长的、雅致的手再次握住了我的手,令我依然感到安心平静。
第三单元
物质财富与幸福生活
物质财富未必会带给你幸福。这是一个无可争辩的生活现实,但有时这一事实却难以理解,尤其在这个竭力向你灌输相反观念的社会里。
通常,你会陷入这样一种思维模式:“要是我拥有了X,我的生活就会完美无缺,幸福无比了。”你非常想要的东西可能是一台新电视机、一辆新车或者是一双特别的鞋子等
等。尔后,你就购买了,几天都在因为得到了它而喜滋滋 的。可是,过了段时间,你感到厌烦了,或者东西给用旧
了。你会发觉这样一个模式在你自己的生活中不断地重复。比如在你小时候,你父母或祖父母可能花费了成千上万美元给你买玩具:自卸货车、芭比娃娃、电视游戏、电动汽车,等等等等。所有的那些玩具最终都会遭你厌倦、被你玩坏或因你长大而被搁置一边。它们带来了一阵子或者一星期的快乐,可时间一长,它们变得一文不值,你的兴趣转向了某个新玩意儿。这样一种模式自然让人们提出以下的问题:“假如物质的东西带来的幸福只是昙花一现,那么这一切又意味着什么
呢?”或许这就意味着,你得以一天一件的速度购置物品,才能维持住你因得到新东西而感受到的那种短暂的快感。循着这个思路,你可以接着考虑下面的这些问题: ●什么是幸福? ●感到幸福意味着什么? ●我这一生想做些什么?
物质上的幸福和精神上的幸福是不同的。物质上的幸福基于生活所需一切必需品和奢侈品;精神上的幸福则基于生活必需品和奢侈品之外一切东西。我的一个朋友持有这样一个哲学观: 你无论赚多少钱,你都想要更多的钱。假如你一年挣
25,000美元,你会认为要是挣到50,000美元,你就会感到幸福了。于是,你就开始挣50,000美元。等挣够了那个数目,你又会想,假如挣到100,000美元你就会感到幸福了,就这样周而复始,终其一生。无论你一年挣25,000美元还是
10,000,000美元,情况都是一样。因为你赚得越多,你的品味就越昂贵。依我看,不妨学会一年挣得25,000美元就感到满足,想出一个轻轻松松把它们赚到手的办法,然后用余下的时间去做你想做的事情。根据这个哲学观,要想令你的生活富有意义,你可以寻找除物质幸福以外的东西。
衡量“财富”这东西,办法不止一种。传统上它是用金钱来衡量,但是还有很多其他的度量标准。在与金钱没有丝毫关系的方面,你照样可以“腰缠万贯”。例如:
●富有众多的朋友。一个与人为友、乐观待人的人可以拥有数以百计的好友,可以超乎其他人想象得富裕。
●富有健康的体魄。一个愿意花时间合理进食、锻炼身体、消除压力的人可以身强体健。健康的体魄比起任何数目的金钱都要有价值得多。
●富有充沛的精力。一个每天举哑铃、跑步、游泳的人能够精力充沛,身材迷人。
●富有和睦的家庭。一个愿意把时间给配偶和孩子的人可以拥有一个稳定幸福的家庭,令他获益终身。●富有知识。一个爱好阅读和钻研的人可以学富五车。
●富有技能。一个每天勤学苦练(某种技能、运动项目等 等)的人会在所操练的领域出类拔萃。出类拔萃,自有回 报。●富有人格魅力。一个在一切场合殚精竭虑地做到真实、坦诚的人会富有人格的魅力,受到众人的信任。有趣的是,上述源自不同领域的这些财富都用不着上
税。可你挣了钱是要缴纳所得税的,就是这么回事。没有什么(比如说)知识税。你可以分文不花地终身学习,获得丰厚才识的储备。没有人可以将其盗走、令其减少。知识很有可能就是那件你能够带入天堂的东西。
虽然所有这些可选择的财富都有别于金钱,但都能够以各自独特的方式令人受惠。撇开电视给你提供信息不说,单就购买东西这一行为本身是不会给你带来人生最大的幸福。好朋友,爱你的配偶,健康成长的孩子,充满爱的家,无愧的良心,值得奋斗的目标,你真心喜爱的工作,所有这些给你带来的满足感天长地久,意味深长。头脑简单的青少年通常是不能领悟到的,但这些东西随着年轻人逐渐成熟会变得愈加重要。
当你环顾周围的世界,明白什么对你才是至关重要的时候,你要将其铭记在心。考虑清楚你究竟心仪什么,什么才会给你真正幸福。审视一下你的发现。一番清楚的思考之
后,你会吃惊于自己的发现:金钱固然极其重要,因你需要它活命;但金钱不是你唯一需要的东西。对于多数人来说,金钱本身不会带来恒久的幸福。人不是只靠面包生活的。
第四单元 低语艾滋
差不多三个多月前,在盐湖城召开的政党纲领听证会
上,我曾向共和党提出了请求,请求打破长期对艾滋病病毒和艾滋病问题保持的沉默。今晚,我来到这儿,要给这样的沉默作个了断。
我带来的是挑战的信息,而不是自鸣得意的信息。我需要的是大家的关注,而不需要大家的掌声。我从来也没有主动要求做一个艾滋病病毒的携带者。但是我相信,凡事都有好的一面。于是,我就站在众人的面前,站在国人的面前,心甘情愿。艾滋病存在的现实残酷地摆在世人的面前。有20万美国人有的已经命丧黄泉,有的命悬一线;还有100万人已经染上了艾滋病。在世界范围内,在未来的几年里,将会出现4千万、6千万、乃至1万万个艾滋病感染的病例。
在这个选举年里,无论您此刻是在这宽敞的会议厅,还是在安静的家里,我都要请您明白:艾滋病病毒不是政治产物。它并不介意您是民主党人还是共和党人;它并不过问您是黑人还是白人,是男人还是女人,是同性恋还是异性恋,是青年人还是老年人。
今晚,我代表的是一个罹患艾滋病的社群。这个社群的成员来自美国社会的各个阶层,但都不是志愿加入的。尽管我是个白人,是个母亲,但我和一个正在费城医院和试管搏斗的黑皮肤的婴儿命运相连。尽管我是个女性,结婚时染上了艾滋病,同时也享受着家人温馨的支持,但我和一个孤独的同性恋男人命运相连;他正在家人厌弃的寒风下呵护着摇曳的生命烛火。艾滋病的威胁并非遥不可及,相反,它的危险近在咫
尺。妇孺的染疾率正以最快的速度上升。艾滋病十年前还鲜为人知,可如今已是夺取美国年轻人生命的第三大元凶——不过,它屈居第三的位置也将不会为时多久。因为有别于其他疾病的是,艾滋病四处游荡。青少年不会因为自认为相爱而相互传染癌症或者心脏病。可艾滋病病毒却是另外一回事儿。无知、偏见和缄默使得我们助纣为虐,相互残杀。
我们或许会固守成见,但成见不能长久保护我们。因为艾滋病病毒发起进攻时只会问:你们是人吗?问得好!你们是人吗?因为艾滋病病毒的携带者并非变成了某种怪异的生物体,他们是人。他们并没有犯下遭此残酷待遇的罪行,不应该受到刻薄的对待。他们在被孤立、被遗弃当中没有获
益。他们每个人都是一名个体,他们不是祸害,不应该受到审判;他们不是受害者,不渴望大家的怜悯。他们是需要支持、值得同情的人。
我向国人发出的是“觉悟起来”的诉求。如果你们相信自己是安全的,那你们已身处危境了。当初不是因为我不是血友病患而没有危险,不是因我不是同性恋而没有危险,不是因我不吸毒而没有危险。
今晚,艾滋病病毒在一百多万美国家庭里正稳步地向艾滋病迈进,沿途丢弃的尽是年轻的尸骨——年轻的男人、年轻的女人,年轻的父母和年幼的孩童。在这些众多的家庭中就有我的家庭。如果艾滋病病毒果真不可避免地令我患上艾滋病,那么我的孩子将不可避免地成为孤儿。
我的家人一直给予我磐石般的支持。我84岁的父亲一直致力于上帝“医治万民”的事业,他不愿意接受自己无力医治女儿创伤的假定。我母亲拒绝放弃希望,午夜时分,她仍打来电话讲些令我捧腹的精彩笑话。姐妹、朋友、我的兄弟菲利普(今天是他的生日),他们都帮助我穿越了最艰难的地带。拥有这样一个家庭,我是幸福的,深深的、无比的幸
福。
但是,你们大家并非都如我这般幸福。你们是艾滋病病毒的携带者,但却没有勇气说出来;你们失去了心爱的人,但却没有勇气轻声说出“艾滋病”这个词。你们悄悄啜泣,独自悲伤。
我要告诉你们的是:应该感到羞愧的不是你们,而是我们大家!是我们容忍无知、抱有偏见!是我们教会你们害 怕!我们必须打破沉默,让你们在争取同情时感到心安理
得。我们有义务给孩子们寻求安全,但不是通过默默的排斥而应是积极的行动。
对那些哀伤着恐惧着罹患了艾滋病的数以百万计的人们,我想说:鼓起勇气,才能获得支援!对数以百万计的健康人,我恳求你们放下偏见和政见,施以怜悯,制定明智的政策。
我要向所有的人高声疾呼:和我一起汲取历史教训吧,和我一起学习宽容吧。这样,我的孩子在我离去时才会有胆量说出“艾滋病”这个字眼儿,孩子的孩子以及你们的孩子也许就再也不必窃窃私语说出“艾滋病”这个字眼儿了。
第五单元
二十一世纪教育的四个支柱
面对未来的种种挑战,教育看来是使人类朝着和平、自由和社会正义迈进的一笔不可或缺的财富。
在二十一世纪,教育的作用必须立足于人类对更美好世界的向往。为此,我们必须正视二十一世纪面临的一些问 题,并予以解决。这些问题是:
●全球与局域之间的紧张关系:各国人民在不失其根本的同时,需逐渐成为世界公民。●传统和现代之间的紧张关系,这和“如何适应变革又不漠视过去”属于同一个问题。
●长远考虑和短期考虑之间的紧张关系。舆论总是迫切需要迅速得到问题的答案和现成的解决办法,而许多问题却需要从长计议,耐心协调,策略变通方能解决。教育政策正属于这种情况。
●人类一方面需要竞争,另一方面也关注机会的均等,这两者之间也存在着紧张关系。这促使我们把三个因素协调起
来:具有激励作用的竞争力、产生活力的合作精神以及具有凝聚力的团结精神。
●精神和物质之间的紧张关系。在不违背每个人的传统和信仰的基础上,激励他们升华自己的思想和精神境界,这是教育的崇高使命。
站在这个立场上,我们建议,人类需要更加重视作为教育基础的四个支柱之一:学会共同生活。教育的使命之一是让学生认识人类的多样性,同时还要让他们意识到所有人之间的相似性和相互依存性。从幼儿开始,学校就应该抓住各种机会进行这一双重教育。有些学科适合进行这种教育,例如,在基础教育阶段开设人文地理,晚些时候开设外语和外国文学。为了学会共同生活,我们可以多了解他人、了解他人的历史、传统和精神价值,在此基础上创造一种新的精
神,这种精神会激励人们参与共同的项目或者用明智、和平的方式化解不可避免的冲突。
同时,我们也不应该忽视教育的另外三个支柱,它们可以说是学会共同生活的基本要素。第一是学会认知。随着科学进步所带来的迅速变革,人类必须重视以下两个方面的结合:一是相当广泛的普通教育;二是就少量精选的学科进行深入研究的可能性。
因此,学会认知就意味着学会如何学习。由于知识涉及到方方面面,试图想什么都知道,这愈来愈做不到。事实
上,在基础教育阶段之后,想成为多门学科的专家就成了不切实际的幻想。今天,一个真正受到良好教育的人需要接受广泛的通识教育,同时有机会深入地研究少量的学科。通识教育使学生有机会学习其他语言、熟悉其他学科,首先而且尤为重要的是,通识教育提供了与他人交流的手段。这种通识教育可以说是接受终身教育的通行证,因为它使人对终身学习产生了兴趣并为其奠定了基础。
另外一个支柱是学会做事。这和职业培训密不可分:我们如何使教育和未来相适应、使人们有能力做好未来所需要的工作?这里我们应该将以雇佣劳动为主的工业化经济同以个体经营或临时工为主的其他类型的经济区别开来。工业化经济的未来取决于它们能否把知识的进步转化为革新,从而开创新企业、创造新的就业机会。除了学习从事一种职业
外,学会做事也指获得一种能力,这种能力使一个人能够应付各种各样的情况,而且能够参与集体劳动。如果在校的中小学生和大学生都有机会参加一些以获取工作经验为目标的培训活动或社会福利工作,以此来实践和锻炼自己的能力,以上所说的能力和技能在许多情况下是比较容易获得的
最后但同样重要的是第四个支柱:学会生存。在二十一世纪,人人都需要发挥更强的自主能力和判断能力;每个人都要对共同目标的实现怀有更强烈的责任感。教育应当促进每个人的全面发展,即身心、智力、敏锐性、审美情趣以及精神的升华等方面的发展。每个人在青少年时代接受的教育应该使他们形成一种独立自主的、富有批判精神的思维方式和判断力。只有这样,他们才能够在人生不同的情况下自己确定最应该做的事情。蕴藏在每个人身上的像宝藏一样的才能都必须发挥出来,例如记忆力、推理能力、想象力、体
能、审美意识、与他人交流的能力以及领导者天生的领袖魅力。这再次证明一个人需要对自己有更深入的了解。
我们要在二十一世纪建立以获取、更新和利用知识为基础的教育社会。由于“信息社会”不断发展,人们接触数据和事实的机会大增,教育应该使每个人都能收集种种信息,并能筛选、整理、管理和使用这些信息。
面对这种对教育越来越多、越来越高的要求,怎样才能使教育政策实现既提高教育质量又体现教育公正这两个目标呢?这是我们应该解决的问题,其中涉及课程设置、教学方法和内容、以及提高教学效果应必备的条件。
教育的这四个支柱不能只涉及一个人一生中的某个阶段或单纯某个方面。我们有必要重新思考:人的一生什么时候应该获得教育?所受的教育应该覆盖哪些领域?教育的各个阶段和领域应该相互补充,相互关联,从而使每个人在一生中都能够充分利用自己拥有的独特的教育环境。第六单元 里奇拜见我妈
一番深思熟虑之后,我想出了一个妙计,设法让里奇与我母亲见面,赢得她的好感。实际上,我巧加安排,让我妈特意为里奇做一餐饭。这回我得到了素云阿姨的一臂之力,她是我母亲的老朋友了。
终于,一天母亲打来电话,邀请我参加为父亲推迟举行的生日晚宴。我的弟弟文森特要带上女朋友林莉萨,那么我也可以带一个朋友。
母亲这样做,不出我的意料。因为烹饪是母亲表达她的爱、她的骄傲、她的权威和证明她的学识胜过素云阿姨的一种方式。“饭后一定要告诉妈,她做的菜是你吃过的最好 的,比素云阿姨做的好吃多了。”我跟里奇说,“听我的没错儿。”
生日宴会的那天晚上,我坐在厨房里看妈妈做菜,等着找机会告诉她我们的结婚计划,告诉她我们决定明年7月份(也就是7个月后)结婚。她一边把茄子切成小块,一边叨叨着素云阿姨:“她看着食谱才会做菜,而我对做菜的窍门可是了如指掌。闻闻就知道该用什么独家配料!”她飞快地切着薄片,我生怕她的指尖也成了红烧肉末茄子的配料。我希望她能主动提到里奇。我注意到了她开门时的表
情。她挤出一丝笑容,把里奇从头到脚打量了个遍,心里一边在作比照,看从素云阿姨那听来的看法是否与自己所见相符。我努力设想她会做出什么样的批评。
里奇不仅不是华人,还比我小几岁。而且不幸的是,他一头红色的卷发,光滑苍白的皮肤,鼻子上布满了橙色的雀斑,让他比实际年纪更显年轻。他个头不高,长得结结实
实。身着深色西装,他看起来不错,但是不会令人难忘,就像是谁家葬礼上某人的侄子那么不起眼。所以头一年在公司里与他共事时我就没注意到他。可母亲却把什么都看在了眼里。“那么你觉得里奇怎样?”我终于问道,屏息而待。
她把茄子倒进热油里翻炒,锅里传出一阵愤怒的嘶嘶作响的声音。“脸上那么多斑点,”她说道。“是雀斑,要知道,有雀斑命好。”我说得有些过于激 动,试图把声音提高,盖过厨房里的噪音。“哦?”她好像真的不知情似说道。
“真的,斑点越多越好,谁都知道这回事儿。”
她思忖了一会儿,笑了。用中文说道:“好像是这么回事儿。你小时候长水痘,长了好多的痘痘,在家呆了10天,你当时那个庆幸!”
在厨房里我拯救不了里奇,在饭桌上我也救不了他。
他带了瓶法国葡萄酒,他不知道我父母不会欣赏那玩意儿,我父母连酒杯都没有。后来他还犯了个错,大家都“只是为了尝尝”喝下半英寸酒杯高的酒量,可他不止喝一杯,而是喝了满满两杯。
当我给里奇叉子时,他坚持使用滑不唧溜的象牙筷。夹起一大块红烧茄子时,筷子在他笨拙的手上并不拢。当把茄子夹到他的碟子和大张着的嘴之间时,茄子竟然掉落在他崭新的白色衬衣上。
后来,他又自顾自地大吃糖荚豌豆炒河虾,殊不知他得等大家吃过一点才能够礼貌地吃上一小勺。他谢绝吃新鲜青菜,那豆苗叶又嫩又昂贵,还没结豆子那叶子就给摘了下来。
他以为拒绝吃第二口就算是有礼貌了,实际上,他应该跟我爸爸学:架势大,但吃量少,就这样吃第二口、第三
口、甚至第四口,边吃边要一个劲儿地说还是忍不住再吃上一口之类的话,然后就哼哼着说自己肚子饱得要撑破了。可最为糟糕的是里奇数落了我母亲的做菜手艺,自己却浑然不觉。按照中国做菜人的习惯,我母亲老是说自己做的菜不好吃。那天晚上,她将矛头直指她那道著名的“梅菜扣肉”,她总是特别骄傲地端上这道菜。“哎!不够咸,没味道。”尝了一小口后,她抱怨道。“太难吃了。”
在我们家,这是暗示我们大家先吃一点,然后就宣称这是她烧的最美味的一道菜。可是我们还没来得及这样做,里奇就开腔了:“没错,就差点酱油。”而后,他就把那黑乎乎的咸东西在母亲震惊的目光注视下往那大盘子菜上浇。
即使我一直希望在吃饭的整个过程中,母亲会设法看出里奇的善良、幽默和青年男子特有的魅力,但此刻我知道在母亲眼中他已一败涂地。
里奇对晚上发生的事情明显有不同的看法。当晚我们回家时,想起他用力握我父母的手,就像他和紧张的新客户握手时表现出的潇洒随意,我浑身还在发抖。“琳达,蒂姆,”他当时说道,“我们不久会再来看望你们的,我保证。”我父母的名字分别叫琳朵(音译)和钟田(仿粤语音译)。除了家里来往的几个年长的朋友外,谁也不会直呼他们的名字。
“你告诉她了,她怎么说?”我知道他指的是我们结婚的事儿。
“没有机会,”我说的是实话。在和母亲独处的所有时间里,她好像都在议论里奇喜欢喝的葡萄酒是多么的昂贵,他的面色多么地苍白、气色多么地差,我哪里可以跟她说我要结婚。里奇嬉皮笑脸。“就说声,爸、妈,我要结婚了能花上多长的时间?” “你不明白,你不了解我母亲。”
第七单元
奥林匹克理想的象征
奥林匹克的格言、信条、誓言、圣火、会旗及其会歌——这些都是奥林匹克理想的象征。它们共同体现着奥林匹克运动的精髓,各自都为奥林匹克运动会的精神财富作出了贡献。奥林匹克格言:著名的奥林匹克格言“Citius, Altius,Fortius”是拉丁语,意思是“更快、更高、更勇”。但在英语中,这一格言广为认同的说法是“更快、更高、更强”。1894年6月23日,法国教育家米歇尔·布里厄在现代奥林匹克运动会复兴大会的闭幕宴会上首度使用该用语。就在那次大会
上,它被认可为国际奥林匹克运动委员会的正式格言。
奥林匹克誓言:每一届奥林匹克运动会开幕时,所有的运动员都要承诺将公平比赛,遵守各项奥运规则。在开幕式上一名来自主办国的运动员代表全体运动员宣誓。他手执奥运旗帜的一角,背诵如下的誓言:
“我代表全体参赛运动员宣誓,在本次奥林匹克运动会上,我们将尊重并遵守大会各项规则,恪守体育道德,为体育争光,为团体争光。”
该运动员誓言的作者是德·顾拜旦男爵,1920年在比利时安特卫普奥运会上首次被宣读。奥林匹克信条:开幕式上,主办国的一个裁判诵读出现在记分牌上的奥运信条:
“奥运重在参与,不在于夺冠,就像生活重在奋斗,而不在于成功;奥运的要旨不是已经征服,而是曾经奋斗拼搏。”
尽管奥运历史上表达这一基本精神的措辞屡经变换,上述信条自1972年在慕尼黑奥运会上采用后就一直沿用到今。奥林匹克圣火:在希腊神话里,火是神圣的。点燃奥林匹克圣火的传统来自古希腊。古代奥林匹克运动会上,圣火采自奥林匹亚山上的阳光,它一直燃烧到运动会结束。
现代奥林匹克之火是在1928年阿姆斯特丹奥林匹克运动会的开幕式上首次点燃。每隔四年当古老的火焰为新一届奥运会再次点燃时,这个古希腊的遗风得以复活。
奥林匹克会歌:|奥林匹克会歌原本是首诗,由20世纪最著名和最受人喜爱的一位希腊诗人科斯塔·帕拉马斯1893年所作。1896年希腊作曲家斯皮罗斯·萨马拉斯为帕拉马斯的这首诗歌谱曲,同年,这首歌曲首度唱响在雅典举行的第一个复兴后的奥林匹克运动会上。
多年来,许多不同版本的会歌在奥林匹克运动会上演奏和歌唱。1958年国际奥委会最终确定其中的一个版本作为奥林匹克运动会的正式会歌。下面引用的帕拉马斯诗歌不太确切的英文版译文便是自1958年起在每次的奥林匹克运动会上吟唱的英文版会歌。*
古代不朽之神
真善美之父
祈求你降临尘世彰显你的光辉
在这大地上苍穹间
它第一个见证你流芳百世的荣耀
请把活力与生气赐予这些崇高的竞技!
把永不凋谢的花环颁赠给优胜者!
塑造出钢铁般的意志!
放射出玫瑰般的艳丽霞光
筑起一座巨大的神殿
世界各地的人们都来膜拜你,啊!永远不朽的古代之神。* |奥林匹克会旗:|开幕式演奏奥林匹克会歌时,会旗冉冉升起。据说皮埃尔·德·顾拜旦在特尔斐掘出的一个祭坛石头上发现了雕刻其上的五环标志的真迹。如今,彩色奥运环是世界上最广泛认可的的标志。
奥运会会旗长2.06米,高60厘米,白底无边,中央有五个圆环。白色的背景象征和平和真理。五个环代表世界的五大洲:
●蓝色代表欧洲
●黑色代表非洲
●红色代表美洲
●黄色代表亚洲
●绿色代表大洋洲
奥运会会旗象征和平、友好、全球团结和宽容。真正意义在于,它使那些无法在自己国度的旗帜下参赛的运动员有机会一展风采。
奥林匹克的理想使我们日常生活充满生气和活力,而不只是对过去的顶礼膜拜。
第八单元 行为准则
为了建设一个健康和谐的社会,我们必须对所处环境当中的自我加以认识与了解。在这一认识和了解自己的过程
中,我们会意识到那些儿童时期就已经潜移默化了的行为准则。有了这种自我认识,我们就有可能强化那些行之有效的准则,纠正妨碍我们进步的规范,从而与同伴们建立和谐的人际关系。
行为准则对人际关系有着至关重要的影响,不应把它们只看作社会习俗而不认真对待。正如我们得说相同的语言才能彼此理解一样,我们需要行为准则,行为准则构成了互相尊重的基础,而良好关系的确立就来自这里。在尊重他人的过程中,我们会不知不觉地心怀仁爱。
并非人人都对行为准则——尤其是对礼貌——给予必要的重视。虽说没有规矩我们无法生活,但有时我们却很反感规矩。一方面,我们不愿束缚自己,可另一方面,我们不想因他人缺乏约束而让自己承担后果。结果,为了大家在一定程度上和平共处,即使是最叛逆的人也被迫遵从最起码的规范。
礼貌待人的确是建立行为准则的一个必备条件。有时即使我们本意是好的,还会经常在人际关系上出现问题,原因在于我们并没有认识到自己考虑不周或行为鲁莽。人际关系会因为甚至仅有的一次不当言行而受到无可挽回的伤害。礼貌可以帮助我们克服最困难的境况,是我们处理人际关系中不可替代的资产。不过,我们需要记住一点:倘若在每天的人际关系中任由自己的感情和本能冲动无所羁绊,只在某些情形下才举止得体,那只会削弱我们为学会生活而付出的努力。例如,在公共场合彬彬有礼,回到家里却撒野耍横、毫无耐心,诸如此类的行为就不能成为我们的行为准则。
优越感和傲慢有损于人际关系,因此谨防这两种心态是十分有益的。一个人尽管本意是好的,但是他会将帮助和劝说与发号施令混淆起来。只要别人听从他的意见,他便会为他们殚精竭虑;一旦别人不顺从他的意思,他便开始对人家大加指责,要恩断义绝。这种态度引起很多人际关系上的问题,会引起负面的情绪和怨恨,非但不能助人一臂之力,实际上反倒令人气馁。当我们处于这种思想状态时,我们会指出别人的错误和不足,却忘记鼓励和赏识人家。我们不要提出“别人能为我做什么?”的问题,但我们可提出“我能为别人做什么?我怎样才能将我的一生、劳动和经验奉献出
来?”等问题。也就是说,我们把指责他人的态度搁置一边,采取为他人服务的态度。其他人是我们生活的一部分。言及于此,礼貌待人和清晰的评判都不足以帮助他人。如果没有无私的爱心,没有积极的态度,一切善意的努力都是徒劳。如果我们的态度通过提供实际、有益、可行的建议激励他人,传递爱心,那么这种态度就是积极的。
积极的态度可以支持和培育他人,帮助他人建立信心,赋予他人面对困难的勇气。积极的态度也可以生成快乐、健康的人际关系。尤其在我们经受磨难和心情沮丧时,这种态度本身就是一种很大的帮助。
积极的态度不是流于表面的乐观主义。相反,积极的态度会在我们自身和周围人身上激发起付出一切必要努力和为崇高事业牺牲自我的愿望。
积极的态度不取决于成功和运气。因此,抱有这一态度的人无论是悲伤还是高兴,无论在奋斗中是否成功,其行为举止总是一致的。0人
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