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新编英语教程7课文翻译

新编英语教程7课文翻译
新编英语教程7课文翻译

Unit 1 英国人和美国人的空间概念

人们说英国人和美国人是被同一种语言分离开的两个伟大的民族。英美民族之间的差异使得英语本身受到很多指责,然而,这些差异也许不应该过分归咎于语言,而应该更多的归因于其他层面上的交流:从使很多美国人感到做作的英式语音语调到以自我为中心的处理时间、空间和物品的不同方法。如果说这世上有两种文化间的空间关系学的具体内容迥然不同,那就是在有教养(私立学校)的英国人和中产阶级的美国人之间了。造成这种巨大差异的一个基本原因是在美国人们借助空间大小来对人或事加以分类,而在英国决定你身分的却是社会等级制度。在美国,你的住址可以很好的暗示你的身分(这不仅适用于你的家庭住址,也适用于你的商业地址)。住在纽波特和棕榈滩的人要比布鲁克林和迈阿密的人高贵时髦得多。格林尼治和科德角与纽华克和迈阿密简直毫无类似之处。座落在麦迪逊大道和花园大道的公司要比那些座落在第七大道和第八大道的公司更有情调。街角办公室要比电梯旁或者长廊尽头的办公室更受尊敬。而英国人是在社会等级制度下出生和成长的。无论你在哪里看到他,他仍然是贵族,即便是在鱼贩摊位的柜台后面。除了阶级差异,英国人和我们美国人在如何分配空间上也存在差异。

在美国长大的中产阶级美国人觉得自己有权拥有自己的房间,或者至少房间的一部分。当我让我的美国研究对象画出自己理想的房间或办公室时,他们毫无例外的只画了自己的空间,而没有画其他人的地方。当我要求他们画出他们现有的房间或办公室时,他们只画出他们共享房间里自己的那部分,然后在中间画一条分隔线。无论是男性还是女性研究对象,都把厨房和主卧划归母亲或妻子的名下,而父亲的领地则是书房或休息室,如果有的话;要不然就是工场,地下室,或者有时仅仅是一张工作台或者是车库。美国女性如果想独处,可以走进卧室、关上门。关闭的门是“不要打扰”或“我很生气”的标志。如果一个美国人家里或办公室的房门是开着的,则说明他现在有空。在这样的暗示下,人们不会认为他想把自己关闭起来,而会认为他正处于一种随时响应他人的准备就绪的状态中。关闭的门是用于会议、私人会谈、生意往来、需要集中精力的工作、学习、休息、睡觉、穿衣服和性的。

相比之下,中产阶级和上流阶级的英国人从小是在和兄弟姐妹共享的儿童室里长大的。最大的孩子一般独占一个房间,直到他9岁10岁左右去上寄宿学校时再空出来。拥有自己的房间和很早就习惯于共享房间之间的差异似乎并无重大意义,但这却对英国人对待自己空间的态度有着重大的影响。一个英国人可能从来都不曾有过永久的属于自己的房间,他也很少会去企盼或者认为自己应该有权拥有这样的房间。即使是下议院的议员也没有自己的办公室,他们通常在俯瞰泰晤士河的阳台上处理事务。所以英国人会对美国人需要一个安稳的地方去工作(即办公室)这样的需求感到困惑不解。在英国工作的美国人如果没有得到他们认为适当的封闭的工作空间,也许会非常生气。就出于保护自我的目的而将墙壁作为屏蔽物的需求而言,美国人应该位列德国人和英国人之间。

英国人和美国人的行为特点之间的显着差别有着极其重要的意义,尤其是在我们假设人和其他动物一样,有时也有一种内在的封闭自己的需求的情况下。我的研讨班的一个学生生动的刻画了当这种看不见的行为特点之间产生冲突时可能发生的情状。很显然他在和美国人交往中承受了很大的压力。仿佛没有什么是正常的,而且从他的评论里可以清楚地了解到他认为我们美国人不知道如何举止得体。通过分析他的抱怨,我们发现他烦闷的一个根源是似乎没有哪个美国人能够辨别出这样的细微的暗示:即有时他不想让别人扰乱他的思绪。正如他自己所说的:“我在公寓里漫步,好像每次当我想独处的时候我的室友就会和我搭话。很快他就在问‘你怎么了?’而且想知道我是否生气了。这时我真的生气了,然后就会冲他说些什么。”

尽管需要花费一些时间,但最终我们还是能够分辨出在这个事例的冲突中,美国人和英国人各自所遇到的不同的麻烦,以及这些特征之间的明显差别。当美国人想独处时,他会进到自己的房间里并且关上门——他借助于建筑物来屏蔽他人。对美国人来说,拒绝同在场的人谈话,对其采取“冷处理”,是最极端的拒绝形式,同时也是非常不高兴的明显的表示。而另一方面,英国人由于从小就没有自己的房间,从来没有利用空间作为躲避他人的避难所的习惯。他们实际上在潜意识里设立了一系列的屏障,他们认为这些屏障其他人应该能够理解或辨别。因此,当英国人和美国人在一起时,他越不想和这个美国人说话,这个美国人就越可能找他说话,因为他想确保一切正常。这种冲突会一直持续下去,直到这两个人开始互相了解彼此。重要的是双方对空间和建筑的需求并不一样。

Unit 2 游客/旅游者/观光客

我曾对游客最深入细致的研究,是在托塞罗做的。在这里,你想要躲开游客是不可能的。托塞罗是威尼斯环礁湖中的一个小岛:在这里,三十多所农舍,环绕着一个威廉王(诺曼帝国)征服英国(1066年)时建的大教堂,隐现在葡萄架和野花丛中,一条运河和一条小路从环礁通向小村。葡萄园被一条条运河切割成豆腐块。红的黄的船帆在葡萄架间缓缓行驶。钟楼的钟每天要响三次(钟呀,钟呀,神明的谴责),与周围小岛的钟声大合唱交织在一起。那儿有个客栈。有一年夏天我在那住过。在那写书,观察游客。在过去,托塞罗象一朵天空的孤云。现在却成了威尼斯的一个出游胜地。游客多得很。他们从班船,从租的机动船,从豪华的游艇,一下子涌进小岛。小岛都要容纳不了了。一天到晚,都有游客在纤路上漫步。他们在找什么?哥特式教堂贴着古老的马赛克,装饰成一幅地狱的景色。大部分已经重修了。还有一幅表情忧伤而庄重的圣母玛利亚象。拜占庭艺术是高品位的,要有专门知识的人才能欣赏的。游客中大概十有八九没有这个欣赏能力。他们信步走进教堂,随便看看。他们走出教堂,到村子的绿茵上。在石椅上互相照相。这石椅据说是阿提拉的宝座。游客们无情地撕扯着野玫瑰。人们看着带花古朵的野玖瑰,盼着看它开放。这玫瑰花使小岛一天到晚沉浸在芳香中。可是它们一被摘取下来,这花就蔫了,所以就被扔进了运河。美国游客到饭店去吃喝。英国人说他们付不起账。所以他们自带食物,钻进葡萄园去吃。实在遗憾,等他们走时,就留下一片狼藉。每个星期四,德国人在一个领导的率领下,排队走在纤路上,好象是上战场的部队。在饭店,他们订下五十人的中餐,边吃边听领导用手提喇叭给他们上课。吃完饭,他们排队进教堂,在那儿又听一番讲解。至少,他们知道他们看了点什么。他们排队回去上船。他们利利落落,不随地丢果皮杂物。

然而,和游客比起来,岛民的行为更有意思。不管他们意识到没有,他们被迫整个夏天要生活在游客的眼皮底下。他们自然就要从这情形中得到一点经济利益。意大利人是天生的演员。在11点的头班威尼斯客轮开来到下午6点的末班船离开之间,全岛变成一个舞台。岛民都是演员,扮演一个角色色。隔壁布拉诺岛上的年轻人,穿上船夫装,摇起平底船,把从汽艇上下来的游客摆度到村子里。有一个还带了一个顽皮地令人生畏的小弟弟。他叫埃里克,总是死缠着每一个人,要他们买他的染成金色的死海马。“祝你好运!”他唱道。我特别喜欢他。满脸堆笑、笑容可掬的老太太们,坐在家门旁,卖明信片和小饰物,还当众做着威尼斯式样的枕套花边。实际上,花边是她们从布拉诺拿的货,是那里的姑娘们做的。老妇人卖不出去,还可以退货。老太太的一双手,饱经风霜,净是老茧,是做不了这种细活的。她们之所以这样做,据说是因为要是游客看见它们是怎么织出来的,他们就更愿意买。但可惜没有几个人光顾,欣赏那做工。小小孩蹒跚地递上四叶苜蓿,想讨地点小费。又是一片“祝你好运!”的叫声。教士们也按轮船的班点,安排他们的宗教活动。戏就是这样上演着。游客们是不可想象地小气。除了空烟盒和飞舞的每日邮报,他们不留任何东西。花边太贵了。他们不买情有可原。但他们本可以买几张明信片,买几根贝壳项链,给上小孩几个便士。但他们看起来都是铁公鸡,一毛不拨。

等到最后一班船一走,大舞台的帷幕就落下了。平底船夫脱掉亚麻夹克,摘下笨重的草帽,带上埃里克,回布拉诺。小埃里诺非常不满意他所挣到的钱。他说要是这样下去,他就要饿死了。慈祥的老太太也收起了她们的笑脸,把花边枕头放在一边,开始干起每天要干的溺死小猫之类的工作。卖苜蓿小孩的父亲,趴在地上,去找第二天要卖的四叶苜蓿。最后一次教堂钟声响过,月亮也出来了。飞舞的每日邮报刮进了湖中,托塞罗又恢复了原样。

Unite 3 地铁

在某种程度上,地铁无疑是纽约所有缺乏身分的因素的生动象征。几乎每一站都有疯狂和令人迷失方向的气息。地铁站的天花板很低,远景很长,没有什么标志性建筑,荧光灯管、电灯泡和霓虹广告的光线融合成光怪陆离的混合体。整个站台对人的感观是极大的伤害。列车停止和转弯时发出的噪音之尖锐刺耳实在让人无法描述。人们在感到拥挤时毫无顾忌地乱推乱搡。你的触觉会感受到前所未有的煎熬。当天气暖和时,气味会让人无法忍受。在站台之间,唱片行会播放45转/分的重金属唱片,供应午餐的柜台会提供热狗,如果你咬下去一口,你会先感受到有如橡皮般有弹性的外壳,然后会吃到柔软多油的棉籽饭般的中心部分。顾客们坐在那里,嘴边糊满了热狗皮和面包屑之类的东西,他们会不时打个饱嗝,而他们的腮

帮子也会随之不时鼓起。

地下的空间似乎能够吸引每一种怪异的激情。一个身材矮小、穿着古旧的人总会拿本圣经、带着一面美国国旗和一个扩音器出入于曼哈顿的地铁。他会翻开圣经,用沧桑而又单调的声音引述上面的经文。因为周围的噪音太大以至于他的正常嗓音不能被人很好的听见,他在每一站都使用扩音器,并且总是号召人们进行救赎。

还有乞丐。在这令人无比厌恶的地铁上,在乞丐之间,纽约的身份竞争得到了光大和发扬。这种竞争在第七大道的城际快车上达到了癫狂的程度。在一些夜晚,一些乞丐互相撕斗,相互咒骂并且互相警告对方滚回到自己的车厢去。一个拿着拐杖和杯子的普通盲人只能算是平庸的乞讨者。人们需要的是娱乐表演。有两个男孩,其中一个拿着一只小手鼓,上了车。大点的男孩在列车起步时开始击打手鼓,小点的男孩就开始跳通常认为是土着舞的舞蹈。然后,如果车厢内有空间的话,他会开始进行空翻表演。他从车厢的一头跑到另一头,先顺着车行驶的方向在空中来一个完整的空翻,双脚着地。然后他会逆着车行驶的方向奔跑,再来一个空翻。他会来回做上好几次这样的空翻,其间穿插一些土着舞表演。这样的表演一般需要较长的时间才能很好的完成,例如列车从第42街行驶到第72街期间。表演完毕后,两个男孩会拿着装饮料用的纸杯沿着车厢索要小费。

装饮料用的纸杯是传统的容器。在第七大道的线路上有一个年轻的黑人,他通常在第42街上车,然后开始唱“我希望我已经结婚了”这首歌。他很年轻,看起来身体非常健康。但他会上来唱这首“我希望我已经结婚了”,并且在唱到最高音的时候从他经久不变的防风外衣里掏出一个装饮料用的纸杯,然后沿着车厢来回走动,希望能得到一些小费。我从未见到他得到一分钱。然而最近由于他开始了解身份竞争,他的生活开始有了改观。现在他上车后只会在他解开防风大衣时唱“我希望我已经结婚了”这首歌,他不但会拿出他的纸杯,还会露出一块纸板,上面写着“我母亲患了硬化症,我的一只眼是瞎的”。他最出彩的地方是“硬化症”这个词,他故意拼错这个词,在中间加上很多多余的辅音字母,很好的营造出一种骇人的德国生理学课本般稳固的感觉。所以现在他干得好多了。他似乎可以以此谋生。他不再是懒惰者、消磨时间者或者是游荡者。他可以带着超然的态度看待他人的没落。

在东部的城际快车线路上,比如说第86街,列车停下后人们互相拥挤,成群地挤出车厢,而在灰绿色阴影中的一条长凳上,在那些大梁和1905年铺设的瓷砖下面,有一位懒散地斜靠着椅背的老人似乎在酣睡,他穿着一件棉风衣,衣服的袖子已经被扯掉了。他就穿了这么多东西。他的肤色死灰,间杂着苍白的斑点。他双腿以一种绅士般的方式交叉,他酒鬼特有的脸耷拉在长凳的后面。显然那些同时又身为臭名昭着的小偷的其他酒鬼曾经扒光了他的所有衣服,只剩下这件风衣,他们也曾试图把这件风衣扒走,(但最终没有成功),只能够将袖子拽掉,然后任由这位老人裸坐在长凳上人事不省,但他们还是给他保留了一个绅士般的姿态。经过的路人都会短暂地凝视一番,看看他灰白斑驳的躯体,但没有人停下脚步;没人知道到底要经过多久才会有警察过来屏住呼吸将他从阴暗中转移出来,并将他安置在法律的温暖怀抱中去。那样的话,他至少会穿上一件普通的绿色工作服,重新拥有在夜晚的地铁长凳上值得尊敬的一席位置。

Unit 4 文体与目的

使用语言的协调过程错综复杂,正如我们在前一章节看到的,部分原因是口头语和书面语中的种种限制。但是,正如我们所熟知的,这些限制并不能很好的被划分到“说”和“写”这两类范畴中去。英语的文体范围非常宽泛,其分层也可以无穷无尽。当我们在谴词造句时,我们必须确保它们和我们对其在这种层次上的特定部分的期待一致,而且它们应该符合搭配和语法的传统习俗――我们考虑的应分层上的同一点。

如此强调在使用英语时符合传统习俗似乎很荒谬,因为我们很可能会觉得那些使用英语时有创造性和非传统的人往往获得那些大奖。我们决不能确切地说那些大奖都是这样颁发的,但是无论我们的观点如何,大家似乎对以下事实没有什么异议:在我们还没有正确地掌握传统搭配之前,诸如“看,妈妈:没有手!”这样的表达方式对我们不会有丝毫的印象深刻的感觉。在我们试图像格特鲁德·斯坦(Gertrude Stein)那样写作之前,我们必须学会按照最严格的传统习俗学习和使用英语――而且就这一点我们可以从上一章引用的罗伯特·格雷夫斯(Robert Graves)先生的话语里得到支持。

如果没有规范,要辨别和实践创造性将变得极为困难。也许你曾经品尝过多种含有姜糖的冰淇淋,也许你曾经碰巧见到它们被冠以非常吸引人的名头:“冰冻热冰淇淋”。这是一个因偏离传统搭配而非常有效的例子。诺埃尔·科沃德(Noel Coward)的戏剧的名称“苦涩的甜蜜”是一个更着名的例子,而我们大部分人有时也曾被类似“The hand that rocked the cradle has kicked the bucket”(注:直译为“晃动摇篮的人蹬腿了”,即“母亲死了”)这样古老的俏皮话逗乐。在以上这些例子中,我们都偏离了传统的搭配方式――但是我们并没有忽视它们。正是由于我们了解“苦涩”和“甜蜜”相互排斥而且通常不在一起使用,这样的组合才会有效。“冰冻热冰淇淋”的有效性取决于这种组合和对“冰冻的”和“热的”的常规搭配(比如说“冰冷的”和“滚烫的”)之间的对立。

因此,我们的策略应该是首先学习常规搭配以及这些搭配所属的文体范畴:这里有必要再次强调和实际用法保持一致的重要性。我们会发现如果我们尊敬的人以“亲爱的琼斯先生”开始一封信的话,他们会用“您的真诚的”来结尾,而如果他们用“亲爱的先生”开始的话,他们在结尾会使用“您的忠诚的”这样的语句。有经验和有教养的人不会混淆这些公式――而且他们会看低那些确实混淆这些惯用套路的人。当然,不光是开头和结尾不能混淆:语法结构的类型以及词句的选择――整个文体――在这两类信件中都趋向于(而且始终如一的)截然不同。

的确有一些有远见的公司已经摒弃了那种曾经使得商业信函越来越糟糕的更傻气的、更僵化的俗套(类似“Further to yours of the 23rd ult.”这样的表达方式):但是一种明显的形式感还是保留了下来。现在寄往或来自公司或政府部门的信函会使用(在“亲爱的先生”后)类似于“鉴于您6月23日的来信……”之类的语句。它不会以诸如“谢谢您最近的来信”这样非正式的不准确的语句开头,这样的开头更适用于以“亲爱的琼斯”开头的书信。更不用说其他适合别的类型的书信的表达方式了,从极端僵硬正式型(尤其是和一些机构往来的书信,这里书信人的个性特征并不重要)到非常熟悉亲密型(这里书信人的个性特征无比重要):“亲爱的弗兰克,收到你那天的便函真是太棒了。”在每个例子里,有经验的书信人都采用了适合自己信件所要求严肃程度的文体并且自始至终保持这种文体。他不会在一封以“亲爱的先生”开头的信里说“替我问候你的妻子”,也不会在一封以“亲爱的琼斯先生”开头的信里以“先写这么多/就此搁笔”作为结尾。

这里我们有必要回顾一下前面章节里提到过的关于期待搭配的问题。在使用于需要相对精确和相对不太罗嗦的场合时,通常情况下经常反复使用的期待搭配(如“冰冷”)最有可能给与我们陈词滥调的印象。正如在使用语言时经常发生的情况一样,一个没有语境的具体表达方式到底算不算陈词滥调通常不是问题所在。例如我们在剧院的幕间休息时散步,我们的同伴说“我仰慕品特(Pinter)在这出戏里表现出的非凡的洞察力”,我们不会有任何构成我们通常对陈词滥调的自然反应的那种厌恶感。实际上,我们可以想象出很多非正式的场合,在那里“非凡的洞察力”不但不是陈词滥调,还很可能听起来很高调和专业:凡事都取决于我们在文体范畴的特定部分到底期待什么。但如果“非凡的洞察力”适用于非正式场合的口头评论,这并不意味着这些词句同样适用于正式的评论文。

大多数时候我们常常随意选取那些最经常听到的评论搭配,然后不加选择的加以使用,而没有意识到在一个需要精确的场合这样的词句有多么空洞。在最近我的本科班学生的作文里,以下这些是在严肃的文学评论里必须被称为陈词滥调的一些最常见的搭配:

崇高的想象力;无法效仿的叙事技巧;有机整体;精湛的技艺;完美的艺术;威严的高度;悲剧的高度;内在氛围;本质氛围;内在吸引力;本质吸引力;本质特征。

这里还忽略了那些从陈腐的到诸如“基本基础”的累赘的搭配。我们必须发展我们的批判意识来辨别出这样的表达方式,它们也许会唬住没有经验的人,但实际上却非常机械,在我们写作时既不反映任何精确的判断,也没有向读者传递任何准确的信息。事实上读者可能会得出这样的结论:作者没有能力给出判断,想通过一些赘述糊弄过去:这样的结论在很多情况下是完全正确的。在写作时运用陈词滥调通常伴随有含糊不清的表述,这会加深读者的这种印象,即作者没有进行认真的思考:“他的诗充满了特别的意思”;“他的诗拥有自己独特的风格”,“他画出了英国工业生活的身体和灵魂”,“他的修饰性的想象力总是追随一条结构化的主线”。这些到底反映了懒惰还是有意糊弄?

Unit Five The Santa Ana Joan Didion圣安娜飓风

洛杉矶今天下午的空气中存有某种不安,某种不自然的平静,某种紧张的气息。言下之意,今晚将刮起圣安娜飓风。这股热风将从东北呼啸而下,穿过克侯恩关口和圣哥根尼奥关口,沿着66号高速公路吹起一场沙尘暴,将沿途的山林干化到燃点。不消几天我们将能看到峡谷里的浓烟,听到夜里的警报。虽然我没有听说或者读到圣安娜飓风要来了,可是我知道它会来,而且我今天见到的所有人几乎都知道。我们之所以知道是因为人人都有切身感受。婴儿会烦躁。女佣会愠郁。而我则重燃了一场和电话公司之间本要熄灭的口舌之战,然后收拾败局躺了下来,彻底臣服于空气之中的某种莫名其妙的气氛。和圣安娜飓风一起生活就得接受它,不管是有意还是无意地看,这都是种顽固的人类行为机械论。

我想起当我初次搬到洛杉矶,住在一个孤单的海滩旁时,有人告诉我,说过去本地的印第安土着会在这种恶风刮起的时候投身大海。我可以想见原因。在圣安娜飓风期,太平洋会泛起不祥的光泽,而且在夜晚人们不但会因为橄榄树上孔雀的尖叫声,而且会因为那没有风浪的怪诞海面感到烦躁不能入眠。热度出乎人们的常识。天空泛着一层黄光,这种光有时叫做―地震天气‖。我那唯一的邻居好多天都不肯出门,夜晚也没有灯,她丈夫带着把弯刀在附近走动。一天他跟我说他听到非法入境者的声音,第二天说是条响尾蛇。

在那样的夜晚,雷蒙德·查恩德乐曾经写过圣安娜飓风的情况,―每一个聚众酗酒的集会最后都演变成了一场斗殴,原本温和的小妻子会摸着餐刀的刀刃研究研究丈夫的脖子。什么事都可能发生。那就是这种风带来的影响。我当时还不明白飓风对我们大家带来的影响有什么依据,可是最终它证明来自民间的智慧中存在着科学道理。圣安娜飓风是以它经过的一个峡谷的名字命名的,它是一种焚风,就象奥地利和瑞士的焚风一样,或者象以色列的哈姆辛风(译者注:春季从沙哈拉大沙漠吹向埃及的干热风)。世上有多种强有力的恶劣大风,可能最着名的是法国的米斯特拉尔寒风以及地中海的西洛可热风。但是焚风有其显着特点:它出现于山脉的下风坡,虽然一开始空气团是寒冷的,但是它在下坡的途中升温,从而最终形成热干风。不管焚风起于何时何处,医生们都会接诊到头痛、恶心、过敏等症的病例,如―神经过敏症、―抑郁症等。在洛杉矶一些教师不会试图在圣安娜飓风期间进行正式的课程,因为此时孩子们变得无法管教。在瑞士自杀率会在焚风期间上升,瑞士某些州的法庭认为此风是给罪犯减刑的一个考虑因素。据说外科医生十分注意焚风,因为焚风期间血液不会正常凝固。数年前一名以色列物理学家发现不仅仅是在焚风期间,而且在此前的十或十二小时内,空气中所带的正负离子的比率之高远胜平时。似乎没人知道为什么会这样,有人说是因为摩擦所致,有人认为是太阳干扰。不论是哪种情况,都有正离子在那里,而过量的正离子所产生的结果,用最最简单的话讲,就是令人不愉快。再怎么认为这是机械论的观点都不过分。

东部人普遍抱怨说,在加州南部根本没有―天气‖,说日子和季节无情地溜走,温和得使人麻木。这是一大误解。事实上加州的气候的特征是具有少见的恶劣天气:两个亚热带强降雨期延续数周之久,洪水冲垮许多小山,将各个支流送入大海;在出现圣安娜飓风的年份,大约有不连续的二十天由于飓风引起的干燥天气而无法幸免火灾。在对圣安娜飓风的第一次预报时,林业局便会从加州北部空运人力和物力到南部的森林中,而且洛杉矶消防部也取消常规的非消防任务。圣安娜飓风曾在1956年造成马利布失火,1961年造成贝尔空失火,1964年造成圣巴巴拉失火。1966-1967年冬,十一名消防队员在和圣安娜大火的战斗中丧身,此火烧遍了圣加百利山。

只用看看洛杉矶在圣安娜飓风期间的头版新闻就能了解到这个地方的概况。近年来最长的一次圣安娜飓风期发生在1957年,通常它只持续三四天,而那年却持续了十四天,从十一月二十一日持续到十二月四日。第一天圣加百利山上的25,000英亩地着火,风速达每小时一百英里。圣安娜飓风席卷城镇时,风力达十二级,也就是蒲福风力等级中的台风级。油田井架被刮倒,市民们接到命令不准上街以免被飞行的物体打伤。十一月二十二日,圣加百利山上的火势一发不可收拾。二十四日有六人在车祸中丧生。到了那个周末,洛杉矶时报报道的车祸死亡人数达到了二十人。十一月二十六日,加州帕萨迪纳市的一位着名律师由于经济因素而意志消沉,枪杀了他的妻子和两个儿子并饮弹自尽。十一月二十七日,加州南门市的一名离异者,二十二岁,被谋杀后从一辆行驶的小汽车内抛尸。十一月三十日,圣加百利的火势仍然失控,市内的风速达每小时八十英里。十二月的第一天,四个人死于非命。到第三天大风才渐弱。

对于没有在洛杉矶生活过的人们来说,他们是很难想象圣安娜飓风在当地人心目中的形象的。燃烧中的城市就是洛杉矶自身最深刻的形象。那桑尼尔·韦斯特认为,在电影《蝗虫之日》中,以及在1965年华特暴动期间,洛杉矶最难以磨灭的形象就是大火。在哈博高速公路上行驶几天的路程都能看到这座城市陷入一片火海,这种结局正是我们能预料到的。洛杉矶的天气具有大灾难、大天灾的特性,而且,就如同新英格兰地区的漫长的严冬天气决定了当地人的生活方式那样,圣安娜飓风的狂暴剧烈和不可捉摸同样也影响着洛杉矶生活的整体品质,突显了它的无常、它的反复。大风向我们揭示:我们离危险的边缘并不太远。

Unit Six How to Get Things Done Robert Benchley如何把事情办好

许许多多人都来问过我,问我是怎么做到完成这么多事情还能一直保持着看起来很沉迷于酒色似的。(译者注:直译,我猜他大概是说看起来一直在浪费时间)整个国家成百上千的人都奇怪我怎么会有时间去完成我的绘画、工程、写作和慈善工作,当我——根据影印业部分(译者注:大概代指新闻媒体)和社会记录——把时间统统花在骑马打猎,打扮成路易十四参加衣着华丽的舞会,或是和三千名洛杉矶学生一起、一个字一个字读出《向加利福尼亚问好》上面。―又工作又玩。‖他们说。

我在完成工作这方面难以置信的精力和高效的秘密很简单。我把它小心地置于一个着名的心理学原理之上并且精炼它以至于它现在几乎过于精练了。我很快将不得不开始重新让它变得粗俗易懂。

那个心理学原理是这个:任何人可以完成任何量的工作,只要那工作不是他当时被希望去做的。让我们看看这在实际中是怎么体现的。比如说我有五件事要在这周结束前完成:(1)一筐子等待回复的信件,其中有些是1928年10月的(译者注:作者时间1949年)(2)几个等待被安装好并被排好书的书架(3)要剪个头(4)一堆科学杂志要看完并剪裁截取(我在收集整理我能找到的所有关于热带鱼的参考文献,想着哪天给我自己买一条)以及(5)给这报纸写一篇稿子。

现在。有这么五项工作在周一早晨直盯着我,那么我会吃完早饭直接就上床,为了接下来的几乎是超人的精力付出储存健康和力气就不怎么奇怪了。―健全的精神寄寓于健全的肉体‖是我的座右铭,并且,不是说笑,我要假装我不知道这拉丁语意思。我觉得当我的身体不得不为我这种贪得无厌的头脑服务的时候我至少要正确的对待它。

当我在周一的早上躺在我的床上储存力量的时候,我排出了一个日程表。―我首先要做什么?‖我问我自己。好吧,那些信真的需要回复了并且那堆科学杂志也得剪。现在我的秘密程序进来了。我把它们放在需要完成的事物清单里的最后而不是最前面。我自己骗自己说:―首先你必须要为那个报纸码字。‖我甚至把这个大声的说了出来(小心没有人听见我,要不然他们会让我一直躺在床上)并且糊弄我自己,使我真的相信我那天必须要写完那篇文章而其他事可以等着。我有时候自我欺骗的太厉害以至于用铅笔列了个单子在上边写―第一,新闻稿件‖,下边画了红色的下划线。(画红色下划线太难了,因为在床边的桌子上永远也没有一只红色铅笔,除非我周日晚上上床时带了一支。)

当计划表列好之后,我跳下床,开始享用我的午餐。我发现一顿可口丰盛的午餐——最好再来点糯米类的点心——将会是一日工作的最好开始。因为午餐和甜点可以使人有效避免紧张或兴奋过度。我们学者最需要保持冷静,否则我们就会把时间浪费在焦虑和不安中。

酒足饭饱之后,我坐到书桌前,对着我的英文打字机,开始削铅笔(这些削尖的铅笔是用来在吸墨纸上戳孔的,而且我发现一支铅笔最多也只能戳破六个洞)。然后我对自己说道(有可能的话大声说出来):“开始动笔吧,伙计!”

很快,我的计划表就开始奏效了。我的余光先是瞥见了那一叠报刊,这是我事前特地放在那里的。我用打字机在纸张的抬头上敲出我的名字和地址,便向后一仰,靠在椅背上。那叠杂志触手可及(这也是计划中的一部分)。我抬头扫了一眼以确定没有人在注意我,然后便悄悄从那叠杂志中摸了一本。天呐!看看这是什么!第一篇文章就让我霍地站了起来,这是威廉·毕比博士写的一篇文章,还配上了令人毛骨悚然的插图!很快,我就彻底忙碌于剪报工作了。

关于argyopelius——一种被称为“银斧头”的深海鱼——可有件有趣的事情,那就是它们的眼睛竟然长在腰上!光知道鱼还有腰就足够我震惊的了,更别说还发现腰上长着眼睛!我简直都无法下手剪那张图片。你看看,仅仅是随便翻翻插图版的周末画报都能让一个人获益匪浅!不过说起来这终究是一件苦差事,

任何一个意志薄弱的人都有可能半途而废,只是当你手头上还有更重要的事要完成的时候,它就绝不会是件难事(看到了吧,我始终在进行自我催眠,让我自己相信写报社约稿才是正事)。

所以,我花了半个下午就把所有的科学杂志都通读了一遍,还做好了一份干净整齐的剪报(包括一种“毒蛇鱼”,我真希望你能看见,你肯定会笑翻的),然后我又开始痛苦地琢磨起那篇报社约稿来了。

这一次,我进展到了写标题的阶段。当我心满意足地写好标题之后,才发现我竟然拼错了个单词。于是我只好把整张纸取出来,再换一张新的进去。就在此时,我瞥见了信篓里的那堆信。

如果说有什么事情是我最憎恶的话(你可以很确定,当然有),那就是回信。不过,当我还有一篇约稿要完成的时候,我突然有种很想写信的情绪,于是我偷偷用手指从信篓里拈了一封未回的信来。我想如果我先写几封信练练手的话,也许我写约稿时会更有灵感。这一封信,无论如何是该回了。这封信是一个在安特卫普的朋友写给我的,那是1929年的夏天,当时我还在欧洲,他写信希望我能顺道过去看望他。他当然不会就这么巴望着邮轮等待我的回音,但出于礼节,我仍然得给他回封信。所以,我没有往打字机里送入新纸,而是从我的个人文具中抽出几张体面的信笺,飞快地给我的朋友写了一封回邮。趁着兴致,我把信篓里的信件一一回复了。对于那尚未动工的约稿,我心里着实感到有些愧疚,但一看到一整摞贴好邮票的信封,还有那一叠整理好的剪报,我的心里多少得到了些慰藉。明天我就认认真真地写约稿,真的!

第二天早晨,我起得晚了些,不过在中午之前,打字机里已经放入新的纸张,上面干净利落地打上了我的姓名和地址。我简直精力充沛得像台发电机!我已决意写一篇关于“吹笛戏蛇”的文章,并且我对自己拟定的题目——戏蛇者说——感到十分满意。不过,想要写好“吹笛戏蛇”,我必须读它的历史有所了解。又有什么能比书本更能提供历史资料呢?也许在墙角那一摞书里,就有一本是关于“吹笛戏蛇”的!我是为了手头的研究工作才去看那些书的,这一点谁也无法指责我,何况也没有那个学者能把所有有用的知识都牢记于心。

于是,我光明正大地离开我的书桌,开始浏览那一摞书的书名。那一摞书已经在墙角里堆了好几个星期了,想从里面找出一本书,特别是关于“吹笛戏蛇”的书,简直是不可能。现在最迫切的事情就是把它们安置到书架上,那么一切就会一目了然了。书架正好就在边上,就在这一摞书的旁边!我仿佛听到一道圣旨在耳边说:“要是想写好那篇文章,就得先架好书架、整理好图书!”这简直是再清楚不过的了。

物理学原理告诉我如果想要架起书架,我需要钉子、锤子还有类似托架一样东西来使它固定在墙上。你总不能伸出舌头舔一舔就把它粘在墙上吧。但是家里没有钉子和锤子(也许有,但这会儿也不知放在什么地方),所以接下来我得戴上帽子出门去买。尽管我把约稿一再拖延,但我感到戴上帽子去买钉子是此刻最合理的事情。不过,当我戴上帽子的时候,我很不爽地发现我实在该去理发了。我倒是正好可以一箭双雕,或者起码是二箭双雕,在回来的路上顺便去理个发。我想去外面呼吸点新鲜空气会有助于我的文思的,所有医生都会这么建议。

几个小时之后,我一身清爽地回来了,带着钉子、托架、晚报、黄油饼干还有淡淡的丁香花香。我吃了点饼干,又扫了两眼今天的晚报(这也许会使我改变写“吹笛戏蛇”的初衷),然后开始干活,不一会儿,书架就架好了——虽然有些晃——书本也按首字母排好了序,以便于随时查阅。这里面没有一本是关于“吹笛戏蛇”的,不过有一本关于贺加斯画作的倒有些意思,还有一本书深入阐释了电影发展史,也很不错。电影事业实在令人叹为观止了,也许什么时候我会写一篇关于这方面的文章。不过,当然不会是现在,因为现在都过了六点钟了,而我手头还有一篇关于“吹笛戏蛇”的约稿要完成。明天一早立刻就写!千真万确!

所以,你看,在短短的两天内,我就完成了四项任务,而这一切只不过是让自己相信第五件事才是我必须完成的正事。到了明天,我会另外选一件正事来做,例如把书架拆下来再装到别的地方去什么的,那么我的第五项任务就能顺利完成了。

唯一麻烦的是,按照这个速度,我很快就会完成所有的任务,又得愁眉苦脸地面对那篇报纸约稿,那件星期一早晨就定下来的第一件正事。

Unit Seven The Aims of Education Alfred North Whitehead教育的目的

人文修养是种思维活动,是对美与人文情怀的学习。而割裂的知识对此毫无帮助。仅有满腹经纶的人

是普天下最无趣的废物。我们所要培养的人应是在某领域人文修养与专业知识兼备的人。专业知识赋予他们发展的起点,人文修养赋予他们哲学的深度与艺术的高度。我们必须牢记自我发展才是有价值的知识发展,而自我主要发展于16至30岁之间。而在孩子12岁之前,母亲对于孩子的培养至关重要。有的人年少时在学校平平无奇,后来却功成名就,人们往往对此感到惊奇。对此,坎特伯雷大主教的一句话阐释了我的观点,他说:―18岁前难窥端倪,18岁后大气方成。

要培养孩子去思考,我们最应该警惕的是避免灌输一种我称之为―惰化‖的思想,即,不经应用,证实或相互结合,合陈出新,一味灌输给孩子的思想。

教育史上最骇人听闻的现象莫过于某一时代曾经一度天才辈出的学府,数代人后充斥着的却只有迂腐,循规蹈矩之士。其原因就在于他们被灌输了太多的―惰化思想‖。以惰化思想教育学生不仅无益,而且有害------corruptio optimi,pessima(最坏的事情便是使最好的事情变坏)。除仅有的几次知识变革之外,过去的教育从根本上受到了惰化思想的侵蚀。有些见过世面的聪慧女子虽未接受过教育,却在中年之际成为社会中最为有人文修养的人。其原因便在于她们免于惰化思想的骇人重荷。每一次为人文带来巨大飞跃的知识变革都是对惰化思想的强烈抵制。但而后,教育机构竟可悲地忽视了人类的心理作用,再一次使人文学科为新惰化的思想所束缚。

面对这灵魂的枯竭,我们的教育体系应如何是好?我们要阐明两条教育戒律:―不可教太多学科‖和―教学要深入‖。

教太多门学科,但每门却只教一小部分会使学生消极的接受互不相关的思想,这些对学生们来说没有丝毫启迪作用。教育中所灌输给孩子的思想应当少而精,并尽可能多的使之相互组成新思想。孩子们应能消化所学,并能理解在这些思想在现实生活中的应用。教育伊始,孩子就应能体验到发现的乐趣。有新发现时,所学思想将会使他理解生活中的种种事件。尽管这里的理解需要逻辑分析,并不仅仅指的是逻辑分析。这里的理解指的是法国谚语―理解了缘由,也就宽恕了一切‖中的理解。迂腐之士讥笑学以致用的教育。但教育不学以致用,那又是什么呢?是天分,要小心翼翼的藏在手帕里吗?当然,不管一个志向为何,教育就应当是学以致用的,教育对圣奥古斯汀有用,教育对拿破仑也有用。学可致用因为理解可致用。

对于文学教育对理解力的贡献,我并想多谈。我也不想评判古典或现代文学的教育价值。我只想说我们所需要的理解是对于―今―的理解。过去的知识为当下的我们服务,这是它唯一的用处。而厚古薄今是对于年轻人的伤害是最致命的。―今‖包含了过往的一切。―今‖是一片圣土,因为―今‖既是过去的终点,又是未来的起点。同时人们应当明白两千年前的时代并不比两百年前的时代―古‖。不要被迂腐的时代考究所欺骗。萨福克里斯和维吉尔的时代并不比莎士比亚与莫里哀的时代―古‖。各个时代圣人之间的交流自是一次振奋人心的伟大盛会,但如果说有一间会议厅能化想象为现实,那就只有―今‖;而各个时代的圣人为来此参会而跨越的那些时间,或长或短没什么区别。

现在谈一下科学与逻辑教育。像我之前所说,科学与逻辑教育中也存在着惰化思想,这些不经应用的思想有害无益。应用某一思想,我的意思是使之融入学生的生活中,与其中的感性认识,感觉,愿望,欲望和随时间不断变化的思维活动联系起来。我知道有些人凭借消极的吸收互不相干的思想来巩固自己的内心。但人文修养并不是那样提升的(可能除了某些报社编辑之外)。

在科学教育中,对于某一思想,应先证明它。但容我先拓展一下在这里―证明‖的意思-----我是指证明某一思想的价值性。除非某一思想具有正确的论点,否则它就没有什么价值可言。因此,不管是通过逻辑论证亦或是实验证明,证明某一思想的本质之处在于证明其论点是正确的。虽教师们对于某思想论点正确与否的证明不甚重要,但德高望重的教师们的论断的确具有权威性,这些论断能为我们创造一个论据充足的起点。当我们第一次接触某一组论点时,我们应先评断它们的价值,这也是我们所有人在后半生都要做的。从严格意义上说,除非某件事比较重要,否则它并不值得我们去尝试证明它正确与否。狭义上讲,我们并不需要在时间上严格将这两个证明和评价步骤分开,这两步几乎可以同时进行。但以能否致用而言,应优先评判其价值。

而且我们并不应孤立地应用某一论点。特别是不能只为某一论点而进行一系列实验1,再为论点2进行一系列实验,如此直到学完一本书。没什么比这更无聊了。相互联系的正确思想应当结合起来使用,各种

各样的论点也应可以任意顺序不限次数地应用。从理论主题中选出一些重要的实际应用,而后以系统的理论阐述研究它们。理论阐述要保持简短,但要保证阐述的严格与规范。阐述也不应太长,太长则不利于他人深刻准确地理解。吞下太多理论知识却不消化完只会是徒劳无获。而且理论也不应该与实践相混淆。孩子应当明白什么时候是在证明思想,什么时候是在应用思想。我的观点是所证明的应被应用,而只要条件允许,所应用的也应被证明。总而言之,证明和应用是一个事物的两面。

Unit 8 Fifth Avenue, Uptown: A Letter From Harlem James Baldwin

第五大道住宅区:一封来自黑人的来信。

1 The projects in Harlem are hated. They are hated almost as much as policemen, and this is saying a great deal. And they are hated for the same reason: both reveal, unbearably, the real attitude of the white world, no matter how many liberal speeches are made, no matter how many lofty editorials are written, no matter how many civil rights commissions are set up. 哈莱姆的居民憎恨住房的建设计划和警察的巡逻,其原因在于两者都令人难以忍受地揭示了白人世界对黑人的真正态度

2 The projects are hideous, of course, there being a law, apparently respected throughout the world, that popular housing shall be as cheerless as a prison. 诚然,这些工程(建筑)丑陋不堪,从表面上看也符合一个世界公认的法则:普及型住房应该和监狱一样令人郁闷。(民众的住房应当像监狱那样单调阴郁)They are lumped all over Harlem, colorless, bleak, high, and revolting. The wide windows lo ok out on Harlem’s invincible and indescribable squalor: the Park Avenue railroad tracks, around which, about forty years ago, the present dark community began; the unrehabilitated houses, bowed down, it would seem, under the great weight of frustration and bitterness they contain; the dark, the ominous schoolhouses, from which the child may emerge maimed, blinded, hooked, or enraged for life; and the churches, churches, block upon block of churches, niched in the walls like cannon in the walls of a fortress. 宽大的窗户俯瞰着哈莱姆的破败,它一成不变,难以描述:那里有帕克大街的车轨,在此周围,大约40年前,现今黑暗的社区就开始形成了;那里有无法修复的房子,耷拉着,似乎在承载着其中失败与痛苦的巨大压力;那里有黑暗的、带来坏运气的学校教室,因为从这些校舍里出来的孩子可能是伤残的、瞎眼的、吸毒的或一生愤怒的人;那里还有很多教堂,街区连着街区,教堂的墙壁都装饰着神像,就像加农炮加在堡垒的堞垛上。Even if the administration of the projects were not so insanely humiliating (for example: one must report raises in salary to the management, which will then eat up the profit by raising one’s rent; the management has the right to know who is staying in your apartment; the management can ask you to leave, at their discretion), the projects would still be hated because they are an insult to the meanest intelligence. 对于智力最低的人都是一种侮辱。

3 Harlem got its first private project, Riverton -- which is now, naturally, a slum -- about twelve years ago because at that time Negroes were not allowed to live in Stuyvesant Town. Harlem watched Riverton go up, therefore, in the most violent bitterness of spirit, and hated it long before the builders arrived. They began hating it at about the time people began moving out of their condemned houses to make room for this additional proof of how thoroughly the white world despised them. And they had scarcely moved in, naturally, before they began smashing windows, defacing walls, urinating in the elevators, and fornicating in the playgrounds. Liberals, both white and black, were appalled at the spectacle. I was appalled by the liberal innocence -- or cynicism, which comes out in practice as much the same thing. 1 Other people were delighted to be able to point to proof positive that nothing could be done to better the lot of the colored people. They were, and are, right in one respect: that nothing can be done as long as they are treated like colored people. The people in Harlem know they are living there because white people

do not think th ey are good enough to live anywhere else. No amount of “improvement” can sweeten this fact. Whatever money is now being earmarked to improve this, or any other ghetto, might as well be burnt. 2A ghetto can be improved in one way only: out of existence.

4 Similarly, the only way to police a ghetto is to be oppressive. None of commissioner Kennedy’s policemen, even with the best will in the world, have any way of understanding the lives led by the people they swagger about in two’s and three’s controlling. Their very presence is an insult, and it would be, even if they spent their entire day feeding gumdrops to children. 3They represent the force of the white world, and that world’s real intentions are, simply, for that world’s criminal profit and ease, to keep the black man corralled up here, in his place. The badge, the gun in the holster, and the swinging club make vivid what will happen should his rebellion become overt. Rare, indeed, is the Harlem citizen, from the most circumspect church member to the most shiftless adolescent, who does not have a long tale to tell of police incompetence, injustice, or brutality.的确,哈莱姆区的居民,从最谨慎的神职人员到最懒散的青年,无一不对警察的无能、不公和粗暴抱怨连连。I myself have witnessed and endured it more than once. The businessman and racketeers also have a story. And so do the prostitutes. (And this is not, perhaps, the place to discuss Harlem’s very complex attitude towards black policemen, nor the reasons, according to Harlem, that they are nearly all downtown.)

5 It is hard, on the other hand, to blame the policeman, blank, good-natured, thoughtless, and insuperably innocent, for being such a perfect representative of the people he serves. He, too, believes in good intentions and is astounded and offended when they are not taken for the deed. He has never, himself, done anything for which to be hated -- which of us has? -- and yet he is facing, daily and nightly, people who would gladly see him dead, and he knows it.而他知道这一点。There is no way for him not to know it: there are few other things under heaven more unnerving than the silent, accumulating contempt and hatred of a people.天底下没有几样东西比一个民族的沉默和日渐增长的轻蔑和仇恨更加令人胆寒的了。4He moves through Harlem, therefore, like an occupying soldier in a bitterly hostile country; which is precisely what, and where, he is, and is the reason he walks in twos and threes. And he is not the only one who knows why he is always in company: the people who are watching him know why, too. Any street meeting, sacred or secular, which he and his colleagues uneasily cover has as its explicit or implicit burden the cruelty and injustice of the white domination. And these days, of course, in terms increasingly vivid and jubilant, it speaks of the end of that domination. The white policeman, standing on a Harlem street corner, finds himself at the very center of the revolution now occurring in the world. He is not prepared for it -- naturally, nobody is -- and, what is possibly much more to the point, he is exposed, as few white people are, to the anguish of the black people around him. 5Even if he is gifted with the merest mustard grain of imagination, something must seep in. He cannot avoid observing that some of the children, in spite of their color, remind him of children he has known and loved, perhaps even of his own children. He knows that he certainly does not want his children living this way. He can retreat from his uneasiness in only one direction: into a callousness which very shortly becomes second nature.他只能够朝一个方向逃避他内心的不安,那就是变得冷漠无情,而这很快就成为他的第二本能。He becomes more callous, the population becomes more hostile, the situation grows more tense, and the police force is increased. One day, to everyone’s astonishment, someone drops a match in the powder keg and everything blows up. Before the dust has settled or the blood congealed, editorials, speeches, and civil-rights commissions are loud in the land, demanding to know what happened. What happened is that Negroes want to be treated

like men.

Unit Nine Roots of Freedom Edith Hamilton自由的根基

在原子时代,向自由发起挑战是发人深省的。今日,摆在我们面前的是一个奇异的新世界,我们都在思考到底该如何生存在这样一个世界里。我们该如何对待我们最宝贵的财富——自由?我们所知道的世界,即西方世界,在不断开拓新的空间的过程中逐渐形成。

大约2500年前,希腊人始获自由。在那之前,这世上还没有自由。绚烂的文明和伟大的帝国散布在地球上,自由这东西却不见踪影。埃及、巴比伦、尼尼微这些国家推行专政,一人独掌大权统治无力的大众。希腊雅典这个小国家里的小城市,却没有无力的大众。那里的人们由一位无意独揽大权的人领导。帝国的统治者们坚决主张大众应对其绝对地服从。雅典人却不这么认为,他们认为只有在战争中才应如此,而且,倘若统治者的决策是维护大众利益的,他们自会心甘情愿的服从。古希腊伟大的政治家伯利克里曾说过:―我们的政府是自由的政府,但我们仍遵守法律,尤其是那些维护被压迫者权益的法律,以及那些一旦违背便使人蒙羞的未成文的?法律‘。‖

雅典人自愿遵守的,不仅是他们通过的那些成文的法律,还包括不成文的、自由的人们生活在一起所必须遵守的法律。他们善待彼此,互生怜悯,若无这些品质,生活将变得只有荒漠里的隐士才能忍受。雅典人从不认为,一个人能随心所欲,他就算是自由的。他若能自我约束,他便自由。服从于自己所认同的行为规范即是自由。雅典人幸而未把生活看成是自己的私事。各人为雅典人的共同利益都各有其责任,这种责任不是外界向其强加的,而是缘于这座城市是他的骄傲,是他的安身之处。世界上第一个政府的信条就是,那些能自我约束和为国家承担责任的人将享有自由。正是这个理念,为日后希腊人的丰硕建树奠定了基础。

但自由的获得并不如原子弹的发明一样。一朝获得自由并不代表永远享有自由。人们若不珍视自由并为之奋斗,自由就会消亡。自由的维持,须以长久的警惕为代价。雅典带来了这种思想上的转变。这种转变虽悄然发生,但至关重要,贯穿全国。雅典人乐于、自豪于为他们的城市做贡献,从来没想过要从中获得什么物质利益。后来,雅典人的思想态度发生巨大的转变,他们把城市看成是为他们的工作支付薪酬的雇主。他们看重的,不再是人民给予国家什么,而是国家给予人民什么。人们需要的是一个能给他们提供舒适生活的国家,当这成为最重要的目标时,自由、自立和责任的观念就会模糊甚至消失。雅典越来越像是一个拥有巨大财富的合营公司,所有雅典人共同拥有这份财富。

雅典人开始认为他们需要的自由就是免于责任的自由。到了这时候,结局只有一种。人们如果坚持摆脱自立和为大众利益负责的担子,就不再自由。承担责任是每个人为自由所必须付出的代价。这没有什么条件可言。古希腊的雅典人拒绝承担责任的时候,他们便不再享有自由。

亚里士多德曾说过:―好的东西千古流传。‖雅典人失去了自由,但这个世界并没有失去自由。美国着名政治家詹姆斯?麦迪逊(James Madison)在1776年左右提到过―人类自我统治的能力‖。可以肯定,他不知道自己说的就是希腊。也许他想不起雅典这个例子,但人类一旦产生某个念头,便挥之不去。在原子时代也是如此。这个念头存在于这个或者那个人的思想里,尽管未被付诸行动。我们无法确定它是否即将成为行动,唯一能确定的,就是总有一天会这样。

Unit Ten Fear of Death Carll Tucker资源匮乏的恐慌

我讨厌跑步。每天一清早,当绕着纽约中央公园的人工湖沉重的慢跑时,我总能清醒的意识到自己有多么厌恶它。这太无聊了。有人觉得慢跑有益于思考,还有人觉得途中景色让人乐在其中。对于我而言,这根本无助于思考也并无美景可享。跑步时,我满脑子不是又有跑步就是一片空白。可惜我没法子穿过这人工湖径直到家,只能绕着跑,说来它还帮了大忙。

从许多慢跑者倦怠的神色中不难断定,讨厌跑步的人原来不只我一个,他们同样感到痛苦无奈,这没比付账单开心多少吧。即便如此,我们仍一如既往的跑,甚至死心塌地的选择跑。普天之下有这么多选择,我们却宁愿去做一件不喜欢并且巴不得赶快结束的事,这究竟是为什么?

不管什么潮流,有多少人追逐,就有多少种理由。他指望靠此降低一再飙升的血压;他希望借此逃避旁人的电话干扰,火冒三丈的配偶或是乌七八糟的家锁;他以此回避生活的艰难抉择或是人生的碌碌无为。

人人都有其烦恼和动力。我的苦衷便是体能的每况愈下,使我在网球比赛中输给两年前的手下败将。而我的动力就是挽回颜面打败他。

然而除了这些大大小小的理由外,还有一个更深层的原因。人们突然间如此痴迷于改善自身健康绝非偶然。不错,现代人都渴望健康,但仅靠此举很难使其区别于前人。

由于目光短浅,经济学家总是一厢情愿的认为所有问题皆由经济因素而起。庆幸的是慢跑和经济根本扯不上任何关系,也毫无理由可寻。的确,慢跑是很便宜,但不跑更省钱。慢跑带动的寥寥无几的装备需求恐怕是商人最看不上眼的买卖。

一些哲学家争论道:慢跑以及其他体能锻炼是人们给自己制定的一项任务。生活中的个人义务越来越少。工作时间减少,做礼拜也可有可无。科技为我们腾出更多的时间。但如何填补这些时间则需要去想象去努力。自由时间是一条又宽又险的河,足以使那些不会游泳的人沉没。一个人承担的义务越多,耗费时间就越多,相对危险的自由时间就越少。于是慢跑就成了一项的任务。跑步的过程中,他将不属于自己,而完全服从于他所能接受的自己。

一些神学家也许对此有更进一步的争议。他们认为正是由于现代社会人们的无神论和缺乏自信使得我们焦虑不安的想尽可能活得长久。据他们所说,我们跑步,是为了生存,相信这才是我们所要享受的人生。

所有的这些说法或多或少都有些道理。迷信的滋生以及对战争的热情复苏无不暗示着,我们渴望得到承诺。况且看到如此多的中老年人在健身的名以下深受折磨,谁还会怀疑我们对死亡的恐惧,远远超出了以往任何一代呢?

但依我之见,这种现象背后还有鲜为人知的原因。它背后的驱使力更甚于对死亡的恐惧,那就是资源的匮乏。我们看到土地的流失,河流失去了孕育生命的能力,空气,即使在平流层也存有致命的垃圾。我们看到无法挽回的浪费,感受到意识中那深深的恐惧――我们正在毁坏赖以生存的地球。同时我们也或多或少的感到无助,并想方设法保护环境。我们重复利用汽水瓶,修复老房子和保护离自己最近的自然资源--我们的身体健康,希望这种小的举动可以拯救正被破坏的地球。跑步变成了一种为我们贪婪和浪费的一种赎罪。

这就是我为什么要跑步――为了赢一场网球赛。

Unit Eleven Beyond Invalidism, Part One Norman Cousins

1 The sense of being locked into a body that is inadequate for its needs, the sense of living under a lowering ceiling, the sense of having to separate oneself from vital prospects, the sense of coming to terms with bleakness — all these are the stuff of invalidism. The person who is put on notice by the physician that he or she has a ―bad heart‖ tends to live a life of reduced expectations, to take slower and fewer steps, and to move tentatively in the outside world.

2. How does one avoid the feeling of being an invalid when underlying corditions create and indeed seem to dictate it? When a physician tells you that your heart is weak and must be spared the strains that other people routinely and joyously bear, how do you go through life without flinching when you approach stairs or hilly streets or children reaching out to be lifted?

3 Perhaps the best way to answer these questions is to begin by reflecting on the way the human body works. A weak body becomes weaker in a mood of total surrender.思想上先缴了械,身体便会更加孱弱。The mechanisms of repair and rehabilitation that are built into the human system have a natural drive to assert themselves under conditions of illness, but that natural tendency is deferred or deflected by an erosion of the will to live, or by the absence of confidence in one‘s physician or in one‘s own ability to play a vital part in the attack on disease.

4 Obviously, it i s absurd to suppose that there is no illness or somber circumstance that can‘t be reversed. But it is also true that under conditions of extreme illness we need all the help we can get. For the same reason it is necessary to put all our own powers to work in our own behalf. We want to get the most out of whatever is possible. An integral part of this process is respect

for the human body —an organism of astounding tenacity, resiliency, and recuperative capability. And, since the human body tends to move in the direction of its expectations — plus or minus — it is important to know that attitudes of confidence and determination are no less a part of the treatment program than medical science and technology.

5 The day after I came home from the hospital, I arranged with a building contractor to construct

a new study and storage facility for all the Saturday Review files and other books and records that had been moved out from the East. The only place available for the new construction was above a steep hill in back of the house. This meant I would have to clim

b the equivalent of four flights of stairs every time I wanted to go to the study.

6 The building was completed in about three months. I have never felt the slightest hesitation in making the ascent, which I have done at least twice daily. The sense of pleasurable anticipations is enough to allow me to endure any strain.

7 I do know this, however: if I had any distasteful expectations or reactions my body would supply all the signs of chest pressure to accommodate that distaste. More and more, I am inclined to accept the notion that the body produces its own poisons under circumstances of apprehension or emotional strain and that this factor is intimately involved in serious illness, whether it takes the form of cardiac disease, joint disabilities, or even cancer. The title of Kenneth Pelletier‘s book Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer may say it all.

8 Nothing is more amazing or heartening to me than to see the way in which many persons with severe afflictions or handicaps nonetheless manage to affirm life. Just in the act of mobilizing their emotional resources they help to potentiate themselves physically. I am not saying here that no one ever need feel disadvantaged; all I am doing is making a distinction between being an invalid and thinking and acting like one.

9 I know that I am still at risk. I know that, without warning, my heart could suddenly fail. If that should happen, I will have no complaints. As I told Dr. Shine, I have nothing but gratitude for a heart that has seen me through an eventful life and several medical ordeals, beginning in childhood.

10 Death is not the enemy; living in constant fear of it is. I have no intention of swathing myself in cotton to soften a possibly fatal episode. I will continue to live and think as actively and creatively as it is physically possible for me to do, knowing that longevity by self can be sterile but that vital feelings and thoughts give meaning and depth to life and provide a true sense of possibilities of human existence.

11 I have already lived more than an average lifetime, but I want to continue to live long enough to see the establishment of a world under law and a planet made safe and fit for human habitation.

I hope, too, to live long enough to see the conquest of human squalor. What stands in the way is not insufficiency o natural resources but the way people choose to think about their problems and opportunities. In any event, I am grateful that I am able to continue working for those causes that seek to free our age from gross indignities and the fear of nuclear devastation.

12 What seems especially important to me in retrospect is that I am the beneficiary of the best that modern medical science has to offer. For many years, deaths from heart attacks have outnumbered fatalities from all other diseases. That number is now on the decline and will, I believe, decline further still with the full recognition, not just by the profession but by the general public, that a comprehensive program of treatment involves both the full utilization of medical science

and full development of the human healing system. The fact that the belief

13 I look up at the calendar as I put down these final notes and see that it is two years and five months since the heart attack of December 22, 1980 Dr. Shine has gone out of his way to congratulate me, using the word ―magnificent‖ to describe my process, even though he feels I may still be at substantial risk. The portion of the heart muscle has been strengthened and has adapted itself to my needs. Dr. Cannon says it is difficult to believe that bypass surgery could have achieved a better functional result than has been achieved without it. The original treadmill results that produced the finding of severe coronary insufficiency have been reversed.最初检测出了严重冠状动脉功能不全的踏车试验结果已经被逆转了。

14 I manage to set aside time each week for the sports I enjoy — doubles or singles in tennis, and golf with old friends. Golf does not really qualify as exercise, but it is a game that offers tangible and tantalizing possibilities for measurable improvement of one‘s skill. Besides, it provides an arena for banter and the rewards of companionship in an outdoor setting. I maintain a full working schedule, and I pay visits to the hospital at the request of physicians to see ill persons in need of a morale boost. The different between what I did before the heart attack and what I am doing now is that I now maintain some semblance of control I try to run my schedule instead of letting the schedule run me.我努力驾驭时间表,而不是被时间表所束缚。

Unit Twelve Charles Darwin Thomas Henry Huxley

1 Very few, even among those who have taken the keenest interest in the progress of the revolution in natural knowledge set afoot by the publication of "The Origin of Species," and who have watched, not without astonishment, the rapid and complete change which has been effected both inside and outside the boundaries of the scientific world in the attitude of men's minds towards the doctrines which are expounded in that great work, can have been prepared for the extraordinary manifestation of affectionate regard for the man, and of profound reverence for the philosopher, which followed the announcement, on Thursday last, of the death of Mr. Darwin.

很少有人,即使是那些对由于《物种起源》一书的发表而推动的自然知识的变革进程极度感兴趣的人,以及那些满怀讶异关注着导致科学界内外人士对待这一巨着中阐明的观点的态度发生迅速而彻底变化的人,能够预料到上周四宣布达尔文死亡之后人们对于达尔文这一思想家的异乎寻常的挚爱和崇敬之情。

2 Not only in these islands, where so many have felt the fascination of personal contact with an intellect which had no superior, and with a character which was even nobler than the intellect; but, in all parts of the civilised world, it would seem that those whose business it is to feel the pulse of nations and to know what interests the masses of mankind, were well aware that thousands of their readers would think the world the poorer for Darwin's death, and would dwell with eager interest upon every incident of his history. In France, in Germany, in Austro-Hungary, in Italy, in the United States, writers of all shades of opinion, for once unanimous, have paid a willing tribute to the worth of our great countryman, ignored in life by the official representatives of the kingdom, but laid in death among his peers in Westminster Abbey by the will of the intelligence of the nation.

不止是在英伦三岛,那里有如此多的人深切感受到一个无与伦比的灵魂的魅力,感受到一个比这一灵魂更加高贵的品质;在文明世界所有疆域里,似乎那些密切关注世界进程以及关心人民利益的人都能意识到他们数以千计的读者将会认为达尔文的死是我们这个世界的一大损失,并将急迫地研读他一生中的每一事件来缅怀他。在法国,在德国,在奥匈帝国,在意大利,在美国,所有持不同观点的作家在这一刻一致同意为我们这一伟大同胞的价值表示致敬,尽管他一生都不被英国当局认同和尊敬,他死后还是遵由这一国家中智者的意愿被安葬在西敏寺的其他伟人之间。

3 It is not for us to allude to the sacred sorrows of the bereaved home at Down; but it is no secret that, outside that domestic group, there are many to whom Mr. Darwin's death is a wholly irreparable loss. And this not merely because of his wonderfully genial, simple, and generous nature; his cheerful and animated conversation, and the infinite variety and accuracy of his information; but because the more one knew of him, the more he seemed the incorporated ideal of a man of science. Acute as were his reasoning powers, vast as was his knowledge, marvellous as was his tenacious industry, under physical difficulties which would have converted nine men out of ten into aimless invalids; it was not these qualities, great as they were, which impressed those who were admitted to his intimacy with involuntary veneration, but a certain intense and almost passionate honesty by which all his thoughts and actions were irradiated, as by a central fire.

我们不应提及在唐宁镇那失去亲人的家庭的沉重的悲伤;但有一点已不是秘密,那就是除了达尔文的亲友,还有很多人认为他的死是无法挽回的损失。这不仅是由于他亲切、率真和慷慨的本性;也不仅是由于他愉快生动的谈吐,以及他庞杂而准确的信息量;而且由于人们对他了解的愈多,就愈感到他是科学工作者的典范。他的推理能力极为敏锐,他的知识面极为宽广,他的坚毅勤奋令人叹为观止,他身体的困难十有八九会让普通人沦落成没有生活目标的病弱之人;使那些不知不觉中感受到达尔文的亲切并因此而尊敬他的人们印象深刻不是他这些伟大的品质,而是如火焰一样照亮他思想和行为的那种独特的强烈而近乎热烈的诚实。

4 It was this rarest and greatest of endowments which kept his vivid imagination and great speculative powers within due bounds; which compelled him to undertake the prodigious labours of original investigation and of reading, upon which his published works are based; which made him accept criticisms and suggestions from anybody and everybody, not only without impatience, but with expressions of gratitude sometimes almost comically in excess of their value; which led him to allow neither himself nor others to be deceived by phrases, and to spare neither time nor pains in order to obtain clear and distinct ideas upon every topic with which he occupied himself.

正是这种极其稀有的伟大的天赋使得他的生动的想象和伟大的推测能力处于合理的范畴内。这种态度使得他能够不被只言片语迷惑,并且能够不辞辛苦地尽力对他所从事的每一个议题取得清楚明确的看法。不同的是,面对大自然这一几乎没有任何破解希望的难题,我们的现代哲学家没有退缩不前,以赫拉克利特和德谟克利特的理论为基础,他把全部的生命奉献到了攻克这一难题的事业里,得到的结果和他们早先提出的理论相似甚至完全一致。

5 One could not converse with Darwin without being reminded of Socrates. There was the same desire to find some one wiser than himself; the same belief in the sovereignty of reason; the same ready humour; the same sympathetic interest in all the ways and works of men. But instead of turning away from the problems of Nature as hopelessly insoluble, our modern philosopher devoted his whole life to attacking them in the spirit of Heraclitus and of Democritus, with results which are the substance of which their speculations were anticipatory shadows.

对达尔文所取得成绩的正确评价,甚至正确的定位在当前来说是不现实甚至不应该期望的。凡事都需要时间――为我们对自然不断扩展的征服感到欣喜需要时间,哀悼带领我们取得胜利的英雄同样需要时间。

6 The due appreciation, or even enumeration, of these results is neither practicable nor desirable at this moment. There is a time for all things–a time for glorying in our ever-extending conquests over the realm of Nature, and a time for mourning over the heroes who have led us to victory.

7 None have fought better, and none have been more fortunate, than Charles Darwin. He found

a great truth trodden underfoot, reviled by bigots, and ridiculed by all the world; he lived long

enough to see it, chiefly by his own efforts, irrefragably established in science, inseparably incorporated with the common thoughts of men, and only hated and feared by those who would revile, but dare not. What shall a man desire more than this? Once more the image of Socrates rises unbidden, and the noble peroration of the "Apology" rings in our ears as if it were Charles Darwin's farewell: 8 "The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways–I to die and you to live. Which is the better, God only knows."

他发现了深藏在我们脚下的、被偏邪之人攻击、被全世界嘲笑的真理;他活着的时候看到了这一真理,主要通过他自己的努力,无可争议地在科学中占有了一席之地,并成为普通人思想中不可分割的一部分,只被那些想攻击却又不敢攻击的人憎恶和恐惧。

Unit Thirteen The Scopes Trial Frederick Lewis Allen(暂缺)

品读密西西比

河的脸,迟早幻化成一本神奇的书——这书于未经训练的旅人是死的语言,却毫无保留地告诉我它的思想,如同有声述说般将其最珍藏的秘密公布。这不是一本读过一遍就弃置一旁的书,因为每一天它都有新故事要颂。绵延一千二百英里,每一页均不无趣味。。。读不懂它的旅人总为水面上一种独特隐约的酒窝所着迷(那也是在少数几个偶然间,他没有完全忽视酒窝的时候,才有的事)对于水手而言,那却是一段印成斜体的文字;事实上那不仅仅是酒窝,而是最大号字体的图例,且还要在末尾附加一连串呼号的感叹符,因为它意味着那里埋藏着一艘沉船或一块暗礁,随时都有可能将漂流而过的最坚固的船舶摧毁。这是河水所能作出的最模糊,最简单的表达,在被水手视作最可怕的信号。事实上,不能读懂此书的旅人,只能从中看到形形色色的美丽图画,阳光为画笔,云朵绘阴影,而对于受过训练的眼睛,这些丝毫不是图画,而是最无情,最严肃的读物。

而今我已掌握此河的语言,开始了解构成大河的每一个琐碎特征,我认识它们,如同认识字母表的每一个字母,我获得了一份宝贵的财富。但我同时遗失了某件东西,我遗失了某件在我有生之年都无法再恢复的东西。所有的优雅,美丽,诗情,均不复存在于此壮丽的大河!犹记得我初当汽船水手时所目睹的一次奇妙的日落。河中很宽一部分区域被夕阳染成血红。远处和中央的红光耀成金黄,一根独木穿越金光漂浮而来,乌黑且显眼,有一处水面上闪现一道斜长的记号;另一处水面则为沸腾翻滚的漪所击碎,那多彩的涟漪仿佛一块蛋白石;在微红的赤晕最淡的地方,有一处光滑的地方覆有优雅的圈纹并放射状的线条,精美勾勒,无与伦比;左岸是茂密的灌木丛,这林里投下的昏暗的荫在一处被一条长且参差的痕迹阻断,那道痕迹像银子般闪耀着;在林墙上方的高处,一棵秃杆儿的死树摇曳着唯一一根带叶的枝条,在夕阳无阻倾泻的流动光辉中如火焰般闪耀着。优雅的曲线,倒映的影像,葱笼的高地,和缓的远处;在整个背景之上,远近处处,持续地浮动着光芒,那光渐渐消融在夜色中,每一刻都为河流缀以新的色彩奇迹。

我如同着了魔般久久伫立,在一种无言的狂喜中沉醉其间。世界于我是崭新的,在家我从未见过此等景象。但正如我所说的,从某天开始,我不再留意月亮太阳和暮光在河的脸上的杰作,不再留意那种灿烂和魔力;又有一天,我停止注意这所有。从那天起,即使日落的奇景再重复,我也将不带任何狂喜之情地看过,还会暗自这样评价:―这个太阳预示明天要起风;那段浮木显示河水在上涨,情况不妙;水面上倾斜的记号恰是一个陡峭的沙洲,若是这沙洲像那样继续延伸,这几天夜里必会有汽船要遭殃;那片翻滚的?沸水‘显示那里有一片消融的沙洲或是一段变道的河床;远处平滑水域里的线条和圈纹警示着那片棘手的区域正十分危险地慢慢变浅;树林的阴影里银色的条纹,是一条新增残桩的突出物,这截树桩占据了所能找到的最有利于他给汽船造成麻烦的地形;那棵仅有一条带叶树枝的死树,已经支撑不了多久了,不知道没有这位指路的老朋友,一个人还如何在夜间穿越他的盲区?‖

不,所有的浪漫和美丽都离这河远去了。它的任何特征于我的价值不外乎那些对于安全掌舵汽船有益的可用之处。自那些天起,我从心底里同情医生。美人双颊的可爱红晕对一位医生而言除了伏于某致命疾患之上的征兆外还能意味着什么呢?她那耀目的魅力于他而言不正充满一种隐匿萎败的标志与象征吗?究竟他有否瞧见她的美,还是他看她仅是以一种职业的眼光,且兀自只对他不健康的状态予以评价?他可曾犹疑自己在掌握了技能之后是得到更多还是遗失得更多呢?

Unit-10-Agriculture新编大学英语第二版第一册课文翻译讲课稿

Unit 10 Agriculture Farming for the Future [1] Every year, more people face poverty and hunger and more of the earth's resources are ruined. The problems are enormous, but many experts believe that the situation is not hopeless. The solution will require big changes in how we think about agriculture, food, and our planet. [2] First of all, farmers everywhere need to develop methods that are less destructive to the environment. The change from single crop farming to a mixed crop system would be one important step. The planting of several different crops improves the soil and helps prevent erosion. Erosion could also be prevented by planting trees to protect the fields from the wind. Another way farmers could improve the soil is to avoid deep plowing. In fact, only a slight plowing is necessary if proper methods are used. [3] If the soil were treated better, farmers would not need to use chemical fertilizers. They could use natural animal and vegetable products instead. With mixed crops, farmers would need fewer toxic chemical insecticides. They could use biological methods of controlling insects and disease. [4] Farmers could also help save the earth's precious supplies of water and petroleum. To save water, they could plant more water-efficient plants instead of the standard types of wheat or corn. They could also use watering systems that are much less wasteful. To save petroleum, farmers could make use of bio-gas generators which could be fueled by the vegetable and animal wastes of the farms. In less-developed countries, bio-gas generators could reduce the need for firewood and so help save forests, as well. [5] In less-developed countries, the small farmers need help. They need to learn more about crops that are better suited to local conditions. They need to learn how to limit erosion and make the best use of their resources. These farmers will never be successful without land and economic reform. This should be the aim of governments and international agencies. The current industrial and cash crop policies are only making the situation worse. [6] Industrialized countries could use their economic resources to help bring about these changes. They could make some changes in their own policies. At present, much food is wasted in these countries for political reasons. In Europe and in North America, tons of fruit and dairy products are thrown away every year. Eating habits, too, could be changed in these countries. For example, people often eat foods from distant places instead of local foods. The transportation of the imported foods adds to the global pollution problem. People in industrialized countries also eat a lot of meat, especially beef.

新编英语教程3第三版翻译答案解析

Unit 1 1. 他们都认为他成功的可能性很小。 They all believed that his chances of success were slim. 2. 我不知道她为何总带有一种闷闷不乐的神情。 I don’t know why she always has an air of sadness. 3. 等到所有同学都就座后,学生会主席才开始宣布野营的日程安排。After all students were seated, the president of the students’ union proceeded to announce the camping itinerary. 4. 胃是人体至关重要的器官,请善待之。 Please take good care of our stomach which is a vital organ of our human body. 5、他认为总经理如此重视那些日常琐事是荒唐的。 He considered it absurd for the general manager to attach so much importance to those routine trifles. 6. 她的研究涉及多种语言和文化,富有挑战性。 Her study was full of challenge, which was concerned with many languages and cultures. 7. 根据安排,全体工作人员依次值晚班。 As is scheduled, all staff should take turns to do late duty. 8. 想到要远离父母独自生活,她深感不安。 She felt upset at the thought of leaving her parents and having an independent living in a remote area.

新编大学英语1翻译答案

一、 1、当我知道详细情况时,我意识到我不该在办公室发脾气。 When I knew the details ,I realized that I shouldn’t have lost the temper at the office. 2、我和鲍勃不是很熟,不过我们偶尔出去喝一杯。 I don’t know Bob very well ,but we go out for a drink occasionally. 3、会议应该在周二召开,但我们不得不推迟。 The meeting is supposed to be held on Tuesday, but we have to put it off. 4、我国政府采取行动使那个国家的所以中国人回到了祖国。 Our government took action to get all the Chinese back to homeland in that country. 5、包括周末在内,仅仅还有12天时间可以用来买圣诞礼物。 Including the weekend ,there is only 12days to buy Charismas presents. 6、如不立即采取行动,许多野生动物就会因饥饿而死亡。 Without taking action immediately ,many kinds of wild animals would die from hunger. 三、 1、除非你有经验,否则你得不到这份工作。 You won’t got this job unless you have got the experience. 2、我把大部分时间都花在研究中美文化差异上了。 Most of my time is spent studying the differences between Chinese and American culture. 3、这句话意思很清楚,绝不会引起误会。 This sentence is so clear that it can’t cause any misunderstanding. 4、他希望能给予她比现在更多的帮助。 He hopes he could give her more help than he does. 5、要记得邀请她来参加生日晚会,不然她会抱怨的。 Remember to invite her to the birthday party ,or she would complain. 6、主任说,你必须把购置设备的2500美元加到成本中去。 The Director said ,you have to add 2500 dollars for equipment purchase to the cost. 7、了解自己的长处、弱点以及所处的环境很重要。 It’s important to be aware of your strengths, weaknesses and the environment you are in. 8、如果你继续对大家这么粗鲁,不久你就会发现自己什么朋友都没有了。 You will find yourself without any friends at all if you keep on being so rude to everyone. 四、 1、做出贡献的人太多了,无法一一提及。 The individuals who have contributed are far too many to mention. 2、半夜里,嘈杂声把我们吵醒了。 The noise woke us up in the middle of the night. 3、他不应该对我说的话感到生气,那仅仅是个玩笑而已。 He shouldn’t have been angry at what I said, it was nothing more than a joke. 4、我们邀请了所以的朋友去野餐,但是由于下雨只来了其中5位。 We invited all our friends to the picnic ,but it rained and only 5 of them showed up. 5、婚姻被视为一件严肃的事。 Marriage is viewed as a serious matter. 6、令我失望的是,这部电影并不像我期待得那么好。 To my disappointment ,the movie didn’t live up to my expectations. 七、

新编英语教程5课文翻译(unit9)

Unit Nine: 新闻将我们引向何方 不久前我应邀参加了一次有关美国报业的作用的公众研讨会。还有另外两个嘉宾也出席了。一位是知名的电视节目主持人,另一位是美国一家主要报纸的编辑,他是一位彻头彻尾的新闻工作者---- 在据实报道的方式上坚忍不拔、积极进取且见识过人。 据我所知本次研讨旨在审查传媒的义务,并提出实现那些义务的最佳途径。 在公开讨论时,观众席中的一位男士向两位嘉宾提问,“为什么报纸和电视新闻节目都充斥灾难?为什么新闻界的男男女女对悲剧、暴力、和失败是如此关注?” 主持人和编辑作出了回答,好像是自己应该为坏消息的存在而受到谴责一样。他们说,新闻工作者只负责报道新闻,而不负责制造或修改新闻。 我不认为这两位新闻工作者回答了这个问题。提出这个问题的先生并没有因为世上的歪曲报道而谴责他们。他只是想知道为什么报道得最多的是歪曲的事件。新闻媒体的运作理念似乎是凡是新闻皆坏事。为什么呢?是不是着重报道负面新闻是一种传统——是新闻工作者所习以为常的对日常事件作出的反应方式? 在此或许分析一下我们如何定义“新闻”一词会有所帮助,因为这是问题的起因。新闻应该是报道过去十二小时,最迟二十四小时内所发生的事情。然而,突发事件往往具有爆炸性的:一名狙击手枪杀了几名行人,一名恐怖分子劫持了飞机上250名人质,欧佩克石油组织宣布原油价格上涨25%,英国货币又贬值10%,一辆载有放射性废料的卡车与一架水泥搅拌车相撞。 然而,一味聚焦这些报道,则是失真的画面。人类文明成果远远多于灾难总和。每种文明中最重要的成分就是进步。但进步不会立即发生,也没有爆发性。一般来说,它是一点一滴逐步发展的,在某个特定时刻是微不足察的。但是所有微小的进步都参与了历史性的巨变的实现,使社会更加美好。 就是这类活生生的历史,绝大多数的新闻媒体没有予以充分的反映,结果导致我们对社会的正面发展了解不足,对灾难却知之甚多,这又使人产生失败和绝望的情绪,而这些情绪易于阻碍社会进步。爆发性新闻大餐另人忧心忡忡,大大削减了自由社会所需的动力,绝望和偾世的情绪使人没有动力迎接严峻的考验。 我并非暗示可以编造“积极”的新闻来抵消头版上灾难报道的作用。也没有把青年基督会作用的深刻报道定义为“正面”新闻。我要传递的观点是,新闻媒体的职责是搜寻并报道重大事件,无论它们是否有关冲突、对抗或灾难。这个世界是天堂和地狱的绝妙结合,两个方面都需要关注和观察。 我希望新闻界人士能从更宽广的角度审视自己的职责。是时候认识到人类事件中可以作为新闻报道的范围领域是极其宽广的。例如,有几篇新闻文章报道过固氮作用——植物通过这一过程能固定氮肥,由此减低了肥料需求量?全世界的科学家都在为这一前景而努力,希望借此解决饥荒。对远东地区水稻产量提高的巨大进步又了解多少?事实上,世界上还有许多类似的重要发展,这些都值得做重要的新闻综合报道。 主持人和编辑说得对,新闻工作者并没有责任来塑造世界,但是他们有责任影响我们的态度。我们认为自己是怎样的,那我们就是怎样的。我们只能实现那些我们自己敢于设想的目标。新闻工作者为我们提供我们对自身以及这个世界认知的写照——这种写照最好是逼真的肖像,而不是扭曲的漫画像。因为我们就是根据这一写照来做决定,筹划未来的。 按照华特.里普曼的说法,新闻记者是大众的哲学家。他曾经写道?“后天习得的文化并非由基因遗传,美好社会的甜美的生活虽然可得,但却不是一旦拥有就永远不失去。如果美好生活中的智慧没有被传下来,所得一切也将化为乌有。” 有了对美好社会中美好生活的准确报道,我们可以采用伯纳德.德.查维斯建议我们的利

新编英语教程3第一单元答案

Unit 1 To the Student’s Book TEXT 1 Pre-Reading Questions √ 1. The writer describes what his first job was like. __ 2. The writer wanted to have a job because he wanted some experience. √ 3. The writer found his first job unpleasant __ 4. The writer enjoyed his first job 2.The Main Idea(P4) (3)The writer was interviewed by the headmaster of a school and was offered a job which was none too pleasant. 3.Vocabulary(P5) A. Guessing the meanings of words: 1. f 2. h 3. c 4. b 5. g 6. e 7. d 8. a B. Looking up words in a dictionary: 1. inconvenient and uncomfortable 2. sad; low in spirits 3. gloomy; cheerless 4. make a short, deep, rough sound (like a pig), showing dissatisfaction 5. very necessary 6. shock deeply; fill with fear 7. timidly 8. greatest; extreme 4.Questions(P7) 1. What are big staring sash-windows? Reference Answer: They are very large windows, so large that they look like people’s wide open eyes. What is the implied meaning of ―they struggled to survive the dust and fumes from a busy main road’? Reference Answer: They (the four evergreen shrubs) did their best to remain alive in spite of the dust and smoke from a main road with heavy traffic. Describe the appearance of the headmaster in your own words. Reference Answer: He was short and stout. He grew a moustache which was pale reddish yellow. His forehead was covered with freckles. What impression did the hall give the writer? Reference Answer: It was a narrow, dim (unlighted) hall which had an offensive odor of dried up cabbage. The walls, once painted in cream color, had darkened to the color of margarine and in a few places were marked with ink stains. Silence prevailed in the hall. 5. Why do you think the headmaster had ―bloodshot eyes? Reference Answer: Perhaps he liked to have a drop too much. What kind of class was the writer asked to teach? Reference Answer: It was a class of 24 boys who were from seven to thirteen years.

Unit-6-A-World-of-Mystery新编大学英语第二版第一册课文翻译

Unit 6 A World of Mystery The Bermuda Triangle [1] On 5th December 1945, Flight 19, which consisted of five US Navy planes, took off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida in fine weather. There was a total of fourteen men on board the planes. The planes were in good condition; they had the best equipment on board including compasses and radios, and they also carried life rafts. The planes could float on water for ninety seconds. One and a half hours after the take-off, a radio message from one of the planes was heard at the control tower at Fort Lauderdale. [2] "I don't know where we are." [3] After that the planes could no longer speak to the control tower, but they could speak to and hear each other, and the control tower could hear them. [4] "The magnetic compass is going crazy." [5] "We're completely lost." [6] No other messages were heard after that. Nobody else heard from the planes or saw them again. Three hundred planes and many boats searched the area, but not one trace of Flight 19 was found. Then one of the planes that was sent to look for them also disappeared completely. [7] These planes had disappeared in a very mysterious part of the world in the western Atlantic Ocean where lots of strange events have taken place. The mystery started long before 1945, and since that year many other ships and planes have also disappeared in this area. It is called the Bermuda Triangle. It is a large, triangular area of the ocean with the island of Bermuda at its northern tip. [8] Planes and ships disappear in other parts of the world, but there are more disappearances in the Triangle than in other areas. For years now scientists and others have been puzzled by this mystery. There have been many attempts to explain why people, planes and ships disappear in such high numbers here . [9] One writer, John Spencer, believes that the ships and planes have been carried off from the sea and sky by flying saucers or UFOs from another planet. Since there are millions of other planets in the universe, Spencer believes there must be other intelligent creatures somewhere in the universe. These creatures are interested in collecting humans and their equipment so that they can examine them carefully. [10] Another theory is that the geography of the area is responsible for the disappearances of the ships and planes. Bermuda lies on an earthquake belt. Underwater earthquakes result in large waves appearing suddenly. These waves are so big that they can break a ship into pieces. In the air, a similar thing can happen to airplanes because of

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