新视野大学英语第三版第三册课文翻译

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新视野大学英语第三版第三册课文翻译

Unit 1 The Way to Success 课文A

Never, ever give up!

永不言弃!

As a young boy, Britain's great Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, attended a public school called Harrow. He was not a good student, and had he not been from a famous family, he probably would have been removed from the school for deviating from the rules. Thankfully, he did finish at Harrow and his errors there did not preclude him from going on to the university. He eventually had a premier army career whereby he was later elected prime minister. He achieved fame for his wit, wisdom, civic duty, and abundant courage in his refusal to surrender during the miserable dark days of World War II. His amazing determination helped motivate his entire nation and was an inspiration worldwide.

英国的伟大首相温斯顿·丘吉尔爵士,小时候在哈罗公学上学。当时他可不是个好学生,要不是出身名门,他可能早就因为违反纪律被开除了。谢天谢地,他总算从哈罗毕业了,在那里犯下的错误并没影响到他上大学。后来,他凭着军旅生涯中的杰出表现当选为英国首相。他的才思、智慧、公民责任感以及在二战痛苦而黑暗的时期拒绝投降的无畏勇气,为他赢得了美名。他非凡的决心,不仅激励了整个民族,还鼓舞了全世界。

Toward the end of his period as prime minister, he was invited to address the patriotic young boys at his old school, Harrow. The headmaster said, \our time, will be here in a few days to address you, and you should obey whatever sound advice he may give you.\kilos of him, and gave this short, clear-cut speech: \Never give up! Never, never, never, never!\

在他首相任期即将结束时,他应邀前往母校哈罗公学,为满怀报国之志的同学们作演讲。校长说:“年轻的先生们,当代最伟大的演说家过几天就会来为你们演讲,他提出的任何中肯的建议,你们都要听从。”那个激动人心的日子终于到了。温斯顿爵士站了起来——他只有 5 英尺 5 英寸高,体重却有 107 公斤。他作了言简意赅的讲话:“年轻人,要永不放弃。永不放弃!永不放弃!永不,永不,永不,永不!”

Personal history, educational opportunity, individual dilemmas - none of these can inhibit a strong spirit committed to success. No task is too hard. No amount of preparation is too long or too difficult. Take the example of two of the most scholarly scientists of our age, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. Both faced immense obstacles and extreme criticism. Both were called \to learn\his teacher whipped him repeatedly for asking too many questions. Einstein didn't speak fluently until he was almost nine years old and was such a poor student that some thought he was unable to learn. Yet both boys' parents believed in them. They worked intensely each day with their sons, and the boys learned to never bypass the long hours of hard work that they needed to succeed. In the end, both Einstein and Edison overcame their childhood persecution and went on to achieve magnificent discoveries that benefit the entire world today.

个人经历、教育机会、个人困境,这些都不能阻挡一个全力以赴追求成功的、有着坚强

意志的人。任务再苦,准备再长,难度再大,都不能让他放弃自己的追求。就以本时代最有学问的两位科学家——阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦和托马斯·爱迪生为例,他们都曾面临巨大的障碍和极端的批评,都曾被说成“不开窍”,被老师当成笨蛋而放弃。托马斯·爱迪生还曾逃学,因为老师嫌他问的问题太多而经常鞭打他。爱因斯坦一直到将近 9 岁才能流利地说话,学习成绩太差,有些人认为他都已经学不好了。然而,这两个男孩的父母都相信他们。他们坚持不懈地每天和儿子一起努力,孩子们也了解到,要想成功,就绝不要怕付出长期而艰辛的努力。最终,爱因斯坦和爱迪生都摆脱了童年的困扰,进而作出了造福当今全世界的伟大发现。

Consider also the heroic example of Abraham Lincoln, who faced substantial hardships, failures and repeated misfortunes in his lifetime. His background was certainly not glamorous. He was raised in a very poor family with only one year of formal education. He failed in business twice, suffered a nervous breakdown when his first love died suddenly and lost eight political elections. Later in life, he suffered profound grief over the tragic death of three of his four children. Yet his strong will was the spur that pushed him forward, strengthening his optimism, dedication and determination. It intensified and focused his efforts and enabled him to triumph over the overwhelming failures and profound difficulties in his life. A hundred years later, people from around the world commend Abraham Lincoln as the greatest American president of all time.

再如亚伯拉罕·林肯这个英雄的典范,他一生面临了无数艰辛、失败和接二连三的不幸。他的出身和经历真是一点也算不上光鲜。他在一个非常贫困的家庭长大,只受过一年正规教育。经商两度失败,初恋爱人的突然离世也使他精神崩溃,还在八次政治选举中落马。此后,他的四个孩子有三个不幸去世,令他悲痛欲绝。然而,坚强的意志鞭策着他,推动他前进,使他更加乐观、投入、坚毅。这让他得以全力以赴,一次次战胜生命中的巨大困难和挫折。一百年之后,世界各地的人们都赞颂亚伯拉罕·林肯,认为他是有史以来最伟大的美国总统。

Just like Churchill and Lincoln, only those who \their eyes on the prize\those who uphold a committed and focused will and spirit, will find their endeavors successful. Many artists, statesmen, writers and inventors have had the same experience. They achieved prosperity because they possessed a fierce will to keep preparing and working and a passion to succeed. They attained success, not because it was easy, but because they had the will to overcome profound obstacles and to work diligently in the pursuit of their goals.

与丘吉尔和林肯一样,只有那些“执著地追求成功”的人,那些保持始终如一的精神意志的人,才会通过自身的努力,获得成功。许多艺术家、政治家、作家和发明家都有同样的经历。他们之所以能取得这样的成就,是因为他们拥有强烈的意愿,不懈地准备、奋斗,并保持对成功的激情。他们取得了成功,并不是因为成功很容易,而是因为他们拥有克服重重障碍的意志,为了追求目标而勤奋努力。

After growing up on a cattle ranch without running water or electricity, Sandra Day O'Connor fought to achieve the best education possible. Consistently graduating at the top of her class, she worked her way into Stanford Law School, where she graduated with honors. But despite all of her hard work, Sandra Day O'Connor was still a woman in the 1950s. Even with the prestige of her degree from Stanford, she was rejected from the entire law circuit as firms preferred to hire less qualified men rather than risk hiring a female lawyer, which was unprecedented. Yet Sandra Day O'Connor refused to give up on her dreams. Through sheer persistence she was eventually nominated and then appointed the first woman Supreme Court Justice of the United States of America. There, she acted as a crucial vote on issues like abortion

and women's rights.

桑德拉·戴·奥康纳成长于既没自来水也没电的养牛场,她努力学习以使自己接受到最好的教育。她的学习成绩在班上始终名列前茅,一路奋斗终于进入了斯坦福大学法学院,并以优异的成绩从法学院毕业。尽管奥康纳勤奋刻苦,但在 20 世纪 50 年代,她仍然受到女人身份的制约。即使斯坦福大学的学位有良好的声誉,她仍被整个法律界拒之门外,因为事务所宁愿聘请才干稍逊的男性,也不愿冒险破例雇佣一位女律师。然而,桑德拉·戴·奥康纳并未放弃梦想。她执著地坚持下去,终于得到提名并被任命为美国第一位女性最高法院大法官。她任职期间,对很多问题,例如堕胎和妇女权利,都起到了极为关键的作用。

Many people simply say that they want something, but they do not expend the substantial effort required to achieve it. Many people let the threat of failure stop them from trying with all of their heart. The secret of success is based upon a burning inward desire - a robust, fierce will and focus - that fuels the determination to act, to keep preparing, to keep going even when we are tired and fail. As a wise saying goes: \how many times you get back up that makes success!\

很多人只是嘴上说他们想要什么东西,但并不真正地付出大量努力去实现。很多人因为害怕失败而不敢全心尝试。而成功的秘诀在于内心燃烧的欲望——一种坚定不移的意志和专注力——从而激发行动的决心,即使疲惫,即使失败,也会继续准备,继续前进。正如一句箴言所说:“你摔倒了多少次并不要紧;你能多少次重新站起来对成功才至关重要!”

Focus on becoming more knowledgeable. Focus on gradual, consistent progress. Maintain the strong will to keep going - even when you are tired and want to slack or the odds seem too large. \your eyes on the prize!\\there's a will, there's a way!\With hard work, determination, dedication and preparation, you can transcend any handicap, accomplish any feat, and achieve success!

专注于汲取更多的知识,争取持之以恒地渐进,保持永不言退的坚强意志——即使在你疲惫想要松懈的时候,或者困难重重之时。“执著地追求成功!”“有志者,事竟成!”只要刻苦努力,意志坚决,专心投入,准备充分,你就能跨越一切障碍,完成所有壮举,取得成功!

课文B

Chance favors the prepared 机会偏爱有准备之人

Les Brown and his twin brother were adopted by Mamie Brown, a kitchen worker, shortly after their birth in a poverty-stricken Miami neighborhood.

莱斯·布朗和其孪生兄弟出生于迈阿密一个异常贫困的街区,出生后不久就一起被厨工玛米·布朗收养。

Because of his overactive behavior and nonstop talking as a child, Les was placed in special education classes for the learning disabled all the way through high school. Upon graduation, he became a garbage collector. The prospective opportunities for his future looked slim to others, but not to Les. He had a passion, a dream - a big dream that he was ready to work hard for. He was destined to be a disc jockey, also known as a \broadcasts for the whole city.

由于儿时过度好动,还爱不停地说话,莱斯被送到专为学习困难儿童而设的特殊教育班,并一直读到了高中。一毕业,他就成了一名垃圾清运工。大家都觉得他将来不会有什么好前途,但他自己却不这么想。他有激情,有梦想——一个让他为之奋斗的伟大梦想。他觉得自

己一定会成为电台音乐唱片节目主持人,通常也叫“DJ”,那可是电台名人,专门为面向全市的广播制作音乐节目。

At night he would take a radio to bed so he could indulge his dream by listening to the local DJs. He created an imaginary radio station in his tiny bedroom. A hairbrush served as his microphone as he energetically practiced speaking his masterpieces to his imaginary listeners. 一到晚上,他就带着收音机上床睡觉,这样他就可以一边听着当地 DJ 的节目,一边沉浸在自己的梦想里。他在自己的小卧室里营造了一个假想电台。他把梳子当麦克风,劲头十足地对着想象中的听众练习自己的杰作。

He aggravated his friends with his constant practicing. They all told him that he didn't have a chance and he would never be a DJ. They scorned him and said to stop dreaming and focus on the real world. Nonetheless, Les didn't let their negativity stop him. He kept his goals close to his heart and remained wrapped up in his own world, completely absorbed in preparing for his future, preparing to live his dream as a renowned DJ.

他无休止地练习让朋友们不胜其烦。他们都说他根本没有机会,永远都不可能成为 DJ。他们嘲弄他,告诉他别做白日梦,要面对现实。然而,这些负面影响并没有让莱斯停止追求。他心中一直铭记自己的目标,继续沉浸在自己的世界里,全身心投入到对未来的准备中,去实现他成为著名 DJ 的梦想。

One day Les decided to take the initiative and begin with this enterprise. He boldly went to the local radio station and told the station manager he understood the layout of the station and was ready to be a disc jockey.

一天,莱斯决定主动出击,开始自己的事业。他大胆地来到当地电台,告诉经理他熟悉电台布局环境,完全可以成为一名 DJ。

The manager looked dubiously at the untidy young man in overalls and a straw hat and inquired, \

经理满腹狐疑地看着这个一身工作服还戴着顶草帽的邋遢年轻人,问他:“你了解播音的专业知识吗?”

Les replied, \莱斯回答说:“不,先生,我不了解。”

\chance at success had been a complete bust.

“哦,孩子,那恐怕我们没法雇用你,”经理直截了当地回应。就这样,莱斯对成功的第一次尝试完全以失败告终。

Les was determined. He adored his adoptive mother, Mamie Brown, and was careful with his money to try and buy her nice things. Despite everyone's discouragement, she believed in him and had taught him to pursue his goals and persist in his dreams no matter what others said. 莱斯十分坚定。他很爱自己的养母玛米·布朗,还精打细算攒钱为她买喜欢的东西。尽管人人都打击他,但她却十分信任他,告诉他不管别人怎么说,都要追求自己的目标,坚持自己的梦想。

So, in spite of what the station manager had originally said, Les returned to the station every day for a week. His persistence was very persuasive, and the station manager finally gave in and took Les on to do small tasks - at no pay. Les brought coffee and food. He catered to their every need at work and worked overtime whenever necessary. Eventually, his enthusiasm won their confidence and they would send Les in their Cadillac to pick up celebrities, not knowing that he didn't even have a driver's license!

因此,不管电台经理之前怎么说,莱斯每天还是会去电台,这样持续了一周。他的坚持很能打动人,电台经理终于让了步,让他做一些小事情——不过没有报酬。莱斯负责给大家提供咖啡和吃的东西。他在工作中尽力满足大家的每一个要求,而且只要有需要,任何时候都可以加班。最后,他的工作热情赢得了大家的信任,他们让莱斯开着凯迪拉克去接送名人,居然不知道他连驾照都没有。

While hanging out with the station's real DJs, Les taught himself their posture and hand movements on the control panel. He stayed around the studio, soaking up whatever knowledge he could. He was disciplined; back in his bedroom at night, he faithfully practiced in anticipation of the opportunity he knew would come.

与电台真正的 DJ 相处时,莱斯自学他们操作调音台的姿势和手势。他徘徊在播音间,力所能及地汲取全部知识。他非常自律,晚上一回到房间,就满怀着期待不懈地练习,他知道机遇终会降临。

One afternoon at work, the DJ named Rock started to feel very sick while on the air. Les was the only person around, and he realized that Rock was coughing and losing his voice. Les stayed close in case there was some way he might help alleviate his coworker's distress. He also worried that the illness was sure to doom this broadcast.

一天下午,工作期间,一个名叫洛克的 DJ 在直播时突然病得厉害。周围只有莱斯,而他意识到洛克正在咳嗽,都快不能说话了。莱斯凑近他,看看有什么办法能帮助同事减轻痛苦。他也担心这病肯定会让广播无法进行下去。

Finally, when the phone rang, Les grabbed it. It was the station manager, as he knew it would be.

最后,电话铃响了,莱斯抓起电话。正是电台经理,对此他已有预感。 \“莱斯,我是克莱因。我觉得洛克没办法做完这期节目了。” \

“是的,”他低声说,“我知道。”

\

“你能打电话叫其他 DJ 来接替他吗?” \

“好的,先生,我一定去叫。”

But try as he might, none of the regular DJs were available. MC Cormick and DJ Slick were both out of town for the weekend and DJ Neil was also feeling sick. It seemed that the radio station was in big trouble.

但他找了个遍,却发现一个正式 DJ 都找不到。主持人考密克和 DJ 斯雷克都出城度周末去了,尼尔身体也不舒服。似乎电台的麻烦大了。

Frantic with distress, Les called the general manager. \Klein, I can't find nobody,\Les said.

莱斯无计可施,几欲抓狂,只好给总经理打电话。“克莱因先生,一个人都找不到,”莱斯说。

Mr. Klein then asked, \克莱因先生于是问道:“小伙子,你知道怎么操作播音间里的调音台么?”

\called his mother and his friends. \all go out on the front porch and turn up the radio because I'm about to come on the air!\

“我知道的,先生,”莱斯回答,为突如其来的机会笑了。他一刻都不耽搁,马上给母亲和朋友们打了电话。“你们都到前廊去,打开收音机,我马上要直播了!”他说。

Les rushed into the booth, hoisted Rock onto a nearby couch, and sat down in his place. He was ready. He flipped on the microphone and eloquently rapped, \Brown! There were none before me and there will be none after me. Therefore, that makes me the one and only. Young and single and love to mingle. Qualified to bring you satisfaction, a whole lot of action. Look out, baby, I'm your lovin' man.\

莱斯冲进播音间,把洛克扶到附近的沙发上,然后坐上了他的位置。他已做好准备。打开麦克风,他流利地开始了一段说唱:“注意啦!我是莱布,莱斯·布朗!空前绝后的莱斯·布朗,独一无二的莱斯·布朗。我青春年少,单身无挂,喜爱结交;我会让你心满意足,动能无限。来吧,亲爱的,我就是你喜爱的那个人。”

Because of his preparation, Les was ready. He had dazzled the audience and heard applause from his general manager. From that fateful beginning, Les was propelled to become an icon in broadcasting, politics, public speaking and television.

正因为莱斯勤于准备,他才能一切就绪。听众为之折服,经理为之鼓掌。在那决定命运的一刻后,莱斯不断前进,成为在广播、政治、演讲和电视等领域的一位偶像级人物。

Unit 2 Beat your Fear

课文A

Swimming through fear

游越恐惧

I was on a tour of France with my friends when our car pulled to a stop at the beach and we saw the Mediterranean Sea. Massive waves surged against large rocks that formed a waterproof jetty. People said this beach was known for its notorious rip currents. I shivered with fear. Nothing scared me as much as water.

当时我和朋友正在法国旅行,我们把汽车停在海滩,眼前就是地中海。巨浪翻滚击打着构筑起防波堤的偌大岩石。人们说这里的海滩以其可怕的裂流而著称。恐惧让我不寒而栗。没有什么比水让我更害怕了。

Just the sight of the sea made me sick to my stomach. 只是看到了海就已经让我觉得反胃。

I'd always loved water and been a good swimmer until last summer, when I'd decided to climb up to the highest diving board at the pool. I'd hopped from that height and hit the water with an incredible impact. The air was ousted from my lungs and I blacked out. The next thing I knew, my brother was pulling my feeble body out of the pool. From then on, my fear wouldn't recede; I was absolutely terrified of water.

我曾经一直都是喜欢水的,并且直到去年夏天我都还是一名游泳好手。那时,我决定爬上游泳池边上最高的跳板来跳水。我从那么高的地方跳下,重重地撞击到水面上。我肺里的空气一下子全被挤出去了,马上不省人事。醒来时发现哥哥正把我虚弱的身体从游泳池里拖出来。从那时起,我对水的恐惧就没有消退过,我怕极了水。

\

“贾森,你要过来吗?”我的朋友马特朝我喊道。

\deem my fear pathetic if they knew.

我说:“好,就是欣赏一下景色”,又在心里默默加了一句——在岸上欣赏。担心如果他们知道我害怕水而可怜我。

Suddenly I heard shouting in French. A mob of people were running into the sea, fully clothed. That's odd, I thought.

突然,我听到有人用法语喊叫。接着看见一群人没脱衣服,就冲到海里。我心想,这真是太奇怪了。

I glimpsed something moving up and down amid the waves, past the end of the jetty. I gasped, realizing the catastrophe with horror. That's a little boy out there! The would-be rescuers fought against the tide, but the situation was bleak. With the water's tow, they'd never get to him in time.

我瞥见防波堤尽头的海浪中有个东西在上下浮动。我惊恐地意识到大事不妙,倒吸了一口凉气,那居然是个小男孩!前去救落水男童的人们搏击着海浪,但情况却不乐观。由于水的拉拽,他们根本不可能及时游到小男孩身边。

I looked back at the boy. His head popped up, then a wave crashed over him and he disappeared for a moment; I had to intervene.

我扭头看看那小男孩。他的头刚露出水面,然后一个浪头打过来,好一阵不见踪影——我不得不做点什么了。

I appraised the situation and realized - the jetty! The boy was close to it; maybe I could help from there. I raced down the beach, out onto the jetty, and it hit me: Water! My palms got sweaty and my stomach felt sick, symptoms of my fear. I stopped short.

我估计了当下的情形后注意到了——对,那防波堤!小男孩靠近那个地方,也许我可以从那儿帮忙。我冲下海滩,跑上防波堤,但突然我想起了什么——水!顿时有了恐惧的症状:我手心冒汗,胃里感觉不适。我一下子停下来。

The people in the water had underestimated the waves and weren't making any progress. I was the only one who saw that going out on the jetty was the fastest way to reach the drowning boy. Yet in the midst of this tragedy, I was extremely terrified. I tried to remember the lifeguard training I'd had as a teenager.

水里的那些人低估了海浪的威力,救援工作没有任何进展。只有我注意到了跑到防波堤上是到达溺水男童的最快的路径。然而在此性命攸关之际,我极度恐慌。我努力去回想十几岁时所接受的救生员训练。

I was paralyzed with fear, but I forced myself to move forward with this impromptu rescue. I don't want this. Surely someone else can save him before I have to.

我因恐惧而全身瘫软,但我强迫自己向前移动,展开这场突发的救援行动。我不想做这些,在我施救之前肯定会有别人救他吧。

At the ridge of the jetty, I whirled around, convinced I'd see an athletic swimmer plowing through the rough water toward the boy. To my dismay, no one was there. I turned back out to the sea to see the boy battered by vicious waves about 25 yards away from me. Sucking in a deep breath, I threw myself into the water. As soon as I jumped in, I felt like I was back in that pool, breathless, struggling, terrified. Salt stung my eyes. Focus, I shouted in my head. Where is he?

我在防波堤的边上迅速转过身来,深信会看见某个游泳健将正向着小男孩劈波斩浪。但是让我沮丧的是,一个人也没有。我回身面向大海,看见 25 码开外恶浪击打着小男孩。我深吸一口气,纵身跃入水中。一跳进水里,我感觉仿佛又回到了当年的那个游泳池,我喘不过气,拼命挣扎,惊恐万分。咸水刺痛了我的双眼。“集中注意力,”我在心里喊道。“他在哪里?”

Then, with clarity, I saw a thin arm waving weakly a few yards away. I swam with all my strength, reaching the boy just as he sank below the surface. I grabbed his arm and pulled. He popped back up, eyes wide with terror, pawing and twisting against me. \commanded the boy in French. His struggling would derail any rescue attempt, and we'd both perish. \

然后我清楚地看到一只细小的手臂在离我几码处微弱地挥动着。我拼尽全力游过去,在他刚要没水之时赶到了。我抓住他的手臂拉他。他冒出水面,眼睛因恐惧瞪得很大,胡乱抓扯着我。我用法语命令他:“别慌!”他这样挣扎会阻碍救援,那我们俩就都死定了。我再次命令他:“别慌!”谢天谢地,这次他听话了,不动了。

When I turned back toward shore a wave pounded over us. The jetty was further away! The rip current It was forcibly dragging us out to the sea. I fought to get us back to land, but made little progress. I knew I'd never be able to escort him back like this.

当我转身朝岸边游去的时候,一个浪劈头盖脸打来。我们离防波堤更远了!是裂流!它强行把我们拽往大海深处。我挣扎着想带他游回岸上,但进展甚微。我知道这种游法根本没法护着他返回岸边。

Desperate to survive, I remembered what I'd learned in my life saving class: Never, ever swim against the rip current! Swim sideways to the pull of the current and slowly make your way back toward shore. It was an odd-looking but practicable solution. Swim sideways and float to rest Swim sideways and float to rest. We did that over and over. We slowly made our way to safety. \close we were, only about seven feet left to go.

强烈求生欲望之下,我想起了在救生课上所学到的知识:永远不要与裂流相对而游!要顺其方向朝侧边游,慢慢地靠向岸边。这个办法尽管看上去很荒谬,但却管用。朝侧边游,浮起休息。朝侧边游,浮起休息。我们重复着这个方法,慢慢地游到了安全区。“贾森,你能行的!”我听到站在防波堤上的马特对我说。我甚至没有注意到我们离防波堤这么的近,只剩下大约 7 英尺的距离了。

And, as we made our way to safety I realized something incredible: I was no longer afraid. That absence of fear was a moment of triumph!

后来我们到达安全水域时,我觉得有些不可思议:我不再怕水了。恐惧没了,这一刻我胜利了!

Matt jumped into the water. I tossed the boy to him. Just as I let go, a big wave picked him up and carried him all the way to Matt.

马特跳进水里。我把男孩拋给他。我刚一松手,一个大浪托起他直接把他送到了马特身边。

On the brink of collapse, I stopped fighting, just letting myself go. My hand hit the jetty. It was like an electric shock that brought me back to my senses. Someone grabbed for me.

我全身都快虚脱了,我不再划水,就这样放松自己顺水而漂。我的手碰上了防波堤,仿佛触电一般,我重新恢复了神志。有人抓住了我。

I felt strong arms lift me. I ascended not only from the sea onto the secure rocks of the jetty - but also to my salvation, leaving behind the terrible fear that had gripped me for so long. I turned my head and saw the boy was hugged tightly by his mother. I looked out to the sea. Weary as I was, the water had never looked so beautiful.

我感觉到强壮有力的手臂将我托起。我不仅从海里爬上防波堤的磐石,而且完成了自我拯救,摆脱了困扰已久的恐惧。我扭过头看见小男孩被母亲紧紧拥入怀中。虽已疲惫不堪,

但放眼大海,我感觉海水比任何时候看起来都更美。

课文B

When courage triumphed over fear

当勇气战胜恐惧

I know what courage looks like. I saw it on a flight I took six years ago, and only now can I speak of it without tears filling my eyes at the memory.

我知道勇气是什么样子。我六年前在乘坐的一架航班上就见识了。只到现在,凭记忆述说这件事的时候,我才不致热泪盈眶。

When our plane left New York that Friday morning, we were a talkative, high-energy group. The early-morning transcontinental flight hosted mainly professional people going to San Francisco for a day or two of business. As I looked around, I saw lots of designer suites, CEO-level expensive haircuts, designer briefcases and all the trimmings of lofty business travelers. I settled back with my paperback novel for some light reading and the brief flight ahead.

那是星期五的早上,当我们的飞机从纽约起飞时,我们这帮人还高谈阔论、劲头十足。这趟横贯大陆的清晨航班主要搭载了一些前往旧金山出差一两天的职业人士。我向四周打量一下,看到的多是名贵西装、经理人式的考究发型、名牌公文包以及气宇轩昂的商务旅行者们的各种装束。我身子往后一靠,拿出一本简装小说准备轻松阅读一下,度过时下这短暂的飞行。

Immediately upon take-off, long before we had reached our cruising altitude, it was clear that something was wrong. The aircraft was bumping vertically up and down and tilting left to right. All the experienced travelers, including me, looked around with knowing grins. We had experienced minor problems and turbulence on prior flights. If you fly very much, you see these things and learn to act relaxed about them.

飞机刚一起飞,远未达到巡航高度时,我们就明显感到有什么不对劲。飞机直上直下颠簸、忽左忽右倾斜。我们这些有出门经验的人都四下环顾着,会心地笑了笑。在以前的飞行中,我们都经历过一些小问题和气流颠簸。如果你飞机坐多了,这类事情见多了,你也就学会泰然处之了。

It wasn't long before our relaxed attitudes began to evaporate. Minutes after we were in flight, our plane began dipping wildly and one wing plunged downward. The plane climbed higher but that didn't help our plight. The pilot soon provided some grave news regarding the flight.

没过多久我们放松的心情就开始消失了。飞行才几分钟,飞机就失控下坠,而且一只机翼向下倾斜。尽管飞机爬高了些,但于事无补。飞行员很快通报了这次飞行的严重事态。

\steering. Our indicators show that our landing system has failed, which necessitates that we abort the flight and return to New York. Because of the problems with the mechanisms, it's unlikely our landing gear will lock, so the flight attendants will prepare you for a bumpy landing. Also, if you look out the windows, you will see that we are dumping fuel from the airplane. We want to have as little on board as possible in the event of a rough touchdown.\

“我们现在遇到了一些麻烦,”他说。“目前看来前轮转向装置无法运转;指示器显示,我们的着陆系统失灵了。我们必须放弃飞行,返回纽约。由于机械装置出现了问题,我们的起落架可能无法锁住,因此乘务人员将帮助大家做好准备,预防着陆时的颠簸。还有,如果大家看一下窗外,就会看见我们正在倾倒飞机上的燃油。我们想尽量减轻飞机的负荷,以应对飞机硬着陆。”

In other words, we were about to crash. No sight has ever been so sobering as that fuel, hundreds of gallons of it, streaming past my window out of the plane's tanks. The flight attendants scrambled to get people into position and comforted those who were instantaneously hysterical.

也就是说,我们要坠机了。从飞机油箱里倒出的成百上千加仑的汽油就从舷窗外飞流直下,没有什么比这种景象更能让人感到事态的严重。乘务人员急于让大家各归其位,还尽力安抚那些顷刻之间歇斯底里的乘客。

As I looked at the faces of my fellow business travelers, I was stunned by the changes I saw. Many looked visibly frightened now. Even the most sophisticated looked vulnerable and grim. Their faces actually looked panicked. There wasn't a single exception, and I realized that no one faces death without fear; no one is immune to its terror.

我看了看这些出门公干的旅伴们,惊讶地发现他们已经神色大变。此时许多人显然吓坏了。甚至那些饱经世故的人们也显得神经脆弱、神情严肃。他们其实已经慌神了。无一例外!由此,我意识到面对死神谁都害怕——无人能免俗。

Then, somewhere in my proximity, I overheard a still calm voice underlying the panic. It was a woman's voice, speaking in an absolutely normal conversational tone. Despite the circumstance, there was no angry emotion or tension, and this calm voice evoked a calm in me that quieted some of my initial fears. It became imperative that I find her.

就在此时,在我附近某个地方,我听到一个淹没在恐慌之中的依旧从容的声音。这是一位女性的声音,说话语调完全就像普通聊天一样正常。尽管形势危急,这个平静的声音既没有愤怒之情也没有紧张,唤醒了我内心的镇静,抚平了我最初的恐惧。我急需找到她。

All around the cabin, people cried. Many moaned and screamed. A few of the men maintained their appearance of calm by bracing against their armrests and grinding their teeth, but their fear was written all over them.

整个机舱都是人们的哭喊声。许多人呻吟着、尖叫着。几个男人死死撑住座位扶手,咬紧牙关,竭力保持镇静,但是浑身上下都透出惶恐。

Try as I might, I could not have spoken so calmly, so sweetly at that moment as the fabulous voice I heard. Finally, I saw her.

尽管我竭尽全力,但此刻我怎么也不可能像我听到的那个美妙的声音那样,讲话如此镇定、如此动听。终于,我看到了她。

In the midst of all the chaos, a mother was talking, just talking to her child. The woman, in her mid-30's and unremarkable looking in any other way, was staring full into the face of her daughter, who looked about four years old. The child listened closely, sensing that her mother's words were invaluable. The mother's gaze held the child so fixed and intent that the child seemed untouched by the sounds of grief and fear all around her.

混乱之中,一位母亲正在讲话,她就只对着自己的孩子讲。这名妇女 35 岁左右,无论怎么看都相貌平平。她正目不转睛地盯着女儿的脸,女儿看起来大约四岁。孩子仔细聆听,意识到母亲的话语的分量。母亲凝视的目光让孩子听得聚精会神,似乎一点也不为周围人们哀伤和惊恐的声音所动。

I strained to hear what this mother was telling her child. I relished the sound of calm confidence amongst the terror. Finally, I hovered nearby and by some miracle could hear her soft, sure, confident voice say in a calming tone over and over again, \for sure that I love you more than anything?

我竭力想听清这位母亲在跟孩子讲些什么。我喜欢这恐惧中的淡定之声。最后,我凑得

蒂文比系里的任何人都更懂摄像机、底座、镜头等相关知识,他完全可以在那里任教。”尽管他才华出众,但学业成绩太低使他转学受挫,真正的电影学校都不接纳他。

Steven contrived to rectify the situation on his own by diverting his attention away from academics. He cleaned his old suit and briefcase and returned to visiting Universal Studios where he had worked as a boy. He discreetly sneaked into any department he could, such as shooting rooms, editing and sound-mixing studios, and he quietly watched until he was discovered and ordered to leave. Introducing himself under the pretext of being either an actor, director, or producer, he would invite people to dinner to make connections and learn as much as he could. Even though he was caught and expelled at least once a day, he always returned to smuggle himself back in again.

史蒂文设法自己改变处境,将注意力从学业转移开来。他清理好旧制服和公文包,重新回到儿时曾工作过的环球影视公司。他悄悄地溜进任何他能进入的部门,像拍摄间、剪辑间、音效间等,静静地观看,直到被人发现并被赶走。他假装介绍自己是演员、导演或制片人,邀请别人一起吃饭来积攒人脉,并尽可能地学习。即使他每天至少有一次会被逮到并被赶走,但他总是回来再偷偷混进去。

Steven repeatedly tried to prove himself to the Universal executives, while working in a cafeteria to save up money for equipment. He would discretely create scenes and then shoot and re-shoot his movies. He kept upgrading from 8 to 16 and finally 35 mm film before he was allowed a screening. Finally, his film Amblin was given a chance in front of the executives. It was a short, silent film and the plot differed greatly from the sci-fi and combat films that would later predominate Steven's career. Still, the short film was awesome enough to win Steven, only 21 years old, a seven-year contract with Universal Studios.

史蒂文一边再三向环球公司管理层证明自己,一边在餐厅打工攒钱买设备。他将各场景单独进行创作,一次又一次地拍摄。在得到放映机会前,他不断升级胶片,从 8 毫米到 16 毫米,再到 35 毫米。最后,他的影片《漫步前行》终于有机会出现在管理层面前。这是一部无声短片,情节和史蒂文日后职业生涯中的主流科幻片和战争片大相径庭。不过那个短片依然足够精彩,为年仅 21 岁的史蒂文赢得了环球的七年合约。

After directing smaller TV dramas and low-budget projects, Steven earned the chance to direct his big Hollywood debut: a thriller film starring a shark! Jaws was a box office hit and it made Steven famous. He continued his relationship with Universal Studios to produce the notable movies E.T., Jurassic Park, and Schindler's List

在执导了多部小型电视剧和低成本项目后,史蒂文得到机会导演他的第一部好莱坞大片,一部关于鲨鱼的惊悚片!《大白鲨》成为了票房冠军,让史蒂文一举成名。他和环球继续合作,又拍摄了《外星人》、《侏罗纪公园》和《辛德勒的名单》等著名影片。

As his first producer said, \Instead, it is Steven's committed spirit that has strengthened him in standing fast against all rejections, prejudice and skepticism and driven him to keep moving onward.

正如他的第一个制片人所言:“史蒂文能达到目前的地位绝非偶然。”相反,是史蒂文执著的精神让他能够脚踏实地,直面所有拒绝、偏见和怀疑,并推动他持续向前。

Unit 4 Let’s Go

课文A

The surprising purpose of travel

令人惊奇的旅行目的

It's 4:15 in the morning, and my alarm clock has just stolen away a lovely dream. I almost return back to sleep before my eye catches my packed suitcase and I groan, remembering that I'm going to the airport. The taxi is late and then lost, and I'm getting increasingly nervous that I'll miss my flight. I run in when we arrive, stagger through security and finally get to my gate. After all the trouble of this morning, my flight is canceled and I'm stuck in this terminal for the next 218 minutes, and my only consolation is a cup of complimentary airport coffee. This is traveling, a burdensome series of running and waiting, and after countless hours, finally getting there. 早晨四点一刻,闹钟把我从美梦中惊醒,要不是突然看见早已收拾好的行李箱,我几乎又要睡着。想起来还要去机场,我叹了口气。出租车来晚了,并且在途中迷了路,我越来越担心会赶不上飞机。出租车一到机场我就冲进去,跌跌撞撞通过安检处,终于,我来到了登机口。经历这一早所有的麻烦事,我乘坐的航班却被取消了。在接下来的 218 分钟里,我被困在了机场,唯一觉得安慰的是机场提供的一杯免费咖啡。这就是旅行,让人心烦的跑跑停停。最终,在不知经过多少小时之后,终于到达要去的地方。

Why do we travel? I don't mind the actual flying, the wonder of being airborne in a dense metal bird. The rest of the journey, however, can feel like a tedious lesson in the ills of modernity, from the predawn x-ray screening to the sad airport malls selling clusters of keepsakes. It's the result of a globalized world, and it sucks.

我们为什么要旅行?其实,我并不介意飞行本身,在这样一个密实的金属大鸟中飞行,让我感到很奇妙。然而,旅程其余的部分,从一大早 X 光检查到出售大堆纪念品的糟糕的机场商场,感觉就像是关于现代社会弊病的乏味课程。这是全球化的结果,它糟糕透了。

Sometimes, of course, we travel because we need to. Because in this digital age, there is still something important about the handshake at a business luncheon. Or eating mom's special food on Thanksgiving. Or seeing your girlfriend on your 2-year anniversary.

当然,有时候我们旅行是因为我们需要去旅行。因为即使在这个数字化时代,我们仍然有一些很重要的事情要去做,比如在商务午餐中与生意伙伴握手,或是在感恩节这天吃上妈妈特别准备的食物,或是在你和你女朋友的两周年纪念日这天去看她。

But most travel is decidedly optional. Only corporate travel, about 30% of trips over 50 miles, is truly compulsory. Instead, we travel because we want to, because the annoyances of the airport are offset by the thrill of being someplace new. Because work is stressful and our blood pressure is too high and we need a vacation somewhere tropical. Because home is boring. Because the flights are on sale. Because Paris is Paris.

但是大多数旅行是可去可不去的,在超过 50 英里的旅行中,只有 30%属于真正必需的商务旅行。我们旅行是因为我们想要去旅行,因为到一个新地方的兴奋和激动可以抵消在机场的各种烦心事;因为工作压力太大,我们的血压太高,我们要去热带地区度假;因为在家实在太无聊;因为航班都在打折;因为巴黎毕竟是巴黎。

Thanks to modern aviation, we can now move through space at an inhuman speed. For the first time in human history, we can outrun the sun and move from one hemisphere to another in a single day. Of course, it's not enough to simply get on a plane. If we want to realize the creative benefits of travel, then we have to re-think its overall purpose. Most people, after all, escape to Paris so they don't have to think about those troubles they left behind. But here's the irony: Our mind is most likely to solve our most stubborn problems while we are sitting in luxury in a Left Bank cafe. So, instead of contemplating that buttery dessert, we should be conscious of those domestic issues we just can't solve.

多亏了现代航空技术,我们现在可以以非凡的速度在空中穿梭。在人类历史中,这是我们第一次超过太阳——在短短一天中从一个半球到达另一个半球。当然,仅仅往飞机上一坐是不够的。我们要想认识到旅行在提高创新力方面的价值,还得再全面考虑其目的。毕竟,大多数人逃到巴黎,是因为这样他们就可以不必考虑家里的那些烦心事。但是,具有讽刺意味的是,当我们坐在豪华的左岸咖啡馆时,我们的脑子极有可能能解决那些最棘手的问题。因此,我们应该考虑那些在家里解决不了的问题,而不是琢磨那些奶油甜点。

The larger lesson, though, is that our thoughts are saturated with the familiar. The brain is a space of near infinite possibility, which means that it spends a lot of time and energy choosing what not to notice. As a result, creativity is traded away for efficiency; we think in finite, literal prose, not symbolic verse. A bit of distance, however, helps loosen the cognitive chains that imprison us, making it easier to mingle the new with the old; the mundane is grasped from a slightly more abstract perspective. According to research, the experience of an exotic culture endows us with a valuable open-mindedness, making it easier to realize that even a trivial thing can have multiple meanings. Consider the act of leaving food on the plate: In China, this is often seen as a compliment, a signal that the host has provided enough to eat. But in America the same act is a subtle insult, an indication that the food wasn't good enough to finish.

但更应该知道的是我们的思想被熟悉的东西所充满。大脑是一个几乎具有无限可能性的空间,这就意味着它花了大量的时间和精力选择不去注意什么。因此,我们牺牲创造力来换取效率。我们以字义明确的散文方式思考,而非以具有象征意义的诗歌方式思考。然而,一点的距离就可以帮助我们放松禁锢我们认知的链条,使新旧思想的结合更容易,对平淡无奇的事情可从更抽象的角度加以认知。有研究指出,体验异国文化可以赋予我们宝贵的开放性思维,使我们更容易明白即使是微不足道的事物也可以有多种意义。想一想把食物剩在盘子里这个行为:在中国,这通常被看成是一种赞美,说明主人提供了足够的食物。但是在美国,同样的行为却暗含侮辱,表明食物不够好,人们不愿意吃完。

Such multicultural contrasts mean that seasoned travelers are open to ambiguity, willing to realize that there are decidedly different (and equally valid) ways of interpreting the world. This, in turn, allows them to expand the circumference of their “cognitive inputs\as they refuse to settle for their first answers and initial guesses.

这种多元文化对比说明,经验丰富的旅行者会接受对事物的多样性解读,他们欣然认识到对这个世界可以有截然不同(但却同样有效)的方式进行解释。这也从而让他们扩大了“认知输入”的范围,因为他们拒绝仅仅满足于他们的最初答案和先前的猜测。

Of course, this mental flexibility doesn't come from mere distance, a simple change in latitude and longitude. Instead, this renaissance of creativity appears to be a side effect of difference: We need to change cultures, to experience the disorienting diversity of human traditions. The same facets of foreign travel that are so confusing (Do I tip the waiter? Where is this train taking me?) turn out to have a lasting impact, making us more creative because we're less insular. We're reminded of all that we don't know, which is nearly everything; we're surprised by the constant stream of surprises. Even in this globalized age, we can still be amazed at all the earthly things that weren't included in the Lets Go guidebook and that certainly don't exist back home.

当然,这种思维的灵活性不仅仅来自纯粹的距离变化,即简单的经纬度的变化。相反,这种创造力的复兴似乎是差异所带来的副产品:我们需要处于不同的文化中,体验人类传统中纷繁复杂的多样性。在国外旅行中让人迷惑的同一个方面的问题(如我该给服务生小费吗?火车要把我带到哪里?),产生了一种持久的影响,使我们更加具有创造性,因为我们不再

那么视野狭隘了。我们了解了我们不知道的东西,而这些东西几乎涵盖了一切;我们对接连不断的惊喜感到惊奇。即使在这个全球化的时代,我们仍然会对所有未包括在《旅行指南》中的、平常的东西感到惊奇,而这些东西在自己家中也不存在。

So, let's not pretend that travel doesn't have its drawbacks, or that we endure jet lag for pleasure. We don't spend 10 hours lost in the Louvre because we like it, and the view from the top of Machu Picchu probably doesn't make up for the trouble of lost luggage. (More often than not, I need a vacation after my vacation.) We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret cornerstones of creativity. When we get home, home is still the same. But something in our mind has been changed, and that changes everything.

当然,我们也并不是假装旅行没有缺点,或是说我们忍受飞行时差综合反应只是为了消遣。在卢浮宫我们迷路十个小时,那不是因为我们喜欢迷路。我们站在马丘比丘古城遗址顶端俯瞰的风景可能也并不能弥补我们丢失行李的麻烦。(通常,我在假期结束后还需要一个休假。)我们旅行是因为我们需要旅行,因为距离与差异是创造力的秘密基石。我们回家后,家还是那个家,但是我们的思维已经有所改变,而这就可以改变一切。

课文B

Traveling solo - A blessing overall! 独自旅行——总体来说是好事

So you're ready to travel. Pick a place, any place. Let's say you've always wanted to go to China. You've seen pictures of the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tian'anmen Square. You've always been fascinated with Chinese aesthetics and culture, with red, fragrant temples and venerable statues. You have a chunk of money saved and extra vacation time earned. Now is the time to go!

现在你准备去旅行,挑一个地方,任何地方都可以。比如你一直想去中国,你已经看过了长城、紫禁城、天安门广场的照片。你一直被中国的美学艺术和文化所深深吸引,那里有香烟缭绕的红色寺庙,有庄严的塑像。你早就省下了一笔钱,挤出了点时间,现在,该出发了!

But maybe you haven't traveled much. You've never been to an exotic place where you can't speak the language or read the signs. A place where you'll have to do all the research for yourself, find hotels, get yourself around, buy locomotive or bus tickets, order your own food. You must figure all of this out while looking at the unfamiliar notation which you see wherever you look or go.

但也许你以前旅行不多。你从来没去过异国他乡,你不会讲当地语言,也看不懂任何标志。在这里,你得亲自研究所有的事情,自己找旅店,自己到处逛,自己买火车票或汽车票,自己点餐。所有这一切,无论你身处何处,你都得盯着那些不熟悉的符号自己搞定。

So now you're ready to realize your dream to explore China, and find, for yourself, the soul of the country. Unfortunately, right from the onset, none of your friends share that dream. Your sister is pregnant and can't travel. Your best friend just got a new job and can't take time off. So what do you do? You could ask everyone you know - friends, acquaintances, co-workers. You could join a tour. Or, you could go alone.

所以,现在你整装待发,去实现探索中国的梦想,亲自去发现这个国家的灵魂所在。但是不幸的是,刚一开始就没有朋友分享你的梦想。你姐姐怀孕了,不能去旅行;你最好的朋友刚刚找到新工作,没办法休假。你该怎么办呢?你可能会询问认识的每一个人——朋友,熟人,同事。你可以参团旅游。或者,你也可以自己一个人去。

To travel alone is a difficult decision for anyone, though especially for women. For me, it came naturally. I made that trip to China, and then zigzagged on a multinational excursion through Indonesia, Thailand, England and France.

对于任何人来说,独自旅行都是一个艰难的决定。对女性来说尤其如此。而对我而言,这个决定却再自然不过。我先去了中国,然后再辗转到了印度尼西亚、泰国、英国和法国,经历了一次多国之旅。

But the reactions I've gotten, from people I know, fellow travelers, and especially, from the natives of the countries I've visited, showed me that solo traveling is strange, and even considered inconceivable or reckless by many people. People ask me if the isolation makes me sad or even if I'm more susceptible to violent or dangerous situations.

但是,我从认识的人、旅友,尤其是所到国家的居民的反应中得知,很多人觉得独自旅行很怪异,甚至会觉得不可思议和欠考虑。人们问我单独一人会不会觉得难过,甚至问我是不是更容易遭遇暴力或者危险情况。

This has been sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse. I remember searching desperately for accommodations in Taiwan. The university listed in my booklet no longer had dormitories for travelers, and I was lucky when the desk clerk called a young woman out of a nearby office. As it turned out, she was offering to let me stay at her flat and even had a friend come show me around the city the next day.

单独旅行有时是件好事,有时则不然。我想起曾经有一次在台湾绝望地寻找住处的经历。我的手册上列出的大学已经没有宿舍提供给旅游者了。幸运的是,接待人员从旁边办公室叫出一个年轻女孩儿。结果,这个女孩儿让我在她的公寓住了一晚,甚至第二天还让她的一个朋友带我在这座城市转了转。

Also in Taiwan, I met two girls who smuggled me into their hotel room, gave me one of the beds (they shared the other), and took me to a feast with their tour group. When they heard my next stop was their hometown, they arranged for a bilingual friend to pick me up at the train station.

还是在台湾,我遇见两个女孩儿。她们偷偷地把我带进旅店的房间,让我睡其中的一张床(她们俩挤另一张床),还带我和她们的旅行团一起吃了顿丰盛的饭。当她们听说我下一站要去她们的家乡时,又安排了一个会说两种语言的朋友到火车站接我。

But there has also been the downside of those not-so-pleasant experiences. In Indonesia, a cute boy gave me a ride on his motorbike, and thought that gave him license to grope me illicitly. Many times in Indonesia, boys menaced me, assuming I was willing to pay for their company. In Japan, I was picked up by a young man who refused to drop me at my Youth Hostel; he insisted I stay with his friends. The friends turned out to be four girls; I was safe, but one snored like a lawnmower, and it took me two days to escape.

当然也有一些不太愉快的负面经历。在印度尼西亚,一个长相可爱的男孩儿让我搭乘了他的摩托车,认为这样他就可以非礼我。在那里,常常有一些男孩儿威胁我,认为我同意付钱让他们陪游。在日本,一个年轻男人让我搭车,却拒绝让我在青年旅馆下车,他坚持让我和他的朋友们呆在一起。结果我发现,他的朋友是四个女孩儿。我很安全,但是其中一个人打呼噜就像割草机一样。我花了两天时间才逃走。

I've been irritated and perplexed many times - not speaking a language, not understanding or being understood. Once, in Italy, a hotel clerk tried to overcharge me and only gave up after 10 minutes of arguing. Another time in China, a taxi driver insisted I pay more, and I was rescued by the doorman of a fancy hotel.

戏。

One day, I came away from my house filled with fury because of a poor job some painters had done on my house. My friend waved to me as I walked by, so I went into his shop to vent my frustration. He let me speak angrily about the poor work and carelessness of present-day workmen. 'They had no pride in their work,\nothing! The undutiful attitude these days is almost a sin.\

有一天,因为几个油漆匠把我的房子弄得不像样子,我怒气冲冲地从家里出来。路过他的小店时,已是朋友的他冲我招手,我便走进他的店里发泄郁闷。他听我气愤地诉说现今工人工作糟糕,粗心马虎。“他们对自己的工作没有荣誉感,”我说,“他们只想挣钱却不想做事。如今这种不负责的态度简直就是一种罪过。”

He consoled me, saying, \them too rashly. Maybe their parents had no pride in their work. That's hard on a child. It keeps a child from learning what's important.\

他安慰我说:“身边有许多那样的人,不过我们或许不要太急于怪罪他们。可能他们的父母就对自己的工作没有自豪感。这对孩子来说很不好,让他们没法知道什么东西才是重要的。”

\“对此我们能做什么呢?”我问。

He pondered that for a minute before answering. Then he looked at me seriously. \only one way. Every man or woman who hasn't inherited a prideful tradition must start building one. In this country, each of us can make our own contribution to the fabric of society, and we must endeavor to make it a good one. No matter what sort of work a person does, if we give it our best each day, we're starting a tradition for our children to live up to. When a person amends their ways and learns to take pride in their work, a lifetime of happiness will ensue.\

回答之前他想了一会儿,然后认真地看着我,“只有一个办法。一个人如果没有光荣传统可以继承,那他/她就必须开始去建立一个。在这个国家,我们每个人都能为社会建设做出自己的贡献,我们必须努力把它做好。不管一个人做什么样的工作,只要我们每天都把它做到最好,我们就在为自己的孩子建立一个可遵循的传统。当一个人修正自己的方式并学会以自己的工作为荣时,快乐的一生就会随之而来。”

I traveled for a few months on business, and shortly after my return, I walked down the street, looking forward to seeing my friend again. Yet when I arrived, I found the door closed. There was a little sign: \

我在外出差了几个月,一回来就上街,期望再见到我的朋友。可是我到那儿时却发现门关着,一张小告示上写着“取鞋请到隔壁店”。

I went into the next shop, and what I heard pierced my heart. Yes, the old man had passed away. He was stricken with an infectious illness two weeks before and died two days later.

我走进隔壁店里,听到的消息让我心如刀绞。是的,这位老人已经过世了。两周前他突然患了传染病,两天后就去世了。

I went away with a wretched void in my heart. I would miss him, terribly. But he had left me something, an important piece of wisdom I will invariably remember: \you have inherited a prideful tradition, you must carry it on; if you haven't, then start building one now.\

离开时,我心里空落落的,痛苦不已。我会很怀念他,非常地怀念。不过他已给我留下了一些东西——一句我将永远牢记的隽语:“如果你继承了一个光荣传统,就必须把它传承下去;如果你没有,那现在就开始建立一个。”

Unit 6 War and Peace

课文A

Under the bombs:1945

1945:在炮火攻击下

Today, when I look back, I'm surprised that I recall the beginning so vividly; it's still clearly fixed in my mind with all its coloring and emotional intensity. It begins with my suddenly noticing 12 distant silver points in the clear brilliant sky filled with an unfamiliar abnormal hum. I'm seven years old, standing in a meadow, and staring at the points barely moving across the sky.

如今,当我回首往事,我很惊讶我居然能如此生动地回忆起轰炸开始的情况,那天的色彩和紧张的情绪仍然清晰地印在我的脑海中。那天,我突然发现在晴朗的天空中出现了 12 个银色的小点儿,离我很远,发出不正常的嗡嗡声,这种声音我以前从来没听过。那年我七岁,就这样站在一片草地上,盯着天空中几乎不怎么移动的小点儿。

Suddenly, nearby, at the edge of the forest, there's the tremendous roar of bombs exploding. From my standpoint, I see gigantic fountains of earth spraying upward. I want to run toward this extraordinary spectacle; it terrorizes and fascinates me. I have not yet grown accustomed to war and can't relate into a single chain of causes and effects these airplanes, the roar of the bombs, the earth radiating out from the forest, and my seemingly inevitable death. Unable to conceive of the danger, I start running toward the forest, in the direction of the falling bombs. But a hand claws at me and tugs me to the ground. \move!\know exists, whose meaning I don't understand: That way is death.

突然,就在附近,森林的边缘,我听到有巨大的炸弹爆炸的声音。在我这个小孩的眼里,我看到的是泥土像巨大的喷泉一样冲到天上。我想跑过去看看这个特别的景象,它让我感到害怕,但是也让我着迷。我还没有习惯战争,也不能把这些飞机、炸弹的轰鸣、森林那边飞溅开来的泥土以及我看似必然的死亡联系成单一的因果关系。没考虑有危险,我开始朝着投下炸弹的森林方向跑。这时一只手拉住了我,把我拽倒在地上。“趴下来,”我听到母亲发抖的声音,“不要动!”我还记得母亲把我紧紧贴在她身边,说的一些东西我并不知道,也并不理解其含义:那是一条死路。

It's night and I'm sleepy, but I'm not allowed to sleep. We have to evacuate the city and run away in the night like convicts. Where to, I don't know; but I do understand that flight has suddenly become some kind of higher necessity, some new form of life, because everyone is running away.

到了晚上,我很困,但是我不能睡。我们不得不撤离这座城市,像囚犯一样在夜间逃亡。到哪儿去,我不知道,但是我知道逃跑突然变成了某种必须要做的事情,一种新的生存方式,因为每个人都在逃跑。

All highways, roads, and even country paths are a tangle of wagons, carts, and bicycles, with bundles and suitcases, and innumerable terrified, helplessly wandering people. Some are running away to the east, others to the west, north, south; they run in circles, fall from profound fatigue, sleep for a moment, then begin anew their aimless journey. I clasp my younger sister's hand firmly in mine. We mustn't get lost, my mother warns; but even without her telling me, I sense that some form of dangerous evil has permeated the world.

所有公路、大路、甚至是乡间小路上都是混乱的马车、拉车、自行车,上面装着包裹和箱子,还有数不清的吓坏了的人,他们无助地游走着。一些人向东边跑,另一些人向西边、

北边、南边跑;他们徒劳地跑着,实在累了就躺下来,睡一会儿,然后重新开始他们漫无目的的旅程。我紧紧地把妹妹的手握在手里。我母亲警告过,我们不能走失;但就算她没告诉我,我也能感觉到某种危险的灾难弥漫了整个世界。

I'm walking with my sister beside a wagon. It's a simple ladder wagon, lined with hay, and high up on the hay, on a cotton sheet, rests my grandfather. He can't move; he is paralyzed, another casualty of a landmine. When an air raid begins, the entire group dives into ditches; only my grandfather remains on the deserted road. He sees the airplanes flying at him, sees them violently dip and aim, sees the fire of ammunition, hears the roar of the engines passing over his head. When the planes disappear, we return to the wagon and my mother wipes the sweat from my grandfather's flushed face. Sometimes, there are air raids several times a day. After each one, sweat pours from my grandfather's tired face.

我和妹妹在马车边走着。这是一辆简易马车,车里铺着干草,在干草上,铺着一条棉布床单,我的祖父躺在上面。他不能动,已经瘫痪了;也是地雷的受害者。空袭一来时,所有人都冲到了壕沟里,只有我祖父留在没人的马路上。他看着飞机向自己猛扑过来,看着它们猛地俯冲瞄准,看着弹药喷出烈焰,听着轰鸣的引擎从他的头上飞过。当飞机消失后,我们回到马车边,母亲擦去祖父通红的脸上的汗水。有时,一天会有好几次空袭,每次空袭过后,汗水都会渗满我祖父疲惫的脸。

We're entering an increasingly appalling landscape. There's smoke on the horizon, the blaze of battle fading. We pass by deserted villages, solitary, burned-out houses. We pass battlefields dense with the garbage of abandoned war equipment, bombed-out railway stations, overturned cars. It smells of gunpowder, and of burning, decomposing meat after a massacre. Everywhere are the corpses of horses, too defenseless in this human war.

我们正在踏入一个越来越可怕的场景。地平线上浓烟滚滚,战火在慢慢熄灭。我们经过了废弃的村庄和孤零零的被烧毁的房屋。我们经过了战场,这里到处都是垃圾,有丢弃的武器装备、被炸毁的火车站、翻倒的车辆。空气中都是火药味和大屠杀后尸体烧焦和腐烂的味道。到处都是马的死尸,在人类战争中它们是孱弱无力的。

When winter comes, we stop running from the bombs so we can hide from the severe elements. Winter is but another season for those in normal conditions, but for the poor during wartime, winter is a disaster, a pervasive and constant threat. We find an apartment in the slums that provides a minimal coverage from the snow but we still can't afford to heat the furnace; we can't buy fuel nor risk stealing it. Death is the punishment for the robbery of coal or wood - human life is now worth next to nothing.

当冬季来临的时候,我们停了下来,不再逃避轰炸,这样我们就可以躲过恶劣的天气了。对正常情况下的人们来说,冬天只不过是另一个季节。但对于战时的穷人来说,冬天是一个灾难,一个无处不在、持续不断的威胁。我们在贫民窟里找了套房子,勉强在风雪中栖身,但我们生不起火;我们既买不起燃料,也不敢冒险去偷。偷盗燃煤和木料是要处死的——人的生命在此时一文不值。

We have nothing to eat. My mother stands brooding at the window for hours; I can see her fixed stare. I can see other residents staring out into the street from many windows, as if they were waiting for something. I weave my way around the backyards with a gang of stray boys; it's something between play and searching for a scrap of anything edible.

我们什么吃的也没有。我母亲在窗边愁闷着,一站就是几个小时,我能看到她呆滞的眼神。我能看到很多人从窗口旁盯着下面的街道看,好像在等待着什么。我和一群流浪的孩子在后院来回跑着玩儿,这既是游戏,也是在寻找一点吃的东西。

One day we hear that they'll be giving out candy in a store near the warehouse. Immediately we make a long queue of cold and hungry children. We stand in the frost all night and the following day, huddled together to summon a bit of warmth. Finally, they open the store. But instead of candy, we are each granted an empty metal container that once held some fruit drops. Weak and stiff from the cold, yet at this moment happy, I carry my treasure home, guarding it jealously. It's valuable; the inside wall of the can still has a sugar residue. My mother heats some water and pours it into the can. We have a dilute, sweet drink: Our only nutrition for days.

有一天,听说他们会在仓库附近的一家商店散发糖果,我们这群饥寒交迫的孩子立即排了一条长队。我们在严寒中站了整整一夜以及第二天一整天,挤在一起以获得一丝暖意。终于,商店开门了,但发给我们每个人的却不是糖果,而是一个装过水果糖的空金属罐子。我虚弱不堪、冻得僵硬,但此刻却很开心,我带着我的宝贝回到家,小心地呵护着。它很珍贵,因为它的内壁上还有糖渣。我母亲烧了些水,把水倒进去,稀释成了甜甜的饮料:这是我们这些天唯一的营养。

I can't quite remember when or how the war ended for us; my mind is always drawn back to that first day in the meadow, the explosions destroying the peaceful flowers and the naive days of my childhood. Try as I might, I still can't understand what we could have done to justify all the suffering war inevitably inflicts.

我不太记得战争是何时结束的,如何结束的。我的记忆总是被拉回到第一天草地上的情形,那天,爆炸破坏了花丛的宁静,也打破了我童年的纯真时光。无论我如何努力,我还是不清楚当初到底我们做了什么,要让我们承受战争不可避免带来的所有这些伤害。

课文B

Smith and Luis

史密斯上尉和路易的故事

Ever since the arrival of the American military, Luis Dutarte's world had changed. Overnight, a military camp had sprung to life on the empty field just below his home in Normandy. For a seven-year-old orphan, it was in essence a dream come to life. His keeper Mrs. Bijeaux, had to drag him in at night from his terrace on the cliff overlooking the beach.

自从美国军队到来后,路易?迪塔尔特的世界发生了变化。一夜之间,在诺曼底他家下面的空地上,一个军营就矗立了起来。对一个七岁的孤儿来说,其实是梦境成真了。他家门前的大露台位于峭壁上,可以俯瞰沙滩,到了晚上,他的监护人比诺夫人得把他从那儿拽回屋。

Now he watched, wide-eyed, as jeeps roared up the road and men scrambled about, emptying trucks loaded with guns, ammunition, food, and giant army bags. He yawned as the scent of crisp bacon, eggs, coffee, and the smell of toast came from the kitchen tent. He tilted his small head back, breathing in the fragrance. His stomach moaned.

现在,他眼睛睁得大大的,看着吉普车咆哮着沿路而上,士兵们来回奔忙,正在从卡车上卸载枪支、弹药、食物和巨大军用口袋。他打了个呵欠,这时闻到一阵脆培根、鸡蛋、咖啡和烤面包的香味从厨房帐篷传来。他扬起了小脑袋,闻着传来的香味。他的肚子在咕噜咕噜地叫。

Ronald Smith, a lieutenant in the Seabees, the US Navy's Construction Battalion, held a clipboard and checked off the morning's accomplishments. The hospital tent was complete, as was the new shower.

罗纳德?史密斯,美国海军工程营上尉,拿着一块笔记板,在核对早晨任务完成的情况。

医护帐篷已建成,新的淋浴室也完工了。

Smith and his top sergeant had been busy since dawn, and it was now noon. He dispatched him, then took a moment and touched the breast pocket that held the photo of his wife and two young sons. It had been more than a year since he'd been deployed and last seen them. 史密斯和他的军士长从早晨一直忙到现在,都已经是中午了。他打发走了军士长,抽出时间,从胸前的口袋里摸出了他的妻子和两个年幼儿子的合照。他上一次见到他们之后,被派到这里已经过了一年多了。

When the lieutenant turned to go, he saw something in the tall grass on the hill. He waved. A small hand waved back. There was a moment of hesitation; then, the boy timidly made his way down.

上尉正要转身离开,他发现小山丘上的茂草丛中有什么东西。他挥了挥手,一只小手也挥了挥。犹豫了片刻,小男孩怯怯地走了下来。

Smith tried out his high school French, hoping he could remember the right wording: \

史密斯试着用高中学过的法语,希望自己记得的法语表达是正确的:“你叫什么名字?” The boy blushed and his eyes shone. \

小男孩儿脸红了,眼睛闪着光,说:“路易。”

Smith shook his hand. This little guy looked like he could use a good meal, and the camp had more than enough food. In his halting French, Smith invited Luis to have lunch. When the boy nodded, Smith lifted him onto his hip, as he might have done with one of his own sons, and walked briskly toward the tent.

史密斯跟他握了握手。这个小家伙看起来可以在这儿饱餐一顿,营地有足够多的食物。史密斯用他结结巴巴的法语邀请路易去吃午餐。小男孩点点头,史密斯把他背到背上,就像对他自己的儿子那样,然后快步向帐篷走去。

Inside, dozens of young soldiers ate and talked. Smith piled two plates high with roast beef, carrots, and apple pie sprinkled with sugar.

帐篷里,一群年轻的士兵在边吃边聊,史密斯给他盛了两盘堆得高高的烤牛肉、胡萝卜,还有撒着糖的苹果派。

After lunch, Smith held Luis' hand, and they walked into the June sunlight. He knelt beside the boy and explained that he had to go back to work. Luis nodded and ran back up the path to the tall grass, turning around to wave.

午饭过后,史密斯牵着路易的手,走进六月的阳光里。他跪在小男孩儿旁边,解释说他得回去工作了。路易点点头,沿路跑回到了茂草丛,转身挥了挥手。

At 18:00 hours, as Smith was again heading for the mess tent, he saw Luis sitting in the same spot. He motioned, and Luis ran to him.

傍晚六点,史密斯再次前往那个用餐的帐篷,看见路易坐在同一个地方。他向路易招了招手,路易就跑了过来。

Dinner was fried chicken, potatoes, and peanut cookies. Smith again filled two plates, but Luis didn't eat as much as he had at lunch; it was clear that the boy wasn't used to so much food. But he clutched Smith's hand and smiled his shy smile. After dinner, Smith knelt close to Luis. \path and out of sight.

晚饭是炸鸡、土豆、花生饼干。史密斯又给他盛了两盘,但这次路易吃的没午饭多。很明显,小男孩还不习惯吃这么多的食物。但他抓住史密斯的手,害羞地朝他微笑。晚饭后,

I am, actually, grateful to the author, and for the insights she gave me. Reading her essay definitely put some Chinese iron into my Western spine, and though I eventually apologized to my daughter for failing to acknowledge, right off the bat, all those tough classes last semester in which she had done phenomenally well, and for expressing my disappointment at the others too vigorously, I have also vowed that she will clamp down on those three subjects in which she is \

其实,我很感谢作者,感谢她让我增长了见识。读她的文章确实让我这西方的头脑融入了一些中国元素,尽管我最终向女儿道了歉,因为我没有一开始就认可上学期她在那些很难的课程上所取得的异常优秀的成绩,并对其他课程表示了过于强烈的失望,但我也立誓要帮她攻克成绩不够好的三门课。对此她父亲和我看法是一致的。

But Chinese methods, I think, do still need some scrutiny. My daughter Rosie is mildly dyslexic, a learning difficulty that means she automatically reads words backward. By the time the psychiatrist diagnosed her, in second grade, she was lagging far behind her classmates. For years I forced her to spell words in the bathtub with foam letters, to do worksheets, to subdivide words into sounds and take practice tests. My criticism and forced rehearsing was redundant, it turns out - inside, she was all ready to punish herself, and I was only prolonging her misery and shattering her confidence. Eventually, and totally out of character, she even stopped loving school. She lost her sparkle. She started to suffer from constant stomachaches and broke down in tears almost every day. At last we heard about a reading program where students spent four hours every day in a small room under a supervisor with a specialization in dyslexia, drilling in letters and sight words. It sounded awful, but Rosie insisted on it. She loved books and stories. She wanted to read.

但中国的方法,我认为,确实仍然需要推敲。我女儿罗西有轻度阅读障碍,她会不由自主地逆读,这是她读二年级时精神科医生诊断出来的,那时她已经远远落后于她的同学。多年来,我强迫她在浴缸里用泡沫塑料字母拼写单词,做活页练习,把单词细分为读音,做各种练习测试。我批评她以及强迫她不断练习是多余的,原来——在她内心,她早已准备好惩罚自己,我只不过是在延长她的痛苦,粉碎她的信心。最后,她甚至不再爱上学了,这与她的性格全不相符。她失去了活力,开始不断地肚子难受,几乎每天都会流泪痛哭。后来,我们听说有一个阅读课程,学生在专攻阅读困难的专家的引导下,每天在小房间里花四个小时进行字母和常见单词练习。这听起来很可怕,但罗西执意要去。她喜欢书籍和小说,她想要阅读。

Every day when we picked her up, her face would be red with tears, her eyes hollow and exhausted. Every day we asked her if she wanted to quit. Neither her father nor I wanted to make a unilateral decision when she was the one who suffered, so we asked her. But every day she returned to the trenches, her little shoulders bent under the weight of her struggle. Rosie has a process she follows when she's scared - \know where she learned it. Maybe from one of those television shows I shouldn't let her watch.

每天我们去接她时,她的脸总是红红的,满是泪水,两眼无神,疲惫不堪。我们每天都问她,要不要退出。无论是她父亲还是我都不想单方面替她作出决定,因为她才是遭受痛苦的人,所以我们问她的意见。而每天,她都回到课程训练现场,挣扎于重压之下,她的小肩膀都弯了。每当害怕的时候,罗西有一套自己的办法——她会对自己轻声说“要战胜恐惧”。我不知道她是从哪里学来的,也许是某个我不该让她看的电视节目。

At the end of a grim and brutal month, Rosie learned to read. Not because we sat like watchdogs and forced her to drill and practice and repeat, not because we dragged her kicking

and screaming, or denied her food, or kept her from using the bathroom, but because she forced herself. Because of this, she emerged with a conception of herself as a powerful, versatile person.

在一个月严厉苛刻的学习结束时,罗西掌握了阅读。这不是因为我们像看守似地盯着她,强迫她练习、实践和重复,也不是因为我们拽着她又踢又叫,或者不给她饭吃,不让她上厕所,而是因为她自己逼着自己学。正因为如此,她开始意识到自己是一个意志坚强、多才多艺的人。

I have a feeling when Chinese children are underdeveloped or suffer from learning disabilities like Rosie's, their parents channel their admirable passion into finding a solution that works. They are just as dogged and determined, but in an entirely different way. In some scenarios roaring like a tiger turns children into pianists who debut at Carnegie Hall, but in others it only limits, constricts, and reins them in. Positive enthusiasm gives some the excuse to fail and others the chance to succeed. Wherever we reside on our big green, blue planet, Chinese mothers and I both understand that our job as mothers is to be the type of tigress that each of our different children needs.

我觉得中国孩子如果发育存在问题或者像罗西这样有学习障碍时,他们的父母会投入令人钦佩的热情去寻找可行的解决方案。他们同样是不屈不挠,无比坚定,只不过用的是完全不同的方式。某些情形下,咆哮如虎能让孩子成为在卡内基音乐厅首演的钢琴家,但其他情况下这只会限制、压迫、束缚他们。热切的关注会成为一些孩子失败的原因,也会给其他孩子成功的机会。这碧绿而又蔚蓝的广袤星球上,无论我们居于何处,中国母亲和我都明白,我们作为母亲的职责是成为每个孩子各自所需要的母老虎类型。

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