研究生英语综合教程上-课文+翻译

Unit One

核心员工的特征

大卫·G．詹森

1 What exactly is a key player? 核心员工究竟是什么样子的? A key player is a phrase that I’ve heard about from employers during just about every search I’ve conducted. 几乎每次进行调查时，我都会从雇主们那里听到“核心员工”这个名词。I asked a client --a hiring manager involved in a search --to define it for me. 我请一位客户——一位正参与研究的人事部经理，给我解释一下。Every company has a handful of staff in a given area of expertise that you can count on to get the job done. 每家公司都有少数几个这样的员工，在某个专业领域，你可以指望他们把活儿干好。

On my team of seven process engineers and biologist,I’ve got two or three whom I just couldn’t live without 在我的小组中，有七名化工流程工程师和生物学家，其中有那么两三个人是我赖以生存的，” He said.key players are essential to my organization. 他说，“他们对我的公司而言不可或缺。And when hire your company to recruit for us ,we expect that you’ll be going into other companies and finding just that :the staff that another manager will not want to see leave .we recruit only key players . 当请你们公司替我们招募新人的时候，我们期待你们会去其他公司找这样的人：其他公司经理不想失去的员工。我们只招募核心员工。”

2 This is part of a pep talk intended to send headhunters into competitor’s company to talk to the most experienced staff about making a change . 这是一段充满了鼓动性的谈话，目的是把猎头们派往竞争对手的公司去游说经验丰富的员工们做一次职业变更。They want to hire a key player from another company . 他们想从另一家公司招募核心员

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工。Every company also hires from the ranks of newbies ,and what they are looking for is exactly the same . 然而，每家公司也从新人中招人。他们要寻找的是完全一样的东西。We hold them up to the standers we see in our top people . “我们把他们和公司顶级员工表现出的特质进行对照。If it looks like they have this traits ,we’ll place a bet on them .It’s just a bit riskier . 假如他们看起来有同样特征的话，我们就在他们身上赌一把。”只是这样有点儿冒险。

3It’s an educated guess ,says my hiring manager client . “这是一种有根据的猜测，”我的人事经理客户说。Your job as a future employee is to help the hiring manager mitigate that risk .You need to help them identify you as a prospective key player . 作为未来的一名员工，你的工作是帮助人事部经理降低这种风险，你需要帮助他们认定你有潜力成为一名核心员工。

4 Trait 1:the selfless collaborator 特征1：无私的合作者

John Fetzer ,career consultant and chemist ,first suggested this trait ,which has already been written about a great deal . 职业顾问和化学家约翰·费策尔最早提出了这个特征。关于这个特征，人们已经写了大量的文章。It deserves repeating because it is the single most public difference between academic and industry . 它之所以值得被反复谈及，是因为这一特征是学术界和企业间最明显的差别。It’s teamwork ,says Fetzer .The business environment is less lone-wolf and competitive ,so signs of being collaborative and selfless stand out .You just can’t succeed in an industry environment without this mindset . “这里需要合作，”费策尔说，“企业的环境并不需要单打独斗，争强好胜，所以表现出合作和无私精神的员工就脱颖而出了。在企业环境中，没有这样的思维方式就不可能成功。”

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5 Many postdocs and grad students have a tough time showing that they can make this transition because so much of their life has involved playing the independent-researcher role and outshining other young stars. 许多博士后和研究生在进行这种过渡的过程中表现得相当费力。因为生命中有那么长一段时间他们都在扮演一个独立研究者的角色，并且要表现得比其他年轻的优秀人才更出色。You can make yourself more attractive to companies by working together with scientists from other laboratories and disciplines in pursuit of common goal --and documenting the results on your resume . 你可以藉此提高在公司的吸引力：为追求一个共同的目标和来自其他实验室和学科的科学家们合作——并且为你的个人履历上的内容提供事迹证明。This approach ,combined with a liberal use of the pronoun we and not just I when describing your accomplishments ,can change the company’s perception of you from a lone wolf to a selfless collaborator . 这个方法，加上你在描述业绩时开明地使用代词“我们”，而不是“我”，能使公司对你的看法从 “单干户”转变成“合作者”。Better still ,develop a reputation inside your lab and with people your lab collaborator with as a person who fosters and initiates collaborations --and make sure this quality gets mentioned by those who will take those reference phone calls . 更为有利的是，要在你实验室内部，以及在和你们实验室合作的人们之间，培养一个良好声誉：一个鼓励并发动合作的人——还要保证让那些会接听调查电话的人们谈及你的这个品质。

6 trait 2:a sense of urgency特征2：紧迫感

Don Haut is a frequent contributor to the aaas.sciencecareers@org discussion forum . 唐-豪特是一位给aaas.sciencecareers@org 网站论坛频繁写稿的撰稿人。He is a former scientist who transitioned to industry many years ago and then on to a senior management

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position . 他之前是一名科学家。许多年前他转向了企业，并一直做到高级管理的职位。Haut heads strategy and business development for a division of 3M with more than 2.4 billion in annual revenues . He is among those who value a sense of urgency . 他在3M公司一个部门负责策略和商业开发工作，这个部门每年上缴的税收高达24亿多美元。他就是一个重视紧迫感的人。

7Business happens 24/7/365 ,which means that competition happens 24/7/365 ,as well ,says Haut . “一年365天，一周7天，一天24小时，生意始终在进行，那意味着一年365天，一周7天，一天24小时，竞争也同样在进行，”豪特说， One way that companies win is by getting there faster ,which means that you not only have to mobilize all of the functions that support a business to move quickly ,but you have to know how to decide where there is ! “公司取胜的方法之一就是要更快地到达‘目的地’。这就是说，你不仅要把所有能支持公司快速运转的功能都调动起来，而且还得知道如何决定‘目的地’是哪里。This creates a requirement not only for people who can act quickly ,but for those who can think fast and have the courage to act on their convictions . 这样，不仅对那些行动快速的人们，也对那些思维敏捷，并有勇气按自己的想法行事的人们都提出了要求。This requirement needs to run throughout an organization and is not exclusive to management . 这需要全公司各部门的运作，而不仅仅是管理部门的工作。”

8 trait 3: risk tolerance特征3：风险容忍度

A candidate needs to have demonstrated the ability to make decisions with imperfect or incomplete information .He or she must be able to embrace ambiguity and stick his or her neck out to drive to a conclusion , wrote one of my clients in a job description . 企业要求员工能承受风险。Being OK with risk is something that industry demands .“一名求职者

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需要表现出仅凭不准确、不完整的信息就做出决策的能力。他或她必须能接纳不确定因素并冒着风险做出结论，”一位客户在职业描述中写道。

9 Haut agrees .Business success is often defined by comfort with ambiguity and risk-personal ,organizational ,and financial . 豪特赞同这一说法。“商业成功通常有这样一个特质：那就是能接受不确定因素和风险——个人的，组织上的和财务上的。This creates a disconnect for many scientists because success in academia is really more about careful ,studied research . 这就让许多科学家感到不适应，因为学术上的成功其实是依靠认真而严谨的研究。Further ,great science is often defined by how one gets to the answer as much as by the itself , so scientists often fall in love with the process . 更进一步说，伟大的科学常常是由找寻答案的过程和答案本身两者同时来定义的。因此科学家们往往沉迷于过程。In a business ,you need to understand the process , but you end up falling in love with the answer and then take a risk based on what you think that answer means to your business . Putting your neck on the line like this is a skill set that all employers look for in their best people . 在企业里，你需要了解过程，但最终你会迷上答案，然后根据你认为该答案对你的企业所具有的意义来冒风险。像这样敢冒风险是一套技能组合，是所有雇主在他们最好的员工身上所寻找的东西。”

10 Another important piece of risk tolerance is a candidate’s degree of comfort with failure . 风险容忍度的另外一个要点是求职者对失败的承受度。Failure is important because it shows that you were not afraid to take chances . 失败很重要，因为这表示你不怕冒险。So companies consistently look for candidates who can be wrong and admit it . Everyone knows how to talk about successes -----or they should if they’re in a job search ---but far fewer people are comfortable talking about failures ,and fewer still know how to

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bring lessons and advantages back from the brink . 所以各家公司总会寻找有可能犯错误并敢于承认错误的求职者。大家都知道如何谈论成功——或者当他们在寻找工作的时候应该知道。但很少有人乐意谈论失败，更少有人知道如何从失败的边缘吸取教训和获得经验。For my organization ,a candidate needs to have comfort discussing his or her failures ,and he or she needs to have real failures,not something made up for interview day .If not ,that person has not taken enough risk .says Haut . “对我的企业来说，求职者需要坦然地谈论他或她的失败，而且他或她需要有真正的失败经历，而不是特意为面试而杜撰的东西。如果做不到的话，那么这个人冒的风险还不够，”豪特说。

11 trait 4:strength in interpersonal relationships特征4：善于处理人际关系 Rick Leach is in business development for deCODE Genetics . 瑞克·李奇在迪科德遗传工程公司从事业务拓展。Leach made the transition to industry recently ,on the business side of things . 李奇最近才转行到企业，做业务方面的工作。I asked him about this key trait because in his new business role ,interpersonal abilities make the difference between success and failure . 我向他咨询这个重要特征，是因为在他的新业务角色中，人际沟通能力在成功和失败之间发挥着很大的作用。Scientists spend their lives accumulating knowledge and developing technical acumen , he says ,but working for a business requires something else entirely --people skills . “科学家毕生都在积累知识，培养技术上的敏锐感，”他说，“但为企业工作需要完全不同的东西——人际交往的能力。The scientist who is transitioning into the business world must prioritize his or her relationship assets above their technical assets. 想转行到企业界的科学家们必须优先考虑他们的社会关系资源而不是技术资源。To suddenly be valued and measured by your mastery of human relationships can be a very scary proposition for a person who has been

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value and measured only by his mastery of things ,says Rick . 对一个以前一直根据专业知识水平被评价的人来说，突然之间要根据他的人际交往能力来评价他，真是十分令人恐惧。”

12 It would be a mistake ,however ,to assume that strong people skills are required only for business people like Leach . 然而，如果认为只有像李奇那样的生意人才需要熟练的人际沟通技巧，那就错了。Indeed ,the key players I’ve met who work at the bench in industry have succeed in great measure because they’ve been able to work with a broad variety of personalities ,up and down the organization . 事实上，我所遇见的在企业工作的核心员工们之所以取得成功，很大程度上是因为他们能够与公司上下各种各样的人共事。 Unit Two

中餐被公认为全球最佳美食之一，其种类之丰富，工艺之繁复，使其理所当然地成为游客大快朵颐的乐事之一。 Universally recognized as one of the greatest cuisines of the world ,Chinese food in all variety and complexity is unquestionably one of the finest pleasures a visitor can experience in China .

中国美食

1 Chinese cuisine is a brilliant facet of Chinese culture ,which is proven by the fact that Chinese restaurant are found scattered everywhere throughout the world . 中国美食是中国文化一道绚烂的风景线，这点从世界各地随处可见的中餐馆可以窥见。Today ,the culinary industry is developing even more rapidly than before . 当今，烹饪业正以前所未有的速度在发展。A decade ago ,Beijing had a few thousand restaurants , while today there

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are over 100000 restaurants of different sizes in the city. 10年前，北京只有几千家餐馆，而今天却有10万多家大小不等的餐馆遍布市内。

2地方美食

It is widely acknowledged that from the Ming(1368-1644) dynasties onwards ,there are eight major schools of cuisine based on regional cooking . They came from Shandong ,Sichuan ,guangdong,fujian, jiangsu ,zhejiang ,hunan ,and anhui ,province . 众所周知，明朝以来出现了八大菜系，分别是山东菜、四川菜、广东菜、福建菜、江苏菜、浙江菜、湖南菜和安徽菜。In addition to these traditional cuisines ,the culinary industry in China has undergone great changes ,as almost every place has its own local specialties ,and as the difference cuisines gather together in big cities ,such as Beijing . 除了这些传统菜系，中国的烹饪业也经历了巨大的变化：每个地方都形成了自己的特色菜，不同菜系汇集于诸如北京这样的大城市。

3 Sichuan ,known as Nature’s Storehouse ,is also a storehouse of cuisine . Here ,each and every restaurant provides delicious yet economical culinary fare . 被誉为“天府之国”的四川也是个美食之都。在那里的任何一家餐馆都能找到既可口又经济实惠的美食。The ingredients for Sichuan cuisine are simple but the spicy used are quite different .Sichuan cuisine is famous for its spicy and hot food ,yet just being hot and spicy does not necessarily distinguish it from other hot and spicy cuisines such as Hunan or Guizhou cuisines . 川菜的原料虽简单，但调料却大有讲究。川菜以口味辣著称，但仅是口味辣还不能使川菜区别于其他辣口味的菜系，比如湖南菜和贵州菜。What is really special about Sichuan cuisine is the use of Chinese prickly ash seeds ,the taste of which leaves a feeling of numbness on one’s tongue and mouth . 川菜的特别之处在于花椒的使

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用。尝过花椒之后，人们的舌头和嘴巴会留下酥麻的感觉。Besides this unique spice ,Sichuan dishes are also usually prepared with other spices such as chili pepper . Using fermented bean sauce and a set of unique cooking methods ,Sichuan cuisine is now famous and popular across the world . 除了花椒之外，川菜还常用辣椒粉之类的调料。因使用豆豉作配料，再加上一套独特的烹饪方式，如今川菜在全世界都十分有名和受欢迎。In recent years ,there have appeared many more renowned restaurant in Sichuan cuisine ,such as the Tan Family Fish Head restaurant . 近几年涌现了一大批著名的专做川菜的餐馆，比如谭鱼头。

4 Guangdong Province is located in southern China ,with a moderate climate and abundant produce all year round . 广东省在中国南部，全年气候温和，物产丰富。As one of the earliest ports open to foreign trade ,the province has developed a culinary culture with its own characteristics that has exerted a far-reaching influence on other parts of China as well as throughout the world ,where it is the most commonly available Chinese cuisine . 它还是最早对外开放的通商口岸之一。 广东的餐饮文化独具特色，对中国其他地方乃至全世界产生了深远的影响。Guangdong cuisine is famous for its seafood as well as for its originality and refined cooking processes . Variety soups in this cuisine are loved by people all over the country . 广东菜以其好生猛海鲜、追求新奇、细致考究的烹饪方法而著称。广东菜中的各式煲汤如今已深受全国各地人民喜爱。

5 Zhejiang cuisine is light and exquisite ,and is typical of food from along the lower Yangtze River . 浙江菜口味清淡，精致玲珑，是长江下游区域菜肴的代表。One famous dish is West Vinegar Fish ,which looks pretty and has the delicate refreshing flavors of nature . Many Chinese restaurants in China ,as well as in other parts of the world ,serve this

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dish ,but often the flavor is less authentic compared to that found in Hangzhou ,capital of Zhejiang Province ,which has unique access to the fish and water of West Lake . 西湖醋鱼是其中的一道名菜。这道菜鲜美，酥嫩，带着自然的清香。中国乃至世界各地的中餐馆大都能找得到这道菜，但口味往往不及在浙江杭州吃得那般纯正。因为只有杭州拥有来自西湖的鱼和水。

6每道菜都有一段故事 every dish has a story

The names of Chinese dishes are diverse ,but behind each of the famous dishes is an interesting story explaining why it is popular . 中国菜名五花八门，而每道名菜都有一段有趣的故事，说明它如何博得人们的喜爱。A good name can make the dish more interesting , however ,some names are so eccentric that they may confuse people ,both Chinese and foreigners . 一个好名字能使这道菜更有意思；但有些菜名太怪异了，听起来让人一头雾水，不要说外国人难以理解，就是中国人往往也不是很清楚。If you only translate the names literally with no explanation ,you could make a fool of yourself . 你要是望文生义，准得闹出笑话来。

7 Take Goubuli steamed buns in the city of Tianjin for example . These popular buns are all of the same size and handmade . 拿天津“狗不理”包子来说吧。“狗不理”纯手工制作，大小均等，深受欢迎。When served in neat rows on a tray ,they look like budding chrysanthemum flowers . The wrapping is thin ,the fillings are juicy ,the meat tender and the taste delicious and not at all greasy . Then ,why the name? 这些包子整整齐齐地放在托盘上时，看上去就像是含苞欲放的菊花。皮儿很薄，馅儿饱蘸肉汁，口感柔软，香而不腻。可为什么叫“狗不理”呢？

8“Goubuli steamed buns are first sold in Tianjin about 150 years ago . A local man by

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the name of Gouzi(dog) worked as an apprentice in a shop selling baozi(steamed buns). 狗不理”的背后有一段有趣的故事。There is an interesting story behind it .大约150年前，“狗不理”包子在天津初次亮相。当地有个小伙子，名叫狗子，在一家包子店当学徒。After three years ,he set up his own baozi shop . Because his buns were so delicious ,he soon had a thriving business with more and more people coming to buy his buns . 三年后，自己单独开了一家包子店。他做的包子味道鲜美，因此生意十分红火，吸引了越来越多的顾客。As hardworking as Gouzi was ,he could not keep up with demand so his customs had to wait a long time to be served . 狗子工作十分卖力，可他还是满足不了大家的需要，顾客们只得等很长时间。Impatient ,some people would call out to urge him on ,but as he was so busy preparing his buns ,he didn’t answer . People therefore calls his buns Goubuli ,means Gouzi pays no attention . 有些顾客等得不耐烦了，就在外面嚷嚷着催他快点，可狗子忙着做包子呢，哪有时间搭理。后来人们就把他做的包子称作“狗不理”，意思是“狗子不搭理他们”。This eccentric name ,however ,has had very good promotional effects ,and has been used ever since .Goubuli is now a time-cherished brand name in Tianjin . 可就是这个有点怪里怪气的名字，反倒起了很好的广告作用，这个名字一直沿用到了今天。如今“狗不理”已经成为天津的老字号。

9 In Zhejiang cuisine ,there is a well-known dish called Dongpo meat. 浙江菜里有一道深受欢迎的菜，叫东坡肉。This dish of streaky pork is prepared over a slow fire where the big chunks of pork are braised with green onion ,ginger ,cooking wine ,soy sauce ,and sugar .the finished dish is bright red in color and the meat is tender and juicy and ,the Goubuli buns ,not at all greasy . 这道菜是把五花肉切成大块，配上青葱，在锅底放些生姜，然后加料酒、酱油和糖用慢火做出来的。这道菜色泽红亮，酥嫩多汁，如“狗不

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理”一样毫无肥腻之感。This dish was named after Su Dongpo (1037-1101) ,a great poet of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) ,who created it when he was official in Hangzhou . 它以北宋时代大诗人苏东坡的名字命名。苏东坡在杭州做官时发明了这道菜。It is said that ,when he was in charge of the drainage work for the West Lake ,Su Dongpo rewarded workers with stewed pork in soy sauce ,and people later named it Dongpo Meat ,to commemorate this gifted and generous poet . 据说，他当时负责西湖的排污工程，经常拿红烧肉犒劳工人。后来为了纪念这位才华横溢、慷慨大方的诗人，人们就把它称作东坡肉。

10 Fujian cuisine boasts a famous dish called Buddha Jumping over the Wall ,the number one dish of the province . 佛跳墙是福建莱里的一道名菜，亦被称作福建第一菜。This dish is prepared with more than 20 main ingredients ,including chicken ,duck ,sea cucumber ,dried scallop ,tendon ,shark lip ,fish maw ,and ham. 这道莱的主料不下20种，有鸡肉、鸭肉、海参、干贝、蹄筋、鱼唇、鱼肚、火腿。All these ingredients are placed into a ceramic pot , with cooking wine and chicken broth ,and then cooked over a slow fire until the meat is tender and juicy and the soup because smooth and thick . Then it is served with more than a dozen garnishes such as mushrooms ,winter bamboo shoots and pigeon eggs . 所有的原料均放在一个陶罐里，加上料酒和鸡汤后，用文火炖，一直炖到肉汁鲜美，柔润细腻，汤味浑厚。配料10多种，有蘑菇、冬笋、鸽蛋等。It is famous for leaving a lingering aftertaste in the mouth . The story behind the name of the specialty goes as follows: 轻舔一口，余香满口。这道特色菜的背后有这么一个故事：

11 Buddha Jumping over the Wall was created in a restaurant called Gathering Spring Garden in Fuzhou ,Fujian ,during the reign of the Qing Emperor ,Guangxu (1875-1908) . It

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was first named Eight Treasure Stewed in a Pot and the name was later changed to Blessed and Longevity . 佛跳墙是由福州市一个叫聚春园的餐馆在清朝光绪年间发明的，早先菜名为八珍锅，而后改为福寿全。One day ,several scholars came to Gathering Spring Garden for a meal . When the dish was served ,one of the scholars improvised a poem :fragrance spreads to the neighborhood once the lid lifts ,one whiff and the Buddha jumps over the wall ,abandoning the Zen precepts . Hence the name of the dish . 一日，几位秀才到聚春园饮酒。菜上桌时，其中一位即兴赋诗一首“坛启荤香飘四邻，佛闻弃禅跳墙来。”佛跳墙这一菜名便由此得来。

12食物传达的温馨和盛情warmth and hospitality expressed by food

In the eyes of Chinese ,what is important about eating ,especially at festivals ,is to eat in a warm atmosphere . 在中国人看来，吃最重要的，尤其在过节时，莫过于是吃饭时的温馨气氛。Often the young and old still sit in order of seniority ,and the elders select food for the young while the young make toasts to the elders .Chinese people like to create a lively ,warm , and harmonious atmosphere during meals. 吃饭时，年长的和年少的按照年龄大小依次坐好，在欢乐祥和的气氛中，说说笑笑。席间，长辈为晚辈夹菜，晚辈给长辈敬酒，营造出一派欢乐、温馨、和谐的气氛。

13 A hostess or host in China will apportion the best parts of the dishes to guests . Using a pair of serving chopsticks ,she or he places the best part of a steamed fish or the most tender piece of meat on the plate of the most important guest .Such a custom is still popular ,especially among the elder generation ,as a way of experience respect ,concern and hospitality . 在中国，主人会把最好的莱分给客人。他们用公筷把清蒸鱼最好的部分或最嫩的肉夹给最重要的来宾。这种习俗用来表达尊敬、关怀和好客之意，至今在老一

13

辈的中国人中还是很流行。

14 Such culinary customs have had a certain influence on the character of the Chinese people . In a sense ,it has strengthened the collective spirit of the nation . At a party or a banquet ,everyone first takes into consideration the needs of the group ;with the eating process also being a time to show humility and concern for others . 这种饮食习俗对中国人的性格也有几分影响。从某种意义上说，它增强了人们的集体主义精神。无论在聚会还是在宴席上，人们首先考虑大家的需求，把吃饭当成是谦卑有礼和关怀他人的场合。

15 In China ,food eaten during festivals is particularly important . At different festivals ,people partake of different fare . For example ,on the eve of the Spring festival, people in the north always eat jiaozi ,meat and vegetable dumplings ,at family reunions. This is a way of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the New Year . 中国人特别在乎过节时吃什么，不同的节日吃不同的食物。比如除夕夜全家团圆时，北方人吃肉饺或菜饺，象征辞旧迎新。The Lantern Festival is a day of celebration ,and on this day people like to eat yuanxiao,sweep dumplings made of glutinous rice flour ,to symbolize family reunion and perfection . 元宵节吃元宵，元宵是糯米粉做的甜团子，象征家庭团圆、美满。端午节吃粽子，人们用芦苇叶子把糯米包成三角形的粽子是为了纪念受人爱戴的诗人屈原。At the Duanwu festival ,people eat zongzi ,glutinous rice wrapped in triangular shape in reed leaves ,to commemorate the beloved poet Qu Yuan (c.339-c.278 BC) ,who drowned himself in the Miluo River in the hope that the water dragon would not take him away . This later gradually developed into a custom of making and eating zongzi during the Duanwu Festival . 屈原因遭政治迫害自沉于汨罗江。传说古时候人们把粽子

14

投到江中，希望水中的龙不要带走他。之后，端午节包粽子和吃粽子的习俗就慢慢形成了。

Unit Three

没有文学的休闲生活犹如死亡抑或活埋。Leisure without literature is death and burial alive .

——西尼加(古罗马哲学家)

《哈利波特》风行之迷

1J．K．罗琳发誓说自己从来没有过这种预想。她做梦也没有想到会有那么多人对她的书感兴趣。J.K.Rowing swears she never saw it coming . In her wildest dreams ,she didn’t think her Harry Potter would appeal to more than a handful of readers .“我从来没有指望过有这么多人喜欢它，”在最近的一次访谈中她仍然这样说，“可是，很显然，我大错特错了。它在许多人心中产生了共鸣。”她说得很委婉。 I never expected a lot of people to like them ,she insisted in a recent interview . Well ,it turned out I was very wrong ,obviously . It strikes a chord with an enormous number of people . That’s put it mildly .《哈利波特》系列丛书的前三册被翻译成了35种语言，已出版3,500万册，据保守估计，这三册书在三年时间里已经赚了四亿八千万美金。而这还只是个开始。 With 35 million copies in print ,in 35 languages ,the first three Harry Potter books have earned a conservatively estimated $480 million in three years . And that was just the warm-up .《哈里波特》系列丛书的第四册《哈利波特与火焰杯》初版530万册，加上高达180万册的订单，有望创造新的畅销书销售记录。 With a first printing of 5.3 million copies

15

and advance orders topping 1.8million ,Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ,the fourth installment of the series ,promises to break every bookselling record . 12岁的杰克·莫里西的话很清楚地表达了他们这一代读者的想法。他说：“《哈利波特》就如同生活，但比生活更美好。” Jack Morrissey ,12 ,plainly speaks for a generation of readers when he says , the Harry Potter books are like life ,but better .

2让人称奇的是，罗琳让每一册书的情节相互独立，但最后，她却能够巧妙地把它们衔接起来，形成一个意想不到的结局。单从叙述能力而言，《哈利波特与火焰杯》也是《哈利波特》系列丛书中最好的一本。Amazingly ,Rowling keeps her several plotlines clear of each other until the end ,when she deftly brings everything together in a cataclysmic conclusion . For pure narrative power ,this is the best Potter book yet .

3当这本书终于在星期六午夜12：01面市时，在英国和北美，成千上万的孩子争相购买。 When the book finally went on sale at 12:01 a.m. Saturday ,thousands of children in Britain and North America rushed to claim their copies .书店举办了睡衣派对，邀请了一些魔术师表演，并提供曲奇饼和潘趣酒，可是没人需要这些，因为人们个个情绪高涨。Bookstores hosted pajama parties ,hired magicians and served cookies and punch ,but nobody needed to lift the spirits of these crowds . 有一次，顾客们发出了巨大的欢呼声，以致邻居们实在难以忍受而报了警。In one case ,customers made such a big ,happy noise that neighbors called the cops . 在美国北卡罗来纳州的夏洛特市“边界”连锁书店，12岁的艾琳·兰金一拿到书就快速翻到最后一页。“我听说有一个主角死了，我真的很想知道是谁，”她说。但是几分钟后她放弃了。“我做不到，我不能先看

16

书的结尾。”At a borders in Charlotte ,N.C. ,Erin Rankin ,12,quickly thumbed to the back as soon as she got her copy . I heard that a major character dies ,and I really want to find out who ,she said . But minutes later she gave up . I just can’t read the end first.

4在对“哈利波特”现象的一路欢歌中，出现的唯一一个不和谐音符来自干一些父母和保守的宗教领袖。他们认为罗琳在宣扬巫术。The only sour note in all the songs of joy over this phenomenon has come from some parents and conservative religious leaders who say Rowling advocates witchcraft . 至少在17个州的25所学校校区内，阅读《哈利波特》受到了质疑，而在堪萨斯州和科罗拉多州的学校里，《哈利波特》系列丛书则被明令禁止。Reading of the books has been challenged in 25 school districts in at least 17 states ,and the books have been banned in schools in Kansas and Colorado . 但是作为儿童图书专家和《绿野仙踪》的编辑，迈克尔·帕特里克·赫恩觉得这并不奇怪。“无论何种魔法都会被有些人视为邪恶，”他说，“《绿野仙踪》就曾经在80年代中期遭到正统派基督教徒们的抨击。” But that’s nothing new ,says Michael Patrick Hearn ,a children’s book scholar and editor of The Annotated Wizard of Oz .Any kind of magic is considered evil by some people ,he says. The Wizard of Oz was attacked by fundamentalists in the mid-1980s.

5但是对于“哈利波特”现象最让人感到好奇的事情可能是几乎没有人会花时间去讨论这些书有多好或者多糟，尤其是当这些评论仅仅涉及书本身的时候。 But perhaps the most curious thing about the Potter phenomenon ,especially given that it is all about books ,is that almost no one has taken the time to say how good or bad these books are .有一天，11岁的女儿问我是否认为《哈利波特》是经典之作，

17

我给出了一个恐怕听起来十分成人化的回答，“时间会证明一切的。” The other day my 11-year-old daughter asked me if I thought Harry Potter is a classic .I gave her ,I’m afraid ,one of those very adult-sounding answers when I said ,time will tell .这不能算是一个彻头彻尾的谎言，因为谁也没有办法预测有哪一本书能够代代相传。但事实上，我在闪烁其词。我女儿真正想知道的是：与罗伯特·路易斯·史蒂文森和马德琳·英格这一类人相比较，罗琳到底有多棒。 This was not an outright lie .there’s no telling which books will survive from one generation to the next . But the fact is ,I was hedging . What my daughter really wanted to know was how well J.K. Rowling stacks up against the likes of Robert Louis Stevenson or Madeleine L’Engle.

6我本可以告诉她我认为这些书是精心构思的通俗作品，是堪比史蒂文·斯皮尔伯格之电影的文学作品。I could have told her that I thought they were beautifully crafted works entertainment ,the literary equivalent of Steven Spielberg .本来我还可以告诉她我认为《哈利波特》系列丛书没有什么新意，它们与众多儿童经典作品有太多相似之处，所以有时候会给读者一种感觉，仿佛罗琳组装编织了这些故事。 I could also have told her I thought the Potter books were derivative . They share so many elements with so many children’s classic that sometimes it seems as though Rowling had assembled her novels from a kit .但是，这些故事绝对不仅仅是各个部分的简单相加。它们如此受欢迎的关键之处就在于无论是大人还是小孩都能够从阅读中获得乐趣。 However ,these novels amount to much more than just the sum of their parts . The crucial aspect of their appeal is that they can be read by children and adults with equal pleasure .只有最好的作家——他

18

们能够与苏斯博士和菲利普·普尔曼，当然还有罗琳一样与众不同——才能够做到这一点。 Only the best authors ---and they can be as different as Dr.Seuss and Philip Pullman and ,yes ,J.K.Rowling ---can pull that off .

7《欢乐满人间》的作者帕梅拉·林登·特拉弗斯概括得精辟至极。她写到，“你不能把你想象的东西砍掉一部分然后写成一本专给孩子看的书，坦白地说，因为事实上你根本无从知道童年究竟是什么时候结束，而成人期又是什么时候开始的。它们相互连接、浑然一体。”在罗琳的书中，从语言开始，就有足够多的让大人和孩子都喜欢的东西。也许她文风朴实，但是她给人和物取名的方式显示了独特的原创才能。P.L.Travers ,the author of the Mary Poppins books ,put it best when she wrote ,You do not chop off a section of your imaginative substance and make a book specifically for children ,for --if you are honest --you have ,in fact ,no idea where childhood ends and maturity begins . It is all endless and all one . There is plenty for children and adults to enjoy in Rowling books ,starting with their language . Her prose may be unadorned ,but her way with naming people and things reveals a quirky and original talent .

8优秀作家关注孩子特点的能力达到惊人的程度。罗琳不只一次地清楚表达出，即便是最勇敢的孩子也经常会表现得那么无助。 The best writers remember what it is like to be a child with astonishing intensity . Time and again ,Rowling articulates just how defenseless even the bravest children often feel . 在《哈利波特》(二)中，当那位智慧的、对学生呵护有加的魔法学校校长邓布利多被驱逐出霍格华兹时，哈利和他的同学们都感到恐惧万分。“邓布利多走了，前所未有的恐惧蔓延开来。”而这也让我很害怕。 Near the end of the second book

19

Dumbledore ,the wise and protective headmaster ,is banished from Hogwarts . This terrifies Harry and his schoolmates --with Dumbledore gone ,fear had spread as never before --and it terrifies me . 在罗琳所有的书中都流淌着一种潜在的伤感与迷失。And in all of Rowling’s books there runs an undercurrent of sadness and loss .在《哈利波特》(一)中，变成孤儿的哈利盯着那面能够说出每个人内心深处愿望的厄里斯魔镜看，他看见了逝去的双亲。“直到我自己重读我写过的东西，我才意识到这个情节完完全全——完完全全地——来自于我对于母亲去世的感觉，”罗琳说，In the first book the orphaned Harry stares into the Mirror of Erised ,which shows the viewer his or her utmost desires .Harry sees his dead parents . Not until I’d written did reread what I realized that had been taken entirely --entirely --from how I felt about my mother’s death ,Rowling said .“事实上，我可以说，死亡、丧亲之痛以及死亡意味着什么是所有这七册书的中心主题之一。” 而年轻的读者们能够领会这一份深刻的理性吗?也许不能自觉地做到这一点吧。In fact ,death and bereavement and what death means ,I would say is one of the central themes in all seven

books

.

Do

young

readers

pick

up

on

all

this

deep

intellectualism ?Consciously ,perhaps not .但是我认为，如果这些书只是一些有关魔幻之旅的有趣的故事，那么它们就不可能有这么广泛的吸引力。而且我知道，那样的话成人就不会被它吸引。But I don’t think the books would have their broad appeal if they were only exciting tales of magical adventure ,and I know adults would not find them so enticing .

9《哈利波特》系列丛书不尽完美。在这些丛书中我最想看到的是一个绝妙的反面角色。我这里说的“绝妙的反面角色”是指“有趣的反面角色”。The Harry

20

align the body while the breath and heart rate are kept slow and steady . Yoga achieve its best results when it is practiced as a daily discipline ,and yoga can be a life-long exercise routine ,offering deeper and more challenging positions as a practitioner becomes more adept . 练习基础的瑜伽动作即可收到增强力量，改善柔韧性并使人感到舒适的效果，但要想达到完美和高深的境界还是需要日积月累的练习，这也是瑜伽吸引人的地方之一。The basic positions can increase a person’s strength ,flexibility and sense of well-being almost immediately ,but it can take years to perfect and deepen them ,which is an appealing and stimulating aspect of yoga for many .

4能向瑜伽教练或身体治疗师学习瑜伽是最好不过了，但因为瑜伽入门并不难，所以也可以从大量的介绍瑜伽的正规书籍中自学它的基本动作。Yoga is usually best learned from a yoga teacher or physical therapist ,but yoga is simple enough that one can learn the basic from good books on the subject ,which are plentiful .瑜伽课的学费一般不贵，平均一堂课10美元，学员们在几节课内就能学会基础的瑜伽动作。许多地方的基督教青年会、大学和社区健康协会都开办有瑜伽入门学习班，而且通常只象征性地收取一点儿费用。如果是作为身体治疗项目的一部分，瑜伽费用还能算在医疗保险的范围之内。Yoga classes are generally inexpensive ,averaging around 10 dollars per class and students can learn basic postures in just a few classes . Many YMCAs,colleges and community health organizations offer beginning yoga classes as well ,often for nominal fees . If yoga is part of a physical therapy program ,it can be reimbursed by insurance .

5瑜伽还能带来和精心设计的练习一样的效果，使人增强体质、焕发活力，

26

并帮助人们舒缓压力和久坐带来的疲劳。瑜伽的另一个优点是，除了地心引力外，它不需承担额外的阻力，这使它成为身体治疗方法的不二之选；特定的瑜伽动作能安全有效地增强人的力量，提高身体的平衡度。Yoga can also provide the same benefits as any well-designed exercise program ,increasing general health and stamina ,reducing stress ,and improving those conditions brought about by sedentary lifestyles .yoga has the added advantage of being a low-impact activity that uses only gravity as resistance ,which makes it an excellent physical therapy routine ;certain yoga postures can be safely used to strengthen and balance all parts of the body .

6研究表明，冥想能帮助人们缓解压力。哈佛心脏医学家赫伯特·班森在他划时代的著作《放松反应》里说道，冥想和呼吸技巧能使身体放松，达到与压力相反的效果，并使血压等一系列指标回落。从那以后，越来越多的研究都重申了冥想对减压和身体健康的积极影响。现在，美国医学协会已推荐把冥想疗法替代药物治疗用于治疗疑似高血压的第一步了。Meditation has been much studied and approved for its benefits in reducing stress-related conditions . The landmark book ,The Relaxation Response ,by Harvard cardiologist Herbert Benson .showed that meditation and breathing techniques for relaxation could have the opposite effect of stress ,reducing blood pressure and other indicators . Since then ,much research has reiterated the benefits of meditation for stress reduction and general health . Currently ,the American Medical Association recommends meditation techniques as a first step before medication for borderline hypertension cases .

7现代心理学研究表明，即使细微的表情变化也会引起神经系统的自主改变；Modern psychology studies have shown that even slight facial expressions can

27

cause changes in the involuntary nervous system ;

而瑜伽正是身体和心灵的绝妙结合——瑜伽练习的中心思想就是，身体的姿态将影响人的心情和自我意识，而人的精神又能塑造和治愈人的身体。Yoga utilizes the mind/body connection .that is yoga practice contains the central ideas that physical posture and alignment can influence a person’s mood and self-esteem and also that mind can be used to shape and heal the body.

瑜伽练习者认为，精神／体质的加强最终将为生活的各方面都带来好处。 Yoga practitioners claim that the strengthening of mind/body awareness can bring eventual improvements in all facets of a person’s life .

8虽然有些姿势并不适合所有人练习，但是任何年龄段的人在任何条件下都能练习瑜伽。Yoga can be performed by those of any age and condition ,although not all poses should be attempted by everyone .练瑜伽的准备工作也很简单；只需一块可以伸展肢体的平地、一块草垫或毛巾和一个足以抬起手臂的空间就可以展开练习了。Yoga is also a very accessible form of exercise ;all that needed is a flat floor surface large enough to stretch out on, a mat or towel ,and enough overhead space to fully raise the arms .对去不了体育馆、不喜欢其他体育运动和十分忙碌的人来说，瑜伽是一项再好不过的活动了。It is a good activity for those who can’t go to gyms ,who don’t like other forms of exercise ,or have very busy schedules .

练习时应穿着宽松舒适的服装并保持空腹，瑜伽师推荐饭后三小时以上为宜。Yoga should be done an empty stomach ,and teachers recommend waiting three or more hours after meals.loose and comfortable closing should be worn.

9初学者在练习时应集中注意力，小心动作不要做得太过太快，以免受伤。

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一些高阶的瑜伽动作，如头倒立式和全莲花坐式，需要有很好的力量、柔韧性和日积月累的练习作准备，因此初学者应在瑜伽师的指导下做这些动作。

Beginners should exercise care and concentration when performing yoga posture ,and not try to stretch too much too quickly,as injury could result.Some advanced yoga postures ,like the headstand and full lotus position ,can be difficult and require strength.flexibility ,and gradual preparation,so beginners should get help of a teacher before attempting them.

10瑜伽不是竞技体育；练瑜伽不需要和别人比，练瑜伽的目的是提高自己的觉悟和身心自律能力。Yoga is not a competitive sport;It does not matter how a person does in comparison with others ,but how aware and disciplined one becomes with one’s own body and limitations .做瑜伽必须保持姿势的正确，一旦感到疼痛、头晕或疲劳就必须停止。做瑜伽时，身体和精神一样重要，要注意集中精力去感受呼吸。Proper form and alignment should be maintained during a stretch or posture ,and the stretch and posture should be stopped when there is pain ,dizziness,or fatigue.The mental component of yoga is just as important as the physical postures .Concentration and awareness of breath should not be neglected .练习时必须心胸开阔、平和；当你伸展肢体做每一个瑜伽动作时，你就是在接受挑战去达到自己的极限。Yoga should be done with an open ,gentle ,and non-critical mind ;when one stretches into a yoga position ,It can be thought of as accepting and working on one’s limits.不耐烦、自责和与他人相比都不利于这一过程中自我认识的实现。Impatience ,self-criticism and comparing oneself will not help in this process of self-knowledge . 当练习呼吸法(调息)和冥想法(禅定)时，最好由经验丰富的瑜

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伽师来指导，因为一旦练习不当，这些技巧性很强的动作会使人感到头晕不适。while performing the yoga of breathing and meditation ,it is best to have an experienced teacher ,as these powerful techniques can cause dizziness and discomfort when done improperly.

11虽然瑜伽的发源地与现代美国文化迥异，但它却得到了认同，并很快地传播开来。许多世纪以来，瑜伽只是在极少信徒的言传身教中得以流传，而今它在美国快速普及，这使许多瑜伽师感到很惊异。Although yoga originated in a culture very different from modern America ,it has been accepted and its practice has spread relatively quickly . Many yogis are amazed at how rapidly yoga’s popularly has spread in America ,considering the legend that it was passed down secretly by handful of adherents for many centuries .

12也有一些人反对瑜伽，因为勤奋忙碌的美国人很难相信这项要他们放慢速度、集中精力进行深呼吸的运动会比举重或慢跑更有效。然而，越来越多的来自顶尖医学院的研究结果表明，瑜伽对全身健康和特殊病症都有好处，这也使越来越多的人接受这项健康的运动。There can still be found some resistance to yoga ,for active and busy Americans sometimes find it hard to believe that an exercise program that requires them to show down ,concentrate ,and breathe deeply can be more effective than lifting weights or running . However ,ongoing research in top medical schools is showing yoga’s effectiveness for overall health and specific problems ,making it an increasingly ,acceptable health practice.

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死地的东西，而不是数字》。It is this very human context in which risk exists .That is key ,says Adams ,who titled one of his recent blogs ;What kills you matters -not numbers.我们对风险的反应多半取决于它在多大程度上是自发的行为(如戴水肺潜水)、是不可避免的(如公共交通)、还是强加给我们的(如空气质量)；取决于我们认为在多大程度上是我们能控制的(如驾驶)或是由别人控制的(如乘飞机)；还取决于这种潜在危险在多大程度上是出于好意(如医生的指令)、无意的(如自然因素)或恶意的(如谋杀和恐怖活动)。Our reaction to risk very much depends on the degree to which it is voluntary (scuba diving ), unavoidable (public transit ) or imposed (air quality ), the degree to which we feel we are in control (driving )or at the mercy of others (plant travel ),and the degree to which the source of possible danger is benign (doctor’s orders), indifferent (nature)or malign(murder and terrorism).我们每天要做几十遍风险计算，但是可以确信的是，多数时候人们对风险的计算自然而然或者说是出自本能，以至于我们几乎注意不到我们在做计算。We make dozens of risk calculations daily , but you can book odds that most of them are so automatic or visceral - that we barely notice them.

Unit Nine

住房危机走向郊区小

迈克尔·格伦沃尔德

在过去的五年里，弗吉尼亚州费尔法克斯县的住房价格增长速度是家庭收入增长速度的12倍．In the past five years, housing prices in Fairfax county, Virginia have grown 12 times as fast as household incomes. Today, the county’s average

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family would have to spend 54 of its income to afford the county’s average home;in 2000,the figure was 26. 今天，该县中等家庭不得不将其收入的54％用于购买位于该县的普通住房；在2000年，这个数字是26％。形势如此严峻，以至于费尔法克斯县最近开始对年收入90，000美元的家庭提供住房补贴；很快，这个数字可能提高到110，000美元。The situation is so dire that Fairfax recently began offering housing subsidies to families earning 90000 a year; soon, that figure may go as high as 110000 a year.

1富兰克林·罗斯福总统曾经说经济大萧条造成1／3的美国人住房简陋、衣衫褴褛、营养不良，然而70年后的今天，美国人却是穿着考究、营养日益过剩。但是，廉价房稀缺是一场日益加深的民族危机，而不仅仅是依靠福利为生的城市家庭的危机。Seventy years after President Franklin D.Roosevelt declared that the Depression had left one-third of the American people“ill-housed,ill-clothed and ill-nourished.” Americans are well-clothed and increasingly over nourished. But the scarcity of affordable housing is a deepening national crisis, and not just for inner-city families on welfare. 这个问题已经波及中产阶级，并向郊区蔓延，在那里服务工作者及其家属挤在过于狭小的公寓里，大学毕业生不得不借宿在父母家，而消防队员、警察和教师在他们所服务的社区也买不起房。The problem has climbed the income ladder and moved to the suburbs, where service workers cram their families into overcrowded apartments, college graduates have to crash with their parents, and firefighters, police officers and teachers can’t afford to live in the communities they serve.

2住房拥有率接近历史最高位，但有房户和无房户之间的差距越来越大，有

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房户和房子离工作单位80英里远的有房户之间的差距也越来越大。Home ownership is near an all-time high, but the gap is growing between the Owns and the Own-Nots---as well as the Own-80-Miles-From-Work. 现在，1／3的美国人花费至少30％的收入用于住房，联邦政府将这种情况定义为“无力支付”的负担，而有一半的穷打工仔花费至少50％的收入用于租房，这种情况被称为“极其严重”的负担。One-third of Americans now spend at least 30 of their income on housing, the federal definition of an “unaffordable” burden, and half the working poor spend at least 50 of their income on rent, a “critical” burden.在过去10年里，房地产迅猛发展，这使得在此之前就已经购置房产的美国人大赚特赚了一把，但现在廉价房对中、低收入的美国人来说，是一个比税收、社会保险、汽油价格更严重的问题。The real estate boom of the past decade has produced windfalls for Americans who owned before it began, but affordable housing is now a serious problem for more low and moderate-income Americans than taxes, Social Security or gas prices.

3美国曾经非常关注廉价房问题。American used to care a lot about affordable housing. 1934年和1937年，罗斯福签署了住房立法，提供抵押贷款、政府公寓，并为那些穷困潦倒的工人提供建筑工作。Roosevelt signed housing legislation in 1934 and 1937 ,providing mortgages ,government apartments and construction jobs for workers down on their luck .1949年，国会树立了官方目标——“让每一个美国家庭都能拥有一个体面的家和宜居环境，”而到了1974年，尼克松总统开始对数以百万计的低收入租户在私有住房方面提供租金补贴凭单。In 1949, Congress set an official goal of “a decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family,” and in 1974, President Richard M.Nixon began offering

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subsidized rent vouchers to millions of low-income tenants in private housing.半个世纪以来，在华盛顿发生的大多数住房方面的辩论都围绕着一个主题：即应该在多大程度上扩大联邦政府的资助。 For half a century, most housing debates in Washington revolved around how much to expand federal assistance.

4但在过去20年中，唯一的联邦住房新提案就是HOPE VI，也就是克林顿政府拆毁80,000单位的最差公共住房，重建混合收入寓所来取而代之。But for the past tow decades, the only new federal housing initiative has been HOPE VI, a Clinton administration program that has demolished 80000 units of the worst public housing and built mixed-income developments in their place.该计划已经拆除了大部分高度危险的房子，它们曾使公共住房声名狼藉，并已重建了一些城市的社区。The program has eliminated most of the high-rise hellholes that gave public housing a bad name and has revived some urban neighborhoods.但是它更多的是把享有补贴的公寓房夷为平地而不是取而代之。But it has razed more subsidized apartments than it has replaced.

5总的来说，自90年代初以来，接受联邦援助的家庭数已经降到最低，尽管人口不断增加、预算不断膨胀。Overall, the number of households receiving federal aid has flatlined since the early 1990s, despite an expanding population and a ballooning budget. 美国国会已经拒绝了美国总统布什提出的大部分的削减计划，但几乎没有讨论过增加计划；廉价房的倡导者花费的大部分时间都被用于努力争取保持现状。Congress has rejected most of President Bush’s proposed cuts, but there has been virtually no discussion of increases; affordable-housing advocates spend most of their time fighting to preserve the status quo.

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6而现状真是很艰难。And it’s a tough status quo.今天，有450万低收入家庭享受联邦住房救助，还有3倍于此的家庭符合被救助资格，却拿不到救助。Today, for every one of the 4.5 millions low-income families that receives federal housing assistance, there are three eligible families without it.费尔法克斯县有12,000户家庭在排队轮候4,000套救助公寓。Fairfax County has 12000 families on a waiting list for 4000 assisted apartments. “这太宝贵了，一旦拥有，没有人愿意放弃。”费尔法克斯住房委员会主席康拉德·艾根这样说。 “It’s golden when you get one-nobody wants to gives it up,” says Conrad Egan, chairman of the Fairfax housing authority.这听起来奇怪，但如今住房危机的受害者不是那些已经享受“救助计划”的人，而是那些没那么幸运去享受这个计划的人。It sounds odd, but the victims of today’s housing crisis are not people living in “the projects”, but people who aren’t even that lucky.

7一些自由派人士梦想着对所有合格的低收入家庭都给予补贴，但是这个每年要斥资上千亿美元的解决办法很不现实，即便是在预算赤字再度膨胀之前也不现实。Some liberals dream of extending subsidies to all eligible low-income families , but that $100 billion -a-year solution was unrealistic even before the budget deficit ballooned again.因此，即使一些曾经主张住房政策的人，现在也支持对大多数联邦租房救济金实行时间限制。人们对10年前福利改革中所涉及的时限问题有争议，但研究表明，这些时限有助于激励受助人摆脱对福利的依赖。So even some housing advocates now support time limits on most federal rent aid. The time limits included in welfare reform 10 years ago were controversial , but studies suggest they’ve helped motivate recipient to get off the dole.和福利不同的是，住房救济金

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不是联邦所赋予的权利，因此几年后对一个家庭停止供给意味着给另一个同样需要救济的家庭一个喘息的机会。And unlike welfare , housing aid is not a federal entitlement , so taking it away from one family after a few years would provide a break for an equally deserving family .

8“这是显而易见的事，”大卫·史密斯——波士顿的一位廉价房的倡导者说，“你不能让内在矛盾无限地延续。”“It’s a no-brainer, ”says David Smith ,an affordable-housing advocate in Boston .“You can’t sustain the internal contradiction of no limits.”

9问题的根源是廉价房的供需，或者更准确地说，工作地点附近的廉价房的供需之间极不协调。The root of the problem is the striking mismatch between the demand for and the supply of affordable housing -or , more accurately , affordable housing near jobs .据哈佛大学住宅联合研究中心提供的数据，现在有1,500万个家庭至少把他们一半的收入用于支付住房费用；许多人为了住房甚至在医疗保健、照顾儿童和食品等方面节省开支。Fifteen million families now spend at least half their income on housing , according to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies ;many skimp on health care., child care and food to do so .其他人为了减少租金，居住条件极为拥挤，研究表明，拥挤的居住条件与高犯罪率、学习成绩差、以及健康状况不佳紧密相关；仅洛杉矶就有62万户家庭多人共居一室。Others reduce their rents by overcrowding , which studies link to higher crime rates ,poorer academic performance and poorer health;Los Angeles alone has 620000 homes with more one person per room .其他工作者居住在较为便宜的社区，忍受着越来越长距离的交通往返，这种现象被称为“驾驶以保生活质量”。Other workers are

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enduring increasingly long commutes from less expensive communities ,a phenomenon known as “driving to qualify.”

10这造成各种不良结果——孩子们看不到父母；当汽油价格飙升、城市向外扩张、道路上堵满了长途通勤的打工者、他们的汽车排放着温室气体，劳动者根本就入不敷出。This creates all kinds of lousy outcomes --children who don’t get to see their parents ,workers who can’t make ends meet when gas prices soar ,exurban sprawl ,roads clogged with long-distance commuters emitting greenhouse gases .费尔法克斯县监督委员会的会长凯西·哈金斯说：“我认为如果我们迫使人们平均每天四个小时呆在汽车里，我们就无法建立强大的社区。”廉价房也可以使社区具有竞争力；如果打工者没钱住在那里，我们还真不知道费尔法克斯县怎能一直创造就业机会。 I don’t think we’re creating strong communities by forcing people into their cars four hours a day ,says Cathy Hudgins ,chairwoman of the housing committee for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors . Affordable housing also helps make communities competitive ;it’s not clear how Fairfax can keep creating jobs if workers can’t afford to live there .

11为促进廉价房，地方官员最好不要挡在路上——不要要求一英亩最小面积和两车位的车库、不要阻止低收入和高密度的项目。The best thing local officials can do to promote affordable housing is to get out of the way --stop requiring one-acre lots and two-car garages ,and stop blocks low-income and high-density projects .

12另一方面，联邦预算由华盛顿政界人士决定。但是，美国国会自1986年施行低收入住房税收抵免政策以来没有再支持过新的建设项目，该政策每年造

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就近100,000套廉价住房，足以取代被拆除或被转变为市场化招租的那些住房总数的一半。Washington politicians ,on the other hand ,have the federal budget at their disposal . But congress hasn’t supported new construction since the Low-income Housing Tax Credit of 1986 ,which creates nearly 100000 units of affordable housing a year ,enough to replace half the units that are torn down or converted to markets rents .布什在2000年和2004年的竞选中提出了房屋所有权税收抵免政策，这是一项极好的政策，但是他最终竟然没有实行。 Bush proposed a home -ownership tax credit during his 2000and 2004 campaigns ,but it turn out to be rare tax cut he didn’t pursue .一项等待国会投票的法案可能会把一些联邦特许机构——如房利美——的利润按照一定的百分比转移到国家廉价房信托基金名下，但这项法案似乎停滞不前。唯一的用国家力量促进支付能力的办法并不是有关住房的办法；例如，有一个方法可以让劳动者更能够负担得起住房费用，那就是提高他们的收入——通过提高最低工资、降低工资税或扩大收入税收抵免等方式。 A bill pending in Congress would divert a percentage of profits from federally chartered institutions such as Fannie Mae to a national affordable-housing trust fund ,but it seems stalled . The only affordability ideas with any traction at the national level are not really housing ideas; for example ,one way to make housing more affordable to workers would be to raise their incomes --through higher minimum wages ,lower payroll taxes or an expanded Earned Income tax Credit .

13解决廉价房危机的一个明确办法：房地产市场崩溃。There is one clear solution to the affordable -housing crisis:a real estate crash.这是一个能够吸引媒体关注的住房问题——因为这会伤害有房户。It’s the one housing issue that attracts

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media attention -because it would hurt the Owns.但是对于使用风险贷款的低收入房屋所有人来说放松价格可能是毁灭性的，另一方面对于无房者来说，它也不会带来居者有其屋的结果。But while an easing of prices could be devastating for lower -income Owns with risky mortgages ,it probably wouldn’t bring home ownership within reach for many Own-Nots. 价格下降还有很大的空间；在2000年，费尔法克斯2／3的房屋销售价格不高于$250,000，但去年只有不到1／20的房屋以此价格出售。即便价格小幅下滑都可能引发建设减速，从而使中等收入家庭缺乏廉价房的局面变得更糟糕。Prices have too far to fall ;in 2000,two -third of the home sales in Fairfax were for $250000 or less,but last year ,fewer than one -twentieth were.And even a modest price slump could trigger a construction slowdown that would make shortages of affordable housing for moderate -income families even worse.

14最终，政治家可能重新发现住房问题不是一个城市贫困问题，而是一个中产阶级的生活质量问题，正如燃油价格或医疗保健一样。Eventually,politicians may rediscover housing -not as an urban poverty issue ,but as a middle -class quality -of-issue ,like gas prices or health care.居者有其屋通常被称为是美国梦，但如今许多劳动者为了使他们的家人不至于破产，宁愿租一所体面的房子居住。Home ownership is often described as the American dream ,but these days many workers would settle for a decent that won’t bankrupt their families.

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