综合英语(一)全册课文&翻译

Book 1 Unit 5Listen to the recording two or three times and then think over the following questions:1. Do you have a favorite love song? What is its name? Who is the singer? Can you sing or hum the tune?2. What is the song you have just heard mainly about?3. Do you think it appropriate to begin this unit with a love song? Why or why not?The following word in the recording may be new to you:rhyme n.韵; 韵味Everywhere the whole world over people have always felt that music and romance go together. As Shakespeare said, music is the food of love. And so, as we have two love stories for you to read, what better way to start than with a love song? Here, then, is Martina McBride singing to her Valentine.ValentineMartina McBrideIf there were no wordsNo way to speakI would still hear youIf there were no tearsNo way to feel insideI'd still feel for youAnd even if the sun refused to shineEven if romance ran out of rhymeYou would still have my heart until the end of timeYou're all I need, my love, my ValentineAll of my lifeI have been waiting for youAll you give to meYou've opened my eyesAnd shown me how to love unselfishlyI've dreamed of this a thousand times beforeBut in my dreams I couldn't love you moreI will give you my heartUntil the end of timeYou're all I need, my love, my ValentineAnd even if the sun refused to shineEven if romance ran out of rhymeYou would still have my heart until the end of time'Cause all I need is you, my ValentineYou're all I need, my love, my ValentineText AA letter or telephone call comes from someone you have not met, andyou find yourself imagining what the person looks like, putting a face tothe hidden voice. Are you any good at this? Sometimes it is easy to get itwrong.一个你从没有见过的人给你寄来一封信或打来一个电话，而你不知不觉地想象着这个人是个什么样儿，赋予这个隐秘的声音一张面孔。

第1课利用‎时间的要旨‎1、时间真是不‎好对付，既难以控制‎好，又很容易浪‎费掉。

当你向前看‎的时候，你觉得你的‎时间用不完‎。

比如说，每当一个学‎期开始时，你或许觉得‎你有许多时‎间，但快到期末‎时，你会突然发‎现时间即将‎用完。

你已没有足‎够的时间来‎顾及到所有‎的学科，因此你开始‎着急。

答案是什么‎呢？那就是把握‎住时间。

2、时间是危险‎的，如果你不把‎握住时间，它就会控制‎你的。

浪费时间就‎像毒品一样‎，你越浪费时‎间，就越容易继‎续浪费下去‎。

如果你真的‎想充分利用‎上大学的机‎会，你就应该把‎利用时间的‎要旨付诸实‎践。

要旨一：从开始就把‎握住时间4、抓紧时间就‎是抓紧当前‎的时间，不要把事情‎推到明天或‎是下周。

在每学期初‎就开始实施‎你的计划。

要旨二：养成使用笔‎记本的习惯‎今天就去买‎一个笔记本‎。

用它来计划‎好你每天的‎学习时间。

每周制定一‎个学习计划‎，每周都采用‎同样的方式‎，可以有些小‎的变化。

你最好是在‎每周日做好‎下一周的学‎习计划。

要旨三：要现实一些‎6、一般情况下‎，你可以根据‎以往的经验‎知道你需要‎多长时间来‎写好一篇短‎文，多长时间进‎行测验前的‎学习，或是最后期‎未考试前的‎复习时间。

当你做这些‎计划时，要现实一些‎。

要留有余地‎，要预计发生‎意外的事情‎，否则你的整‎个计划就会‎被打乱。

要旨四：为每堂课安‎排至少一个‎小时的时间‎7、你为每堂课‎安排多少学‎习时间，取决于4个‎因素：（1）你的能力。

（2）课堂内容的‎难易程度。

（3）你希望得到‎的分数。

（4）你如何充分‎利用学习的‎时间。

不管怎样，有一点是确‎定的：你应为每堂‎课安排至少‎一个小时的‎时间。

许多时候，你会需要2‎到3个小时‎。

要旨五：使你的计划‎要灵活一些‎8、每周重新安‎排时间很重‎要。

这样才能在‎必要时对计‎划进行调整‎。

例如，在期中或期‎末考试前，你想多花些‎时间来复习‎功课。

制定一个好‎的灵活的计‎划。

Unit 1 Growing Up为自己而写——拉塞尔·贝克从孩提时代，我还住在贝尔维尔时，我的脑子里就断断续续地转着当作家的念头，但直等到我高中三年级，这一想法才有了实现的可能。

在这之前，我对所有跟英文课沾边的事都感到腻味。

我觉得英文语法枯燥难懂。

我痛恨那些长而乏味的段落写作，老师读着受累，我写着痛苦。

弗利格尔先生接我们的高三英文课时，我就准备着在这门最最单调乏味的课上再熬上沉闷的一年。

弗利格尔先生在学生中以其说话干巴和激励学生无术而出名。

据说他拘谨刻板，完全落后于时代。

我看他有六七十岁了，古板之极。

他戴着古板的毫无装饰的眼镜，微微卷曲的头发剪得笔齐，梳得纹丝不乱。

他身穿古板的套装，领带端端正正地顶着白衬衣的领扣。

他长着古板的尖下巴，古板的直鼻梁，说起话来一本正经，字斟句酌，彬彬有礼，活脱脱一个滑稽的老古董。

我作好准备，打算在弗利格尔先生的班上一无所获地混上一年，不少日子过去了，还真不出所料。

后半学期我们学写随笔小品文。

弗利格尔先生发下一张家庭作业纸，出了不少题目供我们选择。

像"暑假二三事"那样傻乎乎的题目倒是一个也没有，但绝大多数一样乏味。

我把作文题带回家，一直没写，直到要交作业的前一天晚上。

我躺在沙发上，最终不得不面对这一讨厌的功课，便从笔记本里抽出作文题目单粗粗一看。

我的目光落在"吃意大利细面条的艺术"这个题目上。

这个题目在我脑海里唤起了一连串不同寻常的图像。

贝尔维尔之夜的清晰的回忆如潮水一般涌来，当时，我们大家一起围坐在晚餐桌旁——艾伦舅舅、我母亲、查理舅舅、多丽丝、哈尔舅舅——帕特舅妈晚饭做的是意大利细面条。

那时意大利细面条还是很少听说的异国食品。

多丽丝和我都还从来没吃过，在座的大人也是经验不足，没有一个吃起来得心应手的。

艾伦舅舅家诙谐有趣的场景全都重现在我的脑海中，我回想起来，当晚我们笑作一团，争论着该如何地把面条从盘子上送到嘴里才算合乎礼仪。

Lesson 10The Joker I (Jake Allsop)1、It was a very happy funeral, a great success. Even the sun shone that day for the later Henry Ground. Lying in his coffin, he was probably enjoying himself, too. Once more, and for the last time on this earth, he was the centre of attention. Yes, it was a very jolly affair. People laughed and told each other jokes. Relatives who had not spoken for years smiled at each other and promised to stay in touch. And, of course, everyone had a favourite story to tell about Henry. “已故的亨利.格朗德，躺在棺材里的他或许和别人一样快乐，他再次，也是在人世间最后一次成为人们注意的中心”once more再一次、smile at sb对某人微笑、stay/keep in touch（with）sb（与某人）保持联系、be in touch (with)(与…有联系)、get in touch（with）（与…）取得联系、lose touch （with）（与…）失去联系、2、“Do you remember the time he dressed up as a gypsy and went from door to door telling people‟s fortunes? He actually made 6 pounds in an afternoon!”“那次他化装成吉卜赛人挨家挨户给人算命” dress up as化装成…3、“I was once having dinner with him in an expensive restaurant. When the wine-waiter brought the wine, he poured a drop into Henry‟s glass and waited with a proud expression on his face, as if to say…Taste it you peasant. It‟s clear that you know nothing about wine.‟ So Henry, Instead of tasting it, the way any normal person would do, dipped his thumb and forefinger into the wine. Then he put his hand to his ear and rolled his forefinger and thumb together as if he were listening to the quality of the wine! Then he nodded to the wine-waiter seriously, as if to say …Yes, that‟s fine. You may serve it.‟You should have seen the wine-waiter‟s face! And how Henry managed to keep a straight face, I‟ll never know!”“他往亨利的杯子里倒了一点点酒，然后面带傲慢的神色等在一边，好像是要说：会品酒吗？你个乡巴佬。

Ⅰ.Vocabulary1\Alan was always in trouble with the police when he was young but he’s now a respectable married man.2\The people who had been hurt in the car accident lay screaming in agony.在交通事故中受伤的人正躺在地上痛哭的哭叫。

3\Because his condition’s not serious they’v e put his name down on the hospital waiting list因为他的病情并不严重，他们已经把他的名字写在医院的等候名单4\the second part of the book deseribes the strange sequence of events that lead to the King’s fall from power.本书的第二部分介绍了一连串奇怪的事件，导致国王下台的。

5\when I saw my little boy crying bitterly over the death of his pet dog,I could hardly hold back my tears.当我看到我的小男孩的痛苦哭泣超过他的宠物狗的死亡，我几乎控制不住我的眼泪。

6\thery are going to distribute t hose clothes and blan-kets among the flood victims.他们将要分发这些衣服和blan-kets给洪水灾民。

7\lind manage to support herself by working off and on as a waitress.林德管理是不时当服务员来支持自己的工作，。

UNIT 1大一新生日记星期日从家里出发后，我们开车开了很长一段时间才到达我住的宿舍楼。

我进去登记。

宿舍管理员给了我一串钥匙，并告诉了我房间号。

我的房间在6楼，可电梯坏了。

等我们终于找到8号房的时候，妈妈已经涨红了脸，上气不接下气。

我打开门锁，我们都走了进去。

但爸爸马上就从里面钻了出来。

这个房间刚刚够一个人住，一家人都进去，肯定装不下。

我躺在床上，不动弹就可以碰到三面墙。

幸亏我哥哥和我的狗没一起来。

后来，爸爸妈妈就走了，只剩下我孤零零一个人。

周围只有书和一个箱子。

接下来我该做什么？星期一早上，有一个为一年级新生举办的咖啡早茶会。

我见到了我的导师，他个子高高的，肩膀厚实，好像打定了主意要逗人开心。

“你是从很远的地方来的吗？”他问我。

他边说话边晃悠脑袋，咖啡都洒到杯托里了。

“我家离爱丁堡不太远，开车大约6个小时，”我说。

“好极了！”他说，接着又走向站在我旁边的那个女孩儿。

“你是从很远的地方来的吗？”他问。

但不等那女孩儿作出任何回答，他就说到，“好极了！”然后就继续向前走。

他啜了一口咖啡，却惊讶地发现杯子是空的。

妈妈打来电话。

她问我是不是见到了导师。

星期二我觉得有点儿饿，这才意识到我已经两天没吃东西了。

我下楼去，得知一天三餐我可以在餐厅里吃。

我下到餐厅排进了长队。

“早餐吃什么？”我问前面的男生。

“不知道。

我来得太晚了，吃不上早餐了。

这是午餐。

”午餐是自助餐，今天的菜谱是鸡肉、米饭、土豆、沙拉、蔬菜、奶酪、酸奶和水果。

前面的男生每样儿都取一些放到托盘上，付了钱，坐下来吃。

我再也不觉得饿了。

妈妈打电话来。

她问我有没有好好吃饭。

星期三早上9点钟我要去听一个讲座。

我醒时已经8:45了。

竟然没有人叫我起床。

奇怪。

我穿好衣服，急匆匆地赶到大讲堂。

我在一个睡眼惺忪的女生旁边坐下。

她看了看我，问：“刚起床？”她是怎么看出来的？讲座进行了1个小时。

结束时我看了看笔记，我根本就看不懂自己写的字。

那个女生名叫苏菲，和我一样，也是英语文学专业的学生。

21世纪大学实用英语综合教程（第一册）课后答案及课文翻译Text A 大学——我一生中的转折点佚名作为一名一年级新生初进大学时，我害怕自己在学业上搞不好。

我害怕独自一人在外，因为我是第一次远离家人。

这里周围都是我不认识的人，而他们也不认识我。

我得和他们交朋友，或许还得在我要学的课程上跟他们在分数上进行竞争。

他们比我更聪明吗？我跟得上他们吗？他们会接受我吗？我很快就认识到，我的生活现在就取决于我自己了。

如果我要在学业上取得成功，我就必须制定一份学习计划。

我必须调整花在学习上的时间和花在社交上的时间。

我必须决定什么时候上床睡觉，什么时候吃什么，什么时候喝什么，对什么人表示友好。

这些问题我都得自己回答。

开始时，生活有点艰难。

我在怎样利用时间上犯了错误。

我在交朋友上花的时间太多了。

我还在怎样选择大学里的第一批朋友上犯了一些错误。

然而不久，我就控制住了自己的生活。

我做到了按时上课，完成并交上了第一批作业，而且以相当好的成绩通过了前几次考试。

此外，我还交了一些朋友，跟他们在一起我感到很自在，我能把我担心的事告诉他们。

我建立了一种真正属于我自己的常规——一种满足了我的需要的常规。

结果，我开始从一个不同的视角看待我自己了。

我开始把自己看作是一个对自己负责也对朋友和家人负责的人。

凡事自己做决定并看到这些决定最终证明是明智的决定，这种感觉很好。

我猜想这就是人们所说的“成长”的一部分吧。

我未来的生活将会怎样呢？在人生的这一阶段，我真的不能确定我的人生之路最终将会走向何方，我真的不知道在以后的几年中我会做什么。

但我知道，我能应对未来，因为我已经成功地跃过了我生命中的这一重要障碍：我已经完成了从一个依赖家人给予感情支持的人向一个对自己负责的人的过渡。

Practice 51. smart2. succeed3. shortly4. managed5. share6. fear7. responsible8. however 9. enter 10. surrounded 11. handle 12. comfortablePractice 61. is up to2. keep up with3. under control4. at first5. grew up6. make friends with7. turned out8. as a result9. set up 10. in additionPractice 71. how to play the game2. where I wanted to go3. whether they would accept him or not4. what to do and how to do it5. whom to love and whom not to6. when he made that decisionPractice 8I see Li Ming as my best friend. We share the same hobbies and interests.They looked upon their math teacher as their best teacher.We think of this place as our home.They looked on their college life as their happiest years in their life.Practice 91. John is both smart and responsible. He likes to make friends with other people.2. I have made the decision to compete for the new post. You can compete for it, too.3. Shortly after the doctor came, he managed to have my father ’s illness under control.4. As freshmen, most of us do not know what college life has in store for us, but we all know that we must do well in our studies.5. To succeed in college, we must keep up with the other students and set up a routine that meets out needs.6. Though the assignments last week turned out to be more difficult than I thought, I handed them in on time.Text B 我希望从大学教育中得到什么亚历克西斯.沃尔顿中学毕业后，我计划做几件事。

综合英语（一）上Lesso‎n OneThe Time Messa‎g eElwoo‎d N. Chapm‎a nLearn‎i ng Guide‎新的学习任‎务开始之际‎，千头万绪，最重要的是‎安排好时间‎，做时间的主‎人。

本文作者提‎出了7点具‎体建议，或许对你有‎所启迪。

1Time is trick‎y. It is diffi‎c ult to contr‎o l and easy to waste‎. When you look ahead‎, you think‎you have more time than you need. For examp‎l e, at the begin‎n ing of a semes‎t er, you may feel that you have plent‎y of time on your hands‎. But towar‎d the end of the term you may sudde‎n ly find that time is runni‎n g out. You don't have enoug‎h time to cover‎all your dutie‎s, so you get worri‎e d. What is the answe‎r？Contr‎o l！时间很难对‎付，既难控制又‎易浪费。

当你向前看‎时，觉得有用不‎完的时间。

比如说，学期伊始，你可能会觉‎得有大量的‎时间，可到期末时‎，突然发现时‎间就要用完‎了，已没有足够‎的时间去做‎应做的一切‎了，于是，你就很担心‎。

解决问题的‎方法是什么‎？那就是控制‎！2Time is dange‎r ous. If you don't contr‎o l it, it will contr‎o l you. If you don't make it work for you, it will work again‎s t you. So you must becom‎e the maste‎r of time, not its serva‎n t. As a first‎-year colle‎g e stude‎n t, time manag‎e ment‎will be your numbe‎r one probl‎e m.时间很危险‎。

研究生综合英语1修订版课文原文Unit1 An Image or a Mirage?There is a distinct difference between a winning image and a mirage.A mirage is an illusion, and in your quest for a winning image, you must be capable of identifying such mirages.One of the common misread images stems from what people think about eye contact. How many times have you heard, “You can tell he’s an honest man because he looks you straight in the eye.” Evidently, many people must believe that a dishonest man feels so ashamed that he’s not telling the truth that he can’t even face them directly. But what about an honest individual who is too shy to look straight at you? Furthermore, a good can artist knows that many people judge integrity by the way one looks at them, so he deliberately includes eye contact in his act. Because you can’t count on eye contact as an infallible test, you should never use it to evaluate another person’s honesty. Nonetheless, since most people do judge others by this criterion, be sure that you always look them squarely in the eye.Evaluating a man’s honesty by the way he looks at you makes no more sense than judging his integrity by the way your dog or cat reacts to him. Yet how many times have you heard a dog’s master say, “That’s interesting —Thor doesn’t take to strangers very often. He’s a good judge of human nature, and the fact that he’s friendly with youtells me some good things about you.” Once when I was in the home of am prospect, his cat, Tiger, took such a liking to me that he sat on my shoulder during my entire sales presentation. When I was finished, my prospect’s wife said, “Mr. Shook, Tiger only does that with members of our immediate family. You must be a very honest person for her to be so friendly to you.”The truth of the matter was that I refrained from pushing the catoff because I was afraid she’d rip my suit or scratch my eyes out. However, I replied, “Yes, ma’am, Tiger obviously has some kind of instinct that enables her to accurately judge humans. She sure is a good judge of character.” Even t hough Tiger happened to be right in my case, Ipersonally put very little faith in an animal’s instinctual ability to judge people. I’d say his reactions have more to do with odors and body movement.Some people judge another person by the way he or she shakes hands.A good, strong grip represents character, while a “dead fish” handshake! is a bad sign. 1, too, dislike the flabby handshake with no life to it, but I am careful not m to use it as a basis for judging an individual. Again, it’stoo easy for a con artist to put a hearty handshake into his act. Though you should give a firm handshake so you’ll immediately create a goodimpression, don’t place too much weight on the next fellow’s grip; it doesn’t tell you anything concrete about him.There’s c ertain clean-cut appearance that creates an honest image. For example, a blond, blue-eyed young man with a boyish grin and a look that typifies the boy-next-door, All-American type’ will almost always inspire confidence in mothers. There is no logical reason forplacing such blind faith in a man simply because of the way he looks,yet most people do make such quick judgments. Conversely, the seedy man with dark oily skin, greasy black hair, and a moustache is not considered honest-looking. Similarly, a woman may have them looks which are usually associated with those of a streetwalker, whereas a high-priced call girl may look refined and refreshing. Naturally, clothesand — in the case of women —cosmetics, have a great deal to do with such aforementioned appearances, but unfortunately a person’s m natural looks, over whichhe or she has little control, play an important part in the judgments most people will make. I pity the hard-working, honest salesman who was born with the looks that make people automat ically think, “He’s notthe kind of man I’d want to buy a used car from!” On the other hand, a very devious individual may look like the type you can trust. How canyou be sure that the hitchhiker who looks so clean-cut is any less dangerous than the one who, because of his appearance, looks like a risk? And how can you be sure that this one really is a risk? The point isthat we are most often being completely unreasonable in making such snap decisions.On a larger scale, voters often react favorably to a politician simply because of his clean-cut appearance. His opponent is often judged negatively because he has not been blessed with natural looks that generate trust. This kind of judgment is erroneous, and the consequences can produce devastating results. Granted, many people vote for a candidate strictly because of political issues, but the clean-cut image can tip the scales in favor of the wrong man in a close election.We make snap judgments about people on the basis of how they express themselves. To revert to politics, many voters judge a candidate’s ability by the way he makes a public speech. But though a candidate may be an effective speaker, he may not be capable of doing the job for which he is running. I know many highly talented men who simply have not developed an ability to speak well in public, but who are excellent in communicating with others on a one-to-one basis. The ability to express yourself strongly is always important, but we are too often wrongly impressed by the man who comes across as eloquent, since it is always possible that this virtue is only “skin-deep.” Yet it is easy to imaginea politician with a clean-cut look and a magnetic speaking voice romping all over his unassuming but better qualified opponent. He wins solely because his image is convincing.After many years of interviewing and hiring salesmen, I have reached the conclusion that the man with the glib tongue doesn’t necessarily become the top producer. Though there is a definite advantage in havinga “natural” sell ing personality, more often than not the salesman with good working habits, proper motivation, and commitment is the one who becomes the best in his company. Too often, the sales manager who hires salesmen simply because of their extroverted and flamboyantpersonalities will have a high turnover.Another influencing factor is the effect produced on the listener by the sound of a name. At some time or another, we’ve all been guilty of hastily forming an unwarranted opinion when we hear a “winning name”as opposed to a “losing” one. Hollywood recognized this fact long ago when the studios began changing the stars’ real names. One of my favorite movie lines is James Bond’s response to Pussy Galore’, the heroine in the movie Goldfinger. Meeting her for the first time, he can only exclaim, “I must be dreaming!” Had her name been Harriett Finkelstein, the audience would never have been able to appreciate one of the screen’s all-time great names! Yet, no matter how great a name is, using it as a criterion in evaluating character is just as illogical as determining a person’s value by a handshake.The beautiful, sexy redhead isn’t always the best bed partner, nor is the big, strong man, whom we usually expect to be the hero, always braver than the small, frail man on the battlefield. Likewise, there is no sound reason for believing that the out-of-town attorney or consultant is any more of an expert than the local man. Just because your dentist has to book you six months in advance does not automatically mean that he does the best root-canal work. Nor will theinsurance agent who drives a Mercedes’ necessarily give you better service than the agent who drives a Ford sedan. Having to go through a main switchboard, a receptionist, and a private secretary before you get to speak with your attorney is no indication of his legal abilities. I also hope you don’t withdraw all your savings from Fourth Bank and deposit them with Third Bank just because their new home office building is several stories taller. It is equally unreasonable to assume that a hospital-clean restaurant serves the best food. True, all these factors are nice window dressing, and they shouldn’t be completely ignored, but other more important factors must be considered before you make anyfinal decisions a bout those with whom you’ll do business.Many images are only mirages that we have been conditioned to accept as the real thing. So don’t be fooled the next time somebody tells you that Truman Blue is a great guy because of his wonderful smile, the way he looks people straight in the eye when he talks to them, his firm handshake, and his remarkable rapport with pets!Phrases and Expressionsin quest for: trying to find; seekingwhat about: what do you think about (sth.)stem from: arise from; have as its origin or cause take to: start to likecount on: rely on with confidencetake a liking to: be fond ofhave to do with sb. (sth.): be connected with or related to sb. (sth.) tip the scales: give a slight advantage to sb. or sth. be blessed with sb. (sth.): be fortunate in having sb. (sth.) revert to: talk about again; go back to (a former subject of conversation)come across: make an impression of the specified type more oftenthan not: very frequentlyas opposed to: in contrast toUnit2 Is Love an Art?Is love an art? Then it requires knowledge and effort. Or is love a pleasant sensation, which to experience is a matter of chance, something one “falls into” if one is lucky? This little book is based on the former premise, while undoubtedly the majority of people today believe in the latter.Not that people think that love is not important. They are starvedfor it; they watch endless numbers of films about happy and unhappy love stories, they listen to hundreds of trashy songs about love — yet hardlyanyone thinks that there is anything that needs to be learned about love.This peculiar attitude is based on several premises which either singly or combined tend to uphold it. Most people see the problem of love primarily as that of being loved, rather than that of loving, of one’scapacity to love. Hence the problem to them is how to be loved, how to be lovable. In pursuit of this aim they follow several paths. One, which is especially used by men, is to be successful, to be as powerful and rich as t he social margin of one’s position permits. Another, used especially by women, is to make oneself attractive, by cultivatingone’s body, dress, etc. Other ways of making oneself attractive, used both by men and women, are to develop pleasant manners, interesting conversation, to be helpful, modest, inoffensive. Many of the ways to make oneself lovable are the same as those used to make oneself successful, “to win friends and influence people.” As a ED matter of fact, what most people in our culture mean by being lovable is essentially a mixture between being popular and having sex appeal.A second premise behind the attitude that there is nothing to be learned about love is the assumption that the problem of love is the problem of an object, not the problem of a faculty. People think that to love issimple, but that to find the right object to love — or to beloved — isdifficult. This attitude has several reasons rooted in the development of modern society. One reason is the great change which occurred in the twentieth century with respect to the choice of a “love object.” In theVictorian age, as in many traditional cultures, love was mostly nota spontaneous personal experience which then might lead to marriage. On the contrary, marriage was contracted by convention either by the respective families, or by a marriage broker, or without the help of such intermediaries; it was concluded on the basis of social considerations, and love was supposed to develop once the marriage had been concluded. In the last few generations the concept of romantic love has become almost universal in the Western world. In the United States, while considerations of a conventional nature are notentirely absent, to a vast extent people are in search of “romantic love,” of the personal experience of love which then should lead to marriage. This new concept of freedom in love must have greatly enhanced the importance of the object as against the importance of the function.Closely related to this factor is another feature characteristic of contemporary culture. Our whole culture is based on the appetite for buying, on the idea of a mutually favorable exchange. Modern man’s happiness consists in the thrill of looking at the shop windows, and in buying all that he can afford to buy, either for cash or on installments. He (or she) looks at people in a similar way. For the man an attractive girl —and for the woman an attractive man — are the prizes they are after.“Attractive” usually means a nice package of qualities which are popular and sought after on the personality market. What specificallymakes a person attractive depends on the fashion of the time, physically as well as mentally.During the twenties, a drinking and smoking girl, tough and sexy,was attractive; today the fashion demands more domesticity and coyness. At the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of this century, a manhad to be aggressive and ambitious — today he has to be social and tolerant—in order to be an attractive “package.” At any rate, the senseof falling in love develops usually only with regard to such human commodities as are within reach of one’s own possibilities for exchange.I am out for a bargain; the object should be desirable from the standpoint of its social value, and at the same time should want me, considering my overt and hidden assets and potentialities. Two persons thus fall in love when they feel they have found the best objectavailable on the market, considering the limitations of their own exchange values. Often, as in buying real estate, the hiddenpotentialities which can be developed play a considerable role in this bargain. In a culture in which the marketing orientation prevails, andin which material success is the outstanding value, there is little reason to be surprised that human love relations follow the same pattern of exchange which governs the commodity and the labor market.The third error leading to the assumption that there is nothing tobe learned about love lies in the confusion between the initialexperience of “falling” in love, and the permanent state of being in love, or as we mightbetter say, of “standing” in love. If two people who have been strangers, as all of us are, suddenly let the wall between them break down, and feel close, feel one, this moment of oneness is one of the most exhilarating, most exciting experiences in life. It is all the more wonderful andmiraculous for persons who have been shut off, isolated, without love. This miracle of sudden intimacy is often facilitated if it is combined with, or initiated by, sexual attraction and consummation.However, this type of love is by its very nature not lasting. Thetwo persons become well acquainted, their intimacy loses more and more its miraculous character, until their antagonism, their disappointments, their mutual boredom kill whatever is left of the initial excitement. Yet, in the beginning they do not know all of this, in fact, they take the intensity of the infatuation, this being “crazy” about each other, for proof of the intensity of their love, while it may only prove the degree of their preceding loneliness.This attitude — that nothing is easier than to love — hascontinued tobe the prevalent idea about love in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary. There is hardly any activity, any enterprise, which is started with such tremendous hopes and expectations, and yet, which fails so regularly, as love. If this were the case with any otheractivity, people would be eager to know the reasons for the failure, and to learn how one could do better — or they would give up the activity. Since the latter is impossible in the case of love, there seems to be only one adequate way to overcome the failure of love — to examine the reasons for this failure,and to proceed to study the meaning of love.The first step to take is to become aware that love is an art justas living is an art; if we want to learn how to love we must proceed in the same way we have to proceed if we want to learn any other art, say music, painting, carpentry, or the art of medicine or engineering.What are the necessary steps in learning any art?The process of learning an art can be divided conveniently into two parts; one, the mastery of the theory; the other, the mastery of the practice. If I want to learn the art of medicine, I must first know the facts about the human body, and about various diseases. When I have all this theoretical knowledge, I am by no means competent in the art of medicine. I shallbecome a master in this art only after a great deal of practice,until eventually the results of my theoretical knowledge and the results of my practice are blended into one — my intuition, the essence of the masteryof any art. But, aside from learning the theory and practice, there is a third factor necessary to becoming a master in any art — the masteryof the art must be a matter of ultimate concern; there must be nothing else in the world more important than the art. This holds true for music, formedicine, for carpentry — and for love. And, maybe, here lies the answerto the question of why people in our culture try so rarely to learn this art, in spite of their obvious failures, in spite of the deep-seated craving for love, almost everything else is considered to be more important than love, success, prestige, money, power — almost all our energy is used for thelearning of how to achieve these aims, and almost none to learn the art of loving.Could it be that only those things are considered worthy of being learned with which one can earn money or prestige, and that love, which “only” profits the soul, but is profitless in the modern sense, is a luxurywe have no right to spend much energy on?Phrases and Expressionsbe starved for sth.: be hungry for sth. ; suffer greatly because someone is not getting enough of sth.in pursuit of sb./sth.: pursing sb. or sth.hold true for sth.: certainly apply to sth. ; have an effect onUnit 3 The Ant and the GrasshopperWhen I was a very small boy I was made to learn by heart certain of the fables of La Fontaine, and the moral of each was carefully explained to me. Among those learned was The Ant and the Grasshopper, which is devised to bring home to the young the useful lesson that in an imperfect world industry is rewarded and giddiness punished. In this admirable fable ( I apologize for telling something which everyone is politely, but inexactly, supposed to know) the ant spends a laborious summer gathering its winter store, while the grasshopper sits on a blade of grass singing to the sun. Winter comes and the ant is comfortably provided for, but the grasshopper has an empty larder, he goes to the ant and begs for a little food. Then the ant gives him her classic answer:“What were you doing in the summer time?”“Saving your presence, I sang, I sang all day, all night. ”“You sang. Why, then go and dance.”I do not ascribe it to perversity on my part, but rather to the inconsequence of childhood, which is deficient in moral sense, that I could never quite reconcile myself to the lesson. My sympathies were with the grasshopper and for some time I never saw an ant withoutputting my foot on it. In this summary (and I have discovered since, entirely human) fashion I sought to express my disapproval of prudence and common-sense.I could not help thinking of this fable when the other day I saw George Ramsay lunching by himself in a restaurant. I never saw anyonewear an expression of such deep gloom. He was staring into space. He looked as though the burden of the whole world sat on his shoulders. I was sorry for him. I suspected at once that his unfortunate brother had been causing trouble again. I went up to him and held out my hand.“How are you?” I asked.“I’m not in hilarious spirits,” he answered.“Is it Tom again?”He sighed.“Yes, it’s Tom again.”“Why don’t you chuck him? You’ve done everything in the world for him. You must know by now that he’s quite hopeless.”I suppose every family has a black sheep. Tom had been a sore trial to his for twenty years. He had begun life decently enough, he went into business, married and had two child The Ramsays were perfectly respectable people and there was every reason to suppose that Tom Ramsay would have a useful and honourable career. But one day, without warning, he announced that he didn’t like work and that he wasn’t suited for marriage. He wanted to enjoy himself. He would listen to no expostulations. He left his wife and his office. He had a little money and he spent two happy years in the various capitals of Europe. Rumours of his doings reached his relations from time to time and they were profoundly shocked. He certainly had a very good time. They shook their heads and asked what would happen when his money was spent. They soon found out, he borrowed. He was charming and unscrupulous. I have nevermet anyone to whom it was more difficult to refuse a loan. He made a steady income from his friends and he made friends easily. But he always said that the money you spent on necessities was boring; the money that was amusing to spend was the money you spent in luxuries. For this he depended on his brother George. He did not waste his charm on him. George was a serious man and insensible to such enticements. George was respectable. Once or twice he fell to Tom’s promises of amendment and gave him considerable sums in order that he might make a fresh start. On these Tom bought a motor-car and some very nice jewellery. But when circumstances forced George to realise that his brother would never settle down and he washed his hands of him, Tom, without a qualm, began to blackmail him. It was not very nice for a respectable lawyer to find his brother shaking cocktails behind the bar of his favorite restaurant or to see him waiting on the box-seat of a taxi outside his club. Tom said that to serve in a bar or to drive a taxi was a perfectly decent occupation, but if George could oblige him with a couple of hundred pounds, he didn’t mind for the honour of the family giving it up. George paid.Once Tom nearly went to prison. George was terribly upset. He went into the whole discreditable affair. Really Tom had gone too far. He had been wild, thoughtless and selfish, but he had never before done anything dishonest, by which George meant illegal; and if he were prosecuted he would assuredly be convicted. But you cannot allow your only brother to go to gaol. The man Tom had cheated, a man calledCronshaw, was vindictive. He was determined to take the matter into court; he said Tom was a scoundrel and should be punished. It cost George an infinite deal of trouble and five hundred pounds to settle the affair. I have never seen him in such a rage as when he heard that Tom and Cronshaw had gone off together to Monte Carlo the moment they cashed the cheque. They spent a happy month there.For twenty years Tom raced and gambled, philandered with prettiest girls, danced, ate in the most expensive restaurants, and dressed beautifully. He always looked as if he had just stepped out of a bandbox. Though he was forty-six you would never have taken him for more than thirty-five. He was a most amusing companion and though you knew he was perfectly worthless you could not but enjoy his society. He had high spirits, an unfailing gaiety and incredible charm. I never grudged the contributions he regularly levied on me for the necessities of his existence. I never lent him fifty pounds without feeling that I was in his debt. Tom Ramsay knew everyone and everyone knew Tom Ramsay. You could not approve of him, but you could not help liking him.Poor George, only a year older than his scapegrace brother, looked sixty. He had never taken more than a fortnight’s holiday in the yearfor aquarter of a century. He was in his office every morning at nine-thirty and never left it till six. He was honest, industrious and worthy. He had a good wife, to whom he had never been unfaithful even in thought, and four daughters to whom he was the best of fathers. He made a pointof saving a third of his income and his plan was to retire at fifty-five to a little house in the country where he proposed to cultivate his garden and play golf. His life was blameless. He was glad that he was growing old because Tom was growing old too. He rubbed his hands and said:“It was all very well when Tom was young and good-looking, buthe’sonly a year younger than I am. In four years he’ll be fifty. He won’t find life so easy then. I shall have thirty thousand pounds bythe time I’m fifty. For twenty-five years I’ve said that Tom would end in the gutter. And we shall see how he likes that. We shall see if it really p ays best to work or be idle.”Poor George! I sympathized with him. I wondered now as I sat down beside him what infamous thing Tom had done. George was evidently very much upset.“Do you know what’s happened now?” he asked me.I was prepared for the worst. I wondered if Tom had got into the hands of the police at last. George could hardly bring himself to speak.“You’re not going to deny that all my life I’ve been hardworking, decent, respectable and straightforward. After a life of industry and thrift I can look forward to retiring on a small income in gilt-edged securities. I’ve always done my duty in that state of life in which it has pleased Providence to place me.”“True. ”“And you can’t deny that Tom has been an idle, worthless,dissolute and di shonourable rogue. If there were any justice he’d be in theworkhouse.”“True. ”George grew red in the face.“A few weeks ago he became engaged to a woman old enough to be his mother. And now she’s died and left him everything she had. Half a million pounds, a yacht, a house in London and a house in the country.”George Ramsay beat his clenched fist on the table.“It’s not fair, I tell you, it’s not fair. Damn it, it’s not fair.”I could not help it. I burst into a shout of laughter as I looked at G eorge’s wrathful face, I rolled in my chair, I very nearly fell on the floor. George never forgave me. But Tom often asks me to excellent dinners in his charming house in Mayfair and if he occasionally borrows a trifle from me, that is merely force of habit. It is never more than a sovereign.Unit 7 The Trying TwentiesThe Trying Twenties confronts us with the question of how to take hold in the adult world. Incandescent with our energies, having outgrown the family and the formlessness of our transiting years, we are impatient to pour ourselves into the exactly right form — our own way ofliving in the world. Or while looking for it, we want to tryout some provisional form. For now we are not only trying to prove ourselves competent in the larger society but intensely aware of being on trial.Graduate student is a safe and familiar form for those who canafford it. Working toward a degree is something young people already know how to do. It postpones having to prove oneself in the bigger, bullying arena. Very few Americans had such a privilege before World War II; they reached the jumping-off point by the tender age of 16 or 18 or 20 and had to make their move ready or not. But today, a quarter of a century is often spent before an individual is expected or expects himself to fix his life’s course. Or more. Given the permissiveness to experiment, the prolonged schooling available, and the moratoria allowed, it is not unusual for an adventurer to be nearly 30 before firmlysetting a course.Today, the seven-year spread of this stage seems commonly to be from the ages of 22 to 28.The tasks of this period are as enormous as they are ED exhilarating, To shape a dream, that vision of one’s own possibilities in the world that will generate energy, aliveness, and hope. To prepare for a lifework. To find a mentor if possible. And to form the capacity for intimacy without losing in the process whatever constancy of self we have thus far assembled. The first test structure must be erected around the life we choose to try.。