爱丑之欲
几年前的一个冬日，我乘坐宾夕法尼亚铁路公司的一班快车离开匹兹堡，向东行驶一小时，穿越了威斯特摩兰县的煤城和钢都。这是我熟悉的地方，无论是童年时期还是成年时期，我常常经过这一带。但以前我从来没有感到这地方荒凉得这么可怕。这儿正是工业化美国的心脏，是其最赚钱、最典型活动的中心，世界上最富裕、最伟大的国家的自豪和骄傲——然而这儿的景象却又丑陋得这样可怕，凄凉悲惨得这么令人无法忍受，以致人的抱负和壮志在这儿成了令人毛骨悚然的、令人沮丧的笑料。这儿的财富多得无法计算，简直都无法想象——也是在这儿，人们的居住条件又是如此之糟，连那些流浪街头的野猫也为之害羞。
我说的不仅仅是脏。钢铁城镇的脏是人们意料之中的事。我指的是所看到的房子没有一幢不是丑陋得令人难受，畸形古怪得让人作呕的。从东自由镇到格林斯堡，在这全长25英里的路上，从火车上看去，没有一幢房子不让人看了感到眼睛不舒服和难受。有的房子糟得吓人，而这些房子竞还是一些最重要的建筑——教堂、商店、仓库等等。人们惊愕地看着这些房子，就像是看见一个脸给子弹崩掉的人一样。有的留在记忆里，甚至回忆起来也是可怕的：珍尼特西面的一所样子稀奇古怪的小教堂，就像一扇老虎窗贴在一面光秃秃的、似有麻风散鳞的山坡上；参加过国外战争的退伍军人总部，设在珍尼特过去不远的另一个凄凉的小镇上。沿铁路线向东不远处的一座钢架，就像一个巨大的捕鼠器。但我回忆里出现的三要还是一个总的印象——连绵不断的丑陋。从匹兹堡到格林斯堡火车调车场，放眼望去，没有一幢像样的房子。没有一幢不是歪歪扭扭的，没有一幢不是破破烂烂的。
尽管到处是林立的工厂，遍地弥漫着烟尘，这一地区的自然霉仟并不差。就地形而论，这儿是一条狭窄的河谷，其中流淌着一道道发源自山间的深溪。这儿的人口虽然稠密，但并无过分拥挤的迹象，即使在一些较大的城镇中，建筑方面也还大有发展的余地。这儿很少见到有高密度排列的建筑楼群，几乎每一幢房屋，无论大小，其四周都还有剩余的空地。显然，如果这一地区有几个稍有职业责任感或荣誉感的建筑师的话，他们准会紧依山坡建造一些美观雅致的瑞士式山地小木屋——一种有着便于冬季排除积雪的陡坡屋顶，宽度大于高度，依山而建的低矮的小木屋。可是，他们实际上是怎么做的呢?他们把直立的砖块作为造房的模式，造出了一种用肮脏的护墙板围成的不伦不类的房屋，屋顶又窄又平，而且整个地安放在一些单薄的、奇形怪状的砖垛上。这种丑陋不堪的房屋成百上千地遍布于一个个光秃秃的山坡上，就像是一些墓碑竖立在广阔荒凉的坟场上。这些房屋高的一侧约有三四层，甚至五层楼高，而低的一侧看去却像一群埋在烂泥潭里的猪猡。垂直式的房屋不到五分之一，大部分房屋都是那样东倒西歪，摇摇欲坠地固定在地基上。每幢房屋上都积有一道道的尘垢印痕，而那一道道垢痕的间隙中，还隐隐约约露出一些像湿疹痂一样的油漆斑痕。
偶尔也可以看到一幢砖房，可那叫什么砖啊!新建的时候，它的颜色像油煎鸡蛋，然而一经工厂排放出来的烟尘熏染，蒙上一层绿锈时，它的颜色便像那早已无人问津的臭蛋一样了。难道一定得采用这种糟糕的颜色吗?这就与把房屋都建成直立式一样没看攀要。若是用红砖造房，便可以越古老陈旧越气派，即使在钢铁城镇中也是如此。红砖就算被染得漆黑，看起来还是能够使人悦目，尤其是如果用白石镶边，经雨水一洗刷，凹处烟垢残存，凸处本色外露，红黑映衬，更觉美观。可是在威斯特摩兰县，人们却偏偏喜欢用那血尿般的黄色，因此便有了这种世界上最丑陋不堪、最令人恶心的城镇和乡村。
我是在经过一番苦心探究和不断祈祷后才将这顶丑陋之最的桂冠封赠于威斯特摩兰县的。我自信我已见到过世界上所有的丑陋之极的城镇，它们全都在美国。我目睹了日趋衰落的新英格兰地区的工业城镇，也目睹了犹他州、亚利桑那州和得克萨斯州的荒漠城市。我熟悉纽瓦克、布鲁克林和芝加哥的偏街僻巷，并曾对新泽西州的卡姆登和弗吉尼亚州的纽波特纽斯作过科学的考察。我曾安安稳稳地坐着普尔曼卧车，周游了衣阿华州和堪萨斯州那些昏暗凄凉的村镇以及佐治亚州那些乌烟瘴气的沿海渔村。我到过康涅狄格州的布里奇港，还去过洛杉矶市。然而，在世界上的任何一个地方，无论国内国外，我从未见到过任何东西可以与那些拥挤在宾夕法尼亚铁路从匹兹堡调车场到格林斯堡路段沿线的村庄相比。它们无论在色彩上还是在样式上都是无与伦比的。仿佛有什么与人类不共戴天的、能力超常的鬼才，费尽心机，动员魔鬼王国里的鬼斧神工，才造出这些丑陋无比的房屋来。这些房屋不仅丑陋而且奇形怪状，使人回头一看，顿觉它们已变成一个个青面獠牙的恶魔。人们无法想象单凭人的力量如何能造出如此可怕的东西来，也很难想
象居然还有人类栖居其中并在那里生儿育女，繁殖人类。
这些房屋如此丑陋，难道是因为该河谷地区住满了一些愚蠢迟钝、麻木不仁、毫无爱美之心的外国蛮子吗?若果然如此，为什么那些外国蛮子却并没有在自己的故土上造出这样丑恶的东西来呢?事实上，在欧洲绝对找不到这种丑恶的东西——英国的某些破败的地区也许例外。整个欧洲大陆很难找到一个丑陋的村落。欧洲那儿的农民，不论怎么穷，都会想方设法将自己的居室修造得美观雅致，即使在西班牙也是如此。而在美国的乡村和小城镇里，人们千方百计地追求的目标是丑陋，尤其在那个威斯特摩兰河谷地区，人们对丑的追求已达到狂热的程度。如果说单凭愚昧无知就能造就这样令人毛骨悚然的杰作，那是无法让人信服的。
美国某些阶层的人们当中似乎的的确确存在着一种爱丑之欲，如同在另一些不那么虔信基督教的阶层当中存在着一种爱美之心一样。那些把一般美国中下层家庭的住宅打扮得像丑八怪的糊墙纸决不能归咎于选购者的疏忽大意，也不能归咎于制造商的鄙俗的幽默感。那些糊墙纸上的丑陋图案显然真正能使具有某种心理的人觉得赏心悦目。它们以某种莫名其妙的方式满足了这种人的某种晦涩难解的心理需要。人们对这类丑陋图案的欣赏，就同某些人对教条主义神学和埃德加?A格斯特的诗歌的迷恋一样，既不可思议，又让人习以为常。
因此，我相信(尽管坦白地说，我不敢绝对肯定)，威斯特摩兰县绝大多数正直诚实的人，尤其是其中的那些百分之百的美国人，确实很欣赏他们居住的房屋并为之感到自豪。虽然他们可以用同样多的建筑成本造出好得多的房屋，他们却宁愿要他们现有的那种丑陋不堪的房屋。可以肯定地说，海外战争退伍军人组织总部将自己的旗帜插在那样一幢丑陋的大楼上绝对不是出于无奈，因为铁路沿线多的是闲置未用的建筑，而且许多建筑都比他们那幢大楼要好得多。他们如果愿意的话，也完全可以自己建造一幢像样一些的大楼。然而，他们却眼睁睁地选择了那幢用护墙板造起来的丑陋的大楼，而且选定之后，还要让它发展演变成现在这副破烂相。他们喜欢的就是这种丑怪样子，如果有人在那附近竖起一座像希腊巴特农神殿那样的漂亮建筑，他们一定会感到恼火。前面提到的那个形如捕鼠器的钢架运动场的设计建造者们也是这样有意地作了一个深思熟虑的选择。在费尽心血，辛辛苦苦地设计并建成那个运动场之后，又想进一步美化完善它，于是便在建筑平项上加造一间极不协调的小棚屋，并涂上鲜艳夺目的黄色油漆。这样造成的效果是使该建筑看起来就像一个肥胖的女人面上带着一只被打肿发青的眼圈，也可以说像一位长老会牧师面上突然露出勉强的笑容的模样。但他们喜欢的就是这种模样。
这里涉及到一个心理学家迄今未加重视的问题，即为了丑本身的价值而爱丑(非因其他利益驱动而爱丑)，急欲将世界打扮得丑不可耐的变态心理。这种心理的孳生地就是美国。从美国这个大熔炉中产生出了一个新的种族，他们像仇视真理一样地仇视美。这种变态心理的产生根源值得进行更多的研究，它的背后一定隐藏着某些原因，其产生和发展肯定受到某些生物学规律的制约，而不能简单地看成是出于上帝的安排。那么，这些规律的具体内容究竟是什么呢?为什么它们在美国比在其他任何地方更为盛行?这个问题还是让某位像德国大学的无薪教师那样正直的社会病理学家去研究吧。
(摘自卡罗琳什罗迪斯，克里福德A约瑟夫逊，詹姆斯R威尔逊编《修辞读物》)
Unit 9 How to Grow Old Bertrand A. Russell 1. In spite of the title, this article will really be on how not to grow old, which, at my time of life, is a much more important subject. My first advice would be, to choose your ancestors carefully. Although both my parents died young, I have done well in this respect as regards my other ancestors. My maternal grandfather, it is true, was cut off in the flower of his youth at the age of sixty-seven, but my other three grandparents all lived to be over eighty. Of remoter ancestors I can only discover one who did not live to a great age, and he died of a disease which is now rare, namely, having his head cut off. A great-grandmother of mine, who was a friend of Gibbon, lived to the age of ninety-two, and to her last day remained a terror to all her descendants. My maternal grandmother, after having nine children who survived, one who died in infancy, and many miscarriages, as soon as she became a widow devoted herself to women’s higher education. She was one of the founders of Girton College, and worked hard at opening the medical profession to women. She used to relate how she met in Italy an elderly gentleman who was looking very sad. She inquired the cause of his melancholy and he said that he had just parted fro m his two grandchildren. “Good gracious,” she exclaimed, “I have seventy-two grandchildren, and if I were sad each time I parted from one of them, I should have a dismal existence!” “Madre snaturale,” he replied. But speaking as one of the seventy-two, I prefer her recipe. After the age of eighty she found she had some difficulty in getting to sleep, so she habitually spent the hours from midnight to 3 a.m. in reading popular science. I do not believe that she ever had time to notice that she was growing old. This, I think, is the proper recipe for remaining young. If you have wide and keen interests and activities in which you can still be effective, you will have no reason to think about the merely statistical fact of the number of years you have already lived, still less of the probable brevity of your future. 2. As regards health, I have nothing useful to say since I have little experience of illness. I eat and drink whatever I like, and sleep when I cannot keep awake. I never do anything whatever on the ground that it is good for health, though in actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome. 3. Psychologically there are two dangers to be guarded against in old age. One of these is undue absorption in the past. It does not do to live in memories, in regrets for the good old days, or in sadness about friends who are dead. One’s thoughts must be directed to
The Chaser John Collier Alan Auste n, as n ervous as a kitte n, went up certa in dark and creaky stairs in the n eighborhood of Pell Street , and peered about for a long time on the dim landing before he found the n ame he wan ted writte n obscurely on one of the doors. He pushed ope n this door, as he had bee n told to do, and found himself in a tiny room, which contained no furn iture but a pla in kitche n table, a rock in g-chair, and an ordinary chair. On one of the dirty buff-colored walls were a couple of shelves, containing in all perhaps a doze n bottles and jars. An old man sat in the rock in g-chair, read ing a n ewspaper. Ala n, without a word, handed him the card he had been given. 人Sit down, Mr. Austen, said the old man very politely. 人I am glad to make your acqua intance. 人Is it true, asked Alan, 人that you have a certain mixture that has ! er ! quite extraordinary effects? 人My dear sir, replied the old man, 人my stock in trade is not very large ! I don …t deal in laxatives and teething mixtures ! but such as it is, it is varied. I think nothing I sell has effects which could be precisely described as ordin ary. 人Well, the fact is ! began Alan. 人Here, for example, interrupted the old man, reaching for a bottle from the shelf. 人Here is a liquid as colorless as water, almost tasteless, quite imperceptible in coffee, wine, or any other beverage. It is also quite imperceptible to any known method of autopsy. 人Do you mean it is a poison? cried Alan, very much horrified. 人Call it a glove-cleaner if you like, said the old man indifferently. 人Maybe it will clean gloves. I have never tried. One might call it a life-cleaner. Lives need cleaning sometimes. 人I want nothing of that sort, said Alan. 人Probably it is just as well, said the old man. 人Do you know the price of this? For one teaspoonful, which is sufficient, I ask five thousa nd dollars. Never less. Not a penny less. 人I hope all your mixtures are not as expensive, said Alan apprehe nsively. 人Oh dear, no, said the old man. 人It would be no good charg ing that sort of price for a love poti on, for example. Young people who n eed a love poti on very seldom have five thousa nd dollars. Otherwise they would not n eed a love poti on. 人I am glad to hear that, said Alan. 人I look at it like this, said the old man. 人Please a customer with one article, and he will come back whe n he n eeds another. Even if it is more costly. He will save up for it, if n ecessary. 人So, said Alan, 人you really do sell love potions? 人If I did not sell love potions, said the old man, reaching for another bottle, 人I should not have mentioned the other matter to you. It is only whe n one is in a positi on to oblige that one can afford to be so con fide ntial. 人And these potions, said Alan. 人They are not just ! just ! er ! 人Oh, no, said the old man. 人Their effects are permanent, and exte nd far bey ond casual impulse. But they in clude it. Boun tifully, in siste ntly. Everlast in gly. 人Dear me! said Alan, attempting a look of scientific detachme nt. "How very in teresti ng! 人But consider the spiritual side, said the old man.
Unit 7 The Chaser John Henry Collier 1 Alan Austen, as nervous as a kitten, went up certain dark and creaky stairs in the neighborhood of Pell Street, and peered about for a long time on the dim hallway before he found the name he wanted written obscurely on one of the doors. 2 He pushed open this door, as he had been told to do, and found himself in a tiny room, which contained no furniture but a plain kitchen table, a rocking-chair, and an ordinary chair. On one of the dirty buff-coloured walls were a couple of shelves, containing in all perhaps a dozen bottles and jars. 3 An old man sat in the rocking-chair, reading a newspaper. Alan, without a word, handed him the card he had been given. “Sit down, Mr. Austen,” said the old man very politely. “I am glad to make your acquaintance.” 4 “Is it true,” asked Alan, “that you have a certain mixture that has … er … quite extraordinary effects?” 5 “My dear sir,” replied the old man, “my sto ck in trade is not very large — I don’t deal in laxatives and teething mixtures —but such as it is, it is varied. I think nothing I sell has effects which could be precisely described as ordinary.” 6 “Well, the fact is …” began Alan. 7 “Here, for example,” interrupted the old man, reaching for a bottle from the shelf. “Here is a liquid as colourless as water, almost tasteless, quite imperceptible in coffee, wine, or any other beverage. It is also quite imperceptible to any known method of autopsy.” 8 “Do you mean it is a poison?” cried Alan, very much horrified. 9 “Call it a glove-cleaner if you like,” said the old man indifferently. “Maybe it will clean gloves. I have never tried. One might call it a life-cleaner. Lives need cleaning sometimes.” 10 “I want nothing of that sort,” said Alan. 11 “Probably it is just as well,” said the old man. “Do you know the price of this? For one teaspoonful, which is sufficient, I ask five thousand dollars. Never less. Not a penny less.” 12 “I hope all your mixtures are not as expensive,” said Alan apprehensively.
Unit 7 The Chaser Key to the Exercises Text comprehension I. Decide which of the following is likely to happen after the story. C II. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false. 1. F (Refer to Paragraph 5. The old man says that his stock in trade is not very large, but it is varied and has extraordinary effects.) 2. F (Refer to Paragraphs 11 and 1 3. The price of a glove-cleaner, as he calls it, is very high, five thousand dollars for a teaspoonful, but the love potion is very cheap.) 3. F (Refer to Paragraph 19. The old man claims that the effects of love potions are permanent.) 4. T (Refer to Paragraphs 24 and 28. Austen says that Diana is fond of parties and, although she is everything to him already, she does not care about his love at all. That is why he decides to go to the old man for the love potion and whenever the old man mentions the magic of his potion, he can't help "crying." From that, we can see the man loves the girl very much.) 5. F (The old man sells the love potions almost for nothing because by doing so his customers will come back for a much dearer commodity, the glove-cleaner, to help them out. It is the "death potion" that the old man makes most of his profits from, and intends to sell to his customers.) III. Answer the following questions. 1. What the old man means is that a young man who falls in love one-sidedly is seldom rich enough to win a girl's heart. His words imply that money is one of the crucial factors for love. If a man is not rich, he can rarely expect to be loved by a girl. 2. Refer to Paragraphs 19 to 37. The love potion has powerful, everlasting effects. To begin with, it may produce sexual desire in the person who takes it. And on the spiritual side, it can replace indifference with devotion and scorn with adoration. It will make a gay girl want nothing but solitude and her lover's company. She will feel jealous of him when her lover is with other girls; she will want to be everything to him. She will be only interested in her lover and take every concern of him. Even if he slips a bit, she will forgive him though terribly hurt. In a word, she will fall in love with him if she drinks the love potion. 3. Refer to Paragraphs 39 to 43. It is an irony, by which the author seems to imply that love is far from being precious or desirable. It is easy for a man to fall in love, yet it is hard
Unit 3 Security Text A Years ago in America, it was customary for families to leave their doors unlocked, day and night. In this essay, Greene regrets that people can no longer trust each other and have to resort to elaborate security systems to protect themselves and their possessions. 许多年前，在美国，家家户户白天黑夜不锁门是司空见惯的。在本文中，格林叹惜人们不再相互信任，不得不凭借设计精密的安全设备来保护自己和财产。 The Land of the Lock Bob Greene 锁之国 1 In the house where I grew up, it was our custom to leave the front door on the latch at night. I don't know if that was a local term or if it is universal; "on the latch" meant the door was closed but not locked. None of us carried keys; the last one in for the evening would close up, and that was it. 小时候在家里，我们的前门总是夜不落锁。我不知道这是当地的一种说法还是大家都这么说；"不落锁"的意思是掩上门，但不锁住。我们谁都不带钥匙；晚上最后一个回家的人把门关上，这就行了。 2 Those days are over. In rural areas as well as in cities, doors do not stay unlocked, even for part of an evening. 那样的日子已经一去不复返了。在乡下，在城里，门不再关着不锁上，哪怕是傍晚一段时间也不例外。 3 Suburbs and country areas are, in many ways, even more vulnerable than well-patroled urban streets. Statistics show the crime rate rising more dramatically in those allegedly tranquil areas than in cities. At any rate, the era of leaving the front door on the latch is over. 在许多方面，郊区和农村甚至比巡查严密的城市街道更易受到攻击。统计显示，那些据称是安宁的地区的犯罪率上升得比城镇更为显著。不管怎么说，前门虚掩不落锁的时代是一去不复返了。 4 It has been replaced by dead-bolt locks, security chains, electronic alarm systems and trip wires hooked up to a police station or private guard firm. Many suburban families have sliding glass doors on their patios, with steel bars elegantly built in so no one can pry the doors open. 取而代之的是防盗锁、防护链、电子报警系统，以及连接警署或私人保安公司的报警装置。郊区的许多人家在露台上安装了玻璃滑门，内侧有装得很讲究的钢条，这样就没人能把门撬开。 5 It is not uncommon, in the most pleasant of homes, to see pasted on the windows small notices announcing that the premises are under surveillance by this security force or that guard company. 在最温馨的居家，也常常看得到窗上贴着小小的告示，称本宅由某家安全机构或某个保安公司负责监管。 6 The lock is the new symbol of America. Indeed, a recent public-service advertisement by a large insurance company featured not chart s showing how much at risk we are, but a picture
Unit 7 The Chaser Teaching Points By the end of this unit, students are supposed to 1)grasp the author’s purpose of writing and make clear the structure of the whole passage through an intensive reading of Text I The chaser. 2)comprehend the topic sentences in Text I thoroughly and be able to paraphrase them. 3)get a list of new words and structures and use them freely in conversation and writing. Topics for discussion 1)Do you believe love can be fostered? How can you lure one into love with you? 2)What is likely to happen when a couple no longer love each other? Cultural Background 1. Proposal of Marriage ●The proposal of marriage is an event where one person in a relationship asks for the other's hand in marriage. ●If accepted, it marks the initiation of engagement. ●It often has a ritual quality, sometimes involving the presentation of an engagement ring and a formalize d asking of a question such as ―Will you marry me?‖ ●Often the proposal is a surprise. ●In many Western cultures, the tradition has been for the man to propose to the woman. 2. Engagement ●An engagement is a promise to marry, and also the period of time between proposal and marriage – which may be lengthy or trivial. ●During this period, a couple is said to be affianced, betrothed, engaged to be married, or simply engaged. ●Future brides and grooms are often referred to as fiancée or fiancés respectively (from the French word ―fiancé‖). ●The duration of the courtship varies vastly. ●Long engagements were once common in formal arranged marriages. ●In 2007, the average engagement time in the United States was 17 months, but the figure
小说《追逐者》中的话语艺术及寓意评析 （广西梧州学院，广西梧州543002） ◎肖敏 ▉【基金项目】广西教育厅２０１０年科研项目（编号２０１０１０ＬＸ５２３）、广西梧州学院２０１０年科研项目（编号 ２０１０Ｃ０１７）。 英国作家约翰·柯里尔（John Collier ）的短篇小说在创作风格上独树一帜，其语言犀利而充满睿智，笔调灰暗而充满讽刺性，显示了高超的文学技艺。《追 逐者》 （The Chaser ）是柯里尔于1940年在《纽约客》（The New Yorker ）杂志上发表的一篇短篇小说，这是一篇典型的幻想小说，因其完美的故事结构和深刻的故事内涵，该小说被收录进由上海外语教育出版 社出版的英语专业本科生综合英语课教材—— —《综合教程》。小说讲述了一个叫艾伦的年轻人为寻求可望而不可得的爱情而去一个神秘的老人那儿购买爱 情魔液的故事。利用艾伦单纯无知的心理， 老谋深算的商人一步步把年轻人引入陷阱，令他不止购买了“爱情魔液”，而且若干年后很可能再次光顾并花高价购买所谓的“生活清洁剂”，实际上那却是死亡的代名词，作者在文中巧妙而隐晦地把爱情意象和死亡阴影糅合在一起，颇具讽刺意味。故事的叙述虽然荒诞不经，但字里行间却充满了对现实的影射和讽刺。故事中的主人公一个是对生活和爱情充满憧憬却囊中羞涩的小伙子，另一个是老于世故、精明狡黠的商人，故事情节主要围绕年轻人和老商人之间的对话而展开。为了推进故事情节的发展，作者在二者的对话中，巧妙地运用反讽、隐喻、双关、排比等不同的话语艺术恰如其分地影射了两位主人公的身份、经历、性格和思想认识上的强烈反差，进而使故事的主题和深邃寓意更加传神地跃然纸上。 一、反讽影射物化爱情观与 爱情虚无主义的荒诞结合 反讽又称倒反或反语，为说话或写作时一种带有讽刺意味的语气或写作技巧，单纯从字面上不能了解其真正要表达的事物，而事实上其原本的意义正好是字面上所能理解的意涵的相反意思，通常需要从上下文及语境来了解其用意。《追逐者》这篇小说最大的特点是通过尖锐而深邃的讽刺艺术体现出情节的虚幻性与现实的真实性。约翰·柯里尔在小说中一种以超然的态度、戏谑的口吻表达事物表象下的言外之意，其讽刺效果不仅体现在言语修辞方面，更在情节与主题方面得以彰显。 故事开端，老人向艾伦展示了一种无色无味、无法觉察的毒药———即所谓的“生活清洁剂”，开价 5000美元。当年轻人惴惴不安地询问是否所有产品的价格都一样高时，老人给了否定的回答，对此老人解释说等顾客相信了他的产品的魔力，将来他们有了钱，就会回来以更高的价格买其他的东西。然后他给年轻人展示了一种爱情魔液，并说该药剂具有能够让一个女人全心全意爱他，永远不离不弃的魔力。老人对此开价仅1美元。这个年轻人非常开心地购买了爱情魔液，却不明白为什么对方以1美元出售爱情魔液，对毒药却要价如此高昂。对此，老人的解释是“Oh dear,no.It would be no good charging that sort of price for a love potion...” （噢，亲爱的，不全这么贵。像这爱情魔液，如果我开这么个价，那可不是个好标价。买爱情魔液的年轻人很少有5000美元的，要不，他们也不会需要爱情魔液了。）老人是一个非常精明的商人，更是一个爱情虚无主义者，知道前来找他做生意的无外乎两种人，一种是经济不太宽裕、渴求爱情却没有能力获取理想爱情的年轻人；另一种是经济雄厚、厌倦爱情且极度渴望摆脱爱情烦恼的游戏人生者。他十分清楚如何对不同的人开不同的价，以达到促进他那一本万利生意的目的。在老人看来，世上根本没有真正的爱情，所谓的爱情既能用金钱获取，亦能用金钱来终结，一切只不过是一场残酷的游戏。而在艾伦眼里，无论爱人还是爱情都是被极度物化的东西。艾伦希望戴安娜是属于他一个人的私有财产，不允许她有独立的自我，只能听从于 他、 任由他的摆布，为了这一己私欲，艾伦甚至不惜求救于爱情魔液来达到自己的目的。这种未建立在平等基础上的所谓爱情根本就不是真正的爱情，老人和艾伦对爱情和伦理的认识也完全不一样，但是在私欲的驱使下，两个利欲熏心的人一拍即合立马 成交。在两人的对话中， 作者运用反讽的手法影射物化爱情观与爱情虚无主义这两种完全不同事物的荒诞结合，于讽刺之中更见悲情。 二、隐喻突显爱情意象和死亡阴影的悲情轮回 传统修辞学认为，隐喻是属于词汇层次上的一 种对比和意义替换的修辞现象，是对正常语言使用规则的一种偏离。柯里尔的小说中，老人是一个老于世故、精明狡黠的商人，老人的语言非常庄重而文雅，充满书面语的单词和短语以及外来词，显得彬彬 作品评述 065
Unit--The-Chaser课文翻译综合教程三
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Unit 7 The Chaser John Henry Collier 1 Alan Austen, as nervous as a kitten, went up certain dark and creaky stairs in the neighborhood of Pell Street, and peered about for a long time on the dim hallway before he found the name he wanted written obscurely on one of the doors. 2 He pushed open this door, as he had been told to do, and found himself in a tiny room, which contained no furniture but a plain kitchen table, a rocking-chair, and an ordinary chair. On one of the dirty buff-coloured walls were a couple of shelves, containing in all perhaps a dozen bottles and jars. 3 An old man sat in the rocking-chair, reading a newspaper. Alan, without a word, handed him the card he had been given. “Sit down, Mr. Austen,” said the old man very politely. “I am glad to make your acquaintance.” 4 “Is it true,” asked Alan, “that you have a certain mixture that has … er … quite extraordinary effects?” 5 “My dear sir,” replied the old man, “my stock in trade is not very large —I don’t deal in laxatives and teething mixtures — but such as it is, it is varied. I think nothing I sell has effects which could be p recisely described as ordinary.” 6 “Well, the fact is …” began Alan. 7 “Here, for example,” interrupted the old man, reaching for a bottle from the shelf. “Here is a liquid as colourless as water, almost tasteless, quite imperceptible in coffee, wine, or any other beverage. It is also quite imperceptible to any known method of autopsy.” 8 “Do you mean it is a poison?” cried Alan, very much horrified. 9 “Call it a glove-cleaner if you like,” said the old man indifferently. “Maybe it will clean gloves. I have never tried. One might call it a life-cleaner. Lives need cleaning sometimes.” 10 “I want nothing of that sort,” said Alan. 11 “Probably it is just as well,” said the old man. “Do you know the price of this? For one teaspoonful, which is sufficient, I ask five thousand dollars. Never less. Not a penny less.” 12 “I hope all your mixtures are not as expensive,” said Alan apprehensively.
Unit--The-Chaser练习答案综合教程三
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Unit 7 The Chaser Key to the Exercises Text comprehension I. Decide which of the following is likely to happen after the story. C II. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false. 1. F (Refer to Paragraph 5. The old man says that his stock in trade is not very large, but it is varied and has extraordinary effects.) 2. F (Refer to Paragraphs 11 and 1 3. The price of a glove-cleaner, as he calls it, is very high, five thousand dollars for a teaspoonful, but the love potion is very cheap.) 3. F (Refer to Paragraph 19. The old man claims that the effects of love potions are permanent.) 4. T (Refer to Paragraphs 24 and 28. Austen says that Diana is fond of parties and, although she is everything to him already, she does not care about his love at all. That is why he decides to go to the old man for the love potion and whenever the old man mentions the magic of his potion, he can't help "crying." From that, we can see the man loves the girl very much.) 5. F (The old man sells the love potions almost for nothing because by doing so his customers will come back for a much dearer commodity, the glove-cleaner, to help them out. It is the "death potion" that the old man makes most of his profits from, and intends to sell to his customers.) III. Answer the following questions. 1. What the old man means is that a young man who falls in love one-sidedly is seldom rich enough to win a girl's heart. His words imply that money is one of the crucial factors for love. If a man is not rich, he can rarely expect to be loved by a girl. 2. Refer to Paragraphs 19 to 37. The love potion has powerful, everlasting effects. To begin with, it may produce sexual desire in the person who takes it. And on the spiritual side, it can replace indifference with devotion and scorn with adoration. It will make a gay girl want nothing but solitude and her lover's company. She will feel jealous of him when her lover is with other girls; she will want to be everything to him. She will be only interested in her lover and take every concern of him. Even if he slips a bit, she will forgive him though terribly hurt. In a word, she will fall in love with him if she drinks the love potion. 3. Refer to Paragraphs 39 to 43. It is an irony, by which the author seems to imply that love is far from being precious or desirable. It is easy for a man to fall in love, yet it is hard