1.The dinner party
I first heard this tale in India, where is told as if true -- though any naturalist would know it couldn't be. Later someone told me that the story appeared in a magazine shortly before the First World War. That magazine story, and the person who wrote it, I have never been able to track down.
The country is India. A colonial official and his wife are giving a large dinner party. They are seated with their guests -- officers and their wives, and a visiting American naturalist -- in their spacious dining room, which has a bare marble floor, open rafters and wide glass doors opening onto a veranda.
A spirited discussion springs up between a young girl who says that women have outgrown the jumping-on-a-chair-at-the-sight-of-a-mouse era and a major who says that they haven't.
"A woman's reaction in any crisis," the major says, "is to scream. And while a man may feel like it, he has that ounce more of control than a woman has. And that last ounce is what really counts."
The American does not join in the argument but watches the other guests. As he looks, he sees a strange expression come over the face of the hostess. She is staring straight ahead, her muscles contracting slightly. She motions to the native boy standing behind her chair and whispers something to him. The boy's eyes widen: he quickly leaves the room.
Of the guests, none except the American notices this or sees the boy place a bowl of milk on the veranda just outside the open doors.
The American comes to with a start. In India, milk in a bowl means only one thing -- bait for a snake. He realizes there must be a cobra in the room. He looks up at the rafters -- the likeliest place -- but they are bare. Three corners of the room are empty, and in the fourth the servants are waiting to serve the next course. There is only one place left -- under the table.
His first impulse is to jump back and warn the others, but he knows the commotion would frighten the cobra into striking. He speaks quickly, the tone of his voice so commanding that it silences everyone.
"I want to know just what control everyone at this table has. I will count three hundred -- that's five minutes -- and not one of you is to move a muscle. Those who move will forfeit 50 rupees. Ready?"
The 20 people sit like stone images while he counts. He is saying "...two hundred and eighty..." when, out of the corner of his eye, he sees the cobra emerge and make for the bowl of milk. Screams ring out as he jumps to slam the veranda doors safely shut.
"You were right, Major!" the host exclaims. "A man has just shown us an example of perfect self-control."
"Just a minute," the American says, turning to his hostess. "Mrs. Wynnes, how did you know that cobra was in the room?"
A faint smile lights up the woman's face as she replies: "Because it was crawling across my foot."
UNIT 2-1
一场关于男人是否比女人勇敢的激烈的讨论以一个意外的方式
。
晚宴
我最初听到这个故事是在印度，那儿的人们今天讲起它来仍好像实有其事似的——尽管任何一位博物学家都知道这不可能是真的。后来有人告诉我，在第一次世界大战之后不久就出现在一本杂志上。但登在杂志上的那篇故事, 以及写那篇故事的人，我却一直未能找到。故事发生在印度。某殖民官员和他的夫人举行盛行的晚宴。跟他们一起就座的客人有——军官和他人的夫人，另外还有一位来访的美国博物学家——筵席设在他们家宽敞的餐室里，室内大理石地板上没有铺地毯；屋顶明椽裸露；宽大的玻璃门外便是阳台。
席间，一位年轻的女士同一位少校展开了热烈的讨论。年轻的女士认为，妇女已经有所进步，不再像过去那样一见到老鼠就吓得跳到椅子上；少校则不以为然。
“女人一遇到危急情况，”少校说，反应便是尖叫。而男人虽然也可能想叫，但比起女人来，自制力却略胜一筹。这多出来的一点自制力正是真正起作用的东西。”
那个美国人没有参加这场争论，他只是注视着在座的其他客人。在他这样观察时，他发现女主人的脸上显出一种奇异的表情。她两眼盯着正前方，脸部肌肉在微微抽搐。她向站在座椅后面的印度男仆做了个手势，对他耳语了几句。男仆两眼睁得大大的，迅速地离开了餐室。
在座的客人中，除了那位美国人以外论证也没有注意到这一幕，也没有看到那个男仆把一碗牛奶放在紧靠门边的阳台上。那个美国人突然醒悟过来。在印度，碗中的牛奶只有一个意思——引蛇的诱饵。他意识到餐室里一定有条眼镜蛇。他意识到餐室里一定有条眼镜蛇。他抬头看了看屋顶上的椽子——那是最可能有蛇藏身的地方——但那上面空荡荡的。室内的三个角落里也是空的，而在第四个角落里，仆人们正在等着下一道菜。这样，剩下的就只有一个地方了餐桌下面。
他首先想到的是往后一跳，并向其他人发警告。但他知道这样会引起骚乱，致使眼镜索受惊咬人。于是他很快讲了一通话，其语气非常威严，竟使所有的人安静了下来。我想了解一下在座的诸位到底有多大的克制能力，我数三百下——也就五分钟——你们谁都不许动一动。动者将罚款五十卢比。准备好！”在他数数的过程中，那20个人像一尊尊石雕一样端坐在那儿。当他数到“……280……”时，突然从眼然处看到那条眼镜蛇钻了出来，向那碗牛奶爬去。在他跳起来把通往阳台的门全都砰砰地牢牢关上时，室内响起了一片尖叫声。
“你刚才说得很对，少校！”男主人大声说。一个男子刚刚为我们显示了从容不迫、镇定自若的范例。”
“且慢”，那位美国人一
边说着一边转向女主人。温兹太太，你怎么知道那条眼镜蛇是在屋子里呢？”
女主人的脸上闪现出一丝淡淡的微笑，回答说：“因为它当时正从我的脚背上爬过去。”
UNIT2-2
2.lessons from jefferson
Jefferson died long ago, but may of his ideas still of great interest to us.
Lessons from Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, may be less famous than George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but most people remember at last one fact about him: he wrote the Declaration of Independence.
Although Jefferson lived more than 200 years ago, there is much that we learn from him today. Many of his ideas are especially interesting to modern youth. Here are some of the things he said and wrote:
Go and see. Jefferson believed that a free man obtains knowledge from many sources besides books and that personal investigation is important. When still a young man, he was appointed to a committee to find out whether the South Branch of the James River was deep enough to be used by large boats. While the other members of the committee sat in the state capitol and studied papers on the subject, Jefferson got into a canoe and made on-the-spot-observations.
You can learn from everyone. By birth and by education Jefferson belonged to the highest social class. Yet, in a day when few noble persons ever spoke to those of humble origins except to give an order, Jefferson went out of his way to talk with gardeners, servants, and waiters. Jefferson once said to the French nobleman, Lafayette, "You must go into the people's homes as I have done, look into their cooking pots and eat their bread. If you will only do this, you may find out why people are dissatisfied and understand the revolution that is threatening France."
Judge for yourself. Jefferson refused to accept other people's opinions without careful thought. "Neither believe nor reject anything," he wrote to his nephew, "because any other person has rejected or believed it. Heaved has given you a mind for judging truth and error. Use it."
Jefferson felt that the people "may safely be trusted to hear everything true and false, and to form a correct judgment. Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."
Do what you believe is right. In a free country there will always be conflicting ideas, and this is a source of strength. It is conflict and not unquestioning agreement that keeps freedom alive. Though Jefferson was for many years the object of strong criticism, he never answered his critics. He expressed his philosophy in letters to a friend, "There are two sides to every question. If you take one side with decision and on it with effect, those who take the other side will of course resent your actions."
Trust the future; trust the young. Jefferson felt
that the present should never be chained to customs which have lost their usefulness. "No society," he said, "can make a perpetual constitution, or even a perpetual law. The earth belongs to the living generation." He did not fear new ideas, nor did he fear the future. "How much pain," he remarked, "has been caused by evils which have never happened! I expect the best, not the worst. I steer my ship with hope, leaving fear behind."
Jefferson's courage and idealism were based on knowledge. He probably knew more than any other man of his age. He was an expert in agriculture, archeology, and medicine. He practiced crop rotation and soil conservation a century before these became standard practice, and he invented a plow superior to any other in existence. He influenced architecture throughout America, and he was constantly producing devices for making the tasks of ordinary life easier to perform.
Of all Jefferson's many talents, one is central. He was above all a good and tireless writer. His complete works, now being published for the first time, will fill more than fifty volumes. His talent as an author was soon discovered, and when the time came to write the Declaration of Independence at Philadelphia in 1776, the task of writing it was his. Millions have thrilled to his words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…"
When Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of American independence, he left his countrymen a rich legacy of ideas and examples. American education owes a great debt to Thomas Jefferson, Who believed that only a nation of educated people could remain free.
杰斐逊很久以前就死了，但是我们仍然对他的一些思想很感兴趣,杰斐逊的箴言, 布鲁斯.布利文、托马斯.杰斐逊美国第三任总统，也许不像乔治.华盛顿和亚伯拉罕.林肯那样著名，但大多数人至少记得有关他的一件事实：《独立宣言》是他起草的。虽然杰斐逊生活在二百多年以前，但我们今天仍可以从他身上学到很多东西。他的许多思想对当代青年特别有意义。下面就是他讲过和写到过的一些观点：
自己去看。杰斐逊认为，一个自由的人除了从书本中获取知识外，还可以从许多别的来源获得知识；亲自做调查是很重要的。当他还年轻的时候，他就被任命为一个委员会的成员，去调查詹姆斯河南部支流的水深是否可以通行大型船只。委员会的其他成员都坐在州议会大厦内，研究有关这一问题的文件，而杰斐逊却跳进一只独木舟去做现场观测。
你可以向任何人学习。按出身及其所受的教育，杰斐逊均属于最高的社会阶层。然而很少跟出身卑贱的人说话的年代，在那个贵人们除了发号施令以外。杰斐逊却想尽办法跟园丁、仆人和侍者交谈。有一次杰斐逊曾这样对法国贵族拉斐特说：你必须像我那
样到平民百性的家里去，看看他们的烧饭锅，吃吃他们的面包。只要你肯这样做，你就会发现老百姓为什么会不满意，你就会理解正在威胁着法国的革命。”
自已作判断。未经过认真的思考，杰斐逊绝不接受别人的意见。“不要相信它或拒绝它。”他在给侄子的信中写道，“因为别的人相信或拒绝了什么东西。上帝赐予你一个用来判断真理和谬误的头脑。那你就运用它吧。杰斐逊觉得人民是“完全可以依赖的，应该让它们听到一切真实和虚伪的东西，然后作出正确的判断。倘使让我来决定，我们是应该有一个政府而不要报纸呢，还是应该有报纸而不要政府，我会豪不犹豫地选择后者。”
做你认为是正确的事。在一个自由的国家里总会有各种相互冲突的思想，而这正是力量的源泉。使自由保持活力的是冲突而不是绝对的一致。虽然有好多年杰斐逊一直受到激烈的批评，但他从不回答那些批评他的人。他在想写给一位朋友的信中表达他自己的观点：“每个问题都有两面。如果你坚持站在一面，根据它有效地采取行动，那么，站在另一面的那些人当然会对你的行动怨恨不满。”
相信未来，相信青年。杰斐逊认为，绝不可以用那些已经无用的习俗来束缚住“现在”的手脚。“没有哪个社会，”他说，“可以制订一部永远适用的宪法，甚至连一条永远适用的法律也制订不出来。地球是属于活着的一代的。他不害怕新的思想，也不害怕未来。“有多少痛苦，”他评论说，“是有一些从未发生的灾难引起的啊！我期待的是最好的东西，而不是最坏的东西。我满怀希望地驾驶着自已的航船，我满怀希望地驾驶着自已的航船，而把恐惧抛在后面。”
杰斐逊的勇气和理想主义是以知识为基础的。他懂得的东西也许比同时代的任何人都要多。在农业、考古学和医学方面他都是专家。在人人普遍采用农作物轮作和土壤保持的作法以前一个世纪，他就这样做了。他还发明了一种比当时任何一种都好的耕犁。他影响了整个美国的建筑业，他还不断地制造出各种器械的装置，使日常生活中需要做的许多工作变得更加容易。
在杰斐逊的众多才能中，有一种是最主要的：他首先是一位优秀的、不知疲倦的作家。他的全集，目前正在第一次出版的，将超过五十卷。他作为一个作家的才能很快便被发现了，所以，当1776年在费城要撰写《独立宣言》的时刻来到时，这一任务便落在了他的肩上。数以百万计的人们读到他写的下列词句都激动不已：我们认为这些真理是不言而喻的；一切人生来就是平等的……”
杰斐逊在1826年7月4日与世长辞，正值美国独立五十周年纪
念日之际，他给他的同胞留下了一份丰富的思想遗产和众多的榜样。托马斯 杰斐逊对美国的教育事业作出了巨大的贡献，他认为，只有受过教育的人民组成的国家才能保持自由。
UNIT2-3
3.my first job
Trying to make some money before entering university, the author applies for a teaching job. But the interview goes from bad to worse...
My First Job
While I was waiting to enter university, I saw advertised in a local newspaper a teaching post at a school in a suburb of London about ten miles from where I lived. Being very short money and wanting to do something useful, I applied, fearing as I did so, that without a degree and with no experience in teaching my chances of getting the job were slim.
However, three days later a letter arrived, asking me to go to Croydon for an interview. It proved an awkward journey: a train to Croydon station; a ten-minute bus ride and then a walk of at least a quarter to feel nervous.
The school was a red brick house with big windows, The front garden was a gravel square; four evergreen shrubs stood at each corner, where they struggled to survive the dust and fumes from a busy main from a busy main road.
It was clearly the headmaster himself that opened the door. He was short and fat. He had a sandy-coloured moustache, a wrinkled forehead and hardly any hair.
He looked at me with an air of surprised disapproval, as a colonel might look at a private whose bootlaces were undone. 'Ah yes,' he grunted. 'You'd better come inside.' The narrow, sunless hall smelled unpleasantly of stale cabbage; the walls were dirty with ink marks; it was all silent. His study, judging by the crumbs on the carpet, was also his dining-room. 'You'd better sit down,' he said, and proceeded to ask me a number of questions: what subjects I had taken in my General School Certificate; how old I was; what games I played; then fixing me suddenly with his bloodshot eyes, he asked me whether I thought games were a vital part of a boy's education. I mumbled something about not attaching too much importance to them. He grunted. I had said the wrong thing. The headmaster and I obviously had very little in common.
The school, he said, consisted of one class of twenty-four boys, ranging in age from seven to thirteen. I should have to teach all subjects except art, which he taught himself. Football and cricket were played in the Park, a mile away on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.
The teaching set-up filled me with fear. I should have to divide the class into three groups and teach them in turn at three different levels; and I was dismayed at the thought of teaching algebra and geometry-two subjects at which I had been completely incompetent at school. Worse perhaps was the idea of Saturday afternoon cricket; most of my friends would be enjoying leisure at that time.
I said shyly, 'What would my salary be?' 'Twelve pounds a week plus lunch.' Before I could prot
est, he got to his feet. 'Now', he said, 'you'd better meet my wife. She's the one who really runs this school.'
This was the last straw. I was very young: the prospect of working under a woman constituted the ultimate indignity.
进入大学之前，尽力去攒一些钱。作者申请了一个教书职业。但是面试变得越来越糟。我的第一份工作, 在我等着进大学期间，我在一份地方报纸上看到一张广告，说是在伦敦某郊区有所学样要招聘一名教师. 离我住处大约十英里, 我因为手头很拮据，同时也想干点有用的事，于是便提出了申请，在提出申请的同时我也担心，自己一无学位，二无教学经验，得到这份工作的可能性是微乎其微的。然而，三天之后，却来了一封信，叫我到克罗伊顿去面试。这上路去那儿原来还真麻烦：先乘火车到克罗伊顿车站，再乘十分钟公共汽车，然后还要步行至少四分之一英里。结果，我在六月一个炎热的上午到了那儿，因为心情非常沮丧，竟不感到紧张了。学校是一座装着大窗户了红砖房子。前庭园是个铺着砾的正方形：四个角上各有一丛冬青灌木，它们经受着从繁忙的大街一吹来的尘烟，挣扎着活下去。开门的显然是校长本人。他又矮又胖，留着沙色的小胡子，前额上布满皱纹，头发差不多已经秃光。他带着一种吃惊的、不以为然的神态看着我，就像一位上校看着一名没系好靴带的二等兵一样。“哦，”他咕哝着说。“你最好到里面来。”那狭窄的，不见阳光的走廊里散发出一股腐烂的卷心菜味，闻上去很不舒服；墙上墨迹斑斑，显行很脏，周围一片静寂。他的书房，从地毯上的面包屑来判断，也是他的餐室。“你最好坐下，”他说，接着便问了我许多问题：为了得到普通学校证书我学过哪些课程；我多大岁数了；我会玩些什么游戏；问到这里他突然用他那双充满血丝的眼睛盯住我，问我是否认为游戏是儿童教育的一个极为重要的组成部分。我含含糊糊地说了些不必太重视游戏之类的话。他咕哝了几句。我说了错话。我和校长显然没有多少共同语言。他说，学校只有一个班，二十四名男生，年龄从七岁到十三风不等，除了美术课他亲自教以外，其余所有的课程都得由我来教。星期三和星期六的下午要到一英里以外的公园去踢足球、打板球。整个教学计划把我吓坏了。我得把全班学生分成三个组，按三种不同的程度轮流给他们上课；想到要教代数和几何这两门我在读书时学得极差的科目，我感到很害怕。更糟糕的也许是星期六下午打板球的安排，因为这时候我的朋友大都会在悠闲地自得其乐。我羞羞答答地问，“我的薪水是多少？”“每周十二镑外加中饭。”还没等我
来得及提出异议，他已经站了起来。“好了，”他说，“你最好见见我的妻子。她才是这所学校真正的主管人。”我再也无法忍受了。我当时很年轻，想到将在一个女人手下干活，就觉得是最大的侮辱。
UNIT2-4
4.the professor and the yo-yo
Seen through the eyes of a young friend Einstein was a simple, modest and ordinary man.
The professor and the Yo-yo
My father was a close friend of Albert Einstein. As a shy young visitor to Einstein's home, I was made to feel at ease when Einstein said, "I have something to show you." He went to his desk and returned with a Yo-Yo. He tried to show me how it worked but he couldn't make it roll back up the string. When my turn came, I displayed my few tricks and pointed out to him that the incorrectly looped string had thrown the toy off balance. Einstein nodded, properly impressed by my skill and knowledge. Later, I bought a new Yo-Yo and mailed it to the Professor as a Christmas present, and received a poem of thanks.
As boy and then as an adult, I never lost my wonder at the personality that was Einstein. He was the only person I knew who had come to terms with himself and the world around him. He knew what he wanted and he wanted only this: to understand within his limits as a human being the nature of the universe and the logic and simplicity in its functioning. He knew there were answers beyond his intellectual reach. But this did not frustrate him. He was content to go as far as he could.
In the 23 years of our friendship, I never saw him show jealousy, vanity, bitterness, anger, resentment, or personal ambition. He seemed immune to these emotions. He was beyond any pretension. Although he corresponded with many of the world's most important people, his stationery carried only a watermark - W - for Woolworth's.
To do his work he needed only a pencil only a pencil and a pad of paper. Material things meant nothing to him. I never knew him to carry money because he never had any use for it. He believed in simplicity, so much so that he used only a safety razor and water to shave. When I suggested that he try shaving cream, he said, "The razor and water do the job."
"But Professor, why don't you try the cream just once?" I argued. "It makes shaving smoother and less painful."
He shrugged. Finally, I presented him with a tube of shaving cream. The next morning when he came down to breakfast, he was beaming with the pleasure of a new, great discovery. "You know, that cream really works," he announced. "It doesn't pull the beard. It feels wonderful." Thereafter, he used the shaving cream every morning until the tube was empty. Then he reverted to using plain water.
Einstein was purely and exclusively a theorist. He didn't have the slightest interest in the practical application of his ideas and theories. His E=mc2 is probably the most famous equation in history - yet Einstein wouldn't walk down the street to see a re
actor create atomic energy. He won the Nobel Prize for his Photoelectric Theory, a series of equations that he considered relatively minor in importance, but he didn't have any curiosity in observing how his theory made TV possible.
My brother once gave the Professor a toy, a bird that balanced on the edge of a bowl of water and repeatedly dunked its head in the water. Einstein watched it in delight, trying to deduce the operating principle. But be couldn't.
The next morning he announced, "I had thought about that bird for a long time before I went to bed and it must work this way…" He began a ling explanation. Then he stopped, realizing a flaw in his reasoning. "No, I guess that's not it," he said. He pursued various theories for several days until I suggested we take the toy apart to see how it did work. His quick expression of disapproval told me he did not agree with this practical approach. He never did work out the solution.
Another puzzle that Einstein could never understand was his own fame. He had developed theories that were profound and capable of exciting relatively few scientists. Yet his name was a household word across the civilized world. "I've had good ideas, and so have other men," he once said. "But it's been my good fortune that my ideas have been accepted." He was bewildered by his fame: people wanted to meet him; strangers stared at him on the street; scientists, statesmen, students, and housewives wrote him letters. He never could understand why he received this attention, why he was singled out as something special.
教授和游游- -
在一个年轻的朋友的眼里，爱因斯坦是一个朴素、谦虚而普通的人。
作者：托马斯?李?巴基与约瑟夫?布兰克
我的父亲是阿尔伯特?爱因斯坦的亲密朋友。做为一个腼腆的年轻的来访者来到爱因斯坦的家里时，我感到舒适，因为爱因斯坦说，"我有东西要给你看。"他走到他的桌前返回来时带着一个游游。他试图给我看它是怎样工作的但他没有办法让它的线绕回去。当该我来玩时，我展示我的一点技巧并向他指出绕得不正确的线使这个玩具失去了平衡。爱因斯坦点头，并对我的技术与知识留下了印象。后来，我买了一个新的游游做为圣诞节礼物寄给教授，我收到一首答谢诗。
做为一个小孩和做为一个成人，我一直都想了解身为名人的爱因斯坦。他是我认识的所有的这样的人中的一个，他承认他自身的有限性并与他周围的世界和平相处。他知道他想要的是什么并且他想要的仅仅是这个：
理解在他做为一个人的限度之内宇宙的特性和在它的作用中的逻辑与简单性。他知道在他的智力所能达到的地方之外有答案。但这不能使他沮丧。他要尽自己的可能来努力。
在我们的23年的友谊里，我从未看到他显示出嫉妒、空虚、痛苦、生气、怨恨，或
者个人的野心。他显得不受这些强烈情绪的影响。他超越了一切虚荣。虽然他与这个世界上最著名的人们中的一些人通信，但他的信笺只有一个水印的符号——W——是伍尔沃思连锁店的标记。
做工作时他只需要一只铅笔和一张纸。物质的事情对于他意味着什么也不存在。我从不知道他带钱因为他从不用钱。他信奉朴素，如此之深以至于他仅仅使用安全剃须刀沾水剃胡须。当我建议他试用剃须膏时，他说，"这把剃须刀与水一起就可以了。"
"但教授，你为什么不试一次这种膏呢？"我争辩道。"它使递须更平滑更少疼痛。"
他耸耸肩。最后，我送给他一管递须膏。第二天早晨当他下楼来吃早餐时，他正因为一个新的大的发现而快乐。"你知道，那膏真正有效，"他宣布说。"它没有扯胡须。感觉很棒。"于是，他每天早晨使用这种递须膏直到这管用空为止。然后他又恢复使用平常的水。
爱因斯坦是一位纯粹而完全的理论家。他对于自己的思想与理论的实际运用一点儿兴趣也没有。他的E=mc(c平方)恰是历史上最为著名的方程式——爱因斯坦也不会走到街上来看看反应堆制造原子能。他由于自己的光电学理论赢得了诺贝尔奖，在这个理论中有他在重要性上相互考虑得更少的一系列方程式，但他没有任何好奇心去观察他的理论如何使电视成为可能。
我的兄弟曾经送给教授一个玩具鸟，这只鸟站在一碗水的边缘并重复地将头浸入水中。爱因斯坦高兴地注视它，试图找出操作的原理。但他不能做到。
第二天早晨他宣布，"在我上床前我考虑那只鸟比较长的时间，我想它是这样工作的......"他开始了一次长的解释。然后他停住了，领悟到他的理论中有一个缺陷。"不，我猜想不会是这样，"他说。他推断各种理论达几天直到我建议我们将玩具拆开看看它是怎样工作的。他的迅速的不赞成的表情告诉我他不同意这种实践方法。他从没有说清这个原理。
另一个让爱因斯坦困惑的是他的名声。他已经创造了如此深奥并让少数相关的科学家兴奋的理论。但他的名字在文明世界家喻户晓。"我有好的主意，其他人也有，"他曾经说。"但它是我的幸运因为我的观点被接受了。"他让自己的名声弄糊涂了：人们想要见他；陌生人在街上凝视他；科学家，政治家，学生，和家庭妇女写信给他。他从不能理解为什么他得到了这种关注，为什么他就像某种特别的事物一样突出。
UNIT2-5
5.the villain in the atmosphere
The Villain in the Atmosphere
Para 1-5: The villain in the atmosphere is carbon dioxide.
It does not seem to be a villain. It is not very poisonous and it is present in the atmosphere in so small a quantity — only 0.034 percen
t — that it does us no harm.What’s more, that small quantity of carbon dioxide in the air is essential to life. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into their own tissue, which serve as the basic food supply for all of animal life (including human beings, of course). In the process they liberate oxygen, which is also necessary for all animal life. But here is what this apparently harmless and certainly essential gas is doing to us: The sea level is rising very slowly from year to year. In all likelihood, it will continue to rise and do so at a greater rate in the course of the next hundred years. Where there are low-lying coastal areas (where a large fraction of the world’s population lives) the water will advance steadily, forcing people to retreat inland.
Para 6: Eventually the sea will reach two hundred feet above its present level, and will be splashing against the windows along the twentieth floors of Manhattan’s skyscrapers. Florida will disappear beneath the waves, as will much of the British Isles, the crowded Nile valley, and the low-lying areas of China, India, and Russia.
Para 7-9: Not only will many cities be drowned, but much of the most productive farming areas of the world will be lost. As the food supply drops, starvation will be widespread and the structure of society may collapse under the pressure.And all because of carbon dioxide. But how does that come about? What is the connection?
It begins with sunlight, to which the various gases of the atmosphere (including carbon dioxide) are transparent. Sunlight, striking the top of the atmosphere, travels right through miles of it to warm the Earth’s surface. At night, the Earth cools by radiating heat into space in the form of infrared radiation.
Para 10: However, the atmosphere is not quite as transparent to infrared radiation as it is to visible light. Carbon dioxide in particular tends to block such radiation. Less heat is lost at night, for that reason, than would be lost if carbon dioxide were not present in the atmosphere. Without the small quantity of that gas present, the Earth would be distinctly cooler, perhaps uncomfortably cool.
Para 11. We can be thankful that carbon dioxide is keeping us comfortably warm, but the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is going up steadily and that is where the villainy comes in. In 1958, carbon dioxide made up only 0.0316 percent of the atmosphere. Each year since, the concentration has crept upward and it now stands at 0.0340 percent. It is estimated that by 2020 the concentration will be nearly twice what it is now.
Para 12-14: This means that in the coming decades, Earth’s average temperature will go up slightly. As a result, the polar ice caps will begin to melt. Something like 90 percent of the ice in the world is to be found in the huge Antarctica ice cap, and another 8 percent is in the Greenland ice cap. If these ice caps begin to melt, the sea level will rise, with the result that I have
already described. But why is the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere steadily rising? Para 15: To blame are two factors. First of all, in the last few centuries, first coal, then oil and natural gas, have been burned for energy at a rapidly increasing rate. The carbon contained in these fuels, which has been safely buried underground for many millions of years, is now being burned to carbon dioxide and poured into the atmosphere at a rate of many tons per day.
Para 16-17: To make matters worse, Earth’s forests have been disappearing, slowly at first, but in the last couple of centuries quite rapidly. Right now it is disappearing at the rate of sixty-four acres per minute. Whatever replaces the forest — grassland or farms or scrub — produces plants that do not consume carbon dioxide at an equal rate. Thus, not only is more carbon dioxide being added to the atmosphere through burning of fuel, but as the forests disappear, less carbon dioxide is being removed from the atmosphere by plants.
Para 18-20: But this gives us a new perspective on the matter. The carbon dioxide is not rising by itself. It is people who are burning the coal, oil, and gas. It is people who are cutting down the forests. It is people, then, who are the villains. What is to be done?First, we must save our forests, and even replant them.
Para 21: Second, we must have new sources of fuel that do not involve the production of carbon dioxide. Nuclear power is one of them, but if that is thought too dangerous, there are other alternatives. There is the energy of waves, tides, wind, and the Earth’s interior heat. Most of all, there is the direct use of solar energy.
Para 22: All of this will take time, work, and money, to be true, but nations spend more time, work, and money in order to support competing military machines that can only destroy us all. Should we object to spending less time, work, and money in order to save us all?
UNIT2-6
6.the making of a surgeon
A famous surgeon tells about the importance of self-confidence from his own experience.
The Making of a Surgeon
How does a doctor recognize the point in time when he is finally a "surgeon"? As my year as chief resident drew to a close I asked myself this question on more than one occasion.
The answer, I concluded, was self-confidence. When you can say to yourself, "There is no surgical patient I cannot treat competently, treat just as well as or better than any other surgeon" - then, and not until then, you are indeed a surgeon. I was nearing that point.
Take, for example, the emergency situations that we encountered almost every night. The first few months of the year I had dreaded the ringing of the telephone. I knew it meant another critical decision to be made. Often, after I had told Walt or Larry what to do in a particular situation, I'd have trouble getting back to sleep. I'd review all the facts of the case and, not infrequently, wonder if I hadn't made a poor decision.
More than once at two or three in the morning, after lying awake for an hour, I'd get out of bed, dress and drive to the hospital to see the patient myself. It was the only way I could find the peace of mind I needed to relax.
Now, in the last month of my residency, sleeping was no longer a problem. There were still situations in which I couldn't be certain my decision had been the right one, but I had learned to accept this as a constant problem for a surgeon, one that could never be completely resolved - and I could live with it. So, once I had made a considered decision, I no longer dwelt on it. Reviewing it wasn't going to help and I knew that with my knowledge and experience, any decision I'd made was bound to be a sound one. It was a nice feeling.
In the operating room I was equally confident. I knew I had the knowledge, the skill, the experience to handle any surgical situation I'd ever encounter in practice. There were no more butterflies in my stomach when I opened up an abdomen or a chest. I knew that even if the case was one in which it was impossible to anticipate the problem in advance, I could handle whatever l found. I'd sweated through my share of stab wounds of the belly, of punctured lungs, of compound fractures. I had sweated over them for five years. I didn't need to sweat any more.
Nor was I afraid of making mistakes. I knew that when I was out in practice I would inevitably err at one time or another and operate on someone who didn't need surgery or sit on someone who did. Five years earlier - even one year earlier - I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had had to take sole responsibility for a mistake in judgment. Now I could. I still dreaded errors - would do my best to avoid them -- but I knew they were part of a surgeon's life. I could accept this fact with calmness because I knew that if I wasn't able to avoid a mistake, chances were that no other surgeon could have, either.
This all sounds conceited and I guess it is - but a surgeon needs conceit. He needs it to encourage him in trying moments when he's bothered by the doubts and uncertainties that are part of the practice of medicine. He has to feel that he's as good as and probably better than any other surgeon in the world. Call it conceit - call it self-confidence; whatever it was, I had it.
一名外科大夫的成功之道-
一位著名的外科大夫告诉说，在他的经历中自信是重要的。
作者：诺兰博士
一名医生是怎样看待他成为一名外科大夫那一刻的？当我做为一名住院医生的岁月即将结束时我不止一次地这样问自己。
这个答案，我判断，是自信。当你能对自己说，"没有外科病人我不能熟练治疗，就像其他外科大夫治疗的一样好甚至比他们还要好"——那么，一直到这时候，你才确实是一名外科大夫。我正在期待着这一刻。
例如，我们几乎每天
夜晚都要遇到紧急状态。这一年开头的几个月我害怕电话铃声响起。我知道它意味着另一次批评的机会被制造。经常，当我告诉瓦特或劳瑞在一个特殊的情形下做什么之后，我很难再入睡了。我回想这件事的全部事实，不是少有的，想知道我是否已经做了一个糟糕的决定。不止一次在凌晨2点至3点，我醒着躺在床上一个小时，就起床，穿上衣服并驱车到医院看望我的病人。这是我能够找到的让心灵平静并松驰下来的惟一途径。
现在，在我的住院实习的最后一个月，睡觉不再是一个问题。依然有我不能确定我的决定是否正确的情形，但我已经了解到一名外科大夫存在的经常的问题，他从来不能够完全能解决——并且我能够与它同在。于是，我做出了一个深思熟虑的决定，我不再想这事。回想将是无助的并且我知道凭我的知识与能力，我所做出的决定是正确的。这是一种很不错的感觉。
在手术室里，我通常是自信的。我知道我有知识、技术，和在以往实践中遭遇到的紧急情形的把握能力。没有更多的紧张当我切开一个腹部或一个胸腔时。我知道即使这个病例不能够预见前进中的问题，但我能够把握住我发现的什么。我出的汗流过戳伤的肺、刺穿的胃和粉碎性骨折的我的部分。我已经流汗淌过这些部位有5年了。我不需要出更多的汗。
现在我也不害怕出错。当我结束实习期后我知道自己不可避免地要出一次又一次错，并且为不需要做手术的人做了手术或者忽视了某人的这种情形。5年前——甚至一年前——我还不能够单独地为自己判断上出现的错误负责任。现在我能够。我仍然害怕出错——我会尽量做得好一些以避免它——但我知道它们是一名外科大夫生命中的一部分。我能够镇静地接受这个事实因为我知道我是不能够避免错误的，别的外科大夫也难以避免。
这些话听起来挺自负的并且我猜它是如此——但一个外科大夫需要良好的自我感觉。他需要它鼓励他在努力的这一刻当他困惑于医疗过程中常有的怀疑与不确定时。他不得不感觉他与世界上其他所有的外科大夫一样好甚至还要强。称之为自负——称它为自信；无论它是什么，我拥用它。
UNIT2-7
7.not on my block
仅有幸运
在这篇文章里，作者描述了一个夜晚她发生了的事以及她对这事的感受。
作者：露丝?赖克尔
当我们驶出车库看到枪正对着轿车的窗口时我的大脑变得麻木了。这不可能正发生在我的身上。然而我感觉到这枝枪，冰冷，对着我的头，并且我听到我的朋友杰里米说，"你们要做什么？把我的钱包拿去，"但这时的我没有也没有想到。
我记得持枪人抓住我
的头发将我拉出轿车时我有些生气了。我记得走向家里——杰里米，我，两名持枪人与两枝枪。我记得持枪人的声调里带着害怕与生气因为杰里米是很慢的，而且我记得当时我想知道他为什么那么慢。我不清楚杰里米已经将钥匙扔进了灌木丛里。但我记得枪撞在杰里米头部的声音以及这位抓住我的头发的男人松开我的感觉。我记得我领悟到他正在瞧杰里米的一瞬间，我想知道在他扣动扳机之前我是否能跑得足够远。但我已经跑了，并且跑到穿过大街的轿车那里，我并不蹲伏在它的后面只是大声地喊叫。
我记得当时想到在12月的星期二的夜晚8点钟叫喊"救命，救命！"是极其荒唐的，所以我改变自己的恳求为专门的"救命，让我进去，请让我进去！"但这一家是冰冷的，关闭着的，不友好的，于是我继续跑直到我听了杰里米在我身后的叫喊，我们的攻击者已经跑了。
没有开门的这家邻居冲我们打开了门，带着棒球棒出来，帮助杰里米寻找他的眼镜和钥匙。在一群人里他们是很勇敢的。我们等候警察来直到有人对另一个人说面条正变凉了，我礼貌地说，"请回去吃吧。我们都很好。"
看着他们走我是幸福的。他们已经正在谈到对罪犯的严厉审判，恢复死弄的惩罚和总统将怎样肃清这个国家犯罪活动。我在想，他们可能正在说的所有的话已经超越了我的死尸，我仍然认为严厉的审判不会改变一件事。在一阵愤怒的冲动里，我应该感到我的攻击者正在被这些满意地站在他们温暖、舒适的家前谈论着将要购买枪的人们指导着。枪对于杰里米和我该是多么好？
所有的邻居们已经打电话报告了我们的尖叫，武装警察20分钟后赶到。就看到的情况而言他们是生气而愤怒的，对他们来说，这是小题大做。毕竟，杰里米几乎没有受伤，当它需要鉴别时我们是没有希望的。"典型的，"当我们甚至在描述那两个人多高时说法不一时一位警察说。我们俩个都能描述枪的可怕细节，但两位留下来做记录的警察不认为那是会有帮助的。
警察们对于这件事是注意事实的。瘦个说，"那是愚蠢的事，扔掉钥匙。当一个男人有一把枪对着你的头时你被告知什么。"杰里米显得完全局促不安了。
然后胖警察上来和瘦警察一起去这幢房子的周围查看。"那是你做的最可能做到的最好的事情，扔离钥匙，"他说。"如果你与他们走进了这幢房子......"他的声音越来越虚弱。"他们会伤害她"——他冲向我猛抬他的头——"并且杀掉你们俩个。"杰里米显得幸福。"瞧，"胖警察善意地说，"在这种情形下没有正确或错误。只有幸运。"
整夜无眠，我重温着那些黑色的手套来到车窗上的那一刻。这
件事持续多长时间？3分钟，5分钟，8分钟？我可能花我生命中多少时间来重温它也没有关系，我知道没有途径为第二次做准备——对于一把枪没有聪明的反应。胖警察是对的：仅有幸运。第二次我会死去的。
并且我确信将会有第二次。它会发生在任何地方，任何时间，对于任何人。安全是一种幻觉；在锁和枪里没有安全。枪使一些人感到安全并且一些人感到强大，但他们正愚弄着他们自己。
UNIT2-8
8.honesty:is it going out of style
Ever thought about cheating on a test? Of course not. But some students are not quite so honest …
Honesty: Is It Going Out of Style?
Stacia Robbins
According to a recent poll, 61 percent of American high school students have admitted to cheating on exams at least once. It can be argued such a response my not mean much. After all, most students have been faced with the temptation to peek at a neighbor's test paper. And students can be hard on themselves in judging such behavior. However, there are other indications that high school cheating may be on the rise.
More and more states are requiring students to pass competency tests in order to receive their high school diplomas. And many educators fear that an increase in the use of state exams will lead to a corresponding rise in cheating. A case in point is students in New York State who faced criminal misdemeanor charges for possessing and selling advance copies of state Regents examinations.
Cheating is considered to be a major problem in colleges and universities. Several professors say they've dropped the traditional term paper requirement because many students buy prewritten term papers, and they can't track down all the cheaters anymore.
Colleges and universities across the nation have decided to do more than talk about the rise in student cheating. For instance, the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland launched a campaign to stop one form of cheating. As 409 students filed out of their exam, they found all but one exit blocked. Proctors asked each student to produce an ID card with an attached photo. Students who said they'd left theirs in the dorm or at home had a mug shot taken. The purpose of the campaign was to catch "ringers," students who take tests for other students.
The majority of students at the University of Maryland applauded the campaign. The campus newspaper editorial said, "Like police arresting speeders, the intent is not to catch everyone but rather to catch enough to spread the word."
We frequently hear about "the good old days", when Americans were better, happier, and more honest. But were they more honest? Maybe yes, a long time ago when life was very different from what it is today.
School children used to know the story of how Abraham Lincoln walked five miles to return a penny he'd overcharged a customer. It's the kind of story we think of as myth. But in the case of L
incoln, the story is true … unlike the story of George Washington and the cherry tree. Washington's first biographer invented the tale of little George saying to his father, "I cannot tell a lie. I did it with my ax." What is important in both stories, however, is that honesty was seen as an important part of the American character.
And these are just two stories out of many. Students in the last century usually didn't read "fun" stories. They read stories that taught moral values. Such stories pointed out quite clearly that children who lied, cheated, or stole came to bad ends.
Parents may have further reinforced those values. It's difficult to know. We do know that children didn't hear their parents’ talk of cheating the government on income taxes - there weren't any.
A clue as to why Americans may have been more honest in the past lies in the Abe Lincoln story. Lincoln knew his customer. They both lived in a small town. Would a check-out person at a large supermarket return money a customer? It's less likely. On the other hand, would overnight guests at an inn run by a husband and wife, steal towels? It's less likely.
Perhaps this tells us that people need to know one another to be at their honest best.
The vast majority of Americans still believe that honesty as an important part of the American Character. For that reason, there are numerous watch-dog committees at all levels of society. Although signs of dishonesty in school, business, and government seem much more numerous in recent years than in the past, could it be that we are getting better at revealing such dishonesty?
There is some evidence that dishonesty may ebb and flow. When times are hard, incidents of theft and cheating usually go up. And when times get better such incidents tend to go down.
Cheating in school also tends to ebb and flow. But it doesn't seem linked to the economy.
Many educators feel that as students gain confidence in themselves and their abilities, they are less likely to cheat. Surprisingly, some efforts to prevent cheating may actually encourage cheating - a person may feel "they don't trust me anyway," and be tempted to "beat the system." Distrust can be contagious. But, so can trust!
诚实：它将离开时尚？-
以往考虑过考试中的做弊吗？当然没有。但一些学生并不那么诚实......
作者：斯泰茜娅?罗宾斯
按照最近的一次民意测验，61%的美国高中学生承认在考试时至少做弊一次。它被争论如此一个反馈并不意味着多少。毕竟，最多的学生已经面对窥视邻近考试卷的诱惑。并且学生几乎不能自主地判断如此的行为。不管怎样，有其他的显示高中做弊行为可能是在上升。
越来越多的州要求学生通过能力测试为了接收他们的高中文凭。许多教育者担心在州测试的习惯中的一个增长将导致做弊行为的相应增长。一个适合的例子是纽约州的学生受到犯有轻
罪的指控，即拥用并出售州董事考试的高级拷贝。
做弊现在被认为是大专院校的主要问题。几名教授说他们已经放弃了传统的答题纸的需求因为许多学生购买事先写好的答题纸，并且他们不能搜寻到更多的做弊者。
这个国家的大专院校已经决定不只是光谈论学生做弊的上升还要采取行动。例如，迈阿密大学的心理学系发动了一场停止做弊形成的运动。当409名学生列队离开他们的考场时，他们发现除了一个以外所有的出口都被锁住了。监考人要求每个学生出示一张附有照片的ID卡。那些说将ID卡留在宿舍或家里的学生被拍了面部照片。这个运动的目的是要抓那些来为别人考试的"替考人"学生。
迈阿密大学的大多数学生赞成这个运动。这所大学的报纸社论说，"像警察逮捕违法超速驾驶者一样，这个目的不是要抓每一个人而是能够概括这个词的人。"
我们经常听到"过去的好时代"的话，那里美国人更好，更幸福，更诚实。但是他们更诚实吗？也许是吧，长时间以前生活是很不同于今天的样子的。
学校的孩子习惯于知道亚伯拉罕?林肯怎样走了5公里返还一便士因为他对一位顾客要价高了些。这是我们知道的像神话一样好的故事。但在林肯的情形中，这个故事是真实的......不像乔治?华盛顿与樱桃树的故事那样。华盛顿的第一位传记作者杜撰了乔治对他父亲说，"我不能告诉一个谎话，我要用斧头来对待它。"的故事。在这两个故事中什么是重要的，不论如何，诚实被看做美国人个性的重要部分。
这些只是许多故事之外的两个故事。在上个世纪里的学生通常不读"娱乐"故事。他们阅读讲有关道德价值的故事。这些故事相当清晰地指出说谎、欺骗或偷窃的孩子的结局都是糟糕的。
父母可能会进一步鼓励这些价值。要想知道是困难的。我们知道孩子不听他们的父母谈论在税收上欺骗政府——没有任何东西。
关于为什么过去时代的美国人更诚实的一个线索就是亚伯拉罕?林肯的故事。林肯认识他的顾客。他们都生活在一个小镇子里。大超市里的结帐员会返还钱给一名顾客？它是更少有可能性。就其他方面而言，在一家夫妻经营的小店里过夜的客人会偷毛巾？它是更少有可能性。
可能这告诉我们人们需要相互知道是最诚实的。
美国人的绝大部分仍然相信诚实是一个美国人个性的重要部分。因为这一点，有大量的监督委员会分散在社会的各个层面。比起过去的岁月最近几年在学校、商业和政府中的不诚实现象显得更多，但这也可能是因为我们在揭露不诚实行为方面做得更好。
有证据表明不诚实会时高时落。当时代是困难的时偷盗和欺骗事件会
上升。当时代变得更好如此事件会趋于下降。
学校中的做弊也呈现出或高或落。但它并不显示出与经济有关。
许多教育者感到当学生获得自信对于自己的能力，他们是更少会做弊。奇怪的是，一些防止做弊的努力实际上在鼓励做弊——一个人可能会感到"他们怎么也不信任我，"并且试图"冲击这个制度"。不信任会被传染。但，信任也能够传染！
Unit1 The Dinner Party
关于男人是否比女人更勇敢的一场激烈争论以一种颇为出人意料的方式解决了。
晚宴 莫娜?加德纳
我最初听到这个故事是在印度，那儿的人们今天讲起它来仍好像确有其事似的——尽管任何一位博物学家都知道这不可能是真的。后来有人告诉我，在第一次世界大战之前不久，一家杂志曾刊登过这个故事。但登在杂志上的那篇故事以及写那篇故事的人，我却一直未能找到。
故事发生在印度。某殖民地官员和他的夫人正举行盛大的晚宴。筵席设在他们家宽敞的餐室里，室内大理石地板上没有铺地毯；屋顶明椽裸露；宽大的玻璃门外便是走廊。跟他们一起就坐的客人有军官和他们的夫人，另外还有一位来访的美国博物学家。
席间，一位年轻的女士同一位少校展开了热烈的讨论。年轻的女士认为，妇女已经有所进步，不再像过去那样一见到老鼠就吓得跳到椅子上；少校则不以为然。
他说：“一遇到危急情况，女人的反应便是尖叫。而男人虽然也可能想叫，但比起女人来，自制力却略胜一筹。这多出来的一点自制力正是真正起作用的东西。”
那个美国人没有参加这场争论，他只是注视着在座的其他客人。在他这样观察时，他发现女主人的脸上显出一种奇异的表情。她两眼盯着正前方，脸部肌肉在微微抽搐。她向站在座椅后面的印度男仆做了个手势，对他耳语了几句。男仆两眼睁得大大的，迅速地离开了餐室。
在座的客人中除了那位美国人以外谁也没注意到这一幕，也没有看到那个男仆把一碗牛奶放在紧靠门边的走廊上。
那个美国人突然醒悟过来。在印度，碗中的牛奶只有一个意思——引蛇的诱饵。他意识到餐室里一定有条眼镜蛇。他抬头看了看屋顶上的椽子——那是最可能有蛇藏身的地方——但那上面空荡荡的。室内的三个角落里也是空的，而在第四个角落里，仆人们正在等着上下一道菜。这样，剩下的就只有一个地方了——餐桌下面。
他首先想到的是往后一跳，并向其他人发出警告。但他知道这样会引起骚乱，致使眼镜蛇受惊咬人。于是他很快讲了一通话，其语气非常威严，竟使得所有的人都安静了下来。
“我想了解一下在座的诸位到底有多大的克制能
力，我数三百下——也就是五分钟——你们谁都不许动一动。动者将罚款五十卢比。准备好！”
在他数数的过程中，那二十个人都像一尊尊石雕一样端坐在那儿。当他数到 “……二百八十……”时，突然从眼角处看到那条眼镜蛇钻了出来，向那碗牛奶爬去。在他跳起来把通往走廊的门全都砰砰地牢牢关上时，室内响起了一片尖叫声。
“你刚才说得很对，少校！” 男主人大声说。“一个男子刚刚为我们显示了从容不迫、镇定自若的范例。”
“且慢，” 那位美国人一边说着一边转向女主人。“温兹太太，你怎么知道那条眼镜蛇是在屋子里呢？”
女主人脸上闪出一丝淡淡的微笑，回答说：“因为它当时正从我的脚背上爬过去。”
Unit2 Lessons from Jefferson
杰斐逊已谢世很久，但他的许多思想仍使我们很感兴趣。
杰斐逊的遗训 布鲁斯?布利文
美国第三任总统托马斯?杰斐逊也许不像乔治?华盛顿和亚伯拉罕?林肯那样著名，但大多数人至少记得有关他的一件事实：是他写的《独立宣言》。
虽然杰斐逊生活在二百多年以前，但我们今天仍可以从他身上学到很多东西。他的许多思想对当代青年来说特别有意义。下面就是他讲过和写过的一些观点：
自己去看。杰斐逊认为，一个自由的人除了从书本中获取知识外，还可以从许多别的来源获得知识；他认为，亲自做调查是很重要的。在他还很年轻的时候，他就被任命为一个委员会的成员，去调查詹姆斯河南部支流的水深是否足以通行大型船只。委员会的其他成员都坐在州议会大厦内研究有关这一问题的文件，而杰斐逊却跳进一只独木舟去做现场观测。
你可以向任何人学习。按出身及其所受的教育，杰斐逊均属于最高的社会阶层。然而，在那个贵人们除了发号施令以外很少跟出身卑贱的人说话的年代，杰斐逊却常破例跟园丁、仆人和侍者交谈。有一次杰斐逊曾这样对法国贵族拉斐特说过：“你必须像我那样到平民百姓的家里去，看看他们的锅里煮些什么，吃吃他们的面包。只要你肯这样做，你就会发现老百姓为什么会不满意，你就会理解正在威胁着法国的革命。”
自己作判断。未经过认真的思考，杰斐逊绝不接受别人的意见。他在给侄子的信中写道：“不要因为别的人相信或拒绝了什么东西，你也就去相信它或拒绝它。上帝赐予你一个用来判断真理和谬误的头脑。那你就运用它吧。”
杰斐逊觉得，人民“是完全可以信赖的，应该让他们听到一切真实和虚伪的东西，然后作出正确的判断。倘使让我来决定，我们是应该有一个政府而不要报纸呢还是应该有报纸而不要政府，我会毫