Unit1在美国，不少人对乡村生活怀有浪漫的情感。许多居住在城镇的人梦想着自己办个农场，梦想着靠土地为生。很少有人真去把梦想变为现实。或许这也没有什么不好，因为，正如吉姆·多尔蒂当初开始其写作和农场经营双重生涯时所体验到的那样，农耕生活远非轻松自在。但他写道，自己并不后悔，对自己作出的改变生活方式的决定仍热情不减。
多尔蒂先生创建自己的理想生活
吉姆·多尔蒂
有两件事是我一直想做的——写作与务农。如今我同时做着这两件事。作为作家，我和E·B·怀特不属同一等级，作为农场主，我和乡邻也不是同一类人，不过我应付得还行。在城市以及郊区历经多年的怅惘失望之后，我和妻子桑迪终于在这里的乡村寻觅到心灵的满足。
这是一种自力更生的生活。我们食用的果蔬几乎都是自己种的。自家饲养的鸡提供鸡蛋，每星期还能剩余几十个出售。自家养殖的蜜蜂提供蜂蜜，我们还自己动手砍柴，足可供过冬取暖之用。
这也是一种令人满足的生活。夏日里我们在河上荡舟，在林子里野餐，骑着自行车长时间漫游。冬日里我们滑雪溜冰。我们为落日的景象而激动。我们爱闻大地回暖的气息，爱听牛群哞叫。我们守着看鹰儿飞过上空，看玉米田间鹿群嬉跃。
但如此美妙的生活有时会变得相当艰苦。就在三个月前，气温降到华氏零下30度，我们辛苦劳作了整整两天，用一个雪橇沿着河边拖运木柴。再过三个月，气温会升到95度，我们就要给玉米松土，在草莓地除草，还要宰杀家禽。前一阵子我和桑迪不得不翻修后屋顶。过些时候，16岁的吉米和四个孩子中的最小的13岁的埃米莉，会帮着我一起把拖了很久没修的室外厕所修葺一下，那是专为室外干活修建的。这个月晚些时候，我们要给果树喷洒药水，要油漆谷仓，要给菜园播种，要赶在新的雏鸡运到之前清扫鸡舍。
在这些活计之间，我每周要抽空花五、六十个小时，不是打字撰文，就是为作为自由撰稿人投给报刊的文章进行采访。桑迪则有她自己繁忙的工作日程。除了日常的家务，她还照管菜园和蜂房，烘烤面包，将食品装罐、冷藏，开车送孩子学音乐，和他们一起练习，自己还要上风琴课，为我做些研究工作并打字，自己有时也写写文章，还要侍弄花圃、堆摞木柴、运送鸡蛋。正如老话说的那样，在这种情形之下，坏人不得闲——贤德之人也歇不了。
我们谁也不会忘记第一年的冬天。从12月一直到3月底，我们都被深达5英尺的积雪困着。暴风雪肆虐，一场接着一场，积雪厚厚地覆盖着屋子和谷仓，而室内，我们用自己砍伐的木柴烧火取暖，吃着自家种植的苹果，温馨快乐每一分钟。
开春后，有过两次泛滥。一次是河水外溢，我们不少田地被淹了几个星期。接着一次是生长季节到了，一波又一波的农产品潮涌而来，弄得我们应接不暇。我们的冰箱里塞满了樱桃、蓝莓、草莓、芦笋、豌豆、青豆和玉米。接着我们存放食品罐的架子上、柜橱里也开始堆满一罐罐的腌渍食品、番茄汁、葡萄汁、李子、果酱和果冻。最后，地窖里遍地是大堆大堆的土豆、葫芦、南瓜，谷仓里也储满了苹果和梨。真是太美妙了。
第二年我们种了更多的作物，差不多就靠着从自家树林砍伐的木柴以及仅仅100加仑的燃油过了冬。其时，我开始认真考虑起辞职从事自由撰稿的事来。时机选得实在太差。当时，
两个大的女儿肖恩和埃米正在费用很高的常青藤学校上学，而我们只有几千美元的银行存款。但我们一再回到一个老问题上来：真的会有更好的时机吗？答案无疑是否定的。于是，带着老板的祝福，口袋里揣着作为累积津贴的半年薪水，我走了。
那以后有过一些焦虑的时刻，但总的来说，情况比我们料想的要好得多。为了写那些内容各不相同的文章，我为《体育画报》爬进过黑熊窝；为《史密森期刊》替参赛的一组组狗套上雪橇；为《科学文摘》调查过尚普兰湖水怪的真相；为《终点》杂志在明尼苏达划着小舟穿越美、加边界水域内的公共荒野保护区。
我挣的钱远比不上全职工作时的收入，可如今我们需要的钱也没有过去多。我挣的钱足以应付每月600美元的房屋贷款按揭以及一家人的日常开销。那些开销包括了所有支出，如音
乐课学费、牙医账单、汽车维修以及大学费用等等。至于保险，我们买了一份低收入者的主要医疗项目保险。我们需要为每一个家庭成员的任何一项医疗费用支付最初的500美元。医疗保险则支付超出部分的80％。虽然我们仍要支付小额医疗费用，但我们的保险费也低——每年只要560美元——而我们给重大灾难保了险。除了这一保险项目，以及两辆汽车每年400美元的保险，我们就没有其他保险了。不过我们每年留出2,000美元入个人退休金账户。
我们通过节约开支而又不明显降低生活水准的方式来弥补收入差额。我们每个月仍出去吃一两次饭，不过现在我们光顾的是当地餐馆，而不是城里的高级饭店。我们仍去密尔沃基听歌剧看芭蕾演出，不过一年才几次。我们肉吃得少了，酒喝得便宜了，电影看得少了。铺张的圣诞节成为一种回忆，我们把完成稿约作为度假的一部分……
我想，不是所有热爱乡村的人都会乐意过我们这种生活的。这种生活需要一些特殊的素质。其一是耐得住寂寞。由于我们如此忙碌，手头又紧，我们很少请客。在作物生长季节，根本就没工夫参加社交活动。吉米和埃米莉虽然参加学校的各种活动，但他俩大多数时间也呆在家里。
另一项要求是体力——相当大的体力。小范围里实现自给自足的途径是抵制诱惑，不去购置拖拉机和其他昂贵的节省劳力的机械。相反，你要自己动手。我们仅有的机器（不包括割草机）是一台3马力的小型旋转式耕耘机以及一架16英寸的链锯。
没人知道我们还能有精力在这里再呆多久——也许呆很长一阵子，也许不是。到走的时候，我们会怆然离去，但也会为自己所做的一切深感自豪。我们把农场出售也会赚相当大一笔钱。我们自己在农场投入了约35,000美元，要是现在售出的话价格差不多可以翻一倍。不过现在不是出售的好时机。但是一旦经济形势好转，对我们这种农场的需求又会增多。
但我们主要不是为了赚钱而移居至此的。我们来此居住是因为想提高生活质量。当我看着埃米莉傍晚去收鸡蛋，跟吉米一起在河上钓鱼，或和全家人一起在果园里享用老式的野餐，我知道，我们找到了自己一直在寻求的生活方式。
Unit22004年，一个纪念“地下铁路”的中心将在辛辛那提市成立。这条铁路不同寻常，它不出售车票，也无火车行驶。然而，它将成千上万的乘客送往他们梦想中的目的地。
给人以自由者
弗格斯·M·博得威奇
我步出这幢两层小屋，加拿大平原上微风轻拂。我身边是一位苗条的黑衣女子，把我带回到过去的向导。那时，安大略省得雷斯顿这一带住着美国历史上的一位英雄。我们前往一座普普通通的灰色教堂，芭芭拉·卡特自豪地谈论着其高祖乔赛亚·亨森。“他坚信上帝要所有人生来平等。他从来没有停止过争取这一自由权利的奋斗。”
卡特对其先辈的忠诚不仅仅关乎一己之骄傲，而关乎家族荣誉。因为乔赛亚·亨森至今仍为人所知是由于他所激发的创作灵感使得一个美国小说人物问世：汤姆叔叔，哈丽特·比彻·斯托的小说《汤姆叔叔的小屋》中那个逆来顺受的黑奴。具有讽刺意味的是，这一人物所象征的一切在亨森身上一点都找不到。一个不愿奋起力争、背叛种族的黑人？卡特对此颇为愤慨。“乔赛亚·亨森是个有原则的人，”她肯定地说。
我远道前来亨森最后的居所——如今已成为卡特曾管理过的一处历史遗迹——是为了更多地了解此人，他在许多方面堪称非裔美国人的摩西。亨森自己摆脱了黑奴身份获得自由之后，便暗中帮助其他数以百计的黑奴逃奔北方去加拿大——逃奔自由之地。许多人和他一起在得雷斯顿这一带定居了下来。
但此地只是我所承担的繁重使命的一处停留地。乔赛亚·亨森只是一长串无所畏惧的男女名单中的一个名字，这些人共同创建了这条“地下铁路”，一个由逃亡线路和可靠的人家组成的用以解放美国南方黑奴的秘密网络。在1820年至1860年期间，多达十万名黑奴经由此路走向自由。
2000年10月，克林顿总统批准拨款1600万美元建造全国“地下铁路”自由中心，以此纪念美国历史上第一次伟大的民权斗争。中心计划于2004年在辛辛那提市建成。真是该建立这样一个中心的时候了。因为地下铁路的英雄们依然默默无闻，他们的业绩依然少人颂扬。我要讲述他们的故事。
听到轻轻的敲门声，约翰·帕克神情紧张起来。他开门窥望，夜色中认出是一位可靠的邻居。“有一群逃亡奴隶躲在肯塔基州的树林里，就在离河二十英里的地方，”那人用急迫的口气低语道。帕克没一点儿迟疑。“我就去，”他说着，把两支手枪揣进口袋。
二十年前，即19世纪20年代，生来即为黑奴的帕克才八岁就被从母亲身边带走，被迫拖着镣铐从弗吉尼亚走到亚拉巴马，在那里的黑奴市场被买走。他打定主意有朝一日要过自由的生活，便设法学会了铸铁这门手艺。后来他终于靠这门手艺攒够钱赎回了自由。现在，帕克白天在俄亥俄州里普利港的一家铸铁厂干活。到了晚上，他就成了地下铁路的一位“乘务员”，帮助人们避开追捕逃亡黑奴的人。在他正前往的肯塔基州，当局悬赏一千美元抓他，活人死尸都要。
在那个阴冷的夜晚，帕克渡过俄亥俄河，找到了十个丧魂落魄的逃亡者。“拿好包裹跟我走，”他一边吩咐他们，一边带着这八男二女朝河边走去。就要到岸时，一个巡夜人发现了他们，急忙跑开去报告。
帕克看见一条小船，便大喝一声，把那些逃亡黑奴推上了船。大家都上了船，但有两个人容不下。小船徐徐驶向对岸，帕克眼睁睁地看着追捕者把他被迫留下的两个男人团团围住。
其他的人顺利抵达俄亥俄州界内的对岸，帕克急忙安排了一辆车把他们带到地下铁路的下一“站”——他们走向安全的加拿大之旅的第一程。约翰·帕克在有生之年一共带领四百多名黑
奴走向安全之地。
黑人去当乘务员常常是由本人痛苦的经历所激发，而那些白人则往往是受了宗教信仰的感召。在北卡罗来纳州长大的贵格会教徒利瓦伊·科芬解释说：“《圣经》上只是要我们给饥者以食物，无衣者以衣衫，但没提到过肤色的事。”
在19世纪20年代，科芬向西迁移前往印第安纳州的新港（即今天的喷泉市），在那里开了一家小店。人们传说，逃亡黑奴在科芬家总是能得到庇护。有时他一次庇护的逃亡者就多达十七人，他还备有一组人员和车辆把他们送往下一段行程。到后来有三条主要路线在科芬家汇合，科芬家成了地下铁路的中央车站。
科芬由于他做的工作经常受到死亡的威胁，收到焚毁他店铺和住宅的警告。几乎每一个乘务员都面临类似的危险——或者更为严重。在北方，治安官会对帮助逃亡的人课以罚金，或判以短期监禁。在南方各州，白人则被判处几个月甚至几年的监禁。一位勇敢的循道宗牧师卡尔文·费尔班克在肯塔基州被关押了十七年多，他记录了自己遭受毒打的情况：总共被鞭笞
了35,105下。
至于那些黑奴，逃亡意味着数百英里的长途跋涉，意味着穿越自己极易被人辨认的陌生地域。没有路标，也几乎没有线路图，他们赶路全凭着口口相告的路线以及乘务员用来标示北上路线的秘密记号——比如树上钉着的钉子。
许多黑奴在夜色掩护下赶路，有时脸上涂着厚厚的白粉。贵格会教徒经常让他们的“乘客”
不分男女穿上灰衣服，戴上深沿帽，披着把头部完全遮盖住的面纱。有一次，利瓦伊·科芬
运送的逃亡黑奴实在太多，他就把他们装扮成出殡队伍。
加拿大是许多逃亡者的主要终点站。那儿1833年就废除了奴隶制，加拿大当局鼓励逃亡奴隶在其广阔的未经开垦的土地上定居。其中就有乔赛亚·亨森。
还是孩子的亨森在马里兰州目睹着全家人被卖给不同的主人，看到母亲为了想把自己留在她身边而遭受毒打。亨森利用命运给他的一切机会，干活勤勉，深受主人器重。
经济困顿最终迫使亨森的主人将他及其妻儿送到主人在肯塔基州的一个兄弟处。在那儿干了几年苦工之后，亨森听说了一个可怕的消息：新主人准备把他卖到遥远的南方腹地去农庄干活。这名奴隶将与自己的家人永远分离。
只有一条路可走：逃亡。“我会认北极星，”许多年后亨森写道。“就像圣地伯利恒的救星一样，它告诉我在哪里可以获救。”
亨森和妻子冒着极大的风险带着四个孩子上路了。两个星期之后，饥饿疲惫的一家人来到了辛辛那提市，在那儿，他们与地下铁路的成员取得了联系。“他们为我们提供了食宿，非常关心，接着又用车送了我们三十英里。”
亨森一家继续往北走，最后来到纽约州的布法罗。在那儿，一位友善的船长指着尼亚加拉河对岸。“‘看见那些树没有？’他说，'它们生长在自由的土地上。’”他给了亨森一美元钱，安排了一条小船，小船载着这位黑奴及其家人过河前往加拿大。
“我扑倒在地，在沙土里打滚，手舞足蹈，最后，在场的那几个人都认定我是疯子。‘他是个疯子，’有个沃伦上校说。”
“‘不，不是的！知道吗？我自由了！’”
Unit3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，不得不凭借设计周密的安全设备来保护自己和财产。
锁之国
鲍勃·格林小时候在家里，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的；“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。
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。
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。
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。
在最温馨的居家，也常常看得到窗上贴着小小的告示，称本宅由某家安全保卫机构或某个保安公司负责监管。
锁成了美国的新的象征。的确如此，一家大保险公司最近的一则公益广告没有用图表表明我们所处的危险有多大，而是用了一幅童车的图片，车身上悬着如今随处可见的挂锁。
广告指出，没错，确是保险公司理赔失窃物品，但谁来赔偿互不信任、担心害怕这种新氛围对我们的生活方式所造成的影响呢？谁来对美国从自由之国到锁之国这一蜕变作出精神赔偿呢？
因为那就是现状。我们已经变得如此习惯于保护自己不受美国生活新氛围的影响，如此习惯于设置障碍，以致无暇考虑这一切意味着什么。
出于某种原因，当我们觉得防范周密时才安心；我们没有想到问问自己：为什么会出现这种情况？为什么非得把自己与邻居和同住一城的居民隔绝开来，这一切究竟是从什么时候开始主宰我们生活的？
这一切确实主宰了我们的生活。如果你在一家大中型公司上班，你上下班很可能不可随意进出。你可能随身带着某种出入卡，电子的或别的什么的，因为这卡能让你进出工作场所。也许前台的保安认识你这张脸，平日一挥手让你进去，但事实明摆着，你所任职的公司深感威胁，因此要借助这些“钥匙”不让外人进入。
这种现象并非向来有之。即使在十年前，大多数私营公司仍采取自由出入的做法。那时管理人员根本没想到过恰当的手段是不信任他人。
且看各地机场。过去家长常常带孩子去登机口看飞机起飞降落。这种事再也没有了。机场不再是一个有趣的学习场所；它们成了拥有最精密的安全检查系统的场所。
凭借着电子透视装置，我们似乎终于想出妙计让恐怖分子无法近身，无论是真的恐怖分子还是凭空臆想的。能解决这一问题真是如释重负，于是我们就不去多想这种状况对我们的生活质量意味着什么。如今我们走过这些电子搜查器时已经看都不看一眼了；这些装置，还有它们所代表的一切已经获胜。
我们的居住区处在强光源的照射之下；我们连哪怕像阴影这样小小的享受也不想给自己。
越来越多的商人正购置连接在电话机上、能剖析来电者声音的新机器。据说那种机器能让商人知道他的朋友或客户是否在撒谎，其出错概率很小。
所有这一切都是以“安全”的名义实施的；我们是这么跟自己说的。我们害怕，于是我们设法把害怕锁在外面，我们认定，那就是安全的意义。
其实不然；有了这一切安全措施，我们或许成为人类文明史上最不安全的国家。还有什么更好的字眼能用来描述我们被迫选择的生活方式呢？还有什么更为可悲地表明我们在这个令人困惑的新时代所感受到的惶恐之情呢？
我们不信任何人。郊区的家庭主妇在家庭旅行用车钥匙链上挂着防强暴口哨。我们在自我防卫方面变得如此聪明，最终全都聪明反被聪明误。我们或许是把邪恶锁在了门外，但在这么做的同时我们把自己锁在里边了。
那也许是我们将来回顾这一时代时记忆最深的精神遗产：在对付我们中间无形的恐惧之时，我们成了自己的囚徒。在我们这个问题重重的时代，所有的人都是囚徒。
Unit4爱因斯坦的成就令人无比惊讶，以至有时人们几乎想把他看成是外星人，而不是普通的地球上的人。然而，在某些方面他可被看成是他那个时代的产儿。
爱因斯坦是外星人吗？
托尼·菲力普斯阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦精疲力竭。他幼小的儿子汉斯连续三个晚上哭闹不停，弄得全家人直到天亮都没法入睡。阿尔伯特总算可以打个瞌睡时，已是他起床上班的时候了。他不能一天不上班，他需要这份工作来养活组建不久的家庭。
阿尔伯特是专利局三等技术专家。在快步去专利局上班的路上，他为母亲忧心忡忡。母亲年纪越来越大，身体虚弱。她不同意儿子与迈尔娃的婚事，婆媳关系紧张。阿尔伯特瞥了一下路过的商店橱窗，看见自己头发凌乱，他又忘了梳头了。
工作、家庭、维持生计——阿尔伯特感受到了一位年轻丈夫和年轻父亲所要承担的全部压力和责任。
他想放松一下，却使物理学发生了突破性进展。
1905年，在他被聘为物理学教授的前四年，26岁的爱因斯坦发表了科学史上最重要论文
中的五篇——这些论文都是他在“业余时间”完成的。他证明了原子和分子的存在。1905年之前，科学家们对此没有把握。爱因斯坦论证说光以微粒形态出现（后来被称为“光子”），这为量子力学奠定了基础。他把狭义相对论描写为：时空如同普通织物中的线，他提出，这些线可以弯曲、拉长和交织在一起。
对了，顺便提一下，还有E=mc2。
在爱因斯坦之前，最近一位迸发出如此创造性思想的科学家当数艾萨克·牛顿爵士。事情发
生在1666年。为了躲避在剑桥爆发的瘟疫，牛顿去母亲的农场隐居。由于没有什么更好的事情可做，他便建立了万有引力理论。
几个世纪以来，历史学家们把1666年称为牛顿“奇迹年”。现在这些词语有了不同的含意：爱因斯坦和1905年。联合国宣布2005年为“世界物理学年”，以庆祝爱因斯坦“奇迹年”
出现100周年。
现代流行文化把爱因斯坦描绘成一位长着蓬乱头发的超级思想家。据说他的思想不可思议地远远超过其他科学家。他一定是来自其他星球——也许就是牛顿长大成人所居住的那个星球。
“爱因斯坦决不是外星人，”哈佛大学物理学家、科学史学家彼得·加利森笑着说。“他是他那个时代的人。”他所有发表于1905年的那些论文解决了当时其他科学家正多多少少在解决的问题。“如果没有爱因斯坦，其他科学家最终也会以某种形式撰写出这些论文的，”加利森相信。
1905年不同寻常的是，爱因斯坦一人撰写了五篇论文，而且他得出结论的方法既富原创性又显得不合常规。
例如：光电效应。这是二十世纪初期的一道难题。当光射到金属（如锌）上时，电子迅速飞离金属表面。这种现象只有当光的粒子集聚的程度足以把电子击撞松动时才会发生。漫延波不会产生光电效应。
答案似乎很简单——光是粒子。事实上，这就是爱因斯坦1905年提出的解答，并因此于1921年获得诺贝尔奖。其他物理学家们，如比爱因斯坦资历更深、经验更丰富的麦克斯·普蓝克（从事研究相关的问题：黑体辐射），其研究正接近该问题的答案，但爱因斯坦捷足先登。为什么？
这是对权威的看法问题。
“在爱因斯坦时代，如果你试图说光由粒子组成，你就会发现自己与物理学家詹姆斯·克拉克·马克斯韦尔持不同观点。没人想那么做，”加利森说道。马克斯韦尔的方程式把物理学中的电学、磁学和光学统一起来，获得巨大成功。马克斯韦尔毫无疑问地证明了光是电磁波。他可是权威人物。
爱因斯坦毫不在乎权威。他不太反对别人要求他做什么，但是他不喜欢别人告诉他什么是正确的。即使在小时候他也不停地质疑和问问题。“你呆在这儿损害了全班学生对我的尊敬，”他的七年级老师约瑟夫·德根哈特博士愤怒地说。（德根哈特还预言爱因斯坦“永远不会有什么出息”。）这种个性缺陷成为日后爱因斯坦作出种种发现的主要因素。
“1905年，”加利森着重指出，“爱因斯坦刚获得博士学位。他不感激论文导师或任何其他权威人士。”因此，他的思想自由漫游。
现在回顾起来，马克斯韦尔是对的，光是一种波。但是，爱因斯坦也是对的，光是粒子。这种异乎寻常的二象性使今天选修物理学101课程的同学们感到困惑，就像在1905年使爱因斯坦感到困惑一样。光怎么可能既是波又是粒子呢？爱因斯坦无法理解。
困惑并没有使爱因斯坦放慢探究的脚步。爱因斯坦不屑谨小慎微，他采用直觉跳跃思维作为基本工具。“我相信直觉和灵感，”他在1931年写道。“有时尽管不知道原因，但是我肯定我是对的。”
虽说爱因斯坦在短短一年内发表了五篇论文，其实他自童年时代起就一直深入地思考物理的问题。“科学是爱因斯坦家餐桌上聊天的话题，”加利森解释道。爱因斯坦的父亲赫尔曼和叔叔雅各布经营一家德国公司，制造发电机、弧光灯、电灯泡、电话等诸如此类的产品。这在（二十）世纪初属于高科技，“就像今天的硅谷公司，”加利森着重提到。“爱因斯坦对科学技术与生俱来怀有兴趣。”
爱因斯坦的父母有时带儿子去参加聚会。他们不需请人看孩子：阿尔伯特坐在长沙发上，全神贯注，静静地做着数学题目，此时别人正在他周围跳舞。笔和纸是阿尔伯特的玩伴！
他有极强的集中思想的能力。爱因斯坦的妹妹玛雅回忆说，“……即使周围非常吵闹，他也能躺在沙发上，拿起笔和纸，抖抖忽忽地把墨水池放在靠背上，专心致志地解题，背景声音不但没有打扰他，反而激励他。”
爱因斯坦显然很聪明，但并不比他的同龄人超出多少。“我没有特别的才能，”他声称，“只是我的好奇心非常强烈。”还有：“大众对我能力的评估……和现实之间的差异简直是大得荒唐。”爱因斯坦把他的发现更多地归功于想像力和不断地提出问题，而不是通常所谓的智慧。
应该记住的是，爱因斯坦在晚年竭尽全力想提出统一场论，把万有引力和自然界中的其他力结合起来。但他失败了。爱因斯坦的智力不是无限的。
爱因斯坦的大脑也是如此。他1955年去世时，托马斯·哈维医生在未经许可的情况下解剖了他的大脑。也许他期盼发现一些惊人的东西。但是爱因斯坦的大脑看起来和其他人的大脑很相似，灰色的，波状的。如果有什么不同之处的话，那就是他的大脑比常人的稍微小一点。
Unit5 textB Thank you, the two most important words you'll say today, can change your life, and research is proving it. For it shows that people who are consciously grateful lead fuller, more active lives as a result.
谢谢——今天你要说的最重要的这两个字，能够改变你的生活，研究也证明如此。研究表明，有感恩意识的人会因此而过上更加充实、更有活力的生活。
The Power of Gratitude Deborah
Norville
R T 1. Robert Emmons, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of California, has long been interested in the role gratitude plays in physical and emotional well-being. Along with psychology professor Michael McCullough of the University of Miami, Emmons took three groups of volunteers and randomly assigned them to focus on one of three things each week: hassles, things for which they were grateful, and ordinary life events. The first group concentrated on everything that went wrong or was irritating to them, such as "the jerk who cut me off on the highway." The second group homed in on situations they felt enhanced their lives, as in "My boyfriend is so kind and caring — I'm lucky to have him." And the third group recalled recent everyday events, as in "I went shoe shopping."
感恩的力量
黛博拉·诺维尔
加州大学的心理学教授罗伯特·埃蒙斯博士，长期以来对感恩在身体健康和心理健康方面所起的作用颇感兴趣。他与迈阿密大学的心理学教授迈克尔·麦卡洛夫一道选择了三组志愿者，并且随意指定他们每周关注三件事情中的一件：麻烦事，让他们心存感激的事以及日常琐事。第一组的人把注意力集中在每一件不称心的或者令他们恼怒的事情上，比如“那个该死的家伙在高速公路上突然将车开到我前面抢道。”第二组专门关注那些提升生活质量的事，比方说“我的男友善良体贴——有他真是幸运。”第三组回忆最近的日常生活中的事，诸如“我去买鞋了。”
R T 2. The results: The people who focused on gratitude were just flat-out happier. They saw their lives in favorable terms. They reported fewer negative physical symptoms such as headaches or colds, and they were active in ways that were good for them. They spent almost an hour and a half more per week exercising than those who focused on hassles. Plain and simple, those who were grateful had a higher quality of life.
结果是那些注意力集中于感恩的人明显感觉更加幸福。他们以积极的态度看待生活。他们鲜有诉说头疼感冒之类的身体不适症状，积极参加健康有益的活动。比起那些关注麻烦事的人们，他们每周差不多多运动一个半小时。知晓感恩的人单纯朴素，生活质量更高。
R T 3. Others around them recognized that too. "They noticed that these people had more joy, more energy. They could see that they were becoming more optimistic," says Emmons. The grateful group "even seemed to be perceived as more helpful toward others, going out on a limb to help people." Emmons was surprised by this result." This is not just something that makes people happy, like a positive-thinking / optimism kind of thing. A feeling of gratitude really gets people to do something, to become more pro-social, more compassionate." This did not happen in either of the other two groups.
他们身边的人也察觉到了这一点。“他们注意到这群人更加快乐、更有活力。他们看得出来那些人正变得更加乐观，”埃蒙斯说道。懂得感恩的这组人“甚至似乎看上去更加乐于助人，会独力帮助他人。” 对于这一结果，埃蒙斯大为惊讶。“感恩不仅仅是像积极思维或乐观之类事使人感到快乐。感恩真的使人付诸行动，使人变得更亲近社会，更富同情心。” 这种变化在另外两组人身上却不曾显现。
R T 4. Emmons and McCullough took their study, published in 2003, one step further. Rather than focus on hassles or blessings on just a weekly basis, they rounded up college students to do it every day. Right off the bat, Emmons and his team recognized that there was something powerful about a regular gratitude check. And in a follow-up study, those who found something to appreciate every day were less materialistic — less apt to see a connection between life satisfaction and material things. They were more willing to part with their possessions. The bumper sticker that reads " The one with the most toys wins" was unlikely to be found on any of their cars.
埃蒙斯和麦卡洛夫对他们发表于2003年的研究成果作了进一步的探讨。他们召集一批大学生每天——而非仅仅每周——关注生活中的烦恼或幸事。从一开始埃蒙斯和他的团队就意识到定期的感恩检查功效甚大。后续的研究发现，那些每天都能找到感激之事的人较少追求物质享受——他们不大会把生活的满意度与物质财富联系起来。他们比别人更愿意放弃所拥有的财富。在他们的车的保险杠上不可能看到写着“谁拥有最多，谁就是赢家”之类的小标语。
R T 5. So how do we use all this science of gratitude in our lives?
The power of gratitude takes just a few minutes a day. But it requires consistency and an open mind — and dedication. Says Emmons, "I think
gratitude is a demanding quality, a rigorous quality. It's a discipline, an exercise." It may not come easily, but it can be developed. Here's how:
那么，在生活中我们又该如何利用感恩这门科学呢？
每天只需花几分钟工夫，感恩就会产生力量。但是它需要始终不渝、心胸开阔以及奉献精神。埃蒙斯说：“我认为感恩是一种要求极高的品质，一种苛严的品质。它是一种磨砺，一种训练。”它也许来之不易，但是可以培养。培养的方法如下：
R T 6. Record your thanks.
记录你的谢意。
R T 7. Take a moment during the day — right before bedtime is usually best —to jot down three things that happened that day for which you are grateful. Anything that made you feel uplifted, that brought a smile to your face or your heart, or will contribute toward your future happiness, works.
每天花上片刻——一般最好是临睡之前——扼要记下三件当日发生的让你心存感激的事情。任何使你精神振奋的事，使你绽露笑容、心情愉悦的事，或为你的将来带来幸福感的事，都行。
R T 8. After each situation or event for which you feel thankful, write down why this was good for you. Perhaps you received an e-mail from an old school friend who hadn't been in touch for years, and this reminded you of the good times you had together. It forced you to realize that people think of you even though you've had no contact with them, which must mean you're a pretty special person.
对于每一件令你心怀感激的事情，写一写为什么它对你而言是件好事。也许你收到一个久未联系的老同学的电子邮件，它让你回想起你们一同度过的美好时光，让你意识到即便你不曾与他们联系，他们还惦念着你。这足以说明你是个不同寻常的人。
R T 9. Also, make a note of who, if anyone, played a role in what you've recalled for the day and how that person had an impact on your life.
另外，记录下谁（如果有那么一个人的话）在你当天的回忆中是个有影响的人，以及那个人如何对你的生活产生了影响。
R T 10. None of this sounds hard, right? Given the choice between this exercise and 50 sit-ups plus 25 push-ups, you're much more inclined to pick up a pen, aren't you?
这一切听起来都不难，是不是？如果让你在记录谢意和做五十个仰卧起坐外加二十五个俯卧撑之间做个选择，你会更倾向于拿起一支笔，是不是？
R T 11. The gratitude journal makes you look at life in a positive, concrete way, reminding you of its interconnectedness in a fast-paced, impersonal world and how much others add to the quality of your life. It forces you to focus on what went right instead of the inevitable things that went wrong. And it enhances your self-esteem.
感恩日记使你以积极而又具体的方式看待生活，提醒你关注在这个快节奏的、冷漠的世界里生活的相互联系，以及他人在多大程度上提升了你的生活质量。感恩日记促使你关注正面事物，而非不可避免的负面事物。此外，感恩日记还能增强你的自尊。
R T 12. See the patterns.
认清模式。
R T 13. Over time, you'll notice a consistency within the list of items you're grateful for. Many entries will underscore the importance of people in your life. Others will highlight meaningful experiences. Still other items will be things that began with you, things you created that you can point to with pride and say, I made that happen. It's called eudaemonia, the happiness or fulfillment that comes from the action itself, not the result of it. Any other benefits that come along — someone is grateful, your project is a success — are icing on the cake. 过一段时间，你会发现在令你感激的条目列表中有着某种一致性。许多条目显示他人在你生活中所起的重要作用。其他条目突出一些有意义的经历。还有一些则涉及你所引发的事情，你能满怀豪情地指着说，“我促成了此事。”这叫做由理性支配的积极生活所带来的幸福，即来自于行动本身，而非其结果的幸福或满足。随之而来的所有其他益处——如：某人感激你，你的项目获得成功——不过是种点缀而已。
R T 14. Catch the boomerang.
接住回飞镖
R T 15. Gratitude, when expressed to others, almost always comes back around. People who feel appreciated are more willing to make an effort for those who make them feel valued. In one study, waitresses who simply wrote "thank you" on the check before handing it to their customers received, on average, 11 percent more in tips than those who didn't. Waitresses who wrote a message about an upcoming dinner special on the checks also received higher tips —on average, 17 to 20 percent higher. In a world where personal connections seem increasingly limited, and sometimes stressful when they do occur, gratitude resonates.
感激之情，在向别人表示之后，几乎总能辗转返回。被感激的人更加愿意为那些使他们觉得自己有价值的人作出回报。一项研究表明，服务员把账单递给顾客前，在账单上简单地写上“谢谢”两字，比起那些不写的来说，平均多得11%的小费。在账单上写上即将推出的特价餐信息的服务员同样获得较高的小费，平均高出17%到20%。在人际联系显得越来越少而且有时非常紧张的当今世界，感恩之情会激起回响。
R T 16. Seize the moment.
抓住时机。
R T 17. Look around you: What's right with your world? If you have a hobby, practice it. If you don't, find one. Reach out to others; share something. A small gesture toward another individual costs you little but can bring many benefits. All these actions increase your opportunities to feel grateful.
环顾你的四周：在你的世界里哪些事是对的？如果你有什么爱好，你就付诸行动吧；如果没有，你就找一个吧。主动接触他人，与人分享你的东西。对别人做一个小小的姿态并不使你损失什么，却能给你带来诸多好处。所有这些行动都能增加你心怀感激的机会。
R T 18. Says Barbara Fredrickson, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina, "Gratitude has the potential to change everything from its ordinary state to being a gift."
北卡罗来纳大学心理学家芭芭拉·弗雷德里克森说：“感恩之心有可能使万物由其平常状态升华为一种礼物。”
Unit6 When Johnsy fell seriously ill, she seemed to lose the will to hang on to life. The doctor held out little hope for her. Her friends seemed helpless. Was there nothing to be done?
约翰西病情严重，她似乎失去了活下去的意志。医生对她不抱什么希望。朋友们看来也爱莫能助。难道真的就无可奈何了吗？
The Last Leaf O. Henry
R T 1. At the top of a three-story brick building, Sue and Johnsy had their studio. "Johnsy" was familiar for Joanna. One was from Maine; the other from California. They had met at a cafe on Eighth Street and found their tastes in art, chicory salad and bishop sleeves so much in tune that the joint studio resulted.
最后一片叶子
欧·亨利
在一幢三层砖楼的顶层，苏和约翰西辟了个画室。“约翰西”是乔安娜的昵称。她们一位来自缅因州，一位来自加利福尼亚。两人相遇在第八大街的一个咖啡馆，发现各自在艺术品味、菊苣色拉，以及灯笼袖等方面趣味相投，于是就有了这个两人画室。
R T 2. That was in May. In November a cold, unseen stranger, whom the doctors called Pneumonia, stalked about the district, touching one here and there with his icy fingers. Johnsy was among his victims. She lay, scarcely moving on her bed, looking through the small window at the blank side of the next brick house. 那是5月里的事。到了11月，一个医生称之为肺炎的阴森的隐形客闯入了这一地区，用它冰冷的手指东碰西触。约翰西也为其所害。她病倒了，躺在床上几乎一动不动，只能隔着小窗望着隔壁砖房那单调沉闷的侧墙。
R T 3. One morning the busy doctor invited Sue into the hallway with a bushy, gray eyebrow.
一天上午，忙碌的医生扬了扬灰白的浓眉，示意苏到过道上来。
R T 4. "She has one chance in ten," he said. "And that chance is for her to want to live. Your little lady has made up her mind that she's not going to get well. Has she anything on her mind?"
“她只有一成希望，”他说。“那还得看她自己是不是想活下去。你这位女朋友已经下决心不想好了。她有什么心事吗？”
R T 5. "She — she wanted to paint the Bay of Naples some day," said Sue.
“她——她想有一天能去画那不勒斯湾，”苏说。
R T 6. "Paint? —bosh! Has she anything on her mind worth thinking about twice — a man, for instance?"
“画画？——得了。她有没有别的事值得她留恋的——比如说，一个男人？”
R T 7. "A man?" said Sue." Is a man worth — but, no, doctor; there is nothing of the kind."
“男人？”苏说。“难道一个男人就值得——可是，她没有啊，大夫，没有这码子事。”
R T 8. "Well," said the doctor." I will do all that science can accomplish. But whenever my patient begins to count the carriages in her funeral procession I subtract 50 per cent from the curative power of medicines." After the doctor had gone Sue went into the workroom and cried. Then she marched into Johnsy's room with her drawing board, whistling a merry tune.
“好吧，”大夫说。“我会尽一切努力，只要是科学能做到的。可是，但凡病人开始计算她出殡的行列里有几辆马车的时候，我就要把医药的疗效减去一半。”大夫走后，苏去工作室哭了一场。随后她携着画板大步走进约翰西的房间，口里吹着轻快的口哨。
R T 9. Johnsy lay, scarcely making a movement under the bedclothes, with her face toward the window. She was looking out and counting — counting backward.
约翰西躺在被子下几乎一动不动，脸朝着窗。她望着窗外，数着数——倒数着数！
R T 10. "Twelve," she said, and a little later "eleven"; and then "ten," and "nine"; and then "eight" and "seven," almost together.
“12，”她数道，过了一会儿“11”，接着数“10”和“9”；再数“8”和“7”，几乎一口气连续数下来。
R T 11. Sue looked out of the window. What was there to count? There was only a bare, dreary yard to be seen, and the blank side of the brick house twenty feet away. An old, old ivy vine climbed half way up the brick wall. The cold breath of autumn had blown away its leaves, leaving it almost bare.
苏朝窗外望去。外面有什么好数的呢？外面只有一个空荡荡的沉闷的院子，还有20英尺开外那砖房的侧墙，上面什么也没有。一棵古老的常青藤爬到半墙高。萧瑟秋风吹落了枝叶，藤上几乎光秃秃的。
R T 12. "Six," said Johnsy, in almost a whisper. "They're falling faster now. Three days ago there were almost a hundred. It made my head ache to count them. But now it's easy. There goes another one. There are only five left now."
“6，”约翰西数着，声音几乎听不出来。“现在叶子掉落得快多了。三天前差不多还有100片。数得我头都疼。可现在容易了。又掉了一片。这下子只剩5片了。”
R T 13. "Five what, dear?"
“5片什么，亲爱的？”
R T 14. "Leaves. On the ivy vine. When the last one falls I must go, too. I've known that for three days. Didn't the doctor tell you?"
“叶子。常青藤上的叶子。等最后一片叶子掉了，我也就得走了。三天前我就知道会这样。大夫没跟你说吗？”
R T 15. "Oh, I never heard of such nonsense. What have old ivy leaves to do with your getting well? Don't be so silly. Why, the doctor told me this morning that
your chances for getting well real soon were ten to one! Try to take some soup now, and let Sudie go and buy port wine for her sick child."
“噢，我从没听说过这种胡说八道。常青藤叶子跟你病好不好有什么关系？别这么傻。对了，大夫上午跟我说，你的病十有八九就快好了。快喝些汤，让苏迪给她生病的孩子去买些波尔图葡萄酒来。”
R T 16. "You needn't get any more wine," said Johnsy, keeping her eyes fixed out the window. "There goes another. No, I don't want any soup. That leaves just four. I want to see the last one fall before it gets dark. Then I'll go, too. I'm tired of waiting. I'm tired of thinking. I want to turn loose my hold on everything, and go sailing down, down, just like one of those poor, tired leaves.
“你不用再去买酒了，”约翰西说道，两眼一直盯着窗外。“又掉了一片。不，我不想喝汤。这下只剩4片了。我要在天黑前看到最后一片叶子掉落。那时我也就跟着走了。我都等腻了。也想腻了。我只想撇开一切，飘然而去，就像那边一片可怜的疲倦的叶子。”
R T 17. "Try to sleep," said Sue. "I must call Behrman up to be my model for the old miner. I'll not be gone a minute."
“快睡吧，”苏说。“我得叫贝尔曼上楼来给我当老矿工模特儿。我去去就来。”
R T 18. Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them. He was past sixty and had a long white beard curling down over his chest. Despite looking the part, Behrman was a failure in art. For forty years he had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it. He earned a little by serving as a model to those young artists who could not pay the price of a professional. He drank gin to excess, and still talked of his coming masterpiece. For the rest he was a fierce little old man, who mocked terribly at softness in any one, and who regarded himself as guard dog to the two young artists in the studio above.
老贝尔曼是住在两人楼下底层的一个画家。他已年过六旬，银白色蜷曲的长髯垂挂胸前。贝尔曼看上去挺像艺术家，但在艺术上却没有什么成就。40年来他一直想创作一幅传世之作，却始终没能动手。他给那些请不起职业模特的青年画家当模特挣点小钱。他没节制地喝酒，谈论着他那即将问世的不朽之作。要说其他方面，他是个好斗的小老头，要是谁表现出一点软弱，他便大肆嘲笑，并把自己看成是楼上画室里两位年轻艺术家的看护人。
R T 19. Sue found Behrman smelling strongly of gin in his dimly lighted studio below. In one corner was a blank canvas on an easel that had been waiting there for twenty-five years to receive the first line of the masterpiece. She told him of Johnsy's fancy, and how she feared she would, indeed, light and fragile as a leaf herself, float away, when her slight hold upon the world grew weaker. Old Behrman, with his red eyes plainly streaming, shouted his contempt for such foolish imaginings.
苏在楼下光线暗淡的画室里找到了贝尔曼，他满身酒味刺鼻。屋子一角的画架上支着一张从未落过笔的画布，在那儿搁了25年，等着一幅杰作的起笔。苏把约翰西的怪念头跟他说了，还说约翰西本人就像一片叶子又瘦又弱，她害怕要是她那本已脆弱的生存意志再软下去的话，真的会凋零飘落。老贝尔曼双眼通红，显然是泪涟涟的，他大声叫嚷着说他蔑视这种傻念头。
R T 20. "What!" he cried. "Are there people in the world foolish enough to die because leafs drop off from a vine? I have never heard of such a thing. Why do you allow such silly ideas to come into that head of hers? God! This is not a place in which one so good as Miss Johnsy should lie sick. Some day I will paint a masterpiece, and we shall all go away. Yes."
“什么！”他嚷道。“世界上竟然有这么愚蠢的人，因为树叶从藤上掉落就要去死？我听都没听说过这等事。你怎么让这种傻念头钻到她那个怪脑袋里？天哪！这不是一个像约翰西小姐这样的好姑娘躺倒生病的地方。有朝一日我要画一幅巨作，那时候我们就一同离开这里。真的。”
R T 21. Johnsy was sleeping when they went upstairs. Sue pulled the shade down, and motioned Behrman into the other room. In there they peered out the window fearfully at the ivy vine. Then they looked at each other for a moment without speaking. A persistent, cold rain was falling, mingled with snow. Behrman, in his old blue shirt, took his seat as the miner on an upturned kettle for a rock.
两人上了楼，约翰西已经睡着了。苏放下窗帘，示意贝尔曼去另一个房间。在那儿两人惶惶不安地望着窗外的常青藤。接着两人面面相觑，哑然无语。外面冷雨夹雪，淅淅沥沥。贝尔曼穿着破旧的蓝色衬衣，坐在充当矿石的倒置的水壶上，摆出矿工的架势。
R T 22. When Sue awoke from an hour's sleep the next morning she found Johnsy with dull, wide-open eyes staring at the drawn green shade.
第二天早上，只睡了一个小时的苏醒来看到约翰西睁大着无神的双眼，凝望着拉下的绿色窗帘。
R T 23. "Pull it up; I want to see," she ordered, in a whisper.
“把窗帘拉起来；我要看，”她低声命令道。
R T 24. Wearily Sue obeyed.
苏带着疲倦，遵命拉起窗帘。
R T 25. But, Lo! after the beating rain and fierce wind that had endured through the night, there yet stood out against the brick wall one ivy leaf. It was the last on the vine. Still dark green near its stem, but with its edges colored yellow, it hung bravely from a branch some twenty feet above the ground.
可是，瞧！经过一整夜的急风骤雨，竟然还存留一片常青藤叶，贴着砖墙，格外醒目。这是常青藤上的最后一片叶子。近梗部位仍呈暗绿色，但边缘已经泛黄了，它无所畏惧地挂在离地20多英尺高的枝干上。
R T 26. "It is the last one," said Johnsy. "I thought it would surely fall during the night. I heard the wind. It will fall today, and I shall die at the same time."
“这是最后一片叶子，”约翰西说。“我以为夜里它肯定会掉落的。我晚上听到大风呼啸。今天它会掉落的，叶子掉的时候，也是我死的时候。”
R T 27. The day wore away, and even through the twilight they could see the lone ivy leaf clinging to its stem against the wall. And then, with the coming of the night the north wind was again loosed.
白天慢慢过去了，即便在暮色黄昏之中，他们仍能看到那片孤零零的常青藤叶子，贴着砖墙，紧附着梗茎。尔后，随着夜幕的降临，又是北风大作。
R T 28. When it was light enough Johnsy, the merciless, commanded that the shade be raised.
等天色亮起，冷酷无情的约翰西命令将窗帘拉起。
R T 29. The ivy leaf was still there.
常青藤叶还在那儿。
R T 30. Johnsy lay for a long time looking at it. And then she called to Sue, who was stirring her chicken soup over the gas stove.
约翰西躺在那儿，望着它许久许久。接着她大声呼唤正在煤气灶上搅拌鸡汤的苏。
R T 31. "I've been a bad girl, Sudie," said Johnsy. "Something has made that last leaf stay there to show me how wicked I was. It is a sin to want to die. You may bring me a little soup now, and some milk with a little port in it and — no; bring me a hand-mirror first, and then pack some pillows about me, and I will sit up and watch you cook."
“我一直像个不乖的孩子，苏迪，” 约翰西说。“有一种力量让那最后一片叶子不掉落，好让我看到自己有多坏。想死是一种罪过。你给我喝点汤吧，再来点牛奶，稍放一点波尔图葡萄酒——不，先给我拿面小镜子来，弄几个枕头垫在我身边，我要坐起来看你做菜。”
R T 32. An hour later she said:
一个小时之后，她说：
R T 33. "Sudie, some day I hope to paint the Bay of Naples."
“苏迪，我真想有一天去画那不勒斯海湾。”
R T 34. The doctor came in the afternoon, and Sue had an excuse to go into the hallway as he left.
Unit 1 Text A How Difficult Is English? 英语有多难 Like the national push for Asian literacy （n.有文化，有教养，有读写能力）in Australia，就如澳大利亚在全国推行学亚洲语言一样，there has been foreign languages fervor[f??v?] in China，中国也掀起一股外语热，with English on top of the list. 在这股热潮中，英语高居榜首。English is not only taught at schools，colleges and universities，but also at evening classes，on radio and TV．不仅各级学校教英语，夜校、电台、电视台也都设有英语课程。Parents hire private tutors for their school children；父母为学龄的孩子聘请英语家教，adult English learners would sacrifice the weekend at an English corner in a public park practicing their spoken English with peop1e of the same interest and determination. 成年英语学习者会牺牲周末休息日，到公园参加英语角，与志趣相投的英语学习者练习口语。Is English such a difficult language that it really demands people to invest a large amount of time and energy before it is mastered ? 英语真的有这么难，需要人们投入大量的时间和精力才能掌握吗? The answer，if I am asked to offer，is undoubtedly，yes．如果我被问及这个问题，那么毫无疑问，我的答案是：是的。From my personal experience, 从我个人的经验来看，I think learning English means far more than learning its pronunciation，its grammatical rules，its words，etc．英语学习不仅仅是学习英语发音、语法规则、词汇等，It involves learning everything about the countries where it is used and the people who use it．它包括学习与使用该语言的国家和民族有关的所有内容。Without such a complete understanding of the language, 对英语没有这样全面的理解，the English a foreigner speaks will inevitably sound strange or even unintelligible though there is not anything wrong with his pronunciation，sentence structure and the words he uses．即使发音、句子结构、措辞毫无错误，一个外国人所讲的英语也难免听起来稀奇古怪甚至难以理解。The social customs and habits of the English-speaking people contribute a lot to the difficulty a foreigner has in learning it．讲英语民族者的社会风俗习惯增加了外国人学习英语的难度。Take the Chinese English learners for example．以学英语的中国人为例，" Hello "and "Good morning" may sound a little bit simple to Chinese people．"你好"和"早上好"是非常简单的。It is totally beyond the understanding of a Chinese English learner that native English speakers would be annoyed when they're addressed "Where are you going?"，which is a commonly used addressing among the Chinese．"你去哪儿?"是中国人常用的问候语，若英语母语者被问及"你去哪儿?"，他们会因此感到不悦，这一点让中国的英语学习者大为不解。Is there anything wrong with the English sentence structure ? 这个英语句子结构不对吗? Of course not．当然不是。It takes quite some time for a Chinese English learner to understand the western concept of privacy being violated in this address. 学英语的中国人得费点儿时间才能理解这一问候语侵犯了西方人的隐私。By the same token，同样，"Have you eaten?"(which is another addressing term the Chinese people usually use)will sound to native English speakers that the Chinese are so hospitable that they invite people to meals off-handedly. 英语母语者听到"你吃了吗?"(中国人常用的另外一个问候语)，会觉得中国人非常好客，会在事先毫无准备的情况下请人吃饭。Meanwhile，the Chinese would be shocked to hear，"Oh，it's very nice of you．When?"，if the addressee happens to have a craving for Chinese cooking and has not had his dinner yet.如果听话者此刻正希望品尝一下中国美食，又碰巧没有吃饭，他会回答"太好了，什么时候?"，中国人为此也会大吃一惊。 "We can say we are going to have chicken for dinner．Why can't we say pig，bull or sheep for dinner instead of pork，beef or mutton?" Chinese English learners may raise such questions．中国的英语学习者可能会这样问："我们可以说吃鸡，为什么不能说吃猪、吃牛、吃羊，而要说吃猪肉、牛肉、羊肉呢?"Figuring out the reasons for the peculiar English vocabulary is no easy task for Chinese English learners．对学习英语的中国人来说，为这些特殊的英语词汇找出理由并非易事。But the problem is that memorizing English words mechanically would be devastating and inefficient if they did not know what had happened in British history．问题在于如果不懂英国历史，死记硬背英语单词毫无效率。Thus learning English(and other languages as well)involves learning the history of the countries where it is spoken．所以说，学英语(其他语言亦如此)还包括学习使用该语言国家的历史知识。A task of this kind is more difficult for Chinese English learners than for people who speak
大学生英语个人简历翻译 Robin Winslet, 6283, South 23 Street, Carlisle, MA 03921, (254)-174 3208. Objective: Searching for a responsible and challenging position of loan processor for leading bank. Skills: ?Excellent banking services knowledge. ?Very hardworking and job-centric. ?Having motivating and adapting skills. ?Familiar with banking services, installations, processes and infrastructures. ?Excellent communication and writing skills. Technical Knowledge: ?SAP Program ?AS400 Program ?MS Excel ?MS Word ?DSI ?Foresight ?Internet Developer Work Experience: Mako Medical Center, Orange County, CA Worked as Office Manager Responsibilities: ?Responsible for researching market for the maintenance of competitive pricing. ?Provide satisfactory service to customer. ?Responsible for scheduling appointments. ?Helped to find out the lasting business relationships. ?They are also responsible for hiring and training new staff. ?Performed various other duties as assigned.
Unit 11 Cyber World A Famous Quote The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow. - Bill Gates Bill Gates (1955- ), American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former chief executive officer (CEO) and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen. Text A Cyber Love Pre-reading Questions: 1. Have you ever made a friend on the Internet? How did you develop your friendship? 2. What suggestions can you give if one hopes to make friends on the Internet? Thanks to the late 20th century technology, Maria of Denmark and Martijin of Holland met on a chatline. For months they’ve talked and sent letters to each other with the help of their computers as they found themselves falling head over heels in love. It was then that they decided to meet in the real, not only the virtual, world. It was not easy to arrange as the young man and his lady were separated by 700 very real kilometers, but the date was a success and Maria and M artijin have been living together happily ever since. They’ve created a home page to let the world know how they’ve found happiness via the Internet and introduce couples who’ve met under similar circumstances. Throughout history men and women have used a variety of means to find each other. Internet romance, according to some, is a bizarre method, and to others it is a natural way for the 90’s to meet potential mates. Romances formed on the Internet follow a characteristic script. The development of emotional intimacy is a long progress, sometimes taking several months. “Love at first byte” is rare although there are examples. The initial light exchanges, whether by e-mail or in chat rooms, are generally followed by increasingly self-revealing topics, and then after a while, the two strangers perceive each other as a true friend. Hearts open, an avalanche of e-mail crosses cyberspace carrying literary quality, and electronic messages are even enhanced with verse and virtual gifts (flowers, kisses, animated pictures). Could any heart with romantic inclinations resist? When you reach
Unit1 1.背离传统需要极大的勇气 1) It takes an enormous amount of courage to make a departure from the tradition. 2.汤姆过去很腼腆，但这次却非常勇敢能在大庭广众面前上台表演了。 2) Tom used to be very shy, but this time he was bold enough to give a performance in front of a large audience. 3.很多教育家认为从小培养孩子的创新精神是很可取的。 3) Many educators think it desirable to foster the creative spirit in the child at an early age. 4.假设那幅画确实是名作，你觉得值得购买吗？ 4) Assuming (that) this painting really is a masterpiece, do you think it’s worthwhile to buy/purchase it? 5.如果这些数据统计上市站得住脚的，那它将会帮助我们认识正在调查的问题。 5) If the data is statistically valid, it will throw light on the problem we are investigating. Unit2 1.该公司否认其捐款有商业目的。 1) The company denied that its donations had a commercial purpose.
大学生英文自我介绍（带 翻译） I think that since the admission, the school has to comply with the rules and regulations, has a good ideological and moral quality, outstanding performance. Have a strong collective sense of honor and sense of responsibility, adhere to the principle of practical work for things. I thought the correct Chikunailao can have lofty ideals and great goals, the importance of personal moral cultivation, the adoption of a healthy life style, helpful, concerned about national affairs. In school, I have been studying hard and assiduously, through systematic study and master a solid foundation of knowledge. After school hours, I actively participated in physical training, enhance physical fitness, loves labor
高职高专英语立体化系列教材课文翻译及答案 新职业英语职业综合英语2（通用版） 总主编：徐小贞 外语教学与研究出版社 Unit 1 Text A 职场时装潮流 许多人每天都在捕捉职场时装的潮流，以便能与那些衣着时尚得体的人们步调一致。他们认为按最新潮流穿衣打扮能为自己赢得时尚和时髦的好名声。尽管这样做合情合理，你还是要小心谨慎。 许多人并没有意识到，追随职场时装潮流有利也有弊。好处之一，正如上面所提到的，穿一套时髦的衣服去上班，很可能会得到一堆夸奖。这种感觉很不错，也让人引以为豪。 然而事实上这种追随弊大于利。例如，职场时装潮流往往不区分工作和职业。在一家新潮的咖啡馆或零售店工作，着装要求很可能是休闲服。而在一家法律或保险公司上班，着装则需要更职业化。不幸的是，很多职场新潮时装是为工作中的一般大众而设计，而非为特定职业设计。因此一不小心就可能出问题。 在追随这种时装潮流之前，要好好地仔细审视一下所谓的潮流。比如，潮流是不是时兴半身裙或连衣裙，而不论其长短呢？如果确实如此，那么最重要的是要考虑自己的工作性质。如果是办公室的职业白领，连衣裙就非常适合。但如果是在零售店当经理，连衣裙或半身裙则可能会妨碍工作，影响工作效率。 很多人会因为穿了时髦的职场时装而备受称赞，但事情并非总是如此。最不希望的是不但没有受到夸奖，还落下坏名声。正是因为这个原因，你必须考虑别人对你的看法，你必须确保给别人留下的是个好印象。 到底要不要将职场最时髦的潮流带入衣柜，这个决定得自己做，但在做出决定前请考虑考虑上面提到的问题。 Text B波音公司行为准则 波音公司行为准则为全体波音公司员工制定了必须遵守的行为规范。 波音公司的企业经营建立在公平、公正的基础上，符合道德规范和法律、法规。在企业经营中，诚信是公司处理一切关系的基础，包括公司与客户的关系、供应商和公众的关系以及员工之间的关系。在履行公司职责时，波音公司要求员工以最高商业道德标准要求自己。员工不得参与损害公司诚信、公平、声誉或者为公司带来麻烦的任何活动。 员工应确保： ●不参与可能导致公司及个人利益冲突的任何活动。
Unit 9 Facing Life’s Challenges A Famous Quote: The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. - Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt(1882-1945), the 32nd President of the United States (1933-1945), he led the nation out of the Great Depression and later into World War II. Before he died, he cleared the way for peace, including establishment of the United Nations. His presidency is widely regarded as one of the greatest in US history. Text A: 300 Hurdles Pre-reading Questions: 1. Have you ever done hurdles? What do you think of it? 2. What kinds of difficulties and challenges have you ever met in your life? Life may give you negative, but don’t despair – it may just develop into a beautiful picture one day. This year, I realized my theory that I have on life. Life is like a 300m hurdle race. Since I run the 300m hurdles, I would know what the race is like. The first thing to any race is worrying about whether you are going to win or not. This relates to worrying about the petty things in life. Does it really matter if you win? Is it really going to be the end of the world? Or will you be upset if you lose and forget about it? In life we worry too much and live in the moment too little. Next is the lining up in our own individual lanes. We each start at different spots, but the race is still the same distance for everyone. This relates to our lives taking us to different places and putting us in different situations, but hopefully we will end up in the same place, but maybe at different times. Now comes the beginning of the race. We all try to keep up with everyone and pace ourselves with other people. This symbolizes that at times in everyone’s lives we worry about fitting in or being the same as other people, instead of worrying about being unique. If anyone were the same, the world would be incredibly boring. Now comes the first hurdle. This hurdle is the easiest to get over because you are not worn out from running. We all make it over this hurdle with ease. This symbolizes those obstacles in life that we struggle to get over, but we
Unit 1 1.她连水都不愿喝一口，更别提留下来吃饭了。(much less) She wouldn't take a drink, much less would she stay for dinner. 2.他认为我在对他说谎，但实际上我讲的是实话。(whereas) He thought I was lying to him, whereas I was telling the truth. 3.这个星期你每天都迟到，对此你怎么解释？(account for) How do you account for the fact that you have been late every day this week? 4.他们利润增长的部分原因是采用了新的市场策略。(due to) The increase in their profits is due partly to their new market strategy. 5.这样的措施很可能会带来工作效率的提高。(result in) Such measures are likely to result in the improvement of work efficiency. 6.我们已经在这个项目上投入了大量时间和精力，所以我们只能继续。(pour into) We have already poured a lot of time and energy into the project, so we have to carry on. Unit 2 1.尽管她是家里的独生女，她父母也从不溺爱她。(despite) Despite the fact that she is the only child in her family, she is never babied by her parents. 2.迈克没来参加昨晚的聚会，也没给我打电话作任何解释。(nor) Mike didn't come to the party last night, nor did he call me to give an explanation. 3.坐在他旁边的那个人确实发表过一些小说，但决不是什么大作家。(next to; by no means) The person sitting next to him did publish some novels, but he is by no means a great writer. 4.他对足球不感兴趣，也从不关心谁输谁赢。(be indifferent to) He has no interest in football and is indifferent to who wins or loses. 5.经理需要一个可以信赖的助手，在他外出时，由助手负责处理问题。(count on) The manager needs an assistant that he can count on to take care of problems in his absence. 6.这是他第一次当着那么多观众演讲。(in the presence of sb.) This is the first time that he has made a speech in the presence of so large an audience. Unit 3 1.你再怎么有经验，也得学习新技术。(never too... to...) You are never too experienced to learn new techniques. 2.还存在一个问题，那就是派谁去带领那里的研究工作。(Use an appositional structure) There remains one problem, namely, who should be sent to head the research there. 3.由于文化的不同，他们的关系在开始确实遇到了一些困难。(meet with) Their relationship did meet with some difficulty at the beginning because of cultural differences. 4.虽然他历经沉浮，但我始终相信他总有一天会成功的。(ups and downs; all along) Though he has had ups and downs, I believed all along that he would succeed someday. 5.我对你的说法的真实性有些保留看法。(have reservations about) I have some reservations about the truth of your claim.
大学生英语自我介绍带翻译 很多时候,我们需要向他人介绍自己,让别人知道自己是谁,是个怎样的人。那么你知道大学生的中英文自我介绍怎么说吗?今天小编和你分享大学生英语自我介绍带翻译，欢迎阅读。 大学生英语自我介绍带翻译篇【1】 1. I noticed that you advertised a job in this mornings paper. 我看到你们在今早的报纸上刊登的招聘广告。 2. Im coming for your advertisement for …. 我是来应聘你们广告上的……职位的。 3. I have applied for the position of …. 我申请了贵公司的……职位。 4. I havent done anything like that before. 我以前没有做过这种工作。 5. I think Im quite fit for assistants job. 我觉得我很适合做助理的工作。 6. I used to work as a sales manager. 我以前做销售经理。
7. Im quite familiar with editing. 我做过很多编辑工作。 8. I want a job with a vacation every year. 我想找个每年都能度假的工作。 9. I was thinking of a job in a school. 我打算到学校找份工作。 10. I worked in the accounting section of a manufacturer of electrical products. 我曾在电子产品制造商的会计组工作。 11. I have been for over five years in teh employ of an exporting company. 本人曾经前后五年被受雇于出口贸易公司。大学生英语自我介绍带翻译篇【2】 Good monring. Its a pleasure for me to be here in front of you to present myself. My name is Philip Wong，and I am a candidate for the position of Overseas Sales Representative. My background and work experience are tailor-made for this position. I studied marketing as an undergrad here in Taiwan，and in 1985，I received my MBA from the University of Texas School of Business. For five years now，I have utilized my skills and knowledge as the Assistant Director of Exports for magic kitchen Supplies.
Unit 1 如何快速适应大学生活 当你第一次进入大学的时候，你会发现，大学生活和高中生活有很大区别。在高中，我们总是依靠家长和老师帮助我们解决各种困难问题。然而在大学，我们只能依靠自己。除此以外，我们必须学会如何与同学、室友和睦相处。几乎每个大学新生都经历过不同程度的紧张和焦虑情绪。但是不用担心，现在给你一些建议，希望能帮助你尽快适应大学生活。 1、记住，不是只有你有这种情况。你宿舍的每个人都有同样的情况。和他们说说你的恐惧和焦虑。他们可能也有同样的感觉，并且很乐意向你倾诉他们的感觉。 、走出你的宿舍。上大学的好处在于你可以与新的面孔一起重新开始生活。他们不会知道你的过去，他们只会知道你希望他们知道的事情。因此，尝试新的事物，不要害怕，试着展现新的个性。弄清楚真正的自己，弄清楚你希望成为什么样的人，这是最佳的时机。 3、制定详细的学习计划。学习计划应该包括：你的短期目标，每个阶段要阅读什么书籍，参加哪些课外活动，以及你每天的活动安排。这会有助于你充分利用业余时间。 4、不要忘记享受大学生活！在大学里，要过得愉快，结交新朋友，和学习新知识。而寄宿就是一个很好的方式。和朋友们消磨时间，和学习伙伴一起努力备考。做疯狂的事情，照相留念，分享有趣的故事----快活地渡过。你只年轻一次！ 记住，你的朋友和你的父母都离你不远，只要你打一个电话就行。记住，每个人的适应时间都是不同的。从容以对，但最重要的是，学有所成。 Unit 2 关于自己 嗨，大家好！欢迎访问我的博客。首先让我介绍一下我自己。我18岁，男。来自中国南方的一个小村子。村子虽小，但很美丽。它位于一条小河。那里空气很新鲜, 水是如此清澈,你可以看到很多的鱼在河里游泳。村子周围是稻田。这就是众所周知的“鱼米之乡”。 现在, 我在中国南方职业技术学院学习计算机科学。毕业后我想成为一名计算机工程师。我喜欢我的大学生活。它与高中生活十分不同。下课后你都是靠自己了。没有人告诉你该做什么。所以你需要计划好你的时间, 以便你不会浪费时间。我的同学都很用功, 因为我们知道“时间不等人”。我们必须好好利用时间来学习更多的知识。 我有着积极的人生态度。有很多事情我想做、去看、去体验。我喜欢读书、写作。我爱思考, 喜欢做梦。我喜欢春天的花、夏天的雨水, 秋天的叶子, 冬天的雪。我喜欢大城市里的摩天大楼, 我喜欢绿色的田野。我喜欢好书和浪漫的电影。我喜欢美味的食物和舒适的鞋子。我的大部分业余时间上网去寻找有用的信息。我也花时间写作和更新博客。它就像我的第二故乡, 我的梦之乡。 这就是我, 刘名。非常感谢你来浏览我的博客! 欢迎你留言! Unit 3 职业规划 职业规划是一个终身的过程，它包括职业选择、找到工作、在工作中进步、可能还要更换职业、直至最后退休。这个过程通常包含四个步骤：分析、研究、选择和行动。 第一步是做一个详细的自我分析。你不仅要考虑自己的兴趣和技能，还要考虑自己的个性和价值观。除此之外，还要通过咨询家人和朋友认识到自己的真正长处，并且不要忘记考虑你自己喜欢的工作环境和发展需求。 一旦完成了自我分析，就该开始研究你最感兴趣的职业种类了。你是愿意成为工程师还是商人？中学老师比销售员工资高吗？软件工程师和软件研发者之间有什么不同？研究你想从事的工作和行业，并设法和那些在该行业中有工作经验的人交谈。 做完职业研究，就该选择可能的职业道路了。此时，你需要收集更详细的信息。对于每一种
Unit 1 Text A How Difficult Is English? 英语有多难 Like the national push for Asian literacy in Australia，there has been foreign languages fervor in China，with English on top of the list. English is not only taught at schools，colleges and universities，but also at evening classes，on radio and TV．Parents hire private tutors for their school children；adult English learners would sacrifice the weekend at an English corner in a public park practicing their spoken English with peop1e of the same interest and determination .Is English such a difficult language that it really demands people to invest a large amount of time and energy before it is mastered ? The answer，if I am asked to offer，is undoubtedly，yes. 就如澳大利亚在全国推行学亚洲语言一样，中国也掀起一股外语热，在这股热潮中，英语高居榜首.不仅各级学校教英语，夜校、电台、电视台也都设有英语课程。父母为学龄的孩子聘请英语家教，成年英语学习者会牺牲周末休息日，到公园参加英语角，与志趣相投的英语学习者练习口语。英语真的有这么难，需要人们投入大量的时间和精力才能掌握吗? 如果我被问及这个问题，那么毫无疑问，我的答案是：是的。 From my personal experience, I think learning English means far more than learning its pronunciation，its grammatical rules，its words，etc．It involves learning everything about the countries where it is used and the people who use it．Without such a complete understanding of the language, the English a foreigner speaks will inevitably sound strange or even unintelligible though there is not anything wrong with his pronunciation，sentence structure and the words he uses． 从我个人的经验来看，英语学习不仅仅是学习英语发音、语法规则、词汇等，它包括学习与使用该语言的国家和民族有关的所有内容。对英语没有这样全面的理解，即使发音、句子结构、措辞毫无错误，一个外国人所讲的英语也难免听起来稀奇古怪甚至难以理解。 The social customs and habits of the English-speaking people contribute a lot to the difficulty a foreigner has in learning it．Take the Chinese English learners for example．" Hello "and "Good morning" may sound a little bit simple to Chinese people．It is totally beyond the understanding of a Chinese English learner that native English speakers would be annoyed when they're addressed "Where are you going?"，which is a commonly used addressing among the Chinese．Is there anything wrong with the English sentence structure ? Of course not．It takes quite some time for a Chinese English learner to understand the western concept of privacy being violated in this address. By the same token，"Have you eaten?"(which is another addressing term the Chinese people usually use)will sound to native English speakers that the Chinese are so hospitable that they invite people to meals off-handedly. Meanwhile，the Chinese would be shocked to hear，"Oh，it's very nice of you．When?"，if the addressee happens to have a craving for Chinese cooking and has not had his dinner yet. 讲英语民族者的社会风俗习惯增加了外国人学习英语的难度。以学英语的中国人为例，"你好"和"早上好"是非常简单的。"你去哪儿?"是中国人常用的问候语，若英语母语者被问及"你去哪儿?"，他们会因此感到不悦，这一点让中国的英语学习者大为不解。这个英语句子结构不对吗? 当然不是。学英语的中国人得费点儿时间才能理解这一问候语侵犯了西方人的隐私。同样，英语母语者听到"你吃了吗?"(中国人常用的另外一个问候语)，会觉得中国人非常好客，会在事先毫无准备的情况下请人吃饭。如果听话者此刻正希望品尝一下中国美食，又碰巧没有吃饭，他会回答"太好了，什么时候?"，中国人为此也会大吃一惊。 "We can say we are going to have chicken for dinner．Why can't we say pig，bull or sheep for dinner instead of pork，beef or mutton?" Chinese English learners may raise such questions．Figuring out the reasons for the peculiar English vocabulary is no easy task for Chinese English learners．But the problem is that memorizing English words mechanically would be devastating and inefficient if they did not know what had happened in British history．Thus learning English(and other languages as well)involves learning the history of the countries where it is spoken．A task of this kind is more difficult for Chinese English learners than for people who speak a western language other than English because Chinese has nothing in common with the alphabetic English and China had little contact with the Western world in modern history．Consequently， the background knowledge of English fascinates large numbers of interested and determined English learners in China but at the same time disheartens quite a few． 中国的英语学习者可能会这样问："我 们可以说吃鸡，为什么不能说吃猪、 吃牛、吃羊，而要说吃猪肉、牛肉、 羊肉呢?"对学习英语的中国人来说，为 这些特殊的英语词汇找出理由并非易 事。问题在于如果不懂英国历史，死 记硬背英语单词毫无效率。所以说， 学英语(其他语言亦如此)还包括学习 使用该语言国家的历史知识。学习英 语的中国人要做到这一点比其他非英 语国家的西方人要困难得多，因为汉 字和英语这种拼音文字毫无共同之 处，并且中国和西方世界在近代史上 很少接触。所以，在中国，英语背景 知识既吸引了大量英语爱好者，也使 许多人丧失信心。 The Western and Oriental values are found to be in confrontation in learning English．Native English speakers may complain about Chinese confusion when using "he" and "she"，for the two words sound the same，though，different in written forms in Chinese．As a result， some native English speakers conclude that the Chinese are unable to tell the difference between the two sexes．But native English speakers are more gender blind than the Chinese when they mention their cousins．The confusion caused by the confrontation of Western and Chinese values，to a certain extent， affects the Chinese English learner's comprehension of what he／she reads and hears．Only by developing an understanding and tolerance（忍受）of different cultural values can a Chinese English learner reach the goal of communicating with native English speakers． 英语学习中，东西方的价值观念是相 互冲突的。英语母语的人会混淆汉语 中"他""她"的用法，因为这两个字尽管 字形不同，读音却相同，他们因此常 常抱怨。结果有些英语母语的人得出 结论，认为中国人不区分两种性别。 但是在涉及表亲的时候，英语母语的 人更是混淆性别。东西方价值观的冲 突造成的语言上的混淆，在一定程度 上影响学习英语的中国人对自己所读 或所听到的内容的理解.学习英语的中 国人只有增加不同文化价值观之间的 理解和宽容，才能达到与英语母语者 交流的目标。 A Chinese English learner could not have a good command of Eng1ish unless he overcomes the cultural barriers(not all，of course!)in learning English．Many Chinese translate what they think about in Chinese into English when they talk or write．This kind of English inevitably affects the fluency and flow of speech， the amount of information conveyed， and，above all，the quality of communication． 学习英语的中国人，只有在学习英语 的过程中克服文化障碍才能很好地掌 握英语。(当然不可能是克服全部文化 障碍!) 很多中国人说话或写作的时 候，将自己汉语思维的内容翻译成英 语，这势必会影响英语表达的流畅、 传达的信息量，最重要的是，影响交 流的质量。 The above is，not wholly，how difficult English is．Some native speakers might have said，"You foreigners don't use good English! " at the time a foreigner fails to understand what he is saying．"Why should l?"1 would protest，though．Still，I have to keep asking myself：Is it possible for a foreigner to command English? 尽管不完全，以上就是学习英语的困 难。英语母语者被外国人误解的时候 可能会说："你们外国人不懂地道的英 语!" 我要反驳："我们为什么要懂?"我还要 问：一个外国人可能精通英语吗? Text B Learning a Language 学 语言 Most students would like to know how to learn a 1anguage more easily. Most linguists and language teachers would also like to know this．Linguists are working on this problem in two ways．First，they are trying to understand how children learn to speak and understand their native language. They are also trying to learn how people learn a second language． 大部分学生都想知道如何能够轻松地 学好一门语言，大部分语言学家和语 言教师也想弄清楚这个问题。语言学 家从两个方面研究这个问题。一方面， 他们致力于弄清楚儿童是如何学会母 语、理解母语的。另一方面致力于研 究人是如何学习第二语言的。 Linguists are not sure how children learn to speak．Some linguists think that children are born with an ability to learn and use a 1anguage．This does not mean that they come into the world knowing their native language. It means that， along with many other things，they are born with the ability to learn their native language. With just a little exposure to the language，and a little help from their parents，they are able to learn to speak．Another group of linguists does not think this is correct． 语言学家并不确定儿童是如何学说话 的。一些语言学家认为儿童生来就有 学习和使用语言的能力。这并不是指 一个人的母语是与生俱来的；而是指 一个人生来具有学习其母语的能力， 这种能力与人在其他方面表现出来的 能力是相同的。孩子只要与要学习的 语言有一定接触，在父母的些许帮助 下就能够学会说话。另外一派语言学 家则对此持有异议。 This second group of linguists thinks that children learn to use a 1anguage from their parents．They believe that parents teach their children to produce sounds and words in their language．When children know some words，their parents will begin to teach them to say sentences．These linguists do not think that parents teach their children in the same way that adults are taught a second language．Instead， parents probably teach their children by talking to them and correcting their use of 1anguage. These linguists feel that children learn their language mainly from the environment . In this case，the environment is their family and their home. As you see，the first group of linguists disagrees． 持反对意见的语言学家认为儿童是跟 着父母学会使用语言的。他们认为父 母首先教孩子发声、吐字。当孩子掌 握一定词汇以后，父母就开始教他们 如何组织句子。但是他们认为，父母 教孩子的方式不同于教成年人学习第 二语言的方法。相反，父母是通过与 孩子交谈并纠正他们的语言错误来教 孩子说话的。这一派语言学家认为， 儿童主要通过语言环境学会使用语言 的。这种情况下，语言环境是家庭和 生活环境。可以看出，第一派语言学 家对此并不赞同。 There are some other theories about how children learn a language．Many people are studying the process of language learning by children．This work is being done in many countries．Linguists are not the only people who are interested in this process．Many psychologists，doctors， and parents are also interested．People who teach foreign languages are interested, too． 关于儿童如何学习语言还有一些其他 理论。许多国家中有很多人正着手研 究儿童学习语言的过程。不仅语言学 家，许多心理学家、医生和父母都对 儿童的语言学习过程感兴趣。外语教 师也对这一过程很感兴趣。 Foreign language teachers are interested in how children learn to speak their native language for a very important reason．If they knew how children learn their native language，perhaps they would have an easy way to teach adults， as well as children, a second language．This is a very interesting idea．Some foreign language teachers believe that adults learn a second language the same way children learn their native language . These teachers try to make their students' learning similar to that of children．These teachers speak only the foreign language in the classroom．They will not talk to students in the native language．They try to expose them to as much of the spoken foreign language as possible．They do not teach them any rules for using the language．Most parents don't teach their children rules for language usage，either. They simply tell them how to say something correctly．Foreign language teachers using this spoken language method do the same thing. For some students，this method is successful．They learn to speak quickly and easily．They seem to enjoy using the language，and they do not pay much attention to whether they use exactly the right rules for what they say．Some students, however，cannot learn a language this way．Linguists are trying to find another way to teach them a language． 外语教师对儿童如何学说母语感兴 趣，有其很重要的原因。他们如果知 道儿童如何学习母语，就可能找到一 种简便的方法教儿童和成年人学习第 二语言。这是一种非常有意思的想法。 有些外语教师认为成年人学习第二语 言的过程和儿童学习母语的过程是相 同的。这部分外语教师模仿儿童学习 语言的过程组织教学：课堂上只讲外 语，不与学生讲母语。他们使学生尽 可能多地接触所学外语的口语形式， 不教学生语言使用的规则。外语教师 采用这种口语教法是因为大多数父母 在教孩子说话的时候也不教孩子语言 使用规则，而只是告诉孩子怎样讲话 是正确的。对一些学生来说，这种方 法是成功的，他们能够轻而易举地、 很快地学会所学的语言。他们似乎很 喜欢去用所学的语言，并不很在意是 否使用了正确的语言规则。另外一些 学生则不适合这种方法，语言学家着 手寻找一种适合他们的教学方法。 A second method，the rule-learning method，sometimes works better with these students．Some linguists believe that learning a foreign language is different from learning to speak one's native language．They feel that students must learn the rules for using the language by memorizing them and must practice saying things in the language and using the rules correctly．These linguists try to teach students the rules of the language they want to learn．Then they give them many sentences in the language to say over and over again．The students are encouraged to make up new sentences， using the rules that they have learned and the words that they know． 另外一种方法--语言规则学习法--更适 合这部分学生。一些语言学家认为学 习外语不同于学习母语。学生必须通 过记忆来学习语言使用规则，必须练 习使用这种语言，练习正确地使用这 些规则。语言教师首先教学生要学的 语法规则，再给学生一些例句让他们 反复练习，同时鼓励学生使用所学过 的语法规则和他们所掌握的词造句。 Some students are very successful with this second, rule-learning method．They learn the language quite quickly and can use it well. They know the rules for using the language and can speak the language and understand it，too．For many students, this is the best way to learn a foreign language．For some students, both of these methods may work. Sometimes teachers use a combination of these methods in class， hoping that everyone will be able to learn the language with one method or the other. Some people can go to a country and "pick up" the language simply from hearing it and trying to communicate in it．These people are rare． 一些学生使用这种语法规则学习法效 果非常好，他们学得很快，用得也好。 他们掌握了语言使用规则，能够使用 所学的语言，也能够理解别人的话。 对一些学生来说，这是学外语最好的 方法。对另外一些学生来说，两种方 法都行之有效。有时候，老师在课堂 上将两种方法结合起来用，目的是让 每个学生都能受益。有些人能够到国 外通过倾听，与人交流等手段自然而 然的学会那个国家的语言。但这毕竟 是少数人。 Most people try to learn a language by taking classes and studying it in some way. Most teachers will try different ways to help students learn a language quickly and easily．Linguists and psychologists are trying to understand how people learn and use a language．Perhaps language 1earning will be easier when they have a clear understanding of how people learn and use a language． 大多数人还是通过课堂或者其他方式 来学语言的。大多数老师也通过不同 的教法来帮助学生轻松快速的学会一 门语言。语言学家和心理学家正致力 于弄清楚人是如何学会并使用语言 的。也许在解决了这个问题之后，语 言学习会变得容易一些。 Unit 2 Text A Caught Between Two Cultures 夹在两种文化之间 I was born and raised in Hong Kong. For the past six years I’ve been living in the United States．I work as a salesgirl in a large department store. Right now I’m going through a difficult period of my life which is hard for me to talk about． 我是土生土长的香港人。六年来一直 生活在美国，是一家大百货商店的女 售货员。目前我正经历人生中一段痛 苦，自己也很难讲述。 A few months ago 1 went to Hong Kong for a visit．It was the first time I’d gone back there since coming to the United States．I was eager to see my parents， my brothers and sisters，and my friends． 几个月前，我回香港探亲，这也是我 到美国后第一次回家探亲。我期待着 见到我的父母、兄弟姐妹和我的朋友。 I really got a shock when I arrived．Hong Kong was not the same city that I left six years ago．Things had changed so much that I didn’t recognize parts of it．My elementary school was gone．The houses on the street where I used to live had been torn down and replaced by office buildings． 到达时，我确实大吃一惊。香港已经 不是六年前我离开时的那座城市了。 这儿发生了巨大的变化，一些地方都 认不出来了。我读书的那所小学已经 不复存在。曾经住过的那条街上的房 子已被拆掉，代之而起的是办公大楼。 The shock from the physical changes in the city，however，was nothing compared to the confusion and hurt I soon began to feel in my parents’ home．My family greeted me warmly when I arrived．While my mother was busy preparing a special dinner in my honor，the rest of the family eagerly asked me questions about my life in the United States．I felt happy that day and for a couple of days after，but then I began to feel that something was wrong．I noticed that my family， especially my mother, would sometimes glance at me in a strange way when I was speaking．They gradually became less warm and friendly toward me，and I became uncomfortable and confused as to（至于）why they were behaving that way. 但是，我到了父母亲家里不久，就发 现了一些令我想不通的问题，情感上 也受到了挫伤。与之相比，香港外观 上的变化给我的震惊算不得什么。我 的家人热情地迎接我回家。我母亲忙 着备饭为我接风，家里其余的人迫不 及待地问我在美国的生活。那天和之 后的几天我都非常高兴, 但是不久我 就开始感觉到事情有些不对劲儿。我 注意到，在我讲话的时候，我的家人， 尤其是我母亲，会以一种奇怪的目光 看我。渐渐地，大家对我疏远起来， 不像开始时那么热情、友好了, 我感到 不舒服，弄不明白他们为什么这样对 待我。 I decided to talk to my mother．She asked me，“Have you forgotten your Chinese way ?”I asked her what she meant．She said．“You’ve forgotten the place of women in a Chinese home．You talk when you should remain silent．You speak on matters that are of concern only to men．You speak openly of your inner feelings and desires．That’s not the way of a Chinese woman．We keep our thoughts and feelings to ourselves．” 我决定和母亲谈一谈。她问我：“你忘 了中国的规矩了吗?”我问她指的是什 么。她回答说：“你忘了中国家庭里女 人的地位了。应该保持沉默的时候， 你却在讲话。你就那些只与男人有关 的事情发表见解。你直言不讳你的内 心感受和愿望，这不是中国女人的做 法。我们的想法和感情都不说出来。” As my mother spoke，I realized what had happened to me．American including American women，are much freer in expressing their thoughts and feelings．Also American women feel as free as men to speak or give an opinion about any subject．They don’t take a silent back seat during a discussion．I guessed that through my association with Americans during the past six years，，I had gradually adopted some of their ways． 听着母亲这样讲，我意识到了是怎么 回事。美国人，包括美国女性，都非 常自由地表达自己的思想和感情。美 国男女一样，对任何问题都自由地发 表见解。在讨论中，她们不会做一个 沉默的旁观者。我想，过去六年和美 国人的交往中, 我渐渐学了他们的一 些做法。 During the next few days I tried to be a Chinese woman．But it didn’t work．My family remained distant from me．They could no longer accept me fully as one of them．I became more uncomfortable and hurt as things were said and done that made me feel that I was an outsider,a stranger in my own country． 接下来的几天，我尽力作一名中国女 性，可是没用。家人和我疏远。他们 无法完全把我当作自己人。身在家乡 却被视为外人，这使我更加不自在， 感觉受到了深深的伤害。 I cut my visit short by three weeks and came back to the United States．But coming back here didn’t lessen the confusion and pain．In fact，I feel more confused than before．I now feel homeless．I don’t feel like an American．Americans haven’t accepted me．The women I work with at the store are polite enough，but they don’t try to get close to me or let me get close to them．During the morning coffee break they make plans to have lunch together and go shopping．On Fridays they talk about the disco place they’re going to that night．My accent，my name，and 1