大学英语课文翻译答案(新世纪综合教程1)

大学英语课文翻译答案(新世纪综合教程1)

BOOK 1

Unit 1

T A Language Teacher's Personal Opinion

Will Pidcroft This text is taken from Incentive Themes by W. S. Fowler, J. Pidcook & L. R. Rycroft. Nelson. Australia. 1980.

close1RT Every day I see advertisements in the newspapers and on the buses claiming that it is easy to learn English. According to these advertisements, with very little effort on the student's part, he will be able to speak the language fluently in three months or even ten days. There is often a reference to William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens to encourage him even more. When I see advertisements like this, I don't know whether to laugh or cry. If it were as easy to learn English as they say, I would have to look for another job, because very few qualified teachers would be needed. But a large number of people must believe these ridiculous claims, or else the advertisements would not appear.

一名语言教师的个人看法

威尔·皮德克罗夫特

我每天都会在报纸上、公共汽车上看到各种广告，声称轻轻松松就能学好英语。这些广告号称，学生不必费什么力气，要说一口流利的英语只需短短3个月，甚至10天就行。广告还常常提到威廉·莎士比亚和查尔斯·狄更斯等英语文学大师的名号来增强吸引力。每当看到诸如此类的广告时，我真是哭笑不得：如果学英语真像这些广告所说的那么轻松，我恐怕得另谋出路了，因为不需要那么多合格的英语教师了。但是肯定有许多人相信这些可笑的噱头，不然的话这些广告也不可能出现。

It is natural for students to be attracted to methods that will teach them as quickly and efficiently and cheaply as possible. But it is difficult for anyone to explain in simple language why one method is better than another, and it is no use pretending that anyone has discovered a perfect way of teaching English in every possible situation. Some experts even argue that there are as many good methods of teaching a language as there are good teachers, because every teacher is an individual with his own personality. No doubt this is true to a certain extent, but it is not very helpful to students.

学生们喜欢实惠的速成学习方法也在情理之中，但要用浅显易懂的语言去解释为什么某一方法比另一方法更有效并不是一件简单的事，而且也无需装模作样地声称有什么人已经找到了一个万能的适合所有学习环境的教学方法。一些专家甚至认为，有多少个好老师就有多少种好的教学方法，因为每一个老师都有其自身的特点。这种说法无疑是有几分道理的，但对学生来说不是很有帮助。

For a long time people believed that the only way to learn a language was to spend a great deal of time in a country where it was spoken. Of course it is clear that students who go to England, America, or Australia to learn English have a

great advantage over others, but a large number of students cannot afford to do so. Some students go to the opposite extreme and think they can teach themselves at home with dictionaries. But it is wrong to assume that each word in English has a precise equivalent in another language and vice versa, and it is impossible for any translation method to provide students with the natural forms of a language in speech, let alone produce good pronunciation and intonation.

有很长一段时间，人们认为要学好一门语言，只有去使用那种语言的国家待上一段时间。当然去英国、美国、或者澳大利亚等国家学英语的学生肯定比那些不能去的学生具有很大优势，但是很多学生支付不起那笔费用。有些学生走向另一极端：他们认为可以借助词典在家自学。如果你认为英语中的每一个词在另一语言中都有完全对等的词（或反之亦然），那就错了。通过翻译法来给学生讲解口语的自然形式是不可能的，更不要说做到语音、语调地道了。close4RT A great deal of teaching is still based on behaviorist psychology. Behaviorists are fond of making students repeat phrases and making them do exercises where they continually have to change one word in a sentence. If we were parrots or chimpanzees, these methods might be successful. A large number of theorists seem to think it is a pity we aren't, because it would make it easier to use their methods.

现在大量的教学活动还是建立在行为主义心理学的基础之上。行为主义者热衷于让学生复述短语，不断做一些只需更换句中某个词的练习。假如我们是鹦鹉或黑猩猩，那这些方法或许能奏效，可惜我们不是，这似乎让很多理论家引以为憾，否则他们提出的那些方法用起来就会容易得多了。close5RT In my personal opinion, no one can ever learn to speak English or any other language unless he is interested in it. Human beings, unlike parrots and chimpanzees, do not like making noises unless they understand

what the noises mean and can relate them to their own lives. It is worth remembering that language is a means of communication. What people want to say and write in another language is probably very similar to what they want to say and write in their own. What they listen to and read cannot be a formula. It must be real.

我个人认为，假如没有兴趣，任何人都不可能学好英语或其他任何语言。与鹦鹉或黑猩猩不同，人类不会无缘无故地发出噪音，除非他们明白这些声音是什么意思，并且能将其与自己的生活联系起来。值得牢记的是：语言是一种交际手段，人们在母语中怎么说怎么写，用另一种语言表达时也大同小异。因此，人们所听所读的不应该是程式化的东西，听的读的材料必须真实自然。close6RT There is another relevant point worth mentioning here. We need other people to talk to and listen to when we communicate. If what we are learning is strange to us, it will be helpful if there are other students around us who can work with us and practise the unfamiliar forms with us in real situations, talking to each other about real life in real language.

还有一个相关的问题值得一提：在交际时我们需要有交谈或倾听的对象。在学习较生疏的内容时，如果有其他学生和我们在实战中一起学习和练习那些陌生的语言形式，用真实的语言去谈论真实的生活，那一定会受益匪浅。

2

Learning to Read

John Holt This text is adapted from The Norton Reader (11th Edition) by W. W.

Norton, L. H. Peterson & J. C. Brereton. New York & London. 2004.

close1RT In one of my classes were many children who had had great trouble with schoolwork, particularly reading. I decided to try at all costs to rid them of their fear and dislike of books, and to get them to read oftener and more adventurously (冒险地).

学会去读书

约翰·霍尔特

在我曾经任教的一个班上有许多孩子学习起来非常吃力，尤其是阅读。因此我决定不惜任何代价消除他们对书籍的恐惧和厌恶心理，让他们能够多读些书，更勇于尝试。close2RT One day soon after school had started, I said to them, \"Now I'm going to say something about reading that you have probably never heard a teacher say before. I would like you to read a lot of books this year, but I want you to read them only for pleasure. I am not going to ask you questions to find out whether you understand the books or not. If you understand enough of a book to enjoy it and want to go on reading it, that's enough for me. Also I'm not going to ask you what words mean.\"

开学没多久，我对孩子们说：\"我要跟你们说说读书的事，也许还没有哪个老师这样对你们讲过。今年我想要你们读许多书，你们只需要为寻求乐趣而读书，我不会去检查你们读懂了没有。如果你读了一点儿，觉得会喜欢这本书，并愿意把它读完，这就够了。我不会去考你们词语的意思。\"close3RT \"Finally,\" I said, \"I don't want you to feel that just

because you start a book, you have to finish it. Give an author thirty or forty pages or so to get his story going. Then if you don't like the characters and don't care what happens to them, close the book, put it away, and get another. I don't care whether the books are easy or hard, short or long, as long as you enjoy them. Furthermore, I'm putting all this in a letter to your parents, so they won't feel they have to quiz or check your reading at home.\"

\"最后，\"我继续说道，\"你们不要觉得读一本书就得把它读完。先读三四十页，看看故事情节如何发展。如果你不喜欢书中人物，或者对他们的经历不感兴趣，只管合上书，放到一边，去读另一本。你们读的书是难还是容易、篇幅长还是篇幅短，我都不在意，只要你们喜欢就行。另外，我会写信把我的意思告诉你们的家长，好让他们知道没有必要在家里查问或检查你们的读书情况。\"close4RT The children sat stunned (使震惊) and silent. Was this a teacher talking? One girl, who had just come to us from a school where she had had a very hard time, and who proved to be one of the most interesting, lively, and intelligent children I have ever known, looked at me steadily for a long time after I had finished. Then, still looking at me, she said slowly and solemnly, \"Mr. Holt, do you really mean that?\" I said just as solemnly, \"I mean every word of it.\"

孩子们都愣住了，坐着不出声。这真的是老师在说话吗？其中一个女孩，因为功课不好最近才转学到我们学校来，后来我发现她非常有趣、活泼、聪明，在我所有的学生中都算突出的。我讲完后，她盯住我看了很久。然后，她继续看着我，缓慢而严肃地问：\"霍尔特先生，你说的话是真的吗？\"我也同样严肃地回答：\"真的，一点不假。\"close5RT Apparently she decided to believe me. The first book she read was Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, not a hard book even for most third graders. For a

while she read a number of books on this level. Perhaps she was clearing up some confusion about reading that her teachers, in their hurry to get her up to \"grade level,\" had never given her enough time to clear up. After she had been in the class six weeks or so and we had become good friends, I very tentatively (试探性地) suggested that, since she was a skillful rider and loved horses, she might like to read National Velvet. I made my sell as soft as possible, saying only that it was about a girl who loved and rode horses, and that if she didn't like it, she could put it back. She tried it, and though she must have found it quite a bit harder than what she had been reading, finished it and liked it very much.

显然，她打算照我说的办。她读的第一本书是索伊斯博士写的《格林奇偷走圣诞节》，这本书对大多数三年级的学生都不算难，更不要说这个年级的孩子了。有一阵子，她读的书都在这个难易度上。也许她是在消除对阅读的一些困惑，而以前她没时间去做，因为老师总是催促她看这个年级\"该看的书\"。她在这个班上学习了六七个星期后，我们成了好朋友。我试探地向她建议：既然她喜欢马，而且骑马的水平还不错，她可以读一读《侠女神驹》。我尽可能委婉地提出这个建议。我只告诉她那是一本关于一个热爱马并常常骑马的女孩的故事；如果她不喜欢读，她可以放回书架。她去读了，也许她觉得这本书比她先前读的书要难点，但是她读完了，而且挺喜欢。close6RT During the spring semester, she really astonished me, however. One day, in one of our many free periods, she was reading at her desk. From a glimpse of the illustrations I thought I knew what the book was. I said to myself, \"It can't be,\" and went to take a closer look. Sure enough, she was reading Moby Dick, in the edition with woodcuts (木刻) by Rockwell Kent. When I came close to her desk, she looked up. I said, \"Are you really reading that?\" She said she was. I said, \"Do you like it?\" She said, \"Oh, yes, it's neat!\" I said, \"Don't you find parts of it rather heavy going?\" She answered, \"Oh,

sure, but I just skip (略过，跳过) over those parts and go on to the next good part.\"

春季的那一学期，她的表现可真的让我吃惊了。一天，在我们的自习课上我看到她坐在课桌前看书。我瞥了一眼书中的插图我就知道这是一本什么书了。但是我不相信我的眼睛：\"不可能吧。\"我走过去仔细一看，果然她在读《白鲸》，那版本配有罗克威尔·肯特的木刻画。我走近她的时候，她抬起头来。我问她：\"你真的在看这本书吗？\"她说，是的。我又问：\"你喜欢这本书吗？\"\"嗯，是的。这本书很好。\"她答道。\"你不觉得有些地方很难吗？\"我又问道。\"有啊，不过，看不懂就跳过去，挑有意思的地方看。\"她这样回答。close7RT This is exactly what reading should be, but in school, reading is not always an exciting, joyous (充满欢乐的) adventure. Find something, dive into it, take the good parts, skip the bad parts, get what you can out of it, go on to something else. Why should we insist that every child should read the same book and get the same scrap(碎屑)of \"understanding\" out of it?

真正的阅读就该如此。但是上学时，阅读不见得总是有趣或让人喜欢。拿上一本书，钻进去，读有趣的部分，跳过不好的部分，尽可能从书中得到点收获，然后再去读其他书。为什么非要让每个孩子读一样的书，作出同样的\"理解\"呢?

unit 3

T The Doctor's Son

Harold Eppley with Rochelle Melander This article is excerpted and adapted from \"Chicken Soup\". The Chicken Soup Series, compiled by Jack Canfield and Victor Hansen, has become a household name for its touching stories and its

impact on the lives of a lot of people. The series has been translated into 37 different languages. Chicken Soup of the Soul is a collection among the Chicken Soup Series. The main themes are on coping with relationships and emotions. The series include Chicken Soup for Teenager's Soul, Chicken Soup for Girls' Soul, Chicken Soup for Mother and Daughter's Soul, Chicken Soup for Father and Daughter's Soul, Chicken Soup for Grandma's Soul, etc.

close1RT My parents moved to Vermont when I was still an infant. A soft-spoken man, my father settled quietly into his medical practice in a small town called Enosburg. Soon the local people accepted him as one of their own. Word passes quickly in small Vermont towns. They know good people when they meet them. Around town the neighbors greeted my father as \"Doc Eppley.\" And I soon learned that as long as I lived in Enosburg I would always be known as \"Doctor Eppley's son\".

医生的儿子

哈罗德·埃普利、罗谢尔·梅兰德合写

我还是个婴儿的时候，我的父母亲搬到了佛蒙特州。我那温文尔雅的父亲在一个名叫伊诺斯堡的小镇上毫不张扬地开业行医了。很快，当地人就把他当成了自己人。在佛蒙特州的小镇上，消息传播得很快。人们分得清谁是好人。邻居们都称我的父亲为埃普利医生。我很快意识到，只要我住在伊诺斯堡镇，我就永远只是\"埃普利医生的儿子\"。close2RT On the first day of school, my classmates crowded around me because I was the doctor's son. \"If you're anything like your father, you'll be a smart boy,\" my

first-grade teacher said. I couldn't stop beaming.

入学的第一天，同学们就簇拥着我，因为我是医生的儿子。\"要是你多少有点像你父亲的话，你就会是个聪明的孩子。\"我的一年级老师这么说。我忍不住眉开眼笑。close3RT Somewhere in the midst of my teenage years, however, something changed. I was sixteen years old and the neighbors still called me \"Doctor Eppley's son.\" They said that I was growing up to be an honorable and industrious young man, living an honest life just like my father. I groaned whenever I heard their compliments.

可是在我十几岁的时候，事情起了变化。 我都十六岁了，邻居们还是称呼我\"埃普利医生的儿子\"。他们说我长大了一定会是一个可敬又勤劳的年轻人，会像我父亲那样过着体面的生活。每当我听到这些赞美，我都很不以为然地哼哼几声。close4RT I wondered how I would ever fit in with my teenage friends. I hated being followed by my father's good name. And so when strangers asked me if I was Doctor Eppley's son, I replied emphatically, \"My name is Harold. And I can manage quite well on my own.\" As an act of rebellion, I began to call my father by his first name, Sam.

我不知道自己怎样才能融入我那些少年朋友的圈子。我讨厌父亲的好名声像影子一样跟着我。所以当陌生人问起我是不是埃普利医生的儿子时，我会带着强调的口气说：\"我叫哈罗德。我自己能管好自己的事。\"出于反叛，我开始对父亲直呼其名，不叫他\"爸爸\"，而叫他\"萨姆\"。close5RT \"Why are you acting so stubborn lately?\" my father asked me one day in the midst of an argument.

\"你最近为什么这么犟？\"有次争吵时，我父亲这样问我。close6RT \"Well, Sam,\" I replied, \"I suppose that bothers you.\"

\"哼，萨姆。我想你难过了吧！\"close7RT \"You know it hurts me when you call me Sam,\" my father shouted.

\"你知道的，你叫我萨姆让我很伤心。\"我父亲大声地说。close8RT \"Well, it hurts me when everybody expects me to be just like you. I don't want to be perfect. I want to be myself.\"

\"哦，那人人都指望我像你一样，也很让我伤心呢。我不要完美，我只想做我自己。\"close9RT I survived my last years of high school until finally I turned eighteen. The next fall I enrolled in college. I chose to attend a school far from Enosburg, a place where nobody called me \"Doctor Eppley's son.\"

我好不容易挨完高中，总算满了十八岁。第二年秋天我上了大学。我选中了一所远离伊诺斯堡的学校，一个没人管我叫\"埃普利医生的儿子\"的地方。close10RT One night at college I sat with a group of students in the dormitory as we shared stories about our lives. We began to talk about the things we hated most about our childhoods. \"That's easy,\" I said. \"I couldn't stand growing up in a town where everybody always compared me with my father.\"

在大学里，有天晚上我和一帮学生在宿舍聊起我们的生活。我们开始谈起我们童年最讨厌的事情。\"想都不用想，\"我说，\"我受不了在一个每个人都拿我跟我父亲比的地方生活。\"close11RT The girl sitting next to me frowned. \"I don't understand,\" she said. \"I'd be proud to have a father who's so well respected.\" Her eyes filled with tears as she continued, \"I'd give anything to be called my father's child. But I don't know where he is. He left my mother when I was only four.\"

坐在我身边的女孩皱起眉头说：\"这我就不理解了。要是有这么个令人尊敬的父亲我一定会很骄傲的。\"她的眼里噙着泪继续说，\"要是有人把我叫做我父亲的孩子，那我会不惜一切地珍重这荣誉！但我不知道他在哪里。他抛弃了我的母亲,那时我才四岁。\"close12RT There was an awkward silence, and then I changed the subject. I wasn't ready to hear her words.

大家陷入了尴尬的沉默，然后我转开了话题。她的话我当时还听不进去。close13RT I returned home for winter break that year, feeling proud of myself. In four months at college, I had made a number of new friends. I had become popular in my own right, without my father's help.

那年寒假我回了家，心中充满了自豪感。在大学的四个月中，我交了好些朋友。我没有靠父亲，而是靠自己的本事赢得了众人的欢心。close14RT For two weeks I enjoyed being back in Enosburg. The main topic of interest at home was my father's new car.

回到伊诺斯堡的两个星期里，我一直都很高兴。父亲的新车成了家里人感兴趣的话题。close15RT \"Let me take it out for a drive,\" I said.

\"让我开出去转转。\"我说。close16RT My father agreed, but not without his usual warning, \"Be careful.\"

父亲同意了，但跟往常一样提醒我，\"小心点。\"close17RT I glared at him. \"Sam, I'm sick of being treated like a child. I'm in college now. Don't you think I know how to drive?\"

我瞪了他一眼，\"萨姆，我讨厌你老把我当成个孩子。我都上大学了。你以为我不会开车啊？\"close18RT I could see the hurt in my father's face, and I remembered how much he hated it whenever I called him \"Sam.\"

从父亲的脸上看得出我伤了他的心，也想起每次直呼\"萨姆\"时他是多么不高兴。close19RT \"All right then,\" he replied.

\"那去吧。\"他说。close20RT I hopped into the car and headed down the road, savoring the beauty of the Vermont countryside. My mind was wandering. At a busy intersection, I hit the car right in front of mine before I knew it.

我跳进车里， 沿路开去， 享受着佛蒙特乡间的美丽风景。我有点心神不定。在一个繁忙的十字路口，不知怎么地就跟我前面的车撞了个正着。close21RT The woman in the car jumped out screaming: \"You idiot! Why didn't you look where you were going?\"

车里的妇人跳出来尖叫，\"你这个白痴！你开车难道不看路吗？\"close22RT I surveyed the damage. Both cars had sustained serious dents.

我看了一眼，两辆车都被撞瘪了。close23RT I sat there like a guilty child as the woman continued complaining. \"It's your fault,\" she shouted. I couldn't protest. My knees began to shake. I choked back my tears.

我像个犯了错的孩子一样，坐在那儿听着那妇人不停地抱怨。\"全怪你！\"她尖叫道。我无法反驳，双腿发抖，泪水在眼眶里转。close24RT \"Do you have insurance? Can you

pay for this? Who are you?\" she kept asking. \"Who are you?\"

\"你有保险吗？你赔得起吗？你是谁？\"她不停地问，\"你是谁？\"close25RT I panicked and, without thinking, shouted, \"I'm Doctor Eppley's son.\"

我害怕起来， 想也没想就叫道， \"我是埃普利医生的儿子。\"close26RT I sat there stunned. I couldn't believe what I had just said. Almost immediately, the woman's frown became a smile of recognition. \"I'm sorry,\" she replied, \"I didn't realize who you were.\"

我坐在那里惊呆了。我简直不相信我自己会这么说。几乎同时， 妇人皱起的眉头变成了似曾相识的笑容。 \"对不起。\"她答道，\"我刚才不知道你是谁。\"close27RT An hour later, I drove my father's battered new car back home. With my head down and my knees still shaking, I trudged into the house. I explained what had happened.

一小时后，我开着被撞破了的车回了家。我低着头，迈着发颤的双腿， 拖着步子走进家门。 我解释了所发生的一切。close28RT \"Are you hurt?\" he asked.

\"受伤了吗？\"他问。close29RT \"No,\" I replied.

\"没有。\"我回答。close30RT \"Good,\" he answered. Then he turned and headed toward the door. \"Harold,\" he said as he was leaving, \"Hold your head up.\"

\"那就好。\"他答道，然后转身向门口走去。\"哈罗德，抬起头来。\"他边走边说。close31RT That night was New Year's Eve, and my family attended a small party with friends

to celebrate the beginning of another year. When midnight arrived, people cheered and greeted each other. Across the room I saw my father. I stepped toward him. My father and I rarely hug. But recalling the day's events, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. And I spoke his real name for the first time in years. I said, \"Thank you, Dad. Happy New Year.\"

那晚是除夕之夜，我们全家与朋友参加了一个小型晚会庆祝新年。午夜来临，每个人都欢呼并互相祝福。我看到父亲在房间的另一头，我向他走去。父亲与我很少拥抱，但我想起了白天的事，我用双臂搂着他的肩膀，很多年来第一次用他\"真实的\"名字来称呼他。我说，\"谢谢你，爸爸。新年快乐！\"

2

The Needs of Teenagers

This text is adapted from New Expressway English 4 by Colin W. Davis & Andrew J. Watts. FEP International. 1989.

close1RT While we're still children, most of us live at home with our parents more or less peacefully, but as we become teenagers, things change, and we all know the sort of difficulties we're likely to have. What's happening is that we're beginning to grow apart from our parents. We're a new generation that's almost ready to be independent, to leave the home where we grew up and make a new home of our own.

青少年的需求

小的时候，绝大多数人和父母住在一起大抵能相安无事。但进入青少年时代，一切就起了变化。我们大家也都知道大概会碰到一些什么困难：我们跟父母越来越疏远。我们是即将独立的新一代。我们即将离开我们长大成人的家庭，建立自己的小家庭。close2RT All human beings must grow up, but we don't all do it in the same way. Suppose, for instance, we belonged to a primitive tribe (部落). There, as we grew up, we'd learn the skills we needed as adults — how to hunt or fish, how to keep house and look after children. In our early teens, we'd be ready to marry and set up house near our family in the village we knew.

人人都要长大，但我们成长的方式各有不同。比如说，假如我们生长在一个原始部落里，我们就会在成长的过程中学会长大成人后所需具备的技能：如何狩猎捕鱼，如何持家和养育孩子。十几岁时就可以结婚并在我们父母家附近，我们熟知的村庄里建立家庭。close3RT We call this a primitive way of life but it's what human beings have adapted to through hundreds of thousands of years. And it's what we are still adapted to in the 21st century; for man hasn't changed much in the short time since he became civilized.

我们把这种生活称作原始的生活方式，但成千上万年来人们适应了这种方式。二十一世纪我们依然习惯这种生活方式。人在进入文明之后的短时间内实在是没有太大的变化呀！close4RT However, could we leave home and look after ourselves at puberty (发育期，青春期)? Most people in the so-called civilized countries wouldn't do very well. For, even if man hasn't changed, the society he lives in has changed enormously (巨大地), and we've more and more to learn before we're ready to leave our

parents' shelter.

但是，进入青春期后我们就可以离家自立了吗？很多在所谓文明国家中的人并不见得能完全做到。因为即使人的变化不大，他赖以生存的这个社会却已经发生了很大的变化，我们在离开父母的庇护前要学会的东西也越来越多。close5RT Think what we've learnt by puberty. We've learnt to read and write. We've learnt to use figures, to use money to buy things we need. We've learnt to use such things as radios, cooking-stoves (烹饪用的炉子), buses, trains.

想一想我们到了青春期时学到了什么？我们学会了读书和写字。我们学会了使用数字计算，用钱买我们所需的东西。我们也学会了使用收音机、灶具，学会了搭乘公共汽车还有火车。close6RT All the same, at puberty we still don't know enough. We may be very nearly adult human beings, but we're certainly not adult members of society. We've still a lot to learn, and while we learn it, we still need shelter — so we usually live on in our parents' home.

不过，到了青春期我们所学到的东西仍然是远远不够的。我们也许接近成年，但我们显然还不是社会的成年成员。我们还有很多东西要学。当我们学习的时候，我们仍需要庇护所，所以我们一般还与父母同住。close7RT No wonder, then, there are difficulties. Physically, we become adults younger and younger. Socially, we become adults older and older. And the more ambitious we are about what we want to do in life, the more we must learn, and the longer we need support.

这样就理所当然地出现了问题。从身体发育的角度来看，我们成熟得越来越早，而从适应社会的角度来说，我们成熟得越来越晚。我们的人生抱负越大，我们要学得的就越多，

我们依赖父母的时间就更长。close8RT No wonder teenagers feel frustrated, restless, rebellious.

怪不得青少年常感到沮丧和不安，常存有叛逆心理。close9RT Here is what a teenaged girl, Marjorie, said about this time in her life: \"I suppose it all began in the usual way. My parents weren't any worse or any better than most parents. When I was about fourteen, my parents would let me go round to a girlfriend's house and get home late, or stay up to watch a midnight movie on television, but if I wanted to go to a dance or a party, they made me return home by ten o'clock.

一个名叫玛乔丽的少女是这样描述她自己这一人生阶段的：\"我想一开始一切还算正常。我的父母跟其他大多数的父母差不多。我十四岁左右时，我的父母会让我去女性朋友的家，晚回家或者熬夜看电视上的午夜节目。但如果我去舞会或晚会，他们规定我在十点前必须回家。\"close10RT \"I was scared of them being annoyed with me, so I used to try and be in on time, but sometimes things didn't always work out like that and if I was later than they said, they were furious. My mother would sit up with a furious expression on her face whatever time of the night it was and she'd terrify me so much that it wouldn't happen again for ages.\"

\"我非常怕他们生我的气，所以我尽量准时回家，但有时做不到。假如我比他们规定的时间晚了，他们会很生气。不管几点妈妈都不上床睡觉，怒气冲冲地坐在那里。我实在怕死了，所以好久都不敢再很晚回家。\"close11RT Most of Marjorie's girlfriends were going through the same sort of thing, but as she got older, things became worse. Her parents refused to give her the house-key and she had to wake them at whatever time she got home. Once, her father came to a dance and dragged her

out while she was dancing.

玛乔丽的大多数朋友都有过类似的经历。但她长大些以后，情况变得更糟。她的父母不给她房门的钥匙，她什么时候回家都必须叫醒他们。有一次，她的父亲竟到一个舞会上，把正在跳舞的她拖了出来。close12RT \"... My mother had such an unnaturally (违反常规的，反常的) tight rein (缰绳) on me. She was always very possessive and, whereas my girlfriends' parents treated them as friends, I was never allowed to think for myself. My mother would tell me when to have a bath, what to wear, when to wear it. She was over-protective (过于爱护备至的). When I started going out with Jim, she didn't trust me an inch. She wanted to know where we were going, when we were coming back and where she could get hold of me.

\"…我妈妈对我的管束实在严得不行。她非常专制。我那些朋友的父母将儿女当朋友，而我的父母从来就不让我独立思考。我妈妈规定我什么时候洗澡，穿什么衣服以及什么时候穿。她对我过度保护。当我开始和吉姆约会的时候，她压根儿就对我没有一丁点儿的信任。她要知道我们去哪里，几时回来，在哪里可以找到我。\"close13RT \"The ironic (具有讽刺意味的) thing, of course, is that my friends' parents were more lenient (宽厚的，仁慈的), and yet it was me who ended up in trouble.\"

Unit 3

T Personality Development

This text is taken and adapted from Creative Living, 6th edition. Glencoe / McGraw-Hill. 1997.

close1RT People come in all shapes and sizes. They also come with distinctive personalities. The combination of characteristics that makes you different from every other person is your personality.

个性的培养

人有高矮胖瘦，个性也各不相同。你的个性就是你与其他人不同之处的综合特征。close2RT One's personality can be summed up in a word. People might say that Harry is shy; Tasha is aggressive; and Shannon is outgoing. Actually, personalities are more complex than this. A closer look at personalities will show you why they are not so simple, and you will also discover that your personality can be shaped if you make the effort.

一个人的个性可以用一个词语来描述。人们可以说，哈里性格害羞内向；塔莎则争强好胜；而香农则友好外向。实际上，人的性格远比这些词语的描述复杂得多。仔细观察一下人们的性格，你便会注意到人的个性并不是那么简单，你也会发现只要付出努力，你就有可能改变你的个性。close3RT A person's personality is composed of many elements. These elements, in general, fall into three categories—emotional, social, and intellectual.

人的个性由许多元素组成。一般来说，这些元素可分成三类：情感元素、社交元素和智能元素。close4RT Every person feels the same basic emotions, such as fear, happiness, anxiety and pain, yet each responds to them individually. When Kara's grandmother died, for example, her sorrow was expressed through tears. Another person might show the same kind of sorrow in a quiet, reflective way. Similarly,

when you hear a piece of good news, you may jump up with joy and may immediately decide to throw a party for your classmates and friends to share your happiness and joy; another person may just keep the good news to himself or herself and just enjoy the happiness secretly. As you observe how people handle their emotions, you start to form a picture of this part of their personality.

虽然每个人都会感受到一些同样的基本情感，譬如恐惧、幸福、忧虑和痛苦，但每个人对这些情感的反应都不一样。例如当卡拉的祖母去世时，她以哭泣表达她的哀痛；另一个人却可能以静默、思考的方式寄托哀思。同样，听到一个好消息时，你也许会高兴得跳起来，立刻决定举办一个聚会，与同学和朋友分享你的幸福和喜悦；另一个人则可能不和别人分享这个消息，只是独自品味快乐。当你观察一个人怎么处理他的情感时，你将会对他在这一方面的个性有所了解。close5RT People are also different in how they relate to others. This reveals the social side of their personality, and there are plenty of variations. Some people prefer the company of others rather than being alone. We say they are sociable. Others are just the opposite. Most people want some combination of the two.

人们也以不同的方式与他人交往，表现出他们各不相同的社交方面的个性。有些人比较喜欢与人为伴而不喜欢独处，我们说他们是社交型的；还有些人则正好相反；大多数人都希望自己的性格是二者的综合。close6RT Intellectual traits are the third part of personality. These qualities are influenced by the mind and how it works. One person may prefer spending his spare time in deep thought. Another may be more creative. Jake, for example, often has people in his class laughing. He sees humor in almost everything and is able to express it in entertaining ways.

智力特征是个性的第三元素，这些特征受大脑及其运作方式的影响。有的人也许喜欢在空余时间独自沉思，另一些人也许比较有创造性。例如杰克，他时常开玩笑使全班同学开怀大笑，他能看到每一件事有趣的一面并以幽默的方式表达出来。close7RT The emotional, social, and intellectual traits of personality become apparent to others through behavior. Usually you need to get to know a person well enough before you can discover the full depth of that person's personality.

人们的情感、社交和智力的个性特征通过行为明显地表达出来，通常你得先深入地了解一个人后才能发现他的性格特征。close8RT When you start thinking about what you are like, you may start wondering why you are that way. Explaining why personalities develop as they do is not easy. That is because two influences are at work: heredity and environment. And no one really knows which one has the greater effect. In fact, the combination of these influences may not be the same for every person.

当你开始考虑自己的性格时，你也许会对自己的行为疑惑不解。解释人的个性是如何发展的显然并非易事，那是因为遗传因素和环境因素同时在起作用，但是却没人真正地知道哪种因素对个性的形成作用更大。其实，遗传和环境这两种因素的组合对每个人的影响都不同。close9RT Heredity is one influence on personality. Heredity is the set of characteristics that you inherit from your parents and ancestors. \"He's just like his father,\" Mrs. Miller always says about her son Todd, now 17. Since Todd's father died when the boy was only a year old, heredity explains the resemblances, for evidently, Todd has had no opportunity to learn these traits from his father.

遗传是对个性的一个影响因素。遗传是指我们从父母和祖先继承的性格。\"他太像他的

父亲了。\"米勒夫人描述十七岁的儿子托德时这么说。父亲去世时托德才一岁，所以这种性格相似只能归因于遗传，因为托德显然没有机会从他的父亲那里学到这些特征。close10RT Other aspects of personality are shaped by what goes on around a person. Environment — the circumstances, objects, and conditions that surround people — also has an impact on personality. This influence is very strong and very complicated. Home life, for example, affects children's personalities as they grow. People who feel loved and secure are likely to develop more positive personality traits than those who are troubled as they grow up. That is why divorce is a harmful social practice that often exerts a negative effect on the growth of young children.

性格的其他特征受到周围环境的影响。环境因素是指我们周围的境况、物体和我们生存的条件，这些因素对个性也有影响，而且这些因素对性格的影响很大而且非常复杂。例如家庭生活环境会影响儿童的个性成长，成长在被爱和有安全感家庭环境中的儿童往往比那些在烦恼的环境中成长的儿童有较积极的性格。这也就是为什么婚姻破裂的家庭会对儿童的成长产生负面的影响。close11RT Personalities make people interesting. How boring it would be if everyone had the same personality. On the other hand, some personalities are more pleasing than others. What about you? Are you satisfied with your personality? Or is there something—even a small quality—that you would like to change? Most people have at least some personality adjustments they would like to make.

个性的差异令人们多姿多彩。一个千人一面的世界该是多么枯燥啊！另一方面，有些个性比其他的个性更招人喜欢。你怎么样？你满意你自己的个性吗？你是否想改变自己的某些性格？多数人都会有一些他们想改善或改变的性格。close12RT Adolescence is a time for personality development, and personality is developing right along with

everything else. For young university students, shaping your personality as you want it to be may be easier now than later, for you are changing while you are learning. Think about the personality traits that you admire. Just as an athlete builds skills, you can build the personality you want to have, but only if you are determined to do so.

青少年期是性格形成期，性格伴随着其他的一切在发展。身为年轻的大学生，在这时期塑造你的个性也许会比以后更加容易，因为你是一边在学习一边改变自己。想一想你欣赏哪些性格。正如运动员培养技能一样，你也能建立你想要有的个性，但一定要有决心才行。closePlay the AudioCopyright © 2008 Shanghai Foreign Language Education PressPrev Next Script Keys Check

2

Test Your Personality

This text is adapted from High Flyer – Upper Intermediate Advanced English by Ana Aceredo et al. Longman.

close1RT Here are eight colors: red, yellow, green, violet, brown, grey, blue, and black. Which one is your favorite color?

分析你的个性

红、黄、绿、紫、棕、灰、蓝和黑这八种颜色，你最喜欢的是哪种？close2RT It is believed

by many that our preference for some specific colors may be closely related to what kind of people we are. Well, it may not be totally scientific, but the colors we like do to some extent reflect our personality. Read the following and you may find out some things about yourself that you did not know before.

许多人都相信我们喜爱的颜色与我们是什么样的人也许有着紧密的关系。虽然没有完全的科学根据，但是我们喜欢的颜色在某些程度上反映了我们的个性。阅读以下文字，你可能会对自己的性格特征有一些新的认识。close3RT A: Red

Red represents passion and energy. Of the eight colors, if red is your first choice, it means you are impulsive (易冲动的), sexy and have a will to win. You are a good leader. You want to expand your horizons and make the best of your life. When red falls back to your seventh or last choice, it means your desire for life and thirst for adventure have become less.

A: 红色

红色代表激情与活力。八种颜色之中，如果红色排在第一位，这意味着你较冲动、性感并且好胜。你是一位好领袖，你想要扩展你的天空，充实地度过一生。如果红色是你第七个或最后一个选择，它代表你对生活的欲望和对冒险的渴求较少。

close4RT B: Yellow

Yellow represents happiness and relaxation (消遣，娱乐). Anyone who takes yellow as their second, third or fourth choice is a positive, optimistic person, who

always looks to the future — never backward. You find life easy, and problems simply do not exist for you. Free from worry, you lead a carefree (无忧无虑的) life; but this does not mean that you are lazy. You can be extremely hardworking, although not consistently (一贯地；一致地). Yellow as your first choice means that you are ambitious and eager to please. When yellow is one of your last few choices you have had your hopes and dreams destroyed and you feel isolated and disappointed, often becoming defensive and withdrawn (退缩的，内向的).

B: 黄色

黄色代表快乐、放松。把黄色列为第二、第三或第四的人是个积极、乐观并向前看的人——从不向后看。你会发现生活轻松，并且没有烦恼，你无忧无虑、自由自在，但这不意味着你是懒惰的。你可能极勤勉，虽然不一定总是如此。黄色作为你的第一个选择，意味着你雄心勃勃，渴望取悦他人。如果黄色排在最后几位，那你所拥有的希望和梦想已经破灭，你感觉被隔绝和失望，往往变得戒心很重，不愿与人交往。

close5RT C: Green

Green represents firmness and resistance to change. If your primary choice is green, you are persistent, possessive and quite selfish. You are a high-achiever and an accumulator (聚财者) of \"things\" — like a BMW, a Rolex, or a holiday flat. You want others to know how good you are and you feel the need to impress others, at the same time you are also worried that your ego (自我，自尊) might be bruised (使受伤; 被伤害) by the resistance to your progress. Consequently you can be highly critical, sarcastic (讽刺的，嘲笑的) and stubborn.

C: 绿色

绿色代表坚决和反对变化。如果你的主要选择是绿色，那么你是个坚持到底、占有欲强和比较自私的人。你会很成功，喜欢敛集\"财物\"，如宝马车、劳力士手表或者假日公寓。你要其他人知道你有多么出色，你需要其他人对你的好评，但同时也会担心被他人的评论和批评伤害自尊心。结果你可能变得太吹毛求疵、尖酸刻薄与顽固不化。

close6RT D: Violet

A mixture of red and blue, violet represents a conflict between impulsiveness and calm sensitivity, dominance and submissiveness (温顺，服从). The person who prefers violet wants to find a mystical, magical relationship. Both mentally and physically immature, you are stuck in a dream world of wishful (如意的；痴心的) thinking and fantasy (幻想，想象). Often violet is chosen by adolescents who still see the world through fairy-tale eyes. When violet is one of your less preferred colors, it indicates that the person choosing it is more mature and has outgrown the \"fantasy\" vision of life,confronting harsh reality head-on (正面地；迎面地).

D: 紫色

紫色是红色和蓝色的混合。它代表冲动与冷静的敏感、占有欲和顺从之间的冲突。喜欢紫色者想要一段神秘、奇幻般的情感。心理上和生理上都不成熟的你，常沉迷于异想天开和梦幻的世界里。喜欢紫色的往往是青少年，他们仍然用童话般的眼光看待这个世界。如果紫色不是你喜欢的颜色，它表示你已较为成熟，并且已经走出了“梦幻世界”，可以面对严酷的现实了。

close7RT E: Brown

Brown is the color of physical well-being and is a way you tell yourself how good your health is. If you take brown as your fourth or fifth choice you are not very concerned about your health and body. This means that you are probably in good shape. Those who are worried about illness very often opt for brown. If you choose brown as your favorite color, you are restless and insecure. But when brown is your last choice of the eight colors, you don't care enough for your body: you may not be as healthy as you think.

E: 褐色

褐色象征身体健康，它告诉你自己的健康状况。如果褐色排在第四或第五，那你不太关心你的健康和身体。这表示你的健康大概是蛮好的。那些经常担心生病者往往选择褐色。如果褐色是你最喜爱的颜色，那么你不安定，缺乏安全感。但如果褐色是八种颜色之中排在最后，那你对自己身体健康照顾得不够好；你可能不是你想象中的那么健康。

close8RT F: Grey

Grey is a neutral and represents a point between two contrasting and conflicting motivations. Grey as your first choice means that you want to shut yourself off from everything and remain uncommitted (不予承诺的), so that you can swing with opinion and emotions. You hate joining anything with \"group\" connotations (内涵) and are an observer rather than a doer. Those who choose grey last seek to join in with everything eagerly and enthusiastically. Such people

will try absolutely everything in their efforts to achieve their goals.

F: 灰色

灰色是中性色，代表两个动机相对和对比的焦点。灰色排在第一位意味着你想要逃避一切事物，不想负责任，只想在各种观点与感情之间摇摆不定。你不喜欢加入任何团体组织，是个观察员而不是个实干家。那些把灰色作为最后一个选择的人，渴望并积极地寻求和参与一切活动。这些人会全心全意地尝试一切，努力实现自己的目标。

close9RT G: Blue

Blue represents calmness and loyalty. If blue is your favorite color, you are a sensitive person and can be easily hurt. You never panic and are in total control of your life and content with the way it is going. You desire to lead an uncomplicated and worry-free life and are prepared to sacrifice certain goals in order to achieve this. You need a stable relationship without conflict. The less you are fond of blue, the more unsatisfied you are and the more you feel the need to break away from the ties that restrict you. But you probably won't leave your family or your job; instead, you will suffer in silence.

G: 蓝色

蓝色代表平静和忠诚。如果蓝色是你喜爱的颜色，那么你是一个敏感的人，可能容易受伤害。你从不恐慌，对自己人生控制自如并满意你的生活。你渴望过着不复杂、无忧无虑的生活，而且为了达到这种生活会准备牺牲某些目标。你需要一个稳定的、和谐的情感

关系。蓝色排位越靠后，就越表明你对生活不满意，也越想摆脱限制你的种种约束。但你大概不会放弃你的家庭或你的工作，而只会默默地承受痛苦。

close10RT H: Black

Black is the negation of color and means \"No\". Anyone who takes it as their first choice (which is rare) is in revolt (造反，起义) against their fate. Chosen second, it means you are prepared to give up everything else to achieve what you want. It normally comes as the seventh or eighth choice, representing control of one's destiny (命运) and a balanced outlook (看法，观点). When yellow and black are your first two choices with the former preceding (先于…[发生]，位于…之前) the latter, then a change is on the way.

H: 黑色

黑色是否定的颜色，意思是\"不\"。任何把黑色当作第一选择的人（这样的人很少），将会反叛生命对他们的安排。如果黑色排在第二位，它意味着你准备放弃一切达到你想要得到的目标。黑色一般是人们的第七个或第八个选择，标志人们对命运的控制和寻求平衡的观念。当黄色和黑色是你的第一和第二个选择时（黄色在前，黑色在后），则意味着变动即将来临。

Unit 4

This text is adapted from an article of the same title in Family Storybook Collection by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. Health Communications, Inc.

1996.

close1RT When my grandfather died, my 83-year-old grandmother, once so full of life, slowly began to fade. No longer able to manage a home of her own, she moved in with my mother, where she was visited often by other members of her large, loving family (two children, eight grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren). Although she still had her good days, it was often hard to arouse her interest.

送给曾祖母的洋娃娃

杰奎林·希基

我爷爷去世后，我83岁的奶奶渐渐失去了原有的活力。由于奶奶无法再照顾自己，所以她搬去和我妈妈一起住。我们一家是个充满爱的大家庭（奶奶有两个孩子，8个孙辈，22个曾孙辈，还有两个玄孙辈），大家经常去看望她。尽管奶奶的日子过得挺舒适，她却对什么事都提不起兴趣。close2RT But one chilly December afternoon three years ago, my daughter Meagan, then eight, and I were settling in for a long visit with \"GG\as the family calls her, when she noticed that Meagan was carrying her favorite doll.

三年前十二月里的一天下午，天气阴冷，我和当时才8岁的女儿米根去看望GG（家里人都这么称呼她），并在那儿住了一段时间。奶奶看见米根抱着她心爱的洋娃娃。close3RT \"I, too, had a special doll when I was a little girl,\" she told Meagan. \"I got it one Christmas when I was about your age. I lived in an old farmhouse in Maine,

with Mom, Dad and my four sisters, and the very first gift I opened that Christmas was the most beautiful doll you'd ever want to see.\"

“小时候我也有一个很特别的洋娃娃，”奶奶告诉米根，“那是我的圣诞礼物，那时我和你现在差不多大。我和父母、四个姐妹住在缅因州的一个老农场里。那年圣诞我打开的第一份礼物是一个非常漂亮的娃娃，那么漂亮，见过之后你也许不会再想看别的洋娃娃了。”close4RT \"She had an exquisite, hand-painted porcelain face, and her long brown hair was pulled back with a big pink bow. Her eyes were blue as blue could be, and they opened and closed. I remember she had a body of kidskin, and her arms and legs bent at the joints.\"

“洋娃娃有一张精致的、手绘的瓷脸，长长的棕色头发用一个粉红色蝴蝶结束在脑后，眼睛是标准的蓝色，还眨巴眨巴的。我还记得她的身体是用小山羊皮做的，手脚关节还可以动呢。”close5RT GG's voice dropped low, taking on an almost reverent tone. \"My doll was dressed in a pretty pink gown, trimmed with fine lace. But what I especially remember was her petticoat. It was fine linen, trimmed with rows and rows of delicate lace. And the tiny buttons on her boots were real.... Getting such a fine doll was like a miracle for a little farm girl like me — my parents must have had to sacrifice so much to afford it. But how happy I was that morning!\"

GG的声音忽然沉了下去，她用一种几乎是虔诚的语调在叙说。“我的洋娃娃穿着一件漂亮的粉红礼服，边上绣着精致的蕾丝。我印象最深刻的是她穿的亚麻布料的衬裙，上边绣着一排排精致的蕾丝。她靴子上的小钮扣还是真的…对于我这个农家女儿来说，得到这样一个可爱的洋娃娃简直就是一个奇迹，为了买她，我的父母一定牺牲了很多。那天早上我太高兴了。”close6RT GG's eyes filled and her voice shook with emotion as she

recalled that Christmas of long ago. \"I played with my doll all morning long. She was such a beautiful doll.... And then it happened. My mother called us to the dining room for Christmas dinner and I laid my new doll down, ever so gently, on the hall table. But as I went to join the family at the table, I heard a loud crash.\"

GG的眼眶湿润了，她用颤抖的声音叙说着很久以前的那个圣诞节。“整个上午我都在玩这个洋娃娃，她太漂亮了…然而悲剧发生了。妈妈叫我们去饭厅吃圣诞晚餐，我轻轻地把洋娃娃放在厅里的桌子上。我走过去和家人一起吃饭，猛然听见一声巨响。”close7RT \"I hardly had to turn around — I knew it was my precious doll. I just knew it. And it was. Her lace petticoat had hung down from the table just enough for my baby sister to reach up and pull on it. When I ran in from the dining room, there lay my beautiful doll on the floor, her face smashed into a dozen pieces. I can still see my mother trying to put my poor doll together again. But it couldn't be done. She was gone forever.\"

“我不用回头看就知道那是我的宝贝洋娃娃。我能感觉到。果然没错。洋娃娃的蕾丝衬裙垂到桌子旁，刚好我的小妹妹够得着，把她拉了下来。我从饭厅冲过去，只见我的洋娃娃躺在地上，脸摔成了十几块。我还记得妈妈正试着帮我把那可怜的洋娃娃重新拼起来。但是怎么弄都不行。我的洋娃娃就这样没了。”close8RT A few years later, GG's baby sister was also gone, she told Meagan, a victim of pneumonia. Now the tears in her eyes spilled over — tears, I knew, not only for a lost doll and a lost sister, but for a lost time.

GG告诉米根，几年后小妹妹因为肺炎也永远离开了。GG这时满脸泪水，我知道她流泪不止是因为失去了洋娃娃和小妹妹，更因为那逝去的年华。close9RT Subdued for the

rest of the visit, Meagan was no sooner in the car going home than she exclaimed, \"Mom, I have a great idea! Let's get GG a new doll for Christmas, one exactly like the doll that got broken. Then she won't cry when she thinks about it.\"

米根郁郁寡欢地度过了剩下的几天，我们该回家了。一上车她就叫道：\"妈妈，我有一个好主意。我们送给GG一个新洋娃娃作圣诞礼物吧，跟那个摔破的洋娃娃一模一样的。那她再也不用想到它就哭了。\"close10RT My heart filled with pride as I listened to my compassionate little daughter. But where would we find a doll to match GG's fond memories?

看到我的女儿这么富有同情心，我觉得很骄傲。可是我们上哪儿去找一个与GG的美好记忆中一模一样的洋娃娃呢？close11RT Where there's a will, as they say, there's a way. When I told my best friends, Liz and Chris, about my problem, Liz put me in touch with a local dollmaker who made doll heads, hands and feet of a ceramic that closely resembled the old porcelain ones. From her I commissioned a doll head in the style of three-quarters of a century ago — making sure to specify \"big blue eyes that opened and closed,\" and hands and feet. From a doll supply house I ordered a long brown wig and a kidskin body, and Meagan and I shopped for fabric, lace and ribbon to duplicate the outfit GG had so lovingly described. Liz volunteered to put the doll together, and as the last days before Christmas raced by, Chris helped me make the doll's outfit, complete with lacy petticoat. And while Liz, Chris and I searched for doll \"boots with real buttons,\" Meagan wrote and illustrated the story of the lost doll.

“有志者事竟成。”当我把我的难处告诉好朋友莉兹和克丽丝后，莉兹帮我联系到一个

当地的玩具生产商，他们专门制作陶瓷娃娃的头和四肢，与老式的瓷洋娃娃很像。我委托她定做了洋娃娃的头部，按照七十五年前的式样，还特别强调要“蓝色的大眼睛能眨巴眨巴”，也定做了手和脚。在另外一个玩具供应商那里，我订做了长长的棕色假发和小山羊皮做的身体模型。我和米根买了织布、蕾丝以及丝带，准备做GG深情描述过的洋娃娃服装。莉兹自告奋勇组装洋娃娃，随着圣诞节日益临近，克丽丝用我们买来的物品做成了一件有蕾丝的那种裙子。在莉兹、克丽丝和我三个人到处寻找\"有真扣子的靴子\"的时候，米根写好了失去的洋娃娃的故事，还配上了图画。close12RT Finally, our creation was finished. To our eyes it was perfect. But, of course, there was no way it could be exactly like the doll GG had loved so much and lost. Would she think it looked anything like it?

终于大功告成了。在我们看来，这个洋洋娃娃是完美的。当然了，她跟GG所钟爱的那个丢失多年的洋娃娃不可能一模一样。但她会不会觉得有点像呢？close13RT On Christmas Eve, Meagan and I carried our gaily wrapped gift to GG. \"It's for you,\" Meagan said, \"but first you have to read the story that goes with it.\"

圣诞前夜，我和米根把我们包装鲜艳的礼物拿给GG。“送给您的。不过您得先读一读配的故事。”米根说。close14RT \"Read it out loud,\" we demanded. GG no sooner got through the first page than her voice cracked and she was unable to go on, but Meagan took over where she left off. Then it was time to open her present.

“大声读出来，”我们对GG说。还没读完第一页，GG的声音就开始颤抖了，她没法继续读下去。米根接下去把故事读完，随后该拆开礼物了。close15RT I'll never forget the look on GG's face as she lifted the doll and held it to her chest. Once again her tears fell, but this time they were tears of joy. Cradling the doll in her frail arms, she repeated over and over again, \"She's exactly like my old doll, exactly like her.\"

我永远也不会忘记GG拿起洋娃娃抱在胸前的表情，泪水又滑落了下来，不过这次是开心的泪水。她用虚弱的双臂抱着洋娃娃不停地摇着，嘴里反反复复地念着：“跟我以前的那个洋娃娃一模一样，简直一模一样。”close16RT And perhaps she wasn't saying that just to be kind. Perhaps however impossible it seemed, we had managed to produce a close copy of the doll she remembered. But as I watched my eight-year-old daughter and her great-grand-mother examining the doll together, I thought of a likelier explanation. What GG really recognized, perhaps, was the love that inspired the gift. And love, wherever it comes from, always looks the same.

也许她并不是为了安慰我们才这样说的，虽然看起来不可能完全一样，但我们毕竟做了一个她记忆中近似的复制品。但是当我看着八岁的女儿和她曾祖母一起端详着洋娃娃时，我想到了一个更为合理的解释：或许GG看到的是那种激励我们制作洋娃娃的那份爱。爱，不管来自何方，给人的感受都是一样的。

2

T Care of the Elderly: A Family Matter

This text is adapted from An Intermediate Reading Skills Text by Lorraine C. Smith & Nancy Nici Mane. Heinle & Heinle Publishers. 1990.

close1RT Who takes care of the elderly in the United States today? Many people wrongly believe that when people reach old age, their families place them in nursing homes. They are left there in the hands of strangers for the rest of their

lives. Their grown children visit them only occasionally, but more often, they do not have any regular visitors. The truth is that this idea is an unfortunate myth — a fictitious (虚构的) story. In fact, family members provide over 80 percent of the care that elderly people need.

关爱老年人：事关全家人

在当今美国社会，谁在照顾老年人？很多人错误地以为，人们上了年纪后，家人便会把他们送到养老院去，由陌生人照顾，并在那里度过余生。他们成年的孩子偶尔会来看看他们，更多的时候，没有人会来定期看望他们。这种看法其实只是个令人遗憾的误解，与事实根本不符。事实是，老人们得到的关爱，超过百分之八十来自他们的家庭成员。close2RT Samuel H. Preston, a sociologist (社会学家) at the University of Pennsylvania, studied how the American family is changing. He reported that by the time the average American couple reaches 40 years of age, they have more parents than children. This statistic shows the change in life-styles and responsibilities of aging Americans. The average middle-aged couple can look forward to caring for elderly parents some time after their own children have grown up. Moreover, because people today live longer after an illness than people did years ago, family members must provide long-term care. These facts also mean that after caregivers provide for their elderly parents, who will eventually die, they will be old and may require care too. When they do, their spouses (配偶) will probably take care of them.

宾夕法尼亚大学的社会学家塞缪尔．H．普雷斯顿研究了美国家庭是怎样变化的。他报告说，一对普通的美国夫妇到40岁时，需要他们照顾的父母比需要他们照顾的孩子要

多。这个数据显示了美国人变老后在生活方式和责任方面发生的变化。当他们的小孩成年后不久，普通中年夫妇就要预备照顾年迈的父母了。此外，由于当今人们战胜疾病的能力比以往增强了，寿命不断延长，因此家庭成员需要给予老人们长期的照顾。这些事实也意味着中年夫妇在照顾他们的父母颐养天年直至告别人世之后，他们自己也已渐渐老去，也需要他人的照顾了。当他们需要照顾时，他们的配偶也会照顾他们。close3RT Because Americans are living longer than ever, more psychologists and social workers have begun to study caregiving to improve care of the elderly. They have found that all caregivers share a common characteristic: All caregivers believe that they are the best for the job, for different reasons. One caregiver said that she had always been close to her mother. Another was the oldest child. Another was the youngest child. In other words, they all felt that they could do the job better than anyone else. Social workers interviewed caregivers to find out why they took on the responsibility of caring for an elderly, dependent relative. They discovered three basic reasons. Many caregivers believed that they had an obligation to help their relative. Some stated that helping others made them feel more useful. Others hoped that by helping someone now, they would deserve care when they became old and dependent.

由于美国人寿命越来越长，越来越多的心理学家和社会工作者开始研究如何给老年人更好的关心和照顾。他们发现所有照顾老人的人有一个共性：他们都认为自己是最适合这项工作的人，当然理由各有不同。有一个人说她和母亲关系亲密，另一个说他是长子，而另一个说自己是家中最小的孩子。换句话说，他们都认为自己可以比别人做得更好。社会工作者通过对看护人员的采访，弄清楚他们为什么要承担起照料老人或无依无靠亲戚的责任。他们找到三个基本理由：首先，很多护理人员认为他们有义务帮助他们的亲属。一些人认为，通过帮助别人，他们感觉自己更有用了。还有的人希望现在帮助别人，等到自己

老了无依无靠时也能够得到别人的关爱。close4RT When people care for an elderly relative, they often do not use available community services, such as adult daycare centers. If the caregivers are adult children, they are more likely to use such services, especially because they often have jobs and other responsibilities. In contrast, a spouse, usually the wife, is much less likely to use support services or to put the dependent person in a nursing home. Social workers discovered that the reason for this difference was fear of poverty. An ill, elderly person may live for years, and medical care and nursing homes are very expensive. An elderly couple's savings can disappear very quickly. The surviving spouse, usually the wife, can be left in poverty. As a result, she often tries to take care of her husband herself for as long as she can.

人们在照顾年老的亲属时通常并不使用现有的诸如成人日间护理中心之类的社区服务。但是如果看护人是成年子女的话，他们会利用此类服务，因为往往他们自己要工作，同时还有一些其他事情要做。相比而言，如果是一个配偶照顾另一个配偶时（常常是妻子照顾丈夫），她更不会使用援助服务或者把丈夫送去养老院。社会工作者发现，这种差异是畏惧贫困的心理造成的。生病的老人也许还能活许多年，而医疗保健和养老院的费用是非常昂贵的。一对老年夫妇的积蓄很快就会耗尽，那么留下的配偶――通常是妻子――则会陷入贫困。因此，妻子总是亲力亲为，尽可能久地照顾自己的丈夫。close5RT Researchers have found that caring for the elderly can be a very positive experience. The elderly appreciated the care and attention they received. They were affectionate (充满深情的，亲切的)and cooperative (合作的；共同的). However, even when caregiving is satisfying, it is hard work. Social workers and experts on aging offer caregivers and potential caregivers help when arranging for the care of an elderly relative. One consideration is to ask parents what they want before they become sick or

dependent. Perhaps they prefer going into a nursing home and can select one in advance. On the other hand, they may want to live with their adult children. Caregivers must also learn to be assertive (断然的；自信的) and ask for help from others. Brothers and sisters are often willing to help, but they do not know what to do.

调查还发现照顾老年人可以是一种确有助益的经历。老年人感激照顾并关心他们的人，因此心里充满了感情，并积极配合。不过，尽管照顾他人是一件让人满足的事，但这仍然是件非常艰难的工作。当看护人和有可能要照顾他人者在安排照顾年迈亲属事宜时，社会工作者和老年问题专家常会提供帮助。一种建议是让他们在父母生病需要照顾之前就询问父母的意见。或许他们宁愿去老人院，那就可以提前给自己选择一家。另一方面，也许他们想和已长大成人的孩子们住在一起。看护人必须果断行事，需要帮助时则向他人开口。兄弟姐妹常常是乐于伸出援助之手的，只是他们也不知道该怎么做而已。close6RT We can expect to live longer lives than ever before in American history. Caring for the elderly and being taken care of can be a mutually satisfying experience for everyone involved.

现在我们可以比美国历史上任何时候的人都活得更长。照顾老年人和得到别人的关照对有关的每个人都是一种令人心满意足的经历。

A Sailor's Christmas Gift

William J. Lederer 1RT Last year at Christmas time my wife, three boys, and I were in France, on our way from Paris to Nice. For five wretched days everything had gone wrong. Our hotels were \"tourist traps\"; our rented car broke down; we

were all restless and irritable in the crowded car. On Christmas Eve, when we checked into a shabby hotel in Nice, there was no Christmas spirit in our hearts.

Unit 5

水手的圣诞礼物

威廉·J·莱德勒

去年圣诞期间，我、妻子和三个儿子在法国，从巴黎前往尼斯。一连五天都很倒霉，没有一件事顺心。入住的旅馆尽是些“宰客的黑店”，租用的汽车也坏了，一家人挤在车上个个显得烦躁不安。圣诞节前夜，我们住进了尼斯一家邋遢的旅店，心里没有半点圣诞感觉。close2RT It was raining and cold when we went out to eat. We found a boring looking little joint carelessly decorated for the holiday. It smelled greasy. Only five tables in the restaurant were occupied. There were two German couples, two French families, and an American sailor, by himself. In the corner a piano player monotonously played Christmas music.

我们外出就餐时，天正下着雨，天气寒冷。我们找到了一家小餐馆，这小店看着很乏味，只是随便装饰了一下来应节。餐馆散发着一股油腻的味道。里面只有五张桌子坐了人：两对德国夫妇，两户法国家庭和一名独自用餐的美国水手。在餐厅的一个角落里，钢琴师在无精打采地弹奏着圣诞乐曲。close3RT I was too stubborn and too tired and miserable to leave. I looked around and noticed that the other customers were eating in stony silence. The only person who seemed happy was the American sailor. While eating, he was writing a letter, and a half-smile lighted his face.

我情绪低落，加之疲惫不堪，执意不愿离开这儿去找别的餐馆了。我环顾四周，只见顾客们都默默地在吃着饭，唯一一个显得开心的是那位美国水手。他一边吃着，一边写信，脸上闪耀着淡淡的微笑。close4RT My wife ordered our meal in French. The waiter brought us the wrong thing. I scolded my wife for being stupid. She began to cry. The boys defended her, and I felt even worse.

妻子用法语点了菜，服务员给我们端来的却是别的东西。我骂妻子愚蠢，她哭了起来。孩子们护着妈妈，我的情绪变得更加糟糕。close5RT Then, at the table with the French family on our left, the father slapped one of his children for some minor fault, and the boy began to cry. On our right, the German wife began scolding her husband.

继而，坐在我们左侧餐桌上的那位法国父亲因为一点小事打了其中一个孩子一记耳光，小男孩大哭起来。我们的右边，那个德国妇女开始喋喋不休地数落她的丈夫。close6RT All of us were interrupted by an unpleasant blast of cold air. Through the front door came an old French flower woman. She wore a dripping, ragged overcoat, and dragged herself in on wet, rundown shoes. Carrying her basket of flowers, she went from one table to another.

一阵令人不快的寒风吹了进来。从前门进来一个卖花的法国老太太。她穿着一件湿淋淋的破旧大衣，穿一双水淋淋的旧鞋拖着腿进来。她提着花篮，沿桌叫卖。close7RT \"Flowers, monsieur? Only one franc.\"

\"买花吗，先生？只要一个法郎哩。\"close8RT No one bought any.

谁也没有买。close9RT Wearily she sat down at a table between the sailor and us.

To the waiter she said, \"A bowl of soup. I haven't sold a flower all afternoon.\" To the piano player she said hoarsely, \"Can you imagine, Joseph, soup on Christmas Eve?\"

她疲惫不堪，在水手和我们之间的那张餐桌旁边坐了下来，对服务员说：\"请来碗汤吧。一下午连一朵花也没卖掉。\"接着，她用嘶哑的声音对钢琴师说，\"你能想象吗，约瑟夫，圣诞节前夜就喝点汤？\"close10RT He pointed to his empty \"tipping plate\". The young sailor finished his meal and got up to leave. Putting on his coat, he walked over to the flower woman's table.

钢琴师指了指身旁的那只空空如也的\"小费盘\"。年轻的海员已吃完，起身准备离开。他穿上外套，走到卖花老太太的桌前。close11RT \"Happy Christmas,\" he said, smiling and picking out two flowers. \"How much are they?\"

他笑着说了声\"圣诞快乐！\"，一边挑出两朵小小的花，\"多少钱？\"close12RT \"Two francs, monsieur.\"

\"两个法郎，先生。\"close13RT Pressing one of the small flowers flat, he put it into the letter he had written, then handed the woman a twenty-franc note.

他把其中的一朵花压平，放进已经写好的信里，然后将一张20法郎面额的钞票递给了老妇。close14RT \"I don't have change, monsieur,\" she said. \"I'll get some from the waiter.\"

\"我没有零钱找您，先生。\"她说，\"我去跟服务员换一点来。\"close15RT \"No, ma'am,\" said the sailor, leaning over and kissing the ancient cheek. \"This is my Christmas

present to you.\"

\"不用了，夫人。\"说着，水手俯身吻了吻那张老迈的脸，\"这是我送给您的圣诞礼物。\"close16RT Straightening up, he came to our table, holding the other flower in front of him. \"Sir,\" he said to me, \"may I have permission to present this flower to your beautiful daughter?\" In one quick motion he gave my wife the flower, wished us a Merry Christmas, and departed.

他直起身，朝我们的餐桌走来，那另一朵鲜花举在他的胸前。\"先生，\"他对我说，\"我可以将这花作为礼物送给您漂亮的女儿吗？\"说着，他迅速地将那朵花塞到我妻子的手中，道了声\"圣诞快乐\"，就离去了。close17RT Everyone had stopped eating. Everyone had been watching the sailor. Everyone was silent. A few seconds later, Christmas exploded throughout the restaurant like a bomb. The old flower woman jumped up, waving the twenty-franc note. Hobbling to the middle of the floor she did a lively folk dance and shouted to the piano player, \"Joseph, my Christmas present! And you shall have half, so you can have a feast, too.\"

人们都停止吃饭，大家都看到了那位水手的一举一动，整个餐厅鸦雀无声。几秒钟后，圣诞的欢乐激情像炸弹似的爆炸开来。卖花老妇腾身站起，挥动着她手中的那张20法郎的钞票。她蹒跚着走到餐厅的中央，欢快地踏起了舞步，冲着钢琴师嚷道：\"约瑟夫，我收到圣诞礼物了！我也让你分享一半，让你也能吃上一顿丰盛的圣诞晚餐。\"close18RT The piano player began to sing loudly \"Good King Wenceslaus,\" beating the keys with magic hands, nodding his head in rhythm.

钢琴师急速地弹起了\"好国王瓦茨拉夫\"舞曲，魔力十足的双手敲击着琴键，头和着乐

曲的旋律频频点动。close19RT My wife waved her flower in time to the music. She was radiant and appeared twenty years younger. The tears had left her eyes, and the corners of her mouth turned up in laughter. She began to sing, and our three sons joined her, bellowing the song with uninhibited enthusiasm.

妻子也随着音乐的节奏挥动着那朵鲜花。她容光焕发，仿佛一下子年轻了20岁。泪水不见了，嘴角上绽出笑容。她启动歌喉，放声歌唱，我们的三个儿子随声和了起来，纵情高歌。close20RT \"Gut!Gut!\" shouted the Germans. They jumped on their chairs and began singing the words in German. The waiter embraced the flower woman. Waving their arms, they sang in French. The Frenchman who had slapped the boy beat rhythm with his fork against a bottle. The lad climbed on his lap, singing merrily too.

\"好！好！\"德国人高声喝彩。他们跳到椅子上，并用德语唱起这支歌。服务员上前拥抱着卖花的老太太，两人挥舞手臂，用法语唱了起来。那个打了儿子一巴掌的法国男子用餐叉敲击着酒瓶打起了拍子，那男孩爬上他爸爸的膝头，用童稚的高音歌唱起来。close21RT The Germans ordered wine for everyone. They delivered it themselves, hugging the other customers. One of the French families called for champagne — made the round, kissing each of us on both cheeks. The owner of the restaurant started \"The First Noel\

德国人请在场的每个人喝酒。人们自斟自饮，相互拥抱。其中的一家法国人要来了香槟——到每张桌上给人敬酒，亲吻每个人的双颊。饭馆老板带头唱起\"耶稣降生\"，我们大家都跟着唱，其中有半数人是含泪唱的。close22RT People crowded in from the street until many customers were standing. The walls shook as hands and feet kept time

to the Christmas carols.

人们络绎不绝地从街上向餐馆涌来，后来连位子都不够了，一些顾客只好站着。人们和着圣诞歌的节奏手舞足蹈，声音震动了餐厅的四壁。close23RT The miserable evening in a dull restaurant ended up being the very best Christmas Eve we had ever experienced just because of a young sailor who had Christmas spirit in his soul. He released the love and joy that had been smothered within us by anger and disappointment. He gave us Christmas.

原本是在一家简陋的小餐馆里的一个凄凉的夜晚，结果竟变成我们一生中最最美好的圣诞前夜。这全亏那位灵魂中闪烁着圣诞精神的年轻海员。是他释放了我们心中那被愤懑和失望压抑的爱心和快乐。他赐给了我们圣诞的欢乐。Close

2

T Our \"Family\"

Linda Snelson This text is adapted from Chicken Soup at

http://www.chickensoup.com.

close1RT My daughter Gina was in Mrs. Melton's fourth-grade class. After only a month in school, she began to come home on a regular basis asking for pencils, crayons, paper, etc. At first I provided whatever she needed.

我们\"一家子\"

琳达·斯内尔森

我的女儿吉娜在梅尔顿太太的班上读四年级，才上了一个月的学，就开始定期向家里要铅笔、蜡笔、纸张等学习用品。一开始我对她有求必应。close2RT After ongoing requests for items that should have easily lasted a mere six weeks of fourth grade, I became concerned and asked her, \"Gina, what are you doing with your school supplies?\" She would always give me a satisfactory answer.

我买给她的学习用品本来足够她用六个星期了，而她还在不断向我要。我开始担心起来，便问她：\"吉娜，你是怎么用你的学习用品的？\"每次她都能给我一个合理的解释。 close3RT One day, after supplying the same thing only a week earlier, I became irritated (激怒，使烦躁) with her pleading (请求) for more and sternly (严厉地) asked her once more, \"Gina! What is going on with your school supplies?\" Knowing her excuses would no longer work, she bent her head and began to cry. I lifted her tiny chin (下巴) and looked into those big brown eyes, filled now with tears. \"What? What is wrong?\" My mind was racing with all sorts of ideas. Had she been bullied (欺辱，威逼) by another child? Was she giving her supplies to him or her to keep from being hurt? I couldn't imagine what was going on, but I knew it was something serious for her to cry. I waited for what seemed like an eternity for her to answer.

有一天，她又说要买学习用品了，而我一星期前才给她买过。我很不高兴，便厉声问她，\"吉娜，你的学习用品用来干什么了？\"这下她知道瞒不过去了，低下头哭起来。我抬起她的小下巴，盯着她那对棕色的大眼睛，那眼里已经满是泪水。\"怎么了？到底怎么了？\"我的脑海里满是疑问。她是不是被别的孩子欺负了？她是不是为了免受伤害而被迫把自己

的学习用具给了出去？我不清楚究竟出了什么事，但她哭了说明事情一定很严重。我等着她的回答，似乎等了一万年。 close4RT \"Mom,\" she began, \"there is a boy in my class; he doesn't have any of the supplies he needs to do his work. The other kids make fun of him because his papers are messy and he only has two crayons to color with. I have been putting the new supplies you bought me in his desk before the others come in, so he doesn't know it's me. Please don't get mad at me, Mom. I didn't mean to tell you a lie, but I didn't want anyone to know it was me.\"

\"妈妈，\"她开口了，\"我班上有个男孩，他没有文具做功课。其他的孩子们都取笑他，因为他的作业本很脏，他只有两种蜡笔涂色。我趁别人还没进教室前把你给我买的新文具放在他的书桌里，这样他就不会发现是我给的。你别生气，妈妈，我不是故意要撒谎的，我只是不想让任何人发现是我做的。\"close5RT My heart sank as I stood there in disbelief. She had taken on the role of an adult and tried to hide it like a child. I knelt down, hugged her, and then said, \"Gina, I would never get mad at you for wanting to help someone.\"

我心一沉，呆立着，简直无法相信这一切。她扮演了一个大人的角色，又像孩子般地藏藏掖掖。我蹲下身去，拥抱了她，然后说：\"吉娜，妈妈绝不会因为你想帮助别人而生你的气。\"close6RT The next day I visited Mrs. Melton. I told her what Gina had said. She knew John's situation all too well. There were four boys in the family, John being the oldest. The parents had just moved here, and when the school presented them with the school supply list for all four grades they were overwhelmed. So, when the boys came to school the next week, they barely had the necessities.

第二天，我去见了梅尔顿太太，把吉娜的事告诉了她。梅尔顿太太对约翰一家的情况

了如指掌。约翰是家中四个儿子中的长子，父母刚搬来不久。当学校把四个孩子所需的学习用品清单给约翰父母时，他们简直不知所措。第二个星期孩子们上学时，带的用品只勉强够用。close7RT I asked Mrs. Melton for the list from all four grades and told her I would take care of it the next day. She smiled and gave me the lists.

我向梅尔顿太太拿了四个年级需要的学习用品清单，告诉她第二天我会帮忙处理。她微笑着把单子给了我。close8RT The next day, we brought the supplies in and gave them to the office with instructions to give them to the boys.

第二天，我们买齐了学习用品，交给办公室，嘱咐他们转交给约翰四兄弟。 close9RT As Christmas neared, the thought of John, his brothers and family weighed heavily on my mind. What would they do? Surely they would not have money for gifts.

圣诞节快到了，我非常惦记约翰、他的弟弟以及他们全家。他们会做什么呢？他们一定没钱买礼物的。close10RT I asked Mrs. Melton if she could get me their address. At first she refused, reminding me that there was a policy that protected the privacy (隐私) of the students, but because she knew me from my work at the school and involvement on the PTA board, she slipped a piece of paper into my hand and whispered, \"Don't tell anyone I gave it to you.\"

我问梅尔顿太太要约翰家的地址。一开始她不肯，说学校有规定要保护学生的隐私。但因为我参与一些学校和教师家长协会上的工作，她了解我，最后她还是将一张纸条塞给了我，悄悄地说：\"别说是我给的。\"close11RT When my family began to set the stage for our traditional Christmas Eve, which was usually held at my house, I simply told them all that my husband, the kids and I did not want gifts, but instead we would

prefer to have groceries and gifts for our \"family\". And we shopped throughout the holiday season for the four boys too. Gina was especially interested in things for John.

我的亲戚家人通常在我家庆祝圣诞前夜，当大家开始为这传统节日做准备时，我只告诉他们，我丈夫、孩子们和我不要礼物，而只要给我们\"一家子\"日用品和礼品。整个假日期间我们也在留意购买适合约翰四兄弟的物品。吉娜特别注意给约翰的礼物。close12RT Christmas Eve came and my family began to arrive. Each of them had bags of food and gifts wrapped for the children. My living room was full and the excitement was contagious (传染的；有感染力的).

圣诞前夜，亲戚们开始陆续来到。每个人都带来了左一包右一包的食物和给孩子们的礼物，把起居室都堆满了。我们激动的心情感染了大家。close13RT Finally at 9:00 we decided it was time to take our treasures to them. My brothers, dad, uncles and nephews loaded up their trucks and set out for the address that Mrs. Melton gave us.

终于到了九点，送礼的时候到了。我的兄弟、父亲、叔父和侄子们将东西装满了他们的货车，开始向梅尔顿太太提供的地址出发。close14RT They knocked on the door and a little boy appeared. They asked for his mother or dad and he ran away. The guys waited until a young man came to the door. He looked at the men standing there, with arms full of gifts and bags full of groceries, and couldn't say a word. The men pushed past him and went straight to the kitchen counter to set the bags down.

他们敲了门，一个小男孩出现了，听说要找他的父母，小孩便跑回去了。等了片刻，

一个年轻人出来了。他看到抱着大包礼品与日用品的来人，不知说什么好。送礼的人们从他身边经过，直接将东西放在了厨房的灶台上。close15RT There was no furniture. It was an empty one-bedroom apartment with a few blankets on the floor and a small TV where they obviously spent their time. A Christmas tree was the result of the kids bringing in a bush they had found in the field behind their apartment. A few paper decorations made in their classrooms made it look like a real Christmas tree. Nothing was underneath.

这个一居室的家空空如也，连家具都没有。地板上扔着几张毯子，还有一台小小的电视，显然他们大部分的时间都在电视机前度过。\"圣诞树\"是孩子们从屋后的田里挖来的一丛灌木，挂着在教室里做的几样纸饰品，看上去还有一点圣诞节的味道。可树下什么也没有。close16RT The boys and their parents stood without speaking as the men sat down bag after bag. They finally asked who had sent them, how they knew them and so on. But the men just left them with shouts of \"Merry Christmas!\"

孩子们和他们的父母站在一旁，一言不发，看着大家把一袋袋的物品搬进来。最后他们终于开口问东西是谁让送来的，怎么认识他们的，等等。但来人只高喊了几声\"圣诞节快乐\"就离开了。close17RT When the guys got back to my house they didn't say a word. They couldn't.

送礼的人回到我家时，什么话也没说。什么话也说不出来。close18RT To break the silence, my aunt stood up and began to sing \"Silent Night\

为打破沉默，我的婶婶站起身，带头唱起\"平安夜\"这首歌，大家都跟着唱了起来。close19RT When school resumed, Gina came home daily telling of John's new

clothes and how the other children now played with him and treated him like the rest of the children.

开学以后，吉娜每天都带回关于约翰的消息，他有新衣服穿了，其他孩子肯和他玩了，也平等对待他了。close20RT She never told a soul at school about what we did, but every Christmas since that one she will say to me, \"Mom, I wonder what happened to John and his family?\" While I'm not quite sure of the answer, I'd like to think that John and his family were somehow helped by my daughter's gift.

吉娜从来没有在学校里向任何人提起我们所做的一切，但那以后的每个圣诞节，她都会问我：\"妈妈，不知约翰和他的家人怎样了？\"我虽然无法给她一个确切的答复，但我愿意相信，女儿的礼物多少帮助了约翰和他的家人。

Unit 7

How Well Can We Listen?

Kathleen T. McWhorter This text is taken from Efficient & Flexible Reading (3rd edition) by Kathleen T. McWhorter. Harper Collins Publishers. 1992.

close1RT It is not uncommon to hear people complaining that no one listens to them and no one understands them. Such complaints come not only from kids but also from adults. How often is this a vital cause in the failure of personal relationships? How often does it contribute to broken homes? How often do we hear of a married couple who fail to have communication, or of children who feel

deserted? It seems something must have gone wrong.

我们的\"听力\"有多好?

凯瑟琳·T·麦克沃特

我们时常听到人们抱怨说没有人聆听他们，没有人能理解他们。这样的抱怨不仅出自孩童之口，也出自成人之口。人际关系不和谐，这不往往是个重要原因吗？家庭破裂，不也往往拜其所赐吗？我们不也还常常听说夫妻之间无法交流，孩子感觉被遗弃吗？看来这其中一定出了什么问题。close2RT Experts tend to resort to the term \"generation gap\" to explain the conflicts between parents and children. Can this term be applied to the cases mentioned above? Though there might be room for hesitation in the adoption of it when \"generation\" is taken into account, it is far from wrong to borrow the rest in making an analysis. There are bound to be differences, or gaps, in the opinions of two people that give rise to conflicts, and ways to reduce them are by no means easy to be sought, but it is equally true to say that there is bound to be a solution to every problem. Part of the solution to human conflicts is to avoid misunderstanding.

每当父母和孩子之间发生冲突的时候，专家们往往会用\"代沟\"这一术语来解释。那么这个术语能否用于上面提到的情况呢？当然，如果细究\"代\"的本义，那么这算不上特别贴切，但是大可借用该术语的其他涵义来分析问题。两个人的观点之所以会引起纷争，肯定因为存在分歧，而要设法减少分歧又谈何容易！但是我们也同样可以说，每个问题肯定都会有办法解决。人际冲突的部分解决办法是避免误解。close3RT Misunderstanding often arises from a lack of communication. Curiously enough, in a modern society where

not a few advanced technological means of communication such as the mobile phone and pager have been developed, people are still confronted with this problem. Investigations show that technological inventions do help facilitate human communication. They also show that while there are more opportunities for personal contact, especially through verbal communication, many people still find their listeners do not listen to them. Clearly, something is wrong with their listening ability.

误解常常源于缺乏交流。令人纳闷的是，在现代社会，虽然发明了不少先进的通讯工具，如移动电话和传呼机，但是人们仍然面临这样的问题。研究表明，科技发明确实有助于人与人之间的交流。研究也同样发现，虽然人与人之间接触的机会增加了，特别是言语交流的机会增加了，许多人仍然发现没有人真正聆听他们说话。很显然，人们的聆听能力出了问题。close4RT People may wonder why their listening ability is undesirable when their hearing ability is physically sound. This is a basic mistake we often make. Very often hearing is confused with listening, as they are so closely related. Believing that hearing is a physiological function, which comes to us naturally, we take it for granted that listening does not require much effort. Experts in the field of communications are quick to attack this belief. In their view, listening requires hard work and energy. When people are listening, they have quicker heartbeats and faster blood circulation. Good listening, they think, is not as simple as it might seem.

人们也许会问，为什么听觉没有问题而他们的聆听能力却不如人意呢？这就是我们常犯的错误：因为听觉能力和聆听能力的关系如此紧密，我们经常把两者混淆。我们会认为听觉能力是一种生理功能，是与生俱来的，所以我们想当然地以为聆听不需要付出特别的

努力。对于这种观点，交流领域的专家会毫不犹豫地加于指正。在他们看来，聆听既费神又费力。人们聆听时心跳加速，血液循环也会加快。专家认为，认真的聆听并不是我们想象的那么简单。close5RT To become a good listener begins with concentration. That looks easy on the surface. In too many cases, we have to listen to other people with physical and mental distractions around us. The ring of the telephone, the slam of a door or other human voices are some of the common physical distractions. The mental distractions in one's own mind, on the other hand, are much more difficult to overcome, for many reasons. A speaker may not be able to keep pace with the working of the listener's mind. The average person's rate of thinking is faster than the average rate of speech. With much free time left at their disposal, the listeners are likely to be carried away by their own thoughts and they soon lose their way. That is where the problem lies: listening too quickly.

要成为好的聆听者首先需要集中注意力。这表面上看起来很简单。在很多情况下，我们听别人说话时，周围都有外界的和心理的干扰，电话铃声、关门声、其他人的声音是一些我们常见的外界干扰。但是心理的干扰更难克服。这里面的原因很多，说话人可能无法跟上听话人思想的速度。常人的思考速度要比说话的平均速度快得多。当听话人有很多自由时间支配的时候，他们就可能会太专注自己的思绪而很快就不知道说话人说到什么地方了。这就是问题的所在：听得太快！close6RT Sometimes, the listener tends to skip part of what is being said unconsciously. Since each person has his own range of interests, when the speaker talks about something that is of no personal interest or concern to him, he would \"switch off the talking.\" Though he might nod his head or respond with gestures, his mind is wandering. This automatic control exercises its influence especially when the topic is too boring.

有时候，听话人会下意识地跳过说话人的一些谈话。每个人都有自己的兴趣爱好，如果说话人谈论一些听话人不感兴趣或与听话人无关的事情，听话人就会\"关掉谈话\"。虽然听话人可能还会点头或用其他肢体语言回应，他的思绪却游移到别的事情上去了。这种自动控制系统的作用在谈话内容太枯燥的时候尤其明显。close7RT Other psychological factors also come into play. A person's feeling towards the speaker can affect his listening ability. If he has a poor impression of the speaker, because of his appearance or whatever, it is quite natural that he would not tune in to the words of the speaker.

其他心理因素也同样会起作用。一个人对说话人的印象也会影响他的理解能力，如果听者对说话人的印象不好，比如由于说话人的相貌或某些原因，那他自然就不会去认真聆听说话人说的内容。close8RT Verbal communication is a good means for people to understand each other. What has to be borne in mind is that, to ensure that good communication takes place, talking and hearing are just not enough. When we hear people complain that no one listens to them or no one understands them, we should be able to provide an acceptable explanation.

言语交流是人们相互了解的很好方式。但是值得我们注意的是要确保交流的顺利进行，光凭说和听是不够的，当听到有人抱怨没人听他们说话或没人理解他们的时候，我们应该能够给他们一个合理的解释。

2

T What We Can Do to Improve Human Relationships

This text is based on an essay downloaded from the website http://www.archive.zinester.com

close1RT Every day we encounter many people. How do we deal with them? Following are five lessons to make us think about the way we treat people.

如何改善人际关系

威廉·津瑟

每天都会碰到很多人，我们应如何与他们相处呢？以下的五个例子，能引发我们思考该如何对待他人这一问题。close2RT First Important Lesson — Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious (认真的，尽职的) student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: \"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?\"

第一课 清洁女工

大学的第二个月时，老师安排了一次随堂测验。我平时学习很认真，前面的题都轻轻松松做完了，直到最后一题：“学校的清洁女工叫什么名字？”close3RT Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the

last question would be counted in for our quiz grade.

这一定是开玩笑。我见过那清洁女工几次，她很高、深色头发、五十几岁，但我怎么会知道她的名字？我交了卷，空着最后一个问题没做。临下课前，有一位同学问最后一题算不算分。close4RT \"Absolutely,\" said the professor. \"In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'.\"

“当然算分”，教授回答道，“在你们一生的经历当中，你们会遇见很多人，每一位都很重要。他们值得你去注意和关心，即使是你所要做的仅仅是微笑和一声‘你好’”。close5RT I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

我永远也没有忘记这个教训，我也记住了她的名字叫多萝西。close6RT Second Important Lesson — Pickup in the Rain

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an elderly African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing (鞭打；猛烈打击) rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

第二课 雨中偶遇

有一天晚上，已经十一点半了，一位年长的非裔美国妇女顶着狂风暴雨，站在亚拉巴

马的高速公路旁等车。她的车坏了，急需搭顺路车。她全身湿透，于是决定招手拦下一辆车。一位年青的白人停下车来帮她，这在充满种族冲突的20世纪60年代简直是闻所未闻的。这位青年人把她送到安全地，帮她获得援助，并送她上了出租车。close7RT She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read:

\"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched (使浸湿) not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole\"

她似乎很赶时间，不过她还是写下了青年人的地址并向他表示感谢。七天后，有人敲青年人的家门，令他惊奇的是，送到他门口的是一台巨型彩色电视机。上面还附了一张特别的纸条，上面写道：

\"非常感谢你那天晚上在高速公路上帮我。那天晚上的大雨不仅淋湿了我的衣服，也使我的心情糟糕透顶，这时你来了。因为你，我才能及时赶到我丈夫的病床前，见他最后一面。你这样帮助我，无私地帮助他人，上帝会保佑你的！

真诚的娜特·金·科尔太太\"close8RT Third Important Lesson — Always Remember Those Who Serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. \"How much is an ice cream sundae?\" he asked. \"Fifty cents,\" replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. \"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?\" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. \"Thirty-five cents,\" she abruptly replied. The little boy again counted his coins. \"I'll have the plain ice cream,\" he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels (5分镍币) and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

第三课 常怀感激

以前圣代冰淇淋比现在便宜得多。有一天，一位十岁的小男孩走进一间宾馆的咖啡店，坐在桌边。一位女服务员把一杯水放在他面前，“圣代冰淇淋多少钱一个？”他问道。“五毛钱，”女服务员回答道。小男孩把手从裤袋里边拿出来,仔细地数了数手上的硬币。“那么普通冰淇淋多少钱一个呢？”他又问道。这时候已经有很多人在等位子了，女服务员开始不耐烦了。“三毛五，”她不耐烦地回答道。小男孩又数了数硬币，说：“那就给我来一个普通冰淇淋吧。”女服务员拿来了冰淇淋、把账单放在桌上就走开了。小男孩吃完冰淇淋，到柜台付了钱就离开了。女服务员返回来擦桌子时，她流下了眼泪。在空碟的旁边整整齐齐地放着两个5分镍币和五个便士。他没有要圣代冰淇淋就是为了有足够的钱给她付小费。close9RT Fourth Important Lesson — The Obstacles in Our Path

In ancient times, a King had a large rock placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the rock, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the huge rock had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the huge rock from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand! Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

第四课 路中障物

古时候，有一位国王让人把一块大石头放在路中间。然后他就躲在路旁，看看谁会去挪开这块巨石。国王手下的一些最富有的商人和侍臣路过这里，他们都只是绕开石头过去了。许多人大声指责国王没有把道路清理好，但是谁也不去想办法把石头从路上弄走。这时候，有一位农夫挑了一担青菜走过来。他来到大石边，放下担子，就去推大石。他使劲地推呀推，终于成功地把大石推到路旁去了。当他挑起担子准备离开时，突然发现在原来放大石的地方有一个钱包。装有很多金币，还有一张纸条，是国王写的，说金币是送给挪开石头的人的。农夫学到了我们许多人永远也不会明白的道理！每一个障碍都是改善我们环境的机会。close10RT Fifth Important Lesson — Giving when it Counts

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion (输血) from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously (奇迹般地) survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies (抗体) needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, \"Yes, I'll do it if it will save her.\" As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, \"Will I start to die right away?\" Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

第五课 雪中送炭

很多年前，我在一家医院做义工时，认识了一个名叫莉兹的小女孩。她得了一种很严重的怪病，唯一康复的机会只有靠她五岁的弟弟输血给她，因为她弟弟也曾患同样的病并奇迹般地好了，因此体内已经产生了抗体。医生把这一情况告诉了她的弟弟，问他是否愿意输血给姐姐。我看他犹豫了一会儿，然后深深地吸了一口气，说，\"我愿意，我会输血给她，只要能救她。\"输血过程中，他躺在姐姐的隔壁床，脸上带着笑容，就像我们一样，看着血色渐渐地回到姐姐的脸上。这时他的脸色渐渐变得苍白，脸上的微笑也消失了，他抬起头看着医生，用颤抖的声音问道：\"我是不是很快就要死了？\"男孩太小，误解了医生的意思，他以为要救姐姐，就必须把全部的血都输给她。

Unit 8

Secrets of Straight-A Students

This text is taken from Improve Your English Through Comprehension Practice by Christina Lim Cher Kee. System Publishing House Pte. Ltd. Singapore. 2001.

close1RT A professor of education who has conducted major studies of super-achieving students revealed that top grades do not always go to the brightest students. According to him, other education experts and top students themselves, it is far more important for a student to know how to make the most of his or her innate abilities.

全优生的秘诀

一位研究教育的老师对成绩优异的学生进行过几项大型调查，发现成绩最优秀的学生不一定是头脑最聪明的学生。根据这位教授、其他教育专家以及全优生们自己的观点，懂得如何充分发挥自己的潜能对于学生来说更为重要。close2RT The students at the top of the class attain academic excellence by mastering a few basic principles that others can easily learn. To begin with, top students know how to set their priorities right. Study time is never compromised for phone calls, television programmes or snacks. In other words, it is always placed above recreation. In addition, top students make a point of study anywhere or everywhere. A top student who is also a top athlete memorises biology terms as he works out every day. Another student learns a new word every morning while brushing his teeth. Among all the students

interviewed, every one agreed that study times are strictly a matter of personal preference. Some thrive at night when all is silent. Others prefer to study as soon as they come home from school when the lessons are fresh in their minds. However, all agreed that consistency is a main factor if one is to perform well at all times.

在班上名列前茅的学生之所以学习优秀，是因为他们掌握了几个基本原则，其他学生也可以轻松学会的。首先，全优生知道如何决定轻重缓急。他们从来不会为了打电话、看电视或者吃零食而牺牲学习时间。换言之，学习总是摆在娱乐之前。另外，全优生们总是注意随时随地学习。有位成绩优异的学生同时也是优秀的运动员，每天利用户外训练时间背生物学术语。而另一位学生则利用每天早上刷牙时间记一个新单词。而在所有被采访的学生中，无一例外都认为在什么时间学习完全是个人偏好问题。有些人在夜深人静时学习效果最好，有些人则喜欢趁着自己还能清晰地记得上课所讲的内容，一放学回家就开始学习。尽管如此，所有的全优生都一致认为，如果想任何时候都表现优秀，一个主要的因素就是要持之以恒。close3RT A student must also learn to be organised. For example, a top student who is actively involved in his school band, track and field, rugby association and debate team disclosed that he keeps his things in their proper places because he simply cannot afford time-wasting searches. Another student immediately files the day's notes in colour-coded folders so that they are available for review nearing examination time.Another technique advocated by top students is to read effectively. This includes speed-reading, improving one's memory or retention ability, and actively asking questions that will lead to a full understanding of the author's message.

学生还必须学会有条理。举个例子，有一位全优生在学校乐队、田径队、橄榄球协会

和辩论小组里都很活跃，他透露，他之所以把东西放得井井有条是因为他浪费不起到处找东西的时间。还有一位学生喜欢把当天的笔记马上整理出来并放进用不同颜色标记的文件夹里，以便临近考试时能随时用来复习。全优生们提倡的另一个技巧是有效的阅读，其中包括快速阅读、提高记忆能力以及主动提出问题以便充分理解作者的意思。close4RT It is also important for students to know how to schedule their time. They must know how to pace each assignment or project according to their daily timetable and work ability so that they might not be overwhelmed by the tasks at hand. Being able to set timetables not only allows students more time to review and polish their work, it also prevents them from procrastinating. Top students believe that a secret of their success is the taking down of good notes during lessons and using them for revision. One student revealed that she writes notes from the text on one side of her notebook and those from her teachers' lectures on the other side. This allows her to review both aspects of each lesson at once. The student also revealed that instead of wasting time whispering to friends and getting ready to rush out of the class just before the bell rings, she uses those few minutes to jot down a two or three-sentence summary of the lesson's principal points. She then scans the notes to refresh her memory before the next day's class.

对于学生们来说，合理安排时间也同样重要。他们必须懂得如何根据每天的时间表和学习能力来安排做作业和项目的速度，不至于让手头的工作压得喘不过气。能制定时间表不仅让学生能够腾出更多时间来复习和完善功课，而且还能防止他们拖拖拉拉。成绩优异的学生认为，他们成功的一大秘诀就是上课时做好笔记，供复习时使用。有个学生透露，她把从课文上摘抄的内容记在笔记本的一边，把课堂笔记写在另一边。这样，就可同时复习到两方面的内容。她还透露，她不会浪费下课铃响前的几分钟跟朋友交头接耳，准备随时冲出教室。相反，她会利用这几分钟用两三句话概括那节课的要点，然后在下次上课前

浏览这些笔记，借以加深印象。close5RT Another winning formula which teachers promote lies in a student's ability to hand in neat work. According to one professor, the student who turns in neat work is already on the way to scoring an A. In the classroom context, it is equally important for students to speak up and ask questions. This is perhaps the best way for a student to clarify any doubts. Classroom participation also demonstrates a student's intellectual curiosity. As a student concisely puts it, \"Better grades come from better understanding.\"

老师们提倡的另一个制胜秘诀是尽力让自己的作业整洁。有位老师说，学生交上整洁作业就已向高分迈进了一步。在课堂上大胆发言和提问也同样重要，这或许是学生澄清疑问的最好办法。课堂参与还能反映一个学生的求知欲。有个学生概括得好，“成绩来自透彻的理解”。close6RT The value of studying together was demonstrated in an experiment conducted at one top university. The study revealed that students who discussed homework and problems together, tried different approaches and explained their solutions to one another scored higher than those who laboured on their own. The experiment also illuminated the value of hypothetical tests conducted among the students and on their own. This means that students frame tentative test questions based on their notes and give each other or themselves written examinations the day before a test. Experts confirmed that students who devise possible test questions often find many of the same questions during the real examination and thus score higher.

一项在一所世界顶级大学进行的调查证明了小组学习的价值所在。研究表明，学生们如果一起讨论家庭作业和问题，尝试不同的解决办法，并且互相解释各自的方法，分数就会比那些单独用功的学生要高。研究也证明了学生间互相进行模拟测试或自我测试的好处。

这就是说，学生们根据笔记设计可能的试题，在考试前一天相互之间进行书面测试或自测。专家们证实，那些能设计模拟试题的学生，往往会在正式考题中发现很多相同的试题，自然能得高分了。close7RT Another technique employed by top students is to do more than the assigned homework. A student revealed that if her teacher gives five problems, she will undertake ten. In the student's words, \"Part of learning is practising. The more you practise, the more you learn.\" Last but not least, all experts and top students agree that the most important \"secret\" of super-achievers lies in the crucial contribution by parents. From infancy, super-achievers were taught the importance of learning by their parents. The latter set high standards for their children and held them to those standards. They encouraged their children in their studies but did not undertake the work for them. Instead of pressuring their children, these parents were always loving, gentle and took pains to explain and motivate. They impressed the lessons of responsibility on their children, and the children delivered.

全优生使用的另一个技巧是超额完成规定的家庭作业。一位学生透露，老师若是布置五道题，她会做上十道。用她的话说，“练习是学习的一部分。练得越多，学到的也越多。”最后一点同样不容忽视：所有的专家和优秀学生都认为，全优生们之所以成功，父母的功劳至关重要。从孩提时起，父母就给他们灌输学习的重要性，为他们制定高标准，并且引导他们达到这些标准。在学习方面他们给孩子以鼓励，而不是代劳。这些父母从不给孩子施加压力，永远都温柔慈爱，不厌其烦地解释和激励。他们使孩子们铭记肩负的责任，而孩子们则将其付诸实践。

2

College Pressures

William Zinsser This text is excerpted and adapted from The Norton Reader, 11th Edition by Peterson, L.H., & Brereton, J.C. New York & London: W.W. Norton. 2004.

close1RT As master at Branford College , I see four kinds of pressure working on college students today: economic pressure, parental pressure, peer pressure, and self-induced pressure. It is easy to look around for villains (罪犯) — to blame the colleges for charging too much money, the professors for assigning too much work, the parents for pushing their children too far, the students for driving themselves too hard. But there are no villains; only victims.

象牙塔里的压力

威廉·津瑟

身为布兰福德学院的院长，我发觉当今的大学生面临着四种压力：经济压力、来自父母的压力、来自学伴的压力、以及自己给自己的压力。我们往往会去寻找\"罪魁祸首\"：学校收费太高，老师布置太多作业，父母逼迫孩子太紧，学生对自己要求太严。但在压力问题上，没有恶人，只有受害者。 close2RT Students today live in a brutal (残忍的) economy . Tuition , room, books and various kinds of fees have come to such a great sum that it is not unusual for a student, even if he works part time at college and full time during the summer, to accumulate $5,000 in loans after four years — loans that he must start to repay (偿还) within one year after graduation.

当今的学生生活在一个残酷的经济现实中，学费、住宿费、书本费及这样那样的费用加起来数量不菲，即使一个学生在校期间做兼职，暑期做全职，四年内还是会欠下5,000美元贷款，毕业后一年内就要开始偿还。close3RT For those lucky few who can get financial help from their parents, money may not be a tough problem, but they will suffer from the pressure that comes from their parents.

少数幸运的学生能得到父母的经济援助，钱并不是一个棘手的问题，但是来自父母的压力让他们的日子也不好过。close4RT I see many students taking pre-medical courses with joyless determination . They go off to their labs as if they were going to the dentist . It saddens me because I know them in other corners of their life as cheerful people.

我看到很多学生一门心思修读医学院预科课程，但却毫无快乐可言。他们去实验室就像去看牙医一样痛苦。这让我很伤心，因为我知道在生活的其他方面他们是开朗快乐的。close5RT \"Do you want to go to medical school?\" I ask them.

我问他们：“你想学医吗？”close6RT \"Not really,\" they reply.

他们回答说：“其实并不想。”close7RT \"Then why are you going?\"

“那为什么还要进医学院呢？”close8RT \"Well, my parents want me to be a doctor. They're paying all this money and ...\"

“嗯，因为我爸妈希望我当医生。他们一直在供我读书，而且…。”close9RT Poor students, poor parents. They are caught in one of the oldest webs of love and duty

and guilt (罪过). The parents mean well; they are trying to steer their sons and daughters toward a secure future. But the sons and daughters want to major in history or classics or philosophy (哲学) — subjects with no \"practical\" value. Where's the payoff (报偿) on the humanities (人文学科）? It's not easy to persuade such loving parents that the humanities do indeed pay off. The intellectual faculties developed by studying subjects like history and classics are just the faculties that make creative leaders in business or almost any general field. Still, many parents would rather put their money on courses that point toward a specific profession — courses that are pre-law, pre-medical, pre-business, or, as I sometimes heard it put, \"pre-rich.\"

可怜的学生，可怜的父母啊！他们被困在一张亘古以来由爱、责任和自责交织而成的网中，难以自拔。父母的出发点是好的，他们想引导自己的孩子走向无忧无虑的未来，但孩子们却想攻读历史、古典文学或哲学，这些专业毫无“实用”价值。人文学科的专业有什么回报？要说服这些关爱子女的父母人文学科的专业确有回报并非易事。攻读历史、古典文学等专业而开发出来的智能，正是富有创造力的商界及其他领域的领袖人物所必备的。然而，许多家长还是宁愿出钱供孩子读一个能从事具体职业的专业，比如法律预科、医学预科、商务预科，或者是我有时听到的所谓“财富预科”。close10RT But the pressure on students is severe. They are truly torn. One part of them feels obligated to fulfill their parents' expectations ; after all, their parents are older and presumably (可能，大概) wiser. Another part tells them that the expectations that are right for their parents are not right for them.

可是，学生承受着太大的压力，他们简直无所适从了。一方面，他们觉得有义务不辜负父母对自己的期望，毕竟父母比自己年长，该更有智慧吧。但另一方面，他们又觉得，

父母认为合适的期望未必适合自己。close11RT Just like economic pressure and parental pressure, peer pressure and self-induced pressure are also closely intertwined (交织在一起), and they begin almost at the beginning of freshman year.

经济压力和来自父母的压力交织在一起，来自同学间的压力和自己给自己的压力也是如此，而且几乎是从大学一年级刚开学就开始存在了。close12RT \"I had a freshman student I'll call Linda,\" one dean told me, \"who came in and said she was under terrible pressure because her roommate, Barbara, was much brighter and studied all the time. I couldn't tell her that Barbra had come in two hours earlier to say the same thing about Linda.\"

有一位系主任告诉我：“我知道这么一个大一的学生，姑且叫她琳达吧，她来向我诉说她正承受着可怕的压力，因为室友芭芭拉比她更聪明，一天到晚在学习。我不好告诉她，就在两小时前芭芭拉也来我这里说了类似的话，说琳达带给她多大的压力。”close13RT The story is almost funny — except that it's not. It's symptomatic (表明[某种]症状的) of all the pressures put together. When every student thinks every other student is working harder and doing better, the only solution is to study harder still. I see students going off to the library every night after dinner and coming back when it closes at midnight. I wish they would sometimes forget about their peers and go to a movie. I hear the clack (哒哒声) of typewriters in the hours before dawn. I see the tension in their eyes when exams are approaching and papers are due: \"Will I get everything done?\"

这件事看来可笑，但实际上并不可笑，这表明所有压力都汇集在一起了。当每个学生都认为别人更为勤奋、成绩更好时，他唯一能做的就是更加努力地学习。我看到许多学生

每天吃完晚饭就去图书馆，直到深更半夜图书馆关门才回来。我真希望他们有时能忘掉他们的学伴，去看场电影。我常常在拂晓时分还听到打字机在噼噼啪啪地响，考试来临或论文限期快到时，我能从学生的眼神中看到他们的紧张心理：“我能把所有的事情做完吗？”close14RT Probably they won't. They will get sick. They will get \" blocked.\" They will sleep. They will oversleep.

他们很可能完成不了。因为他们会生病，脑袋会\"僵硬\"，无法正常思维。他们要睡觉，而且会睡过头。close15RT Part of the problem is that they do more than they are expected to do. A professor will assign five-page papers. Several students will start writing ten-page papers, and a few will multiply it to fifteen. Pity the poor student who is still just doing the assignment.

出现这一问题的部分原因是：他们会远远超额完成任务。老师布置一篇5页的论文，一些学生就会写上10页，而少数人甚至会把赌注升到15页。可怜那些仅仅写了5页的学生。close16RT \"Once you have twenty or thirty percent of the student population deliberately overexerting (努力过度的),\" one dean points out , \"it's bad for everybody. When a teacher gets more and more effort from his class, the student who is doing normal work can be perceived as not doing well. The tactic (策略) works, psychologically.\"

一位系主任指出：“一旦20％或30％的学生刻意地去超量学习，对每个学生来说都不是好事。当一位教师在班上看到越来越多的努力尝试，那些只是正常完成作业的学生就会被看作是表现不够好。就心理上而言，这个策略还是有效的。”close17RT People around, professors, parents, and friends can help, but ultimately it will be the student's own business to break the circles in which they are trapped. They are too young to be

prisoners of their parents' dreams and their classmates' fears. They must be jolted （使震动) into believing in themselves as unique men and women who have the power to shape their own future.

要打破这些“怪圈”，周围的人们、老师、父母、朋友都能给予帮助，但归根结底还是要靠学生自己。他们太年轻，不该成为父母的梦想和惧怕同学心理的俘虏。我们必须唤醒他们，使他们相信自己是独一无二的、有能力创造自己未来的人。