unit4A課文TONYTRIVISONNO.doc

TONY TRIVISONNO S AMERICAN DREAM Frederick C. CrawfordHe came from a rocky farm in Italy, somewhere south of Rome. How or when he got to America, I dont know. But one evening I found him standing in the driveway, behind my garage. He was about five-foot-seven or eight, and thin. “I mow your lawn,” he said. It. was hard to comprehend his broken English. I asked him his name. “Tony Trivisonno,” he replied. “I mow your lawn.” I told Tony that I couldnt afford a gardener. “I mow your lawn,” he said again, then walked away. I went into my house unhappy. Yes, these Depression days were difficult, but how could I turn away a person who had come to me for help? When I got home from work the next evening, the lawn had been mowed, the garden weeded, and the walks swept. I asked my wife what had happened. “A man got the lawn mower out of the garage and worked on the yard,” she answered. “I assumed you had hired him.” I told her of my experience the night before. We thought it strange that he had not asked for pay. The next two days were busy, and I forgot about Tony. We were trying to rebuild our business and bring some of our workers back to the plants. But on Friday, returning home a little early, I saw Tony again, behind the garage. I complimented him on the work he had done. “I mow your lawn,” he said. I managed to work out some kind of small weekly pay, and each day Tony cleaned up the yard and took care of any little tasks. My wife said he was very helpful whenever there were any heavy objects to lift or things to fix. Summer passed into fall, and winds blew cold. “Mr. Craw, snow pretty soon, Tony told me one evening. “When winter come, you give me job clearing snow at the factory.” Well, what do you do with such determination and hope? Of course, Tony got his job at the factory. The months passed. I asked the personnel department for a report. They said Tony was a very good worker. One day I found Tony at our meeting place behind the garage. “I want to be prentice,” he said. We had a pretty good apprentice school that trained laborers. But I doubted whether Tony had the capacity to read blueprints and micrometers or do precision work. Still, how could I turn him down? Tony took a cut in pay to become an apprentice. Months later, I got a report that he had graduated as a skilled grinder. He had learned to read the millionths of an inch on the micrometer and to shape the grinding wheel with an instrument set with a diamond. My wife and I were delighted with what we felt was a satisfying end of the story. A year or two passed, and again I found Tony in his usual waiting place. We talked about his work, and I asked him what he wanted. “Mr. Craw,” he said, “I like a buy a house.” On the edge of town, he had found a house for sale, a complete wreck. I called on a banker friend. “Do you ever loan money on character?” I asked. No,” he said. “We cant afford to. No sale.” “Now, wait a minute,” I replied. “Here is a hard-working man, a man of character, I can promise you that. Hes got a good job. You re not get ting a damn thing from your lot. It will stay there for years. At least he will pay your interest.” Reluctantly, the banker wrote a mortgage for $ 2,000 and gave Tony the house with no down payment. Tony was delighted. From then on, it was interesting to see that any discarded odds and ends around our placea broken screen, a bit of hardware, boards from packingTony would gather and take home. After about two years, I found Tony in our familiar meeting spot. He seemed to stand a little straighter. He was heavier. He had a look of confidence. “Mr. Craw, I sell my house! he said with pride. “I got $ 8,000. I was amazed. “But, Tony, where are you going to live without a house?” “Mr. Craw, I buy a farm.” We sat down and talked. Tony told me that to own a farm was his dream. He loved the tomatoes and peppers and all the other vegetables important to his Italian diet. He had sent for his wife and son and daughter back in Italy. He had hunted around the edge of town until he found a small, abandoned piece of property with a house and shed. Now he was moving his family to his farm. Sometime later, Tony arrived on a Sunday afternoon, neatly dressed. He had another Italian man with him. He told me that he had persuaded his childhood friend to move to America. Tony was sponsoring him. With an amused look in his eye, he told me that when they approached the little farm he now operated, his friend stood in amazement and said, Tony, you are a millionaire!” Then, during the war, a message came from my company. Tony had passed away. I asked our people to check on his family and see that everything was properly handled. They found the farm green with vegetables, the little house livable and homey. There was a tractor and a good car in the yard. The children were educated and working, and Tony didnt owe a cent. After he passed away, I thought more and more about Tony s career. He grew in stature in my mind. In the end, I think he stood as tall, and as proud, as the greatest American industrialists. They had all reached their success by the same route and by the same values and principles: vision, determination, self-control, optimism, self- respect and, above all, integrity. Tony did not begin on the bottom rung of the ladder. He began in the basement.But, after all, the balance sheets were exactly the same. The only difference was where you put the decimal point. Tony Trivisonno came to America seeking the American Dream. But he didnt find ithe created it for himself. All he had were 24 precious hours a day, and he wasted none of themturn away:refuse to help (sb.) or to allow (sb.) to enter a place 拒絕幫助 ; 不讓 進(jìn)入 Hes my son after all, I cant just turn him away when he is in trouble. The lecture hall was already full and many of the students were turned away. work out:plan; solve; calculate 制定出 ; 解決 ; 算出 How will you keep in touch with me? We havent work that out yet. Finally I worked out that the parcel had been sent to Paris by mistake. My mother allowed me to take the trip, but asked me to work out the total cost first. weekly:happening once a week or every 每周的 ; 一周一次的 United Airlines offers twice- a-week flights to Thailand . His story was published in a weekly newspaper 21st Century English. clean up:make clean and tidy 打掃 , 清除 Ill go shopping with you as soon as Ive cleaned up the kitchen. I hate cleaning up after a party. helpful:useful in making a situation better or easier; always willing to help people 有幫助的 ; 有用的 Sometimes it is helpful to make a list of everything you have to do. Any information would be helpful in determining what happened to her. She is such a pleasant and helpful child. do with: (used in questions with what) deal with 對(duì)待 , 處理 What do you do with such rude boys? What are we going to do with the huge rock lying in the middle of the road? determination: the ability to continue trying to achieve what you have decided to do even when this is difficult (uncountable noun, often followed by infinitive to) 決心 ; 決定 He showed great determination by continuing to play after hurting his foot. Her determination to do well made her keep on studying. personnel: 1) the department in a large company or organization that deals with employees, keeps their records, and helps with any problem they might have; human re- sources (uncountable noun, used with a singular or plural verb) 人事部門(mén) ;Personnel has/have received your application form. Her first job after graduation was in Personnel at Microsoft. 2) all the persons working in an organization, in the army, etc. (used with a plural verb) 全體人員 , 全體職員 All personnel in this company are entitled to medical insurance. A modern army needs highly skilled personnel. capacity:the ability to understand or do sth. (often followed by for or infinitive to) 能力 , 才能- Not everyone has a capacity for languages. Those math problems were beyond my capacity. I dont think its within a five-year-old boys capacity to spread computer viruses. turn down:refuse 拒絕 He was offered the job but he turned it down because it involved too much travel- ing. Look, I am offering you a free meal you are surely not going to turn me down? skilled: having skill; needing skill (often followed by in or at) 熟練的 , 有技巧的 ; 技術(shù)性的 The IT (information technology) industry demands skilled labor. The personnel manager is pressing for skilled workers. She was skilled in dealing with all sorts of people. for sale: available to be bought 待售 Reluctantly my parents put a For Sale sign on the house.Her former home is for sale at $495,000. wreck: sth. such as a ship, car, plane, or building which has been destroyed, usu. in an accident 殘破物 ;( 尤指失事船只 、飛機(jī)等的 ) 殘骸 We thought of buying the house as a wreck, doing it up, then selling it. The wreck of the plane could be clearly seen on the hillside. call on:visit sb. for a short time 拜訪(fǎng) Id like to call on my former professor while I am on business in Beijing .He wanted to call on his girlfriend after work, and then go to see a movie with her. loan:lend (sth.) 借 , 貸 ; ( 貸款 ; 借 , 貸 ) 名詞 He had kindly offered to loan me all the books required for the examination. Our school library loans books, CDs and videotapes. 1) a sum of money that you borrow The president wants to make it easier for small businesses to get bank loans. I am trying to get a loan from the bank to buy a house. 2) the act of lending (used in singular, followed by of) I asked him for a loan of his car to have a short trip with my family. He is in need of a loan of the reference books for a few days. character: the particular collection of qualities that make sb. a particular kind of person( 人的 ) 品德 ; 品質(zhì) ; 性格 The chief flaw in her character was impatience. How can he beat his wife? Ive never seen that cruel side of his character. down payment: an initial amount given as partial payment at the time of purchase (If you make a down payment on sth., you pay only a percentage of the total cost when you buy it. You pay the remaining amount later.) discard:(formal) throw away 拋棄 Im going to discard those magazines if youve finished reading them. These potatoes are past their best Id better discard them. confidence:the quality of being certain of your abilities or of trusting other people, plans, or the future (followed by in or infinitive to) 信心 He would be a better speaker if he had more confidence. I have every confidence in you. You can make a great success. Good training will give a beginner the confidence to enjoy skiing. amaze:surprise (sb.) very much 使驚愕 , 使詫異 Dave amazed his friends by suddenly getting married. It amazed me that you would believe those lies. It amazed me to discover how long the dinosaur age lasted. diet:food and drink usu. taken by a person or group 日常飲食 Most people dont have enough fiber in their diet. Poor diet and too much smoking will seriously damage the health of your hair.Nowadays many people prefer a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables. send for: ask for the arrival of 派人去叫 , 召喚 ; 派人去取 Dont worry about your son, I have sent for the doctor. He sent for his parents to attend the graduation ceremony at Harvard. hunt:1) search thoroughly (followed by for) 尋找 ; 打獵 They were hunting the area for a new house. Many college students start hunting for a job in the fourth year. We have been hunting all over town for the right carpet. 2) chase and kill wild animals for food or as a sport They had gone up the hill to hunt deer. At one time man had to hunt to survive. abandon:give up completely or forever 拋棄 , 放棄 My car broke down and I had to abandon it on the main road. The young couple abandoned their daughter hoping that they would give birth to a boy. As the plane was badly damaged, the pilot had to abandon it. property: 1) land, buildings or both together( 房 ) 地產(chǎn) ; 財(cái)產(chǎn) With more and more people purchasing houses, property prices have been on the rise . A lot of property in the city center was destroyed in the war. 2) the thing or things that sb. owns Policemen searched the criminals home and found weapons and stolen property in the basement. Thats my personal property! Leave it alone! sometime:at a time in the past or future that is unknown or has not yet been fixed 某個(gè)時(shí)候 He saw her at the airport sometime last week. Can I come and see you sometime? (Dont confuse sometime with sometimes which means on certain occasions, rather than all the time.) sponsor: support (a person, organization or activity) by giving money, encouragement or other help 為 做保證人 ; 主辦 , 發(fā)起 ( 名詞 : 保證人 ; 主辦者 , 發(fā)起人 ) The old couple sponsored the young man who wanted to study in the United States for a year. The soccer team is sponsored by Coco-Cola, so the players wear the letters Coco-Cola on their shirts. The 4th Foreign Languages and Culture Festival was sponsored by Oxford Univer- sity Press. amuse:cause to laugh or smile; cause to spend time in a pleasant manner 逗樂(lè) ; 給 提供娛樂(lè) The computer games amused the children for hours. The kids amused themselves playing hide-and-seek. He thought of various activities that might amuse the children till bedtime. approach:come near(er) to 接近 As they approached the wood, a rabbit ran out of the trees. If you look out of the window on the right of the bus, youll see that were now approaching the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. pass away:die (You can say that sb. passed away if you want to avoid using the word die because you think it too blunt.) 去世 The old lady passed away peacefully in her sleep. The teenager has lived on his own since his parents passed away four years ago. handle:manage, control 管理 , 處理 ; 操縱 She couldnt handle the pressures of her new job. She had to quit it. The students handle the conversation in the Chinese way even though they speak English. above all:most important of all 最重要的是 John is fair, hardworking, and above all, honest. I wont go with you, because its too far, too late, and above all, too dangerous.create:produce or make (esp. sth. new) 創(chuàng)造 , 創(chuàng)作 Hawking created a new theory of the universe. The Bible says that God created the world. languge point 1 : . . hard to comprehend his broken English: If someone talks in broken English, they speak slowly and make a lot of mistakes because they only know a little of the language. languge point 2 : Tony took a cut in pay to become an apprentice.: Tony had his pay reduced in order to be an apprentice. languge point 3 : My wife and I were delighted with what we felt was a satisfying end of the story.: My wife and I were delighted with what Tony had achieved, and thought that the whole thing had thus been settled. languge point 4 :He grew in stature in my mind: He grew taller and greater in my mind. languge point 5 :Tony did not begin on the bottom rung of the ladder. He began in the basement.: Tony had nothing when he arrived in the United States and he built up from nothing.languge point 6 : But, after all, the balance sheets were exactly the same.: But after all, what Tony and the greatest industrialists achieved was exactly the same. 美國(guó)夢(mèng) 美國(guó)夢(mèng)對(duì)不同的人有不同的意義。但對(duì)許多人，尤其是對(duì)移民而言，它意味著改善自己生活的機(jī)會(huì)。對(duì)于他們，美國(guó)夢(mèng)的含義就是才能與勤勞能讓你從小木屋走向白宮。托尼特里韋索諾并沒(méi)有爬到那么高，但他成功地使自己的夢(mèng)想成真。 托尼特里韋索諾的美國(guó)夢(mèng) 弗雷德里克 C 克羅弗德 他來(lái)自意大利羅馬以南某地個(gè)滿(mǎn)地石子的農(nóng)莊。他什么時(shí)候怎么到美國(guó)的，我不清楚。 不過(guò)，有天晚上，我看到他站在我家車(chē)庫(kù)后面的車(chē)道上。他身高五英尺七、八左右，人很瘦。 “我割你的草坪，”他說(shuō)。他那結(jié)結(jié)巴巴的英語(yǔ)很難聽(tīng)懂。 我問(wèn)他叫什么名字。“托尼特里韋索諾，”他回答說(shuō)?！拔腋钅愕牟萜??！蔽覍?duì)托尼講，本人雇不起園丁。 “我割你的草坪，”他又說(shuō)道，隨后便走開(kāi)了。我走進(jìn)屋子，心里有點(diǎn)不快。沒(méi)錯(cuò)，眼下 這大蕭條的日子是不好過(guò)，可我怎么能把一個(gè)上門(mén)求助的