全新版大學(xué)英語【第二版】綜合教程1課文翻譯

Unit1WritingforMyselfRussellBaker1TheideaofbecomingawriterhadcometomeoffandonsincemychildhoodinBelleville,butitwasn'tuntilmythirdyearinhighschoolthatthepossibilitytookhold.UntilthenI'vebeenboredbyeverythingassociatedwithEnglishcourses.IfoundEnglishgrammardullanddifficult.Ihatedtheassignmentstoturnoutlong,lifelessparagraphsthatwereagonyforteacherstoreadandformetowrite.為自己而寫拉塞爾·貝克從孩提時(shí)代，我還住在貝爾維爾時(shí)，我的腦子里就斷斷續(xù)續(xù)地轉(zhuǎn)著當(dāng)作家的念頭，但直等到我高中三年級(jí)，這一想法才有了實(shí)現(xiàn)的可能。在這之前，我對(duì)所有跟英文課沾邊的事都感到膩味。我覺得英文語法枯燥難懂。我痛恨那些長而乏味的段落寫作，老師讀著受累，我寫著痛苦。2WhenourclasswasassignedtoMr.Fleagleforthird-yearEnglishIanticipatedanothercheerlessyearinthatmosttediousofsubjects.Mr.Fleaglehadareputationamongstudentsfordullnessandinabilitytoinspire.Hewassaidtobeveryformal,rigidandhopelesslyoutofdate.Tomehelookedtobesixtyorseventyandexcessivelyprim.Heworeprimlysevereeyeglasses,hiswavyhairwasprimlycutandprimlycombed.Heworeprimsuitswithnecktiessetprimlyagainstthecollarbuttonsofhiswhiteshirts.Hehadaprimlypointedjaw,aprimlystraightnose,andaprimmannerofspeakingthatwassocorrect,sogentlemanly,thatheseemedacomicantique.弗利格爾先生接我們的高三英文課時(shí)，我就準(zhǔn)備著在這門最最單調(diào)乏味的課上再熬上沉悶的一年。弗利格爾先生在學(xué)生中以其說話干巴和激勵(lì)學(xué)生無術(shù)而出名。據(jù)說他拘謹(jǐn)刻板，完全落后于時(shí)代。我看他有六七十歲了，古板之極。他戴著古板的毫無裝飾的眼鏡，微微卷曲的頭發(fā)剪得筆齊，梳得紋絲不亂。他身穿古板的套裝，領(lǐng)帶端端正正地頂著白襯衣的領(lǐng)扣。他長著古板的尖下巴，古板的直鼻梁，說起話來一本正經(jīng)，字斟句酌，彬彬有禮，活脫脫一個(gè)滑稽的老古董。3IpreparedforanunfruitfulyearwithMr.Fleagleandforalongtimewasnotdisappointed.Lateintheyearwetackledtheinformalessay.Mr.Fleagledistributedahomeworksheetofferingusachoiceoftopics.Nonewasquitesosimple-mindedas"WhatIDidonMySummerVacation",;butmostseemedtobealmostasdull.Itookthelisthomeanddidnothinguntilthenightbeforetheessaywasdue.Lyingonthesofa,Ifinallyfaceduptotheunwelcometask,tookthelistoutofmynotebook,andscannedit.Thetopiconwhichmyeyestoppedwas"TheArtofEatingSpaghetti".我作好準(zhǔn)備，打算在弗利格爾先生的班上一無所獲地混上一年，不少日子過去了，還真不出所料。后半學(xué)期我們學(xué)寫隨筆小品文。弗利格爾先生發(fā)下一張家庭作業(yè)紙，出了不少題目供我們選擇。像"暑假二三事"那樣傻乎乎的題目倒是一個(gè)也沒有，但絕大多數(shù)一樣乏味。我把作文題帶回家，一直沒寫，直到要交作業(yè)的前一天晚上。我躺在沙發(fā)上，最終不得不面對(duì)這一討厭的功課，便從筆記本里抽出作文題目單粗粗一看。我的目光落在"吃意大利細(xì)面條的藝術(shù)"這個(gè)題目上。4Thistitleproducedanextraordinarysequenceofmentalimages.VividmemoriescamefloodingbackofanightinBellevillewhenallofuswereseatedaroundthesuppertable—UncleAllen,mymother,UncleCharlie,Doris,UncleHal—andAuntPatservedspaghettiforsupper.Spaghettiwasstillalittleknownforeigndishinthosedays.NeitherDorisnorIhadevereatenspaghetti,andnoneoftheadultshadenoughexperiencetobegoodatit.AllthegoodhumorofUncleAllen'shousereawokeinmymindasIrecalledthelaughingargumentswehadthatnightaboutthesociallyrespectablemethodformovingspaghettifromplatetomouth.這個(gè)題目在我腦海里喚起了一連串不同尋常的圖像。貝爾維爾之夜的清晰的回憶如潮水一般涌來，當(dāng)時(shí)，我們大家一起圍坐在晚餐桌旁——艾倫舅舅、我母親、查理舅舅、多麗絲、哈爾舅舅——帕特舅媽晚飯做的是意大利細(xì)面條。那時(shí)意大利細(xì)面條還是很少聽說的異國食品。多麗絲和我都還從來沒吃過，在座的大人也是經(jīng)驗(yàn)不足，沒有一個(gè)吃起來得心應(yīng)手的。艾倫舅舅家詼諧有趣的場景全都重現(xiàn)在我的腦海中，我回想起來，當(dāng)晚我們笑作一團(tuán)，爭論著該如何地把面條從盤子上送到嘴里才算合乎禮儀。5SuddenlyIwantedtowriteaboutthat,aboutthewarmthandgoodfeelingofit,butIwantedtoputitdownsimplyformyownjoy,notforMr.Fleagle.ItwasamomentIwantedtorecaptureandholdformyself.Iwantedtorelivethepleasureofthatevening.TowriteitasIwanted,however,wouldviolatealltherulesofformalcompositionI'dlearnedinschool,andMr.Fleaglewouldsurelygiveitafailinggrade.Nevermind.IwouldwritesomethingelseforMr.FleagleafterIhadwrittenthisthingformyself.突然我就想描述那一切，描述當(dāng)時(shí)那種溫馨美好的氣氛，但我把它寫下來僅僅是想自得其樂，而不是為弗利格爾先生而寫。那是我想重新捕捉并珍藏在心中的一個(gè)時(shí)刻。我想重溫那個(gè)夜晚的愉快。然而，照我希望的那樣去寫，就會(huì)違反我在學(xué)校里學(xué)的正式作文的種種法則，弗利格爾先生也肯定會(huì)打它一個(gè)不及格。沒關(guān)系。等我為自己寫好了之后，我可以再為弗利格爾先生寫點(diǎn)什么別的東西。6WhenIfinisheditthenightwashalfgoneandtherewasnotimelefttocomposeaproper,respectableessayforMr.Fleagle.TherewasnochoicenextmorningbuttoturninmytaleoftheBellevillesupper.TwodayspassedbeforeMr.Fleaglereturnedthegradedpapers,andhereturnedeveryone'sbutmine.IwaspreparingmyselfforacommandtoreporttoMr.FleagleimmediatelyafterschoolfordisciplinewhenIsawhimliftmypaperfromhisdeskandknockfortheclass'sattention.等我寫完時(shí)已是半夜時(shí)分，再?zèng)]時(shí)間為弗利格爾先生寫一篇循規(guī)蹈矩、像模像樣的文章了。第二天上午，我別無選擇，只好把我為自己而寫的貝爾維爾晚餐的故事交了上去。兩天后弗利格爾先生發(fā)還批改過的作文，他把別人的都發(fā)了，就是沒有我的。我正準(zhǔn)備著遵命一放學(xué)就去弗利格爾先生那兒挨訓(xùn)，卻看見他從桌上拿起我的作文，敲了敲桌子讓大家注意聽。7"Now,boys,"hesaid."Iwanttoreadyouanessay.Thisistitled,'TheArtofEatingSpaghetti'.""好了，孩子們，"他說。"我要給你們念一篇小品文。文章的題目是：吃意大利細(xì)面條的藝術(shù)。"8Andhestartedtoread.Mywords!Hewasreadingmywordsoutloudtotheentireclass.What'smore,theentireclasswaslistening.Listeningattentively.Thensomebodylaughed,thentheentireclasswaslaughing,andnotincontemptandridicule,butwithopen-heartedenjoyment.EvenMr.Fleaglestoppedtwoorthreetimestoholdbackasmallprimsmile.于是他開始念了。是我寫的！他給全班大聲念我寫的文章。更不可思議的是，全班同學(xué)都在聽著他念，而且聽得很專心。有人笑出聲來，接著全班都笑了，不是輕蔑嘲弄，而是樂乎乎地開懷大笑。就連弗利格爾先生也停頓了兩三次，好抑制他那一絲拘謹(jǐn)?shù)奈⑿Α?Ididmybesttoavoidshowingpleasure,butwhatIwasfeelingwaspuredelightatthisdemonstrationthatmywordshadthepowertomakepeoplelaugh.Intheeleventhgrade,attheeleventhhourasitwere,Ihaddiscoveredacalling.Itwasthehappiestmomentofmyentireschoolcareer.WhenMr.Fleaglefinishedheputthefinalsealonmyhappinessbysaying,"Nowthat,boys,isanessay,don'tyousee.It's—don'tyousee—it'softheveryessenceoftheessay,don'tyousee.Congratulations,Mr.Baker."我盡力不流露出得意的心情，但是看到我寫的文章竟然能使別人大笑，我真是心花怒放。就在十一年級(jí)，可謂是最后的時(shí)刻，我找到了一個(gè)今生想做的事。這是我整個(gè)求學(xué)生涯中最幸福的一刻。弗利格爾先生念完后說道："瞧，孩子們，這就是小品文，懂了沒有。這才是——知道嗎——這才是小品文的精髓，知道了沒有。祝賀你，貝克先生。"他這番話使我沉浸在十全十美的幸福之中?！eadings1Baker'sfeelingsaboutEnglishcourses2Baker'simpressionofhisnewEnglishteacher3AtopicthatattractsBaker'sattention4Vividmemoriesthetitlebroughtback5Baker'ssuddendesiretowriteaboutthattopic6Answer:Anticipatingpunishment7Mr.Fleagle'sannouncement8Classmates'responsetotheessay9WhatBakerdiscovered·MainideasPartOne(Paras1-2)BakerwasboredbyeverythingassociatedwithEnglishcourses,includingessaywriting.PartTwo(Paras3-5)Bakerfoundhimselfattractedbyoneparticulartopicandwroteaboutitforhisownjoy.PartThree(Paras6-9)Theexperienceofwritingtheessayhelpedhimdiscoverhistalentforwritingandrealizewhathewishedtodoinlife.Unit2TextAAlltheCabbieHadWasaLetterFosterFurcolo1HemusthavebeencompletelylostinsomethinghewasreadingbecauseIhadtotaponthewindshieldtogethisattention.出租車司機(jī)擁有的就剩一封信福斯特·弗克洛他準(zhǔn)是完全沉浸在所讀的東西里了，因?yàn)槲也坏貌磺脫躏L(fēng)玻璃來引起他的注意。2"Isyourcabavailable?"Iaskedwhenhefinallylookedupatme.Henodded,thensaidapologeticallyasIsettledintothebackseat,"I'msorry,butIwasreadingaletter."Hesoundedasifhehadacoldorsomething.他總算抬頭看我了?！澳愠鲕噯?？”我問道。他點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，當(dāng)我坐進(jìn)后座時(shí)，他抱歉地說：“對(duì)不起，我在讀一封信?！甭犐先ニ袷堑昧烁忻笆裁吹?。3"I'minnohurry,"Itoldhim."Goaheadandfinishyourletter."“我不著急，”我對(duì)他說，“你接著把信讀完吧。”4Heshookhishead."I'vereaditseveraltimesalready.IguessIalmostknowitbyheart."他搖了搖頭?！拔乙呀?jīng)讀了好幾遍了。我想我都能背出來了?！?"Lettersfromhomealwaysmeanalot,"Isaid."AtleasttheydowithmebecauseI'montheroadsomuch."Then,estimatingthathewas60or70yearsold,Iguessed:"Fromachildormaybeagrandchild?"“家書抵萬金啊，”我說?！爸辽賹?duì)我來說是這樣，因?yàn)槲依鲜窃谕饴眯??！蔽夜懒克辛呤畾q了，便猜測說：“是孩子還是孫子寫來的？”6"Thisisn'tfamily,"hereplied."Although,"hewenton,"cometothinkofit,itmightjustaswellhavebeenfamily.OldEdwasmyoldestfriend.Infact,weusedtocalleachother'OldFriend'--whenwe'dmeet,thatis.I'mnotmuchofahandatwriting."“不是家里人，”他回答說。“不過，”他接著說，“想起來，也可以算是一家人了。埃德老伙計(jì)是我最老的朋友了。實(shí)際上，過去我倆總是以‘老朋友’相稱的——就是說，當(dāng)我倆相見時(shí)。我這人就是不大會(huì)寫東西?！?"Idon'tthinkanyofuskeepupourcorrespondencetoowell,"Isaid."IknowIdon't.ButItakeithe'ssomeoneyou'veknownquiteawhile?"“我看大家寫信都不那么勤快，”我說，“我自己筆頭就很懶。我看，你認(rèn)識(shí)他挺久了吧？”8"Allmylife,practically.Wewerekidstogether,sowegowayback."“差不多認(rèn)識(shí)了一輩子了。我倆小時(shí)候就一起玩，所以我倆的友誼確實(shí)很長了?！?"Wenttoschooltogether?"“一起上的學(xué)？”10"Allthewaythroughhighschool.Wewereinthesameclass,infact,throughbothgradeandhighschool."“都一起上到高中呢。事實(shí)上，我倆從小學(xué)到高中都在一個(gè)班里?！?1"Therearenottoomanypeoplewho'vehadsuchalongfriendship,"Isaid.“保持這么長久友誼的人可真不多見啊，”我說。12"Actually,"thedriverwenton,"Ihadn'tseenhimmorethanonceortwiceayearoverthepast25or30yearsbecauseImovedawayfromtheoldneighborhoodandyoukindoflosetoucheventhoughyouneverforget.Hewasagreatguy."“其實(shí)呢，”司機(jī)接著說，“近25到30年來，我跟他一年只見一兩次面，因?yàn)槲覐脑瓉碜〉慕謪^(qū)搬了出來，聯(lián)系自然就少了，雖說你一直放在心上。他在的時(shí)候可真是個(gè)大好人?！?3"Yousaid'was'.Doesthatmean—?"“你剛才說他‘在的時(shí)候’。你是說——？”14Henodded."Diedacoupleofweeksago."他點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭。“前幾個(gè)星期過世啦。”15"I'msorry,"Isaid."It'snofuntoloseanyfriend--andlosingarealoldoneiseventougher."“真遺憾，”我說，“失去朋友真不是個(gè)滋味，失去個(gè)真正的老朋友更讓人受不了?！?6Hedidn'treplytothat,andwerodeoninsilenceforafewminutes.ButIrealizedthatOldEdwasstillonhismindwhenhespokeagain,almostmoretohimselfthantome:"Ishouldhavekeptintouch.Yes,"herepeated,"Ishouldhavekeptintouch."他開著車，沒有接話兒。我們沉默了幾分鐘。可我知道他還在想著老埃德。他又開口時(shí)，與其說是跟我說話，還不如說是自言自語：“我真該一直保持聯(lián)系。真的，”他重復(fù)道，“我真該一直保持聯(lián)系?！?7"Well,"Iagreed,"weshouldallkeepintouchwitholdfriendsmorethanwedo.Butthingscomeupandwejustdon'tseemtofindthetime."“是啊，”我表示贊同，“我們都該與老朋友保持更多的聯(lián)系。不過總是有事情冒出來，好像就是抽不出空來?！?8Heshrugged."Weusedtofindthetime,"hesaid."That'sevenmentionedintheletter."Hehandeditovertome."Takealook."他聳了聳肩?！拔覀冞^去總能抽出空來，”他說?！靶爬镞€提到呢。”他把信遞給我，“你看看吧?！?9"Thanks,"Isaid,"butIdon'twanttoreadyourmail.That'sprettypersonal."“謝謝你，”我說，“不過我不想讀你的信。這純屬私事?！?0Thedrivershrugged."OldEd'sdead.There'snothingpersonalnow.Goahead,"heurgedme.司機(jī)聳一聳肩?！袄习５氯硕妓懒?。沒什么私事不私事了?？窗?，”他催促說。21Theletterwaswritteninpencil.Itbeganwiththegreeting"OldFriend,"andthefirstsentenceremindedmeofmyself.I'vebeenmeaningtowriteforsometime,butI'vealwayspostponedit.Itthenwentontosaythatheoftenthoughtaboutthegoodtimestheyhadhadtogetherwhentheybothlivedinthesameneighborhood.Ithadreferencestothingsthatprobablymeantsomethingtothedriver,suchasthetimeTimSheabrokethewindow,theHalloweenthatwetiedOldMr.Parker'sgate,andwhenMrs.Culverusedtokeepusafterschool.信是用鉛筆寫的。稱呼寫著“老朋友”，而開頭第一句話讓我想到自己?！霸缇拖雽懶帕耍删褪且煌显偻?。”信里接著寫道，他常?；叵霃那皟扇俗≡谝粋€(gè)街區(qū)時(shí)的快樂時(shí)光。信里提到些事，可能對(duì)司機(jī)很重要，比如“那次蒂姆·謝打破窗子，那年萬圣節(jié)前夕，我們把老帕克先生的大門拴了起來，還有卡爾弗太太老是在放學(xué)后把咱倆留下訓(xùn)斥的那陣子”。22"Youmusthavespentalotoftimetogether,"Isaidtohim.“你們倆準(zhǔn)是在一起度過了不少時(shí)光，”我對(duì)他說。23"Likeitsaysthere,"heanswered,"aboutallwehadtospendinthosedayswastime."Heshookhishead:"Time."“就跟信里寫的那樣，”他回答說，“我倆在那個(gè)時(shí)候能花的只有時(shí)間?！彼麚u頭嘆道：“時(shí)間啊。”24Ithoughtthenextparagraphoftheletterwasalittlesad:Ibegantheletterwith"OldFriend"becausethat'swhatwe'vebecomeovertheyears--oldfriends.Andtherearen'tmanyofusleft.信里接下來的那段我覺得有點(diǎn)凄涼：“信的開頭我寫著‘老朋友’，因?yàn)檫@么多年來，我們這對(duì)老朋友漸漸都老了。我們這些人當(dāng)中留下的也不多了?！?5"Youknow,"Isaidtohim,"whenitsaysherethattherearen'tmanyofusleft,that'sabsolutelyright.EverytimeIgotoaclassreunion,forexample,therearefewerandfewerstillaround."“你要知道，”我對(duì)他說，“信里說我們這些人當(dāng)中留下的不多了，說得一點(diǎn)不錯(cuò)。比如說，每次我去參加老同學(xué)聚會(huì)，來的人總是越來越少?！?6"Timegoesby,"thedriversaid.“時(shí)間不饒人啊，”司機(jī)說。27"Didyoutwoworkatthesameplace?"Iaskedhim.“你們倆以前在一起工作嗎？”我問他。28"No,butwehungoutonthesamecornerwhenweweresingle.Andthen,whenweweremarried,weusedtogotoeachother'shouseeverynowandthen.Butforthelast20or30yearsit'sbeenmostlyjustChristmascards.Ofcoursethere'dbealwaysanotewe'deachaddtothecards--usuallysomenewsaboutourfamilies,youknow,whatthekidsweredoing,whomovedwhere,anewgrandchild,thingslikethat--butneverarealletteroranythinglikethat."“不，不過沒成家時(shí)我倆總在一起閑蕩。后來，兩人都成了家，就不時(shí)相互串門?？勺罱@二三十年來，主要就是寄寄圣誕卡了。當(dāng)然，我倆都總在卡上寫幾句——通常是關(guān)于各自家里的情況，不是嗎，孩子們?cè)诟尚┦裁矗l搬到哪兒，添了個(gè)小孫子，都是這類事——可一直都沒正兒八經(jīng)地寫過信什么的?！?9"Thisisagoodparthere,"Isaid."WhereitsaysYourfriendshipovertheyearshasmeantanawfullottome,morethanIcansaybecauseI'mnotgoodatsayingthingslikethat."Ifoundmyselfnoddinginagreement."Thatmusthavemadeyoufeelgood,didn'tit?"“這一處寫得好，”我說，“這里寫道：‘你多年的友誼對(duì)我非常重要，遠(yuǎn)比我能說出來的重要得多，因?yàn)槲也簧瞄L說這樣的話?！蔽翌h首稱是。“這話準(zhǔn)讓你聽著開心，是吧？”30ThedriversaidsomethingthatIcouldn'tunderstandbecauseheseemedtobeallchokedup,soIcontinued:"IknowI'dliketoreceivealetterlikethatfrommyoldestfriend."司機(jī)說了句什么，可我沒聽明白，因?yàn)樗坪踹煲脜柡?。于是我接著說：“我也真想收到這樣一封老朋友的來信?！?1WeweregettingclosetoourdestinationsoIskippedtothelastparagraph.SoIthoughtyou'dliketoknowthatIwasthinkingofyou.Anditwassigned,YourOldFriend,Tom.我們快到目的地了，于是我跳到最后一段?！耙虼宋蚁肽阋欢ㄏ胫牢业胗浿恪！毙拍┦鹈骸袄吓笥褱贰薄?2Ihandedbacktheletteraswestoppedatmyhotel."Enjoyedtalkingwithyou,"IsaidasItookmysuitcaseoutofthecab.Tom?TheletterwassignedTom?我們?cè)谖业穆玫昵巴Ｏ?，我把信遞了回去。“很高興能和你聊聊，”我將衣箱從車上提下時(shí)說。湯姆？信的署名是湯姆？33"Ithoughtyourfriend'snamewasEd,"Isaid."WhydidhesignitTom?"“我記得你朋友叫埃德，”我說，“為什么他署名湯姆呢？”34"TheletterwasnotfromEdtome,"heexplained."I'mTom.It'saletterIwrotetohimbeforeIknewhe'ddied.SoInevermailedit."“這封信不是湯姆寫給我的，”他解釋說，“我是湯姆。這是我在得知他去世前寫給他的信。所以我一直沒寄出?！?5Helookedsortofsorrowful,orasifheweretryingtoseesomethinginthedistance."IguessIshouldhavewrittenitsooner."他神情有點(diǎn)悲傷，似乎想看清遠(yuǎn)處什么東西?！拔蚁胛艺嬖撛缧戇@封信?！?6WhenIgottomyhotelroomIdidn'tunpackrightaway.FirstIhadtowritealetter—andmailit.我進(jìn)了旅館房間之后，沒有馬上打開箱包。首先我得寫封信——而且要寄出去?！nswersthequestions1Whatdoesthestorybeginwith?Answer:Thestorybeginswiththecabdriverreadingaletter.2Whathelpedstartaconversationbetweenthecabdriverandthepassenger?Answer:TheletterTomwrotetohisfriendEd.3Whatwastheirconversationcenteredon?Answer:TheirconversationwascenteredonthelifelongfriendshipbetweenthedriverandOldEd.4HowdidtheauthorgettolearnmoreaboutthefriendshipbetweenthedriverandEd?Answer:Theauthorgottolearnmoreabouttheirfriendshipbyreadingtheletterhimself.·MainideasPartOne(Paras1-20)FromaconversationwiththecabdrivertheauthorlearnedhowmuchheregrettedfailingtokeepupcorrespondencewithhisoldfriendEd.PartTwo(Paras21-35)Readingtheletterbyhimself,theauthorlearnedmoreaboutthelifelongfriendshipbetweenthedriverandOldEd.PartThree(Paras36)Thedriver'sexperienceurgedtheauthortoreachforhispen.TextBNeverLetaFriendDownJimHutchison1"Comingtothefootballmatchthisafternoon?"BillMcIntoshasked59-year-oldRoyceWeddingastheydrankbeerattheEurekaHotelintheAustraliantownofRainbow.Royceshookhishead."IpromisedMomI'dburnofftheweedsononeofourfields."決不拋棄朋友吉姆·赫奇森"下午去看足球賽嗎？"比爾·麥金托什問59歲的羅伊斯·韋丁。他們兩人正在澳大利亞的虹鎮(zhèn)尤里卡飯店喝啤酒。羅伊斯搖搖頭。"我答應(yīng)我媽給我家的一塊地?zé)摹?2Bill,whowasthinbutstrong,lookingfarlessthanhis79years,peeredoutsideattheheat.Alightbreezewasblowingfromthenorth,makingconditionsperfectfortheburn.ButBillfeltuneasyaboutRoycedoingthejobalone.Thefarmerhadabadlegandwalkedwithgreatdifficulty.比爾瘦削而結(jié)實(shí)，79歲，但看上去遠(yuǎn)沒有那么老。他望著外面的炎熱空氣。一陣輕風(fēng)自北向南吹，這條件最適宜燒荒了。不過比爾對(duì)羅伊斯獨(dú)自干這活不放心。這個(gè)農(nóng)夫有條腿不好，行走很費(fèi)勁。3Thepairhadbeenbestoffriendsfor30years,eversincethedayswhentheytraveledtogetherfromfarmtofarminsearchofwork.Now,livingalone12mileseastoftown,Billscrapedalivinghuntingfoxesandrabbits.OnceafortnighthewenttotowntobuysuppliesandcatchupwithRoyce,whohelpedruntheWeddingfamily'sfarm."I'llgiveyouahand,"Billsaid.兩人曾一起從一個(gè)農(nóng)場走到另一個(gè)農(nóng)場尋些活兒干，迄今已是30年的好朋友了。如今比爾獨(dú)自一人住在鎮(zhèn)東12英里處，靠打狐貍和野兔勉強(qiáng)過活。他兩個(gè)星期一次前來小鎮(zhèn)購物，會(huì)會(huì)幫著經(jīng)管自家的農(nóng)場的羅伊斯。"我?guī)湍阋话眩?比爾說。4ThepairsetoffinRoyce'scar.Soontheywerebumpingoverasandytracktotheweed-choked120-acrefield."Fire'stheonlywaytogetridofthisstuff,"saidBillastheytiedanoldtiretothetowbarwitha50-footchain.Soakingthetirewithgasoline,Billputamatchtoitandjumpedinthecar.兩人坐著羅伊斯的車動(dòng)身了。沒多一會(huì)兒他們就顛簸在一條沙土路上，朝一塊面積120公頃、雜草叢生的田地開去。"火是除去這玩意兒的惟一辦法，"比爾說。他們用根50英尺長的鏈條把一個(gè)舊輪胎綁在牽引桿上。比爾在輪胎上澆透汽油，劃根火柴一點(diǎn)，便跳進(jìn)車?yán)铩?Drivingslowlyfromthesouthernedgeofthefield,theyworkedtheirwayupwind,leavingalineofburningweedsintheirwake.Halfwayupthefield,andwithoutwarning,thecarpitchedviolentlyforward,plowingintoahiddenbankofsand.兩人從農(nóng)田的南邊緩緩開車逆風(fēng)而行，所過之處留下一條燃著的草帶。開到地當(dāng)中，車猛地朝前一顛，沒等察覺，就陷進(jìn)了一個(gè)被草遮著的沙堆。6Thebreezesuddenlyswungaroundtotheirbacksandbegantogatherstrength.Fannedtowhiteheat,thefirelinesuddenlyburstintoawallofflame,headingdirectlytowardthem."Let'sgetoutofhere!"Roycesaid.微風(fēng)突然轉(zhuǎn)向，朝兩人身后吹來，而且越吹越強(qiáng)。火仗風(fēng)勢，燒得熾熱，一條火帶頓時(shí)就變成一道火墻，直撲兩人而來。"咱們快離開這兒！"羅伊斯說道。7Desperatelyhetriedtobackthecaroutofthesandbank.Butthewheelsonlyspundeeperinthesoftsand.他拼命想把車倒出沙堆?？绍囕喸谲浬忱镌睫D(zhuǎn)陷得越深。8Suddenlythefirewasonthem.Billpushedopenhisdooronlytofindhimselfflungthroughtheairas,witharoar,thegasolinetankexplodedandthecarleaptthreefeetofftheground.WhenitcrashedbackdownRoycefoundhimselfpinnedagainstthesteeringwheel,unabletomove.Thecar'sseatsandroofwerenowonfire.火頓時(shí)就撲到兩人身上。比爾推開車門，卻聽得一聲巨響，油箱爆炸了，車子飛離地面三英尺，他自己則被拋到空中。車子摔回地面后，羅伊斯發(fā)現(xiàn)自己被方向盤卡住，動(dòng)彈不得。這時(shí)，車座和車頂也都燒著了。9Billlaywherehefell,allthebreathknockedoutofhim.Thefrontofhisshirt,shorts,barearmsandlegsweresoakedinburninggasoline.Thenthesightofthecarinflamesbroughthimuprightwithastart."Royce!"hecried,strugglingtohisfeetandheadingforthecar.比爾躺在跌落的地方，摔得氣都喘不過來。他的襯衣前襟、短褲、光裸的手臂和雙腿都浸在燃燒著的汽油里。接著汽車著火了，見此情景他驚坐起來。"羅伊斯！"他邊喊邊掙扎著站起身來，向汽車沖去。10Pullingopenthedoor,heseizedRoyce'sarmsthroughthesmoke."I'mstuck,"Roycesaid."Getyourselfaway!"他拉開車門，在煙霧中抓住羅伊斯的手臂。"我給卡住了，"羅伊斯說，"你快走！"11ThefirebitatBill'sarms,faceandlegs,buthetightenedhisgriponRoyce."I'mnotleavingyouhere,"hesaid.火舌舔著比爾的雙臂、臉和雙腿，但他緊緊地抓住羅伊斯不放。"我不會(huì)把你丟棄在這兒的，"他說道。12NowBilldughisheelsintothesandandpulledashardashecould.Suddenlyhefellbackward.Roycewasfreeandoutofthecar.AssoonashehaddraggedhimawayhepattedouttheflamesonRoyce'sbodyandonhisownlegsandarmswithhisbarehands.比爾兩個(gè)腳跟扎在沙堆里，拼命用力拉。突然他仰面倒下，羅伊斯被拉出了汽車。他一把將羅伊斯拉開，便趕緊赤手去撲滅羅伊斯身上以及自己腿上、手臂上的火。13Roycesawasecondexplosionrockthecar,asitwaseatenupbyflames.I'dbeashesnowifBillhadn'tgottenmeout,hethought.Lookingdown,Roycewasshockedbytheextentofhisinjuries.Hisstomachandlefthipwerecoveredindeepburns.Worsestill,hisfingerswereburnedcompletelyoutofshape.羅伊斯看著又一次爆炸把汽車震得直晃，車一下子被火苗吞噬。"要不是比爾把我拉出來，我這會(huì)兒就燒成灰了，"他暗想。他低頭一看，身上傷勢之嚴(yán)重令他大為驚訝。他腹部及左臀嚴(yán)重?zé)齻?。更糟糕的是，手指被燒得完全變了形?4Lyingonhisback,Billwasinequallybadshape.Piecesofblackenedfleshandskinhungfromhisforearms,handsandlegs.比爾仰天躺在地上，也一樣被燒得不成樣子。前臂以及手和腿上，一塊塊燒得焦黑的皮肉掛了下來。15Billlookedacrossathisfriend.ReadingthedespaircloudingRoyce'sface,Billsaid,"I'llgethelp.Youhangon."Roycenodded,butashewatchedBillsetoffslowlyacrosstheblackenedfield,hewonderedhowhisfriendwasgoingtowalkalmosttwomilesandgetoverthreefences.比爾朝自己的朋友望去，看出羅伊斯?jié)M臉絕望，便說："我去叫人。你頂住。"羅伊斯點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭，可當(dāng)他看著比爾穿過焦黑的田地緩緩走開時(shí)，真不知道這位朋友怎么去走那幾乎整整兩英里的路，還要跨越三道柵欄。16(AlifetimespentaroundthetoughpeoplewhomaketheirhomeintheAustralianbushhadpermanentlyfixedintoBill'ssoultwoprinciples:nevergiveupnomatterhowbadtheoddsandneverletafrienddown.Now,witheverystepsendingpainpiercingthrougheverypartofhisbody,hedrewonthosetwinpillarsofcharacter.IfIdon'tmakeit,Roycewilldieoutthere,hetoldhimselfoverandover.一輩子與居住在澳大利亞灌木地帶的那些剛強(qiáng)的硬漢一起生活的人生經(jīng)歷，將兩條準(zhǔn)則永久地銘刻在比爾心頭：無論多么艱難，決不泄氣，決不拋棄朋友。此時(shí)此刻，他每邁出一步，渾身上下便針扎似地疼，他完全是靠這兩種品質(zhì)支撐著。如果我不能挺住的話，羅伊斯就會(huì)死在那里，比爾一次又一次地告誡自己。17"What'sthematterwiththatdog?"saidVickyWedding,Royce'smom,peeringoutherwindow.Startledbyanoisebehindher,sheturnedtoseeBillleaningagainstthedoor."那條狗怎么啦？"羅伊斯的母親維基·韋丁說著朝窗外望去。聽到身后響動(dòng)，她嚇了一跳，轉(zhuǎn)身一看，比爾正倚靠在門上。18"DearGod,whathappened?"sheexclaimed,grabbingBillashesliddownthedoorframe."天哪，出了什么事？"她驚問道，趕緊扶住正沿著門框癱坐下去的比爾。19"Wegotcaughtinthefire,"hewhispered,barelyabletospeak."Gethelp."VickysatBilldown,coveredhiminwettowelstoeasethepainofhisburns,andthenpickedupthephone."我們?cè)饣馃耍?他低聲道，幾乎說不出話來。"快去叫人。"維基扶比爾坐下，用濕毛巾敷在他身上以減輕燒傷的疼痛，隨后便拿起了電話。20Throughoutthebumpy,hour-and-a-halfridetothehospitalinHorsham,neitherofthetwoinjuredmenspokeoftheirpain."Weshould'vegonetothefootballmatch,"Roycesaid,tryingtokeeptheirspiritsup.Billgrinnedweakly.他們坐上汽車前往霍舍姆的醫(yī)院，在長達(dá)一個(gè)半小時(shí)的顛簸的路途中，兩位傷者只字未提自己的傷痛。"咱們真該去看足球賽，"羅伊斯開口說道，想讓自己和朋友振作一下精神。比爾也輕輕一笑。21NotlongafterBillfoundhimselfatGovernmentHousebeingpresentedwiththeBraveryMedalforhiscourageousrescue.ButtherealhighlightforBillcamesixmonthsafterthefire,whenRoyce,justoutofhospital,walkedintotheEurekaHotelandboughthimabeer.不久，比爾在鎮(zhèn)公所被授予勇敢獎(jiǎng)?wù)?，以表彰其勇救他人的壯舉。但真正最令比爾激動(dòng)的時(shí)刻是火災(zāi)發(fā)生六個(gè)月之后，剛剛出院的羅伊斯走進(jìn)尤里卡飯店，請(qǐng)他喝啤酒。22"Wemadeit,"saidRoyceastheyraisedtheirglasses."Here'stothebestfriendamancouldhave.""咱們贏了，"兩人舉杯時(shí)，羅伊斯說道，"為生死之交干杯。"Unit3PublicAttitudesTowardScience公眾科學(xué)觀StephenHawking斯蒂芬·霍金1Whetherwelikeitornot,theworldweliveinhaschangedagreatdealinthelasthundredyears,anditislikelytochangeevenmoreinthenexthundred.Somepeoplewouldliketostopthesechangesandgobacktowhattheyseeasapurerandsimplerage.Butashistoryshows,thepastwasnotthatwonderful.Itwasnotsobadforaprivilegedminority,thougheventheyhadtodowithoutmodernmedicine,andchildbirthwashighlyriskyforwomen.Butforthevastmajorityofthepopulation,lifewasnasty,brutish,andshort.無論我們是否愿意，我們生活的世界在過去一百年間已經(jīng)變化了許多，而且在未來的一百年里可能變化更多。有人想中止這種種變化，回到那個(gè)他們認(rèn)為更純潔更樸素的時(shí)代。但正如歷史所表明的，過去并非那么美妙。過去對(duì)享有特權(quán)的少數(shù)人不算太糟，但即便他們也無從享受現(xiàn)代醫(yī)療，而生育對(duì)婦女來說風(fēng)險(xiǎn)極大。對(duì)占人口大多數(shù)的民眾而言，生命是艱難、殘忍而又短暫的。2Anyway,evenifonewantedto,onecouldn'tputtheclockbacktoanearlierage.Knowledgeandtechniquescan'tjustbeforgotten.Norcanonepreventfurtheradvancesinthefuture.Evenifallgovernmentmoneyforresearchwerecutoff(andthepresentgovernmentisdoingitsbest),theforceofcompetitionwouldstillbringaboutadvancesintechnology.Moreover,onecannotstopinquiringmindsfromthinkingaboutbasicscience,whetherornottheyarepaidforit.Theonlywaytopreventfurtherdevelopmentswouldbeaglobalstatethatsuppressedanythingnew,andhumaninitiativeandinventivenessaresuchthateventhiswouldn'tsucceed.Allitwoulddoisslowdowntherateofchange.不管怎樣，即使有人想這么做，他也無法將時(shí)鐘撥回到早先的時(shí)代。知識(shí)與技術(shù)不可能說忘就忘了。也沒有人能阻止未來的進(jìn)一步發(fā)展。即使所有用于研究的政府資金都被取消（現(xiàn)政府正在為此努力），競爭的力量仍將繼續(xù)帶來技術(shù)的發(fā)展。更何況，沒有人能阻止探究求索之士去思索基礎(chǔ)科學(xué)，無論他們是否會(huì)為此得到酬勞。惟一能阻止進(jìn)一步發(fā)展的辦法或許是一個(gè)壓制任何新事物的全球政府，但人類的進(jìn)取心與創(chuàng)造力如此旺盛，即便這個(gè)政府也不會(huì)成功。它所能做到的只是延緩變化的速度。3Ifweacceptthatwecannotpreventscienceandtechnologyfromchangingourworld,wecanatleasttrytoensurethatthechangestheymakeareintherightdirections.Inademocraticsociety,thismeansthatthepublicneedstohaveabasicunderstandingofscience,sothatitcanmakeinformeddecisionsandnotleavetheminthehandsofexperts.Atthemoment,thepublicisintwomindsaboutscience.Ithascometoexpectthesteadyincreaseinthestandardoflivingthatnewdevelopmentsinscienceandtechnologyhavebroughttocontinue,butitalsodistrustssciencebecauseitdoesn'tunderstandit.ThisdistrustisevidentinthecartoonfigureofthemadscientistworkinginhislaboratorytoproduceaFrankenstein.ItisalsoanimportantelementbehindsupportfortheGreenparties.Butthepublicalsohasagreatinterestinscience,particularlyastronomy,asisshownbythelargeaudiencesfortelevisionseriessuchasTheSkyatNightandforsciencefiction.如果我們承認(rèn)，我們無法阻止科學(xué)技術(shù)改變我們的世界，我們至少可以努力確?？萍紟淼淖兓较蛘_。在一個(gè)民主社會(huì)里，這意味著公眾需要對(duì)