新概念英語(yǔ)第三冊(cè)課文及翻譯2

Lesson40Who’swhoIthasneverbeenexplainedwhyuniversitystudentsseemtoenjoypracticaljokesmorethananyoneelse.Studentsspecializeinaparticulartypeofpracticaljoke:thehoax.Invitingthefire-brigadetoputoutanon-existentfireisacrudeformofdeceptionwhichnoself-respectingstudentwouldeverindulgein,Studentsoftencreateamusingsituationswhicharefunnytoeveryoneexceptthevictims.Whenastudentrecentlysawtwoworkmenusingapneumaticdrilloutsidehisuniversity,heimmediatelytelephonedthepoliceandinformedthemthattwostudentsdressedupasworkmenweretearinguptheroadwithapneumaticdrill.Assoonashehadhungup,hewentovertotheworkmenandtoldthemthatifapolicemanorderedthemtogoaway,theywerenottotakehimseriously.Headdedthatastudenthaddressedupasapolicemanandwasplayingallsortsofsillyjokesonpeople.Boththepoliceandtheworkmenweregratefultothestudentforthispieceofadvanceinformation.Thestudenthidinanarchwaynearbywherehecouldwatchandheareverythingthatwenton.Sureenough,apolicemanarrivedonthesceneandpolitelyaskedtheworkmentogoaway.Whenhereceivedaveryrudereplyfromoneoftheworkmen,hethreatenedtoremovethembyforce.Theworkmentoldhimtodoashepleasedandthepolicemantelephonedforhelp.Shortlyafterwards,fourmorepolicemenarrivedandremonstratedwiththeworkmen.Asthemenrefusedtostopworking,thepoliceattemptedtoseizethepneumaticdrill.Theworkmenstruggledfiercelyandoneofthemlosthistemper.Hethreatenedtocallthepolice.Atthis,thepolicepointedoutironicallythatthiswouldhardlybenecessaryasthemenwerealreadyunderarrest.Pretendingtospeakseriously,oneoftheworkmenaskedifhemightmakeatelephonecallbeforebeingtakentothestation.Permissionwasgrantedandapolicemanaccompaniedhimtoacall-box.Onlywhenhesawthatthemanwasactuallytelephoningthepolicedidherealizethattheyhadallbeenthevictimsofahoax.誰(shuí)也弄不清為什么大學(xué)生好像比任何人都更喜歡惡作劇。大學(xué)生擅長(zhǎng)一種特殊的惡作劇——戲弄人。請(qǐng)消防隊(duì)來(lái)?yè)錅缫粓?chǎng)根本沒(méi)有的大火是一種低級(jí)騙局，有自尊心的大學(xué)生決不會(huì)去做。大學(xué)生們常常做的是制造一種可笑的局面，使大家笑上一場(chǎng)，當(dāng)然受害者是笑不出來(lái)的。最近有個(gè)學(xué)生看見(jiàn)兩個(gè)工人在學(xué)校門外用風(fēng)鉆干活，馬上打電話報(bào)告警察，說(shuō)有兩個(gè)學(xué)生裝扮成工人，正在用風(fēng)鉆破壞路面。掛上電話后，他又馬上來(lái)到工人那兒，告訴他們?nèi)粲袀€(gè)警察來(lái)讓他們走開(kāi)，不要把他當(dāng)回事，還對(duì)工人說(shuō)，有個(gè)學(xué)生常裝扮成警察無(wú)聊地同別人開(kāi)玩笑。警察與工人都對(duì)那個(gè)學(xué)生事先通報(bào)情況表示感謝。那個(gè)學(xué)生躲在附近一拱形的門廊里，在那兒可以看見(jiàn)、聽(tīng)到現(xiàn)場(chǎng)發(fā)生的一切。果然，警察來(lái)了，不禮貌地請(qǐng)工人離開(kāi)此地；但其中一個(gè)工人粗魯?shù)鼗亓藥拙?。于是警察威脅要強(qiáng)行使他們離開(kāi)。工人說(shuō)，悉聽(tīng)尊便。警察去打電話叫人。一會(huì)兒工夫，又來(lái)了4個(gè)警察，規(guī)勸工人離開(kāi)。由于工人拒絕停下手中的活，警察想奪風(fēng)鉆。兩個(gè)工人奮力抗?fàn)?，其中一個(gè)發(fā)了火，威脅說(shuō)要去叫警察。警察聽(tīng)后譏諷地說(shuō)，這大可不必，因?yàn)樗麄z已被逮捕了。其中一個(gè)工人裝模作樣地問(wèn)道，在被帶往警察局之前，是否可以打一個(gè)電話。警察同意了，陪他來(lái)到一個(gè)投幣地電話前，當(dāng)他看到那個(gè)工人真的是給警察掛電話，才恍然大悟，原來(lái)他們都成一場(chǎng)騙局的受害者。Lesson41IllusionsofPastoralpeaceThequietlifeofthecountryhasneverappealedtome.Citybornandcitybred,Ihavealwaysregardedthecountryassomethingyoulookatthroughatrainwindow,orsomethingyouoccasionallyvisitduringtheweek-end.Mostofmyfriendsliveinthecity,yettheyalwaysgointorapturesatthemerementionofthecountry.Thoughtheyextolthevirtuesofthepeacefullife,onlyoneofthemhasevergonetoliveinthecountryandhewasbackintownwithinsixmonths.Evenhestilllivesundertheillusionthatcountrylifeissomehowsuperiortotownlife.Heisforevertalkingaboutthefriendlypeople,thecleanatmosphere,theclosenesstonatureandthegentlepaceofliving.Nothingcanbecompared,hemaintains,withthefirstcockcrow,thetwitteringofbirdsatdawn,thesightoftherisingsunglintingonthetreesandpastures.Thisidyllicpastoralsceneisonlypartofthepicture.Myfriendfailstomentionthelongandfriendlesswintereveningswhichareinterruptedonlybyanoccasionalvisittothelocalcinema-virtuallytheonlyformofentertainment.Hesaysnothingaboutthepoorselectionofgoodsintheshops,oraboutthoseunfortunatepeoplewhohavetotravelfromthecountrytothecityeverydaytogettowork.Whypeoplearepreparedtotolerateafourhourjourneyeachdayforthedubiousprivilegeoflivinginthecountryisbeyondmyken.Theycouldbesavedsomuchmiseryandexpenseiftheychosetoliveinthecitywheretheyrightlybelong.Ifyoucandowithoutthefewpastoralpleasuresofthecountry,youwillfindthecitycanprovideyouwiththebestthatlifecanoffer.Youneverhavetotravelmilestoseeyourfriends.Theyinvariablylivenearbyandarealwaysavailableforaninformalchatoranevening'sentertainment.Someofmyacquaintancesinthecountrycomeuptotownonceortwiceayeartovisitthetheatreasaspecialtreat.Forthemthisisamajoroperationwhichinvolvesconsiderableplanning.Astheplaydrawstoitsclose,theywonderwhethertheywillevercatchthatlasttrainhome.Thecitydwellerneverexperiencesanxietiesofthissort.Thelatestexhibitions,films,orplaysareonlyashortbusrideaway.Shopping,too,isalwaysapleasure.Thereissomuchvarietythatyouneverhavetomakedowithsecondbest.Countrypeoplerunwildwhentheygoshoppinginthecityandstaggerhomeloadedwithasmanyofthenecessitiesoflifeastheycancarry.Noristhecitywithoutitsmomentsofbeauty.Thereissomethingcomfortingaboutthewarmglowshedbyadvertisementsoncoldwetwinternights.Fewthingscouldbemoreimpressivethanthepeacethatdescendsondesertedcitystreetsatweek-endswhenthethousandsthattraveltoworkeverydayaretuckedawayintheirhomesinthecountry.Ithasalwaysbeenamysterytomewhycitydwellers,whoappreciateallthesethings,obstinatelypretendthattheywouldprefertoliveinthecountry.寧?kù)o的鄉(xiāng)村生活從來(lái)沒(méi)有吸引過(guò)我。我生在城市，長(zhǎng)在城市，總認(rèn)為鄉(xiāng)村是透過(guò)火車車窗看到的那個(gè)樣了，或偶爾周末去游玩一下景象。我的許多朋友都住在城市，但他們只要一提起鄉(xiāng)村，馬上就會(huì)變得欣喜若狂。盡管他們都交口稱贊寧?kù)o的鄉(xiāng)村生活的種種優(yōu)點(diǎn)，但其中只有一個(gè)人真去農(nóng)村住過(guò)，而且不足6個(gè)月就回來(lái)了。即使他也仍存有幻覺(jué)，好像鄉(xiāng)村生活就是比城市生活優(yōu)越。他滔滔不絕地大談?dòng)押玫霓r(nóng)民，潔凈的空氣，貼近大自然的環(huán)境和悠閑的生活節(jié)奏。他堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為，凌晨雄雞第一聲啼叫，黎明時(shí)分小鳥吱喳歡叫，冉冉升起的朝陽(yáng)染紅樹木、牧場(chǎng)，此番美景無(wú)與倫比。但這種田園詩(shī)般的鄉(xiāng)村風(fēng)光僅僅是一個(gè)側(cè)面。我的朋友沒(méi)有提到在電視機(jī)前度過(guò)的漫長(zhǎng)寂寞的冬夜——電視是唯一的娛樂(lè)形式。他也不說(shuō)商店貨物品種單調(diào)，以及那些每天不得不從鄉(xiāng)下趕到城里工作的不幸的人們。人們?yōu)槭裁辞樵该刻煸诼飞媳疾?個(gè)小時(shí)去換取值得懷疑的鄉(xiāng)間的優(yōu)點(diǎn)，我是無(wú)法理解的。要是他們?cè)敢庾≡诒緛?lái)屬于他們的城市，則可以讓他們省去諸多不便與節(jié)約大量開(kāi)支。如果你愿舍棄鄉(xiāng)下生活那一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)樂(lè)趣的話，那么你會(huì)發(fā)出城市可以為你提供生活最美好的東西。你去看朋友根本不用跋涉好幾英里，因?yàn)樗麄兌甲≡诟浇汶S時(shí)可以同他們聊天或在晚上一起娛樂(lè)。我在鄉(xiāng)村有一些熟人，他們每年進(jìn)城來(lái)看一回或幾回戲，并把此看作一種特殊的享受?？磻蛟谒麄兪羌笫?，需要精心計(jì)劃。當(dāng)戲快演完時(shí)，他們又為是否能趕上末班火車回家而犯愁。這種焦慮，城里人是從未體驗(yàn)過(guò)的。坐公共汽車幾站路，就可看到最新的展覽、電影、戲劇。買東西也是一種樂(lè)趣。物品種繁多，從來(lái)不必用二等品來(lái)湊合。鄉(xiāng)里人進(jìn)城采購(gòu)欣喜若狂，每次回家時(shí)都買足了外來(lái)商品，直到拿不動(dòng)方才罷休，連走路都搖搖晃晃的。城市也并非沒(méi)有良辰美景。寒冷潮濕的冬夜里，廣告燈箱發(fā)出的暖光，會(huì)給人某種安慰。周末，當(dāng)成千上萬(wàn)進(jìn)城上班的人回到他們的鄉(xiāng)間寓所之后，空曠的街市籠罩著一種寧?kù)o氣氛，沒(méi)有什么能比此時(shí)的寧?kù)o更令人難忘了。城里人對(duì)這一切心里很明白，卻偏要執(zhí)拗地裝出他們喜歡住在鄉(xiāng)村的樣子，這對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)一直是個(gè)謎。Lesson42ModernCavemenCaveexploration,orpotholing,asithascometobeknown,isarelativelynewsport.Perhapsitisthedesireforsolitudeorthechanceofmakinganunexpecteddiscoverythatluresmendowntothedepthsoftheearth.Itisimpossibletogiveasatisfactoryexplanationforapot-holer'smotives.Forhim,caveshavethesamepeculiarfascinationwhichhighmountainshavefortheclimber.Theyarouseinstinctswhichcanonlybedimlyunderstood.ExploringreallydeepcavesisnotataskfortheSundayafternoonrambler.Suchundertakingsrequirethepreciseplanningandforesightofmilitaryoperations.Itcantakeaslongaseightdaystorigupropeladdersandtoestablishsupplybasesbeforeadescentcanbemadeintoaverydeepcave.Precautionsofthissortarenecessary,foritisimpossibletoforetelltheexactnatureofthedifficultieswhichwillconfrontthepotholer.ThedeepestknowncaveintheworldistheGouffreBergernearGrenoble.Itextendstoadepthof3723feet.Thisimmensechasmhasbeenformedbyanundergroundstreamwhichhastunnelledacoursethroughaflawintherocks.TheentrancetothecaveisonaplateauintheDauphineAlps.Asitisonlysixfeetacross,itisbarelynoticeable.ThecavemightneverhavebeendiscoveredhadnottheentrancebeenspottedbythedistinguishedFrenchpotholer,Berger.Sinceitsdiscovery,ithasbecomeasortofpotholers'Everest.Thoughanumberofdescentshavebeenmade,muchofitstillremainstobeexplored.AteamofpotholersrecentlywentdowntheGouffreBerger.Afterenteringthenarrowgapontheplateau,theyclimbeddownthesteepsidesofthecaveuntiltheycametoanarrowcorridor.Theyhadtoedgetheirwayalongthis,sometimeswadingacrossshallowstreams,orswimmingacrossdeeppools.Suddenlytheycametoawaterfallwhichdroppedintoanundergroundlakeatthebottomofthecave.Theyplungedintothelake,andafterloadingtheirgearonaninflatablerubberdinghy,letthecurrentcarrythemtotheotherside.Toprotectthemselvesfromtheicywater,theyhadtowearspecialrubbersuits.Atthefarendofthelake,theycametohugepilesofrubblewhichhadbeenwashedupbythewater.Inthispartofthecave,theycouldhearaninsistentboomingsoundwhichtheyfoundwascausedbyasmallwater-spoutshootingdownintoapoolfromtheroofofthecave.Squeezingthroughacleftintherocks,thepotholersarrivedatanenormouscavern,thesizeofahugeconcerthall.Afterswitchingonpowerfularclights,theysawgreatstalagmites—someofthemoverfortyfeethigh--risingupliketree-trunkstomeetthestalactitessuspendedfromtheroof.Roundabout,pilesoflime-stoneglistenedinallthecoloursoftherainbow.Intheeeriesilenceofthecavern,theonlysoundthatcouldbeheardwasmadebywaterwhichdrippedcontinuouslyfromthehighdomeabovethem.洞穴勘查——或洞穴勘探——是一項(xiàng)比較新的體育活動(dòng)。尋求獨(dú)處的愿望或?qū)で笠馔獍l(fā)現(xiàn)的機(jī)會(huì)的欲望吸引人們來(lái)到地下深處。要想對(duì)洞穴探險(xiǎn)者的動(dòng)機(jī)作出滿意的解釋是不可能的。對(duì)洞穴探險(xiǎn)者來(lái)說(shuō)，洞穴有一種特殊的魅力，就像高山對(duì)登山者有特殊魅力一樣。為什么洞空能引發(fā)人的那種探險(xiǎn)本能，人們對(duì)此只能有一種模模糊糊的理解。探測(cè)非常深的洞穴不是那些在星期日下午漫步的人所能勝任的。這種活動(dòng)需要有軍事行動(dòng)般的周密布署和預(yù)見(jiàn)能力。有時(shí)需要花費(fèi)整整8天時(shí)間來(lái)搭起繩梯，建立供應(yīng)基地，然后才能到一個(gè)很深的洞穴里。作出這樣的準(zhǔn)備是必要的，因?yàn)闊o(wú)法預(yù)見(jiàn)到洞穴探險(xiǎn)者究竟會(huì)遇到什么性質(zhì)的困難。世界上最深的洞穴是格里諾布爾附近的高弗.伯杰洞，深達(dá)3,723英尺。這個(gè)深邃的洞穴是由一條地下暗泉沖刷巖石中的縫隙并使之慢慢變大而形成的。此洞的洞口在丹芬阿爾卑斯山的高原上，僅6英尺寬，很難被發(fā)現(xiàn)。若不是法國(guó)著名洞穴探險(xiǎn)家伯杰由于偶然的機(jī)會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)了這個(gè)洞口的話，這個(gè)洞也許不會(huì)為人所知。自從被發(fā)現(xiàn)以后，這個(gè)洞成了洞穴探險(xiǎn)者的珠穆朗瑪峰，人們多次進(jìn)入洞內(nèi)探險(xiǎn)，但至今尚有不少東西有待勘探。最近，一隊(duì)洞穴探險(xiǎn)者下到了高弗.伯杰洞里。他們從高原上的窄縫進(jìn)去，順著筆直陡峭的洞壁往下爬。來(lái)到一條狹窄的走廊上。他們不得不側(cè)著身子往前走，有時(shí)過(guò)淺溪，有時(shí)游過(guò)深潭。突然，他們來(lái)到一道瀑布前，那瀑布奔瀉而下，注入洞底一處地下湖里。他們跳入湖中，把各種器具裝上一只充氣的橡皮艇，聽(tīng)任水流將他們帶往對(duì)岸。湖水冰冷刺骨，他們必須穿上一種特制的橡皮服以保護(hù)自己。在湖的盡頭，他們見(jiàn)到一大堆一大堆由湖水沖刷上岸的碎石。在這兒，他們可以聽(tīng)見(jiàn)一種連續(xù)不斷的轟鳴聲。后來(lái)他們發(fā)現(xiàn)這是由山洞頂部的一個(gè)小孔里噴出的水柱跌落到水潭中發(fā)出的聲音。洞穴探險(xiǎn)者從巖石縫里擠身過(guò)去，來(lái)到一個(gè)巨大的洞里，其大小相當(dāng)于一個(gè)音樂(lè)廳。他們打開(kāi)強(qiáng)力弧光燈，看見(jiàn)一株株巨大的石筍，有的高達(dá)40英尺，像樹干似地向上長(zhǎng)著，與洞頂懸掛下來(lái)的鐘乳石相接。周圍是一堆堆石灰石，像彩虹一樣閃閃發(fā)光。洞里有一種可怕的寂靜，唯一的可以聽(tīng)見(jiàn)的聲響是高高的圓頂上不間斷地滴水的嘀嗒聲。Lesson43FullyinsuredInsurancecompaniesarenormallywillingtoinsureanything.Insuringpublicorprivatepropertyisastandardpracticeinmostcountriesintheworld.If,however,youwereholdinganopenairgardenpartyorafeteitwouldbeequallypossibletoinsureyourselfintheeventofbadweather.Needlesstosay,thebiggertheriskaninsurancecompanytakes,thehigherthepremiumyouwillhavetopay.Itisnotuncommontohearthataship-pingcompanyhasmadeaclaimforthecostofsalvagingasunkenship.Buttheclaimmadebyalocalauthoritytorecoverthecostofsalvagingasunkenpiedishmustsurelybeunique.Admittedlyitwasanunusualpiedish,foritwaseighteenfeetlongandsixfeetwide.Ithadbeenpurchasedbyalocalauthoritysothatanenormouspiecouldbebakedforanannualfair.Thepiecommitteedecidedthatthebestwaytotransportthedishwouldbebycanal,sotheyinsureditforthetrip.Shortlyafteritwaslaunched,thepiecommitteewenttoalocalinntocelebrate.Atthesametime,anumberofteenagersclimbedontothedishandheldalittlepartyoftheirown.Moderndancesprovedtobemorethanthediskcouldbear,forduringthepartyitcapsizedandsankinsevenfeetofwater.Thepiecommitteetelephonedalocalgarageownerwhoarrivedinarecoverytrucktosalvagethepiedish.Shiveringintheirwetclothes,theteenagerslookedonwhilethreemendivedrepeatedlyintothewatertolocatethedish.Theyhadlittledifficultyinfindingit,buthaulingitoutofthewaterprovedtobeaseriousproblem.Thesidesofthedishweresosmooththatitwasalmostimpossibletoattachhawsersandchainstotherimwithoutdamagingit.Eventuallychainswerefixedtooneendofthedishandapowerfulwinchwasputintooperation.Thedishrosetothesurfaceandwasgentlydrawntowardsthecanalbank.Foroneagonizingmoment,thedishwasperchedprecariouslyonthebankofthecanal,butitsuddenlyoverbalancedandslidbackintothewater.Themenwerenowobligedtotryoncemore.Thistimetheyfixedheavymetalclampstobothsidesofthedishsothattheycouldfastenthechains.Thedishnowhadtobeliftedverticallybecauseoneedgewasrestingagainstthesideofthecanal.Thewinchwasagainputintooperationandoneofthemenstartedupthetruck.Severalminuteslater,thedishwassuccessfullyhauledabovethesurfaceofthewater.Waterstreamedintorrentsoveritssideswithsuchforcethatitsetupahugewaveinthecanal.Therewasdangerthatthewavewouldreboundofftheothersideofthebankandsendthedishplungingintothewateragain.Byworkingattremendousspeed,themenmanagedtogetthedishontodrylandbeforethewavereturned.保險(xiǎn)公司一般說(shuō)來(lái)愿意承保一切東西。承辦公共財(cái)產(chǎn)或私人財(cái)產(chǎn)保險(xiǎn)是世界上大部分國(guó)家的正常業(yè)務(wù)。如果你要舉辦一次露天游園會(huì)或盛宴，為避免碰上不好的天氣而遭受損失也同樣可以保險(xiǎn)，不用說(shuō)，保險(xiǎn)公司承擔(dān)風(fēng)險(xiǎn)越大，你付的保險(xiǎn)費(fèi)也就越高。航運(yùn)公司為打撈沉船而提出索賠，這是常有的事，但某地當(dāng)局為打撈一只焙制餡餅的盤子提出索賠，倒是件新鮮的事兒。這個(gè)餡餅盤子確實(shí)少見(jiàn)，有18英尺長(zhǎng)，6英尺寬。某地方當(dāng)局買下它用來(lái)焙制一個(gè)巨大的餡餅為一年一度交易會(huì)助興。餡餅委員會(huì)確認(rèn)運(yùn)輸這只盤子的最佳方案是通過(guò)運(yùn)河水運(yùn)。于是，他們對(duì)這只盤子的運(yùn)輸安全投了保。盤子下水后不久，餡餅委員會(huì)成員們來(lái)到當(dāng)?shù)匾患倚【频陸c賀。就在這個(gè)時(shí)候，許多十幾歲的孩子爬盤子舉行他們自己的集會(huì)。他們跳起了舞，盤子難以承受。舞會(huì)進(jìn)行過(guò)程中，盤子傾覆，沉入了7英尺深的水中。餡餅委員會(huì)給當(dāng)?shù)仄囆蘩韼?kù)老板打電話，他聞?dòng)嵑箝_(kāi)著一輛急修車前來(lái)打撈盤子。那些孩子們穿著濕衣服哆嗦，看著3個(gè)工人輪潛入水中以確定盤子的位置。他們沒(méi)費(fèi)多大事兒就找到了盤子?？墒前驯P子撈出卻是一個(gè)很大的難題。盤子四邊十分光滑，要在盤邊拴上繩索或鏈條而同時(shí)又不損壞它是很難辦到的。不過(guò)，他們終于將鏈條固定在盤子的一端，一臺(tái)大功率的絞車開(kāi)動(dòng)起來(lái)。盤子慢慢浮出水面，被輕輕地拽向運(yùn)河岸邊。在令人忐忑不安的瞬間，盤子晃晃悠悠地上了岸，但它突然失去了平衡，又跌回水中。工人們只得再來(lái)一次。這次，他們用沉重的金屬夾子把盤子夾住，以便往盤子上安裝鐵鏈。這次，盤子必須垂直吊出水面，因?yàn)楸P子的一邊緊靠著運(yùn)河河岸。絞盤機(jī)再次啟動(dòng)，一位工人發(fā)動(dòng)了急修車的引擎。幾分鐘后，盤子被成功地拽出了水面。波浪從盤子兩側(cè)急涌而出，在運(yùn)河里掀起一股大浪。但是當(dāng)波浪從河對(duì)岸折回來(lái)時(shí)，就有再次把盤子拖進(jìn)水里的危險(xiǎn)。工人們動(dòng)作迅速，終于趕在那股大浪返回之前把盤子拽到了岸上。Lesson44SpeedandcomfortPeopletravellinglongdistancesfrequentlyhavetodecidewhethertheywouldprefertogobyland,sea,orair.Hardlyanyonecanpositivelyenjoysittinginatrainformorethanafewhours.Traincompartmentssoongetcrampedandstuffy.Itisalmostimpossibletotakeyourmindoffthejourney.Readingisonlyapartialsolution,forthemonotonousrhythmofthewheelsclickingontherailssoonlullsyoutosleep.Duringtheday,sleepcomesinsnatches.Atnight,whenyoureallywishtogotosleep,yourarelymanagetodoso.Ifyouareluckyenoughtogetacouchette,youspendhalfthenightstaringatthesmallbluelightintheceiling,orfumblingtofindyourpassportwhenyoucrossafrontier.Inevitablyyouarriveatyourdestinationalmostexhausted.Longcarjourneysareevenlesspleasant,foritisquiteimpossibleeventoread.Onmotor-waysyoucan,atleast,travelfairlysafelyathighspeeds,butmoreoftenthannot,thegreaterpartofthejourneyisspentonnarrow,bumpyroadswhicharecrowdedwithtraffic.Bycomparison,tripsbyseaofferagreatvarietyofcivilizedcomforts.Youcanstretchyourlegsonthespaciousdecks,playgames,swim,meetinterestingpeopleandenjoygoodfood--alwaysassuming,ofcourse,thattheseaiscalm.Ifitisnot,andyouarelikelytogetsea-sick,noformoftransportcouldbeworse.Evenifyoutravelinidealweather,seajourneystakealongtime.Relativelyfewpeoplearepreparedtosacrificeuptoathirdoftheirholidaysforthepleasureoftravellingonaship.Aeroplaneshavethereputationofbeingdangerousandevenhardenedtravellersareintimidatedbythem.Theyalsohavethegravedisadvantageofbeingthemostexpensiveformoftransport.Butnothingcanmatchthemforspeedandcomfort.Travellingataheightof30,000feet,farabovetheclouds,andatover500milesanhourisanexhilaratingexperience.Youdonothavetodevisewaysoftakingyourmindoffthejourney,foranaeroplanegetsyoutoyourdestinationrapidly.Forafewhours,yousettlebackinadeeparmchairtoenjoytheflight.Therealescapistcanwatchafreefilmshowandsipchampagneonsomeservices.Butevenwhensuchrefinementsarenotavailable,thereisplentytokeepyouoccupied.Anaeroplaneoffersyouanunusualandbreathtakingviewoftheworld.Yousoareffortlesslyoverhighmountainsanddeepvalleys.Youreallyseetheshapeoftheland.Ifthelandscapeishiddenfromview,youcanenjoytheextraordinarysightofunbrokencloudplainsthatstretchoutformilesbeforeyou,whilethesunshinesbrilliantlyinaclearsky.Thejourneyissosmooththatthereisnothingtopreventyoufromreadingorsleeping.Howeveryoudecidetospendyourtime,onethingiscertain:youwillarriveatyourdestinationfreshanduncrumpled.Youwillnothavetospendthenextfewdaysrecoveringfromalongandarduousjourney.出遠(yuǎn)門的人常常需要決定是走旱路、水路，還是坐飛機(jī)。很少有人能夠真正喜歡坐幾個(gè)小時(shí)以上的火車。車廂很快就變得擁擠、悶熱，想擺脫開(kāi)旅途的困擾是很難的?？磿荒芙鉀Q部分問(wèn)題。車輪與鐵軌間單調(diào)的嘎喳聲很快就會(huì)送你進(jìn)入夢(mèng)鄉(xiāng)。白天是忽睡忽醒，到了夜晚，你真想睡了，卻很難入睡。即使你走運(yùn)弄到一個(gè)臥鋪，夜間有一半時(shí)間你會(huì)盯著車頂那盞小藍(lán)燈而睡不著覺(jué)；要不然就為查票摸索你的車票。一旦抵達(dá)目的地，你總是疲憊不堪。乘汽車作長(zhǎng)途旅行則更加不舒服，因?yàn)檫B看書都幾乎不可能。在公路上還好，你至少能以相當(dāng)快的速度安全地向前行。但旅行的大部分時(shí)間都花在路上，而且只有很少的服務(wù)設(shè)施，交通也很擁擠。相比之下，坐船旅行或環(huán)游可以得到文明世界的各種享受。你可以在甲板上伸展四肢、做游戲，還能也很見(jiàn)到各種有趣的人，能享用各種美味佳肴——當(dāng)然，這一切只有在大海風(fēng)平浪靜的情況下才有可能。如果大海肆虐起來(lái)，你就可能暈船，那種難受勁兒是任何一種別的旅行的方式都不會(huì)帶來(lái)的。即使風(fēng)平浪靜，坐船旅行也要占用很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間。沒(méi)有多少人會(huì)為享受坐船旅行的樂(lè)趣而犧牲假期的時(shí)間。飛機(jī)以危險(xiǎn)而著稱，連老資格的旅行者也怕飛機(jī)。飛機(jī)另一個(gè)缺點(diǎn)是昂貴。但就速度與舒適而言，飛機(jī)是無(wú)與倫比的。騰云駕霧，在30，000英尺高空以500英里的時(shí)速旅行，這種經(jīng)歷令人心曠神怡。你不必想辦法去擺脫旅途的困擾，因?yàn)轱w機(jī)會(huì)迅速地把你送到目的地。幾小時(shí)之內(nèi)，你躺在扶手椅上，享受著旅途的歡樂(lè)。真正會(huì)享受的人還可以在某些航班上看一場(chǎng)電影和喝香檳。即使沒(méi)有這些消遣條件，也總是有事可做。飛機(jī)上，你可以觀察世界上非同尋常的奇妙的美景。你毫不費(fèi)勁地飛越高山幽谷，你確能飽覽大地的風(fēng)貌。如果這種景色被遮住了，你可以觀賞一下展現(xiàn)在你面前的、一望數(shù)英里的、連綿不斷的云海，同時(shí)陽(yáng)光燦爛，天空清澈明朗。旅途平穩(wěn)，絲毫不妨礙你閱讀或睡眠。不管你打算如何消磨時(shí)間，有件事是可以肯定的，即當(dāng)你抵達(dá)目的地時(shí)，你感到精神煥發(fā)，毫無(wú)倦意，用不著因?yàn)槁L(zhǎng)的旅途的辛苦而花幾天時(shí)間休息來(lái)恢復(fù)精神。Lesson45ThepowerofpressIndemocraticcountriesanyeffortstorestrictthefreedomofthepressarerightlycondemned.However,thisfreedomcaneasilybeabused.Storiesaboutpeopleoftenattractfarmorepublicattentionthanpoliticalevents.Thoughwemayenjoyreadingaboutthelivesofothers,itisextremelydoubtfulwhetherwewouldequallyenjoyreadingaboutourselves.Actingonthecontentionthatfactsaresacred,reporterscancauseuntoldsufferingtoindividualsbypublishingdetailsabouttheirprivatelives.Newspapersexertsuchtremendousinfluencethattheycannotonlybringaboutmajorchangestothelivesofordinarypeoplebutcanevenoverthrowagovernment.Thestoryofapoorfamilythatacquiredfameandfortuneovernight,dramaticallyillustratesthepowerofthepress.ThefamilylivedinAberdeen,asmalltownof23,000inhabitantsinSouthDakota.Astheparentshadfivechildren,lifewasaperpetualstruggleagainstpoverty.Theywereexpectingtheirsixthchildandfacedwithevenmorepressingeconomicproblems.Iftheyhadonlyhadonemorechild,thefactwouldhavepassedunnoticed.Theywouldhavecontinuedtostruggleagainsteconomicoddsandwouldhavelivedinobscurity.Buttheysuddenlybecametheparentsofquintuplets,fourgirlsandaboy,aneventwhichradicallychangedtheirlives.Thedayafterthebirthofthefivechildren,anaeroplanearrivedinAberdeenbringingsixtyreportersandphotographers.Thenewswasofnationalimportance,forthepoorcouplehadbecometheparentsoftheonlyquintupletsinAmerica.Therisetofamewasswift.Televisioncamerasandnewspaperscarriedthenewstoeveryoneinthecountry.Newspapersandmagazinesofferedthefamilyhugesumsfortheexclusiverightstopublishstoriesandphotographs.Giftspouredinnotonlyfromunknownpeople,butfrombabyfoodandsoapmanufacturerswhowishedtoadvertisetheirproducts.Theoldfarmhousethefamilylivedinwastobereplacedbyanew$100,000home.Reporterskeptpressingforinterviewssolawyershadtobeemployedtoactasspokesmenforthefamilyatpressconferences.Theeventbroughtseriouschangestothetownitself.Planswereannouncedtobuildahugenewhighway,asAberdeenwasnowlikelytoattractthousandsoftourists.SignpostserectedontheoutskirtsofthetowndirectedtouristsnottoAberdeen,butto'Quint-CityU.S.A.'Thelocalauthoritiesdiscussedthepossibilityoferectinga'quintmuseum'tosatisfythecuriosityofthepublicandtoprotectthefamilyfrominquisitivetourists.Whilethefivebabieswerestillquietlysleepinginoxygententsinahospitalnursery,theirparentswerepayingthepriceforfame.Itwouldneveragainbepossibleforthemtoleadnormallives.Theyhadbecomethevictimsofcommercialization,fortheirnameshadacquiredamarketvalue.Thetownitselfreceivedsomuchattentionthatalmosteveryoneoftheinhabitantswasaffectedtoagreaterorlessdegree.在民主國(guó)家里，任何限制新聞自由的企圖都理所當(dāng)然地受到譴責(zé)。然而，這種自由很容易被濫用。常人軼事往往比政治事件更能引起公眾注意。我們都喜歡看關(guān)于別人生活的報(bào)道，但是否同樣喜歡看關(guān)于自己生活的報(bào)道，就很難說(shuō)了。記者按事實(shí)至上的論點(diǎn)行事，發(fā)表有關(guān)別人生活的細(xì)節(jié)，有時(shí)會(huì)給當(dāng)事人造成極大的痛苦。新聞具有巨大的威力。它們不僅可以給尋常人家的生活帶來(lái)重大的變化，甚至還能推翻一個(gè)政府。下面這戶窮人一夜之間出名發(fā)財(cái)?shù)墓适聭騽⌒缘卣f(shuō)明了新聞報(bào)道威力。這戶人家住在南達(dá)科他州一個(gè)人口為23，000的小鎮(zhèn)上，鎮(zhèn)名為阿拜丁。家里已有5個(gè)孩子，全家人常年在貧困中掙扎。第6個(gè)孩子即將問(wèn)世，他們面臨著更為嚴(yán)峻的經(jīng)濟(jì)問(wèn)題。如果他們只添了1個(gè)孩子，這件事本來(lái)就不會(huì)引起任何人的注意。這家人會(huì)繼續(xù)為克服經(jīng)濟(jì)上的拮據(jù)而奮斗，并默默無(wú)聞地活下去。但是他們出人意料生了個(gè)五胞胎，4女1男。這事使他們的生活發(fā)生了根本的變化。五胞胎降生第二天，一架飛機(jī)飛抵阿拜丁，隨機(jī)帶來(lái)60名記者與攝影師。這一家迅速出了名。電視攝像機(jī)和報(bào)紙把消息傳送到全國(guó)。報(bào)紙、雜志出高價(jià)向他們購(gòu)買文字、圖片的獨(dú)家報(bào)道權(quán)。不但素昧平生的人寄來(lái)了大量的禮物，而且嬰兒食品、嬰兒肥皂制造廠商為了替自己產(chǎn)品做廣告也寄來(lái)了大量的禮物。這家人住的舊家舍將由一座價(jià)值50萬(wàn)美元的新住宅所取代。由于記者紛紛要求會(huì)見(jiàn)，他們不得不請(qǐng)了律師充當(dāng)他們家的發(fā)言人舉行記者招待會(huì)。眼下，五胞胎還靜靜地躺在醫(yī)院嬰兒室的氧氣帳里，他們的父母卻為這名聲付出了代價(jià)，他們?cè)僖矡o(wú)法過(guò)正常的生活。他們成了商業(yè)化的受害者，因?yàn)樗麄兊拿志哂辛耸袌?chǎng)價(jià)值。這些孩子立即成了商品，而不是5個(gè)新的家庭成員。Lesson46DoityourselfSogreatisourpassionfordoingthingsforourselves,thatwearebecomingincreasinglylessdependentonspecializedlabour.Noonecanpleadignoranceofasubjectanylonger,fortherearecountlessdo-it-yourselfpublications.Armedwiththerighttoolsandmaterials,newly-wedsgailyembarkonthetaskofdecoratingtheirownhomes.Menofallagesspendhoursoftheirleisuretimeinstallingtheirownfireplaces,laying-outtheirowngardens;buildinggaragesandmakingfurniture.Somereallykeenenthusiastsgosofarastobuildtheirownrecordplayersandradiotransmitters.Shopscaterforthedo-it-yourselfcrazenotonlybyrunningspecialadvisoryservicesfornovices,butbyofferingconsumersbitsandpieceswhichtheycanassembleathome.Suchthingsprovideanexcellentoutletforpent-upcreativeenergy,butunfortunatelynotallofusarebornhandymen.Wivestendtobelievethattheirhusbandsareinfinitelyresourcefulandversatile.Evenhusbandswhocanhardlydriveanailinstraightaresupposedtobebornelectricians,carpenters,plumbersandmechanics.Whenlightsfuse,furnituregetsrickety,pipesgetclogged,orvacuumcleanersfailtooperate,wivesautomaticallyassumethattheirhusbandswillsomehowputthingsright.Theworstthingaboutthedo-it-yourselfgameisthatsometimeshusbandsliveunderthedelusionthattheycandoanythingevenwhentheyhavebeenrepeatedlyprovedwrong.Itisaquestionofprideasmuchasanythingelse.LastspringmywifesuggestedthatIcallinamantolookatourlawn-mower.Ithadbrokendowntheprevioussummer,andthoughIpromisedtorepairit,Ihadnevergotroundtoit.IwouldnothearofthesuggestionandsaidthatIwouldfixitmyself.OneSaturdayafternoon,Ihauledthemachineintothegardenandhadacloselookatit.AsfarasIcouldsee,itonlyneededaminoradjustment:aturnofascrewhere,alittletighteningupthere,adropofoilanditwouldbeasgoodasnew.Inevitablytherepairjobwasnotquitesosimple.Themowerfirmlyrefusedtomow,soIdecidedtodismantleit.Thegardenwassoonlitteredwithchunksofmetalwhichhadoncemadeupalawn-mower.ButIwasextremelypleasedwithmyselfIhadtracedthecauseofthetrouble.Oneofthelinksinthechainthatdrivesthewheelshadsnapped.AfterbuyinganewchainIwasfacedwiththeinsurmountabletaskofputtingtheconfusingjigsawpuzzletogetheragain.IwasnotsurprisedtofindthatthemachinestillrefusedtoworkafterIhadreassembledit,forthesimplereasonthatIwasleftwithseveralcuriouslyshapedbitsofmetalwhichdidnotseemtofitanywhere.Igaveupindespair.Theweekspassedandthegrassgrew.Whenmywifenaggedmetodosomethingaboutit,ItoldherthateitherIwouldhavetobuyanewmowerorletthegrassgrow.Needlesstosayourhouseisnowsurroundedbyajungle.Buriedsomewhereindeepgrassthereisarustinglawn-mowerwhichIhavepromisedtorepaironeday.現(xiàn)在我們自己動(dòng)手做事的熱情很高，結(jié)果對(duì)于專業(yè)工人的依賴越來(lái)越少了。由于出版了不計(jì)其數(shù)的教人自己動(dòng)手做事的書報(bào)雜志，沒(méi)有人再能說(shuō)對(duì)某事一無(wú)所知。新婚夫婦找來(lái)合適的工具和材料，喜氣洋洋地開(kāi)始布置新房。特別是男人，常利用空閑時(shí)間安裝壁爐、布置花園、建造車庫(kù)、制作家具。有些熱衷于自己動(dòng)手的人甚至自己組裝電腦。為了滿足自己動(dòng)手熱的需要，商店不僅為初學(xué)者提供專門的咨詢服務(wù)，而且為顧客準(zhǔn)備了各種零件，供他們買回家去安裝。這些東西為人們潛在的創(chuàng)造力提供了一個(gè)絕妙的用武之地。但不幸的是，我們并非人人都是能工巧匠。妻子常常認(rèn)為她們的丈夫無(wú)比聰明能干。甚至那些連一枚釘子都釘不直的男人都被認(rèn)為是天生的電工、木匠、水管工和機(jī)械師。每當(dāng)電燈保險(xiǎn)絲燒斷、家具榫頭松動(dòng)、管道堵塞、吸塵器不動(dòng)時(shí)，有些妻子認(rèn)為丈夫總有辦法。自己動(dòng)手的例子中最糟糕的是，有時(shí)甚至是男人盡管接連失敗卻還誤以為自己什么都行，原因就是要面子。今年春天，妻子讓我請(qǐng)人檢查一下我家的割草機(jī)。那臺(tái)割草機(jī)去年夏天就壞了，盡管我答應(yīng)修，但一直沒(méi)抽出時(shí)間，我不愿聽(tīng)妻子的建議，說(shuō)我自己會(huì)修。一個(gè)星期六的下午，我把割草機(jī)拉到了花園里，仔細(xì)檢查了一番。在我看來(lái)，只需稍加調(diào)整即可。這兒緊緊螺絲，那兒固定一下，再加幾滴油，就會(huì)像新的一樣了。事實(shí)上，修理工作遠(yuǎn)不是那么簡(jiǎn)單。修完后割草機(jī)還是紋絲不動(dòng)。于是，我決定把它拆開(kāi)。一會(huì)兒工夫，割草機(jī)便被拆成一個(gè)個(gè)金屬零件，亂七八糟地堆在花園里。但我卻非常高興，因?yàn)槲艺业搅嗣∷?。?qū)動(dòng)輪子的鏈條斷了一節(jié)。我買來(lái)一根新鏈條后，面臨的就是如何把這些令人眼花繚亂的拼板重新組裝起來(lái)。等我裝完后，那臺(tái)割草機(jī)仍然一動(dòng)不動(dòng)，對(duì)此我倒并不感到吃驚。原因很簡(jiǎn)單，因?yàn)檫€剩下幾個(gè)形狀奇特的零件似乎哪里也裝不上去。我無(wú)可奈何，只好罷休。幾個(gè)星期過(guò)去了，草長(zhǎng)了起來(lái)。妻子喋喋不休讓我想點(diǎn)辦法。我告訴她，要么買一臺(tái)新割草機(jī)，要么讓草長(zhǎng)下去。不用說(shuō)，我家現(xiàn)在已被叢林包圍。深草叢中的某個(gè)地方有一臺(tái)正在生銹的割草機(jī)，那就是我曾答應(yīng)某日要修理的割草機(jī)。Lesson47Throughtheearth’scrustSatellitesorbitingroundtheearthhaveprovidedscientistswithavastamountofinformationaboutconditionsinouterspace.Bycomparison,relativelylittleisknownabouttheinternalstructureoftheearth.Ithasprovedeasiertogoupthantogodown.Thedeepestholeevertobeboredonlandwentdown25,340feet--considerablylessthantheheightofMountEverest.Drillingaholeundertheseahasprovedtobeevenmoredifficult.Thedeepestholeboredunderseahasbeenabout20,000feet.Untilrecently,scientistshavebeenunabletodeviseadrillwhichwouldbecapableofcuttingthroughhardrockatgreatdepths.Thisproblemhasnowbeensolved.Scientistshavedevelopedamethodwhichsoundssurprisinglysimple.AnewdrillwhichisbeingtestedatLeonaValleyRanchinTexasisdrivenbyaturbineenginewhichispropelledbyliquidmudpumpedintoitfromthesurface.Asthediamondtipofthedrillrevolves,itislubricatedbymud.Scientistshavebeenamazedtofindthatitcancutthroughthehardestrockwithgreatease.Thedrillhasbeendesignedtoborethroughtheearthtoadepthof35,000feet.Itwillenablescientiststoobtainsamplesofthemysteriouslayerwhichliesimmediatelybelowtheearth'scrust.ThislayerisknownastheMohorovicicDiscontinuity,butiscommonlyreferredtoas'theMoho'.Beforeitispossibletodrillthisdeephole,scientistswillhavetoovercomeanumberofproblems.Geologicaltestswillbecarriedouttofindthepointatwhichtheearth'scrustisthinnest.Thethreepossiblesiteswhicharebeingconsideredareallatsea:twointheAtlanticOceanandoneinthePacific.Oncetheyhavedetermindedonasite,theywillhavetoerectadrillingvesselwhichwillnotbesweptawaybyoceancurrents.Thevesselwillconsistofanimmenseplatformwhichw