大學(xué)英語(yǔ)精讀課文第四冊(cè)

大學(xué)英語(yǔ)精讀課文第四冊(cè)

UNIT1.BigBuckstheEasyWay

Twocollege-ageboys,unawarethatmakingmoneyusuallyinvolveshardwork,aretemptedbyan

advertisementthatpromisesthemaneasywaytoearnalotofmoney.Theboyssoonlearnthatifsomething

seemstogoodtobetrue,itprobablyis.

BIGBUCKSTHEEASYWAY

JohnG.Hubbell

"Yououghttolookintothis,"Isuggestedtoourtwocollege-agesons."Itmightbeawaytoavoidthe

indignityofhavingtoaskformoneyallthetime."Ihandedthemsomemagazinesinaplasticbagsomeonebad

hungonourdoorknob.Amessageprintedonthebagofferedleisurely,lucrativework("BigBuckstheEasy

Way!")ofdeliveringmoresuchbags.

"Idon'tmindtheindignity,"theolderoneanswered.

"Icanlivewithit,"hisbrotheragreed.

"Butitpainsme,"Isaid,ntofindthatyoubothhavebeenpanhandlingsolongthatitnolonger

embarrassesyou."

Theboyssaidtheywouldlookintothemagazine-deliverything.Pleased,Ilefttownonabusinesstrip.By

midnightIwascomfortablysettledinahotelroomfarfromhome.Thephonerang.Itwasmywife.Shewanted

toknowhowmydayhadgone.

"Great!"Ienthused."Howwasyourday?"Iinquired.

"Super!"Shesnapped."Justsuper!Andit'sonlygettingstarted.Anothertruckjustpulledupoutfront."

"Anothertruck?"

"Thethirdonethisevening.ThefirstdeliveredfourthousandMontgomeryWards.Thesecondbrought

fourthousandSears,Roebucks.Idon'tknowwhatthisonehas,butPmsureitwillbefourthousandof

something.Sinceyouareresponsible,Ithoughtyoumightliketoknowwhat'shappening.

WhatIwasbeingblamedfor,itturnedout,wasanewspaperstrikewhichmadeitnecessaryto

hand-delivertheadvertisinginsertsthatnormallyareincludedwiththeSundaypaper.Thecompanyhad

promisedourboys$600fordeliveringtheseinsertsto4,000housesbySundaymorning.

"Pieceofcake!"ouroldercollegesonhadshouted.

"Sixhundredbucks!"Hisbrotherhadechoed,"Andwecandothejobintwohours!"

"BoththeSearsandWardadsarefournewspaper-sizepages,"mywifeinformedme."Therearethirty-two

thousandpagesofadvertisingonourporch.Evenaswespeak,twobigguysarecarryingarmloadsofpaperup

thewalk.Whatdowedoaboutallthis?"

"Justtelltheboystogetbusy,"Iinstructed."They'recollegemen.They'lldowhattheyhavetodo."

AtnoonthefollowingdayIreturnedtothehotelandfoundanurgentmessagetotelephonemywife.Her

voicewasunnaturallyhighandquavering.Therehadbeenseveralmoretruckloadsofadinserts."They'refor

departmentstores,dimestores,drugstores,grocerystores,autostoresandsoon.Somearewholemagazine

sections.Wehavehundredsofthousands,maybemillions,ofpagesofadvertisinghere!Theyarecrammed

wall-to-wallallthroughthehouseinstackstallerthanyouroldestson.There'sonlyenoughroomforpeopleto

walkin,takeoneeachoftheeleveninserts,rollthemtogether,sliparubberbandaroundthemandslidethem

intoaplasticbag.WehaveenoughplasticbagstosupplyeverytakeoutrestaurantinAmerica!"Hervoicekept

rising,asifworkingitswayoutoftherangeofthehumanear."Allthismustbedeliveredbyseveno'clock

Sundaymorning."

"Well,youhadbettergetthoseguysbandingandslidingasfastastheycan,andI'lltalktoyoulater.Gota

lunchdate.

WhenIreturned,therewasanotherurgentcallfrommywife.

“Didyouhaveanicelunch?"sheaskedsweetly.Ihadhadamarveloussteak,butknewbetterbynowthan

tosayso.

"Awful,"Ireported."Somesortofsourfish.Eel,Ithink."

"Good.Yourcollegesonshavehiredtheiryoungerbrothersandsistersandacoupleofneighborhood

childrentohelpforfivedollarseach.Assemblylineshavebeensetup.Inthelanguageofdiplomacy,thereis

'movement."'

"That'sencouraging.n

“No,it'snot,"shecorrected."It'sverydiscouraging.They'rebeenasitforhours.Plasticbagshavebeen

filledandpiledtotheceiling,butallthishasn'tmadeadent,notadent,inthesituation!It'salmostasifthe

insertskeepreproducingthemselves!"

"Anotherthing,"shecontinued."Yourcollegesonsmustlearnthatonedoesnotgetthebestoutof

employeesbythreateningthemwithbodilyharm.

ObtaininganaudiencewithsonNO.1,Isnarled,"Illkillyouifthreatenoneofthosekidsagain!Idiot!

Youshouldbeofferingabonusofadollareveryhourtotheworkerwhofillsthemostbags.

"Butthatwouldcutintoourprofit,"hesuggested.

"Therewon'tbeanyprofitunlessthosekidsenableyoutomakeallthedeliveriesontime.Iftheydon't,

youtwowillhavetoremoveallthatpaperbyyourselves.Andtherewillbenoeatingorsleepinguntilitis

removed."

Therewasashort,thoughtfulsilence.Thenhesaid,nDad,youhavejustworkedaprofoundchangeinmy

personality."

nDoit!"

"Yes,sir!"

Bythefollowingevening,therewasmuchformywifetoreport.Thebonusprogramhadworkeduntil

someonedemandedtoseethecolorofcash.Thensomeactivistontheworkforceclaimedthattheworkershad

nobusinesssettlingfor$5andafewcompetitivebonuseswhilethebossedcollectedhundredsofdollarseach.

Theorganizerhaddeclaredthatalltheworkerswereentitledto$5perhour!Theywouldnotworkanother

minuteuntilthebossesagreed.

Thestrikelastedlessthantwohours.Inmediation,thepartiesagreedon$2perhour.Gradually,thehuge

stacksbegantoshrink.

Asitturnedout,thejobwascompletedthreehoursbeforeSunday's7a.m.deadline.BythetimeIarrived

home,theboyshadalreadysettledtheiraccounts:$150inlaborcosts,$40forgasoline,andalikeamount

forgifts-boxesofcandyforsaintlyneighborswhohadvolunteeredstationwagonsandhelpindelivery

anddozenrosesfortheirmother.Thisleftthemwith$185each——abouttwo-thirdstheminimumwageforthe

91hourstheyworked.Still,itwas"enough",asoneofthemputit,toenablethemto"avoidindignity"forquite

awhile.

Allwentwellforsomeweeks.ThenoneSaturdaymorningmyattentionwasdrawntotheoddgoings-on

ofourtwoyoungestsons.Theykeptcarryingcartonaftercartonfromvariouscornersofthehouseoutthefront

doortocurbside.Iassumedtheirmotherhadenlistedthemtoremovejunkforatrashpickup.ThenIoverheard

themdiscussingfinances.

"Geez,we'regoingtomakealotofmoney!"

"We'regoingtoberich!"

Investigationrevealedthattheywereoffering"forsaleorrent"ourentirelibrary.

"No!No!"Icried."Youcan'tsellourbooks!"

"Geez,Dad,wethoughtyouweredonewiththem!"

"You'renever'done*withbooks,"Itriedtoexplain.

"Sureyouare.Youreadthem,andyou'redonewiththem.That'sit.Thenyoumightaswellmakealittle

moneyfromthem.Wewantedtoavoidtheindignityofhavingtoaskyoufor”

UNIT2.DeerandtheEnergyCycle

Isthereanythingwecanlearnfromdeer?Duringthe"energycrisis"of1973-1974thewriterofthisessaywas

livinginnorthernMinnesotaandwasabletoobservehowdeersurvivewhenwinterarrives.Thelessonshe

learnsabouthewaydeerconserveenergyturnoutapplicabletooureverydaylife.

DEERANDTHEENERGYCYCLE

Somepersonssaythatlovemakestheworldgoround.Othersofalessromanticandmorepracticalturnof

mindsaythatitisn'tlove;it'smoney.Butthetruthisthatitisenergythatmakestheworldgoround.Energyis

thecurrencyoftheecologicalsystemandlifebecomespossibleonlywhenfoodisconvertedintoenergy,which

inturnisusedtoseekmorefoodtogrow,toreproduceandtosurvive.Onthiscyclealllifedepends.

Itisfairlywellknownthatwildanimalssurvivefromyeartoyearbyeatingasmuchastheycanduring

timesofplenty,thesummerandfall,storingtheexcess,usuallyintheformoffat,andthenusingthesereserves

offattosurviveduringthehardtimesinwinterwhenfoodisscarce.Butitisprobablylesswellknownthat

evenwiththeirstoredfat,wildanimalsspendlessenergytoliveinwinterthaninsummer.

Agoodcaseinpointisthewhiter-taileddeer.Likemostwildlife,deerreproduce,grow,andstorefatinthe

summerandfallwhenthereisplentyofnutritiousfoodavailable.Aphysicallymaturefemaledeeringood

conditionwhohasconceivedinNovemberandgivenbirthtotwofawnsduringtheendofMayorfirstpartof

June,mustsearchforfoodforthenecessaryenergynotonlytomeetherbody'sneedsbutalsotoproducemilk

forherfawns.Thebestmilkproductionoccursatthesametimethatnewplantgrowthisavailable.Thisisgood

timing,becausemilkproductionisanenergyconsumingprocess——itrequiresalotoffood.Thecostcannot

bemetunlesstheregionhasamplefoodresources.

Asthesummerprogressesandthefawnsgrow,theybecomelessdependentontheirmother*smilkand

moredependentongrowingplantsasfoodsources.Theadultmalesspendthesummergrowingantlersand

gettingfat.Bothmalesandfemalescontinuetoeathighqualityfoodinthefallinordertodepositbodyfatfor

thewinter.Inthecaseofdoesandfawns,agreatdealofenergyisexpendedeitherinmilkproductionorin

growing,andfatisnotaccumulatedasquicklyasitisinfullgrownmales.Fatreservesarelikebankaccounts

tobedrawnoninthewinterwhenfoodsuppliesarelimitedandsometimesdifficulttoreachbecauseofdeep

snow.

Asfallturnsintowinter,otherchangestakeplace.Fawnslosetheirspottedcoat.Haironallthedeer

becomesdarkerandthicker.ThechangeinthehaircoatsisusuallycompletebySeptemberandmaximumhair

depthsarereachedbyNovemberorDecemberwhentheweatherbecomescold.

Butinaddition,natureprovidesafurthersafeguardtohelpdeersurvivethewinter-aninternal

physiologicalresponsewhichlowerstheirmetabolism,orrateofbodilyfunctioning,andhenceslowsdown

theirexpenditureofenergy.Thedeerbecomesomewhatslowanddrowsy.Theheartratedrops.Animalsthat

hibernatepracticeenergyconservationtoagreaterextremethandeerdo.Althoughdeerdon'thibernate,theydo

thesamethingwiththeirseasonalrhythmsinmetabolism.Deerspendmoreenergyandstorefatinthesummer

andfallwhenfoodisabundant,andspendlessenergyandusestoredfatinthewinterwhenfoodisless

available.

Whenthe"energycrisis"firstcamein1973-1974,1waslivingwithmyfamilyinacabinontheedgeofan

areawheredeerspendthewinterinnorthernMinnesota,observingthedeerastheirbehaviorchangedfrom

moreactivityinsummerandfalltolessaswinterprogressed,followedbyanincreaseagaininthespringasthe

snowmelted.Itwasinterestingandratheramusingtolistentotheadvicegivenontheradio:"Driveonlywhen

necessary,"weweretold.nPutonmoreclothestostaywarm,andturnthethermostatonyourfurnacedown."

Meanwhilewewatchedthedeerreducetheiractivity,growawintercoatofhair,andreducetheirmetabolism

astheyhaveforthousandsofyears.Itisbiologicallyreasonablefordeertoreducetheircostoflivingto

increasetheirchanceofsurvivinginwinter.

Noteverywinteriscriticalfordeerofcourse.Ifthewinterhaslightsnow,survivalandproductivitynext

springwillbehigh.Butifdeepsnowscomeandtheweatherremainscoldforseveralweeks,thenthedeermust

spendmoreenergytomoveabout,foodwillbehardertofind,andtheymustthendependmoreontheirfat

reservestopullthemthrough.Ifsuchconditionsgoonfortoolongsomewilldie,andonlythelargestand

strongestarelikelytosurvive.Thatisafundamentalruleoflifeforwild,freewanderinganimalsuchasdeer.

Yes,life-anddeath,too—isacyclethatgoesroundandround,andwhenanimalsdietheirbodies

becomefoodforotherlifeformstousebyconvertingthemintoenergy.

Andthecyclecontinues.

UNIT3.WhyDoWeBelieveThattheEarthIsRound

Canyouprovethattheearthisround?Goaheadandtry!Willyourelyonyoursensesorwillyouhavetodraw

ontheopinionsofexperts?

WHYDOWEBELIEVETHATTHEEARTHISROUND?

GeorgeOrwell

Somewhereorother——IthinkitisintheprefacetosaintJoan——BernardShawremarksthatwearemore

gullibleandsuperstitioustodaythanwewereintheMiddleAges,andasanexampleofmoderncredulityhe

citesthewidespreadbeliefthattheearthisround.Theaverageman,saysShaw,canadvancenotasinglereason

forthinkingthattheearthisround.Hemerelyswallowsthistheorybecausethereissomethingaboutitthat

appealstothetwentieth-centurymentality.

Now,Shawisexaggerating,butthereissomethinginwhathesays,andthequestionisworthfollowingup,

forthesakeofthelightitthrowsonmodernknowledge.Justwhydowebelievethattheearthisround?Iam

notspeakingofthefewthousandastronomers,geographersandsoforthwhocouldgiveocularproof,orhavea

theoreticalknowledgeoftheproof,butoftheordinarynewspaper-readingcitizen,suchasyouorme.

AsfortheFlatEarththeory,IbelieveIcouldrefuteit.Ifyoustandbytheseashoreonaclearday,youcan

seethemastsandfunnelsofinvisibleshipspassingalongthehorizon.Thisphenomenoncanonlybeexplained

byassumingthattheearth'ssurfaceiscurved.Butitdoesnotfollowthattheearthisspherical.Imagineanother

theorycalledtheOvalEarththeory,whichclaimsthattheearthisshapedlikeanegg.WhatcanIsayagainstit?

AgainsttheOvalEarthman,thefirstcardIcanplayistheanalogyofthesunandmoon.TheOvalEarth

manpromptlyanswersthatIdon'tknow,bymyownobservation,thatthosebodiesarespherical.Ionlyknow

thattheyareround,andtheymayperfectlywellbeflatdiscs.Ihavenoanswertothatone.Besides,hegoeson,

whatreasonhaveIforthinkingthattheearthmustbethesameshapeasthesunandmoon?Ican'tanswerthat

oneeither.

Mysecondcardistheearth*sshadow:Whencastonthemoonduringeclipses,itappearstobetheshadow

ofaroundobject.ButhowdoIknow,demandstheOvalEarthman,thateclipsesofthemoonarecausedbythe

shadowoftheearth?TheansweristhatIdon'tknow,buthavetakenthispieceofinformationblindlyfrom

newspaperarticlesandsciencebooklets.

Defeatedintheminorexchanges,Inowplaymyqueenoftrumps:theopinionoftheexperts.The

AstronomerRoyal,whooughttoknow,tellsmethattheearthisround.TheOvalEarthmancoversthequeen

withhisking.HaveItestedtheAstronomerRoyaFsstatement,andwouldIevenknowawayoftestingit?Here

Ibringoutmyace.Yes,Idoknowonetest.Theastronomerscanforetelleclipses,andthissuggeststhattheir

opinionsaboutthesolarsystemareprettysound.Iam,tomydelight,justifiedinacceptingtheirsay-soabout

theshapeoftheearth.

IftheOvalEarthmananswers-whatIbelieveistrue-thattheancientEgyptians,whothoughtthesun

goesroundtheearth,couldalsopredicteclipses,thenbanggoesmyace.Ihaveonlyonecardleft:navigation.

Peoplecansailshiproundtheworld,andreachtheplacestheyaimat,bycalculationswhichassumethatthe

earthisspherical.IbelievethatfinishestheOvalEarthman,thougheventhenhemaypossiblyhavesomekind

ofcounter.

Itwillbeseenthatmyreasonsforthinkingthattheearthisroundareratherprecariousones.Yetthisisan

exceptionallyelementarypieceofinformation.OnmostotherquestionsIshouldhavetofallbackontheexpert

muchearlier,andwouldbelessabletotesthispronouncements.Andmuchthegreaterpartofourknowledgeis

atthislevel.Itdoesnotrestonreasoningoronexperiment,butonauthority.Andhowcanitbeotherwise,

whentherangeofknowledgeissovastthattheexperthimselfisanignoramusassoonashestraysawayfrom

hisownspecialty?Mostpeople,ifaskedtoprovethattheearthisround,wouldnotevenbothertoproducethe

ratherweakargumentsIhaveoutlinedabove.Theywouldstartoffbysayingthat"everyoneknows"theearth

toberound,andifpressedfurther,wouldbecomeangry.InawayShawisright.Thisisacredulousage,and

theburdenofknowledgewhichwenowhavetocarryispartlyresponsible.

UNIT4.JimThorpe

JimThorpe,anAmericanIndian,isgenerallyacceptedasthegreatestall-roundathleteofthefirsthalfofthe

20thcentury.Yettheman,whobroughtglorytohisnation,hadaheartbreakinglife.Whatcausedhissadness

andpoverty?

JIMTHORPE

SteveGelman

Therailroadstationwasjammed.StudentsfromLafayetteCollegewerecrowdingontothetrainplatform

eagerlyawaitingthearrivaloftheCarlisleIndianschool'strackandfieldsquad.Noonewouldhavebelievedit

afewmonthsearlier.Aschoolthatnobodyhadheardofwassuddenlybeatingbig,famouscollegesintrack

meets.SurelytheseCarlisleathleteswouldcomechargingoffthetrain,oneafteranother,likeaMarine

battalion.

Thetrainfinallyarrivedandtwoyoungmen-onebigandbroad,theothersmallandslight-stepped

ontotheplatform.

"Where'sthetrackteam?"aLafayettestudentasked.

"Thisistheteam,"repliedthebigfellow.

"Justthetwoofyou?"

"Nope,justme,"saidthebigfellow."Thislittleguyisthemanager."

TheLafayettestudentsshooktheirheadsinwonder.Somebodymustbeplayingajokeonthem.Ifthisbig

fellowwasthewholeCarlisletrackteam,hewouldbecompetingagainstanentireLafayettesquad.

Hedid.Heransprints,heranhurdles,herandistanceraces.Hehighjumped,hebroad-jumped.Hethrew

thejavelinandtheshot.Finishingfirstineightevents,thebigfellowbeatthewholeLafayetteteam.

ThebigfellowwasJimThorpe,thegreatestAmericanathleteofmoderntimes.HewasbornonMay

28,1888,inatwo-roomfarmhousenearPrague,Oklahoma.HisparentsweremembersoftheSacandFox

Indiantribeandhewasadirectdescendantofthefamouswarriorchief,BlackHawk.

AsaSacandFox,JimhadthecolorfulIndiannameWa-Tho-Huck.Which,translated,meansBrightPath.

ButbeingbornanIndian,hispathwasnotsobright.Althoughhehadtheopportunitytohuntandfishwith

greatIndianoutdoorsmen,hewasdeniedopportunityinotherways.TheUnitedStatesgovernmentcontrolled

thelivesofAmericanIndiansand,unlikeotherpeople,Indiansdidnotautomaticallybecomecitizens.Itwas

almostimpossibleforanIndiantogainevenafaireducationandextremelydifficult,asaresult,foranIndian

torisehighinlife.

YoungBrightPathseemeddestinedtospendhislifeintheOklahomafarmland.Butwhenhewasinhis

teens,thegovernmentgavehimthechancetoattendtheCarlislelndianSchoolinPennsylvania.SoonCarlisle

wasracingalongitsownbrightpathtoathleticprominence.InwhateversportJimThorpeplayed,heexcelled,

Hewasastarinbaseball,trackandfield,wrestling,lacrosse,basketballandfootball.Hewassogoodin

football,infact,thatmostothersmallschoolsrefusedtoplayCarlisle.TheIndianschool'sfootballschedule

soonlistedsuchmajorpowersoftheearlytwentiethcenturyasPittsburgh,Harvard,Pennsylvania,PennState

andArmy.

Thorpewasahalfback.Hewassixfeetoneinchtall,weighed185poundsandhadincrediblespeedand

power.Hebuiltuponthesenaturalgiftsdaily.Hewouldwatchacoachorplayerdemonstrateadifficult

maneuver,thenhewouldtryithimself.Inevitably,hewouldmasterthemaneuverwithinminutes.

Duringeverygame,opponentspiledonThorpe,trampledhim,kickedhimandpunchedhim,tryingtoput

himoutofaction.Theywereneversuccessful.Yearslatersomeoneaskedhimifhehadeverbeenhurtonthe

field.nHurt?nThorpesaid."Howcouldanyonegethurtplayingfootball?"

ButJimneverplayedhisbestwhenhefelthewouldhavetonofunplaying."What'sthefunofplayingin

therain?"heoncesaid.AndhisCarlislecoach,PopWarner,oncesaid,"There'snodoubtthatJimhadmore

talentthananybodywhoeverplayedfootball,butyoucouldnevertellwhenhefeltlikegivinghisbest."

Football,though,didnotprovideThorpewithhisfinesthour.HewasselectedfortheUnitedStates

Olympictrackteamin1912,andwenttoSwedenwiththeteamfortheGames.Ontheship,whiletheother

athleteslimberedup,Thorpesleptinhisbunk.InSweden,whileotherathletestrained,Thorperelaxedina

hammock.Heneverstrainedwhenhedidn'tfeelitnecessary.

ThorpecameoutofhishammockwhentheGamesbegan,totakepartinthetwomostdemanding

Olympicevents.Heenteredthepentathloncompetition,atestofskillinfiveevents:200-meterrun,1500-meter

run,broadjump,discusandjavelin;andthedecathloncompetition,aseriesoftenevents:100-meterrun,

400-meterrun,1500-meterrun,highhurdles,broadjump,highjump,polevault,discus,javelinandshotput.

Thoughmostathleteswereutterlyexhaustedbythedecathlonalone,Thorpebreezedthroughbothevents,his

darkhairflopping,hissmileflashing,hismuscledbodyglidingalongthetrack.Hefinishedfirstinboththe

pentathlonanddecathlon,oneofthegreatfeatsinOlympichistory.

"Yousir,"KingGustavVofSwedentoldThorpeashepresentedhimwithtwogoldmedals,"arethe

greatestathleteintheworld."AndWilliamHowardTaft,thePresidentoftheUnitedStates,said,"JimThorpe

isthehighesttypeofcitizen."

KingGustavVwascorrect,butPresidentTaftwasnot.ThoughJimThorpehadbroughtgreatglorytohis

nation,thoughthousandsofpeoplecheeredhimuponhisreturntotheUnitedStatesandattendedbanquetsand

aNewYorkparadeinhishonor,hewasnotacitizen.Hedidnotbecomeoneuntil1916.Eventhen,ittooka

specialgovernmentrulingbecausehewasanIndian.

JimThorpewasaheroaftertheOlympicsandasad,bewilderedmannottoomuchlater.Someone

discoveredthattwoyearsbeforetheOlympicshehadbeenpaidafewdollarstoplaysemiprofessionalbaseball.

Thoughmanyamateurathleteshadplayedforpayunderfalsenames,Thorpehadusedhisownname.Asa

result,hewasnottechnicallyanamateurwhenhecompetedatStockholmasallOlympicathletesmustbe.His

Olympicmedalsandtrophiesweretakenawayfromhimandgiventotherunners-up.

Afterthisheartbreakingexperience,Thorpeturnedtoprofessionalsports.Heplayedmajorleaguebaseball

forsixyearsanddidfairlywell.Thenheplayedprofessionalfootballforsixyearswithspectacularsuccess.

Hislastprofessionalfootballseasonwasin1926.Afterthat,hisyouthfulindifferencetostudiesandhis

unwillingnesstothinkofanonsportscareercaughtupwithhim.Hehadtroublefindingajob,andhisfriends

desertedhim.Heperiodicallyaskedfor,butneverwasgivenback,hisOlympicprizes.From1926untilhis

deathin1953,helivedapoor,lonely,unhappylife.

Butin1950theAssociatedPressheldapolltodeterminetheoutstandingathleteofthehalf-century.

DespitehislossoftheOlympicgoldmedalsandasaddeclineinfortuneduringhislateryears,Thorpewas

almostunanimouslychosenthegreatestathleteofmoderntimes.

UNIT5.ToLieorNottoLie—TheDoctorsDilemma

Isiteverproperforamedicaldoctortolietohispatient?Shouldhetellapatientheisdying?Thesequestions

seemsimpleenough,butitisnotsosimpletogiveasatisfactoryanswertothem.Nowanewlightisshedon

them.

TOLIEORNOTTOLIE—THEDOCTOR'SDILEMMA

SisselaBok

Shoulddoctorseverlietobenefittheirpatients—tospeedrecoveryortoconcealtheapproachofdeath?In

medicineasinlaw,government,andotherlinesofwork,therequirementsofhonestyoftenseemdwarfedby

greaterneeds:theneedtoshelterfrombrutalnewsortoupholdapromiseofsecrecy;toexposecorruptionorto

promotethepublicinterest.

Whatshoulddoctorssay,forexample,toa46-year-oldmancominginforaroutinephysicalcheckupjust

beforegoingonvacationwithhisfamilywho,thoughhefeelsinperfecthealth,isfoundtohaveaformof

cancerthatwillcausehimtodiewithinsixmonths?Isitbesttotellhimthetruth?Ifheasks,shouldthedoctors

denythatheisill,orminimizethegravityoftheillness?Shouldtheyatleastconcealthetruthuntilafterthe

familyvacation?

Doctorsconfrontsuchchoicesoftenandurgently.Attimes,theyseeimportantreasonstolieforthe

patient*sownsake;intheireyes,suchliesdiffersharplyfromself-servingones.

Studiesshowthatmostdoctorssincerelybelievethattheseriouslyilldonotwanttoknowthetruthabout

theircondition,andthatinformingthemrisksdestroyingtheirhope,sothattheymayrecovermoreslowly,or

deterioratefaster,perhapsevencommitsuicide.Asonephysicianwrote:"Oursisaprofessionwhich

traditionallyhasbeenguidedbyapreceptthattranscendsthevirtueofutteringthetruthfortruth*ssake,and

thatis'asfaraspossibledonoharm."'

Armedwithsuchaprecept,anumberofdoctorsmayslipintodeceptivepracticesthattheyassumewill

"donoharm"andmaywellhelptheirpatients.Theymayprescribeinnumerableplacebos,soundmore

encouragingthanthefactswarrant,anddistortgravenews,especiallytotheincurablyillandthedying.

Buttheillusorynatureofthebenefitssuchdeceptionismeanttoproduceisnowcomingtobedocumented.

Studiesshowthat,contrarytothebeliefofmanyphysicians,anoverwhelmingmajorityofpatientsdowantto

betoldthetruth,evenaboutgraveillness,andfeelbetrayedwhentheylearnthattheyhavebeenmisled.Weare

alsolearningthattruthfulinformation,humanelyconveyed,helpspatientscopewithillness:helpsthemtolerate

painbetter,needlessmedicine,andevenrecoverfasteraftersurgery.

Notonlydoliesnotprovidethe"help"hopedforbyadvocatesofbenevolentdeception;theyinvadethe

autonomyofpatientsandrenderthemunabletomakeinformedchoicesconcerningtheirownhealth,including

thechoiceofwhethertobepatientinthefirstplace.Wearebecomingincreasinglyawareofallthatcanbefall

patientsinthecourseoftheirillnesswheninformationisdeniedordistorted.

Dyingpatientsespecially~whoareeasiestomisleadandmostoftenkeptinthedark—canthennotmake

decisionsaboutth