英语翻译TEXT A

1

1 For a month in the spring of 1987, my wife Ellen and I lived in the bustling eastern Chinese city of Nanjing with our 18-month-old son Benjamin while studying arts education in Chinese kindergartens and elementary schools. But one of the most telling lessons Ellen and I got in the difference between Chinese and American ideas of education came not in the classroom but in the lobby of the Jinling Hotel where we stayed in Nanjing.1987 年春我和妻子埃伦带着我们18 个月的儿子本杰明在繁忙的中国东部城市南京住了一个月同时考察中国幼儿园和小学的艺术教育情况。然而我和埃伦获得的有关中美教育观念差异的最难忘的体验并非来自课堂

而是来自我们在南京期间寓居的金陵饭店的大堂。

2 The key to our room was attached to a large plastic block with the room number on it.When leaving the hotel, a guest was encouraged to turn in the key, either by handing it to an attendant or by dropping it through a slot into a box. Because the key slot was narrow, the key had to be positioned carefully to fit into it.我们的房门钥匙系在一块标有房间号的大塑料板上。酒店鼓励客人外出时留下钥匙可以交给服务员也可以从一个槽口塞入钥匙箱。由于口子狭小你得留神将钥匙放准位置才塞得进去。

3 Benjamin loved to carry the key around, shaking it vigorously. He also liked to try to place it into the slot. Because of his tender age and incomplete understanding of the need to position the key just so, he would usually fail. Benjamin was not bothered in the least. He probably got as much pleasure out of the sounds the key made as he did those few times when the key actually found its way into the slot.本杰明爱拿着钥匙走来走去边走边用力摇晃着。他还喜欢试着把钥匙往槽口里塞。由于还年幼不太明白得把钥匙放准位置才成因此总塞不进去。本杰明一点也不在意。他从钥匙声响中得到的乐趣大概跟他偶尔把钥匙成功地塞进槽口而获得的乐趣一样多。

4 Now both Ellen and I were perfectly happy to allow Benjamin to bang the key near the key slot. His exploratory behavior seemed harmless enough. But I soon observed an interesting phenomenon. Any Chinese staff member nearby would come over to watch Benjamin and, noting his lack of initial success, attempt to assist. He or she would hold onto Benjamin's hand and, gently but firmly, guide it directly toward the slot, reposition it as necessary, and help him to insertit. The "teacher" would then smile somewhat expectantly at Ellen or me, as if awaiting a thank you--- and on occasion would frown slightly, as if considering us to be neglecting our parental duties.我和埃伦都满不在乎任由本杰明拿着钥匙在钥匙的槽口鼓捣。他的探索行为似乎并无任何害处。但我很快就观察到一个有趣的现象。饭店里任何一个中国工作人员若在近旁都会走过来看着本杰明见他初试失败便都会试图帮忙。他们会轻轻握紧本杰明的手直接将它引向钥匙的槽口进行必要的重新定位并帮他把钥匙插入槽口。然后那位“老师”会有所期待地对着我和埃伦微笑似乎等着我们说声谢谢——偶尔他会微微皱眉似乎觉得我俩没有尽到当父母的责任。

5 I soon realized that this incident was directly relevant to our assigned tasks in China: to investigate the ways of early childhood education (especially in the arts), and to throw light on Chinese attitudes toward creativity. And so before long I began to introduce the key-slot anecdote into my discussions with Chinese educators. 我很快意识到这件小事与我们在中国要做的工作直接相关考察儿童早期教育尤其是艺术教育的方式揭示中国人对创造性

活动的态度。因此不久我就在与中国教育工作者讨论时谈起了钥匙槽口一事。

6 With a few exceptions my Chinese colleagues displayed the same attitude as the staff at the Jinling Hotel. Since adults know how to place the key in the key slot, which is the ultimate

purpose of approaching the slot, and since the child is neither old enough nor clever enough to realize the desired action on his own, what possible gain is achieved by having him struggle? He may well get frustrated and angry ─certainly not a desirable outcome. Why not show him what to do? He will be happy, he will learn how to accomplish the task sooner, and then he can proceed to more complex activities, like opening the door or asking for the key ─both of which accomplishments can (and should) in due course be modeled for him as well.我的中国同行除了少数几个人外对此事的态度与金陵饭店工作人员一样。既然大人知道怎么把钥匙塞进槽口——这是处理槽口一事的最终目的既然孩子还很年幼还没有灵巧到可以独自完成要做的动作让他自己瞎折腾会有什么好处呢他很有可能会灰心丧气发脾气—这当然不是所希望的结果。为什么不教他怎么做呢他会高兴他还能早些学会做这件事进而去学做更复杂的事如开门或索要钥匙——这两件事到时候同样可以也应该示范给他看。

7 We listened to such explanations sympathetically and explained that, first of all, we did not much care whether Benjamin succeeded in inserting the key into the slot. He was having a good time and was exploring, two activities that did matter to us. But the critical point was that, in the process, we were trying to teach Benjamin that one can solve a problem effectively by oneself. Such self-reliance is a principal value of child rearing in middle-class America. So long as the child is shown exactly how to do something ─whether it be placing a key in a key slot, drawing a hen or making up for a misdeed ─he is less likely to figure out himself how to accomplish such a task. And, more generally, he is less likely to view life ─as Americans do ─as a series of situations in which one has to learn to think for oneself, to solve problems on one's own and even to discover new problems for which creative solutions are wanted.我俩颇为同情地听着这一番道理解释道首先我们并不在意本杰明能不能把钥匙塞进钥匙的槽口。他玩得开心而且在探索这两点才是我们真正看重的。但关键在于在这个过程中我们试图让本杰明懂得一个人是能够很好地自行解决问题的。这种自力更生的精神是美国中产阶级最重要的一条育儿观。如果我们向孩子演示该如何做某件事——把钥匙塞进钥匙的槽口也好画只鸡或是弥补某种错误行为也好——那他就不太可能自行想方设法去完成这件事。从更广泛的意义上说他就不太可能——如美国人那样——将人生视为一系列的情境在这些情境中一个人必须学会独立思考学会独立解决问题进而学会发现需要创造性地加以解决的新问题。

8 In retrospect, it became clear to me that this incident was indeed key ─and key in more than one sense. It pointed to important differences in the educational and artistic practices in our two countries.回想起来当时我就清楚地意识到这件事正是体现了问题的关键之所在——而且不仅仅是一种意义上的关键之所在。这件事表明了我们两国在教育和艺术实践上的重要差异。

9 When our well-intentioned Chinese observers came to Benjamin's rescue, they did not simply push his hand down clumsily or uncertainly, as I might have done. Instead, they guided him with extreme facility and gentleness in precisely the desired direction. I came to realize that these Chinese were not just molding and shaping Benjamin's performance in any old manner: In the best Chinese tradition, they were bazheshoujiao─"teaching by holding his hand" ─so

much so that he would happily come back for more.那些善意的中国旁观者前来帮助本杰明时他们不是简单地像我可能会做的那样笨拙地或是犹犹豫豫地把他的手往下推。相反他们极其熟练地、温和地把他引向所要到达的确切方向。我逐渐认识到这些中国人不是简单地以一种陈旧的方式塑造、引导本杰明的行为他们是在恪守中国传统把着手教教得本杰明自己会愉快地要求再来一次。

10 The idea that learning should take place by continual careful shaping and molding applies

equally to the arts. Watching children at work in a classroom setting, we were astonished by their facility. Children as young as 5 or 6 were painting flowers, fish and animals with the skill and confidence of an adult; calligraphers 9 and 10 years old were producing works that could have been displayed in a museum. In a visit to the homes of two of the young artists, we learned from their parents that they worked on perfecting their craft for several hours a day.学习应通过不间断的精心塑造与引导而得以实现这一观念同样适用于艺术。我们观看了孩子们在教室里学习艺术的情景他们的娴熟技艺令我们惊讶。年仅5、6 岁的孩子就带着成人的那种技巧与自信在画花、画鱼和动物9 岁、10 岁的小书法家写出的作品满可以在博物馆展示。有一次去两位小艺术家的家里参观我们从孩子的父母处得知他们每天练习数小时以完善他们的技艺。

11 In terms of attitudes to creativity there seems to be a reversal of priorities: young Westerners making their boldest departures first and then gradually mastering the tradition; and young Chinese being almost inseparable from the tradition, but, over time, possibly evolving to a point equally original.从对创造力的态度来说优先次序似乎是颠倒了西方的年轻人先是大胆创新然后逐渐深谙传统而中国的年轻人则几乎离不开传统但是随着时间的推移他们同样可能发展到具有创新的境界。

12 One way of summarizing the American position is to state that we value originality and independence more than the Chinese do. The contrast between our two cultures can also be seen in terms of the fears we both harbor. Chinese teachers are fearful that if skills are not acquired early, they may never be acquired; there is, on the other hand, no comparable hurry to promote creativity.American educators fear that unless creativity has been acquired early, it may never emerge; on the other hand, skills can be picked up later.

美国人的立场可以概括起来这么说我们比中国人更重视创新和自立。我们两种文化的差异也可以从我们各自所怀的忧虑中显示出来。中国老师担心如果年轻人不及早掌握技艺就有可能一辈子掌握不了另一方面他们并不同样地急于促进创造力的发展。美国教育工作者则担心除非从一开始就发展创造力不然创造力就有可能永不再现而另一方面技艺可于日后获得。

13 However, I do not want to overstate my case. There is enormous creativity to be found in Chinese scientific, technological and artistic innovations past and present. And there is a danger of exaggerating creative breakthroughs in the West. When any innovation is examined closely, its reliance on previous achievements is all too apparent (the "standing on the shoulders of giants" phenomenon).但我并不想夸大其辞。无论在过去还是在当今中国在科学、技术和艺术革新方面都展示了巨大的创造力。而西方的创新突破则有被夸大的危险。如果仔细审视任何一项创新其对以往成就的依赖则都显而易见“站在巨人肩膀之上”的现象。

14 But assuming that the contrast I have developed is valid, and that the fostering of skills and creativity are both worthwhile goals, the important question becomes this: Can we gather, from the Chinese and American extremes, a superior way to approach education, perhaps striking a better balance between the poles of creativity and basic skills?然而假定我这里所说的反差是成立的而培养技艺与创造力两者都是值得追求的目标那么重要的问题就在于我们能否从中美两个极端中寻求一种更好的教育方式它或许能在创造力与基本技能这两极之间获得某种较好的平衡

2A Life Full of Riches

富足的一生

It was early December 2003, my first season as a Salvation Army bell ringer, when I was confronted with the question. I was standing just outside the doorway of a Wal-Mart, offering a "thank you" and a smile to each person who dropped a donation into my red kettle. A neatly dressed woman and her young son walked up to the kettle stand. While she searched her purse for some cash, the boy looked up at me. I can still see the confusion and curiosity in his eyes as he asked, "Are you poor?"

首次面对这个问题，是在2003年12月初，我第一次为救世军摇铃募捐的时候。当时我就站在沃尔玛商场入口处门外，对每一位向我的红壶里投入捐款的人都报以一声“谢谢”和一个微笑。一位穿着整洁的妇人牵着她的幼子向放壶的台子走过来。她在钱包里摸着找钱时，孩子抬头看了我一眼，问我：“你穷吗？”当时他眼里充满疑惑和好奇，时至今日仍历历在目。"Well," I stammered, trying to think, "I have more than some people, but not as much as others." His mother scolded him for the social no-no, and they hurried off to do their shopping. His question, however, did not leave me.

“嗯，”我结结巴巴，边想边回答，“我比有些人拥有的多，但比其他人拥有的少。”母亲因为孩子问了一个在社交上不该问的问题，训斥了他一顿，他俩便匆匆的赶去购物。但是孩子的问题却一直留在我的心头挥之不去。

I've never thought of myself as "poor," but I can't deny certain facts. Every time I fill out my 1040 form, I fall into one of the lowest income brackets. In the past 35 years, I've taken just one vacation trip. My TV is a black-and-white set that someone gave me eight years ago.

我从不认为自己“穷”，但有些事实我不可否认。每当我填1040税务申报表时，我都属于收入最低的档次之一。在过去的三十五年中，我只出去度过一次假。我的电视机是黑白的，还是八年前别人送给我的。

Yet I feel nothing more than a passing whim to attain the material things so many other people have. My 1999 car shows the wear and tear of 105,000 miles. But it is still dependable. My apartment is modest, but quiet and relaxing. My clothes are well suited to my work, which is primarily outdoors. My minimal computer needs can be met at the library.

然而，想要得到其他那么多人都有的物质的东西，对我来说，只不过是转瞬即逝的念头而已。我的汽车是1999年的产品，到现在开了十万五千英里，已经很破很旧了，但是它依然可靠。我的住房不大，但是很安静，住着挺舒心。我的衣服很适合于我的工作，主要都在户外。我对计算机的很少的需求，可以在图书馆得到解决。

In spite of what I don't have, I don't feel poor. Why? I've enjoyed exceptionally good health for 53 years. It's not just that I've been illness-free, it's that I feel vigorous and spirited. Exercising is actually fun for me. I look forward to long, energizing walks. And I love the "can do" attitude that follows.

尽管有些东西我没有，我并不感到贫穷。这是为什么 五十三年来我一直非常健康。我不但不生病，而且精力充沛，情绪饱满。锻炼对我而言是确确实实的快事，我乐意长距离步行，越走越有劲。我喜爱步行后随之产生的一种“什么都干得了”的心态。

I also cherish the gift of creativity. When I write a beautiful line of poetry, or fabricate a joke that tickles someone, I feel rich inside. I'm continually surprised at the insights that come through my writing process. And talking with so many interesting writer friends is one of my main sources of enjoyment.

我还十分珍惜我的创作才能。当我写出美丽的诗句或编造出能把人逗乐的笑话时，我内心感到很富有。通过写作而获得的洞察力，不断地令我惊奇。而与那么多写作朋友交谈，是我乐趣的主要源泉之一。

But there is one vital area of my life where I am not so well off. In a society that spends so much emotional energy on the pursuit of possessions, I feel out of place

但是在我生活中,有一个重要方面我并不那么富有。在一个对物资财富的追求投入如此之多心力的社会中,我觉得很不自在。

When I was younger, there was an exceptionally interesting person I dated. What was most important to her, she told me, was "what's on the inside." I thought I had found someone special to share my life with. Then I took her to see my apartment. At the time, I lived in a basement efficiency with a few pieces of dated furniture. The only new, comfortable chair was the one at my desk. Shortly after her visit, our relationship went straight south.

我年轻时曾与一位非常有趣的女士谈过朋友。她对我说，对她而言，最重要的是“一个人的内心”。我以为我找到了非同一般的生活伴侣。后来我就带她到我的寓所。当时我住的是一个地下室经济型小套间，只有几件陈旧的家具。唯一新而舒适的椅子是书桌旁的那把。她来访后不久，我们的关系就急转直下。

The seemingly abrupt change in her priorities was jolting. It remains a most memorable turning point in my personal journey.

她所看重的东西似乎突然有了变化,使我大为震动。在我的人生旅途上,这仍然是一个最难以忘怀的转折点。

In contrast to relationships, stuff just doesn't mean that much to me. I think most people feel the same way — except when there are social consequences to not having particular items. There is a commercial on the radio that begins, "Everybody wants a high-end TV ..." The pressure to purchase is real. It may be true that everybody wants a high-end TV. After all, nobody wants to be a nobody.

相对于人际关系而言，物质财富对我并不那么重要。我认为大多数人与我同感——除非当某一物品的缺失会引发社会后果时，人们才会有不同的想法。电台播放的一个商业广告开头这样说：“每个人都想拥有一台高档电视…”，购买这种电视机的压力千真万确。也许每个人真的都想要一台高档电视机，毕竟没有人想做一个无名之辈。

But I'm happy to live without one. In fact, not being focused on material goods feels quite natural to me. There are many people throughout the world who would consider my lifestyle to be affluent.

但是没有这样的电视机我也照样活得快乐。事实上不专注于物质财富，对我而言相当自然。在这个世界上有很多人认为我活得很富足。

Near the end of the year, when I put on the Salvation Army's red apron, something changes inside me. Instead of feeling out of place economically, I begin to feel a genuine sense of belonging. As I ring my bell, people stop to share their personal stories of how much it meant to be helped when they were going through a rough time. People helping people is something I feel deeply connected to. While I'm ringing the bell, complete strangers have brought me hot chocolate, leaving me with a lingering smile. Countless individuals have helped to keep me warm with the sentiments of the season: "Thank you for ringing on such a cold day." "Can I get you a cup of coffee?" "Bless you for your good work." December is the time of year I feel wealthiest.

临近岁末每当我系上救世军的红围裙时，我的内心会发生变化。我非但不感到经济上不自在，还开始感到一种真正的归属感。我摇铃时，人们会停下脚步，给我讲述他们的故事，讲述他们遇到困难时受到帮助对他们多么重要。我感到我与人助人这件事深深地联系在一起。在我摇铃的时候，从未谋面的陌生人给我拿来热乎乎的巧克力饮料，留给我一个久不消逝的微笑。无数的路人向我表达圣诞节的祝愿，使我感到温暖。“谢谢你在这样的冷天摇铃。”“要不要

我给您弄一杯咖啡?”“你做好事，上帝保佑你。”十二月是一年中我感到最富足的时候。Over the past four years, I've grown to understand more about myself because of a single question from a curious child. As I've examined what it means to be poor, it has become clear to me what I am most thankful for: both my tangible and my intangible good fortune.

由于一个好奇的孩子提了一个简单问题，我在过去的四年中对自己的了解进了一步。当我审视贫穷究竟意味着什么时，我清楚了我最应感恩的是什么：我的有形和无形的好运气。

4

1 After too long on the Net, even a phone call can be a shock. My boyfriend's Liverpoolaccent suddenly becomes impossible to interpret after his easily understood words on screen; asecretary's clipped tone seems more rejecting than I'd imagined it would be. Time itself becomes

fluid -- hours become minutes, or seconds stretch into days. Weekends, once a highlight of my week, are now just two ordinary days.

虚拟世界的生活

迈亚?塞拉维茨

在网上呆了太久听到电话铃声也会吓一大跳。显示屏上看多了我男朋友那些一目了

然的文字他的利物浦口音一下子变得难以听懂而秘书的清脆快速的语调听上去比我想象的要生硬。时间本身变得捉摸不定——几小时变成几分钟或几秒钟延伸为几天。周末原本是我一周的黄金时段现在却不过是平平常常的两天。

2 For the last three years, since I stopped working as a television producer, I have done much

of my work as a telecommuter. I submit articles and edit them via email and communicate with colleagues on Internet mailing lists. My boyfriend lives in England, so much of our relationship is also computer-assisted.

在我不再当电视制片人的这三年间我的大部分工作都是在家里使用计算机终端进行

的。我通过电子邮件投稿和校订利用互联网上的人名地址与同行交流。我男朋友住在英国因此两人的关系也在很大程度上借助于电脑维系。

3 If I desired, I could stay inside for weeks without wanting anything. I can order food, and manage my money, love and work. In fact, at times I have spent as long as three weeks alone at home, going out only to get mail and buy newspapers and groceries. I watched most of the endlesssnowstorm of '96 on TV.

我要是愿意的话可以一连几个星期不出门而什么也不缺。我可以在网上订购食品、

网上理财、网上恋爱、网上工作。事实上我有时独自呆在家里长达三个星期只偶尔出去拿信、买报纸及日用品。1996 年那一场接一场的暴风雪我大都是在电视上看到的。

4 But after a while, life itself begins to feel unreal. I start to feel as though I've become onewith my machines, taking data in, spitting them back out, just another link in the Net. Others online report the same symptoms. We start to feel an aversion to outside forms of socializing. Wehave become the Net critics' worst nightmare.

然而一段时间之后生活本身就显得不那么真实了。我开始觉得自己似乎与机器融

为一体了我接收信息再发送出去就如同互联网的一个连接点。其他上网的人也谈到了

同样的症状。我们开始厌恶外面的社交方式。我们的状况成了批评互联网的人们最害怕见到的一幕。

5 What first seemed like a luxury, crawling from bed to computer, not worrying about hair,

and clothes and face, has become a form of escape, a lack of discipline. And once you start

replacing real human contact with cyber-interaction, coming back out of the cave can be quite difficult. 一下床就上机不再为发型、服饰、面部化妆烦心起初看似高级的享受如

今却成为一种对生活的逃避一种缺乏自律的表现。你一旦开始用网络交际取代人与人的真实接触要走出这种穴居状态就会相当困难。

6 I find myself shyer, more cautious, more anxious. Or, conversely, when suddenly confronted with real live humans, I get overexcited, speak too much, interrupt. I constantly worry if I am dressed appropriately, that perhaps I've actually forgotten to put on a skirt and walked outside in the T-shirt and underwear I sleep and live in.

我发现自己变得比以前怯生、谨慎、焦虑。或者反过来当我突然面对现实中活生

生的人时会变得过于兴奋说个不停爱打断别人的讲话。我老是担心自己衣着是否得体

担心自己会不会真的忘了穿裙子只穿着夜间睡觉、白天活动的那件T 恤和内衣就出门了。

7 At times, I turn on the television and just leave it to talk away in the background, somethingthat I'd never done previously. The voices of the programs are comforting, but then I'm jarred by

the commercials. I find myself sucked in by soap operas, or needing to keep up with the latestnews and the weather. "Dateline," "Frontline," "Nightline," CNN, New York 1, every possibleangle of every story over and over and over, even when they are of no possible use to me. Workmoves into the background. I decide to check my email.

有时我把电视机开着让它作为背景声音一直响着以前我从不这样做。电视节目中

的说话声让人感到宽慰可那些广告又叫我心烦。我发现自己沉浸在肥皂剧里或者不停地收看最新的新闻报道和天气预报。一而再再而三地从“每日新闻”、“一线新闻”、“夜间新闻”、有线新闻电视网、纽约一套上收看有关每一条新闻的各种不同视角的报道尽管它们对我毫无用处。工作成了次要的。我决定去看一下自己的电子信箱。

8 On line, I find myself attacking everyone in sight. I am bad-tempered, and easily angered. Ifind everyone on my mailing list insensitive, believing that they've forgotten that there are peopleactually reading their wounding remarks. I don't realize that I'm projecting until after I've beenembarrassed by someone who politely points out that I've attacked her for agreeing with me.

在网上我发现自己见谁攻谁。我脾气暴躁动辄生气。我觉得我与之通信的每一个

人都麻木不仁认为他们已经忘却还有人真会去读他们那些刻薄伤人的言辞。直到有人礼貌地指出她同意我的观点却遭到我的抨击时我才意识到自己是在以己度人不由得深感

尴尬。

9 When I'm in this state, I fight my boyfriend as well, misinterpreting his intentions becauseof the lack of emotional cues given by our typed dialogue. The fight takes hours, because thesystem keeps crashing. I say a line, then he does, then crash! And yet we keep on, doggedly.

在这种精神状态下我也和男朋友吵架常因键出的对话缺乏情感暗示而误解他的本

意。由于系统常出故障两人一争就是几个小时。我写一句他回一句接着系统失灵可我们俩还是锲而不舍地接着吵。

10 I'd never realized how important daily routine is: dressing for work, sleeping normal hours.I'd never thought I relied so much on co-workers for company. I began to understand whylong-term unemployment can be so damaging, why life without an externally supported daily plancan lead to higher rates of drug abuse, crime, suicide.

以前我从未意识到日常的生活起居是多么重要如穿戴整齐去上班按时就寝。以前

我从未想过自己会那么依赖同事做伴。我开始理解为什么长时间的失业会那么伤人为什么一个人的生活缺少了外部支持的日常计划就会导致吸毒、犯罪、自杀率的增长。

11 To restore balance to my life, I force myself back into the real world. I call people, arrangeto meet with the few remaining friends who haven't fled New York City. I try to at least get to thegym, so as to set apart the weekend from the rest of my week. I arrange interviews for stories,doctor's appointments -- anything to get me out of the house and connected with others. 为了恢复生活的平衡我强迫自己回到真实世界中去。我给别人打电话与所剩无几

的仍然住在纽约城的几个朋友安排见面。我至少设法去去健身房以便使周末与工作日有所不同。我安排采访好写报道预约看医生——安排任何需要我出门与他人接触的活动。

12 But sometimes being face to face is too much. I see a friend and her ringing laughter is intolerable -- the noise of conversation in the restaurant, unbearable. I make my excuses and flee. Ire-enter my apartment and run to the computer as though it were a place of safety.

但有时面对面地与人相处实在难以忍受。我与一位朋友见面她那种响亮的笑声让人忍无可忍——饭店里的噪杂谈话声也让人受不了。我找了个藉口逃之夭夭。我重新回到我的公寓冲向电脑似乎那儿才是一个安全的地方。

13 I click on the modem, the once-annoying sound of the connection now as pleasant as myfavorite tune. I enter my password. The real world disappears.

我点击鼠标打开调制解调器曾经听了就烦的连接声此刻听起来就如同最心爱的曲子那么悦耳。我键入密码。真实世界转瞬便消逝了。

Thought you were safe sharing secrets with Internet friends? Wait for the doorbell...

你以为与网友分享秘密不会出事儿吗等着门铃响起来吧……

5

True Height

David Naster

1 His palms were sweating. He needed a towel to dry his grip. The sun was as hot as thecompetition he faced today at the National Junior Olympics. The pole was set at 17 feet. That was

three inches higher than his personal best. Michael Stone confronted the most challenging day of his pole-vaulting career.

真正的高度

大卫?纳史特

他手心在出汗。他需要用毛巾把握竿的手擦干。太阳火辣辣的与他今天在全国少年奥林匹克运动会上所面临的竞争一样热烈。横杆升到了17 英尺。比他个人的最高纪录高出3 英寸。迈克尔?斯通面临的是其撑竿跳高生涯中最具挑战性的一天。

2 The stands were still filled with about 20,000 people, even though the final race had ended

an hour earlier. The pole vault is truly the highlight of any track and field competition. It combines the grace of a gymnast with the strength of a body builder. It also has the element of flying, and the thought of flying as high as a two-story building is a mere fantasy to anyone watching such an event.

尽管赛跑决赛一小时前就已经结束看台上仍然观众满座足有20,000 人上下。撑竿跳高确实是所有田径比赛中最精彩的项目。它融合了体操运动员的优雅与健美运动员的力量。它还具有飞翔的特征对观看该项目比赛的观众来说飞跃两层楼的高度简直是一件不可思议的事情。

3 As long as Michael could remember he had always dreamed of flying. Michael's mother

read him numerous stories about flying when he was growing up. Her stories were always ones

that described the land from a bird's-eye view. Her excitement and passion for details made Michael's dreams full of color and beauty. Michael had this one recurring dream. He would be running down a country road. As he raced between golden wheat fields, he would always outrun the locomotives passing by. It was at the exact moment he took a deep breath that he began to liftoff the ground. He would begin soaring like an eagle.

迈克尔自从能记事起就一直梦想着飞翔。从小到大母亲给迈克尔念过无数关于飞翔

的故事。她的故事总是从高空俯瞰描述大地。她对细节的激情和酷爱使得迈克尔的梦境色彩缤纷、绚丽无比。迈克尔总是重复做着一个梦。他在乡间大路上飞奔。当他奔跑在金色的麦田之间时总是把开过的机车一路甩在身后。就在他深深吸上一口气的瞬间他开始从地面一跃而起就像一头雄鹰那样开始翱翔。

4 Where he flew would always coincide with his mother's stories. Wherever he flew was with

a keen eye for detail and the free spirit of his mother's love. His dad, on the other hand, was not adreamer. Bert Stone was a hard-core realist. He believed in hard work and sweat. His motto: If youwant something, work for it!

他飞越的都是母亲故事里描述的地方。无论他飞向何方他都怀着母爱所赐予他的自

由精神用敏锐的目光观察入微。可他的父亲却不是个梦想家。伯特?斯通是个彻头彻尾的现实主义者。他信奉的是努力与苦干。他的格言是要想有所收获就得努力工作

5 From the age of 14, Michael did just that. He began a very careful training program. Heworked out every other day with weightlifting, with some kind of running work on alternate days.The program was carefully monitored by Michael's coach, trainer and father. Michael's dedication,determination and discipline was a coach's dream. Besides being an honor student and only child,Michael Stone continued to help his parents with their farm chores. Mildred Stone, Michael'smother, wished he could relax a bit more and be that "free dreaming" little boy. On one occasion

she attempted to talk to him and his father about this, but his dad quickly interrupted, smiled and said, "You want something, work for it!" 从14 岁起迈克尔就是这么做的。他开始按

非常周密的计划训练。他每隔一天进行举重训练其它的日子做些跑步训练。训练计划由迈克尔的教练、训练员兼父亲严加督导。迈克尔的投入、执着、自律正是每一个教练所梦寐以求的。迈克尔在学校是位优秀生在家是个独生子但他仍帮助父母在自家的农场上干些杂活。迈克尔的母亲米尔德里德?斯通希望他能更放松些还是做那个“自由幻想”的小男孩。有一次她试图跟他及其父亲好好谈一下可当父亲的马上就打断了她笑着说“要想有

所收获就得努力工作”

6 All of Michael's vaults today seemed to be the reward for his hard work. If Michael Stonewas surprised, excited or vain about clearing the bar at 1

7 feet, you couldn't tell. As soon as helanded on the inflated landing mat, and with the crowd on its feet, Michael immediately beganpreparing for his next attempt at flight. He seemed unaware of the fact that he had just beaten hispersonal best by three inches and that he was one of the final two competitors in the pole-vaultingevent at the National Junior Olympics.

迈克尔今天跃过的所有高度显然都是对他刻苦努力的回报。迈克尔?斯通在成功跃过

17 英尺的横杆时是感到惊讶、激动还是得意人们无从知晓。迈克尔身体刚刚落在充气垫上观众还没坐下他马上就开始准备下一次飞跃。他似乎并未意识到自己刚刚把个人最好成绩提高了3 英寸已经是全国少年奥林匹克运动会撑竿跳高项目最后两名决赛者之一。

7 When Michael cleared the bar at 17 feet 2 inches and 17 feet 4 inches, again he showed noemotion. As he lay on his back and heard the crowd groan, he knew the other vaulter had

missedhis final jump. He knew it was time for his final jump. Since the other vaulter had fewer misses,Michael needed to clear this vault to win. A miss would get him second place. Nothing to beashamed of, but Michael would not allow himself the thought of not winning first place.

当迈克尔成功跃过17 英尺2 英寸和17 英尺4 英寸高度的横杆时他仍没有流露出丝

毫感情。他仰面躺着听到观众在叹息他知道另一位撑竿跳运动员最后一跳没有成功。他知道自己最后一跳的时刻到了。由于那位运动员失败次数较少迈克尔这一跳只有成功才能获胜。这一次跳不过就会使自己落到第二名。那也丝毫无愧但迈克尔决不让自己产生哪怕一丝与冠军无缘的念头。

8 He rolled over and did his routine of three finger-tipped push-ups. He found his pole, stood and stepped on the runway that led to the most challenging event of his 17-year-old life.

他翻了个身照例指尖撑地做了三下俯卧撑。他找着了撑竿站起身踏上那引向其

17 年生命中最具挑战性的一跃的跑道。

9 The runway felt different this time. It startled him for a brief moment. Then it all hit him

like a wet bale of hay. The bar was set at nine inches higher than his personal best. That's only oneinch off the National record, he thought. The intensity of the moment filled his mind with anxiety.He began shaking the tension. It wasn't working. He became more tense. Why was this happeningto him now, he thought. He began to get nervous. Afraid would be a more accurate description.What was he going to do? He had never experienced these feelings. Then out of nowhere, andfrom the deepest depths of his soul, he pictured his mother. Why now? What washis mother doingin his thoughts at a time like this? It was simple. His mother always used to tell him when you felttense, anxious or even scared, take deep breaths.

这一回那跑道显得有些异样。刹那间他感到一阵惊吓。一种惶惑不安的感觉向他

袭来。横杆升在高出他个人最高纪录9 英寸的高度。他想这一高度与全国纪录只差1 英寸了。这一刻紧张异常他感到焦虑不安。他想摆脱紧张情绪。没有用。他更紧张了。在这种时刻怎么会这样呢他暗暗思忖着。他有点胆怯起来。说是恐惧也许更为恰当。怎么办他以前从来不曾有过这种感觉。这时不知不觉地在内心最深处出现了他母亲的身影。为

什么是在这一刻记忆中母亲在这种时刻会怎样做呢很简单。母亲过去总跟他说当你

觉得紧张、焦虑、甚至害怕的时候就深深地吸气。

10 So he did. Along with shaking the tension from his legs, he gently laid his pole at his feet.He began to stretch out his arms and upper body. The light breeze that was once there was nowgone. He carefully picked up his pole. He felt his heart pounding. He was sure the crowd did, too.

The silence was deafening. When he heard the singing of some distant birds in flight, he knew itwas his time to fly.

于是他深深吸了一口气。在摆脱腿部肌肉紧张的同时他轻轻地把撑竿放在脚边。他

开始舒展双臂和上身。刚才飘过一阵轻风此刻消失了。他小心翼翼地拿起撑竿只觉得心怦怦在跳。他相信观众们的心也在怦怦跳动。场上鸦雀无声令人透不过气来。当他听见远处飞鸟啼鸣时他知道自己飞身起跃的时刻到了。

11 As he began sprinting down the runway, something felt wonderfully different, yet familiar.The surface below him felt like the country road he used to dream about. Visions of the goldenwheat fields seemed to fill his thoughts. When he took a deep breath, it happened. He began to fly.Histake-off was effortless. Michael Stone was now flying, just like in his childhood dreams. Onlythis time he knew he wasn't dreaming. This was real. Everything seemed to be moving in slowmotion. The air around him was the purest and freshest he had ever sensed. Michael was soaringlike an eagle.

他沿着跑道起跑冲刺那感觉奇特无比妙不可言而又似曾相识。脚下的地面就好似过去常常梦见的乡间大路。金色麦田的景象映现在他的脑海中。他深深吸了一口气于是奇迹发生了。他飞起来了。他的起跳轻松自如。迈克尔?斯通此刻就像儿时梦境中的那般在飞行。不过这一次他知道自己不是在做梦。这一次他真的在飞。周围一切都似乎在缓缓移动。他感到周围空气从未像这样纯净清新。如同一头雄鹰迈克尔在翱翔。

12 It was either the eruption of the people in the stands or the thump of his landing thatbrought Michael back to earth. On his back with that wonderful hot sun on his face, he knew hecould only see in his mind's eye the smile on his mother's face. He knew his dad was probablysmiling too, even laughing. What he didn't know was that his dad was hugging his wife and crying.That's right: Bert "If You Want It, Work For It" Stone was crying like a baby in his wife's arms. Hewas crying harder than Mildred had ever seen before. She also knew he was crying the greatesttears of all: tears of pride. Michael was immediately surrounded by people hugging andcongratulating him on the greatest accomplishment of his life. He later went on that day to clear

17 feet 6?inches: a National and International Junior Olympics record.

或许是看台上人们爆发出的欢呼声或许是他着地时嘭的一声响使迈克尔回到现实之中。他仰面躺着明媚的骄阳映照着他的脸。他知道自己只能想象母亲的笑靥他知道爸爸或许也在微笑甚或欢声大笑。他不知道的是他爸爸正与妻子相拥而泣。没错这位“要想有所收获就得努力工作”的伯特?斯通在妻子怀里孩子似地泪流满面。米尔德里德从没见他那样哭过。她也知道他流淌的是最难得的泪水骄傲的泪水。迈克尔一下子被围住了人们拥抱他祝贺他所取得的一生中最辉煌的成就。那天稍后他接着越过了17 英尺6 英寸半创下了全国和世界少年奥林匹克撑杆跳高的新纪录。

13 With all the media attention and sponsorship possibilities, Michael's life would never bethe same again. It wasn't just because he won the National Junior Olympics and set a new worldrecord. And it wasn't because he had just increased his personal best by 9? inches. It was simplybecause Michael Stone is blind.

随着媒体的关注以及可能随之而来的各种赞助迈克尔的生活肯定会不同以往。这不仅仅是因为他获得了全国少年奥林匹克冠军并刷新了一项世界纪录,也不是因为他将自己的最高纪录提高了9 英寸半,而是因为迈克尔?斯通是个盲人。

A chance encounter can sometimes make all the difference to whether hardship brings out the best in us or the worst.

磨难到底是能让我们显出内在的美德还是暴露出自身的缺陷有时一次偶然的遭遇可

能会起到决定性的作用。

6

Unit 6 Woman, Half the Sky

Carolyn Turk works in a profession that has traditionally been a career for men. Here she talks about how she came to do so and how her success just goes to show that a woman can learn anything a man can.

卡洛琳特克从事的职业传统上一直是男人们的天下。在本文，她谈到自己是如何干上这一行的，并通过她的成功表明男人们能学会的事女人们也能做到。

Text A

A Woman Can Learn Anything a Man Can

男人学得会的，女人也学得会

1 When I was a kid, everything in my bedroom was pink. I have two sisters and we had a complete miniature kitchen, a herd of My Little Ponies

2 and several Barbie and Ken dolls. We didn't have any toy trucks, G. I. Joes or basketballs. We did have a Wiffle-ball set, but you would have been hard-pressed to find it in our playroom. Tomboys we weren't.

我小的时候卧室里的每样东西都是粉红色的。我有两个姐妹，我们有一个一应俱全的微型厨房，一群各种颜色的小马驹，还有好几个芭比和凯恩玩具娃娃。我们没有玩具卡车，没有玩具大兵，也没有篮球。我们确实有一套空心棒球，但是很难再我们的游戏室找到，毕竟我们不是假小子。

2 So some people may find it ironic that I grew up to be a mechanical engineer. In fact, I am the only female engineer at my company. In order to get my college degree, I had to take a lot of math and science classes. I also had to work with a team of students as part of a national competition to convert a gas-guzzling SUV into a hybrid electric vehicle

3 -- that's where I learned how to fix cars. I'm proud to say that I got A's in all my classes, including multivariable calculus and differential equations. I've always been pretty good at math and design, but I didn't understand where that could take me. I was expected to go to college, but no one ever told me I'd make a good engineer someday.

正因为如此，有些人对我长大后成了一名机械工程师也许感到出乎意外。事实上，我是我公司里唯一的一个女工程师。为了取得大学文凭，我要上许多数学和自然科学方面的课程。我还得和几个学生一起工作，作为参与一次全国性竞赛的一部分，把一辆耗费汽油特多的运动型多用途汽车改装成混合型电动车——就是这样我学会了修汽车。我可以自豪的说，我门门功课都是A，包括多变量微积分和微分方程。我的数学和设计总是相当好，但是我不知道这些会给我带来什么样的结果。家里要我上大学，但是没人告诉我有一天会成为一名优秀的工程师。

3 When I was in high school, I didn't know the first thing about engineering. I couldn't have distinguished a transmission from an alternator. The car I drove needed some work

4 but I was afraid to take it to the mechanic. Because honestly, the mechanic could have shown me an electric can opener and said, "This is part of your car and it's broken -- pay me to fix it," and I wouldn't have known any better.

我上高中时对工程一无所知。我那时不能辨别变速器和交流发电机。我开的车需要修理，但是我不敢把车开到修理工那里，因为说实话，如果修理工给我看一把电动开罐器并对我说：“这是你的汽车部件，坏了——你付钱我给你修，”我也不会知道他在敲诈。

4 At the end of my junior year of high school, I heard about a summer program designed to interest girls in engineering. The six-week program was free, and students were given college credit and a dorm room at the University of Maryland. I applied to the program, not because I wanted to be an engineer, but because I was craving independence and wanted to get out of my parents' house for six weeks.

我在高中第三年末的时候，听说有一个暑期班，专门培养女孩对工程的兴趣。课程六周，不用缴费。学生还可以获得大学学分，还可以享受马里兰大学学生宿舍一个房间。我申请参加这个暑期班，这倒不是因为我想当工程师，而是因为我渴望独立，想离开父母的房子自己单独过上六周。

5 I was accepted to the program and I earned six engineering credits. The next year I entered the university as an engineering major. Five years later I had a degree and three decent job offers.

我被这个暑期班录取了，得到了六个工程学分。第二年我上了这个大学，主修工程。五年后

我获得了学位，还有三个像样的就业机会。

6 I can't help shuddering when I hear about studies that show that women are at a disadvantage when it comes to math. They imply that I am somehow abnormal. I'm not, but I do know that if I hadn't stumbled into that summer program, I wouldn't be an engineer.

听到有研究表明女性学数学处于劣势，我不禁不寒而栗。他们的言下之意是我有点反常。我一点也不反常，但是我知道，要不是我偶然闯进了那个暑期班，我是成不了工程师的。

7 When I was growing up I was told, as many students are, to do what I am best at. But I didn't know what that was. Most people think that when you are good at something, it comes easily to you. But this is what I discovered: just because a subject is difficult to learn, it does not mean you are not good at it. You just have to grit your teeth and work harder to get good at it. Once you do, there's a strong chance you will enjoy it more than anything else.

像许多学生一样，我成长过程中，就有人告诉我要做自己最擅长的事。但是我不知道自己最擅长的是什么。许多人认为，如果你擅长某件事，那你就能轻而易举的把它学好。但是我的发现是：某一门课程难学，并不意味着你不擅长它。你得咬紧牙加倍努力干，才能学好它。一旦你学好了，你就可能喜欢上它，从中得到无与伦比的乐趣。

8 In eighth grade I took algebra. On one test I got only 36 percent of the answers correct. I failed the next one, too. I started to think, maybe I'm just no good at this. I was lucky enough to have a teacher who didn't take my bad grades as a judgment of my abilities, but simply as an indication that I should study more. He pulled me aside and told me he knew I could do better. He let me retake the tests, and I pulled my grade up to an A.

八年级时我修代数，有一次考试我只答对了百分之三十六的题目。接下去一次考试我又不及格。于是我想，也许我确实不擅长代数。值得庆幸的是我有一位老师，他没有根据我的低分来衡量我的能力，而认为低分只表示我应该下更大的功夫。他把我叫到一旁，告诉我他知道我能学得更好。他让我重考，这次我把成绩提高到A。

9 I studied a lot in college, too. I had moments of panic while sitting underneath the buzzing fluorescent lights in the engineering library on Saturday afternoons, when I worried that the estrogen in my body was preventing me from understanding thermodynamics. But the guys in my classes had to work just as hard, and I knew that I couldn't afford to lose confidence in myself. I didn't want to choose between my femininity and a good career. So I reminded myself that those studies, the ones that say that math comes more naturally to men, are based on a faulty premise: that you can judge a person's abilities separate from the cultural cues that she has received since she was an infant5. No man is an island. No woman is, either.

我在大学也很努力。星期六下午坐在工程图书馆吱吱作响的荧光灯下学习时，我也有过恐惧的时候，担心我体内的雌激素妨碍我理解热动力学。但是我班上的男生也同样要下功夫，我知道我不能对自己丧失信心。我不想在女生的娇柔和一个好职业中间两者只取其一。因此我提醒自己，宣称男性天生更能学好数学的研究是基于一个错误的前提，那就是认为人们可以脱离一个人从孩提时代就受到社会的文化熏陶而径直判断她的能力。男人不是孤岛，女人也不是。

10 Why are we so quick to limit ourselves? I'm not denying that most little girls love dolls and most little boys love videogames, and it may be true that some people favor the right side of their brain, and others the left. But how relevant is that to me, or to anyone, as an individual? Instead of translating our differences into hard and fast conclusions7 about the human brain, why can't we focus instead on how incredibly flexible we are? Instead of using what we know as a reason why women can't learn physics, maybe we should consider the possibility that our brains

are more powerful than we imagine.

我们为何要那么快的限制自己呢？我不否认，大多数小女孩喜欢玩具娃娃，大多数小男孩喜欢电子游戏。也许真的是有人喜欢用大脑的右半球，有人则喜欢用左半球。但这与我，或任何其他个人有何相干？为什么要对人与人之间的区别下定结论，说成是与大脑有关，而不能把注意力集中到我们所具备的难以置信的灵活性上去呢？也许我们应该考虑我们的大脑可能比我们想象的强大得多，而不应该用我们所知的一点东西来阐述女人学不会物理的理由。

11 Here's a secret: math and science don't come easily to most people. No one was ever born knowing calculus. A woman can learn anything a man can, but first she needs to know that she can do it, and that takes a leap of faith.8 It also helps to have selective hearing.

秘密在于：数学和自然科学都不是大多数人轻而易举就能学会的。没有人生来就懂微积分。男人学得会的女人也学得会。但是女人首先需要知道她能学会，而这需要有敢冒风险而为的精神。同时听别人的话也得有所选择才行。