Unit-Lifelong-Education課文翻譯大學體驗英語三

1、Unit5LifelongEducationPassageATongue-tiedSeveralweeksagoIwasridinginacabwhenthedriverseyescaughtmineintherearviewmirrorandhesaid,Excuseme,Miss?Canyouhelpme?Asanyhard-bittencitydwellerknows,thecorrectanswertoaquestionlikeCanyouhelpme?shouldalwaysbesomeversionofItdepends.Ichirped,Sure.Thankyou,hesaid.

2、Hepassedaslipofyellowpaperintothebackseat.Istaredatthepaper,wondering.Wasthisajoke?Athreat?Hand-printedonthepaperintinyblockletterswasthis:proverbpeculiaridiomaticPlease,hesaid.Whatisthemeaningofthesewords?Istaredatthewordsinthedistressedwayyoumightstareatpartyguestswhosefacesyouveseensomewherebefor

3、ebutwhosenameshaveescapedyourmind.Proverb?Peculiar?Idiomatic?HowonearthshouldIknow?Itsonethingtouseaword,itsanothertoexplainit.Iresortedtoshiftingthetopic.Wheredidyougetthesewords?ThedriverexplainedthathewasPakistani.Helistenedtotheradioashedroveandoftenjotteddownunfamiliar,fascinatingwordswhosemean

4、ingsandspellingshethensoughtfromhispassengers.Peculiar,hesaid.Whatdoesthismean?Icouldmanagethatone.Strange,Isaid.Odd.Oftenwithahintofsomethingsuspicious.Thankyou,Miss.Andidiomatic?Iclearedmythroat.Um,itsa,well,um.Itinvolvesapeculiaruseofthelanguage.Ithoughtmyuseofpeculiarwaskindofclever.Helookedconf

5、used,areminderthatcleversnotcleverifitdoesntcommunicate.Uh,letssee.Idiomaticisrelatedtothewordidiom.Anidiomssomethingthatsusedin,say,aparticularpartofthecountryorbyaparticulargroupofpeople.Peoplewhoarentpartofthatgrouparentlikelytouseitandmightnotunderstandit.Watchinghispuzzledlook,Ididwhatapersonof

6、tendoeswhenatalossfortherightwords:Iwentontalking,asifathousandvaguewordswouldadduptooneaccuratedefinition.Canyougivemeanexample?Irackedmybrains.Gapersblock,Isaid.ApeculiarlyChicagophrase.Butdiditreallyqualifyasidiomatic?IhadnoideabecausethelongerIthoughtaboutidiomsthelesssureIwaswhattheywere.Andpro

7、verb?IshouldhavetoldthepoormanrightthenthatImightbemisleadinghimdowntheproverbialpath,whateverthatreallymeans,butinsteadIsaid,Ithinkaproverbiskindoflikeanaphorism.Butnotquite.Awhat?Nevermind.Aproverbisacondensedsayingthatteachesyoualesson.Anexample?Themeterclickedoffafull20centswhileIsearchedmadlyth

8、roughmymind.Hastemakeswaste?Ifinallywhimpered.Butwasthataproverb?Wait.Werentproverbsactuallystories,notjustphrases?WhileIwasconvincingmyselftheywere,hesaid,Cananidiombeaproverb?Icouldanswerthat.Justnotrightnow,nowwhenitmattered,nowwhenthefateofacurious,intelligentimmigranthungontheanswersheassumedwo

9、uldfallfromanativespeakerstongueasnaturallyasleavesfromanOctobertree.SoIretreated.Domostofyourpassengersgiveyouanswerswhenyouaskfordefinitions?Oh,yes,Miss.Veryinterestingdefinitions.Untilthatmoment,IdbeensoinspiredbythedriversdeterminationtolearnEnglish,soenthralledbythechancetoindulgemycuriosityabo

10、utwordswithanothercurioussoul,thatIdidntfullygraspthepotentialforlinguisticfraudcommittedinthismanscab.NowIcouldbarelyallowmyselftoimaginewhatkindofdeformedEnglishhewasbeingfedbycowardslikemewhocouldntsimplysay,Idontreallyknowmyownlanguage.Icanonlytrustthatsomeoneascuriousasheisalsoownsadictionary.A

11、ndthathefiguresoutthat,nomatterwhathispassengersmaysay,hastedoesntalwaysmakewasteatthegapersblock.無言以對精明老練的城里人都知道，對諸如能幫個忙嗎？”這樣的問題，回答永遠應該是那要看是什么忙了?！倍覅s高聲地說：當然可以?！敝x謝！”他說，并向后排座遞過來一張黃紙條。我盯著紙條，疑心頓起：難道他在開玩笑？抑或是威脅？紙條上是手寫的工工整整幾個小字：proverb,peculiar,idiomatic。請問，這幾個字是什么意思？”我沮喪地看著紙條上的字，就好像在晚會上你盯著幾個以前曾經(jīng)見過的面孔，卻怎

12、么也想不起他們的名字。Proverb?Peculiar?Idiomatic?我怎么會知道？會用一個詞是一回事兒，會解釋可是另外一回事兒。于是我故意轉移話題。這些字是哪兒來的？”司機解釋說他是巴基斯坦人，開車時喜歡聽收音機，經(jīng)常把不熟悉的、精彩的詞隨手記下來，然后向乘客詢問他們的意思和拼法。Peculiar,這個詞什么意思？”他問。這個我知道。指奇特、古怪，經(jīng)常帶點兒懷疑的意味，我說。謝謝您，小姐。那么，idiomatic呢？我清清嗓子，說：嗯，它是指，嗯，它是語言的一種獨特運用。”我自以為獨特”一詞用得很妙，他卻一臉的迷惑。這是在提示我，如果對方?jīng)]有明白，這詞兒就不能算用得妙。啊，這么說吧，i

13、diomatic和idiom有關，而idiom是指一個國家的某一特定地區(qū)或一個民族的某一特定人群使用的詞，該地區(qū)以外的人，不屬于這個群體的人一般不用或不明白它的用法?！笨粗曰蟛唤獾臉幼?，我不知用什么恰當?shù)脑~才好，只好繼續(xù)解釋下去，似乎一千個模糊的詞加起來可以等于一個準確的定義。你能舉個例子嗎？”我絞盡腦汁地想：圍觀塞車，”這是個獨特的芝加哥慣用語。幾周前我乘坐出租車，司機通過后視鏡看著我說:對不起，小姐，能幫個忙嗎?用語到底是什么?那么proverb呢？我本該當時就告訴這個可憐的人，我的解釋也許會誤導他對諺語真正含義的理解，但我卻說：我覺得諺語就是一種警語，但又不完全是?！狈N什么？”算了，

14、別管它，諺語是給人們以警示的短小精悍的句子?！北热缯f”當我在腦海里拼命地搜索時，記價器上的數(shù)字又跳了20美分。最后我低聲說：欲速則不達？”但它算是諺語嗎？且慢，諺語是否應該是些小故事而并非短語呢？我還在掂量諺語可能就是小故事時，他又問：那慣用語是諺語嗎？”這我可以回答，但不是在此時。因為此時這一回答至關重要，一個好奇聰明的外國移民以為他所期待的答案會從一個本國人的口中自然而然地脫口而出，就好像十月的樹葉會自然地落下來一樣。因此我退卻了。你請乘客給你解釋詞意的時候，他們大多都會給你答案嗎？”含的，小姐，很有意思的解釋?！敝钡侥菚r，我一直在為這位司機學習英語的執(zhí)著而感動，陶醉于能有機會與一個充滿好

15、奇心的人一起來滿足自己對語言詞語的好奇心，卻未能充分意識到在這輛出租車上可能犯下的語言欺詐錯誤。我?guī)缀醪桓蚁胂筮@位司機聽到的是什么樣的蹩腳英語，因為像我這樣的懦夫不敢坦白地承認：我對自己的母語并不懂?！蔽抑荒芟Ｍ袼@樣好奇的人會有一本字典，希望他能明白，不論乘客如何解釋，發(fā)生圍觀塞車時，欲速則未必不達。PassageBReturningtoCollegeIfIthoughtIdlivetobeahundred,Idgobacktocollegenextfall.IwasdraftedintotheArmyattheendofmyjunioryearand,afterfouryearsinth

16、eservice,hadnoinclinationtoreturntofinish.Bythen,itseemed,Ikneweverything.可這算得上名副其實的慣用語嗎？我不得而知。我越想慣用語，就越?jīng)]有把握說清楚慣Well,asitturnsout,Idontknoweverything,andImreadytospendsometimelearning.IwouldntwanttopickupwhereIleftoff.Idliketostartalloveragainasafreshman.Yousee,itisntjusttheeducationthatappealstome.

17、Ivevisitedadozencollegesinthelasttwoyears,andcollegelifelooksextraordinarilypleasant.Theyoungpeopleoncampusareallgunghotogetoutandgetatlife.Theydontseemtounderstandtheyrehavingoneofitsbestparts.Heretheyarewithnoresponsibilitytoanyonebutthemselves,ahundredorathousandready-madefriends,teacherstryingto

18、helpthem,familiesathomewaitingforthemtoreturnforChristmastotellallabouttheirtriumphs,threemealsaday-soitisntgourmetfood-butyoucanthaveeverything.Toomanystudentsdontreallyhavemuchpatiencewiththeprocessofbeingeducated.Theythinkhalftheteachersareidiots,andIwouldntdenythis.Theythinkthesystemstinkssometi

19、mes.Iwouldntdenythat.Theythinktherearentanynicegirls/boysaround.Iddenythat.Theyjustwontknowwhatanidyllictimeoflifecollegecanbeuntilitsover.Thestudentsareanxioustoacquiretheknowledgetheythinktheyneedtomakeabuck,buttheyarentreallyinterestedineducationforeducationssake.Thatswheretheyrewrong,andthatswhy

20、Idliketogobacktocollege.Iknownowwhatajoyknowledgecanbe,independentofanythingyoudowithit.Idtakeseveralcoursesinphilosophy.Ilikethethinkingprocessthatgoeswithit.Philosophersarefairerthanisabsolutelynecessary,butIlikethem,eventheonesthatIthinkarewrong.ToomuchofwhatIknowofthegreatphilosopherscomessecond

21、handorfromcondensations.IdliketotakeacourseinwhichIactuallyhadtoreadPlato,Aristotle,Hume,Spinoza,Locke,JohnDeweyandtheothergreatthinkers.Idliketotakesomecalculus,too.Ihaveabsolutelynoabilityinthatdirectionandnotmuchinterest,either,buttheressomethinggoingoninmathematicsthatIdontunderstand,andIdliketo

22、findoutwhatitis.Myreportcardswontbemailedtomyfatherandmother,soIwonthavetoworryaboutmarks.IbetIl1dobetterthanwhentheyweremailed.TherearesomeliteraryclassicsIoughttoreadandIneverwill,unlessImforcedtobyagoodprofessor,soIlltakeafewcoursesinEnglishliterature.ItookacoursethatfeaturedGeorgeGordonByron,usu

23、allyreferredtonowasLordByron,andIdliketotakethatoveragain.Ididverywellinitthefirsttime.IactuallyreadallofDonJuanandhavenevergottenoverhowgreatitwas.IknowIcouldgetanAinthatifItookitover.Idliketohaveafeweasycourses.Myhistoryisveryweak,andIdwantseveralhistorycourses.Imnotgoingtobreakmybackoverthem,butI

24、dliketoberefreshedaboutthebroadoutlineofhistory.Whensomeonesayssixteenthcenturytome,Idliketobeabletoitwithsomenamesandevents.Thisisjustalittleconversationalconceit,butthatslife.IfIcanfindagoodteacher,IdcertainlywanttogobackoverEnglishgrammarandusage.Hedhavetobegood,becauseyoumightnotthinksosometimes

25、,butIknowalotaboutusingthelanguage.Still,therearetimeswhenImstumped.Iwaswonderingtheotherdaywhatpartofspeechthewordpleaseisinthesentence,Pleasedonttakemeseriously.Ivebeenaskedtospeakatseveralcollegegraduationceremonies.MaybeifIgraduate,theyllaskmetospeakatmyown.重返大學如果我認為我能活到百歲，那么明年秋天我就要重返大學。我在大三快結束時應征入伍。四年服役期滿后，不想返校完成學業(yè)。當時我覺得我好像什么都懂了?？墒牵聦嵤?，我并不是什么都懂。我現(xiàn)在打算花點兒時間學習，但我不愿從休學的地方接著修讀。我想重新從大一開始讀。要知道，吸引我的不僅僅是大學教育本身。由于近兩年來我參觀過十幾所大學，我感到大學生活異常愉快。大學校園里的年輕人都巴不得盡快走出校園去體驗生活。他們似乎并不明白他們現(xiàn)在享有的是生活中最美好的時期。在這里，他們除了對自己，無需對他人負責；在這里，他們有現(xiàn)成的朋友；老師會盡力幫助他們；家人會盼他們回家過圣誕節(jié)，講述他們的得意經(jīng)歷；還有一日三餐，雖非美食，可你不