大學(xué)英語(yǔ)精讀第6冊(cè)課文全文翻譯-中英對(duì)照

大學(xué)英語(yǔ)精讀第6冊(cè)課文全文翻譯-中英對(duì)照大學(xué)英語(yǔ)精讀第6冊(cè)課文全文翻譯-中英對(duì)照大學(xué)英語(yǔ)精讀第6冊(cè)課文全文翻譯-中英對(duì)照大學(xué)英語(yǔ)精讀第6冊(cè)課文全文翻譯-中英對(duì)照編制僅供參考審核批準(zhǔn)生效日期地址：電話：傳真:郵編:大學(xué)英語(yǔ)精讀第6冊(cè)全文課文翻譯第六冊(cè)RESEARCHREPORTSFORBUSINESSANDTHECNICALWRITINGAsurprisingamountofone'stimeasastudentandprofessionalisspentreportingtheresultsofone'sresearchprojectsforpresentationtoteachers,managers,andclients.Indeed,withoutbasicresearchskillsandtheabilitytopresentresearchresultsclearlyandcompletely,anindividualwillencountermanyobstaclesinschoolandonthejob.Theneedforsomeresearch-writingabilityisfeltnearlyequallybycollegestudentsinallfields,engineeringandscienceaswellasbusinessandthehumanities.Graduatestudyoftenmakesgreatdemandsonthestudent'sresearch-writingskills,andmostprofessionscontinuethedemand;education,advertisingandmarketing,economicsandaccounting,scienceandengineering,psychology,anthropology,thearts,andagriculturemayallrequireregularreportingofresearchdata.

ELEMENTSOFTHERESEARCHPAPER

Thestandardresearchreport,regardlessofthefieldortheintendedreader,containsfourmajorsections.Thesesectionsmaybebrokendownintoavarietyofsubsections,andtheymaybearrangedinavarietyofways,buttheyregularlymakeupthecoreofthereport.

ProblemSection.Thefirstrequiredsectionofaresearchreportisthestatementoftheproblemwithwhichtheresearchprojectisconcerned.Thissectionrequiresaprecisestatementoftheunderlyingquestionwhichtheresearcherhassetouttoanswer.Inthissamesectionthereshouldbeanexplanationofthesignificance--social,economic,medical,psychological,educational,etc.--ofthequestion;inotherwords,whytheinvestigationwasworthconducting.Thus,ifwesetout,forexample,toanswerthequestion"WhatistheeffectofregularconsumptionoffastfoodsonthehealthoftheAmericanteenager"

wemustexplainthatthequestionisthoughttohavesignificantrelevancetothehealthofthissegmentofthepopulationandmightleadtosomesortofregulationsonsuchfoods.

Afrequentsubsectionofthisproblemsectionisareviewofpastresearchonthetopicbeinginvestigated.Thiswouldconsistofsummariesofthecontributionsofpreviousresearchertothequestionunderconsiderationwithsomeassessmentofthevalueofthesecontributions.Thissubsectionhasrhetoricalusefulnessinthatitenhancesthecredibilityoftheresearcherbyindicatingthatthedatapresentedisbasedonathoroughknowledgeofwhathasbeendoneinthefieldand,possibly,growsoutofsomeinvestigativetradition.

ProceduresSection.Thesecondmajorsectionoftheresearchreportdetails,withasmuchdataaspossible,exactlyhowthestudywascarriedout.Thissectionincludesdescriptionofanynecessaryequipment,howthesubjectswereselectedifsubjectswereused,whatstatisticaltechniquewasusedtoevaluatethesignificanceofthefindings,howmanyobservationsweremadeandwhen,etc.Aninvestigationoftherelativeeffectivenessofvariousswim-strokeswouldhavetodetailthenumberofswimmerstested,thenatureofthetestsconducted,theexperienceoftheswimmers,theweatherconditionsatthetimeofthetest,andanyotherfactorsthatcontributedtotheoverallexperiment.Thegoaloftheproceduressectionistoallowthereadertoduplicatetheexperimentifsuchweredesiredtoconfirm,orrefute,yourfindings.

ResultsSection.Thethird,andperhapsmostimportant,sectionoftheresearchreportisthepresentationoftheresultsobtainedfromtheinvestigation.Thebasicruleinthissectionistogivealldatarelevanttotheresearchquestioninitiallyasked.Although,ofcourse,one'snaturaltendencymightbetosuppressanyfindingswhichdonotinsomewaysupportone'shypothesis,suchdishonestyisantitheticaltogoodresearchreportinginanyfield.Iftheexperimentsundertakenfailtoproveanything,ifthedatawasinadequateorcontrarytoexpectations,thereportshouldbehonestlywrittenandascompleteaspossible,justasitwouldbeifthehypothesisweretotallyprovenbytheresearch.

DiscussionSection.Thefinalrequiredsectionofaresearchreportisadiscussionoftheresultsobtainedandastatementofanyconclusionswhichmaybedrawnfromthoseresults.Ofprimaryinterestinbusinessandtechnicalresearchreportsisthevalidityoftheresultsasthebasesforcompanydecisions:WillourplannedconstructionprojectmeetfederalenvironmentalguidelinesandbeapprovedforbuildingWillthisnewprogramattractskilledpersonneltoourcompanyWillthisnewoilrecoverytechniquebefinanciallyfeasibleThus,thediscussionsectionoftheresearchreportmustevaluatetheresearchresultsfully:weretheyvalidlyobtained,aretheycompleteorlimited,aretheyapplicableoverawiderangeofcircumstancesThediscussionsectionshouldalsopointoutwhatquestionremainunansweredandperhapssuggestdirectionsforfurtherresearch.

STYLEOFRESEARCHREPORTS

Researchreportsareconsideredformalprofessionalcommunication.Assuch,thereislittleemphasisonalivelystyle,although,ofcourse,thereisnoobjectiontowritingthatispleasingandinteresting.Theprimarygoalsofprofessionalcommunicationareaccuracy,clarity,andcompleteness.Theroughdraftofanyresearchreportshouldbeeditedtoensurethatalldataiscorrectlypresented,thatallequipmentislisted,thatallresultsareproperlydetailed.Asanaidtothereader,headingsindicatingatleastthemajorsectionofthereportshouldbeused,andalldatashouldbepresentedundertheproperheadings.Inadditiontotheirfunctionofsuggestingtothereaderthecontentsofeachsection,headingsenhancetheformalappearanceandprofessionalqualityofthereport,increasetosomedegreethewriter'scredibilitybyreflectingalogicalandmethodicalapproachtothereportingprocess,andeliminatetheneedforwordytransitionaldevicesbetweensections.

Researchdatashouldbepresentedinawaythatplacesproperemphasisonmajoraspectoftheproject.Fordifferentreadersdifferentaspectswilltakeondifferentdegreesofimportance,andsomeconsiderationshouldbegiventostructuringresearchreportsdifferentlyfordifferentaudiences.Management,forexample,willbemostconcernedwiththeresultsofaresearchproject,andthustheresultssectionshouldbeemphasized,probablybypresentingitimmediatelyaftertheproblemsectionandbeforetheproceduressection.Otherresearcherswouldbemostinterestedintheproceduressection,andthisshouldbehighlightedinwritingupresearchprojectsforpublicationinprofessionaljournalsorforpresentationatprofessionalconferences.Fornon-technicalreadersandfederalagencies,theimplicationsoftheresultsmightbethemostimportantconsideration,andemphasisshouldbeplacedonthediscussionofthereportforthisreadership.

Foradditionalclarityandemphasis,majorresultsshouldbepresentedinavisualformat--tables,charts,graphs,diagrams--aswellasinaverbalone.

Beyondcheckingthereportforclarityandaccuracyinthepresentationoftechnicaldata,theauthorofaresearchreportshouldreviewforbasicgrammaticalandmechanicalaccuracy.Shortsentencesarepreferabletolonginthepresentationofcomplexinformation.Listingsshouldbeusedtobreakuplongpassagesofproseandtoemphasizeinformation.Theresearchwritershouldtrytousethesimplestpossiblelanguagewithoutsacrificingtheprofessionalqualityofthereport.Althoughspecializedtermscanbeused,pretentiousjargonshouldbeavoided.Afinishedresearchreportshouldbereadableandusefuldocumentpreparedwiththereaderinmind.

CONCLUSION

Althoughwestrugglewithresearchreportsinhighschool,dreadthemincollege,andareoftenburdenedbytheminourprofessionallive,learningtolivecomfortablywiththemisarelativelyeasytask.Apositiveattitude(i.e.onethatseemtheoralorwrittenpresentationofresearchresultsasofequalimportancetothedata-gatheringprocess);anorderlyapproachwhichincludesprewriting(i.e.,beforeanyactualresearchisdone,theresearchershouldtrytogetdownonpaperasmuchaboutthesubjectunderinvestigationaspossible)andaformalresearchreportstructureastheframeworkfortheinvestigation;andareasonableapproachtotheactualwritingprocessincludingeditingforaccuracyandclarity,willhelponetoproduceeffectiveresearchreportsefficiently.THEBEGINNINGOFACARREERDearMother,Youramazingtelegram[telegramannouncing$500Mademoiselleprizefor"SundayattheMintons,"whichIforwarded]camejustasIwasscrubbingtablesintheshadyinteriorofTheBelmontdiningroom.IwassoexcitedthatIscreamedandactuallythrewmyarmsaroundtheheadwaitresswhonodoubtthinksIamratherinsane!Anyhow,psychologically,themomentcouldn'thavebeenbetter.Ifelttired--one'sfirstnight'ssleepinanewplaceneverispeaceful--andIdidn'tgetmuch!Totopitoff,Iwastheonlygirlwaitresshere,andhadbeenscrubbingfurniture,washingdishesandsilver,liftingtables,etc.since8a.m.Also,IjustlearnedsinceIamcompletelyinexperienced,Iamnotgoingtobeworkinginthemaindiningroom,butinthe"sidehall"wherethemanagersandtophotelbrasseat.So,tipswillnodoubtnetmuchlessduringthesummerandthecompanybelessinteresting.SoIwasbeginningtoworryaboutmoneywhenyourtelegramcame.God!Tothink"SundayattheMintons"isoneoftwoprizestoriestobeputinabignationalslick!Frankly,Ican'tbelieveit!

ThefirstthingIthoughofwas:Mothercankeepherintersessionmoneyandbuysomeprettyclothesandaspecialtriporsomething!AtleastIgetawintercoatandextraspecialsuitoutoftheMintons.Ithinktheprizeis$500!

ME!Ofallpeople!…

Soit'sreallylookinguparoundhere,nowthatIdon'thavetobescaredstiffaboutmoney…Oh,Isay,evenifmyfeetkillmeafterthisfirstweek,andIdrop20trays,Iwillhavethebeach,boystobringmebeer,sun,andyounggaycompanions.Whatalife.

Love,yourcrazyolddaughter.

Sivvy

June12.1952

NodoubtafterIcatchuponsleep,andlearntobalancetrayshighonmylefthand,I'llfeelmuchhappier.Asitisnow,Ifeelstuckinthemidstofalotofloud,brassyIrishCatholics,andtheonlywayIcanjollymyselfistosay,"Oh,well,it'sonlyforasummer,andIcanmaybewriteaboutthemall."AtleastI'vegotanewnameformynextprotagonist--Marley,agabbygirlwhoknowsherwayaroundbutgood.Therationofboystogirlshasgottenlessandless,soI'llbeluckyifIgettaggedbytheyoungestkidhere.Lotsofthegirlsarereallywise,drinkingflirts.Asforme,beingtheconservative,quiet,gracioustype,Idon'tstandmuchchanceofdatingsomeofthecutestones…IfIcanonlyget"in"asapalwiththesegirls,andneverforaminuteletthemknowI'mthegentleintellectualtype,it'llbeO.K.

AsfortheMllenews,Idon'tthinkit'sreallysunkinyet.Ifeltsuretheymadeamistake,orthatyou'dmadeituptocheerme.ThebigadvantagewillbethatIwon'thavetoworryaboutearningbarely$300thissummer.Iwouldreallyhavebeensickotherwise.Ican'twaittillAugustwhenIcangocasuallydowntothedrugstoreandpickupaslickcopyofMlle,fliptotheindex,andseeME,oneoftwocollegegirlsintheU.S.!

Really,whenIthinkofhowIstarteditoverspringvacation,polisheditatschool,andsatuptillmidnightintheHavenHousekitchentypingitamidstnoiseandchatter,Ican'tgetoverhowthestorysoaredtowereitdid…

Igetgreatpleasureoutofsharingit[herfeelingaboutthestory]withyou,whoreallyunderstandhowterriblymuchitmeansasatangibletestimonythatIhavegotagermofwritingability.Theonlything,Iprobablywon'thaveachancetowinMlleagain,soI'lltryforaguesteditorshipmaybenextormysenioryear,andsetmysightsfortheAtlantic.God,I'mgladIcantalkaboutitwithyou--probablyyou'retheonlyoutletthatI'llhavethatwon'tgettiredofmytalkingaboutwriting…

SpeakingagainofHenryandLiz,itwasastepformetoastorywheretheprotagonistisn'talwaysME,andprovedthatIambeginningtouseimaginationtotransformtheactualincident.Iwasscaredthatwouldneverhappen,butIthinkit'sanindicationthatmyperspectiveisbroadening.

SometimeIthink--heck,Idon'tknowwhyIdidn'tstayhomeallsummer,writing,doingphysicalscience,andhavingasmallpart-timejob.Icould"afford"tonow,butitdoesn'tdomuchgoodtoyearnaboutthat,Iguess.Althoughitwouldhavebeennice.Ohwell,I'llcheerup.Iloveyou.

YourownSivvy

June15,1952

DearMother.

…Dowritemeletters,Mommy,becauseIaminaverydangerousoffeelingsorryformyself…Justatpresent,lifeisawful.Mademoiselleseemsquiteunreal,andIamexhausted,scared,incompetent,unenergeticandgenerallylowisspirits…Workinginsidehallputsmepart,andIfeelcompletelyuprootedandclumsy.ThemoreIseethemainhallgirlsexpertlygettingspecialdishes,fixingshavediceandfruit,etc.,themoreIgetaninferioritycomplexandfeelthateachdayinsidehallleavesmefurtherbehind…ButastemptedasIamtobeacowardandescapebycrawlingbackhome,Ihaveresolvedtogiveitagoodmonth'strial--tillJuly10…Don'tworryaboutme,butdosendmelittlepelletsofadvicenowandthen.

June24,1952

…LastnightIwentona"gang"birthdaypartyatthe"SandBar"wherewesangandtalkedforafewhours.Therewereaboutfortyofuskidsfromthehotel.ImanagedbysomemagictogetmyselfseatednexttoafellowinhisfirstyearatHarvardLaw--andhewasjustadear…Thebestpartwaswhenwecameback.Itwasabeautifulclearstarrynight,andClarkwentintogetmetwoofhissweaterstowearbecauseitwascold,andbroughtoutabookofT.S.Eliot'spoems.SowesatonabenchwhereIcouldjustbarelyreadtheprint,andheputhisheadinmylapandIreadaloudtohimforawile.Mostnice.TheonlythingisIamsoinclinedtogetfondofsomeonewhowilldothingswithmelikethat--alwaysinclinedtobetoometaphysicalandseriousconversationally--that'smymaintrouble…SogladtohearthecheckfromMlleisreal.Ihardlycouldbelieveit.JustnowIammentallysodisorganizedthatIcan'tretainknowledgeorthinkatall.Theworkisstillnewenoughtobetiring,whatwiththreechangesadayintouniforms,andIamsopreoccupiedbymechanicsoflivingandpeoplethatIcan'tyetorganizeandassimilateallthechaosofexperiencepouringinonme.Inspiteofeverything,Istillhavemygoodoldsenseofhumorandmanagetolaughagooddealofthetime…I'llmakethebestofwhatevercomesmyway.

Muchlovetoyou,

SivvyTHEQUESTFOREXTRATERRESTRIALINTELLIGENCEThroughallofourhistorywehaveponderedthestarsandmusedwhetherhumanityisuniqueorif,somewhereelseinthedarkofthenightsky,thereareotherbeingswhocontemplateandwonderaswedo,fellowthinkersinthecosmos.Suchbeingsmightviewthemselvesandtheuniversedifferently.Somewhereelsetheremightbeveryexoticbiologiesandtechnologiesandsocieties.Inacosmicsettingvastandoldbeyondordinaryhumanunderstanding,wearealittlelonely;andwepondertheultimatesignificance,ifany,ofourtinybutexquisiteblueplanet.

Thesearchforextraterrestrialintelligenceisthesearchforagenerallyacceptablecosmiccontextforthehumanspecies.Inthedeepestsense,thesearchforextraterrestrialintelligenceisasearchforourselves.

Inthelastfewyears--inone-millionththelifetimeofourspeciesonthisplanet--wehaveachievedanextraordinarytechnologicalcapabilitywhichenablesustoseekoutunimaginablydistantcivilizationseveniftheyarenomoreadvancedthanwe.Thatcapabilityiscalledradioastronomyandinvolvessingleradiotelescopes,collectionsorarraysofradiotelescopes,sensitiveradiodetectors,advancedcomputersforprocessingreceiveddate,andtheimaginationandskillofdedicatedscientists.Radioastronomyhasinthelastdecadeopenedanewwindowonthephysicaluniverse.Itmayalso,ifwearewiseenoughtomaketheeffort,castaprofoundlightonthebiologicaluniverse.

Somescientistsworkingonthequestionofextraterrestrialintelligence,myselfamongthem,haveattemptedtoestimatethenumberofadvancedtechnicalcivilizations--definedoperationallyassocietiescapableofradioastronomy--intheMilkyWayGalaxy.Suchestimatesarelittlebetterthanguesses.Theyrequireassigningnumericalvaluestoquantitiessuchasthenumbersandagesofstars;theabundanceofplanetarysystemsandthelikelihoodoftheoriginoflife,whichweknowlesswell;andtheprobabilityoftheevolutionofintelligentlifeandthelifetimeoftechnicalcivilizations,aboutwhichweknowverylittleindeed.

Whenwedothearithmetic,thesortsofnumberswecomeupwithare,characteristically,aroundamilliontechnicalcivilizations.Amillioncivilizationsisabreathtakinglylargenumber,anditisexhilaratingtoimaginethediversity,lifestylesandcommerceofthosemillionworlds.ButtheMilkyWayGalaxycontainssome250billionstars,andevenwithamillioncivilizations,lessthanonestarin200,000wouldhaveaplanetinhabitedbyanadvancedcivilization.Sincewehavelittleideawhichstarsarelikelycandidates,wewillhavetoexamineaverylargenumberofthem.Suchconsiderationssuggestthatthequestforextraterrestrialintelligencemayrequireasignificanteffort.

Despiteclaimsaboutancientastronautsandunidentifiedflyingobjects,thereisnofirmevidenceforpastvisitationoftheEarthbyothercivilizations.Wearerestrictedtoremotesignalingand,ofthelong-distancetechniquesavailabletoourtechnology,radioisbyfarthebest.Radiotelescopesarerelativelyinexpensive;radiosignalstravelatthespeedoflight,fasterthanwhichnothingcango;andtheuseofradioforcommunicationisnotashort-sightedoranthropocentricactivity.RadiorepresentsalargepartoftheelectromagneticspectrumandanytechnicalcivilizationanywhereintheGalaxywillhavediscoveredradioearly--justasinthelastfewcenturieswehaveexploredtheentireelectromagneticspectrumfromshortgammaraystoverylongradiowaves.Advancedcivilizationsmightverywellusesomeothermeansofcommunicationwiththeirpeers.Butiftheywishtocommunicatewithbackwardoremergingcivilizations,thereareonlyafewobviousmethods,thechiefofwhichisradio.

ThefirstseriousattempttolistenforpossibleradiosignalsfromothercivilizationswascarriedoutattheNationalRadioAstronomyObservatoryinGreenbank,WestVirginia,in1959and1960.ItwasorganizedbyFrankDrake,nowatCornelUniversity,andwascalledProjectOzma,aftertheprincessoftheLandofOz,aplaceveryexotic,verydistantandverydifficulttoreach.Drakeexaminedtwonearbystarsforafewweekswithnegativeresults.Positiveresultswouldhavebeenastonishingbecauseaswehaveseen,evenratheroptimisticestimatesofthenumberoftechnicalcivilizationsintheGalaxyimplythatseveralhundredthousandstarsmustbeexaminedinordertoachievesuccessbyrandomstellarselection.

SinceProjectOzma,therehavebeensixoreightothersuchprograms,allatarathermodestlevel,intheUnitedStates,CanadaandtheSovietUnion.Allresultshavebeennegative.Thetotalnumberofindividualstarsexaminedtodateinthiswayislessthanathousand.Wehaveperformedsomethinglikeonetenthofonepercentoftherequiredeffort.

However,therearesignsthatmuchmoreseriouseffortsmaybemusteredinthereasonablynearfuture.Besides,handinhandwiththerecentspectacularadvancesinradiotechnology,therehasbeenadramaticincreaseinthescientificandpublicrespectabilityoftheentiresubjectofextraterrestriallife.AclearsignofthenewattitudeistheVikingmissionstoMars,whicharetoasignificantextentdedicatedtothesearchforlifeonanotherplanet.

Butalongwiththeburgeoningdedicationtoaserioussearch,aslightlynegativenotehasemergedwhichisneverthelessveryinteresting.Afewscientistshavelatelyaskedacuriousquestion:Ifextraterrestrialintelligenceisabundant,whyhavewenotalreadyseenitsmanifestationsSkepticsalsoaskwhythereisnoclearevidenceofextraterrestrialvisitstoEarth.Wehavealreadylaunchedslowandmodestinterstellarspacecraft.Asocietymoreadvancethanoursshouldbeabletoplythespacesbetweenthestarsconvenientlyifnoteffortlessly.Overmillionsofyearssuchsocietiesshouldhaveestablishedcolonies,whichmightthemselveslaunchinterstellarexpeditions.WhyaretheynothereThetemptationistodeducethatthereareatmostafewadvancedextraterrestrialcivilizations--eitherbecausestatisticallyweareoneofthefirsttechnicalcivilizationstohaveemergedorbecauseitisthefateofallsuchcivilizationstodestroythemselvesbeforetheyaremuchfurtheralongthanwe.

Itseemstomethatsuchdespairisquitepremature.Allsuchargumentsdependonourcorrectlysurmisingtheintentionsofbeingsfarmoreadvancedthanourselves,andwhenexaminedmorecloselyIthinktheseargumentsrevealarangeofinterestinghumanconceits.WhydoweexpectthatitwillbeeasytorecognizethemanifestationsofveryadvancedcivilizationsIsoursituationnotclosertothatofmembersofanisolatedsocietyintheAmazonbasin,say,wholackthetoolstodetectthepowerfulinternationalradioandtelevisiontrafficthatisallaroundthemAlso,thereisawiderangeofincompletelyunderstoodphenomenainastronomy.Mightthemodulationofpulsarsortheenergysourceofquasars,forexample,haveatechnologicaloriginOrperhapsthereisagalacticethicofnoninterferencewithbackwardoremergingcivilizations.Perhapsthereisawaitingtimebeforecontactisconsideredappropriate,soastogiveusafairopportunitytodestroyourselvesfirst,ifwearesoinclined.Perhapsallsocietiessignificantlymoreadvancedthanourownhaveachievedaneffectivepersonalimmortalityandlosethemotivationforinterstellargallivanting,whichmay,forallweknow,beatypicalurgeonlyofadolescentcivilizations.Perhapsmaturecivilizationsdonotwishtopollutethecosmos.Thereisaverylonglistofsuch"perhaps,"fewofwhichweareinapositiontoevaluatewithanydegreeofassurance.

Thequestionofextraterrestrialcivilizationsseemstomeentirelyopen.Personally,Ithinkitfarmoredifficulttounderstandauniverseinwhichwearetheonlytechnologicalcivilization,oroneofaveryfew,thantoconceiveofacosmosbriningoverwithintelligentlife.Manyaspectsoftheproblemare,fortunately,amenabletoexperimentalverification.Wecansearchforplanetsofotherstars,seeksimpleformsoflifeonsuchnearbyplanetsasMars,andperformmoreextensivelaboratorystudiesonthechemistryoftheoriginoflife.Wecaninvestigatemoredeeplytheevolutionoforganismsandsocieties.Theproblemcriesoutforalong-term,open-minded,systematicsearch,withnatureastheonlyarbiterofwhatisorisnotlikely.THELIBRARYCARDOnemorningIarrivedearlyatworkandwentintothebanklobbywheretheNegroporterwasmopping.IstoodatacounterandpickeduptheMemphisCommercialAppealandbeganmyfreereadingofthepress.IcamefinallytotheeditorialpageandsawanarticledealingwithoneH.L.Mencken.IknewbyhearsaythathewastheeditoroftheAmericanMercury,butasidefromthatIknewnothingabouthim.ThearticlewasafuriousdenunciationofMencken,concludingwithone,hot,shortsentence:Menckenisafool.

IwonderedwhatonearththisMenckenhaddonetocalldownuponhimthescornoftheSouth.TheonlypeopleIhadeverheardenouncedintheSouthwereNegroes,andthismanwasnotaNegro.ThenwhatideasdidMenckenholdthatmadeanewspaperliketheCommercialAppealcastigatehimpublicly

UndoubtedlyhemustbeadvocatingideasthattheSouthdidnotlike.

Now,howcouldIfindoutaboutthisMenckenTherewasahugelibraryneartheriverfront,butIknewthatNegroeswerenotallowedtopatronizeitsshelvesanymorethantheyweretheparksandplaygroundsofthecity.Ihadgoneintothelibraryseveraltimestogetbooksforthewhitemenonthejob.Whichofthemwouldnowhelpmetogetbooks

Iweighedthepersonalitiesofthemenonthejob.TherewasDon,aJew;butIdistrustedhim.HispositionwasnotmuchbetterthanmineandIknewthathewasuneasyandinsecure;hehadalwaystreatedmeinanoffhand,banteringwaythatbarelyconcealedhiscontempt.Iwasafraidtoaskhimtohelpmetogetbooks;hisfranticdesiretodemonstratearacialsolidaritywiththewhitesagainstNegroesmightmakehimbetrayme.

Thenhowabouttheboss

No,hewasaBaptistandIhadthesuspicionthathewouldnotbequiteabletocomprehendwhyablackboywouldwanttoreadMencken.TherewereotherwhitemenonthejobwhoseattitudesshowedclearlythattheywereKluxersorsympathizers,andtheywereoutofthequestion.

Thereremainedonlyonemanwhoseattitudedidnotfitintoananti-Negrocategory,forIhadheardthewhitemenrefertohimas"Popelover".HewasanIrishCatholicandwashatedbythewhiteSoutherners.Iknewthathereadbooks,becauseIhadgothimvolumesfromthelibraryseveraltimes.Sincehe,too,wasanobjectofhatred,Ifeltthathemightrefusemebutwouldhardlybetrayme.Ihesitated,weighingandbalancingtheimponderablerealities.

OnemorningIpausedbeforetheCatholicfellow'sdesk.

"Iwanttoaskyouafavor,"Iwhisperedtohim.

"Whatisit"

"Iwanttoread.Ican'tgetbooksfromthelibrary.Iwonderifyou'dletmeuseyourcard"

Helookedatmesuspiciously.

"Mycardisfullmostofthetime,"hesaid.

"Isee,"Isaidandwaited,posingmyquestionsilently.

"You'renottryingtogetmeintotrouble,areyou,boy"

heasked,staringatme.

"Oh,no,sir."

"Whatbookdoyouwant"

"AbookbyH.L.Mencken."

"Whichone"

"Idon'tknow.Hashewrittenmorethanone"

"Hehaswrittenseveral."

"Ididn'tknowthat."

"Whatmakesyouwanttore