新視野大學(xué)英語(yǔ)第二冊(cè)課文原文

Unit1Time-ConsciousAmericansAmericansbelievenoonestandsstill.Ifyouarenotmovingahead,youarefallingbehind.Thisattituderesultsinanationofpeoplecommittedtoresearching,experimentingandexploring.TimeisoneofthetwoelementsthatAmericanssavecarefully,theotherbeinglabor.美國(guó)人認(rèn)為沒(méi)有人能停止不前。？如果你不求進(jìn)取，你就會(huì)落伍。這種態(tài)度造就了一個(gè)投身于研究、實(shí)驗(yàn)和探索的民族。時(shí)間是美國(guó)人注意節(jié)約的兩個(gè)要素之一，另一要素是勞力。？"Weareslavestonothingbuttheclock,"ithasbeensaid.Timeistreatedasifitweresomethingalmostreal.Webudgetit,saveit,wasteit,stealit,killit,cutit,accountforit;wealsochargeforit.Itisapreciousresource.Manypeoplehavearatheracutesenseoftheshortnessofeachlifetime.Oncethesandshaverunoutofaperson'shourglass,theycannotbereplaced.Wewanteveryminutetocount.人們一直說(shuō)：“只有時(shí)間才能支配我們?！比藗兯坪醢褧r(shí)間當(dāng)作一個(gè)差不多是實(shí)實(shí)在在的東西來(lái)對(duì)待。？我們安排時(shí)間、節(jié)約時(shí)間、浪費(fèi)時(shí)間、擠搶時(shí)間、消磨時(shí)間、縮減時(shí)間、對(duì)時(shí)間的利用作出解釋；我們還要因付出時(shí)間而收取費(fèi)用。？時(shí)間是一種寶貴的資源，許多人都深感人生的短暫。？時(shí)光一去不復(fù)返。？我們應(yīng)當(dāng)讓每一分鐘都過(guò)得有意義。？Aforeigner'sfirstimpressionoftheUSislikelytobethateveryoneisinarush—oftenunderpressure.Citypeoplealwaysappeartobehurryingtogetwheretheyaregoing,restlesslyseekingattentioninastore,orelbowingothersastheytrytocompletetheirshopping.Racingthroughdaytimemealsispartofthepaceoflifeinthiscountry.Workingtimeisconsideredprecious.Othersinpubliceating-placesarewaitingforyoutofinishsothey,too,canbeservedandgetbacktoworkwithinthetimeallowed.Youalsofinddriverswillbeabruptandpeoplewillpushpastyou.Youwillmisssmiles,briefconversations,andsmallexchangeswithstrangers.Don'ttakeitpersonally.Thisisbecausepeoplevaluetimehighly,andtheyresentsomeoneelse"wasting"itbeyondacertainappropriatepoint.外國(guó)人對(duì)美國(guó)的第一印象很可能是：每個(gè)人都匆匆忙忙——常常處于壓力之下。？城里人看上去總是在匆匆地趕往他們要去的地方，在商店里他們焦躁不安地指望店員能馬上來(lái)為他們服務(wù)，或者為了趕快買完?yáng)|西，用肘來(lái)推擦他人。？白天吃飯時(shí)人們也都匆匆忙忙，這部分地反映出這個(gè)國(guó)家的生活節(jié)奏。人們認(rèn)為工作時(shí)間是寶貴的。在公共用餐場(chǎng)所，人們都等著別人盡快吃完，以便他們也能及時(shí)用餐，？你還會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)司機(jī)開(kāi)車很魯莽，人們推揉著在你身邊過(guò)去。？你會(huì)懷念微笑、簡(jiǎn)短的交談以及與陌生人的隨意閑聊。？不要覺(jué)得這是針對(duì)你個(gè)人的，？這是因?yàn)槿藗兌挤浅Ｕ湎r(shí)間，而且也不喜歡他人“浪費(fèi)”時(shí)間到不恰當(dāng)?shù)牡夭健?？ManynewarrivalsintheStateswillmisstheopeningexchangesofabusinesscall,forexample.Theywillmisstheritualinteractionthatgoeswithawelcomingcupofteaorcoffeethatmaybeaconventionintheirowncountry.Theymaymissleisurelybusinesschatsinarestaurantorcoffeehouse.Normally,Americansdonotassesstheirvisitorsinsuchrelaxedsurroundingsoverextendedsmalltalk;muchlessdotheytakethemoutfordinner,oraroundonthegolfcoursewhiletheydevelopasenseoftrust.Sincewegenerallyassessandprobeprofessionallyratherthansocially,westarttalkingbusinessveryquickly.Timeis,therefore,alwaystickinginourinnerear.許多剛到美國(guó)的人會(huì)懷念諸如商務(wù)拜訪等場(chǎng)合開(kāi)始時(shí)的寒暄?！麄円矔?huì)懷念那種一邊喝茶或喝咖啡一邊進(jìn)行的禮節(jié)性交流，這也許是他們自己國(guó)家的一種習(xí)俗。？他們也許還會(huì)懷念在飯店或咖啡館里談生意時(shí)的那種輕松悠閑的交談。？一般說(shuō)來(lái)，美國(guó)人是不會(huì)在如此輕松的環(huán)境里通過(guò)長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的閑聊來(lái)評(píng)價(jià)他們的客人的，更不用說(shuō)會(huì)在增進(jìn)相互間信任的過(guò)程中帶他們出去吃飯，或帶他們?nèi)ゴ蚋郀柗蚯?。？既然我們通常是通過(guò)工作而不是社交來(lái)評(píng)估和了解他人，我們就開(kāi)門見(jiàn)山地談?wù)隆?？因此，時(shí)間老是在我們心中滴滴答答地響著。？Consequently,weworkhardatthetaskofsavingtime.Weproduceasteadyflowoflabor-savingdevices;wecommunicaterapidlythroughfaxes,phonecallsoremailsratherthanthroughpersonalcontacts,whichthoughpleasant,takelonger—especiallygivenourtraffic-filledstreets.We,therefore,savemostpersonalvisitingforafter-workhoursorforsocialweekendgatherings.

因此，我們千方百計(jì)地節(jié)約時(shí)間砒們發(fā)明了一系列節(jié)省勞因此，我們千方百計(jì)地節(jié)約時(shí)間砒們發(fā)明了一系列節(jié)省勞力的裝置；？我們通過(guò)發(fā)傳真、打電話或發(fā)電子郵件與他人迅速地進(jìn)行交流，而不是通過(guò)直接接觸。雖然面對(duì)面接觸令人愉快，但卻要花更多的時(shí)間，尤其是在馬路上交通擁擠的時(shí)候。因此，我們把大多數(shù)個(gè)人拜訪安排在下班以后的時(shí)間里或周末的社交聚會(huì)上。？Toustheimpersonalityofelectroniccommunicationhaslittleornorelationtothesignificanceofthematterathand.Insomecountriesnomajorbusinessisconductedwithouteyecontact,requiringface-to-faceconversation.InAmerica,too,afinalagreementwillnormallybesignedinperson.However,peoplearemeetingincreasinglyontelevisionscreens,conducting"teleconferences"tosettleproblemsnotonlyinthiscountrybutalso-bysatellite—internationally.就我們而言，電子交流的缺乏人情味與我們手頭上事情的重要性之間很少有或完全沒(méi)有關(guān)系。在有些國(guó)家，如果沒(méi)有目光接觸，就做不成大生意，這需要面對(duì)面的交談。？在美國(guó)，最后協(xié)議通常也需要本人簽字。然而現(xiàn)在人們?cè)絹?lái)越多地在電視屏幕上見(jiàn)面，開(kāi)遠(yuǎn)程會(huì)議不僅能解決本國(guó)的問(wèn)題，而且還能通過(guò)衛(wèi)星解決國(guó)際問(wèn)題。？TheUSisdefinitelyatelephonecountry.Almosteveryoneusesthetelephonetoconductbusiness,tochatwithfriends,tomakeorbreaksocialappointments,tosay"Thankyou",toshopandtoobtainallkindsofinformation.Telephonessavethefeetandendlessamountsoftime.Thisisduepartlytothefactthatthetelephoneserviceissuperbhere,whereasthepostalserviceislessefficient.美國(guó)無(wú)疑是一個(gè)電話王國(guó)。幾乎每個(gè)人都在用電話做生意、與朋友聊天、安排或取消社交約會(huì)、表達(dá)謝意、購(gòu)物和獲得各種信息。？電話不但能免去走路之勞，而且還能節(jié)約大量時(shí)間。其部分原因在于這樣一個(gè)事實(shí)：美國(guó)的電話服務(wù)是一流的，而郵政服務(wù)的效率則差一些。？Somenewarrivalswillcomefromcultureswhereitisconsideredimpolitetoworktooquickly.Unlessacertainamountoftimeisallowedtoelapse,itseemsintheireyesasifthetaskbeingconsideredwereinsignificant,notworthyofproperrespect.Assignmentsare,consequently,givenaddedweightbythepassageoftime.IntheUS,however,itistakenasasignofskillfulnessorbeingcompetenttosolveaproblem,orfulfillajobsuccessfully,withspeed.Usually,themoreimportantataskis,themorecapital,energy,andattentionwillbepouredintoitinorderto"getitmoving".有些初來(lái)美國(guó)的人來(lái)自文化背景不同的其他國(guó)家，在他們的國(guó)家，人們認(rèn)為工作太快是一種失禮。在他們看來(lái)，如果不花一定時(shí)間來(lái)處理某件事的話，那么這件事就好像是無(wú)足輕重的，不值得給予適當(dāng)?shù)闹匾?。？因此，人們覺(jué)得用的時(shí)間長(zhǎng)會(huì)增加所做事情的重要性。？但在美國(guó)，能迅速而又成功地解決問(wèn)題或完成工作則被視為是有水平、有能力的標(biāo)志。通常情況下，工作越重要，投入的資金、精力和注意力就越多，其目的是“使工作開(kāi)展起來(lái)”。Unit2LearningtheOlympicStandardforLoveNikolaiPetrovichAnikinwasnothalfasintimidatingasIhadimaginedhewouldbe.No,thissurelywasnottheex-Sovietcoachmyfatherhadshippedmeouttomeet.ButNikolaihewas,Petrovichandall.Heinvitedmeinsideandsatdownonthecouch,pattingtheblanketnexttohimtogetmetositnexttohim.Iwassonervousinhispresence."Youareyoung,"hebeganinhisRussian-styleEnglish."IfyouliketotryforOlympicGames,Iguessyouwillbeabletodothis.NaganoOlympicstoosoonforyou,butfor2002inSaltLakeCity,youcouldbeready.""Yes,whynot?"herepliedtotheshockedlookonmyface.Iwasapromisingamateurskier,butbynomeansthetopskierinthecountry."Ofcourse,therewillbemanyhardtrainingsessions,andyouwillcry,butyouwillimprove."Tobesure,therewerecountlesstrainingsessionsfullofpainandmorethanafewtears,butinthefiveyearsthatfollowedIcouldalwayscountonbeingencouragedbyNikolai'samusingstoriesandsenseofhumor."Myfriends,theygointhemovies,theygointhedance,theygooutwithgirls,"hewouldstart."ButI,"hewouldcontinue,loweringhisvoice,"Iampractice,practice,practiceinthestadium.Andbythenextyear,Ihadcut1-1/2minutesoffmytimeinthe15-kilometerrace!"Myfriendsaskedme,'Nikolai,howdidyoudoit?'AndIreplied,'Yougointhemovies,yougointhedance,yougooutwithgirls,butIampractice,practice,practice.'Herethestoryusuallyended,butononeoccasion,whichwelaterlearnedwashis25thweddinganniversary,hestoodproudlyinawornwoolensweaterandsmiledandwhispered,"AndItellyou,Iam26yearsoldbeforeIeverkissagirl!ShewasthewomanIlatermarry."Romanticandotherwise,Nikolaiknewlove.Hisconsistentgoodhumor,quietgratitude,perceptivity,andsinceritysetanOlympicstandardforlovethatIcontinuetoreachfor,eventhoughmyskiingdaysareover.Still,heneverbabiedme.OneFebruarydayIhadamassiveheadacheandfeltquitefatigued.Icameuponhiminaclearing,andafterapproximately15minutesofstridingintothecoldbreezeoverthewhitepowdertocatchhim,Ifussed,"Oh,Nikolai,IfeellikeIamgoingtodie.""Whenyouareahundredyearsold,everybodydies,"hesaid,indifferenttomypain."Butnow,"hecontinuedfirmly."Nowmustbeski,ski,ski."And,onskis,Ididwhathesaid.Onothermatters,though,Iwasrebellious.Once,hepacked10ofusintoaFinnishbachelor'stinyhomeforalow-budgetskicamp.WeawokethefirstmorningtofindNikolaimakingbreakfastandthenmadequickworkwithourspoonswhilesittingonmakeshiftchairsaroundatinycardtable.Whenwewerefinished,Nikolaistackedthestickybowlsinfrontofmysolefemaleteammateandme,asserting,"Now,girlsdodishes!"Ithrewmynapkinonthefloorandsworeathim,"Askthedamnboys!Thisisunfair."Heneveraskedthisofmeagain,nordidhetakemuchnoticeofmyoutburst.Hesavedhispassionforskiing.Whencoaching,hewouldsingouthisinstructionskeepingrhythmwithourstride:"Yes,yes,one-two-three,one-two-three."Adearladyfriendofmygrandfather,afterviewingacopyofavideoofmetrainingwithNikolai,asked,"Doeshealsoteachdance?"Intraining,IworkedwithoutresttocorrectmistakesthatNikolaipointedoutandIaskedaftereachpassifitwasbetter."Yes,it'sOK.Butthefasterkneedown,thebetter.""Butisitfastenough?"I'dpersist.Finallyhewouldfrownandsay,"Billiontimesyoumakemotion—thenbeperfect,"remindingmeinanI've-told-you-a-billion-timestone,"Youmustbepatient."Nikolai'spatienceandmyhardworkearnedmeafourth-placenationalrankingheadingintothepre-Olympicseason,butthenImissedthecutforthe2002Olympics.Lastsummer,IreturnedtovisitNikolai.Hemademetea...anddidthedishes!Wetalkedwhilesittingonhiscouch.MissingtheOlympicTeamthepreviousyearhadmademepauseandreflectonwhatIhadgained—nottheleastofwhichwasaquiet,indissolublebondwithashortmaninatropicalshirt.Nikolaitaughtmetohavethecourage,heart,anddisciplinetopersist,evenifittakesabilliontries.Hetaughtmetobethankfulinadvanceforacenturyoflifeonearth,andtoremindmyselfeverydaythatdespitethechallengesathand,"Nowmustbelove,love,love."尼克萊?彼得羅維奇?安尼金一點(diǎn)都不像我想象的那么嚇人。TOC\o"1-5"\h\z不，他不可能是我父親特地送我來(lái)見(jiàn)的那位前蘇聯(lián)教練。？可他的確是尼克萊?彼得羅維奇?安尼金本人。？他請(qǐng)我進(jìn)門，在沙發(fā)上坐下，又拍了拍身邊的墊子，讓我坐在他旁邊。？在他面前，我真的很緊張。？“你還年輕，”他的英語(yǔ)帶著俄語(yǔ)口音：？“如果你愿意試著向奧林匹克運(yùn)動(dòng)會(huì)進(jìn)軍，我想你能行。？長(zhǎng)野奧運(yùn)會(huì)來(lái)不及參加了，但你可以準(zhǔn)備參加2002年鹽湖城奧運(yùn)會(huì)?！?？“完全可以，不是嗎？"看到我臉上驚愕的表情，他又說(shuō)道。？我那時(shí)是一個(gè)很有前途的業(yè)余滑雪運(yùn)動(dòng)員，但在國(guó)內(nèi)決不是頂尖選手。？“當(dāng)然，你需要進(jìn)行很多艱苦的訓(xùn)練，你會(huì)哭鼻子，但你一定會(huì)進(jìn)步的。"？的確，后來(lái)我經(jīng)歷了無(wú)數(shù)痛苦的訓(xùn)練，還為此流了不少眼淚。但在后來(lái)的五年里，我總能從尼克萊講的有趣故事和他的幽默感中得到鼓勵(lì)。？他開(kāi)始總是說(shuō)：“我的朋友們常去看電影，去跳舞，去和女孩子約會(huì)，”然后他會(huì)壓低嗓門接著說(shuō)：“我就在運(yùn)動(dòng)場(chǎng)上訓(xùn)練、訓(xùn)練、再訓(xùn)練。？第二年，我的15公里滑雪比賽成績(jī)縮短了1.5分鐘。”？“朋友們問(wèn)我：’尼克萊，你怎么做到的呢？‘我回答：’你們?nèi)タ措娪?、跳舞、和女孩子約會(huì)，而我一直在訓(xùn)練、訓(xùn)練、再訓(xùn)練?！?？故事通常到這兒就結(jié)束了。但有一次——后來(lái)我們知道那天是他結(jié)婚25周年紀(jì)念日——他穿著一件舊的毛衣，很自豪地站著，微笑著輕聲說(shuō)道：“告訴你們，我可是在26歲那年才第一次親吻女孩子。她后來(lái)就和我結(jié)了婚。”？不管他是不是懂得浪漫，尼克萊知道什么是愛(ài)。？他以一貫的幽默、默默的感恩、敏銳的感覺(jué)和真誠(chéng)的態(tài)度為愛(ài)設(shè)立了奧林匹克般的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。即使在我結(jié)束了滑雪生涯之后，我仍一直努力去達(dá)到那個(gè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。？但他又從不嬌慣我。？二月里的一天，我頭很疼，感到十分疲倦。？我在一片空地上遇見(jiàn)了他，在寒風(fēng)中的雪地里滑了大概十五分鐘后，我趕上了他，有點(diǎn)小題大做地說(shuō)：“嘿，尼克萊，我感覺(jué)我要死了?！保俊叭绻畹揭话贇q，人人都會(huì)死的，”他對(duì)我的痛苦無(wú)動(dòng)于衷，態(tài)度堅(jiān)決地接著說(shuō)：“但你現(xiàn)在必須滑、滑、再滑?！?？在滑雪板上，我照他說(shuō)的去做。？但在其他事情上我會(huì)反抗他。？在一次經(jīng)費(fèi)并不寬裕的滑雪露營(yíng)活動(dòng)中，他讓我們十個(gè)人擠在一個(gè)單身漢住的芬蘭式屋子里。？第一天我們醒來(lái)時(shí)發(fā)現(xiàn)尼克萊正在做早餐。然后我們坐在臨時(shí)拼湊起來(lái)的椅子上，圍著張小小的牌桌，用勺子很快地吃完早飯。？吃完后，尼克萊把摞起來(lái)的油膩膩的碗向我和我唯一的另一個(gè)TOC\o"1-5"\h\z女隊(duì)友前一推，武斷地說(shuō)：“女孩子們，現(xiàn)在去洗碗吧！”？我把餐巾往地上一扔，向他罵道：“讓該死的男孩子們?nèi)ハ窗?！這不公平！”他沒(méi)再讓我去洗碗，也沒(méi)對(duì)我的大發(fā)脾氣顯得太在意。？他只在滑雪時(shí)才顯露出強(qiáng)烈的情感。？訓(xùn)練的時(shí)候，他會(huì)歲著我們邁步的節(jié)奏大聲發(fā)出指令：“對(duì)，就這樣，一一二，一一二。？我祖父的一個(gè)好朋友——一位上了年紀(jì)的女士——看了尼克萊帶我訓(xùn)練的錄像帶后問(wèn)道：“他也教舞蹈嗎？”？在訓(xùn)練時(shí)，我一刻不停地糾正著尼克萊指出的錯(cuò)誤。每完成一個(gè)動(dòng)作，我都會(huì)問(wèn)他自己是否有了進(jìn)步。？“是的，還行。但如果膝蓋能屈得更快些就更好了?！保俊翱晌一脡蚩炝藛?？"我堅(jiān)持問(wèn)他。？最后他會(huì)皺起眉頭說(shuō)：“你得無(wú)數(shù)次地重復(fù)，動(dòng)作才能達(dá)到完美?！彼嵝盐摇氨仨氂心托摹保哉Z(yǔ)之間流露出“我已經(jīng)告訴過(guò)你無(wú)數(shù)次了”的意思。？尼克萊的耐心和我的勤奮使我贏得了全國(guó)第四名的好成績(jī)，并開(kāi)始為奧運(yùn)會(huì)季前賽做準(zhǔn)備。但后來(lái)我沒(méi)能被選拔去參加2002年奧運(yùn)會(huì)。？TOC\o"1-5"\h\z去年夏天，我回去拜訪尼克萊。？他給我沏了茶……還自己洗了碗！我們坐在沙發(fā)上聊天。？懷念起前一年的奧林匹克隊(duì)，我一時(shí)沉默，回想起自己曾經(jīng)獲得的一切——很重要的一點(diǎn)就是我和這個(gè)穿著頗具熱帶風(fēng)情襯衫、個(gè)子不高的男人之間形成了并不張揚(yáng)但又牢不可摧的紐帶。？尼克萊教會(huì)我即使需要無(wú)數(shù)次的努力，也要憑借勇氣、熱情和嚴(yán)格的紀(jì)律來(lái)堅(jiān)持下去。？他還教會(huì)我為了能在這世界上生活一輩子而預(yù)先心存感激，并每天提醒自己：即便面臨許多挑戰(zhàn)，“現(xiàn)在心里有的必須是愛(ài)、友、友。Unit?3?Marriage?Across?the?Nations?Gail?and?I?imagined?a?quiet?wedding.?During?our?two?years?together?we?had?experienced?the?usual?ups?and?downs?of?a?couple?learning?to?know,?understand,?and?respect?each?other.?But?through?it?all?we?had?honestly?confronted?the?weaknesses?and?strengths?of?each?other's?characters.?Our?racial?and?cultural?differences?enhanced?our?relationship?and?taught?us?a?great?deal?about?tolerance,?compromise,?and?being?open?with?each?other.?Gail?sometimes?wondered?why?I?and?other?blacks?were?so?involved?with?the?racial?issue,?and?I?was?surprised?that?she?seemed?to?forget?the?subtler?forms?of?racial?hatred?in?American?society.?Gail?and?I?had?no?illusions?about?what?the?future?held?for?us?as?a?married,?mixed?couple?in?America.?The?continual?source?of?our?strength?was?our?mutual?trust?and?respect.?We?wanted?to?avoid?the?mistake?made?by?many?couples?of?marrying?for?the?wrong?reasons,?and?only?finding?out?ten,?twenty,?or?thirty?years?later?that?they?were?incompatible,?that?they?hardly?took?the?time?to?know?each?other,?that?they?overlooked?serious?personality?conflicts?in?the?expectation?that?marriage?was?an?automatic?way?to?make?everything?work?out?right.?That?point?was?emphasized?by?the?fact?that?Gail's?parents,?after?thirty-five?years?of?marriage,?were?going?through?a?bitter?and?painful?divorce,?which?had?destroyed?Gail?and?for?a?time?had?a?negative?effect?on?our?budding?relationship.?When?Gail?spread?the?news?of?our?wedding?plans?to?her?family?she?met?with?some?resistance.?Her?mother,?Deborah,?all?along?had?been?supportive?of?our?relationship,?and?even?joked?about?when?we?were?going?to?get?married?so?she?could?have?grandchildren.?Instead?of?congratulations?upon?hearing?our?news,?Deborah?counseled?Gail?to?be?really?sure?she?was?doing?the?right?thing.?"So?it?was?all?right?for?me?to?date?him,?but?it's?wrong?for?me?to?marry?him.?Is?his?color?the?problem,?Mom?"?Gail?subsequently?told?me?she?had?asked?her?mother.?"To?start?with?I?must?admit?that?at?first?I?harbored?reservations?about?a?mixed?marriage,?prejudices?you?might?even?call?them.?But?when?I?met?Mark?I?found?him?a?charming?and?intelligent?young?guy.?Any?mother?would?be?proud?to?have?him?for?a?son-in-law.?So,?color?has?nothing?to?do?with?it.?Yes,?my?friends?talk.?Some?even?express?shock?at?what?you're?doing.?But?they?live?in?a?different?world.?So?you?see,?Mark's?color?is?not?the?problem.?My?biggest?worry?is?that?you?may?be?marrying?Mark?for?the?same?wrong?reasons?that?I?married?your?father.?When?we?met?I?saw?him?as?my?beloved,?intelligent,?charming,?and?caring.?It?was?all?so?new,?all?so?exciting,?and?we?both?thought,?on?the?surface?at?least,?that?ours?was?an?ideal?marriage?with?every?indication?that?it?would?last?forever.?I?realized?only?later?that?I?didn't?know?my?beloved,?your?father,?very?well?when?we?married."?"But?Mark?and?I?have?been?together?more?than?two?years,"?Gail?railed.?"We've?been?through?so?much?together.?We've?seen?each?other?at?our?worst?many?times.?I'm?sure?that?time?will?only?confirm?what?we?feel?deeply?about?each?other."?"You?may?be?right.?But?I?still?think?that?waiting?won't?hurt?You're?only?twenty-five."?Gail's?father,?David,?whom?I?had?not?yet?met?personally,?approached?our?decision?with?a?father-knows-best?attitude.?He?basically?asked?the?same?questions?as?Gail's?mother:?"Why?the?haste??Who?is?this?Mark??What's?his?citizenship?status?"?And?when?he?learned?of?my?problems?with?the?Citizenship?department,?he?immediately?suspected?that?I?was?marrying?his?daughter?in?order?to?remain?in?the?United?States.?"But?Dad,?that's?harsh,"?Gail?said.?"Then?why?the?rush??Buy?time,?buy?time,"?he?remarked?repeatedly.?"Mark?has?had?problems?with?citizenship?before?and?has?always?taken?care?of?them?himself,"?Gail?defended."?In?fact,?he?made?it?very?clear?when?we?were?discussing?marriage?that?if?I?had?any?doubts?about?anything,?I?should?not?hesitate?to?cancel?our?plans."?Her?father?proceeded?to?quote?statistics?showing?that?mixed?couples?had?higher?divorce?rates?than?couples?of?the?same?race?and?gave?examples?of?mixed?couples?he?had?counseled?who?were?having?marital?difficulties.?"Have?you?thought?about?the?hardships?your?children?would?go?through?"?he?asked.?"Dad,?are?you?a?racist?"?"No,?of?course?not.?But?you?have?to?be?realistic."?"Maybe?our?children?will?have?some?problems,?but?whose?children?don't??But?one?thing?they'll?always?have:?our?love?and?devotion."?"That's?idealistic.?People?can?be?very?cruel?toward?children?from?mixed?marriages."?"Dad,?we'll?worry?about?that?when?the?time?comes.?If?we?had?to?resolve?all?doubt?before?we?acted,?very?little?would?ever?get?done."?"Remember,?it's?never?too?late?to?change?your?mind."?我和蓋爾計(jì)劃舉行一個(gè)不事張揚(yáng)的婚禮。？在兩年的相處中，我們的關(guān)系經(jīng)歷了起伏，這是一對(duì)情侶在學(xué)著相互了解、理解和尊重時(shí)常常出現(xiàn)的。？但在這整整兩年間，我們坦誠(chéng)地面對(duì)彼此性格中的弱點(diǎn)和優(yōu)點(diǎn)。？我們之間的種族及文化差異不但增強(qiáng)了我們的關(guān)系，還教會(huì)了我們要彼此寬容、諒解和開(kāi)誠(chéng)布公。？蓋爾有時(shí)不明白為何我和其他黑人如此關(guān)注種族問(wèn)題，而我感到吃驚的是，她好像忘記了美國(guó)社會(huì)中種族仇恨種種微妙的表現(xiàn)形式。？對(duì)于成為居住在美國(guó)、異族通婚的夫妻，我和蓋爾對(duì)未來(lái)沒(méi)有不切實(shí)際的幻想。？相互信任和尊重才是我們倆永不枯竭的力量源泉。？許多夫妻因?yàn)殄e(cuò)誤的理由結(jié)了婚，結(jié)果在10年、20年或30年后才發(fā)覺(jué)他們?cè)瓉?lái)是合不來(lái)的。他們?cè)诨榍皫缀鯖](méi)有花時(shí)間去互相了解，他們忽視了嚴(yán)重的性格差異，指望婚姻會(huì)自然而然地解決各種問(wèn)題。我們希望避免重蹈覆轍。？事實(shí)更說(shuō)明了這一點(diǎn)：已經(jīng)結(jié)婚35年的蓋爾的父母正經(jīng)歷著一場(chǎng)充滿怨恨、令人痛苦的婚變，這件事給蓋爾帶來(lái)了很大打擊，并一度給我們正處于萌芬狀態(tài)的關(guān)系造成了負(fù)面影響。？當(dāng)蓋爾把我們計(jì)劃舉辦婚禮的消息告訴家人時(shí)，她遇到了一些阻力。？她的母親德博拉過(guò)去一直贊成我們的關(guān)系，甚至還開(kāi)過(guò)玩笑，問(wèn)我們打算何時(shí)結(jié)婚，這樣她就可以抱外孫了。？但這次聽(tīng)到我們要結(jié)婚的消息時(shí)，她沒(méi)有向我們表示祝賀，反而勸蓋爾想清楚自己的決定是否正確。？“這么說(shuō)我跟他約會(huì)沒(méi)錯(cuò)，但是如果我跟他結(jié)婚，就錯(cuò)了。？媽媽，是不是因?yàn)樗哪w色？”蓋爾后來(lái)告訴我她曾這樣問(wèn)她母親。？“首先我必須承認(rèn)，剛開(kāi)始時(shí)我對(duì)異族通婚是有保留意見(jiàn)的，也許你甚至可以把這稱為偏見(jiàn)。？但是當(dāng)我見(jiàn)到馬克時(shí)，我發(fā)現(xiàn)他是一個(gè)既討人喜歡又聰明的年輕人。？任何一個(gè)母親都會(huì)因?yàn)橛羞@樣一個(gè)女婿而感到臉上有光的。？所以，這事跟膚色沒(méi)有關(guān)系。？是的，我的朋友們會(huì)說(shuō)閑話。？有些朋友甚至對(duì)你所做的事表示震驚。？但他們的生活與我們的不同。？因此你要明白，馬克的膚色不是問(wèn)題。？我最大的擔(dān)心是你也許跟我當(dāng)初嫁給你爸爸一樣，為了錯(cuò)誤的原因而嫁給馬克。？當(dāng)年我和你爸爸相遇時(shí)，在我眼中，他可愛(ài)、聰明、富有魅力又善解人意。？一切都是那么新鮮、那么令人興奮。而且我們兩人都認(rèn)為，我們的婚姻是理想婚姻，至少表面上看是如此，而且一切跡象都表明我們的婚姻會(huì)天長(zhǎng)地久。？直到后來(lái)我才明白，在我們結(jié)婚時(shí)，我并不十分理解我所愛(ài)的人一一你的爸爸?！?？“但是我和馬克呆在一起已有兩年多了，”蓋爾抱怨道?！拔覀儌z一起經(jīng)歷了許許多多的事情。？我們彼此多次看到對(duì)方最糟糕的一面。？我可以肯定時(shí)間只能證明我們是彼此深情相愛(ài)的?！?？“你也許是對(duì)的。但我還是認(rèn)為再等一等沒(méi)壞處。你才25歲?！保可w爾的父親戴維一一我還未見(jiàn)過(guò)他的面一一以知事莫若父的態(tài)度對(duì)待我們的決定。？他問(wèn)的問(wèn)題基本上和蓋爾母親的問(wèn)題相同：“干嗎這么匆忙？這個(gè)馬克是什么人？他是什么公民身份？”？當(dāng)他得知我辦公民身份遇到了問(wèn)題時(shí)，就懷疑我是因?yàn)橄肓粼诿绹?guó)而娶他女兒的。？“不過(guò)爸爸，你這話講得太難聽(tīng)了，”蓋爾說(shuō)。？“那么干嗎要這樣著急？”他重復(fù)地問(wèn)。？“馬克是有公民身份方面的問(wèn)題，但他總是在自己處理這些問(wèn)題，”蓋爾辯解道。？“事實(shí)上，當(dāng)我們?cè)谟懻摻Y(jié)婚的時(shí)候，他清楚地表明了一點(diǎn)：如果我對(duì)任何事情有懷疑，我完全可以取消我們的計(jì)劃。”？她父親開(kāi)始引用統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)說(shuō)明異族通婚的離婚率比同族結(jié)婚的要高，而且還列舉了接受過(guò)他咨詢的、在婚姻上有麻煩的異族通婚夫婦的例子。？他問(wèn)道：“你考慮過(guò)你將來(lái)的孩子可能會(huì)遭受的苦難嗎？”？“爸爸，你是種族主義者嗎？”？“不，當(dāng)然不是。？但你必須得現(xiàn)實(shí)一點(diǎn)?！保俊耙苍S我們的孩子會(huì)遇到一些問(wèn)題。但誰(shuí)的孩子不會(huì)呢？？可是有一樣?xùn)|西他們將會(huì)永遠(yuǎn)擁有，那就是我們的愛(ài)?！保俊澳鞘抢硐胫髁x的想法。？TOC\o"1-5"\h\z人們對(duì)異族通婚生下的孩子是會(huì)很殘酷的。”？“爸爸，到時(shí)候我們自己會(huì)操心的。？但是假如我們?cè)谧鍪裁词轮?，就必須把所有的疑難問(wèn)題全部解決的話，那么我們幾乎什么都干不成了。”？“記住，你什么時(shí)候改變主意都不晚。”Unit4

ATestofTrueLoveSixminutestosix,saidthedigitalclockovertheinformationdeskinGrandCentralStation.JohnBlandford,atallyoungarmyofficer,focusedhiseyesightontheclocktonotetheexacttime.Insixminuteshewouldseethewomanwhohadf川edaspecialplaceinhislifeforthepastthirteenmonths,awomanhehadneverseen,yetwhosewrittenwordshadbeenwithhimandhadgivenhimstrengthwithoutfail.Soonafterhevolunteeredformilitaryservice,hehadreceivedabookfromthiswoman.Aletter,whichwishedhimcourageandsafety,camewiththebook.Hediscoveredthatmanyofhisfriends,alsointhearmy,hadreceivedtheidenticalbookfromthewoman,HollisMeynell.Andwhiletheyallgotstrengthfromit,andappreciatedhersupportoftheircause,JohnBlandfordwastheonlypersontowriteMs.Meynellback.Onthedayofhisdeparture,toadestinationoverseaswherehewouldfightinthewar,hereceivedherreply.Aboardthecargoshipthatwastakinghimintoenemyterritory,hestoodonthedeckandreadherlettertohimagainandagain.Forthirteenmonths,shehadfaithfullywrittentohim.Whenhislettersdidnotarrive,shewroteanyway,withoutdecrease.Duringthedifficultdaysofwar,herlettersnourishedhimandgavehimcourage.Aslongashereceivedlettersfromher,hefeltasthoughhecouldsurvive.Afterashorttime,hebelievedhelovedher,andshelovedhim.Itwasasiffatehadbroughtthemtogether.Butwhenheaskedherforaphoto,shedeclinedhisrequest.Sheexplainedherobjection:"Ifyourfeelingsformehaveanyreality,anyhonestbasis,whatIlooklikewon'tmatter.SupposeI'mbeautiful.I'dalwaysbebotheredbythefeelingthatyoulovedmeformybeauty,andthatkindoflovewoulddisgustme.SupposeI'mplain.ThenI'dalwaysfearyouwerewritingtomeonlybecauseyouwerelonelyandhadnooneelse.Eitherway,Iwouldforbidmyselffromlovingyou.WhenyoucometoNewYorkandyouseeme,thenyoucanmakeyourdecision.Remember,bothofusarefreetostoportogoonafterthat—ifthat'swhatwechoose..."Oneminutetosix...Blandford'sheartleaped.Ayoungwomanwascomingtowardhim,andhefeltaconnectionwithherrightaway.Herfigurewaslongandthin,herspectaculargoldenhairlaybackincurlsfromhersmallears.Hereyeswereblueflowers;herlipshadagentlefirmness.Inherfancygreensuitshewaslikespringtimecomealive.Hestartedtowardher,entirelyforgettingtonoticethatshewasn'twearingarose,andashemoved,asmall,warmsmileformedonherlips."Goingmyway,soldier?"sheasked.Uncontrollably,hemadeonestepclosertoher.ThenhesawHollisMeynell.Shewasstandingalmostdirectlybehindthegirl,awomanwellpastforty,andafossiltohisyoungeyes,herhairsportingpatchesofgray.Shewasmorethanfat;herthicklegsshookastheymoved.Butsheworearedroseonherbrowncoat.Thegirlinthegreensuitwaswalkingquicklyawayandsoonvanishedintothefog.Blandfordfeltasthoughhisheartwasbeingcompressedintoasmallcementball,sostrongwashisdesiretofollowthegirl,yetsodeepwashislongingforthewomanwhosespirithadtrulycompanionedandbroughtwarmthtohisown;andthereshestood.Herpale,fatfacewasgentleandintelligent;hecouldseethatnow.Hergrayeyeshadawarm,kindlylook.Blandfordresistedtheurgetofollowtheyoungerwoman,thoughitwasnoteasytodoso.Hisfingersheldthebookshehadsenttohimbeforehewentofftothewar,whichwastoidentifyhimtoHollisMeynell.Thiswouldnotbelove.However,itwouldbesomethingprecious,somethingperhapsevenlesscommonthanlove—afriendshipforwhichhehadbeen,andwouldalwaysbe,thankful.Heheldthebookouttowardthewoman."I'mJohnBlandford,andyou-youareMs.Meynell.I'msogladyoucouldmeetme.MayItakeyoutodinner?"Thewomansmiled."Idon'tknowwhatthisisallabout,son,"sheanswered."Thatyoungladyinthegreensuit—theonewhojustwentby—beggedmetowearthisroseonmycoat.Andshesaidthatifyouaskedmetogooutwithyou,Ishouldtellyouthatshe'swaitingforyouinthatbigrestaurantnearthehighway.Shesaiditwassomekindofatest."大中央車站問(wèn)詢處桌子上方的數(shù)字鐘顯示：差六分六點(diǎn)。？約翰?布蘭福德，一個(gè)年輕的高個(gè)子軍官，眼睛盯著大鐘，看確切的時(shí)間。？六分鐘后，他將見(jiàn)到一位在過(guò)去13個(gè)月里在他生命中占有特殊位置的女人，一位他素未謀面、卻通過(guò)書信始終給予他力量的女人。？TOC\o"1-5"\h\z在他自愿參軍后不久，他收到了一本這位女子寄來(lái)的書。？隨書而來(lái)的還有一封信，祝他勇敢和平安。？他發(fā)現(xiàn)自己很多參軍的朋友也收到了這位名叫霍利斯?梅內(nèi)爾的女子寄來(lái)的同樣的書。？他們所有的人都從中獲得了勇氣，也感激她對(duì)他們?yōu)橹畱?zhàn)斗的事業(yè)的支持，但只有他給梅內(nèi)爾女士回了信。？在他啟程前往海外戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)斗的那天，他收到了她的回信。？站在即將帶他進(jìn)入敵人領(lǐng)地的貨船甲板上，他一遍又一遍地讀著她的來(lái)信。？13個(gè)月來(lái)，她忠實(shí)地給他寫信。？即使沒(méi)有他的回信，她仍然一如既往地寫信給他，從未減少過(guò)。？在那段艱苦戰(zhàn)斗的日子里，她的信鼓勵(lì)著他，給予他力量。?收到她的信，他就仿佛感到自己能存活下去。？一段時(shí)間后，他相信他們彼此相愛(ài)，就像是命運(yùn)讓他們走到了一起。？但當(dāng)他向她索要照片時(shí)，她卻婉然拒絕。？她解釋道：“如果你對(duì)我的感情是真實(shí)和真誠(chéng)的，那么我長(zhǎng)什么樣又有什么關(guān)系呢。？假如我很漂亮，我會(huì)因?yàn)橛X(jué)得你愛(ài)的只是我的美貌而時(shí)時(shí)困擾，那樣的愛(ài)會(huì)讓我厭惡。？假如我相貌乎平，那我又會(huì)常常害怕你只是出于寂寞和別無(wú)他選才給我寫信的。？不管是哪種情況，我都會(huì)阻止自己去愛(ài)你。？當(dāng)你來(lái)紐約見(jiàn)我時(shí)，你可以做出自己的決定。？記住，那時(shí)候我們兩個(gè)人都可以自由選擇停止或繼續(xù)下去——如果那是我們的選擇？？'？差一分六點(diǎn)？飾蘭福德的心怦怦亂跳。？一名年輕女子向他走來(lái)，他立刻感到自己與她之間存在著一種聯(lián)系。？她身材修長(zhǎng)而苗條，漂亮的金色長(zhǎng)發(fā)卷曲在小巧的耳后。?她的眼睛如藍(lán)色的花朵，雙唇間有著一種溫柔的堅(jiān)毅。？她身穿別致的綠色套裝，猶如春天般生氣盎然。？他向她迎去，完全忘記了她并沒(méi)有佩戴玫瑰?？此邅?lái)，她的嘴角露出一絲熱情的微笑。？“當(dāng)兵的，跟我同路？”她問(wèn)道。？他不由自主地向她靠近了一步。然后，他看見(jiàn)了霍利斯?梅內(nèi)爾。？她就站在那少女的身后，一位四十好幾的女人，頭發(fā)斑斑灰TOC\o"1-5"\h\z白。在年輕的他的眼里，梅內(nèi)爾簡(jiǎn)直就是一塊活脫脫的化石。？她不是一般的胖，粗笨的雙腿移動(dòng)時(shí)搖搖晃晃。？但她棕色的外衣上戴著一朵紅色的玫瑰。？綠衣少女快速地走過(guò)，很快消失在了霧中。？布蘭福德覺(jué)得自己的心好像被壓縮成一個(gè)小水泥球，他多想跟著那女孩，但又深深地向往那位以心靈真誠(chéng)地陪伴他、帶給他溫暖的女人；而她正站在那里。？現(xiàn)在他可以看見(jiàn)，她蒼白而肥胖的臉上透著和善與智慧。？她灰色的眼中閃爍著溫暖和善良。？布蘭福德克制住跟隨年輕女子而去的沖動(dòng)，盡管這樣做并不容易。？他的手抓著那本在他去戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)前她寄給他的書，為的是讓霍利斯?梅內(nèi)爾認(rèn)出他。？這不會(huì)成為愛(ài)情，但將成為一樣珍貴的東常，一樣可能比愛(ài)情更不尋常的東西——一份他一直感激、也將繼續(xù)感激的友情。？他向那個(gè)女人舉起書。？“我是約翰?布蘭福德，你——你就是霍利斯?梅內(nèi)爾吧。我非常高興你能來(lái)見(jiàn)我。？我能請(qǐng)你吃晚餐么？"？那女人微笑著。？“我不知道這到底是怎么回事，孩子，”她答道：“那位穿綠色套裝的年輕女士——?jiǎng)傋哌^(guò)去的那位——請(qǐng)求我把這朵玫瑰別在衣服上。？她說(shuō)如果你邀請(qǐng)我和你一起出去，我就告訴你她在公路附近的那家大餐廳等你。？她說(shuō)這是一種考驗(yàn)Unit5?Weeping?for?My?Smoking?Daughter??????My?daughter?smokes.?While?she?is?doing?her?homework,?her?feet?on?the?bench?in?front?of?her?and?her?calculator?clicking?out?answers?to?her?geometry?problems,?I?am?looking?at?the?half-empty?package?of?Camels?tossed?carelessly?close?at?hand.?I?pick?them?up,?take?them?into?the?kitchen,?where?the?light?is?better,?and?study?them?--?they?are?filtered,?for?which?I?am?grateful.?My?heart?feels?terrible.?I?want?to?weep.?In?fact,?I?do?weep?a?little,?standing?there?by?the?stove?holding?one?of?the?instruments,?so?white,?so?precisely?rolled,?that?could?cause?my?daughter's?death.?When?she?smoked??Marlboros?and?Players?I?hardened?myself?against?feeling?so?bad;?nobody?I?knew?ever??smoked?these?brands.???????She?doesn't?know?this,?but?it?was?Camels?that?my?father,?her?grandfather,??smoked.?But?before?he?smoked?cigarettes?made?by?manufacturers?--?when?he?was?very?young?and?very?poor,?with?glowing?eyes?--?he?smoked?Prince?Albert?tobacco?in?cigarettes?he?rolled?himself.?I?remember?the?bright-red?tobacco?tin,?with?a?picture?of??Queen?Victoria's?partner,?Prince?Albert,?dressed?in?a?black?dress?coat?and?carrying?a?cane.???????By?the?late?forties?and?early?fifties?no?one?rolled?his?own?anymore?(and?few?women?smoked)?in?my?hometown?of?Eatonton,?Georgia.?The?tobacco?industry,?coupled??with?Hollywood?movies?in?which?both?male?and?female?heroes?smoked?like?chimneys,??completely?won?over?people?like?my?father,?who?were?hopelessly?hooked?by?cigarettes.?He?never?looked?as?fashionable?as?Prince?Albert,?though;?he?continued?to?look?like?a?poor,?overweight,?hard?working?colored?man?with?too?large?a?family,?black,?with?a?very?white?cigarette?stuck?in?his?mouth.???????I?do?not?remember?when?he?started?to?cough.?Perhaps?it?was?unnoticeable?at?first,?a?little?coughing?in?the?morning?as?he?lit?his?first?cigarette?upon?getting?out?of?bed.?By?the?time?I?was?sixteen,?my?daughter's?age,?his?breath?was?a?wheeze,?embarrassing?to?hear;?he?could?not?climb?stairs?without?resting?every?third?or?fourth?step.?It?was?not?unusual?for?him?to?cough?for?an?hour.???????My?father?died?from?"the?poor?man's?friend",?pneumonia,?one?hard?winter?when?his??lung?illnesses?had?left?him?low.?I?doubt?he?had?much?lung?left?at?all,?after?coughing??for?so?many?years.?He?had?so?little?breath?that,?during?his?last?years,?he?was?always??leaning?on?something.?I?remembered?once,?at?a?family?reunion,?when?my?daughter?was??two,??that?my?father?picked?her?up?for?a?minute?--?long?enough?for?me?to?photograph?them?--?but?the?effort?was?obvious.?Near?the?very?end?of?his?life,?and?largely?because?he?had?no?more?lungs,?he?quit?smoking.?He?gained?a?couple?of?pounds,?but?by?then?he?was?so?slim?that?no?one?noticed.???????When?I?travel?to?Third?World?countries?I?see?many?people?like?my?father?and??daughter.?There?are?large?advertisement?signs?directed?at?them?both:?the?tough,?confident?or?fashionable?older?man,?the?beautiful,?”worldly"?young?woman,?both??dragging?away.?In?these?poor?countries,?as?in?American?inner?cities?and?on??reservations,?money?that?should?be?spent?for?food?goes?instead?to?the?tobacco?companies;?over?time,?people?starve?themselves?of?both?food?and?air,?effectively??weakening?and?hooking?their?children,?eventually?killing?themselves.?I?read?in?the??newspaper?and?in?my?gardening?magazine?that?the?ends?of?cigarettes?are?so??poisonous?that?if?a?baby?swallows?one,?it?is?likely?to?die,?and?that?the?boiled?water?from?a?bunch?of?them?makes?an?effective?insecticide.???????There?is?a?deep?hurt?that?I?feel?as?a?mother.?Some?days?it?is?a?feeling?of?uselessness.??I?remember?how?carefully?I?ate?when?I?was?pregnant,?how?patiently?I?taught?my?daughter?how?to?cross?a?street?safely.?For?what,?I?sometimes?wonder;?so?that?she?can?struggle?to?breathe?through?most?of?her?life?feeling?half?her?strength,?and?then?die??of?self-poisoning,?as?her?grandfather?did????There?is?a?quotation?from?a?battered?women's?shelter?that?I?especially?like:?"Peace?on?earth?begins?at?home."?I?believe?everything?does.?I?think?of?a?quotation?for?people?trying?to?stop?smoking:?"Every?home?is?a?no?smoking?zone."?Smoking?is?a?form?of?self-battering?that?also?batters?those?who?must?sit?by,?occasionally?joke?or?complain,?and?helplessly?watch.?I?realize?now?that?as?a?child?I?sat?by,?through?the?years,?and?literally?watched?my?father?kill?himself:?surely?one?such?victory?in?my?family,?for?the?prosperous?leaders?who?own?the?tobacco?companies,?is?enough.我女兒抽煙。？她做作業(yè)時(shí)，腳擱在前面的長(zhǎng)凳上，計(jì)算器嗒嗒地跳出幾何題的答案。我看著那包已抽了一半、她隨意扔在手邊的“駱駝”牌香煙。？TOC\o"1-5"\h\z我拿起香煙，走到廚房里去仔細(xì)察看，那里的光線好一點(diǎn)——謝天謝地，香煙是有過(guò)濾嘴的。？我心里十分難過(guò)。砒想哭。？事實(shí)上，我確實(shí)哭過(guò)。我站在爐子旁邊，手里捏著一支雪白的香煙，制作得非常精致，但那可是會(huì)致我女兒于死地的東西啊。？當(dāng)她抽“萬(wàn)寶路”及“普雷厄爾”牌香煙時(shí)，我硬起心腸，不讓自己感到難過(guò)。我認(rèn)識(shí)的人當(dāng)中沒(méi)有人抽這兩種牌子的香煙。？她不知道我父親、也就是她外公生前抽的就是“駱駝”牌香煙。？但是在他開(kāi)始抽機(jī)制卷煙之前——那時(shí)他很年輕、也很窮，眼睛炯炯有神——他抽的是用“阿爾伯特親王牌”煙絲自己手工卷的香煙。？我還記得那鮮紅的煙絲盒，上面有一張維多利亞女王丈夫阿爾伯特親王的照片，他身穿黑色燕尾服，手里拿著一支手杖。？到40年代末、50年代初，我的家鄉(xiāng)佐治亞州的伊騰頓已沒(méi)有人再自己手工卷煙了（而且?guī)缀鯖](méi)有女人抽煙）。？煙草業(yè)，再加上好萊塢電影——影片中的男女主角都是煙鬼——把像我父親這樣的人完完全全爭(zhēng)取了過(guò)去，他們無(wú)可救藥地抽煙抽上了癮。？然而我父親從來(lái)就沒(méi)有像阿爾伯特親王那樣時(shí)髦過(guò)。他還是一個(gè)貧窮、過(guò)于肥胖、為養(yǎng)活一大家人而拼命干活的男人。他是黑人，嘴里卻總叼著一支雪白的香煙。？我記不清父親是什么時(shí)候開(kāi)始咳嗽的。？也許開(kāi)始時(shí)并不明顯，只是早晨一下床點(diǎn)燃第一支香煙時(shí)才有點(diǎn)微咳。？到我16歲，也就是我女兒現(xiàn)在這般年紀(jì)時(shí)，他一呼吸就呼哧呼哧的，讓人感到不安；他上樓時(shí)每走三、四級(jí)樓梯就得停下來(lái)休息一會(huì)兒，？而且，他常常一連咳上一個(gè)小時(shí)。？肺部的病痛把我父親折磨得虛弱不堪，一個(gè)嚴(yán)冬，他死于被稱為“窮人之友”？的疾病——肺炎。？他咳嗽了這么多年，我想他的肺部已沒(méi)有什么完好的地方了。去世前幾年，他的呼吸已經(jīng)很虛弱了，他總得倚靠著某個(gè)東西。？我記得有一次全家聚會(huì)，當(dāng)時(shí)我女兒才兩歲，他抱了她一會(huì)兒，好讓我有時(shí)間給他倆拍張照片。但是很明顯，他是費(fèi)了好大勁兒的。？生命行將結(jié)束前，他才戒了煙，主要是因?yàn)樗姆喂δ芤褬O度受損。？戒煙后他的體重增加了幾磅，但當(dāng)時(shí)他太瘦了，所以沒(méi)人注意到這一點(diǎn)。？我到第三世界國(guó)家去旅行時(shí)，看到了許多像我父親和女兒那樣的人。？到處都有針對(duì)他們這兩類人的巨大廣告牌：強(qiáng)壯、自信或時(shí)髦的成熟男人，以及漂亮、“世故”的年青女子，都在吞云吐霧。？就像在美國(guó)的舊城區(qū)和印第安人的居留地上一樣，在這些貧困的國(guó)家里，那些本應(yīng)該花在食物上的錢卻流進(jìn)了煙草公司。久而久之，人們不但缺少食物，而且還缺少空氣，這樣不但大大地?fù)p害了孩子們的體質(zhì)，還使他們?nèi)旧狭藷煱a，最終還會(huì)致他們于死地。？我在報(bào)