研究生英語第二冊翻譯

UnitoneUnittwoIdatedawomanforawhile—literarytype,well-read,lotsofbooksinherplace—whomIadmiredabittooextravagantly,andoneChristmasIdecidedtogivehersomethingunusuallyniceand,I’mafraid,unusuallyexpensive.IboughtherasetofSwift’sWorks—notjustanysetbutascarceearlyeighteenth-centuryedition;thenIwrappedeachleather-boundvolumeseparatelyandmadeacardforeachvolume,eachcardcontainingacarefullychosenquotationfromSwifthimself.Ithoughtitwasterriblyromantic;Ihadvisionsofheropeningtheset,volumebyvolume,whilewesatbythefireChristmasEvesippingcognacandlisteningtotheBrandenburgConcertos.HowstupidIamsometimes!She,practicalwomanthatIshouldhaveknownshewas,hadboughtmetwopairsofsocksandashirt,plusasmallvolumeofpoemsbyA.R.Ammons.ShecriedwhensheopenedtheSwift.Ithoughttheyweretearsofjoy,buttheyweren’t.“Ican’tacceptthis,”shesaid.“It’stotallyoutofproportion.”SheinsistedthatItakethebooksbackorsellthemorkeepthemformyself.WhenIprotestedshejustgotmoreupset,andfinallysheaskedmetoleaveandtotakethebookswithme.Hurtandperplexed,Idid.Westoppedseeingeachothersoonafterthat.IttookmeweekstofigureoutwhatIhaddonewrong.“There’sagoatinallofus,”R.P.Blackmurwrotesomewhere,“astupid,stubborngoat.”Tomycredit,I’mnormallymoreperspicaciousaboutthegiftsIgive,andlessofashow-off.ButIhaveitinme,obviously,tobe,asmyex-girlfriendsaid,totallyoutofproportion:togivepeoplethingsIcan’tafford,orthingsthatbetokenanintimacythatdoesn’texist,orthingsthatbearnorelationtotheinterestsordesiresofthepersonI’mgivingthemto.I’vekickedmyselftoooftennottoknowit’sthere,thisinsensitivitytothenicetiesofgift-giving.UnitsixThemostinfuriatingconversationistheonewheretheparentclearlyseeksadecisive,career-validatingmomentofemotionalclosure.Suchindividualsbelievethatsecuringadmissiontoatop-flightuniversityprovidesachildwithanirrevocablepassporttosuccess,guaranteeingalifeofuninterruptedeconomicmirth.ParentssuchastheseupwardlymobilechuckleheadsexudeanalmostPrussianbelligerencewhenannouncingtheirchildren’sdestinations,congratulatingthemselvesonajobwelldone,whileissuingasottovocetaunttoparentsofthelessgifted.Forthem,thehardpartofchildrearingisnowover.Juniorwenttotherightprepschool,madetherightfriends,signedupfortherightactivitiesandisnowheadedfortherightschool.NowwecangettheheckoutofhereandmovetoTuscany.Butinreality,lifedoesn’tendatage17.Or21.Inreallife,somechildrengetthefinesteducationsbutstillbecomefirst-classscrew-ups.Myownprofessionisfilledwithpeoplewhowenttotherightschoolbutendedupinthewrongcareer.(Theyshouldhavebeenflacks;thephoneringinginthenextroomisnotandneverwillbethePulitzercommittee.)Someofthoseboysandgirlsmostlikelytosucceedaregoingtoenduponwelfareorskidrow.Atwhichpointthey’llneedparentalinput.Orcash.Aparent’sresponsibilitydoesn’tendoncethekidsleave.Aparent’sresponsibilityneverends.That’swhyNaturegivesyouthejob.UnitsevenAsIlookoverwhatIhavewritten,IfeelthatIhavepresentedanexcessivelybleakpictureofaninherentlygloriousevent.Thoughthemisbehaviordescribedistragicbuttrue,Istilldonotsharethepessimismofthewriterwhosemostfamousworkhasgivenhimanear-franchiseonthedigit“1984.”GeorgeOrwellviewedtheOlympicsas“boundupwithhatred,jealousy,boastfulness,disregardofallrulesandsadisticpleasureinwitnessingviolence;inotherwords,itisawarwithouttheshooting.”Thisisgoingmuchtoofar.TheOlympicsarenothingmoreorlessthanareflectionofeverythingthatisgoodaswellasbadinhumannature.TheanecdotesofancientGreekskulduggeryprovethattheGameshavealwayssufferedfromwhatwemightbenevolentlycall“humanfrailty.”AndonemightarguethatourownagecanactuallyclaimatinybitofmoralsuperiorityoverclassicalGreece.Veryfewofus,Ithink,wouldsubscribetotheviewofaEuropeancoach,whowasrecentlyquotedassaying:“Aslongasyouarestillaliveforthevictoryceremony,youshouldgetyourreward.Thereisnoroomforethicsinsportsanymore.”UniteightTheartofpleasingisaverynecessaryonetopossess,butaverydifficultonetoacquire.Itcanhardlybereducedtorules;andyourowngoodsenseandobservationwillteachyoumoreofitthanIcan.“Doasyouwouldbedoneby,”isthesurestmethodthatIknowofpleasing.Observecarefullywhatpleasesyouinothers,andprobablythesamethingsinyouwillpleaseothers.Ifyouarepleasedwiththecomplaisanceandattentionofotherstoyourhumors,yourtastes,oryourweaknesses,dependuponit,thesamecomplaisanceandattentiononyourparttotheirswillequallypleasethem.Takethetoneofthecompanythatyouarein,anddonotpretendtogiveit;beserious,gay,oreventrifling,asyoufindthepresenthumorofthecompany;thisisanattentionduefromeveryindividualtothemajority.Donottellstoriesincompany;thereisnothingmoretediousanddisagreeable;ifbychanceyouknowaveryshortstory,andexceedinglyapplicabletothepresentsubjectofconversation,tellitinasfewwordsaspossible;andeventhen,throwoutthatyoudonotlovetotellstories,butthattheshortnessofittemptedyou.Ofallthingsbanishtheegotismoutofyourconversation,andneverthinkofentertainingpeoplewithyourownpersonalconcernsorprivateaffairs;thoughtheyareinterestingtoyou,theyaretediousandimpertinenttoeverybodyelse;besidesthat,onecannotkeepone’sownprivateaffairstoosecret.Whateveryouthinkyourownexcellenciesmaybe,donotaffectedlydisplaythemincompany;norlabor,asmanypeopledo,togivethatturntotheconversation,whichmaysupplyyouwithanopportunityofexhibitingthem.Iftheyarereal,theywillinfalliblybediscovered,withoutyourpointingthemoutyourself,andwithmuchmoreadvantage.Nevermaintainanargumentwithheatandclamor,thoughyouthinkorknowyourselftobeintheright;butgiveyouropinionmodestlyandcoolly,whichistheonlywaytoconvince;and,ifthatdoesnotdo,trytochangetheconversation,bysaying,withhumor,“Weshallhardlyconvinceoneanother;norisitnecessarythatweshould,soletustalkofsomethingelse.”Unitnine“Women’slanguage”isthatpleasant,euphemistic,-aggressivewayoftalkingwelearnedaslittlegirls.Culturalbiaswasbuiltintothelanguagewewereallowedtospeak,thesubjectswewereallowedtospeakabout,andthewayswewerespokenof.Havinglearnedourlinguisticlessonwell,wegooutintheworld,onlytodiscoverthatwearecommunicativecripples—damnedifwedo,anddamnedifwedon’t.Ifwerefusetotalk“l(fā)ikealady,”weareridiculedandcriticizedforbeingunfeminine.(“Shethinkslikeaman”is,atbest,aleft-handedcompliment.)Ifwedolearnallthefuzzyheaded,unassertivelanguageofoursex,weareridiculedforbeingunabletothinkclearly,unabletotakepartinaseriousdiscussion,andthereforeunfittoholdapositionofpower.Itdoesn’ttakemuchofthisforawomantobeginfeelingshedeservessuchtreatmentbecauseofinadequaciesinherownintelligenceandeducation.“Women’slanguage”showsupinalllevelsofEnglish.Forexample,womenareencouragedandallowedtomakefarmoreprecisediscriminationsinnamingcolorsthanmendo.Wordslike,beige,lavender,andsoon,areunremarkableinawoman’sactivevocabulary,butlargelyabsentfromthatofmostmen.Iknowofnoevidencesuggestingthatwomenactuallyseeawiderrangeofcolorsthanmendo.Itissimplythatfinediscriminationsofthissortarerelevanttowomen’svocabularies,butnottomen’s;tomen,whocontrolmostoftheinterestingaffairsoftheworld,suchdistinctionsaretrivial—irrelevant.UnittenCertainlyaman’shomeisnolongerhiscastle,or,ifitis,themoatisdryandtheportcullisisalwaysup.Nothingcanstanchthedailytideofimpersonalmailposingaspersonalmail,ofsalesmenatthedoorandstrangersonthetelephone.Inthehandsoftheinconsideratethetelephoneisadeadlyweapon,butifamandonsarmoragainstitbyrefusingtohavehisnumberlistedinthedirectory,hemustnowpayapenalty.TheNewYorkTelephoneCompanyhasalmosthalfamillionofthesediehardsonitsrolls—afigurewhichsuggeststhattheurgeforprivacyisstillalive,eveniftherespectforitisnot.Afewyearsagothecompanybecameimpatientwithitsunlistedpatronsandputanextrachargeontheirmonthlybill,hopingtherebytoforcethembackintothelistedworldofgoodfellowship.Modernarchitecturehasalsodoneitssharetoabolishprivacy.ThepicturewindowwasfirstdesignedbymenlikeFrankLloydWrighttoframeasceneofnaturalbeauty.TodaymillionsofAmericanslookoutofpicturewindowsintootherpicturewindowsandbusystreets.Thecontractorhasnosoonerfinishedinstallingthepicturewindowthanthedecoratorissummonedtocoveritwithexpensivecurtainsagainstaninquisitiveworld.Eventhen,privacyisuncertain.Inmanymodernhousestheroomshaveyieldedto“areas”thatmergeintoeachother,sothatthehusbandtryingtoworkinthe“readingarea”(formerlyden)isnakedtotheblastsfromthe“recreationarea”(formerlyrumpusroom)afewfeetaway.Unitone回敬他們是沒有用的——不管說什么，最后他們總會占上風的。有一點很清楚：所有得體的社交最根本的就在于保持鎮(zhèn)定。Eliza.W.Farrar，盤子，落在一位貴婦人的衣裙上。要是我遇到這種情況，我會感到極度地窘迫，保持這種風度，擺脫局促不安，那我們的社交生活就會有趣得多。如果我們牢記這一點，我們就會顯得更加鎮(zhèn)定自如：每當有人恭維你時，他的小詞：Thankyou！Unittwo有一段時間，我曾與一個女子約會——她是愛好文學的那一類、博覽群書、著勃蘭登堡協(xié)奏曲時，她把文集一卷卷地打開時的那種情景。但心靈受到了傷害而且感到迷惑不解。我花了幾個星期才搞明白自己所犯的錯不仁，我經(jīng)常因不了解這一點而痛責自