新概念經(jīng)典范文二十篇

新概念經(jīng)典范文二十篇

Lesson41IllusionsofPastoralpeace寧靜田園生活的遐想

Whatparticularanxietyspoilsthecountrydweller'svisittothetheatre?

Thequietlifeofthecountryahsneverappealedtome.Citybornandcitybred.Ihavealways

regardedthecountryassomethingyoulookatthroughatrainwindow,orsomethingyou

occasionalvisitduringtheweekend.Mostofmyfriendsliveinthecity,yettheyalwaysgointo

rapturesatthemerementionofthecountry.Thoughtheyextolthevirtuesofthepeacefullife,only

oneofhemhasevergonetoliveinthecountryandhewasbackintownwithinsixmonths.Even

hestilllivesundertheillusionthatcountrylifeissomehowsuperiortotownlife.Heisforever

talkingaboutthefriendlypeople,thecleanatmosphere,theclosenesstonatureandthegentlepace

ofliving.Nothingcanbecompared,hemaintains,withthefirstcockcrow,thetwitteringofbirds

atdawn,thesightoftherisingsunglintingonthetreesandpastures.Thisidyllicpastoralsceneis

onlypartofthepicture.Myfriendfailstomentionthelongandfriendlesswintereveningsinfront

oftheTV-virtuallytheonlyformofentertainment.Hesaysnothingaboutthepoorselectionof

goodsintheshops,oraboutthoseunfortunatepeoplewhohavetotravelfromthecountrytothe

cityeverydaytogettowork.Whypeoplearepreparedtotolerateafour-hourjourneyeachday

forthedubiousprivilegeoflivinginthecountryisbeyondme.Theycouldbesavedsomuch

miseryandexpenseiftheychosetoliveinthecitywheretheyrightlybelong.

Ifyoucandowithoutthefewpastoralpleasuresofthecountry,youwillfindthecitycanprovide

youwiththebestthatlifecanoffer.Youneverhavetotravelmilestoseeyourfriends.They

invariablylienearbyandarealwaysavailableforaninformalchatoranevening'sentertainment.

Someofmyacquaintancesinthecountrycomeuptotownonceortwiceayeartovisitthetheatre

asaspecialtreat.Forthemthisisamajoroperationwhichinvolvesconsiderableplanning.Asthe

playdrawstoitsclose,theywonderwhethertheywillevercatchthatlasttrainhome.Thecit

dwellerneverexperiencesanxietiesofthissort.Thelatestexhibitions,films,orplaysareonlya

shortbusrideaway.Shopping,too,isalwaysapleasure.Thelatestexhibitions,films,orplaysare

onlyashortbusrideaway.Shopping,too,isalwaysapleasure.Thereissomuchvarietythatyou

neverhavetomakedowithsecondbest.Countrypeoplerunwildwhentheygoshoppinginthe

cityandstaggerhomeloadedwithasmanyoftheexoticitemsastheycancarry.Noristhecity

withoutitsmomentsofbeauty.Thereissomethingcomfortingaboutthewarmglowshedby

advertisementsoncoldwetwinternights.Fewthingscouldbemoreimpressivethanthepeace

thatdescendsondesertedcitystreetsatweekendswhenthethousandsthattraveltoworkevery

dayaretuckedawayintheirhomesinthecountry.Ithasalwaysbeenamysterytomewhocity

dwellers,whoappreciateallthesethings,obstinatelypretendthattheywouldprefertoliveinthe

country.

Lesson42Modemcavemen現(xiàn)代洞穴人

WithwhatdoesthewritercomparetheGouffreBerger?

Caveexploration,orpot-holing,asithascometobeknown,isarelativelynewsport.Perhapsitis

thedesireforsolitudeorthechanceofmakinganunexpecteddiscoverythatlurespeopledownto

thedepthsoftheearth.Itisimpossibletogiveasatisfactoryexplanationforapot-holer'smotives.

Forhim,caveshavethesamepeculiarfascinationwhichhighmountainshavefortheclimber.

Theyarouseinstinctswhichcanonlybedimlyunderstood.

ExploringreallydeepcavesisnotataskfortheSundayafternoonrambler.Suchundertakings

requirethepreciseplanningandforesightofmilitaryoperations.Itcantakeaslongaseightdays

torigupropeladdersandtoestablishsupplybasesbeforeadescentcanbemadeintoaverydeep

cave.Precautionsofthissortarenecessary,foritisimpossibletoforetelltheexactnatureofthe

difficultieswhichwillconfrontthepot-holer.ThedeepestknowncaveintheworldistheGouffre

BergernearGrenoble.Itextendstoadepthof3,723feet.Thisimmensechasmhasbeenformed

byanundergroundstreamwhichhastunnelledacoursethroughaflawintherocks.Theentrance

tothecaveisonaplateauintheDauphineAlps.Asitisonlysixfeetacross,itisbarelynoticeable.

Thecavemightneverhavebeendiscoveredhasnottheentrancebeenspottedbythedistinguished

Frenchpot-holer,Berger.Sinceitsdiscovery,ithasbecomeasortofpot-holers*Everest.Thougha

numberofdescentshavebeenmade,muchofitstillremainstobeexplored.

Ateamofpot-holersrecentlywentdowntheGouffreBerger.Afterenteringthenarrowgaponthe

plateau,theyclimbeddownthesteepsidesofthecaveuntiltheycametonarrowcorridor.They

hadtoedgetheirwayalongthis,sometimeswadingacrossshallowstreams,orswimmingacross

deeppools.Suddenlytheycametoawaterfallwhichdroppedintoanundergroundlakeatthe

bottomofthecave.Theyplungedintothelake,andafterloadingtheirgearonaninflatablerubber

dinghy,letthecurrentcarrythemtotheotherside.Toprotectthemselvesfromtheicywater,they

hadtowearspecialrubbersuits.Atthefarendofthelake,theycametohugepilesofrubble

whichhadbeenwashedupbythewater.Inthispartofthecave,theycouldhearaninsistent

boomingsoundwhichtheyfoundwascausedbyasmallwaterspoutshootingdownintoapool

fromtheroofofthecave.Squeezingthroughacleftintherocks,thepot-holersarrivedatan

enormouscavern,thesizeofahugeconcerthall.Afterswitchingonpowerfularclights,theysaw

greatstalagmites-someofthemoverfortyfeethigh-risingupliketree-trunkstomeetthe

stalactitessuspendedfromtheroof.Roundabout,pilesoflimestoneglistenedinallthecoloursof

therainbow.Intheeeriesilenceofthecavern,theonlysoundthatcouldbeheardwasmadeby

waterwhichdrippedcontinuouslyfromthehighdomeabovethem.

Lesson43Fullyinsured全保險

Whoownedthepieandwhy?

Insurancecompaniesarenormallywillingtoinsureanything.Insuringpublicorprivatepropertyis

astandardpracticeinmostcountriesintheworld.If,however,youwereholdinganopenair

gardenpartyorafeteitwouldbeequallypossibletoinsureyourselfintheeventofbadweather.

Needlesstosay,thebiggertheriskaninsurancecompanytakes,thehigherthepremiumyouwill

havetopay.Itisnotuncommontohearthatashippingcompanyhasmadeaclaimforcostof

salvagingasunkenship.Buttheclaimmadebyalocalauthoritytorecoverthecostofsalvaginga

sunkenpiedishmustsurelybeunique.

Admittedlyitwasanunusualpiedish,foritwaseighteenfeetlongandsixfeetwide.Ithadbeen

purchasedbyalocalauthoritysothatanenormouspiecouldbebakedforanannualfair.Thepie

committeedecidedthatthebestwaytotransportthedishwouldbebycanal,sotheyinsureditfor

thetrip.Shortlyafteritwaslaunched,thepiecommitteewenttoalocalinntocelebrate.Atthe

sametime,anumberofteenagersclimbedontothedishandheldalittlepartyoftheirown.

Dancingprovedtobemorethanthedishcouldbear,forduringthepartyitcapsizedandsankin

sevenfeetofwater.

Thepiecommitteetelephonedalocalgarageownerwhoarrivedinarecoverytrucktosalvagethe

piedish.Shiveringintheirwetclothes,theteenagerslookedonwhilethreemendivedrepeatedly

intothewatertolocatethedish.Theyhadlittledifficultyinfindingit,buthaulingitoutofthe

waterprovedtobeaseriousproblem.Thesidesofthedishweresosmooththatitwasalmost

impossibletoattachhawsersandchainstotherimwithoutdamagingit.Eventuallychainswere

fixedtooneendofthedishandapowerfulwinchwasputintooperation.Thedishrosetothe

surfaceandwasgentlydrawntowardsthecanalbank.Foroneagonizingmoment,thedishwas

perchedprecariouslyonthebankofthecanal,butitsuddenlyoverbalancedandslidbackintothe

water.Themenwerenowobligedtotryoncemore.Thistimetheyfixedheavymetalclampsto

bothsidesofthedishsothattheycouldfastenthechains.Thedishnowhadtobeliftedvertically

becauseoneedgewasrestingagainstthesideofthecanal.Thewinchwasagainputintooperation

andoneofthemenstartedupthetruck.Severalminuteslater,thedishwasagainputinto

operationandoneofthewater.Waterstreamedintorrentsoveritssideswithsuchforcethatitset

upahugewaveinthecanal.Therewasdangerthatthewavewouldreboundofftheothersideof

thebankandsendthedishplungingintothewateragain.Byworkingattremendousspeed,the

menmanagedtogetthedishontodrylandbeforethewavereturned.

Lesson44Speedandcomfort又快捷又舒適

Whichtypeoftransportdoesthewriterprefer,doyouthink?

Peopletravellinglongdistancesfrequentlyhavetodecidewhethertheywouldprefertogobyland,

sea,orair.Hardlyanyonecanpositivelyenjoysittinginatrainformorethanafewhours.Train

compartmentssoongetcrampedandstuffy.Itisalmostimpossibletotakeyourmindoffthe

journey.Readingisonlyapartialsolution,forthemonotonousrhythmofthewheelsclickingon

therailssoonlullsyoutosleep.Duringtheday,sleepcomesinsnatches.Atnight,whenyoureally

wishtogotosleep,yourarelymanagetodoso.Ifyouareluckyenoughtogetasleeper,you

spendhalfthenightstaringatthesmallbluelightintheceiling,orfumblingtofindyouticketfor

inspection.Inevitablyyouarriveatyourdestinationalmostexhausted.Longcarjourneysareeven

lesspleasant,foritisquiteimpossibleeventoread.Onmotorwaysyoucan,atleast,travelfairly

safelyathighspeeds,butmoreoftenthannot,thegreaterpartofthejourneyisspentonroads

withfewservicestationsandtoomuchtraffic.Bycomparison,ferrytripsorcruisesofferagreat

varietyofcivilizedcomforts.Youcanstretchyourlegsonthespaciousdecks,playgames,meet

interestingpeopleandenjoygoodfood-alwaysassuming,ofcourse,thattheseaiscalm.Ifitis

not,andyouarelikelytogetseasick,noformoftransportcouldbeworse.Evenifyoutravelin

idealweather,seajourneystakealongtime.Relativelyfewpeoplearepreparedtosacrifice

holidaytimeforthepleasureoftravellingbysea.

Aeroplaneshavethereputationofbeingdangerousandevenhardenedtravellersareintimidated

bythem.Theyalsohavethedisadvantageofbeinganexpensiveformoftransport.Butnothing

canmatchthemforspeedandcomfort.Travellingataheightof30,000feet,farabovetheclouds,

andatover500milesanhourisanexhilaratingexperience.Youdonothavetodevisewaysof

takingyourmindoffthejourney,foranaeroplanegetsyoutoyourdestinationrapidly.Forafew

hours,yousettlebackinadeeparmchairtoenjoytheflight.Therealescapistcanwatchafilmand

sipchampagneonsomeservices.Butevenwhensuchrefinementsarenotavailable,thereis

plentytokeepyouoccupied.Anaeroplaneoffersyouanunusualandbreathtakingviewofthe

world.Yousoareffortlesslyoverhighmountainsanddeepvalleys.Youreallyseetheshapeofthe

land.Ifthelandscapeishiddenfromview,youcanenjoytheextraordinarysightofunbroken

cloudplainsthatstretchoutformilesbeforeyou,whilethesunshinesbrilliantlyinaclearsky.

Thejourneyissosmooththatthereisnothingtopreventyoufromreadingorsleeping.However

youdecidetospendyourtime,onethingiscertain:youwillarriveatyourdestinationfreshand

uncrumpled.Youwillnothavetospendthenextfewdaysrecoveringfromalongandarduous

journey.

Lesson45Thepowerofthepress新聞報道的威力

Doesthewriterthinktheparentswhereluckyorunluckytogainprosperityinthisway?Why?

Indemocraticcountriesanyeffortstorestrictthefreedomofthepressarerightlycondemned.

However,thisfreedomcaneasilybeabused.Storiesaboutpeopleoftenattractfarmorepublic

attentionthanpoliticalevents.Thoughwemayenjoyreadingaboutthelivesofothers,itis

extremelydoubtfulwhetherwewouldequallyenjoyreadingaboutourselves.Actingonthe

contentionthatfactsaresacred,reporterscancauseuntoldsufferingtoindividualsbypublishing

detailsabouttheirprivatelives.Newspapersexertsuchtremendousinfluencethattheycannot

onlybringaboutmajorchangestothelivesofordinarypeoplebutcanevenoverthrowa

government.

Thestoryofapoorfamilythatacquiredfameandfortuneovernight,dramaticallyillustratesthe

powerofthepress.ThefamilylivedinAberdeen,asmalltownof23,000inhabitantsinSouth

Dakota.Astheparentshadfivechildren,lifewasaperpetualstruggleagainstpoverty.Theywere

expectingtheirsixthchildandwerefacedwithevenmorepressingeconomicproblems.Ifthey

hadonlyhadonemorechild,thefactwouldhavepassedunnoticed.Theywouldhavecontinuedto

struggleagainsteconomicoddsandwouldhavelivedinobscurity.Buttheysuddenlybecamethe

parentsofquintuplets,fourgirlsandaboy,aneventwhichradicallychangedtheirlives.Theday

afterthebirthofthefivechildren,anaeroplanearrivedinAberdeenbringingsixtyreportersand

photographers.

Therisetofamewasswift.Televisioncamerasandnewspaperscarriedthenewstoeveryonein

thecountry.Newspapersandmagazinesofferedthefamilyhugesumsfortheexclusiverightsto

publishstoriesandphotographs.Giftspouredinnotonlyfromunknownpeople,butroombaby

foodandsoapmanufacturerswhowishedtoadvertisetheirproducts.Theoldfarmhousethe

familylivedinwastobereplacedbynew$500,000home.Reporterskeptpressingforinterviews

solawyershadtobeemployedtoactasspokesmenforthefamilyatpressconferences.Whilethe

fivebabieswerebabieswerestillquietlysleepinginoxygententsinhospitalnursery,theirparents

werepayingthepriceforfame.Itwouldneveragainbepossibleforthemtoleadnormallives.

Theyhadbecomethevictimsofcommercialization,fortheirnameshadacquiredamarketvalue.

Insteadofbeingfivenewfamilymembers,thesechildrenhadimmediatelybecomeacommodity.

Lesson46Doityourself自己動手

Didthewriterrepairhislawnmowerintheend?Why/Whynot?

Sogreatisourpassionfordoingthingsforourselves,thatwearebecomingincreasinglyless

dependentonspecializedlabour.Noonecanpleadignoranceofasubjectanylonger,fortheseare

countlessdo-it-yourselfpublications.Armedwiththerighttoolsandmaterials,newlywedsgaily

embarkonthetaskofdecoratingtheirownhomes.Men,particularly,spendhoursoftheirleisure

timeinstallingtheirownfireplaces,layingouttheirowngardens;buildinggaragesandmaking

furniture.Somereallykeenenthusiastsgosofarastobuildtheirowncomputers.Shopscaterfor

thedo-it-yourselfcrazenotonlybyrunningspecialadvisoryservicesfornovices,butbyoffering

consumersbitsandpieceswhichtheycanassembleathome.Suchthingsprovideanexcellent

outletforpentupcreativeenergy,butunfortunatelynotallofusarebornhandymen.

Somewivestendtobelievethattheirhusbandsareinfinitelyresourcefulandcanfixanything.

Evenmenwhocanhardlydriveanailinstraightaresupposedtobebornelectricians,carpenters,

plumbersandmechanics.Whenlightsfuse,furnituregetsrickety,pipesgetclogged,orvacuum

cleanersfailtooperate,somewomanassumethattheirhusbandswillsomehowputthingsright.

Theworstthingaboutthedo-it-yourselfgameisthatsometimesevenmenliveunderthedelusion

thattheycandoanything,evenwhentheyhaverepeatedlybeenprovedwrong.Itisaquestionof

prideasmuchasanythingelse.

LastspringmywifesuggestedthatIcallinamantolookatourlawnmower.Ithadbrokendown

theprevioussummer,andthoughIpromisedtorepairit,Ihadnevergotroundtoit.Iwouldnot

hearofthesuggestionandsaidthatIwouldfixitmyself.OneSaturdayafternoon,Ihauledthe

machineintothegardenandhadacloselookatit.AsfarasIcouldsee,itneededonlyaminor

adjustment:aturnofascrewhere,alittletighteningupthere,adropofoilanditwouldbeas

goodasnew.Inevitablytherepairjobwasnotquitesosimple.Themowerfirmlyrefusedtomow,

soIdecidedtodismantleit.Thegardenwassoonlitteredwithchunksofmetalwhichhadonce

madeupalawnmower.ButIwasextremelypleasedwithmyself.Ihadtracedthecauseofthe

trouble.Oneoflinksinthechainthatdrivesthewheelshadsnapped.AfterbuyinganewchainI

wasfacedwiththeinsurmountabletaskofputtingtheconfusingjigsawpuzzletogetheragain.I

wasnotsurprisedtofindthatthemachinestillrefusedtoworkafterIhadreassembledit,forthe

simplereasonthatIwasleftwithseveralcuriouslyshapedbitsofmetalwhichdidnotseemtofit

anywhere.Igaveupindespair.Theweekspassedandthegrassgrew.Whenmywifenaggedme

todosomethingaboutit,ItoldherthateitherIwouldhavetobuyanewmowerorletthegrass

grow.Needlesstosayourhouseisnowsurroundedbyajungle.Buriedsomewhereindeepgrass

thereisarustinglawnmowerwhichIhavepromisedtorepaironeday.

Lesson47Toohighaprice?代價太高？

Whatdoesthewriterdescribeasan'amusingold-fashionedsourceofnoise'?

Pollutionisthepricewepayforanoverpopulated,overindustrializedplanet.Whenyoucometo

thinkaboutit,thereareonlyfourwaysyoucandealwithrubbish:dumpit,burnit,turnitinto

somethingyoucanuseagain,attempttoproducelessofit.Wekeeptryingallfourmethods,but

thesheervolumeofrubbishweproduceworldwidethreatenstooverwhelmus.

Rubbish,however,isonlypartoftheproblemofpollutingourplanet.Theneedtoproduce

ever-increasingquantitiesofcheapfoodleadstoadifferentkindofpollution.Industrialized

fanningmethodsproducecheapmeatproducts:beef,porkandchicken.Theuseofpesticidesand

fertilizersproducescheapgrainandvegetables.Thepricewepayforcheapfoodmaybealready

toohigh:MadCowDisease(BSE)incattle,salmonellainchickenandeggs,andwisteriaindairy

products.Andifyouthinkyou'llabandonmeatandbecomeavegetarian,youhavethechoiceof

veryexpensiveorganically-grownvegetablesorasteadydietofpesticideseverytimeyouthink

you'reeatingfreshsaladsandvegetables,orjusthavinganinnocentglassofwater!

However,thereisanevenmoreinsidiouskindofpollutionthatparticularlyaffectsurbanareasand

invadesourdailylives,andthatisnoise.Burglaralarmsgoingoffatanytimeofthedayornight

serveonlytoannoypassers-byandactuallyassistburglarstoburgle.Caralarmsconstantlyscream

atusinthestreetandareasourceofprofoundirritation.Arecentsurveyoftheeffectsofnoise

revealed(surprisingly?)thatdogsbarkingincessantlyinthenightratedthehighestformofnoise

pollutiononascalerangingfrom1to7.Thesurveyrevealedalargenumberofsourcesofnoise

thatwereallydislike.Lawnmowerswhiningonasummer'sday,late-nightpartiesinapartment

blocks,noisyneighbours,vehiclesofalkinds,especiallylargecontainertrucksthundering

throughquietvillage,planesandhelicoptersflyingoverhead,largeradioscarriedroundinpublic

placesandplayedatmaximumvolume.Newtechnologyhasalsomadeitsowncontributionto

noise.Alotofpeopleobjecttomobilephones,especiallywhentheyareusedinpublicplaceslike

restaurantsoronpublictransport.Loudconversationsonmobilephonesinvadeourthoughtsor

interruptthepleasureofmeetingfriendsforaquietchat.Thenoisepollutionsurveyrevealeda

ratherspurringandpossiblyamusingoldfashionedsourceofnoise.Itturnedouttobesnoring!

Menwerefoundtobetheworstoffenders.Itwasrevealedthat20%ofmenintheirmid-thirties

snore.Thisfigurerisestoastaggering60%ofmenintheirsixties.Againstthesefigures,itwas

foundthatonly5%ofwomensnoreregularly,whiletherestareconstantlywokenorkeptawake

bytheirtrumpetingpartners.Whateverthesourceofnoise,onethingiscertain:silence,itseems,

hasbecomeagoldenmemory.

Lesson48Thesilentvillage沉默的村莊

Whywasthevillagesilent?

Inthismuch-travelledworld,therearestillthousandsofplaceswhichareinaccessibletotourists.

Wealwaysassumethatvillagersinremoteplacesarefriendlyandhospitable.Butpeoplewhoare

cutoffnotonlyfromforeigntourists,butevenfromtheirowncountrymencanbehostileto

travellers.Visitstoreallyremotevillagesareseldomenjoyable--asmywifeandIdiscovered

duringatourthroughtheBalkans.

Wehadspentseveraldaysinasmalltownandvisitedanumberofoldchurchesinthevicinity.

Theseattractedmanyvisitors,fortheywerenotonlyofgreatarchitecturalinterest,butcontaineda

largenumberofbeautifullypreservedfrescoesaswell.Onthedaybeforeourdeparture,several

busloadsoftouristsdescendedonthetown.Thiswasmorethanwecouldbear,sowedecidedto

spendourlastdayexploringthecountryside.Takingapathwhichledoutofthetown,wecrossed

afewfieldsuntilwecametoadensewood.Weexpectedthepathtoendabruptly,butwefound

thatittraceditswaythroughthetrees.Wetrampedthroughthewoodforovertwohoursuntilwe

arrivedatadeepstream.Wecouldseethatthepathcontinuedontheotherside,butwehadno

ideahowwecouldgetacrossthestream.Suddenlymywifespottedaboatmooredtothebank.In

ittherewasaboatmanfastasleep.Wegentlywokehimupandaskedhimtoferryustotheother

side.Thoughhewasreluctanttodosoatfirst,weeventuallypersuadedhimtotakeus.

Thepathledtoatinyvillageperchedonthesteepsidesofamountain.Theplaceconsistedofa

stragglingunmaderoadwhichwaslinedoneithersidebysmallhouses.Evenunderaclearblue

sky,thevillagelookedforbidding,asallthehouseswerebuiltofgreymudbricks.Thevillage

seemeddeserted,theonlysignoflifebeinganugly-lookingblackgoatonashortlengthofrope

tiedtoatreeinafieldnearby.Sittingdownonadilapidatedwoodenfencenearthefield,we

openedacoupleoftinsofsardinesandhadapicniclunch.Allatonce,Inoticedthatmywife

seemedtobefilledwithalarm.LookingupIsawthatweweresurroundedbychildreninragswho

werelookingatussilentlyasweate.Weofferedthemfoodandspoketothemkindly,butthey

remainedmotionless.Iconcludedthattheyweresimplyshyofstrangers.Whenwelaterwalked

downthemainstreetofthevillager,wewerefollowedbyasilentprocessionofchildren.The

villagewhichhadseemeddeserted,immediatelycametolife.Facesappearedatwindows.Menin

shirtsleevesstoodoutsidetheirhousesandglaredatus.Oldwomeninblackshawlspeeredatus

fromdoorways.Themostfrighteningthingofallwasthatnotasoundcouldbeheard.Therewas

nodoubtthatwewereunwelcomevisitors.Weneedednofurtherwarning.Turningbackdownthe

mainstreet,wequickenedourpaceandmadeourwayrapidlytowardsthestreamwherewehoped

theboatmanwaswaiting.

Lesson49Theidealservant理想的仆人

WhatwasBessie's"littleweaknesses?

ItisagoodthingmyauntHarrietdiedyearsago.Ifshewerealivetodayshewouldnotbeableto

airherviewsonherfavouritetopicofconversation:domesticservants.AuntHarrietlivedinthat

leisurelyagewhenservantswereemployedtodohousework.Shehadahuge,ramblingcountry

housecalledTheGables'.Shewassentimentallyattachedtothishouse,foreventhoughitwasfar

toobigforherneeds,shepersistedinlivingtherelongafterherhusband'sdeath.Beforeshegrew

old,AuntHarrietusedtoentertainlavishly.IoftenvisitedTheGableswhenIwasboy.Nomatter

howmanyguestswerepresent,thegreathousewasalwaysimmaculate.Theparquetfloorsshone

likemirrors;highlypolishedsilverwasdisplayedingleamingglasscabinets;evenmyuncle's

hugecollectionofbookswaskeptmiraculouslyfreefromdust.AuntHarrietpresidedoveran

invisiblearmyofservantsthatcontinuouslyscrubbed,cleaned,andpolished.Shealwaysreferred

tothemas'theshiftingpopulation*,fortheycameandwentwithsuchfrequencythatInevereven

gotachancetolearntheirnames.Thoughmyauntpursuedwhatwas,inthosedays,an

enlightenedpolicy,inthatsheneverallowedherdomesticstafftoworkmorethaneighthoursa

day,shewasextremelydifficulttoplease.Whileshealwayscriticizedtheficklenessofhuman

nature,shecarriedonanunrelentingsearchfortheidealservanttotheendofherdays,evenafter

shehadbeensadlydisillusionedbyBessie.

BessieworkedforAuntHarrietforthreeyears.Duringthattimeshesogainedmyaunt's

confidencethatshewasputinchargeofthedomesticstaff.AuntHarrietcouldnotfindwordsto

praiseBessie*sindustriousnessandefficiency.Inadditiontoallherotherqualifications,Bessie

wasanexpertcook.SheactedtheroleoftheperfectservantforthreeyearsbeforeAuntHamet

discoveredherlittleweakness'.AfterbeingabsentfromtheGablesforaweek,myaunt

unexpectedlyreturnedoneafternoonwithapartyofguestsandinstructedBessietopreparedinner.

Noonlywasthemealwellbelowtheusualstandard,butBessieseemedunabletowalksteadily.

Shebumpedintothefurnitureandkeptmumblingabouttheguests.Whenshecameinwiththe

lastcourse—ahugepudding—shetrippedonthecarpetandthepuddingwentflyingthroughthe

air,narrowlymissedmyaunt,andcrashedonthediningtablewithconsiderableforce.Thoughthis

causedgreatmirthamongtheguests,AuntHarrietwashorrified.Shereluctantlycametothe

conclusionthatBessiewasdrunk.Theguestshad,ofcourse,realizedthisfromthemomentBessie

openedthedoorforthemand,longbeforethefinalcatastrophe,hadhadadifficulttimetryingto

concealtheiramusement.Thepoorgirlwasdismissedinstantly.Afterherdeparture,AuntHarriet

discoveredthattherewerepilesofemptywinebottlesofallshapesandsizesneatlystackedin

whathadoncebeenBessie'swardrobe.Theyhadmysteriouslyfoundtheirwaytherefromthe

winecellar!

Lesson50NewYearresolutions新年的決心

Whatmarkedtheendofthewriter'sNewYearresolutions?

TheNewYearisatimeforresolutions.Mentally,atleast,mostofuscouldcompileformidable

listsof'dos,and'don'ts