全新版大學英語綜合教程1第二版課文中英文

全新版大學英語綜合教程1第二版課文原文unit1TheideaofbecomingawriterhadcometomeoffandonsincemychildhoodinBelleville,butitwasn'tuntilmythirdyearinhighschoolthatthepossibilitytookhold.UntilthenI'dbeenboredbyeverythingassociatedwithEnglishcourses.IfoundEnglishgrammardullanddifficult.Ihatedtheassignmentstoturnoutlong,lifelessparagraphsthatwereagonyforteacherstoreadandformetowrite.從我的童年時代起，我就有可能成為一名作家，但在我高中的時候，我就不可能成為一名作家了。在那之前，我一直對英語課程感到厭煩。我發(fā)現(xiàn)英語語法枯燥難懂。我討厭那些讓老師們閱讀和寫作的枯燥乏味的長段落的作業(yè)。WhenourclasswasassignedtoMr.Fleagleforthird-yearEnglishIanticipatedanothercheerlessyearinthatmosttediousofsubjects.Mr.Fleaglehadareputationamongstudentsfordullnessandinabilitytoinspire.Hewassaidtobeveryformal,rigidandhopelesslyoutofdate.Tomehelookedtobesixtyorseventyandexcessivelyprim.Heworeprimlysevereeyeglasses,hiswavyhairwasprimlycutandprimlycombed.Heworeprimsuitswithnecktiessetprimlyagainstthecollarbuttonsofhiswhiteshirts.Hehadaprimlypointedjaw,aprimlystraightnose,andaprimmannerofspeakingthatwassocorrect,sogentlemanly,thatheseemedacomicantique.當我們班分配給弗利格爾先生讀三年級英語時，我期待著這門最枯燥乏味的科目再過一年。弗利格爾先生在學生中以沉悶和缺乏靈感而聞名。據(jù)說他很拘謹，死板，毫無希望地過時了。在我剪得很整齊，梳得很整齊。他穿著樸素的西裝，領帶整齊地貼在白襯衫的領扣上。他有一個整潔的尖下巴，一個一本正經(jīng)的筆直的鼻子，一本正經(jīng)的說話方式是如此的正確，那么看來，他看上去有六七十歲，非常拘謹。他著戴一本正經(jīng)的眼鏡，波浪形的頭發(fā)紳士，他似乎是一個滑稽的古董。IpreparedforanunfruitfulyearwithMr.Fleagleandforalongtimewasnotdisappointed.Lateintheyearwetackledtheinformalessay.Mr.Fleagledistributedahomeworksheet

offeringusachoiceoftopics.Nonewasquitesosimple-mindedas"WhatIDidonMySummerVacation,"butmostseemedtobealmostasdull.Itookthelisthomeanddidnothinguntilthenightbeforetheessaywasdue.Lyingonthesofa,Ifinallyfaceduptotheunwelcometask,tookthelistoutofmynotebook,andscannedit.Thetopiconwhichmyeyestoppedwas"TheArtofEatingSpaghetti."我準備和弗利格爾先生共度一年無果而終，很長一段時間都沒有失望。今年晚些時候，我們處理了這篇非正式文章。弗利格爾先生分發(fā)了一份家庭作業(yè)單，讓我們可以選擇題目。沒有一個比“我在暑假里做的事”更簡單的想法，但大多數(shù)人似乎幾乎都一樣枯燥無味。我把單子拿回家，直到論文到期的前一天晚上什么也沒做。躺在沙發(fā)上，我終于面對了這個不受歡迎的任務，從筆記本里拿出清單，掃描了一下。我的目光停留在“吃意大利面的Thistitleproducedanextraordinarysequenceofmentalimages.VividmemoriescamefloodingbackofanightinBellevillewhenallofuswereseatedaroundthesuppertable—UncleAllen,mymother,UncleCharlie,Doris,UncleHal—andAuntPatservedspaghettiforsupper.Spaghettiwasstillalittleknownforeigndishinthosedays.NeitherDorisnorIhadevereatenspaghetti,andnoneoftheadultshadenoughexperiencetobegoodatit.AllthegoodhumorofUncleAllen'shousereawokeinmymindasIrecalledthelaughingargumentswehadthatnightaboutthesociallyrespectablemethodformovingspaghettifromplatetomouth.這個標產(chǎn)題生了一系列非凡的心理意象。在貝爾維爾的一個晚上，我們都圍坐在餐桌旁——艾倫叔叔、我媽媽、查理叔叔、多麗絲、哈爾叔叔——帕特阿姨晚飯端上了意大利面。在那些日子里，意大利面還是一道鮮為人知的外國菜。多麗絲和我都沒有吃過意大利面，而且沒有一個成年人有足夠的經(jīng)驗來擅長它。艾倫叔叔家里所有的幽默感在我腦海中重新浮現(xiàn)，我想起了那天晚上我們關于如何用一種在社會上受人尊敬的方式把意大利面從盤子里放到嘴里的可笑的爭論。SuddenlyIwantedtowriteaboutthat,aboutthewarmthandgoodfeelingofit,butIwanted

toputitdownsimplyformyownjoy,notforMr.Fleagle.ItwasamomentIwantedtorecaptureandholdformyself.Iwantedtorelivethepleasureofthatevening.TowriteitasIwanted,however,wouldviolatealltherulesofformalcompositionI'dlearnedinschool,andMr.Fleaglewouldsurelygiveitafailinggrade.Nevermind.IwouldwritesomethingelseforMr.FleagleafterIhadwrittenthisthingformyself.突然間，我想寫些關于它的溫暖和美好的感覺，但我想把它寫下來僅僅是為了我自己的快樂，而不是為了弗利格爾先生。那是一個我想重新找回自己的時刻。我想重溫那晚的樂趣。然而，按我的想法寫這篇文章，違反了我在學校學過的所有正式作文規(guī)則，弗雷格爾先生肯定會給它一個不及格的分數(shù)。不要介意。在我為自己寫了這篇文章之后，我會為弗利格爾先生寫些別的東西。WhenIfinisheditthenightwashalfgoneandtherewasnotimelefttocomposeaproper,respectableessayforMr.Fleagle.TherewasnochoicenextmorningbuttoturninmytaleoftheBellevillesupper.TwodayspassedbeforeMr.Fleaglereturnedthegradedpapers,andhereturnedeveryone'sbutmine.IwaspreparingmyselfforacommandtoreporttoMr.FleagleimmediatelyafterschoolfordisciplinewhenIsawhimliftmypaperfromhisdeskandknockfortheclass'sattention.當我寫完的時候，那晚已經(jīng)過去了一半，沒有時間給弗利格爾先生寫一篇合適的、體面的文章了。第二天早上別無選擇，只好把我關于貝爾維爾晚餐的故事交上來。兩天過去了，弗利格爾先生還了評分表，除了我的，他還了所有人的。我正準備接到命令，在放學后立即向弗利格爾先生報告紀律，這時我看到他從桌上拿出我的論文，敲著門來引起全班的注意。"Now,boys,"hesaid."Iwanttoreadyouanessay.Thisistitled,'TheArtofEatingSpaghetti.'"“現(xiàn)在，孩子們，”他說我想給你讀一篇短文。這本書名為《吃意大利面的藝術》

Andhestartedtoread.Mywords!Hewasreadingmywordsoutloudtotheentireclass.What'smore,theentireclasswaslistening.Listeningattentively.Thensomebodylaughed,thentheentireclasswaslaughing,andnotincontemptandridicule,butwithopen-heartedenjoyment.EvenMr.Fleaglestoppedtwoorthreetimestoholdbackasmallprimsmile.他開始讀書。我的話！他在全班大聲朗讀。更重要的是，全班同學都在聽。專心聽。然后有人笑了，然后全班的人都笑了，不是輕蔑和嘲笑，而是開誠布公的享受。就連弗利格爾先生也停了兩三次，忍住一絲拘謹?shù)奈⑿Αdidmybesttoavoidshowingpleasure,butwhatIwasfeelingwaspuredelightatthisdemonstrationthatmywordshadthepowertomakepeoplelaugh.Intheeleventhgrade,attheeleventhhourasitwere,Ihaddiscoveredacalling.Itwasthehappiestmomentofmyentireschoolcareer.WhenMr.Fleaglefinishedheputthefinalsealonmyhappinessbysaying,"Nowthat,boys,isanessay,don'tyousee.It's—don'tyousee—it'softheveryessenceoftheessay,don'tyousee.Congratulations,Mr.Baker."我盡我所能避免表現(xiàn)出喜悅，但我所感受到的純粹是喜悅，因為我的話有力量讓人們發(fā)笑。在十一年級的最后一刻，我發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種召喚。那是我整個學校生涯中最快樂的時刻。孩子們，當他寫完這篇文章的時候，別看他寫了最后一篇文章。你看不出來這是這篇文章的精髓，你不明白嗎。恭喜你，貝克先生?！?797words)（797字）Unit2第二單元HemusthavebeencompletelylostinsomethinghewasreadingbecauseIhadtotaponthe

windshieldtogethisattention.他一定是完全沉浸在他正在讀的東西里，因為我不得不敲擋風玻璃來引起他的注意。"Isyourcabavailable?"Iaskedwhenhefinallylookedupatme.Henodded,thensaidapologeticallyasIsettledintothebackseat,"I'msorry,butIwasreadingaletter."Hesoundedasifhehadacoldorsomething.“你的出租車有空嗎？”我問他什么時候終于抬起頭來看著我。他點點頭，當我坐到后座上時，他抱歉地說：“對不起，我在讀一封信?！彼穆曇袈犉饋砗孟窀忻傲耸裁吹?。"I'minnohurry,"Itoldhim."Goaheadandfinishyourletter."“我不著急，”我告訴他去吧，把你的信寫完?！盚eshookhishead."I'vereaditseveraltimesalready.IguessIalmostknowitbyheart."他搖了搖頭?！蔽乙呀?jīng)讀了好幾遍了。我想我?guī)缀跤浽谛睦锪??！?Lettersfromhomealwaysmeanalot,"Isaid."AtleasttheydowithmebecauseI'montheroadsomuch."Then,estimatingthathewas60or70yearsold,“家信總是很有意義的，”我說至少他們會對我這么做，因為我經(jīng)常出差?！比缓?，估計他60或70歲，Unit1TheideaofbecomingawriterhadcometomeoffandonsincemychildhoodinBelleville,butitwasn'tuntilmythirdyearinhighschoolthatthepossibilitytookhold.UntilthenI'dbeenboredbyeverythingassociatedwithEnglishcourses.IfoundEnglishgrammardullanddifficult.Ihatedtheassignmentstoturnoutlong,lifelessparagraphsthatwereagonyforteacherstoreadand

formetowrite.WhenourclasswasassignedtoMr.Fleagleforthird-yearEnglishIanticipatedanothercheerlessyearinthatmosttediousofsubjects.Mr.Fleaglehadareputationamongstudentsfordullnessandinabilitytoinspire.Hewassaidtobeveryformal,rigidandhopelesslyoutofdate.Tomehelookedtobesixtyorseventyandexcessivelyprim.Heworeprimlysevereeyeglasses,hiswavyhairwasprimlycutandprimlycombed.Heworeprimsuitswithnecktiessetprimlyagainstthecollarbuttonsofhiswhiteshirts.Hehadaprimlypointedjaw,aprimlystraightnose,andaprimmannerofspeakingthatwassocorrect,sogentlemanly,thatheseemedacomicantique.IpreparedforanunfruitfulyearwithMr.Fleagleandforalongtimewasnotdisappointed.Lateintheyearwetackledtheinformalessay.Mr.Fleagledistributedahomeworksheetofferingusachoiceoftopics.Nonewasquitesosimple-mindedas"WhatIDidonMySummerVacation,"butmostseemedtobealmostasdull.Itookthelisthomeanddidnothinguntilthenightbeforetheessaywasdue.Lyingonthesofa,Ifinallyfaceduptotheunwelcometask,tookthelistoutofmynotebook,andscannedit.Thetopiconwhichmyeyestoppedwas"TheArtofEatingSpaghetti."Thistitleproducedanextraordinarysequenceofmentalimages.VividmemoriescamefloodingbackofanightinBellevillewhenallofuswereseatedaroundthesuppertable—UncleAllen,mymother,UncleCharlie,Doris,UncleHal—andAuntPatservedspaghettiforsupper.Spaghettiwasstillalittleknownforeigndishinthosedays.NeitherDorisnorIhadevereatenspaghetti,andnoneoftheadultshadenoughexperiencetobegoodatit.AllthegoodhumorofUncleAllen'shousereawokeinmymindasIrecalledthelaughingargumentswehadthatnightaboutthesociallyrespectablemethodformovingspaghettifromplatetomouth.SuddenlyIwantedtowriteaboutthat,aboutthewarmthandgoodfeelingofit,butIwantedtoputitdownsimplyformyownjoy,notforMr.Fleagle.ItwasamomentIwantedtorecaptureandholdformyself.Iwantedtorelivethepleasureofthatevening.TowriteitasIwanted,however,wouldviolatealltherulesofformalcompositionI'dlearnedinschool,andMr.Fleaglewouldsurelygiveitafailinggrade.Nevermind.IwouldwritesomethingelseforMr.FleagleafterIhadwrittenthisthingformyself.WhenIfinisheditthenightwashalfgoneandtherewasnotimelefttocomposeaproper,respectableessayforMr.Fleagle.Therewasnochoicenextmorningbuttoturninmytaleofthe

Bellevillesupper.TwodayspassedbeforeMr.Fleaglereturnedthegradedpapers,andhereturnedeveryone'sbutmine.IwaspreparingmyselfforacommandtoreporttoMr.FleagleimmediatelyafterschoolfordisciplinewhenIsawhimliftmypaperfromhisdeskandknockfortheclass'sattention."Now,boys,"hesaid."Iwanttoreadyouanessay.Thisistitled,'TheArtofEatingSpaghetti.'"Andhestartedtoread.Mywords!Hewasreadingmywordsoutloudtotheentireclass.What'smore,theentireclasswaslistening.Listeningattentively.Thensomebodylaughed,thentheentireclasswaslaughing,andnotincontemptandridicule,butwithopen-heartedenjoyment.EvenMr.Fleaglestoppedtwoorthreetimestoholdbackasmallprimsmile.Ididmybesttoavoidshowingpleasure,butwhatIwasfeelingwaspuredelightatthisdemonstrationthatmywordshadthepowertomakepeoplelaugh.Intheeleventhgrade,attheeleventhhourasitwere,Ihaddiscoveredacalling.Itwasthehappiestmomentofmyentireschoolcareer.WhenMr.Fleaglefinishedheputthefinalsealonmyhappinessbysaying,"Nowthat,boys,isanessay,don'tyousee.It's—don'tyousee—it'softheveryessenceoftheessay,don'tyousee.Congratulations,Mr.Baker."(797words)Unit2HemusthavebeencompletelylostinsomethinghewasreadingbecauseIhadtotaponthewindshieldtogethisattention."Isyourcabavailable?"Iaskedwhenhefinallylookedupatme.Henodded,thensaidapologeticallyasIsettledintothebackseat,"I'msorry,butIwasreadingaletter."Hesoundedasifhehadacoldorsomething."I'minnohurry,"Itoldhim."Goaheadandfinishyourletter."Heshookhishead."I'vereaditseveraltimesalready.IguessIalmostknowitbyheart.""Lettersfromhomealwaysmeanalot,"Isaid."AtleasttheydowithmebecauseI'montheroadsomuch."Then,estimatingthathewas60or70yearsold,Iguessed:"Fromachildormaybeagrandchild?""Thisisn'tfamily,"hereplied."Although,"hewenton,"cometothinkofit",itmightjustaswellhavebeenfamily.OldEdwasmyoldestfriend.Infact,weusedtocalleachother'OldFriend'—whenwe'dmeet,thatis.I'mnotmuchofahandatwriting."

"Idon'tthinkanyofuskeepupourcorrespondencetoowell,"Isaid."IknowIdon't.ButItakeithe'ssomeoneyou'veknownquiteawhile?""Allmylife,practically.Wewerekidstogether,sowegowayback.""Wenttoschooltogether?""Allthewaythroughhighschool.Wewereinthesameclass,infact,throughbothgradeandhighschool.""Therearenottoomanypeoplewho'vehadsuchalongfriendship,"Isaid."Actually,"thedriverwenton,"Ihadn'tseenhimmorethanonceortwiceayearoverthepast25or30yearsbecauseImovedawayfromtheoldneighborhoodandyoukindoflosetoucheventhoughyouneverforget.Hewasagreatguy.""Yousaid'was'.Doesthatmean—?"Henodded."Diedacoupleofweeksago.""I'msorry,"Isaid."It'snofuntoloseanyfriend—andlosingarealoldoneiseventougher."Hedidn'treplytothat,andwerodeoninsilenceforafewminutes.ButIrealizedthatOldEdwasstillonhismindwhenhespokeagain,almostmoretohimselfthantome:"Ishouldhavekeptintouch.Yes,"herepeated,"Ishouldhavekeptintouch.""Well,"Iagreed,"weshouldallkeepintouchwitholdfriendsmorethanwedo.Butthingscomeupandwejustdon'tseemtofindthetime."Heshrugged."Weusedtofindthetime,"hesaid."That'sevenmentionedintheletter."Hehandeditovertome."Takealook.""Thanks,"Isaid,"butIdon'twanttoreadyourmail.That'sprettypersonal."Thedrivershrugged."OldEd'sdead.There'snothingpersonalnow.Goahead,"heurgedme.Theletterwaswritteninpencil.Itbeganwiththegreeting"OldFriend,"andthefirstsentenceremindedmeofmyself.I'vebeenmeaningtowriteforsometime,butI'vealwayspostponedit.Itthenwentontosaythatheoftenthoughtaboutthegoodtimestheyhadhadtogetherwhentheybothlivedinthesameneighborhood.Ithadreferencestothingsthatprobablymeantsomethingtothedriver,suchasthetimeTimSheabrokethewindow,theHalloweenthatwetiedOldMr.Parker'sgate,andwhenMrs.Culverusedtokeepusafterschool."Youmusthavespentalotoftimetogether,"Isaidtohim.

"Likeitsaysthere,"heanswered,"aboutallwehadtospendinthosedayswastime."Heshookhishead:"Time."Ithoughtthenextparagraphoftheletterwasalittlesad:Ibegantheletterwith"OldFriend"becausethat'swhatwe'vebecomeovertheyears—oldfriends.Andtherearen'tmanyofusleft."Youknow,"Isaidtohim,"whenitsaysherethattherearen'tmanyofusleft,that'sabsolutelyright.EverytimeIgotoaclassreunion,forexample,therearefewerandfewerstillaround.""Timegoesby,"thedriversaid."Didyoutwoworkatthesameplace?"Iaskedhim."No,butwehungoutonthesamecornerwhenweweresingle.Andthen,whenweweremarried,weusedtogotoeachother'shouseeverynowandthen.Butforthelast20or30yearsit'sbeenmostlyjustChristmascards.Ofcoursethere'dbealwaysanotewe'deachaddtothecards—usuallysomenewsaboutourfamilies,youknow,whatthekidsweredoing,whomovedwhere,anewgrandchild,thingslikethat—butneverarealletteroranythinglikethat.""Thisisagoodparthere,"Isaid."WhereitsaysYourfriendshipovertheyearshasmeantanawfullottome,morethanIcansaybecauseI'mnotgoodatsayingthingslikethat."Ifoundmyselfnoddinginagreement."Thatmusthavemadeyoufeelgood,didn'tit?"ThedriversaidsomethingthatIcouldn'tunderstandbecauseheseemedtobeallchokedup,soIcontinued:"IknowI'dliketoreceivealetterlikethatfrommyoldestfriend."WeweregettingclosetoourdestinationsoIskippedtothelastparagraph.SoIthoughtyou'dliketoknowthatIwasthinkingofyou.Anditwassigned，YourOldFriend,Tom.Ihandedbacktheletteraswestoppedatmyhotel."Enjoyedtalkingwithyou,"IsaidasItookmysuitcaseoutofthecab.Tom?TheletterwassignedTom?"Ithoughtyourfriend'snamewasEd,"Isaid."WhydidhesignitTom?""TheletterwasnotfromEdtome,"heexplained."I'mTom.It'saletterIwrotetohimbeforeIknewhe'ddied.SoInevermailedit."Helookedsortofsorrowful,orasifheweretryingtoseesomethinginthedistance."IguessIshouldhavewrittenitsooner."WhenIgottomyhotelroomIdidn'tunpackrightaway.FirstIhadtowritealetter—andmailit.(1093words)Unit3

Whetherwelikeitornot,theworldweliveinhaschangedagreatdealinthelasthundredyears,anditislikelytochangeevenmoreinthenexthundred.Somepeoplewouldliketostopthesechangesandgobacktowhattheyseeasapurerandsimplerage.Butashistoryshows,thepastwasnotthatwonderful.Itwasnotsobadforaprivilegedminority,thougheventheyhadtodowithoutmodernmedicine,andchildbirthwashighlyriskyforwomen.Butforthevastmajorityofthepopulation,lifewasnasty,brutish,andshort.Anyway,evenifonewantedto,onecouldn'tputtheclockbacktoanearlierage.Knowledgeandtechniquescan'tjustbeforgotten.Norcanonepreventfurtheradvancesinthefuture.Evenifallgovernmentmoneyforresearchwerecutoff(andthepresentgovernmentisdoingitsbest),theforceofcompetitionwouldstillbringaboutadvancesintechnology.Moreover,onecannotstopinquiringmindsfromthinkingaboutbasicscience,whetherornottheyarepaidforit.Theonlywaytopreventfurtherdevelopmentswouldbeaglobalstatethatsuppressedanythingnew,andhumaninitiativeandinventivenessaresuchthateventhiswouldn'tsucceed.Allitwoulddoisslowdowntherateofchange.Ifweacceptthatwecannotpreventscienceandtechnologyfromchangingourworld,wecanatleasttrytoensurethatthechangestheymakeareintherightdirections.Inademocraticsociety,thismeansthatthepublicneedstohaveabasicunderstandingofscience,sothatitcanmakeinformeddecisionsandnotleavetheminthehandsofexperts.Atthemoment,thepublicisintwomindsaboutscience.Ithascometoexpectthesteadyincreaseinthestandardoflivingthatnewdevelopmentsinscienceandtechnologyhavebroughttocontinue,butitalsodistrustssciencebecauseitdoesn'tunderstandit.ThisdistrustisevidentinthecartoonfigureofthemadscientistworkinginhislaboratorytoproduceaFrankenstein.ItisalsoanimportantelementbehindsupportfortheGreenparties.Butthepublicalsohasagreatinterestinscience,particularlyastronomy,asisshownbythelargeaudiencesfortelevisionseriessuchasTheSkyatNightandforsciencefiction.Whatcanbedonetoharnessthisinterestandgivethepublicthescientificbackgrounditneedstomakeinformeddecisionsonsubjectslikeacidrain,thegreenhouseeffect,nuclearweapons,andgeneticengineering?Clearly,thebasismustlieinwhatistaughtinschools.Butinschoolsscienceisoftenpresentedinadryanduninterestingmanner.Childrenlearnitbyrotetopassexaminations,andtheydon'tseeitsrelevancetotheworldaroundthem.Moreover,scienceisoftentaughtin

termsofequations.Althoughequationsareabriefandaccuratewayofdescribingmathematicalideas,theyfrightenmostpeople.WhenIwroteapopularbookrecently,IwasadvisedthateachequationIincludedwouldhalvethesales.Iincludedoneequation,Einstein'sfamousequation,E=mc2.MaybeIwouldhavesoldtwiceasmanycopieswithoutit.Scientistsandengineerstendtoexpresstheirideasintheformofequationsbecausetheyneedtoknowtheprecisevaluesofquantities.Butfortherestofus,aqualitativegraspofscientificconceptsissufficient,andthiscanbeconveyedbywordsanddiagrams,withouttheuseofequations.Thesciencepeoplelearninschoolcanprovidethebasicframework.Buttherateofscientificprogressisnowsorapidthattherearealwaysnewdevelopmentsthathaveoccurredsinceonewasatschooloruniversity.Ineverlearnedaboutmolecularbiologyortransistorsatschool,butgeneticengineeringandcomputersaretwoofthedevelopmentsmostlikelytochangethewayweliveinthefuture.Popularbooksandmagazinearticlesaboutsciencecanhelptoputacrossnewdevelopments,buteventhemostsuccessfulpopularbookisreadbyonlyasmallproportionofthepopulation.Onlytelevisioncanreachatrulymassaudience.TherearesomeverygoodscienceprogrammesonTV,butotherspresentscientificwonderssimplyasmagic,withoutexplainingthemorshowinghowtheyfitintotheframeworkofscientificideas.Producersoftelevisionscienceprogrammesshouldrealizethattheyhavearesponsibilitytoeducatethepublic,notjustentertainit.Theworldtodayisfilledwithdangers,hencethesickjokethatthereasonwehavenotbeencontactedbyanaliencivilizationisthatcivilizationstendtodestroythemselveswhentheyreachourstage.ButIhavesufficientfaithinthegoodsenseofthepublictobelievethatwemightprovethiswrong.(812words)Unit4HecamefromarockyfarminItaly,somewheresouthofRome.HoworwhenhegottoAmerica,Idon'tknow.ButoneeveningIfoundhimstandinginthedriveway,behindmygarage.Hewasaboutfive-foot-sevenoreight,andthin."Imowyourlawn,"hesaid.ItwashardtocomprehendhisbrokenEnglish.Iaskedhimhisname."TonyTrivisonno,"hereplied."Imowyourlawn."ItoldTonythatI

couldn'taffordagardener."Imowyourlawn,"hesaidagain,thenwalkedaway.Iwentintomyhouseunhappy.Yes,theseDepressiondaysweredifficult,buthowcouldItoturnawayapersonwhohadcometomeforhelp?WhenIgothomefromworkthenextevening,thelawnhadbeenmowed,thegardenweeded,andthewalksswept.Iaskedmywifewhathadhappened."Amangotthelawnmoweroutofthegarageandworkedontheyard,"sheanswered."Iassumedyouhadhiredhim."Itoldherofmyexperiencethenightbefore.Wethoughtitstrangethathehadnotaskedforpay.Thenexttwodayswerebusy,andIforgotaboutTony.Weweretryingtorebuildourbusinessandbringsomeofourworkersbacktotheplants.ButonFriday,returninghomealittleearly,IsawTonyagain,behindthegarage.Icomplimentedhimontheworkhehaddone."Imowyourlawn,"hesaid.Imanagedtoworkoutsomekindofsmallweeklypay,andeachdayTonycleaneduptheyardandtookcareofanylittletasks.Mywifesaidhewasveryhelpfulwhenevertherewereanyheavyobjectstoliftorthingstofix.Summerpassedintofall,andwindsblewcold."Mr.Craw,snowprettysoon,"Tonytoldmeoneevening."Whenwintercome,yougivemejobclearingsnowatthefactory."Well,whatdoyoudowithsuchdeterminationandhope?Ofcourse,Tonygothisjobatthefactory.Themonthspassed.Iaskedthepersonneldepartmentforareport.TheysaidTonywasaverygoodworker.OnedayIfoundTonyatourmeetingplacebehindthegarage."Iwanttobe'prentice,"hesaid.Wehadaprettygoodapprenticeschoolthattrainedlaborers.ButIdoubtedwhetherTonyhadthecapacitytoreadblueprintsandmicrometersordoprecisionwork.Still,howcouldIturnhimdown?Tonytookacutinpaytobecomeanapprentice.Monthslater,Igotareportthathehadgraduatedasaskilledgrinder.Hehadlearnedtoreadthemillionthsofaninchonthemicrometerandtoshapethegrindingwheelwithaninstrumentsetwithadiamond.MywifeandIweredelightedwithwhatwefeltwasasatisfyingendofthestory.

Ayearortwopassed,andagainIfoundTonyinhisusualwaitingplace.Wetalkedabouthiswork,andIaskedhimwhathewanted."Mr.Craw,"hesaid,"Ilikeabuyahouse."Ontheedgeoftown,hehadfoundahouseforsale,acompletewreck.Icalledonabankerfriend."Doyoueverloanmoneyoncharacter?"Iasked."No,"hesaid."Wecan'taffordto.Nosale.""Now,waitaminute,"Ireplied."Hereisahard-workingman,amanofcharacter,Icanpromiseyouthat.He'sgotagoodjob.You'renotgettingadamn