倒背如流新概念三冊(cè)精華課文16篇

PAGEPAGE1倒背如流新概念三冊(cè)精華課文16篇《賣油翁》早已經(jīng)向我們揭示出學(xué)好外語(yǔ)的最簡(jiǎn)單樸素的真理——“熟能生巧”，成功就是熟能生巧。學(xué)了十多年英語(yǔ)背不出一篇課文。精讀的重點(diǎn)在于精，而不在于多。我從新概念三冊(cè)選出精華課文16篇，希望大家讀熟，滾瓜爛熟，讀到和讀漢語(yǔ)的感覺差不多。你的英語(yǔ)能力一定能達(dá)到一個(gè)新的高度，過(guò)四級(jí)英語(yǔ)將不在話下。倒背如流新概念學(xué)習(xí)方法狂聽要將課文錄音聽到爛熟于心的地步。（達(dá)到的標(biāo)志是，聽錄音時(shí)，聽到上句幾乎可以想起下句，同時(shí)能在不看教材的基礎(chǔ)上，能流利地跟讀錄音。）這樣做的目的是糾正讀音，同時(shí)減少背誦的難度。倒譯將課文自己親自翻譯出來(lái)，然后再根據(jù)譯文說(shuō)出英文。（練的是英漢翻譯的能力）

試背將課文中的關(guān)鍵詞寫下來(lái)作為提示，來(lái)背誦課文。單純地反復(fù)閱讀效果并不好，學(xué)習(xí)者應(yīng)該在文章還沒有完全記住前積極進(jìn)行嘗試再現(xiàn)，回憶不起來(lái)時(shí)再閱讀。這樣容易記住，而且保持時(shí)間也長(zhǎng)。復(fù)述用自己的語(yǔ)言說(shuō)出課文的主要內(nèi)容。文章通過(guò)理解消化，語(yǔ)句通過(guò)熟讀試背，也已朗朗上口，如果再反復(fù)朗讀幾遍，就能流利地背誦下來(lái)。默寫所謂“眼過(guò)千遍，不如手抄一遍”。既用腦，又動(dòng)手，可加深對(duì)文章的記憶。（1）Lesson1Listentothetapethenanswerthequestionbelow.(聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。)

Wheremustthepumahavecomefrom?

Pumasarelarge,cat-likeanimalswhicharefoundinAmerica.WhenreportscameintoLondonZoothatawildpumahadbeenspottedforty-fivemilessouthofLondon,theywerenottakenseriously.However,astheevidencebegantoaccumulate,expertsfromtheZoofeltobligedtoinvestigate,forthedescriptionsgivenbypeoplewhoclaimedtohaveseenthepumawereextraordinarilysimilar.Thehuntforthepumabeganinasmallvillagewhereawomanpickingblackberriessaw'alargecat'onlyfiveyardsawayfromher.Itimmediatelyranawaywhenshesawit,andexpertsconfirmedthatapumawillnotattackahumanbeingunlessitiscornered.Thesearchproveddifficult,forthepumawasoftenobservedatoneplaceinthemorningandatanotherplacetwentymilesawayintheevening.Whereveritwent,itleftbehinditatrailofdeaddeerandsmallanimalslikerabbits.Pawprintswereseeninanumberofplacesandpumafurwasfoundclingingtobushes.Severalpeoplecomplainedof"cat-likenoises'atnightandabusinessmanonafishingtripsawthepumaupatree.Theexpertswerenowfullyconvincedthattheanimalwasapuma,butwherehaditcomefrom?Asnopumashadbeenreportedmissingfromanyzoointhecountry,thisonemusthavebeeninthepossessionofaprivatecollectorandsomehowmanagedtoescape.Thehuntwentonforseveralweeks,butthepumawasnotcaught.Itisdisturbingtothinkthatadangerouswildanimalisstillatlargeinthequietcountryside.

參考譯文美洲獅是一種體形似貓的大動(dòng)物，產(chǎn)于美洲。當(dāng)倫敦動(dòng)物園接到報(bào)告說(shuō)，在倫敦以南45英里處發(fā)現(xiàn)一只美洲獅時(shí)，這些報(bào)告并沒有受到重視。可是，隨著證據(jù)越來(lái)越多，動(dòng)物園的專家們感到有必要進(jìn)行一番調(diào)查，因?yàn)榉彩锹暦Q見到過(guò)美洲獅的人們所描述的情況竟是出奇地相似。搜尋美洲獅的工作是從一座小村莊開始的。那里的一位婦女在采摘黑莓時(shí)的看見"一只大貓"，離她僅5碼遠(yuǎn)，她剛看見它，它就立刻逃走了。專家證實(shí)，美洲獅非被逼得走投無(wú)路，是決不會(huì)傷人的。事實(shí)上搜尋工作很困難，因?yàn)槌３Ｊ窃绯吭诩椎匕l(fā)現(xiàn)那只美洲獅，晚上卻在20英里外的乙地發(fā)現(xiàn)它的蹤跡。無(wú)論它走哪兒，一路上總會(huì)留下一串死鹿及死兔子之類的小動(dòng)物，在許多地方看見爪印，灌木叢中發(fā)現(xiàn)了粘在上面的美洲獅毛。有人抱怨說(shuō)夜里聽見"像貓一樣的叫聲"；一位商人去釣魚，看見那只美洲獅在樹上。專家們?nèi)缃褚呀?jīng)完全肯定那只動(dòng)物就是美洲獅，但它是從哪兒來(lái)的呢？由于全國(guó)動(dòng)物園沒有一家報(bào)告丟了美洲獅，因此那只美洲獅一定是某位私人收藏豢養(yǎng)的，不知怎么設(shè)法逃出來(lái)了。搜尋工作進(jìn)行了好幾個(gè)星期，但始終未能逮住那只美洲獅。想到在寧?kù)o的鄉(xiāng)村里有一頭危險(xiǎn)的野獸繼續(xù)逍遙流竄，真令人擔(dān)心。（2）Lesson4ThedoublelifeofAlfredBloggs阿爾弗雷德.布洛格斯的雙重生活

Listentothetapethenanswerthequestionbelow.聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。

WhydidAlfwantawhite-collarjob?

Thesedays,peoplewhodomanualworkoftenreceivefarmoremoneythanpeoplewhoworkinoffices.Peoplewhoworkinofficesarefrequentlyreferredtoas"white-collarworkers'forthesimplereasonthattheyusuallywearacollarandtietogotowork.Suchishumannature,thatagreatmanypeopleareoftenwillingtosacrificehigherpayfortheprivilegeofbecomingwhite-collarworkers.Thiscangiverisetocurioussituations,asitdidinthecaseofAlfredBloggswhoworkedasadustmanfortheEllesmereCorporation.Whenhegotmarried,Alfwastooembarrassedtosayanythingtohiswifeabouthisjob.HesimplytoldherthatheworkedfortheCorporation.Everymorning,helefthomedressedinasmartblacksuit.Hethenchangedintooverallsandspentthenexteighthoursasadustman.Beforereturninghomeatnight.Hetookashowerandchangedbackintohissuit.AlfdidthisforovertwoyearsandhisfellowdustmenkepthissecretAlf'swifehasneverdiscoveredthatshemarriedadustmanandsheneverwill,forAlfhasjustfoundanotherjob.Hewillsoonbeworkinginanoffice.Hewillbeearningonlyhalfasmuchasheusedto,buthefeelsthathisriseinstatusiswellworththelossofmoney.Fromnowon,hewillwearasuitalldayandotherswillcallhim'Mr.Bloggs',not'Alf'.

參考譯文如今，從事體力勞動(dòng)的人的收入一般要比坐辦公室的人高出許多。坐辦公室的之所以常常被稱作"白領(lǐng)工人"，就是因?yàn)樗麄兺ǔＪ谴┲差I(lǐng)白襯衫，系著領(lǐng)帶去上班。許多人常常情愿放棄較高的薪水以換取做白領(lǐng)工人的殊榮，此乃人之常情。而這常常會(huì)引起種種奇怪的現(xiàn)象，在埃爾斯米爾公司當(dāng)清潔工的艾爾弗雷德.布洛斯就是一個(gè)例子。艾爾弗結(jié)婚時(shí)，感到非常難為情，而沒有將自己的職業(yè)告訴妻子。他只說(shuō)在埃爾斯米爾公司上班。每天早晨，他穿上一身漂亮的黑色西裝離家上班，然后換上工作服，當(dāng)8個(gè)小時(shí)清潔工。晚上回家前，他洗個(gè)淋浴，重新?lián)Q上那身黑色西服。兩年多以來(lái)，艾爾弗一直這樣，他的同事也為他保守秘密。艾爾弗的妻子一直不知道她嫁給了一個(gè)清潔工，而且她永遠(yuǎn)也不會(huì)知道了，因?yàn)榘瑺柛ヒ颜业叫铰?，不久就要坐辦公室里工作了。他將來(lái)掙的錢只有他現(xiàn)在的一半。不過(guò)他覺得，地位升高了，損失點(diǎn)兒錢也值得。從此，艾爾弗可以一天到晚穿西服了。別人將稱呼他為"布洛格斯先生"，而不再叫他"艾爾弗"了。（3）Lesson14 Anoblegangster貴族歹徒TherewasatimewhentheownersofshopsandbusinessesinChicagohadtopaylargesumsofmoneytogangstersinreturnfor'protection.'Ifthemoneywasnotpaidpromptly,thegangsterswouldquicklyputamanoutofbusinessbydestroyinghisshop.Obtaining'protectionmoney'isnotamoderncrime.Aslongagoasthefourteenthcentury,anEnglishman,SirJohnHawkwood,madetheremarkablediscoverythatpeoplewouldratherpaylargesumsofmoneythanhavetheirlifeworkdestroyedbygangsters.Sixhundredyearsago,SirJohanHawkwoodarrivedinItalywithabandofsoldiersandsettlednearFlorence.HesoonmadeanameforhimselfandcametobeknowntotheItaliansasGiovanniAcuto.WhenevertheItaliancity-stateswereatwarwitheachother,Hawkwoodusedtohirehissoldierstoprinceswhowerewillingtopaythehighpricehedemanded.Intimesofpeace,whenbusinesswasbad,Hawkwoodandhismenwouldmarchintoacity-stateand,afterburningdownafewfarms,wouldoffertogoawayifprotectionmoneywaspaidtothem.Hawkwoodmadelargesumsofmoneyinthisway.Inspiteofthis,theItaliansregardedhimasasortofhero.Whenhediedattheageofeighty,theFlorentinesgavehimastatefuneralandhadapicturedpaintedwhichwasdedicatedtothememoryof'themostvaliantsoldierandmostnotableleader,SignorGiovanniHaukodue.'曾經(jīng)有一個(gè)時(shí)期,芝加哥的店主和商行的老板們不得不拿出大筆的錢給歹徒以換取"保護(hù)"。如果交款不及時(shí),歹徒們就會(huì)很快搗毀他的商店,讓他破產(chǎn).榨取"保護(hù)金"并不是一種現(xiàn)代的罪惡行徑.早在14世紀(jì),英國(guó)人約翰.霍克伍德就有過(guò)非凡的發(fā)現(xiàn):"人們情愿拿出大筆的錢,也不愿畢生的心血?dú)в诖跬街?600年前,約翰.霍克伍德爵士帶著一隊(duì)士兵來(lái)到意大利,在佛羅倫薩附近駐扎下來(lái),很快就出了名.意大利人叫他喬凡尼.阿庫(kù)托.每次意大利各城邦之間發(fā)生戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng),霍克伍德把他的士兵雇傭給愿給他出高價(jià)的君主。和平時(shí)期,當(dāng)生意蕭條時(shí),霍克伍德便帶領(lǐng)士兵進(jìn)入某個(gè)城邦,縱火燒毀一兩個(gè)農(nóng)場(chǎng),然后提出,如向他們繳納保護(hù)金,他們便主動(dòng)撤離。霍克伍德用這種方法掙了大筆錢.盡管如此,意大利人還是把他視作某種英雄。他80歲那年死去時(shí),佛羅倫薩人為他舉行了國(guó)葬,并為他畫像以紀(jì)念這位"驍勇無(wú)比的戰(zhàn)士、杰出的領(lǐng)袖喬凡尼.阿庫(kù)托先生."（4）Lesson17 Thelongestsuspensionbridgeintheworld 世界上最長(zhǎng)的吊橋Verrazano,anItalianaboutwhomlittleisknown,sailedintoNewYorkHarbourin1524andnameditAngouleme.Hedescribeditas'averyagreeablesituationlocatedwithintwosmallhillsinthemidstofwhichflowedagreatriver.'ThoughVerrazanoisbynomeansconsideredtobeagreatexplorer,hisnamewillprobablyremainimmortal,foronNovember21st,1964,thelongestsuspensionbridgeintheworldwasnamedafterhim.TheVerrazanoBridge,whichwasdesignedbyOthmarAmmann,joinsBrooklyntoStatenIsland.Ithasaspanof4,260feet.Thebridgeissolongthattheshapeoftheearthhadtobetakenintoaccountbyitsdesigner.Twogreattowerssupportfourhugecables.Thetowersarebuiltonimmenseunderwaterplatformsmadeofsteelandconcrete.Theplatformsextendtoadepthofover100feetunderthesea.Thesealonetooksixteenmonthstobuild.Abovethesurfaceofthewater,thetowersrisetoaheightofnearly700feet.Theysupportthecablesfromwhichthebridgehasbeensuspended.Eachofthefourcablescontains26,108lengthsofwire.Ithasbeenestimatedthatifthebridgewerepackedwithcars,itwouldstillonlybecarryingathirdofitstotalcapacity.However,sizeandstrengtharenottheonlyimportantthingsaboutthisbridge.Despiteitsimmensity,itisbothsimpleandelegant,fulfillingitsdesigner'sdreamtocreate'anenormousobjectdrawnasfaintlyaspossible'.1524年，一位鮮為人知的意大利人維拉薩諾駕船駛進(jìn)紐約港，并將該港名為安古拉姆。他對(duì)該港作了這樣的描述：“地理位置十分適宜，位于兩座小山的中間，一條大河從中間流過(guò)”。雖然維拉薩諾絕對(duì)算不上一個(gè)偉大的探險(xiǎn)家，但他的名字將流芳百世，因?yàn)?964年11月21日建成的一座世界上最長(zhǎng)的吊橋是以他的名字命名。維拉薩諾大橋由奧斯馬.阿曼設(shè)計(jì)，連結(jié)著布魯克林與斯塔頓島，橋長(zhǎng)4,260英尺。由于橋身太長(zhǎng)，設(shè)計(jì)者不得不考慮了地表的形狀。兩座巨塔支撐著4根粗大的鋼纜。塔身建在巨大的水下鋼盤混凝土平臺(tái)上。平臺(tái)深入海底100英尺。僅這兩座塔就花了16個(gè)月才建成。塔身高出水面將近700英尺。高塔支撐著鋼纜，而鋼纜又懸吊著大橋，4根鋼纜中的每根由26，108股鋼繩組成。據(jù)估計(jì)，若橋上擺滿了汽車，也只不過(guò)是橋的總承載力的1/3。然而，這座橋重要特點(diǎn)不僅是它的規(guī)模與強(qiáng)度。盡管此橋很大，但它的結(jié)構(gòu)簡(jiǎn)單，造型優(yōu)美，實(shí)現(xiàn)了設(shè)計(jì)者企圖創(chuàng)造一個(gè)“盡量用細(xì)線條勾畫出一個(gè)龐然大物”的夢(mèng)想。（5）Lesson21 DanielMendoza 丹尼爾.門多薩BoxingmatcheswereverypopularinEnglandtwohundredyearsago.Inthosedays,boxersfoughtwithbarefistsforprizemoney.Becauseofthis,theywereknownas'prize-fighters'.However,boxingwasverycrude,fortherewerenorulesandaprize-fightercouldbeseriouslyinjuredorevenkilledduringamatch.OneofthemostcolourfulfiguresinboxinghistorywasDanielMendoza,whowasbornin1764.Theuseofgloveswasnotintroduceduntil1860,whentheMarquisofQueensberrydrewupthefirstsetofrules.Thoughhewastechnicallyaprize-fighter,Mendozadidmuchtochangecrudeprize-fightingintoasport,forhebroughtsciencetothegame.Inhisday,Mendozaenjoyedtremendouspopularity.Hewasadoredbyrichandpooralike.Mendozarosetofameswiftlyafteraboxing-matchwhenhewasonlyfourteenyearsold.ThisattractedtheattentionofRichardHumphrieswhowasthenthemosteminentboxerinEngland.HeofferedtotrainMendozaandhisyoungpupilwasquicktolearn.Infact,MendozasoonbecamesosuccessfulthatHumphriesturnedagainsthim.Thetwomenquarrelledbitterlyanditwasclearthattheargumentcouldonlybesettledbyafight.AmatchwasheldatStilton,wherebothmenfoughtforanhour.ThepublicbetagreatdealofmoneyonMendoza,buthewasdefeated.MendozametHumphriesintheringonalateroccasionandhelostforasecondtime.Itwasnotuntilhisthirdmatchin1790thathefinallybeatHumphriesandbecameChampionofEngland.Meanwhile,hefoundedahighlysuccessfulAcademyandevenLordByronbecameoneofhispupils.Heearnedenormoussumsofmoneyandwaspaidasmuchas100poundsforasingleappearance.Despitethis,hewassoextravagantthathewasalwaysindebt.AfterhewasdefeatedbyaboxercalledGentlemanJackson,hewasquicklyforgotten.Hewassenttoprisonforfailingtopayhisdebtsanddiedinpovertyin1836.兩百年前，拳擊比賽在英國(guó)非常盛行。當(dāng)時(shí)，拳擊手們不戴手套，為爭(zhēng)奪獎(jiǎng)金而搏斗。因此，他們被稱作“職業(yè)拳擊手”。不過(guò)，拳擊是十分野蠻的，因?yàn)楫?dāng)時(shí)沒有任何比賽規(guī)則，職業(yè)拳擊手有可能在比賽中受重傷，甚至喪命。拳擊史上最引人注目的人物之一是丹尼爾.門多薩，他生于1764年。1860年昆斯伯里侯爵第一次為拳擊比賽制定了規(guī)則，拳擊比賽這才用上了手套。雖然門多薩嚴(yán)格來(lái)講不過(guò)是個(gè)職業(yè)拳擊手，但在把這種粗野的拳擊變成一種體育運(yùn)動(dòng)方面，他作出了重大貢獻(xiàn)。是他把科學(xué)引進(jìn)了這項(xiàng)運(yùn)動(dòng)。門多薩在他的全盛時(shí)期深受大家歡迎，無(wú)論是富人還是窮人都對(duì)他祟拜備至。門多薩在14歲時(shí)參加一場(chǎng)拳擊賽后一舉成名。這引起當(dāng)時(shí)英國(guó)拳壇名將理查德.漢弗萊斯的注意。他主動(dòng)提出教授門多薩，而年少的門多薩一學(xué)就會(huì)。事實(shí)上，門多薩不久便名聲大振，致使?jié)h弗萊斯與他反目為敵。兩個(gè)人爭(zhēng)吵不休，顯而易見，只有較量一番才能解決問題。于是兩人在斯蒂爾頓設(shè)下賽場(chǎng)，廝打了一個(gè)小時(shí)。公眾把大筆賭注下到了門多薩身上，但他卻輸了。后來(lái)，門多薩與漢弗萊斯再次在拳擊場(chǎng)上較量，門多薩又輸了一場(chǎng)。直到1790年他們第3次對(duì)壘，門多薩才終于擊敗漢弗萊斯，成了全英拳擊冠軍。同時(shí)，他建立了一所拳擊學(xué)校，辦得很成功，連拜倫勛爵也成了他的學(xué)生。門多薩掙來(lái)大筆大筆的錢，一次出場(chǎng)費(fèi)就多可達(dá)100英鎊。盡管收入不少，但他揮霍無(wú)度，經(jīng)常債臺(tái)高筑。他被一個(gè)叫杰克遜紳士的拳擊手擊敗后很快被遺忘。他因無(wú)力還債而被捕入獄，最后于1836年在貧困中死去。（6）Lesson24

Askeletoninthecupboard

“家丑”Weoftenreadinnovelshowaseeminglyrespectablepersonorfamilyhassometerriblesecretwhichhasbeenconcealedfromstrangersforyears.TheEnglishlanguagepossessesavividsayingtodescribethissortofsituation.Theterriblesecretiscalled‘a(chǎn)skeletoninthecupboard’.Atsomedramaticmomentinthestory,theterriblesecretbecomesknownandareputationisruined.Thereader'shairstandsonendwhenhereadsinthefinalpagesofthenovelthattheheroine,adearoldladywhohadalwaysbeensokindtoeverybody,had,inheryouth,poisonedeveryoneofherfivehusbands.Itisallverywellforsuchthingstooccurinfiction.Tovaryingdegrees,weallhavesecretswhichwedonotwantevenourclosestfriendstolearn,butfewofushaveskeletonsinthecupboard.TheonlypersonIknowwhohasaskeletoninthecupboardisGeorgeCarlton,andheisveryproudofthefact.Georgestudiedmedicineinhisyouth.Insteadofbecomingadoctor,however,hebecameasuccessfulwriterofdetectivestories.IoncespentanuncomfortableweekendwhichIshallneverforgetathishouse.Georgeshowedmetotheguest-roomwhich,hesaid,wasrarelyused.Hetoldmetounpackmythingsandthencomedowntodinner.AfterIhadstackedmyshirtsandunderclothesintwoemptydrawers,IdecidedtohangoneofthetwosuitsIhadbroughtwithmeinthecupboard.Iopenedthecupboarddoorandthenstoodinfrontofitpetrified.Askeletonwasdanglingbeforemyeyes.Thesuddenmovementofthedoormadeitswayslightlyanditgavemetheimpressionthatitwasabouttoleapoutatme.Droppingmysuit,IdasheddownstairstotellGeorge.Thiswasworsethan‘a(chǎn)terriblesecret’;thiswasarealskeleton!ButGeorgewasunsympathetic.‘Oh,that,’hesaidwithasmileasifheweretalkingaboutanoldfriend.‘That'sSebastian.YouforgetthatIwasamedicalstudentonceuponatime.’在小說(shuō)中，我們經(jīng)常讀到一個(gè)表面上受人尊重的人物或家族，卻有著某種多年不為人所知的駭人聽聞的秘密。英語(yǔ)中有一個(gè)生動(dòng)的說(shuō)法來(lái)形容這種情況。驚人的秘密被稱作“柜中骷髏”。在小說(shuō)的某個(gè)戲劇性時(shí)刻，可怕的秘密泄漏出來(lái)，接著便是某人的聲譽(yù)掃地。當(dāng)讀者讀到小說(shuō)最后幾頁(yè)了解到書中女主人公，那位一向待大家很好的可愛的老婦人年輕時(shí)一連毒死了她的5個(gè)丈夫時(shí)，不禁會(huì)毛骨悚然。這種事發(fā)生在小說(shuō)中是無(wú)可非議的。盡管我們?nèi)巳硕加懈鞣N大小秘密，連最親密的朋友都不愿讓他們知道，但我們當(dāng)中極少有人有柜中骷髏。我所認(rèn)識(shí)的唯一的在柜中藏骷髏的人便是喬治·卡爾頓，他甚至引以為自豪。喬治年輕時(shí)學(xué)過(guò)醫(yī)，然而，他后來(lái)沒當(dāng)上醫(yī)生，卻成了一位成功的偵探小說(shuō)作家。有一次，我在他家里度周末，過(guò)得很不愉快。這事我永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)忘記。喬治把我領(lǐng)進(jìn)客房，說(shuō)這間房間很少使用。他讓我打開行裝后下樓吃飯。我將襯衫、內(nèi)衣放進(jìn)兩個(gè)空抽屜里，然后我想把隨身帶來(lái)的兩套西服中的一套掛到大衣柜里去。我打開柜門，站在柜門前一下子驚呆了。一具骷髏懸掛在眼前，由于柜門突然打開，它也隨之輕微搖晃起來(lái)，讓我覺得它好像馬上要跳出柜門朝我撲過(guò)來(lái)似的。我扔下西服沖下樓去告訴喬治。這是比“駭人聽聞的秘密”更加驚人的東西，這是一具真正的骷髏??！但喬治卻無(wú)動(dòng)于衷?！班?，是它呀！他笑著說(shuō)道，儼然在談?wù)撘晃焕吓笥??！澳鞘侨退沟侔病Ｄ阃宋乙郧笆菍W(xué)醫(yī)的了?！保?）Lesson27 Nothingtosellandnothingtobuy沒有東西可賣也沒有東西可買Ithasbeensaidthateveryonelivesbysellingsomething.Inthelightofthisstatement,teacherslivebysellingknowledge,philosophersbysellingwisdomandpriestsbysellingspiritualcomfort.Thoughitmaybepossibletomeasurethevalueofmaterialgoodintermsofmoney,itisextremelydifficulttoestimatethetruevalueoftheserviceswhichpeopleperformforus.Therearetimeswhenwewouldwillinglygiveeverythingwepossesstosaveourlives,yetwemightgrudgepayingasurgeonahighfeeforofferinguspreciselythisservice.Theconditionsofsocietyaresuchthatskillshavetobepaidforinthesamewaythatgoodsarepaidforatashop.Everyonehassomethingtosell.Trampsseemtobetheonlyexceptiontothisgeneralrule.Beggarsalmostsellthemselvesashumanbeingstoarousethepityofpassers-by.Butrealtrampsarenotbeggars.Theyhavenothingtosellandrequirenothingfromothers.Inseekingindependence,theydonotsacrificetheirhumandignity.Atrampmayaskyouformoney,buthewillneveraskyoutofeelsorryforhim.Hehasdeliberatelychosentoleadthelifeheleadsandisfullyawareoftheconsequences.Hemayneverbesurewherethenextmealiscomingfrom,butheisfreefromthethousandsofanxietieswhichafflictotherpeople.Hisfewmaterialpossessionsmakeitpossibleforhimtomovefromplacetoplacewithease.Byhavingtosleepintheopen,hegetsfarclosertotheworldofnaturethanmostofuseverdo.Hemayhunt,beg,orstealoccasionallytokeephimselfalive;hemayeven,intimesofrealneed,doalittlework;buthewillneversacrificehisfreedom.Weoftenspeakoftrampswithcontemptandputtheminthesameclassasbeggars,buthowmanyofuscanhonestlysaythatwehavenotfeltalittleenviousoftheirsimplewayoflifeandtheirfreedomfromcare?據(jù)說(shuō)每個(gè)人都靠出售某種東西來(lái)維持生活。根據(jù)這種說(shuō)法，教師靠賣知識(shí)為生，哲學(xué)家靠賣智慧為生，牧師靠賣精神安慰為生。雖然物質(zhì)產(chǎn)品的價(jià)值可以用金錢來(lái)衡量，但要估算別人為我們?yōu)樗峁┑姆?wù)的價(jià)值卻是極其困難的。有時(shí)，我們?yōu)榱送炀壬敢飧冻鑫覀兯加械囊磺?。但就在外科大夫給我們提供了這種服務(wù)后，我們卻可能為所支付的昂貴的費(fèi)用而抱怨。社會(huì)上的情況就是如此，技術(shù)是必須付錢去買的，就像在商店里要花錢買商品一樣。人人都有東西可以出售。在這條普遍的規(guī)律前面，好像只有流浪漢是個(gè)例外，乞丐出售的幾乎是他本人，以引起過(guò)路人的憐憫。但真正的流浪并不是乞丐。他們既不出售任何東西，也不需要從別人那兒得到任何東西，在追求獨(dú)立自由的同時(shí)，他們并不犧牲為人的尊嚴(yán)。游浪漢可能會(huì)向你討錢，但他從來(lái)不要你可憐他。他是故意在選擇過(guò)那種生活的，并完全清楚以這種方式生活的后果。他可能從不知道下頓飯有無(wú)著落，但他不像有人那樣被千萬(wàn)樁愁事所折磨。他幾乎沒有什么財(cái)產(chǎn)，這使他能夠輕松自如地在各地奔波。由于被迫在露天睡覺，他比我們中許多人都離大自然近得多。為了生存，他可能會(huì)去打獵、乞討，偶爾偷上一兩回；確實(shí)需要的時(shí)候，他甚至可能干一點(diǎn)兒活，但他決不會(huì)犧牲自由。說(shuō)起流浪漢，我們常常帶有輕蔑并把他們與乞丐歸為一類。但是，我們中有多少人能夠坦率地說(shuō)我們對(duì)流浪漢的簡(jiǎn)樸生活與無(wú)憂無(wú)慮的境況不感到有些羨慕呢？（8）Lesson33

Adaytoremember

難忘的一天Wehaveallexperienceddayswheneverythinggoeswrong.Adaymaybeginwellenough,butsuddenlyeverythingseemstogetoutofcontrol.Whatinvariablyhappensisthatagreatnumberofthingschoosetogowrongatpreciselythesamemoment.Itisasifasingleunimportanteventsetupachainofreactions.Letussupposethatyouarepreparingamealandkeepinganeyeonthebabyatthesametime.Thetelephoneringsandthismarksthepreludetoanunforeseenseriesofcatastrophes.Whileyouareonthephone,thebabypullsthetable-clothoffthetable,smashinghalfyourbestcrockeryandcuttinghimselfintheprocess.Youhanguphurriedlyandattendtobaby,crockery,etc.Meanwhile,themealgetsburnt.Asifthiswerenotenoughtoreduceyoutotears,yourhusbandarrives,unexpectedlybringingthreegueststodinner.Thingscangowrongonabigscale,asanumberofpeoplerecentlydiscoveredinParramatta,asuburbofSydney.Duringtherushhouroneeveningtwocarscollidedandbothdriversbegantoargue.Thewomanimmediatelybehindthetwocarshappenedtobealearner.Shesuddenlygotintoapanicandstoppedhercar.Thismadethedriverfollowingherbrakehard.Hiswifewassittingbesidehimholdingalargecake.Asshewasthrownforward,thecakewentrightthroughthewindscreenandlandedontheroad.Seeingacakeflyingthroughtheair,alorry–driverwhowasdrawingupalongsidethecar,pulledupallofasudden.Thelorrywasloadedwithemptybeerbottlesandhundredsofthemslidoffthebackofthevehicleandontotheroad.Thisledtoyetanotherangryargument.Meanwhile,thetrafficpiledupbehind.Ittookthepolicenearlyanhourtogetthetrafficonthemoveagain.Inthemeantime,thelorrydriverhadtosweepuphundredsofbrokenbottles.Onlytwostraydogsbenefitedfromallthisconfusion,fortheygreedilydevouredwhatwasleftofthecake.Itwasjustoneofthosedays!我們大家都有過(guò)事事不順心的日子。一天開始時(shí)，可能還不錯(cuò)，但突然間似乎一切都失去了控制。情況經(jīng)常是這樣的，許許多多的事情都偏偏趕在同一時(shí)刻出問題，好像是一件無(wú)關(guān)緊要的小事引起了一連串的連鎖反應(yīng)。假設(shè)你在做飯，同時(shí)又在照看孩子。這時(shí)電話鈴響了，它預(yù)示著一連串意想不到的災(zāi)難的來(lái)臨。就在你接電話時(shí)，孩子把桌布從桌子上扯了下來(lái)，將家中最好的陶瓷餐具半數(shù)摔碎，同時(shí)也弄傷了他自己。你急急忙忙掛上電話，趕去照看孩子和餐具。這時(shí)，飯又燒糊了。好像這一切還不足以使你急得掉淚，你的丈夫接著回來(lái)了，事先沒打招呼就帶來(lái)3個(gè)客人吃飯。就像許多人最近在悉尼郊區(qū)帕拉馬塔所發(fā)現(xiàn)的那樣，有時(shí)亂子會(huì)鬧得很大。一天傍晚交通最擁擠時(shí)，一輛汽車撞上前面一輛汽車，兩個(gè)司機(jī)爭(zhēng)吵起來(lái)。緊跟其后的一輛車上的司機(jī)碰巧是個(gè)初學(xué)者，她一驚之下突然把車停了下來(lái)。她這一停使得跟在后頭的司機(jī)也來(lái)了個(gè)急剎車。司機(jī)的妻子正坐在他身邊，手里托著塊大蛋糕。她往前一沖，蛋糕從擋風(fēng)玻璃飛了出去掉在馬路上。此時(shí)，一輛卡車正好從后邊開到那輛汽車邊上，司機(jī)看見一塊蛋糕從天而降，緊急剎車。卡車上裝著空啤酒瓶，成百只瓶子順勢(shì)從卡車后面滑出車外落在馬路上。這又引起了一場(chǎng)唇槍舌劍的爭(zhēng)吵。與此同時(shí)，后面的車輛排成了長(zhǎng)龍，警察花了將近一個(gè)小時(shí)才使車輛又開起來(lái)。在這段時(shí)間里，卡車司機(jī)不得不清掃那幾百只破瓶子。只有兩只野狗從這一片混亂中得到了好處，它們貪婪地吃掉了剩下的蛋糕。這就是事事不順心的那么一天?。?）Lesson34

Ahappydiscovery

幸運(yùn)的發(fā)現(xiàn)

Antiqueshopsexertapeculiarfascinationonagreatmanypeople.Themoreexpensivekindofantiqueshopwhererareobjectsarebeautifullydisplayedinglasscasestokeepthemfreefromdustisusuallyaforbiddingplace.Butnoonehastomusterupcouragetoenteralesspretentiousantiqueshop.Thereisalwayshopethatinitslabyrinthofmusty,dark,disorderedroomsarealraritywillbefoundamongstthepilesofassortedjunkthatlitterthefloors.Noonediscoversararitybychance.Atrulydedicatedbargainhuntermusthavepatience,andaboveall,theabilitytorecognizetheworthofsomethingwhenheseesit.Todothis,hemustbeatleastasknowledgeableasthedealer.Likeascientistbentonmakingadiscovery,hemustcherishthehopethatonedayhewillbeamplyrewarded.Myoldfriend,FrankHalliday,isjustsuchaperson.Hehasoftendescribedtomehowhepickedupamasterpieceforamere￡50.OneSaturdaymorning,Frankvisitedanantiqueshopinmyneighbourhood.Ashehadneverbeentherebefore,hefoundagreatdealtointeresthim.ThemorningpassedrapidlyandFrankwasabouttoleavewhenhenoticedalargepacking-caselyingonthefloor.Thedealertoldhimthatithadjustcomein,butthathecouldnotbebotheredtoopenit.Frankbeggedhimtodosoandthedealerreluctantlypriseditopen.Thecontentsweredisappointing.Apartfromaninteresting-lookingcarveddagger,theboxwasfullofcrockery,muchofitbroken.Frankgentlyliftedthecrockeryoutoftheboxandsuddenlynoticedaminiaturepaintingatthebottomofthepacking-case.AsitsCompositionandlineremindedhimofanItalianpaintingheknewwell,hedecidedtobuyit.Glancingatitbriefly,thedealertoldhimthatitwasworth￡50.Frankcouldhardlyconcealhisexcitement,forheknewthathehadmadearealdiscovery.ThetinypaintingprovedtobeanunknownmasterpiecebyCorreggioandwasworthhundredsofthousandsofpounds.古玩店對(duì)許多人來(lái)說(shuō)有一種特殊的魅力。高檔一點(diǎn)的古玩店為了防塵，把文物漂亮地陳列在玻璃柜子里，那里往往令人望而卻步。而對(duì)不太裝腔作勢(shì)的古玩店，無(wú)論是誰(shuí)都不用壯著膽子才敢往里進(jìn)。人們還常常有希望在發(fā)霉、陰暗、雜亂無(wú)章、迷宮般的店堂里，從雜亂地?cái)[放在地面上的、一堆堆各式各樣的破爛貨里找到一件稀世珍品。無(wú)論是誰(shuí)都不會(huì)一下子就發(fā)現(xiàn)一件珍品。一個(gè)到處找便宜貨買的人必須具有耐心，而且最重要的是看到珍品時(shí)要有鑒別珍品的能力。要做到這一點(diǎn)，他至少要像古董商一樣在行。他必須像一個(gè)專心致志進(jìn)行探索的科學(xué)家那樣抱有這樣的希望，即終有一天，他的努力會(huì)取得豐碩的成果。我的老朋友弗蘭克·哈利戴正是這樣一個(gè)人。他多次向我詳細(xì)講他如何只花50英鎊便買到一位名家的杰作。一個(gè)星期六的上午，弗蘭克去了我家附近的一家古玩店。由于他從未去過(guò)那兒，結(jié)果他發(fā)現(xiàn)了許多有趣的東西。上午很快過(guò)去了，弗蘭克正準(zhǔn)備離去，突然看見地板上放著一只體積很大的貨箱。古董商告訴他那只貨箱剛到不久，但他嫌麻煩不想把它打開。經(jīng)弗蘭克懇求，古董商才勉強(qiáng)把貨箱撬開了。箱內(nèi)東西令人失望。除了一柄式樣別致、雕有花紋的匕首外，貨箱內(nèi)裝滿了陶器，而且大部分都已破碎。弗蘭克輕輕地把陶器拿出箱子，突然發(fā)現(xiàn)在箱底有一幅微型畫，畫面構(gòu)圖與線條使他想起了一幅他所熟悉的意大利畫，于是他決定將畫買下來(lái)。古董商漫不經(jīng)心看了一眼那幅畫，告訴弗蘭克那畫值50英鎊。弗蘭克幾乎無(wú)法掩飾自己興奮的心情，因?yàn)樗靼鬃约喊l(fā)現(xiàn)了一件珍品。那幅不大的畫原來(lái)是柯勒喬的一幅未被發(fā)現(xiàn)的杰作，價(jià)值幾十萬(wàn)英鎊。（10）Lesson40

Who'swho

真假難辨Ithasneverbeenexplainedwhyuniversitystudentsseemtoenjoypracticaljokesmorethananyoneelse.Studentsspecializeinaparticulartypeofpracticaljoke:thehoax.Invitingthefire-brigadetoputoutanon-existentfireisacrudeformofdeceptionwhichnoself-respectingstudentwouldeverindulgein.Studentsoftencreateamusingsituationswhicharefunnytoeveryoneexceptthevictims.Whenastudentrecentlysawtwoworkmenusingapneumaticdrilloutsidehisuniversity,heimmediatelytelephonedthepoliceandinformedthemthattwostudentsdressedupasworkmenweretearinguptheroadwithapneumaticdrill.Assoonashehadhungup,hewentovertotheworkmenandtoldthemthatifapolicemanorderedthemtogoaway,theywerenottotakehimseriously.Headdedthatastudenthaddressedupasapolicemanandwasplayingallsortsofsillyjokesonpeople.Boththepoliceandtheworkmenweregratefultothestudentforthispieceofadvanceinformation.Thestudenthidinanarchwaynearbywherehecouldwatchandheareverythingthatwenton.Sureenough,apolicemanarrivedonthesceneandpolitelyaskedtheworkmentogoaway.Whenhereceivedaveryrudereplyfromoneoftheworkmen,hethreatenedtoremovethembyforce.Theworkmentoldhimtodoashepleasedandthepolicemantelephonedforhelp.Shortlyafterwards,fourmorepolicemenarrivedandremonstratedwiththeworkmen.Asthemenrefusedtostopworking,thepoliceattemptedtoseizethepneumaticdrill.Theworkmenstruggledfiercelyandoneofthemlosthistemper.Hethreatenedtocallthepolice.Atthis,thepolicepointedoutironicallythatthiswouldhardlybenecessaryasthemenwerealreadyunderarrest.Pretendingtospeakseriously,oneoftheworkmenaskedifhemightmakeatelephonecallbeforebeingtakentothestation.Permissionwasgrantedandapolicemanaccompaniedhimtoapayphone.Onlywhenhesawthatthemanwasactuallytelephoningthepolicedidherealizethattheyhadallbeenthevictimsofahoax.誰(shuí)也弄不清為什么大學(xué)生好像比任何人都更喜歡惡作劇。大學(xué)生擅長(zhǎng)一種特殊的惡作劇——戲弄人。請(qǐng)消防隊(duì)來(lái)?yè)錅缫粓?chǎng)根本沒有的大火是一種低級(jí)騙局，有自尊心的大學(xué)生決不會(huì)去做。大學(xué)生們常常做的是制造一種可笑的局面，除了受害者大家都覺得非?；Ｗ罱袀€(gè)學(xué)生看見兩個(gè)工人在大學(xué)校門外用風(fēng)鉆干活，馬上打電話報(bào)告警察，說(shuō)有兩個(gè)學(xué)生裝扮成工人，正在用風(fēng)鉆破壞路面。掛上電話后，他又馬上來(lái)到工人那兒，告訴他們?nèi)粲袀€(gè)警察來(lái)讓他們走開，不要把他當(dāng)回事；還對(duì)工人說(shuō)，有個(gè)學(xué)生常裝扮成警察無(wú)聊地同別人開玩笑。警察與工人都對(duì)那個(gè)學(xué)生事先通報(bào)情況表示感謝。那學(xué)生躲在附近一拱形門廊里，在那兒可以看見、聽到現(xiàn)場(chǎng)發(fā)生的一切。果然，警察來(lái)了，有禮貌地請(qǐng)工人離開此地；但其中一個(gè)工人粗魯?shù)鼗亓藥拙?。于是警察威脅要強(qiáng)行使他們離開。工人說(shuō)，悉聽尊便。警察去打電話叫人。一會(huì)兒工夫，又來(lái)了4個(gè)警察，規(guī)勸工人離開。由于工人拒絕停下手中的活，警察想奪風(fēng)鉆。兩個(gè)工人奮力抗?fàn)?，其中一個(gè)發(fā)了火，威脅說(shuō)要去叫警察。警察聽后譏諷地說(shuō)，這大可不必，因?yàn)樗麄z已被逮捕了。其中一個(gè)工人裝模作樣地問道，在被帶往警察局之前，是否可以打一個(gè)電話。警察同意了，陪他來(lái)到一個(gè)投幣電話前。當(dāng)他看到那個(gè)工人真的是給警察掛電話，才恍然大悟，原來(lái)他們都成了一場(chǎng)騙局的受害者。（11）Lesson41

IllusionsofPastoralPeace

寧?kù)o田園生活的遐想

Thequietlifeofthecountryhasneverappealedtome.Citybornandcitybred,Ihavealwaysregardedthecountryassomethingyoulookatthroughatrainwindow,orsomethingyouoccasionallyvisitduringtheweekend.Mostofmyfriendsliveinthecity,yettheyalwaysgointorapturesatthemerementionofthecountry.Thoughtheyextolthevirtuesofthepeacefullife,onlyoneofthemhasevergonetoliveinthecountryandhewasbackintownwithinsixmonths.Evenhestilllivesundertheillusionthatcountrylifeissomehowsuperiortotownlife.Heisforevertalkingaboutthefriendlypeople,thecleanatmosphere,theclosenesstonatureandthegentlepaceofliving.Nothingcanbecompared,hemaintains,withthefirstcockcrow,thetwitteringofbirdsatdawn,thesightoftherisingsunglintingonthetreesandpastures.Thisidyllicpastoralsceneisonlypartofthepicture.MyfriendfailstomentionthelongandfriendlesswintereveningsinfrontoftheTVvirtuallytheonlyformofentertainment.Hesaysnothingaboutthepoorselectionofgoodsintheshops,oraboutthoseunfortunatepeoplewhohavetotravelfromthecountrytothecityeverydaytogettowork.Whypeoplearepreparedtotolerateafour-hourjourneyeachdayforthedubiousprivilegeoflivinginthecountryisbeyondme.Theycouldbesavedsomuchmiseryandexpenseiftheychosetoliveinthecitywheretheyrightlybelong.Ifyoucandowithoutthefewpastoralpleasuresofthecountry,youwillfindthecitycanprovideyouwiththebestthatlifecanoffer.Youneverhavetotravelmilestoseeyourfriends.Theyinvariablylivenearbyandarealwaysavailableforaninformalchatoranevening'sentertainment.Someofmyacquaintancesinthecountrycomeuptotownonceortwiceayeartovisitthetheatreasaspecialtreat.Forthemthisisamajoroperationwhichinvolvesconsiderableplanning.Astheplaydrawstoitsclose,theywonderwhethertheywillevercatchthatlasttrainhome.Thecitydwellerneverexperiencesanxietiesofthissort.Thelatestexhibitions,films,orplaysareonlyashortbusrideaway.Shopping,too,isalwaysapleasure.Thereissomuchvarietythatyouneverhavetomakedowithsecondbest.Countrypeoplerunwildwhentheygoshoppinginthecityandstaggerhomeloadedwithasmanyoftheexoticitemsastheycancarry.Noristhecitywithoutitsmomentsofbeauty.Thereissomethingcomfortingaboutthewarmglowshedbyadvertisementsoncoldwetwinternights.Fewthingscouldbemoreimpressivethanthepeacethatdescendsondesertedcitystreetsatweekendswhenthethousandsthattraveltoworkeverydayaretuckedawayintheirhomesinthecountry.Ithasalwaysbeenamysterytomewhycitydwellers,whoappreciateallthesethings,obstinatelypretendthattheywouldprefertoliveinthecountry.寧?kù)o的鄉(xiāng)村生活從來(lái)沒有吸引過(guò)我。我生在城市，長(zhǎng)在城市，總認(rèn)為鄉(xiāng)村是透過(guò)火車車窗看到的那個(gè)樣子，或偶爾周末去游玩一下的景象。我的許多朋友都住在城市，但他們只要一提起鄉(xiāng)村，馬上就會(huì)變得欣喜若狂。盡管他們都交口稱贊寧?kù)o的鄉(xiāng)村生活的種種優(yōu)點(diǎn)，但其中只有一人真去農(nóng)村住過(guò)，而且不足6個(gè)月就回來(lái)了。即使他也仍存有