全新版大学英语第二版第二册Unit2课文译文及参考答案.docx

一个疑惑不解的小孩提的一个问题促使卡尔格林思考：虽然他没有贵重的财物，但他在其他许多方面却是富有的。富足的一生卡尔格林首次面对这个问题，是在2003年12月初，我第一次为救世军摇铃募捐的时候。当时我就站在沃尔玛商场入口处门外，对每一位向我的红壶里投入捐款的人都报以一声“谢谢”和一个微笑。一位穿着整洁的妇人牵着她的幼子向放壶的台子走过来。她在钱包里摸着找钱时，孩子抬头看了我一眼，问我：“你穷吗？”当时他眼里充满疑惑和好奇，时至今日仍历历在目。“嗯，”我结结巴巴，边想边回答，“我比有些人拥有的多，但比其他人拥有的少。”母亲因为孩子问了一个在社交上不该问的问题，训斥了他一顿，他俩便匆匆地赶去购物。但是孩子的问题却一直在我的心头挥之不去。我从不认为自己“穷”，但有些事我不可否认。每当我填1040税务申报表时，我都属于收入最低的档次之一。在过去的三十五年中，我只出去度过一次假。我的电视机是黑白的，还是八年前别人送给我的。然而，想要得到其他那么多人都有的物质的东西，对我来说，只不过是转瞬即逝的念头而已。我的汽车是1999年的产品，到现在开了十万五千英里，已经很破很旧了，但是它依然可靠。我的住房不大，但是很安静，住着挺舒心。我的衣服很适合于我的工作，主要都在户外。我对计算机的很少的需求，可以在图书馆得到解决。尽管有些东西我没有，我并不感到贫穷。这是为什么？五十三年来我一直非常健康。我不但不生病，而且精力充沛，情绪饱满。锻炼对我而言是确确实实的快事，我乐意长距离步行，越走越有劲。我喜爱步行后随之产生的一种“什么都干得了”的心态。我还十分珍惜我的创作才能。当我写出美丽的诗句或编造出能把人逗乐的笑话时，我内心感到很富有。通过写作而获得的洞察力，不断地令我惊奇。而与那么多写作朋友交谈，是我乐趣的主要源泉之一。但是在我生活中，有一个重要方面我并不那么富有。在一个对物资财富的追求投入如此之多心力的社会中，我觉得很不自在。我年轻时曾与一位非常有趣的女士谈过朋友。她对我说，对她而言，最重要的是“一个人的内心”。我以为我找到了非同一般的生活伴侣。后来我就带她到我的寓所。当时我住的是一个地下室经济型小套间，只有几件陈旧的家具。唯一新而舒适的椅子是书桌旁的那把。她来访后不久，我们的关系就急转直下。她所看重的东西似乎突然有了变化，使我大为震动。在我的人生旅途上，这仍然是一个最难以忘怀的转折点。相对于人际关系而言，物质财富对我并不那么重要。我认为大多数人与我同感除非当某一物品的缺失会引发社会后果时，人们才会有不同的想法。电台播放的一个商业广告开头这样说：“每个人都想拥有一台高档电视”，购买这种电视机的压力千真万确。也许每个人真的都想要一台高档电视机，毕竟没有人想做一个无名之辈。但是没有这样的电视机我也照样活得快乐。事实上不专注于物质财富，对我而言相当自然。在这个世界上有很多人认为我活得很富足。临近岁末每当我系上救世军的红围裙时，我的内心会发生变化。我非但不感到经济上不自在，还开始感到一种真正的归属感。我摇铃时，人们会停下脚步，给我讲述他们的故事，讲述他们遇到困难时受到帮助对他们多么重要。我感到我与人助人这件事深深地联系在一起。在我摇铃的时候，从未谋面的陌生人给我拿来热乎乎的巧克力饮料，留给我一个久不消逝的微笑。无数的路人向我表达圣诞节的祝愿，使我感到温暖。“谢谢你在这样的冷天摇铃。”“要不要我给您弄一杯咖啡？”“你做好事，上帝保佑你。”十二月是一年中我感到最富足的时候。由于一个好奇的孩子提了一个简单问题，我在过去的四年中对自己的了解进了一步。当我审视贫穷究竟意味着什么时，我清楚了我最应感恩的是什么：我的有形和无形的好运气。Content Questions1. The Salvation Army is a religious charitable organization. A Salvation Army bell ringer is a volunteer who helps it collect donations.2. The boy asked him: Are you poor? He did it simply out of confusion and curiosity. Obviously he knew nothing about the Salvation Army bell ringer.3. He said, “I have more than some people, but not as much as others.”This means that he was neither poor nor rich.4. The boys mother scolded him because the question was socially inappropriate, especially to a person who looked poor.5. Yes, economically he is poor. He lives in a small basement apartment. He doesnt even have a color TV. He falls into the lowest income category. And so on.6. No, the writer does not feel poor. This is because he has enjoyed good health and creativity which he thinks are much more important than material goods.7. He feels out of place among people who are primarily interested in material things.8. She told him that she was interested in whats on the inside. But after he took her to his poorly furnished apartment, she changed her mind completely.9. It only shows that to her the most important thing was still material goods rather than what she had claimed before.10. Commercials can put people under pressure to purchase more tan is really necessary.11. Because December is the time for him to work for the Salvation Army as a bell ringer, which gives him a genuine sense of belonging and brings him happiness in helping others.12. The boys question has helped the writer realize that, despite his lack of expensive possessions, he is rich in many other ways and should be thankful for that.Text Organization1.1) a2) the essay is meant to explain something, that is, the authors view of life.3) that one can live a life full of riches without being rich financially.2. The writers encounter with a boy who raised the question “Are you poor?” In search of an answer the writer finds that not having expensive possessions doesnt make him feel poor mainly because he enjoys life in many other ways.In conclusion, the writer thinks hes grown to understand more about himself because of the boys question.Language Sense Enhancement1. attain, wear and tear, dependable, modest, primarily, minimal, exceptionally, illness-free, spirited, energizingLanguage Focus1.abrupt, emotional, bless, wear and tear, dated, consequences, seemingly, in contrast to, Curiosity, genuine, primarily, sentiments2.1) confronted with more than one problem, try to solve the easiest one first. 2) vital to the existence of all forms of life. 3) some confusion among the students about what to do after class to follow up on the subject. 4) nothing more than a job and an apartment to be happy. 5) ticked him to think that shed come to ask his advice.3. a lingering, fabricating, sentiments, fill out, every item, vital, consequences, be denied, tangible, cherish, attainII. 1. It is a long trip and will take us five hours by bus. 2. She arrived early and took a front row seat. 3. Dont take me for a fool. 4. It takes a lot of imagination to fabricate such a story. 5. My uncle will take me (along on his trip) to the Arctic this summer. 6. He took the dinner plate I passed to him. 7. Kevin took second prize in the weight-lifting competition. 8. If you dont take my advice, you will regret it.III. hanging, to give, to return, being praised, not having written, to say, to open, being helpedComprehensive Exercises1. well-off/affluent, dated, falling into, bracket, deny, tangible, pursuit, cherishes, out of place, abrupt, focus, donations2. consume, fueled, annual, plain, physically, security, indicates, equally, traditional, followsIII. 1) The company denied that its donations had a commercial purpose. 2) Whenever he was angry, he would begin to stammer slightly. 3) Education is the most cherished tradition in our family. Thats why my parents never took me to dinner at expensive restaurants, but sent me to the best private school. 4) Shortly after he recovered from the surgery, he lost his job and thus had to go through another difficult phase of his life. 5) In contrast to our affluent neighbors, my parents are rather poor, but they have always tried hard to meet our minimal needs.2. With more and more donations coming in, our university will be much better off financially next year. We will thus be able to focus on the most important task that we, educators, must take on: to encourage students attain their scholarly/academic goals, to train them to be dependable and responsible individuals, to prepare them for the life ahead, and to guide them in their pursuit of spiritual as well as material satisfaction.有钱是否意味着过一种完全不同于普通人的生活？看来未必，如果你的名字叫萨姆沃尔顿。美国乡巴佬首富阿特哈里斯他穿上餐服准备到美国首富的生日聚会上去担任侍者。在他的想象里，他定然会看到：豪宅、主人天天要坐的罗尔斯罗伊斯轿车、戴着钻石颈圈的家犬、到处可见的仆人。他动身前往那所宅邸，开着车穿过本顿维尔镇冷冷清清的市政广场。本顿维尔镇是阿肯色州一个仅有9920人口的偏远小镇，萨姆沃尔顿就在该镇从一个专卖廉价商品的小店起家，将小店逐渐发展成为价值60亿美元资产的折扣连锁店沃尔玛公司。侍者上了一条乡间车道，转过一个标着“萨姆和海伦沃尔顿” 的信箱，在一幢林间住宅前跳下了车。房子还不错，但绝对不是宫殿。家具略显陈旧，一辆旧的轻便货车停在车库里，一条土褐色的捕禽猎犬在院子里窜来窜去。根本没看见任何仆人的身影。“太令人失望了，”侍者杰米鲍尤叹道。（1）只有在美国，一个亿万富翁才能像普通百姓一样，安稳地过着普普通通的日子。67岁的折扣店大王萨姆穆尔沃尔顿仍然开着他那辆红白两色的1979年出厂的福特牌轻型货车穿行在弯弯曲曲的乡间小道上，身边坐着他的捕禽猎犬。当狩猎季节来临时，他跟别人一样在当地的沃尔玛商店排队购买猎枪子弹。“他不要任何特殊待遇，”夜班经理乔尼贝克说，他费了好大的劲才如公司最近一份备忘录所规定的那样对自己的老板以名相称。这里几乎没人去想他的亿万身价，他们称他为萨姆先生，丝毫不以他的平民作风为怪。“他还是那个在市政广场开廉价店，为了自己的梦想每天工作18个小时的人，一点没变，”市长理查德霍巴克说。（2）人人都说他为人友善，性情开朗，是个好邻居；他尽力与人们融洽相处，从不炫耀，也从不盛气凌人。无论他星期六晚上的夜生活过得多晚，星期日你还是能在教堂见到他。当然是坐在他的包座上，对吗？“我们不设包座，”当地教堂牧师戈登加林顿第三说。那美国首富坐哪儿呢？哪儿有空位子就坐哪儿。“知道吗，他根本就不是那种人。他没有包座。前几天晚上教堂举行晚餐会，他和太太一起在后面洗盘子。”19年来，为他理发的总是同一个师傅。约翰梅霍早上七点开门会见到他等在门外。他跟人闲聊国内新闻，或是坐在椅子里看报，没准是本顿民主日报，这事沃尔顿的又一宗产业。这份报纸从来不让有关他的消息出现在头版上。它将福布斯的富人排行榜塞在第二版的报尾。“他压根儿不是那种爱上头版新闻的人，”一位报社雇员解释说。（3）但最近有天早上，美国首富做了件在任何其他地方准会成为头条新闻的事：他忘了带钱。“我说，没事，下次一起付吧，”理发师梅霍说。“可他说，不行，我得回去拿，就回家去取钱包了。”这一切，嗯，是不是有点怪？“一点也不，先生，”梅霍说。“萨姆沃尔顿唯一不同寻常的就是，他平平常常。”（4）然而，沃尔顿所到之处名人追星族紧跟不舍，他的平民习惯能保持多久，就很难说了。自从福布斯杂志宣布他拥有价值28亿的沃尔玛股票成为美国首富以后，他就成了一个东躲西藏的富人，他得甩开记着、寻梦者，还有图谋