实用英语综合教程3 第四版 第一单元课文翻译

A Pyment Greater Than Money 比金钱更重要的东西1A Pyment Greater Than Money 比金钱更重要的东西When I was 14 , I earned money in the summer by mowing lawns , and I got to know people by the flowers I had to remember not to cut down , by the things stuck in the ground on purpose or by the things lost in the grass . I also learned something about my neighbors in Louisville , Ky. , by their preferred method of payment : by the job , the month - or not at all .在十四岁的时候，我利用暑假时间给人割杂草挣点零花钱，通过这个机会，我接触了形形色色的人，有的人告诉我割草时不许伤害园子里的花，有的人故意给地里插些东西，有的人在园子的草地上丢了东西。我还通过付款方式了解了我肯塔基州路易维尔的邻居们，他们有的按照工作量付钱，有的按月付，有的干脆不给钱。2Mr Ballou fell into the last category , and he always had a reason.One day he had nothing smaller than a fifty . On another he was flat-out of checks ; on another he was simply not home when I knocked on his door . Still , except for the money , he was a nice enough old guy , always waving or tipping his hat when hed seen me from a distance . I figured him for a thin retirement check , maybe an injury that kept him doing his own yardwork . I kept a running total , but didnt worry about the amount too much . Grass was grass , and the little that was Mr Ballous didnt take long to trim.巴卢先生属于最后一种人，而且他总是有不付钱的借口。有时是因为他没有少于五十美分的零钱，有时是因为支票上没钱，有时当我敲门时他根本不在家。不过，除了不给钱外，他还是个很不错的老人，每次总是在很远的地方看见我就挥挥他的帽子，或用手指碰一下他的帽檐，跟我打招呼。我猜想他一定只有微薄的退休金，很有可能是因为受过伤所以不能干院里的杂活。我坚持了整整一个暑假，但是并不很担心他欠我的钱。他园子里的杂草还是像过去一样的疯长，隔上好久巴卢先生才清理一次。3Then one late afternoon in mid-July I was walking by his house , and he motioned me to come inside . The hall was cool , shaded , and it took my eyes a minute to adjust to the muted light.4 I owe you , Mr Ballou began , but.5I thought Id save him the trouble of thinking up a new excuse . No problem. Dont worry about it.后来，在七月中旬的一个傍晚，我路过他门前时，他招呼我进去。他房子的大厅又冷又暗，过了几分钟我才渐渐适应了屋内昏暗的光线。我还欠你钱呢，他跟我说到，不过.我想我还是不用让他劳神想个借口了,就说:没关系的,不要紧.6The bank made a mistake in my account , he continued , ingoring my words . It will be cleared up in a day or two . In the meantime I thought perhaps you could choose one or two volumes for a down payment .7He gestured toward the walls , and I saw books stacked everywhere . It was like a library , except with no order to the arrangement .我银行的帐户出了点问题,他继续说到,好象没注意到我的话,在一两天之内会弄清楚的.还有,我想你也许可以选择其中一两册书作为分期付款的定金.说着,他指了指周围的墙,我这才发现屋子里到处都堆着书,就像一个图书馆,只是不像图书馆那样分类排放整齐.8 Take your time , Mr Ballou encouraged. Read , borrow , keep . Find something you like . What do you read ?9I dont know. And I didnt . I generally read what I could get from the paperback rack at the drugstore or what I found at home-magazines , the backs of cereal boxes , comic . The idea of consciousely seeking out a special title was new to me , but not without appeal - so I browsed through the piles of books and asked You actully read all of these ?这些书你可以在这儿读,可以借走,也可以送给你.想看多久都行,不用着急还.巴卢先生鼓励我说,找一些你喜欢的书读吧,你喜欢什么类型的书?我不知道.我没真正读过书.通常,我的读物都是来自杂货店的平装书,或者是从家里翻出来的杂志,谷类食品包装盒上的文字,或者漫画书.专门找一本书来读这一想法对我来说还是头一回,但是并不是没有吸引力-我把那些书浏览了一遍,好奇地问他,你真的把这些书都看完了吗?10Mr Ballor nodded. This is just what Ive kept , the ones worth looking at a second time. 11Pick for me then.12He raised his eyebrows , cocked his head , regarded me appraisingly as though measuring me for a suit . After a moment , he searched through a stack and handed me a dark-red book , fairly thick .巴卢先生点点头.这些仅仅是我收藏的,都是值得反复读的好书.那么给我拿几本吧.他抬了抬眉毛,歪着头,上下打量着我,好象在看我的衣服是否合身.过了一会,他在一堆书里找了半天,递给我厚厚的一本书,封面是黑红色的.13The Last of the Just, I read . By Andre Schwarz-Bart . Whats it about ?14You tell me , he said . Next week.15I started after supper , sitting outdoors on an uncomfortable kitchen chair . Within a few pages , the yard , the summer , disappeared , and I was plunged into the aching tragedy of the Holocaust , the extraordinary clash of good , represented by one decent man , and evil . The language was elegant , simple , overwhelming . When the evening light finally failed , I moved inside and read all through the night .“最后的正义，作者安德烈施瓦茨巴特。里面写了些什么呀？”我迫不及待地问道。“应该是你告诉我呀，”他答道，“下一周。”晚饭后我就坐在屋外一个小凳子上，开始读那本书，凳子是厨房里用的，不太舒服。刚读了几页，我就被书中的情节深深吸引了，周围的一切，院子，夏天，全部消失了。我进入了忘我的境界，为犹太人所遭受的大屠杀感到深深的悲痛，书中由一个正直的角色代表的正义与邪恶势力的较量，也给我极大的震撼。文章的语言优雅，简洁，极富感染力。当夜幕降临时，我挪到屋里，读了整整一个通宵。16To this day , 35 years later , I vividly remember the experience . I was astonished by the great power a novel could contain . I lacked the vocabulary to translate my feelings into words , so the next week , when Mr Ballou asked , Well? I replied , It was good .17Keep it then , he said . Shall I suggest another ?18I nodded , and was presented with Margaret Meads classics study in anthropology , Coming of Age in Samoa .这件事到现在已经过去整整35年了，我依然清楚地记得当时的情景。我暗自惊讶一本小说竟然能蕴涵如此大的精神力量，我无法用语言来描述当时的感受。到了下一周，巴卢先生问我：“那本书怎么样？”我答道：“棒极了！”“那么送给你吧，我给你推荐另一本吧？”我点了点头。巴卢先生这次拿给我的是玛格丽特米德关于人类学的经典著作在萨摩亚群岛的似水流年。19To make two long stories short , Mr Ballou never paid me a dime for cutting his grass that year or the next , but , eventually , I would teach anthropology at Dartmouth College . And I learned that summer that reading was not the innocent pastime I had assumed it to be , not a breezy , instantly forgettable escape in a hammock ( though Ive enjoyed many of those too). I discovered that