全新版大学英语综合教程3课文原文与翻译

./unit4Was

Einstein

a

Space

Alien?

1

Albert

Einstein

was

exhausted.

For

the

third

night

in

a

row,

his

baby

son

Hans,

crying,

kept

the

household

awake

until

dawn.

When

Albert

finally

dozed

off

...

it

was

time

to

get

up

and

go

to

work.

He

couldn't

skip

a

day.

He

needed

the

job

to

support

his

young

family.

1.阿尔伯特.爱因斯坦精疲力竭。他幼小的儿子汉斯连续三个晚上哭闹不停,弄得全家人直到天亮都无法入睡。阿尔伯特总算可以打个瞌睡时,已是他起床上班的时候了。他不能一天不上班,他需要这份工作来养活组建不久的家庭。2

Walking

briskly

to

the

Patent

Office,

where

he

was

a

"Technical

Expert,

Third

Class,"

Albert

worried

about

his

mother.

She

was

getting

older

and

frail,

and

she

didn't

approve

of

his

marriage

to

Mileva.

Relations

were

strained.

Albert

glanced

at

a

passing

shop

window.

His

hair

was

a

mess;

he

had

forgotten

to

comb

it

again.

2.阿尔伯特是专利局三等技术专家。在快步去专利局上班的路上,他为母亲忧心忡忡。母亲年纪越来越大,身体虚弱。她不同意儿子与迈尔娃的婚事,婆媳关系紧张。阿尔伯特瞥了一下路过的商店的橱窗,看见自己头发凌乱,他又忘了梳头了。3

Work.

Family.

Making

ends

meet.

Albert

felt

all

the

pressure

and

responsibility

of

any

young

husband

and

father.

3.工作,家庭,维持生计——阿尔伯特感受到了一位年轻丈夫和年轻父亲所要承担的全部压力和责任。To

relax,

he

revolutionized

physics.

他想放松下,却使物理学发生了突破性进展4

In

1905,

at

the

age

of

26

and

four

years

before

he

was

able

to

get

a

job

as

a

professor

of

physics,

Einstein

published

five

of

the

most

important

papers

in

the

history

of

science--all

written

in

his

"spare

time."

He

proved

that

atoms

and

molecules

existed.

Before

1905,

scientists

weren't

sure

about

that.

He

argued

that

light

came

in

little

bits

<later

called

"photons">

and

thus

laid

the

foundation

for

quantum

mechanics.

He

described

his

theory

of

special

relativity:

space

and

time

were

threads

in

a

common

fabric,

he

proposed,

which

could

be

bent,

stretched

and

twisted.

4.1905年,在他被聘为物理学教授的前四年,26岁的爱因斯坦发表了科学史上最重要论文中的五篇——这些论文都是他在"业余时间"完成的。他证明了原子和分子的存在。1905年之前,科学家们对此没有把握。爱因斯坦论证说光以微粒形态出现〔后来被称为"光子",这为量子力学奠定了基础。他把狭义相对论描写为：时空如同普通织物中的线,他提出,这些线可以弯曲、拉长和交织在一起。5Oh,andbytheway,E=mc2.5.对了,顺便提一下,E=mc2。6

Before

Einstein,

the

last

scientist

who

had

such

a

creative

outburst

was

Sir

Isaac

Newton.

It

happened

in

1666

when

Newton

secluded

himself

at

his

mother's

farm

to

avoid

an

outbreak

of

plague

at

Cambridge.

With

nothing

better

to

do,

he

developed

his

Theory

of

Universal

Gravitation.

6.在爱因斯坦之前,最近一位迸发出如此创造性思想的科学家当数艾萨克牛顿爵士。事情发生在1666,为了躲避在剑桥爆发的瘟疫,牛顿去母亲的农场隐居。由于没有什么更好的事可做,他便建立万有引力理论。7

For

centuries

historians

called

1666

Newton's

"miracle

year".

Now

those

words

have

a

different

meaning:

Einstein

and

1905.

The

United

Nations

has

declared

2005

"The

World

Year

of

Physics"

to

celebrate

the

100th

anniversary

of

Einstein's

"miracle

year."7.几个世纪以来,历史学家称为1666牛顿的"奇迹年"。现在这些话有不同的意义：爱因斯坦和1905。联合国已经宣布2005年"世界物理年"庆祝爱因斯坦"奇迹年"的100周年。8

Modern

pop

culture

paints

Einstein

as

a

bushy-haired

superthinker.

His

ideas,

we're

told,

were

improbably

far

ahead

of

other

scientists.

He

must

have

come

from

some

other

planet--maybe

the

same

one

Newton

grew

up

on.

8.现代流行文化把爱因斯坦绘画成一位长着蓬乱头发的超级思想家。据说他的思想不可思议地远远超过其他科学家。他一定是从其他星球来的——也许是牛顿长大的同一个星球。9

"Einstein

was

no

space

alien,"

laughs

Harvard

University

physicist

and

science

historian

Peter

Galison.

"He

was

a

man

of

his

time."

All

of

his

1905

papers

unraveled

problems

being

worked

on,

with

mixed

success,

by

other

scientists.

"If

Einstein

hadn'tbeen

born,

[those

papers]

would

have

been

written

in

some

form,

eventually,

by

others,"

Galison

believes.

9."爱因斯坦决不是外星人,"哈佛大学物理学家、科学史家彼得加里森笑着说。"他是他那个时代的人。"他所有发表于1905年的论文解决了当时其他科学家正多多少少在解决的问题,"如果没有爱因斯坦,其他科学家最终也会以某种形式撰写出这些论文来的"加里森相信。10

What's

remarkable

about

1905

is

that

a

single

person

authored

all

five

papers,

plus

the

original,

irreverent

way

Einstein

came

to

his

conclusions.

10.1905年不同寻常的是,爱因斯坦一个人撰写的五篇论文,而且他得出结论的方法既富原创性又显得不合常规。11

For

example:

the

photoelectric

effect.

This

was

a

puzzle

in

the

early

1900s.

When

light

hits

a

metal,

like

zinc,

electrons

fly

off.

This

can

happen

only

if

light

comes

in

little

packets

concentrated

enough

to

knock

an

electron

loose.

A

spread-out

wave

wouldn't

do

the

photoelectric

trick.

11.例如：光电效应。这在20世纪初期的一道难题。当光照射到金属〔如锌上时,电子飞速飞离电子表面,这种现象只有当光的粒子集聚的程度足以把电子击撞松动的时候才会发生。漫延波不会产生光电效应。12

The

solution

seems

simple--light

is

particulate.

Indeed,

this

is

the

solution

Einstein

proposed

in

1905

and

won

the

Nobel

Prize

for

in

1921.

Other

physicists

like

Max

Planck

<working

on

a

related

problem:

blackbody

radiation>,

more

senior

and

experienced

than

Einstein,

were

closing

in

on

the

answer,

but

Einstein

got

there

first.

Why?

12.答案似乎很简单——光是粒子。事实上,这是爱因斯坦1905年提出的解答,并因此于1921年获得诺贝尔奖。其他物理学家们,比如比爱因斯坦资历更深、经验更丰富的麦克斯普兰克〔从事研究相关的问题：黑体辐射,其研究正接近该问题的答案,但爱因斯坦捷足先登。为什么？It'saquestionofauthority.这是对权威的看法问题13

"In

Einstein's

day,

if

you

tried

to

say

that

light

was

made

of

particles,

you

found

yourself

disagreeing

with

physicist

James

Clerk

Maxwell.

Nobody

wanted

to

do

that,"

says

Galison.

Maxwell's

equations

were

enormously

successful,

unifying

the

physicsof

electricity,

magnetism

and

optics.

Maxwell

had

proved

beyond

any

doubt

that

light

was

an

electromagnetic

wave.

Maxwell

was

an

Authority

Figure.

13."在爱因斯坦的时代,如果你试图说光由粒子组成,你就会发现自己与物理学家杰姆斯.克拉克.马克斯威尔持不同观点。没有人想那么做,"加里森说道。马克斯威尔的方程式把物理学中的电学、磁学和光学统一起来,获得了巨大的成功。麦克斯威尔毫无疑问地证明了光是电磁波。他可是权威人物。14

Einstein

didn't

give

a

fig

for

authority.

He

didn't

resist

being

told

what

to

do,

not

so

much,

but

he

hated

being

told

what

was

true.

Even

as

a

child

he

was

constantly

doubting

and

questioning.

"Your

mere

presence

here

undermines

the

class's

respect

for

me,"

spat

his

7th

grade

teacher,

Dr.

Joseph

Degenhart.

<Degenhart

also

predicted

that

Einstein

"would

never

get

anywhere

in

life.">

This

character

flaw

was

to

be

a

key

ingredient

in

Einstein's

discoveries.

14.爱因斯坦豪不在乎权威。他不太反对别人要求他做什么,但是他不喜欢别人告诉他什么是正确的。即使在小时候他也不停地质疑和问问题。"你呆在这里损害了全班学生对我尊敬,"他第七年级的老师约瑟夫狄根哈特博士愤怒地说。〔狄根哈特还预言爱因斯坦"永远不会有出息"这一性格缺陷成为日后爱因斯坦作出种种发现的主要因素。15

"In

1905,"

notes

Galison,

"Einstein

had

just

received

his

Ph.D.

He

wasn't

beholden

to

a

thesis

advisor

or

any

other

authority

figure."

His

mind

was

free

to

roam

accordingly.

15."在1905年,"加里森着重指出,"爱因斯坦刚刚获得博士学位,他不感激于论文导师或任何其他权威人士。"因此,他的思想在自由漫游。16

In

retrospect,

Maxwell

was

right.

Light

is

a

wave.

But

Einstein

was

right,

too.

Light

is

a

particle.

This

bizarre

duality

baffles

Physics

101

students

today

just

as

it

baffled

Einstein

in

1905.

How

can

light

be

both?

Einstein

had

no

idea.

16.回想起来,麦克斯威尔是正确的。光是一种波。但爱因斯坦也是对的。光是粒子。这种异乎寻常的二象性使今天选修无力101课程的同学们感到困惑,就像在1905年使爱因斯坦感到困惑一样。光怎么可能既是波又是粒子呢？爱因斯坦无法理解。17

That

didn't

slow

him

down.

Disdaining

caution,

Einstein

adopted

the

intuitive

leap

as

a

basic

tool.

"I

believe

in

intuition

and

inspiration,"

he

wrote

in

1931.

"At

times

I

feel

certain

I

am

right

while

not

knowing

the

reason."

17.困惑并没有使爱因斯坦放慢探究的脚步。爱因斯坦不屑谨小慎微,他采用直觉跳跃思维作为基本工具。"我相信直觉和灵感,"他在1931年写道。"有时尽管不知道原因,但是我肯定我是对的。18

Although

Einstein's

five

papers

were

published

in

a

single

year,

he

had

been

thinking

about

physics,

deeply,

since

childhood.

"Science

was

dinner-table

conversation

in

the

Einstein

household,"

explains

Galison.

Albert's

father

Hermann

and

uncle

Jakob

ran

a

German

company

making

such

things

as

dynamos,

arc

lamps,

light

bulbs

and

telephones.

This

was

high-tech

at

the

turn

of

the

century,

"like

a

Silicon

Valley

company

would

be

today,"

notes

Galison.

"Albert's

interest

in

science

and

technology

came

naturally."

18.虽说爱因斯坦在短短的一年内发表了五篇论文,其实他童年时代就一直深入地思考物理的问题。"科学是爱因斯坦在餐桌上聊天的话题。"加里森解释道。爱因斯坦的父亲赫尔曼和叔叔雅各布经营一家德国公司,制造发电机,电弧灯,灯泡、电话等诸如此类的产品。这是〔20世纪之初属于高科技,"像今天的硅谷公司,"加里森着重提到。"艾伯特对科学技术与生俱来怀有兴趣。"19

Einstein's

parents

sometimes

took

Albert

to

parties.

No

babysitter

was

required:

Albert

sat

on

the

couch,

totally

absorbed,

quietly

doing

math

problems

while

others

danced

around

him.

Pencil

and

paper

were

Albert's

GameBoy!

19.爱因斯坦的父母有时会带儿子参加聚会。她们不常请人看孩子：当其他人在他周围跳舞时,阿尔伯特坐在沙发上,全神贯注,静静地做数学题。笔和纸是阿尔伯特的玩具！20

He

had

impressive

powers

of

concentration.

Einstein's

sister,

Maja,

recalled

"...even

when

there

was

a

lot

of

noise,

he

could

lie

down

on

the

sofa,

pick

up

a

pen

and

paper,

precariously

balance

an

inkwell

on

the

backrest

and

engross

himself

in

a

problemsomuchthatthebackgroundnoisestimulatedratherthandisturbedhim."20.他有极强的集中思想的能力。爱因斯坦的妹妹玛雅,回忆说："„„即使周围非常吵闹,他也能躺在沙发上,拿起纸和笔,悠悠地把墨水池放在一个靠背上,专心致志得解题,北京声音不但没有打扰他,反而激励他。"21

Einstein

was

clearly

intelligent,

but

not

outlandishly

more

so

than

his

peers.

"I

have

no

special

talents,"

he

claimed,

"I

am

only

passionately

curious."

And

again:

"The

contrast

between

the

popular

assessment

of

my

powers

...

and

the

reality

is

simply

grotesque."

Einstein

credited

his

discoveries

to

imagination

and

pesky

questioning

more

so

than

orthodox

intelligence.

21.爱因斯坦显然很聪明,但不比他的同龄人超出多少。"我没有什么特别的才能,"他说,"只是我的好奇心非常强烈。"还有："大众对我能力的评估„和现实之间的差异简直大得荒唐。"爱因斯坦把他的发现更多地归功于想象力和不断提问而不是普通所谓的智慧。22

Later

in

life,

it

should

be

remembered,

he

struggled

mightily

to

produce

a

unified

field

theory,

combining

gravity

with

other

forces

of

nature.

He

failed.

Einstein's

brainpower

was

not

limitless.

22.应该记住的是,爱因斯坦在晚年竭尽全力想象提出统一场论,把万有引力和自然界中其他的力结合起来。但他失败了。爱因斯坦的智力不是无限的。23

Neither

was

Einstein's

brain.

It

was

removed

without

permission

by

Dr.

Thomas

Harvey

in

1955

when

Einstein

died.

He

probably

expected

to

find

something

extraordinary:Einstein's

mother

Pauline

had

famously

worried

that

baby

Einstein's

head

was

lopsided.

<Einstein's

grandmother

had

a

different

concern:

"Much

too

fat!">

But

Einstein's

brain

looked

much

like

any

other,

gray,

crinkly,

and,

if

anything,

a

trifle

smaller

than

average.

23.爱因斯坦的大脑也是如此。他1955年去世的时候,托马斯哈维医生在未经许可的情况下解剖了他的大脑。也许他期盼发现一些惊人的东西。但是爱因斯坦死的大脑看起来和其他人的大脑很相似,灰色,波状的。如果非要说什么不同,那就是他的大脑比正常人的小一点。轶事爱因斯坦废纸篓他的错误时,艾伯特爱因斯坦抵达美国,在54岁驶入纽约港的远洋班轮westernland十月171933,官方欢迎委员会正在等着他。爱因斯坦和他的随行人员,然而,不知去向。亚伯拉罕弗莱克斯纳,导演在普林斯顿高等研究院,新泽西,被屏蔽他的名人教授从宣传。所以他派拖船精神伟人从westernland尽快通过检疫。他的头发拨出一个宽边黑帽,爱因斯坦偷偷地到拖船上岸,这使他和他的党下曼哈顿,在车接送到普林斯顿。"爱因斯坦博士是想求得和平和安静,"弗莱克斯纳告诉记者。诺贝尔奖得主在1921他对理论物理学,爱因斯坦得到一个办公室在学院。他问他需要什么设备。"一个写字台或桌子,椅子,纸和铅笔,"他回答说。"哦,和一个大篓,所以我可以扔掉我所有的错误。"他和埃尔莎,他的妻子,租了一个房子和定居生活在普林斯顿。他喜欢美国的事实,尽管其不平等的财富和种族不公正,更多的是一个精英比欧洲。"让新来的致力于这个国家的民主特质的人,"他后来奇迹。"没有人谦卑自己,在另一个人。"不是一个爱因斯坦爱因斯坦,然而,没有爱因斯坦的时候他还是一个孩子的成长。在慕尼黑,德国,第一个孩子的赫尔曼和保罗爱因斯坦,他在缓慢的学习说话。"我的父母非常担心,"他回忆道,"他们找医生。"当他开始使用的话2岁之后,他制定了一个怪癖,促使他的保姆给他迟钝的人。"他所说的每一句,无论多么常规,"回忆起他的妹妹,玛雅,"他轻声地反复,动动嘴唇。"他缓慢发展的结合是一个厚脸皮的叛逆的权威,从而导致一个德国校长把他包装。另一个说,爱因斯坦不会多。"当我问自己这是怎么发生的,我发现了相对论,它似乎躺在下面的情况,"爱因斯坦后来解释说。"普通成人不会困扰他的头问题的空间和时间。这些都是他认为作为一个孩子。但我发展很慢,我开始思考的空间和时间,当我已经长大了。我更深入探讨的问题不是一个普通的孩子都有一个快乐的科学。"鼓励他的和蔼的父亲,谁经营家族生意,和他热爱音乐的母亲,爱因斯坦花了几个小时的工作上的难题和建筑塔的玩具。"的毅力和韧性是他性格中的一部分,"他的妹妹说。一次,爱因斯坦生病在床上作为一个孩子,他的父亲带他一个指南针。爱因斯坦后来想起这么激动,当他检查了它的神秘力量,他颤抖着越来越冷。磁针的表现好像受到一个隐藏的力场,而不是通过机械的方法接触或接触。"深深的藏得背后的东西,"他说。他对磁域,重力,惯性和光束。他保留的能力,将两个念头的同时,感到困惑时,冲突和喜悦时,他看到一个潜在的团结。"像你我这样的人是永远不会老的,"他写道,一个朋友多年以后我们从来没有停止过。"都是好奇的孩童面前的伟大神秘的,我们是天生的。"普遍的看法相反,爱因斯坦擅长数学。在13岁的时候,他已经有了一个偏爱解决复杂问题的应用数学,他的妹妹回忆说。一个叔叔,雅各布爱因斯坦,工程师,把他介绍给欢乐的代数,称它是"快乐的科学,"当爱因斯坦取得了胜利,他"很高兴不已。"他从阅读科普书籍,这表明他"圣经不可能是真的,"爱因斯坦制定了一个抵制一切形式的教条。他写了1901,"一个愚蠢的信仰权威是真理最大的敌人。"一个骄傲的美国在15岁时,爱因斯坦离开德国去了意大利北部,在那里他的父母迁往自己的业务,并在16,他写了他的第一篇文章在理论物理。爱因斯坦发现了相对论,他毕业于苏黎世理工大学1900当他21,涉及的直觉知识以及个人的经验。他发展的理论,从1905开始,后一个工作在瑞士专利局。但他的理论并不完全接受,直到1919,当观测在一次日食证实他的预测多少太阳的引力弯曲的光束。在年龄40,1919,爱因斯坦突然被世界著名。他也结婚的埃尔莎和他的妻子,是父亲的儿子从他的第一次婚姻。1921的春天,他的名声大爆炸导致盛大月访问美国,在那里他收到热烈欢迎,他会唤起大众疯狂所到之处。世界从未见过这样一个科学名人明星。爱因斯坦热爱美国,欣赏其连发繁荣的结果,自由和个人主义。在3月1933,希特勒在德国,爱因斯坦意识到他可以不再生活在欧洲的。秋天,他定居在普林斯顿,和1940,他是美国公民,自豪地称自己美国。自然界的和谐和数学他的第一个万圣节生活在美国,爱因斯坦解除了一些捣蛋的小夜曲惊讶他们在门口和小提琴。在圣诞节,当成员的本地教会来唱圣诞颂歌,他走到外面,借了一把小提琴,愉快地陪他们。爱因斯坦很快获得的图像,它长到附近的一个传说,是一个亲切的教授,分散在次但始终甜,谁很少梳头穿袜子。"我已经到了一岁时,如果有人告诉我穿袜子,我不去,"他告诉当地的一些孩子。他曾经帮助一个15岁的学生,亨利·罗索,以新闻类。我们的老师提供了一个高档的人得分采访的科学家,所以我们出现在爱因斯坦的家,却被拒绝在门外。送牛奶的人给了他一个提示：爱因斯坦走了一段路每早晨9:30.rosso溜出学校,同他搭讪。但学生,突然所有的困惑,不知道问什么。所以爱因斯坦提出的问题,关于数学的。"我发现大自然是建造在一个美妙的方式,我们的任务就是找到我们的[它]的数学结构,"爱因斯坦解释了自己的教育。"它是一种信念,帮助我通过我的整个生活。"访谈获得亨利罗索A。unit5WritingThreeThank-YouLettersAlexHaleyservedintheCoastGuardduringWorldWarll.Onanespeciallylonelydaytobeatsea--ThanksgivingDay--hebegantogiveseriousthoughttoaholidaythathasbecome,formanyAmericans,adayofovereatingandwatchingendlessgamesoffootball.HaleydecidedtocelebratethetruemeaningofThanksgivingbywritingthreeveryspecialletters.亚历克斯·黑利二战时在海岸警卫队服役。出海在外,时逢一个倍感孤寂的日子――感恩节,他开始认真思考起这一节日的意义。对许多美国人而言,这个节日已成为大吃大喝、没完没了地看橄榄球比赛的日子。黑利决定写三封不同寻常的信,以此来纪念感恩节的真正意义。WritingThreeThank-YouLettersAlexHaley1Itwas1943,duringWorldWarII,andIwasayoungU.S.coastguardsman.Myship,theUSSMurzim,hadbeenunderwayforseveraldays.Mostofherholdscontainedthousandsofcartonsofcannedordriedfoods.Theotherholdswereloadedwithfive-hundred-poundbombspackeddelicatelyinpaddedracks.Ourdestinationwasabigbaseontheislandof写三封感谢信亚利克斯·黑利那是在二战期间的1943年,我是个年轻的美国海岸警卫队队员。我们的船,美国军舰军市一号已出海多日。多数船舱装着成千上万箱罐装或风干的食品。其余的船舱装着不少五百磅重的炸弹,都小心翼翼地放在垫过的架子上。我们的目的地是南太平洋图拉吉岛上一个规模很大的基地。2IwasoneoftheMurzim'sseveralcooksand,quitethesameasforfolkashore,thisThanksgivingmorninghadseenusbusilypreparingatraditionaldinnerfeaturingroastturkey.我是军市一号上的一个厨师,跟岸上的人一样,那个感恩节的上午,我们忙着在准备一道以烤火鸡为主的传统菜肴。3Well,asanycookknows,it'salotofhardworktocookandserveabigmeal,andcleanupandputeverythingaway.Butfinally,aroundsundown,wefinishedatlast.当厨师的都知道,要烹制一顿大餐,摆上桌,再刷洗、收拾干净,是件辛苦的事。不过,等到太阳快下山时,我们总算全都收拾停当了。4IdecidedfirsttogooutontheMurzim'safterdeckforabreathofopenair.Imademywayoutthere,breathingingreat,deepdraughtswhilewalkingslowlyabout,stillwearingmywhitecook'shat.我想先去后甲板透透气。我信步走去,一边深深呼吸着空气,一边慢慢地踱着步,头上仍戴着那顶白色的厨师帽。5IgottothinkingaboutThanksgiving,ofthePilgrims,Indians,wildturkeys,pumpkins,cornonthecob,andtherest.我开始思索起感恩节这个节日来,想着清教徒前辈移民、印第安人、野火鸡、南瓜、玉米棒等等。6Yetmymindseemedtobeinquestofsomethingelse--somewaythatIcouldpersonallyapplytothecloseofThanksgiving.Itmusthavetakenmeahalfhourtosensethatmaybesomekeytoananswercouldresultfromreversingtheword"Thanksgiving"--atleastthatsuggestedaverbaldirection,"Givingthanks."可我脑子里似乎还在搜索着别的事什么――某种我能够赋予这一节日以个人意义的方式。大概过了半个小时左右我才意识到,问题的关键也许在于把Thanksgiving这个字前后颠倒一下――那样一来至少文字好懂了：Givingthanks。7Givingthanks--asinpraying,thankingGod,Ithought.Yes,ofcourse.Certainly.表达谢意――就如在祈祷时感谢上帝那样,我暗想。对啊,是这样,当然是这样。8Yetmymindcontinuedturningtheideaover.可我脑子里仍一直盘桓着这事。9Afterawhile,likeadawn'sbrightening,afurtheranswerdidcome--thattherewerepeopletothank,peoplewhohaddonesomuchformethatIcouldneverpossiblyrepaythem.TheembarrassingtruthwasI'dalwaysjustacceptedwhatthey'ddone,takenallofitforgranted.NotonetimehadIeverbotheredtoexpresstoanyofthemsomuchasasimple,sincere"Thankyou."过了片刻,如同晨曦初现,一个更清晰的念头终于涌现脑际――要感谢他人,那些赐我以诸多恩惠,我根本无以回报的人们。令我深感不安的实际情形是,我向来对他们所做的一切受之泰然,认为是理所应当。我一次也没想过要对他们中的任何一位真心诚意地说一句简单的谢谢。10Atleastsevenpeoplehadbeenparticularlyandlastinglyhelpfultome.Irealized,swallowinghard,thatabouthalfofthemhadsincedied--sotheywereforeverbeyondanypossibleexpressionofgratitudefromme.ThemoreIthoughtaboutit,themoreashamedIbecame.ThenIpicturedthethreewhowerestillaliveand,withinminutes,Iwasdowninmycabin.至少有七个人对我有过不同寻常、影响深远的帮助。令人难过的是,我意识到,他们中有一半已经过世了――因此他们永远也无法接受我的谢意了。我越想越感到羞愧。最后我想到了仍健在的三位,几分钟后,我就回到了自己的舱房。11Sittingatatablewithwritingpaperandmemoriesofthingseachhaddone,Itriedcomposinggenuinestatementsofheartfeltappreciationandgratitudetomydad,SimonA.Haley,aprofessorattheoldAgriculturalMechanicalNormalCollegeinPineBluff,Arkansas;tomygrandma,CynthiaPalmer,backinourlittlehometownofHenning,Tennessee;andtotheRev.LonualNelson,mygrammarschoolprincipal,retiredandlivinginRipley,sixmilesnorthofHenning.我坐在摊着信纸的桌旁,回想着他们各自对我所做的一切,试图用真挚的文字表达我对他们的由衷的感激之情：父亲西蒙·A·黑利,阿肯色州派因布拉夫那所古老的农业机械师范学院的教授；住在田纳西州小镇亨宁老家的外祖母辛西娅·帕尔默；以及我的文法学校校长,退休后住在亨宁以北6英里处的里普利的洛纽尔·纳尔逊牧师。12Thetextsofmylettersbegansomethinglike,"Here,thisThanksgivingatsea,Ifindmythoughtsuponhowmuchyouhavedoneforme,butIhaveneverstoppedandsaidtoyouhowmuchIfeeltheneedtothankyou--"AndbrieflyIrecalledforeachofthemspecificactsperformedonmybehalf.我的信是这样开头的："出海在外度过的这个感恩节,令我回想起您为我做了那么多事,但我从来没有对您说过自己是多么想感谢您――"我简短回忆了各位为我所做的具体事例。13Forinstance,somethinguppermostaboutmyfatherwashowhehadimpresseduponmefromboyhoodtolovebooksandreading.Infact,thisgraduatedintoafamilyhabitofafter-dinnerquizzesatthetableaboutbooksreadmostrecentlyandnewwordslearned.Myloveofbooksneverdiminishedandlaterledmetowardwritingbooksmyself.SomanytimesIhavefeltasadnesswhenexposedtomodernchildrensoimmersedintheelectronicmediathattheyhavelittleornoawarenessofthemarvelousworldtobediscoveredinbooks.例如,我父亲的最不同寻常之处在于,从我童年时代起,他就让我深深意识到要热爱书籍、热爱阅读。事实上,这一爱好渐渐变成一种家庭习惯,晚饭后大家围在餐桌旁互相考查近日所读的书以及新学的单词。我对书籍的热爱从未减弱,日后还引导我自己撰文著书。多少次,当我看到如今的孩子们如此沉迷于电子媒体时,我不由深感悲哀,他们很少,或者根本不了解书中所能发现的神奇世界。14IremindedtheReverendNelsonhoweachmorninghewouldopenourlittlecountrytown'sgrammarschoolwithaprayeroverhisassembledstudents.ItoldhimthatwhateverpositivethingsIhaddonesincehadbeeninfluencedatleastinpartbyhismorningschoolprayers.我跟纳尔逊牧师提及他如何每天清晨和集合在一起的学生做祷告,以此开始乡村小学的一天。我告诉他,我后来所做的任何有意义的事,都至少部分地是受了他那些学校晨祷的影响。15Inthelettertomygrandmother,Iremindedherofadozenwayssheusedtoteachmehowtotellthetruth,toshare,andtobeforgivingandconsiderateofothers.Ithankedherfortheyearsofeatinghergoodcooking,theequalofwhichIhadnotfoundsince.Finally,Ithankedhersimplyforhavingsprinkledmylifewithstardust.在给外祖母的信中,我谈到了她用了种种方式教我讲真话,教我与人分享,教我宽恕、体谅他人。我感谢她多年来让我吃到她烧的美味菜肴,离开她后我从来没吃过那么可口的菜肴。最后,我感谢她,因为她在我的生命中撒下美妙的遐想。16BeforeIslept,mythreeletterswentintoourship'sofficemailsack.TheygotmailedwhenwereachedTulagiIsland睡觉前,我的这三封信都送进了船上的邮袋。我们抵达图拉吉岛后都寄了出去。17Weunloadedcargo,reloadedwithsomethingelse,thenagainweputtoseaintheroutinefamiliartous,andasthedaysbecameweeks,mylittlepersonalexperiencereceded.Sometimes,whenwewereatsea,amailshipwouldrendezvousandbringusmailfromhome,which,ofcourse,weaccordedtopmostpriority.我们卸了货,又装了其它物品,随后我们按熟悉的常规,再次出海。一天又一天,一星期又一星期,我个人的经历渐渐淡忘。我们在海上航行时,有时会与邮船会合,邮船会带给我们家信,当然这是我们视为最紧要的事情。18Everytimetheship'sloudspeakerrasped,"Attention!Mailcall!"twohundred-oddshipmatescamepoundingupondeckandclusteredaboutthetwoseamen,standingbythosepreciousbulginggraysacks.Theywerealternatelypullingoutfistfulsoflettersandbarkingsuccessivenamesofsailorswhowere,inturn,shoutingback"Here!Here!"amidthepushing.每当船上的喇叭响起："大伙听好！邮件点名！"200名左右的水兵就会冲上甲板,围聚在那两个站在宝贵的鼓鼓囊囊的灰色邮袋旁的水手周围。两人轮流取出一把信,大声念收信水手的名字,叫到的人从人群当中挤出,一边应道："来了,来了！"19One"mailcall"broughtmeresponsesfromGrandma,Dad,andtheReverendNelson--andmyreadingoftheirlettersleftmenotonlyastonishedbutmorehumbledthanbefore.一次"邮件点名"带给我外祖母,爸爸,以及纳尔逊牧师的回信――我读了信,既震惊又深感卑微。20RatherthansayingtheywouldforgivethatIhadn'tpreviouslythankedthem,instead,forPete'ssake,theywerethankingme--forhavingremembered,forhavingconsideredtheyhaddoneanythingsoexceptional.他们没有说他们原谅我以前不曾感谢他们,相反,他们向我致谢,天哪,就因为我记得,就因为我认为他们做了不同寻常的事。21Alwaysthecollegeprofessor,mydadhadcarefullyavoidedanythingheconsideredtoosentimental,soIknewhowmovedhewastowritemethat,afterhavinghelpededucatemanyyoungpeople,henowfeltthathisbestresultsincludedhisownson.身为大学教授的爸爸向来特别留意不使用任何过于感情化的文字,因此,当他对我写道,在教了许许多多的年轻人之后,他认为自己最优秀的学生当中也包括自己的儿子时,我知道他是多么地感动。22TheReverendNelsonwrotethathisdecadesasa"simple,old-fashionedprincipal"hadendedwithschoolsundergoingsuchswiftchangesthathehadretiredinself-doubt."IheardmoreofwhatIhaddonewrongthanwhatIdidright,"hesaid,addingthatmyletterhadbroughthimwelcomereassurancethathiscareerhadbeenappreciated.纳尔逊牧师写道,他那平凡的传统校长的岁月随着学校里发生的如此迅猛的变化而结束,他怀着自我怀疑的心态退了休。"说我做得不对的远远多于说我做得对的,"他写道,接着说我的信给他带来了振奋人心的信心：自己的校长生涯还是有其价值的。23AglanceatGrandma'sfamiliarhandwritingbroughtbackinaflashmemoriesofstandingalongsideherwhiterockingchair,watchingher"settin'down"somelettertorelatives.Characterbycharacter,Grandmawouldslowlyaccomplishoneword,thenthenext,sothatafinishedpagewouldconsumehours.IweptoverthepagerepresentingmyGrandma'srecenthoursinvestedinexpressingherlovinggratefulnesstome--whomsheusedtodiaper!一看到外祖母那熟悉的笔迹,我顿时回想起往日站在她的白色摇椅旁看她给亲戚写信的情景。外祖母一个字母一个字母地慢慢拼出一个词,接着是下一个词,因此写满一页要花上几个小时。捧着外祖母最近花费不少工夫对我表达了充满慈爱的谢意,我禁不住流泪――从前是她给我换尿布的呀。24Muchlater,retiredfromtheCoastGuardandtryingtomakealivingasawriter,Ineverforgothowthosethree"thankyou"lettersgavemeaninsightintohowmosthumanbeingsgoaboutlonginginsecretformoreoftheirfellowstoexpressappreciationfortheirefforts.许多年后,我从海岸警卫队退役,试着靠写作为生,我一直不曾忘记那三封"感谢"信是如何使我认识到,大凡人都暗自期望着有更多的人对自己的努力表达谢意。25Now,approachinganotherThanksgiving,IhaveaskedmyselfwhatwillIwishforallwhoarereadingthis,forournation,indeedforourwholeworld--since,quotingagoodandwisefriendofmine,"Intheendwearemightilyandmerelypeople,eachwithsimilarneeds."First,Iwishforus,ofcourse,thesimplecommonsensetoachieveworldpeace,thatbeingparamountfortheverysurvivalofourkind.现在,感恩节又将来临,我自问,对此文的读者,对我们的祖国,事实上对全世界,我有什么祝愿,因为,用一位善良而且又有智慧的朋友的话来说,"我们究其实都是十分相像的凡人,有着相似的需求。"当然,我首先祝愿大家记住这一简单的常识：实现世界和平,这对我们自身的存亡至关重要。26AndthereissomethingelseIwish--sostronglythatIhavehadthislineprintedacrossthebottomofallmystationery:"Findthegood--andpraiseit."此外我还有别的祝愿――这一祝愿是如此强烈,我将这句话印在我所有的信笺底部："发现并褒扬各种美好的事物。"Thanksgiving,likeSpringFestival,bringsfamiliesbacktogetherfromacrossthecountry.Waitingforherchildrentoarrive,EllenGoodmanreflectsonthechangingrelationshipbetweenparentsandchildrenastheygrowupandleavehome,oftentosettlefaraway.如同春节那样,散居各处的美国人到感恩节就回家团聚。埃伦·古德曼在等待着子女回家的同时,思索着当子女长大离家,常常在远方定居之后,父母与子女关系的不断变化。找不到b了unit6TheLastLeafWhenJohnsyfellseriouslyill,sheseemedtolosethewilltohangontolife.Thedoctorheldoutlittlehopeforher.Herfriendsseemedhelpless.Wastherenothingtobedone?约翰西病情严重,她似乎失去了活下去的意志。医生对她不抱什么希望。朋友们看来也爱莫能助。难道真的就无可奈何了吗？TheLastLeafO.Henry1Atthetopofathree-storybrickbuilding,SueandJohnsyhadtheirstudio."Johnsy"wasfamiliarforJoanna.OnewasfromMaine;theotherfromCalifornia.TheyhadmetatacafeonEighthStreetandfoundtheirtastesinart,chicorysaladandbishopsleevessomuchintunethatthejointstudioresulted.最后一片叶子欧·亨利在一幢三层砖楼的顶层,苏和约翰西辟了个画室。"约翰西"是乔安娜的昵称。她们一位来自缅因州,一位来自加利福尼亚。两人相遇在第八大街的一个咖啡馆,发现各自在艺术品味、菊苣色拉,以及灯笼袖等方面趣味相投,于是就有了这个两人画室。2ThatwasinMay.InNovemberacold,unseenstranger,whomthedoctorscalledPneumonia,stalkedaboutthedistrict,touchingonehereandtherewithhisicyfingers.Johnsywasamonghisvictims.Shelay,scarcelymovingonherbed,lookingthroughthesmallwindowattheblanksideofthenextbrickhouse.那是5月里的事。到了11月,一个医生称之为肺炎的阴森的隐形客闯入了这一地区,用它冰冷的手指东碰西触。约翰西也为其所害。她病倒了,躺在床上几乎一动不动,只能隔着小窗望着隔壁砖房那单调沉闷的侧墙。3OnemorningthebusydoctorinvitedSueintothehallwaywithabushy,grayeyebrow.一天上午,忙碌的医生扬了扬灰白的浓眉,示意苏来到过道。4"Shehasonechanceinten,"hesaid."Andthatchanceisforhertowanttolive.Yourlittleladyhasmadeuphermindthatshe'snotgoingtogetwell.Hassheanythingonhermind?"她只有一成希望,"他说。"那还得看她自己是不是想活下去。你这位女朋友已经下决心不想好了。她有什么心事吗？"5"She--shewantedtopainttheBayofNaplessomeday,"saidSue."她――她想有一天能去画那不勒斯湾,"苏说。6"Paint?--bosh!Hassheanythingonhermindworththinkingabouttwice--aman,forinstance?""画画？――得了。她有没有别的事值得她留恋的――比如说,一个男人？"7"Aman?"saidSue."Isamanworth--but,no,doctor;thereisnothingofthekind.""男人？"苏说。"难道一个男人就值得――可是,她没有啊,大夫,没有这码子事。"8"Well,"saidthedoctor."Iwilldoallthatsciencecanaccomplish.ButwhenevermypatientbeginstocountthecarriagesinherfuneralprocessionIsubtract50percentfromthecurativepowerofmedicines."AfterthedoctorhadgoneSuewentintotheworkroomandcried.ThenshemarchedintoJohnsy'sroomwithherdrawingboard,whistlingamerrytune."好吧,"大夫说。"我会尽一切努力,只要是科学能做到的。可是,但凡病人开始计算她出殡的行列里有几辆马车的时候,我就要把医药的疗效减去一半。"大夫走后,苏去工作室哭了一场。随后她携着画板大步走进约翰西的房间,口里吹着轻快的口哨。9Johnsylay,scarcelymakingamovementunderthebedclothes,withherfacetowardthewindow.Shewaslookingoutandcounting--countingbackward.约翰西躺在被子下几乎一动不动,脸朝着窗。她望着窗外,数着数――倒数着数！10"Twelve,"shesaid,andalittlelater"eleven";andthen"ten,"and"nine";andthen"eight"and"seven,"almosttogether."12,"她数道,过了一会儿"11”,接着数"10”和"9”；再数"811Suelookedoutofthewindow.Whatwastheretocount?Therewasonlyabare,drearyyardtobeseen,andtheblanksideofthebrickhousetwentyfeetaway.Anold,oldivyvineclimbedhalfwayupthebrickwall.Thecoldbreathofautumnhadblownawayitsleaves,leavingitalmostbare.苏朝窗外望去。外面有什么好数的呢？外面只看到一个空荡荡的沉闷的院子,还有20英尺开外那砖房的侧墙,上面什么也没有。一棵古老的常青藤爬到半墙高。萧瑟秋风吹落了枝叶,藤上几乎光秃秃的。12"Six,"saidJohnsy,inalmostawhisper."They'refallingfasternow.Threedaysagotherewerealmostahundred.Itmademyheadachetocountthem.Butnowit'seasy.Theregoesanotherone.Thereareonlyfiveleftnow.""6”13"Fivewhat,dear?""5片什么,亲爱的？"14"Leaves.Ontheivyvine.WhenthelastonefallsImustgo,too.I'veknownthatforthreedays.Didn'tthedoctortellyou?""叶子。常青藤上的叶子。等最后一片叶子掉了,我也就得走了。三天前我就知道会这样。大夫没跟你说吗？"15"Oh,Ineverheardofsuchnonsense.Whathaveoldivyleavestodowithyourgettingwell?Don'tbesosilly.Why,thedoctortoldmethismorningthatyourchancesforgettingwellrealsoonweretentoone!Trytotakesomesoupnow,andletSudiegoandbuyportwineforhersickchild.""噢,我从没听说过这种胡说八道。常青藤叶子跟你病好不好有什么关系？别这么傻。对了,大夫上午跟我说,你的病十有八九就快好了。快喝些汤,让苏迪给她生病的孩子去买些波尔图葡萄酒来。"16"Youneedn'tgetanymorewine,"saidJohnsy,keepinghereyesfixedoutthewindow."Theregoesanother.No,Idon'twantanysoup.Thatleavesjustfour.Iwanttoseethelastonefallbeforeitgetsdark.ThenI'llgo,too.I'mtiredofwaiting.I'mtiredofthinking.Iwanttoturnloosemyholdoneverything,andgosailingdown,down,justlikeoneofthosepoor,tiredleaves.""你不用再去买酒了,"约翰西说道,两眼一直盯着窗外。"又掉了一片。不,我不想喝汤。这一下只剩下4片了。我要在天黑前看到最后一片叶子掉落。那时我也就跟着走了。我都等腻了。也想腻了。我只想撇开一切,飘然而去,就像那边一片可怜的疲倦的叶子。"17"Trytosleep,"saidSue."ImustcallBehrmanuptobemymodelfortheoldminer.I'llnotbegoneaminute.""快睡吧,"苏说。"我得叫贝尔曼上楼来给我当老矿工模特儿。我去去就来。"18OldBehrmanwasapainterwholivedonthegroundfloorbeneaththem.Hewaspastsixtyandhadalongwhitebeardcurlingdownoverhischest.Despitelookingthepart,Behrmanwasafail