全新版大学英语综合教程第二册~单元A课文翻译及原文整理最新版新编
Unit1 A Learning, Chinese-Style
Unit2 A A Life Full of Riches
Unit3 A Father Knows Better
Unit4 A A Virtual Life
Unit5 A True Height
Unit6 A A Woman Can Learn Anything a Man Can
Unit1
Howard Gardner, a professor of education at Harvard University, reflects on a visit to China and gives his thoughts on different approaches to learning in China and the West.
哈佛大学教育学教授霍华德·加德纳回忆其中国之行，阐述他对中西方不同的学习方式的看法。
Learning, Chinese-Style
Howard Gardner 1 For a month in the spring of 1987, my wife Ellen and I lived in the bustling eastern Chinese city of Nanjing with our 18-month-old son Benjamin while studying arts education in Chinese kindergartens and elementary schools. But one of the most telling lessons Ellen and I got in the difference between Chinese and American ideas of education came not in the classroom but in the lobby of the Jinling Hotel where we stayed in Nanjing.
中国式的学习风格
霍华德·加德纳
1987年春，我和妻子埃伦带着我们18个月的儿子本杰明在繁忙的中国东部城市南京住了一个月，同时考察中国幼儿园和小学的艺术教育情况。然而，我和埃伦获得的有关中美教育观念差异的最难忘的体验并非来自课堂，而是来自我们在南京期间寓居的金陵饭店的大堂。
2 The key to our room was attached to a large plastic block with the room number on it. When leaving the hotel, a guest was encouraged to turn in the key, either by handing it to an attendant or by dropping it through a slot into a box. Because the key slot was narrow, the key had to be positioned carefully to fit into it.
我们的房门钥匙系在一块标有房间号的大塑料板上。酒店鼓励客人外出时留下钥匙，可以交给服务员，也可以从一个槽口塞入钥匙箱。由于口子狭小，你得留神将钥匙放准位置才塞得进去。
3 Benjamin loved to carry the key around, shaking it vigorously. He also liked to try to place it into the slot. Because of his tender age and incomplete understanding of the need to position the key just so, he would usually fail. Benjamin was not bothered in the least. He probably got as much pleasure out of the sounds the key made as he did those few times when the key actually found its way into the slot.
本杰明爱拿着钥匙走来走去，边走边用力摇晃着。他还喜欢试着把钥匙往槽口里塞。由于他还年幼，不太明白得把钥匙放准位置才成，因此总塞不进去。本杰明一点也不在意。他从钥匙声响中得到的乐趣大概跟他偶尔把钥匙成功地塞进槽口而获得的乐趣一样多。
4 Now both Ellen and I were perfectly happy to allow Benjamin to bang the key near the key slot. His exploratory behavior seemed harmless enough. But I soon observed an interesting phenomenon. Any Chinese staff member nearby would come over to watch
Benjamin and, noting his lack of initial success, attempt to assist. He or she would hold onto Benjamin's hand and, gently but firmly, guide it directly toward the slot, reposition it as necessary, and help him to insert it. The "teacher" would then smile somewhat expectantly at Ellen or me, as if awaiting a thank you ─and on occasion would frown slightly, as if considering us to be neglecting our parental duties.
我和埃伦都满不在乎，任由本杰明拿着钥匙在钥匙的槽口鼓捣。他的探索行为似乎并无任何害处。但我很快就观察到一个有趣的现象。饭店里任何一个中国工作人员若在近旁，都会走过来看着本杰明，见他初试失败，便都会试图帮忙。他们会轻轻握紧本杰明的手，直接将它引向钥匙的槽口，进行必要的重新定位，并帮他把钥匙插入槽口。然后那位“老师”会有所期待地对着我和埃伦微笑，似乎等着我们说声谢谢——偶尔他会微微皱眉，似乎觉得我俩没有尽到当父母的责任。
5 I soon realized that this incident was directly relevant to our assigned tasks in China: to investigate the ways of early childhood education (especially in the arts), and to throw light on Chinese attitudes toward creativity. And so before long I began to introduce the
key-slot anecdote into my discussions with Chinese educators. 我很快意识到，这件小事与我们在中国要做的工作直接相关：考察儿童早期教育（尤其是艺术教育）的方式，揭示中国人对创造性活动的态度。因此，不久我就在与中国教育工作者讨论时谈起了钥匙槽口一事。
TWO DIFFERENT WAYS TO LEARN
6 With a few exceptions my Chinese colleagues displayed the same attitude as the staff at the Jinling Hotel. Since adults know how to place the key in the key slot, which is the ultimate purpose of approaching the slot, and since the child is neither old enough nor clever enough to realize the desired action on his own, what possible gain is achieved by having him struggle He may well get frustrated and angry ─certainly not a desirable outcome. Why not show him what to do He will be happy, he will learn how to accomplish the task sooner, and then he can proceed to more complex activities, like opening the door or asking for the key ─both of which accomplishments can (and should) in due course be modeled for him as well.
两种不同的学习方式
我的中国同行，除了少数几个人外，对此事的态度与金陵饭店工作人员一样。既然大人知道怎么把钥匙塞进槽口——这是处理槽口一事的最终目的，既然孩子还很年幼，还没有灵巧到可以独自完成要做的动作，让他自己瞎折腾会有什么好处呢？他很有可能会灰心丧气发脾气——这当然不是所希望的结果。为什么不教他怎么做呢？他会高兴，他还能早些学会做这件事，进而去学做更复杂的事，如开门，或索要钥匙——这两件事到时候同样可以（也应该）示范给他看。
7 We listened to such explanations sympathetically and explained that, first of all, we did not much care whether Benjamin succeeded in inserting the key into the slot. He was having a good time and was exploring, two activities that did matter to us. But the critical point was that, in the process, we were trying to teach Benjamin that one can solve a problem effectively by oneself. Such self-reliance is a principal value of child rearing in middle-class America. So long as the child is shown exactly how to do something ─whether it be placing a key in a key slot, drawing a hen or making up for a misdeed ─he is less likely to figure out himself how to accomplish such a task. And, more generally, he is less likely to view life ─as Americans do ─as a series of situations in which one has to learn to think for oneself, to solve problems on one's own and even to discover new problems for which creative solutions are wanted.
我俩颇为同情地听着这一番道理，解释道，首先，我们并不在意本杰明能不能把钥匙塞进钥匙的槽口。他玩得开心，而且在探索，这两点才是我们真正看重的。但关键在于，在这个过程中，我们试图让本杰明懂得，一个人是能够很好地自行解决问题的。这种自力更生的精神是美国中产阶级最重要的一条育儿观。如果我们向孩子演示该如何做某件事——把钥匙塞进钥匙的槽口也好，画只鸡或是弥补某种错误行为也好——那他就不太可能自行想方设法去完成这件事。从更广泛的意义上说，他就不太可能——如美国人那样——将人生视为一系列的情境，在这些情境中，一个人必须学会独立思考，学会独立解决问题，进而学会发现需要创造性地加以解决的新问题。
TEACHING BY HOLDING HIS HAND
8 In retrospect, it became clear to me that this incident was indeed key ─and key in more than one sense. It pointed to important differences in the educational and artistic practices in our two countries.
把着手教
回想起来，当时我就清楚地意识到，这件事正是体现了问题的关键之所在——而且不仅仅是一种意义上的关键之所在。这件事表明了我们两国在教育和艺术实践上的重要差异。
9 When our well-intentioned Chinese observers came to Benjamin's rescue, they did not simply push his hand down clumsily or uncertainly, as I might have done. Instead, they guided him with extreme facility and gentleness in precisely the desired direction. I came to realize that these Chinese were not just molding and shaping Benjamin's performance in any old manner: In the best Chinese tradition, they were ba zhe shou jiao ─"teaching by holding his hand" ─so much so that he would happily come back for more.
那些善意的中国旁观者前来帮助本杰明时，他们不是简单地像我可能会做的那样笨拙地或是犹犹豫豫地把他的手往下推。相反，他们极其熟练地、温和地把他引向所要到达的确切方向。我逐渐认识到，这些中国人不是简单地以一种陈旧的方式塑造、引导本杰明的行为：他们是在恪守中国传统，把着手教，教得本杰明自己会愉快地要求再来一次。
10 The idea that learning should take place by continual careful shaping and molding applies equally to the arts. Watching children at work in a classroom setting, we were astonished by their facility. Children as young as 5 or 6 were painting flowers, fish and animals with the skill and confidence of an adult; calligraphers 9 and 10 years old were producing works that could have been displayed in a museum. In a visit to the homes of two of the young artists, we learned from their parents that they worked on perfecting their craft for several hours a day.
学习应通过不间断的精心塑造与引导而得以实现，这一观念同样适用于艺术。我们观看了孩子们在教室里学习艺术的情景，他们的娴熟技艺令我们惊讶。年仅5、6岁的孩子就带着成人的那种技巧与自信在画花、画鱼和动物；9岁、10岁的小书法家写出的作品满可以在博物馆展示。有一次去两位小艺术家的家里参观，我们从孩子的父母处得知，他们每天练习数小时以完善他们的技艺。
CREATIVITY FIRST
11 In terms of attitudes to creativity there seems to be a reversal of priorities: young Westerners making their boldest departures first and then gradually mastering the tradition; and young Chinese being almost inseparable from the tradition, but, over time, possibly evolving to a point equally original.
创造力第一？
从对创造力的态度来说，优先次序似乎是颠倒了：西方的年轻人先是大胆创新，然后逐渐深谙传统；而中国的年轻人则几乎离不开传统，但是，随着时间的推移，他们同样可能发展到具有创新的境界。
12 One way of summarizing the American position is to state that we value originality and independence more than the Chinese do. The contrast between our two cultures can also be seen in terms of the fears we both harbor. Chinese teachers are fearful that if skills are not acquired early, they may never be acquired; there is, on the other hand, no comparable hurry to promote creativity. American educators fear that unless creativity has been acquired early, it may never emerge; on the other hand, skills can be picked up later.
美国人的立场可以概括起来这么说，我们比中国人更重视创新和自立。我们两种文化的差异也可以从我们各自所怀的忧虑中显示出来。中国老师担心，如果年轻人不及早掌握技艺，就有可能一辈子掌握不了；另一方面，他们并不同样地急于促进创造力的发展。美国教育工作者则担心，除非从一开始就发展创造力，不然创造力就有可能永不再现；而另一方面，技艺可于日后获得。
13 However, I do not want to overstate my case. There is enormous creativity to be found in Chinese scientific, technological and artistic innovations past and present. And there is a danger of exaggerating creative breakthroughs in the West. When any innovation is examined closely, its reliance on previous achievements is all too apparent (the "standing on the shoulders of giants" phenomenon).
但我并不想夸大其辞。无论在过去还是在当今，中国在科学、技术和艺术革新方面都展示了巨大的创造力。而西方的创新突破则有被夸大的危险。如果仔细审视任何一项创新，其对以往成就的依赖则都显而易见（“站在巨人肩膀之上”的现象）。
14 But assuming that the contrast I have developed is valid, and that the fostering of skills and creativity are both worthwhile goals, the important question becomes this: Can we gather, from the Chinese and American extremes, a superior way to approach education, perhaps striking a better balance between the poles of creativity and basic skills 然而，假定我这里所说的反差是成立的，而培养技艺与创造力两者都是值得追求的目标，那么重要的问题就在于：我们能否从中美两个极端中寻求一种更好的教育方式，它或许能在创造力与基本技能这两极之间获得某种较好的平衡？
Finding a way of teaching children to appreciate the value of money can be a problem. Yet the solution, David Owen suggests, is simple -- just open a bank. Easier said than done Well, it turns out to be not quite so difficult as it sounds, as you'll discover in reading about the First National Bank of Dave.
设法教育孩子珍惜钱财会是件难事。然而，大卫·欧文说，方法也很简单——开个银行就行。说来容易做起来难？其实，这事并没听上去那么难，你读一读戴夫第一国家银行的故事就知道了。
Unit2
Part II Reading Task
Text A
A Life Full of Riches
Karl R. Green
It was early December 2003,my first season as a Salvation Army bell ringer,when I was confronted with the question.I was standing just outside the doorway of a Wal-Mart,offering a "thank you" and a smile to each person who dropped a donation into my red kettle.A neatly dressed woman and her young son walked up to the kettle stand.While she searched her
purse for some cash, the boy looked up at me.I can still see the confusion and curiosity in his eyes as he asked,"Are you poor"
这是2003年12月初，我作为一个救世军敲钟人，当我面临的问题与第一个赛季。我站在外面的沃尔玛门口，提供一个“谢谢”，微笑每个人谁投进我的红kettle.A捐赠衣着整洁的女人和她的小儿子走到水壶立场。虽然她寻找一些现金她的钱包，男孩抬头看着我。我仍然可以看到他的眼睛，好奇的混乱，他问道：“你穷呢？”
"Well," I stammered, trying to think,"I have more than some people, but not as much as others."His mother scolded him for the social no-no,and they hurried off to do their shopping.His question, however, did not leave me.
“嗯，”我结结巴巴地说，试图想：“我比有些人多，但不如别人了。”他妈骂他为社会的禁忌，他们急急忙忙走了尽自己的购物。但是他的问题并没有离开我。
I've never thought of myself as "poor,"but I can't deny certain facts.Every time I fill out my 1040 form,I fall into one of the lowest income brackets.In the past 35 years, I've taken just one vacation trip.My TV is a black-and-white set that someone gave me eight years ago.
我从没想过自己是“穷”，但我不能否认某些事实。每当我填写我的1040表格，我陷入了最低收入阶层之一。在过去的35年里，我只花一度假。我的电视是一个非黑即白集，有人给了我八年前。
Yet I feel nothing more than a passing whim to attain the material things so many other people have.My 1999 car shows the wear and tear of 105,000 miles.But it is still dependable.My apartment is modest, but quiet and relaxing.My clothes are well suited to my work, which is primarily outdoors.My minimal computer needs can be met at the library.
可是我觉得只不过是昙花一现的念头更达到物质的东西很多其他人都有。我在1999年车展的磨损10.5万英里。但它仍是可靠的。我的公寓是温和的，但宁静和放松。我的衣服很适合我的工作，这主要是室外。我最小的电脑需要能够得到满足图书馆看书。
In spite of what I don't have, I don't feel poor. WhyI've enjoyed exceptionally good health for 53 years.It's not just that I've been illness-free,it's that I feel vigorous and
spirited.Exercising is actually fun for me.I look forward to long, energizing walks.
And I love the "can do" attitude that follows.
在我没有什么，尽管我不觉得差。为什么呢？我已经享受了53年来特别好的健康。这不仅是因为我一直在生病，免费的，它的，我觉得充满活力和精神。其实对我来说是锻炼的乐趣。我期待着长，活力散步。我还喜欢“我能”的态度如下。
I also cherish the gift of creativity.When I write a beautiful line of poetry,or fabricate a joke that tickles someone,I feel rich inside.I'm continually surprised at the insights that come through my writing process.And talking with so many interesting writer friends is one of my main sources of enjoyment.
我也珍惜创造力的礼物。当我写一个美丽的诗行，或者编造一个笑话，发痒的人，我感到充实进去。我不断惊讶的见解，通过我的写作过程中来。而且有这么多有趣的作家朋友聊天，是享受我的主要来源之一。
But there is one vital area of my life where I am not so well off.In a society that spends so much emotional energy on the pursuit of possessions,I feel out of place.
但有一个我一生中，我不是那么富裕的重要领域。在一个社会的财富花在追求如此多的感情能量，我觉得自己很迷茫。
When I was younger, there was an exceptionally interesting person I dated.What was most important to her,she told me, was "what's on the inside."I thought I had found someone special to share my life with.Then I took her to see my apartment.At the time,I lived in a
basement efficiency with a few pieces of dated furniture.The only new, comfortable chair was the one at my desk.Shortly after her visit, our relationship went straight south.
当我年轻的时候，有一个非常有趣的人，我约会。什么是最重要的是她，她告诉我，是“什么在里面的。”我想我已经找到了特别的人分享我的生活与。然后我带她去看我的公寓。当时，我住在一间地下室效率日期为几件家具。唯一的新的，舒适的椅子是在我的办公桌之一。不久后，她的访问，我们的关系直奔南方。
The seemingly abrupt change in her priorities was jolting.It remains a most memorable turning point in my personal journey.看似在她的关注点突变是颠簸。它仍然是一个最难忘的转折点，我个人的旅途。
In contrast to relationships,stuff just doesn't mean that much to me.I think most people feel the same way — except when there are social consequences to not having particular items.There is a commercial on the radio that begins,"Everybody wants a high-end TV ..." The pressure to purchase is real.It may be true that everybody wants a high-end TV.After all, nobody wants to be a nobody.
与此相反的关系，东西并不意味着就多给我。我想大多数人有同样的感受- 除非有
社会后果不具有特定的项目。有一个由电台开始，“每个人都想要一个高端彩电...”购买的压力是真正的商业。它可能是真实的，每个人都想要一个高端电视。毕竟，没有人想成为什么人。
But I'm happy to live without one.In fact, not being focused on material goods feels quite natural to me.There are many people throughout the world who would consider my lifestyle to be affluent.
但我很高兴生活在没有之一。事实上，没有对重点物资感觉很自然的我。世界各地有许多人会认为我的谁是富裕的生活方式。
Near the end of the year,when I put on the Salvation Army's red apron,something changes inside me.Instead of feeling out of place economically,I begin to feel a genuine sense of belonging.As I ring my bell,people stop to share their personal stories of how much it meant to be helped when they were going through a rough time.People helping people is something I feel deeply connected to.While I'm ringing the bell,complete strangers have brought me hot chocolate,leaving me with a lingering smile.Countless individuals have helped to keep me warm with the sentiments of the season:"Thank you for ringing on such a cold day.""Can I get you a cup of coffee""Bless you for your good work."December is the time of year I feel wealthiest.
在接近年底时，当我在救世军红色围裙，改变我的东西放在里面。而不是感觉出来的地方经济，我开始感到真正意义上的归属感。正如我我的响钟，人们停下来分享这意味着多少得到帮助时，他们正在经历艰难的时间将他们的个人故事。人帮助人是我深深感到相连。当我按门铃，我带来了完全陌生的热巧克力，留下了挥之不去的微笑。无数人帮助我，让本赛季的情感温暖：？“。保佑你的好工作，你。感谢在这样一个
寒冷的日子铃声你”“我可以给你一杯咖啡”十二月是一年的时间，我觉得富有。
Over the past four years,I've grown to understand more about myself because of a single question from a curious child.As I've examined what it means to be poor,it has become clear to me what I am most thankful for:both my tangible and my intangible good fortune.
在过去的四年里，我已经长大了理解，因为一个好奇的孩子从一个单一的问题是关于我自己。正如我已经分析意味着什么是穷人，它已成为我清楚我最感谢：我的两个有形和无形的我的好运。
Unit3
This comedy centers around a proud father's attempts to help his children, attempts which somehow or other always end up embarrassing them. For the sake of fun it carries things to extremes, but nearly everyone can recognize something of themselves and their parents in it.
这出喜剧主要写一位为儿女感到自豪的父亲虽做出种种努力帮助子女，不知怎的，其结果却总是令子女尴尬不已。出于搞笑的目的，故事情节作了极度夸张，但几乎人人都能从中看到自己以及父母的影子。
Father Knows Better
Marsh Cassady 1
CHARACTERS: FATHER; MOTHER; HEIDI, 14; DIANE, 17; SEAN, 16; RESTAURANT MANAGER, 20s; MRS. HIGGINS.
SETTING: Various locations including a fast-food restaurant, the Thompson family dining room, and an office at a high school.
AT RISE: As the lights come up, HEIDI enters and crosses Down Right to the edge of the stage. SEAN and DIANE enter and cross Down Left to the edge of the stage. They listen as HEIDI addresses the audience.
老爸英明
马什·卡萨迪
人物：父亲；母亲；海蒂，14岁；黛安，17岁；肖恩，16岁；饭店经理，20多岁；希金斯太太
场景：快餐店，汤普森家餐厅，一所中学的办公室等
幕启：随着灯光亮起，海蒂上，走至舞台右前方。肖恩与黛安上，走至舞台左前方。海蒂对观众说话，两人倾听。
2
HEIDI: My dad's a nice man. Nobody could possibly believe that he isn't. Yet he's...well,
he's always doing these stupid things that end up really embarrassing one or more of us kids. One time, see, my brother wanted to buy this guitar. Been saving money for it for a long time. Then he got a job at this fast-food place, OK Waiting tables. It was Sean's first actual job, and he was real happy about it. He figured in two or three months he'd have enough money to buy exactly the kind of guitar he wanted. Mom and Dad were proud of him, and well, OK, he's my big brother, and he's always pulling these dumb things on me. But, well, I was proud of him too. You know what happened I hate to tell you because:
SEAN, DIANE and HEIDI: (In unison) Father knows better!
海蒂：我老爸是个大好人。没人会相信他不好。可是他……唉，他老是干那些蠢事，弄得我们当儿女的到头来无地自容。瞧，我哥曾一度想买把吉他。他都积攒了好一阵子钱了。后来他在这家快餐店找了份活，不错吧？当服务员。这是肖恩第一次正经打工，他真的挺开心。他算计着，再过两三个月，他就能攒够钱买他想要的那把吉他了。老爸老妈都为他感到骄傲。唔，是啊，他是大哥，老是要捉弄我。不过嘛，我也同样为他感到骄傲。你猜后来怎么了？我都不想说这事，因为：肖恩、黛安、海蒂：（齐声）老爸英明！
3
(The lights come Up Left on the fast-food restaurant where SEAN works. It consists of a counter and couple of small tables. The MANAGER stands behind the counter. SEAN is busily cleaning the tables when FATHER walks in. )
MANAGER: Good evening, sir. May I help you
FATHER: Good evening.
SEAN: (To himself) Oh, no! (He squats behind one of the tables trying to hide from FATHER. )
FATHER: I'm looking for the manager.
MANAGER: That would be me, sir.
FATHER: I'm Sam Thompson. My son works here.
MANAGER: Oh, you're Sean's father.
FATHER: Yes. It's his first job, you know. I just wanted to check that he's doing OK. MANAGER: Oh, fine. No problem.
（左后方灯光亮起，肖恩打工的快餐店。有柜台和几张小桌子。经理站在柜台后面。父亲进店时，肖恩正忙着擦桌子。）
经理：晚上好，先生，能为您效劳吗？
父亲：晚上好。
肖恩：（自言自语）噢，不！（他在一张桌子后蹲下，欲躲过父亲的视线。）父亲：我找经理。
经理：我就是，先生。
父亲：我是萨姆·汤普森。我儿子在这儿打工。
经理：哦，您是肖恩的父亲。
父亲：是啊。知道嘛，这是他第一次打工。我只想看看他干得怎么样。
经理：噢，不错。没问题。
4
SEAN: (Spreading his hands, palms up, speaking to himself) What did I do to deserve this Tell me what
FATHER: Hiring him was a good thing then
MANAGER: Well, yeah, I suppose so.
SEAN: (Still to himself) Go home, Dad. Go home. Go home.
FATHER: I'm sure he's a good worker but a typical teenager, if you know what I mean. MANAGER: (Losing interest) I wouldn't know.
FATHER: He's a good boy. And I assure you that if there are any subjects that need to be addressed, Sean and I will have a man-to-man talk.
MANAGER: I don't think that will be necessary...
FATHER: Oh, no problem. I'm proud of my son. Very, very proud. And I just wanted you to know that I'll do anything I can to help him through life's dangerous sea.
肖恩：（双手摊开，掌心向上，自言自语）我干了什么了要受这份罪？倒是告诉我啊？
父亲：那么雇用他没错啦？
经理：呃，对，我想是的。
肖恩：（仍然自言自语）回家去，老爸。回家去。回家去。
父亲：我肯定他是一把干活的好手，可他也跟其他孩子一个样，明白我的意思吗？
经理：（不再有兴趣）我怎么知道。
父亲：他是个好孩子。你放心，要是有什么问题需要解决的话，我和肖恩会开诚布公谈一谈的。
经理：我看没必要吧……
父亲：噢，没事儿。我为我儿子感到骄傲，我为他深感骄傲。我只是想让你知道，我将竭尽全力帮助他驶过人生的惊涛骇浪。
5
SEAN: (Standing up and screaming) Aaaargh! Aaaargh! Aaaaaaargh!
FATHER: Son, I didn't know you were here.
SEAN: It's where I work, Dad.
FATHER: Of course. I mean, I didn't see you.
SEAN: I can't imagine why.
FATHER: Your manager and I were just having a nice chat.
(DIANE enters Down Left just as HEIDI enters Down Right. They look at SEAN and FATHER. )
SEAN, DIANE, HEIDI: (In unison) Father, you know better than that. 肖恩：（站起身，高声喊叫）唉！唉！唉！
父亲：儿子，不知道你在这儿。
肖恩：这是我打工的地方嘛，爸！
父亲：那自然。我是说，刚才没看见你。
肖恩：我真弄不明白。
父亲：经理和我正聊得起劲呢。
（黛安从左前方上，海蒂自右前方上。两人看着肖恩和父亲。）
肖恩、黛安、海蒂：（齐声）老爸，你这是干什么呀。
6
(The lights quickly fade to black and then come up a second or two later. SEAN stands alone at the Down Right edge of the stage. HEIDI and DIANE cross to Down Left edge of the stage. )
SEAN: If that sort of thing happened only once in a while, it wouldn't be so bad. Overall, I wouldn't want to trade my dad for anyone else's. He loves us kids and Mom too. But I think that's sometimes the problem. He wants to do things for us, things he thinks are good. But he needs to give them more thought because:
SEAN, HEIDI and DIANE: (In unison) Father knows better!
（灯光迅速暗下，片刻之后又亮起。肖恩独自站在舞台右前边。海蒂、黛安走至舞台左前边。）
肖恩：这类事要是偶尔发生一两次，那倒也没什么。总的来说，我是不肯把自己老爸跟别人的老爸换的。他爱我们当子女的，也爱老妈。不过我想，有时问题就出在这儿。他一心想帮助我们，他自以为在为我们做好事呢。可他应该多想想才对，因为：
肖恩、海蒂、黛安：（齐声）老爸英明！
7
(The lights fade to black and come up on the Center Stage area where FATHER and the three children are seated around the dining room table. MOTHER enters carrying a dish, which she sets on the table. FATHER quickly rises and pulls out her chair. She sits. The family starts eating dinner. )
FATHER: I have a surprise for you, Diane.
DIANE: (Knows it can't be good. ) You have... a surprise
MOTHER: Well, whatever it is, dear, don't keep us in suspense.
FATHER: Well, you know, Dan Lucas and I work together
DIANE: Kyle's father
MOTHER: Don't interrupt, dear, your father is trying to tell you something.
HEIDI: (Stage whisper to SEAN) Something Diane won't want to know, I'll bet.
SEAN: (Whispering to HEIDI) Whatever would make you think that
MOTHER: Sean, dear. Heidi, sweetheart, don't distract your father.
SEAN and HEIDI: (Simultaneously) Sorry, Mom.
（灯光暗下，旋即又在舞台中央亮起。父亲与三个孩子围坐在餐桌旁。母亲端菜上，把菜放在桌上。父亲迅速起身为她拉出椅子。母亲坐下。全家开始用餐。）父亲：我要给你一个惊喜，黛安。
黛安：（知道不会有好事）你要给我……一个惊喜？
母亲：哎，是什么事啊，亲爱的，别卖关子了。
父亲：呃，你们知道，丹·卢卡斯和我是同事。
黛安：凯尔的父亲？
母亲：别插嘴，亲爱的，你父亲正有事要跟你们说呢。
海蒂：（与肖恩耳语）我敢肯定准是黛安不要听的事儿。
肖恩：（与海蒂耳语）你怎么会知道？
母亲：肖恩，亲爱的。海蒂，宝贝儿，别打扰你们的父亲。
肖恩、海蒂：（同时地）对不起，妈妈。
8
FATHER: Now then. As I was saying, I know how much you like young Kyle.
DIANE: Father!
FATHER: It's true, isn't it Didn't I hear you tell your mother that you wish Kyle would ask you to the senior prom
SEAN: Uh-oh!
HEIDI: Oops!
MOTHER: Please, children, please. Your father is trying to speak.
DIANE: (Through clenched teeth, the words are in a monotone and evenly spaced. )
Yes-I-said-that-why-are-you-asking
FATHER: Well then.
DIANE: (Becoming hysterical)"Well then" what!
FATHER: What did I say Did I say something wrong
HEIDI: (To SEAN) Not yet, he didn't.
SEAN: (To HEIDI) But you know it's coming.
MOTHER: Children, please. Do give your father the respect he deserves.
HEIDI and SEAN: (Rolling their eyes) Yes, Mother.
父亲：好吧。我说了，我知道你挺喜欢小凯尔。
黛安：爸爸！
父亲：是这么回事，对吗？我不是听你跟你妈说，你希望凯尔邀请你在高年级舞会上跳舞吗？
肖恩：喔！
海蒂：哎哟！
母亲：静一下，孩子们，静一下。你们父亲在说话呢。
黛安：（咬紧牙，一字一顿地）对－我－是－说－过－你－问－这－干－嘛？
父亲：那就算了。
黛安：（歇斯底里地）什么算了？
父亲：我说什么啦？我说错什么了吗？
海蒂：（对肖恩）这会儿还没有，还没说错什么。
肖恩：（对海蒂）等着吧，这就来了。
母亲：静一下，孩子们。对父亲应该尊敬一点。
海蒂、肖恩：（一边转着眼珠）是，妈妈。
9
FATHER: Well, today I saw Dan and asked if he'd like to go to lunch at that French restaurant on Third Street. You know the one, Mother.
MOTHER: Well, yes, I believe I do.
FATHER: My treat, I told him. And, of course, he was glad to accept.
MOTHER: Why wouldn't he be
FATHER: (Somewhat surprised) Well, yes.
DIANE: What-has-this-to-do-with me!
MOTHER: Diane, sometimes I just don't understand your behavior. I try my best. DIANE: (Very short with her) I'm sorry.
MOTHER: Thank you, Diane. (To FATHER) Please do go on, dear.
FATHER: As I said --
HEIDI: We know what you said, Daddy.
FATHER: Er...uh, what's that
SEAN: She said,"We know what you said, Daddy."
FATHER: Yes, yes, of course.
MOTHER: Do get on with it, dear. I've made the most glorious dessert. An old recipe handed down to me by my great Aunt Hilda --
DIANE: Mother, please!
MOTHER: Yes, dear
父亲：嗯，今天我见到丹时，问他想不想去第三街上的那家法国餐馆吃午饭。孩子他妈，你是知道那家餐馆的。
母亲：对，是啊，我知道。
父亲：我请客，我对他说。当然，他挺乐意去了。
母亲：他哪能不乐意呢？
父亲：（略为惊讶地）对，是啊。
黛安：这－跟－我－有－什－么－关－系－呢？
母亲：黛安，你的行为有时我真弄不懂。无论怎样我就是弄不懂。
黛安：（没好气地）那就抱歉了。
母亲：多谢了，黛安。（对父亲）请说下去，亲爱的。
父亲：我说过……
海蒂：我们知道你说过什么，爸爸。
父亲：嗯……哦，你说什么？
肖恩：她说，“我们知道你说过什么，爸爸。”
父亲：是啊，是啊，当然。
母亲：快说吧，亲爱的。我做了特别好吃的甜点。是我姨祖母希尔达传下来的老配方……
黛安：妈妈，好了！
母亲：怎么啦，宝贝？
10
(DIANE shakes her head and lets her body fall against the back of the chair. ) FATHER: At any rate, Dan's a nice guy. Never knew him well. Found we have a lot of the same interests. Our families, our community, global peace, human welfare.
HEIDI: (Mumbling to herself) That narrows it down, all right.
SEAN: Father
FATHER: Yes, son
SEAN: I do believe Diane would like to know the surprise.
DIANE: (Breathing hard as if exhausted, she turns to SEAN, nodding her head up and down repeatedly.) Thank you, Sean. I owe you one.
（黛安摇着头，身体仰靠在椅背上。）
父亲：不管怎么说，丹人不错。过去我跟他不熟。发现我俩还有不少志趣相
同之处。家庭，社区，世界和平，人类幸福。
海蒂：（咕哝着自言自语）就要说到正题了。
肖恩：爸爸？
父亲：嗳？儿子？
肖恩：我肯定黛安很想知道是什么惊喜。
黛安：（粗粗地喘气，好像精疲力竭的样子，她转向肖恩，连连点头）多谢了，肖恩。我记着你的情。
11
FATHER: Well, yes. Here it is then. I told Dan of your interest in his son.
DIANE: You what
MOTHER: Diane, what has come over you I just don't understand the younger generation. Why back in my day --
DIANE: Mother, please!
MOTHER: What, what What
HEIDI: Mother, I believe she wants Father to continue.
SEAN: (To himself) Get this over with, more likely.
DIANE: Daddy, please, tell me. Now. Right away. What did you say, Daddy Please. Tell me, what did you tell Mr. Lucas Tell me, please. Please tell me.
FATHER: Well, now, isn't this nice. It looks like my little scheme is a success. You're so eager to find out... makes a man feel as if it's all worthwhile.
父亲：啊，对。我就说吧。我告诉丹，你对他儿子很感兴趣。
黛安：你说什么？
母亲：黛安，你怎么啦？我真不明白你们年轻人。唉，在我那个时候……
黛安：妈，好啦！
母亲：怎么啦，怎么啦？又怎么啦？
海蒂：妈妈，我知道她想听爸爸说完。
肖恩：（自言自语）还不如说是快把这份罪受完算了。
黛安：爸爸，请你告诉我。现在，马上告诉我。你说什么啦，爸爸？求你
了，快说，你跟卢卡斯先生说什么啦？请快告诉我。请快说。
父亲：嗨，瞧，太妙了。看来我的小计策成功了。如今你急着想知道……这
可让人觉得我做的这一切还真值。
12
HEIDI: (To SEAN) Can you believe this
SEAN: (To HEIDI) Oh, sure. Can't you
FATHER: Yes, well, I told him how much you liked young Kyle, and how you'd been wishing he'd ask you to the prom.
DIANE: You didn't! Tell me you didn't!
FATHER: Oh, yes. Anything for my children.
DIANE: (Swallowing hard) And...and --
MOTHER: Diane, are you all right
DIANE: (She juts out her chin at MOTHER and quickly jerks her head around to face FATHER. ) Well...what did he say!
FATHER: Well, of course, being the sort of man he is -- frank, understanding, he said he'd speak to the young man, insist he give you a call.
DIANE: (Angry scream! ) Whaaaaaat!
SEAN and HEIDI: (Together) Father, you know better than that.
FATHER: I do Yes, yes, I guess I do. I've...done it again, haven't I
海蒂：（对肖恩）你能相信吗？
肖恩：（对海蒂）啊，当然。你还不信？
父亲：嗯，对了，我告诉他你是多么喜欢小凯尔，一心希望他邀你在班级舞会上跳舞。
黛安：你没这么说过！告诉我你没这么说过！
父亲：说了，当然说了。只要为了我孩子好嘛。
黛安：（尽力忍住）那……那……
母亲：黛安，你没事吧？
黛安：（冲着母亲撅起下巴，很快扭头面对父亲）那……他怎么说？！
父亲：嗯，当然啦，以他的为人——坦率，善解人意，他说他会去跟小伙子说的，一定让他给你打电话。
黛安：（愤怒地高喊）什——么！
肖恩、海蒂：（齐声）老爸，你这是干什么呀。
父亲：是吗？对，对，我想是。我又……弄糟了，是吗？
13
(The lights quickly fade to black and then come up a second or two later. DIANE stands alone at the Down Right edge of the stage. HEIDI and SEAN enter Down Left and cross to the edge of the stage. )
DIANE: Can you imagine how humiliated I was An honor student, class president. And Father was out asking people to have their sons call and ask me to the prom! But that's dear old dad. Actually, he is a dear. He just doesn't stop to think. And it's not just one of us
who've felt the heavy hand of interference. Oh, no, all three of us live in constant dread knowing that at any time disaster can strike because:
DIANE, HEIDI and SEAN: (Shouting in unison) Father knows better.
（灯光迅速暗下，旋即重新亮起。黛安独自站在舞台右前边沿。海蒂、肖恩自左前方上，走至舞台边。）
黛安：你们能想象我觉得自己有多么丢人现眼吗？堂堂的优秀生，班主席。父亲竟然去求别人叫他们的儿子打电话来邀我跳舞！可这就是我那可爱的老爸。他其实挺可爱的。他就是不好好想一想。不止我一个人深受他横加干预之苦。哦,绝非我一个人，我们兄妹三个整天提心吊胆，知道倒霉的事随时可能来临，因为：黛安、海蒂、肖恩：（齐声）老爸英明！
14
(The lights fade to black and quickly come up again Stage Left where there is an executive-type desk and chair and two other chairs. Behind the desk sits MRS. HIGGINS, in charge of admitting new students to Benjamin Harrison High School. HEIDI and FATHER sit in the other chairs. )
MRS.HIGGINS: So this is our new student, is it
FATHER: That's right.
MRS.HIGGINS: What's your name, young lady
HEIDI: HEIDI Thompson.
MRS.HIGGINS: I'm sure you'll find the students friendly. And the teachers more than willing to answer questions.
FATHER: She is an exceptional young woman, you know.
HEIDI: Daddy!
（灯光暗下，旋即在舞台左侧重新亮起。舞台左侧摆放着一套办公桌椅和另两张椅子。希金斯太太坐在办公桌旁办理本杰明·哈里森中学新生入学手续。海蒂和父亲坐在另外两张椅子上。）
希金斯太太：你是我们新来的学生，是吗？
父亲：是的。
希金斯太太：你叫什么名字，小姐？
海蒂：海蒂·汤普森。
希金斯太太：我相信你一定会发现这里的同学们都挺友好。这里的老师也都乐意回答问题。
父亲：您知道，她是个出类拔萃的姑娘。
海蒂：爸爸！
15
FATHER: Very, very bright.
MRS.HIGGINS: Yes, now if we can get you to fill out --
FATHER: Don't know where she got her brains. Her mother, I suppose. Oh, I was bright enough. But nothing like HEIDI. All her teachers have told Mrs. Thompson -- that's her mother -- and me that she was just about the brightest --
MRS.HIGGINS: (Interrupts as she loses her patience, though trying to be pleasant) As I said, if you have proof of vaccinations --
FATHER: (Interrupts, carrying on with his line of thought) Besides being bright, she's very, very talented.
HEIDI: (Twists her hands over and over in front of her chest. ) Please, Daddy, don't do this. FATHER: Well, of course I will, darling. I'm proud of you. Your mother and I are proud of you.
(Turns back to MRS. HIGGINS. ) Why just last year, in her last year of junior high school, before we moved, Heidi placed first in the county in the annual spelling bee! Isn't that wonderful And she plays the piano like an angel. An absolute angel.
父亲：非常非常聪明！
希金斯太太：一定是的，现在你是不是能填一下……
父亲：不知道她怎么会这么聪明。我想是她母亲的遗传。哦，我也不笨。可没法跟海蒂比。教过她的老师都对汤普森太太，就是她妈，还有我说，她差不多是最聪明的一个……
希金斯太太：（不耐烦地打断，但口气仍尽量和缓）我刚才说了，如果你有疫苗接种证明……
父亲：（打断希金斯太太，沿着自己的思路讲下去）她不仅聪明，而且才华出众。
海蒂：（双手置于胸前，搓拧着）行了，爸爸，别说了。
父亲：啊，宝贝儿，我当然要说。我为你感到骄傲。我和你妈都为你感到骄傲。（转回身面向希金斯太太）嗳，就在去年，她初中最后一年，我们还没搬家的时候，海蒂在县里每年一度的拼单词比赛中得了第一名！了不起吧？而且她钢琴也弹得美妙之极。简直就是仙乐。
16
HEIDI: Daddy, please. Please, please. Daddy, I have to go to class. I want to go to class. Please let me go to class.
FATHER: See what I mean Such an eager learner. I can't imagine anyone's being more eager for knowledge than my Heidi. My little girl.
MRS.HIGGINS: Yes, well, be that as it may --
HEIDI: Aaargh! Aaaaargh! Aaaargh!
(DIANE and SEAN enter Down Right. They look at HEIDI, FATHER, and MRS. HIGGINS. )
HEIDI, DIANE and SEAN: (Shouting in unison) Daddy, you know better than that! FATHER: Er, uh, I do
(Curtain)
海蒂：爸爸，行了。求求你了，求求你了。爸爸，我得上课去了。我要去上课。请让我去上课吧。
父亲：瞧见了没有？一个多么好学的学生。我想不出还有谁比我家海蒂更好学了。我的好姑娘。
希金斯太太：是的，嗯，不过……
海蒂: 唉！唉！唉！
（黛安、肖恩从右前方上。两人望着海蒂、父亲和希金斯太太。）
海蒂、黛安、肖恩：（齐声喊）老爸，你这是干什么呀。
父亲：呃，嗯，是吗？
（幕落）
Unlike the father in the play which began this unit, here we have a father who is far better at seeing things from his son's point of view. As Merton shows, however, this does not always come easy.
与本单元开始的那场戏里的那位父亲不同，这里我们读到的是一位颇能设身处地为儿子着想的父亲。然而，正如默顿所描述的那样，要做到这点往往并非易事。
Unit4
Maia Szalavitz, formerly a television producer, now spends her time as a writer. In this essay she explores digital reality and its consequences. Along the way, she compares the digital world to the "real" world, acknowledging the attractions of the electronic dimension.
迈亚·塞拉维茨曾是电视制片人，目前从事写作。她在本文中探索了数字化世界及其后果。与此同时，她将数字化世界与真实世界做了比较，承认电子空间自有其魅力。
A Virtual Life
Maia Szalavitz 1 After too long on the Net, even a phone call can be a shock. My boyfriend's Liverpool accent suddenly becomes impossible to interpret after his easily understood words on screen; a secretary's clipped tone seems more rejecting than I'd imagined it would be. Time itself becomes fluid -- hours become minutes, or seconds stretch into days. Weekends, once a highlight of my week, are now just two ordinary days.
虚拟世界的生活
迈亚·塞拉维茨
在网上呆了太久，听到电话铃声也会吓一大跳。显示屏上看多了我男朋友那些一目了然的文字，他的利物浦口音一下子变得难以听懂；而秘书的清脆快速的语调听
上去比我想象的要生硬。时间本身变得捉摸不定——几小时变成几分钟，或几秒钟延伸为几天。周末原本是我一周的黄金时段，现在却不过是平平常常的两天。
2 For the last three years, since I stopped working as a television producer, I have done much of my work as a telecommuter. I submit articles and edit them via email and communicate with colleagues on Internet mailing lists. My boyfriend lives in England, so much of our relationship is also computer-assisted.
在我不再当电视制片人的这三年间，我的大部分工作都是在家里使用计算机终端进行的。我通过电子邮件投稿和校订，利用互联网上的人名地址与同行交流。我男朋友住在英国，因此两人的关系也在很大程度上借助于电脑维系。
3 If I desired, I could stay inside for weeks without wanting anything. I can order food, and manage my money, love and work. In fact, at times I have spent as long as three weeks alone at home, going out only to get mail and buy newspapers and groceries. I watched most of the endless snowstorm of '96 on TV.
我要是愿意的话，可以一连几个星期不出门而什么也不缺。我可以在网上订购食品、网上理财、网上恋爱、网上工作。事实上我有时独自呆在家里长达三个星期，只偶尔出去拿信、买报纸及日用品。1996年那一场接一场的暴风雪我大都是在电视上看到的。
4 But after a while, life itself begins to feel unreal. I start to feel as though I've become one with my machines, taking data in, spitting them back out, just another link in the Net. Others on line report the same symptoms. We start to feel an aversion to outside forms of socializing. We have become the Net critics' worst nightmare.
然而，一段时间之后，生活本身就显得不那么真实了。我开始觉得自己似乎与机器融为一体了，我接收信息，再发送出去，就如同互联网的一个连接点。其他上网的人也谈到了同样的症状。我们开始厌恶外面的社交方式。我们的状况成了批评互联网的人们最害怕见到的一幕。
5 What first seemed like a luxury, crawling from bed to computer, not worrying about hair, and clothes and face, has become a form of escape, a lack of discipline. And once you start replacing real human contact with cyber-interaction, coming back out of the cave can be quite difficult. 一下床就上机，不再为发型、服饰、面部化妆烦心，起初看似高级的享受如今却成为一种对生活的逃避，一种缺乏自律的表现。你一旦开始用网络交际取代人与人的真实接触，要走出这种穴居状态就会相当困难。
6 I find myself shyer, more cautious, more anxious. Or, conversely, when suddenly confronted with real live humans, I get overexcited, speak too much, interrupt. I constantly worry if I am dressed appropriately, that perhaps I've actually forgotten to put on a skirt and walked outside in the T-shirt and underwear I sleep and live in.
我发现自己变得比以前怯生、谨慎、焦虑。或者，反过来，当我突然面对现实中活生生的人时，会变得过于兴奋，说个不停，爱打断别人的讲话。我老是担心自己衣着是否得体，担心自己会不会真的忘了穿裙子，只穿着夜间睡觉、白天活动的那件T恤和内衣就出门了。
7 At times, I turn on the television and just leave it to talk away in the background, something that I'd never done previously. The voices of the programs are comforting, but then I'm jarred by the commercials. I find myself sucked in by soap operas, or needing to keep up with the latest news and the weather. "Dateline," "Frontline," "Nightline," CNN, New York 1, every possible angle of every story over and over and over, even when they are of no possible use to me. Work moves into the background. I decide to check my email.
有时我把电视机开着，让它作为背景声音一直响着，以前我从不这样做。电视节目中的说话声让人感到宽慰，可那些广告又叫我心烦。我发现自己沉浸在肥皂剧里，或者不停地收看最新的新闻报道和天气预报。一而再再而三地从“每日新闻”、“一线新闻”、“夜间新闻”、有线新闻电视网、纽约一套上收看有关每一条新闻的各种不同视角的报道，尽管它们对我毫无用处。工作成了次要的。我决定去看一下自己的电子信箱。
8 On line, I find myself attacking everyone in sight. I am bad-tempered, and easily angered. I find everyone on my mailing list insensitive, believing that they've forgotten that there are people actually reading their wounding remarks. I don't realize that I'm projecting until after I've been embarrassed by someone who politely points out that I've attacked her for agreeing with me.
在网上，我发现自己见谁攻谁。我脾气暴躁，动辄生气。我觉得我与之通信的每一个人都麻木不仁，认为他们已经忘却还有人真会去读他们那些刻薄伤人的言辞。直到有人礼貌地指出，她同意我的观点却遭到我的抨击时，我才意识到，自己是在以己度人，不由得深感尴尬。
9 When I'm in this state, I fight my boyfriend as well, misinterpreting his intentions because of the lack of emotional cues given by our typed dialogue. The fight takes hours, because the system keeps crashing. I say a line, then he does, then crash! And yet we keep on, doggedly.
在这种精神状态下，我也和男朋友吵架，常因键出的对话缺乏情感暗示而误解他的本意。由于系统常出故障，两人一争就是几个小时。我写一句，他回一句，接着系统失灵！可我们俩还是锲而不舍地接着吵。
10 I'd never realized how important daily routine is: dressing for work, sleeping normal hours. I'd never thought I relied so much on co-workers for company. I began to understand why long-term unemployment can be so damaging, why life without an externally supported daily plan can lead to higher rates of drug abuse, crime, suicide.
以前我从未意识到日常的生活起居是多么重要，如穿戴整齐去上班，按时就寝。以前我从未想过自己会那么依赖同事做伴。我开始理解为什么长时间的失业会那么伤人，为什么一个人的生活缺少了外部支持的日常计划就会导致吸毒、犯罪、自杀率的增长。
11 To restore balance to my life, I force myself back into the real world. I call people, arrange to meet with the few remaining friends who haven't fled New York City. I try to at least get to the gym, so as to set apart the weekend from the rest of my week. I arrange interviews for stories, doctor's appointments -- anything to get me out of the house and connected with others.
为了恢复生活的平衡，我强迫自己回到真实世界中去。我给别人打电话，与所剩无几的仍然住在纽约城的几个朋友安排见面。我至少设法去去健身房，以便使周末与工作日有所不同。我安排采访好写报道，预约看医生——安排任何需要我出门与他人接触的活动。
12 But sometimes being face to face is too much. I see a friend and her ringing laughter is intolerable -- the noise of conversation in the restaurant, unbearable. I make my excuses and flee. I re-enter my apartment and run to the computer as though it were a place of safety.
但有时面对面地与人相处实在难以忍受。我与一位朋友见面，她那种响亮的笑声让人忍无可忍——饭店里的噪杂谈话声也让人受不了。我找了个藉口逃之夭夭。我重新回到我的公寓，冲向电脑，似乎那儿才是一个安全的地方。
13 I click on the modem, the once-annoying sound of the connection now as pleasant as my favorite tune. I enter my password. The real world disappears.
我点击鼠标，打开调制解调器，曾经听了就烦的连接声此刻听起来就如同最心爱的曲子那么悦耳。我键入密码。真实世界转瞬便消逝了。
Thought you were safe sharing secrets with Internet friends Wait for the doorbell...
你以为与网友分享秘密不会出事儿吗？等着门铃响起来吧……
Unit5
Look at the following two sayings and then see if the story of Michael Stone bears out the points they make.
The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.
-- Molière
When it is dark enough, you can see the stars.
-- Charles A. Beard
读一读以下两则名言，想一想迈克尔·斯通的故事是否印证了其间的道理。
障碍越是巨大，逾越它也就越感自豪。
——莫里哀
只有天空漆黑时，你才可以看到星星。
——查尔斯·A·比尔德
True Height
David Naster 1 His palms were sweating. He needed a towel to dry his grip. The sun was as hot as the competition he faced today at the National Junior Olympics. The pole was set at 17 feet. That was three inches higher than his personal best. Michael Stone confronted the most challenging day of his pole-vaulting career.
真正的高度
大卫·纳史特
他手心在出汗。他需要用毛巾把握竿的手擦干。太阳火辣辣的，与他今天在全国少年奥林匹克运动会上所面临的竞争一样热烈。横杆升到了17英尺。比他个人的最高纪录高出3 英寸。迈克尔·斯通面临的是其撑竿跳高生涯中最具挑战性的一天。
2 The stands were still filled with about 20,000 people, even though the final race had ended an hour earlier. The pole vault is truly the highlight of any track and field competition. It combines the grace of a gymnast with the strength of a body builder. It also has the element of flying, and the thought of flying as high as a two-story building is a mere fantasy to anyone watching such an event.
尽管赛跑决赛一小时前就已经结束，看台上仍然观众满座，足有20,000人上下。撑竿跳高确实是所有田径比赛中最精彩的项目。它融合了体操运动员的优雅与健美运动员的力量。它还具有飞翔的特征，对观看该项目比赛的观众来说，飞跃两层楼的高度简直是一件不可思议的事情。
3 As long as Michael could remember he had always dreamed of flying. Michael's mother read him numerous stories about flying when he was growing up. Her stories were always ones that described the land from a bird's-eye view. Her excitement and passion for details made Michael's dreams full of color and beauty. Michael had this one recurring dream. He would be running down a country road. As he raced between golden wheat fields, he would always outrun the locomotives passing by. It was at the exact moment he took a deep breath that he began to lift off the ground. He would begin soaring like an eagle.
迈克尔自从能记事起就一直梦想着飞翔。从小到大，母亲给迈克尔念过无数关于飞翔的故事。她的故事总是从高空俯瞰描述大地。她对细节的激情和酷爱使得迈克尔的梦境色彩缤纷、绚丽无比。迈克尔总是重复做着一个梦。他在乡间大路上飞奔。当他奔跑在金色的麦田之间时，总是把开过的机车一路甩在身后。就在他深深吸上一口气的瞬间，他开始从地面一跃而起，就像一头雄鹰那样开始翱翔。
4 Where he flew would always coincide with his mother's stories. Wherever he flew was with a keen eye for detail and the free spirit of his mother's love. His dad, on the other hand, was not a dreamer. Bert Stone was a hard-core realist. He believed in hard work and sweat. His motto: If you want something, work for it!
他飞越的都是母亲故事里描述的地方。无论他飞向何方，他都怀着母爱所赐予他的自由精神，用敏锐的目光观察入微。可他的父亲却不是个梦想家。伯特·斯通是个彻头彻尾的现实主义者。他信奉的是努力与苦干。他的格言是：要想有所收获，就得努力工作！
5 From the age of 14, Michael did just that. He began a very careful training program. He worked out every other day with weightlifting, with some kind of running work on alternate days. The program was carefully monitored by Michael's coach, trainer and father. Michael's dedication, determination and discipline was a coach's dream. Besides being an honor student and only child, Michael Stone continued to help his parents with their farm chores. Mildred Stone, Michael's mother, wished he could relax a bit more and be that "free dreaming" little boy. On one occasion she attempted to talk to him and his father about this, but his dad quickly interrupted, smiled and said, "You want something, work for it!"
从14岁起，迈克尔就是这么做的。他开始按非常周密的计划训练。他每隔一天进行举重训练，其它的日子做些跑步训练。训练计划由迈克尔的教练、训练员兼父亲严加督导。迈克尔的投入、执着、自律正是每一个教练所梦寐以求的。迈克尔在学校是位优秀生，在家是个独生子，但他仍帮助父母在自家的农场上干些杂活。迈克尔的母亲米尔德里德·斯通希望他能更放松些，还是做那个“自由幻想”的小男孩。有一次，她试图跟他及其父亲好好谈一下，可当父亲的马上就打断了她，笑着说：“要想有所收获，就得努力工作！”
6 All of Michael's vaults today seemed to be the reward for his hard work. If Michael Stone was surprised, excited or vain about clearing the bar at 1
7 feet, you couldn't tell. As soon as he landed on the inflated landing mat, and with the crowd on its feet, Michael immediately began preparing for his next attempt at flight. He seemed unaware of the fact that he had just beaten his personal best by three inches and that he was one of the final two competitors in the pole-vaulting event at the National Junior Olympics.
迈克尔今天跃过的所有高度显然都是对他刻苦努力的回报。迈克尔·斯通在成功跃过17英尺的横杆时是感到惊讶、激动还是得意，人们无从知晓。迈克尔身体刚刚落在充气垫上，观众还没坐下，他马上就开始准备下一次飞跃。他似乎并未意识到自己刚刚把个人最好成绩提高了3英寸，已经是全国少年奥林匹克运动会撑竿跳高项目最后两名决赛者之一。
7 When Michael cleared the bar at 17 feet 2 inches and 17 feet 4 inches, again he showed no emotion. As he lay on his back and heard the crowd groan, he knew the other vaulter had missed his final jump. He knew it was time for his final jump. Since the other vaulter had fewer misses, Michael needed to clear this vault to win. A miss would get him second place. Nothing to be ashamed of, but Michael would not allow himself the thought of not winning first place.
当迈克尔成功跃过17英尺2英寸和17英尺4英寸高度的横杆时，他仍没有流露出丝毫感情。他仰面躺着，听到观众在叹息，他知道另一位撑竿跳运动员最后一跳没有成功。他知道自己最后一跳的时刻到了。由于那位运动员失败次数较少，迈克尔这一跳只有成功才能获胜。这一次跳不过就会使自己落到第二名。那也丝毫无愧，但迈克尔决不让自己产生哪怕一丝与冠军无缘的念头。
8 He rolled over and did his routine of three finger-tipped push-ups. He found his pole, stood and stepped on the runway that led to the most challenging event of his 17-year-old life.
他翻了个身，照例指尖撑地做了三下俯卧撑。他找着了撑竿，站起身，踏上那引向其17年生命中最具挑战性的一跃的跑道。
9 The runway felt different this time. It startled him for a brief moment. Then it all hit him like a wet bale of hay. The bar was set at nine inches higher than his personal best. That's only one inch off the National record, he thought. The intensity of the moment filled his mind with anxiety. He began shaking the tension. It wasn't working. He became more tense. Why was this happening to him now, he thought. He began to get nervous. Afraid would be a more accurate description. What was he going to do He had never experienced these feelings. Then out of nowhere, and from the deepest depths of his soul, he pictured his mother. Why now What was his mother doing in his thoughts at a time like this It was simple. His mother always used to tell him when you felt tense, anxious or even scared, take deep breaths.
这一回，那跑道显得有些异样。刹那间，他感到一阵惊吓。一种惶惑不安的感觉向他袭来。横杆升在高出他个人最高纪录9英寸的高度。他想，这一高度与全国纪录只差1英寸了。这一刻紧张异常，他感到焦虑不安。他想摆脱紧张情绪。没有用。他更紧张了。在这种时刻怎么会这样呢，他暗暗思忖着。他有点胆怯起来。说是恐惧也许更为恰当。怎么办？他以前从来不曾有过这种感觉。这时，不知不觉地，在内心最深处，出现了他母亲的身影。为什么是在这一刻？记忆中，母亲在这种时刻会怎样做呢？很简单。母亲过去总跟他说，当你觉得紧张、焦虑、甚至害怕的时候，就深深地吸气。
10 So he did. Along with shaking the tension from his legs, he gently laid his pole at his feet. He began to stretch out his arms and upper body. The light breeze that was once there was now gone. He carefully picked up his pole. He felt his heart pounding. He was sure the crowd did, too. The silence was deafening. When he heard the singing of some distant birds in flight, he knew it was his time to fly.
于是他深深吸了一口气。在摆脱腿部肌肉紧张的同时，他轻轻地把撑竿放在脚边。他开始舒展双臂和上身。刚才飘过一阵轻风，此刻消失了。他小心翼翼地拿起撑竿，只觉得心怦怦在跳。他相信观众们的心也在怦怦跳动。场上鸦雀无声，令人透不过气来。当他听见远处飞鸟啼鸣时，他知道，自己飞身起跃的时刻到了。
11 As he began sprinting down the runway, something felt wonderfully different, yet familiar. The surface below him felt like the country road he used to dream about. Visions of the golden wheat fields seemed to fill his thoughts. When he took a deep breath, it happened. He began to fly. His take-off was effortless. Michael Stone was now flying, just like in his childhood dreams. Only this time he knew he wasn't dreaming. This was real. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The air around him was the purest and freshest he had ever sensed. Michael was soaring like an eagle.
他沿着跑道起跑冲刺，那感觉奇特无比，妙不可言，而又似曾相识。脚下的地面就好似过去常常梦见的乡间大路。金色麦田的景象映现在他的脑海中。他深深吸了