现代大学英语精读1课本内容及翻译

Lesson One Half a Day

Naguib Mahfous

1. I walked alongside my father, clutching his right hand. All my clothes were new: the black shoes, the green school uniform,

and the red cap. They did not make me happy, however, as this was the day I was to be thrown into school for the first time.

2. My mother stood at the window watching our progress, and I turned towards her from time to time, hoping she would help.

We walked along a street lined with gardens, and fields planted with crops: pears, and date palms.

3. "Why school ?" I asked my father. "What have I done ?"

4. "I'm not punishing you, " he said, laughing. "School's not a punishment. It's a place that makes useful men out of boys.

Don' t you want to be useful like your brothers?"

5. I was not convinced. I did not believe there was really any good to be had in tearing me away from my home and throwing

me into the huge, high-walled building.

6. When we arrived at the gate we could see the courtyard, vast and full of boys and girls. "Go in by yourself, " said my

father, "and join them. Put a smile on your face and be a good example to others. "

7. I hesitated and clung to his hand, but he gently pushed me from him. "Be a man, " he said. "Today you truly begin life.

You will find me waiting for you when it's time to leave. "

8. I took a few steps. Then the faces of the boys and girls came into view. I did not know a single one of them, and none of

them knew me. I felt I was a stranger who had lost his way. But then some boys began to glance at me in curiosity, and one of them came over and asked, "Who brought you?"

9. "My father, " I whispered.

10. "My father's dead, " he said simply.

11. I did not know what to say. The gate was now closed. Some of the children burst into tears. The bell rang. A lady came

along, followed by a group of men. The men began sorting us into ranks. We were formed into an intricate pattern in the great courtyard surrounded by high buildings; from each floor we were overlooked by a long balcony roofed in wood.

12. "This is your new home, "said the woman. "There are mothers and fathers here, too. Everything that is enjoyable and

beneficial is here. So dry your tears and face life joyfully. "

13. Well, it seemed that my misgivings had had no basis. From the first moments I made many friends and fell in love with

many girls. I had never imagined school would have this rich variety of experiences.

14. We played all sorts of games. In the music room we sang our first songs. We also had our first introduction to language.

We saw a globe of the Earth, which revolved and showed the various continents and countries. We started learning

numbers, and we were told the story of the Creator of the universe. We ate delicious food, took a little nap, and woke up to go on with friendship and love, playing and learning.

15. Our path, however, was not totally sweet and unclouded. We had to be observant and patient. It was not all a matter of

playing and fooling around. Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting. And while the lady would sometimes smile, she would often yell and scold. Even more frequently she would resort to physical punishment.

16. In addition, the time for changing one' s mind was over and gone and there was no question of ever returning to the

paradise of home. Nothing lay ahead of us but exertion, struggle, and perseverance. Those who were able took advantage of the opportunities for success and happiness that presented themselves.

17. The bell rang, announcing the passing of the day and the end of work. The children rushed toward the gate, which was

opened again. I said goodbye to friends and sweethearts and passed through the gate. I looked around but found no trace of my father, who had promised to be there. I stepped aside to wait. When I had waited for a long time in vain, I decided to return home on my own. I walked a few steps, then came to a startled halt. Good Lord! Where was the street lined with gardens? Where had it disappeared to? When did all these cars invade it? And when did all these people come to rest on its surface? How did these hills of rubbish find their way to cover its sides? And where were the fields that bordered it? High buildings had taken over, the street was full of children, and disturbing noises shook the air. Here and there stood conjurers showing off their tricks or making snakes appear from baskets. Then there was a band announcing the opening of a circus, with clowns and weight lifters walking in front.

18. Good God! I was in a daze. My head spun. I almost went crazy. How could all this have happened in half a day, between

early morning and sunset? I would find the answer at home with my father. But where was my home? I hurried towards the crossroads, because I remembered that I had to cross the street to reach our house, but the stream of cars would not let up.

Extremely irritated, I wondered when I would be able to cross.

19. I stood there a long time, until the young boy employed at the ironing shop on the corner came up to me.

20. He stretched out his arm and said, "Grandpa, let me take you across."

第一课半日

1我走在父亲的一侧，牢牢地抓着他的右手。我身上穿的，戴的全是新的：黑鞋子，绿校服，红帽子。然儿我一点儿也高兴不起来，因为今天我将第一次被扔到学校里去。

2母亲站在窗前望着我们缓缓前行，我也不时的回头看她，希望她会救我。我们沿着街道走着，街道两旁是花园和田野，田野里栽满了梨树和椰枣树。

3“我为什么要去上学？”我问父亲，“是我做错了什么了吗？”

4“我不是在惩罚你，”父亲笑着说道，“上学不是一种惩罚。学校是把孩子培养成才的地方。难道你不想象你哥哥们那样，成为一个有用的人吗？”

5我不相信他的话。我才不相信把我从家里拽出来，扔进那个大大的，高墙围绕的建筑里对我有什么真正的好处呢。

6到了学校门口，我们看到了宽阔的庭院，站满了孩子。“自己进去吧，”我父亲说，“加入他们。笑一笑，给其他的孩子做个好榜样。”

7我紧抓着父亲的手，犹豫不决。但是父亲却把我轻轻地推开了。“拿出点男子气概来，”他说，“从今天起你就要真正开始自己的生活了。放学时我会在这等你的。”

8我走了几步，便看见了一些孩子的面孔。他们中我一个也不认识。他们也没有一个认识我的。我感觉自己像是一个迷了路的陌生人。然而这时有些男孩开始好奇的打量我，其中一个走过来问到，“谁带你来的？”

9“我爸爸”我小声说道。

10“我爸爸死了，”他简短地说。

11我不知道该说些什么。这时学校的门已经关上了，有些孩子哭了起来。接着，铃响了，一位女士走了过来，后面跟着一群男人。那些人把我们排成几行。使我们形成一个错综复杂的队行，站在那四周高楼耸立的院子里。每层楼都有长长的阳台，阳台上带有木制顶棚，从阳台上可以俯视到我们。

12“这是你们的新家，”那位女士说道，“这儿有你们的父母。一切能带给你们快乐，对你们有益的事物，这儿都有。因此擦干你们的眼泪，快快乐乐地面对生活。”

13这样看来我之前的顾虑都是毫无根据的了。从一开始我就结交了许多朋友，并且爱上了许多女孩。我从未想过学校的生活是如此丰富多彩。

14我们玩着各种各样的游戏，在音乐室里我们唱着第一次学会的歌。我们第一次接触到了语言的学习。我们看见了一个地球仪，旋转它，便能看见世界上的各个大洲和国家的名称。我们还开始学习数字，听老师将造物主的故事。吃过美味的食物，小睡之后，我们醒来又继续在友谊和爱之中嬉戏，学习。

15然而，校园生活并不是完全甜蜜和阳光普照的。我们还必须遵守纪律，耐心听讲。学校生活也不光是嬉戏和无所事事。同学间的竞争还可能引起痛苦，仇恨，甚至打斗。虽然那位女士有时面带微笑，但也经常会对我们大声吼叫并责骂我们，甚至，更常见的是体罚我们。

16另外，我们再也不能改变主意，再也不能回到天堂般的家里了。摆在我们面前的只有努力奋斗和坚持不懈。一旦机会来了那些有能力的人就会抓住它们去获取成功和幸福。

17铃响了，宣告一天学校生活的结束。孩子们匆匆奔向大门，这时大门被打开了。我向我的朋友和“女友们”告完别，走出了校门。我四处张望却没发现父亲的踪影。他答应我会在校门外等我的。于是我走到一边去等他。当我等了好久，他也没来的时候，我决定自己回家。我走了几步，却惊奇地站住了。我的天哪!那条两边是花园的街道怎么不见了？消失到哪里去了？是什么时候这些车辆闯到马路上的？又是什么时候这些人来到街道上歇憩的？这一座座垃圾堆又是怎样堆到街道两旁的？街道旁的田野又到哪里去了？取而代之的是林立的高楼。街道上挤满了孩子。嘈杂声震荡着空气。街头巷尾站着杂耍艺人，他们或玩着戏法，或是让蛇从篮子里出现。接着，一个乐队奏起了音乐，宣布马戏表演的开始，小丑和举重大力士走在前面。

18我的天!我感觉一片茫然，头晕目眩，几乎快要疯了。这一切怎么可能就在从清晨到日落的这半天时间里发生？或许回到家，父亲会告诉我答案的。但是，我的家又在哪里？我赶紧奔向十字路口，因为我记得要穿过那条街道才能到家，但车流不息，我极为恼怒，我知何时才可以过去。

19我久久的站在那里，直到在街道熨衣店里工作的小男孩向我走来。

20他伸出手臂来说道：“爷爷，我扶您过马路吧。”

单元测验：

Quiz

Explain the following words and phrases in English

1.take sb. across

2.beneficial

3.cling to

4. conjurer

5.convince

6.curiosity

7.daze 8.exertion 9.halt

10.intricate 11.irritated 12.misgiving

13.observant 14.overlook 15.perseverance

16.rank 17.revolve 18.scold

19.startled 20. in vain

Keys

1.take sb. to the other side

https://www.sodocs.net/doc/8617133112.html,eful

3. to hold closely; refuse to let go

4. a magician

5. to make sb. believe; to persuade

6. the desire to learn and know

7. a condition of being unable to think or feel clearly

8. effort 9. a stop or pause

10. very complicated 11. annoyed

12. feelings of doubt and fear 13. careful to observe (rules)

14. to see a place from a building or window

15. to keep trying to do sth. in spite of the difficulties 16. a line (of people)

17.to move or turn in a circle around a central point

18. to angrily criticize sb. , especially a child

19. surprised and often slightly frightened 20. without result

Lesson Two Going Home

Pete Hamill

1. They were going to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. There were six of them, three boys and three girls, and they got on the bus at

34th Street, carrying sandwiches and wine in paper bags. They were dreaming of golden beaches and sea tides as the grey, cold spring of New York vanished behind them. Vingo was on the bus from the beginning.

2. As the bus passed through New Jersey, they began to notice that Vingo never moved. He sat in front of the young people,

his dusty face masking his age, dressed in a plain brown suit that did not fit him. His fingers were stained from cigarettes and he chewed the inside of his lip a lot. He sat in complete silence and seemed completely unaware of the existence of the others.

3. Deep into the night, the bus pulled into a Howard Johnson's restaurant and everybody got off the bus except Vingo. The

young people began to wonder about him, trying to imagine his life: perhaps he was a sea captain; maybe he had run away from his wife; he could be an old soldier going home. When they went back to the bus, one of the girls became so curious that she decided to engage him in a conversation. She sat down beside him and introduced herself.

4. "We're going to Florida," the girl said brightly. "You going that far?"

5. "I don't know," Vingo said.

6. "I've never been there," she said. " I hear it's beautiful."

7. "It is," he said quietly, as if remembering something he had tried to forget.

8. "You live there?"

9. "I was there in the Navy, at the base in Jacksonville".

10. "Want some wine?" she said. He smiled and took a swig from the bottle. He thanked her and retreated again into his silence.

After a while, she went back to the others as Vingo nodded in sleep.

11. In the morning they awoke outside another Howard Johnson's and this time Vingo went in. The girl insisted that he join

them. He seemed very shy and ordered black coffee and smoked nervously, as the young people chattered about sleeping on beaches. When they got back on the bus, the girl sat with Vingo again. After a while, slowly and painfully, he began to tell his story. He had been in jail in New York for the last four years, and now he was going home.

12. "Are you married?"

13. "I don' t know."

14. "You don't know?" she said.

15. "Well, when I was in jail I wrote to my wife. I said, 'Martha, I understand if you can't stay married to me.' I said I was

going to be away a long time, and that if she couldn't stand it, if the kids kept asking questions, if it hurt her too much, well, she could just forget me. Get a new guy—she's a wonderful woman, really something—and forget about me. I told her she didn't have to write to me or anything, and she didn't. Not for three-and-a-half years."

16. "And you're going home now, not knowing?"

17. "Yeah," he said shyly. "Well, last week, when I was sure the parole was coming through I wrote her again. I told her that if

she had a new guy, I understood. But, if she didn't, if she would take me back she should let me know. We used to live in Brunswick, and there' s a great oak tree just as you come into town. I told her if she would take me back, she should tie a yellow ribbon to the tree, and I would get off and come home. If she didn't want me, forget it, no ribbon and I'd understand and keep going on through."

18. "Wow," the girl said. "Wow."

19. She told the others, and soon all of them were caught up in the approach of Brunswick, looking at the pictures Vingo

showed them of his wife and three children. Now they were 20 miles from Brunswick, and the young people took the

window seats on the right side, waiting for the approach of the great oak tree. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face into the ex-con's mask, as if fortifying himself against still another disappointment. Then it was 10 miles, and then five, and the bus became very quiet.

20. Then suddenly all of the young people were up out of their seats, screaming and shouting and crying, doing small dances,

shaking clenched fists in triumph and exaltation. All except Vingo.

21. Vingo sat there stunned, looking at the oak tree through his misty eyes. The tree was covered with yellow ribbons, 30 of

them, 50 of them, maybe hundreds, a tree that stood like a banner of welcome, blowing and billowing in the wind. As the young people shouted, the old con slowly rose from his seat, holding himself tightly, and made his way to the front of the bus to go home.

第二课回家

皮特·哈米尔

1 他们准备去佛罗里达州的劳德岱尔堡。一行六人，三个男孩，三个女孩，拎着装满三明治和葡萄酒的纸带，在第34街上了公共汽车。他们正梦想着（佛罗里达）金色的海滩和海潮，纽约那灰暗寒冷的春天在他们身后消失得了无踪迹。温戈一开始就在车上。

2 当汽车穿过新泽西州时，他们开始注意到温戈从未挪过地方。他坐在这群年轻人的前面，身着不合体的浅棕色套装，满是灰尘的脸使人无法看出他的实际年龄。过多地吸烟使他的手指成了黄色，他不停地咬着下唇，安静地坐在那儿，好像完全没有意识到其他人的存在。

3 到了深夜，汽车开到一家霍德华·约翰逊连锁餐饮店前停了下来，所有的人都下了车，除了温戈。那群年轻人开始对他产生了好奇，试着猜想他的生活阅历：或许他是个船长，或许他是从他妻子身边逃出来的，或许他是个退役回家的老兵。当他们回到车上时，其中一个女孩忍不住内心的好奇，决定和他聊聊天。于是她坐到了他的身旁，做了一下自我介绍。

4 “我们要去佛罗里达，”那个女孩欢快地说，“你也要去那么远吗？”

“我不知道。”温戈说道。

“我从未去过那儿，”她说，“听说那儿很美。”

“是的。”他轻声地说，好像想起了他试图想要忘记的事情。

“你住在哪儿？”

“我在那儿的海军服过役，是在杰克逊维尔德海军基地。”

“你想喝点儿酒吗？”她说，他笑了笑拿起酒瓶喝了一大口。道过谢后，他又陷入了沉默。过了一会儿，温戈大气瞌睡，于是那个女孩又回到了她的同伴当中。

5 到了早上，当他们醒来的时候，车停在了另一个霍德华·约翰逊连锁餐饮店前面，这一次温戈进去了。那个女孩坚持要求他加入他们年轻人。他看起来很腼腆，要了杯浓咖啡后就神情局促地抽起了烟，而年轻人们则喋喋不休地谈起了在海滩上睡大觉的事。当他们回到车上，那个女孩又同温戈坐到了一起。过了一会儿，他就开始讲起了他的故事，语速缓慢且神情痛苦。在过去的四年里他一直在纽约的监狱里服刑，现在他要回家了。

6 “你成家了吗？”

“我不知道。”

“你不知道？”她说。

7 “是的。我在监狱时曾经给我的妻子写过信，我说：‘玛莎，如果你想和我离婚，我能理解。’我说我要离开很长一段时间，如果他无法忍受，如果孩子们不停地问这问那，如果这对她的伤害非常大的话，那么，她可以把我忘了。再找个男人——她是个非常不错的女人，真的不一般——然后把我忘了。我告诉她不必给我写信或以其他的方式与我联系，她也确实没再和我联系。就这样已经三年半了。”

8 “那么你现在要回家啰，而什么都还不知道？”

9 “是的，”他不好意思地说，“上个星期，当我确切地知道我很快就会被假释的时候，我又给她写了封信。我告诉她如果她另外有人了，我理解。但是，如果她没有，如果她愿意接受我回家，要告诉我。我们过去一直住在布朗兹威克，在进镇的地方有一颗大橡树，我告诉她如果她希望我回家，就在树上系一条黄色丝带，这样我就会下车回家。如果她不接受我，就忘记这一切，也不必再系黄丝带，我也就知道了，我就随着汽车一直坐下去。”

“啊，”那个女孩感叹道，“啊，原来这样。”

10 她把温戈的故事告诉了其他人，在区布朗兹威克的路上，他们看着温戈拿出的他妻子和三个孩子的照片，很快都被深深地触动了。现在他们里布朗兹威克还有20英里了。那群年轻人都坐到车上右侧靠窗的座位，期待着看到那棵大橡树。温戈将目光从车窗移开，脸绷得紧紧的，又恢复了之前那副假释犯的冷漠神情，好像在鼓足勇气去面对又一次的失望、打击。离布朗兹威克只有10英里了，只有5英里了，车内一片寂静。

11 突然所有的年轻人都从他们的座位上跳了起来，大声叫着、喊着、欢呼着，手舞足蹈，摇晃着紧握的拳头以示胜利和兴奋，除了温戈。

12 温戈坐在那儿，惊呆了，泪眼婆娑地望着那棵橡树。树上系满了黄丝带，有30条，有50条，也许有上百条，那棵树像一面欢迎的旗帜屹立在那儿随风飘扬。在年轻人欢呼时，那位老囚徒缓缓地从座位上站起来，用力地支撑着自己，走到了车的前部，踏上了回家的路。

单元测验：

Quiz

Answer the following questions:

1. What do you think Vingo had done that got him in prison?

2. What kind of person do you think V ingo's wife was? Why didn’t she write Vingo?

3. Do you agree the yellow ribbon id a symbol? What does it symbolize? What did it mean to Vingo?

4. What lesson do you think the young people can learn from Vingo’s story?

Keys

1.We can assume that he had committed a minor crime, probably a fight.

2.She must have been a loving wife and mother. She didn’t answer Vingo’s second letter because she wanted t give her husband

a pleasant surprise, Also she probably wanted to think the matter over seriously. After all, it was a big decision to make even though she might not have thought of any other choice. Perhaps she had to talk with her children too to prepare them for meeting a father who had been away for so long.

3.Yes. It symbolizes “welcome home”.For Vingo it also meant forgiveness and a new start. It gave him something to live for after prison and strengthened his determination to turn over a new leaf.

4. Life is not always rosy. It is an opportunity if you are willing to try again.

Lesson Three Message of the Land

Pira Sudham

1. Yes, these are our rice fields. They belonged to my parents and forefathers. The land is more than three centuries old. I'm

the only daughter in our family and it was I who stayed with my parents till they died. My three brothers moved out to their

wives' houses when they got married. My husband moved into our house as is the way with us in Esarn. I was then eighteen and he was nineteen. He gave me six children. Two died in infancy from sickness. The rest, two boys and two girls, went away as soon as we could afford to buy jeans for them. Our oldest son got a job as a gardener in a rich man's home in Bangkok but later an employment agency sent him to a foreign land to work. My other son also went far away.

2. One of our daughters is working in a textile factory in Bangkok, and the other has a job in a store. They come home to see

us now and then, stay a few days, and then they are off again. Often they send some money to us and tell us that they are doing well. I know this is not always true. Sometimes, they get bullied and insulted, and it is like a knife piercing my heart.

It's easier for my husband. He has ears which don't hear, a mouth which doesn't speak, and eyes that don't see. He has always been patient and silent, minding his own life.

3. All of them remain my children in spite of their long absence. Maybe it's fate that sent them away from us. Our piece of

land is small, and it is no longer fertile, bleeding year after year and, like us, getting old and exhausted. Still my husband and I work on this land. The soil is not difficult to till when there is a lot of rain, but in a bad year, it's not only the ploughs that break but our hearts, too.

4. No, we two haven't changed much, but the village has. In what way? Only ten years ago, you could barter for things, but

now it's all cash. Years ago, you could ask your neighbors to help build your house, reap the rice or dig a well. Now they'll do it only if you have money to pay them. Plastic things replace village crafts. Men used to make things with fine bamboo pieces, but no longer. Plastic bags litter the village. Shops have sprung up, filled with colorful plastic things and goods we have no use for. The young go away to towns and cities leaving us old people to work on the land. They think differently, I know, saying that the old are old-fashioned. All my life, I have never had to go to a hairdresser, or to paint my lips or nails.

These rough fingers and toes are for working in the mud of our rice fields, not for looking pretty. Now young girls put on jeans, and look like boys and they think it is fashionable. Why, they are willing to sell their pig or water buffalo just to be able to buy a pair of jeans. In my day, if I were to put on a pair of trousers like they do now, lightning would strike me.

5. I know, times have changed, but certain things should not change. We should offer food to the monks every day, go to the

temple regularly. Young people tend to leave these things to old people now, and that's a shame.

6. Why, only the other day I heard a boy shout and scream at his mother. If that kind of thing had happened when I was

young, the whole village would have condemned such an ungrateful son, and his father would surely have given him a good beating.

7. As for me, I wouldn't change, couldn't change even if I wanted to. Am I happy or unhappy? This question has never

occurred to me. Life simply goes on. Yes, this bag of bones dressed in rags can still plant and reap rice from morning till dusk. Disease, wounds, hardship and scarcity have always been part of my life. I don't complain.

8. The farmer: My wife is wrong. My eyes do see—they see more than they should. My ears do hear—they hear more than is

good for me. I don't talk about what I know because I know too much. I know for example, greed, anger, and lust are the root of all evils.

9. I am at peace with the land and the conditions of my life. But I feel a great pity for my wife. I have been forcing silence

upon her all these years, yet she has not once complained of anything.

10. I wanted to have a lot of children and grandchildren around me but now cities and foreign lands have attracted my children

away and it seems that none of them will ever come back to live here again. To whom shall I give these rice fields when I die? For hundreds of years this strip of land has belonged to our family. I know every inch of it. My children grew up on it, catching frogs and mud crabs and gathering flowers. Still the land could not tie them down or call them back. When each of them has a pair of jeans, they are off like birds on the wing.

11. Fortunately, my wife is still with me, and both of us are still strong. Wounds heal over time. Sickness comes and goes, and

we get back on our feet again. I never want to leave this land. It's nice to feel the wet earth as my fingers dig into the soil, planting rice, to hear my wife sighing, "Old man, if I die first, I shall become a cloud to protect you from the sun." It's good to smell the scent of ripening rice in November. The soft cool breeze moves the sheaves, which ripple and shimmer like waves of gold. Yes, I love this land and I hope one of my children comes back one day to live, and gives me grandchildren so that I can pass on the land's secret messages to them.

第三课土地的讯息

1是的，这些都是我们的稻田。它们曾属于我的父母和祖辈。这片土地有三百多年的历史了。我是家里唯一的女孩。所以，我一直陪在父母身边直到他们去世。我的三个兄弟结婚以后就都搬到他们的女人家里去了。按照我们伊萨恩的风俗，我男人进了我们家的门。那时我18岁，他19岁。我们生了六个孩子，有两个孩子在襁褓中就病死了，剩下的两个男孩和两个女孩在我们能为他们买得起牛仔裤的时候，就离开了家门。我的大儿子在曼谷的一个有钱人家里做圆丁，后来一家劳务所介绍送他到国外干活去了。我的小儿子离家也很远。

2我们的一个女儿现在在曼谷的一家纺织厂上班，另一个女儿在一家商店里工作。他们偶尔回家来看我们，待上几天就又走了。他们经常寄钱给我们并告诉我们他们过得很好。我知道这并不全是真的。有时，（当我知道）它们受欺负受侮辱时，我就心如刀割。而这一切对于我的男人来说就好过些，他有一对听不见的耳朵、一张不说话的嘴和一双看不见的眼睛。他总是不紧不慢，沉默寡言，自个儿过日子。

3虽然孩子们长时间不在家，但他们始终是我的孩子，也许是命运让他们离开了我们。我们的这片土地很小，也不再肥沃，就像我们一样，一年年地被榨干了血，慢慢上了年纪，渐渐精疲力竭了。而我和我的男人还在这片土地上耕作。当雨水多的时候土地还不难耕种，可要是赶上干旱，干硬的土地不仅使我们的犁耕碎了，我们的心也碎了。

4是的，我们两口子一直没怎么变，可是我们的村子却变了很多。怎么变了？就在十年前你还可以和别人换东西，可现在就得用现金了。几年前你还可以喊你的邻居们帮你盖房子、割麦子或挖口井。但现在只有付钱给他们，他们才干。塑料制品代替了村里的手工做的东西。过去男人们常常用好的竹简做东西，但现在已经不再做了。塑料袋扔的村里哪儿都是。还突然冒出些商店，里面摆满了五颜六色的塑料制品和对我们没有用的东西。年轻人离开了家去了城镇，留下我们这些上了年纪的人种田。我知道他们的想法和我们不同，他们说我们岁数大的人跟不上时代。我这一辈子从来没说非得去理发店或者涂唇膏，染指甲。我这粗手粗脚是用来在稻田里的泥地里干活的，而不是摆样子好看的。现在的年轻姑娘们穿上了牛仔裤，看着像小伙子，可她们却认为这是时髦。哦，只为了能买条牛仔裤，她们宁愿卖掉猪或水牛。我年轻的时候要是能穿上她们那样的裤子，准得遭雷劈。

5我知道时代已经变了，但是有些东西是不该变的，我们还应该每天为僧人提供吃的，定期去寺庙上香。现在的年轻人往往把这些事留给上了岁数的人去做，这真是太不像话了。

6就在前些天，我听见一个小男孩朝着他母亲大声喊叫。如果这件事发生在我小的时候，全村人都会责骂这个没良心的儿子，他的父亲准会狠狠地抽他一顿。

7至于我，是不会变了，就是我想变也是不可能了。我幸不幸福？我从来没想过这个问题。生活简简单单地过着。是的，我这把裹着破烂衣衫枯瘦如柴的老骨头还能从早到晚地在地里耕作。疾病、伤痛、艰难还有穷困始终伴随着我的一生。我没有怨言。

8农夫：我老伴错了。我的眼睛看得见——看到了许多它们所不应该看到的。我的耳朵也听得到——听到了许多它们不应该听到的。我没有将我所知道地说出来，因为我知道的太多了。我知道诸如贪婪、愤怒和欲望是一切邪恶的根源。

9对于这片土地，对于我的生活境况我感到满足。但对于老伴，觉得对不住她，这些年来我一直对她沉默寡言，而她从未抱怨过什么。

10我希望自己身边儿孙成群，但如今城里和国外的生活吸引着他们，让他们离开了我们。看来他们没有一个是会再回到这生活了。那我死后这些稻田该留给谁呢？几百年来我们家一直拥有这块土地。我熟悉我的每一寸土地。我的孩

子就是在这儿长大的，他们捉青蛙、逮泥螃蟹、采花朵。但是这片土地还是没有能够拴住他们或是召回他们。当他们每人有了一条牛仔裤，就像鸟儿一样飞走了。

11幸运的事，我老伴还在我身边，我们俩身体还很硬朗。过一段时间伤口也就愈合了。疾病来了又去，接着我们又能站起来。我从未想过要离开这片土地。我喜欢将我的手插进潮湿的泥地里栽稻子。我喜欢听我的老伴叹息道：“老头子，如果我先死了，我要变成一片云来为你遮太阳。”我喜欢闻11月份稻米成熟散发的香味。凉爽的清风吹拂着水稻，水稻像金色的海浪一样起伏着。是的，我爱这片土地，我希望有一天有个孩子会回来生活，给我生几个孙子孙女，这样我就可以把这片土地的讯息传递给他们了。

Lesson Four The Boy and the Bank Officer

Philip Ross

1. I have a friend who hates banks with a special passion. "A bank is just a store like a candy store or a grocery store", he

says . "The only difference is that a bank's goods happen to be money, which is yours in the first place. If banks were

required to sell wallets and money belts, they might act less like churches."

2. I began thinking about my friend the other day as I walked into a small, over lighted branch office on the West Side. I had

come to open a checking account.

3. It was lunchtime and the only officer on duty was a fortyish black man with short, pressed hair, a pencil mustache, and a

neatly pressed brown suit. Everything about him suggested a carefully dressed authority.

4. This officer was standing across a small counter from a young white boy who was wearing a V-necked sweater, khakis,

and loafers. He had sandy hair, and I think I was especially aware of him because he looked more like a kid from a prep school than a customer in a West Side bank.

5. The boy continued to hold my attention because of what happened next.

6. He was holding an open savings-account book and wearing an expression of open dismay. "But I don't understand," he was

saying to the officer. "I opened the account myself, so why can't I withdraw any money?"

7. "I've already explained to you," the officer told him, "that a fourteen-year-old is not allowed to withdraw money without a

letter from his parents."

8. "But that doesn't seem fair," the boy said, his voice breaking. "It's my money, I put it in. It's my account."

9. "I know it is," the officer said, "but those are the rules. Now if you'll excuse me."

10. He turned to me with a smile. "May I help you, sir?"

11. I didn't think twice. "I was going to open a new account," I said, "but after seeing what's going on here, I think I've changed

my mind."

12. "Excuse me?" he said.

13. "Look," I said. "If I understand what's going on here correctly, what you're saying is that this boy is old enough to deposit

his money in your bank but he's not old enough to withdraw it. And since there doesn't seem to be any question as to

whether it's his money or his account, the bank's so-called policy is clearly ridiculous."

14. "It may seem ridiculous to you," he replied in a voice rising slightly in irritation, "but that is the bank's policy and I have no

other choice but to follow the rules".

15. The boy had stood hopefully next to me during this exchange, but now I was just as helpless. Suddenly I noticed that the

open savings book he continued to grasp showed a balance of about $100. It also showed that there had been a series of small deposits and withdrawals.

16. I had my opening.

17. "Have you withdrawn money before by yourself?" I asked the boy.

18. "Yes," he said.

19. I moved in for the kill.

20. "How do you explain that?" I zeroed in on the officer. "Why did you let him withdraw money before, but not now?"

21. He looked annoyed. "Because the tellers were not aware of his age before and now they are. It's really very simple".

22. I turned to the boy with a shrug. "You're really getting cheated," I said. "You ought to get your parents to come in here and

protest."

23. The boy looked destroyed. Silently, he put his savings book in a rear-pocket and walked out of the bank.

24. The officer turned to me. "You know," he said, "you really shouldn't have interfered."

25. "Shouldn't have interfered?" I shouted. "Well, it damn well seemed to me that he needed someone to represent his

interests."

26. "Someone was representing his interests," he said softly.

27. "And who might that be?"

28. "The bank."

29. I couldn't believe what this idiot was saying. "Look," I concluded, "we're just wasting each other's time. But maybe you'd

like to explain exactly how the bank was representing that boy's interests?"

30. "Certainly," he said. "We were informed this morning that some neighborhood bully has been shaking this boy down for

more than a month. The other guy was forcing him to take money out every week and hand it over. The poor kid was apparently too scared to tell anyone. That's the real reason he was so upset. He was afraid of what the other guy would do to him. Anyway, the police are on the case and they'll probably make an arrest today."

31. "You mean there is no rule about being too young to withdraw money from a savings account?"

32. "Not that I ever heard of. Now, sir, what can we do for you?"

第四课男孩和银行职员

1我有一位朋友特别讨厌银行。他说：“银行就是个商店，和糖果店或杂货店一样。唯一的区别就是银行的商品碰巧是钱。首先，钱还是你的。如果要银行去卖钱包和钱夹，他们表现得就不会有教堂那样的架势了。”

2几天前，我走进位于纽约曼哈顿西区的一家支行时，想到了我的那位朋友。这家支行面积不大，灯火辉煌。我来是要开一个活期存款账户的。

3当时正是吃午饭的时间，银行只有一个职员值班。他是个四十来岁的黑人，梳着短短的平头，留着一字胡，穿这一身整洁熨烫过的棕色西装。他的浑身上下都显示出他是个注意着装，有身分地位的人。

4这位职员站在一个小柜台内，面对着一个白人小男孩，小男孩穿着一件V字领的毛衣，一条卡其布裤子和一双平底便鞋。他有一头浅棕色头发。我想我之所以特别注意他，是因为他看起来更像是一个来自预科学校的孩子，而不是西区银行的客户。

5我之所以继续注意那个男孩是因为接着发生的事。

6他拿着一张敞开的定期储蓄账户存折，神情沮丧失望。“但是我不明白，”他对那位职员说道，“我自己开的户，可为什么我不能取钱呢？”

7“我已经向你解释过了，”那位职员对他说，“没有父母写的字条，一个十四岁的孩子是不允许取钱的。”

8“但那听起来不公平，”那个男孩说，都语不成声了，“那是我的钱，是我存的，是我的账户。”

9“我知道，”那个职员说，“但那是银行的规定，请原谅。”

10他转向我，面带微笑地说，“先生，我能为您做点什么？”

11我没多想。“我原来准备开个新账户的，”我说，“但是看到了刚才发生的事，我想我已经改变主意了。”

12“我不明白，请原谅。”他说。

13“喂，”我说，“如果我对这儿刚刚发生的事情理解正确的话，那么你是在说，按照这个男孩的年龄，他可以在你们银行存钱但不能取钱。既然从前是不是他的或者帐户是不是他的这个方面来看，好像没有任何问题，那么你们银行的所谓政策是在是荒唐可笑。”

14“这在你看来也许是荒谬，”他回答说，在愤怒中他的嗓门稍微抬高了些，“但是那是银行的政策，我别无选择，只能照章办事。”

15在我们口舌交锋中，那小男孩满怀希望的站在我的旁边，但现在我也和他一样没招了。突然我发现，他始终抓在手中的那张敞开的存折上显示出大约有100美元的余额，同时还显示出一些小额账目的存取记录。

16我有机会了。

17“以前你自己取过钱吗？”我问那个男孩。

18“有过”，他说。

19我抛出了杀手锏。

20“你对此怎么解释？”我把矛头直接对准了那个银行职员，“为什么以前你们让他取钱，而现在不行了呢?”

21他看起来被惹恼了。“因为以前出纳员没有意识到他的年龄，现在他们意识到了，就这么简单。”

22我耸了耸肩转向那个男孩：“你真的上当了，”我说，“你一定要让你的父母到这儿来抗议。”

23那个男孩看来是被击垮了。一言不发地把将定期存折放入后裤兜里，走出了银行。

24那位职员转过来对我说：“你看，你真的不该干涉。”

25“不该干涉？”我喊道，“在我看来，他真的需要有人来代表他的利益。”

26“有人正在代表他的利益。”

27“那个人会是谁呢？”

28“银行。”

29我真不敢相信这白痴说的是什么。“听着，”我最后说道，“我们只是在相互浪费对方的时间。但是也许你愿意确切的解释一下银行是如何代表那个男孩的利益的？”

30“当然可以，”他说，“今天早上我们得到通知，说附近有个流氓一个月以来一直在勒索这个小男孩。那家伙一直逼着他每周从银行取钱交给他。这个可怜的孩子显然吓得不敢跟任何人说。那才是他如此不安的真正原因。他害怕那个家伙会对他做出什么。不管怎样，警察正在调查这个案子，他们可能会在今天捉拿那个家伙。”

31“你是说没有关于年龄太小而不能从定期储蓄账户取钱的规定？”

32“我从未听说过。先生，现在我能为您做点什么？”

Lesson Five Angels on a Pin

Alexander Calandra

1. Some time ago, I received a call from Jim, a colleague of mine, who teaches physics. He asked me if I would do him a

favor and be the referee on the grading of an examination question. I said sure, but I did not quite understand why he should need my help. He told me that he was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physics question, but the student protested that it wasn't fair. He insisted that he deserved a perfect score if the system were not set up against the student.

Finally, they agreed to take the matter to an impartial instructor. And I was selected.

2. I went to my colleague's office and read the examination question. It said: "Show how it is possible to determine the height

of a tall building with the aid of a barometer." The student had answered: "Take the barometer to the top of the building, tie

a long rope to it, lower the barometer to the street, and then bring it up and measure the length of the rope. The length of the

rope will be the height of the building."

3. I laughed and pointed out to my colleague that we must admit the student really had a pretty strong case for full credit

since he had indeed answered the question completely and correctly. On the other hand, I could also see the dilemma

because if full credit were given to him it could mean a high grade for the student in his physics course. A high grade is supposed to prove competence in the course, but the answer he gave did not show his knowledge on the subject. "So, what would you do if you were me?" Jim asked. I suggested that the student have another try at answering the question. I was not surprised that my colleague agreed, but I was surprised that the student did, too.

4. I told the student that I would give him six minutes to answer the question. But I warned him that this time his answer

should show some knowledge of physics. He sat down and picked up his pen. He appeared to be thinking hard. At the end of five minutes, however, I noticed that he had not put down a single word. I asked him if he wished to give up, but he said no. He had not written anything down because he had too many possible answers to this problem. He was just trying to decide which would be the best one. I excused myself for interrupting him and asked him to go on. In the next minute, he dashed off his answer, which read: "Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer and time its fall with a stopwatch. Then, using the formula S = 1 /2 at2, calculate the height of the building."

5. At this point, I asked my colleague if he would give up. He nodded yes, and I gave the student almost full credit.

6. When I left my colleague's office, I recalled that the student had said that he had other answers to the problem. I was

curious, so I asked him what they were. "Oh, yes," said the student. "There are many ways of getting the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer. For example, you could take the barometer out in a sunny day and measure the height of the barometer, the length of its shadow, and the length of the shadow of the building, and by the use of a simple

proportion, determine the height of the building. The beauty of this method is that you don't have to drop the barometer and break it."

7. "Fine," I said. "Any more?"

8. "Yes," said the student. "There is a very basic measurement method that people will like, because it is so simple and direct.

In this method, you take the barometer and walk up the stairs. As you climb the stairs, you mark off the length of the

barometer along the wall. You then count the number of marks, and this will give you the height of the building in

barometer units. The only trouble with this method is that it doesn't require much knowledge of physics."

9. "Of course, if you prefer a more sophisticated method, a method that will really show some knowledge of physics, you can

tie the barometer to the end of a rope, swing it as a pendulum and determine the value of'g' at the street level and at the top of the building. From the difference between the two values of'g' the height of the building can, in principle, be worked out."

10. Finally, he concluded that while there are many ways of solving the problem, "Probably the best and the most practical in a

real-life situation is to take the barometer to the basement and knock on the superintendent's door. When the superintendent answers, you speak to him as follows: Mr. Superintendent, I have here a fine barometer. If you will tell me the height of this building, I will gladly give you this barometer!"

11. At this point, I asked the student if he really didn't know the expected answer to this question. He smiled and admitted that

he did, but said he was fed up with standard answers to standard questions. He couldn't understand why there should be so much emphasis on fixed rules rather than creative thinking. So he could not resist the temptation to play a little joke with the educational system, which had been thrown into such a panic by the successful launching of the Russian Sputnik.

12. At that moment I suddenly remembered the question: How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? We teachers are

always blaming the students for giving wrong answers. Perhaps we should ask ourselves whether we are always asking the right questions.

第五课针尖上的天使

亚历山大·卡兰德拉

1前些时候，我接到同时吉姆的一个电话，他是教物理的。他问我是否愿意帮个忙，为一道考题的得分做评判。我说当然可以，但我不理解他为什么要我帮忙。他告诉我说，是因为他准备给一个学生的一道物理题的答案得分，但那个同学提出抗议说不公平。而且那个学生坚持说，要不是考试制度和他对着干的话，他应该得满分。最后，他们达成一致，找一个公平的老师来解决这件事。于是，我就被选中了。

2我来到我同事的办公室，读了那道考题，题目是这样说的：“写出如何借助一个气压计来测量出一座大楼的高度。”那个同学的答案是这样的：将气压计拿到楼顶，给他系上一根长绳，接着降落气压计至路面，然后将它们收上来并量出绳子的长度。绳子的长度便是大楼的高度。

3我笑着向我的同事指出，我们必须承认这个学生确实有足够的理由要求得满分，因为他的确是完整地并正确地回答了这个问题。另一方面，我也感受到了这个两难处境，因为如果给那个学生满分，就是表明这个学生的物理成绩得了个高分。而高分要能体现出他在这门课程上的能力，但是从他所给的答案却看不出他在这门课上所学的知识。“所以说，如果你是我，你会怎么做？”吉姆问道。我建议让这个学生在做一遍这道问题。我的同事同意了我的建议我倒不觉得奇怪，我惊讶地是那个学生也同意了。

4我告诉那个学生，我会给他六分钟来做这道题。但是我告诫他这次他的答案一定要体现出某些物理知识。他坐下来，拿起笔，看起来是在用心思考。然而，五分钟已经过去了，我注意到他一个字都没写。我问他是否想放弃。但他说不，并表示他什么都没写是因为这道题有太多种解法。他只是一直在尽力得出最好的一个。我对打断了他表示歉意并让他继续进行。在接下来的一分钟里，他飞快地写下了答案，是这样的：“把气压计拿到屋顶，斜靠在房檐上。扔下气压计并用秒表记下它的下落时间。然后用公式S=1/2at2（距离=重力加速度×下落时间的平方×1/2），算出大楼的高度。”

5这是，我问我的同事是否愿意放弃，他点了点头表示同意，我给了那个学生一个将近满分的分数。

6在我要离开同事的办公室时，想起那个学生曾说过对于那道题他还有其他的答案，我感到好奇，便问他其他的答案是怎样的。“噢，是的，”那个学生说，“借助气压计来得出大楼高度的方法有很多。比如说在晴天里你可以将气压计拿出去量出气压计的高度，气压计影子的长度和大楼影子的长度，然后利用简单的比例关系就可以量出大楼的高度，这种办法的好处是你无需扔下气压计而把它摔坏。

7“很好，”我说，“那还有呢？”

8“是啊，”那个学生说，“还有一个大家都非常喜欢的基本直接的测量方法。是这样的，你拿着气压计上楼梯，当你爬楼的时候将气压计靠在墙上，刻画出气压计的长度，然后数出划痕的数量，就可以得出大楼高度，即有多少个气压计长度计量单位的大楼高度。这种方法的唯一不好的是它无需很多物理知识。”

9“当然，如果你喜欢更复杂的方法，一种能真正体现出一些物理知识的方法，你可以把气压计系到绳子的一端，使它像钟摆一样地摆动，分别测出路面上的和在大楼顶部的重力加速度值（g）。通过两个‘g’值的差，理论上将就可算出大楼的高度。”

10最后他总结说，尽管这道题有多种解法，“但也许在现实生活中最好且最实际的方法就是拿着气压计到那座大楼的地下室，敲开大楼管理员的门。当那个管理员开门时你就对他这样说：管理员先生，我这有个很好的气压计，如果你愿意告诉我这座大楼的高度，我会很高兴将这个气压计送给你！”

11说到这里，我问那个学生他是否真的不知道老师所期望的答案。他笑了笑，并承认说他知道，但他说他厌倦了用标准答案回答标准问题。他不能理解为什么要这样强调固定的规则，而不是创造性思维。于是，他忍不住同教育制度开了个小小的玩笑。而这个教育制度曾一度陷入因前苏联成功地发射世界第一颗人造卫星而引起的恐慌之中。

12就在那一刻，我突然想起了这样的问题：有多少个天使能在针尖上跳舞？我们教师总是在责怪学生答错了。或许我们该问问自己，我们问的问题是否都是正确的。

Lesson Six The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street (Act I)

Rod Serling

CHARACTERS

Les Goodman Sally

Mrs. Goodman Man

Don Martin Second Man

Steve Brand Woman

Mrs. Brand Five Different

Voices

Pete Van Horn First Figure

Charlie Second Figure

Tommy

1.It is Maple Street, a quiet, tree-lined, residential street in a typical American town. The houses have front porches where

people sit and talk to each other across their lawns. STEVE BRAND polishes his car parked in front of his house. His neighbor, DON MARTIN, leans against the fender, watching him. A Good Humor man rides a bicycle and is just stopping to sell some ice cream to a couple of kids. Two women gossip on the front lawn. Another man waters his lawn.

2.At this moment one of the boys, TOMMY, looks up and listens to the sound of a tremendous roar from overhead. A flash of

light plays on his face, then moves down the street past lawns and porches and rooftops, and then disappears. STEVE BRAND, the man who has been polishing his car, stands there speechless, staring upwards. He looks at DON MARTIN, his neighbor from across the street.

3. Steve: What was that? A meteor?

4. Don: That's what it looked like. I didn't hear any crash, though, did you?

5. Steve: Nope, I didn't hear anything except a roar.

6. Mrs. Brand (from her porch): Steve? What was that?

7. Steve: Guess it was a meteor, honey. Came awful close, didn't it?

8. Mrs. Brand: Much too close!

(People stand on their porches, watching and talking in low tones. We see a MAN screwing in a light bulb on a front porch, then getting down off the stool to turn on the switch and finding that nothing happens. A MAN working on an electric power mower plugs in the plug. He turns on the switch, on and off, but nothing happens. Through the window of a front porch a WOMAN is seen dialing her phone.)

9. Woman: Operator, operator, something's wrong with the phone, operator!

(MRS. BRAND comes out on the porch.)

10. Mrs. Brand (calling): Steve, the power's off. I had the soup on the stove, and the stove just stopped working.

11. Woman: Same thing over here. I can't get anybody on the phone, either. The phone seems to be dead.

12. First Voice: Electricity's off.

13. Second Voice: Phone won't work.

14. Third Voice: Can't get a thing on the radio.

15. Fourth Voice: My power mower won't move, won't work at all.

(PETE VAN HORN, a tall, thin man, is seen standing in front of his house.)

16. Van Horn: I'11 cut through the back yard . . . see if the power' s still on on Cherry Street. I'll be right back!

17. Steve: Doesn't make sense. Why should the power and the phone line go off all of a sudden?

18. Don: Maybe it's an electrical storm or something.

19. Charlie: That doesn't seem likely. Sky's just as blue as anything. Not a cloud. No lightning. No thunder. No nothing. How

could it be a storm?

20. Woman: I can't get a thing on the radio. Not even the portable.

21. Charlie: Well, why don't you go downtown and check with the police, though they'll probably think we're crazy or

something. A little power failure and right away we get all excited.

22. Steve: It isn't just the power failure, Charlie. If it was, we'd still be able to get a broadcast on the portable.

(There's a murmur of reaction to this. STEVE walks over to his car.)

23. Steve: I'll run downtown. We'll get this all straightened out. (STEVE gets into his car, turns the key. The engine is dead. He

then gets out of the car.)

24. Steve: I don't understand it. It was working fine before—

25. Don: Out of gas?

26. Steve (shakes his head): I just had it filled up.

27. Woman: What does it mean?

28. Charlie: It's just as if. . . as if everything had stopped. (Then he turns toward STEVE.) We'd better walk downtown.

29. Steve: OK, Charlie. (He turns to look back at the car.) It couldn't be the meteor. A meteor couldn't do this.

(He and CHARLIE exchange a look. Then they start to walk away from the group. TOMMY, a serious-faced young boy tries to stop them.)

30. Tommy: Mr. Brand...you'd better not!

31. Steve: Why not?

32. Tommy: They don't want you to.

(STEVE and CHARLIE exchange a grin. STEVE looks back toward the boy.)

33. Steve: Who doesn't want us to?

34. Tommy (jerks his head in the general direction of the distant horizon): Them!

35. Steve: Them?

36. Charlie: Who are them?

37. Tommy (very intentl y): Whoever was in that thing that came by overhead. I don't think they want us to leave here.

(STEVE walks over to the boy. He kneels down in front of him. He forces his voice to remain gentle. He reaches out and holds the boy.)

38. Steve: What do you mean? What are you talking about?

39. Tommy: They don't want us to leave. That's why they shut everything off.

40. Steve: What makes you say that? Whatever gave you that idea?

41. Woman (from the crowd): Now isn't that the craziest thing you ever heard?

42. Tommy (persistently): It's always that way, in every story I ever read about a ship landing from outer space.

43. Woman (to the boy's mother, SALLY,): From outer space yet! Sally, you'd better get that boy of yours up to bed. He's been

reading too many comic books or seeing too many movies or something!

44. Sally: Tommy, come over here and stop that kind of talk.

45. Steve: Go ahead, Tommy. We 'll be right back. And you 'll see. That wasn't any ship or anything like it. That was just a... a

meteor or something. (He turns to the group, now trying to sound optimistic although he obviously doesn't feel that way himself.) Meteors can do some crazy things. Like sun spots.

46. Don: Sure. They raise Cain with radio reception all over the world. And this thing, being so close-why, there's no telling the

sort of stuff it can do. (He wets his lips, smiles nervously.) Go ahead, Charlie. You and Steve go into town and see if that isn't what's causing it all.

(STEVE and CHARLIE again continue to walk away down the sidewalk. The people watch silently. TOMMY stares at them, biting his lips and finally calling out again.)

47. Tommy: Mr. Brand!

(The two men stop again.)

48. Tommy: Mr. Brand. . .please don't leave here.

(STEVE and CHARLIE stop once again and turn toward the boy. There's a murmur in the crowd, a murmur of irritation and concern.)

49. Tommy: You might not even be able to get to town. It was that way in the story. Nobody could leave, except—

50. Steve: Except who?

51. Tommy: Except the people they'd sent down ahead of them. They looked just like humans. And it wasn't until the ship

landed that—(The boy suddenly stops again, conscious of his parents staring at him and of the sudden quietness of the crowd.)

52. Sally: Tommy, please, son, don't talk that way—

53. Man: The kid shouldn't talk that way... and we shouldn't stand here listening to him. Why, this is the craziest thing I ever

heard of.

(STEVE walks toward the boy.)

54. Steve: Go ahead, Tommy. What about the people that they sent out ahead?

55. Tommy: That was the way they prepared things for the landing. They sent people who looked just like humans... but they

weren't.

(There's laughter at this, but it's a laughter that comes from a desperate attempt to lighten the atmosphere.)

56. Charlie (rubs his jaw nervously): I wonder if Cherry Street's got the same deal we got. (He looks past the houses.) Where is

Pete Van Horn, anyway? Didn't he get back yet?

(Suddenly there's the sound of a car's engine starting to turn over. LES GOODMAN is at the wheel of his car.)

57. Sally: Can you get it started, Les?

(GOODMAN gets out of the car, shaking his head.)

58. Goodman: No.

(As he walks toward the group, he stops suddenly. Behind him, the car engine starts up all by itself. GOODMAN whirls around and stares at it. His eyes go wide, and he runs over to his car. The people stare toward the car.)

59. Man: He got the car started somehow. He got his car started!

60. Woman: How come his car just started like that?

61. Sally: All by itself. He wasn't anywhere near it. It started all by itself.

(DON approaches the group: He stops a few feet away to look toward GOODMAN's car and then back toward the group.)

62. Don: And he never did come out to look at that thing that flew overhead. He wasn't even interested. (He turns to the faces

in the group.) Why? Why didn't he come out with the rest of us to look?

63. Charlie: He was always an oddball. Him and his whole family.

64. Don: What do you say we ask him?

(The group suddenly starts toward the house.)

65. Steve: Wait a minute... wait a minute! Let's not be a mob!

(The people seem to pause for a moment. Then, much more quietly and slowly, they start to walk across the street.

GOODMAN stands there alone, facing the people.)

66. Goodman: I just don't understand it. I tried to start it, and it wouldn't start. You saw me.

(And now, just as suddenly as the engine started, it stops. There's a frightened murmuring of the people.)