全新版大學進階英語綜合教程(二)課文+翻譯

Unit1Afterlivinginthe24-hourcityofLasVegas,Nevadafornearlytenyears,myfamilyandIdecidedtoslowthingsdown.Mydaughterwantedahorse.Myhusbandwantedproperty.Mysonwantedadirtbike.Iwantedourfamilytobemoreself-sufficient.Noneofusfeltthatthiscouldbeaccomplishedwherewewerelivingandweallagreedthatamovetothecountrywouldbegreatforeveryone.BeforelongwesetaboutlookingforahomeinYucca,Arizona,averysmalltownoflessthan1,000people.ItwaswhileIwasscanninglistingsfromourrealestateagentthatIfirstlearnedofit.Therewasahomeforsalethereon40acres.WhenIcalledtoinquireabouttheproperty,Iwasinformedthattherewasnoelectricityavailableinthearea.What?Noelectricity?Ialmostdismissedtheideaimmediately.Thepropertywasoffthegrid.Itwasnotconnectedwhatsoevertoanyutilities—power,waterorsewer.Powerwassuppliedbyawindturbineandsolarpanels.Waterhadtobehauledinandstoredintwotankslocatedontheproperty.FortyacreswouldgiveusplentyofroomforallofouranimalsandgivemyhusbandandsonspacetoridetheirATVs.Besides,whatbetterwayistheretobecomemoreself-sustainable?Aftergivingitsomethought,wedecidedtoputinanofferandmovedinonThanksgivingDay.Whenwefirstmovedtotheproperty,wedidsomeremodelingandstayedinourmotorhome.Wewereconfrontedwithrealchallengesatthetime.Thepowerkeptgoingout,themainwaterlinetothehousebroke,theplumbingbackedupintothefrontyardandthegeneratordied.Butthesetbacksjustmadeusworkharder.Weslowlygotthingsfixedandmovedintothehouseafter38daysintheRV.Thenextchallengewastobecomefamiliarwithyourpowersystem,andtolearntheinsandoutsofhaulingyourownwaterandgeneratingyourownpower.Ouroff-the-gridsystemconsistsofeightsolarpanels(1,000watts)thataremountedonasuntrackerrack.Wealsohaveawindturbinethatgenerates3,000wattsin24mphwinds.Theenergygeneratedbythewindandsunisstoredin166vgolfcartbatteries.Wealsohavetwo2,500-gallonabove-groundwatertanksanda250-gallonpropanetank.Everyweekend,wehaultwo275-gallonwatertankstothenearbytownofYuccaandfillthemwithwater,whichwethenpumpintoourbigwatertanks.Whilelivinghereforthepastfourmonthshasbeenabigadjustment,therearemanybenefitstolivingoffthegrid.Ithinkoneofthegreatestisteachingmykidstheimportanceofconservation.Theyusedtotakewater,powerandgasforgranted.Thefirstweekwewerehere,weusedalmost1,000gallonsofwater.Withonlya5,000-gallonwatertank,itdidn’ttakethemlongtounderstandthatwehadtouselesswater.Westartedtakingquickershowers,doingonlyfullloadsoflaundry,turningoffthewaterwhilebrushingourteethorshaving.Over-consumptionisevenmoreclearlydemonstratedbyourelectricityusage.WehaveadigitalreadoutofhowmanyvoltsofDCpowerwehavestoredinourbatteriesatanygiventime.IfyouturnonalightortheTV,thenumbergoesdown.Inordertoprotectthebatteries,thesystemissetuptoshuttheinverteroffifthevoltsgettoolow.Thenthepowergoesout.Whenwefirstmovedin,welostpoweralmostdaily.Afterthishappensafewtimes,itbecomesclearveryquicklyjusthowoftenyouwasteelectricity.Everythingfromlightsandceilingfanstocomputersandradioswereleftonwhentheywerenotinuse.Thecellphonechargerswerepluggedinevenwhentheyweren’tcharginganything.Allofthisusesunnecessarypower.Wearesteadilylearningtobemorediligentwithourpowerusage.Inaddition,wearealsotryingtomakeotherchanges.Theyincludereducingtheamountoftrashwegeneratebyrecyclingandcomposting,growingourownorganicvegetables,andreusingandrepurposingthingsthatwewouldnormallytoss.Wealsowanttoproduceourowneggsandgoat’smilkinthenearfuture.Overall,goingoffthegridhasbeengreatforourfamily.Wehavelearnedhowtoconservepowerandwaterandtoreallyappreciatewhattheearthgivestouseveryday.Ihopethatoncemykidsmoveoutofthehouse,theywillkeepthehabitsthattheyhavelearnedbylivingoffthegrid.Unit3Ireceivedanemailfromareaderwhoasked,“Whydosomefriendshipsend,nomatterhowmuchyouwantthemtolast?”Shereferredtohavingseenthequestioninoneofmyarticles,MysteryofFriendship.AsIwroteinit,Idon’tthinkeasyanswersexistastohowfriendshipsstart,whysometurnintolifetimeones,andwhysomeend.AlthoughI’vetriedansweringthefirsttwoquestionsinotherarticles(ToHaveAFriendandBeAFriend),Istillgetsurprisedbyfriendshipsthatendureanddisillusionedbyonesthatslipaway.Evenso,I’lltrytooffersomeinsightshereastowhyfriendshipsend.Mysimpleansweristhatfriendshipsendbecausethesituationsfriendsareinoreventhefriendsthemselveschange.Othershavesimilaranswers.First,thesituationsfriendsfacemaychange.Thedecisiontorelocateforanewschoolorjobcannothelpbutaffectafriendship.Likewise,ifafriendisinanaccident,developsanillness,orlosessomeoneclose,thesesituationscannothelpbutaffectafriendship.Doesafriendshipneedtoendbecauseofthesechanges?No,butit’llrequireadjustmentsthatoneorbothfriendsmightnotbewillingtomake.Second,thefriendsthemselvesmaychange.Asignificantreasonthatfriendshipsoftenendwhenfriendsareapartforanextendedperiodoftime(forsummercamp,college,etc.)isthatoneorbothofthefriendschange.Ithinkithurtslesswhenbothfriendschange,becausethenthebreakupismoreoftenmutualandsobothfriendsgetclosurebybothdecidingtoletgoandmoveforwardintheirliveswithouteachother.Whattendstohurtmostiswhenjustonefriendchanges.Onefriendmightchangesocialcircles,becomeinvolvedinnewsocialorganizations,starttodate,getapet,ortakeonsomeotherventurethatconsumesmoretimeandpassion.Again,afriendshipcanendurethesechanges,unlessoneorbothofthefriendsforsomereasondecidenottoinvestthetimeandenergyinvolvedintheadjustmentperiod.(Forexample,onefriendmightforgettheimportanceofthefriendshipduetothehighofhavinganewpetormightfeelthatthechangeisimpossibletoovercomewhenonegetsmarriedbuttheotherisstillsingle.)Inthissituation,breakupsmaynotbemutualandsooneorbothfriendsfeelbetrayedandendupwithbittermemoriesaboutwhatwasapreciousfriendshiptothem.Thereareotherreasonswhyfriendshipsend.Forexample,asmuchastwopeoplemightwantafriendshiptosurvive,oneorbothofthemmightunintentionallyneglectit.Friendshipisoftencomparedtoaflowergarden.Well,ifflowersdon’tgetexposedregularlyenoughtosunlightanddon’tgetwateredenough,flowerswillwitherandevendie.Thesameappliestofriendship.Ifweekafterweekpasseswhereplansaremadetospendtimetogetherbutareneverhonored,perhapsduetotakingafriendshipforgranted,eventuallyeventheclosestoffriendshipsmayceasetohaveareasontoexist.Conflictscanalsocausetheendoffriendships.Iftheflowerisafledglingplant,oneblowmightdestroyitjustassometimesrelativelyyoungfriendshipsaren’tstrongenoughtoenduremuchconflict.Eventhoseamazingclosefriendships,wherefriendsloveusnomatterwhatourfaultsare,needcarewhenitcomestoconflicts.Sure,ifaflourishingflowergetssteppedon,itmightreviveonitsown.Moreover,ifitgetsalittleextraspecialcare,it’llprobablybouncebackasifithadn’teverbeeninjured.Atthesametime,ifaflowergetsrepeatedlytrampledon,it’llprobablyeventuallybreak.Especiallythefriendshipsthathavebeenaroundforalongtimecanendurestorms,andevenbecomestrongerforthem,butmostfriendshipshavebreakingpoints.Nevertheless,whilewecanrarelypredictattheoutsetwhichoneswilllast,mostfriendshipsdoenrichusforhowevershortorlongthey’reapartofourlives.Unit4Inthesleepinessattheendofalibrarynap,Iwasn’tsurewhereIwas.Istretchedoutmyarmtoreachforahumanbeing,butwhatIgrabbedwasausedcopyofTheOdyssey,thebookaboutgoinghome.Myheartached.Itwas2a.m.Thelibrary,floodedwithwhitefluorescentlightandsmellingofmustybooksandsweatysneakers,waseerilyquiet.Myreadingsseemedendless.Ihadbeenadmittedintoathree-course,yearlongfreshmanprogramcalledDirectedStudies,dubbedDirectedSuicidebyYalies.Itwassupposedtointroduceusto“thesplendorsofWesterncivilization,”inthewordsofthecatalog,byforce-feedingthecanonsofphilosophy,literatureandhistory.IwantedverymuchtostudytheWesterncanon,becauseIknewnothingaboutit.Yes,McDonald’sadsandMadonnaposterswereplasteredonShanghaistreets,butfewWesternideasfilteredthrough.WehadbeeninformedofKarlMarx’shabitofsittingatthesamespotintheBritishLibrary,forinstance,buthadreadnoneofhisoriginalwords.Westerncivilizationwasdifferent,mysteriousandthusalluring.Besides,becauseIlongedtobeacceptedhere,IyearnedtounderstandAmericansociety.Whatbetterwaytocomprehenditthantostudytheveryideasonwhichitisbased?Butat2a.m.,Iwastiredofthemall:Homer,Virgil,HerodotusandPlato.Theirwordsweredullandthepresentationsdifficulttofollow.TheprofessorsheredonotteachinthesamewaythatteachersinChinado.StudyinghumanitiesinChinameansmemorizingallthe“correct,”standardinterpretationsgivenduringlectures.Here,professorsaskprovocativequestionsandletthestudentsargue,researchandwritepapersontheirown.AtYale,Ioftenwaitedfortheend-of-class“correct”answers,whichnevercame.LearninghumanitieswassecurerepetitioninChina,butitwasshakyoriginalityhere.Anditcouldbeevenshakierforme.ThenameAgamemnonwasimpossiblylongtopronounce,andasaresultIdidn’trecognizeitwhenwewerediscussinghimintheseminars.IhadwrittenmyfirstEnglishessayeverjustayearearlier,whenapplyingtocolleges,andnowcamethepapersanalyzingthecanons.AndIsimplydidn’twriteinEnglishfastenoughtotakenotesinclasses.Ihopedmydiligencewouldmakeupforlackofpreparation.Onweekendnights,whenmyAmericanroommateswereoutondates,IwouldtellthemIhadplannedadatewithDanteorAristotle.(Theydidn’tthinkitwasfunny.)Ononeofthoseweekendnights,IwroteapaperonAeneas,theprotagonistofTheAeneid,whowasdestinedtofoundRomebutreluctanttoleavebehindhisnativeTroy.“Aeneasagonizes,”Iwrote.“Hehesitates.Naturalinstinctscallhimtosticktothepast,whileatthesametime,hefeelsobligatedtoobeyhisfather’sinstructionsforthefuture.Hispresentlifeissplit,pulledapartbythebygonedaysandbythedaystocome.”IsawmyselfinwhatIwrote.Duringcallshomeeverytwoweeks,mymotherpleadedwithmetotakechemistryorbiology.Sciencewasthesameeverywhere,shesaid.AndI,likeeverybodyelsefromChina,waswellpreparedinmath,physicsandchemistry.(Tograduatefromastandardsix-yearChinesehighschool,oneneedstotakefiveyearsofphysics,fouryearsofchemistryandthreeyearsofbiology.)Instead,Ivisitedthewritingtutor—thereisoneineveryundergraduateresidentialhall—foreverypaperIturnedin.Mypaperswerealwayswrittendaysbeforetheyweredue.Ilingeredafterclassestoquestionprofessors.MyclassmateslentmetheirnotessoIcouldlearntheskillofnote-takinginEnglish.BythetimeImissedhomesomuchthatsoupdumplingsandsautéedeelspoppedupinmyheadasIread,NietzschehadreplacedPlatoonthechronologicalreadinglistandFlaubertHomer.AndeverypaperofminecamebackwithanA.Unit1脫離電網(wǎng)的生活：一家城市居民如何發(fā)現(xiàn)了簡單生活艾莉森·佐爾1.在華達州的不眠之城拉斯維加斯生活了將近十年之后，我和我的家人決定放慢生活節(jié)奏。女兒想要一匹馬，我的丈夫想要一塊地產(chǎn)，兒子想要一輛越野輕型摩托車，我想要一家人更加自給自足。2.我們都感到這個夢想在我們居住的這個城市里不可能實現(xiàn)。大家一致認為，搬到鄉(xiāng)下去對誰都是最好的。3.很快，我們便著手在亞利桑那州的尤卡，這個不滿千人的小鎮(zhèn)尋找房子。我是在瀏覽我們的房地產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀人提供的在售房屋清單時得知這個地方的。那兒有一處占地40英畝的房產(chǎn)在出售。我打去詢問這處房產(chǎn)時，人家告訴我那個地區(qū)不通電。什么？不通電？我差點立刻打消在那里購房的念頭。4.這處房產(chǎn)不接電網(wǎng)，一切公用服務事業(yè)都沒有——電、水、下水道。電由風力渦輪機和太陽能電池板提供，水得靠人力拉進來，儲存在房里的兩個貯水箱里。40英畝的地給我們充裕的場地飼養(yǎng)動物，也給我的丈夫和兒子足夠地方駕駛他們的全地形車。還有什么地方比這里更能夠做到自給自足呢？考慮一番后，我們決定出價購買，并在感恩節(jié)那天搬了進去。5.剛搬進來時，我們住在房車里，給房屋做了一些改建。當時，我們遇到了真正的挑戰(zhàn)。電老是斷，通向房屋的主水管破裂，水管堵塞，水流到前院，發(fā)電機也停轉(zhuǎn)了。6.但是，這些挫折促使我們更加賣力地干活。慢慢地，我們把東西一一修好。在房車里住了38天后，我們搬進了新家。接下來的挑戰(zhàn)是逐步熟悉供電系統(tǒng)，了解自己拉水、自己發(fā)電的方方面面。7.我們的不連網(wǎng)發(fā)電系統(tǒng)由8個安裝在太陽跟蹤架上的太陽能電池板(1,000瓦)組成。此外，我們還有一個在風速達到每小時24英里時能發(fā)3,000瓦電的風力渦輪機。風能和太陽能發(fā)的電存儲在16個6伏特的高爾夫球車電池中。我們還有兩個蓄水量為2,500加侖的地上貯水箱和一個儲量為250加侖的丙烷儲氣罐。每個周末，我們把兩個275加侖的水箱拉到附近的尤卡鎮(zhèn)，給它們加滿水，再用泵把水抽入兩個大的貯水箱中。8.過去的四個月我們在這里生活，盡管經(jīng)歷了巨大的調(diào)整，卻也得到了脫離電網(wǎng)生活的諸多好處。我想，其中最大的一個好處在于教育孩子節(jié)約的重要性。以往，他們認為有水、有電、有煤氣是理所當然的事。搬來的第一周，我們用掉將近1,000加侖的水，而水箱只能貯存5,000加侖。不久，他們便懂得我們必須少用水。于是，我們加快淋浴速度，洗衣機不滿不洗衣，刷牙或剃須時關掉水龍頭。9.過度消費在電的使用中表現(xiàn)得尤為明顯。我們有一個數(shù)字讀表器，它能顯示在任何時刻電池中儲存有多少伏特的直流電。打開電燈或電視，數(shù)值就會下降。為了保護電池，系統(tǒng)設置在電壓過低的情況下關閉變流器，然后斷電。我們剛搬進來的時候，家里幾乎天天斷電。幾次斷電之后，你便很快明白你過去經(jīng)常浪費電。從電燈、吊扇到電腦、收音機，不用的時候都開著。即便不在充電，手機的充電器也插在插座上。所有這一切都消耗著不該消耗的電。我們漸漸學會勤于省電。10.此外，我們還試圖在其他方面做出改變，包括通過再循環(huán)利用和堆制肥料來減少垃圾，自己種植有機蔬菜，對平日里打算丟棄的物品再利用或派作其他用途。我們還想在不久的將來養(yǎng)雞生蛋、養(yǎng)羊產(chǎn)奶。11.總體上講，脫離電網(wǎng)的生活對我們一家人大有裨益。我們從中學會了怎樣節(jié)約用電、用水，以及對地球每一天賜予我們的一切真正感恩。我希望孩子們將來搬出去住時，仍能保持他們在脫離電網(wǎng)生活期間養(yǎng)成的習慣。Unit3為什么友誼會終結(jié)？艾利森·亨特友誼在的唯一危險是：友誼將會終結(jié)。—亨利·大衛(wèi)·梭羅1.我收到一位讀者的電子，她在中問道：“為什么有些友誼不管你多么想維系它卻還是會終結(jié)？”該讀者說她曾在我發(fā)表的一篇文章《友誼之謎》中見到過這個問題。正如我在文章中所說，對于友誼是如何開始的、為什么有些友誼會維系終生、為什么有些友誼會終結(jié)這類問題，我認為沒有簡單的答案。雖然我在別的文章中——《擁有一個朋友》和《做一個朋友》——嘗試回答過前兩個問題，但是，我仍然對那些經(jīng)久不衰的友誼感到驚訝，也對那些逝去的友誼感到失望。即便如此，我還是要在本文中對為什么友誼會終結(jié)提出我的一些見解。2.我的回答很簡單,友誼終結(jié)是因為朋友處境的改變，或甚至是因朋友自身的變化。其他人也有相似的回答。首先，朋友面臨的境遇有可能改變。因進一個新的學?；蛴幸环菪碌墓ぷ鞫鴽Q定搬家，這就不能不影響到友誼。同樣，如果朋友出了事故，患了疾病，或失去了親人，這些情況也不能不影響友誼。然而，基于上述原因，友誼就要終結(jié)嗎？回答是不，但這就需要作相應調(diào)整，然而一方或雙方卻可能不愿作這樣的調(diào)整。3.其次，朋友自身可能在變。朋友長時間不在一起（如參加夏令營、上大學等）友誼常常會終止的一個重要原因是一方或雙方改變了。我認為當朋友雙方都改變時，其傷害較輕，因為這時的分手往往是互相的，雙方都決定不再交往，從此各奔東西，讓友誼終結(jié)。當只有一方改變時，往往造成的傷害最重。一方也許換了社交圈子、加入了新的社會組織、開始談戀愛了、養(yǎng)了一只寵物或從事某個更費時間、更需激情的有風險的事業(yè)。當然，友誼是經(jīng)得起這些變化的，除非一方或雙方由于某種原因決定不再在友誼調(diào)整期投入必要的時間和精力。（例如，一方由于養(yǎng)了新寵物而極度興奮，因而可能忘了友誼的重要性，又或者一方結(jié)婚而另一方還是單身時，朋友也許感到這一變化無法克服。）在這種情況下，友誼終止可能不是相互的，所以，一方或雙方感到被背叛，最后只留下對一段珍貴友誼的苦澀回憶。4.除此以外，友誼終結(jié)還有其它原因。例如，盡管雙方也許想維系這段友誼，但是一方或雙方可能無意間疏忽了它。友誼常被比作花園，如果花兒不能時常曬到和得到足夠的澆灌，花兒將會枯萎，甚至死亡。友誼也是如此。有人也許將友誼當成理所當然的事，他們讓時間一周一周流逝，從不兌現(xiàn)相聚的計劃，最終，即便是最親密的友誼也可能失去存在的理由。5.矛盾沖突也會導致友誼的終結(jié)。如果花兒還很幼嫩，一陣風就可能將其摧毀。同樣，相對稚嫩的友誼有時無法經(jīng)受大的