Unit 2 The Power of Words新編大學(xué)英語(yǔ)第二版第四冊(cè)課文翻譯

Unit2ThePowerofWords新編大學(xué)英語(yǔ)第二版第四冊(cè)課文翻譯Unit2ThePowerofWords新編大學(xué)英語(yǔ)第二版第四冊(cè)課文翻譯Unit2ThePowerofWords新編大學(xué)英語(yǔ)第二版第四冊(cè)課文翻譯資料僅供參考文件編號(hào)：2022年4月Unit2ThePowerofWords新編大學(xué)英語(yǔ)第二版第四冊(cè)課文翻譯版本號(hào)：A修改號(hào)：1頁(yè)次：1.0審核：批準(zhǔn):發(fā)布日期：Unit2ThePowerofWordsThePowerofaNoteOnmyfirstjobassportseditorfortheMontpelier(Ohio)LeaderEnterprise,Ididn'tgetalotoffanmail,soIwasintriguedbyaletterthatwasdroppedonmydeskonemorning.WhenIopenedit,Iread:"AnicepieceofwritingontheTigers.Keepupthegoodwork."ItwassignedbyDonWolfe,thesportseditor.BecauseIwasateenager(beingpaidthegrandtotalof15centsacolumninch),hiswordscouldn'thavebeenmoreinspiring.11kepttheletterinmydeskdraweruntilitgotrag-eared.WheneverIdoubtedIhadtherightstufftobeawriter,IwouldrereadDon'snoteandfeelconfidentagain.Later,whenIgottoknowhim,IlearnedthatDonmadeahabitofwritingaquick,encouragingwordtopeopleinallwalksoflife."WhenImakeothersfeelgoodaboutthemselves,"hetoldme,"Ifeelgoodtoo."Notsurprisingly,hehadabodyoffriendsasbigasnearbyLakeErie.Whenhediedlastyearat75,thepaperwasfloodedwithcallsandlettersfrompeoplewhohadbeenrecipientsofhisspirit-liftingwords.Overtheyears,I'vetriedtocopytheexampleofDonandotherfriendswhocareenoughtowriteupliftingcomments,becauseIthinktheyareontosomethingimportant.Inaworldtoooftencoldandunresponsive,suchnotesbringwarmthandreassurance.Weallneedaboostfromtimetotime,andafewlinesofpraisehavebeenknowntoturnaroundaday,evenalife.Why,then,aretheresofewupbeatnotewritersMyguessisthatmanywhoshyawayfromthepracticearetooself-conscious.They'reafraidthey'llbemisunderstood,soundsentimentalorinsincere.Also,writingtakestime;it'sfareasiertopickupthephone.Thedrawbackwithphonecalls,ofcourse,isthattheydon'tlast.Anoteattachesmoreimportancetoourwell-wishing.Itisamatterofrecord,andourwordscanbereadmorethanonce,savoredandtreasured.Eventhoughnotewritingmaytakelonger,someprettybusypeopledoit,includingGeorgeBush.Somesayheowesmuchofhissuccessinpoliticstohisever-readypen.HowThroughouthiscareerhehasfollowedupvirtuallyeverycontactwithacordialresponse—acompliment,alineofpraiseoranodofthanks.Hisnotesgonotonlytofriendsandassociates,buttocasualacquaintancesandtotalstrangers—likethesurprisedpersonwhogotawarmpatonthebackforlendingBushanumbrella.Eventopcorporatemanagers,whohavemostlyaffectedstylesofleadershipthatcanbecharacterizedonlyastough,coldandaloof,havebeguntolearnthelesson,andearnthebenefits,ofwritingnotesthatliftpeopleup.FormerFordchairmanDonaldPeterson,whoislargelycreditedforturningthecompanyroundinthe1980s,madeitapracticetowritepositivemessagestoassociateseveryday."I'djustscribblethemonamemopadorthecornerofaletterandpassthemalong,"hesays."Themostimportanttenminutesofyourdayarethoseyouspenddoingsomethingtoboostthepeoplewhoworkforyou."Toooften,"heobserved,"peoplewegenuinelylikehavenoideahowwefeelaboutthem.Toooftenwethink,Ihaven'tsaidanythingcritical;whydoIhavetosaysomethingpositiveWeforgetthathumanbeingsneedpositivereinforcement—infact,wethriveonit!"WhatdoesittaketowritelettersthatliftspiritsandwarmheartsOnlyawillingnesstoexpressourappreciation.ThemostsuccessfulpractitionersincludewhatIcallthefour"S's"ofnotewriting.1)Theyaresincere.Noonewantsfalsepraise.2)Theyareusuallyshort.Ifyoucan'tsaywhatyouwanttosayinthreesentences,you'reprobablystraining3)Theyarespecific.Complimentingabusinesscolleaguebytellinghim"goodspeech"istoovague;"greatstoryaboutWarrenBuffet'sinvestmentstrategy"isprecise.4)Theyarespontaneous.Thisgivesthemthefreshnessandenthusiasmthatwilllingerinthereader'smindlongafterward.It'sdifficulttobespontaneouswhenyouhavetohuntforletter-writingmaterials,soIkeeppaper,envelopesandstampscloseathand,evenwhenItravel.Fancystationeryisn'tnecessary;it'sthethoughtthatcounts.So,whoaroundyoudeservesanoteofthanksorapprovalAneighbor,yourlibrarian,arelative,yourmayor,yourmate,ateacher,yourdoctorYoudon'tneedtobepoetic.Ifyouneedareason,lookforamilestone,theanniversaryofaspecialeventyoushared,orabirthdayorholiday.Forthelast25years,forexample,I'vepreparedanannualChristmasletterforlong-distancefriends,andIoftenaddahandwrittenwordofthanksorcongratulations.AcknowledgingsomesuccessorgoodfortunethathashappenedduringtheyearseemsparticularlyappropriateconsideringthespiritoftheChristmasseason.

Begenerouswithyourpraise.Superlativeslike"greatest,""smartest,""prettiest"makeusallfeelgood.Evenifyourpraiseisalittleaheadofreality,rememberthatexpectationsareoftentheparentsofdreamsfulfilled.TodayIgotawarm,complimentaryletterfrommyoldbossandmentor,NormanVincentPeale.Hislittlenotetomewasfullofupliftingphrases,anditsentmetomytypewritertocomposeafewoverduelettersofmyown.Idon'tknowiftheywillmakeanybodyelse'sday,buttheymademine.AsmyfriendDonWolfesaid,makingothersfeelgoodaboutthemselvesmakesmefeelgoodtoo.便箋的力量1我當(dāng)體育編輯，最早是為蒙比利埃（俄亥俄州）的《企業(yè)導(dǎo)報(bào)》工作，當(dāng)時(shí)我很少收到體育迷的來(lái)信。因此，一天早晨放在我桌上的一封來(lái)信把我吸引住了。2打開(kāi)來(lái)信，我看到了下面的話：“關(guān)于老虎隊(duì)的述評(píng)很不錯(cuò)，再接再厲?！焙灻氖求w育編輯堂?沃爾夫。當(dāng)時(shí)我只是一個(gè)十幾歲的小伙子（為每一豎欄寫(xiě)一英寸文字，稿酬總計(jì)達(dá)15美分），因此他的話最鼓舞人心了。我把這封信一直放在書(shū)桌的抽屜里，后來(lái)它的邊角都卷起來(lái)了。每當(dāng)我懷疑自己不是當(dāng)作家的料時(shí)，重溫一下堂的便箋，就又會(huì)樹(shù)起信心來(lái)。3后來(lái)，我逐漸對(duì)堂有所了解，知道給各行各業(yè)的人寫(xiě)快捷而鼓舞人心的便箋是他養(yǎng)成的習(xí)慣。他告訴我說(shuō)：“當(dāng)我使別人充滿信心時(shí)，我也感覺(jué)好極了?！?因此毫不奇怪，他的朋友圈子就像附近的伊利湖那么大。去年他去世了，享年75歲。電話與悼函像潮水般涌向報(bào)社，都來(lái)自于曾經(jīng)得到過(guò)他激勵(lì)（文字）的人們。5多年來(lái)，我努力效仿堂以及我的其他朋友，他們關(guān)心別人，常寫(xiě)一些鼓舞人心的話語(yǔ)，因?yàn)槲矣X(jué)得，他們這樣做是很有意義的。在這樣一個(gè)慣于冷漠、無(wú)動(dòng)于衷的世界上，這種便箋給人們帶來(lái)了溫暖和安慰。我們都時(shí)不時(shí)地需要鼓勵(lì)，大家知道幾行贊揚(yáng)的話會(huì)改變一個(gè)人的一天，甚至一生。6那么，這些激勵(lì)人心的便箋的作者為什么寥若晨星呢？我猜想很多人回避寫(xiě)，是因?yàn)樗麄兲粗厝藗兊目捶?。他們?dān)心會(huì)被誤解，怕別人覺(jué)得他們自作多情或者言不由衷。還有，寫(xiě)也要花時(shí)間，遠(yuǎn)不如打電話方便。

7當(dāng)然打電話的缺點(diǎn)是：說(shuō)過(guò)的話留不住。而一張便箋使我們的良好意愿顯得更加珍貴。便箋是白紙黑字記錄在案的東西，而且我們寫(xiě)下的字可以反復(fù)閱讀，細(xì)細(xì)品味并珍藏起來(lái)。8盡管寫(xiě)便箋會(huì)多花一些時(shí)間，但一些非常忙的人也在這么做，其中包括喬治?布什。有人說(shuō)，他政治上的成功在很大程度上歸功于他那枝隨時(shí)準(zhǔn)備寫(xiě)字的筆。這是怎么回事呢？在他整個(gè)職業(yè)生涯中，每次與人們接觸之后，他幾乎都隨后寫(xiě)封信，內(nèi)容親切——一句贊美之辭，一行表?yè)P(yáng)的話，或一段感謝語(yǔ)。他不僅寫(xiě)給朋友和同事，還寫(xiě)給萍水相逢的人以及完全陌生的人——比如那位借傘給他的人，后來(lái)收到他熱情的贊揚(yáng)信，感到很驚訝。9那些通常做作的公司高層經(jīng)理們，其領(lǐng)導(dǎo)作風(fēng)只能被形容為強(qiáng)硬、冷漠、脫離群眾。甚至這些人也開(kāi)始學(xué)習(xí)寫(xiě)便箋去鼓舞人心，且從中獲益匪淺。唐納德?彼得森，福特公司的前主席，把每天寫(xiě)便箋鼓勵(lì)同事當(dāng)作一件日常工作。該公司在80年代時(shí)走出低谷取得成功主要是他的功勞?！拔抑徊贿^(guò)匆匆地在備忘錄或信的角上寫(xiě)一些鼓舞人心的話，然后傳遞出去，”他說(shuō)道?！懊刻熳钪匾囊欢螘r(shí)間，就是鼓舞那些為你工作的人的那10分鐘?！?0“太多的時(shí)候，”他發(fā)表自己的看法說(shuō)，“那些我們真正喜歡的人并不知道我們是怎么看待他們的。太多的時(shí)候，我們會(huì)以為，我并沒(méi)有說(shuō)過(guò)什么批評(píng)的話，為什么非得去說(shuō)好話呢？我們忘了，人類需要正面的肯定或鼓勵(lì)——事實(shí)上，我們靠這個(gè)取得進(jìn)步，獲得成功！”11怎樣才能寫(xiě)出振奮精神、溫暖人心的信呢？只要我們懷有要表示感激之情的心愿。寫(xiě)這種便箋的高手都具有我所謂的“４S”技巧。12１）真誠(chéng)(sincere)。沒(méi)人要聽(tīng)虛假的贊美。13２）簡(jiǎn)短(short)。如果不能用三句話表達(dá)出你的意思，你很可能過(guò)火了，寫(xiě)得太長(zhǎng)。14３）具體(specific)。贊揚(yáng)一位業(yè)務(wù)伙伴“演講精彩”太籠統(tǒng)含糊；告訴他“關(guān)于沃倫?巴菲特的投資策略講得很精彩”才是一語(yǔ)中的。15４）自然(spontaneous)。這使得便箋充滿了生氣，洋溢著熱情，并使讀者的心靈長(zhǎng)久地感受這種生氣和熱情。16當(dāng)你非得到處找寫(xiě)信用品時(shí)，寫(xiě)出來(lái)的東西就難以自然，因此我總是把紙、信封和郵票放在手邊，甚至在旅行時(shí)也是如此。信封信箋不需要很花哨，重要的是要表達(dá)的思想。17那么，你周圍又有誰(shuí)值得你寫(xiě)便箋表示感謝或鼓勵(lì)呢一位鄰居為你服務(wù)的那位圖書(shū)館管理員一位親戚你的市長(zhǎng)你的伙伴一位教師你的醫(yī)生你不必富有詩(shī)意。如果你需要一個(gè)寫(xiě)的理由，就找一個(gè)生活中的重要事件，例如你們共同參加的某個(gè)特殊事件的周年紀(jì)念日、生日或者節(jié)日。例如，過(guò)去的25年里，我總是為遠(yuǎn)方的朋友每年準(zhǔn)備一張圣誕卡，而且常常在上面親筆寫(xiě)上一句感謝或祝賀的話。鑒于圣誕節(jié)的氛圍，就一年來(lái)所取得的成功與得到的好運(yùn)特意表示謝忱似乎是最恰到好處的。18不要吝嗇你的贊美之言。像“最了不起的”、“最聰明的”、“最漂亮的”這種最高級(jí)的表達(dá)法——使大家都感到高興。即使你的贊美之詞稍稍超前了一點(diǎn)也沒(méi)關(guān)系，記住，夢(mèng)想的實(shí)現(xiàn)往往孕育于期望之中。19今天，我收到了以前的老板和精神導(dǎo)師諾曼?文森特?皮爾的一封溫暖的贊揚(yáng)信。這張小小的便箋上滿是鼓舞人心的詞句，這促使我坐到了打字機(jī)前來(lái)完成幾封我早就該寫(xiě)的信。我不知道這些信會(huì)不會(huì)使別人的一天別有意義，但是，對(duì)我自己確實(shí)如此。正如我的朋友堂?沃爾夫所說(shuō)的：使別人充滿信心，也就使我自己感覺(jué)很好。AlltheGoodThingsHewasinthefirstthird-gradeclassItaughtatSaintMary'sSchoolinMorris,Minnesota.All34ofmystudentsweredeartome,butMarkEklundwasoneinamillion.Veryneatinappearance,hehadthathappy-to-be-aliveattitudethatmadeevenhisoccasionalmischievousnessdelightful.Markalsotalkedincessantly.Ihadtoremindhimagainandagainthattalkingwithoutpermissionwasnotacceptable.Whatimpressedmesomuch,though,washissincereresponseeverytimeIhadtocorrecthimformisbehaving."Thankyouforcorrectingme,Sister!"Ididn'tknowwhattomakeofitatfirst,butbeforelongIbecameaccustomedtohearingitmanytimesaday.OnemorningmypatiencewasgrowingthinwhenMarktalkedoncetoooften,andthenImadeanovice-teacher'smistake.IlookedatMarkandsaid,"Ifyousayonemoreword,Iamgoingtotapeyourmouthshut!"Itwasn'ttensecondslaterwhenChuckblurtedout,"Markistalkingagain."Ihadn'taskedanyofthestudentstohelpmewatchMark,butsinceIhadstatedthepunishmentinfrontoftheclass,Ihadtoactonit.Irememberthesceneasifithadoccurredthismorning.Iwalkedtomydesk,verydeliberatelyopenedthedrawerandtookoutarollofmaskingtape.Withoutsayingaword,IproceededtoMark'sdesk,toreofftwopiecesoftapeandmadeabigXwiththemoverhismouth.Ithenreturnedtothefrontoftheroom.AsIglancedatMarktoseehowhewasdoing,hewinkedatme.Thatdidit!Istartedlaughing.TheentireclasscheeredasIwalkedbacktoMark'sdesk,removedthetape,andshruggedmyshoulders.Hisfirstwordswere,"Thankyouforcorrectingme,Sister.AttheendoftheyearIwasaskedtoteachjunior-highmath.Theyearsflewby,andbeforeIknewitMarkwasinmyclassroomagain.Hewasmorehandsomethaneverandjustaspolite.Sincehehadtolistencarefullytomyinstructionsinthenewmath",hedidnottalkasmuchintheninthgradeashehadinthethird.OneFriday,thingsjustdidn'tfeelright.Wehadworkedhardonanewconceptallweek,andIsensedthatthestudentsweregrowingfrustratedwiththemselves—andedgywithoneanother.Ihadtochangethemoodoftheclassbeforeitgotoutofhand.SoIaskedthemtolistthenamesoftheotherstudentsintheroomontwosheetsofpaper,leavingaspacebetweeneachname.ThenItoldthemtothinkofthenicestthingtheycouldsayabouteachoftheirclassmatesandwriteitdown.Ittooktheremainderoftheclassperiodtofinishtheassignment,butasthestudentslefttheroom,eachonehandedmethepapers.Charliesmiled.Marksaid,"Thankyouforteachingme,Sister.Haveagoodweekend."ThatSaturday,Iwrotedownthenameofeachstudentonaseparatesheetofpaper,andIlistedwhateveryoneelsehadsaidaboutthatindividual.OnMondayIgaveeachstudenthisorherlist.Someofthemrantwopages.Beforelong,theentireclasswassmiling."Really"Iheardwhispered."Ineverknewthatmeantanythingtoanyone!""Ididn'tknowotherslikedmesomuch!"Nooneevermentionedthosepapersinclassagain.Ineverknewiftheydiscussedthemafterclassorwiththeirparents.Butitdidn'tmatter.Theexercisehadaccomplisheditspurpose.Thestudentswerehappywiththemselvesandoneanotheragain.Thatgroupofstudentsmovedon.Severalyearslater,afterIreturnedfromavacation,myparentsmetmeattheairport.Asweweredrivinghome,Motheraskedtheusualquestionsaboutthetrip,theweather,myexperiencesingeneral.Therewasaslightlullintheconversation.MothergaveDadasidewaysglanceandsimplysaid,"Dad"Myfatherclearedhisthroatasheusuallydidbeforesayingsomethingimportant."TheEklundscalledlastnight,"hebegan."Really"Isaid."Ihaven'theardfromthemforseveralyears.IwonderhowMarkis.Dadrespondedquietly."MarkwaskilledinVietnam,"hesaid."Thefuneralistomorrow,andhisparentswouldlikeitifyoucouldattend."TothisdayIcanstillpointtotheexactspotonI-494whereDadtoldmeaboutMark.Ihadneverseenaservicemaninamilitarycoffinbefore.Marklookedsohandsome,somature.AllIcouldthinkatthatmomentwas,Mark,Iwouldgiveallthemaskingtapeintheworldifonlyyoucouldtalktome.Afterthefuneral,mostofMark'sformerclassmatesheadedtoChuck'sfarmhouseforlunch.Mark'smotherandfatherwerethere,obviouslywaitingforme."Wewanttoshowyousomething,"hisfathersaid,takingawalletoutofhispocket."TheyfoundthisonMarkwhenhewaskilled.Wethoughtyoumightrecognizeit."Openingthebillfold,hecarefullyremovedtwowornpiecesofnotebookpaperthathadobviouslybeentaped,foldedandrefoldedmanytimes.IknewwithoutlookingthatthepapersweretheonesonwhichIhadlistedallthegoodthingseachofMark'sclassmateshadsaidabouthim."Thankyousomuchfordoingthat,"Mark'smothersaid."Asyoucansee,Marktreasuredit."Mark'sclassmatesstartedtogatheraroundus.Charliesmiledrathersheepishlyandsaid,"Istillhavemylist.It'sinthetopdrawerofmydeskathome."Chuck'swifesaid,"Chuckaskedmetoputhisinourweddingalbum.""Ihaveminetoo,"Marilynsaid."It'sinmydiary."ThenVicki,anotherclassmate,reachedintoherpocket-book,tookoutherwalletandshowedherwornandraggedlisttothegroup."Icarrythiswithmeatalltimes,"Vickisaidwithouthesitation."Ithinkweallsavedourlists."That'swhenIfinallysatdownandcried.IcriedforMarkandforallhisfriendswhowouldneverseehimagain.美言盡在其中1我當(dāng)時(shí)在明尼蘇達(dá)州莫里斯市的圣瑪麗學(xué)校任教，馬克·?？寺∈俏医痰娜昙?jí)一班的學(xué)生。全班34個(gè)學(xué)生都和我很親密，但馬克確是百里挑一。他衣冠整潔，一副樂(lè)天派的樣子，即便偶爾調(diào)皮一下，也顯得那么可愛(ài)。2馬克上課時(shí)還會(huì)說(shuō)個(gè)不停。我只得一次次提醒他，未經(jīng)允許講話是不可以的。然而，每次我不得不糾正他的搗亂行為時(shí)，他的反應(yīng)總是那么真誠(chéng)，這給我留下了深刻的印象。“謝謝您糾正我的行為，好老師!”起初我不明白他的話到底什么意思，可是不久我就習(xí)慣了，每天都聽(tīng)他這么說(shuō)好多遍。3一天上午，當(dāng)馬克又在不停地說(shuō)話時(shí)，我沒(méi)了耐心，而且犯了一個(gè)見(jiàn)習(xí)教師常犯的錯(cuò)誤。我看著馬克說(shuō)道：“如果你再說(shuō)一個(gè)字，我就用膠帶把你的嘴封住!”4不到十秒鐘就聽(tīng)見(jiàn)查克突然嚷起來(lái)：“馬克又說(shuō)話了?！蔽也](méi)有讓任何學(xué)生幫我看著馬克，可是既然我已經(jīng)在全班面前講了我的懲罰辦法，就要說(shuō)到做到。5我還記得那時(shí)的情景，就好像是今天上午才發(fā)生的。我當(dāng)時(shí)走到自己的桌前，不慌不忙地拉開(kāi)抽屜，拿出一卷遮蔽膠帶，接著一言不發(fā)地走到馬克桌前，撕下兩條膠帶，在他的嘴上貼成一個(gè)大大的叉。然后我又回到教室的前面。6當(dāng)我瞥了馬克一眼想看看他的反應(yīng)時(shí)，他對(duì)我眨了眨眼。他得逞了!我笑了起來(lái)。我回到馬克的桌旁，撕掉了貼在他嘴上的膠帶，無(wú)可奈何地聳了聳肩，這時(shí)全班都?xì)g呼起來(lái)。撕掉膠帶后他說(shuō)的第一句話是：“謝謝您糾正我的行為，好老師。”7那年年底的時(shí)候我被安排去教初中數(shù)學(xué)。時(shí)光飛逝，不知不覺(jué)中馬克又坐在了我的教室里。他比過(guò)去更英俊了，而且還是那么彬彬有禮。因?yàn)椴坏貌蛔屑?xì)聽(tīng)我講解“新數(shù)學(xué)”，九年級(jí)的馬克不再像在三年級(jí)時(shí)那么愛(ài)講話了。8有個(gè)星期五，情況使人感到有點(diǎn)不對(duì)頭。整整一周我們都在學(xué)習(xí)一個(gè)新概念。我感覺(jué)到學(xué)生們開(kāi)始泄氣了，而且彼此之間變得急躁易怒。我得改變一下班級(jí)的氣氛以免情況失控。于是我讓他們把班上其他同學(xué)的名字列在兩張紙上，在名字之間留出些空間。然后我讓他們想出有關(guān)每個(gè)同學(xué)的最好的評(píng)價(jià)，并把它寫(xiě)下來(lái)。9那堂課剩下的時(shí)間全花在了完成這項(xiàng)工作上。但是當(dāng)學(xué)生們離開(kāi)教室的時(shí)候，每人都把他們寫(xiě)好的兩張紙遞給我。查克面帶微笑。馬克對(duì)我說(shuō)：“謝謝您教我，好老師。祝您周末愉快?！?0那個(gè)星期六，我把每個(gè)學(xué)生的名字分別寫(xiě)在一張紙上，然后把其他人說(shuō)的關(guān)于那個(gè)人的話都一一列在上面。星期一，我把這些紙發(fā)給每個(gè)學(xué)生自己。有的有兩頁(yè)之多。沒(méi)多久，全班都在微笑?！罢娴膯帷蔽衣?tīng)見(jiàn)有人輕聲說(shuō)?！拔覐臎](méi)想到會(huì)有人看重那件事。”“我沒(méi)想到別人會(huì)這么喜歡我!”ll沒(méi)有人在班上再提起那些紙。我也不知道他們是否在課后或與他們的父母談?wù)撨^(guò)那些(列在紙上的)事，可是那并不重要。這次活動(dòng)已經(jīng)達(dá)到了它的目的。學(xué)生們又感到快樂(lè)了，相互之間又愉快相處了。12那一撥學(xué)生接著該去哪兒去哪兒了。幾年后，我度假回來(lái)，父母到機(jī)場(chǎng)接我。開(kāi)車回家的路上，母親問(wèn)了些關(guān)于旅行的事，都是老一套：天氣怎么樣以及大體的旅行經(jīng)歷。然后談話中有點(diǎn)兒冷場(chǎng)。母親瞟了父親一眼，簡(jiǎn)捷地說(shuō)：“她爸”于是父親清了清喉嚨，就像通常他要說(shuō)些重要的事情之前做的那樣。“?？寺》驄D昨晚打電話來(lái)了，”他開(kāi)始說(shuō)道。13“真的”我說(shuō)?！拔乙呀?jīng)好幾年沒(méi)和他們聯(lián)系了，不知道馬克怎么樣了。”14爸爸平靜地回答我。“馬克死在越南了，”他說(shuō)?！懊魈炫e行葬禮。他父母希望你能參加?！敝钡浇裉煳疫€清清楚楚地記得父親是在494號(hào)州際公路的哪個(gè)地方告訴我馬克的事的。15我以前從沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)躺在軍用棺材里的軍人。馬克看上去是那么英俊，那么成熟。那一時(shí)刻，我的腦海里只有這么一句話：馬克，只要你能和我說(shuō)句話，我愿意付出一切。16葬禮過(guò)后，馬克的大多數(shù)同學(xué)到查克的農(nóng)舍去吃午飯。馬克的父母在那兒，他們顯然在等我。“我們想給你看樣?xùn)|西，”馬克的爸爸邊說(shuō)邊從口袋里拿出一個(gè)皮夾?！斑@是馬克犧牲后他們?cè)谒砩习l(fā)現(xiàn)的。我們想你也許能認(rèn)得這個(gè)?！?7他把皮夾打開(kāi)，小心翼翼地拿出兩張破舊的筆記本紙。很明顯，那紙已經(jīng)用膠帶粘貼，反反復(fù)復(fù)地折疊過(guò)。我不用看就知道是什么紙，我在那上面列出了每個(gè)同學(xué)說(shuō)過(guò)的馬克的優(yōu)點(diǎn)。“真是感謝你做了這樣的事，”馬克的媽媽說(shuō)?！澳隳芸吹贸?，馬克很珍視它。”18馬克的同學(xué)紛紛圍住了我們。查理十分靦腆地笑著說(shuō)：“我還留著我的那份呢。放在我家書(shū)桌最頂層的抽屜里?！辈榭说钠拮诱f(shuō)：“查克讓我把他的那份放在我們的結(jié)婚像冊(cè)里?！薄拔夷欠菀擦糁?，”瑪里琳說(shuō)?！皧A在我的日記里?！绷硪粋€(gè)同學(xué)維姬伸手到她的皮包里，拿出了她的皮夾，把她那張破舊不堪的紙給大家看?！拔乙恢卑阉鼛г谏砩?，”維姬毫不猶豫地說(shuō)?！拔蚁胛覀兌剂糁约旱倪@些(優(yōu)點(diǎn))單子?！?9就在那個(gè)時(shí)候，我終于坐下來(lái)，哭了，為馬克，也為所有永遠(yuǎn)不能再見(jiàn)到他的那些朋友而流淚?！疢otherTongueIamawriter.Andbythatdefinition,Iamsomeonewhohasalwayslovedlanguage.Iamfascinatedbylanguageindailylife.Ispendagreatdealofmytimethinkingaboutthepoweroflanguage—thewayitcanevokeanemotion,avisualimage,acomplexidea,orasimpletruth.Languageisthetoolofmytrade.AndIusethemall—alltheEnglishesIgrewupwith.Recently,IwasmadekeenlyawareofthedifferentEnglishesIdouse.Iwasgivingatalktoalargegroupofpeople,thesametalkIhadalreadygiventohalfadozenothergroups.Thenatureofthetalkwasaboutmywriting,mylife,andmybook,TheJoyLuckClub.ThetalkwasgoingalongwellenoughuntilIrememberedonemajordifferencethatmadethewholetalksoundwrong.Mymotherwasintheroom.Anditwasperhapsthefirsttimeshehadheardmegivealengthyspeech,usingthekindofEnglishIhaveneverusedwithher—aspeechfilledwithcarefullyconstructedgrammaticalphrases,burdened,itsuddenlyseemedtome,withnominalizedforms,pastperfecttenses,conditionalphrases,alltheformsofstandardEnglishthatIhadlearnedinschoolandthroughbooks,theformsofEnglishIdidnotuseathomewithmymother.Justlastweek,Iwaswalkingdownthestreetwithmymother,andIagainfoundmyselfconsciousoftheEnglishIwasusing,theEnglishIdousewithher.WeweretalkingaboutthepriceofnewandusedfurnitureandIheardmyselfsayingthis:"Notwastemoneythatway."Myhusbandwaswithusaswell,andhedidn'tnoticeanyswitchinmyEnglish.AndthenIrealizedwhy.It'sbecauseoverthetwentyyearsthatwehavebeentogetherI'veoftenusedthesamekindofEnglishwithhim,andsometimesheevenusesitwithme.Ithasbecomeourlanguageofintimacy,adifferentsortofEnglishthatrelatestofamilytalk,thelanguageIgrewupwith.Youshouldknowthatmymother'sexpressivecommandofEnglishdoesn'treflecthowmuchsheactuallyunderstands.Shereadsfinancialreports,listenstoWallStreetWeek(aTVfinancialnewsprogram),conversesdailywithherstockbroker,andreadsmanytypesofbookswithease.Yetsomeofmyfriendstellmetheyunderstandonly50percentofwhatmymothersays.Somesaytheyunderstand80to90percent.Somesaytheyunderstandnoneofit,asifshewerespeakingpureChinese.Buttome,mymother'sEnglishisperfectlyclear,perfectlynatural.It'smymothertongue.Herlanguage,asIhearit,isvivid,direct,fullofobservationandimagery.ThatwasthelanguagethathelpedshapethewayIsawthings,expressedthings,madesenseoftheworld.Lately,I'vebeengivingmorethoughttothekindofEnglishmymotherspeaks.Likeothers,Ihavedescribedittootherpeopleas"broken"English.ButIshrinkwithpainwhenIsaythat.ItalwaysbotheredmethatIcanthinkofnowaytodescribeitotherthan"broken",asifitweredamagedandneededtobefixed,asifitlackedcertainwholenessandsoundness.I'veheardothertermsused,"limitedEnglish",forexample.Buttheyseemjustasbad,asifeverythingislimited,includingpeople'sperceptionsofthe"limited"Englishspeaker.Iknowthisforafact,becausewhenIwasgrowingup,mymother's"limited"Englishlimitedmyperceptionofher.IwasashamedofherEnglish.IbelievedthatherEnglishreflectedthequalityofwhatshehadtosay.Thatis,becausesheexpressedthemimperfectlyherthoughtswereimperfect.AndIhadplentyofempiricalevidencetosupportme:thefactthatpeopleindepartmentstores,atbanks,andatrestaurantsdidnottakeherseriously,didnotgivehergoodservice,pretendednottounderstandher,orevenactedasiftheydidnothearher.MymotherhaslongrealizedthelimitationsofherEnglishaswell.WhenIwasfifteen,sheusedtoaskmetocallpeopleonthephonetopretendIwasshe.Inthisguise,Iwasforcedtoaskforinformationorevencomplainandyellatpeoplewhohadbeenrudetoher.OnetimeitwasacalltoherstockbrokerinNewYork.ShehadcashedouthersmallstockportfolioanditjustsohappenedweweregoingtogotoNewYorkthenextweek,ourveryfirsttripoutsideCalifornia.Ihadtogetonthephoneandsayinanadolescentvoicethatwasnotveryconvincing,"ThisisMrsTan."Andmymotherwasstandinginthebackwhispering,"Whyhedon'tsendmecheck,alreadytwoweekslate.Somadhelietome,losingmemoney.AndthenIsaidinperfectEnglish,"Yes,I'mgettingratherconcerned.Youhadagreedtosendthechecktwoweeksago,butithasn'tarrived."Thenshebegantotalkmoreloudly,"Whathewant,IcometoNewYorktellhimfrontofhisboss,youcheatingme"AndIwastryingtocalmherdown,makeherbequiet,whiletellingthestockbroker,"Ican'ttolerateanymoreexcuses.IfIdon'treceivethecheckimmediately,IamgoingtospeaktoyourmanagerwhenI'minNewYorknextweek."WhyaretherenotmoreAsianAmericansrepresentedinAmericanliteratureWhyaretheresofewAsianAmericansenrolledincreativewritingprogramsWhydosomanyChinesestudentsgointoengineeringWell,thesearebroadsociologicalquestionsIcan'tbegintoanswer.ButIhavenoticedinsurveysthatAsianstudents,asawhole,alwaysdosignificantlybetteronmathachievementteststhaninEnglish.AndthismakesmethinkthatthereareotherAsian-AmericanstudentswhoseEnglishspokeninthehomemightalsob