全新版大學(xué)英語(yǔ)5(第二版)課文翻譯

GoingforBrokeMateaGoldandDavidFerrell1RexCoile'slifeisanarrowbox,sodarkandconfininghewondershowhegottrappedinside,whetherhe'llevergetout.孤注一擲馬泰婭·戈?duì)柕麓骶S·費(fèi)雷爾雷克斯·科勒好像生活在一個(gè)狹窄的箱子里，伸手不見(jiàn)五指，空間又狹小，他不知道自己是怎么陷進(jìn)去的，也不知道自己還能不能走出來(lái)。2Henevergoestothemovies,neverseesconcerts,neverliesonasunnybeach,nevertravelsonvacation,neverspendsChristmaswithhisfamily.Instead,Rexsharesfloorspaceincheapmotelswithothercompulsivegamblers,comfortinghimselfwithdelusionaldreamsofjackpotsthatwillmagicallywipeawaythreedecadesofwreckage.Hehaslosthismarriage,hishome,hisCadillac,hisclothes,hisdiamondring.Notleastofall,inthecardclubsofSouthernCalifornia,hehaslosthispride.他從不看電影，從不聽(tīng)音樂(lè)會(huì)，從不躺在沙灘上曬太陽(yáng)，從不在假日去旅游，從不和家人一起過(guò)圣誕節(jié)。相反，雷克斯在廉價(jià)汽車旅館和別的嗜賭成癖的賭徒一起住，幻想著贏大錢，好魔術(shù)般地把30年的晦氣厄運(yùn)一掃而光。他失去了婚姻，失去了家，失去了卡迪拉克牌轎車，失去了衣物和鉆戒。尤其是，在南加州的紙牌俱樂(lè)部，他還失去了自尊心。3Rexnolongerfeelssorryforhimself,notaftera29-yearlosingstreakthathaslefthimscroungingfortablescrapstofeedhishabit.Still,heagonizesoverwhathehasbecomeat54andwhathemighthavebeen.雷克斯不再為自己哀嘆，他都輸了29年了，輸?shù)搅嗽谫€桌上偷零錢以滿足自己嗜好的地步。盡管如此，他還是對(duì)自己54歲時(shí)的境況深感痛苦，對(duì)自己未能成就可能會(huì)成就的事業(yè)而深感痛苦。4Articulate,intellectual,hetalksabout

existentialphilosophy,thewritingsofCamusandSartre.HewasonceaneditoratRandomHouse.Hismindissojampackedwithtidbitsaboutmovies,television,baseballandhistorythatcardroomregularscallhim"RexTrivia,"anamehecherishesfortheremnantofself-respectitgiveshim."There'salotofRexesaroundthesecardrooms,"hesaysinawhisperofresignationandsadness.他能說(shuō)會(huì)道，善于思考，喜談存在主義哲學(xué)，談加繆和薩特的作品。他曾是蘭登出版社的編輯。他腦子里裝滿有關(guān)電影、電視、棒球和歷史的趣聞，因此那些紙牌室的?？投冀兴叭ぢ劥笸趵卓怂埂?，他珍惜這個(gè)帶給自己些許自尊的名字?！斑@些紙牌室里有不少雷克斯，”他無(wú)奈而又悲傷地低聲說(shuō)道。5AndtheirnumbersaresoaringasgamblingexplodesacrossAmerica,fromthemega-resortsofLasVegastothegamingparlorsofIndianreservations,fromtheriverboatsalongtheMississippitothecornermini-martssellinglotterytickets.Withnearlyeverystateintheunionnowsanctioningsomeformoflegalizedgamblingtoraiserevenues,evidenceismountingthatsocietyispayingasteepprice,onethatsomeresearcherssaymustbeconfronted,ifnotreversed.美國(guó)各地賭博盛行，從拉斯維加斯的特大型度假勝地，到印第安人居留地的小賭場(chǎng)，從密西西比河上的內(nèi)河船，到街角處出售彩票的便利店，賭博隨處可見(jiàn)，因此賭徒人數(shù)正在劇增。由于全國(guó)幾乎每個(gè)州都批準(zhǔn)某種合法化的賭博形式以增加稅收，越來(lái)越多的事實(shí)表明，整個(gè)社會(huì)正在付出巨大的代價(jià)，不少研究者指出，對(duì)此現(xiàn)象如果不能徹底改變，那就必須嚴(yán)肅面對(duì)。6Neverbeforehavebettorsblownsomuchmoney—awhopping$50.9billionlastyear—fivetimestheamountlostin1980.That'smorethanthepublicspentonmovies,themeparks,recordedmusicandsportingeventscombined.Asubstantialshareofthosegamblinglosses—anestimated30%to40%—poursfromthepocketsandpursesofchroniclosershookedontheadrenalinerushofriskingtheirmoney,

intoxicatedbythefastactionofgambling'sincandescentworld.賭徒以前從來(lái)不曾花費(fèi)如此多的賭金——去年的賭輸金額高達(dá)509億美元，是1980年賭輸金額的5倍，高出公眾在電影、主題公園、唱片音樂(lè)以及運(yùn)動(dòng)項(xiàng)目等方面的消費(fèi)總額。輸?shù)舻馁€金中有相當(dāng)一部分——約占30%－40%——是從那些常輸?shù)馁€徒的錢包里掏出來(lái)的，賭博帶來(lái)的興奮令他們?nèi)朊?，瞬息萬(wàn)變的賭博世界令他們?nèi)绨V如醉。7Studiesplacethetotalnumberofcompulsivegamblersatabout4.4million,aboutequaltothenation'sranksofhard-coredrugaddicts.Another11million,knownasproblemgamblers,teeterontheverge.Since1990,thenumberof

GamblersAnonymousgroupsnationwidehasdoubledfromabout600tomorethan1,200.據(jù)研究，嗜賭成癮者的總數(shù)約有440萬(wàn)，與美國(guó)毒癮大的癮君子的人數(shù)大致相同。另有1100萬(wàn)所謂有問(wèn)題的賭徒，已瀕臨深淵搖搖欲墜。自1990年以來(lái)，全國(guó)戒賭組織的總數(shù)翻了一番，從600個(gè)上升到1200多個(gè)。8Compulsivegamblinghasbeenlinkedtochildabuse,domesticviolence,embezzlement,bogusinsuranceclaims,bankruptcies,welfarefraudandahostofothersocialandcriminalills.TheadventofInternetgamblingcouldlurenewlegionsintowageringbeyondtheirmeans.嗜賭成癮總是與虐待兒童、家庭暴力、盜用錢款、偽造保險(xiǎn)索賠、破產(chǎn)、福利救濟(jì)欺騙，以及其他許多社會(huì)問(wèn)題與犯罪行為聯(lián)系在一起。網(wǎng)上賭博的出現(xiàn)會(huì)誘使更多的人無(wú)節(jié)制地狂賭。9Everyonceinawhile,acaseissoegregiousitmakesheadlines:A10-day-oldbabygirlinSouthCarolinadiesafterbeingleftfornearlysevenhoursinahotcarwhilehermotherplaysvideopoker.AsuburbanChicagowomanissodesperateforabankrolltogamblethatsheallegedlysuffocatesher7-week-olddaughter11daysafterobtaininga$200,000life-insurancepolicyonthebaby.每過(guò)一段時(shí)間，總有一則令人震驚的案子成為頭條社會(huì)新聞：南卡羅來(lái)納州一名出生10天的女嬰被放在悶熱的汽車?yán)飵缀踹_(dá)7個(gè)小時(shí)后死去，其間女嬰的母親在電腦上打撲克。芝加哥郊區(qū)一名婦女急于覓得賭資，據(jù)說(shuō)，她在為她出生僅7周的女嬰購(gòu)買了20萬(wàn)美元的人壽保險(xiǎn)后11天將其窒息致死。10Sciencehasbeguntouncovercluestocompulsivegambling—geneticpredispositionsthatinvolvechemicalreceptorsinthebrain,thesamepleasurepathwaysimplicatedindrugandalcoholaddiction.Butnoamountofknowledge,noamountofenlightenment,makestheillnessanylessconfounding,anylessdestructive.Whatthegamblerscannotunderstandaboutthemselvesisalsowellbeyondthecomprehensionoffamilymembers,whostrugglefornormalityinaworldofdeceitandmadness.科學(xué)研究開(kāi)始揭示形成嗜賭成癖惡習(xí)的線索——與大腦中的化學(xué)感受器有關(guān)的，即與嗜毒、嗜酒同一個(gè)快感途徑有關(guān)的遺傳特性。但無(wú)論對(duì)這一頑癥有多少了解有多少認(rèn)識(shí)，人們對(duì)它的困惑一點(diǎn)也沒(méi)有減少，它的破壞性也一點(diǎn)也沒(méi)有減少。賭徒不明白自己的地方也正是家人所難以理解的地方，他們?cè)谝粋€(gè)充滿欺騙與瘋狂的世界中苦苦追求正常生活。11Moneystartsvanishing:$500here,$200there,$800acoupleofweekslater.Whereisit?Theanswerscomebackvague,nonsensical.It'sinthedeskatwork.Afriendborrowedit.Itgotspentonfamilydinners,carrepairs,loanstoin-laws.Exasperatedspousesplaythesleuth,combingthroughpockets,wallets,purses,searchingthecar.Sometimestheincriminatingevidenceturnsup—aracingform,lotteryscratchers,amaptoanIndiancasino.Oncethesecretisuncovered,spousesusuallyfighttheproblemalone,bleedinginside,becausethestoriesaretoohumiliatingtoshare.錢突然就不知去向：這里用了500美元，那兒花了200美元，兩三個(gè)星期之后又少了800美元。錢哪去了？回答很含糊，不知所云。在單位的辦公桌抽屜里。朋友借去了。家人聚餐花了，修車用了，借給姻親了。怒不可遏的配偶充當(dāng)起偵探，把衣袋、皮夾子、錢包翻了個(gè)遍，還搜了汽車。有時(shí)犯罪證據(jù)會(huì)暴露——賽馬小報(bào)、刮刮樂(lè)、去一家印第安賭場(chǎng)的地圖。秘密一旦被揭穿，配偶通常都單獨(dú)面對(duì)問(wèn)題，獨(dú)自承受心頭巨痛，因?yàn)檫@種事太丟人，沒(méi)法跟別人說(shuō)。12"Anybodywhoislivingwithacompulsivegambleristotallyoverwhelmed,"saysTomTucker,presidentoftheCaliforniaCouncilonProblemGambling."They'resteepedinanger,resentment,depression,confusion.Noneoftheirpersonaleffortswilleverstopapersonfromtheiraddiction.Andtheydon'treallyseeanyhopebecausecompulsivegamblingingeneralissuchanunder-recognizedillness."“與嗜賭成癮者一起生活的人都會(huì)陷入絕望，”加利福尼亞問(wèn)題賭博委員會(huì)主任湯姆·塔克說(shuō)?！八麄兂两趹嵟⒃购?、沮喪、困惑之中。他們?cè)趺纯嘈囊?guī)勸也無(wú)法使浪子回頭。他們真的看不到絲毫希望，因?yàn)槿藗兺ǔ２⒉徽嬲檬荣€成癮的嚴(yán)重性?！?3OneLosAngeleswoman,whosehusband'sgamblingwastearingathersanity,saysshesleptwithherfistssotightlyclenchedthathernailsslicedintoherpalms.Shehadfantasiesofdeath—firstherown,thinkinghe'dfeelsorryforherandstopgambling.Later,sheharboredthoughtsofturningherrageonherhusband.Sheimaginedgettingagun,hidingintheclosetandblastinghimoutofherlife.一個(gè)洛杉磯婦女，由于丈夫嗜賭成癮，自己幾乎神經(jīng)崩潰。她說(shuō)自己晚上睡覺(jué)時(shí)雙手緊緊握成拳頭，指甲把手掌都掐破了。她常常想到死——起初是想自己去死，覺(jué)得他會(huì)為自己傷心，會(huì)戒賭。后來(lái)，她又想到把怒氣轉(zhuǎn)到丈夫身上。她設(shè)想自己弄到一支槍，藏在壁櫥里，一槍把他從自己的生活中掃出去。14"ThehurtwassobadIthinkIwouldhavepulledthetrigger,"shesays."ThereweretimesthepainwassomuchIthoughtbeinginjail,orbeingintheelectricchair,wouldbelessthanthis."“那種傷害太痛苦了，我想自己真的會(huì)扣動(dòng)扳機(jī)，”她說(shuō)?！坝袝r(shí)真的痛苦不堪，覺(jué)得哪怕坐牢、上電椅，也不至于那么痛苦?！?5Withdrugoralcoholabusers,thereisthehopeofsoberingup,anaccomplishmentinitself,nomatterwhatproblemsmayhaveaccompaniedtheiraddictions.Compulsivegamblersoftenseenowaytopurgetheirurgeswhensuffocatingdebtssuggestonlyoneanswer:ahotstreak(suicide?).DavidPhillips,aUCSanDiegosociologyprofessor,studieddeathrecordsfrom1982to1988—beforelegalizedgamblingexplodedacrossAmerica—andfoundthatpeopleinVegas,AtlanticCityandothergamblingmeccasshowedsignificantlyhighersuicideratesthanpeopleinnon-gamblingcities.吸毒者或酗酒者尚有清醒起來(lái)的希望，不管他們的毒癮、酒癮造成了什么麻煩，會(huì)清醒起來(lái)本身就是一項(xiàng)成就。嗜賭成癖的賭徒高筑的債臺(tái)意味著只有一條出路：贏大獎(jiǎng)(或自殺？)。這時(shí)，他們往往無(wú)法戒除賭癮。加利福尼亞大學(xué)圣地亞哥分校社會(huì)學(xué)教授戴維·菲利普斯研究了1982－1988年間——合法賭博在美國(guó)蔓延之前——的死亡檔案，發(fā)現(xiàn)拉斯維加斯、大西洋城和其他賭城的居民的自殺率明顯高于沒(méi)有賭場(chǎng)的城市的居民。16RexTriviaisnotabouttokillhimself,butlikemostcompulsivegamblers,heoccasionallythinksaboutit.Lookingathim,it'shardtoimagineheoncehadapromisingfutureasasmartyoungNewYorkbookeditor.Hispaleeyesareexpressionless,hishairyellowishandbrittle.Inhisfifties,hishealthisfailing:emphysema,threelungcollapses,abadaorta,rottingteeth.趣聞大王雷克斯尚未打算自殺，但和眾多嗜賭成癮的賭徒一樣，偶爾他會(huì)閃過(guò)這個(gè)念頭。望著他，難以相信他曾經(jīng)是一位前途無(wú)量、年輕聰穎的紐約書籍編輯。他那灰色的雙眸呆滯無(wú)神，淡黃的頭發(fā)顯得枯萎。才50多歲，健康狀況已經(jīng)每況愈下：肺氣腫、3次肺萎陷、主動(dòng)脈有問(wèn)題，牙齒也損壞了。17Hisplungehasbeensodizzyingthatatonepointheagreedtoaidanotherdesperategamblerinarunofbankrobberies—nineinall,throughoutLosAngelesandOrangecounties.WhentheFBIbustedhimin1980,hehad$50,000incashinadresserdrawerand$100,000intraveler'schecksinhisrefrigerator'svegetablecrisper.Rex,whoendedupdoingashortstintinprison,hasn'tseenthatkindofmoneysince.他一直狂賭，結(jié)果走投無(wú)路，竟然答應(yīng)協(xié)助另一個(gè)因絕望而不顧一切的賭徒實(shí)施銀行搶劫——在洛杉磯和桔縣共搶了9家銀行。1980年聯(lián)邦調(diào)查局逮捕他時(shí)，他五斗櫥抽屜里有50,000美元現(xiàn)金，還有100,000美元的旅行支票藏在冰箱的蔬菜保鮮格內(nèi)。結(jié)果雷克斯在監(jiān)獄服了一段時(shí)間刑，從此再也沒(méi)見(jiàn)到過(guò)那么多的錢了。18At11P.M.onaTuesdaynight,withabankrollof$55—allhehas—heisatapokertableinGardena.Withquick,nervoushandshestacksandunstackshis$1chips.Thestackdwindles.Down$30,hetalksaboutleaving,gettingsomesleep.Midnightcomesandgoes.Rexstartswinning.Threeaces.Fourthrees.Chipspileup—$60,$70."Ashametogowhenthecardsarefallingmyway."Hechecksthetime:"I'llgoat2.Win,loseordraw."一個(gè)星期二晚上11點(diǎn)，他揣著55美元——這是他的全部家產(chǎn)——坐在了加德納的一張牌桌前。他兩手緊張地把那些1美元的籌碼迅速地堆起又弄散?；I碼漸漸少了。到剩下30美元時(shí)，他說(shuō)要走了，去睡一會(huì)兒。午夜稍縱即逝。雷克斯開(kāi)始贏了。三張A牌，四張3點(diǎn)。籌碼多起來(lái)了——60美元，70美元?！拔遗七\(yùn)那么好，怎么能走?！彼戳丝磿r(shí)間：“到2點(diǎn)就走，不管是輸是贏還是平?！?9Fate,kismet,luck—thecardskeepfalling.At2A.M.,Rexisup$97.Hestands,leaveshischipsonthetableandgoesoutforasmoke.Inthedarknessattheedgeoftheparkinglot,heloiterswithotherregulars,debatingwithhimselfwhethertogrababusandquit.命運(yùn)，天命加牌運(yùn)——一路順勢(shì)。到了凌晨2點(diǎn)，雷克斯贏了97美元。他站起身，把籌碼留在桌上，出去抽煙。他在停車場(chǎng)邊上黑暗的地方與別的常客閑站著，心里盤算著要不要坐公共汽車回去算了。20"Ishouldgobackinthereandcashinandgetoutofhere,"hesays."That's