倒背如流新概念三冊精華課文16篇

PAGEPAGE1倒背如流新概念三冊精華課文16篇《賣油翁》早已經向我們揭示出學好外語的最簡單樸素的真理——“熟能生巧”，成功就是熟能生巧。學了十多年英語背不出一篇課文。精讀的重點在于精，而不在于多。我從新概念三冊選出精華課文16篇，希望大家讀熟，滾瓜爛熟，讀到和讀漢語的感覺差不多。你的英語能力一定能達到一個新的高度，過四級英語將不在話下。倒背如流新概念學習方法狂聽要將課文錄音聽到爛熟于心的地步。（達到的標志是，聽錄音時，聽到上句幾乎可以想起下句，同時能在不看教材的基礎上，能流利地跟讀錄音。）這樣做的目的是糾正讀音，同時減少背誦的難度。倒譯將課文自己親自翻譯出來，然后再根據譯文說出英文。（練的是英漢翻譯的能力）

試背將課文中的關鍵詞寫下來作為提示，來背誦課文。單純地反復閱讀效果并不好，學習者應該在文章還沒有完全記住前積極進行嘗試再現(xiàn)，回憶不起來時再閱讀。這樣容易記住，而且保持時間也長。復述用自己的語言說出課文的主要內容。文章通過理解消化，語句通過熟讀試背，也已朗朗上口，如果再反復朗讀幾遍，就能流利地背誦下來。默寫所謂“眼過千遍，不如手抄一遍”。既用腦，又動手，可加深對文章的記憶。（1）Lesson1Listentothetapethenanswerthequestionbelow.(聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。)

Wheremustthepumahavecomefrom?

Pumasarelarge,cat-likeanimalswhicharefoundinAmerica.WhenreportscameintoLondonZoothatawildpumahadbeenspottedforty-fivemilessouthofLondon,theywerenottakenseriously.However,astheevidencebegantoaccumulate,expertsfromtheZoofeltobligedtoinvestigate,forthedescriptionsgivenbypeoplewhoclaimedtohaveseenthepumawereextraordinarilysimilar.Thehuntforthepumabeganinasmallvillagewhereawomanpickingblackberriessaw'alargecat'onlyfiveyardsawayfromher.Itimmediatelyranawaywhenshesawit,andexpertsconfirmedthatapumawillnotattackahumanbeingunlessitiscornered.Thesearchproveddifficult,forthepumawasoftenobservedatoneplaceinthemorningandatanotherplacetwentymilesawayintheevening.Whereveritwent,itleftbehinditatrailofdeaddeerandsmallanimalslikerabbits.Pawprintswereseeninanumberofplacesandpumafurwasfoundclingingtobushes.Severalpeoplecomplainedof"cat-likenoises'atnightandabusinessmanonafishingtripsawthepumaupatree.Theexpertswerenowfullyconvincedthattheanimalwasapuma,butwherehaditcomefrom?Asnopumashadbeenreportedmissingfromanyzoointhecountry,thisonemusthavebeeninthepossessionofaprivatecollectorandsomehowmanagedtoescape.Thehuntwentonforseveralweeks,butthepumawasnotcaught.Itisdisturbingtothinkthatadangerouswildanimalisstillatlargeinthequietcountryside.

參考譯文美洲獅是一種體形似貓的大動物，產于美洲。當倫敦動物園接到報告說，在倫敦以南45英里處發(fā)現(xiàn)一只美洲獅時，這些報告并沒有受到重視?？墒?，隨著證據越來越多，動物園的專家們感到有必要進行一番調查，因為凡是聲稱見到過美洲獅的人們所描述的情況竟是出奇地相似。搜尋美洲獅的工作是從一座小村莊開始的。那里的一位婦女在采摘黑莓時的看見"一只大貓"，離她僅5碼遠，她剛看見它，它就立刻逃走了。專家證實，美洲獅非被逼得走投無路，是決不會傷人的。事實上搜尋工作很困難，因為常常是早晨在甲地發(fā)現(xiàn)那只美洲獅，晚上卻在20英里外的乙地發(fā)現(xiàn)它的蹤跡。無論它走哪兒，一路上總會留下一串死鹿及死兔子之類的小動物，在許多地方看見爪印，灌木叢中發(fā)現(xiàn)了粘在上面的美洲獅毛。有人抱怨說夜里聽見"像貓一樣的叫聲"；一位商人去釣魚，看見那只美洲獅在樹上。專家們如今已經完全肯定那只動物就是美洲獅，但它是從哪兒來的呢？由于全國動物園沒有一家報告丟了美洲獅，因此那只美洲獅一定是某位私人收藏豢養(yǎng)的，不知怎么設法逃出來了。搜尋工作進行了好幾個星期，但始終未能逮住那只美洲獅。想到在寧靜的鄉(xiāng)村里有一頭危險的野獸繼續(xù)逍遙流竄，真令人擔心。（2）Lesson4ThedoublelifeofAlfredBloggs阿爾弗雷德.布洛格斯的雙重生活

Listentothetapethenanswerthequestionbelow.聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。

WhydidAlfwantawhite-collarjob?

Thesedays,peoplewhodomanualworkoftenreceivefarmoremoneythanpeoplewhoworkinoffices.Peoplewhoworkinofficesarefrequentlyreferredtoas"white-collarworkers'forthesimplereasonthattheyusuallywearacollarandtietogotowork.Suchishumannature,thatagreatmanypeopleareoftenwillingtosacrificehigherpayfortheprivilegeofbecomingwhite-collarworkers.Thiscangiverisetocurioussituations,asitdidinthecaseofAlfredBloggswhoworkedasadustmanfortheEllesmereCorporation.Whenhegotmarried,Alfwastooembarrassedtosayanythingtohiswifeabouthisjob.HesimplytoldherthatheworkedfortheCorporation.Everymorning,helefthomedressedinasmartblacksuit.Hethenchangedintooverallsandspentthenexteighthoursasadustman.Beforereturninghomeatnight.Hetookashowerandchangedbackintohissuit.AlfdidthisforovertwoyearsandhisfellowdustmenkepthissecretAlf'swifehasneverdiscoveredthatshemarriedadustmanandsheneverwill,forAlfhasjustfoundanotherjob.Hewillsoonbeworkinginanoffice.Hewillbeearningonlyhalfasmuchasheusedto,buthefeelsthathisriseinstatusiswellworththelossofmoney.Fromnowon,hewillwearasuitalldayandotherswillcallhim'Mr.Bloggs',not'Alf'.

參考譯文如今，從事體力勞動的人的收入一般要比坐辦公室的人高出許多。坐辦公室的之所以常常被稱作"白領工人"，就是因為他們通常是穿著硬領白襯衫，系著領帶去上班。許多人常常情愿放棄較高的薪水以換取做白領工人的殊榮，此乃人之常情。而這常常會引起種種奇怪的現(xiàn)象，在埃爾斯米爾公司當清潔工的艾爾弗雷德.布洛斯就是一個例子。艾爾弗結婚時，感到非常難為情，而沒有將自己的職業(yè)告訴妻子。他只說在埃爾斯米爾公司上班。每天早晨，他穿上一身漂亮的黑色西裝離家上班，然后換上工作服，當8個小時清潔工。晚上回家前，他洗個淋浴，重新?lián)Q上那身黑色西服。兩年多以來，艾爾弗一直這樣，他的同事也為他保守秘密。艾爾弗的妻子一直不知道她嫁給了一個清潔工，而且她永遠也不會知道了，因為艾爾弗已找到薪職，不久就要坐辦公室里工作了。他將來掙的錢只有他現(xiàn)在的一半。不過他覺得，地位升高了，損失點兒錢也值得。從此，艾爾弗可以一天到晚穿西服了。別人將稱呼他為"布洛格斯先生"，而不再叫他"艾爾弗"了。（3）Lesson14 Anoblegangster貴族歹徒TherewasatimewhentheownersofshopsandbusinessesinChicagohadtopaylargesumsofmoneytogangstersinreturnfor'protection.'Ifthemoneywasnotpaidpromptly,thegangsterswouldquicklyputamanoutofbusinessbydestroyinghisshop.Obtaining'protectionmoney'isnotamoderncrime.Aslongagoasthefourteenthcentury,anEnglishman,SirJohnHawkwood,madetheremarkablediscoverythatpeoplewouldratherpaylargesumsofmoneythanhavetheirlifeworkdestroyedbygangsters.Sixhundredyearsago,SirJohanHawkwoodarrivedinItalywithabandofsoldiersandsettlednearFlorence.HesoonmadeanameforhimselfandcametobeknowntotheItaliansasGiovanniAcuto.WhenevertheItaliancity-stateswereatwarwitheachother,Hawkwoodusedtohirehissoldierstoprinceswhowerewillingtopaythehighpricehedemanded.Intimesofpeace,whenbusinesswasbad,Hawkwoodandhismenwouldmarchintoacity-stateand,afterburningdownafewfarms,wouldoffertogoawayifprotectionmoneywaspaidtothem.Hawkwoodmadelargesumsofmoneyinthisway.Inspiteofthis,theItaliansregardedhimasasortofhero.Whenhediedattheageofeighty,theFlorentinesgavehimastatefuneralandhadapicturedpaintedwhichwasdedicatedtothememoryof'themostvaliantsoldierandmostnotableleader,SignorGiovanniHaukodue.'曾經有一個時期,芝加哥的店主和商行的老板們不得不拿出大筆的錢給歹徒以換取"保護"。如果交款不及時,歹徒們就會很快搗毀他的商店,讓他破產.榨取"保護金"并不是一種現(xiàn)代的罪惡行徑.早在14世紀,英國人約翰.霍克伍德就有過非凡的發(fā)現(xiàn):"人們情愿拿出大筆的錢,也不愿畢生的心血毀于歹徒之手.600年前,約翰.霍克伍德爵士帶著一隊士兵來到意大利,在佛羅倫薩附近駐扎下來,很快就出了名.意大利人叫他喬凡尼.阿庫托.每次意大利各城邦之間發(fā)生戰(zhàn)爭,霍克伍德把他的士兵雇傭給愿給他出高價的君主。和平時期,當生意蕭條時,霍克伍德便帶領士兵進入某個城邦,縱火燒毀一兩個農場,然后提出,如向他們繳納保護金,他們便主動撤離。霍克伍德用這種方法掙了大筆錢.盡管如此,意大利人還是把他視作某種英雄。他80歲那年死去時,佛羅倫薩人為他舉行了國葬,并為他畫像以紀念這位"驍勇無比的戰(zhàn)士、杰出的領袖喬凡尼.阿庫托先生."（4）Lesson17 Thelongestsuspensionbridgeintheworld 世界上最長的吊橋Verrazano,anItalianaboutwhomlittleisknown,sailedintoNewYorkHarbourin1524andnameditAngouleme.Hedescribeditas'averyagreeablesituationlocatedwithintwosmallhillsinthemidstofwhichflowedagreatriver.'ThoughVerrazanoisbynomeansconsideredtobeagreatexplorer,hisnamewillprobablyremainimmortal,foronNovember21st,1964,thelongestsuspensionbridgeintheworldwasnamedafterhim.TheVerrazanoBridge,whichwasdesignedbyOthmarAmmann,joinsBrooklyntoStatenIsland.Ithasaspanof4,260feet.Thebridgeissolongthattheshapeoftheearthhadtobetakenintoaccountbyitsdesigner.Twogreattowerssupportfourhugecables.Thetowersarebuiltonimmenseunderwaterplatformsmadeofsteelandconcrete.Theplatformsextendtoadepthofover100feetunderthesea.Thesealonetooksixteenmonthstobuild.Abovethesurfaceofthewater,thetowersrisetoaheightofnearly700feet.Theysupportthecablesfromwhichthebridgehasbeensuspended.Eachofthefourcablescontains26,108lengthsofwire.Ithasbeenestimatedthatifthebridgewerepackedwithcars,itwouldstillonlybecarryingathirdofitstotalcapacity.However,sizeandstrengtharenottheonlyimportantthingsaboutthisbridge.Despiteitsimmensity,itisbothsimpleandelegant,fulfillingitsdesigner'sdreamtocreate'anenormousobjectdrawnasfaintlyaspossible'.1524年，一位鮮為人知的意大利人維拉薩諾駕船駛進紐約港，并將該港名為安古拉姆。他對該港作了這樣的描述：“地理位置十分適宜，位于兩座小山的中間，一條大河從中間流過”。雖然維拉薩諾絕對算不上一個偉大的探險家，但他的名字將流芳百世，因為1964年11月21日建成的一座世界上最長的吊橋是以他的名字命名。維拉薩諾大橋由奧斯馬.阿曼設計，連結著布魯克林與斯塔頓島，橋長4,260英尺。由于橋身太長，設計者不得不考慮了地表的形狀。兩座巨塔支撐著4根粗大的鋼纜。塔身建在巨大的水下鋼盤混凝土平臺上。平臺深入海底100英尺。僅這兩座塔就花了16個月才建成。塔身高出水面將近700英尺。高塔支撐著鋼纜，而鋼纜又懸吊著大橋，4根鋼纜中的每根由26，108股鋼繩組成。據估計，若橋上擺滿了汽車，也只不過是橋的總承載力的1/3。然而，這座橋重要特點不僅是它的規(guī)模與強度。盡管此橋很大，但它的結構簡單，造型優(yōu)美，實現(xiàn)了設計者企圖創(chuàng)造一個“盡量用細線條勾畫出一個龐然大物”的夢想。（5）Lesson21 DanielMendoza 丹尼爾.門多薩BoxingmatcheswereverypopularinEnglandtwohundredyearsago.Inthosedays,boxersfoughtwithbarefistsforprizemoney.Becauseofthis,theywereknownas'prize-fighters'.However,boxingwasverycrude,fortherewerenorulesandaprize-fightercouldbeseriouslyinjuredorevenkilledduringamatch.OneofthemostcolourfulfiguresinboxinghistorywasDanielMendoza,whowasbornin1764.Theuseofgloveswasnotintroduceduntil1860,whentheMarquisofQueensberrydrewupthefirstsetofrules.Thoughhewastechnicallyaprize-fighter,Mendozadidmuchtochangecrudeprize-fightingintoasport,forhebroughtsciencetothegame.Inhisday,Mendozaenjoyedtremendouspopularity.Hewasadoredbyrichandpooralike.Mendozarosetofameswiftlyafteraboxing-matchwhenhewasonlyfourteenyearsold.ThisattractedtheattentionofRichardHumphrieswhowasthenthemosteminentboxerinEngland.HeofferedtotrainMendozaandhisyoungpupilwasquicktolearn.Infact,MendozasoonbecamesosuccessfulthatHumphriesturnedagainsthim.Thetwomenquarrelledbitterlyanditwasclearthattheargumentcouldonlybesettledbyafight.AmatchwasheldatStilton,wherebothmenfoughtforanhour.ThepublicbetagreatdealofmoneyonMendoza,buthewasdefeated.MendozametHumphriesintheringonalateroccasionandhelostforasecondtime.Itwasnotuntilhisthirdmatchin1790thathefinallybeatHumphriesandbecameChampionofEngland.Meanwhile,hefoundedahighlysuccessfulAcademyandevenLordByronbecameoneofhispupils.Heearnedenormoussumsofmoneyandwaspaidasmuchas100poundsforasingleappearance.Despitethis,hewassoextravagantthathewasalwaysindebt.AfterhewasdefeatedbyaboxercalledGentlemanJackson,hewasquicklyforgotten.Hewassenttoprisonforfailingtopayhisdebtsanddiedinpovertyin1836.兩百年前，拳擊比賽在英國非常盛行。當時，拳擊手們不戴手套，為爭奪獎金而搏斗。因此，他們被稱作“職業(yè)拳擊手”。不過，拳擊是十分野蠻的，因為當時沒有任何比賽規(guī)則，職業(yè)拳擊手有可能在比賽中受重傷，甚至喪命。拳擊史上最引人注目的人物之一是丹尼爾.門多薩，他生于1764年。1860年昆斯伯里侯爵第一次為拳擊比賽制定了規(guī)則，拳擊比賽這才用上了手套。雖然門多薩嚴格來講不過是個職業(yè)拳擊手，但在把這種粗野的拳擊變成一種體育運動方面，他作出了重大貢獻。是他把科學引進了這項運動。門多薩在他的全盛時期深受大家歡迎，無論是富人還是窮人都對他祟拜備至。門多薩在14歲時參加一場拳擊賽后一舉成名。這引起當時英國拳壇名將理查德.漢弗萊斯的注意。他主動提出教授門多薩，而年少的門多薩一學就會。事實上，門多薩不久便名聲大振，致使?jié)h弗萊斯與他反目為敵。兩個人爭吵不休，顯而易見，只有較量一番才能解決問題。于是兩人在斯蒂爾頓設下賽場，廝打了一個小時。公眾把大筆賭注下到了門多薩身上，但他卻輸了。后來，門多薩與漢弗萊斯再次在拳擊場上較量，門多薩又輸了一場。直到1790年他們第3次對壘，門多薩才終于擊敗漢弗萊斯，成了全英拳擊冠軍。同時，他建立了一所拳擊學校，辦得很成功，連拜倫勛爵也成了他的學生。門多薩掙來大筆大筆的錢，一次出場費就多可達100英鎊。盡管收入不少，但他揮霍無度，經常債臺高筑。他被一個叫杰克遜紳士的拳擊手擊敗后很快被遺忘。他因無力還債而被捕入獄，最后于1836年在貧困中死去。（6）Lesson24

Askeletoninthecupboard

“家丑”Weoftenreadinnovelshowaseeminglyrespectablepersonorfamilyhassometerriblesecretwhichhasbeenconcealedfromstrangersforyears.TheEnglishlanguagepossessesavividsayingtodescribethissortofsituation.Theterriblesecretiscalled‘askeletoninthecupboard’.Atsomedramaticmomentinthestory,theterriblesecretbecomesknownandareputationisruined.Thereader'shairstandsonendwhenhereadsinthefinalpagesofthenovelthattheheroine,adearoldladywhohadalwaysbeensokindtoeverybody,had,inheryouth,poisonedeveryoneofherfivehusbands.Itisallverywellforsuchthingstooccurinfiction.Tovaryingdegrees,weallhavesecretswhichwedonotwantevenourclosestfriendstolearn,butfewofushaveskeletonsinthecupboard.TheonlypersonIknowwhohasaskeletoninthecupboardisGeorgeCarlton,andheisveryproudofthefact.Georgestudiedmedicineinhisyouth.Insteadofbecomingadoctor,however,hebecameasuccessfulwriterofdetectivestories.IoncespentanuncomfortableweekendwhichIshallneverforgetathishouse.Georgeshowedmetotheguest-roomwhich,hesaid,wasrarelyused.Hetoldmetounpackmythingsandthencomedowntodinner.AfterIhadstackedmyshirtsandunderclothesintwoemptydrawers,IdecidedtohangoneofthetwosuitsIhadbroughtwithmeinthecupboard.Iopenedthecupboarddoorandthenstoodinfrontofitpetrified.Askeletonwasdanglingbeforemyeyes.Thesuddenmovementofthedoormadeitswayslightlyanditgavemetheimpressionthatitwasabouttoleapoutatme.Droppingmysuit,IdasheddownstairstotellGeorge.Thiswasworsethan‘aterriblesecret’;thiswasarealskeleton!ButGeorgewasunsympathetic.‘Oh,that,’hesaidwithasmileasifheweretalkingaboutanoldfriend.‘That'sSebastian.YouforgetthatIwasamedicalstudentonceuponatime.’在小說中，我們經常讀到一個表面上受人尊重的人物或家族，卻有著某種多年不為人所知的駭人聽聞的秘密。英語中有一個生動的說法來形容這種情況。驚人的秘密被稱作“柜中骷髏”。在小說的某個戲劇性時刻，可怕的秘密泄漏出來，接著便是某人的聲譽掃地。當讀者讀到小說最后幾頁了解到書中女主人公，那位一向待大家很好的可愛的老婦人年輕時一連毒死了她的5個丈夫時，不禁會毛骨悚然。這種事發(fā)生在小說中是無可非議的。盡管我們人人都有各種大小秘密，連最親密的朋友都不愿讓他們知道，但我們當中極少有人有柜中骷髏。我所認識的唯一的在柜中藏骷髏的人便是喬治·卡爾頓，他甚至引以為自豪。喬治年輕時學過醫(yī)，然而，他后來沒當上醫(yī)生，卻成了一位成功的偵探小說作家。有一次，我在他家里度周末，過得很不愉快。這事我永遠不會忘記。喬治把我領進客房，說這間房間很少使用。他讓我打開行裝后下樓吃飯。我將襯衫、內衣放進兩個空抽屜里，然后我想把隨身帶來的兩套西服中的一套掛到大衣柜里去。我打開柜門，站在柜門前一下子驚呆了。一具骷髏懸掛在眼前，由于柜門突然打開，它也隨之輕微搖晃起來，讓我覺得它好像馬上要跳出柜門朝我撲過來似的。我扔下西服沖下樓去告訴喬治。這是比“駭人聽聞的秘密”更加驚人的東西，這是一具真正的骷髏?。〉珕讨螀s無動于衷?！班蓿撬?！他笑著說道，儼然在談論一位老朋友?！澳鞘侨退沟侔病Ｄ阃宋乙郧笆菍W醫(yī)的了?！保?）Lesson27 Nothingtosellandnothingtobuy沒有東西可賣也沒有東西可買Ithasbeensaidthateveryonelivesbysellingsomething.Inthelightofthisstatement,teacherslivebysellingknowledge,philosophersbysellingwisdomandpriestsbysellingspiritualcomfort.Thoughitmaybepossibletomeasurethevalueofmaterialgoodintermsofmoney,itisextremelydifficulttoestimatethetruevalueoftheserviceswhichpeopleperformforus.Therearetimeswhenwewouldwillinglygiveeverythingwepossesstosaveourlives,yetwemightgrudgepayingasurgeonahighfeeforofferinguspreciselythisservice.Theconditionsofsocietyaresuchthatskillshavetobepaidforinthesamewaythatgoodsarepaidforatashop.Everyonehassomethingtosell.Trampsseemtobetheonlyexceptiontothisgeneralrule.Beggarsalmostsellthemselvesashumanbeingstoarousethepityofpassers-by.Butrealtrampsarenotbeggars.Theyhavenothingtosellandrequirenothingfromothers.Inseekingindependence,theydonotsacrificetheirhumandignity.Atrampmayaskyouformoney,buthewillneveraskyoutofeelsorryforhim.Hehasdeliberatelychosentoleadthelifeheleadsandisfullyawareoftheconsequences.Hemayneverbesurewherethenextmealiscomingfrom,butheisfreefromthethousandsofanxietieswhichafflictotherpeople.Hisfewmaterialpossessionsmakeitpossibleforhimtomovefromplacetoplacewithease.Byhavingtosleepintheopen,hegetsfarclosertotheworldofnaturethanmostofuseverdo.Hemayhunt,beg,orstealoccasionallytokeephimselfalive;hemayeven,intimesofrealneed,doalittlework;buthewillneversacrificehisfreedom.Weoftenspeakoftrampswithcontemptandputtheminthesameclassasbeggars,buthowmanyofuscanhonestlysaythatwehavenotfeltalittleenviousoftheirsimplewayoflifeandtheirfreedomfromcare?據說每個人都靠出售某種東西來維持生活。根據這種說法，教師靠賣知識為生，哲學家靠賣智慧為生，牧師靠賣精神安慰為生。雖然物質產品的價值可以用金錢來衡量，但要估算別人為我們?yōu)樗峁┑姆盏膬r值卻是極其困難的。有時，我們?yōu)榱送炀壬?，愿意付出我們所占有的一切。但就在外科大夫給我們提供了這種服務后，我們卻可能為所支付的昂貴的費用而抱怨。社會上的情況就是如此，技術是必須付錢去買的，就像在商店里要花錢買商品一樣。人人都有東西可以出售。在這條普遍的規(guī)律前面，好像只有流浪漢是個例外，乞丐出售的幾乎是他本人，以引起過路人的憐憫。但真正的流浪并不是乞丐。他們既不出售任何東西，也不需要從別人那兒得到任何東西，在追求獨立自由的同時，他們并不犧牲為人的尊嚴。游浪漢可能會向你討錢，但他從來不要你可憐他。他是故意在選擇過那種生活的，并完全清楚以這種方式生活的后果。他可能從不知道下頓飯有無著落，但他不像有人那樣被千萬樁愁事所折磨。他幾乎沒有什么財產，這使他能夠輕松自如地在各地奔波。由于被迫在露天睡覺，他比我們中許多人都離大自然近得多。為了生存，他可能會去打獵、乞討，偶爾偷上一兩回；確實需要的時候，他甚至可能干一點兒活，但他決不會犧牲自由。說起流浪漢，我們常常帶有輕蔑并把他們與乞丐歸為一類。但是，我們中有多少人能夠坦率地說我們對流浪漢的簡樸生活與無憂無慮的境況不感到有些羨慕呢？（8）Lesson33

Adaytoremember

難忘的一天Wehaveallexperienceddayswheneverythinggoeswrong.Adaymaybeginwellenough,butsuddenlyeverythingseemstogetoutofcontrol.Whatinvariablyhappensisthatagreatnumberofthingschoosetogowrongatpreciselythesamemoment.Itisasifasingleunimportanteventsetupachainofreactions.Letussupposethatyouarepreparingamealandkeepinganeyeonthebabyatthesametime.Thetelephoneringsandthismarksthepreludetoanunforeseenseriesofcatastrophes.Whileyouareonthephone,thebabypullsthetable-clothoffthetable,smashinghalfyourbestcrockeryandcuttinghimselfintheprocess.Youhanguphurriedlyandattendtobaby,crockery,etc.Meanwhile,themealgetsburnt.Asifthiswerenotenoughtoreduceyoutotears,yourhusbandarrives,unexpectedlybringingthreegueststodinner.Thingscangowrongonabigscale,asanumberofpeoplerecentlydiscoveredinParramatta,asuburbofSydney.Duringtherushhouroneeveningtwocarscollidedandbothdriversbegantoargue.Thewomanimmediatelybehindthetwocarshappenedtobealearner.Shesuddenlygotintoapanicandstoppedhercar.Thismadethedriverfollowingherbrakehard.Hiswifewassittingbesidehimholdingalargecake.Asshewasthrownforward,thecakewentrightthroughthewindscreenandlandedontheroad.Seeingacakeflyingthroughtheair,alorry–driverwhowasdrawingupalongsidethecar,pulledupallofasudden.Thelorrywasloadedwithemptybeerbottlesandhundredsofthemslidoffthebackofthevehicleandontotheroad.Thisledtoyetanotherangryargument.Meanwhile,thetrafficpiledupbehind.Ittookthepolicenearlyanhourtogetthetrafficonthemoveagain.Inthemeantime,thelorrydriverhadtosweepuphundredsofbrokenbottles.Onlytwostraydogsbenefitedfromallthisconfusion,fortheygreedilydevouredwhatwasleftofthecake.Itwasjustoneofthosedays!我們大家都有過事事不順心的日子。一天開始時，可能還不錯，但突然間似乎一切都失去了控制。情況經常是這樣的，許許多多的事情都偏偏趕在同一時刻出問題，好像是一件無關緊要的小事引起了一連串的連鎖反應。假設你在做飯，同時又在照看孩子。這時電話鈴響了，它預示著一連串意想不到的災難的來臨。就在你接電話時，孩子把桌布從桌子上扯了下來，將家中最好的陶瓷餐具半數(shù)摔碎，同時也弄傷了他自己。你急急忙忙掛上電話，趕去照看孩子和餐具。這時，飯又燒糊了。好像這一切還不足以使你急得掉淚，你的丈夫接著回來了，事先沒打招呼就帶來3個客人吃飯。就像許多人最近在悉尼郊區(qū)帕拉馬塔所發(fā)現(xiàn)的那樣，有時亂子會鬧得很大。一天傍晚交通最擁擠時，一輛汽車撞上前面一輛汽車，兩個司機爭吵起來。緊跟其后的一輛車上的司機碰巧是個初學者，她一驚之下突然把車停了下來。她這一停使得跟在后頭的司機也來了個急剎車。司機的妻子正坐在他身邊，手里托著塊大蛋糕。她往前一沖，蛋糕從擋風玻璃飛了出去掉在馬路上。此時，一輛卡車正好從后邊開到那輛汽車邊上，司機看見一塊蛋糕從天而降，緊急剎車?？ㄜ嚿涎b著空啤酒瓶，成百只瓶子順勢從卡車后面滑出車外落在馬路上。這又引起了一場唇槍舌劍的爭吵。與此同時，后面的車輛排成了長龍，警察花了將近一個小時才使車輛又開起來。在這段時間里，卡車司機不得不清掃那幾百只破瓶子。只有兩只野狗從這一片混亂中得到了好處，它們貪婪地吃掉了剩下的蛋糕。這就是事事不順心的那么一天?。?）Lesson34

Ahappydiscovery

幸運的發(fā)現(xiàn)

Antiqueshopsexertapeculiarfascinationonagreatmanypeople.Themoreexpensivekindofantiqueshopwhererareobjectsarebeautifullydisplayedinglasscasestokeepthemfreefromdustisusuallyaforbiddingplace.Butnoonehastomusterupcouragetoenteralesspretentiousantiqueshop.Thereisalwayshopethatinitslabyrinthofmusty,dark,disorderedroomsarealraritywillbefoundamongstthepilesofassortedjunkthatlitterthefloors.Noonediscoversararitybychance.Atrulydedicatedbargainhuntermusthavepatience,andaboveall,theabilitytorecognizetheworthofsomethingwhenheseesit.Todothis,hemustbeatleastasknowledgeableasthedealer.Likeascientistbentonmakingadiscovery,hemustcherishthehopethatonedayhewillbeamplyrewarded.Myoldfriend,FrankHalliday,isjustsuchaperson.Hehasoftendescribedtomehowhepickedupamasterpieceforamere￡50.OneSaturdaymorning,Frankvisitedanantiqueshopinmyneighbourhood.Ashehadneverbeentherebefore,hefoundagreatdealtointeresthim.ThemorningpassedrapidlyandFrankwasabouttoleavewhenhenoticedalargepacking-caselyingonthefloor.Thedealertoldhimthatithadjustcomein,butthathecouldnotbebotheredtoopenit.Frankbeggedhimtodosoandthedealerreluctantlypriseditopen.Thecontentsweredisappointing.Apartfromaninteresting-lookingcarveddagger,theboxwasfullofcrockery,muchofitbroken.Frankgentlyliftedthecrockeryoutoftheboxandsuddenlynoticedaminiaturepaintingatthebottomofthepacking-case.AsitsCompositionandlineremindedhimofanItalianpaintingheknewwell,hedecidedtobuyit.Glancingatitbriefly,thedealertoldhimthatitwasworth￡50.Frankcouldhardlyconcealhisexcitement,forheknewthathehadmadearealdiscovery.ThetinypaintingprovedtobeanunknownmasterpiecebyCorreggioandwasworthhundredsofthousandsofpounds.古玩店對許多人來說有一種特殊的魅力。高檔一點的古玩店為了防塵，把文物漂亮地陳列在玻璃柜子里，那里往往令人望而卻步。而對不太裝腔作勢的古玩店，無論是誰都不用壯著膽子才敢往里進。人們還常常有希望在發(fā)霉、陰暗、雜亂無章、迷宮般的店堂里，從雜亂地擺放在地面上的、一堆堆各式各樣的破爛貨里找到一件稀世珍品。無論是誰都不會一下子就發(fā)現(xiàn)一件珍品。一個到處找便宜貨買的人必須具有耐心，而且最重要的是看到珍品時要有鑒別珍品的能力。要做到這一點，他至少要像古董商一樣在行。他必須像一個專心致志進行探索的科學家那樣抱有這樣的希望，即終有一天，他的努力會取得豐碩的成果。我的老朋友弗蘭克·哈利戴正是這樣一個人。他多次向我詳細講他如何只花50英鎊便買到一位名家的杰作。一個星期六的上午，弗蘭克去了我家附近的一家古玩店。由于他從未去過那兒，結果他發(fā)現(xiàn)了許多有趣的東西。上午很快過去了，弗蘭克正準備離去，突然看見地板上放著一只體積很大的貨箱。古董商告訴他那只貨箱剛到不久，但他嫌麻煩不想把它打開。經弗蘭克懇求，古董商才勉強把貨箱撬開了。箱內東西令人失望。除了一柄式樣別致、雕有花紋的匕首外，貨箱內裝滿了陶器，而且大部分都已破碎。弗蘭克輕輕地把陶器拿出箱子，突然發(fā)現(xiàn)在箱底有一幅微型畫，畫面構圖與線條使他想起了一幅他所熟悉的意大利畫，于是他決定將畫買下來。古董商漫不經心看了一眼那幅畫，告訴弗蘭克那畫值50英鎊。弗蘭克幾乎無法掩飾自己興奮的心情，因為他明白自己發(fā)現(xiàn)了一件珍品。那幅不大的畫原來是柯勒喬的一幅未被發(fā)現(xiàn)的杰作，價值幾十萬英鎊。（10）Lesson40

Who'swho

真假難辨Ithasneverbeenexplainedwhyuniversitystudentsseemtoenjoypracticaljokesmorethananyoneelse.Studentsspecializeinaparticulartypeofpracticaljoke:thehoax.Invitingthefire-brigadetoputoutanon-existentfireisacrudeformofdeceptionwhichnoself-respectingstudentwouldeverindulgein.Studentsoftencreateamusingsituationswhicharefunnytoeveryoneexceptthevictims.Whenastudentrecentlysawtwoworkmenusingapneumaticdrilloutsidehisuniversity,heimmediatelytelephonedthepoliceandinformedthemthattwostudentsdressedupasworkmenweretearinguptheroadwithapneumaticdrill.Assoonashehadhungup,hewentovertotheworkmenandtoldthemthatifapolicemanorderedthemtogoaway,theywerenottotakehimseriously.Headdedthatastudenthaddressedupasapolicemanandwasplayingallsortsofsillyjokesonpeople.Boththepoliceandtheworkmenweregratefultothestudentforthispieceofadvanceinformation.Thestudenthidinanarchwaynearbywherehecouldwatchandheareverythingthatwenton.Sureenough,apolicemanarrivedonthesceneandpolitelyaskedtheworkmentogoaway.Whenhereceivedaveryrudereplyfromoneoftheworkmen,hethreatenedtoremovethembyforce.Theworkmentoldhimtodoashepleasedandthepolicemantelephonedforhelp.Shortlyafterwards,fourmorepolicemenarrivedandremonstratedwiththeworkmen.Asthemenrefusedtostopworking,thepoliceattemptedtoseizethepneumaticdrill.Theworkmenstruggledfiercelyandoneofthemlosthistemper.Hethreatenedtocallthepolice.Atthis,thepolicepointedoutironicallythatthiswouldhardlybenecessaryasthemenwerealreadyunderarrest.Pretendingtospeakseriously,oneoftheworkmenaskedifhemightmakeatelephonecallbeforebeingtakentothestation.Permissionwasgrantedandapolicemanaccompaniedhimtoapayphone.Onlywhenhesawthatthemanwasactuallytelephoningthepolicedidherealizethattheyhadallbeenthevictimsofahoax.誰也弄不清為什么大學生好像比任何人都更喜歡惡作劇。大學生擅長一種特殊的惡作劇——戲弄人。請消防隊來撲滅一場根本沒有的大火是一種低級騙局，有自尊心的大學生決不會去做。大學生們常常做的是制造一種可笑的局面，除了受害者大家都覺得非?；Ｗ罱袀€學生看見兩個工人在大學校門外用風鉆干活，馬上打電話報告警察，說有兩個學生裝扮成工人，正在用風鉆破壞路面。掛上電話后，他又馬上來到工人那兒，告訴他們若有個警察來讓他們走開，不要把他當回事；還對工人說，有個學生常裝扮成警察無聊地同別人開玩笑。警察與工人都對那個學生事先通報情況表示感謝。那學生躲在附近一拱形門廊里，在那兒可以看見、聽到現(xiàn)場發(fā)生的一切。果然，警察來了，有禮貌地請工人離開此地；但其中一個工人粗魯?shù)鼗亓藥拙洹Ｓ谑蔷焱{要強行使他們離開。工人說，悉聽尊便。警察去打電話叫人。一會兒工夫，又來了4個警察，規(guī)勸工人離開。由于工人拒絕停下手中的活，警察想奪風鉆。兩個工人奮力抗爭，其中一個發(fā)了火，威脅說要去叫警察。警察聽后譏諷地說，這大可不必，因為他倆已被逮捕了。其中一個工人裝模作樣地問道，在被帶往警察局之前，是否可以打一個電話。警察同意了，陪他來到一個投幣電話前。當他看到那個工人真的是給警察掛電話，才恍然大悟，原來他們都成了一場騙局的受害者。（11）Lesson41

IllusionsofPastoralPeace

寧靜田園生活的遐想

Thequietlifeofthecountryhasneverappealedtome.Citybornandcitybred,Ihavealwaysregardedthecountryassomethingyoulookatthroughatrainwindow,orsomethingyouoccasionallyvisitduringtheweekend.Mostofmyfriendsliveinthecity,yettheyalwaysgointorapturesatthemerementionofthecountry.Thoughtheyextolthevirtuesofthepeacefullife,onlyoneofthemhasevergonetoliveinthecountryandhewasbackintownwithinsixmonths.Evenhestilllivesundertheillusionthatcountrylifeissomehowsuperiortotownlife.Heisforevertalkingaboutthefriendlypeople,thecleanatmosphere,theclosenesstonatureandthegentlepaceofliving.Nothingcanbecompared,hemaintains,withthefirstcockcrow,thetwitteringofbirdsatdawn,thesightoftherisingsunglintingonthetreesandpastures.Thisidyllicpastoralsceneisonlypartofthepicture.MyfriendfailstomentionthelongandfriendlesswintereveningsinfrontoftheTVvirtuallytheonlyformofentertainment.Hesaysnothingaboutthepoorselectionofgoodsintheshops,oraboutthoseunfortunatepeoplewhohavetotravelfromthecountrytothecityeverydaytogettowork.Whypeoplearepreparedtotolerateafour-hourjourneyeachdayforthedubiousprivilegeoflivinginthecountryisbeyondme.Theycouldbesavedsomuchmiseryandexpenseiftheychosetoliveinthecitywheretheyrightlybelong.Ifyoucandowithoutthefewpastoralpleasuresofthecountry,youwillfindthecitycanprovideyouwiththebestthatlifecanoffer.Youneverhavetotravelmilestoseeyourfriends.Theyinvariablylivenearbyandarealwaysavailableforaninformalchatoranevening'sentertainment.Someofmyacquaintancesinthecountrycomeuptotownonceortwiceayeartovisitthetheatreasaspecialtreat.Forthemthisisamajoroperationwhichinvolvesconsiderableplanning.Astheplaydrawstoitsclose,theywonderwhethertheywillevercatchthatlasttrainhome.Thecitydwellerneverexperiencesanxietiesofthissort.Thelatestexhibitions,films,orplaysareonlyashortbusrideaway.Shopping,too,isalwaysapleasure.Thereissomuchvarietythatyouneverhavetomakedowithsecondbest.Countrypeoplerunwildwhentheygoshoppinginthecityandstaggerhomeloadedwithasmanyoftheexoticitemsastheycancarry.Noristhecitywithoutitsmomentsofbeauty.Thereissomethingcomfortingaboutthewarmglowshedbyadvertisementsoncoldwetwinternights.Fewthingscouldbemoreimpressivethanthepeacethatdescendsondesertedcitystreetsatweekendswhenthethousandsthattraveltoworkeverydayaretuckedawayintheirhomesinthecountry.Ithasalwaysbeenamysterytomewhycitydwellers,whoappreciateallthesethings,obstinatelypretendthattheywouldprefertoliveinthecountry.寧靜的鄉(xiāng)村生活從來沒有吸引過我。我生在城市，長在城市，總認為鄉(xiāng)村是透過火車車窗看到的那個樣子，或偶爾周末去游玩一下的景象。我的許多朋友都住在城市，但他們只要一提起鄉(xiāng)村，馬上就會變得欣喜若狂。盡管他們都交口稱贊寧靜的鄉(xiāng)村生活的種種優(yōu)點，但其中只有一人真去農村住過，而且不足6個月就回來了。即使他也仍存有