大學(xué)英語精讀第四冊-text

第四冊

Unit1

Twocollege-ageboys,unawarethatmakingmoneyusuallyinvolveshardwork,aretemptedbyanadvertisementthatpromisesthemaneasywaytoearnalotofmoney.Theboyssoonlearnthatifsomethingseemstogoodtobetrue,itprobablyis.

BIGBUCKSTHEEASYWAY

JohnG.Hubbell

"Yououghttolookintothis,"Isuggestedtoourtwocollege-agesons."Itmightbeawaytoavoidtheindignityofhavingtoaskformoneyallthetime."Ihandedthemsomemagazinesinaplasticbagsomeonebadhungonourdoorknob.Amessageprintedonthebagofferedleisurely,lucrativework("BigBuckstheEasyWay!")ofdeliveringmoresuchbags.

"Idon'tmindtheindignity,"theolderoneanswered.

"Icanlivewithit,"hisbrotheragreed.

"Butitpainsme,"Isaid，"tofindthatyoubothhavebeenpanhandlingsolongthatitnolongerembarrassesyou."

Theboyssaidtheywouldlookintothemagazine-deliverything.Pleased,Ilefttownonabusinesstrip.BymidnightIwascomfortablysettledinahotelroomfarfromhome.Thephonerang.Itwasmywife.Shewantedtoknowhowmydayhadgone.

"Great!"Ienthused."Howwasyourday?"Iinquired.

"Super!"Shesnapped."Justsuper!Andit'sonlygettingstarted.Anothertruckjustpulledupoutfront."

"Anothertruck?"

"Thethirdonethisevening.ThefirstdeliveredfourthousandMontgomeryWards.ThesecondbroughtfourthousandSears,Roebucks.Idon'tknowwhatthisonehas,butI'msureitwillbefourthousandofsomething.Sinceyouareresponsible,Ithoughtyoumightliketoknowwhat'shappening.

WhatIwasbeingblamedfor,itturnedout,wasanewspaperstrikewhichmadeitnecessarytohand-delivertheadvertisinginsertsthatnormallyareincludedwiththeSundaypaper.Thecompanyhadpromisedourboys$600fordeliveringtheseinsertsto4,000housesbySundaymorning.

"Pieceofcake!"ouroldercollegesonhadshouted.

"Sixhundredbucks!"Hisbrotherhadechoed,"Andwecandothejobintwohours!"

"BoththeSearsandWardadsarefournewspaper-sizepages,"mywifeinformedme."Therearethirty-twothousandpagesofadvertisingonourporch.Evenaswespeak,twobigguysarecarryingarmloadsofpaperupthewalk.Whatdowedoaboutallthis?"

"Justtelltheboystogetbusy,"Iinstructed."They'recollegemen.They'lldowhattheyhavetodo."

AtnoonthefollowingdayIreturnedtothehotelandfoundanurgentmessagetotelephonemywife.Hervoicewasunnaturallyhighandquavering.Therehadbeenseveralmoretruckloadsofadinserts."They'refordepartmentstores,dimestores,drugstores,grocerystores,autostoresandsoon.Somearewholemagazinesections.Wehavehundredsofthousands,maybemillions,ofpagesofadvertisinghere!Theyarecrammedwall-to-wallallthroughthehouseinstackstallerthanyouroldestson.There'sonlyenoughroomforpeopletowalkin,takeoneeachoftheeleveninserts,rollthemtogether,sliparubberbandaroundthemandslidethemintoaplasticbag.WehaveenoughplasticbagstosupplyeverytakeoutrestaurantinAmerica!"Hervoicekeptrising,asifworkingitswayoutoftherangeofthehumanear."Allthismustbedeliveredbyseveno'clockSundaymorning."

"Well,youhadbettergetthoseguysbandingandslidingasfastastheycan,andI'lltalktoyoulater.Gotalunchdate.

WhenIreturned,therewasanotherurgentcallfrommywife.

"Didyouhaveanicelunch?"sheaskedsweetly.Ihadhadamarveloussteak,butknewbetterbynowthantosayso.

"Awful,"Ireported."Somesortofsourfish.Eel,Ithink."

"Good.Yourcollegesonshavehiredtheiryoungerbrothersandsistersandacoupleofneighborhoodchildrentohelpforfivedollarseach.Assemblylineshavebeensetup.Inthelanguageofdiplomacy,thereis'movement.'"

"That'sencouraging."

"No,it'snot,"shecorrected."It'sverydiscouraging.They'rebeenasitforhours.Plasticbagshavebeenfilledandpiledtotheceiling,butallthishasn'tmadeadent,notadent,inthesituation!It'salmostasiftheinsertskeepreproducingthemselves!"

"Anotherthing,"shecontinued."Yourcollegesonsmustlearnthatonedoesnotgetthebestoutofemployeesbythreateningthemwithbodilyharm.

ObtaininganaudiencewithsonNO.1,Isnarled,"I'llkillyouifthreatenoneofthosekidsagain!Idiot!Youshouldbeofferingabonusofadollareveryhourtotheworkerwhofillsthemostbags.

"Butthatwouldcutintoourprofit,"hesuggested.

"Therewon'tbeanyprofitunlessthosekidsenableyoutomakeallthedeliveriesontime.Iftheydon't,youtwowillhavetoremoveallthatpaperbyyourselves.Andtherewillbenoeatingorsleepinguntilitisremoved."

Therewasashort,thoughtfulsilence.Thenhesaid,"Dad,youhavejustworkedaprofoundchangeinmypersonality."

"Doit!"

"Yes,sir!"

Bythefollowingevening,therewasmuchformywifetoreport.Thebonusprogramhadworkeduntilsomeonedemandedtoseethecolorofcash.Thensomeactivistontheworkforceclaimedthattheworkershadnobusinesssettlingfor$5andafewcompetitivebonuseswhilethebossedcollectedhundredsofdollarseach.Theorganizerhaddeclaredthatalltheworkerswereentitledto$5perhour!Theywouldnotworkanotherminuteuntilthebossesagreed.

Thestrikelastedlessthantwohours.Inmediation,thepartiesagreedon$2perhour.Gradually,thehugestacksbegantoshrink.

Asitturnedout,thejobwascompletedthreehoursbeforeSunday's7a.m.deadline.BythetimeIarrivedhome,theboyshadalreadysettledtheiraccounts:$150inlaborcosts,$40forgasoline,andalikeamount

forgifts—boxesofcandyforsaintlyneighborswhohadvolunteeredstationwagonsandhelpindeliveryanddozenrosesfortheirmother.Thisleftthemwith$185each—abouttwo-thirdstheminimumwageforthe91hourstheyworked.Still,itwas"enough",asoneofthemputit,toenablethemto"avoidindignity"forquiteawhile.

Allwentwellforsomeweeks.ThenoneSaturdaymorningmyattentionwasdrawntotheoddgoings-onofourtwoyoungestsons.Theykeptcarryingcartonaftercartonfromvariouscornersofthehouseoutthefrontdoortocurbside.Iassumedtheirmotherhadenlistedthemtoremovejunkforatrashpickup.ThenIoverheardthemdiscussingfinances.

"Geez,we'regoingtomakealotofmoney!"

"We'regoingtoberich!"

Investigationrevealedthattheywereoffering"forsaleorrent"ourentirelibrary.

"No!No!"Icried."Youcan'tsellourbooks!"

"Geez,Dad,wethoughtyouweredonewiththem!"

AsaSacandFox,JimhadthecolorfulIndiannameWa-Tho-Huck.Which,translated,meansBrightPath.ButbeingbornanIndian,hispathwasnotsobright.AlthoughhehadtheopportunitytohuntandfishwithgreatIndianoutdoorsmen,hewasdeniedopportunityinotherways.TheUnitedStatesgovernmentcontrolledthelivesofAmericanIndiansand,unlikeotherpeople,Indiansdidnotautomaticallybecomecitizens.ItwasalmostimpossibleforanIndiantogainevenafaireducationandextremelydifficult,asaresult,foranIndiantorisehighinlife.

YoungBrightPathseemeddestinedtospendhislifeintheOklahomafarmland.Butwhenhewasinhisteens,thegovernmentgavehimthechancetoattendtheCarlisleIndianSchoolinPennsylvania.SoonCarlislewasracingalongitsownbrightpathtoathleticprominence.InwhateversportJimThorpeplayed,heexcelled,Hewasastarinbaseball,trackandfield,wrestling,lacrosse,basketballandfootball.Hewassogoodinfootball,infact,thatmostothersmallschoolsrefusedtoplayCarlisle.TheIndianschool'sfootballschedulesoonlistedsuchmajorpowersoftheearlytwentiethcenturyasPittsburgh,Harvard,Pennsylvania,PennStateandArmy.

Thorpewasahalfback.Hewassixfeetoneinchtall,weighed185poundsandhadincrediblespeedandpower.Hebuiltuponthesenaturalgiftsdaily.Hewouldwatchacoachorplayerdemonstrateadifficultmaneuver,thenhewouldtryithimself.Inevitably,hewouldmasterthemaneuverwithinminutes.

Duringeverygame,opponentspiledonThorpe,trampledhim,kickedhimandpunchedhim,tryingtoputhimoutofaction.Theywereneversuccessful.Yearslatersomeoneaskedhimifhehadeverbeenhurtonthefield."Hurt?"Thorpesaid."Howcouldanyonegethurtplayingfootball?"

ButJimneverplayedhisbestwhenhefelthewouldhavetonofunplaying."What'sthefunofplayingintherain?"heoncesaid.AndhisCarlislecoach,PopWarner,oncesaid,"There'snodoubtthatJimhadmoretalentthananybodywhoeverplayedfootball,butyoucouldnevertellwhenhefeltlikegivinghisbest."

Football,though,didnotprovideThorpewithhisfinesthour.HewasselectedfortheUnitedStatesOlympictrackteamin1912,andwenttoSwedenwiththeteamfortheGames.Ontheship,whiletheotherathleteslimberedup,Thorpesleptinhisbunk.InSweden,whileotherathletestrained,Thorperelaxedinahammock.Heneverstrainedwhenhedidn'tfeelitnecessary.

ThorpecameoutofhishammockwhentheGamesbegan,totakepartinthetwomostdemandingOlympicevents.Heenteredthepentathloncompetition,atestofskillinfiveevents:200-meterrun,1500-meterrun,broadjump,discusandjavelin;andthedecathloncompetition,aseriesoftenevents:100-meterrun,400-meterrun,1500-meterrun,highhurdles,broadjump,highjump,polevault,discus,javelinandshotput.Thoughmostathleteswereutterlyexhaustedbythedecathlonalone,Thorpebreezedthroughbothevents,hisdarkhairflopping,hissmileflashing,hismuscledbodyglidingalongthetrack.Hefinishedfirstinboththepentathlonanddecathlon,oneofthegreatfeatsinOlympichistory.

"Yousir,"KingGustavVofSwedentoldThorpeashepresentedhimwithtwogoldmedals,"arethegreatestathleteintheworld."AndWilliamHowardTaft,thePresidentoftheUnitedStates,said,"JimThorpeisthehighesttypeofcitizen."

KingGustavVwascorrect,butPresidentTaftwasnot.ThoughJimThorpehadbroughtgreatglorytohisnation,thoughthousandsofpeoplecheeredhimuponhisreturntotheUnitedStatesandattendedbanquetsandaNewYorkparadeinhishonor,hewasnotacitizen.Hedidnotbecomeoneuntil1916.Eventhen,ittookaspecialgovernmentrulingbecausehewasanIndian.

JimThorpewasaheroaftertheOlympicsandasad,bewilderedmannottoomuchlater.SomeonediscoveredthattwoyearsbeforetheOlympicshehadbeenpaidafewdollarstoplaysemiprofessionalbaseball.Thoughmanyamateurathleteshadplayedforpayunderfalsenames,Thorpehadusedhisownname.Asaresult,hewasnottechnicallyanamateurwhenhecompetedatStockholmasallOlympicathletesmustbe.HisOlympicmedalsandtrophiesweretakenawayfromhimandgiventotherunners-up.

Afterthisheartbreakingexperience,Thorpeturnedtoprofessionalsports.Heplayedmajorleaguebaseballforsixyearsanddidfairlywell.Thenheplayedprofessionalfootballforsixyearswithspectacularsuccess.Hislastprofessionalfootballseasonwasin1926.Afterthat,hisyouthfulindifferencetostudiesandhisunwillingnesstothinkofanonsportscareercaughtupwithhim.Hehadtroublefindingajob,andhisfriendsdesertedhim.Heperiodicallyaskedfor,butneverwasgivenback,hisOlympicprizes.From1926untilhisdeathin1953,helivedapoor,lonely,unhappylife.

Butin1950theAssociatedPressheldapolltodeterminetheoutstandingathleteofthehalf-century.DespitehislossoftheOlympicgoldmedalsandasaddeclineinfortuneduringhislateryears,Thorpewasalmostunanimouslychosenthegreatestathleteofmoderntimes.

Unit5

Isiteverproperforamedicaldoctortolietohispatient?Shouldhetellapatientheisdying?Thesequestionsseemsimpleenough,butitisnotsosimpletogiveasatisfactoryanswertothem.Nowanewlightisshedonthem.

TOLIEORNOTTOLIE—

THEDOCTOR'SDILEMMA

SisselaBok

Shoulddoctorseverlietobenefittheirpatients--tospeedrecoveryortoconcealtheapproachofdeath?Inmedicineasinlaw,government,andotherlinesofwork,therequirementsofhonestyoftenseemdwarfedbygreaterneeds:theneedtoshelterfrombrutalnewsortoupholdapromiseofsecrecy;toexposecorruptionortopromotethepublicinterest.

Whatshoulddoctorssay,forexample,toa46-year-oldmancominginforaroutinephysicalcheckupjustbeforegoingonvacationwithhisfamilywho,thoughhefeelsinperfecthealth,isfoundtohaveaformofcancerthatwillcausehimtodiewithinsixmonths?Isitbesttotellhimthetruth?Ifheasks,shouldthedoctorsdenythatheisill,orminimizethegravityoftheillness?Shouldtheyatleastconcealthetruthuntilafterthefamilyvacation?

Doctorsconfrontsuchchoicesoftenandurgently.Attimes,theyseeimportantreasonstolieforthepatient'sownsake;intheireyes,suchliesdiffersharplyfromself-servingones.

Studiesshowthatmostdoctorssincerelybelievethattheseriouslyilldonotwanttoknowthetruthabouttheircondition,andthatinformingthemrisksdestroyingtheirhope,sothattheymayrecovermoreslowly,ordeterioratefaster,perhapsevencommitsuicide.Asonephysicianwrote:"Oursisaprofessionwhichtraditionallyhasbeenguidedbyapreceptthattranscendsthevirtueofutteringthetruthfortruth'ssake,andthatis'asfaraspossibledonoharm.'"

Armedwithsuchaprecept,anumberofdoctorsmayslipintodeceptivepracticesthattheyassumewill"donoharm"andmaywellhelptheirpatients.Theymayprescribeinnumerableplacebos,soundmoreencouragingthanthefactswarrant,anddistortgravenews,especiallytotheincurablyillandthedying.

Buttheillusorynatureofthebenefitssuchdeceptionismeanttoproduceisnowcomingtobedocumented.Studiesshowthat,contrarytothebeliefofmanyphysicians,anoverwhelmingmajorityofpatientsdowanttobetoldthetruth,evenaboutgraveillness,andfeelbetrayedwhentheylearnthattheyhavebeenmisled.Wearealsolearningthattruthfulinformation,humanelyconveyed,helpspatientscopewithillness:helpsthemtoleratepainbetter,needlessmedicine,andevenrecoverfasteraftersurgery.

Notonlydoliesnotprovidethe"help"hopedforbyadvocatesofbenevolentdeception;theyinvadetheautonomyofpatientsandrenderthemunabletomakeinformedchoicesconcerningtheirownhealth,includingthechoiceofwhethertobepatientinthefirstplace.Wearebecomingincreasinglyawareofallthatcanbefallpatientsinthecourseoftheirillnesswheninformationisdeniedordistorted.

Dyingpatientsespecially--whoareeasiestomisleadandmostoftenkeptinthedark--canthennotmakedecisionsabouttheendoflife:aboutwhetherornottheyshouldenterahospital,orhavesurgery;aboutwhereandwithwhomtheyshouldspendtheirremainingtime;abouthowtheyshouldbringtheiraffairstoacloseandtakeleave.

Liesalsodoharmtothosewhotellthem:harmtotheirintegrityand,inthelongrun,totheircredibility.Lieshurttheircolleaguesaswell.Thesuspicionofdeceitundercutstheworkofthemanydoctorswhoarescrupulouslyhoneswiththeirpatients;itcontributestothespiraloflawsuitsandof"defensivemedicine,"andthusitinjures,inturn,theentiremedicalprofession.

Sharpconflictsarenowarising.Patientsarelearningtopressforanswers.Patients'billsofrightsrequirethattheybeinformedabouttheirconditionandaboutalternativesfortreatment.Manydoctorsgotogreatlengthstoprovidesuchinformation.Yeteveninhospitalswiththemosteloquentbillofrights,believersinbenevolentdeceptioncontinuetheirage-oldpractices.Colleaguesmaydisapprovebutrefrainfromobjecting.Nursesmaybitterlyresenthavingtotakepart,dayafterday,indeceivingpatients,butfeelpowerlesstotakeastand.

Thereisurgentneedtodebatethisissueopenly.Notonlyinmedicine,butinotherprofessionsaswell,practitionersmayfindthemselvesrepeatedlyindifficultywhereseriousconsequencesseemavoidableonlythroughdeception.Yetthepublichaseveryreasontobewaryofprofessionaldeception,forsuchpracticesarepeculiarlylikelytobecomedeeplyrooted,tospread,andtoerodetrust.Neitherinmedicine,norinlaw,government,orthesocialsciencescantherebecomfortintheoldsaying,"Whatyoudon'tknowcan'thurtyou."

Unit6

"Don'tevermarkinabook!"Thousandsofteachers,librariansandparentshavesoadvised.ButMortimerAdlerdisagrees.Hethinkssolongasyouownthebookandneedn'tpreserveitsphysicalappearance,markingitproperlywillgrantyoutheownershipofthebookinthetruesenseofthewordandmakeitapartofyourself.

HOWTOMARKABOOK

MortimerJ.Adler

Youknowyouhavetoread"betweenthelines"togetthemostoutofanything.Iwanttopersuadeyoutodosomethingequallyimportantinthecourseofyourreading.Iwanttopersuadeyouto"writebetweenthelines."Unlessyoudo,youarenotlikelytodothemostefficientkindofreading.

Youshouldn'tmarkupabookwhichisn'tyours.Librarians(oryourfriends)wholendyoubooksexpectyoutokeepthemclean,andyoushould.IfyoudecidethatIamrightabouttheusefulnessofmarkingbooks,youwillhavetobuythem.

Therearetwowaysinwhichonecanownabook.Thefirstisthepropertyrightyouestablishbypayingforit,justasyoupayforclothesandfurniture.Butthisactofpurchaseisonlythepreludetopossession.Fullownershipcomesonlywhenyouhavemadeitapartofyourself,andthebestwaytomakeyourselfapartofitisbywritinginit.Anillustrationmaymakethepointclear.Youbuyabeefsteakandtransferitfromthebutcher'siceboxtoyourown.Butyoudonotownthebeefsteakinthemostimportantsenseuntilyouconsumeitandgetitintoyourbloodstream.Iamarguingthatbooks,too,mustbeabsorbedinyourbloodstreamtodoyouanygood.

Therearethreekindsofbookowners.Thefirsthasallthestandardsetsandbest-sellers--unread,untouched.(Thisindividualownswood-pulpandink,notbooks.)Thesecondhasagreatmanybooks--afewofthemreadthrough,mostofthemdippedinto,butallofthemascleanandshinyasthedaytheywerebought.(Thispersonwouldprobablyliketomakebookshisown,butisrestrainedbyafalserespectfortheirphysicalappearance.)Thethirdhasafewbooksormany--everyoneofthemdog-earedanddilapidated,shakenandloosenedbycontinualuse,markedandscribbledinfromfronttoback.(Thismanownsbooks.)

Isitfalserespect,youmayask,topreserveintactabeautifullyprintedbook,anelegantlyboundedition?Ofcoursenot.I'dnomorescribblealloverafirsteditionof"ParadiseLost"thanI'dgivemybabyasetofcrayonsandanoriginalRembrandt!Iwouldn'tmarkupapaintingorastatue.Itssoul,sotospeak,isinseparablefromitsbody.Andthebeautyofarareeditionorofarichlymanufacturedvolumeislikethatofpaintingorastatue.Ifyourrespectformagnificentbindingorprintinggetsintheway,buyyourselfacheapeditionandpayyourrespectstotheauthor.

Whyismarkingupabookindispensabletoreading?First,itkeepsyouawake.(AndIdon'tmeanmerelyconscious;Imeanwideawake.)Inthesecondplace,reading,ifitisactive,isthinking,andthinkingtendstoexpressitselfinwords,spokenorwritten.Themarkedbookisusuallythethought-throughbook.Finally,writinghelpsyourememberthethoughtsyouhad,orthethoughtstheauthorexpressed.Letmedevelopthesethreepoints.

Ifreadingistoaccomplishanythingmorethanpassingtime,itmustbeactive.youcan'tletyoureyesglideacrossthelinesofabookandcomeupwithanunderstandingofwhatyouhaveread.Nowanordinarypieceoflightfiction,like,say,"GonewiththeWind,"doesn'trequirethemostactivekindofreading.Thebooksyoureadforpleasurecanbereadinastateofrelaxation,andnothingislost.Butagreatbook,richinideasandbeauty,abookthatraisesandtriestoanswergreatfundamentalquestions,demandsthemostactivereadingofwhichyouarecapable.Youdon'tabsorbtheideasofJohnDeweythewayyouabsorbthecrooningofMr.Vallee.Youhavetoreachforthem.Thatyoucannotdowhileyou'reasleep.

If,whenyou'vefinishedreadingabook,thepagesarefilledwithyournotes,youknowthatyoureadactively.ThemostfamousactivereaderofgreatbooksIknowisPresidentHutchins,oftheUniversityofChicago.HealsohasthehardestscheduleofbusinessactivitiesofanymanIknow.Heinvariablyreadwithpencil,andsometimes,whenhepicksupabookandpencilintheevening,hefindshimself,insteadofmakingintelligentnotes,drawingwhathecalls"caviarfactories"onthemargins.Whenthathappens,heputsthebookdown.Heknowshe'stootiredtoread,andhe'sjustwastingtime.

But,youmayask,whyiswritingnecessary?Well,thephysicalactofwriting,withyourownhand,bringswordsandsentencesmoresharplybeforeyourmindandpreservesthembetterinyourmemory.Tosetdownyourreactiontoimportantwordsandsentencesyouhaveread,andthequestionstheyhaveraisedinyourmind,istopreservethosereactionsandsharpenthosequestions.Youcanpickupthebookthefollowingweekoryear,andthereareallyourpointsofagreement,disagreement,doubtandinquiry.It'slikeresuminganinterruptedconversationwiththeadvantageofbeingabletopickupwhereyouleftoff.

Andthatisexactlywhatreadingabookshouldbe:aconversationbetweenyouandtheauthor.Presumablyheknowsmoreaboutthesubjectthanyoudo;naturallyyou'llhavetheproperhumilityasyouapproachhim.Butdon'tletanybodytellyouthatareaderissupposedtobesolelyonthereceivingend.Understandingisatwo-wayoperation;learningdoesn'tconsistinbeinganemptyreceptacle.Thelearnerhastoquestionhimselfandquestiontheteacher.Heevenhastoarguewiththeteacher,onceheunderstandswhattheteacherissaying.Andmarkingabookisliterallyanexpressionofyourdifferences,oragreementsofopinion,withtheauthor.

Thereareallkindsofdevicesformarkingabookintelligentlyandfruitfully.Here'sthewayIdoit:

1.Underlining:ofmajorpoints,ofimportantorforcefulstatements.

2.Verticallinesatthemargin:toemphasizeastatementalreadyunderlined.

3.Star,asterisk,orotherdoo-dadatthemargin:tobeusedsparingly,toemphasizethetenortwentymostimportantstatementsinthebook.

4.Numbersinthemargin:toindicatethesequenceofpointstheauthormakesindevelopingasingleargument.

5.Numberofotherpagesinthemargin:toindicatewhereelseinthebooktheauthormadepointsrelevanttothepointmarked;totieuptheideasinabook,which,thoughtheymaybeseparatedbymanypages,belongtogether.

6.Circlingofkeywordsorphrases.

7.Writinginthemargin,oratthetoporbottomofthepage,forthesakeof:recordingquestions(andperhapsanswers)whichapassageraiseinyourmind;reducingacomplicateddiscussiontoasimplestatement;recordingthesequenceofmajorpointsrightthroughthebook.Iusetheend-papersatthebackofthebooktomakeapersonalindexoftheauthor'spointsintheorderoftheirappearance.

Thefrontend-papersare,tome,themostimportant.Somepeoplereservethemforafancybookplate,Ireservethemforfancythinking.AfterIhavefinishedreadingthebookandmakingmypersonalindexonthebackend-papers,Iturntothefrontandtrytooutlinethebook,notpagebypage,orpointbypoint(I'vealreadydonethatattheback),butasanintegratedstructure,withabasicunityandanorderofparts.Thisoutlineis,tome,themeasureofmyunderstandingofthework.

Unit7

Ayoungmanfindsitverydifficulttosaynotoawomanasaresulthegetsintotrouble.Therestauranttowhichhehasagreedtotakehisluncheondateisfartooexpensiveforhissmallpocketbook.How,then,willhebeabletoavoidtheembarrassingsituation?

THELUNCHEON

W.SomersetMaugham

Icaughtsightofherattheplay,andinanswertoherbeckoningIwentoverduringtheintervalandsatdownbesideher.ItwaslongsinceIhadlastseenher,andifsomeonehadnotmentionedhernameIhardlythinkIwouldhaverecognisedher.Sheaddressedmebrightly.

"Well,it'smanyyearssincewefirstmet.Howtimedoesfly!We'renoneofusgettinganyyounger.DoyourememberthefirsttimeIsawyou?Youaskedmetoluncheon."

DidIremember?

ItwastwentyyearsagoandIwaslivinginParis.IhadatinyapartmentintheLatinQuarteroverlookingacemetery,andIwasearningbarelyenoughmoneytokeepbodyandsoultogether.Shehadreadabookofmineandhadwrittentomeaboutit.Ianswered,thankingher,andpresentlyIreceivedfromheranotherlettersayingthatshewaspassingthroughParisandwouldliketohaveachatwithme;buthertimewaslimited,andtheonlyfreemomentshehadwasonthefollowingThursday;shewasspendingthemorningattheLuxembourgandwouldIgiveheralittleluncheonatFoyot'safterwards?Foyot'sisarestaurantatwhichtheFrenchsenatorseat,anditwassofarbeyondmymeansthatIhadnevereventhoughtofgoingthere.ButIwasflattered,andIwastooyoungtohavelearnedtosaynotoawoman.(Fewmen,Imayadd,learnthisuntiltheyaretoooldtomakeitofanyconsequencetoawomanwhattheysay.)Ihadeightfrancs(goldfrancs)tolastmetherestofthemonth,andamodestluncheonshouldnotcostmorethanfifteen.IfIcutoutcoffeeforthenexttwoweeksIcouldmanagewellenough.

IansweredthatIwouldmeetmyfriend--bycorrespondence--atFoyot'sonThursdayathalfpasttwelve.ShewasnotsoyoungasIexpectedandinappearanceimposingratherthanattractive,shewas,infact,awomanofforty(acharmingage,butnotonethatexcitesasuddenanddevastatingpassionatfirstsight),andshegavemetheimpressionofhavingmoreteeth,whiteandlargeandeve