全新版大學(xué)英語(第二版)綜合教程1課文原文課文翻譯

全新版大學(xué)英語(第二版)綜合教程1課文原文課文翻譯全新版大學(xué)英語(第二版)綜合教程1課文原文課文翻譯全新版大學(xué)英語(第二版)綜合教程1課文原文課文翻譯資料僅供參考文件編號：2022年4月全新版大學(xué)英語(第二版)綜合教程1課文原文課文翻譯版本號：A修改號：1頁次：1.0審核：批準(zhǔn):發(fā)布日期：Unit1GrowingUPPartTextAWritingforMyselfⅡWhenwearewritingweareoftentoldtokeepourreadersinmind,toshapewhatwesaytofittheirtastesandinterests.Butthereisonereaderinparticularwhoshouldnotbeforgotten.Canyouguesswho

RussellBakersurprisedhimselfandeveryoneelsewhenhediscoveredtheanswer.我們寫作時常常被告誡，腦子里要有讀者，筆者所云一定要符合讀者的口味和興趣。但有一位讀者特別不該忘記。你能猜出是誰嗎？當(dāng)拉塞爾·貝克找到這個問題的答案時，他自己和別人都感到大為驚訝。WritingforMyselfRussellBakerTheideaofbecomingawriterhadcometomeoffandonsincemychildhoodinBelleville,butitwasn'tuntilmythirdyearinhighschoolthatthepossibilitytookhold.UntilthenI'vebeenboredbyeverythingassociatedwithEnglishcourses.IfoundEnglishgrammardullanddifficult.Ihatedtheassignmentstoturnoutlong,lifelessparagraphsthatwereagonyforteacherstoreadandformetowrite.為自己而寫拉塞爾·貝克從孩提時代，我還住在貝爾維爾時，我的腦子里就斷斷續(xù)續(xù)地轉(zhuǎn)著當(dāng)作家的念頭，但直等到我高中三年級，這一想法才有了實現(xiàn)的可能。在這之前，我對所有跟英文課沾邊的事都感到膩味。我覺得英文語法枯燥難懂。我痛恨那些長而乏味的段落寫作，老師讀著受累，我寫著痛苦。WhenourclasswasassignedtoMr.Fleagleforthird-yearEnglishIanticipatedanothercheerlessyearinthatmosttediousofsubjects.Mr.Fleaglehadareputationamongstudentsfordullnessandinabilitytoinspire.Hewassaidtobeveryformal,rigidandhopelesslyoutofdate.Tomehelookedtobesixtyorseventyandexcessivelyprim.Heworeprimlysevereeyeglasses,hiswavyhairwasprimlycutandprimlycombed.Heworeprimsuitswithnecktiessetprimlyagainstthecollarbuttonsofhiswhiteshirts.Hehadaprimlypointedjaw,aprimlystraightnose,andaprimmannerofspeakingthatwassocorrect,sogentlemanly,thatheseemedacomicantique.弗利格爾先生接我們的高三英文課時，我就準(zhǔn)備著在這門最最單調(diào)乏味的課上再熬上沉悶的一年。弗利格爾先生在學(xué)生中以其說話干巴和激勵學(xué)生無術(shù)而出名。據(jù)說他拘謹(jǐn)刻板，完全落后于時代。我看他有六七十歲了，古板之極。他戴著古板的毫無裝飾的眼鏡，微微卷曲的頭發(fā)剪得筆齊，梳得紋絲不亂。他身穿古板的套裝，領(lǐng)帶端端正正地頂著白襯衣的領(lǐng)扣。他長著古板的尖下巴，古板的直鼻梁，說起話來一本正經(jīng)，字斟句酌，彬彬有禮，活脫脫一個滑稽的老古董。IpreparedforanunfruitfulyearwithMr.Fleagleandforalongtimewasnotdisappointed.Lateintheyearwetackledtheinformalessay.Mr.Fleagledistributedahomeworksheetofferingusachoiceoftopics.Nonewasquitesosimple-mindedas"WhatIDidonMySummerVacation,"butmostseemedtobealmostasdull.Itookthelisthomeanddidnothinguntilthenightbeforetheessaywasdue.Lyingonthesofa,Ifinallyfaceduptotheunwelcometask,tookthelistoutofmynotebook,andscannedit.Thetopiconwhichmyeyestoppedwas"TheArtofEatingSpaghetti."我作好準(zhǔn)備，打算在弗利格爾先生的班上一無所獲地混上一年，不少日子過去了，還真不出所料。后半學(xué)期我們學(xué)寫隨筆小品文。弗利格爾先生發(fā)下一張家庭作業(yè)紙，出了不少題目供我們選擇。像"暑假二三事"那樣傻乎乎的題目倒是一個也沒有，但絕大多數(shù)一樣乏味。我把作文題帶回家，一直沒寫，直到要交作業(yè)的前一天晚上。我躺在沙發(fā)上，最終不得不面對這一討厭的功課，便從筆記本里抽出作文題目單粗粗一看。我的目光落在"吃意大利細面條的藝術(shù)"這個題目上。Thistitleproducedanextraordinarysequenceofmentalimages.VividmemoriescamefloodingbackofanightinBellevillewhenallofuswereseatedaroundthesuppertable─UncleAllen,mymother,UncleCharlie,Doris,UncleHal─andAuntPatservedspaghettiforsupper.Spaghettiwasstillalittleknownforeigndishinthosedays.NeitherDorisnorIhadevereatenspaghetti,andnoneoftheadultshadenoughexperiencetobegoodatit.AllthegoodhumorofUncleAllen'shousereawokeinmymindasIrecalledthelaughingargumentswehadthatnightaboutthesociallyrespectablemethodformovingspaghettifromplatetomouth.這個題目在我腦海里喚起了一連串不同尋常的圖像。貝爾維爾之夜的清晰的回憶如潮水一般涌來，當(dāng)時，我們大家一起圍坐在晚餐桌旁──艾倫舅舅、我母親、查理舅舅、多麗絲、哈爾舅舅──帕特舅媽晚飯做的是意大利細面條。那時意大利細面條還是很少聽說的異國食品。多麗絲和我都還從來沒吃過，在座的大人也是經(jīng)驗不足，沒有一個吃起來得心應(yīng)手的。艾倫舅舅家詼諧有趣的場景全都重現(xiàn)在我的腦海中，我回想起來，當(dāng)晚我們笑作一團，爭論著該如何地把面條從盤子上送到嘴里才算合乎禮儀。SuddenlyIwantedtowriteaboutthat,aboutthewarmthandgoodfeelingofit,butIwantedtoputitdownsimplyformyownjoy,notforMr.Fleagle.ItwasamomentIwantedtorecaptureandholdformyself.Iwantedtorelivethepleasureofthatevening.TowriteitasIwanted,however,wouldviolatealltherulesofformalcompositionI'dlearnedinschool,andMr.Fleaglewouldsurelygiveitafailinggrade.Nevermind.IwouldwritesomethingelseforMr.FleagleafterIhadwrittenthisthingformyself.突然我就想描述那一切，描述當(dāng)時那種溫馨美好的氣氛，但我把它寫下來僅僅是想自得其樂，而不是為弗利格爾先生而寫。那是我想重新捕捉并珍藏在心中的一個時刻。我想重溫那個夜晚的愉快。然而，照我希望的那樣去寫，就會違反我在學(xué)校里學(xué)的正式作文的種種法則，弗利格爾先生也肯定會打它一個不及格。沒關(guān)系。等我為自己寫好了之后，我可以再為弗利格爾先生寫點什么別的東西。WhenIfinisheditthenightwashalfgoneandtherewasnotimelefttocomposeaproper,respectableessayforMr.Fleagle.TherewasnochoicenextmorningbuttoturninmytaleoftheBellevillesupper.TwodayspassedbeforeMr.Fleaglereturnedthegradedpapers,andhereturnedeveryone'sbutmine.IwaspreparingmyselfforacommandtoreporttoMr.FleagleimmediatelyafterschoolfordisciplinewhenIsawhimliftmypaperfromhisdeskandknockfortheclass'sattention.等我寫完時已是半夜時分，再沒時間為弗利格爾先生寫一篇循規(guī)蹈矩、像模像樣的文章了。第二天上午，我別無選擇，只好把我為自己而寫的貝爾維爾晚餐的故事交了上去。兩天后弗利格爾先生發(fā)還批改過的作文，他把別人的都發(fā)了，就是沒有我的。我正準(zhǔn)備著遵命一放學(xué)就去弗利格爾先生那兒挨訓(xùn)，卻看見他從桌上拿起我的作文，敲了敲桌子讓大家注意聽。"Now,boys,"hesaid."Iwanttoreadyouanessay.Thisistitled,'TheArtofEatingSpaghetti.'""好了，孩子們，"他說。"我要給你們念一篇小品文。文章的題目是：吃意大利細面條的藝術(shù)。"Andhestartedtoread.Mywords!Hewasreadingmywordsoutloudtotheentireclass.What'smore,theentireclasswaslistening.Listeningattentively.Thensomebodylaughed,thentheentireclasswaslaughing,andnotincontemptandridicule,butwithopen-heartedenjoyment.EvenMr.Fleaglestoppedtwoorthreetimestoholdbackasmallprimsmile.于是他開始念了。是我寫的！他給全班大聲念我寫的文章。更不可思議的是，全班同學(xué)都在聽著他念，而且聽得很專心。有人笑出聲來，接著全班都笑了，不是輕蔑嘲弄，而是樂乎乎地開懷大笑。就連弗利格爾先生也停頓了兩三次，好抑制他那一絲拘謹(jǐn)?shù)奈⑿?。Ididmybesttoavoidshowingpleasure,butwhatIwasfeelingwaspuredelightatthisdemonstrationthatmywordshadthepowertomakepeoplelaugh.Intheeleventhgrade,attheeleventhhourasitwere,Ihaddiscoveredacalling.Itwasthehappiestmomentofmyentireschoolcareer.WhenMr.Fleaglefinishedheputthefinalsealonmyhappinessbysaying,"Nowthat,boys,isanessay,don'tyousee.It's─don'tyousee─it'softheveryessenceoftheessay,don'tyousee.Congratulations,Mr.Baker."我盡力不流露出得意的心情，但是看到我寫的文章竟然能使別人大笑，我真是心花怒放。就在十一年級，可謂是最后的時刻，我找到了一個今生想做的事。這是我整個求學(xué)生涯中最幸福的一刻。弗利格爾先生念完后說道："瞧，孩子們，這就是小品文，懂了沒有。這才是──知道嗎──這才是小品文的精髓，知道了沒有。祝賀你，貝克先生。"他這番話使我沉浸在十全十美的幸福之中。PartTextBSummerReadingⅢ AsasummerjobtheauthorusedtocutMr.Ballou'slawn.TheonlyproblemwasthatMr.Ballouneverseemedtohaveanymoneytopayforit.Butwhathedidhavetogivewassomethingthatturnedouttobefarmorevaluable.夏天打工時，作者常常替巴盧先生修剪草坪。惟一的問題是，巴盧先生似乎從來沒錢支付工錢。然而，他實際上所給予的卻遠比工錢珍貴。SummerReadingMichaelDorrisWhenIwasfourteen,Iearnedmoneyinthesummerbycuttinglawns,andwithinafewweeksIhadbuiltupabodyofcustomers.IgottoknowpeoplebytheflowerstheyplantedthatIhadtoremembernottocutdown,bythethingstheylostinthegrassorstuckinthegroundonpurpose.IreachedthepointwithmostofthemwhenIknewinadvancewhatcomplaintwasabouttobespoken,whichparticularrequestwasmostimportant.(1)AndIlearnedsomethingaboutthemeasureofmyneighborsbytheirpreferredmethodofpayment:bythejob,bythemonth─ornotatall.夏日閱讀邁克爾·多里斯十四歲那年，我在暑假里替人修剪草坪掙些錢，不出幾個星期，我就有了不少客戶?？蛻魝兎N植的花卉我得記住不能剪去，他們會將東西遺落在草地上或故意插在地里，通過這些我逐漸認(rèn)識了他們。我對大多數(shù)客戶了解至深，事先就能知道他們會抱怨些什么，哪些特別的要求不能掉以輕心。(1)而且，我從鄰居偏愛的付款方式中了解到了一點他們的情況：有的按干的活兒給錢，有的按月支付─或者有的壓根兒不付錢。Mr.Balloufellintothelastcategory,andhealwayshadareasonwhy.Ononedayhehadnochangeforafifty,onanotherhewasflatoutofchecks,onanother,hewassimplyoutwhenIknockedonhisdoor.Still,exceptforthemoneypart,hewasaniceenougholdguy,alwayswavingortippinghishatwhenhe'dseemefromadistance.Ifiguredhimforathinretirementcheck,maybeawork-relatedinjurythatkepthimfromdoinghisownyardwork.Sure,Ikepttrackofthetotal,butIdidn'tworryabouttheamounttoomuch.(2)Grasswasgrass,andthelittlethatMr.Ballou'spropertycompriseddidn'ttakelongtotrim.巴盧先生屬于最后一類，而且他總有理由。有一天他兌不開一張五十元的鈔票，又有一天他支票用完了，還有一天我上門時他干脆就溜出去了。撇開錢這檔子事，他倒也還是個挺不錯的老頭，每次看見我，老遠就揮手或脫帽致意。我猜他退休金不多，可能出過工傷，整不了自己的園子。沒錯，我全都記著賬，可我對這點錢并沒太在意。(2)也就是剪剪草，何況巴盧先生住宅外面的那一點草坪修剪起來花不了多少時間。Then,onelateafternooninmid-July,thehottesttimeoftheyear,Iwaswalkingbyhishouseandheopenedthedoor,motionedmetocomeinside.Thehallwascool,shaded,andittookmyeyesaminutetoadjusttothedimlight.到了一年中最熱的七月中旬，一天傍晚前，我走過他家，他開了門，示意我進去。門廳里涼涼的，簾子遮去了陽光，過了一會兒我的眼睛才適應(yīng)室內(nèi)的暗淡光線。"Ioweyou,"Mr.Balloubegan,"but…""我欠你工錢，"巴盧先生開口道，"不過……"IthoughtI'dsavehimthetroubleofthinkingupanewexcuse."Noproblem.Don'tworryaboutit."我想省得他費神找新的借口了，就說:"沒事。別放在心上。""Thebankmadeamistakeinmyaccount,"hecontinued,ignoringmywords."Itwillbeclearedupinadayortwo.ButinthemeantimeIthoughtperhapsyoucouldchooseoneortwovolumesforadownpayment.""銀行把我的賬弄錯了，"他沒理我的碴兒，接著說，"一兩天里就會改過來。在這當(dāng)兒，我想你不妨挑一兩本書作為我的首付款。"HegesturedtowardthewallsandIsawthatbookswerestackedeverywhere.Itwaslikealibrary,exceptwithnoordertothearrangement.他朝墻那邊指了指，我這才發(fā)現(xiàn)到處都堆著書。就跟圖書館一樣，只不過沒有分門別類罷了。"Takeyourtime,"Mr.Ballouencouraged."Read,borrow,keep.Findsomethingyoulike.Whatdoyouread""別著急，"巴盧先生鼓動說，"讀也好，借也好，留著也行。找你喜歡的。你平常都愛讀什么書啊？""Idon'tknow."AndIdidn't.Igenerallyreadwhatwasinfrontofme,whatIcouldgetfromthepaperbackstackatthedrugstore,whatIfoundatthelibrary,magazines,thebackofcerealboxes,comics.Theideaofconsciouslyseekingoutaspecialtitlewasnewtome,but,Irealized,notwithoutappeal─soIstartedtolookthroughthepilesofbooks."我不知道。"我的確不知道。我通常是弄到什么就讀什么，從藥房里買到的平裝書，圖書館里借得到的書、雜志，到麥片包裝盒背面的說明，還有連環(huán)漫畫，什么都看。有意識地找出一本特別的書來讀對我是件新鮮事，不過我覺得這主意挺不錯──于是我開始在書堆中翻找起來。"Youactuallyreadallofthese""這么多書你都讀過啊？""Thisisn'tmuch,"Mr.Ballousaid."Thisisnothing,justwhatI'vekept,theonesworthlookingatasecondtime.""這不算多，"巴盧先生說，"這根本不算多，只不過是我自己的藏書，都是值得再讀一遍的。""Pickforme,then.""那就替我找一本吧。"Heraisedhiseyebrows,cockedhishead,andregardedmeasthoughmeasuringmeforasuit.Afteramoment,henodded,searchedthroughastack,andhandedmeadarkredhardboundbook,fairlythick.他眉一抬，頭一側(cè)，望著我，就像是在給我量體裁衣似的。過了片刻，他略一點頭，便在一堆書中搜尋，然后遞給我一本暗紅色封面的精裝本，挺厚的。"TheLastoftheJust,"Iread."ByAndreSchwarz-Bart.What'sitabout"

"《最后的正義》，"我念道，"安德烈·施瓦茲巴特著。是講什么的？""Youtellme,"hesaid."Nextweek.""你來告訴我，"他說，"下個星期。"Istartedaftersupper,sittingoutdoorsonanuncomfortablekitchenchair.(3)Withinafewpages,theyard,thesummer,disappeared,andIwasplungedintotheachingtragedyoftheHolocaust,theextraordinaryclashofgood,representedbyonedecentman,andevil.TranslatedfromFrench,thelanguagewaselegant,simple,impossibletoresist.WhentheeveninglightfinallyfailedImovedinside,readallthroughthenight.晚飯后我坐在室外一張不舒服的餐椅里打開了書。(3)讀了幾頁，院子就消失了，夏夜也消失了；我一下子就進入了二戰(zhàn)期間納粹對猶太人的大屠殺這一令人悲痛的慘劇中，進入了以一個正派人物為代表的善與惡之間非同尋常的沖突中。書譯自法文，譯文優(yōu)美樸素，令人不忍釋手。天色終于暗了下來，我回到室內(nèi)，讀了一個通宵。Tothisday,thirtyyearslater,Ivividlyremembertheexperience.Itwasmyfirstvoluntaryencounterwithworldliterature,andIwasstunnedbytheconcentratedpoweranovelcouldcontain.Ilackedthevocabulary,however,totranslatemyfeelingsintowords,sothenextweek,whenMr.Ballouasked,"Well"Ionlyreplied,"Itwasgood."時至三十年后的今天，我仍清晰地記得當(dāng)時的經(jīng)歷。那是我初次有心地接觸世界文學(xué)，我被一部小說所能包含的集聚的力量深深震撼。但我缺乏足夠的詞匯表達我的情感，因此，第二個星期，當(dāng)巴盧先生問我"怎么樣"時，我只回答說："書真好。""Keepit,then,"hesaid."ShallIsuggestanother""那就留著吧，"他說，"要不要我再介紹一本？"Inodded,andwaspresentedwiththepaperbackeditionofMargaretMead'sComingofAgeinSamoa.我點點頭，拿到了一本平裝本的瑪格麗特·米德的《薩摩亞人的成年》。Tomaketwolongstoriesshort,Mr.Ballouneverpaidmeacentforcuttinghisgrassthatyearorthenext,butforfifteenyearsItaughtanthropologyatDartmouthCollege.(4)SummerreadingwasnottheinnocententertainmentIhadassumedittobe,notalight-hearted,instantlyforgettableescapeinahammock(thoughIhavesinceenjoyedmanyofthose,too).Abook,ifitarrivesbeforeyouattherightmoment,intheproperseason,atanintervalinthedailybusinessofthings,willchangethecourseofallthatfollows.長話短說，無論當(dāng)年還是次年，巴盧先生分文未付我替他割草的工錢，但我在達特默思大學(xué)教了十五年的人類學(xué)。(4)盛夏閱讀不是我原先認(rèn)為的僅僅借以消磨時光的娛樂，不是躺在吊床上無憂無慮、打開書本就什么都忘掉的一種消遣（雖然自從那個夏天以來我曾多次以這種方式自娛自樂）。一本書，如果在恰當(dāng)?shù)臅r候，恰當(dāng)?shù)募竟?jié)，在日常事務(wù)的間歇中出現(xiàn)在你的面前，就會改變你此后的人生道路。Unit2FriendshipPartTextAAallTheCabbieHadWasALetterⅡ HowdoyoufeelwhenoldfriendsarefarawayDoyoumakeanefforttokeepintouchSometimesitiseasytoputoffwritingaletter,thinkingthattherewillbeplentyoftimetomorrow.Butthensometimes,asthisstoryshows,weleaveittoolate.Perhapsreadingitwillmakeyouwanttoreachforyourpen.老朋友天各一方，你心有何感你是否努力保持聯(lián)系有時候?qū)懶诺氖潞苋菀讜煌显偻?，總以為明天有的是時間。然而，正如這則故事所表明的，有時我們拖得太晚了。也許讀一讀這個故事會讓你提起筆來。AlltheCabbieHadWasaLetterFosterFurcoloHemusthavebeencompletelylostinsomethinghewasreadingbecauseIhadtotaponthewindshieldtogethisattention.出租車司機擁有的就剩一封信福斯特·弗克洛他準(zhǔn)是完全沉浸在所讀的東西里了，因為我不得不敲擋風(fēng)玻璃來引起他的注意。"Isyourcabavailable"Iaskedwhenhefinallylookedupatme.Henodded,thensaidapologeticallyasIsettledintothebackseat,"I'msorry,butIwasreadingaletter."Hesoundedasifhehadacoldorsomething.他總算抬頭看我了。“你出車嗎？”我問道。他點點頭，當(dāng)我坐進后座時，他抱歉地說：“對不起，我在讀一封信。”聽上去他像是得"I'minnohurry,"Itoldhim."Goaheadandfinishyourletter."“我不著急，”我對他說，“你接著把信讀完吧。”Heshookhishead."I'vereaditseveraltimesalready.IguessIalmostknowitbyheart."他搖了搖頭?！拔乙呀?jīng)讀了好幾遍了。我想我都能背出來了?！?Lettersfromhomealwaysmeanalot,"Isaid."AtleasttheydowithmebecauseI'montheroadsomuch."Then,estimatingthathewas60or70yearsold,Iguessed:"Fromachildormaybeagrandchild"

“家書抵萬金啊，”我說?！爸辽賹ξ襾碚f是這樣，因為我老是在外旅行。”我估量他有六七十歲了，便猜測說：“是孩子還是孫子寫來的？”"Thisisn'tfamily,"hereplied."Although,"hewenton,"cometothinkofit,itmightjustaswellhavebeenfamily.OldEdwasmyoldestfriend.Infact,weusedtocalleachother'OldFriend'─whenwe'dmeet,thatis.I'mnotmuchofahandatwriting."“不是家里人，”他回答說?！安贿^，”他接著說，“想起來，也可以算是一家人了。埃德老伙計是我最老的朋友了。實際上，過去我倆總是以‘老朋友’相稱的——就是說，當(dāng)我倆相見時。我這人就是不大會寫東西?！?Idon'tthinkanyofuskeepupourcorrespondencetoowell,"Isaid."IknowIdon't.ButItakeithe'ssomeoneyou'veknownquiteawhile"

“我看大家寫信都不那么勤快，”我說，“我自己筆頭就很懶。我看，你認(rèn)識他挺久了吧？”"Allmylife,practically.Wewerekidstogether,sowegowayback."“差不多認(rèn)識了一輩子了。我倆小時候就一起玩，所以我倆的友誼確實很長了?！?Wenttoschooltogether"“一起上的學(xué)？”"Allthewaythroughhighschool.Wewereinthesameclass,infact,throughbothgradeandhighschool."“都一起上到高中呢。事實上，我倆從小學(xué)到高中都在一個班里?！?Therearenottoomanypeoplewho'vehadsuchalongfriendship,"Isaid.“保持這么長久友誼的人可真不多見啊，”我說。"Actually,"thedriverwenton,"Ihadn'tseenhimmorethanonceortwiceayearoverthepast25or30yearsbecauseImovedawayfromtheoldneighborhoodandyoukindoflosetoucheventhoughyouneverforget.Hewasagreatguy."“其實呢，”司機接著說，“近25到30年來，我跟他一年只見一兩次面，因為我從原來住的老街坊搬了出來，聯(lián)系自然就少了，雖說你一直放在心上。他在的時候可真是個大好人?！?Yousaid'was'.Doesthatmean─"

“你剛才說他‘在的時候’。你是說——”Henodded."Diedacoupleofweeksago."他點了點頭?！扒皟蓚€星期過世啦?！?I'msorry,"Isaid."It'snofuntoloseanyfriend─andlosingarealoldoneiseventougher."“真遺憾，”我說，“失去朋友真不是個滋味，失去個真正的老朋友更讓人受不了?！盚edidn'treplytothat,andwerodeoninsilenceforafewminutes.ButIrealizedthatOldEdwasstillonhismindwhenhespokeagain,almostmoretohimselfthantome:"Ishouldhavekeptintouch.Yes,"herepeated,"Ishouldhavekeptintouch."他開著車，沒有接話兒。我們沉默了幾分鐘。可我知道他還在想著老埃德。他又開口時，與其說是跟我說話，還不如說是自言自語：“我真該一直保持聯(lián)系。真的，”他重復(fù)道，“我真該一直保持聯(lián)系?！?well,"Iagreed,"Weshouldallkeepintouchwitholdfriendsmorethanwedo.Butthingscomeupandwejustdon'tseemtofindthetime."“是啊，”我表示贊同，“我們都該與老朋友保持更多的聯(lián)系。不過總是有事情冒出來，好像就是抽不出空來?！盚eshrugged."Weusedtofindthetime,"hesaid."That'sevenmentionedintheletter."Hehandeditovertome."Takealook."他聳了聳肩?！拔覀冞^去總能抽出空來，”他說。“信里還提到呢。”他把信遞給我，“你看看吧。”"Thanks,"Isaid,"butIdon'twanttoreadyourmail.That'sprettypersonal."“謝謝你，”我說，“不過我不想讀你的信。這純屬私事?！盩hedrivershrugged."OldEd'sdead.There'snothingpersonalnow.Goahead,"heurgedme.司機聳一聳肩?！袄习５氯硕妓懒恕]什么私事不私事了。念吧，”他催促說。Theletterwaswritteninpencil.Itbeganwiththegreeting"OldFriend,"andthefirstsentenceremindedmeofmyself.I'vebeenmeaningtowriteforsometime,butI'vealwayspostponedit.Itthenwentontosaythatheoftenthoughtaboutthegoodtimestheyhadhadtogetherwhentheybothlivedinthesameneighborhood.Ithadreferencestothingsthatprobablymeantsomethingtothedriver,suchasthetimeTimSheabrokethewindow,theHalloweenthatwetiedOldMr.Parker'sgate,andwhenMrs.Culverusedtokeepusafterschool.信是用鉛筆寫的。稱呼寫著“老朋友”，而開頭第一句話讓我想到自己?！霸缇拖雽懶帕?，可就是一拖再拖?！毙爬锝又鴮懙?，他常?；叵霃那皟扇俗≡谝粋€街坊時的快樂時光。信里提到些事，可能對司機很重要，比如“那次蒂姆·謝打破窗子，那年萬圣節(jié)前夕，我們把老帕克先生的大門拴了起來，還有卡爾弗太太老是在放學(xué)后把咱倆留下訓(xùn)斥的那陣子”。"Youmusthavespentalotoftimetogether,"Isaidtohim.“你們倆準(zhǔn)是在一起度過了不少時光，”我對他說。"Likeitsaysthere,"heanswered,"aboutallwehadtospendinthosedayswastime."Heshookhishead:"Time."“就跟信里寫的那樣，”他回答說，“我倆在那個時候能花的只有時間。”他搖頭嘆道：“時間啊?！盜thoughtthenextparagraphoftheletterwasalittlesad:Ibegantheletterwith"OldFriend"becausethat'swhatwe'vebecomeovertheyears─oldfriends.Andtherearen'tmanyofusleft.信里接下來的那段我覺得有點凄涼：“信的開頭我寫著‘老朋友’，因為這么多年來，我們這對老朋友漸漸都老了。我們這些人當(dāng)中留下的也不多了?！?Youknow,"Isaidtohim,"Whenitsaysherethattherearen'tmanyofusleft,that'sabsolutelyright.EverytimeIgotoaclassreunion,forexample,therearefewerandfewerstillaround."“你要知道，”我對他說，“信里說我們這些人當(dāng)中留下的不多了，說得一點不錯。比如說，每次我去參加老同學(xué)聚會，來的人總是越來越少?！?Timegoesby,"thedriversaid.“時間不饒人啊，”司機說。"Didyoutwoworkatthesameplace"Iaskedhim.“你們倆以前在一起工作嗎？”我問他。"No,butwehungoutonthesamecornerwhenweweresingle.Andthen,whenweweremarried,weusedtogotoeachother'shouseeverynowandthen.Butforthelast20or30yearsit'sbeenmostlyjustChristmascards.Ofcoursethere'dbealwaysanotewe'deachaddtothecards─usuallysomenewsaboutourfamilies,youknow,whatthekidsweredoing,whomovedwhere,anewgrandchild,thingslikethat─butneverarealletteroranythinglikethat."“不，不過沒成家時我倆總在一起閑蕩。后來，兩人都成了家，就不時相互串門?？勺罱@二三十年來，主要就是寄寄圣誕卡了。當(dāng)然，我倆都總在卡上寫幾句——通常是關(guān)于各自家里的情況，不是嗎，孩子們在干些什么，誰搬到哪兒，添了個小孫子，都是這類事——可一直都沒正兒八經(jīng)地寫過信什么的?！?Thisisagoodparthere,"Isaid."WhereitsaysYourfriendshipovertheyearshasmeantanawfullottome,morethanIcansaybecauseI'mnotgoodatsayingthingslikethat."Ifoundmyselfnoddinginagreement."Thatmusthavemadeyoufeelgood,didn'tit"

“這一處寫得好，”我說，“這里寫道：‘你多年的友誼對我非常重要，遠比我能說出來的重要得多，因為我不擅長說這樣的話?！蔽翌h首稱是。“這話準(zhǔn)讓你聽著開心，是吧？”ThedriversaidsomethingthatIcouldn'tunderstandbecauseheseemedtobeallchokedup,soIcontinued:"IknowI'dliketoreceivealetterlikethatfrommyoldestfriend."司機說了句什么，可我沒聽明白，因為他似乎哽噎得厲害。于是我接著說：“我也真想收到這樣一封老朋友的來信?！盬eweregettingclosetoourdestinationsoIskippedtothelastparagraph.SoIthoughtyou'dliketoknowthatIwasthinkingofyou.Anditwassigned,YourOldFriend,Tom.我們快到目的地了，于是我跳到最后一段?！耙虼宋蚁肽阋欢ㄏ胫牢业胗浿?。”信末署名：“老朋友湯姆”。Ihandedbacktheletteraswestoppedatmyhotel."Enjoyedtalkingwithyou,"IsaidasItookmysuitcaseoutofthecab.TomTheletterwassignedTom我們在我的旅店前停下，我把信遞了回去。“很高興能和你聊聊，”我將衣箱從車上提下時說。湯姆信的署名是湯姆"Ithoughtyourfriend'snamewasEd,"Isaid."WhydidhesignitTom"“我記得你朋友叫埃德，”我說，“為什么他署名湯姆呢？”"TheletterwasnotfromEdtome,"heexplained."I'mTom.It'saletterIwrotetohimbeforeIknewhe'ddied.SoInevermailedit."“這封信不是湯姆寫給我的，”他解釋說，“我是湯姆。這是我在得知他去世前寫給他的信。所以我一直沒寄出?！盚elookedsortofsorrowful,orasifheweretryingtoseesomethinginthedistance."IguessIshouldhavewrittenitsooner."他神情有點悲傷，似乎想看清遠處什么東西。“我想我真該早些寫這封信?！盬henIgottomyhotelroomIdidn'tunpackrightaway.FirstIhadtowritealetter─andmailit.我進了旅館房間之后，沒有馬上打開箱包。首先我得寫封信——而且要寄出去。PartTextBNeverLetAfriendDownⅢ IfIdon'tmakeit,myfriendwilldieoutthere,BillMcIntosh,theoldhunter,toldhimselfoverandover.如果我不能挺住的話，我的朋友就會死在那里，老獵手比爾·麥金托什一次又一次地告誡自己。NeverLetaFriendDownJimHutchison"Comingtothefootballmatchthisafternoon"BillMcIntoshasked59-year-oldRoyceWeddingastheydrankbeerattheEurekaHotelintheAustraliantownofRainbow.Royceshookhishead."IpromisedMomI'dburnofftheweedsononeofourfields."決不拋棄朋友吉姆·赫奇森“下午去看足球賽嗎？”比爾·麥金托什問59歲的羅伊斯·韋丁。他們兩人正在澳大利亞的虹鎮(zhèn)尤里卡飯店喝啤酒。羅伊斯搖搖頭?！拔掖饝?yīng)我媽給我家的一塊地?zé)??！盉ill,whowasthinbutstrong,lookingfarlessthanhis79years,peeredoutsideattheheat.Alightbreezewasblowingfromthenorth,makingconditionsperfectfortheburn.ButBillfeltuneasyaboutRoycedoingthejobalone.Thefarmerhadabadlegandwalkedwithgreatdifficulty.比爾瘦削而結(jié)實，79歲，但看上去遠沒有那么老。他望著外面的炎熱空氣。一陣輕風(fēng)自北向南吹，這條件最適宜燒荒了。不過比爾對羅伊斯獨自干這活不放心。這個農(nóng)夫有條腿不好，行走很費勁。Thepairhadbeenbestoffriendsfor30years,eversincethedayswhentheytraveledtogetherfromfarmtofarminsearchofwork.Now,livingalone12mileseastoftown,Billscrapedalivinghuntingfoxesandrabbits.OnceafortnighthewenttotowntobuysuppliesandcatchupwithRoyce,whohelpedruntheWeddingfamily'sfarm."I'llgiveyouahand,"Billsaid.兩人曾一起從一個農(nóng)場走到另一個農(nóng)場尋些活兒干，迄今已是30年的好朋友了。如今比爾獨自一人住在鎮(zhèn)東12英里處，靠打狐貍和野兔勉強過活。他兩個星期一次前來小鎮(zhèn)購物，會會幫著經(jīng)管自家的農(nóng)場的羅伊斯?！拔?guī)湍阋话?，”比爾說。ThepairsetoffinRoyce'scar.Soontheywerebumpingoverasandytracktotheweed-choked120-acrefield."Fire'stheonlywaytogetridofthisstuff,"saidBillastheytiedanoldtiretothetowbarwitha50-footchain.Soakingthetirewithgasoline,Billputamatchtoitandjumpedinthecar.兩人坐著羅伊斯的車動身了。沒多一會兒他們就顛簸在一條沙土路上，朝一塊面積120公頃、雜草叢生的田地開去?！盎鹗浅ミ@玩意兒的惟一辦法，”比爾說。他們用根50英尺長的鏈條把一個舊輪胎綁在牽引桿上。比爾在輪胎上澆透汽油，劃根火柴一點，便跳進車?yán)?。Drivingslowlyfromthesouthernedgeofthefield,theyworkedtheirwayupwind,leavingalineofburningweedsintheirwake.Halfwayupthefield,andwithoutwarning,thecarpitchedviolentlyforward,plowingintoahiddenbankofsand.兩人從農(nóng)田的南邊緩緩開車逆風(fēng)而行，所過之處留下一條燃著的草帶。開到地當(dāng)中，車猛地朝前一顛，沒等察覺，就陷進了一個被草遮著的沙堆。Thebreezesuddenlyswungaroundtotheirbacksandbegantogatherstrength.Fannedtowhiteheat,thefirelinesuddenlyburstintoawallofflame,headingdirectlytowardthem."Let'sgetoutofhere!"Roycesaid.微風(fēng)突然轉(zhuǎn)向，朝兩人身后吹來，而且越吹越強。火仗風(fēng)勢，燒得熾熱，一條火帶頓時就變成一道火墻，直撲兩人而來?！霸蹅兛祀x開這兒！”羅伊斯說道。Desperatelyhetriedtobackthecaroutofthesandbank.Butthewheelsonlyspundeeperinthesoftsand.他拼命想把車倒出沙堆。可車輪在軟沙里越轉(zhuǎn)陷得越深。Suddenlythefirewasonthem.Billpushedopenhisdooronlytofindhimselfflungthroughtheairas,witharoar,thegasolinetankexplodedandthecarleaptthreefeetofftheground.WhenitcrashedbackdownRoycefoundhimselfpinnedagainstthesteeringwheel,unabletomove.Thecar'sseatsandroofwerenowonfire.火頓時就撲到兩人身上。比爾推開車門，卻聽得一聲巨響，油箱爆炸了，車子飛離地面三英尺，他自己則被拋到空中。車子摔回地面后，羅伊斯發(fā)現(xiàn)自己被方向盤卡住，動彈不得。這時，車座和車頂也都燒著了。Billlaywherehefell,allthebreathknockedoutofhim.Thefrontofhisshirt,shorts,barearmsandlegsweresoakedinburninggasoline.Thenthesightofthecarinflamesbroughthimuprightwithastart."Royce!"hecried,strugglingtohisfeetandheadingforthecar.比爾躺在跌落的地方，摔得氣都喘不過來。他的襯衣前襟、短褲、光裸的手臂和雙腿都浸在燃燒著的汽油里。接著汽車著火了，見此情景他驚坐起來?！傲_伊斯！”他邊喊邊掙扎著站起身來，向汽車沖去。Pullingopenthedoor,heseizedRoyce'sarmsthroughthesmoke."I'mstuck,"Roycesaid."Getyourselfaway!"他拉開車門，在煙霧中抓住羅伊斯的手臂。“我給卡住了，”羅伊斯說，“你快走！”(1)ThefirebitatBill'sarms,faceandlegs,buthetightenedhisgriponRoyce."I'mnotleavingyouhere,"hesaid.(1)火舌舔著比爾的雙臂、臉和雙腿，但他緊緊地抓住羅伊斯不放?！拔也粫涯銇G棄在這兒的，”他說道。NowBilldughisheelsintothesandandpulledashardashecould.Suddenlyhefellbackward.Roycewasfreeandoutofthecar.AssoonashehaddraggedhimawayhepattedouttheflamesonRoyce'sbodyandonhisownlegsandarmswithhisbarehands.比爾兩個腳跟扎在沙堆里，拼命用力拉。突然他仰面倒下，羅伊斯被拉出了汽車。他一把將羅伊斯拉開，便趕緊赤手去撲滅羅伊斯身上以及自己腿上、手臂上的火。Roycesawasecondexplosionrockthecar,asitwaseatenupbyflames.I'dbeashesnowifBillhadn'tgottenmeout,hethought.Lookingdown,Roycewasshockedbytheextentofhisinjuries.Hisstomachandlefthipwerecoveredindeepburns.Worsestill,hisfingerswereburnedcompletelyoutofshape.羅伊斯看著又一次爆炸把汽車震得直晃，車一下子被火苗吞噬。“要不是比爾把我拉出來，我這會兒就燒成灰了，”他暗想。他低頭一看，身上傷勢之嚴(yán)重令他大為驚訝。他腹部及左臀嚴(yán)重?zé)齻?。更糟糕的是，手指被燒得完全變了形。Lyingonhisback,Billwasinequallybadshape.Piecesofblackenedfleshandskinhungfromhisforearms,handsandlegs.比爾仰天躺在地上，也一樣被燒得不成樣子。前臂以及手和腿上，一塊塊燒得焦黑的皮肉掛了下來。Billlookedacrossathisfriend.ReadingthedespaircloudingRoyce'sface,Billsaid,"I'llgethelp.Youhangon."Roycenodded,butashewatchedBillsetoffslowlyacrosstheblackenedfield,hewonderedhowhisfriendwasgoingtowalkalmosttwomilesandgetoverthreefences.比爾朝自己的朋友望去，看出羅伊斯?jié)M臉絕望，便說：“我去叫人。你頂住?！绷_伊斯點了點頭，可當(dāng)他看著比爾穿過焦黑的田地緩緩走開時，真不知道這位朋友怎么去走那幾乎整整兩英里的路，還要跨越三道柵欄。(2)AlifetimespentaroundthetoughpeoplewhomaketheirhomeintheAustralianbushhadpermanentlyfixedintoBill'ssoultwoprinciples:nevergiveupnomatterhowbadtheoddsandneverletafrienddown.Now,witheverystepsendingpainpiercingthrougheverypartofhisbody,hedrewonthosetwinpillarsofcharacter.(3)IfIdon'tmakeit,Roycewilldieoutthere,hetoldhimselfoverandover.(2)一輩子與居住在澳大利亞灌木地帶的那些剛強的硬漢一起生活的人生經(jīng)歷，將兩條準(zhǔn)則永久地銘刻在比爾心頭：無論多么艱難，決不泄氣，決不拋棄朋友。此時此刻，他每邁出一步，渾身上下便針扎似地疼，他完全是靠這兩種品質(zhì)支撐著。(3)如果我不能挺住的話，羅伊斯就會死在那里，比爾一次又一次地告誡自己。"What'sthematterwiththatdog"saidVickyWedding,Royce'smom,peeringoutherwindow.Startledbyanoisebehindher,sheturnedtoseeBillleaningagainstthedoor.“那條狗怎么啦？”羅伊斯的母親維基·韋丁說著朝窗外望去。聽到身后響動，她嚇了一跳，轉(zhuǎn)身一看，比爾正倚靠在門上。"DearGod,whathappened"sheexclaimed,grabbingBillashesliddownthedoorframe.“天哪，出了什么事？”她驚問道，趕緊扶住正沿著門框癱坐下去的比爾。"Wegotcaughtinthefire,"hewhispered,barelyabletospeak."Gethelp."VickysatBilldown,coveredhimin