大学英语综合教程第二册第二六单元原文及翻译

1、A LEFT FULL OF RICHES1. It was early December 2003, my first season as a Salvation Army bell ringer, when I was confronted with the question. I was standing just outside the doorway of a Wal-Mart, offering a thank you and a smile to each person who dropped a donation into my red kettle. A neatly dre

2、ssed woman and her young son walked up to the kettle stand. While she searched her purse for some cash, the boy looked up at me. I can still see the confusion and curiosity in his eyes as he asked, Are you poor?2. Well, I stammered, trying to think, I have more than some people, but not as much as o

3、thers. His mother scolded him for the social no-no, and they hurried off to do their shopping. His question, however, did not leave me.3. Ive never thought of myself as poor, but I cant deny certain facts. Every time I fill out my 1040 form, I fall into one of the lowest income brackets. In the past

4、 35 years, Ive taken just one vacation trip. My TV is a black-and-white set that someone gave me eight years ago.4. Yet I feel nothing more than a passing whim to attain the material things so many other people have. My 1999 car shows the wear and tear of 105,000 miles. But it is still dependable. M

5、y apartment is modest, but quiet and relaxing. My clothes are well suited to my work, which is primarily outdoors. My minimal computer needs can be met at the library.5. In spite of what I dont have, I dont feel poor. Why? Ive enjoyed exceptionally good health for 53 years. Its not just that Ive bee

6、n illness-free, its that I feel vigorous and spirited. Exercising is actually fun for me. I look forward to long, energizing walks. And I love the can do attitude that follows.6. I also cherish the gift of creativity. When I write a beautiful line of poetry, or fabricate a joke that tickles someone,

7、 I feel rich inside. Im continually surprised at the insights that come through my writing process. And talking with so many interesting writer friends is one of my main sources of enjoyment.7. But there is one vital area of my life where I am not so well off. In a society that spends so much emotio

8、nal energy on the pursuit of possessions, I feel out of place.8. When I was younger, there was an exceptionally interesting person I dated. What was most important to her, she told me, was whats on the inside. I thought I had found someone special to share my life with. Then I took her to see my apa

9、rtment. At the time, I lived in a basement efficiency with a few pieces of dated furniture. The only new, comfortable chair was the one at my desk. Shortly after her visit, our relationship went straight south.9. The seemingly abrupt change in her priorities was jolting. It remains a most memorable

10、turning point in my personal journey.10. In contrast to relationships, stuff just doesnt mean that much to me. I think most people feel the same wayexcept when there are social consequences to not having particular items. There is a commercial on the radio that begins, Everybody wants a high-end TV

11、The pressure to purchase is real. It may be true that everybody wants a high-end TV. After all, nobody wants to be a nobody.11. But Im happy to live without one. In fact, not being focused on material goods feels quite natural to me. There are many people throughout the world who would consider my l

12、ifestyle to be affluent.12. Near the end of the year, when I put on the Salvation Armys red apron, something changes inside me. Instead of feeling out of place economically, I begin to feel a genuine sense of belonging. As I ring my bell, people stop to share their personal stories of how much it me

13、ant to be helped when they were going through a rough time. People helping people is something I feel deeply connected to. While Im ringing the bell, complete strangers have brought me hot chocolate, leaving me with a lingering smile. Countless individuals have helped to keep me warm with the sentim

14、ents of the season: Thank you for ringing on such a cold day. Can I get you a cup of coffee? Bless you for your good work. December is the time of year I feel wealthiest.13. Over the past four years, Ive grown to understand more about myself because of a single question from a curious child. As Ive

15、examined what it means to be poor, it has become clear to me what I am most thankful for: both my tangible and my intangible good fortune.富足的一生 卡尔格林 1. 首次面对这个问题，是在2003年12月初，我第一次为救世军摇铃募捐的时候。当时我就站在沃尔玛商场入口处门外，对每一位向我的红壶里投入捐款的人都报以一声“谢谢”和一个微笑。一位穿着整洁的妇人牵着她的幼子向放壶的台子走过来。她在钱包里摸着找钱时，孩子抬头看了我一眼， 问我：“你穷吗？”当时他眼里充满

16、疑惑和好奇，时至今日仍历历在目。 2.“嗯，”我结结巴巴，边想边回答，“我比有些人拥有的多，但比其他人拥有的少。”母亲因为孩子问了一个在社交上不该问的问题，训斥了他一顿，他俩便匆匆的赶去购物。但是孩子的问题却一直留在我的心头挥之不去。 3.我从不认为自己“穷”，但有些事实我不可否认。每当我填1040税务申报表时，我都属于收入最低的档次之一。在过去的三十五年中，我只出去度过一次假。我的电视机是黑白的，还是八年前别人送给我的。 4. 然而，想要得到其他那么多人都有的物质的东西，对我来说，只不过是转瞬即逝的念头而已。我的汽车是1999年的产品，到现在开了十万五千英里，已经很破很旧了，但是它依然可靠。

17、我的住房不大，但是很安静，住着挺舒心。我的衣服很适合于我的工作，主要都在户外。我对计算机的很少的需求，可以在图书馆得到解决。 5.尽管有些东西我没有，我并不感到贫穷。这是为什么？五十三年来我一直非常健康。我不但不生病，而且精力充沛，情绪饱满。锻炼对我而言是确确实实的快事，我乐意长距离步行，越走越有劲。我喜爱步行后随之产生的一种“什么都干得了”的心态。 6.我还十分珍惜我的创作才能。当我写出美丽的诗句或编造出能把人逗乐的笑话时，我内心感到很富有。通过写作而获得的洞察力，不断地令我惊奇。而与那么多写作朋友交谈，是我乐趣的主要源泉之一。 7.但是在我生活中，有一个重要方面我并不那么富有。在一个对物资

18、财富的追求投入如此之多心力的社会中，我觉得很不自在。 8.我年轻时曾与一位非常有趣的女士谈过朋友。她对我说，对她而言，最重要的是“一个人的内心”。我以为我找到了非同一般的生活伴侣。后来我就带她到我的寓所。当时我住的是一个地下室经济型小套间，只有几件陈旧的家具。唯一新而舒适的椅子是书桌旁的那把。她来访后不久，我们的关系就急转直下。 9. 她所看重的东西似乎突然有了变化，使我大为震动。在我的人生旅途上，这仍然是一个最难以忘怀的转折点。 10.相对于人际关系而言，物质财富对我并不那么重要。我认为大多数人与我同感除非当某一物品的缺失会引发社会后果时，人们才会有不同的想法。电台播放的一个商业广告开头这样

19、说：“每个人都想拥有一台高档电视”，购买这种电视机的压力千真万确。也许每个人真的都想要一台高档电视机，毕竟没有人想做一个无名之辈。 11.但是没有这样的电视机我也照样活得快乐。事实上不专注于物质财富，对我而言相当自然。在这个世界上有很多人认为我活得很富足。 12.临近岁末每当我系上救世军的红围裙时，我的内心会发生变化。我非但不感到经济上不自在，还开始感到一种真正的归属感。我摇铃时，人们会停下脚步，给我讲述他们的故事，讲述他们遇到困难时受到帮助对他们多么重要。我感到我与人助人这件事深深地联系在一起。在我摇铃的时候，从未谋面的陌生人给我拿来热乎乎的巧克力饮料，留给我一个久不消逝的微笑。无数的路人向

20、我表达圣诞节的祝愿，使我感到温暖。“谢谢你在这样的冷天摇铃。”“要不要我给您弄一杯咖啡?”“你做好事，上帝保佑你。”十二月是一年中我感到最富足的时候。 13.由于一个好奇的孩子提了一个简单问题，我在过去的四年中对自己的了解进了一步。当我审视贫穷究竟意味着什么时，我清楚了我最应感恩的是什么：我的有形和无形的好运气。A MAN CANApr 4, 2004 8:00 PM EDT 1. When I was a kid, everything in my bedroom was pink. I have two sisters and we had a complete miniature kit

21、chen, a herd of My Little Ponies and several Barbie and Ken dolls. We didnt have any toy trucks, G.I. Joes or basketballs. We did have a Wiffle-ball set, but you would have been hard-pressed to find it in our playroom. Tomboys we werent.2. So some people may find it ironic that I grew up to be a mec

22、hanical engineer. In fact, I am the only female engineer at my company. In order to get my college degree, I had to take a lot of math and science classes. I also had to work with a team of students as part of a national competition to convert a gas-guzzling SUV into a hybrid electric vehicle-thats

23、where I learned how to fix cars. Im proud to say that I got As in all my classes, including multivariable calculus and differential equations. Ive always been pretty good at math and design, but I didnt understand where that could take me. I was expected to go to college, but no one ever told me Id

24、make a good engineer someday.3. When I was in high school, I didnt know the first thing about engineering. I couldnt have distinguished a transmission from an alternator. The car I drove needed some work but I was afraid to take it to the mechanic. Because honestly, the mechanic could have shown me

25、an electric can opener and said, This is part of your car and its broken-pay me to fix it, and I wouldnt have known any better.4. At the end of my junior year of high school, I heard about a summer program designed to interest girls in engineering. The six-week program was free, and students were gi

26、ven college credit and a dorm room at the University of Maryland. I applied to the program, not because I wanted to be an engineer, but because I was craving independence and wanted to get out of my parents house for six weeks.5. I was accepted to the program and I earned six engineering credits. Th

27、e next year I entered the university as an engineering major. Five years later I had a degree and three decent job offers.6. I cant help shuddering when I hear about studies that show that women are at a disadvantage when it comes to math. They imply that I am somehow abnormal. Im not, but I do know

28、 that if I hadnt stumbled into that summer program, I wouldnt be an engineer.7. When I was growing up I was told, as many students are, to do what I am best at. But I didnt know what that was. Most people think that when you are good at something, it comes easily to you. But this is what I discovere

29、d: just because a subject is difficult to learn, it does not mean you are not good at it. You just have to grit your teeth and work harder to get good at it. Once you do, theres a strong chance you will enjoy it more than anything else.8. In eighth grade I took algebra. On one test I got only 36 per

30、cent of the answers correct. I failed the next one, too. I started to think, Maybe Im just no good at this. I was lucky enough to have a teacher who didnt take my bad grades as a judgment of my abilities, but simply as an indication that I should study more. He pulled me aside and told me he knew I

31、could do better. He let me retake the tests, and I pulled my grade up to an A.9. I studied a lot in college, too. I had moments of panic while sitting underneath the buzzing fluorescent lights in the engineering library on Saturday afternoons, when I worried that the estrogen in my body was preventi

32、ng me from understanding thermodynamics. But the guys in my classes had to work just as hard, and I knew that I couldnt afford to lose confidence in myself. I didnt want to choose between my femininity and a good career. So I reminded myself that those studies, the ones that say that math comes more

33、 naturally to men, are based on a faulty premise: that you can judge a persons abilities separate from the cultural cues that she has received since she was an infant. No man is an island. No woman is, either.10. Why are we so quick to limit ourselves? Im not denying that most little girls love doll

34、s and most little boys love videogames, and it may be true that some people favor the right side of their brain, and others the left. But how relevant is that to me, or to anyone, as an individual? Instead of translating our differences into hard and fast conclusions about the human brain, why cant

35、we focus instead on how incredibly flexible we are? Instead of using what we know as a reason why women cant learn physics, maybe we should consider the possibility that our brains are more powerful than we imagine.11. Heres a secret: math and science dont come easily to most people. No one was ever

36、 born knowing calculus. A woman can learn anything a man can, but first she needs to know that she can do it, and that takes a leap of faith. It also helps to have selective hearing.第六单元卡罗琳.特克从事的职业传统上一直是男人们的天下。在本文，她谈到自己是如何干上这一行的以及通过她的成功显示出男人们能学会的事女人们也能做到。男人学得会的，女人也学得会卡罗琳特克 1. 我小时候卧室里的每样东西都是粉红色的。我有两个

37、姐妹，我们有一个一应俱全的微型厨房，一群各种颜色的小马驹，还有好几个芭比和凯恩玩具娃娃。我们没有玩具卡车，没有玩具大兵，也没有篮球。我们确实有一套空心棒球，但是很难在我们的游戏室找到，毕竟我们不是假小子。2.正因为如此，有些人对我长大后成了一名机械工程师也许感到出乎意外。事实上，我是我公司里唯一的一个女工程师。为了取得大学文凭，我要上许多数学和自然科学方面的课程。我还得和几个学生一起工作，作为参与一次全国性竞赛的一部分，把一辆耗费汽油特多的运动型多用途汽车改装成混合型电动车就这样我学会了修车。 我可以自豪地说，我门门功课都是A，包括多变量微积分和微分方程。我的数学和设计总是相当好，但是我不知道