现代大学英语精读1课文翻译

1、Half a Day半日Naguib Mahfouz纳吉布马哈福兹I walked alongside my father, clutching his righthand. All my clothes were new: the black shoes, thegreen schooluniform , and the red cap. They did notmake me happy, however, as this was the day I wasto be thrown into school f or the first time.我走在父亲的一侧，牢牢地抓着他的右手。我穿着

2、一新 ：黑鞋子、绿校服、红帽子。然而我 一点儿都高兴不起来，因为今天是我第一次被送去上学。My mother stood at the window watching our progress, and I turned towards her from time totime, hoping she would help. We walked along a street lined with gardens and fields plantedwith crops, pears, and date palms.母亲站在窗前，望着我们缓缓前行，我不时地回头看她，希望她会救我。我们沿着街道走着

3、, 街道两旁是花园和田野，田野里种了庄稼、梨树和椰枣树。"Why school?" I asked my father. "What have I done?"我为什么要去上学？"我问父亲，是我做错了什么吗？ ”"I'm not punishing you," he said, laughing."School's not a punishment. It's a place that makesuseful men out of boys. D on't you want to b

4、e useful like your brothers?"我不是在惩罚你，”父亲笑着说道，上学不是一种惩罚。学校能把男孩子培养成有用的男人。难道你不想像你的哥哥们那样，成为一个有用的人吗？”I was not convinced . I did not believe there was really any good to be had in tearing me awayfrom my home and throwing me into the huge, high-walled building.我不以为然。我才不相信把我从家里拽出来，扔进那个巨大的、高墙围绕的建筑里会对我有什

5、么真正的好处呢。When we arrived at the gate we could see thecourtyard , vast and full of boys and girls.到了学校门口，我们看到宽阔的院子里站满了男女生。自己进去吧，"我父亲说，"Go in by yourself," said my father,"and join them. Put a smile on your face and be a goodexample to others."到他们当中去吧。笑一笑。给其他的孩子做个好榜样。”I hesitat

6、ed and clung to his hand, but he gently pushed me from him."Be a man," he said."Today you truly begin life. You'll find me waiting for you when it's time to lea ve."我紧抓着父亲的手，犹豫不决。但是父亲却轻轻地把我推开了。拿出点儿男子气概来。他说，"从今天起你就要真正开始自己的生活了。放学时我会在这儿等你。”I took a few steps. Then the f

7、aces of the boys andgirls came into view. I did n ot know a single one ofthem, and none of them knew me. I felt I was astrang er who had lost his way. But then some boysbegan toglance at me in curiosity , and one ofthem came over and asked, "Who brought you?"我走了几步，便看见了一些孩子的面孔。他们我一个都不认识。他们也

8、没有一个认识我。我感觉自己像是一个迷了路的陌生人。然而，这时有些男孩开始好奇地打量我，其中一个走过来问道：谁带你来的？ ”"My father," I whispered.我爸爸。”我小声说道。"My father's dead," he said simply.我爸爸死了。 ”他简短地说。I did not know what to say. The gate was now closed. Some of the childrenburst into tears. The bell rang. A lady came along, follo

9、wed by a group of men .The men began sorting us intoranks. We were formed into anintricate pattern in the great courtyard surrounded by highbuildings; from each floor we were overlooked by a long balcony roofed in wood.我不知道该说些什么。这时学校的大门已经关上了，有些孩子哭了起来。铃响了，一位女士走了过来，后面跟着一群男人。那些人把我们排成几行，使我们形成一个错综复杂的队形，站

10、在那四周高楼耸立的院子里。每层楼都有长长的阳台，阳台上带有木制顶棚，从阳台上可以俯视到我们。"This is your new home," said the woman."There are mothers and fathers here too. Everythingthat is enjoyable andbeneficial is here. So dry your tears and face life joyfully."这是你们的新家，”那位女士说道，这儿也有你们的父母。一切能带给你们快乐、对你们有益的事物，这儿都有。擦干你们的眼泪，快快

11、乐乐地生活吧。”Well, it seemed that my misgivings had had no basis. From the first momentsI made manyfriends and fell in love with many girls. I had never imagined sc hool would have this rich variety of experiences.这样看来我（之前）的顾虑都是毫无根据的了。从一开始我就结交了许多朋友，并且喜欢了 许多女孩。我从未想过学校的生活会是如此的丰富多彩。We played all sorts of ga

12、mes. In the music room wesang our first songs. We a lso had our firstintroduction to language. We saw a globe of theEarth, which r evolved and showed the variouscontinents and countries. We started learning numbers, and we were told the story of the Creatorof theuniverse . We ate delicious food, too

13、k a littlenap, and woke up to go on with friendship and love, playing and learning.我们玩了各种各样的游戏，在音乐室里我们唱了第一次学会的歌。我们第一次接触到了语言的学习。我们看见了一个地球仪，旋转它，便能看见世界上的各个大洲和国家的名称。我们开始学习数字，听老师讲上帝创世的故事。我们吃了美味的食物，小睡了一会儿，醒来后又继续在友谊和爱中嬉戏、学习。Our path, however, was not totally sweet and unclouded. We had to be obser vant and

14、 patient. It was not all a matter of playing and fooling around. Rivalri es could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting. And while the la dy would sometimes smile, she would oftenyell and scold. Even more frequently she would resort to physical punishment.然而，校园生活并非全是甜蜜和阳光普照的。我们还必须遵守纪律

15、，耐心听讲。学校生活也不光是嬉戏和闲荡。同学间的竞争还可能会带来痛苦、仇恨， 甚至打斗。那位女士虽然有时面带微笑，但也经常会大声吼叫并责骂我们，更多的时候甚至会体罚我们。In addition , the time for changing one's mind was over and gone and there was no question ofever returning to the paradise of home. Nothing lay ahead of us but exertion , struggle, and perseverance . Those who

16、were able took a dvantage of the opportunities for success andhappiness that presented them selves.另外，我们再也不能改变主意，再也不可能回到天堂一般的家里了。摆在我们面前的只有努力奋斗和坚持不懈。一旦机会来了，那些有能力的同学就会抓住它们去获取成功和幸福。The bell rang, announcing the passing of the day and the end of work. The chi ldren rushedtowards the gate, which was open

17、ed again. I said goodbye to frie nds and sweethearts andpassed through the gate. I looked around but found no trace of my father, who had promisedto be there.铃响了，宣告着一天的学校生活结束了。孩子们冲向重新打开的大门。我向我的朋友和小甜心”告了别，走出了校门。我四处张望却没发现父亲的踪影。他可是答应我会在这儿等我 的。I stepped aside to wait. When I had waited for a longtime in

18、vain ,I decided to return home on my own. Iwalked a few steps, then came to a sta rtled halt. Good Lord! Where was the street lined with gardens? Where had it disappeared to? When did all these carsinvade it? And when did all these people come torest on the surface? How did these hills ofrubbish fin

19、d their way to cover the sides? And where werethe fields that bordered it? High buildings h ad takenover, the street was full of children, anddisturbing noises shook theair. Here and there stood conjurersshowing off their tricks or making snakes a ppear and disappear from baskets. Then there was aba

20、nd announcing the op |ening of a circus, with clowns and weight lifters walking in front.于是我走到一边去等他。当我等了好久，他也没来的时候，我决定自己回家。我走了几步， 却吃惊地站住了。我的天哪！那条两边都是花园的街道怎么不见了？消失到哪里去了？这些 车辆是什么时候闯进来的？这些人又是什么时候来到街道上的？像小山似的垃圾又是怎样 堆到街道两旁的？街道旁的田野又到哪儿去了？高楼林立，街道上挤满了孩子，闹声喧天。 街头巷尾站着杂耍艺人，他们或玩着戏法，或是让蛇从篮子里出现或消失。接着，一个乐队 奏起了音乐，宣

21、布马戏表演的开始，小丑和举重大力士走在前面。Good Lord! I was in a daze. My head spun. I almost went crazy. How could all this havehappened in half a day, between morning and sunset? I would find t he answer at home with myfather. But where was my home? I hurried toward s the crossroads, because I remembered thatI had to

22、cross the street to reac h our house, but the stream of cars would not let up. Extremely irritated, I w ondered when I would be able to cross.我的天！我一片茫然，头晕目眩，几乎快要疯了。从清晨到日落的这半天时间里，这一切是 怎么发生的呢？或许回到家，父亲会告诉我答案的。但是，我的家又在哪里？我赶紧奔向十字路口因为我记得要穿过那条街道才能到家，可是车流不息。我极为恼怒，不知何时才能 穿过马路。I stood there a long time, until

23、 the young boyemployed I at the ironing shop on the corner cameup to me.我久久地站在那里，直到在街角熨衣店里工作的小男孩向我走来。He stretched out his arm and said, "Grandpa, let me take you across."他伸出手臂说道： 爷爷，我扶您过马路吧。Making the Grade取得好成绩Varda One瓦尔达翁In 1951, I was eighteen and traveling with all the money I had in

24、the world-fifty dollars. I wason a bus heading from Los Angeles to Berkeley. My dream of attending the university wascoming true. I'd already paid tuition for the sem ester and for one month at the co-opresidence . After that, I had to furnish the rest-my impoverished parents couldn'trescue

25、me.1951年，我18岁，带着我所有的钱-50美元去旅行。我坐在从洛杉矶开往伯克利的车上。 我上大学的梦想即将实现。我已付了一学期的学费以及在合租公寓一个月的住宿费。除此之外，其余的费用都靠我承担，我贫困的父母帮不了我。I'd been on my own as a live-in mother's helper since I was fifteen, leaving hi gh school at noonto care for children till midnight. All through high school and my first year of col

26、lege, I'd longedtoparticipate in extracurricular activities, but my job made that impossible . Now that I wastransferring to Berkeley,I hoped to earn a scholarship.自从16岁起我就自食其力，以帮助住在雇主家的母亲，中午我离开我所念的高中，回家照 顾孩子到半夜。整个高中以及大一期间，我就一直渴望参加课外活动，但是我的工作不允许。 既然我转到伯克利来，我希望能获得奖学金。That first week I found a wai

27、tress job, baby-sat and washed dishes at thecoop as part of myrent. At the end of the semester, I had the B average I neede d for a scholarship. All I had to dowasachieve the B average next term.第一周我找了份服务生的工作，在合租公寓做临时保姆并洗碗碟以支付我的部分租金。学期 结束的时候，我的平均成绩是 B,这是申请奖学金所需要的成绩。我需要做的就是下学期也 能拿到平均成绩BoIt didn't

28、 occur to me to take a snap course: I'd come to the university to learn something. Ibelieved I couldexcel academically and take tough subjects.我从没想过选修容易（通过考试）的课程：我来这所学校是要学习东西的。我相信我在学业上出类拔萃，能够选修有难度的课程。One such course was a survey of world literature. Itwas taught by ProfessorSears Jayne, who roam

29、edthe stage of a huge auditorium, wearing amicrophone while lecturing to packed rows. Therewas no text. Instead, we used paper backs. Budgetwise , this made it easier since I could buythem as needed.这门课程就是由教授希尔斯杰恩所教的世界文学概论。他在诺大的会堂舞台上漫步，戴着麦克风给满座的学生演讲。没有课本。我们用平装本。在预算方面，这对我较为合适，因为我能买到需要的这些书。I was fasci

30、nated with the concepts he presented. To many students, it was ju st a degreerequirement, but to me, it was a feast of exciting ideas. My co-op f riends who were also takingthe course asked for my help. We formed a study group, which I led.我对他提出的概念入迷。对许多学生来说，这只是学历要求的，但对于我，这是扣人心弦的思想盛宴。一些同样选修这门课的同室朋友找

31、我帮忙。我们就组成了一个学习小组，由我带头。When I took the first exam-all essay questions-I was sure I'd done well. On th e ground floor, amid tables heaped with test booklets, I picked out mine. Ther e in red was my grade, a 77, C-plus. I was shocked. English was my best subj ect! To add insult to injury, I found t

32、hat mystudymates had received Bs. The y thanked me for my coaching.当我参加第一次考试（都是论述题）时，我确信自己考得很好。我从一楼堆满试卷册子的桌 子上挑出我的试卷。那儿红笔写着我的分数，77,C+。我大吃一惊。英语可是我最擅长的科目啊。雪上加霜的是，我发现我的同学得了Bo他们都因我对他们的辅导而感谢我。I confronted the teaching assistant, who referred me to Professor Jayne, who listened to my impassioned arguments

33、 but remained unmoved . 我当面质问助教，他将我带到杰恩教授面前。杰恩教授听了我慷慨激昂的争辩后，仍不为所 动。I'd never questioned a teacher about a grade before-never had to. It didn't oc cur to me to plead my need for a scholarship; I wanted justice, notpity . I was convinced that my answersmerited a higher grade.我以前从未质疑过一个老师所打的分数-

34、也不需要这样做。我从未想过拿我对奖学金的需要作理由；我想要公平，而不是同情。我相信我的答案应获得更高的分数。I resolved to try harder, although I didn't know whatthat meant because school had always been easy forme. I'd usedpersistence in finding jobs orscrubbing floors, but not in pushing myselfintellectually . Although I chose challenging cour

35、ses, I was used to coasting toward As.我决心更加努力，尽管我不知道那意味着什么，因为对我来说学习一直很容易。我在找工作或在擦地板时坚持不懈， 但在督促自身学习进步方面没有做到这一点。尽管我选修了具有挑战性的课程，我习惯了不费力地拿到 AoI read the paperbacks more carefully, but my effortsyielded another 77. Again ,C-plus for me and Bs and As for my pals, who thanked me profusely. Again, I returne

36、d to Dr.Jayne and questioned hisjudgment irreverently. Again, he listenedpatiently, discussed the material with me, but wouldn'tbudge -the C-plus stood. He seemedfascinated by myardor in discussing the course ideas, but my dreams of a scholarship andextracurricular activities were fading fast.我更

37、加认真地读了平装本书籍，但我的努力换来了另一个77。我再次得了 C+,而我的朋友得了 B或A。他们对我千恩万谢。我再次回到杰恩博士身边，毫不客气地质问他的评判标准。他再次耐心地听，并与我讨论起资料，但却毫无回旋余地-C+不然不动。他看起来对我有关课程思想的讨论有兴趣，但是我要获得奖学金和参加课外活动的梦想迅速消逝了。One more test before the final. One more chance toredeem myself. Yet another hurdle loomed. The last book we studied, T.S.Eliot's The Was

38、teland, was available only in hardback. Too expensive for mybudget .期末考试前的最后一次考试。这是提高成绩的又一个机会。然而另一个障碍隐约出现。我们最后学的一本书-T 3 艾略特的荒原-只有精装本。这对我来说太贵了。I borrowed it from the library. However, I knew I needed my own book toannotate . I couldn'tafford a big library fine either.我从图书馆里借了一本。然而，我知道我需要自己的书籍好做注解

39、。我也付不起图书馆较多的罚金。In 1951, there were no copying machines, so itseemedlogical to haul out mytrusty old Royal manual typewriter and start copying all 420 pages. In betw een waitressing, washing dishes, attendingclasses, baby-sitting, and tutoring the study group, Imanaged to pound them out.1951年的时候还没有复印

40、机，因此拉出我信赖的皇家老式打字机将420页全部复制下来的做法也是合情合理的。在做服务生、洗盘子、上课、照看婴儿以及辅导学习小组的间隙 我设法将这些文字敲打了出来。I redoubled my efforts for this third exam. For thefirst time, I learned the me aning of the word " thorough ". I'd never realized how hard otherstudents stru ggled for what came easily to me.对于第三次考试我加倍地努

41、力。第一次，我知道了 "彻底”的含义。我以前从未意识到其他学生要付出多少努力才能达到我轻松获得的成绩。My efforts did absolutely no good. Everything, down to the dreaded 77, went as before. Back Imarched into Dr.Jayne's office. I dragged out my dog-eared, note-blackened texts, arguing mypoints as I had done before. When I came t o the sheaf

42、of papers that were my typed copy ofThe Wasteland, he asked, "What's this?""I had no money left to buy it, so I copied it." I didn'tthink this unusual . Improvising was routine for me.我的努力完全付之东流。一切，乃至可怕的77, 一如既往。我径直冲进杰恩博士的办公室。我拿出我那卷了角的、记着黑乎乎笔记的课本，像以前一样陈述起我的观点。当我拿出一捆纸张，即我打

43、出的荒原的副本时，他问： "这是什么？""我没有剩余的钱买这本书，因 此我复制了一下。"我不认为这有什么特别的。我习惯了随机应变。Something changed in Dr.Jayne's usuallyjovial face. He was quiet for a longtime. Then wereturned to our regularlively debate on what these writers truly meant.杰恩博士通常快乐的脸色有了一些改变。他沉默了许久。然后我们又回到我们通常进行的对这些作家真正意义的激烈辩

44、论上。When I left, I still had my third 77-definitely not a lucky number for me-and t he humiliation ofbeing a seminar leader, trailing far behind my ever-grateful students.The last hurdle was thefinal. No matter what grade I got, it would n't cancel three C-pluses. I might as well kiss thescholars

45、hip good-bye. Besid es, what was the use? I could cram till my eyes teared, and theresult would b e a crushing 77.当我离开时，我仍然拿着我的第三个77分-这对我来说绝不是一个好数字-并且作为一个学习组的组长我蒙受着羞辱，（这成绩）远远落在那些对我感激涕零的学生后面。最后一道关是期末考试。不管我得多少分，都不会抵消3个C+。我也许只能与奖学金失之交臂了。并且，这又有何用？我可以为考试苦读，直至双眼流泪，但结果还会是凉彻心骨的77。I skipped studying. I felt

46、I knew the material as well as I ever would. Hadn't I reread the booksmany times and explained them to my buddies? Wasn't The Wasteland resounding in my brain? The night before the final, I treated mysel f to a movie.我没有再学习。我觉得我对资料的理解像以往任何时候一样透彻。我不是已经重读过课本多次并向我的朋友解释过它们了吗？荒原不正在我的脑海里回响吗？期末考试的前

47、一天晚上，我看了一场电影以慰劳一下自己。I sauntered into the auditorium and decided that for once I'd have fun with a test. I maroonedall the writers we'd studied on an island and wrote adebatein which they argued theirpositions. It was silly, befitting my nothing-to-lose mood. The words flowed-all thatsparring

48、 with Dr.Jayne made it effortless .我从容地走进了会堂，决定仅此一次，享受一场考试。我把我们学过的所有作者都放逐到一 个孤岛上，并记下了他们各抒己见的一场辩论会。这简直愚蠢至极，只能迎合我的输无可输的心情罢了。我文如泉涌-与杰恩博士的所有争论使这一切不费吹灰之力。A week later, I strolled down to the ground floor （ground zero for me） and un earthed my testfrom the heaps of exams. There, in red ink on the blue cov

49、er, was an A. I couldn't believe myeyes.一周后，我闲逛到了一楼（对我来说是零楼，从试卷堆里挖出了我的那一份。那儿，蓝色封皮上用红色墨水写着 Ao我简直不敢相信。I hurried to Dr.Jayne's office. He seemed to be expecting me, although I didn' t have anappointment. I launched intorighteous indignation . How come I received a C-plus every timeI slaved

50、and now, when I'd written a spoof, I earn ed an A?我急忙跑向杰恩博士的办公室。他看起来正在期盼我的到来，尽管我没有预约过。我变得义愤填膺。为什么每次我埋头苦读只得到C+ ,而这次我写了一篇讽剌性文章却得到了A?"I knew that if I gave you the As youdeserved , youwouldn't continue to work as hard." I stared at him, realizing that hisanalysis and strategy werecorr

51、ect. I had worked my head off, as I had neverdone before. He rose and pulleda book from hiscrowded shelves."This is for you." It was a hardbackcopy of The Wasteland. On the flyleaf was aninscription to me. For once in mytalkative life, Iwas speechless. |“我知道如果我给了你应得的A,你就不会这么努力了。"我注视着他

52、，意识到他的分析和策略是对的。我一直在苦读，读得从来没有这样苦。他站起身从他塞满书的书架上取出一本书， "这是给你的。"那是一本精装版的荒原。扉页上的题字是送给我的。我有生以来头一次 哑口无言了。I was speechless again when my course grade arrived: A-plus. I believe it wa s the only A-plusgiven.当我的课程成绩到我手上的时候我再一次哑口无言了，是A+。我想这是我得的唯一的A+。Next year, when I received my scholarship, I co-wro

53、te, acted, sang and dance d in an original musical comedy produced by the Associated Students. It pla yed in the largest auditorium tostanding-room-only houses.第二年我拿到了奖学金，我在学生会制作的一个原创的音乐喜剧中与人合作创作、扮演角色、唱歌跳舞。该音乐剧在最大的会堂上演，会堂里座无虚席。I reviewed theater for the Daily Cal, the student campus newspaper.我为校园刊物

54、每日加州写戏剧评论。I wrote a one-act play, among the first todebut at the new campus theater.我写了一部独幕剧，它是第一批在学校的新剧院里上映的作品。I acted in plays produced by the drama department.我在戏剧学院制作的戏剧中扮演角色。The creative spark that had been buried under dishes, diapers and drudgery now flamed intolife. I don't recall much o

55、f what I learned in those courses of long ago, but I'll never forget thefun I had writing andacting .一直埋没于杯盘碟子、尿布和杂务之间的创作火花现在迸发出生命之光。虽然很久以前在那些课程里学到的许多东西我都想不起来，但我永远不会忘记我在写作和表演中获得的乐趣。And I've always remembered Dr.Jayne's lesson. Know that you haveuntapped powers withinyou. That you must us

56、e them, even if you can get by without trying. That you alone must setyour own standard ofexcellence .杰恩博士给我上的那一课，我一直铭记在心。知道你内心有未开发的力量。你必须利用它们，即使你不尝试它们也可以得到想要的东西。你自己必须设定一个优秀的标准。The Boy and the Bank Officer男孩和银行职员Philip Ross菲利普罗斯I have a friend who hates banks with a specialpassion ."A bank is j

57、ust a store like a candy storeor a grocery store," he says."The only difference isthat a bank's goods happen to be money, which isyours in the first place. If banks were required to sellwallets and money belts, they might act less likechurches."我有一位朋友特别讨厌银行。他说：银行就是个商店，和糖果店或杂货店一样。唯

58、一的区别就是银行的商品恰巧是钱。而这些钱本来就是你的。如果让银行卖钱包和钱夹。它们可能 就不会像教堂那样神圣了。”I began thinking about my friend the other day as I walked into a small, overl it branch officeon the West Side. I had come to open a checking account.几天前，我走进位于纽约曼哈顿西区的一家支行时，想到了我的那位朋友。这家支行面积不大，灯火辉煌。我来是要开一个活期账户的。It was lunchtime and the only of

59、ficer on duty was a fortyish black man with s hort, pressed hair, a pencil mustache , and a neatly pressed brown suit. Ever ything about him suggested acarefully dressedauthority .当时正是午餐时间，银行只有一个职员值班。他是个 40来岁的黑人，梳着短短的平头，留 着一字胡，穿着一身整洁的熨烫过的棕色西装。他浑身上下都显示出他是个衣着讲究、有身份地位的人。This officer was standing across a smallcounterfrom a young white boy whowas wearing a V-neck sweater, khakis, and loafers. He hadsandy hair, and Ithink I was especially aware of himbecause he looked more like a kid from a prep school than a customer in a West Side bank.这位职员站在一个小柜台的前面，对面是一个白人小男孩，小男孩穿着一件V字领的毛衣，一条卡其布裤子