新视野大学英语读写教程(第二版)第二册课文及翻译 2

1、1 Unit 1Time-Conscious AmericansAmericans believe no one stands still. If you are not moving ahead, you are falling behind. This attitude results in a nation of people committed to researching, experimenting and exploring. Time is one of the two elements that Americans save carefully, the other bein

2、g labor. We are slaves to nothing but the clock, it has been said. Time is treated as if it were something almost real. We budget it, save it, waste it, steal it, kill it, cut it, account for it; we also charge for it. It is a precious resource. Many people have a rather acute sense of the shortness

3、 of each lifetime. Once the sands have run out of a persons hourglass, they cannot be replaced. We want every minute to count. A foreigners first impression of the US is likely to be that everyone is in a rushoften under pressure. City people always appear to be hurrying to get where they are going,

4、 restlessly seeking attention in a store, or elbowing others as they try to complete their shopping. Racing through daytime meals is part of the pace of life in this country. Working time is considered precious. Others in public eating-places are waiting for you to finish so they, too, can be served

5、 and get back to work within the time allowed. You also find drivers will be abrupt and people will push past you. You will miss smiles, brief conversations, and small exchanges with strangers. Dont take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else wasting it

6、 beyond a certain appropriate point. Many new arrivals in the States will miss the opening exchanges of a business call, for example. They will miss the ritual interaction that goes with a welcoming cup of tea or coffee that may be a convention in their own country. They may miss leisurely business

7、chats in a restaurant or coffee house. Normally, Americans do not assess their visitors in such relaxed surroundings over extended small talk; much less do they take them out for dinner, or around on the golf course while they develop a sense of trust. Since we generally assess and probe professiona

8、lly rather than socially, we start talking business very quickly. Time is, therefore, always ticking in our inner ear. Consequently, we work hard at the task of saving time. We produce a steady flow of labor-saving devices; we communicate rapidly through faxes, phone calls or emails rather than thro

9、ugh personal contacts, which though pleasant, take longerespecially given our traffic-filled streets. We, therefore, save most personal visiting for after-work hours or for social weekend gatherings. To us the impersonality of electronic communication has little or no relation to the significance of

10、 the matter at hand. In some countries no major business is conducted without eye contact, requiring face-to-face conversation. In America, too, a final agreement will normally be signed in person. However, people are meeting increasingly on television screens, conducting teleconferences to settle p

11、roblems not only in this country but alsoby satelliteinternationally. The US is definitely a telephone country. Almost everyone uses the telephone to conduct business, to chat with friends, to make or break social appointments, to say Thank you, to shop and to obtain all kinds of information. Teleph

12、ones save the feet and endless amounts of time. This is due partly to the fact that the telephone service is superb here, whereas the postal service is less efficient. Some new arrivals will come from cultures where it is considered impolite to work too quickly. Unless a certain amount of time is al

13、lowed to elapse, it seems in their eyes as if the task being considered were insignificant, not worthy of proper respect. Assignments are, consequently, given added weight by the passage of time. In the US, however, it is taken as a sign of skillfulness or being competent to solve a problem, or fulf

14、ill a job successfully, with speed. Usually, the more important a task is, the more capital, energy, and attention will be poured into it in order to get it moving. 美国人认为没有人能停止不前。如果你不求进取，你就会落伍。这种态度造就了一个投身于研究、实验和探索的民族。时间是美国人注意节约的两个要素之一，另一要素是劳力。人们一直说：“只有时间才能支配我们。”人们似乎把时间当作一个差不多是实实在在的东西来对待。我们安排时间、节约时间、

15、浪费时间、挤抢时间、消磨时间、缩减时间、对时间的利用作出解释；我们还要因付出时间而收取费用。时间是一种宝贵的资源，许多人都深感人生的短暂。时光一去不复返。我们应当让每一分钟都过得有意义。外国人对美国的第一印象很可能是：每个人都匆匆忙忙常常处于压力之下。城里人看上去总是在匆匆地赶往他们要去的地方，在商店里他们焦躁不安地指望店员能马上来为他们服务，或者为了赶快买完东西，用肘来推搡他人。白天吃饭时人们也都匆匆忙忙，这部分地反映出这个国家的生活节奏。人们认为工作时间是宝贵的。在公共用餐场所，人们都等着别人尽快吃完，以便他们也能及时用餐，你还会发现司机开车很鲁莽，人们推搡着在你身边过去。你会怀念微笑、简

16、短的交谈以及与陌生人的随意闲聊。不要觉得这是针对你个人的，这是因为人们都非常珍惜时间，而且也不喜欢他人“浪费”时间到不恰当的地步。许多刚到美国的人会怀念诸如商务拜访等场合开始时的寒暄。他们也会怀念那种一边喝茶或喝咖啡一边进行的礼节性交流，这也许是他们自己国家的一种习俗。他们也许还会怀念在饭店或咖啡馆里谈生意时的那种轻松悠闲的交谈。一般说来，美国人是不会在如此轻松的环境里通过长时间的闲聊来评价他们的客人的，更不用说会在增进相互间信任的过程中带他们出去吃饭，或带他们去打高尔夫球。既然我们通常是通过工作而不是社交来评估和了解他人，我们就开门见山地谈正事。因此，时间老是在我们心中滴滴答答地响着。因此，

17、我们千方百计地节约时间。我们发明了一系列节省劳力的装置；我们通过发传真、打电话或发电子邮件与他人迅速地进行交流，而不是通过直接接触。虽然面对面接触令人愉快，但却要花更多的时间，尤其是在马路上交通拥挤的时候。因此，我们把大多数个人拜访安排在下班以后的时间里或周末的社交聚会上。就我们而言，电子交流的缺乏人情味与我们手头上事情的重要性之间很少有或完全没有关系。在有些国家，如果没有目光接触，就做不成大生意，这需要面对面的交谈。在美国，最后协议通常也需要本人签字。然而现在人们越来越多地在电视屏幕上见面，开远程会议不仅能解决本国的问题，而且还能通过卫星解决国际问题。美国无疑是一个电话王国。几乎每个人都在用

18、电话做生意、与朋友聊天、安排或取消社交约会、表达谢意、购物和获得各种信息。电话不但能免去走路之劳，而且还能节约大量时间。其部分原因在于这样一个事实：美国的电话服务是一流的，而邮政服务的效率则差一些。有些初来美国的人来自文化背景不同的其他国家，在他们的国家，人们认为工作太快是一种失礼。在他们看来，如果不花一定时间来处理某件事的话，那么这件事就好像是无足轻重的，不值得给予适当的重视。 因此，人们觉得用的时间长会增加所做事情的重要性。但在美国，能迅速而又成功地解决问题或完成工作则被视为是有水平、有能力的标志。通常情况下，工作越重要，投入的资金、精力和注意力就越多，其目的是“使工作开展起来”。Cult

19、ure ShockDo you think studying in a different country is something that sounds very exciting? Are you like many young people who leave home to study in another country thinking you will have lots of fun? Certainly, it is a new experience, which brings the opportunity to discover fascinating things a

20、nd a feeling of freedom. In spite of these advantages, however, there are also some challenges you will encounter. Because your views may clash with the different beliefs, norms, values and traditions that exist in different countries, you may have difficulty adjusting to a new culture and to those

21、parts of the culture not familiar to you. This is called culture shock. At least four essential stages of adjustment occur during culture shock. The first stage is called the honeymoon. In this stage, you are excited about living in a different place, and everything seems to be marvelous. You like e

22、verything, and everybody seems to be so nice to you. Also, the amusement of life in a new culture seems to have no ending. Eventually, however, the second stage of culture shock appears. This is the hostility stage. You begin to notice that not everything is as good as you had originally thought it

23、was. You become tired of many things about the new culture. Moreover, people dont treat you like a guest anymore. Everything that seemed to be so wonderful at first is now awful, and everything makes you feel distressed and tired. Usually at this point in your adjustment to a new culture, you devise

24、 some defense mechanisms to help you cope and to protect yourself against the effects of culture shock. One type of coping mechanism is called repression. This happens when you pretend that everything is acceptable and that nothing bothers you. Another type of defense mechanism is called regression.

25、 This occurs when you start to act as if you are younger than you actually are; you act like a child. You forget everything, and sometimes you become careless and irresponsible. The third kind of defense mechanism is called isolation. You would rather be home alone, and you dont want to communicate

26、with anybody. With isolation, you try to avoid the effects of culture shock, or at least thats what you think. Isolation is one of the worst coping mechanisms you can use because it separates you from those things that could really help you. The last type of defense mechanism is called rejection. Wi

27、th this coping mechanism, you think you dont need anybody. You feel you are coping fine alone, so you dont try to ask for help. The defense mechanisms you utilize in the hostility stage are not helpful. If you only occasionally use one of these coping mechanisms to help yourself survive, that is acc

28、eptable. You must be cautious, however. These mechanisms can really hurt you because they prevent you from making necessary adjustments to the new culture. After you deal with your hostile feelings, recognition of the temporary nature of culture shock begins. Then you come to the third stage called

29、recovery. In this stage, you start feeling more positive, and you try to develop comprehension of everything you dont understand. The whole situation starts to become more favorable; you recover from the symptoms of the first two stages, and you adjust yourself to the new norms, values, and even bel

30、iefs and traditions of the new country. You begin to see that even though the distinction of the culture is different from your own, it has elements that you can learn to appreciate. The last stage of culture shock is called adjustment. In this stage, you have reached a point where you actually feel

31、 good because you have learned enough to understand the new culture. The things that initially made you feel uncomfortable or strange are now things that you understand. This acquisition of understanding alleviates much of the stress. Now you feel comfortable; you have adjusted to the new culture. C

32、ulture shock is not something you can avoid when living in a foreign country. It does not seem like a very helpful experience when you are going through its four stages. However, when you have completely adjusted to a new culture you can more fully enjoy it. You learn how to interact with other peop

33、le, and you learn a considerable amount about life in a culture that is not your own. Furthermore, learning about other cultures and how to adjust to the shock of living in them helps you learn more about yourself.你认为在异国留学是一件听上去非常令人兴奋的事情吗？ 你会像许多离家去另一个国家学习的年轻人一样感觉很有趣吗？ 这当然是一种崭新的经历，它会给你带来机会，让你发现许多迷人的东

34、西，获得一种自由感。然而，尽管有这些好处，你也会遇到挑战。因为你的观点可能会与存在于不同国家的不同信念、准则、价值观念和传统发生冲突。你也许会感到很难去适应一种新的文化以及该文化中你不熟悉的那些部分。这就是“文化冲击”。人们经历文化冲击的过程至少包括四个主要阶段。第一阶段叫做“蜜月期”。在这一阶段，你会感到生活在一个不同国度里很兴奋，而且每一样东西看上去都妙不可言。你什么都喜欢，而且好像每个人都对你很好。另外，新的文化中的生活乐趣好像是无穷无尽的。然而，文化冲击的第二阶段终究会出现，这就是“敌对期”。你开始注意到并不是每样东西都像你原先认为的那样好。你会对新的文化里的许多东西感到厌倦。此外，人

35、们也不再把你当作一个客人来对待了。所有最初看上去非常美好的东西现在变得让人讨厌了，而且每一样东西都使你感到苦恼和厌倦。通常，在你适应一种新文化的这一阶段中，你会想出一些防卫性的办法来帮助你应付难关，保护自己免受文化冲击的影响。其中一种办法叫做“压抑法”。当你假装所有的东西都可以接受，没有什么东西令你感到烦恼的时候，你就是在运用压抑法。另一种防卫性办法称做“倒退法”。当你的行为举止开始显得比你实际年龄要小的时候，你就是在运用这种办法。这时，你的行为举止像一个小孩。你把什么都忘掉了，而且有时你会变得粗心大意，不负责任。第三种防卫性办法叫做“孤立法”。你宁可一个人呆在家里，不想和任何人交流。你想把自

36、己封闭起来以避免文化冲击的影响，至少你是这样认为的。孤立法也许是人们用来对付文化冲击的最糟糕的办法之一，因为你把那些能真正帮助你的东西和你隔离开来了。最后一种防卫性办法叫做“排斥法”。这一办法让你觉得自己不需要任何人帮助。你觉得你可以独自把事情处理好，所以你就不想求助于人。你在敌意阶段使用的这些办法并不能解决问题。如果你仅仅是偶尔运用一下其中一个应付办法来帮助你生存下去，这也无妨。但是你必须谨慎。这些办法可能会真的使你受到伤害，因为它们会阻碍你对新的文化作出必要的调整。在克服了自己的敌对情绪后，你就会开始认识到文化冲击的短暂性。然后你就会步入被称为“恢复期”的第三阶段。在这个阶段，你开始变得积

37、极起来，而且你会努力去理解所有你不理解的东西。整个形势开始变得对你有利了，你会从前面两个阶段出现的症状中恢复过来。而且你开始使自己适应新的准则、新的价值观念，乃至这个新的国家的各种信念和传统。你开始明白，虽然这种新的文化的特点和你自己国家的文化特点有所不同，但其中也必定有值得你学习和欣赏的东西。文化冲击的最后一个阶段被称为“适应期”。在这个阶段，你真正达到了感觉良好的境界，因为你已经学到了很多东西，已经能理解这种新的文化了。最初使你感到不舒服或陌生的东西，现在已成了你能理解的东西。这种理解会减轻你的许多压力。现在你感到自在了，你已经适应了新的文化。文化冲击是生活在异国他乡的人无法避免的东西。当

38、你在经历文化冲击的这四个阶段时，它似乎并不是一件有益的事。然而，当你完全适应了某一种新的文化时，你会更加充分地喜爱这种文化的。你学会了如何和他人交流，而且还了解了不同文化背景下人们的大量生活情况。此外，了解其他各种文化，以及懂得当你身处其中时如何去适应所受到的冲击，可以帮助你更好地了解自己。 尼克莱彼得罗维奇安尼金一点都不像我想象的那么吓人。不，他不可能是我父亲特地送我来见的那位前苏联教练。可他的确是尼克莱彼得罗维奇安尼金本人。他请我进门，在沙发上坐下，又拍了拍身边的垫子，让我坐在他旁边。在他面前，我真的很紧张。“你还年轻，”他的英语带着俄语口音：“如果你愿意试着向奥林匹克运动会进军，我想你能

39、行。长野奥运会来不及参加了，但你可以准备参加2002年盐湖城奥运会。” “完全可以，不是吗？”看到我脸上惊愕的表情，他又说道。我那时是一个很有前途的业余滑雪运动员，但在国内决不是顶尖选手。“当然，你需要进行很多艰苦的训练，你会哭鼻子，但你一定会进步的。” 的确，后来我经历了无数痛苦的训练，还为此流了不少眼泪。但在后来的五年里，我总能从尼克莱讲的有趣故事和他的幽默感中得到鼓励。他开始总是说：“我的朋友们常去看电影，去跳舞，去和女孩子约会，”然后他会压低嗓门接着说：“我就在运动场上训练、训练、再训练。第二年，我的15公里滑雪比赛成绩缩短了1.5分钟。”“朋友们问我：尼克莱，你怎么做到的呢？我回答：

40、你们去看电影、跳舞、和女孩子约会，而我一直在训练、训练、再训练。” 故事通常到这儿就结束了。但有一次后来我们知道那天是他结婚25周年纪念日他穿着一件旧的毛衣，很自豪地站着，微笑着轻声说道：“告诉你们，我可是在26岁那年才第一次亲吻女孩子。她后来就和我结了婚。” 不管他是不是懂得浪漫，尼克莱知道什么是爱。他以一贯的幽默、默默的感恩、敏锐的感觉和真诚的态度为爱设立了奥林匹克般的标准。即使在我结束了滑雪生涯之后，我仍一直努力去达到那个标准。但他又从不娇惯我。二月里的一天，我头很疼，感到十分疲倦。我在一片空地上遇见了他，在寒风中的雪地里滑了大概十五分钟后，我赶上了他，有点小题大做地说：“嘿，尼克莱，我

41、感觉我要死了。” “如果活到一百岁，人人都会死的，”他对我的痛苦无动于衷，态度坚决地接着说：“但你现在必须滑、滑、再滑。”在滑雪板上，我照他说的去做。但在其他事情上我会反抗他。在一次经费并不宽裕的滑雪露营活动中，他让我们十个人挤在一个单身汉住的芬兰式屋子里。第一天我们醒来时发现尼克莱正在做早餐。然后我们坐在临时拼凑起来的椅子上，围着张小小的牌桌，用勺子很快地吃完早饭。吃完后，尼克莱把摞起来的油腻腻的碗向我和我唯一的另一个女队友前一推，武断地说：“女孩子们，现在去洗碗吧！” 我把餐巾往地上一扔，向他骂道：“让该死的男孩子们去洗吧！这不公平！”他没再让我去洗碗，也没对我的大发脾气显得太在意。他只在

42、滑雪时才显露出强烈的情感。训练的时候，他会岁着我们迈步的节奏大声发出指令：“对，就这样，一二三，一二三。”我祖父的一个好朋友一位上了年纪的女士看了尼克莱带我训练的录像带后问道：“他也教舞蹈吗？” 在训练时，我一刻不停地纠正着尼克莱指出的错误。每完成一个动作，我都会问他自己是否有了进步。“是的，还行。但如果膝盖能屈得更快些就更好了。” “可我滑得够快了吗？”我坚持问他。最后他会皱起眉头说：“你得无数次地重复，动作才能达到完美。”他提醒我“必须有耐心”，言语之间流露出“我已经告诉过你无数次了”的意思。尼克莱的耐心和我的勤奋使我赢得了全国第四名的好成绩，并开始为奥运会季前赛做准备。但后来我没能被选拔

43、去参加2002年奥运会。去年夏天，我回去拜访尼克莱。他给我沏了茶.还自己洗了碗！我们坐在沙发上聊天。怀念起前一年的奥林匹克队，我一时沉默，回想起自己曾经获得的一切很重要的一点就是我和这个穿着颇具热带风情衬衫、个子不高的男人之间形成了并不张扬但又牢不可摧的纽带。尼克莱教会我即使需要无数次的努力，也要凭借勇气、热情和严格的纪律来坚持下去。他还教会我为了能在这世界上生活一辈子而预先心存感激，并每天提醒自己：即便面临许多挑战，“现在心里有的必须是爱、爱、爱。”The Standard for Olympic ExcellenceThe Olympics remains the most pure ex

44、ample of competition for the sake of competition itself. Athletes sacrifice their careers and bodies risking injury, defeat and complete failure to compete for nothing more than honor for their country and themselves. To achieve such honor, one must both perform at his or her events highest level an

45、d act as a role model on the worlds biggest stage. And so, while it must be admitted that performance-enhancing drugs are exploited to offer advantage to some Olympic athletes, those who do so never receive the only true reward the Olympics has to offer: honor. And, they never experience the glory o

46、f winning through the virtues of hard work and determination. The greatest track and field Olympian of all time, Carl Lewis, exemplified the Olympic spirit. He did so, not simply through his gold medal performancesLewis won nine gold medals in four different events and held world records in the 100-

47、meter dash and the long jumpbut also through his competitive nature and his ability to win and compete in every Olympics from 1984 to 1996; he would have also competed in 1980 if the United States had not refused to take part. With speed, consistency, integrity and above all desire, Lewis defied not

48、 only the stopwatch but also the march of time. He demanded nothing less than the best from himself and achieved the best, not with drugs, but with unmatched discipline and commitment to training. Surprisingly, young Carl Lewis was encouraged to pursue music lessons rather than track by his parents.

49、 But, he would not hear of it, and stuck a strip of tape on the ground to mark the distance for the world record and began to jump toward it with singular determination. His father commented, Some kids want to be a fireman one day, a movie star the next. Carl set his mind on track and that was it. H

50、e said he wanted to be the best, period. His years of practice and quiet self-confidence set the stage for a phenomenal Olympic track and field career. In 1985, however, a cloud appeared on Carl Lewis horizons: Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who began to beat Lewis consistently in the 100-meter dash

51、. Lewis arrived at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul confident, but even observers who knew very little about the race expected Johnson would win. The world watched and waited anxiously to find out who was the fastest man on Earth. All of the cameras focused on Lewis and Johnson as the runners took th

52、eir marks in the final heat. The crack of the starters pistol sounded and the racers burst from the line. The crowd was used to Lewis trailing for the first half of the racehe just had a different styleand then finishing strong with his long stride to win. So, they held their breath as they watched

53、Johnson build an early lead with his explosive start wondering if Lewis strong finish would be enough to overcome him. As the runners approached the finish line, Lewis was gaining fast, but alas, his personal best time of 9.92 seconds was not enough to beat Johnson who ran a world record time of 9.7

54、9 seconds. Johnson was called the fastest human being ever, and Lewis, it appeared, would be competing for second place in future races. Two days later, however, Johnson was stripped of his gold medal and sent packing by the International Olympic Committee when his post-race drug test indicated ster

55、oid use. The gold medal was given to Lewis instead, yet many did not see his conquest as a real victory, and he became swept up in the apparent blanket condemnation of the sport. Worse, a former opponent charged Lewis with steroid use. Lewis firmly denied the charges and countered by proving before

56、a judge that the magazine that had published the stories did so without foundation to their claims. He also participated in drug test after drug test to prove he was clean. An opponent of steroid use, Lewis was never linked to drug use by anything but rumor. It would take the formula of Lewis furthe

57、r commitment to the sport and his love for competition to lift some of the suspicion from track events and stop the erosion of support that the Olympics began to suffer after Seoul. With his continued hard work and honest participation in sprinting and the long jump, he proved to the world that the

58、Olympic spirit was not dead. And in 1992, Lewis competed in his third Olympics winning two more gold medals in the long jump and 4100 meter relay with a reception from the public that was fit for a king. The amazing Carl Lewis had demonstrated that he was unlike any athlete who had ever lived, not b

59、y simply winning, but by winning honestly, loving to compete and working the hardest for the longest time. His love for the games truly set a new standard for Olympic excellence. 奥林匹克运动会依然是一个为竞争而竞争的最纯粹的例子。运动员们在事业和身体上作出牺牲，他们冒着受伤、受挫和彻底失败的危险，仅仅为了国家和自身的荣誉而竞争。为了获得这样的荣誉，运动员必须发挥在自己的项目上的最佳水平，在世界最大的竞技舞台上发挥模范作用。虽然必须承认，有的运动员利用兴奋剂来提升自己的表现，从而取得优势，但他们从未获得过奥运会所能给予的唯