新视界大学英语综合教程第三册Unit-5-Active-reading课文及翻译

1、Unit5ActivereadingThelonelyAmerican1Americansinthe21stcenturydevotemoretechnologytostayingconnectedthananysocietyinhistory,yetsomehowthedevicesfailus:Studiesshowthatwefeelincreasinglyalone.Ourlivesarespentinatug-of-warbetweenconflictingdesireswewanttostayconnected,andwewanttobefree.Welurchbackandfor

2、th,reachingforboth.Howmuchofoneshouldwegiveupinordertohavemoreoftheother?Howdoweknowwhenwevegotitright?2Yetpeopleinthiscountrycontinuetodriftapart.Weneedtoknowwhy.3First,letslookatthefreneticbusynessofourlives.Americansmaybetheonlypeopleintheworldwhobelievethateachindividualhastherightandthecapacity

3、tofitwhateverheorshewantsintoonesmalllife.Americaistheoriginal“Youcanbeanythingyouwantifyoureallytry,anditsnevertoolatetostarttrying!”country.4Agoodfrienddescribedtheimpactofbusynessonourneighborhoodsbrilliantly:“Beingneighborlyusedtomeanvisitingpeople.Nowbeingnicetoyourneighborsmeansnotbotheringthe

4、m.”Peopleslivesareshapedbyhowbusytheyare.Livesalsoareshapedbytherespectanddeferencethatisgiventobusynessespeciallywhenitisvaluedaboveconnectionandcommunity.Ifpeopleareconsiderate,theyassumethattheirneighborsareverybusyandsotrynottointrudeonthem.Droppingbyisnolongerneighborly.Itissimplyrude.5Wetreats

5、ocializingasifitsafrivolousdiversionfromthetasksathandratherthananactivitythatisessentialtoourwell-beingasindividualsandasacommunity.Soonournotbotheringtocallpeople(orevenemailthem)getsreadbyothersasasignthatwearetoocaughtupinthebusysweepofourownlivestohavetimeforthem.Ourfriendsarenotsurprised.Ourre

6、lativesmaybeindignant,buteventheyknowhowharditis.Anunspokenunderstandingdevelops.Itstoobadthatwevelosttouch,butthatsjustthewayitis.6Thepaceofeverydaylifemaypushustowardisolation,butthereisapull,aswell:averyseductivepictureofstandingapartasavictory,notaretreat.EversinceRalphWaldoEmersonwrotehisfamous

7、essayandHenryDavidThoreausetouttoembodytheconceptinhiscabinonWaldenPond,alongseriesofAmericaniconshaveidealizedtheconceptofself-reliance.Andwhenwedofindourselvesisolated,bystandingtallinourownminds,sidebysidewithself-reliantheroes,eachofusissuddenlynolongeralonebutpartofagroupagreatAmericantradition

8、oflonesomecowboysandgo-it-aloneentrepreneurs.Thatpsychologicalmagicbecomesthespoonfulofsugarthatmakespainfulexperiencesoffindingourselvesleftouteasiertoswallow.Wemayhaveisolatedourselveswithoutentirelymeaningto,butwealsohaveendedupinaplacethatlooksalotlikewherewealwaysknewthatweweresupposedtostand.O

9、ntheoutside,proudtobethere.8Itisalsothelastplaceonearththatapersonwouldwanttobe.9Theconsequencesofsocialdisconnectionarebothextensiveandremarkablydiverse.Tobeginwith,socialsupportisanimportantdeterminantofoverallhealth.Ithassignificanteffectsonlongevity,onanindividualsresponsetostress,onimmunefuncti

10、ons,andontheincidenceofavarietyofspecificillnesses.Indiseasesasvariedasheartattacksanddementia,medicalresearchrepeatedlyhasfoundthatsocialnetworksandsocialactivityhaveaprotectiveeffect.1/310Socialisolationdamagesecologicalhealthaswell.Therisingtideofsingle-personhouseholdsstrainstheearthsresources.A

11、dditionally,inourconsumer-orientedculture,acommonsolutiontonothavingenoughpeopleinoneslifeistoturntothings,objectsthatwilldefineonesidentitythroughpossessionsratherthanthroughonesplaceinasocialworld.(WeoncepassedanelegantstoreinNewYorkCitywhosenamesummeduptheproblem:MoreandMore.Wewatchedtheshopfroma

12、crossthestreet,keepingasafedistance.)11Thetruthisthatifonecanbringoneselftoacknowledgeloneliness,halfthebattleiswon.Itisnotaneasyhalfofabattle,however.Whenwebegantotalkabouttheseideaswithfriends,theirfirstresponsewastopassionatelydefendtheirstylesofstayingdisconnected.Havingchosen,likesomanyAmerican

13、s,tostepback,theyexplainedhowrightthechoicehasbeenforthem.SmalldailychoiceswhethertogotoalocalstoreororderofftheInternet,whethertopickuparingingtelephoneorletitgotovoicemail,whethertogettogetherwithafriendorpopinaDVDendupdefiningonessocialworld.Theselittledecisionsarecumulative.Youstepbackalittlefro

14、mothers.Theystepbackalittlefromyou.Youfeelalittleleftout.Feelingleftout,unexamined,leadsyoutostepbackfurther.Butfeelingleftout,whenitsexamined,canleadpeopletoworkalittlehardertoreconnect.13Lonelinesswasneverthegoal.Itsjustthespotwheretoomanypeoplewindup.Wegetstuckbecausetheworldwehavewanderedawayfro

15、missofranticanddemanding.Wegetstuckbecausewehavedreamedaboutlonesomeheroeswhostanddefiantlyapart.Wegetstuckbecausewefeelleftoutandstoplookingforwaysbackin.Weshouldrememberthattheoutsidewasnotmeanttobeourfinaldestination.孤独的美国人1在令人与人保持联系方面，21世纪的美国人投入了比历史上任何一个社会都要多的技术手段。但是这些手段却辜负了我们：研究说明我们感觉越来越孤独。我们的生

16、命花在了两种相互矛盾的欲望之间的拉锯战上：我们想保持联系，但我们也想自由。我们在两者之间徘徊，两种状态都想达到。若是我们想在一方面获取，那我们需要在另一方面牺牲多少呢？我们怎么知道自己什么时候达到两者间的平衡呢？但是这个国家的人们还在疏远相互。我们需要知道为什么。第一，让我们来看看我们生活中的疯狂忙碌状态。美国人可能是世界上唯一抱有这样一种理念的民族：每个人都有权益和能力在自己短暂的一世实现任何梦想。“若是你真的努力，你就能成为你想要成为的人。只要开始试一试，什么时候都不晚。”美国就是这种思想的发源地。有个好友恰到利处地描绘了忙碌对我们邻居生活的影响：“过去表示邻居友好就是要相互拜会。但现在，

17、对邻居友好就意味着不要打扰他们”。人们的生活受他们忙碌程度的影响，同时也受恩赐这种忙碌状态的敬爱与敬意程度的影响特别是当忙碌被视为比相互联系与集体生活更重要时。若是人们考虑周密的话，他们会猜想他们的邻居特别忙所以尽量不去打扰。顺便拜会不再是亲近邻居的表现，那只会显得很没礼貌。我们把社交当作了手头诸多任务中一个不起眼的小插曲，而不是一项对于我们个人或集体的利益都很重要的活动。很快，我们不愿意打给别人（甚至也不发电邮），这种行为让别人以为我们太忙于我们自己的生活致使无暇顾与他们。我们的朋友其实不感觉奇怪。我们的亲戚可能会生气，但即即是他们也知道其中的艰辛。于是大家达成了一种默契：失去联系是很糟糕的

18、，但事情就是这样。平常生活的节奏可能会把我们推向孤独，但也有一种拉力将我们拉向孤独：单唯一人是个诱人的画面，这是一种成功，而不是一种闪避。自拉尔夫沃尔多爱默生为此写下出名的篇章，亨利大卫梭罗开始在他的瓦尔登湖湖畔的小屋中以身作则后，好多美国大人物都把自立这种见解理想化了。2/3当我们发现我们确实被孤立，并与自立自强的英雄一起自视过高时，我们每个人却突然变得不再是单唯一人，而是一个集体中的一部分一个伟大的美国传统集体，其中有孤独的牛仔与单打独斗的企业家。这个心理魔术变成了一种欣慰，让我们发现自己被孤立不那么悲伤。也许我们孤立自己其实不是完好出于本意，但是我们最后所处的处境，和我们向来的预期特别周边。表面看来，我们引以为荣。这也是一个人在地球上最不愿意呆的地方。与社会脱节的结果深远而且复杂。第一，社会支持是决定全身健康的重要因素。它对于人的寿命、个体的抗压能力、免疫功能与好多特定疾病的发生都有深远的影响。医学研究不断发现社交网络与社会活动对好多疾病，比方心脏病和痴呆症