英語泛讀教程（第三版）2上課文+譯文(Unit1-7)

Unitl

1Text

TheShadowlandofDreams

"AlexHaley

Manypeoplecherishthefonddreamofbecomingawriterbutnotmanyareabletoseetheirdream

cometrue.AlexHaleyalsowantedtobeawriterandhesucceeded.Readthefollowingforreasonsof

hissuccess.

Manyayoungpersontellsmehewantstobeawriter.Ialwaysencouragesuchpeople,

butIalsoexplainthatthere*sabigdifferencebetween"beingawriter"andwriting.Inmost

casestheseindividualsaredreamingofwealthandfame,notthelonghoursaloneata

typewriter."You'vegottowanttowrite,"Isaytothem,Hnotwanttobeawriter."

Therealityisthatwritingisalonely,privateandpoor-payingaffair.Foreverywriter

kissedbyfortunetherearethousandsmorewhoselongingisneverrequited.Eventhose

whosucceedoftenknowlongperiodsofneglectandpoverty.Idid.

WhenIlefta20-year-careerintheCoastGuardtobecomeafreelancewriter,Ihadno

prospectsatall.WhatIdidhavewasafriendinNewYorkCity,GeorgeSims,withwhom

rdgrownupinHenning,Tenn.Georgefoundmemyhome,acleaned-outstorageroomin

theGreenwichV川ageapartmentbuildingwhereheworkedassuperintendent.Itdidn't

evenmatterthatitwascoldandhadnobathroom.Iimmediatelyboughtausedmanual

typewriterandfeltlikeagenuinewriter.

Afterayearorso,however,Istillhadn*tgottenabreakandbegantodoubtmyself.It

wassohardtosellastorythatIbarelymadeenoughtoeat.ButIknewIwantedtowrite.

Ihaddreamedaboutitforyears.Iwasn'tgoingtobeoneofthosepeoplewhodie

wondering,Whatif?Iwouldkeepputtingmydreamtothetest-eventhoughitmeant

livingwithuncertaintyandfearoffailure.ThisistheShadowlandofhope,andanyonewith

adreammustlearntolivethere.

ThenonedayIgotacallthatchangedmylife.Itwasn'tanagentoreditorofferingabig

contract.Itwastheopposite-akindofsirencalltemptingmetogiveupmydream.On

thephonewasanoldacquaintancefromtheCoastGuard,nowstationedinSanFrancisco.

Hehadoncelentmeafewbucksandlikedtoeggmeaboutit,"WhenamIgoingtoget

that$15,Alex?*'heteased.

"NexttimeImakeasale."

"Ihaveabetteridea,'*hesaid."Weneedanewpublic-informationassistantouthere,

andwe'repaying$6000ayear.Ifyouwantit,youcanhaveit."

Sixthousandayear!Thatwasrealmoneyin1960.1couldgetaniceapartment,aused

car,payoffdebtsandmaybesavealittlesomething.What'smore,Icouldwriteonthe

side.

Asthedollarsweredancinginmyhead,somethingclearedmysenses.Fromdeep

insideabull-headedresolutionwelledup.Ihaddreamedofbeingawriter-fulltime.And

that'swhatIwasgoingtobe."Thanks,butno,"Iheardmyselfsaying.'Tmgoingtostickit

outandwrite.'1

Afterward,asIpacedaroundmylittleroom,Istartedtofeellikeafool.Reachinginto

mycupboard-anorangecratenailedtothewall-Ipulledoutallthatwasthere:two

cansofsardines.Plungingmyhandsintomypockets,Icameupwith18cents.Itookthe

cansandcoinsandjammedthemintoacrumpledpaperbag.There,Alex,Isaidtomyself.

There'severythingyou'vemadeofyourselfsofar.I'mnotsureI'veeverfeltsolow.

IwishIcouldsaythingsstartedgettingbetterrightaway.Buttheydidn't.Thank

goodnessIhadGeorgetohelpmeovertheroughspots.

ThroughhimImetotherstrugglingartistslikeJoeDelaney,aveteranpainterfrom

Knoxville,Tenn.OftenJoelackedfoodmoney,sohe'dvisitaneighborhoodbutcherwho

wouldgivehimbigboneswithmorselsofmeatandagrocerwhowouldhandhimsome

wiltedvegetables.That'sallJoeneededtomakedown-homesoup.

AnotherVillageneighborwasahandsomeyoungsingerwhoranastrugglingrestaurant.

Rumorhaditthatifacustomerorderedsteakthesingerwoulddashtoasupermarket

acrossthestreettobuyone.HisnamewasHarryBelafonte.

PeoplelikeDelaneyandBelafontebecamerolemodelsforme.Ilearnedthatyouhad

tomakesacrificesandlivecreativelytokeepworkingatyourdream.That'swhatlivingin

theShadowlandisallabout.

AsIabsorbedthelesson,Igraduallybegantosellmyarticles.Iwaswritingaboutwhat

manypeopleweretalkingaboutthen:civilrights,blackAmericansandAfrica.Soon,like

birdsflyingsouth,mythoughtsweredrawnbacktomychild-hood.Inthesilenceofmy

room,IheardthevoicesofGrandma,CousinGeorgia,AuntPlus,AuntLizandAuntTillas

theytoldstoriesaboutourfamilyandslavery.

ThesewerestoriesthatblackAmericanshadtendedtoavoidbefore,andsoImostly

keptthemtomyself.ButonedayatlunchwitheditorsofReader'sDigestItoldthesestories

ofmygrandmotherandauntsandcousins;andIsaidthatIhadadreamtotracemyfamily's

historytothefirstAfricanbroughttotheseshoresinchains.Ileftthatlunchwithacontract

thatwouldhelpsupportmyresearchandwritingfornineyears.

Itwasalong,slowclimboutoftheshadows.Yetin1976,17yearsafterIlefttheCoast

Guard,Rootswaspublished.InstantlyIhadthekindoffameandsuccessthatfewwriters

everexperience.Theshadowshadturnedintodazzlinglimelight.

ForthefirsttimeIhadmoneyandopendoorseverywhere.Thephonerangallthetime

withnewfriendsandnewdeals.IpackedupandmovedtoLosAngeles,whereIcould

helpinthemakingoftheRootsTVmini-series.Itwasaconfusing,exhilaratingtime,and

inasenseIwasblindedbythelightofmysuccess.

Thenoneday,whileunpacking,IcameacrossaboxfilledwiththingsIhadownedyears

beforeintheVillage.Insidewasabrownpaperbag.

Iopenedit,andthereweretwocorrodedsardinecans,anickel,adimeandthree

pennies.Suddenlythepastcamefloodinginlikeariptide.Icouldpicturemyselfonceagain

huddledoverthetypewriterinthatcold,bleak,one-roomapartment.AndIsaidtomyself,

Thethingsinthisbagarepartofmyrootstoo.Ican'teverforgetthat.

IsentthemouttobeframedinLucite.IkeepthatclearplasticcasewhereIcanseeit

everyday.IcanseeitnowabovemyofficedeskinKnoxville,alongwiththePulitzerPrize;

aportraitofnineEmmysawardedtheTVproductionofRoots;andtheSpingarnmedal-

theNAACP'shighesthonor.I'dbehardpressedtosaywhichmeansthemosttome.But

onlyoneremindsmeofthecourageandpersistenceittakestostaythecourseinthe

Shadowland.

It'salessonanyonewithadreamshouldlearn.

譯文：夢想的陰暗之面

艾力克斯?哈利

許多人懷有美好的愿望，期望能成為作家，但是能夠夢想成真的人不多。艾力克斯?哈

利也想成為作家，可是他成功了。閱讀下面這篇文章，看一看他成功的原因。

許多青年人對我說，他們想成為作家。我一直鼓勵這樣的人，但是我也向他們解釋“成

為作家”和寫作之間存在著巨大的差別。多數(shù)情況下這些年輕人夢寐以求的是財富與名譽，

從未想到要孤身一人長久地坐在打字機旁?！澳銈兛释膽?yīng)該是寫作，”我對他們說，“而不應(yīng)

該是當作家?！?/p>

事實上，寫作是一項孤單寂寞而又收入微薄的工作。有一個被命運之神垂青的作家，就

有成千上萬個永遠無法實現(xiàn)夢想的人。即使那些成功人士也經(jīng)常受到長久的冷落，窮困不堪。

我便是其中之一。

我放棄了在海岸警衛(wèi)隊做了二十年的工作，為的是成為一名自由撰稿人，這時，我根本

沒有前途可言。我所擁有的只是一位住在紐約市的朋友，喬治?西姆斯，他和我是在田納西

州的赫寧一起長大的。喬治為我找了個家，位于格林威治村公寓大樓中的一間騰空的儲藏室，

而他是那幢大樓的管理員。房子里冷嗖嗖的，沒有衛(wèi)生間，不過這沒什么。我馬上買了一臺

舊的手動打字機，感覺自己頗象一位名符其實的作家。

然而，大約一年后，我的寫作生涯依然沒有任何起色，我開始懷疑自己。賣出一篇小說

是如此艱難，以至我?guī)缀跆畈伙柖亲?。但是，我清楚的是我想寫作，我已夢寐以求了許多年。

我并不準備成為一名到死時還在想假如的人。我會堅持把我的夢想付諸實踐-即使這夢想

意味著不穩(wěn)定的生活和對失敗的恐懼。這是希望的陰暗面，任何心存夢想的人都必須學(xué)會在

這陰暗面下生存。

后來有一天，我接到了一個電話，由此改變了我的一生。這并不是一位代理人或編

輯打來電話，主動要求與我簽大的稿約。恰恰相反-是一聲鳴笛，誘使我放棄夢想。打電

話來的是海岸警衛(wèi)隊的老熟人，現(xiàn)在在舊金山。他曾經(jīng)借給我?guī)酌涝?，喜歡催我還給他。“我

什么時候才能拿到那十五美元，艾力克斯？”他逗我說。

“等我下一次賣出作品吧。”

“我有個好主意，”他說，“我們這兒需要一位新的公共信息管理員，年薪六千美元。若想

干，那就是你的了?！?/p>

年薪六千美元！這個數(shù)目在1960年可真是值錢啊。我可以有一套上好的公寓，一輛二

手車，可以還清債務(wù)，也許還可有些結(jié)余。另外，我還可以業(yè)余寫作。

當這些美元在我的腦海里晃動時，某種東西卻使我神志清醒起來。我的內(nèi)心深處升起一

個堅強的信念。我曾經(jīng)夢想成為一名作家-一名專業(yè)作家。那才是我的追求?！爸x謝你，但

是我不去，"我聽見自己在說?！拔視猿值降讈韺懽??！?/p>

后來，我在蝸居里踱來踱，開始覺得自己象個傻瓜。我打開櫥柜-一只釘在墻上的桔

黃色板條箱-把里面的東西全部弄了出來：兩罐沙丁魚。我把手伸進口袋，只摸出十八美

分。我把罐頭和硬幣一起塞進一個皺巴巴的紙袋中。你看，艾力克斯，我自言自語道，你迄

今為止努力的結(jié)果都在這里。我不知道，自己是不是曾經(jīng)情緒如此低落過。

我希望自己能說，情況馬上開始好轉(zhuǎn)。但是并沒有。感謝上帝，幸虧有喬治幫我渡過了

難關(guān)。

通過喬治，我結(jié)識了另外一些正在艱苦奮斗的藝術(shù)家，象喬?德拉尼，一位來自田納西

州科諾科斯威爾市的老畫家。喬經(jīng)常常沒吃飯的錢，于是就去光顧附近社區(qū)的一位屠戶和一

個食品商。屠戶會送給他一些帶點肉的大骨頭從食品商那里他可以弄到一些枯萎的蔬菜。

喬做南方燉湯需要的就是這些。

村里另一位鄰居是個年少英俊的歌手，他慘淡經(jīng)營著一家餐館。據(jù)說，如果有客人點牛

排，這位歌手會火速沖到街對面的超市買一個。他的名字是哈利?百拉芬特。

德拉尼和百拉芬特這樣的人都成了我筆下角色的原型。我懂得了，若要一直奮斗實現(xiàn)夢

想，就得作出犧牲，創(chuàng)造性地生活。那就是生活在陰影里面的含義所在。

在認識到這一點的同時，我逐漸開始賣出我的文章。我寫的都是當時人們經(jīng)常談?wù)摰脑?/p>

題：人權(quán)、美國黑人和非洲。不久，我的思緒象鳥兒南飛一樣回到了我的童年時光。在靜寂

的房間里，我仿佛聽見了祖母、喬治亞堂兄、普魯斯姑媽、利茲姑媽和提爾姑媽的聲音，聽

見他們在娓娓而談我們的家族和奴隸制的故事。

這些故事是美國黑人以前盡量回避的，因此多數(shù)時候我并不對外人說。但是有一天，在

與《讀者文摘》的編輯們共進午餐時，我講起了我的祖母、姑媽與堂兄們的那些故事，我還

告訴他們，我夢想追溯我的家族史，一直追溯到第一批戴著手鐐腳銬被運到美國海岸的非洲

黑人。午餐結(jié)束離開時，我手中多了一張足以供我從事研究和寫作長達九年的合同。

那是為擺脫陰影進行的一次漫長而緩慢的攀登。然而，1976年，也就是我離開海岸警

衛(wèi)隊十七年后，《根》出版了。立刻我擁有了那種唯有少數(shù)作家有幸體驗的名望與成功。陰

影此時已變成了令人眼花燎亂的聚光燈。

有生以來第一次我是如此富有，第一次享受到處處受歡迎的禮遇。電話鈴響個不停，帶

來了新朋新友，新交易。我收拾行裝，搬到了洛杉磯。在那兒我可以協(xié)助制作《根》的電視

短篇系列片。那是一段令人困惑，又令人欣喜若狂的時期；從某種意義上說，我被成功的光

芒照花了眼。

后來有一天，在打開包著的東西時，我偶然發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個盒子，里面裝著我數(shù)年前在格林

威治村的全部家當，其中有一個棕色紙袋。

我打開紙袋，里面有兩罐腐敗的沙丁魚，一枚五分硬幣，一枚一角硬幣和三枚一美分硬

幣。霎時，往事巨浪般地奔涌而來。我又一次看到自己在寒氣逼人、冷冷清清的單室公寓

里蜷縮在打字機旁的情景。我自言自語道，袋子里的東西也是我的根的一部分，我永遠也不

能忘記。

我把這些東西送到魯西提，用框架裝起來。我一直把那個透明的塑料盒擺在天天能看得

到的地方?，F(xiàn)在它就放在科諾科斯威爾我的辦公桌上，與普利策獎放在一起，還有一張《根》

的電視制作獲得的九項艾美獎的照片，以及斯賓卡獎?wù)?NAACP（全國有色人種促進協(xié)會）

的最高榮譽。很難說哪一個對我最重要，然而，僅有一件能提醒我在陰影之地堅持下去所需

要的勇氣和堅韌不拔精神。這是每一位擁有夢想的人都必須汲取的教訓(xùn)。

2HomeReading

IsambardKingdomBrunel

ZyMilesKington

IcanhonestlysaythatallthegoodfortuneIhaveeverhadhasbeenduenotto

luckinessbuttounluckiness.Lookingbackthroughmycareer,Icanseethateverything

fortunatethathashappenedtomehascomeaboutthroughamisfortuneinsomeother

undertaking.

Thismightbeahereditaryquality,asmyfathershareditingreatdegree.Hewasa

Frenchmanbybirthandwasdestinedforthepriesthood.Butheshowedmuchtalentfor

drawingandmakingthings,andlittleforworshippingGod.Soeventhepriesturgedmy

father'sparentstodiverthimfromtheChurch.Accordinglyhebecameagreatmakerand

designerofthings.HewouldnodoubthaveprosperedwellinFrancewereitnotforalittle

eventcalledtheRevolution,whichcausedhimtofleeFrancetotheUSAwithapriceon

hishead.

Aftermanyadventuresthere(includingbeingmadeChiefEngineerofNewYorkCity

andtakingAmericancitizenship)hecametoEngland.HemarriedanEnglishgirlandfound

himselfwithagreatreputation,beingemployedtodesignandbuildthefirsttunnelunder

theThames.Itwas,Ibelieve,thefirsttunnelunderagreatriveranywhere.Myfatherhad

toinventtheprocessasheproceeded.

Hisprocesswasagoodone.Unfortunately(howoftenthatwordhasoccurredinmy

life!),thesurveydonebygeologistsforusshowedthatthebedoftheThameslayonfirm

claywhichwouldpermitustodigthetunnelwithsafety.Theywerewrong.

Theriverwassetongravelwhichletthewaterthrough.Thiswedidnotfindoutuntilwe

werehalfwayacrosstheriverandthewaterbrokein.

Imyselfwasinthetunnelatthetime.Icanstillrememberthecrunchingofthetimbers

andthedousingofthegaslightsasthewaterspedtowardsusandweranforourlives.

TheThamesinthosedayswaslittlemorethananopensewerandthewaterinwhichI

foundmyselfwas,letussay,farfromhealthy.LittlewonderthatwhenIescapedfromthe

waterygraveundertheThamesIsuccumbedtosomebadfeverandwasdispatchedto

recuperate,notatBrightonasIhadhoped(thiswasjudgedtooexcitingaplaceforayoung

man)butatBristol.

SothereIwas,ayoung,ambitiousengineerwithnoworkandnotmuchhealth,ina

placeIhadneverseenbefore.ButIwasresolvedtomakethebestofabadjob.

IrecoveredmystrengthbyclamberingabouttherocksoftheCliftonGorgeandmaking

sketchesoftheenvirons.

ThiswastoproveagoldenexperiencewhenitwasknownthatthemerchantsofBristol

wishedtohaveabridgebuiltacrosstheCliftonGorgeandinviteddesignsforit.Isubmitted

adesign.

ItwasrejectedbytheagedThomasTelford,actingforthejudges.Luckily,allthe

designswererejectedandthejudgesaskedforfreshideas,includingsomefromTelford

himself.Thuschallenged,theoldmancameupwithwhatIcanonlycallaseniledesign

involvinggiganticcolumnsreachingupfromthefloorofthegorgeitself.

Thiswasdulyrejectedandmynewdesignwasaccepted.Overjoyed,Isettowork

immediately.

Allwouldhavebeenwellhadnotthemoneyrunout.Someworthycitizenhadsetaside

alargesumhalfacenturypreviouslyinordertoaccrueinterestandbuildupenoughfunds

tobuildthebridge.Unfortunately(thatwordagain!)eitherhehadnotsetenoughasideor

theinteresthadbeeninsufficientandtheproceedingcametoahalt.OtherplansIhad

afootatthetime(newdesignsforBristoldocks,acanalschemeinLincolnshire,etc.)were

allsuspendedforonereasonoranother.SoallIhadbehindmewasincompletenessand

disappointment.

YoumighthavenoticedthateverythingIhaddoneuntilnow(ornotdone)fellinto

differentareasofengineering.Ihadtriedtunnels,bridges,canals,justasmyfatherbefore

hadtriedeverythingfromadesignfortheCongressbuildinginWashington(whichwas

acceptedbutnotbuiltduetolackofmoney)toaprocessformanufacturingarmybootsby

machine.ThisprocesswasencouragedbytheWarOfficein1815.Theresultwasthatjust

astheBattleofWaterloowasfoughtandpeacedescendedonEurope,myfatherwas

producingthelargestheapofunusedarmybootstheworldhadseenatthattime.Itledto

aconditionofpenurywhichledhimbrieflyintoadebtor'sprison,athingIhavealways

dreaded.

WherewasI?Yes,IwaspointingoutthemultiplicityofthingsIattempted,asan

illustrationofhowengineersinmydaywerenotlimitedtooneactivity.Amanwhodesigned

andcutacanaloneyearmightwellbebuildingandshootinganewcannonthenext.

Sciencewassimplerthen,orperhapsitwasjustthatweweremoreambitious,less

specialized.Today,Ibelieve,youwillfindanengineerwhocanonlydesignofficedesks.

Suchathingwasundreamedofinmyday.AndinfactthenextIwastoembarkonwas

somethingIhadneverattemptedbefore:thebuildingofarailway.

Iwas,youwillrecall,inBristolonaccountofanillnessandhadstayedthereonaccount

ofabotchedbridge.Thenitwastimeformyfortunestotakeanupwardswingagain.The

merchantsofBristoldecidedthatitwastimetocounterthegreatthreatoftheportof

LiverpooltotakeovertheirpositionasthesecondportafterLondon,andthattheonlyway

toaccomplishthiswastoengagemetoengineerarailwayfromBristoltoLondon.

Ihadneverbuiltarailwayinmylife!Butthen,nobodyelsehad.Everythingwedidin

thosedaysseemedtobeforthefirsttime,whetheritwastunnelingundertheThamesor

spanningtheAvon.AndImightsaythatmywinningdesignfortheCliftonBridgeinvolved

aspanlongerthananybuiltinthehistoryoftheknownworld!

Todayyouhaveloftierplans.Youaimforthemoon,andweonlyaimedtogettoBristol.

Thereisthisdifference:thathavingreachedthemoon,youdecideditwasnotworthdoing

asecondtime.OurlinkbetweenLondonandBristolhasneverbeenoutofuseorfashion.

Ofcourse,IwasnevercontenttoseeBristolasadestination.Ialwaysdreamofstarting

atLondon,proceedingtoBristolbytrain,transferringtothelargestandfastestnewshipin

theworldandarrivinginNewYorkinrecordtime.Iwastobuildthatship.Itwas,

unfortunately,tobemygreatestdisappointment.

Somylastbreakwaslikemyfirst-bothluckyandunlucky.IfIhadtimetotellyou

thewholestoryofmylife,howelatedyouwouldbe-andhowtragicallycastdownas

well!

譯文：伊薩姆巴德?金德姆?布魯內(nèi)爾

米歷斯?金頓

老實說，我以前曾經(jīng)遇到的好事情并非得因于好運，而是來自背運?；仡櫸业氖聵I(yè)，我

發(fā)現(xiàn)，凡發(fā)生在我身上的幸運之事，皆源于做的某件事時一件不幸的事。

這也可能是遺傳，因為我父親在很大程度上也是如此。他生在法國，打算當牧師的。然

而，他在繪畫與制作方面頗具才能，在信奉上帝方面卻鮮有其才。因此，連牧師都勸我父親

的父母讓父親改行。就這樣，父親成為了一名偉大的制作者和設(shè)計者。倘若不是因為那次名

為法國大革命的小事件懸賞父親的頭顱，使他從法國逃至美國，他無疑會在法國得到很好的

發(fā)展。

在美國的數(shù)次歷險之后（包括被任命為紐約市的總工程師和加入美國國籍），他來到了

英國。他娶了位英國姑娘，受聘設(shè)計、建造泰唔土河第一條隧道，名聲大震。我相信，那

也是全世界在大河下面建造的第一條隧道。父親得一邊設(shè)計，一邊施工。

他的工程進展很出色。不幸的是（這個詞在我的一生中出現(xiàn)得多么頻繁?。。刭|(zhì)學(xué)

家為我們做的調(diào)查顯示，泰晤士河的河床著在堅硬的泥土上，允許我們安全地挖掘隧道-

他們搞錯了。

河的底部是由沙礫構(gòu)成，水從沙礫中流過。我們挖到河的中部，水涌進來時，才發(fā)現(xiàn)這

一點。

我當時人就在隧道中，現(xiàn)在我仍然清晰地記得，水向我們急涌而來，大伙兒倉惶逃命，

木樁發(fā)出嘎吱嘎吱的聲音，煤氣燈也被水淹沒了。當時的泰唔土河不過是一個露天的下水

道，我身邊的水，我可以說，遠不是有益健康的。難怪我從泰唔土河下面的水墓中逃出來后，

就發(fā)起了高燒，被送去療養(yǎng)，不過并非如我所愿送到布萊頓（人們認為這個地方過于激動人

心，不適宜青年人），而是把我送到了布里斯托爾。

這就是我的處境，一位雄心勃勃的年輕工程師，沒有工作，健康狀況不佳，身處我從沒

有見過的地方。但是，我下定決心要盡量利用這次不利的境遇。

我攀登克利夫頓峽灣的巖石，對周圍環(huán)境寫生，漸漸恢復(fù)了體力。

當我得知布里斯托爾的商家希望在克利夫頓峽谷上建一座橋并招集橋梁設(shè)計方案時這

一次經(jīng)歷就將被證明是非常寶貴的。我提交了一項設(shè)計方案。

年邁的托馬斯?泰爾福特代表評判員否決了這份設(shè)計方案。不過，幸運的是，所有的設(shè)

計方案都遭到否決，評判們要求有新意（包括要求泰爾福特本人提出一些新意）。這位年

邁的老人面臨挑戰(zhàn)，提出了一項我可以說是老得不中用的方案。此方案提出從峽谷底部架起

巨柱。

他的方案理所當然地遭到了否決，而我的新方案通過了。我欣喜若狂，馬上投入了工作。

如果不是經(jīng)費耗盡的話，一切就會進展得很順利。某位有威望的市民早在半個世紀之前

就已經(jīng)留置了一大筆錢，為的是增長利息，積累足夠的資金建造這座橋。不幸的是（又是這

幾個字?。?，不是他沒有留置足夠的款項就是增長的利息尚不充裕，于是工程擱淺。我當時

準備的其他方案（布里斯托爾碼頭的新設(shè)計，林肯郡的運河規(guī)劃等等）全都因為這個或那個

的原因被擱置。于是我所剩的，只是半途而廢和失望沮喪。

你可能已經(jīng)注意到，至今我所做成的（或沒做成的）一切都屬于工程學(xué)的不同領(lǐng)域。我嘗

試過修隧道、架橋梁、挖運河，恰如我父親以前一樣，他什么都干過，從華盛頓的國會大廈

設(shè)計（方案被采納，但因資金缺乏而夭折）到用機器生產(chǎn)軍靴的設(shè)計。此項設(shè)計受到了1815

年戰(zhàn)爭委員會的鼓勵。結(jié)果，在滑鐵盧大戰(zhàn)結(jié)束，和平降臨歐洲之時，父親還在生產(chǎn)當時全

世界上最多但是無用的軍靴。這直接導(dǎo)致了父親極度的貧困，也使他被投入負債人監(jiān)獄，

監(jiān)禁了一段時間，這是一件我一直害怕的事。

說到哪兒啦？對了，我正指出我所嘗試的工作種類的多樣性，來說明我那個年代工程師

們?nèi)绾尾痪窒抻谝环N活動。一個人這一年從事的是設(shè)計和開挖一條運河，下一年可能做的

就是制造和發(fā)射一門新大炮。

當時科學(xué)較為簡單，或者，也許是我們有較多的雄心，較少的專業(yè)化。今天，我相信你

能找到只會設(shè)計辦公桌的工程師。這樣的事情在我那個時代是做夢也想不到的。實際上，接

下去我要做的一件事是我以前從未嘗試過的：建造鐵路。

你還記得，我是因為生病才來到布里斯托爾，呆在那兒是因為一座弊腳的橋梁。現(xiàn)在該

是我又走好運的時候了。布里斯托爾的商家們得出結(jié)論，反擊利物浦港威脅的時候到了，

因為利物浦意欲取代布里斯托爾，位居倫敦之后的第二大港。他們認為唯一能取得勝利的途

徑，是由我著手建造一條由布里斯托爾通往倫敦的鐵路。

我平生從未建過鐵路！不過那個時候，也沒誰建過。那個年代里，我們所做的每一件事

似乎都是生平第一遭，無論是泰晤士河下挖隧道，還是亞芬河上架飛橋。我可以說，我為克

利夫頓大橋所做的成功設(shè)計中，橋梁跨度居世界歷史上架橋之最。

如今你們懷有更加宏偉的計劃。你們的目標是到達月球，而我們只想能抵達布里斯托爾!

這二者之間的區(qū)別在于：到達月球之后，你們會得出結(jié)論，此事不值得重復(fù)。而我們在倫敦

與布里斯托爾之間建立的聯(lián)系從來沒有失去過功用或過時。

當然，我從不滿足于把布里斯托爾視為我事業(yè)的終點。我總是夢想能從倫敦出發(fā)，乘火

車到布里斯托爾，然后再換乘世界上最大最快的新船，以創(chuàng)記錄的時間抵達紐約。我原打算

建造這樣一艘船，不幸的是，它注定是我最大的失望。

因此，我最后一次的轉(zhuǎn)機與我的第一次相同-既幸運又不幸！倘若我有時間把我一生

的經(jīng)歷全說給你聽，你一定會非常興奮-同樣也會悲劇性地感到沮喪！

Unit2

1Text

AVerySpecialGoose

/yIsaacAsimov

AgoosethatcouldlaygoldeneggsdrewscientistsandarmedguardsindrovestotheTexasfarmand

ProjectGoosewasbegun.Howcouldthegooselaygoldeneggs?Thescientistswantedtofindtheanswer.

Icouldn'ttellyoumyrealnameifIwantedto,andunderthecircumstancesIdon'twant

to.

I'mnotmuchofawritermyself,soI'mhavingIsaacAsimovwritethisupforme.I've

pickedhimbecausehe*sabiochemist,soheunderstandswhatItellhim.Besides,he

writessciencefictionandthatisveryimportant.

Iwasn'tthefirstpersontohavethehonorofmeetingTheGoose.Thathonorbelongs

toaTexascottonfarmernamedIanAngusMacGregor(l*musingfictitiousnames,of

course),whoowneditbeforeitbecameGovernmentproperty.

Bysummerof1957he'dsentadozenletterstotheDepartmentofAgriculture

requestinginformationonthehatchingofgooseeggs.TheDepartmentsenthimallthe

informationitcould,buthekeptwantingmore.TmintheemployoftheDepartmentandI

wasattendingaconventioninSanAntonioinJulyof1957,somybossaskedmetostop

offatMacGregor'splaceandseewhatIcoulddo.

SoitwasthatonJuly17,1957,ImetTheGoose.

ImetMacGregorfirst.Hewasinhisfifties,atallmanwithalinedfacefullofsuspicion.I

wentoveralltheinformationhe*dbeenrequesting,thenaskedpolitelyifImightseehis

geese.

Hesaid,"It'snotgeese,mister,it'sonegoose."

Isaid,'Ifit'sonlyonegoose,what'syourworry?Killitandeatit."Igotupandreached

formyhat.

Hesaid"Wait!”andIstoodtherewhilehehesitated.Thenhemuttered,HComewith

me."

Iwentoutwithhimtoapennearthehouse.Thepen,surroundedbybarbedwire,with

alockedgatetoit,heldonlyonegoose.

"That'sTheGoose,Hhesaid.Icouldhearthecapitalsashespoke.

Itlookedlikeanyothergoose:fat,self-satisfied,short-tempered.

MacGregorsaid,nAndhere'soneofitseggs.Itwon'thatch."Heproducedtheeggfrom

acapaciousoverallspocket,lettingitlieonthepalmofhishand.Itwassmallerandrounder

thanagoose'seggoughttobe.

MacGregorsaid,"Takeit.',

Ireachedoutandtookit.Ortriedto.Ihadtotryharder,andthenupitcame.Itweighed

nearlytwopounds!

MacGregorgrinnedsourly."Dropit,"hesaid.

Ijustlookedathim.Sohedroppedithimself.

Ithitsoggy.Itdidn*tsmash.Therewasnosprayofwhiteandyolk.Itjustlaywhereit

fell,withthebottomcavedin.

Ipickeditupagain.Thewhiteeggshellhadshatteredwheretheegghadstruck.Pieces

ofithadflakedawayandwhatshonethroughwasadullyellowincolor.

Myhandstrembled.ItwasallIcoulddotomakemyfingerswork,butIgotsomeofthe

restoftheshellflakedawayandstaredattheyellow.

Ididn*thavetorunanyanalyses.Myhearttoldme.

ThiswasTheGooseThatLaidtheGoldenEggs!

MyfirstproblemwastogetMacGregortogiveupthatgoldenegg.

Isaid,*TIIgiveyouareceipt.Illguaranteepayment.HIgiveyouapersonalcheck.I'll

doanything.*'

"Idon*twanttheGovernmentbuttingin,"hesaidstubbornly.

Iwastwiceasstubborn.Ifollowedhimabout.Ipleaded.Iyelled.IntheendIsigneda

receiptandhedoggedmeouttomycarandstoodintheroadasIdroveaway,following

mewithhiseyes.

TheheadofmysectionattheDepartmentofAgricultureisLouisP.Bronstein.(False

names,remember.)Ilaidtheeggonthedeskbetweenus.

Isaid,"It'sayellowmetalanditcouldbebrass.Onlyitisn't,becauseifsinertto

concentratednitricacid.*'

Bronsteinsaid,"It'ssomesortofhoax.Itmustbe."

"Ahoaxthatusesrealgold?WhenIfirstsawthisthingitwascoveredcompletelywith

authenticunbrokeneggshell.Ianalyzedabitanditwascalciumcarbonate.*'

SoProjectGoosewasstarted.ThatwasJuly20,1957.

Iwastheresponsibleinvestigatoratthestart,thoughmattersquicklygotbeyondme.

Tobeginwith,theegghadaradiusofthirty-fivemillimetersontheaverage.Thegold

shellwasjustabouttwoandahalfmillimetersthick.Insidewasarealegg;itwasnohoax.

Itcontainedalltheproteins,fats,vitamins,andpigmentsonewouldexpect.

Theonlyimportantabnormalitythatshowedupatoncewastheegg'sbehavioronbeing

heated.Asmallportionofithard-boiledatonce.

BorisW.FinleyofTempleUniversity,aDepartmentconsultant,said,"Theproteins

areobviouslyinbadshape,anditmustbethefaultofthegold.Smallquantitiesofany

heavymetalbreakdownprotein."

Sotheyolkwasanalyzedforgold.And,sureenough,itcontainedjustaboutone-third

of1percentofgoldinasolubleformknownaschloroaurate.

Asfortheshell,thatwasvirtuallypuregold.Theonlydetectableimpuritywasiron,and

thatamountedtoonlyaboutone-fourthof1percent.Theironcontentoftheeggyolkwas

twiceashighasitshouldhavebeen,too.Butatthemomentthematteroftheironwas

neglected.

OneweekafterProjectGoosewasbegunthefirstexpeditionleftforTexas.Five

biochemistswent,alongwiththreetruckloadsofequipmentandasquadronofArmy

personnel.

AssoonaswearrivedwecutMacGregor'sofffromtheworld.Naturally,MacGregor

didn'tlikeallthesecurityregulationsandallthemenandequipmentsettlingdownallabout

him.Hedidn'tlikebeingtoldthatTheGooseanditseggswereGovernmentproperty.He

didn'tlikeit,buthehadtoagree.Whatcouldhedo?Hewascompensated,ofcourse.

TheGoosedidn'tlikeafewthings,either-likehavingbloodsamplestaken.Ittook

twomentoholdTheGooseeachtime.

ThebloodofTheGoosewasputthrougheverytestconceivable.Itcontainedtwo-

thousandthsof1percentofthechloroaurateI'vementioned.WetookXrays.Partsofthe

bodythatwererichingoldwouldstoptheXraysandappearwhiteonthenegative.The

livershowedupaslightgray,whileTheGoose'segg-layingapparatuswaspurewhite.

Finleysaid,"Thechloroaurateispassedintothebloodstreambytheliver.It's

poisonous,sothe