新视野大学英语读写教程(第二版)第二册课文及翻译(共41页).doc

精选优质文档-倾情为你奉上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 being 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 of each lifetime. Once the sands have run out of a person's hourglass, they cannot be replaced. We want every minute to count. A foreigner's 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, 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 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. Don't take it personally. This is because people value time highly, and they resent someone else "wasting" it 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 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 professionally 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 through 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 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 problems 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. Telephones 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 allowed 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 fulfill 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、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，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”。Culture 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 and 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 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 everything, 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 was. You become tired of many things about the new culture. Moreover, people don't 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 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". 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 don't want to communicate with anybody. With isolation, you try to avoid the effects of culture shock, or at least that's 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". With this coping mechanism, you think you don't need anybody. You feel you are coping fine alone, so you don't 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 acceptable. 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 "recovery". In this stage, you start feeling more positive, and you try to develop comprehension of everything you don't 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 beliefs 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 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. Culture 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 people, 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。Unit 2Learning the Olympic Standard for LoveNikolai Petrovich Anikin was not half as intimidating as I had imagined he would be. No, this surely was not the ex-Soviet coach my father had shipped me out to meet. But Nikolai he was, Petrovich and all. He invited me inside and sat down on the couch, patting the blanket next to him to get me to sit next to him. I was so nervous in his presence. "You are young," he began in his Russian-style English. "If you like to try for Olympic Games, I guess you will be able to do this. Nagano Olympics too soon for you, but for 2002 in Salt Lake City, you could be ready." "Yes, why not?" he replied to the shocked look on my face. I was a promising amateur skier, but by no means the top skier in the country. "Of course, there will be many hard training sessions, and you will cry, but you will improve." To be sure, there were countless training sessions full of pain and more than a few tears, but in the five years that followed I could always count on being encouraged by Nikolai's amusing stories and sense of humor. "My friends, they go in the movies, they go in the dance, they go out with girls," he would start. "But I," he would continue, lowering his voice, "I am practice, practice, practice in the stadium. And by the next year, I had cut 1-1/2 minutes off my time in the 15-kilometer race! "My friends asked me, 'Nikolai, how did you do it?' And I replied, 'You go in the movies, you go in the dance, you go out with girls, but I am practice, practice, practice.' Here the story usually ended, but on one occasion, which we later learned was his 25th wedding anniversary, he stood proudly in a worn woolen sweater and smiled and whispered, "And I tell you, I am 26 years old before I ever kiss a girl! She was the woman I later marry." Romantic and otherwise, Nikolai knew love. His consistent good humor, quiet gratitude, perceptivity, and sincerity set an Olympic standard for love that I continue to reach for, even though my skiing days are over. Still, he never babied me. One February day I had a massive headache and felt quite fatigued. I came upon him in a clearing, and after approximately 15 minutes of striding into the cold breeze over the white powder to catch him, I fussed, "Oh, Nikolai, I feel like I am going to die." "When you are a hundred years old, everybody dies," he said, indifferent to my pain. "But now," he continued firmly. "Now must be ski, ski, ski." And, on skis, I did what he said. On other matters, though, I was rebellious. Once, he packed 10 of us into a Finnish bachelor's tiny home for a low-budget ski camp. We awoke the first morning to find Nikolai making breakfast and then made quick work with our spoons while sitting on makeshift chairs around a tiny card table. When we were finished, Nikolai stacked the sticky bowls in front of my sole female teammate and me, asserting, "Now, girls do dishes!" I threw my napkin on the floor and swore at him, "Ask the damn boys! This is unfair." He never asked this of me again, nor did he take much notice of my outburst. He saved his passion for skiing. When coaching, he would sing out his instructions keeping rhythm with our stride: "Yes, yes, one-two-three, one-two-three." A dear lady friend of my grandfather, after viewing a copy of a video of me training with Nikolai, asked, "Does he also teach dance?" In training, I worked without rest to correct mistakes that Nikolai pointed out and I asked after each pass if it was better. "Yes, it's OK. But the faster knee down, the better." "But is it fast enough?" I'd persist. Finall