PAGE精彩英語(yǔ)故事09橡皮與鉛筆的友情故事徐志摩曾說(shuō)過(guò)：“一生至少該有一次，為了某個(gè)人而忘了自己，不求有結(jié)果，不求同行，不求曾經(jīng)擁有，甚至不求你愛我，只求在我最美的年華里，遇到你?！毕嘤鍪且环N緣分，世上那么多人，擦肩而過(guò)的不計(jì)其數(shù)，卻獨(dú)獨(dú)在某個(gè)特定時(shí)刻上天讓我遇上你,并情不自禁愛上你！是的，我愿意為你，生來(lái)為你，因?yàn)槲沂悄愕南鹌?。Pencil:Youknow,I'mreallysorry.鉛筆：我想說(shuō)，我真的很抱歉。Eraser:Forwhat?Youdidn'tdoanythingwrong.橡皮：為什么？你沒(méi)有做錯(cuò)事情啊。Pencil:I'msorry,causeyougethurtbecauseofme.WheneverImakeamistake,youarealwaystheretoeraseit.Butasyoumakemymistakesvanish,youloseapartofyourself.Yougetsmallerandsmallereverytime.鉛筆：對(duì)不起，每次都是因?yàn)槲叶B累你受到傷害。我犯錯(cuò)的時(shí)候，你總是會(huì)幫我糾正，但在幫助我的同時(shí)，你消耗的卻是自己的身體。你看看，你已經(jīng)快要消失了。Eraser:That'strue,butIdon'treallymind.Yousee,Iwasmadetodothis.Iwasmadetohelpyouwheneveryoudosomethingwrong.Eventhough,oneofthesedays,IknowI'llbegoneandyouhavetoreplacemewithanewone,I'mactuallyhappywithmyjob.Soplease,stopworrying.Ihateseeingyousad.橡皮：沒(méi)錯(cuò)，但是真的沒(méi)關(guān)系。我生來(lái)就是為了幫助你，糾正你的錯(cuò)誤，即使有一天我會(huì)因此消失，而你也會(huì)找到新的朋友，繼續(xù)如我一樣毫無(wú)保留地幫助你。我其實(shí)很開心能在你身邊，履行我的使命。所以，不要傷心了，我可不想看到你難過(guò)的樣子啊。肇事的兔子Withinthememoryoftheyoungestchildtherewasafamilyofrabbitswholivednearapackofwolves.Thewolvesannouncedthattheydidnotlikethewaytherabbitswereliving.(Thewolveswerecrazyaboutthewaytheythemselveswereliving,becauseitwastheonlywaytolive.)Onenightseveralwolveswerekilledinanearthquakeandthiswasblamedontherabbits,foritiswellknownthatrabbitspoundonthegroundwiththeirhindlegsandcauseearthquakes.Onanothernightoneofthewolveswaskilledbyaboltoflightningandthiswasalsoblamedontherabbits,foritiswellknownthatlettuce-eaterscauselightning.Thewolvesthreatenedtocivilizetherabbitsiftheydidn'tbehave,andtherabbitsdecidedtorunawaytoadesertisland.Buttheotheranimals,wholivedatagreatdistance,shamedthem,saying,"Youmuststaywhereyouareandbebrave.Thisisnoworldforescapists.Ifthewolvesattackyou,wewillcometoyouraid,inallprobability."Sotherabbitscontinuedtolivenearthewolvesandonedaytherewasaterriblefloodwhichdrownedagreatmanywolves.Thiswasblamedontherabbits,foritiswellknownthatcarrot-nibblerswithlongearscausefloods.Thewolvesdescendedontherabbits,fortheirowngood,andimprisonedtheminadarkcave,fortheirownprotection.在最小的孩子還記得的那個(gè)時(shí)候，在狼群的附近居住著兔子一家。狼們公開宣布，他們不喜歡兔子的生活方式。（狼對(duì)自己的生活方式推崇之至，因?yàn)檫@是唯一可行的生活方式。）一天晚上，幾只狼在地震中死亡。這件事是兔子的責(zé)任，因?yàn)楸娝苤?，兔子用兩條腿蹬地，造成了地震。另一個(gè)晚上，一只狼被雷電劈斃，這件事也怪罪于兔子，因?yàn)楸娝苤?，雷電是由吃萵苣的動(dòng)物引發(fā)的。狼威脅說(shuō)，如果兔子繼續(xù)為非作歹，它們將施以管教。兔子決定逃到一個(gè)荒島上去。但是其它住在遠(yuǎn)處的動(dòng)物奚落它們說(shuō)：“你們必須守住陣腳，要勇敢。這個(gè)世界決沒(méi)有逃避主義者的容身之地。如果狼攻擊你們，我們多半會(huì)來(lái)相助?！庇谑峭米永^續(xù)在狼群附近生活。有一天，發(fā)生了一場(chǎng)可怕的洪水，許多狼被淹死。責(zé)任怪罪到兔子頭上，因?yàn)楸娝苤L(zhǎng)耳朵并小口小口吃胡蘿卜的動(dòng)物會(huì)引起洪水。為了兔子著想，狼對(duì)它們下手了，把它們關(guān)在黑洞里進(jìn)行保護(hù)。Whennothingwasheardabouttherabbitsforsomeweeks,theotheranimalsdemandedtoknowwhathadhappenedtothem.Thewolvesrepliedthattherabbitshadbeeneatenandsincetheyhadbeeneatentheaffairwasapurelyinternalmatter.Buttheotheranimalswarnedthattheymightpossiblyuniteagainstthewolvesunlesssomereasonwasgivenforthedestructionofrabbits.Sothewolvesgavethemone."Theyweretryingtoescape,"saidthewolves,"and,asyouknow,thisisnoworldforescapists."由于連續(xù)幾星期沒(méi)有聽到兔子的消息，其它動(dòng)物要求知道它們的行蹤。狼回答說(shuō)兔子已經(jīng)被吃了；既然已經(jīng)吃到肚里，此事就純屬內(nèi)政。但其它動(dòng)物警告說(shuō)，除非有消滅兔子的正當(dāng)理由，不然它們可能團(tuán)結(jié)起來(lái)，一致對(duì)狼。于是，狼給了它們一條理由?！八鼈兤髨D逃走”，狼說(shuō)?！澳銈円仓溃@個(gè)世界決沒(méi)有逃避主義者的容身之地。”27歲的人生小編物語(yǔ)：27歲的人生并不如我所想象的那樣。我沒(méi)有意識(shí)到生活竟會(huì)有如此大的挑戰(zhàn)性，最終還是阻礙了我個(gè)人目標(biāo)和專業(yè)目標(biāo)的發(fā)展。LifeatagetwentysevenisnothingwhatIenvisionedwhenIwasachild.IimaginedbyagetwentysevenIwouldbeinaseriousrelationshipborderlinemarriage,owningmyownplace,asuccessfulcareer,beingfinanciallysecure,andlivinglifetothefullestonmydowntime.Therealityisbeforecollegemylifewaslaidoutwiththirteenyearsofschoolthen,aftercollegeothervariablescomeintoplaysuchasfiguringoutwhatIwanttodoinlife,coordinatingmylifewithanotherperson'slife,unexpectedsetbacks,andtiming.27歲的人生也遠(yuǎn)不如小時(shí)候預(yù)想的那么好。我曾設(shè)想過(guò)在我27歲那年會(huì)擁有一段正式的婚姻，有自己的房子，令人羨慕的工作，財(cái)政自由，過(guò)著自我掌控的日子。然而現(xiàn)實(shí)卻是大學(xué)前一直住在學(xué)校，整整13年；大學(xué)畢業(yè)后生活開始變得迷茫，所有不安定的因素都開始作怪，一切都變得很混亂不安，我甚至不知道自己想要的是什么，怎樣才能融入另一個(gè)人的生活，許多出乎意料的挫折，還有時(shí)間調(diào)度這一系列的問(wèn)題。Currentlyatagetwentyseven,aquarterofwhatIenvisioned,Iamonmyfifthjob,tookoneyearofftofigureoutwhatmypurposeisinlife,currentlylivingwithmyfather,notinaseriousrelationship,somewhatfinanciallysecure,andoccasionallylivelifetomyfullestonmydowntime.JugglingimportantpartsinmylifeisacomplicatedbecauseIwanttobewellbalancedineachcategoryorelseifyouputtoomuchconcentrationinoneareayoumightgetdiscouragewiththeresultsandburnout.ThepointisthatIdidnotexpectlifetobesochallengingwithmanymoreuphillbattlesaheadofme.走到了今天的27歲，也算是有了當(dāng)初預(yù)想的四分之一的成效。換過(guò)五份工作，用了整整一年的時(shí)間來(lái)考慮生活的意義和目的；一直與父親住在一起，還未談婚論嫁，財(cái)政上還算自由，偶爾也過(guò)過(guò)自己想要的日子。對(duì)我而言，兼顧生活的各個(gè)重要部分非常復(fù)雜，因?yàn)槲乙恢毕Ｍ诟鱾€(gè)方面都能達(dá)到良好的平衡，否則你可能會(huì)由于太過(guò)于偏倚某個(gè)方面卻得不到好的成效而失去勇氣，甚至崩潰。關(guān)鍵是我從不希望自己的人生充滿如此多激烈的挑戰(zhàn)。Istilldon'tknowwhatIwanttodoinlife,butIamrealizingthroughmyeverydayexperiencesthatIamslowlyfindingwhatmakesmehappyinlife.Sometimesit'salittlerayofhopethatcarryyouthroughthenextdayorthenextyearthateventuallyeverythingwillworkoutintheend.我仍然不知道要如何規(guī)劃自己的人生，但以每天的經(jīng)驗(yàn)為依據(jù)，卻發(fā)現(xiàn)自己正在慢慢尋找生活中能令我快樂(lè)的東西。有時(shí)候哪怕只是一絲微弱的希望也能牽引你走過(guò)明天，或是接下來(lái)的一整年。因?yàn)榈阶詈?，一切都?huì)迎刃而解。四天怎樣狂賺20萬(wàn)美元ComedianLouisCKsaidonTuesdaythathehadtakenin$500,000inlessthanthreedaysfromsellinghislateststandupspecialdirectlytothepublicat$5apop.Thisshouldmakemediacompaniesnervousbecausethisisthefuture—andincreasingly,thepresent—ofmediadistribution.Rememberallthatstuffpeopleweresaying15yearsagoabouttheInternet'scapacityfordisintermediation?It'sallcomingtruenow.本周二，喜劇演員路易斯·C·K表示，他將自己最新的單人表演特別節(jié)目視頻以每部5美元的價(jià)格，直接賣給公眾。不到3天，銷售收入就高達(dá)50萬(wàn)美元。媒體公司著實(shí)應(yīng)該為這一現(xiàn)象感到寢食難安，因?yàn)檫@不僅是媒體發(fā)行的未來(lái)發(fā)展趨勢(shì)，也正日益成為現(xiàn)實(shí)。各位是否還記得，15年前，人們?cè)笳勌卣劵ヂ?lián)網(wǎng)將成為重要的賺錢工具？現(xiàn)在，轉(zhuǎn)眼之間一切已經(jīng)成真。Here'sthethingaboutmediacompanies:theyhavetroublewithedge.That'swhylocalnewspapersoftenchurnoutinoffensivemush.It'swhy"local"commercialradiosoundspreciselythesameinBirmingham,Ala.asitdoesinBerkeley,Calif.Andit'swhyabrilliantcomedianlikeLouisCKcouldn'tmakeitonnetworktelevisiondespitetwoattem媒體公司的現(xiàn)狀是：他們毫無(wú)個(gè)性可言。正因如此，地方報(bào)紙才會(huì)乘虛而入，大量刊登無(wú)傷大雅的煽情作品；出于同樣的原因，阿拉巴馬州伯明翰市的“地方”商業(yè)廣播與加里福尼亞州伯克利市的商業(yè)廣播聽起來(lái)同樣如出一轍；而且，路易斯·C·K這樣杰出的喜劇演員根本無(wú)法在網(wǎng)絡(luò)電視上出人頭地。事實(shí)上，公眾對(duì)他鐘愛有加就是因?yàn)樗谋硌萏攸c(diǎn)，但在網(wǎng)絡(luò)高管們的管理之下，其特點(diǎn)已蕩然無(wú)存。Evenauteur-friendlyoutletslikeTimeWarner's(TWX)HBOactasfiltersbetweenartistandaudience.Inthatcase,muchofthedownsidecomesonthebusinessend.LouisCKtoldTerryGrossonFreshAirthisweekthatwithtraditionalcomedyspecials,hegetshisfee,butneveracutoftheaftermarket,wheretherealmoneyismade.Afterthespecialairs,hesaid,"thentheyputitonvideo,youknow,oniTunes(AAPL),Netflix(NFLX)andDVD,andthentheygotrytomakeaprofitwithit.You'resupposedtoparticipateinthatprofit,butI'veneverseenacheckfromacomedyspecial.They'rejust—it'snever—itneverendsupbeingthat."即使時(shí)代華納集團(tuán)（TimeWarner）旗下的家庭影院頻道（HBO）等傾向于個(gè)性導(dǎo)演的市場(chǎng)，實(shí)際上也充當(dāng)著藝術(shù)家和觀眾之間的過(guò)濾器。因此，從生意的角度說(shuō)，它導(dǎo)致了許多弊端。路易斯·C·K本周對(duì)《新鮮空氣節(jié)目》【FreshAir，美國(guó)全國(guó)公共廣播電臺(tái)（NPR）時(shí)長(zhǎng)一小時(shí)的談話節(jié)目——譯注】主持人特里??格羅斯表示，在傳統(tǒng)的喜劇特別節(jié)目管理模式下，他只能拿到出場(chǎng)費(fèi)，但分不到一分錢的銷售利潤(rùn)，而后者才是大頭。他說(shuō)，特別節(jié)目播出后：“他們（媒體公司）會(huì)通過(guò)視頻、iTunes、Netflix、以及DVD等渠道進(jìn)行再傳播，從中贏利。我本應(yīng)分得一部分利潤(rùn)，但我從未收到過(guò)喜劇特別節(jié)目劇組寄來(lái)的任何支票。向來(lái)如此，那樣的事從來(lái)沒(méi)發(fā)生過(guò)?！盚ere,it'sallthat.OnWednesdaymorning,thecomediantweetedthatsalesofthenewspecialhadreached130,000downloads,foragrossof$650,000.OnhisWebsite,hebrokedownthefinances:thecostofproducingthesix-camerashootandrentingtheBeaconTheaterwasbasicallycoveredbyticketsales(hedirectedthethinghimselfandeditedthevideo—whichlooksasgoodasany"professionally"producedspecial).Expensesassociatedwithdistributingthevideowereminimal—thereisanear-zeromarginalcostforeachvideosold.Andunliketraditionalmedia,verylittleinthewayoffixedcosts.Nobigmarketingexpenses,nofocusgroups,nopayingmedia-companymiddlementodo...whateveritistheydo.(Sofar,he'snettedabout$200,000.)但是這一次，一個(gè)子兒也不少。周三上午，這名喜劇演員在Twitter上稱，其最新特別節(jié)目的下載量已突破13萬(wàn)大關(guān)，總收入為65萬(wàn)美元。在其個(gè)人網(wǎng)站上，路易斯·C·K還對(duì)相應(yīng)的資金情況進(jìn)行了分解：制作節(jié)目共動(dòng)用了6部攝影機(jī)，還租用了燈塔劇院（BeaconTheater），而演出門票銷售收入基本可以沖抵制作費(fèi)和場(chǎng)地租賃費(fèi)等成本（節(jié)目由他本人自導(dǎo)自演，視頻由其自行編輯，但水準(zhǔn)堪與任何“專業(yè)公司”制作的特別節(jié)目媲美）。與視頻銷售相關(guān)的費(fèi)用微乎其微：每個(gè)視頻的銷售邊際成本幾乎為零。此外，不同于傳統(tǒng)媒體銷售，這里得固定成本也少之又少。這種銷售模式無(wú)需龐大的營(yíng)銷開支；無(wú)需專業(yè)團(tuán)隊(duì)；亦無(wú)需支付媒體公司的經(jīng)紀(jì)費(fèi)，不管他們到底能做些什么。（迄今，他已經(jīng)凈賺近20萬(wàn)美元。）"Ifthetrendcontinueswithsalesonthisvideo,"hewrote,"mygoalisthatIcanreachthepointwherewhenIsellanything,beitvideos,CDsorticketstomytours,I'lldoithereandI'llcontinuetofollowthemodelofkeepingmypriceasfardownaspossible,notovermarketingtoyou,keepingasfewpeoplebetweenyouandmeaspossibleinthetransaction."“如果該視頻的銷量能夠保持這種增長(zhǎng)的勢(shì)頭，”他寫道：“我的目標(biāo)是：無(wú)論將來(lái)我要向觀眾銷售任何東西，不管是視頻、演出光碟、還是演出門票，我都將在網(wǎng)上銷售。而且我將繼續(xù)沿用現(xiàn)在的銷售模式，將價(jià)格盡可能降至最低，絕不想方設(shè)法向你們兜售產(chǎn)品。在你們和我之間的交易中，環(huán)節(jié)越少越好?！盚ealsomadethevideoDRM-free.Hewasworriedaboutpiracy,andhe'sbeenpleadingwithhisfanstonotputthevideoonbittorrentsites.Ofcourse,itwaspiratedwithinminutes,whichmightbecuttingintosalesabit.Butwitha$5pricepoint,theincentivetodownloadpiratedcopiesisalmostnil.Truefanswillpayitand,givenhowsuccessfultheenterprisehasbeenforallconcerned,piracycanbeseenassimplyacostofdoingbusinessratherthantheArmageddonthemediaindustrysees.而且，他對(duì)這次的視頻未使用任何數(shù)字權(quán)利管理（DRM）技術(shù)。他曾擔(dān)心會(huì)出現(xiàn)盜版，而且他自始至終懇求粉絲們不要將該視頻放到BT站點(diǎn)上。不出所料，該視頻上傳后不出幾分鐘就遭遇了盜版，這有可能會(huì)對(duì)銷量產(chǎn)生些許影響。但是，由于視頻下載費(fèi)用只有5美元，幾乎沒(méi)人費(fèi)神去下載盜版內(nèi)容。真正的粉絲寧愿付費(fèi)下載。而且，由于其銷售模式從各方面而言都取得了極大的成功，盜版行為會(huì)被視為費(fèi)力不討好，而非媒體行業(yè)眼中的世紀(jì)末大決戰(zhàn)。MostimportanttoLouisandhisfans,though,isthis:"IgottodoexactlytheshowIwanted,andexactlytheshowyouwanted."Indeed,thismightbethefunniesthourofstandupLouisCKhaseverdone.但是，對(duì)路易斯及其粉絲而言，最重要的問(wèn)題是：“我可以完全按我自己的意愿和你們的希望去做節(jié)目?！贝_實(shí)如此，這期特別節(jié)目有可能是路易斯·C·K有史以來(lái)完成的最有趣的一小時(shí)單人喜劇表演。Ofcourse,ithelpsthatLouiswas—thanksinparttobigmediacompanies—alreadyfamous.Thefunniestcomedianintheworldcouldn'thavedonesomethinglikethisonsuchascaleifheorshewereunknown.Andstandupspecialsareonething—producedtelevisionissomethingelse.EvenLouisneedsanetworklikeFXtofinanceproductionanddistributionofhissitcom,Louie,thoughitshouldbenotedthatit'sdoneonthecheap,andthenetworkletsLouisdobasicallywhateverhewants.Hedemandedthatfreedomgoingin,andtheshowissuccessfulforthatreason.一定程度上得益于大型媒體公司的宣傳，路易斯本來(lái)就已經(jīng)名揚(yáng)四海，這無(wú)疑有助于此種銷售模式取得成功。即使某人擁有世界上最杰出的滑稽表演天賦，如果他/她只是無(wú)名小卒的話，也不可能取得如此規(guī)模的銷售成功。完成單人喜劇表演是一回事，而制作電視節(jié)目則完全是另一回事。即使路易斯這樣的名演員，也需要FX等網(wǎng)絡(luò)出資制作并銷售其情景喜劇《路易》（Louie），盡管我們需要強(qiáng)調(diào)指出，該劇制作成本低廉，而且FX網(wǎng)絡(luò)基本上允許路易斯隨心所欲地進(jìn)行表演。他要求擁有表演上的自由度，而這恰是該劇成功的關(guān)鍵所在。Mediacompanieswillbearoundforalongtimetocome,todeveloptalentanddistributeproduct(thoughtheInterneteatingintothatpartofthebusiness,too—justlookatthesuccessofcomedypodcastsbyrelativeunknowns).Butthefactthatnobigcompanieswereinvolvedinthisshouldgivepausetoallmediaexecutiveswhothinktheyknowbetterthanperformerswhataudienceswant,andhowmuchthey'rewillingtopaytogetit.媒體公司在未來(lái)很長(zhǎng)一段時(shí)間內(nèi)仍將繼續(xù)存在，繼續(xù)挖掘人才并銷售產(chǎn)品（盡管互聯(lián)網(wǎng)已開始侵蝕這塊業(yè)務(wù)；這一點(diǎn)，看看那些相對(duì)無(wú)名的演員們上傳的喜劇播客所取得的成功，便可略知一二）。但是，這些成功與任何一家大型媒體公司都沒(méi)有關(guān)系。所有認(rèn)為自己比演藝界人士更了解觀眾需求，更了解觀眾愿意為演出支付多少費(fèi)用的媒體公司高管們都應(yīng)該停下來(lái)，好好想想。大衛(wèi)和莉莉的愛情故事Someyearsago,agoodfamilymovedintothethirdfloorapartmentofthetenementwherewelivedintheBronx.Davidwasthesonandhewasgoingtomedicalschool.Hewasalsoanavidreadersohespentmostofhisfreetimeinthelibrary.Thelibrariantherewasapretty,soft-spokenyoungwomannamedLilly.Thekidsalllovedher.Ifwecouldn'tfindabookshewouldstopwhatevershewasdoing,smileatuswarmlyandlaunchasearchtofinditforus.Shewasahardworker.多年前，我們住在布朗克斯時(shí)，三樓搬來(lái)一家新租戶。大衛(wèi)是那家人的兒子，即將入讀醫(yī)科學(xué)院。他還非常熱衷于閱讀，大部分空余時(shí)間都消耗在圖書館里。圖書管理員叫莉莉，她是個(gè)說(shuō)話柔聲細(xì)語(yǔ)的漂亮姑娘。孩子們都很喜歡她。如果我們找不到書，她總會(huì)停下手上的活，親切地微笑著為我們找書。她工作相當(dāng)勤懇。ShealsosecretlyadmiredournewneighborDavid.Wheneverheenteredthesmallneighborhoodlibrary,Lilly'seyeslitupandobservedhiswanderingpaththroughthestacksofbooks.Sheneverstruckupaconversationwithhimthough.Shewasmuchtooshy,andinthosedaysawomandidn'ttalktoastrangerwithoutaformalintroduction.Oneevening,asLillywasclosingupthelibrary,herassistantbentdownnearthedesktoretrieveanunopenedenvelopeoffthefloor.SheshowedittoLillyandtheynotedthatitwassentfromamajorcityhospital.她還暗戀著我們的新鄰居大衛(wèi)。只要他走進(jìn)這間小街區(qū)圖書館，莉莉的眼睛就奕奕閃亮，注視著他在書架間走動(dòng)?？伤龔臎](méi)和他說(shuō)上話。她太害羞了，再說(shuō)那個(gè)年代里女孩子沒(méi)經(jīng)正式介紹是不會(huì)與陌生人交談的。一天晚上，正當(dāng)莉莉要閉館的時(shí)候，她的助理從桌旁的地面上拾起一個(gè)未開啟的信封。她遞給莉莉瞧，兩人注意到信是從一家大城市醫(yī)院發(fā)出的。"Itlookedsoimportant,"theassistantsaid."Somepoorpersonisprobablylookingforitfrantically.Itmusthavefallenoutofhispocketorbook."Lillyglancedattheaddressoftherecipientandwassurprisedtoseeitwasforthebuildingrightnexttohers.Shetookthelettersoshecoulddropitbytheman'sapartmentonherwayhome.Sheturnedoutthelights,finishedlockingthelibraryandhurriedhome,whereshequicklysetdownherbags.Clutchingtheenvelope,sheranacrosstheway,enteredthefrontlobbynextstoreandscannedthemailboxes.ShefoundaGordon,thesamelastnamelistedontheenvelope.Lillywalkedupthethreeflightsofstairsandwasgreetedatthedoorbyasweetolderwomanwhowasleaningonacrutch.“信似乎很重要，”助理說(shuō)，“或許別人正找它找得火急火燎呢。一定是從口袋里或書里掉出來(lái)的?！崩蚶蚩戳艘谎凼招湃说牡刂罚@訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)就是她住的隔壁樓。她拿了信，打算回家的時(shí)候順便帶給那家人。她關(guān)了燈，鎖好圖書館的門，急忙回家放下袋子。然后她拿著信穿過(guò)馬路，一路跑到旁邊大樓的前廳，打量著信箱。她找到了戈登的名字，和信封上寫的姓名一樣。莉莉走上三樓，一位和藹可親的老太太支著根拐杖在門口迎接了她。"Oh,thankyousomuch,"shesaid."Well,here'stheletter.IsDavidGordonyourhusband”"Ohno,"sheanswered."That'smyson.Wewerewonderingwheretheletterwent."ShelookedLillyupanddown."Well,lookatus,standingherelikestrangers,"thewomansaidsmilingbrightly."Comeandsitforamomentandhavesometea.Please."AsshemotionedLillytoachair,theladytalkedabouttheletter."WhenIgetmailformyson,Ialwaysputitonthekitchentablesohecanfinditwhenhecomeshome.ThisletterwasimportantsoIstuckitinhisbook.Yousee,heisgoingtomedicalschooltobeaspecialist,"shesaidproudly.Justthen,thedooropenedandinwalkedherson,David.“哦，太感謝你了，”老太太說(shuō)?！靶旁谶@兒。大衛(wèi)·戈登是你的先生嗎？”“噢，不是，”她回答說(shuō)，“那是我的兒子。我們還在奇怪信上哪兒去了呢?！彼舷麓蛄恐蚶?，燦爛地笑著說(shuō)道：“瞧我們，站在這兒像陌生人似的，進(jìn)來(lái)坐一會(huì)兒喝喝茶吧。請(qǐng)進(jìn)?！崩咸呑尷蚶蜃?，邊談起了那封信?！拔沂盏浇o兒子的信后，總是放在廚房的桌上，好讓他一回家就能看到。但這封信太重要了，所以我放在他的書里。你瞧，他要念醫(yī)科學(xué)院成為一名醫(yī)生呢，”她自豪地說(shuō)。就在這時(shí)，門開了，她的兒子大衛(wèi)走了進(jìn)來(lái)。Uponseeingthathewastheyoungmanshehadadmiredsolong,Lillyfeltherheartbeatfaster.Hismotherexcitedlyexplainedtohimwhathadhappenedtotheletter.DavidlookedatLillyinastonishment."Gosh,you'refromthelibrary?Thankyou.Iwaslookinghighandlowforthatletter."Heturnedtohismother."Yousee,Iwasacceptedtothehospital'smedicalprogram."ThenheturnedbacktoLillyandsmiledshyly,"Thanksagain,MissUh…Ididn'tgetyourname?"看到大衛(wèi)就是她長(zhǎng)久以來(lái)暗戀著的那個(gè)年輕人，莉莉感到心砰砰直跳。大衛(wèi)的媽媽興高采烈地向他解釋那封信的事情。大衛(wèi)驚訝地看著莉莉?！鞍?，你從圖書館過(guò)來(lái)的嗎？謝謝。我正四處找著那封信呢。”他轉(zhuǎn)身對(duì)他媽媽說(shuō)∶“瞧，我已經(jīng)被錄取去念醫(yī)院的醫(yī)學(xué)課程了?！比缓笏剡^(guò)身對(duì)莉莉靦腆地笑著說(shuō)：“再次感謝你，唔……我還不知道你叫什么名字呢？”"Lilly,"shesaid,smilingherwarmestsmile.AndsobeganLillyandDavid'slifetogether.“莉莉，”她說(shuō)，綻出她那親切的笑容。兩人的生活便由此開始了。Butnowforthewholestory.Aftertheyhadbeenmarried25years,hetoldusthetruthabouttheletter.DavidwasacardiovascularspecialistbythenandhisdearLilly,themotheroftheirthreechildrenwassittingbyhissideashetoldus.Yousee,Davidwasn'tthatavidareaderasitturnsout.Hejustwantedtoseethatprettyyounglibrarian.Hetoldhismotheraboutthegirlathislocallibrary,buthewasshyanddidn'tknowhowtoapproachher.Hismotherdevisedascheme.現(xiàn)在我們來(lái)聽聽整個(gè)故事。大衛(wèi)在婚后25年告訴了我們關(guān)于那封信的真相。那時(shí)大衛(wèi)已是心血管醫(yī)生，而他親愛的莉莉已是他們?nèi)齻€(gè)孩子的母親，大衛(wèi)給我們講故事的時(shí)候她就坐在一旁。原來(lái)大衛(wèi)并非什么熱情的讀者。他上圖書館去只是為了能看到這位漂亮的圖書管理員。他和母親講述了當(dāng)?shù)貓D書館的女孩事，但他太靦腆了，不知如何才能接近她。于是他媽媽想出了這個(gè)主意。EverytimeDavidwenttothelibrary,hewastodropanenvelopeaddressedtohimselfonthefloor.David'smotherhopedLillywouldretrieveitforhim,callhimovertothedeskandgivehimachancetostrikeupaconversation.SoDaviddutifullydroppedalettereachtimehevisitedthelibrary,buteachtimesomeonewouldseetheenvelopeflutteringtothefloorandrushtoreclaimitforhim.每次大衛(wèi)上圖書館去時(shí)，他就把寫給自己的信掉到地上。大衛(wèi)的媽媽希望莉莉撿到這封信后會(huì)把大衛(wèi)叫過(guò)桌子那頭，然后大衛(wèi)就有機(jī)會(huì)與她說(shuō)上話了。大衛(wèi)于是每次去圖書館都不斷地掉信，可每回信封飛到地上總給人看到，并急忙還給他。"Ohsir,"he'dhearsomeonecryout.Butwhenheturned,itwasneverLilly.OnthedayhefinallymetLilly,DavidwaitedtillnoonewasleftinthebuildingbutLillyandherassistant.Onceagainhedroppedhisletterbythedesk.ThenextdayhehopedhecouldcomebackandaskLillyifshehadfoundanenvelopewithhisnameonit.TheplanworkedfarbetterthanheimaginedwhenLillyshowedupinpersontodelivertheletter.WhileDavidwastellingthestory,hisbeautifulwifeLillybeganlaughinghysterically.“噢，先生，”他聽到別人叫他。可他轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身一看，總也不是莉莉。終于見到莉莉的那天，大衛(wèi)等到房子里的人只剩下莉莉和她的助理。他再次把信掉在桌旁。他希望次日回去時(shí)可以問(wèn)莉莉是否看到一個(gè)寫著他名字的信封。不過(guò)計(jì)劃進(jìn)行得比他設(shè)想的要好得多，莉莉竟然親自來(lái)送信。當(dāng)大衛(wèi)在講述這個(gè)故事時(shí)，他美麗的妻子莉莉笑得上氣不接下氣。"David,"shesaid,whenshecaughtherbreath."Youdidn'tsealthatenvelopeverywell.Weopeneditatthelibrary.Isawthattherewasnothingbutablankpieceofpaperinside.ButIwasdyingtofigureoutwhatyouwereuptosoIplayedalong.David,youareaterribleactor."Sheturnedhertwinklingeyestoherhusband's."ButOh,David,Ilovedyouso."“大衛(wèi)，”等她緩過(guò)一口氣后，說(shuō)道，“你的信封封得不是很好。我們當(dāng)時(shí)在圖書館里就打開了。我看到里面除了一張白紙什么也沒(méi)有?？晌覍?shí)在很想知道你在弄什么名堂，于是就裝糊涂。大衛(wèi)，你這個(gè)演員真不怎么樣。”她雙眼閃閃發(fā)亮地看著她的丈夫：“可是哦，大衛(wèi)，我是這么地愛你?！痹~匯點(diǎn)津：strikeup建立起，使開始真正的公主TheRealPrincessTherewasonceaPrincewhowishedtomarryaPrincess；butthenshemustbearealPrincess.Hetravelledallovertheworldinhopesoffindingsuchalady；buttherewasalwayssomethingwrong.Princesseshefoundinplenty;butwhethertheywererealPrincessesitwasimpossibleforhimtodecide,fornowonething,nowanother,seemedtohimnotquiterightabouttheladies.Atlasthereturnedtohispalacequitecastdown，becausehewishedsomuchtohavearealPrincessforhiswife.從前有一位王子，他想找一位公主結(jié)婚，但她必須是一位真正的公主。他走遍了全世界，想要尋到這樣的一位公主?？墒菬o(wú)論他到什么地方，他總是碰到一些障礙。公主倒有的是，不過(guò)他沒(méi)有辦法斷定她們究竟是不是真正的公主。她們總是有些地方不大對(duì)頭。結(jié)果，他只好回家來(lái)，心中很不快活，因?yàn)樗悄敲纯释玫揭晃徽嬲墓鳌neeveningafearfultempestarose,itthunderedandlightened,an