unit1Mr.DohertyBuildsHisDreamLifeMr.DohertyBuildsHisDreamLifeJimDoherty1TherearetwothingsIhavealwayswantedtodo--writeandliveonafarm.TodayI'mdoingboth.IamnotinE.B.White'sclassasawriterorinmyneighbors'leagueasafarmer,butI'mgettingby.Andafteryearsoffrustrationwithcityandsuburbanliving,mywifeSandyandIhavefinallyfoundcontentmenthereinthecountry.多爾蒂先生創(chuàng)建自己的理想生活吉姆·多爾蒂有兩件事是我一直想做的――寫作與務(wù)農(nóng)。如今我同時(shí)做著這兩件事。作為作家，我和E·B·懷特不屬同一等級(jí)，作為農(nóng)場(chǎng)主，我和鄉(xiāng)鄰也不是同一類人，不過我應(yīng)付得還行。在城市以及郊區(qū)歷經(jīng)多年的悵惘失望之后，我和妻子桑迪終于在這里的鄉(xiāng)村尋覓到心靈的滿足。2It'saself-reliantsortoflife.Wegrownearlyallofourfruitsandvegetables.Ourhenskeepusineggs,withseveraldozenleftovertoselleachweek.Ourbeesprovideuswithhoney,andwecutenoughwoodtojustaboutmakeitthroughtheheatingseason.這是一種自力更生的生活。我們食用的果蔬幾乎都是自己種的。自家飼養(yǎng)的雞提供雞蛋，每星期還能剩余幾十個(gè)出售。自家養(yǎng)殖的蜜蜂提供蜂蜜，我們還自己動(dòng)手砍柴，足可供過冬取暖之用。3It'sasatisfyinglifetoo.Inthesummerwecanoeontheriver,gopicnickinginthewoodsandtakelongbicyclerides.Inthewinterweskiandskate.Wegetexcitedaboutsunsets.Welovethesmelloftheearthwarmingandthesoundofcattlelowing.Wewatchforhawksintheskyanddeerinthecornfields.這也是一種令人滿足的生活。夏日里我們?cè)诤由鲜幹郏诹肿永镆安?，騎著自行車長(zhǎng)時(shí)間漫游。冬日里我們滑雪溜冰。我們?yōu)槁淙盏挠噍x而激動(dòng)。我們愛聞大地回暖的氣息，愛聽牛群哞叫。我們守著看鷹兒飛過上空，看玉米田間鹿群嬉躍。4Butthegoodlifecangetprettytough.Threemonthsagowhenitwas30below,wespenttwomiserabledayshaulingfirewooduptheriveronasled.Threemonthsfromnow,itwillbe95aboveandwewillbecultivatingcorn,weedingstrawberriesandkillingchickens.Recently,SandyandIhadtoretilethebackroof.SoonJim,16andEmily,13,theyoungestofourfourchildren,willhelpmemakesomelong-overdueimprovementsontheoutdoortoiletthatsupplementsourindoorplumbingwhenweareworkingoutside.Laterthismonth,we'llspraytheorchard,paintthebarn,plantthegardenandcleanthehenhousebeforethenewchicksarrive.但如此美妙的生活有時(shí)會(huì)變得相當(dāng)艱苦。就在三個(gè)月前，氣溫降到華氏零下30度，我們辛苦勞作了整整兩天，用一個(gè)雪橇沿著河邊拖運(yùn)木柴。再過三個(gè)月，氣溫會(huì)升到95度，我們就要給玉米松土，在草莓地除草，還要宰殺家禽。前一陣子我和桑迪不得不翻修后屋頂。過些時(shí)候，四個(gè)孩子中的兩個(gè)小的，16歲的吉米和13歲的埃米莉，會(huì)幫著我一起把拖了很久沒修的室外廁所修葺一下，那是專為室外干活修建的。這個(gè)月晚些時(shí)候，我們要給果樹噴灑藥水，要油漆谷倉(cāng)，要給菜園播種，要趕在新的小雞運(yùn)到之前清掃雞舍。5Inbetweensuchchores,Imanagetospend50to60hoursaweekatthetypewriterordoingreportingforthefreelancearticlesIselltomagazinesandnewspapers.Sandy,meanwhile,pursuesherowndemandingschedule.Besidestheusualhouseholdroutine,sheoverseesthegardenandbeehives,bakesbread,cansandfreezes,drivesthekidstotheirmusiclessons,practiceswiththem,takesorganlessonsonherown,doesresearchandtypingforme,writesanarticleherselfnowandthen,tendstheflowerbeds,stacksalittlewoodanddeliverstheeggs.Thereis,astheoldsayinggoes,norestforthewickedonaplacelikethis--andnotmuchforthevirtuouseither.在這些活計(jì)之間，我每周要抽空花五、六十個(gè)小時(shí)，不是打字撰文，就是為作為自由撰稿人投給報(bào)刊的文章進(jìn)行采訪。桑迪則有她自己繁忙的工作日程。除了日常的家務(wù)，她還照管菜園和蜂房，烘烤面包，將食品裝罐、冷藏，開車送孩子學(xué)音樂，和他們一起練習(xí)，自己還要上風(fēng)琴課，為我做些研究工作并打字，自己有時(shí)也寫寫文章，還要侍弄花圃，堆摞木柴、運(yùn)送雞蛋。正如老話說(shuō)的那樣，在這種情形之下，壞人不得閑――賢德之人也歇不了。6Noneofuswilleverforgetourfirstwinter.WewereburiedunderfivefeetofsnowfromDecemberthroughMarch.Whileonestormafteranotherblastedhugedriftsupagainstthehouseandbarn,wekeptwarminsideburningourownwood,eatingourownapplesandlovingeveryminuteofit.我們誰(shuí)也不會(huì)忘記第一年的冬天。從12月一直到3月底，我們都被深達(dá)5英尺的積雪困著。暴風(fēng)雪肆虐，一場(chǎng)接著一場(chǎng)，積雪厚厚地覆蓋著屋子和谷倉(cāng)，而室內(nèi)，我們用自己砍伐的木柴燒火取暖，吃著自家種植的蘋果，溫馨快樂每一分鐘。7Whenspringcame,itbroughttwofloods.Firsttheriveroverflowed,coveringmuchofourlandforweeks.Thenthegrowingseasonbegan,swampingusunderwaveafterwaveofproduce.Ourfreezerfilledupwithcherries,raspberries,strawberries,asparagus,peas,beansandcorn.Thenourcanned-goodsshelvesandcupboardsbegantogrowwithpreserves,tomatojuice,grapejuice,plums,jamsandjellies.Eventually,thebasementfloordisappearedunderpilesofpotatoes,squashandpumpkins,andthebarnbegantofillwithapplesandpears.Itwasamazing.開春后，有過兩次泛濫。一次是河水外溢，我們不少田地被淹了幾個(gè)星期。接著一次是生長(zhǎng)季節(jié)到了，一波又一波的農(nóng)產(chǎn)品潮涌而來(lái)，弄得我們應(yīng)接不暇。我們的冰箱里塞滿了櫻桃、藍(lán)莓、草莓、蘆筍、豌豆、青豆和玉米。接著我們存放食品罐的架子上、柜櫥里也開始堆滿一罐罐的腌漬食品，有番茄汁、葡萄汁、李子、果醬和果凍。最后，地窖里遍地是大堆大堆的土豆、西葫蘆、南瓜，谷倉(cāng)里也儲(chǔ)滿了蘋果和梨。真是太美妙了。8Thenextyearwegrewevenmorefoodandmanagedtogetthroughthewinteronfirewoodthatwasmostlyfromourowntreesandonly100gallonsofheatingoil.AtthatpointIbeganthinkingseriouslyaboutquittingmyjobandstartingtofreelance.Thetimingwasterrible.Bythen,ShawnandAmy,ouroldestgirlswereattendingexpensiveIvyLeagueschoolsandwehadonlyafewthousanddollarsinthebank.Yetwekeptcomingbacktothesamequestion:Willthereeverbeabettertime?Theanswer,decidedly,wasno,andso--withmyemployer'sblessingsandhalfayear'spayinaccumulatedbenefitsinmypocket--offIwent.第二年我們種了更多的作物，差不多就靠著從自家樹林砍斫的木柴以及僅僅100加侖的燃油過了冬。其時(shí)，我開始認(rèn)真考慮起辭了職去從事自由撰稿的事來(lái)。時(shí)機(jī)選得實(shí)在太差。當(dāng)時(shí)，兩個(gè)大的女兒肖恩和埃米正在費(fèi)用很高的常春藤學(xué)校上學(xué)，而我們只有幾千美金的銀行存款。但我們一再回到一個(gè)老問題上來(lái)：真的會(huì)有更好的時(shí)機(jī)嗎？答案無(wú)疑是否定的。于是，帶著老板的祝福，口袋里揣著作為累積津貼的半年薪水，我走了。9Therehavebeenafewanxiousmomentssincethen,butonbalancethingshavegonemuchbetterthanwehadanyrighttoexpect.Forvariousstoriesofmine,I'vecrawledintoblack-beardensforSportsIllustrated,hitchedupdogsledracingteamsforSmithsonianmagazine,checkedouttheLakeChamplain"monster"forScienceDigest,andcanoedthroughtheBoundaryWaterswildernessareaofMinnesotaforDestinations.那以后有過一些焦慮的時(shí)刻，但總的來(lái)說(shuō)，情況比我們料想的要好得多。為了寫那些內(nèi)容各不相同的文章，我為《體育畫報(bào)》爬進(jìn)過黑熊窩；為《史密森期刊》替參賽的一組組狗套上過雪橇；為《科學(xué)文摘》調(diào)查過尚普蘭湖水怪的真相；為《終點(diǎn)》雜志在明尼蘇達(dá)劃著小舟穿越美、加邊界水域內(nèi)的公共荒野保護(hù)區(qū)。10I'mnotmakinganywherenearasmuchmoneyasIdidwhenIwasemployedfulltime,butnowwedon'tneedasmucheither.Igenerateenoughincometohandleour$600-a-monthmortgagepaymentsplustheusualexpensesforafamilylikeours.Thatincludeseverythingfrommusiclessonsanddentalbillstocarrepairsandcollegecosts.Whenitcomestoinsurance,wehaveapoorman'smajor-medicalpolicy.Wehavetopaythefirst$500ofanymedicalfeesforeachmemberofthefamily.Itpicksup80%ofthecostsbeyondthat.Althoughwearestuckwithpayingminorexpenses,ourpremiumislow--only$560ayear--andwearecoveredagainstcatastrophe.Asidefromthatandthepolicyonourtwocarsat$400ayear,wehavenootherinsurance.Butwearesettingaside$2,000ayearinanIRA.我掙的錢遠(yuǎn)比不上擔(dān)任全職工作時(shí)的收入，可如今我們需要的錢也沒有過去多。我掙的錢足以應(yīng)付每月600美金的房屋貸款按揭以及一家人的日常開銷。那些開銷包括了所有支出，如音樂課學(xué)費(fèi)、牙醫(yī)賬單、汽車維修以及大學(xué)費(fèi)用等等。至于保險(xiǎn)，我們買了一份低收入者的主要醫(yī)療項(xiàng)目保險(xiǎn)。我們需要為每一位家庭成員的任何一項(xiàng)醫(yī)療費(fèi)用支付最初的500美金。醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)則支付超出部分的80％。雖然我們?nèi)砸Ц缎〔糠轴t(yī)療費(fèi)用，但我們的保險(xiǎn)費(fèi)也低--每年只要560美金--而我們給自己生大病保了險(xiǎn)。除了這一保險(xiǎn)項(xiàng)目，以及兩輛汽車每年400美金的保險(xiǎn)，我們就沒有其他保險(xiǎn)了。不過我們每年留出2000美元入個(gè)人退休金賬戶。11We'vebeenabletomakeupthedifferenceinincomebycuttingbackwithoutappreciablyloweringourstandardofliving.Wecontinuetodineoutonceortwiceamonth,butnowwepatronizelocalrestaurantsinsteadofmoreexpensiveplacesinthecity.WestillattendtheoperaandballetinMilwaukeebutonlyafewtimesayear.Weeatlessmeat,drinkcheaperwineandseefewermovies.ExtravagantChristmasesareamemory,andwecombinevacationswithstoryassignments...我們通過節(jié)約開支而又不明顯降低生活水準(zhǔn)的方式來(lái)彌補(bǔ)收入差額。我們每個(gè)月仍出去吃一兩次飯，不過現(xiàn)在我們光顧的是當(dāng)?shù)夭宛^，而不是城里的高級(jí)飯店。我們?nèi)匀ッ軤栁只牳鑴】窗爬傺莩?，不過一年才幾次。我們?nèi)獬缘蒙倭?，酒喝得便宜了，電影看得少了。鋪張的圣誕節(jié)成為一種回憶，我們把完成稿約作為度假的一部分……12Isuspectnoteveryonewholovesthecountrywouldbehappylivingthewaywedo.Ittakesacoupleofspecialqualities.Oneisatoleranceforsolitude.Becausewearesobusyandonsuchatightbudget,wedon'tentertainmuch.Duringthegrowingseasonthereisnotimeforsocializinganyway.JimandEmilyareinvolvedinschoolactivities,buttheytoospendmostoftheirtimeathome.我想，不是所有熱愛鄉(xiāng)村的人都會(huì)樂意過我們這種生活的。這種生活需要一些特殊的素質(zhì)。其一是耐得住寂寞。由于我們?nèi)绱嗣β担诸^又緊，我們很少請(qǐng)客。在作物生長(zhǎng)季節(jié)，根本就沒工夫參加社交活動(dòng)。吉米和埃米莉雖然參加學(xué)校的各種活動(dòng)，但他倆大多數(shù)時(shí)間也呆在家里。13Theotherrequirementisenergy--alotofit.Thewaytomakeself-sufficiencyworkonasmallscaleistoresistthetemptationtobuyatractorandotherexpensivelaborsavingdevices.Instead,youdotheworkyourself.Theonlymachineryweown(notcountingthelawnmower)isalittlethree-horsepowerrotarycultivatoranda16-inchchainsaw.另一項(xiàng)要求是體力――相當(dāng)大的體力。小范圍里實(shí)現(xiàn)自給自足的途徑是抵制誘惑，不去購(gòu)置拖拉機(jī)和其他昂貴的節(jié)省勞力的機(jī)械。相反，你要自己動(dòng)手。我們僅有的機(jī)器（不包括割草機(jī)）是一臺(tái)3馬力的小型旋轉(zhuǎn)式耕耘機(jī)以及一架16英寸的鏈鋸。14Howmuchlongerwe'llhaveenoughenergytostayonhereisanybody'sguess--perhapsforquiteawhile,perhapsnot.Whenthetimecomes,we'llleavewithafeelingofsorrowbutalsowithasenseofprideatwhatwe'vebeenabletoaccomplish.Weshouldmakeafairprofitonthesaleoftheplace,too.We'veinvestedabout$35,000ofourownmoneyinit,andwecouldjustaboutdoublethatifwesoldtoday.Butthisisnotagoodtimetosell.Onceeconomicconditionsimprove,however,demandforfarmslikeoursshouldbestrongagain.沒人知道我們還能有精力在這里再呆多久--也許呆很長(zhǎng)一陣子，也許不是。到走的時(shí)候，我們會(huì)愴然離去，但也會(huì)為自己所做的一切深感自豪。我們把農(nóng)場(chǎng)出售也會(huì)賺相當(dāng)大一筆錢。我們自己在農(nóng)場(chǎng)投入了約35，000美金的資金，要是現(xiàn)在售出的話價(jià)格差不多可以翻一倍。不過現(xiàn)在不是出售的好時(shí)機(jī)。但是一旦經(jīng)濟(jì)形勢(shì)好轉(zhuǎn)，對(duì)我們這種農(nóng)場(chǎng)的需求又會(huì)增多。15Wedidn'tmovehereprimarilytoearnmoneythough.Wecamebecausewewantedtoimprovethequalityofourlives.WhenIwatchEmilycollectingeggsintheevening,fishingwithJimontheriverorenjoyinganold-fashionedpicnicintheorchardwiththeentirefamily,Iknowwe'vefoundjustwhatwewerelookingfor.但我們主要不是為了賺錢而移居至此的。我們來(lái)此居住是因?yàn)橄胩岣呱钯|(zhì)量。當(dāng)我看著埃米莉傍晚去收雞蛋，跟吉米一起在河上釣魚，或和全家人一起在果園里享用老式的野餐，我知道，我們找到了自己一直在尋求的生活方式。unit3TheLandoftheLockTheLandoftheLockBobGreene1InthehousewhereIgrewup,itwasourcustomtoleavethefrontdooronthelatchatnight.Idon'tknowifthatwasalocaltermorifitisuniversal;"onthelatch"meantthedoorwasclosedbutnotlocked.Noneofuscarriedkeys;thelastoneinfortheeveningwouldcloseup,andthatwasit.鎖之國(guó)鮑伯·格林小時(shí)候在家里，我們的前門總是夜不落鎖。我不知道這是當(dāng)?shù)氐囊环N說(shuō)法還是大家都這么說(shuō)；"不落鎖"的意思是掩上門，但不鎖住。我們誰(shuí)都不帶鑰匙；晚上最后一個(gè)回家的人把門關(guān)上，這就行了。2Thosedaysareover.Inruralareasaswellasincities,doorsdonotstayunlocked,evenforpartofanevening.那樣的日子已經(jīng)一去不復(fù)返了。在鄉(xiāng)下，在城里，門不再關(guān)著不鎖上，哪怕是傍晚一段時(shí)間也不例外。3Suburbsandcountryareasare,inmanyways,evenmorevulnerablethanwell-patroledurbanstreets.Statisticsshowthecrimeraterisingmoredramaticallyinthoseallegedlytranquilareasthanincities.Atanyrate,theeraofleavingthefrontdooronthelatchisover.在許多方面，郊區(qū)和農(nóng)村甚至比巡查嚴(yán)密的城市街道更易受到攻擊。統(tǒng)計(jì)顯示，那些據(jù)稱是安寧的地區(qū)的犯罪率上升得比城鎮(zhèn)更為顯著。不管怎么說(shuō)，前門虛掩不落鎖的時(shí)代是一去不復(fù)返了。4Ithasbeenreplacedbydead-boltlocks,securitychains,electronicalarmsystemsandtripwireshookeduptoapolicestationorprivateguardfirm.Manysuburbanfamilieshaveslidingglassdoorsontheirpatios,withsteelbarselegantlybuiltinsonoonecanprythedoorsopen.取而代之的是防盜鎖、防護(hù)鏈、電子報(bào)警系統(tǒng)，以及連接警署或私人保安公司的報(bào)警裝置。郊區(qū)的許多人家在露臺(tái)上安裝了玻璃滑門，內(nèi)側(cè)有裝得很講究的鋼條，這樣就沒人能把門撬開。5Itisnotuncommon,inthemostpleasantofhomes,toseepastedonthewindowssmallnoticesannouncingthatthepremisesareundersurveillancebythissecurityforceorthatguardcompany.在最溫馨的居家，也常?？吹玫酱吧腺N著小小的告示，稱本宅由某家安全機(jī)構(gòu)或某個(gè)保安公司負(fù)責(zé)監(jiān)管。6ThelockisthenewsymbolofAmerica.Indeed,arecentpublic-serviceadvertisementbyalargeinsurancecompanyfeaturednotchartsshowinghowmuchatriskweare,butapictureofachild'sbicyclewiththenow-usualpadlockattachedtoit.鎖成了美國(guó)的新的象征。的確，一家大保險(xiǎn)公司最近的一則公益廣告沒有用圖表表明我們所處的危險(xiǎn)有多大，而是用了一幅童車的圖片，車身上懸著如今無(wú)所不在的掛鎖。7Theadpointedoutthat,yes,itistheinsurancecompaniesthatpayforstolengoods,butwhoisgoingtopayforwhatthenewatmosphereofdistrustandfearisdoingtoourwayoflife?WhoisgoingtomakethepsychicpaymentforthetransformationofAmericafromtheLandoftheFreetotheLandoftheLock?廣告指出，沒錯(cuò)，確是保險(xiǎn)公司理賠失竊物品，但誰(shuí)來(lái)賠償互不信任、擔(dān)心害怕這種新氛圍對(duì)我們的生活方式所造成的影響呢？誰(shuí)來(lái)對(duì)美國(guó)從自由之國(guó)到鎖之國(guó)這一蛻變作出精神賠償呢？8Forthatiswhathashappened.WehavebecomesousedtodefendingourselvesagainstthenewatmosphereofAmericanlife,sousedtoputtingupbarriers,thatwehavenothadtimetothinkaboutwhatitmaymean.因?yàn)槟蔷褪乾F(xiàn)狀。我們已經(jīng)變得如此習(xí)慣于保護(hù)自己不受美國(guó)生活新氛圍的影響，如此習(xí)慣于設(shè)置障礙，因而無(wú)暇考慮這一切意味著什么。9Forsomereasonwearesatisfiedwhenwethinkwearewell-protected;itdoesnotoccurtoustoaskourselves:Whyhasthishappened?Whyarewehavingtobarricadeourselvesagainstourneighborsandfellowcitizens,andwhen,exactly,didthisstarttotakeoverourlives?出于某種原因，當(dāng)我們覺得防范周密時(shí)就感到心滿意足；我們沒有問過自己：為什么會(huì)出現(xiàn)這種情況？為什么非得把自己與鄰居和同住一城的居民相隔絕，這一切究竟是從什么時(shí)候開始主宰我們生活的？10Andithastakenover.Ifyouworkforamedium-tolarge-sizecompany,chancesarethatyoudon'tjustwanderinandoutofwork.Youprobablycarrysomekindofaccesscard,electronicorotherwise,thatallowsyouinandoutofyourplaceofwork.Maybethesecurityguardatthefrontdeskknowsyourfaceandwillwaveyouinmostdays,butthefactremainsthatthebusinessyouworkforfeelsthreatenedenoughtokeepoutsidersawayviathese"keys."這一切確是主宰了我們的生活。如果你在一家大中型公司上班，你上下班很可能不好隨意進(jìn)出。你可能隨身帶著某種出入卡，電子的或別的什么的，因?yàn)檫@卡能讓你進(jìn)出工作場(chǎng)所。也許前臺(tái)的保安認(rèn)識(shí)你這張臉，平日一揮手讓你進(jìn)去，但事實(shí)明擺著，你所任職的公司深感面臨威脅，因此要借助這些“鑰匙”不讓外人靠近。11Itwasn'talwayslikethis.Evenadecadeago,mostprivatebusinesseshadapolicyoffreeaccess.Itsimplydidn'toccurtomanagersthattheproperthingtodowastodistrustpeople.這一現(xiàn)象并非向來(lái)有之。即使在十年前，大多數(shù)私營(yíng)公司仍采取自由出入的做法。那時(shí)管理人員根本沒想到過恰當(dāng)?shù)氖侄问遣恍湃嗡恕?2Lookattheairports.Parentsusedtotakechildrenouttodeparturegatestowatchplaneslandandtakeoff.That'sallgone.Airportsarenolongeraplaceofeducationandfun;theyarethemostsophisticatedofsecuritysites.且看各地機(jī)場(chǎng)。過去家長(zhǎng)常常帶孩子去登機(jī)口看飛機(jī)起飛降落。這種事再也沒有了。機(jī)場(chǎng)不再是一個(gè)有趣的學(xué)習(xí)場(chǎng)所；它們成了擁有最精密的安全檢查系統(tǒng)的場(chǎng)所。13WithelectronicX-rayequipment,weseemfinallytohavefiguredoutawaytoholdtheterrorists,realandimagined,atbay;itwassucharelieftosolvethisproblemthatwedidnotthinkmuchaboutwhatsuchastateofaffairssaysaboutthequalityofourlives.Wenowpassthroughtheseelectronicfriskerswithoutsomuchasasidewaysglance;themachines,andwhattheystandfor,havewon.憑借著電子透視裝置，我們似乎終于想出妙計(jì)讓恐怖分子無(wú)法近身，無(wú)論是真的恐怖分子還是憑空臆想的。能解決這一問題真是如釋重負(fù)，于是我們不去多想這種狀況對(duì)我們的生活質(zhì)量意味著什么。如今我們走過這些電子搜查器時(shí)已經(jīng)看都不看一眼了，這些裝置，還有它們所代表的一切已經(jīng)獲勝。14Ourneighborhoodsarebathedinhigh-intensitylight;wedonotwanttoaffordourselvesevensomuchaluxuryasashadow.我們的居住區(qū)處在強(qiáng)光源的照射下；我們連哪怕像陰影這樣小小的享受也不想給自己。15Businessmen,inincreasingnumbers,arepurchasingnewmachinesthathookuptothetelephoneandanalyzeacaller'svoice.Themachinesaresupposedtotellthebusinessman,withasmallmarginoferror,whetherhisfriendorclientistellinglies.越來(lái)越多的商人正購(gòu)置連接在電話機(jī)上、能剖析來(lái)電者聲音的新機(jī)器。據(jù)說(shuō)那種機(jī)器能讓商人知道他的朋友或客戶是否在撒謊，其出錯(cuò)概率很小。16Allthisisbeingdoneinthenameof"security";thatiswhatwetellourselves.Wearefearful,andsowedevisewaystolockthefearout,andthat,wedecide,iswhatsecuritymeans.所有這一切都是以“安全”的名義實(shí)施的：我們是這么跟自己說(shuō)的。我們害怕，于是我們?cè)O(shè)法把害怕鎖在外面，我們認(rèn)定，那就是安全的意義。17Butno;withallthis"security,"weareperhapsthemostinsecurenationinthehistoryofcivilizedman.Whatbetterwordtodescribethewayinwhichwehavebeenforcedtolive?Whatsadderreflectiononallthatwehavebecomeinthisnewandpuzzlingtime?其實(shí)不然；我們雖然有了這一切安全措施，但我們或許是人類文明史上最不安全的國(guó)民。還有什么更好的字眼能用來(lái)描述我們被迫選擇的生活方式呢？還有什么更為可悲地表明我們?cè)谶@個(gè)令人困惑的新時(shí)代所感受到的惶恐之情呢？18Wetrustnoone.Suburbanhousewiveswearrapewhistlesontheirstationwagonkeychains.Wehavebecomesosmartaboutself-protectionthat,intheend,wehavealloutsmartedourselves.Wemayhavelockedtheevilsout,butinsodoingwehavelockedourselvesin.我們不信任任何人。郊區(qū)的家庭主婦在客貨兩用車鑰匙鏈上掛著防強(qiáng)暴口哨。我們?cè)谧晕曳佬l(wèi)方面變得如此聰明，最終聰明反被聰明誤。我們或許是把邪惡鎖在了門外，但在這么做的同時(shí)我們把自己鎖在里邊了。19Thatmaybethelegacywerememberbestwhenwelookbackonthisage:Indealingwiththeunseenhorrorsamongus,webecameprisonersofourselves.Allofusprisoners,inthistimeofourtroubles.那也許是我們將來(lái)回顧這一時(shí)代時(shí)記得最牢的精神遺產(chǎn)：在對(duì)付我們中間無(wú)形的恐懼之時(shí)，我們成了自己的囚徒。在我們這個(gè)問題重重的時(shí)代，所有的人都是囚徒。unit5WritingThreeThank-YouLettersWritingThreeThank-YouLettersAlexHaley1Itwas1943,duringWorldWarII,andIwasayoungU.S.coastguardsman.Myship,theUSSMurzim,hadbeenunderwayforseveraldays.Mostofherholdscontainedthousandsofcartonsofcannedordriedfoods.Theotherholdswereloadedwithfive-hundred-poundbombspackeddelicatelyinpaddedracks.OurdestinationwasabigbaseontheislandofTulagiintheSouthPacific.寫三封感謝信亞利克斯·黑利那是在二戰(zhàn)期間的1943年，我是個(gè)年輕的美國(guó)海岸警衛(wèi)隊(duì)隊(duì)員。我們的船，美國(guó)軍艦軍市一號(hào)已出海多日。多數(shù)船艙裝著成千上萬(wàn)箱罐裝或風(fēng)干的食品。其余的船艙裝著不少五百磅重的炸彈，都小心翼翼地放在墊過的架子上。我們的目的地是南太平洋圖拉吉島上一個(gè)規(guī)模很大的基地。2IwasoneoftheMurzim'sseveralcooksand,quitethesameasforfolkashore,thisThanksgivingmorninghadseenusbusilypreparingatraditionaldinnerfeaturingroastturkey.我是軍市一號(hào)上的一個(gè)廚師，跟岸上的人一樣，那個(gè)感恩節(jié)的上午，我們忙著在準(zhǔn)備一道以烤火雞為主的傳統(tǒng)菜肴。3Well,asanycookknows,it'salotofhardworktocookandserveabigmeal,andcleanupandputeverythingaway.Butfinally,aroundsundown,wefinishedatlast.當(dāng)廚師的都知道，要烹制一頓大餐，擺上桌，再刷洗、收拾干凈，是件辛苦的事。不過，等到太陽(yáng)快下山時(shí)，我們總算全都收拾停當(dāng)了。4IdecidedfirsttogooutontheMurzim'safterdeckforabreathofopenair.Imademywayoutthere,breathingingreat,deepdraughtswhilewalkingslowlyabout,stillwearingmywhitecook'shat.我想先去后甲板透透氣。我信步走去，一邊深深呼吸著空氣，一邊慢慢地踱著步，頭上仍戴著那頂白色的廚師帽。5IgottothinkingaboutThanksgiving,ofthePilgrims,Indians,wildturkeys,pumpkins,cornonthecob,andtherest.我開始思索起感恩節(jié)這個(gè)節(jié)日來(lái)，想著清教徒前輩移民、印第安人、野火雞、南瓜、玉米棒等等。6Yetmymindseemedtobeinquestofsomethingelse--somewaythatIcouldpersonallyapplytothecloseofThanksgiving.Itmusthavetakenmeahalfhourtosensethatmaybesomekeytoananswercouldresultfromreversingtheword"Thanksgiving"--atleastthatsuggestedaverbaldirection,"Givingthanks."可我腦子里似乎還在搜索著別的事什么――某種我能夠賦予這一節(jié)日以個(gè)人意義的方式。大概過了半個(gè)小時(shí)左右我才意識(shí)到，問題的關(guān)鍵也許在于把Thanksgiving這個(gè)字前后顛倒一下――那樣一來(lái)至少文字好懂了：Givingthanks。7Givingthanks--asinpraying,thankingGod,Ithought.Yes,ofcourse.Certainly.表達(dá)謝意――就如在祈禱時(shí)感謝上帝那樣，我暗想。對(duì)啊，是這樣，當(dāng)然是這樣。8Yetmymindcontinuedturningtheideaover.可我腦子里仍一直盤桓著這事。9Afterawhile,likeadawn'sbrightening,afurtheranswerdidcome--thattherewerepeopletothank,peoplewhohaddonesomuchformethatIcouldneverpossiblyrepaythem.TheembarrassingtruthwasI'dalwaysjustacceptedwhatthey'ddone,takenallofitforgranted.NotonetimehadIeverbotheredtoexpresstoanyofthemsomuchasasimple,sincere"Thankyou."過了片刻，如同晨曦初現(xiàn)，一個(gè)更清晰的念頭終于涌現(xiàn)腦際――要感謝他人，那些賜我以諸多恩惠，我根本無(wú)以回報(bào)的人們。令我深感不安的實(shí)際情形是，我向來(lái)對(duì)他們所做的一切受之泰然，認(rèn)為是理所應(yīng)當(dāng)。我一次也沒想過要對(duì)他們中的任何一位真心誠(chéng)意地說(shuō)一句簡(jiǎn)單的謝謝。10Atleastsevenpeoplehadbeenparticularlyandlastinglyhelpfultome.Irealized,swallowinghard,thatabouthalfofthemhadsincedied--sotheywereforeverbeyondanypossibleexpressionofgratitudefromme.ThemoreIthoughtaboutit,themoreashamedIbecame.ThenIpicturedthethreewhowerestillaliveand,withinminutes,Iwasdowninmycabin.至少有七個(gè)人對(duì)我有過不同尋常、影響深遠(yuǎn)的幫助。令人難過的是，我意識(shí)到，他們中有一半已經(jīng)過世了――因此他們永遠(yuǎn)也無(wú)法接受我的謝意了。我越想越感到羞愧。最后我想到了仍健在的三位，幾分鐘后，我就回到了自己的艙房。11Sittingatatablewithwritingpaperandmemoriesofthingseachhaddone,Itriedcomposinggenuinestatementsofheartfeltappreciationandgratitudetomydad,SimonA.Haley,aprofessorattheoldAgriculturalMechanicalNormalCollegeinPineBluff,Arkansas;tomygrandma,CynthiaPalmer,backinourlittlehometownofHenning,Tennessee;andtotheRev.LonualNelson,mygrammarschoolprincipal,retiredandlivinginRipley,sixmilesnorthofHenning.我坐在攤著信紙的桌旁，回想著他們各自對(duì)我所做的一切，試圖用真摯的文字表達(dá)我對(duì)他們的由衷的感激之情：父親西蒙·A·黑利，阿肯色州派因布拉夫那所古老的農(nóng)業(yè)機(jī)械師范學(xué)院的教授；住在田納西州小鎮(zhèn)亨寧老家的外祖母辛西婭·帕爾默；以及我的文法學(xué)校校長(zhǎng)，退休后住在亨寧以北6英里處的里普利的洛紐爾·納爾遜牧師。12Thetextsofmylettersbegansomethinglike,"Here,thisThanksgivingatsea,Ifindmythoughtsuponhowmuchyouhavedoneforme,butIhaveneverstoppedandsaidtoyouhowmuchIfeeltheneedtothankyou--"AndbrieflyIrecalledforeachofthemspecificactsperformedonmybehalf.我的信是這樣開頭的：“出海在外度過的這個(gè)感恩節(jié)，令我回想起您為我做了那么多事，但我從來(lái)沒有對(duì)您說(shuō)過自己是多么想感謝您――”我簡(jiǎn)短回憶了各位為我所做的具體事例。13Forinstance,somethinguppermostaboutmyfatherwashowhehadimpresseduponmefromboyhoodtolovebooksandreading.Infact,thisgraduatedintoafamilyhabitofafter-dinnerquizzesatthetableaboutbooksreadmostrecentlyandnewwordslearned.Myloveofbooksneverdiminishedandlaterledmetowardwritingbooksmyself.SomanytimesIhavefeltasadnesswhenexposedtomodernchildrensoimmersedintheelectronicmediathattheyhavelittleornoawarenessofthemarvelousworldtobediscoveredinbooks.例如，我父親的最不同尋常之處在于，從我童年時(shí)代起，他就讓我深深意識(shí)到要熱愛書籍、熱愛閱讀。事實(shí)上，這一愛好漸漸變成一種家庭習(xí)慣，晚飯后大家圍在餐桌旁互相考查近日所讀的書以及新學(xué)的單詞。我對(duì)書籍的熱愛從未減弱，日后還引導(dǎo)我自己撰文著書。多少次，當(dāng)我看到如今的孩子們?nèi)绱顺撩杂陔娮用襟w時(shí)，我不由深感悲哀，他們很少，或者根本不了解書中所能發(fā)現(xiàn)的神奇世界。14IremindedtheReverendNelsonhoweachmorninghewouldopenourlittlecountrytown'sgrammarschoolwithaprayeroverhisassembledstudents.ItoldhimthatwhateverpositivethingsIhaddonesincehadbeeninfluencedatleastinpartbyhismorningschoolprayers.我跟納爾遜牧師提及他如何每天清晨和集合在一起的學(xué)生做禱告，以此開始鄉(xiāng)村小學(xué)的一天。我告訴他，我后來(lái)所做的任何有意義的事，都至少部分地是受了他那些學(xué)校晨禱的影響。15Inthelettertomygrandmother,Iremindedherofadozenwayssheusedtoteachmehowtotellthetruth,toshare,andtobeforgivingandconsiderateofothers.Ithankedherfortheyearsofeatinghergoodcooking,theequalofwhichIhadnotfoundsince.Finally,Ithankedhersimplyforhavingsprinkledmylifewithstardust.在給外祖母的信中，我談到了她用了種種方式教我講真話，教我與人分享，教我寬恕、體諒他人。我感謝她多年來(lái)讓我吃到她燒的美味菜肴，離開她后我從來(lái)沒吃過那么可口的菜肴。最后，我感謝她，因?yàn)樗谖业纳腥鱿旅烂畹腻谙搿?6BeforeIslept,mythreeletterswentintoourship'sofficemailsack.TheygotmailedwhenwereachedTulagiIsland.睡覺前，我的這三封信都送進(jìn)了船上的郵袋。我們抵達(dá)圖拉吉島后都寄了出去。17Weunloadedcargo,reloadedwithsomethingelse,thenagainweputtoseaintheroutinefamiliartous,andasthedaysbecameweeks,mylittlepersonalexperiencereceded.Sometimes,whenwewereatsea,amailshipwouldrendezvousandbringusmailfromhome,which,ofcourse,weaccordedtopmostpriority.我們卸了貨，又裝了其它物品，隨后我們按熟悉的常規(guī)，再次出海。一天又一天，一星期又一星期，我個(gè)人的經(jīng)歷漸漸淡忘。我們?cè)诤Ｉ虾叫袝r(shí)，有時(shí)會(huì)與郵船會(huì)合，郵船會(huì)帶給我們家信，當(dāng)然這是我們視為最緊要的事情。18Everytimetheship'sloudspeakerrasped,"Attention!Mailcall!"twohundred-oddshipmatescamepoundingupondeckandclusteredaboutthetwoseamen,standingbythosepreciousbulginggraysacks.Theywerealternatelypullingoutfistfulsoflettersandbarkingsuccessivenamesofsailorswhowere,inturn,shoutingback"Here!Here!"amidthepushing.每當(dāng)船上的喇叭響起：“大伙聽好！郵件點(diǎn)名！”200名左右的水兵就會(huì)沖上甲板，圍聚在那兩個(gè)站在寶貴的鼓鼓囊囊的灰色郵袋旁的水手周圍。兩人輪流取出一把信，大聲念收信水手的名字，叫到的人從人群當(dāng)中擠出，一邊應(yīng)道：“來(lái)了，來(lái)了！”19One"mailcall"broughtmeresponsesfromGrandma,Dad,andtheReverendNelson--andmyreadingoftheirlettersleftmenotonlyastonishedbutmorehumbledthanbefore.一次“郵件點(diǎn)名”帶給我外祖母，爸爸，以及納爾遜牧師的回信――我讀了信，既震驚又深感卑微。20RatherthansayingtheywouldforgivethatIhadn'tpreviouslythankedthem,instead,forPete'ssake,theywerethankingme--forhavingremembered,forhavingconsideredtheyhaddoneanythingsoexceptiona