【正文】 leventh grade, at the eleventh hour as it were, I had discovered a calling. It was the happiest moment of my entire school career. When Mr. Fleagle finished he put the final seal on my happiness by saying, Now that, boys, is an essay, don39。t you see. It39。s ─ don39。t you see ─ it39。s of the very essence of the essay, don39。t you see. Congratulations, Mr. Baker. 我盡力不流露出得意的心情，但是看到我寫的文章竟然能使別人大笑，我真是心花怒放。就在十一年級(jí)，可謂是最后的時(shí)刻，我找到了一個(gè)今生想做的事。這是我整個(gè)求學(xué)生涯中最幸福的一刻。弗利格爾先生念完后說(shuō)道： 瞧，孩子們，這就是小品文，懂了沒(méi)有。這才是 ── 知道嗎 ── 這才是小品文的精髓，知道了沒(méi)有。祝賀你，貝克先生。 他這番話使我沉浸在十全十美的幸福之中。 Unit 2 All the Cabbie Had Was a Letter Foster Furcolo 1 He must have been pletely lost in something he was reading because I had to tap on the windshield to get his attention. 出租車司機(jī)擁有的就剩一封信 福斯特 ?弗克洛 他準(zhǔn)是完全沉浸在所讀的東西里了，因?yàn)槲也坏貌磺脫躏L(fēng)玻璃來(lái)引起他的注意。 2 Is your cab available? I asked when he finally looked up at me. He nodded, then said apologetically as I settled into the back seat, I39。m sorry, but I was reading a letter. He sounded as if he had a cold or something. 他總算抬頭看我了?！澳愠鲕噯?？”我問(wèn)道。他點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，當(dāng)我坐進(jìn)后座時(shí)，他抱 歉地說(shuō)：“對(duì)不起，我在讀一封信?！甭?tīng)上去他像是得了感冒什么的。 3 I39。m in no hurry, I told him. Go ahead and finish your letter. “我不著急，”我對(duì)他說(shuō)，“你接著把信讀完吧?！? 4 He shook his head. I39。ve read it several times already. I guess I almost know it by heart. 他搖了搖頭。“我已經(jīng)讀了好幾遍了 。我想我都能背出來(lái)了?！? 5 Letters from home always mean a lot, I said. At least they do with me because I39。m on the road so much. Then, estimating that he was 60 or 70 years old, I guessed: From a child or maybe a grandchild? “家書抵萬(wàn)金啊，”我說(shuō)?！爸辽賹?duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)是這樣， 因?yàn)槲依鲜窃谕饴眯??！蔽夜懒克辛呤畾q了，便猜測(cè)說(shuō)：“是孩子還是孫子寫來(lái)的？” 4 6 This isn39。t family, he replied. Although, he went on, e to think of it, it might just as well have been family. Old Ed was my oldest friend. In fact, we used to call each other 39。Old Friend39。 ─ when we39。d meet, that is. I39。m not much of a hand at writing. “不是家里人，”他回答說(shuō)。“不過(guò)，”他接著說(shuō)，“想起來(lái)，也可以算是一家人了。埃德老伙計(jì)是我最老的朋友了。實(shí)際上，過(guò)去我倆總是以‘老朋友’相稱的 —— 就是說(shuō)，當(dāng)我倆相見(jiàn)時(shí)。我這人就是不大會(huì)寫東西。” 7 I don39。t think any of us keep up our correspondence too well, I said. I know I don39。t. But I take it he39。s someone you39。ve known quite a while? “我看大家寫信都不那么勤快，”我說(shuō)，“我自己筆頭就很懶。我看，你認(rèn)識(shí)他挺久了吧？” 8 All my life, practically. We were kids together, so we go way back. “差不多認(rèn)識(shí)了一輩子了。我倆小時(shí)候就一起玩，所以我倆的友誼確實(shí)很長(zhǎng)了。” 9 Went to school together? “一起上的學(xué)？” 10 All the way through high school. We were in the same class, in fact, through both grade and high school. “都一起上到高中呢。事實(shí)上，我倆從小學(xué)到高中都在一個(gè)班里?！? 11 There are not too many people who39。ve had such a long friendship, I said. “保持這么長(zhǎng)久友誼的人可真不多見(jiàn)啊，”我說(shuō)。 12 Actually, the driver went on, I hadn39。t seen him more than once or twice a year over the past 25 or 30 years because I moved away from the old neighborhood and you kind of lose touch even though you never fet. He was a great guy. “其實(shí)呢，”司機(jī)接著說(shuō)，“近 25 到30 年來(lái)，我跟他一年只見(jiàn)一兩次面，因?yàn)槲覐脑瓉?lái)住的老街坊搬了出來(lái)，聯(lián)系自然就少了，雖說(shuō)你一直放在心上。他在的時(shí)候可真是個(gè)大好人?！? 13 You said 39。was39。. Does that mean ─ ? “你剛才說(shuō)他‘在的時(shí)候’。你是說(shuō) —— ？” 14 He nodded. Died a couple of weeks ago. 他點(diǎn)了點(diǎn)頭。“前兩個(gè)星期過(guò)世 啦。” 15 I39。m sorry, I said. It39。s no fun to lose any friend ─ and losing a real old one is even tougher. “真遺憾，”我說(shuō)，“失去朋友真不是個(gè)滋味，失去個(gè)真正的老朋友更讓人受不了。” 16 He didn39。t reply to that, and we rode on in silence for a few minutes. But I realized that Old Ed was still on his mind when he spoke again, almost more to himself than to me: I should have kept in touch. Yes, he repeated, I should have kept in touch. 他開(kāi)著車，沒(méi)有接話兒。 我們沉默了幾分鐘?？晌抑浪€在想著老埃德。他又開(kāi)口時(shí)，與其說(shuō)是跟我說(shuō)話，還不如說(shuō)是自言自語(yǔ)：“我真該一直保持聯(lián)系。真的，”他重復(fù)道，“我真該一直 保持聯(lián)系?！? 17 well, I agreed, We should all keep in touch with old friends more than we do. But things e up and we just don39。t seem to find the time. “是啊，”我表示贊同，“我們都該與老朋友保持更多的聯(lián)系。不過(guò)總是有事情冒出來(lái)，好像就是抽不出空來(lái)。” 5 18 He shrugged. We used to find the time, he said. That39。s even mentioned in the letter. He handed it over to me. Take a look. 他聳了聳肩?！拔覀冞^(guò)去總能抽出空來(lái)，”他說(shuō)?！靶爬镞€提到呢?！彼研胚f給我，“你看看吧。” 19 Thanks, I said, but I don39。t want to read your mail. That39。s pretty personal. “謝謝你，”我說(shuō)，“不過(guò) 我不想讀你的信。這純屬私事?！? 20 The driver shrugged. Old Ed39。s dead. There39。s nothing personal now. Go ahead, he urged me. 司機(jī)聳一聳肩?！袄习５氯硕妓懒恕](méi)什么私事不私事了。念吧，”他催促說(shuō)。 21 The letter was written in pencil. It began with the greeting Old Friend,and the first sentence reminded me of myself. I39。ve been meaning to write for some time, but I39。ve always postponed it. It then went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together when they both lived in the same neighborhood. It had references to things that probably meant something to the driver, such as the time Tim Shea broke the window, the Halloween that we tied Old Mr. Parker39。s gate, and when Mrs. Culver used to keep us after school. 信是用鉛筆寫的。稱呼寫著“老朋友”，而開(kāi)頭第一句話讓我想到自己。“早就想寫信了，可就是一拖再拖?！? 信里接著寫道，他常?；叵霃那皟扇俗≡谝粋€(gè)街坊時(shí)的快樂(lè)時(shí)光。信里提到些事，可能對(duì)司機(jī)很重要，比如“那次蒂姆 ?謝打破窗子，那年萬(wàn)圣節(jié)前夕，我們把老帕克先生的大門拴了起來(lái)，還有卡爾弗太太老是在放學(xué)后把咱倆留下訓(xùn)斥的那陣子”。 22 You must have spent a lot of time together, I said to him. “你們倆準(zhǔn)是在一起度過(guò)了不少時(shí)光， ”我對(duì)他說(shuō)。 23 Like it says there, he answered, about all we had to spend in those days was time. He shook his head: Time. “就跟信里寫的那樣，”他回答說(shuō)，“我倆在那個(gè)時(shí)候能花的只有時(shí)間?！彼麚u頭嘆道：“時(shí)間啊。” 24 I thought the next paragraph of the letter was a little sad: I began the letter with Old Friend because that39。s what we39。ve bee over the years ─ old friends. And there aren39。t many of us left. 信里接下來(lái)的那段我覺(jué)得有點(diǎn)凄涼：“信的開(kāi)頭我寫著‘老朋友’，因?yàn)檫@么多年來(lái)，我們這對(duì)老朋友漸漸都老了。我們這些人當(dāng)中留下的也不多了?！? 25 You know, I said to him, When it says here that there aren39。t many of us left, that39。s absolutely right. Every time I go to a class reunion, for ex