【正文】 30 After he passed away, I thought more and more about Tony39。他告訴我，他說服了兒時的伙伴前來美國。” 26 We sat down and talked. Tony told me that to own a farm was his dream. He loved the tomatoes and peppers and all the other vegetables important to his Italian diet. He had sent for his wife and son and daughter back in Italy. He had hunted around the edge of town until he found a small, abandoned piece of property with a house and shed. Now he was moving his family to his farm. 我們坐下聊了起來。托尼樂不可支?！? 20 Now, wait a minute, I replied. Here is a hardworking man, a man of character, I can promise you that. He39。我們聊起了他的工作，接著我問他有什么要求?！拔蚁雽W(xué)徒，”他說。 11 Summer passed into fall, and winds blew cold. Mr. Craw, snow pretty soon, Tony told me one evening. When winter e, you give me job clearing snow at the factory. 夏去秋來，涼風(fēng)陣陣。我倆都覺得奇怪，他怎么沒提出要工錢。特里韋索諾，”他回答說，“我割你的草坪。他什么時候怎么到美國的，我不清楚。托尼 7 The world today is filled with dangers, hence the sick joke that the reason we have not been contacted by an alien civilization is that civilizations tend to destroy themselves when they reach our stage. But I have sufficient faith in the good sense of the public to believe that we might prove this wrong. 當(dāng)今世界充滿危險，因此就有了那個令人毛骨悚然的玩笑，說我們尚未受到外星文明造訪的原因在于：但凡文明發(fā)展到我們目前的程度，它們往往就自我毀滅了。但對我們其余的人來說，對科學(xué)概念有個質(zhì)的認識就已足夠，這可 以用文字和圖表來表述，大可不必使用公式。但在學(xué)校里，科學(xué)往往被教得枯燥乏味。目前，公眾對科學(xué)存有矛盾之心。也沒有人能阻止未來的進一步發(fā)展。但正如歷史所表明的，過去并非那么美妙。” 36 When I got to my hotel room I didn39。s name was Ed, I said. Why did he sign it Tom? “我記得你朋友叫埃德，”我說，“為什么他署名湯姆呢？” 34 The letter was not from Ed to me, he explained. I39。于是我接著說：“我也真想收到這樣一封老朋友的來信。當(dāng)然，我倆都總在卡上寫幾句 —— 通常是關(guān)于各自家里的情況，不是嗎，孩子們在干些什么，誰搬到哪兒，添了個小孫子，都是這類事 —— 可一直都沒正兒八經(jīng)地寫過信什么的。 27 Did you two work at the same place? I asked him. “你們倆以前在一起工作嗎？”我問他。ve bee over the years ─ old friends. And there aren39?！霸缇拖雽懶帕?，可就是一拖再拖?！袄习５氯硕妓懒?。”他把信遞給我，“你看看吧。真的，”他重復(fù)道，“我真該一直 保持聯(lián)系?！? 15 I39。 12 Actually, the driver went on, I hadn39。s someone you39。m not much of a hand at writing. “不是家里人，”他回答說?！? 5 Letters from home always mean a lot, I said. At least they do with me because I39。他點點頭，當(dāng)我坐進后座時，他抱 歉地說：“對不起，我在讀一封信。弗利格爾先生念完后說道： 瞧，孩子們，這就是小品文，懂了沒有。 9 I did my best to avoid showing pleasure, but what I was feeling was pure delight at this demonstration that my words had the power to make people laugh. In the eleventh 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。 我要給你們念一篇小品文。s but mine. I was preparing myself for a mand to report to Mr. Fleagle immediately after school for discipline when I saw him lift my paper from his desk and knock for the class39。 5 Suddenly I wanted to write about that, about the warmth and good feeling of it, but I wanted to put it down simply for my own joy, not for Mr. Fleagle. It was a moment I wanted to recapture and hold for myself. I wanted to relive the pleasure of that evening. To write it as I wanted, however, would violate all the rules of formal position I39。我躺在沙發(fā)上，最終不得不面 2 對這一討厭的功課，便從筆記本里抽出作文題目單粗粗一看。他戴著古板的毫無裝飾的眼鏡，微微卷曲的頭發(fā)剪得筆齊，梳得紋絲不亂。貝克 從孩提時代，我還住在貝爾維爾時，我的腦子里就斷斷續(xù)續(xù)地轉(zhuǎn)著當(dāng)作家的念頭，但直等到我高中三年級，這一想法才有了實現(xiàn)的可能。 1 Unit 1 When we are writing we are often told to keep our readers in mind, to shape what we say to fit their tastes and interests. But there is one reader in particular who should not be fotten. Can you guess who? Russell Baker surprised himself and everyone else when he discovered the answer. 我們寫作時常常被告誡，腦子里要有讀者，筆者所云一定要符合讀者的口味和興趣。在這之前，我對所有跟英文課沾邊的事都感到膩味。他身穿古板的套裝，領(lǐng)帶端端正正地頂著白襯衣的領(lǐng)扣。我的目光落在 吃意大利細面條的藝術(shù) 這個題目上。d learned in school, and Mr. Fleagle would surely give it a failing grade. Never mind. I would write something else for Mr. Fleagle after I had written this thing for myself. 突然我就想描述那一切，描述當(dāng)時那種溫馨美好的氣氛，但我把它寫下來僅僅是想自得其樂，而不是為弗利格爾先生而寫。s attention. 等我寫完時已是半夜時分，再沒時間為弗利格爾先生寫一篇循規(guī)蹈矩、像模像樣的文章了。文章的題目是：吃意大利細面條的藝術(shù)。t you see. It39。這才是 ── 知道嗎 ── 這才是小品文的精髓，知道了沒有?！甭犐先ニ袷堑昧烁忻笆裁吹摹 on the road so much. Then, estimating that he was 60 or 70 years old, I guessed: From a child or maybe a grandchild? “家書抵萬金啊，”我說。“不過，”他接著說，“想起來，也可以算是一家人了。ve known quite a while? “我看大家寫信都不那么勤快，”我說，“我自己筆頭就很懶。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. “其實呢，”司機接著說，“近 25 到30 年來，我跟他一年只見一兩次面，因為我從原來住的老街坊搬了出來，聯(lián)系自然就少了，雖說你一直放在心上。m sorry, I said. It39。” 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?！? 19 Thanks, I said, but I don39。沒什么私事不私事了?！? 信里接著寫道，他常?；叵霃那皟扇俗≡谝粋€街坊時的快樂時光。t many of us left. 信里接下來的那段我覺得有點凄涼：“信的開頭我寫著‘老朋友’，因為這么多年來，我們這對老朋友漸漸都老了。 6 28 No, but we hung out on the same corner when we were single. And then, when we were married, we used to go to each other39?！? 29 This is a good part here, I said. Where it says Your friendship over the years has meant an awful lot to me, more than I can say because I39。” 31 We were getting close to our destination so I skipped to the last paragraph. So I thought you39。m Tom. It39。t unpack right away. First I had to write a letter ─ and mail it. 我進了旅館房間之后，沒有馬上打開箱包。過去對享有特權(quán)的少數(shù)人不算太糟，但即便他們也無從享受現(xiàn)代醫(yī)療，而生育對婦女來說風(fēng)險極大。即使所有用于研究的政府資金都被取消 （現(xiàn)政府最擅此事），競爭的力量仍將繼續(xù)帶來技術(shù)的發(fā)展。公眾期望科技新發(fā)展帶來的生活水準(zhǔn)的穩(wěn)定提高能繼續(xù)，但又懷疑科學(xué)，因為他們不懂科學(xué)。孩子們死記硬背應(yīng)付考試，他們看不出科學(xué)與他們的周圍世界的聯(lián)系。 6 The science people learn in school can provide the basic framework. But the rate of scientific progress is now so rapid that there are always new developments that have occurred since one