1、1Unit 5 单元五Everyday Cruelty 日常残忍Last week, I found myself worrying less about problems of world politics, and national crime 上周,我发现自己担心世界政治的问题有关的少,国家犯罪and more about smaller evils. I came home one day with a bad taste in my mouth, the kind I 小多源。我回家的时候,有一天在一个糟糕的滋味,是那种我get whenever I witness the litt
2、le cruelties that people inflict on each other. On this 每当我看到得到小残酷的,人们给对方。在这particular day, I had seen three especially mean-spirited things happen. 一天,我看到三个特别是卑鄙的事情发生。I first thought about mean-spirited people as I walked from the bus stop to the office where 我第一次想到人们卑鄙,当我走离公共汽车站到办公室去哪里2I work. I m
3、ake this walk every day, and its my first step away from the comforts of home 我的工作。我每天步行,这是我的第一步家里的舒适and into the tensions of the city. For me, a landmark on the route is a tiny patch of ground 和城市的紧张关系。对我来说,一个里程碑一小片路径的层面甚广that was once strewn with rubbish and broken glass. The city is trying to mak
4、e a “pocket 曾是到处是垃圾和碎玻璃。这个城市正在努力做一个“口袋里park“ out of it by planting trees and flowers. Every day this spring, I watched the skinny 这件事公园”种植树木和花草。每一天,这个春天,我看着这么回事saplings put out tiny leaves. When I walked past, I always noted how big the tulips were 小树伸出微小的叶子。当我走过,我总是意识到大郁金香是什么getting and made bets w
5、ith myself on when they would bloom. But last Wednesday, as I reached 对自己越来越使投注在那时他们也许会开花。但是上个星期三,当我到达3the park I fell sick. Someone had knocked the trees to the ground and trampled the budding 公园里我病倒了。有人撞翻了树在地上,践踏萌芽的tulips into the dirt. Someone had destroyed a bit of beauty for no reason. 郁金香在泥土上。
6、有人破坏了一些美丽,不需要理由。At lunchtime on Wednesday, I witnessed more meanness. Along with dozens of other hungry, 在周三中午,我所亲眼目睹更卑鄙。随着许多其他的饿了,hurried people, I was waiting in line at McDonald s. Also in line was a young mother with 匆忙的人,我排队时麦当劳的。同样遵循的是一位年轻的母亲two tired, impatient children clinging to her legs.
7、The mother was trying to calm the 两个累,不耐烦的儿女都能抓住她的双腿。母亲在试图平息children, but it was obvious that they were about to start crying. The lines barely moved, 孩子,但很显然,他们正准备开始哭了起来。线条几乎一动不动,4and the lunchline tension was building. Then, one of the children began to cry and scream. 和 lunchline 张力的建筑。然后,一个小孩哭起来
8、,尖叫。The little boy s yells resounded through the restaurant, and people stared angrily at the 这个小男孩很喊响彻那家餐馆,而且气愤地瞧人们凝视着helpless mother. Finally, one man turned to her and said, “Lady, you shouldnt bring your 无奈母亲。最后,一个人转向她,说:“女士,你不应该把你的kids to a public place if you cant control them.“ The woman was
9、exhausted and hungry. 孩子们去公共场所假如你无法控制他们。 ”女人就又累又饿。Someone in line could have helped her with her problem. Instead, even though many of the 有人在线也将会帮助她和她的问题。相反,尽管许多5customers in the restaurant were parents themselves, they treated her like a criminal. 客户在餐厅被父母对她自己,像犯人一样。The worst incident of The worst
10、 incident of mean-spiritedness that I saw that day happened 最糟糕的事件 mean-spiritedness 最严重的事件说,我看见那一天发生的事after I left work. As I walked to the bus stop, I approached an old woman huddled in a 在我离开工作。当我走向巴士站,靠近的时候,聚集在一个老女人doorway. She was wrapped in a dirty blanket and clutched a cheap vinyl bag packed
11、 with her 门口。她用一条脏毯子,手里紧紧握着一只便宜的乙烯基箱子belongings. She was one of the “street people“ our society leaves to fend for themselves. 物品。她也是一个“贫民窟居民我们的社会留给自我保护。The United States, the richest country on earth, should not allow such suffering. Some of 美国,地球上最富有的国家,不应该允许这样的痛苦。一些6these victims even live in car
12、dboard boxes during the coldest winters. Approaching the woman 这些受害者甚至住在硬纸板箱包装在最寒冷的冬天了。接近女人from the opposite direction were three teenagers who were laughing and talking in loud 从相反的方向进行了三个年轻人在大声说着,笑着voices. When they saw the old woman, they began to shout crude remarks at her. One of them 声音。10 他们看
13、见那老妇人,他们就大声地喊原油谈到她。其中一个grabbed her shopping bag and pretended to throw it out into the street. The woman stared 抓住她购物袋,假装把它扔到街上。女人盯着helplessly at them, like a wounded animal surrounded by hunters. Then, having had their fun, 无奈的,像一只受伤的动物被猎人。然而,在他们的乐趣,the teenagers went on their way. 这些青少年都掳掠去了。7I ha
14、d seen enough of the world s coldness that day and wanted to leave it behind. At home, 我已经看了很多冷淡的世界的那一天,想要把它抛在后面。在家里,I huddled in the warmth of my family. I wondered why we all contribute to the world s 我蜷缩在温暖了我的家庭。我想知道为什么我们都有助于世界的supply of petty cruelty. Theres enough of it already. 供应小心眼儿的残忍。有足够的此
15、事了。The Power of Forgiveness 宽恕的力量It was 12: 37 a.m. as the bus pulled from the terminal at Bowling Green, Kentucky. The 已经是 12:37 点为公共汽车被从终端保龄球绿色 ,肯塔基州。这streets were silent and the night was cool. I d gotten my sister on her way to Ft. Knox 街道沉默,夜已很酷。我想拿到我的妹妹她的方式,以英尺。诺克斯8after a weekend visit. At th
16、is time, I wanted nothing more than to go back to the dorm and 周末的访问。在这个时候,我什么也不想要超过回到宿舍get some rest. I never thought that a trip to the bus station could be so dramatic, that I 好好休息。我从来没想过,去车站会如此引人注目的,我would face death because of others prejudice. Later on, I would need to overcome the 将面对死亡,因为别人的
17、偏见。后来,我就需要克服的effects of that prejudice. 研究人员称:这些偏见。After giving my sister spending money, I couldnt afford to take a cab back to the dorm. So 在让我的妹妹花的钱,我不能冒些出租车返回宿舍里。所以I decided to get a little exercise and run to the dorm, about four miles away. When I had 我决定去运动一下并运行到宿舍,关于四英里远。当我有9gone about two b
18、locks, I noticed a truck slowly following me. When I turned around to see 走了走,过两个街区,我注意到一辆卡车慢慢地跟着我。当我转过身去,看到了吗who it was, the driver sped up, went to the next block, and turned right. After I d run 是谁,司机加快,走到下一个街区,却向右拐。我很想跑后,another couple blocks, I noticed the truck in front of me. A guy on the pas
19、senger side 这一街区,我注意到卡车在我的前面。一个家伙乘客的一面started yelling at me, “Hey, nigger.“ However, I continued running, pretending to ignore 开始对我大吼大叫:“嗨,黑鬼。 ”然而,我还是跑,假装忽视them. 他们。Three blocks further on, they appeared again. This time, the driver had three other guys 再过三个街区,他们又出现了。这一次,司机有三个其他的家伙10sitting in the b
20、ack of the truck. “Nigger, we re going to kill you,“ they yelled as they 坐在车的后面。 “黑鬼,我们真是要杀了你,”他们喊道同他们一样threw cans and bottles at me. Trying not to show any fear, I continued my uphill journey to 把罐和瓶子看着我。尽量不去显出害怕的样子,我继续艰难的旅程Western Kentucky University. By this time, I feared for my life and started
21、 praying silently 肯塔基大学大学。就在这个时候,我怕给了我生命开始祈祷,无声to God. I knew that each step would bring me closer to a safe haven. 神。我知道每一个步骤会带来我接近一个安全的港湾。When the guys in the pickup turned left, I passed them by, and I didnt see or hear from 当个人在车内离开我的时候,我的成绩通过了考试了,我没有看到或听到的them for three more blocks. However, as
22、 I approached the corner of the fourth block, they 他们在接下来的三个多块。然而,当我走近时的角落里,他们第四块11surprised me. Five white guys jumped from the corner and surrounded me. One guy wearing a 让我感到惊奇。五个白人上涨,从角落里围绕我。一个人戴着一University of Louisville baseball cap said to me, “Where re you going, Nigger?“ and pushed 路易斯大学棒球帽
23、对我说:“ 在黑人的技巧,你要去? ”和所在me into a guy behind me. Then the guy wearing the U of L hat hit me in the stomach. As I 我到一个家伙给我的支持。那家伙穿你的 L 的帽子打了我的肚子。我folded over, another guy kicked me in the side. Immediately after that blow, another kicked 折叠的结束,另一个男人踢了我的身边。接着的寒风,另一踢me hard in the rear, and then blows ca
24、me from everywhere. 我被狠狠地甩在后面,然后吹来自无处不在。As I fell to the sidewalk, I felt a stick break on my back. There were more kicks to my face 当我倒在人行道上,我感到一根棍子打破我的背。有更多的踢自己的脸说的12and ribs and then, I felt nothing. 和肋骨,然后我感觉不到任何拉动。When I awakened, my mother was sitting beside my bed. When she saw me move my hea
25、d, she 当我醒来,我妈妈坐在我旁边的床上。当她看到我把我的头,她呢simply said, “Thank God.“ It took me three weeks to get out of the hospital, and seven more 简单说,“感谢上帝。 ”我花了三个星期才走出了医院,和 7 个to recover from four broken ribs, a broken collarbone and arm, fractured skull, and severely 恢复四根肋骨被折断,一颗破碎的锁骨和手臂,头骨碎,很重beaten face. Physical
26、ly, I did recover. 击败的脸。身体上的,我做了恢复。As people came to see me, I felt the tension between the blacks and whites. Coincidentally, 随着人们来看我,我觉得紧张关系的黑人和白人。巧合的是,13the police reported that I was “assaulted by five unknown assailants“ and left it at that. 警方报告说我是 5 攻击“留给身份不明。They failed to investigate either
27、 the vehicle or the license plate number that a witness 他们没有调查或汽车工业或它的车牌号码,证人reported. 报道。When I got better, I purchased a handgun and walked the street every night for at least a 当我得到更好,我买了一只手枪,走街上至少每天晚上吗month. I didnt speak to, eat with, or associate with white people in any form or fashion. 月。我没有
28、说话,吃,或白人交往在任何形式或时尚。One night, as I was walking away from the bus stop, I saw the pickup. As I waited for the 一天晚上,当我走在离公共汽车站的时候,我看到的猎物。我等着14driver to come out of the convenience store, the anger and hatred rose within me. All the 司机出来的便利店、嗔怒和愤恨玫瑰在我的脑海中。所有的malice I ve ever felt transferred to the ind
29、ex finger of my right hand on the trigger of my 恶意我真是感到过转移到食指我的右手在扳机我的handgun. 手枪。When the guy came out of the store, I grabbed him from behind and pushed the gun in his 当那个家伙走出了店,我从后面抓住了他,把枪在他的吗side. I dragged him behind the building and put the gun to his throat. “Do you remember me?“ 一边。我拉着他在那建筑物
30、的后面,把枪他的喉咙。 “你还记得我吗?”I asked. “Uh . yeah,“ he answered. “Before I blow your brains out, I want to know why you 我问。 “嗯啊,”他回答说。在琢磨我吹,我想知道你为什么15all did that to me that night.“ When this man started to cry and plead for his life, I felt 都做了,我晚了。 ”当这名男士开始哭,请求他的生活,我感觉到了吗immensely powerful, however, he sai
31、d, “I really am sorry and I came to see you in the 超级强大的,然而,他说:“我真的很抱歉 ,我来看你的hospital. I m the one who sent the card. Dont hate the whole white race for the mistakes 医院。 “我那差遣那张卡片。不要恨全白的竞选的错误of the few . I wrote that.“ 为数不多的那是我写的。 ”I remembered the card. As I looked at that man again, I saw the pain
32、 he had been carrying 我记得这张卡片。当我看着我那个人了,我看到的痛苦里到处翻着for four months. As I let up on the trigger, I looked at him and said, “I forgive you,“ and 四个月。当我松懈在扳机,我看著他,说:“我原谅你,”16walked away. Then I took the bullets out of the gun and threw them to the ground. 走开了。然后我把的子弹出枪,并把它们夷为平地。As I walked up the hill
33、to Western Kentucky University, each step gave me a new freedom. 当我走上山西方肯塔基大学,每一个步骤给了我一个新的自由。When I got to the top of the hill, I was a brand new man. I was not only free of malice and 当我到达山顶时,我是一个全新的人。我不仅没有恶毒或作阴毒prejudice; I had become a man who could forgive the prejudice of others. I had decided
34、that 偏见;我已经成为一个男人,让这个男人能够原谅偏见的人。我已经认定night to walk in a new power: the power of forgiveness. 夜晚走在一个新的力量:宽恕的力量。A True Wartime Story 一个真正的战争故事17During World War Two at the height of the blitz on East London, a boy of 12 was found 第二次世界大战期间在高度突击行动在伦敦东部,是个 12 岁的男孩被发现wandering the rubbled streets near To
35、wer Bridge. His dirty face and torn clothing suggested rubbled 街道漫步于塔桥附近。他的脸脏衣服也显得破烂不堪建议that something awful had happened. 一些可怕的事。It was 7 a.m., and dawn was breaking into a sky of crimson red lit up by the many fires that 这是 7 点,黎明被打破成的天空的绛红色照亮了很多火灾burned across the City, London s docks were ablaze
36、 as far as the eye could see, and the 在这个城市焚烧,伦敦的那闪亮港区就是到视线的尽头,river had become a wall of crackling flame with dark plumes of smoke rising into the air as 河的一面墙,已经成为火焰噼啪作响的深色冲天的烟升到空中18beleaguered firemen fought to put out fires with their spent hoses. 被围攻的消防队员奋力扑灭大火和他们的花了软管。Wherever he looked, the b
37、oy could see the flames, the buildings all around him were on fire, 无论他看起来,这孩子就看见火焰,建筑周围着了火,and his nostrils were filled with the smell of charcoal and smoke, he could hear the sparks 和他的鼻孔满了嗅觉木炭和抽烟,他能听到它们的火花crackle as the flames licked at the burning beams of wood. 裂纹,燃烧着的火焰将梁木头做的。It is a vision th
38、at the boy, now a man, remembers, as though it were yesterday, for that boy 这是一个异象,这个男孩,现在一个人,记住,好像昨天,为那个男孩was me and this is my true story: 是我,这是我的真实故事:That morning my father had sent me out after the “all clear“ had sounded, to get fresh milk 那天早上我的父亲打发我去“所有人都清楚”已经响,让新鲜牛奶19at the local dairy, I ha
39、d been scampering up the road when an unexploded bomb went off in a 在当地的乳制品,我已经在路上当一枚未爆炸的炸弹朝着一个方向去house nearby covering me in rubble. 掩护我在废墟下的房子附近。Somehow, dazed and bewildered, I had managed to brush myself down and run on, but I was 在某种程度上,看得头昏眼花,只是搞不懂,我设法刷自己失望,跑,但我很badly cut by flying glass, and
40、in no state to continue my journey. 玻璃在飞行过程中剪得很糟,任何国家继续旅程。It was then that an Air-raid Precautions Warden appeared, his dog had found me with tail 就在那时,空袭措施狱长出现的时候,他的狗找到了我的尾巴wagging, “Come along son“ he said “you need a bandage on that wound“, he looked me over 摇,”出现的儿子“他说,“ 你需要的包扎伤口 ”,他打量了我一番appreh
41、ensively, “Come up the road to our first-aid unit and well patch you up.“ apprehensively、你们的道路上 ,我们将我们的急救单位补丁了你。 ”20By nine oclock I was covered with sticky plasters and bandages, and looked like a wounded 9 点钟时我盖满了粘贴膏药和绷带,看上去像一只受伤的war veteran, “I ve got to get the milk at Evans now“ I said. The War
42、den looked at me sadly, 战争的老兵时,“我。我得把牛奶在埃文斯现在“我说。守卫者伤心地看着我,“I m afraid therell be no milk supplies today, the dairy was blitzed last night.“ “我恐怕不会有什么牛奶供应今天,奶制品是地闪电攻击昨夜。 ”I wondered what my father would say, me coming home in such a state, and without milk too. 我想知道我的父亲会说,我回家在这样的状态,没有牛奶了。I hobbled b
43、ack towards home through the back streets covered in rubble and bomb damage, but 我一瘸一拐地赶回到家里通过背街僻巷里包含在瓦砾和炸弹破坏,但as I neared I had to rub my eyes, where my home had stood was a large smouldering crater. 当我接近我不得不碰我的眼睛,我家里闷在是一种大型进发。Everything and everyone had gone, blown away by a bomb. 每一件事,每个人都走了,吹开,一
44、枚炸弹。21I remember searching with others for many hours, calling for my father and mother, I found 我记得搜索和别人同为几个小时,要求我的父亲和母亲,我发现his pocket watch and chain in the rubble just as another air-raid started and we had to rush 他的怀表和链在瓦砾就像另一个空袭开始,我们不得不匆忙once more for shelter, I opened up the watch when I felt
45、 safe, inside an inscription read 再度打开住处,和观看我觉得安全,在一个名号阅读“Happy Birthday, Dad“, and I cried. “生日快乐,爸爸 ”,我哭了。I cant ever forget what the war did to me and my family, as a London cockney I have taught 我也不会忘记战争和我的家人对我所做的,而伦敦的一位伦敦我已经教了my children about their past so that they can guard against the futur
46、e, this is one family 我的孩子们对他们的过去,以便他们能防止未来,这是一家22that knows the anguish and loss that war brings, my children have never known their 知道战争带来的痛苦和损失,我的孩子从来不知道他们的grandparents, but they do know right from wrong, for those who perish in war are often the 祖父母,但是他们明辨是非,那些死于战争通常innocent and we must remember
47、 that for all time. 无辜的,我们必须记住。A Life of Quiet Desperation 生活在平静的绝望中”I was much more naive and trusting ten years ago than I am today. I believed that all 我更天真的,并且信任比我十年前的今天。我相信所有的policemen were good, all doctors were caring, and all people shared my concern for their 警察是不错的,医师都被富有爱心,所有的人分享我的关注孩子的23
48、fellow man. I realized with anguish the folly of making such generalizations when my sister, 其他的人。我意识到有何城如做这样的愚蠢的概括当姐姐,Laura, committed suicide. I was not only angered about my own naivety but also outraged by 劳拉,自杀了。我不仅激怒了自己的幼稚而且激怒the uncaring attitude of the people I encountered following the trag
49、edy. 不关心他人的态度的人,我又遇到了证明这次悲剧。My own lack of understanding left me unprepared for Laura s death. I often visited her at 我自己的缺乏了解,让我准备不足的情况下罗拉的死。我经常去看她the Veterans Administration Hospital where she was a patient of a halfway house for mentally 美国退伍军人管理局的医院,她是一名患者的折衷办法为精神上的。ill veterans. Whenever I was with her, she appeared to be relatively happy. I realized, 生病的老兵。每当我和她在一块儿的时候,她似乎比较快乐。我意识到,24after her death, the tremendous effort she had made to appear that way for my benefit. I 在她死后,她犯了极大的努力,为使我看起来好像是这样的。我knew she had been diagnosed as a chronic depressive; I did
