大学英语综合教程第二册第二六单元原文及翻译

1. It

was

early

December

2003,

my

first

season

as

a

Salvation

Army

bell

ringer,

when

I

was

confronted

with

the

question.

I

was

standing

just

outside

the

doorway

of

a

Wal-Mart,

offering a

kettle. A neatly dressed woman and her young son walked up to the kettle stand. While

she

searched

her

purse

for

some

cash,

the

boy

looked

up

at

me.

I

can

still

see

the

confusion

and curiosity in his eyes as he asked,

2.

much as others.

do their shopping. His question, however, did not leave me.

3. I've

never

thought

of

myself

as

but

I

can't

deny

certain

facts.

Every

time

I fill out my 1040 form, I fall into one of the lowest income brackets. In the past 35

years, I've taken just one vacation trip. My TV is a black-and-white set that someone

gave me eight years ago.

4. Yet

I

feel

nothing

more

than

a

passing

whim

to

attain

the

material

things

so

many

other

people

have.

My

1999

car

shows

the

wear

and

tear

of

105,000

miles.

But

it

is

still

dependable. My apartment is modest, but quiet and relaxing. My clothes are well suited

to my work, which is primarily outdoors. My minimal computer needs can be met at the

library.

5. In

spite

of

what

I

don't

have,

I

don't

feel

poor.

Why?

I've

enjoyed

exceptionally

good health for 53 years. It's not just that I've been illness-free, it's that I feel

vigorous and spirited. Exercising is actually fun for me. I look forward to long,

energizing walks. And I love the

6. I also cherish the gift of creativity. When I write a beautiful line of poetry,

or

fabricate

a

joke

that

tickles

someone,

I

feel

rich

inside.

I'm

continually

surprised

at

the

insights

that

come

through

my

writing

process.

And

talking

with

so

many

interesting

writer friends is one of my main sources of enjoyment.

7. But there is one vital area of my life where I am not so well off. In a society

that

spends

so

much

emotional

energy

on

the

pursuit

of

possessions,

I

feel

out

of

place.

8. When I was younger, there was an exceptionally interesting person I dated. What

was

most

important

to

her,

she

told

me,

was

on

the

inside.

I

thought

I

had

found

someone

special

to

share

my

life

with.

Then

I

took

her

to

see

my

apartment.

At

the

time,

I lived in a basement efficiency with a few pieces of dated furniture. The only new,

comfortable

chair

was

the

one

at

my

desk.

Shortly

after

her

visit,

our

relationship

went

straight south.

9. The seemingly abrupt change in her priorities was jolting. It remains a most

memorable turning point in my personal journey.

10. In contrast to relationships, stuff just doesn't mean that much to me. I think

most people feel the same way

—

except when there are social consequences to not having

particular items. There is a commercial on the radio that begins,

high-

end TV …

e is real. It may be true that everybody wants

a high-end TV. After all, nobody wants to be a nobody.

11. But I'm happy to live without one. In fact, not being focused on material goods

feels

quite

natural

to

me.

There

are

many

people

throughout

the

world

who

would

consider

my lifestyle to be affluent.

12. Near

the

end

of

the

year,

when

I

put

on

the

Salvation

Army's

red

apron,

something

changes

inside

me.

Instead

of

feeling

out

of

place

economically,

I

begin

to

feel

a

genuine

sense of belonging. As I ring my bell, people stop to share their personal stories of

how

much

it

meant

to

be

helped

when

they

were

going

through

a

rough

time.

People

helping

people is something I feel deeply connected to. While I'm ringing the bell, complete

strangers have brought me hot chocolate, leaving me with a lingering smile. Countless

individuals have helped to keep me warm with the sentiments of the season:

for ringing on such a cold day.

good work.

13. Over the past four years, I've grown to understand more about myself because of

a single question from a curious child. As I've examined what it means to be poor, it

has become clear to me what I am most thankful for: both my tangible and my intangible

good fortune.

富足的一生

卡尔?格林

1.

首次面对这个问题，

是在

2003

年

12

月 初，

我第一次为救世军摇铃募捐的时候。

当时

< br>我就站在沃尔玛商场入口处门外，

对每一位向我的红壶里投入捐款的人都报以一声 “谢谢”和一

个微笑。

一位穿着整洁的妇人牵着她的幼子向放壶 的台子走过来。

她在钱包里摸着找钱时，

孩子

< br>抬头看了我一眼，

问我：“你穷吗？”当时他眼里充满 疑惑和好奇，时至今日仍历历在目。

2.

“嗯，

”我结结巴巴，

边想边回答，“我比有些人拥有的多，

但比其他人拥有的少。”

母亲因为孩子问了一个在社交上不该问的问题，

训斥了他一顿，

他俩便匆匆的赶去购物。

但是孩

子的问题却 一直留在我的心头挥之不去。

3.

我从不认为自己“穷”，但有些事实我不可否认。每当我填

1040

税务申报表时，我都

属于收入最低的档次之一。在过去的三十五年中，我只出去 度过一次假。我的电视机是黑白的，

还是八年前别人送给我的。

4.

然而，

< br>想要得到其他那么多人都有的物质的东西，

对我来说，

只 不过是转瞬即逝的念

头而已。我的汽车是

1999

年的产品，到现在开了十万五千英里，已经很破很旧了，但是它依然

可靠。我 的住房不大，但是很安静，住着挺舒心。我的衣服很适合于我的工作，主要都在户外。

我 对计算机的很少的需求，可以在图书馆得到解决。

5.

尽管有些东西我没有，我并不感到贫穷。这是为什么？五十三年来我一直非常健康。

我不但不生病，

而且精力充沛，

情绪饱满。

锻炼对我而言是确确实实的快事，

我乐意长距离步行，