-
Unit1
Learning a foreign language was one of
the most difficult yet most
rewarding
experiences of my life.
学习外语是我一生中最艰苦也是最有意义的经历之一。
Although
at
times
learning
a
language
was
frustrating,
it
was
well
worth
the effort.
虽然时常遭遇挫折，但却非常有价值。
My
experience
with
learning
a
foreign
language
began
in
<4>junior middle school, when I
took my first English class.
我学外语的经历始于初中的第一堂英语课。
I had a kind and patient teacher who
often praised all of the students.
老师很慈祥耐心，时常表扬学生。
Because of this positive method, I
eagerly answered all the questions
I
could, never worrying much about making mistakes.
由于这种积极的教学方法，我踊跃回答各种问题，从不怕答错。
I was at the top of my class for two
years.
两年中，我的成绩一直名列前茅
When
I
went
to
senior
middle
school,
I
was
eager
to
continue
studying
English;
however,
my
experience
in
senior
middle
school
was very different
from before.
到了高中后，我渴望继续学习英语。然而，高中时的经历与以前
1
大不相同。
While my
former teacher had been patient with all of the
students,
my new teacher quickly
punished those who gave incorrect answers.
以前，
老师对所有的学生都很耐心，
而新老师则总是惩罚答错的
学生。
Whenever
we
answered
incorrectly,
she
pointed
a
long
stick
at
us
and, shaking it up and
down, shouted,
每当有谁回答错了，她就会用长教鞭指着我们，上下挥
舞大喊：
“错！错！错！
”
It didn't take me long to
lose my eagerness to answer questions.
没有多久，我便不再渴望回答问题了
Not only did I lose my joy in answering
questions, but I also lost my
desire to
say anything at all in English.
我不仅失去了回答问题的乐趣，
而且根本就不想再用英语说半个
字。
However, that state
didn't last long.
好在这种情况没持续多久。
When
I went to college, I learned that all students
were required to
take an English
course.
到了大学，我了解到所有学生必须上英语课。
Unlike my senior middle school teacher,
my college English teachers
were
patient and kind, and none of them carried long,
pointed sticks!
2
与高中老师不同，
大学英语老师非常耐心和蔼，
而且从来不带教
鞭！<
/p>
The situation was far from
perfect, though.
不过情况却远不尽如人意。
As
our classes were very large, I was only able to
answer a couple of
questions in each
class period.
由于班大，每堂课能轮到我回答的问题寥寥无几。
Also,
after
a
few
weeks
of
classes,
I
noticed
there
were
many
students who spoke much better than I
did.
上了几周课后，我还发现许多同学的英语说得比我要好得多。
I began to feel intimidated.
我开始产生一种畏惧感。
So, once again, although for different
reasons, I was afraid to speak.
虽然原因与高中时不同，但我却又一次不敢开口了。
It seemed my English was
going to stay at the same level forever.
看来我的英语水平要永远停步不前了
That
was
the
situation
until
a
couple
of
years
later
when
I
was
offered an opportunity
to study English through an online course.
直到几年后我有机会参加远程英语课程，情况才有所改善。
The
communication
medium
was
a
computer,
a
phone
line,
and
a
modem
这种课程的媒介是一台电脑、一条电话线和一个调制解调器。
3
.
I soon got access to the necessary equipment,
learned how to use
the
technology
from
a
friend
and
participated
in
the
virtual
classroom 5 to 7 days a week.
我很快配齐了必要的设备并跟一个朋友学会了电脑操作技术，
于
是我每周用
5
到
7
天在网上的虚拟课堂里学习英语。
Online learning is not easier than
regular classroom study;
网上学习并不比普通的课堂学习容易。
it requires a lot of time, commitment
and discipline to keep up with
the flow
of the course.
它需要花许多的时间，需要学习者专心自律，以跟上课程进度。
I worked hard to meet the minimum
standards set by the course and
to
complete assignments on time.
我尽力达到课程的最低要求，并按时完成作业。
I practiced all the time.
我随时随地都在学习。
I carried a little dictionary with me
everywhere I went, as well as a
notebook in which I listed any new
words I heard.
不管去哪里，
我都随身携带一本袖珍字典和笔记本，
笔记本上记
着
我遇到的生词。
I made many,
sometimes embarrassing, mistakes.
我学习中出过许多错，有时是令人尴尬的错误。
Once in a while I cried out of
frustration, and sometimes I felt like
4
giving up.
有时我会因挫折而哭泣，有时甚至想放弃。
But I didn't feel intimidated by
students who spoke faster than I did
because I took all the time I needed to
think out my ideas and wrote
a reply
before posting it on the screen.
但我从未因别的同学英语说得比我快而感到畏惧，
因为在电脑屏
幕上作出回答之前，
我可以根据自己的需要花时间去琢磨自己的
想法。
Then, one day I
realized I could understand just about everything
I
came across, and most importantly, I
could
to in English.
突然有一天我发现自己什么都懂了，
更重要的是，
我
说起英语来
灵活自如。
Although
I
was
still
making
many
mistakes
and
was
continually
learning new
ways to say things, I had finally reaped the
benefits of
all of my hard work.
尽管我还是常常出错，
还有很多东西要学，
但我已尝
到了刻苦学
习的甜头。
Learning a foreign language
has been a most trying experience for
me, but one that I wouldn't trade for
anything.
学习外语对我来说是非常艰辛的经历，但它又无比珍贵。
Not only did learning another language
teach me the value of hard
5
work, but it
also gave me insights into another culture, and my
mind
was opened to new ways of seeing
things.
它不仅使我懂得了艰苦努力的意义，而且让
我了解了不同的文
化，让我以一种全新的思维去看待事物。
The most wonderful result of having
learned a foreign language was
that I
could communicate with many more people than
before.
学习一门外语最令人兴奋的收获是我能与更多的人交流。
Talking with people is one of my
favorite activities, so being able to
speak
a
new
language
lets
me
meet
new
people,
participate
in
conversations, and form new,
unforgettable friendships.
与人交谈是我最喜欢的一项活动，新的语言使我能与陌生人交
往，参与他们的谈话，并建
立新的难以忘怀的友谊。
Now
that
I
speak
a
foreign
language,
instead
of
staring
into
space
when English is being
spoken,
I can participate
and make friends.
由于我已能说英语，
别人讲英语时我不再茫然不解了。
我能够参
与其中，并结交朋友。
I
am
able
to
reach
out
to
others
and
bridge
the
gap
between
my
language and culture and theirs.
我能与人交流，
并能够弥合我所说的语言和所处的文化与他们的
语言和文化之间的鸿沟。
6
7
Unit2
The radio
clicked on. Rock music blasted orth
收音机“咔嗒”一声，摇滚乐就大声地响开了。
.
Like a shot, the music woke
Sandy.
音乐像枪声似的将桑迪吵醒。
She
looked at the clock; it was 6:15 A.M.
她看了一下钟，早上
6
点一刻。
Sandy sang along with the
words as she lay listening to her favorite
radio station.
她躺在床上，听着她喜欢的电台广播，嘴里哼着歌词。
“桑迪，
”
她父亲喊道，
“桑迪，把音乐关了！
”
Steve Finch burst nto her room.
史蒂夫·芬奇冲进她的卧室。
Why do you have to listen to such
horrible uff?
“你为什么一定要听这么糟糕的音乐？
It's the same thing over and over.
还听了一遍又一遍。
8
I'm not sure it is really music, though
it does have
rhythm.
虽然有节奏，可恐怕不是真正的音乐。
“我喜欢这种音乐，爸爸。这是我最喜欢的。
Listen for a minute; I'm sure you'll
like it.
您听一下吧，您肯定会喜欢的。
”
Sandy reached for the radio to turn it
up louder.
桑迪伸手把音乐开得更响。
“别，别开那么响，我受不了
Turn that radio down so your mother and
I can't hear it.
把收音机音量调低点，这样我和你妈妈就听不到了。
I'm sure that music is hurting your
ears as well as your brain.
我敢肯定，那音乐既伤你的
耳朵，又伤你的大脑。
”
Sandy
walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
桑迪走进浴室，打开淋浴喷头。
Then
she
grabbed
the
soap
and
washed
thoroughly,
including
her
hair.
然后她抓起香皂，浑身上下洗个遍，连头发也洗了。
After
her
shower,
Sandy
brushed
her
hair,
put
on
her
old,
green
T-shirt and some jeans.
淋浴后，
桑迪梳了梳头发，
穿上一件旧的绿色
圆领衫和一条牛仔
9
裤。
Then she put
on her makeup and went to the kitchen.
接着她化好妆，走进了厨房
As
usual, she didn't know what to have for breakfast,
so she grabbed
a glass of milk and ate
a piece of toast while standing by the sink.
和往常一样，她不知道早餐该吃什么，便抓了杯牛奶，站在洗
涤
槽旁吃烤面包。
Just
then, her mother, Jane, entered the kitchen.
就在此时，她妈妈简走进了厨房。
healthy to eat standing
up.
“桑迪，你怎么不坐下吃饭？
站着吃饭对身体不好。
”
“我知道，妈妈，可我没时间坐着吃。
”
“昨天做作业了吧，宝贝？”
“刷过牙了？”
I
haven't
finished
eating
breakfast
yet.
brush
my
teeth when I'm
done.
10
“妈妈，我还没吃完饭呢。吃完了再刷。
”
“桑迪，你怎么穿那件旧圆领衫呢？
难看死了。
”
“妈妈，请别这样。
”
“别怎么样？”
“别这样烦我。
“桑迪，你怎么描起眼线来了？”
<
/p>
“我是描了，妈妈。我都描了几个月了。难道不漂亮？”
“桑迪·芬奇，你还小，不能化这么浓的妆。
”
“妈妈，
我都
15
岁了，到了可以化妆的年龄了。
Believe me, all the girls
at school wear makeup. Some have tattoos
and pierced ears, and noses and
tongues, too.
给您说实话吧，学校的女孩子
都化妆，有些还文身，有的还戴耳
环、鼻环、舌环呢。
Mom, I don't have time to talk about
this now
—
I'm late. I've got
to
11
go. See you later.
妈妈，我现在没时间给
您说，我快迟到了，得走了。再见。
”
Sandy kissed her mother quickly on the
cheek, picked up her books,
and
boltedout of the house.
桑迪匆匆吻了一下妈妈的脸颊，拿起书冲出了屋子。
After Sandy had left for school, Jane
Finch sat down in peace and
quiet to
drink her coffee.
桑迪离家上学后，简·芬奇平静地坐下来喝咖啡。
Soon her husband joined her.
没过一会儿，她丈夫走了进来
“史蒂夫，喝点咖啡吧？”简问道。
—
like it's full
of knots.
“不，谢谢，亲爱的。我胃不舒服，心乱如麻。
It's probably that awful music that
wakes me up every morning.
可能是因为那讨厌的音乐每天早上把我吵醒。
I
don't
think
I'm
old-fashioned,
but
hearing
those
tuneless<,
offensive yrics
repeatedly makes my blood boil.
我想我还不至于老
得落伍吧，
可没完没了地听那毫无韵律、
令人
< br>讨厌的歌曲实在让我生气。
”
reasoned Jane.
12
“
你知道，
亲爱的，
不同年龄的人喜欢不同的音乐，
”
简劝说道。
“还记得我们听过的一些音乐吗？”
Steve smiled.
rid of some of
the knots in my stomach.
史蒂夫笑了，
“你说得有道理。
也许吃点早饭能让我感觉好一点。
you
notice
how
much
makeup
our
fifteen-year-old
daughter
was wearing this
morning?
I can't believe I
didn't notice.
“你注意到了吗，今天早晨
我们
15
岁的女儿都化了什么样的
妆？
I
suppose
we
should
feel
lucky
because
makeup
is
our
biggest
problem with her.
我真不敢相信自己以前没有注意到。
I've
seen
other
teenagers
walking
around
town
with
tattoos
and
piercings all over their bodies.
我想我们应该感到幸运，因为我们女儿的最大问题还只是化妆。
influence on Sandy.
“令我担心的是，
”
史蒂夫说，
“那种音乐对桑迪可能有负面的影
响。
I don't know what's happening
to our little girl.
13
我不知道我们的女儿到底怎么回事。
She's changing and I'm concerned about
her.
她在变，我很担心她。
Makeup, terrible
music
—
who knows what will be
next?
化妆品，糟糕的音乐，谁知道以后还会有什么花样？
We need to have a talk with
her.
The news is full of
stories about teenagers in trouble whose parents
hardly know anything about their
problems.
我们得和她谈谈。
新闻里报道的尽是惹上麻烦的青少年，
可他们
的父母却不知道
自己的孩子有什么问题。
”
“哦，我倒不认为她的音乐如此糟糕。
But in any case, you're right. We need
to have a talk with Sandy,
said Jane.
但不管怎么说，
你还是说得对，
我们需要和桑迪谈谈，
”
简说道。
As Jane
Finch drove to work, she thought about her Sandy.
去上班的路上，简·芬奇一面开着车，一面想着她的桑迪。
She knew what she wanted to say, what
she had to say to Sandy.
她知道自己想说什么，得对桑迪说什么。
She was so glad that she and Sandy
could still talk things over.
她和桑迪之间还可以进行交流，这令她很高兴。
She
knew
she
had
to
have
patience
and
keep
the
lines
of
14
communication with her daughter open.
她知道自己得有耐心，得保持自己和桑迪之间沟通的渠道畅通。
She wanted to be there as an anchor for
her, but at the same time she
would
give her freedom to find her own identity
< br>她想在桑迪的身边，
做她的保护人，
同时又给她寻找自我
的自由。
15
16
When
I
was
growing
up,
I
was
embarrassed
to
be
seen
with
my
father.
在我还未成年时，
如果有人看到我和
父亲在一块儿，
我就会觉得
难堪。
He
was
everely
crippled
and
very
short,
and
when
we
walked
together, his hand on my arm for
balance, people would stare.
他腿瘸得很厉害，个子又矮。我们一起走路时，他的手搭在我臂
上以保持平衡，人们
就会盯着看。
I would
nwardly struggle at the unwanted
attention.
对于这种讨厌的注视，我打心眼里感到别扭。
If he ever noticed or was bothered, he
never let on.
即使父亲注意到这些或感到不安，他也从不表露出来。
It
was
difficult
to
coordinate
our
steps
—
his
halting,
mine
impatient
—
and
because
of
that,
we
didn't
say
much
as
we
went
along.
我们的步伐难以协调一致——他常常停下脚步，
而我的步子却显
得不耐烦。正因为如此，我们一路很少说话。
But as we started out, he always said,
adjust to you.
但每次出门时，他总说：
“你按你的步速走，我跟着你。
”
17
Our usual walk was to or from the
subway on which he traveled to
work.
我们通常就在地铁口和家门口之间来回，那是他上班的路线
He went to work sick, and despite nasty
weather.
他生病或天气恶劣时也坚持上班，几乎从不缺勤。
He almost never missed a day, and would
make it to the office even
if others
could not.
他总是准点到办公室，即使别人做不到。
It was a matter of pride.
这是件可以引以为荣的事。
When
snow or ice was on the ground, it was impossible
for him to
walk, even with help.
当路上覆盖冰雪时，即使有人搀扶，他也难以行走。
At such times my sisters or I would
pull him through the streets of
Brooklyn, N.Y
., on a child's
wagon with steel runners to the subway
entrance.
这种时候，<
/p>
我或者我的姐妹们就用一辆带有钢轮的儿童推车拉着
他穿过纽约布
鲁克林的街道到地铁站口。
Once there, he
would cling to the handrail until he reached
lower steps that the warmer
tunnel air kept free of ice.
一到那儿，
他就紧抓着地铁口的扶手一直往下走，
因为地铁
内比
较暖和，下面几级台阶没有冰雪。
18
In Manhattan the subway station was in
the basement of his office
building,
and
he
would
not
have
to
go
outside
again
until
we
met
him in Brooklyn on his way home.
曼哈顿的地铁站直通他们办公楼的地下室，
< br>他不用出站
（就可到
办公室）
。
下班回家时，我们会去布鲁克林的地铁站口接他。
When
I think of it now, I am amazed at how much courage
it must
have
taken
for
a
grown
man
to
subject
himself
to
such
shame
and
stress.
And at how he did it
—
without
bitterness or complaint.
现在
回想起来，我不禁惊叹：像他那样一个成年人，得有多大的
勇气才能承受这样的屈辱和压
力，
而当时他却显得毫无痛苦，
也
没怨
言。
He never talked about
himself as an object of pity, nor did he show
any envy of the more fortunate or able.
他从不说自己可怜，
也从不表现出对
那些比他幸运或健康的人的
羡慕。
What he looked for in others was a
the owner was good enough for him.
他从别人那儿寻找的是一颗“好心”
。一旦找到了，那人在他心
目中就是个大好人。
Now that I am older, I believe that is
a proper standard by which to
judge
people, even though I still don't know precisely
what a
19
heart
现在我长大了，
我相信这是判断一个人的标准。
虽然我还没有确
切理解什么是“好心”
，
But I
know at times I don't have one myself.
但我知道自己有时候并没有这么一颗“好心”
Unable
to
engage
in
many
activities,
my
father
still
tried
to
participate in some way.
虽说很
多活动父亲都不能参加，但他还是试着以某种方式来参
与。
When a local baseball team found itself
without a manager, he kept
it going.
当地一个棒球队缺少一个经理时，是他使球队正常运转
He was a knowledgeable baseball fan and
often took me to Ebbets
Field to see
the Brooklyn Dodgers play.
他是一个见多识广的棒球迷，
常常带我到埃贝茨球场，
观看布鲁
克林道奇队的比赛。
He
liked
to
go
to
dances
and
parties,
where
he
could
have
a
good
time just sitting and
watching.
他喜欢参加各种舞会和聚会，
虽然在那儿他只能坐着观看，
却也
能享受一番乐
趣
On one
occasion
a
fight broke out at a beach party,
with everyone
punching and shoving
20
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