unit 1
unit 1 An IMPRESSIVE English lesson 一堂难忘的英语课
1. If I am the only parent who still corrects his child’s English, then perhaps my son is right. To him, I am a tedious oddity: a father he is obliged to listen to and a man absorbed in the rules of grammar, which my son seems allergic to.
如果我是唯一一个还在纠正小孩英语的家长，那么我儿子也许是对的。 对他而言，我是一个乏味的怪物：一个他不得不听其教诲的父亲，一个还沉湎于语法规则的人，对此我儿子似乎颇为反感。
2. I think I got serious about this only recently when I ran into one of my former students, fresh from an excursion to Europe .“How was it” I asked, full of earnest anticipation.
我觉得我是在最近偶遇我以前的一位学生时，才开始对这个问题认真起来的。这个学生刚从欧洲旅游回来。 我满怀着诚挚期待问她：“欧洲之行如何？”
3. She nodded three or four times searched the heavens for the right words, and then exclaimed, it was like, whoa!"
她点了三四下头，绞尽脑汁，苦苦寻找恰当的词语，然后惊呼：“真是，哇！”
4. And that was it. The civilization of Greece and the glory of Roman architecture were captured in condensed non-statement. My student “whoa” was exceeded only by my head-shaking distress.
没了。 所有希腊文明和罗马建筑的辉煌居然囊括于一个浓缩的、不完整的语句之中！ 我的学生以“哇！”来表示她的惊叹，我只能以摇头表达比之更强烈的忧虑。
5. There are many different stories about the downturn in the proper use of English. Surely students should be able to distinguish between their/there/they're on the distinctive difference between complimentary and complementary. They unfairly bear the bulk of the criticism for these knowledge deficits because there is a sense that they should know better.
关于正确使用英语能力下降的问题，有许多不同的故事。 学生的确本应该能够区分诸如their/there/they're之间的不同，或区别complimentary 跟complementary 之间显而易见的差异。 由于这些知识缺陷，他们承受着大部分不该承受的批评和指责，因为舆论认为他们应该学得更好。
6. Students are not dump, but they are being misled everywhere they look and listen. For example, signs in grocery stores point them to the stationary, even though the actual stationery items-pads, albums and notebooks-are not nailed down. Friends and loved ones often proclaim they've just ate when, in fact, they've just eaten. Therefore, it doesn't make any sense to criticize our students
学生并不笨，他们只是被周围所看到和听到的语言误导了。 举例来说，杂货店的指示牌会把他们引向stationary （静止处），虽然便笺本、相册、和笔记本等真正的stationery （文具用品）并没有被钉在那儿。 朋友和亲人常宣称 They've just ate。实际上，他们应该说 They've just eaten。 因此，批评学生不合乎情理。
7. Blame for the scandal of this language deficit should be thrust upon our schools, which should be setting high standards of English language proficiency. Instead they only teach a little grammar and even less advanced vocabulary. Moreover, the younger teachers themselves evidently have little knowledge of these vital structures of language because they also went without exposure to them. Schools fail to adequately teach the essential framework of language, accurate grammar and proper vocabulary, while they should take the responsibility of pushing the young onto the path of competent communication.
对这种缺乏语言功底而引起的负面指责应归咎于我们的学校。学校应对英语熟练程度制定出更高的标准。 可相反，学校只教零星的语法，高级词汇更是少之又少。 还有就是，学校的年轻教师显然缺乏这些重要的语言结构方面的知识，因为他们过去也没接触过。 学校有责任教会年轻人进行有效的语言沟通，可他们并没把语言的基本框架——准确的语法和恰当的词汇——充分地传授给学生。
8. Since grammar is boring to most of the young students I think that it must be handled delicately, step by step. The chance came when one day I was driving with my son. As we set out on our trip, he noticed a bird in jerky flight and said, “It's flying so unsteady. I carefully asked, my son, how is the bird flying? “What’s wrong? Did I say anything incorrectly?” He got lost. “Great! You said incorrectly instead of incorrect. We use adverbs to describe verbs. Therefore, it's flying so unsteadily but not so unsteady.”
因为语法对大多数年轻学生而言枯燥且乏味，所以我觉得讲授语法得一步一步、注重技巧地进行。 有一天机会来了。我跟儿子开车外出。 我们出发时，他看到一只小鸟飞得很不稳，就说：“它飞的不稳。”（It's flying so unsteady.） 我小心翼翼地问：“儿子，鸟怎么飞?” “有问题吗？我说得不对吗？（Did I say anything incorrectly? ）” 他一头雾水。 “太好了， 你说的是incorrectly 而不是incorrect 。我们用副词来描述动词。所以，要用unsteadily 来描述鸟飞 ，而不是unsteady 。”
9. Curious about my correction, he asked me what an adverb was. Slowly, I said, “it's a word that tells you something about a verb.” It led to his asking me what a verb was. I explained, “Verbs are action words; for example, Dad drives the truck. Drive is the verb because it's the thing Dad is doing.”
他对我的纠正很好奇，就问我什么是副词。 我慢慢解释道：“副词是用来修饰动词的词。” 这又导致了他询问我什么是动词。 我解释说：“动词是表示行为的词，例如：爸爸开卡车。„开‟是动词，因为它是爸爸在做的事。”
10. He became attracted to the idea of action words, so we listed a few more: fly, swim, dive, run. Then, out of his own curiosity, he asked me if other words had names for their use and functions. This led it a discussion of nouns, adjectives, and article. Within the span of a 10 - minute drive, he had learned from scratch to the major parts of speech in a sentence. It was painless learning and great fun!
他开始对表示行为的词产生兴趣，所以我们又罗列了几个动词：“飞行”、“游泳”、“跳水”、“跑步”。 然后，他又好奇地问我，其他的词有没有说明它们的用法和功能的名称。 这就引发了我们对名词、形容词和冠词的讨论。 在短短十分钟的驾驶时间内，他从对语法一无所知到学会了句子中主要词语的词性。 这是一次毫无痛苦而又非常有趣的学习经历。
11. Perhaps, language should be looked upon as a road map and a valuable possession: often study the road map (check grammar) and tune up the car engine (adjust vocabulary).Learning grammar and a good vocabulary is just like driving with a road map in a well-conditioned car.
也许，语言应该被看成是一张路线图和一件珍品：我们要常常查看路线图（核对语法）和调整汽车的引擎（调节词汇）。 学好语法和掌握大量的词汇就好比拿着路线图在车况良好的车里驾驶。
12. The road map provides the framework and guidance you need for your trip, but it won’t tell you exactly what trees or flowers you will see, what kind of people you will encounter, or what types of feelings you will be experiencing on your journey. Here, the vocabulary makes the journey true colors come alive!A good vocabulary enable you to enjoy whatever you see as you drive along. Equipped with grammar and a good vocabulary, you have flexibility and excellent control. While the road map guides your journey to your destination, an excellent vehicle helps you to fully enjoy all of the sights, sounds and experiences along the way.
路线图为你的旅行提供所需的基本路线和路途指南，可是它不会告诉你一路上你究竟会看见什么树或什么花，你会遇见什么样的人，或会有什么样的感受。 这里，词汇会使你的旅途变得五彩缤纷、栩栩如生。 大量的词汇让你享受到开车途中所见的点点滴滴。 借助语法和丰富的词汇，你就有了灵活性，掌控自如。 路线图会把你带到目的地，而一台好车却能让你完全陶醉于旅途的所有景色、声音及经历之中。
对学生来说，有效、准确且富有成效的沟通技能取决于语法和词汇这两大有利条件，可是学校并没有教他们这些。
13. Effective, precise and beneficial communication depends upon grammar and a good vocabulary the two essential assets for students, but they are not being taught in schools. 对学生来说，有效、准确且富有成效的沟通技能取决于语法和词汇这两大有利条件，可是学校并没有教他们这些。
14. Just this morning, my son and I were eating breakfast when I attempted to add milk to my tea. “Dad,” he said, “If I were you, I wouldn‟t do that. It‟s sour.” 就在今天早上，
我跟儿子吃早饭时，我想把牛奶加入我的茶里。 “爸爸，” 他说，“如果我是你的话，我不会这样做。牛奶会变酸。（If I were you, I wouldn't do that. It's sour.）”
15. “Oh my!” I said, swelling with pride toward my son, “that‟s a grammatically perfect sentence. You used were instead of was.” “哦，上帝！” 我满怀着无比的骄傲说道，“这是一句语法完全正确的句子。你用了were 而不是was 。”
16. “I know, I know, “he said with a long agreeable sigh. “It's the subjunctive mood.” “我知道，我知道，”他愉悦地舒了口气，“这是虚拟语气！”
17. I was like, whoa!
这下轮到我“哇！”了。
unit 2Text A
课文 A
The humanities: Out of date?
人文学科：过时了吗？ 1
When the going gets tough, the tough takeaccounting. When the job market worsens, manystudents calculate they can't major in English orhistory. They have to study something that boosts their prospects of landing a job.
当形势变得困难时，强者会去选学会计。当就业市场恶化时，许多学生估算着他们不能再主修英语或历史。他们得学一些能改善他们就业前景的东西。 2
The data show that as students have increasingly shouldered the ever-rising cost of tuition,they have defected from the study of the humanities and toward applied science and "hard"skills that they bet will lead to employment. In other words, a college education is more andmore seen as a means for economic betterment rather than a means for human betterment.This is a trend that is likely to persist and even accelerate .
数据显示，随着学生肩负的学费不断增加，他们已从学习人文学科转向他们相信有益于将来就业的应用科学和“硬”技能。换言之，大学教育越来越被看成是改善经济而不是提升人类自身的手段。这种趋势可能会持续，甚至有加快之势。
3
Over the next few years, as labor markets struggle, the humanities will probably continue theirlong slide in succession. There already has been a nearly 50 percent decline in the portion ofliberal arts majors over the past generation, and it is logical to think that the trend is boundto continue or even accelerate . Once the dominant pillars of university life, the humanities nowplay little roles when students take their college tours. These days, labs are more vivid and compelling than libraries.
在未来几年内，由于劳动力市场的不景气，人文学科可能会继续其长期低迷的态势。在上一代大学生中，主修文科的学生数跌幅已近 50%。这种趋势会持续、甚至加速的想法是合情合理的。人文学科曾是大学生活的重要支柱，而今在学生们参观校园的时候，却只是一个小点缀。现在，实验室要比图书馆更栩栩如生、受人青睐。 4
Here, please allow me to stand up for and promote the true value that the humanities add topeople's lives.
在这儿，请允许我为人文学科给人们的生活所增添的真实价值进行支持和宣传。 5
Since ancient times, people have speculated aboutthe mystery of those inner forces that drive somepeople to greatness and others to self-destruction .This inner drive has been called many things over thecenturies. The famous psychologist , SigmundFreud, called it the "unconscious mind" or, morefamiliarly, "instinct ".
自古以来，人们一直在思索人类自身具有什么神奇的内力使一些人变得崇高伟大，而使另一些人走向自我毁灭。几个世纪以来，这股内力被称作很多东西。著名的心理学家西格蒙德·弗洛伊德称之为“潜意识”，或更为人熟知的“本能”。 6
From the beginning of time, this inner aspect of our being, this drive that can be constru ctive or destructive , has captured our imagination. The stories of this amazing struggle have formedthe basis of cultures the world over. Historians, architects, authors, philosophers and artistshave captured the words, images and meanings of this inner struggle in the form of story,music, myth , painting, architecture, sculpture , landscape and traditions. These men andwomen developed artistic "languages" that help us understand these aspirations and alsoeducate generations. This fertile body of work from ancient times, the very foundation ofcivilization, forms the basis of study of the humanities. 从一开始，人类这股可以是建设性也可以是毁灭性的内在驱动力，就令我们心驰神往。这些惊人的、充满内心挣扎的故事形成了世界文化的基础。历史学家、建筑师、作家、哲学家和艺术家们以故事、音乐、神话、绘画、建筑、雕刻、风景画和传统的形式，捕捉到了这些撞击心灵的文字、形象及内涵。这些男男女女创造出了具有艺术性的“语言”，帮助我们了解人类的这些强烈愿望，并用以教育一代又一代人。从古时起开始的这些充满想象的大量作品，正是文明的底蕴，它奠定了人文研究的基础。
7
Studying the humanities improves our ability to read and write. No matter what we do in life, we
will have a huge advantage if we can read complex ideas and understand their meaning. Wewill have a bright career if we are the person in the office who can write a clear and elegantanalysis of those ideas!
学习人文学科会提高我们的阅读和写作能力。无论我们这一生中从事什么职业，如果我们能读懂复杂的思想并理解它们的内涵，我们都会受益匪浅。如果我们是在办公室里能对这些思想写出既明确又简洁的分析的人，我们会有光明的职业前景。 8
Studying the humanities makes us familiar with thelanguage of emotion and the creativ e process. In aninformation economy, many people have the ability toproduce a useful product such as a new MP3 player.Yet, very few people have the ability to create as pectacular brand : the iPod. Most importantly,studying the humanities invests us with greatinsight and self-awareness , thereby releasing ourcreative energy and talent in a positive andconstructive manner.
学习人文学科会让我们熟悉表达情感的语言及进行创造的过程。在信息经济中，很多人都有能力创造出一个如新的 MP3 播放器那样的有用产品。然而，仅有很少的人具有能力创造出一个如 iPod 那样的精彩品牌。最重要的是，学习人文学科使我们具有伟大的洞察力和自我意识，从而以积极和建设性的方式来发挥我们的创造力和才艺。 9
Perhaps the best argument in favor of the humanities is the scope of possibilities that are widely open to us. Did you know that James Cameron, world-famous director of the movie,
Titanic, graduated with a degree in the humanities? So did Sally Ride, the first woman in space.So did actors Bruce Lee, Gwyneth Paltrow, Renee Zellweger and Matt Damon. Dr. HaroldVarmus, who won a Nobel Prize for Medicine, studied the humanities. Even Michael Eisner,
Chairman of the Disney Company, majored in the humanities. Famous people who studied the
humanities make a long list indeed. It's easy to see that the humanities can prepare us for
many different careers and jobs we can undertake, whether medicine, business, science or entertainment .
也许，支持人文学科的最好论点是，人文学科为我们提供了广阔的机会。你知道世界闻名的电影《泰坦尼克号》的导演詹姆斯·卡梅隆拿的是人文学科的学位吗？第一个登上太空的女宇航员萨利·赖德拿的也是人文学科的学位。还有电影演员李小龙、格温妮丝·帕特洛·蕾妮·齐薇格及马特·达蒙，也都如此。获诺贝尔医学奖的哈罗德·瓦慕斯博士也学过人文学科。甚至迪士尼公司的总裁迈克尔·艾斯纳也主
修人文学科。学习人文学科的有名人士确实可以列出一长串。显而易见，人文学能为我们从事许多不同的职业做准备，不管是医学、商务、科学或娱乐。 10
If we study only mathematics, it's likely we will be acandidate only for jobs as a mathematician. If weinclude studying the humanities, we can makebreakthroughs on many barriers and are limited onlyby our effort and imagination.
如果我们仅学习数学，我们很可能只能申请数学家之类的工作。如果我们还学了人文学科，那我们就能突破许多障碍，只要我们愿意付出努力，敢于想象。 11
Of course, nowadays, if we study the humanitiesalone, we are liable to miss many opportunities.
Each one of us needs to become as technically and professionally skilled as possible to help meet
the needs of modern life. In fact, increasingly a pairing of technical knowledge and inner insight is seen as the ideal in the establishment of a career. If I were the Dean of Admissionsat a medical school and two people applied to our school, both having the required basicscientific courses, one a philosophy major and the other solely a pre-med student, the philosophy applicant would be chosen.
当然，在当下，如果我们单学人文学科，可能会失去很多机会。我们每个人都需要尽可能变得技能化、职业化，以满足现代生活的需要。事实上，技术知识和内在洞察力的结合越来越被看成是建立职业生涯的理想搭配。如果我是某个医学院的招生部主任，有两个人同时申请我们学校，这两个人都学过基础的科学课程，一个主修哲学，另一个仅是医学院的预科生，我会选择那位哲学专业的申请者。 12
In summary , the humanities help to create well-rounded human beings with insight andunderstanding of the passions, hopes and dreams common to all humanity . The humanities,the ancient timeless reservoir of knowledge, teach us to see things differently and b roaden our horizons. They are as useful and relevant in our modern age they have always been.Doesn't it make sense to spend some time in the company of the humanities, our outstanding and remarkable treasure of knowledge? Who knows how famous YOU might become!
总之，人文学科帮助造就全面发展的人，这些人具有洞察力，并理解全人类共有的激情、希望和理想。人文学科，这个古老、永恒的知识储蓄库，教我们如何以不同的方式看待事物，同时也拓宽我们的视野。在现代社会中，人文学科一如既往地同生活息息相关，也发挥着重要作用。我们在学习中花一些时间与人文学科——我们杰出、非凡的知识宝藏——相伴，这难道不是明智的吗？谁知道你将来会变得多有名气呢！
Book 2 Unit 3 Journey through the odyssey years奥德赛岁月之旅
1
Most of us know about the phases of life which we label to parallel different age groups and life stages: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. We think of infancy before childhood and middle age before old age, with each unique phase bringing its own peculiar set of challenges. These challenges can be overcome by acquainting ourselves with them, such as the child's need to learn, the adult's need to find the right career and build a family, and the senior's need for support and good health care.
我们大多数人都知道，根据不同的年龄和生活阶段，人生可与此平行划分为童年、青春期、成年和老年这四个阶段。我们把这些阶段想象为婴儿期在童年之前，中年在老年之前，每个阶段都会面临一系列特有的挑战，如孩子对学习的需要，成人对找到合适的职业生涯和建立一个家庭的需要，以及年长者对得到帮助和良好医疗保健的需要。通过对它们的充分了解，我们就可以战胜这些挑战。
2 Interestingly, ideas about the stages of life are changing.
有趣的是，关于人生阶段的观念正在发生变化。
3
In previous times, people didn't have a solid idea of childhood as being separate from adulthood. A hundred years ago, no one thought of adolescence. Until recently it was understood as a norm that their induction to adulthood was completed as soon as they graduated from college. They would now find a sensible job which would lead to a career. Then during this career they would start a family, ideally before they turned 30.
在先前的年代，人们并没有一种固有的把童年和成年分开的想法。一百年前，谁也没有想到过青春期。直到最近，人们还很自然地认为：只要他们一从大学毕业，他们的成人入门阶段就结束了。他们就会找到一份把他们引入职业生涯的合适的工作。然后在此职业生涯期间，他们会成家，三十岁之前成家更为理想。
4
Today we have an equivalent need to recognize a new phase of life that comes after high school graduation, continues through college, and then leads to starting a family and having a career, the so-called odyssey years. Recent trends show radical changes as young people are following a different agenda. They take breaks from school, live with friends and often return to living with their parents. Similarly, they fall in and out of love, quit one job and try another or even shift to a new career. So, we need to recognize this new stage, the odyssey years, which many now consider to be an unavoidable stage in reaching adulthood.
今天，我们同样需要认识一个新的人生阶段：从高中毕业到上大学，然后到成家立业，即所谓的奥德赛岁月。由于年轻人正按照一种不同的模式生活，最近的趋
势出现了根本性的变化。他们从学校休学，与朋友同住，也常回去与父母同住。同样，他们恋爱又失恋，辞掉一份工作又去寻找新的，甚至改行。因此，我们需要认识这个新阶段——奥德赛岁月。现在许多人认为这是步入成年之前的一个难以回避的阶段。
5
People who were born prior to the 60s or 70s in the last century tended to frame their concept of adulthood based upon achieving certain accomplishments: moving away from home, becoming financially independent, finding the right spouse and starting a family. But that emphasis on stability did not remain static. Today, young people are unlikely to do the same. During the odyssey years, a high proportion of young people are delaying marriage, child bearing, and even employment.
出生于上个世纪 60 年代或 70 年代之前的人们往往会将成年的概念基于是否取得了某些成就：从父母家搬走，经济上独立，找到合适的配偶并组织家庭。但是，对稳定的强调并没能保持不变。今天，年轻人不太可能仿效他们的父母。在奥德赛岁月中，相当比例的年轻人都推迟结婚、生子，甚至推迟就业。
6
The odyssey years can saddle young people with enormous pressure to move forward quickly. As the sole heir and focus of their parents' expectations, hopes and dreams, some react with rebellious and prideful attitudes and behavior toward their parents. They often resent the pressure they're feeling and keep a distance from their parents or even run away from home. Their confusion comes from the difficulties to make parents understand them and the fluid journey of discovery they need in this phase of their lives. To get away from this confusion and upset, many young people resort to computer games, iPods, iPhones, or iPads to help distract them from their pain and stress.
奥德赛岁月使年轻人承受了巨大的压力，迫使他们快速往前冲。作为他们父母唯一的继承人和所有期望、希望和梦想的聚焦，有些年轻人以叛逆和桀骜不驯的行为和态度对待父母。他们往往憎恨他们所感到的压力，并同他们的父母保持距离，甚至离家出走。他们的困惑源于很难让家长了解他们，也源于这段需要进行自我探索的、不确定的人生之旅。为了逃避困惑和不安，许多年轻人诉诸电脑游戏， iPod, iPhone 或 iPad，以帮助分散他们的痛苦和压力。
7
Likewise, their parents are feeling more anxious. They may make allowances for a transition phase from student life to adult life, but they get upset when they see the transition of their grown children's lives moving away from their expectations and stretching five years to seven years, and beyond. The parents don't even detect a clear sense of direction in their children's lives. They look at them and see the things that are being delayed.
同样，他们的父母更是着急。虽然他们理解从学生到成年需要一个过渡阶段，但看到他们已成年子女的过渡阶段的生活与他们的期望渐行渐远，过渡阶段延至五年，七年，甚至更长时，他们感到生气。父母甚至不能清楚地觉察到他们孩子未来生活的方向，只能看着他们，看着要做的事被拖延着。
8
It's hard to predict what's next. New guidelines haven't been established yet, and everything seems to give way to a less permanent version of itself. There's been a shift in the status and balance of power between the genders, too. More women are getting degrees than men. Male wages have remained stable over the past decades, while female wages have boomed.
接下来会如何发展很难预测。新的准则还没有建立，一切似乎都被一个不确定的版本所取代。 两性之间地位和权力的平衡也有了转变。取得学位的女性比男性更多。男性的工资在过去的几十年里一直停滞不前，而女性的工资却出现激增。
9
Apart from anything else, this has had an implicit effect on courtship. Educated women can get many of the things they want, such as security, accomplishment, and identity without marriage. However, both genders are having a harder time finding suitable mates to build their lives with. Considering all of this, it's beneficial to know that even though graduates are delaying many things after college, surveys show they still hold highly traditional aspirations. For example, this contemporary generation rates parenthood even more highly than previous generations did!
别的不说，这对择偶产生了不言而喻的影响。即使未婚，受过教育的妇女仍可以得到很多她们想要的东西，如安全感，成就感，和认同感。不过，不论男女都更难找到合适的伴侣来一同建立他们的生活。在讨论这一切时，有助于让大家知道，即使毕业生离开大学后推迟了做很多事，调查结果显示，他们仍持有很传统的愿望。例如，当今的一代比以前的几代对如何扮演好父母的角色有着更高的要求。
10
This new phase will likely grow more pronounced in the coming years. Nations around the world have witnessed similar trends toward delaying marriage and spending more years than ever shifting between higher education and settling down with a career and family.
这一新阶段在未来几年可能更明显。世界各国都目睹了相似的趋势，人们推迟结婚，花更多年的时间徘徊在接受高等教育和建立职业生涯及家庭之间。
11 Nevertheless, graduates shouldn't be deceived into thinking they can back off simply, because things have become more difficult. A large number of people chasing relatively fewer opportunities can create strong competitive pressure. So, from the outset, keep your resume professional and up-to-date.
然而，毕业生不应误认为因情况已变得更困难，他们就可以放弃。大批的人努力角逐相对较少的机会，这会导致强大的竞争压力。所以，从一开始你就要将个人简历写得很专业，并做到随时更新。
12
To reinforce this essential message, success moving through the odyssey years will come to those who don't expect to achieve their goals right away but know that they must have the strength, capacity and confidence to endure over the long term. If you're a little late with your goals, don't feel like a failure! Stay strong, be positive, and keep focused! Someday you will look back and wonder at the vast changes as you passed through the odyssey years.
要强化这一重要信息：顺利度过奥德赛岁月的将是那些不急于即刻实现目标的人——但这些人知道他们必须保持实力、能力、信心去度过这段较长的岁月。如果你的目标起步稍晚了点，
不要认为自己是个失败者！意志坚定，态度积极，并集中精力！有一天，你会回头审视，并对奥德赛岁月给你带来的巨大改变感到惊叹。
unit 4
College sweethearts大学情侣
I smile at my two lovely daughters and they seem so much more mature than we, their parents, when we were college sweethearts. Linda, who's 21, had a boyfriend in her freshman year she thought she would marry, but they're not together anymore. Melissa, who's 19, hasn't had a steady boyfriend yet. My daughters wonder when they will meet "The One", their great love. They think their father and I had a classic fairy-tale romance heading for marriage from the outset. Perhaps, they're right but it didn't seem so at the time. In a way, love just happens when you least expect it. Who
would have thought that Butch and I would end up getting married to each other? He became my boyfriend because of my shallow agenda: I wanted a cute boyfriend!
1 我微笑着看着我那两个可爱的女儿，她们似乎比她们的父母还是大学情侣那会儿更为成熟。 琳达，21岁，在大学一年级交过一个男友，她曾以为会跟那个男孩结婚，但他们已不再来往了。 梅丽莎，19岁，还没有一个固定的男友。 我的女儿不知何时才能遇到她们的那个“唯一”，她们伟大的爱。 她们认为她们的父亲和我有着一段经典的、童话般的浪漫史，从一开始就直奔婚姻的殿堂。 也许，她们是正确的，但在那时似乎并不是那么回事。 在某种程度上，爱神恰恰在你最没准备时来临。 谁曾想到，布奇和我最终会结婚呢？ 他之所以成为我男友，只是因为当时我那肤浅的打算：我要找一个可爱的男友！
We met through my college roommate at the university cafeteria. That fateful night, I was merely curious, but for him I think it was love at first sight. "You have beautiful eyes", he said as he gazed at my face. He kept staring at me all night long. I really wasn't that interested for two reasons. First, he looked like he was a really wild boy, maybe even dangerous. Second, although he was very cute, he seemed a little weird. 2 我们通过我的大学室友介绍在大学食堂相识。 在那个命中注定的夜晚，我只是好奇，但对他而言，我认为是一见钟情。 他凝视着我的脸，说：“你有一双美丽的眼睛。” 他整个晚上一直盯着我。 我真的对他没那么感兴趣，其原因有二。 首先，他看起来就像是一个野小子，甚至还有些危险。 其次，虽然他很可爱，却似乎有点怪异。
Riding on his bicycle, he'd ride past my dorm as if "by accident" and pretend to be surprised to see me. I liked the attention but was cautious about his wild, dynamic
personality. He had a charming way with words which would charm any girl. Fear came over me when I started to fall in love. His exciting "bad boy image" was just too
tempting to resist. What was it that attracted me? I always had an excellent reputation. My concentration was solely on my studies to get superior grades. But for what? College is supposed to be a time of great learning and also some fun. I had nearly
achieved a great education, and graduation was just one semester away. But I hadn't had any fun; my life was stale with no component of fun! I needed a boyfriend.Not just any boyfriend. He had to be cute. My goal that semester became: Be ambitious and grab the cutest boyfriend I can find. 3 他骑着自行车经过我的宿舍，装作与我“偶遇”，看到我时还假装惊讶。 我喜欢被重视的感觉，但对他的野性和充满活力的个性却小
心谨慎。 他很会说话，这会迷倒任何女孩。 当我开始爱上他时，恐惧向我袭来。 他那令人激动的“坏小子形象”简直太诱人了。 究竟是什么吸引了我？ 我，一直口碑极好。 为了获得优异的成绩，我的注意力只专注在自己的学习上。 但又怎么样呢？ 大学应该是学习的好时间，可也应该有一些乐趣。 我已几乎达成了伟大的教育目标，离毕业只有一学期之遥了。 但我却还没有享受过任何乐趣，我的生活乏味，没有一点新鲜感！ 我需要一个男朋友，当然不是任何男朋友。 他必须很可爱。 于是我那个学期的目标就成为：雄心勃勃，抓住一个我能找到的最可爱的男友。
I worried what he'd think of me. True, we lived in a time when a dramatic shift in sexual attitudes was taking place, but I was a traditional girl who wasn't ready for the new ways that seemed common on campus. Butch looked superb! I was not immune to his personality, but I was scared. The night when he announced to the world that I was his girlfriend, I went along with him. And then I suddenly thought: "Oh my gosh! Am I his girlfriend? How did that happen?" Then he whispered sweet words in my ear and said, "I'm going to marry you one day and I will be a lawyer. You will see." 4 我担心他会怎么看我。 不错，我们生活在一个性观念正在发生戏剧性转变的时代，但我是一个传统的女孩，对在校园里似乎常见的新方式还没有心理准备。 布奇看上去很出色！ 我对他的个性毫无免疫力，但我对此很害怕。 那天晚上当他向大家宣布我是他女友时，我是同意的。 但我随后突然清醒：“噢，我的天哪！我是他女友吗？这是怎么回事？” 紧接着，他在我耳边低声地甜言蜜语：“有一天我要娶你，我会成为一名律师。你会看到这一天的。”
I was laughing inside and said to myself, "I'd never marry this guy. He's a rebel without a good future. He's my boyfriend because I hate my boring student life. I just want to have fun." 5 我笑着对自己说：“我绝不会嫁给这个家伙。他是一个没有前途的叛逆者。他是我男朋友，只因为我恨枯燥的学生生活。我只想得到乐趣而已。”
6 Sure enough, the following month, I found out he had failed all his courses.
Consequently, he was going to be expelled from the university. To my disgust, he
seemed resigned to his fate. I knew there was hope, so I led him to the college secretary for reconsideration. 6 果然，一个月后，我发现他所有的课程都不及格。 因而，他将被大学除名。 令我厌恶的是，他似乎屈从了自己的命运。 我知道还有希望，所以我让他去学院的秘书那儿进行复议。
"You are going to graduate with a BA in political science from UPenn and proceed to the College of Law," I told him, lodging an appeal on his behalf, which was approved. Butch was granted reconsideration. And, once we became steadies, he coordinated his studies and social life, passing all of his classes. He eventually studied law. 7 我告诉他：“你要先从宾夕法尼亚大学拿到政治学学士学位，然后进入法律学院。”我以他的名义递交了呈请书，结果被批准了。 校方同意复议布奇的情况。 我们的男女朋友关系一经确定，他就协调了他的学习和社交生活，结果各门课都通过了。 他最终学了法律。
Despite Butch's somewhat wild character, at his core, he is always a perfect gentleman and deserves a lot of credit for that. True, he'd sometimes take the liberty of displaying his love by planting a kiss on my lips right in front of my astonished friends who
watched and disapproved. But the truth is we had a pure and responsible relationship for seven full years. Sitting by the palm trees, hand in hand, we would listen to romantic songs, watch the sunset, and weave dreams of being together with children of our own, forever. 8 尽管布奇的性格有点野，但他在骨子里却是一个完美的绅士，这值得高度赞扬。 的确，他有时会在我朋友面前亲吻我的嘴，擅自表达他的爱。我的朋友看到了很惊讶，也很不以为然。 但事实上，我们在整整七年的恋爱关系中一直是纯洁和负责的。 我们坐在棕榈树下，手牵着手，听着浪漫的歌曲，观赏着日落，编织着和我们自己的孩子在一起的美梦，一直到永远。
Two years passed in a blur. One day, Butch took me by surprise as he knelt down and proposed marriage holding a dozen red roses! Filled with deep emotion, I confessed my love for him, "How roooomaaaantic!!" Then my brain woke up from fantasy land. I cried out, "Good heavens. No! We're too young to tie the knot. We haven't even
graduated from college yet!" I really loved him but was pessimistic about our chances for success. 9 两年糊里糊涂地过去了。 一天，布奇出其不意地手捧着一打红玫瑰跪下向我求婚。 我心中充满了深情，也坦诚了对他的爱：“太太太太太浪漫了！！” 可我随即从幻想中惊醒。 我大喊出来：“天哪。不！我们现在结婚还太早了。我们甚至还没有大学毕业呢！” 我真的很喜欢他，但我对我们感情修成正果的机率却持悲观态度。
We married five years later. 10 五年后，我们结了婚。
Our faithful journey of love and learning took us down rocky roads of hardship and on smooth easy-going highways. It is a long, romantic, sometimes crazy, love story that sums up a 29-year long honeymoon together as a couple who are still madly in love with each other. Our love commenced with a casual attraction but bloomed into a mature love and rich life.
11 我们忠实的爱和学习之旅带我们走过艰难崎岖的岩石路，走上平坦易行的公路。 它是一个永久、浪漫，有时又疯狂的爱情故事。它诠释了一对仍在疯狂地爱着对方的夫妇如何一起度过了29年之久的蜜月。 我们的爱从漫不经心的互相吸引开始，但最终却发展出成熟的爱情和富足的生活。
unit 5
Spend or save — The student's dilemma 花钱还是存钱，学生进退维谷
1 Do you feel as confused and manipulated as I do with this question, "Should I spend or should I save?" I think that the messages we get from our environment seem to defy common sense and contradict each other. The government tells us to spend or we'll never get out of the recession. At the same time, they tell us that unless we save more, our country is in grave danger. Banks offer higher interest rates so we increase savings. Then the same banks send us credit card offers so we can spend more.
你是不是跟我一样对“我应该花钱还是存钱”这个问题感到困惑，且有被操纵的感觉？ 我觉得我们从生活的环境里所获得的信息似乎是有违常识、互相矛盾的。 政府告诉我们要花钱，否则我们将永远走不出衰退；与此同时，他们又告诉我们，除非我们节省更多的钱，否则我们的国家会处于严重危险之中。 银行提供较高的利率以增加储蓄。 然后，同样是这些银行又提供信用卡让我们可以花更多的钱。
2 Here's another familiar example: If we don't pay our credit card bill on time, we get demanding, nasty emails from the credit card company saying something like: "Your failure to pay is unacceptable. Pay immediately or you'll be in trouble!" Then, as soon as we pay, we get a follow-up email in a charming tone telling us how valuable a customer we are and encouraging us to resume spending.Which depiction is correct: a failing consumer in trouble or a valued customer? The gap between these two messages is enormous. 这里还有一个大家熟悉的例子：如果我们不按时支付信用卡账单，我们会收到从信用卡公司发来的类似这样的令人讨厌的催缴账单的电子邮件：不还款是不可接受的。请立即缴付，否则后果自负！ 之后，一旦还款，我们就会收到一封跟进的电子邮件，语气和蔼可亲，说我们是多么宝贵的客户，并鼓励我们继续花钱。 到底哪一个描述是正确的？有麻烦的失败消费者还是宝贵的客户？ 这两者之间可是天壤之别！
3 The paradox is that every day we get two sets of messages at odds with each other. One is the "permissive" perspective, "Buy, spend, get it now. You need this!" The other we could call an "upright" message, which urges us, "Work hard and save. Suspend your desires. Avoid luxuries. Control your appetite for more than you truly need." This message comes to us from many sources: from school, from parents, even from political figures referring to "traditional values". Hard work, family loyalty, and the capacity to postpone desires are core American values that have made our country great.
自相矛盾的情况还有，我们每天都收到彼此相左的两种信息。 一种从“纵容”的角度，让我们“买东西，花钱，现在就得到它。你需要这个！” 另外一种，我们可称之为“正直”的信息，它力劝我们：“努力工作，把钱存起来。控制你的欲望，不要买奢侈品，不要垂涎那些你并不真正需要的东西。” 这类信息来源甚多，有学校方面的，有家长方面的，甚至还来自提及传统价值观的政治人物。 艰苦创业，忠于家庭、能推迟欲望是美国价值观的核心，它使我们的国家变得强大。
4 But the opposite message, advertising's permissive message, is inescapable. Though sometimes disguised, the messages are everywhere we look: on TV, in movies on printed media and road signs, in stores, and on busses, trains and subways. Advertisementsinvade our daily lives. We are constantly surrounded by the message to spend, spend, spend. Someone recently said, "The only time you can escape advertising is when you're in your bed asleep!"
但相反的信息，即那些纵容人们不断花钱的广告，无所不在。 虽然此类信息有时经过了乔装打扮，但仍随处可见，电视、电影、印刷媒介和路牌、商店，及公共汽车、火车和地铁上，比比皆是。 广告侵入了我们的日常生活。 我们时时被包围在花钱，花钱，花钱的信息中。 最近有人说：“唯一可以逃脱广告的时候是当在床上睡着时！”
5 It's been calculated that by the age of 18, the average American will have seen 600,000 ads; by the age of 40, the total is almost one million. Each advertisement is doing its utmost to influence our diverse buying decisions, from the
breakfast cereal we eat to whichcruise line we will use for our vacation. There is no shortage of ideas and things to buy! Now, of course, we don't remember exactly what the products were, but the essential message is cemented into our
consciousness, "It's good to satisfy your desires. You should have what you want. You deserve the best. So, you should buy it — now!" A famous advertisement said it perfectly, "I love me. I'm a good friend to myself. I do what makes me feel good. I derive pleasure from nice things and feel nourished by them. I used to put things off. Not anymore. Today I'll buy new ski equipment, look at new compact cars, and buy that camera I've always wanted. I live my dreams today, not tomorrow."
据计算，普通的美国人到18岁时，会看过60万则广告；到40岁时，看过的广告总数近百万。 每个广告都在尽最大努力影响我们形形色色的购买决定——从我们吃的早餐麦片到我们的假期将使用哪条邮轮线路。 决不会缺少怎么花钱和买什么东西的广告！ 现在，我们当然不能确切地记得广告上的产品，但重要的信息已凝聚在我们的意识里：“要满足你的愿望。你应该拥有你想要的。你应该得到最好的。所以，你应该买下它——现在！” 一个著名的广告诠释得很完美：“我爱自己。我是自己的好朋友。我做让我感觉舒服的事。我从精美的东西里 得到乐趣，
并感觉到它们给我的滋养。我过去常想着等一下再买，现在再也不会了。今天，我会购买全新的滑雪装备，看看新型的小巧灵便的轿车，买下那台我一直 想要的相机。我今天就要实现我的梦想，不会等到明天。”
6 What happens as we take in these contradictory but explicit messages? What are the psychological and social consequences of this campaign to control our spending habits? On one hand, we want more things because we want to satisfy our material appetite. Most of us derive pleasure from treating ourselves. On the other hand, a little voice inside us echoes those upright messages: "Watch out, takestock of your life, don't let your attention get scattered. Postpone your desires. Don't fall into debt. Wait! Retain control over your own life. It will make you stronger."
当我们接受这些相互矛盾但很明确的信息时，会有什么事情发生呢？ 这种控制我们花钱习惯的宣传活动会造成什么心理和社会上的影响呢？ 一方面，我们希望买更多的东西，来满足我们的物质欲望。 我们中的大多数通过善待自己来得到乐趣。 与此同时，我们身体里面有一个微弱的声音与那些正直的信息在共鸣：“当心，要掂量掂量自己的生活，不要让注意力分散。推迟欲望。不要陷入债务。要等待！保留对自己生活的控制权。这会让你更坚强。”
7 Anyway, many of the skills you need as a successful student can be applied to your finances. Consider your financial well-being as a key ingredient of your university education as money worries are extremely stressful and distracting. They can make you feel terrible and hinder your ability to focus on your prime objective: successfully completing your education.
总之，一个成功的学生所需要的很多技能可以应用到你的财务中去。 把良好的财务状况看成是大学教育中的一个关键因素，因为对金钱的担忧会让人倍感压力，并让人分心。 它们会让你感觉很糟糕，并阻止你专注首要目标，即成功完成学业。
8 How can you be a smart and educated consumer? Many schools, community organizations, and even some banks offer financial literacy classes. Consider consulting with your school's financial aid office or seek input from your parents or other respected adults in setting up a budget. An additional option is finding a partner to help you stay on track and find pleasure in the administration of your own financial affairs. Most importantly, if you find yourself getting into financial trouble, don't let your ego get in your way; urgently get help with tackling your problem before it spins out of control and lands you in legal troubles.
怎样才能成为一个聪明、有相关知识的消费者呢？ 许多学校、社区组织，甚至一些银行都提供金融扫盲班。 可以考虑向学校的财务援助办公室咨询，或向父母或
其他值得尊敬的成年人请教如何建立一个预算方案。 另外一个选择是找一个合作伙伴来帮你保持良好的财务状况，并在管理自己的金融事务中找到乐趣。 最重要的是，如果你发现自己正陷入财务困境，不要让你的自大妨碍你，在情况变得失控并惹上法律麻烦前，赶紧寻求帮助来解决问题。
9 All this will help you become an educated consumer and saver. As you learn to balance spending and saving, you will become the captain of your own ship, steering your life in a successful and productive direction through the choppy waters.
这一切都将帮助你成为一个拥有相关知识的消费者和储蓄者。 学会了如何平衡支出和储蓄，你就会成为你自己的船长，驾驶着你的生活之船，乘风破浪，驶向成功和富有。
unit 1
unit 1 An IMPRESSIVE English lesson 一堂难忘的英语课
1. If I am the only parent who still corrects his child’s English, then perhaps my son is right. To him, I am a tedious oddity: a father he is obliged to listen to and a man absorbed in the rules of grammar, which my son seems allergic to.
如果我是唯一一个还在纠正小孩英语的家长，那么我儿子也许是对的。 对他而言，我是一个乏味的怪物：一个他不得不听其教诲的父亲，一个还沉湎于语法规则的人，对此我儿子似乎颇为反感。
2. I think I got serious about this only recently when I ran into one of my former students, fresh from an excursion to Europe .“How was it” I asked, full of earnest anticipation.
我觉得我是在最近偶遇我以前的一位学生时，才开始对这个问题认真起来的。这个学生刚从欧洲旅游回来。 我满怀着诚挚期待问她：“欧洲之行如何？”
3. She nodded three or four times searched the heavens for the right words, and then exclaimed, it was like, whoa!"
她点了三四下头，绞尽脑汁，苦苦寻找恰当的词语，然后惊呼：“真是，哇！”
4. And that was it. The civilization of Greece and the glory of Roman architecture were captured in condensed non-statement. My student “whoa” was exceeded only by my head-shaking distress.
没了。 所有希腊文明和罗马建筑的辉煌居然囊括于一个浓缩的、不完整的语句之中！ 我的学生以“哇！”来表示她的惊叹，我只能以摇头表达比之更强烈的忧虑。
5. There are many different stories about the downturn in the proper use of English. Surely students should be able to distinguish between their/there/they're on the distinctive difference between complimentary and complementary. They unfairly bear the bulk of the criticism for these knowledge deficits because there is a sense that they should know better.
关于正确使用英语能力下降的问题，有许多不同的故事。 学生的确本应该能够区分诸如their/there/they're之间的不同，或区别complimentary 跟complementary 之间显而易见的差异。 由于这些知识缺陷，他们承受着大部分不该承受的批评和指责，因为舆论认为他们应该学得更好。
6. Students are not dump, but they are being misled everywhere they look and listen. For example, signs in grocery stores point them to the stationary, even though the actual stationery items-pads, albums and notebooks-are not nailed down. Friends and loved ones often proclaim they've just ate when, in fact, they've just eaten. Therefore, it doesn't make any sense to criticize our students
学生并不笨，他们只是被周围所看到和听到的语言误导了。 举例来说，杂货店的指示牌会把他们引向stationary （静止处），虽然便笺本、相册、和笔记本等真正的stationery （文具用品）并没有被钉在那儿。 朋友和亲人常宣称 They've just ate。实际上，他们应该说 They've just eaten。 因此，批评学生不合乎情理。
7. Blame for the scandal of this language deficit should be thrust upon our schools, which should be setting high standards of English language proficiency. Instead they only teach a little grammar and even less advanced vocabulary. Moreover, the younger teachers themselves evidently have little knowledge of these vital structures of language because they also went without exposure to them. Schools fail to adequately teach the essential framework of language, accurate grammar and proper vocabulary, while they should take the responsibility of pushing the young onto the path of competent communication.
对这种缺乏语言功底而引起的负面指责应归咎于我们的学校。学校应对英语熟练程度制定出更高的标准。 可相反，学校只教零星的语法，高级词汇更是少之又少。 还有就是，学校的年轻教师显然缺乏这些重要的语言结构方面的知识，因为他们过去也没接触过。 学校有责任教会年轻人进行有效的语言沟通，可他们并没把语言的基本框架——准确的语法和恰当的词汇——充分地传授给学生。
8. Since grammar is boring to most of the young students I think that it must be handled delicately, step by step. The chance came when one day I was driving with my son. As we set out on our trip, he noticed a bird in jerky flight and said, “It's flying so unsteady. I carefully asked, my son, how is the bird flying? “What’s wrong? Did I say anything incorrectly?” He got lost. “Great! You said incorrectly instead of incorrect. We use adverbs to describe verbs. Therefore, it's flying so unsteadily but not so unsteady.”
因为语法对大多数年轻学生而言枯燥且乏味，所以我觉得讲授语法得一步一步、注重技巧地进行。 有一天机会来了。我跟儿子开车外出。 我们出发时，他看到一只小鸟飞得很不稳，就说：“它飞的不稳。”（It's flying so unsteady.） 我小心翼翼地问：“儿子，鸟怎么飞?” “有问题吗？我说得不对吗？（Did I say anything incorrectly? ）” 他一头雾水。 “太好了， 你说的是incorrectly 而不是incorrect 。我们用副词来描述动词。所以，要用unsteadily 来描述鸟飞 ，而不是unsteady 。”
9. Curious about my correction, he asked me what an adverb was. Slowly, I said, “it's a word that tells you something about a verb.” It led to his asking me what a verb was. I explained, “Verbs are action words; for example, Dad drives the truck. Drive is the verb because it's the thing Dad is doing.”
他对我的纠正很好奇，就问我什么是副词。 我慢慢解释道：“副词是用来修饰动词的词。” 这又导致了他询问我什么是动词。 我解释说：“动词是表示行为的词，例如：爸爸开卡车。„开‟是动词，因为它是爸爸在做的事。”
10. He became attracted to the idea of action words, so we listed a few more: fly, swim, dive, run. Then, out of his own curiosity, he asked me if other words had names for their use and functions. This led it a discussion of nouns, adjectives, and article. Within the span of a 10 - minute drive, he had learned from scratch to the major parts of speech in a sentence. It was painless learning and great fun!
他开始对表示行为的词产生兴趣，所以我们又罗列了几个动词：“飞行”、“游泳”、“跳水”、“跑步”。 然后，他又好奇地问我，其他的词有没有说明它们的用法和功能的名称。 这就引发了我们对名词、形容词和冠词的讨论。 在短短十分钟的驾驶时间内，他从对语法一无所知到学会了句子中主要词语的词性。 这是一次毫无痛苦而又非常有趣的学习经历。
11. Perhaps, language should be looked upon as a road map and a valuable possession: often study the road map (check grammar) and tune up the car engine (adjust vocabulary).Learning grammar and a good vocabulary is just like driving with a road map in a well-conditioned car.
也许，语言应该被看成是一张路线图和一件珍品：我们要常常查看路线图（核对语法）和调整汽车的引擎（调节词汇）。 学好语法和掌握大量的词汇就好比拿着路线图在车况良好的车里驾驶。
12. The road map provides the framework and guidance you need for your trip, but it won’t tell you exactly what trees or flowers you will see, what kind of people you will encounter, or what types of feelings you will be experiencing on your journey. Here, the vocabulary makes the journey true colors come alive!A good vocabulary enable you to enjoy whatever you see as you drive along. Equipped with grammar and a good vocabulary, you have flexibility and excellent control. While the road map guides your journey to your destination, an excellent vehicle helps you to fully enjoy all of the sights, sounds and experiences along the way.
路线图为你的旅行提供所需的基本路线和路途指南，可是它不会告诉你一路上你究竟会看见什么树或什么花，你会遇见什么样的人，或会有什么样的感受。 这里，词汇会使你的旅途变得五彩缤纷、栩栩如生。 大量的词汇让你享受到开车途中所见的点点滴滴。 借助语法和丰富的词汇，你就有了灵活性，掌控自如。 路线图会把你带到目的地，而一台好车却能让你完全陶醉于旅途的所有景色、声音及经历之中。
对学生来说，有效、准确且富有成效的沟通技能取决于语法和词汇这两大有利条件，可是学校并没有教他们这些。
13. Effective, precise and beneficial communication depends upon grammar and a good vocabulary the two essential assets for students, but they are not being taught in schools. 对学生来说，有效、准确且富有成效的沟通技能取决于语法和词汇这两大有利条件，可是学校并没有教他们这些。
14. Just this morning, my son and I were eating breakfast when I attempted to add milk to my tea. “Dad,” he said, “If I were you, I wouldn‟t do that. It‟s sour.” 就在今天早上，
我跟儿子吃早饭时，我想把牛奶加入我的茶里。 “爸爸，” 他说，“如果我是你的话，我不会这样做。牛奶会变酸。（If I were you, I wouldn't do that. It's sour.）”
15. “Oh my!” I said, swelling with pride toward my son, “that‟s a grammatically perfect sentence. You used were instead of was.” “哦，上帝！” 我满怀着无比的骄傲说道，“这是一句语法完全正确的句子。你用了were 而不是was 。”
16. “I know, I know, “he said with a long agreeable sigh. “It's the subjunctive mood.” “我知道，我知道，”他愉悦地舒了口气，“这是虚拟语气！”
17. I was like, whoa!
这下轮到我“哇！”了。
unit 2Text A
课文 A
The humanities: Out of date?
人文学科：过时了吗？ 1
When the going gets tough, the tough takeaccounting. When the job market worsens, manystudents calculate they can't major in English orhistory. They have to study something that boosts their prospects of landing a job.
当形势变得困难时，强者会去选学会计。当就业市场恶化时，许多学生估算着他们不能再主修英语或历史。他们得学一些能改善他们就业前景的东西。 2
The data show that as students have increasingly shouldered the ever-rising cost of tuition,they have defected from the study of the humanities and toward applied science and "hard"skills that they bet will lead to employment. In other words, a college education is more andmore seen as a means for economic betterment rather than a means for human betterment.This is a trend that is likely to persist and even accelerate .
数据显示，随着学生肩负的学费不断增加，他们已从学习人文学科转向他们相信有益于将来就业的应用科学和“硬”技能。换言之，大学教育越来越被看成是改善经济而不是提升人类自身的手段。这种趋势可能会持续，甚至有加快之势。
3
Over the next few years, as labor markets struggle, the humanities will probably continue theirlong slide in succession. There already has been a nearly 50 percent decline in the portion ofliberal arts majors over the past generation, and it is logical to think that the trend is boundto continue or even accelerate . Once the dominant pillars of university life, the humanities nowplay little roles when students take their college tours. These days, labs are more vivid and compelling than libraries.
在未来几年内，由于劳动力市场的不景气，人文学科可能会继续其长期低迷的态势。在上一代大学生中，主修文科的学生数跌幅已近 50%。这种趋势会持续、甚至加速的想法是合情合理的。人文学科曾是大学生活的重要支柱，而今在学生们参观校园的时候，却只是一个小点缀。现在，实验室要比图书馆更栩栩如生、受人青睐。 4
Here, please allow me to stand up for and promote the true value that the humanities add topeople's lives.
在这儿，请允许我为人文学科给人们的生活所增添的真实价值进行支持和宣传。 5
Since ancient times, people have speculated aboutthe mystery of those inner forces that drive somepeople to greatness and others to self-destruction .This inner drive has been called many things over thecenturies. The famous psychologist , SigmundFreud, called it the "unconscious mind" or, morefamiliarly, "instinct ".
自古以来，人们一直在思索人类自身具有什么神奇的内力使一些人变得崇高伟大，而使另一些人走向自我毁灭。几个世纪以来，这股内力被称作很多东西。著名的心理学家西格蒙德·弗洛伊德称之为“潜意识”，或更为人熟知的“本能”。 6
From the beginning of time, this inner aspect of our being, this drive that can be constru ctive or destructive , has captured our imagination. The stories of this amazing struggle have formedthe basis of cultures the world over. Historians, architects, authors, philosophers and artistshave captured the words, images and meanings of this inner struggle in the form of story,music, myth , painting, architecture, sculpture , landscape and traditions. These men andwomen developed artistic "languages" that help us understand these aspirations and alsoeducate generations. This fertile body of work from ancient times, the very foundation ofcivilization, forms the basis of study of the humanities. 从一开始，人类这股可以是建设性也可以是毁灭性的内在驱动力，就令我们心驰神往。这些惊人的、充满内心挣扎的故事形成了世界文化的基础。历史学家、建筑师、作家、哲学家和艺术家们以故事、音乐、神话、绘画、建筑、雕刻、风景画和传统的形式，捕捉到了这些撞击心灵的文字、形象及内涵。这些男男女女创造出了具有艺术性的“语言”，帮助我们了解人类的这些强烈愿望，并用以教育一代又一代人。从古时起开始的这些充满想象的大量作品，正是文明的底蕴，它奠定了人文研究的基础。
7
Studying the humanities improves our ability to read and write. No matter what we do in life, we
will have a huge advantage if we can read complex ideas and understand their meaning. Wewill have a bright career if we are the person in the office who can write a clear and elegantanalysis of those ideas!
学习人文学科会提高我们的阅读和写作能力。无论我们这一生中从事什么职业，如果我们能读懂复杂的思想并理解它们的内涵，我们都会受益匪浅。如果我们是在办公室里能对这些思想写出既明确又简洁的分析的人，我们会有光明的职业前景。 8
Studying the humanities makes us familiar with thelanguage of emotion and the creativ e process. In aninformation economy, many people have the ability toproduce a useful product such as a new MP3 player.Yet, very few people have the ability to create as pectacular brand : the iPod. Most importantly,studying the humanities invests us with greatinsight and self-awareness , thereby releasing ourcreative energy and talent in a positive andconstructive manner.
学习人文学科会让我们熟悉表达情感的语言及进行创造的过程。在信息经济中，很多人都有能力创造出一个如新的 MP3 播放器那样的有用产品。然而，仅有很少的人具有能力创造出一个如 iPod 那样的精彩品牌。最重要的是，学习人文学科使我们具有伟大的洞察力和自我意识，从而以积极和建设性的方式来发挥我们的创造力和才艺。 9
Perhaps the best argument in favor of the humanities is the scope of possibilities that are widely open to us. Did you know that James Cameron, world-famous director of the movie,
Titanic, graduated with a degree in the humanities? So did Sally Ride, the first woman in space.So did actors Bruce Lee, Gwyneth Paltrow, Renee Zellweger and Matt Damon. Dr. HaroldVarmus, who won a Nobel Prize for Medicine, studied the humanities. Even Michael Eisner,
Chairman of the Disney Company, majored in the humanities. Famous people who studied the
humanities make a long list indeed. It's easy to see that the humanities can prepare us for
many different careers and jobs we can undertake, whether medicine, business, science or entertainment .
也许，支持人文学科的最好论点是，人文学科为我们提供了广阔的机会。你知道世界闻名的电影《泰坦尼克号》的导演詹姆斯·卡梅隆拿的是人文学科的学位吗？第一个登上太空的女宇航员萨利·赖德拿的也是人文学科的学位。还有电影演员李小龙、格温妮丝·帕特洛·蕾妮·齐薇格及马特·达蒙，也都如此。获诺贝尔医学奖的哈罗德·瓦慕斯博士也学过人文学科。甚至迪士尼公司的总裁迈克尔·艾斯纳也主
修人文学科。学习人文学科的有名人士确实可以列出一长串。显而易见，人文学能为我们从事许多不同的职业做准备，不管是医学、商务、科学或娱乐。 10
If we study only mathematics, it's likely we will be acandidate only for jobs as a mathematician. If weinclude studying the humanities, we can makebreakthroughs on many barriers and are limited onlyby our effort and imagination.
如果我们仅学习数学，我们很可能只能申请数学家之类的工作。如果我们还学了人文学科，那我们就能突破许多障碍，只要我们愿意付出努力，敢于想象。 11
Of course, nowadays, if we study the humanitiesalone, we are liable to miss many opportunities.
Each one of us needs to become as technically and professionally skilled as possible to help meet
the needs of modern life. In fact, increasingly a pairing of technical knowledge and inner insight is seen as the ideal in the establishment of a career. If I were the Dean of Admissionsat a medical school and two people applied to our school, both having the required basicscientific courses, one a philosophy major and the other solely a pre-med student, the philosophy applicant would be chosen.
当然，在当下，如果我们单学人文学科，可能会失去很多机会。我们每个人都需要尽可能变得技能化、职业化，以满足现代生活的需要。事实上，技术知识和内在洞察力的结合越来越被看成是建立职业生涯的理想搭配。如果我是某个医学院的招生部主任，有两个人同时申请我们学校，这两个人都学过基础的科学课程，一个主修哲学，另一个仅是医学院的预科生，我会选择那位哲学专业的申请者。 12
In summary , the humanities help to create well-rounded human beings with insight andunderstanding of the passions, hopes and dreams common to all humanity . The humanities,the ancient timeless reservoir of knowledge, teach us to see things differently and b roaden our horizons. They are as useful and relevant in our modern age they have always been.Doesn't it make sense to spend some time in the company of the humanities, our outstanding and remarkable treasure of knowledge? Who knows how famous YOU might become!
总之，人文学科帮助造就全面发展的人，这些人具有洞察力，并理解全人类共有的激情、希望和理想。人文学科，这个古老、永恒的知识储蓄库，教我们如何以不同的方式看待事物，同时也拓宽我们的视野。在现代社会中，人文学科一如既往地同生活息息相关，也发挥着重要作用。我们在学习中花一些时间与人文学科——我们杰出、非凡的知识宝藏——相伴，这难道不是明智的吗？谁知道你将来会变得多有名气呢！
Book 2 Unit 3 Journey through the odyssey years奥德赛岁月之旅
1
Most of us know about the phases of life which we label to parallel different age groups and life stages: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. We think of infancy before childhood and middle age before old age, with each unique phase bringing its own peculiar set of challenges. These challenges can be overcome by acquainting ourselves with them, such as the child's need to learn, the adult's need to find the right career and build a family, and the senior's need for support and good health care.
我们大多数人都知道，根据不同的年龄和生活阶段，人生可与此平行划分为童年、青春期、成年和老年这四个阶段。我们把这些阶段想象为婴儿期在童年之前，中年在老年之前，每个阶段都会面临一系列特有的挑战，如孩子对学习的需要，成人对找到合适的职业生涯和建立一个家庭的需要，以及年长者对得到帮助和良好医疗保健的需要。通过对它们的充分了解，我们就可以战胜这些挑战。
2 Interestingly, ideas about the stages of life are changing.
有趣的是，关于人生阶段的观念正在发生变化。
3
In previous times, people didn't have a solid idea of childhood as being separate from adulthood. A hundred years ago, no one thought of adolescence. Until recently it was understood as a norm that their induction to adulthood was completed as soon as they graduated from college. They would now find a sensible job which would lead to a career. Then during this career they would start a family, ideally before they turned 30.
在先前的年代，人们并没有一种固有的把童年和成年分开的想法。一百年前，谁也没有想到过青春期。直到最近，人们还很自然地认为：只要他们一从大学毕业，他们的成人入门阶段就结束了。他们就会找到一份把他们引入职业生涯的合适的工作。然后在此职业生涯期间，他们会成家，三十岁之前成家更为理想。
4
Today we have an equivalent need to recognize a new phase of life that comes after high school graduation, continues through college, and then leads to starting a family and having a career, the so-called odyssey years. Recent trends show radical changes as young people are following a different agenda. They take breaks from school, live with friends and often return to living with their parents. Similarly, they fall in and out of love, quit one job and try another or even shift to a new career. So, we need to recognize this new stage, the odyssey years, which many now consider to be an unavoidable stage in reaching adulthood.
今天，我们同样需要认识一个新的人生阶段：从高中毕业到上大学，然后到成家立业，即所谓的奥德赛岁月。由于年轻人正按照一种不同的模式生活，最近的趋
势出现了根本性的变化。他们从学校休学，与朋友同住，也常回去与父母同住。同样，他们恋爱又失恋，辞掉一份工作又去寻找新的，甚至改行。因此，我们需要认识这个新阶段——奥德赛岁月。现在许多人认为这是步入成年之前的一个难以回避的阶段。
5
People who were born prior to the 60s or 70s in the last century tended to frame their concept of adulthood based upon achieving certain accomplishments: moving away from home, becoming financially independent, finding the right spouse and starting a family. But that emphasis on stability did not remain static. Today, young people are unlikely to do the same. During the odyssey years, a high proportion of young people are delaying marriage, child bearing, and even employment.
出生于上个世纪 60 年代或 70 年代之前的人们往往会将成年的概念基于是否取得了某些成就：从父母家搬走，经济上独立，找到合适的配偶并组织家庭。但是，对稳定的强调并没能保持不变。今天，年轻人不太可能仿效他们的父母。在奥德赛岁月中，相当比例的年轻人都推迟结婚、生子，甚至推迟就业。
6
The odyssey years can saddle young people with enormous pressure to move forward quickly. As the sole heir and focus of their parents' expectations, hopes and dreams, some react with rebellious and prideful attitudes and behavior toward their parents. They often resent the pressure they're feeling and keep a distance from their parents or even run away from home. Their confusion comes from the difficulties to make parents understand them and the fluid journey of discovery they need in this phase of their lives. To get away from this confusion and upset, many young people resort to computer games, iPods, iPhones, or iPads to help distract them from their pain and stress.
奥德赛岁月使年轻人承受了巨大的压力，迫使他们快速往前冲。作为他们父母唯一的继承人和所有期望、希望和梦想的聚焦，有些年轻人以叛逆和桀骜不驯的行为和态度对待父母。他们往往憎恨他们所感到的压力，并同他们的父母保持距离，甚至离家出走。他们的困惑源于很难让家长了解他们，也源于这段需要进行自我探索的、不确定的人生之旅。为了逃避困惑和不安，许多年轻人诉诸电脑游戏， iPod, iPhone 或 iPad，以帮助分散他们的痛苦和压力。
7
Likewise, their parents are feeling more anxious. They may make allowances for a transition phase from student life to adult life, but they get upset when they see the transition of their grown children's lives moving away from their expectations and stretching five years to seven years, and beyond. The parents don't even detect a clear sense of direction in their children's lives. They look at them and see the things that are being delayed.
同样，他们的父母更是着急。虽然他们理解从学生到成年需要一个过渡阶段，但看到他们已成年子女的过渡阶段的生活与他们的期望渐行渐远，过渡阶段延至五年，七年，甚至更长时，他们感到生气。父母甚至不能清楚地觉察到他们孩子未来生活的方向，只能看着他们，看着要做的事被拖延着。
8
It's hard to predict what's next. New guidelines haven't been established yet, and everything seems to give way to a less permanent version of itself. There's been a shift in the status and balance of power between the genders, too. More women are getting degrees than men. Male wages have remained stable over the past decades, while female wages have boomed.
接下来会如何发展很难预测。新的准则还没有建立，一切似乎都被一个不确定的版本所取代。 两性之间地位和权力的平衡也有了转变。取得学位的女性比男性更多。男性的工资在过去的几十年里一直停滞不前，而女性的工资却出现激增。
9
Apart from anything else, this has had an implicit effect on courtship. Educated women can get many of the things they want, such as security, accomplishment, and identity without marriage. However, both genders are having a harder time finding suitable mates to build their lives with. Considering all of this, it's beneficial to know that even though graduates are delaying many things after college, surveys show they still hold highly traditional aspirations. For example, this contemporary generation rates parenthood even more highly than previous generations did!
别的不说，这对择偶产生了不言而喻的影响。即使未婚，受过教育的妇女仍可以得到很多她们想要的东西，如安全感，成就感，和认同感。不过，不论男女都更难找到合适的伴侣来一同建立他们的生活。在讨论这一切时，有助于让大家知道，即使毕业生离开大学后推迟了做很多事，调查结果显示，他们仍持有很传统的愿望。例如，当今的一代比以前的几代对如何扮演好父母的角色有着更高的要求。
10
This new phase will likely grow more pronounced in the coming years. Nations around the world have witnessed similar trends toward delaying marriage and spending more years than ever shifting between higher education and settling down with a career and family.
这一新阶段在未来几年可能更明显。世界各国都目睹了相似的趋势，人们推迟结婚，花更多年的时间徘徊在接受高等教育和建立职业生涯及家庭之间。
11 Nevertheless, graduates shouldn't be deceived into thinking they can back off simply, because things have become more difficult. A large number of people chasing relatively fewer opportunities can create strong competitive pressure. So, from the outset, keep your resume professional and up-to-date.
然而，毕业生不应误认为因情况已变得更困难，他们就可以放弃。大批的人努力角逐相对较少的机会，这会导致强大的竞争压力。所以，从一开始你就要将个人简历写得很专业，并做到随时更新。
12
To reinforce this essential message, success moving through the odyssey years will come to those who don't expect to achieve their goals right away but know that they must have the strength, capacity and confidence to endure over the long term. If you're a little late with your goals, don't feel like a failure! Stay strong, be positive, and keep focused! Someday you will look back and wonder at the vast changes as you passed through the odyssey years.
要强化这一重要信息：顺利度过奥德赛岁月的将是那些不急于即刻实现目标的人——但这些人知道他们必须保持实力、能力、信心去度过这段较长的岁月。如果你的目标起步稍晚了点，
不要认为自己是个失败者！意志坚定，态度积极，并集中精力！有一天，你会回头审视，并对奥德赛岁月给你带来的巨大改变感到惊叹。
unit 4
College sweethearts大学情侣
I smile at my two lovely daughters and they seem so much more mature than we, their parents, when we were college sweethearts. Linda, who's 21, had a boyfriend in her freshman year she thought she would marry, but they're not together anymore. Melissa, who's 19, hasn't had a steady boyfriend yet. My daughters wonder when they will meet "The One", their great love. They think their father and I had a classic fairy-tale romance heading for marriage from the outset. Perhaps, they're right but it didn't seem so at the time. In a way, love just happens when you least expect it. Who
would have thought that Butch and I would end up getting married to each other? He became my boyfriend because of my shallow agenda: I wanted a cute boyfriend!
1 我微笑着看着我那两个可爱的女儿，她们似乎比她们的父母还是大学情侣那会儿更为成熟。 琳达，21岁，在大学一年级交过一个男友，她曾以为会跟那个男孩结婚，但他们已不再来往了。 梅丽莎，19岁，还没有一个固定的男友。 我的女儿不知何时才能遇到她们的那个“唯一”，她们伟大的爱。 她们认为她们的父亲和我有着一段经典的、童话般的浪漫史，从一开始就直奔婚姻的殿堂。 也许，她们是正确的，但在那时似乎并不是那么回事。 在某种程度上，爱神恰恰在你最没准备时来临。 谁曾想到，布奇和我最终会结婚呢？ 他之所以成为我男友，只是因为当时我那肤浅的打算：我要找一个可爱的男友！
We met through my college roommate at the university cafeteria. That fateful night, I was merely curious, but for him I think it was love at first sight. "You have beautiful eyes", he said as he gazed at my face. He kept staring at me all night long. I really wasn't that interested for two reasons. First, he looked like he was a really wild boy, maybe even dangerous. Second, although he was very cute, he seemed a little weird. 2 我们通过我的大学室友介绍在大学食堂相识。 在那个命中注定的夜晚，我只是好奇，但对他而言，我认为是一见钟情。 他凝视着我的脸，说：“你有一双美丽的眼睛。” 他整个晚上一直盯着我。 我真的对他没那么感兴趣，其原因有二。 首先，他看起来就像是一个野小子，甚至还有些危险。 其次，虽然他很可爱，却似乎有点怪异。
Riding on his bicycle, he'd ride past my dorm as if "by accident" and pretend to be surprised to see me. I liked the attention but was cautious about his wild, dynamic
personality. He had a charming way with words which would charm any girl. Fear came over me when I started to fall in love. His exciting "bad boy image" was just too
tempting to resist. What was it that attracted me? I always had an excellent reputation. My concentration was solely on my studies to get superior grades. But for what? College is supposed to be a time of great learning and also some fun. I had nearly
achieved a great education, and graduation was just one semester away. But I hadn't had any fun; my life was stale with no component of fun! I needed a boyfriend.Not just any boyfriend. He had to be cute. My goal that semester became: Be ambitious and grab the cutest boyfriend I can find. 3 他骑着自行车经过我的宿舍，装作与我“偶遇”，看到我时还假装惊讶。 我喜欢被重视的感觉，但对他的野性和充满活力的个性却小
心谨慎。 他很会说话，这会迷倒任何女孩。 当我开始爱上他时，恐惧向我袭来。 他那令人激动的“坏小子形象”简直太诱人了。 究竟是什么吸引了我？ 我，一直口碑极好。 为了获得优异的成绩，我的注意力只专注在自己的学习上。 但又怎么样呢？ 大学应该是学习的好时间，可也应该有一些乐趣。 我已几乎达成了伟大的教育目标，离毕业只有一学期之遥了。 但我却还没有享受过任何乐趣，我的生活乏味，没有一点新鲜感！ 我需要一个男朋友，当然不是任何男朋友。 他必须很可爱。 于是我那个学期的目标就成为：雄心勃勃，抓住一个我能找到的最可爱的男友。
I worried what he'd think of me. True, we lived in a time when a dramatic shift in sexual attitudes was taking place, but I was a traditional girl who wasn't ready for the new ways that seemed common on campus. Butch looked superb! I was not immune to his personality, but I was scared. The night when he announced to the world that I was his girlfriend, I went along with him. And then I suddenly thought: "Oh my gosh! Am I his girlfriend? How did that happen?" Then he whispered sweet words in my ear and said, "I'm going to marry you one day and I will be a lawyer. You will see." 4 我担心他会怎么看我。 不错，我们生活在一个性观念正在发生戏剧性转变的时代，但我是一个传统的女孩，对在校园里似乎常见的新方式还没有心理准备。 布奇看上去很出色！ 我对他的个性毫无免疫力，但我对此很害怕。 那天晚上当他向大家宣布我是他女友时，我是同意的。 但我随后突然清醒：“噢，我的天哪！我是他女友吗？这是怎么回事？” 紧接着，他在我耳边低声地甜言蜜语：“有一天我要娶你，我会成为一名律师。你会看到这一天的。”
I was laughing inside and said to myself, "I'd never marry this guy. He's a rebel without a good future. He's my boyfriend because I hate my boring student life. I just want to have fun." 5 我笑着对自己说：“我绝不会嫁给这个家伙。他是一个没有前途的叛逆者。他是我男朋友，只因为我恨枯燥的学生生活。我只想得到乐趣而已。”
6 Sure enough, the following month, I found out he had failed all his courses.
Consequently, he was going to be expelled from the university. To my disgust, he
seemed resigned to his fate. I knew there was hope, so I led him to the college secretary for reconsideration. 6 果然，一个月后，我发现他所有的课程都不及格。 因而，他将被大学除名。 令我厌恶的是，他似乎屈从了自己的命运。 我知道还有希望，所以我让他去学院的秘书那儿进行复议。
"You are going to graduate with a BA in political science from UPenn and proceed to the College of Law," I told him, lodging an appeal on his behalf, which was approved. Butch was granted reconsideration. And, once we became steadies, he coordinated his studies and social life, passing all of his classes. He eventually studied law. 7 我告诉他：“你要先从宾夕法尼亚大学拿到政治学学士学位，然后进入法律学院。”我以他的名义递交了呈请书，结果被批准了。 校方同意复议布奇的情况。 我们的男女朋友关系一经确定，他就协调了他的学习和社交生活，结果各门课都通过了。 他最终学了法律。
Despite Butch's somewhat wild character, at his core, he is always a perfect gentleman and deserves a lot of credit for that. True, he'd sometimes take the liberty of displaying his love by planting a kiss on my lips right in front of my astonished friends who
watched and disapproved. But the truth is we had a pure and responsible relationship for seven full years. Sitting by the palm trees, hand in hand, we would listen to romantic songs, watch the sunset, and weave dreams of being together with children of our own, forever. 8 尽管布奇的性格有点野，但他在骨子里却是一个完美的绅士，这值得高度赞扬。 的确，他有时会在我朋友面前亲吻我的嘴，擅自表达他的爱。我的朋友看到了很惊讶，也很不以为然。 但事实上，我们在整整七年的恋爱关系中一直是纯洁和负责的。 我们坐在棕榈树下，手牵着手，听着浪漫的歌曲，观赏着日落，编织着和我们自己的孩子在一起的美梦，一直到永远。
Two years passed in a blur. One day, Butch took me by surprise as he knelt down and proposed marriage holding a dozen red roses! Filled with deep emotion, I confessed my love for him, "How roooomaaaantic!!" Then my brain woke up from fantasy land. I cried out, "Good heavens. No! We're too young to tie the knot. We haven't even
graduated from college yet!" I really loved him but was pessimistic about our chances for success. 9 两年糊里糊涂地过去了。 一天，布奇出其不意地手捧着一打红玫瑰跪下向我求婚。 我心中充满了深情，也坦诚了对他的爱：“太太太太太浪漫了！！” 可我随即从幻想中惊醒。 我大喊出来：“天哪。不！我们现在结婚还太早了。我们甚至还没有大学毕业呢！” 我真的很喜欢他，但我对我们感情修成正果的机率却持悲观态度。
We married five years later. 10 五年后，我们结了婚。
Our faithful journey of love and learning took us down rocky roads of hardship and on smooth easy-going highways. It is a long, romantic, sometimes crazy, love story that sums up a 29-year long honeymoon together as a couple who are still madly in love with each other. Our love commenced with a casual attraction but bloomed into a mature love and rich life.
11 我们忠实的爱和学习之旅带我们走过艰难崎岖的岩石路，走上平坦易行的公路。 它是一个永久、浪漫，有时又疯狂的爱情故事。它诠释了一对仍在疯狂地爱着对方的夫妇如何一起度过了29年之久的蜜月。 我们的爱从漫不经心的互相吸引开始，但最终却发展出成熟的爱情和富足的生活。
unit 5
Spend or save — The student's dilemma 花钱还是存钱，学生进退维谷
1 Do you feel as confused and manipulated as I do with this question, "Should I spend or should I save?" I think that the messages we get from our environment seem to defy common sense and contradict each other. The government tells us to spend or we'll never get out of the recession. At the same time, they tell us that unless we save more, our country is in grave danger. Banks offer higher interest rates so we increase savings. Then the same banks send us credit card offers so we can spend more.
你是不是跟我一样对“我应该花钱还是存钱”这个问题感到困惑，且有被操纵的感觉？ 我觉得我们从生活的环境里所获得的信息似乎是有违常识、互相矛盾的。 政府告诉我们要花钱，否则我们将永远走不出衰退；与此同时，他们又告诉我们，除非我们节省更多的钱，否则我们的国家会处于严重危险之中。 银行提供较高的利率以增加储蓄。 然后，同样是这些银行又提供信用卡让我们可以花更多的钱。
2 Here's another familiar example: If we don't pay our credit card bill on time, we get demanding, nasty emails from the credit card company saying something like: "Your failure to pay is unacceptable. Pay immediately or you'll be in trouble!" Then, as soon as we pay, we get a follow-up email in a charming tone telling us how valuable a customer we are and encouraging us to resume spending.Which depiction is correct: a failing consumer in trouble or a valued customer? The gap between these two messages is enormous. 这里还有一个大家熟悉的例子：如果我们不按时支付信用卡账单，我们会收到从信用卡公司发来的类似这样的令人讨厌的催缴账单的电子邮件：不还款是不可接受的。请立即缴付，否则后果自负！ 之后，一旦还款，我们就会收到一封跟进的电子邮件，语气和蔼可亲，说我们是多么宝贵的客户，并鼓励我们继续花钱。 到底哪一个描述是正确的？有麻烦的失败消费者还是宝贵的客户？ 这两者之间可是天壤之别！
3 The paradox is that every day we get two sets of messages at odds with each other. One is the "permissive" perspective, "Buy, spend, get it now. You need this!" The other we could call an "upright" message, which urges us, "Work hard and save. Suspend your desires. Avoid luxuries. Control your appetite for more than you truly need." This message comes to us from many sources: from school, from parents, even from political figures referring to "traditional values". Hard work, family loyalty, and the capacity to postpone desires are core American values that have made our country great.
自相矛盾的情况还有，我们每天都收到彼此相左的两种信息。 一种从“纵容”的角度，让我们“买东西，花钱，现在就得到它。你需要这个！” 另外一种，我们可称之为“正直”的信息，它力劝我们：“努力工作，把钱存起来。控制你的欲望，不要买奢侈品，不要垂涎那些你并不真正需要的东西。” 这类信息来源甚多，有学校方面的，有家长方面的，甚至还来自提及传统价值观的政治人物。 艰苦创业，忠于家庭、能推迟欲望是美国价值观的核心，它使我们的国家变得强大。
4 But the opposite message, advertising's permissive message, is inescapable. Though sometimes disguised, the messages are everywhere we look: on TV, in movies on printed media and road signs, in stores, and on busses, trains and subways. Advertisementsinvade our daily lives. We are constantly surrounded by the message to spend, spend, spend. Someone recently said, "The only time you can escape advertising is when you're in your bed asleep!"
但相反的信息，即那些纵容人们不断花钱的广告，无所不在。 虽然此类信息有时经过了乔装打扮，但仍随处可见，电视、电影、印刷媒介和路牌、商店，及公共汽车、火车和地铁上，比比皆是。 广告侵入了我们的日常生活。 我们时时被包围在花钱，花钱，花钱的信息中。 最近有人说：“唯一可以逃脱广告的时候是当在床上睡着时！”
5 It's been calculated that by the age of 18, the average American will have seen 600,000 ads; by the age of 40, the total is almost one million. Each advertisement is doing its utmost to influence our diverse buying decisions, from the
breakfast cereal we eat to whichcruise line we will use for our vacation. There is no shortage of ideas and things to buy! Now, of course, we don't remember exactly what the products were, but the essential message is cemented into our
consciousness, "It's good to satisfy your desires. You should have what you want. You deserve the best. So, you should buy it — now!" A famous advertisement said it perfectly, "I love me. I'm a good friend to myself. I do what makes me feel good. I derive pleasure from nice things and feel nourished by them. I used to put things off. Not anymore. Today I'll buy new ski equipment, look at new compact cars, and buy that camera I've always wanted. I live my dreams today, not tomorrow."
据计算，普通的美国人到18岁时，会看过60万则广告；到40岁时，看过的广告总数近百万。 每个广告都在尽最大努力影响我们形形色色的购买决定——从我们吃的早餐麦片到我们的假期将使用哪条邮轮线路。 决不会缺少怎么花钱和买什么东西的广告！ 现在，我们当然不能确切地记得广告上的产品，但重要的信息已凝聚在我们的意识里：“要满足你的愿望。你应该拥有你想要的。你应该得到最好的。所以，你应该买下它——现在！” 一个著名的广告诠释得很完美：“我爱自己。我是自己的好朋友。我做让我感觉舒服的事。我从精美的东西里 得到乐趣，
并感觉到它们给我的滋养。我过去常想着等一下再买，现在再也不会了。今天，我会购买全新的滑雪装备，看看新型的小巧灵便的轿车，买下那台我一直 想要的相机。我今天就要实现我的梦想，不会等到明天。”
6 What happens as we take in these contradictory but explicit messages? What are the psychological and social consequences of this campaign to control our spending habits? On one hand, we want more things because we want to satisfy our material appetite. Most of us derive pleasure from treating ourselves. On the other hand, a little voice inside us echoes those upright messages: "Watch out, takestock of your life, don't let your attention get scattered. Postpone your desires. Don't fall into debt. Wait! Retain control over your own life. It will make you stronger."
当我们接受这些相互矛盾但很明确的信息时，会有什么事情发生呢？ 这种控制我们花钱习惯的宣传活动会造成什么心理和社会上的影响呢？ 一方面，我们希望买更多的东西，来满足我们的物质欲望。 我们中的大多数通过善待自己来得到乐趣。 与此同时，我们身体里面有一个微弱的声音与那些正直的信息在共鸣：“当心，要掂量掂量自己的生活，不要让注意力分散。推迟欲望。不要陷入债务。要等待！保留对自己生活的控制权。这会让你更坚强。”
7 Anyway, many of the skills you need as a successful student can be applied to your finances. Consider your financial well-being as a key ingredient of your university education as money worries are extremely stressful and distracting. They can make you feel terrible and hinder your ability to focus on your prime objective: successfully completing your education.
总之，一个成功的学生所需要的很多技能可以应用到你的财务中去。 把良好的财务状况看成是大学教育中的一个关键因素，因为对金钱的担忧会让人倍感压力，并让人分心。 它们会让你感觉很糟糕，并阻止你专注首要目标，即成功完成学业。
8 How can you be a smart and educated consumer? Many schools, community organizations, and even some banks offer financial literacy classes. Consider consulting with your school's financial aid office or seek input from your parents or other respected adults in setting up a budget. An additional option is finding a partner to help you stay on track and find pleasure in the administration of your own financial affairs. Most importantly, if you find yourself getting into financial trouble, don't let your ego get in your way; urgently get help with tackling your problem before it spins out of control and lands you in legal troubles.
怎样才能成为一个聪明、有相关知识的消费者呢？ 许多学校、社区组织，甚至一些银行都提供金融扫盲班。 可以考虑向学校的财务援助办公室咨询，或向父母或
其他值得尊敬的成年人请教如何建立一个预算方案。 另外一个选择是找一个合作伙伴来帮你保持良好的财务状况，并在管理自己的金融事务中找到乐趣。 最重要的是，如果你发现自己正陷入财务困境，不要让你的自大妨碍你，在情况变得失控并惹上法律麻烦前，赶紧寻求帮助来解决问题。
9 All this will help you become an educated consumer and saver. As you learn to balance spending and saving, you will become the captain of your own ship, steering your life in a successful and productive direction through the choppy waters.
这一切都将帮助你成为一个拥有相关知识的消费者和储蓄者。 学会了如何平衡支出和储蓄，你就会成为你自己的船长，驾驶着你的生活之船，乘风破浪，驶向成功和富有。