Unit 6 Section a The widow I. Background Information Elizabeth Jolley, the author, is a famous Australian fiction writer. She was born in England in 1923 and moved to Australia in 1959 with her husband and three children. She had trained as a nurse in England and nursed there and in australia before starting her writing career in 1964. Her work includes 26 books: short stories, radio pays, collections and 12 novels in print since 1980 Jolley has won many writing awards, tow of them for Cabin Fever, her tenth fiction book. She is known for her peculiar people in funny situations. Cabin Fever continues the events of her previous book, My Father's Moon, but from a different voice and 40 years later. The story is presented in bits and pieces as a successful woman psychologist recalls her war experiences and post war hard times. The book is not a complete story but only certain memories that help the woman make sense of all the pain, trouble, loss and sad times in her life. The book describes the culture of the late 1940s t II Text Analysis Part I( paral--2)Main idea of the part: The quotations the widow stores in a notebook remind her of the painful memory of her late husband Devices for developing it: Quotations引言法( see paral) Part Il (para3---15) Main idea of the part: The widow's mind slipped back to her wedding she and her husband received a strange word gift which Devices for developing Flashback倒叙法 Sequence of time& space时空法 Time Signals: now(L7), that day (L9), as(L. 10), then(L. 25), soon(L 26), with the passage of the time and the birth of grandchildren(. 35), occasionally (L 43) Space Signals: in the first picture(L 7), a church(L 8), to the back of the church(L 10),at the door(L. 10), in a borrowed car(L. 26), a state-park lodge(L. 43), before gre Part Ill(paral6---19) Main idea of the part: The message her husband left her showed that their aunts prophecy had come true---they worked hard and loved each other and that was why the widow stored the painful quotation Devices for developing it: Flashback(see para18&19) III. Language points considerable: a. great in an eg: This house is bought at considerable expense 【辨析】: considerate:a.体贴人的 considered:a.经过深思熟虑的 considering:prep./con 考虑到,鉴 2. underline: vt. I draw a line under(a word, etc) 2(fig Et a)reinforce(an attitude, a situation, etc); emphas eg: I Please underline the word
Unit 6 Section A The Widow I. Background Information Elizabeth Jolley, the author, is a famous Australian fiction writer. She was born in England in 1923 and moved to Australia in 1959 with her husband and three children. She had trained as a nurse in England and nursed there and in Australia before starting her writing career in 1964. Her work includes 26 books: short stories, radio pays, collections and 12 novels in print since 1980. Jolley has won many writing awards, tow of them for Cabin Fever, her tenth fiction book.. She is known for her peculiar people in funny situations. Cabin Fever continues the events of her previous book, My Father’s Moon, but from a different voice and 40 years later. The story is presented in bits and pieces as a successful woman psychologist recalls her war experiences and post war hard times. The book is not a complete story but only certain memories that help the woman make sense of all the pain, trouble, loss and sad times in her life. The book describes the culture of the late 1940s. T II Text Analysis Part I ( para1--- 2) Main idea of the part: The quotations the widow stores in a notebook remind her of the painful memory of her late husband. Devices for developing it: Quotations 引言法 (see para1) Part II (para3---15) Main idea of the part: The widow’s mind slipped back to her wedding ceremony at which she and her husband received a strange word gift which had a magic power. Devices for developing it: Flashback 倒叙法 Sequence of time＆space 时空法 Time Signals: now (L.7), that day(L.9), as (L .10), then (L.25), soon (L.26), with the passage of the time and the birth of grandchildren (L.35), occasionally (L.43) Space Signals: in the first picture (L.7), a church (L.8), to the back of the church (L.10), at the door (L.10), in a borrowed car (L.26), a state-park lodge (L.43), before a great oak fire (L.27), from work (L.41), home (L.41) Part III (para16---19) Main idea of the part: The message her husband left her showed that their “aunt”’s prophecy had come true---they worked hard and loved each other and that was why the widow stored the painful quotation. Devices for developing it: Flashback (see para18＆19) III. Language Points 1. considerable: a. great in amount or size eg: This house is bought at considerable expense. 【辨析】：considerate: a.体贴人的 considered: a.经过深思熟虑的 considering: prep.／conj. 考虑到，鉴于 2. underline: vt. 1 draw a line under (a word, etc) 2 (fig 比喻) reinforce (an attitude, a situation, etc); emphasize eg: 1 Please underline the word
2 The matter underlines the need for reform in education 3.file:n.锉刀;档案 vi.( in, out, off, past, etc)walk in the specified direction in a single line g: I on file存档 2 The soldiers filed onto the ground and past the general 4. sympathize: vi feel or express sympathy or support eg: I quite sympathize with your misfortune 5. disappear: vi stop existing; no longer be visible; vanish eg: The disappeared behind a cloud 6. depart: vi. for, from) go away; leave eg: We departed for London at 10 am 7. convey: vt. I make(ideas, feelings, etc) known to another person 2 carry sb/sth; transmit sb/sth eg: I Words cannot convey how happy I was 2 This train conveys both passengers and goods 8. respond: vi give an answer( to sb/sth)(with sth) eg: She responded to my letter with a phone call 9. grand: a. magnificent; splendid; big; of great importance eg: That will be a grand occasion 0. restrain: y sb/sth from sth doing sth)hold back sb/sth from movement or action keep sb/ sth under control or in check He tried his best to restrain his ar 11. regarding: prep. concerning, with reference to sb/sth eg: She said nothing regarding your request 12. accidental: a. happening unexpectedly or by chance eg: I had an accidental meeting with a friend this morning 13. fade: v. I(cause sth to) lose color, freshness or vigor disappear gradually eg: I Flowers soon fade when cut 14. share with: give a part of sth to sb else eg: It is better to share your happiness with others 15. part of: a portion, division, piece, or segment of a whole eg: A part of the meat was spoilt 16. fill with: (cause to) become full of eg: He filled the cup with tea 17. define. as: state the precise meaning of( a word or sense of a word, for example) eg: It can be defined as a tool to cut wood into pieces 18. mistake for: recognize or identify incorrectly 19. fill one's need: satisfy one's need eg: Will 20 be enough fill your needs? 20. bring up: mention or introduce
2 The matter underlines the need for reform in education. 3..file: n. 锉刀；档案 vt. Store sth where it can be consulted vi. (～ in, out, off, past, etc) walk in the specified direction in a single line eg:1 on file 存档 2 The soldiers filed onto the ground and past the general. 4. sympathize: vi. feel or express sympathy or support eg: I quite sympathize with your misfortune. 5. disappear: vi. stop existing; no longer be visible; vanish eg: The disappeared behind a cloud. 6. depart: vi. (～ for, from) go away; leave eg: We departed for London at 10 am. 7. convey: vt. 1 make (ideas, feelings, etc) known to another person 2 carry sb／sth ; transmit sb／sth eg: 1 Words cannot convey how happy I was. 2 This train conveys both passengers and goods. 8. respond: vi. give an answer (～ to sb／sth) (with sth) eg: She responded to my letter with a phone call. 9. grand: a. magnificent; splendid; big; of great importance eg: That will be a grand occasion. 10. restrain: vt. (～ sb／sth from sth／doing sth) hold back sb／sth from movement or action; keep sb／sth under control or in check eg: He tried his best to restrain his anger. 11. regarding: prep. `concerning; with reference to sb／sth eg: She said nothing regarding your request. 12. accidental: a. happening unexpectedly or by chance eg: I had an accidental meeting with a friend this morning. 13. fade: v. 1 (cause sth to) lose color, freshness or vigor 2 disappear gradually eg: 1 Flowers soon fade when cut. 2 His hopes faded. 14. share with: give a part of sth to sb else eg: It is better to share your happiness with others. 15. part of: a portion, division, piece, or segment of a whole eg: A part of the meat was spoilt. 16. fill with: (cause to) become full of eg: He filled the cup with tea. 17. define…as: state the precise meaning of( a word or sense of a word, for example) eg: It can be defined as a tool to cut wood into pieces. 18. mistake for: recognize or identify incorrectly eg: He mistook her for her sister. 19. fill one’s need: satisfy one’s need eg: Will ﹩20 be enough fill your needs? 20.bring up: mention or introduce
eg: You can bring up your own opinion in the meeting 2.助记】brng$bψp养育某人; bring sb/ sth up to sth使达到(认可的水平) save from: preserve a person or thing from harm or loss eg: I saved the animals from the flood 【助记】 save up攒钱; save sth for sb/sth给……,留着; save on sth节省 Section b The Trashman I Background Information This passage, a diary was written by a trashman. He kept a habit of saying hello to people he met on his job but got, if any, some very bad replies. For example, one lady just turned away and locked the door when she heard the greeting. Many people have negative opinions about trashmen such as"they are dirty".The writer thought that trashman's job is very important and he was very proud of it. He went on to say that people should show their respect for trashmen II Reading Skills: Guessing the Meanings of Idiomatic Expressions Introduction: The meaning of idiomatic expressions can be very hard even impossible- to guess. Word formations in dictionaries don't always help, and can even fool us entirely! Idioms grow out of events and usage within the specific culture, important in some instances-as( than )learning the words if we are to achieve truly effective communication. To help us to understand idiomatic expressions in a reading assage, one must be good at 1) searching for context clues 2) king at examples if ther 3) locating opposite or similar phrase Exercises. see P123 III Language points 1. wicked: adj. evil; serious or very severe eg: a wicked witch, a wicked lie, wicked winter weather, wicked prices(离谱的价格 2. trash: n rubbish, bad guy, valueless artistic work eg: Hes a trash 3. continuous: a. going on without stopping or being interrupted eg: The patient should be given continuous care 辨析 Continuous continual Continual表示中间有间断的连续 4. tremble: Vi shake involuntarily: shake slightly be very anxious n feeling, movement or sound of trembling eg: The leaves are trembling in the wind 5. dump: vt put( sth unwanted)in a place and leave as rubbish; sell abroad at a very low price
eg: You can bring up your own opinion in the meeting. 【助记】bring sb up 养育某人； bring sb／sth up to sth 使达到（认可的水平） 21. save from: preserve a person or thing from harm or loss eg: I saved the animals from the flood. 【助记】 save up 攒钱；save sth for sb ／sth 给……留着；save on sth 节省 Section B The Trashman I. Background Information This passage, a diary was written by a trashman. He kept a habit of saying hello to people he met on his job but got, if any, some very bad replies. For example, one lady just turned away and locked the door when she heard the greeting. Many people have negative opinions about trashmen such as “they are dirty”. The writer thought that trashman’s job is very important and he was very proud of it. He went on to say that people should show their respect for trashmen. II Reading Skills: Guessing the Meanings of Idiomatic Expressions Introduction: The meaning of idiomatic expressions can be very hard — even impossible — to guess. Word formations in dictionaries don’t always help, and can even fool us entirely! Idioms grow out of events and usage within the specific culture, which is why learning the cultural behavior is as important— and maybe more important in some instances —as ( than ) learning the words if we are to achieve truly effective communication. To help us to understand idiomatic expressions in a reading passage, one must be good at: 1) searching for context clues 2) looking at examples if there are any 3) finding explanations if there are any 4) locating opposite or similar phrase Exercises: see P123 III Language Points 1. wicked: adj. evil; serious or very severe eg：a wicked witch, a wicked lie, wicked winter weather, wicked prices(离谱的价格) 2. trash: n. rubbish, bad guy, valueless artistic work eg: He’s a trash. 3. continuous: a. going on without stopping or being interrupted eg: The patient should be given continuous care. [辨析]continuous continual Continual 表示中间有间断的连续 4. tremble：vi. shake involuntarily；shake slightly ;be very anxious n. feeling, movement or sound of trembling. eg: The leaves are trembling in the wind. 5. dump: vt. put( sth unwanted) in a place and leave as rubbish; sell abroad at a very low price
eg: 1. Some people just dump their rubbish in the river 2ant- dumping measures反倾销措施 6. civilize: vt. cause(sb/sth) to improve from a primitive stage of human society to a more developed one eg: They civilized the savages 7. register: n(book containing on) official list or record of names, items, attendances, etc t. formally record(a name, an event, a sale, etc)in a list eg: She made no response 8. spontaneous: a done, happening, said, etc because of a voluntary impulse; natural, not forced eg: They gave us a spontaneous offer of help 9. original: a. existing from the beginning; newly created or formed fresh; not copied eg: 1.The Indians were the original inhabitants of north America 2. His designs are highly original 10.contrary: a. opposite; n the contrary eg; on the contrary与此相反,恰恰相反 to the contrary与此相反(的) I1 harm: n damage; injury vt cause harm to(sb/sth) eg: come to no harm未受到伤害 [助记] harmful a 12. frank: a showing thoughts and feelings openly; plain and blunt; honest and direct in speech eg: To be frank(with you) I think this skirt doesnt suit you 13. go with: match; suit eg: This color does not go with tha 14. who are you to say…? what right do you have to say…?你有什么权利说……? eg: Who are you to say I am not the right person for the job?你凭什么说我不适合做这份工 作 5. boast about: speak in fraise of oneself, one's achievements, etc eg: He boasted about the big fish he had caught 16. stay at: remain behind at eg: The old stayed at home while the young went to war 17. contrary to: complete different from eg: He passed the examination, contrary to what I expected 18. look down on/upon: think sth as less good or important; not approve of 19. be in for likely to ex eg: Whoever breaks the school windows will be in for tuouble b. be going to compete in eg: Henry is in for the 100 meters and the high jump c be an applicant for eg: Mark is in for a job in the government 20. hole water: be capable of standing up to examination of testing
eg: 1.Some people just dump their rubbish in the river. 2.anti-dumping measures 反倾销措施 6. civilize: vt. cause(sb/sth) to improve from a primitive stage of human society to a more developed one. eg: They civilized the savages. 7. register: n. (book containing on) official list or record of names, items, attendances, etc. vt. formally record(a name, an event, a sale, etc) in a list. eg: She made no response. 8. spontaneous: a. done, happening, said, etc because of a voluntary impulse; natural, not forced. eg: They gave us a spontaneous offer of help. 9. original: a. existing from the beginning; newly created or formed; fresh; not copied. eg: 1.The Indians were the original inhabitants of north America. 2.His designs are highly original. 10.contrary: a. opposite; n. the contrary eg: on the contrary 与此相反，恰恰相反 to the contrary 与此相反（的） 11. harm: n. damage; injury vt. cause harm to (sb/sth) eg: come to no harm 未受到伤害 [助记] harmful a. 12. frank: a. showing thoughts and feelings openly; plain and blunt; honest and direct in speech eg: To be frank (with you) I think this skirt doesn’t suit you. 13.go with: match; suit eg: This color does not go with that. 14. who are you to say…? what right do you have to say…?你有什么权利说……？ eg：Who are you to say I am not the right person for the job?你凭什么说我不适合做这份工 作？ 15. boast about: speak in fraise of oneself, one’s achievements, etc. eg: He boasted about the big fish he had caught. 16. stay at: remain behind at eg: The old stayed at home while the young went to war. 17. contrary to: complete different from eg: He passed the examination, contrary to what I expected. 18. look down on/upon: think sth. as less good or important; not approve of eg: Our school looks down on such behavior. 19. be in for a.. be likely to experience eg: Whoever breaks the school windows will be in for tuouble b. be going to compete in eg: Henry is in for the 100 meters and the high jump. c.be an applicant for eg: Mark is in for a job in the government. 20. hole water: be capable of standing up to examination of testing
eg: Your story just doesnt hold water 21. call for demand eg: The occasion calls for a cool head [助记] call back回电话;caor叫(某人)来;要求,需要;cain叫…进来,召来; 22. call sth.of取消/放弃……; call on/upon sb.拜访某人;号召,要求; call sth/sb.up打电 话(给):召集;使人回想起 IV Text translation Passage A 寡妇 这位寡妇如今一个人生活,所以读了很多书。过去,她常常在他喜欢的段落下面或横线, 以便让丈夫一道欣赏。如今,她在笔记本里摘录了许多东西,比如像伊丽莎白·乔利《小屋 的狂热》中的文字:“我又感到了那为人妻的强烈愿望,渴望着冬天里和是自己丈夫的男人 道坐在炉火边。这愿望如此强烈,以至若将‘丈夫’二字写到纸上,我就会热泪盈眶。” 为什么这几行字如此让人感怀 让我们从一本陈旧的婚礼相册开始吧。在第一张照片上,新娘和新郎面对着挤满亲朋好 友的教堂,脸上挂着几丝不定的微笑。那天新娘未戴眼镜,看到的知识朦胧的烛光和模糊的 脸庞。 他们走到教堂的后面,站在门口,客人们鱼贯而入。同事和同窗旧友们向他们致以令人 愉快的美好祝愿,明开着友好的玩笑。但是有些亲属却并不高兴。一个坐在车子里哭,另 个站在一群同情者当中,听他们说着女儿出嫁目难舍之类的话。这两个女人就是新娘和新郎 的母亲,她们本该说些希望自己的孩子生活美满的话,可她们心中的“美满”,却是让孩子 们留在家里帮助维持全家生计。 最后一个走到新婚夫妇跟前的,是一位矮矮的、上了年纪的妇人。她笑着祝贺他们,不 是直呼其名,而是称他们为“妻子”和“丈夫”。 “我是埃斯特·格宾斯阿姨,”他说,“我来这里是想告诉你们,你们的生活会美满、幸 福”,只要你们勤劳、相爱。” 接着,这个又矮又胖的老太太突然不见了。 没过多久,新娘新郎坐上借来的汽车离开了家。拿着从新郎哥哥那里借来的钱,她们可 以在国家公园的小旅馆里度蜜月了。坐在那燃烧着橡木的旺旺炉火前,他们回想起婚礼那天 发生的事情,尤其是埃斯特爱意那句话的奇怪含义 “她是你妈妈的姐妺还是你爸爸的姐妹?”妻子问 “她不是你的姑姑么?”丈夫反问妻子。“我从未见过她。” 他们都感到迷惑不解。他是不是走错了教堂,记错了时间,错把他们当作另一对新婚夫 妇了?或者他本是个新欢婚礼的老太太,常在教堂的布告栏上打听婚礼的消息? 随着时间的流逝,随着斯孙子和外孙的出世,他们的母亲都认可了他们的婚姻。她们一 个为孩子做了很多衣服,另一个编制了帽子、毛衣和手套 夫妻俩的生活很平常。但很特别的一点是,他们俩都从来不问“这活该谁干?”也不说 这不是我的责任!”只要有时间、有机会,两人都会主动去帮助对方。 丈夫下班回家会说,“老婆,我回来了。”而妻子呢,也会克制自己,从不因家务辛苦而 向丈夫发牢骚,只是说“我真高兴,老公!” 有时候,通常是在他们的结婚纪念日,他们会重温对埃斯特·格宾斯阿姨的好奇心。他 会说这老太太准是碰巧碰见了他们的婚礼。可她明白,埃斯特阿姨是在执行上帝的使命
eg: Your story just doesn’t hold water. 21.call for: demand eg: The occasion calls for a cool head. [助记] call back 回电话；call for 叫（某人）来；要求，需要；call in 叫……进来，召来； 22. call sth. off 取消/放弃……；call on/upon sb. 拜访某人；号召，要求；call sth./sb. up 打电 话（给）；召集；使人回想起 IV Text Translation Passage A 寡妇 这位寡妇如今一个人生活，所以读了很多书。过去，她常常在他喜欢的段落下面或横线， 以便让丈夫一道欣赏。如今，她在笔记本里摘录了许多东西，比如像伊丽莎白•乔利《小屋 的狂热》中的文字：“我又感到了那为人妻的强烈愿望，渴望着冬天里和是自己丈夫的男人 一道坐在炉火边。这愿望如此强烈，以至若将‘丈夫’二字写到纸上，我就会热泪盈眶 。” 为什么这几行字如此让人感怀： 让我们从一本陈旧的婚礼相册开始吧。在第一张照片上，新娘和新郎面对着挤满亲朋好 友的教堂，脸上挂着几丝不定的微笑。那天新娘未戴眼镜，看到的知识朦胧的烛光和模糊的 脸庞。 他们走到教堂的后面，站在门口，客人们鱼贯而入。同事和同窗旧友们向他们致以令人 愉快的美好祝愿，明开着友好的玩笑。但是有些亲属却并不高兴。一个坐在车子里哭，另一 个站在一群同情者当中，听他们说着女儿出嫁目难舍之类的话。这两个女人就是新娘和新郎 的母亲，她们本该说些希望自己的孩子生活美满的话，可她们心中的“美满”，却是让孩子 们留在家里帮助维持全家生计。 最后一个走到新婚夫妇跟前的，是一位矮矮的、上了年纪的妇人。她笑着祝贺他们，不 是直呼其名，而是称他们为“妻子”和“丈夫”。 “我是埃斯特•格宾斯阿姨，”他说，“我来这里是想告诉你们，你们的生活会美满、幸 福”，只要你们勤劳、相爱。” 接着，这个又矮又胖的老太太突然不见了。 没过多久，新娘新郎坐上借来的汽车离开了家。拿着从新郎哥哥那里借来的钱，她们可 以在国家公园的小旅馆里度蜜月了。坐在那燃烧着橡木的旺旺炉火前，他们回想起婚礼那天 发生的事情，尤其是埃斯特爱意那句话的奇怪含义。 “她是你妈妈的姐妹还是你爸爸的姐妹？”妻子问。 “她不是你的姑姑么？”丈夫反问妻子。“我从未见过她。” 他们都感到迷惑不解。他是不是走错了教堂，记错了时间，错把他们当作另一对新婚夫 妇了？或者他本是个新欢婚礼的老太太，常在教堂的布告栏上打听婚礼的消息？ 随着时间的流逝，随着斯孙子和外孙的出世，他们的母亲都认可了他们的婚姻。她们一 个为孩子做了很多衣服，另一个编制了帽子、毛衣和手套。 夫妻俩的生活很平常。但很特别的一点是，他们俩都从来不问“这活该谁干？”也不说 “这不是我的责任！”只要有时间、有机会，两人都会主动去帮助对方。 丈夫下班回家会说，“老婆，我回来了。”而妻子呢，也会克制自己，从不因家务辛苦而 向丈夫发牢骚，只是说“我真高兴，老公！” 有时候，通常是在他们的结婚纪念日，他们会重温对埃斯特•格宾斯阿姨的好奇心。他 会说这老太太准是碰巧碰见了他们的婚礼。可她明白，埃斯特阿姨是在执行上帝的使命
如今妻子己经成了寡妇,可她依然在想,如果房子着火了,她该从这旧房子里抢些什么 出来呢?是母亲留给她的戒指?是丈夫的照片?还是藏在糖缸里的47美元? 都不是,要抢出来的该是那个已经保存很久并已破旧、发黄了的信封。她清楚地知道放 在什么地方:就在一堆餐巾下面。 一天晚上,她丈夫读侦探小说睡着了。她在信封上写了一行留言,放在他的书上:“老 公,我去隔壁帮诺顿太太照顾她那几个生病的孩子了。” 第二天早晨,她看到他在她的留言下写道:“老婆,我想念你。你以为我睡着了。可是 我只是合合眼,心里却还在想那位很久以前在教堂对我们说了一番话的怪老太太呢。我总觉 得,她的模样似乎不像是上帝的信使。可不管怎么说,我们不该再去猜测她是来自上天还是 附近的城镇了。重要的是:无论这位埃斯特阿姨是谁,她的话是对的”。 B 我和史蒂夫已扛了整整四个小时的垃圾了,中间只停下来说了五分钟的话。每次我将满 满的一桶垃圾扛上肩,肩膀就痛得厉害,有时候扛着垃圾朝街上走,腿都打颤,可我心里却 对自己说:“挺住,垃圾工,要挺住啊 我原本就没有想过这工作会有什么快乐可言。倒、扛、走、扛、走。时间过得飞快。 星期六意味着大多数成年人会呆在家里。上学的孩子也一样。我心里琢磨,这可能意 味着我挨家挨户收垃圾时可以和人们多搭上几句话了。不少人在花园里或花房里干活儿。多 数人看上去是可以说说话的。虽没有工夫聊很久,但问候几句以示礼貌还是有时间的。 可就是在这一点上让我吃惊不小。 我隔着好几码说了声“你好”,可马上意识到这不合常理。有时候,有人也会看着我, 微微一笑,并很快也对我说一声“你好”,或者“今天天气真好”。这种时候,我还是感到自己 是个人。可多数情况下,人们的反应要么是不理我,要么是因为我这垃圾工竟然也说了话而 惊讶地盯着我看 个身着家居长便服的妇女,见我绕过她家的屋角,脸上露出惊讶之色。听到我向她打 招呼,赶紧用衣服把自己严严实实地遮了起来,赶忙退进屋里。我听到了“咔嗒”一声门被锁 上了。另一个妇女,院子里养了一只大而古怪的动物。我问她那是什么动物,她的双眼定定 地盯着我。我以为她是耳朵聋了,所以提高了嗓门。她却好像给吓着了似的,冷冷地转身走 这儿离垃圾场有很长一段路,在驾车去垃圾场的路上,史蒂夫忍不住气愤地叙说着这些 事情 “从人家看你时的那种眼光,就知道在他们眼里垃圾工是怪物。所以当你对他们说‘你 好时,他们就惊恐地看着你。他们根本不知道我们也是人。” 有个女人往垃圾箱里倒烟灰。我说,这样倒我们不好装运。她说,‘我倒什么你管得着 么,你算什么东西?你不过是个垃圾工罢了。’我说,听着,太太,我的智商是137,高 中毕业时是班上的尖子学生。我干这活是为了挣钱,不是因为我只能干这个 我真想对他们说,“你瞧瞧,我跟你一样干净。可这没用。我对别人不说我是垃圾 工。我说我是个卡车司机。我家里人知道,可我的妻子的亲友不知道。如果有人正好碰到, 问“你是给垃圾公司开车吗?’我就说是。我相信,我们做的事是人们所需要的,就像当 警察,或者当消防队员。我并不为此而感到见不得人,可我也不会到处去吹嘘自己的工作 “有一天,我妻子的一个朋友见到她的孩子从家里跑出来看垃圾车,她就大声叫喊起来 离那些垃圾工远点,他们身上脏。’我对她很生气。‘那些垃圾工和我们一样干净,’我对 她说。‘你好像很同情他们似的,’她说。‘是的,我是很同情他们。’可我从来没有告诉她
如今妻子已经成了寡妇，可她依然在想，如果房子着火了，她该从这旧房子里抢些什么 出来呢？是母亲留给她的戒指？是丈夫的照片？还是藏在糖缸里的４７美元？ 都不是，要抢出来的该是那个已经保存很久并已破旧、发黄了的信封。她清楚地知道放 在什么地方：就在一堆餐巾下面。 一天晚上，她丈夫读侦探小说睡着了。她在信封上写了一行留言，放在他的书上：“老 公，我去隔壁帮诺顿太太照顾她那几个生病的孩子了。” 第二天早晨，她看到他在她的留言下写道：“老婆，我想念你。你以为我睡着了。可是 我只是合合眼，心里却还在想那位很久以前在教堂对我们说了一番话的怪老太太呢。我总觉 得，她的模样似乎不像是上帝的信使。可不管怎么说，我们不该再去猜测她是来自上天还是 附近的城镇了。重要的是：无论这位埃斯特阿姨是谁，她的话是对的”。 Passage B 我和史蒂夫已扛了整整四个小时的垃圾了，中间只停下来说了五分钟的话。每次我将满 满的一桶垃圾扛上肩，肩膀就痛得厉害，有时候扛着垃圾朝街上走，腿都打颤，可我心里却 对自己说: “挺住，垃圾工，要挺住啊。 ” 我原本就没有想过这工作会有什么快乐可言。倒、扛、走、扛、走。时间过得飞快。 星期六意味着大多数成年人会呆在家里。上学的孩子也一样。我心里琢磨， 这可能意 味着我挨家挨户收垃圾时可以和人们多搭上几句话了。不少人在花园里或花房里干活儿。多 数人看上去是可以说说话的。虽没有工夫聊很久，但问候几句以示礼貌还是有时间的。 可就是在这一点上让我吃惊不小。 我隔着好几码说了声“你好”， 可马上意识到这不合常理。有时候，有人也会看着我， 微微一笑，并很快也对我说一声“你好”，或者“今天天气真好”。这种时候，我还是感到自己 是个人。可多数情况下，人们的反应要么是不理我，要么是因为我这垃圾工竟然也说了话而 惊讶地盯着我看。 一个身着家居长便服的妇女，见我绕过她家的屋角，脸上露出惊讶之色。听到我向她打 招呼，赶紧用衣服把自己严严实实地遮了起来，赶忙退进屋里。我听到了“咔嗒”一声门被锁 上了。另一个妇女，院子里养了一只大而古怪的动物。我问她那是什么动物，她的双眼定定 地盯着我。我以为她是耳朵聋了，所以提高了嗓门。她却好像给吓着了似的，冷冷地转身走 了。 这儿离垃圾场有很长一段路，在驾车去垃圾场的路上，史蒂夫忍不住气愤地叙说着这些 事情。 “从人家看你时的那种眼光，就知道在他们眼里垃圾工是怪物。 所以当你对他们说‘你 好’时，他们就惊恐地看着你。他们根本不知道我们也是人 。” “有个女人往垃圾箱里倒烟灰。我说，这样倒我们不好装运。她说，‘我倒什么你管得着 么，你算什么东西？你不过是个垃圾工罢了。’ 我说，‘听着，太太，我的智商是 137，高 中毕业时是班上的尖子学生。我干这活是为了挣钱，不是因为我只能干这个。’” 我真想对他们说, ‘你瞧瞧，我跟你一样干净。’ 可这没用。我对别人不说我是垃圾 工。我说我是个卡车司机。我家里人知道，可我的妻子的亲友不知道。如果有人正好碰到， 问‘你是给垃圾公司开车吗？’ 我就说是。我相信，我们做的事是人们所需要的，就像当 警察，或者当消防队员。我并不为此而感到见不得人，可我也不会到处去吹嘘自己的工作。 “有一天，我妻子的一个朋友见到她的孩子从家里跑出来看垃圾车，她就大声叫喊起来。 ‘离那些垃圾工远点，他们身上脏。’ 我对她很生气。‘那些垃圾工和我们一样干净，’ 我对 她说。‘你好像很同情他们似的，’ 她说。‘是的，我是很同情他们。’ 可我从来没有告诉她
这是为什么 这活儿我原先只打算干两天,可现在我要干下去。这可锻炼人呢,虽然肩部肌肉酸痛, 可我扛垃圾桶越扛越得心应手了。我越干越快,越干越利索。在室外干活还可以呼吸新鲜空 气。而且完全不像人们认为的那样,我干的活儿其实很干净 我还决定继续在人家的院子里向人们说“你好”。这不会有什么坏处,而且感觉依旧好 说实话,我感到骄傲,我在做一项必不可少的工作。每晚工作结束时,我发现这个国家比早 上更干净了。并不是每个人当晚都能这样说的 约翰加德纳曾写道,一个只赞扬哲学家而蔑视管道工的社会必定会出现麻烦。他警 说,“一个社会光有管道不行,然而光有理论也不行。”他也许应该进一步要求人们既尊 重经济学家又尊重垃圾工:不然的话,他们都会到处乱扔垃圾
这是为什么。” 这活儿我原先只打算干两天，可现在我要干下去。这可锻炼人呢，虽然肩部肌肉酸痛， 可我扛垃圾桶越扛越得心应手了。我越干越快，越干越利索。在室外干活还可以呼吸新鲜空 气。而且完全不像人们认为的那样，我干的活儿其实很干净。 我还决定继续在人家的院子里向人们说“你好”。这不会有什么坏处，而且感觉依旧好。 说实话，我感到骄傲，我在做一项必不可少的工作。每晚工作结束时，我发现这个国家比早 上更干净了。并不是每个人当晚都能这样说的。 约翰 . 加德纳曾写道, 一个只赞扬哲学家而蔑视管道工的社会必定会出现麻烦。他警告 说，“ 一个社会光有管道不行，然而光有理论也不行。” 他也许应该进一步要求人们既尊 重经济学家又尊重垃圾工；不然的话，他们都会到处乱扔垃圾