新编英语教程6课文原文文档格式.docx

新编英语教程6课文原文文档格式.docx

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2ThatwintryafternooninManhattan,waitinginthelittleFrenchrestaurant,Iwasfeelingfrustratedanddepressed.Becauseofseveralmiscalculationsonmypart,aprojectofconsiderableimportanceinmylifehadfallenthrough.Eventheprospectofseeingadearfriend（theOldMan,asIprivatelyandaffectionatelythoughtofhim）failedtocheermeasitusuallydid.Isattherefrowningatthecheckeredtablecloth,chewingthebittercudofhindsight.

3Hecameacrossthestreet,finally,muffledinhisancientovercoat,shapelessfelthatpulleddownoverhisbaldhead,lookingmorelikeanenergeticgnomethananeminentpsychiatrist.Hisofficeswerenearby;

Iknewhehadjustlefthislastpatientoftheday.Hewascloseto80,buthestillcarriedafullcaseload,stillactedasdirectorofalargefoundation,stilllovedtoescapetothegolfcoursewheneverhecould.

4Bythetimehecameoverandsatbesideme,thewaiterhadbroughthisinvariablebottleofale.Ihadnotseenhimforseveralmonths,butheseemedasindestructibleasever.“Well,youngman,”hesaidwithoutpreliminary,“what’stroublingyou?

”

5Ihadlongsinceceasedtobesurprisedathisperceptiveness.SoIproceededtotellhim,atsomelength,justwhatwasbotheringme.Withakindofmelancholypride,Itriedtobeveryhonest.Iblamednooneelseformydisappointment,onlymyself.Ianalyzedthewholething,allthebadjudgments,thefalsemoves.Iwentonforperhaps15minutes,whiletheOldMansippedhisaleinsilence.

6WhenIfinished,heputdownhisglass.“Comeon,”hesaid.“Let’sgobacktomyoffice.”

7“Youroffice?

Didyouforgetsomething?

8“No,”hesaidmildly.“Iwantyourreactiontosomething.That’sall.”

9Achillrainwasbeginningtofalloutside,buthisofficewaswarmandcomfortableandfamiliar:

book-linedwalls,longleathercouch,signedphotographofSigmundFreud,taperecorderbythewindow.Hissecretaryhadgonehome.Wewerealone.

10TheOldMantookatapefromaflatcardboardboxandfitteditontothemachine.“Onthistape,”hesaid,“arethreeshortrecordingsmadebythreepersonswhocametomeforhelp.Theyarenotidentified,ofcourse.Iwantyoutolistentotherecordingsandseeifyoucanpickoutthetwo-wordphrasethatisthecommondenominatorinallthreecases.”Hesmiled.“Don’tlooksopuzzled.Ihavemyreasons.”

11Whattheownersofthevoicesonthetapehadincommon,itseemedtome,wasunhappiness.Themanwhospokefirstevidentlyhadsufferedsomekindofbusinesslossorfailure;

heberatedhimselffornothavingworkedharder,fornothavinglookedahead.Thewomanwhospokenexthadnevermarriedbecauseofasenseofobligationtoherwidowedmother;

sherecalledbitterlyallthemaritalchancesshehadletgoby.Thethirdvoicebelongedtoamotherwhoseteen-agesonwasintroublewiththepolice;

sheblamedherselfendlessly.

12TheOldManswitchedoffthemachineandleanedbackinhischair.“Sixtimesinthoserecordingsaphraseisusedthat’sfullofsubtlepoison.Didyouspotit?

No?

Well,perhapsthat’sbecauseyouuseditthreetimesyourselfdownintherestaurantalittlewhileago.”Hepickeduptheboxthathadheldthetapeandtosseditovertome.“Theretheyare,rightonthelabel.Thetwosaddestwordsinanylanguage.”

13Ilookeddown.Printedneatlyinredinkwerethewords:

Ifonly.

14“You’dbeamazed,”saidtheOldMan,“ifyouknewhowmanythousandsoftimesI’vesatinthischairandlistenedtowoefulsentencesbeginningwiththosetwowords.‘Ifonly,’theysaytome,‘Ihaddoneitdifferently–ornotdoneitatall.IfonlyIhadn’tlostmytemper,saidthecruelthing,madethatdishonestmove,toldthatfoolishlie.IfonlyIhadbeenwiser,ormoreunselfish,ormoreself-controlled.’TheygoonandonuntilIstopthem.SometimesImakethemlistentotherecordingsyoujustheard.‘Ifonly,’Isaytothem,‘you’dstopsayingifonly,wemightbegintogetsomewhere!

’”

15TheOldManstretchedouthislegs.“Thetroublewith‘ifonly,’”hesaid,“isthatitdoesn’tchangeanything.Itkeepsthepersonfacingthewrongway–backwardinsteadofforward.Itwastestime.Intheend,ifyouletitbecomeahabit,itcanbecomearealroadblock,anexcusefornottryinganymore.

16“Nowtakeyourowncase:

yourplansdidn’tworkout.Why?

Becauseyoumadecertainmistakes.Well,that’sallright:

everyonemakesmistakes.Mistakesarewhatwelearnfrom.Butwhenyouweretellingmeaboutthem,lamentingthis,regrettingthat,youweren’treallylearningfromthem.”

17“Howdoyouknow?

”Isaid,abitdefensively.

18“Because,”saidtheOldMan,“younevergotoutofthepasttense.Notoncedidyoumentionthefuture.Andinaway-behonest,now!

–youwereenjoyingit.There’saperversestreakinallofusthatmakesusliketohashoveroldmistakes.Afterall,whenyourelatethestoryofsomedisasterordisappointmentthathashappenedtoyou,you’restillthechiefcharacter,stillinthecenterofthestage.”

19Ishookmyheadruefully.“Well,what’stheremedy?

20“Shiftthefocus,”saidtheOldManpromptly.“Changethekeywordsandsubstituteaphrasethatsuppliesliftinsteadofcreatingdrag.”

21“Doyouhavesuchaphrasetorecommend?

22“Certainly.Strikeoutthewords‘ifonly’;

substitutethephrase‘nexttime.’”

23“Nexttime?

24“That’sright.I’veseenitworkminormiraclesrighthereinthisroom.Aslongasapatientkeepssaying‘ifonly’tome,he’sintrouble.Butwhenhelooksmeintheeyeandsays‘nexttime,’Iknowhe’sonhiswaytoovercominghisproblem.Itmeanshehasdecidedtoapplythelessonshehaslearnedfromhisexperience,howevergrimorpainfulitmayhavebeen.Itmeanshe’sgoingtopushasidetheroadblockofregret,moveforward,takeaction,resumeliving.Tryityourself.You’llsee.”

25Myoldfriendstoppedspeaking.Outside,Icouldheartherainwhisperingagainstthewindowpane.Itriedslidingonephraseoutofmymindandreplacingitwiththeother.Itwasfanciful,ofcourse,butIcouldhearthenewwordslockintoplacewithanaudibleclick….

26TheOldManstoodupabitstiffly.“Well,classdismissed.Ithasbeengoodtoseeyou,youngman.Alwaysis.Now,ifyouwillhelpmefindataxi,Iprobablyshouldbegettingonhome.”

27Wecameoutofthebuildingintotherainynight.Ispottedacruisingcabandrantowardit,butanotherpedestrianwasquicker.

28“My,my,”saidtheOldManslyly.“Ifonlywehadcomedowntensecondssooner,we’dhavecaughtthatcab,wouldn’twe?

29Ilaughedandpickedupthecue.“NexttimeI’llrunfaster.”

30“That’sit,”criedtheOldMan,pullinghisabsurdhatdownaroundhisears.“That’sitexactly!

31Anothertaxislowed.Iopenedthedoorforhim.Hesmiledandwavedasitmovedaway.Ineversawhimagain.Amonthlater,hediedofsuddenheartattack,infullstride,sotospeak.

32MorethanayearhaspassedsincethatrainyafternooninManhattan.Buttothisday,wheneverIfindmyselfthinking“ifonly”,Ichangeitto“nexttime”.ThenIwaitforthatalmost-perceptiblementalclick.AndwhenIhearit,IthinkoftheOldMan.

33Asmallfragmentofimmortality,tobesure.Butit’sthekindhewouldhavewanted.

From:

JamesI.Brown,pp.146-148.

UnitTwo

TheFineArtofPuttingThingsOff

MichaelDemarest

1“Neverputofftilltomorrow,”exhortedLordChesterfieldin1749,“whatyoucandotoday.”Thattheelegantearlnevergotaroundtomarryinghisson’smotherandhadabadhabitofkeepingworthieslikeDr.Johnsoncoolingtheirheelsforhoursinananteroomatteststothefactthateventhemostwell-intentionedmenhavebeenpostponersever.QuintusFabiusMaximus,oneofthegreatRomangenerals,wasdubbed“Cunctator”（Delayer）forputtingoffbattleuntilthelastpossiblevinumbreak.MosespleadedaspeechdefecttorationalizehisreluctancetodeliverJehovah’sedicttoPharaoh.Hamlet,ofcourse,raisedprocrastinationtoanartform.

2Theworldisprobablyaboutevenlydividedbetweendelayersanddo-it-nowers.TherearethosewhopreparetheirincometaxesinFebruary,prepaymortgagesandservepreciselyplanneddinnersatanungodly6:

30p.m.Theotherhalfdinehappilyonleftoversat9or10,misplacebillsandfileforanextensionoftheincometaxdeadline.Theyseldompaycredit-cardbillsuntiltheapocalypticvoiceofDinersthreatensdoomfromDenver.Theypostpone,asFaustianencounters,visitstobarbershop,dentistordoctor.

3Yetforallthetroubleprocrastinationmayincur,delaycanofteninspireandreviveacreativesoul.JeanKerr,authorofmanysuccessfulnovelsandplays,saysthatshereadseverysoup-canandjam-jarlabelinherkitchenbeforesettlingdowntohertypewriter.Manyawriterfocusesonalmostanythingbuthistask-forexample,ontheCoastandGeodeticSurveyofMaine’sFrenchmanBayandBarHarbor,stimulatinghisimaginationwithnameslikeGooginsLedge,BluntsPond,HioHillandBurntPorcupine,LongPorcupine,SheepPorcupineandBaldPorcupineislands.

4FromCunctator’sdayuntilthiscentury,theartofpostponementhadbeenvirtuallyamonopolyofthemilitary（“Hurryupandwait”）,diplomacyandthelaw.Informertimes,aBritishproconsulfacedwithanativeuprisingcouldcomfortablyruminateaboutthesituationwithSingaporeSlinginhand.Blessedly,hehadnonatteringTelextoorderinmachineguns