(第一单元)
One way of summarizing the American position is to state that we value originality and independence more than the Chinese do.The contrast between our two cultures can also be seen in terms of the fears we both harbor.Chinese teachers are fearful that if skills are not acquired early, they may never be acquired; there is, on the other hand, no comparable hurry to promote creativity.American educators fear that unle creativity has been acquired early, it may never emerge; on the other hand, skills can be picked up later.
美国人的立场可以概括起来这么说，我们比中国人更重视创新和自立。我们两种文化的差异也可以从我们各自所怀的忧虑中显示出来。中国老师担心，如果年轻人不及早掌握技艺，就有可能一辈子掌握不了；另一方面，他们并不同样地急于促进创造力的发展。美国教育工作者则担心，除非从一开始就发展创造力，不然创造力就有可能永不再现；而另一方面，技艺可于日后获得。
However, I do not want to overstate my case.There is enormous creativity to be found in Chinese scientific, technological and artistic innovations past and present.And there is a danger of exaggerating creative breakthroughs in the West.When any innovation is examined closely, its reliance on previous achievements is all too apparent (the \"standing on the shoulders of giants\" phenomenon).
但我并不想夸大其辞。无论在过去还是在当今，中国在科学、技术和艺术革新方面都展示了巨大的创造力。而西方的创新突破则有被夸大的危险。如果仔细审视任何一项创新，其对以往成就的依赖则都显而易见（“站在巨人肩膀之上”的现象）。
(第二单元)
\"He\'d say, \'That fellow worked hard, let\'s give him a little extra,\'\" recalls retired president Ferold F.Arend, who was stunned at such generosity after the stingy employer he left to join Wal-Mart.\"I had to change my way of thinking when I came aboard.\"
“他会说，‘那人工作努力，奖励一下吧，’”退休的前任总裁费罗尔德·F·阿伦德回忆道。他原先供职的雇主非常吝啬，所以离开那里加入沃尔玛公司之后，他对这种慷慨行为深感震惊。“我加盟沃尔玛后，不得不改变自己的思维方式。”
\"The reason for our succe,\" says Walton, in a company handout, \"is our people and the way they\'re treated and the way they feel about their company.They believe things are different here, but they deserve the credit.\"
“我们之所以成功，”沃尔顿在公司宣传册上写道，“是由于我们的员工，是由于他们所受到的待遇以及他们对公司的感情。他们认为这里与众不同，但是这种荣誉他们受之无愧。”
Adds company lawyer Jim Hendren: \"I\'ve never seen anyone yet who worked for him or was around him for any length of time who wasn\'t better off.And I don\'t mean just financially, although a lot of people are.It\'s just something about him -- coming into contact with Sam Walton just makes you a better person.\"
公司律师吉姆·亨德伦补充说，“我从没见过有谁为他工作或和他接触一段时间后而不受益的。我不仅仅是指钱财方面，当然许多人是更富有了。我是说他的某种内在的东西——与萨姆·沃尔顿交往会使你成为一个更健全的人。
(第四单元)
I\'d never realized how important daily routine is: dreing for work, sleeping normal hours.I\'d never thought I relied so much on co-workers for company.I began to understand why long-term unemployment can be so damaging, why life without an externally supported daily plan can lead to higher rates of drug abuse, crime, suicide.
以前我从未意识到日常的生活起居是多么重要，如穿戴整齐去上班，按时就寝。以前我从未想过自己会那么依赖同事做伴。我开始理解为什么长时间的失业会那么伤人，为什么一个人的生活缺少了外部支持的日常计划就会导致吸毒、犯罪、自杀率的增长。
To restore balance to my life, I force myself back into the real world.I call people, arrange to meet with the few remaining friends who haven\'t fled New York City.I try to at least get to the gym, so as to set apart the weekend from the rest of my week.I arrange interviews for stories, doctor\'s appointments -- anything to get me out of the house and connected with others.为了恢复生活的平衡，我强迫自己回到真实世界中去。我给别人打电话，与所剩无几的仍然住在纽约城的几个朋友安排见面。我至少设法去去健身房，以便使周末与工作日有所不同。我安排采访好写报道，预约看医生——安排任何需要我出门与他人接触的活动。
(第五单元)
The runway felt different this time.It startled him for a brief moment.Then it all hit him like a wet bale of hay.The bar was set at nine inches higher than his personal best.That\'s only one inch off the National record, he thought.The intensity of the moment filled his mind with anxiety.He began shaking the tension.It wasn\'t working.He became more tense.Why was this happening to him now, he thought.He began to get nervous.Afraid would be a more accurate description.What was he going to do? He had never experienced these feelings.Then out of nowhere, and from the deepest depths of his soul, he pictured his mother.Why now? What was his mother doing in his thoughts at a time like this? It was simple.His mother always used to tell him when you felt tense, anxious or even scared, take deep breaths.
这一回，那跑道显得有些异样。刹那间，他感到一阵惊吓。一种惶惑不安的感觉向他袭来。横杆升在高出他个人最高纪录9英寸的高度。他想，这一高度与全国纪录只差1英寸了。这一刻紧张异常，他感到焦虑不安。他想摆脱紧张情绪。没有用。他更紧张了。在这种时刻怎么会这样呢，他暗暗思忖着。他有点胆怯起来。说是恐惧也许更为恰当。怎么办？他以前从来不曾有过这种感觉。这时，不知不觉地，在内心最深处，出现了他母亲的身影。为什么是在这一刻？记忆中，母亲在这种时刻会怎样做呢？很简单。母亲过去总跟他说，当你觉得紧张、焦虑、甚至害怕的时候，就深深地吸气。
(第六单元)
Yet superwomen tales continue to charm me.Despite my friend\'s warning against being taken in, despite everything I\'ve learned, I find that I\'m not only willing, but positively eager to buy that bridge she mentioned.Why? I suppose it has something to do with the appeal of an optimistic approach to life -- and the fact that extraordinary deeds have been accomplished by determined individuals who refused to believe that \"you can\'t\" was the final word on their dreams.
但女强人的故事仍然令我心醉神迷。尽管朋友提醒我不要上当，尽管我也长了不少见识，我
还是发现自己不仅愿意，而且还真的渴望买下她说的那座桥。为什么？我想这是因为乐观的生活态度深深地吸引着我——还有，那些就是不肯相信自己的梦想“不能”实现的意志坚定的人确实成就了非凡的业绩。
Men have generally been aured that achieving their heart\'s desires would be a piece of cake.Women, of course, have always believed that we can\'t have our cake and eat it too-the old low-dream diet.Perhaps becoming a superwoman is an impoible dream for me, but life without that kind of fantasy is as unappealing as a diet with no treats.
男人一般确信，实现自己的心愿不费吹灰之力。女人嘛，当然总是相信鱼与熊掌不能兼得——人们反复灌输的不要好高骛远那一套。我或许无望成为女强人，但如果没有这种梦想，生活就变得平淡无味，就如同日常饮食中缺了美味佳肴一般。
(第八单元)
The reality of the greenhouse effect is more speculative, though its poible consequences are far deadlier: melting ice caps, flooded coastlines, disturbed climate, dried up plains and, ultimately, empty breadbaskets.The American Midwest feeds the world.Are we prepared to see Iowa acquire Albuquerque\'s climate? And Siberia acquireIowa\'s?
温室效应的现实情况是怎样目前难以确定，但可能产生的后果破坏性更大：冰帽融化，海岸线被洪水淹没，气候反常，平原干涸，进而最终粮仓空匮。美国中西部是为全世界提供粮食的地方。我们是否愿意眼看着爱荷华州出现阿尔伯克基的气候，而西伯利亚则出现爱荷华州的气候呢？
Ozone reduction and the greenhouse effect are human disasters.They happen to occur in the environment.But they are urgent because they directly threaten man.A sensible environmentalism, the only kind of environmentalism that will win universal public support, begins by unashamedly declaring that nature is here to serve man.A sensible environmentalism is entirely man-centered: it calls for man to preserve nature, but on the grounds of self-preservation.臭氧减少与温室效应都是人类的灾难。两者恰好都属于环境的范围。但这两种情况都很紧迫，因为它们直接威胁着人类。理智的环境保护论，亦即惟一能赢得公众普遍支持的环境保护论首先坦然指出，大自然是为人类服务的。理智的环境保护论完全是以人为本的：它呼吁人类保护自然，但其目的是自我保护。
