It has never been explained why university students seem to enjoy practical jokes more than anyone else.
谁也弄不清为什么大学生好像比任何人都更喜欢恶作剧。
Students specialize in a particular type of practical joke: the hoax.
大学生擅长一种特殊的恶作剧--戏弄人。
Inviting the fire brigade to put out a nonexistent fire is a crude form of deception which no self-respecting student would ever indulge in.
请消防队来扑灭一场根本没有的大火是一种低级骗局，有自尊心的大学生决不会去做。
Students often create amusing situations which are funny to everyone except the victims.
大学生们常常做的是制造一种可笑的局面，使大家笑上一场，当然受害者是笑不出来的。
When a student recently saw two workmen using a pneumatic drill outside his university,
最近有个学生看见两个工人在学校门外用风钻干活，
he immediately telephoned the police and informed them that two students dressed up as workmen were tearing up the road with a pneumatic drill.
马上打电话报告警察，说有两个学生装扮成工人，正在用风钻破坏路面。
As soon as he had hung up, he went over to the workmen and told them that if a policeman ordered them to go away, they were not to take him seriously.
挂上电话后，他又马上来到工人那儿，告诉他们若有个警察来让他们走开，不要把他当回事，
He added that a student had dressed up as a policeman and was playing all sorts of silly jokes on people.
还对工人说，有个学生常装扮成警察无聊地同别人开玩笑。
Both the police and the workmen were grateful to the student for this piece of advance information.
警察与工人都对那个学生事先通报情况表示感谢。
The student hid in an archway nearby where he could watch and hear everything that went on.
那个学生躲在附近一拱形的门廊里，在那儿可以看见、听到现场发生的一切。
Sure enough, a policeman arrived on the scene and politely asked the workmen to go away.
果然，警察来了，不礼貌地请工人离开此地；
When he received a very rude reply from one of the workmen.
但其中一个工人粗鲁地回了几句。
He threatened to remove them by force.
于是警察威胁要强行使他们离开。
The workmen told him to do as he pleased and the policeman telephoned for help.
工人说，悉听尊便。警察去打电话叫人。
Shortly afterwards, four more policemen arrived and remonstrated with the workmen.
一会儿工夫，又来了4个警察，规劝工人离开。
As the men refused to stop working, the police attempted to seize the pneumatic drill.
由于工人拒绝停下手中的活，警察想夺风钻。
The workmen struggled fiercely and one of them lost his temper.
两个工人奋力抗争，其中一个发了火，
He threatened to call the police.
威胁说要去叫警察。
At this, the police pointed out ironically that this would hardly be necessary as the men were already under arrest.
警察听后讥讽地说，这大可不必，因为他俩已被逮捕了。
Pretending to speak seriously, one of the workmen asked if he might make a telephone call before being taken to the station.
其中一个工人装模作样地问道，在被带往警察局之前，是否可以打一个电话。
Permission was granted and a policeman accompanied him to a pay phone.
警察同意了，陪他来到一个投币地电话前，
Only when he saw that the man was actually telephoning the police did he realize that they had all been the victims of a hoax.
当他看到那个工人真的是给警察挂电话，才恍然大悟，原来他们都成一场骗局的受害者。
The quiet life of the country has never appealed to me.
宁静的乡村生活从来没有吸引过我。
City born and city bred,
我生在城市，长在城市，
I have always regarded the country as something you look at through a train window, or something you occasionally visit during the weekend.
总认为乡村是透过火车车窗看到的那个样了，或偶尔周末去游玩一下景象。
Most of my friends live in the city, yet they always go into raptures at the mere mention of the country.
我的许多朋友都住在城市，但他们只要一提起乡村，马上就会变得欣喜若狂。
Though they extol the virtues of the peaceful life,
尽管他们都交口称赞宁静的乡村生活的种种优点，
only one of them has ever gone to live in the country and he was back in town within six months.
但其中只有一个人真去农村住过，而且不足6个月就回来了。
Even he still lives under the illusion that country life is somehow superior to town life.
即使他也仍存有幻觉，好像乡村生活就是比城市生活优越。
He is forever talking about the friendly people, the clean atmosphere, the closeness to nature and the gentle pace of living.
他滔滔不绝地大谈友好的农民，洁净的空气，贴近大自然的环境和悠闲的生活节奏。
Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cockcrow, the twittering of birds at dawn, the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures.
他坚持认为，凌晨雄鸡第一声啼叫，黎明时分小鸟吱喳欢叫，冉冉升起的朝阳染红树木、牧场，此番美景无与伦比。
This idyllic pastoral scene is only part of the picture.
但这种田园诗般的乡村风光仅仅是一个侧面。
My friend fails to mention the long and friendless winter evenings in front of the TV -- virtually the only form of entertainment.
我的朋友没有提到在电视机前度过的漫长寂寞的冬夜--电视是唯一的娱乐形式。
He says nothing about the poor selection of goods in the shops, or about those unfortunate people who have to travel from the country to the city every day to get to work.
他也不说商店货物品种单调，以及那些每天不得不从乡下赶到城里工作的不幸的人们。
Why people are prepared to tolerate a four-hour journey each day for the dubious privilege of living in the country is beyond me.
人们为什么情愿每天在路上奔波4个小时去换取值得怀疑的乡间的优点，我是无法理解的。
They could be saved so much misery and expense if they chose to live in the city where they rightly belong.
要是他们愿意住在本来属于他们的城市，则可以让他们省去诸多不便与节约大量开支。
If you can do without the few pastoral pleasures of the country,
如果你愿舍弃乡下生活那一点点乐趣的话，
you will find the city can provide you with the best that life can offer.
那么你会发出城市可以为你提供生活最美好的东西。
You never have to travel miles to see your friends.
你去看朋友根本不用跋涉好几英里，
They invariably live nearby and are always available for an informal chat or an evening\'s entertainment.
因为他们都住在附近，你随时可以同他们聊天或在晚上一起娱乐。
Some of my acquaintances in the country come up to town once or twice a year to visit the theatre as a special treat.
我在乡村有一些熟人，他们每年进城来看一回或几回戏，并把此看作一种特殊的享受。
For them this is a major operation which involves considerable planning.
看戏在他们是件大事，需要精心计划。
As the play draws to its close, they wonder whether they will ever catch that last train home.
当戏快演完时，他们又为是否能赶上末班火车回家而犯愁。
The city dweller never experiences anxieties of this sort.
这种焦虑，城里人是从未体验过的。
The latest exhibitions, films, or plays are only a short bus ride away.
坐公共汽车几站路，就可看到最新的展览、电影、戏剧。
Shopping, too, is always a pleasure.
买东西也是一种乐趣。
There is so much variety that you never have to make do with second best.
物品种繁多，从来不必用二等品来凑合。
Country people run wild when they go shopping in the city and stagger home loaded with as many of the exotic items as they can carry.
乡里人进城采购欣喜若狂，每次回家时都买足了外来商品，直到拿不动方才罢休，连走路都摇摇晃晃的。
Nor is the city without its moments of beauty.
城市也并非没有良辰美景。
There is something comforting about the warm glow shed by advertisements on cold wet winter nights.
寒冷潮湿的冬夜里，广告灯箱发出的暖光，会给人某种安慰。
Few things could be more impressive than the peace that descends on deserted city streets at weekends
周末，空旷的街市笼罩着一种宁静气氛，没有什么能比此时的宁静更令人难忘了。
when the thousands that travel to work every day are tucked away in their homes in the country.
当成千上万进城上班的人回到他们的乡间寓所之后，
It has always been a mystery to me why city dwellers, who appreciate all these things,
城里人对这一切心里很明白，
obstinately pretend that they would prefer to live in the country.
却偏要执拗地装出他们喜欢住在乡村的样子，这对我来说一直是个谜。
Cave exploration, or pot-holing, as it has come to be known, is a relatively new sport.
洞穴勘查--或洞穴勘探--是一项比较新的体育活动。
Perhaps it is the desire for solitude or the chance of making an unexpected discovery that lures people down to the depths of the earth.
寻求独处的愿望或寻求意外发现的机会的欲望吸引人们来到地下深处。
It is impossible to give a satisfactory explanation for a pot-holer\'s motives.
要想对洞穴探险者的动机作出满意的解释是不可能的。
For him, caves have the same peculiar fascination which high mountains have for the climber.
对洞穴探险者来说，洞穴有一种特殊的魅力，就像高山对登山者有特殊魅力一样。
They arouse instincts which can only be dimly understood.
为什么洞空能引发人的那种探险本能，人们对此只能有一种模模糊糊的理解。
Exploring really deep caves is not a task for the Sunday afternoon rambler.
探测非常深的洞穴不是那些在星期日下午漫步的人所能胜任的。
Such undertakings require the precise planning and foresight of military operations.
这种活动需要有军事行动般的周密布署和预见能力。
It can take as long as eight days to rig up rope ladders and to establish supply bases before a descent can be made into a very deep cave.
有时需要花费整整8天时间来搭起绳梯，建立供应基地，然后才能到一个很深的洞穴里。
Precautions of this sort are necessary,
作出这样的准备是必要的，
for it is impossible to foretell the exact nature of the difficulties which will confront the pot-holer.
因为无法预见到洞穴探险者究竟会遇到什么性质的困难。
The deepest known cave in the world is the Gouffre Berger near Grenoble.
世界上最深的洞穴是格里诺布尔附近的高弗.伯杰洞，
It extends to a depth of 3,723 feet.
深达3,723英尺。
This immense chasm has been formed by an underground stream which has tunnelled a course through a flaw in the rocks.
这个深邃的洞穴是由一条地下暗泉冲刷岩石中的缝隙并使之慢慢变大而形成的。
The entrance to the cave is on a plateau in the Dauphine Alps.
此洞的洞口在丹芬阿尔卑斯山的高原上，
As it is only six feet across, it is barely noticeable.
仅6英尺宽，很难被发现。
The cave might never have been discovered has not the entrance been spotted by the distinguished French pot-holer, Berger.
若不是法国著名洞穴探险家伯杰由于偶然的机会发现了这个洞口的话，这个洞也许不会为人所知。
Since its discovery, it has become a sort of potholers\' Everest.
自从被发现以后，这个洞成了洞穴探险者的珠穆朗玛峰，
Though a number of descents have been made, much of it still remains to be explored.
人们多次进入洞内探险，但至今尚有不少东西有待勘探。
A team of pot-holers recently went down the Gouffre Berger.
最近，一队洞穴探险者下到了高弗.伯杰洞里。
After entering the narrow gap on the plateau, they climbed down the steep sides of the cave until they came to narrow corridor.
他们从高原上的窄缝进去，顺着笔直陡峭的洞壁往下爬。
They had to edge their way along this, sometimes wading across shallow streams, or swimming across deep pools.
来到一条狭窄的走廊上。他们不得不侧着身子往前走，有时过浅溪，有时游过深潭。
Suddenly they came to a waterfall which dropped into an underground lake at the bottom of the cave.
突然，他们来到一道瀑布前，那瀑布奔泻而下，注入洞底一处地下湖里。
They plunged into the lake, and after loading their gear on an inflatable rubber dinghy, let the current carry them to the other side.
他们跳入湖中，把各种器具装上一只充气的橡皮艇，听任水流将他们带往对岸。
To protect themselves from the icy water, they had to wear special rubber suits.
湖水冰冷刺骨，他们必须穿上一种特制的橡皮服以保护自己。
At the far end of the lake, they came to huge piles of rubble which had been washed up by the water.
在湖的尽头，他们见到一大堆一大堆由湖水冲刷上岸的碎石。
In this part of the cave, they could hear an insistent booming sound
在这儿，他们可以听见一种连续不断的轰鸣声。
which they found was caused by a small waterspout shooting down into a pool from the roof of the cave.
后来他们发现这是由山洞顶部的一个小孔里喷出的水柱跌落到水潭中发出的声音。
Squeezing through a cleft in the rocks, the pot-holers arrived at an enormous cavern, the size of a huge concert hall.
洞穴探险者从岩石缝里挤身过去，来到一个巨大的洞里，其大小相当于一个音乐厅。
After switching on powerful arc lights, they saw great stalagmites -- some of them over forty feet high -- rising up like tree-trunks to meet the stalactites suspended from the roof.
他们打开强力弧光灯，看见一株株巨大的石笋，有的高达40英尺，象树干似的向上长着，与洞顶悬挂下来的钟乳石相接。
Round about, piles of limestone glistened in all the colours of the rainbow.
周围是一堆堆石灰石，像彩虹一样闪闪发光。
In the eerie silence of the cavern,
洞里有一种可怕的寂静，
the only sound that could be heard was made by water which dripped continuously from the high dome above them.
唯一的可以听见的声响是高高的圆顶上不间断地滴水的嘀嗒声。
Insurance companies are normally willing to insure anything.
保险公司一般说来愿意承保一切东西。
Insuring public or private property is a standard practice in most countries in the world.
承办公共财产或私人财产保险是世界上大部分国家的正常业务。
If, however, you were holding an open air garden party or a fete it would be equally possible to insure yourself in the event of bad weather.
如果你要举办一次露天游园会或盛宴，为避免碰上不好的天气而遭受损失也同样可以保险，
Needless to say, the bigger the risk an insurance company takes, the higher the premium you will have to pay.
不用说，保险公司承担风险越大，你付的保险费也就越高。
It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company has made a claim for the cost of salvaging a sunken ship.
航运公司为打捞沉船而提出索赔，这是常有的事，
But the claim made by a local authority to recover the cost of salvaging a sunken pie dish must surely be unique.
但某地当局为打捞一只焙制馅饼的盘子提出索赔，倒是件新鲜的事儿。
Admittedly it was an unusual pie dish, for it was eighteen feet long and six feet wide.
这个馅饼盘子确实少见，有18英尺长，6英尺宽。
It had been purchased by a local authority so that an enormous pie could be baked for an annual fair.
某地方当局买下它用来焙制一个巨大的馅饼为一年一度交易会助兴。
The pie committee decided that the best way to transport the dish would be by canal, so they insured it for the trip.
馅饼委员会确认运输这只盘子的最佳方案是通过运河水运。于是，他们对这只盘子的运输安全投了保。
Shortly after it was launched, the pie committee went to a local inn to celebrate.
盘子下水后不久，馅饼委员会成员们来到当地一家小酒店庆贺。
At the same time, a number of teenagers climbed on to the dish and held a little party of their own.
就在这个时候，许多十几岁的孩子爬盘子举行他们自己的集会。
Dancing proved to be more than the dish could bear, for during the party it capsized and sank in seven feet of water.
他们跳起了舞，盘子难以承受。舞会进行过程中，盘子倾覆，沉入了7英尺深的水中。
The pie committee telephoned a local garage owner who arrived in a recovery truck to salvage the pie dish.
馅饼委员会给当地汽车修理库老板打电话，他闻讯后开着一辆急修车前来打捞盘子。
Shivering in their wet clothes, the teenagers looked on while three men dived repeatedly into the water to locate the dish.
那些孩子们穿着湿衣服哆嗦，看着3个工人轮潜入水中以确定盘子的位置。
They had little difficulty in finding it, but hauling it out of the water proved to be a serious problem.
他们没费多大事儿就找到了盘子。可是把盘子捞出却是一个很大的难题。
The sides of the dish were so smooth that it was almost impossible to attach hawsers and chains to the rim without damaging it.
盘子四边十分光滑，要在盘边拴上绳索或链条而同时又不损坏它是很难办到的。
Eventually chains were fixed to one end of the dish and a powerful winch was put into operation.
不过，他们终于将链条固定在盘子的一端，一台大功率的绞车开动起来。
The dish rose to the surface and was gently drawn towards the canal bank.
盘子慢慢浮出水面，被轻轻地拽向运河岸边。
For one agonizing moment, the dish was perched precariously on the bank of the canal,
在令人忐忑不安的瞬间，盘子晃晃悠悠地上了岸，
but it suddenly overbalanced and slid back into the water.
但它突然失去了平衡，又跌回水中。
The men were now obliged to try once more.
工人们只得再来一次。
This time they fixed heavy metal clamps to both sides of the dish so that they could fasten the chains.
这次，他们用沉重的金属夹子把盘子夹住，以便往盘子上安装铁链。
The dish now had to be lifted vertically because one edge was resting against the side of the canal.
这次，盘子必须垂直吊出水面，因为盘子的一边紧靠着运河河岸。
The winch was again put into operation and one of the men started up the truck.
绞盘机再次启动，一位工人发动了急修车的引擎。
Several minutes later, the dish was successfully hauled above the surface of the water.
几分钟后，盘子被成功地拽出了水面。
Water streamed in torrents over its sides with such force that it set up a huge wave in the canal.
波浪从盘子两侧急涌而出，在运河里掀起一股大浪。
There was danger that the wave would rebound off the other side of the bank and send the dish plunging into the water again.
但是当波浪从河对岸折回来时，就有再次把盘子拖进水里的危险。
By working at tremendous speed, the men managed to get the dish on to dry land before the wave returned.
工人们动作迅速，终于赶在那股大浪返回之前把盘子拽到了岸上。
People travelling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air.
出远门的人常常需要决定是走旱路、水路，还是坐飞机。
Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours.
很少有人能够真正喜欢坐几个小时以上的火车。
Train compartments soon get cramped and stuffy.
车厢很快就变得拥挤、闷热，
It is almost impossible to take your mind off the journey.
想摆脱开旅途的困扰是很难的。
Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep.
看书只能解决部分问题。车轮与铁轨间单调的嘎喳声很快就会送你进入梦乡。
During the day, sleep comes in snatches.
白天是忽睡忽醒，
At night, when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to do so.
到了夜晚，你真想睡了，却很难入睡。
If you are lucky enough to get a sleeper, you spend half the night staring at the small blue light in the ceiling,
即使你走运弄到一个卧铺，夜间有一半时间你会盯着车顶那盏小蓝灯而睡不着觉；
or fumbling to find you ticket for inspection.
要不然就为查票摸索你的车票。
Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted.
一旦抵达目的地，你总是疲惫不堪。
Long car journeys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read.
乘汽车作长途旅行则更加不舒服，因为连看书都几乎不可能。
On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds,
在公路上还好，你至少能以相当快的速度安全地向前行。
but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on roads with few service stations and too much traffic.
但旅行的大部分时间都花在路上，而且只有很少的服务设施，交通也很拥挤。
By comparison, ferry trips or cruises offer a great variety of civilized comforts.
相比之下，坐船旅行或环游可以得到文明世界的各种享受。
You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games, meet interesting people and enjoy good food -- always assuming,of course, that the sea is calm.
你可以在甲板上伸展四肢、做游戏，还能也很见到各种有趣的人，能享用各种美味佳肴-当然，这一切只有在大海风平浪静的情况下才有可能。
If it is not, and you are likely to get seasick, no form of transport could be worse.
如果大海肆虐起来，你就可能晕船，那种难受劲儿是任何一种别的旅行的方式都不会带来的。
Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time.
即使风平浪静，坐船旅行也要占用很长时间。
Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice holiday time for the pleasure of travlling by sea.
没有多少人会为享受坐船旅行的乐趣而牺牲假期的时间。
Aeroplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardened travellers are intimidated by them.
飞机以危险而著称，连老资格的旅行者也怕飞机。
They also have the disadvantage of being an expensive form of transport.
飞机另一个缺点是昂贵。
But nothing can match them for speed and comfort.
但就速度与舒适而言，飞机是无与伦比的。
Travelling at a height of 30,000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an hour is an exhilarating experience.
腾云驾雾，在30，000 英尺高空以500英里的时速旅行，这种经历令人心旷神怡。
You do not have to devise ways of taking your mind off the journey, for an aeroplane gets you to your destination rapidly.
你不必想办法去摆脱旅途的困扰，因为飞机会迅速地把你送到目的地。
For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight.
几小时之内，你躺在扶手椅上，享受着旅途的欢乐。
The real escapist can watch a film and sip champagne on some services.
真正会享受的人还可以在某些航班上看一场电影和喝香槟。
But even when such refinements are not available, there is plenty to keep you occupied.
即使没有这些消遣条件，也总是有事可做。
An aeroplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world.
飞机上，你可以观察世界上非同寻常的奇妙的美景。
You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys.
你毫不费劲地飞越高山幽谷，
You really see the shape of the land.
你确能饱览大地的风貌。
If the landscape is hidden from view,
如果这种景色被遮住了，
you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch out for miles before you, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky.
你可以观赏一下展现在你面前的、一望数英里的、连绵不断的云海，同时阳光灿烂，天空清澈明朗。
The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping.
旅途平稳，丝毫不妨碍你阅读或睡眠。
However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrumpled.
不管你打算如何消磨时间，有件事是可以肯定的，即当你抵达目的地时，你感到精神焕发，毫无倦意，
You will not have to spend the next few days recovering from a long and arduous journey.
用不着因为漫长的旅途的辛苦而花几天时间休息来恢复精神。
In democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned.
在民主国家里，任何限制新闻自由的企图都理所当然地受到谴责。
However, this freedom can easily be abused.
然而，这种自由很容易被滥用。
Stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events.
常人轶事往往比政治事件更能引起公众注意。
Though we may enjoy reading about the lives of others, it is extremely doubtful whether we would equally enjoy reading about ourselves.
我们都喜欢看关于别人生活的报道，但是否同样喜欢看关于自己生活的报道，就很难说了。
Acting on the contention that facts are sacred,
记者按事实至上的论点行事，
reporters can cause untold suffering to individuals by publishing details about their private lives.
发表有关别人生活的细节，有时会给当事人造成极大的痛苦。
Newspapers exert such tremendous influence that they can not only bring about major changes to the lives of ordinary people
新闻具有巨大的威力。它们不仅可以给寻常人家的生活带来重大的变化，
but can even overthrow a government.
甚至还能推翻一个政府。
The story of a poor family that acquired fame and fortune overnight, dramatically illustrates the power of the press.
下面这户穷人一夜之间出名发财的故事戏剧性地说明了新闻报道威力。
The family lived in Aberdeen, a small town of 23,000 inhabitants in South Dakota.
这户人家住在南达科他州一个人口为23，000 的小镇上，镇名为阿拜丁。
As the parents had five children, life was a perpetual struggle against poverty.
家里已有5个孩子，全家人常年在贫困中挣扎。
They were expecting their sixth child and were faced with even more pressing economic problems.
第6个孩子即将问世，他们面临着更为严峻的经济问题。
If they had only had one more child, the fact would have passed unnoticed.
如果他们只添了1个孩子，这件事本来就不会引起任何人的注意。
They would have continued to struggle against economic odds and would have lived in obscurity.
这家人会继续为克服经济上的拮据而奋斗，并默默无闻地活下去。
But they suddenly became the parents of quintuplets, four girl and a boy, an event which radically changed their lives.
但是他们出人意料生了个五胞胎，4女1男。这事使他们的生活发生了根本的变化。
The day after the birth of the five children, an aeroplane arrived in Aberdeen bringing sixty reporters and photographers.
五胞胎降生第二天，一架飞机飞抵阿拜丁，随机带来60名记者与摄影师。
The rise to fame was swift.
这一家迅速出了名。
Television cameras and newspapers carried the news to everyone in the country.
电视摄像机和报纸把消息传送到全国。
Newspapers and magazines offered the family huge sums for the exclusive rights to publish stories and photographs.
报纸、杂志出高价向他们购买文字、图片的独家报道权。
Gifts poured in not only from unknown people, but from baby food and soap manufacturers who wished to advertise their products.
不但素昧平生的人寄来了大量的礼物，而且婴儿食品、婴儿肥皂制造厂商为了替自己产品做广告也寄来了大量的礼物。
The old farmhouse the family lived in was to be replaced by a new $500,000 home.
这家人住的旧家舍将由一座价值50万美元的新住宅所取代。
Reporters kept pressing for interviews so lawyers had to be employed to act as spokesmen for the family at press conferences.
由于记者纷纷要求会见，他们不得不请了律师充当他们家的发言人举行记者招待会。
While the five babies were still quietly sleeping in oxygen tents in a hospital nursery,
眼下，五胞胎还静静地躺在医院婴儿室的氧气帐里，
their parents were paying the price for fame.
他们的父母却为这名声付出了代价，
It would never again be possible for them to lead normal lives.
他们再也无法过正常的生活。
They had become the victims of commercialization, for their names had acquired a market value.
他们成了商业化的受害者，因为他们的名字具有了市场价值。
Instead of being five new family members, these children had immediately become a commodity.
这些孩子立即成了商品，而不是5个新的家庭成员。
So great is our passion for doing things for ourselves, that we are becoming increasingly less dependent on specialized labour.
现在我们自己动手做事的热情很高，结果对于专业工人的依赖越来越少了。
No one can plead ignorance of a subject any longer, for there are countless do-it-yourself publications.
由于出版了不计其数的教人自己动手做事的书报杂志，没有人再能说对某事一无所知。
Armed with the right tools and materials, newlyweds gaily embark on the task of decorating their own homes.
新婚夫妇找来合适的工具和材料，喜气洋洋地开始布置新房。
Men, particularly, spend hours of their leisure time installing their own fireplaces, laying out their own gardens;
特别是男人，常利用空闲时间安装壁炉、布置花园、建造车库、制作家具。
building garages and making furniture. Some really keen enthusiasts go so far as to build their own computers.
有些热衷于自己动手的人甚至自己组装电脑。
Shops cater for the do-it-yourself craze not only by running special advisory services for novices,
为了满足自己动手热的需要，商店不仅为初学者提供专门的咨询服务，
but by offering consumers bits and pieces which they can assemble at home.
而且为顾客准备了各种零件，供他们买回家去安装。
Such things provide an excellent outlet for pent up creative energy, but unfortunately not all of us are born handymen.
这些东西为人们潜在的创造力提供了一个绝妙的用武之地。但不幸的是，我们并非人人都是能工巧匠。
Some wives tend to believe that their husbands are infinitely resourceful and can fix anything.
妻子常常认为她们的丈夫无比聪明能干。
Even men who can hardly drive a nail in straight are supposed to be born electricians, carpenters, plumbers and mechanics.
甚至那些连一枚钉子都钉不直的男人都被认为是天生的电工、木匠、水管工和机械师。
When lights fuse, furniture gets rickety, pipes get clogged, or vacuum cleaners fail to operate,
每当电灯保险丝烧断、家具榫头松动、管道堵塞、吸尘器不动时，
some woman assume that their husbands will somehow put things right.
有些妻子认为丈夫总有办法。
The worst thing about the do-it-yourself game is that sometimes even men live under the delusion that they can do anything, even when they have repeatedly been proved wrong.
自己动手的例子中最糟糕的是，有时甚至是男人尽管接连失败却还误以为自己什么都行，
It is a question of pride as much as anything else.
原因就是要面子。
Last spring my wife suggested that I call in a man to look at our lawn mower.
今年春天，妻子让我请人检查一下我家的割草机。
It had broken down the previous summer, and though I promised to repair it, I had never got round to it.
那台割草机去年夏天就坏了，尽管我答应修，但一直没抽出时间，
I would not hear of the suggestion and said that I would fix it myself.
我不愿听妻子的建议，说我自己会修。
One Saturday afternoon, I hauled the machine into the garden and had a close look at it.
一个星期六的下午，我把割草机拉到了花园里，仔细检查了一番。
As far as I could see, it needed only a minor adjustment:
在我看来，只需稍加调整即可。
a turn of a screw here, a little tightening up there, a drop of oil and it would be as good as new.
这儿紧紧螺丝，那儿固定一下，再加几滴油，就会像新的一样了。
Inevitably the repair job was not quite so simple.
事实上，修理工作远不是那么简单。
The mower firmly refused to mow, so I decided to dismantle it.
修完后割草机还是纹丝不动。于是，我决定把它拆开。
The garden was soon littered with chunks of metal which had once made up a lawn mower.
一会儿工夫，割草机便被拆成一个个金属零件，乱七八糟地堆在花园里。
But I was extremely pleased with myself.
但我却非常高兴，
I had traced the cause of the trouble.
因为我找到了毛病所在。
One of the links in the chain that drives the wheels had snapped.
驱动轮子的链条断了一节。
After buying a new chain I was faced with the insurmountable task of putting the confusing jigsaw puzzle together again.
我买来一根新链条后，面临的就是如何把这些令人眼花缭乱的拼板重新组装起来。
I was not surprised to find that the machine still refused to work after I had reassembled it,
等我装完后，那台割草机仍然一动不动，对此我倒并不感到吃惊。
for the simple reason that I was left with several curiously shaped bits of metal which did not seem to fit anywhere.
原因很简单，因为还剩下几个形状奇特的零件似乎哪里也装不上去。
I gave up in despair.
我无可奈何，只好罢休。
The weeks passed and the grass grew.
几个星期过去了，草长了起来。
When my wife nagged me to do something about it, I told her that either I would have to buy a new mower or let the grass grow.
妻子喋喋不休让我想点办法。我告诉她，要么买一台新割草机，要么让草长下去。
Needless to say our house is now surrounded by a jungle.
不用说，我家现在已被丛林包围。
Buried somewhere in deep grass there is a rusting lawn mower which I have promised to repair one day.
深草丛中的某个地方有一台正在生锈的割草机，那就是我曾答应某日要修理的割草机。
Pollution is the price we pay for an overpopulated, over industrialized planet.
污染就是我们为这个人口过密，过度工业化的星球所付出的代价。
When you come to think about it, there are only four ways you can deal with rubbish:
当我们开始考虑垃圾问题时，我们只有4种对付垃圾的方法：
dump it, burn it, turn it into something you can use again, attempt to produce less of it.
倾倒、焚烧、把垃圾变成再生材料或试图少产生一些垃圾。
We keep trying all four methods, but he sheer volume of rubbish we produce worldwide threatens to overwhelm us.
我们一直在试这4种方式，但是，我们在世界范围内仅产生的垃圾的量就有把我们覆盖的危险。
Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet.
然而，垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。
The need to produce ever-increasing quantities of cheap food leads to a different kind of pollution.
日益增长的对廉价食物的需求导致了另一种形式的污染。
Industrialized farming methods produce cheap meat products: beef, pork and chicken.
工业化的农作方式生产出廉价的肉类制品--牛肉、猪肉和鸡肉。
The use of pesticides and fertilizers produces cheap grain and vegetables.
使用杀虫剂和化肥生产出廉价的谷物和蔬菜。
The price we pay for cheap food may be already too high:
为了廉价食物我们付出代价已经太高了：
Mad Cow Disease (BSE) in cattle, salmonella in chicken and eggs, and listeria in dairy products.
牛肉中的疯牛病，鸡肉和鸡蛋中的沙门氏菌，奶制品中的利斯特杆菌。
And if you think you\'ll abandon meat and become a vegetarian,
如果你想放弃肉类而变成一位素食者，
you have the choice of very expensive organically-grown vegetables
那么你可以两者择一：或是选用价格昂贵、有机培植的蔬菜，
or a steady diet of pesticides every time you think you\'re eating fresh salads and vegetables, or just having an innocent glass of water!
或是当你认为在享用新鲜色拉和新鲜蔬菜或饮用一杯无害的水的时候，实际上每次都不断吃进杀虫剂。
However, there is an even more insidious kind of pollution that particularly affects urban areas and invades our daily lives, and that is noise.
但是，还有一种更加隐蔽有害的污染，它专门影响城镇地区，侵袭我们的日常生活，那就是噪音。
Burglar alarms going off at any time of the day or night serve only to annoy passers-by and actually assist burglars to burgle.
防盗警报器在白天和黑夜的任何时候都会响起来，它的作用只是骚扰过路行人，而实际上却帮助窃贼入室行窃。
Car alarms constantly scream at us in the street and are a source of profound irritation.
在街上，汽车的防盗警报不断对我们吼叫，这是人们极度烦燥的一个原因，
A recent survey of the effects of noise revealed (surprisingly?) that dogs barking incessantly in the night rated the highest form of noise pollution on a scale ranging from 1 to 7.
最近一个有关噪音的作用的调查（令人吃惊地）指出，夜间连续不断的狗叫声，在一个从1级至7级刻度表上应列为最严重的噪间污染。
The survey revealed a large number of sources of noise that we really dislike. Lawn mowers whining on a summer\'s day,
这个调查揭示了我们所不喜欢的大量的噪间的来源：夏天呜呜作响的割草机，公寓楼里深夜聚会的喧哗声，
late-night parties in apartment blocks, noisy neighbours, vehicles of all kinds,especially large container trucks thundering through quiet villages, planes and helicopters flying overhead,
大声吵闹的邻居，各式各样的车辆，特别是穿越寂静的村庄的集装箱卡车，从头顶飞过的飞机和直升机，被带到公共场所、
large radios carried round in public places and played at maximum volume.
音量开到最大的大功率收音机。
New technology has also made its own contribution to noise.
新技术也为噪音作了它的贡献。
A lot of people object to mobile phones, especially when they are used in public places like restaurants or on public transport.
许多人都反对移动式电话，特别是在如饭店，公共交通车等公共场所使用移动电话。
Loud conversations on mobile phones invade our thoughts or interrupt the pleasure of meeting friends for a quiet chat.
用移动电话大声交谈干扰我们的思路，破坏我们和朋友在一起轻声聊天所得到的乐趣。
The noise pollution survey revealed a rather surprising and possibly amusing old fashioned source of noise.
这个有关噪音的污染调查还揭示了一种出人意外而同时可能会引人意外而同时可能会引人发笑的老式噪音源。
It turned out to be snoring!
它竟然是鼾声。
Men were found to be the worst offenders.
人类是这方面的罪魁祸首。
It was revealed that 20% of men in their mid-thirties snore.
调查指出，20%的35岁左右的男人打鼾；
This figure rises to a staggering 60% of men in their sixties.
而到60岁这个年龄段，这个数字上升到令人惊愕的60%。
Against these figures, it was found that only 5% of women snore regularly,
与这些数字相比，只有5% 的女性经常打鼾；
while the rest are constantly woken or kept awake by their trumpeting partners.
而其余则经常被与她们同睡、像吹号似地打着呼噜的男人吵醒或弄得睡不着。
Whatever the source of noise, one thing is certain: silence, it seems, has become a golden memory.
不管噪声来自何方，有一点是肯定的：看来寂静已变成一种珍贵的回忆。
In this much-travelled world, there are still thousands of places which are inaccessible to tourists.
在这个旅游频繁的世界上，仍有成千上万个游人足迹未至的地方。
We always assume that villagers in remote places are friendly and hospitable.
人们总是以为偏僻的地方的村民们热情好客。
But people who are cut off not only from foreign tourists, but even from their own countrymen can be hostile to travellers.
但是，那些不但与外国旅游者隔绝，而且与本国同胞隔绝的人们有可能对游客抱有敌意。
Visits to really remote villages are seldom enjoyable -- as my wife and I discovered during a tour through the Balkans.
到真正偏僻的村庄去旅游并不是一件愉快的事情。我与妻子在一次周游巴尔干半岛时对此深有体会。
We had spent several days in a small town and visited a number of old churches in the vicinity.
我们在一座小镇上逗留了几天，参观了附近的许多古老的教堂。
These attracted many visitors, for they were not only of great architectural interest,
这些教堂吸引大量游客，不仅是因为建筑风格奇特，
but contained a large number of beautifully preserved frescoes as well.
而且还有大量保存完好的壁画。
On the day before our departure, several bus loads of tourists descended on the town.
我们离开小镇的前一天，镇上来了几辆满载游客的公共汽车。
This was more than we could bear, so we decided to spend our last day exploring the countryside.
人多得使我们难以忍受，于是我们决定利用最后一天去乡间一游。
Taking a path which led out of the town, we crossed a few fields until we came to a dense wood.
我们走上了一条出镇的小路，穿过几块农田，来到一片茂密的树林。
We expected the path to end abruptly, but we found that it traced its way through the trees.
我们原以为小路会到此突然终止。没想到它到树林中继续向前延伸。
We tramped through the wood for over two hours until we arrived at a deep stream.
我们在树林中跋涉了两个多小时，到了一条深溪边。
We could see that the path continued on the other side, but we had no idea how we could get across the stream.
我们可以看到小路在深溪对岸继续向前伸展，但却不知如何越过这道深溪。
Suddenly my wife spotted a boat moored to the bank.
突然，妻子发现岸边泊着一条小船，
In it there was a boatman fast asleep.
船上有一船夫在呼呼大睡。
We gently woke him up and asked him to ferry us to the other side.
我们轻轻地把他唤醒，请他把我们摆渡过溪。
Though he was reluctant to do so at first, we eventually persuaded him to take us.
一开始，他很不愿意，但经劝说，终于同意了。
The path led to a tiny village perched on the steep sides of a mountain.
顺着小路，我们来到一个座落在陡峭山坡上的小村庄。
The place consisted of a straggling unmade road which was lined on either side by small houses.
这儿有一条未经修筑的弯弯曲曲的道路，路两边排列着一些矮小的农舍。
Even under a clear blue sky, the village looked forbidding, as all the houses were built of grey mud bricks.
农舍全用灰色的土坯建成，因此，即使在晴朗的蓝天底下，村庄看上去也会令人感到难以亲近。
The village seemed deserted, the only sign of life being an ugly-looking black goat on a short length of rope tied to a tree in a field nearby.
村里似乎无人居住，唯一的生命迹象是附近田里一只面目可憎的黑山羊，用一截短绳拴在一棵树上。
Sitting down on a dilapidated wooden fence near the field, we opened a couple of tins of sardines and had a picnic lunch.
我们在田边一堵东倒西歪的篱笆墙上坐下来，打开几听沙丁鱼罐头，吃了一顿野外午餐。
All at once, I noticed that my wife seemed to be filled with alarm.
突然，我注意到妻子十分惊恐。
Looking up I saw that we were surrounded by children in rags who were looking at us silently as we ate.
我抬头一看，发现我们被一群衣衫褴褛的小孩团团围住了，他们在默不作声地看着我们吃饭。
We offered them food and spoke to them kindly, but they remained motionless.
我们给他们东西吃，客客气气地同他们交谈，但他们却一动也不动。
I concluded that they were simply shy of strangers.
我认为这不过是他们在陌生人面前表现出的害羞。
When we later walked down the main street of the village, we were followed by a silent procession of children.
后来，我们在村里的主要街道上行走的时候，一队默不作声的孩子跟在我们后头。
The village which had seemed deserted, immediately came to life.
刚才还似乎空荡荡的村庄一下子活跃了起来，
Faces appeared at windows.
窗口露出了一张张面孔，
Men in shirt sleeves stood outside their houses and glared at us.
只穿着衬衣的男人们站在屋子外面凶狠地盯着我们，
Old women in black shawls peered at us from doorways.
披黑纱巾的老妇人站在门口偷偷地瞅着我们。
The most frightening thing of all was that not a sound could be heard.
最令人害怕的是到处没有一点声音。
There was no doubt that we were unwelcome visitors.
毫无疑问，我们的来访是不受欢迎的。
We needed no further warning.
我们不需要进一步的警告了。
Turning back down the main street, we quickened our pace and made our way rapidly towards the stream where we hoped the boatman was waiting.
便掉转身子，沿着那条主要街道加快步伐，快速地朝深溪边走去，希望船夫还在那儿等着我们。
It is a good thing my aunt Harriet died years ago.
我的姑妈哈丽特好多年前就去世了，这倒是件好事。
If she were alive today she would not be able to air her views on her favourite topic of conversation: domestic servants.
如果她活到今天，她将不能就她热衷的话题“佣人”发表意见了。
Aunt Harriet lived in that leisurely age when servants were employed to do housework.
哈丽特生活在一个悠闲的年代，家务事都由雇来的佣人代劳。
She had a huge, rambling country house called \'The Gables\'.
她在乡下有一幢巨大杂乱的房子，叫作“山墙庄园”。
She was sentimentally attached to this house, for even though it was far too big for her needs,
她对这幢房子在感情上难舍难分。房子实在太大了，
she persisted in living there long after her husband\'s death.
但在丈夫去世多年后，她仍然执意长年住在那儿。
Before she grew old, Aunt Harriet used to entertain lavishly.
哈丽特姑妈年轻时，喜欢大摆宴席，招待宾客。
I often visited The Gables when I was boy.
我小时候常去“山墙庄园”作客。
No matter how many guests were present, the great house was always immaculate.
不管去多少宾客，大房子里总是收拾得干干净净。
The parquet floors shone like mirrors;
镶木地板洁如明镜，
highly polished silver was displayed in gleaming glass cabinets;
擦得发亮的银器陈列在明亮的玻璃柜里，
even my uncle\'s huge collection of books was kept miraculously free from dust.
连姑夫的大量藏书也保存得很好，奇迹般地一尘不染。
Aunt Harriet presided over an invisible army of servants that continuously scrubbed, cleaned, and polished.
哈丽特姑妈统率着一支看不见的佣人大军，他们不停地擦拭、清扫、刷洗。
She always referred to them as \'the shifting population\',
她称这些佣人叫“流动人口”，
for they came and went with such frequency that I never even got a chance to learn their names.
因为他们来匆匆，所以我甚至都没有机会知道他们的姓名。
Though my aunt pursued what was, in those days, an enlightened policy, in that she never allowed her domestic staff to work more than eight hours a day, she was extremely difficult to please.
姑妈待佣人在当时算是开明的，从来不让佣人每天工作超过8小时，但他们很难使她称心如意。
While she always criticized the fickleness of human nature,
她一方面总是批评人的本性朝三暮四，
she carried on an unrelenting search for the ideal servant to the end of her days,even after she had been sadly disillusioned by Bessie.
另一方面她又持之以恒地寻找一个理想的佣人。即使在贝西大大地伤她的心之后，她还在找，一直到她死去。
Bessie worked for Aunt Harriet for three years.
贝西在哈丽特家干了3年。
During that time she so gained my aunt\'s confidence, that she was put in charge of the domestic staff.
在此期间，她赢得了姑母的赏识，甚至当上了大管家。
Aunt Harriet could not find words to praise Bessie\'s industriousness and efficiency.
哈丽特不知该用什么言辞来赞扬贝西的勤奋与高效。
In addition to all her other qualifications, Bessie was an expert cook.
贝西除了有各种本领以外，还是一个烹饪大师。
She acted the role of the perfect servant for three years before Aunt Harriet discovered her \'little weakness\'.
她担任“理想仆人”角色3年之后，哈丽特终于发现她有“小小的弱点”。
After being absent from The Gables for a week,
一次，姑妈有一个星期没在“山墙庄园”住。
my aunt unexpectedly returned one afternoon with a party of guests and instructed Bessie to prepare dinner.
一天下午，她出其不意地回来了，带来一大批客人，吩咐贝西准备晚饭。
Not only was the meal well below the usual standard, but Bessie seemed unable to walk steadily.
结果，不仅饭菜远不如平时做得好，而且贝西走起路来似乎东倒西歪。
She bumped into the furniture and kept mumbling about the guests.
她撞到了家具上，嘴里还不断咕咕哝哝议论客人。
When she came in with the last course -- a huge pudding -- she tripped on the carpet
当她端着最后一道菜--一大盘布丁--走进屋来时，在地毯上绊了一跤。
and the pudding went flying through the air, narrowly missed my aunt, and crashed on the dining table with considerable force.
布丁飞到半空，从姑母身边擦过，然后狠狠地砸在餐桌上。
Though this caused great mirth among the guests, Aunt Harriet was horrified.
这件事引起了客人们的欢笑，但哈丽特却着实吓了一跳。
She reluctantly came to the conclusion that Bessie was drunk.
她不得不认定贝西是喝醉了。
The guests had, of course, realized this from the moment Bessie opened the door for them and,long before the final catastrophe, had had a difficult time trying to conceal their amusement.
客人们自然从贝西为他们开门那一刻起就看出来了，在好长一段时间里，即最后这个乱子发生前，他们努力克制才没笑出声来。
The poor girl was dismissed instantly.
贝西当即被解雇了。
After her departure, Aunt Harriet discovered that there were piles of empty wine bottles of all shapes and sizes neatly stacked in what had once been Bessie\'s wardrobe.
贝西走后，哈丽特姑妈发现在贝西以前用过的衣柜里整整齐齐地放着一堆堆形状各导、大小不一的酒瓶子。
They had mysteriously found their way there from the wine cellar!
这些酒瓶神不知鬼不觉地从酒窖来到了这里。
楼主