Lesson 43 Fully insured 全保險
Insurance companies are normally willing to insure anything. Insuring public or private property is a standard practice in most countries in the world. 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. Needless to say, the bigger the risk an insurance company takes, the higher the premium you will have to pay. It is not uncommon to hear that a shipping company has made a claim for the cost of salvaging a sunken ship. But the claim made by a local authority to recover the cost of salvaging a sunken pie dish must surely be unique.
Admittedly it was an unusual pie dish, for it was eighteen feet long and six feet wide. It had been purchased by a local authority so that an enormous pie could be baked for an annual fair. The pie committee decided that the best way to transport the dish would be by canal, so they insured it for the trip. Shortly after it was launched, the pie committee went to a local inn to celebrate. At the same time, a number of teenagers climbed on to the dish and held a little party of their own. Dancing proved to be more than the dish could bear, for during the party it capsized and sank in seven feet of water.
The pie committee telephoned a local garage owner who arrived in a recovery truck to salvage the pie dish. Shivering in their wet clothes, the teenagers looked on while three men dived repeatedly into the water to locate the dish. They had little difficulty in finding it, but hauling it out of the water proved to be a serious problem. The sides of the dish were so smooth that it was almost impossible to attach hawsers and chains to the rim without damaging it. Eventually chains were fixed to one end of the dish and a powerful winch was put into operation. The dish rose to the surface and was gently drawn towards the canal bank. For one agonizing moment, the dish was perched precariously on the bank of the canal, but it suddenly overbalanced and slid back into the water. The men were now obliged to try once more. This time they fixed heavy metal clamps to both sides of the dish so that they could fasten the chains. The dish now had to be lifted vertically because one edge was resting against the side of the canal. The winch was again put into operation and one of the men started up the truck. Several minutes later, the dish was successfully hauled above the surface of the water. Water streamed in torrents over its sides with such force that it set up a huge wave in the canal. There was a danger that the wave would rebound off the other side of the bank and send the dish plunging into the water again. By working at tremendous speed, the men managed to get the dish on to dry land before the wave returned.
保險公司一般說來愿意承保一切東西。承辦公共財產(chǎn)或私人財產(chǎn)保險是世界上大部分國家的正常業(yè)務。如果你要舉辦一次露天游園會或盛宴，為避免碰上不好的天氣而遭受損失也同樣可以保險。不用說，保險公司承擔風險越大，你付的保險費也就越高。航運公司為打撈沉船而提出索賠，這是常有的事，但某地當局為打撈一只焙制餡餅的盤子提出索賠，倒是件新鮮事兒。
這個餡餅盤子確實少見，有18英尺長，6英尺寬。某地方當局買下它用來焙制一個巨大的餡餅為一年一度交易會助興。餡餅委員會確認運輸這只盤子的最佳方案是通過運河水運。于是，他們對這只盤子的運輸安全投了保。盤子下水后不久，餡餅委員會成員們來到當?shù)匾患倚【频陸c賀。就在這個時候，許多十幾歲的孩子爬上盤子舉行他們自己的集會。他們跳起了舞，盤子難以承受。舞會進行過程中，盤子傾覆，沉入了7英尺深的水中。
餡餅委員會給當?shù)仄囆蘩韼炖习宕螂娫�，他聞訊后開著一輛急修車前來打撈盤子。那些孩子們穿著濕衣服哆嗦，看著3個工人輪番潛入水中以確定盤子的位置。他們沒費多大事兒就找到了盤子，可是把盤子撈出卻是一個很大的難題。盤子四邊十分光滑，要在盤邊拴上繩索或鏈條而同時又不損壞它是很難辦到的。不過，他們終于將鏈條固定在盤子的一端，一臺大功率的絞車開動起來。盤子慢慢浮出水面，被輕輕地拽向運河岸邊。在令人忐忑不安的瞬間，盤子晃晃悠悠地上了岸，但它突然失去了平衡，又跌回水中。工人們只得再來一次。這次，他們用沉重的金屬夾子把盤子夾住，以便往盤子上安裝鐵鏈。這次，盤子必須垂直吊出水面，因為盤子的一邊緊靠著運河河岸。絞盤機再次啟動，一位工人發(fā)動了急修車的引擎。幾分鐘后，盤子被成功地拽出了水面。波浪從盤子兩側(cè)急涌而出，在運河里掀起一股大浪。但是當波浪從河對岸折回來時，就有再次把盤子拖進水里的危險。工人們動作迅速，終于趕在那股大浪返回之前把盤子拽到了岸上。
Lesson 50 New Year resolutions 新年的決心
The New Year is a time for resolutions. Mentally, at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of ‘dos’ and ‘don'ts’. The same old favorites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity. We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less, find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house, be nice to people we don't like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day. Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment. If we remain inveterate smokers, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure. Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out. We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways. Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself. I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercises every morning and to read more of an evening. An all-night party on New Year's Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying on either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year, but on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task.
The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up. The self-discipline required to drag myself out of bed eleven minutes earlier than usual was considerable. Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living-room for two days before anyone found me out. After jumping about on the carpet and twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions, I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition. It was this that betrayed me. The next morning the whole family trooped in to watch the performance. That was really unsettling, but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good-humoredly and soon everybody got used to the idea. However, my enthusiasm waned. The time I spent at exercise gradually diminished. Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero. By January 10th, I was back to where I had started from. I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning, I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work. Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book. One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read. That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to my old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen. I still haven't given up my resolution to do more reading. In fact, I have just bought a book entitled How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute. Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just haven't had time to read it!
新年是下決心的時候，至少在大多數(shù)人的心里會編排出一份“應做什么”和“不應做什么”的令人生畏的單子。相同的決心以單調(diào)的規(guī)律年復一年地出現(xiàn)。我們決心每天早晨起得早些;吃得少些;多花點時間與孩子們一起做游戲;做大量的家務;對不喜歡的人友善一些;小心駕車;每天都要帶著狗散步;等等。以往的經(jīng)驗告訴我們有些事是辦不到的。如果我們煙癮大，戒不掉，那是因為屢戒屢敗，失去了信心。我們大多數(shù)人想自我完善卻遭到失敗，這是因為我們的規(guī)劃過于宏大，而又根本沒有時間去實施。我們還犯有一個根本性的錯誤，即把我們的決心向大家宣布。這樣一旦滑回到那些環(huán)的老習慣上去，我們在別人眼里會顯得更加難堪。我深知這些問題，于是，今年我對自己的計劃要嚴加保密，只給自己定下兩項適中的任務：每天早上鍛煉身體，每天晚上多看點書。新年除夕舉辦的一次通宵晚會，使我理直氣壯地在新年頭一天免去了這兩項任務。不過，新年第二天，我全力以赴地照著去做了。
早鍛煉一共只有11分鐘，我打算在別人起床之前進行。這就要求我比平日早11分鐘把自己從床上拽起來，這種自我約束是很艱苦的。不過開頭兩天我還是成功地躡手躡腳地來到樓下起居室，被誰也沒發(fā)現(xiàn)。我在地毯上跳過來蹦過去，扭曲身子，擺出各種姿勢，弄得渾身不舒服，然后坐到桌邊吃早飯，一副筋疲力盡的樣子。正是這副模樣泄露了我的秘密。第二天早晨全家人結(jié)隊來到起居室看我表演。這真叫人不好意思，但我心平氣和地頂住了全家人的嘲笑和奚落。不久，大家對我習以為常了，而這時我的熱情卻減退了。我花在鍛煉上的時間逐漸減少，慢慢地從11分鐘減到了零。到了1月10日，我恢復了原來的作息時間。我辯解說，早晨少耗費精力鍛煉，晚上下班回家看書時頭腦更清醒些。有幾天晚上，我極力擺脫了電視的誘惑，坐在自己房間里，兩眼盯在書上�？墒�，有一天夜里，我感到又冷又孤單，便來到樓下坐在電視機前假裝看書。這下我可完了，因為不一會兒，我就恢復了以前的壞習慣，在屏幕前打起瞌睡來。但我還沒有放棄多看些書的決心。事實上，我剛買來一本叫《一分鐘讀一千字的訣竅》的書。也許這本書能解決我的問題，但我一直還沒時間去看這本書!
lesson 59 Collecting 收藏
People tend to amass possessions, sometimes without being aware of doing so. Indeed they can have a delightful surprise when they find something useful which they did not know they owned. Those who never have to move house become indiscriminate collectors of what can only be described as clutter. They leave unwanted objects in drawers, cupboards and attics for years, in the belief that they may one day need just those very things. As they grow old, people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons, lack of physical and mental energy, both of which are essential in turning out and throwing away, and sentiment. Things owned for a long time are full of associations with the past, perhaps with relatives who are dead, and so they gradually acquire a value beyond their true worth.
Some things are collected deliberately in the home in an attempt to avoid waste. Among these I would list string and brown paper, kept by thrifty people when a parcel has been opened, to save buying these two requisites. Collecting small items can easily become a mania. I know someone who always cuts sketches out from newspapers of model clothes that she would like to buy, if she had the money. As she is not rich, the chances that she will ever be able to afford such purchases are remote; but she is never sufficiently strong minded to be able to stop the practice. It is a harmless habit, but it litters up her desk to such an extent that every time she opens it; loose bits of paper fall out in every direction.
Collecting as a serious hobby is quite different and has many advantages. It provides relaxation for leisure hours, as just looking at one's treasures is always a joy. One does not have to go outside for amusement, since the collection is housed at home. Whatever it consists of, stamps, records, first editions of books, china, glass, antique furniture, pictures, model cars, stuffed birds, toy animals, there is always something to do in connection with it, from finding the right place for the latest addition, to verifying facts in reference books. This hobby educates one not only in the chosen subject, but also in general matters which have some bearing on it. There are also other benefits. One wants to meet like-minded collectors, to get advice, to compare notes, to exchange articles, to show off the latest find. So one's circle of friends grows. Soon the hobby leads to travel, perhaps to a meeting in another town, possibly a trip abroad in search of a rare specimen, for collectors are not confined to any one country. Over the years, one may well become an authority on one's hobby and will very probably be asked to give informal talks to little gatherings and then, if successful, to larger audiences. In this way self-confidence grows, first from mastering a subject, then from being able to talk about it. Collecting, by occupying spare time so constructively, makes a person contented, with no time for boredom.
人們喜歡收藏東西，有時并沒有意識到自己在這樣做。確實，一旦無意之中從自己的收藏品中找到某件有用的東西時，可以給人一種驚喜的感覺。那些從來不必搬家的人們成了一種無所不容的收藏家。他們專門收藏那些只能被稱作雜貨的東西。他們在抽屜里、碗柜中、閣樓上堆放著一些不用的東西，一放就是好幾年，相信總有一天需要的正好是那些東西。人們年老之后也喜歡收藏東西，不過是出于兩個不同的原因：一是體力、精力均告不佳，這二者是清除無用的東西必不可少的因素;另一個原因是感情因素。東西擱得時間久了，便會充滿著與過去歲月的聯(lián)系，比方說與死去的親戚有關(guān)。因此這些東西慢慢獲得了一種超出它本身的價值。
居家度日，有目的地收藏某些東西是為了防止浪費。這些東西中我想舉出線繩和包裝紙為例。節(jié)儉的人們打開包裹后便把這兩樣必備的東西收藏起來，省得日后去買。收集小玩藝兒很容易著迷。我認識一個人，她總喜歡從報紙上剪下流行服裝的圖樣，等以后有錢時去買服裝。由于她并不富裕，她買得起這些服裝的可能性十分渺茫。但她又缺乏足夠堅強的意志把這一收集活動停下來。這種習慣無害，只是把寫字臺里堆得滿滿當當，以致每次打開抽屜總能帶出許多紙片四處飛揚。
作為一種嚴肅的業(yè)余愛好的收藏活動完全是另外一回事，它具有許多益處。它可以使人在閑暇中得到休息，因為欣賞自己收藏的珍品總會充滿了樂趣。人們不必走到戶外去尋求娛樂，因為收藏品都是存放在家中。不管收藏品是什么，郵票、唱片、頭版書籍、瓷器、玻璃杯、老式家具、繪畫、模型汽車、鳥類標本，還是玩具動物，從為新增添的收藏品尋找擺放位置到核對參考書中的事實，總歸有事可做。這種愛好不僅能使人從選擇的專題中受到教育，而且也能從與之有關(guān)的一般事物中獲得長進。除此之外，還有其他的益處。收藏者要會見情趣相投的收藏者，以獲取教益、交流經(jīng)驗、交換收藏品、炫耀自己的最新收藏。朋友的圈子就這樣不斷擴太。用不了多久，有這種愛好的人便開始旅行，也許是去另一個城市參加會議，也可能是出國尋找一件珍品，因為收藏家是不分國籍的。一人積了多年經(jīng)驗會成為自己這種愛好的權(quán)威，很可能應邀在小型集會上作非正式的講話。如果講得好，可能向更多的人發(fā)表演說。這樣，你自信心不斷增強，先是因為掌握了一門學問，接下來是因為能夠就此發(fā)表見解。收藏活動通過富有建設(shè)性地利用業(yè)余時間使人感到心滿意足，不再有無聊之日。
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