新编英语教程6--课文原文

1UnitOneTEXTITwoWordstoAvoid,TwotoRememberArthurGordon1Nothinginlifeismoreexcitingandrewardingthanthesuddenflashofinsightthatleavesyouachangedperson–notonlychanged,butchangedforthebetter.Suchmomentsarerare,certainly,buttheycometoallofus.Sometimesfromabook,asermon,alineofpoetry.Sometimesfromafriend….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,‘Ihad2doneitdifferently–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.Itmeanshehasdecidedtoapplytheless