新视野大学英语第四册部分课文原文.docx

新视野大学英语第四册部分课文原文.docx

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新视野大学英语第四册部分课文原文

UNIT2CharlieChaplin

HewasborninapoorareaofSouthLondon.Heworehismother'soldredstockingscutdownforanklesocks.Hismotherwastemporarilydeclaredmad.DickensmighthavecreatedCharlieChaplin'schildhood.ButonlyCharlieChaplincouldhavecreatedthegreatcomiccharacterof"theTramp",thelittlemaninragswhogavehiscreatorpermanentfame.

Othercountries—France,Italy,Spain,evenJapan—haveprovidedmoreapplause（andprofit）whereChaplinisconcernedthanthelandofhisbirth.ChaplinquitBritainforgoodin1913whenhejourneyedtoAmericawithagroupofperformerstodohiscomedyactonthestage,wheretalentscoutsrecruitedhimtoworkforMackSennett,thekingofHollywoodcomedyfilms.

Sadtosay,manyEnglishpeopleinthe1920sand1930sthoughtChaplin'sTrampabit,well,"crude".

Certainlymiddle-classaudiencesdid;theworking-classaudiencesweremorelikelytoclapforacharacterwhorevoltedagainstauthority,usinghiswickedlittlecanetotripitup,oraimingtheheelofhisbootforawell-placedkickatitsbroadrear.Allthesame,Chaplin'scomicbeggardidn'tseemallthatEnglishorevenworking-class.

Englishtrampsdidn'tsporttinymoustaches,hugepantsortailcoats:

EuropeanleadersandItalianwaitersworethingslikethat.Thenagain,theTramp'squickeyeforaprettygirlhadacoarsewayaboutitthatwasconsidered,well,notquitenicebyEnglishaudiences—that'showforeignersbehaved,wasn'tit?

Butforoverhalfofhisscreencareer,ChaplinhadnoscreenvoicetoconfirmhisBritishnationality.

Indeed,itwasaheadacheforChaplinwhenhecouldnolongerresistthetalkingmoviesandhadtofind"therightvoice"forhisTramp.Hepostponedthatdayaslongaspossible:

InModernTimesin1936,thefirstfilminwhichhewasheardasasingingwaiter,hemadeupanonsenselanguagewhichsoundedlikenoknownnationality.HelatersaidheimaginedtheTramptobeacollege-educatedgentlemanwho'dcomedownintheworld.Butifhe'dbeenabletospeakwithaneducatedaccentinthoseearlyshortcomedies,it'sdoubtfulifhewouldhaveachievedworldfame.AndtheEnglishwouldhavebeensuretofindit"odd".NoonewascertainwhetherChaplindiditonpurposebutthishelpedtobringabouthishugesuccess.

Hewasanimmenselytalentedman,determinedtoadegreeunusualevenintheranksofHollywoodstars.Hishugefamegavehimthefreedom—and,moreimportantly,themoney—tobehisownmaster.Healreadyhadtheurgetoexploreandextendatalenthediscoveredinhimselfashewentalong."Itcan'tbeme.Isthatpossible?

Howextraordinary,"ishowhegreetedthefirstsightofhimselfastheTramponthescreen.

Butthatshockrousedhisimagination.Chaplindidn'thavehisjokeswrittenintoascriptinadvance;hewasthekindofcomicwhousedhisphysicalsensestoinventhisartashewentalong.LifelessobjectsespeciallyhelpedChaplinmake"contact"withhimselfasanartist.Heturnedthemintootherkindsofobjects.Thus,abrokenalarmclockinthemovieThePawnbrokerbecamea"sick"patientundergoingsurgery;bootswereboiledinhisfilmTheGoldRushandtheirsoleseatenwithsaltandpepperlikeprimecutsoffish（thenailsbeingremovedlikefishbones）.Thisphysicaltransformation,plustheskillwithwhichheexecuteditagainandagain,issurelythesecretofChaplin'sgreatcomedy.

Healsohadadeepneedtobeloved—andacorrespondingfearofbeingbetrayed.Thetwowerehardtocombineandsometimes—asinhisearlymarriages—thecollisionbetweenthemresultedindisaster.Yeteventhispainfully-boughtself-knowledgefounditswayintohiscomiccreations.TheTrampneverloseshisfaithintheflowergirlwho'llbewaitingtowalkintothesunsetwithhim;whiletheothersideofChaplinmakesMonsieurVerdoux,theFrenchwifekiller,intoasymbolofhatredforwomen.

It'sarelieftoknowthatlifeeventuallygaveCharlieChaplinthestabilityandhappinessithadearlierdeniedhim.

InOonaO'NeillChaplin,hefoundapartnerwhosestabilityandaffectionspannedthe37yearsagedifferencebetweenthem,whichhadseemedsothreatening,thatwhentheofficialwhowasmarryingthemin1942turnedtothebeautifulgirlof17who'dgivennoticeoftheirweddingdate,hesaid,"Andwhereistheyoungman?

"—Chaplin,then54,hadcautiouslywaitedoutside.AsOonaherselfwasthechildofalargefamilywithitsownproblems,shewaswellpreparedforthebattlethatChaplin'slifebecameasmanyunfoundedrumorssurroundedthemboth—and,lateron,shewasthecenterofcalminthequarrelsthatChaplinsometimessparkedinhisownlargefamilyoftalentedchildren.

ChaplindiedonChristmasDay1977.Afewmonthslater,acoupleofalmostcomicbodythievesstolehisbodyfromthefamilyburialchamberandhelditformoney.ThepolicerecovereditwithmoreefficiencythanMackSennett'sclumsyKeystoneCopswouldhavedone,butonecan'thelpfeelingChaplinwouldhaveregardedthisstrangeincidentasafittingmemorial—hiswayofhavingthelastlaughonaworldtowhichhehadgivensomany.

UNIT3LongingforaNewWelfareSystem

Awelfareclientissupposedtocheat.Everybodyexpectsit.Facedwithsharingadinnerofrawpetfoodwiththecat,manypeopleinwheelchairsIknowbleedthesystemforafewextradollars.Theytellthegovernmentthattheyaregettingtwohundreddollarslessthantheirrealpensionsotheycangetalittleextrawelfaremoney.Or,theytellthecaseworkerthatthelandlordraisedtherentbyahundreddollars.

Ihaveoptedtolivealifeofcompletehonesty.Soinstead,Igooutanddrumupsomebusinessanddrawcartoons.

IeventellwelfarehowmuchImake!

Oh,I'mtemptedtogetpaidunderthetable.ButevenifIyieldedtothattemptation,bigmagazinesarenotgoingtogetinvolvedinsomestickysituation.Theykeepmyrecords,andthatinformationgoesrightintothegovernment'scomputer.Veryhigh-profile.

AsawelfareclientI'mexpectedtobowbeforethecaseworker.Deepdown,caseworkersknowthattheyarebeingmadefoolsofbymanyoftheirclients,andtheyfeeltheyareentitledtohaveclientsbowtothemascompensation.I'mnotbeingbitter.Mostcaseworkersbeginascollege-educatedliberalswithhighideals.Butafterafewyearsinasystemthatpracticallyrequirespeopletolie,theybecomeliketheoneIshallcall"Suzanne",adetectiveinshorts.

NotlongafterChristmaslastyear,Suzannecametoinspectmyapartmentandsawsomenewposterspastedonthewall."Where'dyougetthemoneyforthose?

"shewantedtoknow.

"Friendsandfamily."

"Well,you'dbetterhaveareceiptforit,byGod.Youhavetoreportanydonationsorgifts."

Thiswasmycuetobeg.Instead,Italkedback."Igotacigarettefromsomebodyonthestreettheotherday.DoIhavetoreportthat?

"

"Well,I'msorry,butIdon'tmaketherules,Mr.Callahan."

Suzannetriestolecturemeaboutrepairstomywheelchair,whichisalwaysbreakingdownbecausewelfarewon'tspendmoneymaintainingitproperly."Youknow,Mr.Callahan,I'veheardthatyouputalotmoremilesonthatwheelchairthanaverage."

OfcourseIdo.I'manactiveworker,notavegetable.Iliveneardowntown,soIcangetaroundinawheelchair.

Iwonderwhatshe'dthinkifshesuddenlybrokeherhipandhadtocrawltowork.

Governmentcutsinwelfarehaveresultedinhungerandsufferingforalotofpeople,notjustme.Butpeoplewithspinalcordinjuriesfeltthecutsinauniqueway:

Thegovernmentstoppedtakingcareofourchairs.Eachtimeminebrokedown,lostascrew,neededanewrollerbearing,thebrakewouldn'twork,etc.,andIcalledSuzanne,Ihadtoendurealittlelecture.Finally,she'dsay,"Well,ifIcanfindtimetoday,I'llcallthemedicalworker."

Shewassupposedtonotifythemedicalworker,whowouldcertifythattherewasaproblem.Thenthemedicalworkercalledthewheelchairrepaircompaniestogetthecheapestbid.Thenthemedicalworkeralertedthemainwelfareofficeatthestatecapital.TheyconsideredthematterfordayswhileIlayinbed,unabletomove.Finally,ifIwaslucky,theycalledbackandapprovedtherepair.

WhenwelfarelearnedIwasmakingmoneyonmycartoons,Suzannestarted"visiting"everyfortnightinsteadofeverytwomonths.Shelookedintoeverycornerinsearchofunreportedappliances,ormaids,oraroastpigintheoven,oranewhelicopterparkedoutback.Sheneverfoundanything,buttherewasalwaysathickpileofformstofilloutattheendofeachvisit,accountingforeverypenny.

Thereisnoprovisioninthelawforagradualshiftawayfromwelfare.Iamanindependentbusinessman,slowlybuildingupmymarket.It'simpossibletojumpoffwelfareandsuddenlybemakingtwothousanddollarsamonth.ButIwouldlovetobeabletopayforsomeofmylivingandnothavetogothroughanembarrassingsituationeverytimeIneedasparepartformywheelchair.

Thereneedstobealawyerwhocanactasachampionfortherightsofwelfareclients,becausethesystemsoeasilylendsitselftoabusebythewelfaregiversaswellasbytheclients.WelfaresentSuzannetolookaroundinmyapartmenttheotherdaybecausethechemistsaidIwasusingalargerthanusualamountofmedicalsupplies.Iwas,indeed:

Theholethathasbeensurgicallycuttodrainurinehadchangedsizeandtheconnectiontomyurinebagwasleaking.

Whileshewastakingnotes,myphonerangandSuzanneansweredit.Thecallerwasastatesenator,whichscaredSuzannealittle.WouldIsitonthegovernor'scommitteeandtrytodosomethingaboutthethousandsofwelfareclientswho,likeme,couldearnpartoralloftheirownlivingsiftheywere