大学英语综合教程第一册 Unit 4a

[00:00.00] The American Dream means different things to different people. [00:05.69]But for many,particularly immigrants, [00:12.36]it means the opportunity to make a better life for themselves. [00:18.81]For them the dream is that talent and hard work [00:24.40]can take you from log cabin to White House. [00:29.96]Tony Trivisonno did not rise quite so high, [00:35.71]yet he managed to make his own dream come true. [00:41.06]TONY TRIVISONNO'S AMERICAN DREAM [00:46.71]He came from a rocky farm in Italy,somewhere south of Rome. [00:53.47]How or when he got to America,I don't know. [00:59.72]But one evening I found him standing in the driveway,behind my garage. [01:07.08]He was about five-foot-seven or eight,and thin. [01:13.93]"I mow your lawn,"he said.It was hard to comprehend his broken English. [01:22.08]I asked him his name. "Tony Trivisonno,"he replied. [01:29.16]"I mow your lawn."I told Tony that I couldn't afford a gardener. [01:37.49]"I mow your lawn,"he said again,then walked away. [01:43.52]I went into my house unhappy. [01:49.17]Yes,these Depression days were difficult, [01:54.31]but how could I turn away a person who had come to me for help? [02:00.87]When I got home from work the next evening,the lawn had been mowed, [02:07.43]the garden weeded,and the walks swept. [02:12.47]I asked my wife what had happened. [02:18.14]"A man got the lawn mower out of the garage and worked on the yard,"she ansered. [02:24.98]"I assumed you had hired him." [02:29.94]I told her of my experience the night before. [02:35.22]We thought it strange that he had not asked for pay. [02:41.38]The next two days were busy,and I forgot about Tony. [02:47.34]We were trying to rebuild our business [02:51.78]and bring some of our workers back to the plants.But on Friday, [02:59.04]returning home a little early,I saw Tony again,behind the garage. [03:06.98]I complimented him on the work he had hone. [03:12.34]"I mow your lawn,"he said. [03:16.26]I managed to work out some kind of small weekly pay, [03:22.48]and each day Tony cleaned up the yard and took care of any little tasks. [03:30.34]My wife said he was very helpful [03:34.78]whenever there were any heavy objects to lift or thing to fix." [03:41.26]Summer passed into fall,and winds blew cold. [03:47.32]"Mr.Craw,snow pretty soon,"Tony told me one evening. [03:55.78]"When winter come,you give me job clearing snow at the factory. [04:03.23]Well,what do you do with such determination and hope? [04:09.18]Of course,Tony got his at the factory. [04:15.43]The months passed.I asked the personnel department for a report. [04:21.96]They said Tony was a very good worker. [04:27.83]One day I found Tony at our meeting place behind the garage. [04:34.31]"I want to be prentice,"he said. [04:40.56]We had a pretty good apprentic school that trained laborers.But I doubted [04:48.10]whether Tony had the capacity to read blueprints and micromters [04:54.87]or do prcision work.Still how could I turn him down? [05:02.81]Tony took a cut in pay to become an apprentice. [05:08.38]Monthls later,I got a report that he had graduated as a skilled grinder. [05:16.63]He had learned to read the millionths of an inch one the micrometer [05:23.29]and to shape the grinding wheel with an instrument set with a diamond. [05:30.45]My wife and I were delighted with what we felt was a satisfying end of the story [05:38.60]A year or two passed,and again I found Tony in his usual waiting place. [05:46.78]We talked about his work,and I asked him what he wanted. [05:52.42]"Mr.Craw,"he said, "I like a buy a house. [05:58.45]"On the edge of town,he had found a house for sale,a complete wreck. [06:06.60]I called on a banker friend."Do you ever loan money on character?"I asked. [06:14.15]"No,"he said. "We can't afford to.No sale." [06:21.91]"Now,wait a minute,"I replied. [06:26.17]"Here is a hard-working man, a man of character,I can promise you that. [06:34.81]He's got a good job. [06:38.79]You're not getting a damn thing from your lot.It will say there for years. [06:46.65]At least he will pay your interest." [06:51.90]Reluctantly,the banker wrote a mortgage for$2,000 [06:58.56]and gave Tony the house with no down payment. [07:03.73]Tony was delighted.From then on, [07:08.98]it was interesting to see that any discarded odds and ends around our place [07:16.43]a broken screen,a bit of hardware,boards from packing- [07:23.48]Tony would gather and take home. [07:27.84]After about two years,I found Tony in our familiar meeting spot. [07:34.79]He seemed to stand a little straigher. [07:39.96]He was heavier.He had a look of confidence. [07:46.13]"Mr.Craw,I sell my house!"he said with pride. "I got$8,000." [07:55.09]I was amazed. "But,Tony,where are you going to live without a hourse?" [08:03.55]"Mr.Craw,I buy a farm." [08:09.01]We sat down and talked.Tony told me that to own a farm was his dream. [08:17.84]He loved the tomatoes and peppers [08:22.20]and all the other vegetables important to his Italian diet. [08:29.05]He had sent for his wife and son and daughter back in Italy. [08:36.10]He had hunted around the edge of town [08:40.46]until he found a small,abandoned piece of property with a house and shed. [08:47.91]Now he was moving his family to his farm. [08:54.02]Sometime later,Tony arrived on a Sunday afternoon, [09:00.26]neatly dressed.He had another Italian man with him. [09:06.90]He told me that he had persuaded his childhood friend to move to America. [09:14.27]Tony was sponsoring him. [09:19.31]With an amused look in his eye, [09:23.57]he told me that when they approached the little farm he now operated, [09:30.93]his friend stood in amazement and said, "Tony,you are a millionaire!" [09:39.29]Then,during the war,a message came from my company,Tony had passed away. [09:48.75]I asked our people to check on his family and see that everything was properly handled [09:56.61]They found the farm green with vegetables,the little house livable and homey. [10:04.34]There was a tractor and a good car in the yard. [10:11.58]The children were deucated and working,and Tony didn't owe a cent. [10:20.04]After he passed away,I thought more and more about Tony's career. [10:26.99]He grew in stature in my mind. [10:32.63]In the end,I think he stood as tall,and as proud,a as the greatest American industrialists [10:42.51]They had all reached their success by the same route [10:48.07]and by the same values and principles: [10:53.71]vision,determination,self-control,optimism,self-respect and above al,integrity [11:04.66]Tony did not begin on the bottom rung of the ladder. [11:09.99]He began in the basement.Tony's affairs were tiny: [11:17.64]the greatest industrialists'affairs wre giant. [11:22.68]But,after all,the balance sheets were exactly the same. [11:29.95]The only difference was where you put the decimal point. [11:36.32]Tony Trivisonno came to Americca seeking the American dream. [11:43.16]But he didn't find it-he created it for himself. [11:50.24]All he had were 24precious hours a day,and he wasted none of them. [11:57.51]driveway\ mow\ comprehend\ lawn [12:09.26]turn a away\ weed\ assume\ compliment [12:21.54]work out\ weekly\ clean up\ helpful [12:33.79]do with\ determination\ personnel\ apprentice [12:45.65]capacity\ micrometer\ precision\ turn down [12:58.66]graduate\ skilled\ grinder\ grind [13:11.54]instrument\ for sale\ wreck\ call on [13:22.59]banker\ loan\ character\ damn [13:34.73]reluctantly\ mortage\ discard\ odds and ends [13:49.28]screen\ hardware\ spot\ confidence [14:01.95]amaze\ amazement\ pepper\ italian [14:15.82]diet\ send for\ hunt\ abandon [14:27.68]property\ shed\ sometime\ sponsor [14:39.15]amuse\ approach\ millionaire\ pass away [14:51.38]handle \ livable\ homey\ tractor [15:05.64]stature\ industrialist\ route\ principle [15:17.50]vision optimism\ self-respect\ above all [15:30.35]integrity\ rung\ basement\ giant [15:41.53]balance\ balance sheet\ decimal

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