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新视野大学英语读写教程第一册unit6-b The Trashman

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Section B
The Trashman

Saturday, April 7
Steve and I hauled trash for four solid hours continuously, except for about five minutes when we stopped to talk. My shoulder hurt wickedly each time I put another full barrel on it, and my legs occasionally trembled as I was heading to the street. But the rest of me said, "Go, trashman, go."
I could not have imaged there would be joy in this. Dump. Lift. Walk. Lift. Walk. The hours flew by.
Saturday meant most adults were at home on the route. So were school-age children. I thought this might mean more exchanges as I made the rounds today. Many people were out-doors working in their gardens or greenhouses. Most looked approachable enough. There wasn't time for lengthy talks but enough to exchange greetings that go with civilized ways.
That is where I got my shock.
I said hello in quite a few yards before the message registered that this wasn't normally done. Occasionally, I got a direct reply from someone who looked me in the eye, smiled, and asked "How are you?" or "Isn't this a nice day?" I felt human then. But most often the response was either nothing at all, or a surprised stare because I had spoken.
One woman in a housecoat was startled as I came around the corner of her house. At the sound of my greeting, she gathered her housecoat tightly about her and retreated quickly indoors. I heard the lock click. Another woman had a huge, peculiar animal in her yard. I asked what it was. She stared at me. I thought she was deaf and spoke louder. She seemed frightened as she turned coldly away.
Steve raged spontaneously about these things on the long ride to the dump.
"The way most people look at you, you'd think a trashman was a monster. Say hello and they stare at you in surprise. They don't realize we're human."
"One lady put ashes in her trashcan. I said we couldn't take them. She said, 'Who are you to say what goes? You're nothing but a trashman.' I told her,‘Listen, lady, I've got an I.Q. of 137, and I graduated near the top of my high school class. I do this for the money, not because it's the only work I can do.’"
"I want to tell them,‘Look, I am as clean as you are,' but it wouldn't help. I don't tell anyone I'm a garbageman. I say I'm a truck driver. My family knows, but my wife's folks don't. If someone comes right out and asks,‘Do you drive for a garbage company?' I say yes. I believe we're doing a service people need, like being a police officer or a fire fighter. I'm not ashamed of it, but I don't go around boasting about it either."
"A friend of my wife yelled at her kids one day when they ran out to meet a trash truck.‘Stay away from those trashmen. They're dirty.' I was angry with her.‘They're as good as we are,' I told her.‘You seem to have a lot of sympathy for them,' she said.‘Yes, I do.' But I never told her why."
I had originally planned to stay at this employment for only two days but now I'm going to continue. The exercise is great; the lifting gets easier with every load, even if my shoulder muscle is sore. I become faster and neater each day. I'm outdoors in clean air. And, contrary to what people think, I don't get dirty on the job.
I have decided, too, to keep saying hello in people's yards. It doesn't do any harm, and it still feels right. Frankly, I'm proud. I'm doing an essential task. I left this country a little cleaner than I found it this morning. Not many people can say that tonight.
John Gardner wrote that a society which praises its philosophers and looks down on its plumbers is in for trouble. "Neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water," he warns. He might have gone a step further and called for respect for both our economists and our trashmen; otherwise, they'll both leave garbage behind.

Words: 702
NEW WORDS

trash
n. (AmE) waste matter; rubbish 垃圾

trashman
n. a person who deals with rubbish 垃圾工

trashcan
n. (AmE) a can for waste matter 垃圾桶

▲haul
vt. pull with effort 拉,拖

continuous
a. unbroken; without a stop 不停的

continuously
ad. without a stop 不停地

wicked
a. 1. very severe; serious 严重的
2. morally wrong or bad; evil 坏的

wickedly
ad. badly; seriously 厉害地

barrel
n. a round wooden holding box with flat bottom 大木桶

tremble
vi. shake uncontrollably 颤抖

head
v. 1. move 移动,走
2. lead 带领

image
vt. form a mental picture; see in the mind 想象,设想
n. a copy of object(s)or event(s) ; mental picture of an object or event 图像;印象;想象

dump
vt. drop carelessly 倒,倾
n. a place for dumping waste 垃圾场

route
n. a way from one place to another 路

greenhouse
n. a glass building for growing plants 温室

■lengthy
a. very long 冗长的,过长的

civilize (英civilise)
vt. bring from a lower stage of development to a very developed stage of social organization 使文明,使开化

register
vt. 1. make known; show; record 显示,表明
2. write in a list or record 登记

response
n. 1. a reply 回答,答复
2. (to) an action done in answer 反应,响应

retreat
vi. 1. move back, especially when forced 后退
2. escape 逃离

indoor
ad. (-s) inside a building 在室内,在户内
a. which is inside a building(在)室内的,(在)户内的

deaf
a. 1. unable to hear at all or hear well 聋的
2. unwilling to hear or listen 不愿听的,装聋的

rage
vi. talk with severe anger 愤然地说
n. (sudden feeling of) radical anger 狂怒

spontaneous
a. happening in a natural way 自发的

▲spontaneously
ad. that happens in a natural way 自发地

▲monster
n. a strange, usually large and frightening animal 怪物

ash
n. matter left when something has been burned 烟灰

graduate
v. complete one's studies and receive a certificate or diploma 毕业

garbage
n. (AmE) waste matter; rubbish 垃圾

garbageman
n. a man who collects garbage 垃圾工

folk
n. one's relatives 亲戚
a. of or having to do with the common people, their beliefs, stories, customs, and the like 民间的,民俗的

boast
vi. speak too proudly of 吹嘘,吹牛
n. a statement speaking too well about oneself; stating more than actual 吹嘘,吹牛

▲yell
vi. shout 叫喊

original
a. 1. first, earliest 原先的,起初的
2. new and different 新颖的,有独创性的

originally
ad. in the beginning 最初

employment
n. 1. paid work 工作,就业
2. the act of employing 雇用;招聘

muscle
n. pieces of spring-like material in the body 肌肉

sore
a. painful especially from a wound or hard use 痛的

contrary
a. opposite 相反的

harm
n. damage; wrong or hurt 伤害vt. hurt; cause damage to 伤害

frank
a. honest 诚实的,坦白的

frankly
ad. honestly;to be honest 诚实地,坦白说

philosopher
n. a person who studies the nature of existing, what is real, morals, etc. 哲学家

◆plumber
n. a person who fits and repairs water pipes 管道工

theory
n. general laws and methods rather than practice 理论

economy
n. the economic network of a country 经济

economist
n. a person who studies economics 经济学家
PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONS

make the rounds
(also do/go the rounds)visit a number of people or places, usually in a customary order 串门拜访,四处走动

go with
match or suit (sth.) 与……相配

Who are you to say... ?
What right do you have to say...? How dare you say...? 你有什么权利说……?你竟敢说……?

boast about
(also boast of) speak too proudly of 吹牛,吹嘘

stay away from
keep away from; do not get close to 别靠近

stay at
remain behind at 保留;待在

contrary to
completely different from 与……相反

look down on/upon
have a poor opinion of (sb.), especially as being below one's social level; not approve of (sb. or sth.) 蔑视;不赞成

be in for
be unable to escape; be sure to get or have 免不了遭受

hold water
be able to be proved true or brought to actual 可证为真实;站得住脚

call for
demand (sth. or sb.) 要求
PROPER NAMES

John Gardner
约翰·加德纳(人名)

     垃圾工

     四月七日,星期六
    我和史蒂夫已扛了整整四个小时的垃圾了,中间只停下来说了五分钟的话。 每次我将满满的一桶垃圾扛上肩,肩膀就痛得厉害,有时侯扛着垃圾朝街上走,腿都打颤,可我心里却对自己说:“挺住,垃圾工,要挺住啊。”
    我原本就没有想过这工作会有什么快乐可言。倒、扛、走、扛、走。时间过得飞快。
    星期六意味着大多数成年人会待在家里。 上学的孩子也一样。我心里琢磨,这可能意味我挨家挨户收垃圾时可以和人们多搭上几句话了。 不少人在花园里或花房里干活儿。 多数人看上去是可以说说话的。虽没有工夫聊很久,但问候几句以示礼貌还是有时间的。
    可就是在这一点上让我吃惊不小。
    我隔着好几码说了声“你好!”,可马上意识到这不合常理。 有时候,有人也会看着我,微微一笑,并很快也对我说一声“你好!”,或者“今天天气真好。” 这种时侯,我还是感到自己是个人。可多数情况下,人们的反应要么是不理我,要么是因为我这垃圾工竟然也说了话而惊讶地盯着我看。
    一个身着家居长便服的妇女,见我绕过她家的屋角,脸上露出惊讶之色。听到我向她打招呼,赶紧用衣服把自己严严实实地遮了起来,赶忙退进屋里。 我听到了“咔嗒”一声门被锁上了。另一个妇女,院子里养了一只大而古怪的动物。 我问她那是只什么动物,她双眼定定地盯着我。我以为她是耳朵聋,所以提高了声音。她却好像给吓着了似的,冷冷地转身走了。
    这儿离垃圾场有很长一段路,在驾车去垃圾场的路上,史蒂夫忍不住气愤地叙说着这些事情。
    “从人家看你时的那种眼光,就知道在他们眼里垃圾工是怪物。 所以当你对他们说‘你好’时,他们就惊恐地看着你。他们根本不知道我们也是人。”
    “有个女人往垃圾箱里倒烟灰。我说,这样倒我们不好装运。 她说,“我倒什么你管得着么,你算什么东西?你不过是个垃圾工罢了。”我说,‘听着,太太,我的智商是137,高中毕业时是班上的尖子学生。 我干这活是为了挣钱,不是因为我只能干这个。’”
    “我真想对他们说,‘你瞧瞧,我跟你一样干净。’可这没用。我对别人不说我是垃圾工。我说我是个卡车司机。 我家里人知道,可我妻子的亲友不知道。如果有人跑出来问,‘你不是给垃圾公司开车吗?’我就说是。 我相信,我们做的事是人们所需要的,就像当警察,或者当消防队员。我并不为此而感到见不得人,可我也不会到处去吹嘘自己的工作。”
    “有一天,我妻子的一个朋友见到她孩子从家里跑出来看垃圾车,她就大声叫嚷起来。' 离那些垃圾工远点,他们身上脏。'我对她很生气。我说,'那些垃圾工和我们一样干净,'我对她说。' 你好像很同情他们似的,'她说。'是的,我是很同情他们。'可我从没有告诉她这是为什么。”
    这活儿我原先只打算干两天,可现在我要干下去。 这可锻炼人哩,虽然肩部肌肉酸痛,可我扛垃圾桶越扛越得心应手了。 我越干越快,越干越利索。在室外干活还可以呼吸新鲜空气。而且完全不像人们认为的那样,我干的活儿其实很干净。
    我还决定继续在人家的院子里向人们说“你好”。这不会有什么坏处,而且感觉依旧好。 说实话,我感到骄傲,我在做一项必不可少的工作。每晚工作结束时,我发现这个国家比早上更干净了。并不是每个人当晚都能这样说的。
    约翰·加德纳曾写道,一个只赞扬哲学家而蔑视管道工的社会必定会出现麻烦。 他警告说,“一个社会光有管道不行,然而光有理论也不行。”他甚至还进一步要求人们既尊重经济学家又尊重垃圾工;不然的话,他们都会到处乱扔垃圾。

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