胡敏读故事记托福词汇147：两种不同的生活态度 two different views of life
There seems to be little to Malcom that is inherently meaningful in his existence. It is the mechanics of things that interest him most. Perhaps that is why he has chosen to become a mechanical engineer. It suits his mechanistic attitude to life. The universe to Malcom is just one big mechanism and anything that can be mechanized will be mechanized seems to be another model of his. There is nothing meditated about him at all. Confronted with anything that does not work as it should, Malcom just can’t help himself but meddle with it, to try to put it right, to his way of thinking that is.
对于马尔科姆来说，他的存在没有内在的有意义的东西。最吸引他的是物体的机件。也许这就是能为什么选择成为机械工程师的原因吧。它正好适合他的机械式的生活态度。宇宙在马尔科姆眼里只是一个大的运作机制，“所有能被机械化的东西将会被机械化”，这好像是他的另外一句箴言。关于他自己根本就没有什么值得深思的东西。一旦遇见什么东西不能正常工作，他就忍不住要干涉，试图修好它(当然那是符合他的思维方式的)。
Malcom’s view of things is quite the opposite of Mell, another friend of mine. Mell just loves to meditate, trying to meander through the maze that is called life. Much in the manner of Saint Dogstin, the medieval mystic, just like that Saint, Mell derives much joy in life, through the medium of listening to the melody of the wind in the leaves and the melodic song of birds at daybreak. Mell is happy to live on a comparatively meager salary, not for him, the carries of the world. The mass media are of little or no interest to him.
马尔科姆对事物的看法正好和我的另外一个朋友麦尔相反。麦尔喜欢沉思，试图在被称为生活的迷宫里漫步，就像中世纪的神秘人物——圣人奥古斯丁那样。和那位圣人一样，通过自然的媒介麦尔倾听到风吹树叶发出的悦耳的音调和晨鸟鸣啭时那富有旋律的歌声。他从中获得了很多生活的乐趣。他满足于相对微薄的薪水。世界不是他所关心的，他对大众媒体也不感兴趣。
Be prepared for some major melodrama whenever Malcom and Mell get together, there is nothing at all that can be called melodious in the verbal exchanges. It is usually me on such occasions who is called in as a mediator, as to mediate on their seemingly endless quarrels.
他们俩碰面时会有一场闹剧可看的，请做好思想准备吧!在他们的唇枪舌战中没有悦耳的话。这种情况下，我往往成了他们的调停者，被叫去给他们似乎永无休止的争吵进行辫旋。
Words
maze n. 迷宫
meager adj. 缺乏的，不足的
meander v. 蜿蜒曲折，漫步
meaningful adj. 意味深长的，有目的的，有意义的
mechanical adj. 机械的，机械性的，呆板的
mechanics n. 机械学，力学，机件，工作部件
mechanism n. 机械，机理，动作机制
mechanized adj. 机械制的
meddle v. 干涉，管闲事
media n. 媒体，媒介(复数)
mediate v. 斡旋，调停
mediator n. 调停者
medieval adj. 中世纪的
meditate v. 想，考虑，(尤指宗教上的)沉思，冥想
meditative adj. 沉思的
medium n. 媒体，媒介，方法(单数)
melodic adj. 有旋律的，调子美妙的
melodious adj. 旋律优美的，悦耳的
melodrama n. 音乐剧，情节剧
melody n. 悦耳的音调
