Lesson 27 Nothing to sell and nothing to buy 沒有東西可賣也沒有東西可買
It has been said that everyone lives by selling something. In the light of this statement, teachers live by selling knowledge, philosophers by selling wisdom and priests by selling spiritual comfort. Though it may be possible to measure the value of material good in terms of money, it is extremely difficult to estimate the true value of the services which people perform for us. There are times when we would willingly give everything we possess to save our lives, yet we might grudge paying a surgeon a high fee for offering us precisely this service. The conditions of society are such that skills have to be paid for in the same way that goods are paid for at a shop. Everyone has something to sell.
Tramps seem to be the only exception to this general rule. Beggars almost sell themselves as human beings to arouse the pity of passers-by. But real tramps are not beggars. They have nothing to sell and require nothing from others. In seeking independence, they do not sacrifice their human dignity. A tramp may ask you for money, but he will never ask you to feel sorry for him. He has deliberately chosen to lead the life he leads and is fully aware of the consequences. He may never be sure where the next meal is coming from, but he is free from the thousands of anxieties which afflict other people. His few material possessions make it possible for him to move from place to place with ease. By having to sleep in the open, he gets far closer to the world of nature than most of us ever do. He may hunt, beg, or steal occasionally to keep himself alive; he may even, in times of real need, do a little work; but he will never sacrifice his freedom. We often speak of tramps with contempt and put them in the same class as beggars, but how many of us can honestly say that we have not felt a little envious of their simple way of life and their freedom from care?
據(jù)說每個人都靠出售某種東西來維持生活。根據(jù)這種說法，教師靠賣知識為生，哲學(xué)家靠賣智慧為生，牧師靠賣精神安慰為生。雖然物質(zhì)產(chǎn)品的價值可以用金錢來衡量，但要估算別人為我們?yōu)樗峁┑姆⻊?wù)的價值卻是極其困難的。有時，我們?yōu)榱送炀壬�，愿意付出我們所占有的一切。但就在外科大夫給我們提供了這種服務(wù)后，我們卻可能為所支付的昂貴的費用而抱怨。社會上的情況就是如此，技術(shù)是必須付錢去買的，就像在商店里要花錢買商品一樣。人人都有東西可以出售。
在這條普遍的規(guī)律前面，好像只有流浪漢是個例外，乞丐出售的幾乎是他本人，以引起過路人的憐憫。但真正的流浪并不是乞丐。他們既不出售任何東西，也不需要從別人那兒得到任何東西，在追求獨立自由的同時，他們并不犧牲為人的尊嚴。游浪漢可能會向你討錢，但他從來不要你可憐他。他是故意在選擇過那種生活的，并完全清楚以這種方式生活的后果。他可能從不知道下頓飯有無著落，但他不像有人那樣被千萬樁愁事所折磨。他幾乎沒有什么財產(chǎn)，這使他能夠輕松自如地在各地奔波。由于被迫在露天睡覺，他比我們中許多人都離大自然近得多。為了生存，他可能會去打獵、乞討，偶爾偷上一兩回;確實需要的時候，他甚至可能干一點兒活，但他決不會犧牲自由。說起流浪漢，我們常常帶有輕蔑并把他們與乞丐歸為一類。但是，我們中有多少人能夠坦率地說我們對流浪漢的簡樸生活與無憂無慮的境況不感到有些羨慕呢?
Lesson 34 A happy discovery 幸運的發(fā)現(xiàn)
Antique shops exert a peculiar fascination on a great many people. The more expensive kind of antique shop where rare objects are beautifully displayed in glass cases to keep them free from dust is usually a forbidding place. But no one has to muster up courage to enter a less pretentious antique shop. There is always hope that in its labyrinth of musty, dark, disordered rooms a real rarity will be found amongst the piles of assorted junk that litter the floors.
No one discovers a rarity by chance. A truly dedicated bargain hunter must have patience, and above all, the ability to recognize the worth of something when he sees it. To do this, he must be at least as knowledgeable as the dealer. Like a scientist bent on making a discovery, he must cherish the hope that one day he will be amply rewarded.
My old friend, Frank Holliday, is just such a person. He has often described to me how he picked up a masterpiece for a mere￡50. One Saturday morning, Frank visited an antique shop in my neighborhood. As he had never been there before, he found a great deal to interest him. The morning passed rapidly and Frank was about to leave when he noticed a large packing-case lying on the floor. The dealer told him that it had just come in, but that he could not be bothered to open it. Frank begged him to do so and the dealer reluctantly prised it open. The contents were disappointing. Apart from an interesting-looking carved dagger, the box was full of crockery, much of it broken. Frank gently lifted the crockery out of the box and suddenly noticed a miniature painting at the bottom of the packing-case. As its Composition and line reminded him of an Italian painting he knew well, he decided to buy it. Glancing at it briefly, the dealer told him that it was worth￡50. Frank could hardly conceal his excitement, for he knew that he had made a real discovery. The tiny painting proved to be an unknown masterpiece by Correggio and was worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
古玩店對許多人來說有一種特殊的魅力。高檔一點的古玩店為了防塵，把文物漂亮地陳列在玻璃柜子里，那里往往令人望而卻步。而對不太裝腔作勢的古玩店，無論是誰都不用壯著膽子才敢往里進。人們還常常有希望在發(fā)霉、陰暗、雜亂無章、迷宮般的店堂里，從雜亂地擺放在地面上的、一堆堆各式各樣的破爛貨里找到一件稀世珍品。
無論是誰都不會一下子就發(fā)現(xiàn)一件珍品。一個到處找便宜貨買的人必須具有耐心，而且最重要的是看到珍品時要有鑒別珍品的能力。要做到這一點，他至少要像古董商一樣在行。他必須像一個專心致志進行探索的科學(xué)家那樣抱有這樣的希望，即終有一天，他的努力會取得豐碩的成果。
我的老朋友弗蘭克·哈利戴正是這樣一個人。他多次向我詳細講他如何只花50英鎊便買到一位名家的杰作。一個星期六的上午，弗蘭克去了我家附近的一家古玩店。由于他從未去過那兒，結(jié)果他發(fā)現(xiàn)了許多有趣的東西。上午很快過去了，弗蘭克正準備離去，突然看見地板上放著一只體積很大的貨箱。古董商告訴他那只貨箱剛到不久，但他嫌麻煩不想把它打開。經(jīng)弗蘭克懇求，古董商才勉強把貨箱撬開了。箱內(nèi)東西令人失望。除了一柄式樣別致、雕有花紋的匕首外，貨箱內(nèi)裝滿了陶器，而且大部分都已破碎。弗蘭克輕輕地把陶器拿出箱子，突然發(fā)現(xiàn)在箱底有一幅微型畫，畫面構(gòu)圖與線條使他想起了一幅他所熟悉的意大利畫，于是他決定將畫買下來。古董商漫不經(jīng)心看了一眼那幅畫，告訴弗蘭克那畫值50英鎊。弗蘭克幾乎無法掩飾自己興奮的心情，因為他明白自己發(fā)現(xiàn)了一件珍品。那幅不大的畫原來是柯勒喬的一幅未被發(fā)現(xiàn)的杰作，價值幾十萬英鎊。
Lesson 44 Speed and comfort 又快捷又舒適
People, traveling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train compartments soon get cramped and stuffy. It is almost impossible to take your mind off the journey. Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep. During the day, sleep comes in snatches. At night, when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to do so. If you are lucky enough to get a sleeper, you spend half the night staring at the small blue light in the ceiling, or fumbling to find your ticket for inspection. Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted. Long car journeys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds, but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on roads with few service stations and too much traffic. By comparison, ferry trips or cruises offer a great variety of civilized comforts. You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games, meet interesting people and enjoy good food----always assuming, of course, that the sea is calm. If it is not, and you are likely to get sea-sick, no form of transport could be worse. Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time. Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice holiday time for the pleasure of travelling by sea.
Airplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardened travellers are intimidated by them. They also have the disadvantage of being an expensive form of transport. But nothing can match them for speed and comfort. Travelling at a height of 30, 000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an hour is an exhilarating experience. You do not have to devise ways of taking your mind off the journey, for an aeroplane gets you to your destination rapidly. For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight. The real escapist can watch a film and sip champagne on some services. But even when such refinements are not available, there is plenty to keep you occupied. An aeroplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world. You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys. You really see the shape of the land. If the landscape is hidden from view, you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch out for miles before you, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky. The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping. However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrumpled. You will not have to spend the next few days recovering from a long and arduous journey.
出遠門的人常常需要決定是走旱路、水路，還是坐飛機。很少有人能夠真正喜歡坐幾個小時以上的火車。車廂很快就變得擁擠、悶熱，想擺脫開旅途的困擾是很難的。看書只能解決部分問題。車輪與鐵軌間單調(diào)的嘎喳聲很快就會送你進入夢鄉(xiāng)。白天是忽睡忽醒，到了夜晚，你真想睡了，卻很難入睡。即使你走運弄到一個臥鋪，夜間有一半時間你會盯著車頂那盞小藍燈而睡不著覺;要不然就為查票摸索你的車票。一旦抵達目的地，你總是疲憊不堪。乘汽車作長途旅行則更加不舒服，因為連看書都幾乎不可能。在公路上還好，你至少能以相當快的速度安全地向前行。但旅行的大部分時間都花在路上，而且只有很少的服務(wù)設(shè)施，交通也很擁擠。相比之下，坐船旅行或環(huán)游可以得到文明世界的各種享受。你可以在甲板上伸展四肢、做游戲，還能見到各種有趣的人，能享用各種美味佳肴——當然，這一切只有在大海風(fēng)平浪靜的情況下才有可能。如果大海肆虐起來，你就可能暈船，那種難受勁兒是任何一種別的旅行方式都不會帶來的。即便風(fēng)平浪靜，坐船旅行也要占用很長時間。沒有多少人會為了享受坐船旅行的樂趣而犧牲假期的時間。
飛機以危險而著稱，連老資格的旅行者也怕飛機。飛機的另一個缺點是昂貴。但就速度與舒適而言，飛機是無與倫比的。騰云駕霧，在3萬英尺高空以500英里的時速旅行，這種經(jīng)歷令人心曠神怡。你不必想辦法去擺脫旅途的困擾，因為飛機會迅速地把你送到目的地。幾小時之內(nèi)，你躺在扶手椅上，享受著旅途的歡樂。真正會享受的人還可以在某些航班上看一場電影和喝香檳。即使沒有這些消遣條件，也總是有事可做。飛機上，你可以觀察世界上非同尋常的奇妙的美景。你毫不費勁地飛越高山幽谷，你確能飽覽大地的風(fēng)貌。如果這種景色被遮住了，你便可以觀賞一下展現(xiàn)在你面前的、一望數(shù)英里的、連綿不斷的云海，同時陽光燦爛，天空清澈明朗。旅途平穩(wěn)，絲毫不妨礙你閱讀或睡眠。不管你打算如何消磨時間，有件事是可以肯定的，即當你抵達目的地時，你感到精神煥發(fā)，毫無倦意，用不著因為漫長旅途的辛苦而花幾天時間休息來恢復(fù)精神。
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