get over it通常怎么用:小说：谁动了我的奶酪

THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Ernest Hemingway

The Old Man and the Sea may very well become one of the true classics of this generation. Certainly, the qualities of Ernest Hemingway's short novel are those which we associate with many great stories of the past: near perfection of form within the limitations of its subject matter, restraint of treatment, regard for the unities of time and place, and evocative simplicity of style. Also, like most great stories, it can be read on more than one level of meaning. On one it is an exciting but tragic adventure story. Sustained by the pride of his calling, the only pride he has left, a broken old fisherman ventures far out into the Gulf Stream and there hooks the biggest marlin ever seen in those waters. Then, alone and exhausted by his struggle to harpoon the giant fish, he is forced into a losing battle with marauding sharks; they leave him nothing but the skeleton of his catch. On another level the book is a fable of the unconquerable spirit of man, a creature capable of snatching spiritual victory from circumstances of disaster and material defeat. On still another it is a parable of religious significance, its theme supported by the writer's unobtrusive handling of Christian symbols and metaphors. Like Coleridge's Ancient Mariner, Hemingway's Cuban fisherman is a character allowing the imagination of his creator to operate simultaneously in two different worlds of meaning and value, the one real and dramatic, the other moral and devotionally symbolic.

For eighty four days old Santiago had not caught a single fish. At first a young boy, Manolin, had shared his bad fortune, but after the fortieth luckless day the boy's father told his son to go in another boat. From that time on Santiago worked alone. Each morning he rowed his skiff out into the Gulf Stream where the big fish were. Each evening he came in empty-handed.

The boy loved the old fisherman and pitied him. If Manolin had no money of his own, he begged or stole to make sure that Santiago had enough to eat and fresh baits for his lines. The old man accepted his kindness with humility that was like a quiet kind of pride. Over their evening meals of rice or black beans they would talk about the fish they had taken in luckier times or about American baseball and the great DiMaggio. At night, alone in his shack, Santiago dreamed of lions on the beaches of Africa, where he had gone on a sailing ship years before. He no longer dreamed of his dead wife.

On the eighty-fifth day Santiago rowed out of the harbor in the cool dark before dawn. After leaving the smell of land behind him, he set his lines. Two of his baits were fresh tunas the boy had given him, as well as sardines to cover his hooks. The lines went straight down into deep dark water.

As the sun rose he saw other boats in toward shore, which was only a low green line on the sea. A hovering man-of-war bird showed him where dolphin were chasing some flying fish, but the school was moving too fast and too far away. The bird circled again. This time Santiago saw tuna leaping in the sunlight. A small one took the hook on his stern line. Hauling the quivering fish aboard, the old man thought it a good omen.

Toward noon a marlin started nibbling at the bait which was one hundred fathoms down. Gently the old man played the fish, a big one, as he knew from the weight on the line. At last he struck to settle the hook. The fish did not surface. Instead, it began to tow the skiff to the northwest. The old man braced himself, the line taut across his shoulders. Although he was alone and no longer strong, he had his skill and knew many tricks. He waited patiently for the fish to tire.

The old man shivered in the cold that came after sunset. When something took one of his remaining baits, he cut the line with his sheath knife. Once the fish lurched suddenly, pulling Santiago forward on his face and cutting his cheek. By dawn his left hand was stiff and cramped. The fish had headed northward; there was no land in sight. Another strong tug on the line sliced Santiago's right hand. Hungry, he cut strips from the tuna and chewed them slowly while he waited for the sun to warm him and ease his cramped fingers.

That morning the fish jumped. Seeing it leap, Santiago knew he had hooked the biggest marlin he had even seen. Then the fish went under and turned toward the east. Santiago drank sparingly from his water bottle during the hot afternoon. Trying to forget his cut hand and aching back, he remembered the days when men had called him Campeon and he had wrestled with a giant Negro in the tavern at Cienfuegos. Once an airplane droned overhead on its way to Miami.

Close to nightfall a dolphin took the small hook he had rebaited. He lifted the fish aboard, careful not to jerk the line over his shoulder. After he had rested, he cut fillets from the dolphin and kept also the two flying fish he found in its maw. That night he slept. He awoke to feel the line running through his fingers as the fish jumped. Feeding line slowly, he tried to tire the marlin. After the fish slowed its run. he washed his cut hands in sea water and ate one of the flying fish. At sunrise the marlin began to circle. Faint and dizzy, he worked to bring the big fish nearer with each turn. Almost exhausted, he finally drew his catch alongside and drove in the harpoon. He drank a little water before he lashed the marlin to bow and stern of his skiff. The fish was two feet longer than the boat. No catch like it had ever been seen in Havana harbor. It would make his fortune, he thought, as he hoisted his patched sails and set his course toward the southwest.

An hour later he sighted the first shark. It was a fierce Mako, and it came in fast to slash with raking teeth at the dead marlin. With failing might the old man struck the shark with his harpoon. The Mako rolled and sank, carrying the harpoon with it and leaving the marlin mutilated and bloody. Santiago knew the scent would spread. Watching, he saw two shovel nosed sharks closing in. He struck at one with his knife lashed to the end of an oar and watched the scavenger sliding down into deep water. The other he killed while it tore at the flesh of the marlin. When the third appeared, he thrust at it with the knife, only to feel the blade snap as the fish rolled. The other sharks came at sunset. At first he tried to club them with the tiller from the skiff, but his hands were raw and bleeding and there were too many in the pack. In the darkness, as he steered toward the faint glow of Havana against the sky, he heard them hitting the carcass again and again. But the old man thought only of his steering and his great tiredness. He had gone out too far and the sharks had beaten him. He knew they would leave him nothing but the stripped skeleton of his great catch.

All lights were out when he sailed into the little harbor and beached his skiff. In the gloom he could just make out the white backbone and the upstanding tail of the fish. he started up the shore with the mast and furled sail of his boat. Once he fell under their weight and lay patiently until he could gather his strength. In his shack he fell on his bed and went to sleep.

There the boy found him later that morning. Meanwhile other fishermen, gathered about the skiff, marveled at the giant marlin, eighteen feet long from nose to tail. When Manolin returned to Santiago's shack with hot coffee, the old man awoke. The boy, he said, could have the spear of his fish. Manolin told him to rest, to make himself fit for the days of fishing they would have together. All that afternoon the old man slept, the boy sitting by his bed. Santiago was dreaming of lions.

   老 人 与 海
〔美〕海明威 杨枕旦 译注

《老人与海》完全可能成为当代一部名副其实的经典作品。厄纳斯特·海明威的这部短篇小说无疑具有以往许多巨著的共同特点： 在题材所限的范围内几乎达到形式上的完美无缺、处理方法谨严、注意时间和地点的统一，行文简洁而内涵很深。另外，和极大多数巨著一样，海明威的这篇小说读起来可有不止一层的意思。一方面，这是一个激动人心的带有悲剧性的冒险故事。故事讲到一个精神沮丧的老渔人，在他对职业的自豪感(他留下的唯一自豪感)的支持之下，冒险远航至墨西哥湾流并在那里钓住了一条该水域中从未见过的最大的马林鱼。故事接着说到他孤零零地、在因奋力叉住这条大鱼而耗尽了力气之后，被迫投入一场和一群海盗似的鲨鱼的绝望的搏斗之中，结果是那些鲨鱼只给他留下了猎获物的一具骨架。另一方面，这又是一个寓言，它描述了人所具有的不可征服的精神力量——一个人如何从灾难和实际失败的环境中攫取精神上的胜利。再一方面，这是带有宗教意义的一种隐喻，作者不引人注目地给这一主题添加了基督教的一些象征和比喻。和柯勒律治笔下的“老水手”一样，海明威笔下的古巴渔民是这样一个角色，他容许作者的想象力同时在两个领域中活动，这两个领域具有不同的意义和价值，一个注意写实，有着动人的情节；另一个则侧重道德说教，充满象征的意义。

桑提亚哥老人已经八十四天没有捕到一条鱼了。最初，一个年轻的孩子曼诺林和他一起分担恶运，但在过了四十天倒霉日子之后，孩子的爸爸让孩子到另一条船上干活去了。从那个时候起，桑提亚哥只是一个人干活。每天早晨他划着小船到有大鱼出没的墨西哥湾流去，每天晚上他总是两手空空地回来。

孩子喜欢并且可怜这个老渔人。曼诺林要是自己没有挣到钱，就会乞讨或偷窃以保证桑提亚哥有足够的食物和新鲜的鱼饵。老人谦卑地接受孩子的好意，谦卑中带有某种隐而不露的自豪感。晚餐时(吃的是大米饭和黑蚕豆)他们总会谈论在运气好的日子里一起捕获的大鱼，或是谈论美国的棒球赛和伟大的狄马吉奥。夜间桑提亚哥一个人躺在自己的小棚屋里，梦见非洲海滩上的狮子，几年前他航海去过那个地方。他不再梦见自己死去的老婆了。

在第八十五天，桑提亚哥在寒冷的黎明前的黑暗中，把小船划出了港口。在把陆地的气息抛在身后之后，他放下了钓丝。他的两个鱼饵是孩子给他的鲜金枪鱼，还有把鱼钩遮盖起来的沙丁鱼。钓丝垂直地下到暗黑的深水里。

太阳升起时，他看到别的一些船只都头朝着海岸，在海上看来海岸象是一条接近地平线的绿带子。一只盘旋的军舰鸟给老人指明了海豚追逐飞鱼的地方。但是鱼群游得太快、也太远了。这只猛禽又在盘旋了，这次桑提亚哥瞧见金枪鱼在太阳光下跃起。一条小金枪鱼咬住了他艉缆上的鱼钩。老人在把颤动的金枪鱼拉上船板以后，心想这可是一个好兆头。

快到中午时，一条马林鱼开始啃起一百深处的那块鱼饵来了。老人轻轻地摆布那条上了钩的鱼，根据钓丝的份量他知道那准是一条大鱼。最后他猛拉钓丝把鱼钩给稳住了。但是，那条鱼并没有浮出水面，反而开始把小船拖着往西北方向跑。老人打起精神，斜挎在肩膀上的钓丝绷得紧紧的。他虽然孤身一人，体力也不如从前，但是他有技术，他懂得许多诀窍。他耐心地等待鱼累乏下来。

日落之后，寒意袭人，老人冷得发抖。当他剩下的鱼饵中有一块被咬住时，他就用自己那把带鞘的刀把钓丝给割断了。有一次那条鱼突然一个侧身，把桑提亚哥拉得脸朝下地跌了一跤，老人的颊部也给划破了。黎明时分，他的左手变得僵硬并抽起筋来了。那条鱼还是一直往北游，一点陆地的影子都瞧不见了。钓丝又一次猛的一拉，把老人的右手给勒伤了。老人肚子饿得发慌，就从金枪鱼身上割下几片肉，放在嘴里慢慢嚼着，等着太阳出来晒暖他的身子和减轻手指抽筋的痛苦。

第二天早上，这条鱼蹦出了水面。桑提亚哥瞧见鱼的跃起，知道自己钓到了一条未见过的最大的马林鱼。一会儿鱼又往下沉去，转向了东方。在炽热的下午，桑提亚哥节省地喝起水壶里的水。为了忘掉划破的手和疼痛的背，他回想起过去人们如何称他为“优胜者”和他如何在西恩富戈斯地方一家酒馆里和一个大个子黑人比手劲。有一次一架飞机嗡嗡地从头上掠过，向迈阿密飞去。

黄昏之际，一条海豚吞食了他重新放上鱼饵的小钩子。他把这条“鱼”提到了船板上，小心不去拉动他肩上的钓丝。休息一会之后，他切下几片海豚肉并且把在海豚胃中发现的两条飞鱼留了下来。那天夜里他睡着了。他醒来时觉得当这条鱼跳起时钓丝就滑过他的手指。他缓慢地把钓丝放松，尽力想把这条马林鱼拖乏。在这条大鱼放慢跳跃时，他把划破的双手放在海里洗，并且吃了一条飞鱼。日出时，这条马林鱼开始打起转来了。老人感到头晕目眩，但他尽力把大鱼在每转一圈时拉得更近一些。他虽然几乎筋疲力尽，终于还是把自己的捕获物拉得和小船并排在一起并用鱼叉猛击这条马林鱼。他喝了一点水，然后把马林鱼捆绑在他那条小船的头部和尾部。这条马林鱼比船还长两英尺。哈瓦那港从来没有见过捕到这么大的鱼，他扯起有补丁的船帆开始向西南方向驶去，心想这下要发财了。

一个小时以后，他瞧见了第一条鲨鱼。这是一条凶猛的尖吻鲭鲨。它飞快地游了过来，用耙一样的牙齿撕这条死马林鱼。老人用尽余力把鱼叉往鲨鱼身上扎去。尖吻鲭鲨打着滚沉下去了，带走了鱼叉，而且已经把马林鱼咬得残缺不全，鲜血直流。桑提亚哥知道血腥味会散开来。他望着海面，看到两条犁头鲨游近来了。他用绑在桨的一头的刀子击中了其中的一条，并看着这条食腐动物滑到深海里去了。他杀死了正在撕食马林鱼的另一条鲨鱼。当第三条鲨鱼出现时，他把刀子向鲨鱼戳去。鲨鱼打了一个滚，结果把刀给折断了。日落时又有一些鲨鱼游过来了。起初他设法用舵把朝它们劈过去，但是他双手磨破了皮在流着血，而游来的鲨鱼多得成了群。在暮色中，他望着地平线上的哈瓦那的微弱的灯光，听着鲨鱼一次一次在啮咬马林鱼的尸体。老人此时想到的只是掌舵，和他自己极度的疲乏。他出海太远了，那些鲨鱼把他打败了。他知道那些鲨鱼除了大马林鱼的空骨架之外，是什么也不会给他留下的。

当他划进小港，让小船冲上沙滩时，岸上的灯火都已灭了。在朦胧之中，他只能分辨出那条马林鱼白色的脊背和竖着的尾巴。他拿着桅竿和卷起的船帆，往岸上爬去。有一次他在重压下跌倒了，他耐心地躺在地上，积蓄力气。等他进了自己的棚屋时，他一头倒在床上就睡。

那天早上晚些时候，孩子发现他时他还躺着。这个时候，一些渔民聚在那只小船的周围，对这条从头到尾长有十八英尺的大马林鱼啧啧称奇。当曼诺林拿着热咖啡回到桑提亚哥的棚屋时，老人醒了。他告诉孩子可以把他那条鱼的长吻拿走。曼诺林要老人休息，把身体养好，以便日后再一起出去捕鱼。整个下午老人都在睡觉，那孩子就坐在他的床旁边。桑提亚哥正在梦见那些狮子呢。

                          卖火柴的小女孩
                         The Little Match-Girl
It was dreadfully cold, it was snowing fast, and almost dark； the evening----the last evening of the old year was drawing in. But, cold and dark as it was, a poor little girl, with bare head and feet, was still wandering about the streets. When she left her home she had slippers on, but they were much too large for her； indeed, properly, they belonged to her mother, and had dropped off her feet whilst1 she was running very fast across the road, to get out of the way of two carriages. One of the slippers was not to be found, the other had been snatched up by a little boy, who ran off with it thinking it might serve him as a doll's cradle.
天气非常非常冷，雪下得很大，夜幕已降临。这是旧年最后的一夜——除夕之夜。尽管天气是那么的寒冷和黑暗，一个贫穷的小女孩，光头赤脚仍在大街上徘徊。当她离家出门的时候，脚上穿着一双拖鞋，那是一双相当大的拖鞋——的确太大了，那是她妈妈穿着合适的一双拖鞋。当她匆忙横穿马路的时候，两辆马车飞快地闯过来，吓得她把拖鞋跑丢了。一只怎么也找不到，另一只被一个小男孩抢跑了。他想，这只鞋可以当做玩具娃娃睡觉的摇篮。
So the little girl now walked on, her bare feet quite red and blue with the cold. She carried a small bundle of matches in her hand, and a good many more in her tattered apron. No one had bought any of them the live long day； no one had given her a single penny. Trembling with cold and hunger crept she on, the picture of sorrow: poor little child!
The snow-flakes fell on her long, fair hair, which curled in such pretty ringlets over her shoulders； but she thought not of her own beauty, or of the cold. Lights were glimmering through every window, and the savoir of roast goose reached her from several houses； it was New Year's eve, and it was of this that she thought.
现在这小女孩只好光着脚在街上行走，一双脚步冻得又红又青。她那破旧的围裙兜着许多火柴，手里还拿着一小捆。可整整一天谁也没有向她买过一根——谁也没有给她一个铜板。她又饿又冷，哆哆嗦嗦地向前走着，这是一幅非常凄惨的景象：可怜的小姑娘！
雪花落在她那金黄色的头发上——长长的卷发披散在肩上，看起来十分美丽，可她想不到自己的漂亮。从每扇窗子透出的亮光和飘出的烤鹅肉香味，使她想起的只是今天是除夕之夜。
 
n a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected beyond the other. She sat down, drawing her little feet close under her, but in vain, she could not warm them. She dared not go home, she had sold no matches, earned not a single penny, and perhaps her father would beat her， besides her home was almost as cold as the street， it was an attic； and although the larger of the many chinks in the roof were stopped up with straw and rags. the wind and snow often penetrated through. Her hands were nearly dead with cold； one little match from her bundle would warm them. Perhaps, if she dared light it, she drew one out, and struck it against the wall, bravo! it was a bright, warm flame, and she held her hands over it. It was quite an illumination for that poor little girl； nay,1 call it rather a magic taper, for it seemed to her as though she was sitting before a large iron-stove with brass ornaments, so beautifully blazed the fire within! The child stretched out her feet to warm them also； alas, in an instant the flame had died away, the stove vanished, the little girl sat cold and comfortless, with the burnt match in her hand.
街边一前一后坐落着两座房子，形成一个小墙角，她蹲在墙角里，把一双小脚卷缩到身下坐了下来，可是没有用，她还是不觉得暖和。她不敢回家，因为她还没有卖掉一根火柴，没有挣到一个铜板，她的父亲也许会因此打她，况且她家几乎和大街上一样冷。那是一间阁楼，虽然屋顶上几个较大的裂口用草和破布堵住了，可风和雪还是不时地灌进来，她那双小手差不多冻僵了。她想，只要她敢抽出一根火柴，在墙上擦燃，就可以暖手，终于她抽出了一根。哧！火柴燃起来了，冒出了火苗。当她双手覆在上面时，它变成了一朵光明、温暖的火焰，象一根奇妙的小蜡烛。小姑娘觉得自己象坐在一个大火炉旁边一样，铁炉镶有铮亮的黄铜花边和底座。火烧得多么旺，多么好啊！小姑娘刚刚伸出她的一双脚，打算暖一下的时候，哎呀！这是怎么样一回事儿？火焰忽然熄灭了！火炉也不见了。她坐在那儿，手里捏着那烧过的火柴，又回到了寒冷和孤单之中。
A second match was struck against the wall； it kindles and blazed, and wherever its light fell the wall became transparent as a veil. The little girl could see into the room within. She saw the table spread with a snow-white damask cloth, whereon were ranged shining china-dishes； the roast goose stuffed with apples and dried plums stood at one end, smoking hot, and which was pleasantest of all to see；the goose, with knife and fork still in her breast, jumped down from the dish, and waddled along the floor right up to the poor child. The match was burnt out, and only the thick, hard wall was beside her.
她又擦着一根火柴，火柴燃起来了，发出了明亮的光。墙上那块被火光照着的地方，忽然变得透明，象一块薄纱。小女孩可以看到房间的东西，桌上铺着雪白的台布，上面放着精致的瓷碟，还有填满梅子和苹果、冒着热气、香喷喷的烤鹅。最美妙的是看见了——这只背上插着刀叉的鹅从盘里跳了出来，摇摇摆摆地在地板上走着，一直向这个可怜的小姑娘走来。就在这时，火柴熄灭了，留在她面前的，只是一堵又厚又冷的墙。
 
 
She kindled a third match. Again shot up the flame； and now she was sitting under a most beautiful Christmas tree ,far larger, and far more prettily decked out, than the one she had seen last Christmas eve through the glass doors of the rich merchant's house. Hundreds of wax-tapers lighted up the green branches, and tiny painted figures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down from the tree upon her. The child stretched out her hands towards them in delight, and in that moment the lights of the match warm quenched； still, however, the Christmas candles burned higher and higher， she beheld them beaming like stars in heaven； one of them fell, the lights streaming behind it like a long, fiery tail.
她擦着了第三根火柴，又冒出了火焰。现在她觉得正坐在非常美丽的圣诞树下面，比上次圣诞节透过那富商家的玻璃门看到的那株还要大、还要美。这株树的绿枝上点燃着许许多多的蜡烛，颜色瑰丽的图画，就象橱窗里挂着的那些一样漂亮，仿佛在向她眨眼。小姑娘把两只手伸过去，火柴又熄灭了。然而圣诞树上的烛光越升越高。她看到它们变成了明亮的星星，有一颗落下来，在天上划出一道长长的火丝。
“Now some one is dying,” said the little girl, softly, for she had been told by her old grandmother， the only person who had ever been kind to her, and who was now dead that whenever a star falls an immortal spirit returns to the God who gave it.
She struck yet another match against the wall； it flamed up, and surrounded by its light, appeared before her that same dear grandmother, gentle and loving as always, but bright and happy as she had never looked during her lifetime.
“现在又有一个什么人死了。”小姑娘说。因为她的老祖母——一个唯一待她好的人，现在已经死了，曾经告诉过她，天上落下一颗星，地上就有一个灵魂回到曾赋于他生命的上帝那里去。
她在墙上又擦了一根火柴，火光把四周照亮了。在亮光里，亲爱的和生前一样的祖母出现了。她依然是那么的慈爱和温和，然而那快活和幸福的样子却是她生前从未有过的。
 
   “Grandmother!” exclaimed the child, “oh, take me with you! I know thou1 wilt2leave me as soon as the match goes out， thou wilt vanish like warm fire in the stove, like the splendid New Year's feast, like the beautiful large Christmas tree!” and she hastily lighted all the remaining matches in the bundle, last her grandmother should disappear. And the matches burned with such a blaze of splendor, that noon day could scarcely have been brighter. Never had the good old grandmother looked so tall and stately, so beautiful and kind； she took the little girl in her arms, and they both flew together-higher, till they were in that place where neither cold, nor hunger, nor pain, is ever known， they were in paradise.
“奶奶！”小姑娘叫了起来，“啊！把我带走吧！我知道这火柴一熄灭，你就会象炉中温暖的火焰，丰盛的新年饭食，美丽的大圣诞树一样地不见了！”她急忙把剩下的一束火柴都擦着了，生怕祖母走了，这束火柴发出强烈的光芒，照得比白天还要亮。祖母从来没有象现在这样显得高大、美丽和亲切。她把小姑娘抱起来，搂在怀里。她们俩在光明和快乐飞走了，越飞越高，飞到既没有寒冷，又没有饥饿和忧愁的地方——那就是极乐世界。
But in the cold morning hour, crouching in the corner of the wall, the poor little girl was found：her cheeks glowing, her lips smiling， frozen to death on the last night of the old Year. The New Year's sun shone on the lifeless child； motionless she sat there with the matches in her lap, one bundle of them quite burnt out.
“She has been trying to warm herself, poor thing!” the people said， but no one knew of the sweet visions she had beheld, or how gloriously she and her grandmother were celebrating their New Year's festival.
 
直到寒冷的早晨，人们发现一个可怜的小姑娘蜷缩在墙角里，她双颊通红，嘴唇上带着微笑，她已经在旧年的除夕冻死了。新年的太阳升起来了，照在她那小小的身体上！她一动也不动地坐在那里，手中还捏着火柴，其中一捆已经完全烧光了。
“可怜的孩子！她是想把自己暖一下呀！”然而却没有人知道，她曾看到过多么美妙的东西，她曾多么快乐地跟祖母在一起欢度新年佳节！
 柴的小女孩 。

--                       A Chance of a lifetime
                           生命的机遇
"This is a chance of a life time," I declared to my friend Stacy as I locked the door of my office and left the restaurant I managed. "It's every twenty-seven-year-old woman's dream to live in New York City, and in a few months I'll know if I get the transfer."
"这可是我生命中的一次机遇，"我对斯泰西说。说着，我锁上办公室的门，离开了我经营多年的饭店。在纽约生活，这可是每个27岁的女人所梦寐以求的.还有几个月我就可以知道能否获准迁入。
I watched the moonlight glisten on the waters of Laguna Beach. "I'll miss it here, but living in the Big Apple is everything I've ever wanted - a dream come true."
我凝视着倒映在拉古纳湾水面上的月光。"我很留恋这里，可住在纽约是长久以来我心中惟一的梦想--如今，美梦就要成真了!"
We met a group of our friends at a local cafe, and I jabbered on about the possibility of my move. Laughter erupted from a nearby table. I watched as a handsome man captured the attention of his friends with his engaging story. His broad, warm smile and air of confidence held me in a trance. Stacy nudged me. "You're staring,
在街上的一家小咖啡店里，我们遇到了一群朋友，我便和他们闲聊着我可能要走的事。这时，邻近的一张桌子爆发出阵阵笑声。我应声望去，看见一个英俊的男人正在给他的朋友讲一个引人人胜的故事。他那坦率、温暖的笑容和自信的模样让我不由地发怔。 斯泰西轻轻地捅了我一下，说道："嘿，米歇尔，你发什么呆，好像着魔了一样。"
Michelle, and about to drool." "Wow," I whispered. I watched the gorgeous guy push up the sleeves of his bulky sweater. Everyone at his table had their eyes fixed on him. "That's the man I want to marry." "Yeah, right," Stacy droned. "Tell us more about where you'd like to live in New York, because we all plan to visit you there when you land this job. " As I spoke my gaze drifted back to the debonair man.
我看着那英俊的家伙卷起他那宽松外套的衣袖。他桌边的同伴都全神贯注地望着他。我轻呼道；"哦！那正是我要嫁的男人。""的确不错，"斯泰西说。"不过，还是快说说你在纽约打算住哪儿？要知道我们都打算等你工作定了去那儿看你。" 我回答着她的问题，目光却不由自主地移向那个神采飞扬的男人。
Three months later my friends and I gathered at the same restaurant. "To life in the Big Apple!" they cheered as we tapped our glasses together. "My chance of a lifetime!" We talked for hours. I told them of my plan to save money by moving out of my beach cottage and renting a room for the few remaining months. Our friend offered, "I have a fellow South African friend who is considering renting one of the four bedrooms in his house. His name is Barry. A great guy." He scribbled on a napkin. "This is his number. He's a forty-two-year-old confirmed bachelor. Says he's much too busy being a single dad to be a husband."
三个月后，我和朋友又相聚在同一家餐厅里。我们互相碰杯，欢呼道："为了纽约的新生活！"我们聊了几个小时，我总说这是我生命中的一次机遇。我告诉他们为省钱我决定搬出海边的小木屋，准备在离开前的几个月内租一间房间住。"我有一个来自南非的朋友，"一个朋友主动提出，"他叫巴里，是个很不错的家伙。""这是他的电话，"他在一张餐巾纸上写下了号码。"他是个42岁坚定的单身主义者。他戏言自己忙于做一个单身父亲而没有时间再做丈夫。"
I made an appointment to see the room the same day. I approached the entrance of the spacious house, and the door opened. "You must be Michelle," he said. He pushed up the sleeves of his bulky sweater and flashed his handsome smile. It was the man from the restaurant months before --- the man I wanted to marry.
当天，我便预约去看房子。我正朝那所大房子走去时，门开了。"你一定是米歇尔，"他说着，卷起他宽松外套的衣袖，脸上漾起迷人的微笑。这不就是几个月前饭店里的那个男人--那个我想要嫁的男人！
I stood staring, my mouth gaping, hoping I wasn't drooling.
我目瞪口呆地站在那里，希望自己没有失态。
"You are Michelle, aren't you? " he said, coaxing me out of my trance." Would you like to see the room?"
"你就是米歇尔，对吗？"他打断了我的思绪，说道："你想看看房间吗？
I followed him through a tour of the house, then accepted when he offered me a cup of tea. Barry had a sophisticated kindness about him and listened attentively as I chattered nervously about myself. His silver-rimmed glasses accented a few gray streaks in his dark hair. Soon, his warm, inviting smile put me at ease, and we spent the next two hours talking casually. Ultimately, I decided not to take the room and reluctantly bade him good-bye.
我便随着他参观了一下房子，并接受了他的邀请，喝了一杯茶。巴里沉稳而耐心，他专心地听我喋喋不休地谈论着自己。他那银镶边的眼镜使他深色头发中的几缕白发格外醒目。很快，他灿烂、热情的微笑令我放松。在接下来的两个小时里，我们随意地聊着。最后，我决定不租那房间，并依依不舍地和他道别。
The months went by quickly while I busied myself with preparation for the move. I thought of Bany often, but couldn't consider calling him.
之后，我整天忙于搬家的事，几个月飞快地过去了。这段日子里，尽管我常常想到巴里，却不曾想过要打电话给他。
"I'm moving to New York in three weeks, "I said to Stacy as we walked out of my office and into the dining area. "As much as I'd like to see him again, it would only complicate my life.
一天，当我和斯泰西离开我的办公室走向饭厅时，我说："再过三个星期，我就要去纽约了，再见他一面，只会使我的生活变得一团糟。"
"Well, brace yourself for complications," Stacy muttered, then nodded toward the door. Barry, with his big blue eyes and engaging smile, walked into my restaurant.
"那么，就让它一团糟吧！"斯泰西低语道，朝着门那边点了点头。是巴里，他用那双蔚蓝色的眼睛望着我，脸上带着摄人心魄的微笑，走进了饭店。
"Hello," he said softly. "Do you have time to join me for a cup of coffee?"
"Of course." I tried not to gasp.
"你好，"他温柔地说道。"现在有空喝杯咖啡吗?quot;
"当然！"我试着不让自己窒息。
We slid into a booth and our conversation picked up where it left off before. He, too, was making a career change and was moving back to South Africa. His departure date was one week before mine. Now I knew I had to calm my pounding heart. We obviously had no future together. He took my phone number and invited me to dinner sometime. I accepted, suppressing my sadness, knowing I would be leaving in two short weeks and the date would probably never happen.
我们拐进了一家路边小店，接着上次的话题聊了起来。从他的谈话中，我得知他也正要换一份工作，回到南非去。他的行程先于我一个星期。现在我明白我必须让自己冲动的心冷静一下。很明显，我们俩不会有结果。他问了我的电话号码，说以后会请我吃饭。我强忍着悲痛接受了，因为我知道两个星期后我将离开，这可能是永远都无法实现的约会。
But it did. He picked me up a few days later for a movie and dinner. We talked for hours about our lives, our hopes, our separate dreams--- mine in New York, his in South Africa. Never had I spoken so freely, so comfortably, with a man. He reached across the table and took my hand. I thought I saw in his eyes the same love l felt swelling in my hear. He said, "I'm just sorry I met you only one week before l leave."
可它竟然实现了！几天后，他来接我，我们一起看电影，吃晚饭。我们聊了几个小时，聊生活，聊希望，聊我们各自的梦想--我的在纽约，而他的在南非。我从不曾和一个男人谈得如此畅快，如此舒服。他握住我的手。从他的眼神里，我想我看到了正在我心中急剧膨胀的爱。他说。"我真的很遗憾，走前的一个星期才遇到你。"
"We still have seven days, " I said meekly.
"可我们还有整整七天。"我无限深情地答道。
"Then let's make the most of it." He helped me on with my sweater. Hand in hand, we strolled to the car and made plans for the next day and the next and the next. As he drove me home, Tracy Chapman sang, "Give me one reason to stay, and I'll turn right back around." Was his heart singing along like mine?
"那么就让我们充分地享受它们吧，"说着，他帮我穿上外套。我们手牵着手走向汽车，计划着我们的明天以及明天的明天。在他开车送我回家的路上，我心中响起了特蕾西·查普曼的歌? "给我一个留下的理由，我将会回头……"。不知他心里是否也在和我一起歌唱呢？
 
   We spent part of every day together for the next week. I knew I was falling in love, but dared not speak it. I couldn't upset our chances for a lifetime.
在之后的一个星期里，我们每天都会抽时间在一起。我深知自己已坠入了爱河，可却没有胆量说出来。我不愿因此而破坏我们各自生活中的良机。
" And I know he loves me, too," l moaned to Stacy over a cup of coffee in my near-empty restaurant. "We've even talked about trying to get together over holidays. He's meeting me here soon to bring me a gift to remember him by."
"我知道，他也爱我，"当我和斯泰西在我那已快人去楼空的餐厅里喝咖啡时，我轻声说。"我们甚至已经在计划假期如何一起度过。他很快就要上这儿来，送我一件礼物做纪念。"
Just then, Bary strolled in. I stood to welcome his arms around me. We sat, sipping our coffee. "I will miss you so much, "he said softly. "But I know you'll think of me whenever you hear this. "He placed a Tracy Chapman CD on the table in front of me. Then he pointed to the song title, Just Give Me One Reason. "We can listen to the same music and remember each other."
正说着，巴里走了进来。我站起来，投人他的怀抱。坐下后，我们各自抿着杯中的咖啡。"我会想你的，"他无限温存地说道。"不过，我想当你听它的时候一定会想起我，"他拿出那张特蕾西·查普曼的CD放在我的面前，他指着那首主打歌《我只要一个理由》，说道："当我们听同一首歌时，我们都正在思念着对方。
"Oh, and one more thing to remember me by." He set a small box on top of the CD. The same awe I felt at our first meeting paralyzed me now. The love I saw in his eyes as we gazed across the table was gift enough for a lifetime. Finally I reached for the box and opened it slowly. A diamond ring!
"对了，还有一样东西。"他拿出一个小盒子放在CD上。我好像第一次见他那样完全怔住了。我们彼此凝望，他眼中的爱意是我一生都受用不尽的礼物。最后，我拿起那只盒子，慢慢地打开了它。一枚钻石戒指！
"Michelle, I have loved you from the first moment I saw you. On our first date, even before we had coffee, l knew you were the woman I was going to marry. I woke up this morning, desperate, thinking, it's May 3! In three days I'll lose my angel. Sure, my career in South Africa is a chance in a lifetime, but you, Michelle, are my dream come true. Please marry me."
"米歇尔，我见到你的第一眼便深深地爱上了你。在我们第一次约会之前，不，甚至在我们一起喝咖啡之前，我已经知道你是我要娶的女人。今天早上，我睁开眼睛，一想到已经是5月3号，我绝望极了，再过三天，我将失去我的大使。的确，在非洲的事业是我生命中的一个转机。可是你。米歇尔，让我的梦想成真。请嫁给我吧，亲爱的米歇尔?quot;
"Yes, Barry, yes, "I cried. "
"噢，是的，巴里，是的，我同意！"我流着泪答道。
I know what moving to New York means to you, but will you come with me to South Africa? I believe with all my heart, Michelle, that we were brought together on purpose. Nothing in my life is going as I planned it, but l know it's all a part of a bigger plan." Barry chuckled. "God has a great sense of humor, but a poor sense of timing."
"我知道到纽约对你意味着什么，可是你能到南非和我一同生活吗？我深深地感到，米歇尔，我们的相遇是上天的安排。我生活中的许多事都与计划背道而驰。可我相信那都是一个更大计划的组成部分?quot;巴里笑言："上帝的确够幽默，可却不太会安排时间。"
Exactly one year later, on May 3, we were married under an African sky. Our dream come true. Our chance of a lifetime.
一年后的5月3号，我和巴里在南非的天空下举行了婚礼。我们都梦想成真，也不曾错过我们生命中的机遇。

--
《谁动了我的奶酪》
 
 ？
　　ONCE, long ago in a land far away, there lived four little characters who ran through a maze1 looking for cheese to nourish2 them and make them happy.
　　Two were mice, named “Sniff 3” and “Scurry4” and two were littlepeople-beings5 who were as small as mice but who looked and acted a lot like people today. Their names were “Hem6” and “Haw7.”
　　Due to their small size, it would be easy not to notice what the four of them were doing. But if you looked closely enough, you could discover the most amazing things!
　　Every day the mice and the little people spent time in the maze looking for their own special cheese. The mice, Sniff and Scurry, possessing8 only simple rodent9 brains, but good instincts10, searched for the hard nibbling11 cheese they liked, as mice often do.
　　The two littlepeople, Hem and Haw, used their brains, filled with many beliefs and emotions12, to search for a very different kind of Cheese—with a capital 13 C—which they believed would make them feel happy and successful.
　　As different as the mice and littlepeople were, they shared something in common: every morning, they each put on their jogging14 suits and running shoes, left their little homes, and raced out into the maze looking for their favorite cheese.
　　The maze was a labyrinth15 of corridors16 and chambers17, some containing delicious cheese. But there were also dark corners and blind alleys18 leading nowhere. It was an easy place for anyone to get lost.
　　However, for those who found their way, the maze held secrets that let them enjoy a better life.
　　The mice, Sniff and Scurry, used the simple, but inefficient19, trial-and-error20 method of finding cheese. They ran down one corridor and if it proved empty, they turned and ran down another.
　　Sniff would smell out the general direction of the cheese, using his great nose, and Scurry would race ahead. They got lost, as you might expect, went off 21 in the wrong direction and often bumped 22 into walls.
　　However, the two littlepeople, Hem and Haw, used a different method that relied on23 their ability to think and learn from their past experiences, although, they would sometimes get confused24 by their beliefs and emotions.
　　Eventually25 in their own way, they all discovered what they were looking for —they each found their own kind of cheese one day at the end of one of the corridors in Cheese Station C.
　　Every morning after that, the mice and the littlepeople dressed in their running gear26 and headed27 over to Cheese Station C. It wasn’t long before they each established their own routine.
　　Sniff and Scurry continued to wake early every day and race through the maze, always following the same route.
　　When they arrived at their destination, the mice took off their running shoes, tied them together and hung them around their necks—so they could get to them quickly whenever they needed them again. Then they enjoyed the cheese.
　　In the beginning Hem and Haw also raced toward Cheese Station C every morning to enjoy the tasty new morsels28 that awaited them.
　　But after a while, a different routine set in29 for the littlepeople.
　　Hem and Haw awoke each day a little later, dressed a little slower, and walked to Cheese Station C. After all, they knew where the Cheese was now and how to get there.
　　They had no idea where the Cheese came from, or who put it there. They just assumed 30 it would be there.
　　As soon as Hem and Haw arrived at Cheese Station C each morning, they settled in31 and made themselves at home. They hung up32　their jogging suits, put away33 their running shoes and put on their slippers34. They were becoming very comfortable now that they had found the Cheese.
　　“This is great,” Hem said. “There’s enough Cheese here to last us forever.” The littlepeople felt happy and successful, and thought they were now secure.
　　It wasn’t long before Hem and Haw regarded the Cheese they found at Cheese Station C as their cheese. It was such a large store of Cheese that they eventually moved their homes to be closer to it, and built a social life around it.
　　To make themselves feel more at home, Hem and Haw decorated35 the walls with sayings and even drew pictures of Cheese around them which made them smile. One read:
　　Having Cheese Makes You Happy.
　　Sometimes Hem and Haw would take their friends by to see their pile of Cheese at Cheese Station C, and point to it with pride, saying, “Pretty nice Cheese, huh?” Sometimes they shared it with their friends and sometimes they didn’t.
　　“We deserve this Cheese,” Hem said. “We certainly had to work long and hard enough to find it.” He picked up a nice fresh piece and ate it.
　　Afterwards, Hem fell asleep, as he often did.
　　Every night the littlepeople would waddle36 home, full of Cheese, and every morning they would confidently return for more.
　　This went on for quite some time.
　　After a while Hem’s and Haw’s confidence grew into arrogance37. Soon they became so comfortable they didn’t even notice what was happening.
　　As time went on, Sniff and Scurry continued their routine. They arrived early each morning and sniffed and scratched 38 and scurried 39 around Cheese Station C, inspecting40 the area to see if there had been any changes from the day before. Then they would sit down to nibble on the cheese.
　　从前，在一个遥远的地方，住着四个小家伙。为了填饱肚子和享受生活，他们终日穿行在一座迷宫里，寻找“奶酪”。
　　其中有两只小老鼠，一个叫“嗅嗅”，另一个叫“匆匆”。还有两个和老鼠一般大小的小矮人，模样和行为看上去像今天的人类。他俩一个叫“哼哼”，另一个叫“唧唧”。
　　由于他们个头太小，他们干什么自然不容易引起旁人注意。但如果凑近仔细看，你会发现非常令人称奇的事情！
　　每天两只小老鼠和两个小矮人在迷宫里打发时间，寻找适合自己的特别奶酪。嗅嗅、匆匆和其他啮齿类动物一样头脑简单，但直觉良好。和别的老鼠一样，他们寻找的是那种适合啃咬的硬奶酪。
　　两个小矮人，哼哼和唧唧，则靠脑袋行事，拥有各种信念和情感。他们要找的是一种不同寻常的奶酪——带有大写字母“C”的奶酪。他们相信，这样的奶酪会给他们带来快乐和成功。
　　尽管小老鼠和小矮人目标不同，但他们有一个共同点: 每天早上，他们各自穿上运动服和跑鞋，离开他们的小房子，跑进迷宫寻找他们各自钟爱的奶酪。
　　迷宫中有许多走廊和房间，其中一些藏有美味奶酪，但也有一些黑暗的角落和死胡同，任何人走进去都容易迷路。
　　然而，对找到出路的人来说，迷宫还有一些秘密，能使他们享受更美好的生活。
　　小老鼠嗅嗅和匆匆，总是运用简单低效的办法反复尝试寻找奶酪。他们跑进一条走廊，如果发现空空如也，就掉头拐进另一条走廊搜寻。
　　嗅嗅可以用他了不起的鼻子嗅出奶酪的大致方向，匆匆则跑在前面开路。不出所料，他们经常迷路走错方向，常常撞到墙上。
　　而两个小矮人，哼哼和唧唧，则依靠他们的思维能力，用不同的方法， 从过去的经验中学习。但有时也会被信念和感情弄糊涂。
　　最后，终于有一天，在某条走廊尽头的奶酪C站，他们凭借自己的方式找到了他们想要的东西。
　　从那以后，这四个家伙每天早上穿上跑步的行头，直奔奶酪C站。不久，他们建立了一条各自的常规线路。
　　嗅嗅和匆匆仍旧每天起得很早，总是沿着相同的路线跑进迷宫。
　　老鼠们到达目的地后，脱下跑鞋，将两只鞋系在一起，挂在脖子上——以便需要时随时取下。然后，他们开始尽情享用奶酪。
　　起初，哼哼和唧唧也是每天一大早赶到奶酪C站，享用等在那里的美味佳肴。
　　然而不久，小矮人们改变了他们的常规。
　　哼哼和唧唧每天起得晚了，穿戴也慢了，然后漫步走到奶酪C站。毕竟，他们知道了奶酪站的位置，也知道通向奶酪站的线路。
　　他们不知道奶酪从何而来，又是谁把它们放在了那里。他们想当然地认为，奶酪始终会放在那里。
　　每天早晨，哼哼和唧唧一到奶酪C站，就像回到了自己家，舒适地安顿下来。他们脱下运动衣把它们挂起来，放好鞋子，换上拖鞋。既然找到了奶酪，他们感觉惬意极了。
　　“太好了！”哼哼说：“这里有这么多奶酪，足够我们享用一辈子。”小矮人充满了幸福感和成功感，觉得从此可以无忧无虑了。
　　不久，哼哼和唧唧认定奶酪C站发现的奶酪就是属于他们的。这里的奶酪库存非常丰富，以致他们决定把家搬到更靠近奶酪C站的地方，并在周围一带展开社交活动。
　　为了让自己感觉更舒适，哼哼和唧唧把墙壁装饰了一通，在墙上写了一些格言，并画满了奶酪图案。这些图画和格言令他们喜形于色。有一句话是这样的：
　　拥有奶酪就拥有幸福。
　　有时，他们会带朋友来参观奶酪C站成堆的奶酪，自豪地指着这些奶酪说：“多么美妙可口的奶酪呀，不是吗？”有时，他们与朋友们一起分享这些奶酪，有时则单独享用。
　　“我们有资格拥有这些奶酪。”哼哼说，“为了找到它们，我们当然得付出长期的努力。”他拿起一块鲜美的奶酪放进嘴里。
　　然后，像平常一样，哼哼用完奶酪便睡着了。
　　每天晚上，饱餐一顿后，小矮人们就摇摇摆摆走回家，第二天早上又信心十足走进奶酪站，享用更多的奶酪。
　　这种情况持续了相当长一段时间。
　　后来，哼哼和唧唧的自信开始变成狂妄。不久，生活的安逸使他们丝毫没有察觉到正在发生的变化。
　　随着时间的推移，嗅嗅和匆匆继续着他们一成不变的生活。每天一早他们赶到奶酪C站，四处闻一闻、抓一抓，查看和前一天有什么不一样。然后他们才会坐下来咀嚼奶酪。