現代大學英語Lesson10(A)精讀重點講解

　　引言：

每個地方對於生活在那裏的人們來説都有特殊的意義，在某種程度上來説，每個地方都代表世界的中心。世上有無數個這樣的中心，沒有一個學生或旅行者能全部經歷到。

世界的文化中到處是富有特殊價值和意義而預料不到的青香蕉。多年來它們一直在那裏，慢慢地成熟，或許在耐心地等待人們走過去發現它們。事實上，假如我們願意離開我們自己的世界的中心，去感受其他的地方，青香蕉在等待我們每一個人。

The Green Banana---Donald Batchelder

Although it might have happened anywhere, my encounter with the green banana started on a steep mountain road in the central area of Brazil. My ancient jeep was straining up through beautiful countryside when the radiator began to leak, and I was ten miles from the nearest mechanic. The over-heated engine forced me to stop at the next village, which consisted of a small store and a few houses that were scattered here and there. People came over to look. They could see three fine streams of hot water spouting from holes in the jacket of the radiator. "That's easy to fix," a man said. He sent a boy running for some green bananas. He patted me on the shoulder, assuring me that everything would work out. "Green bananas," he smiled. Everyone agreed.

We chattered casually while all the time I was wondering what they could possibly do to my radiator with their green bananas. I did not ask them, though, as that would show my ignorance, so I talked about the beauty of the land that lay before our eyes. Huge rock formations, like Sugar Loaf in Rio, rose up all around us. "Do you see that tall one right over there?" asked the man, pointing to a particularly tall, slender pinnacle of dark rock. "That rock marks the center of the world."

I looked to see if he was teasing me, but his face was serious. He, in turn, inspected me carefully, as if to make sure I grasped the significance of his statement. The occasion called for some show of recognition on my part. "The center of the world?" I repeated, trying to show interest if not complete acceptance. He nodded. "The absolute center. Everyone around here knows it."

At that moment the boy returned with an armful of green bananas. The man cut one in half and pressed the cut end against the radiator jacket. The banana melted into a glue against the hot metal, stopping the leaks instantly. I was so astonished at this that I must have looked rather foolish and everyone laughed. They then refilled me radiator and gave me extra bananas to take along in case my radiator should give me trouble again. An hour later, after using the green banana once more, my radiator and I reached our destination. The local mechanic smiled. "Who taught you about the green banana?" I gave him the name of the village. "Did they show you the rock marking the center of the world?" he asked. I assured him they had. "My grandfather came from there," he said. "The exact center. Everyone around here has always known about it."

As a product of American education, I had never paid the slightest attention to the green banana, except to regard it as a fruit whose time had not yet come. Suddenly, on that mountain road, its time had come to meet my need. But as I reflected on it further, I realized that the green banana had been there all along. Its time reached back to the very origins of the banana. The people in that village had known about it for years. It was my own time that had come, all in relation to it. I came to appreciate the special genius of those people, and the special potential of the green banana. I had been wondering for some time about what educators like to call "learning moments," and I now knew I had just experienced two of them at once.

It took me a little longer to fully grasp the importance of the rock which the villagers believed marked the center of the world. I had at first doubted their claim, as I knew for a fact that the center was located somewhere else in New England. After all, my grandfather had come from there. But gradually I realized the village people had a very reasonable belief and I agreed with them. We all tend to regard as the center that special place where we are known, where we know others, where things mean much to us, and where we ourselves have both identity and meaning: family, school, town and local region could all be our center of the world.

The lesson which gradually dawned on me was actually very simple. Every place has special meanings for the people in it, and in a certain sense every place represents the center of the world. The world has numerous such centers, and no one student or traveler can experience all of them. But once a conscious breakthrough to a second center is made, a life-long perspective and collection can begin.

The cultures of the world are full of unexpected green bananas with special value and meaning. They have been there for ages, ripening slowly, perhaps waiting patiently for people to come along to encounter them. In fact, a green banana is waiting for all of us if we would leave our own centers of the world in order to experience other places.

青香蕉

這件事在任何地方都可能發生，而我遇到青香蕉是在巴西中部的一條陡峭山路上。我那輛老吉普車在美麗的鄉村艱難穿行時，水箱開始漏水，而離最近的修車處還有十英里。過熱的發動機迫使我在附近一個四處散佈着一些小店子和房屋的村子停下來。村民們走過來看發生了什麼事，他們看到三小股熱水從水箱外殼的洞裏湧出來。“這很容易修”，一個人邊説邊派一個男孩去取一些青香蕉。他拍拍我的肩膀，向我保證事情能得到圓滿解決。“青香蕉派得上用場”，他笑道。在場的人都很認同。

我們隨意地聊起天來，同時我一直在想他們怎麼用青香蕉修理我的水箱，然而我沒有問他們，因為那會顯得無知。所以我只談了談眼前這塊美麗的土地。巨大的巖層，像里約熱內盧的蘇格羅浮山，在我們四周聳立着。“看到那塊高聳的巖石了嗎?”那人指着一塊特別高且頂部線條柔和的黑巖石問道，“那塊巖石標誌着世界的中心。”

我盯着他看，看他是不是在騙我，但他表情嚴肅認真。而他，反過來也審視着我，好像要確認我是否理解他話中的真諦。這種情形需要我表示出對他的話的認可。“世界的中心?”我又問了一遍，在完全接受他的觀點之前努力顯出興趣。他點點頭。“一個絕對的中心。這兒的人都知道。”

就在這時，那男孩抱着一抱青香蕉回來了。男人將一支香蕉切成兩半，把切口處壓在水箱表面。香蕉立即熔成糊狀堵住了金屬殼的裂縫，止住了漏水。看到這一切我太驚訝了。隨後他們重新灌滿了我的水箱，還額外送給了我一些青香蕉以防水箱又給我找麻煩。在接下來的一小時，又用了一次青香蕉後，我和我的水箱抵達了目的地。當地的修理工微笑着問我，“誰教你用青香蕉的?”我告訴他那個村的名字。“他們指給你看標誌世界中心的巖石沒有?”他問。我説他們這樣問了。“我爺爺從那兒來，”他説，“它是純粹的中心。這兒的人都知道。”

在美國教育的“造就”下，我一點也沒注意過青香蕉，只認為它是一種尚未成熟的水果。突然間，在那條山路上，青香蕉被用來修補我的水箱的時機到了。但當我進一步思考時，我發現青香蕉其實一直存在，它可追溯到香蕉的起源。那個村的人多年以來就知道這一點，而現在是我認識這種青香蕉以及一切與它相關的事情的時候了。我開始欣賞那些人特別的智慧和青香蕉潛在的獨特價值。好長一段時間我一直在想教育者們所説的“瞬間領悟到的東西”，我知道我剛剛一下子感受到了兩樣東西：青香蕉的特殊用途和有關世界中心的説法。

我花了更長一點的時間來理解村民們所信仰的標誌着世界中心的巖石。剛開始我懷疑他們的話，因為事實上世界的中心在新英格蘭，畢竟，我祖父來自那兒。但漸漸地，我發現村民們的信念很有道理，我認同他們。我們傾向於把某個特殊的地方看作是世界的中心，在那裏我們被他人所瞭解，並瞭解其他人，那地方對我們很重要，在那裏我們擁有認同感和生活的意義。比如家庭、學校、城鎮，還有地方區域，都會成為我們心目中的世界的中心。

我漸漸悟到的這一課其實很簡單。每個地方對於生活在那裏的人們來説都有特殊的意義，在某種程度上來説，每個地方都代表世界的中心。世上有無數個這樣的中心，沒有一個學生或旅行者能全部經歷到。一旦有意識地進入到第二個世界中心，一個人一生觀點的形成和收集便開始了。

unter n. 意外的相見,遭遇

例句：

His encounter with the guard dog had completely unnerved him.

他遇上了警衞犬, 把他嚇壞了.

ator n. 暖氣片,散熱器

例句：

The radiator is giving out a lot of heat.

散熱器釋放出很多熱量.

ll v. 再充滿,再注滿

例句：

Allow me to refill your cup.

請允許我給您再斟上一杯。

htest adj. 最少的

例句：

Do be careful with those fireworks; the slightest spark could set them off.

這些煙火要格外小心, 稍有火星就能引起爆炸.

on v.漸漸被理解

例句：

The truth began to dawn on him.

他開始弄明白真相.

6. perspective n. 遠景,看法,透視

例句：

You must get the story in its right perspectives.

你必須正確地瞭解這件事。

p v. 抓住,緊握,領會

例句：

I grasped the main point of the speech.

我領會了這篇演講的要點。

ect on v.思考, 反省, 懷疑, 導致, 責備

例句：

I always reflect on life when listening to beethoven's symphony.

每當聽貝多芬交響樂的時候，我總會仔細思考人生。

nished adj. 驚訝的

例句：

I was astonished at the news of his escape.

聽到他逃之夭夭的消息，我感到驚訝。

引自《英語學習》2003年第二期

作者是美國學者Donald Batch elder，文章講的是對待世界上各種不同文化應採取何種態度的問題。隨着國際交往的不斷髮展，我們的世界越來越像一個地球村，各種風格迥異的文化彼此遭遇、碰撞，文明之間的衝突大有愈演愈烈之勢，如何看待異域文化和文化差異成了值得人們認真思考的重要問題。本文的作者通過一個小故事，向我們展示了他本人對這個問題的深入思考。

文章可分為兩大部分。第一部分為1-4段，作者以第一人稱的口吻向我們講述了他在巴西的一段經歷。作為一個美國旅行者，當他駕着一輛舊吉普車行進在巴西中部的山路上時，水箱開始漏水，他被迫停在附近的一個小村莊裏。熱情的村民用他們古老的辦法為作者解決了問題。他們找來了一些尚未成熟的青香蕉，掰開以後塞到水箱漏水處，由於水箱金屬殼的熱度，香蕉馬上融化成膠汁，粘住了裂縫。同時，在與村民的閒聊中，作者還驚訝地得知，他們堅信附近的'一塊巖石就是世界的中心。這一次與當地本土文化不期然的相遇給了作者很大的震動，在第二部分（5-8段）中，作者着重講述了他的感悟。首先，他驚訝於青香焦所展示給他的當地古老文化中的智慧；再次，他驚訝於村民們對世界中心即那塊巖石的信仰，因為他認為世界的中心應該在他祖父的家鄉新英格蘭。後來作者逐步意識到：每一種文化都有自身的精妙之處, "The Green Banana" 即象徵着每一種文化中所藴藏的鮮為人知的寶藏；對每一種族的人來説，他們生活的地方對他們都具有特殊意義，從而在某種意義上説都可代表世界的中心 (Every pla ce has special meanings for the people in it, and in a certain sense every place represents the center of the world.)。世界因此有無數的中心，但是人們不可能經歷全部。而我們一旦能夠從自己文化的包圍中走出來，去自覺領受另一種文化，我們將會得到影響自己一生的全新視角，並從此開始收藏異域文化中的寶藏 (The world has numerous such c enters, and no one student or traveler can experience all of them. But once a con scious breakthrough to a second center is made, a life-long perspective and colle ction can begin.)。

作者試圖通過他的感悟告訴我們, 每一種文化都有它的"green bananas" 它們慢慢成熟，等待着我們放下偏見，以平等和尊重的眼光去欣賞和領悟 (The cultures of the world are full of unexpected green bananas with special value and ning slowly, perhaps waiting patiently for people to come along to encounter them.)。任何的種族優越論(ethnocentrism) 或文化擴張 (cultural imperialism) 都是不可取的。

本文從語言方面看，還存在着一些難點，下面試作分析。

第一段第二句 My ancient jeep was straining up through beautiful countryside... 。動詞strain在Collins English Dictionary中的第五條釋義為to make intense or violent efforts; strive。此處的strain up 是指因山路陡峭(steep country road)，汽車只得艱難行進。這一段中還要注意倒數第二句中的 pat me on the shoulder 這種表達方式，類似的説法如 seize sb. by the arm；hit sb. in the back；knock sb. on the head 等等。同時，這一句還出現了work out 這個詞組，work out 的意思很多，此處是指 to prove satisfact ory or effective (Collins English Dictionary)，例如: Did your plan work out? 我們經常碰到work out 作 to solve or find out by reasoning or calculation (Collins Eng lish Dictionary) 講，如 work out a sum; work out an answer。

第二段中, "I did not ask them, though, as that would show my ignorance...," 此處的though是個副詞，表示“然而”。它與although的區別是：although只能作連詞，though既可作連詞也可作副詞，表示in spite of the fact that; even if（《朗文當代英語詞典》）。但注意作此種用法時though不出現在句首，例如：

It's hard work; I enjoy it though. He is a bad manager.

There is no reason, though, to dismiss him.

第三段, "The occasion called for some show of recognition on my part.”中，“cal l for” 做 "need or require" 解，on my part 的釋義為of or by me (《朗文當代英語詞典》)。此句可理解為“當時的情形需要我做出一些認可的表示”。此段還要注意as if 的用法 , "He, in turn, inspeced me carefully, as if to make sure I grasped the signific ance of his statement." as if”為“with the appearance of”，此句中後跟一個以不定式引導的目的狀語。請看下面as if 的常見用法: （例句選自《現代英語用法詞典》）

I've loved you as if you were my son.（後跟從句，動詞一般用虛擬語氣, be 通常用were這個形式，但在一、三人稱主語後用was的情況也不少。）

She cleared her throat as if to speak.（後跟不定式）

From time to time Jason turned round as if searching for someone.（後跟現在分詞）

第四段中“... in case my radiator should give me trouble again”，讀者可能會對should 在這兒的意思不甚瞭解。 should 跟在in case引導的從句或條件從句後, 表示未來時間裏，某種情況發生的可能性，可譯為“萬一”。例如：Here is a shilling in case you should need it.（《現代英語用法詞典》）

第五段中出現了好幾個time，需要注意。“pt to regard it as a fruit whose ti me had not yet come.”，這個time指的是水果成熟的季節；“Suddenly, time had come to meet my need.” 這個time 是指青香蕉被用來修補我的水箱的時機；“Its time reached back to the very origins of the banana.” ，這句是説，其實這種青香蕉一直在那兒，它在那兒的時間可以一直追溯到最初香蕉的出現；最後一句比較難，“It was my o wn time that had come, all in relation to it.” 此句可以用英文解釋為 my own time had come to get to know it, and to know everything connected with it，意思是我認識這種青香蕉以及一切與它相關的事情的時候來了。

此段中作者還提到這段經歷使他感受到兩個learning moments。那麼什麼是learning moments？作者指的又是哪兩次呢？learning moments 是一個教育學上的概念，指人們在瞬間突然領悟到的東西。作者所指的，一是青香蕉的特殊用途使他感悟到每一種文化都有其內含的寶藏，二是每一個地方的人都有權利和理由認為自己生活在世界的中心。從謀篇佈局來看，這句話既總結了前面的經歷，又引發出後面的評論，起着承上啟下的作用。

另外，不知讀者是否注意到了作者行文的詼諧。在第五段，作者自嘲地稱自己為 “a produ ct of American education”。第六段中“... as I knew for a fact that the center w as located somewhere else in New England.”，fact的用法已很幽默, 而作者證明這個“ 事實”所給出的原因竟然是“After all, my grandfather had come from there.”，這讓人立刻想起當地的修理工所説的同樣的話。

本文的作者從一次具體的經歷入手，引發出對待異域文化應採取的正確態度的感悟，由具體到抽象，由淺及深，一氣呵成。青香蕉和被當地人視為世界中心的巖石，貫穿文章始終，被作者賦予深刻的象徵意義，成為理解此文的關鍵。以上是我就內容和語言兩方面對這篇文章所做的粗淺分析，希望能夠於讀者對這篇文章的深入理解有所幫助。