全新版大学英语第二版综合教程4unit3课文翻译(2)

21 4. Find a way to make a difference. In my opinion, the majority of New York cabdrivers are unfriendly, if not downright rude. Most of the cabs are filthy, and almost all of them sport an impenetrable, bulletproof partition. But recently I jumped into a cab at LaGuardia Airport and guess what? It was clean. There was beautiful music playing and no partition.

4. 想方设法显得与众不同。在我看来，纽约大多数的出租车司机即使不算无礼透顶，至少也是不友好的。车辆大都十分肮脏，几乎所有的车都触目地装有难以穿透的防弹隔离装置。可近日我在拉瓜迪亚机场跳上了一辆出租车，你猜怎么样？车子竟然干干净净。放着优美的音乐，而且没有隔离装置。

22 "Park Lane Hotel, please," I said to the driver. With a broad smile, he said, "Hi, my name is Wally," and he handed me a mission statement. A mission statement! It said he would get me there safely, courteously and on time.

“请到帕克街酒店，”我对司机说。他笑容满面地说：“你好，我叫沃利，”他说着递给我一份保证书。一份保证书！上面写着他将安全、礼貌、准时地将我送到目的地。

23 As we drove off, he held up a choice of newspapers and said, "Be my guest." He told me to help myself to the fruit in the basket on the back seat. He held up a cellular phone and said, "It's a dollar a minute if you'd like to make a call." 车开后，他拿出几份报纸说：“请随意翻阅。”他还让我随意品尝后座篮子里的水果。接着他又拿出手机说：“您要是想打电话，每分钟1美元。”

24 Shocked, I blurted, "How long have you been practicing this?" He answered, "Three or four years."

我大吃一惊，脱口问道：“你这么做有多久了？”他回答说：“有三、四年了。”

25 "I know this is prying." I said, "but how much extra money do you earn in tips?" “我知道不该问，”我说，“可是，你能多挣多少小费？”

26 "Between $12,000 and $14,000 a year!" he responded proudly.

“一年12,000到14,000美元左右，”他得意地回答说。

27 He doesn't know it, but he's my hero. He's living proof that you can always shift the odds in your favor.

他不知道他成了我心目中的英雄。他就是一个生动的例证，说明你总是可以争取到成功的机会。

28 My mentor, Curt Carlson, is the wealthiest man in Minnesota, owner of a hotel and travel company with sales in the neighborhood of $9 billion. I had to get to a meeting in New York one day, and Curt generously offered me a ride in his jet. It happened to be a day Minnesota was hit with one of the worst snowstorms in years. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was closed for the first time in decades. 我的良师益友柯特·卡尔森是明尼苏达州的首富，拥有一家酒店和旅行社，营业收入约达90亿美元。一次我要去纽约赴会，柯特慷慨地请我乘坐他的私人飞机。碰巧那天明尼苏达州遭受多年不遇的暴风雪袭击。明尼阿波利斯—圣保罗国际机场几十年来第一次关闭。

29 Then, though the storm continued to pound us, the airport opened a runway for small craft only. As we were taxiing down it to take off, Curt turned to me and said gleefully, "Look, Harvey, no tracks in the snow!"

虽然暴风雪仍在肆虐，机场还是特地为小型飞机清出了一条跑道。我们正在跑道上滑行准备起飞时，柯特转过头来兴奋地说：“看哪，哈维，雪地上没有痕迹啊！”

30 Curt Carlson, 70 years old at the time, rich beyond anyone's dreams, could still sparkle with excitement about being first.

柯特·卡尔森，当时年届70，富甲一方，竟然还会因为自己是第一个而如此兴奋。

31 From my standpoint, that's what it's all about. Prepare to win. Never stop learning. Believe in yourself, even when no one else does. Find a way to make a difference. Then go out and make your own tracks in the snow.

在我看来，这些正是关键之所在。准备去赢。永不中断学习。相信自己，哪怕没人相信你。想方设法显得与众不同。然后就出发，在雪地上留下你自己的足迹。

Is America going to decline like other great nations have before? The author thinks not, arguing that the type of society being created in America is quite unlike any that has gone before it. Read what he has to say and see whether you agree. 美国是否会如同历史上其他强国一样走向衰亡？作者持否定观点，认为美国创建的社会模式不同于任何已出现的社会模式。读一读他的观点，看看你是否同意。