Unit 5A - Quick Fix Society
Quick Fix Society
Janet Mendell Goldstein
My husband and I just got back from a week's vacation in West Virginia. Of course, we couldn't wait to get there, so we took the Pennsylvania Turnpike and a couple of interstates. "Look at those gorgeous farms!" my husband exclaimed as pastoral scenery slid by us at 55 mph. "Did you see those cows?" But at 55 mph, it's difficult to see anything; the gorgeous farms look like moving green checkerboards, and the herd of cows is reduced to a few dots in the rear-view mirror. For four hours, our only real amusement consisted of counting exit signs and wondering what it would feel like to hold still again. Getting there certainly didn't seem like half the fun; in fact, getting there wasn't any fun at all.
So, when it was time to return to our home outside of Philadelphia, I insisted that we take a different route. "Let's explore that countryside," I suggested. The two days it took us to make the return trip were filled with new experiences. We toured a Civil War battlefield and stood on the little hill that fifteen thousand Confederate soldiers had tried to take on another hot July afternoon, one hundred and twenty-five years ago, not knowing that half of them would get killed in the vain attempt. We drove slowly through main streets of sleepy Pennsylvania Dutch towns, slowing to twenty miles an hour so as not to crowd the horses and horse carriages on their way to market. We admired toy trains and antique cars in country museums and saved 70 percent in factory outlets. We stuffed ourselves with spicy salads and homemade bread in an "all-you-can-eat" farmhouse restaurant, then wandered outside to enjoy the sunshine and the herds of cows—no little dots this time—lying in it. And we returned home refreshed, revitalized, and reeducated. This time, getting there had been the fun.
Why is it that the featureless turnpikes and interstates are the routes of choice for so many of us? Why doesn't everybody try slowing down and exploring the countryside? But more and more, the fast lane seems to be the only way for us to go. In fact, most Americans are constantly in a hurry—and not just to get from Point A to Point B. Our country has become a nation in search of the quick fix—in more ways than one.
Now instead of later: Americans understood the principle of deferred gratification. We put a little of each paycheck away "for a rainy day." If we wanted a new sofa or a week at a lakeside cabin, we saved up for it, and the banks helped us out by providing special Christmas Club and vacation Club accounts. If we lived in the right part of the country, we planted corn and beans and waited patiently for the harvest. If we wanted to be thinner, we simply ate less of our favorite foods and waited patiently for the scale to drop, a pound at a time. But today we aren't so patient. We take out loans instead of making deposits, or we use our credit card to get that furniture or vacation trip—relax now, pay later. We buy our food, like our clothing, ready-made and off the rack. And if we're in a hurry to lose weight, we try the latest miracle diet, guaranteed to take away ten pounds in ten days... unless we’re rich enough to afford liposuction.
Faster instead of slower: Not only do we want it now; we don't even want to be kept waiting for it. This general impatience, the "I-hate-to-wait" attitude, has infected every level of our lives. Instead of standing in line at the bank, we withdraw twenty dollars in as many seconds from an automatic teller machine. Then we take our fast money to a fast convenience store (why wait in line at the supermarket?), where we buy a frozen dinner all wrapped up and ready to be put into the microwave... unless we don't care to wait even that long and pick up some fast food instead. And if our fast meal doesn't agree with us, we hurry to the medicine cabinet for—you guessed it—some fast relief. We like fast pictures, so we buy Polaroid cameras. We like fast entertainment, so we record our favorite TV show on the VCR. We like our information fast, too: messages flashed on a computer screen, documents faxed from your telephone to mine, current events in 90-second bursts on Eyewitness News, history reduced to Bicentennial Minutes. Symbolically, the American eagle now flies for Express Mail. How dare anyone keep America waiting longer than overnight?
Superficially instead of thoroughly: What's more, we don't even want all of it. Once, we lingered over every word of a classic novel or the latest best seller. Today, since faster is better, we read the condensed version or put a tape of the book into our car's tape player to listen to on the way to work. Or we buy the Cliff’s Notes, especially if we are students, so we don't have to deal with the book at all. Once, we listened to every note of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Today, we don't have the time; instead, we can enjoy 26 seconds of that famous "da-da-da-DUM theme"—and 99 other musical excerpts almost as famous—on our Greatest Moments of the Classics CD. After all, why waste 45 minutes listening to the whole thing when someone else has saved us the trouble of picking out the best parts? Our magazine articles come to us pre-digested in Reader’s Digest. Our news briefings, thanks to USA Today, are more brief than ever. Even our personal relationships have become compressed. Instead of devoting large parts of our days to our loved ones, we replace them with something called "quality time," which, more often than not, is no time at all. As we rush from book to music to news item to relationship, we do not realize that we are living our lives by the iceberg principle—paying attention only to the top and ignoring the 8/9 that lies just below the surface.
When did it all begin, this urge to do it now, to get it over with, to skim the surface of life? Why are we in such a hurry to save time? And what are we going to do with all the time we save besides, of course, rushing out to save more time? The sad truth is that we don't know how to use the time we save, because all we're good at is saving time... not spending time.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying we should go back to growing our own vegetables or making our own clothes. I'm not even advocating a mass movement to cut all our credit cards into little pieces. But I am saying that all of us need to think more seriously about putting the brakes on our "we-want-it-all-and-we-want-it-now" lifestyle before we speed completely out of control. Let's take the time to read every word of that story, hear every note of that music, and enjoy every subtle change of that countryside. Let's rediscover life in the slow lane.
参考译文——寻求捷径的社会
寻求捷径的社会
詹妮特·门德尔·戈尔茨坦
我和丈夫刚刚结束了在西弗吉尼亚州一周的度假回来。去的时候，我们当然是急于到达，因此走的是宾夕法尼亚州的收费高速公路和几条州际公路。“看那些美丽的农场！”当田园风光以每小时55英里的速度从我们身旁闪过时，我丈夫高声喊道。“你看见那些奶牛了吗？”但是以每小时55英里的速度前行，很难看清任何事物；美丽的农场看起来像移动的绿色棋盘，在后视镜里，成群的奶牛也缩小成一些圆点。四小时的车程中，我们唯一的乐趣就是数高速公路的出口标志，想象车再次停住时是什么感觉。可以说，在去程中我们享受到的乐趣连想象中的一半都不到；事实上，去程中一点儿乐趣也没有。
因此，当我们要回费城外的家时，我坚持要走不同的路线。我建议道：“让我们探索一下乡间风景吧。”两天的回程中充满了新奇的经历。我们参观了内战时的一个战场，我们站在一座小山上，正是在那里，125年前，在一个同样炎热的7月下午，15000名南部邦联的士兵企图将它占领，不曾想到他们当中半数会在徒劳的努力中牺牲。为了不与赶往集市的马匹和马车抢道，我们的车子以20英里的时速缓慢地驶过宾夕法尼亚州安静的德国城主干道。我们欣赏了乡村博物馆展示的玩具火车和老式轿车，而且在工厂的直销店以三折的价钱购物。我们还在一家“想吃多少就吃多少”的自助农家餐馆里饱餐了辣味沙拉和家庭制作的面包；然后到外面散步，享受着阳光，欣赏着沐浴在阳光下的牛群——这次它们可不再是小圆点了。回到家，我们不仅感到精力恢复、活力焕发，而且对生活有了新的认识和体验。这一次，回程的旅途充满了乐趣。
为什么我们大多数人都选择那种毫无特色的收费高速公路和州际公路作路线呢？为什么大家不试着放慢速度来欣赏一下乡村风景呢？渐渐地，快车道似乎成为我们出行的唯一选择。事实上，多数美国人总是匆匆忙忙——并不仅仅表现在从A点到达B点这一个方面。我们的国家已经成为在很多方面都追求捷径的国家。
只求现在，不顾将来：以前，美国人懂得愿望不是一朝能实现的道理。我们会从每次的收入中抽取一部分攒起来，以备不时之需。如果我们想买个新沙发或去湖边的小屋度假一周，我们会为此攒钱，而且银行也会为我们提供各种储蓄产品，帮我们实现这些愿望，如圣诞储蓄、度假储蓄账户等；如果我们居住的地区条件允许的话，我们会种植玉米和大豆，耐心地等待收获；如果我们想变瘦，我们就少吃自己喜爱的食物，不急不躁地等待体重一磅一磅地减下来。但是，如今我们不再有耐心。我们不再攒钱而是贷款，或者用信用卡去买家具、度假旅行——先享受，再付钱；我们像买衣服一样从货架上购买现成的食物；如果我们急着减肥，我们会尝试最新推出的、承诺在十天内减掉十磅的奇效减肥食谱……如果有足够的钱，我们还会去做吸脂手术。
只求快速，不肯放慢：我们不仅想现在拥有，甚至一刻都不愿意等待。这种普遍的不耐烦和“讨厌等待”的态度已经影响到了我们生活的方方面面。我们不会去银行排队，而是用20秒从自动取款机内取出20美元。然后拿着快速取出的钱去一家便利店（为什么要在超市里排队呢？），在便利店里我们买已包好的、只需放在微波炉里热一下就可以吃的速冻晚餐……如果我们确实连那点时间也懒得等的话，我们还可以吃一些快餐。如果我们吃了快餐后感觉不舒服，我们就赶紧去药柜找——你猜对了——一些可以快速缓解疼痛的药。我们喜欢快照，因此我们买宝丽来一次成像照相机。我们喜欢快捷的娱乐，因此我们把最喜爱的电视节目用录像机录下来。我们也喜欢快捷地传递信息：信息在电脑屏幕上闪现，文件从你的手机传真到我的手机上，时事浓缩到90秒钟的《目击新闻》栏目中，历史被概括成“200周年中的重要瞬间”。美国国家的象征——秀鹰，现在也成了邮政速递的标志。有谁胆敢让美国等到第二天？
只需肤浅，不求深刻：还有，我们甚至懒得知道全部信息。过去，我们对古典小说或最新的畅销书上的每一个字都是看了又看。现在，既然“越快越好”，我们就读浓缩版，或者在去工作的途中，在车上听这本书的录音磁带。我们，尤其是学生，会买《“克利夫笔记”文学作品导读》，这样一来，就完全不用去读原著了。过去，我们会听贝多芬的《第五交响曲》的每一个音符。现在，我们没有那个时间了；取而代之，我们会买《经典作品精华片段》的CD来听，上面就有26秒长的著名的“哒—哒—哒—当”的乐曲主旋律，还有另外99首同样著名的音乐片段。毕竟，既然已经有人为我们摘出精华部分，我们为什么还要浪费45分钟去听整首曲子呢？我们所读的《读者文摘》杂志中的文章是预先摘选好了的。因为有了《今日美国》这份报纸，我们的简明新闻比以前更简明了。甚至我们的人际关系也被压缩了。我们不再花大块的时间和亲人相处，而是代之以所谓的“优质时间”；而这“优质时间”往往意味着没有时间。当我们忙着阅读书籍、欣赏音乐、收听新闻、处理人际关系时，我们没有意识到我们正过着的生活如同“冰山准则”中所说——只看到了冰山的顶部，而忽视了水面以下的8/9。
这种操之过急、急于求成、不求甚解的态度是从什么时候开始的？我们这样匆匆忙忙节省时间到底是为了什么？在省出更多时间的同时，我们又要怎样利用节省下的时间？令人感到悲哀的是：我们不知道怎样利用节省下来的时间，因为我们只擅长节省时间……却不擅长利用时间。
请不要误解我的意思。我并不是说我们应该回到过去那种自耕自织、自给自足的年代，我也不提倡剪碎所有的信用卡这样的大规模运动。我要说的是，在我们的速度完全失控前，我们有必要更认真地考虑对这种“我们都想要，并且马上要”的生活方式猛踩刹车。让我们逐字逐句地阅读一个故事，细细品味一首乐曲的每一处音符，慢慢领略乡村的每一处细微变化。让我们在“慢车道”上，重新寻找生活的乐趣吧！
Key Words:
amusement [ə'mju:zmənt]
n. 娱乐，消遣
pastoral ['pɑ:stərəl]
adj. 田园的，宁静的，牧人的，牧师的
scenery ['si:nəri]
n. 布景，风景，背景
herd [hə:d]
n. 兽群，人群，牧人
vain [vein]
adj. 徒劳的，无效的，自负的，虚荣的
antique [æn'ti:k]
adj. 古代的
n. 古物，古董
route [ru:t]
n. 路线，(固定)线路，途径
vt. 为 .
explore [iks'plɔ:]
v. 探险，探测，探究
gratification [.grætifi'keiʃən]
n. 满足，喜悦
scale [skeil]
n. 鳞，刻度，衡量，数值范围
v. 依比例决
corn [kɔ:n]
n. 谷物，小麦，玉米
v. 形成(颗粒状)，
principle ['prinsəpl]
n. 原则，原理，主义，信念
constantly ['kɔnstəntli]
adv. 不断地，经常地
miracle ['mirəkl]
n. 奇迹
credit ['kredit]
n. 信用，荣誉，贷款，学分，赞扬，赊欠，贷方
eyewitness ['ai'witnis]
n. 目击者，见证人
withdraw [wið'drɔ:]
vt. 撤回，取回，撤退
vi. 退回，撤退，
convenience [kən'vi:njəns]
n. 适宜，便利，便利设施，方便的时间，舒适
impatience [im'peiʃəns]
n. 不耐烦
relief [ri'li:f]
n. 减轻，解除，救济(品), 安慰，浮雕，对比
entertainment [.entə'teinmənt]
n. 娱乐
current ['kʌrənt]
n. (水、气、电)流，趋势
adj. 流通的
overnight ['əuvə'nait]
n. 前晚
adj. 通宵的，晚上的，前夜的<
screen [skri:n]
n. 屏，幕，银幕，屏风
v. 放映，选拔，掩
eagle ['i:gl]
n. 鹰
superficially ['su:pə'fiʃəli]
adv. 表面地，表面上地
classic ['klæsik]
n. 古典作品，杰作，第一流艺术家
quality ['kwɔliti]
n. 品质，特质，才能
adj. 高品质的
symphony ['simfəni]
n. 交响乐
replace [ri(:)'pleis]
vt. 取代，更换，将物品放回原处
theme [θi:m]
n. 题目，主题
classics ['klæsiks]
n. 古希腊、古罗马的文学著作 名词classic的复数
cliff [klif]
n. 悬崖，峭壁
principle ['prinsəpl]
n. 原则，原理，主义，信念
minutes ['minits]
n. 会议记录，(复数)分钟
mass [mæs]
n. 块，大量，众多
adj. 群众的，大规模
movement ['mu:vmənt]
n. 活动，运动，移动，[音]乐章
control [kən'trəul]
n. 克制，控制，管制，操作装置
vt. 控制
rediscover [.ri:dis'kʌvə]
vt. 重新发现
subtle ['sʌtl]
adj. 微妙的，敏感的，精细的，狡诈的，不明显的
skim [skim]
vt. 撇去浮沫，略读，掠过，滑过
vi. 掠
urge [ə:dʒ]
vt. 驱策，鼓励，力陈，催促
vi. 极力主
credit ['kredit]
n. 信用，荣誉，贷款，学分，赞扬，赊欠，贷方
参考资料：
9664
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