Unit 4 - Tony Trivisonno's American Dream（托尼·特里韦索诺的美国梦）
The American Dream means different things to different people. But for many, particularly immigrants, it means the opportunity to make a better life for themselves. For them the dream is that talent and hard work can take you from log cabin to White House. Tony Trivisonno did not rise quite so high, yet he managed to make his own dream come true.
TONY TRIVISONNO'S AMERICAN DREAM
Frederick C. Crawford
He came from a rocky farm in Italy, somewhere south of Rome. How or when he got to America, I don't know. But one evening I found him standing in the driveway, behind my garage. He was about five-foot-seven or eight, and thin.
"I mow your lawn," he said. It was hard to comprehend his broken English.
I asked him his name. "Tony Trivisonno," he replied. "I mow your lawn." I told Tony that I couldn't afford a gardener.
"I mow your lawn," he said again, then walked away. I went into my house unhappy. Yes, these Depression days were difficult, but how could I to turn away a person who had come to me for help?
When I got home from work the next evening, the lawn had been mowed, the garden weeded, and the walks swept. I asked my wife what had happened.
"A man got the lawn mower out of the garage and worked on the yard," she answered. "I assumed you had hired him."
I told her of my experience the night before. We thought it strange that he had not asked for pay.
The next two days were busy, and I forgot about Tony. We were trying to rebuild our business and bring some of our workers back to the plants. But on Friday, returning home a little early, I saw Tony again, behind the garage. I complimented him on the work he had done.
"I mow your lawn," he said.
I managed to work out some kind of small weekly pay, and each day Tony cleaned up the yard and took care of any little tasks. My wife said he was very helpful whenever there were any heavy objects to lift or things to fix.
Summer passed into fall, and winds blew cold. "Mr. Craw, snow pretty soon," Tony told me one evening. "When winter come, you give me job clearing snow at the factory."
Well, what do you do with such determination and hope? Of course, Tony got his job at the factory.
The months passed. I asked the personnel department for a report. They said Tony was a very good worker.
One day I found Tony at our meeting place behind the garage. "I want to be 'prentice," he said.
We had a pretty good apprentice school that trained laborers. But I doubted whether Tony had the capacity to read blueprints and micrometers or do precision work. Still, how could I turn him down?
Tony took a cut in pay to become an apprentice. Months later, I got a report that he had graduated as a skilled grinder. He had learned to read the millionths of an inch on the micrometer and to shape the grinding wheel with an instrument set with a diamond. My wife and I were delighted with what we felt was a satisfying end of the story.
A year or two passed, and again I found Tony in his usual waiting place. We talked about his work, and I asked him what he wanted.
"Mr. Craw," he said, "I like a buy a house." On the edge of town, he had found a house for sale, a complete wreck.
I called on a banker friend. "Do you ever loan money on character?" I asked. "No," he said. "We can't afford to. No sale."
"Now, wait a minute," I replied. "Here is a hard-working man, a man of character, I can promise you that. He's got a good job. You're not getting a damn thing from your lot. It will stay there for years. At least he will pay your interest."
Reluctantly, the banker wrote a mortgage for $2,000 and gave Tony the house with no down payment. Tony was delighted. From then on, it was interesting to see that any discarded odds and ends around our place — a broken screen, a bit of hardware, boards from packing — Tony would gather and take home.
After about two years, I found Tony in our familiar meeting spot. He seemed to stand a little straighter. He was heavier. He had a look of confidence.
"Mr. Craw, I sell my house!" he said with pride. "I got $8,000."
I was amazed. "But, Tony, where are you going to live without a house?"
"Mr. Craw, I buy a farm."
We sat down and talked. Tony told me that to own a farm was his dream. He loved the tomatoes and peppers and all the other vegetables important to his Italian diet. He had sent for his wife and son and daughter back in Italy. He had hunted around the edge of town until he found a small, abandoned piece of property with a house and shed. Now he was moving his family to his farm.
Sometime later. Tony arrived on a Sunday afternoon, neatly dressed. He had another Italian man with him. He told me that he had persuaded his childhood friend to move to America. Tony was sponsoring him. With an amused look in his eye, he told me that when they approached the little farm he now operated, his friend stood in amazement and said, "Tony, you are a millionaire!"
Then, during the war, a message came from my company. Tony had passed away.
I asked our people to check on his family and see that everything was properly handled. They found the farm green with vegetables, the little house livable and homey. There was a tractor and a good car in the yard. The children were educated and working, and Tony didn't owe a cent.
After he passed away, I thought more and more about Tony's career. He grew in stature in my mind. In the end, I think he stood as tall, and as proud, as the greatest American industrialists.
They had all reached their success by the same route and by the same values and principles: vision, determination, self-control, optimism, self-respect and, above all, integrity.
Tony did not begin on the bottom rung of the ladder. He began in the basement. Tony's affairs were tiny; the greatest industrialists' affairs were giant. But, after all, the balance sheets were exactly the same. The only difference was where you put the decimal point.
Tony Trivisonno came to America seeking the American Dream. But he didn't find it — he created it for himself. All he had were 24 precious hours a day, and he wasted none of them.
参考译文——托尼·特里韦索诺的美国梦
托尼·特里韦索诺的美国梦
斯蒂芬·霍金
他来自意大利罗马以南某地一个满地石子的农庄。他什么时候怎么到美国的，我不清楚。不过，有天晚上，我看到他站在我家车库后面的车道上。他身高五英尺七、八左右，人很瘦。
“我割你的草坪，”他说。他那结结巴巴的英语很难听懂。
我问他叫什么名字。“托尼·特里韦索诺，”他回答说。“我割你的草坪。”我对托尼讲，本人雇不起园丁。
“我割你的草坪，”他又说道，随后便走开了。我走进屋子，心里有点不快。没错，眼下这大萧条的日子是不好过，可我怎么能把一个上门求助的人就这么打发走呢?
等我第二天晚上下班回到家，草坪已修整过了，花园除了草，人行道也清扫过了。我便问太太是怎么回事。
“有个人把割草机从汽车库里推出来就在院子里忙活起来，”她回答说。“我还以为是你雇他来的。”
我就把前晚的事跟她说了。我俩都觉得奇怪，他怎么没提出要工钱。
接下来的两天挺忙，我把托尼的事给忘了。我们在尽力重整业务，要让一部分工人回厂里来。但在星期五，回家略微早了些，我又在汽车库后面看到了托尼。我对他干的活夸奖了几句。
“我割你的草坪，”他说。
我设法凑了一小笔微薄的周薪，就这样托尼每天清扫院子，有什么零活，他都干了。我太太说，但凡有重物要搬或有什么要修理的，他挺派得上用场。
夏去秋来，凉风阵阵。“克罗先生，快下雪了，”有天晚上托尼跟我说。“等冬天到了，你让我在厂里干扫雪的活。”
啊，对这种执着与期盼，你又能怎样呢？自然，托尼得到了厂里的那份活儿。 几个月过去了。我让人事部门送上一份报告。他们说托尼干得挺棒。
一天我在汽车库后面我们以前见面的地方看到了托尼。“我想当学徒，”他说。
我们有个挺不错的培训工人的徒工学校。可我怀疑托尼是否有能力学会看图纸、用千分尺，是否胜任做精密加工工作。尽管如此，可我怎么能拒绝他呢?
托尼减了薪水当了学徒工。几个月之后，我收到报告，他已从徒工学校毕业，成了熟练磨工。他学会了在千分尺上辨识百万分之一英寸，会用镶嵌着金刚石的工具制作砂轮。我和太太都挺高兴，觉得他的事总算有了个令人满意的结局。
一两年过去了，我在托尼惯常等我的地方又看到了他。我们聊起了他的工作，接着我问他有什么要求。
“克罗先生，”他说，“我想买房。”在小镇边上，他看到有房出售，完全是幢破房。 我去见——·位当银行家的朋友。“人品贷款你干不干?”我问。“不干，”他说。“我们承担不起。没门。”
“哎，等等，”我应道。“有个人干活勤勉，人品端正，这一点我担保。他有个好工作。眼下，你从你那块地上—分钱也得不到。那块地空在那儿要好多年呢。至少他会付你利息嘛。”
那位银行家勉强开了两干美金抵押贷款，没要托尼首付就把房子给了他。托尼乐不可支。从那以后，只要我家附近有什么被人扔弃的零星杂物，坏了的屏风啦，五金器具啦，包装纸板啦，托尼都要收起来拿回家，看他这个样子真是有意思。
约摸过了两年，我在我们见面的老地方又看到了托尼。他身子似乎挺直了些，人也见胖了，样子挺自信。
“克罗先生，我把卖房子卖了！”他得意地说。“我得了八千美金。”
我非常吃惊。“可是，托尼，没了房子你住哪儿呢?”
“克罗先生，我要买农庄。”
我们坐下聊了起来。托尼告诉我说，拥有一个农庄是他的梦想。他喜欢番茄，辣椒以及意大利菜肴中相当重要的其它各种蔬菜。他把在意大利的妻子和儿子女儿都接来了。他在小镇周边到处找，终于找到一处没人要的一小块地产，有一幢房，还有间小棚。他正在把家搬到农庄去。
又过了一些时候，在一个星期日的下午托尼来了，他穿戴得整整齐齐。和他一起来的还有另一位意大利人。他告诉我，他说服了儿时的伙伴前来美国。托尼为他作经济担保。他眼里露出顽皮的神情，对我说，他俩来到他经营的小农庄时，他的朋友惊奇地站住说，“托尼，你是个百万富翁啦!”
后来，在战争期间，公司里传出了一个消息。托尼去世了。
我让公司的人去他家看看，确保各项事宜都得到妥善安置。他们看到农场上长着绿油油的蔬菜，小屋布置得舒适温馨，院子里有一辆拖拉机，还有一辆不错的汽车。孩子受过教育都工作了，托尼身前没有分文欠债。
托尼去世后，我一直想着他的经历。他的形象在我心目中越来越高大。最后，我觉得他就和美国那些最大的实业家一样高大、自豪。
他们都通过同样的途径，本着同样的价值观和原则获得了成功：远见、执着、自制、乐观、自尊，以及最重要的，正直。
托尼不是从最低—级阶梯往上爬的，他是从地下室往上爬的。托尼的事业很小，那些最大的实业家的事业很大。但究其实两者的资产负债表完全一样。惟—的不同是你把小数点点在什么地方。
托尼·特里韦索诺来到美国寻求美国梦。但他没有找到什么美国梦——他为自己创造了个美国梦。他全部拥有的只有他一天宝贵的二十四小时，而他—刻也没有浪费。
New Words and Expressions:
driveway
n. 宅旁私家车道
mow
v. 修剪（草坪），刈（草）
comprehend
vt. understand fully
lawn
n. 草地，草坪
turn away
refuse to help (sb.) or to allow (sb.) to enter a place 拒绝帮助；不让…进入
weed
v. 除去…的杂草；除草
n. 杂草，野草
assume
vt. suppose 假设；以为
compliment
vt. praise 赞扬
n. 赞美的言辞或行为
work out
plan; solve; calculate 制定出；解决；算出
weekly
a. happening once a week or every week 每周的；一周一次的
clean up
make clean and tidy 打扫，清除
helpful
a. giving help; useful 有帮助的；有用的
do with
(used in questions with what) 对待，处理
determination
n. 决心，决定
personnel
n. 人事部门；全体人员，全体职员
apprentice
n. 学徒
capacity
n. the ability to understand or do sth. 能力，才能
micrometer
n. 测微计，千分尺
precision
n. the quality of being exact 精密；精确（性）
turn down
refuse 拒绝
graduate
v. （使）毕业
n. （尤指大学）毕业生
skilled
a. having skill; needing skill 熟练的，有技巧的；技术性的
grinder
n. 磨工
grind (ground)
vt. 磨，磨碎，碾碎
instrument
n. 工具，器械，仪器
for sale
intended to be sold 待售
wreck
n. 残破物；（尤指失事船只、飞机等的）残骸
call on
visit (sb.) for a short time 拜访
banker
n. 银行家；银行高级职员
loan
vt. lend (sth.) 借，贷
n. 贷款；借，贷
character
n. （人的）品德；品质；性格
damn
a.，n. (infml) (usu. used in negatives) of even the smallest amount 丝毫
reluctantly
ad. 勉强地
reluctant a.
mortgage
n. 抵押借款，按揭
discard
vt. (fml)throw away 抛弃
odds and ends
零星杂物，琐碎物品
screen
n. 纱门，纱窗；屏；荧屏
hardware
n. 五金器具；（计算机的）硬件
spot
n. a particular place；a small dirty mark 地点；斑点
confidence
n. 信心
amaze
vt. surprise (sb.) very much 使惊愕，使诧异
amazement
n. 惊愕，诧异
pepper
n. 辣椒；胡椒粉
Italian
a. 意大利的
diet
n. food and drink usually taken by a person or group 日常饮食
send for
ask for the arrival of 派人去叫，召唤；派人去取
hunt
v. 寻找；打猎
abandon
vt. give up completely or forever 抛弃，放弃
property
n. land, buildings or both together; sth. which is owned （房）地产；财产
shed
n. 小屋，棚
vt. 使脱落；使流出，散发出
sometime
ad. 某个时候
sponsor
vt. 为…做保证人；主办，发起
n. 保证人；主办者，发起人
amuse
vt. cause to laugh or smile; cause to spend time in a pleasant manner 逗乐；给…提供娱乐
approach
v. come near(er) to 接近
millionaire
n. 百万富翁
pass away
(euph) (esp. of a person) die 去世
handle
vt. manage; control 管理，处理；操纵
livable
a. fit or pleasant to live in 适于居住的
homey
a. (infml) pleasant; like home 舒适的；像家一样的
tractor
n. 拖拉机
stature
n. 身材，身高；境界
industrialist
n. 工业家，实业家
route
n. 路线，路程
principle
n. guiding rule for behavior; basic truth 信条；原则；原理
vision
n. the ability to make great plans for the future; sight; the ability to see 远见；视觉，视力
optimism
n. 乐观主义
self-respect
n. proper respect for oneself 自尊；自重
above all
most important of all 最重要的是
integrity
n. quality of being honest and responsible; state of being complete 正直；完整
rung
n. （梯子的）横档，梯级
basement
n. 地下室
giant
a. of great size or force 巨大的
n. 巨人
balance
n. 平衡；余额
balance sheet
资产负债表
decimal
小数
create
vt. produce or make (esp. sth. new) 创造，创作
Proper Names
Tony Trivisonno
托尼·特里韦索诺
Frederick C. Crawford
弗雷德里克·C·克罗弗德
Italy
意大利
Rome
罗马（意大利首都）
参考资料：
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