现代大学英语精读BookUnit课文.docx

现代大学英语精读BookUnit课文.docx

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现代大学英语精读BookUnit课文

集团文件发布号：

（9816-UATWW-MWUB-WUNN-INNUL-DQQTY-19882）

现代大学英语精读BookUnit课文

Book4-Unit5

TextA

TheTelephone

AnwarF.Accawi

1.WhenIwasgrowingupinMagdaluna,asmallLebanesevillageintheterraced,rockymountainseastofSidon,timedidn'tmeanmuchtoanybody,exceptmaybetothosewhoweredying.Inthosedays,therewasnorealneedforacalendarorawatchtokeeptrackofthehours,days,months,andyears.Weknewwhattodoandwhentodoit,justastheIraqigeeseknewwhentoflynorth,drivenbythehotwindthatblewinfromthedesert.Theonlytimepiecewehadneedofthenwasthesun.Itroseandset,andtheseasonsrolledbyandwesowedseedandharvestedandateandplayedandmarriedourcousinsandhadbabieswhogotwhoopingcoughandchickenpox—andthosechildrenwhosurvivedgrewupandmarriedtheircousinsandhadbabieswhogotwhoopingcoughandchickenpox.Welivedandlovedandtoiledanddiedwithouteverneedingtoknowwhatyearitwas,oreventhetimeofday.

2.Itwasn'tthatwehadnosystemforkeepingtrackoftimeandoftheimportanteventsinourlives.Butourswasanaturalor,rather,adivine—calendar,becauseitwasframedbyactsofGod:

earthquakesanddroughtsandfloodsandlocustsandpestilences.Simpleasourcalendarwas,itworkedjustfineforus.

3.Take,forexample,thebirthdateofTetaImKhalil,theoldestwomaninMagdalunaandallthesurroundingvillages.WhenIaskedGrandma,"HowoldisTetaImKhalil?

"

4.Grandmahadtothinkforamoment;thenshesaid,"I'vebeentoldthatTetawasbornshortlyafterthebigsnowthatcausedtheroofonthemayor'shousetocavein."

5."Andwhenwasthat?

"Iasked.

6."Oh,aboutthetimewehadthebigearthquakethatcrackedthewallintheeastroom."

7.Well,thatwasenoughforme.Youcouldn'tbemoreaccuratethanthat,now,couldyou?

8.Andthat'sthewayitwasinourlittlevillageforasfarbackasanybodycouldremember.Oneofthemostunusualofthedateswaswhenawhirlwindstruckduringwhichfishandorangesfellfromthesky.Incredibleasitmaysound,thestoryofthefishandorangeswastrue,becausemenwhowouldnotlieeventosavetheirownsoulstoldandretoldthatstoryuntilitwasincorporatedintoMagdaluna'scalendar.

9.Theyearofthefish-bearingwhirlpoolwasnotthelastremarkableyear.Manyothersfollowedinwhichstrangeandwonderfulthingshappened.Therewas,forinstance,theyearofthedrought,whentheheavenswereshutformonthsandthespringfromwhichtheentirevillagegotitsdrinkingwaterslowedtoatrickle.Thespringwasaboutamilefromthevillage,inaravinethatopenedatoneendintoasmall,flatclearingcoveredwithfinegraydustandhard,marble-sizedgoatdroppings.Intheyearofthedrought,thatlittleclearingwasalwayspackedfullofnoisykidswithbigbrowneyesandstickyhands,andtheirmothers—sinewy,overworkedyoungwomenwithcracked,brownheels.Thechildrenranaroundplayingtagorhide-and-seekwhilethewomentalked,shooedflies,andawaitedtheirturnstofilluptheirjarswithdrinkingwatertobringhometotheirnappingmenandwetbabies.Thereweredayswhenwehadtowaitfromsunupuntillateafternoonjusttofillasmallclayjarwithprecious,coolwater.

10.Sometimes,amidthelongwaitandtheheatandthefliesandthesmellofgoatdung,tempersflared,andtheyoungerwomen,anxiousabouttheirbabies,arguedoverwhoseturnitwastofillupherjar.Andsometimestheargumentsescalatedintofull-blown,knockdown-dragoutfights;thewomenwouldgrabeachotherbythehairandcurseandscreamandspitandcalleachothernamesthatmademyearstingle.Welittlebrownboyswhowentwithourmotherstofetchwaterlovedthesefights,becausewegottoseethewomen'slegsandtheircoloredpantiesastheygrappledandrolledaroundinthedust.Onceinawhile,wegotluckyandsawmuchmore,becausesomeofthewomenworenothingatallundertheirlongdresses.God,howIusedtolookforwardtothosefights.Iremembertherush,theexcitement,thesundancingonthedustcloudsasadressrippedandayoungwhitebreastwasrevealed,thenquicklyhidden.Inmycalendar,thatyearofdroughtwillalwaysbeoneofthebestyearsofmychildhood.

11.But,inanotherway,theyearofthedroughtwasalsooneoftheworstofmylife,becausethatwastheyearthatAbuRaja,theretiredcook,decideditwastimeMagdalunagotitsowntelephone.Everycivilizedvillageneededatelephone,hesaid,andMagdalunawasnotgoingtogetanywhereuntilithadone.Atelephonewouldlinkuswiththeoutsideworld.Afewmen—liketheretiredTurkish-armydrillsergeant,andthevineyardkeeper—didalltheycouldtotalkAbuRajaoutofhavingatelephonebroughttothevillage.ButtheywereoutshoutedandignoredandfinallyshunnedbytheothervillagersforresistingprogressandtryingtokeepagoodthingfromcomingtoMagdaluna.

12.Onewarmdayinearlyfall,manyofthevillagerswereoutintheirfieldsrepairingwallsorgatheringwoodforthewinterwhentheshoutwentoutthatthetelephone-companytruckhadarrivedatAbuRaja'sdikkan,orcountrystore.Whenthetruckcameintoview,everybodydroppedwhattheyweredoingandrantoAbuRaja'shousetoseewhatwashappening.

13.ItdidnottakelongforthewholevillagetoassembleatAbuRaja'sdikkan.Someoftherichvillagerswalkedrightintothestoreandstoodattheelbowsofthetwoimportant-lookingmenfromthetelephonecompany,whoproceededwithutmostgravity,likepriestsatCommunion,towireupthetelephone.Thepoorervillagersstoodoutsideandlistenedcarefullytothedetailsrelayedtothembythenot-so-poorpeoplewhostoodinthedoorwayandcouldseeinside.

14."Thebaldmaniscuttingthebluewire,"someonesaid.

15."Heisstickingthewireintotheholeinthebottomoftheblackbox,"someoneelseadded.

16."Thetelephonemanwiththemustacheisconnectingtwopiecesofwire.Nowheistwistingtheendstogether,"athirdvoicechimedin.

17.BecauseIwassmall,Iwriggledmywaythroughthedenseforestoflegstogetafirsthandlookattheaction.Breathless,Iwatchedasthemeninblueputtogetherablackmachinethatsupposedlywouldmakeitpossibletotalkwithuncles,aunts,andcousinswholivedmorethantwodays'rideaway.

18.Itwasshortlyaftersunsetwhenthemanwiththemustacheannouncedthatthetelephonewasreadytouse.HeexplainedthatallAbuRajahadtodowasliftthereceiver,turnthecrankontheblackboxafewtimes,andwaitforanoperatortotakehiscall.AbuRajagrabbedthereceiverandturnedthecrankforcefully.Withinmoments,hewastalkingwithhisbrotherinBeirut.Hedidn'tevenhavetoraisehisvoiceorshouttobeheard.

19.Andthetelephone,asitturnedout,wasbadnews.Withitscoming,thefaceofthevillagebegantochange.Oneofthefasteffectswastheshiftingofthevillage'scenter.Beforethetelephone'sarrival,themenofthevillageusedtogatherregularlyatthehouseofImKaleem,ashort,middle-agedwidowwithjet-blackhairandaraspyvoicethatcouldbeheardalloverthevillage,evenwhenshewasonlywhispering.ShewasadevoutCatholicandalsothevillagewhore.Themenmetatherhousetoargueaboutpoliticsanddrinkcoffeeandplaycardsorbackgammon.ImKaleemwasnotatrueprostitute,however,becauseshedidnotchargeforherservices—notevenforthecoffeeandteathatsheservedthemen.Shedidnotneedthemoney;herson,whowasoverseasinAfrica,senthermoneyregularly.ImKaleemlovedallthemensheentertained,andtheylovedher,everyoneofthem.Inaway,shewasmarriedtoallthemeninthevillage.Everybodyknewitbutnobodyobjected.ActuallyIsuspectthewomendidnotmindtheirhusbands'visitstoImKaleem.Oh,theywrungtheirhandsandcomplainedtooneanotherabouttheirmen'sunfaithfulness,butsecretlytheywererelieved,becauseImKaleemtooksomeofthepressureoffthemandkeptthemenoutoftheirhairwhiletheyattendedtotheirendlesschores.ImKaleemwasalsoakindofconfessorandtroubleshooter,talkingsensetothosemenwhowerehavingfamilyproblems,especiallytheyoungerones.

20.BeforethetelephonecametoMagdaluna,ImKaleem'shousewasbustlingatjustaboutanytimeofday,especiallyatnight,whentheloudvoicesofthementalking,laughing,andarguingcouldbeheardinthestreetbelow—areassuring,homeysound.Herhousewasanislandofcomfort,anoasisforthewearyvillagemen,exhaustedfromhavingsolittletodo.

21.Butitwasn'tlongbeforemanyofthosemen—theyoungeronesespecially—startedspendingmoreoftheirdaysandeveningsatAbuRaja'sdikkan.There,theywouldeatanddrinkandtalkandplaycheckersandbackgammon,andthenleantheirchairsbackagainstthewall—thesignalthattheywerereadytotossbackandforth,likeaball,thelatestrumorsgoingaroundthevillage.Andtheywerealwayslookingupfromtheirgamesanddrinksandtalktoglanceatthephoneinthecorner,asifexpectingittoringanyminuteandbringnewsthatwouldchangetheirlivesanddeliverthemfromtheiraimlessexistence.Inthemeantime,theysmokedcheap,hand-rolledcigarettes,dugdirtoutfromundertheirfingernailswithbigpocketknives,anddranklukewarmsodasthattheycalledKacula,Seffen-Ub,andBebsi.

22.Thetelephonewasalsobadnewsformepersonally.Ittookawaymylucrativebusiness—asourceofmuch-neededincome.Before,IusedtohangaroundImKaleem'scourtyardandplaymarbleswiththeotherkids,waitingforsomemantocalldownfromawindowandaskmetoruntothestoreforcigarettesorliquor,ortodeliveramessagetohiswife,suchaswhathewantedforsupper.Th