《新东方英语》中学生2015年5月号(txt+pdf+epub+mobi电子书下载)


发布时间:2020-11-08 05:23:52

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作者:《新东方英语》编辑部

出版社:《海外文摘》杂志社

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《新东方英语》中学生2015年5月号

《新东方英语》中学生2015年5月号试读:

★卷首语★

Mother to Son 母亲致儿子

◎By Langston Hughes 译·赏析/辛献云Well, son, I'll tell you:Life for me ain'tbeen no crystal stair.It's had tacksin it,And splinters,And boards torn up,And places with no carpet on the floor—Bare.But all the timeI'sebeen a-climbin' on,And reachin' landin's,And turnin' corners,And sometimes goin' in the darkWhere there ain't  been no light.So, boy, don't you turn back.Don't you set downon the steps.'Cause you finds it's kinder hard.Don't you fall now—For I'se still goin', honey,I'se still climbin'.儿子啊,我来告诉你:我的人生从没有水晶楼梯。有的只是钉子,只是破碎的木片,还有裂开的木板,和没铺地毯的地面—光秃秃的。但我一直,一直都在往上爬,爬上一层又一层平台,转过一个又一个拐角,有时还要穿过黑暗,一点儿光都看不见。所以,儿子啊,你不要回头。不要在楼梯上停下脚步。因为你会觉得太艰难。可不要在这时候倒下啊—因为我还没有停下,宝贝,我还在往上爬,我的人生从没有水晶楼梯。赏析

兰斯顿·休斯(Langston Hughes, 1902~1967),美国诗人、小说家、剧作家和专栏作家,主要以诗歌闻名于世,被称为“黑人民族的桂冠诗人”。他的诗从黑人民间音乐中汲取营养,有爵士乐的韵律和节奏,热情奔放,对黑人诗歌的发展产生了积极而深远的影响。

母爱是人类文学艺术永恒的主题。这首诗以一位母亲的口吻,向儿子讲述自己人生的艰辛,以激励儿子奋发向上、永不止步。整首诗以“攀登楼梯”为暗喻,贯穿始终。“水晶楼梯”比喻奢华、靓丽、令人艳羡的人生——这是母亲从来没有走过的;而布满钉子、破破烂烂的“木头楼梯”则喻指贫困、艰难甚至绝望的生活——这是母亲一直在攀爬的楼梯,虽曲折漫长,但母亲却从未停步。母亲也希望儿子不要停下,更不要倒下,因为一旦停下,便会发现生活太过艰辛,从而失去走下去的勇气。

本诗虽不押韵,却有一种独特的节奏感。And与Don't you句式的叠加重复,ain't been、I'se等词语的频繁出现,以及climbin'、reachin'、landin'、turnin'等双音节缩略语的使用,使诗歌产生一种类似于爵士乐的韵律和节奏。透过这种节奏,读者似乎能够听到母亲那疲惫却依然坚定的声音,感受到母亲对儿子的拳拳爱意。

★特别推荐★

The Maze Runner 《移动迷宫》——唯有直面黑暗,才能重建光明◎文/侯德鸷

近几年,有越来越多根据青少年畅销小说改编的科幻电影登上了大银幕,不仅赚足了观众的眼球,也将这类反乌托邦题材的电影推向了潮流的尖端。这部改编自美国作家James Dashner同名科幻小说的电影《移动迷宫》(The Maze Runner)便是其中的佼佼者。不过,比起其他同样聚焦于反乌托邦题材的影片,本片的故事内容则更加阴暗。除此之外,影片还采用了惊悚悬疑的叙事风格,使故事更加扣人心弦。看着影片中的主人公们展开一段惊险刺激的逃亡之旅,我们不但为他们的智慧和身手叫好,更为他们的成长和友谊称赞。迷宫在移动,我们也和这些主人公一起收获一份特有的感动……初入迷宫,不知者的彷徨

大铁笼子在黑暗的隧道中隆隆上升,关在笼中的少年在昏睡中惊醒。他孱弱地站起身来,惊恐地大声呼救。良久,上升的笼子戛然而止,头顶的铁门被打开,强光瞬间照射下来,他还没反应过来,就被一个人野蛮地拉上去扔在了地上。倒地后的少年像匹受惊的野马,从地上挣扎着站起来,推开聚集在周围的人,奋力向前奔跑。然而,没跑几步他又摔倒在地,抬头望去,眼前的景象让他惊呆了。他发现自己身处一片荒芜之地,荒地四周都是高大破败、布满青苔的石墙。他一脸茫然地站在空地中央,不知该往何处。更可怕的是,他记忆全无,不知自己为何至此,也不知自己来于何处,甚至连自己的名字都记不起来。这里都是和他年龄相仿的男孩,他们叫他Greenie,还把他关了起来。不过没过多久,一个名叫Alby的男孩就将他放了出来。Alby是这里的领导者,带领他参观了这个奇怪的地方,并向他介绍了这里的情况。

Alby: We eat here. We sleep here. We grow our own food. We build our own shelter. Whatever we need, the Box (指大铁笼子) provides. The rest is up to us.

Greenie: The Box?

Alby: Yeah. It's sent up once a month with fresh supplies and a new Greenie. This month that's you. Congratulations.

Greenie: Sent up? By who, though? Who put us here?

Alby: That, we don't know.

原来,这里的男孩都像他一样,从地下被运送上来。那个笼子每个月会送来一个新人,并提供一些必备的物资。每个人来的时候都失去了记忆,之后也仅能记起自己的名字。人越来越多,却又找不到逃出去的路,渐渐地就在这里形成了社区。大家开始种植作物,饲养动物,自给自足,一晃已经三年。就在Alby介绍时,Greenie发现一面巨墙上有一个敞开的出口,便向Alby询问。Alby却告诫他:“Never go beyond those walls.”显然,Alby的这个答案无法满足他的好奇心,就在他要继续询问时,却被一个名叫Chuck的小男孩叫去参观其“新家”——一个吊在树上的吊床。可还没等Chuck介绍完,他就径直走向了刚才看见的那个出口。Chuck见状,立马上前阻止,并告诉他出口通向的是一个迷宫,让他听从命令,远离出口。孰料Chuck的这番话让他愈发好奇,他快步走向出口,发现里面的通道两侧高墙耸立,通道深处则黑暗阴森,令人不寒而栗。他出神凝望着,不知不觉越走越近。这时,突然有个人冲过来将他推倒在地,并厉声警告他不许靠近,同时更多的人围了过来。他从地上跃起,试图摆脱众人的阻止。突然,从出口的通道里传来一声巨响。紧接着,一阵阴风袭来,通道两侧的石墙开始移动,不一会儿竟自动合上了。他看得目瞪口呆,耳边只留下了Alby的一句话:“Welcome to the Glade (营地).”

晚上,大家生起篝火,开始一天的狂欢。这里的另一位领导者Newt告诉了他更多关于迷宫的事情。

Newt: Trust me. The Maze is a dangerous place.

Greenie: We're trapped here, aren't we?

Newt: For the moment. But you see those guys? There, by the fire. Those are the Runners (飞毛腿). That guy in the middle there, that's Minho. He's the Keeper (领队) of the Runners. Every morning, when those doors open, they run the Maze, mapping it, memorizing it, trying to find a way out.

Greenie: How long have they been looking?

Newt: 3 years.

Greenie: And they haven't found anything?

Newt: It's a lot easier said than done. Listen. Hear that? It's the Maze, changing. It changes every night.

Greenie: How is that even possible?

Newt: You can ask the people who put us in here, if you ever meet the bastards (混蛋). Listen, the truth is the Runners are the only ones who really know what's out there. They are the strongest and the fastest of us all. And it's a good thing, too. Because if they don't make it back before those doors close, then they are stuck out there for the night. And no one has ever survived a night in the Maze.

Greenie: What happens to them?

Newt: Well, we call them Grievers (鬼火兽). Of course, no one's ever seen one and lived to tell about it. But they're out there.

Newt的一番话让他颇为震惊。就在此时,他被Newt拉去摔跤,对手正是白天在出口处将他推倒在地的人,此人名叫Gally,高大而凶悍。没几下,他就被Gally摔倒在地,头部还遭到撞击。出乎意料的是,这一撞竟让他想起了自己的名字。原来,他叫Thomas。他高兴地大喊,众人也为他欢呼。

第二天清晨,Alby将他带到一面墙前,上面刻满了名字,只是有些已被划掉,这些都是被鬼火兽杀害的人。Alby看到了Thomas的与众不同,希望他的到来可以改变这一切。得到Alby的信任和器重,Thomas开始冥思苦想,提出各种逃出去的办法,然而Newt却告诉他这些想法都行不通。最后他被派去营地树林深处挖掘种植作物所需的肥料。就在Thomas抱怨自己只能干这种活时,一个人猛地扑向了他,这个人是飞毛腿成员之一Ben。Ben目露凶光,疯狂扑咬,期间还一直大喊“It's your fault!”。幸好Thomas夺命狂奔,才被众人救了下来。原来,Ben在白天进入迷宫后被鬼火兽蜇伤了,所以才会攻击别人。但Thomas不明白为何Ben会说这一切是自己造成的,Alby只好安慰他Ben在胡言乱语。斩杀怪兽,反叛者的崛起

Ben被鬼火兽蜇伤后没有寻求医治,反而直接攻击Thomas,违反了营地的规矩。作为惩罚,Alby在当天出口关闭前命令众人将其赶进了迷宫,让其独自面对鬼火兽,自生自灭。以往在白天,迷宫中并没有鬼火兽,但Ben这次却在白天被蜇伤。为了弄清楚其中缘由,Alby在次日与飞毛腿Minho跑进了迷宫。夜色渐渐降临,两人却迟迟没有出来。众人聚在出口处焦急地等待着。就在出口即将闭合之时,两人终于现身。Minho背着Alby踉跄前行,显然Alby也被蜇伤了。眼见出口关闭,情急之下,Thomas顺着越来越窄的通道冲了进去。Thomas一落地,出口也合上了。

看着冲进来的Thomas,Minho哭笑不得。鬼火兽的吼声渐渐逼近,Minho想要放弃昏迷的Alby独自逃生,但Thomas却不愿抛弃同伴,他说服Minho一同将Alby挂在高空的藤蔓上。就在最后关头,鬼火兽发现了他们。Minho快速逃开,只剩Thomas独自面对鬼火兽。鬼火兽穷追不舍,几次都差点将Thomas杀死。好在Minho及时赶来,熟悉迷宫的他叫Thomas趁迷宫移动甩掉鬼火兽。Thomas急中生智,将鬼火兽引至一个正在闭合的通道,将其夹死在石墙中。

第二天早上,迷宫之门开启,Thomas和Minho搀扶着Alby回到营地。Minho将Thomas杀死鬼火兽的事情告诉大家,众人惊讶不已,对他刮目相看。不过,Gally却例外。自从Thomas来到这里,Ben和Alby先后受伤,他认为Thomas杀死鬼火兽的行为可能会招致更多的报复,于是便召集众人开会商量如何惩罚Thomas。

Gally: Things are changing. There's no denying that. First, Ben gets stung in broad daylight. And then Alby. And now our Greenie, here, has taken it upon himself to go into the Maze, which is a clear violation (违反) of our rules here.

Frypan: Yeah, but he saved Alby's life.

Gally: Did he? For 3 years, we have coexisted with these things. And now, you've killed one of them. Who knows what that could mean for us?

Newt: What do you suggest we do?

Gally: He has to be punished.

[众人反对]

Newt: Minho. You were there with him. What do you think?

Minho: I think in all the time we've been here, no one's ever killed a Griever before. When I turned tail (掉头逃走) and ran, this dumb shank (傻子,营地众人自创的语言) stayed behind to help Alby. Look, I don't know if he's brave or stupid. But whatever it is, we need more of it. I say we make him a Runner.

众人看到了Thomas的勇气和智慧,不同意Gally处罚Thomas的提议。就在双方争执不下时,外面的笼子传来响动,众人急忙赶过去一探究竟。笼子打开后,众人惊讶地发现这次送来的竟然是一个女孩。这是三年来这个笼子头一次送女孩进来。她昏迷不醒,手里握着一张字条,上面写着:She's the last one ever. 更令人惊讶的是,她在昏迷中竟喊着Thomas的名字。

纸条上的字,再加上这两天发生的一连串事情,让大家更加恐慌,他们不知道接下来会发生什么,也开始怀疑这是否和Thomas有关。Thomas急于了解真相,更不愿放弃了解鬼火兽的最佳时机,意欲重返迷宫。Minho内心也想去一探究竟,便决定和Thomas一起返回迷宫,并且还召集了几个同伴一起前往。他们找到被夹死的鬼火兽尸体,发现这是一个经由人类改造过的巨大怪物,有着动物内脏和钢铁外壳。他们还从鬼火兽体内找到了一个圆柱体,上面的显示屏上亮着红色的数字7。天色渐黑,他们决定带着这个圆柱体返回营地,再做打算。

Thomas希望找到更多的线索,提议带着那个圆柱体去迷宫寻找,但Gally却极力反对,并再次主张严惩Thomas,因为Thomas已经屡次违反规定。然而,Newt却只将Thomas禁闭一晚,并正式任命他为飞毛腿。次日,Minho带着Thomas来到营地的密室,给他展示了他们三年来多次探索迷宫后制成的迷宫模型。模型显示迷宫一共分为八个区,并且按顺序轮换,每天打开一个新的区域。Minho已经跑遍了整座迷宫,但他并没有找到任何出路。Minho觉得这个写有数字7的圆柱体也许是个线索,二人商定次日到第7区去查看究竟。危机四伏,勇敢者的游戏

很快,新来的女孩就醒了过来。她爬上营地中央的高台,恐惧地看着周遭的一切,不断向地上的人投掷石子。闻讯赶来的Thomas硬着头皮靠近,经过一番谈话,女孩终于冷静了下来。她告诉Thomas自己叫做Teresa,昏迷这两天经常会梦到一个女人不断对她说“Wicked is good”,而这也是Thomas最近经常做的梦。这时,Teresa突然想起自己身上还带着两支针剂,Thomas意识到也许这正是救治Alby的解药。可就在他们准备给Alby注射时,Alby突然醒来抓住Thomas大喊“You shouldn't be here!”,仿佛他知道些什么。众人不解,赶紧给Alby注射。果然,Alby迅速稳定下来。然而Gally却对Thomas更加怀疑了。

第二天一早,Thomas和Minho带着那个奇怪的圆柱体前往迷宫第7区寻找线索。果然,本应下周才打开的第7区今日已经开放了。进入第7区后,那个圆柱体开始嘀嘀作响,而且一朝向特定的方向,响声就变得急促。在圆柱体的指引下,他们通过一个个形似刀片的巨门组成的矩阵,最后穿过一个天桥,到达了一扇石门前。圆柱体此时突然发出嘀嘀两声,石门应声开启。他们壮着胆子走进去,看到了一个圆形通道,上面留有鬼火兽分泌的黏液,他们猜想这或许就是鬼火兽的老巢。不一会儿,四周闸门响动,迷宫就要变形。他们赶紧向外狂奔。通道外面,刀片巨门开始关闭,脚下巨石挨个崛起,地形瞬间万变。幸好他们跑得够快,几经危险总算跑出了迷宫。回到营地,他们本以为带回的新发现会让大家高兴,谁知Gally却再次挑衅。Thomas决定不再忍让,据理还击。

Gally: The truth is, Thomas doesn't know what he's done, as usual.

Thomas: Yeah, at least I did something, Gally. I mean, what have you done? Aside from hide behind these walls all the time?

Gally: Let me tell you something, Greenie. You've been here 3 days, all right? I've been here 3 years!

Thomas: Yeah, you've been here 3 years and you're still here, Gally! What does that tell you? Maybe you should start doing things a little differently!

作为营地的执法者,Gally无疑视规矩为方圆,任何违背规矩之举他都要竭力反对。对他来说,离开这里也不一定能活着出去,况且这里类似乌托邦的生活也没什么不好,他已经适应了这里的生活,内心深处是有些不愿意离开的。Thomas自从来到这里,一直全力寻找出路,为此不断违背营地的规矩,挑战权威。他们分别代表着保守和进取两种完全不同的势力,矛盾一触即发。就在两人的辩论愈发激烈时,Teresa带来了一个消息:Alby醒了。

醒后的Alby满脸绝望,他记起了一切,但好像又难以言明。大家来不及深问,就听到屋外乱作一团。原来,三年来一到天黑就自动关闭的迷宫闸门今天居然没有关,不仅如此,其他三面墙的闸门也都打开了。众人还未来得及躲藏,数只鬼火兽就从迷宫冲了出来,袭向了营地,人们四散奔逃,哀嚎一片。Thomas眼睁睁看着Alby等人被鬼火兽抓走。

捕到猎物的鬼火兽径直返回了迷宫。看着Alby和很多营地成员都牺牲了,Gally怒不可遏,他怒气冲冲地上前,狠狠地给了Thomas一拳。Thomas又是伤心,又是内疚,仿佛这一切都是自己造成的。为了弄清楚事情的真相,他拿起刚才打斗时从鬼火兽身上掉下来的毒针扎向了自己。因为虽说被鬼火兽蜇伤会经历十分痛苦的过程,但唯有这样才能恢复一些记忆,才有可能弄清一切,找到逃出迷宫的办法,而Teresa带来的另一支针剂会解救他。果然,在Teresa将他救醒后,他恢复了记忆。

Thomas: This place ... it's not what we thought it was. It's not a prison. It's a test. It all started when we were kids. They'd give us these challenges. They were experimenting on us. And then people started disappearing. Every month, one after the other, like clockwork (极有规律地).

Newt: They were sending them up into the Maze.

Thomas: Yeah, but not all of us.

Newt: What do you mean?

Thomas: Guys, I'm one of them. The people who put you here, I worked with them. I watched you guys for years. The entire time you've been here. I was on the other side of it. So were you.

Teresa: What?

Thomas: Teresa, we did this to them.

Teresa: No. That can't be true.

Thomas: It is. I saw it.

Teresa: Why would they send us up if we were with them?

Thomas: It doesn't matter.

Newt: He's right. It doesn't matter. Any of it. Because the people we were before the Maze, they don't even exist anymore. These Creators took care of that. But what does matter is who we are now, and what we do right now. [看着Thomas] You went into the Maze and you found a way out.

正如Newt所说,眼下只有找到出路才是最重要的。几人商量后决定联手逃出迷宫。然而,营地已被Gally控制,他将一切归咎于Thomas和Teresa,决定处死二人,认为只有这样营地的生活才能恢复从前的平静。关键时刻,Minho等人把Thomas和Teresa解救下来。Thomas号召众人一起去找寻出路,但以Gally为首的少数人却选择留下来。最后,Thomas带着大多数人进入迷宫,踏上寻找出路的危险之旅。背水一战,领袖者的胜利

Thomas带领大家结队快跑,穿过重重迷宫,终于抵达了第7区。不出所料,有一只鬼火兽正把守在天桥上。大家手持长矛上前与鬼火兽展开厮杀,齐心协力将那只鬼火兽推下天桥。孰料又有两只鬼火兽从天桥下爬上来,直扑向Teresa和Chuck。Thomas等人赶忙阻隔。Teresa和Chuck赶紧用之前发现的圆柱体打开石门。石门虽开启,却还得输入密码才能打开通道。Thomas瞬间意识到密码就是迷宫八个区开放的顺序,而这个顺序只有Minho知道。众人合力抵挡鬼火兽的攻击,Teresa终于用Minho说出的密码打开了通道。众人立即逃进圆形通道,将鬼火兽堵在石门之外。

大家战战兢兢地从通道另一端爬出,沿着过道来到了一间实验室。这里尸横遍野,仿佛刚刚经历过一场洗劫。Thomas发现了一个闪动的按钮,他走上前去,轻轻一按,一位女科学家出现在荧屏上,她低沉的声音响起,开始讲述事情的始末。

Ava Paige: Hello. My name is Doctor Ava Paige. I'm Director of Operations of the World Catastrophe Killzone Department (地球灾难死亡地带实验室,简称WCKD). If you're watching this, that means you have successfully completed the Maze Trials. I wish I could be there in person to congratulate you, but circumstances seem to have prevented it. I'm sure by now, you must all be very confused, angry, frightened. I can only assure you, that everything that's happened to you, everything we've done to you, it was all done for a reason. You won't remember, but the Sun has scorched (烤焦) our world. Billions of lives lost to fire, famine (饥荒), suffering on a global scale. The fallout (附带结果) was unimaginable. What came after was worse. We called it the Flare (闪焰症). A deadly virus that attacks the brain. It is violent, unpredictable (不可预测的), incurable. Or so we thought. In time, a new generation emerged that could survive the virus. Suddenly, there was a reason to hope for a cure. But finding it would not be easy. The young would have to be tested, even sacrificed (牺牲) inside harsh (严酷的) environments where their brain activity could be studied. All in an effort to understand what makes them different, what makes you different. You may not realize it, but you're very important. Unfortunately, your trials have only just begun. As you will no doubt soon discover, not everyone agrees with our methods. Progress is slow. People are scared. It may be too late for us, for me, but not for you. The outside world awaits. Remember, wicked is good. [说完后开枪自杀]

看了这段视频,所有人恍然大悟。然而,这里的实验人员已被屠杀,大家也不知接下来该如何是好。就在这时,Gally竟然也来到了实验室,不过他已被蜇伤,目光格外凶残,手里还拿着一把枪。他仍然愤恨Thomas带大家离开,意欲开枪打死Thomas。就在Gally开枪的那一刻,Minho趁机用矛刺死了Gally。不幸的是,Chuck为了保护Thomas中弹而死。Thomas痛哭不止,众人悲痛地站在旁边,默送这位年纪最小也最可爱的伙伴。

就在大家沉浸在悲痛中时,实验室的大门突然被打开,一群全副武装的军人将他们强行拉出去,送上了直升机。飞机起飞,他们终于看到了迷宫的全貌,那高耸的石墙,那庞大的迷宫,令人恐惧,让人震撼。迷宫慢慢被甩在身后,他们做梦也不会想到,Ava Paige博士并没有死,他们在实验室看到的那一幕只是一场戏而已。所谓的移动迷宫只是第一阶段的测试,未来等着他们的,或许会更加残酷。

无论未来如何,Thomas的到来总算使这里的少年们离开了这座恐怖的移动迷宫。被困在这里数年,这些少年被囚禁的不只是身体,还有灵魂。一次又一次的出逃失败,使他们内心备受打击。Alby、Newt、Minho屈从于无望,不知如何突破。而以Gally为首的一些人甚至习惯于待在此地,不愿出逃。唯有Thomas,尽管受尽奚落和威胁,仍义无反顾,不畏艰险,一次又一次跑到迷宫深处探寻出路。面对困局,他没有屈服,而是坚持不懈地去寻求支持。他大胆求变,分析局面,更不惜涉身险境。黑暗没有令他止步不前,反而赋予了他打破黑暗的信念。最终,他获得了同伴的支持,找到了出路。也正是这份敢于直面黑暗的勇气,让他捕获了光明!故事中的迷宫是有形的,然而生活中的“迷宫”却是无形的。但愿,我们都有这份勇气,只让“迷宫”为生活添彩,而不是身困其中。The Maze Runner《移动迷宫》——冲破禁锢,奔向自由◎By James Dashner 译/赵青奇 赏析/ 辛彩娜

詹姆斯·达什纳(James Dashner, 1972~),美国小说家,出生于美国佐治亚州的奥斯特尔市,毕业于杨百翰大学的会计学专业。达什纳的作品主要面向青少年,涉及冒险、生存和科幻等主题。其最知名的代表作为《移动迷宫》三部曲,曾在《纽约时报》畅销书排行榜上持续热销100周之久。《移动迷宫》(The Maze Runner)是该系列的第一部,讲述了一个只记得自己名字的男孩托马斯(Thomas)的历险故事。Thomas不知怎地被送到了一个被石墙包围着的林地(Glade),这里住着许多和他年纪相仿的男孩,虽然墙外的迷宫中有一群鬼火兽(Grievers)威胁着他们的生命,但是一切倒也按部就班地进行着。直到一个名叫特雷莎(Teresa)的女孩来到这里,原有的秩序被打破,一切陷入混乱之中。危急关头,托马斯和特雷莎决定带领大家一起踏上逃出迷宫之路。

下文节选自小说第49章,讲述了托马斯将自己冒着生命危险故意被鬼火兽蜇伤所换回的记忆告诉众人,以解救众人逃出迷宫。精彩片段

An hour later, Thomas sat in front of the Keepers for the Gathering. They hadn't let Teresain. Newtand Minhotrusted her now, but the others still had their doubts. "All right, Greenie. Start talking," Albysaid.

"It's a long story," he began. "We don't have time to go through it all, but I'll tell you the gistof it. When I went through the Changing, I saw flashes of images—hundreds of them—like a slide show in fast forward. A lot came back to me, but only some of it is clear enough to talk about. Other stuff has faded or is fading. But I remember enough. The Creators are testing us. The Maze was never meant to be solved. It's all been a trial. They want the winners—or survivors—to do something important."

"What?" Newt asked.

"Let me start over," Thomas said. "Every single one of us was taken when we were really young. The Creators stole us, and I think they felt justified in doing it. Somehow they figured out that we have above-average intelligence, and that's why they chose us. I don't know.

"After we were taken, we spent the next few years learning in special schools, living somewhat normal lives until they were finally able to finance and build the Maze. All our names are just stupid nicknames they made up—like Alby for Albert Einstein, Newt for Isaac Newton, and me—Thomas. As in Edison."

一个小时后,托马斯面朝参加集会的守护者们(编注:负责守护林地的规则)坐下。他们没叫特雷莎来。虽然这时她已赢得纽特和敏浩的信任,但其他人对她还是不放心。“好了,菜鸟,你可以说了。”阿尔比说。“这事儿说来话长,”托马斯开口道,“我们没有时间去理清来龙去脉,不过我会跟你们讲下重点。我被蜇后,看到了很多画面闪过——有好几百个——就像快进时的幻灯片一样。我能回想起很多来,但能够说清楚的只有一部分。其余的记忆都已消失或正在消逝。不过我记住的足够了。迷宫创造者是在考验我们,迷宫自始至终都不是用来破解的,所有这一切不过是一场试验。他们的目的是让获胜者——或者说幸存者——去完成重要使命。”“什么?”纽特问。“我从头说起吧,”托马斯说,“我们每个人在很小的时候就被带走了。迷宫创造者偷走了我们,而且我想他们觉得这样做理所应当。他们不知怎地发现我们智力超群,因此就选了我们。我不太清楚。“我们被带走后,在接下来的几年里就一直在各种特殊的学校里学习,过着多少也算是正常的生活,直到他们终于能够筹钱建好这个迷宫。我们所有人的名字都只是他们瞎起的绰号,像阿尔比是取自阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦,纽特取自艾萨克·牛顿,还有我的名字托马斯取自托马斯·爱迪生。”

"What are you saying?" Frypanasked. "That we're freakin'orphans raised by scientists?"

"Yes," Thomas said. "Supposedlywe're really smart and they're studying every move we make, analyzing us. Seeing who'd give up and who wouldn't. Seeing who'd survive it all."

"I believe this klunkabout as much as I believe Frypan's food is good for you," Winstongrumbled.

"Why would I make this up?" Thomas said, his voice rising. He'd gotten stung on purpose to remember these things!

"Just keep talking," Alby said.

Thomas sucked in a big breath. "Okay, somehow they wipedour memories—not just our childhood, but all the stuff leading up toentering the Maze. They put us in the Box and sent us up here—a big group to start and then one a month over the last two years."

"But why?" Newt asked. "What's the bloody point?"

Thomas held up a hand for silence. "I'm getting there. Like I said, they wanted to test us, see how we'd react to what they call the Variables, and to a problem that has no solution. See if we could work together—build a community, even. Everything was provided for us, and the problem was laid outas one of the most common puzzles known to civilization—a maze. All this added up to making us think there had to be a solution, just encouraging us to work all the harder while at the same time magnifyingour discouragement at not finding one. What I'm saying is, there is no solution."

Chatterbroke out, questions overlappingeach other.“你说什么?”煎锅问,“我们是被科学家抚养长大的该死的孤儿?”“是的,”托马斯说,“按理来说,我们都非常聪明,而他们正在研究我们的一举一动,分析我们,看谁会放弃谁不会,看谁最后能活下来。”“要我相信这傻小子说的话,就像要我相信煎锅做的饭菜对身体好一样。”温斯顿嘟囔道。“我干吗要瞎编?”托马斯提高嗓门说。为了记起这些,他可是故意挨了蜇!“只管往下说。”阿尔比说。

托马斯深吸了一口气。“好吧。他们不知怎地抹去了我们的记忆——不只是我们童年的记忆,还包括我们进入迷宫前的所有记忆。他们把我们放进笼子(编注:像电梯似的可以升降),送到这里——起初是送一大批人进来,之后在过去这两年就成了每个月送一个人进来。”“可为什么呢?”纽特问,“这么做有什么该死的意义吗?”

托马斯抬手示意他安静。“我正要说这个问题。就像我刚才说的,他们想考验我们,看看我们会如何应对那些他们称之为试验变量的东西,如何应对一个无解的问题。看看我们能否一起共事——甚至创建一个社区。一切都为我们准备齐全,设计的问题就是人类熟知的最常见的难题之一——迷宫。这一切都是为了让我们相信问题肯定会有一个答案,只是为了鼓励我们加倍努力寻找答案,与此同时却让我们在找不到答案时愈发沮丧。我要说的是,这个迷宫根本就无法破解。”

听到这里,大家顿时议论纷纷,抛出的问题一个套一个。

Thomas held his hands up again. "See? Your reaction proves my point. Most people would've given up by now. But I hink we're different. We couldn't accept that a problem can't be solved—especially when it's something as simple as a maze. And we've kept fighting no matter how hopeless it's gotten."

Thomas realized his voice had steadily risen as he spoke. "Whatever the reason, it makes me sick! All of this—the Grievers, the walls moving, the Cliff—they're just elements of a stupid test. We're being used and manipulated. The Creators wanted to keep our minds working toward a solution that was never there. Same thing goes for Teresa being sent here, her being used to trigger the Ending—whatever that means—the place being shut down, gray skies, on and on and on. They're throwing crazy things at us to see our response, test our will, and see if we'll turn oneach other. In the end, they want the survivors for something important."

Frypan stood up. "And killing people?"

Thomas felt a moment of fear. "Yes, Frypan, killing people. The only reason the Grievers are doing it one by oneis so we don't all die before it ends the way it's supposed to. Survival of the fittest. Only the best of us will escape."

Minho, who'd been mostly silent the whole time, cleared his throat. "Something tells me I'm not gonna like what I'm about to hear."

"Probably not," Thomas said. "The Creators want the best of us for whatever it is they have planned. But we have to earn it."

托马斯又抬了抬手。“看到了吧?大家的反应证明了我的说法。大多数人到这个时候估计已经放弃努力了。但是,我觉得我们与众不同。我们不能接受一个问题会无解——特别是当其不过是个像迷宫这么简单的问题。而且无论情形变得多么绝望,我们一直都在不断努力。”

托马斯意识到自己说话的声音早已渐渐提高了。 “不管他们这么做是何居心,我都觉得恶心!所有这些——鬼火兽、移动宫墙、峭壁——都只是一个愚蠢试验的工具而已。我们被利用,被左右。迷宫创造者想让我们不断去思索怎样找到一个根本就不存在的答案。特雷莎被送到这里也是出于同样的目的,他们用她来做引子,预示着试验结束——不论那意味着什么——林地被关闭,天空变灰等等。他们丢给我们一些匪夷所思的事情,借此观察我们的反应,考验我们的意志,看看我们是否会相互攻击。他们最终是想要幸存者来完成某个重要使命。”

煎锅站起身来说:“为此还杀人?”

托马斯感到一阵恐惧袭来。“是的,煎锅,杀人。鬼火兽之所以要逐个消灭我们,纯粹是因为这样我们就不会在试验按计划结束之前全部死光。适者生存。只有最强的人才会逃出这里”。

几乎一直沉默不语的敏浩这时清了清嗓子。“我有种感觉,我接下来要听到的不会是什么好话。”“可能不是,”托马斯说,“迷宫创造者想要我们当中的最强者去做他们计划好的事情,不管那是什么,但我们必须自己去赢得这个机会。”赏析

托马斯醒来发现自己被困在一个封闭幽暗、像电梯一样不断摇晃上升的笼子里。更糟糕的是,他发现自己除了名字之外什么都不记得。大概半个小时后,头顶的铁门突然被打开,映入眼帘的是一群与他年纪相仿的少年。有人放下绳子来,把他拉到地面上。托马斯既恐惧又无所适从,这时一个男孩说了一句让他永生难忘的话:“很高兴见到你,笨蛋。欢迎来到林地。”这就是小说《移动迷宫》的开端,幽秘中透着诡谲,让读者同托马斯一样,陷入迷雾之中。

这天,托马斯陆续认识了几个男孩,如林地总指挥阿尔比、友善的副指挥纽特、年纪最小也最可爱的查克、嘲讽羞辱他的盖里等。第二天,惊魂未定的托马斯在阿尔比的带领下参观了这个神秘的地方。林地由菜园、屠宰场、营地和墓地四个区域组成,每个人各司其职。林地被一个巨大的迷宫包围,迷宫会不断移动变化,朝向林地的石墙白天开启,夜晚关闭。迷宫分为八个区域,每个区域都由一个飞毛腿负责记录变化、绘制地图,除了飞毛腿,任何人都不准踏入其中。迷宫中有种可怕的怪物叫鬼火兽,如果被其蜇到,不服用解药就会死亡,服用解药后便能恢复记忆。迷宫创造者每周用一个大铁笼子给他们送一次补给,每个月还会送一个男孩进来。三年来,一切都这样有规律地进行着,但谁也没有想到,就在托马斯到来的第二天,创造者又送来一个人,而这次居然是个女孩!这个女孩名叫特雷莎,自她来后,这里的一切都变得古怪起来。先是飞毛腿的负责人敏浩在迷宫里发现了一只一动不动的鬼火兽,接着阿尔比为弄清真相初次进入迷宫就被鬼火兽蜇伤并因此困于其中,然后托马斯为救同伴擅自闯入迷宫并杀死一只鬼火兽。这一切反常之举都让林地规则守护者之一盖里害怕,他提出要惩罚托马斯,孰料托马斯却被纽特批准加入飞毛腿队伍。不仅如此,托马斯还惊奇地发现,他和特雷莎有心理感应。特雷莎告诉托马斯,一切很快就要结束,但要带领大家逃出迷宫,托马斯必须先找回自己的记忆。为了找回记忆,弄清事情的真相,托马斯不惜用鬼火兽的毒针扎伤了自己。选段讲述的就是他找回的部分记忆。原来,他们的所有经历和这里的一切都是创造者精心设计的。不仅如此,他们的一举一动都在创造者的密切监控之下。这里遵循丛林法则,适者才能生存,最终的幸存者将被创造者赋予重要使命。更令人意想不到的是,托马斯和特雷莎与别的少年不同,他们在被送进迷宫之前竟然是为创造者工作的。

经历这一切之后,托马斯终于意识到迷宫根本没有安全出口。他们要想从这里出去,必须经过迷宫中的峭壁,跟随鬼火兽到达特定位置,并在计算机上输入正确密码后才能出去。大部分人都决定跟随托马斯进入迷宫,一行人手拿自制的武器,奔入迷宫。战斗是惨烈的,半数成员被鬼火兽杀死,只有托马斯、特雷莎等二十多人成功逃离。他们最终来到一个巨大的地下实验室,看到一群成年人正透过玻璃屏幕观察和记录着迷宫里发生的一切——他们就是迷宫创造者WICKED组织。就在众人困惑之时,盖里居然出现了,他把刀扔向托马斯,危急关头查克为保护托马斯被刀砍中牺牲了。就在众人沉浸在悲痛中时,一群人突然持枪闯入实验室,向那些创造者疯狂扫射。托马斯等人被这群人带出实验室,并被告知,地球正遭遇一场前所未有的劫难,一种被称为“闪焰症”的疾病肆虐横行,人类死伤无数。WICKED组织发现托马斯他们身上带有天然的抗体,希望能从他们身上找到疾病的治疗方法,因此将他们送入迷宫中对其进行研究。现在他们安全了。他们感到一种前所未有的安适感,对于未来,也再次燃起了希望……

这是一个绝境求生的故事。一群少年被抹去记忆后当做试验对象困在一座诡异的迷宫里,他们恐惧、迷惘、好奇,却不知如何进退,不知通向生存的出口在哪儿,也不知死亡何时又会降临。《移动迷宫》具有强烈的奇幻色彩,也因此获得了足够的自由空间去塑造一个理想的模型,使困境的隐喻变得具体化。少年们被抛入一个完全陌生而又危险重重的环境,随着人数的增加,一个微型社会逐渐形成,同时也建立起维系这个微型社会的种种规则和秩序。但由于个体的差异,这个社群开始慢慢分化,一部分人想要冒险逃出去,一部分人则倾向于维持现状,由此形成激进和保守两股相互对抗的力量。在平静的表面下,这个微型社会内部其实也存在着派系矛盾、人身伤害和资源短缺等诸多不和谐因素。故事主人公托马斯是这个空间中与众不同的存在,他的到来引起了骚动,打破了社区原有的势力平衡,但也带来了改变的希望。在一个群体中,总有人在坚守旧制,有人在摇摆观望,有人在亦步亦趋,还有人在试图打破常规。而最后这种人,他们敢于将一切旧规则和秩序踩在脚下,只为找到通向真正自由的路。在小说中,成年人虚构出一个缜密的骗局,以未成年人为试验对象,并专断地设定了游戏秩序和规则。未成年人被剥夺了话语权和决定权,在成年人的监视下生活,一举一动都在他人的预先设计之中,直接面临着生与死的严酷考验。在两年的尝试都徒然无果的情况下,少年们沮丧不已,甚至有人打起了退堂鼓,彻底放弃了出逃的打算。唯有托马斯不安于现状,敢于打破既定规则。他天赋异禀,头脑灵活,行动果敢,是天生的领导者。在他的带领下,未成年人开始夺回部分主导权,反抗成人世界强加在他们身上的条条框框。

与托马斯相对的则是迷宫。小说中的迷宫既是具体的,又是抽象的,它既是实实在在的物理空间,又是一切规则和秩序的一种具象,代表着这些少年的身体和心灵所面临的诘难和困境。少年与迷宫的对峙又何尝不是我们现实生活的真实写照呢?我们每个人都生活在各式各样的迷宫之中,有些是社会圈定的,有些是他人设置的,有些是自

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