作者：侯毅凌
出版社：外语教学与研究出版社
格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT
《英语学习》三刊精选2013年第01期(图文版)试读：
缤纷世界
Sense and Nonsense阡陌 选编"There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas."——“最好的演说技巧与最伟大的思想之间毫无关系。”Susan Cain（苏珊·凯恩）曾是华尔街律师，她却多次在《纽约时报》上发表关于内向和羞怯的文章，并在TED节目中进行了题为“The Power of Introverts（内向） ”的演讲，讲述了自己作为一个内向者的成长经历和对社会中性格偏见的理解，呼吁人们客观看待性格的差别，学会发现内向者内在力量的价值。其角度新颖、观点鲜明，道出了内向者的内心之声。
"You do not run from a bear because you are afraid of it, but rather become afraid of the bear because you run from it."——当代许多心灵鸡汤式的书籍都强调积极乐观的心态，认为良好的心态能产生积极的行为，从而使人更容易获得成功和幸福感。但英国心理学家理查德·怀斯曼（Richard Wiseman）日前却提出不同的看法。他引用美国哲学家威廉·詹姆士一百多年前的情绪理论——“你看到一只熊后跑开了，这不是因为你害怕它，相反，正是因为你跑开了，所以你才害怕它”。怀斯曼解释道，行动会改变人们的情绪：看到熊，身体出于本能作出奔跑的反应，然后大脑作出判断，“我害怕了”。这究竟是行动决定心态，还是心态决定行动呢？越来越感觉这像“鸡生蛋，还是蛋生鸡”的问题了。
"For Chinese men today, being the perfect mate means having a car, an apartment, a good salary and, preferably, a tall stature. Women, meanwhile, must be married by 27; after that they are branded sheng nu or "leftover women."——《纽约时报》记者Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore在她的博客中写道：“对于今天的中国男性而言，想要成为完美的伴侣就需要有车、有房、高薪，最好还是高个儿。女性则必须在27岁前结婚，否则就沦为‘剩女’。”前不久《经济学人》杂志也刊登了封面文章《孤单的亚洲人》，研究亚洲迅速下降的结婚率。看来，近年来愈演愈烈的婚姻和择偶问题已引起多方关注。Clarissa指出，中国人的爱情越来越多地向现实“折腰”，相亲也更像是一种商业行为。她把这称为“中国式浪漫”（Romance with Chinese Characteristics）。虽然这一说法略有偏激，但在一定程度上也反映了这个愈加严重的社会问题。
"I WANT to plan my world domination...but I also wanna get drunk and eat treaties."—— 一只“黑脸”波斯猫因其愤怒表情在网上走红，粉丝们给它取外号称作“世界上最愤怒的猫”。这只猫名叫“喵上校”（ Colonel Meow），它长着蓬松的绒毛，但看起来一点都不乖巧可爱，这都是拜它那令人不寒而栗的眼神和似乎永远紧锁的眉头所赐。不过，主人为它建立的Facebook主页却已经吸引到了超过三万名世界各地的粉丝。“喵上校”的主人安妮·梅尔·埃维在Facebook上传了一些它的照片，并以它自己的口吻配上搞笑解说词，比如：“我打算统治世界……不过我也想喝得大醉，吃糖果。”很多Facebook用户模仿“喵上校”愤怒的样子并将照片上传到网上分享，也许“喵上校”统治世界的梦想不久就能实现了。
"Time to get a wiggle on, Rio. With less than four years to go until the Games move to Rio in 2016, not a brick has been laid at venues. The tatty old racing track is supposed to host 20 events—but it remains a grassy, overgrown wreck... By contrast in 2008, foundations had been laid for the showpiece stadium."——“里约啊，你们要抓紧时间咯。距离2016年里约奥运会还有不到四年的时间，可你们的场馆里连一砖一瓦都还没有呢。在这条破旧的跑道上将来要举办20场比赛——但现在它还是杂草丛生、破破烂烂的呢……相比之下，早在四年前的2008年，‘伦敦碗’就开始动土打地基了。”饱受吐槽的伦敦奥运会结束还没到半年，英国《太阳报》就迫不及待地开始对下一届奥运会主办城市里约冷嘲热讽一番了。
部长演讲特辑
本栏目收录了数位法律、金融、贸易、海关与科技等领域高级官员和资深专家的演讲稿。演讲稿用英文撰写，列举了各领域实际工作和对外交流中的实例，分享了他们关于时事热点、社会问题和文化交流等方面的思考与探索。【 I 】Speaking of the "Swift Horses"... 从“千里马”说开去∷海关总署副署长 孙毅彪A foreign language is a tool for communication. However, is it enough to carry out cross-cultural communication if one only knows the language itself? Not really. Otherwise why were the Chinese customs officials reluctant to put on the green Customs caps given by Dutch Customs as gifts? And why are westerners constantly baffled by the meanings of a certain Chinese word "fang bian (方便)", which sometimes means convenience while other times means going to the washroom?In June 2010, I attended the annual Customs Council of World Customs Organization in Brussels, Belgium. There I met Mr. Alan Bersin, Commissioner of U. S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security. After exchanging a few words, Mr. Bersin cited a Chinese idiom, "Swift Horses", and quoted the phrase "qian li ma" in Chinese. I was pleasantly surprised and asked him when and where he had learned it. He replied that he had recently learned it from his daughter, a student of Chinese language who was fascinated by China's long and rich history.In my opinion, that Mr. Bersin kicked off the meeting by quoting the Chinese idiom reflected his thoughtful preparation. Similar sensitivity was shown by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she cited the Chinese idiom "feng yu tong zhou" (staying in the same boat through storms), and many foreign senior executives like to borrow aphorisms from Sun Tzu's The Art of War in business discussions with us.Han Yu, a Tang Dynasty poet, had a very famous saying in the poem "On Horses", "Swift horses are easily found, while Bo Le, the man who can distinguish swift horses from common ones, is rare." In quoting" Swift Horses," Commissioner Bersin implied that over the past thirty years of opening-up and reform, China's economy has grown with remarkable vigor. Even during the period of global financial crisis, China's combined value of imports and exports in the first half of 2010 totaled US$1. 35 trillion, an increase of 43. 1％ compared with the same period of 2009. China, likened to a "swift horse " moved ahead with great speed. It was obvious that Commissioner Bersin would lay great emphasis on enhancing Sino-US Customs collaboration.I cited the Chinese idioms of "kuai ma jia bian "(spur on the flying horse at top speed) and "qu chang bu duan "(draw on each other's strengths) in response to his positive attitude. As we all know, Customs administrations enforce laws in the interests of their own states. We had a good discussion, although there remained differences and disagreements on certain issues. For instance, the US side was more concerned with anti-terrorism, security, and IPR, while the Chinese side focused more on trade facilitation, preventing commercial fraud, and information exchange. We came to understand each other through communication, seeking common ground while minimizing differences. Substantial outcomes on Customs issues were achieved in the subsequent third and fourth rounds of the Sino-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue.On May 9th of this year, Mr. Stallworth, the Assistant Commissioner of CBP, came to Beijing to sign the agreement for a Sino-US Customs Joint Training Program. During the meeting with Mr. Stallworth, we once again mentioned the Chinese idiom of "Swift Horses", and there appeared to emerge a new understanding which bridged our cultural differences. Both Chinese and US Customs administrations should work as hard as swift horses to advance our growing collaboration. At the same time, these two administrations should be as liberal-minded and insightful as Bo Le, to confront challenges, seek more common interests and make contributions to bilateral ties. ❖外语是人们交流的工具。然而，仅懂得外语，不了解异国文化背景，也难以进行跨文化交流。曾经荷兰海关赠予中国海关绿色制服帽，我们谁都不愿戴；而西方人对中文“方便”一词在不同场合的用法，如有时指“合适的时候”，有时则指“去洗手间”，则常常感到迷惑而引出笑话。2010年6月，我在比利时布鲁塞尔出席世界海关组织（WCO）年会。期间，我会见了美国国土安全部海关和边境保护局（CBP）局长阿兰·博森先生。一开场寒暄后，博森局长就引用了中国唐代“千里马”的典故，并用不太流利的中文讲了“千里马”三个字。当时，我很惊喜。问他是什么时候学的，在哪学的？他说，前不久刚和女儿学的。他女儿已选修中文，因为她喜爱中国几千年的文明历史。我认为，博森局长能运用中国典故作为会谈开场，说明他对中国文化是经过一番了解的。就如同美国国务卿希拉里·克林顿曾用过“同舟共济”，不少西方企业家借用《孙子兵法》与我方进行商务谈判一样。“千里马常有，而伯乐不常有。”这是唐代诗人韩愈《马说》一诗中的名句。但博森局长当时引用“千里马”还有其特别的含义。在他看来，中国经过三十多年的改革开放，经济实力大增，即使在全球金融危机的背景下，2010年上半年中国进出口总值仍达到一万三千五百多亿美元，同比增长43. 1％，中国就像一匹“千里马”实在跑得太快了。因此，他十分看重加强中美海关的合作。当时，我用“快马加鞭” 和“取长补短”做了回应。海关，代表着国家主权和利益。双方会谈虽顺，但仍有分歧，比如美方更强调反恐、安全和知识产权保护等；而我方更关注贸易便利化、反商业瞒骗和信息交换等。基于跨文化交流，彼此在理解中求同存异。之后，中美海关在第三、四轮“中美战略和经济对话”中取得了一系列合作成果。今年5月9日，美国CBP局长助理史蒂沃斯先生又来京会谈并与我签署中美海关培训项目协议。这次与史蒂沃斯先生会面，当重提“千里马”典故时，双方似乎在跨文化交流中又悟出了新概念：中美海关既要像“千里马”那样，快马加鞭，推进合作；还要有“伯乐”的胸怀和慧眼，面对挑战，克服障碍，多寻求利益的共同点，为促进中美两国友好合作做出新的贡献。❖知识链接：中华人民共和国海关关徽关徽由商神手杖与金色钥匙交叉组成。商神手杖代表国际贸易，钥匙象征海关为祖国把关。关徽寓意着中国海关依法实施进出境监督管理，维护国家的主权和利益，促进对外经济贸易发展和科技文化交往，保障社会主义现代化建设。（摘自海关总署网页）The Badge of China Customs is composed of a cane of the God of Commerce crossing with a golden key. The cane signifies the international trade, and the golden key symbolizes that the Customs are responsible for guarding the borders of the nation. The badge embodies that China Customs inspect and manage the border entry and exit according to law, facilitate the development of the international trade and exchanges in science, technology and culture, as well as ensure the progress of socialist modernization drive.
影视文化笔记
黑色电影经典《双重赔偿》中的两性博弈∷宋云峰1944年美国导演比利·怀尔德（Billy Wilder）改编了前一年发表的詹姆斯·凯恩（James M. Cain）的中篇小说《双重赔偿》（Double Indemnity），将其搬上银幕，讲述保险公司推销员华尔特·耐夫（Walter Neff）经不起美色诱惑，帮助性感家庭主妇菲利斯（Phyllis）谋杀丈夫、骗取保险公司双重赔偿的故事。影片因其探讨情欲和贪欲导致谋杀的尖锐主题、正叙加闪回的叙事结构以及黑白反差的气氛风格受到广泛关注，并获得奥斯卡多项提名（也许因为主题受到的道德非议较多，该片最终未获任何奖项）。在“黑色电影”方兴未艾的20世纪40年代，《双重赔偿》为后来的黑色电影树立了主题与风格上的典范。因其包含的“文化、历史或美学意义”(culturally, historically, or aesthetically significance)，美国国会图书馆国家电影档案馆将该片永久收藏。以往许多观众和电影学者通常聚焦影片情欲和贪婪导致谋杀的主题和正叙穿插闪回的叙事方式。然而，今天重看这部黑色经典，我们可以从女性主义角度重新审视“蛇蝎美人”（femme fatale）的含义并解读男女主人公之间的关系，即两性之间的博弈。事实上，怀尔德的高明之处在于将菲利斯塑造成一个情感复杂、有血有肉的女人，处于两性关系中的弱者地位，所以不得不利用女人的自身条件（美貌和性感）在男人主导的社会（包括家庭）中争取自己的权益（情感的和物质的）。蛇蝎美人或致命美人（femme fatale,法语，意为“deadly woman”），是西方文学和艺术中塑造的一类女性人物，指神秘并具有诱惑力的女人。她们的魅力往往让男人神魂颠倒，心甘情愿地任其摆布，甚至替她们火中取栗。 尽管如此，这类女人在男权社会往往也是两性关系的牺牲品，逃脱不了悲剧的命运。例如，西方有美丽的海伦引起的特洛伊战争，中国则有杨贵妃导致的安史之乱。在女人没有任何资源（金钱、资产、文化等方面）的两性关系中，她所能利用的手段只有美貌与性感，进行一场打不赢的战争。而男人的可悲之处在于生活中离不开女人，尤其是美貌性感的女人，所以他们会轻易上钩，成为“蛇蝎美人”的玩物或工具，最终毁于其手。这也是黑色电影的典型主题。男主人公Neff在影片一开始回顾这场悲剧的本质时说：“Yes, I killed him（指Phyllis的丈夫）. I killed him for money—and a woman—and I didn't get the money and I didn't get the woman.”虽然男人将女人看作“性感尤物”，但又抵挡不住她们的诱惑，所以明知是火坑还要跳进去。我们可以在Phyllis出场时感受到Neff火辣的“男性凝视”（male gaze）：(Neff到Phyllis家里为她丈夫续保机动车保险)"As Neff looks up, the scene cuts to the upper landing of the staircase, as seen from below. Phyllis Dietrichson, a blonde woman in her early thirties, stands there looking down. She holds a large bath-towel around her very appetizing torso（躯干）, down to about two inches above her knees. Her legs are bare. She wears a pair of high-heeled bedroom slippers with pompons（绒球，丝球）, on her left ankle a gold anklet（踝环）."Neff忍不住开始和Phyllis调情，Phyllis则机智巧妙地用双关语半推半就地抵挡：Phyllis: Mr. Neff, why don't you drop by tomorrow evening about eight-thirty. He'll be in then.Neff: Who?Phyllis: My husband. You were anxious to talk to him, weren't you?Neff: Sure, only I'm getting over it a little（有点过头了）. If you know what I mean.Phyllis: There's a speed limit（公路的限速） in this state, Mr. Neff. Forty-five miles an hour.Neff: How fast was I going, officer?Phyllis: I'd say about ninety.Neff: Suppose you get down off your motorcycle and give me a ticket（罚单）.Phyllis: Suppose I have to whack（重击，使劲打）you over the knuckles（手关节）.Neff: Suppose I burst out crying and put my head on your shoulder.Phyllis: Suppose you try putting it on my husband's shoulder.Neff: That tears it（大煞风景）.(Neff takes his hat and briefcase.) Eight-thirty tomorrow evening then, Mrs. Dietrichson.Phyllis: That's what I suggested.当Neff得知Phyllis想私下为自己的老公买一份人寿保险而不让他知道时，立即猜出她想谋财害命，但却很难拒绝与这个狐媚美人合作："I know I had hold of a red-hot poker（拨火铁棒）and the time to drop it was before it burned my hand off.""I was all twisted up inside, and I was still holding on to that red-hot poker. And right then it came over me that I hadn't walked out on anything at all, that the hook was too strong, that this wasn't the end between her and me. It was only the beginning."经过几个回合的较量（包括Phyllis哭诉自己婚姻的不幸福），Neff完全被这个貌似柔弱的性感女人迷住了，不由自主地投入了她的怀抱：(In Neff's apartment)Neff: I'm crazy about you, baby.Phyllis: I'm crazy about you, Walter.Neff: That perfume on your hair. What's the name of it?Phyllis: I don't know. I bought it down at Ensenada.Neff: We ought to have some of that pink wine to go with it. The kind of bubbles（香槟酒）. But all I have is bourbon（波旁威士忌）.Phyllis与Neff的另一段对话则从侧面暗示女人是传统婚姻关系中的弱者：Neff: Ever think of a divorce?Phyllis: He wouldn't give me a divorce.Neff: I suppose because it would cost him money.Phyllis: He hasn't got any money. Not since he went into the oil business.Neff: But he had when you married him?Phyllis: Yes, he had. And I wanted a home. Why not? But that wasn't the only reason. I was his wife's nurse. She was sick for a long time. When she died, he was all broken up. I pitied him so.Neff: And now you hate him.Phyllis: Yes, Walter. He's so mean（自私刻薄的） to me. Every time I buy a dress or a pair of shoes he yells his head off（大发雷霆）. He won't let me go anywhere. He keeps me shut up. He's always been mean to me. Even his life insurance all goes to that daughter of his. That Lola.Neff: Nothing for you at all, huh?Phyllis: No.And nothing is just what I'm worth to him.Neff: So you lie awake in the dark and listen to him snore（打鼾）and get ideas.Phyllis: Walter, I don't want to kill him. I never did. Not even when he gets drunk and slaps my face.Neff: Only sometimes you wish he was dead.Phyllis: Perhaps I do.Neff: And you wish it was an accident, and you had that policy（保单）. For fifty thousand dollars. Is that it?Phyllis: Perhaps that too.面对性感美人楚楚可怜的诱惑，熟悉保险业操作内幕的Neff忍不住要帮她实施杀夫骗保的计划以获得美人的芳心和金钱。Phyllis想到可能败露的后果而不寒而栗（女人的不忍），而Neff却深陷其中不能自拔，因为他自以为聪明，可以做到天衣无缝（男人的刚愎自用和冷酷）：Phyllis: I can't stand it anymore. What if they did hang（绞死）me?Neff: You're not going to hang, baby. You're not going to hang, baby. Not ever. Because you're going to do it the smart way. Because I'm going to help you.Phyllis: You?Neff: ME.Phyllis: Do you know what you're doing?Neff: Sure I know what I'm doing. (He gets up and grips her arm.) We're going to do it together. We're going to do it right. And I'm the guy that knows how. (There is fierce determination in his voice. His fingers dig into her arm.)所以他们为了共同的利益谋杀了Phyllis的丈夫并制造了事故的假象，以得到保险公司的双重赔偿。但当保险公司理赔部经理凯斯（Keys）怀疑骗保、事情开始败露时，惊慌的Phyllis开始埋怨Neff:Phyllis: I loved you, Walter. And I hated him. But I wasn't going to do anything about it, not until I met you. It was you who had the plan. I only wanted him dead. We went into it together. We must come to the end together.作为共犯，他们只有合作到底，要么是死路一条。这时，Neff想起理赔经理Keys曾经对他说过的一段话："When two people commit a murder, they're kind of on a trolley car（有轨滑轮车）, and one can't get off without the other. They're stuck with each other. They've got to ride all the way to the end of the line. And it's a one-way trip, and the last stop is the cemetery（坟墓）."为了摆脱困境，唯一的办法是杀对方以灭口。其实两人都想到了这个办法，就看谁更心狠手辣，下得去手。虽然是Phyllis先开的第一枪（打伤了Neff的肩头），但她却不忍心开第二枪将Neff杀死：Neff: Why didn't you shoot, baby? (In response Phyllis puts her arms around him in complete surrender.) Don't tell me it's because you've been in love with me all this time.Phyllis: No. I never loved you, Walter. Not you, or anybody else. I'm rotten to the heart. I used you, just as you said. That's all you ever meant to me—until a minute ago（即一分钟之前开枪时才意识到爱上了Neff）. I didn't think anything like that could ever happen to me.Neff: I'm sorry baby. I'm not buying（不吃这一套）.Neff无情地将怀里的Phyllis开枪打死，但最终也没能逃脱法律的惩罚。通过以上犯罪过程与简略心理分析，我们可以看出，男女的情欲和贪欲可以让他们一步步滑向犯罪的深渊，并为此付出双重的代价（本来他们的计划是要得到双重的赔偿）。以往对《双重赔偿》的解读多停留在道德层面上以及男性视角（例如：是蛇蝎美人Phyllis利用自己的美貌性感诱骗Neff来实施自己的犯罪计划的），忽视了Neff本身的共犯动机（贪恋美貌和钱财、男人的自负和自作聪明）以及两人的互动，尤其是Phyllis作为女人的不利条件。影片在细节方面也揭示了Phyllis复杂的性格（爱情与婚姻生活的不幸福导致她渴望男人的欣赏和爱护，所以只能用美貌吸引和利用Neff）。影片从反面证明20世纪40年代的美国社会仍然是典型的男权社会，几乎一无所有的大多数女人要么忍气吞声做男人的奴仆，要么通过非常手段（装可怜、色诱、婚外情等）来争取自己的权利和幸福，而这种抗争由于不见容于男人主导的社会道德，鲜有成功的例子。❖他山之石
少年π的奇幻漂流∷王伟滨这个世界上有许多奇妙的东西，我们通常看不到，不是因为它们不存在，而是因为它们藏在隐秘的地方，故意与我们保持距离；不过，你若是用心，就会嗅到、听到、感觉到。有个叫作Pi的孩子特别擅长发现那些隐身的东西，在他看来，一片森林中藏下个把野兽算不得稀罕，即使是喧嚣的都市，也不乏“惊喜”。“If you took the city of Tokyo and turned it upside down and shook it, you would be amazed at the animals that would fall out. It would pour more than cats and dogs, I tell you. Boa constrictors（巨蟒）, Komodo dragons（科摩多巨蜥）, crocodiles, piranhas（食人鲳）, ostriches, wolves, lynx（猞猁）, wallabies（小袋鼠）, manatees（海牛）, porcupines（豪猪）, orang-utans（猩猩）, wild boar（野猪）—that's the sort of rainfall you could expect on your umbrella”。听Pi跟你掰着手指头数那些怪怪的名字，该是件相当有趣的事情吧。对了，可不要把Pi的名字念错，他是π，那个永远没有尽头的神秘数字。加拿大作家Yann Martel的小说Life of Pi初版于2001年，自那以后，它便以各式封面的样子长期占据书店的书架上某个显眼或不显眼的位置；事实上，因为它太常见了，以至于很多人或许与我一样，对这书竟毫没在意，直到李安执导的同名3D影片袭击各大院线之后，才发现自己曾错过了怎样的好东西。凭着一双贯通东西文化的慧眼，李安总能让我们看到一些原本平淡或肤浅的故事背后的神奇元素，不消说Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon(《卧虎藏龙》）或Brokeback Mountain(《断背山》），就连Hulk（《绿巨人》）这样的漫画故事也能被李安的神笔挖掘出不一样的人性思索。不过，这次李安的电影显然只为这部小说做了些锦上添花的工作——小说中容纳的丰富内容足以配得上它问世以来所获得的各项殊荣，从获奖到销售量，据说奥巴马总统也曾和自己的小女儿一起读过这本小说，还给作者写了亲笔信，对小说大加赞赏；而电影不过是把 Martel翻江倒海的文字具体视觉化了。Life of Pi讲述了印度少年Pi在太平洋上的一次海难之后，与一头孟加拉虎在一条小船上度过了227个日日夜夜的故事。Pi之所以会与老虎落难到一起，是因为Pi一家特别的谋生方式——他家曾经在小镇Pondicherry开了一个动物园。不错，世上确实有些家庭是靠开动物园为生的。若说Pi一家的故事还是出于作者的虚构，那现实生活中英国人Benjamin Mee一家可是真的买了一个动物园，而且时至今日他们的动物园还算运营正常，当然这多少要感谢Mee的自传We Bought A Zoo。不过，与Mee相比，Pi一家面临的挑战就要大得多了——因为不堪动荡时局的压力，Pi的父母决定举家移民加拿大，而动物们也被转让给了美国的动物园，因为那里能出个好价钱，于是，协议签订，喧闹的动物们便与这一家人一起登上了一艘驶往北美的日本货轮。“They were future Yankees（美国人）, and we, future Canucks（加拿大人）”。但是起航数天之后，轮船便失事了。海上历险、荒岛求生的故事自从Robinson Crusoe（鲁滨逊）之后便几乎成了cliche（陈词滥调），不过像Pi经历的这么令人头痛的事件真要称得上绝无仅有了。家人杳无音信，Pi糊里糊涂地与一头名叫Richard Parker的孟加拉虎，一条鬣狗(hyena)、一匹斑马和一头名叫Orange Juice的大猩猩（orang-tan）挤到了一条小船上。饥饿的鬣狗一点点吃掉了断了腿的斑马，又杀死了大猩猩，而Richard Parker则吃掉了鬣狗，又时时威胁着瘦骨嶙峋的少年Pi。听起来像是一个食物链关系的典型例证，又很像小时候听到过的一道有关农夫带着白菜、羊和狼坐船过河的题目。农夫因为要保护三样东西，于是便要大费一番脑筋。与那农夫相比，Pi显得被动多了，他没有什么选择，只能看着他的“难友”逐渐减少，最后只剩Richard Parker与他“相伴”。在所有食物几乎吃尽的时候，Pi便设法去钓鱼、捉海龟，来充饥，并喂养老虎，后者，既为了避免老虎饥饿的时候打他的主意，也为了至少在船上能留下个伙伴。鲁滨逊不是还要找个星期五作伴吗？不要被某一版封面上那头咧着嘴笑的“大猫”欺骗，这本书中虽然挤满了各式动物，却不是一本动物小说——与当下流行得有些泛滥的将动物和动物性多少神化的故事不同，这里讲的是一个“zoo keeper”的故事，虽然可怜的Pi管理下的这个zoo空间过于狭小—— 一条小船，动物也少得可怜—— 一头老虎。有关动物园的功与过，在近年来多有讨论，大概主流声音是说应当让动物回归自然，至少要尊重动物的生存习惯，建动物园也应当建所谓的safari park（野生动物园）。Pi却有着自己的想法，他认为所谓“野性的自由”其实是人类强加到动物身上的。动物与人一样，渴望安定、安逸的生活，在这方面它们实际上比人类更加“守旧”。“For that is what animals are, conservative(守旧的），one might even say reactionary（反对变革的）”。相对于荒野生活的朝不保夕，动物园（当然是合格的动物园）显然为动物们提供了一个避难之所。可惜，在狼的野性被大加赞赏的今天，动物园变成了个“politically unwise”的主意。“I know zoos are no longer in people's good graces(不被人们看好）. Religions face the same problem. Certain illusions about freedom plague them both.”的确，Pi是这世上的一个怪人，因为他狂热地信仰上帝和动物园这两样已经“过气”的东西。实际上，Pi在宗教和动物学(zoology)之间建立了一条奇妙的联系。虽然Pi出生在一个印度教家庭，但在十几岁上接触了基督教、伊斯兰教和动物学之后，便被所有这些东西吸引，而成为它们的忠实信徒。按照Pi的父母的看法，这孩子收集宗教就像别的孩子收集邮票一样起劲。Pi的宗教意识是实用主义的，不管那个上帝叫做什么名字，长成什么样子，他终归像一个动物园管理员一样，既为我们提供一切，也掌控着一切的发展。宗教在某种程度上大概也是关于我们这种称作“人”的动物对于我们自身、对于管理我们的某个更高的存在的反应吧。翻开基督教《圣经》，《创世记》第一页便充满了各种动物，而且上帝是在创造完其他动物之后才按照自己的形象创造人的，这，显然有些深意——或许，人之所以为人是因为我们在这个世界上也要扮演个caregiver（照料者）的角色。虽然动物学与宗教在Pi的头脑中是相通的，然而，当两者发生冲突时（感谢上帝，这并不是时常发生的事），宗教要根据动物学做些改变。《圣经·创世记》中说，人类对于一切动物都有控制的权力，一切动物都将为人类所用。不过，Pi学到的Zoology和zoo keeping的知识却告诉它完全不同的观点——“Getting animals used to the presence of humans is at the heart of the art and science of zookeeping.”在Pi很小的时候，父亲便告诉他与动物相处，最重要的是要理解动物的“距离感”。了解各种动物距离感的不同，才能确保人与动物双方的和平与安全。当然距离并非不可跨越，但是要跨越这段距离，需要“时间”和“耐心”——要接近动物，与它们为伴，靠的不是“征服”(dominate）而是“驯服”（tame），虽然，人类更习惯前者，而且往往以为那是上帝赋予我们的权力。在另一本有趣的书《小王子》（The Little Prince）中，有一段小王子和小狐狸的有趣对话，便是关于“驯服”的，或可作为Pi的“动物学宗教”的注脚。"One only understands the things that one tames,"the fox said,"If you want a friend, tame me.""What must I do, to tame you?" asked the little prince."You must be very patient," replied the fox. "First you will sit down at a little distance from me like that in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day... One must observe the proper rites(礼仪）..."在大海上随波漂流的Pi有的是“时间”，也有的是“耐心”。于是，Pi不仅驯服了老虎Richard Parker (虽然上岸后Richard Parker还是在雄性荷尔蒙的驱使下毅然地抛弃了Pi朝着丛林中某位吸引它的异性奔去了，这不免让Pi颇为不满，以至竟失声大哭），还以“神一般的”眼光看到了海上（下）世界的喧嚣与骚动。"With just one glance I discovered that the sea is a city. Just below me, all around, unsuspected by me, were highways, boulevards（大道）, streets and roundabouts（环状交叉路） bustling with submarine traffic. In water that was dense, glassy and flecked（斑驳的） by millions of lit-up specks（斑点） of plankton（浮游生物）, fish like trucks and buses and cars and bicycles and pedestrians（步行者） were madly racing about... I gazed upon this urban hurly-burly（喧嚣） like someone observing a city from a hot-air balloon. It was a spectacle wondrous and awe-inspiring（令人敬畏的）. This is surely what Tokyo must look like at rush hour."小说的结尾，面对两位沉船事故原因调查员对他讲述的故事的质疑，Pi说，“If you stumble at mere believability, what are you living for? Isn't love hard to believe?... Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer.”不过，他也并没坚持，而是讲了一个截然不同的、或许更能让“理性”的人们相信的故事，在这个故事中没有老虎Richard Parker，没有其他那些或可怜或可怕的动物，也没有奇迹，只有一条小艇，和几个彼此虎视眈眈，为了生存随时准备扑向对方的人。在这个故事里，Pi仍然是最后的幸存者，唯一的幸存者。也许这第二个故事是我们熟悉的，因为它足够黑暗，但是，它显然不是我们喜欢的，于是调查员们决定还是相信那个有动物的故事，因为那个故事中也有上帝。❖蝶翼文丛
生活在一个有近七十亿人口的地球，我们时常感叹日子的艰辛、世事的复杂和自身的渺小。“想要挣脱虚假承诺，会感动我过一种生活，简单到没有奢侈的轻松”——苏打绿的歌唱出了很多人的心声。其实，如果我们无法驾驭这个世界的复杂，那么就去学会接受它。简化我们的生活，找回童心，学会欣赏自然的美妙，在浩瀚的宇宙中做一个小小的我。【C】Simplifying 生活可以更简单By Sophie Zhang∷双双 注One of my friends from home spent her summer biking from Boston to Seattle with her boyfriend.It took her two months, and she came back tanned, toned, and full of stories to tell.She told us about how she rode down a hill with her arms out, just heading towards the big blue sky. She told us about how her thighs felt so sore she thought she couldn't go anymore, but she did anyway.I filedher stories in the back of my mind, but as school started again, I found myself thinking more and more about her experiences. Although I'm not a particularly athletic person myself, I wondered what it would be like to do something that would allow me to really get in touch with my physical being.When I refer to my physical being, I don't necessarily mean sweating or panting or doing heavy exercise.I mean connecting the earth to my body, feeling my presenceon this world, feeling something pure and real.For the past eighteen and a half years, I've kept up withtechnology. My generation is almost defined by the extensive use of technology as an aid.I own a smartphone, a high-powered laptop, an iPod, and a Kindle.I use all of those products daily and they help me immenselythroughout my daily life. In some ways, I would agree with the sentimentthat I do depend on technology to get me through the day.
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