The Green Banana（嫩香蕉）

名称：The Green Banana（嫩香蕉）
内容简介：
世界英语散文精卒
[00:03.06]嫩香蕉
[00:06.11]The cultures of theworld are full of
[00:06.94]世界文化充满了
[00:07.77]unexpected greenbananas with specialvalue and meanings.
[00:09.57]你意想不到的、具有特殊价值与意义的嫩香蕉。
[00:11.37]They have been therefor ages,ripeningslowly,
[00:12.63]它们在那儿天长地久地逐渐成熟,
[00:13.89]perhaps waitingpatiently for ourstudents
[00:15.08]也许正耐心地等待着人们到来,
[00:16.27]to come along toencounter them
[00:17.34]与它们相遇
[00:18.41]The Green BananaBy Donald Batchelder
[00:21.81]嫩香蕉唐纳德.巴切尔德
[00:25.21]Although it mighthave happenedanywhere,
[00:26.05]尽管这样的事在哪儿都可能发生,
[00:26.89]my encounter withthe green banana
[00:27.70]而我与嫩香蕉的偶然相遇
[00:28.51]started on a steepmountain road in theinterior of Brazil.
[00:30.26]却是在巴西内地的一段陡峭山路上。
[00:32.00]My ancient jeep wasstraining up throughspectacularcountryside
[00:34.00]我的老式吉普车正费力地驶过景色绚丽的乡间，
[00:36.00]when the radiatorbegan to leak,ten miles from thenearest mechanic.
[00:38.26]突然水箱漏水了，这儿离最近的汽车修理厂还有十英里路。
[00:40.52]The overheatedengine forced　meto stop at the nexthamlet,
[00:42.11]引擎热得过度了,无奈只得在下一个村子停下来。
[00:43.70]which consisted ofa small store and ascattering of houses
[00:45.83]这个村子其实就是一家小店和一片稀疏零乱的房屋。
[00:47.95]People gatheredaround to look.
[00:48.89]村子里的人都围上来看热闹。
[00:49.83]Three fine streamsof hot water spoutedfrom holes in thejacket of the radiator
[00:52.28]热水从水箱外壳的三个洞中喷射出来，像三条细细的溪流。
[00:54.73]"That's easy tofix,"
[00:55.39]"这很好修!"
[00:56.04]a man said.He sent a boyrunning for somegreen bananas.
[00:57.91]一个男人说着就派一个小男孩跑去拿些嫩香蕉来。
[00:59.78]He patted me on theshoulder,assuring meeverything wouldwork out.
[01:01.68]他拍拍我的肩膀，让我放心，说一切都会好的
[01:03.58]"Green bananas,"he smiled.Everyone agreed.
[01:05.51]"嫩香蕉!"他神秘地一笑，所有的人好像都赞同他的办法。
[01:07.43]We exchangedpleasantries
[01:08.21]我一边同村民聊天，
[01:08.98]while I mulled overthe ramifications ofthe green banana.
[01:10.46]一边思忖着嫩香蕉的妙用。
[01:11.93]Asking questionswould betraymy ignorance,
[01:13.25]向他们询问这个问题的话,就显得我太无知了。
[01:14.57]so I remarked onthe beauty of theterrain.
[01:15.75]所以我只是谈论这一带的风景
[01:16.93]Huge rock formationslike Sugar Loaf inRio, rose up allaround us.
[01:19.60]四周高高耸立着的是那些巨大的石块，宛如里约热内卢出产的圆锥形粮块一般。
[01:22.27]"Do you see thattall one rightover there?" askedmy benefactor,
[01:24.11]"看见那边那块高的了吗?"自愿帮助我的那个男人
[01:25.96]pointing to aparticularly tall,slender pinnacle ofdark rock.
[01:27.88]指着一块特别高、带有哥特式建筑尖顶的黑石头问道，
[01:29.81]"That rock marksthe center of theworld."
[01:31.21]"那块石头标志着世界的中心!"
[01:32.61]I looked to see ifhe were teasing me,but his face wasserious.
[01:34.44]我望了望他。看他是否在戏弄我。但是,他的表情非常严肃，并非有戏弄我的意思。
[01:36.28]He in turn inspectedme carefully to besure
[01:37.54]他也仔细地望着我，看我是不是
[01:38.81]I grasped thesignificance ofhis statement.
[01:40.15]领会了他的"英明论断"的重要性。
[01:41.48]The occasiondemanded some showof recognitionon my part.
[01:43.06]此时此刻。我非得多少表示一下对他的论断的认许不可了。
[01:44.63]"The center of theworld?" I repeated,
[01:45.81]"世界的中心?"我反问一句，
[01:46.99]trying to conveyinterest if notcomplete acceptance.
[01:48.54]尽量表现得对此感兴趣，即使不完全认同。
[01:50.09]He nodded. "Theabsolute center.Everyone aroundhere knows it."
[01:52.77]他点了点头说："绝对中心，这儿的人没有不知道的"
[01:55.46]At that moment theboy returned with mygreen bananas.
[01:56.99]就在这时，那男孩带着嫩香蕉回来了。
[01:58.53]The man sliced onein half and pressedthe cut end againstthe radiator jacket.
[02:00.83]那人把一只香蕉一切两半。然后把切口的一面紧贴在水箱漏洞处的外壳上。
[02:03.13]The banana meltedinto a glue againstthe hot metal,
[02:04.74]香蕉一碰上发烫的金属外壳就化成了一种胶水，
[02:06.35]plugging the leaksinstantly. Everyonelaughed at myastonishment.
[02:08.59]片刻就把漏洞堵上了。见我吃惊的样子，他们个个忍俊不禁
[02:10.83]They refilled myradiator. Shock!
[02:12.19]他们帮我把水箱重新灌满水。
[02:13.56]A product ofAmerican highereducation,
[02:14.93]我，作为一个美国大学生，
[02:16.31]I had never paid theslightest attentionto the green banana,
[02:17.83]几乎对嫩香蕉没有注意过，
[02:19.35]except to regard itas a fruit whosetime had not yetcome.
[02:21.86]只是把它当作一种成熟时令尚未到来的水果罢了。
[02:24.36]Suddenly on thatmountain road,
[02:25.33]而今，在这条山路上，
[02:26.30]its time and myneed had converged.But as I reflectedon it further,
[02:28.52]它却在我急需时刚好派上用场
[02:30.74]I realized that thegreen banana hadbeen there all along
[02:32.58]我突然意识融在这以前嫩香蕉是一直存在的，
[02:34.41]Its time reachedback to the veryorigins of thebanana.
[02:36.17]甚至可以追溯到其起源。
[02:37.93]The people in thathamlet had knownabout it for years.
[02:39.49]那个村里的人们对嫩香蕉这一妙用的了解也由来已久了；
[02:41.05]My own time had comein relation to it.This chanceencounter showed me
[02:43.83]而我直到与嫩香蕉偶遇才恍然大悟
[02:46.61]the import of therock marking thecenter of the world
[02:47.93]至于标志世界中心的那块岩石的重要性
[02:49.25]took a while tofilter through,
[02:50.17]我是费了点力气才弄懂的。
[02:51.09]I had initiallydoubted their claim,
[02:52.18]起初，对于他们的断言我不相信。
[02:53.27]knowing for a factthat the center waslocated somewherein New England.
[02:55.18]因为我以为世界中心是在新英格兰的某个地方。
[02:57.09]After all, my grandfather had come fromthere.
[02:58.61]不管怎样，我的祖父是那儿的人嘛。
[03:00.13]But gradually Irealized that hada valid belief,a universal concept,
[03:02.35]可是，现在我的看法改变了。
[03:04.57]and I agreed withthem.
[03:05.43]我同意他们的说法。
[03:06.28]We tend to definethe center as thatspecial place
[03:07.67]我们经常所说的中心是指一个特定的地方，
[03:09.05]where we are knownwhere we know others
[03:10.37]在那儿我们知道别人、别人知道我们；
[03:11.69]where things meanmuch to us,
[03:12.54]一切事物都与我们休戚相关，
[03:13.40]and where weourselves have bothidentity and meaning
[03:15.06]我们有自己的身份认同和意义,
[03:16.72]family, school ,town, and localregion.
[03:18.84]家庭、学校、城市、本土。
[03:20.96]The lesson, whichgradually filteredthrough,
[03:22.40]从这件事上我逐渐悟出
[03:23.84]was the simpleconcept
[03:24.40]一个非常浅显的概念
[03:24.96]that every placehas special meaningsfor the people init;
[03:26.48]每个地方对居住在那儿的人们来说都具有其特殊意义，
[03:28.00]every placerepresents thecenter of the world.
[03:29.64]而每个地方又都标志着世界的中心。
[03:31.27]The number ofsuch centers isincalculable,
[03:32.69]这样的中心数目之多是数不胜数的。
[03:34.12]and no one studentor traveler canexperience all ofthem,
[03:36.26]无论哪一位学生还是哪一位旅行者都不可能一一经历。
[03:38.40]but once a consciousbreakthrough to asecond center ismade,
[03:40.21]但是，一个人一旦开始了对第二个中心的经历，
[03:42.03]a life-longperspective andcollection canbegin.
[03:43.86]他观察事物之间互相关系的能力就会增强，而他的终生阅历也就开始了。
[03:45.70]The cultures of theworld are full ofunexpected greenbananas
[03:47.48]世界文化充满了你意想不到的、
[03:49.26]with special valueand meanings.
[03:50.21]具有特殊价值与意义的嫩香蕉。
[03:51.16]They have been therefor ages, ripeningslowly,
[03:52.71]它们在那儿天长日久地逐渐成熟，
[03:54.25]perhaps waitingpatiently for ourstudents
[03:56.25]也许正耐心地等待着人们到来，