11． In America many people have a romantic idea of life in the countryside. Many living in towns dream of starting up their own farm, of living off the land. Few get round to putting their dreams into practice. This is perhaps just as well, as the life of a farmer is far from easy, as Jim Doherty discovered when he set out to combine being a writer with running a farm. Nevertheless, as he explains, he has no regrets and remains enthusiastic about his decision to change his way of life. 在美國(guó)，不少人對(duì)鄉(xiāng)村生活懷有浪漫的想象，許多居住在城鎮(zhèn)的人夢(mèng)想著自己辦個(gè)農(nóng)場(chǎng)，夢(mèng)想著靠土地為生。很少有人真去把夢(mèng)想變?yōu)楝F(xiàn)實(shí)�；蛟S這也沒有什么不好，因?yàn)�，正如吉姆多而第�?dāng)初開始其寫作和農(nóng)場(chǎng)經(jīng)營(yíng)雙重生涯時(shí)所體驗(yàn)到的那樣，農(nóng)耕生活遠(yuǎn)非輕松自在。但他寫到，自己并不后悔，對(duì)自己做出的改變生活方式的決定仍然熱情不減。
12． Professor Huntington’s paper greatly inspired me. According to him, in a plural society, there will inevitably be different opinions. The key is to deal with them in such a way that they can play a constructive rather than destructive role. He argues that in a plural society we must stress/attach importance to interpersonal relationships, cooperation, and look at issues from the perspective of other people. If some groups regard themselves as superior and treat other ethnic groups or religions with disrespect, the whole society may be paralyzed. I am convinced that if we put into practice the ideas mentioned above, then there is the possibility of creating a new civilization. Huntington教授的論文使我深受啟發(fā)。他認(rèn)為，在一個(gè)多元化(plural)社會(huì)里，不同意見是不可避免的。關(guān)鍵在于怎樣正確對(duì)待不同意見，使之發(fā)揮建設(shè)性、而非破壞性的作用。他還說，在一個(gè)多元化（plural）社會(huì)里，我們必須重視人際關(guān)系，強(qiáng)調(diào)合作，多從他人視角考慮問題。如果某些群體自視高人一籌，不尊重其他種族或宗教，那么整個(gè)社會(huì)有可能陷入癱瘓。我相信，要是我們把上述想法付諸實(shí)踐，那我們就有可能創(chuàng)造出一種新的文明。
13． Making a living as a door-to-door salesman demands a thick skin, both to protect against the weather and against constantly having the door shut in your face. Bill Porter puts up with all this and much, much more. 干挨家挨戶上門推銷這一營(yíng)生得臉皮厚，這是因?yàn)楦蛇@一行不僅要經(jīng)受風(fēng)吹日曬，還要承受一次又一次的閉門羹。比爾.波特忍受著這一切，以及別的種種折磨。
14． When children take up ways of making a living that differ greatly from their parents, differences in outlook can easily arise. This is what Alfred found. Brought up in the family of a building worker, education led him to develop different interests and ambitions from his father. Here he writes about how this affected their relationship. 當(dāng)子女的謀生方式與父母大相徑庭時(shí)，很容易產(chǎn)生觀念上的差異。這正是Alfred的發(fā)現(xiàn)。他在一個(gè)建筑工人的家庭里長(zhǎng)大，他所受的教育使他產(chǎn)生了不同于父親的興趣和抱負(fù)。他在本文中敘述了這一差異如何影響著他們的父子關(guān)系。
