>>>  史地研究雜志方面文獻收集  >>>

簡體     傳統

---

　　[1]Peace of mind is something I think about every day. It's great to have confidence when stepping out my front door that I will be able to move around the local environment without fear and return home safely.
　　[2]But peace of mind depends on mutual trust from every citizen-that as we walk the streets and conduct our personal affairs we hold the same basic views and values about maintaining a civil society.
　　[3]Every time a Violent crime or terrorist act is perpetrated（注：perpetrate犯罪，做坏事）on unsuspecting（注：不怀疑的；未料到的。）victims, when a sniper（注：狙击兵，枪手。）starts shooting or a bomb explodes, our collective peace of mind is eroded, along with our willingness to trust all the unknown people with whom we share sidewalks, shopping malls, and other public spaces.
　　[4]Safety precautions and technology may encourage peace of mind but they can't substitute for it. My neighborhood bank branch was robbed a few years ago. Now thick plastic slabs protect every teller's window and surveillance cameras moni tor the lobby. If I am gunned down while making a deposit, the videotapes will probably help police apprehend the guilty party and★ bring him or her to swift justice（注：bring to justice进行法律制裁，绳之以法。）, but that fact doesn't make me sleep better at night. I would rather have no security cameras and no robbers to worry about in my personal universe.
　　[5]Forgive my wishful thinking, but you don't have to look far in this world to see how cultural creativity and dynamism evaporate when people are forced to devote most of their time and energy to self-defense.
　　[6]We have spent more than 200 years trying to build a society that provides everyone with ongoing opportunities to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and it hasn't been easy. A 1915 book entitled A History of Travel in America by Seymour Dunbar described the harsh conditions facing early settlers who crossed the★ eastern mountain ranges（注：东部群山指的是美国东部的阿巴拉契亚山脉(Appalachian Mountians)。）and headed into the★western wilderness（注：西部荒野，西部荒漠尚未开垦的地方，指美国阿巴拉契亚山脉和密西西比河之间辽阔的地区。）. It explained how the constant danger and anxiety affected their outlook and behavior.
　　[7]Writes Dunbar, "They walked with a soft and swinging stride, keeping themselves always well poised,for no man ever knew whether his next move would be a leap to the right or to the left, a dive behind a log, a dash ahead or a rush backward over the path he had come
　　[8]I had a frontier（注：边疆，两处交界处，此处指19世纪初美国从东向西移民的东西交界的地方。）moment recently when★ a white panel truck（注：白色厢式卡车，白色厢式载运汽车。）resembling the suspect vehicle in the★ Washington, D. C.（注：=Washington,District of Columbia。）, area shootings rounded a corner and sped toward my house. For an instant I froze, and then just as quickly relaxed, remembering that I live 3,000 miles from the mystery gunman（注：持枪歹徒，尤指盗匪，职业凶手等。）. But I didn't take my eyes off the truck as it drove past.
　　[9]Peace of mind can't be measured. All I know for sure is that I appreciate every moment I have it. And I am alarmed whenever I get the feeling it may be steadily slipping away.
　　[1]平静的心态是我每天都要考虑的东西。如果每天走出家门时我都充满信心，能毫不担心地在附近转转，然后安全返家，那就太好了。
　　[2]但是平静的心态取决于每个公民相互间的信任一也就是，当我们走在街上，办着各人的事情时，我们对于维系一个文明社会持有同样的基本观点和价值观。
　　[3]每当毫无戒心的无辜受害者受到暴力犯罪或恐怖行动的伤害时，当枪手射出子弹或炸弹爆炸时，我们共同的平静心态就会减退；同时，对所有与我们走在同一人行道上、在同一商场购物或是在其他公共场合分享空间的陌生人，我们也都渐渐失去了信任感。
　　[4]安全措施和技术也许有助于人们获得平静的心态，但它们不能取代它。我家附近有一家银行的分行曾在数年前被抢。如今每个出纳员的窗口都用厚重的塑料板防护着，监视摄像机监控着营业大厅。如果我在存款时被枪击倒，监视录像带可能会帮助警方找到犯罪团伙并迅速将其绳之以法，可是这却无法让我在晚上好好地睡个安稳觉。我宁愿没有安全摄像系统，也不必担心有强盗来侵扰我个人的生活空间。
　　[5]请原谅我一厢情愿的想法，但是在这个世界上，只要你睁眼向四周望去，就能看到人们被迫将他们的时间和精力大多花在了自卫上，有多少充满智慧的创造力和充沛的精力为此而“蒸发”消失了。[6]我们花了200多年的时间试图建立一个社会，这个社会为每个人提供不断的机会享受生活、享受自由、追求幸福，可是要达到这个目标从来就不是容易办到的事。1915年西摩·邓巴写了一本题为《美国旅行史》的书，书中描写了早期移民在越过东部群山向西部荒野进发时所面对的严酷条件。该书说明了持续的危险和焦虑怎样影响了人们的思想和行为。
　　[7]邓巴写道：“他们踏着软弱无力、摇摇摆摆的步子向前迈进，总是极力使自己保持平静，因为没有人知道他下一步是需要向右还是向左跳跃，是抓住一段圆木跳入水中，或者是该向前急冲，还是该赶紧沿着来时的路后退……。”
　　[8]我最近曾有片刻置身边疆的感受，当时有一辆白色厢式卡车——类似华盛顿哥伦比亚特区枪击案中的那辆可疑车辆——绕过一处街角向我的房子疾驰而来。我刹那间竞吓得呆若木鸡，但很快又松弛了，因为我回忆起我住的地方距离那神秘枪手有3000英里之遥呢。可是，那辆卡车驶过我身旁时，还是连眼睛都不敢眨一眨地盯着它。
　　[9]心态的平静无法测量。但我所能肯定的是，我珍惜拥有平静心态的每一刻。而每当我想到平静的心态也许正在不断从身边悄悄溜走时，我就会感到一丝不安。
英语世界京G381中学外语教与学Jeffrey Shaffer20032003黄席群方陵生Pioneering Peace of Mind 作者：英语世界京G381中学外语教与学Jeffrey Shaffer20032003黄席群

网载 2013-09-10 21:49:56

驗證：