今天，我终于成功考完了最后一门机械制图，正式开始了寒假。

面对扑面而来的美好寒假，我应该好好计划一下以下，以保证在短暂的寒假中高效率、高质量地进行娱乐活动。

首先，我一定要和赵伯君、艾林楠、唐京、李博、丁未萌等乌合之众再次疯狂玩乐：到避风塘去打一天牌；到麦乐迪K5小时歌；到pizza hut和元绿去大快朵颐；还要好好发掘一下北京的美食，开发新的饕食之地。

其次，我要多抽出时间来跟松单独在一起。不过现在人家有女朋友了，这就不好说了………

还有，我要好好补习英语，不能浪费学费，也为下学期据说极难的英语课作准备。

另外，我还想好好学学电脑；尽快帮妈妈把课件做好。

不过，现在大家都已经有自己的事了，不会再像以前一样。但是没关系，这不会影响我放纵计划实施。希望渡过一个疯狂的寒假。

Convince the jury ——折服陪审团

Clement Vallandigham was a well-known Northern Democrat(民主党党员) who campaigned(领导或参加战役) for states’ rights during the Civil War. In 1863 vallandigham was convinced of treason(叛国) for his speeches attacking the administration of President Lincoln. He was banished(流放) to the south, where he continued to voice his political views.

After the war, Vallandigham became a lawyer. In his last appearance in the courtroom, he represented a client(当事人) on trial for murder. The accused man’s defense(辩护词) was that the victim(受害人) had drawn his own gun in a fashion(方式) that caused it to fire, killing himself. To prove the defense argument, Vallandigham demonstrated(示范) the victim’s method of drawing a gun － using the loaded(上膛的) evidence gun as his prop(道具). The firearm(枪支) went off, and he lost his life － but proved his case.

Tied off ——绳子断了

Several years ago, an adventurous(喜欢冒险的) pair decided to take their ropes and rappel(绕绳下降) off the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad train bridge over the Des Moines River. Words can’t describe how breathtakingly(惊人地) high this narrow train bridge is over the river valley. The open train ride over the abyss(深渊) is both stunningly(令人震惊地) beautiful and somewhat nerve-wracking(刺激的,吓人的).

Our adventurous had to be completely fearless, because they walked to the middle of this narrow railroad bridge, tied off their ropes, and began to rappel down. When the train came by on its daily tour of the valley, their one mistake became apparent(明显的). They had tied the ropes to the sturdiest(sturdy:坚固的,强健的) support possible: the steel train tracks…

Shaking a Coke…machine ——掀翻可乐机

Kevin, a 19-year-old Quebec student, killed himself at Bishop’s University while shaking a 420-kilogram Coke machine. He had been celebrating the end of final exams with friends. He died beneath the soda machine, asphyxiated(窒息), with a blood alcohol level slightly over the legal driving limit. Kevin’s last act was committed(完全) in vain. “Even as it fell over, the vending machine(自动贩卖机) did not let out a single can,” the coroner(验尸官) reported. Soda-holics take note! The report also states that toppled(倒下的) vending machines have caused at least 35 deaths and 140 injuries in the last twenty years.

In response, a spokesperson for Coke said that Canadian machines are now labeled with a warning that “tipping or rocking may cause injury or death.” They have also installed anti-theft devices in newer models to keep people from obtaining free drinks.

Gone fishing ——钓鱼去了

A fisherman in Kiev(基辅,乌克兰首都) electrocuted(触电身亡) himself while fishing in river Tereblya. The 43-year-old man connected cables(导线) to the main power supply of his home, and trailed(拖) the end into the river. The electric shock killed the fish, which floated belly-up(肚皮朝上) to the top of the water. The man waded(涉水) in to collect his catch, neglecting to remove the live wire(通电电线), and tragically suffered the same fate(命运) as the fish. In an ironic twist, the man was fishing for a mourning meal to commemorate(纪念) the first anniversary of his mother-in-law’s death.

Wrong and wronger ——错上加错

Late one night, the inhabitants(居民) of Yuvieyna village, a suburb of Lugansk, awoke to a loud explosion. Not long before the explosion, a 40-year-old deputy(议员) of the local administration board(委员会) had taken his dog out for a walk. He encountered a Police Academy cadet(军校学生) who was escorting(护送) two women to their homes. The cadet pointed out that the deputy’s dog was not allowed on a public street without a lead(牵狗的皮带) and muzzle(口套). Now, only an exceedingly(极其) bold(无礼的) cadet would be presumptuous(放肆的) enough to tell a village deputy what to do, so the two men began to argue. Unable to resolve(解决) the matter by verbal means, the deputy finally pulled out a military RGD-5 hand grenade(手榴弹) and threw it to the cadet’s feet. His well-trained dog immediately ran for the object and fetched it for his master…and man and dog met the same messy fate. Police are investigating how the deputy came to have a grenade in a country where citizens are forbidden to carry arms.

What’s that sound?  ——那是什么声音？

Police said an Olathe man was struck and killed by a train after his vehicle broke down on Interstate(州际高速公路) 35. His attempts at repairing his car had failed, and he had stepped away from the busy freeway to call for help, when the train engineer spotted(发觉) him standing on the tracks. The engineer said the man was holding a cell phone to one ear, and cupping(成杯状) his hand to the other ear to block the noise of the train. The baffled(困惑的) engineers wonder how anyone could be so unaware of the laws of physics, which dictate(规定,表明) that a train weighting hundreds of tons has too much inertia(惯性) to stop on a dime(立刻,在极小范围内) － or even a football field.

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其实世上最悲惨的事不是在不想死的时候活不下去，而是在不想活的时候却死不了。

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选自《英语学习》2004年第6期 原作：Kate Maggio

 民以食为天。我吃的盐肯定没你吃的米多。

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从小到大，在吃的问题上，我一直在家里占据着主导地位。只要是我开口提的要求，都能得到满足——不仅如此，父母会一直“揣”到我再也不想看见这种食物为止。但是，从另一方面说，我吃的又非常局限。因为食物取向的大权被父母牢牢把持着，尽管我可以大快朵颐，但也仅限于我吃过的几种东西。只要是他们不喜欢，或认为不卫生的食品，我都很少有机会接触，前者如水煮鱼，后者如爆肚。不过这种垄断的局面目前已被打破，并且大有反垄断的趋势。

说到吃的观念，我自认为已经大有进步。原来是不管什么，只要能吃，统统下肚充饥——当然喜欢的会多吃，但基本上还是处于某种满足需求的原始状态。现在则发展到“如果没有想吃的，宁可饿着也不吃”。可能是我变苛刻了，但是想想，胃的容量多么有限，何必塞满自己不喜欢的食物（还让自己长胖的说-_-)。

说到这儿，我应该好好反思一下为什么不肯吃学校的饭。我常说学校的饭菜又油又咸没法吃，但实际上——如果真要深究的话——只是我找的借口罢了。但是我也不是为减肥不吃。如果这两种假设成立的话，我总不至于连军训时也仅在食堂吃过一次吧。如果从心理的层面解释，这也许是我对周围环境的不接受的集中表现——不单指对否定食堂的就餐环境，而是对整个学校和周围同学的不认可。

我曾看过一部漫画，故事的主角是一个对食物有着不可抑制欲望的机器人（男），和一个食人族女子。机器人食欲很强，但是不管他吃下多少、吃下什么都不会成为他的血肉，这使他很痛苦；女孩生活在丛林中，对她来说，吃是一件神圣的事情。因为在食人族的信仰中，狩猎者将代替他的猎物——无论是动物还是人——生存下去。因此成为他们食物的人，必定是他们最爱的人。女孩选中了机器人作为食物，但是一场变故后，机器人被困丛林深处无法脱险。女孩并不知道身为机器人，他不吃东西是不会死的。于是在去丛森外求援前砍下自己受伤的手，作为食物留给了他。然而机器人在女孩找到救援前便获救，女孩却因失去一只手，未能抓住直升机的悬梯而葬身森林大火。机器人回去后，终于请到机械师去除控制自己食欲的程序，但却永远后悔自己没有吃掉女孩留下的手。

也许是受这部漫画影响太深了，我对吃的原因及食欲有了一些独特的观点：我们要生存就必须要吃东西，而吃必定是建立在牺牲的基础上——无论动物或植物。它们会化作我们身体的一部分，与我们共存。因此，作为它们的延续，我们要对得起他们的牺牲。如果勉强自己吃，不仅是对自己残忍，更是其它生物牺牲的浪费；对我们来说只是喜好的问题，在它们却关系着生存。此外，食欲在人三种本能欲望中排在第二。如果能克制食欲，使其保持平衡，那么控制其它非本能的欲望应该也不难——不得不承认的是，我在控制食欲的方面做得很差。

绕了一大圈，终于说回来了。正是在这种观念的影响下，当我感到自己不能享受吃带来的乐趣——或者说快感——的时候，我就会选择不吃。而现在在我潜意识里，对学校和同学都是不接纳的态度，因此对吃也产生的抵触情绪。这也许就是我不在学校吃饭的最好解释。不过，也说过了我食欲很强，再加上生存的需要，我会尽量选择自己喜欢的东西在宿舍吃。

话题扯太远了，本来只是想想说说自己吃的发展、心得什么的，不知不觉就说到这儿来了。这样也好，我也算是经历了一次self-discovery，对自己更加了解了。如果各位有不明白之处，就权当一个在半夜3点写作、困得快晕倒的疯子的胡言乱语好了。

 仅以此文献给所有正在承受孤独、忍受孤独、享受孤独的人。

 For all the people who is feeling a loneliness, who is suffering a loneliness and who is enjoying a loneliness. 

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It scares us more than anything except death. Being alone. Our fear of aloneness is so ingrained¹ that given the choice of being by ourselves or being with others we opt for² safety in numbers, even at the expense of³ lingering in painful, boring; or totally unredeeming⁴ company. From childhood we’re  conditioned to⁵ accept that when alone we instinctively⁶ ache for⁷ company, that loners⁸ are outsiders yearning to⁹ get in rather than people who are content with their own company. 

Alone, we squander¹⁰ life by rejecting its full potential¹¹ and wasting its remaining promise. Alone, we accept that experiences unshared are barely worthwhile, that sunset viewed singly are not as spectacular¹², that time spent apart is fallow¹³ and pointless. 

And so we grow old believing we are nothing by ourselves, steadfastly¹⁴ shunning¹⁵ the opportunities for self-discovery and personal growth that solitude¹⁶ could bring us. 

We’ve even coined a word for those who prefer to be by themselves: antisocial, as if they were enemies of society. They are viewed as friendless, suspect in a world that goes around in twos or more and is wary of solitary travelers¹⁷. 

People who need people are threatened by people who don’t. The idea of seeking contentment alone is heretical¹⁸, for society steadfastly decrees¹⁹ that our completeness lies in others. 

Instead, we cling to²⁰ each other for solace²¹21, comfort, and safety, believing that we are nothing alone — insignificant, unfulfilled²², lost — accepting solitude in the tiniest, most reluctant of slice, if at all, which is tragic²³.

Ironically, most of us crave²⁴ more intimacy²⁵ and companionship than we can bear. We begrudge²⁶ ourselves, our spouses²⁷, and our partners sufficient²⁸ physical and emotional breathing room²⁹, and then bemoan³⁰ the suffocation³¹31 of our relationships. 

To point out these facts is not to suggest we should abandon all our close ties. Medical surveys show that the majority of elderly people who live alone, yet maintain frequent contact with relatives and friends, rate³³ their physical and emotional well-being³² as³³ “excellent”. Just as an apple a day kept the doctor away when they were young, an active social calendar appears to serve the same purpose now. 

But we need to befriend and enjoy ourselves as well. 

How does that old songs go? “I’ve been to paradise, but I’ve never been to me…” 

“We must relearn to be alone,” exhorts³⁴ Anne Morrow Lindbergh in her inspirational³⁵ book, Gift from the sea. “Instead of planting our solitude with dream blossoms, we choke³⁶ the space with continuous music, chatter, and companionship to which we do not even listen. It is simply there to fill the vacuum³⁷.” 

“We can’t stand the silence,” said Agnes de Mill, “because silence includes thinking. And if we thought, we would have to face ourselves.” 

Let us learn, then, from those in search of what they have not been able to find and hold in the press of humanity around them³⁸: peace of mind, gentleness of heart, calmness of spirit, daily joy; those who are mastering the art of flying solo³⁹ and soaring⁴⁰ to their highest human potential. Who have come to understand that to know and to love and to be of value to others, they first must know and love and value themselves; that to find their way in the world, they have to start by finding themselves.

　

1.ingrained:(of beliefs) so firmly held that they are not likely to change；根深蒂固的                             <top>

2.opt for sth/to do: you choose it or decide to do it in preference to anything else；选择，决定

3.at the expense of sth: If you do one thing at the expense of another, doing the first thing harms the second thing；在损失或损坏某物的情况下

4.unredeeming: 得不偿失的

5.condition sb\sth to do\to sth: to make a person or animal behave in a particular way by influencing the way they think；使…习惯，训练

6.instinctively: behaviors or reactions are not thought about, planned or developed by training；凭本能的，天生的，直觉的

7.ache for: to want something very much；渴望得某物到或做某事

8.loner: a person prefers to be alone rather than with a group of people；喜独处者

9.yearn: to desire very strongly, especially something that you cannot have or something that is very difficult to have；渴望

10.squander: to spend or use money or supplies in a wasteful way；浪费（时间、金钱等），挥霍

11.potential: someone’s or something’s ability to develop, achieve or succeed；潜能                            <top>

12.spectacular: very exciting to look at；壮观的，精彩的

13.fallow: describes a period of time in which very little happens

14.steadfastly: strongly and without stopping；坚定地

15.shun: to avoid something；避开

16.solitude: the state of being alone, especially when this is peaceful and pleasant；独处，独居

17.suspect: possibly false or dangerous；可疑的，不可靠的

   go around in twos or more: 成群行动

   wary: not completely trusting or certain about something or someone；小心的，警惕的

   solitary: done alone；单独的，独自的

   全句释义：在一个常常是两个或更多的人一起行动、提防着孤独的旅行者的世界里，他们被认为是没有朋友的可疑人。

18.heretical: a belief or action that seriously disagrees with the principles of a particular religion；异端的

19.decree: decide or state something must happen officially；发布，颁布

20.cling to sb: to stay close to someone who is caring for you, in a dependent way；感情上依恋某人

21.solace: help and comfort when you are feeling sad or worried；安慰                                              <top>

22.unfulfilled:people feel dissatisfied with life or with what they have done；未得到满足的，没有成就

23.reluctant: not very willing to do something and therefore slow to do it；勉强的，不情愿的

    slice: a part of something；部分

    全句释义：就算接受最微小、最勉强的一点点孤独，如果有的话，就是悲剧。

24.crave: to want to have something very much；渴望

25.intimacy: a close friendship or relationship with someone；密切的关系，亲密

26.begrudge: to allow or give unwillingly；对…感到不快或不满

27.spouse: a person’s husband or wife；配偶

28.sufficient: enough for a particular purpose；足够的，充足的

29.breathing room:(=breathing space) a period of rest in order to gain strength or give more time to think about what to do next；活动余地或空间，喘气的时间

30.bemoan: to express sorrow or dissatisfaction about something；为…悲伤、抱怨

31.suffocation: a situation a person in does not allow him to act freely or to develop；让人窒息的事或环境         <top>

32.well-being: the state of feeling healthy and happy；（健康、幸福）状况

33.rate sth as: to judge the value or character of someone or something；评定，评价

34.exhort: to strongly encourage or try to persuade someone to do something；劝告，规劝，告诫

35.inspiration: making you feel hopeful or encouraged；鼓舞人的，启发灵感的

36.choke: a place is full of things that prevent movement in it；阻塞，充满，填满

37.vacuum: a space without any gas or other matter in it；真空

38.in the press of: a crowd；人群

    全句释义：让我们向那些人学习，他们寻觅着在人群中无法找到和保有的东西……

39.solo: to do things alone；独自，单独

40.soar: to rise very quickly to a high level；升入，上升

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选自《英语学习》2004年第5期 原作：Lionel Fisher