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Unit 8
Social Problems
After-Class Reading
PASSAGE I It's a Mugger's Game in Manhattan
Proper Names
Caucasian
高加索人
Central Park
中央公园(美国纽约曼哈顿区)
Grace
(女子名)格雷斯
Lenny
(男子名)伦尼
Manhattan
曼哈顿区(纽约市行政区域)
Martin
(男子名)马丁
Puerto Rican
波多黎各人
New Words
apartment *
n. 一套公寓房间
barman
n. a man who serves drinks in a bar 酒吧间男招待
bet *
v. (bet, bet or betted, betted) risk money on the result of a race, game, competition, or other future event 打赌
e.g. He regularly goes to the races and bets heavily.
cater *
v. provide and serve food and drinks at a party, meeting, etc., usually as a business 提供饮食及服务，承办酒席
e.g. Which firm will be catering at the wedding reception?
clientele
n. all the people who regularly use a shop, restaurant, etc. [总称]顾客，主顾
cocaine *
n. 可卡因
gambler *
n. 赌徒
grab *
v. take hold of someone or something with a sudden or violent movement 抢夺，攫取
e.g. He grabbed (hold of) his child's arm to stop her from running into the road.
grateful *
adj. feeling that you want to thank someone because of something kind that they have done (表示)感激的
e.g. I'm so grateful (to you) for all that you've done.
guy *
n. (informal) a man or a boy
harm *
v. hurt 伤害
e.g. The hijacker (劫机者) seemed anxious not to harm anyone.
heroin
n. 海洛因
integrate *
v. (cause somebody to) become fully a member of a community, rather than remaining in a separate (or racial) group (使某人)与社区融合(尤指种族间)
e.g. It's very difficult to integrate yourself into a society whose culture is so different from your own.
label *
v. fix a label onto something or write information on something 给(某事物)加标签或标记
e.g. He was busy labeling all the bottles of wine that he had made that year.
mister
n. (Mr. 的本字，很少用于书写中) 用作对男子的称呼
mug *
v. (mugged, mugged) attack someone and rob them in a public place 行凶抢劫
mugger
n. 行凶抢劫犯
push *
v. (informal) sell illegal drugs to drug-users 向嗜毒者贩卖(毒品)
pusher
n. (informal) someone who sells illegal drugs (毒品等的)非法销售者
quantity *
n. 量
e.g. His reputation as a writer depends more on quality than on quantity.
respectfully *
adv. 恭敬地
e.g. "You are a true artist," she said respectfully.
showbiz
n. (informal) show business, the entertainment industry 娱乐性行业，娱乐界
somewhat *
adv. to some degree 有些
e.g. She's somewhat more confident than she used to be.
terrify *
v. frighten severely 使(某人)感到恐怖，使害怕
e.g. He terrified her by jumping out at her from a dark alley.
wallet *
n. 皮夹子
wares
n. (plural) things that are for sale, usually in a street or in a market 商品，货物
It's a Mugger's Game in Manhattan
Martin had lived in New York for forty years and never been mugged once. This did not make him confident—on the contrary, it terrified him. The way he saw it, he was now the most likely person in Manhattan to get mugged next.[1]
"What are the odds of my getting mugged?[2]" he asked his friend Lenny.
"How much are you willing to bet?" said Lenny, who was a compulsive gambler.
"Oh come on, this is too important to bet on!"
"Nothing is too important to bet on," said Lenny, shocked. That was the end of their friendship.
"How do you think I can avoid getting mugged?" Martin asked his friend Grace. Grace had not been outside her apartment in five years, as a sure-fire[3] way of avoiding being mugged. It had failed; someone had broken in and mugged her.
"I've no idea, Martin," she said. "Most of these guys are on drugs[4] anyway, and they need the money for their addiction."
This gave Martin an idea. If the muggers only needed the money for drugs, why didn't he offer them drugs instead? Then possibly they would be so grateful they wouldn't harm him. Through some rich friends he knew he bought small quantities of heroin and cocaine. He had never touched the stuff himself, so he had to label them carefully to make sure he didn't get them mixed up.
One day he was walking in a part of Central Park he shouldn't have been in (the part where there is grass and trees) when three men leapt out at him. One was black, one was Puerto Rican and one was Caucasian. Well, at least mugging is being integrated he thought.[5]
"You want drugs?" he cried. "I've got drugs! Anything you want you can have. Just name it. But don't touch me!"
The three men let go of him respectfully.
"We almost made a big mistake there," said one of them. "This guy's a pusher. Hurt him, and we could have the Mafia down on us.[6] Let's see what you got, mister."
Somewhat to his surprise Martin found himself displaying his wares to his clientele. Even more to his surprise, he found himself accepting money for the drugs, much more than he'd paid for them.
"How come[7] you guys have all this money?" He said. "Why are you out mugging if you have money?"
"Well, we're not real muggers," said the Caucasian embarrassed. "We re out-of-work actors."
"I thought out-of-work showbiz people always became waiters or barmen," said Martin.
"Right. But there are so many showbiz people in catering now that you can't get work as waiters. So we had to get work as muggers."
When Martin got home, he bought some more drugs from his friend. Pretty soon he sold them to some more muggers. Pretty soon after that he found he was spending more and more time pushing drugs, and making more and more money at it. Being afraid of muggings had turned him into a professional drug-pusher.
One day a man leapt out at him and grabbed him. "You want drugs?" said Martin. "I got drugs."
"I want money," said a familiar voice.
"Lenny!" cried Martin. "How're you doing?"
"Badly," said Lenny. "I lost everything gambling."
He hit Martin over the head and took his money, wallet and all his credit cards, leaving the little packets of white powder behind. (563 words)
Phrases and Expressions
come on
used to show someone that you know that what they have just said was not true or right
e.g. Oh come on, don't lie to me.
let go of
stop holding someone or something 松手
e.g. She wouldn't let go of the rope.
on the contrary
the opposite is true 与此相反；正相反
e.g. --Didn't you find the film exciting?
--On the contrary, I nearly fell asleep half way through it.
PASSAGE II Thief
New Words
abruptly *
adv. suddenly
e.g. "Good night, then," she said abruptly.
airline *
n. 航空公司
appall
v. (BrE. appal) shock someone by being very bad or unpleasant 使大吃一惊
e.g. They were appalled by the news of the crash.
attentive
adj. 注意的，留心的
e.g. I've never before taught such an attentive and appreciative set of students.
bang *
v. hit a part of your body against something 猛撞，撞上
bar *
n. 酒吧
blonde
n. a woman with pale or yellow-colored hair 金发碧眼女人
blush *
v. become red in the face, usually because you are embarrassed (因害羞、激动等而)脸红
boot *
n. 靴子
breathe *
v. 呼吸
e.g. Mammals cannot breathe under water.
breathless
adj. having difficulty breathing, especially because one is tired, excited, or frightened 气喘吁吁的
e.g. She was breathless by the time she got to the top of the hill.
brunette
n. a woman with dark brown hair 黑(或深褐)色头发的女子
churn
v. 翻腾，蠕动
coach *
n. the cheapest type of seats on a plane or train (无卧铺设备的)普通旅客车厢
cocktail *
n. an alcoholic drink made from a mixture of different drinks 鸡尾酒
collision *
n. 碰撞
e.g. Few drivers survive high-speed collisions on motorways.
creature *
n. anything that is living, but not a plant 生物(尤指动物)
e.g. She was the most beautiful creature I ever saw.
criminal *
n. person who commits a crime or crimes 犯人
currency *
n. 货币
e.g. The German mark is one of the strongest European currencies.
damn *
v. 罚......入地狱
deceitful
adj. 欺骗的
e.g. The ambassador (大使) called the report deceitful and misleading.
destination *
n. the place that someone or something is going to 目的地
e.g. Only half the emergency supplies have reached their destination.
elbow *
n. 肘部
enumerate
v. name a list of things one by one 数，点
e.g. I enumerate the work that will have to be done.
fare *
n. the money that is paid for a journey, for example, in a bus, train, or taxi
e.g. He could barely afford the railway fare.
glossy
adj. shiny and smooth 有光泽的
grimace
n. 怪相
grit
v. 咬紧
heartbeat
n. 心跳
identification *
n. 身份证明
identity *
n. who or what somebody or something is 身份
e.g. There is no clue to the identity of the thief.
instant *
n. a moment 瞬间，片刻
e.g. In an instant the mood of the room changed.
intact *
adj. 完好无损的
e.g. The church was destroyed in the bombing but the altar (祭坛) survived intact.
knot *
n. 结
marine *
adj. 海军的
meantime *
n. 期间
e.g. The new hospital will be built next year, but doctors are having to work in the meantime in seriously over-crowded conditions in the old one.
membership *
n. 会员身份
missing *
adj. that cannot be found or that is not in its usual place 找不到的；丢失的
e.g. It was only an hour or so later that I discovered that my gun was missing.
movie *
n. 电影
muster
v. 振作，鼓起
e.g. muster a smile 强做笑颜
policeman *
n. 警察
presence *
n. 在场
rage *
n. a strong feeling of uncontrollable anger 狂怒
recede
v. go away gradually 退去，远去
e.g. As she receded, he waved goodbye.
relieved *
adj. 如释重负的
e.g. I'm very relieved that it's over.
remarkable *
adj. worth noticing or unusual 值得注意的，不寻常的
e.g. It was a remarkable achievement.
rip *
v. tear something or be torn quickly and violently 撕裂或拉破
e.g. His new trousers ripped when he bent down.
scatter *
v. 散开
e.g. The soldiers fired a round of rubber bullets and the crowd scattered.
shyness *
n. 羞怯，腼腆
somehow *
adv. for a reason that is unknown or unspecified 由于未知的或未确指的原因
e.g. Somehow, I don't feel I can trust him.
startle *
v. make someone suddenly surprised or slightly shocked 使惊吓
e.g. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.
stray *
adj. 走失的，流浪的
e.g. A stray dog came up to him.
suffocating
adj. 使人窒息的
terminal *
n. a big building where people wait to get onto planes, buses, or ships or where goods are loaded on (铁路、公共汽车、航空线的)终点站，总站
tightly
adv. 紧紧地
tile *
n. 瓷砖
trim *
v. 用......镶边
e.g. She was wearing a plaid (格子呢) nightgown trimmed with white.
unmarried *
adj. not married
vanish *
v. disappear suddenly 突然不见，消失
e.g. The child vanished while on her way home after a game of tennis.
worldly
adj. 尘世的，世俗的
X-ray *
n. X射线，X光
zigzag
v. 呈之字形移动
Thief
He is waiting at the airline ticket counter when he first notices[1] the young woman. She has glossy black hair pulled tightly into a knot at the back of her head—the man imagines it loosened and falling to the small of her back[2]—and carries over the shoulder of her leather coat a heavy black purse. She wears black boots of soft leather. He struggles to see her face—she is ahead of him in line—but it is not until she has bought her ticket and turns to walk away that he realizes her beauty, which is pale and dark-eyed and full-mouthed[3], and which quickens his heartbeat. She seems aware that he is staring at her and lowers her gaze abruptly.
The airline clerk interrupts. The man gives up looking at the woman—he thinks she may be about twenty-five—and buys a round-trip[4], coach class[5] ticket to an eastern city.
His flight leaves in an hour. To kill time, the man steps into one of the airport cocktail bars and orders a Scotch[6] and water. While he sips it he watches the flow of travelers through the terminal—including a remarkable number, he thinks, of unmarried pretty women dressed in fashion magazine clothes[7] —until he catches sight of the black-haired girl in the leather coat. She is standing near a Travelers Aid[8] counter, deep in conversation with a second girl, a blonde in a cloth coat trimmed with gray fur. He wants somehow to attract the brunette's attention, to invite her to have a drink with him before her own flight leaves for wherever she is traveling, but even though he believes for a moment she is looking his way he cannot catch her eye from out of the shadows of the bar.[9] In another instant the two women separate; neither of their directions is toward him. He orders a second Scotch and water.
When next he sees her, he is buying a magazine to read during the flight and he becomes aware that someone is pushing him. At first he is startled that anyone would be so close as to touch him, but when he sees who it is he musters a smile.
"Busy place," he says.
She looks up at him—Is she blushing?—and an odd grimace crosses her mouth and vanishes. She moves away from him and joins the crowds in the terminal.
The man is at the counter with his magazine, but when he reaches into his back pocket for his wallet the pocket is empty. Where could I have lost it? He thinks. His mind begins enumerating the credit cards, the currency, the membership and identification cards; his stomach churns with something very like fear. The girl who was so near to me, he thinks—and all at once he understands that she has picked his pocket.
What is he to do? He still has his ticket, safely tucked inside his coat—he reaches into the jacket to feel the envelope, to make sure. He can take the flight, call someone to pick him up at his destination—since he cannot even afford bus fare—conduct his business and fly home. But in the meantime he will have to do something about the lost credit cards—call home, have his wife get the numbers out of the top desk drawer, phone the card companies—so difficult a process, the whole thing suffocating. What shall he do?
First: Find a policeman, tell what has happened, describe the young woman; damn her, he thinks, for seeming to be attentive to him, to let herself stand so close to him, to blush prettily when he spoke—and all the time she wanted only to steal from him. And her blush was not shyness but the anxiety of being caught; that was most disturbing of all. Damned deceitful creatures. He will spare the policeman the details—just tell what she has done, what is in the wallet. He grits his teeth. He will probably never see his wallet again.
He is trying to decide if he should save time by talking to a guard near the X-ray machines when he is appalled—and extremely happy—to see the black-haired girl. She is seated against a front window of the terminal, taxis and private cars moving slowly beyond her in the gathering darkness[10]; she seems interested in a book. A seat beside her is empty, and the man occupies it.
"I've been looking for you," he said.
She glances at him with no sort of recognition. "I don't know you," she says.
"Sure you do."
She sighs and puts the book aside. "Is this all you characters think about—picking up girls like we were stray animals?[11] What do you think I am?"
"You lifted my wallet," he says. He is pleased to have said "lifted," thinking it sounds more worldly than stole or took or even ripped off.
"I beg your pardon?" the girl says.
"I know you did—at the magazine counter. If you'll just give it back, we can forget the whole thing. If you don't, then I'll hand you over to the police."
She studies him, her face serious, "All right," she says. She pulls the black bag onto her lap, reaches into it and draws out a wallet.
He takes it from her. "Wait a minute," he says. "This isn't mine."
The girl runs; he runs after her. It is like a scene in a movie—bystanders scattering, the girl zigzagging to avoid collisions, the sound of his own breathing reminding him how old he is—until he hears a woman's voice behind him:
"Stop, thief! Stop that man!"
Ahead of him the brunette disappears around a corner and in the same moment a young man in a marine uniform puts out a foot to trip him up. He falls hard, banging knee and elbow on the tile floor of the terminal, but manages to hang on to the wallet which is not his.
The wallet is a woman's, fat with money and credit cards from different stores, and it belongs to the blonde in the fur-trimmed coat—the blonde he has earlier seen in conversation with the criminal brunette. She, too, is breathless, as is the policeman with her.
"That's him," the blonde girl says. "He lifted my wallet."
It occurs to the man that he cannot even prove his own identity to the policeman.
Two weeks later—the embarrassment and rage have diminished, the family lawyer has been paid, the confusion in his household has receded—the wallet turns up without explanation in one morning's mail. It is intact, no money is missing, all the cards are in place. Though he is relieved, the man thinks that for the rest of his life he will feel guilty around policemen, and ashamed in the presence of women. (1,148 words)
Phrases and Expressions
all at once
suddenly
e.g. All at once there was a loud banging on the door.
hand...over 把......交给
e.g. They handed their weapons over to the police.
hang on to
hold something tightly
e.g. Hang on to the rail or you'll fall.
in place
in the correct or usual position
e.g. Have you got all the lights in place yet?
in the presence of 当着某人，有某人在场
e.g. The talk took place in the presence of a diplomatic observer.
kill time
do something that is not very useful or interesting while you are waiting for something to happen 消磨时间
e.g. My flight was late, so I killed time by reading a book.
pick up
become friendly with someone you have just met because you find them sexually attractive 偶然结识(常指与异性调情)
e.g. He picked up a girl in the cinema.
rip off
steal
e.g. Somebody's ripped off my bike.
trip somebody up 用脚绊某人
e.g. He made a sudden dive for Uncle Jim's legs to try to trip him up.
turn up
suddenly appear after having been lost or searched for (失去后)被发现或找到(尤指偶然地)
e.g. I couldn't find my watch for ages, but then one day it turned up in a coat pocket.
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