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A life in film

斯皮尔伯格的电影人生

Steven had to face rejections and obstacles in his film-creating efforts, but his persistence and dedication transformed the obstacles into an alternative route to success.

At 12 years old, Steven Spielberg was already visiting film shootings at Universal Studios in his office suit, a packed lunch tucked into his briefcase. The young boy tried to immerse himself in film in any way possible. He had been given an administrative job at Universal Studios from a friend of his father's, and every day, even though he didn't have a legitimate security pass, he would try to manipulate his way past the guards and into his personal paradise. Such persistence is hardly surprising from a boy whose lifelong conviction was to \go on!\

史蒂文在拍摄电影的努力过程中不得不面对无数拒绝和障碍，但他的坚持和付出将困难转变成了一条成功之道。

年仅 12 岁，史蒂文·斯皮尔伯格就已身着办公制服，公文包里带着午餐，光顾环球影视公司的电影拍摄了。这个男孩尽力通过各种方法让自己融入电影。他父亲的一位朋友曾给他一份在环球影视公司的行政工作。每天，即使他没有合法安检通行证，他依然设法绕过看守，进入自己的天堂。对于一位终身信念是“确定你是对的，然后勇往直前！”（出自一部 1954 年迪斯尼影片）的小男孩而言，这种坚持并不让人意外。

When Steven was eight years old, his father gave him a Brownie 8 mm film camera as his birthday present. Steven immediately began collecting footage of family events, and he simulated action scenes with his miniature toy spacecraft, populating his films with his neighborhood friends as actors. People quickly began to recognize his terrific talent, and he won a prize for cinematography for his early western The Last Gunfight; years later, he won a national contest for his film Escape to Nowhere. His film Firelight was twice analyzed by a national newspaper and was presented in the city theater as if it were a Hollywood premiere. By the time he was 17 years old, Steven had established himself as a director with the artistic intuition of a man twice his age.

史蒂文 8 岁时，父亲送给他一部布朗尼 8 毫米电影摄像机作为生日礼物。史蒂文马上着手收集家庭事件的镜头，用自己的微型玩具飞船模拟动作场景，并让街坊朋友在他的影片中做演员。人们很快开始发现他惊人的才能：凭借早期西部片《最后的枪战》，他赢得一项摄影奖；几年后又凭电影《无处容身》在全国比赛中获胜。他的电影《火光》得到一家全国性报纸的两次评析，并在当地电影院像首映的好莱坞大片一样放映。到 17 岁时，史蒂文已经确立了自己导演的地位，并具有年龄大自己一倍的人才有的艺术直觉。

His achievements are certainly related to the personal obstacles and setbacks he faced from an early age. Steven's family moved often, so that he was constantly trying to find his place in a turbulent environment with new people. Despite his natural intelligence, Steven had a carefree attitude and put little effort into school. He consistently earned only a C average, or lower. Socially, he wasn't athletic or popular, and since his conspicuous interest in film made him seem eccentric, classmates

shunned and mocked him.

His home life was not ideal either, as his father's rigid engineering temperament could not understand his or his mother's artistic personalities. Steven would miss his father when he was gone for long work trips, and then reverted to furiously arguing with him as soon as he returned. Finally, when he was in high school, his parents ended their unhappy marriage with a divorce. The theme of the lack of a father figure consistently infected Steven's films.

他的成就和他早年经历的那些障碍和挫折息息相关。史蒂文的家庭经常搬迁，于是他总要在动荡的环境、陌生的人群中寻找自己的位置。尽管天生聪明，史蒂文却态度散漫，对学业并不上心，平均成绩一直只能得 C 或更低。在社交方面，他体育上不擅长，也不受人欢迎。由于他的兴趣明显都在电影上，他看上去古里古怪，同学们不是躲着他就是取笑他。

由于工科出身的父亲性格呆板，不理解他和母亲的艺术个性，他的家庭生活也不理想。在父亲外出工作的漫长期间，史蒂文也会想念他，但一回家两人就又狂暴地争吵。最后，在他上高中时，父母离婚，结束了他们不幸福的婚姻。缺少父亲形象的主题一直影响着史蒂文的影片。

Unfriendly surroundings at home and school made Steven strive even harder to achieve in the film world. He applied to two of the best film schools in the country: the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. But even with a formidable 10 years of experiences in filmmaking and his friends at Universal Studios endorsing him, his grades were too poor, and he was flatly turned down at both institutions.

Unwilling to give up, Steven entered the California State University, where he hoped the program in TV and radio might open his way to Hollywood. Unfortunately, the university was not suited to his experience, and one academician recalled, \knew more about cameras, mounts, and lenses than anyone else in the department. He could teach there.\Despite his manifest talent, his low grades sabotaged transfer attempts, forcing real film schools to withhold acceptance.

家庭和学校的冷漠环境让史蒂文更加努力，以期在电影界有所成就。他申请了两家国内最好的电影院校，南加州大学和加州大学洛杉矶分校。尽管有十年丰富的电影制作经验和环球影视公司朋友的支持，但是由于成绩太差，他仍被两个大学断然拒绝。

史蒂文不愿意就此放弃，去了加州州立大学。他希望在那里广播电视的专业学习能打开他通往好莱坞的道路。不幸的是，这所大学并不适合他这种经历的人。一位学者回忆道：“史蒂文比系里的任何人都更懂摄像机、底座、镜头等相关知识，他完全可以在那里任教。”尽管他才华出众，但学业成绩太低使他转学受挫，真正的电影学校都不接纳他。

Steven contrived to rectify the situation on his own by diverting his attention away from academics. He cleaned his old suit and briefcase and returned to visiting Universal Studios where he had worked as a boy. He discreetly sneaked into any department he could, such as shooting rooms, editing and sound-mixing studios, and he quietly watched until he was discovered and ordered to leave. Introducing himself under the pretext of being either an actor, director, or producer, he would invite people to dinner to make connections and learn as much as he could. Even though he was

caught and expelled at least once a day, he always returned to smuggle himself back in again.

Steven repeatedly tried to prove himself to the Universal executives, while working in a cafeteria to save up money for equipment. He would discretely create scenes and then shoot and re-shoot his movies. He kept upgrading from 8 to 16 and finally 35 mm film before he was allowed a screening. Finally, his film Amblin was given a chance in front of the executives. It was a short, silent film and the plot differed greatly from the sci-fi and combat films that would later predominate Steven's career. Still, the short film was awesome enough to win Steven, only 21 years old, a seven-year contract with Universal Studios.

史蒂文设法自己改变处境，将注意力从学业转移开来。他清理好旧制服和公文包，重新回到儿时曾工作过的环球影视公司。他悄悄地溜进任何他能进入的部门，像拍摄间、剪辑间、音效间等，静静地观看，直到被人发现并被赶走。他假装介绍自己是演员、导演或制片人，邀请别人一起吃饭来积攒人脉，并尽可能地学习。即使他每天至少有一次会被逮到并被赶走，但他总是回来再偷偷混进去。

史蒂文一边再三向环球公司管理层证明自己，一边在餐厅打工攒钱买设备。他将各场景单独进行创作，一次又一次地拍摄。在得到放映机会前，他不断升级胶片，从 8 毫米到 16 毫米，再到 35 毫米。最后，他的影片《漫步前行》终于有机会出现在管理层面前。这是一部无声短片，情节和史蒂文日后职业生涯中的主流科幻片和战争片大相径庭。不过那个短片依然足够精彩，为年仅 21 岁的史蒂文赢得了环球的七年合约。

After directing smaller TV dramas and low-budget projects, Steven earned the chance to direct his big Hollywood debut: a thriller film starring a shark! Jaws was a box office hit and it made Steven famous. He continued his relationship with Universal Studios to produce the notable movies E.T., Jurassic Park, and Schindler's List

As his first producer said, \is not by any coincidence that Steven is in his present position.\standing fast against all rejections, prejudice and skepticism and driven him to keep moving onward.

在执导了多部小型电视剧和低成本项目后，史蒂文得到机会导演他的第一部好莱坞大片，一部关于鲨鱼的惊悚片！《大白鲨》成为了票房冠军，让史蒂文一举成名。他和环球继续合作，又拍摄了《外星人》、《侏罗纪公园》和《辛德勒的名单》等著名影片。

正如他的第一个制片人所言：“史蒂文能达到目前的地位绝非偶然。”相反，是史蒂文执著的精神让他能够脚踏实地，直面所有拒绝、偏见和怀疑，并推动他持续向前。

Unit 4 Let’s Go

课文A

The surprising purpose of travel

令人惊奇的旅行目的

It's 4:15 in the morning, and my alarm clock has just stolen away a lovely dream.

I almost return back to sleep before my eye catches my packed suitcase and I groan, remembering that I'm going to the airport. The taxi is late and then lost, and I'm getting increasingly nervous that I'll miss my flight. I run in when we arrive, stagger through security and finally get to my gate. After all the trouble of this morning, my flight is canceled and I'm stuck in this terminal for the next 218 minutes, and my only consolation is a cup of complimentary airport coffee. This is traveling, a burdensome series of running and waiting, and after countless hours, finally getting there.

早晨四点一刻，闹钟把我从美梦中惊醒，要不是突然看见早已收拾好的行李箱，我几乎又要睡着。想起来还要去机场，我叹了口气。出租车来晚了，并且在途中迷了路，我越来越担心会赶不上飞机。出租车一到机场我就冲进去，跌跌撞撞通过安检处，终于，我来到了登机口。经历这一早所有的麻烦事，我乘坐的航班却被取消了。在接下来的 218 分钟里，我被困在了机场，唯一觉得安慰的是机场提供的一杯免费咖啡。这就是旅行，让人心烦的跑跑停停。最终，在不知经过多少小时之后，终于到达要去的地方。

Why do we travel? I don't mind the actual flying, the wonder of being airborne in a dense metal bird. The rest of the journey, however, can feel like a tedious lesson in the ills of modernity, from the predawn x-ray screening to the sad airport malls selling clusters of keepsakes. It's the result of a globalized world, and it sucks.

我们为什么要旅行？其实，我并不介意飞行本身，在这样一个密实的金属大鸟中飞行，让我感到很奇妙。然而，旅程其余的部分，从一大早 X 光检查到出售大堆纪念品的糟糕的机场商场，感觉就像是关于现代社会弊病的乏味课程。这是全球化的结果，它糟糕透了。

Sometimes, of course, we travel because we need to. Because in this digital age, there is still something important about the handshake at a business luncheon. Or eating mom's special food on Thanksgiving. Or seeing your girlfriend on your 2-year anniversary.

当然，有时候我们旅行是因为我们需要去旅行。因为即使在这个数字化时代，我们仍然有一些很重要的事情要去做，比如在商务午餐中与生意伙伴握手，或是在感恩节这天吃上妈妈特别准备的食物，或是在你和你女朋友的两周年纪念日这天去看她。

But most travel is decidedly optional. Only corporate travel, about 30% of trips over 50 miles, is truly compulsory. Instead, we travel because we want to, because the annoyances of the airport are offset by the thrill of being someplace new. Because work is stressful and our blood pressure is too high and we need a vacation somewhere tropical. Because home is boring. Because the flights are on sale. Because Paris is Paris.

但是大多数旅行是可去可不去的，在超过 50 英里的旅行中，只有 30%属于真正必需的商务旅行。我们旅行是因为我们想要去旅行，因为到一个新地方的兴奋和激动可以抵消在机场的各种烦心事；因为工作压力太大，我们的血压太高，我们要去热带地区度假；因为在家实在太无聊；因为航班都在打折；因为巴黎毕竟是巴黎。

Thanks to modern aviation, we can now move through space at an inhuman speed. For the first time in human history, we can outrun the sun and move from one hemisphere to another in a single day. Of course, it's not enough to simply get on a

plane. If we want to realize the creative benefits of travel, then we have to re-think its overall purpose. Most people, after all, escape to Paris so they don't have to think about those troubles they left behind. But here's the irony: Our mind is most likely to solve our most stubborn problems while we are sitting in luxury in a Left Bank cafe. So, instead of contemplating that buttery dessert, we should be conscious of those domestic issues we just can't solve.

多亏了现代航空技术，我们现在可以以非凡的速度在空中穿梭。在人类历史中，这是我们第一次超过太阳——在短短一天中从一个半球到达另一个半球。当然，仅仅往飞机上一坐是不够的。我们要想认识到旅行在提高创新力方面的价值，还得再全面考虑其目的。毕竟，大多数人逃到巴黎，是因为这样他们就可以不必考虑家里的那些烦心事。但是，具有讽刺意味的是，当我们坐在豪华的左岸咖啡馆时，我们的脑子极有可能能解决那些最棘手的问题。因此，我们应该考虑那些在家里解决不了的问题，而不是琢磨那些奶油甜点。

The larger lesson, though, is that our thoughts are saturated with the familiar. The brain is a space of near infinite possibility, which means that it spends a lot of time and energy choosing what not to notice. As a result, creativity is traded away for efficiency; we think in finite, literal prose, not symbolic verse. A bit of distance, however, helps loosen the cognitive chains that imprison us, making it easier to mingle the new with the old; the mundane is grasped from a slightly more abstract perspective. According to research, the experience of an exotic culture endows us with a valuable open-mindedness, making it easier to realize that even a trivial thing can have multiple meanings. Consider the act of leaving food on the plate: In China, this is often seen as a compliment, a signal that the host has provided enough to eat. But in America the same act is a subtle insult, an indication that the food wasn't good enough to finish.

但更应该知道的是我们的思想被熟悉的东西所充满。大脑是一个几乎具有无限可能性的空间，这就意味着它花了大量的时间和精力选择不去注意什么。因此，我们牺牲创造力来换取效率。我们以字义明确的散文方式思考，而非以具有象征意义的诗歌方式思考。然而，一点的距离就可以帮助我们放松禁锢我们认知的链条，使新旧思想的结合更容易，对平淡无奇的事情可从更抽象的角度加以认知。有研究指出，体验异国文化可以赋予我们宝贵的开放性思维，使我们更容易明白即使是微不足道的事物也可以有多种意义。想一想把食物剩在盘子里这个行为：在中国，这通常被看成是一种赞美，说明主人提供了足够的食物。但是在美国，同样的行为却暗含侮辱，表明食物不够好，人们不愿意吃完。

Such multicultural contrasts mean that seasoned travelers are open to ambiguity, willing to realize that there are decidedly different (and equally valid) ways of interpreting the world. This, in turn, allows them to expand the circumference of their “cognitive inputs\tle for their first answers and initial guesses.

这种多元文化对比说明，经验丰富的旅行者会接受对事物的多样性解读，他们欣然认识到对这个世界可以有截然不同（但却同样有效）的方式进行解释。这也从而让他们扩大了“认知输入”的范围，因为他们拒绝仅仅满足于他们的最初答案和先前的猜测。

Of course, this mental flexibility doesn't come from mere distance, a simple change in latitude and longitude. Instead, this renaissance of creativity appears to be a