内容发布更新时间 : 2024/12/23 3:56:48星期一 下面是文章的全部内容请认真阅读。
26 / 46
weatherman was right. He pulls his raincoat tighter.
7 He tilts his hat just so. 他在门口停了一下,提起公文包,走了出去。秋风骤起,冷飕飕的。天
气预报员说得没错。他将雨衣裹裹紧。 他把帽子往一侧微微一斜。
8 On the 7:45 bus that stops across the street, he leaves his briefcase next to the driver and finds a seat in the
middle of a pack of bored teenagers.
9 He leans forward, stares toward the driver, sits back, then repeats the process. His nervousness makes him
laugh uncontrollably. The teenagers stare at him. They don't realize Porter's afraid someone will steal his briefcase,
with the glasses, brochures, order forms and clip-on tie that he needs to survive. 在街对面停靠的7:45 那班公共汽车上,他把公文包放在司机身旁,在一群没精打采的十几岁的孩子当中找了个位子坐下。
他身子往前一倾,盯着司机那儿望,然后靠着椅背坐下,接着他又反复这个过程。他心情紧张,控
制不住自己而笑出声来。那些孩子望着他。他们不明白,波特是担心有人偷他的包,包里有他生存不可缺
少的眼镜,宣传小册子,定单,以及可用别针别上的领带。 10 Porter senses the stares. He looks at the floor.
11 His face reveals nothing. In his heart, though, he knows he should have been like these kids, like everyone
on this bus. He's not angry. But he knows. His mother explained how the delivery had been difficult, how the
doctor had used an instrument that crushed a section of his brain and caused cerebral palsy, a disorder of the
27 / 46
nervous system that affects his speech, hands and walk.
波特意识到了小孩子在盯着他看。他把目光转向车厢地板。
他脸上没有流露出任何神情。但在他心里,他知道自己本该和这些孩子一样,和车上其他所有人一样。他并不生气。但他心里明白。他母亲解释说生他时难产,医生使用了某种器械,损坏了他大脑的一部分,导致了大脑性麻痹,一种影响他说话,手部活动以及行走的神经系统的紊乱。
12 Porter came to Portland when he was 13 after his father, a salesman, was transferred here. He attended a
school for the disabled and then Lincoln High School, where he was placed in a class for slow kids. 13 But he wasn't slow.
波特13 岁那年随着当推销员的父亲工作调动来到波特兰。他上了一个残疾人学校,后来就读林肯高级中
学,在那儿他被编入慢班。 但他并不笨。
14 His mind was trapped in a body that didn't work. Speaking was difficult and took time. People were
impatient and didn't listen. He felt different -- was different -- from the kids who rushed about in the halls and
planned dances he would never attend.
他由于身体不能正常运行而使脑子不能充分发挥其功能。他说话困难,而且慢。别人不耐烦,不听他说。他觉得自己不同于――事实上也确实不同于――那些在过道里东奔西跑的孩子,那些孩子安排的舞会,他永远也不可能参加。
15 What could his future be? Porter wanted to do something and his mother was certain that he could rise
above his limitations. With her encouragement, he applied for a job with the Fuller Brush Co. only to be turned
28 / 46
down. He couldn't carry a product briefcase or walk a route, they said.
他将来会是个什么样子呢?波特想做些事,母亲也相信他能冲破身体的局限。在她的鼓励之下,他
向福勒牙刷公司申请一份工作,结果却遭到拒绝。他不能提样品包,也不能跑一条推销线路,他们说。
16 Porter knew he wanted to be a salesman. He began reading help wanted ads in the newspaper. When he
saw one for Watkins, a company that sold household products door-to-door, his mother set up a meeting with a
representative. The man said no, but Porter wouldn't listen. He just wanted a chance. The man gave in and offered
Porter a section of the city that no salesman wanted.
波特知道自己想当推销员。他开始阅读报纸上的招聘广告。他看到沃特金斯,一家上门推销家用物
品的公司要人,他母亲就跟其代理人安排会面。那人说不行,可波特不予理会。他就是需要一个机会。那人让步了,把城里一个其他推销员都不要的区域派给了他。
17 It took Porter four false starts before he found the courage to ring the first doorbell. The man who
answered told him to go away, a pattern repeated throughout the day.
波特一开始四次都没敢敲门,第五次才鼓起勇气按了第一户人家的门铃。开门的那人让他走开,这种情形持续了一整天。
18 That night Porter read through company literature and discovered the products were guaranteed. He would
sell that pledge. He just needed people to listen.
19 If a customer turned him down, Porter kept coming back until they heard him. And he sold.
当晚,波特仔细阅读了公司的宣传资料,发现产品都是保用的。他要把保用作为卖点。只要别人肯听他说话就成。
29 / 46
要是客户回绝波特,拒绝倾听他的介绍,他就一再上门。就这样他将产品卖了出去。 20 For several years he was Watkins' top retail salesman. Now he is the only one of the company's 44,000
salespeople who sells door-to-door.
21 The bus stops in the Transit Mall, and Porter gets off.
他连着几年都是沃特金斯公司的最佳零售推销员。如今他是该公司44000 名推销员中惟一一个上门推销的人。
公共汽车在公交中转购物中心站停下,波特下了车。
22 His body is not made for walking. Each step strains his joints. Headaches are constant visitors. His right
arm is nearly useless. He can't fully control the limb. His body tilts at the waist; he seems to be heading into a
strong, steady wind that keeps him off balance. At times, he looks like a toddler taking his first steps. 23 He walks 10 miles a day.
他的身体不适合行走。每走一步关节都疼。头疼也是习以为常的事。他的右臂几乎没用。他不能完全控制这只手臂。他的身体从腰部开始前倾,看上去就像是顶着一股强劲的吹个不停的风迈步向前,风似乎要把他刮倒。有时他看上去就像是个刚刚学步的孩童。 他每天要走10 英里的路程。
24 His first stop today, like every day, is a shoeshine stand where employees tie his laces. Twice a week he
pays for a shine. At a nearby hotel one of the doormen buttons Porter's top shirt button and slips on his clip-on tie.
He then walks to another bus that drops him off a mile from his territory. 25 He left home nearly three hours ago.
30 / 46
像平日一样,他今天的第一站是个擦鞋摊,这里的雇员替他系好鞋带。他每周请他们擦两次鞋。附近一家旅馆的门卫替他扣上衬衣最上面一粒纽扣,戴上用别针别上的领带。随后他步行去搭乘另一部巴士,在距离他的推销区域一英里处下车。 他是差不多3 个小时前从家里动身的。 * * *
26 The wind is cold and raindrops fall. Porter stops at the first house. This is the moment he's been preparing for since 5:45 a.m. He rings the bell.
风冷雨淋。波特在第一户人家门前停了下来。这是他从5??45 分开始就为之准备的时刻。他按了门铃。
27 A woman comes to the door. 一位妇人开了门。 28 \
29 \30 Porter nods.
31 \32 \33 She shuts the door.
34 Porter's eyes reveal nothing. 35 He moves to the next house. 36 The door opens. 37 Then closes.
“你好。”
“不,多谢了。我这就要出门。” 波特点点头。