美国大萧条时期造成的苦难，催生了许多美国经典文学，这些经典后来成为全国各地高中英语课的教材。其中排名第一的是约翰·斯坦贝克的中篇小说《人鼠之间》（OFMICEANDMEN），作品于1937年出版。故事叙述了加州农场民工乔治与伦尼的追梦旅程...... When she didn’t answer， he stepped nearer. “You oughten to sleep out here，”he said disapprovingly; and then he was beside her and—“Oh， Jesus Christ!”He looked about helplessly， and he rubbed his beard. And then he jumped up and went quickly out of the barn.看她并不答话，他走近前去。“你不该浪出到这儿来睡觉，”他带着责备的语气说；然后走到了她身边，“啊呀，主耶稣！”他一面揉着他的胡子一面手足无措地四下里望了望。接着，他跳了起来，飞似地从畜舍里走出去了。But the barn was alive now. The horses stamped and snorted， and they chewed the straw of their bedding and they clashed the chains of their halters. In a moment Candy came back， and George was with him.但现在畜舍里却是生气勃勃了。那些马匹喷鼻，顿蹄，碰响着它们勒缰上的铁链，嚼着它们的垫草。不一会，甘德回来了，佐治在他后面跟着。George said， “What was it you wanted to see me about?”“你引我看什么呢？”佐治说。Candy pointed at Curley’s wife. George stared. “What’s the matter with her?”he asked. He stepped closer， and then he echoed Candy’s words. “Oh， Jesus Christ!”He was down on hisknees beside her. He put his hand over her heart. And finally， when he stoodup， slowly and stiffly， his face was as hard and tight as wood， and his eyeswere hard. 甘德指着顾利老婆。佐治定睛一看，“她怎么啦？”他问，他走近过去，然后把甘德的语言重复了一遍：“啊呀，主耶稣！”他在她身边跪下，伸手去摸她的心窝。终于，他缓缓地僵硬地立起身来，脸象木头似的又实又硬，眼睛也凝固了。Candy said， “What done it?”“这是怎么搞的呢？”甘德说。George looked coldly at him. “Ain’t you got any idear?”he asked. And Candy was silent. “I should of knew，”George saidhopelessly. “I guess maybe way backin my head I did.”佐治冷冷地瞧着他。“你半点也没想出来吗？”他问。甘德没作声。“我该知道的，”佐治绝望地说了。“大概是我脑子里担心的事情发生了我猜。”Candy asked， “What we gonna do now， George? What we gonna do now?”“那我们怎么办呢，佐治。现在我们怎么办呢？”甘德问道。George was along time in answering. “Guess . . . .we gotta tell the . . . . guys. I guess we gotta get ‘im an’lock ‘im up. We can’t let ‘im get away. Why， the poor bastard’d starve.”And he tried to reassure himself. “Maybe they’ll lock ‘im up an’be nice to ‘im.”佐治慢吞吞地回答：“看来……我们得把这告诉……他们那些人去。我们得逮住他，把他关起来我看。我们不能让他跑掉。唉，会给饿坏的呢这可怜的杂种。”然后他又试着安慰自己。“也许他给他们关起来后，他们会好好待他的。”But Candy said excitedly， “We oughta let ‘im get away. You don’t know that Curley. Curley gon’ta wanta get ‘im lynched. Curley’ll get ‘im killed.”但甘德激动地说了：“我们应该让他跑掉。顾利那家伙你不知道。顾利准会拿他上私刑的。顾利会把他杀死的。”George watched Candy’s lips. “Yeah，”he said at last， “that’s right， Curley will. An’the other guys will.”And he looked back at Curley’s wife.佐治紧紧地盯着甘德的口唇。“对，”终于他说了出来。“那是真的，顾利准会那样做。别的人也准会这样。”他回过头来瞧了瞧顾利老婆。Now Candy spoke his greatest fear. “You an’me can get that little place， can’t we， George? You an’me can go therean’live nice， can’t we， George? Can’t we?”现在甘德把他最大的畏惧说出来了。“那小块地你和我还到得手吧，还成不成呢，佐治？你和我还能够去什么地方过个好日子的吧，还成不成呢，佐治？还成不成呢我们？”Before George answered， Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knew.佐治还没有回答，甘德把头俯下来，瞧着地上的干草。他明白了。George said softly， “—I think I knowed from the very first. I think I know’d we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.”佐治柔声地说：“———我想很早我就知道了的。我想我们永远也干不成，这我一早就知道了。他一向那么死心眼爱听我讲它，我才以为我们也许会干得成罢了。”“Then—it’s all off?”Candy asked sulkily.甘德懊丧地问：“那么———全都完了？”George didn’t answer his question. George said， “I’ll work my month an’I’ll take my fifty bucksan’I’ll stay all night in some lousy cat house. Or I’ll set in some poolroom till ever’body goes home. An’then I’ll come back an’work another month an’I’ll have fifty bucks more.”对他的问题，佐治没有作答。佐治说：“我总可以做我的月工，把我的五十块钱拿到手，在哪一间死鬼猫屋里呆上一整夜。要不，我可以在哪一间赌馆里头坐着，守到人们都散回家去了。然后，我就回来，做第二个月的月工，就又有五十块钱可以到手了。”Candy said， “He’s such a nice fella. Ididn’think he’d do nothing like this.”甘德说：“我想不到他会干出这样的事情来。他是这么好的一个人。”George still stared at Curley’s wife. “Lennie never done it in meanness，”he said. “All the time hedone bad things， but he never done one of ‘em mean.”He straightened up and looked back at Candy. “Now listen. We gotta tell the guys. They got to bring him in， Iguess. They ain’t no way out. Maybe they won’t hurt ‘im.” He said sharply， “Iain’t gonna let ‘em hurt Lennie. Now you listen. The guys might think I was inon it. I’m gonna go in the bunk house. Then in a minute you come out and tell the guys about her， and I’ll come along and make like I never seen her. Will you do that? So the guys won’t think I was in on it?”佐治仍然盯着顾利老婆。“这桩事李奈决不是存心下流干出来的，”他说。“什么时候他都干坏事，但从没有一桩是下流的。”他直起身子，把头回过来瞧着甘德。“喂，你听着。我们总得告诉他们那些角儿去。没有别的办法，他们准要逮住他。也许他们不会伤害他。”他正色地说道：“我是不会让他们伤害李奈的。喂，你听着吧。人们会疑心我在这上头也有一份。我得回到工棚去。一分钟后你就去外边把她的事告诉他们，这我才装作毫不知情的样子走过来看。你肯这么做吗？这样一来可以叫人们不疑心我？”Candy said， “Sure， George. Sure I’ll do that.”甘德说：“肯定，佐治。我肯定照你说的这么做。“O.K. Give me a couple minutes then， and you come runnin’out an’tell like youjus’found her. I’m going now.”George turned and went quickly out of the barn.“嗯。给我两分钟时间，然后你象是刚发现的，到处去把这桩事说开。现在我走了。”说罢佐治转过身来，便匆匆地走出去了。Old Candy watched him go. He looked helplessly back at Curley’s wife， and gradually his sorrow and his anger grew into words. “You God damn tramp”， he said viciously. “You done it， di’n’t you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now， you lousy tart.” He sniveled，and his voice shook. “I could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for themguys.” He paused， and then went on in a singsong. And he repeated the oldwords: “If they was a circus or a baseball game . . . . we would of went to her. . . . jus’ said ‘ta hell with work，’ an’ went to her. Never ast nobody’s sayso. An’ they’d of been a pig and chickens . . . . an’ in the winter . . . . the little fat stove . . . . an’ the rain comin’ . . . . an’ us jes’ settin’there.” His eyes blinded with tears and he turned and went weakly out of the barn， and he rubbed his bristly whiskers with his wrist stump.瞧得他去远了，老甘德回过头来无可如何地打量着顾利老婆，而渐渐地，他的愤怒和忧虑，转化了言词了。“你这他妈的骚货，”他刻毒地咒骂道。“你干出来了，还不是吗？我猜你心里是高兴的吧。谁都料到会有事情给你搞出来的。你太不良。现在你更是丝毫好处也没有了，你这烂婊子！”他呜咽了起来，他的声音颤抖着。“本来我可以帮他们两个洗碟子，锄菜园的草的。”停了一下后，他用一种唱歌似的调子继续讲下去，讲那惯熟了的老话道：“要是有一场棒球赛或是马戏呢……我们就赶去看……只要说一声‘别干活啦’，就可以去了。决用不着等谁答应才去得。而且准有好些鸡，一只猪……而且在冬天……小小的铁炉子……天下起雨来……我们就呆在那儿。”泪水把他的眼睛蒙住了，他将身子转过来，用他那半截光秃的手腕去捋他那粗硬的胡须，无力地走出畜舍。Outside the noise of the game stopped. There was a rise of voices in question， a drum of running feet and the men burst into the barn. Slim and Carlson and young Whitand Curley， and Crooks keeping back out of attention range. Candy came after them， and last of all came George. George had put on his blue denim coat and buttoned it， and his black hat was pulled down low over his eyes. The men raced around the last stall. Their eyes found Curley’s wife in the gloom， they stopped and stood still and looked.外边赛赌的嚷嚷声停息下来了。一阵议论的鼎沸的声音和急走的脚步声开腾起来，跟着，人们冲进畜舍。那是施琳，贾尔纯，顾利和年青的魏特，还有和跟在后面同显眼的行列隔得远远的库鲁克斯。甘德跟在众人后面，也进来了，最后到来的一个是佐治。佐治身上穿着他的蓝斜纹布上衫，衣服上了钮扣都扣得好好的，头上的黑帽子拉得低低的，把他的眼睛都盖过了。人群从尽头一个畜栏附近走过来。昏暗中他们的眼睛发现了顾利老婆，于是他们停了下来，静静地站在那儿，瞧着。SSAT（美国中学入学考试）中国考试管理中心Call Center：021-63306793英文官网：www.ssat.org中文官网：www.ssatcenter.com中国安生教育集团授权管理