新視野大學英語讀寫教程第二冊unit4-b Experiences in Exile

Section B

Experiences in Exile

We are in Montreal, in an echoing, dark train station, and we are squeezed together on a bench waiting for someone to give us some guidance. Eventually, a man speaking broken Polish approaches us, takes us to the ticket window, and then helps us board our train. And so begins yet another segment of this longest journey — all the longer because we don't exactly know when it will end, when we'll reach our destination. We only know that Vancouver is very far away.
The people on the train look at us indirectly, and avoid sitting nearby. This may be because we've brought suitcases full of dried cake, canned sardines, and sausages, which would keep during the long journey. We don't know about dining cars, and when we discover that this train has such a thing, we can hardly afford to go there once a day on the few dollars that my father has brought with him. Two dollars could buy a bicycle, or several pairs of shoes in Poland. It seems like a tremendous sum to pay for four bowls of soup.
The train cuts through infinite territory, most of it flat and boring, and it seems to me that the ceaseless rhythm of the wheels is like scissors cutting a three-thousand-mile rip through my life. From now on, my life will be divided into two parts, with the line drawn by that train.
After a while, I shrink into a silent indifference, and I don't want to look at the landscape anymore; these are not the friendly fields, the farmyards of Polish countryside; this is vast, tedious, and formless. By the time we reach the Rockies, my parents try to make me look at the spectacular landscapes we're passing by. But I don't want to. These peaks and valleys, these mountain streams and enormous rocks hurt my eyes; they hurt my soul. They're too big, too forbidding, and I can't imagine feeling that I'm part of them, and that I'm in them. I retreat into sleep; I sleep through the day and the night, and my parents can't shake me out of it. My sister, perhaps recoiling even more deeply from all this strangeness, is ill with a fever and can hardly raise her head.
On the second day, we briefly meet a passenger who speaks Yiddish. My father enters into a dynamic conversation with him and learns some entertaining tales. For example, there's the story of a Polish Jew who came to Canada and became prosperous (he's now a millionaire!) by producing Polish pickles. Pickles! If one can make a fortune on that, well — it shouldn't be hard to achieve prosperity in this country. My father is excited by this story, but I retreat into an even more determined silence. "Millionaire" is one of those words from a fairy tale that has no meaning to me whatsoever — like the words "emigration" and "Canada." In spite of my parents' objections, I go back to sleep, and I miss some of the most magnificent scenery on the North American continent.
By the time we've reached Vancouver, there are very few people left on the train. My mother has dressed my sister and me in our best clothes — identical navy blue dresses with sailor collars and gray coats. My parents' faces reflect anticipation and anxiety. "Get off the train on the right foot," my mother tells us. "For luck in the new life."
I look out of the train window with a heavy heart. Where have I been brought? As the train approaches the station, it's a rainy day, and the platform is nearly empty. Everything is the color of gray. From out of this grayness, two figures approach us — an unremarkable middle-aged man and woman — and after making sure that we are the right people, the arrivals from the other side of the world, they embrace us; but I don't feel much warmth in their half-embarrassed embrace. "You should kneel down and kiss the ground," the man tells my parents. "You're lucky to be here." My parents' faces fill with a kind of simple hope. Perhaps everything will be well after all.
Then we get into an enormous car — yes, this is North America — and drive into the city that is to be our home.
Words: 720

NEW WORDS

▲exile
n. 1. [U] being sent away from one's native country or home, esp. for political reasons or as a punishment 放逐，流放，流亡
2. [C] a person who lives away from his own country by choice or because he is forced to 自己選擇或被迫居留國外的人
vt. send sb. into exile 放逐, 充軍

echo
vi. (of places) repeat a sound 發(fā)出回聲, 產生回響
vt. (of places) send back (an echo) （指地方）發(fā)回聲
n. [C] reflection and repetition of a sound from a wall or inside space 回音，回聲

guidance
n. [U] guiding or being guided; direction 引導；領導，指導

destination
n. [C] a place to which sb. or sth. is going or being sent 目的地

directly
ad. 1. in a direct line or way; straight 直接地, 一直地, 直截了當地
2. very soon or at once 立刻, 立即, 馬上

indirectly
ad. not going in a straight line 間接地

■sardine
n. [C] 沙丁魚

sausage
n. [C, U] 香腸，臘腸

▲dine
vt. eat dinner 吃飯，進餐

tremendous
a. 1. very large 巨大的，極大的
2. very good; excellent 很好的，非常好的

infinite
a. without limits; endless 無限的，無窮的

territory
n. 1. [C, U] (area of) land under the control of a ruler, country, city, etc. 領土，領地，版圖
2. [C, U] area ruled by one person, group or animal and defended against others 領域，勢力范圍

boring
a. uninteresting; dull 無趣的；令人厭煩的

cease
n. [U] stop; end 停止，終止
v. end; stop 停止

ceaseless
a. not stopping; without end 不停的，連續(xù)的，無休止的

scissors
n. (pl.) 剪刀

shrink
vi. 1. move back or from sb./sth., esp. through fear or not liking 退縮，畏縮
2. become smaller, esp. because of water or heat or cold （尤指因受潮、受熱或受冷）收縮；縮小
vt. cause sth. to become smaller 使收縮，使縮小

landscape
n. 1. [C] scenery of an area of land 陸上風景
2. [C] a view or picture of the countryside 風景畫

tedious
a. tiring, because of being too long, slow or dull; boring 冗長的，沉悶的；乏味的

spectacular
a. making a very fine display or show 壯觀的，場面富麗的

stream
n. [C] a small river 小溪，川，河
vi. flow or move as a stream, pour out 流（出）, 涌（出）

forbid
vt. order sb. not to do sth. 不許，禁止

recoil
vi. move back because of fear or not liking 退卻，退縮，畏縮

dynamic
a. 1. having a lot of ideas and excitements; with much energy 精力充沛的，有活力的
2. of power or forces that produce movement 動力的
n. (sing.) force that produces change, action, or effects 產生變化、行動或影響的力量

prosperous
a. successful, esp. financially 成功的，繁榮的，興盛的

▲millionaire
n. [C] a person who has a million pounds, dollars, etc.; a very rich person 百萬富翁，大富豪，大財主

■pickle
n. [C, U] 腌菜，泡菜

prosperity
n. [U] state of being successful or rich 繁榮，昌盛，成功

fairy
n. [C] an imaginary being which looks like a small person with wings and has unnatural powers 仙女，仙子

whatsoever
ad. whatever（用在no+名詞、nothing、none的后面，以加強語氣）任何

▲emigrate
vi. leave one's own country to go and live in another （自本國）移居它國

emigration
n. [U, C] leaving a country and going to live in another one 移民，移居（外國）

objection

n. 1. [C, U] (expression of a) feeling of not liking 厭惡，異議，反對
2. [C] a reason for objecting 反對的理由

magnificent
a. 1. very beautiful; striking 壯麗的，宏偉的
2. very good 極好的

scenery
n. 1. [U] general natural qualities of an area, e.g. mountains, rivers, forests 景色，風光，風景
2. [U] equipment used on a theatre stage as the place of action 舞臺布景，道具

identical
a. 1. similar in every detail 一模一樣的，完全相同的
2. the same 同一的

sailor
n. [C] a person who works on a ship; seaman 水手，海員

gray (英grey)
a. 1. of the color between black and white 灰色的，灰白的
2. cloudy with little light 陰沉的，昏暗的
n. [U, C] the color between black and white 灰色

rainy
a. (of a day, period, etc.) on or in which much rain falls; (of sky, weather, etc.) bringing much rain （指某日、某時期）多雨的，雨水連綿的；（指天空、天氣）下雨的，陰雨的，多雨的

remarkable
a. worthy of attention; striking, unusual 值得注意的，引人注目的，不尋常的

unremarkable
a. not worthy of attention; usual 不值得注意的，不顯著的，平凡的

embrace
n. [C] an act of embracing 擁抱
vt. 1. take (a person, etc.) into one's arms as a sign of liking 擁抱
2. (of things) include 包含，包括

warmth
n. 1. [U] liking; kindness 熱情，熱烈
2. [U] state of being warm 溫暖，溫和

kneel
vi. go down on one or both knees; rest on the knee(s) 跪下，跪倒

PHRASES AND EXPRESSIONS

all the longer
so much longer 更長

be full of
holding or containing as much or as many as possible 滿的，充滿……的，裝滿……的

know about (sth)
have knowledge of sth. 知道有關……的情況

bring with (sth)
come carrying sth. 拿來，取來，帶來

pay for
give money for 付給，付款

divide into
(cause sth. to) break into parts 劃分，分割，分開

make a fortune
make a large amount of money 發(fā)財

dress sb. in
put clothes on sb. 給……穿衣服

with a heavy heart
unhappy 心情沉重，不開心

make sure
find out whether sth. is so 查明，證實，了解清楚

after all
in spite of what has been said, done or expected 究竟，終究，畢竟

PROPER NAMES

Montreal
蒙特利爾（加拿大東南部港市）

Vancouver
溫哥華（加拿大西南部港市）

Yiddish
意第緒語，依地語（猶太人使用的國際語）

Jew
猶太人