CHAPTER 1
Once when I wassix years old I saw a magnificent(壯觀的) picture in a book, called ?True Stories from Nature, about the primeval(原始的)forest.It was a picture of a boa constrictor(巨蟒) in the act of swallowing(吞下) an animal.Here is a copyof the drawing.
當(dāng)我還只有六歲的時(shí)候，在一本描寫原始森林的名叫《真實(shí)的故事》的書中，看到了一副精彩的插畫，畫的是一條蟒蛇正在吞食一只大野獸。頁頭上就是那副畫的摹本。
In the book it said:“Boa constrictors(巨蟒) swallow(吞下) their prey(獵物) whole, without chewing(嚼) it.After that they are not able to move, and they sleep through the six months that they need for digestion(消化).”
這本書中寫到：“這些蟒蛇把它們的獵獲物不加咀嚼地囫圇吞下，爾后就不能再動(dòng)彈了；它們就在長長的六個(gè)月的睡眠中消化這些食物?！?br>
I pondered(思索) deeply, then, over the adventures(冒險(xiǎn)) ofthe jungle(叢林).And after somework with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing.My Drawing Number One. It looked like this:
當(dāng)時(shí)，我對叢林中的奇遇想得很多，于是，我也用彩色鉛筆畫出了我的第一副圖畫。我的第一號(hào)作品。它是這樣的：
I showed my masterpiece(杰作) to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the drawing frightened(使害怕) them.
我把我的這副杰作拿大人看，我問他們我的畫是不是叫他們害怕。
But they answered:“Frighten(害怕)? Why should anyone be frightened(害怕) by a hat?”
他們回答我說：“一頂帽子有什么可怕的？”
My drawing was not a picture of a hat.It was a picture of a boa constrictor(巨蟒) digesting(消化) an elephant.But since the grown-ups were not able to understand it,I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor(巨蟒), so that the grown-ups could see it clearly.They always need to have things explained.My Drawing Number Two looked like this:
我畫的不是一頂帽子，是不條巨蟒在消化著一頭大象。于是我又把巨蟒肚子里的情況畫了出來，以便讓大人們能夠看懂。這些大人總是需要解釋。我的第二號(hào)作品是這些的：
The grown-ups’ ?response(回答), this time, was to advise me to lay aside(在旁邊) my drawings of boa constrictors(巨蟒), whether from the inside or the outside,and devote(專心致力于) myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic(算術(shù)) and grammar.That is why, atthe age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent(美好的) career(職業(yè)) as a painter.I had been disheartened(沮喪) by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two.Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever(總是) explaining things to them.
大人們勸我把這些畫著開著肚皮的，或閉上肚皮的蟒蛇的圖畫放在一邊，還是把興趣放在地理、歷史、算術(shù)、語法上。就這樣，在六歲的那年，我就放棄了當(dāng)畫家這一美好的職業(yè)。我的第一號(hào)、第二號(hào)作品的不成功，使我泄了氣。這些大人們，靠他們自己什么也弄不懂，還得老是不斷地給他們作解釋。這真叫孩子們膩味。
So then I chose another profession(職業(yè)), and learned to pilot airplanes(飛機(jī)).I have flown alittle over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me.At a glance(一瞥) I can distinguish(辨別) China from Arizona.If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.
后來，我只好選擇了另外一個(gè)職業(yè)，我學(xué)會(huì)了開飛機(jī)，世界各地差不多都飛到過。的確，地學(xué)幫了我很大的忙。我一眼就能中國和亞里面難桑那。要是夜里迷失了航向，這是很有用的。
In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters(相遇) with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence(重要的事).I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately(熟悉地), close at hand.And that hasn’t much improved(改善) my opinion of them.
這樣，在我的生活中，我跟許多嚴(yán)肅的人有過很多的接觸。我在大人們中間生產(chǎn)過很長時(shí)間。我仔細(xì)地觀察過他們，但這并沒有使我對他們的看法有多大的改變。
Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted,I tried the experiment(試驗(yàn)) of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept.I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding.But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:
“That is a hat.”
當(dāng)我看到一個(gè)頭腦稍微清楚的大人時(shí)， 我就拿出一直保存著的我那第一號(hào)作品來測試他。我想知道他是否真的有理解能力?？墒?，得到的回答總是：“這是頂帽子?！?br>
Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors(巨蟒), or primeval(原始的) forests, or stars.I would bring myself down to his level.I would talk to him about bridge, and golf(高爾夫球), and politics, and neckties(領(lǐng)帶).And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible(通曉事理的) man.
我就不和談巨蟒呀，原始森林呀，或者星星之類的事。我只遷就他們的水平，和他們談些橋牌，高爾夫，政治，領(lǐng)帶。于是大人們就十分高興能認(rèn)識(shí)我這樣一個(gè)通情達(dá)理的人
