艾萨克·阿西莫夫
1 “哦，对了，”菲尼亚斯·韦尔奇博士说，“我可以使那些故去的名人还魂。”
2 他有点儿醉了，不然他不会这样胡说。当然，在一年一度的圣诞聚会上，喝得有点儿醉也是无可厚非的。
3 斯科特·罗伯逊是学校的年轻英文讲师。他整了整眼镜，环顾左右，看看是否有人无意间听到了他 们之间的谈话。
4 “真的吗？韦尔奇博士。”
5 “我是当真的。不只是灵魂，我还能使他们的肉体复生。”
6 “我觉得这不可能，”罗伯逊一本正经地说。
7 “为什么不可能？这只不过是简单的时间转移而已。”
8 “你是说时空旅行？那真是太——呃——离奇了。”
9 “会者不难嘛。”
10 “那怎么才能做到呢，韦尔奇博士？”
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11 “你以为我会告诉你吗？”这位物理学家严肃地说。他心不在焉地环顾四周，想再找杯酒喝，但没有 找到。他说，“我已经让好几个人回来过了：阿基米德、牛顿、伽利略。这些可怜的家伙。”
12 “他们不喜欢这里吗？我以为他们会对我们的现代科学着迷呢，”罗伯逊说。他已经开始喜欢他们之 间的谈话了。
13 “哦，是的，他们是着迷了，尤其是阿基米德。我特意温习了一下希腊文，给他解释了一点儿现代科 学，我以为他听了会高兴得发狂，可是没有……没有……”
14 “出什么岔子啦？”
15 “就是文化差异，他们不习惯我们的生活方式，他们感到非常孤独，还很恐惧。我只好把他们送回去了。”
16 “真糟糕。”
17 “是啊。他们是伟大的智者，但头脑不灵活，不能随遇而安。所以我试着把莎士比亚带回来了。”
18 “什么？”罗伯逊喊起来。这下真的触动他了。
19 “别喊，老兄，”韦尔奇说。“多不雅啊。”
20 “你说你把莎士比亚弄回来了？”
21 “没错。我需要一个随遇而安的智者。一个了解人世、能与相隔几个世纪的人共同生活的人。莎士比 亚正是那样的人。我有他的签名。你知道的，作为纪念。”
22 “你带着吗？”罗伯逊问，眼睛瞪得大大的。
23 “就在这里。”韦尔奇在一个个马甲口袋里摸索着。“啊，在这儿。”
24 他将一个小小的硬纸片递给这位讲师。硬纸片的一面上写着“L.克莱恩父子五金批发公司”，另一面 上字迹潦草地写着“Willm Shakspere”。
25 罗伯逊满腹狐疑。“他长什么样儿？”
26 “跟画像上的不一样，秃头，留着难看的八字须，说话满口土腔。当然，我竭力使他喜欢我们的时 代。我告诉他我们都很欣赏他的戏剧，而且这些戏剧还在上演。我跟他说事实上，我们认为他的戏剧是英 国文学中，也许是全世界，最伟大的文学作品。”
27 “说得好！说得好！”罗伯逊呼吸急促地说。
28 “我告诉他人们为他的戏剧写的评论一本又一本，数不胜数。他自然想看一本，所以我就从图书馆弄 了一本给他。”
29 “然后呢？”
30 “哦，他着迷了。当然，他不懂那些现代用语，也不知道1600年以后发生的事情，不过我帮他解决 了。可怜的家伙。我想他是想不到会受到这种待遇的。他不断地说：‘啊，我的上帝！在五个世纪的时间 里，还有什么不能从文字里榨取出来呢？吾以为，人们都能从一块湿布中拧出洪水来了。’”
31 “他不会那样说的。”
32 “为什么不会？他写剧本时写得非常快。他说因为交稿期限的缘故，他不得不这样。他花了不到六个 月时间就完成了《哈姆雷特》的写作。情节是老套的，他只是做了些文字上的润色加工，使其亮丽些。”
33 “人们擦拭望远镜镜片时才这样做，擦一擦让它亮一些，”这位英文讲师愤慨地说。
34 物理学家没有理会他。他看到几英尺远的吧台上有一杯没有喝过的鸡尾酒，于是他悄悄地走了过去。
“我告诉这位不朽的诗人我们大学里还开莎士比亚的课呢。”
35 “我就开了一门。”
36 “我知道。我帮他注册了你上的夜校课。我从来没有看到谁像可怜的比尔那样如此急于知道后人是怎 么看他的。他学得很认真。”
37 “你让威廉·莎士比亚上我的课？”罗伯逊咕哝道。即使这只是酒精作用下的一种幻觉，这种想法还
157 Literature 是让他很震惊。再说，这是酒精作用下的幻觉吗？他开始回忆起一个秃头的人，说话怪怪的……
38 “当然，没有用他的真名，”韦尔奇博士说。“他用什么名字没有关系。这是一个错误，仅此而已。一 个巨大的错误。可怜的家伙。”他现在已经拿到鸡尾酒了，并对着酒摇了摇头。
39 “为什么是个错误？出了什么事？”
40 “我不得不将他送回到1600年，”韦尔奇愤怒地吼道。“你认为一个人能够忍受多少羞辱？”
41 “你说的羞辱指什么？”
42 韦尔奇博士将鸡尾酒一饮而尽。“嗨！你这可怜的傻瓜。你给了他一个不及格。”
Exercises
Post-Reading
Reading Comprehension
1 Setting: At a Christmas party
Characters: Dr. Phineas Welch (a physicist) and Scott Robertson (an English instructor) Development of the story:
Introduction: Dr. Phineas Welch claims to have the ability to bring back the spirits and bodies of the illustrious dead.
Rising actions:
Dr. Phineas Welch’s first attempt: He brought back Archimedes, Newton and Galileo.
Result: He had to send them back because they couldn’t get used to the modern way of life.
Dr. Phineas Welch’s explanation: Their minds were great, but not flexible or universal.
Dr. Phineas Welch’s second attempt: He brought back Shakespeare.
Climax: Dr. Phineas Welch enrolled Shakespeare in Scott Robertson’s evening extension course and Shakespeare failed the course.
2 1 B 2 B 3 C 4 D 5 C 6 B 7 C 8 A Vocabulary
1 1 A bring down: cause the government or ruler to lose power B brought in: introduce a new law
C bringing back: start to use or do sth. again that was used or done in the past D bring about: cause sth. to happen
E brought up: mention a subject or start to talk about it
2 A Going by: form an opinion about sb. or sth. from the information or experience that you have B gone down: become worse
C went off: happen in a particular way D go about: start to do sth.
E going around: (of a rumor, story, etc.) pass from person to person
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3 A make of: understand sb. or the meaning of sth. in a particular way
B makes up for: have so much of one quality that it is not important that you do not have much of another one
C made up: invent a story, poem, etc.
D made for: move toward a place
E make out: manage with difficulty to see or hear sth.
4 A thought nothing of: consider sth. easy or simple
B think twice about: think very carefully before deciding to do sth. because you know about the dangers or problems
C thought better of: not do sth. that you had planned to do, because you realize that it is not a good idea
D thought highly of: admire or respect sb. or sth.
E think badly of: disapprove of sb. or what they have done 5 A on account of: because of
B On no account: used when saying that sb. must not, for any reason, do sth.
C on this account: used when giving the reason for sth.
D take account of: consider or include particular facts or details when making a decision or judgment about sth.
E by / from all accounts: according to what a lot of people say
2 1 D 2 M 3 F 4 L 5 I 6 B 7 C 8 E 9 H 10 K 11 J 12 A 13 G 3 1 married 2 later 3 separated 4 effective 5 signed
6 suffering 7 which 8 claimed 9 meeting / encounter 10 attended 11 seated / sitting 12 attraction / affection 13 finally 14 almost 15 by Translation
1 I think I’d like to work for one of the major companies, or maybe (I’d like to) get a job in publishing.
2 He said it was all right to study fashion design in Paris, but we should think about how we could support ourselves during the time.
3 She has never seen lion and dragon dances before; now I think she’ll go mad with joy when I take her to see them.
4 You have to meet and visit people, and move around in busy streets, or in other words, you have to get used to the life in a big city.
5 It will be necessary for you to seek help and advice from someone who has been studying Asimov’s works and life.
6 Last year I constantly had trouble with my computer—it often crashed and I didn’t know what was wrong with it until my friend found a cure.
7 He had enrolled in a cookery class so that he could provide Chinese food for his family and friends on weekends.
8 They are not just patients with the disease, and they are also eager to find out more about the conditions and ways they can be helped.
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