1、TONY TRIVISONNO 'S AMERICAN DREAM Frederick C. Crawford       He came from a rocky farm in Italy, somewhere south of Rome. How or when he got to America, I don't know. But one evening I found him standing in the driveway, behind my garage. He was about five

2、-foot-seven or eight, and thin.        “I mow your lawn,” he said. It. was hard to comprehend his broken English.        I asked him his name. “Tony Trivisonno,” he replied. “I mow your lawn.” I told Tony that I couldn't affor

3、d a gardener.        “I mow your lawn,” he said again, then walked away. I went into my house unhappy. Yes, these Depression days were difficult, but how could I turn away a person who had come to me for help?        When I got ho

4、me from work the next evening, the lawn had been mowed, the garden weeded, and the walks swept. I asked my wife what had happened.        “A man got the lawn mower out of the garage and worked on the yard,” she answered. “I assumed you had hired him.”   &

5、#160;    I told her of my experience the night before. We thought it strange that he had not asked for pay.        The next two days were busy, and I forgot about Tony. We were trying to rebuild our business and bring some of our workers back to

6、 the plants. But on Friday, returning home a little early, I saw Tony again, behind the garage. I complimented him on the work he had done.        “I mow your lawn,” he said.        I managed to work out some kind of small weekly

7、pay, and each day Tony cleaned up the yard and took care of any little tasks. My wife said he was very helpful whenever there were any heavy objects to lift or things to fix.        Summer passed into fall, and winds blew cold. “Mr. Craw, snow pretty soon," To

8、ny told me one evening. “When winter come, you give me job clearing snow at the factory.”        Well, what do you do with such determination and hope? Of course, Tony got his job at the factory.        The months passed. I asked

9、the personnel department for a report. They said Tony was a very good worker.        One day I found Tony at our meeting place behind the garage. “I want to be 'prentice,” he said.        We had a pretty good apprentice school

10、 that trained laborers. But I doubted whether Tony had the capacity to read blueprints and micrometers or do precision work. Still, how could I turn him down?         Tony took a cut in pay to become an apprentice. Months later, I got a report that he had graduated

11、 as a skilled grinder. He had learned to read the millionths of an inch on the micrometer and to shape the grinding wheel with an instrument set with a diamond. My wife and I were delighted with what we felt was a satisfying end of the story.        A year or two p

12、assed, and again I found Tony in his usual waiting place. We talked about his work, and I asked him what he wanted.        “Mr. Craw,” he said, “I like a buy a house.” On the edge of town, he had found a house for sale, a complete wreck.     

13、60;  I called on a banker friend. “Do you ever loan money on character?” I asked. "No,” he said. “We can't afford to. No sale.”        “Now, wait a minute,” I replied. “Here is a hard-working man, a man of character, I can promise you that. He

14、9;s got a good job. You 're not get ting a damn thing from your lot. It will stay there for years. At least he will pay your interest.”        Reluctantly, the banker wrote a mortgage for $ 2,000 and gave Tony the house with no down payment. Tony was delighted.

15、 From then on, it was interesting to see that any discarded odds and ends around our placea broken screen, a bit of hardware, boards from packingTony would gather and take home.        After about two years, I found Tony in our familiar meeting spot. He seemed to s

16、tand a little straighter. He was heavier. He had a look of confidence.        “Mr. Craw, I sell my house!" he said with pride. “I got $ 8,000."        I was amazed. “But, Tony, where are you going to live without a house

17、?”        “Mr. Craw, I buy a farm.”        We sat down and talked. Tony told me that to own a farm was his dream. He loved the tomatoes and peppers and all the other vegetables important to his Italian diet. He had sent for his wi

18、fe and son and daughter back in Italy. He had hunted around the edge of town until he found a small, abandoned piece of property with a house and shed. Now he was moving his family to his farm.        Sometime later, Tony arrived on a Sunday afternoon, neatly dress

19、ed. He had another Italian man with him. He told me that he had persuaded his childhood friend to move to America. Tony was sponsoring him. With an amused look in his eye, he told me that when they approached the little farm he now operated, his friend stood in amazement and said, 'Tony, you are

20、 a millionaire!”        Then, during the war, a message came from my company. Tony had passed away.        I asked our people to check on his family and see that everything was properly handled. They found the farm green with vege

21、tables, the little house livable and homey. There was a tractor and a good car in the yard. The children were educated and working, and Tony didn't owe a cent.        After he passed away, I thought more and more about Tony 's career. He grew in stature in

22、my mind. In the end, I think he stood as tall, and as proud, as the greatest American industrialists.        They had all reached their success by the same route and by the same values and principles: vision, determination, self-control, optimism, self- respect and

23、, above all, integrity.        Tony did not begin on the bottom rung of the ladder. He began in the basement.But, after all, the balance sheets were exactly the same. The only difference was where you put the decimal point.        

24、;Tony Trivisonno came to America seeking the American Dream. But he didn't find ithe created it for himself. All he had were 24 precious hours a day, and he wasted none of themturn away:refuse to help (sb.) or to allow (sb.) to enter a place 拒絕幫助 ; 不讓 進入 He's my son after all, I can't ju

25、st turn him away when he is in trouble. The lecture hall was already full and many of the students were turned away. work out:plan; solve; calculate 制定出 ; 解決 ; 算出 "How will you keep in touch with me?" "We haven't work that out yet." Finally I worked out that the parcel had be

26、en sent to Paris by mistake. My mother allowed me to take the trip, but asked me to work out the total cost first. weekly:happening once a week or every 每周的 ; 一周一次的 United Airlines offers twice- a-week flights to Thailand . His story was published in a weekly newspaper 21st Century English. clean up

27、:make clean and tidy 打掃 , 清除 I'll go shopping with you as soon as I've cleaned up the kitchen. I hate cleaning up after a party. helpful:useful in making a situation better or easier; always willing to help people 有幫助的 ; 有用的 Sometimes it is helpful to make a list of everything you have to do

28、. Any information would be helpful in determining what happened to her. She is such a pleasant and helpful child. do with: (used in questions with what) deal with 對待 , 處理 What do you do with such rude boys? What are we going to do with the huge rock lying in the middle of the road? determination: th

29、e ability to continue trying to achieve what you have decided to do even when this is difficult (uncountable noun, often followed by infinitive to) 決心 ; 決定 He showed great determination by continuing to play after hurting his foot. Her determination to do well made her keep on studying. personnel: 1

30、) the department in a large company or organization that deals with employees, keeps their records, and helps with any problem they might have; human re- sources (uncountable noun, used with a singular or plural verb) 人事部門 ;Personnel has/have received your application form. Her first job after gradu

31、ation was in Personnel at Microsoft. 2) all the persons working in an organization, in the army, etc. (used with a plural verb) 全體人員 , 全體職員 All personnel in this company are entitled to medical insurance. A modern army needs highly skilled personnel. capacity:the ability to understand or do sth. (of

32、ten followed by for or infinitive to) 能力 , 才能- Not everyone has a capacity for languages. Those math problems were beyond my capacity. I don't think it's within a five-year-old boy's capacity to spread computer viruses. turn down:refuse 拒絕 He was offered the job but he turned it down bec

33、ause it involved too much travel- ing. Look, I am offering you a free meal you are surely not going to turn me down?  skilled: having skill; needing skill (often followed by in or at) 熟練的 , 有技巧的 ; 技術性的 The IT (information technology) industry demands skilled labor. The personnel manager is pres

34、sing for skilled workers. She was skilled in dealing with all sorts of people.  for sale: available to be bought 待售 Reluctantly my parents put a "For Sale" sign on the house.Her former home is for sale at $495,000. wreck: sth. such as a ship, car, plane, or building which has been des

35、troyed, usu. in an accident 殘破物 ;( 尤指失事船只 、飛機等的 ) 殘骸 We thought of buying the house as a wreck, doing it up, then selling it. The wreck of the plane could be clearly seen on the hillside. call on:visit sb. for a short time 拜訪 I'd like to call on my former professor while I am on business in Beij

36、ing .He wanted to call on his girlfriend after work, and then go to see a movie with her. loan:lend (sth.) 借 , 貸 ; ( 貸款 ; 借 , 貸 ) 名詞 He had kindly offered to loan me all the books required for the examination. Our school library loans books, CDs and videotapes. 1) a sum of money that you borrow The

37、president wants to make it easier for small businesses to get bank loans. I am trying to get a loan from the bank to buy a house. 2) the act of lending (used in singular, followed by of) I asked him for a loan of his car to have a short trip with my family. He is in need of a loan of the reference b

38、ooks for a few days. character: the particular collection of qualities that make sb. a particular kind of person( 人的 ) 品德 ; 品質 ; 性格 The chief flaw in her character was impatience. How can he beat his wife? I've never seen that cruel side of his character. down payment: an initial amount given as

39、 partial payment at the time of purchase (If you make a down payment on sth., you pay only a percentage of the total cost when you buy it. You pay the remaining amount later.) discard:(formal) throw away 拋棄 I'm going to discard those magazines if you've finished reading them. These potatoes

40、are past their best I'd better discard them. confidence:the quality of being certain of your abilities or of trusting other people, plans, or the future (followed by in or infinitive to) 信心 He would be a better speaker if he had more confidence. I have every confidence in you. You can make a gre

41、at success. Good training will give a beginner the confidence to enjoy skiing. amaze:surprise (sb.) very much 使驚愕 , 使詫異 Dave amazed his friends by suddenly getting married. It amazed me that you would believe those lies. It amazed me to discover how long the dinosaur age lasted. diet:food and drink

42、usu. taken by a person or group 日常飲食 Most people don't have enough fiber in their diet. Poor diet and too much smoking will seriously damage the health of your hair.Nowadays many people prefer a healthy diet rich in fruit and vegetables. send for: ask for the arrival of 派人去叫 , 召喚 ; 派人去取 Don'

43、t worry about your son, I have sent for the doctor. He sent for his parents to attend the graduation ceremony at Harvard. hunt:1) search thoroughly (followed by for) 尋找 ; 打獵 They were hunting the area for a new house. Many college students start hunting for a job in the fourth year. We have been hun

44、ting all over town for the right carpet. 2) chase and kill wild animals for food or as a sport They had gone up the hill to hunt deer. At one time man had to hunt to survive. abandon:give up completely or forever 拋棄 , 放棄 My car broke down and I had to abandon it on the main road. The young couple ab

45、andoned their daughter hoping that they would give birth to a boy. As the plane was badly damaged, the pilot had to abandon it. property: 1) land, buildings or both together( 房 ) 地產 ; 財產 With more and more people purchasing houses, property prices have been on the rise . A lot of property in the cit

46、y center was destroyed in the war. 2) the thing or things that sb. owns Policemen searched the criminal's home and found weapons and stolen property in the basement. That's my personal property! Leave it alone! sometime:at a time in the past or future that is unknown or has not yet been fixe

47、d 某個時候 He saw her at the airport sometime last week. Can I come and see you sometime? (Don't confuse sometime with sometimes which means "on certain occasions, rather than all the time".) sponsor: support (a person, organization or activity) by giving money, encouragement or other help

48、 為 做保證人 ; 主辦 , 發起 ( 名詞 : 保證人 ; 主辦者 , 發起人 ) The old couple sponsored the young man who wanted to study in the United States for a year. The soccer team is sponsored by Coco-Cola, so the players wear the letters Coco-Cola on their shirts. The 4th Foreign Languages and Culture Festival was sponsored by

49、 Oxford Univer- sity Press. amuse:cause to laugh or smile; cause to spend time in a pleasant manner 逗樂 ; 給 提供娛樂 The computer games amused the children for hours. The kids amused themselves playing hide-and-seek. He thought of various activities that might amuse the children till bedtime. approach:co

50、me near(er) to 接近 As they approached the wood, a rabbit ran out of the trees. If you look out of the window on the right of the bus, you'll see that we're now approaching the Oriental Pearl TV Tower. pass away:die (You can say that sb. passed away if you want to avoid using the word die beca

51、use you think it too blunt.) 去世 The old lady passed away peacefully in her sleep. The teenager has lived on his own since his parents passed away four years ago. handle:manage, control 管理 , 處理 ; 操縱 She couldn't handle the pressures of her new job. She had to quit it. The students handle the conv

52、ersation in the Chinese way even though they speak English. above all:most important of all 最重要的是 John is fair, hardworking, and above all, honest. I won't go with you, because it's too far, too late, and above all, too dangerous.create:produce or make (esp. sth. new) 創造 , 創作 Hawking created

53、 a new theory of the universe. The Bible says that God created the world. languge point 1 : . . hard to comprehend his broken English: If someone talks in broken English, they speak slowly and make a lot of mistakes because they only know a little of the language. languge point 2 : Tony took a cut i

54、n pay to become an apprentice.: Tony had his pay reduced in order to be an apprentice. languge point 3 : My wife and I were delighted with what we felt was a satisfying end of the story.: My wife and I were delighted with what Tony had achieved, and thought that the whole thing had thus been settled

55、. languge point 4 :He grew in stature in my mind: He grew taller and greater in my mind. languge point 5 :Tony did not begin on the bottom rung of the ladder. He began in the basement.: Tony had nothing when he arrived in the United States and he built up from nothing.languge point 6 : But, after al

56、l, the balance sheets were exactly the same.: But after all, what Tony and the greatest industrialists achieved was exactly the same. 美國夢     美國夢對不同的人有不同的意義。但對許多人，尤其是對移民而言，它意味著改善自己生活的機會。對于他們，美國夢的含義就是才能與勤勞能讓你從小木屋走向白宮。托尼·特里韋索諾并沒有爬到那么高，但他成功地使自己的夢想成真。 托尼·特里韋索諾的美國夢 弗雷德里克

57、3; C ·克羅弗德     他來自意大利羅馬以南某地個滿地石子的農莊。他什么時候怎么到美國的，我不清楚。 不過，有天晚上，我看到他站在我家車庫后面的車道上。他身高五英尺七、八左右，人很瘦。     “我割你的草坪，”他說。他那結結巴巴的英語很難聽懂。     我問他叫什么名字?！巴心?#183;特里韋索諾，”他回答說。“我割你的草坪?！蔽覍ν心嶂v，本人雇不起園丁。     “我割你的草坪，”他又說道，隨后便走開了。我走進屋子

58、，心里有點不快。沒錯，眼下     這大蕭條的日子是不好過，可我怎么能把一個上門求助的人就這么打發走呢 ?     等我第二天晚上下班回到家，草坪已修整過了，花園除了草，人行道也清掃過了。我便問太太是怎么回事。     “有個人把割草機從汽車庫里推出來就在院子里忙活起來，”她回答說?！拔疫€以為是你雇他來的?！?    我就把前晚的事跟她說了。我倆都覺得奇怪，他怎么沒提出要工錢。     接下來的兩天挺忙，我把托尼的事給忘了。我們在盡力重整業務，要讓一部分工人回廠里來。但在星期五，回家略微早了些，我又在汽車庫后面看到了托尼。我對他干的活夸獎了幾句。     “我割你的草坪，”他說。     我設法湊了一小筆微薄的周薪，就這樣托尼每天清掃院子，有什么零活，他都干了。我太太說，但凡有重物要搬或有什么要修理的，他挺派得上用場。    &