Don't They Feel Ashamed of Themselves?

Lesson 25

                         Don't They Feel Ashamed of Themselves?

                                           Text A

    We were at the terminus and as a bus had just left, there were only the two of us. "We're sure to get good seats," I thought to myself confidently. But soon there was a crowd and nobody seemed to have the least intention of forming a line. In fact everybody was trying to crane forward and soon they were almost standing¹ in the middle of the road so as to be in the best strategic position. 
I realized I had been over-optimistic about getting seats. So I said to Granny: "You get on in your own good time, Granny. I'll get on first to find a seat for you. " She was terifified at the idea : "Oh no , you don't ! Never mind about the seat. The important thing is to get on the bus. I'll never manage it by myself. "

    Looking at all the young men around us, I realized Granny was right. All the young men had intent faces just like soldiers ready to go into action. And when a bus did finally arrive, everybody rushed forward to meet it so as to be just in front of one of the doors, and people ran along with the bus, keeping as near to a door as possible until finally the bus came to a halt and the doors opened.

The mad scramble² that followed defies description. It was almost a free-for-all: people fought, jostled, pushed and elbowed their way forward, accompanied by shouts and curses all around. I had great difficulty in pushing Granny into the bus. I was really afraid that her old bones might crack Had a lot of difficulties in getting on myself too. People behin me pushed, people beside me elbowed, and people in front of m seemed to have formed a block of solid wall.

Actually there wa plenty of roam in the bus. After all the seats had been taken people who got on just stood near the doorway³ and refused t move in, blocking the way for all those behind who had not ye got on. After what seemed to me to be an eternity⁴ of pushin and shouting, all the passengers managed to get on and th doors finally closed.

 I looked around, hoping somebody woul have the decency⁵ to give up his seat to Granny. But they a seemed to be glued to their seats, those "elegantly" dresse young men and ladies, looking happy and smug, apparentl proud of the fact that they were smart enough to be ahead c everybody else.

    After the bus started, Granny began to wobble on her feet and I had to hold her tight to prevent her from falling. "Will someone be kind enough to give the old lady a seat?" The conductress called out several times , meeting no response. Some seemed to have suddenly dozed⁶ off, and others seemed to be captivated by something very interesting outside the bus window.

In the end it was a middle-aged⁷ lady who stood up and gave Granny her seat. After thanking the lady, I helped Granny sit down and looked at those "elegant" young people again, trying to detect some traces of shame on their faces. But I found none.

                                            Text B

    Vietnam? Isn't that a shame? (Laughs softly. ) I saw a file on Vietnam, it showed the actual fighting. It looked ridiculous, just a bunch of kids. It was actually embarrassing to watch that, people were actually shooting and shouting. I saw Vietnam. .I looked at a map once. I'm concerned with Vietnam if my brother has to go, otherwise, no.

    My interest in life is me. It's a shame. I wish I could pick up a newspaper and read it. What I hear about things is heard from other people.
    I hope I'll make it. I think it's marriage, to someone who is successful. Highland⁸ Park, a couple of kids. I'm not too crazy about children, though. You're sitting in a room, and all of a sudden five kids'll come in and they'll go to another girl in the room. Same with dogs.

    I'm worried about the next couple of years. Here I'm putting all this time and feeling into this relationshp with Steven, and to have it not work out, it would be terrible. I don't know what I'd do. I'd probably find someone else and be just as happy.
    We have to have war, there's been wars through all the ages , apparently⁹ everyone gets enjoyment¹⁰ out of it. If we removed

this part from man, it would be boring. Otherwise things would be sort of dull.
    I love my building, I just love it. If I'm on a bus going to my mother's, I look at these people and get a nauseous feeling. On Michigan Avenue, I rospect them more. Home gives me a sick feeling.
    lt's a shame Blacks don't like me and children don't like me and dogs don't run up to me.

 

                               Additional Information

    Not long ago, a newspaper column caught my attention. It was the first time since I came to America that I read about an issue similar to the ones I often heard in China.
    It all started'from a letter sent to a newspaper column by a woman named Sally from Toronto, Canada. She told the columnist¹¹ about her unpleasant experience on a bus ride in Canada. She was in the late stage of her pregnancy¹², with very swollen¹³ ankles. Howevei, people on the bus just pretended not to notice her.

    The responses to 5ally's letter, in the columnist's words were "staggering", and many of them were "unpredictable".
    Almost all the women readers, of course, gave their understanding and sympathy to Sally. A woman who signed her name as "L. M. " related Sally's experience with her own. She told the columnist that she had used public transportation for ll years in Detroit and never saw a man give his seat t0 a pregnant woman. She pointed¹⁴ out, however, women passengers did it all the time.

 As for her own experience, she once offered a seat to another pregnant woman when she herself was in her seventh month pregnancy. When the other woman sat down and said to L. M. , "Bless you for saving my life", the man sitting next to her "turned red as a tomato".

    Some people think that nowadays in America, a lot of men were raised with no manners. A woman reader from California wrote about what she once saw on a bus and implied that parents should be strict with their children's behavior. She was sitting behind a mother and a teenage son. An elderly lady got on the bus and stood near the boy, struggling to stay upright.

The boy was engrossed¹⁵ in his comic book when his mother poked¹⁶ him and ordered him to give his seat to that elderly woman. The Californian woman thought the mother was doing a fine job bringing up her son.

    Men readers, however, responded to Sally differently. Some of them have long resented at women's equal rights campaigns, and took this opportunity to get back at women. Here is what a man from Anchorage, Alaska wrote: This is for Sally in Toronto who figures she is entitled to g seat on the bus because she is seven months pregnant: Get real, lady, this is the '90s. You women have been screaming about equal rights , so now you've got them. Live with your equal rights and stop beefing.

    Another reader from Philadelphia claimed he learned his lesson trom an experience on a bus. This is what he wrote in his letter published in November, 1990: The last time I offered a woman a seat on the bus was in 1972 She glared at me and said. "Do I look helpless?" I replied, "No, but I thought . . . " She cut me off with, "Y'ou thought? The trouble with you chauvinists is that you don't think. Women today don't want a seat on a bus. They want equal pay. " She then launched into a women's liberation lecture. I was never so glad to get off a bus in my life.

    There are also those who are unhappy with life and hate the world in which they are living. Therefore, they used Sally's letter as an opportunity to speak out their mind. A person from Oakland does not think Sally deserves any sympathy. His reason is that overpopulation is a major problem in the universe today and there are other reasons that he dislikes this world. Therefore, he concludes that anyone who would bring a child into this "crazy, mixed-up" world is insane and deserves punishment.

 

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

3 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

4 eternity   

n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷

参考例句：

• The dull play seemed to last an eternity.这场乏味的剧似乎演个没完没了。
• Finally,Ying Tai and Shan Bo could be together for all of eternity.英台和山伯终能双宿双飞，永世相随。

5 decency   

n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重

参考例句：

• His sense of decency and fair play made him refuse the offer.他的正直感和公平竞争意识使他拒绝了这一提议。
• Your behaviour is an affront to public decency.你的行为有伤风化。

6 dozed   

v.打盹儿，打瞌睡( doze的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He boozed till daylight and dozed into the afternoon. 他喝了个通霄，昏沉沉地一直睡到下午。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• I dozed off during the soporific music. 我听到这催人入睡的音乐，便不知不觉打起盹儿来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

8 highland   

n.(pl.)高地，山地

参考例句：

• The highland game is part of Scotland's cultural heritage.苏格兰高地游戏是苏格兰文化遗产的一部分。
• The highland forests where few hunters venture have long been the bear's sanctuary.这片只有少数猎人涉险的高山森林，一直都是黑熊的避难所。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

11 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

12 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

13 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

14 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

15 engrossed   

adj.全神贯注的

参考例句：

• The student is engrossed in his book.这名学生正在专心致志地看书。
• No one had ever been quite so engrossed in an evening paper.没人会对一份晚报如此全神贯注。

16 poked   

v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交

参考例句：

• She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. 她用胳膊肘顶他的肋部。
• His elbow poked out through his torn shirt sleeve. 他的胳膊从衬衫的破袖子中露了出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》