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　　　　　　　　　　　　　A True Gift of Love

　　"Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked.

　　When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.

　　Time proved that the baby's hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred. When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his mother's arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks.

　　He blurted out the tragedy. "A boy, a big boy...called me a freak."

　　He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music.

　　"But you might mingle with other young people," his mother reproved him, but felt a kindness in her heart.

　　The boy's father had a session with the family physician... "Could nothing be done?"

　　"I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be procured," the doctor decided. Whereupon the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man.

　　Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, "You're going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it's a secret."

　　The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of triumphs.

　　Later he married and entered the diplomatic service. One day, he asked his father, "Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her."

　　"I do not believe you could," said the father, "but the agreement was that you are not to know...not yet."

　　The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come. One of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother's casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to reveal the mother had no outer ears.

　　"Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut," his father whispered gently, "and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?"

　　中文：

　　"我可以看看我的宝宝吗？"初为人母的她开心地问道。

　　当裹着的婴儿放到她臂弯里，她掀开裹着婴儿的布，在看到他的小脸时，她不禁倒吸了一口气。医生快速地转过身，透过医院的高层窗户向外看去。婴儿生下来就没有耳朵。

　　时间证明婴儿的听力毫无问题，只是有损他的相貌。一天，当他匆匆从学校跑回家，扑向母亲的怀抱时，她叹了口气，意识到他的生活注定会受到一连串的打击。

　　他脱口诉说遭到的不幸："一个男孩，一个大个子男孩……他喊我怪胎。"

　　他长大了，虽然不幸但还是长得挺帅。颇受同学的欢迎，要不是有缺陷，他很可能当了班长。他对文学和音乐很有天赋和潜质。

　　"但你可能会和其他年轻人一样。"母亲责备地说，但从心底里觉得很欣慰。

　　男孩的父亲与家庭医生商量……"难道真无法补救吗？"

　　"我认为可以移植一双外耳，如果能够找到的话。"医生做了决定，于是他们开始寻求一个愿意为这个年轻人做出牺牲的人。

　　两年过去了。一天，父亲对儿子说，"孩子，你要住院了。我和你妈找到愿意为你捐献耳朵的人了。但要求保密。"

　　手术获得了巨大成功，一个新人诞生了。他的潜力发展成一个天才，在中学和大学都取得了一连串的成功。

　　后来他结婚了，进入外交行业工作。一天，他问父亲："是谁给我的耳朵？谁给了我那么多？我做多少都无法报答他/她。"

　　"我也这样认为，"父亲说，"但是协议上说你不能知道……还不到时候。"

　　他们的秘密遵守了很多年，但这天终于来了，这也是儿子度过的最黑暗的日子。他和父亲站在母亲的棺材前，慢慢地，轻柔地，父亲向前伸出一只手，掀开母亲浓密的、红褐色的头发：母亲竟然没有耳朵！

　　"你母亲说过她很高兴，她从不理发，"父亲轻柔地低声说，"但没人觉得母亲没以前美丽，是吧？"

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　更多美文

　　A brunette and a blonde are walking along in a park one morning.

　　Suddenly, the brunette notices a dead bird. "Awww, look at the dead birdie," she says sadly.

　　The blonde stops, looks up into the sky, and says, "Where? Where?"

译文：

　　一天早晨，一位黑人女人和一位金发女郎正走在公园里。

　　突然，黑人女人发现了一只死去的小鸟。"哦！看这只死去的小鸟。"她悲伤地说。

　　金发女郎停下了脚步，她抬头望着天空，问道："哪，在那？"

　　Notebrunette: 浅黑肤色的女人

　　 更多笑话　　

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Little Red-Cap

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 英汉对照

　　Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by every one who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not have given to the child. Once she gave her a little cap of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would never wear anything else. So she was always called little red-cap.

　　One day her mother said to her, come, little red-cap, here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine. Take them to your grandmother, she is ill and weak, and they will do her good. Set out before it gets hot, and when you are going, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path, or you may fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother will get nothing. And when you go into her room, don't forget to say, good-morning, and don't peep into every corner before you do it.

　　I will take great care, said little red-cap to her mother, and gave her hand on it.

　　The grandmother lived out in the wood, half a league from the village, and just as little red-cap entered the wood, a wolf met her. Red-cap did not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him.

　　"Good-day, little red-cap," said he.

　　"Thank you kindly, wolf."

　　"Whither away so early, little red-cap?"

　　"To my grandmother's."

　　"What have you got in your apron?"

　　"Cake and wine. Yesterday was baking-day, so poor sick grandmother is to have something good, to make her stronger."

　　"Where does your grandmother live, little red-cap?"

　　"A good quarter of a league farther on in the wood. Her house stands under the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees are just below. You surely must know it," replied little red-cap.

　　The wolf thought to himself, what a tender young creature. What a nice plump mouthful, she will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act craftily, so as to catch both. So he walked for a short time by the side of little red-cap, and then he said, "see little red-cap, how pretty the flowers are about here. Why do you not look round. I believe, too, that you do not hear how sweetly the little birds are singing. You walk gravely along as if you were going to school, while everything else out here in the wood is merry."

　　Little red-cap raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there through the trees, and pretty flowers growing everywhere, she thought, suppose I take grandmother a fresh nosegay. That would please her too. It is so early in the day that I shall still get there in good time. And so she ran from the path into the wood to look for flowers. And whenever she had picked one, she fancied that she saw a still prettier one farther on, and ran after it, and so got deeper and deeper into the wood.

　　Meanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked at the door.

　　"Who is there?"

　　"Little red-cap," replied the wolf. "She is bringing cake and wine. Open the door."

　　"Lift the latch," called out the grandmother, "I am too weak, and cannot get up."

　　The wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without saying a word he went straight to the grandmother's bed, and devoured her. Then he put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap, laid himself in bed and drew the curtains.

　　Little red-cap, however, had been running about picking flowers, and when she had gathered so many that she could carry no more, she remembered her grandmother, and set out on the way to her.

　　She was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open, and when she went into the room, she had such a strange feeling that she said to herself, oh dear, how uneasy I feel to-day, and at other times I like being with grandmother so much. She called out, "good morning," but received no answer. So she went to the bed and drew back the curtains. There lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far over her face, and looking very strange.

　　"Oh, grandmother," she said, "what big ears you have." "The better to hear you with, my child," was the reply. "But, grandmother, what big eyes you have," she said. "The better to see you with," my dear. "But, grandmother, what large hands you have." "The better to hug you with." "Oh, but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have." "The better to eat you with."

　　And scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out of bed and swallowed up red-cap.

　　When the wolf had appeased his appetite, he lay down again in the bed, fell asleep and began to snore very loud. The huntsman was just passing the house, and thought to himself, how the old woman is snoring. I must just see if she wants anything.

　　So he went into the room, and when he came to the bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it. Do I find you here, you old sinner, said he. I have long sought you. Then just as he was going to fire at him, it occurred to him that the wolf might have devoured the grandmother, and that she might still be saved, so he did not fire, but took a pair of scissors, and began to cut open the stomach of the sleeping wolf. When he had made two snips, he saw the little red-cap shining, and then he made two snips more, and the little girl sprang out, crying, ah, how frightened I have been. How dark it was inside the wolf. And after that the aged grandmother came out alive also, but scarcely able to breathe. Red-cap, however, quickly fetched great stones with which they filled the wolf's belly, and when he awoke, he wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy that he collapsed at once, and fell dead.

　　Then all three were delighted. The huntsman drew off the wolf's skin and went home with it. The grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine which red-cap had brought, and revived, but red-cap thought to herself, as long as I live, I will never by myself leave the path, to run into the wood, when my mother has forbidden me to do so.

　　It is also related that once when red-cap was again taking cakes to the old grandmother, another wolf spoke to her, and tried to entice her from the path. Red-cap, however, was on her guard, and went straight forward on her way, and told her grandmother that she had met the wolf, and that he had said good-morning to her, but with such a wicked look in his eyes, that if they had not been on the public road she was certain he would have eaten her up. Well, said the grandmother, we will shut the door, that he may not come in. Soon afterwards the wolf knocked, and cried, open the door, grandmother, I am little red-cap, and am bringing you some cakes. But they did not speak, or open the door, so the grey-beard stole twice or thrice round the house, and at last jumped on the roof, intending to wait until red-cap went home in the evening, and then to steal after her and devour her in the darkness. But the grandmother saw what was in his thoughts. In front of the house was a great stone trough, so she said to the child, take the pail, red-cap. I made some sausages yesterday, so carry the water in which I boiled them to the trough. Red-cap carried until the great trough was quite full. Then the smell of the sausages reached the wolf, and he sniffed and peeped down, and at last stretched out his neck so far that he could no longer keep his footing and began to slip, and slipped down from the roof straight into the great trough, and was drowned. But red-cap went joyously home, and no one ever did anything to harm her again.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　小红帽　

　　从前有个可爱的小姑娘，谁见了都喜欢，但最喜欢她的是她的奶奶，简直是她要什么就给她什么。一次，奶奶送给小姑娘一顶用丝绒做的小红帽，戴在她的头上正好合适。从此，姑娘再也不愿意戴任何别的帽子，于是大家便叫她"小红帽"。

　　一天，妈妈对小红帽说："来，小红帽，这里有一块蛋糕和一瓶葡萄酒，快给奶奶送去，奶奶生病了，身子很虚弱，吃了这些就会好一些的。趁着现在天还没有热，赶紧动身吧。在路上要好好走，不要跑，也不要离开大路，否则你会摔跤的，那样奶奶就什么也吃不上了。到奶奶家的时候，别忘了说'早上好'，也不要一进屋就东瞧西瞅。"

　　"我会小心的。"小红帽对妈妈说，并且还和妈妈拉手作保证。

　　奶奶住在村子外面的森林里，离小红帽家有很长一段路。小红帽刚走进森林就碰到了一条狼。小红帽不知道狼是坏家伙，所以一点也不怕它。"你好，小红帽，"狼说。 "谢谢你，狼先生。" "小红帽，这么早要到哪里去呀？""我要到奶奶家去。""你那围裙下面有什么呀？""蛋糕和葡萄酒。昨天我们家烤了一些蛋糕，可怜的奶奶生了病，要吃一些好东西才能恢复过来。" "你奶奶住在哪里呀，小红帽？""进了林子还有一段路呢。她的房子就在三棵大橡树下，低处围着核桃树篱笆。你一定知道的。"小红帽说。

　　狼在心中盘算着："这小东西细皮嫩肉的，味道肯定比那老太婆要好。我要讲究一下策略，让她俩都逃不出我的手心。"于是它陪着小红帽走了一会儿，然后说："小红帽，你看周围这些花多么美丽啊！干吗不回头看一看呢？还有这些小鸟，它们唱得多么动听啊！你大概根本没有听到吧？林子里的一切多么美好啊，而你却只管往前走，就像是去上学一样。"

　　小红帽抬起头来，看到阳光在树木间来回跳荡，美丽的鲜花在四周开放，便想："也许我该摘一把鲜花给奶奶，让她高兴高兴。现在天色还早，我不会去迟的。"她于是离开大路，走进林子去采花。她每采下一朵花，总觉得前面还有更美丽的花朵，便又向前走去，结果一直走到了林子深处。

　　就在此时，狼却直接跑到奶奶家，敲了敲门。 "是谁呀？""是小红帽。"狼回答，"我给你送蛋糕和葡萄酒来了。快开门哪。""你拉一下门栓就行了，"奶奶大声说，"我身上没有力气，起不来。"狼刚拉起门栓，那门就开了。狼二话没说就冲到奶奶的床前，把奶奶吞进了肚子。然后她穿上奶奶的衣服，戴上她的帽子，躺在床上，还拉上了帘子。

　　可这时小红帽还在跑来跑去地采花。直到采了许多许多，她都拿不了啦，她才想起奶奶，重新上路去奶奶家。看到奶奶家的屋门敞开着，她感到很奇怪。她一走进屋子就有一种异样的感觉，心中便想："天哪！平常我那么喜欢来奶奶家，今天怎么这样害怕？"她大声叫道："早上好！"，可是没有听到回答。她走到床前拉开帘子，只见奶奶躺在床上，帽子拉得低低的，把脸都遮住了，样子非常奇怪。"哎，奶奶，"她说，"你的耳朵怎么这样大呀？""为了更好地听你说话呀，乖乖。""可是奶奶，你的眼睛怎么这样大呀？"小红帽又问。"为了更清楚地看你呀，乖乖。""奶奶，你的手怎么这样大呀？""可以更好地抱着你呀。""奶奶，你的嘴巴怎么大得很吓人呀？""可以一口把你吃掉呀！"狼刚把话说完，就从床上跳起来，把小红帽吞进了肚子，狼满足了食欲之后便重新躺到床上睡觉，而且鼾声震天。

　　一位猎人碰巧从屋前走过，心想："这老太太鼾打得好响啊！我要进去看看她是不是出什么事了。"猎人进了屋，来到床前时却发现躺在那里的竟是狼。 "你这老坏蛋，我找了你这么久，真没想到在这里找到你！"他说。他正准备向狼开枪，突然又想到，这狼很可能把奶奶吞进了肚子，奶奶也许还活着。猎人就没有开枪，而是操起一把剪刀，动手把呼呼大睡的狼的肚子剪了开来。他刚剪了两下，就看到了红色的小帽子。他又剪了两下，小姑娘便跳了出来，叫道："真把我吓坏了！狼肚子里黑漆漆的。"接着，奶奶也活着出来了，只是有点喘不过气来。小红帽赶紧跑去搬来几块大石头，塞进狼的肚子。狼醒来之后想逃走，可是那些石头太重了，它刚站起来就跌到在地，摔死了。

　　三个人高兴极了。猎人剥下狼皮，回家去了；奶奶吃了小红帽带来的蛋糕和葡萄酒，精神好多了；而小红帽却在想："要是妈妈不允许，我一辈子也不独自离开大路，跑进森林了。"

　　人们还说，小红帽后来又有一次把蛋糕送给奶奶，而且在路上又有一只狼跟她搭话，想骗她离开大路。可小红帽这次提高了警惕，头也不回地向前走。她告诉奶奶她碰到了狼，那家伙嘴上虽然对她说"你好"，眼睛里却露着凶光，要不是在大路上，它准把她给吃了。"那么，"奶奶说，"我们把门关紧，不让它进来。"不一会儿，狼真的一面敲着门一面叫道："奶奶，快开门呀。我是小红帽，给你送蛋糕来了。"但是她们既不说话，也不开门。这长着灰毛的家伙围着房子转了两三圈，最后跳上屋顶，打算等小红帽在傍晚回家时偷偷跟在她的后面，趁天黑把她吃掉。可奶奶看穿了这家伙的坏心思。她想起屋子前有一个大石头槽子，便对小姑娘说："小红帽，把桶拿来。我昨天做了一些香肠，提些煮香肠的水去倒进石头槽里。"小红帽提了很多很多水，把那个大石头槽子装得满满的。香肠的气味飘进了狼的鼻孔，它使劲地用鼻子闻呀闻，并且朝下张望着，到最后把脖子伸得太长了，身子开始往下滑。它从屋顶上滑了下来，正好落在大石槽中，淹死了。小红帽高高兴兴地回了家，从此再也没有谁伤害过她。

New Words and Expressions 生词和词组

1. velvet n. 丝绒，天鹅绒

2. plump vt. 丰满的；鼓起的

3. latch n. 门闩，门锁

4. appease v. 使平静

5. snip v. 剪断

6. entice v. 诱惑

7. sausage n. 香肠，腊肠

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 更多故事

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　英文谜语趣谈

　　英文谜语同中国谜语一样有着极其悠久的历史，其中最为有名的大概是斯芬克司之"谜"了。"斯芬克司"一词源自希腊语Sphinx，是希腊神话中一个可怕的怪物，它长着女人的头、狮子的身躯，身上还有两只翅膀。传说中，狮身人面的女怪斯芬克司生性残酷无比，常常守在大路口，让过往的行人猜一个谜，猜错了就要被吃掉。有一次，一位国王的儿子被斯芬克司吃掉了，国王一怒之下，发出悬赏："谁能把它制服，就给他王位。"青年俄狄浦斯(Oedipus)应召前去，很快就道破谜底，斯芬克司便自杀了。这个世界著名的谜语是：What goes on four feet, on two feet, and three, but the more feet it goes on, the weaker it will be.其谜底是Man. Because he crawls first, then walks on two feet, uses a cane when old.因为人在婴儿时用四肢在地上爬行，成人后两腿行走，年老后拄拐杖走路，所以谜底是"人"。这个谜语还可以这样说：What goes on four legs at dawn, two at noon, and three at dusk?

　　在《圣经?士师记》中有这样一个故事，大力士参孙杀死了一头狮子，后来在狮子的尸体里发现了一群蜜蜂和蜂蜜，于是他就这件事编了一则谜语：Out of the eater came something to eat；/ Out of the strong came something sweet.他让菲利士人猜这个谜语，并允诺如果他们在七天之内给出谜底，就送给他们三十套亚麻布长袍和三十套衣服；如果给不出答案，他们就要送给他这些东西。狡猾的菲利士人让参孙的妻子哄骗参孙说出谜底。在第七天日落之前，菲利士人把答案告诉了参孙：What is sweeter than honey? / What is stronger than a lion?

　　上面两则有趣的谜语中，谜面的构成方法十分类似，都是采用了描写其特征的方法，英语中这种谜语被称为事物谜，也叫做描述性谜语(descriptive riddles)。事物谜的谜面通常是用比喻、暗示或其他方法来描绘所猜谜底的特征，和汉语中物谜的谜面构成及猜测方法基本相同。举例说明一下：

　　My fatherland is Arabia,

　　Though in England they roast me brown.

　　I'm ground up inside a mill,

　　And tortured with scalding water,

　　And then they pour milk over me,

　　And drink me at their leisure.

　　谜底是"Coffee"。这个谜语用第一人称自述的手法道出谜面，最后一句则是点睛之笔，使人一下就猜出谜底是某种饮料。

　　另外一种人们经常见到的英文谜语是字谜(charades)，字谜经常在字母、音节或是整个词的离合上做文章。字谜的谜面通常是前面几句描述谜底单词的某个或某些字母在哪些单词中出现或是不出现，最后一句点出词义，或是为猜谜提供一些暗示和猜测的方向，有点像中文里的谜目。猜英文字谜的关键是不要被谜面的含义或是寓意所迷惑，否则的话，很可能误入它途，不得要领。例如：

　　1) The beginning of eternity,

　　　 The end of time and space.

　　　 The beginning of every end,

　　　 And the end of every place.

　　将句中提到的单词"eternity, time, space, end, place"按照字面意思进行拆分，即可得到谜底："The letter E"。

　　2)What starts with T，ends with T and full of T？谜底是"A teapot"。teapot(茶壶)一词以字母T开头和结尾，而茶壶里装的自然是茶(tea)，所以是full of T。

　　3)The longest word in the world.谜底是"smiles"。这个单词的首字母和尾字母之间是单词"mile"(英里)，可以理解为首尾间有一英里长，自然就是世界上最长的单词了。猜这个字谜时，千万不要去翻词典去找一个字母最多的单词。

　　英文谜语中一个重要的类型是智力谜语，主要涉及一些机智与诙谐的问题(shrewd and witty questions)，谜底通常是语义双关，和汉语中脑筋急转弯的问题极为类似，在英语中被称作"conundrums"。在莎士比亚悲剧《哈姆雷特》第五幕第一场中，两个专门为死人挖墓穴的工人出了一则智力谜语：What is he that builds stronger than either the mason，the shipwright or the carpenter？意思是谁造出来的东西比泥水匠、船匠或是木匠造的更坚固？谜底是：The gallows-maker，for that frame outlives a thousand tenants.因为绞架比任何一个被吊死其上的死刑犯都存在得长久，所以谜底是"造绞架的人"。莎士比亚用这则谜语告诉人们今日的辉煌迟早会成为过去。

　　猜智力谜语很有意思，也很有挑战性。破解智力谜语首先要有对语言的悟性及灵活运用的能力，其次是丰富的语言知识，二者缺一不可。

　　英文中，有些智力谜语貌似严肃，煞有介事，谜底却是稀松平常，让人哭笑不得，大呼上当。例如：

　　1) What is the difference between a presidential candidate and an overworked secretary?

　　谜底是"One can't wait to get into office and the other can't wait to get out of the office."总统候选人(presidential candidate)迫不及待地要上任(get into office)，而工作过度劳累的秘书则期待着下班(get out of the office)回家休息。

　　2)What is the cheapest way to see the world？

　　谜底是"Buy an atlas"。买一张地图(buy an atlas)就可以见到整个世界(see the world)了。而其实see the world作为一个固定词组时的意思是"见多识广"。

　　有些貌似简单，谜底却耐人寻味。如：

　　What goes up and never goes down？谜底是"Age"。年龄是永远向上增长，不可能下降的。

还有一些则语出惊人，出人意料，细细品味倒也幽默风趣，让人哑然失笑。

　　例如：

　　Why should you never marry a tennis player？

　　谜底是"Because love means nothing to them"。love的通用义是"爱情"，在网球比赛中则表示"零分"。

　　英文智力谜语中有一类比较难猜，这类谜语是通过篡改英语谚语、成语或名句而形成的，要猜出这些谜语就必须对这些谚语、成语了如指掌，否则，就是绞尽脑汁也未必能猜中。略举例说明一下：

　　1)Why shouldn't you cry if a cow slips on the ice?

　　谜底是"Because it's no use crying over spilt milk."

　　英语中成语"覆水难收"是这样表达的："It's no use crying over spilt milk."所以谜底就用成语作一戏言，因为母牛摔在地上，它身上的牛奶也洒了。

　　2)What's a sculptor's motto?

　　谜底是"All work and no clay makes Jack a dull boy."

　　雕塑师(sculptor)的格言All work and no clay makes Jack a dull boy.(只工作没有土，聪明孩子也变傻。)是模仿谚语All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.(只工作不玩耍，聪明孩子也变傻。)杜撰而来。

　　猜英文谜语不是易事，却是件愉悦身心、让人觉得很有成就感的事，有其难，亦有其乐。在猜谜的过程中，可以丰富语言知识，提高驾御语言的能力，培养对语言的悟性，同时还可以增加生活的情趣。最后，为了引起大家对英文谜语的兴趣，留几则谜语请大家猜一猜：

　　I.字谜：

　　1) There is a thing that is the first to pity and the last to help.

　　2) I am the beginning of sorrow, and the end of sickness.

　　　 You cannot express happiness without me;

　　　 yet I am in the midst of crosses.

　　　 I am always in risk, yet never in danger.

　　　 You may find me in the sun,

　　　 but I am never out of darkness.

　　3) My first is nothing but a name;

　　　 My second still more small;

　　　 My whole of so much smaller fame,

　　　 It has no name at all.

　　4) If the English alphabet goes from A to Z, what goes from Z to A?

　　II.事物谜：

　　1) At night they come

　　　 Without being fetched,

　　　 And by day they are lost

　　　 Without being stolen.

　　2) As round as an apple,

　　　 As deep as a pail;

　　　 It never cries out,

　　　 Till it's caught by the tail.

　　3) My sides are firmly laced about,

　　　 Yet nothing is within;

　　　 You'll think my head is strange indeed,

　　　 Being nothing else but skin.

　　4) Over the water,

　　　 And under the water,

　　　 And never touch the water.

　　5) I never was, am always to be,

　　　 No one ever saw me, nor ever will

　　　 And yet I am the confidence of all

　　　 To live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.

　　III.智力谜:

　　1) Why are Saturdays and Sundays so strong?

　　2)swheresdo smart dogs refuse to shop?

　　3) Would you rather an elephant kill you, or a gorilla?

　　4) When do elephants have sixteen feet？

　　5) Which is faster, heat or cold?

　　6) What's every baby's motto?-

答案：

　　I.字谜：1) The letter P 2)The letter S 3)Nameless 4) Zebra

　　II.事物谜：1)Stars 2)A bell 3)A drum 4)A girl crossing a bridge with a pail of water on her head. 5)Tomorrow

　　III.智力谜：

　　1)Because the rest are weekdays.提示：weekdays的意思是"工作日"，而week(星期)和weak(弱的)是一对同音异义词。

　　2)At flea markets.提示：flea market的意思是"跳蚤市场"(经营廉价古物、旧货等的露天市场)。谜底把flea market曲解为"跳蚤的市场"，聪明的狗可不愿长跳蚤，自然不愿去有跳蚤的市场。

　　3)I'd rather he kill the gorilla.提示：谜面可以有两种解释。第一种是"你希望大象杀死你，还是大猩猩杀死你？"第二种解释是"你希望大象杀死你，还是杀死大猩猩？"

　　4)When there are four of them.提示：因为四只大象(four elephants)有十六条腿。

　　5)Heat. You can catch cold.提示：catch cold的意思是"患感冒"，字面意思是"抓住冷"，但是从来没人说catch heat。

　　6) If at first you don't succeed, cry, cry again.提示：孩子的格言If at first you don't succeed, cry, cry again.(一次哭闹不成功，哭闹再哭闹)是模仿谚语If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.(一次不成功，努力再努力)杜撰而来。

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　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 A New Face

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　新颜

　　 Prosthetics Designer Helps Disfigured People Return to Public Life

　　　　　　　 整形设计师帮助毁容者重归社会

　　Jim Alexander was just stopping at a local convenience store for a cup of coffee on his way to work in 1996, but then his life changed. The Indiana man blacked out and crashed his car, which burned for 20 minutes before rescuers could get him out.

　　1996年，家住Indiana州的Tim Alexander上班途中想在当地一家便利店前停车喝杯咖啡，但是就在此时他的生活彻底改变了。他突然眼前一黑晕了过去，撞了车，等救援人员把他从车中救出时，车已足足烧了20分钟。

　　His burns disfigured his face so badly that they made fellow diners at his regular restaurant uncomfortable, and he was asked not to come back. Alexander, now 60, retreated to his home, partially blinded and disfigured "like a freak in a sideshow," he said, despite at least 38 surgeries.1

　　他的面部严重烧伤，每当他去一家过去常光顾的餐馆就餐时，邻座客人都感到难受。于是餐馆谢绝他再去就餐。现年60岁的Alexander只好在家深居简出。他说，尽管至少已做过38次整容手术，但他还是丧失了部分视力，毁掉了容貌，看上去就象马戏团的小丑。

　　Then Bob Barron stepped into the picture, and gave him back his face.

　　这时，Bob Barron走进了他的生活，恢复了他的容貌。

　　Barron, 59, a former disguise expert for the CIA, helps seriously disfigured people blend back into society by designing prosthetic devices that look so real, most people don't notice they're there.2 A painter by training, Barron designs pores, veins and hair and skin imperfections into his silicone-layered creations - which have included fingers, hands, shoulders, ears and even entire faces. "You have to know how to sculpt," he said. "You have to know chemicals. You have to know how to take impressions." Margaret Bowden lost her left eye to cancer - including much of the socket and surrounding facial area. Casting a mirror image from her good eye, Barron created a prosthetic device that she can pop in whenever she goes out in public. "People don't even know it," Bowden said.

　　59岁的Barron曾是美国中央情报局的化装师，现在他帮助毁容者重新回归融入社会，设计出的假体惟妙惟肖、真假难辨。作为训练有素的画家，Barron创作了很多硅酮模具来弥补毛孔、静脉、头发和皮肤的缺陷，包括修复手指、手、肩、耳，甚至整张脸。他说："你得会雕塑，懂化学品，你还得会做印模。". Margaret Bowden因患癌症失去了左眼，包括大部分眼窝和周围面部组织。Barron以她健康完好的右眼为模型，为她制作了假体，使她可以随时戴着出门。Bowden说："居然没人看出这是假眼。"

　　Eight-year-old Brittany Hoyle was born without an ear. Now, even her father has trouble noticing. "He says, 'Which ear is it?'" she said. "I see two ears when I look in the mirror.3"

　　8岁的Brittany Hoyle出生时就少一只耳朵，现在就连她父亲都难辨她双耳的真伪。 "他说：'哪只耳朵是假的？'" Brittany说，"照镜子时我看到的是与正常人一样的两只耳朵。"

　　Kelly Green, an athletic 18-year-old college freshman when she was diagnosed with cancer, eventually lost a large portion of her shoulder and surrounding bone and muscle. To compensate, she started to walk differently, and began damaging her posture. Then Barron designed a shoulder.

　　Kelly　Green被诊断为癌症时，她还是一位体魄健壮、芳龄18的大学一年级新生，后来，她失去了大部分肩部和周围的骨骼、肌肉。因此，她走路的样子、姿势都有了变化。后来，Barron为她做了一个假肩。

　　"It just looked like I was 18 again, before the cancer," she said. "He ended up with something that was breathable on the underneath side. It had my missing clavicle in it and everything. It looks spectacular."

　　"现在我看上去又象是18岁的人了，和患癌症前的我一样，"她说。"他用一些通气的材料垫在下面，代替缺损的锁骨和其他部分，看上去真是妙极了。"

　　Barron donated his skills - which normally cost $6,000 or more - to help a pregnant Pakistani woman whose husband, a barber, disfigured her face and blinded her with a straight razor in a jealous rage. As part of a surgical team, Barron helped give Zahida Parveen prosthetic eyes, ears, and a nose. Months later, the procedure was complete, and she returned to Pakistan.

　　Barron的整形收费标准一般在6000多美元，但他无偿地用自己的技能帮助了一位巴基斯坦孕妇，这位孕妇的丈夫是一位理发师，一次他因嫉妒怒伤妻子，用折叠式剃刀毁掉了妻子的面容，弄瞎了她的双眼。Barron是外科手术小组的成员，他给Zahida Parveen戴上了精制的双眼、双耳和鼻部假体。数月后，整个整容手术完成了，她回到了巴基斯坦。

　　"She can't see it, obviously," said Nassim Ashraf, who worked with Parveen's case for a Pakistani human rights group. "But she then tells me what others have been telling her about her face. And she says, 'Well, you know, someone came to me and said that I look exactly like I did when I got married.' So, that must obviously make her feel very, very happy."

　　巴基斯坦人权组织负责处理Parveen案子的Nassim Ashraf说："显然她无法亲眼目睹这一切，但她告诉我人们对她容貌的评论。她说：'你知道，有人过来对我说，我看起来与结婚时一样。'显然这使她感到非常非常幸福。"

　　Barron got into his profession almost by accident. He worked at the Pentagon as an art director for some Navy magazines. It was a low-level job and he got a low-level parking pass, far away from the Pentagon building.

　　Barron干上这行几乎是出于偶然。以前他在五角大楼工作，为一些海军杂志做艺术指导，这是一种低级的工作，所以他只能拿到一张车位远离五角大楼的低级停车证。

　　"I forged a parking sticker and I parked where the admirals and the generals [park] … so I wouldn't have to walk 15 minutes through the snow," Barron said.

　　Barron说："我伪造了一张停车证，挤进了上将、将军们的车位，这样我就不用踏着积雪走15分钟才能进大楼了。"

　　He got caught and summoned to court, where the judge wanted to know where he got his parking pass.

　　后来他被发现了，遭到了法庭的传讯，法官想知道他是从哪儿弄到这张停车证的。

　　"I said, 'I made it, your honor,'" Barron said. "He said, 'Approach the bench.'… So I got right up next to him and he said, 'Damn good job.'"

　　"我回答说：'是我自己做的，法官先生。'法官说：'上法官席这儿来。'……于是我走上前去，他对我说：'做得真像。'"

　　He later got a call from the CIA, which was looking for a forger. Barron believes the judge recommended him. The agency soon moved him from forgery to disguises - like mustaches and wigs, which were fairly crude back then in the 1960s. Barron studied Hollywood make-up techniques, and his creations became more sophisticated.

　　后来，中央情报局要找造假者就给他打了电话，Barron相信是那位法官推荐了他。不久，中央情报局不再让他造假，而改搞化装，如假胡子、假发，早在20世纪60年代这些东西的制作相当粗糙。Barron研究了好莱坞的化妆技巧，业务渐渐成熟。

　　When he retired from the CIA after 24 years, rather than seeking a job among Hollywood makeup artists, Barron decided to help people, "giving them back their identity."4

　　24年后他从中央情报局离任时，他没有去好莱坞当一名化妆师，而是选择了帮助普通人，"帮助他们找回自己。"

　　A prosthetic face allows burn victim Jim Alexander to go out in public without worry. Jim Alexander was perhaps Barron's toughest case. After retreating into his Petersburgh, Indiana home, Alexander, his vision fuzzy, spent his time checking his mail with a magnifier or listening to The History Channel or books on tape. His daughters helped take care of him, paying his bills, buying his groceries and keeping him company.

　　烧伤病人Jim Alexander戴着面具出门在外毫无顾虑。Jin Alexander也许是Barron最棘手的病例。在Indiana州Petersburgh市家中深居简出的Alexander视力模糊，成天拿个放大镜查看信箱，听听历史频道或书的录音带，以此来消磨时光。他女儿帮忙照顾他，为他付账单、购买日常用品，陪他作伴。

　　"I feel like a prisoner in my own home," he said, before getting his new face. "I stand outside and I can hear the traffic go by. And I can hear the power plant over there where I worked. And I think back the people I worked with. And you just feel like you're stopped and the world's going around you."

　　整容前，他说："我觉得在家里就象是坐牢一样，站在外面我还能听到来往车辆行人从身边经过，能听到原先我工作的发电厂的机器声，会想起以前的同事。这时候，你就感到自己的生活停滞不前了，而周围的世界还在转动。"

　　Barron had to build an entire face and hair from photos of Alexander's old face, and suspend it above his fragile skin grafts.

　　Barron必须根据Alexander的老照片为他恢复整个面部和毛发，并把它戴在他新移植的、尚且脆弱的皮肤上。

　　The result? Everything's not perfect. Jim can't move the mouth of his mask. He doesn't have enough muscle in his lips. But other than that …"You don't get much better than that," said Alexander's son-in-law, Bill, as he saw the mask for the first time.

　　结果如何呢？并非一切都尽如人意。Alexander面具的嘴部无法张合，他嘴唇上没有足够的肌肉。但除此以外，……"这已经是好得不能再好了，"Alexander的女婿Bill第一次看到这面具时这样说道。

　　A trial run in public went well, with nobody appearing to notice Alexander's mask, Barron said. Soon, Alexander was able to visit his former work.

　　Barron说，出门试用的效果也很好，没人注意到Alexander戴着面具，Alexander又能到以前工作单位转转了。

　　Just a few weeks ago, Alexander underwent another operation. He now has near-perfect vision in one eye, which means he was able to see the mask and, for the first time, the faces of two grandchildren, born since his accident.

　　就在几周前，Alexander又做了一次手术。现在他有一只眼的视力几乎完好无损，这样他就可以亲眼看到面具，也是第一次可以亲眼看见他出事后出生的两个孙儿的面容了。

　　He said the mask was even better than he had hoped for. He now goes out in public, and makes regular trips to a local coffee shop with his friends. And Barron has made him a second mask that covers only the upper portion of his face- so he can drink coffee.

　　他说这面具比他期望的要好。现在他能出门了，经常与朋友一起去当地的一家咖啡店。Barron又为他做了第二副面具，这副面具只罩住他面部的上半部--这样他就能喝咖啡了。

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　　T: Hello! May I help you?

　　C: Yes, I hope so. I need some more cash for my visit in China. May I cash a traveler's check here?

　　T: Of course. We'd be happy cash it for you.

　　C: I was going to cash it at the hotel, but one of my friends said that banks always give better exchange rates.

　　T: Well, any bank will cash it at our present traveler's check-buying rate, which we somewhat better than at hotels because of the service charge. You see, hotels aren't really in the money exchange business although they will cash traveler's checks for their guests.

　　C: You mean there's really not much of a difference?

　　T: No, madam, not very much.

　　C: Well, may I cash these three checks for $100 each? I think that will be enough.

　　T: Yes, I'll be happy to cash these for you. Would you please countersign them here?

　　C: There you are.

　　T: And will you please sign this foreign exchange request? I've already written down your name and address for you, but I will read your passport number.

　　出纳员：您好，您有事需要帮忙吗？

　　顾客：是的，是这样。 我需要些现金，在中国观光时使用。我能在这儿兑现旅行支票吗？

　　出纳员：当然， 我很乐意为您兑现。

　　顾客：我原本打算在家旅馆兑现，但我朋友说银行的兑现率通常有点高。

　　出纳员：任何银行都是按现时买入旅行支票的兑换率来兑现的。这个兑现率我们已经列在这里了。当然，因为手续费的差异，我们的兑换率比旅馆的稍高些。您知道，旅馆虽然为客人兑换旅行支票，但他们并不是专门从事兑换业务的。

　　顾客：您是说，实际上银行与旅馆的兑换率差距并不大。

　　出纳员：是的，夫人，没多大差距。

　　顾客：那么，我能把每张100美圆的3张支票兑现吗？我想该够用了。

　　出纳员：好的，我很乐意为你兑换。请您将支票复签一下。

　　顾客：给您。

　　出纳员：对您所管理的分支机构负责人应要求他对预算目标出现的任何偏离。都必须做出正式合理的解释，因为这是衡量其工作能力的最佳尺度

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这是一篇很容易读懂的英文短诗。上个世纪，南非的黑白种族隔离政策曾让非洲原住民遭到许多不平等待遇，而本诗作者以天生肤色的差异，来表达心中的不满与无奈。

　　Dear white，

　　something you got to know.

　　亲爱的白种人，

　　有几件事你必须知道

　　When I was born，I was black.

　　当我出生时，我是黑色的

　　When I grow up，I am black.

　　当我长大了，我是黑色的

　　When I＇m under the sun，

　　I＇m black.

　　当我在阳光下，我是黑色的

　　When I＇m cold，I＇m black.

　　当我寒冷时，我是黑色的

　　When I＇m afraid，I＇m black.

　　当我害怕时，我是黑色的

　　When I＇m sick，I＇m black.

　　当我生病了，我是黑色的

　　When I die，I＇m still black.

　　当我死了，我还是黑色的

　　You--white people，

　　你--白种人

　　When you were born，

　　you were pink.

　　当你出生时，你是粉红色的

　　When you grow up，

　　you become white.

　　当你长大了，变成白色的

　　You＇re red under the sun.

　　当你在阳光下，你是红色的

　　You＇re blue when you＇re cold.

　　你寒冷时，你是青色的

　　You are yellow

　　when you＇re afraid.

　　你害怕时，你是黄色的

　　You＇re green when you＇re sick.

　　你生病时，你是绿色的

　　You＇re gray when you die.

　　当你死时，你是灰色的

　　And you，call me"color"?

　　而你，却叫我"有色人种"！

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10:09 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. I've just had a good meeting with Secretary of Defense Bob Gates, and General Pete Pace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Secretary Gates and General Pace updated me on the deployment of American reinforcements to Iraq.

At this moment, two of the five additional U.S. Army brigades we are sending for this mission are operating in Baghdad. A third brigade is now moving from Kuwait, and will be fully operational in Baghdad in the coming weeks. And the remaining two brigades will deploy in April and May. It will be early June before all U.S. forces dedicated to the operation are in place. So this operation is still in its beginning stages.

The reinforcements we've sent to Baghdad are having a impact. They're making a difference. And as more of those reinforcements arrive in the months ahead, their impact will continue to grow. But to succeed in their mission, our troops need Congress to provide the resources, funds, and equipment they need to fight our enemies.

It has now been 57 days since I requested that Congress pass emergency funds for our troops. Instead of passing clean bills that fund our troops on the front lines, the House and Senate have spent this time debating bills that undercut the troops, by substituting the judgment of politicians in Washington for the judgment of our commanders on the ground, setting an arbitrary deadline for withdrawal from Iraq, and spending billions of dollars on pork barrel projects completely unrelated to the war.

I made it clear for weeks that if either the House or Senate version of this bill comes to my desk, I will veto it. And it is also clear from the strong support for this position in both Houses that the veto would be sustained. The only way the Democrats were able to pass their bill in the first place was to load the bill with pork and other spending that has nothing to do with the war.

There was -- one leading Democrat in the House said, "A lot of things had to go into that bill that certainly those of us who respect great legislation did not want there." That's an honest appraisal of the process that we just witnessed. Still, the Democrats in Congress continue to pursue their bills, and now they have left Washington for spring recess without finishing the work.

Democrat leaders in Congress seem more interested in fighting political battles in Washington than in providing our troops what they need to fight the battles in Iraq. If Democrat leaders in Congress are bent on making a political statement, then they need to send me this unacceptable bill as quickly as possible when they come back. I'll veto it, and then Congress can get down to the business of funding our troops without strings and without delay.

If Congress fails to act in the next few weeks, it will have significant consequences for our men and women in the Armed Forces. As the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Pace, recently stated during his testimony before a House subcommittee, if Congress fails to pass a bill I can sign by mid-April, the Army will be forced to consider cutting back on equipment, equipment repair, and quality of life initiatives for our Guard and reserve forces. These cuts would be necessary because the money will have to be shifted to support the troops on the front lines.

The Army also would be forced to consider curtailing some training for Guard and reserve units here at home. This would reduce their readiness and could delay their availability to mobilize for missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. If Congress fails to pass a bill I can sign by mid-May, the problems grow even more acute. The Army would be forced to consider slowing or even freezing funding for its depots, where the equipment our troops depend on is repaired. They will also have to consider delaying or curtailing the training of some active duty forces, reducing the availability of these forces to deploy overseas. If this happens, some of the forces now deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq may need to be extended because other units are not ready to take their places.

If Congress does not act, the Army may also have to delay the formation of new brigade combat teams, preventing us from getting those troops into the pool of forces that are available to deploy. If these new teams are unavailable, we would have to ask other units to extend into the theater.

In a letter to Congress, Army Chief of Staff General Pete Schoomaker put it this way: "Without approval of the supplemental funds in April, we will be forced to take increasingly draconian measures, which will impact Army readiness and impose hardships on our soldiers and their families."

In a time of war, it's irresponsible for the Democrat leadership -- Democratic leadership in Congress to delay for months on end while our troops in combat are waiting for the funds. The bottom line is this: Congress's failure to fund our troops on the front lines will mean that some of our military families could wait longer for their loved ones to return from the front lines. And others could see their loved ones headed back to the war sooner than they need to. That is unacceptable to me, and I believe it is unacceptable to the American people.

Members of Congress say they support the troops. Now they need to show that support in deed, as well as in word. Members of Congress are entitled to their views and should express them. Yet debating these differences should not come at the expense of funding our troops.

Congress's most basic responsibility is to give our troops the equipment and training they need to fight our enemies and protect our nation. They're now failing in that responsibility, and if they do not change course in the coming weeks, the price of that failure will be paid by our troops and their loved ones.

I'll now answer some questions, starting with Jennifer Loven.

Q Thank you, sir. You agreed to talk to Syria in the context of --

THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me?

Q You've agreed to talk to Syria in the context of the international conferences on Iraq. What's so different or wrong about Speaker Pelosi having her own meetings there? And are you worried that she might be preempting your own efforts?

THE PRESIDENT: We have made it clear to high-ranking officials, whether they be Republicans or Democrats, that going to Syria sends mixed signals -- signals in the region and, of course, mixed signals to President Assad. And by that, I mean, photo opportunities and/or meetings with President Assad lead the Assad government to believe they're part of the mainstream of the international community, when, in fact, they're a state sponsor of terror; when, in fact, they're helping expedite -- or at least not stopping the movement of foreign fighters from Syria into Iraq; when, in fact, they have done little to nothing to rein in militant Hamas and Hezbollah; and when, in fact, they destabilize the Lebanese democracy.

There have been a lot of people who have gone to see President Assad -- some Americans, but a lot of European leaders and high-ranking officials. And yet we haven't seen action. In other words, he hasn't responded. It's one thing to send a message; it's another thing to have the person receiving the message actually do something. So the position of this administration is that the best way to meet with a leader like Assad or people from Syria is in the larger context of trying to get the global community to help change his behavior. But sending delegations hasn't worked. It's just simply been counterproductive.

Steve.

Q Thank you, sir. Would the U.S. be willing to give up five Iranians held in Iraq if it would help persuade Iran to give up the 15 British sailors?

THE PRESIDENT: Steven, I said the other day that -- first of all, the seizure of the sailors is indefensible by the Iranians, and that I support the Blair government's attempts to solve this issue peacefully. So we're in close consultation with the British government. I also strongly support the Prime Minister's declaration that there should be no quid pro quo's when it comes to the hostages.

Let's see here -- Baker, Baker. Are you here? Yes, there you are.

Q Sir, your administration evaluated all 93 U.S. attorneys, in part on the basis of loyalty. That was one of the criteria that was used. What role should loyalty to you play in the evaluation of those charged with administering justice and enforcing the law?

THE PRESIDENT: Peter, obviously, when you name a U.S. attorney you want somebody who can do the job. That's the most important criterion, somebody who is qualified, somebody who can get a job done. The President names the U.S. attorneys, and the President has the right to remove U.S. attorneys. And on this particular issue, the one you're referring to, I believe it's the current issue of the eight U.S. attorneys, they serve at my pleasure, they have served four-year terms, and we have every right to replace them. And --

Q And what --

THE PRESIDENT: Let me finish, please. I am genuinely concerned about their reputations, now that this has become a Washington, D.C. focus. I'm sorry it's come to this. On the other hand, there had been no credible evidence of any wrongdoing. And that's what the American people have got to understand. We had a right to remove them; we did remove them. And there will be more hearings to determine what I've just said, no credible evidence of wrongdoing.

Bill.

Q Mr. President, a lot of the disagreement over --

THE PRESIDENT: Wrong Bill.

Q Which one, him?

THE PRESIDENT: No, you. The cute-looking one. (Laughter.)

Q Thanks so much. A lot of the disagreement, sir, over the way you're handling Iraq, disagreements from the public and Congress, stems from the belief that things are not working, despite the surge. The Iraqis have met few, if any, of the benchmarks that were laid down for them so far. Senator McCain walked in the Baghdad marketplace with air cover and a company of troops. But people don't believe that this can work, and they question the continued sacrifice of U.S. troops to help make it work.

THE PRESIDENT: Bill, I'm very aware that there are a group of people that don't think we should be there in the first place. There are some who don't believe that this strategy will work. I've listened carefully to their complaints. Obviously, I listened to these concerns prior to deciding to reinforce. This is precisely the debate we had inside the White House: Can we succeed? I know there are some who have basically said it is impossible to succeed. I strongly disagree with those people. I believe not only can we succeed, I know we must succeed.

And so I decided to, at the recommendation of military commanders, decided to send reinforcements. As opposed to leaving Baghdad and watching the country go up in flames, I chose a different route, which was to send more troops into Baghdad. And General Petraeus, who is a reasoned, sober man, says there is some progress being made. And he cites murders and -- in other words, there's some calm coming to the capital. But he also fully recognizes, as do I, it's still dangerous. In other words, suiciders are willing to kill innocent life in order to send the projection that this is an impossible mission.

The whole strategy is to give the Iraqi government time to reconcile, time to unify the country, time to respond to the demands of the 12 million people that voted.

You've said the Iraqis haven't met any obligations; I would disagree with your characterization. They have said that they will send Iraqi forces into Baghdad to take the lead, along with U.S. troops, to bring security to Baghdad, and they've done that. They said they'd name a commander for Baghdad; they have done that. They said they'd send up -- they'd send troops out into the neighborhoods to clear and hold and then build; they're doing that. They send they would send a budget up that would spend a considerable amount of their money on reconstruction; they have done that. They're working on an oil law that is in progress.

As a matter of fact, I spoke to the Prime Minister yesterday about progress on the oil law. He reminded me that sometimes the legislature doesn't do what the executive branch wants them to do. I reminded him, I understand what he's talking about. But, nevertheless, I strongly agree that we've got to continue to make it clear to the Iraqi government that this is -- the solution to Iraq, an Iraq that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself, is more than a military mission -- precisely the reason why I sent more troops into Baghdad, to be able to provide some breathing space for this democratically-elected government to succeed. And it's hard work, and I understand it's hard work.

Secondly, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, Bill, there's only 40 percent of our troops that are there on the ground. And so I find it somewhat astounding that people in Congress would start calling for withdrawal even before all the troops have made it to Baghdad.

Let's see here -- Rutenberg. Jim Rutenberg.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Matthew Dowd, your chief campaign strategist in 2004, kind of issued a strong critique of you and your administration this weekend. I'm wondering if you were personally stung, and if you worry about losing support of people -- of him and people like him?

THE PRESIDENT: First of all, I respect Matthew. I've known him for a while; as you mentioned, he was an integral part of my 2004 campaign. I have not talked to Matthew about his concerns. Nevertheless, I understand his anguish over war. I understand that this is an emotional issue for Matthew, as it is a lot of other people in our country. Matthew's case, as I understand it, is obviously intensified because his son is deployable. In other words, he's got a son in the U.S. Armed Forces, and I can understand Matthew's concerns.

I would hope that people who share Matthew's point of view would understand my concern about what failure would mean to the security of the United States. What I'm worried about is that we leave before the mission is done

-- and that is a country that is able to govern, sustain and defend itself -- and that Iraq becomes a cauldron of chaos which will embolden extremists, whether they be Shia or Sunni extremists; which would enable extremists to have safe haven from which to plot attacks on America; which could provide new resources for an enemy that wants to harm us.

And so, on the one hand, I do fully understand the anguish people go through about this war. And it's not just Matthew, there's a lot of our citizens who are concerned about this war. But I also hope that people will take a sober look at the consequences of failure in Iraq. My main job is to protect the people, and I firmly believe that if we were to leave before the job is done, the enemy would follow us here. And what makes Iraq different from previous struggles is that September the 11th showed that chaos in another part of the world, and/or safe haven for killers, for radicals, affects the security of the United States.

Martha.

Q Back to Iran, sir. ABC has been reporting that Iran will be capable of building a nuclear bomb within two years. Have you seen evidence that Iran is accelerating its nuclear program?

THE PRESIDENT: I haven't seen the report that you just referred to. I do share concerns about Iranian intention to have a nuclear weapon. I firmly believe that if Iran were to have a nuclear weapon, it would be a seriously destablizing influence in the Middle East. And therefore, we have worked to build a international coalition to try to convince the Iranians to give up their weapon, to make it clear that they have choices to make -- whether the choice be isolation, or missed opportunity to grow their economies. And so we take your -- we take the

-- we take seriously the attempts of the Iranians to gain a nuclear weapon.

Q Have you seen an acceleration, though?

THE PRESIDENT: I'm not going to talk about any intelligence that I've seen one way or the other. But I do want you to know how seriously we take the Iranian nuclear issue. As a matter of fact, it is the cornerstone of our Iranian policy. It is -- and that's why we spend a lot of time in working with friends, allies, concerned people to rally international support, to make it clear to the Iranian people that there is a better option for them.

Now, we have no problem, no beef with the Iranian people. We value their history; we value their traditions. But their government is making some choices that will continue to isolate them and deprive them of a better economic future. So we take the issue very seriously.

Ken Herman.

Q Thank you, sir. Mr. President, are you aware of the current price of a gallon of gas? Can you explain why it's gone up so sharply in recent weeks? And is there anything in the near future indicating that prices might start coming down again before the heavy summer driving season?

THE PRESIDENT: About $2.60 plus.

Q Where are you shopping, sir? (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Nationwide average. The price of gasoline, obviously, varies from region to region for a variety of reasons. Some has to do with the amount of taxation at the pump; some of it has to do with the boutique fuels that have been mandated on a state-by-state basis. But a lot of the price of gasoline depends on the price of crude oil.

And the price of crude oil is on the rise, and the price of crude oil is on the rise because people get spooked, for example, when it looks like there may be a crisis with a crude oil-producing nation, like Iran. But the whole point about rising crude oil prices and rising gasoline prices is that this country ought to work hard to get off our addiction to oil -- all the more reason why Congress ought to pass the mandatory fuel standards that I set forth, which will reduce our use of gasoline by 20 percent over the next 10 years. And there's two reasons why. One is for national security reasons, and two is for environmental concerns. And I hope that we can get this done with the Congress, get it out of the Congress to my desk as quickly as possible.

Dancer. Dancing man. That would be David Gregory. For those of you not aware, Gregory put on a show the --

Q Everybody's aware, Mr. President, thank you. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, maybe the listeners aren't.

Q Yes, that's all right.

THE PRESIDENT: That was a beautiful performance, seriously.

Q Thank you. Thank you very much. (Laughter.) Mr. President, you say the Democrats are undercutting troops, they way they have voted. They're obviously trying to assert more control over foreign policy. Isn't that what the voters elected them to do in November?

THE PRESIDENT: I think the voters in America want Congress to support our troops who are in harm's way. They want money to the troops. And they don't want politicians in Washington telling our generals how to fight a war. It's one thing to object to the policy, but it's another thing when you have troops in harm's way not to give them the funds they need.

And no question there's been a political dance going on here in Washington. You've followed this closely, you know what I'm talking about. Not only was there a political dance going on -- in other words, people were trying to appeal to one side of their party or another -- but they then had to bring out new funding streams in order to attract votes to a emergency war supplemental.

And my concern, David, is several. One, Congress shouldn't tell generals how to run the war; Congress should not short-change our military; Congress should not use a emergency war spending measure as a vehicle to put pet spending projects on that have nothing to do with the war.

Secondly, as I mentioned in these remarks, delays beyond mid-April and then into May will affect the readiness of the U.S. military. So my attitude is, enough politics. They need to come back, pass a bill -- if they want to play politics, fine; they continue to do that, I will veto it. But they ought to do it quickly. They ought to get the bill to my desk as quickly as possible, and I'll veto it. And then we can get down to the business of funding our troops without strings and without withdrawal dates.

It is amazing to me that, one, the United States Senate passed a -- confirmed General Petraeus overwhelmingly, after he testified as to what he thinks is necessary to succeed in Iraq, and then won't fund him. Secondly, we have put 40 percent of the reinforcements in place, and yet people already want to start withdrawing before the mission has had a chance to succeed.

They need to come off their vacation, get a bill to my desk, and if it's got strings and mandates and withdrawals and pork I'll veto it. And then we can get down to the business of getting this thing done. And we can do it quickly. It doesn't have to take a lot of time. And we can get the bill -- get the troops funded, and we go about our business of winning this war.

McKinnon.

Q Thank you, Mr. President. On climate change and the decision that was issued yesterday by the U.S. Supreme Court, what's your reaction to that decision? And don't you think that this makes some kind of broad caps on greenhouse gas emissions more or less inevitable?

THE PRESIDENT: First of all, the decision of the Supreme Court we take very seriously. It's the new law of the land. And secondly, we're taking some time to fully understand the details of the decision. As you know, this decision was focused on emissions that come from automobiles. My attitude is, is that we have laid out a plan that will affect greenhouse gases that come from automobiles by having a mandatory fuel standard that insists upon using 35 billion gallons of alternative fuels by 2017, which will reduce our gasoline usage by 20 percent and halt the growth in greenhouse gases that emanate from automobiles. In other words, there is a remedy available for Congress. And I strongly hope that they pass this remedy quickly.

In terms of the broader issue, first of all, I've taken this issue very seriously. I have said that it is a serious problem. I recognize that man is contributing greenhouse gases, that -- but here are the principles by which I think we can get a good deal. One, anything that happens cannot hurt economic growth. And I say that because, one, I care about the working people of the country, but also because, in order to solve the greenhouse gas issue over a longer period of time, it's going to require new technologies, which tend to be expensive. And it's easier to afford expensive technologies if you're prosperous.

Secondly, whatever we do must be in concert with what happens internationally, because we could pass any number of measures that are now being discussed in the Congress, but unless there is an accord with China, China will produce greenhouse gases that will offset anything we do in a brief period of time.

And so those are the principles that will guide our decision-making: How do you encourage new technology? How do you grow the economy? And how do you make sure that China is -- and India are a part of a rational solution?

Let's see here -- how about Bret Bair?

Q Mr. President, thank you. Since General Pace made his comments that got a lot of attention about homosexuality, we haven't heard from you on that issue. Do you, sir, believe that homosexuality is immoral?

THE PRESIDENT: I will not be rendering judgment about individual orientation. I do believe the "don't ask, don't tell" policy is good policy.

Sammon, yes.

Q Thank you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: You're standing out there, I can see you.

Q When Congress has linked war funding with a timetable you have argued micromanagement. When they've linked it to unrelated spending, you've argued pork barrel. But now there's talk from Harry Reid and others that if you veto this bill, they may come back and just simply cut off funding. Wouldn't that be a legitimate exercise of a congressional authority, which is the power of the purse?

THE PRESIDENT: The Congress is exercising its legitimate authority as it sees fit right now. I just disagree with their decisions. I think setting an artificial timetable for withdrawal is a significant mistake. It is a -- it sends mixed signals and bad signals to the region, and to the Iraqi citizens.

Listen, the Iraqis are wondering whether or not we're going to stay to help. People in America wonder whether or not they've got the political will to do the hard work -- that's what Plante was asking about. My conversations with President [sic] Maliki, he seems dedicated to doing that. And we will continue to work with him to achieve those objectives. But they're wondering whether or not America is going to keep commitments. And so when they hear withdrawal, and timetables, it, rightly so, sends different kinds of signals.

It's interesting that Harry Reid, Leader Reid spoke out with a different option. Whatever option they choose, I would hope they get home, get a bill, and get it to my desk. And if it has artificial timetables of withdrawal, or if it cuts off funding for troops, or if it tells our generals how to run a war, I'll veto it. And then we can get about the business of giving our troops what they need -- what our generals want them to have, and give our generals the flexibility necessary to achieve the objectives that we set out by reinforcing troops in Iraq.

You know, what's interesting is you don't hear a lot of debate about Washington as to what will happen if there is failure. Again, Plante mentioned that people don't think we can succeed -- in other words, there's no chance of succeeding. That's a part of the debate. But what people also have got to understand, what will happen if we fail. And the way you fail is to leave before the job is done; in other words, just abandon this young democracy -- say we're tired; we'll withdraw from Baghdad and hope there's not chaos.

I believe that if this capital city were to fall into chaos, which is where it was headed prior to reinforcing, that there would be no chance for this young democracy to survive. That's why I made the decision I made. And the reason why I believe it's important to help this young democracy survive is so that the country has a chance to become a stabilizing influence in a dangerous part of the world.

I also understand that if the country -- if the experience were to fail, radicals would be emboldened. People that had been -- that can't stand America would find new ways to recruit. There would be potentially additional resources for them to use at their disposal.

The failure in Iraq would endanger American security. I have told the American people often it is best to defeat them there so we don't have to face them here, fully recognizing that what happens over there can affect the security here. That's one of the major lessons of September the 11th. In that case, there was safe haven found in a failed state, where killers plotted and planned and trained, and came and killed 3,000 of our citizens. And I vowed we weren't going to let that happen again.

Secondly, the way to defeat the ideology that these people believe is through a competing ideology, one based upon liberty and human rights and human dignity. And there are some who, I guess, say that's impossible to happen in the Middle East. I strongly disagree. I know it is hard work. I believe it is necessary work to secure this country in the long run.

Ed.

Q Mr. President, the conservative newspaper columnist, Robert Novak, recently wrote that in 50 years of covering Washington, he's never seen a President more isolated than you are right now. What do you say to critics like Novak who say that you are more isolated now than Richard Nixon was during Watergate?

THE PRESIDENT: How did he define "isolated"?

Q He said you're isolated primarily from your own party, that Republican leaders on the Hill were privately telling him that, on the Gonzales matter in particular, you're very isolated.

THE PRESIDENT: I think you're going to find that the White House and the Hill are going to work in close collaboration, starting with this supplemental. When I announced that I will veto a bill with -- that withdrew our troops, that set artificial timetables for withdrawal, or micro-managed the war, the Republicans strongly supported that message. I think you'll find us working together on energy. They know what I know, that dependence on oil will affect the long-term national security of the country. We'll work together on No Child Left Behind. We'll work together on immigration reform. We'll work together, most importantly, on budget, to make sure this budget gets balanced without raising taxes.

The other day, the Democrats submitted budgets that raised taxes on the working people, in order to increase the amount of money they have available for spending. That is a place where the Republicans and this President are going to work very closely together. I adamantly oppose tax increases, and so do the majority of members in the United States Congress.

Ed.

Q Mr. President, good morning. You've talked --

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Good morning, that's a good way to start.

Q You've talked about the consequences of failure in Iraq, and you've said that enemies would follow us home. I wonder, given that, it seems like that's not exactly a ringing endorsement of people who are charged with the responsibility of keeping America safe. So what --

THE PRESIDENT: What was that again, Ed?

Q Well, you say that the enemies would follow us home --

THE PRESIDENT: I will -- that's what they'll do, just like September the 11th. They plotted, planned, and attacked.

Q So I wonder, in your own mind, how does that vision play out? How do they follow us home? Because we've spent so much money and put so much resources into making this country safer.

THE PRESIDENT: Ed, I'm not going to predict to you the methodology they'll use. Just you need to know they want to hit us again. We do everything we can here at the homeland to protect us. That's why I've got a Homeland Security Department. That's why we are inconveniencing air traffickers, to make sure nobody is carrying weapons on airplanes. That's why we need border enforcement, with a comprehensive immigration bill, by the way, to make sure it's easier to enforce the border. I mean, we're doing a lot. That's why we need to make sure our intelligence services coordinate information better.

So we spend a lot of time trying to protect this country. But if they were ever to have safe haven, it would make the efforts much harder. That's my point. We cannot let them have safe haven again. The lesson of September the 11th is, if these killers are able to find safe haven from which to plot, plan and attack, they will do so.

So, Ed, I don't know what methodology they'll use. We're planning for the worst. We cover all fronts. And it's hard to protect a big country like this, and I applaud those who have done a fantastic job of protecting us since September the 11th. But make no mistake about it, there's still an enemy that would like to do us harm. And I believe, whether it be in Afghanistan, or in Iraq, or anywhere else, if these enemy are able to find safe haven, it will endanger the lives of our fellow citizens.

I also understand that the best way to defeat them in the long run is to show people in the Middle East, for example, that there is a better alternative to tyrannical societies, to societies that don't meet the hopes and aspirations of the average people; and that is through a society that is based upon the universal concept of liberty.

Iraq is a very important part of securing the homeland, and it's a very important part of helping change the Middle East into a part of the world that will not serve as a threat to the civilized world, to people like -- or to the developed world, to people like -- in the United States.

So thank you all very much for your interest. I hope you have a nice holiday. Appreciate it.

END 10:44 A.M. EDT

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1. I'm sorry for being late.

抱歉我迟到了。

2. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting.

抱歉让你久等了。

3. Sorry, I'm late again. I'll make it up to you. Dinner is on me. How's that?

抱歉，我又迟到了。我会补偿你的。晚餐我请，怎么样？

4. Sorry, I didn't catch the bus. / I missed the bus.

抱歉，我没赶上公车。/ 我错过了公车。

5. Sorry, I hit rush hour traffic.

抱歉，我碰上尖峰时间的交通。

6. Sorry, I overslept this morning.

抱歉，我天早上睡过头了。

7. I know it might sound lame, but my alarm clock somehow didn't go off this morning.

我知道那可能听起来有点扯，但我的闹钟今天早上不晓得怎么搞的没有响。

8. Sorry, I was delayed by a last-minute meeting.

抱歉，我因为最后临时开会而耽搁了。

9. I forgot my wallet at home, so I went back for it. That's why I'm late.

我把皮夹遗忘在家里，所以我回去拿。因为这样我才迟到。

10. I got stuck in traffic. I tried to call your mobile phone, but it was busy.

我被困在车阵中。我有试着打你的大哥大，但忙线中。

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