英語沙龍十年合集珍藏版第三輯Letter to a Young Friend
Letter to a Young Friend
Among all the people I know，there is one very special friend．She is young，beautiful and intelligent1)．Her name is Caroline，she lives in Hongkong and she is ７years old．She goes to a school meant mainly for expatriate2) children．Her mother，Australia n by birth，has lived in Hongkong all her life．Her father is Swiss3) and owns a small trading company．Recently when I was at their home，Caroline picked up a copy of Asiaweek and，spotting my picture，asked me what I write about．I told her that it' s mainly about people．“Oh，why don't you write about me sometime？”she asked in her usual imperious4) manner．I told her that when she grows up and becomes famous，many people will write about her．“Okay，then，just write me a letter，like Uncle Charles from Sydney，”she commanded．I promised her that，and here it is：
Dear Caroline，
I am glad that you asked me to write to you．I have wanted to talk to you about a lot of things，but you are always so busy．There's school and piano or ballet5) lessons，then homework or a birthday party to go to．Once a week you have to write to Granny in Zurich and Uncle Charles in Sydney．You are almost as busy as big－business people in Hongkong．It's a pity that you can't keep a pet and have nowhere to ride a bike．That's why，I think，your mother gives you other things to keep you busy．Though you don't like ballet class，she wants you to grow up to be a lady．You see，most parents want for their children what they admired in their own childhood．When your mother was young it was considered a treat for girls to learn music and dance．But if you would like to study other things，too，never think you can't or shouldn't just because someone says they are only for boys．Women today are astronauts6)，engineers，doctors，pilots7) and politicians．Don't limit your choices to what girls did in the past．
You remember the day when your father and I took you to the tennis tournament8)？You were waiting with friends at school and there was another girl standing alone．I think she was from Sri Lanka and one of the few Asian students in your school．Why don't you talk to her sometimes and find out more about her beautiful country？I am sure you also have some Chinese schoolmates．Hongkong is their home，you know，and they will be here when your other friends have gone．Don't forget that Hongkong is really your home，too －－not Zurich or Sydney．Even if you leave，you will always remember it．So why not make some good friends who will still be here in case you decide to come back for a visit？
I know you don't get a chance to make too many local friends．The club where you swim has few Asian children，and I thought it sad that the schoolbooks of yours that I saw don't teach anything about China or anywhere else in Asia．Students in Australia today are learning more about Asia than your classmates are．By the time you grow up，Australia is likely to consider itself a member of the family of Asian countries．You may be proud of calling yourself an Asian．But by then people like you would be sons and daughters of many countries．And you would be important in helping everyone understand the world we all share．
I'll never forget the evening when you saw the man with a basket full of newborn kittens．He said that if nobody bought them，they would have to be drowned．You couldn't stop crying when you were not allowed to take one home．Sad to say，the world is filled with things a lot crueller9) than that．Too many prople，too little space．Too much fear and greed and too little love and mercy．We pretend that other people's problems are not ours and get angry when they affect us．Remember the day you got a rash from swimming in the dirty ocean？Think about the poor fish who have to live in that water．The air we breathe all the time is getting dirtier，too．We'll all be proud if you become a great ballerina or pianist．But don't forget there are so many other things to do．My hope is that you grow up to be not only a lady but a woman who knows enough about the wider world to help improve it．Then，Caroline，there really would be hundreds of people interested in writing about you．
Uncle Hari
□by Hari Bed
給一位小朋友的信
在我熟悉的人中，有一位特別的朋友：年幼、皎美、聰慧。她名叫卡羅琳，７歲，家住香港，正在一所主要為移民孩子開設(shè)的學(xué)校里讀書。她母親雖出生在澳大利亞，后來卻一直住在香港。她的父親是瑞士人，在香港擁有一家小小的貿(mào)易公司。不久前，我到她家做客。她拿起一本《亞洲周刊》，認(rèn)出了我在上面的一張照片，于是問我究竟寫些什么。我告訴她我主要是寫人。“哦，為什么不找點(diǎn)時(shí)間寫寫我呢？”她問道，帶著常有的那種急迫的樣子。我告訴她，等她長(zhǎng)大成名，會(huì)有不少人寫她的。“好的。那么現(xiàn)在就以悉尼的哈里伯伯的名義給我寫信吧。”對(duì)她的要求，我作了承諾。這不就是：
親愛的卡羅琳：
真高興給你寫信。我有好多好多事要告訴你，可你總是忙。你要讀書，上鋼琴課、芭蕾課，還有作業(yè)呀，參加生日舞會(huì)什么的。每周，你要給蘇黎世的奶奶和悉尼的伯伯寫信，真像香港的大老板那樣忙碌。我真同情你，既沒養(yǎng)小動(dòng)物，也沒地方騎小車。我想，你媽媽安排了那么多的事要你做，就是不讓你閑著吧。雖然你不太喜歡學(xué)芭蕾，媽媽卻希望這能幫助你成為一個(gè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的好姑娘。要知道，大多數(shù)父母，都期待著自己童年的夢(mèng)想在他們的孩子們身上實(shí)現(xiàn)。當(dāng)你媽媽年輕時(shí)，那時(shí)姑娘們的風(fēng)尚就是習(xí)歌學(xué)舞?？墒牵绻阆雽W(xué)些其他知識(shí)，別只因有些人說只有男孩才能做，就認(rèn)為自己不行或不該做。今天的女性中有宇航員、工程師、醫(yī)生，也有飛行員和政治家。別把自己的選擇限制在過去女孩所做的事情中。 記得有一天我與你爸爸帶你去看網(wǎng)球賽嗎？你和你的朋友們聚在校門口等著，旁邊卻孤零零地站著一位小姑娘。我想她一定來自斯里蘭卡，是你們學(xué)校中為數(shù)不多的亞洲學(xué)生中的一位。干嗎不與她聊聊呢，多了解些她那個(gè)美麗國(guó)家的事情。我敢肯定你還有華人同學(xué)。你知道，香港是他們的家。當(dāng)你的那些朋友離開以后，他們還會(huì)留在這兒。別忘了香港也是你的家---不是蘇黎世也不是悉尼。即使你今后走了，你也會(huì)常常懷念這個(gè)地方。試想，有一天你打算回香港觀光，干嗎現(xiàn)在不多交些仍將留在本地的好朋友呢？
我知道你沒有機(jī)會(huì)去交很多當(dāng)?shù)氐呐笥?。在你游泳的俱樂部中沒幾個(gè)亞洲的小朋友。更叫我傷感的是，我所看到的你們的教科書中都沒有講到中國(guó)或亞洲其他一些地方的情況。今天的澳大利亞學(xué)生比你的同學(xué)們知道的亞洲的事情要多得多。當(dāng)你長(zhǎng)大的時(shí)候，澳大利亞說不定會(huì)把自己看成是亞洲的一員。你也許會(huì)因稱自己為亞洲人而感到驕傲呢。到那時(shí)，你們都是眾多國(guó)家的兒女，每一個(gè)人都會(huì)理解我們共同分享的世界，你也會(huì)因?yàn)闃酚趲椭恳粋€(gè)人而顯得重要。
我永遠(yuǎn)忘不了一個(gè)傍晚的情形。你碰見一個(gè)人提著一籃子剛出窩的貓仔。那人說，如果沒人買，就只能將這些小貓兒溺死。你哭得好傷心喲，就因?yàn)椴粶?zhǔn)你帶一只回家?？闪钊吮瘋氖?，世界上比這慘的事多著呢。人太多，空間卻太少；太多的恐懼和貪婪，太少的愛意與憐憫。我們裝著對(duì)別人的困難視而不見；一旦影響到自己還怒發(fā)沖冠。還記得那天你在臟海里游泳后起了皮疹嗎？再想想那些可憐的魚兒，卻不得不在水里忍受長(zhǎng)年。我們呼吸的空氣也變得越來越臭。當(dāng)然，如果你今后成為舞蹈家或鋼琴家，我們會(huì)引為自豪。但別忘了，要做的事還遠(yuǎn)不止這些。我希望你長(zhǎng)大后不僅是一位賢德的淑女，同時(shí)是一位深知這個(gè)廣博世界而又獻(xiàn)身為她造福的女士。那樣的話，卡羅琳，成千上萬的人都會(huì)追著寫你。
哈里伯伯
NOTE 注釋：
1. intelligent [in5telidVEnt] adj. 聰明的, 伶俐的
2. expatriate [eks5pAtrIEt; (?@) -peIt-] adj. 移居國(guó)外的
3. Swiss [swis] n. 瑞士人
4. imperious [im5piEriEs] adj. 急迫的
5. ballet [5bAlei, bA5lei] n. 芭蕾舞
6. astronaut [5AstrEnC:t] n. 宇航員
7. pilot [5pailEt] n. 飛行員
8. tournament [5tuEnEmEnt] n. 比賽, 錦標(biāo)賽, 聯(lián)賽
9. cruel [5kruEl] adj. 悲傷的
