Tales of the Terrible Past

　　It is not the job of fiction writers to analyze and interpret history. Yet by writing about the past in a vivid and compelling manner，storytellers can bring earlier eras to life and force readers to consider them seriously. Among those taking on the task of recounting history are some black writers who attempt to examine slavery from different points of view.

　　Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison deals specifically with the legacy of slavery in her book Beloved. The main character in this novel，a former slave called Sethe，lives in Ohio in the years following the Civil War，but she cannot free herself from her horrific memories. Through a series of flashbacks and bitter reminiscences，the reader learns how and why Sethe escaped from the plantation she had lived on; the fate of her husband，who also tried to escape; and finally，what happened to the child called Beloved. Morrison's scenes of torture and murder are vivid and strongly convey the desperation of the slaves and the cruelty of their owners.

　　Charles Johnson's Middle Passage approaches slavery from a different，yet no less violent，vantage point. His main character，Rutherfprd Calhoun，is a ne'er-do-well free black American who stows away on a slave ship bound for Africa to collect its "cargo". Put to work after he is discovered，Calhoun witnesses firsthand the appalling conditions in which the captured Africans are transported. When they finally rebel and take over the ship，he finds himself in the middle -- and is forced to come to terms with who he is and what his values are.

　　Neither Beloved nor Middle Passage is an easy read，but both exemplify African American writers' attempts to bring significant historical situations alive for a modem audience.译文：

　　讲述可怕的过去

　　分析和诠释历史并不是小说家的工作。然而通过用一种生动有趣的方式来描写过去，小说家 可以重现早斯时代，并引起读者的重视。在叙述历史的作家中，有一些黑人作家试图从不同的角 度审视奴隶制。

　　诺贝尔奖获得者托妮•莫里森在她的作品《宠儿》中专门阐述了奴隶制问题。小说的主人公 叫塞丝，她以前是个奴隶，内战之后住在俄亥俄，但是她无法让自己从可怕的记忆中解脱出来。 通过一系列的倒序和痛苦的回忆，读者了解到赛丝为什么以及怎样逃出她赖以生存的种植园，她 那同样试图逃出来的丈夫的命运，以及最后发生在叫做宠儿的孩子身上的事情。莫里森对奴隶受 折磨和遭谋杀的场景描写得很生动，充分地表达出奴隶们的绝望以及奴隶主的残酷。

　　查尔斯•约翰逊的小说《中途》从另一个不同的角度来描写奴隶制，但同样充满着暴力。他 的主人公叫做卢瑟福•卡尔霍恩，是一个游手好闲、身份自由的美国黑人。他偷偷登上了一艘开 往非洲贩卖奴隶的船只。被发现后，他开始为之工作，并亲眼目睹了非洲人被抓起来，然后被运 送到美国这种可怕的状况。当非洲人最终抵抗并占有了船只后，他发现了自己的中间性——并且 被迫与他自己的身份和价值观念妥协。

　　不论是《宠儿》还是《中途》读起来都不轻松，但是它们都是非裔美国作家努力为现代观众 重现重要历史的典范之作。

　　Look on The Bright Side

　　Do you ever wish you were more optimistic, someone who always (1) _______ to be successful? Having someone around who always (2) _______ the worst isn’t really a lot of (3) _______ . We all know someone who sees a single cloud on a sunny day and says ，"INooks ( 4 ) _______ rain. " But if you catch yourself thinking such things，it's important to do something (5) _______ it.

　　You can change your view of life ，(6) _______to psychologists. It only takes a little effort ，and you'll find life more rewarding as a (7) _______. Optimism，they say，is partly about self-respect and confidence but it's also a more positive way of looking at life and all it has to (8) _______. Optimists are more (9) _______ to start new projects and are generally more prepared

　　to take risks.

　　Upbringing is obviously very important in forming your (10) _______to the world. Some people are brought up to (11) _______too much on others and grow up forever blaming other people when anything (12) _______wrong. Most optimists，on the (13 ) _______ hand, have been brought up not to (14) _______failure as the end of the world—they just (15) _______ with their lives. 看光明的一面

　　你曾经想要让自己变得更乐观吗?想过让自己变成一个总是期待成功的人吗?若是周围有个总是往事情最坏处考虑的人，我们一定没有什么乐趣——就像我们都知道某些人看到天空有一片云便说要下雨。但是你要是发现自己也这样想了，那就有必要针对它采取一些措施了。

　　根据心理学家的说法，人们可以改变对生活的看法。只需一点儿努力，你将发现生活会回报给你的更多。人们说乐观主义在一定程度上是自尊和自信，但它也是对待生活的和它所给予的一种积极态度。乐观主义者更有可能开始新的项目，通常也更容易准备好去承担风险。

　　很显然，成长经历对于你对待世界的态度的形成是至关重要的。有些人养成了过于依赖别人的习惯，一旦事情出了差错，便责备他人。然而另一方面，许多乐观主义者被教导，不要把失败当成世界末日，只需继续生活。