Lesson Twelve: Selling the Post （II）打印本页I. Outline of the TextPart 1: （Para. 1）The 1930’s were a hard period for the Bakers and Russell’s father had died.Part 2: （Paras. 2-17）Russell proved to be a poor salesman. He was too shay and timid for the job.Part 3: （Paras. 18-26）Doris proved to be a better salesperson.Part 4: （Paras. 27-33）Mrs. Baker concluded that her son lacked the competitive zeal a salesman needed. And from a composition he wrote Mrs. Baker discovered his talent for writing. Russell decided to become a writer.Ⅱ. TextPart 1: （Para. 1）1 We lived in Belleville, New Jersey, a commuter town at the northern fringe of Newark.It was 1932,the bleakest year of the Depression.译文：那是1932年，大萧条时期最不景气的年头。
commuter 通勤者fringe=edgebleakest=darkest=severestMy father had died two years before, leaving us with a few pieces of Sears, Roebuck furniture and not much else, and my mother had taken my sister, Doris, and me to live with one of her younger brothers.译文：两年前，我父亲去世，除了几件西尔斯和罗巴克家具之外，没给我们留下什么别的东西，我母亲带着我和妹妹多丽丝去投奔她的一个弟弟。
leave sb sth 留给某人某物。
This was my Uncle Allen. Uncle Allen had made something of himself by 1932.As salesman for a soft-drink bottler, he had an income of $30 a week; wore pearl-gray spats, detachable collars, and a three-piece suit; was happily married; and took in threadbare relatives.译文：他推销一种软饮料装瓶机，每周收入30美元，鞋外套着珠灰色的鞋罩，脖子上有可拆卸的领子，身穿三件套的西服；他婚姻美满；接纳身穿破衣烂衫的亲戚住在他家。
take in：acceptthreadbare：poorPart 2: （Paras. 2-17）2 With my load of magazines I headed toward Belleville Avenue. That’s where thepeople were.（那个地方人多）There were two filling stations at the intersection with Union Avenue, as well ad an A&P, a street fruit stall, a bakery, a barbershop, a drugstore, and a diner shaped like a railroad car.译文：在联邦大街的十字路口处，有两个加油站，还有一家A&P连锁店、一个露天水果摊、一家面包房、一个理发店、一家药房和一家形似火车餐车的小餐馆。
at the intersection 在十字路口For several hours I made myself highly visible, shifting position now and then from corner to corner to corner, from shop window to shop window, to make sure everyone could see the heavy black lettering on the bag that said the Saturday Evening Post.译文：一连好几个钟头我尽量惹人注意，不时转移地方，一会儿在这个街角，一会儿到另一个街角，一会儿在这个橱窗旁，一会儿又换个橱窗，想办法让所有的人都能看到包上《星期六晚间邮报》这几个粗体字。
When the angle of light indicated it was suppertime. I walked back to the house.译文：太阳西下表明该吃晚饭的时候，我走回了家。
3 “How many did you sell, Buddy?” my mother asked.4 “None.”5 “Where did you go?”6 “The corner of Belleville and Union Avenues.”7 “What did you do?”8 “Stood on the corner waiting for somebody to buy a Saturday Evening Post.”9 “You just stood there?”10 “Didn’t sell a single one.”11 “For God’s sake, Russell!”e.g. After school he headed straight for home.2 Stand by:袖手旁观e.g. We couldn’t stand by while people starved.stand by sb.: to support 支持stand by sth 信守诺言stand up for sb./sth.支持，维护e.g. His parents were upset when he was arrested but stood by him.stand up to sb./sth.:经受住；面对；对抗e.g. Don’t let say things like that about your work. You should stand up to her a bit more.Stand by sth.: 遵守（诺言等）e.g. I’ll stand by my promise.Stand for: to represent 代表; 容忍<用于疑问和否定句>12 Uncle Allen intervened.“I’ve been thinking about it for some time,” he said, “and I’ve about decided to take the Post regularly. Put me down as a regular customer.（把我算成一个长期买主吧）”I handed a magazi ne and he paid me a nickel. It was the first nickel I earned.13 Afterwards my mother instructed me in salesmanship.（接着我母亲教我如何推销）instruct sb in 在某方面教导I would have to ring doorbells, address adults with charming self-confidence, andbreak down resistance with a sales talk pointing out that no one, no matter how poor, could afford to be without the Saturday Evening Post in the home.译文：我得按人家的门铃，跟大人说话要表明出叫人喜欢的自信心，对不愿买的人进行宣传，消除他们的抵制情绪，对他们说无论多穷，家里也不能没有《星期六晚间邮报》。
e.g. I can’t stand for the manager wh en he is out.I wouldn’t stand for that sort of treatment if I were you.2 break down 制服，压垮14 I told my mother I’d changed my mind about wanting to succeed in the magazine business.15 “If you think I’m going to raise a good-for-nothing,” she replied,” you’ve got another think coming.”2 “If you think I’m going to raise a good-for-nothing,” she said, “you’ve got another think coming.”“I won’t tell you grow up to become a good-for-nothing,” she replied, “If you think I will, you’re quite mistaken, and you’d better stop thinking that way.”2 set forth: to set out/off 动身，出发2 Be due 到期限译文：她回答说：“你要是以为我会去培养一个废物，那你趁早打消这个念头。
”She told me to hit the streets with the canvas bag and start ringing doorbells the instant school was out the next day.译文：她叫我第二天一放学就背起挎包出发，挨家挨户地按人家的门铃。