Before becoming one of America's greatest writers, Mark Twain was a reporter, a gold digger and a soldier. But it was his experience on the Mississippi River that had the greatest influence on him and his writing.

　　In piloting a riverboat, Twain learned to read the river like a book. Things that once seemed unimportant became full of meaning. A beautiful sunset might mean that there would be windy weather the next day; floating logs often were warnings that the river was rising; and any slanting mark could mean that a dangerous reef was just below the water's surface.

　　This knowledge of the river was helpful, but it had its price. Twain's experience on the muddy Mississippi cost him his innocence. After years as a riverboat pilot, he sadly said that, "All the grace, the beauty, the poetry, had gone out of the majestic river."to be continued...

　　词汇小补帖：

　　●muddy浑浊的

　　●gold digger淘金者

　　●pilot驾驶

　　●slanting mark倾斜的痕迹

　　●grace优雅

　　●majestic庄严的

　　●reporter记者

　　●soldier军人

　　●floating log浮木

　　●reef暗礁

　　●poetry诗意

　　 
 纯真年代--马克-吐温的河流经验（上）

　　在成为美国最伟大的作家之一前，马克-吐温曾当过记者、淘金者及军人。但是他在密西西比河上的经验却对他及他的作品有着最深远的影响。

　　在驾驶河船的时候，马克-吐温学会了像读书一样“阅读”河流。曾经显得并不重要的事情变得充满了意义。美丽的夕阳可能意味着第二天风势强劲；漂浮的圆木通常是在警告河水要上涨了；而任何一个倾斜的痕迹可能意味着一个危险的暗礁就在水面之下。

　　这些关于河流的知识虽然有益，但也是有代价的。马克-吐温在密西西比河上的经验使他失去了纯真。当了河船驾驶员数年之后，他难过地说道：“所有的优雅、美丽、诗意，都从壮丽的河上消失了。”(编按：马克-吐温是指，本来以前可以单纯欣赏河上的美景，但因为学汽船，河流的一动一静都变得具有复杂的意义，令他感伤不已。)

英语小教室

　　马克-吐温(Mark Twain)的原名是Samuel Langhorne Clemens，他笔名的(pen name)意思是表示水浅危险，不能行船。马克-吐温凭着年轻时驾驶河船的经验，写成了脍炙人口的自传(autobiography)《密西西比河上的生活》(Life on the Mississippi)。以幽默嘲讽(humorous and ironic)风格著称的马克-吐温，在书中呈现温暖的追忆和淡淡的忧愁。他感叹到，原本美好的河上风光、美丽的夕阳，在他学会开汽船后，都变了色，变了调。就好像一个医生，在看到女孩子脸上的红晕时，还以为是发烧。马克-吐温为失去的童真感到哀伤。