The Green Banana
青香蕉
Although it might have happened anywhere, my encounter with the green banana sta rted on a steep mountain road in the central area of Brazil. My ancient jeep was straining up through beautiful countryside when the radiator began to leak, and I was ten miles from the nearest mechanic. The over-heated engine forced me to st op at the next village, which consisted of a small store and a few houses that we re scattered here and there. People came over to look. They could see three fine streams of hot water spouting from holes in the jacket of the radiator."That's easy to fix,?nbsp;a man said. He sent a boy running for some green bananas. He patted me on the shoulder, assuring me that everything would work out. "Green bananas," he smiled. Everyone agreed.
We chattered casually while all the time I was wondering what they could possibly do to my radiator with their green bananas. I did not ask them, though, as that would show my ignorance, so I talked about the beauty of the land that lay before our eyes. Huge rock formations, like Sugar Loaf in Rio, rose up all around us."Do you see that tall one right over there?" asked the man, pointing to a particu larly tall, slender pinnacle of dark rock. "That rock marks the center of the world." I looked to see if he was teasing me, but his face was serious. He, in turn, inspected me carefully, as if to make sure I grasped the significance of his statement. The occasion called for some show of recognition on my part."The center of t he world?" I repeated, trying to show interest if not complete acceptance. He nodded."The absolute center. Everyone around here knows it."
At that moment the boy returned with an armful of green bananas. The man cut one in half and pressed the cut end against the radiator jacket. The banana melted into a glue against the hot metal, stopping the leaks instantly. I was so astonished at this that I must have looked rather foolish and everyone laughed. They then refilled my radiator and gave me extra bananas to take along in case my radiator should give me trouble again. An hour later, after using the green banana once more, my radiator and I reached our destination. The local mechanic smiled."Who t aught you about the green banana?" I gave him the name of the village. "Did they show you the rock marking the center of the world?" he asked. I assured him they had. "My grandfather came from there," ;he said. "The exact center. Everyone around here has always known about it."
As a product of American education, I had never paid the slightest attention to the green banana, except to regard it as a fruit whose time had not yet come. Sud denly, on that mountain road, its time had come to meet my need. But as I reflected on it further, I realized that the green banana had been there all along. Its time reached back to the very origins of the banana. The people in that village had known about it for years. It was my own time that had come, all in relation to it. I came to appreciate the special genius of those people, and the special
pot ential of the green banana. I had been wondering for some time about what educators like to call "learning moments" and I now knew I had just experienced two of them at once.
It took me a little longer to fully grasp the importance of the rock which the villagers believed marked the center of the world. I had at first doubted their claim, as I knew for a fact that the center was located somewhere else in New England. After all, my grandfather had come from there. But gradually I realized the village people had a very reasonable belief and I agreed with them. We all tend to regard as the center that special place where we are known, where we know others , where things mean much to us, and where we ourselves have both identity and mea ning: family, school, town and local region could all be our center of the world. The lesson which gradually dawned on me was actually very simple. Every place has special meanings for the people in it, and in a certain sense every place repre sents the center of the world. The world has numerous such centers, and no one st udent or traveler can experience all of them. But once a conscious breakthrough to a second center is made, a life-long perspective and collection can begin. The cultures of the world are full of unexpected green bananas with special valu e and meaning. They have been there for ages, ripening slowly, perhaps waiting pa tiently for people to come along to encounter them. In fact, a green banana is waiting for all of us if we would leave our own centers of the world in order to experience other places.
本文是新编《大学英语》（20xx年版）第一册中的一篇课文，作者是美国学者Donald Batch elder，摘选自Donald Batchelder 和Elizabeth G. Warner 于19xx年编写的 An
Experienti al Approach to Cross-cultural Education，在原文的基础上略作了修改。文章讲的是对待世界上各种不同文化应采取何种态度的问题。随着国际交往的不断发展，我们的世界越来越像一个地球村，各种风格迥异的文化彼此遭遇、碰撞，文明之间的冲突大有愈演愈烈之势，如何看待异域文化和文化差异成了值得人们认真思考的重要问题。本文的作者通过一个小故事，向我们展示了他本人对这个问题的深入思考。
文章可分为两大部分。第一部分为1-4段，作者以第一人称的口吻向我们讲述了他在巴西的一段经历。作为一个美国旅行者，当他驾着一辆旧吉普车行进在巴西中部的山路上时，水箱开始漏水，他被迫停在附近的一个小村庄里。热情的村民用他们古老的办法为作者解决了问题。他们找来了一些尚未成熟的青香蕉，掰开以后塞到水箱漏水处，由于水箱金属壳的热度，香蕉马上融化成胶汁，粘住了裂缝。同时，在与村民的闲聊中，作者还惊讶地得知，他们坚信附近的一块岩石就是世界的中心。这一次与当地本土文化不期然的相遇给了作者很大的震动，在第二部分（5-8段）中，作者着重讲述了他的感悟。首先，他惊讶于青香焦所展示给他的当地古老文化中的智慧；再次，他惊讶于村民们对世界中心即那块岩石的信仰，因为他认为世界的中心应该在他祖父的家乡新英格兰。后来作者逐步意识到：每一种文化都有自身的精妙之处, "The Green Banana" 即象征着每一种文化中所蕴藏的鲜为人知的宝藏；对每一种族的人来说，他们生活的地方对他们都具有特殊意义，从而在某种意义上说都可代表世界的中心 (Every pla ce has special meanings for the people in it, and in a certain sense every place represents the center of the world.)。 世界因此有无数的中心，但是人们不可能经历全部。而我们一旦能够从自己文化的包围中走
出来，去自觉领受另一种文化，我们将会得到影响自己一生的全新视角，并从此开始收藏异域文化中的宝藏 (The world has numerous such c enters, and no one student or traveler can experience all of them. But once a con scious breakthrough to a second center is made, a life-long perspective and colle ction can begin.)。
作者试图通过他的感悟告诉我们, 每一种文化都有它的"green bananas" 它们慢慢成熟，等待着我们放下偏见，以平等和尊重的眼光去欣赏和领悟 (The cultures of the world are full of unexpected green bananas with special value and meaning...ripening slowly, perhaps waiting patiently for people to come along to encounter them.)。任何的 种族优越论(ethnocentrism) 或文化扩张 (cultural imperialism) 都是不可取的。
本文从语言方面看，还存在着一些难点，下面试作分析。
第一段第二句 My ancient jeep was straining up through beautiful
countryside... 。 动词strain在Collins English Dictionary中的第五条释义为to make intense or violent efforts; strive。 此处的strain up 是指因山路陡峭(steep country road)，汽车只得艰难行进。这一段中还要注意倒数第二句中的 pat me on the shoulder 这种表达方式，类似的说法如 seize sb. by the arm；hit sb. in the back；knock sb. on the head 等等。同时， 这一句还出现了work out 这个词组，work out 的意思很多，此处是指 to prove satisfact ory or effective (Collins English Dictionary)，例如: Did your plan work out? 我们经常碰到work out 作 to solve or find out by reasoning or calculation (Collins Eng lish Dictionary) 讲，如 work out a sum; work out an answer。
第二段中, "I did not ask them, though, as that would show my ignorance...," 此处 的though是个副词，表示“然而”。它与although的区别是：although只能作连词，though既 可作连词也可作副词，表示in spite of the fact that; even if（《朗文当代英语词典》） 。但注意作此种用法时though不出现在句首，例如：
It's hard work; I enjoy it though. He is a bad manager.
There is no reason, though, to dismiss him.
第三段, "The occasion called for some show of recognition on my part.”中，“cal l for” 做 "need or require" 解，on my part 的释义为of or by me (《朗文当代英语词典 》)。此句可理解为“当时的情形需要我做出一些认可的表示”。此段还要注意as if 的用法 , "He, in turn, inspeced me carefully, as if to make sure I grasped the signific ance of his statement." as if”为“with the appearance of”，此句中后跟一个以不定式引导的目的状语。请看下面as if 的常见用法: （例句选自《现代英语用法词典》）
I've loved you as if you were my son.（后跟从句，动词一般用虚拟语气, be 通常用were这个形式，但在一、三人称主语后用was的情况也不少。）
She cleared her throat as if to speak.（后跟不定式）
From time to time Jason turned round as if searching for someone.（后跟现在分词）
第四段中“... in case my radiator should give me trouble again”， 读者可能会对should 在这儿的意思不甚了解。 should 跟在in case引导的从句或条件从句后, 表示未来时间里，某种情况发生的可能性，可译为“万一”。例如：Here is a shilling in case you should need it.（《现代英语用法词典》）
第五段中出现了好几个time，需要注意。“...except to regard it as a fruit whose ti me had not yet come.”，这个time指的是水果成熟的季节；“Suddenly, ...its time had come to meet my need.” 这个time 是指青香蕉被用来修补我的水箱的时机；“Its time reached back to the very origins of the banana.” ， 这句是说，其实这种青香蕉一直在那儿，它在那儿的时间可以一直追溯到最初香蕉的出现；最后一句比较难，“It was my o wn time that had come, all in relation to it.” 此句可以用英文解释为 my own time had come to get to know it, and to know everything connected with it， 意思是我认识这种青香蕉以及一切与它相关的事情的时候来了。
此段中作者还提到这段经历使他感受到两个learning moments。那么什么是learning moments？作者指的又是哪两次呢？learning moments 是一个教育学上的概念，指人们在瞬间突然领悟到的东西。作者所指的，一是青香蕉的特殊用途使他感悟到每一种文化都有其内含的宝藏 ，二是每一个地方的人都有权利和理由认为自己生活在世界的中心。从谋篇布局来看，这句话 既总结了前面的经历，又引发出后面的评论，起着承上启下的作用。 另外，不知读者是否注意到了作者行文的诙谐。在第五段，作者自嘲地称自己为 “a produ ct of American education”。第六段中“... as I knew for a fact that the center w as located somewhere else in New England.”，fact的用法已很幽默, 而作者证明这个“ 事实”所给出的原因竟然是“After all, my grandfather had come from there.”，这让人立刻想起当地的修理工所说的同样的话。
本文的作者从一次具体的经历入手，引发出对待异域文化应采取的正确态度的感悟，由具体到抽象，由浅及深，一气呵成。青香蕉和被当地人视为世界中心的岩石，贯穿文章始终，被作者赋予深刻的象征意义，成为理解此文的关键。 以上是我就内容和语言两方面对这篇文章所做的粗浅分析，希望能够于读者对这篇文章的深入理解有所帮助。