Unit 2A - The Boy and the Bank Officer
The Boy and the Bank Officer
Philip Ross
I have a friend who hates banks with a special passion. "A bank is just a store—like a candy store or a grocery store," he says. "The only difference is that a bank's goods happen to be money, which is yours in the first place. If banks were required to sell wallets and money belts, they might act less like churches."
I began thinking about my friend the other day as I walked into a small, overlit branch office on the West Side. I had come to open a checking account.
It was lunchtime and the only officer on duty was a fortyish black man with short, pressed hair, a pencil mustache, and a neatly pressed brown suit. Everything about him suggested a carefully dressed authority.
This officer was standing across a small counter from a young white boy who was wearing a V-neck sweater, khakis, and loafers. He had sandy hair, and I think I was especially aware of him because he looked more like a kid from a prep school than a customer in a West Side bank.
The boy continued to hold my attention because of what happened next.
He was holding an open savings-account book and wearing an expression of open dismay. "But I don't understand," he was saying to the officer. "I opened the account myself, so why can't I withdraw any money?"
"I've already explained to you," the officer told him, "that a fourteen-year-old is not allowed to withdraw money without a letter from his parents."
"But that doesn't seem fair," the boy said, his voice breaking. "It's my money. I put it in. It's my account."
"I know it is," the officer said, "but those are the rules. Now if you'll excuse me."
He turned to me with a smile. "May I help you, sir?"
I didn't think twice. "I was going to open a new account," I said, "but after seeing what's going on here, I think I've changed my mind."
"Excuse me?" he said.
"Look," I said. "If I understand what's going on here correctly, what you're saying is that this boy is old enough to deposit his money in your bank but he's not old enough to withdraw it. And since there doesn't seem to be any question as to whether it's his money or his account, the bank's so-called policy is clearly ridiculous."
"It may seem ridiculous to you," he replied in a voice rising slightly in irritation, "but that is the bank's policy and I have no other alternative but to follow the rules."
The boy had stood hopefully next to me during this exchange, but now I was just as helpless. Suddenly I noticed that the open savings book he continued to grasp showed a balance of about $100. It also showed that there had been a series of small deposits and withdrawals.
I had my opening.
"Have you withdrawn money before by yourself?" I asked the boy.
"Yes," he said.
I moved in for the kill.
"How do you explain that?" I zeroed in on the officer. "Why did you let him withdraw money before, but not now?"
He looked annoyed. "Because the tellers were not aware of his age before and now they are. It's really very simple."
I turned to the boy with a shrug. "You're really getting cheated," I said. "You ought to get your parents to come in here and protest."
The boy looked destroyed. Silently, he put his savings book in a rear-pocket and walked out of the bank.
The officer turned to me. "You know," he said, "you really shouldn't have interfered."
"Shouldn't have interfered?" I shouted. "Well, it damn well seemed to me that he needed someone to represent his interests."
"Someone was representing his interests," he said softly.
"And who might that be?"
"The bank."
I couldn't believe what this idiot was saying. "Look," I concluded, "we're just wasting each other's time. But maybe you'd like to explain exactly how the bank was representing that boy's interests?"
"Certainly," he said. "We were informed this morning that some neighborhood bully has been shaking this boy down for more than a month. The other guy was forcing him to take money out every week and hand it over. The poor kid was apparently too scared to tell anyone. That's the real reason he was so upset. He was afraid of what the other guy would do to him. Anyway, the police are on the case and they'll probably make an arrest today."
"You mean there is no rule about being too young to withdraw money from a savings account?"
"Not that I ever heard of. Now, sir, what can we do for you?"
参考译文——男孩和银行职员
男孩和银行职员
菲利普·罗斯
我有一位朋友特别讨厌银行。他说：“银行就是个商店，和糖果店或杂货店一样。唯一的区别就是银行的商品恰巧是钱。而这些钱本来就是你的。如果让银行卖钱包和钱夹。它们可能就不会像教堂那样神圣了。”
几天前，我走进位于纽约曼哈顿西区的一家支行时，想到了我的那位朋友。这家支行面积不大，灯火辉煌。我来是要开一个活期账户的。
当时正是午餐时间，银行只有一个职员值班。他是个40来岁的黑人，梳着短短的平头，留着一字胡，穿着一身整洁的熨烫过的棕色西装。他浑身上下都显示出他是个衣着讲究、有身份地位的人。
这位职员站在一个小柜台的前面，对面是一个白人小男孩，小男孩穿着一件V字领的毛衣，一条卡其布裤子和一双平底便鞋。他有一头浅棕色头发。我想我之所以特别注意他，是因为他看起来更像是一个来自预科学校的孩子，而不像是一家西区银行的客户。
接下来发生的事让我继续关注那个男孩。
他拿着一张翻开的储蓄存折，神情沮丧失望。“但是我不明白，”他对那位职员说道， “我自己开的户，可为什么我不能取钱呢？ ”
“我已经向你解释过了，”那位职员对他说，"没有父母写的信函，一个14岁的孩子是不允许取钱的。”
“但那听起来不公平，”那个男孩都语不成声了，“那是我的钱，是我存的，是我的账户。”
“我知道，"那个职员说，"但那是银行的规定，请原谅。”
他转向我，面带微笑地说：“先生,我能为您做点什么？ "
我没多想。“我原来准备开个新账户，”我说，"但是看到了刚才发生的事,我想我已经改变主意了。”
“我不明白，请原谅。"他说。
“哦，”我说，“如果我对刚刚发生的事理解正确的话，那么你是在说，按照这个男孩的年龄,他可以在你们银行存钱但不能取钱。既然是他的钱而且账户好像也没有任何问题，那么你们银行的所谓规定显然是荒唐可笑的。”
“这在你看来也许荒谬,"他回答说，愤怒中他的嗓门稍微抬高了些，“但这是银行的规定，我别无选择，只能照章办事。”
在我们的口舌交锋中，那个男孩满怀希望地站在我的旁边，但现在我也和他一样没招儿了。突然我发现，他始终抓在手中的那张翻开的存折上显示出大约有100美元的余额，同时还显示出一些小额账目的存取记录。
我有机会了。
“以前你自己取过钱吗？ ”我问那个男孩。
“取过。”他说。
我抛出了杀手锏。
“你对此怎么解释？”我把矛头直接对准了那个职员，“为什么以前你让他取钱，而现在不行了呢？”
他看起来被惹恼了。"因为以前出纳员没有意识到他的年龄，现在他们意识到了，就这么简单。”
我耸了耸肩转向那个男孩。“你真的上当了，”我说，“你一定要让你父母到这儿来抗议。”
那个男孩看来是被击垮了。一言不发地将存折放入后裤兜里，走出了银行。
那位职员转过来对我说:“你看，你真的不该干涉。”
“不该干涉？ "我喊道，“在我看来他真的需要有人来替他说话。”
“有人为他着想。”他轻声地说。
“那个人会是谁呢？ ”
“银行。”
我真的不敢相信这个白痴会这么说。”听着，”我最后说道，“我们只是在浪费彼此的时间。但是也许你愿意详细地解释一下银行是如何为那个男孩着想的？”
“当然可以，”他说，“今天早上我们得到通知，说附近有个恶棍一个月以来一直在勒索这个小男孩。那家伙一直逼着他每周从银行取钱交给他。这个可怜的孩子显然吓得不敢跟任何人说。那才是他如此不安的真正原因。他害怕那个家伙会对他做出什么。不管怎样，警察正在着手办理这个案子，他们可能会在今天逮捕那个家伙。”
“你是说没有关于年龄太小而不能从储蓄账户上取钱的规定？”
“我从未听说过。先生，现在我们能为您做点什么？”
Key Words:
branch [brɑ:ntʃ]
n. 分支，树枝，分店，分部
v. 分支，分岔
authority [ə'θɔ:riti]
n. 权力，权威，职权，官方，当局
mustache [mə'stɑ:ʃ, 'mʌstæʃ]
n. 胡子，髭
sandy ['sændi]
adj. 沙，含沙的，沙色的，不稳固的 Sandy n.
passion ['pæʃən]
n. 激情，酷爱
candy ['kændi]
n. 糖果
vt. 用糖煮，使结晶为砂糖
counter ['kauntə]
n. 计算器，计算者，柜台
ridiculous [ri'dikjuləs]
adj. 荒谬的，可笑的
dismay [dis'mei]
n. 沮丧，绝望
vt. 使 ... 灰心，使
withdraw [wið'drɔ:]
vt. 撤回，取回，撤退
vi. 退回，撤退，
understand [.ʌndə'stænd]
vt. 理解，懂，听说，获悉，将 ... 理解为，认为
ridiculous [ri'dikjuləs]
adj. 荒谬的，可笑的
withdrawn [wið'drɔ:n]
adj. 偏僻的，离群的，孤独的，内向的 动词withd
exchange [iks'tʃeindʒ]
n. 交换，兑换，交易所
v. 交换，兑换，交
withdraw [wið'drɔ:]
vt. 撤回，取回，撤退
vi. 退回，撤退，
alternative [ɔ:l'tə:nətiv]
adj. 两者择一的; 供选择的; 非主流的
helpless ['helplis]
adj. 无助的，无依靠的
irritation [.iri'teiʃən]
n. 刺激，烦恼，刺激物
shrug [ʃrʌg]
n. 耸肩
v. 耸肩
slightly ['slaitli]
adv. 些微地，苗条地
protest [prə'test]
n. 抗议，反对，声明
informed [in'fɔ:md]
adj. 见多识广的 v. 通告，告发 vbl. 通告，
arrest [ə'rest]
vt. 逮捕，拘留
n. 逮捕，拘留
bully ['buli]
n. 欺凌弱小者，土霸，开球
vt. 威胁，恐
upset [ʌp'set]
adj. 心烦的，苦恼的，不安的
v. 推翻，
参考资料：
- 现代大学英语精读(第2版)第一册:U2A The Boy and the Bank Officer(1)_大学教材听力 - 可可英语
- 现代大学英语精读(第2版)第一册:U2A The Boy and the Bank Officer(2)_大学教材听力 - 可可英语
- 现代大学英语精读(第2版)第一册:U2A The Boy and the Bank Officer(3)_大学教材听力 - 可可英语
现代大学英语精读(第2版)第一册:U2A The Boy and the Bank Officer(4)_大学教材听力 - 可可英语