《到底算抄不算抄？》一文中我提及英语水平问题。如何正确地用英语自由地表达自己的实验结果和学术思想是我们科研人员（特别是研究生）所面临的一个大问题。提到英语，我想起十年前的一段奇遇：

十年前我在美国加州大学伯克利分校访问。有一天，在公交车上，见对面座位上一位黑人老哥在那里叨叨咕咕自言自语。在美国经常见到自言自语神经兮兮的人，一般我也不太在意。但这位老哥比较特殊，一上车就见他在那里叨咕，没完没了。我好奇心起，侧耳听听他在说什么。下面是他叨咕的话（大意是如此）：

       Who are you? What are you doing? What do you want? What do you want to do? ……I don’t know. I don’t care. I don’t want to know…...

       I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you are doing. I don’t know what you want. I don’t know what you want to do…… 

       I don’t care who you are. I don’t care what you are doing. I don’t care what you want. I don’t care what you want to do…… 

      I don’t want to know who you are. I don’t want to know what you are doing. I don’t want to know what you want. I don’t want to know what you want to do…… 

…...

Who are you, I don’t know. What are you doing, I don’t know. What do you want, I don’t know. What do you want to do, I don’t know. …..

Who are you, I don’t care. What are you doing, I don’t care. What do you want, I don’t care. What do you want to do, I don’t care. …..

Who are you, I don’t want to know. What are you doing, I don’t want to know. What do you want, I don’t want to know. What do you want to do, I don’t want to know…..

…...

I don’t know who you are and what you are doing. I don’t know what you want and what you want to do……I don’t know who you are and what you are doing and what you want and what you want to do……I don’t care……I don’t want to know……

……

       I won’t know who you are. ……

   ……

       I said that I don’t know who you are. ……

       I told you that I don’t know who you are. ……

   ……

        这位黑人老哥总共用了不到20个单词，在车上叨咕了半个多小时，在我下车时他还在那里叨咕。我从七七年上高中学英语，到十年前已经学了二十年英语。可以说，没少花工夫（比学数理化多花了几倍的功夫）。认字母、背单词、背九百句、背课文、学语法、学习惯用法、看英文小说、听录音磁带、听英语新闻、看英语电视、看英语电影，。。。。。。出国也出了好几趟，外教外宾也交流了许多回，就是不得要领。听了黑人老哥的车轱辘话，我猛然醒悟：原来英语还可以这么讲！象我们说中国话一样，随便说！ 子曰：“三人行，必有我师。” 真正是千真万确！所以，我们要珍惜每个相识、相交的人，无论他是谁，都有可能从中受益匪浅。俗话说：“听君一席话，胜读十年书。” 我是“听黑人老哥一席话，胜读二十年书。” “百年修得同船渡”，说的是个“缘”字，我与那位黑人老哥的同车缘也不知是多少年才修得的？！

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