社会生产力的发展，科学技术的进步，使得人们每天都在创造着新的奇迹。在那些精美绝伦的产品送往社会的同时，不可避免地带来了它的孪生兄弟——废次品。贝特·道格拉斯公司的生意也少不了有这种麻烦。

Chapter 34 Waste Defective Goods

The development of social productivity, the progress of science and technology, makes people create new miracles every day. While those of exquisite products sent to society at the same time, inevitably brings its twin - waste defective goods. Bethe Douglas Company's business could not dispense also with this kind of trouble.

所有从“生命隧道”里出来的新人，在短期内都住在南岛山坡上的小型别墅里，度过为期三周左右的适应期。这个时期的新人常常遇到一些问题，有的说话时总是走调，咬字不准；有的动作不协调，不论做什么，让人看起来都很别扭；有的两者兼而有之。大部分新人经过一段时间的训练都可以得到满意的结果，也有一小部分在令人振奋的惊喜之后，却遇到了难以克服的障碍。

All the rebirth’s person who they to come out from The Tunnel of Life, lives in a **all villa of hillside of the south island in a short term, and they will spend three weeks or so for the adaptation. New people often encounter some problems in this period, with some talks are always out of tune, and the pronunciation is inaccuracy, some actions are not harmonious, no matter to do what with uncomfortable, some of both the two kind of appearance. Most the new one after a period of training could obtain satisfactory results, there is also a **all part after the exciting surprises, but encountered insurmountable obstacles.

住在B——12号别墅的新人是位姑娘，她身材修长，容貌姣好。从这种特定的外表来判断，凡是在“生命隧道”系统工作过的公司雇员，谁都知道她是从哪儿来的。有些让人扫兴的是，她虽然硬件的底子不错，而且穿着入时，但是却举止粗鲁，满嘴脏话，面部肌肉不自然地扭曲着，看上去十分凶狠。在众目睽睽之下，她常常大大咧咧，不知羞耻，简直就是魔鬼附身。

Living at the villa B-12 of the rebirth’s person was a girl, she had a slender figure and a beautiful appearance. With judging from the specific looks, the company employees who had worked in system of The Tunnel of Life, all of them knew where she came from. It was to let people disappointed some which although her hardware foundation is good, and dresses well, but behaved badly and foul-mouthed, the facial muscles do not naturally twisted, looks very fierce. Under the full view of the public, she often is carelessness and shamelessness, and virtually is a possessed demon.

对于这一类硬件基本正常，软件不良的产品，贝特·道格拉斯公司是拒绝退货的，他们不承认这是废次品。遇到这种情况，客户必须另外花钱，一般是三——五万美元，委托贝特·道格拉斯公司进行个别调试，包括修改信息，清理错误数据等等。

如果不能凑效，道格拉斯公司还有一个绝招，那便是在有关对象的大脑中植入芯片。然而这种措施常常使客户像变了一个人似的，造成客户的家属对新人身份的真伪产生怀疑，所以，一般情况下不做这种处理。

For this type of products that the hardware is basic normal and the software is badness, the Bethe Douglas Company refuses to return goods, they don't admit that this is defective. In this case, the customer must also spend money which for the most part 30000-50000 U S Dollar, entrusted the Bethe Douglas Company individually to debug, what it includes to modify information, clear the error data, and so on.

If it can't work, the Bethe Douglas Company there also is a trick, what it is to implant the chip in the brain of the rebirth’s person. But such measures often make customers like a different person, cause the client's family to question the authenticity of identity which the rebirth’s person, so it for the most part doesn't do this kind of treatment.

住在A——06号别墅的新人是个孩童。他是属于和托马斯·沃德相同性质的A类业务。目前从各方面的表现来看，他思路清晰，举止正常，不过就是喜欢睡觉。他老是说：“困。”他睡了一个晚上，早上睁开眼睛吃些东西又想睡，每天醒着的时候不到六十分钟。

Living at the villa A-06 of the new one is a child. He belongs the class-A of the business that as Thomas ward of the same nature. Now from all aspects of the performance, his thinking clear and behavior normal, but he likes sleeping. He always says: ‘I’m Sleepy.’ He is shut-eyes a night, then opened his eyes in the morning to eat something and also wants to sleep, the waking hours less than 60 minutes a day.

假如一个人的生命老是以睡觉的形式度过，那该多乏味呀! 该客户的女儿向公司多次提出了这个问题，得到的答复是：“他在生命隧道里消耗了太多的精力，等他睡够了以后，自然也就不会再想睡了。”可是，三个星期过去了，症状仍不见明显好转。于是又有人告诉她：“好睡并不是什么毛病，比如有人好吃，吃得胖胖的，你能说是毛病吗？多睡睡觉，在梦乡里体察人生的乐趣，也是生命延续的一种形式。再者，合同只是要求返老还童，对睡眠的多少并无规定。”该客户的女儿对此种理论不能接受，要求公司方面赔偿。

If a person's life is always spent in the form of sleep, how boring that is! The customer’s daughter raised the issue many times to the company, the answer is: ‘His energy consumes too much in The Tunnel of Life, such as he slept enough, naturally don't want to sleep as well.’ Three weeks passed, however, the symptom still does not obvious improvement. Whereupon there is a man to tell her: ‘Like to sleep is not a defect, such as someone likes to have delicious eating, and changed to fat, can you say it's wrong? Profuse sleeping lets person have the pleasure of life in a dreamland, of cause it is also a form of continuous life. Moreover, the contract just asked to rejuvenate, but it no rules on how much sleep.’ The customer’s daughter can't accept this kind of theory, but demanded compensation from the company.

目前，贝特·道格拉斯公司对此还没有做出明确的答复。

以上两个例子就是在贝特·道格拉斯公司出现的废次品，类似这种不如人意的结果，这儿还有好几个。比如有一个新人，一会儿哭，一会儿笑，毫无节制和理由，与神经错乱无异。该客户的家属说：“难道让我们接受一个疯子？回去就得送他住医院！”还有的新人吃起来没完没了，没有饱的感觉；有的饿了也不吃，失去了饿的信息。凡此种种，公司的最初的反应总是推脱，搪塞，最后退货了事。

At present, the Bethe Douglas Company hadn't made the clear answer to this.

These two examples are that the waste defective in the Bethe Douglas Company where are several ****ogous examples of like these disappointing results. For instance, there is a rebirth’s person, after a cry for a little time then suddenly to laugh, what it is without restraint and reason as a neurological disorder. The customer's family said: ‘Do you let us accept a madman? It has to send him in a hospital after to go back!’ There are two new men, one eating without end to haven’t feeling with full, and another one just doesn’t eat, also lost the hungry feeling. About these cases, the company's initial reaction always excuses for prevarication，finally return the sale to settle.

短期内对新人们进行巡访，是“生命隧道”主任助理的一项工作内容。在这次查访归来之后，埃米莉向托比·赖特提了一些问题。埃米莉说：“对B——12号别墅的新人我能理解，因为他过去是个街霸流氓。但是，A——06号别墅的孩子为什么会产生嗜睡的病态呢？”

托比想了想说：“也许是中枢神经系统的觉醒和睡眠机制失调所致。”

That to visit for the new person in the short term is a job content of assistant director of The Tunnel of Life. After the return of the investigating, Emily gave Toby Wright some problems. Emily said: ‘ I can understand the manifestation of the newcomer to live in the B-12 villa, because he used to be a bully rogue. However, why the child can produce the sick drowsiness in the A-6 villa?’

Toby thought and to say: ‘May be the awakening is disorders of the central nervous system and the mechani** of sleep’

“怎么会出现这种失调呢？”

“哦，这就很难说了，不排除在传导过程中有些信息丢失了。”

“那可太糟糕了，也许我们的计算机系统有问题？”

‘How it appears this kind of disorder?’

‘Oh, it's hard to say, do not rule out some information loss in the process of tran**ission.’

‘That's too bad, maybe our computer system has a problem?’

“不！我们的计算机系统是一流的，类似这种问题产生的原因是非常复杂的。我们经过长时间研究，也还不能下肯定的结论。现在有这么一种解释：我想，你对于电脑一定不生疏吧？”

“是的，我在家里和办公室里各有一台。”

“你知不知道你的电脑是使用什么厂家的中央处理器[1]？”

‘No! Our computer system is the first-class, the similar problems generating of the reason are very complex. We study after a long time, and still not a sure conclusion. There is the explanation nowadays, I think that you must be familiar with computers?’

‘Yes! I have two, one at the home and another at the office.’

‘Do you know what kind of the central processing unit (CPU) of the manufacturer with your computer to use?’

“两台都是intelCPU[2]。”

“看来你很会挑选电脑产品，英特尔[3]CPU组装的电脑一直是最好的。”

“是吗？我倒不觉得。”

‘Two computers are Intel CPU.’

‘It seems that you understand the computer products for choosing, the computer with Intel CPU to be always the best.’

‘Is that so? I don't feel so that.’

托比说：“在这一点上，我很有感触。我在办公室的电脑是使用英特尔CPU的，而我又买了一台在家里使用，那台电脑的CPU是Cyrix 公司[4]的产品。有一天，我运行一个软件。我发现在办公室里的电脑上运行时，十分顺畅；但是，当我把这个软件拿到家里的那台电脑上使用时，却发现频频死机”

“哦?” 埃米莉有些迷惑。

Toby said: ‘I am to identify with this point. In the office, I have a computer which is to use Intel CPU, and another one used in the home that I bought, the computer’s CPU is the product of the Cyrix company. One day, I run a software. I have found that run on the computer in the office, it is very **ooth, but when I put the software on another computer at home, only to find frequent the system halted.

‘Oh?’ Emily some puzzled.

”起初，我以为家里的电脑坏了，可是，奇怪的是它并没有坏，它只是对某些软件采取拒绝的态度。后来，一位电脑专家告诉我，这是‘兼容’所引起的问题。要知道，英特尔CPU和CyrixCPU在设计时，某些指令互不兼容。这样，当一个软件，或者程序是专门为主流产品英特尔CPU电脑设计的，把它拿到CyrixCPU电脑上去运行，就可能出现问题，这便是‘兼容’所引起的麻烦。”

“我明白了，”埃米莉说，“你是说生命隧道系统对于个体差异不能面面俱到，是吗？”

‘At first, I thought my home computer is out of order, but it is strange that it is not bad, it is the attitude just to refuse for some software. Then, a computer expert told me that this problem is caused by the compatibility. You know, when at the design of Intel CPU and Cyrix CPU, some the directives are incompatible with each other. So, when a software, or program is specially designed for the mainstream product of Intel CPU computer, take it to Cyrix CPU computer and running, it possibly appears the problem, this trouble just is caused by the compatibility.’

‘I see,’ Emily said, ‘your meaning that the system of The Tunnel of Life cannot fit everyone for individual differences, is it?’

托比接着说：“是的，我正是这个意思。我们电脑系统中的软件是根据大部分正常人设计的，所以对于大部分人来说是没有问题的。但是，在人世间，总有少数人与众不同。比如，大部分人的语言区是在大脑的左半球形成的，可是也有在右半球的。在生活中，你可以发现许多人喜欢用右手，左手处于配合状态，可是，也有一些人恰恰相反。在身体结构方面，大部分人的心脏在左侧，可也有极少数人是生在右侧的。由于遗传密码出现差错，常常使一些人产生这样那样的缺陷。”

Toby continued: ‘Yes, that is exactly what I mean. In our computer system, the software is designed according to the most normal people, so there is no problem for most people. However, in this world, there is a few different. For example, most people's language area is formed in the left hemisphere of the brain, but also someone in the right hemisphere. In life, you can find a lot of people like to use the right hand, moreover left hand in the fit state, however there are also some people to be just the opposite. In the body structure, the heart of most people on the left side, but there are very few people born on the right side. It is because that the genetic code produces the mistake which often makes some person appear such-and-such imperfection.’

“有道理。”埃米莉点头赞同。

“所以，当各种有差异、有缺陷的个体进入生命隧道系统时，难免会由于‘不兼容’而造成问题。大部分问题不那么严重，常常不被人们注意，如果问题很严重，麻烦就产生了。”

“难道就没有办法了吗？”

‘Hold water.’Emily nod in approval.

‘Therefore, when all kinds of different and defective the individuals into the system of The Tunnel of Life will inevitably cause some problems by incompatible. Most of the problem is not so serious, what people often don't notice, if the problem is severe, then the trouble arises.’

‘Can't we have the way?’

“从理论上来说是有办法的，我们可以为那些与众不同的个体单独设计一个程序，但是，这么做的成本高得吓人。所以，遇到这类问题，实在解决不了的，公司最后一般以退货了事，好在这种事发生的频率不高，只有不到百分之十。”

“如果要退货，他们能各自恢复原状吗？

‘In theory there is a way, we can singly design a program for each one of the different individuals, but it insanely is the high cost that to do so. Therefore, it won't solve of this kind the problem, company last general the method is to return the goods, but the genesic frequency of these kind things is not high, only less than ten percent.’

‘If it wants to sales return, will they be able to recover the original state as their respective ones?

“对于公司来说，这个问题很简单，只要把客户的旧体从仓库里找出来，让他从冬眠状态恢复正常即可。因为，我们的电脑系统只是拷贝了他头脑里的信息，并没有使他的大脑受到任何伤害。对于‘皮夹克’来说，情况要严重得多，实验证明，经系统恢复原状的成功率等于零。这是因为在传导中，皮夹克大脑中原有的意识内容已被覆盖，又未留下任何可以保存的信息数据，想要复原有如无米之炊。但是，这并不影响她再次被使用，一般是把这种大脑意识缺失的个体，临时存放在冷库里，一旦有需求，将首先被使用。”

‘For the company, this question is very simple, as long as the old body of the customer is found out from the warehouse, let him recover normal from the hibernation state. Because of our computer system just copies the information in his mind, and without of it is any damage to his brain. For the leather jacket it is much more serious situation, with the experiment proved that the system restored of the success rate equal zero. This is because what the leather jacket’s brain of the conscious content which it has already been covered in the tran**ission, and did not leave any information can be stored data, the recovering likes to make bricks without straw. However, this does not affect her again to be used, it usually is to put the individual of brain apsychia, temporarily stored in a freezer, once there is the demand, it will be the first to be used.’

“这太不公平了！”

“公平？”托比用怀疑的口气说，“这个世界从来就不是公平的，总有一些人的运气不好被社会淘汰。最重要的是你要把握住自己的命运，不要被人放在砧板上。”

埃米莉随后又提了一些问题，托比都一一作了回答，埃米莉从他这里了解了不少她以前从未考虑过的问题。

‘It is no equity!’

‘Equity?’ Toby said with a note of doubt, ‘The world is never fair, what there are always some people to have a bad luck to be eliminated by the society. The most important thing is what you want to hold own destiny that won’t be on the chopping block.’

Emily and raised some questions, then Toby is given to the answer, also Emily here learned a lot from him that she had never thought about the problem.

正当他们热烈地讨论问题时戈夫.巴克心里很不高兴。最近几天，戈夫发现乔伊总是躲着自己，更有甚者，她与自己潜在的竞争对手接触多了起来。戈夫感到很不舒服。

戈夫的祖先是德国人，很早以前就移民南美洲，几代以后，由于经济萧条，生意破产，便举家北迁。他们本来的目标可能是美国，可是，不知是什么原因却一直留驻在巴哈马，到了他的父亲，现在在尼科尔斯敦[5]经营水果生意。

When they discussed the problem, nevertheless, Gove Barker was very unhappy in the mind. In recent days, Gove found Joy who always hid with himself, what's more, she took much more contact with his potential competitors. Gove felt very uncomfortable.

Gove’s ancestors are German who was immigrant long ago in the South America, after several generations, because the recession and business broke then the family moved to north. They had goals at first may be the United States, but, it didn't know what the reason that they had been living in the Bahamas, by his father, now in Nichols town to run fruit business.

戈夫十八岁那年，老巴克为了让儿子能出人头地，便拿出多年的积蓄送他去美国读大学。毕业以后，正好碰上谢尔曼的试验室招兵买马，就这么，他成了贝特·道格拉斯公司的一员。

几年来，戈夫虽然并没有像父亲期望的那么风光，但是钱还是赚了不少。戈夫看上去比较平常，并没有什么构件特别引人注目，现在，与乔伊的麻烦事让他不能自持。

Gove in 18 years old, the old Barker in order to let his son would come out on top, then come up with savings of many years to take him to the university of US for studying. After graduation, just meet with Sherman's lab to recruit, so, he became a member of Bethe Douglas Company.

In recent years, although Gove did not prosperity that like his father’s expecting, nevertheless it still made a lot of money. Gove looks relatively common, and there is no conspicuous component that particularly comes to front, now, the hassle which with Joy lets Gove cannot be to restrain himself.

他开始胡思乱想起来，怨天尤人，埋怨生活对自己不公平。对于这副跟了他几十年的面孔，戈夫对它已经失去了耐心，贫乏无味，缺少动人之处，更没有幽默感。他站在镜子前面，伸出宽大的手掌，猛地朝自己的脑门拍了一巴掌。镜子里的人挑战似的毫不示弱。他气愤非常，咬着牙齿，紧握拳头用力一击。镜子经受不住如此的打击，稀里哗啦地变成了许多碎片，里面的人物顿时褶皱变形，残缺不全。

He began to entertain foolish ideas, complaining other and blaming the destiny unfair to himself. For the face which this with decades to him, then Gove had already lost patience to it that it is poor insipidity, without elegant moving, more no sense of humor. He was standing in front of a mirror, with his broad palm that fiercely took a slap toward his forehead. But the one who challenged in the mirror without weakness. He was very angry to bite the teeth of himself, and hard struck with the clenched fist. The mirror cannot withstand such a blow, it was to become into many fragments, then the character who in the mirror suddenly folded deformation, to be incomplete.

他全然不顾被玻璃割破的手鲜血淋漓，大笑起来，发泄以后的快感使他觉得自己好像是一个胜利着。三十秒钟以后，鲜血继续源源不断地从破损的血管里涌出，他盯着那只开始颤抖起来的手，不得不面对现实，他必须到医务值班室去一趟。走在路上，他已经完全清醒，他觉得一定要找乔伊好好谈一谈，时间就在今天晚上。

He did not pay attention to the bloodied hand to be cut by glass, he laughing, and it made him feel like a victor with the pleasant sensation of after the abreaction. Thirty seconds later, the blood was still coming out from the broken blood vessels, he stared at hand that began to shake up, only have to face the reality, he must to take a trip to the medical office. Walking on the road, he was fully awake, and he felt which it must to talk with Joy, just the time was this evening.

注： [1][2]中央处理器即CPU（Central Processing unit的缩写），是计算机进行数据处理的核心部件。

[3][4]英特尔是intel的音译，英特尔和Cyrix同是世界上制造CPU芯片的大公司。

[5]尼科尔斯敦是巴哈马联邦的一个城市。