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1、Mr.GunnarAPEnglishLanguageandCompositionWhatisMySingleLifeWorth?100DaysTrappedInsideaMetaphorbySalmanRushdie,SpeechGivenatColumbiaUniversityCopyright:1991–SalmanRushdieAfterpublicationofhisnovelTheSatanicVersesSalmanRushdiebecamethefirstWesternwritertobeco
2、methevictimofafatwa,adeathsentenceissuedbyAyatollahKhomeiniofIran,whodecreedthathisbookwasablasphemyoftheMuslimfaith.Forseveralyearsafter1989,helivedinhiding,under24-hour-a-dayprotectionbyBritishSpecialBranchbodyguards.thRushdiespentthedayofthisspeech,hono
3、ringthe200anniversaryoftheFirstAmendment,inafourteenth-floorsuitewithtwentyarmedbodyguards.Thewindowswereblockedbybullet-proofmattresses.AttheColumbiaGraduateSchoolofJournalismmembersoftheaudiencewerefriskedbeforeentry,andthebombsquadwasoutsidethehall.Atth
4、eendthreeplain-clothedpolicemanexcortedRushdiebackintohiding.Ahot-airballoondriftsslowlyoverabottomlesschasm,carryingseveralpassengers.Aleakdevelops;theballoonstartslosingheight.Thepit,adarkyawn,comescloser.Goodgrief!Thewoundedballooncanbearjustonepassenge
5、rtosafety;themanymustbesacrificedtosavetheone.Butwhoshouldlive,whoshoulddie?Andwhocouldmakesuchachoice?Inpointoffact,debatingsocietieseverywhereregularlymakesuchchoiceswithoutqualms,forofcoursewhatI'vedescribedisthegivensituationofthatevergreenfavorite,the
6、BalloonDebate,inwhich,asthespeakersargueovertherelativemeritsanddemeritsofthewell-knownfigurestheyhaveplacedindisaster'smouth,theassembledcompanyblithelyacceptsthefaintlyunpleasantideathatahumanbeing'srighttolifeisincreasedordiminishedbyhisorhervirtuesorvi
7、ces–thatwemaybebornequalbutthereafterourlivesweighdifferentlyinthescales.It’sonlymake-believe,afterall.Andwhileitmaynotbeverynice,itdoesreflecthowpeopleactuallythink.Ihavenowspentoverathousanddaysinjustsuchaballoon;but,alas,thisisn'tagame.Formostofthesetho
8、usanddays,myfellow-travelersincludedtheWesternhostagesinLebanon,andtheBritishbusinessmenimprisonedinIranandIraq,RogerCooperandIanRichter.AndIhadtoaccept,anddidaccept,thatformostofmycountrymenandcountrywomen,m
