学进去

Once there was a famine（饥荒）. A rich old man sent for 20 of the poorest children in the town and said to them, “In this basket there is a steamed bread（馒头）for each of you. Take it, and come back to me every day at this hour till we live through this famine.”

The hungry children quickly gathered around the basket and started to fight over the bread. But Gretchen, a poorly-dressed little girl, did not join in the fighting. She stood far away quietly and waited until the children left. Then, she took the only steamed bread in the basket, kissed the old man’s hand, and went home.

The next day the children acted the same as before, and poor Gretchen got an even smaller steamed bread. When she came home and her mother cut the steamed bread open, many pieces of silver（银子）fell out of it. Her mother was very much ashamed, and said, “Take the money back to the good old man at once. It must have got into the bread by accident.”

As the little girl gave the money to the old man, he said, “No no, my child, it was no mistake. I put the silver pieces into the smallest steamed bread to reward（奖赏）you. Always stay as happy and thankful as you are right now. Go home now, and tell your mother that the money is your own.”

The first emperor of China, Qin Shihuang, completed a huge number of projects during his rule. Between 221 and 210 B.C., he started the building of the Great Wall. The emperor also ordered the building of a huge army of life-sized terracotta soldiers (兵马俑). These, he hoped, would protect his tomb(坟墓) after his death.

Lost in Time

The soldiers in Xi’an’s terracotta museum are today light brown, but they weren’t always. They began as an army of red, blue, yellow, green, white, and purple. Sadly, most of the colors did not last to the present day. After they were exposed(暴露) to air during digging, the coating under the paint began to fall off. The paint disappeared in less time than it takes to boil an egg, taking away with it important pieces of history.

New Technology

Now new technology is starting to show the army’s true colors. Archeologists(考古学家) have recently discovered an area with more than a hundred soldiers. Many of these still have their painted features(特征), including black hair, pink faces, and black or brown eyes. Chinese and German researchers have developed a chemical liquid (液体) to help save the soldiers’ colors. After they find a soldier or another art piece, archeologists put the liquid on it. They then cover it in plastic(塑料).

Back to Life

Archeologists are also finding colors in the dirt(泥土) around the soldiers. It’s important not to do anything with the dirt, so the colors won’t be lost. “We are treating the dirt as an art piece,” says Rong Bo, the museum’s leading archeologist. The next challenge, says Rong Bo, is to find a way to use the colors onto the army again. Once that happens, artists can bring Emperor Qin’s army back to its full, bright colors.

书窗上的那轮明月

王清铭

①假如能透过书窗窥见古人窗前的那轮明月，精明的现代人才算拥有完整意义上的聪明。物质日益丰富的今天，有什么比滋养心智更需要的？

②现代城市里的楼房越高，离月亮的距离越远。都市的灯光早已把明月挤压为昏黄的一片，明月照样从海上升起，但共此时的都市蜗居里，投射过来的只是高楼斑驳的影子。如果有几片月光挤进霓虹灯光、白炽灯光留出的缝隙，也如受污染的水；汽车笛声、影视音响、电话铃声，将月光搅得更加浑浊，不留下一小片安静，来安放一张书桌。偌大的城市，月光和书很难找到安身立命的地方。

③门是生活的进出口，窗可以说是天的进出口，都市的天空被高楼割裂了，明月也难以进出喧嚣都市人动荡的心灵。即使是在闭门索居的日子，有几个人能端坐书窗前，让月光布满内心空间？何况天上的那轮明月，只徘徊在都市边缘，在城里办理不到一份“暂住证”。

④钱钟书先生说：门许我们追求，表示欲望；窗子许我们占领，表示享受。现代都市人进出更多的是各种各样的门，却极少去拥有一框用以心灵眺望的窗子，更无闲人闲读书的闲情去掬一把透过书窗的月光，洗涤心灵的尘垢。

⑤偶然记下宋代刘子军的两句诗：明月不知君已去，夜深还照读书窗。明月不知读书人已去，淹没在都市的红尘中；明月夜深来照的，也不是书声朗朗的书窗了，有的只是装潢和功利。都市也有读书人，但读书时想的是文凭、职称、职位，急功近利的他们懂得用描谱仪鉴定金钱的金黄色的纯度，却无暇顾及书窗上的那轮明月的皎洁银白。临月漫披卷，凭栏且数星，看不见月和星的都市人咀嚼书中文字为腹内经纶，想到的只是经世致用，读书蜕变为苦事。月窗搀烛影，风叶乱琴声，聒耳的大概是名利裹挟着的喧嚣吧。

⑥月是该镶嵌在窗子里看的，好比画配了框子。开了窗邀约清风明月进来占领，其实是拥有一轮属于自己的明月。钱钟书先生还说，窗比门代表更高的人类进化阶段。我以为书窗是人类文明的标志，书窗的退化乃至消失是现代人沦落的一种方式，让高楼大厦侵占了心灵的家园。

⑦读书本是一件赏心乐事。归有光在《项脊轩志》中写到书窗玩月的情景：三五之夜，明月半墙，桂影斑驳，风移影动，珊珊可爱。我想，还有半墙的明月大概都筛落于他飘逸的心头吧。闲读书、读闲书、读书闲，注重的是读书时的闲逸、闲散，把读书当休闲，忘却虚名浮利，获得一种周国平先生所说的“丰富的安静”。并不是休闲时才读书，而是读书时读出闲情逸致，把知识化为脑中的智慧，滋养心灵。淡去功名之心，以休闲的心态去读书，让书窗上的那轮明月将思绪漂白、沉淀。

⑧书窗上的那轮明月，照古人，亦照令人。灯红酒绿的繁华并不完全拒绝栖居的诗意，倚南窗以寄傲，也寄托闲情。明月多情，随人处处行。