开汽车，不用电视和冰箱，也没有私人电话。许多人认为阿曼门诺派有这么多规矩，肯定有宗教原因，但事实并非如此。实际上，每当出现一项新技术，阿曼门诺派教徒便开会讨论其优点和缺点。然后，他们投票决定是否要接受它。阿曼门诺派教徒拒绝汽车，因为他们喜欢享有关系紧密的社区，在这里大家一起住得很近。他们没有电视机和电冰箱，因为他们的家里没有电--他们认为电力并非必需，而且他们不喜欢与陌生人打交道，例如那些在电力公司工作的人。

　　由于阿曼门诺派教徒重视彼此面对面地交往，他们反对在住宅里装电话。然而，在每个社区常常有一个小亭子，里面有一部紧急电话。

　　电话非常便于沟通，当今世界上大多数人的生活都离不开它。然而，也许阿曼门诺派教徒有个合理的观点。哪一个更像是朋友呢：是你在电话中经常交谈的某个人，还是你经常面对面交谈的某个人？还有，如果你需要帮助，谁能更好地帮助你呢：是远方的某个人，还是与你同处一室的某个人？在一起并分享生活，其中蕴藏着某种重要的东西，而这种东西是无法通过电话线获得的。

　　There are other disadvantages to the telephone, as well. For example, no matter what\s\up1(29(29) the circumstances\s\up1(30(30)， when the phone rings, everything stops so that the call can be answered. Your family could be eating dinner or chatting together, yet this will be interrupted. However, most phone calls are not really that\s\up1(31(31) important; certainly, they could not be more important than family time. Then, when you are absorbed in\s\up1(32(32) a book or simply trying to rest, the phone always seems to be ringing, destroying whatever peace you might have\s\up1(33(33). However, the person calling is often merely\s\up1(34(34) a salesman or someone who has dialled\s\up1(35(35) the wrong number\s\up1(36(36).

　　With mobile phones, these problems increase. How many times have you been talking\s\up1(37(37) with a friend, only for your friend to interrupt the conversation to answer a call? For some reason\s\up1(38(38)， a typical\s\up1(39(39) mobile phone call is nearly always given greater importance than a face­to­face conversation. Yet, once again, most mobile phone calls are about rather small matters. When asked later what the call was about\s\up1(40(40)， your friend always answers, 'Oh, nothing really.' If the call was really about 'nothing'， then why was it so important as to\s\up1(41(41) interrupt your conversation and waste your precious time？

　　 \s\up1(29(29)no matter what引导让步状语从句，no matter what the circumstances的完整形式是no matter what the circumstances are。

\s\up1(30(30)circumstance/'sɜːkəmstəns/ n．条件，环境，状况

\s\up1(31(31)that此处用作副词，表示"那么"，修饰important。

\s\up1(32(32)be absorbed in 全神贯注于，专心于

\s\up1(33(33)whatever peace you might have作destroying的宾语。

\s\up1(34(34)merely/'mIəlI/ adv. 仅仅，只不过

\s\up1(35(35)dial/'daIəl/ vt. & vi.拨(电话号码)，打电话

　其过去式、过去分词和现在分词既可以在后面直接加­ed或­ing，也可以先双写l再加­ed或­ing。

\s\up1(36(36)who引导定语从句，修饰someone。

\s\up1(37(37)have you been talking是现在完成进行时，表示动作从过去某时开始发生，一直延续到现在并可能持续下去。

\s\up1(38(38)for some reason 由于某种原因

\s\up1(39(39)typical/'tIpIkl/ adj.平常的；典型的，有代表性的；特有的

　It is typical of sb. to do sth. 某人一向喜欢做某事。

\s\up1(40(40)When asked ...是时间状语从句的省略形式，其完整形式是When your friend is asked ...；在该从句中，what从句作asked的宾语。

\s\up1(41(41)so ...as to结构，表示"那么......以至于"，动词不定式表示结果。