After World War Ⅰ，the Versailles Treaty established the corridor of land to give Poland free access to the Balitic Sea. The corridor separated East Prussia and the port city of Danzig from the rest of Germany. In 1939，Germany regained control of the area when Nazi troops invaded Poland. After World War Ⅱ，the corridor was returned to Poland.
波兰成为天主教国家已一千年，Most Poles are Roman Catholics，and religion is important in their lives，Poland has been a Christian country for 1000 years.
波兰的瓷器很有名，瓷器又叫china，所以，可以说，Poland的china很有名。
小文你还记得爸爸跟你谈过的一种猪叫Poland China吗？Poland Chinas gain weight rapidly and make excellent meat hogs.Farmers in Ohio developed the Poland China breed.
Kraków是波兰的文化城，以前是首都（Kraków is the traditional capital of polish culture），波兰天文学家哥白尼（Copernicus）就是在这个城里出头的。
Copernicus skillfully applied this new idea in his masterpiece，Concerning the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres（1543）. In this book，Copernicus demonstrated how the earth’s motions could be used to explain the motions of other heavenly bodies. His theory laid the foundations for the telescopic discoveries of Galileo，the planetary laws of Johannes Kepler，and the gravitation principle of Sir Isaac Newton.
Copernicus was born in the city of Thorn（now Torun，Poland），and attended the University of Kraków.
波兰人跑到外国成名的：
①?在法国有居里夫人Marie Sklodowska Curie（1867—1934），Polish chemist and physicist in France，wife of Pierre Curie，Madame Curie.她是做下女出身的，苦学成功。她是唯一一个人得过两次Nobel Prize的科学家。她的大女儿Iréne后来也得了Nobel Prize；小女儿ve. Her life of her mother，Madame Curie（1937），had a great and immediate success，as did Among Warriors（1943）.
②?在英国有康拉德Joseph Conrad（1857—1924）。
Joseph Conrad的爸爸和一个叔叔都因为反抗俄国，被俄国人抓去，死在牢里（exiled to Siberia）。他原跟他爸爸住在Cracow（就是Kraków），不到四岁时，爸爸被抓，他和妈妈也跟着到了俄国的Siberia（西伯利亚）——政治犯可以带家属在一起。
他八岁时，妈妈死，十一岁时，爸爸死，他流浪到欧洲，一直做水手。
他二十岁以前不会英文，后来却变成了英国大文学家。
他最有名的小说是《吉姆老爷》（Lord Jim）和《黑暗的心》（Heart of Dark）。家里都有。
③?在美国有鲁宾斯坦Artur Rubinstein，爸爸跟你谈过的大钢琴家。
波兰最有名的文学家是显克维支Henryk Sienkiewicz（1846—1916），他用Rome的Nero做故事，写成了《暴君焚城录》（Quo Vadis，也叫《你往何处去》），这本书和前面居里夫人女儿给她妈妈写的那本Madame Curie，你都该看。家里都有。
爸爸1975年lO月26日
登天梯
亲爱的小文：
你注意到警察局里消防车上的云梯（ladder）了吗？那种梯子升起来很高，可高出一百英尺。美国underworld slang把ladder叫做Jacob，你知道Jacob是谁吗？
Jacob was the son of Isaac，and the father of the 12 sons who founded the Twelve Tribes of Israel，according to the Old Testament.He bought his older brother Esau’s birthright with a bowl of savory stew（“mess of pottage”）. Later，Jacob enforced his claim by pretending to his blind and aged father that he himself was Esau.Thus，he obtained from Isaac the words of blessing Isaac had meant for Esau. Esau was so angry that Jacob fled for his life.
On the way to his uncle Laban，Jacob slept at a place called Bethel，where he dreamed of a wonderful ladder between heaven and earth. In the dream，God promised to protect and bless him while he was away from home. Much encouraged，Jacob went on to Laban’s home. There he fell in love with Laban’s daughter，Rachel. But Laban forced Jacob to marry his older daughter. Leah，before he could have Rachel for his wife. After working 20 years for Laban，Jacob left for home.
On the way，Jacob prayed all night until God reassured him that Esau would spare his life. Esau met him with forgiveness，and they parted good friends. Jacob spent his last years in Egypt，where his son Joseph brought him to live.
Esau was the son of Isaac and Rebecca，and twin brother of Jacob in the Bible. He is a main character in many stories found in Genesis 25-33. The best known are Jacob’s cheating him out of his birthright for a“mess of pottage”（Gen.25：27-34），and the loss of his blessing through the plotting of his mother and brother（Gen.27）. Esau was reconciled to Jacob after the latter’s return to Palestine 20 years later.
Biblical history regards Esau as the founder of the Edomite nation.
Jacob就是现在以色列（Israel）人的老老老老老老老老老老……老祖宗。
Mess of pottage就是“因小失大”、“得不偿失”、“划不来”的意思。
A Jacob’s ladder is a ladder made of rope or cable，usually with wooden rungs. It is dropped over the side of a ship to enable people to ascend from or descend to small boats alongside. Harbor pilots usually come aboard via a Jacob’s ladder.
The Jacob’s ladder gets its name from an incident in the Book of Genesis（28：12）. The patriarch Jacob falls asleep and the a vision：“And he dreamed，and behold a ladder set up on the earth，and he top of it reached to heaven；and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.”
Jacob’s ladder has been used in at least two other quite earthly meanings. A small plant with a flower-and-leaf formation resembling a ladder bears this name. In England，also what we Americans call“runs”in hosiery were formerly called Jacob’s ladders. Nowadays they are simply ladders.
Jacob’s ladder可以登天，所以美国黑社会的thieves’ Latin（盗贼的隐语，切口）就把梯子叫Jacob。
植物里头花葱属（polemoniums）中的一种就叫Jacob’s ladder，因为它们有ladderlike leaves。
爸爸1975年11月1日
