轻松背单词新浪微博 轻松背单词腾讯微博
轻松背单词微信服务号
当前位置:首页 -> 10级英语阅读 - > 关于秘诀和落瓦
关于秘诀和落瓦
添加时间:2014-11-25 19:42:15 浏览次数: 作者:Carroll Binder
Tip:点击数字可快速查看单词解释  
  • "We are all at the mercy of a falling tile," Julius Caesar reminds us in Thornton Wilder's Ides of March. None of us knows at what hour something we may love may suffer some terrible blow by a force we can neither anticipate nor control.

    在桑顿.怀尔德的《三月的爱德斯》中,朱利叶斯.恺撒这样提醒我们:“我们所有人都处在落瓦的掌控之下。”没有人知道,我们的所爱会在何时遭到难以估量与控制的力量的沉重打击。

    Fifty-five years of living, much of the time in trouble centers of a highly troubled era, have not taught me how to avoid being hit by falling tiles. I have sustained some very server blows. My mother died when I was three years old. My first-born son, a gifted and idealistic youth, was killed in the war. While I was still cherishing the hope that he might be alive, circumstance beyond my control made it impossible for me to continue work into which I had poured my heart's blood for twenty years.

    55年来,我的绝大多数日子都是在多事的年月中度过,然而,我还是没有学会如何避免遭到落瓦的重击。我经历了好几次沉痛的打击。母亲在我3岁时离开人世。我的长子——一个拥有天赋的理想主义青年,在战争中阵亡。而我依然抱着他可能存活的希望,倾尽心血苦苦寻找了20年,最终,在无法控制的环境的逼迫下,我放弃了努力。

    I speak of such things here in the hope of helping1 others to believe with me that there are resources within one's grasp which enable one to sustain such blows without being crushed or embittered2 by them.

    我之所以讲这些事情,是希望人们能够像我一样,坚信人一定要有精神依托,这样才能在遭受严重打击时,不致被打垮或是痛苦不堪。

    I believe the best hope of standing3 up to falling tiles is through developing a sustaining philosophy and state of mind all through life. I have seen all sorts of people sustain all sorts of blows in all sorts of circumstances by all sorts of faiths, so I believe anyone can find a faith that will serve his needs if he persists in the quest.

    我相信,人一生中若能信仰并保持一种哲学与思想状态,便拥有了能够承受起落瓦打击的最大希望。我看见过拥有各种信仰的形形色色的人们,在各种不同的环境中承受着各种不同的打击。因此我相信,只要坚持不懈地寻求,每个人都能找到需求的信仰。

    One of the best ways I know of fortifying4 oneself to withstand the vicissitudes5 of his insecure and unpredictable era is to school oneself to require relatively6 little in the way of material possessions, physical satisfactions or the praise of others. The less one requires of such things the better situated7 one is to stand up to changes of fortune.

    对物质拥有、身体满足及他人的赞赏不予奢求,这是我所知道的最佳办法之一,它能使我们更坚强地承受不安全、难以预知的时代兴衰。人的所求越少,那他对命运变化的应对能力就越强。

    I am singularly rich in friendships. Friends of all ages have contributed enormously to my happiness and helped me greatly in times of need. I learned one of the great secrets of friendship early in life - to regard each person with whom one associates as an end in himself, not a means to one's own ends. That entails8 trying to help those with whom one comes in contact to find fulfillment in their own way while seeking one's own fulfillment in one's own way.

    友谊是我最大的财富。不同年龄段的朋友带给我莫大的愉悦,在我需要时给予我最大的帮助。孩提时,我便明白了维持友谊的最大秘诀之一——将每一位朋友都视为自己最重要的人,而不是利用他们来达到自己的目的。当我们在用自己的方式实现自我价值时,也应帮助身边的人通过他们的途径来实现自身的价值。

    Another ethical9 principle that has stood me in good stead is: Know thyself! I try to acquaint myself realistically with my possibilities and limitations. I try to suit my aspirations10 to goals within my probable capacity to attain11. I may have missed some undiscovered possibilities for growth but I have spared myself much by not shooting for stars it clearly was not given me to attain.

    认知自己,这是令我颇为受益的另一个道德准则。我总是努力实事求是地了解自己的能力与局限,并在自己的能力范围之内树立目标。也许我会错过一些发展自我潜能的机会,但我并没有浪费精力去奢求遥不可及的事物。

    I have seen much inhumanity, cheating, corruption12, sordidness13 and selfishness but I have not become cynical14. I have seen too much that is decent, kind and noble in men to lose faith in the possibility for a far finer existence than yet has been achieved. I believe the quest for a better life is the most satisfying pursuit of men and nations.

    我看到过无数的残暴、欺诈、腐败、肮脏与自私,但我并未因此变得愤世嫉俗。我看到过太多正直、善良与高尚的人们失去了创造更美好生活的信念。我相信,无论是对人类,还是国家而言,更美好的生活都是最令人满意的追求目标。

    I love life but I am not worried about death. I do not feel that I have lost my son and a host of others dear to me by death. I believe with William Penn that "they that love beyond the World cannot be separated by it. Death is but Crossing the World, as Friends do the Seas; they live in one another still." Death, I believe, teaches us the things of deathlessness.

    我热爱生命,但我不惧怕死亡。我并不认为,死亡让我失去了儿子与其他的许多亲人。我相信威廉.佩恩所说的话,“在那个世界中,死亡无法将那些有爱心的人分开。死亡不过是去另一个世界的过渡,就像朋友跨越海洋一样;他们依然活在另一个世界里。”我坚信,是死亡教会了我们永生。

     10级    美文 


    点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

    1 helping [ˈhelpɪŋ] 2rGzDc   第7级
    n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
    参考例句:
    • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
    • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来,他们在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
    2 embittered [emˈbɪtəd] b7cde2d2c1d30e5d74d84b950e34a8a0   第12级
    v.使怨恨,激怒( embitter的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • These injustices embittered her even more. 不公平使她更加受苦。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • The artist was embittered by public neglect. 大众的忽视于那位艺术家更加难受。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    3 standing [ˈstændɪŋ] 2hCzgo   第8级
    n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的
    参考例句:
    • After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing. 地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
    • They're standing out against any change in the law. 他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。
    4 fortifying [ˈfɔ:tifaiŋ] 74f03092477ce02d5a404c4756ead70e   第9级
    筑防御工事于( fortify的现在分词 ); 筑堡于; 增强; 强化(食品)
    参考例句:
    • Fortifying executive function and restraining impulsivity are possible with active interventions. 积极干预可能有助加强执行功能和抑制冲动性。
    • Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face, fortifying himself against still another disappointment. 文戈不再张望,他绷紧脸,仿佛正在鼓足勇气准备迎接另一次失望似的。
    5 vicissitudes [vɪ'sɪsɪtju:dz] KeFzyd   第10级
    n.变迁,世事变化;变迁兴衰( vicissitude的名词复数 );盛衰兴废
    参考例句:
    • He experienced several great social vicissitudes in his life. 他一生中经历了几次大的社会变迁。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • A man used to vicissitudes is not easily dejected. 饱经沧桑,不易沮丧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    6 relatively [ˈrelətɪvli] bkqzS3   第8级
    adv.比较...地,相对地
    参考例句:
    • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia. 兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
    • The operation was relatively painless. 手术相对来说不痛。
    7 situated [ˈsɪtʃueɪtɪd] JiYzBH   第8级
    adj.坐落在...的,处于某种境地的
    参考例句:
    • The village is situated at the margin of a forest. 村子位于森林的边缘。
    • She is awkwardly situated. 她的处境困难。
    8 entails [inˈteilz] bc08bbfc5f8710441959edc8dadcb925   第7级
    使…成为必要( entail的第三人称单数 ); 需要; 限定继承; 使必需
    参考例句:
    • The job entails a lot of hard work. 这工作需要十分艰苦的努力。
    • This job entails a lot of hard work. 这项工作需要十分努力。
    9 ethical [ˈeθɪkl] diIz4   第8级
    adj.伦理的,道德的,合乎道德的
    参考例句:
    • It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept. 必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
    • It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments. 那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
    10 aspirations [æspɪ'reɪʃnz] a60ebedc36cdd304870aeab399069f9e   第7级
    强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 ); 志向; 发送气音; 发 h 音
    参考例句:
    • I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
    • The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。
    11 attain [əˈteɪn] HvYzX   第7级
    vt.达到,获得,完成
    参考例句:
    • I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一目的。
    • His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。
    12 corruption [kəˈrʌpʃn] TzCxn   第7级
    n.腐败,堕落,贪污
    参考例句:
    • The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft. 人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
    • The old man reviled against corruption. 那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。
    13 sordidness ['sɔ:dɪdnɪs] 108aaccfde4e589aa1ed8b70b99d5a76   第10级
    n.肮脏;污秽;卑鄙;可耻
    参考例句:
    14 cynical [ˈsɪnɪkl] Dnbz9   第7级
    adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的,不信世道向善的
    参考例句:
    • The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea. 由于困难很大,他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
    • He was cynical that any good could come of democracy. 他不相信民主会带来什么好处。

    文章评论 共有评论 0查看全部

      会员登陆
      热门单词标签
    我的单词印象
    我的理解: