[英國]溫斯頓·丘吉爾/Winston Churchill
溫斯頓·丘吉爾(1874-1965),英國傳記作家、曆史學家、政治家。生於牛津附近的布萊尼姆宮。1893年考入桑德斯特陸軍軍官學校,1895年,以少尉軍銜編入皇家第四騎兵團。1945年,在反法西斯勝利前夕,因保守黨在大選中失敗,丘吉爾失去首相職位。其後,他用六年時間完成了六卷本《第二次世界大戰回憶錄》。1951年,保守黨在選舉中獲勝,丘吉爾77歲高齡再次出任首相。1955年因年事高辭職退休,專心撰寫四卷本《英語民族史》。1965年1月因腦溢血辭世。
Man in this moment of his history has emerged in greater supremacy over the forces of nature than has ever been dreamed of before. There lies before him, if he wishes, a golden age of peace and progress. He has only to conquer his last and worst enemy-himself.
The only guide to a man is his conscience;the only shield to his memory is the rectitude and sincerity of his actions. It is very imprudent to walk through life without this shield, because we are so often mocked by the failure of our hopes, but with this shield, however the Fates may play, we march always in the ranks of honor.
We shall go forward together. The road upward is long. There are upon our journey dark and dangerous valleys, through which we have to make and fight our way. But it is sure and certain that if we persevere, and we shall persevere, we shall come through these dark and dangerous valleys into a sunlight broader and more genial and more lasting than mankind has ever known.
在人類曆史的這一時刻,對於自然力量的控製,人類已經大大超越了以往所夢想的程度。如果人類希望的話,擺在他們麵前的是一個和平與發展的黃金年代。他們僅僅需要征服最後也是最厲害的敵人——自己。
對一個人來說,唯一的指導者是他自己的良心,記憶唯一的護衛是他行為的正直和真誠。如果在人生的旅途之中前行而沒有這個保護,是失之輕率的,因為我們常會被希望的破滅所嘲弄,但是有了這個保護,不管命運如何,我們可以永遠前進在榮譽的行列中。
我們將一起前行,前方的路很長。旅途中,我們可能會遇到一些黑暗而危險的幽穀,我們必須從那裏經過,而且還要與之進行艱苦的鬥爭。但是隻要我們堅持不懈——我們將堅持不懈——我們一定可以走出這些黑暗而危險的幽穀,進入一個人類前所未知的廣闊、溫暖而持久的光明世界。
詞匯筆記
rectitude['rekti, tu:d]n.正直;公正
Honesty and rectitude are two of the aspects for the judgement of the social moral standards.
誠實和正直是衡量一個社會道德標準的兩個方麵。
mock[m?k]v.愚弄;嘲弄
She mocked him as a country boy.
她嘲笑他是鄉巴佬。
persevere[,p?:si'vi?]v.堅持;不屈不撓;固執己見(在辯論中)
To try, to persevere, is to insure ultimate and complete victory.
竭誠努力,鍥而不舍,必能贏得最終的全麵勝利。
genial['d?i:nj?l]adj.和藹的;溫和的;溫暖的
I noticed he has a fat stature and bald, but with a favorable and genial expression on his serene face.
我注意到他身材肥胖,禿了頂,在他那安詳的麵容上帶著一種討人喜歡的溫和純樸的表情。
小試身手
他們僅僅需要征服最後也是最厲害的敵人——自己。
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對一個人來說,唯一的指導者是他自己的良心。
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記憶唯一的護衛是他行為的正直和真誠。
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短語家族
……we march always in the ranks of honor.
in the ranks:在……行列
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We shall come through these dark and dangerous valleys into a sunlight broader……
come through:經曆;安然度過;獲得成功
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