[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。
History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past, trying to reconstruct its scenes, to revive its echoes, and kindle with pale gleams the passion of former days.
As the great scroll of history unrolls, many complicated incidents occur which it is difficult to introduce effectively into the pattern of the likes and dislikes of the epoch in which we live.
The human story does not always unfold like a mathematical calculation on the principle that two and two make four. Sometimes in life they make five or minus three;and sometimes the blackboard topples down in the middle of the sum and leaves the class in disorder and the pedagogue with a black eye.
Science, which now offers us a golden age with one hand, offers at the same time with the other the doom of all that we have built up inch by inch since the Stone Age and the dawn of any human annals. My faith is in the high progressive destiny of man. I do not believe that we are to be flung back into abysmal darkness of fiercesome discoveries which human genius has made let us make sure that they are our servants, but not our masters.
Its place in the healing of the sick, and in giving more food and leisure for life. When it helps the strong crush the weak, and rob those who are asleep, it is using truth for impious ends. Those who are thus sacrilegious will suffer and be punished, for their own weapons will be turned against them.
在搖曳燈光的照耀下,曆史在過去的小路上踽踽而行,試圖重建過去的景象,恢複往日的回聲,並想用微弱的光芒點燃往日的**。
當曆史巨大的卷軸展開之時,許多錯綜複雜的事件出現了,而這些事件很難有效地納入我們這個時代人們的好惡模式之中。
人類的故事並不總是像數學運算一樣根據二加二等於四的原則展開。人的一生中,有時可能等於五或負三;有時,正算到一半,黑板倒塌,使全班陷於混亂,教師被砸得鼻青臉腫。
現在科學用一隻手給我們奉獻了一個黃金年代,但同時又用另一隻手給我們製造了一個厄運,我們自從石器時代以及任何人類曆史開始以來一點點建造起來的一切都將陷入困境。但我深信,人類的命運是非常積極向上的。我不相信我們將被扔進由自己才智發明所構成的黑暗深淵中。務必要確保我們主宰那些發明,而不要被那些發明所主宰。
發明的用處應該是治愈病人,為生活提供更多的食物和娛樂。如果它被用來幫助強者壓迫弱者,掠奪熟睡的人們,它就是懷著不虔誠的動機去利用真理。以這種方式褻瀆神靈的人們將遭到報應和懲罰,因為他們的武器將反過來對付他們自己。
心靈小語
在曆史的發展中,科學不論其自身有多大的威力,永遠跳不出“工具”的角色。有人自以為聰明,把科學作為鬥爭的工具,卻不知他已經將矛頭對準了自己。
詞匯筆記
revive[ri'vaiv]v.恢複;蘇醒;複活
Now is the time to act boldly and wisely-to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity.
現在正是需要大膽、明智地采取行動之時——不僅要振興經濟,還要為持久繁榮奠定新的基礎。
pedagogue['ped?ɡ?ɡ]n.教師;賣弄學問者
Aggrandizement of pedagogue part will hinder the intelligence and creativity of the educatee.
教育者角色的強化,使受教育者的智慧與創造被泯滅。
abysmal[?'bizm?l]adj.極糟的;可怕的
He took courses to remedy his abysmal ignorance.
他學習課程以彌補他極度的無知。
sacrilegious[,s?kr?'lid??s]adj.犯瀆聖罪的;該受天譴的
Einstein has become such an icon that it sounds sacrilegious to suggest he was wrong.
愛因斯坦已經晉升為一個神聖的偶像,連假設他會犯錯聽起來都有褻瀆之罪。
小試身手
人類的故事並不總是像數學運算一樣根據二加二等於四的原則展開。
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現在科學用一隻手給我們奉獻了一個黃金年代,但同時又用另一隻手給我們製造了一個厄運。
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發明的用處應該是治愈病人,為生活提供更多的食物和娛樂。
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短語家族
History with its flickering lamp stumbles along the trail of the past.
stumble along:蹣跚;跌跌撞撞地行走
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……and sometimes the blackboard topples down in the middle of the sum……
topple down:推翻;倒塌
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