Alexander 英语美文 Sunday, August 01, 2010
6.Six Famous Words
------William Lyon Phelps
―To be or not to be.‖ Outside the Bible, these six words are the most famous in all the literature of the world. They were spoken by Hamlet when he was thinking aloud, and they are the most famous words in Shakespeare because Hamlet was speaking not only for himself but for every thinking man and woman. To be or not to be ---to live or not to live, to live richly and abundantly and eagerly, or to live dully and meanly and scarcely. A philosopher once wanted to know whether he was alive or not, which is a good question for everyone to put to himself occasionally. He answered it by saying: ―I think, therefore I am.‖
But the best definition of existence I ever saw was one written by another philosopher who said: ―To be is to be in relations.‖ If this is true, then the more relations a living thing has, the more it is alive. To live abundantly means simply to increase the range and intensity of our relations. Unfortunately we are so constituted that we get to love our routine. But apart from our regular occupation how much are we alive? If you are interested only in your regular occupation, you are alive only to that extent. So far as other things are concerned---poetry and prose, music, pictures, sports, unselfish friendships, politics, international affairs---you are dead .
Contrariwise, it is true that every time you acquire a new interest---even more, a new accomplishment---you increase your power of life. No one who is deeply interested in a large variety of subjects can remain unhappy, the real pessimist is the person who has lost interest.
Bacon said that a man dies as often as he loses a friend. But we gain new life by contacts, new friends. What is supremely true of living objects is no less true of ideas, which are also alive. Where your thoughts are, there will your life be also. If your thoughts are confined only to your business, only to your physical welfare, only to the narrow circle of the town in which you live, then you live in a narrow circumscribed life. But if you are interested in what is going on in China, then you are living in China; if you are interested in the characters of a good novel, then you are living with those highly interesting people; if you listen intently to fine music, you are away from your immediate surroundings and living in a world of passion and imagination.
To be or not to be---to live intensively and richly, or merely to exist, that depends on ourselves. Let us widen and intensify our relations. While we live, let us live!
―是活还是不活。‖如果把《圣经》除外，这六个字便是整个世界文学中最有名的六个字了。这六个字是哈姆雷特一次喃喃自语时说的，而这六个字也就成了莎士比亚作品中最有名的几个字了，因为这里哈姆雷特不仅道出了他自己的心声，同时也代表一切有思想的男男女女。是活还是不活----是要生活还是不要生活，是要生活的丰满充实，兴致勃勃，还是只是生活的枯燥委琐，，贫乏无味。一位哲人一次曾想弄清他自己是否是在活着，这个问题我们每个人也大不可不时的问问我们自己。这位哲学家对此的答案是:―我思故我在。‖
但是关于生存我所见过的一条最好的定义却是另一位哲学家下的：―生活即是联系。‖如果这话不假的话，那么一个有生命者的联系越多，它也就越有生气。所谓要活的丰富充实也即是要扩大和加强我们的各种联系。不幸的是，我们往往会因为天性不够丰厚而容易陷入自己的成规旧套。试问除去我们的日常工作，我们的真正生活又有多少？如果你只是对你的日常工作才有兴趣，那你的生趣也就很有限了。至于在其他方面----比如诗歌、散文、音乐、美术、体育、无私的友谊、政治与国际事务，等等----你只是死人一个。
但反过来说，每当你获得一种新的兴趣----甚至一项新的造诣----你就增长了你的生活本领。一个能对许许多多事物都感兴趣的人是不可能总不愉快的，真正的悲观者只是那些丧失
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Alexander 英语美文 Sunday, August 01, 2010
兴趣的人。
培根曾讲过，一个人失去朋友即是死亡。但是凭着交往，凭着新朋，我们就能获得再生。这条对于活人[可谓千真万确的道理在一定程度上也完全适用于人的思想，它们也都是活的。你的思想所在，你的生命便也在那里。如果你的思想不出你的业务范围，不出你的物质利益，不出你所在城镇的狭隘圈子，那么你的一生便也只是多方受着局限的狭隘的一生。但是你对当前中国那里所发生的种种感到兴趣，那么你便可说也活在中国；如果你对一本佳妙小说中的人物感到兴趣，你便是活在一批极有趣的人物中间；如果你能全神贯注的听音乐，你就会超脱出你的周围环境而活在一个充满激情与想象的神奇世界之中。
是活还是不活----活的热烈活的丰富，还是只是简单存在，这就全在我们自己。但愿我们都能不断扩展和增强我们的各种联系。只要一天我们活着，就要一天是在活着。
7. The Four Freedoms
-----Franklin Delano Roosevelt
In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression—everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way—everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want—which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peace time life for its inhabitants—everywhere in the world.
The forth is freedom from fear—which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor--anywhere in the world.
That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called new order of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.
To that new order we oppose the greater conception –the moral order. A good society is able to face schemes of world domination and foreign revolutions alike without fear.
Since the beginning of our American history we have been engaged in change—in a perpetual peaceful revolution—a revolution which goes on steadily, quietly adjusting itself to changing conditions—without the concentration camp or the quick–lime in the ditch. The world order which we seek is the cooperation of free countries, working together in a friendly, civilized society.
This nation has placed its destiny in the hands and heads and hearts of its millions of free men and women; and its faith in freedom under the guidance of God. Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights or keep them. Our strength is our unity of purpose.
To that high concept there can be no end save victory.
论四大自由 ……
我们努力保证未来的岁月能够安定，我们期待着将来有一个建立在四项人类基本自由基础之上的世界
第一是在世界的一切地方，一切人都有言论与表达意见的自由。 第二是在世界的一切地方，一切人都有自由以自己的方式崇拜上帝。
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Alexander 英语美文 Sunday, August 01, 2010
第三是免于匮乏的自由。从世界范围的意义上说就是在经济上达到谅解，保证世界的一切地方，每一个国家的居民都能够过一种健康的和平生活。
第四是免于恐惧的自由。从世界范围的意义上说就是进行世界性的彻底裁军，使世界上的一切地方，没有任何一个国家有能力向任何邻国发起侵略行动。
这不是对遥远未来的黄金时代的幻想。这是我们所追求的世界必须具有的基础，这世界可以在这个时代，由我们这一代人赢得。我们追求的世界，跟独裁者企图用炸弹炸出来的所谓―新秩序‖的暴政正好相对立。
我们以道德秩序这伟大的观念来反对那种新秩序。一个正好的社会，能够毫无恐惧的面对企图主宰世界以及在别国发动革命的各种计划。
自有美国历史以来，我们就从事于改革---从事不间断的和平改革。我们持久地进行革命，沉静地使革命不断适应外间变化的情况。我们的革命没有集中营，也没有万人冢。我们要建立的世界秩序是自由国家之间的合作，是在一个友好文明的社会中共同工作。
我们的国家已经将她的命运交托给千百万自己的男女公民，由他们的双手、头脑和心灵来决定；我们的国家已经将她对自由的信念置于上帝的指引之下。自由就是人权在所有地方高于一切。我们支持一切为了得到并保持这些权利而奋斗的人们。我们目标一致，使我们得到力量。
这种崇高的观念舍胜利而外无其他结局。
8.Why are You Laughing?
Thus laughter gradually became established as a capacity among virtually all human beings. In addition, laughter‘s infectious quality helped distribute it as a characteristic common to all mankind. Laughter was advantageous; therefore it survived.
Everyone likes a good laughter; he brings good cheer with him wherever he goes, the very thought of him makes life more bearable. Even today our most highly paid entertainers are not tragedians but comedians. Laughter is infectious, and most of us go out of our way to acquire the infection. We cannot think that it was otherwise in the earlier days of man‘s evolution, and if that was indeed so, then it would follow that the capacity to laugh would tend to become increasingly distributed as a trait common to all men.
In society, laughter became a characteristic that served to ―humanized‖ men because it is essentially a social phenomenon, largely controlled by the civilization in which it takes place. The times change, and the situations about which laughter is acceptable change correspondingly. A few hundred years ago it was socially acceptable to laugh at the infirmities of others; today it is unacceptable. In the western world it is not customary to smile at the reprimands of others, as it is in Japan. Personalities should smile or laugh in their photographs, but college professors should look serious. Each of these examples underscores laughter‘s social function.
这样，笑就逐渐成为全人类的一种能力。此外，笑的感染力有助于把笑作为全人类共有的一种特性进行传播。笑是有益的，所以笑就流传了下来。
大家都喜欢善于笑的人，无论他到何处，都带着令人愉快的欢笑，一想起他就会使生活变得比较可以忍受的了。就是在今天，享有高薪的娱乐者仍是喜剧演员。笑具有感染力，我们中的大多数人都乐于接受这种感染。我们认为，在人类进化的早期，情况不会与此相反。果真如此的话，那么就会得出这样的结论：笑这种能力会倾向于不断的传播，从而成为全人类共有的一种特性。
在社会中，笑成为一种特性，它可使人―具有人性‖，因为笑实质上是一种社会现象，在很大程度上是受到它所产生的那个文明的制约。时代在前进，作为能使笑成为可接受的周围的情
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Alexander 英语美文 Sunday, August 01, 2010
景也在相应的改变。曾在几百年前，嘲笑别人的缺陷，还是受到社会接受的。而今天则不能接受了。在西方社会，人们不习惯于当别人责骂时，还去微笑，但在日本却可以。电影明星应在照片中微笑或大笑，而大学教授则应表现的严肃些。这些例子都强调了笑的社会作用。
9.Let Your Mind Wonder
Until recently daydreaming was generally considered either a waste of time or a symptom of neurotic tendencies, and habitual daydreaming was regarded as evidence of maladjustment or an escape from life‘s realities and responsibilities. It was believed that habitual daydreaming would eventually distance people from society and reduce their effectiveness in coping with real problems. At its best, daydreaming was considered a compensatory substitute for the real things in life.
As with anything carried to excess, daydreaming can be harmful. There are always those who would substitute fantasy lives for the rewards of real activity. But such extremes are relatively rare, and there is a growing body of evidence to support the fact that most people suffer from a lack of daydreaming rather than an excess of it. We are now beginning to learn how valuable it really is and that when individuals are completely prevented from daydreaming, their emotional balance can be disturbed. Not only are they less able to deal with the pressures of day-to-day existence, but also their self-control and self-direction become endangered.
Recent research indicates that daydreaming is part of daily life and that a certain amount each day is essential for maintaining equilibrium. Daydreaming, science has discovered, is an effective relaxation technique. But its beneficial effects go beyond this. Experiments show that daydreaming significantly contributes to intellectual growth, powers of concentration, and the ability to interact and communicate with others.
直到最近白日做梦通常被认为不是浪费时间就是要患精神病的征兆。习惯性白日做梦被看做精神失调的证据或是对现实生活和责任的逃避。人们相信，习惯性白日做梦会使人远离社会，降低其处理现实问题的效率。最好的情况来讲，白日做梦被认为是代替生活现实的补偿品。 任何事情做得过分都可能有害，白日做梦也是一样。总有那么一些人，他们用想入非非的生活来代替实际活动得到的好处。但是这一类极端的情况极为罕见，愈来愈多的资料都能证明这样一种看法：大多数人的白日梦做的太少了，而不是太多了。现在我们才开始了解到它确实是多么有价值。当一个人被禁止做白日梦时，他们的感情平衡就可以被搅乱。不仅使他们更难以对付日常的生活压力，而且他们的自我控制和自我定向变得岌岌可危。最近的研究表明，白日做梦是日常生活的一部分，每天做一定数量的白日梦多保持平衡是必不可少的。科学已经发现白日梦是一种有效的消遣技巧。但它的有利影响不只这一点，实验表明，白日梦特别有助于智力的发展，有助于全神贯注的能力和与人交往、交流的能力。
10.Pens
Small as it is, the pen has changed the course of history, shaped the destiny of nations, facilitated the commerce of peoples, imprisoned the elusive thoughts of man, recorded events, carried news, and done more work for mankind than all other tools or weapons.
Progress without it would have been almost impossible. The invention of the wheel and screw, the introduction of steam-power, the use of electricity, all these have changed the lives of millions; but the pen has done more. It has removed mountains. It has prepared the way for all advancement. Whatever plans have been drawn up, whatever laws formulated, have come from the pen. 笔
笔虽很小，却已经改变了历史的进程，决定了民族的兴衰，推进了民间的贸易, 钳制了难以
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Alexander 英语美文 Sunday, August 01, 2010
捉摸的不良思想，记录事件，传播消息，为人类做了比任何其他工具或武器更多的工作。 没有它，进步几乎是不可能的。车轮和螺丝的发明，蒸汽机的问世，电力的使用，所有这些都曾改变了亿万人的生活；然而，笔却做得更多。他创造了奇迹。他为所有的前进铺平了道路。任何计划的拟
Three passions 三种激情 -----罗素
《三种激情》是选自《伯特兰·罗素自传》的一篇优秀散文。它既是作者心灵的抒发，也是生命体验的总结。作者以深刻的感悟和敏锐的目光，分析了人生中的三种激情，即对爱的渴望，对知识的追求和对人类苦难的同情。对爱的渴望，使人欣喜若狂，既能解除孤独，又能发现美好的未来。对知识的追求，使人理解人心，了解宇宙，掌握科学。爱和知识把人引向天堂般的境界，而对人类的同情之心又使人回到苦难深重的人间。作者认为这就是人生，值得为此再活一次的人生。这篇散文似乎信手拈来，但却耐人寻味。充满激情，充满感慨，充满智慧，情文并茂，逻辑性和感染力极强。
伯特兰·罗素(Bertrand Russell,1872-1970)是英国声誉卓著，影响深远的哲学家、数学家、逻辑学家和散文家。他生于威尔士的特莱雷克，就读于剑桥三一学院，在其漫长的一生中完成了40余部著作，涉及哲学、数学、伦理、社会、教育、历史、宗教及政治等许多领域。他早年的成就主要在数学和逻辑学，中年关注伦理道德、教育、政治，激励和启发富有进取精神的人。在1921年曾来中国，在北京大学作过讲座。他在1950年荣获诺贝尔文学奖。在政治上，他反对侵略战争，主张和平，晚年参加反战示威。主要著作有《数学原理》、《哲学大纲》、《教育与美好生活》、《罗素自传》三卷本。
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.
I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy –ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness--that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what- at last- I have found.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flu. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.
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