精選晨讀美文欣賞
精選晨讀美文欣賞
優(yōu)美的文字于細(xì)微處傳達(dá)出美感,并浸潤(rùn)著人們的心靈。通過英語美文,不僅能夠感受語言之美,領(lǐng)悟語言之用,還能產(chǎn)生學(xué)習(xí)語言的興趣。度過一段美好的時(shí)光,即感悟生活,觸動(dòng)心靈。下面是學(xué)習(xí)啦小編為大家?guī)砭x晨讀美文欣賞,希望大家喜歡!
精選晨讀美文:玩牌游戲
Ever since I was old enough to read books on philosophy, I have been intrigued by the discussions on the nature of man. The philosophers have been debating for years about whether man is primarily good or primarily evil, whether he is primarily altruistic or selfish, cooperative or combative, gregarious or self-centered, whether he enjoys free will or whether everything is predetermined.
自從能夠看懂哲學(xué)書開始,有關(guān)人性的討論就激起了我濃厚的興趣。人性是善還是惡、是利他還是利己、是合作還是競(jìng)爭(zhēng)、是群居還是以自我為中心、是相信自由意志還是相信宿命,這些是哲學(xué)家們多少年來一直爭(zhēng)論不休的話題。
As far back as the Socratic dialogues in Plato, and even before that, man has been baffled about himself. He knows he is capable of great and noble deeds, but then he is oppressed by the evidence of great wrongdoing.
人類一直對(duì)自身感到困惑,這可以追溯到柏拉圖與蘇格拉底的對(duì)活,甚至更早時(shí)期。人類知道自己擁有做出偉大而高尚的事情的能力,然而卻又被犯下大罪的證據(jù)所壓迫。
And so he wonders. I don’t presume to be able to resolve the contradictions. In fact, I don’t think we have to. It seems to me that the debate over good and evil in man, over free will and determinism, and over all the other contradictions—it seems to me that this debate is a futile one.
因此,他困惑不已。對(duì)于這種矛盾是否能夠解決,我并不敢斷言。然而,事實(shí)上,人們沒有必要非要化解這種矛盾。人是兩面性的動(dòng)物,因此,我認(rèn)為爭(zhēng)論人性善或惡、意志自由或宿命以及其他一切矛盾都是徒勞無益的。
For man is a creature of dualism. He is both good and evil, both altruistic and selfish. He enjoys free will to the extent that he can make decisions in life, but he can’t change his chemistry or his relatives or his physical endowments—all of which were determined for him at birth.
人既有善良的一面,也有邪惡的一面;既有利他的一面,也有利己的一面。人們享受著能夠在生活中做出決定的自由意志,然而卻無法改變與生俱來的基因、親屬或體征。
And rather than speculate over which side of him is dominant, he might do well to consider what the contradictions and circumstances are that tend to bring out the good or evil, that enable him to be a nobler and responsible member of the human race.
與其思索哪一方面主導(dǎo)著人性,還不如思索人之所以善良或邪惡的矛盾和環(huán)境,從而讓人成為人類群體中具有高尚品質(zhì)和責(zé)任感的人。
And so far as free will and determinism are concerned, something I heard in India on a recent visit might be worth passing along. Free will and determinism, I was told, are like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism. The way you play your hand represent free will.
在近期訪問次大陸期間,我在印度聽到了一些事情,它們?cè)谧杂梢庵竞退廾摲矫娴膬r(jià)值是值得一提的。當(dāng)?shù)厝烁嬖V我,自由意志和宿命論就像玩紙牌游戲,宿命論就是發(fā)牌的手,而自由意志就是打牌的方式。
Now where does all this leave us? It seems to me that we ought to attempt to bring about and safeguard those conditions that tend to develop the best in man. We know, for example, that the existence of fear and man’s inability to cope with fear bring about the worst in him.
而今,這一切把我們帶到了什么地方?我認(rèn)為,那些能夠培養(yǎng)人類最優(yōu)秀品質(zhì)的環(huán)境,是我們應(yīng)該努力去創(chuàng)造和保護(hù)的。例如,我們知道恐懼感和無法克服恐懼的意識(shí)能夠?qū)е氯诵援a(chǎn)生最邪惡的東西
We know that what is true of man on a small scale can be true of society on a large scale. And today the conditions of fear in the world are, I’m afraid, affecting men everywhere.
我們同樣知道,個(gè)人的真實(shí)狀況經(jīng)過放大就會(huì)成為社會(huì)的真實(shí)狀況。如今,世界各個(gè)地方的人仍然遭受著恐懼因素的影響。
More than twenty-three hundred years ago, the Greek world, which had attained tremendous heights of creative intelligence and achievement, disintegrated under the pressure of fear. Today, too, if we read the signs correctly, there is fear everywhere.
恐懼瓦解了希臘文明,然而在兩千三百多年前,它具有創(chuàng)造性的智慧和成就已經(jīng)達(dá)到了非凡的高度。同樣,如果我在環(huán)球旅行時(shí)的所見不虛的話
There is fear that the human race has exhausted its margin for error and that we are sliding into another great conflict that will cancel out thousands of years of human progress. And people are fearful because they don’t want to lose the things that are more important than peace itself—moral, democratic, and spiritual values.
人類正在滑向一場(chǎng)大戰(zhàn),這場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)將會(huì)把人類數(shù)千年取得的進(jìn)步毀之一旦,這是由人類犯錯(cuò)底線被突破而導(dǎo)致的恐懼所引起的。這是因?yàn)?,?duì)于人類而言,道德、民主和精神比和平更重要。
The problem confronting us today is far more serious than the destiny of any political system or even of any nation.
人類的命運(yùn)是我們今天所面臨的問題,這比任何政治體制和任何民族的命運(yùn)更為重要。
The problem is the destiny of man: first, whether we can make this planet safe for man; second, whether we can make it fit for man.
首先,我們是否能夠把地球建人類的安全之所;其次,我們是否能夠把地球建成適宜人類居住的地方。
This I believe—that man today has all the resources to shatter his fears and go on to the greatest golden age in history, an age which will provide the conditions for human growth and for the development of the good that resides within man, whether in his individual or his collective being.
我相信,對(duì)于消除恐懼并走向歷史上最偉大的黃金時(shí)代,人類擁有各種各樣的辦法。不管人是作為個(gè)體還是人類群體的一員,這個(gè)時(shí)代都將會(huì)為人類的進(jìn)步和善良本性的形成提供條跡然后,人類只需要理性地調(diào)動(dòng)智慧和良知,就可以運(yùn)用這些辦法了。真理滲透在我們的生活中。站在海岸上,觀看顛簸于大海之上的船帆,是一種樂趣;站在城堡垛口,觀看激戰(zhàn)中的戰(zhàn)場(chǎng),也是一種樂趣;
And he has only to mobilize his rational intelligence and his conscience to put these resources to work.
然而,什么也比不上站在真理的前哨,洞察山谷中的謬誤、彷徨、迷霧與風(fēng)暴,這更令人歡欣。
精選晨讀美文:人格的力量
As I try to outline my thoughts, the subject becomes more and more difficult. I have many basic beliefs but as I try to pick and choose it seems to me that they all can be summarized in the word "character." Obviously, what you believe is a fundamental thing. There can be no fanfare, no embellishments. It must be honest.
我努力清理思路時(shí),主題變得越來越難講述。我有諸多信仰,但試圖挑選時(shí),似乎都可用“人格”一詞概括。顯然,一個(gè)人的信仰是根本,無需炫耀,無需修飾,是什么就是什么。
An architect once told me that the most difficult structure to design was a simple monumental shaft. The proportions must perfect to be pleasing. The hardest thing to build is a plain straight wall. The dimensions must be absolute.
一位建筑師告訴我,最難設(shè)計(jì)的建筑是一尊簡(jiǎn)單的紀(jì)念柱,比例必須完美無缺,賞心悅目;最難砌的是一堵簡(jiǎn)樸筆直的墻,尺寸必須一絲不差。
In either case there is no ornamentation to hide irregularities, no moldings to cover hidden defects and no supports to strengthen concealed weaknesses.
在這兩種情況下,都無法用修飾掩蓋不平整,以造型遮蓋暗藏的缺陷,以支撐物來加固不牢的根基。
I am using this example to illustrate human character, which to me is the most important single power in the world today. The young people of toady are in reality foundations of structures yet to be built.
我以此例來說明人格,在我看來它是當(dāng)今世界上最重要的唯一的力量。今天的年輕人實(shí)際上是世界待建結(jié)構(gòu)的根基。
It is obvious that the design of these human structures is the combined efforts of many human architects. Boys and girls are influenced first by their parents, then by their friends and finally by business associates. During this period of construction, the human character is revised and changed until at maturity a fairly well-fixed form of character is found.
顯而易見,設(shè)計(jì)這些人格結(jié)構(gòu)需要眾多人類建筑師的共同努力。孩子們的成長(zhǎng),先后要受到父母、朋友和事業(yè)伙伴的影響。在這一成長(zhǎng)過程中,人格一直在改變,直到在成熟期定型。
There are few human straight walls and fewer human monumental shafts. Such men and women are personalities of great beauty and are so rare that history records their being and holds them up as examples for the future.
人類中堪稱墻一般筆直挺立的人少有,像紀(jì)念柱一樣矗立的人更少,這樣的人是美的化身,世所罕見,歷史記錄他們的存在,奉之為后世的楷模。
The Biblical characters are for me the closest examples of human perfection. They were unselfish, steadfast in their faith and unstinting in their help to others.
《圣經(jīng)》中的人物在我心中是最接近完人的范例,他們無私,信仰堅(jiān)定,幫助他人,不遺余力。
Today in this world of turmoil and trouble we could use more of such people, but they do not just happen along. I believe that they are the result of concentrated effort on the part of parents and associates, and the more we build with character the better the world will become.
在今天這個(gè)混亂不安的世界,我們可以多用這樣的人,但他們并非從天而降。我相信他們是父母、同伴傾力鍛造的結(jié)果。我們?cè)街匾暼烁竦慕?gòu),世界會(huì)越美好。
This may sound like a dreamer's hope and a theoretical goal which can never be reached. I do not think so.
這聽起來像癡人說夢(mèng),是永遠(yuǎn)無法實(shí)現(xiàn)的理論目標(biāo),我卻不這么想。
The world as a whole has progressed tremendously material-wise, and we are a fortunate nation in that we are leading the procession. It is, I believe, natural that nations not so fortunate should look upon us with envy. We would do the same if the positions were reserved, so we should not judge too harshly the efforts of others to equal our standard of living. In either case, the fortunate or the unfortunate character in the individual and collectively in a nation stands out.
全世界在物質(zhì)生產(chǎn)上已取得巨大進(jìn)步,美利堅(jiān)榮幸地成為引導(dǎo)這一進(jìn)程的國(guó)家。我相信,沒有這樣好運(yùn)氣的國(guó)家可能會(huì)嫉妒我們,如果換個(gè)位置,我們也會(huì)如此,因此對(duì)于別人奮力向我們的生活標(biāo)準(zhǔn)看齊,我們不應(yīng)該草率地評(píng)判。無論是哪種情況,個(gè)人或民族的幸運(yùn)或不幸的品格都會(huì)凸顯出來。
I agree that it is easier to build character under ideal conditions but cannot forget that character is also required to give as well as receive.
我贊同在理想條件下更容易塑造人格的說法,但我認(rèn)為不能忘記人格的塑造不僅需要外界條件的熏陶,也需要自身的努力。
It should be to the benefit of humanity if all individuals - and this includes myself - did a renovation or remodeling job on our own character. It may merely be a case of removing rough edges or tossing away molding to expose irregularities, in some cases to remove a prop and stand on one's own feet.
如果所有人——也包括我自己——都更新或重鑄自己的人格,這應(yīng)該是有益于人類的。這也許僅僅是抹去粗糙的邊緣或丟棄固有的模式,從而顯露出不平整,有時(shí)則需要拿走支撐物,完全靠自己站立。
In any event if some of us set example, others will follow and the result should be good. This I believe.
不論何種情況,只要我們有人樹立榜樣,其他人就會(huì)效仿,結(jié)果就應(yīng)該是好的。對(duì)此我深信不疑。
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