现代大学英语精读第六册 第十课课文及翻译

之减少。。。
雪莱写道，无论怎样，雪莱相信精神财富是无穷无尽的；他相信我们可以大量地、充满激情的在各种场合表达我们的感情；而且我们无论怎么样表现悲哀和欢乐都不过分。
8.
In the above anecdote, I have figured as a typical Englishman.Iwill now descend from that dizzy and somewhat unfamiliar height, and return to my business of notetaking.Anote on the slowness of the English character.The Englishman appears to be cold and unemotional because he is really slow.When an event happens, he may understand it quickly enough with his mind, but he takes quite a while it to feel it.Once upon a time a coach, containing someEnglishmen and someFrenchmen, was driving over theAlps.The horses ran away, and as they were dashing across a bridge the coach caught on the stonework, tottered, and nearly fell into the ravine below.The Frenchmen were frantic with terror: They screamed and gesticulated and flung themselves about, as Frenchmen would.The Englishmen sat quite calm.An hour later, the coach drew up at an inn to change horses, and by that time the situations were exactly reversed.The Frenchmen had forgotten all about the danger, and were chattering gaily; the Englishmen had just begun to feel it, and one had a nervous breakdown and was obliged to go to bed.We have here a clear physical difference between the two races—a difference that goes deep into character.The Frenchmen responded at once; the Englishmen responded in time.They were slow and they were also practical.Their instinct forbade them to throw themselves about in the coach, because it was more likely to tip over if they did.They had this extraordinary appreciation of fact that we shall notice again and again.When a disaster comes, the English instinct is to do what can be done first, and to postpone the feeling as long as possible.Hence they are splendid at emergencies.No doubt they are brave—no one will deny that—but bravery is partly an affair of the nerves, and the English nervous system is well equipped for meeting a physical emergency.It acts promptly and feels slowly.Such a combination is fruitful, and anyone who possesses it has gone a long way toward being brave.And when the action isover,then the Englishmen can feel.
7.东方人认为自己的财富是取之不尽用之不竭的，正如约翰·布尔认为他的财富是无穷无尽的。对于物质资源，东方人的态度显然是不明智的。金钱并不是无穷尽的。如果我们花费或让出我们全部的金钱，我们便身无分文。而且必须承担后果，这经常是令人不悦的。但是，就精神财富而言，东方人也许是对的。感情或许是取之不尽用之不竭的。我们表达感情越充分，我们所要表达的感情就越丰富。
13.
Jane Austen may seem an odd authority to cite, but Jane Austen has, within her limits, a marvelous insight into the English mind.Her range is limited, hercharactersnever attempt any of the more scarlet sins.But she has a merciless eye for questions of conduct, and the classical example of two English people muddling themselves before they embark upon a wrong course of action is to be foundin theopening chapters ofSense and Sensibility.Old Mr. Dashwood has just died.Hehas been twice married.By his first marriage he has a son, John; by his second marriage three daughters.The son is well off; the young ladies and their mother—for Mr. Dashwood’s second wife survives him—are badly off.He has called his son to his deathbed and has solemnly adjured himto provide for the second family.Much moved, the young man promises, and mentally decides to give each of his sisters a thousand pounds; and then the comedy begins.For he announces his generous intention to his wife, and Mrs. John Dashwood by no means approves of deprivingtheir own little boy of so large a sum.The thousand pounds are accordingly reduced to five hundred.But even this seems rather much.Might not an annuity to the stepmother be less of a wrench?Yes—but though less of a wrench it might be more of a drain , for“she is very stout and healthy, and scarcely forty.”An occasional present of fifty pounds will be better,“andwill, I think, be amply discharging my promise to my father”.Or, better still, an occasional present of fish.And in the end nothing is done, nothing; the four impecunious ladies are not even helped in the moving of their furniture.
我已通过上面的轶事描绘出一个典型的英国人了。现在我将从这个眩晕又不熟悉的高度降下来，继续评论英国人的性格特点，关于英国人迟钝的特点。英国人表面上冷漠而且无感情，因为他们确实迟钝。每当有事发生，英国人会迅速弄清楚事情的来龙去脉，但是他们需要一段时间才能在感情上作出反应。从前一辆马车正驶过阿尔卑斯山，车上坐着英国人和法国人。拉车的马脱缰，马车在冲过桥时刮到了桥上的石头，马车来回摇晃，险些跌进桥下的沟壑。法国人极度恐惧：他们肆意尖叫，慌张地挥动双臂胡乱冲撞。而英国人则相当镇静的坐着。一小时后，马车停在一家小旅馆前换马，此时情形发生了逆转。法国人完全忘却了危险，快乐地闲谈着；而此时英国人则刚刚感受到危险，其中一个人还因患了精神分裂而必须卧床休息。由此可见，两个民族在身体上存在明显差异，正是这一差异对其性格特点产生了重大影响。法国人的反应迅速及时，而英国人则需要过一段时间才能做出反应。英国人迟钝而又实际。英国人的本能制止他们在马车中摇来摆去，因为如果他们这样做，更容易翻车。英国人注意的是我们应该一再注意的事实。当灾难来临时，英国人的本能是去做最先能做的事，并且尽量推迟感情的到来。因此英国人在紧急情况下异常镇静。无疑他们是勇敢的，这一点毋庸置疑，但是勇敢的性情归功于精神功能，而英国人的神经系统是为身体上的紧急情况而准备的。英国人行动迅捷，感觉迟缓。二者的结合的确有用，具备这一结合的人多半都很勇敢。动作结束时，英国人才会有感觉。