1. Books are to mankind what memory is to the individual. They contain the history of our race,the discoveries we have made,the accumulated knowledge and experience of ages; they picture for us the marvels and beauties of nature,help us in our difficulties,comfort us in sorrow and in suffering,change hours of weariness into moments of delight,store our minds with ideas,fill them with good and happy thoughts,and lift us out of and above ourselves.
1、书籍之于全人类,犹如记忆力之于个人。书籍记录了我们人类的历史,记录了我们的新发现,也记录了我们世世代代积累的知识和经验:书籍为我们描绘了自然界的奇观和美景;书籍帮助我们摆脱困境,在我们悲哀困苦的时候,给我们以安慰,在我们烦闷的时刻带来欢乐,给我们的头脑装进各种观念,使我们的脑海充满了美妙高尚的思想,从而使我们超越自我,高于自我。
2. There is an oriental story of two men: one was a king,who every night dreamt he was a beggar; the other was a beggar,who every night dreamt he was a prince and lived in a palace. I am not sure that the king had very much the best of it. Imagination is sometimes more vivid than reality. But,however this may be,when we read we may not only (if we wish it) be kings and live in palaces,but,what is far better,we may transport ourselves to the mountains or the seashore,and visit the most beautiful parts of the earth,without fatigue,inconvenience,or expense.
2、有一个东方的故事,谈到了两个人:其中一个是国王,他每晚梦见自己成为一个乞丐;另一个是乞丐,他每晚梦见自己成了一个王子,住进了王宫。我不知道国王是否真正成了乞丐。想象有时比现实更加生动。然而,不管怎么样,我们读书时,不仅可以成为国王,住在王宫里,-假如我们想成为国王的话,而且更妙的是,我们可以神驰群山,或畅游海滨,我们也可遍访世界上最美丽的地方,而无须经受任何劳顿,也没有什么不方便,更无须花费分文。
3. Many of those who have had,as we say,all that this world can give,have yet told us they owed much of their purest happiness to books. Ascham,in "The Schoolmaster",tells a touching story of his last visit to Lady Jane Grey. He found her sitting in an oriel window reading Plato's beautiful account of the death of Socrates. Her father and mother were hunting in the park,the hounds were in full cry and their voices came in through the open window. He expressed his surprise that she had not joined them. But,said she,"I wist that all their pleasure in the park is but a shadow to the pleasure I find in Plato."
3、我们说,许多人拥有这个世界能给予的一切,然而他们却告诉我们,他们真正的幸福在很大程度上还是得之于书籍。阿斯克姆在《教师》一书中生动地叙述了他最后一次去拜访简·格雷小姐的经过。他看到她正坐在一个飘窗下,阅读柏拉图关于苏格拉底之死的有趣描述。她的父母正在猎苑打猎,猎狗正引吭狂吠,狺狺之声通过开着的窗子传进了屋内。他感到奇怪,问她为什么没有跟父母一起去打猎。她却回答说:“我觉得他们在猎苑狩猎所得到的乐趣与我读柏拉图所得到的乐趣相比乃是微不足道的。”
2017职称英语综合类阅读精选:The Delight of Books.doc