Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

Unlike most of his contemporaries in Hollywood, Hart actually knew something of the old West.

哈特與大部分同時代在好萊塢的演員不同，他確實了解西部早期拓荒生活的一些情況。

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

He had lived in it as a child when it was already disappearing,

作為一個孩子他曾在西部生活過，當(dāng)時西部拓荒生活正在消失。

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

and his hero was firmly rooted in his memories and experiences, and in both the history and the mythology of the vanished frontier.

他塑造的英雄人物深深地扎根于他本人的記憶和經(jīng)歷之中，也扎根于有關(guān)已經(jīng)消失的拓荒生活的歷史和神話之中。

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

And although no period or place in American history has been more absurdly romanticized, myth and reality did join hands in at least one arena, the conflict between the individual and encroaching civilization.

雖然在美國歷史上沒有任何時期或地區(qū)像西部拓荒時期那樣被荒謬地浪漫主義化了，但神話和事實至少在某一個舞臺上共存，也就是存在于個人與漸漸闖入的文明這兩者的沖突之中。

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

Men accustomed to struggling for survival against the elements and Indians were bewildered by politicians, bankers and businessmen, and unhorsed by fences, laws and alien taboos.

習(xí)慣與大自然和印第安人作斗爭以求生存的拓荒者被政客、銀行家和商人搞得暈頭轉(zhuǎn)向，最后被圈地、尖律我外來的清規(guī)戒律所擊敗。

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

Hart's good-bad man was always an outsider, always one of the disinherited,

哈特扮演的被誤為壞人的好人總是一個局外人，總是一個被剝奪繼承權(quán)的人。

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

and if he found it necessary to shoot a sheriff or rob a bank along the way,

如果他認為在進行過程中有必要槍擊一個司法官或搶劫一個銀行，

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

his early audiences found it easy to understand and forgive,

他的早期觀眾很容易接受，覺得應(yīng)該原諒他，

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

especially when it was Hart who, in the end, overcame the attacking Indians.

特別是當(dāng)哈特最后戰(zhàn)勝了前來進攻的印第安人時，觀眾更能原諒他。

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

Audiences in the second decade of the twentieth century found it pleasant to escape to a time when life, though hard, was relatively simple.We still do;

生活在20世紀20年代的觀眾認為，逃到一個即使艱苦但比較簡樸的時代中去是件愉快的事，我們今天仍有這種感覺。

Lesson 21 William SHart and the early 'Western' film

living in a world in which undeclared aggression, war, hypocrisy, chicanery, anarchy and impending immolation are part of our daily lives, we all want a code to live by.

如今，不宣而戰(zhàn)的侵略、戰(zhàn)爭、虛偽、詐騙、無政府狀態(tài)以及即將臨頭的毀滅成了我們?nèi)粘Ｉ畹囊徊糠郑覀兌枷Ｍ幸粋€賴以生存的行為準則。

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

Why does the idea of progress loom so large in the modern world? Surely progress of a particular kind is actually taking place around us and is becoming more and more manifest.

為什么進步這個概念在現(xiàn)代世界顯得如此突出？無疑是因為有一種特殊的進步實際上正在我們周圍發(fā)生，而且變得越來越明顯。

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

Although mankind has undergone no general improvement in intelligence or morality, it has made extraordinary progress in the accumulation of knowledge.

雖然人類有智力和道德上沒有得到普遍提高，但在知識積累方面卻取得了巨大的進步。

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

Knowledge began to increase as soon as the thoughts of one individual could be communicated to another by means of speech.

人一旦能用語言同別人交流思想，知識的積累便開始了。

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

With the invention of writing, a great advance was made, for knowledge could then be not only communicated but also stored.

隨著書寫的發(fā)明，又邁進了一大步，因為這樣一來，知識不僅能交流，而且能儲存了。

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

Libraries made education possible, and education in its turn added to libraries: the growth of knowledge followed a kind of compound interest law, which was greatly enhanced by the invention of printing.

藏書使教育成為可能，而教育反過來又豐富了藏書，因為知識的增長遵循著一種“滾雪球”的規(guī)律。印刷術(shù)的發(fā)明又大大提高了知識增長的速度。

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

All this was comparatively slow until, with the coming of science, the tempo was suddenly raised.

所有這些發(fā)展都比較緩慢，而隨著科學(xué)的到來，增長的速度才突然加快。

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

Then knowledge began to be accumulated according to a systematic plan.

于是，知識便開始有系統(tǒng)有計劃地積累起來。

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

The trickle became a stream; the stream has now become a torrent.

涓涓細流匯成小溪，小溪現(xiàn)已變成了奔騰的江河。

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

Moreover, as soon as new knowledge is acquired, it is now turned to practical account.

而且，新知識一旦獲得，便得到實際應(yīng)用。

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

What is called 'modern civilization' is not the result of a balanced development of all man's nature.

所謂“現(xiàn)代文明”并不是人的天性平衡發(fā)展的結(jié)果，

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

but of accumulated knowledge applied to practical life.

而是積累起來的知識應(yīng)用到實際生活中的結(jié)果。

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

The problem now facing humanity is: What is going to be done with all this knowledge?

用這些知識去做什么？

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

As is so often pointed out, knowledge is a two-edged weapon which can be used equally for good or evil.

正像人們常常指出的，知識是一把雙刃刀，可以用于造福，也可以用來為害。

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

It is now being used indifferently for both.

人們現(xiàn)在正漫不經(jīng)心地把知識用于這兩個方面，

Lesson 22 Knowledge and progress

Could any spectacle, for instance, be more grimly whimsical than that of gunners ourselves very seriously what will happen if this twofold use of knowledge, with its ever-increasing power, continues.

炮兵利用科學(xué)毀壞人的身體、而外科醫(yī)生就在附近用科學(xué)搶救被炮兵毀壞的人體，還有什么情景比這更可怕、更怪誕的嗎？我們不得不嚴肅地問問我們自己：隨著日益增長的知識的力量，如果我們繼續(xù)利用知識的這種雙重性，將會發(fā)生什么樣的情況呢？

Lesson 23 Bird flight

No two sorts of birds practise quite the same sort of flight;

沒有任何兩種鳥的飛行方式是相同的。

Lesson 23 Bird flight

the varieties are infinite; but two classes may be roughly seen.

鳥的飛行方式千差萬別，但大體上可分為兩類。

Lesson 23 Bird flight

Any ship that crosses the Pacific is accompanied for many days by the smaller albatross,

任何一艘橫度太平洋的輪船都會有一種小信天翁伴隨飛行許多天。

Lesson 23 Bird flight

Which may keep company with the vessel for an hour without visible or more than occasional movement of wing.

它們隨船飛行一小時也難得見其扇動一下翅膀。