英语名篇名段背诵精华第21-30篇).pdfVIP

英语名篇名段背诵精华21 The English Character 英国人的性格 以下这段文字选自哥尔德史密斯的《世界公民》一书中有关英国社会的论述。关于英国人的性格，我们现在依然可 以从中窥见一二。 The English seem as silent as the Japanese, yet vainer than the inhabitants of Siam. Upon my arrival I attributed that reserve to modesty, which, I now find, has its origin in pride. Condescend to address them first, and you are sure of their acquaintance; stoop to flattery, and you conciliate their friendship and esteem. They bear hunger, cold, fatigue, and all the miseries of life without shrinking, danger only calls forth their fortitude; they even exult in calamity, but contempt is what they cannot bear. An Englishman fears contempt more than death; he often flies to death as a refuge from its pressure, and dies when he fancies the world has creased to esteem him. Except from Letters of a Citizen of the World by Oliver Goldsmith  注释 vain [vein]: too proud of one’s ability or achievements 自负的 fortitude [ ´fɔ:titju:d]: strength of mind that allows one to endure pain or adversity with courage 坚韧，刚毅 exult[ig´zʌlt]: to rejoice greatly; be jubilant or triumphant 狂喜，喜气洋洋或得意洋洋 contempt [kən´tempt]: disgrace, scorn 轻蔑，鄙视  作者简介 Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) was a great man. Despite the disintegration of his personality, his excessive drunkenness and incurable extravagance, he was a man of rare talents that bordered on genius, one of the first natural writers in the English language. This reputation is based on, and justified by, some half a dozen books, essays, plays, poems, and one novel, The Vicar of Wakefield. And An History of the Earth and Animated Nature has been described as everything from “hackwork” to his “most substantial literary legacy”. 奥利弗.哥尔德史密斯，是18 世纪著名的英国剧作家。出生于爱尔兰，1756 年定居伦敦，并展开其创作事业。 不论是诗歌、小说、文章还是剧本，他的写作风格均以嬉笑怒骂的形式，借以讽刺时弊。 英国人似乎和日本人一样沉默寡言，却比泰国人更自负一点。我刚到伦敦时，把这种矜持归结为谦虚，现在我 发现其源头