新世纪研究生公共英语教材十一单元课文与翻译.docxVIP

1.The origins of etiquette-----the convention rules of behavior and ceremonies observed in polite society-------are complex .one of them is respect for authority. From the most primitive times, subjects showed respect for their ruler by bowing ,prostrating themselves on the ground ,not speaking until spoken to, and never turning their backs to the throne . some monarchs developed rules to stress even further the respect due to them. The emperors of Byzantium expected their subjects to kiss their feet . when an ambassador from abroad was introduced , he had to touch the ground before the throne with his forehead . Meanwhile the throne itself was raised in the air so that ,on looking up , the ambassador saw the ruler far above him , haughty and remote在上流社会，行为举止、各种庆典仪式都有传统的惯例，其起因相当复杂，他们的起因之一，是要对当权者表示尊重。在远古时期，臣民对统治者的膜拜表现在深深的鞠躬，匍匐在地，不问不能开口以及绝不能背对王位而行，有些君主为了使臣民对他们更加毕恭毕敬，又制定了许多繁文缛节，拜占庭时期的帝王们就让臣子庶民亲吻他们的双脚，当外交使节被引见的时候，他必须跪拜在王位之前，前额触地，而君主则高高在上，大使只能仰视君主，这样使君主更能居高临下，目空一切，高不可及，2.Abosolute rules have , as a rule , made etiquette more complicated rather than simpler . The purpose is not only to make the ruler seem almost godlike ,but also to protect him from familiarity, for without some such protection his life ,lived inevitably in the public eye ,would be intolerable. The court of Louis XIV of France provided an excellent example of a very highly developed system of etiquette .Because the king and his family were considered to belong to France ,they were almost continually on show among their courtiers. They woke, prayed , washed and dressed before crowds of courtiers .Even large crowds watched them eat their meals, and access to their palace which was free to all their subjects通常情况下，专制的君主，都把礼仪变的更为复杂化，其目的不仅仅在于神化自己，而且他们想通过超凡脱俗来巩固自己的神圣地位，因为没有这种保护要想在众人瞩目之下