TheAgeofInnocence纯真年代.PDF

新东方《考研英语历年真题详解及复习指南》同源精读 『西方民主政治是基于对人的自私本性的监督而建立起 来的，那些民主先驱们设立了一系列制衡机制以避免 国家因人性的弱点而毁于一旦。然而，近年来，这些 制衡的智慧不复存在，领导人不再以约束民意为己任， 而是一味取悦于民意，选民们也视个人欲望为应得的 权利。这一转变使得原有的民主体制丧失得以运行的 自制精神，几近崩溃，从而导致西方国家的债务危机 和政治失调。要扭转这一局面，重新认识我们天性中 的弱点并克制自己的欲望自为当务之急。』 The Age of Innocence 纯真年代 By David Brooks May 17, 2012 | from The New York Times The people who pioneered democracy in Europe and the United States had a low but pretty accurate view of human nature.1 They knew that if we get the chance, most of us will try to get something for nothing. They knew that people generally prize short-term goodies over long-term prosperity 2 . So, in centuries past, the democratic pioneers built a series of checks3 to make sure their nations wouldn’t be 4 ruined by their own frailties . The American founders did this by decentralizing5 power. They built checks and balances to frustrate and detain the popular will.6 They also dispersed power to encourage active 7 citizenship , hoping that as people became more involved in local government, they would develop a sense of restraint8 and responsibility. In Europe, by contrast, authority was centralized. Power was held by small coteries9 of 1 The people who pioneered democracy in Europe and the United States had a low but pretty accurate view of human nature ：欧美的民主先驱者对人性的卑劣有着颇为清晰的认识。 2 prize short-term goodies over long-term prosperity ：看重眼前利益甚于长远利益 3 check /tFek/ n. 控制；遏制：a permanent check upo