Not to return
gratitude1 for benefits, my AEbutius Liberalis, is both base in itself, and is thought base by all men; wherefore even ungrateful men complain of
ingratitude2, and yet what all
condemn3 is at the same time rooted in all; and so far do men sometimes run into the other extreme that some of them become our bitterest enemies, not merely after receiving benefits from us, but because they have received them. I cannot deny that some do this out of sheer badness of nature; but more do so because
lapse4 of time destroys their remembrance, for time gradually
effaces5 what they felt
vividly6 at the moment. I remember having had an argument with you about this class of persons, whom you wished to call forgetful rather than ungrateful, as if that which caused a man to be ungrateful was any excuse for his being so, or as if the fact of this happening to a man prevented his being ungrateful, when we know that it only happens to ungrateful men. There are many classes of the ungrateful, as there are of thieves or of homicides, who all have the same fault, though there is a great variety in its various forms. The man is ungrateful who denies that he has received a benefit; who pretends that he has not received it; who does not return it. The most ungrateful man of all is he who forgets it. The others, though they do not repay it, yet feel their debt, and possess some traces of worth, though
obstructed7 by their bad conscience. They may by some means and at some time be brought to show their gratitude, if, for instance, they be
pricked8 by shame, if they conceive some noble ambition such as occasionally rises even in the breasts of the wicked, if some easy opportunity of doing so offers; but the man from whom all recollection of the benefit has passed away can never become grateful. Which of the two do you call the worse — he who is ungrateful for kindness, or he who does not even remember it? The eyes which fear to look at the light are diseased, but those which cannot see it are blind. It is filial
impiety9 not to love one’s parents, but not to recognise them is madness.
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收听单词发音
1
gratitude
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adj.感激,感谢 |
参考例句: |
- I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
- She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。
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2
ingratitude
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n.忘恩负义 |
参考例句: |
- Tim's parents were rather hurt by his ingratitude.蒂姆的父母对他的忘恩负义很痛心。
- His friends were shocked by his ingratitude to his parents.他对父母不孝,令他的朋友们大为吃惊。
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3
condemn
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vt.谴责,指责;宣判(罪犯),判刑 |
参考例句: |
- Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他,而有些人谴责他。
- We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。
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4
lapse
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n.过失,流逝,失效,抛弃信仰,间隔;vi.堕落,停止,失效,流逝;vt.使失效 |
参考例句: |
- The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.这一事故被看作是一次严重的安全疏忽。
- I had a lapse of memory.我记错了。
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5
effaces
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v.擦掉( efface的第三人称单数 );抹去;超越;使黯然失色 |
参考例句: |
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6
vividly
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adv.清楚地,鲜明地,生动地 |
参考例句: |
- The speaker pictured the suffering of the poor vividly.演讲者很生动地描述了穷人的生活。
- The characters in the book are vividly presented.这本书里的人物写得栩栩如生。
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7
obstructed
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阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 ); 堵塞; 阻碍; 阻止 |
参考例句: |
- Tall trees obstructed his view of the road. 有大树挡着,他看不到道路。
- The Irish and Bristol Channels were closed or grievously obstructed. 爱尔兰海峡和布里斯托尔海峡或遭受封锁,或受到了严重阻碍。
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8
pricked
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刺,扎,戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 ); 刺伤; 刺痛; 使剧痛 |
参考例句: |
- The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
- He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。
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9
impiety
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n.不敬;不孝 |
参考例句: |
- His last act must be a deed of impiety. 他最后的行为就是这一种不孝。
- His remarks show impiety to religion.他的话表现出对宗教的不敬。
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