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第二小节
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 The interesting point about the whole situation is that the plain man seldom or never asks himself a really fundamental question about that appointed path of his—that path from which he dare not and could not wander.
 
Once, perhaps in a parable1, the plain man travelling met another traveller. And the plain man demanded of the traveller:
 
“Where are you going to?”
 
The traveller replied:
 
“Now I come to think of it, I don’t know.”
 
The plain man was ruffled2 by this insensate answer. He said:
 
“But you are travelling?”
 
The traveller replied:
 
“Yes.”
 
The plain man, beginning to be annoyed, said:
 
“Have you never asked yourself where you are going to?”
 
“I have not.”
 
“But do you mean to tell me,” protested the plain man, now irritated, “that you are putting yourself to all this trouble, peril3, and expense of trains and steamers, without having asked yourself where you are going to?”
 
“It never occurred to me,” the traveller admitted. “I just had to start and I started.”
 
Whereupon the plain man was, as too often with us plain men, staggered and deeply affronted4 by the illogical absurdity5 of human nature. “Was it conceivable,” he thought, “that this traveller, presumably in his senses—” etc. (You are familiar with the tone and the style, being a plain man yourself.) And he gave way to moral indignation.
 
Now I must here, in parenthesis6, firmly state that I happen to be a member of the Society for the Suppression of Moral Indignation. As such, I object to the plain man’s moral indignation against the traveller; and I think that a liability to moral indignation is one of the plain man’s most serious defects. As such, my endeavour is to avoid being staggered and deeply affronted, or even surprised, by human vagaries7. There are too many plain people who are always rediscovering human nature—its turpitudes, fatuities8, unreason. They live amid human nature as in a chamber9 of horrors. And yet, after all these years, we surely ought to have grown used to human nature! It may be extremely vile—that is not the point. The point is that it constitutes our environment, from which we cannot escape alive. The man who is capable of being deeply affronted by his inevitable10 environment ought to have the pluck of his convictions and shoot himself. The Society would with pleasure pay his funeral expenses and contribute to the support of his wife and children. Such a man is, without knowing it, a dire11 enemy of true progress, which can only be planned and executed in an atmosphere from which heated moral superiority is absent.
 
I offer these parenthetical remarks as a guarantee that I shall not over-righteously sneer12 at the plain man for his share in the sequel to the conversation with the traveller. For there was a sequel to the conversation.
 
“As questions are being asked, where are you going to?” said the traveller.
 
The plain man answered with assurance:
 
“Oh, I know exactly where I’m going to. I’m going to Timbuctoo.”
 
“Indeed!” said the traveller. “And why are you going to Timbuctoo?”
 
Said the plain man: “I’m going because it’s the proper place to go to. Every self-respecting person goes to Timbuctoo.”
 
“But why?”
 
Said the plain man:
 
“Well, it’s supposed to be just about unique. You’re contented13 there. You get what you’ve always wanted. The climate’s wonderful.”
 
“Indeed!” said the traveller again. “Have you met anybody who’s been there?”
 
“Yes, I’ve met several. I’ve met a lot. And I’ve heard from people who are there.”
 
“And are their reports enthusiastic?”
 
“Well—” The plain man hesitated.
 
“Answer me. Are their reports enthusiastic?” the traveller insisted, rather bullyingly.
 
“Not very,” the plain man admitted. “Some say it’s very disappointing. And some say it’s much like other towns. Every one says the climate has grave drawbacks.”
 
The traveller demanded:
 
“Then why are you going there?”
 
Said the plain man:
 
“It never occurred to me to ask why. As I say, Timbuctoo’s supposed to be—”
 
“Supposed by whom?”
 
“Well—generally supposed,” said the plain man, limply.
 
“Not by the people who’ve been there?” the traveller persevered14, with obstinacy15.
 
“Perhaps not,” breathed the plain man. “But it’s generally supposed—” He faltered16. There was a silence, which was broken by the traveller, who inquired:
 
“Any interesting places en route?”
 
“I don’t know. I never troubled about that,” said the plain man.
 
“But do you mean to tell me,” the traveller exclaimed, “that you are putting yourself to all this trouble, peril, and expense of trains and steamers and camel-back without having asked yourself why, and without having satisfied yourself that the thing was worth while, and without having even ascertained17 the most agreeable route?”
 
Said the plain man, weakly:
 
“I just had to start for somewhere, so I started for Timbuctoo.”
 
Said the traveller:
 
“Well, I’m of a forgiving disposition18. Shake hands.”
 

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1 parable R4hzI     
n.寓言,比喻
参考例句:
  • This is an ancient parable.这是一个古老的寓言。
  • The minister preached a sermon on the parable of the lost sheep.牧师讲道时用了亡羊的比喻。
2 ruffled e4a3deb720feef0786be7d86b0004e86     
adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • She ruffled his hair affectionately. 她情意绵绵地拨弄着他的头发。
  • All this talk of a strike has clearly ruffled the management's feathers. 所有这些关于罢工的闲言碎语显然让管理层很不高兴。
3 peril l3Dz6     
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物
参考例句:
  • The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
  • The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。
4 affronted affronted     
adj.被侮辱的,被冒犯的v.勇敢地面对( affront的过去式和过去分词 );相遇
参考例句:
  • He hoped they would not feel affronted if they were not invited . 他希望如果他们没有获得邀请也不要感到受辱。
  • Affronted at his impertinence,she stared at him coldly and wordlessly. 被他的无礼而冒犯,她冷冷地、无言地盯着他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
5 absurdity dIQyU     
n.荒谬,愚蠢;谬论
参考例句:
  • The proposal borders upon the absurdity.这提议近乎荒谬。
  • The absurdity of the situation made everyone laugh.情况的荒谬可笑使每个人都笑了。
6 parenthesis T4MzP     
n.圆括号,插入语,插曲,间歇,停歇
参考例句:
  • There is no space between the function name and the parenthesis.函数名与括号之间没有空格。
  • In this expression,we do not need a multiplication sign or parenthesis.这个表达式中,我们不需要乘号或括号。
7 vagaries 594130203d5d42a756196aa8975299ad     
n.奇想( vagary的名词复数 );异想天开;异常行为;难以预测的情况
参考例句:
  • The vagaries of fortune are indeed curious.\" 命运的变化莫测真是不可思议。” 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
  • The vagaries of inclement weather conditions are avoided to a certain extent. 可以在一定程度上避免变化莫测的恶劣气候影响。 来自辞典例句
8 fatuities c5bdf98bb26ff2307c2a7b2b28f2ce27     
n.愚昧,昏庸( fatuity的名词复数 );愚蠢的言行
参考例句:
9 chamber wnky9     
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所
参考例句:
  • For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说,牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
  • The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。
10 inevitable 5xcyq     
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的
参考例句:
  • Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
  • The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。
11 dire llUz9     
adj.可怕的,悲惨的,阴惨的,极端的
参考例句:
  • There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
  • We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了,但是我们渡过了困难。
12 sneer YFdzu     
v.轻蔑;嘲笑;n.嘲笑,讥讽的言语
参考例句:
  • He said with a sneer.他的话中带有嘲笑之意。
  • You may sneer,but a lot of people like this kind of music.你可以嗤之以鼻,但很多人喜欢这种音乐。
13 contented Gvxzof     
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的
参考例句:
  • He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
  • The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。
14 persevered b3246393c709e55e93de64dc63360d37     
v.坚忍,坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • She persevered with her violin lessons. 她孜孜不倦地学习小提琴。
  • Hard as the conditions were, he persevered in his studies. 虽然条件艰苦,但他仍坚持学习。 来自辞典例句
15 obstinacy C0qy7     
n.顽固;(病痛等)难治
参考例句:
  • It is a very accountable obstinacy.这是一种完全可以理解的固执态度。
  • Cindy's anger usually made him stand firm to the point of obstinacy.辛迪一发怒,常常使他坚持自见,并达到执拗的地步。
16 faltered d034d50ce5a8004ff403ab402f79ec8d     
(嗓音)颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 ); 支吾其词; 蹒跚; 摇晃
参考例句:
  • He faltered out a few words. 他支吾地说出了几句。
  • "Er - but he has such a longhead!" the man faltered. 他不好意思似的嚅嗫着:“这孩子脑袋真长。”
17 ascertained e6de5c3a87917771a9555db9cf4de019     
v.弄清,确定,查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The previously unidentified objects have now been definitely ascertained as being satellites. 原来所说的不明飞行物现在已证实是卫星。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I ascertained that she was dead. 我断定她已经死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 disposition GljzO     
n.性情,性格;意向,倾向;排列,部署
参考例句:
  • He has made a good disposition of his property.他已对财产作了妥善处理。
  • He has a cheerful disposition.他性情开朗。


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