【課文】
First listen and then answer the following question.
聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。
What do glimpses of beauty, either in nature or art, often suggest to the human mind?
A young man sees a sunset and, unable to understand or to express the emotion that it rouses in him, concludes that it must be the gateway to a world that lies beyond. It is difficult for any of us in moments of intense aesthetic experience to resist the suggestion that we are catching a glimpse of a light that shines down to us from a different realm of existence, different and, because the experience is intensely moving, in some way higher. And, though the gleams blind and dazzle, yet do they convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined. Greater too than we can describe; for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world, cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another.
That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond is undeniable. In some moods, Nature shares it. There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision of a greater beauty, a vision which passes before it is fully glimpsed, and in passing leaves an indefinable longing and regret. But, if this world is not merely a bad joke, life a vulgar flare amid the cool radiance of the stars, and existence an empty laugh braying across the mysteries; if these intimations of a something behind and beyond are not evil humour born of indigestion, or whimsies sent by the devil to mock and madden us, if, in a word, beauty means something, yet we must not seek to interpret the meaning. If we glimpse the unutterable, it is unwise to try to utter it, nor should we seek to invest with significance that which we cannot grasp. Beauty in terms of our human meanings is meaningless.
C.E.M.JOAD Pieces of Mind
【New words and expressions 生詞和短語】
intense adj. 強烈的
aesthetic adj. 審美的
realm n. 世界
serenity n. 靜謐
undeniable adj. 不可否認(rèn)的
indefinable adj. 模糊不清的
vulgar adj. 平庸的
radiance n. 發(fā)光
intimation n. 暗示
unutterable adj. 不可言傳的
invest v. 賦予
【課文注釋】
1. catch a glimpse of 瞥見，瞥一眼
例句： We can catch a glimpse of the downtown districts.
我們可以瞥見市區(qū)。
2. in some way higher
①in some way是“在某種程度上”， higher與前面different and 是并列的，做realm of existence 的定語。
例句： I may be able to help you in some way.
我也許可以從某個方面去幫助你。
②in a way “從某種意義上”
例句： In a way they played a vanguard role.
在某種意義上說，他們起了先鋒的作用。
3. yet do they convey a hint of beauty
①do起強調(diào)作用，放在主語之前更具有強調(diào)的意義。
②convey vt. 表達(dá)， 傳達(dá)， 運輸， 轉(zhuǎn)移
例句： I find it hard to convey my feelings in word.
我覺得難以用言語表達(dá)我的感情。
vt. [律]讓與
例句： The farm was conveyed to his son.
那塊農(nóng)田讓給了他的兒子。
【詞義辨析】
bring, carry, take, fetch, get, convey, transport
這些動詞均有“帶、拿、取”之意。
bring: 指從某處把人或物帶到或拿到說話者所在的地點，強調(diào)方向，不著重方式。
carry: 指把物品從一個地方帶到另一個地方，不涉及方向，只強調(diào)方式。
take: 指從說話人或說話人心目中所在處把某人或某物帶離開，帶到離說話者有一定距離的地方，與bring的方向正相反，側(cè)重方向，不著重方式。
fetch: 指一往一返，相當(dāng)于go and bring，去取了東西或帶人再返回到出發(fā)處。
get: 口語用詞，與fetch基本同義，語氣隨便。
convey: 指通過中間人傳遞信息，或以某種方式把人或物送到目的地。
transport: 指使用車輛或機械設(shè)備把人或貨物從一處運載到另一處。
③a hint of 少許，一點點
例句： There was more than a hint of sadness in his voice.
他的聲音里有許多哀傷的成分。
4. be fitted to
例句： The policy should be fitted to a new situation.
這項政策必須適應(yīng)新形勢。
5. undeniable (not possible to deny) adj. 不可否認(rèn)的， 無可辯駁的
例句： But two-digit growth is undeniable.
但兩位數(shù)的漲幅是不可否認(rèn)的。
What was undeniable was the wide appeal of this popular humour.
無可否認(rèn)的是這種大眾幽默非常受人歡迎。
6. In some moods Nature shares it. 在某種狀態(tài)下，大自然也具有這種力量。it是指前面一句中this power of suggesting a world beyond。
7. vulgar adj. 通俗的，粗俗的，鄉(xiāng)土的
例句：Her taste in clothing is rather vulgar.
她穿著相當(dāng)俗氣。
【詞義辨析】
vulgar, coarse, crude, gross 這些形容詞均含“粗魯?shù)?，粗俗的”之意?BR> vulgar : 側(cè)重指對聽者的冒犯，往往強調(diào)粗野，言行、趣味不高，缺乏教養(yǎng)。
coarse : 指缺乏教養(yǎng)，言談粗俗，舉止粗野，可與vulgar換用。
crude : 與vulgar同義，也指言談舉止粗俗，不文雅，缺乏教養(yǎng)。
gross : 語氣強烈，指粗魯、無禮貌，令人討厭。
8. in a word 總而言之， 簡言之
例句：In a word, we must just leave now.
總而言之，我們必須現(xiàn)在就走。
In a word, the situation is serious.
總而言之，形勢很嚴(yán)峻
9. invest v.
①投資;投入(時間等)
例句：He invested all his money in real estate.
他把錢全部投資房地產(chǎn)。
②授予，賦予
例句：The trade union is invested with the power to call a strike.
工會被授于號召罷工的權(quán)力。
The ancient castle was invested with an air of mystery.
這座古堡充滿神秘的氣氛。
10. in terms of 用……的話;按照，從……方面來說
例句：In term of money, he's quite rich, but not in term of happiness.
就錢來說他很富有，但就幸福來說就不然了。
Staying up late makes him at his worst in terms of physical situation.
熬夜使得他的體力狀況處于低潮。
【參考譯文】
一個年輕人看到日落，由于無法理解和表達(dá)日落在他心中喚起的激情，便得出結(jié)論：日落處想必是通往遙遠(yuǎn)世界的大門。無論是誰，在強烈感受到美的時刻，心中都不禁油然而生一種遐想：我們似乎瞥見從另一個世界射向我們的一線光芒，那個世界不僅不同于我們這個世界，而且由于美感的強烈感染，在某些方面比我們這個世界更美好。雖然這光芒令人眼花繚亂，但它確實給予我們一種不曾經(jīng)歷和無法想象的美感和靜謐的啟示。這種美感和靜謐是我們無法描述的，因為我們發(fā)明的語言是用來描述我們這個世界的含義，不能隨便拿來去描述另一個世界。
不可否認(rèn)，一切偉大的藝術(shù)都具有使人遐想到進(jìn)入天外世界的魅力。在某種狀態(tài)下，大自然也有這種魅力。六月蔚藍(lán)的天空總使人遙想一個更加蔚藍(lán)的蒼穹;美麗的落日總會引起一個更加絢麗的景象，這景象未及飽覽便一閃即逝，并在消逝中給人留下不可名狀的渴望和惆悵。如果這個世界不只是一個拙劣的惡作劇，如果人生不只是群星寒光中平凡的一閃，如果存在不只是對神秘事物的一陣空虛的笑聲，如果某種玄妙事物的暗示不是消化不良引起的邪惡情緒，也不是魔鬼為了捉弄我們，使我們發(fā)狂而送給我們的邪念，一句話，如果美有某種意義的話，我們千萬不要去闡明它的意義。如果我瞥見了只可意會不可言傳的事物，企圖把它說出來，那是不明智的;對于我們不理解的事物，我們也不應(yīng)該去賦予它某種意義。用對我們?nèi)祟愑幸饬x的詞句來解釋美是沒有意義的。
First listen and then answer the following question.
聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。
What do glimpses of beauty, either in nature or art, often suggest to the human mind?
A young man sees a sunset and, unable to understand or to express the emotion that it rouses in him, concludes that it must be the gateway to a world that lies beyond. It is difficult for any of us in moments of intense aesthetic experience to resist the suggestion that we are catching a glimpse of a light that shines down to us from a different realm of existence, different and, because the experience is intensely moving, in some way higher. And, though the gleams blind and dazzle, yet do they convey a hint of beauty and serenity greater than we have known or imagined. Greater too than we can describe; for language, which was invented to convey the meanings of this world, cannot readily be fitted to the uses of another.
That all great art has this power of suggesting a world beyond is undeniable. In some moods, Nature shares it. There is no sky in June so blue that it does not point forward to a bluer, no sunset so beautiful that it does not waken the vision of a greater beauty, a vision which passes before it is fully glimpsed, and in passing leaves an indefinable longing and regret. But, if this world is not merely a bad joke, life a vulgar flare amid the cool radiance of the stars, and existence an empty laugh braying across the mysteries; if these intimations of a something behind and beyond are not evil humour born of indigestion, or whimsies sent by the devil to mock and madden us, if, in a word, beauty means something, yet we must not seek to interpret the meaning. If we glimpse the unutterable, it is unwise to try to utter it, nor should we seek to invest with significance that which we cannot grasp. Beauty in terms of our human meanings is meaningless.
C.E.M.JOAD Pieces of Mind
【New words and expressions 生詞和短語】
intense adj. 強烈的
aesthetic adj. 審美的
realm n. 世界
serenity n. 靜謐
undeniable adj. 不可否認(rèn)的
indefinable adj. 模糊不清的
vulgar adj. 平庸的
radiance n. 發(fā)光
intimation n. 暗示
unutterable adj. 不可言傳的
invest v. 賦予
【課文注釋】
1. catch a glimpse of 瞥見，瞥一眼
例句： We can catch a glimpse of the downtown districts.
我們可以瞥見市區(qū)。
2. in some way higher
①in some way是“在某種程度上”， higher與前面different and 是并列的，做realm of existence 的定語。
例句： I may be able to help you in some way.
我也許可以從某個方面去幫助你。
②in a way “從某種意義上”
例句： In a way they played a vanguard role.
在某種意義上說，他們起了先鋒的作用。
3. yet do they convey a hint of beauty
①do起強調(diào)作用，放在主語之前更具有強調(diào)的意義。
②convey vt. 表達(dá)， 傳達(dá)， 運輸， 轉(zhuǎn)移
例句： I find it hard to convey my feelings in word.
我覺得難以用言語表達(dá)我的感情。
vt. [律]讓與
例句： The farm was conveyed to his son.
那塊農(nóng)田讓給了他的兒子。
【詞義辨析】
bring, carry, take, fetch, get, convey, transport
這些動詞均有“帶、拿、取”之意。
bring: 指從某處把人或物帶到或拿到說話者所在的地點，強調(diào)方向，不著重方式。
carry: 指把物品從一個地方帶到另一個地方，不涉及方向，只強調(diào)方式。
take: 指從說話人或說話人心目中所在處把某人或某物帶離開，帶到離說話者有一定距離的地方，與bring的方向正相反，側(cè)重方向，不著重方式。
fetch: 指一往一返，相當(dāng)于go and bring，去取了東西或帶人再返回到出發(fā)處。
get: 口語用詞，與fetch基本同義，語氣隨便。
convey: 指通過中間人傳遞信息，或以某種方式把人或物送到目的地。
transport: 指使用車輛或機械設(shè)備把人或貨物從一處運載到另一處。
③a hint of 少許，一點點
例句： There was more than a hint of sadness in his voice.
他的聲音里有許多哀傷的成分。
4. be fitted to
例句： The policy should be fitted to a new situation.
這項政策必須適應(yīng)新形勢。
5. undeniable (not possible to deny) adj. 不可否認(rèn)的， 無可辯駁的
例句： But two-digit growth is undeniable.
但兩位數(shù)的漲幅是不可否認(rèn)的。
What was undeniable was the wide appeal of this popular humour.
無可否認(rèn)的是這種大眾幽默非常受人歡迎。
6. In some moods Nature shares it. 在某種狀態(tài)下，大自然也具有這種力量。it是指前面一句中this power of suggesting a world beyond。
7. vulgar adj. 通俗的，粗俗的，鄉(xiāng)土的
例句：Her taste in clothing is rather vulgar.
她穿著相當(dāng)俗氣。
【詞義辨析】
vulgar, coarse, crude, gross 這些形容詞均含“粗魯?shù)?，粗俗的”之意?BR> vulgar : 側(cè)重指對聽者的冒犯，往往強調(diào)粗野，言行、趣味不高，缺乏教養(yǎng)。
coarse : 指缺乏教養(yǎng)，言談粗俗，舉止粗野，可與vulgar換用。
crude : 與vulgar同義，也指言談舉止粗俗，不文雅，缺乏教養(yǎng)。
gross : 語氣強烈，指粗魯、無禮貌，令人討厭。
8. in a word 總而言之， 簡言之
例句：In a word, we must just leave now.
總而言之，我們必須現(xiàn)在就走。
In a word, the situation is serious.
總而言之，形勢很嚴(yán)峻
9. invest v.
①投資;投入(時間等)
例句：He invested all his money in real estate.
他把錢全部投資房地產(chǎn)。
②授予，賦予
例句：The trade union is invested with the power to call a strike.
工會被授于號召罷工的權(quán)力。
The ancient castle was invested with an air of mystery.
這座古堡充滿神秘的氣氛。
10. in terms of 用……的話;按照，從……方面來說
例句：In term of money, he's quite rich, but not in term of happiness.
就錢來說他很富有，但就幸福來說就不然了。
Staying up late makes him at his worst in terms of physical situation.
熬夜使得他的體力狀況處于低潮。
【參考譯文】
一個年輕人看到日落，由于無法理解和表達(dá)日落在他心中喚起的激情，便得出結(jié)論：日落處想必是通往遙遠(yuǎn)世界的大門。無論是誰，在強烈感受到美的時刻，心中都不禁油然而生一種遐想：我們似乎瞥見從另一個世界射向我們的一線光芒，那個世界不僅不同于我們這個世界，而且由于美感的強烈感染，在某些方面比我們這個世界更美好。雖然這光芒令人眼花繚亂，但它確實給予我們一種不曾經(jīng)歷和無法想象的美感和靜謐的啟示。這種美感和靜謐是我們無法描述的，因為我們發(fā)明的語言是用來描述我們這個世界的含義，不能隨便拿來去描述另一個世界。
不可否認(rèn)，一切偉大的藝術(shù)都具有使人遐想到進(jìn)入天外世界的魅力。在某種狀態(tài)下，大自然也有這種魅力。六月蔚藍(lán)的天空總使人遙想一個更加蔚藍(lán)的蒼穹;美麗的落日總會引起一個更加絢麗的景象，這景象未及飽覽便一閃即逝，并在消逝中給人留下不可名狀的渴望和惆悵。如果這個世界不只是一個拙劣的惡作劇，如果人生不只是群星寒光中平凡的一閃，如果存在不只是對神秘事物的一陣空虛的笑聲，如果某種玄妙事物的暗示不是消化不良引起的邪惡情緒，也不是魔鬼為了捉弄我們，使我們發(fā)狂而送給我們的邪念，一句話，如果美有某種意義的話，我們千萬不要去闡明它的意義。如果我瞥見了只可意會不可言傳的事物，企圖把它說出來，那是不明智的;對于我們不理解的事物，我們也不應(yīng)該去賦予它某種意義。用對我們?nèi)祟愑幸饬x的詞句來解釋美是沒有意義的。