名人轶事:Ralph Waldo Emerson
英语课
By Richard Thorman
25 Sep 2004, 20:22 UTC
Broadcast: September 26, 2004
(THEME)
VOICE ONE:
I'm Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA.
Today we tell about the life of Nineteenth Century philosopher 1 and writer
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
VOICE ONE:
The United States had won its independence from Britain just twenty-two years
before Ralph Waldo Emerson was born. But it had yet to win its cultural
independence. It still took its traditions from other countries, mostly from
western Europe.
What the American Revolution did for the nation's politics, Emerson did for
its culture.
When he began writing and speaking in the eighteen thirties, conservatives 2
saw him as radical 3 -- wild and dangerous. But to the young, he spoke 4 words of
self-dependence -- a new language of freedom. He was the first to bring them
a truly American spirit.
He told America to demand its own laws and churches and works 5. It is through
his own works that we shall look at Ralph Waldo Emerson.
VOICE TWO:
Ralph Waldo Emerson's life was not as exciting as the lives of some other
American writers -- Herman Melville, Mark Twain or Ernest Hemingway. Emerson
traveled to Europe several times. And he made speeches at a number of places
in the United States. But, except for those trips, he lived all his life in
the small town of Concord 6, Massachusetts.
He once said that the shortest books are those about the lives of people with
great minds. Emerson was not speaking about himself. Yet his own life proves
the thought.
VOICE ONE:
Emerson was born in the northeastern city of Boston, Massachusetts, in
eighteen oh three. Boston was then the capital of learning 7 in the United
States.
Emerson's father, like many of the men in his family, was a minister of a
Christian 8 church. When Emerson was eleven years old, his father died. Missus
Emerson was left with very little money to raise her five sons.
After several more years in Boston, the family moved to the nearby town of
Concord. There they joined Emerson's aunt, Mary Moody 9 Emerson.
VOICE TWO:
Emerson seemed to accept the life his mother and aunt wanted for him. As a
boy, he attended Boston Latin 10 School. Then he studied at Harvard University.
For a few years, he taught in a girls' school started by one of his brothers.
But he did not enjoy this kind of teaching 11. For a time, he wondered what he
should do with his life. Finally, like his father, he became a religious
minister. But he had questions about his beliefs and the purpose of his life.
VOICE ONE:
In eighteen thirty-one, Ralph Waldo Emerson resigned as the minister of his
church because of a minor 12 religious issue. What really troubled him was
something else.
It was his growing belief that a person could find God without the help of an
organized church. He believed that God is not found in systems and words, but
in the minds of people. He said that God in us worships 13 God.
Emerson traveled to Europe the following year. He talked about his ideas with
the best-known European writers and thinkers of his time. When he returned to
the United States, he married and settled in Concord. Then he began his life
as a writer and speaker.
VOICE TWO:
Ralph Waldo Emerson published his first book, Nature, in Eighteen thirty-six.
It made conservatives see him as a revolutionary. But students at Harvard
University liked the book and invited him to speak to them.
His speech, "The American Scholar," created great excitement among the
students. They heard his words as a new declaration 14 of independence -- a
declaration of the independence of the mind.
VOICE ONE:
"Give me an understanding of today's world," he told them, "and you may have
the worlds of the past and the future. Show me where God is hidden...as
always...in nature. What is near explains what is far. A drop of water is a
small ocean. Each of us is a part of all of nature."
Emerson said a sign of the times was the new importance given to each person.
"The world," he said, "is nothing. The person is all. In yourself is the law
of all nature."
Emerson urged students to learn directly from life. He told them, "Life is
our dictionary."
25 Sep 2004, 20:22 UTC
Broadcast: September 26, 2004
(THEME)
VOICE ONE:
I'm Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA.
Today we tell about the life of Nineteenth Century philosopher 1 and writer
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
VOICE ONE:
The United States had won its independence from Britain just twenty-two years
before Ralph Waldo Emerson was born. But it had yet to win its cultural
independence. It still took its traditions from other countries, mostly from
western Europe.
What the American Revolution did for the nation's politics, Emerson did for
its culture.
When he began writing and speaking in the eighteen thirties, conservatives 2
saw him as radical 3 -- wild and dangerous. But to the young, he spoke 4 words of
self-dependence -- a new language of freedom. He was the first to bring them
a truly American spirit.
He told America to demand its own laws and churches and works 5. It is through
his own works that we shall look at Ralph Waldo Emerson.
VOICE TWO:
Ralph Waldo Emerson's life was not as exciting as the lives of some other
American writers -- Herman Melville, Mark Twain or Ernest Hemingway. Emerson
traveled to Europe several times. And he made speeches at a number of places
in the United States. But, except for those trips, he lived all his life in
the small town of Concord 6, Massachusetts.
He once said that the shortest books are those about the lives of people with
great minds. Emerson was not speaking about himself. Yet his own life proves
the thought.
VOICE ONE:
Emerson was born in the northeastern city of Boston, Massachusetts, in
eighteen oh three. Boston was then the capital of learning 7 in the United
States.
Emerson's father, like many of the men in his family, was a minister of a
Christian 8 church. When Emerson was eleven years old, his father died. Missus
Emerson was left with very little money to raise her five sons.
After several more years in Boston, the family moved to the nearby town of
Concord. There they joined Emerson's aunt, Mary Moody 9 Emerson.
VOICE TWO:
Emerson seemed to accept the life his mother and aunt wanted for him. As a
boy, he attended Boston Latin 10 School. Then he studied at Harvard University.
For a few years, he taught in a girls' school started by one of his brothers.
But he did not enjoy this kind of teaching 11. For a time, he wondered what he
should do with his life. Finally, like his father, he became a religious
minister. But he had questions about his beliefs and the purpose of his life.
VOICE ONE:
In eighteen thirty-one, Ralph Waldo Emerson resigned as the minister of his
church because of a minor 12 religious issue. What really troubled him was
something else.
It was his growing belief that a person could find God without the help of an
organized church. He believed that God is not found in systems and words, but
in the minds of people. He said that God in us worships 13 God.
Emerson traveled to Europe the following year. He talked about his ideas with
the best-known European writers and thinkers of his time. When he returned to
the United States, he married and settled in Concord. Then he began his life
as a writer and speaker.
VOICE TWO:
Ralph Waldo Emerson published his first book, Nature, in Eighteen thirty-six.
It made conservatives see him as a revolutionary. But students at Harvard
University liked the book and invited him to speak to them.
His speech, "The American Scholar," created great excitement among the
students. They heard his words as a new declaration 14 of independence -- a
declaration of the independence of the mind.
VOICE ONE:
"Give me an understanding of today's world," he told them, "and you may have
the worlds of the past and the future. Show me where God is hidden...as
always...in nature. What is near explains what is far. A drop of water is a
small ocean. Each of us is a part of all of nature."
Emerson said a sign of the times was the new importance given to each person.
"The world," he said, "is nothing. The person is all. In yourself is the law
of all nature."
Emerson urged students to learn directly from life. He told them, "Life is
our dictionary."
1 philosopher
n.哲学家，哲人
- The philosopher has his ideas built on the rock of reason.那位哲学家把思想稳固地建立于理性之上。
- What a philosopher seeks after is truth.一个哲学家所追求的是真理。
2 conservatives
保守的人( conservative的名词复数 )； （英国）保守党党员，保守党支持者
- The Conservatives were then the governing party . 那时是保守党当政。
- The Conservatives were once more in power. 保守党再次执政。
3 radical
n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的
- The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
- She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。
4 spoke
n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说
- They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
- The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
5 works
n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件
- We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
- The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。
6 concord
n.和谐；协调
- These states had lived in concord for centuries.这些国家几个世纪以来一直和睦相处。
- His speech did nothing for racial concord.他的讲话对种族和谐没有作用。
7 learning
n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词
- When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
- Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。
8 Christian
adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒
- They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
- His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
9 moody
adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的
- He relapsed into a moody silence.他又重新陷于忧郁的沉默中。
- I'd never marry that girl.She's so moody.我决不会和那女孩结婚的。她太易怒了。
10 Latin
adj.拉丁的，拉丁语的，拉丁人的；n.拉丁语
- She learned Latin without a master.她无师自通学会了拉丁语。
- Please use only Latin characters.请仅使用拉丁文字符。
11 teaching
n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲
- We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
- He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。
12 minor
adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修
- The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
- I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。
13 worships
n.（对治安官或市长的尊称）阁下( worship的名词复数 )v.崇拜，尊崇( worship的第三人称单数 )；做礼拜；热爱；爱慕
- Anyway, I am just a Guardian that no one worships. 说白了，我只是个没人供奉的守护灵而已。” 来自互联网
- Jim worships Mary; he would go throughand water for her. 吉姆崇拜玛丽，愿为她赴汤蹈火。 来自互联网
14 declaration
n.宣布，宣告，宣言，声明（书），申报
- We read the declaration posted on the bulletin board.我们读了贴在布告板上的声明。
- At the recent convention a declaration was adopted.在最近举行的大会上通过了一项宣言。
15 moral
adj.道德(上)的，有道德的；n.品行，寓意，道德
- Moral beauty ought to be ranked above all other beauty.品德之美应列于其他美之上。
- He deceived us into believing that he could give us moral support.他骗得我们相信他能给我们道义上的支持。
16 mister
n.(略作Mr.全称很少用于书面)先生
- Mister Smith is my good friend.史密斯先生是我的好朋友。
- He styled himself " Mister Clean ".他自称是“清廉先生”。
17 restricts
v.（以法规）限制( restrict的第三人称单数 )；约束；束缚
- Her diet restricts her to 1500 calories a day. 她的规定饮食限制她每天摄入1500大卡热量。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The removal of infected materials also restricts the spread of Armillaria in established orchards. 把所有受感染的东西消除掉，也是在已建立的种子园中限制密环菌传播的办法。 来自辞典例句
18 Negro
n./adj.黑人；黑人的
- It's impolite to call the black people Negro.称呼黑人为Negro是不礼貌的。
- He was the first Negro ever to enroll there.他是学院招收的第一个黑人学生。
19 condemned
n.争端，分歧；v.争论，争吵，辩论，辩驳
- They are trying to find a way of settling the dispute.他们正设法寻找解决争端的办法。
- The parties to the dispute should be more polite to each other.争执双方应相互礼貌些。
20 disputes
n.辩论( dispute的名词复数 )；争端；（劳资）纠纷；罢工v.辩论，争论( dispute的第三人称单数 )；争夺；阻止；就…进行辩论
- a legalistic approach to family disputes 死抠法律条文解决家庭纠纷的方法
- a party riven by internal disputes 由于内部分歧而四分五裂的政党
21 intense
adj.认真的，专注的；强烈的；紧张的；热情的
- Susan was an intense young lady.苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。
- The quarrel caused her intense unhappiness.争吵令她极其不快。
22 runaway
n.逃走的人，逃亡，亡命者；adj.逃亡的，逃走的
- The police have not found the runaway to date.警察迄今没抓到逃犯。
- He was praised for bringing up the runaway horse.他勒住了脱缰之马受到了表扬。