时间:2018-12-18 作者:英语课 分类:现代大学英语精读


英语课

  Diogenes and Alexander

Lying on the bare earth, shoeless, bearded, half-naked, he looked like a beggar or a lunatic.He was one, but not the other. He had opened his eyes with the sun at dawn, scratched,done his business like a dog at the roadside, washed at the public fountain, begged a piece of breakfast bread and a few olives, eaten them squatting 1 on the ground, and washed them down with a few handfuls of water scooped 2 from the spring. (Long ago he had owned a rough wooden cup, but he threw it away when he saw a boy drinking out of his hollowed hands.)

Having no work to go to and no family to provide for, he was free. As the market place filled up with shoppers and merchants and slaves and foreigners, he had strolled through it for an hour or two.

Everybody knew him, or knew of him. They would throw sharp questions at him and get sharper answers. Sometimes they threw bits of food, and got scant 3 thanks; sometimes a mischievous 4 pebble 5, and got a shower of stones and abuse. They were not quite sure whether he was mad or not. He knew they were mad, each in a different way; they amused him. Now he was back at his home.

It was not a house, not even a squatter's hut. He thought everybody lived far too elaborately, expensively, anxiously. What good is a house? No one needs privacy; natural acts are not shameful 6; we all do the same things, and we need not hide them. No one needs beds and chairs and such furniture: the animals live healthy lives and sleep on the ground. All we require, since nature did not dress us properly, is one garment to keep us warm, and some shelter from rain and wind. So he had one blanket—to dress him in the daytime and cover him at night—and he slept in a cask. His name was Diogenes. He was the founder 7 of the creed 8 called Cynicism “doggishness”; he spent much of his life in the rich, lazy, corrupt 9 Greek city of Corinth, mocking and satirizing 10 its people, and occasionally converting one of them.

His home was not a barrel made of wood: too expensive. It was a storage jar made of

earthenware 11, no doubt discarded because a break had made it useless. He was not the first to inhabit such a thing. But he was the first who ever did so by choice, out of

principle. Diogenes was not a lunatic. He was a philosopher who wrote plays and

poems and essays expounding 12 his doctrine 13; he talked to those who cared to listen; he had pupils who admired him. But he taught chiefly by example. All should live naturally, he said, for what is natural is normal and cannot possibly be evil or shameful. Live without conventions, which are artificial and false; escape complexities 14 and extravagances: only so can you live a free life. The rich man believes he possesses his big house with its many rooms and its elaborate furniture, his expensive clothes, his horses and his servants and his bank accounts. He does not. He depends on them, he worries about them, he spends most of his life's energy looking after them; the thought of losing them makes him sick with anxiety. They possess him. He is their slave. In order to procure 15 a quantity of false, perishable 16 goods he has sold the only true, lasting 17 good, his own independence.

There have been many men who grew tired of human society with its complications, and went away to live simply—on a small farm, in a quiet village, or in a hermit’s cave. Not so Diogenes. He was a missionary 18. His life's aim was clear to him: it was “to restamp the currency.” to take the clean metal of human life, to erase 19 the old false conventional markings, and to imprint 20 it with its true values.

The other great philosophers of the fourth century before Christ such as Plato and Aristotle taught mainly their own private pupils. But for Diogenes, laboratory and specimens 21 and lecture halls and pupils were all to be found in a crowd of ordinary people. Therefore he chose to live in Athens or in the rich city of Corinth, where travelers from all over the Mediterranean 22 world constantly came and went. And, by design, he publicly behaved in such ways as to show people what real life was. He thought most people were only half-alive, most men only half-men. At bright noonday he walked through the market place carrying a lighted lamp and inspecting the face of everyone he met.

They asked him why. Diogenes answered, “I am trying to find a man.”

To a gentleman whose servant was putting on his shoes for him, Diogenes said, “You won’t be really happy until he wipes your nose for you: that will come after you lose the use of your hands.”

Once there was a war scare so serious that it stirred even the lazy, profit-happy Corinthians. They began to drill, clean their weapons, and rebuild their neglected fortifications. Diogenes took his old cask and began to roll it up and down. “When you are all so busy,” he said, “I felt I ought to do something!”

And so he lived—like a dog, some said, because he cared nothing for the conventions of society, and because he showed his teeth and barked at those whom he disliked. Now he was lying in the sunlight, contented 23 and happy, happier (he himself used to boast) than the Shah of Persia. Although he knew he was going to have an important visitor, he would not move.

The little square began to fill with people. Page boys , soldiers, secretaries, officers, diplomats 24, they all gradually formed a circle around Diogenes. He looked them over, as a sober man looks at a crowd of tottering 25 drunks, and shook his head. He knew who they were. They were the servants of Alexander, the conqueror 26 of Greece,the Macedonian king, who was visiting his newly subdued 27 realm.

Only twenty, Alexander was far older and wiser than his years. Like all Macedonians he loved drinking, but he could usually handle it; and toward women he was nobly restrained and chivalrous 28.

Like all Macedonians he loved fighting; he was a magnificent commander, but he was not merely a military automaton 29. He could think. At thirteen he had become a pupil of the greatest mind in Greece, Aristotle who gave him the best of Greek culture. He taught Alexander poetry: the young prince slept with the Iliad under his pillow and longed to emulate 30 Achilles, who brought the mighty 31 power of Asia to ruin. He taught him philosophy, in particular the shapes and uses of political powerand he taught him the principles of scientific research: during his invasion of the Persian domains 32 Alexander took with him a large corps 33 of scientists, and shipped hundreds of zoological specimens back to Greece for study. Indeed, it was from Aristotle that Alexander learned to seek out everything strange which might be instructive.

Now, Alexander was in Corinth to take command of the League of Greek States which, his father Philip had created as a disguise for the New Macedonian Order. He was

welcomed and honored and flattered. He was the man of the hour, of the century: he was unanimously appointed commander-in-chief of a new expedition against old, rich, corrupt Asia. Nearly everyone crowded to Corinth in order to congratulate him, to seek employment with him, even simply to see him. Only Diogenes, although he lived in Corinth, did not visit the new monarch 34. With that generosity 35 which Aristotle had taught him , Alexander determined 36 to call upon Diogenes. With his handsome face, his fiery 37 glance, his strong supple 38 body, his purple and gold cloak, and his air of destiny, he moved through the parting crowd, toward the Dog’s kennel 39. When a king

approaches, all rise in respect. Diogenes merely sat up on one elbow. When a monarch

enters a precinct, all greet him with a bow or an acclamation. Diogenes said nothing.

There was a silence. Alexander spoke 40 first, with a kindly 41 greeting. Looking at the poor broken cask, the single ragged 42 garment, and the rough figure lying on the ground, he said: “Is there anything I can do for you, Diogenes?”

“Yes,” said the Dog, “Stand to one side. You’re blocking the sunlight.”

There was amazed silence, slowly, Alexander turned away. A titter broke out from the elegant Greeks, the Macedonian officers, after deciding that Diogenes was not worth the trouble of kicking, were starting to guffaw 43 and nudge one another. Alexander was still silent. To those nearest him he said quietly, “If I were not Alexander, I should be Diogenes.” They took it as a paradox 44, but Alexander meant it. He understood Cynicism as the others could not. He was what Diogenes called himself, a cosmopolites, “citizen of the world.”

Like Diogenes, he admired the heroic figure of Hercules, who labors 45 to help

mankind while all others toiled 46 and sweated only for themselves. He knew that of all man that lived the world, only Alexander the conqueror and Diogenes the beggar, were free.



1 squatting
v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的现在分词 );非法擅自占用(土地或房屋);为获得其所有权;而占用某片公共用地。
  • They ended up squatting in the empty houses on Oxford Road. 他们落得在牛津路偷住空房的境地。
  • They've been squatting in an apartment for the past two years. 他们过去两年来一直擅自占用一套公寓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 scooped
v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 );(敏捷地)抱起;抢先获得;用铲[勺]等挖(洞等)
  • They scooped the other newspapers by revealing the matter. 他们抢先报道了这件事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块,在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 scant
adj.不充分的,不足的;v.减缩,限制,忽略
  • Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
  • Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候,许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。
4 mischievous
adj.调皮的,恶作剧的,有害的,伤人的
  • He is a mischievous but lovable boy.他是一个淘气但可爱的小孩。
  • A mischievous cur must be tied short.恶狗必须拴得短。
5 pebble
n.卵石,小圆石
  • The bird mistook the pebble for egg and tried to hatch it.这只鸟错把卵石当蛋,想去孵它。
  • The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。
6 shameful
adj.可耻的,不道德的
  • It is very shameful of him to show off.他向人炫耀自己,真不害臊。
  • We must expose this shameful activity to the newspapers.我们一定要向报社揭露这一无耻行径。
7 Founder
n.创始者,缔造者
  • He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
  • According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说,罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。
8 creed
n.信条;信念,纲领
  • They offended against every article of his creed.他们触犯了他的每一条戒律。
  • Our creed has always been that business is business.我们的信条一直是公私分明。
9 corrupt
v.贿赂,收买;adj.腐败的,贪污的
  • The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
  • This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。
10 satirizing
v.讽刺,讥讽( satirize的现在分词 )
  • River morals " is novel satirizing the knight novel. " 《堂吉河德》是一部讽刺骑士小说的小说。 来自互联网
  • Marlows delights in excesses, until sometimes he seems to be satirizing his own manner. 马洛老爱走极端,直到他有时嘲笑自己的态度。 来自互联网
11 earthenware
n.土器,陶器
  • She made sure that the glassware and earthenware were always spotlessly clean.她总是把玻璃器皿和陶器洗刷得干干净净。
  • They displayed some bowls of glazed earthenware.他们展出了一些上釉的陶碗。
12 expounding
论述,详细讲解( expound的现在分词 )
  • Soon Gandhi was expounding the doctrine of ahimsa (nonviolence). 不久甘地就四出阐释非暴力主义思想。
  • He was expounding, of course, his philosophy of leadership. 当然,他这是在阐述他的领导哲学。
13 doctrine
n.教义;主义;学说
  • He was impelled to proclaim his doctrine.他不得不宣扬他的教义。
  • The council met to consider changes to doctrine.宗教议会开会考虑更改教义。
14 complexities
复杂性(complexity的名词复数); 复杂的事物
  • The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
  • The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。
15 procure
vt.获得,取得,促成;vi.拉皮条
  • Can you procure some specimens for me?你能替我弄到一些标本吗?
  • I'll try my best to procure you that original French novel.我将尽全力给你搞到那本原版法国小说。
16 perishable
adj.(尤指食物)易腐的,易坏的
  • Many fresh foods are highly perishable.许多新鲜食物都极易腐败。
  • Fruits are perishable in transit.水果在运送时容易腐烂。
17 lasting
adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持
  • The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
  • We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。
18 missionary
adj.教会的,传教(士)的;n.传教士
  • She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
  • I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。
19 erase
v.擦掉;消除某事物的痕迹
  • He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
  • Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。
20 imprint
n.印痕,痕迹;深刻的印象;vt.压印,牢记
  • That dictionary is published under the Longman imprint.那本词典以朗曼公司的名义出版。
  • Her speech left its imprint on me.她的演讲给我留下了深刻印象。
21 specimens
n.样品( specimen的名词复数 );范例;(化验的)抽样;某种类型的人
  • Astronauts have brought back specimens of rock from the moon. 宇航员从月球带回了岩石标本。
  • The traveler brought back some specimens of the rocks from the mountains. 那位旅行者从山上带回了一些岩石标本。 来自《简明英汉词典》
22 Mediterranean
adj.地中海的;地中海沿岸的
  • The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
  • Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。
23 contented
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的
  • 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。
24 diplomats
n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 );有手腕的人,善于交际的人
  • These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
  • The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》
25 tottering
adj.蹒跚的,动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 );踉跄;蹒跚;摇摇欲坠
  • the tottering walls of the castle 古城堡摇摇欲坠的墙壁
  • With power and to spare we must pursue the tottering foe. 宜将剩勇追穷寇。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
26 conqueror
n.征服者,胜利者
  • We shall never yield to a conqueror.我们永远不会向征服者低头。
  • They abandoned the city to the conqueror.他们把那个城市丢弃给征服者。
27 subdued
adj.武士精神的;对女人彬彬有礼的
  • Men are so little chivalrous now.现在的男人几乎没有什么骑士风度了。
  • Toward women he was nobly restrained and chivalrous.对于妇女,他表现得高尚拘谨,尊敬三分。
28 automaton
n.自动机器,机器人
  • This is a fully functional automaton.这是一个有全自动功能的机器人。
  • I get sick of being thought of as a political automaton.我讨厌被看作政治机器。
29 emulate
v.努力赶上或超越,与…竞争;效仿
  • You must work hard to emulate your sister.你必须努力工作,赶上你姐姐。
  • You must look at the film and try to emulate his behavior.你们必须观看这部电影,并尽力模仿他的动作。
30 mighty
adj.强有力的;巨大的
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
31 domains
n.范围( domain的名词复数 );领域;版图;地产
  • The theory of thermodynamics links the macroscopic and submicroscopic domains. 热力学把宏观世界同亚微观世界联系起来。 来自辞典例句
  • All three flow domains are indicated by shading. 所有三个流动区域都是用阴影部分表示的。 来自辞典例句
32 corps
n.(通信等兵种的)部队;(同类作的)一组
  • The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
  • When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
33 monarch
n.帝王,君主,最高统治者
  • The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
  • I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。
34 generosity
n.大度,慷慨,慷慨的行为
  • We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。
  • We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。
35 determined
adj.坚定的;有决心的
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
36 fiery
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的
  • She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
  • His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。
37 supple
adj.柔软的,易弯的,逢迎的,顺从的,灵活的;vt.使柔软,使柔顺,使顺从;vi.变柔软,变柔顺
  • She gets along well with people because of her supple nature.她与大家相处很好,因为她的天性柔和。
  • He admired the graceful and supple movements of the dancers.他赞扬了舞蹈演员优雅灵巧的舞姿。
38 kennel
n.狗舍,狗窝
  • Sporting dogs should be kept out of doors in a kennel.猎狗应该养在户外的狗窝中。
  • Rescued dogs are housed in a standard kennel block.获救的狗被装在一个标准的犬舍里。
39 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。
40 kindly
adj.和蔼的,温和的,爽快的;adv.温和地,亲切地
  • Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
  • A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。
41 ragged
adj.衣衫褴褛的,粗糙的,刺耳的
  • A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
  • Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。
42 guffaw
n.哄笑;突然的大笑
  • All the boys burst out into a guffaw at the joke.听到这个笑话,男孩子们发出一阵哄笑。
  • As they guffawed loudly,the ticket collector arrived.他们正哈哈大笑的时候,检票员到了。
43 paradox
n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法;自相矛盾的人(物)
  • The story contains many levels of paradox.这个故事存在多重悖论。
  • The paradox is that Japan does need serious education reform.矛盾的地方是日本确实需要教育改革。
44 labors
v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 );苦干;详细分析;(指引擎)缓慢而困难地运转
  • He was tiresome in contending for the value of his own labors. 他老为他自己劳动的价值而争强斗胜,令人生厌。 来自辞典例句
  • Farm labors used to hire themselves out for the summer. 农业劳动者夏季常去当雇工。 来自辞典例句
45 toiled
长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉
  • They toiled up the hill in the blazing sun. 他们冒着炎炎烈日艰难地一步一步爬上山冈。
  • He toiled all day long but earned very little. 他整天劳碌但挣得很少。
学英语单词
a chip in pottage
accounting ethics
acid rain
aeshma
afaf
ahmer
altitude track
arthralgia-synadrome
attribute record
avalanche of massive snow
beheaders
bellatrice
binoquercetin
blacksheep
car-pooled
Chilumba
classification number
close milk filter
coalface support
cold resistivity
counter-doping
crossed card
cyclopel
cyclopentanoperhydrophenanthrene ring
damage variable
decode scaler
decomplier
denoised
designated compliance officer
difference Fourier method
dizirconyl
draft test
Dual Filing Advisory Group
electric bridge crane
epithiazide
eragrostis cylindrica
Eubolin
extinction of crime
ferritisey
field of view (fov)
fiks
fire detection
fore-piece
frangility
galipot (resin)
global optimal solution
haanas
handle setting plate
handsdown
hoople
hydrophabia
I region
Joseph I
laparoenterostomy
light rings
limiting test
loop checking system
Lord love you !
male wrench
medico paper
memory density
mesophytic environment
multiformat camera
music departments
nesophitic
nocturnal enuresis
nonresident tax-payer
orbit transfer rocket engine
overhead-valve
perchlorofluoromethane
Phenhenzamine
pl/i-formac
polynomial algebra
radial flow centrifugal pump
reactor power meter
rust roofing
Saccharomyces exiguus
seeman
shortland islands
skin care agent
slip nooses
slow burning
soil succession
spinal accessories
spirochaetal disease
subjective fremitus
sulfo
Tartu
the Federal Reserve Board
thematic flexion
thermal-oxidative plasticization
tie coat
tole-rants
torshear type high strength bolt
Vidzeme
vrock
Whitmore's bacillus
wild China tree
wirecut EDM