今天是小芳老师陪你精读外刊的第191天
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Whenitcomestofirstimpressions,weallwanttomakeagoodone.Andthat’swhywetendtofocusonourbesttraitsandqualities.However,weoftenfallintothetrapofthinkingthateverythingaboutusneedstobeperfect.Butthat’sjustunrealistic.Weallhaveimperfections.It’spartofbeinghuman.Andwhileit’seasytobelievethatour‘supposedflawsandimperfections’makeuslessattractive,herearesomethatcanactuallymakeusseemmoreappealingtoothers:
Theproblemwithlibrariesisthattheycanbesolarge,impressive,andfilledwithknowledgethattheyunwittinglyembedinusanideathateverythingworthregistering,everythingvaluableandtrue,mustlie‘outthere’,mustalreadyhavebeenclassedonashelfwithanindexnumbertoawaitourdiscoverythemomentweceasetobesopreoccupiedwithourselves.
Butwhatthismodest,respectfulandquietlyself-hatingconclusiondisguisesisthateachoneofusisanunparalleledandsuperlativecenterofknowledgeinandofourselves;ourmindshavemoreideasstoredinthemthanaretobefoundinthecollectivecataloguesoftheBibliotecaGeraldaUniversidadedeCoimbra,thePierpontMorganLibraryinNewYorkandtheBritishlibraryinLondon;wehavevaultsfilledwithagreaternumberofmovingandbeautifulscenesthanthoseoftheworld’sgreatestmuseumsputtogether.Wearejustfailingtowanderthestacksandgalleriesasoftenasweshould;wearefailingtonoticewhatwehaveseen.Soconvincedarewethatinsightsofworthliebeyondus,wehaveomittedtoconsultthetreasuryofthoughtsandvisionsgeneratedeveryhourbyourendlesslybrilliant,fatefullyunexploredminds.
TheAmericanessayistRalphWaldoEmersononceremarked:“Inthemindsofgeniuses,wefind–oncemore–ourownneglectedthoughts.”
Inotherwords,geniusesdon’thavethoughtsthatareintheendsoverydifferentfromourown;theyhavesimplyhadtheconfidencetotakethemmoreseriously.Ratherthanimaginingthattheirmindsareonlyapaleshadowofthemindsofinfinitelygreaterthinkerswholivedanddiedelsewherelongago,theyhavebeenrespectfulenoughoftheirexistencetoconceivethatoneortwoproperlyvaluableideasmightplausiblychosetoalightinthefamiliaraviaryoftheirownintelligences.Thinkingis–inawaywegenerallyrefusetoimagine–atrulydemocraticactivity.
Weallhaveverysimilarandveryableminds;wheregeniusesdifferisintheirmoreconfidentinclinationstostudythemproperly.
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重点词汇:
长难句:
OurmindshavemoreideasstoredinthemthanaretobefoundinthecollectivecataloguesoftheBibliotecaGeraldaUniversidadedeCoimbra,thePierpontMorganLibraryinNewYorkandtheBritishlibraryinLondon;wehavevaultsfilledwithagreaternumberofmovingandbeautifulscenesthanthoseoftheworld’sgreatestmuseumsputtogether.
这是一个复杂的并列句,其中包含两个并列的分句。第一个分句是“OurmindshavemoreideasstoredinthemthanaretobefoundinthecollectivecataloguesoftheBibliotecaGeraldaUniversidadedeCoimbra,thePierpontMorganLibraryinNewYorkandtheBritishlibraryinLondon”(我们的头脑中存储的思想比在科英布拉大学总图书馆、纽约皮尔庞特·摩根图书馆和伦敦大英图书馆的目录中找到的思想更多)。第二个分句是“wehavevaultsfilledwithagreaternumberofmovingandbeautifulscenesthanthoseoftheworld’sgreatestmuseumsputtogether”(我们拥有比世界上最伟大的博物馆中的场景更多、更美丽的场景)。
2:Ratherthanimaginingthattheirmindsareonlyapaleshadowofthemindsofinfinitelygreaterthinkerswholivedanddiedelsewherelongago,theyhavebeenrespectfulenoughoftheirexistencetoconceivethatoneortwoproperlyvaluableideasmightplausiblychosetoalightinthefamiliaraviaryoftheirownintelligences.
这是一个复杂的并列句,其中包含两个并列的分句。第一个分句是“Ratherthanimaginingthattheirmindsareonlyapaleshadowofthemindsofinfinitelygreaterthinkerswholivedanddiedelsewherelongago”(与其想象他们的头脑只是无限伟大的思想家头脑的苍白影子,这些思想家早已逝去),第二个分句是“theyhavebeenrespectfulenoughoftheirexistencetoconceivethatoneortwoproperlyvaluableideasmightplausiblychosetoalightinthefamiliaraviaryoftheirownintelligences”(他们足够尊重这些思想家的存在,以致于能够构想出一两个真正有价值的想法可能会选择在他们自己熟悉的智力鸟舍中停留)。
多项选择阅读理解题目:
但这个谦虚、尊重和安静地自我贬低的结论掩盖了一个事实,那就是我们每个人都是一个无与伦比和最高超的知识中心;我们的头脑中存储着比科英布拉大学总图书馆、纽约皮尔庞特·摩根图书馆和伦敦大英图书馆的目录中找到的思想还要多;我们拥有比世界上最伟大的博物馆中的场景更多、更美丽的场景。我们只是没有经常逛书架和画廊;我们没有注意到我们所看到的。
我们如此确信有价值的洞察力在我们之外,以至于我们忽略了每小时由我们无限聪明、命运未曾探索的头脑所产生的思想和幻象宝库。美国散文家拉尔夫·沃尔多·爱默生曾经说过:“在天才的头脑中,我们再次发现了我们自己被忽视的思想。”换句话说,天才并没有与我们完全不同的思想;他们只是更有信心地认真对待它们。他们没有想象他们的头脑只是无限伟大的思想家头脑的苍白影子,他们足够尊重这些思想家的存在,以致于能够构想出一两个真正有价值的想法可能会选择在他们自己熟悉的智力鸟舍中停留。
思考是——以一种我们通常拒绝想象的方式——一项真正民主的活动。我们所有人都有非常相似和非常能干的头脑;天才之所以不同,在于他们更有信心地倾向于认真研究它们。