英语励志美文精华 50

The Hidden Vitality¹ of Human Beings

by Newbold Morris

What has been the most appealing part of the development of the American Dream? Well, to some of us, perhaps, the most dramatic phase of our development has been the ceaseless energy of the pioneers, the era of empire building, and, finally, the apotheosis² of free enterprise, our industrial development. Others are thrilled by the capacity of the American people—normally peace loving and slow to anger—to organize in an all-out effort to resist threats to their freedom.

Yes, all of these things stir the imagination, but to me they are the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual vitality. Some of us came to this continent three centuries ago and take great pride in tradition. Others may have landed at the new international airport at Idlewild only yesterday. But nearly all of us came as fugitives³ from the tyrannies and hatreds⁴ of the old world.

I believe America has vitality because of a restless force we call “human endeavor.” It is this endeavor which has resulted in the lifting of averages and the spreading of opportunities. It is based on the conviction that once an individual has a fair start, he or she can rise to great heights, regardless of circumstances of birth or racial origin. This is my conviction, and it is, in other words, a belief in the human spirit. It is for those who are strong to help the weak; for those who are sound in mind and body to help those afflicted⁵; for those who live in the sunlight to dispel⁶ shadows wherever they lengthen⁷.

To me, this is what life is all about. It is why I believe that when we decided⁸ upon a system of government-subsidized education, we passed an important milestone⁹ in our history; and that when we adopted public health programs to fight the ravages¹⁰ of disease, to reduce infant mortality, and even to afford prenatal care for expectant mothers, we were continuing along the road toward to the goals in which I believe.

I feel that we took another step towards a better world when we adopted Workman’s Compensation laws, Unemployment Insurance, Social Security, and Aid to Dependent Children. And I believe that we were doing even more to realize these goals when, awakening¹¹ to the social evils of cheerless, unsanitary, unsafe tenements¹², we decided to tax ourselves in order to subsidize low-rent, public housing for persons of low income. I could not be true to my beliefs about my duty towards my fellow man if I did not work for these things. Some call our civilization a “Christian” civilization. Others call it “democracy”. When it succeeds, it is a little bit of both; and when it really works, we need not have fear of threats to our freedom.

1 vitality   

n.活力，生命力，效力

参考例句：

• He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

2 apotheosis   

n.神圣之理想；美化；颂扬

参考例句：

• The legend of king arthur represent the apotheosis of chivalry.亚瑟王的传说代表骑士精神的顶峰。
• The Oriental in Bangkok is the apotheosis of the grand hotel.曼谷的东方饭店是豪华饭店的典范。

3 fugitives   

n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Three fugitives from the prison are still at large. 三名逃犯仍然未被抓获。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Members of the provisional government were prisoners or fugitives. 临时政府的成员或被捕或逃亡。 来自演讲部分

4 hatreds   

n.仇恨，憎恶( hatred的名词复数 )；厌恶的事

参考例句：

• He had more enimies and hatreds than anyone could easily guess from his thoughtful expression. 从他的思想表达方式难以被人猜透来看，他的敌人和仇家是不会多的。 来自辞典例句
• All the old and recent hatreds come to his mind. 旧恨新仇一起涌上他的心头。 来自互联网

5 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

6 dispel   

vt.驱走，驱散，消除

参考例句：

• I tried in vain to dispel her misgivings.我试图消除她的疑虑，但没有成功。
• We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.我们希望这个节目能消除对这种疾病的一些误解。

7 lengthen   

vt.使伸长，延长

参考例句：

• He asked the tailor to lengthen his coat.他请裁缝把他的外衣放长些。
• The teacher told her to lengthen her paper out.老师让她把论文加长。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

10 ravages   

劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹

参考例句：

• the ravages of war 战争造成的灾难
• It is hard for anyone to escape from the ravages of time. 任何人都很难逃避时间的摧残。

11 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

12 tenements   

n.房屋，住户，租房子( tenement的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Here were crumbling tenements, squalid courtyards and stinking alleys. 随处可见破烂的住房、肮脏的庭院和臭气熏天的小胡同。 来自辞典例句
• The tenements are in a poor section of the city. 共同住宅是在城中较贫苦的区域里。 来自辞典例句