Chunks in Practice

Grammar analysis

In whatever situation Men can be placed, they may find conveniences ＆ inconveniences: In whatever company, they may find persons ＆ conversation more or less pleasing; At whatever table, they may meet with meats ＆ drinks of better and worse taste, dishes better＆ worse dressed; ...

人無論處于什么境地，總是會遇到“幸”與“不幸”。不管在什么場合，與什么樣的人接觸并進行交流，總有讓他開心或煩心的；無論在什么樣的餐桌前吃飯，酒肉總有對味和不對味的，餐具也總有精致和粗糙的……

作者通過排比的寫法列出了生活中種種情況，讓讀者反思自身，有很強的沖擊力。句中重復出現的whatever更是本句的亮點。Whatever是一個用法很廣的詞，在本句中是作為形容詞，譯為“不管什么樣的”；它還常用于引導名詞性從句，相當于anything that，意思是“所……的任何事情”，在語氣上強于what；用于引導讓步狀語從句，相當于no matter what，意思是“無論什么”。  

論人間榮譽之虛渺

On the Instability of Human Glory

丹尼爾·笛福 /  Daniel Defoe 丹尼爾·笛福（1660—1731），英國著名且極具影響力的小說家與散文家。除了作為高產作家外，他同時是商人、政客、密探、冒險家、編輯、評論家等。他一生寫了二百余部作品，其代表作《魯濱遜漂流記》《辛格頓船長》等一系列主要描寫中下層社會青年航?；蚱渌半U的小說，在世界各地廣為流傳，同時也開創(chuàng)了英國現實主義小說之先河。

Ace in the Hole

Understand these new words before you read this article.

1. alas [?'l?s] int. 唉（表悲傷、遺憾、恐懼、關切等等）

2. hereafter [,hi?'rɑ:ft?] n. 將來 What then is the work of life? What the business of great men, that pass the stage of the world in seeming triumph as these men we call heroes have done? Is it to grow great in the mouth of fame and take up so many pages in history? Alas! That is no more than making a tale for the reading of posterity till it turns into fable and romance. Is it to furnish subjects to the poets, and live in their immortal rhymes as they call them? That is, in short, no more than to be hereafter turned into ballad and song and be sung by old women to quiet children, or at the corner of the street to gather crowds in aid of the pickpocket and the poor. Or is their business rather to add virtue and piety to their glory, which alone will pass them into eternity and make them truly immortal? What is glory without virtue? A great man without religion is no more than a great beast without a soul. What is honour without merit? And what can be called true merit but that which makes a person be a good man as well as a great man?

參考譯文人生的工作是什么？那些偉大人物們，被我們稱作英雄的人們，他們得意洋洋地走過了世界的舞臺又做了些什么呢？難道就是要在眾口盛傳中變得偉大，以及在歷史上占據許多篇章嗎？唉！那只不過是編一個故事，供后人閱讀，直到它變成了神話或傳奇罷了。難道就是要供給詩人們以吟詠的題材，生活在他們那些所謂不朽的詩篇之中嗎？說起來那只不過是在將來變?yōu)楦柚{，由老奶奶唱給凝神靜聽的孩子，或由賣唱的在街角唱出，以吸引大批的聽眾，使扒手和窮人多了一個謀生機會而已。他們所應做的事情，是不是要為自己的榮耀添加上美德和虔誠呢？只有這兩樣東西才可以使他們進入永生，真正不朽！如果沒有美德，榮耀又算什么呢？一個沒有宗教信仰的偉人，和一只沒有靈魂的巨獸又有什么區(qū)別？如果沒有價值存在，榮譽又算什么呢？被稱作真正有價值的東西，除了那種不僅把一個人造就成偉人，并且使他具有好人的本質之外，還有什么呢？

心靈小語

保持一顆平常心，一切放下，放棄對得失、成敗的固執(zhí)。人們應該有一種超脫的心態(tài)——平常心、不執(zhí)著、學會滿足、隨心適性、豁達、不計較、學會放下。