27_Nothing_to_Sell_and_Nothing_to_Buy

27 Nothing to Sell and Nothing to Buy

原文译文

It has been said that everyone lives by selling something. In the light of this statement, teachers live by selling knowledge, philosophers by selling wisdom and priests by selling spiritual comfort. Though it may be possible to measure the value of material goods in terms of money, it is extremely difficult to estimate the true value of the services which people perform for us. There are times when we would willingly give everything we possess to save our lives, yet we might grudge paying a surgeon a high fee for offering us precisely this service. The conditions of society are such that skills have to be paid for in the same way that goods are paid for at a shop. Everyone has something to sell.

Tramps seem to be the only exception to this general rule. Beggars almost sell themselves as human beings to arouse the pity of passers-by. But real tramps are not beggars. They have nothing to sell and require nothing from others. In seeking independence, they do not sacrifice their human dignity. A tramp may ask you for money, but he will never ask you to feel sorry for him. He has deliberately chosen to lead the life he leads and is fully aware of the consequences. He may never be sure where the next meal is coming from, but he is free from the thousands of anxieties which afflict other people. His few material possessions make it possible for him to move from place to place with ease. By having to sleep in the open, he gets far closer to the world of nature than most of us ever do. He may hunt, beg, or steal occasionally to keep himself alive; he may even, in times of real need, do a little work; but he will never sacrifice his freedom. We often speak of tramps with contempt and put them in the same class as beggars, but how many of us can honestly say that we have not felt a little envious of their simple way of life and their freedom from care?

据说每个人都靠出售某种东西来维持生活。根据这种说法，教师靠卖知识为生，哲学家靠卖智慧为生，牧师靠卖精神安慰为生。虽然物质产品的价值可以用金钱来衡量，但要估算别人为我们所提供的服务的价值却是极其困难的。有时，我们为了挽救生命，愿意付出我们所占有的一切。但就在外科大夫给我们提供了这种服务后，我们却可能为所支付的昂贵费用而抱怨。社会上的情况就是如此，技术是必须付钱去买的，就像在商店里要花钱买商品一样。人人都有东西可以出售。

在这种普遍规律的唯一例外似乎是流浪汉。乞丐出卖的几乎是他本人，以引起过路人的怜悯。但真正的流浪汉并不是乞丐。他们既不出售任何东西，也无求于人。在追求独立自由的同时，他们并不牺牲为人的尊严。流浪汉可能会向你讨钱，但他从来不要你可怜他。他是故意在选择过那种生活的，并完全清楚以这种方式生活的后果。他可能从不知道下顿饭有无着落，但他不像有人那样被成千桩愁事所折磨。他几乎没有什么财产，这使他能够轻松自如地在各地奔波。由于被迫在露天睡觉，他比我们中许多人都离大自然近得多。为了生存，他可能会去打猎、乞讨，偶尔偷上一两回；确实需要的时候，他甚至可能干一点儿活，但他决不会牺牲自由。说起流浪汉，我们常常带有轻蔑并把他们与乞丐归为一类。但是，我们中有多少人能够坦率地说自己对流浪汉的简朴生活与无忧无虑的境况不感到有些羡慕呢？

Words

• philosophers /fəˈlɑsəfɚz/ n. 哲学家
  1. My parents made it possible for me to be a philosopher.
  2. Leo was deeply influenced by that philosopher.
  3. Once upon a time, there was a philosopher.
• wisdom /ˈwɪzdəm/ n. 智慧
  1. Some people were beginning to doubt the wisdom of their leader's decisions.
• priests /prists/ n. 牧师
  1. He has been a priest for over twenty years.
  2. The priest [we met yesterday] has a subtle mind.
  3. To the priest’s dismay, nobody was listening to him.
• spiritual /ˈspɪrɪˌtʃuəl/ adj. 精神上的
  1. Spiritual means relating to people's thoughts and beliefs, rather than to their bodies and physical surroundings.
  2. No matter how hard you try, you can’t give me spiritual comfort.
• comfort /ˈkʌmfɚt/ 安慰
• willingly /ˈwɪlɪŋli/ 愿意地
• grudge /ɡrʌdʒ/ v. n. 不愿给
• surgeon /ˈsɝdʒən/ n. 外科医生
  1. He had an opportunity to be a surgeon, but he failed.
  2. Leo realized to his horror that the surgeon was smiling.
• Tramps /træmpz/ 流浪汉
• arouse /əˈraʊz/ 唤醒
• pity /ˈpɪti/ 怜悯
• sacrifice /ˈsækrəˌfaɪs/ 牺牲
• dignity /ˈdɪɡnəti/ n. 尊严
  1. There was a time when they did this with dignity.
• deliberately /dɪˈlɪbərətli/ adv. 故意地
  1. Did you deliberately give these to me and try to turn my stomach?
  2. I didn’t deliberately show him to your office.
• anxieties /æŋˈzaɪətiz/ 焦虑
• afflict /əˈflɪkt/ v. 折磨
  1. I have been afflicted with a cough my whole life.
  2. I'm afflicted by a rare skin condition.
• occasionally /əˈkeʒənəli/ 偶尔
• contempt /kənˈtɛmpt/ n. 蔑视
• envious /ˈɛnviəs/ adj. 嫉妒的
  1. Why are you feeling envious of her?
  2. I'm so envious of you, for you get an extra day's holiday.

Expressions

• question/doubt the wisdom of (doing) something 怀疑（做）某事是否明智
• give sb. spiritual comfort 给某人精神安慰
• grudge doing something 不愿做某事
• have/hold a grudge against sb. 对某人怀恨在心
• die/treat/do sth. with dignity 体面地死去/对待/做某事
• have consequences 有后果
• be afflicted with/by something 受某事折磨
• with great/considerable ease (=very easily) 轻松地
• love of nature 对自然的热爱
• speak of/treat sb./sth. with contempt 轻蔑地谈论/对待某人/某物
• be/feel/get/become envious of sb. 嫉妒某人
• live by doing sth. 靠做某事谋生
  1. He used to live by writing science fiction.
  2. These villagers have lived by fishing for 100 years.
• in the light of sth. / in light of 鉴于……
• in terms of 就……而言
  1. He thought of everything in terms of money.
  2. You have to talk in terms of dollars and cents, because money is power.
  3. It is difficult to do sth.
  4. It's very difficult to find people who are willing to do the job.
  5. But sometimes it is difficult to know when to give up.
  6. It’s difficult to explain this to students.
  7. be the exception to the rule...
• It is difficult to do sth. 做某事很难
• seem to be 似乎是
  1. At last he's totally free from pain.
  2. The microscope must be free from vibration.
  3. There is no doubt that everyone wants to be free from fear.
• be the exception to the rule 是规则的例外
• in doing something 在做某事的过程中
  1. while doing something; while something is happening 做某事的过程中
  2. In trying to protect the queen, Howard had put his own life in danger.
  3. In attempting to save the child from drowning, she nearly lost her own life.
• choose to do sth. 选择做某事
• be free from sth. 摆脱...
  1. At last he's totally free from pain.
  2. The microscope must be free from vibration.
  3. There is no doubt that everyone wants to be free from fear.
• in the open (air) 在户外
  1. Working in the open air has made him very healthy.
  2. The children love playing out in the open.
  3. He is now taking a stroll in the open air.