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现代大学英语精读(第2版)第四册:U9A The Damned Human Race(5)

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At the head of this article we see how "three monks were burnt to death" a few days ago, and a prior "put to death with atrocious cruelty." Do we inquire into the details? No; or we should find out that the prior was subjected to unprintable mutilations. Man—when he is a North American Indian—gouges out his prisoner's eyes; when he is King John, with a nephew to render untroublesome, he uses a red-hot iron; when he is a religious zealot dealing with heretics in the Middle Ages, he skins his captive alive and scatters salt on his back; in the first Richard's time he shuts up a multitude of Jew families in a tower and sets fire to it; in Columbus's time he captures a family of Spanish Jews and—but that is not printable; in our day in England a man is fined ten shillings for beating his mother nearly to death with a chair, and another man is fined forty shillings for having four pheasant eggs in his possession without being able to satisfactorily explain how he got them. Of all the animals, man is the only one that is cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it. It is a trait that is not known to the higher animals. The cat plays with the frightened mouse; but she had this excuse, that she does not know that the mouse is suffering. The cat is moderate—unhumanly moderate, she only scares the mouse, she does not hurt it; she doesn't dig out its eyes, or tear off its skin, or drive splinters under its nails—man-fashion; when she is done playing with it, she makes a sudden meal of it and puts it out of its trouble. Man is the Cruel Animal. He is alone in that distinction.

在这篇文章的开头,我们看到几天前“三个僧人被烧死”是如何发生的,一个修道院院长是如何“被用极其残忍的手段杀害”的。我们调查过细节吗?没有,否则我们会发现这位修道院院长遭到肢解,其惨状笔墨无法描述。人——当他是北美印第安人时——挖出了俘虏的眼睛;当他是约翰王时,为了除掉侄子,他会用烙铁来折磨他;当他是中世纪一个对付异教徒的宗教狂时,他活活剥下俘虏的皮,还在背上撒盐;在理查一世时代,他把一大群犹太人全家关进钟楼里,放火焚烧;在哥伦布时代,他抓获一个西班牙裔的犹太家庭,然后——不过下面的事情也不宜刊印;在我们同时代的英国,一个人因为差点用椅子把他母亲打死被罚款10 先令,另一个人由于拥有4个野鸡蛋,但对其来历无法做出令人满意的解释而被罚款40先令。在所有动物中,人是唯一残忍的动物,是唯一拿别人的痛苦取乐的动物,这是一种高级动物闻所未闻的特点。猫戏弄吓坏了的老鼠,但它有理由,它不知道老鼠在遭受着痛苦。猫懂得适可而止——一种人不具有的适可而止,它只是在吓唬老鼠,并不去伤害它。它不去挖老鼠的眼睛,剥它的皮,或者把尖刺插进他的指甲里——像人那样。在它戏弄完老鼠后,便突然把它当饭吃了,使它脱离痛苦。人是残忍的动物,他在这方面是独一无二的。

重点单词   查看全部解释    
possession [pə'zeʃən]

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n. 财产,所有,拥有

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cruelty ['kru:əlti]

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n. 残酷,残忍,残酷的行为,虐待

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zealot ['zelət]

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n. 热心者,狂热者 Zealot: 犹太教的狂热信徒

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trait [treit]

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n. 特点,特征,特性,一笔,少量

 
moderate ['mɔdəreit,'mɔdərit]

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adj. 适度的,稳健的,温和的,中等的
v.

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inquire [in'kwaiə]

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vt. 询问,查究
vi. 询问,查究

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frightened ['fraitnd]

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adj. 受惊的,受恐吓的

 
tear [tiə]

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n. 眼泪,(撕破的)洞或裂缝,撕扯
vt.

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render ['rendə]

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vt. 使成为,提供,报答,着色; 执行,实施

 
distinction [dis'tiŋkʃən]

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n. 差别,对比,区分,荣誉,优秀

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