美国学生人类历史 第160期:中世纪的城市(4)

 But please do not be too sentimental¹ about the "good old days". 我想提醒你们，千万不要对所谓"古老的好时光"抱有过多的感伤之情。

Many people who only see the beautiful churches and the great works of art which the Middle Ages have left behind grow quite eloquent² 有许多人，他们的眼睛只看到中世纪留下的壮丽教堂和伟大的艺术作品，

when they compare our own ugly civilisation³ with its hurry and its noise and the evil smells of back-firing motor trucks with the cities of a thousand years ago. 往往拿它们和我们时代的充斥着的噪音的喧嚣和汽车尾气的恶臭的丑陋文明相比较，得出今不如昔的结论。

But these mediaeval churches were invariably surrounded by miserable⁴ hovels compared to which a modern tenement⁵ house stands forth⁶ as a luxurious⁷ palace. 可这仅仅是事情的一个方面。要知道，在富丽宏伟的中世纪教堂边上，无一例外地布满了大量悲惨肮脏的贫民窟。与之相比，连现代最简陋的公寓也堪称豪华奢侈的宫殿。

It is true that the noble Lancelot and the equally noble Parsifal, the pure young hero who went in search of the Holy Grail, were not bothered by the odor of gasoline. 是的，高贵的朗斯洛特和同样高贵的帕尔齐法尔，当这些年轻纯洁的英雄上路去寻找圣杯时，他们当然用不着忍受汽油的臭味。

But there were other smells of the barnyard variety-odors of decaying refuse 可当时另外有着许许多多的其它臭味，谷仓牛栏的味道，

which had been thrown into the street-of pig-sties surrounding the Bishop's palace-of unwashed people 扔到大街上的垃圾腐烂发酵的味道，包围着主教大人宫殿的猪圈的味道，

who had inherited their coats and hats from their grandfathers and who had never learned the blessing⁸ of soap. 还有那些穿戴祖父传下的衣服和帽子、一辈子没享受过擦肥皂的幸福、也绝少洗澡的人们发出的味道。

I do not want to paint too unpleasant a picture. 我不愿意着力描绘出一副大煞风景、十分令人不快的画面。

But when you read in the ancient chronicles that the King of France, looking out of the windows of his palace, fainted at the stench caused by the pigs rooting in the streets of Paris, 不过当你阅读古代编年史，看到法国国王在华丽高贵的皇宫内悠然眺望窗外，却被巴黎街头拱食的猪群发出的冲天臭气熏得昏倒时，

when an ancient manuscript recounts a few details of an epidemic⁹ of the plague or of smallpox¹⁰, 当你看到某本稍稍记载了一些天花和鼠疫横行的惨状的古代手稿时，

then you begin to understand that "progress" is something more than a catchword used by modern advertising¹¹ men. 你才会真正明白"进步"一词绝非现代广告人使用的时髦话。

1 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

2 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

3 civilisation   

n.文明，文化，开化，教化

参考例句：

• Energy and ideas are the twin bases of our civilisation.能源和思想是我们文明的两大基石。
• This opera is one of the cultural totems of Western civilisation.这部歌剧是西方文明的文化标志物之一。

4 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

5 tenement   

n.公寓；房屋

参考例句：

• They live in a tenement.他们住在廉价公寓里。
• She felt very smug in a tenement yard like this.就是在个这样的杂院里，她觉得很得意。

6 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

7 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

8 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

9 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

10 smallpox   

n.天花

参考例句：

• In 1742 he suffered a fatal attack of smallpox.1742年，他染上了致命的天花。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child?你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

11 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。