The Lost Continent 遗失的大陆-23

Skepticism is normal in science and ice is a very good preserver, and in the location that we are looking at, we are hoping that there is still something there, but who knows, ten thou...twelve thousands years’s a long time.

Only time will tell if technology will prove the ideas of 21st century Atlantis seekers like Ran Flanma or Jim Alan correct.

Throughout the ages, Atlantis hunters have diligently¹ followed the clues laid out in Plato's 2000-year old description. But is it a description of fact or fiction?

"I think Plato used real characters, so that people would accept it as truth. I think, however, that Plato knew he was writing fiction, and Plato intended to write fiction. I don't think that Plato believed the word of it."

But what might have inspired Plato to invent such a story? In 399BC, Plato's revered² tutor, the great philosopher Socrates was arrested in the dead of night. Dragged before an open court, he was charged with corrupting³ the morals of Athens, with his outspoken⁴ philosophical⁵ ideas, and sentenced to death, a fate he accepted without bitterness or regret.

Men of Athens, I honor, and love you. But understand that I shall never alter my ways, not even if I have to die many times. For if you kill one such as I, you will injure yourselves more than you will injure me.

Surrounded by his closest friends and disciple⁶s, Socrates calmly drank poison, and passed away into history as one of the great figures of western civilization. But Plato could not be consoled.

"Plato thinks of Socrates as the best and kindest and justest man ever lived. And he sees Athens the city he loves, turn against him and kill him. That I believe was devastating⁸ for him. So a lot of Plato's work is an effort to imagine alternative political and social organizations in which the horrible injustice⁹ that he sees having been done in the case of Socrates could never happen again. He would like ideally to create a world in which philosophy, in the person of Socrates will be forever safe.

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diligently: adj. 勤勉地, 坚持不懈地
disciple: n. 信徒，弟子
console: v. 安慰

1 diligently   

ad.industriously;carefully

参考例句：

• He applied himself diligently to learning French. 他孜孜不倦地学法语。
• He had studied diligently at college. 他在大学里勤奋学习。

2 revered   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A number of institutions revered and respected in earlier times have become Aunt Sally for the present generation. 一些早年受到尊崇的惯例，现在已经成了这代人嘲弄的对象了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Chinese revered corn as a gift from heaven. 中国人将谷物奉为上天的恩赐。 来自辞典例句

3 corrupting   

（使）败坏( corrupt的现在分词 )； （使）腐化； 引起（计算机文件等的）错误； 破坏

参考例句：

• It would be corrupting discipline to leave him unpunished. 不惩治他会败坏风纪。
• It would be corrupting military discipline to leave him unpunished. 不惩治他会败坏军纪。

4 outspoken   

adj.直言无讳的，坦率的，坦白无隐的

参考例句：

• He was outspoken in his criticism.他在批评中直言不讳。
• She is an outspoken critic of the school system in this city.她是这座城市里学校制度的坦率的批评者。

5 philosophical   

adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的

参考例句：

• The teacher couldn't answer the philosophical problem.老师不能解答这个哲学问题。
• She is very philosophical about her bad luck.她对自己的不幸看得很开。

6 disciple   

n.信徒，门徒，追随者

参考例句：

• Your disciple failed to welcome you.你的徒弟没能迎接你。
• He was an ardent disciple of Gandhi.他是甘地的忠实信徒。

7 disciples   

n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一

参考例句：

• Judas was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. 犹大是耶稣十二门徒之一。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• "The names of the first two disciples were --" “最初的两个门徒的名字是——” 来自英汉文学 - 汤姆历险

8 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

9 injustice   

n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利

参考例句：

• They complained of injustice in the way they had been treated.他们抱怨受到不公平的对待。
• All his life he has been struggling against injustice.他一生都在与不公正现象作斗争。