英语沙龙：百万富翁的悲哀

The unfortunate millionaire has the responsibility of tremendous wealth

without the possibility of enjoying himself more than any ordinary rich man.

Indeed, in many things he cannot enjoy himself more than many poor men do,

nor even so much, for a drum major is better dressed,

a trainer’s stable lad often rides a better horse;

the first-class carriage is shared by office boys taking their young ladies out for the evening;

everybody who goes down to Brighton for Sunday rides in the Pullman car;

and for what use is it to be able to pay for a peacock’s brain sandwich

when there is nothing to be had but ham or beef?

The injustice¹ of this state of things has not been sufficiently² considered.

A man with an income of ￡25 a year can multiply his comfort beyond all calculation

by doubling his income.

A man with ￡50 a year can at least quadruple his comfort by doubling his income.

Probably up to even ￡250 a year doubled income means doubled comfort.

After that the increment³ of comfort grows less in proportion to the increment of income

until a point is reached at which the victim is satiated and even surfeited⁴ with everything that money can purchase.

To expect him to enjoy another hundred thousand pounds because men like money,

is exactly as if you were to expect a confectioner’s shopboy

to enjoy two hours more work a day because boys are fond of sweets.

What can the wretched millionaire do that needs a million?

Does he want a fleet of yachts, a Rotten Row full of carriages, an army of servants,

a whole city of town houses, or a continent for a game preserve?

Can he attend more than one theatre in one-evening,

or wear more than one suit at a time, or digest more meals than his butler?

And yet there is no sympathy for this hidden sorrow of plutocracy⁵.

The poor alone are pitied.

Societies spring up in all directions to relieve all sorts of comparatively happy people,

but no hand is stretched out to the millionaire,except to beg.

In all our dealings with him lies implicit⁶,

the delusion⁷ that he has nothing to complain of,

and that he ought to be ashamed of rolling in wealth

whilst others are starving.

1 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。

2 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

3 increment   

n.增值，增价；提薪，增加工资

参考例句：

• Each increment of knowledge tells us more of our world.知识的点滴增长都会增进我们对世界的认知。
• She receives a salary increment each year.她每年得到加薪。

4 surfeited   

v.吃得过多( surfeit的过去式和过去分词 )；由于过量而厌腻

参考例句：

• They were surfeited with entertainment. 他们对玩乐生厌了；他们玩腻了。 来自辞典例句
• They had cloyed him with obedience, and surfeited him with sweet respect and submission. 她们在他面前百依百顺，甜言蜜语，卑躬屈膝。 来自辞典例句

5 plutocracy   

n.富豪统治

参考例句：

• Financial,not moral,considerations will prevail in a plutocracy.在富豪当政的国家里，人们见利忘义。
• The most prolific of the debunkers of the plutocracy was Gustavus Myers.揭发富豪统治集团的作家中，最多产的是古斯塔夫斯·迈尔斯。

6 implicit   

a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的

参考例句：

• A soldier must give implicit obedience to his officers. 士兵必须绝对服从他的长官。
• Her silence gave implicit consent. 她的沉默表示默许。

7 delusion   

n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑

参考例句：

• He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症，认为自己是拿破仑。
• I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。