英语专业晨读美文-哲理篇 8 Restraints to Soar

[00:00.76]Restraints to Soar
[00:04.25]One windy spring day,
[00:06.98] I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites.
[00:11.47] Multicolored creations of varying shapes
[00:14.20]and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds darting¹ and dancing.
[00:18.80] As the strong winds gusted² against the kites,
[00:22.07]a string kept them in check.
[00:24.26]Instead of blowing away with the wind,
[00:26.45]they arose against it to achieve great heights.
[00:29.18]They shook and pulled,
[00:31.04]but the restraining string and the cumbersome³ tail kept them in tow,
[00:35.09] facing upward and against the wind.
[00:37.82]As the kites struggled and trembled against the string,
[00:40.99]they seemed to say:"Let me go! Let me go!
[00:44.61]I want to be free!" They soared beautifully
[00:47.88]even as they fought the restriction⁴ of the string.
[00:51.17]Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose.
[00:54.77] "Free at last." it seemed to say. "Free to fly with the wind."
[01:00.42]Yet freedom from restraint
[01:02.61] simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic breeze.
[01:06.22]It fluttered ungracefully to the ground
[01:08.73]and landed in a tangled⁵ mass of weeds and string against a dead bush.
[01:12.89] "Free at last" free to lie powerless in the dirt,
[01:17.15]to be blown helplessly along the ground,
[01:19.78]and to lodge⁶ lifeless against the first obstruction⁷.
[01:22.84]How much like kites we sometimes are.
[01:26.77]The Heaven gives us adversity and restrictions⁸,
[01:29.95]rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength.
[01:34.22] Restraint is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition⁹.
[01:38.70]Some of us tug¹⁰ at the rules so hard that
[01:41.98]we never soar to reach the heights we might have obtained.
[01:44.83]Let us each rise to the great heights, recognizing that
[01:48.99]some of the restraints that
[01:50.63] we may chafe¹¹ under are actually the steadying force
[01:54.24]that helps us ascend¹² and achieve.

1 darting   

v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔

参考例句：

• Swallows were darting through the clouds. 燕子穿云急飞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Swallows were darting through the air. 燕子在空中掠过。 来自辞典例句

2 gusted   

n. 突然一阵 n. 风味 vi. 猛吹

参考例句：

• The wind gusted up to 45 miles an hour. 风力达每小时45英里。
• As the strong winds gusted against the kites, a string kept them in check. 一阵强风刮向风筝，一根弦控制住了风筝。

3 cumbersome   

adj.笨重的，不便携带的

参考例句：

• Although the machine looks cumbersome,it is actually easy to use.尽管这台机器看上去很笨重，操作起来却很容易。
• The furniture is too cumbersome to move.家具太笨，搬起来很不方便。

4 restriction   

n.限制，约束

参考例句：

• The park is open to the public without restriction.这个公园对公众开放，没有任何限制。
• The 30 mph speed restriction applies in all built-up areas.每小时限速30英里适用于所有建筑物聚集区。

5 tangled   

adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Your hair's so tangled that I can't comb it. 你的头发太乱了，我梳不动。
• A movement caught his eye in the tangled undergrowth. 乱灌木丛里的晃动引起了他的注意。

6 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

7 obstruction   

n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物

参考例句：

• She was charged with obstruction of a police officer in the execution of his duty.她被指控妨碍警察执行任务。
• The road was cleared from obstruction.那条路已被清除了障碍。

8 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

9 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

10 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。

11 chafe   

v.擦伤；冲洗；惹怒

参考例句：

• The foaming waves chafe against the rocky shore.汹涌的波涛猛烈地冲击着礁岸。
• A stiff collar may chafe your neck.硬的衣领会擦伤你的脖子。

12 ascend   

vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上

参考例句：

• We watched the airplane ascend higher and higher.我们看着飞机逐渐升高。
• We ascend in the order of time and of development.我们按时间和发展顺序向上溯。