第三册第17篇：多才多艺的人

17 Versatile¹ man 多才多艺的人

It is, perhaps, no accident that many of the outstanding figures of the past were exceptionally versatile men. Right up until comparatively recent times, it was possible for an intelligent person to acquaint himself with almost every branch of knowledge. Thus, men of genius likeLeonardo da Vinci or Sir Philip Sidney, engaged in many careers at once as a matter of course. Da Vinci was so busy with his numerous inventions, that he barely found the time to complete his paintings; Sidney, who died in battle when he was only thirty-two years old, was not only a great soldier, but a brilliant scholar and poet as well. Both these men came very near to fulfilling the Renaissance² ideal of the ' universal man', the man who was proficient³ at everything.
在过去的时代中，许多杰出人物都异乎寻常地多才多艺，这也许并不是偶然的。就在距今不远的时代，一个聪明人还有可能熟悉知识的几乎每个部门。因此，达芬奇和西德尼这样的天才人物被认为理所当然地要同时从事许多方面的工作。达?芬奇搞着他的数目众多的发明，忙得几乎没有时间来完成他的画；三十二岁就战死在沙场的西德尼，不仅是一个勇敢的战士，也是一个才气横溢的学者和诗人。他们几乎成为文艺复兴时期的理想人物－－“万能的人”，即精通每一件事情的人。

Today, we rarely, if ever, hear that a musician has just invented a new type of submarine. Knowledge has become divided and sub-divided into countless⁴, narrowly-defined compartments⁵. The specialist is venerated⁶; the versatile person, far from being admired, is more often regarded with suspicion. The modern world is a world of highly-skilled 'experts' who have had to devote the greater part of their lives to a very limited field of study in order to compete with their fellows.
今天，我们不会听说一个音乐家刚刚发明了一种新型的潜水艇，即使听到的话也是极难得的。知识领域被分了又分，分成范围狭窄而互相不通气的无数部门。受人尊敬的是专家；而多面手非但不会被人钦佩，反而常常不为人所信任。当今的世界是一个高度精通业务的“专家”的世界，这些专家都曾经不得不用一生大部分时间研 究一个十分狭隘的领域，这样才能和他的同行竞争。

With this high degree of specialization, the frontiers of knowledge are steadily⁷ being pushed back more rapidly than ever before. But this has not achieved without considerable cost. The scientist, who outside his own particular subject is little more than a moron⁸, is a modern phenomenon; as is the man of letters who is barely aware of the tremendous strides that have been made in technology. Similarly, specialization has inderectly affected⁹ quite ordinary people in every walk of life. Many activities which were once pursued for their own sakes, are often given up in despair: they require techniques, the experts tell us, which take a life-time to master. Why learn to play the piano, when you can listen to the world's greatest pianists in your own drawing-room?
随着专业化程度的提高，各门知识的边界正在以前所未有的速度往里收缩。但这种收缩并不是没有付出相当大的代价就做到的。一个科学家离开了他的特殊专题，就不会比一个傻瓜强多少，正象一个文人对科技方面的重大进展几乎一无所知一样，都是现代才有的怪现象。同样，专业化也间接地影响了各行各业中很普通的人。以前仅仅是由于对它们本身感到兴趣而去从事的许多活动，现在常常被绝望地放弃了。专家们告诉我们，从事这些活动所需要的技术，得付出毕生的精力才能掌握。当你能在客厅里欣赏世界上最伟大的钢琴家演奏时，你干吗还要学钢琴呢？
 

1 versatile   

adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的

参考例句：

• A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
• He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。

2 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

3 proficient   

adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家

参考例句：

• She is proficient at swimming.她精通游泳。
• I think I'm quite proficient in both written and spoken English.我认为我在英语读写方面相当熟练。

4 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

5 compartments   

n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层

参考例句：

• Your pencil box has several compartments. 你的铅笔盒有好几个格。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The first-class compartments are in front. 头等车室在前头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 venerated   

敬重（某人或某事物），崇敬( venerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• My father venerated General Eisenhower. 我父亲十分敬仰艾森豪威尔将军。
• He used the sacraments and venerated the saints. 他行使圣事，崇拜圣人。 来自英汉非文学 - 文明史

7 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

8 moron   

n.极蠢之人，低能儿

参考例句：

• I used to think that Gordon was a moron.我曾以为戈登是个白痴。
• He's an absolute moron!他纯粹是个傻子！

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。