双语有声阅读：洛克非勒家族信条

They are the principles on which my wife and I have tried to bring up our family .They are the principles in which my father believed and by which he governed his life .They are the principles,many of them ,whichI learned at my mother's knee.

 

They point the way to usefulness and happiness in life, to courage and peace in death.

 

If they mean to you what they mean to me, they may perhaps be helpful also to our sons for their guidance and inspiration.

 

Let me state them:

 

I believe in the supreme¹ worth of the individual and in his right to life ,liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

 

I believe that every right implies a responsibility;every opportunity ,an obligation ;every possession,a duty.

 

I believe that the law was made for the man and not man for the law;that government is the servant of people and not their master.

 

I believe in the dignity of the labor,whether with head or hand;that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.

 

I believe that thrift² is essential to wellordered living and that economy is a prime requisite³ of a sound financial structure,whether in government,business or personal affairs.

 

I believe that truth and justice are fundamental to an enduring social order.

 

I believe in the sacredness of a promise,that a man's word should be as good as his bond,the character--not wealth or power or position--is of supreme worth.

 

I believe that the rendering⁴ of useful service is the common duty of mankind and that only in the purifying fire of sacrifice is the dross⁵ of selfishness consumed and the greatness of the human soul set free.

 

I believe in an all-wise and all-loving God,named by whatever name,and that the individual's highest fulfillment,greatest happiness and widest usefulness are to be found in living in harmory with His will.

 

I believe that love is the greatest thing in the world;that it alone can overcome hate;that right can and will triumph over might.

 

There sre the principles,however formulated,for which all good men and women throughout the world,irrespective of race or creed,education,social position or occupation,are standing,and for which many of them are suffering and dying.

 

These are the principles upon which alone a new world recognizing the bortherhood of man the fatherhood ofGod can be established.

 

这些信条是我太太和我努力用以持家育子的原则。它们是我父亲深信不疑并籍以安身立命的原则。其中有很多是我在母亲膝前学到的原则。

 

这些信条指出了一条活得快乐有用、死得勇敢安详的道路。

 

如果它们对你的意义正如对我的一样,它们或许也将有助于我们的子女从中获得引导和启发。

 

让我陈述如下:

 

我相信个人至高无上的价值及生存、自由与追求幸福的权利。

 

我相信每一项权利都伴随着一种职责；每一个机会都伴随着一份义务；每一次都拥有都伴随着一种责任。

 

我相信法律是为人制订,人却并非为法律而存在；政府是人民的仆人,而非人民的主人。

 

我相信劳动的尊严,不论是脑力或体力劳动；世界不应给予任何人生计,但它应给予每人一个谋生的机会。

 

我相信俭朴是井然有序的生活所必须；节约是健全的财务结构之必要,不论是政府、企业或个人事物皆是如此。

 

我相信真理与正义是社会秩序长久维系的基础。

 

我相信诺言的神圣,一句承诺应该如同契约一般有效；品格——而非财富、权势或地位——具有至为崇高的价值。

 

我相信报效社会是人类共同的责任；惟有在牺牲奉献的炼火中,自私自利的渣滓才能烧毁,而人类灵魂的伟大也才能发挥出来。

 

我相信全能博爱的上帝,不论其名称为何；而个人最高的成就,最大的幸福以及最大的作用都在符合上帝意旨的生活中才能找到。

 

我相信爱是世界上最伟大之物；惟有爱能够克服仇恨；公理能够而且必将战胜强权。

 

不管如何阐述,这些就是全世界所有善良的男女——不分种族、信仰、教育、社会地位或职业——所共同坚持的原则,而为了这些原则,他们当中许多人正饱受煎熬或濒临死亡。

 

惟有在这些信条的基础上 ,一个认同人类手足情和上帝慈父爱的世界才能建立起来。

1 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

2 thrift   

adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约

参考例句：

• He has the virtues of thrift and hard work.他具备节俭和勤奋的美德。
• His thrift and industry speak well for his future.他的节俭和勤勉预示着他美好的未来。

3 requisite   

adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品

参考例句：

• He hasn't got the requisite qualifications for the job.他不具备这工作所需的资格。
• Food and air are requisite for life.食物和空气是生命的必需品。

4 rendering   

n.表现，描写

参考例句：

• She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。

5 dross   

n.渣滓；无用之物

参考例句：

• Caroline felt the value of the true ore,and knew the deception of the flashy dross.卡罗琳辨别出了真金的价值，知道那种炫耀的铁渣只有迷惑人的外表。
• The best players go off to the big clubs,leaving us the dross.最好的队员都投奔大俱乐部去了，就只给我们剩下些不中用的人。