英语美文背诵 横看成岭侧成峰

Walk clean around the hill

NOW THAT I can look back across the years from the so-called vantage point of experience in two World Wars,travel throughout a large part of the world, and contact with many of the outstanding personalities¹ of our time,it gives me a great deal of real reassurance² each day to know that way down deep I learned some fundamental values when I was a boy in a small town in Nebraska.

I have found one thing to be so very true - the virtues³ I learned as a boy are still fundamental virtues.My point of view has changed,of course，over the years, and so has that of my friends,but so much of all this change of viewpoint is like a small boy gazing at a hill on the plains of Nebraska.The hill remains⁴ the same. The small boy only sees it from another angle as he grows up.

I have always tried to walk completely around every hill I have found in existence since, so that I could get a view from every angle. This,I think,reveals the difference between honsty and cynicism.When you see the hill from every angle, you have a much better chance at keeping life in focus.When you only see it from one angle you run the very great danger of becoming cynical⁵.

Two of the fundamental virtues that have benn such a great comfort to me in my life, from the days of my boyhood in Wahoo,Nebraska, until now are loyalty⁶ and charity. There are other fundamentals I learned as a boy, but principally loyalty and charity.

Loyalty is not only just a term - it has been a way of life for me. I mean not only loyalty to my friends and family, but to the honest values on which our country was founded.And to me, this guidepost of loyalty of necessity means loyalty to one's own self.

When I was growing up, I rebelled against so many things, and fought against so many of the basic ideas of life - but I found ofter so much rebellion and walking completely around that hill on the Nebraska plains, in my mind's eye,that these virtues had not been tested over the centuries in vain.

Charity is another rule that has been of great comfort to me in so many trying situatuons. Charity is something you must learn.I have been very lucky in life because I have been in a position to give charity,and one should never expect and other reward from charity that the satisfaction it gives.

In taking part in any charity you must give from your heart.Any other type of giving is a terrible cheat on life itself.

Charity and loyalty are two things that have touched my life very deeply. They have been a source of tremendous satisfaction to me every day I have lives. This rule of loyalty has caused me to check back on the course of my activities at the close of rach day, to be sure I haven't knowingly hurt anyone in my day's activities.

I have tried to repair any hurts I have caused before the day's end. This undoubtedly⁷ is very selfish of me because I have learned that this rechecking of each day gives me a good night's sleep.

In walking around the hill on the plain each day of my life,the virtues I see - whether I am in London, Paris, Rome,Cairo,Now York,Hollwood or Wahoo,Nebraska - are always the same.

I am grateful for those old-fashioned virtues that I learned as a boy in Nebraska.And I hope I will have enough humility⁸ always to be thankful I was born in a country that give me this chance at life.

横看成岭侧成峰

　　达里尔.柴纳克

我经历了两次世界大战，环游了世界大部分的地方，接触过很多当代的名人。如今，回想起这些丰富的阅历，我深感欣慰，因为它们肯定了我儿时在内布拉斯加州一个小镇上学到的那些基本价值观。

我发现有一点极为正确——儿时学到的很多美德在今天依然重要。岁月流逝，我和朋友们的想法与观点自然都有所变化，然而这不过是个人看待事物的方式改变了。就好比一个小男孩站在内布拉斯加平原上看山，山没有变，只是随着男孩的长大，他看山的角度发生了变化。

从此，为了从不同的角度看山，我总会试着围绕发现的每一座山走上整一圈。我认为，这就是诚实正直之人与愤世嫉俗者之间的区别。从不同角度看待事物，你就能更轻松地抓住生活的精髓；而当你仅从一个角度片面地观察世界时，就很可能会变得愤世嫉俗。

从我在内布拉斯加州瓦胡镇的童年时代起，直到今天，忠诚与仁爱这两种最基本的美德始终为我的生活带来莫大的慰籍。孩提时，我还学到了其他的一些基本准则，但最重要的还是这两条。

在我看来，忠诚不只是一个简单的词，而是一种生活方式。我所指的并不只是忠于家庭与朋友，还要忠于我们建国的基础，即诚实正直的价值观。我认为，忠诚这一必需的原则也意味着对我们内在自我的忠诚。

成长过程中，我曾几度叛逆，与生活中的很多基本观念背道而驰。但是，多次叛逆后，我想象着自己围绕内布拉斯加平原的那座山走了整整一圈，终于明白这些美德的确经得起时间的考验。

在逆境中给予我莫大安慰的另一个原则是仁爱。这是我们必须学习的美德。生活中的我很幸运，因为我能够乐善好施。行善者不应祈求回报，因为我们从行善中所得到的满足感便是最好的报答。

行善，必须真心诚意。否则，任何形式的给予皆是对生命本身极大的欺骗。

仁爱与忠诚深深感动着我的生命，为我生活的每一天带来极大的满足。每天临睡前，忠诚这一原则都会提醒我反省自己一天的行为，确保当日的所作所为没有为他人带来任何故意的伤害。

每天临睡前，我都会努力为自己对他人造成的伤害予以弥补。这无疑是种自私的行为，因为只有这样，每夜我才不会辗转难眠。

横看成岭侧成峰，人生亦是如此。无论是在伦敦、巴黎、罗马、开罗、纽约、好菜坞还是内布拉斯加的瓦胡镇，我所看到的美德始终不变。

感谢儿时在内布拉斯加学到的那些传统美德。我希望，我能永远对我所出生的这个国家满怀谦恭、心存感激，因为它给予了我生存的机会。

1 personalities   

n. 诽谤，（对某人容貌、性格等所进行的）人身攻击； 人身攻击；人格, 个性, 名人( personality的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There seemed to be a degree of personalities in her remarks.她话里有些人身攻击的成分。
• Personalities are not in good taste in general conversation.在一般的谈话中诽谤他人是不高尚的。

2 reassurance   

n.使放心，使消除疑虑

参考例句：

• He drew reassurance from the enthusiastic applause.热烈的掌声使他获得了信心。
• Reassurance is especially critical when it comes to military activities.消除疑虑在军事活动方面尤为关键。

3 virtues   

美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处

参考例句：

• Doctors often extol the virtues of eating less fat. 医生常常宣扬少吃脂肪的好处。
• She delivered a homily on the virtues of family life. 她进行了一场家庭生活美德方面的说教。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 cynical   

adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的

参考例句：

• The enormous difficulty makes him cynical about the feasibility of the idea.由于困难很大，他对这个主意是否可行持怀疑态度。
• He was cynical that any good could come of democracy.他不相信民主会带来什么好处。

6 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

7 undoubtedly   

adv.确实地，无疑地

参考例句：

• It is undoubtedly she who has said that.这话明明是她说的。
• He is undoubtedly the pride of China.毫无疑问他是中国的骄傲。

8 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。