触动心灵的英语幸福散文：Democracy民主

 　　We received a letter from the Writers War Board the other day asking for a statement on "The Meaning of Democracy." It presumably is our duty to comply with such a request and it is certainly our pleasure.

　　前些时候，我们收到作家战争委员会的一封来信.信中他们要求我们阐述一下“民主的意义”一回答这样的问题似乎确是我们的责任之一，当然我们也非常乐意于回答这个问题。

　　Surely the Board knows what democracy is. It is the fine line that forms on the right. It is don't in don't shove. It is the hole in the stuffed shirt through which the sawdust slowly trickles¹. It is the dent² in the high hat. Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time. It is the feeling of privacy in the voting booths, the feeling of communion in the libraries, the feeling of vitality³ everywhere. Democracy is a letter to the editor. Democracy is the score at the beginning of the ninth. It is an idea that hasn't been disproved yet, a song the words of which have not gone bad. It is the mustard on the hot dog and the cream in the rationed⁴ coffee. Democracy is a request from a War Board in the middle of the morning in the middle of a war. Wanting to know what democracy is.

　　委员会必定已经知晓了民主是什么东西它就是以右排为基准，全队看齐;他是先来后到，不准推搡;它是绣花枕头上的一个洞，锯末就从其中慢慢撒出来;它还是高顶礼帽上的凹陷：民主是一个一直饱受质疑的论断：大多数在大多时候都是正确的。它还是投票室里那种私密的感觉，那种自由如影随形的感觉，那种到处充满生机和活力的感觉它是给编辑的一封信，它是贝多芬第九交响曲开始的乐谱。它是一种还没有证伪的信念，一首歌词还没有变味儿的歌曲它是热狗上的芥末和定量配给‘的咖啡上的奶油民主是在战争时期的一个早晨，战争委员会要求知道民主是什么。

　　英语学习笔记:

　　1 .It presumably is our duty to comply with such a request, and it is certainly our pleasure.

　　英语点睛：本句的presumably 一词将幽默和戏谑的意味表露无疑

　　2. Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time,

　　英语点睛：这个句子很纠结，要注意省略的部分。

　　3. Democracy is a request from a War Board, in the middle of the morning in the middle of a war, wanting to know what democracy is.

　　英语点睛：连用两个in the middle of，产生在语气上的诙谐和语感上的优美。

　　学习更多：

　　1. The past year has presumably, been kind to those with low testosterone levels.

　　(谈论金融危机)看来，对于那些睾丸素水平较低的人来说，过去的一年还算不错=

　　2.Nuclear power accounts for more than one-half of South Carolina's electricity generation.

　　(能源问题)南卡一半以上的电力来自于核能，

　　3.Of all the gin joints⁵, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.

　　(《北非谍影》的经典台词)世上有那么多的城镇，城镇有那么多的酒馆，她却走进了我的。

1 trickles   

n.细流( trickle的名词复数 )；稀稀疏疏缓慢来往的东西v.滴( trickle的第三人称单数 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Trickles of sweat rained down my head and neck. 我颈上头上的汗珠，更同盛雨似的，一颗一颗的钻出来了。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说
• Water trickles through an underground grotto. 水沿着地下岩洞流淌。 来自辞典例句

2 dent   

n.凹痕，凹坑；初步进展

参考例句：

• I don't know how it came about but I've got a dent in the rear of my car.我不知道是怎么回事，但我的汽车后部有了一个凹痕。
• That dent is not big enough to be worth hammering out.那个凹陷不大，用不着把它锤平。

3 vitality   

n.活力，生命力，效力

参考例句：

• He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后，身强体壮，充满活力。
• He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。

4 rationed   

限量供应，配给供应( ration的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• We were rationed to two eggs a day. 每天配给我们两个鸡蛋。
• The army is well rationed. 部队给养良好。

5 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。