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英语美文:英语美文Wisdom Keeper

时间:2012-12-18 01:22来源:互联网 提供网友:laura6688   字体: [ ]
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 Wisdom Keeper智慧的守护者

Earlier this year I participated in an unusual video series called Wisdom Keepers. It’s planned as a number of short interviews with older people of accomplishment1, from dancers to environmentalists to writers such as me, and is intended as a motivational tool for an audience of teenagers (now known as “young adults”).
Over the years, we adults have found ourselves dividing into subgroups: the young adults; the less-young adults; the moment of despair when we turn 30 and believe we’ve kissed our youth farewell; the thirty-somethings, worried about their first mini-wrinkle; the middle-aged2 in denial; those who are what the French call “a certain age”; and the truly mellow3, sagacious, and mature.[2]
The last category is the part where you’re supposed to have acquired some wisdom. It’s also the part where you keep wondering when the stuff[3] is finally going to turn up, because you don’t feel any wiser than you did at age 20. If anything, less wise: At 20 you know everything; at 70 you’re not so sure. And if you don’t know where you’ve put the wisdom, how can you be expected to be a keeper of it? That was my first reaction on being asked to be a Wisdom Keeper.
I have felt a little wise on occasion. “Grandmother, how did you get to be so very old?” my five-year-old grandson asked me.
I lowered my voice as if imparting[4] a valuable secret. “Through not dying,” I said. “That’s the trick!”
“Oh,” he said wonderingly[5].
It’s not such bad advice. Nonetheless, the thought of being featured in Wisdom Keepers made me panic.[6] “When you were young, who was your favorite hero in real life or in history?” the questions began. It would be poor role-model behavior for me to say, truthfully, “Long John Silver, the ruthless and bloodthirsty pirate in Treasure Island.”[7] I considered Batman, but a man—however virtuous4 and musclebound—who’d climb into a skintight bat costume and then into a Batmobile in order to do his good deeds lacked a certain seriousness.[8] “Sherlock Holmes” would have been an honest answer—but he was an avowed5 cocaine6 user, and might be looked at askance by the high-school boards of today.[9]
And as a woman, wouldn’t I be expected to produce an admirable female? Who would do? There were a lot of woman writers I could have proposed—Emily Bronte, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Barrett Browning—but why wish a scribbler’s fate upon the young?[10] I ducked[11] the question by saying, not inaccurately7, that I wasn’t much good at heroes.
The other questions for Wisdom Keepers were equally perilous8[12]. “What do you mean by leadership?” provided an opportunity for snide jokes about politicians, but (believing as I do that everyone should vote) I didn’t want to encourage cynicism.[13] To “What motto or belief guides you through the tough times?,” Gone With the Wind’s “Tomorrow is another day” seemed barely sufficient.[14] “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans,” though succinct9[15], is not a thing the young need to be told: they’ll discover it all too soon.
You may ask, as I asked myself, “Why not say no? There’s no law that says you have to be a Wisdom Keeper. Why not declare yourself a Stupidity Keeper instead, and opt10 out[16]?”
The answer has to do partly with the man behind the idea. Wisdom Keepers is the project of Dr. Joe MacInnis, the physician-turned-pioneer of deep-sea-diving techniques in the Arctic.[17] Dr. Joe has led more than 30 expeditions, developed many new techniques for use in extreme conditions, and explored many a sunken wreck11, including the Titanic12.[18] For dealing13 with life-threatening conditions he stresses such characteristics as resilience[19], courage, a sense of humor, and the ability to think as a member of a team. He also happens to be a very nice person, and, as you get older, it’s often to the person rather than to the project that you find yourself not saying no. Your grandfather was right: character does matter.
One of the things Dr. Joe and I have in common is a love of the Arctic. Being in that vast expanse of land and sea above the tree line is like looking at the bones of the world.[20] You know how small you are, how easily snuffed out[21]—and also how important your life-support systems are, other people among them.
I’d traveled in the Arctic a number of times, though not nearly as many as Dr. Joe. I suspect that the roots of his Wisdom Keepers project lie there, with the Inuit—who happen to possess so many of the qualities Dr. Joe prizes among those who live and work at the extreme edges of human experience.[22] He must have observed the respect they pay to Elders, and he may also have wondered why our society, with its emphasis on youth, has been losing its intergenerational connections.[23] Wisdom Keepers may be his way of bringing into being an Elders tradition among non-Inuit.
While visiting in the Arctic, I had been told a number of things about Inuit Elders. First, you can’t become an Elder just by getting old; it’s a title bestowed[24] by others. You never push your advice, but you offer it if asked. “You can tell who the Elders are,” said my informant[25]. “Just watch a group. The Elders are the ones to whom the others are always bringing cups of tea.” When an Elder speaks, people listen. But Elders don’t speak often.
An Elder knows what to do in times of difficulty. Elders acquired that knowledge by having endured hard times before. As one of our old sayings puts it, “Good judgment15 comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.”
In earlier societies, especially those living in harsh environments, at a time when the life expectancy16 was 35,[26] the rare individual living to 60 would have seen many more times of crisis than the younger people. He or she would have had a better idea of how to face those dangers. In traditional Japan it was the custom to tear down and rebuild wooden temples at set intervals17.[27] So that the rebuilt temple would exactly resemble its predecessor18, three generations of master craftsmen19 were always employed: the apprentices21, who were learning; the master craftsmen of middle years, who had already lived through one temple rebuilding; and the oldest generation, who’d been through the process twice before and could coach the other two.[28] One of the reasons to keep wisdom, it seems, is so you can pass it on when required.
Many people feel we’re living through a crisis now. The young, especially—those who have known only the affluent22[29] times of recent years—have been shocked by the global recession. They were fed a number of accepted truths that turned bottom side up overnight:[30] that spending was always a good thing to do, that a house would always increase in value, that the rich and powerful always knew what they were doing. Not so, it seems, nor is the present situation unprecedented23[31], but those under 35 have never lived through anything like it.
Perhaps it’s time for our own Elders (our Wisdom Keepers) to share their experience with younger generations who want to know—and also need to know—how to deal with hard times:
“This is how you stretch a dollar and serve a leftover24,”[32] they might say.
Or, “The important things in life aren’t things.”
Or, “Keep your nerve[33]. Don’t panic. The only way out is through.”
Or, “Hanging your clothes to dry doesn’t cost a cent.”
Or, “ ‘We’ is a more powerful word than ‘I.’”
Or, “The human race has been through the bottleneck25[34] before.”
Or even a simple, “We can do this.”
You’ve got your own list? Time to share it—though, like a true Elder, only when asked.
Vocabulary
1. Margaret Atwood:玛格丽特?阿特伍德,当代加拿大知名作家、诗人。
2. farewell: 告别;the thirty-somethings: 三十来岁的人;mini-wrinkle: 小皱纹;in denial: 持否定态度的;mellow: 成熟的,稳健的;sagacious: 有洞察力的,有智慧的。
3. stuff: 东西,此处指“智慧”。
4. impart: 告知,透露。
5. wonderingly: 觉得奇怪地。
6. feature: 作为主要角色,主演;panic: 惊慌失措。
7. role-model: 行为榜样;Long John Silver: 海盗小说《金银岛》(Treasure Island)中声名狼藉的独脚大盗;ruthless: 冷酷无情的;bloodthirsty: 嗜杀成性的;pirate: 海盗。
8. 我想过蝙蝠侠,但一个穿上紧身蝙蝠侠衫、开着蝙蝠侠战车去行侠仗义的人——无论他品德多么高尚、肌肉多么发达——都缺乏某种严肃性。Batman: 蝙蝠侠,美国卡通、电视和电影人物,白天是百万富翁、社会名流Bruce Wayne,夜晚则扮成身着披风头戴面具的侠士,在纽约市打击罪犯。
9. Sherlock Holmes: 福尔摩斯,英国作家柯南?道尔(Conan Doyle)所著一系列侦探小说中的主人公,一位推理能力极强的大侦探;avowed: 自认的,公开宣布的;askance: 怀疑地,不以为然地;board: 委员会,董事会。
10. propose: 建议;Emily Bronte, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Barrett Browning: 勃朗特(1818—1848)和奥斯汀(1775—1817)是两位英国女小说家,代表作分别为《简?爱》和《傲慢与偏见》,勃朗宁(1806—1861)为英国女诗人,代表作《孩子们的哭声》;scribbler: 作家。
11. duck: 回避。
12. perilous: 危险的,这里指“不好回答的”。
13. snide: 讽刺的,挖苦的;cynicism: 嘲笑挖苦。
14. motto: 格言,座右铭;Gone With the Wind: 小说《飘》,后改编为电影,译作《乱世佳人》。
15. succinct: 简明的。
16. opt out: 退出。
17. physician-turned-pioneer: 医生出身的先驱;deep-sea-diving: 深海潜水;the Arctic: 北极。
18. expedition: 远征,探险;sunken: 沉入水底的;wreck: 沉船;Titanic: 泰坦尼克号。
19. resilience:(活力、精神等的)恢复力,适应力。
20. 身处林木线上方广袤的陆地和宽广的海洋当中,就好像在注视着世界的脊梁。tree line: 林木线,指高山上林木生长的上限。
21. snuff out: <俚> 断气,死去。
22. Inuit: 伊努伊特人,美洲的爱斯基摩人,常年生活在恶劣的极地环境中;prize: 珍视。
23. Elder:(部落等群体中的)头人,族长;intergenerational: 两代之间的。
24. bestow14: 赠给,授予。
25. informant: 提供消息的人。
26. harsh: 严酷的;life expectancy: 预期寿命。
27. tear down: 拆毁;at set intervals: 每隔一段时间。
28. resemble: 像,类似于;predecessor: 前身;master craftsman26: 能工巧匠;apprentice20: 学徒;coach: 指导。
29. affluent: 富裕的。
30. 他们被告知的许多普遍真理顷刻遭到颠覆。
31. unprecedented: 前所未有的。
32. stretch a dollar: 指谨慎消费,不乱花钱;serve a leftover: 利用剩余物(尤指食品)。
33. keep one’s nerve: 保持勇气。
34. bottleneck: 瓶颈,阻碍。

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1 accomplishment 2Jkyo     
n.完成,成就,(pl.)造诣,技能
参考例句:
  • The series of paintings is quite an accomplishment.这一系列的绘画真是了不起的成就。
  • Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives.要实现我们的目标,钱是至关重要的。
2 middle-aged UopzSS     
adj.中年的
参考例句:
  • I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
  • The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。
3 mellow F2iyP     
adj.柔和的;熟透的;v.变柔和;(使)成熟
参考例句:
  • These apples are mellow at this time of year.每年这时节,苹果就熟透了。
  • The colours become mellow as the sun went down.当太阳落山时,色彩变得柔和了。
4 virtuous upCyI     
adj.有品德的,善良的,贞洁的,有效力的
参考例句:
  • She was such a virtuous woman that everybody respected her.她是个有道德的女性,人人都尊敬她。
  • My uncle is always proud of having a virtuous wife.叔叔一直为娶到一位贤德的妻子而骄傲。
5 avowed 709d3f6bb2b0fff55dfaf574e6649a2d     
adj.公开声明的,承认的v.公开声明,承认( avow的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • An aide avowed that the President had known nothing of the deals. 一位助理声明,总统对这些交易一无所知。
  • The party's avowed aim was to struggle against capitalist exploitation. 该党公开宣称的宗旨是与资本主义剥削斗争。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 cocaine VbYy4     
n.可卡因,古柯碱(用作局部麻醉剂)
参考例句:
  • That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
  • Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。
7 inaccurately a8227b8b26c38df3fcbc98367e352369     
不精密地,不准确地
参考例句:
  • The money mechanism began to work stiffly and inaccurately. 贷币机构开始周转不灵和不准确了。
  • Court records reveal every day how inaccurately "eyewitnesses'see. 法庭记录每天都显露出“见证人”看得多不准确。
8 perilous E3xz6     
adj.危险的,冒险的
参考例句:
  • The journey through the jungle was perilous.穿过丛林的旅行充满了危险。
  • We have been carried in safety through a perilous crisis.历经一连串危机,我们如今已安然无恙。
9 succinct YHozq     
adj.简明的,简洁的
参考例句:
  • The last paragraph is a succinct summary.最后这段话概括性很强。
  • A succinct style lends vigour to writing.措辞简练使文笔有力。
10 opt a4Szv     
vi.选择,决定做某事
参考例句:
  • They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
  • Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗?
11 wreck QMjzE     
n.失事,遇难;沉船;vt.(船等)失事,遇难
参考例句:
  • Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
  • No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。
12 titanic NoJwR     
adj.巨人的,庞大的,强大的
参考例句:
  • We have been making titanic effort to achieve our purpose.我们一直在作极大的努力,以达到我们的目的。
  • The island was created by titanic powers and they are still at work today.台湾岛是由一个至今仍然在运作的巨大力量塑造出来的。
13 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
14 bestow 9t3zo     
v.把…赠与,把…授予;花费
参考例句:
  • He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.他希望将那些伟大的荣誉授予这位英雄。
  • What great inspiration wiII you bestow on me?你有什么伟大的灵感能馈赠给我?
15 judgment e3xxC     
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见
参考例句:
  • The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
  • He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。
16 expectancy tlMys     
n.期望,预期,(根据概率统计求得)预期数额
参考例句:
  • Japanese people have a very high life expectancy.日本人的平均寿命非常长。
  • The atomosphere of tense expectancy sobered everyone.这种期望的紧张气氛使每个人变得严肃起来。
17 intervals f46c9d8b430e8c86dea610ec56b7cbef     
n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 );间隔时间;[数学]区间;(戏剧、电影或音乐会的)幕间休息
参考例句:
  • The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴,有阵雨。
  • Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。
18 predecessor qP9x0     
n.前辈,前任
参考例句:
  • It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
  • The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。
19 craftsmen craftsmen     
n. 技工
参考例句:
  • rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
  • The craftsmen have ensured faithful reproduction of the original painting. 工匠保证要复制一幅最接近原作的画。
20 apprentice 0vFzq     
n.学徒,徒弟
参考例句:
  • My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
  • The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。
21 apprentices e0646768af2b65d716a2024e19b5f15e     
学徒,徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • They were mere apprentices to piracy. 他们干海盗仅仅是嫩角儿。
  • He has two good apprentices working with him. 他身边有两个好徒弟。
22 affluent 9xVze     
adj.富裕的,富有的,丰富的,富饶的
参考例句:
  • He hails from an affluent background.他出身于一个富有的家庭。
  • His parents were very affluent.他的父母很富裕。
23 unprecedented 7gSyJ     
adj.无前例的,新奇的
参考例句:
  • The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
  • A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。
24 leftover V97zC     
n.剩货,残留物,剩饭;adj.残余的
参考例句:
  • These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
  • Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。
25 bottleneck uRfyN     
n.瓶颈口,交通易阻的狭口;妨生产流程的一环
参考例句:
  • The transportation bottleneck has blocked the movement of the cargo.运输的困难阻塞了货物的流通。
  • China's strained railroads already become a bottleneck for the economy.中国紧张的铁路运输已经成为经济增长的瓶颈。
26 craftsman ozyxB     
n.技工,精于一门工艺的匠人
参考例句:
  • A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。
  • The craftsman is working up the mass of clay into a toy figure.艺人把一团泥捏成玩具形状。
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