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今天給大家?guī)淼氖菃讨螉W威爾的短篇評(píng)論

文章題目叫做

《為什么乞丐遭受鄙夷》

喬治.奧威爾，我想就不需要多介紹了，英國(guó)當(dāng)代著名的小說家、社會(huì)評(píng)論家，記者。

代表作《動(dòng)物莊園》和《1984》影響巨大

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奧威爾的文筆簡(jiǎn)潔明了，不像多數(shù)西方小說家、散文家采用繁冗華麗的修辭、復(fù)雜的語(yǔ)法，他的文章短句居多，語(yǔ)法結(jié)構(gòu)簡(jiǎn)單，然而其觀點(diǎn)、思想?yún)s十分犀利、獨(dú)到。

下面就看一下這篇短文

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Why Are Beggars Despised?

by George Orwell

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It is worth saying something about the social position of beggars,

關(guān)于乞丐的社會(huì)地位問題，值得討論一下

for when one has consorted with them,

當(dāng)你與他們廝混

and found that they are ordinary human beings,

就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)他們就是普通人

one cannot help being struck by the curious attitude that society takes towards them.

你就會(huì)忍不住感到吃驚，由于社會(huì)對(duì)待他們的奇怪態(tài)度。

People seem to feel that there is some essential difference between beggars and ordinary "working" men.

人們好像感覺乞丐和普通有工作的人有著一些本質(zhì)的區(qū)別

They are a race apart—outcasts, like criminals and prostitutes.

乞丐就像單獨(dú)的一個(gè)種群 - 被遺棄者，就像罪犯和妓女

Working men "work,"

工作的人在干活

beggars do not "work"; they are parasites, worthless in their very nature.

乞丐不干活，他們是寄生蟲，就這一性質(zhì)而言（他們）毫無(wú)價(jià)值。

It is taken for granted that a beggar does not "earn" his living, as a bricklayer or a literary critic "earns" his.

我們想當(dāng)然的認(rèn)為乞丐不賺錢過活，不像泥瓦匠或者文學(xué)評(píng)論者那樣賺錢過日子。

He is a mere social excrescence, tolerated because we live in a humane age, but essentially despicable.

乞丐就是存粹的社會(huì)毒瘤，被（社會(huì)）包容，只是因?yàn)槲覀兩钤谝粋€(gè)人道的（仁慈的）時(shí)代，但基本上是被鄙夷的。

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Yet if one looks closely one sees that there is noessential difference between a beggar's livelihood and that of numberless respectable people.

但如果你進(jìn)一步觀察，你就能發(fā)現(xiàn)，乞丐的生計(jì)和無(wú)數(shù)值得尊敬的人們的生計(jì)，沒有本質(zhì)的區(qū)別

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Beggars do not work, it is said; but, then, what is work?

乞丐不工作，話雖如此，但是，那么，什么又是工作呢？

A navvy works by swinging a pick.

建筑工人在工作，揮舞著鶴嘴鋤。

An accountant works by adding up figures.

會(huì)計(jì)在工作，計(jì)算著數(shù)字

A beggar works by standing out of doors in all weathers and getting varicose veins, chronic bronchitis, etc.

乞丐無(wú)論刮風(fēng)下雨，露天站在街頭工作，身患靜脈曲張，慢性支氣管炎等等。

It is a trade like any other; quite useless, of course--but, then, many reputable trades are quite useless.

這份職業(yè)和其他任何職業(yè)沒什么兩樣；當(dāng)然，非常沒有價(jià)值。

然而，許多好名聲的職業(yè)，也相當(dāng)?shù)臎]有價(jià)值。

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And as a social type a beggar compares well with scores of others.

作為一種社會(huì)類型，乞丐可以與許許多多其他的類型做個(gè)比較。

He is honest compared with the sellers of most patent medicines,

乞丐，比起大多數(shù)專利藥品的銷售員，更誠(chéng)實(shí)。

high-minded compared with a Sunday newspaper proprietor,

比起星期日?qǐng)?bào)紙的業(yè)主更高尚

amiable compared with a hire-purchase tout

比起兜售分期付款的小販更親切，

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in short, a parasite, but a fairly harmless parasite.

簡(jiǎn)而言之，（乞丐）是寄生蟲，但卻是相當(dāng)無(wú)害的寄生蟲。

He seldom extracts more than a bare living from the community,

他很少向社會(huì)索取超過其勉強(qiáng)維持生計(jì)所需的，

and, what should justify him according to our ethical ideas,

he pays for it over and over in suffering.

而且，為了符合我們的道德觀，他一次又一次的遭受痛苦，以此為代價(jià)，來使其（乞討行為）正當(dāng)化

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I do not think there is anything about a beggar that sets him in a different class from other people, or gives most modern men the right to despise him.

我并不認(rèn)為乞丐有任何的一樣?xùn)|西，讓他與其他人群區(qū)分開來，以及讓大多數(shù)現(xiàn)代人有權(quán)對(duì)他鄙視。

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Then the question arises, Why are beggars despised?--for they are despised, universally.

那么問題來了，為社么乞丐們?cè)馐鼙梢模?/span> 他們普遍地遭到鄙視？

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I believe it is for the simple reason that they fail to earn a decent living.

我相信有一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的理由，那就是他們沒法掙錢過體面的生活。

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In practice nobody cares whether work is useful or useless, productive or parasitic;

在實(shí)際生活中，沒人關(guān)心一份職業(yè)是否有用沒用，有建設(shè)性還是寄生型的？

the sole thing demanded is that it shall be profitable.

（職業(yè)）唯一需要的就是看它能不能牟利。

In all the modern talk about energy, efficiency, social service and the rest of it,

在現(xiàn)代討論有關(guān)能源，效率，社會(huì)服務(wù)和其他方面，

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what meaning is there except "Get money, get it legally, and get a lot of it"?

有意義的無(wú)非就是“能不能掙錢，合法的掙錢，多多的掙錢”？

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Money has become the grand test of virtue.

金錢變成了關(guān)于品德（評(píng)價(jià)）的大考

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By this test beggars fail, and for this they are despised.

乞丐們沒法通過這樣的大考，所以他們被鄙視

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If one could earn even ten pounds a week at begging, it would become a respectable profession immediately.

如果一個(gè)人通過行乞能在一周內(nèi)掙到十英鎊，乞討立馬就能變成一份受人尊敬的職業(yè)。

A beggar, looked at realistically, is simply a businessman, getting his living, like other businessmen, in the way that comes to hand.

一個(gè)乞丐，從現(xiàn)實(shí)角度看，就是一個(gè)生意人，像其他生意人一樣，通過雙手來謀得生計(jì)。

He has not, more than most modern people, sold his honor;

（并且）他沒有像大多數(shù)現(xiàn)代人（那樣），出賣自己的尊嚴(yán)。

he has merely made the mistake of choosing a trade at which it is impossible to grow rich.(1933)

他只是錯(cuò)誤的選擇了一份職業(yè)，該職業(yè)不可能讓其財(cái)富（獲得）增長(zhǎng)。

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寫于1933年，喬治.奧威爾。