不做伪君子
Do as I say, not as I do
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I'm Alice…
大家好,欢迎收听六分钟英语,我是爱丽丝。
… And I'm Rob.
我是罗伯。
Did I see you arriving in a huge red pick-up truck this morning?
我今早从巨大的红色皮卡车上下来的是你吧?
Yes – it's great, isn't it?
是的,车很棒,是吧?
It's very big… and red.
非常大,也非常红。
But Rob, aren't you a supporter of the movement to preserve the environment?
但是,罗伯,你不是环保行动的支持者吗?
Erm… Yes.
额,没错。
A gas-guzzling car for an environmentalist, Rob?
环保人士还开高油耗的车?
Isn't that a contradiction – aren't you being a hypocrite?
你不是自相矛盾吗?你要做一个伪君子吗?
Well, it's very fuel-efficient, Alice.
那辆车很省油。
It's quite eco-friendly actually.
实际上也非常环保的。
That's ridiculous and you know it.
你自己也知道,这太荒谬了。
Hypocrisy is the subject of today's show, and maybe we should start by exploring the meaning of hypocrite.
虚伪是今天节目的主题,也许我们要从虚伪这一词的意思开始说起。
Can you tell me what did the Ancient Greek word ‘hypocrite' originally mean?
你能告诉我在希腊语中‘hypocrite’一词原本是什么意思吗?
Was it…a) actor
a) 演员
b) politician
b) 政客
Or c) horse?
还是c) 马?
OK, that's easy. I think it's b) politician.
这题很容易。我觉得是b) 政客。
Well, we'll find out whether you got the answer right or not later in the show.
之后我们再看你回答得是否正确。
Now, these days the meaning has changed, and a hypocrite means somebody who says one thing and does another.
如今这个词的意思已经发生了变化,hypocrite伪君子是指说一套做一套的人。
Like you telling me not to bite my nails because it's a disgusting habit…
就像你告诉我不要咬指甲,因为这个习惯很恶心,
and then I see you doing it later the same day.
然而同一天我看到你做同样的事。
Hmm. Well, sometimes it's hard to be consistent.
好吧,有时很难保持言行一致。
I do think nail biting is disgusting – but then when I'm a bit nervous I do it without thinking.
我确实觉得咬指甲很恶心,但我紧张时我会不自觉地咬指甲。
We're often inconsistent in what we say or do, though, aren't we?
我们经常会言行不一致,不是吗?
Inconsistent means changeable.
Inconsistent是指变化的。
There is an explanation for us sometimes saying one thing and behaving in a very different way.
有一个说法可以解释为什么有时候我们说一套做一套。
Let's listen to Professor Clancy Martin at the University of Missouri in the US.
我们来听听美国密苏里大学Clancy Martin教授的观点。
He teaches Philosophy so he knows a thing or two about the way we think.
他教授哲学,因此对我们思考的方式略知一二。
So while you might be enormously compassionate in your role as a teacher or a parent,
作为老师或父母,你也许格外富有同情心,
you might find yourself being quite harsh and direct when it comes to your role as a brother or a sister.
但作为兄弟姐妹,你会发现自己变得严厉直接。
So then you see that - now wait a second if I've got all these inconsistencies all over the place in my character
然后你就会想,如果我的性格中有这些不一致存在,
can I really say that I'm a sincere and authentic individual?
那我还是一个真诚可信的人吗?
Or am I just kind of blowing with which ever way my relationship winds kind of incline me?
还是我是一个随着人际关系变化随波逐流的人?
Professor Clancy Martin.
上述是Clancy Martin教授的观点。
So we play different roles in life and these roles may seem contradictory
我们在生活中扮演不同的角色,这些角色看似自相矛盾,
but they're just part of being the same person.
但都是性格中的一部分。
Sometimes you're a bit harsh and direct with me, Alice, aren't you?
有时,你对我也有些严厉和直接,不是吗,爱丽丝?
Do you see yourself as my sister?
你是将自己视为我的姐姐了吗?
She used to pick on me.
我姐姐过去总是对我很挑剔。
Harsh means stern and unkind.
Harsh是指严厉,不善。
I don't mean to be unkind to you, Rob.
我不是故意对你不善的。
Maybe I could try and be more compassionate towards you
我会试着对你和善一些,
– it means show a bit of sympathy and concern now and then.
对你更加理解,更加关心。
Offer me good words.
多说我一些好话。
At least promise you'll be nice to me.
至少保证对我好点。
That you'll bring me tea and biscuits…
给我带点茶和饼干。
That's what politicians do.
这是那些政客会做的事。
They promise they will do what people want and … often they don't.
他们承诺会满足人们的需要,但经常做不到。
And it's a big problem for them.
这是他们最大的问题。
Let's talk about politicians and hypocrisy.
我们来谈谈政客和伪善。
They have to express opinions about so many things that it's easy to catch them out being hypocritical…
他们需要表达对很多事物的观点,所以他们伪善的一面很容易被人们捕捉到。
– and then we, the public, get morally indignant about it.
然后公众就会对此愤懑不已。
Yes. To catch somebody out means to discover they have made a mistake.
没错。catch somebody out是指发现某人犯错。
And morally indignant means being angry about something, according to principles of right and wrong.
morally indignant是指出于是非观对某事很不满。
Let's listen to Professor Martin again talking about the difficulties of being a politician.
我们继续听听Martin教授讲述政客的不易之处。
I think in our contemporary democracy it's become obvious to most of us
我想在我们当今的民主制中,大多数人可以明显的看到,
that the views that we expect from our politicians and the kinds of views that get our politicians elected are…
我们希望政客所持的观点,以及帮助他们得以当选的观点,
may be completely incongruous with the way they lead their personal lives and what they personally believe.
也许与他们个人生活中的处事方式和个人信仰完全不符。
And this is how it can become very morally pernicious… very morally dangerous.
这对社会道德极为有害,非常危险。
OK, so we elect politicians based on their views – for example on the environment, on education, on foreign policy.
选举中我们基于政客们在环境、教育、外交政策方面的观点给予投票,
But their public views may be incongruous – or not in agreement with – their personal views.
但他们对公众所宣称的观点可能与他们的个人观点毫不相符,即不一致。
And the difference between their public and personal views can be pernicious - it means deadly or destructive.
对外及自身观点之间的差异对社会道德极为有害,甚至是致命性、摧毁性的影响。
Politicians are under scrutiny all the time – their personal lives, their public statements...
政客无时无刻处于人们的监督之下,包括他们的个人生活,他们的对外陈述。
Now with social media, a thoughtless comment goes viral – or spreads very quickly via the internet.
如今因为社交媒体,轻率的言论会迅速通过网络传播开来。
That's true. And actually… I posted a photo of my red pick-up truck earlier.
没错。事实上之前我还上传了红色皮卡的照片。
Has it gone viral, Rob?
迅速传播开来了吗?
No, but there is a negative comment from the local conservationists…
没有,但受到了当地环保主义者的负面评论。
Oh dear. Well, Rob, I think it's time I told you the answer to today's quiz question.
天啊。好吧,罗伯,我觉得是时候告诉你之前问题的答案了。
I asked: What did the Ancient Greek word 'hypocrite' originally describe?
我问你:在希腊语中‘hypocrite’一词原本是什么意思?
Was it… a) actor, b) politician or c) horse.
a) 演员b) 政客 还是c) 马?
And I said b) politician.
我选的是b) 政客。
And you were wrong, I'm afraid!
你回答错了。
Hypokrites was a technical term for a stage actor and was not considered an appropriate role for a public figure.
Hypokrites是一个专业术语,指舞台上的演员,不适用于公众人物。
In Athens in the 4th century BC, the great orator Demosthenes ridiculed a rival politician, who had been a successful actor.
在公元前四世纪的古希腊,著名的雄辩家狄摩西尼以该词嘲笑他反对的政客,该名政客之前是一名成功演员。
Well, we're running out of time so can we hear the words we learned today?
我们的时间快到了,再来听一遍今天学到的单词吧?
They are:
今天学到的单词有:
hypocrite
伪君子
inconsistent
不一致的
harsh
严厉的
compassionate
有同情心的
catch somebody out
抓到某人犯错
morally indignant
愤慨的
incongruous
不协调的
pernicious
致命的
go viral
传播迅速
Well, that's the end of today's 6 Minute English.
今天的六分钟英语就到这里。
Don't forget to join us again soon!
别忘了下期再会!
Bye.
再见。