- the little prince visits the conceited man
— The second planet was inhabited by a conceited(自负) man.
"Ah! Ah! I am about to receive a visit from an admirer!" he exclaimed from afar, when he first saw the little prince coming.
For, to conceited men, all other men are admirers.
"Good morning," said the little prince. "That is a queer hat you are wearing."
"It is a hat for salutes(赞美),” the conceited man replied. "It is to raise in salute when people acclaim([n.approval]) me. Unfortunately, nobody at all ever passes this way."
"Yes?" said the little prince, who did not understand what the conceited man was talking about.
"Clap your hands, one against the other," the conceited man now directed him.
The little prince clapped his hands. The conceited man raised his hat in a modest salute.
"This is more entertaining than the visit to the king," the little prince said to himself. And he began again to clap his hands, one against the other. The conceited man against raised his hat in salute.
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salute:正式用词,指用敬礼、亲吻或挥帽等动作向他人致意或问候。
greet: 常指友好而热诚地欢迎。
hail: 主要指欢迎某人,侧重欢快轻松和嘈杂。指隔得较远的高声招呼。
greet: 常指友好而热诚地欢迎。
After five minutes of this exercise the little prince grew tired of the game‘s monotony ([/mə'nɒt(ə)nɪ/]n.千篇一律).
"And what should one do to make the hat come down?" he asked.
But the conceited man did not hear him. ::Conceited people never hear anything but praise. ::
"Do you really admire me very much?" he demanded of the little prince.
"What does that mean-- ‘admire‘?"
"To admire mean that you regard me as the handsomest, the best-dressed, the richest, and the most intelligent man on this planet."
"But you are the only man on your planet!"
"Do me this kindness. Admire me just the same."
"I admire you," said the little prince, shrugging his shoulders slightly, "but ::what is there in that to interest you so much?::"
And the little prince went away.
"The grown-ups are certainly very odd," he said to himself, as he continued on his journey.
_ - the little prince visits the tippler_(酒鬼)
The next planet was inhabited by a tippler. This was a very short visit, but it plunged the little prince into deep dejection.
"What are you doing there?" he said to the tippler, whom he found settled down in silence before a collection of empty bottles and also a collection of full bottles.
"I am drinking," replied the tippler, with** a lugubrious air**
"Why are you drinking?" demanded the little prince.
"So that I may forget," replied the tippler.
"Forget what?" inquired the little prince, who already was sorry for him.
:: "Forget that I am ashamed," the tippler confessed, hanging his head. ::
"Ashamed of what?" insisted the little prince, who wanted to help him.
"Ashamed of drinking!" The tippler brought his speech to an end, and shut himself up in an impregnable silence.
And the little prince went away, puzzled.
"The grown-ups are certainly very, very odd," he said to himself, as he continued on his journey.
- ** a lugubrious air:/lʊ'guːbrɪəs/adj. 悲哀的;air**:“感觉;气息”
- ashamed:很羞愧, 比如 “ 他作弊被发现了 ”,he is ashamed.
- shame:羞耻,你作弊!“ 真羞耻!”就是 shame on you
- a shame表示 “ 遗憾 ” 。It’s a shame that you’ve missed this show.
有时候人有了烦恼,希望借酒消愁。结果喝酒变成了一种习惯,烦恼不仅没有消除,而且还染上喝酒这个习惯戒不掉,因此更加消极烦恼,这就是恶性循环。到最后寄希望于帮我们消除烦恼的事物,反而变成了我们新的烦恼。所以遇到问题千万不要逃避吖,要勇敢面对并且解决,逃避是逃避不过问题的。