Unit6.docx

Unit6.docx

《Unit6.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Unit6.docx（12页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

Unit6

UnitSix

GettingAlongwithNature

WendellBerry

Text　（Introductions:

Thereisafarcryofenvironmentalprotectionintheworld.WehumanbeinghavealreadyWendellBerryentertainstheopinionthatwewilldiminishourselvesifwediminishnature.Doyouagreewithhim?

）

1.Thedefendersofnatureandwilderness---liketheirenemiesthedefendersoftheindustrialeconomy---sometimessoundasifthenaturalandthehumanestatesweretwoseparateestates,radicallydifferentandradicallydivided.Thedefendersofnatureandwildernesssometimesseemtofeelthattheymustopposeanyhumanencroachmentwhatsoever,justastheindustrialistsoftenapparentlyfeelthattheymustmakethehumanencroachmentabsoluteor,astheysay,"completetheconquestofnature."Butthereisdangerinthisopposition,anditcanbebestdealtwithbyrealizingthatthesepureandseparatecategoriesarepureideasanddonototherwiseexist.

2.Purenature,anyhow,isnotgoodforhumanstolivein,andhumansdonotwanttoliveinit---ornotforverylong.Anyexposuretotheelementsthatlastsmorethanafewhourswillremindusofthedesirabilityofthebasichumanamenities:

clothing,shelter,cookedfood,thecompanyofkinfolkandfriends---perhapsevenofhotbathsandmusicandbooks.

3.Itisequallytrueaconditionthatispurelyhumanisnotgoodforpeopletolivein,andpeopledonotwanttoliveforverylonginit.Obviously,themoreartificialahumanenvironmentbecomes,themoretheword"natural"becomesatermofvalue.Itcanbeargued,indeed,thattheconservationmovement,asweknowittoday,islargelyaproductoftheindustrialrevolution.Thepeoplewhowantcleanair,clearstreams,andwildforests,prairies,anddesertsarethepeoplewhonolongerhavethem.

4.Peoplecannotliveapartfromnature;thatisthefirstprincipleoftheconservationists.Andyet,peoplecannotliveinnaturewithoutchangingit.Butthisistrueofallcreatures;theydependuponnature,andtheychangeit.Whatwecallnatureis,inasense,thesumofthechangesmadebyallthevariouscreaturesandnaturalforcesintheirintricateactionsandinfluencesuponeachotherandupontheirplaces.Becauseofthewoodpeckers,natureisdifferentfromwhatitwouldbewithoutthem.Itisdifferentalsobecauseoftheborersandantsthatliveintreetrunks,andbecauseofthebacteriathatliveinthesoilunderthetrees.Themakingofthesedifferencesisthemakingoftheworld.

5.Someofthechangesmadebywildcreatureswewouldcallbeaversarefamousformakingpondsthatturnintofertilemeadows;treesandprairiegrassesbuildsoil.Butsometimes,too,wewouldcallnaturalchangesdestructive.Accordingtoearlywitnesses,forinstance,largeareasaroundKentuckysaltlickswereseverelytrampledanderodedbythegreatherdsofhoofedanimalsthatgatheredthere.Thebuffalo"streets"throughhillycountryweresohollowedoutbyhoofwearanderosionthattheyremainvisiblealmosttwocenturiesafterthedisappearanceofthebuffalo.Andsoitcanhardlybeexpectedthathumanswouldnotchangenature.Humans,likeallothercreatures,mustmakeadifference;otherwise,theycannotlive.Butunlikeothercreatures,humansmustmakeachoiceastothekindandscaleofthedifferencetheymake.Iftheychoosetomaketoosmalladifference,theydiminishtheirhumanity.Iftheychoosetomaketoogreatadifference,theydiminishnature,andnarrowtheirsubsequentchoices;ultimately,theydiminishordestroythemselves.Nature,then,isnotonlyoursourcebutalsoourlimitandmeasure.Or,asthepostEdmundSpenserputitalmostfourhundredyearsago.Nature,whoisthe"greatestgoddesse",actsasasortofearthlylieutenantofGod,andSpenserrepresentsherasbothamotherandjudge.Herjurisdictionisovertherelationsbetweenthecreatures;shedeals“Righttoall...indifferently,”forsheis“theequalmother”ofall“Andknittesteachtoeach,asbrotheruntobrother.”Thus,inSpenser,thenaturalprinciplesoffertilityandorderarepointedlylinkedwiththeprincipleofjustice,whichwemaybealittlesurprisedtoseethatheattributesalsotonature.Andyetinhisinsistenceonan“indifferent”naturaljustice,restingonthe“brotherhood”ofallcreatures,notjustofhumans,Spenserwouldnowbesaidtobeonsoundecologicalfooting.

6.Innatureweknowthatwildcreaturessometimesexhausttheirvitalsourcesandsufferthenaturalremedy:

drasticpopulationreductions.Iflynxeseattoomanysnowshoerabbits---whichtheyaresaidtodorepeatedly---thenthelynxesstarvedowntothecarryingcapacityoftheirhabitat.Itisthecarryingcapacityofthelynx'shabitat,notthecarryingcapacityofthelynx'sstomach,thatdeterminestheprosperityoflynxes.Similarly,ifhumansuseuptoomuchsoil---whichtheyhaveoftendoneandaredoing---thentheywillstarvedowntothecarryingcapacityoftheirhabitat.Thisisnature's"indifferent"justice.AsSpensersawinthesixteenthcentury,andaswemustlearntoseenow,thereisnoappealfromthisjustice.Inthefuture,theLordmayforgiveourwrongsagainstnature,butonearth,sofarasweknow,Hedoesnotoverturnherdecisions.

7.Oneofthedifferencesbetweenhumansandlynxesisthathumanscanseethattheprincipleofbalanceoperatesbetweenlynxesandsnowshoerabbits,asbetweenhumansandtopsoil;anotherdifference,wehope,isthathumanshavethesensetoactontheirunderstanding.Wecansee,too,thatastablebalanceispreferabletoabalancethattiltsbackandforthlikeaseesaw,dumpingasurplusofcreaturesalternatelyfromeitherend.Tosaythisistorenewthequestionofwhetherornotthehumanrelationshipwithnatureisnecessarilyanadversaryrelationship,anditistosuggestthattheanswerisnotsimple.

8.Butindealingwiththisquestionandintryingtodojusticetothepresumedcomplexityoftheanswer,weareupagainstanAmericanconventionofsimpleoppositiontonaturethatisdeeplyestablishedbothinourmindsandinourways.WehaveopposedtheprimevalforestsoftheEastandtheprimevalprairiesanddesertsoftheWest,wehaveopposedman-eatingbeastsandcrop-eatinginsects,sheep-eatingwolvesandchicken-eatinghawks.Inourlawnsandgardensandfields,weopposewhatwecallweeds.Andyetmoreandmoreofusarebeginningtoseethatthisoppositionisultimatelydestructiveevenofourselves,thatitdoesnotexplainmanythingsthatneedexplaining—inshort,thatitisuntrue.

9.Ifourproperrelationtonatureisnotopposition,thenwhatisit?

Thisquestionbecomescomplicatedanddifficultforusbecausenoneofus,asIhavesaid,wantstoliveina"pure"primevalforestorina"pure"primevalprairie;wedonotwanttobeeatenbygrizzlybears;ifwearegardeners,wehavealegitimatequarrelwithweeds;if,inKentucky,wearetryingtoimproveourpastures,wearelikelytobeenemiesofthenoddingthistle.But,dowhatwewill,weremainunderthespelloftheprimevalforestsandprairiesthatwehavecutdownandbroken;weturnrepeatedlyandwithlovetothethoughtofthemandtotheirsurvivingremnants.Wefindourselvesattractedtothegrizzlybears,too,andknowthattheyandothergreat,dangerousanimalsremainaliveinourimaginationsastheyhavebeenallthroughhumantime.Thoughwecutdownthenoddingthistles,weacknowledgetheirbeautyandaregladtothinkthattheremustbesomeplacewheretheybelong.（Theymay,infact,notalwaysbeoutofplaceinpastures;if,asseemsevident,overgrazingmakesanidealseedbedfortheseplants,thenwemustunderstandthemasapartofnature'sstrategytoprotectthegroundagainstabusebyanimals.）Eventheugliestgardenweedsearnaffectionfromuswhenweconsiderhowfaithfullytheyperformanindispensabledutyincoveringthebaregroundandinbuildinghumus.Theweeds,too,areinvolvedinthebusinessoffertility.

10.Weknow,then,thattheconflictbetweenthehumanandthenaturalestatesreallyexistsandthatitistosomeextentnecessary.Butwearelearning,orrelearning,somethingelse,too,thatfrightensus:

namely,thatthisconflictoftenoccursattheexpenseofbothestates.Itisnotonlypossiblebutaltogetherprobablethatbydiminishingnaturewediminishourselves,andviceversa.

 TranslatingandWriting:

A.TranslatethefollowingtwoparagraphsintoChinese.

1.AsthepoetEdmundSpenserputitalmostfourhundredyearsago.Nature,whoisthe"greatestgoddess,"actsasasortofearthlylieutenantofGod,andSpenserrepresentsherasbothamotherandjudge.||Herjurisdictionisovertherelationsbetweenthecreatures;shedeals"Righttoall...indifferently,"forsheis"theequalmother"ofall"andknittesteachtoeach,asbrotheruntobrother."||Thus,inSpenser,thenaturalprinciplesoffertilityandorderarepointedlylinkedwiththeprincipleofjustice,whichwemaybealittlesurprisedtoseethatheattributesalsotonature.||Andyetinhisinsistenceonan"indifferent"naturaljustice,restingonthe"brotherhood"ofallcreatures,notjustofhumans,Spenserwouldnowbesaidtobeonsoundecologicalfooting.

2.Ifourproperrelationtonatureisnotopposition,thenwhatisit?

||Thisquestionbecomescomplicatedanddifficultforusbecausenoneofus,asIhavesaid,wantstoliveina"pure"primevalforestorina"pure"primevalprairie;wedonotwanttobeeatenbygrizzlybears;||ifwearegardeners,wehavealegitimatequarrelwithweeds;if,inKentucky,wearetryingtoimproveourpastures,wearelikelytobeenemiesofthenoddingthistle.||But,dowhatwewill,weremainunderthespelloftheprimevalfores