『新东方在线托福听力』为托福考生准备了ETS托福TPO/Official 4 Lec 2听力练习：What does the professor imply about himself when he recounts some life experiences he had before becoming a literature professor?原文题目答案解析，TPO/Official 4 Lec 2听力原文范文音频翻译。

托福TPO/Official 4 Lec 2听力原文What does the professor imply about himself when he recounts some life experiences he had before becoming a literature professor?-新东方托福官方网校手机版

旁白：请听一段文学课上的演讲。

Narrator: Listen to part of a lecture in a literature class.

教授：好的，那么趁着你们做今晚的作业，让我再强调一下一些需要你们记住的思考问题，以此结束今天的课程。

Professor: All right, so let me close today's class with some thoughts to keep in mind while you are doing tonight's assignment.

你们会读到拉尔夫沃尔多艾默生最为著名的论述文《自立》并将其与他的诗歌和其他著作进行比较。

You will be reading one of Ralph Waldo Emerson's best-known essays 'Self-Reliance' and comparing it with his poems and other works.

我想这篇论述文对你们来说很有意义，作为年轻人你们很可能想知道什么是真理以及你们的生活方向，所有各种深奥的话题。

I think this essay has the potential to be quite meaningful for all of you as young people who probably wonder about things like truth and where your lives are going - all sorts of profound questions.

懂一些艾默生的哲学原理有助于你们读懂《自立》。

Knowing something about Emerson's philosophies will help you when you read ‘Self-Reliance’.

而基本上说，他的主要信条就是关于真理。

And basically, one of the main beliefs that he had was about truth.

真理不是我们可以教就学到的，艾默生说真理存在于我们自身。

Not that it's something that we can be taught, Emerson says it's found within ourselves.

所有，真理，这种我们相互都有的想法，就是你们要读懂艾默生论文的第一点。

So this truth, the idea that it's in each one of us, is one of the first points that you'll see Emerson making in this essay.

这有点抽象，但是他就在，啊，就在每个人的身边，那些相信自己想法的人身上，信自己，自己觉得是真理的想法和信念。

It's a bit abstract but he's very into...uh... into each person believing his or her own thought, believing in yourself, the thought or conviction that's true for you.

而事实上，艾默生把自己的想法与一种"普遍真理"联系起来，一种每个人都知道，但是他们不清楚自己知道的东西。

But actually, he ties that in with a sort of 'universal truth' - something that everyone knows but doesn't realize they know.

我们很多人不能够以某种方式认识到自己，所以我们不能够领悟到深刻的真理。

Most of us aren't in touch with ourselves in a way, so we just aren't capable of recognizing profound truth.

这种真理需要天才，比如像莎士比亚这样的人，他们独一无二，因为当他们捕捉到真理，这种普遍真理的时候，他们会有所注意，将其表达出来，而不像我们中的很多人一样，忽视其存在。

It takes geniuses, people like, say, Shakespeare, who're unique because when they have a glimpse of this truth, this universal truth, they pay attention to it and express it and don't just dismiss it like most people do.

所以艾默生对那些相信并信任自己的人很感兴趣。

So Emerson is really into each individual believing in and trusting him or herself.

你们会看到他写的内容是关于，呃，首先，一致性。

You'll see that he writes about, well, first, conformity.

他批判跟他同时代的人，因为他们抛弃了自己的理想和愿望，就是为了获得一致性和一贯性的利益。

He criticizes that people of his time for abandoning their own minds and their own wills for the sake of conformity and consistency.

尽管他们的行为与自己的信念和身份不一致，他们还是试着融入到其他人的世界中去。

They try to fit in with the rest of the world even though it's at odds with their beliefs and their identities.

因此，最好的方法就是不尊奉习俗，要我行我素，不用介意其他人如何看待自己。

Therefore, it's best to be a non-conformist- to do your own thing, not worrying about what other people think.

艾默生确实通过自己的文章阐明了这一点。

He really drives this argument home throughout the essay.

当你们读这篇文章的时候，我要你们思考这一点，以及这种想法为什么会和他同时代的读者相关。

When you are reading, I want you to think about that and why that kind of thought would be relevant to the readers of his time.

记住，在1838年，"自立"是一种新颖的想法，而美国公民作为拥有美国国籍的个体不是很认同自我。

Remember this is 1838, 'Self-Reliance' was a novel idea at the time and the United State's citizens were less secure about themselves as individuals and as Americans.

The country as a whole was trying to define itself.

艾默生想给人们提供可以付之思忖的东西，帮他们找到自己的处世途径和自我认识。

Emerson wanted to give people something to really think about, help them find their own way and what it meant to be who they were.

这一点就是我所认为的以前跟现在都通用的相关性，嗯，也许，特别是像你们这样的成年人中，你知道的，大学的时候，你们就必须考虑自己的定位和发展方向。

So that's something that I think is definitely as relevant today as it was then, probably, um, especially among young adults like yourselves, you know, uh, college being a time to sort of really think about who you are and where you're going.

现在，我们已经说到了艾默生确实把重点放在了不尊奉习俗上，对吧，

Now we already said that Emerson really emphasizes non-conformity, right?

作为一种不失去自我和在这个世界上的定位，认识到自己的真我，不要害怕去倾听灵魂的呼唤。

As a way to sort of not lose your own self and identity in the world, to have your own truth and not be afraid to listen to it.

不尊奉习俗，呃，意味着不屈服于你的自己和你的过去。

Not conforming also means, uh, not conforming with yourself or your past.

嗯，如果你一直遵循某一种方式或做某一件事情，但这种方式不再适合你抑或你不满足于自己。艾默生说即便我们对过去保持始终如一也是愚蠢的行为。

Well, if you've always been a certain way or done a certain thing, but it's not working for you any more, or you're not content, Emerson says that it'd be foolish to be consistent even with our own past.

他说："把目光投向未来，这才是重要的。不始终如一是件好事。"

“Focus on the future.” he says, “That's what matters more. Inconsistency is good.”

他讲到关于一艘航行的船的例子，这是该篇文章中最为人知的部分。最成功的航行都有曲折的航线。

He talks about a ship's voyage and this is one of the most famous bits of the essay - how the best voyage is made up of zigzag lines.

在开始一段航行后，曲折似乎到处都是，但是在到更远的地方去后，真正的路线便会显现出来，最后所有沿路的迂回曲折都会被证明是值得的。

Up close, it seems a little all over the place, but from farther away, the true path shows and in the end it justifies all the turns along the way.

所以，如果你不知道自己方向或长期目标，千万别担心。

So, don't worry if you are not sure where you're headed or what your long-term goals are.

保持真我，最终一切都会是值得的。

Stay true to yourself and it'll make sense in the end.

在我还不是文学教授的时候，我当过会计。

Before I was a literature professor, I was an accountant.

在那之前，我曾是一名报社记者。

我的生活经历了几次有趣的转变，现在我是文学教授。我对很喜欢自己的经历，它们造就了现在的我。

My life is taking some pretty interesting turns and here I am, very happy with my experiences and where they've brought me.

如果你们依靠自己，相信自己有天赋，你自己的兴趣所在，那么别担心，最终你的道路会变得清晰。

If you rely on yourself and trust your own talents, your own interest, don't worry, your path will make sense in the end.

On what basis did Emerson criticize the people of his time?

What point does the professor make when he mentions a ship's path?

What does the professor imply about himself when he recounts some life experiences he had before becoming a literature professor?

Narrator Listen to part of a lecture in a literature class. Professor All right, so let me close today’s class with some thoughts to keep in mind while you are doing tonight’s assignment. You will be reading one of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s best-known essays ‘Self-Reliance’ and comparing it with his poems and other works. I think this essay has the potential to be quite meaningful for all of you as young people who probably wonder about things like truth and where your lives are going - all sorts of profound questions. Knowing something about Emerson’s philosophies will help you when you read ‘Self-Reliance’. And basically, one of the main beliefs that he had was about truth. Not that it’s something that we can be taught, Emerson says it’s found within ourselves. So this truth, the idea that it’s in each one of us, is one of the first points that you’ll see Emerson making in this essay. It’s a bit abstract but he’s very into…uh… into each person believing his or her own thought, believing in yourself, the thought or conviction that’s true for you. But actually, he ties that in with a sort of ‘universal truth’ – something that everyone knows but doesn’t realize they know. Most of us are in touch with ourselves in a way, so we just aren’t capable of recognizing profound truth. It takes geniuses, people like, say, Shakespeare, who’re unique because when they have a glimpse of this truth, this universal truth, they pay attention to it and express it and don’t just dismiss it like most people do. So Emerson is really into each individual believing in and trusting him or herself. You’ll see that he writes about, well, first, conformity. He criticizes that people of his time for abandoning their own minds and their own wills for the sake of conformity and consistency. They try to fit in with the rest of the world even though it’s at odds with their beliefs and their identities. Therefore, it’s best to be a non-conformist – to do your own thing, not worrying about what other people think. That’s an important point. He really drives this argument home throughout the essay. When you are reading, I want you to think about that and why that kind of thought would be relevant to the readers of his time. Remember this is 1838,‘Self-Reliance’ was a novel idea at the time and the United States citizens were less secure about themselves as individuals and as Americans. The country as a whole was trying to define itself. Emerson wanted to give people something to really think about, help them find their own way and what it meant to be who they were. So that’s something that I think is definitely as relevant today as it was then, probably, um, especially among young adults like yourselves, you know, uh, college being a time to sort of really think about who you are and where you’re going. Now, we already said that Emerson really emphasizes non-conformity, right? As a way to sort of not lose your own self and identity in the world, to have your own truth and not be afraid to listen to it. Well, he takes this a step further. Not conforming also means, uh, not conforming with yourself or your past. What does that mean? Well, if you’ve always been a certain way or done a certain thing, but it’s not working for you any more, or you’re not content, Emerson says that it’d be foolish to be consistent even with our own past. “Focus on the future,” he says, “That's what matters more. Inconsistency is good.” He talks about a ship’s voyage and this is one of the most famous bits of the essay - how the best voyage is made up of zigzag lines. Up close, it seems a little all over the place, but from farther away, the true path shows and in the end it justifies all the turns along the way. So, don’t worry if you are not sure where you’re headed or what your long-term goals are. Stay true to yourself and it’ll make sense in the end. So, don’t worry if you are not sure where you’re headed or what your long-term goals are. Stay true to yourself and it’ll make sense in the end. I mean, I can attest to that. Before I was a literature professor, I was an accountant. Before that, I was a newspaper reporter. My life is taking some pretty interesting turns and here I am, very happy with my experiences and where they’ve brought me. If you rely on yourself and trust your own talents, your own interest, don’t worry, your path will make sense in the end. When you are reading, I want you to think about that and why that kind of thought would be relevant to the readers of his time. Remember this is 1838,‘Self-Reliance’ was a novel idea at the time and the United States citizens were less secure about themselves as individuals and as Americans. The country as a whole was trying to define itself. Emerson wanted to give people something to really think about, help them find their own way and what it meant to be who they were.