The modern Plato, like his ancient counterpart, has an unbounded contempt for oliticians and statesmen and party leaders who are not university men. He finds politics a dirty game, and only enters them reluctantly because he knows that at the very least he and his friends are better than the present gang. Brought up in the traditions of the ruling classes, he has a natural pity for the common people whom he has learnt to know as servants, and observed from a distance at their work in the factory, at their play in the parks and holiday resorts. He has never mixed with them or spoken to them on equal terms, but has demanded and generally received a respect due to his position and superior intelligence. He knows that if they trust him, he can give them the happiness which they crave. A man of culture, he genuinely despises the self-made industrialist and newspaper-king: with a modest professional salary and a little private income of his own, he regards money-making as vulgar and avoids all ostentation. Industry and finance seem to him to be activities unworthy of gentlemen, although, alas, many are forced by exigencies of circumstance to take some part in them. intellectual, he gently laughs at the superstitions of most Christians, but attends church regularly because he sees the importance of organized religion for the maintenance of sound morality among the lower orders, and because he dislikes the scepticism and materialism of radical teachers. His genuine passions are for literature and the philosophy of science and he would gladly spend all his time in studying them. But the plight of the world compels his unwilling attention, and when he sees that human stupidity and greed are about to plunge Europe into chaos and destroy the most glorious civilization which the world has known, he feels that it is high time for men of good sense and good will to intervene and to take politics out of the hands of the plutocrats of the Right and the woolly-minded idealists of the Left. Since he and his kind are the only representatives of decency combined with intelligence, they must step down into the arena and save the masses for themselves.
New words and expressions
1．Plato柏拉圖Platonic love: friendship between woman and man of mind and spirit
西方文明由1、christianity 2、蘇格拉底，亞里士多德，柏拉圖構(gòu)成
2．counterpart相對立的人
3．Resort 度假勝地 retreat 勝地summer resort 避暑山health resort 療養(yǎng)勝地spot 勝地
4．mix 相混合 He mixes well./ He is a good mixer.他左右逢源。
5．Crave 混合 crave for fresh air渴望新鮮空氣 craving貪婪
6．Genuinely真正的 genuine=pure 純正的 real=true真的
authentic 正宗的，真品Sincere真誠
7.vulgar粗陋的
8.ostentation賣弄、炫耀 ostentatious adj pretentious adj showy adj flashy adj
9.alas 哎呀 10.exigency 緊迫 emergency緊迫，急診
11．Christian基督教徒Christianity基督教 Christ基督 Islam/Moslem伊斯蘭教Buddhism佛教Buddha如來佛
12.religion宗教 religious宗教的 enter into religion 出家
13.morality道德 moral道德
14．Scepticism懷疑論
15.materialism唯物主義 materialist務(wù)實(shí)者，唯物主義者 idealist理想主義者，唯心者dialectical materialism辯證唯物主義 historical materialism歷史唯物主義
16.radical激進(jìn)的
17.plight困境trap/plunge/sink into plight陷入困境 dilemma左右為難的
18.greed貪婪avaricious貪婪的 insatiable不知足的
19.plunge使陷入 I plunge myself into poverty 我陷入貧困
Gambling plunged him into failure in business.賭博使他陷入商業(yè)失敗的境地。
20.chaos混亂chaotic混亂的anarchy無政府狀態(tài) lawlessness無法無天 bedlam瘋?cè)嗽?br>21.plutocrat富豪 Pluto 冥王星
22.the Right 右翼 the Left左翼 rightist右派 leftist左派
23.decency體面 decent體面的
for the seek of decency為了面子

Notes on the text
1.the modern Plato :the person who is like Plato in our modern society.
2.stateman 政治家 plitician政客
3.A university is a place where those who hate ignorance may strive to know, where those who pursue truth who strike to make others see.大學(xué)是憎惡無知的人求知之所,是尋求真理的人誨人之處.
4.them :political activities.
5.at the very least說句公道話
6.gang :group of people 在英文中,一般無褒義.
7.bring up: bring sb. up
grow up
8.on equal terms平等的地位
on speaking terms 泛泛之交
They keep good terms with each other.
The two neighbors are not on borrowing term.這兩個鄰居從不來往
9.newspaper-king 報(bào)業(yè)巨子
10.modest適當(dāng)?shù)?br>11.sound:good,healthy
12.teacher=advocator說教者
13.genuine passions一種熱切的激情plight n.情況
14.compet=win
15be about to do: do sth very soon
16.high time =good time早就該
17.intervene干涉 woolly-minded 糊涂腦袋的
18.mob烏合之眾
19.arena舞臺
20.課文短語
unbound contempt for sb
a natural pity
on equal terms
superior intelligence
a man of culture
self-made industrialist
newspaper-king
unworthy of gentlemen
plunge into
high time
man of good sense
his kind