听力材料:
No memoir can possibly be correct in every detail, but still, the Chevalier’s memoir is pretty accurate overall, and is, by and large, a reliable historical source. Let’s look at the accuracy of the three episodes mentioned in the reading.
所有的回忆录在细节上都会有瑕疵。但是尽管如此,塞恩加尔骑士的回忆录总体上看还是相当精确的,而且总体上说是具有史料价值的。我们看一下阅读部分质疑细节的精确性吧。
First, the loan from the merchant. Well, that doesn’t mean that the Chevalier was poor. Let me explain. We know that in Switzerland, the Chevalier spent huge amounts of money on parties and gambling, and he had wealth. But it was a kind of property you have to sell first to get money. So it usually took a few days to convert his assets into actual money. So when he ran out of cash, he had to borrow some while he was waiting for his money to arrive, but that’s not being poor.
首先,是向商人借债的问题。当然,这不能就说明骑士先生是平穷的。我来解释一下。我们都知道骑士先生生活在瑞士的时候把大把的钱都花在了派对和赌博上了。他是非常富有的,但是他所拥有的财产都不是现金,是需要变卖的。所以,当他的钱花光了之后,他就需要暂时借钱周转。他是在等着现金到位,而不是因为穷。
Second, the conversations with Voltaire. The Chevalier states in his memoir that each night immediately after conversing with Voltaire, he wrote down everything he could remember about that particular night’s conversation. Evidently the Chevalier kept his notes of these conversations for many years and referred to them when writing the memoir. Witnesses who lived with the Chevalier in his later life confirmed that he regularly consulted notes and journals when composing the memoir.
第二,是跟伏尔泰的对话。骑士先生在他的回忆录中曾说,每次同伏尔泰交夜间交谈之后,他就会迅速记录下能记住的谈话细节。很明显,骑士先生连续几年记录着他跟伏尔泰的谈话,并在撰写回忆录的时候用到了记载的细节。有在其实先生晚年伴随其左右的人证明,在骑士先生撰写回忆录的时候会常常查找笔记和期刊。
Third, the Chevalier’s escape from a prison in Venice. Other prisoners in that prison had even more powerful friends than he did, and none of them were ever able to bribe their way to freedom. so bribery hardly seems likely in his case. The best evidence, though, comes from some old Venetian government documents. They indicate that soon after the Chevalier escaped from the prison, the ceiling of his old prison room had to be repaired. Why would they need to repair a ceiling unless he had escaped exactly as he said he did.
第三,是关于骑士先生在威尼斯越狱的事情。监狱里其他人拥有比他有权有势的朋友,但是也没有以贿赂的方式获取自由。所以,他应该不是采取了贿赂的方法。然后,有一个来自于威尼斯政府文件的记载很有利地支持了骑士先生的记录。文件上说当其实先生离开监狱不久,监狱就进行了修缮。如果真想不是如他所说,那么为什么监狱要修缮屋顶呢?
听力笔记内容:
Main point: accurate
Sub point one: property, sell first, a few days, waiting for his money
Sub point two: wrote down everything, kept his notes, Witnesses, consulted notes and journals
Sub point three: more powerful friends, none, bribe, government document, repaired