The Historical Background

We have a choice of stories for his youth.?

One narrative represents him as squandering his patrimony in riotous living, joining the army to avoid starvation, returning to Stagira to practice medicine, and going to Athens at the age of thirty to study philosophy under Plato.?

squandering,浪費

patrimony，遺產(chǎn)

riotous，暴亂

A more dignified story takes him to Athens at the age of eighteen, and puts him at once under the tutelage of the great Master;?

tutelage，指導(dǎo)

but even in this likelier account there is sufficient echo of a reckless and irregular youth, living rapidly.?

The scandalized reader may console himself by observing that in either story our philosopher anchors at last in the quiet groves of the Academy.

Under Plato he studied eight—or twenty—years;?

and indeed the pervasive Platonism of Aristotle's speculations—even of those most anti-Platonic—suggests the longer period.?

One would like to imagine these as very happy years;?

a brilliant pupil guided by an incomparable teacher, walking like Greek lovers in the gardens of philosophy.?

But they were both geniuses;?

and it is notorious that geniuses accord with one another as harmoniously as dynamite with fire.?

Almost half a century separated them;?

it was difficult for understanding to bridge the gap of years and cancel the incompatibility of souls.

▍語言點

a choice of stories: 一系列故事；多個版本的故事

squander: vt. 浪費；揮霍

patrimony: n. heritage，遺產(chǎn)

riotous: adj. 動蕩的；喧嘩的

practice medicine: 行醫(yī)

tutelage: n. 監(jiān)護；指導(dǎo)

account: n. 記載

reckless and irregular: 動蕩的；無規(guī)律的

scandalized: adj. 震驚的；被誹謗的

console: vt. 安慰

anchor: vi. 拋錨停泊（本文引申為“棲居”）

grove: n. 樹叢

Academy: “柏拉圖學(xué)園”又叫“阿加德米”學(xué)園，歐洲第一所綜合性學(xué)校，教授哲學(xué)和自然科學(xué)，同時也為周圍城邦提供政治咨詢。

pervasive: adj. 普遍的；流行的

anti-Platonic: adj. 反柏拉圖的

notorious: adj. 臭名昭著的；聲名狼藉的

生詞好句

a choice of stories?一系列故事；多個版本的故事

squandering?squander: vt. 浪費；揮霍

patrimony?patrimony: n. （heritage）遺產(chǎn)

riotous?adj. 動蕩的；喧嘩的

practice medicine?行醫(yī)

tutelage?n. 監(jiān)護；指導(dǎo)

account?n. 記載

reckless and irregular?動蕩的；無規(guī)律的

scandalized?adj. 震驚的；被誹謗的

console?vt. 安慰

anchors?anchor: vi. 拋錨停泊（本文引申為“棲居”）

groves?grove: n. 樹叢

Academy?“柏拉圖學(xué)園”又叫“阿加德米”學(xué)園，歐洲第一所綜合性學(xué)校，教授哲學(xué)和自然科學(xué)，同時也為周圍城邦提供政治咨詢。

pervasive?adj. 普遍的；流行的

anti-Platonic?adj. 反柏拉圖的

notorious?adj. 臭名昭著的；聲名狼藉的