晨讀英語美文100篇六級Sorrow of the Millionaire

[ti:] [ar:] [al:] [by:] [00:02.67]Passage 51. Sorrow of the Millionaire [00:11.63]The unfortunate millionaire has the responsibility of tremendous wealth [00:18.41]without the possibility of enjoying himself more than any ordinary rich man. [00:23.34]Indeed, in many things he cannot enjoy himself more than many poor men do, [00:28.59]nor even so much, for a drum major is better dressed, [00:32.75]a trainer’s stable lad often rides a better horse; [00:35.70]the first-class carriage is shared by office boys taking their young ladies out for the evening; [00:42.16]everybody who goes down to Brighton for Sunday rides in the Pullman car; [00:46.31]and for what use is it to be able to pay for a peacock’s brain sandwich [00:51.02]when there is nothing to be had but ham or beef? [00:54.19]The injustice of this state of things has not been sufficiently considered. [00:59.33]A man with an income of ￡25 a year can multiply his comfort beyond all calculation [01:06.06]by doubling his income. [01:07.93]A man with ￡50 a year can at least quadruple his comfort by doubling his income. [01:13.73]Probably up to even ￡250 a year doubled income means doubled comfort. [01:20.29]After that the increment of comfort grows less in proportion to the increment of income [01:25.33]until a point is reached at which the victim is satiated and even surfeited with everything that money can purchase. [01:31.67]To expect him to enjoy another hundred thousand pounds because men like money, [01:36.81]is exactly as if you were to expect a confectioner’s shopboy [01:40.86]to enjoy two hours more work a day because boys are fond of sweets. [01:45.13]What can the wretched millionaire do that needs a million? [01:47.65]Does he want a fleet of yachts, a Rotten Row full of carriages, an army of servants, [01:54.10]a whole city of town houses, or a continent for a game preserve? [01:59.24]Can he attend more than one theatre in one-evening, [02:03.18]or wear more than one suit at a time, or digest more meals than his butler? [02:08.55]And yet there is no sympathy for this hidden sorrow of plutocracy. [02:12.59]The poor alone are pitied. [02:14.45]Societies spring up in all directions to relieve all sorts of comparatively happy people, [02:19.59]but no hand is stretched out to the millionaire,except to beg. [02:23.09]In all our dealings with him lies implicit, [02:26.04]the delusion that he has nothing to complain of, [02:28.46]and that he ought to be ashamed of rolling in wealth [02:31.41]whilst others are starving.

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