《大学英语B》题型分类版内部资料(49)

The power of words, then, lies in their associations—the thing they bring up before our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something increases.
Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and emotions. This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary style. Above all, the real poet is a master of words. He can convey his meaning in words which sing like music and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should therefore learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they will make our speech silly and vulgar.
译文：没有人知道人类最初是如何发明文字的。换句话说，语言的起源是个谜。我们所知道的就是：人，不同于动物，不知怎么发明了某些声音来表达思想、情感、行为和事物，以便彼此相互交流。后来他们统一了某些符号，就是我们所说的字母，这些字母可以结合起来呈现那些声音，从而可以把这些声音记录下来。那些声音---不管他们是口头上说的还是写在纸上的---我们称之为文字。