内容概述
有人问泰勒斯，在他一生的游历中，什么事情最不可思议。泰勒斯只回答了两个字："长寿的暴君。"一句简短的回答浓缩了泰勒斯对强权与人生的观察：最让人惊奇的是那些掌权作恶之人竟能活到很老。
中文正文
30° 不可思议
人家问，在他一生的游历中，什么事情最不可思议，泰勒斯回答："长寿的暴君。"
英文正文
30° An incongruity. When asked what, in all his travels, was the strangest thing he had ever seen, Thales replied, "An aged tyrant."
英语学习拓展
常用词汇
incongruity音标/ˌɪnkɒŋˈɡruːəti/
不协调，不一致。
原文标题：An incongruity.
tyrant音标/ˈtaɪrənt/
暴君。
原文用法：An aged tyrant.
aged音标/ˈeɪdʒɪd/
年迈的。
原文用法：An aged tyrant.
in all one's travels：在所有的游历中。原文用法：what, in all his travels, was the strangest thing…
strangest音标/ˈstreɪndʒɪst/
最奇怪的（strange 的最高级）。
原文用法：the strangest thing he had ever seen.
同义词与近义词
对应核心词汇：tyrant
对应核心词汇：tyrant。
辨析：tyrant 古希腊原指非法夺权者，后泛指暴君；despot 强调拥有绝对权力的人，略带中性；dictator 常指现代语境下的独裁者。
对应核心词汇：aged
对应核心词汇：aged。
辨析：aged 文雅、书面；elderly 礼貌说法；old 最常用。
对应核心词汇：strangest
对应核心词汇：strangest。
辨析：strangest 偏"陌生、不熟悉"；oddest 偏"古怪、格格不入"；bizarre 偏"奇异、荒诞"。
常用短语与固定搭配
- When asked what …, 主语 + replied, "…"："当被问……时，某人回答……"。原文用法：When asked what, in all his travels, was the strangest thing he had ever seen, Thales replied, "An aged tyrant."
- in all one's travels：在某人的全部游历中。原文用法：what, in all his travels, was the strangest thing he had ever seen.
- the strangest thing he had ever seen：他见过的最不可思议的事。原文用法：同上。
常用句式
- Pattern: When asked what …, 主语 + replied, "…"："当被问……时，某人回答……"。原文例句：When asked what, in all his travels, was the strangest thing he had ever seen, Thales replied, "An aged tyrant."
- Pattern: An + 形容词 + 名词："一位……的……"，用于"反差点评"。原文例句："An aged tyrant."
长难句解析
When asked what, in all his travels, was the strangest thing he had ever seen, Thales replied, "An aged tyrant."
- 主干：Thales was asked …; Thales replied, "An aged tyrant."
- 修饰与从句：
- When 引导时间状语从句 When asked …，主语 Thales 省略； - 从句内含 what … was the strangest thing 作 asked 的宾语从句； - in all his travels 为插入语，置于 what 与 was 之间，补充"在所有游历中"； - he had ever seen 为 thing 的定语从句。
- 逻辑关系：泰勒斯被问"在他所有游历中最不可思议的事"是什么，他用"An aged tyrant"两词作答；以"插入语 in all his travels"凸显比较的广度。
语言使用特点
- 用插入语 in all his travels 拉长"不可思议"的时间跨度，凸显泰勒斯阅世之广；
- 标题 "An incongruity"（不可思议）刻意用抽象名词，把"长寿的暴君"这种反差事件升格为哲学概念；
- 答句 "An aged tyrant" 只有三个词，却兼具"形容词+名词"的金句结构，便于记忆和引用。
迁移练习
- 用 "When asked what …, … replied, '…'" 写一个含直接引语的句子。
- 翻译："别人问他最不可思议的事是什么，他回答：'一个从不认错却受人尊敬的人。'"
- 解释标题 "An incongruity" 的含义，并给出至少一个你生活中觉得"不可思议"的例子。
点击展开参考答案
- （示例）When asked what was the most important lesson of his life, the old man replied, "Never give up."
- When asked what was the strangest thing he had ever seen, he replied, "A person who never admits mistakes yet is admired by everyone."
- （含义）"An incongruity"指"不一致、不可思议的事"。（例子）It seems an incongruity to me that someone who studies the stars all day never looks at his own feet.