英语翻译By birth and by education Jefferson be-longed to the hig

英语翻译
By birth and by education Jefferson be-
longed to the highest social class.Yet,in a day when few noble persons
ever spoke to those of humble origins except to give an order,Jefferson
went out of his way to talk with gardeners,servants,and waiters.Jefferson
25 once said to the French nobleman,Lafayette,"You must go into the
people's homes as I have done,look into their cooking pots and eat their
bread.If you will only do this,you may find out why people are
dissatisfied and understand the revolution that is threatening France."
Of all Jefferson's many talents,one is central.He was above all a good
60 and tireless writer.His complete works,now being published for the first
time,will fill more than fifty volumes.His talent as an author was soon
discovered,and when the time came to write the Declaration of Independence
at Philadelphia in 1776,the task of writing it was his.Millions have
thrilled to his words:"We hold these truths to be self-evident,that all men
65 are created equal..."
When Jefferson died on July 4,1826,the 50th anniversary of American
independence,he left his countrymen a rich legacy of ideas and examples.
American education owes a great debt to Thomas Jefferson,who believed
that only a nation of educated people could remain free.

从出身及其接受的教育来看,杰斐逊都属于社会的最高层.然而,在那个贵人们除了发号施令以外很少跟出身卑微的人说话的年代,杰斐逊却常破例跟园丁、仆人和侍者交谈.有一次杰斐逊曾这样对法国贵族拉菲特说过：“你必须像我那样到平民百姓的家里去,看看他们锅里煮些什么,吃吃他们的面包.只要你肯这样做,你就会发现老百姓为什么会不满意,你就会理解正在威胁着法国的革命.”