"这是最好的时代，也是最坏的时代；这是智慧的时代，也是愚蠢的时代；这是信任的年代，也是怀疑的年代；这是光明的季节，也是黑暗的季节；这是希望的春天，也是失望的冬天；我们的前途无量，同时又感到希望渺茫；我们一齐奔向天堂，我们全都走向另一个方向……!"

                                          ——狄更斯在《双城记》里面描述十九世纪英国社会图景

为何感觉跟现在这么像？

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.

Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities

[注释] incredulity: 怀疑 despair: to lose all hope绝望, 失望

[导读]查尔斯-狄更斯，英国大名鼎鼎的作家，是19世纪英国现实主义文学的主要代表。他笔耕一生，靠勤奋和汗水创作出《双城记》、《大卫-科波菲尔》等世界名著。作品艺术上以妙趣横生的幽默、细致入微的心理分析，以及现实主义描写与浪漫主义气氛的有机结合著称。狄更斯在《双城记》一书开头就说， “这是一个最好的时代，也是一个最坏的时代”。妙哉斯言（此句经常被引用）！这段文字中多个平行句（句子结构相同）而打动读者。文中句型的反复、形式上的对偶、内容上的对比、总体结构上的平行（排比），值得仔细体会。