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.
这是最美好的时代，这是最糟糕的时代；这是智慧的年头，这是愚昧的年头；这是信仰的时期，这是怀疑的时期；这是光明的季节，这是黑暗的季节；这是希望之春，这是失望之冬。我们的前途拥有一切，我们的前途一无所有；我们正走向天堂，我们也正直下地狱。（狄更斯《双城记》）
