原文：
Opera is expensive: that much is inevitable. But expensive things are not inevitably the province of the rich unless we abdicate society's power of choice. We can choose to make opera, and other expensive forms of culture, accessible to those who cannot individually pay for it. The question is: why should we? Nobody denies the imperatives of food, shelter, defense, health and education. But even in a prehistoric cave, mankind stretched out a hand not just to eat, drink or fight, but also to draw. The impulse towards culture, the desire to express and explore the world through imagination and representation is fundamental. In Europe, this desire has found fulfillment in the masterpieces of our music, art, literature and theatre. These masterpieces are the touchstones for all our efforts; they are the touchstones for the possibilities to which human thought and imagination may aspire; they carry the most profound messages that can be sent from one human to another.

參考譯文
聆聽歌劇，無疑昂貴至極。但是，昂貴的事物并非必定屬于富人的范疇，除非我們放棄社會的選擇權(quán)。我們可以選擇去使歌劇以及其他某些昂貴的文化形式也能為那些不具備個人支付能力的人所享受。但問題是，我們有必要這么做嗎？沒人會否認(rèn)食物、居所、防護(hù)、健康與教育的不可或缺性。但即便是在史前時代的洞穴中，人類伸出手來，早就不單純是為了吃、喝或搏殺，而且亦進(jìn)行繪畫創(chuàng)作。人類對于文化的沖動，通過形象思維和再現(xiàn)手段來表現(xiàn)并探索世界的欲望，乃亙古有之。在歐洲，這一欲望在我們的音樂、藝術(shù)、文學(xué)和戲劇杰作中尋找到了其實現(xiàn)形式。這些杰作構(gòu)成了我們?nèi)颗Φ脑嚱鹗?。作為試金石，它們能衡量出人類的思想和想象力所可能企及的程度。它們攜帶著最寓意深刻的主題，可在人類彼此間相互傳遞。