英语美文双语范文

第一篇：英语美文双语范文

做自己的主人，掌握自己的命运-英语美文欣赏励志篇（双语）

I will know that only those with inferior ability can always be at their best ，and I am not inferior.There will be days when I must IN THE WORLD constantly struggle against forces which would tear me down，Those such sa despair and sadness are simple to recognize but there are others which approach with a smile and the hand of friendship and they can slso destroy me.Against them，too.I must never relinquish control.

我将明白只有低能者才会江郎才尽，我并非低能者。我必须不断对抗那些企图摧垮我得力量。失望与悲伤一眼就会被识破，而其他许多敌人是不易察觉的，它们往往面带微笑，伸出友谊之手，却随时有可能将我们摧垮。对它们，我们永远不能放松警惕。

And with this new knowledge I will also understand and recognize the moods of him on whom i call， I will make allowances for his anger and irritation of today for he knows not the secret of controlling his mind.i can withstand him arrows and insults for now I know that tomorrow he will change and be a joy to approach.

有了这项新本领，我也更能体察别人的情绪变化。我宽容怒气冲冲的人，因为他尚未懂得控制自己的情绪，我可以忍受他的指责和辱骂，因为我知道明天他会改变，重新变得随和。

No longer will I judge a man on one meeting;no longer will i fail to call again tomorrow on he who meets me with hate today.this day he will not buy gold chariots for a penny，yet tomorrow he would exchange his home for a tree.My knowledge of this secret will be my key to great wealth.

我不再只凭一面之交来判断一个人，也不再因他今日的可恶而明日不给他打电话。今天不肯花一分钱买金蓬马车的人，明天他也许会用全部家当换一颗树苗。知道了这个秘密，我可以获得极大的财富。

Henceforth I will recognize and identify the mystery of moods in all mankind，and in me.From this moment I am prepared to control whatever personality awakes in me each day.I will master my moods through positive action and when I master my moods I will control my destiny.

我从此领悟到人类和我自己情绪变化的奥秘。对于自己千变万化的个性，我不在听之任之，我将积极主动的控制情绪，从而掌握自己的命运。

I will become master of myself.

我将成为自己的主人。

第二篇：中英双语美文集锦

圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

双语美文集锦

Passage 1 Learn to Live at the Present Moment

To a large degree, the measure of our peace of mind is determined by how much we are able to live at the present moment. Irrespective of what happened yesterday or last year, and what may or may not happen tomorrow, the present moment is where you are—always.

Without question, many of us have mastered the neurotic art of spending much of our lives worrying about a variety of things—all at once. We allow past problems and future concerns dominate our present moments, so much so that we end up anxious, frustrated, depressed and hopeless. On the flip side, we also postpone our gratification, our stated priorities, and our happiness, often convincing that “someday” will be much better than today. Unfortunately, the same mental dynamics that tell us to look toward the future will only repeat themselves so that “someday” never actually arrives. John Lennon once said, “Life is what is happening while we are busy making other plans.” When we are busy making „other plans‟, our children are busy growing up, the people we love are moving away and dying, our bodies are getting out of shape, and our dreams are slipping away. In short, we miss out on life.

Many people live as if life is a dress rehearsal for some later date. It isn‟t. In fact, no one has a guarantee that he or she will be here tomorrow. Now is the only time we have, and the only time that we have any control over. When we put our attention on the present moment, we push fear from our minds. Fear is the concern over events 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

that might happen in the future—we won‟t have enough money, our children will get into trouble, we will get old and die, whatever.

学会活在此刻

我们内心是否平和在很大程度上是由我们是否能生活在此刻所决定的。不管昨天或去年发生了什么，不管明天可能发生或不发生什么，现实才是你时时刻刻所在之处。

毫无疑问，我们很多人掌握了一种神经兮兮的艺术，即把生活中的大部分时间花在为种种事情担心忧虑上——而且常常是同时忧虑许多事情。我们听凭过去的麻烦和未来的担心控制我们此时此刻的生活，以致我们整日焦虑不安，萎靡不振，甚至沮丧绝望。而另一方面我们又推迟我们的满足感，推迟我们应优先考虑的事情，推迟我们的幸福感，常常说服自己“有朝一日”会比今天更好。不幸的是，如此告诫我们朝前看的大脑动力只能重复来重复去，以致“有朝一日”不会真的来临。约翰·列侬曾经说过：“生活就是当我们忙于制订别的计划时发生的事。” 当我们忙于制订种种 “别的计划” 时，我们的孩子在忙于长大，我们挚爱的人离去了甚至快去世了，我们的体型变样了，而我们的梦想也在消然溜走。一句话，我们错过了生活。

许多人的生活好像是某个未来日子的彩排。并非如此。事实上，没人能保证他或她明天肯定还活着。现在是我们所拥有的唯一时间，现在也是我们能控制的唯一的时间。当我们将注意力放在此时此刻时，我们就将恐惧置于脑后。恐惧就是我们担忧某些事情会在未来发生——我们不会有足够的钱，我们的孩子会惹上麻烦，我们会变老，会死去，诸如此类。

圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

Passage 2 What will matter?

Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no days, no hours or minutes. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear. So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will all expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won‟t matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived. It won‟t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Your gender, skin color, ethnicity will be irrelevant. So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured? What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave. What will matter is not your success, but your significance. What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage and sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence, but your character. What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you‟re gone. 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

What will matter is not your memories, but the memories of those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what. Living a life that matters doesn‟ t happen by accident. It‟s not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters.

什么才重要?

无论你是否准备好，总有一天它都会走到尽头。 那里没有日出，没有白天，没有小时和分钟。 你收集的所有东西，不管你珍惜或已忘记，它们都将流入他人手中。

不管是你已得到的或是别人欠你的，你的财富、名誉和权势都会变成和你毫不相干的东西。

你的怨恨、愤慨、沮丧和妒忌最终也将消失。

同样，你的希望、抱负、计划以及行动日程表也将全部结束。当初看得比较重的成功和失败也会消失。

你来自何方，住在穷人区还是富人区也都不重要了。

你昔日的漂亮与辉煌也都不重要了，你的性别、肤色、种族地位也将变得无关紧要。

因此，什么重要呢? 怎么衡量你有生之年的价值呢?

重要的不是你买了什么，而是你创造了什么;不是你得到了什么，而是你给予了什么。

重要的不是你成功了，而是你生命的意义。 重要的不是你学到了什么，而是你传授了什么。

重要的是每个行动之中都充满正直、怜悯、勇气以及奉献精神，并且鼓励他圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

人效仿榜样。

重要的不是你的能力，而是你的性格。

重要的不是你认识多少人，而是在你离开后，多少人会认为是个永远的损失。 重要的不是你想念谁，而是爱你的人想念你。

重要的是别人会记着你多长时间，谁记着你，为什么记着你。 过一种有意义的生活不是一件偶然的事情。 那不是环境的问题，而是选择的问题。 选择有意义的人生吧!

Passage 3 The expectation of grandfather

We made every effort to assure a better life for our kids but our attempt proved to be an abortion. For my grandchildren, would know better.

I hope you follow your priest‟s suggestion to read the Bible in your spare time, though you have no religious belief.

I hope you consult with the veterans (stagers) frequently. When you disagree others, you should not only dare to argue, but also be patient to hear your opponents‟ arguments and remember that weapon can‟t be the terminal solution,

I hope you learn to drive a crane or mend the semiconductor radio. A craft will ensure that you won‟t be starved forever. I hope you know there is not only applause, medals and crowns , but also failure, defeat and dilemma in the world; there are not only peace, equality and cooperation but also controversy collision and contradiction , or even traps , cruelty and deception 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

in the world , I hope you show charity to the cripples, I hope you could help others sincerely at your convenience by doing some minor things, such as vacuuming the house for your mom, shifting the tire for Mister Smith or stopping in highway when somebody thumbs a ride. I hope you have ever mounted a high mountain equipped with a compass and torch. I also hope nobody would send you a brand-new auto before you‟re 20. My cherished grandson, I hope you compute the sending of your allowance and make a timetable or an agenda lest time click away without your consciousness. My dear grandson, I want you to put down your briefcase, leave your urban life with air-condition, internet and vehicles, and take a break at hometown when you are tired , I surely hop you could accompany grandpa to have a haircut or see the dentist or have a chat with your grandma.

爷爷的期望

我们竭尽全力想让我们的儿女们过得更好，而结果却无济于事。对我的孙辈们，我就明智得多了。

我希望你听众神父的建议。闲时读读《圣经》，虽然你自己并没有宗教信仰。 我希望你多向经验丰富的人请教。

我希望你在跟别人起冲突时，勇于为自己辩护，但是，也要有耐心倾听对手的声音，切记武力并不能解决所有问题。

我希望你能学一门手艺，比方说开起重机或修半导体收音机等。一技在身，吃穿不愁。

我希望你知道这个世界上不仅有掌声、勋章和皇冠，也会有失败、挫折和困圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

境;不仅有和平、平等和合作，也会有争论、冲突和矛盾，甚至会有陷阱、残忍和欺骗。

我希望你对伤残人士表现出同情。我希望你能真诚地帮助别人，做些力所能及的小事。比如，帮妈妈用吸尘器清扫房间，帮史密斯先生换汽车轮胎或是在路上让别人搭车等等。

我真的希望你曾带着指南针和手电筒，爬上过高山。我也希望没有人在你20岁之前送你一辆轿车。

我的宝贝孙子，我希望你们学会做计划，不要花光所有的零花钱，不要让时间在不经意间流逝。

我亲爱的孙子，最后希望你，工作累了，就放下公文包，离开那有着网络、空调和车辆的都市生活，回家乡休息一下。我当然也希望你有时间陪爷爷理个发，看看牙医或是陪奶奶聊聊天。

Passage

4The Two Roads

It was Christmas Eve，an aged man was standing on the balcony ，with uneasy，alarmed and pessimistic expression; He sighed for his miserable fate, and raised his sad eyes, gazed at the sparking stars in the deep blue sky. A falling star depicted a curve in the sky and disappeared, which seemed like the symbol of his life.

Then he cast them below his floor, where a few more desperate people than him were moving towards their inevitable destination-the grave. He had already expended sixty years on the way leading to it, and he had acquired nothing but agony and regret. Now his health was poor, his mind was vacant, his heart was sorrowful, and his life 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

was short of comforts.

The days of his youth appeared like dreams floating in his brain, and he recalled the strategic moment when he stood at the access to two roads- At the end of the first road, it was a peaceful and sunny place. It was covered with delicate flowers, fascinating bamboo forest, bunches of attractive grapes. There lived cute deer, tame lambs, and flying butterflies and echoed with the merry, sweet laughter. There were also winding tracks and honey peach trees dotted the graceful landscape.

At the end of the second road, it was a damp and dull cave, which was an absolute hell of great bulk. It was covered with moist ponds and marshes, nasty, ditches and jungles, chilling and thrilling jails, all around was emitting the stale acid flavor. There lived evil devils, giant monsters, poisonous snakes, and echoed with the horrible barking of wolves. It was full of spiders, bats, frogs, damn rats, offensive bugs and other crawling insects.

He looked up to the sky and shouted aloud,“O youth, return! Return !”

And his youth did return, for all this was only a nightmare which he had on Christmas Eve. He was still young though his faults were real; he had not yet entered the damp and dull cave, and he was still free to walk on the road which led to the peaceful and sunny land.

Those youngsters, who are still wandering at the entrance of life and hesitating to choose the bright road, remember that when years have passed and your feet are limping in the dark cave, you will cry bitterly, but in vain; “O youth, return! Oh give me back my early days!”

圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

两条路

圣诞节前夜，一位老人伫立在阳台上，面带不安、忧虑和悲伤的表情。他哀叹着自己悲惨的命运，抬起黯然失神的双眼凝视着深蓝色的天空中闪烁的星星。一颗陨落的星星划出一道弧线后消失了，那似乎是他生命的象征。

他将目光投向地面，几个比他更加绝望的人正在走向人生必然的终点—坟墓。在通往人生终点的道路上，他已经过了60多个年头，除了痛苦和悔恨，他一无所获。现在，他身体虚弱，精神空虚，心情忧郁，缺少晚年应有的舒适。青春的岁月如梦幻般浮现在他的脑海里，他回想起当他站在人生岔口上的关键时刻。当时，他面前有两条路—

第一条路的尽头，是一个和平、阳光普照的地方。那里有娇嫩的鲜花、迷人的竹林、一串串诱人的葡萄、可爱的小鹿、温顺的羊羔、翩飞的蝴蝶，到处回荡着愉快甜美的笑声，还有弯弯曲曲的小路和小蜜桃树点缀着那里优美的风景。 第二条路的尽头，是一个犹如地狱般潮湿阴暗的巨大山洞。那里遍布着潮湿的池塘和沼泽、肮脏的水沟和丛林、阴冷而恐怖的牢狱，四周散发着陈腐的酸味，那里有恶魔、巨兽和毒蛇，回荡着令人毛骨悚然的狼嚎声。随处可见的是蜘蛛、蝙蝠、青蛙、老鼠、令人讨厌的臭虫和其他昆虫。 他仰望天空，大声地哭喊：“哦，青春，你回来吧!回来吧!”

他的青春真的回来了，因为以上所发生的一切只是他在平安夜做的一场噩梦。他仍旧年轻，虽然的确犯过一些错误，但还未坠入深渊;他仍然可以自由地走上通往和平与光明的道路。

在人生的十字路口徘徊，不知该不该选择光明大道的年轻人啊，你们千万要记住：当你青春已逝，双足在黑暗的山洞举步维艰，跌跌撞撞之时，你才痛疾首地呼唤：“哦，回来吧，青春!哦，把我的美好年华还给我!”这将毫无意义。 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

Passage 5 What I learned in kindergarten

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, what to do and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Most of my wisdom was also gained in the nursery school. These are the things learned;

Don‟t fight. Don‟t quarrel with my cousins. Don‟t veil my mistake. Don‟t imitate the criminal behaviors of fraud and thief in the television series. Don‟t steal coins in the closet, cartoon in the grocery bacon, toast or jam in the cupboard (cabinet). Clean up my own garbage (trash). Don‟t talk about disappointing topics. Share candy with my partners. Distinguish the goodness from the vice. Hold to traditional virtues such as honesty and integrity justice and kindness, mercy and patience.

Promote social morality.

Accept the criticism or proposal of others modestly.

Eat more carrot, cereal, salad and garlic, and control yourself to eat less dessert, fried chips, sausage, and stale diet. Classify the clothing of each season.

在幼儿园里学到的

绝大部分我所学到的知识，例如如何生活，该做些什么事，怎样行事方面，圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

早在幼儿园里就已经学到了。我大部分的人生智慧也是在幼儿园里学到的。以下这些都是我在幼儿园里学到的： 不打架： 不跟兄妹争吵： 不掩饰自己的过失：

不效仿电视剧中骗子和小偷的罪恶行为：

不偷壁厨里的硬币，杂货店里的漫画和食橱里的咸肉、烤面包或果酱; 清理自己的垃圾; 不讲令人扫兴的话题; 与伙伴们分享糖果; 区别善与恶;

保持诚实正直、公平友好、宽容忍让的传统美德; 发扬社会公德; 虚心地接受别人的建议;

多吃胡萝卜、谷物、色拉和大蒜，少吃甜食、炸薯片、香肠和不新鲜的食物等;

分开四季的衣物。

Passage 6 Life

You wake up in the morning, feeling groggy and disoriented. You look at yourself in the mirror, fearful to look him straight in the eye.

You back zero tolerance on boredom, stuffing every vacant 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

moment with talks, malls and laptops! You are silent in their eyes, yet the noisiest in yours, for that inner voice you can hardly hear. You hang on the rim of the wheel of fortune, going up and down, tasting highs and lows. Life goes on but it is out of control! Not so soon, nor too late. You open your eyes, stretching your muscles and seeing the whole world beckons to you. You cheat him no more, smile to him , stare at him, knowing he is with you clear up to the end. You celebrate every moment, busy or free; strive not to become a human-doing, be and consider like a human-being! You talk gently, speak forcefully, and argue eloquently, because a mind in peace functions with effortless ease. You break free, make it to the hub, center your life on the bliss. Let it go! Let it flow! Life still is, but you got a big role!

生活

清晨初醒，你只觉昏昏沉沉，糊里糊涂。 对着镜中的他，你已不敢直视那双眼。

你对无聊的零容忍，让你的生活被塞满闲聊，购物，笔记本! 他们眼中安静的你，在你心中却嘈杂不堪，只因心声早已杳不可闻。 你攀上命运之轮的边缘，从此生活跌宕起伏，阴晴不定。 生活依然继续，却已脱离掌控。 光阴不长不短，会有一天：

你睁开双眼，舒展筋骨，世界已然向你呼唤。

不再欺骗镜中的他，朝他微笑，死死盯着他，你明白他将伴你走过一生的旅程 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

不论闲暇忙碌，珍惜每个当下。你不再被生活俘虏忙个不停，思考并实现人之为人!你言辞温婉，演说铿锵，雄辩滔滔，一切运行自如，却宁静而无为。你挣脱轮缘，爬上轮轴中心，专注万物的美好。放开拳头!让幸福在掌心流动! 生活依旧如是，你不作主，孰作主!

Passage 7 The Last Wish in a Winter Night Kent was a manger of a cement agency. His establishment nearly had gone bankrupt because one of his inferiors betrayed him. Just now Kent had made a presentation to the board in the chamber, conceding the failure of his administration. He had temporarily stopped the provision of cement in all projects.

It was a cold winter midnight. In corridor, the thermometer suspended showed the temperature was minus 9 degrees centigrade. The tragedy blurred Kent‟s mind, so he steered to a bar alone. He wanted nothing but to drink liquor tonight.

There were few people in the street. Suddenly, a figure of an old madam exposed within his eyesight. She was standing sideways nearby a platform, dressed in a plain gown, hauling a portable suitcase, and holding with a plastic bag in the other hand. The slight old lady was seemingly more than 80. She was trembling in cutting wind with red nose. Now she kept motioning Kent for a ride. Although Kent was somewhat angry about the old madam‟s disturbing and he wasn‟t induced at all to inquire any occurrence concerning her, he wouldn‟t like to leave her in the cold night. He thought that she presumable needed help. So he braked near her.

The madam said, “Would you please take me a ride? I can offer double fare…” 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

Kent interrupted her, “I will charge you nothing! Come on!”

The madam pointed her luggage (baggage) and said, “Could you put them into the car?”

Kent stooped, heaved and put them in the car.

They proceeded to drive. Kent halted at a petroleum station where he wanted to purchase gallons of gasoline. During the interval they waited in a queue, the madam began with her narratives,“ could you please send me to the charity house in suburb; I want to give them the luggage. I had been rendered help as a refugee there 50 years ago.” Kent was confused about the identity and behavior of the madam, so he asked, “Why do you do this at midnight?” The madam replied, “I retired on a pension. They prohibit (forbid) me from coming out during the day. In the case are the surplus jackets, jeans and pants of my nephews and nieces.”

After 2 hours‟ bump, Kent went out the entry of the charity house. They continued.

“Please wait a moment, Sit!” the madam said suddenly, fixed her eyesight on an old building. “You know the first house in the uppermost floor was the first home my husband and I leased (rented) where I dialed the up-to-date videophone the first time in my life. The landlord was a good guy.” She burst into tears, “Now they‟ve all gone to the heaven.” Kent realized the madam was recalling a section (segment) of the good missing days. A penetrating feeling overwhelmed him, and he decided to cancel his plan and stay with the old madam.

As the old madam dictated, they went to a golf playground. The region, she said, was a dairy dozens of years ago. Everyday she went to the farm with sleeve covers, 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

cushion, jar, towel and other auxiliary appliances. Her main work was to squeeze, transport and distribute milk. She also bred the cow sometimes.

Then the old madam instructed, “Please send me to the rest home in the town, sir.” Hearing this, Kent pulsed quickly. He knew the rest home was prescribed for the cancer patients who were diagnosed without any remedy.”

“Iwill soon die of liver cancer. I come out to say goodbye to my life. Now I will have no regrets before death . Thanks for your help!” the madam made an explanation with smile, walking into a timber room . Kent was dumb for a while. He was chewing what the madam said, happily thinking of her life without any regrets.

冬夜里的最后心愿

肯特是一位水泥经销部的经理。由于下属的背叛，他的公司已经濒临破产。刚才在会议室里，肯特已经向公司董事会作了报告，承认自己的失误，并且暂时停止了所有工程的水泥供应。

当时正值寒冷冬季的深夜。走廊里的温度计显示为零下9度。想着生意惨败，肯特情绪低落，独自驱车驶往一家酒吧。他打算今晚一醉方休。

大街上空无一人。突然，在车子前方出现了一个老妇人侧身站在站台旁，拖着一个便携式的行李箱，提着一个塑料袋。老人看上去已有80多岁，她穿着长袍，瘦弱的身躯，鼻子通红，站在寒风中瑟瑟发抖。此时，她不停地向肯特的车子招手。尽管肯特有些懊恼，也无心理会老人身上发生了什么 ，但不忍把她丢在这寒夜中。肯特想老人可能需要帮助。于是，他刹车停在了老人的面前。

老人说：“先生，您可不可以载我一程?我给你双倍的车费……”

肯特赶忙打断老人的话，说：“不用车费。快上车吧!”

老人又指了指地上的行李：“你可不可以帮我把它们放到车里?” 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

肯特忙弯腰用力提起箱子和塑料袋，放进了车里。

他们上路继续向前行驶。肯特路过一家加油站，在加油站排队等候的时候，老人打开了话匣子，“你可不可以先送我到市郊的济贫院的救济呢!”肯特对老人的身份和行为充满迷惑，说“您为什么要选择半夜送过去呢?”老人缓缓地说：“我现在退休了，白天他们不允许我出来，箱子里是我侄子和侄女们穿剩下的夹克、牛仔裤和裤子。”

两个小时的颠簸后，肯特他们走出了济贫院的大门。他继续按照老人指的路线前进。

“先生，请停一停。”老人突然说。这时，她的视线透过车窗久久地停留在了街边一幢破旧的大楼上。“您知道吗，这幢楼顶层的第一间，那是我和丈夫曾经租住的第一间房啊!房东是个好人。那里是我终生第一次使用可视电话的地方!”这时，老人久久凝视的目光中有泪光闪烁。“但是现在，他们都先后离开了我，去了天堂。”肯特这才明白，老人是在追忆昔日的美好时光。他被震撼了，决定放下一切，陪着老人。

接着，他按照老人的要求到了一个高尔夫球场旁边。老人说这里几十年前曾是一个牛奶场。她每天带着袖套、坐垫、罐子、毛巾和其他辅助用具去牛奶场。她的主要工作是挤牛奶、运送并分发牛奶，有时也去饲养奶牛。

“先生，我有些累了，您还是送我去市区的疗养院吧。”老人说。肯特心头一阵惊悸。他知道市中心疗养院是专门收留无法救治的绝症病人的地方。

“我得了肝癌，我的时间已经不多了。这次，我是偷偷地从疗养院溜出来的。因为，我很想亲自向过去的一切告别。这样，在我人生结束的时候就没有遗憾了。非常感谢你的帮助!”老人微笑着解释，走进木房子里。肯特一时无语，他想着老人的话，感到欣慰，因为老人的内心真的没有遗憾了。 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

Passage 8 Ambition

It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition. It would probably be a kinder world: without demands, without abrasions, without disappointments. People would have time for reflection. Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collectivity. Competition would never enter in; conflict would be eliminated. Tension becomes a thing of the past. The stress of creation would be at an end. Art would no longer be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions. Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die of a heart attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor. Anxiety would be extinct. Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart. Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be! There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a sham. Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events now. Not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating. Which are and which are not is something one soon learns enough on one‟s own. But even the most cynical secretly admits that success exists; that achievement counts for a great deal; and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless. To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging. It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment, and regard for posterity. 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift. We decide what is important and what is trivial in life. We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do. But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.

抱

负

一个缺乏抱负的世界将会怎样，这不难想像。或许，这将是一个更为友善的世界：没有渴求，没有磨擦，没有失望。人们将有时间进行反思。他们所从事的工作将不是为了他们自身，而是为了整个集体。竞争将永远不会介入;冲突将被消除。人们的紧张关系将成为过往云烟。创造的重压将得以终结。艺术将不再惹人费神，其功能将纯粹为了庆典。人的寿命将会更长，因为由激烈拼争引起的心脏病和中风所导致的死亡将越来越少。焦虑将会消失。时光流逝，抱负却早已远离人心。

啊，长此以往人生将变得多么乏味无聊!

有一种盛行的观点认为，成功是一种神话，因此抱负亦属虚幻。这是不是说实际上并不存在成功?成就本身就是一场空?与诸多运动和事件的力量相比，男男女女的努力显得微不足道?显然，并非所有的成功都值得景仰，也并圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

非所有的抱负都值得追求。对值得和不值得的选择，一个人自然而然很快就能学会。但即使是最为愤世嫉俗的人暗地里也承认，成功确实存在，成就的意义举足轻重，而把世上男男女女的所作所为说成是徒劳无功才是真正的无稽之谈。认为成功不存在的观点很可能造成混乱。这种观点的本意是一笔勾销所有提高能力的动机，求取业绩的兴趣和对子孙后代的关注。

我们无法选择出生，无法选择父母，无法选择出生的历史时期与国家或是成长的周遭环境。我们大多数人都无法选择死亡，无法选择死亡的时间或条件。但是在这些无法选择之中，我们的确可以选择自己的生活方式：是勇敢无畏还是胆小怯懦，是光明磊落还是厚颜无耻，是目标坚定还是随波逐流。我们决定生活中哪些至关重要，哪些微不足道。我们决定，用以显示我们自身重要性的，不是我们做了什么，就是我们拒绝做些什么。但是不论世界对我们所作的选择和决定有多么漠不关心，这些选择和决定终究是我们自己作出的。我们决定。我们选择。而当我们决定和选择时，我们的生活便得以形成。最终构筑我们命运的就是抱负之所在。

Passage 9 True love, no expectations

I once had a friend who grew to be very close to me. Once when we were sitting at the edge of a swimming pool, she filled the palm of her hand with a little water and held it before me, and said this: You see this water carefully contained on my hand? It symbolizes love. As long as you keep your hand caringly open and allow it to remain there, it will always be there. However, if you attempt to close your fingers around it and try to possess it, it will spill through the first cracks it finds. This is the greatest mistake that people do when 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

they meet love… They try to possess it, they demand, they expect… and just like the water spilling out of your hand, love will retrieve from you. For love is meant to be free, you cannot change its nature. If you have people you love, allow them to be free beings. Give and don‟t expect. Advise, but don‟t order. Ask, but never demand. It might sound simple, but it is a lesson that may take a lifetime to truly practice. It is the secret to true love. To truly practice it, you must sincerely feel no expectations from those who you love, and yet an unconditional caring.

真爱，零期待

我曾有个朋友，我们的关系很亲密。有一次我们坐在游泳池边上，她在手掌里盛了点儿水，捧在我面前，说:你仔细看我手上这水了吗?那代表爱。只要你充满关爱地使你的手平展伸开，并允许它保持在那儿，它会永远在那儿。但是，如果你试图把你的手指在它周围合起并试图占有它，它会通过它找到的缝溢出去。这是人们遇到爱时所犯的最大的错误„„他们会试图占有它，他们会要求，他们会期待„„那就会像溢出你的手掌的水一样，爱也会从你身边撤退。 因为爱意味着自由,你不能改变它的本性。

如果你有爱的人，请允许他们自由地存在。要给予而不期待;建议而不命令;请求而不要求。这可能听起来简单，但它需要一辈子去实践。这就是真爱的秘诀。要真正去实践它，你必须对那些你爱的人没有期望，并给予无条件的关爱。

Passage 10 Variety is the source of creativity Variety is the source of creativity. Variety injects the fluid of creativity into the most hollow minds. To ensure a triumphant career, variety combined with flexibility to fit in diverse circumstances is the major truth nowadays. 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

No housing can be constructed in one single day. The more one explores, the more different dimensions one will observe which can help to complete a job. It is logical to choose the best way of doing a thing among various available options. Innovation is your own discovering an unusual way to fulfil your aim, which might be an elaborate and perfect scheme, and would yield superb results. Innovation is not something that cannot be realized by us. Belief in yourself and the unique ability of giving concrete shape to your values and ideas are what separate boys from men. It takes a lot of courage to venture into the execution of your ideas. The initial phase is the toughest, for you may not be recognized or comprehended mentally. But survival in tough times is a test of your perseverance, endurance and determination. For undergraduates, they can spice up their lives with variety by focusing on extra activities apart from academic curriculum. It is evident that academics are the golden key to a good career and a secure job, but the books don‟t guide you to become smart in practice. No matter how long you have spent reading on skating, all the reading is useless, unless and until you put it into practice. Extra curricular activities help one to deal with people, and tell one the areas where theoretical theories can‟t be applied in real life and also change the individual‟s perspective and outlook to various problems. Also, time management would become easy by involving one in various activities, because only a busy man can find time.

Variety is the spice of life. Variety could activate the mind to open its creative 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

reserves.

变化是创造力的源泉

变化是创造力的源泉。变化为众多荒芜的心田注入了创造的汁液。变化和适应变化环境的灵活性是当今开创事业成功的必要条件。

罗马并不是一日建成的。你挖掘的越多，就越能够发现完成任务的各种各样的方法和方式。在各种现有的选项中挑选最好的方式才是符合逻辑的。创新是由你自己发现一种可以实现自己目标的独特的做事方式，它可能是事与一套精细完美的方案，并且会产生极好的效果。

创新并不是遥不可及的。相信自己，加上具有将价值观和想法赋予具体形式的独特能力会使我们脱颖而出。实施心中的想法需要很大的勇气去冒险。初期是最艰苦的，你可能会得不到真正的认可和理解。但是在不顺利的时候能否坚持下去，正是对你意志、忍耐力和决心的考验。

大学生可以通过课外活动把生活变得多姿多彩。很明显，学校所学的是通向一个好的职业和稳定工作的金钥匙，但是书本知识并不能让你在实践中变得聪慧。不管花多长时间阅读关于滑冰的书，你若不实践，阅读是毫无用处的。课外活动是帮助人们学习与人打交道的，只了解理论，在生活中的某些领域是行不通的，实践可以改变一个人看待不同问题的视角和观点。同时，通过参与各种不同的也使人更善于管理时间，因为只有忙碌着的人才会努力挤时间。 变化是生活的调味品。变化可以激活思维，开启创造的潜能。

Passage 11 Let Us Smile The thing that goes the farthest toward making life worthwhile, that costs the least and does the most, is just a pleasant smile. 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

The smile that bubbles from the heart that loves its fellow men, will drive away the clouds of gloom and coax the sun again. It‟s full of worth and goodness, too, with manly kindness blent. It‟s worth a million dollars, and it doesn‟t cost a cent. There is no room for sadness when we see a cheery smile. It always has the same good look; it‟s never out of style. It nerves us to try again when failure makes us blue. The dimples of encouragement are good for me and you. It pays the highest interest—for it is merely lent. It‟s worth a million dollars, and it doesn‟t cost a cent. A smile comes very easy—you can wrinkle up with cheer, a hundred times before you can squeeze out a salty tear. It ripples out, moreover, to the heart strings that will tug, and always leaves an echo that is very like a hug. So, smile away! Folks understand what by a smile is meant. It‟s worth a million dollars, and it doesn‟t cost a cent.

让我们微笑吧

那最能赋予生命价值、代价最廉而回报最多的东西，不过是一个令人愉悦的微笑而已。

由衷地热爱同胞的微笑，会驱走心头阴郁的乌云，心底收获一轮夕阳。

它充满价值和美好，混合着坚毅的仁爱之心。它价值连城却不花一文。

当我们看到喜悦的微笑，忧伤就会一扫而光。它始终面容姣好，永不落伍;失败令我们沮丧之时，它鼓励我们再次尝试。 鼓励的笑靥于你我大有裨益。它支付的利息高昂无比——只因它是种借贷形式。它价值连城却不花一文。 来一个微笑很容易——嘴角欢快地翘起来，你能百次微笑，可难得挤出一圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

滴泪;它的涟漪深深波及心弦，总会留下回响，宛若拥抱。 继续微笑吧!谁都懂得它意味着什么。它价值连城却不花一文。

Passage 12 If the Dream is Big Enough I used to watch her from my kitchen window. She seemed so small as she muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during recess. A sea of children, and yet to me, she stood out from them all. I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could. I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone. She would practice dribbling and shooting over and over again, sometimes until dark. One day I asked her why she practiced so much. She looked directly in my eyes and without a moment of hesitation she said, “I want to go to college. The only way I can go is if I get a scholarship. I like basketball. I decided that if I were good enough, I would get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don‟t count. ” Then she smiled and ran towards the court to recap the routine I had seen over and over again. Well, I had to give up to her—she was determined. I watched her through those junior years and into high school. Every week, she led her varsity team to victory. One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head cradled in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

what was wrong. “Oh, nothing, ” came a soft reply. “I am just too short. ” The coach told her that at 5′5〞she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team— much less offered a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college. She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She lifted her head from her hands and told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she really wanted to play for a good college, if she truly wanted a scholarship, that nothing could stop her except one thing—her own attitude. He told her again, “If the dream is big enough, the facts don‟t count. ” The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was seen by a college recruiter. She was indeed offered a scholarship, a full ride, to a Division 1, NCAA women‟s basketball team. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of and worked toward for all those years.

为了心中的梦想

我以前常常从厨房的窗户看到她穿梭于操场上的一群男孩子中间，她显得那么矮小。学校在我家的街对面，我可以经常看到孩子们在下课时间玩耍。尽管有一大群孩子，但我觉得她跟其他的孩子截然不同。我记得第一天看到她打篮球的情景。看着她在其他孩子旁边兜来转去，我感到十分惊奇。她总是尽力地跳起投篮，球恰好越过那些孩子的头顶飞入篮筐。那些男孩总是拼命地阻止她，但没有人可以做得到。我开始注意到她有时候一个人打球。她一遍遍地练习运球和投篮，有时直到天黑。有一天我问她为什么这么刻苦地练习。她直视着我的眼睛，不假思索地说: “我想上大学。只有获得奖学金我才能上大学。我喜欢打篮球，我想只要我打得好，我就能获得奖学金。我要到大学去打篮球。圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

我想成为最棒的球员。我爸爸告诉我说，心中有目标，风雨不折腰。”说完她笑了笑，跑向篮球场，又开始我之前见过的一遍又一遍的练习。 嘿，我服了她了——她是下定决心了。这些年我看着她从初中升到高中。每个星期，她带领的学校篮球队都能够获胜。

高中那会儿的某一天，我看见她坐在草地上，头埋在臂弯里。我穿过街道，坐到她旁边的清凉的草地上。我轻轻地问出什么事了。“哦，没什么，”她轻声回答，“只是我太矮了。”原来篮球教练告诉她，以五英尺五英寸的身材，她几乎是没有机会到一流球队去打球——更不用说会获得奖学金了——所以她应该放弃上大学的梦想。她很伤心，我也觉得自己的喉咙发紧，因为我感觉到了她的失望。我问她是否与她的爸爸谈过这件事。她从臂弯里抬起头，告诉我，她爸爸说那些教练错了。他们根本不懂得梦想的力量。他告诉她，如果她真的想到一个好的大学去打篮球，如果她真的想获得奖学金，任何东西也不能阻止她，除非她自己不愿意。他又一次跟她说：“心中有目标，风雨不折腰。”第二年，当她和她的球队去参加北加利福尼亚州冠军赛时，她被一位大学的招生人员看中了。她真的获得了奖学金，一个全面资助的奖学金，并且进入美国全国大学体育协会一级联赛的一支女子篮球队。她将接受她曾梦想并为之奋斗多年的大学教育。

Passage 13

Just for today Just for today I will try to live through this day only and not tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to keep it up for a life time.

Just for today I will be happy. This assumes to be true what Abraham Lincoln said, that “Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. ” 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

Just for today I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my “luck” as it comes. Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways. I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out. If anybody knows of it, it will not count. I will do at least two things I don‟t want to do—just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt: they may be hurt, but today I will not show it. Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, talk low, act courteously, criticize not one bit, and try not to improve or regulate anybody but myself. Just for today I will have a program. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests: hurry and indecision. Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a better perspective of my life. Just for today I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.

就为今天

就为了今天，我将尽力只度过今天而不立刻去解决终身的问题。对一件令我恐慌而又必须坚持一辈子的事，我能坚持十二个小时。 就为了今天，我会很快乐。亚伯拉罕·林肯说过，“对于大多数人而言，他们认定自己有多幸福，就有多幸福。”这已经被认为是真理。 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

就为了今天，我会做自我调整适应事物本来的面目，而不是想方设法使每一件事满足自己的欲望。当“幸运”来临时我会抓住它。 就为了今天，我会尽力心强志坚。我会学习，学一些有用的东西。我不会做一个精神上的流浪汉。我会读一些需要努力、思考和专注的东西。

就为了今天，我会用三种方法来磨炼我的灵魂。我会做对某人有利的事但不能被发现，若有人发现了就不算数。我将会做至少两件我不愿做的事情 ——只为了磨炼。我不会让任何人感到我的感情受到了伤害：它们可能受到了伤害，但今天我不会表现出来。 就为了今天，我会过得很惬意。我会尽力达到最佳状态，穿着得体、讲话谦虚、行为礼貌、一点不吹毛求疵，尽量改进和调节自己而不是别人。 就为了今天，我会制定一个计划，我也许不会严格地遵守它，但我一定要有计划。我会避免两种错误：仓促行事和优柔寡断。 就为了今天，我将会独自静静地呆上半小时放松。在这半小时里，某个时刻，我会对我日后的生活有个更好的看法。 就为了今天，我将不再害怕。尤其我不会再害怕享受美丽的事物，并且相信我给予世界的，世界也会给予我。

Passage 14 Making Sandcastles A little boy is on his knees scooping and packing the sand with plastic shovels into a bright blue bucket. Then he upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created. All afternoon he will work，scooping out the moat and packing the walls. Bottle tops will be sentries. Sticks will be bridges. A sandcastle will be 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

built.

Big city, busy streets, rumbling traffic.

A man is in his office. At his desk he puts papers into stacks and assigns tasks. The phone is on his shoulder and he is knocking the keyboard with his fingers. Contracts are signed and much to the delight of the man, a profit is made. All his life he will work，formulating the plans, forecasting the future. Profits will be sentries. Capital gains will be bridges. An empire will be built. Two builders of two castles. They have much in common. They shape little pebbles into grand buildings. They are diligent and determined. And for both the tide will rise and the end will come. Yet that is where the similarities stop. For the boy sees the end while the man ignores it. As the waves near, the wise child jumps to his feet and begins to clap. There is no sorrow. No fear. No regret. He knew this would happen. He is not surprised. And when the great breaker crashes into his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the sea, he smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father‟s hand, and goes home. The grownup, however, is not so wise. As the wave of years collapses on his castle he is terrified. He tries to protect the sandy monument. He blocks the waves from the walls he has made. Salt-water soaked and shivering he snarls at the incoming tide.

“It‟s my castle, ” he protests.

The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand belongs. . . I don‟t know much about sandcastles. But children do. Watch them and learn. 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

Go ahead and build, but build with a child‟s heart. When the sun sets and the tides take——applaud. Salute the process of life and go home.

堆沙堡的小男孩

一个小男孩跪在那儿用塑料铲挖沙子，并把沙子装在一个鲜艳的蓝桶里。然后他把蓝桶倒扣在地上，把它提起。让这小建筑师高兴的是：一座城堡的塔楼就这样诞生了。 他会干一下午：挖护城河，建城墙，用瓶盖做岗哨，用木棍做桥，就这样，一座城堡建成了。

某个大城市，喧嚣的街道，川流不息的交通。

办公室里有一位男士。坐在办公桌前，他把文件堆叠在一起，布置任务。他将电话夹在肩头，手指敲击键盘。合同签字生效，让这位男士高兴的是，一笔利润就这样到手了。 他一生都会工作：构想计划，预测未来。利润就是岗哨，资本收益就是桥梁。一个帝国就这样建成了。 这两座城堡的建筑者有许多共同之处。他们会把细小的沙石变成宏伟的建筑。他们很用心也很有决心，而对于他们两个而言，涨潮都会发生，一切都会结束。然而，共同点到此为止。因为，男孩看得到终点，而这位成年人却忽视它。 巨浪来临时，聪明的男孩欢呼，跳跃。没有痛苦，没有恐惧，没有遗憾。他知道这一切都会发生，他并不感到惊讶。 当这巨大的破坏者击碎他的城堡，将他的杰作卷入大海，男孩笑了，收拾好他的工具，拉着父亲的手，回家。 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

然而，这位成年人却并不如此明智，当岁月的巨浪击毁他的城堡，他害怕了，他试图保护这沙质纪念碑。他试图阻止巨浪袭击他建的城墙。咸的海水将他的城堡湮没。他颤抖着怒骂涌入的浪潮。

“这是我的城堡，”他抗议道。

海洋不需要回应。两者都明白沙子的归宿。

我对沙堡所知甚少。

但孩子们知道，他看他们，学习他们。 去建造吧，带着一颗童心。

当太阳落山，潮水占领沙滩——拍手喝彩， 向生命的过程敬礼，回家。

Passage 15 I’m Special

In the entire world there‟s nobody like me. Since the beginning of time, there has never been another person like me. Nobody has my smile. Nobody has my eyes, my nose, my hair, my hands, or my voice. I‟m special.

No one can be found who has my handwriting. Nobody anywhere has my tastes—for food or music or art. No one sees things just as I do. In all of time there‟s been no one who laughs like me, no one who cries like me. And what makes me laugh and cry will never provoke identical laughters and tears from anybody else, never. No one reacts to any situation just as I would react. I‟m special. I‟ m the only one in all of creation who has my set of abilities. Oh, there will always be somebody who is better at one of the things I‟m good at, but no one in the 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

universe can reach the quality of my combination of talents, ideas, abilities and feelings. Like a room full of musical instruments, some may excel alone, but none can match the symphony sound when all are played together. I‟m a symphony. Through all of eternity no one will ever look, talk, walk, think or do like me. I‟m special. I‟m rare. And, in all rarity there is great value. Because of my great rare value, I need not attempt to imitate others. I will accept—yes, indeed, celebrate—my differences. I‟m special. And I‟m beginning to realize it‟s no accident that I‟m special. I‟m beginning to see that I have been made for a very special purpose. There is a job for me that no one else can do as well as I. Out of all the billions of job applicants, only one is qualified, only one has the right combination of what it takes. That one is me. Because. . . I‟m special.

我就是我

大千世界，芸芸众生，没人与我相同。自创世伊始，从未有过像我一样的人。没人拥有和我一样的笑容;没人拥有和我一样的眼睛、鼻子、头发、双手或声音。 我就是我。 我的笔迹独一无二。我的品味与众不同——不管是对于食物、音乐还是艺术。对于世间万物，我拥有独特的视角。无论何时，都没有人欢笑如我，哭泣如我。让我开心和流泪的事物不会引起他人相同的反应，绝对不会。面对各种处境，我也有自己独特的应对方式。我就是我。 在天地万物中，我的能力组合独具一格。哦，我所擅长之处，必有人技高一筹。但是，世界上没有人能像我一样，将天赋、思想、能力和感觉如此独特地结合在一起。好比一间放满乐器的房间，某件乐器可能会一鸣惊人，但所有圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

乐器共同奏出的交响乐才无与伦比。我就是一曲交响乐。 亘古恒远，没有人会像我一样地观察、交谈、行走、思考或行事。 我就是我。独一无二。 而且，独特中蕴含着巨大的价值。因为这独特而又巨大的价值，我不需要去模仿他人。我会欣然接受——更确切地说是赞美——我的与众不同。我就是我。我渐渐理解，我之所以独特并非机缘巧合。我开始明白，造物主为我创设了一个特定的目标。有一份工作是为我量身定制的，他人无法胜任。在数以亿计的求职者中，只有一个人是合格的，只有一个人具备恰如其分的条件。那个人就是我。因为„„ 我就是我。

Passage 16 Write Your Own Life Suppose someone gave you a pen—a sealed, solid-colored pen. You couldn‟t see how much ink it had. It might run dry after the first few tentative words or last just long enough to create a masterpiece (or several) that would last forever and make a difference in the scheme of things. You don‟t know before you begin. Under the rules of the game, you really never know. You have to take a chance!

Actually, no rule of the game states you must do anything. Instead of picking up and using the pen, you could leave it on a shelf or in a drawer where it will dry up, unused. But if you do decide to use it, what would you do with it? How would you play the game? Would you plan and plan before you ever wrote a word? Would your plans be so extensive that you never even got to the writing? Or would you take the pen in hand, plunge right in and just do it, struggling to keep up with the twists and turns of the torrents of words that take you where they 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

take you? Would you write cautiously and carefully, as if the pen might run dry the next moment, or would you pretend or believe (or pretend to believe) that the pen will write forever and proceed accordingly? You‟re listening to Faith Radio Online-Simply to Relax, I‟m Faith. Now, suppose someone gave you a life. . .

谱写生命的乐章

假如有人送你一支笔，一支不可拆卸的单色钢笔.

你看不出里面究竟有多少墨水。或许在你试探性地写上几个字后它就会干枯，或许足够用来创作一部影响深远的不朽巨著(或是几部)。而这些，在动笔前，都是无法得知的。 在这个游戏规则下，你真的永远不会预知结果。你只能去碰运气!事实上，这个游戏里没有规则指定你必须要做什么。相反，你甚至可以根本不去动用这支笔，把它扔在书架上或是抽屉里让它的墨水干枯。 但是，如果你决定要用它的话，你会用它来做什么呢?你将怎样来进行这个游戏呢? 你会在写字之前，老是计划来计划去吗?你会不会由于计划过于宏大而来不及动笔呢? 或者你只是手里拿着笔，一头扎进去写，不停地写，艰难地随着文字汹涌的浪涛而随波逐流呢? 你会小心谨慎地写字，好像这支笔在下个时刻就可能会干枯;还是装作相信(或装作相信)这支笔能够永远写下去而信手写来呢? 您正在收听Faith轻松电台，我是Faith。现在，假如有人给予你一支生命的笔„„ 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

Passage 17 Prayer for My Mother Dear God, Now that I am no longer young, I have friends whose mothers have passed away. I have heard these sons and daughters say they never fully appreciated their mothers until it was too late to tell them。 I am blessed with the dear mother who is still alive. I appreciate her more each day. My mother does not change, but I do. As I grow older and wiser, I realize what an extraordinary person she is. How sad that I am unable to speak these words in her presence, but they flow easily from my pen。 How does a daughter begin to thank her mother for life itself? For the love, patience and just plain hard work that go into raising a child? For running after a toddler, for understanding a moody teenager, for tolerating a college student who knows everything? For waiting for the day when a daughter realizes her mother really is? How does a grown woman thank for a mother for continuing to be a mother? For being ready with advice (when asked) or remaining silent when it is most appreciated? For not saying, “I told you so”, when she could have uttered these words dozens of times? For being essentially herself—loving, thoughtful, patient and forgiving? I don‟t know how, dear God, except to bless her as richly as she deserves and to help me live up to the example she has set. I pray that I will look as good in the eyes of my children as my mother looks in mine。

A daughter 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

为母亲祈祷

亲爱的上帝： 如今我已不再年轻，一些朋友的母亲已经去世了。我曾听这些子女们说过，他们从没有向母亲充分表达过他们的感激之情，而待到要告诉时为时已晚了。 幸运的是，我亲爱的母亲依然健在。我对她的感激与日俱增。母亲没有变，而我却变了。随着年岁的增长，我越来越懂事了，我认识到她是个非常了不起的人。这些话在她面前我难以启齿，但在笔下却可以轻易地写出来，这令我感到多么难过。 一个女儿该怎样开口感谢她的母亲所给予的生命?感谢她在抚养孩子时所付出的爱、耐心以及平凡的无私的辛劳?感谢她跟在蹒跚学步的孩子身后奔跑，对情绪不定的少女的理解，以及对一个自以为是的大学生的宽容?感谢她等待女儿认识到她真是一位好母亲的这一天? 一个成年女子该怎样感谢母亲依然如故的角色?感谢(在被问到时)她会及时提供良言，而在不需要时她会保持沉默?感谢她没有说：“我告诉过你”，而她本来可以说上许多次?感谢她始终不变的爱心、体贴周到、耐心与宽容厚道? 我不知道该怎样来表达，亲爱的上帝，除了请求你好好地保佑她——那是她该得到的——并帮助我朝她做出的榜样看齐。我祈愿在我的孩子们的眼里我会如同母亲在我眼里一般好。

Passage 18 Always Aim Higher Always aim higher than you believe you can reach. So often, you‟ll discover that

一个女儿

when your talents are set free by your imagination, you can achieve any goal. If people offer their help or wisdom as you go through life, accept it gratefully. 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

You can learn much from those who have gone before you. But never be afraid or hesitant to step off the accepted path and head off in your own direction if your heart tells you that it‟s the right way for you. Always believe that you will ultimately succeed at whatever you do, and never forget the value of persistence, discipline, and determination. You are meant to be whatever you dream of becoming.

设立更高远的目标

总是设立比你认为力所能及的更高远的目标。通常，你会发现，当想像力放飞了你的才能时，你就能实现任何目标。 在你的人生历程中，如果有人给予你帮助或传授你智慧，你要心怀感激地接受。你可以从前辈那里学到很多宝贵的东西。但是，当你的内心已经明确知道怎样的路才是真正适合你的时候，要敢于脱离既定的轨道去追求你自己的方向，不要害怕或迟疑。 永远相信：无论你做什么，你终究会成功，并且不要忘记坚持、自律和决心的价值。你注定会成为你梦想要成为的那个人。

Passage 19 Would Rather Complain, Or Be Happy? If we really want to be happy, why do we act like such babies? We can claim to be proactive in our life by settings goals and going after what we want. But if we‟re always whining and complaining all the time, are we really living effectively? If you don‟t believe me, count how many times you complain about something or others in one day. Whether it is being stuck in traffic, being bothered by the weather, 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

not enough mustard on your sandwich, or whatever it is, there are endless instances where you can find a reason to complain. But it‟s not just outside circumstances that we complain about. We complain about ourselves too. We complain that we don‟t have enough time, that we don‟t have enough money (this one is huge because it‟s often “true”), that we‟re not smart enough, cool enough, or just enough.

I know I‟ve experienced plenty of unpleasantness due to complaining about things I can‟t control. I never really thought about it much until I found this website about “living in a complain-free world. ” Imagine how much happier you would be if you simply stopped complaining. Much of what you complain about is outside of your control anyway. What‟s the point of brooding about something you have no power to change? Not very intelligent, if you ask me. Simply becoming conscious of how much you complain is the first step to stopping. When you recognize that you‟re complaining, stop and take notice of it. Ask yourself if you would rather complain, or be happy.

要抱怨，还是要快乐?

如果我们真得想要高兴，为什么要像小孩子那样呢?

我们可以积极主动地在我们生活中设定目标，然后向着目标进发。但是如果我们整天牢骚满腹，怨天尤人的话，我们还能有效地生活吗? 如果你不相信我，仔细想想你一天要抱怨几次。不管是因为被糟糕的交通困住，被天气所困扰，还是三明治上芥末放得不够，总之生活中有无数的烦心事可以让你抱怨。 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

不仅仅外部的环境让我们抱怨，我们还不断地抱怨我们自己。比如时间不够多啊，钱不够花啊(这个最多，因为它往往更“真实”)，不够聪明不够冷静啊，反正什么看上去都不够好。 我知道，因为抱怨自己不能控制的事情，我已经历了许多的不开心。我没有仔细思考过这个问题，直到有一天我发现这个叫“活在没有抱怨的世界中”的网站。 想想吧，如果你停止抱怨的话你会变得多么快乐。反正那些事情又无力改变，整天想着那些你无力改变的事情又有什么意义呢?如果你来问我，我会说那样很愚蠢。 停止抱怨要做的第一步就是想清楚你有多能抱怨。当你意识到自己在抱怨的时候，停下来，问问自己是要变得快乐还是继续这样抱怨下去。

Passage 20 Life Is Like a Cup of Coffee A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor. The conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and a variety of cups—porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain-looking, some expensive, some exquisite—telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said,

“If you have noticed, all the nice-looking expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. ” 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

“Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. ” “What all of you really want is coffee, not the cup, but you unconsciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each other‟s cup.”

“Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Savor the coffee, not the cups! Don‟t let the cups drive you . . . enjoy the coffee instead. ”

生命如同一杯咖啡

一群毕业生，相约一起去看望他们年老的大学教授。

谈话一会儿就变成了各自对工作和生活压力的抱怨。在用咖啡招待这些客人时，教授去厨房端来一大壶咖啡，并拿出各式各样的咖啡杯——陶瓷的、塑料的、玻璃的、水晶的，有看上去普通的、有价值不菲的、有做工精细的——让他们自己倒咖啡喝。

当所有学生手中都端了一杯咖啡后，教授发话了：

“如果你们注意一下，就会发现所有好看的昂贵的杯子都被挑走了，剩下的只是那些普通的和便宜的。当然，每个人都只想拥有最好的，这很正常，但这也是你们的问题和压力的根源所在。” “可以肯定的是，杯子本身与咖啡质量毫无关系。在很多时候，杯子让咖啡更昂贵，某些时候，甚至让我们看不清我们要喝的是什么。” “其实你们真正想要的是咖啡，而不是杯子，但你们却又都下意识去挑选最好的杯子，并观察别人拿到的杯子。” 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

“现在设想一下：如果生活是杯中的咖啡，工作、财富和社会地位就是那些杯子。它们只是维持生活的工具而已，并不能界定或是改变生活的质量。有时候，我们在过于关注杯子的同时却忘记了去品味上帝赐予的咖啡。请仔细品味咖啡，而不是那些杯子。所以，不要成为杯子的奴隶„„好好品味杯中的咖啡。”

Passage 21 Life Is Like a Cafeteria A friend‟s grandfather came to America from Eastern Europe. After settling down at Ellis Island,

he went into a cafeteria in lower Manhattan to get something to eat.

He sat down at an empty table and waited for someone to take his order. Of course nobody did.

Finally, a woman with a tray full of food sat down opposite him and informed him how a cafeteria worked. “Start out at that end, ” she said. “Just go along the line and pick out what you want. At the other end they‟ll tell you how much you have to pay. ” “I soon learned that‟s how everything works in America, ” the grandfather told a friend.

“Life‟s like a cafeteria here.

You can get anything you want as long as you are willing to pay the price. You can even get success,

but you‟ll never get it if you wait for someone to bring it to you. You have to get up and get it yourself. ”

生活就像自助餐

一个朋友的祖父从东欧来到美国。 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

在埃利斯岛安顿下来后，

他去曼哈顿下城的一家自助餐厅吃饭。

他在一张空桌子边坐下，等待侍者拿来菜单。

当然没有人来招呼他。

最后，一位女士拿着满满一托盘食物走过来坐在他对面。并告诉他自助餐厅是怎样进餐的。 她说：“从那头开始，依次去要你想要的东西，在餐厅的另外一端会有人告诉你该付多少钱。”

他对一个朋友说：“接着我很快了解到这就是美国人的生活方式。”

“生活就像自助餐，

你可以去要你想要的任何东西，只要你能付得起他们的价格。

你也可以想要成功，但是如果你什么都不做就等着别人把它送到你身边的话是永远都不可能得到的。 你必须勤劳，必须自己去追求它。”

Passage 22 Growth When we plant a rose seed in the earth, we notice it is small, but we do not criticize it as “rootless and stemless. ” We treat it as a seed, giving it the water and nourishment required of a seed. When it first shoots up out of the earth, we don‟t condemn it as immature and underdeveloped, nor do we criticize the buds for not being open when they appear. We stand in wonder at the process taking place, and give the plant the care it needs at each stage of its development.

The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies. Within it, at all 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

times, it contains its whole potential. It seems to be constantly in the process of change: Yet at each state, at each moment, it is perfectly all right as it is.

A flower is not better when it blooms than when it is merely a bud; at each stage it is the same thing—a flower in the process of expressing its potential.

成长

一粒微小的玫瑰花子被植入土壤中时，我们并不因它“无根无茎”而加以批评。我们把它当作一粒种子来对待，施予它所需的水分和养料。 当它刚刚破土而出时，我们不因它幼稚、发育不良而诋毁它;当出现花蕾时，我们也不因它们不绽放而责备它。我们会惊喜地目睹整个过程。在它成长的不同阶段，给予它所需的照顾。 玫瑰，从一粒种子开始，到凋零，直至死亡，始终是玫瑰。在它生命的每时每刻，体内都蕴藏着巨大的潜能。它似乎总在不断地变化，但是在任何阶段，任何时刻，都是最真实、最完美的。 一朵花，在每一阶段都是相同的，无论是尽情绽放的花朵还是含苞欲放的花蕾，都是这朵花——一朵时刻展现自己潜能的花。

Passage 23 Chances Exist In the Daily Details John and Bobby joined a wholesale company together just after graduation from college the same year. Both worked very hard. After several years, however, the boss promoted Bobby to the position of manager while John remained an ordinary employee. John could not take it any more. He tendered his resignation to the boss and complained the boss did not know how to delegate and did not value hard working staff, but only promoted those who flattered him. The boss knew that John worked very hard for the years. He thought for a 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

moment and said, “Thank you for your criticism, but I have a request. I hope you will do one more thing for our company before you leave. Perhaps you will change your mind and take back your resignation. ” John agreed. The boss asked him to go and find out anyone selling watermelon in the market. John went and returned soon. He said he had found out a man selling watermelon. The boss asked how much per kg. John shook his head and went back to the market to ask and returned to inform the boss $1. 2 per kg. Boss told John to wait a second, and he called Bobby to come to his office. He asked Bobby to go and find anyone selling watermelon in the market. Bobby went, returned and said, “Boss, only one person selling watermelon. $1. 2 per kg, $10 for 10kg. He has inventory of 340 melons. On the table 58 melons; every melon weights about 2 kg, bought from the South two days ago. They are fresh and red, good quality.” John was very impressed and realized the difference between himself and Bobby. He decided not to resign but to learn from Bobby. My dear friends, a more successful person is more observant, thinks more and explores in depth. Chances exist in the daily details. For the same matter, a more successful person sees more and further so that he can find out an opportunity and catch it to realize his aim. If a person sees one year ahead, while another sees only tomorrow. The difference between a year and a day is 365 times. How could you win?

机遇在于生活的细节

约翰和博比同年大学毕业后，被同一家批发公司录用。他们二人工作都很圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

努力。然而，几年后，老板提拔博比为部门经理，而约翰还是一名普通员工。约翰再也无法忍受，冲动之下向老板递交了辞呈，并抱怨老板不会用人，不重用那些敬业的员工，只提拔那些奉承他的人。 老板知道这几年约翰工作确实很努力。他想了一会儿说：“谢谢你对我的批评。但是我有一个请求，我希望在你离开之前再为公司做一件事情。或许到时你会改变决定，收回辞呈。” 约翰答应了。 老板让他去市场找到一个卖西瓜的人。约翰去了并很快回来。他说他找到了一个卖西瓜的人。老板问他每公斤多少钱。约翰摇摇头，回到市场去问，然后又回来告诉老板每公斤1. 2美元。 老板让约翰等一会儿，这时他把博比叫到办公室。他让博比去市场找到一个卖西瓜的人。博比去了，回来之后说：“老板，只有一个卖西瓜的人，每公斤 1. 2美元，每10公斤卖10美元。这个人一共有340个西瓜，其中58个放在货架上，每个西瓜重约2公斤，都是两天前从南方买来的，新鲜，红瓤，质量好。” 约翰受到很大的触动，他意识到自己与博比之间的差距。他决定收回辞呈并向博比学习。

亲爱的朋友们，成功的人更善于观察，勤于思考和孜孜探求。机遇就存在于生活的细节中。同样的一件事，一个成功的人会看得更多更远，所以他能抓住机遇，实现梦想。如果有人看到一年后的情景，而你只看到明天。一年与一天的差距是365倍，你怎么能赢呢?

Passage 24 With One Glass of Milk One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by selling goods from door to door found that he had only one dime left. He was hungry so he decided to beg for a meal at the next house. 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?” “You don‟t owe me anything,” she replied, “Mother has taught me never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but it also increased his faith in God and the human race. He was about to give up and quit before this point.

Years later, the young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to a big city, where specialists can be called in to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly, now famous was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately, he rose and went down through the hospital hall into her room. Dressed in his doctor‟s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room and determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to her case. After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to her room. She was afraid to open it because she was positive that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her attention. She read these words， “Paid in full with one glass of milk.” 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as she prayed silently, “Thank You, God. Your love has spread through human hearts and hands. ”

一杯牛奶的温暖

一天，一个可怜的小男孩儿为凑足学费正挨家挨户地推销商品。他发现身上只剩一角钱了，此时他很饿，因此决定从下一家要点儿吃的。

然而，当一位年轻貌美的女子打开门时，他却紧张得不知所措。他没有要吃的，只是要了口水喝。女子看到小男孩儿饥饿的样子，顿生怜悯之心，便倒了一大杯牛奶递给他。他慢慢地喝光了牛奶，问道：“我需要付您多少钱呢?”

“你不必付钱给我，”女子答道，“妈妈教育我说，爱心善举，不求回报。”男孩说：“那么我就发自内心地向您说声谢谢!”当霍华德· 凯利走出这户人家时，他不仅觉得浑身充满了力量，也对上帝和整个人类充满了信心。原本，他就要放弃。

若干年后，那位女子得了重病，当地医生都束手无策。最后，她转院到大城市，接受专家会诊。著名的霍华德·凯利医生也参与了医疗方案的制定。当他得知这位病人来自那个城镇时，一个奇怪的念头闪过，他立即起身直奔她的病房。

身着白大褂的凯利医生走进了病房，一眼便认出了那个女子，她正是他的恩人。回到诊室，他下定决心要竭尽全力医治她。从那天起，他就对她给予了特殊的照顾。

经过艰苦卓绝的努力，手术终获成功。凯利医生要求把医药费结算单送到他那儿。他看了一下，便在旁边写了一些东西。当结算单送到女子的病房时，她甚至不敢打开来看，因为她知道这笔医药费一定极其昂贵，或许她要用整个圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

余生去偿还。最后，她还是鼓足勇气打开了看，她注意到单子旁边的一行小字，上面写着：

“医药费已由一杯牛奶付清。” (署名)霍华德·凯利医生

喜悦的泪水夺眶而出，她不禁默默祈祷：“感谢您，上帝!您的爱已经通过人类的心灵和双手传递开来。”

Passage 25 Sow an Action, Reap a Habit Our character, basically, is a composite of our habits. “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny, ” the maxim goes.

Habits are powerful factors in our lives. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character and produce our effectiveness or ineffectiveness.

As Horace Mann, the great educator, once said, “Habits are like a cable. We weave a strand of it everyday and soon it cannot be broken. ” I personally do not agree with the last part of his expression. I know habits can be learned and unlearned. But I also know it isn‟t a quick fix. It involves a process and a tremendous commitment.

Those of us who watched the lunar voyage of Apollo 11 were transfixed as we saw the first men walk on the moon and return to the earth. But to get there, those astronauts literally had to break out of the tremendous gravity pull of the earth. More energy was spent in the first few minutes of lift-off, in the first few miles of travel, than was used over the next several days to travel half a million miles. 圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

Habits, too, have tremendous gravity pull—more than most people realize or would admit. Breaking deeply embedded habitual tendencies such as procrastination, impatience, criticalness, or selfishness that violate basic principles of human effectiveness involves more than a little willpower and a few minor changes in our lives. “Lift off” takes a tremendous effort, but once we break out of the gravity pull, our freedom takes on a whole new dimension.

Like any natural force, gravity pull can work with us or against us. The gravity pull of some of our habits may currently be keeping us from going where we want to go. But it is also gravity pull that keeps our world together, that keeps the planets in their orbits and our universe in order. It is a powerful force, and if we use it effectively, we can use the gravity pull of habit to create the cohesiveness and order necessary to establish effectiveness in our lives.

卓越仅仅是个习惯

人的性格基本上是由习惯组成的。正如一句格言：思想决定行动，行动决定习惯，习惯决定性格，性格决定命运。 习惯对我们的生活有很大的影响，因为它是一贯的。 在不知不觉中， 经年累月地影响着我们的性格，左右着我们的成败。 美国著名教育家霍拉斯·曼曾说：“习惯就仿佛是一条缆绳，我们每天为它缠上一股新索，不用多久就会变得牢不可破。”这句话的后半段我不敢苟同，我相信习惯可以养成，也可以打破，但绝不是一蹴而就，而是需要长期的努力和无比的毅力。 宇航员搭乘阿波罗11号太空船，首次登陆月球的刹那的确令人叹为观止。但宇航员得先摆脱地球强大的引力，才能飞往月球。因此在刚起飞的几分钟，圆学子梦想 铸金字品牌

也就是整个任务一开始的几英里之内，是最艰难的时刻，所耗的力量往往超越往后的几十万英里。 习惯也是一样，它也具有极大的引力，只是许多人不加注意或不肯承认罢了。想要革除诸如因循苟且，缺乏耐心，吹毛求疵或自私自利等违背人类效率基本原则的不良习性，若是缺乏意志力，不能大刀阔斧地改革，便难以实现目标。“起飞”需要极大的努力，然而一旦脱离重力的牵绊，我们便可享受前所未有的自由。 习惯的引力就如同自然界所有的力量一般，可能危害我们，也可以为我们所用，关键看我们如何运用。习惯或许一时有碍于达到目标，但也有积极的一面。宇宙万物各循轨道运行，彼此保持一定的秩序，毕竟也都有赖于引力的作用。所以只要我们善于运用习惯的庞大引力，就能使生活有重心，有秩序，有效率。

Passage 26 Love Is a Two-way Street A father sat at his desk poring over his monthly bills when his young son rushed in and announced, “Dad, because this is your birthday and you‟re 55 years old, I‟m going to give you 55 kisses, one for each year! ” When the boy started making good on his word, the father exclaimed, “Oh, Andrew, don‟t do it now; I‟m too busy! ”

The youngster immediately fell silent as tears welled up in his big blue eyes. Apologically the father said, “You can finish later.”

The boy said nothing but quietly walked away, disappointment written over his face. That evening the father said, “Come and finish the kisses now, Andrew! ” But

第三篇：双语美文：说我爱你

Say I love you 说我爱你

In a class I teach for adults, I recently did the “unpardonable.”I gave the class homework! The assignment was to “go tosomeone you love within the next week and tell them you lovethem. It has to be someone you have never said those wordsto before or at least haven‟t shared those words with for a longtime.”

Now that doesn‟t sound like a very tough assignment, until you stop to realize that most of themen were over 35 and were raised in the generation of men that were taught that expressingemotions is not “macho.” Showing feelings or crying (heaven forbid!) was just not done. So thiswas a very threatening assignment for some. At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when theytold someone they loved them. I fully expected one of the women to volunteer6, as was usuallythe case, but on this evening one of the men raised his hand. He appeared quite moved and a bitshaken. As he unfolded out of his chair (all 6 2" of him), he began by saying, “Dennis, I was quite angrywith you last week when you gave us this assignment. I didn‟t feel that I had anyone to saythose words to, and besides, who were you to tell me to do something that personal? "But as I began driving home my conscience started talking to me. It was telling me that I knewexactly who I needed to say I love you to.“

"You see, five years ago, my father and I had a vicious disagreement and really never resolved itsince that time. We avoided seeing each other unless we absolutely had to at Christmas or otherfamily gatherings. But even then, we hardly spoke to each other." "So last Tuesday by the time I got home I had convinced myself I was going to tell my father Iloved him."

最近在我执教的一个成人班级里，我干了一件“不可饶恕的”事情。我居然给班上的学生布置了一份家庭作业!任务是“下周之内要走到你所爱的人面前，告诉他们你爱他。此人必须是一位此前你从未对之说过此话的对象，或至少很久没有与他们交流过这些爱意盎然的话语了。”

听起来这不像是一份苛刻的任务，直到你意识到这个班里多数男人已年逾35岁。何况在他们成长的那个年代，他们受到的是这样的灌输：流露情感没有“阳刚之气”。人们不会轻易流露情感和哭泣(老天也不允!)。因此对某些人来说，这是一项令人生畏的任务。

第二次上课一开始，我就问：当你告诉别人你爱他/她时，结果怎样?有没有人愿意讲一讲?我满心指望像平常一样，某位女士能自告奋勇，但是这天晚上，一位男士举起了手。他看上去很受感动的样子，还有一点颤抖。

当他从座椅上直起身来时(他身高6英尺2英寸)，他这样说道：“丹尼斯，上周你给我们布置任务时，我很生你的气。我认为我没有什么人需要我说那些话，而且，你是谁?凭什么让我们去干这种涉及隐私的事?”

“但我驱车回家时，我的良知开始与我对话。它告诉我，我确实知道需要向谁说„我爱你‟这句话。”

“你瞧，5年前，我与父亲发生了激烈的争执，而且从此再也没有消除隔阂。我们互相回避，除非绝对必须出席圣诞节聚会或其他的家庭聚会。但甚至在那些场合，我们彼此几乎也不说一句话。”

“因此，上周二到家时，我确信自己做得不对，打算告诉父亲我爱他。”

第四篇：双语美文：人生处处是转角

Always Changing人生处处是转角

Please excuse me if I’m a little pensive today.如果我今天有点郁郁寡欢,请原谅我。

Mark is leaving, and I’m feeling kind of sad.马克要走了,我感到有点难过。

You probably don’t know Mark, but you might be lucky enough to know someone just like him. He’s been the heart and soul of the office for a couple of year combining exemplary professional skills with a sweet nature and gentle disposition. He’s never been all that interested in getting credit for the terrific work he does. He just wants to do his job, and to do it superbly well.你或许不认识马克,但如果你认识像他那样的人,那你可能走运了。好几年来,他都是办公室里的核心和灵魂人物,专业技能堪称典范,态度和蔼,性情温柔。工作表现出色的他从不热衷于争风邀功。他只想做他的工作,并出色地完成。

And now he’s moving on to an exciting new professional opportunity. It sounds like it could be the chance of a lifetime, and we’re genuinely, sincerely pleased for him. But that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague.而现在,他要向一份令人兴奋的新职迈进。听起来是个一生难得的机会,我们也真心诚挚地替他高兴。但那并没使我们跟这么一位亲爱的朋友、信任的同事告别来得容易一些。

Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us. Just when we start to get comfortable with a person, a place or a situation, something comes along to alter the recipe. A terrific neighbor moves away. Someone in the family graduates. A child finds new love and loyalties through marriage. The family’s principle bread-winner is laid off.生活用它自己的方式不断向我们抛出曲线球。当我们刚开始和某人融洽相处,或是适应一个地方或一种境况时,某事就发生了,改变了一切。很好的邻居要搬家了;家里的某个成员毕业了;孩子找到新欢,在婚姻殿堂里寻获忠诚;家里养家糊口的主力军被解雇了。

Our ability to cope with change and disruption determine to a great degree, our peace, happiness and contentment in life.我们应付变化以及混乱情况的能力很大程度上决定了我们生活的安宁、幸福和满意度。

But how do we do that? Philosophers have considered the question for centuries and their responses have been varied. According to the author of the Biblical book of Ecclesiaste comfort can be found in remembering that “to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” Kahlil Gibran urged his listeners to “let today embrace the past with remembrance, and the future with longing.”但我们该怎么做?哲人们已经思考这个问题好几个世纪了,他们的回答各不相同。根据《圣经旧约全书传道书》的作者,人们可以通过记住“大千世界,万事万物皆有时”来获得安慰。而卡里纪伯伦也曾敦促他的听众去“让今日用记忆拥抱昨日,用渴望拥抱未来”。

A friend of mine who works for the government is fond of reminding his fellow bureaucrats that “survivabi-lity depends upon adaptability.” And then there’s Chri the California surf-rat, who once told me that the answer to life’s problems can be summed up in four words: “Go with the flow.”我一个在政府工作的朋友喜欢提醒他的那帮官僚同事们“生存取决于适应性。”还有克里斯,加利福尼亚州的一位冲浪爱好者,他曾告诉我,生活中所有问题的答案都能归为四个字——“随遇而安”。

“It’s like surfing,” Chris explained. “You can’t organize the ocean. Waves just happen. You ride ’em where they take you, then you paddle back out there and catch the next one. Sure, you’re always hoping for the perfect wave where you can get, like, you know, totally tubular. But mostly you just take ’em the way they come. It’s not like you’re trying to nail Jell-O to a tree, you know?”

“就像冲浪,”克里斯解释道,“你无法掌控大海。波浪随意荡起。你乘着浪任其领着你向前冲,然后,你伏身于冲浪板往回划水至某处,接而踏乘下一个浪。当然,你总会希望等到那个完美的浪头,就像你知道的那种滚筒浪。但大多数情况,也就是随波逐流,这不是什么登天难事,你知道的。”

I’m not exactly sure, but I think Chris was saying that life is a series of events—both good and bad. No matter how deft your organizational skill there will always be life-influencing factors over which you have no control. The truly successful person expects the unexpected, and is prepared to make adjustments should the need arise—as it almost always does.我不太确定,但我想克里斯在说,生活是由一连串事件组成的——其中有好有坏。不论你的统筹技巧有多纯熟,总会有些你无法控制的因素影响着我们的生活。真正的成功者料想到意料之外的事总会发生,并做好准备在必要时做出调整——而这样的情况常常发生。

That doesn’t mean you don’t keep trying to make all your dreams come true. It just means that when things come up that aren’t exactly in your plan, you work around them—and then you move on. Of course, some bumps along the road of life are easier to take than others. A rained-out picnic, for example, is easier to cope with than the sudden death of a loved one. But the principle is the same.那并不意味着你不需要不断努力去实现你的梦想。意思只是说,当计划以外的事发生时,你得去处理,然后继续前进。当然,人生沿途出现的一些“撞击”要比另一些容易处理。比如,因为下雨要取消野餐,总比自己所爱的人突然去世更容易处理。但原理是相同的。

“Change, indeed, is painful, yet ever needful,” said philosopher Thomas Carlyle. “And if memory have its force and worth, so also has hope.”“改变确实给人带来痛苦,但改变却是永远必须的。”哲人托马斯卡莱尔说道,“并且,如果记忆拥有其力量和价值,那么希望也同样拥有。”

We’re going to miss Mark, just like you’ll miss that graduate, that neighbor or that newlywed. But rather than dwell on the sadness of our parting, we’ll focus on our hopes for a brighter future—for him, and for us. And then we’ll go out and do everything we can to make that future happen.我们会想念马克,就像你会想念那毕业离家的孩子、那位搬走的邻居或那新婚的儿女一样。但我们与其沉湎于分离所带来的哀伤中,倒不如把期盼聚焦于一个更光明的未来——为他,也为我们自己。然后,我们将走出去,尽我们的一切力量去实现梦想中的未来。

Until our plans change—again.直到我们的计划——再次改变。

第五篇：双语美文：只要你爱她够深

If you love her enough, you can.

只要你爱她够深

爱可以成为一切事情的理由 只要你爱得够深

My friend John always has something to tell me. He knows so much that young men have to have older and more worldly wise men to tell them, for instance, who to trust, how to care for others, and how to live life to the fullest. 我的朋友约翰总会有些事儿给我讲，他深知年轻人必须让比自己年长、阅历更丰富的男人多多启发。比如说，什么样的人值得信任、如何关心别人以及怎样才能活得最充实。

Recently, John lost his wife Janet. For eight years she fought against cancer, but in the end her sickness had the last word.

最近，约翰的妻子珍妮特离开了他。她与癌症抗争了八年，但最终还是输给了病魔。

One day John took out a folded piece of paper from his wallet. He had found it, so he told me, when he tidied up some drawers at home. It was a small love letter Janet had written. The note could look like a school girl’s scrawls about her dream guy. All that was missing was a drawing of a heart with the names John and Janet written in it. But the small letter was written by a woman who had had seven children; a woman who fought for her life and who probably only had a few months left to live.

一天，约翰从钱包里拿出一张叠起来的纸。他告诉我，这是他在家收拾抽屉时找到的。那是珍妮特写的一封短小的情书。纸上的内容就像是一个女生想念她的梦中情人时胡写出来的，旁边就差再画上一颗写着约翰和珍妮特的名字、被箭穿过的心了。但是这封短信的作者是一位养育了七个孩子的母亲——一个为活下来而抗争、生命可能只剩下几个月的女人。

It was also a beautiful recipe for how to keep a marriage together.

这封信同时也是一个绝妙的秘方，它告诉我们如何保持婚姻的和谐。

Janet’s description of her husband begins thus: “Loved me. Took care of me. Worried about me.”

珍妮特是如此开始描述她的丈夫的：“他爱我，照顾我，关心我。”

Even though John always had a ready answer, he never joked about cancer apparently.

虽然约翰对一切都心中有数，但他从不拿癌症话题开玩笑。

Sometimes he came home in the evening to find Janet in the middle of one of those depressions cancer patients so often get. In no time he got her into the car and drove her to her favorite restaurant.

有时他晚上回到家，发现珍妮特陷入了癌症患者经常会遇到的种种忧郁中，他二话不说，开车就带着珍妮特到她最喜欢的餐馆去。

He showed consideration for her, and she knew it. You cannot hide something for someone who knows better.

约翰对珍妮特十分体贴，珍妮特知道这一点。如果一个人比你更加了解一件事儿，你是无法将这件事儿对其隐瞒的。

“Helped me when I was ill,” the next line reads. Perhaps Janet wrote this while the cancer was in one of the horrible and wonderful lulls2. Where everything is – almost – as it used to be, before the sickness broke out, and where it doesn’t hurt to hope that everything is over, maybe forever.

信的下一行写道：“我病弱时，他帮助我。”珍妮特写下这句时，她的病情可能正处在某个恐怖却又美好的暂缓期。在病情急剧恶化之前的这个阶段，一切都和以前一样——几乎一样吧。这时候，你可以不痛不痒地企盼一切都结束了，也许永远地结束了。

“Forgave me a lot.”

“容忍我很多的不对。”

“Stood by my side.”

“守在我身边。”

And a piece of good advice for everyone who looks on giving constructive criticism as a kind of sacred duty: “Always praising.”

对于那些喜欢将发表建设性批评意见作为神圣职责的人，信中还有一条很好的建议：“不停地赞扬。”

“Made sure I had everything I needed,” she goes on to write.

“确保我能得到我所需要的任何东西。”她接着写道。

After that she has turned over the paper and added: “Warmth. Humor. Kindness. Thoughtfulness.”

她将纸翻到背面又添上：“温柔。幽默。善良。贴心。”然后，她又这样描述了那个与她一同生活的丈夫——她多半生最爱的人：“在我需要时你一直守候在那里。”

And then she writes about the husband she has lived with and loved most of her life: “Always there for me when I needed you.”

The last words she wrote sum up all the others. I can see her for me when she adds thoughtfully: “Good friend.”

她写的最后一句话总结了其他所有内容，我可以看到她是如何若有所思地在纸上加上了这句话——“好朋友。”

I stand beside John now, and cannot even pretend to know how it feels to lose someone who is as close to me as Janet was to him. I need to hear what he has to say much more than he needs to talk. 我现在站在约翰身边，却连假装了解自己失去一个像珍妮特对约翰那样重要的人的感觉都做不到。约翰需要找人说话，有些话他必须说出来，而我却更急切地要听他的那些话。

“John,” I ask. “How do you stick together with someone through 38 years – not to mention the sickness? How do I know if I can bear to stand by my wife’s side if she becomes sick one day?”

“约翰，”我问道，“先不提对方得了什么病，就光说这38年，你是怎么跟一个人和美地生活过来的?如果某天我妻子生病了，我怎么知道我能不能挺住一直守在她身边呢?”

“You can,” he says quietly. “If you love her enough, you can.” “你能，”约翰静静地回答，“只要你爱她够深，你就能做到。”