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    Copyright ? Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press 2013

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or

    distributed by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without

    the prior written permission of Foreign Language Teaching and Research

    Press.

    本書版權(quán)由外語教學(xué)與研究出版社獨(dú)家所有。如未獲得該社書面同

    意，書中任何部分之文字及圖片，不得用任何方式抄襲、節(jié)錄、翻印或

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    Published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press

    No. 19 Xisanhuan Beilu

    Beijing, China 100089

    http:www.fltrp.com圖書在版編目(CIP)數(shù)據(jù)

    一直走在陽光里＝Keep Walking in Sunshine：英漢對照雙語悅讀

    編輯組編.—北京：外語教學(xué)與研究出版社，2013.6

    (心如花園雙語悅讀)

    ISBN 978-7-5135-3219-8

    Ⅰ.①一… Ⅱ.①雙… Ⅲ.①英語-漢語-對照讀物②散文集

    -世界 Ⅳ.①H319.4：I

    中國版本圖書館CIP數(shù)據(jù)核字(2013)第120755號

    出版人 蔡劍峰

    責(zé)任編輯 米曉瑞

    出版發(fā)行 外語教學(xué)與研究出版社

    社 址 北京市西三環(huán)北路19號(100089)

    網(wǎng) 址 http:www.fltrp.com

    版 次 2013年6月第1版

    書 號 ISBN 978-7-5135-3219-8

    制售盜版必究 舉報(bào)查實(shí)獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)

    版權(quán)保護(hù)辦公室舉報(bào)電話：(010)88817519CONTENTS

    目 錄

    An Invisible Smile 看不見的微笑

    Get a Thorough Understanding of Oneself 悟透自己

    An Invisible Smile 看不見的微笑

    Think Positive Thoughts Every Day 積極看待每一天

    World of Wisdom 感悟生活

    A Good Measure of Equanimity 平和的心態(tài)

    Choose Optimism 選擇樂觀

    Our Pursuit of Happiness 我們對幸福的追求

    Giving Life Meaning 給生命以意義

    Born to Win 生而為贏

    Let Love Go 將愛放飛

    When I Become Old 當(dāng)我日漸老去的時(shí)候

    Love Needs No Words 大愛無聲

    Keep Walking in Sunshine 一直走在陽光里

    An Invisible Wall 無形的墻

    Loving an Imperfect Person 愛一個(gè)不完美的人

    I Love You, Son 我愛你，兒子

    Let Love Go 將愛放飛

    Love and Telephone 愛情與電話The Roses from Heaven 來自天堂的玫瑰

    Love Without Measure 愛無尺度

    A March Snow 三月的雪

    A Wayfaring Song 旅行之歌

    On the Seashore 海邊

    A March Snow 三月的雪

    Our Love Is Simple as a Song 單純?nèi)绺璧膼?br/>
    Sand Dunes 沙丘

    Ode on a Grecian Urn 希臘古甕頌

    Rush 匆匆

    Pride and Prejudice 傲慢與偏見

    Letter from an Unknown Woman 一個(gè)陌生女人的來信

    Late Summer 晚夏

    Babys World 孩童的世界

    The Old Man and the Sea 老人與海

    Life Is a Theater 人生如戲

    Life Is a Theater 人生如戲

    Get Victory out of Defeat 轉(zhuǎn)敗為勝

    Wait a Little Longer in Despair 絕望時(shí)再等一下

    Only a Man… 只是一個(gè)普通人

    If Only 情理之間

    Happy Life 幸福生活

    The Perfect Time to Start Is Right Now 實(shí)現(xiàn)夢想，最佳時(shí)機(jī)就是現(xiàn)在

    To Be a Super Financer 愛錢，更愛幸福

    Using the Force of Yoga 接觸瑜伽的神奇力量An Invisible Smile

    看不見的微笑Get a Thorough Understanding of Oneself

    悟透自己

    In all one's lifetime, it is oneself that one spends the most time being

    with or dealing with. But it is precisely oneself that one has the least

    understanding of.

    When you are going upwards in life you tend to overestimate yourself.

    It seems that everything you seek for is within your reach; luck and

    opportunities will come your way and you are overjoyed that they constitute

    part of your worth. When you are going downhill you tend to underestimate

    yourself, mistaking difficulties and adversities for your own incompetence.

    It's likely that you think it wise for yourself to know your place and stay aloof

    from worldly success. In doing so, you are actually wearing a mask of

    cowardice, behind which the flow of sap in your life will be retarded.

    To get a thorough understanding of oneself is to gain a correct view of

    oneself and be a sober realist —aware of both one's strength and shortage.

    You may look forward hopefully to the future but be sure not to expect too

    much, for ideals can never be fully realized. You may be courageous to meet

    challenges but it should be clear to you where to direct your efforts. That's to

    say, so long as you have a perfect knowledge of yourself, there won't be

    difficulties you can't overcome, nor obstacles you can't surmount.To get a thorough understanding of oneself needs self-appreciation.

    Whether you liken yourself to a towering tree or a blade of grass, whether

    you think you are a high mountain or a small stone, you represent a state of

    nature that has its own raison d'être. If you earnestly admire yourself, you'll

    have a real sense of self-appreciation, which will give you confidence. As

    soon as you gain full confidence in yourself, you'll be enabled to fight and

    overcome any adversity.

    To get a thorough understanding of oneself also requires doing oneself a

    favor when it's needed. In time of anger, do yourself a favor by giving vent to

    it in a quiet place so that you won't be hurt by its flames; in time of sadness,do yourself a favor by sharing it with your friends so as to change a gloomy

    mood into a cheerful one; in time of tiredness, do yourself a favor by getting

    a good sleep or taking some tonic. Show yourself loving concern about your

    health and daily life. As you are aware, what a person physically has is but a

    human body that's vulnerable when exposed to the elements. So if you fall ill,it's up to you to take good care of yourself. Unless you know perfectly when

    and how to do yourself a favor, you won't be confident and ready enough to

    resist the attack of illness.

    To get a thorough understanding of oneself is to get a full control of

    one's life. Then one will find one's life full of color and flavor.

    precisely adv. 恰恰

    overestimate v. 高估，過高評價(jià)

    constitute v. 組成，構(gòu)成

    adversity n. 逆境，苦難

    人生在世，和“自己”相處時(shí)間最多，打交道最多，但是恰恰最悟不透的也是“自己”。

    人在走上坡路時(shí)，往往會過高估計(jì)自己，似乎一切所求的東西都能

    唾手可得，甚至把運(yùn)氣和機(jī)遇也看作自己身價(jià)的一部分而喜不自勝。人

    在不得意時(shí)，往往會低估自己，把困難和逆境也看作自己的無能。你有

    可能把安分守己、遠(yuǎn)離世俗的成功認(rèn)為是明智之舉，而這樣做，你就是

    戴上了怯懦的面具，在面具背后窒息了自己鮮活的生命。

    悟透自己，就是正確認(rèn)識自己，做一個(gè)冷靜的現(xiàn)實(shí)主義者，既知道

    自己的優(yōu)勢，也知道自己的不足。你可以憧憬未來，但期望值不能過

    高，因?yàn)槔硐氩豢赡芡耆珜?shí)現(xiàn)�？梢杂赂业赜�接挑戰(zhàn)，但是應(yīng)該清楚自

    己努力的方向。也就是說，人只要對自己有了充分的認(rèn)識，就沒有什么

    克服不了的困難，沒有什么過不去的難關(guān)。

    要悟透自己就要欣賞自己。無論你將自己比作一棵參天大樹還是一

    片草葉，無論你認(rèn)為自己是一座巍峨的高山還是一塊小小的石頭，都代

    表了一種天然，都有自己存在的價(jià)值。如果你認(rèn)真地欣賞自己，你就會

    真正理解自我欣賞，這會給你以信心。一旦對自己充滿了信心，也就能

    夠克服一切逆境。

    要悟透自己，必要時(shí)還需心疼自己。在氣憤時(shí)心疼一下自己：找個(gè)

    僻靜處宣泄一下，不要讓那些無名之火傷身；在憂傷時(shí)心疼一下自己，找三五好友，訴說訴說，讓情緒由陰變晴；在勞累時(shí)心疼一下自己，好

    好睡上一覺或是來些補(bǔ)品。要對自己的健康和日常生活噓寒問暖一番。

    要明白人所擁有的不過是一個(gè)血肉之軀，經(jīng)不住太多的風(fēng)霜雪雨。因此

    在有病時(shí)，要由你來照顧好自己。唯有十分清楚何時(shí)要心疼自己、怎樣

    心疼自己，才能擁有戰(zhàn)勝疾病的信心和力量。

    要悟透自己，就要把控好自己的人生，這樣你的生活才會多姿多

    彩，有滋有味!An Invisible Smile

    看不見的微笑

    Mr. Darwin was an old grouch, and everyone in town knew it. Kids

    knew not to go into his yard to pick a yummy apple, even off the ground,because old Darwin, they said, would come after you with his BB gun.

    One Friday, 12-year-old Janny was going to stay all night with her

    friend Emma. They had to walk by Darwin's house on the way to Emma's

    house, but as they got close Janny saw him sitting on his front porch and

    suggested they cross over to the other side of the street. Like most of the

    children, she was scared of the old man because of the stories she'd heard

    about him.

    Emma said not to worry, Mr. Darwin wouldn't hurt anyone. Still, Janny

    was growing more nervous with each step closer to the old man's house.

    When they got close enough, Darwin looked up with his usual frown, but

    when he saw it was Emma, a broad smile changed his entire countenance as

    he said, Hello, Miss Emma. I see you've got a little friend with you today.

    Emma smiled back and told him Janny was staying overnight and they

    were going to listen to music and play games. Darwin told them that sounded

    fun, and offered them each a fresh picked apple off his tree. They gladly

    accepted, Darwin had the best apples in town.

    When they got out of Darwin's earshot, Janny asked Emma, Everyonesays he's the meanest man in town. How come he was so nice to us?

    Emma explained that when she first started walking past his house he

    wasn't very friendly and she was afraid of him, but she pretended he was

    wearing an invisible smile and so she always smiled back at him. It took a

    while, but one day he half-smiled back at her.

    After some more time, he started smiling real smiles and then started

    talking to her. Just a hello at first, then more. She said he always offers her

    an apple now, and is always very kind.

    An invisible smile? questioned Janny.

    Yes, answered Emma, my grandma told me that if I pretended I

    wasn't afraid and pretended he was smiling an invisible smile at me and I

    smiled back at him, then sooner or later he really would smile. Grandma says

    smiles are contagious.

    If we remember what Emma's grandma said, that everyone wears an

    invisible smile, we too will find that most people can't resist our smile after a

    while.

    We're always on the go trying to accomplish so much, aren't we?

    Hauling the kids around, getting groceries, cleaning the house, mowing the

    yard, it's always something. It's so easy to get caught up in everyday life that

    we forget how simple it can be to bring cheer to ourselves and others. Giving

    a smile away takes so little effort and time, let's make sure that we're not the

    one that others have to pretend is wearing an invisible smile.

    When you walk into a party or gathering where everyone is smiling and

    laughing, it's mighty easy to get into a good mood and get into the spirit of

    the occasion. On the other hand, just walk into a room where the gloom

    hangs heavily in the air and people are frowning, and it's equally as easy to

    start feeling a little lower in spirit.It all starts somewhere, and if not with you and I, then where? All it

    takes to uplift the day is to remember to give that smile away! You can't save

    them, you can't store them, the only way they're any good is to share them.

    Start by giving yourself a nice, big smile when you're in the bathroom getting

    ready for the day. Look right in the mirror and smile at yourself and tell

    yourself it's going to be a great day as you do. You'll be surprised at how

    much more often you will have great days. To be sure, nothing unusual may

    happen other than you've improved your outlook. Attitude is everything.

    grouch n. 總發(fā)牢騷的人

    countenance n. 面容；面部表情

    contagious adj. 富于感染力的，會蔓延的

    達(dá)爾文先生是個(gè)怪脾氣的老頭，鎮(zhèn)上每個(gè)人都知道。孩子們知道不

    能去他家院子里摘美味的蘋果，連掉在地上的也不能撿起，因?yàn)樗麄?br/>
    說，達(dá)爾文會拿著氣槍追你。

    一個(gè)星期五，12歲的詹妮打算去朋友�，敿疫^夜。她們得經(jīng)過達(dá)爾

    文先生的房子去�，敿摇５搅私�前，詹妮看見他坐在門廊下，便建議從

    街道對面繞過去。跟大多數(shù)孩子一樣，聽了那些傳聞之后，她害怕這個(gè)

    老頭。

    埃瑪說不用擔(dān)心，達(dá)爾文先生不會傷害任何人，可是詹妮越接近那

    老頭的房子就越緊張。當(dāng)她們離得足夠近時(shí)，達(dá)爾文抬起頭，像往常那

    樣皺著眉頭，可當(dāng)他看見是埃瑪，他的整個(gè)臉上露出了燦爛的笑容，他

    說：“你好，�，斝〗�。我看見你今天還帶了一個(gè)小朋友�！�

    �，斠蚕蛩�微笑，告訴他說詹妮要在她家過夜，她們會聽音樂、玩

    游戲。達(dá)爾文說那聽上去很好玩，還給了她們每人一個(gè)剛剛從樹上摘下

    的新鮮蘋果。她們開心地接受了，達(dá)爾文的蘋果是鎮(zhèn)上最好的。等她們走到達(dá)爾文聽不見的地方，詹妮問�，敚骸懊總�(gè)人都說他是

    鎮(zhèn)上最小氣的人。怎么他對我們這么好？”

    埃瑪解釋說，她最初經(jīng)過他家的時(shí)候，他并不怎么友好，她也害怕

    他，但她假裝他帶著一副看不見的笑容，這樣她也總是向他報(bào)以微笑。

    這么過了一陣子，有一天他終于對她半笑不笑了一下。

    又過了些時(shí)間，他開始發(fā)自內(nèi)心地笑了，并開始和她談話。開始只

    是“你好”，后來話慢慢多了。她說他現(xiàn)在總是送她一個(gè)蘋果，而且總是

    非常和氣。

    “看不見的微笑？”詹妮問。

    “是的，”埃瑪答道，“我奶奶告訴我，如果我假裝自己不害怕，假

    裝他在微笑，只是沒有人能看見，而我也沖他微笑，那么遲早他會真心

    笑起來。奶奶說微笑具有感染力。”

    如果我們記住�，斈棠痰脑�，相信每個(gè)人都帶著一副看不見的微

    笑，過上一段時(shí)間，我們也會發(fā)現(xiàn)大多數(shù)人都無法抗拒我們的微笑。

    我們總是忙個(gè)不停，想要實(shí)現(xiàn)更多，不是嗎？拖著孩子到處跑，采

    購食品雜貨，打掃房間，修剪草坪——總有忙不完的事。我們很容易陷

    入日�，嵤拢�而忘了給自己和他人帶來快樂是件多么簡單易行的事。送

    出微笑幾乎不費(fèi)吹灰之力，也無需多少時(shí)間，讓我們確保自己不要成為

    別人得假裝相信帶著看不見的微笑的那種人。

    當(dāng)你參加一個(gè)聚會，那里每個(gè)人都在微笑或大笑，你會很容易心情

    變得好起來并融入那種環(huán)境。相反，如果進(jìn)入一個(gè)房間，那里氣氛低沉

    凝重，人們臉色陰沉，同樣的，你也會很容易感到心里一沉。

    總得從什么地方開始，如果不是你和我，還指望誰呢？使一天愉悅

    的方法就是記住讓那個(gè)微笑綻放出來!微笑無法保存，也不能儲備，微

    笑唯一的好處是和別人分享。在清晨的浴室里，當(dāng)你準(zhǔn)備好開始這一

    天，先給自己一個(gè)大大的美麗的微笑吧。直視鏡子，沖自己微笑，告訴

    自己說今天會是很棒的一天。你會驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)，你會更經(jīng)常地?fù)碛泻馨舻囊惶臁Ｓ涀�，除非你先把自己的心態(tài)改變，否則任何不尋常事的都不

    會發(fā)生。態(tài)度決定一切。Think Positive Thoughts Every Day

    積極看待每一天

    If your life feels like it is lacking the power that you want and the

    motivation that you need, sometimes all you have to do is to shift your point

    of view.

    By training your thoughts to concentrate on the bright side of things, you

    are more likely to have the incentive to follow through on your goals. You

    are less likely to be held back by negative ideas that might limit your

    performance.

    Your life can be enhanced, and your happiness enriched, when you

    choose to change your perspective. Don't leave your future to chance, or wait

    for things to get better mysteriously on their own. You must go in the

    direction of your hopes and aspirations. Begin to build your confidence, and

    work through problems rather than avoid them. Remember that power is not

    necessarily to control over situations, but the ability to deal with whatever

    comes your way.

    Always believe that good things are possible, and remember that

    mistakes can be lessons that lead to discoveries. Take your fear and transform

    it into trust; learn to rise above anxiety and doubt. Turn your worry hours

    into productive hours. Take the energy that you have wasted and direct ittoward every worthwhile effort that you can be involved in. You will see

    beautiful things happen when you allow yourself to experience the joys of

    life. You will find happiness when you adopt positive thinking into your daily

    routine and make it an important part of your world.

    incentive n. 刺激，動(dòng)力

    perspective n. 角度

    aspiration n. 抱負(fù)，志向

    如果你感覺自己在生活中心有余而力不足，缺乏前進(jìn)的動(dòng)力，有時(shí)

    候你所需要做的就是改變思維的角度。

    通過訓(xùn)練自己，凡事都朝光明的一面想，你就更有可能擁有堅(jiān)持到

    底直至實(shí)現(xiàn)自己目標(biāo)的動(dòng)力，而不大可能因?yàn)槟切�會限制你發(fā)揮的消極

    想法而停滯不前。

    當(dāng)你選擇變化角度想問題時(shí)，你的生活會豁然開朗，幸福也會接踵

    而至。不要讓自己的未來聽?wèi){運(yùn)氣，或者等著事情會自己神秘地變好。

    你必須得朝著自己的希望和遠(yuǎn)大抱負(fù)的方向前進(jìn)。開始建立自信，去克

    服困難，而不是逃避。記住能力并不一定是要能掌控局面的法寶，而是

    無論發(fā)生什么事情，你都能處理。

    永遠(yuǎn)相信美好總會降臨，記住錯(cuò)誤可以是帶來新發(fā)現(xiàn)的訓(xùn)誡。將惶

    恐轉(zhuǎn)化為信任，學(xué)會克服焦慮和懷疑。把你的“憂慮時(shí)間”轉(zhuǎn)化成“產(chǎn)出

    時(shí)間”。把你曾經(jīng)浪費(fèi)的精力直接投入到你能參與的任何有價(jià)值的事情

    上。當(dāng)你允許自己去體驗(yàn)生活中的快樂時(shí)，美好就會出現(xiàn)在你眼前。當(dāng)

    你在日常生活中采取積極的思維方式并且讓它成為你的習(xí)慣時(shí)，你就會

    找到快樂與幸福。World of Wisdom

    感悟生活

    I've learned that sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a

    heart to understand.

    I've learned that love, not time, heals all wounds.

    I've learned that everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

    I've learned that there's nothing sweeter than sleeping with your babies

    and feeling their breath on your cheeks.

    I've learned that no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

    I've learned that opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones

    you miss.

    I've learned that when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock

    elsewhere.

    I've learned that I wish I could have told my mom that I love her one

    more time before she passed away.

    I've learned that one should keep his words both soft and tender,because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

    I've learned that a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

    I've learned that I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do

    about it.I've learned that everyone wants to stand on top of the mountain, but all

    the happiness and growth occur while you're climbing it.

    I've learned that it is best to give advice in only two circumstances:

    when it is requested and when it is a life-threatening situation.

    I've learned that the less time I have to work with, the more thing I get

    done.

    harbor v. 心懷，懷有

    bitterness n. 苦味；辛酸

    tender adj. 溫柔的，體貼的

    我知道了有時(shí)一個(gè)人想要的只是一只可握的手和一顆感知的心。

    我知道了治愈一切創(chuàng)傷的并非是時(shí)間，而是愛。

    我知道了每一個(gè)與你相遇的人都值得你笑臉相迎。

    我知道了沒有什么事比和孩子們睡在一起，并用臉頰感覺他們的呼

    吸更甜蜜。

    我知道了只有當(dāng)愛上一個(gè)人時(shí)才會認(rèn)為他(她)是完美的。

    我知道了機(jī)會從來不會消失；別人會抓住你錯(cuò)過的機(jī)會。

    我知道了當(dāng)你心懷苦楚時(shí)，幸福就會停靠到別的港灣。

    我知道了我希望在母親去世前能再對她說一次我愛她。

    我知道了一個(gè)人不應(yīng)出言不遜，因?yàn)榈诙�天他可能就得自食其果�?br/>
    我知道了微笑是一種改善容貌的方式，無需多少花費(fèi)。

    我知道了我無法選擇我的感受，但我可以選擇處理的方法。

    我知道了每個(gè)人都想高踞山頂，但所有幸福和成長皆發(fā)生于爬山的

    過程中。

    我知道了最好只在兩種情況下給人以忠告：別人要求時(shí)和性命攸關(guān)

    時(shí)。我知道了工作效率越高，完成的就越多。A Good Measure of Equanimity

    平和的心態(tài)

    When the moon is fullest it begins to wane, when it is darkest it begins

    to grow.

    There is a calm wisdom in this old saying that impressed me when I

    heard it first from a monk of a Buddhist monastery in China. It has often

    helped me to retain a good measure of equanimity under stress and hardship

    as well as when some unexpected success or good luck might have made me

    too exuberant. There is hope and consolation in the sure knowledge that

    even the darkest hours of pains and troubles won't last, but also a warning

    against overrating the passing glories of wealth, power and great good

    fortune. A warning and a hope, not only for the individual, but also for

    governments, nations and their leaders, a brief summing up of all that history

    and human experience can tell us. And beyond all that we might hear in an

    echo of law and order that holds our universe in safe balance.

    wane v. 變��；.虧缺

    monk n. 僧侶

    monastery n. 寺院

    exuberant adj. 縱情的，興高采烈的月盈則虧，月晦則明。

    第一次聽到這句古語是中國佛教寺廟中的一位僧人告訴我的，它表

    達(dá)了一種平靜的智慧，令我印象深刻。之后，每當(dāng)我有壓力和遇到困

    難，或是碰到可能讓我過于興奮的不可思議的成功或好運(yùn)時(shí)，它都讓我

    保持鎮(zhèn)定，泰然處之。這句古語帶給我們一種希冀和慰藉：即使痛苦和

    煩惱的陰霾籠罩得再深，也不會長久持續(xù)；同時(shí)它也警示我們，不要過

    分在意財(cái)富、權(quán)力和好運(yùn)的光環(huán)，它們只會曇花一現(xiàn)。這種警示和希冀

    不僅適用于個(gè)人，同時(shí)也適用于政府、國家和領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人，它是人類的整個(gè)

    歷史和經(jīng)驗(yàn)的總結(jié)。此外，我們還可以從中聽到使宇宙保持平衡狀態(tài)的

    法律和秩序的回聲。Choose Optimism

    選擇樂觀

    If you expect something to turn out badly, it probably will. Pessimism is

    seldom disappointed. But the same principle also works in reverse. If you

    expect good things to happen, they usually do! There seems to be a natural

    cause-and-effect relationship between optimism and success.

    Optimism and pessimism are both powerful forces, and each of us must

    choose which we want to shape our outlook and our expectations. There is

    enough good and bad in everyone's life — ample sorrow and happiness,sufficient joy and pain — to find a rational basis for either optimism or

    pessimism. We can choose to laugh or cry, bless or curse. It's our decision:

    From which perspective do we want to view life? Will we look up in hope or

    down in despair?

    I believe in the upward look. I choose to highlight the positive and slip

    right over the negative. I am an optimist by choice as much as by nature.

    Sure, I know that sorrow exists. I am in my 70s now, and I've lived through

    more than one crisis. But when all is said and done, I find that the good in life

    far outweighs the bad.

    An optimistic attitude is not a luxury; it's a necessity. The way you look

    at life will determine how you feel, how you perform, and how well you willget along with other people. Conversely, negative thoughts, attitudes, and

    expectations feed on themselves; they become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

    Pessimism creates a dismal place where no one wants to live.

    Years ago, I drove into a service station to get some gas. It was a

    beautiful day, and I was feeling great. As I walked into the station to pay for

    the gas, the attendant said to me, How do you feel? That seemed like an

    odd question, but I felt fine and told him so. You don't look well, he

    replied. This took me completely by surprise. A little less confidently, I told

    him that I had never felt better. Without hesitation, he continued to tell me

    how bad I looked and that my skin appeared yellow.

    By the time I left the service station, I was feeling a little uneasy. About

    a block away, I pulled over to the side of the road to look at my face in the

    mirror. How did I feel? Was I jaundiced? Was everything all right? By the

    time I got home, I was beginning to feel a little queasy. Did I have a bad

    liver? Had I picked up some rare disease?

    The next time I went into that gas station, feeling fine again, I figured

    out what had happened. The place had recently been painted a bright, bilious

    yellow, and the light reflecting off the walls made everyone inside look as

    though they had hepatitis! I wondered how many other folks had reacted the

    way I did. I had let one short conversation with a total stranger change my

    attitude for an entire day. He told me I looked sick, and before long, I was

    actually feeling sick. That single negative observation had a profound effect

    on the way I felt and acted.

    The only thing more powerful than negativism is a positive affirmation,a word of optimism and hope. One of the things I am most thankful for is the

    fact that I have grown up in a nation with a grand tradition of optimism.

    When a whole culture adopts an upward look, incredible things can beaccomplished. When the world is seen as a hopeful, positive place, people are

    empowered to attempt and to achieve.

    Optimism doesn't need to be naive. We can be an optimist and still

    recognize that problems exist and that some of them are not dealt with easily.

    But what a difference optimism makes in the attitude of the problem solver!

    Optimism diverts our attention away from negativism and channels it into

    positive, constructive thinking. When you're an optimist, you're more

    concerned with problem-solving than with useless carping about issues. In

    fact, without optimism, issues as big and ongoing as poverty have no hope of

    solution. It takes a dreamer — someone with hopelessly optimistic ideas,great persistence, and unlimited confidence — to tackle a problem that big.

    It's your choice.

    pessimism n. 悲觀；悲觀主義

    optimism n. 樂觀；樂觀主義

    hepatitis n. [醫(yī)]肝炎

    carp v. 吹毛求疵

    如果你預(yù)料某事會很糟糕，那么它很可能真會這樣。悲觀的想法很

    少落空。但反過來，這個(gè)原理也同樣成立。如果你料想會好運(yùn)連連，通

    常也會這樣!樂觀和成功之間似乎有一種天然的因果關(guān)系。

    樂觀和悲觀都是強(qiáng)大的力量，我們每個(gè)人都必須從中做出選擇，從

    而形成我們對未來的展望和預(yù)期。每個(gè)人的生命中都有太多的起起伏

    伏：充滿著憂傷和快樂、無限的喜悅和痛苦——不論我們是樂觀還是悲

    觀，都有充分的理由。我們可以選擇笑或哭，祝�；蛟{咒。這是我們的

    決定：選擇用什么樣的眼光來看待人生？是在希望中昂首闊步，還是在

    絕望中低頭長嘆?我喜歡積極向上。我選擇突出積極面，忽視消極面。天性和個(gè)人選

    擇使我成為一名樂觀主義者。當(dāng)然，我知道，生命中總有悲傷。年逾古

    稀的我曾不止一次經(jīng)歷過危難。但是，當(dāng)一切塵埃落定，我發(fā)現(xiàn)生命中

    的美好遠(yuǎn)多于丑惡。

    樂觀的態(tài)度并非奢侈品，而是一種必需。你看待生活的方式會決定

    你如何去感受，去表現(xiàn)，以及你與他人如何相處。相反，消極的思想、態(tài)度和預(yù)期卻自成因果，它們成為一種能自我實(shí)現(xiàn)的預(yù)言。悲觀會制造

    一種沉悶的生活，沒有人愿意活在其中。

    幾年前，我開車去一個(gè)加油站加油。那天天氣很晴朗，我心情很

    好。當(dāng)我進(jìn)站付油費(fèi)時(shí)，服務(wù)員對我說：“你感覺怎么樣啊?”這個(gè)問題

    似乎有些莫名其妙，但我感覺很好，也這樣跟他說了�！澳隳樕�不大

    好。”他說。這讓我大為驚訝。我告訴他，我的感覺從未像現(xiàn)在這樣好

    過，但說此話時(shí)已不那么底氣十足。他毫不猶豫地繼續(xù)說我臉色如何不

    好，連皮膚都發(fā)黃了。

    離開加油站時(shí)，我感到有些心神不安。開了一個(gè)街區(qū)后，我把車停

    在路邊，照著鏡子看自己的臉。我怎么了？是不是得了黃疸病了？一切

    都正常嗎？回到家時(shí)，我開始想吐了。我的肝臟是不是出了問題？我不

    會染上什么怪病了吧？

    我再次去那個(gè)加油站時(shí)，依然心情不錯(cuò)，我還搞清楚了究竟是怎么

    一回事。這個(gè)地方最近涂了一種膽汁般明亮的黃漆，燈光反射在墻壁

    上，讓里面的每個(gè)人看起來都像是得肝炎。我想，不知道有多少人也有

    過和我類似的反應(yīng)呢。和一個(gè)完全陌生的人的短暫交談，竟改變了我整

    整一天的心情。他告訴我，我看起來像生病了，而后不久，我真的感覺

    不舒服。僅僅一個(gè)消極的看法就深刻地影響了我的感受和行為。

    唯一比消極更具力量的是一個(gè)積極的肯定，一句樂觀和希望的話

    語。最令我心存感激的事情之一就是我生長在一個(gè)有著樂觀主義光榮傳

    統(tǒng)的國度。當(dāng)整體文化積極向上時(shí)，再難以置信的事也能完成。當(dāng)把世界看成是一個(gè)充滿希望、積極的場所，人們便能夠努力進(jìn)取并取得成

    就。

    樂觀并不需要變得天真幼稚。我們可以在成為樂觀者的同時(shí)，仍然

    意識到有問題存在，有些甚至難以解決。但是，樂觀使解決問題的態(tài)度

    有所不同!樂觀會使我們把注意力從消極轉(zhuǎn)向積極的、有建設(shè)性的思考

    上。如果你是一個(gè)樂觀的人，會更關(guān)心問題的解決而不是毫無裨益地怨

    天尤人。事實(shí)上，如果沒有樂觀精神，像貧窮這樣沉重且持續(xù)存在的問

    題是無望解決的。解決如此巨大的問題需要一個(gè)夢想家——一個(gè)擁有絕

    對樂觀、矢志不移精神和無限信心的人。樂觀，或是悲觀，在于你的選

    擇。Our Pursuit of Happiness

    我們對幸福的追求

    We chase after it, when it is waiting all about us.

    Are you happy? I asked my brother, Ronald, one day. Yes. No. It

    depends on what you mean, he said.

    Then tell me, I asked, when was the last time you think you were

    happy?

    April 1967, he said.

    It served me right for putting a serious question to someone who has

    joked his way through life. But Ronald's answer reminded me that when we

    think about happiness, we usually think of something extraordinary, a

    pinnacle of sheer delight — and those pinnacles seem to get rarer the older

    we get.

    For a child, happiness has a magical quality. I remember making hide-

    outs in newly-cut hay, playing cops and robbers in the woods, getting a

    speaking part in the school play. Of course, kids also experience lows, but

    their delight at such peaks of pleasure as winning a race or getting a new bike

    is unreserved.

    In the teenage years, the concept of happiness changes. Suddenly it's

    conditional on such things as excitement, love, popularity and whether thatzit will clear up before prom night. I can still feel the agony of not being

    invited to a party that almost everyone else was going to. But I also recall the

    ecstasy of being plucked from obscurity at another event to dance with a

    Jason Smith look-alike.

    In adulthood, the things that bring profound joy —birth, love, marriage

    also — bring responsibility and the risk of loss. Love may not last, sex isn't

    always good, loved ones die. For adults, happiness is complicated.

    My dictionary defines happy as lucky or fortunate, but I think a

    better definition of happiness is the capacity for enjoyment. The more we

    can enjoy what we have, the happier we are. It's easy to overlook the pleasure

    we get from loving and being loved, the company of friends, the freedom to

    live where we please, and even good health.

    I added up my little moments of pleasure yesterday. First there was

    sheer bliss when I shut the last lunch-box and had the house to myself. Then I

    spent an uninterrupted morning writing, which I love. When the kids came

    home, I enjoyed their noise after the quiet of the day.

    Later, peace descended again, and my husband and I enjoyed another

    pleasure — intimacy. Sometimes just the knowledge that he wants me can

    bring me joy.

    You never know where happiness will turn up next. When I asked

    friends what made them happy, some mentioned seemingly insignificant

    moments. I hate shopping, one friend said, but there's a clerk who always

    chats and really cheers me up. Another friend loves the telephone, Every

    time it rings, I know someone is thinking about me.

    I get a thrill from driving. One day I stopped to let a school bus turn onto

    a side road. The driver grinned and gave me the thumbs up sign. We were

    two allies in a world of mad motorists. It made me smile.We all experience moments like these. Too few of us register them as

    happiness.

    Psychologists tell us that to be happy we need a blend of enjoyable

    leisure time and satisfying work. I doubt that my great-grandmother, who

    raised 14 children and took in washing, had much of either. She did have a

    network of close friends and family, and maybe this was what fulfilled her. If

    she was happy with what she had, perhaps it was because she didn't expect

    life to be very different.

    We, on the other hand, with so many choices and such pressure to

    succeed in every area, have turned happiness into one more thing we gotta

    have. We're so self-conscious about our right to it that it's making us

    miserable. So we chase it and equate it with wealth and success, without

    noticing that the people who have those things aren't necessarily happier.

    While happiness may be more complex for us, the solution is the same

    as ever. Happiness isn't about what happens to us — it's about how we

    perceive what happens to us. It's the knack of finding a positive for every

    negative, and viewing a setback as a challenge. It's not wishing for what we

    don't have, but enjoying what we do possess.

    pinnacle n. 頂點(diǎn)

    unreserved adj. 毫無保留的

    descend v. 下來，下降

    intimacy n. 親密

    allies n. 同盟

    我們四處追逐幸福，而幸福其實(shí)就在我們身邊。

    一天，我問哥哥羅納德：“你幸福嗎？”他回答說：“可以說幸福，也可以說不幸福，這要看你指什么了�！�

    “那你告訴我，”我說，“最近一次你感到幸福是什么時(shí)候？”

    “1967年4月�！彼�答道。

    我真不該對一個(gè)游戲人生的人提出這么嚴(yán)肅的問題。但羅納德的回

    答卻啟發(fā)了我：當(dāng)我們考慮幸福的時(shí)候，我們通常想到一些非同尋常的

    事，一些愉快無比的時(shí)刻——但是隨著年齡的增長，這種時(shí)刻好像越來

    越少了。

    對孩子來說，幸福有著一種魔力。記得我曾在新割下來的干草叢中

    捉迷藏，在樹林里玩“警察與小偷”，在學(xué)校的戲劇里扮演有臺詞的角

    色。當(dāng)然，孩子也有情緒低落的時(shí)候。但是，因?yàn)橼A得一場比賽，或得

    到一輛新自行車，他們會毫無保留地釋放這種極致的快樂。

    到了青少年時(shí)期，幸福觀發(fā)生轉(zhuǎn)變。突然間，幸福就建立在激動(dòng)、愛情、受歡迎程度甚至是臉上的青春痘能否在高中舞會之夜前消失這樣

    的事上。我依然能夠記得大家?guī)缀醵既�參加一個(gè)聚會，而我未被邀請時(shí)

    的痛苦。但我也記得在另一次活動(dòng)中，名不見經(jīng)傳的我被選中與一個(gè)貌

    似賈森·史密斯的人共舞時(shí)的欣喜若狂。

    成年后，能帶來心靈深處喜悅的是生育、愛情和婚姻，這些同時(shí)也

    帶來了責(zé)任和失去的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。愛情可能不會長久，性愛也不總是如意，心

    愛的人可能會死去。對于成人來說，幸福很復(fù)雜。

    我的字典里幸福的定義是“幸運(yùn)”或“好運(yùn)”，但我認(rèn)為幸福更好的定

    義是“享受快樂的能力”。能更多地享受我們擁有的一切，我們就會更幸

    福。從愛與被愛，友人相伴，隨心所欲擇地而居，甚至身體健康中獲得

    的快樂很容易被我們忽視。

    我合計(jì)了一下昨天的幸福時(shí)光。首先我準(zhǔn)備完畢最后一個(gè)午餐飯

    盒，獨(dú)享整棟房子，感覺無比的幸福。然后，整個(gè)上午我都在寫作而無

    人打擾，令我愉快。當(dāng)孩子們回到家，我又享受著寂靜一天后的熱鬧。

    后來，寧靜再次降臨，我和丈夫享受另一種快樂——親熱。有時(shí)候只要想到他需要我，就能給我?guī)�來快樂�?br/>
    你永遠(yuǎn)不會知道幸福下一次會在什么時(shí)候出現(xiàn)。當(dāng)我問起朋友是什

    么讓他們幸福時(shí)，有些人會提到一些看似微不足道的小事�！拔矣憛捹�

    物，”一個(gè)朋友說，“但有一個(gè)健談的售貨員的確令我很開心�！绷硪粋�(gè)

    朋友喜歡接電話，“每次電話一響，我就知道有人想我了�！�

    我喜歡開車的刺激。一天，我停下來，讓一輛校車拐到旁路去。那

    個(gè)司機(jī)咧嘴一笑，向我豎起大拇指。在一個(gè)充滿飆車黨的世界，我們倆

    結(jié)成了同盟。這讓我很開心。

    我們都有過類似的經(jīng)歷。但很少有人將這些看作幸福。

    心理學(xué)家告訴我們，要想幸福，我們既要有愉快的休閑時(shí)間，也要

    有令人滿意的工作。我的曾祖母養(yǎng)育了14個(gè)孩子，還要給別人洗衣服掙

    錢，我懷疑這兩樣她都沒有。但她確有一些親朋好友�；蛟S，就是這些

    讓她很滿足。如果說她因自己擁有的一切而感到幸福，或許是因?yàn)樗��?br/>
    不期待生活會有所不同。

    而我們因?yàn)橛刑�多的選擇以及想在各個(gè)領(lǐng)域成功的壓力，把幸福變

    成了“必須得到”的另一樣?xùn)|西。我們對獲得幸福的“權(quán)利”意識太強(qiáng)，這

    讓我們痛苦不堪。所以我們?nèi)プ非笮腋�，并將它與財(cái)富和成功等同起

    來，而沒有意識到擁有這些的人也并不一定更幸福。

    對我們來說，幸�？赡芨鼮閺�(fù)雜多樣，但獲得幸福的方式卻依舊相

    同。幸福不關(guān)乎發(fā)生在我們周圍的事——而是關(guān)乎我們?nèi)绾稳タ创�周�?br/>
    發(fā)生的事。這是變不利為有利，化挫折為挑戰(zhàn)的秘訣。幸福并非是希求

    我們未得到的，而是享受我們此刻所擁有的一切。Giving Life Meaning

    給生命以意義

    Have you thought about what you want people to say about you after

    you're gone? Can you hear the voices saying, He was a great man. or She

    really will be missed. What else do they say?

    One of the strangest phenomena of life is to engage in a work that will

    last long after death. Isn't that a lot like investing all your money so that

    future generations can bare interest on it? Perhaps, yet if you look deep in

    your own heart, you'll find something drives you to make this kind of

    contribution —something drives every human being to find a purpose that

    lives on after death.

    Do you hope to memorialize your name? Have a name that is whispered

    with reverent awe? Do you hope to have your face carved upon 50 ft of

    granite rock? Is the answer really that simple? Is the purpose of lifetime

    contribution an ego-driven desire for a mortal being to have an immortal

    name or is it something more?

    A child alive today will die tomorrow. A baby that had the potential to

    be the next Einstein will die from complications at birth. The circumstances

    of life are not set in stone. We are not all meant to live life through to old age.

    We've grown to perceive life as a full cycle with a certain number of years inbetween. If all of those years aren't lived out, it's a tragedy. A tragedy because

    a human's potential was never realized. A tragedy because a spark was

    snuffed out before it ever became a flame.

    By virtue of inhabiting a body we accept these risks. We expose our

    mortal flesh to the laws of the physical environment around us. The trade off

    isn't so bad when you think about it. The problem comes when we construct

    mortal fantasies of what life should be like. When life doesn't conform to our

    fantasy, we grow upset, frustrated, or depressed.

    We are alive; let us live. We have the ability to experience; let us

    experience. We have the ability to learn; let us learn. The meaning of life can

    be grasped in a moment. A moment so brief it often evades our perception.

    What meaning stands behind the dramatic unfolding of life? What single

    truth can we grasp and hang onto for dear life when all other truths around us

    seem to fade with time?

    These moments are strung together in a series we call events. These

    events are strung together in a series we call life. When we seize the moment

    and bend it according to our will, a will driven by the spirit deep inside us,then we have discovered the meaning of life, a meaning for us that shall go

    on long after we depart this Earth.

    reverent adj. 尊敬的；虔誠的

    granite n. 花崗巖

    complication n. 并發(fā)癥

    snuff out 撲滅；消滅

    by virtue of 由于

    你有沒有想過，你希望人們在你死后怎樣評論你?你能否聽到這樣的說法，“他是個(gè)偉大的人”或“人們的確會懷念她。”他們還會說些什

    么?

    人生最奇怪的現(xiàn)象之一就是，你所從事的工作在你死后仍將長久存

    在。這和你用所有的錢進(jìn)行投資以便后人能從中獲益難道不是如出一轍

    嗎?也許，如果你審視自己的內(nèi)心深處，你就會發(fā)現(xiàn)促使你做出這種貢

    獻(xiàn)的驅(qū)動(dòng)力——驅(qū)使每個(gè)人尋找在自己死后仍能繼續(xù)存在的意義。

    你希望自己的名字被人記住嗎?你希望別人提起你的名字時(shí)心懷敬

    畏嗎?你希望自己的面容被雕刻在50英尺高的花崗巖上嗎?答案真的那么

    簡單嗎?貢獻(xiàn)一生的目的難道是終將一死之人想要獲得不朽名聲的一種

    自我鞭策的欲望嗎?抑或是其他什么?

    今天活著的孩子明天就會死去。一個(gè)有可能成為下一個(gè)愛因斯坦的

    嬰兒會死于出生并發(fā)癥。生命的情形并不是一成不變的。我們并沒有注

    定都要活到老年。我們漸漸認(rèn)識到，生命是一個(gè)有特定年限的輪回。如

    果連這些年限都沒有活到，那就是個(gè)悲劇。之所以稱為悲劇，是因?yàn)槿?br/>
    的潛能還未發(fā)揮出來，是因?yàn)榛鸹ㄟ�沒形成火焰就被撲滅。

    由于存在于肉體之中，所以我們接受這些風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。我們使凡人的肉體

    服從周圍自然環(huán)境的法則。你仔細(xì)想一想就會發(fā)現(xiàn)，這種交易并不那么

    糟糕。當(dāng)我們幻想生命應(yīng)該如何時(shí)，問題就來了。當(dāng)生命和我們的幻想

    不一致時(shí)，我們就變得煩惱、沮喪或消沉。

    我們活著，那就讓我們活得精彩；我們有能力體驗(yàn)，那就讓我們體

    驗(yàn)人生甘苦；我們有能力學(xué)習(xí)，那就讓我們在學(xué)海徜徉。生命的意義可

    以在一瞬間抓住——一個(gè)經(jīng)常被我們忽略的短暫瞬間。

    當(dāng)生命戲劇般地一幕幕拉開時(shí)，其中隱含的意義是什么?當(dāng)我們周

    圍所有其他真理都似乎隨著時(shí)間而消逝時(shí)，我們能夠掌握并緊緊抓住哪

    個(gè)真理賦予寶貴的生命呢?

    這些瞬間串聯(lián)在一起，我們稱之為事件。這些事件串聯(lián)在一起，我

    們稱之為生活。當(dāng)我們抓住那個(gè)瞬間并按照我們的意志來改變它——這種意志受我們內(nèi)心深處的精神所驅(qū)使，我們就發(fā)現(xiàn)了生命的意義——這

    意義將在我們離開人世之后長久存在。Born to Win

    生而為贏

    Each human being is born as something new, something that never

    existed before. Each is born with the capacity to win at life. Each person has

    a unique way of seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and thinking. Each has his

    or her own unique potentials —capabilities and limitations. Each can be a

    significant, thinking, aware, and creative being — a productive person, a

    winner.

    The word winner and loser have many meanings. When we refer to

    a person as a winner, we do not mean one who makes someone else lose. To

    us, a winner is one who responds authentically by being credible,trustworthy, responsive, and genuine, both as an individual and as a member

    of a society.

    Winners do not dedicate their lives to a concept of what they imagine

    they should be; rather, they are themselves and as such do not use their

    energy putting on a performance, maintaining pretence and manipulating

    others. They are aware that there is a difference between being loving and

    acting loving, between being stupid and acting stupid, between being

    knowledgeable and acting knowledgeable. Winners do not need to hide

    behind a mask.Winners are not afraid to do their own thinking and to use their own

    knowledge. They can separate facts from opinions and don't pretend to have

    all the answers. They listen to others, evaluate what they say, but come to

    their own conclusions. Although winners can admire and respect other

    people, they are not totally defined, demolished, bound, or awed by them.

    Winners do not play helpless, nor do they play the blaming game.

    Instead, they assume responsibility for their own lives. They don't give others

    a false authority over them. Winners are their own bosses and know it.

    A winner's timing is right. Winners respond appropriately to the

    situation. Their responses are related to the message sent and preserve the

    significance, worth, well-being, and dignity of the people involved. Winners

    know that for everything there is a season and for every activity a time.

    Although winners can freely enjoy themselves, they can also postpone

    enjoyment, can discipline themselves in the present to enhance their

    enjoyment in the future. Winners are not afraid to go after what he wants, but

    they do so in proper ways. Winners do not get their security be controlling

    others. They do not set themselves up to lose.

    A winner cares about the world and its peoples. A winner is not isolated

    from the general problems of society, but is concerned, compassionate, and

    committed to improving the quality of life. Even in the face of national and

    international adversity, a winner's self-image is not one of a powerless

    individual. A winner works to make the world a better place.

    potential n. 潛能，潛力

    demolish v. 駁斥；推翻

    compassionate adj. 熱忱的人皆生而為新，為前所未有之存在；人皆生而能贏。人皆有其特立

    獨(dú)行之方式去審視、聆聽、觸摸、品味及思考，因而都具備其獨(dú)特潛質(zhì)

    ——能力和局限。人皆能舉足輕重，思慮明達(dá)，洞察秋毫，富有創(chuàng)意，成就功業(yè)。

    “成者”與“敗者”含義頗多。談及成者我們并非指令他人失意之人。

    對我們而言，成者必為人守信，值得信賴，有求必應(yīng)，態(tài)度誠懇，或?yàn)?br/>
    個(gè)人、或?yàn)樯鐣�一員皆能以真誠回應(yīng)他人。

    成者行事并不拘泥于某種信條，即便是他們認(rèn)為應(yīng)為其奉獻(xiàn)一生的

    理念；而是本色行事，所以并不把精力用來表演，保持偽裝或操控他

    人。他們明白愛與裝愛、愚蠢與裝傻、博學(xué)與賣弄之間迥然有別。成者

    無須藏于面具之后。

    成者敢于利用所學(xué)，獨(dú)立思考。他們能夠區(qū)分事實(shí)與觀點(diǎn)，且并不

    佯裝知曉所有答案。他們傾聽、權(quán)衡他人意見，但能得出自己的結(jié)論。

    盡管他們尊重、敬佩他人，但并不完全為他人所局限、所推翻、所束

    縛，也不對他人敬若神靈。

    成者既不佯裝“無助”，亦不抱怨他人。相反，他們對人生總是獨(dú)擔(dān)

    責(zé)任，也不以權(quán)威姿態(tài)凌駕他人之上。他們主宰自己，而且能意識到這

    點(diǎn)。

    成者善于審時(shí)度勢，隨機(jī)應(yīng)變。他們對所接收的信息做出回應(yīng)，維

    護(hù)當(dāng)事人的利益、康樂和尊嚴(yán)。成者深知成一事要看好時(shí)節(jié)，行一事要

    把握時(shí)機(jī)。

    盡管成者可以自由享樂，但他們亦能推遲享樂，適時(shí)自律，以期將

    來樂趣更盛。成者并不忌憚追求所想，但取之有道，也并不靠控制他人

    而獲取安然之感。他們總是使自己立于不敗。

    成者心憂天下，并不孤立于塵世弊病之外，而是置身事內(nèi)，滿腔熱

    忱，致力于改善民生。即使面對民族、國家之危亡，成者亦非無力回天

    之個(gè)體。他總是努力令世界更好。Let Love Go

    將愛放飛When I Become Old

    當(dāng)我日漸老去的時(shí)候

    Dear son…

    The day that you see me old and I am already weak, have patience and

    try to understand me…

    If I get dirty when eating… if I can not dress…h(huán)ave patience.

    Remember the hours I spent teaching it to you.

    If, when I speak to you, I repeat the same things thousand and one

    times… do not interrupt me…listen to me.

    When you were small, I had to read to you thousand and one times the

    same story until you get to sleep…

    When I do not want to have a shower, neither shame me nor scold me…

    Remember when I had to chase you with thousand excuses I invented, in

    order that you wanted to bath…

    When you see my ignorance on new technologies…give me the

    necessary time and not look at me with your mocking smile…

    I taught you how to do so many things… to eat good, to dress well… to

    confront life…

    When at some moment I lose the memory or the thread of our

    conversation… let me have the necessary time to remember… and if I cannotdo it, do not become nervous… as the most important thing is not my

    conversation but surely to be with you and to have you listening to me…

    If ever I do not want to eat, do not force me. I know well when I need to

    and when not.

    When my tired legs do not allow me walk… give me your hand… the

    same way I did when you gave your first steps.

    And when some day I say to you that I do not want to live any more…

    that I want to die… do not get angry… some day you will understand… try to

    understand that my age is not lived but survived.

    Some day you will discover that, despite my mistakes, I always wanted

    the best thing for you and that I tried to prepare the way for you.

    You must not feel sad, angry or impotent for seeing me near you. You

    must be next to me, try to understand me and to help me as I did it when you

    started living.

    Help me to walk… help me to end my way with love and patience.

    I will pay you by a smile and by the immense love I have had always

    for you.

    I love you son…

    Your father

    ignorance n. 無知；不知道

    mocking adj. 取笑的，愚弄的

    immense adj. 極廣大的，無限的

    親愛的兒子……

    哪天你看到我日漸老去，身體也漸漸不行，請耐著性子，試著理解我……如果我吃東西時(shí)弄得臟兮兮，如果我不會穿衣服……

    請耐心一點(diǎn)。

    要記住我曾花了多少時(shí)間來教你這些事。

    如果，當(dāng)我一再對你重復(fù)述說同樣的事情……

    不要打斷我，聽我說。

    你小時(shí)候，我必須一遍又一遍地讀著同樣的故事，直到你睡著……

    當(dāng)我不想洗澡，不要羞辱我也不要責(zé)罵我……

    你記得小時(shí)候我得編出多少理由，只為了哄你洗澡……

    當(dāng)你看到我對新科技的無知，給我一點(diǎn)時(shí)間，不要帶著嘲弄的微笑

    看著我……

    我曾教了你做多少事情啊……如何好好地吃飯，好好地穿衣……如

    何面對人生……

    如果交談中我忽然失憶不知所云，給我一點(diǎn)時(shí)間回想……

    如果我還是無能為力，請不要緊張……

    對我而言最重要的不是對話，而是能跟你在一起，和你的傾聽……

    當(dāng)我不想吃東西時(shí)，不要勉強(qiáng)我。

    我清楚知道該什么時(shí)候進(jìn)食。

    當(dāng)我疲憊的雙腿不聽使喚……

    扶我一把……

    如同我曾扶著你踏出你人生的第一步。

    當(dāng)哪天我告訴你我不想再活下去了……我想死掉……請不要生

    氣……

    總有一天你會了解……

    試著理解我已是風(fēng)燭殘年，來日可數(shù)。

    有一天你會發(fā)現(xiàn)，即使我有許多過錯(cuò)，我總是盡我所能要給你最好的，我也努力為你鋪好道路。當(dāng)我靠近你時(shí)，一定不要覺得感傷、生氣或無奈，你要緊挨著我，如同我當(dāng)初幫著你展開人生一樣，試著理解我，幫

    助我。

    扶我一把……用愛和耐心幫我走完人生。

    我將用微笑和我對你始終不變的無邊無際的愛來回報(bào)你。

    我愛你孩子!

    你的父親Love Needs No Words

    大愛無聲

    Can I see my baby? the happy new mother asked. When the bundle

    was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny

    face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital

    window.

    The baby had been born without ears. Time proved that the baby's

    hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was marred.

    When he rushed home from school one day and flung himself into his

    mother's arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of

    heartbreaks. He blurted out the tragedy, A boy, a big boy…called me a

    freak.

    He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow

    students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a

    gift, a talent for literature and music.

    The boy's father had a session with the family physician, Could nothing

    be done?

    I believe I could graft on a pair of outer ears, if they could be gotten.

    the doctor declared. They searched for a person who would make such a great

    sacrifice for the young man.Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, You're going to

    the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you

    need. But the identity of the donor is a secret.

    The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person emerged. His

    talents blossomed into genius. School and college became a series of

    triumphs. He married and led the diplomatic service.

    He would ask his father: Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so

    much? I could never do enough for him or her.

    I do not believe you could, said the father, but the agreement was that

    you are not to know…not yet.

    The years kept their profound secret, but the day did come. He stood

    with his father over his mother's casket. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched

    forth his hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to reveal that the

    mother had no outer ears.

    Mother said she was glad she never let her hair cut, his father

    whispered gently, and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?

    mar v. 損毀，損傷

    blurt v. 脫口而出

    tragedy n. 悲��；悲慘的事

    profound adj. 極深的；意義深遠(yuǎn)的

    “我能看看我的孩子嗎？”剛剛做了母親的女人高興地問。當(dāng)襁褓被

    放到她的懷里，她拿開擋住小孩那張小臉的布時(shí)，她倒吸了一口涼氣。

    醫(yī)生飛快地轉(zhuǎn)身走開，眼睛望向醫(yī)院高大的窗戶外面。

    孩子天生沒有耳朵。事后證明他的聽力完全沒有問題。僅僅是容貌

    被毀了。一天，他從學(xué)校飛奔回家，撲向媽媽的懷抱。她嘆息著，知道他的

    一生注定會有一連串的傷心事。他脫口說出了那讓人心碎的事：“一個(gè)

    男孩，大個(gè)子男孩，叫我怪物。”

    他長大了，雖然不幸但長得很英俊。他在同學(xué)中人緣很好，要不是

    因?yàn)槟莻�(gè)殘疾，本可以當(dāng)班長的。他在文學(xué)和音樂方面很有天分。

    男孩的爸爸去見了家庭醫(yī)生：“難道就沒有辦法了嗎？”

    “我想我可以植入一雙外耳，如果能搞到的話�！贬t(yī)生說。他們開始

    找尋看有誰會愿意為這個(gè)年輕人做出如此大的犧牲。

    兩年時(shí)間過去了。一天，父親告訴兒子：“孩子，你得去醫(yī)院。媽

    媽和我找到愿意捐耳朵給你的人了。但捐獻(xiàn)者的身份保密�！�

    手術(shù)極其成功，一個(gè)新人誕生了。他的才華成就了一個(gè)天才，學(xué)業(yè)

    也取得了一連串的成功。他結(jié)婚了，并做了外交官。

    他會問爸爸：“誰給了我耳朵？誰如此慷慨？我永遠(yuǎn)報(bào)答不盡�！�

    “我也這樣認(rèn)為，”爸爸說，“但協(xié)議規(guī)定你不能知道，目前還不

    能。”

    他們深藏的秘密多年來一直被保守著，但這一天終于來了。他和爸

    爸站在他媽媽的棺木前。慢慢地，輕柔地，爸爸伸出手撩起了媽媽那濃

    密的棕紅色頭發(fā)——媽媽竟沒了外耳!

    “媽媽說她很高興自己從來沒剪過頭發(fā)，”爸爸溫柔地低聲說

    道，“也從來沒人覺得媽媽沒以前漂亮了，是不是？”Keep Walking in Sunshine

    一直走在陽光里

    Years of storms had taken their toll on the old windmill. Its wheel,rusted and fallen, lay silently in the lush bluegrass. Its once animated

    silhouette was now a tall motionless steeple in the twilight sun.

    I hadn't walked across our old farm in fifteen years. Yet the sensations

    came flooding back. I could smell the freshness of new mown alfalfa. I could

    feel the ping of the ice-cold summer rain, and the sun's sudden warmth on my

    wet shoulders when it reappeared after a brisk July thunderstorm.

    Rain or shine, I used to walk this path each day to see Grace. She always

    made me smile, even after Sis and I had just had a big squabble. I would

    help Grace with her chores. Then we would visit over a generous helping of

    her delicious homemade chocolate cookies and ice cream. Being confined to

    a wheel chair didn't stop Grace from being a fabulous cook.

    Grace gave me two of the greatest gifts I've ever received. First, she

    taught me how to read. She also taught me that when I forgave Sis for our

    squabbles, it meant I wouldn't keep feeling like a victim. Instead, I would feel

    sunny.

    Mr. Norton, the local banker, tried to foreclose on Grace's house and

    land after her husband passed away. Thanks to Pa and Uncle Tony, Gracecould keep everything. Pa said that it was the least he could do for someone

    talented enough to teach me to read!

    Soon folks were coming from miles around to buy Grace's homemade

    cakes, pies, breads, cookies, cider, and ice cream. Mark, the grocery store

    man, came each week to stock his shelves and bring Grace supplies.

    Grace even had me take a big apple pie to Mr. Norton who became one

    of her best customers and friends. That's just how Grace was. She could turn

    anyone into a friend!

    Grace always said, Dear, keep walking in sunshine! No matter how

    terrible my day started, I always felt sunny walking home from Grace's house

    —even beneath the winter starlight.

    I arrived at Grace's house today just after sunset. An ambulance had

    stopped a few feet from her door, its red lights flashing. When I ran into the

    old house, Grace recognized me right away.

    She smiled at me with her unforgettable twinkling blue eyes. She was

    almost out of breath when she reached out and softly touched my arm. Her

    last words to me were Dear, keep walking in sunshine!

    I'm sure that Grace is walking in the brightest sunshine she's ever seen.

    And, I'm sure that she heard every word I read at her memorial service. I

    chose a beautiful verse by Leo Buscaglia. It's one that Grace taught me to

    read many years ago…

    Love can never grow old. Locks may lose their brown and gold.

    Cheeks may fade and hollow grow. But the hearts that love will know, never

    winter's frost and chill, summer's warmth is in them still.

    silhouette n. 輪廓；剪影

    squabble n. 口角,爭吵foreclose v. 取消(抵押品的)贖回權(quán)

    memorial adj. 紀(jì)念的；追悼的

    多年的風(fēng)雨侵蝕了古老的風(fēng)車。車輪銹了，掉了，靜靜地躺臥在茂

    盛的藍(lán)草中。落日余暉下，風(fēng)車那一度生機(jī)勃勃的映像如今變成了死氣

    沉沉的高大尖塔。

    我已經(jīng)有15年沒有步行穿過我們的農(nóng)場了。然而，昔日的感覺如潮

    水般涌來。我仿佛又聞到了剛割下苜蓿的清新味道，感受到了夏日冰冷

    的雨滴敲打在身上，還有七月迅疾的雷雨后，太陽重現(xiàn)天際時(shí)，讓我被

    打濕的肩膀瞬間便能感到溫暖。

    曾經(jīng)無論晴雨，我天天沿著這條小徑去探望格雷斯。即使我剛和姐

    姐大吵了一場，格雷斯也總能使我開心起來。我會幫格雷斯做些雜事，然后，我們便會大快朵頤，品嘗她親手做的美味巧克力曲奇餅和冰激

    凌。盡管她只能坐在輪椅上，但這并不妨礙格雷斯成為一名出色的廚

    師。

    格雷斯送給我兩件我有生以來收到的最棒的禮物。首先，她教我認(rèn)

    字。另外，格雷斯還讓我懂得，當(dāng)我不再記恨和姐姐的爭吵而原諒她

    時(shí)，這就意味著自己不再覺得像個(gè)受害者。相反，我會感到心情開朗。

    在格雷斯的丈夫去世后，當(dāng)?shù)氐你y行家諾頓先生要收取她抵押給銀

    行的房子和土地。幸虧有爸爸和托尼叔叔的幫忙，格雷斯才保住了一

    切。爸爸說，對于一位本領(lǐng)高強(qiáng)到居然能夠教會我認(rèn)字的人，這只是他

    力所能及的一件小事!

    很快，方圓數(shù)英里的人們都來買格雷斯自制的蛋糕、餡餅、面包、曲奇餅、蘋果酒和冰激凌。每個(gè)禮拜，雜貨店老板馬克都會來這里進(jìn)

    貨，并帶給她新的材料。

    格雷斯甚至讓我給諾頓先生送去一個(gè)大大的蘋果餡餅，他后來也成

    了她最好的顧客和朋友之一。這就是格雷斯，她能把任何人都變成朋友!

    格雷斯總是說：“親愛的，要一直走在陽光里!”不管這一天開始是

    多么的糟糕，從格雷斯的小屋走回家時(shí)，即使是披著冬夜的星光，我都

    總是覺得心情無比燦爛。

    這天，我來到格雷斯家時(shí)，太陽剛下山。她門外幾英尺處停著一輛

    救護(hù)車，車上的紅燈不住地閃爍。當(dāng)我沖進(jìn)那所老房子時(shí)，格雷斯立刻

    認(rèn)出了我。

    她沖我微笑著，那雙令人難忘的藍(lán)眼睛閃著光芒。當(dāng)她伸出手輕輕

    撫摸我的臂膀時(shí)，幾乎已經(jīng)奄奄一息了。她最后對我說的話是：“親愛

    的，要一直走在陽光里!”

    我肯定格雷斯此時(shí)正走在前所未見的最燦爛的陽光里。我還肯定她

    聽見了我在她的追思會上所念的每一個(gè)字。我選了利奧·巴斯卡格利亞

    的一首優(yōu)美的詩，正是多年前格雷斯曾經(jīng)教我念的……

    “愛會日久彌新。華發(fā)會失去原有的光彩，雙頰會日顯消瘦黯淡。

    然而，有愛的心中卻永無寒冬霜凍，只有永存的夏日溫暖�！盇n Invisible Wall

    無形的墻

    I first fell in love with my husband when we sat and talked in front of

    the (ceiling-to-floor) windows with the long, white curtains in the living

    room of my old apartment, drinking cups of scalding, black coffee. We

    would just sit and talk — sometimes until sunrise. I was so completely

    thrilled to have finally found that one special person and our wedding day

    was the happiest day of my life.

    However, it was not long after our honeymoon when my husband

    climbed into the tomb called the office and wrapped his mind in a shroud of

    paperwork and buried himself in clients, and I said nothing for fear of turning

    into a nagging wife. It seemed as if overnight an invisible wall had been

    erected between us. When our daughter, Daisy, was born, she quickly became

    the center of my world. I watched her grow from infant to toddler, and I no

    longer seemed to care that my husband was getting busier and spending less

    time at home. Somewhere between his work schedule and our home and

    young daughter, we were losing touch with each other. That invisible wall

    was now being cemented by the mortar of indifference. Daisy went off to

    preschool and I returned to college to finish my degree, and I tried to find

    myself in the courses I took. I complained with all the other young women oncampus about men who are insensitive. Sometimes late at night I cried and

    begged the whispering darkness to tell me who I really was, and my husband

    lay besides snoring like a hibernating bear unaware of my winter.

    Then tragedy struck our lives, when my husband's younger brother was

    killed on September 11, 2001, along with thousands of other innocent people.

    He made it out okay and spoke to his wife to say he was going back in to help

    those that were still trapped. He was identified only by the engraving on the

    inside of his wedding band. Attending his brother's memorial service was an

    eye-opening experience for both of us. For the first time, we saw our own

    marriage was almost like my in-laws. At the tragic death of the youngest son

    they could not reach out to console one another. It seemed as if somewhere

    between the oldest son's first tooth and the youngest son's graduation they

    had lost each other. Their wedding day photograph of the young, happy,smiling couple on the mantle of their fireplace was almost mocking those two

    minds that no longer touched. They were living with such an invisible wall

    between them that the heaviest battering with the strongest artillery would

    not penetrate. When love dies, it is not in a moment of angry battle or when

    fiery bodies lose their heat, it lies broken and panting and exhausted at the

    bottom of a wall it cannot penetrate.

    Recently one night, my husband told of his fear of dying. Until then he

    had been afraid to expose his naked souls. I spoke of trying to find myself in

    the writings in my journal. It seemed as if each of us had been hiding our

    soul-searching from the other. We are slowly working toward building a

    bridge not a wall, so that when we reach out to each other, we do not find a

    barrier we cannot penetrate and recoil from the coldness of the stone or

    retreat from the stranger on the other side.scalding adj. 滾燙的

    mortar n. 砂漿，灰漿

    battering n. 連續(xù)猛擊

    recoil v. 畏縮；后退

    和丈夫墜入愛河那一刻，我們正坐在我舊公寓的客廳里，眼前的白

    色長窗簾垂落在落地窗前。我們邊聊天，邊細(xì)呷著滾燙的黑咖啡。我們

    可以就這么坐著聊天，有時(shí)候會聊到天明。當(dāng)時(shí)我為自己終于能夠找到

    一生的至愛而激動(dòng)不已。結(jié)婚那天是我一生中最快樂的日子。

    然而，蜜月后不久丈夫就鉆進(jìn)了辦公室這個(gè)“墳?zāi)埂�，他的世界只�?br/>
    下數(shù)不清的文書工作和接見不完的客戶。對此我默不作聲，生怕自己變

    成一個(gè)嘮叨的妻子。就好像在一夜之間，我們之間就豎起了一堵無形的

    墻。我們的女兒黛西出生后，她馬上成了我的世界的中心�？粗�她從嗷

    嗷待哺到跌跌撞撞地學(xué)走路，我好像已不再在乎丈夫越來越忙，在家的

    時(shí)間越來越短。在他的工作和我們的家與小女兒之間，我們彼此漸漸斷

    了聯(lián)系。那無形的墻現(xiàn)在被淡漠的灰漿接合得更加堅(jiān)固了。黛西上幼兒

    園了，而我也回到大學(xué)去完成我的學(xué)位，我希望在課程中找到自我。在

    學(xué)校里我向所有的年輕女子訴苦，抱怨著男人的遲鈍與麻木。有時(shí)我會

    在深夜哭泣，乞求黑暗能告訴我自己究竟是誰，而躺在身邊的丈夫就像

    是冬眠的熊在打著呼嚕，一點(diǎn)都沒有意識到我的寒冬。

    不久一場悲劇降臨，和其他上千名無辜的人一起，丈夫的弟弟

    在“911”事件中喪生。本來他已平安地逃了出來，但他又對妻子說他要

    回去營救那些仍然被困的人們。后來人們只能通過他戴著的結(jié)婚戒指里

    刻的字才把他辨認(rèn)出來。參加他弟弟的追悼會對我們兩人來說都是很有

    啟發(fā)的一次經(jīng)歷。我們第一次意識到自己的婚姻就跟我公婆的沒什么差

    別。最小的兒子慘死時(shí)，他們都沒能伸出手來彼此安慰。好像從他們的

    長子長第一顆牙開始到他們最小兒子的畢業(yè)典禮，他們之間不再有任何聯(lián)系似的。掛在壁爐上的結(jié)婚照中，當(dāng)時(shí)年輕的他們笑靨如花，對現(xiàn)在

    形同陌路的他們簡直就是一種極大的嘲諷。世界上最強(qiáng)大炮彈的最猛轟

    擊都無法穿透他們生活中這堵無形的墻。當(dāng)愛已逝，激烈的爭斗已無濟(jì)

    于事，熾熱的身體已失去熱情，愛支離破碎，只能躺在那無法被穿透的

    墻壁底部，心力交瘁，精疲力竭地喘氣。

    最近的一個(gè)晚上，丈夫?qū)ξ艺f起他對死亡的恐懼。在那之前，他一

    直害怕展現(xiàn)自己赤裸的靈魂。我跟他說了自己嘗試通過寫日志來找回自

    己。我們兩人似乎一直都拒絕與對方進(jìn)行心靈的溝通�，F(xiàn)在我們正慢慢

    地在彼此心靈間搭建一座橋，而不是制造一堵墻。這樣，當(dāng)我們相互敞

    開心扉時(shí)，不會因?yàn)闊o法逾越的障礙而退回到冰冷的石頭后面，或者躲

    避著另一方的陌生人。Loving an Imperfect Person

    愛一個(gè)不完美的人

    They have been married for two years. He loves literature and often

    posts his work on the net, but nobody ever reads them. He is also into

    photography and he handles their wedding photos. He loves her very much,likewise with her. She has a quick temper and always bullies him. He is a

    gentleman and always gives in to her.

    Today, she's being willful again.

    Her: Why can't you be the photographer for my friend's wedding? She

    promised she'd pay.

    Him: I don't have time that day.

    Her: Humph!

    Him: Huh?

    Her: Don't have time? Write fewer of those novels, and you will have

    all the time you need.

    Him: I… someone will definitely recognize my work some day.

    Her: Humph! I don't care. You'll have to do it for her!

    Him: No.

    Her: Just this time?Him: No.

    Negotiation's broken. So, she gives the final warning: Give me a Yes

    within three days, or else…

    The first day, she withholds the kitchen, bathroom, computer,refrigerator, television, hi-fi…except the double bed, to show her

    benevolence.

    Of course, she has to sleep on it too. He doesn't mind, as he still has

    some cash in his pockets.

    The second day, she conducts a raid and removes everything from his

    pockets and warns, Seek any external help, and you bear the consequences.

    He's nervous now. That night, on the bed, he begs for mercy, hoping that

    she'll end this state. She doesn't give a damn. No way am I giving in,whatever he says. Until he agrees.

    The third day, night. On the bed. He's lying on the bed, looking to one

    side. She's lying on the bed, looking to the other side.

    Him: We need to talk.

    Her: Unless it's about the wedding, or forget it.

    Him: It's something very important.

    She remains silent.

    Him: Let's get a divorce.

    She doesn't believe her ears.

    Him: I have known a girl.

    She's totally angry, and wants to hit him. But she holds it down, wanting

    to let him finish. But her eyes already feel wet. He takes a photo out from his

    chest. Probably from his undershirt pocket, that's the only place she didn't go

    through yesterday. How careless.

    Him: She's a nice girl.Her tears fall.

    Him: She has a good personality too.

    She's heartbroken because he puts a photo of some other girl close to his

    heart.

    Him: She says that she'll support me fully in my pursuit for literature

    after we get married.

    She's very jealous because she said the same thing in the past.

    Him: She loves me truly.

    She wishes to sit up and scream at him, Don't I?

    Him: So, I think she won't force me to do something that I don't want to

    do.

    She's thinking, but the rage won't subside.

    Him: Want to take a look at the photo I took for her?

    Her: …!

    He brings the photo before her eyes. She's in a total rage, hits his hand

    away and leaves a burning slap on his face.

    He sighs. She cries.

    He puts the photo back to his pocket. She pulls her hand back under the

    blanket.

    He turns off the light, and sleeps. She turns on the light, and sits up. He's

    asleep. She loses sleep. She regrets treating him the way she treated him.

    She cries again, and thinks about a lot of things. She wants to wake him

    up. She wants to have an intimate talk with him. She doesn't want to push

    him anymore. She stares at his chest. She wants to see how the girl looks.

    She slips the photo out. She wants to cry and she wants to laugh.

    It's a nicely taken photo. A photo he took for her. She bends down, and

    kisses him on his cheek.He smiles. He was just pretending to be asleep.

    You learn to love, not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to

    see an imperfect person perfectly.

    willful adj. 任性的；故意的

    subside v. 平息；減弱

    slap n. 摑；拍擊

    他們結(jié)婚兩年了。他喜歡文學(xué)，常把作品貼到網(wǎng)上，但從沒人讀過

    它們；他還對攝影感興趣，親手修飾了他們的婚禮照片。他非常愛她，她也一樣。她脾氣急，還總是欺負(fù)他；他有紳士風(fēng)度，總是讓著她。

    今天，她又找茬兒了。

    她：“你干嗎不愿意給我朋友的婚禮拍照呢？她答應(yīng)付錢的。”

    他：“我那天沒空。”

    她：“哼!”

    他：“啊?”

    她：“沒時(shí)間？少寫點(diǎn)小說，你就有大把時(shí)間了�！�

    他：“我……有朝一日肯定會有人欣賞我的小說的�！�

    她：“哼!我不管，你得幫她拍照�！�

    他：“不�！�

    她：“就一次嘛。”

    他：“不�！�

    談判破裂。于是她發(fā)出最后通牒：“三天之內(nèi)答應(yīng)我，否則……”

    第一天，她獨(dú)占了廚房、廁所、電腦、冰箱、電視、音響，除了大

    雙人床，以示“慈悲”。

    當(dāng)然，她自己也是要睡覺的。他沒在意，因?yàn)榉凑�口袋里還有些

    錢。第二天，她實(shí)行突然搜查，將他口袋里所有東西都拿走了，并警告

    說：“膽敢尋求外援，后果自負(fù)�！�

    他有些緊張了。那夜，在床上，他求饒了，希望她能結(jié)束這種局

    面。她毫不理睬�！安还芩�怎么說，讓步是沒門的，除非他答應(yīng)�！�

    第三天夜里。他躺在床上，看著一邊。她躺在床上，看著另一邊。

    他：“我們得談?wù)劇！?br/>
    她：“除非是關(guān)于婚禮的，否則沒什么可談的。”

    他：“是非常重要的事�！�

    她一言不發(fā)。

    他：“咱們離婚吧�！�

    她不能相信自己的耳朵。

    他：“我認(rèn)識了一個(gè)女孩�！�

    她完全被激怒了，想打他。但她忍住了，想讓他說完�？伤�的眼睛

    已經(jīng)變得潮濕。他從胸口取出一張照片，好像是從汗衫的口袋，那是昨

    天她唯一漏掉的地方。太粗心了。

    他：“她是一個(gè)好姑娘�！�

    她的眼淚落了下來。

    他：“她性格也很好�！�

    她的心碎了，因?yàn)樗�把別的女孩的照片貼身放著。

    他：“她說我們結(jié)婚以后會全力支持我的文學(xué)創(chuàng)作�！�

    她過去也說過完全一樣的話，她感到非常嫉妒。

    他：“她真的愛我。”

    她真想坐起來沖他尖叫：“我不是嗎？”

    他：“所以，我想她不會逼我做我不想做的事�！�

    她思考著，可怒氣沒有平息。

    他：“想看看我給她拍的照片嗎？”

    她:“……!”他將照片送到她眼前。她盛怒之下，打開他的手，并給了他一記熱

    辣辣的耳光。

    他嘆氣。她哭泣。

    他將照片放回口袋。她將手抽回毯子下。

    他關(guān)了燈，睡了。她打開燈，坐了起來。他睡著了。她失眠了。她

    后悔過去那樣對他。

    她又哭了，想起了很多事。她想叫醒他，和他說說悄悄話。她不想

    再逼迫他。她盯著他的口袋，想看看那女孩長什么樣。

    她抽出了照片，既想哭，又想笑。

    這是一張拍得很美的照片，他給她拍的。她低下了頭，親了親他的

    臉。

    他微笑了。他只是裝睡。

    “你學(xué)會愛，不是通過找到一個(gè)完美的人，而是要學(xué)會讓一個(gè)不完

    美的人在你的眼中看上去完美�！盜 Love You, Son

    我愛你，兒子

    After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman

    out to dinner and a movie. She said, I love you, but I know this other woman

    loves you and would love to spend some time with you.

    The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who

    had been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my 3

    children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

    That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

    What's wrong, are you well? she asked. My mother is the type of

    woman who suspects that a late night call or surprise invitation is a sign of

    bad news.

    I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you. I

    responded, Just the two of us.

    She thought about it for a moment, and then said, I would like that very

    much.

    That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up, I was a bit

    nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be

    nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had

    curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate herlast wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an

    Angel's. I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they

    were impressed. She said, as she got into the car, they can't wait to hear

    about our meeting.

    We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and

    cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat

    down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way

    through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me.

    A nostalgic smile was on her lips. It was I who used to have to read the

    menu when you were small. She said. Then it's time that you relax and let

    me return the favor, I responded.

    During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation —nothing

    extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked

    so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said,I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you. I agreed.

    How was your dinner date? Asked my wife when I got home.

    Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined, I answered.

    A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened

    so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her. Some time

    later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same

    place where mother and I had dined. An attached note said, I paid this bill in

    advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there, but nevertheless I paid for two

    plates — one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what

    that night meant for me.

    I love you, son.

    At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time, I love

    you and to give our love ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life ismore important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because

    these things cannot be put off till some other time.

    nostalgic adj. 懷舊的

    massive adj. 嚴(yán)重的

    結(jié)婚21年后，妻子想讓我?guī)�別的女人去吃吃飯、看看電影。她

    說：“我愛你，但是我知道這個(gè)女人也愛你，愿意和你一起共度些時(shí)

    間�！�

    這個(gè)我妻子希望我去拜訪的“別的女人”其實(shí)是我的母親。她守寡已

    經(jīng)19年，但由于我工作忙，又有3個(gè)孩子，所以我只能偶爾去看看她。

    那個(gè)晚上，我打電話給她說要請她出去吃飯，并看一場電影。

    “怎么了？你還好吧？”她問道。我媽媽就是這樣的女人，她會疑心

    深夜來電話或意外邀請都意味著壞消息。

    “我覺得要是能和您待一會兒就挺好的，”我繼續(xù)道，“只有我們兩

    個(gè)�！�

    她想了一下，答道：“我非常樂意�！�

    周五下班后，我開車去接她，感到有點(diǎn)緊張。當(dāng)我到了母親家門口

    時(shí)，我注意到她似乎也對我們的約會有些緊張。她已經(jīng)穿好大衣等在門

    邊了。她卷了頭發(fā)，身上穿著那件她在慶祝最后一次結(jié)婚紀(jì)念日時(shí)穿過

    的禮服。她微笑著，臉上閃耀著天使般的光芒。“我跟朋友們說，我要

    跟兒子去約會，他們都很感動(dòng)，”她邊坐進(jìn)汽車邊說道，“他們等不及要

    聽我的報(bào)告呢。”

    我們?nèi)チ艘患也蛷d，盡管不是那么高級，但相當(dāng)舒適愜意。媽媽挽

    著我的胳膊，那神氣好像第一夫人。坐下后，我得把菜單讀出來。她眼

    睛花了，只能看見大號字體。讀到一半的時(shí)候，我抬眼看到媽媽正坐在

    那兒端詳我，嘴角上還掛著一抹懷舊的微笑。她說：“你小時(shí)候都是我在讀菜單。”我答道：“那現(xiàn)在該您享清福了，讓我回報(bào)您吧。”

    那頓飯，我們聊得很愉快，沒有什么特別的，只是互相報(bào)告近況。

    我們一直聊著，結(jié)果誤了電影。當(dāng)我后來把她送回家時(shí)，她說：“我會

    再和你約會的，但我要請你�！蔽彝�意了。

    “晚餐約會怎么樣？”妻子在我回家后問我。

    “很好，比我想象的還要好得多�！蔽掖鸬馈�

    幾天之后，母親死于嚴(yán)重的心臟病。事情發(fā)生得太突然，我都沒有

    機(jī)會為她做些什么。過了一段日子，我收到了一封信和一張餐館的收

    據(jù)，就是那個(gè)我和媽媽共進(jìn)晚餐的地方。隨附的一張便條上寫道：“我

    預(yù)先付了這張賬單。我不確定我能不能去，可是我還是付了兩個(gè)餐位的

    錢——給你和你妻子。你不會知道那個(gè)晚上對我有多重要。”

    “愛你，我的兒子�！�

    在那一刻，我明白了及時(shí)說出“我愛你”以及花時(shí)間陪我們所愛的人

    有多重要，他們應(yīng)該得到這些時(shí)間。生命中沒有什么比家人更重要的

    了。把他們應(yīng)得的時(shí)間給他們吧，因?yàn)橛行┦虑闊o法拖延。Let Love Go

    將愛放飛

    There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love. One day

    while she was walking in the woods, she found two starving songbirds. She

    took them home and put them in a small cage. She cared for them with love

    and the birds grew strong. Every morning they greeted her with a wonderful

    song. The girl felt great love for the birds.

    One day the girl left the door to the cage open. The larger and stronger

    of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl was so frightened that he would

    fly away. As he flew close, she grasped him wildly. Her heart felt glad at her

    success in capturing him. Suddenly she felt the bird go limp. She opened her

    hand and stared in horror at the dead bird. Her desperate love had killed him.

    She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the

    cage. She could feel his great need for freedom. He needed to soar into the

    clear, blue sky. She lifted him from the cage and tossed him softly into the

    air. The bird circled once, twice, three times.

    The girl watched delightedly at the bird's enjoyment. Her heart was no

    longer concerned with her loss. She wanted the bird to be happy. Suddenly

    the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest

    melody that she had ever heard.

    The fastest way to lose love is to hold on it too tight, and the best way tokeep love is to give it WINGS!

    從前，有個(gè)孤獨(dú)的女孩非常渴望愛。一天，她走在叢林中，發(fā)現(xiàn)兩

    只快要餓死的鳴鳥。她把它們帶回家，放入一個(gè)小籠子。經(jīng)她悉心照

    料，鳥兒強(qiáng)壯起來。每天早晨，鳥兒都用美妙的歌聲向她表示問候。女

    孩不由得深深愛上了這兩只小鳥。

    一天，女孩敞開了鳥籠的門。那只較大較壯的鳥兒飛出了鳥籠。女

    孩非常害怕鳥兒會飛走。鳥兒飛 ......