国产一区二区三区无码免费_婷婷五月综合缴情在线视频_国产精品亚洲欧美大片在线观看_亚洲理论在线A中文字幕_日韩在线不卡免费视频一区_色国产精品一区在线观看_亚洲精品国精品久久99热_国产精品夜夜春夜夜爽久久小_亚洲精品乱码一区二区三区_а中文在线天堂

    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

    存儲利用于任何數(shù)據(jù)庫及檢索系統(tǒng)等。

    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)

    1℃的愛情＝1℃ Love：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 978-7-5135-3214-3

    Ⅰ.①1… 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120766號

    出版人 蔡劍峰

    責(zé)任編輯 周 晶

    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 978-7-5135-3214-3

    制售盜版必究 舉報查實(shí)獎勵

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

    目錄

    I Would Pick More Daisies 我要多采些雛菊花

    Back Home 回家

    Flower in the Desert 沙漠之花

    Let Us Smile 讓我們微笑吧

    1 ℃ Love 1℃的愛情

    Hospital Window 窗外

    Tomato Changed My Life 番茄的魔法

    I Would Pick More Daisies 我要多采些雛菊花

    Love Is Inside 愛情就在里面

    The Road to Success 成功之路

    Innocent Homeless 無辜的流浪者

    The Sorrows of Young Werther 少年維特的煩惱

    Keep Your Fork 留著你的叉子

    Paper Boats 紙船

    Keep Your Fork 留著你的叉子

    Of Love 論愛情

    A Heart's-Ease 心安草

    The Cobbler and the Banker 鞋匠和銀行家

    When the Wind Blows 起風(fēng)的時候The Five Boons of Life 人生五福

    Sonnet 18 十四行詩第18首

    The Potato Puppy 土豆變小狗

    What Does Love Mean? 愛是什么？

    In Life, We Are Happiest When... 最幸福的時候

    Salty Coffee 泡一杯咸咖啡

    Leave Time Behind You 把時間放在身后

    Your Angel 你的天使

    The Farthest Distance 最遙遠(yuǎn)的距離

    Do You Act—or React? 主動還是被動？

    Youth 青春

    Beloved 愛人

    Salty Coffee 泡一杯咸咖啡

    Spring Beauties 春美草

    The Wedding Dance 婚禮之舞

    The Boys' Ambition 孩子的理想

    Simple as a Song 簡單如歌

    Cat People 愛上流浪的貓

    The Companion in My Lonely Life 伴我孤獨(dú)的人

    Books 書籍

    Relish the Moment 這一刻的美好

    Better Oneself 完善自我

    Ordinary Couple 尋常夫妻Simple as a Song 簡單如歌

    Courage 勇氣

    Just One Last Dance 最后一支舞

    Anne of the Green Gables 綠山墻的安妮

    Stray Birds 飛鳥I Would Pick More Daisies

    我要多采些雛菊花Back Home

    回家

    A gentle breeze blew through Monica's hair. The golden red sun was

    setting. She was on the beach, looking up at the fiery ball. She was amazed

    by its color, deep red in the middle, softly fading into yellow. She could hear

    nothing but the waves and the seagulls flying up above in the sky.

    The atmosphere relaxed her. After all she had been through, this is what

    she needed. It's getting late, she thought, I must go home, my parents will

    be wondering where I am.

    She wondered how her parents would react, when she got home after the

    three days she was missing. She kept on walking, directing herself to

    bungalow 163, where she spent every summer holiday. The road was

    deserted. She walked slowly and silently. Just in a few hundred meters she

    would have been safe in her house.

    It was really getting dark now, the sun had set a few minutes before and

    it was getting cold too. She wished she had her favorite jumper on: it kept her

    really warm. She imagined having it with her. This thought dissipated when

    she finally saw her front door. It seemed different. Nobody had taken care of

    the outside garden for a few days. She was shocked: her father was usually so

    strict about keeping everything clean and tidy, and now... It all seemeddeserted. She couldn't understand what was going on.

    She entered the house. First, she went into the kitchen where she saw a

    note written by her father. It said: Dear Helen, there is some coffee ready, I

    went looking. Helen was her mother but—where was she? On the right side

    of the hallway was her parents' room. She went in. Then she saw her. Her

    mother, lying on the bed, sleeping. Her face looked so tired, as if she hadn't

    slept for days. She was really pale. Monica would have wanted to wake her

    up but she looked too tired to force her. So Monica just fell asleep beside her.

    When Monica woke up something was different... she wasn't in her mother's

    room and she wasn't wearing the old clothes she ran away in. She was in her

    cozy bed in her pajamas.

    It felt so good being back home. Suddenly she heard a voice. Are you

    feeling better now, dear? You know you got us very, very scared.

    amaze v. 使驚訝，使驚異

    bungalow n. 平房，小屋

    dissipate v. 消失，驅(qū)散

    cozy adj. 溫暖而舒適的

    微風(fēng)吹過莫妮卡的頭發(fā)。金紅色的太陽漸漸落山。她坐在海灘上望

    著那火紅的圓球，那顏色讓她驚嘆：中心是深紅，周圍漸漸淡成黃色。

    她只能聽到海浪的聲音，還有空中高飛的海鷗。

    周圍的氣氛讓她放松下來，經(jīng)歷了之前種種，她需要這樣的放

    松。“天晚了，”她想，“我該回家了，爸媽會擔(dān)心我去了哪里�！�

    她不知道自己離家三天再回去，父母會有什么反應(yīng)。她一路朝163

    號平房走去，每年暑假她都是在那兒度過的。路上沒有人，她靜靜地緩

    步走著，再有幾百米就能安全到家了。此刻天全黑了，太陽幾分鐘前就落山了，外面越來越冷。她真希望

    自己穿著那件最喜歡的套頭衫，那樣就暖和了。她想象自己正穿著它。

    可是最終看見家門的時候，這種想法就煙消云散了。眼前的一切有些異

    樣。屋外的花園好幾天沒人照料了，這讓她很吃驚——她父親總要求每

    樣?xùn)|西都干凈整潔，可現(xiàn)在……花園好像一片荒蕪。她不明白出了什么

    事情。

    她進(jìn)了屋，先走到廚房，看見父親留的一張字條。上面寫著：“親

    愛的海倫，咖啡煮好了，我出去找找�！焙�倫就是她的母親，但是——

    母親在哪兒？走廊的右邊是她父母的房間，她走進(jìn)去就看見了母親，正

    在床上睡著。她看上去累極了，似乎好幾天沒睡了，臉色十分蒼白。莫

    妮卡本想把她叫醒，但是母親看起來太累了，真不忍心叫醒她。于是莫

    妮卡就挨著她睡了下來。莫妮卡醒來時發(fā)現(xiàn)有些異樣：她不在母親的房

    間里，穿的也不是離家出走時的衣服。她穿著睡衣躺在自己舒服的床

    上。

    回家的感覺真好。忽然她聽見一個聲音：“親愛的，你現(xiàn)在感覺好

    點(diǎn)了嗎？你知道，你把我們嚇壞了!”Flower in the Desert

    沙漠之花

    There was a young flower in the desert where all was dry and sad-

    looking. It was growing by itself, enjoying every day and saying to the sun,When shall I be grown up?

    And the sun would say, Be patient—each time I touch you, you grow a

    little. She was so pleased. Because she would have a chance to bring beauty

    to this corner of sand. And this is all she wanted to do—bring a little bit of

    beauty to this world.

    One day a hunter came by and stepped on her. She was going to die and

    she felt so sad. Not because she was dying, but because she would not have a

    chance to bring a little bit of beauty to this corner of the desert.

    The Great Spirit saw her, and was listening. Indeed he said, She should

    be living. And he reached down and touched her and gave her life.

    And she grew up to be a beautiful flower and this corner of the desert

    became so beautiful because of her.

    patient adj. 有耐心的

    hunter n. 獵人干旱而荒涼的沙漠中有一朵小花，它獨(dú)自生長在那里，每天都很快

    樂，每天都向太陽發(fā)問：“我什么時候才能長大？”

    太陽說：“要有耐心——我每次撫摸你，你都會長大一點(diǎn)兒�！毙』�

    很開心，因?yàn)樗�有機(jī)會為沙漠的一角增添美麗了。這是它的全部愿望

    ——為這個世界增添一點(diǎn)美麗。

    一天，一位獵人經(jīng)過，正好踩在它身上——它奄奄一息，感到很傷

    心，不是因?yàn)樗�快要死了，而是因�(yàn)樵贈]有機(jī)會為沙漠增添一絲美麗

    了。

    大神看到了它，并且聽到了它的心聲。事實(shí)上，他說：“它應(yīng)該活

    下來�！彼�俯下身，輕觸了它一下，給了它生命。

    它長成了一朵好看的花，因?yàn)樗�的存在，這沙漠的一角變得如此美

    麗。Let Us Smile

    讓我們微笑吧

    The thing that goes the farthest

    Toward making life worthwhile,That costs the least and does the most,Is just a pleasant smile.

    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 on 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 heartstrings 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.

    coax v. 勸誘，哄勸

    nerve v. 鼓起勇氣，使有勇氣

    wrinkle v. 起皺紋

    ripple v. 泛起漣漪

    那最能令生命變得有價值，代價最少而回報最多的，不過是一個讓人歡喜的微笑。

    它涌自同胞之愛，會驅(qū)走心中的烏云，引得陽光重現(xiàn)。

    它珍貴而美好，混合著堅(jiān)毅與善意；

    它價值連城但卻不費(fèi)分文。

    當(dāng)我們看到歡喜的微笑，憂傷便消失無蹤；

    它永遠(yuǎn)那樣美好，永不過時；

    失敗令我們心灰意懶，它鼓舞我們再次嘗試；

    鼓勵的笑靨對你我都有好處。

    它支付最高的利息，只因它是借來的；

    它價值連城卻不費(fèi)分文。

    微笑很容易——只需歡快地泛起笑紋，你可以微笑百次，卻難擠出一滴眼淚；

    它蕩起漣漪，觸動心弦，而且總能留下回音，好似擁抱。

    那就繼續(xù)微笑吧!人們都懂得微笑的意味；

    它價值連城但卻不費(fèi)分文。1 ℃ Love

    1℃的愛情

    In a cold winter, a couple had to move out from the luxury villa because

    of bankruptcy. The husband worked day and night to support the family but

    with no care of his wife. So she thought, He doesn't love me any more; he

    cares about his business, not me.

    One day, she began to take a bath; he stopped her at the door, Let me

    take it first, okay? Why not let me shower first? she asked.

    I was tired, sweetie, you take it later, okay? She was totally depressed.

    On a morose day, she found nothing to do and turned on his computer, a

    few words blurred her eyes... It was his diary:

    Today, I was quite sad, she asked me why I was always taking the bath

    first, and I said to her, I was exhausted. She was unhappy, in her mind, I

    treated her not as well as usual, but how can I do? I was not as rich as before!

    We moved to this small apartment, there was only a shower in the bathroom,it was so cold to take a shower in such a freezing winter. But I found that if

    one person took the shower first, the room could get a little warmer, so every

    time I rushed to the bathroom first. I was thinking that, when she took the

    shower, the room would get warmer, at least 1℃, 2℃ or 3℃. Now, I can't

    give her a comfortable life, bring her to the luxury restaurant, buy expensive

    dresses for her, but at least, I can give her 1℃ love.luxury adj. 奢華的

    morose adj. 郁悶的

    exhausted adj. 筋疲力盡的

    在一個寒冷的冬天，一對夫婦因?yàn)槠飘a(chǎn)，不得不從豪華別墅搬了出

    來。丈夫沒日沒夜地工作，努力養(yǎng)活家人，卻冷落了妻子。于是妻子

    想：“他不再愛我了，他只關(guān)心他的事業(yè)，而不是我。”

    有一天，妻子準(zhǔn)備洗澡，丈夫在浴室門口攔住了她：“讓我先洗

    吧，好嗎？”“為什么不讓我先洗？”妻子問。

    “我累了，親愛的，你等一下再洗，好嗎？”妻子難過極了。

    在一個郁悶的日子里，妻子無事可做，便打開丈夫的電腦，有幾行

    字讓她的眼睛模糊起來……那是他的日記：

    今天我很難過，她問我為什么總是我第一個洗澡，我對她說，我累

    了。她很不高興，心里肯定覺得我對她沒有以前好了，可我能怎么辦

    呢？我沒以前那么有錢了!我們搬到這個小公寓，浴室里只有一個花

    灑，在這么冷的冬天，洗個澡真是太冷了。但是我發(fā)現(xiàn)，如果有人先洗

    過的話，浴室就會稍微暖和一些。于是每次我都先沖進(jìn)浴室。我想，當(dāng)

    她洗澡時，浴室會暖和一點(diǎn)兒，溫度至少能提高1℃、2℃或者3℃。現(xiàn)

    在，我不能給她舒適的生活，不能帶她去高級餐廳，不能為她買昂貴的

    衣服，但至少我能給她1℃的愛情。Hospital Window

    窗外

    Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man

    was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the

    fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window.

    The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked

    for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their

    jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on

    vacation.

    And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit

    up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he

    could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for

    those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened

    by all the activity and color of the world outside.

    The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans

    played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers

    walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old

    trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen

    in the distance.

    As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man

    on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine thepicturesque scene.

    One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing

    by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band, he could see it in his

    mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive

    words. Days and weeks passed.

    One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to

    find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in

    his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the

    body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could

    be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and

    after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

    Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first

    look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for

    himself.

    He strained to slowly turn to look out of the window beside the bed.

    It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have

    compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things

    outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could

    not even see the wall.

    exquisite adj. 精致的

    parade n. (慶祝)游行

    prop v. 支撐

    strain v. 使勁，竭力

    兩個重病的人住在同一間病房。一個人獲準(zhǔn)每天下午從病床上坐起

    來一小時，以便清除他肺部的積水。他的床在房間唯一的窗戶旁邊。另一個人只能整天平躺在床上。兩人常常一聊幾個小時，聊他們的

    妻子和家人、他們的家、他們的工作、他們的軍旅生涯，以及他們曾度

    假的地方。

    每天下午，窗邊的那個人坐起來后，會給病友講他看到的窗外的一

    切。另一張床上的人開始渴望這一小時，在那段時間里，他的世界因窗

    外的生動和多彩變得寬廣而鮮活。

    從那扇窗可以俯瞰一個公園，里面有個漂亮的湖，鴨子和天鵝在水

    里嬉戲，孩子們玩著船模，年輕的情侶們在五彩繽紛的花叢中手挽著手

    散步，巨大的古樹讓這美景更添意趣，遠(yuǎn)處可以望見城市的輪廓。

    當(dāng)窗邊的人繪聲繪色地描述這一切時，房間另一邊的人會閉上眼睛

    想象那生動的場景。

    一個溫暖的午后，窗邊的人描述一個經(jīng)過此地的游行隊(duì)伍，雖然另

    一個人沒聽見樂隊(duì)演奏的聲音，但是在窗邊那人繪聲繪色的描述中，他

    可以想見外面的景象。日子就這樣過了一天又一天、一周又一周。

    一天早上，日班護(hù)士給他們送來洗澡水，結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)窗邊的人已經(jīng)停

    止呼吸，他在睡夢中平靜地去了。她很難過，叫來醫(yī)院的護(hù)工，搬走了

    尸體。一等到合適的機(jī)會，另一個人立刻詢問能否讓他搬到靠窗的床

    位。護(hù)士很樂意幫他換過去。把他安排好以后，護(hù)士離開，留下他一個

    人在那里。

    他忍著疼痛慢慢地用手肘撐起身體，想要第一次望望外面的世界。

    他終于可以自己去看，去享受這種快樂了。

    他用盡力氣慢慢扭過身看向床邊的窗戶。

    窗外是一堵光禿的墻。他問護(hù)士那位曾把窗外描繪得無比精彩的已

    故病友為什么要編出這些話來。護(hù)士告訴他，那人眼盲，連那面墻都看

    不見。Tomato Changed My Life

    番茄的魔法

    Spontaneity has never been my forte. As a 14-year-old, I would refuse

    to go for walks around the block with my friends if I was the least bit behind

    in my schoolwork. You're just no fun, my friend Jane would tell me.

    Unlike most teenagers, I lived not in my room, but in an unused kitchen

    upstairs where I sprawled my books and papers on a large round table. I spent

    an inordinate amount of time there, working continuously for hours, and my

    mother worried. She would try to lure me away. Come watch the parade!

    she would yell from downstairs. All our neighbors are out there! She

    thought of all kinds of enticements—the swimming pool, ice cream, stray

    cats and turtles—to dislodge me from my studies, but nothing ever worked.

    Later, in college, the pattern continued. The library and my college dorm

    replaced the unused kitchen at home. When spring came along, friends would

    stop by my dorm or peer into my library cubicle to persuade me to play

    Frisbee on the lawn outside the main building. No, I would almost always

    say, I have too much to do.

    My college days were gone, but not my need and love for schedules.

    They kept me focused. Justify my time. My friends and sisters tried to pry meaway from my plans in much the same way that my mom tried to coax me

    out of the kitchen, but they were hardly ever successful.

    This summer, though, while house-sitting for my parents, I was

    persuaded to change my plans in the most unexpected way. The sight of

    tomatoes growing in my mother's garden lured me out of my tightly

    scheduled world. They drew me with the power of a lover's gaze.

    Hundreds of them were turning ripe and red by the minute. Large

    beefsteak tomatoes—some doubled but not yet divided—hung heavily or

    dropped from their vines. Plum tomatoes—half-green, half-red—and scarlet

    cherry tomatoes, too many to count, decorated the garden like ornaments on a

    Christmas tree. They begged for attention.

    If I have time, I'll make tomato sauce, I told myself. But my long week

    in the house by myself was already filled with things to do: writing, building

    my photography portfolio, and finishing a project that I brought home from

    the office.

    Making tomato sauce was humdrum domestic work that did not

    contribute to my goals and, more important, wasn't scheduled. But there they

    hung from their vines, dropping to the ground with muted thumps, beckoning

    me. I picked them and placed them in baskets. I arranged them, adding string

    beans, peas, and onions that I pulled from the garden. I put them in the green

    house so that the light could hit it just right.

    I ate them for lunch and dinner. I gave them to friends. But they

    continued to fall to the ground in even-greater numbers. If I have time, I'll

    make sauce, I told myself one more time. And again I mentally argued about

    all the things I had planned and needed to do.

    Finally, I gave in.

    I picked up the recipe that I had scribbled down from a friend. Simmerin a little bit of water with garlic and onions for two hours. Add sugar,oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, it read. I rummaged for 20 minutes in the

    kitchen cabinet and pulled out a huge white enamel pot. I washed the

    tomatoes, cutting away sections that were spoiled, and sliced and threw them

    into the pot. I swayed and jiggled the watery mixture as if I were panning for

    gold.

    I tend to work in silence, but at that moment I—yes, spontaneously—

    decided to turn on the stereo. I sang along with Billy Joel and reviewed a step

    I'd picked up in my swing-dance class. The tomatoes simmered, their aroma

    blending with the breeze coming in from the open windows.

    The old voice returned. You should be reading, doing stuff, it told me.

    So I lowered the volume but, instead of reading The New York Times Sunday

    Magazine—as I had planned—I flipped through the furnishings and crafts in

    Better Homes Gardens. It was one of those rare occasions when I ignored

    the crotchety old voice that spoiled my fun.

    Something clicked inside me! Recalled the moments that could have

    been! Looked back on my college days when students crowded in front of the

    lawn. I wondered where I might have gone and what I might have done had I

    accepted more invitations to be among them. I thought of the conversations

    that I did not have, the people I never met.

    As I sat there flipping through the magazine, I smiled that I didn't listen

    to the voice that told me I was off schedule.

    spontaneity n. 心血來潮

    lure v. 引誘，誘惑

    vine n. 蔓，藤

    recipe n. 食譜crotchety adj. 壞脾氣的

    想一出是一出從不是我的長項(xiàng)。十四歲的時候，我只要有一點(diǎn)兒功

    課沒做完，就不會和小朋友出去玩。我的朋友簡總說我：“你真沒勁。”

    與大多數(shù)十幾歲的孩子不同，我沒有臥室，而是住在樓上一個廢棄

    的廚房里。廚房里的大圓桌上堆滿了我的書和草稿紙。我大部分時間都

    待在那兒學(xué)習(xí)，經(jīng)常連續(xù)幾個小時。這讓母親很擔(dān)心，她總是想找辦法

    讓我出去放松一下。有時，她會在樓下喊：“來看游行隊(duì)伍吧!我們的

    鄰居都去了!”為了哄我出去，母親想盡了各種辦法——去游泳，吃冰

    激凌，跟流浪貓或小烏龜玩——就想讓我從學(xué)習(xí)中走出來，然而一切都

    是徒勞的。

    上大學(xué)后我一切照舊，只不過學(xué)校的圖書館和宿舍代替了從前家里

    的那個廚房。春天，朋友們會找到寢室或圖書館隔間，勸我到主樓外面

    的草地上玩飛盤，我總是說：“不行，我還有很多事情要做呢。”

    大學(xué)生活結(jié)束了，但我仍喜歡按照計(jì)劃做事，這樣能讓我集中精

    力。雖然朋友和姐妹們也會像母親當(dāng)年想哄我出門一樣，勸我從計(jì)劃中

    走出來，可是他們很少能成功。

    然而，這個夏天幫父母看房子的時候，我的計(jì)劃卻被意外地改變

    了。我看到母親花園里的番茄，只一眼就把我引出了日程緊張的生活。

    它們就像愛人的眼神，讓我無法抗拒。

    這會兒許多番茄都快成熟了，紅彤彤的。大個兒的“牛排番茄”——

    有的兩個長在一起，還沒完全分開——或是沉甸甸地掛在蔓上，或是落

    在地上。還有青紅相間的“梅子番茄”和大紅的“櫻桃番茄”，數(shù)不勝數(shù)，就像圣誕樹上的小裝飾，把整個花園裝點(diǎn)得漂亮極了，實(shí)在是惹人喜

    歡。

    “如果有時間，我就做些番茄醬�！蔽覍ψ约赫f。然而獨(dú)自在家的這

    一周已經(jīng)被我安排得滿滿的：寫作，為我的攝影作品選揖挑選照片，還要完成一個從辦公室?guī)Щ氐捻?xiàng)目。

    做番茄醬只是一件尋常家務(wù)活，對我實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)毫無幫助，更重要的

    是，它并不在我的計(jì)劃之內(nèi)�？赡切┓�茄就掛在蔓上，還不時悶聲落到

    地上，這似乎是在召喚我。我把它們摘下來放到籃子里，碼放整齊，又

    從花園摘了一些菜豆、豌豆和洋蔥加上去，一起放進(jìn)溫室，好讓它們接

    受適量的陽光。

    午餐和晚餐我都會吃些番茄，還送了一些給朋友�？墒菆@子里的番

    茄還是不斷地往下掉，而且越來越多�！叭绻�有時間的話，我就做些番

    茄醬�！蔽矣忠淮芜@樣對自己說。然而，我又想到那些計(jì)劃和需要做的

    事。

    最終，我讓步了。

    我拿起從朋友那里抄來的做番茄醬的菜譜：“加入大蒜、洋蔥和

    水，用文火煮兩個小時，再加入糖、牛至、羅勒、百里香、迷迭香即

    可。”我在碗櫥里翻了二十分鐘，才找到一個白色的大搪瓷罐。我洗好

    番茄，切去爛掉的部分，又把它們切塊，然后放進(jìn)罐里。我抱著搪瓷

    罐，就像是在淘金一樣用力地把加了調(diào)料的混合物搖勻。

    我往常都喜歡安靜地干活，這時卻突然——是的，就是靈機(jī)一動

    ——決定打開音響，還跟著比利·喬唱了一段，復(fù)習(xí)了一個學(xué)過的搖擺

    舞步。番茄正用文火煮著，散發(fā)出來的香氣和窗外吹來的微風(fēng)混在一

    起。

    這時，我耳邊又響起了那熟悉的聲音：“你應(yīng)該去讀書，做有用的

    事�！庇谑俏野岩繇懻{(diào)小了些。不過我沒有去看《紐約時報雜志周日

    版》——像我原本計(jì)劃的那樣——而是翻看起了《家居與園藝》里的家

    具和手工藝品。我難得地?zé)o視了那個總是讓人掃興的壞脾氣聲音。

    我的內(nèi)心忽然有了變化!我想起從前那些可能的美好時光!回想大

    學(xué)時代草坪前聚集的學(xué)生們，如果當(dāng)初多接受一些邀請，我會到過哪些

    地方，做過哪些事呢？我想到那些錯失的交談和失之交臂的人。我坐在那里翻著雜志，想到自己沒有理會那告誡我要執(zhí)行計(jì)劃的聲

    音，不由衷心地笑了。I Would Pick More Daisies

    我要多采些雛菊花

    A 85-year-old lady was asked what she would do if she had her life to

    live over again.

    I'd make more mistakes next time, she said, I'd relax. I would limber

    up. I would be sillier than I have been on this trip. I would take fewer things

    seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and

    swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans. I would

    perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.

    You see, I'm one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour

    after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over

    again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just

    moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each

    day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a

    thermometer, a hot water bottle, and a raincoat. If I had to do it over again, I

    would travel lighter than I have.

    If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring

    and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride

    more merry-go-rounds and I would pick more daisies...limber up 運(yùn)動，做準(zhǔn)備活動

    sanely adv. 理智地

    thermometer n. 溫度計(jì)

    有人問一位85歲高齡的老婦人，如果再有一次生命，她會做些什

    么。

    “下次我會多犯些錯誤�！彼�說，“我要活得很放松；我要把身體練

    得柔軟靈活；我要過得傻一些；我不會對那么多事較真；我要抓住更多

    機(jī)會；我要攀登更多高山，到更多河里游泳；我要多吃點(diǎn)兒冰激凌，少

    吃點(diǎn)兒豆子；也許我會碰到更多現(xiàn)實(shí)中的麻煩，但是會少很多臆想的麻

    煩�！�

    “你瞧，我是那種每天每時都活得很理性的人。哦，我有過精彩的

    時刻，如果必須重來一次，我要擁有更多這樣的時刻。事實(shí)上，我別無

    所求；我會活在當(dāng)下，而不是這么多年都在為以后的事操心。我以前是

    那種不管去哪兒都帶上溫度計(jì)、熱水壺和雨衣的人。但是，如果要重來

    一次，我會輕裝去旅行�！�

    “如果再有一次生命，我要從早春赤腳到深秋，我要去多跳幾次

    舞，多坐幾次旋轉(zhuǎn)木馬，還有，我要多采些雛菊花……”Love Is Inside

    愛情就在里面

    Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents.

    Every day they are very busy trying to earn money in order to pay the high

    tuition for my brother and me. They don't act in the romantic ways that I read

    in books or I see on TV. In their opinion, I love you is too luxurious for

    them to say. Sending flowers to each other on Valentine's Day is even more

    out of the question. Finally my father has a bad temper. When he's very tired

    from the hard work, it is easy for him to lose his temper.

    One day, my mother was sewing a quilt. I silently sat down beside her

    and looked at her.

    Mom, I have a question to ask you, I said after a while.

    What? she replied, still doing her work.

    Is there love between you and Dad? I asked her in a very low voice.

    My mother stopped her work and raised her head with surprise in her

    eyes. She didn't answer immediately. Then she bowed her head and continued

    to sew the quilt.

    I was very worried because I thought I had hurt her. I was in a great

    embarrassment and I didn't know what I should do. But at last I heard my

    mother say the following words: Mary, she said thoughtfully, Look at this

    thread. Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt. Thethread really makes the quilt strong and durable. If life is a quilt, then love

    should be a thread. It can hardly be seen anywhere or anytime, but it's really

    there. Love is inside.

    I listened carefully but I couldn't understand her until the next spring. At

    that time, my father suddenly got sick seriously. My mother had to stay with

    him in the hospital for a month. When they returned from the hospital, they

    both looked very pale. It seemed both of them had had a serious illness.

    After they were back, every day in the morning and dusk, my mother

    helped my father walk slowly on the country road. My father had never been

    so gentle. It seemed they were the most harmonious couple. Along the

    country road, there were many beautiful flowers, green grass and trees. The

    sun gently glistened through the leaves. All of these made up the most

    beautiful picture in the world.

    The doctor had said my father would recover in two months. But after

    two months he still couldn't walk by himself. All of us were worried about

    him.

    Dad, how are you feeling now? I asked him one day.

    Mary, don't worry about me. He said gently. To tell you the truth, I

    just like walking with your mom. I like this kind of life. Reading his eyes, I

    know he loves my mother deeply.

    Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses. But from this

    experience, I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life. Love

    is inside, making life strong and warm...

    quilt n. 被子

    embarrassment n. 困窘，窘迫

    thoughtfully adv. 思慮地glisten v. 閃耀，閃光

    有時我真懷疑父母之間是否有愛情。他們天天忙于賺錢，為了給我

    和弟弟支付高昂的學(xué)費(fèi)。他們從未像我在書中讀到或在電視中看到的那

    樣尋求浪漫。他們認(rèn)為“我愛你”太奢侈，很難說出口，更不用說在情人

    節(jié)送花這種事了。還有一點(diǎn)是，父親脾氣很壞。累了一天，他經(jīng)常會發(fā)

    脾氣。

    一天，母親正在縫被子，我安靜地坐到她身邊看著她。

    過了一會兒，我說：“媽媽，我想問你一個問題�！�

    “什么問題？”她一邊繼續(xù)縫著，一邊回答。

    “你和爸爸相愛嗎？”我低聲問。

    母親停下手中的活兒，滿眼詫異地抬起頭。她沒有馬上回答，只是

    低下頭繼續(xù)縫被子。

    我擔(dān)心自己傷害了她。我窘極了，不知道該怎么辦。不過，終于我

    聽見母親開口了。“瑪麗，”她想了想說，“看看這線。有些能看得見，但是大多數(shù)都藏在被子里。線使被子結(jié)實(shí)耐用。假如生活是一條被子，那么愛就是其中的線。你不能隨時隨地看到它，但是它卻真實(shí)存在著。

    愛就在里面�！�

    我仔細(xì)地聽著，但直到來年春天才明白了她的話。那時父親突然得

    了重病。母親不得不在醫(yī)院里陪了他一個月。他們從醫(yī)院回來的時候，都顯得非常蒼白，就像兩人都大病一場似的。

    他們回來之后，每天清晨和黃昏，母親都會攙扶著父親在鄉(xiāng)間小路

    上散步。父親從未如此溫和。他們就像是最和諧的夫妻。鄉(xiāng)間小路上有

    許多漂亮的野花、綠草和樹木。陽光穿過樹葉的縫隙柔和地照下來。這

    簡直是世間最美好的畫面。

    醫(yī)生說父親兩個月就能康復(fù)。但是兩個月之后，他仍然無法獨(dú)立行

    走。我們都為他擔(dān)心�！鞍职�，你現(xiàn)在感覺怎么樣？”我有一天問他。

    “瑪麗，不用為我擔(dān)心�！彼�輕聲說，“跟你說實(shí)話吧，我就是喜歡

    跟你媽媽一起散步的感覺。我喜歡這種生活。”從他的眼神里，我看得

    出他深愛著母親。

    我曾認(rèn)為愛情就是鮮花、禮物和甜蜜的親吻。但是這段經(jīng)歷讓我明

    白，愛情是生活這條被子里的一根線。愛情在里面，讓生活變得結(jié)實(shí)而

    溫暖……The Road to Success

    成功之路

    卡耐基

    It is well that young men should begin at the

    beginning and occupy the most subordinate positions. Many of the

    leading businessmen of Pittsburgh had serious responsibility thrust upon

    them at the very threshold of their career. They were introduced to the broom,and spent the first hours of their business lives sweeping out the office. I

    notice we have janitors and janitresses now in offices, and our young men

    unfortunately miss that salutary branch of a business education. But if by

    chance the professional sweeper is absent any morning, the boy who has the

    genius of the future partner in him will not hesitate to try his hand at the

    broom. The other day a fond fashionable mother in Michigan asked a young

    man whether he had ever seen a young lady sweep in a room so grandly as

    her Priscilla. He said no, he never had, and the mother was gratified beyond

    measure, but then said he, after a pause, What I should like to see her do is

    sweep out a room. It does not hurt the newest comer to sweep out the office

    if necessary. I was one of those sweepers myself.

    Assuming that you have all obtained employment and are fairly started,my advice to you is aim high. I would not give a fig for the young man whodoes not already see himself the partner or the head of an important firm. Do

    not rest content for a moment in your thoughts as head clerk, or foreman, or

    general manager in any concern, no matter how extensive. Say to yourself,My place is at the top. Be king in your dreams.

    And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret: concentrate

    your energy, thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which you

    are engaged. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to

    lead in it, adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the

    most about it.

    The concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital,which means that they have scattered their brains also. They have

    investments in this, or that, or the other, here, there, and everywhere. Don't

    put all your eggs in one basket is all wrong. I tell you put all your eggs in

    one basket, and then watch that basket. Look round you and take notice,men who do that not often fail. It is easy to watch and carry the one basket. It

    is trying to carry too many baskets that breaks most eggs in this country. He

    who carries three baskets must put one on his head, which is apt to tumble

    and trip him up. One fault of the American businessman is lack of

    concentration.

    To summarize what I have said: Aim for the highest; never enter a bar

    room; do not touch liquor, or if at all only at meals; never speculate; never

    indorse beyond your surplus cash fund; make the firm's interest yours; break

    orders always to save owners; concentrate; put all your eggs in one basket,and watch that basket; expenditure always within revenue; lastly be not

    impatient, for as Emerson says, No one can cheat you out of ultimate

    success but yourselves.subordinate adj. 次要的；隸屬的

    salutary adj. 有益的，有利的

    gratify v. 使高興，使?jié)M意

    exclusively adv. 排外地；全部地

    年輕人應(yīng)該從頭開始，從底層做起，這樣很好。匹茲堡許多杰出企

    業(yè)家在剛開始工作時，都承擔(dān)過一個重任：他們手持掃帚，打掃辦公

    室，由此開始職業(yè)生涯。我注意到，現(xiàn)在的辦公室都有保潔員，我們的

    年輕人不幸失去了企業(yè)教育中有益的一環(huán)。但是，如果某天早上，專職

    的清潔工碰巧沒來，那么具有未來合伙人潛質(zhì)的小伙子就會毫不猶豫地

    拿起掃帚。一次，密歇根一位寵愛孩子的時髦母親問一個年輕人，是否

    見過有哪個年輕姑娘在房間里走得像她的普里茜拉那樣優(yōu)雅。年輕人回

    答說從來沒有見過，那位母親非常滿意。可是他停了一下又說：“我想

    看的是她打掃房間�！毙枰�的時候，讓新來的員工打掃一下辦公室并沒

    有壞處。我自己就曾掃過辦公室。

    假如你們已經(jīng)有了工作并且順利開了頭，我的忠告就是：“確定遠(yuǎn)

    大的目標(biāo)。”對于那些沒有把自己看成大公司未來合伙人或者老板的

    人，我無話可說。無論如何，不要滿足于做個首席雇員、領(lǐng)班或者總經(jīng)

    理。告訴自己：“頂峰才是我的位置�！痹谀愕膲粝肜镒鰝�國王。

    成功的基本條件和最大秘訣就是：把你的精力、思想和資本全部集

    中于你的事業(yè)。投身一個行業(yè)，就要決心在這一行做出一番事業(yè)，成為

    行業(yè)領(lǐng)袖，利用每一點(diǎn)進(jìn)步，使用最好的設(shè)備，精通專業(yè)知識。

    一些公司失敗就在于分散了資金，從而分散了精力。他們在這里那

    里到處投資�！安灰�把所有的雞蛋放在同一個籃子里”這話大錯特錯。我

    要告訴你們的是：“把所有的雞蛋都放在同一個籃子里，然后看好籃

    子�！焙煤糜^察周圍，這么做的人往往不會失敗。隨身照看一個籃子很

    容易。正是提的籃子太多，才打破了這個國家大部分的雞蛋。人一次提三個籃子，就得把其中一個頂在頭上，這個籃子很容易掉下來并把他絆

    倒。美國商人的一個缺點(diǎn)就是不夠?qū)Ｗⅰ?br/>
    總而言之：要有遠(yuǎn)大的目標(biāo)；不要流連酒吧；滴酒不飲，或者只在

    用餐時喝一點(diǎn)；別去投機(jī)；量入為出；視公司的利益為自身利益；只為

    幫助貨主才取消訂單；專注一事；把所有的雞蛋放在同一個籃子里，并

    好好照管；不超支；最后，要有耐心，就像愛默生說的：“成功只會毀

    在你自己手里�！盜nnocent Homeless

    無辜的流浪者

    The hastily scrawled sign on the crumpled cardboard read: BROKE—

    NEED DOG FOOD. The desperate young man held the sign in one hand and

    a leash in the other as he paced back and forth on the busy corner in

    downtown Las Vegas.

    Attached to the leash was a husky pup no more than a year old. Not far

    from them was an older dog of the same breed, chained to a lamppost. He

    was howling into the brisk chill of the approaching winter evening, with a

    wail that could be heard for blocks. It was as though he knew his own fate,for the sign that was propped next to him read: FOR SALE.

    Forgetting about my own destination, I quickly turned the car around

    and made a beeline back toward the homeless trio. For years, I've kept dog

    and cat food in the trunk of my car for stray or hungry animals I often find.

    It's been a way of helping those I couldn't take in. It's also what I've used to

    coax many a scared dog off the road to safety. Helping needy animals has

    always been an automatic decision for me.

    I pulled into the nearest parking lot and grabbed a five-pound bag of dog

    food, a container of water and a twenty-dollar bill from my purse. I

    approached the ragged-looking man and his unhappy dogs warily. If this man

    had somehow hurt these creatures or was using them as come-ons, I knew myanger would quickly take over. The older dog was staring up at the sky,whining pitifully. Just before I reached them, a truck pulled up along-side of

    them and asked how much the man wanted for the older dog.

    Fifty bucks, the man on the corner replied, then added quickly, but I

    really don't want to sell him.

    Is he papered?

    No.

    Is he fixed?

    No.

    How old is he?

    Five. But I really don't want to sell him. I just need some money to feed

    him.

    If I had fifty bucks, I'd buy him. The light turned green, and the truck

    sped off.

    The man shook his head and continued dejectedly pacing the sidewalk.

    When he noticed me coming in his direction, he stopped walking and

    watched me approach. The pup began wagging his tail.

    Hi, I offered, as I drew nearer. The young man's face was gentle and

    friendly, and I could sense just by looking in his eyes that he was someone in

    real crisis.

    I have some food here for your dogs, I said. Dumbfounded, he took

    the bag as I set down the water in front of them.

    You brought water, too? he asked incredulously. We both knelt down

    next to the older dog, and the puppy greeted me enthusiastically.

    That one there is T.C., and this one's Dog. I'm Wayne. The sad, older

    dog stopped crying long enough to see what was in the container.

    What happened, Wayne? I asked. I felt a bit intrusive, but he answeredme directly and simply. Well, I just moved out here from Arizona and

    haven't been able to find work. I'm at the point where I can't even feed the

    dogs.

    Where are you living?

    That truck right there, he pointed to a dilapidated old vehicle that was

    parked close by. It had an extra long bed with a shell, so at least they had

    shelter from the elements.

    The pup had climbed onto my lap and settled in. I asked Wayne what

    type of work he did.

    I'm a mechanic and a welder, he said. But there's nothing out here for

    either. I've looked and looked. These dogs are my family; I hate to have to

    sell them, but I just can't afford to feed them.

    He kept saying it over and over. He didn't want to sell them, but he

    couldn't feed them. An awful look came over his face every time he repeated

    it. It was as if he might have to give up a child.

    The time seemed right to casually pass over the twenty-dollar bill,hoping I wouldn't further damage his already shaky pride. Here. Use this to

    buy yourself something to eat.

    Well, thanks, he slowly replied, unable to look me in the face. This

    could get us a room for the night, too.

    How long have you been out here?

    All day.

    Hasn't anyone else stopped?

    No, you're the first. It was late afternoon and quickly getting dark.

    Here in the desert, when the sun dropped, the temperature would dip into the

    thirties.

    My mind went fast-forward as I pictured the three of them going withouteven a single meal today, perhaps for several days, and spending many long,cold hours cooped up in their inadequate, makeshift shelter.

    Seeing people beg for food isn't anything new in this city. But this man

    stood out because he wasn't asking for food for himself. He was more

    concerned with keeping his dogs fed than with his own welfare. As a pet-

    parent of nine well-fed and passionately loved dogs of my own, it hit a deep

    chord in me.

    I don't think I'll ever really know what came over me at that moment,inspiring me to do what I did next, but I just knew it was something I had to

    do. I asked him if he'd wait there for a few minutes until I returned. He

    nodded his head and smiled.

    My car flew to the nearest grocery store. Bursting with urgency, I raced

    in and took hold of a cart. I started on the first aisle and didn't quit until I

    reached the other side of the store. The items couldn't be pulled off the

    shelves fast enough. Just the essentials, I thought. Just food that will last a

    couple of weeks and sustain their meager existence. Peanut butter and jelly.

    Bread. Canned food. Juice. Fruit. Vegetables. Dog food. More dog food

    (forty pound, to be exact). And chew toys. They should have some treats, too.

    A few other necessities and the job was done.

    The total comes to 102.91, said the checker. I didn't bat an eye. The

    pen ran over that blank check faster than I could legibly write. It didn't matter

    that the mortgage was due soon or that I really didn't have the extra hundred

    dollars to spend. Nothing mattered besides seeing that this family had some

    food. I was amazed at my own intensity and the overwhelming motivation

    that compelled me to spend a hundred dollars on a total stranger. Yet, at the

    same time, I felt like the luckiest person in the world. To be able to give this

    man and his beloved companions a tiny bit of something of which I had somuch opened the floodgates of gratitude in my own heart.

    The icing on the cake was the look on Wayne's face when I returned

    with all the groceries. Here are just a few things… I said as the dogs looked

    on with great anticipation. I wanted to avoid any awkwardness, so I hastily

    petted the dogs.

    Good luck to you, I said and held out my hand.

    Thank you and God bless you. Now I won't have to sell my dogs. His

    smile shone brightly in the deepening darkness.

    It's true that people are more complicated than animals, but sometimes

    they can be as easy to read. Wayne was a good person, someone who looked

    at a dog and saw family. In my book, a man like that deserves to be happy.

    Later, on my way home, I purposely drove past that same corner. Wayne

    and the dogs were gone. But they have stayed for a long time in my heart and

    mind. Perhaps I will run into them again someday. I like to think that it all

    turned out well for them.

    scrawl v. 潦草地寫

    incredulously adv. 懷疑地，不可置信地

    dilapidated adj. 破爛的

    inadequate adj. 不適當(dāng)?shù)模徊怀渥愕?br/>
    overwhelming adj. 無法抗拒的

    anticipation n. 預(yù)期；預(yù)料

    有個絕望的年輕人在拉斯維加斯市中心繁忙的街角走來走去，一只

    手舉著皺巴巴的紙板，上面潦草地寫著：破產(chǎn)——需要狗糧；另一只手

    牽著狗鏈子。

    狗鏈上拴著一只不滿一歲的哈士奇，離他們不遠(yuǎn)的燈柱上系著一只大一些的。冬夜將至，大狗在嚴(yán)寒中嚎叫著，那聲音幾個街區(qū)外都能聽

    見。它似乎知道自己的命運(yùn)。它的身旁立著一個寫著“出售”的牌子。

    我一時忘了自己的目的地，迅速掉轉(zhuǎn)車頭，徑自駛向這三個流浪

    者。多年來，我一直習(xí)慣在后備箱放些貓糧和狗糧，因?yàn)槲医?jīng)常會遇到

    流浪或饑餓的動物。我用這種方式來幫助那些我不能收養(yǎng)的動物，我也

    會用食物誘哄受到驚嚇的狗離開危險的馬路。我總是不由自主地幫助那

    些處在困境中的動物。

    我把車停在最近的停車場，拿出一包五磅重的狗糧和一罐水，又從

    錢包里掏出20美元。我小心翼翼地走向那個衣著破舊的人和他可憐的狗

    狗們。如果這個人傷害了這些動物，或者把它們當(dāng)成博人憐憫的工具，我肯定會發(fā)火。大一些的狗仰天哀叫著。先我一步，一輛卡車在他們旁

    邊停下來，問大狗賣多少錢。

    “50美元。”街角的年輕人回答，接著很快地又說，“但我確實(shí)不想

    賣�！�

    “它上戶口了嗎？”

    “沒有�！�

    “它閹割過嗎？”

    “沒有�！�

    “它多大了？”

    “5歲。我真不想賣它，我只是需要些錢給它買點(diǎn)吃的。”

    “如果我有50美元，就把它買了�！本G燈亮了，卡車加速開走了。

    年輕人搖搖頭，繼續(xù)無精打采地在人行道上走來走去。他注意到我

    走過來，便停下腳步看著我，小狗也開始搖尾巴。

    “嗨。”我走近后，和他打了個招呼。年輕人樣子和氣而友好，從眼

    神可以看出他確實(shí)遇到了麻煩。

    “我這兒有些狗糧�！蔽艺f。他愣了一下，接過袋子，我把水放在他

    們面前。“你還帶了水？”他驚訝地問。我們單膝跪在大狗旁邊，小狗歡快地

    跟我打招呼。

    “那只叫TC，這只叫狗狗，我叫韋恩�！蹦菞l可憐的大狗早就止住哀

    叫，來看罐子里的東西。

    “發(fā)生了什么事，韋恩？”我問，而后又覺得有些冒失，但他簡單干

    脆地回答了我�！芭�，我剛從亞利桑那搬到這里，還沒找到事做。眼下

    我連狗都養(yǎng)不起。”

    “那你現(xiàn)在住哪兒？”

    “就在那邊的卡車?yán)�。”他指著停在附近的一輛破車說。車身很長，還有車廂，至少能擋風(fēng)遮雨。

    小狗爬上我的膝頭趴了下來。我問韋恩做哪類工作。

    “我做機(jī)修和焊工活兒�！彼�說，“但這里找不到相關(guān)的工作。我找

    了好久。這兩只狗是我的親人，我真不想賣掉它們，可又實(shí)在沒法養(yǎng)活

    它們�！�

    他一遍又一遍地說著：他不想賣掉它們，但又養(yǎng)不起。每次說這些

    話時，他臉上都露出痛苦的表情，就像他不得已要賣掉自己的孩子一

    樣。

    此時不經(jīng)意地遞給他20塊錢似乎是最合適不過了，希望我不會讓他

    脆弱的自尊再受打擊�！敖o，拿這個給自己買些吃的�！�

    “噢，謝謝�！彼�緩緩答道，目光無法直視我，“這都夠我們找個房

    間過夜了�！�

    “你們在這里多久了？”

    “整整一天�！�

    “沒人停下來幫你們嗎？”

    “沒有，你是第一個。”此時已是傍晚，夜晚會很快來臨。太陽落山

    后，沙漠地區(qū)的溫度會降到華氏30多度。

    我的腦子飛快地轉(zhuǎn)著，心想今天他們沒吃一頓飯，或許幾天都沒吃了，只能長時間、冷冰冰地縮在勉強(qiáng)棲身的破車?yán)铩?br/>
    在這個城市里看到乞丐不新鮮，但這個人卻與眾不同，因?yàn)樗�不�?br/>
    為自己乞討。他更關(guān)心的是讓他的狗吃飯，而沒考慮自己。作為一個養(yǎng)

    著九只心愛寵物狗的人，我被深深感動了。

    我不明白當(dāng)時想到了什么讓我做了后來的事，我只是覺得必須這么

    做。我問他能否在那里等我回來，他點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭，笑了笑。

    我開車飛馳到最近的食品店，急急地沖進(jìn)去，推了一輛手推車。我

    從第一個貨架開始，一直走到店的另一頭才停下來，拿東西的時候只恨

    不夠快。我想就只買些必需品，夠他們吃幾個星期，能讓他們活命就

    行�；ㄉ�醬和果凍、面包、罐頭、果汁、水果、蔬菜、狗糧、更多的狗

    糧(準(zhǔn)確說是40磅)。還有磨牙玩具，它們的生活得有點(diǎn)兒樂趣。我還

    買了一些別的必需品，終于大功告成了。

    “一共102.91美元�！笔浙y員說。我眼都不眨簽了支票。雖然還款日

    就快到了，我也沒有100塊的余錢可以隨意開銷，但這些都不重要。最

    重要的是讓這一家有些可以果腹的食物。我驚異于自己會如此迫切地為

    一個陌生人花掉100美元。然而同時，我又覺得自己是世界上最幸運(yùn)的

    人。能有機(jī)會把我擁有的東西分給這個人和他心愛的伙伴哪怕是一丁點(diǎn)

    兒，這讓我心存感激。

    當(dāng)我拿著這些東西回來時，韋恩臉上的表情讓我更加感到快

    樂�！斑@點(diǎn)東西……”我說的時候兩只狗眼巴巴地望著我，我急忙去拍了

    拍它們，好避免尷尬。

    “祝你好運(yùn)�！蔽艺f著向他伸出了手。

    “謝謝你，愿上帝保佑你，現(xiàn)在我不用賣狗了�！彼�的笑容在漸濃的

    夜色中燦爛極了。

    人確實(shí)比動物復(fù)雜，但有時他們卻又很容易讀懂。韋恩是個好人，他把狗看成家人。在我看來，這樣的人應(yīng)該快樂。

    后來，在回家的路上，我又特意從那個街角駛過。韋恩和那些狗都不在了，但是他們長久地留在我的心里。也許有一天我會再次遇到他

    們，我想他們一定過得很好。The Sorrows of Young Werther

    少年維特的煩惱

    歌 德

    Why do I not write to you? And you, a learned man, ask me this? You

    should be clever enough to guess that I am in a happy mood because in a

    word I have made an acquaintance who moves my heart in a strange way. I

    have... I do not know.

    It is not easy for me to tell you, in chronological order just how it

    happened, how I met such a lovely being. I am contented and happy, and

    therefore not a good historian.

    An angel! Nonsense! Everyone calls his loved one thus, does he not?

    And yet I cannot describe to you how perfect she is, or why she is so perfect;

    enough to say that she has captured me completely.

    So much innocence combined with so much intelligence; such kindness

    with such firmness; such inner serenity in such an active life.

    But all this is foolish talk of abstract words which fail to describe one

    single feature of her real person. Another time, no, not another time, right at

    this moment will tell you everything. If I do not do it now, it will never be

    done.Because between you and me since I began this letter I have been three

    times on the point of laying down my pen, having my horse saddled and

    riding out to her. Although I swore to myself this morning not to do it, I am

    going every other moment to the window to see how high the sun has

    climbed. I could not bear it any longer; I had to see her. Here I am back,Wilhelm; I will now eat my supper and then go on writing to you. What a

    delight it was to see her among the dear lively children, her eight brothers and

    sisters!

    acquaintance n. 相識的人，熟人

    chronological adj. 按時間先后順序的

    serenity n. 平靜；寧靜

    swear v. 發(fā)誓；宣誓

    為什么我沒有給你寫信？你，一位如此博學(xué)的人，會問這個？你這

    么聰明準(zhǔn)能猜到，我現(xiàn)在很高興，簡單說吧，我認(rèn)識了一個讓我心動的

    人。我已經(jīng)……我也說不清。

    我很難把這事的來龍去脈說清楚，告訴你我怎樣認(rèn)識了一位如此可

    愛的人。我現(xiàn)在既快樂又滿足，所以沒法把一切很客觀地寫出來。

    一位天使!廢話!誰談起自己的意中人時都會這么說，不是嗎？可

    我卻無法向你描述她是多么完美，以及她為什么會那么完美；一句話，她已經(jīng)把我整個心都俘獲了。

    她那么純真，又那么聰明；那么善良，又那么堅(jiān)定；那么活潑，內(nèi)

    心卻又充滿寧靜。

    但所有這些都是愚蠢的空泛之詞，無法描述她真實(shí)的樣子。下次，不，不等下次，現(xiàn)在我就告訴你一切。要是現(xiàn)在不說，那就永遠(yuǎn)不會說

    了。因?yàn)椋�說實(shí)話，從動筆寫這封信，我已經(jīng)有三次想擱下筆，讓人備

    馬，出去找她了。今天早晨我還發(fā)誓不這樣做，可我還是時不時地跑到

    窗前，看看太陽多高了。我忍不住，我必須見她。現(xiàn)在我回來了，威

    廉，我吃完晚飯繼續(xù)給你寫信�？吹剿�同她活潑可愛的八個弟妹在一

    起，我真是開心!Keep Your Fork

    留著你的叉子Paper Boats

    紙船

    泰戈?duì)?br/>
    Day by day I float my paper boats one by one down the running stream.

    In big black letters I write my name on them and the name of the village

    where I live.

    I hope that someone in some strange land will find them and know who

    I am.

    I load my little boats with shiuli flowers from our garden, and hope that

    these blooms of the dawn will be carried safely to land in the night.

    I launch my paper boats and look up into the sky and see the little clouds

    setting their white bulging sails.

    I know not what playmate of mine in the sky sends them down the air to

    race with my boats!

    When night comes I bury my face in my arms and dream that my paper

    boats float on and on under the midnight stars.

    The fairies of sleep are sailing in them, and the lading is their baskets

    full of dreams.

    bulging adj. 鼓起的lading n. 裝載的貨物

    我每天把紙船一個個放在急流的溪中。

    我用大黑字寫我的名字和我住的地名在紙船上。

    我希望住在異地的人得到了這紙船，就知道我是誰。

    我把園中長的希利花載在這些小船上，希望這些黎明開的花能在夜

    里平平安安地帶到岸上。

    我投我的紙船到水里，仰看天空，看見小朵的云正張著滿鼓著風(fēng)的

    白帆。

    我不知道是不是天上的游伴把這些船放下來同我的船比賽!

    夜來了，我的臉埋在手臂里，夢見我的紙船在中夜的星辰下面漸漂

    漸遠(yuǎn)。

    “睡之仙人”坐在船里，帶著他們滿載著夢的籃子。Keep Your Fork

    留著你的叉子

    There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal

    illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her

    things in order, she contacted her priest and had him come to her house to

    discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.

    She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what

    scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.

    Everything was in order and the priest was preparing to leave when the

    young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

    There's one more thing, she said excitedly.

    What's that? came the priest's reply.

    This is very important, the young woman continued. I want to be

    buried with a fork in my right hand.

    The priest stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to

    say.

    That surprises you, doesn't it? the young woman asked.

    Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request, said the priest.

    The young woman explained, In all my years of attending socials and

    dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course werebeing cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.'

    It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...

    like velvety chocolate cake or deep dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and

    with substance!' So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a

    fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' then I

    want you to tell them: Keep your fork... The best is yet to come.

    The priest's eyes welled up with tears as he hugged the young woman

    good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her

    before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp

    of heaven than he did.

    She knew that something better was coming.

    At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and

    they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand.

    Over and over, the priest heard the question: What's with the fork? And

    over and over he smiled.

    During his message, the priest told the people of the conversation he had

    with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the

    fork and about what it symbolized to her. The priest told the people how he

    could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would

    not be able to stop thinking about it either.

    He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it

    remind you ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.

    diagnose v. 診斷

    terminal adj. 晚期的

    scripture n. 經(jīng)文

    velvety adj. 光滑柔軟的casket n. 棺材

    有一位姑娘被診斷出得了絕癥，只剩三個月的生命。所以她著手安

    排后事時，聯(lián)系了神父，請他到家里討論葬禮的事。

    她告訴神父希望在自己葬禮上唱哪首歌，讀哪段經(jīng)文，以及穿什么

    衣服下葬。

    一切都安排妥當(dāng)，神父準(zhǔn)備離開時，姑娘突然想起了一件非常重要

    的事情。

    “還有一件事�！彼�興奮地說。

    “什么事？”神父問。

    “這很重要。”姑娘接著說，“我想在下葬的時候右手拿一把叉子�！�

    神父愣在那里，不知道說什么。

    “這讓你很驚訝，是吧？”姑娘問。

    “嗯，說實(shí)話，我不太理解這個請求�！鄙窀刚f。

    姑娘解釋道：“這些年來，每次參加社交活動和宴會，我都記得當(dāng)

    主菜的盤子撤走后，總是有人湊過身子對我說：‘留著你的叉子�！�這是

    我最喜歡的時刻，因?yàn)槲抑�道會有更好的東西端上來——像光滑柔軟的

    巧克力蛋糕，或者厚厚的蘋果派，總之是漂亮又美味的東西!所以我想

    讓人們看見我在棺木里還拿著叉子，我想讓他們好奇‘拿叉子干嗎？’然

    后我希望你告訴他們：‘留著你的叉子……最好的還沒來呢�！�”

    當(dāng)神父與姑娘擁抱道別時，他的眼里滿是淚水。他知道自己見不了

    她幾次了，但也知道這個姑娘比他對天堂的領(lǐng)悟更深刻。

    她確信更好的東西就要來了。

    在葬禮上，人們從姑娘的棺木旁走過，看到她穿的披風(fēng)和右手的叉

    子。神父不斷聽到那個問題，“干嗎拿著叉子？”他也一次次露出微笑。

    牧師發(fā)言時，把姑娘去世前與他的談話講給大家聽。他還講了叉子

    的事，以及那叉子對她的意義。神父說他的腦海中一直想著那把叉子，并且告訴大家，他們或許也會一直想著那把叉子。

    他是對的。所以，下次伸手去拿叉子時，讓它靜靜地提醒你，最好

    的還沒來呢。Of Love

    論愛情

    培 根

    The stage is more beholding to love, than the life of man. For as to the

    stage, love is ever matter of comedies, and now and then of tragedies; but in

    life it doth much mischief; sometimes like a Siren, sometimes like a Fury.

    You may observe, that amongst all the great and worthy persons

    (whereof the memory remaineth, either ancient or recent) there is not one,that hath been transported to the mad degree of love: which show that great

    spirits, and great business, do keep out this weak passion. You must except,nevertheless, Marcus Antonius, the half partner of the empire of Rome, and

    Appius Claudius, the decemvir and lawgiver; whereof the former was indeed

    a voluptuous man, and inordinate; but the latter was an austere and wise

    man; and therefore it seems (though rarely) that love can find entrance, not

    only into an open heart, but also into a heart well fortified, if watch be not

    well kept.

    It is a poor saying of Epicurus: Satis magnum alter alteri theatrum

    sumus; as if man, made for the contemplation of heaven, and all noble

    objects, should do nothing but kneel before a little idol, and make himself asubject, though not of the mouth (as beasts are), yet of the eye; which was

    given him for higher purposes.

    It is a strange thing, to note the excess of this passion, and how it braves

    the nature, and value of things, by this; that the speaking in a perpetual

    hyperbole, is comely in nothing but in love. Neither is it merely in the

    phrase; for whereas it hath been well said, that the arch-flatterer, with whom

    all the petty flatterers have intelligence, is a man's self; certainly the lover is

    more. For there was never proud man thought so absurdly well of himself, as

    the lover doth of the person loved; and therefore it was well said, that it is

    impossible to love, and to be wise. Neither doth this weakness appear to

    others only, and not to the party loved; but to the loved most of all, except the

    love be reciproque. For it is a true rule, that love is ever rewarded, either

    with the reciproque, or with an inward and secret contempt.

    By how much the more, men ought to beware of this passion, which

    loseth not only other things, but itself! As for the other losses, the poet's

    relation doth well figure them: that he that preferred Helena, quitted the gifts

    of Juno and Pallas. For whosoever esteemeth too much of amorous affection,quitteth both riches and wisdom.

    I know not how, but martial men are given to love: I think, it is but as

    they are given to wine; for perils commonly ask to be paid in pleasures.

    There is in man's nature, a secret inclination and motion, towards love of

    others, which if it be not spent upon some one or a few, doth naturally spread

    itself towards many, and maketh men become humane and charitable; as it is

    seen sometime in friars.

    Nuptial love maketh mankind; friendly love perfecteth it; but wanton

    love corrupteth, and embaseth it.decemvir n. (古羅馬)十大執(zhí)政官之一

    voluptuous adj. 奢侈淫逸的

    austere adj. 嚴(yán)峻的，一絲不茍的

    hyperbole n. 夸張

    reciproque adj. 相互的

    martial adj. 軍隊(duì)的

    friar n. 修士

    nuptial adj. 婚姻的

    愛情在舞臺上要比在生活中美妙得多。因?yàn)樵谖枧_上，愛情總在喜

    劇中上演，偶爾才在悲劇里客串，但在生活中，愛情卻常常招來不幸，有時像誘人的海妖，有時又像復(fù)仇的女神。

    你可以看到，所有偉大的人物(無論是古代或現(xiàn)代，只要是能讓人

    銘記的)沒有一位因愛情而發(fā)狂；這說明偉人與偉業(yè)都會摒棄這種脆弱

    的感情。不過，這得除去統(tǒng)治羅馬帝國半壁江山的安東尼和執(zhí)政官克勞

    狄。前者本性就荒淫無度，后者卻是嚴(yán)肅的智者。這說明無論人是否敞

    開心懷，只要你抵御不嚴(yán)，愛情就會乘虛而入。

    伊壁鳩魯說過一句愚蠢的話：“人生不過是一場戲。”似乎為追求崇

    高事物而生的人，只應(yīng)對著一個小小的偶像屈膝，就算不像野獸那樣只

    追求口腹之欲，也只能屈服于色相，而人的眼睛應(yīng)該看向更高遠(yuǎn)的目

    標(biāo)。

    過度的愛情會夸大事物的本質(zhì)和價值。只有在愛情中，浮夸獻(xiàn)媚的

    辭令才受歡迎。而在其他場合，這樣的辭令只會讓人恥笑。古人有一句

    名言：“人們總是把最大的奉承留給自己�！薄�—只有對情人的奉承例

    外。無論最驕傲的人自視多高，也遠(yuǎn)不及情人眼中出西施的程度。所以

    老話說得好：“愛中無智者�！边@種弱點(diǎn)不僅外人看得到，被追求者也很

    清楚——除非追求是相互的。所以，愛情或者得到對方的回報，或者得到對方心里的輕蔑，這是永恒的真理。

    由此可見，人們應(yīng)當(dāng)警惕這種感情。因?yàn)樗�不但會使人喪失其他，還會讓人失去愛情本身。關(guān)于愛情讓人失去的東西，古代詩人早就給出

    了很好的說明，海倫的追求者放棄了朱諾和帕拉斯的禮物，深陷愛情難

    免失去財富和智慧。

    不知為何，軍人更容易耽于情愛，也許這正如他們喜歡飲酒一樣，危險的生活更需要?dú)g樂的補(bǔ)償。

    愛存在于人的天性之中，若不傾注于某個專一的對象，自然會廣施

    于眾人，那么他將成為仁善之人，像有的僧侶那樣。

    夫妻之愛，使人類得以繁衍；友人之愛讓人進(jìn)步；但荒淫縱欲的愛

    只會使人墮落毀滅!A Heart's-Ease

    心安草

    A story is told of a king who went into his garden one morning, and

    found everything withered and dying.

    He asked the oak that stood near the gate what the trouble was. He found

    it was sick of life and determined to die because it was not tall and beautiful

    like the pine. The pine was all out of heart because it could not bear grapes,like the vine. The vine was going to throw its life away because it could not

    stand erect and have as fine fruit as the peach tree. The geranium was

    fretting because it was not tall and fragrant like the lilac... and so on all

    through the garden.

    Coming to a heart's-ease, he found its bright face lifted as cheery as

    ever. Well, heart's-ease. I'm glad, amidst all this discouragement, to find one

    brave little flower. You do not seem to be the least disheartened.

    No, I am not of much account, but I thought that if you wanted an oak,or a pine, or a vine, or a peach tree, or a geranium, or a lilac, you would have

    planted one; but as I knew you wanted a heart's-ease, I am determined to be

    the best little heart's-ease that I can.

    withered adj. 枯萎的；凋謝的geranium n. 天竺葵

    有一天早晨，國王走進(jìn)花園，發(fā)現(xiàn)所有的花草樹木都枯萎了。

    國王問門口的一棵橡樹發(fā)生了什么事。原來，橡樹覺得自己沒有松

    樹那樣高大漂亮，所以了無生趣；松樹因?yàn)椴荒芟衿咸烟倌菢哟T果累累

    而垂頭喪氣；而葡萄藤也不想活了，因?yàn)樗�不能像桃樹那樣挺直身體，也不能結(jié)出那么甜美的果實(shí)；天竺葵也自怨自艾，因?yàn)樗鼪]有紫丁香挺

    拔、芬芳……園中所有的花草樹木都是這樣。

    國王來到一株心安草跟前，發(fā)現(xiàn)它和以往一樣精神�！鞍�，心安

    草，別的花草樹木都垂頭喪氣時，我很高興看到這樣一朵勇敢的小花。

    你看上去一點(diǎn)兒也不沮喪�！�

    “是啊，雖然我沒有什么可驕傲的，但是我想如果您想要橡樹、松

    樹、葡萄藤、桃樹、天竺葵或紫丁香的話，您會去種植它們；既然我知

    道您想要心安草，所以我就決心盡力做一株最棒的心安草�！盩he Cobbler and the Banker

    鞋匠和銀行家

    拉封丹

    The cobbler passed his time in singing from morning till night; it was

    wonderful to see, wonderful to hear him; he was more contented in making

    shoes, than was any of the seven sages.

    His neighbor, on the contrary, who was rolling in wealth, sung but little,and slept less. He was a banker; when by chance he fell into a doze at

    daybreak, the cobbler awoke him with his song. The banker complained sadly

    that Providence had not made sleep a saleable commodity, like edibles or

    drinkables.

    Having at length sent for the songster, he said to him, How much a year

    do you earn, Master George?

    How much a year, sir? said the merry cobbler laughing; I never

    reckon in that way, living as I do from one day to another; somehow I

    manage to reach the end of the year; each day brings its meal.

    Well then! How much a day do you earn, my friend?

    Sometimes more, sometimes less; but the worst of it is—and, without

    that our earnings would be very tolerable—a number of days occur in theyear on which we are forbidden to work; and the curate, moreover, is

    constantly adding some new saints to the list.

    The banker, laughing at his simplicity, said, In future I shall place you

    above want. Take this hundred crowns, preserve them carefully, and make

    use of them in time of need.

    The cobbler fancied he beheld all the wealth which the earth had

    produced in the past century for the use of mankind. Returning home, he

    buried his money and his happiness at the same time. No more singing; he

    lost his voice, the moment he acquired that which is the source of so much

    grief. Sleep quitted his dwelling; and cares, suspicions, and false alarms took

    its place. All day, his eye wandered in the direction of his treasure; and at

    night, if some stray cat made a noise, the cat was robbing him. At length the

    poor man ran to the house of his rich neighbor, whom he no longer awoke;

    Give me back, said he, sleep and my voice, and take your hundred

    crowns.

    sage n. 賢人

    Providence n. 上天；上帝

    edibles pl. n. 食品

    reckon v. 計(jì)算，數(shù)

    curate n. 堂區(qū)牧師

    鞋匠一天到晚都哼著歌，無論是看到他，還是聽他唱歌都令人心情

    愉快。做鞋子讓他心滿意足得連圣人都不愿當(dāng)。

    相反，他的鄰居很富有，卻很少唱歌，睡得也不好。他是個銀行

    家，他偶爾在黎明時才打個盹兒，卻被鞋匠的歌聲吵醒了。銀行家抱怨

    上天沒把睡眠也做成一種像食品或飲料那樣可以買賣的商品。后來，銀行家派人把這位“歌唱家”請來，問：“喬治師傅，你一年

    能掙多少錢？”

    “先生，您問我一年掙多少錢？”快樂的鞋匠笑道，“我從來沒那么

    算過，我過一天算一天，反正總能過到年底，每天都有飯錢。”

    “那么你一天掙多少錢呢，我的朋友？”

    “時多時少。不過最糟糕的是，一年中總有些日子不讓我們干活

    兒，而且牧師還總在圣徒名單上添新名字，否則我們的收入也還算不錯

    的�！�

    銀行家被他的樸實(shí)逗笑了，說道：“我會讓你以后不再為錢發(fā)愁。

    把這一百個金幣拿去吧，小心收好，需要時可以拿出來用。”

    鞋匠覺得自己看到了一百年來世界上所有的財富。回到家后，他把

    這筆錢埋了起來，同時也埋葬了他的快樂。他不再唱歌了；那筆錢給他

    帶來無數(shù)煩憂，他從此變得沉默。他的住處不再有睡眠降臨，擔(dān)心、懷

    疑和虛驚取而代之。他的目光整天徘徊于埋藏寶藏的地方；夜里，要是

    有流浪貓弄出一點(diǎn)兒聲響，他就以為是來了賊。最后，這個可憐的人跑

    到不再被他吵醒的富有的鄰居家，說：“把你的一百個金幣拿回去，把

    我的睡眠和歌聲還給我�！盬hen the Wind Blows

    起風(fēng)的時候

    Several years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He

    constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on

    farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the

    Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer

    interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

    Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer.

    Are you a good farmhand? the farmer asked him.

    Well, I can sleep when the wind blows, answered the little man.

    Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired

    him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk,and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

    Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of

    bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's

    sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, Get up! A storm is

    coming! Tie things down before they blow away!

    The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, No, sir. I told you, I

    can sleep when the wind blows.

    Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot.Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he

    discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The

    cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were

    barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing

    could blow away.

    The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to

    his bed to sleep while the wind blew, too.

    When you're prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have

    nothing to fear.

    Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand

    in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the

    storm.

    reluctant adj. 不情愿的

    havoc n. 大破壞

    tarpaulin n. 涂油防水布

    幾年前，一個農(nóng)場主在大西洋沿岸擁有一塊土地，他經(jīng)常貼廣告招

    幫工�？墒�，大多數(shù)人都不愿意在大西洋岸邊的農(nóng)場干活，害怕大西洋

    的劇烈風(fēng)暴會毀壞房屋和莊稼。農(nóng)場主招工面試時，得到的總是拒絕。

    最后，有一個已過中年的瘦小男人來到農(nóng)場主面前�！澳愀赊r(nóng)活在

    行嗎？”農(nóng)場主問他。

    “是的，起風(fēng)的時候我可以睡覺。”矮個兒男人回答。

    盡管農(nóng)場主不太明白他的意思，可實(shí)在需要幫手，于是雇傭了他。

    矮個兒男人在農(nóng)場干得不錯，從天亮一直忙到天黑，農(nóng)場主對他的工作

    很滿意。

    一天晚上，海上狂風(fēng)咆哮，農(nóng)場主從床上跳起來，提起燈沖進(jìn)隔壁幫工的住處。他晃著矮個兒男人喊道：“快起來!風(fēng)暴來了!快把東西

    系好，別刮跑了!”

    矮個兒男人在床上翻了個身，平靜地說道：“不，先生，我告訴過

    你，刮風(fēng)的時候我可以睡覺。”

    這話讓農(nóng)場主火冒三丈，氣得真想當(dāng)場解雇他�？伤�還是趕緊跑出

    去為迎接暴風(fēng)雨做準(zhǔn)備。然而，他驚訝地發(fā)現(xiàn)所有的干草垛都已經(jīng)蓋好

    了防水油布，牛入棚，雞入籠，門閂好了，百葉窗也關(guān)緊了，一切都拴

    牢了，什么東西都不會被刮走。

    農(nóng)場主這才明白了幫工的話。于是，風(fēng)刮起來的時候，他也回床上

    睡覺了。

    當(dāng)精神、心理和身體上都做好準(zhǔn)備的時候，一切就無所畏懼了。

    當(dāng)生活里的風(fēng)暴來臨時，你能否安然入睡呢？故事中的幫工能睡

    著，是因?yàn)樗�已�?jīng)為農(nóng)場做好了抵御風(fēng)暴的準(zhǔn)備。The Five Boons of Life

    人生五福

    In the morning of life came a good fairy with her basket, and said to a

    young man: Here are gifts. Take one, leave the others. And be wary, choose

    wisely! For only one of them is valuable.

    The gifts were five: Fame, Love, Riches, Pleasure, Death. The youth

    said eagerly: There is no need to consider; and he chose Pleasure.

    He went out into the world and sought out the pleasures that youth

    delights in. But each in its turn was short-lived and disappointing, vain and

    empty; and each, departing, mocked him. In the end he said: These years I

    have wasted. If I could but choose again, I would choose wisely.

    The fairy appeared, and said: Four of the gifts remain. Choose once

    more; and oh, remember—time is flying, and only one of them is precious.

    The man considered long, then chose Love; and did not mark the tears

    that rose in the fairy's eyes.

    After many, many years the man sat by a coffin, in an empty home. And

    he communed with himself, saying: One by one they have gone away and

    left me; and now she lies here, the dearest and the last. Desolation after

    desolation has swept over me; for each hour of happiness the treacherous

    trader, Love, as sold me I have paid a thousand hours of grief! Out of myheart of hearts I curse him!

    Choose again. It was the fairy speaking. The years have given you

    wisdom—surely it must be so. Three gifts remain. Only one of them has any

    worth—remember it, and choose warily.

    The man reflected long, then chose Fame; and the fairy, sighing, went

    her way.

    Years went by and she came again, and stood behind the man where he

    sat solitary in the fading day, thinking. And she knew his thought: My name

    filled the world, and its praises were on every tongue, and it seemed well

    with me for a little while. How little a while it was! Then came envy; then

    detraction; then hate; then persecution. Then derision, which is the beginning

    of the end. And last of all came pity, which is the funeral of fame. Oh, the

    bitterness and misery of renown!

    Choose yet again. It was the fairy's voice.

    Two gifts remain. And do not despair. In the beginning there was but

    one that was precious, and it is still here.

    Wealth—which is power! How blind I was! said the man. Now, at

    last, life will be worth the living. I will spend, squander. These mockers and

    despisers will crawl in the dirt before me, and I will feed my hungry heart

    with their envy. I will have all luxuries, all joys, all enchantments of the

    spirit. I will buy, buy, buy! I have lost much time, and chosen badly

    heretofore, but let that pass; I was ignorant then, and could but take for best

    what seemed so.

    Three short years went by, and a day came when the man sat shivering

    in a mean garret; and he was gaunt and wan and hollow-eyed, and clothed in

    rags; and he was gnawing a dry crust and mumbling: Curse all the world's

    gifts, for mockeries and gilded lies! And miscalled, every one. They are notgifts, but merely lendings. Pleasure, Love, Fame, Riches: they are but

    temporary disguises for lasting realities—Pain, Grief, Shame, Poverty. The

    fairy said true; in all her store there was but one gift which was precious, only

    one that was not valueless. How poor and cheap and mean I know those

    others now to be. Bring it! I am weary, I would rest.

    The fairy came, bringing again four of the gifts, but Death was wanting.

    She said: I gave it to a mother's pet, a little child. It was ignorant, but trusted

    me, asking me to choose for it. You did not ask me to choose.

    Oh, miserable me! What is left for me?

    What not even you have deserved: the wanton insult of Old Age.

    commune v. 親密交談

    treacherous adj. 奸詐的

    gaunt adj. 瘦的

    mumble v. 含糊地說

    gilded adj. 鍍金的

    生命的旭日升起的時候，一位仙女提著籃子走來，對年輕人

    說：“這兒有幾個禮物，你可以選一個，留下其他的。你要小心，做一

    個明智的選擇!因?yàn)樗鼈冎兄挥幸粋�是珍貴的。”

    禮物一共有五個：名聲，愛情，財富，快樂和死亡。年輕人迫不及

    待地說：“用不著多 ......