英語晨讀美文

英語晨讀美文.txt25愛是一盞燈，黑暗中照亮前行的遠(yuǎn)方；愛是一首詩，冰冷中溫暖渴求的心房；愛是夏日的風(fēng)，是冬日的陽，是春日的雨，是秋日的果。1、自己創(chuàng)造奇跡ExtendtheMiracle/發(fā)揮潛力，創(chuàng)造無限Myskills,mymind,myheart,andmybodywillstagnate,rot,anddielestIputthemtogooduse.Ihaveunlimitedpotential.OnlyasmallportionofmybraindoIemploy;onlyapaltryamountofmymusclesdoIflex.AhundredfoldormorecanIincreasemyaccomplishmentsofyesterdayandthisIwilldo,beginningtoday.我的技藝，我的頭腦，我的心靈，我的身體，若不善加利用，都將隨著時間的流逝而遲鈍，腐朽，甚至死亡。我的潛力無窮無盡，腦力、體能稍加開發(fā)，就能超過以往的任何成就。從今天開始。我就要開發(fā)潛力。NevermorewillIbesatisfiedwithyesterday'saccomplishmentsnorwillIindulge,anymore,inself-praisefordeedswhichinrealityaretoosmalltoevenacknowledge.IcanaccomplishfarmorethanIhave,andIwill,forwhyshouldthemiraclewhichproducedmeendwithmybirth?WhycanInotextendthatmiracletomydeedsoftoday?我不再因昨日的成績沾沾自喜，不再為微不足道的成績目吹自擂。我能做的比已經(jīng)完成的更好。我的出生并非最后一樣奇跡，為什么自己不能再創(chuàng)奇跡呢？AndIamnotonthisearthbychance.Iamhereforapurposeandthatpurposeistogrowintoamountain,nottoshrinktoagrainofsand.HenceforthwillIapplyallmyeffortstobecomethehighestmountainofallandIwillstrainmypotentialuntilitcriesformercy.我不是隨意來到這個世上的。我生來應(yīng)為高山。而非草芥。從今往后，我要竭盡全力成為群峰之巔。將我的潛能發(fā)揮到最大限度。IhavebeengiveneyestoseeandamindtothinkandnowIknowagreatsecretoflifeforIperceive,atlast,thatallmyproblems,discouragements,heartachesare,intruth,greatopportunitiesindisguise.Iwillnolongerbefooledbythegarmentstheywearformineeyesareopen.IwilllookbeyondtheclothandIwillnotbedeceived.我有雙眼，可以觀察；我有頭腦，可以思考。現(xiàn)在我已洞悉了一個人生中偉大的奧秘。我發(fā)現(xiàn)，一切問題、沮喪、悲傷，都是喬裝打扮的機(jī)遇之神。我不再被他們的外表所蒙騙，我已睜開雙眼，看破了他們的偽裝。2、做個聆聽者聆聽者/ListenerManypeopleneglectthismostimportantcommunicationskill.許多人忽視了這一最為重要的溝通技巧。Doyouknowthatwespendanaverageofourwakingdaycommunicating?你是否積壓物資我們醒著時有一半的時間是用來溝通的？Ofthiscommunicationtime,9%isspentwriting,16%reading,30%talkingand45%listening.在這段時間里，9%是通過寫，16%是讀，30%是說而45%是用來聽。Immediatelyafterhearingsomething,mostofuscanrecallonly50%ofwhatwehear.Withintwotoeightweeks,wecanrecallonly25%orlessoftheoriginalmessage.Ourmentalattitudesreduceourabilitytoretainwhatwehear.一聽完某件事，大多數(shù)人只能記住其中之一的50%，兩至八個星期內(nèi)，我們只能記得原信息的25%，甚至更少。我們的精神狀態(tài)削弱了我們的記憶能力。Somesuggestionstobeingagoodlistenerarementionedbelow.以下是關(guān)于怎樣做個好聽眾的建議：Firstofall,stoptalkingyoucan'tlistenwhileyouaretalking.首先，停止講話——你說話時是無法聽。Askquestionswhenyoudon'tunderstand,whenyouneedfurtherclarification,whenyouwantthemtolikeyouandwhenyouwanttoshowthatyouarelistening.問問題——如你不甚理解，你需要進(jìn)一步澄清，當(dāng)你希望他們喜歡你并且想證明你正在聽時。Don'tinterruptgivethemtimetosaywhattheyhavetosay.不要打岔——給他們時間說他們必須說的一切。Concentrateonwhattheyaresayingactivelyfocusyourattentionontheirwords,theirideasandtheirfeelingsastheyrelatetothesubject.集中精神聽他們說——當(dāng)他們說到主題時，主動把你的注意力放在你們的言語思想和感情上。Lookattheprospectbylooking,itgivesthemconfidencethatyouare,infact,listening.Ithelpsyoutoconcentratetoo.望著前方——通過望對方，對方就更有信心，說明你正聽他說話，這也有助于你集中精神。Leaveyouremotionsbehindtrytoforgetyourownworriesandproblems.Leavethemoutsideofthemeetingroom.Theywillpreventyoufromlisteningwell.擱置情感——暫時忘記你自己的煩惱和問題，把它們都通通留在會議室門外，因為它們會讓你沒法好好聽。Understandthemainpointsconcentrateonthemainideasandnottheillustrativematerial.理解要點——集中精力聽主要意思而非說明性材料。Don'targuementallywhenyouaretryingtounderstandotherpeople,itisahandicaptoarguewiththemmentallyastheyarespeaking.Thisonlysetsupabarrierbetweenyourselfandthespeaker.切忌激烈地爭論——如果你想理解別人哀兵必勝說的話，那么在別人說話的時候與別人激烈地爭論就會成為一大障礙。這只會在你與說話人之間設(shè)下一道鴻溝。Usethedifferenceinrateyoucanlistenfasterthanyoucantalk.Sousethisratedifferencetoyouradvantagebystayingontherighttrack,anticipatingwhattheyaregoingtosay,thinkingbackoverwhattheyhavejustsaidandevaluatingthedevelopmentoftheirargument.Youspeakatabout100to150wordsperminute,butyouthinkat250to500.不同的速率——聽總快過說。因此你應(yīng)該通過不同的估計以發(fā)揮你的優(yōu)勢。比如站在合適的位置，設(shè)想一下他們要說些什么，回想一下他們剛剛說了什么，并估計下段進(jìn)展如何，說話時的語速是一分鐘100至250至500字。Learntolistenandyouwillachieveagreatsuccessinyourlife.學(xué)會聆聽，日后定會成功。3、誠實是快樂生活的秘方Honesty/誠實是快樂生活的秘方約翰·休斯Ibelievehonestyisoneofthegreatestgiftsthereis.Iknowtheycallitalotoffancynamesthesedays,likeintegrityandforthrightness.Butitdoesn'tmakeanydifferencewhattheycallit;it'sstillwhatmakesamanagoodcitizen.Thisismycode,andItrytoliveby.我相信誠實是一件最棒的禮物。我知道如今他們給它取了許多好聽的名字，像正直和直率。但是怎么稱呼并不重要，關(guān)鍵還在于怎樣才算一個好公民。這就是我的準(zhǔn)則，我努力按這一準(zhǔn)則生活。I'vebeeninthetaxicabbusinessforthirty-fiveyears,andIknowthereisalotaboutitthatisnotsogood.TaxicabdrivershavetoberoughandtumblefellowstobeabletotakeitinNewYork.You'vegottobetoughtofighttheNewYorktrafficeighthoursaday,thesedays.Becausetaxidriversaretough,peoplegetthewrongimpressionthattheyarebad.Taxidriversarejustlikeotherpeople.Mostofthemwillshakedownashonestfellows.Youreadinthepapersalmosteveryweekwhereataxidriverturnsinmoneyorjewelsorbonds,stufflikethat,peopleleaveintheircabs.Iftheyweren'thonest,youwouldn'tbereadingthosestoriesinthepapers.我入出租車這一行已經(jīng)三十五個年頭，知道這一行有很多不好的地方。的士司機(jī)得兇狠粗暴才能在紐約干這一行。這年頭你得有副好身板兒才頂?shù)米〖~約一天八小時的交通戰(zhàn)。由于態(tài)度粗暴，人們誤認(rèn)為出租司機(jī)不是好人，其實，他們和其他人就沒啥區(qū)別。他們大多誠實，與人和睦相處。你幾乎每個星期都可以從報紙上知道某的士司機(jī)歸還了乘客掉在車?yán)锏腻X或珠寶或票據(jù)之類的東西。要不是他們誠實，你沒法在報紙上讀到那些新聞。OnetimeinBrooklyn,Ifoundanemeraldringinmycab.Irememberedhelpingaladywithalotofbundlesthatday,soIwentbacktowhereIhaddroppedheroff.Ittookmealmosttwodaystotraceherdowninordertoreturnherringtoher.Ididn'tgetasmuchas“thankyou.”Still,IfeltgoodbecauseIhaddonewhatwasright.IthinkIfeltbetterthanshedid.一次在布魯克林，我發(fā)現(xiàn)車?yán)镉幸幻蹲婺妇G鉆戒，我記得那天幫一位女士拉了很多捆行李，所以我開回到她下車的地方，幾乎花了兩天時間才找到她，把戒指還給了她。我連個謝字也沒得到，還是感到很高興，因為我做了件好事。我想我比她更高興。IwasbornandraisedinIrelandandlivedthereuntilIwasnineteenyearsold.Icametothiscountryin1913whereIheldseveraljobstoearnafewdollarsbeforeenlistinginWorldWarNumberI.Afterbeingdischarged,Iboughtmyowncabandhaveownedoneeversince.Ithasn'tbeentooeasyattimes,butmywifetakescareofourmoneyandwehaveagoodbitputawayforarainyday.我生長在愛爾蘭，在那兒呆到十九歲。1913年來到這個國家，為了掙幾個錢干了不少工作，一戰(zhàn)時當(dāng)了兵，退伍之后自己買了輛出租，從此有了自己的車。有時日子不太容易，可我老婆精打細(xì)算，我們還存了些錢，以防有個什么難處。WhenIfirststarteddrivingacab,ParkAvenuewasmostlyabunchofcoalyards.Hoofer'sBrewerywasrightnexttowheretheWaldorf-Astoriaisnow.Ididprettywell,eveninthosedays.剛開始開出租的時候，有錢人待的派克大街幾乎全是一片煤場，胡弗啤酒廠正靠近現(xiàn)在的沃爾多夫·阿斯托里亞。就是在那些年頭我干得也挺不錯。Inallmyyearsofdrivingataxicab,Ihaveneverhadanytroublewiththepublic,notevenwithdrunks.Eveniftheygetalittleheadstrongonceinawhile,Ijustagreewiththemandthentheybehavethemselves.開出租的這些年，我從沒和乘客有過糾紛，連給醉鬼開車也沒出過麻煩。就是他們偶爾有點轉(zhuǎn)不過彎，我也不和他們爭執(zhí)，他們接下來就規(guī)規(guī)矩矩了。Peopleaskmeabouttips.AsfarasIknow,practicallyeveryonewillgiveyousomething.Cometothinkofit,mostAmericansareprettygenerous.Ialwaystrytobenicetoeveryone,whethertheytipornot.IbelieveinGodandtrytobeagoodmemberofmyparish.ItrytoacttowardotherslikeIthinkGodwantsmetoact.Ihavebeentryingthisforalongtime,andthelongerItry,theeasieritgets.有人問我小費的事。據(jù)我所知，實際上每個人都會給一點。想想吧，大多數(shù)美國人是很大方的。不管給不給小費，我都盡力好好為每位乘客服務(wù)。我信仰上帝，努力成為教區(qū)的好教民。我想上帝希望我怎么對待別人，我就盡量怎么對待別人。我堅持這樣做很長時間了，時間越久，這樣做就越容易。4、呼喚自由的鸚鵡Aman,agreatman,afighterforfreedomwastravelinginthemountains.Hestayedinacaravansforthenight.Hewasamazedthatinthecaravanstherewasabeautifulparrotinagoldencage,continuallyrepeating“Freedom!Freedom!”.Anditwassuchaplacethatwhentheparrotrepeatedtheword“Freedom!”itwouldgoonechoinginthevalleys,inthemountains.一個人，一個了不起的人，一個為了自由而戰(zhàn)的斗士，正在山巒間穿行。今晚他留在一個大旅店里過夜。旅店里有一個金鳥籠，里面有一只漂亮的鸚鵡在不停地反復(fù)呼喊著“自由！自由！”，這讓他很震驚。那里是這樣的一種地方，當(dāng)這只鸚鵡不斷地反復(fù)呼喊“自由！”的時候，這個詞便會在山巒間、在深谷中久久回蕩。Themanthought:“Ihaveseenmanyparrots,andIhavethoughttheymustwanttobefreefromthosecages…butIhaveneverseensuchaparrotwhosewholeday,fromthemorningtotheeveningwhenhegoestosleep,isspentincallingoutforfreedom.”Hehadanidea.Inthemiddleofthenight,whentheownerwasfastasleep,hegotupandopenedthedoorofthecage.Hewhisperedtotheparrot,“Nowgetout.”這個人想：“我看到過很多鸚鵡，也曾想過他們一定想從這些籠子里飛出去獲得自由……但是，我從沒有見過這樣的鸚鵡，從早到晚，直到入睡，一整天都在呼喊著自由。”他有了一個想法……午夜，當(dāng)?shù)曛魇焖臅r候，他悄悄起身，打開了鳥籠門，小聲地對鸚鵡說：“現(xiàn)在，出去吧?！盉uthewasverysurprisedthattheparrotwasclingingtothebarsofthecage.Hesaidtohimagainandagain,“Haveyouforgottenaboutfreedom?Justgetout!Thedoorisopenandtheownerisfastasleep;nobodywilleverknow.Youjustflyintothesky;thewholeskyisyours.”但是令他吃驚的是這只鸚鵡竟抓著鳥籠的橫木不放。他對它一遍又一遍地說：“你忘了自由了嗎？快出去！門開著，店主熟睡著，沒有人會看到。你只要飛向天空，整片天空就是你的了?！盉uttheparrotwasclingingsodeeply,sohard,thatthemansaid,“Whatisthematter?Areyoumad?”Hetriedtotaketheparrotoutwithhisownhands,buttheparrotstartedpeckingathim,andatthesametimehewasshouting,“Freedom!Freedom!”Thevalleysinthenightechoedandre-echoed,butthemanwasalsostubborn；hewasafreedomfighter.但是鸚鵡仍然牢牢地用力抓著橫木不放，于是他說：“怎么了？你瘋了嗎？”他試圖用手把鸚鵡弄出來，但是鸚鵡卻開始啄他，同時大喊：“自由！自由！”深夜的山谷里蕩起了一聲又一聲的回音，可是這個人也一樣地頑固，誰讓他是個自由之士呢。Hepulledtheparrotoutandthrewhimintothesky;andhewasverysatisfied,althoughhishandwashurt.Theparrothadattackedhimasforcefullyashecould,butthemanwasimmenselysatisfiedthathehadmadeasoulfree.Hewenttosleep.他把鸚鵡拽出來，扔向空中。他很滿意，盡管他的手受傷了。雖然鸚鵡全力地攻擊他，但是他卻心滿意足，因為他使得一個靈魂自由了。他便回去繼續(xù)睡他的覺。Inthemorning,asthemanwaswakingup,heheardtheparrotshouting,“Freedom!Freedom!”Hethoughtperhapstheparrotmustbesittingonatreeoronarock.Butwhenhecameout,theparrotwassittinginthecage.Thedoorwasopen.5、積極看待每一天ThinkPositiveThoughtsEveryDayIfyourlifefeelslikeitislackingthepowerthatyouwantandthemotivationthatyouneed,sometimesallyouhavetodoisshiftyourpointofview.如果你覺得心有余力不足，覺得缺乏前進(jìn)的動力，有時候你只需要改變思維的角度。WelcometoFaithRadioOnline-SimplytoRelax,I'mFaith.Bytrainingyourthoughtstoconcentrateonthebrightsideofthings,youaremorelikelytohavetheincentivetofollowthroughonyourgoals.Youarelesslikelytobeheldbackbynegativeideasthatmightlimityourperformance.歡迎收聽Faith輕松電臺，我是Faith。試著訓(xùn)練自己的思想朝好的一面看，這樣你就會汲取實現(xiàn)目標(biāo)的動力，而不會因為消極沉淪停滯不前。Yourlifecanbeenhanced,andyourhappinessenriched,whenyouchoosetochangeyourperspective.Don'tleaveyourfuturetochance,orwaitforthingstogetbettermysteriouslyontheirown.Youmustgointhedirectionofyourhopesandaspirations.Begintobuildyourconfidence,andworkthroughproblemsratherthanavoidthem.Rememberthatpowerisnotnecessarilycontroloversituations,buttheabilitytodealwithwhatevercomesyourway.一旦變換看問題的角度，你的生活會豁然開朗，幸?？鞓窌吁喽鴣?。別交出掌握命運的主動權(quán)，也別指望局面會不可思議地好轉(zhuǎn)。你必須與內(nèi)心希望與熱情步調(diào)一致。建立自信，敢于與困難短兵相接，而非繞道而行。記住，力量不是駕馭局勢的法寶，無堅不摧的能力才是最重要的。Alwaysbelievethatgoodthingsarepossible,andrememberthatmistakescanbelessonsthatleadtodiscoveries.Takeyourfearandtransformitintotrust;learntoriseaboveanxietyanddoubt.Turnyour“worryhours”into“productivehours”.Taketheenergythatyouhavewastedanddirectittowardeveryworthwhileeffortthatyoucanbeinvolvedin.請堅信，美好的降臨并非不可能，失誤也許是成功的前奏。將惶恐化作信任，學(xué)會超越擔(dān)憂和疑慮。讓“誠惶誠恐”的時光變得“富有成效”。不要揮霍浪費精力，將它投到有意義的事情中去。ThisisFaithatFaithRadioOnline-SimplytoRelax.Youwillseebeautifulthingshappenwhenyouallowyourselftoexperiencethejoysoflife.Youwillfindhappinesswhenyouadoptpositivethinkingintoyourdailyroutineandmakeitanimportantpartofyourworld.你正在收聽的是Faith主持的Faith輕松電臺。當(dāng)你下意識品嘗生命的歡愉時，美好就會出現(xiàn)。當(dāng)你積極地看待生活，并以此作為你的日常準(zhǔn)則時，你就會找到快樂的真諦。6、假如生命可以重來IfIHadMyLifetoLiveOver/如果我能再活一次IwouldhavegonetobedwhenIwassickinsteadofpretendingtheearthwouldgointoaholdingpatternifIweren'ttherefortheday.生病的時候我就臥床休息，不會假裝自己一天不工作，地球就會停止轉(zhuǎn)動。Iwouldhaveburnedthepinkcandlesculptedlikearosebeforeitmeltedinstorage.我要將雕成玫瑰花狀的粉紅蠟燭點上，而不讓它在閑置中溶化。Iwouldhaveeatenthepopcorninthe“good”livingroomandworriedmuchlessaboutthedirtwhensomeonewantedtolightafireinthefireplace.我要在“講究”的客廳里吃爆玉米花。倘若有人在壁爐生火帶出了爐灰，我不會操那么多閑心。Iwouldneverhaveinsistedthecarwindowsberolleduponasummerdaybecausemyhairhadjustbeenteasedandsprayed.我決不會因為夏天頭發(fā)剛剛梳理過、噴過發(fā)膠，就一定要把車窗玻璃搖起來。Iwouldhavecriedandlaughedlesswhilewatchingtelevision—andmorewhilewatchinglife.看電視我要少哭一點，少笑一點，看生活我要多哭一點，多笑一點。Iwouldneverhaveboughtanythingjustbecauseitwaspractical,wouldn'tshowsoil,orwasguaranteedtolastalifetime.我買東西不會只看它很實用，不顯臟，或能保證用一輩子。Butmostly,givenanothershotatlife,Iwouldseizeeveryminute…lookatitandreallyseeit…liveit…andnevergiveitback.但總的來說，如果再讓我活一回，我要把握好分分秒秒，留心生活，真正關(guān)注生活，品味生活，決不使歲月蹉跎。Don'tworryaboutwhodoesn'tlikeyou,whohasmoremoney,orwho'sdoingwhat.Instead,let'scherishtherelationshipswehavewiththosewhodoloveus.Let'sthinkaboutwhatGodhasblesseduswith,andwhatwearedoingeachdaytopromoteourselvesmentally,physically,emotionally.不擔(dān)心誰不喜歡我，誰比我富有，或者誰在干什么。讓我們珍惜與真心關(guān)愛我們的人之間那份感情。讓我們多想想上帝賜予我們的福分。多想想我們每天做了哪些有益于自己思想、身體、感情和精神的事。7、世界沒有我依舊運轉(zhuǎn)ThreeO'CatIsStillaGame/沒有我世界照常運轉(zhuǎn)LillianBuenoMccue/莉蓮·比諾·麥丘WhatdoIbelieve?WhatlawsdoIliveby?Therearesomanyanswers-work,beauty,truth,love-andIhopeIdolivebythem.什么是我所信仰的？什么是我生活的準(zhǔn)則？答案很多，比如工作、美麗、真理、愛心，但愿我能以它們?yōu)闇?zhǔn)則。ButineverydaythingsIlivebythelightofasupplementarysetoflaws.I'dbettercallthemrulesofthumb.Rulesofthumbaren'tverygrand,buttheydomakethewheelsgoround.然而，生活中的我還履行著另外一套附加的法則，即經(jīng)驗法則。這一法則雖然簡單，但卻能使事情順利地進(jìn)行下去。Myfatherandmothersentmetogoodschools,butthefinestthingtheydidformyeducationwastohavesevenchildren.Iwastheoldest,andmybrothersandsistersweremybestteachers.父母把我送到一所很好的學(xué)校學(xué)習(xí)，但養(yǎng)育了7個孩子，才是他們?yōu)槲业慕逃龅淖詈玫氖隆Ｎ沂羌抑虚L女，而弟弟妹妹就是我最好的老師。Ilearnedfirsttopullmyownweightintheboat.Kidsmakingabob-sledhavenousefortheloaferwhowantsafreeride.Neitherhastheworld.IlearnedtomakethebedIsleptin,andwashtheglassIused,andmendwhatIbroke,andmopupwhereIspilled.AndifIwastoolazyortoodaintyortoobusy,andleftitforsomeoneelse,somebodyelsesoontaughtmedifferent.我最先學(xué)會了身為長女的責(zé)任。對一個想搭順風(fēng)車的流浪者來說，會做雪橇的孩子毫無用處。對這些孩子而言，世界也是如此。我學(xué)會了睡覺前自己鋪床，洗自己用過的杯子，修補(bǔ)自己弄壞的東西，用拖布拖干自己濺到地上的水。如果我過于懶惰、挑剔或忙碌，而讓別人來做這些事，馬上就會有人教我不能這么做。Then,thesameway,Ilearnedthatangerisawaste.Ithurtsnobodybutme.Afitofthesullensgotshortshriftinourhouse.Itwasn'tpullingmyweightintheboat.Itwasspoilingsport.Andamongsevenchildrenitgotmenowhere.Itmightreducefouro'cattothreeo'cat,butthegamewentonjustthesame,andwherewasI?Outofit.Bettergoinandjointhegrouparoundthepianoandforgetmygrievance.Betterstill,nexttimedon'tflingdownmybatinatantrum;keepmytemper,andstayinthegame.于是，我同樣也明白了生氣于事無補(bǔ)。除了我自己，它傷害不了任何人。在我們家里，悶悶不樂是不會有人搭理你的。盡管不是我的責(zé)任，但卻會讓人覺得掃興。何況在7個孩子中間生悶氣對我并沒有好處。沒有我，“4只小貓”的游戲變成“3只小貓”，一樣可以玩得很好。而我呢？只能被排除在外了。最好的辦法就是，忘掉自己的委屈，加入他們，和大家一起圍著鋼琴玩。還有，最好下次不要再亂發(fā)脾氣；控制好自己的情緒，繼續(xù)玩游戲。Here'sarulethumbthat'simportant,andtheolderIget,themoreimportantIthinkitis.WhenIcandosomething,andsomebodywantsmetodoit,Ihavetodoit.Thegreattragedyoflifeisnottobeneeded.Aslongasyouareableandwillingtodothingsforpeople,youwillbeneeded.Ofcourseyouareable;andifso,youcan'tsayno.Mymotherisseventy-seven.Inseventy-sevenyearsshehasneversaidno.Todaysheissomuchindemandbythirteengrandchildrenandcountlessneighborsthatherpresenceiseagerlycontendedfor.WhenIwanttoseeherIhavetopretendemergency.此外，還有一條經(jīng)驗法則同樣重要。隨著慢慢長大，我也越來越認(rèn)識到它的重要性。當(dāng)我有能力做一件事，有人也希望我做時，我就必須去做。不為人所需是人生中最大的悲劇。只要你有能力并愿意為人們做一些事，人們就會需要你。你肯定能夠做到，那就不要推辭。我的母親已經(jīng)77歲了。但77年來她從未說過“不”字。如今，她的13個孫兒和無數(shù)的鄰居依然很需要她，希望她能在身邊。因此當(dāng)我想見她時，不得不假裝有緊急的事情。Thenthere'stheruleofcuriosity.Yourbodywoulddieifyoustoppedfeelinghungerandthirst,andyourmindwilldieifyouloseyourcuriosity.ThisIlearnedfrommyfather.Myfatherwasanaturalist.Hecouldseethebeetleunderthebark,anddrawitforthunharmedforustosquintatthroughthemagnifyingglass.Hesampledthetasteofthirty-threedifferentcaterpillars.Firedbyhisexample,once,mysisterateanant.Incaseyouarewondering,caterpillarstastelikethegreenleavestheyeat,andantstasteoflemon.Ipersonallyhaven'ttastedanyentomologicalspecimenslately,butIamstillrejoicinginthelimitlesscuriosity,thedrawsmetobooksandpeopleandplaces.IhopeIneverloseit.Itwouldbelikepullingdowntheblind.除此之外，還有好奇法則。當(dāng)你感覺不到饑餓和干渴時，你的身體就停止運轉(zhuǎn)了；如果你失去了好奇心，那你的思想就不再工作了。這是父親傳授給我的。他是一位博物學(xué)家。他能看到樹皮下的甲蟲，并把它毫發(fā)無傷地捉下來，放在放大鏡下讓我們看。他嘗過33種不同毛蟲的味道。有一次，在父親的示范與鼓勵下，妹妹吃了一只螞蟻。假如你對它們的味道感到好奇，我會告訴你，毛蟲的味道就像它們所吃的樹葉，而螞蟻的味道像檸檬。我個人最近并未品嘗任何昆蟲的標(biāo)本，但我仍欣喜于自己無限的好奇心，它促使我博覽群書、樂于與人交往和四處旅行。我希望永遠(yuǎn)擁有好奇心。沒有它，就仿佛放下了窗簾，讓我無法欣賞到窗外的美景。Finally,thereistheruleofhappiness.Happinessisahabit.Iwastaughttocultivateit.Abigstomach-ache,orabigheart-ache,caninterrupthappiness,butneithercandestroyitunlessIpermit.Mymothersimplywouldn'thaveunhappyfacesmopingabouttheplace.Ifitwasstomach-ache,shedoesit.Ifitwasheart-ache,sheadministeredloveandunderstandingandlotsofinterestingthingstodo,andsoonthesuncameoutagain.Eventheheartbreaksthatcan'treallybemended,eventhoseseemtoyieldtothehabitoffindinghappinessindoingthings,inloveandinthememoryoflove.IhopeIneverlosethathabiteither.Itwouldbelikeputtingoutthelight.最后，還有幸福法則。幸福是一種習(xí)慣。我學(xué)會了去養(yǎng)成這種習(xí)慣。劇烈的胃痛與心痛都會阻礙幸福，但沒有我的允許，它們絕對無法破壞幸福。母親不愿意看到家中有人悶悶不樂。如果有人胃痛，母親會給他吃藥；如果是心痛，她會給予愛和理解，并做很多有趣的事讓他忘記痛苦，重新展露笑顏。即使心碎了，無法再修補(bǔ)，即使有人習(xí)慣在工作、愛與愛的回憶中尋找幸福，我也希望我永遠(yuǎn)不會將這一習(xí)慣丟棄。擁有它，就仿佛點亮了生命的明燈。SoIlearnedtolive,bythegreatlaws,andtheselittlerulesofthumb.Iwouldn'ttakeamilliondollarsforanyoneofthem,oramilliontimesthatfortheyearsathomethattaughtthemtome.因此，我學(xué)會了生活，并遵循著偉大的定律與這些瑣碎的經(jīng)驗法則。即使給我100萬美元，也換不去它們中的任何一個；或者即使給我無盡的時間，也無法交換那些讓我懂得這些法則的家中歲月。8、微塵與棟梁Itiscuriousthatourownoffensesshouldseemsomuchlessheinousthantheoffensesofothers.Isupposethereasonisthatweknowallthecircumstancesthathaveoccasionedthemandsomanagetoexcuseinourselveswhatwecannotexcuseinothers.Weturnourattentionawayfromourowndefects,andwhenweareforcedbyuntowardeventstoconsiderthem,finditeasytocondonethem.ForallIknowwearerighttodothis;theyarepartofusandwemustacceptthegoodandbadinourselvestogether.讓人奇怪的是，和別人的過錯比起來，我們自身的過錯往往不是那樣的可惡。我想，其原因應(yīng)該是我們知曉一切導(dǎo)致自己犯錯的情況，因此能夠設(shè)法諒解自己的錯誤，而別人的錯誤卻不能諒解。我們對自己的缺點不甚關(guān)注，即便是深陷困境而不得不正視它們的時候，我們也會很容易就寬恕自己。據(jù)我所知，我們這樣做是正確的。缺點是我們自身的一部分，我們必須接納自己的好和壞。Butwhenwecometojudgeothers,itisnotbyourselvesaswereallyarethatwejudgethem,butbyanimagethatwehaveformedofourselvesfromwhichwehaveleftouteverythingthatoffendsourvanityorwoulddiscreditusintheeyesoftheworld.Totakeatrivialinstance:howscornfulwearewhenwecatchsomeoneouttellingalie;butwhocansaythathehasnevertoldnotone,butahundred?但是當(dāng)我們評判別人的時候，情況就不同了。我們不是通過真實的自我來評判別人，而是用一種自我形象來評判，這種自我形象完全摒棄了在任何世人眼中會傷害到自己的虛榮或者體面的東西。舉一個小例子來說：當(dāng)覺察到別人說謊時，我們是多么地蔑視他??！但是，誰能夠說自從未說過謊？可能還不止一百次呢。Thereisnotmuchtochoosebetweenmen.Theyareallahotchpotchofgreatnessandlittleness,ofvirtueandvice,ofnobilityandbaseness.Somehavemorestrengthofcharacter,ormoreopportunity,andsoinonedirectionoranothergivetheirinstinctsfreerplay,butpotentiallytheyarethesame.Formypart,IdonotthinkIamanybetteroranyworsethanmostpeople,butIknowthatifIsetdowneveryactioninmylifeandeverythoughtthathascrossedmymind,theworldwouldconsidermeamonsterofdepravity.Theknowledgethatthesereveriesarecommontoallmenshouldinspireonewithtolerancetooneselfaswellastoothers.Itiswellalsoiftheyenableustolookuponourfellows,eventhemosteminentandrespectable,withhumor,andiftheyleadustotakeourselvesnottooseriously.人和人之間沒什么大的差別。他們皆是偉大與渺小，善良與邪惡，高尚與低俗的混合體。有的人性格比較堅毅，機(jī)會也比較多，因而達(dá)個或那個方面，能夠更自由地發(fā)揮自己的稟賦，但是人類的潛能卻都是相同的。至于我自己，我認(rèn)為自己并不比大多數(shù)人更好或者更差，但是我知道，假如我記下我生命中每一次舉動和每一個掠過我腦海的想法的話，世界就會將我視為一個邪惡的怪物。每個人都會有這樣的怪念頭，這樣的認(rèn)識應(yīng)當(dāng)能夠啟發(fā)我們寬容自己，也寬容他人。同時，假如因此我們得以用幽默的態(tài)度看待他人，即使是天下最優(yōu)秀最令人尊敬的人，而且假如我們也因此不把自己看得過于重要，那是很有裨益的。9、幸運的禮服TheBlessedDress/幸運的禮服IgotanengagementringforChristmas.MyboyfriendandIhadbeendatingforalmostayearandbothfeltthetimewasrighttojoinourlivestogetherinholymatrimony.圣誕節(jié)的時候我戴上了訂婚戒指。我和男友交往已快一年，我們都感到是攜手步入神圣的婚姻殿堂的時候了。ThemonthofJanuarywasspentplanningourperfectAlabamaJunewedding.Mymother,twosistersandIwenttoHuntsville,theclosesttownwithaselectionofbridalshops,tobuythegownthatwouldplaytheleadingroleonmyspecialoccasion.整個一月份我都忙于計劃我們將于六月份在阿拉巴馬州舉行的美麗婚禮。我和母親，連同兩個姐姐前往最近的城市漢斯維爾的一些新娘服裝店去挑選結(jié)婚禮服－這可是婚禮中至關(guān)重要的一個環(huán)節(jié)。Wehadawonderfultimejustbeingtogetherandsharingsillyjokes,butthedaysoonturnedseriousbyafternoon:stillnosignofthedressofmydreams.Bothsisterswerereadytogiveupandtryanotherdayinanothertown,butIcoercedthemintoonemoreboutique.我們母女四個高高興興，互相開著玩笑。但是等到了下午氣氛就變得嚴(yán)肅起來：仍然沒有我夢想中的結(jié)婚禮服的絲毫影子。我的兩個姐姐都已經(jīng)準(zhǔn)備就此打道回府，改天再到其它的城鎮(zhèn)去買，但是我迫使她們陪我再多看一家小店。Ihadagoodfeelingasweenteredthequaintlittleshopfilledwiththescentoffreshflowers.Theelderlyclerkshowedusseveralbeautifulgownsinmysizeandpricerange,butnonewereright.AsIopenedthedoortoleave,thedesperateshopownerannouncedshehadonemoredressinthebackthatwasexpensiveandnotevenmysize,butperhapsImightwanttolookatitanyway.Whenshebroughtitout,Isquealedindelight.當(dāng)我們進(jìn)入這家滿是新鮮花香的精致小店時，我有一種很好的預(yù)感。上年紀(jì)的店員讓我們看了幾件適合我穿的美麗的禮服，價格也都在我的預(yù)算之內(nèi)，但是都不是我想要的。正當(dāng)我打開店門準(zhǔn)備離開之即，孤注一擲的老板娘喊道，在后面庫里還有一件禮服，這件禮服很貴，甚至沒有我穿的號碼，但是也許我還是想看一眼。當(dāng)她拿出來時，我欣喜的叫出聲來。Thiswasit!就是這一件了！Irushedtothedressingroomandslippediton.EventhoughitwasatleasttwosizestoolargeandmorecostlythanIhadanticipated,ItalkedMomintobuyingit.Theshopwassosmallitdidn'tofferalterations,butmyexcitementassuredmeIwouldbeabletogetitresizedinmyhometown.我沖進(jìn)試衣間把身體滑進(jìn)去。盡管它至少要大上兩碼，價格也比我預(yù)想的要高很多，我仍說服了母親買下了它。這家店很小，連改衣服的服務(wù)都不提供，但是在激動之余，我確信能在家鄉(xiāng)把它改好。Excitementwasn'tenough.OnMondaymorning,myworldcrumbledwhenthelocalsewingshopinformedmethedresssimplycouldnotbealteredbecauseofnumeroushand-sewnpearlsandsequinsonthebodice.Icalledtheboutiqueforsuggestionsbutonlygottheiransweringmachine.然而盲目的激動是無濟(jì)于事的。禮拜一早上，當(dāng)我們那兒的裁縫店告訴我禮服上手縫的珠子和飾片太多因而沒法改動時我傻眼了。我打電話給那家服裝店尋求建議，聽到的卻只是機(jī)器的自動應(yīng)答。Afriendgavemethenumberofaladyacrosstownwhoworkedathomedoingalterations.Iwasdesperateandwillingtotryanything,soIdecidedtogiveheracall.一個朋友給我鎮(zhèn)上一個裁縫的電話，這個裁縫在家里做活。在絕望之余，我愿意進(jìn)行任何嘗試。于是我決定給她打個電話。WhenIarrivedathermodestwhitehouseontheoutskirtsoftown,shecarefullyinspectedmydressandaskedmetotryiton.Sheputahandfulofpinsintotheshouldersandsidesofmygownandtoldmetopickitupintwodays.Shewastheanswertomyprayers.當(dāng)我趕到她在城鎮(zhèn)郊區(qū)的簡陋的白色房子里時，她仔細(xì)的察看了我的禮服，并讓我穿上。她用別針將禮服的肩膀處和兩側(cè)別上，讓我兩天后來取衣服。她正是我祈禱的福音。Whenthetimecametopickitup,however,Igrewskeptical.HowcouldIhavebeensofoolishastojustleavea$1,200weddingdressinthehandsofsomeoneIbarelyknew?Whatifshemadeamessoutofit?Ihadnoideaifshecouldevensewonabutton.該去取衣服了，我卻忐忑不安起來。我怎么這么愚蠢，將一件價值1200美元的禮服交到一個一點兒也不了解的人手里？如果她改壞了怎么辦？我甚至不知道她會不會縫扣子。Thankgoodnessmyfearswereallfornaught.Thedressstilllookedexactlythesame,butitnowfitasifithadbeenmadeespeciallyforme.Ithankedthecheerfulladyandpaidhermodestfee.謝天謝地，我的擔(dān)心都是多余的。禮服仍跟以前一樣，不過現(xiàn)在我穿上正合適，仿佛它是為我度身定造的一樣。我謝過那個高興的女裁縫，并付了錢。Onesmallproblemsolvedjustintimeforabiggeronetoemerge.OnValentine'sDay,myfiancecalled.然而這只是解決了一個小問題，更大的問題在后面。情人節(jié)那天，未婚夫打來電話。“Sandy,I'vecometothedecisionthatI'mnotreadytogetmarried,”heannounced,nonetoogently.“Iwanttotravelandexperiencelifeforafewyearsbeforesettlingdown.”“Sandy，我決定了，我還沒有對婚姻做好準(zhǔn)備，”他宣布，語氣一點也不溫柔?！霸诔杉抑?，我要到各處走走，享受幾年生活。Heapologizedfortheinconvenienceofleavingalltheweddingcancellationstomeandthenquicklylefttown.他對把取消婚禮的所有麻煩留給我表示歉意，然后很快離開了這個城鎮(zhèn)。Myworldturnedupsidedown.Iwasangryandheartbrokenandhadnoideahowtorecover.Butdaysflewintoweeksandweeksblendedintomonths.Isurvived.我的世界被顛覆了。我憤怒，心碎，不知道如何撐過去。然而隨著日子一天天，一月月流走，我熬過去了。Onedayinthefallofthesameyear,whilestandinginlineatthesupermarket,Iheardsomeonecallingmyname.Iturnedaroundtoseethealterationslady.Shepolitelyinquiredaboutmywedding,andwasshockedtodiscoverithadbeencalledoff,butagreeditwasprobablyforthebest.這個秋季的一天，在超市排隊結(jié)帳的時候，我聽見有人叫我的名字。一扭頭，看到那個女裁縫。她很有禮貌的問起我的婚禮，得知被取消她十分吃驚，但隨后同意未知的也許是最好的。Ithankedheragainforadjustingmyweddinggown,andassuredheritwassafelybaggedandawaitingthedayIwouldwearitdowntheaisleonthearmofmyreal”MisterRight.“Withasparkleinhereye,shebegantellingmeabouthersingleson,Tim.EventhoughIwasn'tinterestedindatingagain,Ilethertalkmeintomeetinghim.我再一次感謝她成功修改了我的結(jié)婚禮服，并向她保證，禮服被我安全的放起來了，等待我穿上它挽著我真正的”白馬王子“走上紅地毯的一天。她眼睛里閃過亮光，開始跟我談起她的單身的兒子Tim。盡管我對重新約會沒有興趣，我還是聽任她給我安排跟她兒子的約會。Ididhavemysummerweddingafterall,onlyayearlater.AndIdidgettowearthedressofmydreams-standingbesideTim,themanIhavesharedthelasteighteenyearsofmylifewith,whomIwouldneverhavemetwithoutthatspecialweddinggown.我的夏季婚禮最終成為現(xiàn)實，只不過是一年以后。站在Tim身旁，我終于穿上了我夢中的結(jié)婚禮服。在隨后的十八年里，我們相親相愛，相濡以沫。如果不是因為這件特殊的禮服，我們永遠(yuǎn)不會相遇。10、自己創(chuàng)造奇跡ExtendtheMiracle/發(fā)揮潛力，創(chuàng)造無限Myskills,mymind,myheart,andmybodywillstagnate,rot,anddielestIputthemtogooduse.Ihaveunlimitedpotential.Onlyasmallportionof