———年轻人要读的50篇文章 1. Life Struggle----生命的拼搏
对强者而言，磨难犹如刀剑，使他愈见锋芒，诚如孟子所言：“天将降大任于斯人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨„„”不经过磨难的生活，日子未免过得乏味；不经过磨难的命运，人生便显得苍白。就生命而言，总是从平坦中获得的效益少，从磨难中获得的教益深。
Once upon a time in a land far far away, there was a wonderful old man who loved everything. Animals, spiders, insects...
One day while walking through the woods the nice old man found a cocoon of a butterfly. He took it home.
A few days later, a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It
appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily.
But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any
moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.
It never was able to fly.
What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were Nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly.
2．坚持你的梦想
I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Sedro. He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs.
The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, \"I want to tell you why I let Jack use my house. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from farm and ranch-to-ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy's
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high school career was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.
\"That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on the 200-acre dream ranch.
\"He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, 'See me after class.'
\"The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, 'Why did I receive an F?'
\"The teacher said, 'this is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud fees. There's no way you could ever do it.' Then the teacher added, 'If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.'
\"The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, 'Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this However, I think it is a very important decision for you.'
\"Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, 'You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream.'\"
Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, \"I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper
framed over the fireplace.\" He added, \"The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same school-teacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week.\" When the teacher was leaving, he said, 'Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids' dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.'\"
Don't let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.
Questions:
1.Who told Monty to keep his dream? 2.What's Monty's dream? Does it come true?
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3．人生絮语：爱在心里成长
Maybe God wants us to meet a few wrong people before meeting the right one so that when we finally meet the right person, we will know how to be grateful for that gift.
When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.
The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.
It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.
Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they'll love you back! Don't expect love in return; just wait for it to grow in their heart but if it doesn't, be content it grew in yours. It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.
Don't go for looks; they can deceive. Don't go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one that makes your heart smile.
4．生活中的“砖头”
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.
As his car passed, one child appeared, and a brick smashed into the Jag's side door. He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown.
He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, \"What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?\" Building up a head of steam, he went on\"That's a new car and that brick you threw is gonna cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?\"Ys
\"Please,mister, please,I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do!\"pleaded the youngster.
\"It's my brother,\" he said. \"He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up.
Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, \"Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me.\"
Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay.
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\"Thank you, sir. And God bless you,\" the grateful child said to him. The man then watched the little boy push his brother to the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long walk backs to his Jaguar... a long, slow walk. He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.
Life whispers in your soul and speaks to your heart. Sometimes, when you don't have the time to listen... Life throws a brick at your head.
It's your choice: Listen to the whispers of your soul or wait for the brick!
5．人生絮语：生命只有一次
There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real!
Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy.
Always put yourself in others' shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person, too.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of
everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
Happiness lies for those who cry, those who hurt, those who have searched, and those who have tried, for only they can appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives. Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss and ends with a tear. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
Please send this message to those people who mean something to you, to those who have touched your life in one way or another, to those who make you smile when you really need it, to those that make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down, to those who you want to let them know that you appreciate their friendship. And if you don't, don't worry, nothing bad will happen to you, you will just miss out on the opportunity to brighten someone's day with this message.
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6．一杯牛奶的温暖
A Glass of Milk 一杯牛奶的温暖
One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through
school by selling goods door to door found that he only had one dime left. He was hungry so he decided to beg for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, \"How much do I owe you?\"
\"You don't owe me anything,\" she replied. \"Mother has taught me never to accept pay for a kindness.\" He said, \"Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.\" As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but it also increased his faith in God and the human race. He was about to give up and quit before this point. Years later the young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where
specialists can be called in to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly, now famous was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.
Immediately, he rose and went down through the hospital hall into her room.
Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room and determined to do his best to save her life. From that day on, he gave special attention to her case.
After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to her room. She was afraid to open it because she was positive that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off. Finally she looked, and the note on the side of the bill caught her attention. She read these words... \"Paid in full with a glass of milk.\"
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as she prayed silently: \"Thank You, God. Your love has spread through human hearts and hands.\"
7．关于幸福的真谛 A Simply Truth About Happiness
After I gave a talk on the subject of happiness, a woman in the audience stood up and said, \"I wish my husband had come.\" \"Much as I loved him,\" she explained, \"it wasn't easy being married to someone so unhappy.\" This woman enabled me to put into words what I had been searching for -- altruistic, as well as the personal, reasons for taking happiness seriously. I told her that each of us owes it to our spouse, our children, our friends to be as happy as we can.
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I was not a particularly happy child, and like most teenagers, I took pleasure in my anguish. One day, however, it occurred to me that I was taking the easy way out. Anyone could be unhappy; it took no courage and effort. True achievement lay in struggling to be happy. The notion that we have to work at happiness comes as news to many people. We assume it's a feeling that comes as a result of good things that just happen to us, things over which we have little or no control. But the opposite is true: happiness is largely under our control. It is a battle to be fought and not a feeling to be awaited. To achieve a happy life, it's necessary to overcome some stumbling blocks, three of which are:
Notealtruistic: adj. 无私心的 spouse: n. 配偶（指夫或妻） anguish: n. 痛苦，苦恼 stumble: v. 绊倒，踌躇 Comparison with Others
Most of us compare ourselves with anyone we think is happier -- a relative, an acquaintance or, often someone we barely know. I once met a young man who struck me as particularly successful and happy. He spoke of his love for his beautiful wife and their three daughters, and of his joy at being a radio talk-show host in a city he loved. I remember thinking that he was one of those lucky few for whom everything goes effortlessly right. Then we started talking about the Internet. He blessed its existence, he told me, because he could look up information on multiple sclerosis -- the terrible disease afflicting his wife. I felt like a fool for assuming nothing unhappy existed in his life. Noteacquaintance: n. 熟人 sclerosis: n. 硬化症 Images of Perfection
Almost all of us have images of how life should be. The problem, of course, is that only rarely do people's jobs, spouses and children live up to these imagined ideals. Here's a personal example: no one in my family had ever divorced. I assumed that marriage was for life. So when my wife and I divorced after five years of marriage and three years after the birth of our son, my world collapsed. I was a failure in my own eyes. I later remarried and confided to my wife that I couldn't shake the feeling that my family life had failed. She asked me what was wrong with our family now(which included her daughter from a previous marriage and my son). I had to admit that, aside from the pain of being with my son only half the time(my ex-wife and I shared custody), our family life was wonderful. \" Then why don' t you
celebrate it?\" she asked. That' s what I decided to do. But first I had to get rid of a \"perfect\" family.
Notedivorce: v. 离婚 collapse: v.倒塌，崩溃 \"Missing Tile\" Syndrome
One effective way of destroying happiness is to look at something and focus on even the smallest flaw. It's like looking at the tiled ceiling and concentrating on the space where one tile is missing. As a bald man told me, \"whenever I enter a room, all I see is hair. \" Once you've
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determined what your missing tile is, explore whether acquiring it will really make you happy. Then do one of the three things: get it, replace it with a different tile, or forget about it and focus on the tiles in your life that are not missing.
We all know people who have had a relatively easy life yet are essentially unhappy. And we know people who have suffered a great deal but generally remain happy.
The first secret is gratitude. All happy people are grateful. Ungrateful people cannot be happy. We tend to think that being unhappy leads people to complain, but it's truer to say that complaining leads to people becoming unhappy.
Noteflaw: n. 缺点，瑕疵 essentially: adv. 本质上 gratitude: n. 感谢的心情
The second secret is realizing that happiness is a byproduct of
something else. The most obvious sources are those pursuits that give our lives purpose -- anything from studying insects to playing baseball. The more passions we have, the more happiness we are likely to
experience. Finally, the belief that something permanent transcends us and that our existence has some larger meaning can help us be happier. We need a spiritual faith, or a philosophy of life. Whatever your philosophy, it should include this truism: if you choose to find the positive in virtually every situation, you will be blessed, and if you choose to find the awful, you will be cursed. As with happiness itself, this is largely your decision to make.
8．做人的十条规则 The Rules For Being Human 1. You will receive a body.
You may like it or hate it, but is will be yours for the entire period of this time around.
2. You will learn lessons.
You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called Life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid. 3. There are no mistakes, only lessons.
Growth is a process of trial and error: Experimentation. The \"failed\" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately \"works\".
Noteirrelevant: adj. 不相关的
trial: n. 考验 ultimately: adv. 基本上
4. A lesson is repeated until learned.
A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.
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5. Learning lessons does not end.
There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.
6. \"There\" is no better than \"here\".
When your \"there\" has become a \"here\another \"there\" that will again look better than \"here\". 7. Others are merely mirrors of you.
You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself. 8. What you make of your life is up to you. You hare all the tools and resources you need.
What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours. 9. Your answers lie inside you.
The answers to Life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen and trust. 10. You will forget all this.
9．最好的遗产是爱
你认为最好的遗产是什么呢？是金钱还是房产？看了本文你就会这个问题有进一步的理解。
As a young man, Al was a skilled artist, a potter. He had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his oldest son developed a severe
stomachache. Thinking it was only some common intestinal disorder, neither Al nor his wife took the condition very seriously. But the
malady was actually acute appendicitis, and the boy died suddenly that night.
Knowing the death could have been prevented if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, Al's emotional health
deteriorated under the enormous burden of his guilt. To make matters worse his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than Al could handle, and he turned to alcohol to help him cope. In time Al became an alcoholic.
Noteintestinal：肠的 malady：疾病
acute：急性的，剧烈的 appendicitis：阑尾炎 deteriorate：恶化 alcoholic：酒鬼
As the alcoholism progressed, Al began to lose everything he possessed — his home, his land, his art objects, everything. Eventually Al died alone in a San Francisco motel room. When I heard of Al's death, I reacted with the same disdain the world shows for one who ends his life with nothing material to show for it. \"What a complete failure!\" I thought. \"What a totally wasted life\"
As time went by, I began to re-evaluate my earlier harsh judgment. You see, I knew Al's now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest,
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most caring, most loving men I have ever known. I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free flow of love between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere. Notealcoholism：酒精中毒，酒瘾
motel：汽车旅馆 disdain：轻蔑
I hadn't heard Ernie talk much about his father. It is so hard to defend an alcoholic. One day I worked up my courage to ask him. \"I'm really puzzled by something,\" I said. \"I know your father was basically the only one to raise you. What on earth did he do that you became such a special person?\"
Ernie sat quietly and reflected for a few moments. Then he said, \"From my earliest memories as a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, 'I love you, son.'\"
Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to judge Al as a failure. He had not left any material possessions behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and he left behind one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known. ----Bobbie Gee Questions:
1.How many children does Al have? 2.Where does Al die? 3.What does Al addict to? 4.What does this story tell us? 参考答案：
1.Two 2.In a San Francisco motel room. 3. Alcohol
4. It tells us love is very important in our life. It is a good legacy to us.
10．我永远都会在你的身边
No matter what happens, I ll always be there for you!
In 1989 an 8.2 earthquake almost flattened America, killing over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of utter devastation and chaos, a father left his wife safely at home and rushed to the school where his son was supposed to be, only to discover that the building was as flat as a pancake.
After the unforgettably initial shock, he remembered the promise he had made to his son: \"No matter what, I'll always be there for you!\" And tears began to fill his eyes. As he looked at the pile of ruins that once was the school, it looked hopeless, but he kept remembering his commitment to his son.
He began to direct his attention towards where he walked his son to class at school each morning. Remembering his son's classroom would be in the back right corner of the building, he rushed there and started digging through the ruins.
As he was digging, other helpless parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying: \"My son!\" \"My daughter!\" Other well-meaning parents tried to pull him off what was left of the school, saying: \"It's too late!
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They're all dead! You can't help! Go home! Come on, face reality, there's nothing you can do!\"
To each parent he responded with one line: \"Are you going to help me now?\" And then he continued to dig for his son, stone by stone. The fire chief showed up and tried to pull him off the school's ruins saying, \"Fires are breaking out, explosions are happening everywhere. You're in danger. We'll take care of it. Go home.\" To which this loving, caring American father asked, \"Are you going to help me now?\"
The police came and said, \"You're angry, anxious and it's over. You're endangering others. Go home. We'll handle it!\" To which he replied, \"Are you going to help me now?\" No one helped.
Courageously he went on alone because he needed to know for himself: \"Is my boy alive or is he dead?\" He dug for eight hours...12 hours...24 hours...36 hours...then, in the 38th hour, he pulled back a large stone and heard his son's voice. He screamed his son's name, \"ARMAND!\" He heard back, \"Dad!?! It's me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you'd save me and when you saved me, they'd be saved. You promised, No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you! You did it, Dad!\" \"What's going on in there? How is it?\" the father asked.
\"There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We're scared, hungry, thirsty and thankful you're here. When the building collapsed, it made a triangle, and it saved us.\" \"Come out, boy!\"
\"No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, cause I know you'll get me! No matter what happens, I know you'll always be there for me!\"
[以下为背诵篇]
11．爱着你的感觉 What It's like to Love You
To love you is to daydream of you often, think of you so much, speak of you proudly, and miss you terribly when we are apart.
To love you is to cherish the warmth of your arms, the sweetness of your kiss, the friendliness of your smile, the loving sound in your voice, and the happiness we share.
To love you is to never forget the adversity we have overcome, the tears we have shed, the plans we have made, the problems we have solved, and the pain of separation.
To love you is to remember joyfully the days we made memorable, the moments that will live forever in our hearts, the dreams we hope for, the feelings we have for each other, the caresses and touches of love, and the exhilaration of love that fills our hearts.
To love you is to need you, want you, hold you, and know you as no one else can.
To love you is to realize that life without you would be no life at all...
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That's a little of what it's like to be in love with you!
12．不断超越自己
Consider… YOU. In all time before now and in all time to come, there has never been and will never be anyone just like you. You are unique in the entire history and future of the universe. Wow! Stop and think about that. You're better than one in a million, or a billion, or a 1)gazillion…
You are the only one like you in a sea of infinity!!!
You're amazing! You're awesome! And by the way, TAG, you're it. As amazing and awesome as you already are, you can be even more so. Beautiful young people are the whimsey of nature, but beautiful old people are true works of art. But you don't become \"beautiful\" just by virtue of the aging process.
Real beauty comes from learning, growing, and loving in the ways of life. That is the Art of Life. You can learn slowly, and sometimes painfully, by just waiting for life to happen to you. Or you can choose to accelerate your growth and intentionally devour life and all it offers. You are the artist that paints your future with the brush of today. Paint a Masterpiece.
God gives every bird its food, but he doesn't throw it into its nest. Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do, it's truly up to you.
13．要学会去忍耐
When someone disagrees with you or offends you, don’t lose your temper. Why? Because it is of no use to do so. You ought to (should) be patient and keep calm lest you should quarrel with him. You must know that patience is not cowardice, but a virtue. I hope that everybody practices it.
In addition, patience will also bring us success. When you meet with difficulties in your work, it is no use losing heart. You must keep on fighting until (till) the final victory belongs to you.
14．热爱你的生活
However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find faults in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant, thrilling,
glorious hours, even in a poor-house. The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the alms-house as brightly as from the rich man's abode; the snow melts before its door as early in the spring. I do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there, and have as
cheering thoughts, as in a palace. The town's poor seem to me often to live the most independent lives of any. May be they are simply great
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enough to receive without misgiving. Most think that they are above being supported by the town; but it often happens that they are not above supporting themselves by dishonest means. which should be more disreputable. Cultivate poverty like a garden herb, like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things, whether clothes or friends, Turn the old, return to them. Things do not change; we change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.
mean：卑贱的，也可指人小气。 hard：不好的，差的
fault-finder ：吹毛求疵的人 alms-house：济贫院，养老院 abode：住所 misgiving：疑虑
15．我命运，我把握
编辑语：正如世界上没有两片相同的叶子，我们每个人都是独一无二的。相信自己，命运就掌握在我们的手中。
Consider… YOU. In all time before now and in all time to come, there has never been and will never be anyone just like you. You are unique in the entire history and future of the universe. Wow! Stop and think about that. You're better than one in a million, or a billion, or a gazillion…
You are the only one like you in a sea of infinity!
You're amazing! You're awesome! And by the way, TAG, you're it. As amazing and awesome as you already are, you can be even more so. Beautiful young people are the whimsey of nature, but beautiful old people are true works of art. But you don't become \"beautiful\" just by virtue of the aging process.
Real beauty comes from learning, growing, and loving in the ways of life. That is the Art of Life. You can learn slowly, and
sometimes painfully, by just waiting for life to happen to you. Or you can choose to accelerate your growth and intentionally devour life and all it offers. You are the artist that paints your future with the brush of today.
Paint a Masterpiece.
God gives every bird its food, but he doesn't throw it into its nest. Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do, it's truly up to you.
16．生活的乐趣
Joy in living comes from having fine emotions, trusting them, giving them the freedom of a bird in the open. Joy in living can never be assumed as a pose, or put on from the outside as a mask. People who have this joy don not need to talk about it; they radiate it. They just live out their joy and let it splash its sunlight and glo w into other lives as naturally as bird sings.
We can never get it by working for it directly. It comes, like happiness, to those who are aiming at something higher. It is a
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byproduct of great, simple living. The joy of living comes from what we put into living, not from what we seek to get from it.
17．爱是耐人寻味的
编辑语：正所谓知足者常乐。真正快乐的人，不会要求所有的事情都尽善尽美。人生需要学会选择，学会放弃。
The beginning of love is to let those we love to be just themselves, and not twist them with our own image-otherwise, we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them.
The happiest of people don't necessarily having the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past, you can't get on well in life unless you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
18．旁若无人地独舞
编辑语：困难并不可怕，关键看我们对待它的态度。人的一生中会遇到很多挫折，我们一定要坚强地去面对。
We always convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, than another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. we will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage.
We always tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse(配偶) gets his or her act together. when we get a nice a car, and are able to go on a nice vocation. when we retire. the truth is, there's no better time than right now. if not now, when? our life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to ourselves and decide to be happy anyway.
One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred Souza. He said.\"for a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin-real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, someting to be gotten through firest, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.\" This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment that you have. And remember that time waits for no one. So stop wailting until you finish school, until you go back to school; until you get married, until you get divorced; until you have kids; until you retire; until you get a new car or home; until spring; until you are born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy….
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Happiness is a journey, not a destination.so, work like you don't need money, love like you've never been hurt, And dance like no one's watching.
19．你要悟透了自己Get a thorough understanding of oneself
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 our place and stay aloof from worldly 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 realezed. You may be courageous to meet challenges but it should be clear to you where to direct your efforts. That's to way 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 selfappreciation. 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 detre. 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 a good care of yourself. Unless you know perfectly well 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
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of one's life. Then one will find one's life full of color and flavor.
20．我们的特别机遇 You and I took a special chance --by Edmund O'Neill
You and I took a special chance the first time we met...
we both knew enough of love, and life, to understand that two people don't fall in love,
they grow into it, slowly —and we'd both been hurt before by feelings that seemed too easily lost...
but there was something between usfrom the beginning a unique harmony that made us take that special chance...
You and I took a special chance the first time we argued...
after feeling hurt and sad, and both of us trying to apologize at the same time for disagreeing
over such a small matter, we knew that our relationship was worth more than anything that might come between us.
We knew after that first time that what we had together would see us through the hard times
and make us better appreciate the good, because we took that special chance...
You and I took a special chance the first time we said \"I love you\"... for we knew that we would share
stormy as well as sunny times, laugher ans tears, some dreams that would come beautifully true, and others that would fade in our
memories —and we knew in our hearts that our love deserved all the effort
we could make to fulfill our life together... for we took that special chance...and found a very special love.
■ [以下为英文散文篇] ■
31．我追求的生活Life Desired
That must be the story of innumerable couples, and the pattern of life of life it offers has a homely grace. It reminds you of a placid rivulet, meandering smoothly through green pastures and shaded by pleasant trees, till at last it falls into the vastly sea; but the sea is so calm, so silent, so indifferent, that you are troubled suddenly by a vague uneasiness. Perhaps it is only by a kink in my nature, strong in me even in those days, that I felt in such an existence, the share of the great majority, something amiss. I recognized its social value. I saw its ordered happiness, but a fever in my blood asked for a wilder course. There seemed to me something alarming in such easy delights. In my heart was desire to live more dangerously. I was not unprepared for jagged rocks and treacherous, shoals it I could only have change-change and the excitement of unforeseen.
innumerable：无数的 pattern：样式，样品
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homely：家常的 rivulet：小河，小溪
meandering：蜿蜒的河流 uneasiness：不安
amiss：错误的 jagged：不平的 treacherous：叛逆的 shoals：浅滩 unforeseen：无法预见的
作者：威廉.萨姆塞特.毛姆/William Somerset Maugham
32．柔弱的眼泪，坚强的心
A little boy asked his mother \"why are you crying?\" \"Because i'm a woman,\" she told him. \"I don't understand,\" he said.
His mum just hugged him and said, \"and you never will\"
Later the little boy asked his father, \"why does mother seem to cry for no reason?\"
\"All women cry for no reason,\" was all his dad could say.\"
The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.
Finally he put in a call to god; and when god got on the phone, he asked, \"god, why do women cry so easily?\"
God said: \"when i made the woman she had to be special. i made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world; yet, gentle enough to give comfort\"
\"I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children\"
\"I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining \"
\"I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly\"
\"I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart\"
\"I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly\"
\"And finally, i gave her a tear to shed. this is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed.\"
\"You see: the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.\"
\"The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.\"
33．一个微笑挽救一条生命
背景介绍：《微笑》是法国作家安东尼·圣艾修伯里的作品，圣艾修伯里是名飞行员，二次大战对抗纳粹时被击落身亡，之前他也曾参加西班牙内战打击法西斯分子。他根据这次经验写了一篇精彩的
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故事――《微笑》。他的代表作《小王子》是美国人都很熟悉的童话故事。
\"I was sure that I was to be killed. I became terribly nervous. I fumbled[1] in my pockets to see if there were any cigarettes, which had escaped[2]their search. I found one and because of my shaking hands, I could barely get it to my lips. But I had no matches, they had taken those. \"I looked through the bars at my jailer. He did not make eye contact with me. I called out to him 'Have you got a light?' He looked at me, shrugged [3]and came over to light my cigarette. \"As he came close and lit the match, his eyes inadvertently locked with mine. At that moment, I smiled. I don't know why I did that. Perhaps it was nervousness, perhaps it was because, when you get very close, one to another, it is very hard not to smile. In any case, I smiled. In that instant, it was as though a spark jumped across the gap between our two hearts, our two human souls. I know he didn't want to, but my smile leaped through the bars and generated a smile on his lips, too. He lit my cigarette but stayed near, looking at me directly in the eyes and continuing to smile.
\"I kept smiling at him, now aware of him as a person and not just a jailer. And his looking at me seemed to have a new dimension[4] too. 'Do you have kids?' he asked. \" 'Yes, here, here.' I took out my wallet and nervously fumbled for the pictures of my family. He, too, took out the pictures of his family and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them. My eyes filled with tears. I said that I feared that I'd never see my family again, never have the chance to see them grow up. Tears came to his eyes, too. \"Suddenly, without another word, he unlocked my cell and silently led me out. Out of the jail, quietly and by back routes, out of the town. There, at the edge of town, he released me. And without another word, he turned back toward the town. \"My life was saved by a smile.\" Yes, the smile―the unaffected,
unplanned, natural connection between people.. I really believe that if that part of you and that part of me could recognize each other, we wouldn't be enemies. We couldn't have hate or envy or fear.
34．雪天随想 Feeling in Snow
As soon as I walked outside, I was greeted with the shimmering white blanket of cold. Despite the chill overwhelming my skin, inside I was warm. I felt as though I could be giving off heat; I had the desire to stay out in this freeze for hours. It was the type of day that speaks to you through its elements; I took a deep breath to hear more snow was coming.
As I walked I looked up, trying to realize what made this day so beautiful, so serene. It was as if time had been put temporarily on hold and I along with it. Or maybe I was the only one unpaused…Either way, the solitude was comforting, and I sensed myself floating away. I
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sat down on the edge of a curb and listened. All there was to hear was the wind rushing over the top of my head and circling some old, cracking leaves some yards away. To me it was the reassuring sound of nature, trying not to be forgotten.
It did start to snow. None of those little flurries, but big, fat flakes which clung immediately to their surface.
Then it was time to go and my reverie had to end. As I began walking again, I drifted back into this time frame, calm and cleared.
Now if only I could remember where I was going.
35．马克-吐温：勇气 Courage
In the matter of courage we all have our limits. There never was a hero who did not have his bounds. I suppose it may be said of Nelson and all the others whose courage has been advertised that there came times in their lives when their bravery knew it had come to its limit.
I have found mine a good many times. Sometimes this was
expected--often it was unexpected. I know a man who is not afraid to sleep with a rattle-snake, but you could not get him to sleep with a safety-razor.
I never had the courage to talk across a long, narrow room. I
should be at the end of the room facing all the audience. If I attempt to talk across a room I find myself turning this way and that, and thus at alternate periods I have part of the audience behind me. You ought never to have any part of the audience behind you; you never can tell what they are going to do.
I'll sit down.
36．坚持你的方向Direction
很多人会说失败是成功之母，但真正面对失败时，却很少有人会想起这句话；同样，人们也常会承认理想的重要性，而现实生活中确常是目标常常因地因时而有所转变。
What would you do if you failed? Many people may choose to give up. However, the surest way to success is to keep your direction and stick to your goal.
On your way to success, you must keep your direction. It is just like a lamp, guiding you in darkness and helping you overcome
obstacles on your way. Otherwise, you will easily get lost or hesitate to go ahead.
Direction means objectives. You can get nowhere without an objective in life.
You can try to write your objective on paper and make some plans to achieve it. In this way, you will know how to arrange your time and to spend your time properly. And you should also have a belief that you are sure to succeed as long as you keep your direction all the time.
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37．麦克阿瑟：铁马金戈入梦来
The shadows are lengthening for me. The twilight is here. My days of old have vanished, tone and tint. They have gone glimmering through the dreams of things that were. Their memory is one of wondrous beauty, watered by tears, and coaxed and caressed by the smiles of yesterday. I listen vainly, but with thirsty ears, for the
witching melody of faint bugles blowing reveille, of far drums beating the long roll. In my dreams I hear again the crash of guns, the rattle of musketry, the strange, mournful mutter of the battlefield.
But in the evening of my memory, always I come back to West Point. Always there echoes and re-echoes: Duty, Honor, Country. Today marks my final roll call with you, but I want you to know that when I cross the river my last conscious thoughts will be of The Corps, and The Corps, and The Corps.
(adapted from General MacArthur -- Thayer Award Address)
Note：
tone: v. 缓和，减轻 tint: v. 染色 coax: v. 安慰，哄
witching: a.
caress: v. 抚爱 bugle: n. 喇叭, 军号
有魅力的 crash: n. musketry: n.
reveille: n. 起床号
爆裂声 步枪射击 West Point:
mutter: n. 咕哝 echo: n. 回声
西点军校
38．掌握未来：我们正在起跑点
\"We are reading the first verse of the first chapter of a book whose pages are infinite---\"
I do not know who wrote those words, but I have always liked them as a reminder that the future can be anything we want to make it. We can take the mysterious, hazy future and carve out of it anything that we can imagine, just like a sculptor carves a statue from a shapeless stone.
We are all in the position of the farmer. If we plant a good seed, we reap a good harvest. If our seed is poor and full of weeds, we reap a useless crop. If we plant nothing at all, we harvest nothing at all.
I want the future to be better than the past. I don't want it
contaminated by the mistakes and errors with which history is filled. We should all be concerned about the future because that is where we will spend the reminder of our lives.
The past is gone and static. Nothing we can do will change it. The future is before us and dynamic. Everything we do will effect it. Each day will brings with it new frontiers, in our homes and in our businesses, if we will only recognize them. We are just at the
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beginning of the progress in every field of human endeavor.
39．你要知道什么是生活的乐趣
Joy in living comes from having fine emotions, trusting them, giving them the freedom of a bird in the open. Joy in living can never be assumed as a pose, or put on from the outside as a mask. People who have this joy don not need to talk about it; they radiate it. They just live out their joy and let it splash its sunlight and glow into other lives as naturally as bird sings.
We can never get it by working for it directly. It comes, like happiness, to those who are aiming at something higher. It is a byproduct of great, simple living. The joy of living comes from what we put into living, not from what we seek to get from it. by A.T. Rowe
40．英文散文：生活态度很重要 Attitude Is Everything
Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, \"If I were any better, I would be twins!\"
He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there
telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Note： motivator n. 激起行为（或行动）的人（或事物），
促进因素，激发因素
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, \"I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?\"
Jerry replied, \"Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood.
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.\"
\"Yeah, right, it's not that easy,\" I protested.
\"Yes, it is,\" Jerry said. \"Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life.\"
Note：victim n. 受害人 protest v. 断言抗议 junk n. 垃圾
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I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the
restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination . The robbers panicked and shot him.
Note： thereafter adv. 其后，从那时以后 gunpoint n. 枪口
safe n. 保险柜 slip off 忘记，遗漏 combination n. 开启号码锁的号码组合
Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma （创伤，外伤）center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, \"If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?\" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.
Note： trauma n. 外伤，损伤 surgery n. 外科，手术室
intensive adj. 透彻的; fragment n. 碎片，断片 decline (to) v. 拒绝
\"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,\" Jerry replied. \"Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live.\"
\"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?\" I asked.
Jerry continued, \"The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, 'He's a dead man.' \"I knew I needed to take action.\"
\"What did you do?\" I asked.
\"Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me,\" said Jerry.
\"She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The
doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!'
Note： lose consciousness 失去知觉
paramedic n. 护理人员 burly adj. 魁梧的 emergency n. 紧急情况 allergic adj. 过敏的
Over their laughter, I told them. 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.\"
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Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.
Attitude, after all, is everything.
41．爱和时间Love ＆Time
爱是人类永恒的话题，时间也是人们生生不息探求的领域，那么把爱和时间放在一起会有怎么样的化学反应呢？
Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.
Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.
When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.
Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said,\"Richness, can you take me with you?\"
Richness answered, \"No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you.\"
Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. \"Vanity, please help me!\"
\"I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat,\" Vanity answered.
Sadness was close by so Love asked, \"Sadness, let me go with you.\" \"Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!\"
Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.
Suddenly, there was a voice, \"Come, Love, I will take you.\" It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder,
Love asked Knowledge, another elder, \"Who Helped me?\" \"It was Time,\" Knowledge answered.
\"Time?\" asked Love. \"But why did Time help me?\"
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, \"Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is.\"
42．母亲节献礼：天使-妈妈
Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born.
One day he asked God: \"They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?\"
GOD replied, \"Among the many angels, I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take care of you.\"
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\"But tell me, here in Heaven, I don't do anything else but sing and smile, that's enough for me to be happy.\"
\"Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your angel's love and be happy.\"
\"And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, if I don't know the language that men talk?\"
\"Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.\"
\"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?\"
\"Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.\"
\"I've heard that on earth there are bad men. Who will protect me?\" \"Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.\" \"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.\"
\"Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way for you to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you.\"
At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard.
And the child in a hurry asked softly: \"Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.\"
\"Your angel's name is of no importance, you will call your angel: 'Mommy'.\"
43．启示：亡羊补牢，尤未迟也 It's Never Too Late
Several years ago, while attending a communications course, I experienced a most unusual process. The instructor asked us to list anything in our past that we felt ashamed of, guilty about, regretted, or incomplete about. The next week he invited participants to read their lists aloud. This seemed like a very private process, but there's always some brave soul in the crowd who will volunteer. As people read their lists, mine grew longer. After three weeks, I had 101 items on my list. The instructor then suggested that we find ways to make amends, apologize to people, or take some action to right any wrongdoing. I was seriously wondering how this could ever improve my
communications, having visions of alienating just about everyone from my life.
instructor n. 教师 wrongdoing n. 坏事、不道德行为
alienate v. 疏远
The next week, the man next to me raised his hand and volunteered this story:
\"While making my list, I remembered an incident from high school. I grew up in a small town in Iowa. There was a sheriff in town that none of us kids liked. One night, my two buddies and I decided to play a
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trick on Sheriff Brown. After drinking a few beers, we found a can of red paint, climbed the tall water tank in the middle of town, and wrote, on the tank, in bright red letters: Sheriff Brown is an s.o.b. The next day, the town arose to see our glorious sign. Within two hours, Sheriff Brown had my two pals and me in his office. My friends confessed and I lied, denying the truth. No one ever found out.
sheriff n. 治安官 buddy n. 密友、伙伴
s.o.b. （缩写）畜生、狗娘养的
\"Nearly 20 years later, Sheriff Brown's name appears on my list. I didn't even know if he was still alive. Last weekend, I dialed
information in my hometown back in Iowa. Sure enough, there was a Roger Brown still listed. I dialed his number. After a few rings, I heard: 'Hello?' I said: 'Sheriff Brown?' Pause. 'Yup.' 'Well, this is Jimmy Calkins. And I want you to know that I did it.' Pause. 'I knew it!' he yelled back. We had a good laugh and a lively discussion. His closing words were: 'Jimmy, I always felt badly for you because your buddies got it off their chest, and I knew you were carrying it around all these years. I want to thank you for calling me...for your sake.' \" yell v. 大叫、忍不住笑 sake n. 缘故、理由
Jimmy inspired me to clear up all 101 items on my list. It took me almost two years, but became the springboard and true inspiration for my career as a conflict mediator. No matter how difficult the conflict, crisis or situation, I always remember that it's never too late to clear up the past and begin resolution.
springboard n. 出发点 mediator n. 调停者
44．论和谐——托马斯-布朗 Of Harmony
It is my temper, and I like it the better, to affect all harmony: and sure there is musick even in the beauty, and the silent note which Cupid strikes, far sweeter than the sound of an instrument. For there is a musick where ever there is a harmony, order, or proportion: and thus far we may maintain the music of the Sphears; for those well-ordered motions, and regular paces, though they give no sound unto the ear, yet to the understanding they strike a note most full of harmony. Whatsoever is harmonically composed delights in harmony; which makes me much distrust the symmetry of those heads which declaim against all Church-Musick. For my self, not only for my obedience, but my particular Genius, I do embrace it: for even that vulgar and Tavern-Musick, which makes one man merry, another mad, strikes in me a deep fit of devotion, and a profound contemplation of the First Composer. There is something in it of Divinity more than the ear discovers: it is an Hieroglyphical and shadowed lesson of the whole World, and creatures of GOD; such a melody to the ear, as the whole World, well understood, would afford the understanding. In brief, it is
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a sensible fit of that harmony which intellectually sounds in the ears of GOD.
注释：
1、harmony：n. 融洽、和谐、协调
2、temper：n. 性情、脾气 3、note：n. 音符
4、Cupid：爱神丘比特
5、whatsoever：无论什么
6、compose：v. 著、撰、组成 7、distrust：v. 不信任
8、symmetry：n. 对称、匀称 9、obedience：n. 服从、顺从
10、contemplation：n. 沉思 11、divinity：n. 神、神性
12、hieroglyphical：n. 象形文字 13、melody：n. 悦耳的音调
45．我的座右铭：生活半对半 The 50-Percent Theory of Life
I believe in the 50-percent theory. Half the time things are better than normal; the other half, they are worse. I believe life is a pendulum swing. It takes time and experience to understand what normal is, and that gives me the perspective to deal with the surprises of the future. Let's benchmark the parameters: Yes, I will die. I've dealt with the deaths of both parents, a best friend, a beloved boss and cherished pets. Some of these deaths have been violent, before my eyes, or slow and agonizing. Bad stuff, and it belongs at the bottom of the scale. Then there are those high points: romance and marriage to the right person; having a child and doing those Dad things like coaching my son's baseball team, paddling around the creek in the boat while he's swimming with the dogs, discovering his compassion so deep it manifests even in his kindness to snails, his imagination so vivid he builds a spaceship from a scattered pile of Legos.
But there is a vast meadow of life in the middle, where the bad and the good flip-flop acrobatically. This is what convinces me to believe in the 50-percent theory.
One spring I planted corn too early in a bottomland so flood-prone that neighbors laughed. I felt chagrined at the wasted effort. Summer turned brutal -- the worst heat wave and drought in my lifetime. The air-conditioner died, the well went dry, the marriage ended, the job lost, the money gone. I was living lyrics from a country tune -- music I loathed.
Only a surging Kansas City Royals team, bound for their first World Series, buoyed my spirits.
Looking back on that horrible summer, I soon understood that all succeeding good things merely offset the bad. Worse than normal
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wouldn't last long. I am owed and savor the halcyon times. They reinvigorate me for the next nasty surprise and offer assurance that I can thrive. The 50 percent theory even helps me see hope beyond my Royals' recent slump, a field of struggling rookies sown so that some year soon we can reap an October harvest.
Oh, yeah, the corn crop? For that one blistering summer, the ground moisture was just right, planting early allowed pollination before heat withered the tops, and the lack of rain spared the standing corn from floods. That winter my crib overflowed with corn -- fat, healthy three-to-a-stalk ears filled with kernels from heel to tip -- while my neighbors' fields yielded only brown, empty husks.
Although plantings past may have fallen below the 50-percent expectation, and they probably will again in the future, I am still sustained by the crop that flourishes during the drought.
46．苹果CEO自述：与死神擦肩
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: \"If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.\" It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: \"If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?\" And whenever the answer has been \"No\" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7∶30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there,
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told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma -- which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
47．就为了今天 Just for Today
Just for today I will try to live through this day only and not tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.
Just for today I will be happy. This assumes to be true what Abraham Lincoln said, that \"Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.\"
Just for today I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my \"luck\" as it comes.
Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.
Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways. I will do
somebody a good turn and not get found out: If anybody knows of it, it will not count. I will do at least two things I don't want to do—just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt: they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.
Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, talk low, act courteously, criticize not one bit, and try not to improve or regulate anybody but myself.
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Just for today I will have a program, I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests: hurry and indecision.
Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself and relax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a better perspective of my life.
Just for today I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.
48．善心可依－－感念我的父亲 A Good Heart to Lean on
When I was growing up, I was embarrassed to be seen with my father. He was severely crippled and very short, and when we would walk together, his hand on my arm for balance, people would stare. I would inwardly squirm at the unwanted attention. If he ever noticed or was bothered, he never let on.
It was difficult to coordinate our steps — his halting, mine
impatient — and because of that, we didn't say much as we went along. But as we started out, he always said, \"You set the pace. I will try to adjust to you. \"
Our usual walk was to or from the subway, which was how he got to work. He went to work sick, and despite nasty weather. He almost never missed a day, and would make it to the office even if others could not. A matter of pride.
When snow or ice was on the ground, it was impossible for him to walk, even with help. At such times my sisters or I would pull him through the streets of Brooklyn, NY, on a child's sleigh to the subway entrance. Once there, he would cling to the handrail until he reached the lower steps that the warmer tunnel air kept ice-free. In Manhattan the subway station was the basement of his office building, and he would not have to go outside again until we met him in Brooklyn on his way home.
When I think of it now, I marvel at how much courage it must have taken for a grown man to subject himself to such indignity and stress. And at how he did it — without bitterness or complaint .
He never talked about himself as an object of pity, nor did he show any envy of the more fortunate or able. What he looked for in others was a \"good heart\enough for him.
Now that I am older, I believe that is a proper standard by which to judge people, even though I still don't know precisely what a \"good heart\" is. But I know the times I don't have one myself.
Unable to engage in many activities, my father still tried to participate in some way. When a local sandlot baseball team found itself without a manager, he kept it going. He was a knowledgeable
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baseball fan and often took me to Ebbets Field to see the Brooklyn Dodgers play. He liked to go to dances and parties, where he could have a good time just sitting and watching.
On one memorable occasion a fight broke out at a beach party, with everyone punching and shoving. He wasn't content to sit and watch, but he couldn't stand unaided on the soft sand. In frustration he began to shout, \"I'll fight anyone who will sit down with me!\" Nobody did. But the next day people kidded him by saying it was the first time any fighter was urged to take a dive even before the bout began.
I now know he participated in some things vicariously through me, his only son. When I played ball (poorly), he \"played\" too. When I joined the Navy he \"joined\" too. And when I came home on leave, he saw to it that I visited his office. Introducing me, he was really saying, \"This is my son, but it is also me, and I could have done this, too, if things had been different.\" Those words were never said aloud.
He has been gone many years now, but I think of him often. I wonder if he sensed my reluctance to be seen with him during our walks. If he did, I am sorry. I never told him how sorry I was, how unworthy I was, how I regretted it. I think of him when I complain about trifles, when I am envious of another's good fortune, when I don't have a \"good heart\".
At such times I put my hand on his arm to regain my balance, and say, \"You set the pace, I will try to adjust to you.\" 注：
1. cripple v. 使残疾，损害 2. inwardly adv. 在内心 3. squirm v. 蠕动 4. let on 泄密 5. coordinate v. （使）配合 6. adjust to 调整，使适合于 7. nasty adj. 肮脏的，不愉快的 8. sleigh n. 雪橇 9. cling to 抓紧 10. handrail n. （楼梯）扶手 11. basement n. 地下室 12. marvel v. 诧异 13. subject…to 使…经历 14. indignity n. 轻蔑，侮辱 15. punch v. （用拳头）猛砸 16. shove v. 推，乱推 17. content adj. 满意的 18. frustration n. 失望 19. take a dive 认输 20. bout n. 拳击比赛 21. vicariously adv. 可替代地 22. see to it that 保证 23. envious adj. 妒忌的
49．MOTHER“母亲”的含义
\"M\" is for the million things she gave me, \"M\"代表她所给予我的无数,
\"O\" means only that she's growing old, \"O\"的意思是她在日渐老去,
\"T\" is for the tears she shed to save me, \"T\"是她为抚育我洒下的泪,
\"H\" is for her heart of purest gold,
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\"H\"指她有像金子一般的心灵,
\"E\" is for her eyes, with the love-light shining, \"E\"就是她的眼睛,里面洋溢着爱的光芒, \"R \"means right, and right she'll always be, \"R\"的意思是正确,因为她永远都是对的。 Put them all together, they spell
\"MOTHER\将以上字母串在一起就是\"母亲(mother )\ A word that means the world to me. 这个是我整个的世界。
A mother's love is like a circle, it has no beginning and ending. It keeps going around and around ever expanding, touching everyone who comes in touch with it. Engulfing them like the morning's mist, warming them like the noontime sun, and covering them like a blanket of evening stars. A mother's love is like a circle, it has no beginning and ending.
■挫折中笑迎生活 母训：当遭遇失败或挫折时，你们都应该保持乐观的心理，坚信“一切都会好的”！
“Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I faced disappointment．“If you carry on，one day something good will happen．And you’ll realize that it wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment.”
Mother was right，as I discovered after graduating from college in 1932，I had decided to try for a job in radio，then work my way up to sports announcer．I hitchhiked to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station——and got turned down every time．In one studio，a kind lady told me that big stations couldn’t risk hiring an
inexperienced person．“Go out in the sticks and find a small station that’ll give you a chance,” she said．I thumbed home to Dixon，Illinois．
While there were no radio－ announcing jobs in Dixon，my father said Montgomery Ward had opened a store and wanted a local athlete to manage its sports department．Since Dixon was where I had played high school football，I applied．The job sounded just right for me．But I wasn’t hired．My disappointment must have shown．“Everything happens for the best.” Mom reminded me．Dad offered me the car to hunt job．I tried WOC Radio in Davenport，Iowa．The program director，a wonderful Scotsman named Peter MacArthur told me they had already hired an announcer．
As I left his office，my frustration（挫折）boiled over．I asked aloud, “How can a fellow get to be a sports announcer if he can’t get a job in a radio station.” I was waiting for the elevator when I heard MacArthur calling, “What was you said about sports？Do you know anything about football?” Then he stood me before a microphone and asked me broadcast an imaginary game．The preceding（在前的）
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autumn，my team had won a game in the last 20 seconds with a 65－yard run． I did a 15－minute build－up to that play，and Peter told me I would be broadcasting Saturday’s game！On my way home，as I have many times since，I thought of my mother’s words：“If you carry on，one day something good will happen．Something wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment.”
I often wonder what direction my life might have taken if I’d not gotten the job at Montgomery Ward．
50．宽恕的艺术 Forgiveness
To forgive may be divine, but no one ever said it was easy. When someone has deeply hurt you, it can be extremely difficult to let go of your grudge. But forgiveness is possible -- and it can be surprisingly beneficial to your physical and mental health.
\"People who forgive show less depression, anger and stress and more hopefulness,\" says Frederic, Ph.D., author of Forgive for Good. \"So it can help save on the wear and tear on our organs, reduce the wearing out of the immune system and allow people to feel more vital.\"
So how do you start the healing? Try following these steps:
Calm yourself. To defuse your anger, try a simple stress-management technique. \"Take a couple of breaths and think of something that gives you pleasure: a beautiful scene in nature, someone you love,\" Frederic says.
Don't wait for an apology. \"Many times the person who hurt you has no intention of apologizing,\" Frederic says. \"They may have wanted to hurt you or they just don't see things the same way. So if you wait for people to apologize, you could be waiting an awfully long time.\" Keep in mind that forgiveness does not necessarily mean reconciliation with the person who upset you or condoning of his or her action.
Take the control away from your offender. Mentally replaying your hurt gives power to the person who caused you pain. \"Instead of focusing on your wounded feelings, learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you,\" Frederic says.
Try to see things from the other person's perspective. If you
empathize with that person, you may realize that he or she was acting out of ignorance, fear -- even love. To gain perspective, you may want to write a letter to yourself from your offender's point of view.
Recognize the benefits of forgiveness. Research has shown that people who forgive report more energy, better appetite and better sleep patterns.
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结尾篇
这个世界本来就是痛苦的，没有例外的。
不要浪费你的生命，在你一定会后悔的地方上。
每一种创伤，都是一种成熟。狂妄的人有救，自卑的人没有救。
你要包容那些意见跟你不同的人，这样子日子比较好过。你要是一直想改变他，那样子你会很痛苦。要学学怎样忍受他才是。你要学学怎样包容他才是。
根本不必回头去看咒骂你的人是谁？如果有一条疯狗咬你一口，难道你也要趴下去反咬他一口吗？
时间总会过去的，让时间流走你的烦恼吧！ 世界上没有一个永远不被毁谤的人，也没有一个永远被赞叹的人。当你话多的时候，别人要批评你，当你话少的时候，别人要批评你，当你沈默的时候，别人还是要批评你。在这个世界上，没有一个人不被批评的
不要因为众生的愚疑，而带来了自己的烦恼。不要因为众生的无知，而痛苦了你自己。
感谢上天我所拥有的，感谢上天我所没有的。 明天的希望，让我们忘了今天的痛苦
注意你的对手，因为他们往往最先发现你的错误。对手的指责教你自知，而向对手回击的最好方式是改正自己的错误。靠骨气挺直脊梁，靠正气树立形象，靠朝气迎来希望，靠勇气增添力量，靠志气实现理想，靠才气书写华章，靠人气团结兴旺。
做任何事，只要你迈出了第一步，然后再一步步地走下去，你就会逐渐靠近你的目的地。如果你知道你的具体的目的地，而且向它迈出了第一步，你便走上了成功之路！
成功之本取决于人的心理素质、人生态度和才能资质。当然，仅靠这个“本”还不够，必须兼具高远志向和实现目标的专心致志毅力。特别是专著于一的精神，更有利助人成功。 好好的管教你自己，不要管别人。当你知道迷惑时，并不可怜，当你不知道迷惑时，才是最可怜的。
当我们仰首感叹如烟的往事时，不如低头照顾一下眼前的炉火；把握现在的光和热。当我们依恋枕边，想重拾昨夜的幻梦时，不如振奋而起，掌握美好的今天。
“学习跟吸收不是一件事吧？”我说。“固然不可分，但学习好比吃东西，吸收则是将食物转化为体能。不吃东西又怎么会有力量；不学习又如何吸收呢？”
其实，每一个泥人都有这样一颗心，就像我们每一个人都可能获得自己的天堂。关键是你想不想去获得，敢不敢去获得，会不会去获得，最后，怎样去理解和认识这种获得。 目光远大，目标明确的人往往非常自信，而自信与人生的成败息息相关。
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