美文欣赏可以培养一个人的素养，让你心中有一种正确而优雅的为人处世观。
What is Love? The eternal question we all carry around deep within our heart. Love is the eternal search. Love is eternal when we find it. But do we really ever find it ? When we define it do we negate it? When we set limits on what we believe to be love do we begin to destroy it by hoping to understand or own it for ourselves? We offer it through all of our relationship we vary our giving, often by what we hope to receive in return. But is this really love?
I recently overheard someone say in a conversation that there is no such thing as “ unconditional love .” I would have to agree, although for different reasons. Love within itself is unconditional. Anything else is only an attempt to love, a learning to get us nearer to the one true knowing of love. It may be honorable, well-intentioned, passionate and desiring, courageous and pure. It may be felt as temporary, but if lost easily it may not have been love at all. Love cannot be thwarted and often fall short of what we hope love will be. This is where we learn we are human.
Love has been experienced as a life of living poetry. Love has been experienced as being the very notes of song, uplifting and generous to the wanting ear. Love has been experienced as the final act of giving one’s life for another in battle. Love has been experienced as an endless passionate over flow of emotion in the arms of waiting lover.
What do you do with the love granted to you each day? How many times do we deny its expression for others because we fear what our own expressions will bring? Are we not denying our creator every time we deny the expression of love?
Lost, empty, alone and searching. As individuals who have experienced separation or divorce, or even the loss of a loved one to death, the separation can be the most traumatic experience we live through. The heart-wrenching pain that seems to never really go away, the enormous waves that hit us daily, the times we hit the wall right after a strong and uplifting experience reminds us that we are learning. We are learning about strength, passion for our own life, about our own sincerity in our beliefs, about our loyalty to who we are, and certainly about our own genuineness. We search for that day when love will come again. We search everywhere, everyday, almost every hour.
It has been said for centuries that “ love is where the eyes meet with passion, for the eyes cannot hide what the heart feels.” So we have learned to look outward for this eternal love that will fulfill us, forgetting that it must first fill our own hearts. Perhaps that is why we fall into such pain and agony and sorrow when a love affair fails. It is at that moment that we realize we did not fail the other person we expressed love to , but we have somehow not fulfilled ourselves once again. We combat failure with a misunderstood unfulfilled promise. We lade it, not knowing if we will ever find it again. The emotion tides life and fall ,crash and settle, then lift again.
No one else, no matter how much we talk or cry, can pull us through the anxious hours of soul repair and growth. It is our own fire within that needs rekindling, guarding against the winds that would blow it out and leave us dark, cold and helpless. It is at this time that we find the lobe that binds us together with every other being that surrounds us on the planet. Eventually we find the sun still rises to meet in the morning and the stars continue to show us the way each night. The rivers still flow downstream into oceans that will never turn them away. The trees still reach upward every day praising the God that made them. We stand up straight and take a lesson from it all.
What if you woke up one morning and realized that you were the only person left on the face of the earth? Who would you love? Why do we wait so long to start the journey that begins in the same place that it ends？Love, in all its endlessness, unboundedness and failed definitions is this experience.
Love doesn’t ask why. It doesn’t come. It doesn’t go. It just is. It is not only in our hands, it is our hands. It isn’t only in our heart, it is what makes our heart beat every beat. It wraps itself around us so securely that all we need to do to survive against all odds is to recognize it as the very breath we just drew, and the last breath we just let go.
When love beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you, yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you, believe in him, though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, so shall he descend to our roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
But if, in your fear, you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure, then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor, into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. Love gives naught but it self and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love.
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a payer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.
译文：爱的召唤
当爱召唤你时，请追随她，尽管爱的道路艰难险峻。当爱的羽翼拥抱你时，请顺从她，尽管隐藏在其羽翼之下的剑可能会伤到你。当爱向你诉说时，请相信她，尽管她的声音可能打破你的梦想，就如同北风吹落公园里所有的花瓣。
爱会给你戴上桂冠，也会折磨你。爱会助你成长，也会给你修枝。爱会上升到枝头，抚爱你在阳光下颤动力的嫩枝，也会下潜至根部，撼动力你紧抓泥土的根基。
但是，如果你在恐惧之中只想寻求爱的平和与快乐，那你就最好掩盖真实的自我，避开爱的考验，进入不分季节的世界，在那里你将欢笑，但并非开怀大笑，你将哭泣，但并非尽情地哭。爱只将自己付出，也只得到自己。爱一无所有，也不会为谁所有，因为爱本身就已自足。
爱除了实现自我别无他求。但是如果你爱而又不得不有所求，那就请期待：
将自己融化并像奔流的溪水一般向夜晚吟唱自己优美的曲调。
明了过多的温馨所带来的苦痛。
被自己对爱的理解所伤害；
并情愿快乐地悲伤。
在黎明带着轻快的心醒来并感谢又一个有家的日子；
在黄昏怀着感恩之心回家；
然后为内心所爱之人祈祷，吟唱赞美之歌，并带着祷告和歌声入眠。
1.You never know how strong you really are until being strong is the only choice you have。
不到没有退路之时，你永远不会知道自己有多强大。
2.You cannot change what you refuse to confront。
你不去面对又怎么能去改变呢。
3.No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying。
无论你犯了多少错，或者你进步得有多慢，你都走在了那些不曾尝试的人的前面。
4.Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain。
生活不是等待暴风雨过去，而是要学会在雨中跳舞。
5.Letting go doesn't mean that you're a quitter. It doesn't mean that you lost. It just means that you realize in that moment that's it's time to let go and move on。
放手不代表放弃，不代表你输了。那只代表你知道在那一刻你该放手了，然后继续生活。
6.If you are passionate about something, pursue it, no matter what anyone else thinks. That’s how dreams are achieved。
如果你想要什么，那就勇敢地去追求，不要管别人是怎么想的，因为这就是实现梦想的方式。
7.Give up worrying about what others think of you. What they think isn’t important. What is important is how you feel about yourself。
不用在乎别人对你的看法，别人的看法并不重要，重要的是你怎样看待自己。
8、 Do one thing at a time, and do well.
一次只做一件事，做到最好！
9、 Never forget to say "thanks" 。
永远不要忘了说“谢谢”！
10、 Keep on going. never give up.
勇往直前，决不放弃！
11、 Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well.
任何值得做的事就值得把它做好！
12、 Believe in yourself.
相信你自己！
13、 I can because I think I can.
我行，因为我相信我行！
14、 Action speak louder than words.
行动胜于言语！
15、 Never say die.
永不气馁！
16、 Never put off what you can do today until tomorrow.
今日事今日毕！
17、 The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.
对明天做好的准备就是今天做到最好！
18.all things are difficult before they are easy.
凡事必先难后易。
19.better late than never.
迟做总比不做好；晚来总比不来好。
dropping wears the stone.
滴水穿石。
21.east or west, home is best.
东好西好，还是家里最好。
22.four short words sum up what has lifted most successful inpiduals above the crowd: a little bit more.
四个简短的词汇概括了成功的秘诀：多一点点！
helps those who help themselves.
天助自助者。
company on the road is the shortest cut.
行路有良伴就是捷径。
hopes make great man.
伟大的理想造就伟大的人。
26.if a thing is worth doing it is worth doing well.
如果事情值得做，就值得做好。
27.in doing we learn.
实践长才干。
28.it’s never too late to mend.
过而能改，善莫大焉；亡羊补牢，犹未晚也。
29.misfortunes tell us what fortune is.
不经灾祸不知福。
19 Since the beginning of time, man has invented many interesting things. Some of these inventions, like numbers, the alphabet and the radio, have certainly changed history. Since 1946, one of the most important inventions has been the computer. It will change all our lives.
At one time it was as large as a room, and quite difficult and slow to operate. But, since the invention of the silicon ship, which is really a very very small electric circuit, computers have been greatly improved. They have become smaller, easier to use, and faster; they can store a lot more information.
Some computer are made as well as television sets. Simple computers can be made smaller than a book. And computers are getting smaller all the time.
There are several reasons why the computer is useful to us. Firstly, it can store a very very large quantity of information in its memory. Secondly, the computer can operate very quickly thousands of times faster than a human and it will not tire. Thirdly, modern computers can be built into other kinds of machines, like radios, cars, planes and so on. They can do many kinds of work.
Soon, almost everyone, either at home or at work, will use some kind of computer. the lives of all of us will be changed by this invention.
The main idea of this passage is xxx
A how the computer came into being
There are varied ways of defining tourism. Some people regard it as a pollution-free industry; others think of it an invisible school, Both are based on an accepted fact that tourism cannot only produce profits bearing no pollution along with, but help broaden knowledge and fortify healthy. Aside from the above there exists awidespread theory, claiming that whatever is of the ability to increase in capital belongs to productive industry. In this sense, tourism should hold a position in the scope and ought to be treated as such.
It is true that there is some sense in the theory, yet another equally or even more important aspect should be granted more publicity to. Tourism, in terms of its objective purposes, has a social function which contributes to human communication. Coming from vadous social backgrounds, having motives and goals of every kind, tourists get together, draw close and exchange ideas of their own, from which a fresh state of mind will be created. So what kind of production is it? To the question we should have good reason to give a proper answer: it is a spirit production, a reproduction of relations of production. And the more frequently such exchanges are made, the more good they will do to promoting social and economic development of the mutual. If it is the case that making money through tourism means a dent we have made, so it foretells a fortune to provide cultural service along with tourism. Therefore, to keep close eyes on the latter involves changing our minds first, that is, tourism is by no means a pure economic concept, but takes plenty of ideological activities as its content.
To sum up, unlike other economic forms, the profits from tourism economy cannot be measured completely by means of how much output value, profit, and foreign exchange it will produce. In addition to the reputation of pollution-free industry, its social and far-reaching profit should be probed more deeply. As such the existing scenic spots ought to be kept in good maintenance, and some new ones exploited. Moreover, constructing first-class soft and hard surroundings is desired to attract tourists, the foreign and the domestic.
Some people say that English teaching at college in China has proved to be successful Take College English Test as an example, more than four million students have taken it and the number is still increasing year by year. This means that increasing numbers of people are aware of the necessity and importance of English learning. What is more, large numbers of students who are competent in English are making their contributions to the county in all walks of life. Others, on the other hand, suggest that English teaching at college in China is a complete failure. They suggest that, on the whole, most graduates still can't communicate with native speakers properly in spoken English. Besides, they are incompetent in both translation and writing.
I think great progress has been made in English teaching at college in China over the past 15 years. Yet, there are still some problems. On the one hand, English teaching at college in China is still teacher centered, although the student centered approach has been advocated for years. The teacher dominates the class, leaving students little time to practice. On the other hand, English teaching at college in China is still test oriented. Passing College English Test has been regarded as a prerequisite for graduates to get jobs on the job market. So great emphasis is given on how to pass the tests rather than on how to develop the students' language skills. As a result, students do not have the language competence though most of them have passed College English Test.
Therefore, it is my strong feeling therefore that English teaching at colleges in China should go through some radical reform. Priority should be given to the development of the four language skills rather than to develop the skills in passing the examination.
In the United States,people go through kindergarten for two to three years,grade one to five in elementaryschool,six to eight in middle school,and nine to twelve in high school.Many people also go to college for four years.
在美国，人们上两年到三年的幼稚园，小学是从一到五年级，六到八年级是初中，九到十二年级是高中。很多也也会再用四年的时间去上大学（学院）。
For high school students who want to get into a good college,they must work hard on their grades and also do well on national aptitude test like the SAT or ACT,because that would improve the students' chances of getting accepted by the colleges.
对于想上好大学的高中生来说，为了拿到好的成绩，他们必须非常用功；而且要才好如SAT或ACT这种全国性的才能（能力倾向）测验，因为这些（好的SAT或ACT成绩）可以增加学生样被大学录取的机会。
Grades are usually determined by tests and are given a few times during a semester to give students an idea of what had been taught and what they should know.Final exams are given at the end ofa semester;they cover everything the students should have learned during the entire semester.
（课业）成绩通常是通过测验和考试来决定的。一个学期中会有几次测验，目的是为了让学生对于（老师）所教的是些什么和自己应该学到什么有个概念。学期的最后会有个期末考试，这考试包含了学生在整个学期中应该学到的所有内容。
1、These words help me remember why embracing my essence is always the best thing to do. Perhaps this may resonate with where you are.
这些话让我想起欣然接受自己的本质始终是上策的原因。或许这也会与你产生共鸣。
2、All too often, women are in a hurry. We want to hurry up and find THE GUY, get married, have babies, buy a house, etc. We don't enjoy the seasons of life we are in.
女人总是生活得匆匆忙忙。我们想要赶快找到自己的梦中情人、结婚成家、生孩子、买房子等等等等，我们从未享受过自己生活的四季变迁。
3、I am taking this time to reflect on my single days in writing a letter to my single self. I want to remind her of a few things.
此刻，我想给自己写一封信，反思一下自己单身期间的生活状况，有几件事我想要提醒她。
4、So it's a Monday night, you have your wine, Twitter is open and you are live-tweeting The Bachelor thinking to yourself, "Where is my rose" Let me tell you, Neely, once you are married, these Bachelor nights will not look much different. Only instead of wine, you'll be eating dinner with your husband, still live-tweeting.
今天是周一，晚上，你喝着红酒，开着推特，你一边看着《亿万未婚夫》一边用推特吐槽，心里想着，“我的王子会在哪儿呢？”让我告诉你吧，一旦你结婚了，那些看《亿万未婚夫》的夜晚也不会有什么不同，不过你不是在喝红酒，而是和你的丈夫一起吃着晚餐，手里还是在刷推特在线吐槽。
5、Anyway, Single Neely, enjoy this time. Not because it's better than marriage — trust me, marriage is better. But enjoy it because you should be appreciating time with yourself and learning who you are. Go out with your friends more. Do all the happy hours, drink all the wines, and flirt with the cute waiter. Why Because WHY NOT!
单身的妮莉，无论如何，请享受这一刻。不是因为单身比婚后生活好——相信我，婚后生活更幸福。你要享受这段时间的原因是，你应该珍惜独处的时间，并借此机会更了解自己，多和朋友们聚聚，多做让你开心的事情，多去喝喝红酒，跟可爱的服务生调情，为什么要这样做？因为你为什么不这样做呢？
6、When that guy ghosts you after three great dates, it stings. You think, What did I do wrong Trust me — it's him. He has issues that he will feel the need to share with you three years later. Sigh. Men.
当一个男人跟你一起度过了三次绝妙的约会，却甩了你，这确实很糟糕，你会想，我做错了什么？相信我——是他有问题，他心里有一些缺陷，他觉得自己应该在三年之后再和你分享他的故事。哎，男人就是这样！
7、When you and He Who Shall Not Be Named go back and forth, up and down, and hot and cold, just shake your head, nod and smile and know that "This too shall pass." You'll end it when you've REALLY had enough, and thank God you did.
当你和某某人在一起经历了无数感情波折、感情颠簸、热战冷战，你就摇摇头，给自己一个微笑，告诉自己，“这些都会过去的。”当你觉得自己真的受够了，你就能够放手了，谢天谢地你真的做到了。
The Olympics represents the noble ideal of sports overcoming the barriers of politics withchampion athletes of all nations gathering in the spirit of sportsmanship. However, the stakesgo beyond who wins the gold medal. Shortly after each competition, nations begin to vieafresh for the bid to host the next game. Winning the vote to host is not merely an honor, itis a political conquest in global recognition. It also spins revenue from the influx of tourists,participants and Olympic related paraphernalia.
However, all that glitters is not gold. For some residents of Beijing, the site of Olympic 2008,the impact of winning the bid cuts deep and far into their personal lives. The capital isexpecting to pour billions of dollars into sports facilities and related upgrades such as roads,public transport, landscaping and sanitation. For the bustling city of bicycles and traffic jamstucked among imperial relics, the Olympics is an opportunity for urban renewal.
Yet for those within the areas, something must give way to make room for the model OlympicVillage.
Decades of family homes will be uprooted and dispersed among apartments on the outskirtsof the city. Although modern plumbing and sanitation will replace chamber pots, the move isan upheaval of a community and its way of life and social dynamics. It will be interesting tofollow up on those and study the effects ofthe transplant.
The Olympics upgrades are not disposable stage props that can be easily discarded after theshow. Experts are afraid that without the heartbeat of ordinary people dwelling in the ancientcity, the high tech Olympic City would become culturally dry. Careful urban planning andstringent regulations such as building restrictions can preserve the impression of an intactneighborhood. Nevertheless, without the residents, aesthetic is lost and only the facaderemains, waiting to be filled by tourists and businesses.
Nonetheless who can begrudge anyone a more comfortable living environment? Even withoutthe Olympics, can the drumbeat of modernization be stopped? And whether the changes arefor better or worse, who should presume to judge such things other than those whose livesbear the brunt of the impact?
奥运会所代表的崇高理想，就是各国的运动选手用运动员精神超越政治障碍聚集在一起。可是，其利害关系不仅在于谁获得金牌。每一届奥运会后不久，各国又重新开始争夺下一届奥运会的主办权。获得主办权不仅仅是一种荣誉，也代表着在政治上被全球认同的胜利。此外，还可以通过接踵而来的游客、参赛者和和奥运会有关的设备迅速增加税收。
然而，我们不能只看其表面(该句亦可直译为"闪闪发光的未必都是金子”)。对于北京2008年奥运会场地的那些居民来说，获得主办权对他们生活的影响是深远的。首都预计要在运动设施及其相关的改进，如道路、公共交通、环境景观和公共卫生等方面投入数十亿美元。对于其皇家遗址中到处存放自行车、交通拥堵的繁忙城市，奥运会是一次都市翻新的机会。可是对于那些住在规划用地的人而言，他们必须放弃一些东西来为—个现代化的奥运村腾地儿。
几十年的家园被连根拔起，而被分散到城市郊区的公寓。虽然现代化的管道和卫生设备将取代便盆，但是迁移对一个社区及其生活方式和社会变迁过程仍然是一个大变动。追踪这些人并研究迁移给他们带来的影响将是很有意义的。
为奥运会所做的改进工程，并非是戏剧演出结束后轻易就可以丢弃的舞台小道具。专家们担心在这座古城中缺乏了普通 居民的声迹，高科技的奥运城会在文化上几近枯竭。即使细心的城市规划和严厉的法规，例如建筑管制可以保留原封不动的社区外观，然而没有了居民，美感仍会失落，而只留下空壳，等待游客和商业的填充。
不过，谁能妒忌一些人有较舒适的居住环境呢？即使没有奥运会，现代化的鼓点声是否能被阻挡？而且社会变迁的好与坏，除了那些深受其影响的人以外，还有谁能擅自判断呢？
Dream to Be a Hero
Most parents who want to send their kids to camp in the summertime have to pay hundreds, even thousands of dollars.If your kid happens be a really good basketball player,you probably won"t have to pay a dime.Your kid will go to camp,basketball camp,courtesy of Nike Adidas.those shoe companies scour the country for the best basketball talent and compeite like crazy to get those kids into their brand,offering free shoes,free tips,free camps to even younger players.
Inteviewer :How old were you when they started
To singling you out? Were you just a little kid?
Tyson Chandler:It was about 5th garde,6th grade.
When we first met him in 1997,Tyson Chandler had just finished 8th grade but he and his teamnates on the southern Califolia all stars were already sponsored and equipped by Nike.
Interviewer:You are all wearing Nike.
Chandler:Yeah.
Interviewer:You are Nikemen
Chandler:AlI Nike.
Nike and Adidas have turned summertime into a huge basketball
bazaar,spending millions of dollars to coral every kid with a decent jump shot.Betting that one Of two of them wiIl develop into supestar and human bi11boards.
As soon as kids are finished with their junior high or high school seasons in the spring,coaches armed with free shoes are weid1ing to recruit them from Nike summer teams or Adidas summer team that will play all the way through August.
Both Nike and Adidas have sponsored youth tournaments in LasVegas.Hundreds of kids as young as 12 showing their skills on the court,and strutting their stuff on the strip. At an age when them only mail most kids get is birthday party nvitations,Tyson
got recruitment letters from UCLA and Arizona and Syracuse.
They wanted him for later,Nike already had him.Both companies also have their hooks in high school basketball teams,all around the country.
There are more than a hundred Nike high schools and a hundred Addidas high schools.They get free shoes,free uniforms and free equipment and often cash for the coach.In return Nike and
Adidas get exposure,loyalty and a pipeline for promsing and more,the best teenage players are turning
pro right from high school.
Tyson"s mother is worried that things are moving to fast for her son.
Interviewer:Do you worry sometimes about what this is doing to your kid?
Mother:Yes,I do,I worry cause I don"t want him to move too fast,I still want him to be a kid.
Interviewer:He is a kid.
Mother:Yeah,but a lot of people overlook that because of his height.
许多父母情愿花上几百，甚至几千美元也要把孩子送进夏令营。如果你的孩子是一个灌篮高手，你也许就不用花费分文。你的孩子将可以参加一个由耐克和阿迪达任斯举办的篮球夏令营。这些鞋业公司到全国各地搜罗篮鸣球精英，争先恐后地将这些孩子招至自家公司旗下，甚至为小孩子们提供免费鞋子、对免费的旅行和免费的夏令营。
记者：他们把你挑出来的时出候你多大？当时你还是个小孩子吧？
泰森·钱德勒：那时候我大约五、六年级。
1997年初见到泰森·钱德勒的时候，他刚刚读完八年但他和他在加利福尼亚南部的全明星篮球赛的队友们已全部获得耐克公司赞助，并获全套耐克装备。
记者：你们都穿耐克。
钱德勒：是的。
记者：你的鞋子也是耐克的。
钱德勒：是的。
记者：你们都是耐克人。
钱德勒：全是耐克。
耐克和阿迪达斯把暑假时光变成了一个大型篮球市场，为了一个优美的跳跃投篮动作就在每个孩子身上技资数百万美元，希望他们中的一个或两个能成长为超级明星或活招牌。一旦孩子们完成了春季的初中或高中学业，那些以免费鞋子做诱饵的教练就开始将他们从耐克或阿迪达斯夏令营队招募进来，然后整个八月便持续进行比赛。
耐克和阿迪达斯都赞助了拉斯维加斯的青年锦标赛。成百上千的小孩子，甚至只有十二岁的小不点也在赛场上展示着他们的球技，在繁华大街上炫耀着自己的球技。同龄的孩子此时收到的只是生日宴会的邀请函，而泰森则收到加利福尼亚大学洛杉矶分校、亚利桑那大学和锡拉丘兹大学的录取通知书。这些大学只能排后了，因为现在他属于耐克。两家公司在全国中学的篮球队里都有星探，全国大约有一百多所耐克中学和一百所阿迪达斯中学。他们提供免费的鞋子、免费的球服和免费的装备，还为教练支付酬金。作为回报，耐克和阿迪达斯则获得曝光率、忠诚以及输送大有前途的球员。于是，这些出类拔萃的少年球员一从中学毕业就成了职业球员。
泰森的妈妈有些担心，这样的发展对她儿子来说是不是太快了些。
记者：有时你是不是会担心孩子现在的经历？
妈妈：是的。我担心，因为我不想他发展得太快。我想让他做个小孩子。
记者：他本来就是个小孩子。
妈妈：是的，可是许多人都因为他的身高而忽视这一点。
Excellence is not an act, but a habit
Our character, basically, is a composite of our habits. “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny,” the maxim goes.
人的品德基本上是由习惯组成的。 俗语说；思想决定行动，行动决定习惯，习惯决定品德，品德决定命运。
Habits are powerful factors in our lives. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character and produce our effectiveness or ineffectiveness.
习惯对我们的生活有绝大的影响，因为它们是一贯的。 在不知不觉中， 经年累月影响着我们的品德，暴露出我们的本性，左右着我们的成败。
As Horace Mann, the great educator, once said, “habits are like a cable. We weave a strand of it every day and soon it cannot be broken.” I personally do not agree with the last part of his expression. I know habits can be learned and unlearned. But is also know it isn’t a quick fix. It involves a process and a tremendous commitment.
美国著名教育家曼恩曾说：“习惯就仿佛是一条缆绳，我们每天为他缠上一股新索，不要多久就会变得牢不可破。”这句话的后半段我不敢苟同，我相信习惯可以养成，也可以打破，但绝不是一蹴而就，而是需要长期的努力和无比的毅力。
Those of us who watched the lunar voyage of Apollo 11 were transfixed as we saw the first men walk on the moon and return to earth. But to get there, those astronauts literally had to break out of the tremendous gravity pull of the earth. More energy was spent in the first few minutes of lift-off, in the first few miles of travel, than was used over the next several days to travel half a million miles.
宇航员搭乘阿波罗11号太空船，首次登陆月球的刹那，的确令人叹为观止。但宇航员得先摆脱地球强大的引力，才能飞往月球。由此在刚发射的几分钟，也就是整个任务一开始的几英里之内，是最艰难的时刻，所耗的力量往往超越往后的几十万英里。
Habits, too, have tremendous gravity pull- more than most people realize or would admit. Breaking deeply imbedded habitual tendencies such as procrastination, impatience, criticalness, or selfishness that violate basic principles of human effectiveness involves more than a little willpower and a few minor changes in our lives. “Lift off” takes a tremendous effort, but once we break out of the gravity pull, our freedom takes on a whole new dimension.
习惯也是一样，它具有极大的引力，只是许多人不加注意或不肯承认了。想要革除因循苟且，缺乏耐心，吹毛求疵或自私自利等不良习性，若是缺乏意志力，不能大刀阔斧的改革，便难以实现目标。“起飞”需要极大的努力，然而一旦脱离重力的牵绊，我们便可享受前所未有的自由。
1. maxim ['mksm] 座右铭
2. Our character, basically, is a composite of our habits.
人的品德基本上是由习惯组成的。
composite[kɑm'pɑzt] n. 组合，组成物，adj 组合而成的
composite material 复合材料
China is a great composite of various nationalities.
3. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns
因为它们是一贯的。
consistent[kn'sstnt] adj. 始终如一的， 坚持的， 一致的
Running is my only consistent habit.
Losing weight is her consistent slogan.
4. It involves a process and a tremendous commitment.
tremendous[tr'mnds]adj.极好的， 极大的， 惊人的
The city has taken place a tremendous change these years.
commitment [k'mtmnt]n. 承诺， 保证， 承担承诺， 献身
Don't offer any commitment if you can't fulfill it.
5. Those astronauts literally had to break out of the tremendous gravity pull of the earth.
gravity['ɡrvti]最喜欢的一首歌《Defying Gravity》 没听过的一定要去听哦！
5.Breaking deeplyimbeddedhabitual tendencies such as procrastination, impatience, criticalness, or selfishness.
想要革除拖延，缺乏耐心，吹毛求疵或自私自利等顽固地不良习性。
imbedded[m'bdId] adj 嵌入的
My whole life is imbedded in teaching English.
The White Envelope
It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no identification, no inscription. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years or so.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas — oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it — overspending... the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma — the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special just for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended; and shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church. These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparkling new wrestling shoes.
As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears. It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford. Well, we ended up walloping them. We took every weight class. And as each of their boys got up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.
Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly, “I wish just one of them could have won,” he said. “They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them.”
Mike loved kids — all kids — and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came. That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent the anonymously to the inner-city church.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.
For each Christmas, I followed the tradition — one year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.
The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure. The story doesn't end there. You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer. When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up. But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.
Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad. The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.
May we all remember the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always. God bless — pass this along to your friends and loved ones.
Happy Holidays！
December is one of my favorite months as it's the month of lights, and the month of giving, and thanking. I received this mail from my friend Debra this evening, and wanted to share it. I really think it touches all of us in many ways. As it is said you can never give or receive too many mizvot (in Jewish it's the act of giving) Maybe it could be your “WHITE ENVELOPE”。
Work and Pleasure
To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real. It is no use starting late in life to say: “I will take an interest in this or that.” Such an attempt only aggravates the strain of mental effort. A man may acquire great knowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work, and yet hardly get any benefit or relief. It is no use doing what you like; you have got to like what you do. Broadly speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes: those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death. It is no use offering the manual labourer, tired out with a hard week’s sweat and effort, the chance of playing a game of football or baseball on Saturday afternoon. It is no use inviting the politician or the professional or business man, who has been working or worrying about serious things for six days, to work or worry about trifling things at the weekend.
It may also be said that rational, industrious useful human beings are divided into two classes: first, those whose work is work and whose pleasure is pleasure; and secondly, those whose work and pleasure are one. Of these the former are the majority. They have their compensations. The long hours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward, not only the means of sustenance, but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and most modest forms. But Fortune’s favoured children belong to the second class. Their life is a natural harmony. For them the working hours are never long enough. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays when they come are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vocation. Yet to both classes the need of an alternative outlook, of a change of atmosphere, of a diversion of effort, is essential. Indeed, it may well be that those whose work is their pleasure are those who most need the means of banishing it at intervals from their minds.
The preservation of embryos and juveniles is a rate occurrence in the fossil record. The tiny, delicate skeletons are usually scattered by scavengers or destroyed by weathering before they can be fossilized. Ichthyosaurs had a higher chance of being preserved than did terrestrial creatures because, as marine animals, they tended to live in environments less subject to erosion. Still, their fossilization required a suite of factors: a slow rate of decay of soft tissues, little scavenging by other animals, a lack of swift currents and waves to jumble and carry away small bones, and fairly rapid burial. Given these factors, some areas have become a treasury of well-preserved ichthyosaur fossils.
The deposits at Holzmaden, Germany, present an interesting case for analysis. The ichthyosaur remains are found in black, bituminous marine shales deposited about 190 million years ago. Over the years, thousands of specimens of marine reptiles, fish and invertebrates have been recovered from these rocks. The quality of preservation is outstanding, but what is even more impressive is the number of ichthyosaur fossils containing preserved embryos. Ichthyosaurs with embryos have been reported from 6 different levels of the shale in a small area around Holzmaden, suggesting that a specific site was used by large numbers of ichthyosaurs repeatedly over time. The embryos are quite advanced in their physical development; their paddles, for example, are already well formed. One specimen is even preserved in the birth canal. In addition, the shale contains the remains of many newborns that are between 20 and 30 inches long.
Why are there so many pregnant females and young at Holzmaden when they are so rare elsewhere? The quality of preservation is almost unmatched and quarry operations have been carried out carefully with an awareness of the value of the fossils. But these factors do not account for the interesting question of how there came to be such a concentration of pregnant ichthyosaurs in a particular place very close to their time of giving birth.
Raising Oysters
In the past oysters were raised in much the same way as dirt farmers raised tomatoes - by transplanting them. First, farmers selected the oyster bed, cleared the bottom of old shells and other debris, then scattered clean shells about. Next, they planted fertilized oyster eggs, which within two or three weeks hatched into larvae. The larvae drifted until they attached themselves to the clean shells on the bottom. There they remained and in time grew into baby oysters called seed or spat. The spat grew larger by drawing in seawater from which they derived microscopic particles of food. Before long, farmers gathered the baby oysters, transplanted them in other waters to speed up their growth, then transplanted them once more into another body of water to fatten them up. Until recently the supply of wild oysters and those crudely farmed were more than enough to satisfy peoples needs. But today the delectable seafood is no longer available in abundance. The problem has become so serious that some oyster beds have vanished entirely. Fortunately, as far back as the early 1900s marine biologists realized that if new measures were not taken, oysters would become extinct or at best a luxury food. So they set up well-equipped hatcheries and went to work. But they did not have the proper equipment or the skill to handle the eggs. They did not know when, what, and how to feed the larvae. And they knew little about the predators that attack and eat baby oysters by the millions. They failed, but they doggedly kept at it. Finally, in the 1940s a significant breakthrough was made. The marine biologists discovered that by raising the temperature of the water, they could induce oysters to spawn not only in the summer but also in the fall, winter, and spring. Later they developed a technique for feeding the larvae and rearing them to spat. Going still further, they succeeded in breeding new strains that were resistant to diseases, grew faster and larger, and flourished in water of different salinities and temperatures. In addition, the cultivated oysters tasted better!
In spite of the title, this article will really be on how not to grow old, which, at my time of life, is a much more important subject. My first advice would be to choose your ancestors carefully. Although both my parents died young, I have done well in this respect as regards my other ancestors. My maternal grandfather, it is true, was cut off in the flower of his youth at the age of sixty-seven, but my other three grandparents all lived to be over eighty. Of remote ancestors I can only discover one who did not live to a great age, and he died of a disease which is now rare, namely, having his head cut off. A great-grandmother of mine, who was a friend of Gibbon, lived to the age of ninety-two, and to her last day remained a terror to all her descendants. My maternal grandmother, after having nine children who survived, one who died in infancy, and many miscarriages, as soon as she became a widow devoted herself to women's higher education. She was one of the founders of Girton College, and worked hard at opening the medical profession to women. She used to relate how she met in Italy an elderly gentleman who was looking very sad. She inquired the cause of his melancholy and he said that he had just parted from his two grandchildren. "Good gracious," she exclaimed, "I have seventy-two grandchildren, and if I were sad each time I parted from one of them, I should have a dismal existence!" "Madre snaturale," he replied. But speaking as one of the seventy-two, I prefer her recipe. After the age of eighty she found she had some difficulty in getting to sleep, so she habitually spent the hours from midnight to 3 a.m. in reading popular science. I do not believe that she ever had time to notice that she was growing old. This, I think, is the proper recipe for remaining young. If you have wide and keen interests and activities in which you can still be effective, you will have no reason to think about the merely statistical fact of the number of years you have already lived, still less of the probable brevity of your future.
As regards health, I have nothing useful to say since I have little experience of illness. I eat and drink whatever I like, and sleep when I cannot keep awake. I never do anything whatever on the ground that it is good for health, though in actual fact the things I like doing are mostly wholesome.
Psychologically there are two dangers to be guarded against in old age. One of these is undue absorption in the past. It does not do to live in memories, in regrets for the good old days, or in sadness about friends who are dead. One's thoughts must be directed to the future, and to things about which there is something to be done. This is not always easy; one's own past is a gradually increasing weight. It is easy to think to oneself that one's emotions used to be more vivid than they are, and one's mind more keen. If this is true it should be forgotten, and if it is forgotten it will probably not be true.
The other thing to be avoided is clinging to youth in the hope of sucking vigor from its vitality. When your children are grown up they want to live their own lives, and if you continue to be as interested in them as you were when they were young, you are likely to become a burden to them, unless they are unusually callous. I do not mean that one should be without interest in them, but one's interest should be contemplative and, if possible, philanthropic, but not unduly emotional. Animals become indifferent to their young as soon as their young can look after themselves, but human beings, owing to the length of infancy, find this difficult.
I think that a successful old age is easier for those who have strong impersonal interests involving appropriate activities. It is in this sphere that long experience is really fruitful, and it is in this sphere that the wisdom born of experience can be exercised without being oppressive. It is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes, both because they will not believe you, and because mistakes are an essential part of education. But if you are one of those who are incapable of impersonal interests, you may find that your life will be empty unless you concern yourself with your children and grandchildren. In that case you must realize that while you can still render them material services, such as making them an allowance or knotting them jumpers, you must not expect that they will enjoy your company.
Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death. In the young there is a justification for this feeling. Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in a battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows, and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble. The best way to overcome it----so at least it seems to me----is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life. An individual human existence should be like a river----small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being. The man who, in old age, can see his life in this way, will not suffer form the fear of death, since the things he cares for will continue. And if, with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will not be unwelcome. I should wish to die while still at work, knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do, and content in the thought that what was possible has been done.
Most parents would probably be extremely grateful to be shown an easy way to inSffll into their children an appreciation of the value of money and a better understanding of how to make it,According to somecrities, they can find the answer by reading a new bestselling book by financial wizard Robert T. Kiyosaki.
如果有个简单的方法，该方法能帮助家长给孩子灌输重视钱的价值，以及更好地了解挣钱的办法，相信多数家长都会十分感激的。根据评论家的观点，父母可以在一本由财经奇才罗伯特。清崎所著的畅销书中找到答案。
Rich Dad, Poor Dad has the title of a novel rather than a how-to treatise, and indeed, much of the book is written in story form. Its central theme is summed up by the subtitle What the Rich Teach Their Kids about Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not. The author also strongly disparages the tendency ofmost people to work for money rather than letting money work for them .
《富爸爸，穷爸爸》有点像小说的书名，而不像是一部入门的专著。的`确，书的大部分内容是以故事的形式写成。书的副标题-《富人教给孩子有关金钱的观念和穷人与中产阶级所教的相左)》，归纳了该书的主题。作者也强烈蔑视大多数人为钱工作而不是 让钱为人工作 的倾向。
Kiyosaki illustrates his point in the first part ofthe book by narrating a story based on his childhood experiences, The title refers to the authors own highly educated father, the poor dad who always had to work hard to meet the familys and the rich dad , a neighbor who had dropped out of high school but those financial acumen turned him Into a multhnillionaire. whose financial acumen turned him.
学校 The College
How can I ever forget the beautiful campus in Africa?
那儿处处是碧绿的芳草，绿草中铺着洁白的、笔直的石路。路两旁种的那些树分明是一品红，然而原该为大红色的排列为环状的叶，却变为柔媚的粉红，还有着淡绿色的边儿。我常在这条长长的石径上散步。走着走着，来到一座宽阔的台子上，站在这里可以看到迷人的晚霞与夕照，偶然也能看到冒着浓烟呜呜南去的列车。件转身往回走，不远便会来到实验室和图书馆。这儿宽大的落地窗软帘垂地。窗外的木棉树上开着耀眼的红花。再往前走便是餐厅了，那儿有一株美丽的树，开着雪一样白的花儿。那花儿开得轻柔而又炯娜，一朵朵地连成一片，从远处看去，美得像新嫁娘雪白的头纱。后来我才知道这就是我在书上读到那么多次的曼陀罗。
The grounds were covered with dark green grass through which stretched a straight whitestone path .On both sides of the path were planted what I believed to be poinsettias. Now theflowers were surrounded by pinkish leaves instead of bright red ones as they should have with light green edges，the leaves looked delicate and charming. Along the long pathI often took a stroll which would take me to a wide terrace，where 1 could watch theenchanting glow of sunset，and occasionally catch the sight of a train pulling and hooting onits way southward. On my way back I would pass by the laboratory and library building whoselarge French windows had soft curtains let fall to the floor. Just outside the windows kapokflowers glowed red in full bloom. A short way off stood the dining hall，where I found a treehearing snore-white blossoms so graceful and soft to the touch，Viewed together from thedistance, they were as beautiful as a bridal veil. Later I learned that it was a tree called daturawhich I had so often read about in hooks.
学校的中心地带是个扇形的喷水泉，中间很艺术地摆着些中国式的太湖石。这是新建的。
In the centre of the campus was a newly-built fan-shaped fountain. A number of Chinese taihurocks were arranged in it with a touch of artistry. And there was a story behind it.
在我们中国教师住的院子里，有一个跟这模式一样的喷水泉，不过比这要小得多，像个盆景似的，那是早来这儿的老师利用业余时间建的。他们在池中放了些水草和金鱼，可能是为了抒发对祖国的怀念之情吧，还在太湖石上用秀丽的隶书字体刻了“二泉映月”四个红字，似乎这么一来，西湖便在他们的怀抱之中了，故乡的月便也在向着这些游子微笑了。
In the courtyard of the house where Chinese teachers were living，there was also a similar butmuch smaller fountain looking like potted landscape. It was built by the Chinese teachers whohad come earlier in their spare time. They had graced it with water plants and goldfish .Perhapsout of a yearning for their homeland，they had even engraved on a taihu rock four Chinesecharacters:“Er Quan Ying Yue’meaning“two springs reflecting the moonlight.”These characterswere painted red and written in an ancient calligraphic style. The homesick Chinese teachersseemed to feel that at the sight of these characters，they could by a flight of the imaginationbring to their presence a native moon smiling beaming over the West Lake.
一天，学校的校长来到中国教师的住所。他对这个喷水池赞不绝口，定要中国教师为学校也设计一个跟这一样的喷水池，建在校园的中央。于是在校园里，在绿茸茸的芳草和艳丽的花朵之间又加上了一个中国色彩的喷水池，在阳光的辉照下，喷射着亮晶晶的水珠儿。
One day the president of the college carne to visit the Chinese teachers. Delighted by thebeauty of their fountain he asked them to design another one for the college. Thus in thecentre of the campus, in a field of green grass and colourful flowers appeared a new Chinesefountain spurting out water drops glistening in the sunlight.
My grandparents believed you were either honest or you weren't. There was no in between. They had a simple motto hanging on their living-room wall: Life is like a field of newly fallen snow; where I choose to walk every step will show. They didn't have to talk about it--they demonstratedthe motto by the way they lived. They understood instinctively that integrity means having a personal standard of morality and ethics that does not sell out to expediency and that is not relative to the situation at hand. Integrity is an inner standard for judging your behavior.Unfortunately, integrity is in short supply today--and getting scarcer. But it is the real bottom line in every area of society.And it is something we must demand of ourselves.
A good test for this value is to look at what I call the Integrity Trial, which consists of three key principles: Stand firmly for your convictions in the face of personal pressure.
When you know you're right, you can't back down. Always give others credit that is rightfully theirs. Don't be afraid of those who might have a better idea or who might even be smarter than you are. Be honest and open about who you really are. People who lack genuine core values rely on external factors--their looks or status---in order to feel good about themselves. Inevitably they will do everything they can to preserve this facade,but they will do very little to develop their inner value and personal growth.
So be yourself. Don't engage in a personal cover-up of areas that are unpleasing in your life. When it's tough, do it tough. In other words, face reality and be adult in your responses to life's challenges.
Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.
Integrity means you do what you do because it's right and not just fashionable or politically correct. A life of principle, of not succumbing to the seductive sirens of an easy morality,will always win the day. My grandparents taught me that.
Traveling solo can be intimidating, scary and risky.
Most importantly, though, traveling solo can be one of the most eye-opening experiences. Here are 10 tips to help make your first solo traveling experience a full-on success.
Before you go to a new place, make sure to do your research. This sounds fairly obvious, yet there are still so many people who seem to just wing it. Be thorough and look into where you're going. Check out the surrounding area, bars and restaurants you want to try out, excursions you want to do, prices for basics like food and drink, local customs and local language, etc. You can never be too prepared when traveling alone.
I'm talking about really saving here — not just spending your money as usual and taking your last paycheck with you. Decide how much you can spare from each paycheck and start taking it out. If you're traveling with someone and run out of money, you can (hopefully) count on them to spot you. If you're on your own, you're literally on your own.
Isn't it amazing how one person, sharing one idea, at the right time and place can change the course of your life's history? This is certainly what happened in my life. When I was 14, I was hitchhiking from Houston, Texas, through El Paso on my way to California. I was following my dream, journeying with the sun. I was a high school dropout with learning disabilities and was set on surfing the biggest waves in the world, first in California and then in Hawaii, where I would later live.
Upon reaching downtown El Paso, I met an old man, a bum, on the street corner. He saw me walking, stopped me and questioned me as I passed by. He asked me if I was running away from home, I suppose because I looked so young. I told him, "Not exactly, sir," since my father had given me a ride to the freeway in Houston and given me his blessings while saying, "It is important to follow your dream and what is in your heart. Son. "
The bum then asked me if he could buy me a cup of coffee. I told him, "No, sir, but a soda would be great." We walked to a corner malt shop and sat down on a couple of swiveling stools while we enjoyed our drinks.
After conversing for a few minutes, the friendly bum told me to follow him. He told me that he had something grand to show me and share with me. We walked a couple of blocks until we came upon the downtown El Paso Public Library.
We walked up its front steps and stopped at a small information stand. Here the bum spoke to a smiling old lady, and asked her if she would be kind enough to watch my things for a moment while he and I entered the library. I left my belongings with this grandmotherly figure and entered into this magnificent hall of learning.
The bum first led me to a table and asked me to sit down and wait for a moment while he looked for something special amongst the shelves. A few moments later, he returned with a couple of old books under his arms and set them on the table. He then sat down beside me and spoke. He started with a few statements that were very special and that changed my life. He said, "There are two things that I want to teach you, young man, and they are these:
"Number one is to never judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you. "He followed with, "I ll bet you think I m a bum, don t you, young man?"
I said, "Well, uh, yes, I guess so, sir. "
"Well, young man, I've got a little surprise for you. I am one of the wealthiest men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want. I originally come from the Northeast and have all the things that money can buy. But a year ago, my wife passed away, bless her soul, and since then I have been deeply reflecting upon life. I realized there were certain things I had not yet experienced in life, one of which was what it would be like to live like a bum on the streets. I made a commitment to myself to do exactly that for one year. For the past year I have been going from city to city doing just that. So, you see, don't ever judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you.
"Number two is to learn how to read, my boy. For there is only one thing that people can't take away from you, and that is your wisdom. " At that moment, he reached forward, grabbed my right hand in his and put them upon the books he'd pulled from the shelves. They were the writings of Plato and Aristotle-immortal classics from ancient times.
The bum then led me back past the smiling old woman near the entrance, down the steps and back on the streets near where we first met. His parting request was for me to never forget what he taught me.
I haven't.
如果一个人，在适当的时候和地� 那时，我正在从得克萨斯州的休斯敦，经由爱坡索市前往加利福尼亚州去的旅途中。日出即行，日落即息，痴痴地追寻着我的梦想。我本来在读高中，也许我天生就不是读书的材料，因此我不得不中途辍学。随即我决心要到世界上最大的海浪上去冲浪，先准备到加利福尼亚州，再到夏威夷，然后我准备就在那里住下来。
在刚进入爱坡索市区的时候，我看到有一个老头，一个流浪者，坐在街道的拐角处。他看见了走路的我，当我就要从他的旁边走过去时，他拦住了我，并开口向我发问。他问我是不是偷着从家里跑出来的，我想他这么问我一定是看我太年轻，觉得我太嫩的缘故。“不完全是，先生，"因为是我爸爸开车把我送到休斯敦的高速公路上的，他还一边为我祝福，一边说：‘儿子，追寻你的梦想和心中的憧憬非常重要。’”
然后那个流浪者问我他能请我喝咖啡吗？我回答说：“不，先生，一杯汽水就可以了。”
于是，我们走进街道拐角处的一家酒吧，坐在一双转椅上，喝着饮料。
在闲聊了几分钟后，这个和蔼可亲的老流浪汉要我跟他走。他告诉我说他有一样大东西给我看，要与我分享。我们走过了几个街区，来到了爱坡索市的公立图书馆。
我们沿着它前面的台阶向上走，在一处小小的咨询台前停了下来。老流浪汉向一位笑容可掬的老太太说了几句话，并问她是否愿意在他和我进图书馆时帮忙照看一下我的行李。我把行李放在那位老奶奶般的人那里，走进了那座宏伟的学习殿堂。
老流浪汉先把我带到一张桌子前，让我坐下来稍等片刻，而他则到那些林立的书架中去寻找那个特别重要的东西去了。不一会儿，他腋下夹着几本旧书回来了。他把书放到桌子上，然后他在我的身边坐了下来，打开了话匣子，出口便不凡，其话语非常特别，改变了我一生的命运。他说：“年轻人，我想教你两件事，就是：第一是切记不要从封面来判断一本书的好坏，因为封面有时也会蒙骗你。"他接着说道："我敢打赌，你一定认为我是个老流浪汉，是不是？年轻人。”
我说：“嗯，是的，先生，我想是的。”
“嗯，年轻人，我要给你一个小惊喜：其实我是这个世界上最富有的人之一，人们梦寐以求的任何东西我几乎都有。我最初从美国东北部来，凡是金钱能买到的东西，我全都有。但是一年前，我妻子死了，愿上帝保祐她的在天之灵，从那以后，我开始深深地反思人生的意义。我意识到，生活中有些东西我还没有体验过，其中之一就是做一个沿街乞讨的流浪汉滋味如何。于是我对自己发誓要像流浪汉一样活一年。在过去的一年里，我从一个城市流浪到另一个城市，就像流浪汉一样生活。所以，你看，切记不要从封面来判断一本书的好坏，因为封面有时也会蒙骗你。”
“第二，我的孩子，是要学会如何读书。因为这个世界上只有一种东西是别人无法从你的身上拿走的，那，就是你的智慧！”说到这，他俯身向着我，抓住我的右手放在他从书架中找到的书上。那是柏拉图和亚里士多德的著作--尚古以降已经流传了几千年的不朽的经典。
A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.
"Is this your car, Mister?" he said.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you nothing? Boy, I wish . . ." He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.
"I wish," the boy went on, "That I could be a brother like that."
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my car?"
"Oh yes, I’d love that."
After a short ride, the boy turned with his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked.
He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.
"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs.
His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m gonna give you one just like it . . . then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride. That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he said: "It is more blessed to give . . . "
The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that 8217;s the essence of inhumanity.——George Bernard Shaw?
Many people 8211;especially young people 8211;seem to have a hard time understanding other people 8217;s right to quiet. My wife and I worked as camp hosts at a small campground for one summer, and we were only a bit surprised to see just how many people were willing to stay up very late at night talking and laughing around the campfire, even though they were literally surrounded by the darkened tents of other people who were trying to sleep.
I can understand the positive feeling of companionship and enjoying other people 8217;s companies, but if we want to respect the rights of others, then it 8217;s important that we recognize that there 8217;s a time and a place for everything.
My wife and I had to spend a lot of time reminding people that quiet hours had started at ten because people simply weren 8217;t willing to respect those hours. They wanted to do what they wanted to do, and all of the other people who were affected by their actions simply didn 8217;t matter to them.
Many people know that the law of Karma eventually will cause some sort of return to the folks who don 8217;t respect the rights of others, but it 8217;s a shame that we even have to think of such a thing. What would life be like if our understanding of Karma were to be limited to the positive returns that life would provide because we only shared positive thoughts, words, and actions with our fellow humans and the other living beings on this planet?
We should not, of course, make decision about what we do and do not do simply because of what we think we 8217;ll get back. Our decisions should be made based on whether what we 8217;re doing is respecting the rights and needs of others.
Life, after all, is a cooperative effort, and the better we treat our fellow human beings, the more we respect them and their rights, the more positive and loving andcompassionate is this world going to be. It 8217;s a very simple and important principal for all of us to realize we 8217;re going to give to the world in positive ways.