有很多英语的优美文章是值得我们去学习和参考的。
why Measure Life in Heartbeats?
Hemingway once wrote that courage is grace under pressure. But I wouldrather think with the 18th-century Italian dramatist, Vittorio Alfieri, that"often the test of courage is not to die but t0 1ive." For living with cancerengenders more than pressure; it begets terror. To live with it, to face up toit-that's courage.
Hope is our most effective "drug" in treating cancer. There is almost nocancer (at any stage) that cannot be treated. By instilling hope in a patient,we can help develop a positive; combative attitude to his disease. Illogical,unproven? Perhaps. But many doaors believe that this must become a partof cancer therapy if the therapy is to be effective.
I have had the joy of two beautiful and wonderful wives, the happiness ofparenthood and the love of eight children. My work was constantly chal-lenging and fulfilling. I have always loved music and books, ballet and thetheater. I was addicted to fitness, tennis, golf, curling, hunting and fishing.
Good food and wine graced my table. My home was a warm and happyplace.
But when I became aware of my imminent mortality, my attitudes changed.
There was real meaning to the words, "This is the first day of the rest ofyour life." There was a heightened awareness of each sunny day, the beautyof flowers, the song of a bird. How often do we reflect on the joy of breath.
ing easily, of swallowing without effort and discomfort, of walking withoutpain, of a complete and peaceful night's sleep?
After I became ill, I embarked upon many things I had been putting offbefore. I read the books Ihad set aside for retirement and wrote one myself,entitled TheArt of Surgery. My wife Madeleine and I took more holidays.
We played tennis regularly and curled avidly; we took the boys fishing. WhenI review these past few years, it seems in many ways that I have lived alifetime since I acquired cancer. On my last holiday in the Bahamas, as Iwalked along the beach feeling the gentle waves wash over my feet, I felt apart of tlie universe, even if only a minuscule one,like a grain of sand on thebeach.
Although I had to restrict the size of my practice, I felt closer empathy withmy patients. When I walked into the Intensive Care Unit there was an awe-some feeling knowing I, too, had been a patient there. It was a special satis-faction to comfort my patients with cancer, knowing that it is possible toenjoy life after the anguish of that diagnosis. It gave me a warm feeling tosee the sparkle in one patient's eyes-a man with a totallaryngectomy-when I asked if he would enjoy a cold beer and went to get him one.
If one realizes that our time on this earth is but a tiny fraction of that withinthe cosmos, then life calculated in years may not be as important as wethink. Why measure life in heartbeats? When life is so dependent on such anunreliable function as the beating of the heart, then it is fragile indeed. Theonly thing that one can depend upon with absolute certainty is death.
I believe that death may be the most important part of life. I believe that lifeis infinitesinially brief in relation to the immensity of eternity. I believe,because of my religious faith, that I shall "return to the Father"in an afterlifethat is beyond description. I believe that though my life was short in years, itwas fullin experience, joy, love and accomplishment; that my owriimmor-tality will reside in the memories of my loved ones left behind, mother,brother, wife, children, dear friends. I believe that I will die with loved onesclose by and, one hopes, achieve that great gift of God-ileath in peace, andwith dignity.
何必以心跳定生死？
海明威曾经写过，勇气就是临危不惧。不过，我更赞同18世纪意大利戏剧家维多利奥·阿尔菲利的观点：“对勇气的考验往往不是去死，而是要活。”身患癌症，不仅带来痛苦，而且引起恐惧。抱病生活，并敢于正视这一现实，这就是勇气。
希望是我们治疗癌症最有效的“药物”。几乎没有任何癌症(无论发展到哪一期)是不能医治的。把希望灌输到病人心里，我们就可以帮助他树立起积极与疾病作斗争的观念。也许此话不合逻辑，言之无据，是吗？然而，许多医生认为，要想使疗法有效，这必�
我有幸先后拥有两位美丽贤惠的妻子所带来的欢欣，体验过为人之父的乐趣，并得到八个子女的爱。过去，我的工作一直富有挑战性，令人有成就感。我一向喜欢听音乐和读书，酷爱芭蕾舞和戏剧。我曾经醉心于健身运动、网球、高尔夫球、冰上溜石、打猎和垂钓。我的餐桌摆满美酒佳肴。我的家温馨而又幸福。
可是，当我知道自己大限将至时，生活态度就变了。“这是您余生的开始。”这句话对我有了实实在在的含义。对每一个晴天丽日，对鸟语花香，我的感触倍加强烈。平日呼吸轻松，吞食自如，走路毫不费劲，一夜安寝到天明，我们几曾回味过其中的'乐趣？
患病后，我着手做以前搁置下来的许多事情。我阅读了本来留到退休后才读的书，而且还写了一本题为《外科术》的书。我与夫人马德琳度假更加频繁。我们经常去打网球，劲头十足地在冰上溜石，还带儿子们去钓鱼。回顾过去几年，从许多方面来看，自从得了癌症以后，我似乎已经活了一辈子。上次到巴哈马度假期间，我沿着海滩漫步，海浪轻轻抚揉着我的双脚，此时此刻我蓦然觉得自己与整个宇宙融为一体，尽管我微不足道，就像海滩上的一粒沙子。
虽然我不得不限制自己的医务工作量，我感到与病人更加心灵相通。当我走进特别护理室时，一种敬畏之感油然而生，因为我知道自己也曾是这里的病人。我明白，在经历了被确诊为癌症的极度痛苦之后，仍有可能享受生活，因此，安慰癌症患者成了一种特别的乐事。一位病人做了喉部切除手术，我问他是否想喝冻啤酒，而且为他拿来了一杯，这时我看到他眼里闪现出了火花，一股暖流顿时涌上我的心头。
倘若人们意识到人生在世只不过是宇宙的时间长河中转瞬即逝的一刹那，那么以岁月计算的生命就不会像我们所想的那样重要了。何必以心跳来定生死呢？当生命依赖于心跳这样一种不可靠的功能时，它的确脆弱不堪。而只有死亡才是人们唯一可以绝对依赖的。
我认为死亡可能是人生中最重要的一环。我认为与那漫长的永生相比，生命是极其短暂的。基于我的宗教信仰，我相信在我身后那难以描绘的时光里，我将回归圣父。我相信，我的生命以年月计算，虽然是短暂的，但经历丰富，充满了欢乐、爱情和成就；我将永远活在我所爱的人，即我的母亲、兄弟、儿女和密友的记忆中。我相信，在弥留之际，我的亲朋好友将陪伴在我身旁：我希望得到上帝的恩赐——带着尊严，安详地告别人间。
On beauty
Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide? And how shall you speak of her except she be the 1)weaver of your speech?
The 2)aggrieved and the 3)injured say, "Beauty is kind and gentle. Like a young mother half-shy of her own 4)glory she walks among us."
And the 5)passionate say, "Nay, beauty is a thing of 6)might and 7)dread. Like the 8)tempest she shakes the earth beneath us and the sky above us."
The tired and the 9)weary say, "Beauty is of soft 10)whisperings. She speaks in our spirit. Her voice 11)yields to our silences like a 12)faint light that 13)quivers 14)in fear of the shadow."
But the 15)restless say, "We have heard her shouting among the mountains, and with her cries came the sound of hoofs, and the beating of wings and the 16)roaring of lions."
At night the watchmen of the city say, "Beauty shall rise with the dawn from the east."
And at 17)noon-time the 18)toilers and the 19)wayfarers say, "We have seen her leaning over the earth from the windows of the sunset."
In winter say the 20)snow-bound, "She shall come with the spring leaping upon the hills."
And in the summer heat the 21)reapers say, "We have seen her dancing with the autumn leaves, and we saw a drift of snow in her hair."
All these things have you said of beauty, yet in truth you spoke not of her but of needs unsatisfied, and beauty is not a need but an 22)ecstasy. It is not a mouth 23)thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth, but rather a heart 24)enflamed and a soul 25)enchanted. It is not the image you would see nor the song you would hear, but rather an image you see though you close your eyes and a song you hear though you shut your ears. It is not the 26)sap within the 27)furrowed 28)bark, nor a wing attached to a 29)claw, but rather a garden for ever in bloom and a flock of angels for ever in flight.
Beauty is life when life 30)unveils her holy face.
1) weaver n. 编织者，织工
2) aggrieved a. 苦恼的，悲伤的 the aggrieved指苦恼的人，悲伤的人
3) injured a. 受伤的，受损害的 the injured指受伤的人，受损害的人
4) glory n. 荣誉，光荣
5) passionate a. 热情的 the passionate指充满热情的人
6) might n. 力量，威力
7) dread n. 惧怕，担心
8) tempest n. 暴风雨
9) weary a. 疲倦的 the weary指疲倦的人
10) whispering n. 耳语
11) yield to 屈服于，屈从于
12) faint a. 微弱的，模糊的
13) quiver v. 颤抖
14) in fear of 对……惧怕，担忧
15) restless a. 不能安静的 the restless指好动的人
16) roaring n. 咆哮，呼喊
17) noon-time n. 正午，白昼
18) toiler n. 辛劳者
19) wayfarer n. 旅人，徒步旅行者
20) snow-bound a. 被大雪困阻的 the snowbound指被大雪困阻的人
21) reaper n. 收割者
22) ecstasy n. 入迷
23) thirsting a. 口渴的
24) enflame v. 燃烧
25) enchant v. 施魔法，使迷惑
26) sap n. 树液
27) furrowed a. 有犁沟的，有皱纹的
28) bark n. 树皮
29) claw n. 爪
30) unveil v. 揭开，除去面纱
美
如果美不以自身为途径，为向导，你们到哪里，又如何能找到她呢？如果她不是你们言语的编织者，你们又如何能谈论她呢？
伤心痛苦者说：“美是善良而温柔的。她像一位因自己的荣耀而半含羞涩的年轻母亲，走在我们的身边。”
热情奔放者说：“不，美是强烈而令人惊畏的。她如暴风雨般震动我们脚下的大地，摇撼我们头上的天空。”
疲惫怠倦者说：“美是温柔的低语，她在我们的心中诉说。她的声音波动在我们的沉默中，犹如一道微弱的光在对阴影的恐惧中颤抖。”
但活泼好动者说：“我们曾听到她在山谷中大声呼叫，随其呐喊而来的是足蹄踏地、翅膀拍击和雄狮怒吼的声音。”
夜晚，城市的守夜人说：“美将与晨光一同从东方升起。”
正午，辛勤劳作者和长途跋涉者说：“我们曾看到她透过黄昏之窗眺望大地。”
严冬，困在风雪中的人说：“她将与春同至，雀跃于山峦之间。”
酷暑，收割庄稼的人说：“我们曾看到她与秋叶共舞，雪花点缀于她的发梢。”
你们谈到关于美的所有这些，实际并非关于她本身，而是关于你们未被满足的需求，但美并不是一种需求，而是心醉神迷的欣喜。她不是焦渴的唇，也不是伸出的空空的'手，而是一颗燃烧的心，一个充满喜悦的灵魂。她不是你们想看到的形象，也不是你们想听到的歌声，而是你们闭上眼睛看到的形象，堵住耳朵听到的歌声。她不是伤残树皮下的树液，也不是悬在利爪下的翅膀。而是一座鲜花永远盛开的花园，一群永远在天空飞翔的天使。
当生命摘去遮盖她圣洁面容的面纱时，美就是生命。
Free to Soar
One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds darting and dancing. As the strong winds gusted against the kites, a string kept them in check.
Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the restraining string and the cumbersome tail kept them in tow, facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say, “Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!” They soared beautifully even as they fought the restriction of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose. “Free at last,” it seemed to say. “Free to fly with the wind.”
Yet freedom from restraint simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic breeze. It fluttered ungracefully to the ground and landed in a tangled mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. “Free at last” free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to lodge lifeless against the first obstruction.
How much like kites we sometimes are. The Heaven gives us adversity and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Restraint is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. Some of us tug at the rules so hard that we never soar to reach the heights we might have obtained. We keep part of the commandment and never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground.
Let us each rise to the great heights, recognizing that some of the restraints that we may chafe under are actually the steadying force that helps us ascend and achieve.
在一个有风的春日，我看到一群年轻人正在迎风放风筝玩乐，各种颜色、各种形状和大小的风筝就好像美丽的鸟儿在空中飞舞。当强风把风筝吹起，牵引线就能够控制它们。
风筝迎风飘向更高的地方，而不是随风而
而去。它们摇摆着、拉扯着，但牵引线以及笨重的尾巴使它们处于控制之中，并且迎风而上。它们挣扎着、抖动着想要挣脱线的束缚，仿佛在说：“放开我！放开我！我想要自由！”即使与牵引线奋争着，它们依然在美丽地飞翔。终于，一只风筝成功挣脱了。“终于自由了，”它好像在说，“终于可以随风自由飞翔了！”
然而，脱离束缚的自由使它完全处于无情微风的摆布下。它毫无风度地震颤着向地面坠落，落在一堆乱草之中，线缠绕在一颗死灌木上。“终于自由”使它自由到无力地躺在尘土中，无助地任风沿着地面将其吹走，碰到第一个障碍物便毫无生命地滞留在那里了。
有时我们真像这风筝啊！上苍赋予我们困境和约束，赋予我们成长和增强实力所要遵从的规则。约束是逆风的必要匹配物。我们中有些人是如此强硬地抵制规则，以至我们从来无法飞到本来能够达到的高度。我们只遵从部分戒律，因此永远不会飞得足够高，使尾巴远离地面。
让我们每个人都飞到高处吧，并且认识到这一点：有些可能会令我们生气的约束，实际上是帮助我们攀升和实现愿望的平衡力。
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。
家中只有一个画家了Only one artist in the family When Pable Picasso was a little boy, he lived in a small town in Spain. His mother liked to call him “Piz”。 It is the Spanish word for pencil. As a baby, he liked pencils and chalks better than any of his toys. 巴勃罗。毕加索小时候住在西班牙的一个小镇上。他母亲喜欢叫他“皮兹”。这是“铅笔”的西班牙语单词。他从小就喜欢铅笔和粉笔胜过任何的玩具。
Picasso’s father was an artist, He spent a lot of time teaching the little boy how to draw. 毕加索的父亲是个画家。他花了大量时间教他儿子怎样绘画。
Drawing was Picasso’s great pleasure. He usually sat by the windows and drew pictures of pigeons. 绘画成了毕加索很大的乐趣。他通常坐在窗户旁边画鸽子。
One day his father came back, He stood for a long time looking at Picasso’s picture. The pigeons in the picture looked quite real. 有一天，他父亲回来了。他站了很长时间观察毕加索画的画。画中的`鸽子看上去十分逼真。
His father gave all his brushes and paint to Picasso. He told his son that from then on there would be only one artist in the family. 毕加索的父亲把所有的画笔和颜料全给了他。他对他儿子说，从那个时候起家中只有一个画家。
You're shut down and frightened, the world seems hostile; when you love what is, everything in the world becomes the beloved. Inside and outside always match -- they're reflections of each other. The world is the mirror image of your mind.
当你脑子停滞放空、被恐惧笼罩着，你就会觉得整个世界都不怀好意；当你爱上这个世界本身，你就会觉得世上的每样东西都值得你爱。心中所想和外物所现总是息息相关，它们互相映衬，外界就是你内心的镜像。
Not believing your own thoughts, you're free from the primal desire: the thought that reality should be different than it is. You realize the wordless, the unthinkable. You understand that any mystery is only what you yourself have created. In fact, there's no mystery. Everything is as clear as day. It's simple, because there really isn't anything. There's only the story appearing now. And not even that.
如果你不相信自己的想法，那么你就可以免受原始欲望的驱使：因为你所想的现实往往不是其真实的样子。你意识到默默无言的和无法置信的，你会明白一切的神秘只是你自己在故弄玄虚。事实上每件事都是一清二楚，很容易就可以明白，因为并没有发生什么事。现在只是发生了一件事，它甚至不算是事。
When you realize that you can only see the world as you believe it to be, you look from a newperspective. The world is an optical illusion. In the end, it's just you, crazed and miserable, or you, delighted and at peace. Everything happens for you, not to you.
当你意识到你只能看到你所相信的世界时，你便从新的角度看待这个世界了。世界是一种错觉，到最后，世界就是你，那个疯狂又痛苦的你或是愉快又平和的你，每件事都是为你发生，而不是发生于你。
I have questioned my thoughts, and I've seen that it's crazy to argue with what is. I don't ever want anything to happen except what's happening. For example, a man sticks a pistol into my stomach, pulls the hammer back, and says, "I'm going to kill you." I am shocked that he is taking his thoughts so seriously. To someone identified as an I, the thought of killing causes guilt that leads to a life of suffering, so I ask him, as kindly as I can, not to do it.
我曾经质疑过我的思想，然后我明白了与此纠缠是不切实际的。除了正在发生的事情以外，我从未想过有什么事要发生。举个例子，有人拿枪指着我的肚子，把扳机往下扣，说：“我要杀了你。”我很吃惊，因为他这么认真地执行了他的思想。对于任何一个将自己定义为“我”的人，杀人的想法会使之感到罪孽深重、一辈子饱受煎熬。于是我用尽可能善良的态度请求他不要杀人。
I don't tell him that it's his suffering I'm thinking of. He says that he has to do it, and I understand; I remember believing that I had to do things in my old life. I thank him for doing the best he can, and I notice that I'm fascinated. Is this how she dies? Is this how the story ends? And as joy continues to fill me, I find it miraculous that the story is still going on. You can never know the ending, even as it ends. I am very moved at the sight of sky, clouds, andmoonlit trees. I love that I don't miss one moment, one breath, of this amazing life. I wait. And wait. And in the end, he doesn't pull the trigger. He doesn't do that to himself.
我并没有告诉他，我所考虑的一切关乎他会受到的煎熬。他说他必须得这么做，我能理解，我想起我相信晚年要做的事。我要为他已经尽他所能而感谢他，我还注意到，我为此心驰神往。这就是她的死因吗？这就是故事的终结吗？当这种愉快的感觉不停地充斥着全身时，我发现神奇的是故事并未结束。你根本就猜不中结局，即使故事完结了，你也猜不中。我感动于视野所及的蓝天、白云、还有月色下的树林，我很高兴的是，我没有错过这美妙生命中的每时每刻、每次呼吸。我等啊、等啊，等到了最后，他没有按下扳机，他并没有对他自己做那件事。
What we call "bad" and what we call "good" both come from the same place. The Tao Te Ching says that the source of everything is called "darkness." What a beautiful name (if we must have a name)! Darkness is our source. In the end, it embraces everything. Its nature is love, and in our confusion we name it terror and ugliness, the unacceptable, the unbearable. All our stress results from what we imagine is in that darkness. We imagine darkness as separate from ourselves, and we project something terrible onto it. But in reality, the darkness is alwaysbenevolent.
我们称之为“好”和我们称之为“坏”的事物都来自同一个地方。《道德经》上说，事物的本源称之为“虚无”。这称呼多美(如果我们一定要给个称呼)!虚无是我们的本源，最后，虚� 我们的压力都是源于我们对虚无的想象，我们想象着把虚无从我们身上剥离出来，我们还把一些可怕的事物投影到虚无上面。但是实际上，虚无一直是亲切仁慈的。
Darkness is the mind that doesn't know a thing. This don't-know mind is the center of the universe -- it is the universe -- there's nothing outside it. And it's the gateway to all understanding. Once the darkness is understood, you're clear that nothing is separate from you. No name, no thought, can possibly be true in an ultimate sense. It's all provisional; it's all changing. The dark, the nameless, the unthinkable -- that is what you can absolutely trust. It doesn't change, and it's benevolent. When you realize this, you just have to laugh. There's nothing serious about life or death.
虚无只是一颗不谙世事的心。这颗“未知”的心是宇宙的中心，它就是宇宙，除它以外别无他物，它还是通往全知的必经之路。一旦你懂得虚无，你就会明白，没有什么可以从你身上剥离出来。没有什么名字或思想可 一切从未停止，一切一直在变。无知、无名、无思——这是你能完全相信的。这一点从未改变，非常亲切仁慈。当你意识到这点时，你只需一笑置之，是生是死，都不那么重要了。
Traveling alone is the only way to travel. If you take someone with you, you take your home with you. When you travel alone, you meet new people, have new experiences, and learn more about yourself.
When I traveled with my friend, I spend all my time with that friend. We eat together and sightsee together. When I travel alone, I spend my time looking for new friends. It is easy to fine other people, either other tourists or locals, to eat with or have a coffee with. When you share meals with strangers, they become friends.
When I travel with a friend, my routine is predictable. We maintain the same schedule that we do at home. When I travel alone, I adopt the rhythm of the place I visit. I might take a nap in the afternoon and eat dinner at 11 pm. I might go to a disco and dance all night.
When I travel with a friend, we know how we will react to things. When I travel alone, each new experience requires a new reaction. If I don't try new things, I won't be able to decide if I like something or not. Shall I ride an ostrich or eat one?
I think it is always important to do things on your own. You can fine new friends, collect new memories, and adopt different ways of doing things. Isn't that the point of travel?
Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Floridaa little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.
几年前的一个炎炎夏日，在美国佛罗里达州南部，有个小男孩为贪图凉快，决定去自家房子后面一个形成已久的深水潭中游泳。
In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door,leaving behind shoes,socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water,not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake,an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His mother - in the house was looking out the window - saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear,she ran toward the water,yelling to her son as loudly as she could.
因为迫不及待地想投入到清凉的水中，他飞快地从后门跑了出去，边跑边脱掉鞋子、袜子和衬衣，把它们随手抛在了身后。他一头扎进了水里，丝毫没有意识到自己游往潭中心的同时，一只美洲鳄也正在朝岸边游来。小男孩的母亲当时在屋子里透过窗子向外看着，发现那只美洲鳄正向她的孩子步步逼近。她极度惊恐起来，一边迅速奔向水潭，一边声嘶力竭地朝自己的孩子呼喊着。
Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a return to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her,the alligator reached him.
听到她的呼喊，小男孩才猛然意识到了危险，立即掉头向岸边的母亲游去。可这时已经无济于事。他的手勉强刚够到他的母亲，鳄鱼也已经接触到了他。
From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
母亲在岸上拼命地拽紧儿子的手臂，而此时美洲鳄也死死地咬住孩子的腿不放。为了争夺小男孩，母亲和鳄鱼之间俨然展开了一场让人难以置信的拔河较量。美洲鳄的力气显然要比母亲强大得多，但是母亲挽救儿子的坚定信念让她无论如何也绝不放手。就在这万分危急的关头，一位农夫恰巧驾车经过，一听到孩子母亲的尖叫便飞速从卡车上跳下，瞄准鳄鱼并开枪将其射杀。
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal and, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mothers fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.
值得庆幸的是，经过在医院数周的抢救治疗，小男孩居然存活了下来。鳄鱼凶残的袭击在他的`腿上刻下了触目惊心的伤痕。不仅如此，他的双臂上也留下了深深的抓痕，那是在生死关头母亲为了牢牢抓住挚爱的儿子，以至于手指甲都掐入了儿子的肉中所留下的。
The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter. But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldnt let go.
事后，这位死里逃生的小男孩接受了一位报社记者的采访。当记者问他是否愿意让大家看看他身上的伤疤时，小男孩挽起了自己的裤腿，腿上深深的疤痕暴露无遗。紧接着，他满脸自豪地告诉记者，“大家还是看看我的手臂吧，我的手臂上也有好多伤疤呢。这是妈妈不放开我，在救我的时候留下的。”
You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But, the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret.
看了这个小男孩的故事后，人们都能感同身受。其实我们每个人身上都有伤疤。只不过并不是被鳄鱼咬的，或任何如此戏剧性事件所造成，而是过往的痛苦经历所留下的。那些伤疤是如此难看，让人深感懊悔。
But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, Hes been there holding on to you.
但是，我的朋友，你可曾想过有些伤口是一些不想放弃你的人造成的。在你挣扎的过程中，那些爱你的人为了拉住你，才在你身上留下了这些伤疤。
Why do leaves change color in the fall? asks Patricia Brown, of New York City.
Autumn's cool days are trimmed with deep blue skies and golden light, and brilliant leaves of yellow, orange and red. Leaves changing color in the fall are a tree's way of preparing for long winter, rather like we put up storm windows and pull warm clothes and blankets out of storage.
In summer, the leaves on trees like pin oaks and sugar maples are green because they are chock-full of the green pigment chlorophyll.
Trees need sunlight to produce chlorophyll. In turn, chlorophyll uses sunlight's energy to split water （H2O） into hydrogen and oxygen. Meanwhile, leaves also absorb carbon dioxide gas from the air. The end products of leaf chemistry: carbohydrates （homemade plant food for the tree）， and oxygen, released into the air （the gas we need to breathe）。 The whole process is called photosynthesis.
Along with green chlorophyll, most leaves also contain yellow, orange and red-orange pigments celled carotenoids. Trees don't need light to make carotenoids. Botanists call them "helper pigments," because carotenoids absorb some sunlight and （nicely） pass the energy along to chlorophyll. We don't see much of these deputy pigments （carotene, lycopene, and xanthophyll） in summer, because they are masked by abundant green chlorophyll.
But the ever-shortening days of fall mean less daylight and colder weather. The average tree is rushing to save all the nutrients it can for its winter hibernation. Nitrogen and phosphorus are pulled from leaves for storage in branches. A layer of corky cells grows between the leaves' stems and their branches, reducing the leaves' supply of nutrients and water.
With diminished sunlight, water, and nutrients, chlorophyll synthesis slows. Old, worn-out chlorophyll breaks down at the usual rate--ironically, sunlight destroys it--so each leaf's stock gradually dwindles. And as the green fades, yellow and orange emerge from hiding.
Unlike the green and yellow pigments, red and purple pigments （anthocyanins, part of the flavonoid class） actually form in leaves in the autumn, tinting leaves scarlet and burgundy.
Botanists have long wondered why some trees are genetically programmed to manufacture anthocyanins in the fall. New research indicates that anthocyanins may be a tree's own sunscreen.
Anthocyanins are made in a leaf's sugary sap, with the help of lots of sun and cool temperatures. Botanists think that anthocyanins shield the leaves' fading photosynthesis factories from too much sunlight, rather like the pigment melanin protects our skin from the sun. While the red pigments act as a shield, the tree feverishly breaks down and pulls nutrients out of leaves and into its limbs and trunk before leaves drop or die.
Anthocyanins may also act like Vitamin C or E, scavenging so-called "free radicals" before they can do oxidizing damage to a fall leaf's fragile structure.
Upper and outer leaves tend to be reddest, since they are most exposed to sunlight and cold. In some trees, like sugar maples, the reds of the anthocyanins combined with the yellows of the carotenoids make especially brilliant orange leaves.
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!
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.
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.
Let us take a moment of the time just to pay tribute and show appreciation to the person called MOM, though some may not say it openly to their mothers. There's no substitute for her. Cherish every single moment. Though at times she may not be the best of friends, she may not agree to your thoughts, she is still your mother!
让我们花一点点时间，对那个被我们叫做“妈妈”的人表达敬意和感激之情，虽然有些人当着面说不出口。她是不可替代的。珍惜与她在一起的每一时刻吧。虽然有时候，她可能不是我们最好的朋友，可能不同意我们的想法，但她依然是你的妈妈！
She will be there for you; to listen to your woes your brags your frustrations, etc. Ask yourself “Have you put aside enough time for her, to listen to her 'blues' of working in the kitchen, her tiredness?”
你的妈妈始终陪伴你身边，听你倾诉伤心事，听你神吹海侃，听你诉说受挫的沮丧……扪心自问，“是否曾经抽出过足够的时间陪伴她，听听她讲围着灶台转的‘烦心事’，听听她讲她有多疲惫？”
Be tactful, loving and still show her due respect, though you may have a different view from hers. Once gone, only fond memories of the past and also regrets will be left.
即使你与她意见不一，也要委婉一些，充满爱心，对她表示出应有的尊敬。一旦她去了，剩下的就只有对过去岁月的美好回忆和无尽的遗憾。
Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart. Love her more than you love yourself. Life is meaningless without her.
不要以为，与你心最近，你就理所应得。爱她要甚于爱你自己。没有了她，生命将毫无意义。
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？
爱是什么？
一个精灵坐在碧绿的枝叶间沉思。
风儿若有若无。
一只鸟儿飞过来，停在枝上，望着远处将要成熟的稻田。
精灵取出一束黄澄澄的稻谷问道：“你爱这稻谷吗？”
“爱。”
“为什么？”
“它驱赶我的饥饿。”
鸟儿啄完稻谷，轻轻梳理着光润的'羽毛。
“现在你爱这稻谷吗？”精灵又取出一束黄澄澄的稻谷。
鸟儿抬头望着远处的一湾泉水回答：“现在我爱那一湾泉水，我有点渴了。”
精灵摘下一片树叶，里面盛了一汪泉水。
鸟儿喝完泉水，准备振翅飞去。
“请再回答我一个问题，”精灵伸出指尖，鸟儿停在上面。
“你要去做什么更重要的事吗？我这里又稻谷也有泉水。”
“我要去那片开着风信子的山谷，去看那朵风信子。”
“为什么？它能驱赶你的饥饿？”
“不能。”
“它能滋润你的干渴？”
“不能。”
“那你为什么要去看它呢？”
“我需要它啊。”
“为什么需要？”
“我爱它啊。”
“为什么爱它？”
“我日日夜夜都在思念它。”
“为什么思念它？”
“我爱它。”
精灵沉默了片刻，又提出一个问题：
“你为什么只爱那一朵风信子呢？山谷里有无数朵风信子。”
“因为它是唯一的一朵啊。”
“为什么？它和其他所有的风信子有什么不同的地方吗？”
“有的。”
“哪里不同呢？”
“只有它才是我爱的那一朵啊。”
精灵忽然轻轻笑了起来，鸟儿振翅而去。
What is love?
An elf sits between the green branches and leaves.
The wind not much, if any.
A bird flew over and stopped on the branch, looking at the rice field that was going to mature in the distance.
Asked the spirit took out a bunch of glistening rice: "do you love this rice?"
"Love."
"Why?"
"It drives me out of hunger."
The bird pecked the rice, gently comb its feathers.
"Do you love this rice now?" The elves took out a bunch of glistening rice.
The bird looked up at a fountain in the distance and answered, "now I love the Bay spring, and I'm a little thirsty."
The elves took off a leaf, and there was a fountain of water in it.
The bird finished the spring and was ready to fly away.
"Please answer me one more question," the elves put out their fingertips, and the birds stopped on it.
"What more important things are you going to do?" I also have spring in the rice. "
"I'm going to the valleys with the hyacinth to see the hyacinth."
"Why?" Can it drive away your hunger? "
"No,"
"Can it moisturize your thirst?"
"No,"
"Then why are you going to see it?"
"I need it."
"Why do you need it?"
"I love it."
"Why do you love it?"
"I miss it all day and night."
"Why do you miss it?"
"I love it."
The elves have been silent for a moment and put forward a question.
"Why do you only love that one of the hyacinth? There are numerous hyacinth in the valley. "
"Because it's the only one."
"Why?" Is it different from all the other hyacinth? "
"Yes."
"Where is the difference?"
"Only it is the one I love."
The elves suddenly laughed and the birds fluttered away.
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 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.