英语美文

第一篇：英语美文

八步轻松摆脱“节后忧虑症”..............................................................................................1 8 steps to get rid of your post winter festive season holiday blues....................1 我的龙年春节愿望............................................................................................................3 Setting my resolutions for Chinese New Year.........................................................3 新年愿望：享受当前的快乐..............................................................................................4 New Year's Resolution: Stop Sacrificing Your Happiness for the Future............4 人生处处是转角...............................................................................................................6 Always Changing..........................................................................................................6 “九十分钟计划”让你更有效率..........................................................................................7 Get more work done by 90-Minute Plan..................................................................7 创意生活的一些法则........................................................................................................8 These are the rules of a creator’s life.......................................................................8

八步轻松摆脱“节后忧虑症” steps to get rid of your post winter festive season holiday blues.[ 2012-02-02 16:25 ]

在经历了春节长假的美好时光之后，很多人会感到忧虑，并且感觉要恢复日常生活节奏很困难。这种症状被称为―节后忧虑症‖、―节后压抑‖或是―新年后忧虑‖。这些名词都描述了春假或是节假日后的精神压力。

接下来的这些步骤会帮助你摆脱你的节后忧虑症。1.Expect some letdown.了解节后会有段时间心情低落。

The holiday season is both joyful and stressful at once.There is family to get along with, gifts to buy and return, people to visit, activities to throw yourself into, plenty of festive food to eat, sales to rush to, and parties to plan and attend.Topped off with the excitement of New Year's Eve, your adrenaline has probably been pumping a lot of the time during the New Year's period.Returning to the usual routine and probably quieter workplace than normal can dampen your spirits just by the absence of exciting things to do and look forward to.Expecting to feel a little low is a way of telling yourself that this is a normal feeling and that it will soon pass once the routine re-establishes itself.2.Choose to see the benefits of post-holiday time.多看到节后时光好的一面。

The good side to the end of the holidays is that you've had a chance to rest, to relax, and to enjoy yourself.The craziness prior to New Year has ended both at the workplace and in the home, and the restful time after New Year has hopefully given you the opportunity to do things that are different from your usual routine.And any break in the routine is good for the spirit, providing you with the chance to rejuvenate.3.Be gentle on yourself with respect to your New Year's Resolutions.在新年计划这件事儿上，别太逼自己。

Ensure that any goals you've set are reasonable and most importantly achievable.Taking weight loss as an example, targeting for a size zero is unrealistic, but looking for 1 pound loss in a span of week seems to be more achievable.4.Keep being around people.多接触人。

Some of the post-holiday season blues might be related to having been around many people over the New Year break and then suddenly finding yourself surrounded by people you don't know that well, or even not by many people at all.Lift your spirits by continuing to stay connected with friends and family, and getting out and about to do activities where other people interact with you.5.Do things that give you cause to look forward to something.做一些能让你向前看的事儿。

Revive the excitement of anticipation by arranging fun things, such as having dinner with friends, starting a new class for a hobby or interest, attending a sporting event regularly, going to the movies, etc.Choose activities that meet your budget and interests, and that you know will give you a thrill.6.Make healthy choices.吃回健康食物。

After the many indulgences over the holiday period, it can leave you feeling a little out of shape and worse for wear in the nutrition department.Aim to return to eating healthy food, drinking healthy drinks, and ensuring that you keep getting a good amount of exercise.Eating well and keeping up regular exercise will enhance your mood and help you return to good shape and fitness levels.7.Make this a time for getting professional help and turning around things that have been bothering you.用这段时间来解决一直烦恼你的事，寻求专业帮助。

The holiday season tends to put a hold on pressing issues at work and in your personal life because the celebrations, meet-ups, and preparations require your foremost attention.Once this busyness dies down, you're returned to thinking about your general life issues and this might just be a good time to get help from the professionals, be it for anything from sorting out your finances, redecorating your home, or dealing with the unhappy feelings you're experiencing.8.Expect to enjoy the year ahead.期待新的这一年。

Trying to keep a positive frame of mind and planning for interesting and fulfilling events throughout the year is a good way to calm your current blues.Think ahead to the changing seasons and the sorts of things you'd like to be doing as the year moves on, and the sorts of activities and events you'd like to be a part of.Doing something about the things you'd like to happen is the first step and once you're immersed in planning and doing, you'll be too busy to fret.我的龙年春节愿望

Setting my resolutions for Chinese New Year [ 2012-01-27 08:57 ] 随着中国国际地位的提升，以及中西方文化融合的加快，来中国居住的外国人越来越多，他们也被中国散发独特魅力的传统节日——春节——所深深吸引。老外们是如何在中国体验和欢度春节呢，他们有什么春节愿望要许呢？

With the Year of the Dragon practically upon us, and with the solar New Year fast fading into distant memory, I have been ruminating over the habit that so many people have of making new year resolutions...and then breaking them just months/weeks/days/hours/minutes after making them.January 1 became the beginning of the New Year in 46 BC, when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons than previous calendars had.The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances.He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back.Thus he could look backward and forward at the same time.At midnight on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new.In the Middle Ages, Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25, the birth of Jesus.Then they changed it to March 25or signing up to a proper language course;determining to go down to the local vegetable market and learning the name of a new vegetable on every visit;or trying to make conversation with a taxi driver, it is all too easy to make excuses and not make the required progress.I used to face this problem when I lived in the Middle East, since most people I tried to practice my Arabic on insisted on replying in English.In the event I taught myself to learn to read the Arabic alphabet instead – a particularly useful skill, it turned out, as in my work I used to lay out magazines and put together web sites.So now I am slowly starting to learn some of the Chinese ideograms, not only with the help of a book I downloaded off the Internet, but also by going through the names of the various Beijing subway stations , noting commonly used “syllables” and getting to recognize the way they are written.Another “essential” resolution we all share is to get to know Beijing better.The majority of expats I know do this by going out with other like-minded expats and going to the well known tourist spots and then slowly widening their experience.While this may be fine for some people, I prefer to leave all my Western friends behind and just take off for the day, armed only with a good map and having thoroughly researched some of the more esoteric things in the vicinity to which I am going.Having a Chinese friend accompany me adds an extra level of interest as they can explain things that foreigners simply wouldn't know.When I tell my Western friends where I have been, they look at me in astonishment;but I find this is the only way to get to know a place better.Soon to be visited places on my Beijing list are the Eunuch Museum in the west of the capital, and a Museum of Tap Water near Dongzhimen.It's not that I expect them to be outstanding in any way(though if they are, then that is definitely a bonus), but as they are(as far as I am aware)the only such museums of their kind, I feel that my horizons can be suitably widened while at the same time it sure makes for interesting conversations at a later date.Finally, one resolution I will certainly try to keep on keeping is to carry on recording my observations in a personal blog.The thing is that at some point in the future, everything that appears new and exciting now will start to feel normal.The “wow” factor you get when discovering some thing new will have disappeared and it won't be until much later that you'll wish you had kept better notes.新年愿望：享受当前的快乐

New Year's Resolution: Stop Sacrificing Your Happiness for the Future [ 2012-01-25 08:56 ] 新年是下决心的时候，至少在大多数人的心里会编排出一份―应做什么‖和―不应做什么‖的令人生畏的单子。相同的决心以单调的规律年复一年地出现。2012新年，你又列下哪些新年愿望呢？

It's New Year's Eve and my guess is that you're reading a bunch of posts on how to make resolutions that will 'really work' or copying resolution lists made by the top 30 under 30.You're searching for health apps peppered with gamification to help you lose 10 pounds and created a bunch of notifications that alert you when you go over your entertainment budget.I'm not going to convince you of yet another way to ensure you'll reach all of your goals because quite frankly no formula has ever worked for me.I've spent too much time making lists that never get looked at again until the end of the year when I end up rolling on the floor laughing at some ludicrous idea that popped into my head at 11:59pm on Dec 31st.This year I'm going to skip the list making, mind mapping and magazine cut-outs of sports cars, yachts and private islands.Instead, I'm going to have a conversation with my past, present and future self.Recently I watched the TED talk from David Goldstein 'The Battle Between Your Present and Future Self'and was intrigued by his behavioral time machine that depicts anticipated emotional reactions of the present and retired self.Depending on how much money was saved for retirement, the facial expressions of the present and future self changes.If the present self sacrificed a lot of happiness for the future, his facial expression was sad, but his future self was happy, and vice versa.Why limit the behavioral time machine to retirement savings, why not use it as a tool for negotiating between your present and future self? Strike a healthy balance between enjoying your life now and setting yourself up for success and happiness in the future.Tie breakers can be done through learning from your past self as a gauge for potential success.Put your gadgets down and use your imagination for a second.Pick a time in the future and visualize what your future self looks like, where they are, what they are doing, and who they are spending time with.Ask your future self some questions about how they got there.Your future self is not going to give you a big long list of the precise actions they took, they are going to tell you something about your frame of mind and help you focus on one or two things.Now, think about your present self and how you can be happy and still become your future self.If your future self looks slimmer than you do now, then instead of the usual resolution to “lose 10 pounds in 2 months by cutting out all frappuccinos” the conversation may be to cut out one frappuccino per week and to take your dog for longer walks.You can look at your past self to bring realism and practicality to the equation and set your present self up for success.I recommend not spending too much time talking to your past and future selves because that's how you become depressed about regrets and anxious about obligations.Only your present self can decide how much you are willing to sacrifice now to have the life you envision in the future.Keep in mind that your future is not guaranteed, right this very moment is.If you sacrifice all of your happiness today for some point in time in the future, you may regret it.It's actually one of the top regrets of the dying.Conversations with my future self mostly focus on one thing, and that is to stop being so scared of failure.My past self quotes my mantra by Mark Twain: 'Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than the ones you did.So throw off the bowlines.Sail away from the safe harbor.Catch the trade winds in your sails.Explore.Dream.Discover.' I wish you much success and happiness in 2012 and beyond.Now go floss and brush your teeth before bed, your future self will thank you.人生处处是转角 Always Changing [ 2012-01-13 17:00 ] 生活是由一连串事件组成的——其中有好有坏。不论你的统筹技巧有多纯熟，总会有些你无法控制的因素影响着我们的生活。真正的成功者料想到意料之外的事总会发生，并做好准备在必要时做出调整——而这样的情况常常发生。我们应付变化以及混乱情况的能力很大程度上决定了我们生活的安宁、幸福和满意度。

Please excuse me if I'm a little pensive today.Mark is leaving, and I'm feeling kind of sad.You probably don't know Mark, but you might be lucky enough to know someone just like him.He's been the heart and soul of the office for a couple of year combining exemplary professional skills with a sweet nature and gentle disposition.He's never been all that interested in getting credit for the terrific work he does.He just wants to do his job, and to do it superbly well.And now he's moving on to an exciting new professional opportunity.It sounds like it could be the chance of a lifetime, and we're genuinely, sincerely pleased for him.But that doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague.Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us.Just when we start to get comfortable with a person, a place or a situation, something comes along to alter the recipe.A terrific neighbor moves away.Someone in the family graduates.A child finds new love and loyalties through marriage.The family's principle bread-winner is laid off.Our ability to cope with change and disruption determine to a great degree, our peace, happiness and contentment in life.But how do we do that? Philosophers have considered the question for centurie and their responses have been varied.According to the author of the Biblical book of Ecclesiaste comfort can be found in remembering that “to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” Kahlil Gibran urged his listeners to “let today embrace the past with remembrance, and the future with longing.” A friend of mine who works for the government is fond of reminding his fellow bureaucrats that “survivabi-lity depends upon adaptability.” And then there's Chri the California surf-rat, who once told me that the answer to life's problems can be summed up in four words: “Go with the flow.” “It's like surfing,” Chris explained.“You can't organize the ocean.Waves just happen.You ride 'em where they take you, then you paddle back out there and catch the next one.Sure, you're always hoping for the perfect wave where you can get, like, you know, totally tubular.But mostly you just take 'em the way they come.It's not like you're trying to nail Jell-O to a tree, you know?” I'm not exactly sure, but I think Chris was saying that life is a series of events—both good and bad.No matter how deft your organizational skill there will always be life-influencing factors over which you have no control.The truly successful person expects the unexpected, and is prepared to make adjustments should the need arise—as it almost always does.That doesn't mean you don't keep trying to make all your dreams come true.It just means that when things come up that aren't exactly in your plan, you work around them—and then you move on.Of course, some bumps along the road of life are easier to take than others.A rained-out picnic, for example, is easier to cope with than the sudden death of a loved one.But the principle is the same.“Change, indeed, is painful, yet ever needful,” said philosopher Thomas Carlyle.“And if memory have its force and worth, so also has hope.” We're going to miss Mark, just like you'll miss that graduate, that neighbor or that newlywed.But rather than dwell on the sadness of our parting, we'll focus on our hopes for a brighter future—for him, and for us.And then we'll go out and do everything we can to make that future happen.Until our plans change—again.“九十分钟计划”让你更有效率

Get more work done by 90-Minute Plan [ 2012-01-06 14:55 ] 也许你在开始正式工作之前，总会花很多的时间列清单、回邮件、接电话、整理书桌、反复整理本已很有条理的文件夹，最后发现那些被推迟的、有挑战的工作都没有做。这时候，你需要一个九十分钟计划。

90-Minute Plan is that you can begin your workdays by focusing for 90 minutes, uninterrupted, on the task.To make this possible, you turn off your email while you're working, close all windows on your computer, and let the phone go to voicemail if it rings.You'll typically get more work done during those 90 minutes, and feel more satisfied with your output.After 90 minutes, you can take a break.90分钟计划，是指把每天的工作时间设定为90分钟一周期，在此期间关掉电邮，关掉电脑上所有的窗口，将电话转接到语音信箱。通常情况下，这样做能使工作效率大大提高，能完成更多的工作，工作成果也更令人满意。90分钟后，可以稍作休息。

We work for 90 minutes because that's what the research suggests is the optimal human limit for focusing intensely on any given task.把工作时间设定为90分钟，是因为有调查表明，不管做什么事情，身体所能承受集中注意力的最佳时限就是90分钟。

At the heart of making this work is to build highly precise, deliberate practices, done at specific times, so they eventually become automatic and don't require much expenditure of energy or self-discipline, akin to brushing your teeth at night.让 ―90分钟计划‖有效实施的关键是在此期间精确地、从容地做事，最终使其变成一种自然而然的习惯，不需要花费太多精力和自制力，就像你每天晚上要刷牙一样。

创意生活的一些法则

These are the rules of a creator’s life

[ 2012-01-04 09:33 ]

对于许多人来说，那些最成功而有创造力的人似乎拥有一些秘密的法则。你有自己的成功秘诀吗？像TNW的创始人范·让丹一样每天早上洗冷水澡？与我们一起分享你的秘诀吧，也许我们能够从中学到一些创造性生活的法则。

There seems to be a secret formula for the most successful and creative people out there.The ability to rise above the rest and make something amazing takes plenty of strength, support and timing.It also takes strategy, and this list of rules created by Tanner Christensen of Creative Something showcases a recipe for success that's easier said than done.But with discipline, this list is a reminder to always keep around;worthy of a wallet, fridge or even a frame.Looking back at the most successful and creative people I've ever known, or even just heard of, I get the impression that they all passed around a list just like this.What's your recipe for success? Do you take cold showers every morning like TNW founder, Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten? Share your secrets with us below, and maybe we can all learn a thing or two about the rules of a creator's life!

第二篇：英语美文

美文欣赏

When You Are Old

When you are old and gray and full of sleep, And nodding by the fire, take down this book, And slowly read, and dream of the soft look, Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep.How many loved your moments of glad grace, And loved your beauty with love false or true, But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing face.And bending down beside the glowing bars, Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled, And paced upon the mountains overhead, And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.当你老了

当你老了，白发苍苍，睡意沉沉，倦坐在炉边，取下这本书来，慢慢读着，追梦当年的眼神，那柔美的神采与深幽的晕影。

多少人爱过你青春的片影，爱过你的美貌，处于虚伪或真情，唯独一人爱你那朝圣者的灵魂，爱你哀戚的脸上岁月的留痕。

在炉栅边，你弯下了腰，低语着，带着浅浅的伤感，爱情是怎样逝去，又怎样步上群山，将面庞藏在了繁星之间。

向大家推荐一首老歌——《昨日重现》，这是我12岁那年听到的第一首英文歌曲，当时就被它的旋律迷住了，后来慢慢了解了歌词的意思。很老，但很美！希望大家都能把美好留在自己的记忆里！卡朋特yesterday once more_在线视频观看_土豆网视频 影视

Yesterday Once More

昨日重现-卡朋特

When I was young I'd listen to the radio

waiting for my favorite songs when they played I'd sing along，it make me smile.Those were such happy times and not so long ago how I wondered where they'd gone.But they're back again just like a long lost friend

all the songs I love so well.every shalala every wo'wo

still shines.Every shing-a-ling-a-ling that they're starting

to sing so fine when they get to the part where he's breaking her heart it can really make me cry

just like before.It's yesterday once more.(shoobie do lang lang)looking bak on how it was in years gone by

and the good times that had makes today seem rather sad, so much has changed.It was songs of love that i would sing to them

and I'd memorise each word.Those old melodies still sound so good to me

as they melt the years away every shalala every wo'wo still shines every shing-a-ling-a-ling that they're startingto sing

so fine all my best memorise come back clearly to me

some can even make me cry

just like before.it's yesterday once more.(shoobie do lang lang)every shalala every wo'wo still shines.Every shing-a-ling-a-ling that they're starting to sing

so fine every shalala every wo'wo still shines.Every shing-a-ling-a-ling that they're starting to sing.

第三篇：英语美文

Diogenes was a famous Greek philosopher of the fourth century B.C.,who established the philosophy of cynicism.He often walked about in the daytime holding a lighted lantern,peering around as if he were looking for something.When auestioned about his odd behavior,he would reply,“I am searching for an honest man.” Diogenes held that the good man was self-sufficient and did not require material comforts or wealth.He believed that wealth and possessions constrained humanity's natural state of freedom.In keeping with his philosophy,he was perefectly satisfied with making his home in a large tub discarded from the temple of Cybele,the goddess of nature.This earthen tub,called a pithos,and formerly been used for holding wine or oil for the sacrifices at the temple.One day,Alexander the Great ,conqueror of half the civilized world,saw Diogenes sitting in this tub in the sunshine.So the king,surrounded by his countries,approached Diogenes and said,“I am Alexander the Great.”The philosopher replied rather contemptuously,“I am Diogenes,the Cynic.”Alexander then asked him if he could help him in any way.“ Yes,”shot back Diogenes,“don't stand between me and the sun.”A surprised Alexander then replied quickly,“If I were not Alexander,I would be Diogenes.”

提奥奇尼斯是公元前四世纪一位著名的希腊哲学家,就是他创立了犬儒派哲学。他经常在白天点着灯笼四处走动、张望，像是在找什么东西似的。哪人们问起他这古怪行为时，他会回答说：“我正在寻找正人君子。”提奥奇尼斯认为好人是自给自足的，不需要物质享受和财富。他认为财富、财产束缚了人们天生的自由状态。与他的哲学相一致，他拿一个从别人从自然之母的庙里丢弃的大坛作为自己的家，还对此万分满意。这个陶制的大坛叫做圣坛，过去在庙里是用来盛装祭祀用的酒和油的。一天，征服了半个文明世界的亚历山大大帝看见提奥奇尼斯坐在大坛里晒太阳。于是这位君主在大臣们的簇拥下走过去，对提奥奇尼斯说：“我是亚历山大大帝。”哲学家相当傲慢地回答说：“我是提奥奇尼斯————犬儒学者。”然后亚历山大问他是否需要任何帮助。“是的”，提奥奇尼斯驳回道，“别站在我和太阳之间。”大吃一惊的亚历大继而迅速回答道：“假如我不是亚历山大，我就会是提奥奇斯。”

If I were a boy again, I would practice perseverance more often, and never give up a thing because it was or inconvenient.If we want light, we must conquer darkness.Perseverance can sometimes equal genius in its results.“There are only two creatures,” syas a proverb, “who can surmount the pyramids—the eagle and the snail.” If I were a boy again, I would school myself into a habit of attention;I would let nothing come between me and the subject in hand.I would remember that a good skater never tries to skate in two directions at once.The habit of attention becomes part of our life, if we begain early enough.I often hear grown up people say “ I could not fix my attention on the sermon or book, although I wished to do so” , and the reason is, the habit was not formed in youth.If I were to live my life over again, I would pay more attention to the cultivation of the memory.I would strengthen that faculty by every possible means, and on every possible occasion.It takes a little hard work at first to remember things accurately;but memory soon helps itself, and gives very little trouble.It only needs early cultivation to become a power.假如我又回到了童年，我做事要更有毅力，决不因为事情艰难或者麻烦而撒手不干，我们要光明，就得征服黑暗。毅力在效果上有时能同天才相比。俗话说：“能登上金字塔的生物，只有两种——鹰和蜗牛。”假如我又回到了童年，我就要养成专心致志的习惯；有事在手，就决不让任何东西让我分心。我要牢记：优秀的滑冰手从不试图同时滑向两个不同的方向。如果及早养成这种专心致志的习惯，它将成为我们生命的一部分。我常听成年人说：“虽然我希望能集中注意听牧师讲道或读书，但往往做不到。”而原因就是年轻时没有养成这种习惯。假如我现在能重新开始我的生命，我就要更注意记忆力的培养。我要采取一切可能的办法，并且在一切可能的场合，增强记忆力。要正确无误地记住一些东西，在开始阶段的确要作出一番小小的努力；但要不了多久，记忆力本身就会起作用，使记忆成为轻而易举的事，只需及早培养，记忆自会成为一种才能。

If I were a boy again, I would cultivate courage.“Nothing is so mild and gentle as courage, nothing so cruel and pitiless as cowardice,” syas a wise author.We too often borrow trouble, and anticipate that may never appear.” The fear of ill exceeds the ill we fear.” Dangers will arise in any career, but presence of mind will often conquer the worst of them.Be prepared for any fate, and there is no harm to be freared.If I were a boy again, I would look on the cheerful side.Life is very much like a mirror: if you smile upon it, I smiles back upon you;but if you frown and look doubtful on it, you will get a similar look in return.Inner sunshine warms not only the heart of the owner, but of all that come in contact with it.“ who shuts love out ,in turn shall be shut out from love.” If I were a boy again, I would school myself to say no more often.I might write pages on the importance of learning very early in life to gain that point where a young boy can stand erect, and decline doing an unworthy act because it is unworthy.If I were a boy again, I would demand of myself more courtesy towards my companions and friends, and indeed towards strangers as well.The smallest courtesies along the rough roads of life are like the little birds that sing to us all winter long, and make that season of ice and snow more endurable.Finally, instead of trying hard to be happy, as if that were the sole purpose of life, I would , if I were a boy again, I would still try harder to make others happy.假如我又回到了童年，我就要培养勇气。一位明智的作家曾说过：“世上没有东西比勇气更温文尔雅，也没有东西比懦怯更残酷无情。”我们常常过多地自寻烦恼，杞人忧天。“怕祸害比祸害本身更可怕。”凡事都有危险，但镇定沉着往往能克服最严重的危险。对一切祸福做好准备，那么就没有什么灾难可以害怕的了。假如我又回到了童年，我就要事事乐观。生活犹如一面镜子：你朝它笑，它也朝你笑；如果你双眉紧锁，向它投以怀疑的目光，它也将还以你同样的目光。内心的欢乐不仅温暖了欢乐者自己的心，也温暖了所有与之接触者的心。“谁拒爱于门外，也必将被爱拒诸门外。”假如我又回到了童年，我就要养成经常说“不”字的习惯。一个少年要能挺得起腰，拒绝做不应该做的事，就因为这事不值得做。我可以写上好几页谈谈早年培养这一点的重要性。假如我又回到了童年，我就要要求自己对伙伴和朋友更加礼貌，而且对陌生人也应如此。在坎坷的生活道路上，最细小的礼貌犹如在漫长的冬天为我们歌唱的小鸟，那歌声使冰天雪地的寒冬变得较易忍受。最后，假如我又回到了童年，我不会力图为自己谋幸福，好像这就是人生唯一的目的；与之相反，我要更努力为他人谋幸福。

第四篇：经典英语美文

有一种旅行叫做人生

Life comes in a package.This package includes happiness andsorrow, failure and success, hope and despair.Life is a learningprocess.Experiences in life teach us new lessons and make us abetter person.With each passing day we learn to handle varioussituations.人生好似一个包裹，这个包裹里藏着快乐与悲伤、成功与失败，希望与绝望。人生也是一个学习的过程。那些经历给我们上了全新的课，让我们变得更好。随着每一天的过去，我们学会了处理各种各样的问题。

FailureandSuccess Failure is the path to success.It helps us to touch the sky, teaches us to survive and shows us aspecific way.Success brings in money, fame, pride and self-respect.Here it becomes veryimportant to keep our head on out shoulder.The only way to show our gratitude to God forbestowing success on us is by being humble, modest, courteous and respectful to the lessfortunate ones.失败是成功之母。它让我们触及蓝天，它教会我们如何生存，它给予我们一条特殊的路。成功给予我们金钱、名誉、骄傲和自尊。这里，保持头脑清醒便显得尤为重要。唯一能让我们感激上帝给予的成功便是始终卑微、谦虚、礼貌并且尊重没有我们幸运的人们。

美文:我们心中的“如果”“到那时”

IF and WHEN were friends.Every week they met and had lunch.Their conversation usually centered on all the things they weregoing to achieve.They both had many dreams and they lovedto talk about them.“如果”和“到那时”是一对好朋友。他们每星期相约吃一顿午餐。会面时，他们谈论的话题通常围绕在他们即将要做的事情上面。两个人都有着许多梦想，并且他们热衷于这种交谈。

This particular Saturday when they met, WHEN sensed that IF was not in a great mood.As usualthey sat at the table reserved for them and ordered their lunch.Once they placed their order,WHEN questioned IF.“IF what is wrong with you? You don't seem your usual cheery self?” 这个星期六他们见面时“到那时”觉察到“如果”的心情不是很好。像往常一样，他们坐在特意预留给他们的餐桌上点餐。刚一点完“到那时”就问道:如果，你怎么了?你看起来好像不太高兴。“

IF looked at WHEN and replied, ”I'm not sure, I just don't feel like I am making any progress.Thislast week I saw a course I wanted to take if only I had the time to take it.“ ”如果“看了看”到那时“答道”我也不知道怎么了，只是觉得自己没什么进步。上个星期我发现一个很好的课程，如果有时间的话，我就去学。“

WHEN knew exactly how IF felt.”Yeah,“ replied WHEN, ”I too saw a course and I am going toregister when I get enough money together.“ WHEN then said, ”well what about that new job youwere going to apply for.You were so excited about it last week, did you apply?“ ”到那时“非常理解”如果“的感受。他答道是啊，我也看到一项课程，等到钱充足的时候，我就去报名。对了，你打算申请的新工作怎么样了?上星期见你说得那么情绪激昂，申请了吗? ”

IF responded, “If my computer didn't break down last week, I would have applied.But, mycomputer is not working, so I could not type my resume.” “如果”回答道“如果不是上周我的电脑坏了，我会申请的。但是它坏了，我无法打印简历，所以只能放弃了。”

“Don 't worry about it IF, when you are ready another job will come through.I have been thinkingabout looking for another job also, but I will wait and when the weather gets nicer I will look then.”WHEN then went on to tell IF about his week, hoping that it would cheer him up a bit.“别着急，等到你准备好时，另-个工作就出现了。我也一直考虑着换个工作，但是我想等到天气看起来好一些时再行动。”然后，“到那时”继续跟“如果”谈论着他的星期计划，希望这样能使他的朋友高兴起来。

The man at the next table couldn't help overhear WHEN and IF.They both were talking aboutwhen this and if that, finally he couldn't take it anymore.“Excuse me gentlemen,” the man said.IFand WHEN both looked at the man and wondered what he wanted.The man continued, “I'msorry, but I couldn't help hearing your conversation.I think I know how you could solve yourproblems.” 邻桌的一个男人无意中听到他们的谈话。他昕见两个人一直在说着“等什么什么时候如果这样那样”的话，他再也无法忍受了。于是，男人说道“打扰一下，先生们。”“如果”和“到那时”吃惊地看着他，不知道他要做什么。男人继续道很抱歉，我无意中听到你们的交谈。我想我知道如何解决你们的问题。“

IF smiled and thought, how could a complete stranger know how to solve all of their problems.Ifonly he knew.When he realized the challenges they faced there was no way he could solve theirproblems!Curious, IF asked the gentleman, ”How do you think you can solve our problems?“ ”如果“笑了笑，心想，一个完全陌生的人怎么会知道如何解决他们两个人生活中的问题呢。如果让他认识到他们所面对的困难，恐怕他再也不会那样说了。出于好奇”如果“还是问道你认为应该如何解决我们的问题呢? ”

The gentleman smiled and said , “You only need listen to yourselves.It reminds me of an oldproverb: ”If and When were planted , and Nothing grew.“ 男人笑着答道”你们说的话让我想起一句古老的谚语:'只想不做，就会没有收获。“

IF and WHEN looked puzzled.The gentleman smiled and said, ”Start counting how many timesyou use the words 'if' and 'when'.Rather than thinking 'if and when', start doing, take action, stoptalking about 'if and when'.“ ”如果“和”到那时“疑惑地看着他。男人继续说从现在开始，数一下你们用了多少次„如果'和„到那时'这两个词语。你们不要总是思考„如果怎样怎样到那时怎样怎样而是应该着手去做，采取行动，请不要再谈论„如果和到那时'。”

IF and WHEN both looked surprised, and suddenly realized that what the gentleman had said wasso true.Both of them were guilty of thinking,acting and living their life for the “ifs and whens', Thegentleman left and IF and WHEN's conversation changed.They made a pact that when they metfor lunch next week, there would be no ”ifs and whens“;they would only talk about what theyaccomplished!”如果“和”到那时“感到十分惊讶，他们突然意识到这个男人说得很正确。两个人都为自己把思想、行为、生活的希望放在”如果和到那时“上感到惭愧。男人离开后，他们谈话的内容有了改变。他们约定下个星期一起吃午餐时，再也没有”如果“和”到那时他们只会谈论已经完成的事情。

Two Roads 两条路

【英语散文赏析】

It was New Year's night.An aged man was standing at awindow.He raised his mournful eyes towards the deep blue sky,where the stars were floating like white lilies on the surface of aclear calm lake.When he cast them on the earth where fewmore hopeless people than himself now moved towards theircertain goal-the tomb.He had already passed sixty of the stagesleading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse.Now his healthwas poor, his mind vacant, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of comforts.这是新年的夜晚一位老人站在窗边，忧伤的眼睛眺望着深蓝的天空空中的繁星，犹如漂浮在清澈如镜的湖面上的朵朵百合。他慢慢将目光投向地面。此刻，没有什么人比他还绝望。他即将迈向他最终的归宿——坟墓。他已走过通向坟墓的六十级台阶，除了错误和悔恨，他一无所获。现在他体弱多病，精神空虚，心哀神伤，人到晚年却无所慰藉。

The days of his youth appeared like dream before him, and he recalled the serious moment whenhis father placed him at the entrances of the two roads One leading to a peaceful, sunny placecovered with flowers, fruits and resounding with soft, sweet songs;the other leading to a deepdark cave which was endless, where poison flowed instead of water and where devils and poisonsnakes hissed and crawled.年轻岁月，如梦般展现在他面前，老人想起父亲把他带到岔路口的那个庄严时刻。一条路通向安宁、快乐的世界，鲜花遇布，果实丰硕，甜美轻柔的歌声在空中回荡；另一条路则通向幽深黑暗，没有尽头的洞，洞内流淌着的不是水而是毒液，群魔乱舞，毒蛇嘶嘶爬动。

He looked towards the sky and cried painfully,“0h youth, return!Oh, my father, place me oncemore at the entrance to life and I'II chose the better way!”But both his father and the days of hisyouth had passed away.他仰望星空，痛苦地大喊：“啊，青春，回来吧！啊，父亲，再一次带我到人生的岔路口吧，我会选一条更好的道路。”但是，他的父亲和他的青春岁月都已一去不复返了。

He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness, and these were the days of his wasted life;he saw astar fall from the sky and disappeared, and this was the symbol of himself.His remorse which waslike a sharp arrow struck deeply into his heart.Then he remembered his friends in his childhood,which entered life together with him.But they had made their way to success and were nowhonored and happy on this New Year's night.他看到灯光在黑暗中流逝，就像他挥霍掉的往昔；他看到一颗流星自天边坠落，消失不见，就像是他的化身。无尽的悔恨，像一支利箭，深刺心间。他又记起和自己一同迈入人生之途的儿时玩伴，j但他们已功成名就，在这个新年之夜，倍受尊崇，幸福快乐。

The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents' earlylove for him.They had taught him and prayed to God for his good.But he chose the wrong waywith shame and grief he dared no longer to look towards the heaven where his father lived.Hisdarkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing effort.He burst out a cry:“Come back, myearly days!Come back!” 高高的教堂钟楼传来钟声，这声音使他记起父母早年对他的疼爱：他们教育他，为他祈祷。然而，他却选择了错误的道路：羞愧和悲哀使他再也没有勇气仰望父亲所在的天堂：黯淡的双眼溢满了泪水，他绝望地嘶声大呼：“回来吧，我的往昔！回来吧！”

And his youth did return for all this was only a dream which he had on New Year's night.He was stillyoung though his faults were real.He had not yet entered the deep dark cave, and he was still freeto walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.他的青春真的回来了，所有这些只是一个梦，一个他在新年之夜所做的梦，他仍然年轻，虽然他犯的错误是真实的；他尚未走入那幽深黑暗的洞穴，还有自由选择通向安宁、快乐的道路：

Those who still linger on the entrance of life hesitating to choose the bright road remember thatwhen years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains.You will cry bitterly, but invain.“0h youth return!Oh give me back my early days!” 仍在人生路口徘徊，仍在为是否应当选择光明坦途而犹豫不决的人们啊，请记住：当青春不再，当你在黑暗的山岭间跌倒时，你会痛苦地呼喊：“啊，青春，回来吧！啊，还给我往昔吧！”此时，一切已是徒劳。

散文:青春常在

No young man believes he will ever die.It was a saying of mybrother's, and a fine one.年轻人不相信自己会死。这是我哥哥的话，可算得一句妙语。

There is a feeling of Eternity in youth, which makes us amendfor everything.青春有一种永生之感——它能弥补一切。

To be young is to be as one of the Immortal Gods.One half of time indeed is flown — the otherhalf remains in store for us with all its countless treasures, for there is no line drawn, and we see nolimit to our hopes and wishes.We make the coming age our own — 人在青年时代好像一尊永生的神明。诚然，生命的一半已经消逝，但蕴藏着不尽财富的另一半还有所保留，我们对它也抱着无穷的希望和幻想。未来的时代完全属于我们——

The vast, the unbounded prospect lies before us.无限辽阔的远景在我们面前展现。

Death, old age, are words without a meaning that pass by us like the idea air which we regard not.死亡，老年，不过是空话，毫无意义;我们听了，只当耳边风，全不放在心上。

Others may have undergone, or may still be liable to them — we “bear a charmed life”, whichlaughs to scorn all such sickly fancies.这些事，别人也许经历过，或者可能要承受——但我们自己“冥冥中有神保佑”，对于诸如此类脆弱的念头，统统付之轻蔑的一笑。

As in setting out on delightful journey, we strain our eager gaze forward — 像是刚刚走上愉快的旅程，极目远眺——

Bidding the lovely scenes at distance hail!向远方的美景欢呼!

And see no end to the landscape, new objects presenting themselves as we advance.——此时，但觉好风光应接不暇，而且，前程更有美不胜收的新鲜景致。

So, in the commencement of life, we set no bounds to our inclinations, nor to the unrestrictedopportunities of gratifying them.在这生活的开端，我们听任自己的志趣驰骋，放手给它们一切满足的机会。

We have as yet found no obstacle, no disposition to flag;and it seems that we can go on soforever.到此为止，我们还没有碰上过什么障碍，也没有感觉到什么疲惫，因此觉得还可以一直这样向前走去，直到永远。

We look round in a new world, full of life, and motion, and ceaseless progress;and feel inourselves all the vigor and spirit to keep pace with it, and do not foresee from any presentsymptoms how we shall be left behind in the natural course of things, decline into old age, anddrop into the grave.我们看到四周一派新天地——生机盎然，变动不居，日新月异;我们觉得自己活力充盈，精神饱满，可与宇宙并驾齐驱。而且，眼前也无任何迹象可以证明，在大自然的发展过程中，我们自己也会落伍，衰老，进入坟墓。

It is the simplicity, and as it were abstractedness of our feelings in youth, that(so to speak)identifies us with nature, and(our experience being slight and our passions strong)deludes us intoa belief of being immortal like it.由于年轻人天真单纯，可以说是茫然无知，因而将自己跟大自然划上等号;并且，由于经验少而感情盛，误以为自己也能和大自然一样永世长存。

Our short-lives connexion with existence we fondly flatter ourselves is an indissoluble and lastingunion — a honeymoon that knows neither coldness, jar, nor separation.我们一厢情愿，痴心妄想，竟把自己在世上的暂时栖身，当作千古不变、万事长存的结合，好像没有冷淡、争执、离别的蜜月。

As infants smile and sleep, we are rocked in the cradle of our wayward fancies, and lulled intosecurity by the roar of the universe around us — we quaff the cup of life with eager haste withoutdraining it, instead of which it only overflows the more — objects press around us, filling the mindwith their magnitude and with the strong of desires that wait upon them, so that we have noroom for the thoughts of death.像婴儿带着微笑入睡，我们躺在用自己编织成的摇篮里，让大千世界的万籁之声催哄我们安然入梦;我们急切切、兴冲冲地畅饮生命之杯，怎么也不会饮干，反而好像永远是满满欲溢;森罗万象纷至沓来，各种欲望随之而生，使我们腾不出工夫想死亡。

美文:拥抱生活

We often close ourselves off when traumatic events happen inour lives;instead of letting the world soften us, we let it drive usdeeper into ourselves.We try to deflect the hurt and pain bypretending it doesn‟t exist, but although we can try this all wewant, in the end, we can‟t hide from ourselves.We need tolearn to open our hearts to the potentials of life and let the worldsoften us.生活发生不幸时，我们常常会关上心门;世界不仅没能慰藉我们，反倒使我们更加消沉。我们假装一切仿佛都不曾发生，以此试图忘却伤痛，可就算隐藏得再好，最终也还是骗不了自己。既然如此，何不尝试打开心门，拥抱生活中的各种可能，让世界感化我们呢?

Whenever we start to let our fears and seriousness get the best of us, we should take a stepback and re-evaluate our behavior.The items listed below are six ways you can open your heartmore fully and completely.当恐惧与焦虑来袭时，我们应该退后一步，重新反思自己的言行。下面六个方法有助于你更完满透彻地敞开心扉。

1.Breathe into pain 直面痛苦

Whenever a painful situation arises in your life, try to embrace it instead of running away or tryingto mask the hurt.When the sadness strikes, take a deep breath and lean into it.When we runaway from sadness that‟s unfolding in our lives, it gets stronger and more real.We take anemotion that‟s fleeting and make it a solid event, instead of something that passes through us.当生活中出现痛苦的事情时，别再逃跑或隐藏痛苦，试着拥抱它吧;当悲伤来袭时，试着深呼吸，然后直面它。如果我们一味逃避生活中的悲伤，悲伤只会变得更强烈更真实——悲伤原本只是稍纵即逝的情绪，我们却固执地耿耿于怀。

By utilizing our breath we soften our experiences.If we dam them up, our lives will stagnate, butwhen we keep them flowing, we allow more newness and greater experiences to blossom.深呼吸能减缓我们的感受。屏住呼吸，生活停滞;呼出呼吸，更多新奇与经历又将拉开序幕。

2.Embrace the uncomfortable 拥抱不安

We all know what that twinge of anxiety feels like.We know how fear feels in our bodies: thetension in our necks, the tightness in our stomachs, etc.We can practice leaning into these feelingsof discomfort and let them show us where we need to go.我们都经历过焦灼的煎熬感，也都感受过恐惧造成的生理反应：脖子僵硬、胃酸翻腾。其实，我们有能力面对这些痛苦的感受，从中领悟到出路。

The initial impulse is to run away — to try and suppress these feelings by not acknowledging them.When we do this, we close ourselves off to the parts of our lives that we need to experience most.The next time you have this feeling of being truly uncomfortable, do yourself a favor and lean intothe feeling.Act in spite of the fear.我们的第一反应总是逃避——以为否认不安情绪的存在就能万事大吉，可这也恰好妨碍了我们经历最需要的生活体验。下次感到不安时，不管有多害怕，也请试着勇敢面对吧。

3.Ask your heart what it wants 倾听内心

We‟re often confused at the next step to take, making pros and cons lists until our eyes bleed andour brains are sore.Instead of always taking this approach, what if we engaged a new part ofourselves that isn‟t usually involved in the decision making process? 我们常对未来犹疑不定，反复考虑利弊直到身心俱疲。与其一味顾虑重重，不如从局外人的角度看待决策之事。

I know we‟ve all felt decisions or actions that we had to take simply due to our “gut” impulses:when asked, we can‟t explain the reasons behind doing so — just a deep knowing that it had toget done.This instinct is the part of ourselves we‟re approaching for answers.其实很多决定或行动都是我们一念之间的结果：要是追问原因的话，恐怕我们自己也道不清说不明，只是感到直觉如此罢了。而这种直觉恰好是我们探索结果的潜在自我。

To start this process, take few deep breaths then ask, “Heart, what decision should I make here?What action feels the most right?”

开始前先做几次深呼吸，问自己：“内心认为该做什么样的决定呢?觉得采取哪个方案最恰当?”

See what comes up, then engage and evaluate the outcome.看看自己的内心反应如何，然后全力以赴、静待结果吧。

4.Engage your shadow 了解阴暗面

Many of us who are on the personal development path get caught up in embracing characteristicswe want to have, like happiness, compassion, love, and passion.In this pursuit we end up losingparts of ourselves that make us whole, such as suppressing our negative qualities instead ofengaging them.Try asking yourself a few questions: 很多人在成长过程中都或多或少养成期望的性格，比如快乐、同情、爱心以及激情等等;与此同时，我们也会陷入消极压抑的品性。这时，你就要问问自己：

What parts of myself could I do without? 我有哪些可以完全抛弃的性格?

How do I get in my own way? 有哪些品性会妨碍我的成长?

Is there anything I‟m hiding from myself? 我对自己是不是足够诚实坦白?

Don‟t be afraid of what comes out;you might want to run from the answers, but instead,acknowledge them and be with them as much as possible.Once you‟re a little clearer about whatexactly you‟ve been hiding, from it gets easier to shine your light on it.别害怕最终得出的结果，也别逃避，相反，你应该面对并尽量接受现实。如果你能确切了解自己的阴暗面，也就更容易去改正。

5.Spend time alone 享受独处

For most of our lives we‟re surrounded by people: our friends, colleagues, peers, family members,loved ones, and strangers.How often do we really spend time alone? 大部分人身边总不缺陪伴：朋友、同事、同伴、亲人、爱侣，还有陌生人。那么，怎样才能真正独处呢?

When you spend time in solitude, you‟re free from the influences of other people, and can trulyopen yourself and explore whatever you‟d like.See where your thoughts take you.The goldenticket here is to not let yourself become distracted;just see what it‟s like to be alone.独处使人免受他人干扰，能让我们真正敞开心怀去探究所喜所恶，让自己跟着思绪游走——一定要保持专心，用心体会独处的曼妙。

It might be painful or even scary at first, but by opening yourself up to these new feelings, you‟lladd a whole new layer of depth, experience, and understanding into your life.一开始可能会感到痛苦甚至惶恐，可一旦敞开心胸面对这些感受，你便能达到更高一层境界，收获别样的经验，也更理解自己的生活。

6.Get outside of yourself 走出自我

This may seem a little contradictory to the last tip, but in reality, they actually work hand-in-hand.After you‟ve explored the depths of yourself, you come away with a new understanding.这和前一个建议貌似有点矛盾，但其实两者却是相辅相成的。独处之后，你对自己获得了全新了解。

Now, it‟s time to share that — not through telling others, but through being with others.然后，你应该把它分享出来——当然，这不是要你直接把它告知与人，而是要求你通过与人交往进行分享。

When you‟re in a group of people, try to give them your full energy and attention so you canunderstand them just as you did yourself.Appreciate their uniqueness, as if they are an extensionof you.Lose yourself in the beauty of others;see what they can teach you about yourself.当你与人交往时，请试着用心去了解他们，就好比你用心了解自己一样。感同身受地欣赏他们的个性、观察他们的优点，看看自己能从中学到什么。

Remember, there‟s no need to do every one of these at the same time.Take each one a day at atime, determine which work best for you, and see what you can discover.请记住：以上建议并不要求你一气呵成，你可以每天尝试一个，选择最适合自己的建议，看看自己能从中收获什么。

美文:2015如何做崭新的自己?

THE annual ritual of the New Year‟s resolution — I‟ll lose 10pounds, get my finances in order, be more patient with myfamily, feel more grateful — misses the point.We try to steel ourwills to do what we already know we should be doing.Kick-in-the-pants reminders, however stern, are missed opportunitiesfor genuine self-renewal.(Not to mention that the shelf life ofany motivational juice we generate in January tends to expirein February.)制定新年规划这个一年一度的常规动作——我要减重10磅，要解决财务问题，要更耐心地对待家人，要更知道感恩——总是放错重点。我们竭力强化意志，去做已经意识到自己该做的那些事情。但好似“催命符”的备忘录不管多严苛，都无法激励人们进行真正的自我更新。（更别提1月份才成形的这些宏图大志是多么容易过期，2月份一到，它们往往就宣告破产。）

The turning over of a new year is an opportunity to create ourselves anew.How? The key, Isuggest, is in shifting our understanding of the choices we make.For many people, the mostimportant choices in life are sources of agony, dread, paralysis — even depression or suicide.Itdoesn‟t have to be like this.新年来临之际是重新塑造自我的良机。如何塑造呢？我认为，关键在于换个角度来理解我们所做的选择。对很多人而言，生命中最重要的一些选择是痛苦、恐惧、无力的根源，甚至会让人产生抑郁和自杀倾向。但事情并不一定非是如此不可。

A hypothetical example: Eve works as a textbook editor at a Boston publishing house and wasapproached by a small but prestigious imprint on the West Coast that was looking for a fictioneditor.The job would be a big promotion, with a significant raise, and Eve had always wanted towork in fiction.比方说，伊芙是波士顿某出版社的教科书编辑，西海岸一家正在寻找小说编辑的出版公司找到了她。该公司规模虽小，但却久负盛名。接受这份工作，伊芙的职位会大大提升，薪水会大幅提高，而且她一直都想在小说领域发展。

But Eve is in crisis.Should she move her husband and young daughter from their cozy life inBoston, her home of 15 years, to the wilds of California? If she stays, will she be forsaking theopportunity of a lifetime? If she moves, will her new boss turn out to be a jerk? Will her child bebullied at school? What if her husband can‟t find a good job? Will the family quarrel, the marriagedissolve, her boss fire her for being incompetent, and she and her child end up on food stamps ina homeless shelter? 但伊芙却面临着艰难的抉择。她已经在波士顿生活了15年，该让丈夫和年幼的女儿抛开这里的惬意生活，与她一起搬走吗？如果选择留在波士顿，她能够割舍一生中难得的机遇吗？如果选择搬去西海岸，要是发现新老板是个混球可怎么办？要是她的孩子在学校挨欺负可怎么办？要是她丈夫找不到好工作可怎么办？家里是否会争吵不断，婚姻是否会解体，老板是否会因为她无法胜任工作而炒她鱿鱼，她和孩子是否会落得在收容所靠食品券度日的田地？

Many people are like Eve and see their choices as, in essence, problems of computation.Butchoosing between jobs is not like computing the distance between Memphis and Mumbai.The viewof choice as a matter of calculating maximal value is assumed in cost-benefit analysis, governmentpolicy making and much of economic theory.It‟s even embedded in the apps you can downloadthat purport to help you decide whether to buy a new car, get married or change jobs.许多人都和伊芙差不多，他们其实把选择看成了计算利害得失的问题。但在不同工作之间做出选择，跟测量从孟菲斯到孟买的距离可不是一回事。把选择看作对价值最大化的计算，是内化于成本收益分析、政府决策过程以及许多经济理论之中的一种观念。它甚至潜藏在可以从网上下载的某些旨在帮助你决定是否要买新车、是否要结婚、是否要换工作的应用程序之中。

At the heart of this model is a simple assumption: that what you should choose is alwaysdetermined by facts in the world about which option has more value — facts that, if only you weresmart enough to discover, would make decision-making relatively easy.该模型的核心假设非常简单：你的选择总是取决于世界上的某些与哪个选项会带来更大价值有关的事实——你只要聪明到足以发现这些事实，就能够相对容易地做出决策。

But the assumption is false.When we compute distances, there are only three possibilities: onedistance is more than, less than or equal to another.Similarly, when we compute value, there areonly three possibilities: one thing is better than, worse than or just as good as another.But weshouldn‟t assume that goodness is like distance.Values don‟t have the same structure as facts.但这个假设是错误的。我们测算距离的时候，所面对的可能性只有三种：一段距离比另一段长，比另一段短，或者跟另一段相等。同样，我们计算价值的时候，所面对的可能性也只有三种：一个事物比另一个好，比另一个糟，或者跟另一个差不多。但我们不该把事物的好坏和距离的长短等同起来。价值的体系和事实的体系是截然不同的。

Options can be “on a par” — different in value while being in the same overall neighborhood.Ifyour alternatives are on a par, you can‟t make a mistake of reason in choosing one instead of theother.Since one isn‟t better than the other, you can‟t choose wrongly.But nor are they equallygood.When alternatives are on a par, when the world doesn‟t determine a single right thing to do,that doesn‟t mean that value writ large has been exhausted.Instead of looking outward to find thevalue that determines what you should do, you can look inward to what you can stand behind,commit to, resolve to throw yourself behind.By committing to an option, you can confer value onit.各种选项可能会“平分秋色”——虽然价值不完全相同，但也相差无几。如果你有一些平分秋色的选项，你无论选择哪个，都不会犯判断上的错误。因为两种选择没有优劣之分，你不可能做出错误的选择。不过，它们也并非一样好。当选项平分秋色时，当世界上并非只有唯一正确的答案时，那并不意味着真正的价值已经枯竭。与其从外部寻找价值来判断自己应该做些什么，你可以向内心来询问自己能够支持、承诺，以及决心投身于什么。只要笃定于一个选项，你就为它赋予了价值。

Of course, this isn‟t to say that you should commit to being a first-class jerk, pedophile ormurderer.That‟s because being a jerk is not on a par with being a good person.当然了，这并不是说你应该笃定于成为一个头号混蛋、恋童癖，或者杀人犯。这是因为，做一个混蛋和做一个好人可不是平分秋色的选项。When we choose between options that are on a par, we make ourselves the authors of our ownlives.Instead of being led by the nose by what we imagine to be facts of the world, we shouldinstead recognize that sometimes the world is silent about what we should do.In those cases, wecan create value for ourselves by committing to an option.By doing so, we not only create valuefor ourselves but we also(re)create ourselves.Eve might resolve to make her life in Boston.Someone else, in her shoes, might resolve to start a new life in California.There is no error here,only different resolutions that create different sorts of people.当我们在平分秋色的选项中做选择时，我们就成了自己人生的创造者。我们不应该被我们想象中的世界现实牵着鼻子走，而是应该认识到，有时，这个世界不会告诉我们应该做什么。在这种情况下，我们应该笃定一种选项，创造我们自己的价值。这样做的话，我们不仅为自己创造了的价值，我们也（重新）创造了自己。伊芙可能决心在波士顿生活。而面临同样的境遇，另一个人可能会决定在加州开始新的生活。这无所谓对错，只是不同的解决方案造就不同类型的人罢了。

So Eve, faced with her choice, should reflect on what kind of person she can be.Can she besomeone who abandons a contented life for a new adventure? A choice between alternatives thatare on a par is a precious opportunity to create the sort of person she can commit to being, bycommitting to being that sort of person.因此，伊芙在做出选择时，应该考虑的是，她能成为什么样的人。她能为了新的冒险而放弃舒适的生活吗？在平分秋色的选项中做决定是一个宝贵的机会，可以创造出一个自己能够决心成为的人，方法就是下决心成为那种类型的人。

第五篇：英语美文

;It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition.It would probably be a kinder world: without demands, without abrasions, without disappointments.People would have time for reflection(磨损).Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collectivity.Competition would never enter in, conflict would be eliminated, tension become a thing of the past.The stress of creation would be at an end.Art would no longer be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions.Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die of heart attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor.Anxiety would be extinct.Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart.Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be!

There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a sham(骗子).Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events? Now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating.Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one's own.But even the most cynical secretly admit that success exists;that achievement counts for a great deal;and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless.To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging.It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment, and regard for posterity.We do not choose to be born.We do not choose our parents.We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing.We do not, most of us, choose to die;nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death.But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift.We decide what is important and what is trivial in life.We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do.But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make.We decide.We choose.And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed.In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.