美文赏读(疯狂英语晨读)

What Will Matter？
by Michael Josephson
Choose to live a life that matters.
Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no days, no hours or minutes. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear. So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will all expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Your gender, skin color, ethnicity will be irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value or your days be measured?
What is matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.What will matter is every act of integrity, compassions, courage and sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.What will matter is not your competence, but your character.What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.What will matter is not your memories, but the memories of those who loved you.What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.
New Words and Expressions
①temporal:[ 'tempərəl ] a. 当时的,暂时的,现世的
②shrivel:[ 'ʃrivl ] v. 枯萎,皱缩vi. 枯萎,干枯
③irrelevance:[ i'reləvəns ] n. 不切题(不相干,不中肯,没关系,枝节问题)
④grudge:[ grʌdʒ ] n. 怨恨,恶意v. 怀恨,嫉妒,吝惜
⑤resentment:[ ri'zentmənt ] n. 怨恨,愤恨
⑥frustration:[ frʌs'treiʃən ] n. 打破,挫折,顿挫
⑦jealousy:[ 'dʒeləsi ] n. 妒忌
⑧expire:[ iks'paiə, eks- ] v. 期满,失效,终止,断气
⑨ethnicity:[ eθ'nisiti ] n. 种族划分, 种族性
⑩irrelevant:[ i'relivənt ]a. 不恰当的,无关系的,不相干的
11 integrity:[ in'tegriti ] n. 诚实,正直,完整,完善
12 emulate:[ 'emjuleit ] v. 效法,尽力赶上[计算机] 仿真
13 competence:[ 'kɔmpətəns ] n. 能力
参考译文
何谓重要？
无论你是否准备好，有一天一切都会结束。

不再有旭日东升，不再有灿烂白昼，也不再有一分一时的光阴。

你收藏的一切，无论是弥足珍贵的还是被你遗忘的，都将留给别人。

你的财富、名望和世俗的权力都将变成无关紧要的东西。

不管你拥有的还是别人亏欠你的，都不再重要。

你的嫉恨、冤仇，挫败和嫉妒终将消失。

同样，你的希望、抱负、计划和未竟之事都将终止。

曾经无比重要的成败得失也将变得无足轻重。

你来自哪里，用什么方式生活都不再重要。

你是貌美如花还是才华横溢也不再重要。

你的性别、肤色、种族都将变得无关紧要。

那何为重要呢?又将如何衡量你生命的价值呢?
重要的不是你所买到的，而是你所建造的；不是你所得到的，而是你所付出的。

重要的不是你的成功，而是你的价值。

重要的不是你所学到的，而是你传授的。

重要的是你每一次正直、怜悯、勇敢和牺牲的行为都能使人充实、给人以力量或是激励他人，让他们以你为榜样。

重要的不是你的能力，而是你的性格。

重要的不是你认识多少人，而是在你离开时有多少人会感到这是永久的损失。

重要的不是你的记忆，而是那些爱你的人的记忆。

重要的是人们会怀念你多久，谁会怀念你，为什么怀念你。

过有意义的人生并非偶然，也非环境所能决定，而是你自己的选择。

要选择过有意义的生活。

Keeping Pleasant
"He is a fool who cannot be angry, but he is really a wise man who will not."
The habit of keeping pleasant is indeed better than an income of a thousand dollars a year. The life without cheerfulness is like the severe winter without sun.
We all love cheerful company, but we are apt to forget that cheerfulness is a habit that can be cultivated by all.
We find it very difficult to be gay when we are in distress. It requires great courage. We should never forget that to be cheerful when it is not easy to be cheerful shows greatness. Thorny may be our way, but how happy is the conqueror's song!
The perfection of cheerfulness consists in the happy frame of mind. It is displayed in good temper and kind behaviour. It arises partly from personal goodness and partly from the belief in the goodness of others. It sees the glory in the grass and the sunshine of the flower. It encourages happy thoughts, and lives in an atmosphere of peace. It costs nothing, and yet it is invaluable. It blesses its possessor, and affords a large measure of enjoyment to others.
New Words and Expressions
be apt to 易于；倾向于
frame of mind 心情，心境
consist in 在于
参考译文
保持快乐的心情
“不会生气的人是愚者，不生气的人乃是真正的智者。

”
保持快乐的心情胜于年薪上千美元的收入。

生活中若没有快乐，就如同严寒的冬季没有阳光。

快乐的伙伴受人喜爱，而我们却忘了快乐是每个人都可以培养的习惯。

悲伤之时，让我们快乐起来很难，那需要有很大的勇气。

谨记，转悲为欢是一件很了不起的事。

也许，前方的道路荆棘满布，然而，胜利者之歌却洋溢着快乐！
快乐的心态可以成就完美的快乐。

它表现在好的性情和得体的举止上。

它一部份缘于个人的善良，另一部分源于对他人善良的信赖。

它能使人看到撒在草地上的光辉和折射在花朵上的光芒。

快乐的思想跳跃在和平静谧的氛围中。

它能带给你无限的价值，却不要你付出任何代价。

它会保佑其所有者，并带给别人无穷无尽的快乐。

You Can Start to Win at Any Time
Don't worry about what lies dimly at a distance, but do what lies clearly ahead.
To solve any problem or to reach your goal, you don't need to know all the answers in advance. But you must have a clear idea of the problem or the goal you want to reach.
All you have to do is know where you're going. The answers will come to you of their own accord. Don't procrastinate when faced with a big difficult problem, break the problem into parts, and handle one part at a time.
If you can get up the courage to begin, you have the courage to succeed. It's the job you never start that takes the longest to finish. Don't worry about what lies dimly at a distance, but do what lies clearly ahead.
Your biggest opportunity is where you are right now. Once you begin you're half done.
词汇引擎
①of one’s own accord 自愿地
②procrastinate [ prəu'kræstineit ]v. 延迟,迁延,耽搁
参考译文
你随时都可以迈向成功
要解决任何问题或实现自己的目标，你无须提前知道所有的答案。

但你必须清楚地了解你所面临的问题或你希望达到的目标。

你唯一要做的就是知道自己欲往何方。

自然而然，你就会得出答案。

遇到大难题时不要拖延，应该把问题分成几个部分，然后逐一解决。

如果你能鼓起勇气去开始，那么你就有勇气去获取成功。

需要花最多时间完成的正是那些你从未着手去做的工作。

不要担心远处暗淡模糊的事物，而是要做清楚摆在眼前的那些事。

你现在所处的位置就是你最大的机遇。

一旦开始，你就成功了一半。

YOUTH
Samuel Ullman
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind.
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.
Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a body of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a
number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.
Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.
When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.
New Words and Expressions
rosy:[ 'rəuzi ] a. 蔷薇色的,玫瑰红色的
supple:[ 'sʌpl ] a. 柔软的,逢迎的,顺从的
vigor:[ 'vigə ] n. 活力,精力
temperamental:[ .tempərə'mentl ]a. 性情的,喜怒无常的
predominance:[ pri'dɔminəns ] n. 卓越,优势,控制
timidity: [ ti'miditi ] n. 胆小,胆怯,羞怯
appetite: [ 'æpitait ]n. 爱好,嗜好,食欲,胃口,欲望
desert: [ di'zə:t ] v. 放弃,遗弃
wrinkle: [ 'riŋkl ] n. 皱纹v. (使)起皱纹vi. (使)起皱纹,皱眉vt. 使起皱纹
unfailing:[ ʌn'feiliŋ ] a. 无尽的,无穷的
infinite:[ 'infinit ] a. 无限的,无穷的n. 无限
aerial: [ 'ɛəriəl ]n. 天线
cynicism:[ 'sinisizəm ] n.犬儒哲学, 嘲笑挖苦, 玩世不恭,
pessimism:[ 'pesimizm ] n. 悲观,悲观主义
optimism:[ 'ɔptimizəm ]n.&a. 乐观,乐观主义
青春
塞缪尔. 厄尔曼
青春不是年华，而是一种心态；青春不是粉面、朱唇、柔膝，而是坚强的意志、美好的憧憬、奔放的情感；青春是生命中汨汨涌动的深泉。

青春，意味着勇气胜过怯弱，进取压倒苟安。

此般青春锐气，二十后生虽有之，六旬长者则更多见。

年岁有加，并非垂老；理想荒废，方显老态。

岁月荏苒，只能催老红颜；热忱抛却，必至灵魂枯槁。

忧烦，恐惧和不自信，会使心灵卑下，使活力如蒙尘之春泉。

无论六十花甲，抑或二八芳龄，奇迹之诱惑、孩童般永不泯灭的天真向往以及游戏生活之愉悦，人人心中皆有之。

你我心中皆有一个无线电台，只要你从天上人间接受美好、希望、欢乐、勇气、和力量的信号，你便青春永驻，风华常存。

一旦天线倒塌，你的精神便为嫉俗之雪和悲观之冰所覆盖，即使年方二十，实已垂垂老矣；然而只要坚起心灵的天线，捕捉乐观信号，你就有望在耄耋之年以青春终老。

"He is a fool who cannot be angry, but he is really a wise man who will not."
“不会生气的人是愚者，不生气的人乃是真正的智者。

”
The habit of keeping pleasant is indeed better than an income of a thousand dollars a year. The life without cheerfulness is like the severe winter without sun.
保持快乐的心情胜于年薪上千美元的收入。

生活中若没有快乐，
就如同严寒的冬季没有阳光。

We all love cheerful company, but we are apt to forget that cheerfulness is a habit that can be cultivated by all.
快乐的伙伴受人喜爱，而我们却忘了快乐是每个人都可以培养的习惯。

We find it very difficult to be gay when we are in distress. It requires great courage. We should never forget that to be cheerful when it is not easy to be cheerful shows greatness. Thorny may be our way, but how happy is the conqueror's song!
悲伤之时，让我们快乐起来很难，那需要有很大的勇气。

谨记，转悲为欢是一件很了不起的事。

也许，前方的道路荆棘满布，
然而，胜利者之歌却洋溢着快乐！
The perfection of cheerfulness consists in the happy frame of mind. It is displayed in good temper and kind behaviour. It arises partly from personal goodness and partly from the belief in the goodness of others. It sees the glory in the grass and the sunshine of the flower. It encourages happy thoughts, and lives in an atmosphere of peace. It costs nothing, and yet it is invaluable. It blesses its possessor, and affords a large measure of enjoyment to others.
快乐的心态可以成就完美的快乐。

它表现在好的性情和得体的举止上。

它一部份缘于个人的善良，另一部分源于对他人善良的信赖。

它能使人看到撒在草地上的光辉和折射在花朵上的光芒。

快乐的思想跳跃在和平静谧的氛围中。

它能带给你无限的价值，却不要你付出任何代价。

它会保佑其所有者，并带给别人无穷无尽的快乐。

∙
∙
∙We can find happiness today if we only look. Happiness is in our hearts and asks only to be celebrated and valued. It comes from within. If we fill our mind with pleasant we try to look on the bright side, we invite happiness.
No amout of money, possessions, or ego gratification can bring us happiness. There is no such thing as the perfect car, house, job or person to make us happy. Peace of mind comes with the recognition that happiness is the state of mind we chose. Being happy today enables us to be happy forever. Today is what counts.
Our fears try to prevent us from feeling joy and pleasure. The fearful part of us would like us to be in a constant state of watching over our shoulder and of doubting the future. Imaging going to be
fitted for new glasses. Your sight will be improved. You will see things more clearly. Consider adjusting your mind in a similar way.
As unproductive, unhelpful thougts creep into your consciousness
replace them with better-fitting thoughts that focus on joy and pleasure.
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∙You Can Start to Win at Any Time
2007-9-15
To solve any problem or to reach your goal, you don't need to know all the answers in advance. But you must have a clear idea of the problem or the goal you want to reach.
All you have to do is know where you're going. The answers will come to you of their own accord. Don't procrastinate when faced with a big difficult problem, break the problem into parts, and handle one part at a time.
If you can get up the courage to begin, you have the courage to succed. It's the job you never start that takes the longest to finish.
Don't worry about what lies dimly at a distance, but do what lies clearly ahead.
Your biggest oppurtunity is where you are right now. Once you begin you're half done.
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∙
∙
∙
∙I Want to Know...
2007-9-10
It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.
你以什么为生我不感兴趣。

我想知道的是你因什么而痛苦，想知道你是否敢于去梦想满足心灵的渴望。

It doesn't interst me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looling like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
你的年龄我不感兴趣。

我想知道的是你是否甘当傻瓜去追求爱，追求梦想和经历生活的惊险刺激。

It doesn't interst me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shriveled and closed down from fear of futher paint.
是什么磨圆了你的棱角我不感兴趣。

我想知道的是你是否触碰过自己受伤的心，是否因为生活辜负过你而变得豁达，还是因为和害怕遭受更多的痛苦而变得无助，紧闭心扉。

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fix it.
我想知道你是否能痛苦着你的或我的痛苦，而不是避开它，躲着它。

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of fingers and lose without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being human.
我想知道你是否能欢乐着你的或我的欢乐，是否能狂舞一曲，让快乐溢满你的指尖和脚趾，而不是告诫我们，要小心翼翼，要现实，要牢记做人的局限。

It dosen't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore be turstworthy.
你说的是真是假我不感兴趣。

我想知道的是你是否为了忠实于自己而敢于令他人失望。

是否敢于承担背叛的骂名而不是埋没良心，是否能做到诚实可靠从而值得信赖。

I want to know if you can see beauty even it is not pretty everyday, and if you can source your life from God's presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver to the full moon, " Yes ".
我想知道你是否能领略美，是否因为生命的存在而追溯生命的起源。

我想知道你是否愿意接受我们的失败并仍然敢于站在湖边，对着银色的满月大声回答，“是”。

It dosen't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruise to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children.
你栖身何处，又多少金钱我不感兴趣。

我想知道的是一夜伤心和绝望，一身疲惫和伤痕之后，你是否照样起床，履行应尽的义务，养育待哺的孩子。

It dosn't interest me who nyou are, how you became to be here.
I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and
not shrink back.
你有何背景，何以成为现在的你我不感兴趣。

我想知道的是你是否愿意与我一道，站在烈火中央而不退缩。

It dosn't interste me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
你在哪里受的教育，学的什么以及与谁为师我不感兴趣。

我想知道的是一切消逝之后是什么在内心支撑着你，你是否能够独自面对自己，是否真正喜欢你在空虚的时候结交的伙伴。

A good companion is better than a fortune, for a fortune cannot purchase those elements of character which make companionship a blessing. The best companion is one who is wiser and better than ourselves, for we are inspired by his wisdom and virtue to nobler deeds. Greater wisdom
and goodness than we possess lifts us higher mentally and morally.
好友胜于财富，因为财富买不到基本的品德，而正是这些基本品德使人们之间的交往成为一件幸事。

最好的朋友就是比我们更睿智，更出色的人，我们可以被他的智慧和美德所激励，从而使我们的行为更加高尚。

他们的才智比我们的更高尚，从而能使我们在精神和道德的境界得到提高。

"A man is known by the companion he keeps." It is always true. Companionship of high order is powerful to develop character. Character makes character in the associations of life faster than anything else. Purity begets purity, like begets like; and this fact makes the choice of companions in eraly life more important even than that of teachers and guardians.
“观察一个人所结交的朋友，就可以知道他是什么样的人：这句话总是对的。

高层次的交友对于性情的培养特别有利。

在交往中，性情对于性情的影响胜过其他一切因素。

近朱者赤，近墨者黑，这一事实告诉人们，在年轻时代，择友甚至比选择老师和监护人更为重要。

It is true that we cannot always choose all of our companions. Some are thrust upon us by business and the social relations of life. We do not choose the, we do not enjoy them, and yet we have to associate with them more or less. The experience is not altogether without comperisation. If there be principle enough in us to bear the strain. Still, in the man, choice of companions can be made, and must be made. It is not best or necessary for a young person to associate with " Tome, Dick and Henry " without forethought or purpose. Some fixed rules about the company he or she keeps shuld be observed. The subject should be uppermost in the thughts, and canvassed
often.
不可否认的是，有些朋友总是我们无法选择的。

有些人是由于生意和各种社会关系的缘故被硬塞给我们的。

我们没有选择他们，我们也不喜欢他们，但是我们必须或多或少地跟他们交往。

如果我们坚守内心的原则，承受一些压力，这样的经历并非完全没有补偿。

但总的来说，朋友可以选择，必须选择。

如果没有事先的掂量或明确的目的，一个年轻人就随便与张三，李四或王五交往，那是不妥当，不必要的。

一些确定的交友之道应该被遵守。

这一点应放在思想最重要的位置，并时时检点自己。

Companionship is education, good or bad; it develops manhood or womanhood, high or low, it lifts the soul upward or drags it downward; it ministers to virtue or vice. There is no half way work about its influence. If it ennobles, it does it grandly. If it demoralizes, it does it devilishly, it saves or destroys lustily. Nothing it the world is surer than this. Sow virthe, and the harvest will be virtue. Sow vice, and the harvest will be vice. Good companions help us to sow virtue; evil companions help us to sow vice.
无论是由一的或者有害的友谊，都是一种教育。

无论对男对女，它都可以滋养高尚或卑微的人格，它可以是灵魂升华，也可以是之堕落。

它可以滋生美德，也可以催生邪恶。

他的影响没有折中之道。

友谊，如果使人高
尚，，就会使人如天使般庄重。

如果使人
堕落，就会使人如魔鬼般邪恶。

它可以有力地拯救一个人，也可以轻易地毁掉一个人。

世上没有什么事比这更确定无疑了。

播种美德，收获的就是美德，播种邪恶，收获的就是邪恶。

好的朋友可以帮助我们播种我们播种美德，坏的朋友促使我们播种邪恶。

YOUTH
Samuel Ullman
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.
Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a body of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the
soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust. Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next, and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.
When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at eighty.
青春（塞缪尔厄尔曼）
青春不是年华，而是心境；青春不是桃面，丹唇，柔膝，而是深沉的意志，恢宏的想象，炽热的恋情；青春是生命的源泉在涌流。

青春气贯长虹，勇锐盖过怯懦，进取压倒苟安。

如此锐气，二十年后生有之，六旬男子则更多见，年岁有加，并非垂老；理想丢掉，方堕暮年。

岁月悠悠，衰微只及肌肤，热忱抛却，颓唐必至灵魂。

忧烦，惶恐，丧失自信，定使心灵扭曲，意气如灰。

无论年届花甲，抑或二八芳龄，心中皆有生命之欢乐，奇迹之诱惑，孩子般天真久盛不衰。

人人心中皆有一根天线，只要你从天上人间接受美好的信号，你就青春永驻，风华长存。

一旦天线降下，锐气便被冰雪覆盖，玩世不恭，自暴自弃油然而生，即使年方二十，实已垂垂老矣。

然则只要你坚持接受乐观的信号，你就有望在百岁高龄告别尘寰时仍觉年青。