UNITrofitsofPraise课文翻译大学英语二

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Unit10 Profits of Praise

Are we too quick to blame and slow to praise? It seems we are.

It was the end of my exhausting first day as waitress in a busy New York restaurant. My cap had gone awry, my apron was stained, my feet ached. The

Why - when one word can bring such pleasure? A friend of mine who travels widely always tries to learn a little of the language of any place she visits. She's not much of a linguist, but she does know how to say one word - "beautiful" - in several languages. She can use it to a mother holding her baby, or to lonely salesman

fishing out pictures of his family. The ability has earned her friends all over the world.

It's strange how chary we are about praising. Perhaps it's because few of us know how to accept compliments gracefully. Instead, we are embarrassed and shrug off the words we are really so glad to hear. Because of this defensive reaction,

such a dreary grind. Comment is often made about activities which are relatively easy and satisfying, like arranging flowers; but not about jobs which are hard and dirty, like scrubbing floors. Shakespeare said, "Our praises are our wages." Since so often praise is the only wage a housewife receives, surely she of all people should get her measure.

Mothers know instinctively that for children an ounce of praise is worth a pound of scolding. Still, we're not always as perceptive as we might be about applying the rule. One day I was criticizing my children for squabbling. "Can you never play peacefully?" I shouted. Susanna looked at me quizzically. "Of course we can," she said. "But you don't notice us when we do."

Not surprisingly, those who were praised improved dramatically. Those who were criticized improved also, bus not so much. And the scores of the children who were ignored hardly improved at all. Interestingly the brightest children were helped just as much by criticism as by praise, but the less able children reacted

badly to criticism, needed praise the most. Yet the latter are the very youngsters who, in most schools, fail to get the pat on the back.

To give praise costs the giver nothing but a moment's thought and a moment's effort - perhaps a quick phone call to pass on a compliment, or five minutes spent writing an appreciative letter. It is such a small investment - and yet consider the

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这时候，那位做父亲的一边把小费交给我，一边对我微微一笑，“干得很好，”他说。“你对我们照顾得真是太好了。”

听了这话，我的倦意顿时消失了。我对他也报以微笑。后来，经理问我对第一天感觉怎样时，我说：“好极了！”那两句赞扬的话改变了一切。

对于人的精神来说，赞扬就像阳光一样；没有它我们便不能开花生长。然而我们大多数人动不动就对别人刮起批评的寒风，不知为什么却不愿意把表扬的温暖阳光给予我们的同伴。

只要一句话就能带来这样的欢乐，我们为什么却不愿意这样做呢？我有一个到处旅行的朋友总是努力学一点她要去访问的国家的语言。她并不是什么了不起的语

那些从事例行工作的人们特别懂得赞扬的意义，如汽车加油站的服务员、女侍者——甚至家庭主妇。当你走进一家住房时，你可曾说过：“多么整洁的房间啊！”几乎没有人这么说过。家庭劳动之所以被认为是沉闷乏味的苦差使，原因就在于此。人们经常对一些比较容易而又令人满意的活动，如插花，加以评论；但对像擦地板这样又苦又脏的工作却不予置评。莎士比亚说过：“对我们的称赞就是给予我们的报