April Showers Bring May Flowers 四月雨带来五月花

　　From the golden-tipped fields of mid-west America to the ancient kingdoms of verdant Palestine, there is a happy truth to be shared with all who would take heed. In more recent times, this truth has been expressed as: April showers bring May flowers. This is a truth that promises light bursting from darkness, strength born from weakness and, if one dares to believe, life emerging from death.

　　Farmers all over the world know the importance and immutability of the seasons. They know that there is a season to plant and a season to harvest; everything must be done in its own time. Although the rain pours down with the utmost relentlessness, ceasing all outdoor activities, the man of the field lifts his face to the heavens and smiles. Despite the inconvenience, he knows that the rain provides the nourishment his crops need to grow and flourish. The torrential rains in the month of April, give rise to the glorious flowers in the month of May.

　　But this ancient truth applies to more than the crops of the fields; it is an invaluable message of hope to all who experience tragedy in life. A dashed relationship with one can open up the door to a brand new friendship with another. A lost job here can provide the opportunity for a better job there. A broken dream can become the foundation of a wonderful future. Everything has its place.

　　Remember this: overwhelming darkness may endure for a night, but it will never overcome the radiant light of the morning. When you are in a season of sorrow, hang in there, because a season of joy may be just around the corner…

　　四月雨带来五月花

　　从美国中西部金色的田野，到巴勒斯坦嫩绿色的古老疆土，那些留心观察的人共享着同一个快乐真理。
近来这一真理被阐述为：四月的雨带来五月的花。这一真理预示光明会从黑暗中迸发；刚强生自软弱；如果你敢确信，生命会从死亡中萌发！

　　全世界的农民们都明白季节的重要性和永恒性。他们知道在哪个季节播种，哪个季节收获，每件事都必须应时而做！虽然暴雨无情地倾盆而下，迫使所有的户外 劳作停止，但土地的主人会仰天微笑。尽管有诸多不便，但是他知道，雨会为他的庄稼带来繁茂生长所需的营养。四月里的豪雨，会带来五月里的繁花似锦。

　　但是这一古老真理并不只适用于田里的庄稼，它还是那些正经历着人生磨难的人的无限希冀：一段友谊的受挫会开启另一段崭新友谊的大门；此处失去的工作会提供彼处更好的工作机会；一个梦想的破灭会成为美好未来的基石。万物皆有道！

　　请谨记：势不可挡的黑暗或有一晚，但它永远无法阻挡清晨的万丈光芒！当你正处于悲伤之季，请坚持住，因为欢乐的季节也许马上就会到来……



　　verdant adj. 嫩绿的

　　promise v. 允诺

　　burst v. 迸发

　　emerge v. 萌发

　　utmost adj. 极度的

　　cease v. 停止

　　inconvenience n. 麻烦

　　provide v. 提供

　　apply v. 适用

　　invaluable adj. 无价的

　　endure v. 持续

和时间相关的英语谚语

　　英语谚语来源于生活，反映了生活，凝聚着英语民族的智慧和精髓。它言简意赅、浅显风趣，生动形象地提示了深刻的人生哲理。
mvxh
　　（一）时间是金，其值无价

　　Time is money.

　　（时间就是金钱或一寸光阴一寸金）

　　Time flies.

　　（光阴似箭，日月如梭）

　　Time has wings.

　　（光阴去如飞）

　　Time is a file that wears and makes no noise.

　　（光阴如锉，细磨无声）

　　Time stays not the fool's leisure.

　　（时间不等闲逛的傻瓜）

　　Time and I against any two.

　　（和时间携起手来，一人抵两人）

　　Time is life and when the idle man kills time, he kills himself.

　　（时间就是生命，懒人消耗时间就是消耗自己的生命。或时间就是生命，节省时间，就是延长生命）

　　Time spent in vice or folly is doubly lost.

　　（消磨于恶习或愚行的时间是加倍的损失）

　　（二）时间是风，去而不返

　　Time undermines us.

　　（光阴暗中催人才。或莫说年纪小人生容易老）

　　Time and tide wait for no man.

　　（岁月不待人）

　　Time cannot be won again.

　　（时间一去不再来）

　　Time is , time was , and time is past.

　　（现在有时间，过去有时间，时间一去不复返）

　　Time lost can not be recalled.

　　（光阴一去不复返）

　　Time flies like an arrow , and time lost never returns.

　　(光阴似箭，一去不返）

　　（三）时间是尺，万物皆检

　　Time tries friends as fire tries gold.

　　(时间考验朋友，烈火考验黄金）

　　Time tries truth.

　　（时间检验真理）

　　Time is the father of truth.

　　（时间是真理之父）

　　Time will tell.

　　（时间能说明问题）

　　Time brings the truth to light.

　　（时间使真相大白。或时间一到，真理自明。）

　　Time and chance reveal all secrets.

　　(时间与机会能提示一切秘密）

　　Time consecrates: what is gray with age becomes religion.

　　（时间考验一切，经得起时间考验的就为人所信仰）

　　Time reveals(discloses) all things.

　　（万事日久自明）

　　Time tries all.

　　（时间检验一切）

　　（四）时间是秤，衡量权质

　　There is no time like the present.

　　（现在正是时候）

　　Take time by the forelock.

　　(把握目前的时机）

　　To choose time is to save time.

　　（选择时间就是节省时间）

　　Never put off till tomorrow what may be done today.

　　（今日事，今日毕）

　　Procrastination is the thief of time.

　　（拖延为时间之窃贼）

　　One of these days is none of these days.

　　（拖延时日，终难实现。或：改天改天，不知哪天）

　　Tomorrow never comes.

　　（明天无尽头，明日何其多）

　　What may be done at any time will be done at no time.

　　（常将今日推明日，推到后来无踪迹）

　　（五）时间是水，淘金流沙

　　Time works wonders.

　　（时间可以创造奇迹或时间的效力不可思议）

　　Time works great changes.

　　（时间可以产生巨大的变化）

　　Times change.

　　(时代正在改变）

When The Wind Blows 当风吹起的时候

When The Wind Blows 当风吹起的时候

　　Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic，wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job，he received a steady stream of refusals.　　

　　几年前，一个农场主在大西洋沿岸拥有一块土地，他经常贴广告雇佣人手。可是，很多人都不愿意在大西洋岸边的农场干活，他们害怕大西洋上空剧烈的风暴会破坏房屋和庄稼。所以当这个农场主招工面试时，收到的是一连串坚定的拒绝。　　

　　Finally，a short，thin man，well past middle age，approached the farmer. “Are you a good farmhand？”the farmer asked him.　　

　　最后，有一个个头不高、略显瘦弱、已过中年的男人来到农场主面前。“你是个干农活的好手吗？”农场主问他。　　

　　“Well，I can sleep when the wind blows，” answered the little man.　　

　　“是的，起风的时候我可以睡觉，”那个矮个男人回答道。　　

　　Although puzzled by this answer，the farmer，desperate for help，hired him. The little man worked well around the farm，busy from dawn to dusk，and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.　　

　　尽管农场主对他的回答有点迷惑，可苦于没有帮手，于是雇佣了他。那个矮个男人在农场干活很卖力，从天亮一直忙到天黑，因此农场主对他的工作很满意。　　

　　Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed，the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled，“Get up！ A storm is coming！ Tie things down before they blow away！”　　

　　一天晚上，海面上刮起了咆哮的大风，农场主从床上跳了起来，抓起灯笼就向旁边雇工住的地方冲去。他晃着那个矮个男人喊道：“起来！刮风暴了！快把东西系好，别刮跑了！”　　

　　The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly，“No sir. I told you，I can sleep when the wind blows.”　　

　　那个矮个男人在床上翻了一下身，平静地说道：“不，先生，我告诉过你，刮风的时候我可以睡觉。”　　

　　Enraged by the response，the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead，he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement，he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn，the chickens were in the coops，and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away.　　

　　农场主被他的回答激怒了，气得真想当场把他解雇。不过，还是赶紧跑出去应付暴风雨吧。然而，令他惊奇的是，他发现所有的干草垛已经盖好了防水油布，牛在牲口棚里面，小鸡在鸡笼里，门闩好了，百叶窗也关紧了，一切都栓牢了，什么东西都刮不走了。　　

　　The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant，so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.　　

　　此刻，农场主才明白了雇工那句话的意思，于是，风刮起来的时候，他也回自己的床上睡觉了。　　

　　MORAL： When you're prepared，spiritually，mentally，and physically，you have nothing to fear.　

　　寓意：当精神上、心理上和物质上都做好准备的时候，一切就无所畏惧了。

爸爸的腌菜罐

　As far back as I can remember, the large pickle jar sat on the floor beside the dresser in my parents’ bedroom. When he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and toss2 his coins into the jar. As a small boy I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made as they were dropped into the jar. They landed with a merry jingle when the jar was almost empty. Then the tones gradually muted to a dull thud3 as the jar was filled. I used to squat4 on the floor in front of the jar and admire the copper and silver circles that glinted5 like a pirate’s treasure when the sun poured through the bedroom window.

　　When the jar was filled, Dad would sit at the kitchen table and roll the coins before taking them to the bank. Taking the coins to the bank was always a big production. Stacked neatly in a small cardboard box, the coins were placed between Dad and me on the seat of his old truck. Each and every time, as we drove to the bank, Dad would look at me hopefully. “Those coins are going to keep you out of the textile mill, son. You’re going to do better than me. This old mill town’s not going to hold you back.” Also, each and every time, as he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at the bank toward the cashier, he would grin proudly.“These are for my son’s college fund. He’ll never work at the mill all his life like me.”

　　We would always celebrate each deposit by stopping for an ice cream cone. I always got chocolate. Dad always got vanilla6. When the clerk at the ice cream parlor7 handed Dad his change, he would show me the few coins nestled in his palm. “When we get home, we’ll start filling the jar again.”

　　He always let me drop the first coins into the empty jar. As they rattled8 around with a brief, happy jingle, we grinned at each other. “You’ll get to college on pennies, nickels9, dimes10 and quarters,” he said. “But you’ll get there. I’ll see to that.”

　　The years passed, and I finished college and took a job in another town. Once, while visiting my parents, I used the phone in their bedroom, and noticed that the pickle jar was gone. It had served its purpose and had been removed. A lump rose in my throat as I stared at the spot beside the dresser where the jar had always stood. My dad was a man of few words, and never lectured me on the values of determination, perseverance, and faith. The pickle jar had taught me all these virtues far more eloquently11 than the most flowery12 of words could have done.

　　When I married, I told my wife Susan about the significant part the lowly pickle jar had played in my life as a boy. In my mind, it defined, more than anything else, how much my dad had loved me. No matter how rough things got at home, Dad continued to doggedly13 drop his coins into the jar. Even the summer when Dad got laid off from the mill, and Mama had to serve dried beans several times a week, not a single dime was taken from the jar. On the contrary, as Dad looked across the table at me, pouring catsup14 over my beans to make them more palatable15, he became more determined than ever to make a way out for me. “When you finish college, son,” he told me, his eyes glistening, “you’ll never have to eat beans again unless you want to.”

　　The first Christmas after our daughter Jessica was born, we spent the holiday with my parents. After dinner, Mom and Dad sat next to each other on the sofa, taking turns cuddling their first grandchild. Jessica began to whimper16 softly, and Susan took her from Dad’s arms. “She probably needs to be changed, ” she said, carrying the baby into my parents’ bedroom to diaper17 her.

　　When Susan came back into the living room, there was a strange mist in her eyes. She handed Jessica back to Dad before taking my hand and quietly leading me into the room.

　　“Look,” she said softly, her eyes directing me to a spot on the floor beside the dresser. To my amazement, there, as if it had never been removed, stood the old pickle jar, the bottom already covered with coins.

　　I walked over to the pickle jar, dug down into my pocket, and pulled out a fistful of coins. With a gamut18 of emotions choking me, I dropped the coins into the jar. I looked up and saw that Dad, carrying Jessica, had slipped quietly into the room. Our eyes locked, and I knew he was feeling the same emotions I felt. Neither one of us could speak.


　　从我记事时起,那个大大的腌菜罐就放在我父母卧室内梳妆台旁边的地板上。每天晚上,当爸爸准备上床睡觉 的时候,他都会把他的口袋倒空,把里面的硬币都投进罐子里。在我还是个小男孩的时候,我对那些硬币落在罐子里发出的碰撞声总是很着迷。当罐子几乎还是空着 的时候,它们落进去时发出的是快乐的叮当声。等到罐子快要装满的时候,它们的声音便逐渐变成了沉闷的嘭声。当太阳穿过卧室的窗户照射在罐子里的铜币和银币 上时,它们就像被海盗劫掠去的珍宝一样闪闪发光。每当这个时候,我就蹲在罐子前的地板上欣赏那些闪亮的硬币。

　　罐子装满后,爸爸就会坐在厨房的桌子边,把那些硬币用纸卷起来,然后再拿到银行去把它们存起来。把那些硬币拿到银行去存起来一直是一项庄重的工作。我 们通常是开爸爸的那辆旧卡车去。硬币被整整齐齐地堆在一个小硬纸盒子里,放在爸爸和我之间的车座上。每一次,在我们开车去银行的时候,爸爸都满怀希望地看 着我。“那些钱将会使你远离纺织厂,儿子。你的未来要比我好。这个古老的工业小镇不能阻止你向前发展。”每一次,当他把那盒卷成卷的钱推过银行的柜台,递 给出纳员的时候,他总是骄傲地咧着嘴笑个不停。“这些是我儿子将来上大学的基金。他这辈子绝不会像我这样在工厂里工作。”

　　每一次存完钱,我们都会在冰淇淋店停下来买两客蛋卷冰淇淋庆贺。我的那一份总是巧克力的,而爸爸的则总是香草的。当冰淇淋店的职员递给爸爸找的零钱时,他总会把那些硬币摊在手掌心里给我瞧。“我们回到家,就又可以开始存钱了。”

　　他总是让我把第一把硬币投进空空的罐子里。当硬币落到罐底发出快乐的脆响时,我们就相视咧嘴一笑。“你上大学就全靠这些一分、五分、一毛和两毛五的硬币了。”他说,“不过你会上上大学的。我一定会让你上上大学的。”

　　许多年过去了,我完成了大学学业,在另一座城镇里有了份工作。有一次,我去看望我的父母。我到他们的卧室里打电话,注意到那个腌菜罐不见了。它的使命 已经完成,所以被拿走了。我凝视着梳妆台旁边过去总是放着那个罐子的地方,伤心得不觉一阵哽咽。我的爸爸是一个沉默寡言的人,从来没有给我讲过决心?坚定 不移和信念之类的价值观。但是这个腌菜罐却以比任何最华丽的词藻强得多的说服力教给了我所有这些美德。

　　结婚后,我把这个不起眼的腌菜罐对于我那个小小少年起到的重要作用告诉了妻子苏珊。在我看来,它充分表明我的爸爸是多么爱我。不管家里的日子多么艰 难,爸爸总是坚持不懈地往那个罐子里扔硬币。甚至在爸爸被工厂解雇的那个夏天,我们的餐桌上一星期要出现好几次干豆子的情况下,爸爸也没有从那个罐子里拿 出一分钱。相反,爸爸看着坐在餐桌对面的我,把番茄酱倒在我盘子里的豆子上,以使它们吃起来味道更好一些。这时,他那为我谋出路的决心比任何时候都更加坚 定。“等你大学毕业后,儿子,”他对我说,眼睛里闪着光,“除非你想吃,否则你再也不必吃豆子了。”

　　我的女儿杰西卡出生后的第一个圣诞节,我和妻子与我的父母一起过节。晚饭后,妈妈和爸爸挨着坐在沙发上,轮流抱他们的第一个孙女。后来,杰西卡开始轻声地哭起来,苏珊就从爸爸的怀里接过她。“大概要换尿布了。”她说着,就抱着孩子到我父母的卧室里去了。

　　当苏珊回到起居室后,她的眼睛令人奇怪地有些潮湿。她把杰西卡递还给爸爸,然后拉着我的手,一言不发地领着我走进父母的卧室。

　　“你瞧。”她轻轻地说,我顺着她的目光向梳妆台旁边的地板上看过去。令我感到惊讶的是,那儿放着那个旧腌菜罐,罐底已经被硬币铺满了,就好像它从来不曾被拿开过。

　　我走到腌菜罐旁边,把手伸进口袋,掏出一把硬币,怀着极其激动的心情把硬币投进了罐子。我抬起头,看见爸爸抱着杰西卡轻轻地走进了卧室。我们的目光相遇了,我知道他此时也和我一样激动。我们默视着,谁也说不出话来。

From A to Z! 感悟人生之道

Avoid negative people,places,things and habits.

离开不善之人，远离是非之地，不招惹麻烦，不要养成坏习惯。

Believe in yourself.

相信自己。

Consider things from every angle.

全面周到地考虑问题。

Don't give up and don't give in.

不要放弃，不要屈服。

Enrich your life today,yestoday is history,tommorrow is mystery.

充实生命中的今天，昨日已成历史，明天无法预知。

Family and friends are hidden treasures,seek them and enjoy their riches.

家庭和朋友是无形宝藏，全力发掘，并共享幸福。

Give more than you planned to.

付出更多，不求回报。

Hang on to your dreams.

紧紧抓住梦想。

Ignore those who try to discourage you.

漠视一切阻障。

Just do it.

放手一博。

Keep trying no matter how hard it seems,it will get easier.

不论多么艰难，努力尝试，会让它变得容易。

Live well,love lots and laugh often.

善待生活，博爱，笑口常开。

Make it happen.

让理想变成现实。

Never lie,cheat or steal,always strike a fair deal.

决不撒谎，欺瞒或偷盗，坚守公平交易。

Open your eyes and see things as they really are.

打开心灵之窗，看清事物的本质。

Practice makes perfect.

熟能生巧。

Quitters never win and winners never quit.

放弃者决不会成功，成功者决不放弃。

Read,study and learn about everything important in your life.

处处留心学问。

Stop procrastinating.

做事要果敢。

Take control of your own destiny.

掌握自己的命运。

Understand yourself in order to better understand others.

了解自己以便更好的了解别人。

Visualize it.

充分发挥想像力。

Want it more than anything.

急需的东西最重要。

Xcellerate(accelerate) your efforts.

加倍努力。

You are unique,nothing can replace YOU.

你是独一无二的，没有人能取代你。

Zero in your target,and go for it!

从零开始，勇往直前！

改变一生的邂逅

　Isn t it amazing how one person, sharing one idea, at the right time and place can change the course of your life s history? This is certainly what happened in my life. When I was 14, I was hitchhiking from Houston, Texas, through El Paso on my way to California. I was following my dream, journeying with the sun. I was a high school dropout with learning disabilities and was set on surfing the biggest waves in the world, first in California and then in Hawaii, where I would later live.

　　Upon reaching downtown El Paso, I met an old man, a bum, on the street corner. He saw me walking, stopped me and questioned me as I passed by. He asked me if I was running away from home, I suppose because I looked so young. I told him, "Not exactly, sir," since my father had given me a ride to the freeway in Houston and given me his blessings while saying, "It is important to follow your dream and what is in your heart. Son. "

　　The bum then asked me if he could buy me a cup of coffee. I told him, "No, sir, but a soda would be great." We walked to a corner malt4 shop and sat down on a couple of swiveling stools while we enjoyed our drinks.

　　After conversing for a few minutes, the friendly bum told me to follow him. He told me that he had something grand to show me and share with me. We walked a couple of blocks until we came upon the downtown El Paso Public Library.

　　We walked up its front steps and stopped at a small information stand. Here the bum spoke to a smiling old lady, and asked her if she would be kind enough to watch my things for a moment while he and I entered the library. I left my belongings with this grandmotherly figure and entered into this magnificent hall of learning.

　　The bum first led me to a table and asked me to sit down and wait for a moment while he looked for something special amongst the shelves. A few moments later, he returned with a couple of old books under his arms and set them on the table. He then sat down beside me and spoke. He started with a few statements that were very special and that changed my life. He said, "There are two things that I want to teach you, young man, and they are these:

　　"Number one is to never judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you. "He followed with, "I ll bet you think I m a bum, don t you, young man?"

　　I said, "Well, uh, yes, I guess so, sir. "

　　"Well, young man, I ve got a little surprise for you. I am one of the wealthiest men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want. I originally come from the Northeast and have all the things that money can buy. But a year ago, my wife passed away, bless her soul, and since then I have been deeply reflecting upon life. I realized there were certain things I had not yet experienced in life,one of which was what it would be like to live like a bum on the streets. I made a commitment11 to myself to do exactly that for one year. For the past year.1 have been going from city to city doing just that. So, you see, don t ever judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you.

　　"Number two is to learn how to read, my boy. For there is only one thing that people can t take away from you, and that is your wisdom. " At that moment, he reached forward, grabbed my right hand in his and put them upon the books he d pulled from the shelves. They were the writings of Plato13 and Aristotle-immortal classics from ancient times.

　　The bum then led me back past the smiling old woman near the entrance, down the steps and back on the streets near where we first met. His parting request was for me to never forget what he taught me.

　　I haven t.

　　如果一个人，在适当的时候和地方因为一句话而改变了他的人生历程，你会感到惊异和不可思议 吗？然而这的确是千真万确的，它就发生在我14岁那年。那时，我正在从得克萨斯州的休斯敦，经由爱坡索市前往加利福尼亚州去的旅途中。日出即行，日落即 息；痴痴地追寻着我的梦想。我本来在读高中，也许我天生就不是读书的材料，因此我不得不中途辍学。随即我决心要到世界上最大的海浪上去冲浪，先准备到加利 福尼亚州，再到夏威夷，然后我准备就在那里住下来。

　　在刚进入爱坡索市区的时候，我看到有一个老头，一个流浪者，坐在街道的拐角处。他看见了走路的我，当我就要从他的旁边走过去时，他拦住了我，并开口向 我发问。他问我是不是偷着从家里跑出来的，我想他这么问我一定是看我太年轻，觉得我太嫩的缘故。"不完全是，先生，"因为是我爸爸开车把我送到休斯敦的高 速公路上的，他还一边为我祝福，一边说："儿子，追寻你的梦想和心中的憧憬非常重要。"

　　然后那个流浪者问我他能请我喝咖啡吗？我回答说："不，先生，一杯汽水就可以了。"

　　于是，我们走进街道拐角处的一家酒吧，坐在一双转椅上，喝着饮料。

　　在闲聊了几分钟后，这个和蔼可亲的老流浪汉要我跟他走。他告诉我说他有一样大东西给我看，要与我分享。我们走过了几个街区，来到了爱坡索市的公立图书馆。

　　我们沿着它前面的台阶向上走，在一处小小的咨询台前停了下来。老流浪汉向一位笑容可掬的老太太说了几句话，并问她是否愿意在他和我进图书馆时帮忙照看一下我的行李。我把行李放在那位老奶奶般的人那里，走进了那座宏伟的学习殿堂。

　　老流浪汉先把我带到一张桌子前，让我坐下来稍等片刻，而他则到那些林立的书架中去寻找那个特别重要的东西去了。不一会儿，他腋下夹着几本旧书回来了。 他把书放到桌子上，然后他在我的身边坐了下来，打开了话匣子，出口便不凡，其话语非常特别，改变了我一生的命运。他说："年轻人，我想教你两件事，就是： 第一是切记不要从封面来判断一本书的好坏，因为封面有时也会蒙骗你。"他接着说道："我敢打赌，你一定认为我是个老流浪汉，是不是？年轻人。"

　　我说："嗯，是的，先生，我想是的。"

　　"嗯，年轻人，我要给你一个小惊喜：其实我是这个世界上最富有的人之一，人们梦寐以求的任何东西我几乎都有。我最初从美国东北部来，凡是金钱能买到的 东西，我全都有。但是一年前，我妻子死了，愿上帝保祐她的在天之灵，从那以后，我开始深深地反思人生的意义。我意识到，生活中有些东西我还没有体验过，其 中之一就是做一个沿街乞讨的流浪汉滋味如何。于是我对自己发誓要像流浪汉一样活一年。在过去的一年里，我从一个城市流浪到另一个城市，就像流浪汉一样生 活。所以，你看，切记不要从封面来判断一本书的好坏，因为封面有时也会蒙骗你。"

　　"第二，我的孩子，是要学会如何读书。因为这个世界上只有一种东西是别人无法从你的身上拿走的，那，就是你的智慧！"说到这，他俯身向着我，抓住我的右手放在他从书架中找到的书上。那是柏拉图和亚里士多德的著作--尚古以降已经流传了几千年的不朽的经典。

Write Your Own Life

　　Suppose someone gave you a pen-a sealed, solid-colored pen.

　　You couldn't see how much ink it had. It might run dry after the first few tentative words or last just long enough to create a masterpiece (or several) that would last forever and make a difference in the scheme of things. You don‘t know before you begin.

　　Under the rules of the game, you really never know. You have to take a chance!

　　Actually, no rule of the game states you must do anything. Instead of picking up and using the pen, you could leave it on a shelf or in a drawer where it will dry up, unused.

　　But if you do decide to use it, what would you do with it? How would you play the game?

　　Would you plan and plan before you ever wrote a word? Would your plans be so extensive that you never even got to the writing?

　　Or would you take the pen in hand, plunge right in and just do it, struggling to keep up with the twists and turns of the torrents of words that take you where they take you?

　　Would you write cautiously and carefully, as if the pen might run dry the next moment, or would you pretend or believe (or pretend to believe) that the pen will write forever and proceed accordingly?

　　And of what would you write: Of love? Hate? Fun? Misery? Life? Death? Nothing? Everything?

　　Would you write to please just yourself? Or others? Or yourself by writing for others?

　　Would your strokes be tremblingly timid or brilliantly bold? Fancy with a flourish or plain?

　　Would you even write? Once you have the pen, no rule says you have to write. Would you sketch? Scribble? Doodle or draw?

　　Would you stay in or on the lines, or see no lines at all, even if they were there? Or are they?

　　There's a lot to think about here, isn't there?

　　Now, suppose someone gave you a life...

Free to fly with the wind

　　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.

爱只是一根线(Love Is Just a Thread)

　　Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to earn money in order to pay the high tuition for my brother and me. They don’t act in the romantic ways that I read in books or I see on TV. In their opinion, “I love you” is too luxurious for them to say. Sending flowers to each other on Valentine’s Day is even more out of the question. Finally my father has a bad temper. When he’s very tired from the hard work, it is easy for him to lose his temper.

　　有时候，我真的怀疑父母之间是否有真爱。他们天天忙于赚钱，为我和弟弟支付学费。他们从未像我在书中读到，或在电视中看到的那样互诉衷肠。他们认为 “我爱你”太奢侈，很难说出口。更不用说在情人节送花这样的事了。我父亲的脾气非常坏。经过一天的劳累之后，他经常会发脾气。

　　One day, my mother was sewing a quilt. I silently sat down beside her and looked at her.

　　“Mom, I have a question to ask you,” I said after a while.

　　“What?” she replied, still doing her work.

　　“Is there love between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very low voice.

　　一天，母亲正在缝被子，我静静地坐在她旁边看着她。

　　过了一会，我说：“妈妈，我想问你一个问题。”

　　“什么问题？”她一边继续缝着，一边回答道。

　　我低声地问道：“你和爸爸之间有没有爱情啊？”

　　My mother stopped her work and raised her head with surprise in her eyes. She didn’t answer immediately. Then she bowed her head and continued to sew the quilt.

　　I was very worried because I thought I had hurt her. I was in a great embarrassment and I didn’t know what I should do. But at last I heard my mother say the following words:

　　母亲突然停下了手中的活，满眼诧异地抬起头。她没有立即作答。然后低下头，继续缝被子。

　　我担心伤害了她。我非常尴尬，不知道该怎么办。不过，后来我听见母亲说：

　　“Susan,” she said thoughtfully, “Look at this thread. Sometimes it appears, but most of it disappears in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt strong and durable. If life is a quilt, then love should be a thread. It can hardly be seen anywhere or anytime, but it’s really there. Love is inside.”

　　“苏珊，看看这些线。有时候，你能看得见，但是大多数都隐藏在被子里。这些线使被子坚固耐用。如果生活就像一床被子，那么爱就是其中的线。你不可能随时随地看到它，但是它却实实在在地存在着。爱是内在的。”

　　I listened carefully but I couldn’t understand her until the next spring. At that time, my father suddenly got sick seriously. My mother had to stay with him in the hospital for a month. When they returned from the hospital, they both looked very pale. It seemed both of them had had a serious illness.

　　我仔细地听着，却无法明白她的话，直到来年的春天。那时候，我父亲得了重病。母亲在医院里待了一个月。当他们从医院回来的时候，都显得非常苍白。就像他们都得了一场重病一样。

　　After they were back, every day in the morning and dusk, my mother helped my father walk slowly on the country road. My father had never been so gentle. It seemed they were the most harmonious couple. Along the country road, there were many beautiful flowers, green grass and trees. The sun gently glistened through the leaves. All of these made up the most beautiful picture in the world.

　　他们回来之后，每天的清晨或黄昏，母亲都会搀扶着父亲在乡村的小路上漫步。父亲从未如此温和过。他们就像是天作之合。在小路旁边，有许多美丽的野花、绿草和树木。阳光穿过树叶的缝隙，温柔地照射在地面上。这一切形成了一幅世间最美好的画面。

　　The doctor had said my father would recover in two months. But after two months he still couldn’t walk by himself. All of us were worried about him.

　　医生说父亲将在两个月后康复。但是两个月之后，他仍然无法独立行走。我们都很为他担心。

　　“Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day.

　　有一天，我问他：“爸爸，你感觉怎么样？”

　　“Susan, don’t worry about me.” he said gently. “To tell you the truth, I just like walking with your mom. I like this kind of life.” Reading his eyes, I know he loves my mother deeply.

　　他温和地说：“苏珊，不用为我担心。跟你说吧，我喜欢与你妈妈一块散步的感觉。我喜欢这种生活。”从他的眼神里，我看得出他对母亲的爱之深刻。

　　Once I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses. But from this experience, I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm..

　　我曾经认为爱情就是鲜花、礼物和甜蜜的亲吻。但是从那一刻起，我明白了，爱情就像是生活中被子里的一根线。爱情就在里面，使生活变得坚固而温暖。

赏析钱钟书写给林书武的三封英语信

　　钱钟书是我国博通古今中外的大学问家、作家。学术巨著《管锥篇》博大精深；长篇小说《围城》脍炙人口。他还是《毛泽东选集》英译本定稿人。为了使读者进一步欣赏钱钟书的英语文采，现把钱钟书给林书武的三封英语信刊登出来，边加汉译，同时，做些必要的注解，以飨读者。
　　　　
　　第一封信

　　My Dear Shu-Wu1, 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　May 14
　　　　
　　Your letter gives me a joyful surprise2. Your English is astonsihingly good. This is not “flannel”or“butter”3 but my sincere opinion (my hand upon my heart!). The idea found from your version of Chairmans statement is, to say the least, quite unjust4. Perhaps your hand is recovering some of its old cunning momentarily lost through long lack of practice5. At any rate, it would be a pity-nay, a sin, a crime6-to let your7 English get rusty & become finally unserviceable.
　　Yours in haste
　　　　
　　By a slip of pen, you wrote “allocation”instead of “Collocation”9.This is a mere peccadillo. Don’t let meticulousness about such trifles cramp your style.
　　　　
　　书武：
　　看了来信，又惊又喜。你的英语之好，出人意外。这不是兜圈子的奉承话，而是真诚的意见(我手按在胸前发誓!)。你以前翻译主席文章的段落，我看了以后 有些想法。现在看来，那些想法至少是很不公正的。你长期以来缺乏实践，一时失去的原有的灵巧手法，也许逐渐得到恢复。不管怎么样，让你的英语生锈，最终变 得无法利用，那是件憾事——不，是罪过，是犯罪。
　　钱钟书匆匆
　　5月14日
　　又及，由于笔误，你把collocation写成allocation.这只是一个小错。别把这些小事看得过重，变得谨小慎微，妨碍你写作方式的完善。
　　　　
　　注解：

　　1、My Dear ……是英语书信的一种格式，并不非译出来不可。这里可译作：书武。林书武当时是中国社会科学院语言研究所研究人员。1970年冬，下放河南息县劳动锻炼，在那段时间跟钱钟书有过一段交往。此信写于1971年5月。
　　2、a joyful surprise: 又惊又喜。英语的短语，译成汉语时往往变成动词短语。
　　3、flannel, 花言巧语。此信中用双引号有两处。第一处有“所谓的”的意思，注8为第二处，意指原词。
　　4、这是一个复杂句，但并不难分析。要说的是：“to say the least”,是个插入语；英语句子常用插入语。例如：Your composition, to put it bluntly, is illwritten.你的作文，坦率地说，写得很不好。
　　5、momentarily lost修饰cunning; through long lack of practice, 这里又是名词短语变作译文中动词短语的例子。
　　6、sin和crime, 几乎是同义词。这里连用，旨在加强语气。
　　7、词底下划一横线，表强调之意。
　　8、钱钟书的署名采用威妥玛氏拼音符号。猜想他以前已有这种用法。
　　9、Co 底下加二道短横线，意为要注意。
　　　　 　　　
　　第二封信

　　My Dear Lin1, 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　May
　　　　
　　Excuse this belated reply to your very kind May Day greetings. Its almost iterally “a day after the fair”. What with fixing the mosquito net, queuing for sweets at the co-op store, fetching & distributing letters, & the thousand and one odds and ends which eat away ones time, the red letter day was over before I know where I was3. Well4, here go my best wishes in which my wife joins. Your letter makes me ashamed. I feel guilty like a swindler who has won your “gratitude”without doing anything to earn it. Your characteristic generosity has led you to overestimate the aids to study I gave. Yes, vocabulary is important. Pedagogues used to distinguish a pupils active or5 writing & speaking vocabulary.As you know, the latter is far more extensive than the former. How to turn the supinely passive into the nimbly active—that’s the big problem6. However, enough of shop talk. Tomorrow to the battle & more power to your elbow!7
　　Yours Sincerely,

　　林：
　　5月1日承蒙来信祝贺节日，迟复为歉。称之为“定期集市后的一天”，此语非虚。安蚊帐，在合作社小店排队买糖果，往邮局取信，回来分发，以及忙乎耗费 时间的没完没了的琐事，不知不觉中纪念日已经过去了。在此，我和妻子向你致以最良好的祝愿。你的来信，使我感到惭愧。我像个骗子，没干什么就获得了你的感 谢，感到内疚。我对你的学习，帮助甚少，你特有的忠厚，使你过高估计这种帮助。是的，词汇是重要的。教师通常把词汇分为积极的和消极的词汇，前者为写和说 的词汇，后者为阅读的词汇。正如你所知道的，学生的词汇中，后者远比前者多得多。如何把呆板的消极词汇变成灵活的积极词汇，这是个大问题。但有关行内的议 论，就说这么多吧。明天就要投入战斗了，加油干!
　　钱钟书谨上 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 5月2日
　　　　
　　注解：
　　1、此信写于1972年5月2日，距上封信近一年。
　　2、Excuse my late arrival, 或Excuse me for coming late都可以说，但中国学生似乎更喜欢采用后一个句型。所以信中说Excuse this belated reply, 更显得新颖。
　　3、这是一个复杂句。Thousand and one odds and ends, 极言琐事繁多。Redletter day: 日历上节日、纪念日都是用红色字体印，故称。这个句子定是神来之笔，百读不厌。
　　4、Well是个多义词。作为感叹词，也可以表达多种意思，不能一律译作、“嗳”、“嗯”、“啊”。这里信中用来改变话题。
　　5、Or,除了常见的“或者”义之外，这里是“等于”、“即”的意思。
　　6、How to ……是个话题，that是主话。这样的写法突出重点，又很生动。7、两句都是不完全句。前一个常用，如快下课时说，Enough for the time being(暂时就谈这么多)， So much for today(今天就讲这么多)。后一个是口号式句，简洁有力。　　　　
　　　　
　　第三封信

　　My Dear Lin1,
　　　　
　　I am deeply grateful, but I have smiting of conscience2. As you know, I have my own ration of sugar, & I must not deprive you of yours3. As to the tibits, a healthy young man has more need of them to stay his hunger4 between the meals--much more that and old man does. So I am returning them with heartfelt thanks--accompanied with a little token of esteem5. The latest No. of Broadsheet is worth glancing at.6
　　 Your thankfully

　　林：
　　很感谢你，但我深感不安。正如你知道的，白糖，我有自己的定量，我不应该取你的。至于那些精美的点心，健康的小伙子比老人更加迫切需要，以便在两顿饭 之间充饥。所以我怀着衷心的谢意把糖和点心还给你，同时附上一些英文报纸杂志，聊表敬意。最近一期的Broadsheet(报纸)值得一看。
　　钱钟书 谨上
　　　　
　　注解：

　　1、这封信没署日期。大概写于1972年钱钟书杨绛离开河南明港，提前返回北京的几个月前。信中提到“白糖”、“点心”等话，指的是林书武为了感谢钱钟书赠送英语书报，对林书武学习上的指导，送给钱钟书的东西。
　　2、smite和conscience搭配，是地道的英语，如：His conscience smote him. 他受到了良习的谴责。也可以说成：He had smiting of conscience.
　　3、to deprive you of yours, 夺取你的东西，不能说成to deprive yours.同类动词还有一些，例如：rob, Those barking of a dog robbed me of my sleep. 狗吠了又吠，弄得我无法入睡。
　　4、to stay ones hunger是地道的英语，学生往往想不到这种用法。充饥，不要说成to fill ones hunger, 要采用这里的说法。
　　5、a little token of esteem, 当时钱钟书还送给林书武一些英文报纸杂志。
　　6、to be worth 接动词的ing形式，表示值得做……，这里的is worth glancing at, 值得一看。注意：跟to be worthy的差别：to be worthy of something: 应该得到某事物；to be worthy to do sth.:应该做某物。
　　　　
　　总的来说，钱钟书这三封英语信，是珍贵的学习资料。除了其思想内容之外，单从英语写作技巧来说，就有许多值得学习的地方。以下仅提出两点。1、这三封 信句法变化丰富，相邻的两句句型绝不相同。简单句，复杂句，定语从句，非完全句，等等，变化多端，多有神来之笔。钱钟书的英文信，富有灵气。2、用词特点 之一是多用近义词，如flannel和butter; sin 和crime; 词的搭配很地道，如“充饥”，“值得一看”等等的英语表达式，都是不可更改的。

Google图片搜索实用参数的FireFox脚本

　　上周末我们介绍了Google图片搜索的两个实用参数，即我们在搜索图片时，只需要直接在搜索结果链接里手动加上&imgtype=face或&imgtype=news，即可指定Google返回含人类面孔或与新闻相关的图片。这两个参数很实用，但可惜的是Google并没有将它们直接做成选项供用户使用，每次使用都要手工输入，明显是太麻烦了。

　　如果你正在使用FireFox浏览器，只要安装了Greasemonkey，即可使用以下脚本：

　　http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/9613

　　这个脚本会自动把上述参数变成Google图片搜索里的两个默认选项，如上图所示。这样一来，我们就不必再手动输入参数了，大大地节省了时间。由于我每天均会用到Google图片搜索，因此我第一时间便已经安装了这个脚本。效果很不错。

Google Earth图像更新（06.03）

　　Google Earth的最近一次图像更新发生在两个月前，在此期间，Google Earth也曾推出过没有更新记录的新版。如果你不喜欢Google Earth的有声版，那么我们还是老老实实地关注Google Earth的图像更新吧。

　　根据Google Earth官方消息（via GEblog），Google Earth刚刚完成了一次重大的图像更新。详细的更新记录如下（由于地名众多，不再一一翻译了）：

新支持高解析度图像的地区：

Canada: Whistler, BC; Waterloo & Toronto, Ontario; Nanaimo, BC; and
Fort Saskatchewan, AB
England: Base 50cm coverage of nearly entire country,
Germany: Cities/Regions of Greifswald, Trier, Köln, Stuttgart, Bonn,
Oldenburg, Rostock, Saarbrücken, Hamburg, Hannover, and Ritterhude
Austria: Villach region
France: Cities of Caen, Dijon, Metz, St Etienne, Toulouse and Rouen
Spain: Catalonia and Valencia
Andorra
US: Imperial County (CA); Yellowstone National Park (WY);
Galveston/Houston (TX); Peterborough (NH); Cheyenne (WY); Burke, Wake,
and Cabarrus Counties (NC); Racine and Kenosha Counties (WI);
Washington, DC; St Paul (MN); and the State of Alabama
Japan: City/Regions of Kochi, Asahikawa, Koriyama, Miyazaki, Nagano,
Utsunomiya, Akita, and Toyama

大规模的Digital Globe图像更新地区：

(60cm级别的) 包括Sudan,Africa, Australia, Mexico, Asia, Polynesia, South America, Canada, Europe, Middle East plus some interesting islands in Antarctica and Greenland.

图像更新的地区：

Americas: Bogotá, Columbia; Mission Viejo (CA, US); Hillsborough County (FL, US)
EU: Dublin, Ireland
Middle East/Africa: Beirut, Lebanon and Tripoli, Libya
Asia: Hong Kong and Manila, Philippines

地形图像更新地区：

Western US 10m, Canary Islands 10m

Xiao Hao Rrading List(2007.6.3)

* Technology and Terrorism: Are we being too naive?

Google Earth再次成为恐怖分子的得力助手。

* Inside the Black Box

Google的葫芦虽然花样百出，但里面始终装的是搜索。 * The User Interface of Firefox 3: Features

FireFox3！

* Breaking News: Files From Google On the Streets

在Google的"网站移除工具"里，有人发现了Google忘记给其中一个目录加上保护了。他进去溜了一下，发现Google的员工所使用的数据库密码竟然是"k00k00"。想不到吧？=..=

* Google Developer's Day--Image Gallery

Google开发者日的图片集，含北京分站。

* 10 Google Logos You Probably Haven't Seen

第二个FireFox版很不错。

* Mahalo and Friends: 10 People Powered Search Engines

Google的搜索引擎依赖机器算法，但事实上也有很多搜索引擎是依靠人类而运作的，比如这10个。