讀點好英文:A Letter to My Son　一封給我兒子的信

A Letter to My Son　一封給我兒子的信

·Jason·

Dear Seth，

You're only three years old, and at this point in your life you can't read, much less understand what I'm going to try to tell you in this letter. But I've been thinking a lot about the life that you have ahead of you, about my life so far as I reflect on what I've learned, and about my role as a dad in trying to prepare you for the triaIs that you will face in the coming years.

You won't be able to understand this letter today, but someday, when you're ready, I hope you will find some wisdom and value in what I share with you.

You are young, and life has yet to take its toll on you, to throw disappointments and heartaches and loneliness and struggles and pain into your path. You have not been worn down yet by long hours of thankless work, by the slings and arrows of everyday life.

For this, be thankful. You are at a wonderful stage of life.You have many wonderful stages of life still to come, but they are not without their costs and periIs.

I hope to help you along your path by sharing some of the best of what I've learned. As with any advice, take it with a grain of salt.What works for me might not work for you.

Life Can Be CrueI

There will be people in your life who won't be very nice. They'll tease you because you're different, or for no good reason.They might try to buIIy you or hurt you.

There's not much you can do about these people except to learn to deal with them, and learn to choose friends who are kind to you, who actuaIIy care about you, who make you feel good about yourself. When you find friends like this, hold on to them, treasure them, spend time with them, be kind to them, love them.

There will be times when you are met with disappointment instead of success. Life won't always turn out the way you want.This is just another thing you'll have to learn to deal with.But instead of letting these things get you down, push on.Accept disappointment and learn to persevere, to pursue your dreams despite pitfalls.Learn to turn negatives into positives, and you'll do much better in life.

You will also face heartbreak and abandonment by those you love. I hope you don't have to face this too much, but it happens.Again, not much you can do but to heal, and to move on with your life.Let these pains become stepping stones to better things in life, and learn to use them to make you stronger.

But Be Open to Life Anyway

Yes, you'll find cruelty and suffering in your journey through life……but don't let that close you to new things. Don't retreat from life, don't hide or wall yourself off.Be open to new things, new experiences, new people.

You might get your heart broken 10 times, but find the most wonderful woman the 11th time. If you shut yourself off from love, you'll miss out on that woman, and the happiest times of your life.

You might get teased and bullied and hurt by people you meet……and then after meeting dozens of jerks, find a true friend. If you close yourself off to new people, and don't open your heart to them, you'll avoid pain……but also lose out on meeting some incredibIe people, who will be there during the toughest times of your life and create some of the best times of your life.

You will fail many times but if you allow that to stop you from trying, you will miss out on the amazing feeling of success once you reach new heights with your accomplishments. Failure is a stepping stone to success.

Life Isn't a Competition

You will meet many people who will try to outdo you, in school, in college, at work. They'll try to have nicer cars, bigger houses, nicer clothes, cooler gadgets.To them, life is a competition-they have to do better than their peers to be happy.

Here's a secret：Life isn't a competition. It's a journey.If you spend that journey always trying to impress others, to outdo others, you're wasting your journey.Instead, learn to enjoy the journey.Make it a journey of happiness, of constant learning, of continual improvement, of love.

Don't worry about having a nicer car or house or anything material, or even a better-paying job. None of that matters a whit, and none of it will make you happier.You'll acquire these things and then only want more.Instead, learn to be satisfied with having enough-and then use the time you would have wasted trying to earn money to buy those things……use that time doing things you love.

Find your passion, and pursue it doggedly. Don't settle for a job that pays the bills.Life is too short to waste on a job you hate.

Love ShouId Be Your RuIe

If there's a single word you should live your life by, it should be this：Love. It might sound corny, I know……but trust me, there's no better rule in life.

Some would live by the rule of success. Their lives will be stressful, unhappy and shallow.

Others would live by the rule of selfishness-putting their needs above those of others. They will live lonely lives, and will also be unhappy.

Still others will live by the rule of righteousness-trying to show the right path, and admonishing anyone who doesn't live by that path. They are concerned with others, but in a negative way, and in the end will only have their own righteousness to live with, and that's a horrible companion.

Live your life by the rule of love. Love your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends, with all of your heart.Give to them what they need, and show them not cruelty nor disapproval nor coldness nor disappointment, but only love.Open your soul to them.

Love not only your loved ones, but your neighbors……your coworkers……strangers……your brothers and sisters in humanity. Offer anyone you meet a smile, a kind word, a kind gesture, a helping hand.

Love not only neighbors and strangers……but your enemy. The person who is cruelest to you, who has been unkind to you……love him.He is a tortured soul, and most in need of your love.

And most of all, love yourself. While others may criticize you, learn not to be so hard on yourself, to think that you're ugly or dumb or unworthy of love……but to think instead that you are a wonderful human being, worthy of happiness and love……and learn to love yourself for who you are.

Finally, know that I love you and always will. You are starting out on a weird, scary, daunting, but ultimately incredibly wonderful journey, and I will be there for you when I can.Godspeed.

Love, Your Dad

詹森

親愛的賽思：

你現(xiàn)在只有3歲，還無法閱讀，更無法理解在這封信里我想要告訴你的。我想了很多，有關于你未來所要面對的生活，有到目前為止我在生活中學會的東西，和作為一個父親我將盡可能為你未來所要面對的考驗做的準備。

你現(xiàn)在還不能理解這封信，但是有一天，當你準備好了，我希望你能在這里找到我要與你分享的智慧和價值。

你現(xiàn)在還小，還沒有感受到生命的代價，生活中會有失望、煩惱、孤獨、掙扎和傷痛。你還沒有因為長時間無回報的工作和日常生活中的荊棘而一蹶不振。

對于這一點，你該感到很慶幸。你現(xiàn)在正處在一個很美好的生活階段。在你的生活中將有很多精彩的階段，但它們同樣伴隨著代價和危險。

我希望能把我在人生中學到的最好的東西與你分享，以助你一臂之力。但對于任何建議，你都應當稍加分析。那些對我有用的東西不一定適合你。

生活可能很殘酷

你在生活中遇到的某些人可能不是很友善?？赡芤驗槟愕呐c眾不同，或者沒有任何理由，他們會嘲笑你。他們可能會欺辱你或者傷害你。

對于這些人，你除了要學會對付他們之外，沒有什么可做的。你還要學會選擇那些對你友善、真正關心你并且讓你感覺良好的人做朋友。當你找到這種朋友時，就要把握住他們，珍惜他們，與他們共處，對他們友善，并且要愛他們。

將來，有時候你可能會遭遇失敗而非成功。生活不可能總按你希望的方向發(fā)展。這是另一件你必須學會處理的事情。你應當推動事情向你所希望的方向發(fā)展，而不是任它擺布。接受失望并且學會堅持，即使遭遇困難也要追求夢想。學會把消極的轉化為積極的，這樣你就能在生活中表現(xiàn)得更好。

你也會遭到你愛的人的離棄。我希望你不會過多地面對這些情況，但是這確實會發(fā)生。同樣，你也只能慢慢自愈，并且繼續(xù)你的生活。讓這些傷害變成你追求更好生活的踏腳石，并且要利用它們使你自己變得更堅強。

要樂意接受生活中的方方面面

你將會在人生的旅途中遭遇殘忍和不幸……但是不要讓那些束縛你去接觸新的事物。不要遠離生活，不要隱藏或隔離自己。讓自己去接觸一些新的事物、新的經(jīng)驗和新的朋友。

你也許會傷心十次，卻在第十一次找到了最棒的女人。如果你封閉自己不去愛的話，你就會失去那個女人和你生命中最快樂的時光。

你也許會被你遇到的人嘲笑、欺侮、傷害……但是遇到一群蠢人，隨后你就會找到真正的朋友。如果你封閉自己不去接觸一些不認識的人，不和他們以誠相待的話，你會避免受到傷害……同時，你也會錯過一些了不起的人，這些人將會陪你度過生命中最艱難的時光，為你創(chuàng)造生命中最輝煌的日子。

你也許會失敗很多次，但是如果你讓那些失敗阻止你去進行新的嘗試的話，一旦你的成就到達新的高度時，你將失去那種成功的美妙感覺。失敗乃成功之母。

生活不是一場競賽

你會碰到很多人，他們會在中學、大學以及工作中試著超過你。他們想擁有更好的車、更大的房子、更漂亮的衣服、更酷的裝備。對他們來說，生活就是一場競賽——只有比同齡人更強，他們才會感到快樂。

這里有一個秘密：生活不是一場競賽。它是一次旅程。如果你在旅程中只是花時間讓別人佩服你和超過別人，那么你就是在浪費你的旅程。相反，你應該學會享受旅程，把它當作一次快樂的、不斷學習的、不斷進步的和愛的旅程。

不要為擁有更好的汽車、房子或者其他物質的條件，甚至是一份高薪的工作而煩惱。它們一點都不值得，它們也沒法讓你變得更快樂。當你獲得這些東西以后，你會想得到更多。相反，你要學會滿足于自己所擁有的東西——然后用你原本準備賺錢買那些東西的時間……去做一些你喜歡的事情吧。

尋找你的興趣，并且持之以恒地追求它。不要為高薪而去工作，生命太短暫了，不要將其浪費在自己不喜歡的工作上。

愛應該是你的生活法則

如果用一個詞來形容你應該如何生活的話，那么它應該是：愛。我知道，它也許聽起來很老套……但是相信我，生活中沒有比這更好的規(guī)則了。

有些人也許會把成功當作生活中的準則。他們的生活將會壓力重重、不快樂，而且是膚淺的。

其他人也許會以自私為準則——把他們自身的需要凌駕于其他人之上。他們的生活會很孤單，而且也不會快樂。

還有一些人以公正為準則——試圖為其他人引領正確的道路，并且會警告那些沒有按照他的道路生活的人。他們總在關注別人，但卻以一種消極的方式，最后他們一生只與公正為伍，這是一個可怕的同伴。

你的生活應該以愛為準則。全身心地去愛你的伴侶、你的孩子、你的父母、你的朋友。給予他們所需要的，給予他們的不是殘酷，不是反對，不是失望，而只是愛。把你的心向他們敞開。

不僅愛你所愛的人，還要以仁愛的心去愛你的鄰居、你的工作伙伴、陌生人以及你的同胞。給你所遇見的人一個微笑、一句友善的話、一個友好的手勢，以及幫助。

不僅要愛你的鄰居、陌生人，也要愛你的敵人。那個對你最殘酷、對你不友好的人，也請你去愛他。他的靈魂是扭曲的，所以他最需要你的愛。

最重要的是要愛你自己。當其他人批評你的時候，學會不要苛刻地對待自己，不要認為自己很丑或很蠢甚至不值得被愛……而要認為自己是一個不錯的人，值得擁有快樂和愛……并且要學會接受自己、愛自己。

最后，你要知道我愛你，并且永遠都會深愛著你。你將要開始一場無法預測的、可怕的、令人畏縮的，卻異常美好的旅程，我將會盡我最大的可能陪在你身邊。祝你一路平安。

愛你的爸爸

Practising&Exercise　實戰(zhàn)提升篇

核心單詞

ahead[?'hed]adj.前方的；在前的 adv.在前；向前

triaI['trai?l]n.試用；試驗；考驗

arrow['?r?u]n.箭；箭狀物

periI['per?l]n.危險

buIIy['buli]n.惡霸v.威嚇，脅迫

actuaIIy['?kt?u?li]adv.實際上；真的

negative['neg?tiv]adj.否定的；消極的 n.消極

incredibIe[in'kred?bl]adj.不可信的；驚人的；極妙的

實用句型

This is just another thing you'II have to Iearn to deaI with.

這是另一件你必須學會處理的事情。

①這是一句省略了引導詞that的定語從句。

②have to和must都表“必須”，區(qū)別是have to表客觀的需要，而must表說話人主觀上的看法，即主觀的必要。

翻譯練習

1.他已學會恰當?shù)貞陡鞣N復雜局面了。（deal with）

2.他們出門前要把家中的煤氣和電源都關掉。（shut off）

3.像他這樣的人永遠不滿足于現(xiàn)狀。（be satisfied with）