英語美文名人勵(lì)志故事76:喬布斯在斯坦福大學(xué)演講
小編導(dǎo)語：同學(xué)們好，又到了美文賞析的時(shí)間了，今天小編為大家?guī)淼氖菃滩妓乖谒固垢４髮W(xué)演講——我生命中的三個(gè)故事，講述了關(guān)于名人喬布斯的勵(lì)志故事。喬布斯為美國(guó)企業(yè)家、營(yíng)銷家和發(fā)明家，蘋果公司的聯(lián)合創(chuàng)始人之一，咱們一起來欣賞一下他的故事吧！
76. Three Stories from My Life
76. 我生命中的三個(gè)故事
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I've looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many clays in a row, I know I need to change something.
在17歲的時(shí)候，我讀過一句格言，好像是：“如果你把每一天都當(dāng)成你生命里的最后一天，你將在某一天發(fā)現(xiàn)原來一切皆在掌握之中。”這句話從我讀到之日起，就對(duì)我產(chǎn)生了深遠(yuǎn)的影響。在過去的33年里，我每天早晨都對(duì)著鏡子問自己：“如果今天是我生命中的末日，我還愿意做我今天本來應(yīng)該做的事情嗎?”當(dāng)一連好多夭答案都否定的時(shí)候，我就知道做出改變的時(shí)候到了。
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything-all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment; or failure-these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
提醒自己即將入土是我在面臨人生中的重大抉擇時(shí)，最為重要的工具。因?yàn)樗械氖虑?amp;mdash;—外界的期望、所有的尊榮、對(duì)尷尬和失敗的懼怕——在面對(duì)死亡的時(shí)候，都將煙消云散，只留下真正重要的東西。在我所知道的各種方法中，提醒自己即將死去是避免掉入畏懼失去這個(gè)陷階的最好辦法。你都已經(jīng)一無所有了，沒有理由不聽從自己的心聲。
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. My doctor adviced me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for "prepare to die." It means to try and tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes
大約一年前，我被診斷出癌癥。大夫建議我回家，把諸事安排妥當(dāng)，這是醫(yī)生對(duì)臨終病人的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)用語。這意味著你得把你今后10年要對(duì)你的子女說的話用幾個(gè)月的時(shí)間說完;這意味著你得把一切都安排妥當(dāng)，盡可能減少你的家人在你身后的負(fù)擔(dān);這意味著向眾人告別的時(shí)間到了。
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept: No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It's Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.
這是我最接近死亡的一次，我希望在隨后的幾十年里，都不要有比這一次更接近死亡的經(jīng)歷。在經(jīng)歷了這次與死神擦肩而過的經(jīng)驗(yàn)之后，死亡對(duì)我來說只是一項(xiàng)有效的判斷工具，并且只是一個(gè)純粹的理性概念時(shí)相比，我能夠更肯定地告訴你們以下事實(shí)：沒人想死;即使想去天堂的人，也是希望能活著進(jìn)去。死亡是我們每個(gè)人的人生終點(diǎn)站，沒人能夠成為例外。生命就是如此，因?yàn)樗劳龊芸赡苁巧詈玫脑煳?，它是生命更迭的媒介，送走主主老者，給新生代讓路。
注釋：
quote：n. 格言
例句：What was that marvellous quote that she came out with?
她引用的那句格言是什么來著?
destination：n. 目的地，終點(diǎn)
例句：Don't let down even if you're nearing the destination.
即使快到目的地也不要松勁。
in the face of：面對(duì)
例句：Perhaps you have great intentions, but they crumble in the face of reality.
你也許有長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)的打算，但是當(dāng)你面對(duì)現(xiàn)實(shí)時(shí)，它們破滅了。
is buttoned up：安排妥當(dāng)
例句：It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family.
這也就是說，我要把事情安排妥當(dāng)，讓你的家人會(huì)盡可能輕松的生活;
