Think it over……好好想想……

Today we have higher buildings and wider highways, but shorter temperaments and narrower points of view;
We spend more, but enjoy less;
We have bigger houses, but smaller families;
We have more compromises, but less time;
We have more knowledge, but less judgment;
We have more medicines, but less health;
今天我们拥有了更高层的楼宇以及更宽阔的公路，但是我们的性情却更为急躁，眼光也更加狭隘；
我们消耗的更多，享受到的却更少；
我们的住房更大了，但我们的家庭却更小了；
我们妥协更多，时间更少；
我们拥有了更多的知识，可判断力却更差了；
我们有了更多的药品，但健康状况却更不如意；
We have multiplied out possessions, but reduced out values;
We talk much, we love only a little, and we hate too much;
We reached the Moon and came back, but we find it troublesome to cross our own street and meet our neighbors;
We have conquered the outer space, but not our inner space;
We have higher income, but less morals;
These are times with more liberty, but less joy;
我们拥有的财富倍增，但其价值却减少了；
我们说的多了，爱的却少了，我们的仇恨也更多了；
我们可以往返月球，但却难以迈出一步去亲近我们的左邻右舍；
我们可以征服外太空，却征服不了我们的内心；
我们的收入增加了，但我们的道德却少了；
我们的时代更加自由了，但我们拥有的快乐时光却越来越少；
We have much more food, but less nutrition;
These are the days in which it takes two salaries for each home, but divorces increase;
These are times of finer houses, but more broken homes;
That's why I propose, that as of today;
You do not keep anything for a special occasion. because every day that you live is a SPECIAL OCCASION.
我们有了更多的食物，但所能得到的营养却越来越少了；
现在每个家庭都可以有双份收入，但离婚的现象越来越多了；
现在的住房越来越精致，但我们也有了更多破碎的家庭；
这就是我为什么要说，让我们从今天开始；
不要将你的东西为了某一个特别的时刻而预留着，因为你生活的每一天都是那么特别；
Search for knowledge, read more ,sit on your porch and admire the view without paying attention to your needs;
Spend more time with your family and friends, eat your favorite foods, visit the places you love;
Life is a chain of moments of enjoyment; not only about survival;
Use your crystal goblets(酒杯). Do not save your best perfume, and use it every time you feel you want it.
寻找更我的知识，多读一些书，坐在你家的前廊里，以赞美的眼光去享受眼前的风景，不要带上任何功利的想法；
花多点时间和朋友与家人在一起，吃你爱吃的食物，去你想去的地方；
生活是一串串的快乐时光；我们不仅仅是为了生存而生存；
举起你的水晶酒杯吧。不要吝啬洒上你最好的香水，你想用的时候就享用吧！
Remove from your vocabulary phrases like "one of these days" or "someday";
Let's write that letter we thought of writing "one of these days"!
Let's tell our families and friends how much we love them;
Do not delay anything that adds laughter and joy to your life;
Every day, every hour, and every minute is special;
And you don't know if it will be your last.
从你的词汇库中移去所谓的“有那么一天”或者“某一天”；
曾打算“有那么一天”去写的信，就在今天吧！
告诉家人和朋友，我们是多么地爱他们；
不要延迟任何可以给你的生活带来欢笑与快乐的事情；
每一天、每一小时、每一分钟都是那么特别；
你无从知道这是否最后刻。

欢迎同学们点击我的主页www.zhoucongjie.cn

1963年8月23日，马丁•路德•金组织了美国历史上影响深远的“自由进军”运动。他率领一支庞大的游行队伍向首都华盛顿进军，为全美国的黑人争取人权。他在林肯纪念堂前向25万人发表了著名的演说《我有一个梦想》，为反对种族歧视、争取平等发出呼号。马丁•路德•金1964年获诺贝尔和平奖。1968年4月4日他在田纳西州被暗杀。 在演说中，他说出了著名的平等口号： 
我梦想有一天，这个国家将会奋起，实现其立国信条的真谛：“我们认为这些真理不证自明：人人生而平等。”     I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."  
     我梦想有一天，在佐治亚州的红色山岗上，昔日奴隶的儿子能够同昔日奴隶主的儿子同席而坐，亲如手足。I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.   
我梦想有一天，我的四个孩子将生活在一个不是以肤色的深浅，而是以品格的优劣作为评判标准的国家里。  I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judgedby the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

演讲全文：I Have a Dream （by Martin Luther King, Jr.）

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation（解放） Proclamation. This momentous decree（法令） came as a great beacon（灯塔） light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled （残废的）by the manacles （手铐, 脚镣, 束缚）of segregation （种族隔离）and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note（本票,期票） to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable （不能剥夺的）Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar（在...的范围） as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults（拱顶） of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand（.流沙, 危险而捉摸不定的事物） of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering（酷热的） summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold （门槛）which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably（解不开地） bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality（残忍, 野蛮的行为）. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations（ 苦难）. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution（迫害）and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive（赎回的）. Go back to Mississippi（.密西西比河）, go back to Alabama（阿拉巴马州）, go back to South Carolina（南卡罗莱纳州, (美国)）, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos （犹太人区）of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow（.沉溺于） in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis（ (沙漠中)绿洲,舒适的地方） of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification（无效, 废弃）" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."?
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew （砍）out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling（刺耳的） discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's（圣地朝拜者的）pride. From every mountainside, let freedom ring! And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire(新罕布什尔州).
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania(宾夕法尼亚州).
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies(落基山脉) of Colorado(美国科罗拉多州(位于美国西部)).
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia(乔治亚州(在美国南部,首府在Atlanta)).
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee(田纳西州).
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet(小村, 部落), from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles(非犹太人), Protestants(新教徒) and Catholics(天主教徒), will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
[参考翻译]
今天，我高兴地同大家一起，参加这次将成为我国历史上为了争取自由而举行的最伟大的示威集会。
100年前，一位伟大的美国人——今天我们就站在他象征性的身影下——签署了《解放宣言》。这项重要法令的颁布，对于千百万灼烤于非正义火焰中的黑奴，犹如带来希望之光的硕大灯塔，恰似结束漫漫长夜禁锢的欢畅黎明。
然而，100年后，黑人依然没有获得自由。100年后，黑人依然悲惨地蹒跚于种族隔离和种族歧视的枷锁之下。100年后，黑人依然生活在物质繁荣翰海的贫困孤岛上。100年后，黑人依然在美国社会中间向隅而泣，依然感到自己在国土家园中流离漂泊。所以，我们今天来到这里，要把这骇人听闻的情况公诸于众。
从某种意义上说，我们来到国家的首都是为了兑现一张支票。我们共和国的缔造者在拟写宪法和独立宣言的辉煌篇章时，就签署了一张每一个美国人都能继承的期票。这张期票向所有人承诺——不论白人还是黑人——都享有不可让渡的生存权、自由权和追求幸福权。
然而，今天美国显然对她的有色公民拖欠着这张期票。美国没有承兑这笔神圣的债务，而是开始给黑人一张空头支票——一张盖着“资金不足”的印戳被退回的支票。但是，我们决不相信正义的银行会破产。我们决不相信这个国家巨大的机会宝库会资金不足。 因此，我们来兑现这张支票。这张支票将给我们以宝贵的自由和正义的保障。
我们来到这块圣地还为了提醒美国：现在正是万分紧急的时刻。现在不是从容不迫悠然行事或服用渐进主义镇静剂的时候。现在是实现民主诺言的时候。现在是走出幽暗荒凉的种族隔离深谷，踏上种族平等的阳关大道的时候。现在是使我们国家走出种族不平等的流沙，踏上充满手足之情的磐石的时候。现在是使上帝所有孩子真正享有公正的时候。
忽视这一时刻的紧迫性，对于国家将会是致命的。自由平等的朗朗秋日不到来，黑人顺情合理哀怨的酷暑就不会过去。1963年不是一个结束，而是一个开端。
如果国家依然我行我素，那些希望黑人只需出出气就会心满意足的人将大失所望。在黑人得到公民权之前，美国既不会安宁，也不会平静。反抗的旋风将继续震撼我们国家的基石，直至光辉灿烂的正义之日来临。
但是，对于站在通向正义之宫艰险门槛上的人们，有一些话我必须要说。在我们争取合法地位的过程中，切不要错误行事导致犯罪。我们切不要吞饮仇恨辛酸的苦酒，来解除对于自由的饮渴。
我们应该永远得体地、纪律严明地进行斗争。我们不能容许我们富有创造性的抗议沦为暴力行动。我们应该不断升华到用灵魂力量对付肉体力量的崇高境界。 席卷黑人社会的新的奇迹般的战斗精神，不应导致我们对所有白人的不信任——因为许多白人兄弟已经认识到：他们的命运同我们的命运紧密相连，他们的自由同我们的自由休戚相关。他们今天来到这里参加集会就是明证。
我们不能单独行动。当我们行动时，我们必须保证勇往直前。我们不能后退。有人问热心民权运动的人：“你们什么时候会感到满意？”只要黑人依然是不堪形容的警察暴行恐怖的牺牲品，我们就决不会满意。只要我们在旅途劳顿后，却被公路旁汽车游客旅社和城市旅馆拒之门外，我们就决不会满意。只要黑人的基本活动范围只限于从狭小的黑人居住区到较大的黑人居住区，我们就决不会满意。只要我们的孩子被“仅供白人”的牌子剥夺个性，损毁尊严，我们就决不会满意。只要密西西比州的黑人不能参加选举，纽约州的黑人认为他们 与选举毫不相干，我们就决不会满意。不，不，我们不会满意，直至公正似水奔流，正义如泉喷涌。
我并非没有注意到你们有些人历尽艰难困苦来到这里。你们有些人刚刚走出狭小的牢房。有些人来自因追求自由而遭受迫害风暴袭击和警察暴虐狂飙摧残的地区。你们饱经风霜，历尽苦难。继续努力吧，要相信：无辜受苦终得拯救。 回到密西西比去吧；回到亚拉巴马去吧；回到南卡罗来纳去吧；回到佐治亚去吧；回到路易斯安那去吧；回到我们北方城市中的贫民窟和黑人居住区去吧。要知道，这种情况能够而且将会改变。我们切不要在绝望的深渊里沉沦。
朋友们，今天我要对你们说，尽管眼下困难重重，但我依然怀有一个梦。这个梦深深植根于美国梦之中。
梦想有一天，这个国家将会奋起，实现其立国信条的真谛：“我们认为这些真理不言而喻：人人生而平等。”
我梦想有一天，在佐治亚州的红色山岗上，昔日奴隶的儿子能够同昔日奴隶主的儿子同席而坐，亲如手足。 我梦想有一天，甚至连密西西比州——一个非正义和压迫的热浪逼人的荒漠之州，也会改造成为自由和公正的青青绿洲。
我梦想有一天，我的四个小女儿将生活在一个不是以皮肤的颜色，而是以品格的优劣作为评判标准的国家里。
我今天怀有一个梦。
我梦想有一天，亚拉巴马州会有所改变——尽管该州州长现在仍滔滔不绝地说什么要对联邦法令提出异议和拒绝执行——在那里，黑人儿童能够和白人儿童兄弟姐妹般地携手并行。
我今天怀有一个梦。
我梦想有一天，深谷弥合，高山夷平，歧路化坦途，曲径成通衢，上帝的光华再现，普天下生灵共谒。 这是我们的希望。这是我将带回南方去的信念。有了这个信念，我们就能从绝望之山开采出希望之石。有了这个信念，我们就能把这个国家的嘈杂刺耳的争吵声，变为充满手足之情的悦耳交响曲。有了这个信念，我们就能一同工作，一同祈祷，一同斗争，一同入狱，一同维护自由，因为我们知道，我们终有一天会获得自由。
到了这一天，上帝的所有孩子都能以新的含义高唱这首歌：
我的祖国，可爱的自由之邦，我为您歌唱。这是我祖先终老的地方，这是早期移民自豪的地方，让自由之声，响彻每一座山岗。 如果美国要成为伟大的国家，这一点必须实现。因此，让自由之声响彻新罕布什尔州的巍峨高峰！
让自由之声响彻纽约州的崇山峻岭！
让自由之声响彻宾夕法尼亚州的阿勒格尼高峰！
让自由之声响彻科罗拉多州冰雪皑皑的洛基山！
让自由之声响彻加利福尼亚州的婀娜群峰！
不，不仅如此；让自由之声响彻佐治亚州的石山！
让自由之声响彻田纳西州的望山！
让自由之声响彻密西西比州的一座座山峰，一个个土丘！
让自由之声响彻每一个山岗！
当我们让自由之声轰响，当我们让自由之声响彻每一个大村小庄，每一个州府城镇，我们就能加速这一天的到来。那时，上帝的所有孩子，黑人和白人，犹太教徒和非犹太教徒，耶稣教徒和天主教徒，将能携手同唱那首古老的黑人灵歌：“终于自由了！终于自由了！感谢全能的上帝，我们终于自由了！”

   If I were a boy again, I would practice perseverance（毅力） more often, and never give up a thing because it was or inconvenient. If we want light, we must conquer darkness. Perseverance can sometimes equal genius in its results. “There are only two creatures,” says a proverb, “who can surmount （登上，战胜）the pyramids—the eagle and the snail.”

   If I were a boy again, I would school myself into a habit of attention; I would let nothing come between me and the subject in hand. I would remember that a good skater never tries to skate in two directions at once. The habit of attention becomes part of our life, if we began early enough. I often hear grown up people say “I could not fix my attention on the sermon (说教)or book, although I wished to do so” , and the reason is, the habit was not formed in youth.

   If I were to live my life over again, I would pay more attention to the cultivation of the memory. I would strengthen that faculty by every possible means, and on every possible occasion. It takes a little hard work at first to remember things accurately; but memory soon helps itself, and gives very little trouble. It only needs early cultivation to become a power.

   假如我又回到了童年，我做事要更有毅力，决不因为事情艰难或者麻烦而撒手不干，我们要光明，就得征服黑暗。毅力在效果上有时能同天才相比。俗话说：“能登上金字塔的生物，只有两种——鹰和蜗牛。”
  假如我又回到了童年，我就要养成专心致志的习惯；有事在手，就决不让任何东西让我分心。我要牢记：优秀的滑冰手从不试图同时滑向两个不同的方向。
  如果及早养成这种专心致志的习惯，它将成为我们生命的一部分。我常听成年人说：“虽然我希望能集中注意听牧师讲道或读书，但往往做不到。”而原因就是年轻时没有养成这种习惯。
假如我现在能重新开始我的生命，我就要更注意记忆力的培养。我要采取一切可能的办法，并且在一切可能的场合，增强记忆力。要正确无误地记住一些东西，在开始阶段的确要作出一番小小的努力；但要不了多久，记忆力本身就会起作用，使记忆成为轻而易举的事，只需及早培养，记忆自会成为一种才能。

   If I were a boy again, I would cultivate courage. “Nothing is so mild and gentle as courage, nothing so cruel and pitiless as cowardice.(怯懦, 胆小)” says a wise author. We too often borrow trouble, and anticipate that may never appear.” The fear of ill exceeds the ill we fear.” Dangers will arise in any career, but presence of mind will often conquer the worst of them. Be prepared for any fate, and there is no harm to be feared.
   If I were a boy again, I would look on the cheerful side. Life is very much like a mirror: if you smile upon it, I smiles back upon you; but if you frown and look doubtful on it, you will get a similar look in return. Inner sunshine warms not only the heart of the owner, but of all that come in contact with it. “Who shuts love out , in turn shall be shut out from love.” importance of learning very early in life to gain that point where a young boy can stand erect, and decline.

 If I were a boy again, I would school myself to say no more often. I might write pages on the doing an unworthy act because it is unworthy.
 If I were a boy again, I would demand of myself more courtesy(礼貌) towards my companions and friends, and indeed towards strangers as well. The smallest courtesies along the rough roads of life are like the little birds that sing to us all winter long, and make that season of ice and snow more endurable.
   Finally, instead of trying hard to be happy, as if that were the sole purpose of life, I would, if I were a boy again, I would still try harder to make others happy.

     假如我又回到了童年，我就要培养勇气。一位明智的作家曾说过：“世上没有东西比勇气更温文尔雅，也没有东西比懦怯更残酷无情。” 我们常常过多地自寻烦恼，杞人忧天。“怕祸害比祸害本身更可怕。”凡事都有危险，但镇定沉着往往能克服最严重的危险。对一切祸福做好准备，那么就没有什么灾难可以害怕的了。
假如我又回到了童年，我就要事事乐观。生活犹如一面镜子：你朝它笑，它也朝你笑；如果你双眉紧锁， 向它投以怀疑的目光，它也将还以你同样的目光。内心的欢乐不仅温暖了欢乐者自己的心，也温暖了所有与之接触者的心。“谁拒爱于门外，也必将被爱拒诸门外。”
     假如我又回到了童年，我就要养成经常说“不”字的习惯。一个少年要能挺得起腰，拒绝做不应该做的事，就因为这事不值得做。我可以写上好几页谈谈早年培养这一点的重要性。
假如我又回到了童年，我就要要求自己对伙伴和朋友更加礼貌，而且对陌生人也应如此。在坎坷的生活道路上，最细小的礼貌犹如在漫长的冬天为我们歌唱的小鸟，那歌声使冰天雪地的寒冬变得较易忍受。
     最后，假如我又回到了童年，我不会力图为自己谋幸福，好像这就是人生唯一的目的；与之相反，我要更努力为他人谋幸福。

     All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year; sometimes as short as twenty-four hours, but always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed(命定的) man chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited.

    Such stories set up thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances .What associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings? What happiness should we find in reviewing the past, what regrets?

   Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with a gentleness , a vigor, and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama(全景) of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the epicurean(享乐主义的) motto of “Eat, drink, and be merry,” most people would be chastened (使顺从)by the certainty of impending death.

   我们都读过这样一些动人的故事，故事里主人公将不久于人世。长则一年，短则２４小时。但是我们总是很想知道这个即将离开人世的人是决定怎样度过他最后的日子的。当然， 我所指的是有权作出选择的自由人，不是那些活动范围受到严格限制的死囚。
   这一类故事会使我们思考在类似的处境下，我们自己该做些什么？在那临终前的几个小时里我们会产生哪些联想？会有多少欣慰和遗憾呢？
   有时我想，把每天都当作生命的最后一天来度过也不失为一个很好的生命法则。这种人生态度使人非常重视人生的价值。每一天我们都应该以和善的态度、充沛的精力和热情的欣赏来度过，而这些恰恰是在来日方长时往往被我们忽视的东西。当然，有这样一些人奉行享乐主义的座右铭——吃喝玩乐，但是大多数人却不能摆脱死亡来临的恐惧。
   Most of us take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future, when we are in buoyant(轻快的) health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty task, hardly aware of our listless attitude towards life.

   The same lethargy(无生气), I am afraid, characterizes the use of our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold(.多种形式的) blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life . But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sound hazily, without concentration, and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we conscious of health until we are ill.

   I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.

   Now and then I have tested my seeing friends to discover what they see. Recently I was visited by a very good friend who had just returned from a long walk in the woods, and I asked her what she had observed. “Nothing in particular,” she replied. I might have been incredulous had I not been accustomed to such responses, for long ago I became convinced that the seeing see little.

   我们大多数人认为生命理所当然，我们明白总有一天我们会死去，但是我们常常把这一天看得非常遥远。当我们身体强壮时，死亡便成了难以相象的事情了。我们很少会考虑它， 日子一天天过去，好像没有尽头。所以我们为琐事奔波，并没有意识到我们对待生活的态度是冷漠的。
我想我们在运用我们所有五官时恐怕也同样是冷漠的。只有聋子才珍惜听力，只有盲人才能认识到能见光明的幸运。对于那些成年致盲或失陪的人来说尤其如此。但是那些听力或视力从未遭受损失的人却很少充分利用这些幸运的能力，他们对所见所闻不关注、不欣赏。这与常说的不失去不懂得珍贵，不生病不知道健康可贵的道理是一样的。
   我常想如果每一个人在他成年的早些时候，有几天成为了聋子或瞎子也不失为一件幸事。黑暗将使他更珍惜光明；沉寂将教他知道声音的乐趣。
   有时我会试探我的非盲的朋友们，想知道他们看见了什么。最近我的一位非常要好的朋友来看我，她刚刚在树林里走了很长时间，我问她看见了什么。“没什么特别的，”她回答说。
   如不是我早已习惯了这样的回答，我也许不会轻易相信，因为很久以前我就相信了有眼人看不见什么。

    How was it possible, I asked myself, to walk for an hour through the woods and see nothing worthy of note? I who cannot see find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of a leaf. I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch(白桦树), or the rough shaggy(表面粗糙的) bark of a pine. In spring I touch the branches of trees hopefully in search of a bud, the first sign of awakening Nature after her winter’s sleep I feel the delightful, velvety(象天鹅绒的, 柔软的) texture of a flower, and discover its remarkable convolutions(回旋, 卷绕); and something of the miracle of Nature is revealed to me. Occasionally, if I am very fortunate, I place my hand gently in a small tree and feel the happy quiver of a bird in full song. I am delighted to have cool waters of a brook(小溪) rush through my open fingers. To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug(地毯). To me the pageant of seasons is a thrilling and unending drama, the action of which streams through my finger tips. At times my heart cries out with longing to see all these things. If I can get so much pleasure from mere touch, how much more beauty must be revealed by sight. Yet, those who have eyes apparently see little. The panorama of color and action fill the world is taken for granted. It is human, perhaps, to appreciate little that which we have and to long for that which we have not, but it is a great pity that in the world of light and the gift of sight is used only as mere convenience rather that as a means of adding fullness to life.
     Oh, the things that I should see if I had the power of sight for three days!

我问自己在树林中走了一小时，怎么可能什么值得注意的东西都没有看到呢？而我一个盲人仅仅通过触摸就发现了数以百计的有趣的东西。我感到树叶的对称美，用手摸着白桦树光滑的树皮或是松树那粗糙的厚厚的树皮。春天里我满怀着希望触摸着树枝寻找新芽，那是大自然冬眼后醒来的第一个征象。我感到了花朵的可爱和茸茸的感觉，发现它层层叠叠地绽开着，大自然的神奇展现在我的面前。当我把手轻轻地放在一棵小树上，如果幸运的话，偶尔会感到歌唱的小鸟欢快的颤动。我会愉快地让清凉的溪水从手之间流过。对我来说，满地厚厚的松针和松软的草坪比奢华的波斯地毯更惹人喜爱。对我来说四季变换的景色如同一场动人心魄的不会完结的戏剧，剧中的人物动作从我的指尖流过。我的心不时在呐喊，带着对光明的渴望。既然仅仅通过触摸就能使我获得如此多的喜悦，那么光明定会展示更多美好的事物啊。可惜的是那些有眼睛的人分明看到很少，整个世界缤纷的色彩和万物的活动都被认为是理所当然。也许不珍惜已经拥有的，想得到还没有得到的是人的特点，但是在光明的世界里只把视觉用做一种方便的工具，而不是丰富生活的工具，这是令人多么遗憾的事情啊。
   噢，假如我拥有三天光明，我将会看见多少事物啊！

  Pollution is the price we pay for an overpopulated, over industrialized planet. When you come to think about it, there are only four ways you can deal with rubbish: dump it, burn it, turn it into something you can use again, attempt to produce less of it. We keep trying all four methods, but he sheer volume of rubbish we produce worldwide threatens to overwhelm us.

New words and expressions 生词和短语
 

  pollution   n.   污染
 overpopulated  adj. 人口多的
 over-industrialized  adj. 过度工业化的
  sheer  adj. 纯粹的，不掺杂的
  worldwide  adv. 在全世界
  overwhelm  v.   制服，使不知所措
  pollute  v.   污染
  pesticide    n.   杀虫剂
  fertilizer    n.   肥料
 vegetarian    n.   吃素的人
 organically-grown  adj. 有机培植的（不施化肥和其他化学药品培植）
 insidious  adj. 暗中为害的
  urban  adj. 城市的
  burglar    n.   窃贼
  burgle  v.   入室偷窃
  scream  v.   尖叫
  profound  adj. 极度的
  irritation    n.   烦躁
  incessantly  adv. 连续不断地
  whine  v.   发呜呜声
  helicopter    n.   直升飞机
  maximum  adj. 最大的
  technology    n.   技术
  contribution    n.   贡献
  mobile  adj. 可移动的
  snore  v.   打鼾
  offender  v.   冒犯者
  staggering  adj. 令人惊愕的
  trumpet  v.   吹号
  partner    n.   伙伴
 

参考译文

   污染就是我们为这个人口过密，过度工业化的星球所付出的代价。当我们开始考虑垃圾问题时，我们只有4种对付垃圾的方法：倾倒、焚烧、把垃圾变成再生材料或试图少产生一些垃圾。我们一直在试这4种方式，但是，我们在世界范围内仅产生的垃圾的量就有把我们覆盖的危险。
   然而，垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。日益增长的对廉价食物的需求导致了另一种形式的污染。工业化的农作方式生产出廉价的肉类制品——牛肉、猪肉和鸡肉。使用杀虫剂和化肥生产出廉价的谷物和蔬菜。为了廉价食物我们付出代价已经太高了：牛肉中的疯牛病，鸡肉和鸡蛋中的沙门氏菌，奶制品中的利斯特杆菌。如果你想放弃肉类而变成一位素食者，那么你可以两者择一：或是选用价格昂贵、有机培植的蔬菜，或是当你认为在享用新鲜色拉和新鲜蔬菜或饮用一杯无害的水的时候，实际上每次都不断吃进杀虫剂。
    但是，还有一种更加隐蔽有害的污染，它专门影响城镇地区，侵袭我们的日常生活，那就是噪音。防盗警报器在白天和黑夜的任何时候都会响起来，它的作用只是骚扰过路行人，而实际上却帮助窃贼入室行窃。在街上，汽车的防盗警报不断对我们吼叫，这是人们极度烦燥的一个原因，最近一个有关噪音的作用的调查（令人吃惊地）指出，夜间连续不断的狗叫声，在一个从1级至7级刻度表上应列为最严重的噪间污染。这个调查揭示了我们所不喜欢的大量的噪间的来源：夏天呜呜作响的割草机，公寓楼里深夜聚会的喧哗声，大声吵闹的邻居，各式各样的车辆，特别是穿越寂静的村庄的集装箱卡车，从头顶飞过的飞机和直升机，被带到公共场所、音量开到最大的大功率收音机。新技术也为噪音作了它的贡献。许多人都反对移动式电话，特别是在如饭店，公共交通车等公共场所使用移动电话。用移动电话大声交谈干扰我们的思路，破坏我们和朋友在一起轻声聊天所得到的乐趣。这个有关噪音的污染调查还揭示了一种出人意外而同时可能会引人意外而同时可能会引人发笑的老式噪音源。它竟然是鼾声。人类是这方面的罪魁祸首。调查指出，20%的35岁左右的男人打鼾；而到60岁这个年龄段，这个数字上升到令人惊愕的60%。与这些数字相比，只有5% 的女性经常打鼾；而其余则经常被与她们同睡、像吹号似地打着呼噜的男人吵醒或弄得睡不着。不管噪声来自何方，有一点是肯定的：看来寂静已变成一种珍贵的回忆。

My love for you I once expressed

no longer lasts, instead, my distaste for you

is growing with each passing day. Next time I see you,

I even won’t like that look yours.

I’ll do nothing but

look away from you. You can never expect I’ll

marry you. The last chat we had

was so dull and dry that you shouldn’t think it

made me eager to see you again.

If we get married, I firmly believe I’ll

live a hard life, I can never

live happily with you, I’ll devote myself

but not

to you. No one else is more

harsh and selfish and least

solicitous and considerate than you.

I sincerely want to let you know

what I said is true. Please do me a favor by

ending our relations and refrain from

writing me a reply. Your letter is always full of

things which displease me. You have no

sincere care for me. So long! Please believe

I don’t love you any longer. Don’t think

I still have a love of you!

Having read the letter, the father felt relieved and gave it to his daughter with a light heart.

The girl also felt quite pleased after she read it carefully, her lad still had a deep love for her.

Do you know why? In fact, she felt very sad when she read the letter for the first time. But she read it for a few more times and , at last, she found the key – only every other line should be read, that is the first line, the third, the fifth … and so on to the end.

       There is a story from many years ago of a primary school teacher. Her name was Mrs. Thompson.And as she stood in front ofher 5th grade class on the very first day of school ,she told the children a lie . Like most teachers ,she looked her students and said that she loved them all the same .

        But that was impossible because there in the front row ,slumped in his seat,was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

        Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn`t play well with the other children ,that his clothes were messy and that he constantly need a bath. And ,Teddy could be unpleasant.

        It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in making his papers with a broud red pen ,making bold Xs and then putting a "F" at the top of his papers.At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught,she was required to recieve each child`s past records and she put Teddy`s off until last.

       However,when she recieved his file,she was in a surprise,Teddy`s first grade teacher wrote ,"Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh.He does his work neatly and has good manners...he is a joy to be around."

       His second grade teacher wrote,"Teddy is an excellent student,well liked by his classmates ,but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle ."

       His third grade teacher wrote "His mother`s death has been hard on him.He tried to do his best but his father doesn`t show much interest and his home life will steps aren`t taken."

       Teddy`s fourth grade teacher wrote,"Teddy is withdrawn and doesn`t show much interest in school.He doesn`t have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class."

       By now ,Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself.She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful paper and tied with pretty ribbons,except for Teddy`s .His present was clumsily wrapped in the haevy,brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.

       Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents.Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing ,and a bottle that was one-quaeter full of perfume.But she stifled the children`s laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the brcelet was,putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.Teddy stayed after school that day just long enough to say,"Mrs. Thompson ,today you smelled just like my mom used to."

       After the children left she cried for at least an hour.On the very day ,she quit teaching reading,and writing,and arithmetic.Instead she began to teach children.

      Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy.As she worked with him,his mind seemed to come alive.The more she encouraged him,the faster he responded.By the end of the year,Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class.

       A year later,she found a note ender her door,from Teddy,telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

 　 Six years later went by before she got another note from Teddy.He then wrote that he had finished high school ,third in his class,and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.  

 The Best Teacher Ever (一生中最好的老师)

      多年前,有一名小学老师叫汤普森夫人。开学第一天，她站在五年级全班学生面前，对孩子们撒了一个慌。像大多数老师一样，她看着同学们，说她会一视同仁地爱他们每一个人。

         但这是不可能的，因为前排座位上就坐着个萎靡不振的小男孩，他叫特迪•斯托达德。

         汤普森夫人去年就开始留意特迪，发觉他不大和其他孩子玩耍，衣衫不整，身上总是很脏，而且，特迪还不讨人喜 欢。

         汤普森夫人甚至喜欢上用粗红笔在特迪的考卷上打上一把把大叉，并在卷子上方写个大大的“f”。汤普森夫人执 教的学校要求老师阅览每个孩子的档案，她把特迪的放在最后才看。

         可是，当她翻阅特迪的档案时，不禁大吃一惊。特迪一年级老师的评语是：“特迪是一个聪明的孩子，笑口常开， 作业工整，礼貌待人......与他在一起很开心。”

         二年级老师的评语是：“特迪是个优秀的学生，同学们都很喜欢他。但是，他母亲得了绝症，他很苦恼。家里生活 肯定也很艰难。”

         他三年级老师的评语是：“他母亲去世对他打击很大。尽管他试图努力表现，但他父亲不大理会。如果听之任之， 家庭问题很快会影响到他的学业。”

         他四年级老师的评语是：“特迪性格孤僻，有厌学情绪。他朋友不多，有时候上课打瞌睡。”

        看到这里，汤普森夫人明白了问题所在，她为自己感到羞愧。当同学们送给她圣诞礼物时，她更无地自容了。礼物 都用漂亮的包装纸包着，扎着美丽的彩带，惟有特迪的例外。他的礼物是用杂货袋上弄下来的厚厚的棕色纸粗陋地包着。

         在一堆礼物中间，汤普森夫人耐心地拆开了特迪送的礼物。当她看到里面放的是一串少了珠子的莱茵石手镯，还有 1/4瓶香水的时候，有些孩子开始笑出声来。汤普森夫人制止了孩子们的嘲笑，并大声赞叹手镯是多么漂亮。她戴上手镯，还在手腕处喷了点儿香水。那天放学以后，特迪•斯托达德留下来对汤普森夫人说：“汤普森夫人，您今天 身上的味道像我妈妈。”

         孩子们走后，她哭了至少一个小时。也从那天起，她不再单纯教阅读、写作和算术，而开始教孩子们 如何做人。

         汤普森夫人特别关照特迪。在她的悉心教导下，他的思维似乎变得敏捷起来。她越鼓励他，他的反应就越快。到了 年底，特迪已在全班名列前茅。

         一年后，汤普森夫人发现门下有张特迪写来的便条，说她仍然是他碰到的最好的老师。

          又过了六年，她又收到了特迪的短笺，说他以全班第三名的成绩高中毕业，而她仍然是他遇见的最好的老师。

         又过了四年，她有收到特迪的来信，说他很快就要以优异的成绩从大学毕业。又一个四年，又来了一封信。这次他 解释到，拿到学士学位后，他继续深造去了。他在这封信中说明，她依然是他一生中最好、最喜欢的老师。不过，这次他的署名长了一点，信的落款是：西奥多•f•斯托达德医学博士。

         故事并没有就此结束。你瞧，那年春天，有来了一封信。特迪在信上说，他交了女友，俩人就要结婚了。他解释说 ，他爸爸几年前就去世了，所以他想知道在他们的婚礼上，汤普森夫人是否愿意做在婆婆的位子上。汤普森夫人当然愿意了。

         婚礼上，他们互相拥抱，斯托达德博士对汤普森夫人耳语道：“汤普森夫人，谢谢您对我的信任。非常感谢您对我 的重视，是您让我明白了自己的价值。”

         汤普森夫人热泪盈眶，低声答道：“特迪，你搞错了。是你让我明白自己可以有所作为。在遇到你以后，我才知道 怎么样教育孩子。”

      Currently there is a widespread belief that the trend in the future is quick profits, quick growth and everything accomplished quick. This, however, is not the right message to our young people, because it gives them nothing but an illusion. Just look at those apparently impressive constructions which proved to be fragile in an earthquake. True, social changes bred of ever faster flows of information and advances in technology are irresistible today, but they do not always translate into wealth or success overnight. Steady and sure progress will still be the mainstream in the future growth.

       Such solid progress is no contradiction with new developments in information and other technologies. The latest and fast changing technologies will help maintain and facilitate growth, yet our growth must be reliably down-to-earth to ensure sustainable success. Traditional values in our heritage that are proven viable should be retained and developed into “new values” needed for the future.

       Given the ever-changing technologies and fast-flowing information, we should do away with the slow changes, sluggish actions and time-consuming decision-making in the old days. Yet we must maintain a steady orientation for our growth. This is the new value we need.

       We used to label various enterprises as large or small, traditional or high-tech, but that classification is no longer valid. If a company makes traditional products by high-tech means, then it is a high-tech enterprise. Traditional products do not disqualify the producer from high-tech. On the other hand, high-tech industries cannot grow without support from traditional products. In this light, one can see that there is no point in classifying the various enterprises so long as they all function towards prosperity and well-being in this land and better life for the people. In their progress, enterprises should move towards alliance---not only within the same industries, but also across industry borders---for better mutual support and cooperation.

           未来需要的理念

         目前有一个广泛流行的观念：快速赢利，快速发展，做一切事情都要快速是未来的趋势。然而，这不能给年轻人有益的启示， 只能造成幻觉。看看那些表面辉宏的建筑物，一遇到地震就土崩瓦解。的确，信息的迅速传播和技术进步孕育着势不可挡的社会变革，但这一切并不能在一夜之间变成财富和成就。稳步扎实的前进仍然是未来发展的主流。

         这种稳步发展与资讯、技术的新成就并不矛盾。日新月异的技术有助于保证和促进发展，而发展只有稳步扎实才能确保持久的成功。事实证明，传统价值观中有很多理念是可取的，我们必须在继承中发展未来需要的新价值观。

         既然有不断创新的技术和快速传播的信息，我们就应该摒弃过去那种缓慢的改进，迟缓的行动和旷日耗时的决策，并坚持认准的发展方向。这才是我们所需的新价值观。

         过去总是给企业贴上大企业、小企业、传统企业、高科技企业的标签，这种分类不再实用。如果一家公司利用高科技手段制造传统产品，那么它就是一家高科技企业。传统产品并不表示它的生产者没利用高科技，另一方面高科技企业没有传统产品的支撑也难以发展。由此可见，没有必要对各种不同的企业进行分类，只要各种企业都致力于这块土地的繁荣和福祉，致力于人们生活的改善。在企业发展过程中应趋于联合——不仅是同一产业也包括跨产业的联合——以便更好地相互支持。

Listen to the tape then answer the question below.听录音，然后回答以下问题。
What marked the end of the writer's New Year resolutions?

  The New Year is a time for resolutions. Mentally, at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of 'dos' and 'don'ts'. The same old favorites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity. We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less, find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house, be nice to people we don't' like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day. Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment. If we remain inveterate smokers, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure. Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out. We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways. Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself. I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercise every morning and to read more of an evening. An all-night party on New Year's Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying out either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year, but on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task.
   The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up. The self-discipline required to drag myself out of bed eleven minutes earlier than usual was considerable. Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living room for two days before anyone found me out. After jumping about on the carpet and twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions, I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition. It was this that betrayed me. The next morning the whole family trooped in to watch the performance. That was really unsettling, but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good-humouredly and soon everybody got used to the idea. However, my enthusiasm waned. The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero. By January 10th, I was back to where I had started from. I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning, I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home formwork Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to book. One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read. That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to my old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen. I still haven't given up my resolution to do more reading. In fact, I have just bought a book entitled How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute. Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just haven't had time to read it!

New words and expressions 生词和短语
 

  resolution    n.   决心
  mentally  adv. 内心里
  compile  v.   编辑，编制
  formidable  adj. 令人畏惧的
  recur  v.   再发生，又出现
  regularity    n.   规律性
  accomplishment   n.   成就
  attainment    n.   达到
  inveterate  adj. 根深蒂固的
  self-improvement    n.   自我完善
  scheme    n.   简单的计划，方案
  ambitious  adj. 雄心勃勃的
  pitfall    n.   意外的困难，易犯的错误
  modest  adj. 要求不过分的
  assiduously  adv. 刻苦地
 self-discipline  n.   自我约束
  frame     n.   躯体
  betray  v.   暴露，显露
  troop  v.   成群结队地走动
  unsettle  v.   使不安
  taunt   n.   嘲笑，奚落人的话
  jibe    n.   嘲弄，挖苦
  good-humouredly  adv. 和气地，心情好地
  wane  v.   逐渐变小，变弱
  hypnotize  v.   使欲睡，使蒙胧
  undoing    n.   祸根，毁灭的原因
  screen   n.   电视机屏幕
 

参考译文

   新年是下决心的时候，至少在大多数人的心里会编排出一份“应做什么”和“不应做什么”的令人生畏的单子。相同的决心以单调的规律年复一年地出现。我们决心每天早晨起得早些；吃得少些；多花点时间与孩子们一起做游戏；做大量的家务；对不喜欢的人友善一些；小心驾车；每天都要带着狗散步；等等。以往的经验告诉我们有些事是办不到的。如果我们烟瘾大，戒不掉，那是因为屡戒屡败，失去信心。我们大多数人想自我完善却遭到失败，这是因为我们的规划过于宏大，而又根本没有时间去实施。我们还犯有一个根本性的错误，即把我们的决心向大家宣布。这样一旦滑回到那些老习惯上去，我们在别人的眼里会显得更加难堪。我深知这些问题，于是，今年我对自己的计划要严加保密，只给自己定下两项适中的任务；每天早上锻炼身体，每天晚上多看点书。新年除夕举办的一次通宵晚会，使我理直气壮地在新年头一天免去了这两项任务。不过，新年第二天，我全力以赴地照着去做了。
   早锻炼一共只有11分钟，我打算在别人起床之前进行。这就要求我比平时早11分钟把自己从床上拽起来，这种自我约束是很艰苦的。不过开头两天我还是成功地蹑手蹑脚地来到楼下起居室，被谁也没发现。我在地毯上跳来蹦过去，扭曲身子，摆出各种姿势，弄得浑身不舒服，然后坐到桌边吃早饭，一副筋疲力尽的样子。正是这副模样泄露了我的秘密。第二天早晨全家人结队来到起居室看我表演。这真叫人不好意思，但我心平气和地顶住全家人的嘲笑和奚落。不久，大家对我习以为常了，而这时我的热情却减退了。我花在锻炼上的时间逐渐减少，慢慢地从11分钟减到了零。到了1月10日，我恢复了原来的作息时间。我辩解说，早晨少耗费精力锻炼，晚上下班回家看书时头脑更清醒些。有几天晚上，我极力摆脱了电视的诱惑，坐在自己的房间里，两眼盯在书上。可是，有一天夜里，我感到又冷又孤单，便来到楼下坐在电视机前假装看书。这下我可完了，因为不一会儿，我就恢复了以前的坏习惯，在屏幕前打起瞌睡来。但我还没有放弃多看些书的决心。事实上，我刚买来一本叫《一分钟读一千字的诀窍》的书。也许这本书能解决我的问题，但我一直还没时间去看这本书！