书城外语每天都是精彩:英语诵读美文240篇(英汉对照)
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第11章

Kite-like Life

Guidance for Reciting

There never exists absolute freedom free from restrictions;generally,we young people should learn to understand and respect rules and regulations.

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.

Notes

1.tug (at/on)v. 用力拉,拽

2.adversity [Ed5vE:sEti] n. 逆境,不幸,灾祸,灾难

风筝人生

诵读导言

从来没有没有约束的绝对自由;通常说来,年轻人要学会理解规则、尊重规则。

时我们真像这风筝!上苍赋予我们困境和约束,赋予我们成长和增强实力所要遵从的规则。约束是逆风的必要匹配物。我们中有些人是如此强硬地抵制规则,以至我们从来无法飞到本来能够达到的高度。我们只遵从部分戒律,因此永远不会飞得足够高,使尾巴远离地面。

让我们每个人都飞到高处吧,并且认识到这一点:有些可能会令我们生气的约束,实际上是帮助我们攀升和实现愿望的平衡力。

口语点津

本文中的tug的本意是“猛拉;拖拽”,本文中是“与……抗争”的意思。英文中另有tug-of-war,意思是“拔河,激烈的竞争”;谚语“When Greek meets Greek,then comes the tug of war.”,意即“两强相遇,必有一斗。”