精美英文欣赏:人与机遇

Lesson 10 Part 1 The Man and the Opportunity

第十课 第一部分 人与机遇

The lack of opportunity is ever the excuse of a weak, vacillating mind. Opportunities! Every life is full of them.

缺乏机遇总是意志薄弱、优柔寡断者的借口。机遇!每个人的生命中都充满着机遇！

Every lesson in school or college is an opportunity. Every examination is a chance in life. Every business transaction is an opportunity-an opportunity to be polite, an opportunity to be manly¹, an opportunity to be honest, an opportunity to make friends. Every proof of confidence in you is a great opportunity. Every responsibility thrust upon your strength and your honor is priceless. Existence is the privilege of effort, and when that privilege is met like a man, opportunities to succeed along the line of your aptitude² will come faster than you can use them.

学校或大学的每一堂课都是一次机遇。每一场考试都是人生的一次契机。每一次商业交易都是一次机会—一次礼貌待人的机会，一次果敢行事的机会，一次诚实守信的机会，一次广交朋友的机会。每一份他人对你的信任就是一个莫大的机会。每一份强加在你才干和荣誉之上的责任都是无价的。生存是奋斗的特权，当你如勇者般通过努力邂逅的那份生存特权时，成功的机遇将随着你的能力接踵而至，甚至会让你应接不暇。

Young men and women, why do you stand here all the day idle? Was the land all occupied before you were born? Has the earth ceased to yield its increase? Are the seats all taken? The positions all filled? The chances all gone? Are the resources of your country fully³ developed? Are the secrets of nature all mastered? Is there no way in which you can utilize⁴ these passing moments to improve yourself or benefit another? Don't wait for your opportunity. Make it, make it as Napoleon made his in a hundred "impossible" situations. Make it, as all leaders of men, in war and in peace, have made their chances of success. Make it, as every man must, who would accomplish anything worth the effort. Golden opportunities are nothing to laziness, but industry makes the commonest chances golden.

年轻的小伙子和姑娘们啊，为什么整日滞足不前，虚度光阴?难道在你们出生之前，每一寸土地都已为他人所占？难道地球已不再繁衍生息？难道所有座位都已占满? 难道所有职位都有人填补? 难道所有机会都一去不复返？难道你们国家的资源都已开发殆尽? 难道大自然的奥秘都已完全通晓?难道你们无法抓住转瞬即逝的时机来提高自我、造福他人? 切莫等待机遇。创造机遇，正如拿破仑在无数次“绝”境中创造机遇那样。创造机遇，正如战争及和平年代所有领袖创造成功机遇那样。创造机遇，任何付出努力都想有所收获的人都必领这么做。对懒汉来说，即使天赐良机，也会化为乌有，而勤奋却能让最微小的机遇变得灿烂辉煌！

1 manly   

adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地

参考例句：

• The boy walked with a confident manly stride.这男孩以自信的男人步伐行走。
• He set himself manly tasks and expected others to follow his example.他给自己定下了男子汉的任务，并希望别人效之。

2 aptitude   

n.(学习方面的)才能，资质，天资

参考例句：

• That student has an aptitude for mathematics.那个学生有数学方面的天赋。
• As a child,he showed an aptitude for the piano.在孩提时代，他显露出对于钢琴的天赋。

3 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

4 utilize   

vt.使用，利用

参考例句：

• The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
• You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。