精美英文欣赏:苹果树(下)

The tree was again lonely and sad.

树再次陷入孤单和悲伤之中。

One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. "Come and play with me!" the tree said. "I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?" "Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy." So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time. The tree was happy, but it was not true.

一年夏天，男孩回来了，树太快乐了：“来呀！孩子，来和我玩呀。”男孩却说：“我心情不好，一天天老了，我要扬帆出海，轻松一下，你能给我一艘船吗？”苹果树说：“把我的树干砍去，拿去做船吧！”于是男孩砍下了她的树干，造了条船，然后驾船走了，很久都没有回来。树好快乐……但不是真的。

Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. "Sorry, my boy. But I don't have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you..." the tree said.

许多年过去，男孩终于回来，苹果树说：“对不起，孩子，我已经没有东西可以给你了，我的苹果没了。”

"I don't have teeth to bite," the boy replied.

男孩说：“我的牙都掉了，吃不了苹果了。”

"No more trunk for you to climb on."

苹果树又说：“我再没有树干，让你爬上来了。”

"I am too old for that now," the boy said.

男孩说：“我太老了，爬不动了。”

"I really can't give you anything... the only thing left is my dying¹ roots," the tree said with tears.

“我再也没有什么给得出手了……，只剩下枯死下去的老根，”树流着泪说。

"I don't need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years." The boy replied.

男孩说：“这么多年过去了，现在我感到累了，什么也不想要，只要一个休息的地方。”

"Good! Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest. Come, Come sit down with me and rest." The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears...

“好啊！老根是最适合坐下来休息的，来啊，坐下来和我一起休息吧！”男孩坐下来，苹果树高兴得流下了眼泪……

This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parent. When we were young, we loved to play with Mom and Dad... When we grown up, we left them, and only came to them when we need something or when we are in trouble.

这就是我们每个人的故事。这颗树就是我们的父母。小时候，我们喜欢和爸爸妈妈玩……长大后，我们就离开他们，只在需要什么东西或者遇到麻烦的时候，才回到他们身边。

No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could to make you happy. You may think that the boy is cruel to the tree but that's how all of us are treating our parents.

无论如何，父母永远都在那儿，倾其所有使你快乐。你可能认为这个男孩对树很残酷，但这就是我们每个人对待父母的方式。

Take time out during the day for quiet time to listen to your inner² voice. You may want to use your quiet time to meditate³ or pray.

白天花些时间出去，独自倾听自己的心声。你可能想利用这段安静的时间沉思或祈祷。

However you use this time, the key is to shut out all of the noise around you by focusing deep within yourself.

无论如何利用这段时间，关键是要排除周围所有的噪音，关注自己的内心深处。

Breathing deeply during quiet time will also help you focus. I know it's hard to find quiet time during a particularly busy day, but it's so important — even if it's just 10 minutes a day and you have to sneak⁴ away to get it.

安静的时间进行深呼吸也能帮你集中注意力。我知道在特别忙碌的日子找到安静的时间很难，然而这很重要——即使一天只有10分钟，你也要溜开抓住它。

Quiet time can really make a difference in your life. It enables⁵ you to hear God speaking to your heart reminding you of His perfect love for you.

安静的时间确实能使你的生命变得不同，它促使你倾听上帝与你的心灵对话，使你想起他赋予你的完美的爱。

Be honest with yourself by paying attention to your actions. Actions speak louder than words, and they always tell the truth.

坦诚对己，注重行动吧。事实胜于雄辩，行动才能证明事实。

What do your actions say about you? If you say you love your job, but your actions say otherwise, which do you think is more true — your words or your actions?

你的行动是如何说明你的呢？如果你说热爱自己的工作，而你的行动正好相反，你认为哪个更有说服力呢——言语还是行动？

On the other hand, if you say you're not good at a certain job, but your actions say otherwise, that's also important.

另一方面，如果你说不擅长某项工作，但你的行动正好相反，这也很重要。

What do you do with this insight⁶? You can use it to make more beneficial choices in your life. By being honest with yourself based on your previous actions, your actions moving forward will be based on truth instead of just what you tell yourself.

你怎么处理你这种能力？你可以由此在生活中做出更多的选择，坦诚对己也建立在以前的行为上，你以后的行动将会以事实为基础，而不只是你的言词。

Despite what your subconscious⁷ may be telling you, you can have love with no limits. The key is to unconditionally⁸ love yourself first.

不管你的潜意识告诉你什么，你都能够拥有无尽的爱，关键是首先你要无条件地爱自己。

1 dying   

adj.垂死的，临终的

参考例句：

• He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
• She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子，那里有一个垂死的人。

2 inner   

adj.内部的，里面的；内在的，内心的；精神的

参考例句：

• The label is on the inner side of the box.标签贴在盒子内侧。
• Other people seek the mountains for renewal of their inner lives.另一些人到深山中去，寻求新的精神生活。

3 meditate   

v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想

参考例句：

• It is important to meditate on the meaning of life.思考人生的意义很重要。
• I was meditating,and reached a higher state of consciousness.我在冥想，并进入了一个更高的意识境界。

4 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

5 enables   

v.使能够，提供做…的权利[措施]( enable的第三人称单数 )；使可能

参考例句：

• The software enables you to access the Internet in seconds. 这种软件使你在几秒钟内便可访问互联网。
• This pass enables me to travel half-price on trains. 我用这张通行证可以半价乘火车。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 insight   

n.洞察力，洞悉，深刻的见解

参考例句：

• Good teachers have insight into the problems of students.好的教师能洞察学生的问题。
• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。

7 subconscious   

n./adj.潜意识(的)，下意识(的)

参考例句：

• Nail biting is often a subconscious reaction to tension.咬指甲通常是紧张时的下意识反映。
• My answer seemed to come from the subconscious.我的回答似乎出自下意识。

8 unconditionally   

adv.无条件地

参考例句：

• All foreign troops must be withdrawn immediately and unconditionally. 所有外国军队必须立即无条件地撤出。
• It makes things very awkward to have your girls going back unconditionally just now! 你们现在是无条件上工，真糟糕！ 来自子夜部分