精美英文欣赏:给孙儿们的一封信

Letter to my grandchildren

给孙儿们的一封信

To my beautiful grandchildren:

我的好孙儿们:

Our world is changing so fast and there are many things I wish for you...

我们生活的世界变化非常快，我希望你们能做到下面这些事:

I'd really like for you to know about hand-me-down clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover¹ meat loaf sandwiches.

我非常希望你们愿意穿哥哥姐姐们穿过的衣服，吃自己家做的冰激凌，咽下剩下的饭菜。

I really would.

我真心地希望你们这么做。

I hope you learn humility² by being humiliated³, and that you learn honesty by being cheated.

我希望你们能从受辱中懂的谦卑，从被骗中学会诚实。

I hope you learn to make your own bed, mow⁴ the lawn and wash the car.

我希望你们学会自己铺床，割草坪，洗车。

And I really hope nobody gives you a brand new car when you are sixteen.

我还非常希望你们十六岁的时候，没人会送给你们新车。

I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.

我希望你们愿意为自己坚信的东西而被打得鼻青脸肿。

I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother or sister.

我希望你们愿意和弟弟或妹妹分享卧室。

And it's all right if you have to draw a line down the middle of the room,but when they want to crawl under the covers with you because they're scared,I hope you let them.

如果你们坚持要在卧室中间画道分界线，那当然也是可以的，但是当他们因为害怕要钻到你们的被窝里时，我希望你们能同意。

When you want to see a movie and your little brother or sister wants to tag along, I hope you'll let them.

当你们打算看电影而弟弟或妹妹要跟着看的时候，我希望你们能让他们一起看。

I hope you have to walk uphill to school with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.

当你们非得和朋友们一起爬山上学的时候，希望在你住的镇子安全时这么做。

On rainy days when you have to catch a ride, I hope you don't ask your driver to drop you two blocks away so you won't be seen riding with someone as uncool as your Mom.

下雨天必须搭便车的时候，希望你们不要因为不想被看到身旁坐着一个跟你们妈妈一样不赶时髦的人，就在离家还有两个街口的地方下车。

If you want a slingshot, I hope your Dad teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.

你们想要弹弓的时候，希望你们的爸爸能教你们怎么自己动手做，而不是买一个。

I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books.

希望你们学会挖土坑还有阅读。

When you learn to use computers, I hope you also learn to add and subtract in your head.

当你们学习使用电脑时，希望你们还能学会怎么用自己的脑子。

I hope you get teased by your friends when you have your first crush, and when you talk back to your mother that you learn what ivory soap tastes like.

我希望你们在初恋时，以及和妈妈顶嘴说你知道肥皂的味道时，受到朋友们的嘲笑。

May you skin your knee climbing a mountain, burn your hand on a stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.

希望你们爬山时擦破膝盖，希望你们被炉子烫到手，希望你们伸出舌头舔结冰的旗杆。

I don't care if you try a beer once, but I hope you don't like it.

我不在乎你们尝试着喝酒，但我希望你们不喜欢酒。

And if a friend offers you dope or a joint⁵, I hope you realize he is not your friend.

如果有个朋友给你们毒品或混有大麻的香烟时，希望你意识到他不是你们的朋友。

I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandparents and go fishing with your uncle.

我真心希望你们能抽点时间和祖父母在门廊里坐会儿，能和叔叔一起去钓鱼。

These are just some of the things that I wish for you—tough times and disappointment, hard work and happiness.

这些仅仅是我希望你们做的一部分事情—或是困难重重，沮丧失望，或是辛勤工作，快乐得意。

To me, it's the only way to appreciate life.

对我来说，这是品味生活的唯一途径。

1 leftover   

n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的

参考例句：

• These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
• Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。

2 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。

3 humiliated   

感到羞愧的

参考例句：

• Parents are humiliated if their children behave badly when guests are present. 子女在客人面前举止失当，父母也失体面。
• He was ashamed and bitterly humiliated. 他感到羞耻，丢尽了面子。

4 mow   

v.割（草、麦等），扫射，皱眉；n.草堆，谷物堆

参考例句：

• He hired a man to mow the lawn.他雇人割草。
• We shall have to mow down the tall grass in the big field.我们得把大田里的高草割掉。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。