英语专业晨读美文-人生篇 12 Build a Wonderful Life

[00:01.75]Top Six Ways to Build a Wonderful Life
[00:06.38]1. Live Below Your Means
[00:10.85]There will always be temptation to forsake¹ the future
[00:13.95]for immediate² gratification.
[00:15.50]We all want to buy that new piece of technology,
[00:18.22]treat ourselves to an expensive night on the town,
[00:20.98]or take out a loan for the flashy car we can't afford.
[00:23.75]It might feel great at the time
[00:25.88]but rash spending hurts a lot later on.
[00:28.55]Enjoy life's simple pleasures and save as much as you can.
[00:31.81]Expensive things don't create lasting³ happiness and security.
[00:35.60]Careful spending will bring you greater leisure
[00:38.40]and enjoyment⁴ in the long run.
[00:40.41]2. Put Your Money to Work
[00:42.52]Saving is great, but to make the most of your money
[00:45.50]you need to put it to work.
[00:46.81]Good investments can be the difference
[00:48.97]between retiring in your 40's or in your 60's.
[00:51.54]A post today at The Simple Dollar really got me thinking.
[00:54.80]According to Trent's projections⁵,
[00:57.53]if a person in their early 20's invests
[00:59.73]20% of their income in an S&P index fund,
[01:02.92]the interest they earn will equal their current salary
[01:06.10]when they reach their early 40's.
[01:07.79]They could retire without a drop in income!
[01:10.63]Wise investing is the surest path to financial independence
[01:14.29]and it's something everyone can work on.
[01:16.79]It's definitely an area I'll be devoting more attention
[01:20.38]to in my personal life and on this blog.
[01:22.48]3. Educate Yourself
[01:24.90]To be happy we need continuous growth.
[01:27.76]The best way to grow is life-long education.
[01:31.23]This doesn't mean you need to pursue a doctorate⁶
[01:34.62]or spend 2 hours reading every day.
[01:36.45]Self-education can be anything
[01:38.68]that takes you out of your comfort zone.
[01:40.51]The important part is keeping an open mind
[01:43.00]and searching for fresh ideas and perspectives.
[01:45.55]Education builds over time.
[01:47.81]It might feel like the bits of wisdom
[01:50.37]you acquire don't mean much,
[01:52.02]but over the years they add up to form a wiser,
[01:54.48]kinder, more interesting person.
[01:57.40]4. Develop Lasting Personal Relationships
[02:02.06]Suppose you had everything you wanted.
[02:04.20]Would you be happy without anyone to share it with?
[02:07.29]The personal relationships we develop with friends
[02:10.28]and family members are the greatest
[02:12.32]source of happiness in our lives.
[02:14.00]Don't forget about them.
[02:15.62]Taking the time to cultivate and enjoy
[02:18.05]personal relationships is essential to long-term happiness.
[02:21.78]Without the people you care about
[02:23.60]you'll probably be miserable⁷,
[02:25.76]no matter how successful you become.
[02:28.21]5. Work Towards a Dream You're Passionate⁸ About
[02:32.45]Even if your life isn't perfect,
[02:35.09]you can always build towards a goal you're passionate about.
[02:38.47]If you aren't building towards something,
[02:40.62]you're probably stagnating⁹. When this happens to me
[02:43.97]I start to feel like a victim trapped by my own life.
[02:47.19]The best way to reverse this is working towards a goal.
[02:50.63]We can't control everything about our lives,
[02:53.67]but working towards a goal gives us something positive
[02:56.10]to focus on and lays the foundation for future success.
[02:59.82]No matter what your passion is,
[03:02.48]get out there and start doing something.
[03:04.78]As Lao Tzu said, even a journey of 1 000 miles
[03:08.93]begins with a single step.
[03:10.87]6. Stay in Shape
[03:13.56]You only get one body. Once it's been ruined
[03:16.25]there isn't much you can do about it.
[03:17.54]Exercise to keep the rust¹⁰ off.
[03:19.55]Avoid excessive consumption of damaging substances
[03:23.67]and unhealthy foods. It may feel like terrible self denial
[03:27.60]at the time but enjoying good health
[03:30.12]in your later years is worth the sacrifice.

1 forsake   

vt.遗弃，抛弃；舍弃，放弃

参考例句：

• She pleaded with her husband not to forsake her.她恳求丈夫不要抛弃她。
• You must forsake your bad habits.你必须革除你的坏习惯。

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

4 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。

5 projections   

预测( projection的名词复数 )； 投影； 投掷； 突起物

参考例句：

• Their sales projections are a total thumbsuck. 他们的销售量预测纯属估计。
• The council has revised its projections of funding requirements upwards. 地方议会调高了对资金需求的预测。

6 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

7 miserable   

adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的

参考例句：

• It was miserable of you to make fun of him.你取笑他，这是可耻的。
• Her past life was miserable.她过去的生活很苦。

8 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

9 stagnating   

v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I feel I'm stagnating in this job. 我觉得，干这份工作我没有长进。
• ITT was stagnating when Geneen became the chief executive officer in 1959. 1959年吉宁出任行政总负责人时，国际电话电报公司正处于不景气时期。 来自辞典例句

10 rust   

n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退

参考例句：

• She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
• The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。