智慧背囊 品味人生-11-建好你自己的房子

[00:02.73]Building your House建好你自己的房子
[00:05.06]An elderly carpenter was ready to retire.
[00:08.73] He told his employer of his plans
[00:11.47]to leave the house-building business
[00:13.33]to live a more leisurely¹ life with his wife
[00:15.73]and enjoy his extended family.
[00:18.03]He would miss the paycheck each week,
[00:20.36] but he wanted to retire.
[00:22.43]The employer was sorry to see his good worker go
[00:25.28]and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor.
[00:29.65] The carpenter said yes,
[00:31.40] but over time it was easy to see
[00:34.03]that his heart was not in his work.
[00:36.22]He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials.
[00:40.92] It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated² career.
[00:45.73]When the carpenter finished his work,
[00:49.56] his employer came to inspect the house.
[00:51.86] Then he handed the front-door key to the carpenter and said,
[00:56.13]"This is your house... my gift to you."
[00:58.97]The carpenter was shocked!
[01:01.59]What a shame!
[01:03.67] If he had only known he was building his own house,
[01:06.73] he would have done it all so differently.
[01:09.25]So it is with us.
[01:11.98]We build our lives,
[01:13.63]often putting less than our best into the building.
[01:16.90]Then, with a shock,
[01:18.55]we realize we have to live in the house we have built.
[01:21.94] If we could do it once more,
[01:24.34]we would do it much differently.
[01:26.64]But, you cannot go back.
[01:29.26] You are the carpenter,
[01:31.01]and every day you hammer a nail,
[01:33.09] place a board, or erect³ a wall.
[01:35.28] Someone once said, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."
[01:39.54] Your attitude and the choices you make today,
[01:42.50]help build the "house" you will live in tomorrow.
[01:46.43]Therefore, build wisely!

1 leisurely   

adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的

参考例句：

• We walked in a leisurely manner,looking in all the windows.我们慢悠悠地走着，看遍所有的橱窗。
• He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.他从容的吃了早餐，高兴的开车去工作。

2 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

3 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。