读者文摘:糟糕的建议合集(3)

STALL OUT. I had wanted to earn a doctoral degree for decades and finally saw an opportunity to do so.

停滞不前。几十年来，我一直想获得博士学位，现在终于有了机会。

When my mother heard about it, she said, "Why? You'll be 50 years old when you complete it!"

当我妈妈听到这件事时，她说：“为什么？你获得学位的时候就50岁了！”

My dad shot back, "She would be 50 years old anyway.

我爸爸反驳道：“反正她也会变成50岁。

Let's help the kid get her education!" Thanks to Dad, I've had a very rewarding career as a university professor.

让我们帮助孩子接受教育吧！”多亏了爸爸，我才有了一份很有意义的大学教授生涯。

As a six-year-old, I entered the 100-yard dash in my school's Little Olympics.

在我六岁的时候，我参加了学校举办的小型奥运会的100码短跑比赛。

My 14-year-old brother advised me to run like an ostrich¹, on my tiptoes, straightlegged. I finished last.

我14岁的哥哥建议我像鸵鸟一样跑步，踮起脚尖，双腿伸直。最后我完成了比赛。

CARPE DIEM. "Go ahead; what could go wrong?"

及时行乐。“去做吧；能出什么事情呢？”

FIND A MENTOR². "An internship³ at the White House will be amazing on your résumé."

找位导师。“在白宫的实习经历会让你的简历更加惊艳。”

HOLD OUT FOR PERFECTION. When I told an unmarried friend I was engaged, she asked whether my fiancée was perfect.

坚持完美。当我告诉一个未婚朋友我订婚了，她问我的未婚妻是否完美。

I told the friend she wasn't. In that case, she told me, don't get married until you find the perfect person.

我告诉朋友她不完美。在这种情况下，她告诉我，在你找到那个完美的人之前不要结婚。

I ignored my friend and have had 26 years of imperfect but happy marriage so far, with four children who bring me great joy.

我忽视了我的朋友的建议，到目前为止，我已经有了26年不完美但幸福的婚姻，有四个孩子，他们给我带来了极大的快乐。

In the process, I have learned to tolerate imperfections in others. That friend, by the way, is still single.

在这个过程中，我学会了容忍别人的不完美。顺便说一下，那个朋友还是单身。

BE GULLIBLE⁴. "Trust me."

容易受骗。“相信我。”

"Follow your passion." This advice sounded great, but it assumed I had some predisposed passion that I was born with. I didn't.

“追随你的激情”。这个建议听起来很好，但它假设我有与生俱来的某种激情。我没有。

So instead, I spent years searching for my passion, wasting valuable time and money.

因此，我花了几年时间寻找我的激情，浪费了宝贵的时间和金钱。

I didn't find it, and it left me with heartache.

我没有找到它，这让我心痛。

Later on in life I realized that passion isn't something you're born with; it's something you develop.

后来在生活中，我意识到激情不是与生俱来的；它是你发展出来的东西。

I wish I had been given the advice to "develop your passion." That would have been a life changer.

我希望有人给过我“培养激情”的建议。那将会改变我们的生活。

1 ostrich   

n.鸵鸟

参考例句：

• Ostrich is the fastest animal on two legs.驼鸟是双腿跑得最快的动物。
• The ostrich indeed inhabits continents.鸵鸟确实是生活在大陆上的。

2 mentor   

n.指导者，良师益友；v.指导

参考例句：

• He fed on the great ideas of his mentor.他以他导师的伟大思想为支撑。
• He had mentored scores of younger doctors.他指导过许多更年轻的医生。

3 internship   

n.实习医师，实习医师期

参考例句：

• an internship at a television station 在电视台的实习期
• a summer internship with a small stipend 薪水微薄的暑期实习

4 gullible   

adj.易受骗的；轻信的

参考例句：

• The swindlers had roped into a number of gullible persons.骗子们已使一些轻信的人上了当。
• The advertisement is aimed at gullible young women worried about their weight.这则广告专门针对担心自己肥胖而易受骗的年轻女士。