名校励志英语演讲 44:我人生中的三个故事

 　　My third story is about death.

　　我的第三个故事与死亡有关。

　　When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I've looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something

　　17岁那年，我读到过这样一段话：“如果把每一天都当作是生命中的最后一天，总有一天你会如愿以偿。”我记住了这句话，从那时起，33年过去了，我每天早晨都对着镜子问自己：“假如今天是生命中的最后一天，我还会去做今天要做的事情吗？”如果一连许多天我的回答都是“不”，我知道自己应该有所改变了。

　　Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything —all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment¹ or failure —these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

　　让我能够做出人生重大选择的最主要办法是，记住生命随时都有可能结束。因为几乎所有的东西——所有外在的需求、所有尊严、所有对困窘和失败的恐惧——在死亡来临时都将不复存在，只剩下真正重要的东西。记住自己随时都会死去，这是我所知道的防止患得患失的最好方法。你已经一无所有了，还有什么理由不听从自己的心声呢。

　　About a year ago I was diagnosed² with cancer. I had a scan³ at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor⁴ on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable⁵, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months.

　　大约一年前，我被诊断患了癌症。那天早上七点半，我做了一次扫描检查，结果清楚显示我的胰腺上张了一个瘤子，可那时我连胰腺是什么都不知道呢！医生告诉我，几乎可以确诊这是一种无法治愈的恶性肿瘤，我最多还能活3到6个月。

　　My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for "prepare to die." It means to try and tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. I means to say your goodbyes。

　　医生建议我回去把一切都安排好，其实这是在暗示“准备后事”。也就是说，把今后十年要跟孩子们说的事情在这几个月内嘱咐完；也就是说，把一切都安排妥当，尽可能不给家人留麻烦；也就是说，去跟大家诀别。

1 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

2 diagnosed   

诊断( diagnose的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Some foetal malformations cannot be diagnosed until late in pregnancy. 有些胎儿的畸形部位得等到妊娠后期才能诊断出来。
• He diagnosed the trouble that caused the engine to knock. 他找出了引擎咔咔响的毛病所在。

3 scan   

n.审视，浏览，扫描，押韵，细查；vt.细看，浏览，扫描，详细调查，信件扫描（指BBS处理直递邮件或会议邮件时，对所有或特定信区做检查的动作）

参考例句：

• The first scan was bad, so I had to do it again.第一次扫描不好，所以我得重做。
• A scan determines the position of the baby in the womb.扫描可以确定胎儿在子宮中的位置。

4 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

5 incurable   

adj.不能医治的，不能矫正的，无救的；n.不治的病人，无救的人

参考例句：

• All three babies were born with an incurable heart condition.三个婴儿都有不可治瘉的先天性心脏病。
• He has an incurable and widespread nepotism.他们有不可救药的，到处蔓延的裙带主义。