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#每周一读#【英文短篇】一个年轻加拿大男孩因无法通过各类“智力测试”而被学校劝退。临走时校医劝他不必因此缺陷而沮丧,人皆有天赋,学业优劣不足以决定人生。小男孩通过努力工作找到志趣爱好,亦获得机遇眷顾,成为了出色的园艺师。不仅活出了人生的精彩,更把自己的生活重新打理得美好宜居。
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主持:京晶 外籍嘉宾:Judy
By Nick
为你读美文
The boy with the low I.Q.
《一个低智商男孩的园艺王国 》
'Some day you will find what your special gift is and when you do, you will make your parents very proud of you'. One of the worst evils of today is the exaggerated importance given to so-called intelligence tests. Many other qualities besides agility in answering trick questions go into the making of human personality. A man can fail all the tests and make a wonderful life. Let me tell you what happened to a young Canadian boy.
总有一天,你会发现你有特别的天赋,当你去使用它,你的父母也会为你骄傲。所谓的智力测试被过分看重,这是如今的不幸。诸如敏捷应答难题等此类的素质其实也参与人格塑造。一个人就算各种测试一败涂地也能活出精彩人生。我来告诉你一个年轻的加拿大男孩经历过什么。
NEW
单词
WORDS
1. Low I.Q. (adj.; high/low +noun) 低智商
2. Evils (noun) ['ivl] 罪恶,邪恶;不幸
3. So-called (adj.) [,so'kɔld] 所谓的;号称的
4. Intelligence tests (noun) [ɪn'tɛlɪdʒəns] 智力测试
5. Agility (noun) [ə'dʒɪlətɪ] 敏捷;灵活;机敏
6. Trick questions (noun) 难题
7. Go into the making of human personality (expression) 塑造性格
Call him Johnnie Martin. He was the son of a carpenter, and his mother worked as a housekeeper. They lived frugal lives, saving their money for the day when they could send their son to college. Johnnie had reached the second year in high school when the blow fell. A psychologist attached to the school called the young man, just reached sixteen, into his private office and this is what he said.
他叫约翰尼・马丁,是一个木匠的儿子。母亲是一位家庭主妇。父母节衣缩食,为了将来能送孩子上大学。就在约翰尼上高中二年级那年,一个沉重的打击袭来。学校的心理医生把刚满16岁的约翰尼叫到了他的办公室,对约翰尼说了下面这段话:
NEW
单词
WORDS
8. A carpenter (noun) 木匠
9. Frugal (adj.) ['fruɡl] 节俭的;朴素的;花钱少的
10. When the blow fell (expression) 沉重打击袭来
11. A psychologist (noun) 心理学家;哲学家
'Johnnie, I've been studying your marks and I've gone over your various tests in motor and sensory impressions - your physical examination. I've made a very careful study of you and your achievements.' 'I've been trying hard,' put in Johnnie. 'That's just the trouble.' said the psychologist.
“约翰尼,我一直在研究你的学习成绩,我仔细核查了你的运动和感觉系统的各项测试—你的体检情况,我已经对你和你的成绩作了十分仔细的研究,”
“我一直都在努力。” 约翰尼插话说。
“问题就在这里。”心理医生说。
'You have worked very hard indeed - but it has not helped. You just don't seem able to get ahead in your studies. You're just not cut out for it, and for you to remain in high school would, in my opinion, be a waste of time.'
“你的确已经非常努力了,可一点效果也没有。你的学习好像无法再取得任何进步。你天生不是这块料,如果你继续上中学,依我看,也只是浪费时间。”
The boy buried his face in his hands. 'This will be hard on my mother and father,' he said. 'Their one idea is for me to be a college man.
约翰尼用双手捂住了脸。“这会让妈妈、爸爸非常难过的。”他说,“他们唯一的希望就是让我上大学。”
NEW
单词
WORDS
17. To get ahead in (phrasal verb, from: to get ahead in something) 获得成功
18. Not cut out for it (idiom) 不是某块料
19. Will be hard on (phrasal verb, from: something is hard on someone) 对某人而言将是难以接受的
The psychologist laid his hand on the boy's shoulder. 'People have different kinds of talents, Johnnie,' he said.' 'There are painters who were never able to learn the multiplication table, and engineers who can't sing on key. But every one of us has something special - and you are no exception. Some day you will find what your special gift is and when you do, you will make your parents very proud of you.'
心理医生把手放在男孩的肩膀上,说:“约翰尼,人都有不同的天赋。有的画家一辈子也学不会乘法表,有的工程师唱歌就是找不着调。然而,我们每个人都有自己独特的才能――你也不例外。总有一天,你会发现自己独特的天赋,到那时,你会让父母为你感到骄傲的。”
NEW
单词
WORDS
20. The multiplication table (noun) 乘法表
21. Sing on key (phrasal verb) 唱歌调准
Johnnie never went back to school. Jobs were scarce in town, but he managed to keep busy mowing the lawns of the householders and puttering in their flower-beds. And then a curious thing happened. Before long his customers began to notice that Johnnie had what they called a 'green thumb'. The plants he tended grew and blossomed, and the rose trees blossomed. He fell into the habit of making suggestions for re-arranging the tiny front-yard landscapes. He had an eye for colour and could make surprising combinations that pleased the eye.
约翰尼再也没有回学校。镇上工作很难找,但他还是设法找到些给人修剪草坪、摆弄花坛的活计。这时,一件奇怪的事情发生了。他的顾客很快发现,约翰尼其实是一个园艺高手。由他侍弄的植物开花了,玫瑰也繁花似锦。他渐渐习惯了建议别人重新布置小小的前院的景观。他对色彩很有鉴赏力,颜色搭配常常出人意料,让人看了赏心悦目。
NEW
单词
WORDS
22. Scarce (adj.) [skɛrs] 缺乏的,不足的;稀有的
23. Mowing the lawns (phrasal verb) 修剪草坪
24. Puttering (verb) ['pʌtɚ] vi. 侍弄
25. Flower-beds (noun) 花圃;花坛
26. Before long (adv.) 不久以后
27. 'Green thumb' (idiom) 有特殊园艺才能的人
28. Tended (verb, from: to tend) [tɛnd] 照料,照顾
29. . Blossomed (verb) 长成;发展;开花
30. Fell into the habit of doing something 养成…的习惯
31. Re-arranging (verb) 重新安排
32. Front-yard landscapes (expression) 前院景色
33. Had an eye for (idiom, from: to have an eye for something) 对某事有眼光
34. Combinations (noun) [,kɑmbɪ'neʃən] 结合;组合;
One day while he was down town he happened to notice a stretch of unused land behind the city hall. Chance or fate or whatever you may like to call it brought one of the town's alderman round the corner just at that moment. Impetuously the boy said, 'I can make a garden out of this dump, if you'll let me.'
一天,他去城里的时候,偶然在市政厅的后面发现一块闲置的空地。机缘巧合,此时正好有一位市政委员走过市政厅的拐角。男孩一阵冲动,对他说:“如果您允许的话,我可以把这片垃圾场变成一个花园
'The town's got no money for frills,' said the alderman. 'I don't want any money for it,' said the boy - 'I just want to do it.'
“市里可没有钱来搞什么美化。” 市政委员说。
“我一分钱都不要。”男孩说,“我只是想试试。”
The alderman, being a politician, was astounded to find anyone who did not want money, under any and all circumstances. He took Johnnie into an office, and when the young man came out he had the authority to clean up the public eyesore.
竟然有人干活不要钱,这让市政委员感到很惊讶。他把约翰尼领进一间办公室。当这个年轻人出来的时候,他已经得到授权来清除这个公认的“眼中钉”。
NEW
单词
WORDS
35. A stretch of unused land (expression) 一片未使用的土地
36. City hall (noun) 市政厅
37. Alderman (noun) ['ɔldɚmən] 市议员;总督;市府参事;高级市政官
38. Impetuously (adv.) [im'petjuəsli] 性急地,冲动地
39. Dump (noun) [dʌmp] n. 垃圾场
40. Frills (noun) [frɪl] 美化,虚饰,
41. Astounded (adj.) [ə'staʊndɪd] 受惊骇的;被震惊的
42. Under any and all circumstances (expression) 在任何情况下
43. Had the authority to (had + noun + to) 获得授权做某事
44. Public eyesore (expression) 公众的眼中钉
That very afternoon he borrowed extra tools and seeds and soil. Someone gave him a few young trees to plant. When others heard of it they offered rose-bushes and even a hedge. Then the town's leading manufacturer heard of it, and volunteered to supply some benches.
就在当天下午,约翰尼借来工具、种子和土壤。有人给了他一些树苗。其他人听说此事后,纷纷提供玫瑰花丛,甚至还有树篱。市里的一家大工厂听说了此事,免费提供一些长椅。
Before long the dreary old dump had become a little park. There were grassy lawns and little curving walks and restful seats and little house for birds. All the townspeople were talking about what a lovely improvement the young man had made. But it was also a kind of show window for Johnnie. People saw the result of his skill and knew him for a natural landscape gardener.
没多久,那块沉闷乏味的垃圾场就变成了一个小小的花园。有绿油油的草地,有蜿蜒曲折的花径,还有供人休憩的坐椅和为小鸟搭建的窝巢。镇上所有的人都在谈论,这个年轻人把这块地方变得多么可爱。 不过,这也是展示约翰尼才艺的一个窗口。人们见识到他的手艺,知道他是一个天生的园艺设计师。
NEW
单词
WORDS
45. Rose-bushes (noun) 玫瑰花丛
46. Hedge (noun) [hɛdʒ] 树篱
47. Leading 领头的,主要的
48.Manufacturer(noun [,mænju'fæktʃərɚ] 制造商;
49. Benches (noun) [bɛntʃ] 长凳;
50. Dreary (adj.) ['drɪri] 沉闷的,枯燥的
51. Grassy (adj.) ['ɡræsi] 长满草的;绿油油的
52. Curving (verb, from: to curve) ['kə:viŋ] v. 弯曲的
53. Show window (noun) 橱窗;展览窗
That was twenty-five years ago. Today Johnnie is the head of a prosperous business in landscape gardening. His customers extend into neighbouring provinces.J ohnnie still cannot speak French or translate Latin, trigonometry is unknown to him.
这已是25年前的事情了。现在的约翰尼是一家生意兴隆的园艺设计公司的负责人。他的客户已经扩展到临近的其他省份。约翰尼到现在还是不会讲法语,也不会翻译拉丁语,对三角学更是一窍不通。
But colour and light and lovely prospects are his bread and butter. His aging parents are proud of Johnnie, for he is not only a success - a man of affairs and a member of the best clubs in town - he has also made his part of the world a lovelier place to live in. Whereever he and his men go, they spread beauty before the eyes of people.
然而,色彩、光线和怡人的景观设计成了他的职业。他年迈的父母为他感到骄傲,不仅仅因为他是一位成功人士,还因为他把自己的那部分世界变得更为美好,适宜居住。 不管他和他的设计团队去到哪里,他们都散播赏心悦目的美丽。
NEW
单词
WORDS
54. Prosperous (adj.) ['prɑspərəs] 繁荣的;兴旺的
55. Landscape gardening (noun) 造园术
56. Trigonometry (noun) ,trɪɡə'nɑmətri] 三角法
57. Prospects (noun) ['prɑspɛkt] 景色
58. Bread and butter (noun; metaphor) 生计,主职
59. A man of affairs (noun) 见过大场面的人
Try not to become a man of success
but rather try to become a man of value.
——Elbert. Ainstein
不要只为成功而努力,
要为做一个有价值的人而努力。
--爱因斯坦
The End
荐
歌
Down By The Salley Gardens
By 藤田惠美 -
这首闻名遐迩的歌曲,"Down by the salley gardens",是叶芝早年的诗作。他的早年诗歌韵律优美,感情细腻,辞藻华丽,象征意味浓郁,明显受到英国浪漫主义和法国象征主义诗歌的影响。 这首诗象民歌那样语言质朴,可咏性强。其次,这首诗在时态的运用上也有独特之处。全诗除了最后半行用现在时以外都是用过去时态。这说明过去对人们的现在具有十分重要的意义。在诗的最后,诗人用一般现在时是意味深长的。虽然对现在情况的描述只有五个词便戛然而止,但是,由于诗人把这几个词放在全诗最突出的位置,所以给人以意犹未尽的感觉,读者可以通过这几个词来感受"我"的广阔的心灵世界
叶芝的手稿中记录了这首歌的创作背景。叶芝在爱尔兰西部的斯莱戈郊外的村庄里,听见了一位年迈的农民在哼唱一首民谣,名叫The Rambling Boys of Pleasure,歌词里就提到了Sally Gardens ("It was down by Sally's Garden one evening late I took my way")。叶芝觉得很好听,就过去想听完整版。然而这位年迈的农民已经不记得完整的歌词了。于是,叶芝就自己为这首民谣填上了词,并命名为An Old Song Re-Sung。这首歌传唱开后,名称就被定为歌词的第一句--Down by the Sally Gardens。 1909年,爱尔兰音乐家Herbert Hughes将曲调重新改编。
这首歌的意境不必用文字来描述,也不应该用文字来描述。只有当你静下心来亲耳听一遍,才能感受那沁人心脾的旋律,找到最初的自我。
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