他們即使年屆七旬，在走路、跑步、翻山越嶺時，都走在他人前面。并且，他們也都是語言方面的天才。你從來沒有看見他們坐下來學習一種新的語言，甚至連不規則動詞表也沒見他們瀏覽過，但是他們都可以講幾種語言，不僅流利，而且發音純正。他們一般都精通幾門學科，而且不會使自己局限在某一門科學里，大自然這部巨著被他們熟記在心。不久以前，我還讀到一位杰出的小說家的事跡。他是一位非常老練且細致的人，據說他熟悉鄉村每一種野花野草、樹木和禽鳥的名稱、習性和生活史。除此之外，請原諒我用一些套話來形容，這些大人物都是富于靈感的音樂大師，或是精妙絕倫的業余水彩畫家，或是風格優美的文體家。更使我們感到驚訝的是，盡管他們的境遇不同，只要他們認真從事這門或那門藝術，憑著他們的才能，日后都會獲得不朽的聲譽，甚至還會享譽全球。這些對他們的描述總是神乎其神。

但是我非常困惑。他們憑什么做得到？我再次想問這個問題，甚至嫉妒和煩惱得要遙問蒼天。我們應該仔細地想一想，一首樂曲、一幅水彩畫或一篇美妙的文章究竟意味著什么（這一點卻被他們輕輕帶過或略而不談），這需要很多年專心致志地在鍵盤上、在畫架上或者在寫字臺上辛勤工作才能有所成就。而像你我這樣胡亂彈奏鋼琴曲，同時還用左手插入即興的過門，或者不管色彩是否協調蘸上水彩亂涂幾筆，或者在一篇粗制濫造的散文里貼上幾句閃閃爍爍的陳詞濫調，是不會成為一個有成就的音樂家、畫家或作家的。要是成功指的是前者，我可以理解；但是如果指的是后者呢？——尚且還不過是作為一種業余的消遣！更不用說他們還要從事體育運動、研究各門科學、學習各種語言，甚至自然史！這使我迷惑不解，佩服得五體投地。這就是使我覺得自己越來越渺小，小得像個小蚊蟲的原因。而他們有如此神奇的天賦，正像傳說中講的那樣。

茫茫宇宙，廣闊的大自然，我們在其中都是那么渺小。不論多么偉大的人，都會發出這樣的感慨！我們渺小，但有存在的價值。一切偉大與渺小都是相對的！

1. The big_________of Nature they know by heart._________ the other day I was reading an account of a great novelist， a most sophisticated and subtle person， and was told that he_________the name and habits and history of every wild_________and plant and tree and bird in the country.

2. We are_________told that， had circumstance been ， their talents were such that they need only have given their serious_________to one or other of these arts to have procured for themselves lasting and perhaps world-wide reputations. So_________the legend of the eulogists.

3. The very idle rumour of fellow-creatures so wonderfully_________makes me dwindle in my own estimation to the_________of a gnat.

1. 你從來沒有看見他們坐下來學習一種新的語言，甚至連不規則動詞表也沒見他們瀏覽過。

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2. 大家都認為他們隨便就可以講幾種語言，不僅流利，而且發音純正。

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3. 這使我迷惑不解，佩服得五體投地。

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1. To begin with， unless these people chance to be obvious invalids like Stevenson or Chehov， they are always tremendous athletes…

to begin with：首先；第一；原先

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2. …they are always tremendous athletes， with surprising strength， powers of endurance， and so forth.

and so forth：等等；諸如此類

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微笑的力量

The Smile

佚名 / Anonymous

Many Americans are familiar with The Little Prince， a wonderful book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This is a whimsical and fabulous book and works as a children’s story as well as a thought—provoking adult fable. Far fewer are aware of Saint-Exupery’s other writings， novels and short stories.

Saint-Exupery was a fighter pilot who fought against the Nazis and was killed in action. Before World War II， he fought in the Spanish Civil War against the fascists. He wrote a fascinating story based on that experience entitled The Smile. It is this story which I’d like to share with you now. It isn’t clear whether or not he meant this to be autobiographical or fiction. I choose to believe it to be the former.

He said that he was captured by the enemy and thrown into a jail cell. He was sure that from the contemptuous looks and rough treatment he received from his jailers he would be executed the next day. From here， I’ll tell the story as I remember it in my own words.

“I was sure that I was to be killed. I became terribly nervous and distraught. I fumbled in my pockets to see if there were any cigarettes， which had escaped their search. I found one and because of my shaking hands， I could barely get it to my lips. But I had no matches. They had taken those.

“I looked through the bars at my jailer. He did not make eye contact with me. After all， one does not make eye contact with a thing， a corpse. I called out to him ‘Have you got a light？’ He looked at me， shrugged and came over to light my cigarette.

“As he came close and lit the match， his eyes inadvertently locked with mine. At that moment， I smiled. I don’t know why I did that. Perhaps it was nervousness， perhaps it was because， when you get very close， one to another， it is very hard not to smile. In any case， I smiled. In that instant， it was as though a spark jumped across the gap between our two hearts， our two human souls. I knew he didn’t want to， but my smile leaped through the bars and generated a smile on his lips， too. He lit my cigarette but stayed near， looking at me directly in the eyes and continuing to smile.

“I kept smiling at him， now aware of him as a person and not just a jailer. And his looking at me seemed to have a new dimension， too. ‘Do you have kids？’ He asked.

“‘Yes， here， here.’ I took out my wallet and nervously fumbled for the pictures of my family. He， too， took out the pictures of his family and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them. My eyes filled with tears. I said that I feared that I’d never see my family again， never have the chance to see them grow up. Tears came to his eyes， too.

“Suddenly， without another word， he unlocked my cell and silently led me out. Out of the jail， quietly and by back routes， out of the town. There， at the edge of town， he released me. And without another word， he turned back toward the town.

“My life was saved by a smile.”