Even a minor event in the life of a child is an event of that child's world and thus a world event.Children are not things to be molded,but are people to be unfolded.

在孩童的生活中，哪怕一件小事，也是那個孩子世界里的大事，因而也是一件世界性的事件。兒童不是要被塑造的東西，而是要被展開的人。

Making Sandcastles　堆沙堡的小男孩

◎Max Lucado

A little boy is on his knees scooping and packing the sand with plastic shovels into a bright blue bucket.Then he upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it.And,to the delight of the little architect,a castle tower is created.

All afternoon he will work,scooping out the moat and packing the walls.Bottle tops will be sentries.Sticks will be bridges.A sandcastle will be built.

Big city.Busy streets.Rumbling traffic.

A man is in his office.At his desk he puts papers into stacks and assigns tasks.The phone is on his shoulder and he is knocking the keyboard with his fingers.Contracts are signed and much to the delight of the man,a profit is made.

All his life he will work,formulating the plans,forecasting the future.Profits will be sentries.Capital gains will be bridges.An empire will be built.

Two builders of two castles.They have much in common.They shape little pebbles into grand buildings.They are diligent and determined.And for both the tide will rise and the end will come.Yet that is where the similarities stop.For the boy sees the end while the man ignores it.

As the waves near,the wise child jumps to his feet and begins to clap.There is no sorrow.No fear.No regret.He knew this would happen.He is not surprised.

And when the great breaker crashes into his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the sea,he smiles.He smiles,picks up his tools,takes his father's hand,and goes home.

The grownup,however,is not so wise.As the wave of years collapses on his castle he is terrified.He tries to protect the sandy monument.He blocks the waves from the walls he has made.Salt-water soaked and shivering he snarls at the incoming tide.

"It's my castle,"he protests.

The ocean need not respond.Both know to whom the sand belongs...

I don't know much about sandcastles.But children do.Watch them and learn.Go ahead and build,but build with a child's heart.

When the sun sets and the tides take—applaud.

Salute the process of life and go home.

一個小男孩跪在那里，用塑料鏟挖著沙子，并把沙子裝進一個鮮艷的藍桶。然后他把藍桶倒扣在地上，再把它提起來。讓這小建筑師開心的是，一座城堡的塔樓就這樣誕生了。

整個下午他都要工作：挖護城河，建城墻，瓶蓋就是崗哨，木棍就是橋粱。一座城堡就這樣建成了。

某個大城市，繁忙的街道，擁擠的交通。

一位男士在他的辦公室里。坐在辦公桌前，他把文件堆疊在一起，分配任務。他將電話夾在肩頭，手指不停地敲擊著鍵盤。合同簽字生效，讓這位男士高興的是，一筆贏利就這樣做成了。

他的整個一生都會工作：制定計劃，預測未來。紅利就是崗哨，資本積累就是橋梁。一個帝國就這樣建成了。

這兩座城堡的建筑者，他們有很多共同之處。他們會把細小的鵝卵石變成宏偉的建筑。他們很勤奮也很有決心。而對于他們倆而言，漲潮都會發生，一切都會結束。然而，相似之處就此畫上了一個句號。男孩看到了結局，而男人卻忽略了它。

然而，巨浪來臨時，聰明的男孩歡呼跳躍。沒有悲傷，沒有恐懼，沒有遺憾。他知道這一切都會發生，他并不感到驚訝。

當這巨大的破壞者沖毀他的城堡，將他的杰作卷入大海，男孩笑了。男孩微笑著，收拾好他的工具，拉著父親的手，然后回家。

然而，這位成年人，卻不那么聰明。當歲月的巨浪擊毀他的城堡時，他害怕了。他試圖保護這沙質紀念碑。他試圖阻止巨浪襲擊他建造的城墻。咸海水湮沒了他的城堡。

“這是我的城堡！”他戰栗著怒吼。

海洋不需要回應。兩者都明白沙子的歸宿……

我對沙堡所知甚少，但男孩知道。他看著它們，學習著。走上前去，然后用心建造。

當太陽升起時，潮水在為他鼓掌。

向生命的過程敬禮，然后回家。

美麗語錄

Do not,for one repulse,forgot the purpose that you resolved to effort.

不要只因一次挫敗，就放棄你原來決心想達到的目的。

The Sorrows of Young Werther　少年維特之煩惱

◎Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

JULY 16.

How my heart beats when by accident I touch her finger,or my feet meet hers under the table!I draw back as if from a furnace;but a secret force impels me forward again,and my senses become disordered.Her innocent,unconscious heart never knows what agony these little familiarities inflict upon me.Sometimes when we are talking she lays her hand upon mine,and in the eagerness of conversation comes closer to me,and her balmy breath reaches my lips,—when I feel as if lightning had struck me,and that I could sink into the earth.And yet,Wilhelm,with all this heavenly confidence,—if I know myself,and should ever dare—you understand me.No,no!My heart is not so corrupt,it is weak,weak enough but is not that a degree of corruption?

She is to me a sacred being.All passion is still in her presence:I cannot express my sensations when I am near her.I feel as if my soul beat in every nerve of my body.There is a melody which she plays on the piano with angelic skill,—so simple is it,and yet so spiritual!It is her favorite air;and,when she plays the first note,all pain,care,and sorrow disappear from me in a moment.

I believe every word that is said of the magic of ancient music.How her simple song enchants me!Sometimes,when I am ready to commit suicide,she sings that air;and instantly the gloom and madness which hung over me are dispersed,and I breathe freely again.

JULY 18.

Wilhelm,what is the world to our hearts without love?What is a magic-lantern without light?You have but to kindle the flame within,and the brightest figures shine on the white wall;and,if love only show us fleeting shadows,we are yet happy,when,like mere children,we behold them,and are transported with the splendid phantoms.I have not been able to see Charlotte to-day.I was prevented by company from which I could not disengage myself.What was to be done?I sent my servant to her house,that I might at least see somebody to-day who had been near her.Oh,the impatience with which I waited for his return!The joy with which I welcomed him!I should certainly have caught him in my arms,and kissed him,if I had not been ashamed.

It is said that the Bonona stone,when placed in the sun,attracts the rays,and for a time appears luminous in the dark.So was it with me and this servant.The idea that Charlotte's eyes had dwelt on his countenance,his cheek,his very apparel,endeared them all inestimably to me,so that at the moment I would not have parted from him for a thousand crowns.His presence made me so happy!Beware of laughing at me,Wilhelm.Can that be a delusion which makes us happy?

AUGUST 8.

Believe me,dear Wilhelm,I did not allude to you when I spoke so severely of those who advise resignation to inevitable fate.I did not think it possible for you to indulge such a sentiment.But in fact you are right.I only suggest one objection.In this world one is seldom reduced to make a selection between two alternatives.There are as many varieties of conduct and opinion as there are turns of feature between an aquiline nose and a flat one.

You will,therefore,permit me to concede your entire argument,and yet contrive means to escape your dilemma.

Your position is this,I hear you say:"Either you have hopes of obtaining Charlotte,or you have none.Well,in the first case,pursue your course,and press on to the fulfillment of your wishes.In the second,be a man,and shake off a miserable passion,which will enervate and destroy you."My dear friend,this is well and easily said.

But would you require a wretched being,whose life is slowly wasting under a lingering disease,to dispatch himself at once by the stroke of a dagger?Does not the very disorder which consumes his strength deprive him of the courage to affect his deliverance?

You may answer me,if you please,with a similar analogy,"Who would not prefer the amputation of an arm to the periling of life by doubt and procrastination!"But I know not if I am right,and let us leave these comparisons.

Enough!There are moments,Wilhelm,when I could rise up and shake it all off,and when,if I only knew where to go,I could fly from this place.

THE SAME EVENING.

My diary,which I have for some time neglected,came before me today;and I am amazed to see how deliberately I have entangled myself step by step.To have seen my position so clearly,and yet to have acted so like a child!Even still I behold the result plainly,and yet have no thought of acting with greater prudence.

七月十六日

當我偶然觸碰到她的手指，我們的雙腳在桌子下相遇時，我的心跳加速了！我就像碰到火似地退縮了。然而，一股神奇的力量促使我繼續著，我的思緒凌亂了。她那顆天真無知的心從未意識到，這些毫不起眼的親密舉動對我來說卻是一種折磨。聊天時她偶爾會把手搭在我的手上，聊天的渴望讓她坐得離我越來越近，她的呼吸仿佛都充滿了芳香，撲向我的嘴唇，我感覺就像是被閃電擊中，整個身體都要沉到地底下去了。可是，威廉，如果早知道自己有極好的自信心，我就該……你應該能夠理解我的。不，不！我的心不像是會這么墮落的呀，它只是有點軟弱，只是軟弱而已，還不至于到達墮落的程度吧？

對我來說，她就是一個不可冒犯的女神。在她面前，我所有的激情都在那一刻安靜：當我靠近她時，我無法表達心中所感。我感覺我的靈魂正在我體內的每根神經上跳動。她用天使般的技藝彈奏著一首動聽的鋼琴曲，——簡單卻能觸及心靈。那是她最愛的曲子，當第一個音符從她的指尖飛出時，我所有的痛苦、擔心、悲傷便在頃刻間消失得無影無蹤。

每一個關于古老樂曲具有魔力的說法我都深信不疑。她彈奏的這首簡單的樂曲就能讓我著迷！每當我想要輕生的時候，她就會唱起那首歌。于是，那些纏著我不放的陰郁和瘋狂就會立即消失不見，我又能自由地呼吸了。

七月十八日

威廉啊，沒有愛的世界對我們而言會是什么呢？沒有光亮的魔燈又會是什么呢？你必須燃起里面的火焰，這樣最鮮亮的圖像就會映在那面潔白無瑕的墻上了。即使愛留給我們的只是轉瞬即逝的幻影，我們還是會感到幸福，我們就像孩子似地擁抱著它，為這個輝煌的幻影激動萬分。今天我不能去見夏洛特了，因為我有個約會不得不去。這該怎么辦呢？我派了仆人到她家去，這樣今天我至少能見到一個曾經近距離接觸過她的人。噢！等待仆人的歸來讓我焦躁不已！我見到他時該有多高興啊！如果我不那么害羞的話，我想我肯定會用雙臂擁抱他，然后親吻他。

曾經聽人們提起過博洛納石頭，當置于太陽底下時它能吸收陽光，過了一會兒就能在黑暗中閃閃發亮了。所以，在我眼中我的仆人就像是博洛納石頭。我覺得夏洛特的眼神曾在他的表情，他的臉頰，他的衣服上停留過，這種感覺讓一切變得珍貴起來。此時此刻，即使有人愿意給我一千個皇冠，我也不會把他讓出去。他的存在讓我感到無比快樂！威廉，你可別笑我啊！難道這就是能夠讓我們幸福的幻影？

八月八日

親愛的威廉，請相信我，當我大聲呵斥那些讓我們屈服于命運的人們時，我并非指你。我從未想過你也持有類似的觀點。可事實上你是正確的。我只反對一點。在這個世界上，“非此即彼”的選擇是少之又少的。世間的行為和觀點多種多樣，就像鷹鉤鼻和扁平鼻之間的區別一樣，數不勝數。

然而，如果我承認你的整套理論都是正確的，卻又千方百計想要逃出你“進退兩難”的窘境，你不會怪我吧？

你的態度是這樣的，我聽到你說：“你要么對夏洛特抱有希望，要么就不抱任何希望。那么，第一種情況，你必須堅持你的追求，奮力前進讓自己美夢成真。第二種情況，做個真正的男子漢，拋開那些痛苦的、讓你變得脆弱甚至會毀掉你的情感。”我親愛的朋友，你說得很好、很干脆。

但是，假如一個不幸的人正在被日益惡化的疾病慢慢耗去生命時，你能勸他用匕首給自己一刀，從而永遠地結束這種痛苦嗎？病痛帶走的不僅是他的精力，也帶走了他自我了斷的勇氣。

如果高興的話，你還會用一個類似的比喻回答我，“與其猶豫不決、瞻前顧后，用自己的生命當賭注，還不如舍棄一條胳膊！”我不知道自己是不是對的，那我們就暫時將這些比喻句放在一旁吧！

夠了！威廉，有些時候，我也有重新振作并甩掉這些情感包袱的勇氣。如果我知道我該去向何方，我就會飛離這兒。

八月八日晚上

我已經好長時間沒有寫日記了，今天我想寫點什么。我驚奇地發現自己竟是故意一步步地陷入目前的境地中。我十分清楚自己的處境，可我的行為卻像小孩一樣幼稚。我甚至連最終的結局也看得清清楚楚，可我仍舊不愿做一些讓結局變好的舉動。

美麗語錄

Words cannot explain how much I miss you.

關于我有多想念你，一切語言都顯得蒼白無力。

If I Were a Boy Again　假如我又回到了童年

◎Anonymous

If I were a boy again,I would practice perseverance more often,and never give up a thing because it was hard or inconvenient.If we want light,we must conquer darkness.Perseverance can sometimes equal genius in its results."There are only two creatures,"says a proverb,"who can surmount the pyramids—the eagle and the snail."

If I were a boy again,I would school myself into a habit of attention;I would let nothing come between me and the subject in hand.I would remember that a good skater never tries to skate in two directions at once.

The habit of attention becomes part of our life,if we began early enough.I often hear grown up people say"I could not fix my attention on the sermon or book,although I wished to do so,"and the reason is,the habit was not formed in youth.

If I were to live my life over again,I would pay more attention to the cultivation of the memory.I would strengthen that faculty by every possible means,and on every possible occasion.It takes a little hard work at first to remember things accurately;but memory soon helps itself,and gives very little trouble.It only needs early cultivation to become a power.

If I were a boy again,I would cultivate courage."Nothing is so mild and gentle as courage,nothing so cruel and pitiless as cowardice,"says a wise author.

We too often borrow trouble,and anticipate that may never appear."The fear of ill exceeds the ill we fear."Dangers will arise in any career,but presence of mind will often conquer the worst of them.Be prepared for any fate,and there is no harm to be feared.

If I were a boy again,I would look on the cheerful side.Life is very much like a mirror:if you smile upon it,I smiles back upon you;but if you frown and look doubtful on it,you will get a similar look in return.

Inner sunshine warms not only the heart of the owner,but of all that come in contact with it."Who shuts love out,in turn shall be shut out from love."

If I were a boy again,I would school myself to say no more often.I might write pages on the importance of learning very early in life to gain that point where a young boy can stand erect,and decline doing an unworthy act because it is unworthy.

If I were a boy again,I would demand of myself more courtesy towards my companions and friends,and indeed towards strangers as well.The smallest courtesies along the rough roads of life are like the little birds that sing to us all winter long,and make that season of ice and snow more endurable.

Finally,instead of trying hard to be happy,as if that were the sole purpose of life,I would,if I were a boy again,I would still try harder to make others happy.

假如我又回到了童年，我會時常鍛煉我的毅力，再也不會因為事情困難或者麻煩就決定放棄。如果想要獲得光明，我們就要戰勝黑暗。有時候，毅力在結果上能與天才相媲美。俗話說：“世上只有兩種生物能登上金字塔，它們就是——老鷹和蝸牛。”

假如我又回到了童年，我會養成做事專心致志的習慣，事情在手時我不會因為任何東西而分心。我會牢記：一個優秀的滑冰手絕不會試著滑向兩個不同的方向。

如果早早地養成專心的習慣，它就能成為我們生命中的一部分。我常聽大人們說：“我無法專心聽牧師講道或者看書，即便我希望自己能夠專心去做這些事情。”而原因就是，年輕的時候沒有養成專心的習慣。

假如我的生命能夠重新來過，我就會著重培養我的記憶力。我會想方設法在各種可能的場合增強我的記憶力。想要清楚地記住一些事情，剛開始的時候的確需做出一番小小的努力。但是過不了多久，記憶力本身就會起作用，記東西就成了一件簡單的事情了。只要早點開始培養，記憶力也能成為一種才能。

假如我又回到了童年，我會培養勇氣。一位聰明的作家曾經說過：“世上沒有什么東西比勇氣更溫文爾雅，沒有什么東西比懦弱更冷酷無情。”

我們時常會自尋煩惱，杞人憂天。“對疾病的懼怕要比疾病本身可怕。”危險無處不在，但鎮定沉著往往能克服最大的危險。時刻準備著應對任何禍福，那么災難就沒什么可怕的了。

假如我又回到了童年，我會事事樂觀。生活就如一面鏡子：你對生活笑，生活就會對你笑；但是，如果你眉頭緊鎖，用懷疑的目光看待它，它也將還以你同樣的目光。

心中的歡愉既溫暖了自己，也溫暖了與之接觸過的那些人的心。“誰把愛拒之門外，愛也必將其拒之門外。”

假如我又回到了童年，我要養成經常說“不”的習慣。也許我會寫上好幾頁關于早年培養這一點的重要性，因為一個少年要學會頂天立地，只要覺得一件事不值得做，就拒絕去做。

假如我又回到了童年，我會要求自己更加禮貌地對待我的伙伴和朋友，還有陌生人。坎坷人生路上，最細小的禮貌就像是漫漫冬日里為我們歌唱的小鳥，是歌聲讓冰天雪地的冷冬變得不再那么難過。

最后，假如我又回到了童年，我不會把為自己謀幸福作為人生的唯一目標，我也會為他人的幸福而努力。

美麗語錄

Sometimes you need to look back,otherwise you will never know what you have lost in the way of forever searching.

偶爾要回頭看看，否則永遠都在追尋，而不知道自己失去了什么。

Bill Gates in His Boyhood　比爾·蓋茨的童年時代

◎Sarah Kay

As a child—and as an adult as well—Bill was untidy.It has been said that in order to counteract this,Mary drew up weekly clothing plans for him.On Mondays he might go to school in blue,on Tuesdays in green,on Wednesdays in brown,on Thursdays in black,and so on,Weekend meal schedules might also be planned in detail.Everything time,at work or during his leisure time.

Dinner table discussions in the Gate's family home were always lively and educational."It was a rich environment in which to learn,"Bill remembered.

Bill's contemporaries,even at the age,recognized that he was exceptional.Every year,he and his friends would go to summer camp.Bill especially liked swimming and other sports.One of his summer camp friends recalled,"He was never a nerd or a goof or the kind of kid you didn't want your team.We all knew Bill was smarter than us.Even back then,when he was nine or ten years old,he talked like an adult and could express himself in ways that none of us understood."

Bill was also well ahead of his classmates in mathematics and science.He needed to go to a school that challenged him to Lakeside—an all-boys'school for exceptional students.It was Seattle's most exclusive school and was noted for its rigorous academic demands,a place where"even the dumb kids were smart".

Lakeside allowed students to pursue their own interests,to whatever extent they wished.The school prided itself on making conditions and facilities available that would enable all its students to reach their full potential.It was the ideal environment for someone like Bill Gates.

In 1968,the school made a decision that would change thirteen-year-old Bill Cates's life—and that of many of others,too.

Funds were raised,mainly by parents,that enabled the school to gain access to a computer—a Program Data Processor(PDP)—through a teletype machine.Type in a few instructions on the teletype machine and a few seconds later the PDP would type back its response.Bill Gates was immediately hooked—so was his best friend at the time,Kent Evans,and another student,Paul Allen,who was two years older than Bill.

Whenever they had free time,and sometimes when they didn't,they would dash over to the computer room to use the machine.The students became so single-minded that they soon overtook their teachers in knowledge about computing and got into a lot of trouble because of their obsession.They were neglecting their other studies—every piece of word was handed in late.Classes were cut.Computer time was also proving to be very expensive.Within months,the whole budget that had been set aside for the year had been used up.

At fourteen,Bill was already writing short programs for the computer to perform.Early games programs such as Tic-Tac-Toe,or Noughts and Crosses,and Lunar Landing were written in what was to become Bill's second language,BASIC.

One of the reasons Bill was so good at programming is because it is mathematical and logical.During his time at Lakeside,Bill scored a perfect eight hundred on a mathematics test.It was extremely important to him to get this grade—he had to take the test more than once in order to do it.

If Bill Gates was going to be good at something.It was essential to be the best.

Bill's and Paul's fascination with computers and the business world meant that they read a great deal.Paul enjoyed magazines like Popular Electronics.Computer time was expensive and,because both boys were desperate to get more time and because Bill already had an insight into what they could achieve financially,the two of them decided to set themselves up as a company:The Lakeside Programmers Group."Let's call the real world and try to sell something to it!"Bill announced.

小的時候——即便長大了——比爾也是不修邊幅的。據說為了改掉這個習慣，瑪麗為他制定了一周穿衣計劃。周一上學，他會穿藍色的衣服，周二綠色，周三褐色，周四黑色，等等。周末的用餐表也會制定得十分詳盡。每件事情都要井井有條，不論工作或是閑暇的時候。

蓋茨家餐桌上的討論總是既活潑生動又富有教育意義。比爾回憶說：“那是一個內容豐富的學習環境。”

比爾的同齡人，即使在那個年齡，也能看出他的與眾不同。每一年，他和他的朋友們都會參加夏令營。比爾特別喜歡游泳和其他一些體育運動。他的一個在夏令營的朋友回憶道：“他絕對不是一個無足輕重或者讓你不愿與之為伍的孩子。我們都知道比爾比我們聰明。甚至更早的時候，當他九、十歲的時候，他說話的口氣就像個小大人，并且用一些深奧難懂的方式表達自己的想法。”

在數學和自然方面，比爾的表現與全班同學相比更是略勝一籌。他需要上一所像湖畔中學——一所專門招收天才男孩的學校——那樣充滿挑戰的學校。這是西雅圖最高級的學校了，它以嚴厲的課程要求而聞名，是一個“連啞巴都很聰明”的地方。

湖畔中學允許學生按照自己的興趣自由發揮。學校最引以為傲的是他們所營造的環境和設施能最大限度地激發學生的潛能。對于像比爾·蓋茨這樣的學生來說，這是最理想的學習環境了。

1968年，校方做出的一個決定足以改變13歲的比爾·蓋茨的生活，當然，這個決定也改變了不少其他人的生活。

學校主要依靠父母的集資，通過一種電傳打字機接觸到了電腦——也就是程序控制數據處理機。在電傳打字機上輸入幾條指令，幾秒鐘之后，程序控制數據處理機就會立即反饋信息。比爾·蓋茨馬上就著迷了——當時他的好友坎特·埃文斯，還有另一個比他大兩歲的學生保羅·艾倫也著迷了。

不管有沒有時間，他們都要飛奔到電腦室去用那臺機器。學生們太專注了，很快就忘記了老師教授的那些電腦知識，還闖了不少禍。他們忽略了其他課程——每份作業都遲遲才交，甚至有時還曠課。上機課還很貴。所以幾個月后，那些本來為一整年準備的預算就用光了。

比爾14歲的時候就能編一些簡短的電腦運行程序。還有早期的游戲程序“一字棋”或“圈叉游戲”和“登月”，都是用后來成為比爾的第二語言——BASIC——來編寫的。

比爾如此擅長編程的原因之一就是編程蘊含很強的運算性和邏輯性。在湖畔中學的那段時間里，比爾在一次數學測驗中取得了滿分800分。這次的滿分對他來說意義非凡——為了取得滿分，他不得不多次參加這個測驗。

如果比爾·蓋茨想要做好某件事，他必定會做到最好。

比爾和保羅對電腦和商務的癡迷就意味著他們要博覽群書。保羅喜歡像《大眾電子》那類的雜志。上機時間很昂貴，而這兩個孩子都需要更多的上機時間，再加上比爾預感到他們有可能賺到一大筆錢。于是，這兩個孩子決定創辦一個公司——湖畔程序設計者集團。從此，比爾宣布：“讓我們喚醒這個世界，并向它推銷點東西吧！”

美麗語錄

If you want something you've never had,then you've got to do something you've never done.

如果你想擁有你從未有過的東西，那么你必須去做你從未做過的事情。

Sweet-Pea Summers　甜豌豆的夏天

◎Susan Arnett-Hutson

Each summer in the late 1960s,my two sisters and I would ride the Greyhound bus from Arizona to Arkansas to stay with our father.

A World WarⅡveteran,Dad had many medical problems,any one of which could cause many people to lose more than their sense of humor,but not him.

I have vivid memories of Dad waking us up in the morning.Before he'd put on his legs for the day(he had lost his legs after his discharge),his wheelchair was his mobility.

Holding his cane,which was his extended arm,he would roll through the house yelling,"Up,up,up!Get up and face the day!It's a beautiful day!Rise and Shine!"If we didn't get up right away,he would repeat his song in rhythm with his cane hitting the end of our beds.This was no performance put on for our benefit;every day was truly a beautiful day to him.

Back in the sixties,there was no handicapped parking or wheelchair-accessible ramps like there are now,so even a trip to the grocery store was a difficult task.Dad wanted no assistance from anyone.He would climb stairs slowly but surely,whistling all the way.As a teenager,I found this embarrassing,but if Dad noticed,he didn't let me help.

Those summers always ended too soon.He would drive us back to Arizona every year,stopping at the checkpoint for fruit and vegetables at the New Mexico-Arizona border.When asked if he had any fruits or vegetables,he would reply,"Just three sweet peas."

Our father has been gone for a long time now,but not the lesson that he taught us:You are only as handicapped as you let yourself be.

20世紀60年代末的時候，每個夏天我和我的兩個姐妹，都會乘坐從亞里桑那州到阿肯色州的“灰狗”長途汽車，去和爸爸住一段時間。

爸爸是二戰的退伍老兵，患上了許多疾病。這些病中的任何一種都會讓人失去幽默感，但是爸爸卻沒有。

我清晰地記得爸爸早上叫我們起床的情景。在他戴上假腿之前（在開炮的時候，他失去了雙腿），輪椅就是他的移動工具。

他拿著拐杖，那是他手臂的延伸，在房間里跑來跑去，大叫道：“起床，起床了！起來迎接新的一天！今天天氣真好啊，快起來曬太陽吧！”如果我們不馬上起床，他就會重復著他的歌，和著拐杖敲打我們床尾的節拍。這不是為我們而進行的表演，對于爸爸來說，每一天都是美好的。

在60年代，沒有像現在這樣的殘疾人停車場或輪椅坡道，所以，即使是去雜貨店也是項艱巨的任務。爸爸不想接受任何人的幫助。他會自己慢慢地、穩穩當當地爬上臺階，一路上發出吱吱的響聲。那時我還是個小孩子，對這件事覺得有些尷尬。但是即使爸爸注意到我的尷尬，他也不會讓我幫忙。

那些夏天總是很快就結束了。爸爸每年都會開車送我們回亞里桑那州。我們會在新墨西哥州和亞里桑那州邊界處的水果和蔬菜檢查站停下來接受檢查。當他被問及是否攜帶什么水果和蔬菜的時候，他總會回答：“只有三顆甜豌豆。”

爸爸現在已經離開我們多年了，但是他教給我們的道理依然留在我們心中：只有你把自己當成殘疾人的時候，你才是殘疾人。

美麗語錄

Make yourself a better person and know who you are before you try and know someone else and expect them to know you.

在你嘗試了解他人和盼望他人了解你之前，先把你變成一個更好的人，一個了解自己的人。

The Wish of Brother　哥哥的心愿

◎Don Clank

A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present.On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office,a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car,admiring it.

"Is this your car,Mister?"he said.

Paul nodded,"My brother gave it to me for Christmas."The boy was astounded,"You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you anything?Boy,I wish..."He hesitated.

Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for.He was going to wish he had a brother like that.But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.

"I wish,"the boy went on,"that I could be a brother like that."

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment,and then impulsively he added,"Would you like to take a ride in my car?"

"Oh yes,I'd love that."

After a short ride,the boy turned with his eyes aglow,said,"Mister,would you mind driving in front of my house?"

Paul smiled a little.He thought he knew what the lad wanted.He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile.But Paul was wrong again."Will you stop where those two steps are?"the boy asked.

He ran up the steps.Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back,but he was not coming fast.He was carrying his little crippled brother.He sat him down on the bottom step,then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

"There she is,Buddy,just like I told you upstairs.His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent.And some day I'm gonna give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about."

Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car.The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.That Christmas Eve,Paul learned what Jesus meant when he said,"It is more blessed to give..."

我有個朋友叫保羅，他的哥哥送給他一輛車作為圣誕禮物。圣誕節前夕，保羅下班走出辦公室，看見一個淘氣的小男孩繞著他那嶄新的車欣賞著，發出陣陣贊嘆聲。

“這是您的車嗎，先生？”他問道。

保羅點了點頭，說：“這是我哥哥送給我的圣誕禮物。”男孩驚呆了，有些語無倫次：“您是說這是您哥哥送的，您沒花一分錢？噢，我希望……”

保羅當然知道男孩希望什么，無非希望也有一位這樣的哥哥。但是，這個小家伙接下來的話卻完全出乎他的意料。

“我希望，”男孩繼續說道，“我也能成為那樣的哥哥。”

保羅吃驚地看著男孩，脫口而出：“你想坐我的車去兜兜風嗎？”

“哦，當然想了，我太高興了。”

車開了一會兒后，男孩轉過頭來，用殷切的眼神望著保羅說：“先生，您介意把車開到我家門口嗎？”

保羅笑了笑。他以為自己知道小男孩想干什么，一定是想向鄰居炫耀他可以坐氣派的轎車回家。但這次他又錯了。“您把車停在那兩個臺階前，好嗎？”男孩問。

男孩跑上臺階，不一會兒，保羅聽到他回來的聲音，但動作似乎較先前慢了好多。原來他把自己跛腳的弟弟帶來了，他讓弟弟坐在第一個臺階上，然后靠緊他坐下，用手指著那輛新車。

“就是它，弟弟，這就是我剛剛在樓上和你說的那輛新車，是保羅的哥哥送給他的圣誕禮物，他沒花一分錢哦。總有一天，我會送你這樣一輛車……那樣，到了圣誕節，你就可以自己去看商店櫥窗里的漂亮飾品了，我告訴過你的。”

保羅下了車，把跛腳男孩抱到前座。哥哥很興奮，眼中閃著奇異的光芒，他也爬上車，坐在弟弟身邊。就這樣，三人開始了令人難忘的假日旅行。那個圣誕夜，保羅才真正領悟耶穌講過的道理：“施比受更有福……”

美麗語錄

Sometimes you have to be your own hero.

有時候，你必須做自己的英雄。

The Story of an Orphan　一個孤兒的故事

◎Cofer,R.H

This extraordinary story about extraordinary people begins at the turn of the century.It is a very American story—about ideals,ambition,success,love,and marriage—that has its roots at a time when many believed anything was possible in America.The story starts with an orphan boy of ordinary means who used his determination and talent to realize the American Dream and more.

The orphan boy was Willard Dickerman Straight from Oswego,New York.He was seventeen when he entered Cornell University in 1897.There were about two thousand students at Cornell then.They lived in fraternity houses or boarded with families in town.Straight joined Delta Tau Delta,and lived in the chapter house on the corner of Edgemoor and Stewart avenues during his four years at Cornell.

Straight entered the College of Architecture at Cornell,not because he had his heart set on becoming an architect,but because,with his talent and interest in drawing,it seemed a logical choice.His activities on campus reflected the different aspects of his personality,as artistic,imaginative bent with a keen sense on fun and the ambition to get things done.He contributed sketches to the comic periodical the Widow;wrote articles for the Cornell Era,a more sober literary publication;became art editor of the Cornellian;and by his senior year was editor and chief of the Cornell Era.He enlivened the party scene with his guitar and good tenor voice.Straight organized the first Spring Day,a circus like fair with sideshows,to make money for the depleted athletic fund.It was his idea to start a distinctive College of Architecture event,which evolved into the popular Green Dragon Day.During his senior year he was president of the Savage Club.

After Straight graduated from Cornell in 1901,he took a job with the Maritime Customs Service in Nanking.He learned the language quickly and became familiar with Chinese people of all ranks and with the diplomats and businessmen in Peking.By the age of 30,Straight was believed to be one of the most powerful men in the Far East,earning as much as the President of the United States.

At a dinner party in 1906,Straight was introduced to Dorothy Payne Whitney,heiress to the Whitney fortune.When Dorothy and her party visited Peking in 1909,friendship turned to romance.Willard pursued Dorothy relentlessly with letters and flowers.He finally won her in 1911.

19世紀末20世紀初，一個非凡人物的非凡故事開始了。這是一個典型的美國故事——有關理想、抱負、成功、愛情和婚姻——它以很多人相信美國是一個一切皆有可能的國家為背景。這個故事開篇敘述了一個平凡的孤兒，通過自己的決心和才能實現了自己的美國夢，以及其他更多的夢想。

這個孤兒來自紐約的奧斯威戈，他的名字叫威拉德·迪克曼·斯特雷特。1897年，17歲的斯特雷特就考入了康奈爾大學。那時就讀于康奈爾大學的學生大概有兩千個。學生們有的一起住，有的和家人住在城里。斯特雷特加入了“三一九三”社團，所以大學四年里，他就住在位于埃治摩爾大街和斯圖爾特大街交叉拐角處的社團公寓里。

斯特雷特就讀于康奈爾大學建筑學院并不是因為他想成為一名建筑師，而是因為他擁有繪畫方面的才能和興趣，所以這對他來說是個合理的選擇。他參加了許多校園活動，這更能將他性格的其他方面展現出來：藝術鑒賞和想象方面表現突出；感覺敏銳，尤其對有趣的人和事；擁有實現抱負的“野心”。他向《寡婦》漫畫期刊投稿，還為嚴肅的文學刊物《康奈爾時代》撰稿，并擔任《康奈爾人》的美術編輯。大二那年，他成了《康奈爾時代》的編輯和主編。他那動人的吉他演奏和高亢的男高音演唱總能讓晚會的現場氣氛變得活躍起來。為了替退役運動員募集資金，斯特雷特創辦了一個類似節目表演的展覽會，取名為“春之日”。“建筑學院日”也是他的主意，這個節日后來發展成為深受人們喜歡的“綠龍日”。大學四年級的時候，他被選為野人俱樂部的主席。

1901年，斯特雷特從康奈爾大學畢業了，之后他便進入了中國南京海關服務公司工作。他很快就學會了講中文，并認識了各個階層的中國人、北京的外交官和商人。30歲的時候，斯特雷特被認為是遠東地區最具影響力的人物之一，他獲得的名望甚至可以與美國總統相媲美。

1906年的一場晚宴上，經人介紹，斯特雷特結識了惠特尼家族的財產繼承人羅西尼·佩恩·惠特尼。1909年，當羅西尼及一行人訪問北京時，這段友誼升華成了一段羅曼史。威拉德不斷給羅西尼寫情書、送花。他終于在1911年擄獲了羅西尼的芳心。

美麗語錄

There are two primary choices in life:to accept conditions as they exist,or accept the responsibility for changing them.

人生兩大選擇：要么接受現狀，要么接受改變現狀的責任。