人生中的幾套必修"法則" -新概念英語

　　What do I believe? What laws do I live by? There are so many answers - work, beauty, truth, love - and I hope I do live by them.

　　什么是我所信仰的?什么是我生活的準則?答案很多，比如工作、美麗、真理、愛心，但愿我能以它們?yōu)闇蕜t。

　　But in everyday things I live by the light of a supplementary set of laws. I'd better call them rules of thumb. Rules of thumb aren't very grand, but they do make the wheels go round.

　　然而，生活中的我還履行著另外一套附加的法則，即經(jīng)驗法則。這一法則雖然簡單，但卻能使事情順利地進行下去。

　　My father and mother sent me to good schools, but the finest thing they did for my education was to have seven children. I was the oldest, and my brothers and sisters were my best teachers.

　　父母把我送到一所很好的學(xué)校學(xué)習(xí)，但養(yǎng)育了7個孩子，才是他們?yōu)槲业慕逃龅淖詈玫氖?。我是家中長女，而弟弟妹妹就是我最好的老師。

　　I learned first to pull my own weight in the boat. Kids making a bob-sled have no use for the loafer who wants a free ride. Neither has the world. I learned to make the bed I slept in, and wash the glass I used, and mend what I broke, and mop up where I spilled. And if I was too lazy or too dainty or too busy, and left it for someone else, somebody else soon taught me different.

　　我最先學(xué)會了身為長女的責(zé)任。對一個想搭順風(fēng)車的流浪者來說，會做雪橇的孩子毫無用處。對這些孩子而言，世界也是如此。我學(xué)會了睡覺前自己鋪床，洗自己用過的杯子，修補自己弄壞的東西，用拖布拖干自己濺到地上的水。如果我過于懶惰、挑剔或忙碌，而讓別人來做這些事，馬上就會有人教我不能這么做。