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What I have lived for:我的人生追求(中英对照+语速较慢)

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Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life :the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, in a wayward course,are over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.

　　有三种简单然而无比强烈的激情左右了我的一生;对爱的渴望,对知识的探索和对人类苦难的难以忍受的怜悯。这些激情像飓风,反复地吹拂过深重的苦海,濒于绝境。

　　I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy-ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all my rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it ,next because it relieves loneliness-that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the co1d unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what-at last-I have found.

　　我寻找爱,首先是因为它使人心醉神迷。这种陶醉是如此的美妙,使我愿意牺牲所有的余生去换取几个小时这样的欣喜。我寻找爱,还因为它解除孤独(在可怕的孤独中,一颗颤抖的灵魂从世界的边缘看到冰冷、无底、死寂的深渊。最后,我寻找爱,还因为在爱的交融中,神秘而又具体入微地,我看到了圣贤和诗人们想象出的天堂的前景。这就是我所寻找的,而且,虽然对人生来说似乎过于美妙,这也是我终于找到了的。

　　With equa1 passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A 1ittle of this, but not much, I have achieved.

　　以同样的激情我探索知识。我希望能够理解人类的心灵。我希望能够知道群星为何闪烁。我试图领悟毕达哥拉斯所景仰的数字力量,它支配着此消彼长。仅在不大的一定程度上,我达到了此目的。

　　Love and knowledge, so far they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate the evi1,but I can't, and I too suffer.

　　爱和知识,只要有可能,通向着天堂。但是怜悯总把我带回尘世。痛苦呼喊的回声回荡在我的内心。忍饥挨饿的孩子,惨遭压迫者摧残的受害者,被儿女们视为可憎的负担的痛苦无助的老人,使人类所应有的生活成为了笑柄。我渴望能够减少邪恶,但是我无能为力,而且我自己也在忍受折磨。
 

This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and wou1d gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.  

　　这就是我的一生。我发现它值得一过。如果再给我一次机会,我会很高高兴地再活它一次。

爱情美文Love and Time：爱和时间（语速适中）

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Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.

When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said,

"Richness, can you take me with you?"

Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you."

Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!"

"I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, let me go with you."

"Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"

Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder,

Love asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who Helped me?"

"It was Time," Knowledge answered.

"Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?"

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is."

爱和时间

从前有一个岛，所有的情感都住在那里：幸福、悲伤、知识和所有其它的，爱也不例外。一天，所有的情感听说小岛即将沉没，因此建造小船，纷纷离开，除了爱。

爱是唯一留下来的，因为它希望能坚持到最后一刻。

小岛即将沉没了，爱决定请求帮助。

富有驾着一艘大船从爱身边经过，爱说，

“富有，你能带上我么？”

富有回答说：“不行，我的船上载满金银财宝，没有你的地方。”

虚荣坐在漂亮的小船中从爱身边驶过，爱问：“虚荣，你能帮助我么？”

虚荣说：“不行，你全身湿透，会弄脏我的船。”

悲伤的船靠近了，爱问：“悲伤，请带我走吧。”

“哦。。。爱，我太难过了，想一个人呆着。”

幸福经过爱的身边，它太开心了，根本没听见爱在呼唤。

突然，一个声音喊道：“来，爱，我带你走。” 声音来自“年老”。爱太高兴了，甚至忘了问他们即将去何方。当他们来到岸上，年老自己离开了。爱突然意识到“年老”给了它多大的帮助。

于是，爱问另一位老者--知识：“谁帮助了我？”

知识说：“是时间。”

“时间？”爱问：“但是时间为什么帮助我？”

知识睿智地微笑道：“因为只有时间了解爱的价值。”

Principles are lighthouses ：正确的原则犹如灯塔（语速较慢）

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It was a dark and stormy night. The officer on the bridge came to the captain and said, "Captain, Captain, there is a light in our sea lane and they won't move."

　　那是个漆黑的、狂风暴雨的夜晚,大副从驾驶室出来走向船长说:"船长,船长,我们的海道上有灯光,而且他们不愿移开。"

　　"What do you mean they won't move? Tell them to move. Tell them starboard right now."

　　"他们不愿移开是什么意思?叫他们移开。告诉他们立即右偏。"

　　The signal was sent out, "Starboard, starboard, "The signal comes back, " Starboard yourself. "

　　信号发了出去:"右偏,右偏。"发回来的信号说:"你自己右偏。"

　　"I can’t believe this. What's going on here? Let them know who I am." The signal sent out, “this is the mighty Missouri, starboard." The signal comes back, "This is the lighthouse."

　　"我就不信。这是怎么了?让他们知道我是谁。"信号发出去:"这里是密苏里巨轮,请右偏。"信号发了回来:"这里是灯塔。"  

　　My friends, correct principles are lighthouses, they do not move. They are nature laws. We can’t break them. We can only break ourselves against them. We might as well learn them, accommodate them, utilize them and be grateful for them. Then it enlarges us and emancipates us and empowers us.

　　朋友们,正确的原则犹如灯塔,他们不会移动。它们是自然法则。我们打破不了。我们要么让自己与它们相悖,要么去学习它们、调整它们、利用它们,并感激它们。然后我们自己得以发展,得以解放,得到使用这些原则的能力。

　　TS.Eliot once sad something I think is appropriate as we come to the conclusion of our visit together. He said, “we are never cease from striving, and the end of all of our striving will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time."   

　　T S ·爱略特曾说过一句话,我认为很适合用来做此行的结束语。他说:"我们将永不放弃奋斗,经过全力以赴的奋斗后,我们将到达出发之地,并重新认识这个地方。"

Opportunity---善待机会（简单+语速较慢）

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The air we breathe is so freely available that we take it for granted. Yet without it we could not survive more than a few minutes. For the most part, the same air is available to everyone, and everyone needs it. Some people use the air to sustain them while they sit around and feel sorry for themselves. Others breathe in the air and use the energy it provides to make a magnificent life for themselves.

You’re listening to Faith Radio Online-Simply to Relax, I’m Faith. Opportunity is the same way. It is everywhere. Opportunity is so freely available that we take it for granted. Yet opportunity alone is not enough to create success. Opportunity must be seized and acted upon in order to have value. So many people are so anxious to “get in” on a “ground floor opportunity”, as if the opportunity will do all the work. That’s impossible.

Just as you need air to breathe, you need opportunity to succeed. It takes more than just breathing in the fresh air of opportunity, however. You must make use of that opportunity. That’s not up to the opportunity. That’s up to you. It doesn’t matter what “floor” the opportunity is on. What matters is what you do with it.

Also, the pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. You’re listening to Faith Radio Online-Simply to Relax, I’m Faith. Thank you for listening, goodbye.

空气到处都有，我们是如此容易得到它，以至我们常将其易得性视为理所当然。可一旦失去它，我们只能活几分钟。大部分情况下，谁都能呼吸到空气，谁都需要空气。有的人呼吸空气只为碌碌无为地生活着，或是在懊悔中度过余生。有的人呼吸空气并利用它提供的能量使自己的生活绚丽多彩。机会也是如此。机会无处不在。机会如此易得以至我们对此视为理所当然。然而只有机会并不能获得成功，而必须抓住机会，见机行事，创造佳绩。许多人都渴望能夺得先机，似乎只要夺得先机就能万事大吉。这是不可能的。正如你需要呼吸空气一样，你需要机会才能成功。然而成功靠的并不仅仅是随手可得的机会。你必须利用机会。成功并不取决于机会，而是取决于你。重要的并不是你在哪一个阶段遇见机会，而是面对机会你是如何把握的。

Find yourself ---发现自己 （有一点难度+语速慢）

林语堂（1895-1976）

一名轰动世界文坛的中国文化传播者。他三十年著作全用英文，作品入选为美国大学教材。本文选自他1937年的著作《The Importance of Living》(《生活的艺术》)，该书向世界娓娓道出中国人旷情达观、陶情怡兴的生活方式。

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The only problem unconsciously assumed by all Chinese philosophers to be of any importance is: How shall we enjoy life, and who can best enjoy life? No perfectionism, no straining after the unattainable, no postulating of he unknowable; but taking poor, modal human nature as it is, how shall we organize our life so that we can woke peacefully, endure nobly and live happily?

       一切中国的哲学家在不知不觉中认为唯一重要的问题是：我们要怎样享受人生？谁最会享受人生？我们不追求十全十美的理想，我们不寻找那些得不到的东西，我们不要求知道那些不得而知的东西；我们只认识不完美的、会死的人类的本性，那么我们要怎样调整我们的人生，使我们可以和平地工作着，旷达地忍耐着，幸福地生活着呢?  

    Who are we? That is first question. It is a question almost impossible to answer. But we all agree with the busy self occupied in our daily activities is not quite the real self. We are quite sure we have lost something in the mere pursuit of living. When we watch a person running about looking for something in a field, the wise man can set a puzzle for all the spectator to solve: what has that person lost? Some one thinks is a watch; another thinks it is a diamond brooch; and others will essay other guesses. After all the guesses have failed, the wise man who really doesn't know what the person is seeking after, tells the company:" I'll tell you. He has lost some breath." And no one can deny that he is right. So we often forget our true self in the pursuit of living, like a bird forgetting its own danger in pursuit of a mantis which again forgets its own danger in pursuit of another.

       我们是谁呢？这是第一个问题。这个问题几乎是无法答复的。可是我们都承认在我们曰常活动中那么忙碌的自我，并不完全是真正的自我；我们相信我们在生活的追求中已经失掉了一些东西。当我们看见一个人在一片田野里跑来跑去在寻找东西时，智者可以弄出一个难题给一切旁观者去解答：那个人失掉了什么东西呢？有的猜一只表；有的猜一支钻石胸针；其他的人则作其他的猜测。智者委实也不知道那个人在寻找什么东西；可是当大家都猜不中的时候，他会对大家说：“我告诉你们吧。他失掉了一些气息了。” 没有人会否认他的话是对的。所以我们在生活的追求中常常忘掉了真正的自我，像庄子在一个美妙的譬喻里所讲的那只鸟那样，为了要捕捉一只螳螂而忘掉自身的危险，而那只螳螂又为了要捕捉一只蝉而忘掉自身的危险。

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The Most Important Body Part
人体最重要的部位

My mother used to ask me, “What is the most important part of the body?”
妈妈以前老问我：“人身上最重要的部位是什么？”

Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct answer. When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said, “My ears, Mommy.” She said, “No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon.”
这些年来，我一直都在猜测自认为正确的答案。小时候，我觉得声音对我们人类很重要，于是我说：“是我的耳朵，妈咪。”妈妈说：“不是的，很多人可是听不见声音的哦。你继续思考吧，我很快会再问你的。”

Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated1 the correct answer. So this time I told her, “Mommy, Sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.” She looked at me and told me, “You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.”Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years, Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, “No. But you are getting smarter every year, my child.”
几年后，她又问起这个问题来。自从第一次尝试回答后，我一直在琢磨着正确答案。所以，这次我对她说：“妈咪，视力对每个人都是非常重要的，所以，答案肯定是我们的眼睛。”妈妈看着我，对我说：“你领会得很快，但答案还是错了，因为有很多人是看不见东西的。”又一次被难倒了，我只好继续寻求答案。几年来，妈妈又问了我几次，每次她的回答都是：“不对，孩子，不过你一年比一年聪明啦。”

Then last year, my grandpa died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. Even my father cried. I remember that especially because it was only the second time I saw him cry. My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to Grandpa. She asked me, “Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?” I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game between her and me.
去年，爷爷去世了。每个人都悲伤而泣，连父亲都痛哭失声。我到现在仍记忆犹新，因为那是我平生第二次看到父亲哭。轮到我们跟爷爷最后告别时，妈妈看着我，问：“宝贝儿，你现在知道人身上最重要的部位是什么了吗？”我当时大吃一惊，我一直以为这是我们俩之间的一个游戏而已。

She saw the confusion on my face and told me, “This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived in your life. For every body part you gave me in the past, I have told you you were wrong and I have given you an example why. But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson.”She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes well up with tears. She said, “My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.”
看到我一脸疑惑，妈妈对我说：“这个问题非常重要，看来你一直都沉浸在自己的生活中。你以前每次给我答案时，我都跟你说错了，并且都举例说明。可今天，你应该学会这重要的一课。”她低头看着我，那种神情只有一位母亲才有。我看见她热泪盈眶。她说：“宝贝儿，你身上最重要的部位就是你的肩膀。”

I asked, “Is it because it holds up my head?”
She replied, “No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends, so you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.”
我问：“是因为它支撑着我的头吗？”
她回答道：“不，是因为当你的朋友或亲人哭泣时，它可以托起他们的头。宝贝儿，每个人的一生总有一些时候需要有个肩膀可以靠着哭泣。我只愿你有足够的爱和朋友，这样，当你需要时，总有一个肩膀给你哭泣。”

Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a selfish one. It is sympathetic to the pain of others. People will forget what you said...People will forget what you did...But people will NEVER forget how you made them FEEL.
那会儿，我明白了人身体最重要的部位应该是无私的，它是对别人痛苦的同情。人们会忘记你说过的话……忘记你做过的事……但人们永远不会忘记你带给他们的感受。