【課文】
Punctuality is a necessary habit in all public affairs in civilized society. Without it, nothing could ever be brought to a conclusion; everything would be in state of chaos. Only in a sparsely-populated rural community is it possible to disregard it. In ordinary living, there can be some tolerance of unpunctuality. The intellectual, who is working on some abstruse problem, has everything coordinated and organized for the matter in hand. He is therefore forgiven if late for a dinner party. But people are often reproached for unpunctuality when their only fault is cutting things fine. It is hard for energetic, quick-minded people to waste time, so they are often tempted to finish a job before setting out to keep an appointment. If no accidents occur on the way, like punctured tires, diversions of traffic, sudden descent of fog, they will be on time. They are often more industrious, useful citizens than those who are never late. The over-punctual can be as much a trial to others as the unpunctual. The guest who arrives half an hour too soon is the greatest nuisance. Some friends of my family had this irritating habit. The only thing to do was ask them to come half an hour later than the other guests. Then they arrived just when we wanted them.
If you are citing a train, it is always better to be comfortably early than even a fraction of a minted too late. Although being early may mean wasting a little time, this will be less than if you miss the train and have to wait an hour or more for the next one; and you avoid the frustration of arriving at the very moment when the train is drawing out of the station and being unable to get on it. An even harder situation is to be on the platform in good time for a train and still to see it go off without you. Such an experience befell a certain young girl the first time she was traveling alone.
She entered the station twenty minutes before the train was due, since her parents had impressed upon her that it would be unforgivable to miss it and cause the friends with whom she was going to stay to make two journeys to meet her. She gave her luggage to a porter and showed him her ticket. To her horror he said that she was two hours too soon. She felt in her handbag for the piece of paper on which her father had written down all the details of the journey and gave it to the porter. He agreed that a train did come into the station at the time on the paper and that it did stop, but only to take on mail, not passengers. The girl asked to see a timetable, feeling sure that her father could not have made such a mistake. The porter went to fetch one and arrive back with the station master, who produced it with a flourish and pointed out a microscopic 'o' beside the time of the arrival of the train at his station; this little 'o' indicated that the train only stopped for mail. Just as that moment the train came into the station. The girl, tears streaming down her face, begged to be allowed to slip into the guard's van. But the station master was adamant: rules could not be broken and she had to watch that train disappear towards her destination while she was left behind.
【課文翻譯】
準(zhǔn)時(shí)是文明社會(huì)中進(jìn)行一切社交活動(dòng)時(shí)必須養(yǎng)成的習(xí)慣。不準(zhǔn)時(shí)將一事無成，事事都會(huì)陷入混亂不堪的境地。只有在人口稀少的農(nóng)村，才可以忽視準(zhǔn)時(shí)的習(xí)慣。在日常生活中人們可以容忍一定程度的不準(zhǔn)時(shí)。一個(gè)專心鉆研某個(gè)復(fù)雜問題的知識(shí)分子，為了搞好手頭的研究，要把一切都協(xié)調(diào)一致，組織周密。因此，他要是赴宴遲到了會(huì)得到諒解。但有些人不準(zhǔn)時(shí)常常因?yàn)槠婞c(diǎn)所致，他們常常受到責(zé)備，精力充沛、頭腦敏捷的人極不愿意浪費(fèi)時(shí)間，因此他們常想做完一件事后再去赴約。要是路上沒有發(fā)生如爆胎、改道、突然起霧等意外事故，他們決不會(huì)遲到。他們與那些從不遲到的人相比，常常是更勤奮有用的公民。早到的人同遲到的人一樣令人討厭。客人提前半小時(shí)到達(dá)是令人討厭的。我家有幾個(gè)朋友就有這有令人惱火的習(xí)慣。的辦法就是請(qǐng)他們比別的客人晚來半小時(shí)。這樣，他們可以恰好在我們要求的時(shí)間到達(dá)。
如果趕火車，早到總比晚到好，哪怕早到一會(huì)兒也好。雖然早到可能意味著浪費(fèi)一點(diǎn)時(shí)間，但這比誤了火車等上一個(gè)多小時(shí)坐下班車?yán)速M(fèi)的時(shí)間要少，而且可以避免那種正好在火車駛出站時(shí)趕到車站，因上不去車而感到的沮喪。更難堪的情況是雖然及時(shí)趕到站臺(tái)上，卻眼睜睜地看著那趟火車啟動(dòng)，把你拋下。一個(gè)小姑娘第單獨(dú)出門就碰到了這種情況。
在火車進(jìn)站20分鐘前她就進(jìn)了車站。因?yàn)樗母改冈偃f，如果誤了這趟車，她的東道主朋友就得接她兩趟，這是不應(yīng)該的。她把行李交給搬運(yùn)工并給他看了車票。搬運(yùn)工說她早到了兩個(gè)小時(shí)，她聽后大吃一驚。她從錢包里摸出一張紙條，那上面有她父親對(duì)這次旅行詳細(xì)說明，她把這張紙條交給了搬運(yùn)工。搬運(yùn)工說，正如紙條所說，確有一趟火車在那個(gè)時(shí)刻到站，但它只停站裝郵件，不載旅客。姑娘要求看到時(shí)刻表，因?yàn)樗嘈鸥赣H不能把這么大的事弄錯(cuò)。搬運(yùn)工跑回去取時(shí)刻表，同時(shí)請(qǐng)來了站長(zhǎng)。站長(zhǎng)拿著時(shí)刻表一揮手，指著那趟列車到站時(shí)刻旁邊一個(gè)很小的圓圈標(biāo)記。這個(gè)標(biāo)記表示列車是為裝郵件而停車。正在這時(shí)，火車進(jìn)站了。女孩淚流滿面，央求讓她不聲不響地到押車員車廂里去算了。但站長(zhǎng)態(tài)度堅(jiān)決，規(guī)章制度不能破壞，姑娘只得眼看那趟火車消逝在她要去的方向而撇下了她。
【詞匯】
punctuality n. 準(zhǔn)時(shí)
rural adv. 農(nóng)村的
disregard v. 不顧，無視
intellectual n. 知識(shí)分子
abstruse adj. 深?yuàn)W的
coordinate v. 協(xié)調(diào)
reproach v. 責(zé)備
puncture v. 刺破(輪胎)
diversion n. 改道，繞道
trial n. 討厭的事，人
fraction n. 很小一點(diǎn)兒
flourish n. 揮舞(打手勢(shì))
microscopic adj. 微小的
adamant adj. 堅(jiān)定的，不動(dòng)搖的
【重點(diǎn)詞匯講解】
【disregard】
英英：give little or no attention to
例句：
1. Please disregard the mess and sit right here.
請(qǐng)不顧凌亂狀態(tài)，就坐在這兒吧。
2. The boy's failure was due to continued disregard of his studies.
這孩子不及格是由于他經(jīng)常不重視功課的原故。
3. Her actions manifested a complete disregard for personal safety.
她的行動(dòng)表明她全然不顧個(gè)人安危。
【abstruse】
例句：
1. Einstein's theory of relativity is very abstruse .
愛因斯坦的相對(duì)論非常難懂。
2. Lu Xun's works are very abstruse. You must read between the lines.
魯迅的著作非常深?yuàn)W難解，你必須從字里行間去仔細(xì)體會(huì)。
【coordinate】
英英：bring order and organization to
例句：
1. Coordinate labour relations and gradually improve the living standards of the workers.
協(xié)調(diào)勞動(dòng)關(guān)系，逐步提高勞動(dòng)者的生活水平。
2. We should have established a rescue center or a system that can coordinate our resources.
我們應(yīng)該建立了救援中心或一個(gè)系統(tǒng)，能夠協(xié)調(diào)我們的資源。
3. Communication was essential if we were to coordinate our protests and complaints.
如果我們要協(xié)調(diào)*和控訴活動(dòng)，交流信息是必不可少的。
【reproach】
英英：express criticism towards
例句：
1. Do not reproach yourself, it was not your fault.
不要責(zé)備你自己，這不是你的過錯(cuò)。
2. I have nothing either to hope or fear, and nothing to reproach him with.
我既沒有什么奢望，也沒有什么擔(dān)心，更沒有什么要責(zé)備他的地方。
3. It is illegal to reproach Jesus Christ or the holy ghost.
責(zé)備耶穌基督或圣靈是違法的。
【trial】
例句：
1. Character can not be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthed.
性格不可能在安逸和平靜中得以發(fā)展，只有通過艱難和困苦的磨煉才能使內(nèi)心堅(jiān)定，視野開闊，雄心振奮，從而達(dá)到成功的目的。
2. His blindness is a great trial to him.
眼睛瞎對(duì)他來說是非常麻煩的事。
【fraction】
例句：
1. It remains a fraction of its former size.
它目前的規(guī)模只有以前的一小部分。
2. The cost of copying a disk of software or a tape of music is a fraction of the cost of the product.
事實(shí)上，復(fù)制一個(gè)軟件光盤或者一盤音樂磁帶的成本，只是這個(gè)產(chǎn)品的整個(gè)成本的一小部分。
【adamant】
例句：
1. She was adamant in refusing to comply with his wishes.
她固執(zhí)地拒絕按他的意愿辦。
2. Most officials are adamant that the policy remains in place.
很多官員在遲疑是否要保留這項(xiàng)政策。
【常用短語】
【bring to a cnoclusion】結(jié)束
【in hand】手頭的
【in good time for】及時(shí)的
【impress upon】使牢記
【break the rule】違反規(guī)定
【課文】
First listen and then answer the following question.
聽錄音，然后回答以下問題。
Who, according to the author, are 'Fortune's favoured children'?
A gifted American psychologist has said, 'Worry is a spasm of the emotion; the mind catches hold of something and will not let it go.' It is useless to argue with the mind in this condition. The stronger the will, the more futile the task. One can only gently insinuate something else into its convulsive grasp. And if this something else is rightly chosen, if it really attended by the illumination of another field of interest, gradually, and often quite swiftly, the old undue grip relaxes and the process of recuperation and repair begins.
The cultivation of a hobby and new forms of interest is therefore a policy of the first importance to a public man. But this is not a business that can be undertaken in a day or swiftly improvised by a mere command of the will. The growth of alternative mental interests is a long process. The seeds must be carefully chosen; they must fall on good ground; they must be sedulously tended, if the vivifying fruits are to be at hand when needed.
To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must all be real. It is no use starting late in life to say: 'I will take an interest in this or that.' Such an attempt only aggravates the strain of mental effort. A man may acquire great knowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work, and yet get hardly any benefit or relief. It is no use doing what you like; you have got to like what you do. Broadly speaking, human beings may be divided into three classes: those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death. It is no use offering the manual labourer, tired out with a hard week's sweat and effort, the chance of playing a game of football or baseball or Saturday afternoon. It is no use inviting the politician or the professional or business man, who has been working or worrying about serious things for six days, to work or worry about trifling things at the weekend.
As for the unfortunate people who can command everything they want, who can gratify every caprice and lay their hands on almost every object of desire -- for them a new pleasure, a new excitement if only an additional satiation. In vain they rush frantically round from place to place, trying to escape from avenging boredom by mere clatter and motion. For them discipline in one form or another is the most hopeful path.
It may also be said that rational, industrious, useful human being are divided into two classes: first,those whose work is work and whose pleasure is pleasure; and secondly those whose work and pleasure are one. Of these the former are the majority. They have their compensations. The long hours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward, not only the means of sustenance, but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and most modest forms. But Fortune's favoured children belong to the second class. Their life is a natural harmony. For them the working hours are never long enough. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays, when they come, are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vocation. Yet to both classes, the need of an alternative outlook, of a change of atmosphere, of a diversion of effort, is essential. Indeed, it may well be that those work is their pleasure are those who and most need the means of banishing it at intervals from their minds.
WINSTON CHURCHLL Painting as a Pastime
【New words and expressions 生詞和短語】
gifted adj. 有天才的
psychologist n. 心理學(xué)家
spasm n. 一陣(感情)發(fā)作
futile adj. 無用的
insinuate v. 便潛入，暗示
convulsive adj. 起痙攣的
illumination n. 啟發(fā)，照明
undue adj. 不造當(dāng)?shù)? grip n. 緊張
recuperation n. 休息
improvise v. 臨時(shí)作成
sedulously adv. 孜孜不倦地
vivify v. 使生氣勃勃
aggravate v. 加劇
trifling adj. 微小的
gratify v. 便滿意
caprice n. 任性
satiation n. 滿足
frantically adv. 狂亂地
avenge v. 替…報(bào)復(fù)
boredom n. 厭煩
clatter n. 喧鬧的談話
sustenance n. 生計(jì)
appetite n. 欲望
grudge v. 怨恨
absorbing adj. 引人入勝的
banish v. 排除，放棄
【課文注釋】
1.catch hold of 抓住……
let ... go 放掉……
2.The stronger the will, the more futile the task 這種意志越是強(qiáng)烈，這種嘗試越是徒勞。
futile adj.無用的
例句：Pace considers attempts at timing futile.
貝斯認(rèn)為企圖控制時(shí)間是無效的。
It is futile to attempt to convince him that certain things are simply undoable.
使他相信某事情是完全不可為的是無用的嘗試。
3.insinuate v.使?jié)撊?，暗? 例句： What are you insinuating?
你旁敲側(cè)擊，究竟指得是什么?
Are you insinuating that I am a liar?
你繞來繞去是否暗指我在撒謊?
He insinuated his doubt of her ability.
他暗示了他對(duì)她能力的懷疑。
4. undue adj.不適當(dāng)?shù)模^度的
例句：I didn't want to show undue excitement.
我不想表現(xiàn)出過分的激動(dòng)。
Don't give undue deference to the opinions and feelings of others.
不要對(duì)他人的意見和感情給予過分的尊重。
He used it to discourage any undue sense of danger.
他這樣做是為了制止任何不適當(dāng)?shù)奈C(jī)感
5.aggravate
例句：vt. 惡化
Scratching can aggravate the rash.
搔癢會(huì)使疹子發(fā)炎。
The Europeans' appeasement policy towards irrational regimes would only
aggravate the hidden dangers.
歐洲國(guó)家對(duì)非理性政權(quán)的綏靖政策,只會(huì)讓潛在危機(jī)惡化。
The lack of rain aggravated the already serious shortage of food.
干旱少雨使原本就很嚴(yán)重的糧食短缺問題更加嚴(yán)重。
6.those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death勞累至死的人，憂慮至死的人，無聊至死的人
7.tired out with疲憊，精疲力盡
例句：She was tired out with wonder and marvelling.
一整天的獵奇把她累壞了。
He was tired out with mountain climbing.
他因爬山而筋疲力竭。
8.gratify v. 使?jié)M足, 使高興
例句：Now that she has a job in France she can gratify her desire to see Europe.
既然現(xiàn)在她在法國(guó)工作，那就可以滿足她游覽歐洲的愿望了。
I was gratified to see how much my birthday present was appreciated.
看到我的生日禮物受到極大的贊賞，我感到高興。
9.lay their hands on得到......抓到......
10.Fortune's favoured children 中的Fortune指“命運(yùn)女神”
11.banish vt.
?、?驅(qū)逐，流放
例句：His lies caused his wife to banish him from the house.
他因說謊而被老婆驅(qū)逐出家門。
The sound of doctrine rings out daily in order to banish various curiosities about this
world.
一種主義的聲響日以夜繼，千日不絕，用以驅(qū)逐人們對(duì)這個(gè)世界的種種好奇與揣測(cè)!
?、谙? 例句：You can banish that idea from your mind.
你能消除心中的那種念頭。
The doctor advised her to banish fear and anxiety.
醫(yī)生勸她消除恐懼和憂慮。
【參考譯文】
一位天才的美國(guó)心理學(xué)家曾經(jīng)說過：“煩惱是感情的發(fā)作，此時(shí)腦子糾纏住了某種東西又不肯松手?！痹谶@種情況下，你又和頭腦爭(zhēng)吵讓它松手是無濟(jì)于事的。這種意志越是強(qiáng)烈，這種嘗試越是徒勞。你只能緩和而巧紗地讓另一種東西進(jìn)入痙攣僵持的頭腦中。如果選得合適，而且的確受到別的領(lǐng)域的情趣的啟迪，那么漸漸地，往往也是很順利地，原先不適當(dāng)?shù)木o張就會(huì)松弛下來，恢復(fù)和修整的過程就會(huì)開始。
因此，對(duì)一個(gè)從事社會(huì)活動(dòng)的人來說，培養(yǎng)一種業(yè)余愛好和各種新的興趣是關(guān)等重要的做法。但這并非一日之功，也不是單憑意志一蹴而就的事。精神上多種情趣的培養(yǎng)是一個(gè)長(zhǎng)期的過程。要想在需要的時(shí)候可隨手摘取充滿生機(jī)的果實(shí)，那就必然從選良種做起，然后將其植入肥沃的土地，還需要勤勉地護(hù)理。
一個(gè)人要想真正感到幸福和平安，至少應(yīng)有兩三種愛好，而且都比較實(shí)際。到了晚年才開始說：“我會(huì)對(duì)這些人或那個(gè)人發(fā)生興趣”，已沒有用了。這種愿望只能加劇精神緊張。一個(gè)人可能會(huì)獲得與其日常工作無關(guān)的某些課題的淵博知識(shí)，而沒有從中得到什么實(shí)益或?qū)捨?。干你所喜歡的事是沒有用的，你得喜歡你所干的事。泛泛地說，人可以分為3類：勞累至死的人、憂慮至死的人、無聊至死的人。對(duì)于流汗出力干了一周苦活的體力勞動(dòng)者來說，讓他們?cè)谛瞧诹挛缭偬咦闱蚧虼驂厩蚴遣缓线m的;同樣，對(duì)于為嚴(yán)肅的公務(wù)操勞或煩惱了6天的政界人士、專業(yè)人員、商人來說，在周未再讓他們?yōu)楝嵤露鴦?dòng)腦子和憂慮也是無益的。
至于那些能任意支配一切的“可憐的人”，他們能夠恣意妄為，能染指一切追求的目標(biāo)。對(duì)這種人來說，多一種新的樂趣、多一種新的刺激只是增加一分厭膩而已。他們到處奔亂跑，企圖以閑聊和亂竄來擺脫無聊對(duì)他們的報(bào)復(fù)，但這是徒勞的。對(duì)他們來說，用某種形式的紀(jì)律約束他們一下才能有希望使他們走上正道。
也可以這樣說，理智的，勤勞的、有用的人可以分為兩類：第一類是他分清工作是工作，娛樂是娛樂的人;第二類人的工作和娛樂是一回事。這兩類人當(dāng)中，第一類人是大多數(shù)，他們能夠得到補(bǔ)償。在辦公室或工廠里長(zhǎng)時(shí)間工作給他們帶來了酬勞，這不僅是謀生的手段，而且還帶來了尋找樂趣的強(qiáng)烈欲望，那怕是簡(jiǎn)單的、低等的樂趣。但是，命運(yùn)之神的寵兒是第二類人，他們的生活是一種自然的和諧，對(duì)他們來說，工作時(shí)間總不會(huì)太長(zhǎng)，每天都是假日，而通常的假期來到，他們卻惋惜這假期強(qiáng)制打斷了他們埋頭從事的工作。然而對(duì)這兩種人來說，都需要換一換腦子，改變一下氣氛，轉(zhuǎn)移一下注意力，這是不可缺少的。說實(shí)在的，把工作當(dāng)作享受的那些人需要每隔一段時(shí)間把工作從頭腦中撇開。