双语有声阅读：你是你的所为

If the past has taught us anything, it is that every cause brings effect - every action has a consequence.This thought, in my opinion, is the moral foundation of the universe; it applies equally in this world andthe next.

 

We Chinese have a saying: “If a man plants melons, he will reap melons; if he sows beans, he will reap beans.”And this is true of every man’s life: good begets¹ good, and evil leads to evil.

 

True enough, the sun shines on the saint and sinner alike, and too often it seems that the wicked wax and prosper².But we can say with certitude that, with the individual as with the nation,the flourishing of the wicked is an illusion, for, unceasingly, life keeps books on us all.

 

In the end, we are all the sum total of our actions. Character cannot be counterfeited,nor can it be put on and cast off as if it were a garment to meet the whim³ of the moment.Like the markings on wood which are ingrained in the very heart of the tree,character requires time and nurture⁴ for growth and development.

 

Thus also, day by day, we write our own destiny, for inexorably we become what we do.This, I believe, is the supreme⁵ logic⁶ and the law of life.

 

假如说过去的日子曾经教给我们一些什么的话，那就是有因必有果——每一个行为都有一种结果。在我看来，这种想法是全宇宙的道徳基础；它不仅适用于今生，也适用于来世。

 

我们中国人有一句俗语说："种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。"而这就是每个人生活的真实写照：善有善报，恶有恶报。

 

说实在话，圣人与罪人皆会受到阳光的披泽，而且常常似乎是恶者大行其道。但是我们可以确信地说，不管是对个人或是对国家而言，恶人猖撅只是一种幻象，因为生活无时无刻不在将我们的所作所为像账本一样一笔一笔记录下来。

 

最终,我们就是我们行为的总和。品性是无法伪装的，也无法像衣服一样随兴地穿上或脱下来丢在一旁。就像木头的纹路发端于树木深邃的中心，品性的生长与发育也需要时间和滋养。

 

也因此，我们日复一日地写下我们自身的命运，因为我们的所作所为毫不留情地决定着我们的命运。我坚信，这就是人生的最高逻辑和法则。

1 begets   

v.为…之生父( beget的第三人称单数 )；产生，引起

参考例句：

• It begets at least seven standard type offspring from such matings. 这类交配中生下至少七个标准型后代。 来自辞典例句
• Violence begets violence until the innocent perish with the guilty. 暴力招致暴力直到这因罪行而无缘无故的毁灭。 来自电影对白

2 prosper   

v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣

参考例句：

• With her at the wheel,the company began to prosper.有了她当主管，公司开始兴旺起来。
• It is my earnest wish that this company will continue to prosper.我真诚希望这家公司会继续兴旺发达。

3 whim   

n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想

参考例句：

• I bought the encyclopedia on a whim.我凭一时的兴致买了这本百科全书。
• He had a sudden whim to go sailing today.今天他突然想要去航海。

4 nurture   

n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持

参考例句：

• The tree grows well in his nurture.在他的培育下这棵树长得很好。
• The two sisters had received very different nurture.这俩个姊妹接受过极不同的教育。

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。