英语PK台 第524期:你有没有加入过99俱乐部?

 　　Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite his luxurious¹ lifestyle, was neither happy nor content.

　　从前有一位国王，他每天过着奢华的生活，却从未感到快乐与满足。

　　One day, the King came upon a servant who was singing happily while he worked. This fascinated the King; why was he, the Supreme² Ruler of the Land, unhappy and gloomy, while a lowly servant had so much joy?The King asked the servant, "Why are you so happy?"

　　一天，这位国王偶遇了一位仆人，看见他一边工作一边欢快地唱着歌。这一场景深深地吸引住了国王的注意——他想：为什么他这样一位国家的最高统治者，每天愁眉苦脸，闷闷不乐，而一个卑微的仆人却如此快乐？国王问仆人：“你为什么这么开心？”。

　　The man replied, "Your Majesty³, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and I don't need too much—just a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummies."

　　仆人回答说：“陛下，我只不过是一个仆人，但我和我的家人并不需要太多的东西——能有一个遮风挡雨的住处，再有能够填饱我们一家人肚子热食，这样就足够了。”

　　The king was not satisfied with that reply. Later in the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted advisor⁴. After hearing the King's woes⁵ and the servant's story, the advisor said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club."

　　国王并不满意这样的回答。当天晚些时候，他去向他最信赖的顾问征求建议。听完那个仆人的故事，了解了国王的苦恼后，顾问说：“陛下，我相信这个仆人还没有加入‘99俱乐部'。”

　　"The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?" the King inquired. The advisor replied: "Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep."

　　“‘99俱乐部'？那是做什么的？”国王问道。顾问回答说：“陛下，要想真正了解‘99俱乐部'，就要将99枚金币放入一个袋子，再把这个装有金币的袋子放在那个仆人的家门口。”

　　When the servant saw the bag, he took it into his house. When he opened the bag, he let out a great shout of joy...So many gold coins!

　　仆人看到袋子后，把袋子拿回了家。当他打开袋子的时候，欣喜若狂地喊了出来……这么多的金币！

　　He began to count them. After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were 99 coins. He wondered, "What could've happened to that last gold coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 coins!"

　　他开始数金币。数了好几遍之后，他终于确信这些金币总共有99枚。此时，他非常纳闷：“没有在袋子里的那第100枚金币究竟是怎么回事？当然，不会有人在袋子里放99枚金币的！”

　　He looked everywhere he could, but that final coin was elusive⁶. Finally, exhausted⁷, he decided⁸ that he was going to have to work harder than ever to earn that gold coin and complete his collection.

　　他找遍了屋里屋外的各个角落，但那最后一枚金币仍然不见踪影。最后，他终于精疲力竭，决定从今往后要比以前更加努力地赚钱，凑够这第100枚金币。

　　From that day, the servant's life was changed. He was overworked,horribly grumpy, and castigated⁹ his family for not helping¹⁰ him make that 100th gold coin. He stopped singing while he worked.

　　从那一天起，仆人的生活发生了改变。他每天拼死拼活地工作，脾气变得非常暴躁，还经常责怪他的家人不帮助他赚到那第100枚金币。而且，工作时再也听不到他的歌声。

　　Witnessing this drastic transformation¹¹, the King was puzzled. When he sought his advisor's help, the advisor said, "Your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club."

　　看到这样巨大的变化，国王感到很困惑。当他寻求顾问的帮助时，顾问说：“陛下，仆人现已正式加入了99俱乐部。”

　　He continued, "The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never content, because they're always yearning¹² and striving for that extra 1, telling to themselves: "Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life."

　　顾问继续说道：“99俱乐部属于那些有足够多快乐的理由，却永远不知满足的人，因为他们总是渴望并追求那额外的一份满足感，并告诉自己：“当我得到想要的最后那件东西时，我就会过上幸福的生活。”

　　We can be happy, even with very little in our lives, but the minute we're given something bigger and better, we want even more! We lose our sleep, our happiness, we hurt the people around us; all these as a price for our growing needs and desires. That's what joining The 99 Club is all about.

　　我们可以过着快乐的日子，即使我们所拥有的并不多，但从我们得到更多、更好的东西的那一刻起，我们就会想要得到更多！我们因此失去了睡眠时间，失去了快乐，还伤害了我们身边的人；这一切都是我们为自己不断增长的需求和欲望付出的代价。以上就是加入99俱乐部的全部意义所在。

1 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

2 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。

3 majesty   

n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权

参考例句：

• The king had unspeakable majesty.国王有无法形容的威严。
• Your Majesty must make up your mind quickly!尊贵的陛下，您必须赶快做出决定！

4 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

5 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

6 elusive   

adj.难以表达(捉摸)的；令人困惑的；逃避的

参考例句：

• Try to catch the elusive charm of the original in translation.翻译时设法把握住原文中难以捉摸的风韵。
• Interpol have searched all the corners of the earth for the elusive hijackers.国际刑警组织已在世界各地搜查在逃的飞机劫持者。

7 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

8 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

9 castigated   

v.严厉责骂、批评或惩罚（某人）( castigate的过去式 )

参考例句：

• He castigated himself for being so stupid. 他责怪自己太笨。
• He castigated the secretaries for their sloppy job of filing. 由于秘书们档案工作搞得马虎草率，他严厉地斥责了他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

11 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

12 yearning   

a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的

参考例句：

• a yearning for a quiet life 对宁静生活的向往
• He felt a great yearning after his old job. 他对过去的工作有一种强烈的渴想。