英语沙龙：善待时光

Free Up Time to Do What You Love Most

Two years ago Shirley Michels of St. Louis found herself getting up earlier and earlier, and going to bed later and later, just to meet everyday demands. The wife, mother and ophthalmic technician met her responsibilities，but lacked time for the things that mattered most.She and her husband, Vic, an attorney, began searching for ways to simplify their lives.

“We had to decide what was really important.” says Shirley. They knew they wanted more time to play with their three-year-old son, Ryan, to exercise and eat right, and to nurture¹ friendships. So the couple chose to live more modestly，shopping with care for necessities and enjoying inexpensive pleasures such as reading, cooking and going to the park.

Shirley quit her job and began working part time from home. She printed up business cards that read “At your service buy yourself a little time”and hired herself out for personal tasks such as shopping, paying bills, organizing parties, doing Internet research whatever clients needed.

“I still work hard, but being able to control my hours makes all the difference.” she says. “I can carve out time to take my son to the zoo or play basketball with him. My stress headaches are gone. Having a chance to get to know neighbors not only has been fun, but it's also helped us further simplify.”

According to trend watchers, the Michelses are far from alone in wanting to slow down and live a more satisfying life. A Gallup Poll found that half of all Americans claim they lack enough time to do what they want. 54 percent of parents say they spend too little time with their children, and 47 percent of married couples complain that they lack time together.

Where does the time go? For most people, work and commuting² dominate the day. According to the Bureau of Labor³ Statistics, one out of five of us put in 49 or more hours a week on the job; one out of 12 logged 60 hours or more. Then there's the rich fast food of modern life, so much information to sift⁴ through, so many products beckoning⁵.

“We're wearing ourselves out trying to have it all.” says Elaine St. James, author of Living the Simple Life. Simplifying means becoming aware of the ways, big and small, that we expend⁶ money, time and energy, and then raking steps to curb⁷ the waste. Then we have to gain control over life's hassles in order to have time for the pleasures.

1 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。

2 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。

3 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

4 sift   

v.筛撒，纷落，详察

参考例句：

• Sift out the wheat from the chaff.把小麦的壳筛出来。
• Sift sugar on top of the cake.在蛋糕上面撒上糖。

5 beckoning   

adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• An even more beautiful future is beckoning us on. 一个更加美好的未来在召唤我们继续前进。 来自辞典例句
• He saw a youth of great radiance beckoning to him. 他看见一个丰神飘逸的少年向他招手。 来自辞典例句

6 expend   

vt.花费，消费，消耗

参考例句：

• Don't expend all your time on such a useless job.不要把时间消耗在这种无用的工作上。
• They expend all their strength in trying to climb out.他们费尽全力想爬出来。

7 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。