英语美文：钉子和篱笆

 The Nails and the Fence       

　　There was a little boy with a bad temper¹. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence.

　　The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.

　　Then it gradually dwindled² down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.

　　Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

　　The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar³ just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal⁴ wound is as bad as a physical one.

　　Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your friends how much you care.

　　以前，有个小男孩，脾气很坏，他爸爸就给他一包钉子，让他每次发脾气的时候就往篱笆上钉钉子。

　　就在第一天，小家伙就已经在篱笆上钉了37个钉子。

　　慢慢地，他钉的越来越少了，原来他发现控制住自己的脾气要比往篱笆上钉钉子容易得多。

　　最后，终于有一天，小家伙脾气都不发了。他对爸爸说了这件事，可爸爸却建议他每天再从篱笆上拔出一颗钉子，这样他的脾气就能控制住了。

　　日子一天天过去，最后，那个男孩告诉他爸爸说钉子他都拔完了。爸爸就牵着他的手，带他去篱笆那儿。爸爸说：“儿子，你做的很好。但是，你看看篱笆上的小洞，每根篱笆都绝不会相同的。每次你发脾气的时候，它们都会就像这个一样留下伤疤。你用刀刺伤一个人，可以把刀拔出来。 但是，无论你说多少遍对不起都是没用的，因为伤还在那里。言语里的伤害和身体上的伤害都同样糟糕。

　　事实上，朋友是珍贵的珠宝。他们给你欢笑，给你走向成功的鼓励；他们倾听你的心声，分享成功的欢乐；而且，他们始终都向你敞开他们的胸怀，这些都说明你应该更加珍惜你的朋友。

1 temper   

n.恶劣的心情，心绪焦躁；性情，脾气

参考例句：

• The man lost his temper and struck out wildly.那人因发怒而大打出手。
• One day the man flew at me in a temper.一天,那个人冲着我大发脾气。

2 dwindled   

v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing. 支持这个党派的人渐渐化为乌有。
• His wealth dwindled to nothingness. 他的钱财化为乌有。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 scar   

n.伤疤，伤痕，创伤

参考例句：

• This scar is from the bite of a dog.这是狗咬后留下的伤疤。
• The tragedy left a scar on her mind.这个悲剧给她造成精神上的创伤。

4 verbal   

adj.口头的，用言辞的，用文字的，动词的

参考例句：

• Verbal statements are no guarantee.口说无凭。
• I delivered a verbal protest against their brutal acts.我对他们的暴行提出口头抗议。