新概念美文欣赏

 Youth By Samuel Erman

1. Youth is not a time of life, it is a state of mind, it is not a matter of rosy¹ cheeks, red lips and supple² knees, it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor³ of the emotions, it is the freshness of the deep spring of life.

2. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years; we grow old by deserting our idea.

3. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.

4. Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure⁴ of wonders, the unfailing childlike appetite of what’s next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless⁵ station: so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from the infinite, so long as you are young.

5. When the aerials are down, and your spirits are covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism⁶. Then you’ve grown old even at 20, but as long as your aerials are up to catch waves of optimism, there’s hope you may die young at 80.

青 春

［美］塞缪.俄尔曼

1. 青春不是生命的一段时光，不是指红润的脸颊、红扑扑的嘴唇和柔软的双膝；它是一种精神状态，是指不懈的干劲、丰富的想象力和滚烫的情怀。它是生命春意正浓时鲜活的记忆。它是生命之源勃勃生机的涌泉。

2. 青春意味着战胜懦弱的那股大丈夫气慨和摈弃安逸的那种冒险精神。往往一个60岁的老者比一个20岁的青年更多一点这种劲头。人老不仅仅是岁月流逝所致，更主要的是懒惰、不思进取的结果。

3. 光阴可以在颜面上留下印记，而热情之火的熄灭则在心灵上刻下皱纹。遗憾、恐惧、缺乏自信，会扭曲人的灵魂，并将青春化为灰烬。

4. 无论是60岁还是16岁，你需要保持永不衰竭的好奇心，永不熄灭的孩提般求知的渴望和追求事业成功的欢乐与热情。在你我的心底，都有一座无线电台；它能在多长时间里接收到人间万物传递来的美好、希望、欢乐、鼓舞和力量信息，你就会年轻多长时间。

5. 当天线倒塌时，你的精神就被玩世不恭和悲观厌世的冰雪所覆盖，你就会衰老下去，即使你只是20岁；而你的天线巍然矗立着的时候，凭着高昂的乐观主义，你就有希望在80岁死去时仍然韶华不逝。

现在，试一下，不要在心里翻译，用英语去感受一下英语，看一看是否感觉不一样。如果它很美，背下来！

1 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。

2 supple   

adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺

参考例句：

• She gets along well with people because of her supple nature.她与大家相处很好，因为她的天性柔和。
• He admired the graceful and supple movements of the dancers.他赞扬了舞蹈演员优雅灵巧的舞姿。

3 vigor   

n.活力，精力，元气

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。

4 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

5 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

6 pessimism   

n.悲观者，悲观主义者，厌世者

参考例句：

• He displayed his usual pessimism.他流露出惯有的悲观。
• There is the note of pessimism in his writings.他的著作带有悲观色彩。