英语名篇诵读 假如我又回到童年

If I Were a Boy Again

假如我又回到童年

If I were a boy again, I would practice perseverance¹ more often, and never give up a thing

because it was hard or inconvenient² . If we want light, we must conquer darkness.

Perseverance can sometimes equal genius in its results. “There are only two creatures,” says a

proverb, “who can climb up the pyramids — the eagle and the snail³.”

If I were a boy again, I would school myself into a habit of attention; I would let nothing

come between me and the subject in hand. I would remember that a good skater never tries to

skate in two directions at once. The habit of attention becomes part of our life, if we began early

enough.

If I were to live my life over again, I would pay more attention to the cultivation⁴ of the

memory. I would strengthen that ability by every possible means, and on every possible occasion.

It takes a little hard work at first to remember things accurately⁵; but memory soon helps itself, and

gives very little trouble. It only needs early cultivation to become a power.

If I were a boy again, I would cultivate courage. “Nothing is so mild and gentle as courage,

nothing so cruel and pitiless as cowardice⁶ ,” says a wise author. “The fear of ill exceeds the

ill we fear.” Dangers will arise in any career, but presence of mind will often conquer the worst of

them. Be prepared for any fate, and there is no harm to be feared.

If I were a boy again, I would look on  the cheerful side. Life is very much like a mirror: if

you smile upon it, it smiles back upon you; but if you frown and look doubtful on it, you will

get a similar look in return. Inner sunshine warms not only the heart of the owner, but of all that

come in contact with it. “Who shuts love out, in turn shall be shut out from love.”

If I were a boy again, I would school myself to say no more often. A young boy should stand

erect⁷, and decline doing an unworthy act because it is unworthy.

If I were a boy again, I would demand of myself more courtesy towards my companions

and friends, and indeed towards strangers as well. The smallest courtesies along the rough roads of

life are like the little birds that sing to us all winter long, and make that season of ice and snow

more endurable .

Finally, instead of trying hard to be happy, as if that were the only purpose of life, I would, if

I were a boy again, I would still try harder to make others happy.

如果我又回到童年，我会更加坚忍不拔，决不因为一件事难做或不方便就把它放弃。

如果我们要光明，就得征服黑暗。毅力有时候从结果看堪比天才。一则谚语说：“只有两种

生物能爬上金字塔——雄鹰和蜗牛。”

如果我又回到童年，我会使自己养成专心的习惯，若有事在手，决不让任何东西使我

分心。我会记住，优秀的滑冰手决不试图同时滑向两个方向。如果我们早早开始训练，专

心致志的习惯会成为我们生活的一部分。

如果我能把生活从头过起，我会更注意培养记忆力。我会利用一切可能的手段，利用

每一个可能的场合，来增强记忆力。要准确记住事情起初有点难，但记忆力很快就会大显

身手，毫不费力就牢记心中。要具有良好的记忆力只需早早加以培养。

如果我又回到童年，我会培养勇气。一位睿智的作者说：“没有任何东西像勇气那样温

柔，没有任何东西像胆怯那样残忍。”“对邪恶的畏惧超过我们畏惧的邪恶。”无论什么职业

都会有危险，但镇定自若会战胜最大的危险。准备好应对任何命运，有备无患。

如果我又回到童年，我会看到事物好的一面。生活酷似一面镜子：如果你向它笑，它

就笑脸相迎；但如果你眉头紧皱，满脸疑虑，它就会以愁眉苦脸相报。内心的阳光不仅温

暖自己的心，还温暖所有被这阳光沐浴的人。“把爱关在门外的人，也被爱关在门外。”

如果我又回到童年，我会训练自己更多地说“不”。年轻人应该挺起腰杆做人，拒绝不

该做的事，因为它不值得做。

如果我又回到童年，我会要求自己对待同事和朋友更加礼貌，对待陌生人也彬彬有

礼。人生之路崎岖艰难，小小的礼貌之举就像整个冬天里为我们歌唱的小鸟，使那个冰天

雪地的季节变得不那么难以忍受。

最后，如果我又回到童年，我不会一心想着怎样使自己幸福，好像那就是生活的唯一

目的似的，我会倍加努力，为他人谋幸福。

1 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

2 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

3 snail   

n.蜗牛

参考例句：

• Snail is a small plant-eating creature with a soft body.蜗牛是一种软体草食动物。
• Time moved at a snail's pace before the holidays.放假前的时间过得很慢。

4 cultivation   

n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成

参考例句：

• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。
• The land is not fertile enough to repay cultivation.这块土地不够肥沃，不值得耕种。

5 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

6 cowardice   

n.胆小，怯懦

参考例句：

• His cowardice reflects on his character.他的胆怯对他的性格带来不良影响。
• His refusal to help simply pinpointed his cowardice.他拒绝帮助正显示他的胆小。

7 erect   

n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的

参考例句：

• She held her head erect and her back straight.她昂着头，把背挺得笔直。
• Soldiers are trained to stand erect.士兵们训练站得笔直。