【假如重回少年/If I Were a Boy Again】

【公众号：Albert英语研习社】

●Albert会在公众号里分享他学习英语的高效方法

主播：周邦琴Albert

●没有名牌大学背景，没有英语专业背景

●没有国外留学经历，没有英语生活环境

●22岁成为500强公司英文讲师，录音素材全球员工使用

●自学成为同声传译，25岁为瑞士总统翻译，28岁为第一夫人彭妈妈翻译

今天Albert给大家朗读的这篇文章被很多国内的机构列为西方必读经典之一，但是却没有任何的作者署名。而且很有意思的一点是无论在bing还是google里面搜索这篇文章，出现的大部分结果都是中文网页。

在一个叫Cellar的论坛网站上一位和我有同样好奇心的华人网友向英美小伙伴们请教这篇文章的出处。有不少热心人士帮忙解答，有的说可能是从中文翻译成英文的，有的说感觉是维多利亚时代的英国英语，有的说应该是在英国接受过教育的香港人写的。。。

终于有位神通广大的网友在google books里找到了这篇文章的出处。原来来自Lewis Baxter Monroe写的一本读物(reader)。

Lewis Baxter Monron何许人也？19世纪美国的一位演讲教育家(1825-1879)。他是波士顿大学演讲学院(Schoolof Oratory)的首任院长，当时与他一同执教的包括了后来发明了人类历史上第一部电话的贝尔(Alexander Graham Bell)。美国文学巨匠爱默生(RalphWaldo Emerson)当时也是他的学生。

If I Were a Boy Again

假如我又回到了童年

           By Lewis Baxter Monroe (1825-1879) 

If I were a boy again, I would practiceperseverance more often, and never give up a thing because it was too hard orinconvenient. If we want light, we must conquer darkness. Perseverance cansometimes equal genius in its results. "There are only twocreatures," says a proverb," who can surmount the pyramids, the eagleand the snail."

如我又回到了童年，我做事要更有毅力，决不因为事情艰难或者麻烦而撒手不干。我们要光明，就得征服黑暗。毅力在效果上有时能同天才相比。俗话说：“能登上金字塔的生物，只有两种，鹰和蜗牛。”

If I were a boy again, I would schoolmyself into a habit of attention; I would let nothing come between me and thesubject in hand. I would remember that a good skater never tries to skate intwo directions at once. The habit of attention becomes part of our life, if webegin early enough. I often hear grown-up people say "I could not fix myattention on the sermon or book, although I wished to do so", and thereason is, the habit was not formed in youth.

假如我又回到了童年，我就要养成专心致志的习惯；有事在手,就决不容任何东西使我分心。我要牢记：优秀的滑冰手从不试图同时滑向两个不同的方向。如果及早养成这种专心致志的习惯,它将成为我们生命的一部分。我常听成年人说：“虽然我希望能集中注意力听牧师讲道或读书，但往往做不到。”而原因就是年轻时没有养成这种习惯。

If I were to live my life over again, I wouldpay more attention to the cultivation of the memory. I would strengthen thatfaculty by every possible means, and on every possible occasion. It takes alittle hard work at first to remember things accurately; but memory soon helpsitself, and gives very little trouble. It only needs early cultivation tobecome a power.

假如我现在能重新开始我的生命，我就要更注意记忆力的培养。我要采取一切可能的办法，并且在一切可能的场合，增强记忆力。要正确无误地记住一些东西，在开始阶段的确要作出一番小小的努力；但要不了多久，记忆力本身就会起作用，使记忆成为轻而易举的事。只需及早培养，记忆自会成为一种才能。

If I were a boy again, I would cultivate courage."Nothing is so mild and gentle as courage, nothing so cruel and pitilessas cowardice," says a wise author. We too often borrow trouble, andanticipate that may never appear. "The fear of ill exceeds the ill wefear." Dangers will arise in any career, but the presence of mind will oftenconquer the worst of them. Be prepared for any fate, and there is no harm to befeared.

假如我又回到了童年，我就要培养勇气。一位明智的作家曾说过：“世上没有东西比勇气更温文尔雅，也没有东西比怯懦更残酷无情。”我们常常过多地自寻烦恼，杞人忧天。“怕祸害比祸害本身更可怕。”凡事都有危险，但镇定沉着往往能克服最严重的危险。对一切祸福做好准备，那么就没有什么灾难可以害怕的了。

If I were a boy again, I would look on thecheerful side. Life is very much like a mirror: if you smile upon it, it smilesback upon you; but if you frown and look doubtful on it, you will get a similarlook in return. Inner sun­shine warms not only the heart of the owner, but ofall that come in contact with it." shuts love out, in turn shall be shutout from love."

假如我又回到了童年，我就要事事乐观。生活犹如一面镜子：你朝它笑,它也朝你笑；如果你双眉紧锁，向它投以怀疑的目光，它也将还以你同样的目光。内心的欢乐不仅温暖了欢乐者自己的心，也温暖了所有与之接触者的心。“谁拒爱于门外，也必将被爱拒诸门外。”

If I were a boy again, I would schoolmyself to say no more often. I might write pages on the importance of learningvery early in life to gain that point where a young boy can stand erect, anddecline doing an unworthy act because it is unworthy.

假如我又回到了童年，我就要养成经常说“不”字的习惯。一个少年要能挺得起腰，拒绝做不应该做的事，就因为这事不值得做。我可以写上好几页谈谈早年培养这一点的重要性。

If I were a boy again, I would demand ofmyself more courtesy towards my companions and friends, and indeed towardsstrangers as well. The smallest courtesies along the rough roads of life arelike the little birds that sing to us all winter long, and make that season ofice and snow more endurable.

假如我又回到了童年，我就要要求自己对伙伴和朋友更加礼貌，而且对陌生人也应如此。在坎坷的生活道路上,最细小的礼貌犹如在漫长的冬天为我们歌唱的小鸟，那歌声使冰天雪地的寒冬变得较易忍受。

Finally, instead of trying hard to behappy, as if that were the sole purpose of life, I would, if I were a boyagain, I would try still harder to make others happy.

最后,假如我又回到了童年，我不会力图为自己谋幸福，好像这就是人生惟一的目的；与之相反，我要更努力为他人谋幸福。

生词短语：

perseverance  坚持不懈

proverb  谚语

surmount  克服；越过

sermon  布道

faculty  能力

pitiless  冷酷无情的

cowardice  怯懦

courtesy  礼貌