A Pair of Socks 一双短袜

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A Pair of Socks一双短袜

I turned into a sock shop that caught my eye,

我拐进看到的一家袜店,

and a boy clerk who could not have been more than seventeen years old came forward.

一个不到17岁的少年售货员走了过来:

“What can I do for you, sir?”

“先生,需要什么帮助吗?”

“I want to buy a pair of socks.”

“我想买双短袜｡”

His eyes glowed.There was a note of passion in his voice.“Did you know that you had come into the finest place in the world to buy socks?”said the boy, ecstatically.

他双眸满是热情，声音饱含激情，“您知道您来到了世界上最好的袜店吗?”男孩欣喜若狂地说｡

I had not been aware of that,as my entrance had been accidental.

我倒并未意识到这点，我不过是随便进来的｡

“Come with me,”

“随我来,”

I followed him to the rear of the shop, and he began to haul down from the shelves box after box, displaying their contents for my delectation.

我跟着他往里走，他开始从货架上拽下一个又一个盒子，向我展示里面的袜子，让我欣赏｡

“Hold on, lad, I am going to buy only one pair!”

“等等，孩子，我只想买一双袜子!”

“I know that,”said he,“but I want you to see how marvelously beautiful these are.

Aren’t they wonderful!”

他说,“我知道，但我想让您瞧瞧这些袜子是多么漂亮!难道袜子不好吗!”

There was on his face an expression of solemn and holy rapture, as if he were revealing to me the mysteries of his religion.

他的表情庄严而虔诚，就像是在向我展示他的信仰的奥秘。

I became far more interested in him than in the socks.

我对他的兴趣远远超过对袜子的，

I looked at him in amazement.

我吃惊地看着他｡

“My friend,”said I,“If you can keep this up, if this is not merely the enthusiasm that comes from novelty, from having a new job, if you can keep up this zeal and excitement day after day,in ten years you will own every sock in the United Sates.

我说，朋友，如果你能这样保持下去，如果你的热情并不仅仅源于新奇，源于找到份新工作，如果你能日复一日地保持这种热情和激情，不出十年，全美的每一双袜子都将是从你手中卖出去的｡” 

In many shops the customers have to wait for some one to wait upon him.

在很多店铺，顾客不得不等待有人来招呼｡

And when finally some clerk does deign to notice you,

当终于有个售货员肯屈尊理你,

you are made to feel as if you were interrupting him.

又让你感觉像是打扰了他｡

He displays no interest either in you or in the goods he is paid to sell.

他显示出对你和他拿着工资要去卖的东西毫无兴趣｡

The daily grind was too much for him，the novelty wore off;

天天枯燥乏味的工作令他如受磨难,新鲜感磨去了,

his only pleasures were found outside of working hours.

惟一的乐趣只能在工作之外找到。

He became a mechanical, not inspired, salesman.

他成了一个机械的､没有干劲的售货员｡

After being mechanical, he became incompetent;

机械呆板之后便是笨拙无能，他已经变得不能胜任工作了。

then he saw younger clerks who had more zest in their work, promoted over him. He became sour.

随后, 看到比他年轻､工作热情比他高的售货员得到了提拔，在他之上，他于是变得尖酸刻薄｡

That was the last stage. His usefulness was over.

此时便到了他职业生涯的最后阶段，他不再有用了｡

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