假如給我三天光陰

人的生老病死是有一定的定律的，在最後僅剩的時光裏， 我們應該做些什麼事纔不至於枉費這一生呢?下面是小編節選的經典英文美文：假如給我三天光陰。

假如給我三天光陰

All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year, sometimes as short as 24 hours. But always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed hero chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited.

我們都讀過震撼人心的故事，故事中的主人公只能再活一段很有限的時光，有時長達一年，有時卻短至一日。但我們總是想要知道，註定要離世人的會選擇如何度過自己最後的時光。當然，我說的是那些有選擇權利的自由人，而不是那些活動範圍受到嚴格限定的死囚。

Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings, what regrets?

這樣的故事讓我們思考，在類似的處境下，我們該做些什麼?作爲終有一死的人，在臨終前的幾個小時內我們應該做什麼事，經歷些什麼或做哪些聯想?回憶往昔，什麼使我們開心快樂?什麼又使我們悔恨不已?

The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impaimp3ent of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill.

我擔心同樣的冷漠也存在於我們對自己官能和意識的運用上。只有聾子才理解聽力的重要，只有盲人才明白視覺的可貴，這尤其適用於那些成年後才失去視力或聽力之苦的人很少充分利用這些寶貴的能力。他們的眼睛和耳朵模糊地感受着周圍的景物與聲音，心不在焉，也無所感激。這正好我們只有在失去後才懂得珍惜一樣，我們只有在生病後才意識到健康的可貴。

I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.

我經常想，如果每個人在年輕的時候都有幾天失時失聰，也不失爲一件幸事。黑暗將使他更加感激光明，寂靜將告訴他聲音的美妙。

詞彙：

sometimes [ˈsʌmˌtaɪmz] 有時，間或

specified指定的

condemned [kənˈdɛmd] 被定罪的;被責難的

criminals [ˈkrɪmɪnəl] 刑事上的;犯罪的，罪犯

看完今天的內容，大家對時間的概念是不是又清晰了一點呢。在我們有限的生命裏一定要好好珍惜每一分每一秒。

　　人生的大石頭

在我們的面前放了一個瓶子，石塊、水還有水，大家會把桌子上的哪樣東西先放入瓶子裏呢?試想一下哦。

接下來，我們就來看看這個實驗是怎麼做的吧~~

One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.

一天，時間管理專家爲一羣學生講課。他現場做了演示，給學生們留下了一生都難以磨滅的印象。

As he stood in front of the group of overachievers he said, "OK, time for a quiz." He pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth jar and set it on the table in front of him. He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"

站在那些高智商高學歷的學生前面，他說：“我們來做個小測驗”，拿出一個一加侖的廣口瓶放在他面前的桌上。隨後，他取出一堆拳頭大小的石塊，仔細地一塊放進玻璃瓶。直到石塊高出瓶口，再也放不下了，他問道：“瓶子滿了?”

Everyone in the class yelled, "Yes." The time management expert replied, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. He then asked the group once more, "Is this jar full?"

所有學生應道：“滿了!”。時間管理專家反問：“真的?”他伸手從桌下拿出一桶礫石，倒了一些進去，並敲擊玻璃瓶壁使礫石填滿下面石塊的間隙。“現在瓶子滿了嗎?”他第二次問道。

By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"

但這一次學生有些明白了，“可能還沒有”，一位學生應道。“很好!”專家說。他伸手從桌下拿出一桶沙子，開始慢慢倒進玻璃瓶。沙子填滿了石塊和礫石的所有間隙。他又一次問學生：“瓶子滿了嗎?”

No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good." Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager student raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!"

“沒滿!”學生們大聲說。他再一次說：“很好!”然後他拿過一壺水倒進玻璃瓶直到水面與瓶口平。擡頭看着學生，問道：“這個例子說明什麼?”一個心急的學生舉手發言：“無論你的時間多少，如果你確實努力，你可以做更多的事情!”

"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is if you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all. What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Time with your loved ones, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these big rocks in first or you'll never get them in at all."

“不!”時間管理專家說，“那不是它真正的意思，這個例子告訴我們：如果你不是先放大石塊，那你就再也不能把它放進瓶子了。那麼，什麼是你生命中的大石頭呢?也許是你的道德感、你的夢想?還有你的---切切記得先去處理這些大石塊，否則，一輩子你都不能做!”

詞彙：

management [ˈmænɪdʒmənt] (企業等的)管理，經營;主管

illustration [ˌɪləˈstreɪʃən] 插圖;圖解;說明

overachievers ['əuvərə'tʃi:və] 成績超過預料的學生

between [bɪˈtwiːn] 在中間

mentoring 顧問指導(方法)

雖然這是一個類似於烏鴉喝水的故事，但裏面的內容卻不得不讓人深思：我們學習也是一樣，不僅得一點一點地將知識裝進大腦，還得精益求精。