塞翁失马(We Will See)

1、塞翁失马(We Will See)Once upon a time, there was a farmer in the central region of China. He didn't have a lot of money and, instead of a tractor, he used an old horse to plow his field. One afternoon, while working in the field, the horse dropped dead. Everyone in the village said, "Oh, what a

2、 horrible thing to happen." The farmer said simply, "We'll see." He was so at peace and so calm, that everyone in the village got together and, admiring his attitude, gave him a new horse as a gift. Everyone's reaction now was, "What a lucky man." And the farmer said

3、, "We'll see." A couple days later, the new horse jumped a fence and ran away. Everyone in the village shook their heads and said, "What a poor fellow! The farmer smiled and said, "We'll see." Eventually, the horse found his way home, and everyone again said, "W

4、hat a fortunate man." The farmer said, "We'll see." Later in the year, the farmer's young boy went out riding on the horse and fell and broke his leg. Everyone in the village said, "What a shame for the poor boy." The farmer said, "We'll see." Two days

5、later, the army came into the village to draft new recruits. When they saw that the farmer's son had a broken leg, they decided not to recruit him. Everyone said, "What a fortunate young man." The farmer smiled again and said, "We'll see." Moral of the story: There's

6、no use in overreacting to the events and circumstances of our everyday lives. Many times what looks like a setback, may actually be a gift in disguise. And when our hearts are in the right place, all events and circumstances are gifts that we can learn valuable lessons from.The Most Beautiful HeartO

7、ne day a young man was standing in the middle of the town proclaiming that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole valley. A large crowd gathered, and they all admired his heart for it was perfect. There was not a flaw in it. 一天，一位年轻人站在城镇的中央，宣布他的心是整个山谷中最美丽的心。围观的人很多，他们都称赞年轻人的心的确是完美无缺，并没有一点伤痕瑕疵。

8、Suddenly, an old man appeared and said, "Why, your heart is not nearly as beautiful as mine." 突然，一位老人出现在人群中，说：“你的心不如我的美丽。” The crowd and the young man looked at the old man's heart. It was full of scars, it had places where pieces had been removed and other pieces put in, but they didn

9、't fit quite right, and there were several jagged edges. In fact, in some places there were deep gouges where whole pieces were missing. 围观者和年轻人都朝老人的心看去：它布满了伤疤，有的地方被挖去又重新填补上，但修补得不甚完整，留下一些参差不齐的疤痕。实际上，有的地方缺失了整块，甚至露出很深的豁口。 The young man laughed. "Comparing your heart with mine, mine is perfect

10、 and yours is a mess of scars." 年轻人笑了起来：“我们两人的心相比，我的是那么完美，而你的却是一堆伤疤。” "Yes," said the old man, "Yours looks perfect but I would never trade with you. You see, every scar represents a person to whom I have given my love. I tear out a piece of my heart and give it to them, and ofte

11、n they give me a piece of their heart that fits into the empty place in my heart. But because the pieces aren't exact, I have some rough edges, which I cherish, because they remind me of the love we shared. “是的，”老人说，“你的心从表面来看很完美，但我绝不会跟你交换。你看，每个伤疤都代表我为别人献出的一份爱我掏出一块心给他们，他们常常会掏出自己的一块回赠给我，以填补我的空缺。但由

12、于这两块不完全一样，伤口的边缘就留下了疤痕，不过我十分珍惜这些疤痕，因为它们使我想起我们共同拥有的爱心。” "Sometimes I have given pieces of my heart away, and the other person hasn't returned a piece of his or her heart to me. These are the empty gouges - giving love is taking a chance. Although these gouges are painful, they stay open, remi

13、nding me of the love I have for those people too, and I hope someday they may return and fill the space I have waiting. So now do you see what true beauty is?" “有时我送出了一瓣心，其他人并没有回赠给我，因此就出现了这些豁口献出爱也是需要冒风险的。尽管这些豁口很疼，我还是让它们敞开着，因为它们能使我想起我付出的爱。我希望有一天，得到爱的人们能够回来填补上我心里的空间。你现在明白什么是真正的美丽了吧？” The young ma

14、n walked up to the old man, reached into his perfect heart, and ripped a piece out. He offered it to the old man. 年轻人默默走近老人，把手伸进自己完美的心中，撕下一块来，把它献给这位老人。 The old man placed it in his heart, then took a piece from his old scarred heart and placed it in the wound in the young man's heart. It fit, bu

15、t not perfectly, as there were some jagged edges. 老人接过馈赠，把它放进自己的心里。然后他从自己疤痕累累的心里掏出一块，放在年轻人心里的那个伤口上。正好放进去，但不是特别吻合，也出现了一些疤痕。 The young man looked at his heart, not perfect anymore but more beautiful than ever, since love from the old man's heart flowed into his. 年轻人看着自己的心，看起来不再完美但比以前更美丽了，因为老人心中的爱也

16、流淌到了他的心里。 They embraced and walked away side by side. 他们拥抱着，肩并肩离开了。Weakness or StrengthSometimes your biggest weakness can become your biggest strength. Take, for example, the story of one girl who decided to study judo柔道 despite the fact that she had lost her left arm in a car accident.有的时候，你的软弱之处反

17、而拥有强大的力量。比如我们下面要讲的这个故事：一位在车祸中丧失了左臂的小女孩，决定去学习柔道。The girl began lessons with an old Japanese judo instructor. The girl was doing well. So she couldn't understand why, after three months of training, the instructor had taught her only one move. 小女孩向一位年长的日本老师学校柔道。小女孩学习进展不错，而三个月过去了，老师却只是重复的教授她一个动作，这使

18、得她很迷惑不解。"Instructor," the girl finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?" “老师，”女孩终于忍不住问，“能不能再多教我一些动作？”"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the instructor replied. 老师回答说：“你只要把这个动作学好就可以了。”Not quite understa

19、nding, but believing in her teacher, the girl kept training. 尽管女孩并不明白老师的用意，不过她相信老师的话，继续努力练习Several months later, the instructor took the girl to her first tournament比赛. Surprising herself, the girl easily won her first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, he

20、r opponent became impatient and charged. The girl deftly巧妙的 used her one move to win the match. Still amazed by her success, the girl was now in the finals. 几个月过去了，老师决定带她去参加一次竞赛。令女孩惊讶的是，她轻松地击败了头两个对手。第三个对手虽然比较强悍，但一番苦战后，对手就开始心浮气躁。女孩巧妙的使用她唯一的一招赢得了比赛。女孩自己虽感到不可思议，但她却一步步进入的决赛。This time, her opponent was b

21、igger, stronger and more experienced. For a while, the girl appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the girl might get hurt, the referee裁判 called a time-out. She was about to stop the match when the instructor intervened.这一次，她的对手更高大强壮，而且经验丰富。女孩在一些时候甚至显露出败相，由于害怕女孩受伤，裁判宣布暂停比赛。正当她准备下场时，教练却制止了她。"

22、;No," the instructor insisted, "Let her continue." “让她继续比赛。”教练坚持道。Soon after the match resumed, her opponent made a critical mistake: she dropped her guard. Instantly, the girl used her move to pin her opponent. The girl had won the match and the tournament. She was the champion.比赛恢复后

23、，她的对手犯了一个严重的错误：她放松了自己的防卫。女孩立即用她那一招钉死了对手。女孩终于赢得了这场比赛，也成为了这次竞赛的冠军。On the way home, the girl and her teacher reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the girl summoned the courage to ask what was really on her mind. 回家的路上，女孩和老师回顾了比赛的每个环节，女孩鼓起勇气问老师一个困惑已久的问题。"Instructor, how did I win the t

24、ournament with only one move?" “教练，为什么我用一个招式就赢得了这场比赛？”"You won for two reasons," the teacher answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. Second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm."

25、; 老师回答她说：“有两个原因：一、我教你的招式是柔道中最难的一个动作，而你把它掌握的很精通；二、对手想要破解这个招式只有一个动作，就是抓住你的左手。”The girl's biggest weakness had become her biggest strength.这个女孩最软弱的地方，竟然成了她致胜的关键所在。我们每个人都有软弱的地方，但上天总在我们的软弱上，给我们以意想不到的力量。只要善于利用命运给我们的一切，我们也能像这个女孩一般，在自己的软弱上，得到上天的另一种祝福。佛陀勾月(Buddha's moon)当月光皎洁明亮时，人们可以通过肉眼清晰的看到月亮上的阴影。各

26、个文化的初民们，都发挥自己的想象，将月亮上的阴影拟为人世间的事物。因此，嫦娥、桂树、玉兔就应运而生了。然而关注着月亮的，并非只有中国人。梵语中，印度就是月亮的意思；在印度，月亮更是一切美好事物的象征。佛教兴盛的古印度，对于月亮上的图形当然也有自己的解释；月亮上形似兔子的阴影，也就成了佛教舍己救人精神的象征。Once upon a time three friends, the monkey, the fox, and the hare（野兔）lived together in the forest. One day Buddha began to wonder about the animal

27、s' true nature. Was the monkey truly generous? Was the fox always kind? Was the hare as peaceful as he seemed? Buddha decided he would test the animals, and so he disguised（伪装） himself as a poor priest. He dressed in rags, and hobbling upon a cane he limped into the forest where the creatures li

28、ved. Before long the priest came upon（遇到）the monkey. When the monkey spotted the priest, he called out cheerfully, "Hello, sir. Lovely day, don't you think?" The priest bowed his head and said sorrowfully, "Ah, it would be a lovely day indeed if I weren't so terribly hungry.&q

29、uot; "Hungry?" the monkey said, "I can help you there. I can offer you plenty of fruit," and he began to pick mangoes（芒果）. While the monkey was gathering fruit, the fox trotted past, and seeing the priest, he stopped to say, "Good day to you, holy man. How fine the sunshine

30、is, don't you think?" "The sunshine?" the priest said, looking up. "Ah, yes. It's a pity it does not offer nourishment（养育滋养；营养） to a starving（饥饿的）man." "I can fix that," said the fox, and he raced off to collect some fish he had just passed on the shore of

31、the lake. When the fox was out of sight, the priest sat down beneath a tree and waited for the hare, who soon hopped by. "Sir, welcome to the forest. My friends tell me you're very hungry." The priest smiled. "I am," he said, and just then the monkey returned with the mangoes

32、. "How very kind," the priest said. "You are truly a generous soul." The monkey smiled. "My pleasure," he said, bowing. Now the fox returned carrying many fish. "Here you are. You will soon be full. " The hare thought for a few minutes about what he could give

33、 the priest. He asked the monkey and the fox to help him. The three friends turned to the priest and said, "We shall return soon." After several minutes, the monkey, the fox and the hare returned with some wood. The hare built a fire, and then he turned to the priest. "I am going to j

34、ump into this fire," he said, "and when I am cooked, you may eat me." The hare leaped into the fire, but as he did, the priest transformed（改变）back into Buddha, reached into the fire, and pulled the hare out. "Who are you?" the monkey asked. "What kind of trick was that?

35、" the fox added. Buddha smiled at the two of them. "Clearly you see I am not a beggar priest, and I see you clearly as well. You are truly devoted（奉献）, generous（宽宏大量；慷慨）, kind and peaceful souls." Then he turned his gaze on the hare. "Your generosity is without compare, good frie

36、nd. In thanks, I am placing you on the moon. There everyone will see you and remember your goodness（善良；仁慈） and generosity." To this day, if you look up at the full moon, you will see that the hare is there still.狗和影子(The Dog and the Shadow)It happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat and was

37、carrying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace. Now, on his way home he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow reflected in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have that a

38、lso. So he made a snap at the shadow in the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen more. 一只狗嘴里衔着一块肉，走过一条河上面的桥，看见他自己在水里的影子，以为是另一只狗，那时狗衔着的肉，比他自己的还要大一倍。因此他仍掉自己的那一块，狠狠地扑向那只狗，想夺到那一块较大的肉。结果两头都落了空，因为他想要抓取在水中的那一块，只不过是一个影子，而原来的那一块，也被水冲走了。 Bewar

39、e lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow. 谨记，切莫因追逐幻影而丢失已有的东西。生命的波纹(The Splashes of Life)A Sioux Indian story . 这是苏语系印第安人部落中流传的一个古老的故事 My grandfather took me to the fish pond on the farm when I was about seven, and he told me to throw a stone into the water. He told me to watch the cir

40、cles created by the stone. Then he asked me to think of myself as that stone. 在我七岁那年，我的祖父来到田边的一个池塘。他让我丢一颗石子到水中，并嘱咐我仔细观察石子所激起的水波纹。然后他叫我把自己想象成那颗石子。 "You may create lots of splashes in your life, but the waves that come from those splashes will disturb the peace of all your fellow creatures,"

41、 he said. 他说：“在生命的水面上，你也许能激起许多波纹，而你所激起的波纹也会打破别人的平静，” "Remember that you are responsible for what you put in your circle and that circle will also touch many other circles." “要谨记，对你所激起的波纹中所包含的东西负责，因为这些东西会接触、影响到别人的波纹。” "You will need to live in a way that allows the good that comes from

42、 your circle to send the peace of that goodness to others. The splash that comes from anger or jealousy will send those feelings to other circles. You are responsible for both." “你应当努力使自己波纹中的平和宁静传播给他人。当然，如果你的波纹中携带有愤怒、嫉妒，别人也会受到你的影响，因此，你要对它们负责。” That was the first time I realized that each person

43、 creates the inner peace or discord that flows out into the world. We cannot create world peace if we are riddled with inner conflict, hatred, doubt, or anger. 这是我第一次了解到，每个人心中的平和抑或不和，都会传播给整个世界。如果我们自己内心都被冲突、仇恨、疑虑或者愤怒所纠缠，自然就不能给世界带来平和宁静。 We radiate the feelings and thoughts that we hold inside, whether

44、 we speak them or not. Whatever is splashing around inside of us is spilling out into the world, creating beauty or discord with all other circles of life. 无论我们是否说出心中的感觉和思绪，我们都在向外界传播它们。无论我们内心激起的是何种波纹，它们都会被传向他人，与别人的生命波纹共同激起美丽，抑或是不和谐。动物法庭的舞蹈(The Dance of the Animal Court)Once upon a time there was a m

45、onkey who had a magical fiddle and bow and arrow. He could hit anything with his arrow, and with his fiddle, he could make anyone dance. One day Monkey met Cheetah. "I've been stalking Springbok all day," Cheetah complained, "and I'm exhausted, and still I am starving." &

46、quot;Let me try," Monkey suggested, and he pulled out his bow and arrow, aimed, and shot Springbok through the heart. Cheetah was amazed. He wanted the bow and arrow for himself, so he growled, and jumped on Monkey. As the two fought, Jackal passed by. Jackal suggested that they go to animal co

47、urt to decide the matter.When they arrived at court, Monkey began to shake. He was so young, and these were the elders of the jungle. When Elephant asked him what was wrong, Monkey replied, his voice quavering, "My uncle gave me this bow and arrow.""Can't you see he's lying?&q

48、uot; growled Cheetah. "Listen to his voice. Look at him shake. I spent all day stalking Springbok, and when Monkey came along, he tried to steal my bow and arrow." Within moments the court announced their verdict. "Monkey, we find you guilty," announced Zebra. "For your crim

49、e, you will hang." Monkey began to weep, but suddenly he remembered his fiddle. "Before I die, may I please play one last tune?" Monkey begged.Giraffe said yes, and so Monkey picked up his fiddle and began to play. Within a few moments, all of the animals started to dance. Monkey play

50、ed faster, and the dancers began to dance more quickly. They couldn't stop. Before long, Elephant was wheezing, Cheetah and Jackal were gasping for breath, and even Lion was weeping with exhaustion. Giraffe's long, wobbly legs collapsed, and he fainted, but Monkey kept playing."Monkey,

51、please," Lion cried at last, "if you stop, we will give you the kingdom." "I don't want the kingdom," Monkey laughed. "I only want Cheetah to tell the truth." "The bow and arrow are not mine!" Cheetah cried.Monkey stopped playing, and the animals stop

52、ped dancing. Monkey laughed as the others slunk away.人生的大石头(Big Rocks)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，时间管理专家为一群学生讲课。他现场做了演示，给学生们留下了一生都难以磨灭的印象。As he stood in front of the gr

53、oup 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 ro

54、cks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" 站在那些高智商高学历的学生前面，他说：“我们来做个小测验”，拿出一个一加仑的广口瓶放在他面前的桌上。随后，他取出一堆拳头大小的石块，仔细地一块放进玻璃瓶。直到石块高出瓶口，再也放不下了，他问道：“瓶子满了？”Everyone in the class yelled, "Yes." The time management expert replied, "Really?" He reached under the table and

55、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?" 所有学生应道：“满了！”。时间管理专家反问：“真的？”他伸手从桌下拿出一桶砾石，倒了一些进去，并敲击玻璃瓶壁使砾石填满下面石块的间隙。“现在瓶子

56、满了吗？”他第二次问道。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

57、. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"但这一次学生有些明白了，“可能还没有”，一位学生应道。“很好！”专家说。他伸手从桌下拿出一桶沙子，开始慢慢倒进玻璃瓶。沙子填满了石块和砾石的所有间隙。他又一次问学生：“瓶子满了吗？”"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

58、 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!" “没满！”学生们大声说

59、。他再一次说：“很好！”然后他拿过一壶水倒进玻璃瓶直到水面与瓶口平。抬头看着学生，问道：“这个例子说明什么？”一个心急的学生举手发言：“无论你的时间多少，如果你确实努力，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 th

60、e '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！”时间管理专家说，“那不是它真正的意思，这个例子告诉我们：如果你不是先放大石块，那你就再也不能把它放进瓶子了。那么，什么是你生命中的大石头呢？也许

61、是你的道德感、你的梦想？还有你的-切切记得先去处理这些大石块，否则，一辈子你都不能做！”我们可曾问过自己这个问题：人一生的“大石头”是什么？找出自己人生的“大石头”，然后把它们先放进我们人生的瓶子中！老师(The Teacher)教育家陶行知先生曾说过：“在教师手里操着幼年人的命运，便操着民族和人类的命运。”在很多时候，老师的一点点鼓励、一点点嘉许，就能对孩子的心理产生不可磨灭的影响。可以说，老师所决定的，绝对不仅仅是学生们少年时期的几个无关紧要的分数，而是孩子们的心理、未来和命运。关注我爱英语网的读者中，有为数不少的教师网友。也许日复一日单调的教学生活已经磨灭了你的激情，但是请记住，在你的肩上还有一份责任：珍爱每一位学生。Mrs. Thompson stood in front of her fi