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Life in a violin Case 琴匣子中的生趣
添加时间:2018-12-27 11:25:03 浏览次数: 作者:未知
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  • Life in a violin Case

    琴匣子中的生趣

    Alexander Bloch

    亚历山大·布洛克

    In order to tell what I believe, I must briefly1 sketch2 something of my per-sonal history.

    为了阐明我生活的信条,我必须简单介绍一下我的经历。

    The turning point of my life was my decision to give up a promising3 business career and study music. My parents, although sympathetic, and sharing my love of music, disapproved4 of it as a profession. This was understandable in view of the family background. My grandfather had taughtmusic for nearly forty years at Springhill College in Mobile and, though much beloved and respected in the community, earned barely enough to provide for his large family. My father often said it was only the hardheaded thriftiness5 of my grandmother that kept the wolf at bay . As a consequence6 of this example in the family, the very mention of music as a profession carried with it a picture of a precarious7 existence with uncertain financial rewards. My parents insisted upon college instead of a conservatory8 of music, and to college I went-quite happily, as I remember, for although Iloved my violin and spent most of my spare time practicing, I had many other interests.

    我生活的转折点是我决定不做发迹有望的商人而专攻音乐。我父母虽然同情我,也像我一样热爱音乐,却反对我以音乐为职业。考虑到我的家庭情况,他们的这种态度是完全可以理解的。我祖父在莫比尔的斯普林希尔学院教授音乐达40年之久,深受学院师生的热爱和敬重,他的工资却几乎不够维持一大家人的生活。父亲常说若不是祖母精明能干,克勤克俭,一家人非挨饿不可。所以在我们家,只要一提起音乐这个行当,大家就会想起那收入微薄、朝不保夕的苦日子。父母坚持要我上大学,不准我进音乐学院,我也就上了大学。我记得自己当时还挺高兴,因为虽然我热爱小提琴,大部分课余时间都花在练琴上,但我还有许多其他的爱好。

    Before my graduation from Columbia, the family met with severe financial reverses and I felt it my duty to leave college and take a job. Thus was I launched upon a business career-which I always think of as the wasted years.

    不等尊从哥伦比亚大学毕业,家庭经济严重恶化,我感到自己有责任退学找工作,就这样我投身子商界——事后我每次想起这段经历都觉得是虚度了年华。

    Now I do not for a moment mean to disparage9 business. My whole point is that it was not for me. I went into it for money, and aside from the satisfaction of being able to help the family, money is alll got out of it. It was not enough. I felt that life was passing me by. From being merely discontented I became acutely miserable10. My one ambition was to save enough to quit and go to Europe to study music.I used to get up at dawn to practice before I left for "downtown," distracting my poor mother by bolting a hasty breakfast at the last minute. Instead of lunching with my business associates, I would seek out some cheap cafe, order a meager11 meal and scribble12 my harmony exercises. I continued to make money, and finally, bit by bit, accumulated enough to enable me to go abroad. The family being once more solvent13, and my help no longer necessary, I resigned from my position and, feeling like a man released from jail, sailed for Europe. I stayed four years, worked harder than I had ever dreamed of working before and enjoyed every minute of it.

    我从来无意贬低经商,我的意思是它不适合我。我经商只是为了挣钱。除了能补贴家用给我带来一点满足以外,我从这项职业得到的唯一东西就是钱。这是不够的。我感到年华似水从我身边流走。对职业的不满使我痛苦不堪。我唯一的抱负就是积攒足够的钱,然后改行,到欧洲去学音乐。于是,我天天黎明即起,练习小提琴,再去“商业区”上班,几乎来不及囫囵吞下仓促准备的早餐,搞得我可怜的妈妈惶恐不安。我不与商界同事共进午餐,总爱找个便宜的餐馆,随便混上一顿,信手写些和声练习曲.。我不停地挣钱,终于,一分一分地攒够了出国的钱。这时,家庭经济情况也好转了,不再需要我的帮助。我辞去商务,感到自己像出狱的犯人一样自由,乘船去了欧洲,一去就是四年。我学习要比从前想象的刻苦得多,然而生活得很快乐。

    "Enjoyed" is too mild a word. I walked on air. I really lived. I was a freeman and I was doing what I loved to do and what I was meant to do.

    “快乐”一词还不足以表达我的心情。我是乐不可支,飘飘欲仙了。我过着真正的生活。我是个自由人,做我爱做的、命中注定要做的事情。

    If I had stayed in business I might be a comparatively wealthy man today, but I do not believe I would have made a success of living. I would have given up all those intangibles, those inner satisfactions that money can never buy, and that are too often sacrificed when a man's primary goal is finanaal success.

    假如我一直经商,今天可能已经成了一个相当富有的人,但我认为我那时的生活并没有带来成功;为了金钱我可能放弃了一切无形的东西,放弃了精神上的种种乐趣,那是金钱永远买不来的,一个人要是把获取金钱当做主要的奋斗目标,他的精神乐趣就常常被牺牲了。

    When I broke away from business it was against the advice of practically all my friends and family. So conditioned are most of us to the association of success with money that the thought of giving up a good salary for an idea seemed little short of insane. If so, all I can say is 'Gee14 , it's great to be crazy."

    我毅然脱离商业,几乎违背了所有的亲友的劝告。我们大多数人习惯把成功与金钱连在一起。那种为理想而放弃高薪的念头简直会被人认为是疯子的念头。如果真是如此,我倒要说一声:“咦!疯子真了不起!”

    Money is a wonderful thing, but it is possible to pay too high a price for it.

    钱固然是好东西,但是为了钱而付出的代价往往太高昂了。

     10级    双语 


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    1 briefly [ˈbri:fli] 9Styo   第8级
    adv.简单地,简短地
    参考例句:
    • I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem. 我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
    • He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group. 他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。
    2 sketch [sketʃ] UEyyG   第7级
    n.草图;梗概;素描;vt.&vi.素描;概述
    参考例句:
    • My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
    • I will send you a slight sketch of the house. 我将给你寄去房屋的草图。
    3 promising [ˈprɒmɪsɪŋ] BkQzsk   第7级
    adj.有希望的,有前途的
    参考例句:
    • The results of the experiments are very promising. 实验的结果充满了希望。
    • We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers. 我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。
    4 disapproved [ˌdɪsəˈpru:vd] 3ee9b7bf3f16130a59cb22aafdea92d0   第8级
    v.不赞成( disapprove的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • My parents disapproved of my marriage. 我父母不赞成我的婚事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • She disapproved of her son's indiscriminate television viewing. 她不赞成儿子不加选择地收看电视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    5 thriftiness [θrɪftɪnɪs] e20ce682d842e92825d592d10c7ddee0   第9级
    节俭,节约
    参考例句:
    • Taoism has always advocated thriftiness and plain life. 道教历来倡导节俭、朴素的生活。
    • That's a positive feeling. Now I added only to my thriftiness but also independence and endurance. 通过这事,我不仅长了点经济头脑,也变得更加独立,更具忍耐力了。
    6 consequence [ˈkɒnsɪkwəns] Jajyr   第8级
    n.结果,后果;推理,推断;重要性
    参考例句:
    • The consequence was that he caught a bad cold. 结果是他得了重感冒。
    • In consequence he lost his place. 结果,他失去了他的位置。
    7 precarious [prɪˈkeəriəs] Lu5yV   第9级
    adj.不安定的,靠不住的;根据不足的
    参考例句:
    • Our financial situation had become precarious. 我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
    • He earned a precarious living as an artist. 作为一个艺术家,他过得是朝不保夕的生活。
    8 conservatory [kənˈsɜ:vətri] 4YeyO   第9级
    n.温室,音乐学院;adj.保存性的,有保存力的
    参考例句:
    • At the conservatory, he learned how to score a musical composition. 在音乐学校里,他学会了怎样谱曲。
    • The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants. 这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。
    9 disparage [dɪˈspærɪdʒ] nldzJ   第10级
    vt.贬抑,轻蔑
    参考例句:
    • Your behaviour will disparage the whole family. 你的行为将使全家丢脸。
    • Never disparage yourself or minimize your strength or power. 不要贬低你自己或降低你的力量或能力。
    10 miserable [ˈmɪzrəbl] g18yk   第7级
    adj.悲惨的,痛苦的;可怜的,糟糕的
    参考例句:
    • It was miserable of you to make fun of him. 你取笑他,这是可耻的。
    • Her past life was miserable. 她过去的生活很苦。
    11 meager ['mi:gə] zB5xZ   第10级
    adj.缺乏的,不足的,瘦的
    参考例句:
    • He could not support his family on his meager salary. 他靠微薄的工资无法养家。
    • The two men and the woman grouped about the fire and began their meager meal. 两个男人同一个女人围着火,开始吃起少得可怜的午饭。
    12 scribble [ˈskrɪbl] FDxyY   第9级
    vt.潦草地书写,乱写,滥写;vi. 乱写;乱涂;n.潦草的写法,潦草写成的东西,杂文
    参考例句:
    • She can't write yet, but she loves to scribble with a pencil. 她现在还不会写字,但她喜欢用铅笔乱涂。
    • I can't read this scribble. 我看不懂这种潦草的字。
    13 solvent [ˈsɒlvənt] RFqz9   第8级
    n.溶剂;adj.有偿付能力的
    参考例句:
    • Gasoline is a solvent liquid which removes grease spots. 汽油是一种能去掉油污的有溶解力的液体。
    • A bankrupt company is not solvent. 一个破产的公司是没有偿还债务的能力的。
    14 gee [dʒi:] ZsfzIu   第10级
    n.马;int.向右!前进!,惊讶时所发声音;v.向右转
    参考例句:
    • Their success last week will gee the team up. 上星期的胜利将激励这支队伍继续前进。
    • Gee, We're going to make a lot of money. 哇!我们会赚好多钱啦!

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