第12期:英语励志美文-羊皮卷三-坚持不懈，直至成功

 　　羊皮卷是一部很有哲理的书，今天我们就挑取一部分精华来学习吧。

　　The Scroll¹ Marked Three

　　I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts, repeated, willcomplete any undertaking².

　　Henceforth, I will consider each day's effort as but one blow of my blade against a mightyoak. The first blow may cause not a tremor³ in the wood, nor the second, nor the third. Each blow, of itself, may be trifling⁴, and seem of no consequence. Yet from the childish swipes the oak will eventually tumble. So it will be with my efforts of today.

　　羊皮卷三

　　坚持不懈，直到成功。

　　从今往后，我承认每天的奋斗就像对参天大树的一次砍击,头几刀可能了无痕迹。每一击者似微不足道，然而，累积起来，巨树终会倒下．这恰如我今天的努力。

　　I will be liken to the raindrop which washes away the mountain; the ant who devours⁵ a tiger; the star which brightens the earth; the slave who builds a pyramid. I will build my castle one brick at a time for I know that small attempts, repeated, will complete any undertaking.

　　就像冲洗高山的雨滴，吞噬猛虎的蚂蚁，照亮大地的星辰，建起金字塔的奴隶，我也要一砖一瓦地建造起自己的城堡，因为我深知水滴石穿的道理，只要持之以恒，什么都可以做到．

　　I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools. I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair. I will toil⁶ and I will endure. I will ignore the obstacles at my feet and keep my eyes on the goals above my head, fo r I know that where dry desert ends, green grass grows.

　　我绝不考虑失败，我的字典里不再有放弃，不可能、办不到、没法子、成问题、失败,行不通、没希望、退缩…这类愚蠢的字眼．我要尽量避免绝望，一旦受到它的威胁，立即想方设法向它挑战．我要辛勤耕耘，忍受苦楚．我放眼未来，勇往直前，不再理会脚下的障碍．我坚信，沙漠尽头必是绿洲．

1 scroll   

n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡

参考例句：

• As I opened the scroll,a panorama of the Yellow River unfolded.我打开卷轴时，黄河的景象展现在眼前。
• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements.他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。

2 undertaking   

n.保证，许诺，事业

参考例句：

• He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
• He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小，不敢从事任何事业。

3 tremor   

n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震

参考例句：

• There was a slight tremor in his voice.他的声音有点颤抖。
• A slight earth tremor was felt in California.加利福尼亚发生了轻微的地震。

4 trifling   

adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的

参考例句：

• They quarreled over a trifling matter.他们为这种微不足道的事情争吵。
• So far Europe has no doubt, gained a real conveniency,though surely a very trifling one.直到现在为止,欧洲无疑地已经获得了实在的便利，不过那确是一种微不足道的便利。

5 devours   

吞没( devour的第三人称单数 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. 若有人想要害他们，就有火从他们口中出来，烧灭仇敌。
• It eats away parts of his skin; death's firstborn devours his limbs. 他本身的肢体要被吞吃，死亡的长子要吞吃他的肢体。

6 toil   

vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事

参考例句：

• The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
• Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。