英语小达人 369 Don't Quit, Keep Playing

 　　Don't Quit, Keep Playing不要停，继续弹Wishing to encourage her young son's progress on the piano, a mother took her boy to a Paderewski concert. After they were seated, the mother spotted¹ a friend in the audience and walked down the aisle² to greet her.

　　一位妈妈为了鼓励儿子学好钢琴，就带儿子去帕德夫斯基的音乐会。当他们就坐后，妈妈看见听众席有一位朋友，就走过去跟他打招呼。

　　Seizing the opportunity to explore the wonders of the concert hall, the little boy rose and eventually explored his way through a door marked "NO ADMITTANCE." When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that the child was missing.

　　小男孩站起来，趁机对奇妙的音乐大堂一探究竟，最后走进了一个写着“请勿入内”的门。当听众席照明灯暗下去，音乐会快要开始时妈妈回到她的座位，发现儿子不见了。

　　Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights³ focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. In horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the key-board, innocently picking out Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

　　突然，帘幕拉开，灯光投聚在舞台的钢琴上。妈妈被吓坏了，她看见小儿子坐在钢琴前，天真地奏着《闪烁的小星星》的曲调。

　　At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."就在那时，那位优秀的钢琴大师走上台，他快速地走向钢琴，在小男孩耳旁低声说：“不要停，继续弹。”

　　Then leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass⁴ part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child and he added a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice⁵ transformed a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was mesmerized⁶.

　　然后帕德夫斯基弯下身子，伸出他的左手，开始奏出低音部分。他很快又把右手伸到小男孩的另一边，弹奏出流畅的伴奏。这样，这位年长的大师和年轻的新手使令人心惊胆跳的一幕变成富有创造性的美妙体验。听众们都被迷住了。

　　That's the way it is in life. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't exactly graceful⁷ flowing music. But when we trust in the hands of a Greater Power, our life's work truly can be beautiful.

　　这就是生活。我们并不知道自己能完成怎样的功绩。有时候，我们竭尽全力，但是结果却弹不出优雅流畅的音乐。然而，若是获得强者的帮助，互相信任，我们的生命便能美妙异常。

　　Next time you set out to accomplish great feats⁸, listen carefully. You can hear the voice of the Master, whispering in your ear, "Don't quit. Keep playing."下一次当你想成就一番丰功伟绩的时候，请仔细倾听。你会听到大师的声音在你耳边低语：“不要停，坚持下去。”

1 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

2 aisle   

n.（教堂、教室、戏院等里的）过道，通道

参考例句：

• The aisle was crammed with people.过道上挤满了人。
• The girl ushered me along the aisle to my seat.引座小姐带领我沿着通道到我的座位上去。

3 spotlights   

n.聚光灯（的光）( spotlight的名词复数 )；公众注意的中心v.聚光照明( spotlight的第三人称单数 )；使公众注意，使突出醒目

参考例句：

• The room was lit by spotlights. 房间被聚光灯照亮。
• The dazzle of the spotlights made him ill at ease. 聚光灯的耀眼强光使他局促不安。 来自辞典例句

4 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

5 novice   

adj.新手的，生手的

参考例句：

• As a novice writer,this is something I'm interested in.作为初涉写作的人，我对此很感兴趣。
• She realized that she was a novice.她知道自己初出茅庐。

6 mesmerized   

v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country girl stood by the road, mesmerized at the speed of cars racing past. 村姑站在路旁被疾驶而过的一辆辆车迷住了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• My 14-year-old daughter was mesmerized by the movie Titanic. 我14岁的女儿完全被电影《泰坦尼克号》迷住了。 来自互联网

7 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

8 feats   

功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance. 过去，他表现出来的惊人耐力常让朋友们大吃一惊。
• His heroic feats made him a legend in his own time. 他的英雄业绩使他成了他那个时代的传奇人物。