双语背诵美文：留住幸福

 　1. Gratitude¹, Gratitude, Gratitude

　　感恩，感恩。感恩！

　　Every night before you go to bed write down three things good that happened to you that day. That's pretty much all it takes to get a happiness boost over time. Wanna make yourself and someone else extremely happy? Try a gratitude visit. Write someone a letter thanking them and telling them how much what they have done for you means. Visit them and read it in person. It's a proven happiness.

　　每晚临睡前写下三件你觉得美好的事情。光做到这点就能让你溢满幸福。想让你和其他人被幸福包围吗？试试“感恩之旅”吧。写一封感谢信给曾经帮助过你的人，让他们知道他们的帮助对你来说有多么重大的意义，并且在他们面前亲自把信读出来。这是在实践中收获的幸福。

　　2. Do what you are good at as often as you can

　　经常做你擅长的事

　　"Signature strengths" are the things you are uniquely good at and using them brings us joy. Exercising signature strengths is why starving artists are happier with their jobs.

　　“个人特长”是你十分擅长的技能，而且经常能带给其他人快乐。这就是为什么艺术家们能在穷困潦倒时依然热爱他们的事业。

　　Think about the best possible version of yourself and move toward that. Signature strengths are the secret to experiencing more "flow" at work and in life. Learn to be an expert here.

　　想想自己最大的优势而且不断巩固提高它。个人特长是在工作和生活中能不断让你提升的秘诀。争取成为此方面的专家。

　　3. Spend as much time as possible with people you like

　　与你在乎的人多相处

　　The happiest people are social with strong relationships. Not spending more time with people we love is something we regret the most. Share the best events of your day with loved ones and ask them to do the same. It works.But I'm an introvert², you say? A little bit of extraversion here would do you good. Happiness is more contagious³ than unhappiness so with amount of exposure to others well-being⁴ scales.

　　幸福感最强的人有很好的人际关系。我们总是后悔没能花足够的时间和自己在乎的人相处。与你爱的人分享一天中最有意义的事，让他们也尝试下这些事情。这非常有用。但是你觉得自己很内向？放开一点其实会更好。快乐比悲伤蔓延的更快，所以开朗些吧，你会发现身边的人都洋溢着笑容。

　　4. Give

　　付出

　　Giving makes us happier than receiving. In fact, it can create a feedback loop of happiness in your life. Helping⁵ others reach their goals brings joy. Doing nice things for others today can literally⁶ make you happier for the rest of the week.

　　付出比收获更能让我们有满足感。帮助他人实现梦想能让我们有成就感。帮助别人只是一会的事，但心中的愉悦可以持续很长一段时间。

　　5.Savor⁷

　　感悟

　　Take time to really enjoy the good things. What are the best ways to savor?Positive mental time travel: Happy memories or looking forward to something.Being present: Not letting your mind wander and being absorbed in the moment.

　　抽出时间享受美好。最好的感悟方式是什么呢？精神旅行：回忆快乐的过往或期待未来。活在当下：不要想不实际的事，专心考虑现在的情况。

　　6. Strive

　　奋斗

　　Set ambitious goals and strive.Sitting on the couch watching TV does not make you happy. You are happier when you are busy and are probably have more fun at work than at home. Thinking and working can beat sad feelings. Mastering skills is stressful in the short term and happiness-boosting in the long term.

　　定下目标努力并为之努力奋斗。在沙发上看电视不能让你高兴起来，忙碌时反而觉得更充实，工作时也可能比在家更有乐趣。其实工作和思考都能消灭坏情绪。掌握技能在短时间会让你有压力但是从长远角度会让你跟有成就感。

　　7. Be optimistic, even to the border of delusion⁸.

　　不管何时都要乐观面对。

　　Optimism is key. Yes, pessimism⁹ softens¹⁰ the blow of bad news but it isn't worth it. Optimism increases resilience.People with positive illusions about their relationship are more satisfied, score higher on love and trust and have fewer problems.Happy people believe their partner is a little more awesome¹¹ than they really are. Someone you think is great who also thinks you're great -- it's one of the primary things you should look for in a marriage partner.

　　乐观的心态很重要。悲观心态的确会减少坏消息带来的冲击但你不需要这样做。乐观会让你更坚强。人们如果觉得自己很会处理人际关系，那么他们会更知足、更懂得照顾人、也更少出状况。乐观的人们实践着“情人眼里出西施”，他们眼中的伴侣总是美似天仙，帅似潘安。不过在你寻找伴侣时，互相欣赏是最基本的原则。

　　8. Fundamentals are fundamental

　　基本方法还是有效的

　　Cranky? Before you blame the world, eat something. Take a nap -- it can purge¹² negative emotions. Sleep is vital because your mood in the morning affects your mood all day.脾气火爆？在你抱怨社会前，先压压火。你可以小睡一会，你会发现负面情绪都被“睡”掉了。

　　9. Frequency beats intensity¹³

　　发现“小确幸”

　　Lots of little good things is the path to happiness.Stop thinking about big events that might make you thrilled -- it's the little things of everyday life that make lasting¹⁴ improvements to our happiness. You're not going to win the lottery¹⁵ and it wouldn't have the impact you think it would.很多小事中包含幸福。不要去想那些让你兴奋难寐的大事件——真正打开幸福之门的都是日常生活中的小事。你不会那么幸运的中彩票，就算你真是那个幸运儿，生活也不会因此改变太多。

1 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

2 introvert   

n.性格内向的人

参考例句：

• You are very much an introvert.你是一位地道的内向性格者。
• The same conversation that energizes the extravert also drains the introvert.同样的交谈能让外向者荣光焕发，却让内向者精神颓靡。

3 contagious   

adj.传染性的，有感染力的

参考例句：

• It's a highly contagious infection.这种病极易传染。
• He's got a contagious laugh.他的笑富有感染力。

4 well-being   

n.安康，安乐，幸福

参考例句：

• He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
• My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福，却被误解为多管闲事。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

7 savor   

vt.品尝，欣赏；n.味道，风味；情趣，趣味

参考例句：

• The soup has a savor of onion.这汤有洋葱味。
• His humorous remarks added a savor to our conversation.他幽默的话语给谈话增添了风趣。

8 delusion   

n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑

参考例句：

• He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症，认为自己是拿破仑。
• I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。

9 pessimism   

n.悲观者，悲观主义者，厌世者

参考例句：

• He displayed his usual pessimism.他流露出惯有的悲观。
• There is the note of pessimism in his writings.他的著作带有悲观色彩。

10 softens   

（使）变软( soften的第三人称单数 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• Iron softens with heat. 铁受热就软化。
• Moonlight softens our faults; all shabbiness dissolves into shadow. 月光淡化了我们的各种缺点，所有的卑微都化解为依稀朦胧的阴影。 来自名作英译部分

11 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

12 purge   

n.整肃，清除，泻药，净化；vt.净化，清除，摆脱；vi.清除，通便，腹泻，变得清洁

参考例句：

• The new president carried out a purge of disloyal army officers.新总统对不忠诚的军官进行了清洗。
• The mayoral candidate has promised to purge the police department.市长候选人答应清洗警察部门。

13 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

14 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

15 lottery   

n.抽彩；碰运气的事，难于算计的事

参考例句：

• He won no less than ￡5000 in the lottery.他居然中了5000英镑的奖券。
• They thought themselves lucky in the lottery of life.他们认为自己是变幻莫测的人生中的幸运者。