英语标准美文100篇 061（在线收听）

It is physically impossible for a well-educated intellectual, or brave man to make money the chief object① of his thoughts; as physically impossible as it is for him to make his dinner the principal object of them.

　　一个受过良好教育、有头脑的、有胆识的人完全不可能将金钱当作他考虑的主要对象，正如他完全不可能将美餐当做他主要考虑对象一样。

All healthy people like their dinner, but their dinner is not the main object of their lives. So all healthy-minded people like making money--ought to like it and to enjoy the sensation② of winning; but the main object of their lives is not money; it is something better than money.

　　所有健康的人都喜欢享用美餐，但美餐并不是他们生活的主要目标。同样道理，所有思想健全的人都喜欢挣钱--喜欢并体验挣到钞票的兴奋感是正当的；然而，他们生活的主要目标并不是金钱，而是比金钱更珍贵的东西。

A good soldier, for instance③, mainly wishes to do his fighting well. He is glad of his pay--very properly so --and justly grumbles④ when you keep him ten months without it; still, his main notion⑤ of life is to win battles, not to be paid for winning them.

　　例如，一位优秀的士兵主要想打好仗。他为自己的薪饷感到高兴--完全合乎情理；假如，你扣发他十个月军饷，他发牢骚理所应当。不过，他的人生主要目标仍然是打胜仗，并非为了薪饷而打胜仗。

And so with all other brave and rightly trained men: their work is first, their fee is second, very important always, but still second.

　 所有其他有胆识的、受过正当培训的人也是如此：他们总是工作第一、报酬第二。报酬尽管总是非常重要，但还是第二。

But in every nation, there is a vast class of people who are cowardly⑥, and more or less stupid. And with these people, just as certainly the fee is first and the work second, as with brave people the work is first and the fee second.

　　可是，在每个国家，都有一大批怯懦的、多少有点愚蠢的人。对于这些人而言，无疑是报酬第一、工作第二，正如有胆识的人工作第一、报酬第二一样。

And this is no small distinction⑦. It is the whole distinction in a man. You cannot serve two masters; you must serve one or the other. If your work is first with you, and your fee is second, work is your master.

　　这决非细微差异，这是根本性差异，区分一个人的根本性差异。你不能侍奉两个主人，你必须侍奉其中一个，非此即彼。假如就你而言是工作第一、报酬第二，那么工作就是你的主人。

Observe, then, all wise work is mainly threefold⑧ in character. It is honest, useful, and cheerful. I hardly know anything stranger than that you recognize honesty in play, and do not in work.

　　请注意，一切明确的工作本质上都具有三重性：诚实、有用和愉悦。人们在娱乐中讲究诚实而在工作中却不讲诚实--据我所知，没有比这更奇怪的事情了。

In your lightest games you have always someone to see what you call "fair play". In boxing you must hit fair; in racing, start fair. Your watchword is fair play; your hatred, foul play. Did it ever strike you that you wanted another watchword⑨ also, fair work, and another hatred also, foul⑩ work?

　　在最不重要的比赛中，你总是请人做裁判，确保人们常说的公平竞赛。拳击中，你出拳必须公正；赛跑时，你起跑必须公正。你的口号就是公正比赛，你所深恶痛绝的就是违反规则。那么，你可曾想过，你还需要另一个口号，那就是老老实实地工作；你深恶痛绝的应是投机取巧。

①object n. 目标

②sensation n. 感觉

③for instance 比如

④grumble v. 抱怨

⑤notion n. 打算

⑥cowardly a. 胆怯的

⑦distinction n. 区别

⑧threefold a. 三方面的

⑨watchword n. 口令

⑩foul a. 肮脏的