雙語(yǔ)對(duì)照 ● A Lesson of Life　生活的一課

A Lesson of Life　生活的一課

◎ Ronald Reagan

“Everything happens for the best.” my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. “If you can carry on, one day something good will happen. And you’ll realize that it wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment.”

每當(dāng)我遇到挫折時(shí)，母親就會(huì)說(shuō)：“一切都會(huì)好的。只要你堅(jiān)持下去，總有一天會(huì)有好事發(fā)生。你會(huì)認(rèn)識(shí)到，如果沒(méi)有以前的挫折，就不會(huì)有現(xiàn)在的一切。”

Mother was right, as I discovered after graduating from college in 1932. I had decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way up to sports announcer. I hitchhiked[7]to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station—and got turned down every time.

母親是對(duì)的，我是在1932年大學(xué)剛畢業(yè)的時(shí)候發(fā)現(xiàn)了這一點(diǎn)。我已決定試著在電臺(tái)找個(gè)事兒做，然后爭(zhēng)取做體育節(jié)目的播音員。我搭便車到了芝加哥，挨個(gè)敲電臺(tái)的門推銷自己——但每次都被拒絕了。

In one studio, a kind lady told me that big stations couldn’t risk hiring inexperienced person—“Go out in the sticks and find a small station that’ll give you a chance.” she said.

在一個(gè)播音室里，一位好心的女士告訴我，大的廣播電臺(tái)是不會(huì)冒險(xiǎn)雇用沒(méi)經(jīng)驗(yàn)的新手的——“去鄉(xiāng)下找一家給你機(jī)會(huì)的小電臺(tái)吧。”她說(shuō)。

I thumbed home to Dixon, Illinois. While there was no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said Montgomery Ward had opened a store and wanted a local athlete to manage its sports department. Since Dixon was where I had played high school football, I applied. The job sounded just right for me. But I wasn’t hired.

我搭車來(lái)到我的家鄉(xiāng)，那是伊利諾斯州的迪克森。在迪克森當(dāng)時(shí)還沒(méi)有電臺(tái)播音員這樣的工作，父親說(shuō)，蒙哥馬利·沃德開(kāi)了一家新商店，想雇請(qǐng)一個(gè)本地的運(yùn)動(dòng)員管理店里的體育部。我中學(xué)時(shí)曾在迪克森打過(guò)橄欖球，所以我去申請(qǐng)了這份工作。工作聽(tīng)起來(lái)挺適合我的，但是我沒(méi)被聘用。

My disappointment must have shown. “Everything happens for the best.” Mom reminded me. Dad offered me the car to job hunt. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, a wonderful Scotsman named Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer.

我的沮喪心情一定表現(xiàn)出來(lái)了。“一切總會(huì)好的。”母親提醒我說(shuō)。爸爸給了我一輛汽車找工作用。我試著到愛(ài)荷華州達(dá)文波特的WOC電臺(tái)去求職。那里的電臺(tái)節(jié)目總監(jiān)是一個(gè)很棒的蘇格蘭人，名叫彼得·麥克阿瑟，他告訴我他們已經(jīng)雇到播音員了。

As I left his office, my frustration[8]boiled over. I asked a1oud, “How can a fellow get to be a sport announcer if he can’t get a job in a radio station?”

離開(kāi)他的辦公室時(shí)，我的挫折感達(dá)到了極點(diǎn)。我大聲地說(shuō)：“一個(gè)連在電臺(tái)都找不到工作的家伙又怎么能成為體育節(jié)目的播音員呢？”

I was waiting for the elevator when I heard MacArthur calling, “What was that you said about sports? Do you know anything about football?” Then he stood me before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary game.

等電梯時(shí)，我聽(tīng)到麥克阿瑟喊道：“你說(shuō)什么體育？你懂橄欖球嗎？”接著他讓我站到麥克風(fēng)前面，請(qǐng)我解說(shuō)一場(chǎng)想象中的比賽。

On my way home, as I have many times since, I thought of my mother’s words: “If you carry on, one day something good will happen. Something wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment.” I often wonder what direction my life might have taken if I’d gotten the job at Montgomery Ward.

在回家的路上——以后也有很多次，我思考著母親的那句話：“只要你堅(jiān)持下去，總要一天會(huì)有好事發(fā)生。如果沒(méi)有以前的挫折，就不會(huì)有現(xiàn)在的一切。”我常想，如果當(dāng)年我得到蒙哥馬利·沃德的那份工作，我的人生之路又會(huì)怎樣走呢？

美麗語(yǔ)錄

When your day has been like a hurricane, all you can do is looking forward to the rainbow that follows.

如果你的生活經(jīng)歷了一場(chǎng)暴風(fēng)雨，你要做的就是期待雨后的那縷彩虹。

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