stethoscope :        vt. 用聽診器診斷
                     n. [臨床] 聽診器

lesion :             n. 損害；身體上的傷害；機(jī)能障礙

lobe :               n. （腦、肺等的）葉；裂片；耳垂；波瓣

upper :              adj. 上面的，上部的；較高的

stunned :            adj. 受驚的
                     v. 使震驚；使不知所措（stun的過去式及過去分詞形式）

assurance :          n. 保證，擔(dān)保；（人壽）保險(xiǎn)；確信；斷言；厚臉皮，無恥

mid-career :         職業(yè)生涯中期

sentence :           n. [語][計(jì)] 句子，命題；宣判，判決
                     vt. 判決，宣判

indefinite :         adj. 不確定的；無限的；模糊的

reprieve :           vt. 緩期執(zhí)行；暫時(shí)解救
                     n. 暫緩；緩刑

perhaps :            adv. 或許；（表示不確定）也許；
                    （用于粗略的估計(jì)）或許；
                    （表示勉強(qiáng)同意或其實(shí)不贊成）也許；可能
                     n. 假定；猜想；未定之事

affair :             n. 事情；事務(wù)；私事；（尤指關(guān)系不長久的）風(fēng)流韻事

tick :               vt. 標(biāo)記號(hào)于；滴答地記錄
                     n. 滴答聲；扁虱；記號(hào)；賒欠
                     vi. 發(fā)出滴答聲；標(biāo)以記號(hào)

climb :              vi. 爬；攀登；上升
                     vt. 爬；攀登；上升
                     n. 爬；攀登

slowly :             adv. 緩慢地，慢慢地

taught :             v. 教授（teach的過去分詞）

oyster :             n. 牡蠣，[無脊椎] 蠔；沉默寡言的人

grasped :            n. 抓??；理解；控制
                     vt. 抓住；領(lǐng)會(huì)
                     vi. 抓

entity :             n. 實(shí)體；存在；本質(zhì)

brand-new :          adj. 嶄新的；最近獲得的

fill :               vt. 裝滿，使充滿；滿足；堵塞；任職
                     vi. 被充滿，膨脹
                     n. 滿足；填滿的量；裝填物

appreciate :         vt. 欣賞；感激；領(lǐng)會(huì)；鑒別
                     vi. 增值；漲價(jià)

little :             adj. 小的；很少的；短暫的；小巧可愛的
                     adv. 完全不
                     n. 少許；沒有多少；短時(shí)間

earth :             n. 地球；地表，陸地；土地，土壤；塵事，俗事；獸穴
                    vt. 把（電線）[電] 接地；蓋（土）；追趕入洞穴
                    vi. 躲進(jìn)地洞

feet :              n. 腳（foot的復(fù)數(shù)形式）；尺；韻腳

stepped :           v. 踏；行走（step的過去式和過去分詞）

upon :              prep. 根據(jù)；接近；在…之上

regaining :         vt. 恢復(fù)；重新獲得；收回
                    vi. 上漲
                    n. 收復(fù)；取回

citizenship :       n. [法] 公民身份，公民資格；國籍；公民權(quán)

Frequently :        adv. 頻繁地，經(jīng)常地；時(shí)常，屢次

afterwards :        adv. 后來；然后

sidelines :         n. （球場）邊線；端線；兼職（sideline的復(fù)數(shù)形式）

Wiser :             adj. 聰明的；賢明的

awareness :         n. 意識(shí)，認(rèn)識(shí)；明白，知道
                    n. 人群對品牌或產(chǎn)品的認(rèn)知

wise :              adj. 明智的；聰明的；博學(xué)的
                    vt. 使知道；教導(dǎo)
                    vi. 了解

sum up :            總結(jié)；概述；計(jì)算…的總數(shù)

philosophy :        n. 哲學(xué)；哲理；人生觀

spite :             n. 不顧；惡意；怨恨
                    vt. 刁難；使惱怒 

dwelling :          n. 住處；寓所
                    v. 居?。╠well的現(xiàn)在分詞）

suspect :           n. 嫌疑犯
                    adj. 可疑的；不可信的
                    vt. 懷疑；猜想
                    vi. 懷疑；猜想 

pretty :            adj. 漂亮的；可愛的；優(yōu)美的
                    adv. 相當(dāng)?shù)兀活H
                    n. 有吸引力的事物（尤指飾品）；漂亮的人

absorb :            vt. 吸收；吸引；承受；理解；使…全神貫注

least :             adj. 最小的；最少的（little的最高級(jí)）
                    adv. 最小；最少
                    n. 最小；最少

Truly :             adv. 真實(shí)地，不假；真誠地

A New Look from Borrowed Time

重生的領(lǐng)悟

Just ten years ago I sat across the dest from a doctor with a stethoscope. "Yes," he said, "there is a lesion in the left upper lobe. You have a moderately advanced case..." I listened, stunned, as he continued: "You' ll have to give up work at once and go to bed. Later on, we' ll see..." he gave me on assurance.
就在十年前, 我與拿著聽診器的醫(yī)生相對而坐. 他說: "你的左肺葉上部有一處壞損, 病情正在惡化......" 聽到這些, 我頓時(shí)愣住了, 他接著說道: "你必須放下工作, 臥床休息. 稍后, 我們會(huì)對你進(jìn)行進(jìn)一步的觀察......" 對于我的病情, 醫(yī)生也不是太確定.

Feeling like a man who, in mid-career, has suddenly been placed under sentence of death with an indefinite reprieve, I left the doctor' s office, walked over to the park and sat down on a bench--perhaps, as I then told myself, for the last time. I needed to think.
事業(yè)正值中天的我突然感覺像被判了刑, 而刑期卻尚未確定. 我走出醫(yī)生的辦公室, 坐在公園的長椅上, 自言自語道, 這也許是最后一次了. 我需要好好想一想.

In the next three days I cleared up my affairs. Then I went home, got into bed and set my watch to tick off not the minutes but the months.
接下來的三天里, 我處理完手上所有的事務(wù), 然后, 回到家, 躺在床上, 將手表的顯示從分鐘改為月份.

Two and a half years, and many dashed hopes later, I left my bed and began the long climb back. It was another years before I made it.
之后兩年半的時(shí)間里, 我經(jīng)歷了無數(shù)次失望的打擊, 最終離開病榻, 開始緩慢的恢復(fù)原來的生活狀態(tài). 第二年, 我成功了.

I speak of this experience because these years that passes so slowly taught me what to value and what to believe. They said to me: Take time before time takes you.
提及這段經(jīng)歷, 是因?yàn)檫^去這段漫長的歲月讓我懂得了什么值得珍惜, 什么值得信仰. 他們告訴我: 好好把握時(shí)間, 而不要讓時(shí)間支配你.

I realize now that this world I' m living in is not my oyster to be opened, but my opportunity to be grasped. Each day to me is a precious entity. The sun comes up and presents me with twenty-four brand-new, wonderful hours--not to pass but to fill. I' ve learned to appreciate those little all-important things I never thought I had the time to notice before--the play of light on running water, the music of the wind in my favorite pine tree.
如今意識(shí)到, 我所生存的這個(gè)世界并不是等待我去打開的貝殼, 而是等待我去把握的機(jī)遇. 對我而言, 每一天都是稀世珍寶. 太陽每次升起, 都會(huì)帶給我嶄新而精彩的24小時(shí)--我絕不能虛度. 我學(xué)會(huì)了去欣賞生活細(xì)節(jié)的美好, 比如水面的粼粼波光, 松間風(fēng)兒的輕吟--這些重要的生活細(xì)節(jié)我從前竟無暇理會(huì).

I seem now to see and hear and feel with some of the recovered freshness of childhood. How well, for instance, I recall the touch of the springy earth under my feet the day I first stepped upon it after the years in bed. It was almost more than I could bear. It was like regaining one' s citizenship in a world one had nearly lost.
如今, 我的所見、所聞、所感總會(huì)帶給我一種清新的感覺, 讓我仿佛回到了童年. 當(dāng)我離開多年的病榻, 雙腳再次踏上大地時(shí), 那松軟的土壤帶給我的美好感覺令我激動(dòng)不已. 那種感覺就像重新獲得了差點(diǎn)失之交臂的世界.

Frequently I sit back and say to myself: Let me make note of this moment I' m living right now. Because in it I'm well, happy, hard at work doing what I like best to do. It won' t always be like this; so while it is, I' ll make the most of it. And afterwards, I' ll remember and be grateful.
我常常會(huì)愜意地坐著, 告訴自己: 要珍惜現(xiàn)在的每一分每一秒. 因?yàn)榇丝痰奈医】?、快? 并在位自己最喜愛的工作而努力奮斗, 然而這些美好終會(huì)消逝, 因此, 我要加倍珍惜這存在的每一刻. 等它消逝之后, 我會(huì)記住這些美好, 并心存感激.

All this I owe to that long time spent "on the sidelines" of life. Wiser people come to this awareness without having to acquire it the hard way. But I wasn' t wise enough. I' m wiser now--a little--and happier.
在生命邊緣徘徊的那些漫長歲月, 讓我明白了這一切. 而智者不必經(jīng)歷這樣的艱難也能意識(shí)到這些--但從前的我實(shí)在是愚鈍. 如今, 我多了幾分聰慧, 也多了幾分快樂.

"Look thy last on all things lovely--every hour!" With these words Walter de la Mare sums up for me my philosophy and my belief. God made this world--in spite of what man now and then tries to do to unmake it--a dwelling place of beauty and wonder, and He filled it with more goodness than most of us suspect. And so I say to myself: Should I not pretty often take time to absorb the beauty and the wonder...to contribute at least a little to the goodness? And should I not then, in my heart, give thanks? Truly I do. This I believe.
"時(shí)刻銘記, 最后再看一眼那些可愛的事物! " 英國詩人伏爾特.德拉.梅爾的這句話正好闡述了我人生的哲學(xué)與信仰. 盡管人類現(xiàn)在總試圖毀滅這個(gè)世界, 但上帝創(chuàng)造了它, 創(chuàng)造了這個(gè)美麗而奇妙的家園, 并賦予了它超乎我們想象的美好. 因此, 我告訴自己: 這些美麗與精彩難道不值得歐文去細(xì)細(xì)體味......我不應(yīng)為世間的美好奉獻(xiàn)出自己微薄的力量嗎? 難道我不應(yīng)心存感激? 的確, 我相信, 我應(yīng)該這么做.

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Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.
                                              --Strong
與其詛咒黑暗, 不如燃起蠟燭.
                --斯特郎