书城外语那些给我勇气的句子(每天读一点英文)
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第23章 Carrot ,Egg or Coffee

·Jerome·

A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

Her father,a cook,took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots,in the second he placed eggs,and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil,without saying a word.

The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited,wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a mug. Turning to her he asked,“Darling,what do you see?”

“Carrots,eggs,and coffee,”she replied.

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell,she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally,he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled,as she tasted its rich aroma.

“What does it mean,Father?”She humbly asked.

He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity,boiling water,but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong,hard,and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water,it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water,its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique,however. After they were in the boiling water,they had changed the water.

“Which are you?”he asked his daughter.

When adversity knocks on your door,how do you respond? Are you a carrot,an egg,or a coffee bean?

胡萝卜,鸡蛋还是咖啡豆

杰罗姆

女儿向父亲抱怨她的生活,她觉得凡事都很艰难,不知该怎样面对,想要放弃。她厌倦了不断地抗争和奋斗,好像一个问题刚刚解决,另一个又出现了。

她的父亲是名厨师,他把她带进了厨房,在三个壶里分别装了水,然后放到火上烧。很快,壶里的水开了。他往第一个壶里放了些胡萝卜、往第二个里放了鸡蛋,在最后一个里放了些磨碎的咖啡豆,然后静静地等着它们煮沸。

女儿噘着嘴,不耐烦地等着,对父亲的行为感到很纳闷。大约20分钟后,父亲关了火炉,把胡萝卜捞出来,放在一个碗里,又把鸡蛋拿出来放进另一个碗里,接着把咖啡倒进了一个杯子里,然后转过头来,对她说,“亲爱的,你看见了什么?”

“胡萝卜、鸡蛋和咖啡,”她答道。

父亲拉近她并让她去摸胡萝卜,她摸了摸,觉得它们变柔软了。然后,他又让她去把鸡蛋敲破,把蛋壳剥掉后,她看到了一个熟鸡蛋。最后,父亲要她喝咖啡。在尝过芳香四溢的咖啡后。她笑了。

“这是什么意思,父亲?”她谦恭地问道。

父亲解释说,这三样东西面临着同样的逆境——煮沸的水,但它们的反应却各不相同。胡萝卜本是强硬,坚固而不甘示弱的。但受到开水的影响后,它变得柔软而脆弱。鸡蛋本来易碎,薄薄的外壳保护着内部的液体。但用开水煮过以后,它的内部就变得坚硬。不过,最独特的是磨碎的咖啡豆。经过沸腾的水后,它们却改变了水。

“哪一个是你呢?”他问女儿。

当不幸降临到你头上时,你该如何应对呢?你是胡萝卜、鸡蛋,还是咖啡豆?

实战提升篇

核心单词

impatiently [im5peiFEntli] adv. 不耐烦地;性急地

humbly [hQmbli] adv. 谦逊地,恭顺地

adversity [Ed5vE:siti] n. 逆境;厄运;不幸的事

unrelenting [5Qnri5lentiN] adj. 不宽恕的;无情的;坚定的

interior [in5tiEriE] adj. 内的,内部的

实用句型

She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up.

她不知该怎样面对,想要放弃。

①这里是由how 引导的宾语从句。

②make后用不带to 的不定式,类似的词还有have,let,help,suggest等。

翻译行不行

1.离开前请关灯。(turn off)

2.他脱下大衣,开始工作。(pull off)

3.这受市场需求的影响。(be subject to)