酷兔英语

What Goes Around Comes Around 一报还一报

这是一个让人感慨万千的真实故事,这是一个关于"一件小事"与"两个巨人"的故事。亚马逊雨林里一只蝴蝶煽动它的翅膀,就能在大洋的彼岸引起猛烈的风暴。这是自然界的"蝴蝶效应"。农夫挽救一个小孩生命的善举,却实际上几乎挽救了整个人类的命运。这是人类社会的"蝴蝶效应"。还是那句话:勿以善小而不为。Little things are big.



His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer.



One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.



The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.



"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."



"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.



At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel. "Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.



"Yes," the farmer replied proudly.



"I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of."



And that he did.



Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, he graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.



Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia. What saved his life this time?



Penicillin.



The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill.



His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.



Someone once said:

"What goes around comes around."

Work like you don't need the money.

Love like you've never been hurt.

Dance like nobody's watching.

Sing like nobody's listening.

Live like it's Heaven on Earth.



他叫弗莱明,是一个贫苦的苏格兰农夫。

一天,他在地里干活养家糊口的时候,听到附近沼泽地里传出来救命的呼喊。他赶忙扔下农具,奔向沼泽地。一个小男孩在恐惧中尖叫着,挣扎着,要从没腰的黑色淤泥中挣脱出来。农夫弗莱明把小男孩从缓慢而可怕的死亡中救了出来。

第二天,一辆豪华马车停在了这个苏格兰农夫的住处,一个人口稀少的地方。一位衣着优雅的贵族下了车,自我介绍说是弗莱明所救男孩的父亲。

"我要报答你,"这位贵族说"你救了我儿子的命。"

"不,我不能因所做的事而接受你的报答,"这位苏格兰农夫答道,摆摆手拒绝了酬谢。

这时候,农夫的儿子刚好来到家门口。"这是你的儿子吗?"贵族问道。

"是的。"农夫自豪地答道。

"我和你做个约定,我为你的孩子提供和我的儿子一样的教育。如果孩子像他的父亲,他一定能成为让我们引以为豪的男子汉。"

他不负所望。

农夫弗莱明的儿子上了最好的学校。很快,他就从伦敦的圣玛莉医学院毕业了。后来,他成为了享誉全球的著名的亚历山大•弗莱明爵士--青霉素的发现者。

数年以后,这位贵族的儿子--被从沼泽地里救出的男孩患了肺炎,这次是什么挽救了他的性命呢?

青霉素。

这位贵族是谁呢?伦道夫•丘吉尔勋爵。

他的儿子是谁呢?温斯顿•丘吉尔爵士。

有人曾说:

"一报还一报。"

投入地工作吧,就像你根本不需要钱;

尽情去爱吧,就像你从未受过伤害;

纵情舞蹈吧,就像根本无人观望;

放声歌唱吧,就像根本无人聆听;

开心地生活吧,就像活在人间天堂。

(摘自李阳疯狂英语)
关键字:双语故事
生词表:
  • scottish [´skɔtiʃ, ´skɑtiʃ] 移动到这儿单词发声 a.&n.苏格兰人(的) 四级词汇
  • trying [´traiiŋ] 移动到这儿单词发声 a.难堪的;费劲的 四级词汇
  • nobleman [´nəublmən] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.贵族 四级词汇
  • pneumonia [nju:´məuniə] 移动到这儿单词发声 n.肺炎 六级词汇