英语背诵范文精华(第4版)(txt+pdf+epub+mobi电子书下载)


发布时间:2020-08-25 18:35:46

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作者:谭卫国

出版社:华东理工大学出版社

格式: AZW3, DOCX, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, TXT

英语背诵范文精华(第4版)

英语背诵范文精华(第4版)试读:

前言

背诵是公认的有效学习方法之一。著名文学家巴金曾经说过:“我是读了几百篇古文能够背诵,就开始写起文章来。”世界上的文坛巨擘之所以创作出许许多多脍炙人口、流芳百世的诗文佳作,主要是因为他们锲而不舍、坚持不懈地背诵了大量文质兼美的范文。

背诵范文对于外语学习尤其大有裨益。背诵可以帮助我们加深对文章的理解,提高阅读理解能力和作品赏析能力;还可以帮助我们了解文章中用词造句、布局谋篇的内在联系,培养和提高写作能力、听说能力和翻译能力。要想学好外语,背诵这种方法是必不可少的。背诵的文章多了,在大脑这座仓库里储存的语言材料就多了,在阅读时,就会自然而然地联想起已接触并背诵过的词语、句式、结构、篇章,从而有助于我们对新文章的理解和赏析。通过背诵,语言材料增多了,知识增加了,理解能力增强了,听说能力便随之提高了。在写作和翻译时,也会自然地联想起并且模仿运用那些已接触并背诵过的词语、句型和表达法,从而有助于提高写作能力和翻译能力。这个道理是显而易见、毋庸置疑的,无数例子充分证明了这一点。

背诵的真正意义还在于它能够锻炼并提高人的记忆力,而记忆力对于一个人的成长、成才、有所成就实在太重要了。俄国生理学家谢切诺夫(1829—1905)说过:“一切智慧的根源就在于记忆。”

记忆的品质表现为记忆的敏捷性、准确性、持久性和记忆的备用性。人的记忆力的好坏,与本身的遗传天赋固然有关,但主要靠后天的刻苦锻炼。训练记忆力的方法许许多多,而背诵范文就是其中最佳的方法之一。背诵和记忆语言规范、文辞优美、内容充实、饶有趣味、通俗易懂的英汉对照范文,不但能够帮助我们增长知识,优化知识结构,开阔知识视野,从而有助于我们大大提高听说读写译的能力,而且还能够帮助我们洗涤并净化心灵,纯洁和美化语言,进而有助于我们在潜移默化之中陶冶高尚情操。

本书经过第四次修订,更加精彩,更加完美,更具经典特性。本书作为独具特色的英语背诵范文精华,作为大学师生、英语专业工作者、广大英语应考者和爱好者的背诵本,必定会产生一举多得的效用,必定会成为广大英语学习者和英语使用者的良师益友。

本书译文约莫一半为主编所译,其余的则由王颖婷、王一清、朱慧蕊、何煦之、廖如芳和杨立达所译(她们每人翻译了约3万字),还有少数译文选自国内出版的书刊。所有译文由谭卫国教授审定。

在此书编写的过程中,编者们参考了许多国内外出版的有关书刊,在此谨向这些书刊的编者和作者表示衷心感谢。由于编译者水平有限,书中不妥之处在所难免,诚请同行专家和广大读者不吝指教,以便今后进一步完善。编者2011年3月Unit 1Home and Family家庭与家人1 Ideas of Home Have Changed

A great many people, when they speak of home, tend to associate it with a certain atmosphere, certain physical surroundings, and certain emotional attitudes within themselves. This sentimentality toward home is something that has come down to us from the past. Many modern people do not have it, and I think it is a good thing that they do not.

In the old days life was difficult. Enemies could attack you and kill or rob you, and you had little protection against them. People did not live in well-built houses where doors could be locked. They did not have the protection of an organized police force or telephones which could summon the police instantly. How did this influence the way people felt about home? Small family groups clung tightly together for protection against beasts and against other men. Only the bravest went beyond the small family area. Even in the Middle Ages only the most daring went to lands beyond the sea. The human pursuit of security conditioned men to love their homes. I am sure that this feeling must have been very strong among the early settlers of the United States who were obliged, by famine and oppression, to take the plunge and go to the new land where they knew no one and where they were subjected to Indian attack. We can see this even today in the attitudes of minority groups who, because of a feeling of insecurity, still preserve cohesive family ties.

Today, thanks to modern transportation and well-organized societies, thousands of people willingly and eagerly leave the surroundings where they were born, and the more often they do so, the less sentiment they are likely to have for those surroundings. I lived in England for three years, and I noticed that boys and girls left their parents' homes and lived in dwellings of their own. There they could just telephone and ask an agency to provide them with a house or an apartment, which was their home. How has the meaning of the word home been altered by such activity? What does home mean to those people or to families who often move about, living in first one hotel and then another? I believe that for them home means a place where they can have privacy.

This idea of home as being a place of privacy is emerging in my country, Saudi Arabia, where the young are abandoning their parents' homes to live their own life. As for me, the atmosphere and surroundings of the place where my parents live have no sentimental attachment. Home is where I can shut the door and be by myself. At the moment it is a room in Eaton Hall. When I left my parents several years ago, I was anxious to leave. You might call it unfeeling, but that was the way I felt. On the day of my departure for the United States, my grandmother sobbed and wept. My father, however, indicated that he understood how I felt. “Son,” he said, “I am not sorry that you are leaving us. I only hope that you make the most of your time.”Words and Expressions

1. associate[ə'səʊʃɪeɪt]vt. 由……联想到,把……与……联想在一起

2. surroundings[sə'raʊndɪŋz]n. 周围的事物,环境

3. sentimentality['sentɪmen'tælɪtɪ]n. 多愁善感,感伤

4. summon['sʌmən]vt. 召唤,召集;集拢,聚集

5. cohesive[kəʊ'hi:sɪv]adj. 有附着力的,有内聚力的

6. sentiment['sentɪmənt]n. 感情,情绪,情操;伤感;意见;观点

7. dwelling['dwelɪŋ]n. 住处,住宅

8. agency['eɪʤənsɪ]n. 经销;代理;经销处;代理处;工具;媒介;作用;力量

9. emerge[ɪ'mɜ:ʤ]vi. 出现,暴露;(从困境中)摆脱;发生

10. attachment[ə'tætʃmənt]n. 附着,附属,附带;附属物,附件;情感,深情友爱

11. to take the plunge:采取断然行动;冒险尝试,毅然从事

12. where they were subject to Indian attack:(在那儿)他们受到印第安人的攻击

参考译文1 家庭观念的变化

许多人在谈到家的时候往往将它和某种气氛、某种环境及内心的某些情感态度联系在一起。这种对家的依恋情感古已有之,代代相传。许多现代人不再有了,我认为这是件好事。

在遥远的过去,人们生活十分艰难。敌人可能会攻击你,杀害你或抢劫你的财富,而你却毫无还手之力。人们并不住在可以锁门闭户的构造坚固的房子里。他们没有一支有组织的警察队伍的保护,也不能随时打电话报警。这些怎样影响人们对于家的感情呢? 小家族的成员紧密团结,聚在一起,共同抵御野兽和敌人。只有最勇敢的人才离开小家族管辖区。甚至在中世纪也只有最勇敢的人才敢涉足海外。人类对安全的追求决定了人们对家的热爱。我相信,美国的早期定居者对此一定深有感触。他们被饥荒、压迫逼得走投无路,只好毅然决然冒险来到这个举目无亲、易受印第安人攻击的陌生的地方。甚至今天,我们从少数民族团体的态度也可以看出这一点。由于缺乏安全感,他们仍然保持着富有凝聚力的家庭纽带。

今天,由于有了现代交通工具和组织良好的社会,成千上万的人们愿意并且渴望离开他们出生的环境。而且,他们离家外出越频繁,对那个环境的情感就可能越少。我曾经在英国呆过三年。我注意到孩子们离开父母的家,住进自己的房子。在英国,他们只需拿起电话,要求一家房地产经销处提供一幢房子或一套公寓,那就是他们的家了。家这个词的意义是如何被这种行为改变的呢?家对于那些经常流动、从一家旅馆搬到另一家旅馆居住的人们或家庭成员又意味着什么呢?我认为,家对他们来说是一个离群独处不受干扰的地方。

在我的国家沙特阿拉伯,年轻人放弃父母的家去过他们自己的生活。这种把家作为私人独处之地的看法正在我的国家形成。我对父母居住之地的气氛、环境没有眷恋的情感。家就是一个我关起门来独处的地方。现在我的家就是伊登宿舍的一个房间。几年前当我离开父母时,我没有恋恋不舍,巴不得快快离开。你也许会觉得这是无情无义,然而那确实是我的感受。我离家去美国那天,祖母呜咽,泪流不止。但我的父亲却表明他能理解我的心情。“孩子,”他说,“我对于你的离去不觉得悲伤。我只希望你能充分利用时间。”2 Three Types of Parents

It is universally true that all parents in the world love their children. However, as parents' views of life vary, they show their love in different ways. Generally speaking, parents can be classified into three types: the monarch type, the servant type, and the friend type according to their different ways of showing their love for their children.

The monarch type of parents are intolerant, autocratic, and self-centered. They lay down regulations in the family for their children to observe. Furthermore, they insist that their children should act upon them without question. When their authority is challenged, they become infuriated. With a firm belief in their own philosophy of life, they have little respect for others' opinions, least of all, their children's. The sentence they say most frequently to their children is, “You should do this.”

Contrary to the monarch-type parents, the servant-type parents revolve around their children all the time. They are soft, good-natured, and easy-going. They never deny their children any wish, and cheerfully run to buy anything their children ask for. They are happy so long as their children are content. With the sincere belief that love means sacrifice, they are ready to give up anything for their children's sake. With their children at the center of their lives, they always ask, “What else can we do for you?”

The friend-type parents, as the term implies, treat their children as friends. They are generous and wise. Like good friends, they discuss with their children the latest news, share their children's interests, and listen attentively to their children's expression of emotion, whether it is anger, fear, joy or sorrow. They have an intimate relationship with their children while adhering to their principled stand. They discuss problems with their children rather than provide ready solutions. They respect their children as their equals. They often say, “Let's put our heads together and see what we can do.”

There is no doubt that children welcome the third type of parents, for a free, friendly, and sympathetic atmosphere at home is most favorable to the development of youngsters both in body and in mind. All parents should re-examine and change some of their ways of showing their love if they want their children to grow up happily and healthily.Words and Expressions

1. universally[ˌju:nɪ'vɜ:səlɪ]adv. 普遍地;到处

2. monarch['mɒnək]n. 君主;帝王

3. intolerant[ɪn'tɒlərənt]adj. 不宽容的;偏狭的

4. autocratic[ˌɔ:təʊ'krætɪk]adj. 独裁统治的;独断专横的

5. adhere[əd'hɪə]vi. 黏附;坚持

6. principle['prɪnsəpl]n. 法则;原则;原理

7. sympathetic[ˌsɪmpə'θetɪk]adj. 有同情心的;支持的;赞成的

8. to revolve around their children:围绕孩子团团转;以孩子为中心忙个不停

9. to put our heads together:交流思想,交换意见,集思广益

10. to be most favorable to:最有助于某事,对某事最为有利

参考译文2 三种类型的父母

世上的父母都爱自己的孩子,这是条普遍真理。然而,由于父母的生活观不同,他们爱孩子的方式也不同。一般说来,按照父母亲表达爱的不同方式,父母亲可以分为三种类型:君主型、奴仆型和朋友型。

君主型的父母独裁专制,不容异己,总是以自我为中心。他们在家里立下让孩子遵守的种种规矩。更有甚者,他们硬要孩子无条件地按规矩行事。当他们的权威受到挑战时,他们会变得愤怒异常。他们坚信自己的生活哲学,根本不尊重别人的意见,对自己孩子的意见则更是不屑一顾。他们对孩子最常说的一句话是:“这事你非做不可。”

与君主型的父母完全相反,奴仆型的父母总是围着孩子团团转。他们性情温柔,心地善良,宽容随和。他们往往迁就孩子,总是满心欢喜地跑去买孩子要求的任何东西。只要孩子心满意足他们就感到高兴。他们真诚地相信,爱就意味着牺牲。为了孩子,他们随时准备放弃一切。孩子就是他们生活的中心,他们总是问,“我们还能为你做些什么呢?”

朋友型的父母,顾名思义,对待孩子就像对待朋友一样。他们大度而又明智。他们像好朋友一样和自己的孩子讨论最近的新闻,分享孩子的兴趣,仔细倾听孩子情感的表达——无论是愤怒、恐惧,还是欢乐、悲伤。一方面,他们与孩子亲密无间,另一方面,他们又坚持自己的原则立场。他们和孩子一起讨论问题,而不是给孩子提供现成的答案。他们尊重孩子,把孩子当作和自己地位平等的人对待。他们的口头禅是:“让我们集思广益,看我们能做些什么事才好。”

毫无疑问,孩子们喜欢第三种类型的父母。一种自由、友好、和谐的家庭气氛对孩子的身心发展最为有利。如果父母想让孩子快乐健康地成长,那他们就应该重新审视自己表达关爱的一些方式,并做出相应的调整。3 The American Way: FamilyBy Billy Haselton

“Please pass the turkey and dressing.” What does this simple request make you think about? If you are an American, you think about Thanksgiving. A turkey dinner symbolizes Thanksgiving for Americans. What does Thanksgiving remind Americans of? Their families. Thanksgiving is a family time. On this holiday, families gather to gobble up the gobbler and stuff themselves with stuffing. Family members enjoy watching parades and football games on TV and just being together. What does “family” mean to Americans?

The traditional American family is a nuclear family. A nuclear family refers to a husband and wife and their children. The average American family today has two or three children (and maybe a few pets). In some cultures, people live close to their extended family. Several generations may even live together. In America, only in a few cases does more than one household live under one roof.

American values receive a warm welcome in the home. Many homes are run like a democracy. Each family member can have a say. A sense of equality often exists in American homes. Instead of fearing Mom and Dad, children may think of them as good friends. Husbands and wives often share household chores. In many cases, a child can enjoy privacy in his or her own bedroom. From an early age, children gain responsibility in handling money. They may receive a weekly allowance or even work part-time jobs. Often parents give children freedom to make their own decisions. Preschoolers choose what clothes to wear or which toys to buy. Young adults generally make their own choices about what career to pursue and whom to marry.

Families in America, like those in every culture, face many problems. Social pressures are breaking apart more and more American homes. Over half of U. S. marriages now end in divorce. More than one in four American children are growing up in single-parent homes. As a result, many people believe the American family is in trouble.

Even so, there is still reason for hope. Many organizations are working hard to strengthen families. Americans almost unanimously believe that the family is one of the most important parts of life. The vast majority also feel that the traditional two parent family is best for children. They realize that problems in family life in recent years have brought about serious consequences. As a result, more and more people are making their family a priority. Many women are quitting their jobs to stay home with their children. Families are going on vacations and outings together. Husbands and wives are making a concentrated effort to keep their marriages solid.

The United Nations has declared 1994 the “International Year of the Family”. Not just in America, but all over the world, people recognize the importance of strong families. How do you strengthen the family bond? Do special things for each other. Talk to each other. Play together. Spend time together. Oh, and one more thing: be thankful for each other. If you have a family, every day should be Thanksgiving.Words and Expressions

1. gobble['gɒbl]vt. 狼吞虎咽

2. stuff[stʌf]vt. 填塞;装满

3. allowance[ə'laʊəns]n. 津贴;补助;定期供给之物

4. unanimously[ju:'nænɪməslɪ]adv. 一致同意地;无异议地

5. outing['aʊtɪŋ]n. 出游;远足;短途旅游

6. to share household chores:分担家务

7. to break apart:分离;分崩离析

8. to quit one's job:辞职;放弃工作

9. to strengthen the family bond:巩固家庭关系(纽带)

10. International Year of the Family:国际家庭年

参考译文3 美国人的家庭观比利·哈瑟尔廷“请把火鸡和配料递给我。”这个简单的请求会让你想到什么呢?如果你是美国人,你会想到感恩节。对美国人而言,有火鸡的晚餐象征感恩节。感恩节会使美国人联想起什么呢?他们的家人。感恩节是家人团聚的时间。在这个节日,家人聚在一起尽情地享受着美味的火鸡及其腹中的填料。家人享受着一起看游行与足球比赛的电视转播和团聚的时光。那么“家庭”对于美国人来说意味着什么呢?

传统的美国家庭是一个“核心家庭”。核心家庭指的是丈夫、妻子和儿女。今日美国的一般家庭有两个或三个小孩(或许还有几只宠物)。在某些文化里,家庭居住在一起成为大家庭,甚至可能几代人住在一起。在美国,一个以上的家庭同住一个屋檐下实属罕见。

美国人的价值观在家庭中受到热烈欢迎。许多家庭治家都很民主。家中每个人都有发言权。平等的观念经常存在于美国的家庭中。孩子们把父母当成好朋友,而不是惧怕他们。夫妇经常彼此分担家务。许多家庭的孩子都有自己的卧室,可以享有隐私权。孩子们从很小的时候起就有了理财的责任。他们可能每周得到零花钱,甚至干些零活。父母亲常常给孩子们自己做决定的自由。学龄前的孩子可以自己选择穿什么衣服或买什么玩具。青年一般可以自由选择职业和结婚的对象。

美国的家庭,如同每个文化中的家庭一样,面临着许多问题。社会的压力正使愈来愈多的美国家庭解体。现在,美国有半数以上的婚姻以离婚而告终。在美国,1/4以上的小孩是在单亲家庭中成长的。因此,许多人认为美国的家庭遇到了麻烦。

即使如此,希望还是有的。许多组织机构正在致力于巩固家庭。美国人几乎都认为家庭是生活中最重要的部分之一。绝大多数人也觉得传统的双亲家庭对孩子是最好的。他们意识到近年来家庭生活的问题已造成了许多严重的后果。所以,愈来愈多的人把家庭放在优先考虑的地位。许多妇女辞去工作在家照顾她们的孩子。全家人一起度假或出游。丈夫与妻子齐心协力使婚姻稳固。

联合国已宣布1994年为“国际家庭年”。不仅是在美国,而且是在全世界,人们都认识到了稳固家庭的重要性。如何巩固家庭关系呢?为彼此做些特别的事。一起聊天,一起玩乐,花时间在一起。噢,还有一件事情:彼此怀着感恩之心。如果你有了家庭,天天都应该是感恩节。4 My Most Unforgettable CharacterBy N. Joseph & M.D. Michel

Mama's face was radiant with pride. I knew that everything we had achieved or would achieve was because of my parents. When we were young children, my mother was, especially, our mentor. Not until I became an adult did I realize how special she was.

Delight in Devotion. My mother was born in a small town in northern Italy. She was three when her parents immigrated to this country in 1926. They lived on Chicago's South Side, where my grandfather worked making ice cream.

Mama thrived in the hectic urban environment. At 16, she graduated first in her high-school class, went on to secretarial school, and finally worked as an executive secretary for a railroad company.

She was beautiful, too. When a local photographer used her pictures in his monthly window display, she was flattered. Her favorite portrait showed her sitting by Lake Michigan, her hair windblown, her gaze reaching toward the horizon. My mother always used to say that when you died, God gave you back your “best self”. She'd show us that picture and say, “This is what I'm going to look like in heaven.”

My parents were married in 1944. Dad was a quiet and intelligent man who was 17 when he left Italy. Soon after, a hit-and-run accident left him with a permanent limp. Dad worked hard selling candy to Chicago office workers on their break. He had little formal schooling. His English was self-taught. Yet he eventually built a small, successful wholesale candy business. Dad was generous, handsome and deeply religious. Mama was devoted to him.

After she married, my mother quit her job and gave herself to her family. In 1950, with three children, Dad moved the family to a farm 40 miles from Chicago. He worked the land and commuted to the city to run his business. Mama said good-bye to her parents and friends and traded her busy city neighborhood for a more isolated life. But she never complained. By 1958, our modest white farmhouse was filled with six children, and Mama was delighted.

Think Big. My mother never studied books on parenting. Yet she knew how to raise children. She heightened our self-esteem and helped us reach our potential.

One fall day, I sat at the kitchen table while Mama peeled potatoes. She spied Dad out the window on his tractor and smiled. “Your father has accomplished so much, ” she said proudly. “ He really is somebody.”

My mother wanted each of us to be somebody too. “Your challenge is to be everything you can. Mine is to help, ” she always said.

She read to us every day and used homemade flash cards to teach us phonics. She bolstered our confidence, praising even our most ordinary accomplishments. When I was ten, I painted a stack of wooden crates white and nailed them together to make a wobbly bookcase. “It's wonderful!” Mama exclaimed. “Just what we need.” She used it for many years.

In the dining room are two paint-by-number pictures that my sister Gloria and brother Leo did as kids. Several years ago, Leo commented that the pictures weren't very good and offered to take them down. But Mama wouldn't hear of it. “They are there to remind you how much you could accomplish even as children, ” she said.

From the very beginning, she urged us to think big. One day, after visiting our grandparents on the South Side, she made Dad detour past the Prudential Building construction site. Mama explained that when finished, the 41-story building would be Chicago's tallest. “Maybe someday one of you can design a building like this,” she said.

Her confidence in us was infectious. When my sister Carla was 12, she announced she was going to be a lawyer.

“You can do that,” Mama said. “You can do anything you put your mind to.”

Tour Guide. To Mama, education was a key part of her blueprint for success. Four of us went to a nearby, one-room schoolhouse. My mother made up for its shortcomings by getting us educational toys, talking to us about history, politics and current events, and helping us with home-work. The best part of getting a good report card was her unstinting praise.

When I was in the third grade, she urged our teacher to organize a field trip to Chicago museums. My mother helped the teacher rent a bus and plan the trip. She even served as tour guide, pointing out landmarks and recounting local history.

When it came time to think about college, there was never a question that we'd all go. Inspired by our parents' sacrifice, we studied hard to earn scholarships, and applied for grants and financial aid. We also took jobs to earn money for school. Working in a grocery store, I learned the value of a dollar. “Work is a blessing,” Mama always reminded us.

She never asked for anything for herself. “You don't have to buy me a birthday present,” she said one time. “Instead write me a letter about yourself. Tell me about your life. Is anything worrying you? Are you happy?”...Words and Expressions

1. mentor['mentə(r)]n. 良师,导师,指导者

2. horizon[hə'raɪzn]n. 地平线;(知识等的)范围;界限

3. modest['mɒdɪst]adj. 谦虚的;谨慎的;适度的

4. bolster['bəʊlstə(r)]vt. 支持;增加;增强

5. wobbly['wɒblɪ]adj. 颤动的,颤抖的;摇摆的

6. detour['di:ˌtʊə(r)]vi. 迂回走;绕道走

7. recount[rɪ'kaʊnt]vt. 叙述(故事);重新计算

8. in the hectic urban environment:在喧嚣的城市环境中

9. inspired by our parents' sacrifice:在父母自我牺牲精神的激励下

10. applied for grant:申请助学金

参考译文4 我最难忘的人约瑟夫 米歇尔

母亲脸上泛出自豪的光芒。我知道我们所取得的成绩和将要取得的一切都要归功于我的父母。我们年幼的时候,尤其是母亲成了我们的启蒙老师。直到我长大后才认识到母亲是多么不平凡。

乐于奉献。母亲出生于意大利北部的一个小镇。1926年她3岁时随父母移居美国。她家住在芝加哥南区,当时外祖父在那儿做冰淇淋买卖。

母亲在这样喧嚣的都市环境中茁壮成长。她16岁中学毕业,毕业成绩是全班最高的,后来上了秘书学校,最后在一家铁路公司担任行政秘书。

母亲长得也很美。那时当地有位摄影师把她的照片放在一月一换的橱窗里展览,她心里美滋滋的。母亲最心爱的照片显示:她坐在密歇根湖畔,头发被风吹起,眼睛眺望远方。母亲总说,一个人死后,上帝会归还他“最美好的形象”。她经常让我们看这张照片,并说:“这就是日后我在天堂里的样子。”

我的父母是在1944年结婚的。父亲话不多,人很聪明,17岁离开意大利。此后不久,发生了一起车祸,肇事者逃了,父亲只能终身跛行了。他工作勤奋,向工间休息的芝加哥办公楼的工作人员兜售糖果。父亲没受过什么正规教育,他的英语是自学的。然而最终他开起了一家小型的糖果批发店,生意很红火。父亲为人慷慨,相貌英俊,还是一个虔诚的教徒。母亲挚爱他,忠于他。

母亲婚后,辞去了工作,一心照顾家庭。1950年,父亲带着3个孩子把家搬到离芝加哥40英里的一家农场。他既耕种农田,又往返芝加哥做他的糖果批发生意。母亲也告别了父母和朋友,告别了繁忙的城市街道,过起了离群索居的日子。但她从无怨言。到1958年,我们这座简朴的农场白色小屋里有了六个孩子,母亲非常高兴。

胸怀大志。母亲从没看过生儿育女方面的书籍,然而她懂得该如何养育子女。她激发我们的自尊心,并帮助我们发挥自己的潜能。

某一秋天,我坐在厨房桌子旁边,母亲在削土豆皮。她透过窗子看到父亲坐在拖拉机上,微微笑了。“你爸爸已卓有成就了,”她自豪地说。“他真是个了不起的人!”

母亲也希望我们每个人将来都有所作为。她总是说:“你们面临的挑战就是将来要大有作为。对我富有挑战性的任务则是帮你们去实现。”

她每天给我们读书,还用自制的卡片教我们学语音。她对我们做成的一般小事也要赞扬一番,以激发我们的信心。我10岁那年,把一些板条木箱漆成白色,然后把它们钉成一个摇摇晃晃的书柜。“棒极了!”母亲赞叹道。“我们正好用得着。” 这书柜她使用了好多年。

在我们家餐厅里挂着两张按数字涂颜色的画,那是姐姐格罗丽亚和哥哥利欧小时候的作品。几年前,利欧说这两张画不怎么样,主动要取下来。可母亲反对。她说:“画挂在那里让你们记得,你们小时候就有多能干了!”

从一开始,母亲就教导我们要胸怀大志。一天,在看望了住在芝加哥南区的外祖父母后,母亲要父亲绕道带我们经过普鲁登希尔大厦的施工场地。母亲说,这座41层高的大厦建成后将是芝加哥市最高的。“也许将来有一天你们中有个人也能设计出这样的高楼呢,”她说。

她对我们的信心使我们深受感染。姐姐卡拉12岁时,便雄心勃勃地宣布她将来要当律师。“你能当上律师的!”母亲说。“只要你用心去做,你什么都能干好!”

人生向导。在母亲看来,她的成功蓝图的一个关键因素是教育。我们兄妹四个在附近一所学校上学,学校只有一间教室。母亲就给我们找一些有教育意义的玩具,跟我们谈历史、政治和时事,并帮助我们做家庭作业,以弥补学校的不足。我们取得了优异成绩她便大加赞扬。

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