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The New Year is a time for resolutions.
新年是下决心的时候
Mentally, at least,
至少在大多数人的心里
most of us could compile formidable lists of "dos" and "don'ts".
会编排出一份应做什么和不应做什么的令人生畏的单子
The same old favourites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity.
相同的决心以单调的规律年复一年地出现
We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less,
我们决心每天早晨起得早些 吃得少些
find more time to play with the children,
多花点时间与孩子们一起做游戏
do a thousand and one jobs about the house,
做大量的家务
be nice to people we don't like, drive carefully,
对不喜欢的人友善一些 小心驾车
and take the dog for a walk every day.
每天都要带着狗散步 等等
Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment.
以往的经验告诉我们有些事是办不到的
If we remain inveterate smokers, it is only because
如果我们烟瘾大 戒不掉
we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure.
那是因为屡戒屡败 失去信心
Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement
我们大多数人想自我完善却遭到失败
because our schemes are too ambitious
这是因为我们的规划过于宏大
and we never have time to carry them out.
而又根本没有时间去实施
We also make the fundamental error
我们还犯有一个根本性的错误
of announcing our resolutions to everybody
即把我们的决心向大家宣布
so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways.
这样一旦滑回到那些老习惯上去 我们在别人的眼里会显得更加难堪
Aware of these pitfalls,
我深知这些问题
this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself.
于是 今年我对自己的计划要严加保密
I limited myself to two modest ambitions:
只给自己定下两项适中的任务
to do physical exercises every morning and to read more of an evening.
每天早上锻炼身体 每天晚上多看点书
An all-night party on New Year's Eve
新年除夕举办的一次通宵晚会
provided me with a good excuse for not carrying out
使我理直气壮地在新年头一天
either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year,
免去了这两项任务
but on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task.
不过 新年第二天 我全力以赴地照着去做了
The daily exercises lasted only 11 minutes
早锻炼一共只有11分钟
and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up.
我打算在别人起床之前进行
The self-discipline required
这就要求我比平时早11分钟把自己从床上拽起来
to drag myself out of bed 11 minutes earlier than usual was considerable.
这种自我约束是很艰苦的
Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living room
不过开头两天我还是成功地蹑手蹑脚地来到楼下起居室
for two days before anyone found me out.
谁也没发现
After jumping about on the carpet
我在地毯上跳过来蹦过去
and twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions.
扭曲身子 摆出各种姿势 弄得浑身不舒服
I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition.
然后坐到桌边吃早饭 一副筋疲力尽的样子
It was this that betrayed me.
正是这副模样泄露了我的秘密
The next morning the whole family trooped in to watch the performance.
第二天早晨全家人结队来到起居室看我表演
That was really unsettling,
这真叫人不好意思
but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good-humouredly
但我心平气和地顶住全家人的嘲笑和奚落
and soon everybody got used to the idea.
不久 大家对我习以为常了
However, my enthusiasm waned.
而这时我的热情却减退了
The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished.
我花在锻炼上的时间逐渐减少
Little by little the 11 minutes fell to zero.
慢慢地从11分钟减到了零
By January 10th, I was back to where I had started from.
到了1月10日 我恢复了原来的作息时间
I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning,
我辩解说 早晨少耗费精力锻炼
I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work.
晚上下班回家看书时头脑更清醒些
Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television,
有几天晚上 我极力摆脱了电视的诱惑
I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book.
坐在自己的房间里 两眼盯在书上
One night, however, feeling cold and lonely,
可是 有一天夜里 我感到又冷又孤单
I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read.
便来到楼下坐在电视机前假装看书
That proved to be my undoing,
这下我可完了
for I soon got back to my old bad habit
因为不一会儿 我就恢复了以前的坏习惯
of dozing off in front of the screen.
在屏幕前打起瞌睡来
I still haven't given up my resolution to do more reading.
但我还没有放弃多看些书的决心
In fact,
事实上
I have just bought a book entitled
我刚买来一本叫
"How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute".
一分钟读一千字的诀窍》的书
Perhaps it will solve my problem,
也许这本书能解决我的问题
but I just haven't had time to read it!
但我一直还没时间去看这本书
