stretch out：伸出，把……拉長，（使）能維持，延長
造__________________
熱愛生活
Love Your Life
亨利·大衛·梭羅 / Henry David Thoreau
亨利·大衛·梭羅（1817—1862），散文家、超驗主義哲學家。出生於美國以超驗主義中心著稱的康科德，並在那兒度過了大半生。梭羅畢生以超驗主義作為自己的生活原則，並將之發揮到極致；他一生未娶，曾隱居瓦爾登湖兩年有餘，過著與世隔絕的生活，並在湖邊的木屋裏寫下了著名的《瓦爾登湖》一書。
However mean your life is， meet it and live it； do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault， finder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life， poor as it is. You may perhaps have some pleasant， thrilling， glorious hours， even in a poor-house. The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the alms-house as brightly as from the rich man’ s abode； the snow melts before its door as early in the spring. I do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there， and have as cheering thoughts， as in a palace. The town’ s poor seem to me often to live the most independent lives of any. Maybe they are simply great enough to receive without misgiving. Most think that they are above being supported by the town； but it often happens that they are not above supporting themselves by dishonest means， which should be more disreputable. Cultivate poverty like a garden herb， like sage. Do not trouble yourself much to get new things， whether clothes or friends. Turn the old， return to them. Things do not change； We change. Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.
不管你的生活有多卑微，麵對它吧，把生活進行下去，不可逃脫，也不能報以惡言，生活還不及你壞。你最富的時候，它反而最貧瘠。人若愛找茬兒，天堂也能被他挑出毛病。哪怕貧窮，你也要熱愛生活。快活、激動和光榮的時光甚至在濟貧院裏也享受的到。反射在那裏窗上的落日光芒，和照在有錢人家窗上的陽光是一樣的亮堂，門前的積雪也同樣都是在早春融化。在我的眼裏，一個心態平和的人，他思想樂觀，處世泰然，居住在濟貧院裏就像居住在皇宮裏一樣。在我看來，鎮上的窮人們往往過著最獨立自在的生活。他們一定足夠偉大，不然豈能欣然接受。大多數人以為自己不依靠城鎮養活，認為自己超凡脫俗，但情況往往是，他們利用不正當的手段作為謀生之計，這些讓他們更加聲名狼藉。像聖人那樣，對待貧窮就像對待園子裏的草木，耕耘它吧！不要自找麻煩地去尋求新事物、新朋友或者是新衣服。去找舊的，回歸舊有之物。萬物並沒有改變，變的是我們。衣帽可以賣掉，但思想應該保留。
不管你的生活如何卑微，你都要嚴肅認真地對待它，不要逃避生活，做一個心態平和，思想樂觀的人。
記憶填空
1. However__ your life is， meet it and live it； do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so__ as you are.
2. I do not see but a quiet__ may live as contentedly there， and have as cheering thoughts， as in a__ .
3. Do not trouble__ much to get new things， whether clothes or friends. Turn the__ ， return to them. Things do__ change； We change.
佳句翻譯
1. 人若愛找茬兒，天堂也能被他挑出毛病。
譯__________________
2. 在我的眼裏，一個心態平和的人，他思想樂觀，處世泰然，居住在濟貧院裏就像居住在皇宮裏一樣。
譯__________________
3. 衣帽可以賣掉，但思想應該保留。
譯__________________
短語應用
1. The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the alms-house as brightly as from the rich man's abode.
as...as：像……一樣
造__________________
2. Most think that they are above being supported by the town.
be supported by sb.：受到某人的支持
造__________________
我的人生已逝
My Life Is Over
喬治·吉辛 / George Gissing
喬治·吉辛（1857—1903），英國小說家、散文家。出身貧寒，曾在曼徹斯特讀書，畢業後去倫敦謀生。1880年後以教書為生，同時編輯撰寫小說，內容多是描寫下層貧苦群眾，是最善於寫陰暗麵的一個作家。生前賞識他的人不多，直到20世紀，其作品的價值才漸漸為人所發掘。
Nevertheless， my life is over.
What a little thing！ I knew how the philosophers had spoken； I repeated their musical phrases about the mortal span—yet never till now believed them. And this is all？ A man’ s life can be so brief and so vain？ Idly would I persuade myself that life， in the true sense， is only now beginning； that the time of sweat and fear was not life at all， and that it now only depends upon my will to lead a worthy existence. That may be a sort of consolation， but it does not obscure the truth that I shall never again see possibilities and promises opening before me. I have “retired，” and for me as truly as for the retired tradesman， life is over. I can look back upon its completed course， and what a little thing！ I am tempted to laugh； I hold myself within the limit of a smile.
And that is best， to smile not in scorn， but in all forbearance， without too much self-compassion. After all， that dreadful aspect of the thing never really took hold of me；I could put it by without much effort. Life is done—and what matter？ Whether it has been， in sum， painful or enjoyable， even now I cannot say—a fact which in itself should prevent me from taking the loss too seriously. What does it matter？ Destiny with the hidden face decreed that I should come into being， play my little part， and pass again into silence； is it mine either to approve or to rebel？ Let me be grateful that I have suffered no intolerable wrong， no terrible woe of flesh or spirit， such as others—alas！ alas！ —have found in their lot. Is it not much to have accomplished so large a part of the mortal journey with so much ease？ If I find myself astonished at its brevity and small significance， why， that is my own fault； the voices of those gone before had sufficiently warned me. Better to see the truth now， and accept it， than to fall into dread surprise on some day of weakness， and foolishly to cry against fate. I will be glad rather than sorry， and think of the thing no more.
然而，我的人生已經逝去。
生命是多麽渺小！我知道哲學家們曾說過的話，我曾反複吟誦他們關於人生苦短的如歌語句——但，時至今日我才相信他們的話。這就是一切嗎？一個人的生命怎可如此短暫，如此空虛？我徒然說服自己：真正意義上的生活才剛剛起步，汗水和恐懼相隨的日子根本不是生活，是否讓生活變得很有價值現在仍然取決於我。也許這是自我安慰，但它不能把這樣一個事實變得含糊不清，那就是：機會和前途之門將不會再向我敞開。時至當前，我已“退居二線”，實實在在無異於一個退休商人，生命已經結束。我可以回顧已走完的人生曆程，感歎它的渺小！我忍不住想要大笑一番，可我控製住自己，隻是微微一笑。
微笑，一方麵帶著竭力的忍耐而不是輕視，另一方麵又不可過分地自怨自憐，這樣便是最好的。畢竟，我從未真正地被困在事情最糟的境遇裏，我尚且可以輕鬆地脫身在外。生命完結了——那又怎樣？它究竟是苦是樂，我現在都得不出個結論。是不是事實本身就不需要我這般患得患失呢？有什麽關係呢？命運永遠不會顯露真麵目，它召令我的降生，要我扮演那小小角色，然後一切重歸沉寂。對此我是順從，還是叛逆？我心存感激，感激自己沒有像別人一樣遭遇不可吞忍的冤屈，還有那肉體或心靈上慘重的創傷——唉！唉！我在他們身上所瞥見的這種種冤屈和創傷！人生大部分旅程都安寧地走過，難道還不能讓我知足嗎？假使我驚詫於生命的短促和空虛，這錯誤也是我自己親手釀就的啊！先逝的人們對我敲響警鍾：最好現在就看清並接受真理，不然，日後必將陷入驚恐，但卻軟弱得束手無策，隻能愚蠢地呼天搶地，哀怨連連。我寧願高興，而不願悔恨，我也將不再胡思亂想。