英语学习

The Best Teacher Ever 1

There is a story from many years ago of a primary school teacher. Her name was Mrs. Thompson.

And as she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie.

Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.

But that was impossible because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath.

And, Teddy could be unpleasant.

史上最好的老师

有一个多年前的小学教师的故事。她叫汤普森太太。

开学的第一天，她站在五年级的教室前，对孩子们撒了个谎。

像大多数老师一样，她看着自己的学生说她仍然爱他们。

但这是不可能的，因为坐在前排的是一个叫泰迪·斯托达德的小男孩。

汤普森太太在前一年看过泰迪，她注意到他和其他孩子玩得不好，衣服凌乱不堪，还经常需要洗澡。

而且，泰迪可能很不愉快。

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last.

However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners. He is a joy to be around."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

到了这样一个地步，汤普森太太真的会喜欢用一支宽大的红笔在他的试卷上做记号，在他的试卷上加上粗体的“X”，然后在试卷的顶部加上一个大大的“F”。

汤普森太太任教的学校要求她复习每个孩子过去的记录，她把泰迪的成绩推迟到最后一次。

然而，当她看了他的档案时，她感到很意外。

泰迪一年级的老师写道：“泰迪是个聪明的孩子，笑得很快。他工作干净利落，有礼貌。有他在身边真是件乐事。”

他的二年级老师写道：“泰迪是一个优秀的学生，深受同学们的喜爱，但他很苦恼，因为他的母亲得了绝症，家里的生活一定很艰难。”

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself.

She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful paper and tied with pretty ribbons, except for Teddy's.

His present which was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.

Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents.

Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume.

他的三年级老师写道：“他母亲的死对他来说很痛苦。他尽力做到最好，但他父亲不太感兴趣，如果不采取一些措施，他的家庭生活很快就会影响到他。”

泰迪四年级的老师写道：“泰迪性格孤僻，对学校不太感兴趣。他朋友不多，有时上课睡觉。”

现在，汤普森太太意识到了这个问题，她为自己感到羞耻。

当她的学生们给她带来圣诞礼物时，她感觉更糟了，除了泰迪的礼物外，礼物都是用漂亮的纸包着，还系着漂亮的丝带。

他的礼物用他从杂货店买来的厚厚的牛皮纸包装得很笨拙。

汤普森太太费力地把它放在其他礼物中间打开。

当她发现一个丢失了一些石头的莱茵石手镯和一个装满四分之一香水的瓶子时，一些孩子开始大笑起来。

But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my mom used to."

After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and arithmetic. Instead she began to teach children.

但当她惊呼手镯多漂亮时，她抑制住了孩子们的笑声，戴上手镯，在手腕上抹了些香水。

那天放学后泰迪·斯托达德待在家里的时间刚好够说：“汤普森太太，今天你身上的味道和我妈妈以前一样。”

孩子们走后，她哭了至少一个小时。就在那一天，她不再教阅读、写作和算术。相反，她开始教孩子们。

美文阅读笔记

㈠痛苦对人的第一个影响是使他变得狭隘。他们变得以自己为中心，他们的身体、他们的周围环境，在他们眼中都变得无比重要，在外人眼里这不可理解。他们变得暴躁易怒、满腹牢骚，成天在鸡毛蒜皮的事上纠缠。我遭受过贫困的折磨，也曾情场失意、希望破灭、理想幻灭、怀才不遇、缺乏自由，这些折磨都让我痛苦不已，而我知道它们让我变得善妒、无情、暴躁、自私、不公；反之富足、成功和快乐则让我趋善向良、变得更好。

　　健康的人发挥自己所有的才能，他自得其乐，也能为别人制造快乐；他精力充沛，能利用并完善自己的禀赋；他的智力不断成熟，让他产生复杂的思想，变得充实；他的想象力让他能够掌控时空；他所接受的培养和教育，能够让这个世界变得更加美丽。他一天天成长为一个更完整的人。但苦难会压抑活力，它往往败坏道德而不是提高修养；它不能育人，而是毁人。

　　苦难有时的确能教人学会忍耐，而忍耐的确陶冶情操。但忍耐不是一种美德，它只是一种达到目的的手段，仅此而已。忍耐对那些想做大事的人来说是必要的，但在琐事中忍耐，也就同它所示一样，不是那么值得尊敬。如滑铁卢大桥，它本身没什么了不起，不过是连通泰晤士河两岸的一条通道而已，是桥两端伸展开的伦敦城才让它变得重要。

㈡我在荒野里走，几只鸟儿齐刷刷从头顶飞过，落进前面的草地。而我赶到那里查看时，只有草和地上的泥土，别的什么都没有。鸟儿一定在那个地方看到了什么，捉到、吃掉或埋掉了什么。如此说，鸟儿瞒着人不知干了多少事。它们当着你的面办这些事，你却不知这是什么事。在鸟儿面前，人都是傻子。

人觉得这个世界是由他们控制的，这里挖挖、那里建建，然而人只活在他们自己的世界里。鸟儿有鸟儿的世界。在空旷的田野上，鸟儿知道哪里有水源，哪棵树上有什么样的虫子。我们对此一无所知，虽看它们去了这里，又去了那里，但不知它们在干什么，甚至不知那只鸟是哪只鸟。

我站在窗前，看鸟儿划过来划过去，分明是不带你玩儿，你甚至不知它们玩儿什么。假如带你玩儿，也真玩儿不了。比如，它们从三楼排风的木窗格子上飞到一楼灌木丛里，人不能。多数人没这种向往，注重功利的人，没好处不去钻带刺的灌木丛。如有赏金，钻灌木对人倒不是什么难事。

我已体会出鸟儿的快乐，这跟自由有关。自由的前提是把身体和心灵收束至简，简到不影响飞行：吃的呢？有点草籽和小虫就行了，没虫子吃也不抱怨；住的地方以树林为家园，任何一个树杈都是家——其他东西概不需要，然后飞、玩儿、办事。

㈢把谁有义务不去干扰别人的自由这样一个问题，变成了一个自由在价值上排序的问题，好像谁的自由看上去高大上，谁的自由背后人多，谁就可以干掉别人的自由。

这是一种愚蠢的思维方式。按照这种思维方式去思考，一个人、一群人，甚至某种体制，要变坏一点都不难。而变坏其实就是从变蠢开始的。

㈣有了某种压迫感，是初来乍到的恓惶，还有对未来的不确定，我开始怀疑自己的选择是否正确，外面的世界很精彩，但外面的世界，我不见得能搞定。