03 Bend, but Don’t Break 弯而不折
One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream, and listen to the chirps of birds and the rustling of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboo trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their upright after the wind had died down.
关于童年，我最美好的回忆就是去小河旁，懒散地坐在岸边。在那里我享受着平和安静，看着水直流而下，听着鸟叫声和树叶的沙沙声。我还观察到竹子在风的压力下弯曲，然后在风停后优雅地恢复直立状态。
When I think about the bamboo tree’s ability to bounce back, the word resilience comes to mind. When used in reference to a person, this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other negative situation. Have you ever felt like you are about to snap? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? Thankfully, you have survived the experience to live to talk about it. During the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health. You felt emotionally drained, mentally exhausted and you most likely endured unpleasant physical symptoms.
当我思考竹子恢复原状的能力时，脑海中浮现出了“适应力”这个词。把这个词用在人身上，意味着受到冲击、沮丧或是其他消极情况之后易恢复的能力。你曾经有没有一刻觉得你快要崩溃了？或是觉得就在崩溃的那一点上了？真是幸运，你已经有了那种经历，现在还能生龙活虎地来谈论它。在那次经历中，你可能会有一系列威胁到你身心健康的混合的情绪。你感到情感上消耗殆尽，心理上疲惫不堪，很可能身体上也忍受着痛苦。
Life is a mixture of good times
生活中有好有坏，有快乐也有悲伤。下次你再经历那种痛苦得几乎把你推到崩溃边缘的时刻时，要学会弯而不折。尽你最大的努力让那一刻的你
and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend but don’t break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you. A measure of hope will take you through the unpleasant moments. With hope for a better tomorrow, things may not be as bad as they seem to be.
保持最好的状态。满怀希望会帮助你克服那些痛苦。心里想着明天会更好，事情可能不像它们看起来那么糟糕。
单词解析 Word Analysis
idly[ˈaɪdli]adv.懒散地；漫不经心地
例 She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink.
她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
downstream[ˌdaʊnˈstriːm]adv.朝下游方向
例 Is the water polluted at source or further downstream?
河水是在源头还是在流出之后受到污染的？
chirps[tʃɜːps]n.啾啾
例 My cricket chirps against thy mandolin.
我的蟋蟀在跟你的琵琶应和。
rustling[ˈrʌslɪŋ]n.瑟瑟声；沙沙声
例 There was a rustling of dresses, and the standing congregation sat down.
站着的人们在一片衣服的沙沙声中坐了下来。
gracefully[ˈɡreɪsfəli]adv.优美地；斯文地
例 He dived gracefully into the water.
他动作优美地跳入水中。
resilience[rɪˈzɪliəns]n.适应力；弹性
例 She has shown great resilience to stress.
她对压力表现出了极大的适应能力。
snap[snæp]v.噼啪作响；崩塌；砰地关上；猛咬；谩骂；拍摄
例 Most pine snaps as it burns.
大多数松木燃烧时都发出断裂声。
drain[dreɪn]v.排出；排干；喝光；耗尽
例 We must dig a trench to drain away the water.
我们必须挖一条沟排水。
endure[ɪnˈdʊr]vt.容忍
例 I could not endure the insolence of his behavior.
我不能再忍受他那傲慢无礼的行为了。
symptoms[ˈsɪmptəmz]n.症状
例 She developed symptoms of consumption.
她显示出肺病的症状。
语法知识点 Grammar Points
这个句子中, one of+可数名词的复数，后面的谓语动词用单数。
例 One of my classmates is from London.
我有一个同学来自伦敦。
as在这里是“作为”的意思，用作介词。
例 As a policeman, he has the responsibility to protect us.
作为一名警察，他有责任保护我们。
As a schoolboy, he showed every sign of genius.
当他还是个小学生的时候，就显示出了天资聪慧。
这个句子中, would表示过去经常做的事情。
watch sb./sth. do看某人/某物做某事的全过程; watch sb./sth.doing看某人/某物正在做某事
例 He had watched me grow from childhood.
他是看着我长大的。
We were standing there watching them skipping rope.
我们站在那里看他们跳绳。
die down渐渐消失；平息；变弱
例 Open the air hole; the fire is dying down.
把气孔打开，火要熄了。
The fire died down, so we put more coal on it.
炉火变弱了，所以我们再加了些煤。
bounce back（受挫折后）恢复原状
例 I bounce back from disappointment.
我很快就能从挫折中恢复过来。
It took 6 weeks to bounce back from the jungle.
从混乱恢复原状用了六周的时间。
come to mind想到
例 A number of possibilities come to mind.
我脑里出现了好几种可能性。
For most people, only two options come to mind.
对大多数人来说，只有两个选择浮现脑海。
这个句子中，因为从句和主句的主语一致，所以从句中的主语被省略了。原句应该是“When this word is used in reference to a person, it means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other negative situation.”
in reference to关于；有关
例 In reference to the interview our representative had with you, we offer our service as shipping agent.
按照本公司代表与您的洽谈结果，本公司愿作为贵公司的船运代理人。
He spoke in reference to Boy Scouts.
他讲了些关于童子军的事情。
recover from是固定搭配，表示“从……中恢复过来”。
例 He’s now fully recovered from his stroke.
他现已从中风完全康复了。
经典名句 Famous Classics
1. Every noble work is at first impossible.
每一个伟大的工程最初看起来都是不可能做到的！
2. We improve ourselves by victories over ourselves. There must be contests, and we must win.
我们通过战胜自己来改进自我。那里一定有竞赛，我们一定要赢！
3. One friend in a lifetime is much, two are many, three are hardly possible. Friendship needs a certain parallelism of life, a community of thought, a rivalry of aim.
一生中有一个好友已经足够，两个就算很多，三个几乎不可能。友谊需要两人之间的平等，思想上的统一，以及实现共同目标的竞争。
4. False friends are like our shadow, keeping close to us while we walk in the sunshine, but leaving us the instant we cross into the shade.
损友如同我们的影子，在阳光灿烂时与我们形影不离，在黑暗惨淡时就不见踪影。
5. A man is not old as long as he is seeking something. A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.
只要一个人还有追求，他就没有老。直到后悔取代了梦想，一个人才算老。
6. One’s real value first lies in to what degree and what sense he set himself.
一个人的真正价值首先取决于他在什么程度上和在什么意义上从自我解放出来。
7. Don’t try so hard, the best things come when you least expect them to.
不要着急，最好的总会在最不经意的时候出现。