They have been to school and college, but all the time they had their eye on the medal; they have gone about in the world and mixed with clever people, but all the time they were thinking of their own affairs. As if a man’s soul were not too small to begin with, they have dwarfed and narrowed theirs by a life of all work and no play; until here they are at forty, with a listless attention, a mind vacant of all material of amusement, and not one thought to rub against another, while they wait for the train. Before he was breeched, he might have clambered on the boxes, when he was twenty, he would have stared at the girls; but now the pipe is smoked out, the snuff-box empty, and my gentleman sits bolt upright upon a bench, with lamentable eyes. This does not appeal to me as being Success in Life.
无论在中学还是在大学，在教会还是在市场，忙忙碌碌都是欠缺生命力的一个标志。闲散的本领意味着广泛的兴趣与对个性的强烈意识。这些无精打采、陈腐之人，除了一些常规的工作外，几乎没有生存的意识。如果把他们带到乡村，或是让他们乘船到国外去，你们就会看到他们是多么渴望办公桌和书房了；他们全无好奇心，也不会任由自己宣泄怒气；他们不会在展现自己本领的活动上开心或是独自陶醉；除非紧急情况，例如用棒子打他，他们才会前行。
与这些朋友根本无法交谈：他们不会放松，天生不懂豪放；他们只会昏沉地度过那些时间，他们不会倾注全力在碾金厂里。当他们不想工作时，当他们不感到饥饿、不打算饮酒时，这个生机勃勃的世界对他们来说就是空白的。如果他们必须要等一个小时的火车，他们就会睁着眼睛陷入恍惚之中。看到他们，你就会猜到没有什么可看的，也没有人可以交流；你能够想象得到他们已经麻痹或是与世隔绝了。然而，他们很可能以自己的方式成为勤奋的工作者，而且眼光锐利，可以看出一张契约上的瑕疵或是市场行情的变化。
他们在中学和大学都读过书，但是他们的目光始终盯着奖章；他们外出活动，与聪明之人交往，但是他们始终惦记着自己的事情。好像一个人嫌自己的灵魂太大，他们一生中只有工作，没有娱乐，致使灵魂萎缩并缩小了；他们直到40岁时，注意力分散，头脑中缺乏所有有关娱乐的东西，对于其他想法全然不知，他们等候火车时就是这个样子。他没穿裤子的时候，也许可以在箱子上爬来爬去，20岁时，可以盯着女孩看；但是烟抽完了，鼻烟壶空了，我的这位阁下，在长椅上正襟危坐，目光哀伤。我认为，这不是成功的人生。
记忆填空
1. They have no curiosity; they cannot give themselves over to random provocations; they do not take _______ in the exercise of their faculties for its own sake; and unless Necessity lays about them with a stick, they will even stand _______ .
2. To see them, you would suppose there was_______ to look at and no one to speak_______; you would imagine they were paralyzed or alienated; and yet very possibly they are hard workers in their own _______ , and have good _______for a flaw in a deed or a turn of the market.
佳句翻译
1. 无论在中学还是在大学，在教会还是在市场，忙忙碌碌都是欠缺生命力的一个标志。
2. 当他们不想工作时，当他们不感到饥饿、不打算饮酒时，这个生机勃勃的世界对他们来说都是空白的。
3. 他们很可能以自己的方式成为勤奋的工作者，而且眼光锐利，可以看出一张契约上的瑕疵或是市场行情的变化。
短语应用
1. There is a sort of dead-alive, hackneyed people about, who are scarcely conscious of living except in the exercise of some conventional occupation...
a sort of：一种；有点儿；所谓的
2. You will see how they pine for their desk or their study.
pine for：渴望
减压贴士
12 Ways to Minimize Stress
佚名 / Anonymous
It’s holiday again. Most of us look forward to it. But as we immerse ourselves in the holiday season—the parties, the shopping, the cooking, the relatives, the bills—what we were hoping for, fun and warm feelings of togetherness, often turns out to be little more than stress and fatigue.
Although it is nearly impossible not to experience some increase in stress during this hectic time, there are ways to help keep stress levels manageable. Consider the following tips to help make your holidays a little brighter.
—Continue to exercise during the holidays, even if it’s less than your usual regimen.
—Try to eat healthy foods.
Relax between parties and other holiday obligations.
—Be aware of what’s going on inside of you.
Are you missing a special holiday ritual from your childhood? Can you incorporate it in to your current holiday plans?
—Practise tolerance.
Remember that everyone in those long shopping lines is just as pressed for time as you are. Better yet shop online!
—Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.
You cannot do it all, and if you try, you surely will not enjoy yourself.
—Budget your holiday spending money ahead of time.
Write down your spending list and stick to it.
—Remember that drinking alcohol only gives the illusion of feeling better and less stressed.
It is important to drink only in moderation—particularly during the holidays when many other stresses are present.
—Avoid bringing up difficult or sensitive subject matter at family gatherings.
—Give to someone less fortunate.
Adopt a needy family. Donate toys for underprivileged children. Remember that giving is the true spirit of the holidays.
—If you are from a displaced family, or for some reason cannot be with your loved ones during the holidays, seek out others in the same situation and plan a special gathering.
—Talk to a friend, or, if needed, a therapist, about your holiday blues and stress.
Often, just verbalizing your thoughts will help alleviate the negative feelings, and the interchange can provide you with some stress-relief solutions.
—Be thankful for all you have.
假期又来临了，大部分人都很期待它的到来，但是由于我们将自己沉浸在整个假期中——聚会、购物、烹饪、串亲戚、清账—— 一切我们所期盼的，相聚使我们感到快乐和温暖，但往往也会带来少许压力和疲倦。
尽管在这段繁忙的时期不可能不会经历某些压力，但是这里有一些方法可以使这些压力保持平衡。考虑以下小贴士，会给你的假期增添些许快乐。
——在假期时仍要坚持锻炼，即使强度比平常稍稍减轻一点儿。
——多吃健康食品。
在聚会和其他假期活动的间隙要多休息。
——留心来自心底的声音。
你是否错过了一个儿时的特别假期仪式？你能否把它安排在你现在的假期日程中？
——学会宽容。
记住：每一个排着长队购物的人都会像你一样担心时间。（不过最好选择网上购物！）
——懂得取舍。
你不能做所有想做的事，如果你尝试一下，就知道那其实并不开心。
——提前预算假期的开支。
列一个花销清单，并遵循它。
——记住：饮酒只会使你有舒服和压力减轻的幻觉。
饮酒时需要注意的就是适度——特别是当许多压力同时出现的假期。
——在家庭聚会中，避开艰难或敏感的话题。
——向不如你幸运的人奉献。
帮助一个贫困的家庭，给生活不优越的孩子送玩具，记住给予是度假的真谛。
如果你的家庭有些变化，或是因为一些原因使你不能与你爱的人共度假期，那么就去寻找与你处于同样境地的人们共度一个特别的假期。
——向朋友倾诉，或者，如果需要的话，找一位临床医学家，把你假期里的郁闷与压力告诉他。
通常，将自己的心事吐露出来，有助于缓解消极的情绪，而且交流可以给你提供一个缓解压力的环境。
——感激你所拥有的一切。
记忆填空
1. Although it is nearly_______ not to experience some increase in stress during this hectic _______, there are _______ to help keep stress levels manageable．Consider the following _______to help make your holidays a little brighter．
2. Adopt a needy family．Donate toys for underprivileged _______ ．Remember that giving is the true spirit of the _______ ．