美文阅读

The Happy door

Happiness is like a pebble dropped into a pool to set in motion an ever-widening circle of ripples. As Stevenson has said, being happy is a duty.

There is no exact definition of the word happiness. Happy people are happy for all sorts of reasons. The key is not wealth or physical well-being, since we find beggars, invalids and so-called failures, who are extremely happy.

Being happy is a sort of unexpected dividend. But staying happy is an accomplishment, a triumph of soul and character. It is not selfish to strive for it. It is, indeed, a duty to ourselves and others.

Being unhappy is like an infectious disease. It causes people to shrink away from the sufferer. He soon finds himself alone, miserable and embittered. There is, however, a cure so simple as to seem, at first glance, ridiculous; if you don’t feel happy, pretend to be!

It works. Before long you will find that instead of repelling people, you attract them. You discover how deeply rewarding it is to be the center of wider and wider circles of good will.

Then the make-believe becomes a reality. You possess the secret of peace of mind, and can forget yourself in being of service to others.

Being happy, once it is realized as a duty and established as a habit, opens doors into unimaginable gardens thronged with grateful friends.

参考译文
快乐之门

快乐就像一块为了激起阵阵涟漪而丢进池塘的小石头。正好史蒂文森所说，快乐是一种责任。

快乐这个词并没有确切的定义，快乐的人快乐的理由多种多样。快乐的关键并不是财富或身体健康，因为我们发现有些乞丐，残疾人和所谓的失败者也都非常快乐。

快乐是一种意外的收获，但保持快乐却是一种成就，一种灵性的胜利。努力追寻快乐并不自私，实际上，这是我们对自己和他人应尽的责任。

不快乐就像传染病，它使得人们都躲避不快乐的人。不快乐的人很快就会发现自己处于孤独，悲惨，痛苦的境地。然而，有一种简单得看似荒谬的治病良方：如果你不快乐，就假装你很快乐！

这很有效。不久你就会发现，别人不再躲着你了，相反，你开始吸引别人了。你会发觉，做一块能激起好意涟漪的小石头有多么值得。

然后假装就变成了现实。你拥有了使心灵平静的秘密，会因帮助他人而忘我。

一旦你认识到快乐是一种责任并使快乐成为习惯，通向不可思议的乐园的大门就会向你敞开，那里满是感激你的朋友。

词汇词组释义
1.pebble n. 鹅卵石

例句：
There are many pebbles on the riverbed.
河床上有很多卵石。

2.ripple n. 涟波,涟漪,波纹

例句：
The pebble make a ripple on the surface of the lake.
石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。

3.dividend n. 红利,股息,彩金,被除数

例句：
The company declared a large dividend at the end of the year.
公司在年底宣布分发高额股息。

4.shrink n. 收缩,萎缩 v. 收缩,退缩,萎缩

例句：
She shrink back from his grasp.
她往后退缩不让他拥抱。

5.embitter v. 使受苦,使难受,使怨恨

例句：
I was embittered by repeated failures.
我因屡次失败而苦恼。

6.repel v. 逐退,使...厌恶,反驳

例句：
The crew repelled the attack.
船员击退了进攻。

语法讲解

1.Happiness is like a pebble dropped into a pool to set in motion an ever-widening circle of ripples.

这句的主语是happiness, 谓语是is like, 宾语是a pebble, 后面的dropped into a pool...是分词做定语，修饰a pebble. “to set in motion an ever-widening circle of ripples”是不定式

做定语，修饰a pebble.

2. Before long与long before的区别：Before long意思是“不久以后”；long before意思是“很久以前”。
例句：
It looks as if it will rain before long.
看起来一会儿就要下雨了。
I knew Tom long before I knew you.
我在认识你之前很久就认识了汤姆。