I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two.

我的第一号、第二号作品的不成功，使我泄了气。

Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.

这些大人们，靠他们自己什么也弄不懂，还得老是不断地给他们作解释。这真叫孩子们腻味。

So then I chose another profession, and learned to pilot airplanes.

后来，我只好选择了另外一个职业，我学会了开飞机，

I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me.

世界各地差不多都飞到过。的确，地理学帮了我很大的忙。

At a glance I can distinguish China from Arizona.

我一眼就能分辨出中国和亚里桑那。

If one gets lost in the night, such knowledge is valuable.

要是夜里迷失了航向，这是很有用的。

In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence.

这样，在我的生活中，我跟许多严肃的人有过很多的接触。

I have lived a great deal among grown-ups.

我在大人们中间生活过很长时间。

I have seen them intimately, close at hand.And that hasn’t much improved my opinion of them.

我仔细地观察过他们，但这并没有使我对他们的看法有多大的改变。

Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted,

当我遇到一个头脑看来稍微清楚的大人时，

I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept.

我就拿出一直保存着的我那第一号作品来测试测试他。

I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true understanding.

我想知道他是否真的有理解能力。

But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say: “That is a hat.”

可是，得到的回答总是：“这是顶帽子。”

Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars.

我就不和他谈巨蟒呀，原始森林呀，或者星星之类的事。

I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge,and golf, and politics, and neckties.

我只得迁就他们的水平，和他们谈些桥牌呀，高尔夫球呀，政治呀，领带呀这些。

And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.

于是大人们就十分高兴能认识我这样一个通情达理的人。