小故事

He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could tell by the clarity of his father's voice that the decision was not negotiable. He slowly worked the hook out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the black water.
他环视了一遍湖。月光下附近没有其他的渔民或船只。他又看了看他父亲。从父亲不可动摇的语气中，他知道这个决定没有商量余地，即使没有人看到他们，更无从得知他们何时钓到了鱼。他慢慢地将鱼钩从大鲈鱼的唇上取下，然后蹲下将鱼放回水中。
The creature swished its powerful body and disappeared. The boy suspected that he would never again see such a great fish.
鱼儿摆动着它强健的身躯，消失在水中。男孩想，他可能再也看不到这么大的鱼了。
That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect in New York City. His father's cabin is still there on the island in the middle of the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing from the same dock.
那是34年前的事了。现在，男孩是纽约的一个成功的建筑师。他父亲的小屋依然在湖心岛上，他带着自己的儿女仍然在同一个码头上钓鱼。
And he was right. He has never again caught such a magnificent fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see that same fish-again and again-every time he comes up against a question of ethics.
他猜得没错。自那次以后，他再也没有见过那么大的鱼了。但每次他面临道德难题而举棋不定的时候，他的眼前总是浮现出那条鱼。
For, as his father taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult. Do we do right when no one is looking? Do we refuse to cut corners to get the design in on time? Or refuse to trade stocks based on information that we know we aren't supposed to have?
他父亲曾告诉他，道德即是简单的对和错的问题，但要付诸行动却很难。在没人瞧见的时候，我们是否仍始终如一，一丝不苟？为了将图纸及时送到，我们是不是也会抄近路？或者在明知道不可以的情况下，仍将公司股份卖掉？
We would if we were taught to put the fish back when we were young. For we would have learned the truth. The decision to do right lives fresh and fragrant in our memory. It is a story we will proudly tell our friends and grandchildren. Not about how we had a chance to beat the system and took it, but about how we did the right thing and were forever strengthened.
在我们还小的时候，如果有人要我们把鱼放回去，我们会这样做，因为我们还在学习真理。正确的决定在我们的记忆里变得深刻而清晰。这个故事我们可以骄傲地讲给朋友和子孙们听，不是关于如何攻击和战胜某种体制，而是如何做正确的决定，从而变得无比坚强。

重点讲解

重点讲解：
1. even though
即使；尽管；纵然；
eg. I will have a try even though I should fail.
哪怕失败，我也要试一下。
eg. Even though he tried, he still lagged behind other runners.
尽管他努力了，仍落在其他赛跑者之后。
2. again and again
再三；反复；
eg. The same changes took place again and again.
同样的变化一再发生。
eg. He would go over his work again and again until he felt he had it right.
他会反复检查自己的工作直到他认为正确为止。
3. come up against
碰到；面对；
eg. We came up against a great deal of resistance in dealing with the case.
办这个案子的过程中，我们遇到了很多阻力。
eg. I must say, this is a situation I haven't come up against before.
应该说这种情况我以前可没碰到过。
4. cut corners
图省事；走捷径；
eg. Take your time, don't cut corners and follow instructions to the letter.
慢慢来，不要图省事，要严格按照说明去做。
eg. She cut corners going to work in a hurry.
她匆忙抄近路去上班。
5. be supposed to do sth.
（按计划或期望）应当，应该，须；
eg. Don't be too curious about things you are not supposed to know.
对于你不应该知道的事情别去好奇地打听。
eg. The tests are supposed to provide a basis for the assessment of children.
这些测试应该可以为评价儿童提供一个基础。