讀雙語(yǔ)故事,看百味人生。閱讀是一生的功課,無(wú)論順境逆境,我們總能在文字里找到共鳴。以下是小編整理的媽媽的格言/MOTHER’S MOTTO的內(nèi)容,讀一下吧,也許恰好是你喜歡的那一篇。
媽媽的格言
MOTHER’S MOTTO
My mother’s sweet nature and true kindness made a great impression on me. She got a degree in art after high school. Sketching and painting people were her passion. When mother painted someone’s portrait, I was quite interested in watching her mix the paints and apply the paintbrush to the canvas. It seemed that the final portrait made the person look beautiful!
How could this be, I wondered, when some of them really were not beautiful at all? What did she see that I didn’t see?
One summer afternoon, after mother signed the finished portrait of an elderly neighbor, I asked her, “She has bony arms, gray hair and a long nose, but you painted her really pretty. Why?” My mother replied gently, “I emphasize the best and minimize the rest. The portrait ends up being one that both the artist and the subject can be happy with. That’s my way.”
Years later I realized that my mother’s motto was something she also applied to daily life. Friends of all ages often approached me or other members of the family with similar comments, “I have never heard your mother say an unkind word about anyone” or “Your mother always has something nice to say to everybody, even folks who are not very nice”.
Such comments are really touching. Frequently, I reflect on her motto and attempt to follow her wise example. Oh, it doesn’t come naturally, but it does get easier to “Emphasize the best and minimize the rest” when I become familiar with people.
There is something beautiful in everyone. It doesn’t require an artist’s trained eye to find that beauty.
【日積月累】
◇sketch v. 寫生,為……繪草圖;草擬,打草稿
◇canvas n. 帆布,油畫,畫布
◇portrait n.(人的)畫像,照片;(生動(dòng)的)描述
◇bony adj. 如骨的,瘦骨嶙峋的,多骨的
◇minimize v. 使顯得不重要;貶低,輕視
【參考譯文】
媽媽的格言
我媽媽性格溫和,心地善良,讓我印象深刻。高中畢業(yè)后,她攻讀了美術(shù)學(xué)位。為人作畫是她的熱情所在。當(dāng)她給別人畫肖像的時(shí)候,我總是饒有興致地看著她調(diào)和顏料,再用畫筆涂抹在畫布上。成品總是比本人漂亮。
怎么會(huì)這樣呢,我納悶,有些人其實(shí)一點(diǎn)都不漂亮啊! 為什么她能看見(jiàn)我看不到的地方?
一個(gè)夏日的午后,媽媽給一幅鄰居老太太的肖像上簽完名后,我問(wèn)她,“雖然她手臂瘦骨嶙峋,頭發(fā)花白,鼻子那么長(zhǎng),你卻把她畫得那么漂亮。為什么?”媽媽溫柔地回答:“我強(qiáng)調(diào)最美的地方,其他都忽略。畫作最后讓畫家和對(duì)象都滿意,這就是我的方式?!?/P>
數(shù)年后我領(lǐng)悟了媽媽還把這條格言應(yīng)用在了日常生活中。不同年齡層次的朋友常常對(duì)我說(shuō)——家里人也說(shuō)過(guò)相同的話——“我從來(lái)沒(méi)聽(tīng)過(guò)你媽媽對(duì)過(guò)任何人一句壞話”,或“你媽媽總是能對(duì)每個(gè)人說(shuō)些好聽(tīng)的話,即使是對(duì)那些不怎么樣的人?!?
這樣的評(píng)價(jià)真是讓人感動(dòng)。我常常想起媽媽的格言,并嘗試追隨她這個(gè)智慧的榜樣。這不是與生俱來(lái)的,但是當(dāng)我與人交往越來(lái)越熟的時(shí)候,“強(qiáng)調(diào)最美的地方,忽略其他”讓我的交往變得越來(lái)越容易。
每個(gè)人身上都蘊(yùn)藏著美麗,并不需要一雙受過(guò)藝術(shù)專業(yè)訓(xùn)練的眼睛才能發(fā)現(xiàn)。
【人生啟迪】
如果一張白紙上滴上一滴墨水,我們永遠(yuǎn)摳住那個(gè)黑點(diǎn)不放,而忽略了紙上其他雪白的地方。問(wèn)題在我們自己身上。用更寬容的心態(tài)去面對(duì)這個(gè)世界,那么你從窗戶看出去就不會(huì)只看見(jiàn)地上的爛泥,還有滿天的繁星。