Prose
今天的美文姗姗来迟。第一篇，鸡汤文关于爱情的思考，保持一样的传统风格，有注释；第二篇丑小鸭，家喻户晓的童话，依旧那么感人；第三篇时文很励志。
老读者新读者，可以先加微信公共号（biaojienglish)关注,点击右上方“历史信息”关注前几期的。或加我的私人微信xuetang100。
灵魂的限度
The Story of Life
佚名／Anonymous
Sometimes people come into your life and you come to realize that they were meant to be there, to serve【serve [sə:v] v.为……服务；供应；侍候；端上】 some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be (possibly your roommate, neighbor, co-worker, long-lost friend, lover, or even a complete stranger), but when you lock eyes with them, you know in an instant【instant [′instənt] adj.即刻的；立刻的；迫切的】 that they will affect your life in some profound way.
And sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower【willpower [′wilpaʊə(r)] n.意志力；毅力；精神力】 or heart. Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good luck. Illness, injury, love, brilliant achievements, and sheer【sheer [ʃiə] v.躲开；躲避；使……避开】 stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls【downfall [′daunfɔ:l] n.坠落；没落； you experience, help to create who you are and who you become. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are probably the most poignant【poignant [′pɔinənt] adj.强烈的；浓烈的；辛酸的；惨痛的；切中要害的】 and important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious when you open your heart. If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things. Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’ t believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you.
You can make of your life anything your wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely【absolutely [′æbsəlu:tli] adv.绝对地；完全地；独立地；确实地】 no regrets. Most importantly, if you love someone tell him or her, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store.
人们不时走进你的生活，有时你会觉察出。他们是出于某种特定目的：给你一个教训，帮你认清自己或你理想中的自己。你永远不知道这些人是谁（可能是你的室友、邻居、同事、久违的朋友、爱人，甚至完全是一个陌生人）。一旦你开始关注他们，很快便会发现，他们影响了你的生活，而且往往很深远的。
有时，发生在你身上的事情看似可怕、痛苦，或不公平，但细思之后，你会发现，如果没有克服这些障碍，就永远不可能认识到自己的潜力、能力、毅力，或者真实的内心世界。世事皆非出于偶然。疾病、伤痛、爱情，辉煌的成就和彻底的失败，这一切都是检验你灵魂的限度。不论它们以何种方式出现，没有这些细微的考验，生活会如一条平坦笔直的大道，无止境地延伸下去，也许安逸舒适，却枯燥乏味，毫无意义。
你遇到的人会影响你的生活，你所经历的成功和失败，都有助于塑造和成就你。甚至是那些不幸的遭遇也能让你有所领悟，这事实上也可能是最深刻、最重要的。如果有人伤害了你，出卖了你，或者伤透了你的心，原谅他们吧，因为他们教会了你：敞开心扉时，保持警惕心态和真诚待人同样重要；如果有人爱你，那么无条件地去爱他们吧，不只是因为他们爱你，更因为在某种意义上，他们教会你去爱，教会你如何敞开心扉，打开心窗去看世间万物；让每天都意义非凡吧，珍惜每一刻，并充分感受它带来的一切。因为每一时刻不会重复拥有；与从未交谈过的人聊聊，并认真聆听吧；让自己坠入爱河，并跳出情网之束缚；昂首向前，放宽视野吧。你完全有权利这么做，告诉自己你是一个很杰出的人，并相信自己。因为如果连你都不相信自己，别人将更难相信你
你可以随心所欲地享受生活，创造属于你自己的生活方式，并无怨无悔。最为重要的是，如果你爱上了谁，就告诉他或她，因为你不知道明天会发生什么。
The Ugly Duckling
It was a lovely summer in the countryside. A mother duck was busy hatching eggs. Finally, the eggs began to crack. Little ducklings came out one by one. But one big egg was still lying there. The mother duck sighed and sat down on it again.
Several days later, a duckling came out of the egg. He was large and ugly. "Is this my baby?" the mother duck was confused. "Is that a turkey's egg?" The mother duck took the ducklings to the river. Everyone was swimming around, including the ugly duckling. The mother duck relaxed and smiled. "He is not a turkey, he is my child. I'll call him Ugly Duckling."
One day, an old duck came to see the ducklings. When she saw Ugly Duckling, she said to the mother duck, "This one is ugly. What a shame!" "Madam, he's not handsome, but he's a good boy," the mother duck said.
One day, the mother duck took her kids to a chicken farm. The ducklings and chickens soon became friends, but no one wanted to play with Ugly Duckling. They laughed at him and gave him leftovers to eat. Ugly Duckling felt very sad.
As time went by, things got even worse. No one wanted to stay with Ugly Duckling. Finally even his mother began to dislike him. Poor Ugly Duckling ran off and soon came to a marsh where some wild ducks lived. But the wild ducks wouldn't talk to him, either.
Two wild geese found poor Ugly Duckling. "Would you like to fly away with us?" they asked. Ugly Duckling wanted to. But before he could reply, the two wild geese were shot dead by hunters. Hearing the shots, the wild ducks flew off at once. Ugly Duckling hid himself in the reeds.
Then the hunters released their dogs. Poor Ugly Duckling was terrified. He bent his head under his wings. A big dog found Ugly Duckling. He opened his big mouth with sharp teeth. Just before Ugly Duckling fainted, the dog turned and ran away. "I'm so ugly that even the dog wouldn't bite me," Ugly Duckling sighed.
Ugly Duckling stayed in the reeds until nightfall. It was quiet all around, and Ugly Duckling ran out of the reeds. He kept running and finally stopped at a small hut. There was an old woman sleeping in the house with her cat and hen. Ugly Duckling slipped in.
The next morning, the old woman found Ugly Duckling. Not knowing whether he was a boy or a girl, she kept Ugly Duckling in her house, expecting eggs from him in the future. The hen tried to teach Ugly Duckling how to lay eggs, while the cat showed him how to catch mice. But how could a boy duck lay eggs or catch mice? Ugly Duckling left. He went to the river bank and settled down in the bushes.
On an autumn evening, Ugly Duckling saw a flock of beautiful swans. They were flying to warmer places for the winter. The swans were white and elegant. Ugly Duckling had never seen such beautiful creatures before. Watching them leave, Ugly Duckling was upset.
When winter came, it was getting so cold that Ugly Duckling fainted in the freezing water. A farmer saw him. He carried Ugly Duckling home to his kids. In the warm house, Ugly Duckling came to life. The farmer's kids came up to play with him. But Ugly Duckling had thought they would beat him, so he ran out of the house.
Ugly Duckling went back to the marsh and lived there from then on. The cold winter passed and spring came. One warm sunny day, Ugly Duckling stood up and lifted his wings. To his surprise, he flew up! Soon he flew to a large garden. There were three swans swimming in a beautiful lake.
Ugly Duckling wanted to make friends with them. He flew down to the water and swam towards the swans slowly. He was shy to see the beautiful swans and bowed his head down towards the water. At that moment, he saw his reflection in the water. He was not a duck anymore. He had become a beautiful swan!
Several kids came to the garden. They found the new swan and shouted with joy, "He is the most beautiful one!" Other swans gave Ugly Duckling a warm welcome. Ugly Duckling was so happy. "I never dreamed of such happiness when I was an ugly duckling!" he said.
丑小鸭乡下的夏天真漂亮啊，天空是蓝盈盈的，草地是绿油油的。不过，正在窝里孵蛋的鸭妈妈可没工夫欣赏这些美景，她得赶紧把小鸭子孵出来。
终于，鸭蛋都裂开了，小鸭子们一个一个地钻了出来。他们看着这个美丽而陌生的世界，兴奋得嘎嘎直叫。这时，鸭妈妈发现还有一只很大的蛋躺在窝里，一点儿动静都没有。她叹了口气，只好又坐到了蛋上。
又过了好几天，这个蛋终于裂开了，一只小鸭子钻了出来。可是这只小鸭子看起来和其他小鸭子不太一样，他长得又大又丑。
“我的孩子怎么会长成这样呢？”鸭妈妈自言自语地说，“难道我孵的是火鸡蛋？”
为了搞清楚这个问题，鸭妈妈领着孩子们到河里游泳。小鸭子们游得非常棒，那个丑丑的小家伙也灵活地划着水，和他的兄弟姐妹们游得一样好。鸭妈妈这才放心了，“他虽然丑了点儿，但也是我的孩子呢。嗯，就叫他‘丑小鸭'吧。”
一只神态高傲的老母鸭来到了小河边，她可是这一带最有声望的人物。“你的孩子都很漂亮，不过这只是个例外。他长得这么丑，真给你丢脸啊！”老母鸭鄙视地看着丑小鸭。
“太太，虽然他长得不好看，但是脾气非常好。”鸭妈妈为丑小鸭说着好话，“而且，他是一只公鸭，不用太在意外表，丑就丑点儿吧。”
鸭妈妈带着小鸭子们去养鸡场找东西吃。其他的小鸭子都和小鸡成了好朋友，可是丑小鸭太丑了，谁都不愿意和他玩。
“你这个丑家伙，怎么配和我们一起玩呢？”他们不仅嘲笑丑小鸭，还总让他吃剩饭。
丑小鸭伤心极了。难道长得丑，就应该被排挤吗？这真是太不公平了！
情况一天比一天糟，大家越看丑小鸭越不顺眼，都想赶走他。小鸭子推他，小鸡啄他，喂鸡的女佣人用脚踢他，最后，就连鸭妈妈都开始嫌弃他了。
终于有一天，丑小鸭穿过篱笆逃走了。篱笆外的小鸟见到他，吓得四处乱飞。“这是因为我太丑了。”丑小鸭想。他继续往前跑啊跑，一口气跑到了一块住着野鸭的沼泽地里。可是野鸭们也都嫌他丑，不愿意跟他说话。
两只路过沼泽地的大雁发现了丑小鸭。他们非常可怜丑小鸭，于是对他说：“你虽然丑，但是挺可爱的。你会飞吗？跟我们一起飞走好吗？”
丑小鸭高兴极了，可他还没来得及回答，就听到砰砰两声枪响。大雁落到沼泽地里死了。原来是猎人在这里打猎。
受到惊吓的野鸭飞了起来，四散逃命。丑小鸭不知道应该往哪里跑，只得一头扎进了芦苇丛。
猎人放出猎狗，猎狗在芦苇丛里狂奔。可怜的丑小鸭把头藏在翅膀里，害怕得浑身哆嗦。
一只凶恶的猎狗发现了丑小鸭，他用鼻子闻了闻丑小鸭，然后张开大嘴，露出尖利的牙齿。真是太可怕了！可就在丑小鸭快被吓晕了的时候，猎狗突然跑开了。
“唉，我丑得连猎狗都不愿意咬我了。”丑小鸭叹了口气，不知道该高兴还是该难过。
丑小鸭在芦苇丛里一直趴到天黑。当四周逐渐安静下来之后，他才鼓起勇气跑出了芦苇丛。
不知道跑了多久，丑小鸭看见前面有一间简陋的农家小屋。狂风呼啸着，丑小鸭从门缝里钻进了屋子。屋里住着一个老太婆，还有她的猫和母鸡。她们都睡得很香，完全没有发现进来避风的丑小鸭。
第二天早晨，老太婆注意到了这只来历不明的小鸭子，“这是只母鸭还是只公鸭呢？如果是母鸭，长大以后就能下蛋给我吃了。”她自言自语地说。
丑小鸭在这里待了三个星期，他非常想念河边温暖的阳光和新鲜的空气，他还很想游泳。母鸡和猫一直劝说他学习下蛋和抓老鼠，这样才能讨老太婆的欢心，可是，一只公鸭怎么会下蛋或者抓老鼠呢？
丑小鸭决定离开小屋，回到大自然里去。他走到小河边，在灌木丛里安了家。
秋天的一个傍晚，太阳落山的时候，一群漂亮的天鹅从灌木丛里飞了出来。冬天快到了，他们要飞到温暖的国度去。
天鹅的羽毛白得发亮，脖子又长又柔软，姿态优雅极了。丑小鸭从来没有见过这么美丽的动物。他偷偷地看着天鹅，感到无比兴奋。
天鹅飞走了，丑小鸭心里非常失落。
冬天来了，天气变得很冷。丑小鸭不得不在水上游来游去，免得水面完全冻结成冰。可是，他游动的范围越来越小，最后，可怜的丑小鸭被冻得晕了过去。
一个过路的农夫把丑小鸭带回家，送给了自己的孩子们。
丑小鸭在农夫温暖的家里渐渐恢复了知觉。孩子们看到他醒了，都扑过来想和他玩。丑小鸭吓坏了，他还以为孩子们要打他呢，于是就从农夫家逃了出来。
丑小鸭在沼泽地里安了家。
寒冷的冬天过去了，明媚的春天到来了。太阳洒下温暖的阳光，百灵鸟唱起动人的歌。丑小鸭从沼泽地里站了起来，他举起翅膀，伸了个懒腰，突然发觉翅膀比以前有力多了。他试着拍了拍翅膀，竟然轻松地飞了起来。
他不知不觉地飞到了一座大花园。花园里有一个美丽的湖泊，三只白天鹅正在湖里轻盈地游
来游去。
丑小鸭多么想靠近这些美丽的天鹅啊，可他又有些顾虑，“我长得这么丑，他们会讨厌我、嘲笑我吗？不过没关系，只要能在近处看他们一眼，我就很高兴了！”
丑小鸭降落在湖面上，慢慢地向天鹅游了过去。在美丽的天鹅面前，他害羞地低下了头。
突然，他从清澈的水面上看到了自己的倒影。天哪，他不再是一只丑陋的鸭子了，他变成了一只美丽的白天鹅！
几个小孩子来到花园里，他们发现了这只新来的天鹅，高兴得又跳又叫：“新来的这只天鹅最美！”
湖里的天鹅围在丑小鸭的周围，欢迎他的到来。
丑小鸭觉得太幸福了，一个声音在他心里响了起来：“当我还是一只丑小鸭的时候，我做梦也没想到会这么快乐！”
BBC - 。
BBC – that was denied by Nazis almost 80 years ago.
BBC - A 102-year-old German woman has become the world's oldest person to be awarded a doctorate on Tuesday, almost 80 years after the Nazis prevented her from sitting her final exam.
Ingeborg Rapoport (then Ms Syllm) finished her medical studies in 1937 and wrote her doctoral thesis on diphtheria - a serious problem in Germany at the time.
But because of Nazi oppression she has had to wait almost eight decades before being awarded her PhD.
Her mother was a Jewish pianist. So, under Adolf Hitler's anti-Semitic race laws, Ingeborg was refused entry to the final oral exam. She had written confirmation from Hamburg University that she would have received her doctorate "if the applicable laws did not prohibit Ms Syllm's admission to the doctoral exam due to her ancestry".
Now the university has set right that wrong. Three professors from Hamburg University's medical faculty travelled last month to Ingeborg's sitting room in east Berlin to test her on the work she carried out in pre-war Germany. Ingeborg Rapoport said she was very nervous as she was examined by Hamburg University academics.
They were impressed and a special ceremony took place at Hamburg University Medical Centre on Tuesday, in which she finally received the PhD that the Nazis stole from her.
"It was about the principle," she said. "I didn't want to defend my thesis for my own sake. After all, at the age of 102 all of this wasn't exactly easy for me. I did it for the victims of the Nazis."
To prepare for last month's exam, Ingeborg enlisted friends to help her research online what developments there had been in the field of diphtheria over the last 80 years. "The university wanted to correct an injustice. They were very patient with me. And for that I'm grateful."
Eventually she became a paediatrics professor, holding Europe's first chair in neonatal medicine, at the renowned Charite hospital in East Berlin. She was given a national prize for her work in dramatically reducing infant mortality in East Germany.
But for all her achievements, winning back at the age of 102 the doctorate stolen from her by the Nazis must rank among her most impressive.
一位102岁的德国妇人，周二成了世界上被授予博士学位的最年长学生。近80年前，。
英格堡.拉波波特（当年名字“西尔姆女士”）1937年完成她的医学学业， 并就白喉撰写了博士论文 - 白喉，是德国当时的严重问题。
，她不得不等了近80年、才被授予博士学位。
她母亲是犹太人钢琴师。所以，在的反犹太种族法律下，英格堡被拒之最后答辩口试的门外。他得到了汉堡大学的一份书面确认书，说她本来是可以获得博士学位的，“如果适用法律没有因为西尔姆女士的血统而不准她参加博士考试的话”。
现在该大学已拨乱反正。来自汉堡大学医学专业的3位教授，上月来到英格堡在东柏林家中的客厅， 对她在二战前德国进行的研究成果进行考试。英格堡.拉波波特说，接受汉堡大学教授的考试时，她非常紧张。
他们对她印象深刻。周二，汉堡大学医学中心举行了特别仪式，。
“这是个原则问题，”她说。“我并不想为了自己对我的论文进行答辩。毕竟，我已经102岁了，这一切对我来说并非易事。我这么做，。”
为了备战上月的考试，英格堡争取到朋友帮她，就80年来白喉领域的发展，进行网上调研。“学校想纠正的是不公待遇。他们对我非常耐心。我对此表示感激。”
... 最终，她成了著名的东柏林查利特医院的一名儿科教授，坐上了欧洲新生儿医学的头把交椅。她因大幅降低东德婴儿死亡率的工作，而被授予国家奖。
但在她所有的成就中，，谅必属于她最令人叹为观止的成就之一。
(原文选自BBC新闻)