Lecturer Charles Hobbs sometimes tells about a woman who lived in London over a century ago. She saved what little money she could working as a scullery maid and used it one evening to hear a great speaker of her day. His speech moved her deeply and she waited to visit with him afterward. "How fine it must be to have had the opportunities you have had in life," she said.
演說家查爾斯•霍布斯經(jīng)常會(huì)在他的演說中引用這樣的故事。一百多年前，倫敦住著一位女士，她以給人幫廚為生。生活雖然很艱難，她還是省吃儉用地?cái)�了一點(diǎn)兒錢，并用這點(diǎn)兒錢去聽了一場(chǎng)演講。演講者是一位在當(dāng)時(shí)非常的演說家。他的演講深深地感染了她，也觸動(dòng)了她。演講結(jié)束之后，她并沒有立即離去，而是去拜訪了那位演說家�！耙芟衲@樣一生中擁有這么多的機(jī)會(huì)那該有多好啊!”她羨慕道。
"My dear lady." he replied,"have you never received an opportunity?"
“哦，親愛的女士，”那位演講家問道，“難道您從未得到過任何機(jī)會(huì)嗎?”"Not me. I have never had a chance," she said.
“是的，我從未得到過任何機(jī)會(huì)。”她很沮喪。
"What do you do?" the speaker asked.
“那您是做什么工作的?”演講家問道。
She answered,"I peel onions and potatoes in my sister's boarding house."
“我在我姐姐開的寄宿公寓里幫廚，剝剝洋蔥，削削土豆。”她答道
"How long have you been doing this?" he pursued.
“你做這事多長時(shí)間了?”演講家追問。
"Fifteen miserable years!"
“都已經(jīng)干了15年了，難熬的15年啊!”"And where do you sit?" he continued.
“您工作的時(shí)候坐在哪里呢?”演講家繼續(xù)問。
"Why,on the bottom step in the kitchen." She looked puzzled.
“您為什么問這個(gè)?”她感到非常的迷惑，“我就坐在廚房最低的一級(jí)臺(tái)階上�！�
"And where do you put your feet?"
“那么您把腳放在哪里呢?”
"On the floor," she answered,more puzzled.
“放在地板上啊�！彼@訝地望著演講家。
"What is the floor?"
“那地板是什么樣的?”
"It is glazed brick."
“是用釉面磚鋪就的�！�
Then he said,"My dear lady,I will give you an assignment today. I want you to write me a letter about the brick."
的演講家說道：“親愛的女士，今天，我要給您布置一項(xiàng)任務(wù)。我想讓您寫一封信給我，談一談您對(duì)磚的認(rèn)識(shí)。”
Against her protests about being a poor writer,he made her promise to complete the assignment.
女士以自己根本就不會(huì)寫信為由拒絕他的建議，但是，演講家堅(jiān)持要她完成這項(xiàng)任務(wù)。
The next day,as she sat down to peel onions,she gazed at the brick floor. That evening she pulled one loose,took it to a brick factory and asked the owner to explain to her how bricks were made.
第二天，當(dāng)她坐在廚房的臺(tái)階上剝洋蔥的時(shí)候，目光不禁聚焦在了釉面磚鋪就的地板上。她專門跑到磚廠向廠主請(qǐng)教磚頭是如何制造出來的。
Still not satisfied,she went to a library and found a book on bricks. She learned that 120 different kinds of brick and file were being produced in England at the time. She discovered how clay beds,which existed for millions of years,were formed. Her research captivated her imagination and she spent every spare moment learning more. She returned to the library night after night and this woman,who never had a chance,gradually began to climb the steps of knowledge.
對(duì)于廠長的解釋她并不滿意，于是，她又跑到了圖書館。通過查閱資料，她了解到，在當(dāng)時(shí)的英國，一共有一百二十多種磚瓦在生產(chǎn)。她還發(fā)現(xiàn)了已經(jīng)存在了數(shù)百年的粘土層是如何形成的。她已經(jīng)完全沉浸在她的研究之中了，她的思想也已經(jīng)被她的研究完全占據(jù)了。每天晚上，她都會(huì)準(zhǔn)時(shí)到圖書館查閱資料。
After months of study,she set out to write her letter as promised. She sent a
36-page document about the brick in her kitchen and,to her surprise,she received a letter back. Enclosed was payment for her research. He had published her letter! And along with the money came a new assignment - this time he asked her to write about what she found underneath the brick.
經(jīng)過幾個(gè)月的研究之后，她按照演說家的要求寫信。在這封長達(dá)36頁的信中，她詳細(xì)地介紹了廚房里地磚的有關(guān)情況。令她吃驚的是，不久以后，她就收到了回信。隨信而來的，還有她的研究所獲得的報(bào)酬。原來，那位演講家把她的信拿去發(fā)表了!不僅如此，演講家又給她布置了一項(xiàng)新任務(wù)：寫一些她在廚房地磚下面發(fā)現(xiàn)的東西。
For the first time in her life she could hardly wait to get back to the kitchen! She pulled up the brick and there was an ant. She held it in her hand and examined it.
女士一生中第一次受到極大的鼓舞，她迫不及待地返回廚房，她撬起一塊磚頭一看，發(fā)現(xiàn)下面有一只螞蟻。她把它拿在手心仔細(xì)地觀察。
That evening,she hurried back to the library to study ants. She learned that there were hundreds of different kinds of ants. Some were so small they could stand on the head of a pin; while others were so large one could feel the weight of them in one's hand. She started her own ant colony and examined ants underneath a lens.
那天晚上一下班，她便急匆匆地趕到圖書館，去查閱有關(guān)螞蟻的書籍了。通過研究，她了解到世界上有好幾百種各種各樣的螞蟻。有的螞蟻很小很小，小到可以站在針尖上，而有的則很大很大，大到放在手上都能感覺到它們的重量。為了便于研究，他還專門養(yǎng)了一群螞蟻，每天都拿著放大鏡仔細(xì)觀察。
Several months later she wrote her findings in a 350-page "letter." It,too,was eventually published. She soon quit her kitchen job to take up writing.
經(jīng)過幾個(gè)月的觀察與研究，她把她研究螞蟻的發(fā)現(xiàn)寫成了一封長達(dá)350頁的“信”寄給了演說家。當(dāng)然，這封“信”最終也發(fā)表了。不久以后，她便辭去了那份幫廚的工作，開始了她的寫作生涯。
Before she died,she had traveled to the lands of her dreams and had experienced more than she ever imagined possible! This is the woman who had never had a chance.
直到她去世之前，她幾乎游歷了所有她夢(mèng)寐以求要去的地方，而且還體驗(yàn)了許多她曾經(jīng)想都不敢想的事情!這就是那位曾經(jīng)感嘆自己從未得到過任何機(jī)會(huì)的女人!
Some people wait for opportunity to come knocking. Here is a person who sought it out,proving again that we can be more than victims of mere circumstance.
有些人等著機(jī)會(huì)來敲門，而這個(gè)人卻是去尋找機(jī)會(huì)。她再次證明我們不應(yīng)該僅僅成為環(huán)境的受害者，我們可以做得更多。
If given a chance,will you take it? If given no chance,can you make one?
如果得到了機(jī)會(huì)，你能抓住它嗎?如果沒有機(jī)會(huì)，你能創(chuàng)造一個(gè)機(jī)會(huì)嗎?
