双语：人生中的几套必修"法则"

　　what do i believe? what laws do i live by? there are so many answers - work, beauty, truth, love - and i hope i do live by them.

　　什么是我所信仰的？什么是我生活的准则？答案很多，比如工作、美丽、真理、爱心，但愿我能以它们为准则。

　　but in everyday things i live by the light of a supplementary set of laws. i'd better call them rules of thumb. rules of thumb aren't very grand, but they do make the wheels go round.

　　然而，生活中的我还履行着另外一套附加的法则，即经验法则。这一法则虽然简单，但却能使事情顺利地进行下去。

　　my father and mother sent me to good schools, but the finest thing they did for my education was to have seven children. i was the oldest, and my brothers and sisters were my best teachers.

　　父母把我送到一所很好的学校学习，但养育了7个孩子，才是他们为我的教育做的最好的事。我是家中长女，而弟弟妹妹就是我最好的老师。

　　i learned first to pull my own weight in the boat. kids making a bob-sled have no use for the loafer who wants a free ride. neither has the world. i learned to make the bed i slept in, and wash the glass i used, and mend what i broke, and mop up where i spilled. and if i was too lazy or too dainty or too busy, and left it for someone else, somebody else soon taught me different.

　　我最先学会了身为长女的责任。对一个想搭顺风车的流浪者来说，会做雪橇的孩子毫无用处。对这些孩子而言，世界也是如此。我学会了睡觉前自己铺床，洗自己用过的杯子，修补自己弄坏的东西，用拖布拖干自己溅到地上的水。如果我过于懒惰、挑剔或忙碌，而让别人来做这些事，马上就会有人教我不能这么做。

　　then, the same way, i learned that anger is a waste. it hurts nobody but me. a fit of the sullens got short shrift in our house. it wasn't pulling my weight in the boat. it was spoiling sport. and among seven children it got me nowhere. it might reduce four o'cat to three o'cat, but the game went on just the same, and where was i? out of it. better go in and join the group around the piano and forget my grievance. better still, next time don't fling down my bat in a tantrum; keep my temper, and stay in the game.

　　于是，我同样也明白了生气于事无补。除了我自己，它伤害不了任何人。在我们家里，闷闷不乐是不会有人搭理你的。尽管不是我的责任，但却会让人觉得扫兴。何况在7个孩子中间生闷气对我并没有好处。没有我，“4只小猫”的游戏变成“3只小猫”，一样可以玩得很好。而我呢？只能被排除在外了。最好的办法就是，忘掉自己的委屈，加入他们，和大家一起围着钢琴玩。还有，最好下次不要再乱发脾气；控制好自己的情绪，继续玩游戏。

　　here's a rule thumb that's important, and the older i get, the more important i think it is. when i can do something, and somebody wants me to do it, i have to do it. the great tragedy of life is not to be needed. as long as you are able and willing to do things for people, you will be needed. of course you are able; and if so, you can't say no. my mother is seventy-seven. in seventy-seven years she has never said no. today she is so much in demand by thirteen grandchildren and countless neighbors that her presence is eagerly contended for. when i want to see her i have to pretend emergency.

　　此外，还有一条经验法则同样重要。随着慢慢长大，我也越来越认识到它的重要性。当我有能力做一件事，有人也希望我做时，我就必须去做。不为人所需是人生中最大的悲剧。只要你有能力并愿意为人们做一些事，人们就会需要你。你肯定能够做到，那就不要推辞。我的母亲已经77岁了。但77年来她从未说过 “不”字。如今，她的13个孙儿和无数的邻居依然很需要她，希望她能在身边。因此当我想见她时，不得不假装有紧急的事情。

　　then there's the rule of curiosity. your body would die if you stopped feeling hunger and thirst, and your mind will die if you lose your curiosity. this i learned from my father. my father was a naturalist. he could see the beetle under the bark, and draw it forth unharmed for us to squint at through the magnifying glass. he sampled the taste of thirty-three different caterpillars. fired by his example, once, my sister ate an ant. in case you are wondering, caterpillars taste like the green leaves they eat, and ants taste of lemon. i personally haven't tasted any entomological specimens lately, but i am still rejoicing in the limitless curiosity, the draws me to books and people and places.i hope i never lose it. it would be like pulling down the blind.