☞A Bundle of Twigs
一捆树枝
Once a man had four sons who never stopped quarreling (吵架) with one another.
从前有一个人，他有四个儿子，但儿子们不断地争吵。
He kept telling them how much easier life would be if they worked together but they didn’t listen.
他一再告诫他们说，如果他们一起干活儿，生活会舒适得多，但他们丝毫不理会他的意见。
One day the man decided to show them what he meant.
有一天，他决定通过示范把自己的意思告诉他们。
He gathered all the sons together and put a tightly-tied bundle of twigs (树枝) on the floor in front of them.
他把四个儿子都叫来，又把一捆扎得很紧的树枝放在他们面前。
"Can you break (折断) that?" he asked the youngest son. The boy put his knee on the bundle but even though he pressed and pulled with his arms he could not bend the wood.
“你能折断这个吗？”他问最小的儿子。小儿子用膝盖顶住，两只手又压又拉，都不能把那捆树枝弄弯。
The father asked the other three sons to try (试) to break the bundle, but none of them could do it.
父亲让另外三个儿子挨个儿试了试，但他们谁也做不到。
Then he untied the string (子) and scattered the twigs.
然后，他解开绳子，把树枝撒开。
"Now try," he said. The boys broke the twigs easily in their hands.
“现在试试吧。”他说。四个小伙子用手轻轻一撅，树枝就断了。
"Do you see what I mean?" asked the father.
“你们明白我的意思了吗？”父亲问。
"If only you stand together no one can hurt you. If you all disagree the whole time and insist on your own ways, you will be easily defeated.”
“只要你们联合起来，谁也不能伤害你们。如果你们老吵架，坚持各行其是，那么你们一遇到敌人，就会被打败。”
☞The Oak and the Reed
橡树和芦苇
Once upon a time, there was a huge (巨大的) oak tree.
从前，树林里有一棵巨大的橡树。
The oak tree considered itself as the biggest and strongest in the world and was proud (骄傲的) of that.
橡树觉得自己是世界上体型最大最强壮的树，因此非常骄傲。
"Whatever hardships there will be, I can survive till the end. There is nothing as strong as I am."
“不管是什么困难，我都能安然度过。没人比我更强大。”
One day, a severe windstorm (暴风) came.
一天，突然来了一场风暴。
Watching the other trees fall down one by one, the oak tree was triumphant.
看着其他的树一棵一棵地倒下，橡树油然生出一种胜利感。
"Nothing is gonna happen to me."
“我就没事。”
However, the oak tree was blown down by the gale.
然而，最后橡树还是被暴风吹倒了。
Flowing on the water, the oak tree thought, “How did I end (结束) up like this?”
橡树随水漂流着，心想：“我怎么就这样结束了此生？”
As it was swept away by the river, the oak tree passed by a field of reeds.
当被河水冲走时，橡树路过了一片芦苇丛。
The reeds were standing there without being blown down by the wind.
那里的芦苇并没有被吹倒。
"Oh, Mr. Reed! How did you survive the rainstorm with your fragile body?" The oak tree envied the reeds so much.
“哦，芦苇先生！你这么脆弱，是如何安然度过的？”橡树很羡慕芦苇。
One of the reeds kindly (亲切的) said to the oak tree："Mr. Oak Tree, you were always boasting that you were the strongest in the world, right? The wind brings down anything on the high horse."
芦苇亲切地说：“橡树先生，你自夸是世界上最强壮的人，对吗？暴风会把任何趾高气昂的人打到的。”
"We never think highly of ourselves, but lower our heads when we come across a windstorm. If you had lowered your head, you would have survived the rainstorm."
“我们从来不会自以为是，当暴风来袭时，我们会谦卑地低下头。如果当时你低下头，你会在暴雨中存活下来的。”
☞Beyond Your Own
超越你自己
Think (想) about…you. In all time before now and in all time to come, there has never been and will never be anyone the same as you.
试想一下……你！一个空前绝后的你，不论是以往还是将来都不会有一个跟你一模一样的人。
You are unique (独一无二的) in the entire history (历史) and future of the universe.
你在历史上和宇宙中都是独一无二的。
Wow! Stop and think about that. You were chosen form a million, a billion, or a gazillion.
哇！停下来想想吧，你是万里挑一、亿里挑一、兆里挑一的。
You are unique in a sea of infinity!
在无穷无尽的宇宙中，你是举世无双的。
You're amazing (了不起的)! You're awesome (卓越的)! And yes, it’s you.
你是了不起的！你是卓越的！没错，就是你。
As amazing and awesome as you already are, you can be even more so.
你已经是了不起的，是卓越的，你还可以更卓越更了不起。
Beautiful young people are the whimsy of nature, but beautiful old people are true works of art.
美丽的年轻人是大自然的奇想，而美丽的老人却是艺术的杰作。
But you don't become “beautiful” just by virtue of the aging process.
但你不会因为年龄的渐长就自然而然地变“美丽”。
Real beauty comes from learning, growing, and loving in ways of life.
真正的美丽源于生命里的学习、成长和热爱。
That is the Art of Life. You can learn slowly, and sometimes painfully, by just waiting for life to happen to you.
就是生命的艺术。你可以听天由命慢慢地学，有时候或许会很痛苦。
Or you can choose to accelerate your growth and intentionally devour life and all it offers.
这，又或许你可以选择加速自己的成长，故意地挥霍生活及其提供的一切。
You are the artist that paints your future with the brush of today.
你就是手握今日之刷描绘自己未来的艺术家。
Paint a Masterpiece.
画出一幅杰作吧。
God gives every bird its food, but he doesn't throw it into its nest.
上帝给了鸟儿食物，但他没有将食物扔到它们的巢里。
Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do, it is truly up to you.
下管你想要去哪里，不管你想要做什么，真正做决定的还是你自己。
Spring Flowers
迎春花
It was a very cold winter (冬天). The flower seeds were crouching in a room (房间) under the ground.
这那是一个非常寒冷的冬天。花的种子蜷缩在地下的房间里。
The room was warm and comfortable. The seeds were all sleeping peacefully.
房间里非常舒适、温暖。所有的种子都在安静地睡觉。
One day, when it was raining, the raindrops sank into the ground and woke up the seeds.
一天，雨淅淅沥沥地下着。雨点落在地上，惊醒了种子。
"Wake up. Spring (春天) is just around the corner!"
“醒醒。春天就要来了！”
"Mm, mm..." The seeds moved their bodies slightly, but they did not want to wake up.
“嗯，嗯……”种子轻轻地动了动身体，但是不愿意醒来。
The colorful spring was marching forward, and the sun was shining with a bright smile (微笑).
多彩的春天正迈步踏来，阳光也露出灿烂的笑容。
The sunlight penetrated into the underground and reached the place where the seeds were sleeping.
阳光穿透地表，到达种子们睡觉的地方。
"Ah, I feel itchy! I want to breath in some fresh air." Finally, the seeds woke up and stretched.
“啊，我觉得好痒！我想呼吸一些新鲜空气，”最后，种子醒来了并慢慢伸展着。
Then the spring rain came, and it made the hard soil clod soft (柔软的) and moist.
春雨紧接着就来了，它浸润了坚硬的土块使之变得松软、潮湿。
The hard clod became loose, and the sun patted the soil tenderly.
土壤变得松动起来，太阳轻柔地拍拍打着土壤。
When a seed shook all her body, a beard-looking root started to grow from her brown body.
当种子摇晃着它的身体时，一根毛须从她棕色的身体中开始生长。
The white root turned to light green and stretched to the side where the sunlight was bright and warm.
白色的根变成了浅绿色，并慢慢伸向阳光灿烂的一面。
Finally, a sprout came out of the ground and revealed her shy face quietly.
最后，一个新芽拱土而出，悄悄地露出她羞涩的脸。
"Oh, how bright it is!" She blinked several times because it was too bright to open her eyes. Then, she closed her eyes tightly.
“哦，好亮啊！”因为阳光太刺眼她眨了几下眼睛后才睁开。然后，她又紧紧地闭上了眼睛。
"Pretty little baby, open your eyes slowly. You are going to be okay." The sun whispered with her soft voice to the seed sitting on top of a ginkgo tree.
“可爱的小宝贝，慢慢地睁开你的眼睛。没事的，别怕。”太阳站在一棵银杏树上轻轻耳语道。
The sprout grew up well. The light green leaves grew darker and darker everyday.
新芽茁壮成长。淡绿色的叶子变得越来越黑。
Soon, the new sprout became a plant. And she bore a red flower bud.
很快，新的芽变成了一株植物。她结出了一朵红色的花苞。
One day, the flower bud bloomed. It was a beautiful flower that looked just like the sun.
有一天，花苞绽放了。花开的很艳丽，看起来跟太阳一样。
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