04 Happiness Lies in Contentment知足者常乐

Many people believe that they will be happy once they arrive at some specific goal they set for themselves.However,more often than not,once you arrive“there”you will still feel dissatisfied,and move your“there”vision to yet another point in the future.By always chasing after another“there，”you are never really appreciating what you already have right“here.”It is important for human beings to keep sober-minded about the age-old drive to look beyond the place where you now stand.On one hand,your life is enhanced by your dreams and aspirations.On the other hand,these drives can pull you farther and farther from your enjoyment of your life right now.By learning the lessons of gratitude and abundance,you can bring yourself closer to fulfilling the challenge of living in the present.

许多人都相信，一旦他们达到了自己所设定的某个特定目标，他们就会开心、快乐。然而事实往往是，当你到达彼岸时，你还是不知足、不满意，而且又有了新的彼岸——新的幻想和憧憬。由于你总是疲于追逐一个又一个的彼岸，你从未真正欣赏、珍惜你已经拥有的一切。不安于现状的欲望人皆有之，由来已久，但重要的是要对它保持清醒的头脑。一方面，你的生活因为梦想和渴望而更加精彩。另一方面，这些欲望又使你越来越不懂得珍惜和享受现在拥有的生活。假如你能懂得感恩，学会知足，你就接近实现生活在现实中提出的要求。

Gratitude means you are thankful for and appreciative of what you have and where you are on your path right now.Gratitude flls your heart with the joyful feeling and allows you to fully appreciate everything that arises on your path.As you strive to keep your focus on the present moment,you can experience the full wonder of“here.”

感恩之心是指你感激、珍惜自己当前所拥有的一切以及所处的人生境遇。心存感恩，你的心灵就充满愉悦，你就能真正领会人生路上的种种体验。如果你努力把眼光锁定在此时此刻，你就能感受它的美妙之处。

许多方法可以培育感恩之心，你不妨试试以下几种：

There are many ways to cultivate gratitude.Here are just a few suggestions you may wish to try：

1.设想如果你失去了你现在所拥有的一切，你的生活将会怎么样。它肯定会使你回想起原来你是多么喜欢和珍视这一切。

1.Imagine what your life would be like if you lost all that you had.This will most surely remind you of how much you do appreciate it.

2.每天都列出那些值得你感激的事物，那样你就能时时刻刻意识到自己的幸运。每天都要这么做，尤其是当你觉得好像没有什么可感激的时候。另外你也可以每天临睡前花几分钟感恩自己所拥有的一切。

2.Make a list each day of all that you are grateful for,so that you can stay conscious daily of your blessings.Do this especially when you are feeling as though you have nothing to feel grateful for.Or spend a few minutes before you go to sleep,giving thanks for all that you have.

3.花时间帮助那些没有你那么幸运的人，这样你也许会对生活有正确的认识。

3.Spend time offering assistance to those who are less fortunate than you,so that you may gain perspective.

其实，你选择何种方法去学会感恩，这无关紧要，真正重要的是你应该有意识地努力去欣赏和珍视你现在所拥有的一切，这样你就可以更快乐地享受你目前的生活。

However you choose to learn gratitude is irrelevant.What really matters is that you create a space in your consciousness for appreciation for all that you have right now,so that you may live more joyously in your present moment.

贫穷是人类最普遍的恐惧之一。许多人担心自己的所需所求不够，所以他们总是孜孜以求有朝一日能心满意足，别无他求。

One of the most common human fears is scarcity.Many people are afraid of not having enough of what they need or want,and so they are always striving to get to a point when they would fnally have enough.Scarcity consciousness arises as a result of the“hole-in-the-soul syndrome.”This is when we attempt to fll the gaps in our inner lives with things from the outside world.But like puzzle pieces,you can't ft something in where it does not naturally belong.No amount of external objects,affection,love,or attention can ever fll an inner void.We already have enough,so we should revel in our own interior abundance.

贫穷感可以归因于“精神空虚综合征”，即我们试图用身外之物来填补内心的空缺。但是，就像拼图游戏一样，你不能把本来不属于那个地方的东西硬塞进去。任何身外之物，情感、关爱和关注都无法填补内心的空虚。我们拥有的已经足够，因此我们应该满足于内心世界的丰富与充实。

单词解析Word Analysis

specifc[spəˈsɪfɪk]adj.具体的；明确的

例Massage may help to increase blood fow to specifc areas of the body.

按摩有助于增加身体特定部位的血液流量。

dissatisfed[dɪsˈsætɪsfaɪd]adj.感到不满的，不满意的，不高兴的

例82%of voters are dissatisfed with the way their country is being governed.

82%的选民对本国的治理方式不满意。

enjoyment[ɪnˈdʒɔɪmənt]n.享受；享有；令人愉快的事物

例I apologize if your enjoyment of the movie was spoiled.

如果破坏了你看电影的兴致，我道歉。

gratitude[ˈgrætɪtju：d]n.谢意；感激，感谢

例I wish to express my gratitude to Kathy Davis for her immense practical help.

凯茜·戴维斯实实在在地帮了大忙，我想对她表示感谢。

abundance[əˈbʌndəns]n.丰度；丰富，充裕

例The area has an abundance of wildlife.

这片地区有丰富的野生动植物。

challenge[ˈtʃæləndʒ]n.挑战；质疑

例I like a big challenge and they don’t come much bigger than this.

我喜欢大的挑战，而所有挑战中再没有比这更大的了。

appreciative[əˈpri：ʃətɪv]adj.感激的；有欣赏力的

例Mrs.Hastings’s eyes grow warmer and more appreciative with my every word.

我讲的每句话让黑斯廷斯夫人的眼神变得越来越热情，越来越充满欣赏。

cultivate[ˈkʌltɪveɪt]vt.教养；栽培；改善；交朋友

例He has written eight books and has cultivated the image of an elder statesman.

他已经写了8本书，树立起了其政界元老的形象。

blessing[ˈblesɪŋ]n.祝福；好事；福分

例Rivers are a blessing for an agricultural country.

河流对于一个农业国家来说是一种恩赐。

assistance[əˈsɪstəns]n.帮助，援助

例Since 1976 he has been operating the shop with the assistance of volunteers.

从1976年开始，他就在志愿者的帮助下经营这个店。

fortunate[ˈfɔ：tʃənət]adj.侥幸的，幸运的

例Central London is fortunate in having so many large parks and open spaces.

伦敦市中心有幸拥有许多大型公园和大片空地。

syndrome[ˈsɪndrəʊm]n.综合征；综合症状

例Irritable bowel syndrome seems to affect more women than men.

女性比男性更易患肠易激综合征。

affection[əˈfekʃn]n.喜爱，爱慕；情感；意向

例I cherish for you the liveliest feeling of affection and gratitude.

我对你怀有最强烈的爱和感激之情。

interior[ɪnˈtɪəriə（r）]adj.内部的；内地的

例The interior of the house was furnished with heavy,old-fashioned pieces.

房子里摆放着笨重的旧式家具。

语法知识点Grammar Points

①However,more often than not,once you arrive“there”you will still feel dissatisfied,and move your“there”vision to yet another point in the future.

本句中once引导时间状语从句，表示“一旦”。

例The decision had taken about 10 seconds once he’d read a market research study.

在他看过一份市场调研报告后大概10秒钟就做出了决定。

Once customers come to rely on these systems they almost never take their business elsewhere.

顾客一旦依赖上这些系统，几乎就不会光顾其他商家。

more often than not表示“往往，多半”。

例More often than not,he’s drunk when I meet him.

每当我见到他时，他通常是喝得醉醺醺的。

Ben is a fairly good runner,he wins more often than not.

本是个相当不错的赛跑选手，他常常跑赢。

②On the one hand,your life is enhanced by your dreams and aspirations.On the other hand,these drives can pull you farther and farther from your enjoyment of your life right now.

本句中on the one hand……on the other hand……表示“一方面……另一方面……”。

例The carrying out of Putonghua Profciency Test can check the result of Putonghua teaching on the one hand；on the other&nbsp；

hand,it can give more inspiration to the further development of Putonghua teaching.

普通话水平测试工作的逐步展开，一方面对普通话教学的成果予以检测，另一方面，也给普通话教学工作的进一步开展以多方面的启示。

③As you strive to keep your focus on the present moment,you can experience the full wonder of“here.”

本句中，as引导的是一个时间状语从句，表示“当……时”；keep focus on表示“保持关注”。

例Always keep focus on the social and public affairs,play an important role of monitoring and promoting the healthy development of the society.

时刻保持对社会公共事务的关注，发挥监督和促进社会良性发展的重要作用。

④Spend time offering assistance to those who are less fortunate than you,so that you may gain perspective.

本句中who引导定语从句，先行词是those,who引导定语从句先行词可以是人、人格化了的动物、神话故事中的人物或有生命的事物；so that引导结果状语从句。

例The dog who is barking is our pet.

正在叫的那条狗是我们的宠物。

He spoke at the top of his voice,so that the students at the back heard him.

他说话声音很高，所以后面的同学都听见了。

经典名句Famous Classics

1.Our destiny offers not the cup of despair,but the chalice of opportunity.So let us seize it,not in fear,but in gladness.

命运给予我们的不是失望之酒，而是机会之杯。因此，让我们毫无畏惧，满心愉悦地把握命运。

2.Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no

loss of enthusiasm.

成功是，你即使跨过一个又一个失败，但也没有失去热情。

3.Whatever is worth doing is worth doing well.

任何值得做的，就把它做好。

4.All the unpleasant things,in the end is a good thing.

所有不如意的事，到最后都是好事。

5.To conquer the world,is not great；a person can conquer himself，is the greatest person in the world.

征服世界，并不伟大；一个人能征服自己，才是世界上最伟大的人。

读书笔记

_____________________