评论
打印
1."Time" says the proverb "is money". Thismeansthatevery momentwell-spentmay put some money into our pockets. If our time is usefully employed, it willeitherproduce some useful and importantpiece of work whichwill fetch its price in the market, or it will add to our experience and increase our capacitiesso as toenable us to earn moneywhenthe proper opportunity comes.There can thus beno doubt thattime is convertible into money. Let thosewho think nothing of wasting time（定语从句）remember this; letthem remember thatan hourmisspent is equivalent tothe loss of abanknote; and thatan hourutilizedis tantamount toso much silver or gold; and then they willprobablythink twicebeforethey give their consent to the loss of any part of their time.
1、谚语(proverb)说：“时间就是金钱。(Timeis money)”这句话的意思是，一时片刻只要用得有效(well-spent adj. 使用得当的；充分利用了的)， 都会让我们的口袋增添一些钱。如果（if）我们的时间使用得当，就能生产出有用的、重要的产品(piece of work 工件，即产品)，(which引导的定语从句)（这些产品)在市场上卖得(fetch)一定的价钱；就能充实（add to）经验，增长才干（capacities），等到适当的时机(opportunity)来临时，我们就能挣得金钱(enable us to earn money)。因此，毫无疑问的是：时间可以转化为金钱（convertible adj. 可改变的；可变换的）。让那些对浪费时间满不在乎的人记住这一点(think nothing of 把...视为平常)。让他们记住，浪费一小时等于(be equivalent to)损失一张钞票，而利用一小时就等于(be tantamount to)得到若干金银。这样，他们想浪费时间时或许会三思(think twice)而后行。
2.Moreover, our lifeis nothing more thanour time.To kill timeis thereforea form ofsuicide. We are shocked when wethink ofdeath, and we spareno pains, no trouble, and noexpenseto preserve life. But we aretoooften indifferent to (后跟名词或名词性短语) loss of anhour or of a day, forgettingthat our life isthe sum totalof the days and ofthe hourswe live（定语从句）.A day or an hourwastedis thereforeso much lifeforfeited. Let usbear this in mind, and waste oftime will appear to usin the lightofa crimeas culpable assuicide itself.
2、再说，我们的生命无非就是(be nothing more than)我们活在人世的时间。因此，浪费时间也就是一种自杀（a form of 一种...的形式）。我们想到死，便惊恐不已，因而不惜一切努力、麻烦和费用来保全（preserve）我们的生命（spare no pains 不遗余力，全力以赴）。可是，我们对于损失一个小时或者一天的时间却往往漠不关心(indifferent adj.)，忘记了我们的生命原本就是我们生活的每一天、每一小时的总和。因此，浪费一天或一小时也就是丧失（forfeited是forfeit的过去分词，此处是做定语）一天或一小时的生命。让我们记住(bear inmind)这一点，这样就会把浪费时间看作（in the light of）一种罪过，跟自杀一样应该受到惩罚(culpable adj. 应受处罚的)。
3.There is a third considerationwhichwill also tend towarnusagainstloss of time. Our life isa brief spanmeasuringsome sixty or seventy years in all, but nearly one half of this has to be spentin sleep; some years have to be spent over our meals; some over dressing andundressing; some in makingjourneyson landandvoyages by sea;some in merry-making,eitheron ourown accountor for the sake of others; some in celebrating religious and social festivities; somein watching overthe sick-beds of ournearest and dearest relatives.Nowif all these years were to be deducted from the termover which our lifeextends, we shall find about fifteen or twenty years at ourdisposalfor active work.(虚拟语气句型) Whoever remembers this canneverwillinglywaste a singlemoment of his life. "It isastonishing"says Lord Chesterfield, "thatanyone can squander awayin absolute idlenessone single moment ofthat portion of timewhich is allotted to us in this world.Know the true value of time;snatch,seize, and enjoy every moment of it!"
3、还有第三层考虑（consideration），也会提醒我们别浪费时间(warn against 警告...不要)。人生短暂(a brief span)，总共(in all)不过六七十年，可是将近一半时间必须(has to)用于睡眠；吃饭时间加起来也得花去一些年; 穿衣脱衣又是一些年；水陆、陆路旅行(journeys旅行；voyages 长途旅行)又是一些年；再加上一些年娱乐（merry-make vi. 尽情欢乐）时间(不论是为自己还是为别人）（for the sake of 为了）；一些年庆祝宗教节日和社会节日（festivity-festivities）；还有一些年在病床（sick-bed）边照看(watch over)至亲至爱。现在如果从我们的寿命中扣除(deduct from)所有这些岁月(the term)，我们将会发现，能受我们支配的有效的工作时间大约仅十五或二十年而己(disposal n.支配；处理)。谁能记住这一点，谁就不会心甘情愿地（willingly）浪费他生命的每一刻时间。查斯特菲尔德勋爵说过，“对于分配给(allot to)我们这一生的时间，若有人游手好闲(idleness n.)，即使浪费(squander away)片刻，也是令人吃惊的（astonishing adj.）。要认识到时间的真正价值，要争分夺秒(snatch, seize)，充分利用有限的时间。”
4.All time is precious; butthe time of our childhoodandofour youthismore precious thanany other portion ofour existence, forthose are the periods whenalone we canacquireknowledge and develop our faculties and capacities. If weallowthese morning hours of lifetoslip away,unutilized, we shall never be able torecoupthe loss. As we grow older, ourpower of acquisition gets blunted,sothat the art or science which is not acquired in childhood or youthwill never be acquired at all.Justasmoney laid out at interest doubles and trebles itselfin time, so the precious hoursof childhood and youth, if properly used, will yield usincalculableadvantages. "Everymoment you lose" says Lord Chesterfield "is so muchcharacter and advantage lost; ason the other hand, everymomentyou now employ usefully(定语从句)is so much time wisely laid out at prodigiousinterest."
4、所有的时间都是宝贵的(precious)，而我们童年和青年时期的光阴比一生中的其他阶段都更为宝贵，因为(for)只有在这两个阶段我们才能获取(acquire)知识、增长才干(faculty-faculties)和发展各种才能(capacity-capacities)。如果我们让这些生命的早晨时光悄悄溜走(slip away)，未得到利用（unutilized），这损失将永远也无法弥补(recoup）。等我们长大了，获得知识（acquisition n.）的能力就变得迟钝了(blunt vt. 使迟钝adj.)，因此在童年和青年时期未能获得的知识和技能将永远不能获得了。正像（just as）储蓄金钱，产生利息（interest），到时候（in time）会翻两三倍（doubles and trebles itself）一样，童年和青年时期的宝贵时光，如果使用得当，必将带来（yield）不可估量的收益(incaluclableadvantages)。查斯特菲尔德勋爵还说过，“丧失的每一时刻就等于丧失了与之相当的名和利。从另一方面看，你现在有效利用的每一时刻正是明智地以这时间作为投资，将来定会获取巨额的（prodigious adj.）利息。”
5.A proper employment of time is ofgreat benefit to usfrom amoralpoint of view. Idleness is justlysaidto bethe rust of the mind andanidle brainis said to be Satan's workshop. It is mostlywhen you do not knowwhat to dowith yourselfthat you do something ill or wrong. The mind of the idlerpreys upon itself. As Wattshas said:
In works of labor or of skill
Let me be busy too;
For Satan finds some mischief still
For idle hands to do.
5、从道德的(moral adj.)观点来看，恰当地利用时间对我们也有很大的好处(benefit)。懒惰（idleness）据说是（said to be）心灵上的锈迹，懒人的头脑据说是撒旦的作坊，这话说得很有理。犯错误大多数是由于无所事事、百无聊赖所致。懒人只会自寻烦恼或作茧自缚（prey upon 掠夺；捕食）。正如瓦茨所说，“我要勤快地工作，不管是粗活(labor)还是细活(skill)；因为撒旦还有些坏事(mischief n. 恶作剧)，专借懒人的手去做。”
