The third man sat in tattered clothes.
Why should his log be put to use to warm the idle rich？
The rich man just sat back and thought of the wealth he had in store. And how to keepwhat he had earned from the lazy poor.
The black man’s face bespoke revenge，for all he saw in his stick of wood was a chanceto spite the white.
And the last man of this forlorn group did naught except for gain. Giving only to thosewho gave was how he played the game.
The logs held tight in death’s hands was proof of human sin. They didn’t die from theIt’s great to be great ，but it"s greater tobe human.
Fiona 译
由于突发事件，六个人被困在黑暗与严寒之中。他们每个人都有一根木头，火种即将燃尽，急需木材。第一个妇人犹犹豫豫，因为在火堆周围的脸庞中，她发现了一张黑色的脸。
第二个男人举目望去，看到有个人不是和他一个教派的，所以他不能把自己的木棍投入火堆中。
第三个人坐在那儿，衣衫褴褛。凭什么他的木棍要用来温暖懒惰的富人？
富人不动声色，想着自己储藏的财富，想着该如何保住自己从懒散的穷人那赚得的利益。
黑人的脸上流露出复仇的表情，因为他从自己的木棍上看到了报复白人的机会。
这个绝望的团体中的最后一个人除了攫取利益别无他想，只对奉献的人付出是他的游戏方式。
死神手中紧握的木棍是人们罪恶的证明。他们不是死于外部环境的寒冷，而是死于内心的冷漠。
轻英语
美国口语俚语
1. come easily
Languages come easily to some people.
语言学习对有些人来说易如反掌。
2. don’t have a cowDon’t have a cow！ I’ll pay for the damages.
别大惊小怪的！我会赔偿损失的。
3. joy rideLet’s go for a joy ride. 让我们去兜兜风。
4. push sb aroundDon’t try to push me around！ 别想耍我！
5. cool itCool it. You are making me mad. 冷静一点。你快把我逼疯了。
6. hit the roadWe should probably hit the road. It’s goingto take us two hours to get home.我们可能该上路了吧，到家的两个小时呢！
Ebony and Ivory
乌木键和象牙键
In the spring of 1983，Margaret
Patrick arrived at the SoutheastSenior Center for IndependentLiving to begin her physicaltherapy. As Millie McHugh，a longtimestaff member，introducedMargaret to people at the center，she noticed the look of pain inMargaret’s eyes as she gazed at thepiano.
“Is anything wrong？” asked Millie.
“No，” Margaret said softly. “It’s justthat seeing a piano brings back memories. Before my stroke，music was everything to me.”
Millie glanced at Margaret’s useless right hand as the black woman quietly told some of thehighlights of her music career.
Suddenly Millie said，“Wait right here. I’ll be back in a minute.”
She returned moments later，followed closely by a small，white-haired woman in thickglasses. The woman used a walker.
“Margaret Patrick，” said Millie，“meet Ruth Eisenberg.” Then she smiled. “She tooplayed the piano，but like you，she’s not been able to play since her stroke. Mrs. Eisenberg094 不畏将来，不念过往has a good right hand，and you have a good left，and I have a feeling thattogether you two can do something wonderful.”
“Do you know Chopin’s Waltz in D flat？” Ruth asked. Margaret nodded.
Side by side，the two sat on the piano bench. Two healthy hands-onewith long，graceful black fingers，the other with short，plump white ones-moved rhythmically across the ebony and ivory keys.
Since that day，they have sat together over the keyboard hundreds oftimes-Margaret’s helpless right hand around Ruth’s back，Ruth’s helplessleft hand on Margaret’s knee，while Ruth’s good hand plays the melody andMargaret’s good hand plays the accompaniment.
Their music has pleased audiences on television，at churches andschools，and at rehabilitation and senior citizen centers. And on the pianobench，more than music has been shared by these tow. For it was there，beginning with Chopin and Bach and Beethoven，that they learned they hadmore in common than they ever dreamed-both were great-grandmothersand widows，both had lost sons； both had much to give，but neither couldgive without the other.
Sharing that piano bench，Ruth heard Margaret say，“My music wastaken away，but God gave me Ruth.”
晚安，永远美好的明天 095And evidently some of Margaret’s faithhas rubbed off on Ruth as they’ve sat sideby side these past five years，because Ruthis now saying，“It was God’s miracle thatbrought us together.”
And that is our story of Margaret andRuth，who call themselves Ebony and Ivory.
虽然她们身体已不再健康，但她们携手合作，跨越了疾病带来的障碍，两人一左一右，肤色一黑一白，仍然可以在黑白琴键上共奏一首完美的曲调。
Fingal 译
1983年春，玛格丽特·帕特里克来到美国东南部的老年独立生活中心，开始进行她的物理治疗。工作人员米莉·麦克休是一位老员工，当她把玛格丽特介绍给中心里的人们时，她注意到当玛格丽特凝视着钢琴时眼神里流露出的痛苦表情。
“有什么问题吗？”米莉问道。
“没事儿，”玛格丽特轻轻地说，“只是，我一看到钢琴就会想起往事。在我中风之前，音乐是我的一切。”当这位黑人老妇静静地向米莉诉说自己音乐生涯中的光辉事迹时，米莉瞟了一眼她那不能动的右手。
米莉忽然说道：“在这儿等一会儿，我马上就回来。”
片刻之后她就回来了，紧随其后的是一位个子矮小、戴着厚眼镜片、头发花白，并支着助步架的女人。
“玛格丽特·帕特里克，”米莉介绍道，“这位是露丝·艾森伯格。”然后，她笑了笑，说：“她也会弹钢琴，但和你一样，自从中风后就无法再弹了。艾森伯格夫人的右手行动自如，而你的左手也是，我有一种感觉，你们俩在一起，可以弹奏出一些美妙的音乐。”
“你知道肖邦的《降D大调圆舞曲》
吗？”露丝问道。玛格丽特点点头。
两人并排坐在钢琴凳上。两只健康的手-一只是纤长而优雅的黑手，另一只是短而胖乎乎的白手-有节奏地在乌木096 不畏将来，不念过往琴键和象牙琴键之间跳跃。
从那日起，她们两人坐在琴键前一起弹奏了数千次-当露丝用健康的右手弹奏歌曲时，她那无助的左手就搭在玛格丽特的膝盖上；而当玛格丽特用健康的手弹奏伴奏时，她那无助的右手则搂着露丝的背。
在电视、教堂、学校、康复中心以及老年人中心，她们的音乐让观众们愉悦满意。
在钢琴凳上，她们俩分享的不只是音乐。因为就在这儿，她们从肖邦、巴赫和贝多芬开始，了解到两人有很多共同点，甚至比她们曾经想象的还多。两者都是曾祖母，并且都是寡妇，都已经失去了儿子，都奉献了很多，但没有对方的支持，两人都无法再奉献。
她们俩一起坐在钢琴凳上时，露丝听到玛格丽特说：“我的音乐被夺走了，但上帝给了我露丝。”
她们并肩而坐，度过了五年时光，很明显，玛格丽特的某些信仰影响了露丝，因为露丝现在会说：“这是上帝的奇迹，使我们走到一起。”
这就是玛格丽特和露丝的故事，她们自称乌木键和象牙键。
轻英语
古诗词译文欣赏
1. We wish each other a long life so as to share the beauty of this graceful moon light，eventhough miles apart.
但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。
2. A lonely stranger in a strange land I am cast，I miss my family all the more on every festiveday.
独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲。
3. A bosom friend afar brings distance near.
海内存知己，天涯若比邻。
4. The endless river eastward flows； with its huge waves are gone all those gallant heroes ofbygone years.
大江东去，浪淘尽，千古风流人物。
Just for Today
就为了今天
Just for today I will try to livethrough this day only and not tacklemy whole life problem at once. Ican do something for twelve hoursthat would appall me if I had tokeep it up for a lifetime.
Just for today I will be happy.
This assumes to be true whatAbraham Lincoln said，“Most folksare as happy as they make up theirminds to be.”
Just for today I will adjust myself towhat it is，and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my “luck” as itcomes.
Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn somethinguseful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort，thought andconcentration.
Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways. I will do somebody a good turn andnot get found out. If anybody knows of it，it will not count. I will do at least two things I don’twant to do-just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt： they may be098 不畏将来，不念过往hurt，but today I will not show it.