2715437791281952774_hd.mp34:48
來自英語口語朗讀聽力
Life Is All about Choices
生活充滿選擇
Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply,"If I were any better, I'd be twins!" He was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and asked him,"I don't get it. You can't be positive all the time. How do you do it?"
如果哪位僱員有一天不怎麼順心，邁克爾會告訴他如何從積極的一面看待眼前的形勢。他的這種方式著實讓我好奇，所以有一天我找到邁克爾問：“我真弄不明白。你怎麼能總是那樣積極樂觀？你是如何做到這一點的？”
Michael replied, "each morning I wake up and say to myself 'Mike, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."
Yeah, right. It isn't that easy. I protested.
“是的，沒錯。可並不那麼容易呀。”我表示異議。
Yes it is, Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line is: it's your choice how you live life. " I reflected on what Michael said.
“其實很容易，”邁克爾說。“生活充滿選擇。當你剔除一切枝節後，每一種情形都是一種選擇。你選擇如何應付生活中的種種情形。你選擇他人會怎樣影響你的情緒。你選擇有個好心情或是有個壞心情。說到底：如何生活是你自己的選擇。”我琢磨著邁克爾的這席話。
Soon thereafter, I left the big enterprise that I had worked in for years to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling off 60 feet from a communications tower.
After 18 hours of surgery, and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I’d be twins. Want to see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.
在經歷了18個小時的手術和數週的重症特別護理之後，邁克爾出院了，背部裝有金屬桿。事故發生大約半年之後，我見到了邁克爾。當我問他怎麼樣時，他回答如果我還能再好，我就成雙胞胎了。想看看我的傷疤嗎？”我拒絕看他的傷痕，但的確問了他事故發生時他是怎麼想的。
The first thing that went through my mind was the well being of my soon-to-born daughter, Michael replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live." "Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Michael continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the operation room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'He's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action." "What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael. "She asked me if I was allergic to anything, 'Yes,' I said. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity.' Over their laughter, I told them,'I'm choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive,not dead'."
“我首先想到的是我那即將出世的女兒的幸福生活，”邁克爾答道。“當時我躺在地上，我記起我有兩種選擇：我可以選擇活著，也可以選擇死。我選擇了活著。”“你難道不害怕嗎？你失去知覺了嗎？”我問。邁克爾接著說，“…那些護理人員棒極了。他們不停地告訴我我會好的。但當他們把我推進手術室，我看到醫生和護士臉上的表情時，我真是嚇壞了，在他們的眼裡，我讀出了‘他是個死人。’我知道我應該採取行動。”“你採取了什麼行動？”我問道。“有一位人高馬大的護士大聲衝我問問題，”邁克爾說。“她問我是否對什麼過敏。‘是的，’我說。醫生和護士都停下手中的活兒等我回答。我深吸一口氣大聲說出，‘萬有引力。’等他們笑完後，我告訴他們，‘我選擇活著。把我當活人而不是死人來做手術。”’
Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have a choice to live fully. Attitude is everything.
邁克爾活了下來，這要感謝他那些醫生的醫術，但也要歸功於他那令人讚歎的態度。我從他那裡學到了我們每天都可以選擇充實地活著。態度決定一切。
