夜雨聆风工程师妈妈的教育自媒体欢迎您
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六岁时，我在书中看过一幅印象深刻的画。
Once when I was six years old,
I saw a magnificent picture in a book,
书名，叫做《真实的故事》；
是一本与原始森林有关的书。
called 《True Stories from Nature》,
about the primeval forest.
书中，有一幅很精彩的画：
画的是一条大蟒蛇，它正在吞噬一只野兽。
It was a picture of a boa constrictor
in the act of swallowing an animal.
书中，是这样子描写的：
“蟒蛇，会把到嘴的猎物不加咀嚼地整个吞下。
In the book it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole, without chewing it.
然后，就不能动弹了。
After that they are not able to move,
所以，在接下来长达6个月的时间里；
它就只能，在睡眠中慢慢地消化这些食物。
and they sleep through the six months
that they need for digestion."
于是，我就想象了很多丛林中的探险与奇遇。
I pondered deeply, then,
over the adventures of the jungle.
并且，用彩色的画笔；
画出了，我人生中的第一幅画。
And after some work with a colored pencil,
I succeeded in making my first drawing.
我得意地把画作，拿给大人看；
并问他们，害不害怕？
I showed my masterpiece to the grown_ups,
and asked them whether
the drawing frightened them.
得到的回答，却是：
一顶帽子，有什么值得害怕的？
But they answered:
"Frighten？Why should anyone
be frightened by a hat？"
可是，那不是一顶帽子！
My drawing was not a picture of a hat！
我想画的，是一条蛇：
肚子能装下大象的一条蟒蛇。
It was a picture of a boa constrictor
digesting an elephant.
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大人们总是需要解释！
They always need to have things explained！
为了让大家能够看得懂，在第二幅画里：
我特意把蟒蛇内部的情况，也呈现出来。
I drew the inside of the boa constrictor,
so that the grown_ups could see it clearly.
大人们却建议我，不要再画“蟒蛇”了。
不管是“开肚皮”的，还是“闭肚皮”的！
The grown_ups’ response, this time, was to advise me to lay aside my drawings of boa constrictors, whether from the inside or the outside,
有这个功夫，不如：
把兴趣放在地理、历史、数学和语法上！
and devote myself instead to geography, history, arithmetic and grammar.
第一幅画和第二幅画的失败，让我很是泄气。
I had been disheartened by the failure of my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two.
这也是为什么，在六岁那年；
我就放弃了，当画家的理想。
That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a magnificent career as a painter.
此外，大人们自己什么也不懂……
Grown_ups never understand anything by themselves,
总是需要我们小孩子，去跟他们解释；
这，也让我感到很累。
and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.
所以，后来：
我就选择了另外一种职业——开飞机。
So then I chose another profession,
and learned to pilot airplanes.
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我开飞机，到过世界上许多地方；
地理知识对这份职业，起到了很大的作用。
I have flown a little over all parts of the world; and it is true that geography has been very useful to me.
我一下就能区分出中国与美国亚利桑那州。
At a glance I can distinguish
China from Arizona.
如果夜晚迷航，地理是真的有用。
If one gets lost in the night,
such knowledge is valuable.
我这一生中，
跟很多“重要人物”，都有过接触。
In the course of this life
I have had a great many encounters
with a great many people
who have been concerned
with matters of consequence.
每当，我遇到一些：
看起来，头脑特别清晰的大人时；
我就会用一直保存着的那幅画，来试探他。
Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear_sighted, I tried the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have always kept.
其实，我一直都想知道：
是否，真的有人能够理解这幅画。
I would try to find out, so,
if this was a person of true understanding.
可结果，得到的答案总是“这是帽子”。
But, whoever it was, he, or she,
would always say: "That is a hat."
(既然)大人们水平如此，我只得迁就一下。
I would bring myself down to his level.
绝对不谈大蟒蛇、原始森林，或者星星类；
Then I would never talk to
that person about boa constrictors,
or primeval forests, or stars.
而是跟他们谈：桥牌，高尔夫球；
政治，或者“领带”等话题。
I would talk to him about bridge,
and golf, and politics, and neckties.
谈论这些，会让这些(所谓的)大人们很高兴；
他们会觉得自己结识的是一个通情达理的人。
And the grown_up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man.
博学成就梦想！知识改变人生！
