❸Don’t wait!

By Kevin Ngo/郭玉章（译）

◆语篇导读

人生如一重大工程，定有截止期限！每日，每周，每月，每年，你皆有机会发奋拼搏。若有想做的事，请立即行动起来！现在还不晚！

Although people might not always feel like it,life is so short.It probably wouldn’t mean much or be worth much if it lasted forever.Because it’s so short,with the limited time that you have,I recommend creating something worthwhile,and if you dare,something amazing.

Think of your life as a major project,with a deadline.Every day,every week,month and year,you get the opportunity to either work on improving it,piece by piece,one section at a time or you can sit back and watch it corrode away.

That’s life.At some point,you have to be improving just to stay where you are.

At the end of it all,you will get to look at your project in its entirety,the life you’ve created,and how you will feel will depend on how good of a job you think you did compared to whatever standard you live by.

Regardless of the outcome,will you be satisfied knowing you did what you could or will you be filled with regret knowing you could have easily done a better job?

Life is too short to delay getting started.Forget New Years or your next birthday or whatever life event you’re waiting to occur.If there is something you want to do,to create,to experience in this life,start doing it NOW because whatever it is you’re waiting to happen before beginning might not ever happen.Then what?Squander your life away just waiting and waiting?

The deadline for this project is unknown.It can be due at ANY moment.So for the love of life,stop waiting and get started!

◆词语积淀

recommend/,rekə'mend/vt.推荐；劝告

corrode away 腐蚀；腐朽

entirety/In'taIərəti/n.整体；全部

regardless of不管；不顾

occur/ə'kзː(r)/v.发生；存在于

squander/'skwɔndə(r)/v.挥霍；浪费

due/dju:/adj.到期的；预定到达的

◆典句赏析

1.Because it’s so short,with the limited time that you have,I recommend creating something worthwhile,and if you dare,something amazing.正因人生短暂，时日有限，世人自当勇创自身价值，如若足够果敢，那就争创奇迹。

because引导了一个原因状语从句，that引导的是定语从句，修饰time，if引导的是条件状语从句，并列连词and将前后两个复合句结构并列连接起来。

【即时尝试】如果你愿意，他正好又有空，你一定要好好抓住机会跟他学学英语。

2.Regardless of the outcome,will you be satisfied knowing you did what you could or will you be filled with regret knowing you could have easily done a better job?无论结果如何，你是否知晓己生已尽全力，自有满意无憾；又或若，尽知本可大有作为，却落得后悔不迭？

or并列了两个由will you引起的一般疑问句，每个疑问句后面的现在分词knowing短语构成状语结构。在第一个knowing结构里，“what you could”作did的宾语。在第二个knowing结构里，“you could have easily done a better job”用作knowing的宾语；regardless of是常见的搭配形式，意为“无论……如何”，用作整个句子的状语。

【即时尝试】他不顾危险地爬上了山。

3.If there is something you want to do,to create,to experience in this life,start doing it NOW because whatever it is you’re waiting to happen before beginning might not ever happen.你若有所愿，所创，所欲经历，当下即做；无论何事，尽自期盼久久，若无行动，自难发生！

if引导的是条件状语从句，because引导了一个原因状语从句，whatever引导了一个让步状语从句。除此之外，这个句子还使用了to do、to create、to experience这样的排比结构。

【即时尝试】如果你想说一口流利的英语，你就张口大声说。

译文助读

尽管人们可能不总这样感觉到，人生却如此短暂。倘若人生持久永恒，生命的意义将变得浅薄，价值寥寥。正因人生短暂，时日有限，世人自当勇创自身价值，如若足够果敢，那就争创奇迹。

设想把你的人生设想成一项有截止期限的重大工程！每日，每周，每月，每年，你都有机会发奋拼搏，一次一点，点点滴滴，日臻完善；君亦可退而后坐，静看人生腐朽！

这就是生活。每至重要时刻，虽欲停留原地，你亦需拼尽全力！

人生一日走尽，回首观览生命全景，你生所创，你生所感，尽决于你生标准之上，你之再创造。

无论结果如何，你是否知晓己生已尽全力，自有满意无憾；又或者，尽知本可大有作为，却落得后悔不迭？

人生苦短，自难推延启动。忘记新年狂欢，生日庆典，抑或殷殷期盼之人生诸多大事。你若有所愿，所创，所欲经历，当下即做；无论何事，尽自期盼久久，若无行动，自难发生！你将奈何？挥霍人生，尽自等待？

人生终期，难以知晓，随时可至，无时不可。大爱人生，立即行动！