第42章 试金石 The Touchstone
佚名/Anonymous
When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers.
The book wasn't very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the“Touchstone”! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold.
The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.
So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold—throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months.
One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along, he still threw it away.
So it is with opportunity. Unless we are vigilant, it's easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it's just as easy to throw it away.
据说，亚历山大图书馆付之一炬后，所有的书都化为灰烬，只有一本书幸免于难。这本书并不贵，有个略微读了点书的穷人，用几个铜子就买了下来。
书的内容算不上精彩，但是夹在书中的一张小纸条非常有趣——它是一条很薄的牛皮纸条，上面写着“试金石”的秘密。试金石是一种能把普通金属变成纯金的小鹅卵石。
纸条解释说，试金石与成千上万的普通鹅卵石混在一起，无法从外表辨认，秘密就是：试金石是暖的，而普通鹅卵石是冷的。
于是，这个穷人变卖了他为数不多的家当，买了些简单的生活必需品，在海边安顿下来，开始寻找试金石。他知道，如果他捡起一块普通的鹅卵石，发现它是冷的，又把它放下，那可能会上百次地重复捡到同一块石头。所以，当他发现鹅卵石是冷的，就把它扔到海里。于是，他整天就这样捡、扔，但没有一块是试金石。日复一日，时间就这样一周又一周、一个月又一个月地过去了。他不断机械地重复这个动作——捡起一块鹅卵石，冷的——扔到海里；又捡起一块，又扔到海里。
突然，有一天，大约是中午，他捡起一块鹅卵石，是热的。他还没有意识到自己做了什么时，就已经习惯性地把试金石扔进了大海。他已经形成了这样一种习惯，就是把捡起来的每一块鹅卵石扔进大海，即使是他渴望的那块出现了，也不例外。
机会亦如此，如果我们不保持警惕，那么总有一天，到手的机会也会被我们随手扔掉。
如果我们不保持警惕，那么总有一天，到手的机会也会被我们随手扔掉。
1.The__________wasn't very interesting, but between its__________there was something very interesting indeed. It was a__________strip of vellum on which was written the__________of the“Touchstone”! The touchstone was a small pebble__________could turn any common metal into pure gold.
2.He spent a whole__________doing this but none of them was the touchstone.__________he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble.__________—throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. The days stretched into__________and the weeks into months.
1.据说，亚历山大图书馆付之一炬后，所有的书都化为灰烬，只有一本书幸免于难。
____________________________________
2.时间就这样一周又一周、一个月又一个月地过去了。
____________________________________
3.机会亦如此，如果我们不保持警惕，那么总有一天，到手的机会也会被我们随手扔掉。
____________________________________
1.Yet he went on and on this way.
on this way：在这条路上
____________________________________
2.Unless we are vigilant, it's easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it's just as easy to throw it away.
in hand：在手头的；在进行中；被控制住
____________________________________