[by:英语听力网|http://yingyu.chazidian.com||查字典英语网] [00:00.00]喜欢chazidian.com，就把chazidian.com复制到QQ个人资料中！Lesson 50 New Year resolutions [00:04.85]50 新年的决心 [00:09.69]Listen to the tape then answer the question below. [00:14.26]听录音，然后回答以下问题。 [00:18.83]What marked the end of the writer's New Year resolutions? [00:24.06]作者的新年决心成为泡影的标志是什么？ [00:29.28]The New Year is a time for resolutions. [00:31.62]新年是下决心的时候. [00:33.96]Mentally,at least, [00:35.49]至少在大多数人的心里 [00:37.02]most of us could compile formidable lists of 'dos' and 'don'ts'. [00:40.29]会编排出一份"应做什么"和"不应做什么"的可怕单子 [00:43.57]The same old favourites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity [00:46.90]相同的决心以单调的规律年复一年地出现 [00:50.23]We resolve to get up earlier each morning,eat less, [00:53.20]我们决心每天早晨起得早些,吃得少些 [00:56.16]find more time to play with the children [00:58.23]多花点时间与孩子们一起 [01:00.29]do a thousand and one jobs about the house, [01:02.82]做游戏,做大量的家务; [01:05.36]be nice to people we don't like [01:07.28]对不喜欢的人友善一些; [01:09.20]drive carefully,and take the dog for a walk every day. [01:12.23]小心驾车;每天都要带着狗散步;等等 [01:15.26]Past experience has taught us [01:17.23]以往的经验告诉我们 [01:19.20]that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment. [01:21.68]有些事是办不到的. [01:24.17]If we remain inveterate smokers, [01:26.35]如果我们烟瘾大,戒不掉, [01:28.53]it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration [01:31.47]那是因为屡戒屡败, [01:34.41]that results from failure. [01:36.24]失去了信心. [01:38.06]Most of us fail in our efforts at sel-improvement [01:40.43]我们大多数人想自我完善却遭到失败 [01:42.79]because our schemes are too ambitious [01:45.01]这是因为我们的规划过于宏大, [01:47.23]and we never have time to carry them out. [01:49.91]而又根本没有时间去实施. [01:52.59]We also make the fundamental error [01:54.56]我们还犯有一个根本性的错误 [01:56.53]of announcing our resolutions to everybody [01:58.82]即把我们的决心向大家宣布, [02:01.10]so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways [02:04.73]回到那些老毛病上去,我们在别人面前会倍感难堪 [02:08.37]Aware of these pitfalls this year [02:10.80]我深知这些问题于是,今年 [02:13.22]I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself [02:15.60]我对自己的计划要严加保密 [02:17.98]I limited myself to two modest ambitions: [02:20.85]只给自己定下两项适中的任务, [02:23.73]to do physical exercises every morning and to read more of an evening [02:27.11]每天早上锻炼身体,每天晚上多看点书. [02:30.49]An all-night party on New Year's Eve [02:32.83]通宵晚会 [02:35.17]provided me with a good excuse for not carrying out [02:37.69]使我理直气壮地 [02:40.21]either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year, [02:43.04]在新年头一天免去了这两项任务. [02:45.88]but on the second,I applied myself assiduously to the task. [02:48.80]不过,新年第二天,我全力以赴地照着去做了 [02:51.73]The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes [02:54.39]早锻炼一共只有11分钟, [02:57.06]and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up. [03:00.04]我打算在别人起床之前进行 [03:03.01]The self-discipline required to drag myself [03:05.65]这就要求我, [03:08.29]out of bed 11 minutes earlier than usual was considerable [03:11.16]自己从床上拽起来,这种自我约束是很艰苦的 [03:14.04]Nevertheless,I managed to creep down into the living room for two days [03:17.47]我还是成功地蹑手蹑脚地来到楼下起居室 [03:20.91]before anyone found me out. [03:22.58]没有被任何人发现. [03:24.25]After jumping about on the carpet [03:26.33]我在地毯上跳过来蹦过去 [03:28.40]and twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions, [03:31.34]扭曲身子,摆出各种姿势,弄得浑身不舒服, [03:34.28]I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition. [03:36.96]然后坐到桌边吃早饭,一副筋疲力尽的样子 [03:39.64]It was this that betrayed me. [03:41.77]正是这副模样泄露了我的秘密. [03:43.90]The next morning the whole family trooped in to watch the performance. [03:46.68]第二天早晨全家人结队来到起居室看我表演 [03:49.46]That was really unsettling