03 Letter to a Young Friend by Benjamin Franklin本杰明·富兰克林给年轻朋友的一封信
June 25，1745
My Dear Friend，
我亲爱的朋友：
I know of no Medicine fit to diminish the violent natural inclinations you mention；and if I did,I think I should not communicate it to you.Marriage is the proper remedy.It is the most natural state of man,and therefore the state in which you are most likely to find solid happiness.Your reason against entering into it at present,appears to me not well-founded.The circumstantial advantages you have in view by postponing it,are not only uncertain,but they are small in comparison with the thing itself,the being married and settled.
我不知道有哪种药物能治你所提及的那强烈的自然本能；而且，即便我知道，我也不该告诉你。婚姻就是最好的灵药，这是人类最自然的状态，你也能从中找到真正的幸福。你讲的那些不结婚的理由在我看来基本站不住脚。你认为的推迟结婚的优势只是视情况而定的、不确定的，与结婚成家比起来微不足道。
It is the man and woman united that makes the complete human being.separate,she wants his force of body and strength of reason；he,her softness,sensibility and acute discernment.Together they are more likely to succeed in the world.A single man does not have nearly the value he would have in that state of union.He is an incomplete animal.He resembles the odd half of a pair of scissors.
只有男人和女人结合起来，人类才是完整的：女人需要男人的强健体魄和理性的大脑，男人需要女人的温柔细腻和敏锐的直觉。因此当男人和女人联合起来，就能够无往不胜。没有成家，他就不会拥有全部的人生价值，像是残缺不全的动物，像是少了半边的剪刀。
If you get a prudent,healthy wife,your industry in your profession,with her good economy,will be a fortune sufficient.
如果你有幸找到一位持家有方、身体健康的妻子，你在事业上的勤奋进取加上她在生活上的理财有道，必定会创造殷实的财富。
Your affectionate friend，
你亲爱的朋友
Benj.Franklin
本杰明·富兰克林
1745年6月25日
diminish[dɪˈmɪnɪʃ]v.减少，缩减，减小
例 His influence has diminished with time.
随着时间的推移，他的影响已不如从前了。
inclination[ˌɪnklɪˈneɪʃn]n.倾向；爱好
例 She had neither the time nor the inclination to help them.
她既没有时间也不愿意帮助他们。
remedy[ˈremədi]n.补救办法；治疗法
例 There are a number of possible remedies to this problem.
这个问题有许多可能采取的解决办法。
circumstantial[ˌsɜːkəmˈstænʃl]adj.视情况而定的；与特定情况有关的
例 Their problems were circumstantial rather than personal.
他们的困难是环境而非个人所致。
acute[əˈkjuːt]adj.敏锐的；有洞察力的
例 He is an acute observer of the social scene.
他是个敏锐的社会现状观察者。
discernment[dɪˈsɜːnmənt]n.识别能力；洞察力
例 He shows great discernment in his choice of friends.
他选择朋友很有眼光。
prudent[ˈpruːdnt]adj.审慎的；慎重的；精明的
例 It might be more prudent to get a second opinion before going ahead.
行动之前再征求一下意见也许更为慎重。
①The circumstantial advantages you have in view by postponing it,are not only uncertain,but they are small in comparison with the thing itself.
这句话中有一个并列短语词组“not only……but also……”，表示“不仅……而且……”，其中“also”可以省略。
例 Tom Chopin is not only beautiful，but also has good manners.
汤姆·肖宾不仅长得漂亮，而且很有礼貌。
②It is the man and woman united that makes the complete human being.
这句话中用到了一个强调句句型“it is……that……”，“is”后可接一个句子中的任意成分，表示强调。
例 It is at night that we watch TV together.
只有在晚上我们才一起看电视。
③A single man has not nearly the value he would have in that state of union.
这是一个复合句，包含了一个定语从句“he would……union”，修饰“value”，定语从句的引导词应为“that/which”，但因为“value”在从句中做“have”的宾语，故可以省略。
例 This is not the answer my teacher wants.
我的老师想要的不是这个答案。
1.By all means marry,if you get a good wife,you'll be happy,if you get a bad one,you'll become a philosopher.—Socrates
不管怎么说还是结婚吧，娶到好老婆，你会幸福；娶到坏女人，你将会成为哲学家。——苏格拉底
2.The course of true love never did run smooth.—Shakespeare
真正的爱情之路永不会是平坦的。——莎士比亚
3.Whatever our souls are made of,his and mine are the same.—Emily Bronte
不论我们的灵魂是什么做成的，他的和我的是一模一样的。——艾米莉·勃朗特
4.If you live to be a hundred,I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.—Milne
假如你的寿命是100年，那我希望自己活到100岁的前一天，因为那样我的生命中每天都有你。——米尔恩
5.A successful marriage requires falling in love many times,and always with the same person.—Mignon McLaughlin
一个成功的婚姻需要恋爱很多次，而且始终是与同一个人恋爱。——米杨·麦克劳克林
6.Marriage is about sticking up for your partners,even when you don't agree with him.—Modern Family
婚姻的意义在于，即使不认同也要支持你的伴侣。——《摩登家庭》
7.Life is one fool thing after another whereas love is two fool things after each other.—Oscar Wilde
人生就是一件蠢事追着另一件蠢事而来，而爱情则是两个蠢东西追来追去。——奥斯卡·王尔德
8.We don't love qualities,we love persons；sometimes by reason of their defects as well as of their qualities.—Jacques Maritain
我们爱的不是优点，我们爱的是人，有时是因为他们的缺陷，附带着他们的优点。——雅克·马里坦
读书笔记__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________