ourselves to be blinded to issues of long-term significance by stuff that seems awfully important right now, but isn’t. Muddy shoes, lost lunch money and messy kitchens are troublesome, and they deserve their place among life’s frustrations. But what’s a little mud-even on new carpet-compared to a child’s self-esteem? Is a lost dollar more valuable than a youngster’s emerging dignity? And while kitchen sanitation is important, is it worth the sacrifice of tender feelings and relationships?
不幸的是，辛迪的母亲不是唯一一个这样的父母，他们患有情景性森林青光眼——临时性地只见树木不见森林。由于那些眼下貌似极其重要但并非重要的事情，我们有时会对具有长远重要意义的事情视而不见。沾上泥的鞋、丢了的午餐费、脏乱的厨房，这些东西是很讨厌，值得让人沮丧一阵子了。但是和孩子的自尊心相比，一个泥点——哪怕是粘在了新铺的地毯上——又能算什么呢?丢失的一美元难道比一个孩子成长中的尊严更宝贵?厨房的卫生固然重要，可是值得为此牺牲温柔的亲情吗?
I’m not saying that our children don’t need to learn responsibility, or to occasionally suffer the painful consequences of their own bad choices. Those lessons are vital, and need to be carefully taught. But as parents, we must never forget that we’re not just teaching lessons – we’re teaching children. That means here are times when we really need to see the mess in the kitchen ,and times when we only need to see the cake.
我不是说我们的孩子不需要学会负责任，不需要有时为自己错误的选择付出痛苦的代价。这些道理也很重要，需要认真教授于他们。但是作为父母，我们不要忘了我们一不仅仅是在教课——我们是在教孩子。这意味着有时候我们确实要看到厨房的脏乱，而有时候我们只需看到蛋糕。
Unit 3 Friendship and Loyalty
Text A
Pre-reading Questions
1. Do you believe that loyal friends are available on the Internet?
2. What personal qualities matter most in your choice of friends? And why?
Reflections: Friendship and loyalty
How many of us recognize true loyalty in a friend? Loyalty consists of a friend, who will stick by you, through thick and thin. A friend who is always honest with you and never betrays the friendship with
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lies is a loyal friend. If you have a loyal friend, you have indeed found a true virtue in that friend.
关于友情和忠诚的思考
我们之中有多少人能在朋友中识别出真正的忠诚?忠诚包括无论何时都会支持你的朋友。一直对你坦诚、从不撒谎背叛你的朋友才是忠诚的朋友。如果你有一位忠诚的朋友，你一定在他身上发现了真正的美德。
The current trend on the internet is befriending anyone who requests to be your friend. However, this new trend may lead to disasters. It may be popular and trendy to have a network filled with a multitude of mutual friends. However, one true loyal friend may be the only friend you need.
如今网络上流行的趋势是你可以和任何一个想成为你朋友的人做朋友。然而，这种新的趋势有可能会引发灾难。在网络上拥有一大批共同好友可能是比较流行，但是一个真正忠诚的朋友可能是你需要的唯一的那一个。
A term used on the popular Facebook site is B.F.F. This acronym means best friends forever. Are they really your best friends forever? You might ask yourself this question, “Will they share my private matters with others on the pages of Facebook, or perish the thought, engage in gossip about me with others?” If the answer to that is, “I don’t know”, more than likely, they will not be your best friends forever. Maybe not, even for a day.
广受欢迎的脸谱网站上有一个词叫做B．F．F。这个缩写词的意思是“永远的最好的朋“友”。他们真的是你永远的最好的朋友吗?你可能会问自己：“他们会把我的私事发布在脸谱网页上与他人分享吗?甚至与他人一起八卦我的隐私吗?但愿永远不会。”如果答案是“我不知道”，那么很有可能，他们不是你永远的好朋友，甚至连一天也没可能是。
I choose to have a B.L.B., a best loyal friend, for those of you who may be challenged by the use of acronyms during this age of technology and fast-talking.
在这个科技和快速交谈发展的时代对可能会面临使用缩写语的你们来说，我更想要一个B．L．F．，忠诚的好朋友。
Loyalty found in a friend is akin to making a deposit in a bank account. More often than not, your deposits gain interest, an interest in your well-being and welfare. A loyal friend attracts another loyal friend. In essence, water does seek its own level.
朋友间的忠诚就像是在银行账户里存款一样。通常你的存款会获得利息，关乎你幸福安康的利息。忠诚的朋友吸引另一个忠诚的朋友。本质上，水自然会向下流——朋友间总是惺惺相惜Freemasonry。
If you were a B.L.F. way before Facebook gained notoriety, then I’m sure you understand the premise of loyalty in a friend. You should never exploit your B.L.F. to gain more friends or make yourself
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seem more important to others. These are not the traits of a best loyal friend.
如果你早在脸谱网赢得恶名之前就是个B．L．F．的话，我相信你一定明白忠诚的朋友的前提。你不该利用自己的B．L．F．来结交更多的朋友或者让你自己看起来更加重要。这些不是忠诚的好朋友的特质。
A best loyal friend does not care who is invited to your party. They will attend your party and celebrate you, just in the way a best loyal friend should do.
忠诚的最好的朋友不会在意你宴会上都请了谁。他们会来参加你的宴会并向你表示祝贺，就像忠诚的最好的朋友应该做的那样。
Reconnecting with a best loyal friend is easier to do on the pages of Facebook. However, a virtual friend does not assure you of his loyalty. My caution to you is that you’d better pay attention to the smiling faces on the Facebook pages. In the eighties we were warned of smiling faces in a song, which contained these lyrics, “A smile is just a frown turned upside down, my friend.” Now, that is the undisputed truth for my generation.
在脸谱网上和忠诚的好朋友联络来得容易得多。然而，一个虚拟的朋友无法向你保证其忠诚。我给你的告诫是，你最好注意那些脸谱网站上的笑脸们。在80年代我们就在歌谣中被告知“笑脸是反着的苦恼的脸，我的朋友”。这在我们这一代也是不争的事实。
Text B
Pre-reading Questions
1. Why do many people choose to keep dogs as pets instead of other animals?
2. Why do you think a growing number of Chinese, especially the elderly, prefer to keep pets?
A Tribute to the Dog
The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter whom he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith.
狗的赞歌
在这个世上一个人最好的朋友也可能与他反目成仇，他呕心养育的儿女也可能对他忘恩负义。那些我们最亲近的人，那些我们以幸福和名誉信任的人，也可能背叛他们的忠诚。
The money that a man has he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall
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on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolute, unselfish friend a man may have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.
一个人所拥有的财富也可能失去。它可能在最被需要时随风而逝，名声也可能因一念之差而损毁殆尽。当我们功成名就，一些人卑躬屈膝，极力讨好；当失败的阴云笼罩在我们的头顶，那些人又可能最先对我们落井下石。而一个人在这充满私欲的世界里的一个绝对无私的朋友，一个永不抛弃他的朋友，一个绝不忘恩负义与背信弃义的朋友，则是他的狗。
A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground when the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he can be near his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the sores and wounds that come in the encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince.
一个人的狗无论其主人贫穷富贵，生老病死，都会和他站在一起，永不分离。只要能留在主人身边，它宁愿睡在冰冷的地上而不顾寒风凛冽，大雪纷飞。它会吻主人的手，哪怕主人手里没有一丁点食物；它会抚慰主人在艰难时世中遭遇的身心创伤；它也会如同护卫王子一般，守卫熟睡中潦倒的主人。
When all other friends desert, he remains. When richer take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens. If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard him against danger, to fight against his enemies. And when the last scene of all comes and death takes its master in its embrace and the body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness faithful and true even to death.
当所有的朋友都弃你而去时，它留了下来。当主人家财四散、名誉扫地，它对主人的忠诚热爱仍宛如日升日落，亘古不变。即使被好运拒之门外，没有朋友，无家可归，他那忠实的狗也会义无反顾地陪伴着他，与他共渡险境，同仇敌忾。如果他的生命被死神夺走，长眠于冰冷的地下，这时，哪怕所有的朋友都离他而去，在他墓旁，那忠诚的狗也会守在那里，将头伏在爪子上，睁开悲伤但充满警惕的双眼，直到死都依旧忠贞，寸步不离。
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