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The starfish thrower
扔海星的人
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing.
從前有一位哲人常到海邊去寫作。
He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
他有個習慣，就是在開始之前要到海邊散步。
One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
有一天，他正沿著岸邊走。當順著海邊向遠處看時，他看到個人，那人的動作看起來像是位舞蹈演員在跳舞。
He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.
他很高興，以為今天正好能看到有人跳舞。于是，他加快步伐以免錯過。
As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all.
當靠近之后，他才看清這是一個年輕人，他不是在跳舞，
The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.
而是彎下腰來，從海灘上撿著什么，輕輕地扔到海里。
He came closer still and called out Good morning!
他走近了大聲說：早上好！
May I ask what it is that you are doing?
你在做什么？
The young man paused, looked up, and replied, Throwing starfish into the ocean.
這個年輕人停了下來，抬起頭回答道：把海星扔進海里。
I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean asked the somewhat startled wise man.
我想我問的是，為什么你要把海星扔進海里？
To this, the young man replied, The sun is up and the tide is going out.
太陽升起來了，潮就要退了，
If I don't throw them in, they'll die.
如果不把它們扔進海里，它們將會死去。
Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile？You can't possibly make a difference!
但是年輕人，難道你沒有看到這長長的海灘上面布滿了海星。你起不到什么作用的！
At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean.
年輕人 有禮貌地聽著，然后彎下腰，又撿起一只海星扔進了海里，
As it met the water, he said, It made a difference for that one.
這時滾涌的波浪走了過來，他說道：對于那一只就起作用了。
