'Some day you will find what your special gift is and when you do, you will make your parents very proud of you'. One of the worst evils of today is the exaggerated importance given to so-called intelligence tests. Many other qualities besides agility in answering trick questions go into the making of human personality. A man can fail all the tests and make a wonderful life. Let me tell you what happened to a young Canadian boy.
總有一天，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)你有特別的天賦，當(dāng)你去使用它，你的父母也會為你驕傲。所謂的智力測試被過分看重，這是如今的不幸。諸如敏捷應(yīng)答難題等此類的素質(zhì)其實也參與人格塑造。一個人就算各種測試一敗涂地也能活出精彩人生。我來告訴你一個年輕的加拿大男孩經(jīng)歷過什么。
Call him Johnnie Martin. He was the son of a carpenter, and his mother worked as a housekeeper. They lived frugal lives, saving their money for the day when they could send their son to college. Johnnie had reached the second year in high school when the blow fell. A psychologist attached to the school called the young man, just reached sixteen, into his private office and this is what he said.
他叫約翰尼・馬丁，是一個木匠的兒子。母親是一位家庭主婦。父母節(jié)衣縮食，為了將來能送孩子上大學(xué)。就在約翰尼上高中二年級那年，一個沉重的打擊襲來。學(xué)校的心理醫(yī)生把剛滿16歲的約翰尼叫到了他的辦公室，對約翰尼說了下面這段話：

'Johnnie, I've been studying your marks and I've gone over your various tests in motor and sensory impressions—your physical examination. I've made a very careful study of you and your achievements.' 'I've been trying hard,' put in Johnnie. 'That's just the trouble.' said the psychologist.
“約翰尼，我一直在研究你的學(xué)習(xí)成績，我仔細(xì)核查了你的運(yùn)動和感覺系統(tǒng)的各項測試—你的體檢情況，我已經(jīng)對你和你的成績作了十分仔細(xì)的研究，” “我一直都在努力。” 約翰尼插話說。“問題就在這里。”心理醫(yī)生說。
'You have worked very hard indeed—but it has not helped. You just don't seem able to get ahead in your studies. You're just not cut out for it, and for you to remain in high school would, in my opinion, be a waste of time.'
“你的確已經(jīng)非常努力了，可一點效果也沒有。你的學(xué)習(xí)好像無法再取得任何進(jìn)步。你天生不是這塊料，如果你繼續(xù)上中學(xué)，依我看，也只是浪費(fèi)時間。”
The boy buried his face in his hands. 'This will be hard on my mother and father,' he said. 'Their one idea is for me to be a college man.
約翰尼用雙手捂住了臉。“這會讓媽媽、爸爸非常難過的。”他說，“他們唯一的希望就是讓我上大學(xué)。”
The psychologist laid his hand on the boy's shoulder. 'People have different kinds of talents, Johnnie,' he said.' 'There are painters who were never able to learn the multiplication table, and engineers who can't sing on key. But every one of us has something special—and you are no exception. Some day you will find what your special gift is and when you do, you will make your parents very proud of you.'
心理醫(yī)生把手放在男孩的肩膀上，說：“約翰尼，人都有不同的天賦。有的畫家一輩子也學(xué)不會乘法表，有的工程師唱歌就是找不著調(diào)。然而，我們每個人都有自己獨特的才能——你也不例外。總有一天，你會發(fā)現(xiàn)自己獨特的天賦，到那時，你會讓父母為你感到驕傲的。”
Johnnie never went back to school. Jobs were scarce in town, but he managed to keep busy mowing the lawns of the householders and puttering in their flower-beds. And then a curious thing happened. Before long his customers began to notice that Johnnie had what they called a 'green thumb'. The plants he tended grew and blossomed, and the rose trees blossomed. He fell into the habit of making suggestions for re-arranging the tiny front-yard landscapes. He had an eye for colour and could make surprising combinations that pleased the eye.
約翰尼再也沒有回學(xué)校。鎮(zhèn)上工作很難找，但他還是設(shè)法找到些給人修剪草坪、擺弄花壇的活計。這時，一件奇怪的事情發(fā)生了。他的顧客很快發(fā)現(xiàn)，約翰尼其實是一個園藝高手。由他侍弄的植物開花了，玫瑰也繁花似錦。他漸漸習(xí)慣了建議別人重新布置小小的前院的景觀。他對色彩很有鑒賞力，顏色搭配常常出人意料，讓人看了賞心悅目。
One day while he was down town he happened to notice a stretch of unused land behind the city hall. Chance or fate or whatever you may like to call it brought one of the town's alderman round the corner just at that moment. Impetuously the boy said, 'I can make a garden out of this dump, if you'll let me.'
一天，他去城里的時候，偶然在市政廳的后面發(fā)現(xiàn)一塊閑置的空地。機(jī)緣巧合，此時正好有一位市政委員走過市政廳的拐角。男孩一陣沖動，對他說：“如果您允許的話，我可以把這片垃圾場變成一個花園
'The town's got no money for frills,' said the alderman. 'I don't want any money for it,' said the boy, 'I just want to do it.'
“市里可沒有錢來搞什么美化。” 市政委員說。“我一分錢都不要。”男孩說，“我只是想試試。”
The alderman, being a politician, was astounded to find anyone who did not want money, under any and all circumstances. He took Johnnie into an office, and when the young man came out he had the authority to clean up the public eyesore.
竟然有人干活不要錢，這讓市政委員感到很驚訝。他把約翰尼領(lǐng)進(jìn)一間辦公室。當(dāng)這個年輕人出來的時候，他已經(jīng)得到授權(quán)來清除這個公認(rèn)的“眼中釘”。
That very afternoon he borrowed extra tools and seeds and soil. Someone gave him a few young trees to plant. When others heard of it they offered rose-bushes and even a hedge. Then the town's leading manufacturer heard of it, and volunteered to supply some benches.
就在當(dāng)天下午，約翰尼借來工具、種子和土壤。有人給了他一些樹苗。其他人聽說此事后，紛紛提供玫瑰花叢，甚至還有樹籬。市里的一家大工廠聽說了此事，免費(fèi)提供一些長椅。
Before long the dreary old dump had become a little park. There were grassy lawns and little curving walks and restful seats and little house for birds. All the townspeople were talking about what a lovely improvement the young man had made. But it was also a kind of show window for Johnnie. People saw the result of his skill and knew him for a natural landscape gardener.
沒多久，那塊沉悶乏味的垃圾場就變成了一個小小的花園。有綠油油的草地，有蜿蜒曲折的花徑，還有供人休憩的坐椅和為小鳥搭建的窩巢。鎮(zhèn)上所有的人都在談?wù)摚@個年輕人把這塊地方變得多么可愛。 不過，這也是展示約翰尼才藝的一個窗口。人們見識到他的手藝，知道他是一個天生的園藝設(shè)計師。
That was twenty-five years ago. Today Johnnie is the head of a prosperous business in landscape gardening. His customers extend into neighbouring provinces. Johnnie still cannot speak French or translate Latin, trigonometry is unknown to him.
這已是25年前的事情了。現(xiàn)在的約翰尼是一家生意興隆的園藝設(shè)計公司的負(fù)責(zé)人。他的客戶已經(jīng)擴(kuò)展到臨近的其他省份。約翰尼到現(xiàn)在還是不會講法語，也不會翻譯拉丁語，對三角學(xué)更是一竅不通。
But colour and light and lovely prospects are his bread and butter. His aging parents are proud of Johnnie, for he is not only a success—a man of affairs and a member of the best clubs in town— he has also made his part of the world a lovelier place to live in. Wherever he and his men go, they spread beauty before the eyes of people.
然而，色彩、光線和怡人的景觀設(shè)計成了他的職業(yè)。他年邁的父母為他感到驕傲，不僅僅因為他是一位成功人士，還因為他把自己的那部分世界變得更為美好，適宜居住。不管他和他的設(shè)計團(tuán)隊去到哪里，他們都散播賞心悅目的美麗。