評(píng)論
打印
After some hours had passed, the head teacher said to me, "The adjoining classroom needs sweeping. Take the broom and sweep it."
幾個(gè)小時(shí)后，校長(zhǎng)對(duì)我說：“隔壁的教室該打掃了。拿掃把去掃一下吧。”
It occurred to me at once that here was my chance. I swept the classroom three times. Then I got a dusting-cloth and I dusted it four times. All the woodwork around the walls, every bench, table, and desk, I went over four times with my dusting-cloth. I had the feeling that in a large measure my future depended upon the impression I made upon the teacher in the cleaning of that room. When I was through, I reported to the head teacher. She was a woman who knew just where to look for dirt. She went into the room and inspected the floor and closets; then she took her handkerchief and rubbed it on the woodwork about the walls, and over the table and benches. When she was unable to find one bit of dirt on the floor, or a particle of dust on any of the furniture, she quietly remarked, "I guess you will do to enter this institution."
我立刻意識(shí)到，機(jī)會(huì)來了。我把那間教室掃了三遍。然后找來抹布，把房間抹了四遍。墻邊所有的木制部分，每一張長(zhǎng)凳、餐桌、課桌，都用抹布擦了四遍。我有種感覺，在很大程度上，我的前途就取決于我打掃這房間給校長(zhǎng)留下的印象。打掃完之后，我就去向校長(zhǎng)匯報(bào)。這個(gè)女人非常清楚到哪兒去找灰塵。她走進(jìn)房間，檢查地板和櫥柜；然后拿出手絹，在墻上的木制部分上，在餐桌和長(zhǎng)凳上擦。她在地板上找不到一粒塵土，所有的家具上面也都找不到一點(diǎn)灰塵，她輕聲說，“我覺得你可以進(jìn)這所學(xué)院了。”
I was one of the happiest souls on earth. The sweeping of that room was my college examination, and never did any youth pass an examination for entrance into Harvard or Yale that gave him more genuine satisfaction. I have passed several examinations since then, but I have always felt that this was the best one I ever passed.
我感覺自己是全世界最幸福的人了。打掃教室就是我的大學(xué)人學(xué)考試，任何一個(gè)通過哈佛或耶魯入學(xué)考試的年輕人，所體會(huì)到的由衷滿足也不過如此吧。在那以后我通過了其他考試，但我一直覺得這是我成績(jī)最好的一次。
