新概念英語第三冊
Lesson 50 New Year resolutions
1 . I still haven't given up my resolution to do more reading.但我還沒有放棄多看些書的決心。
2 . The New Year is a time for resolutions.新年是下決心的時候，
3 . The self-discipline required to drag myself out of bed eleven minutes earlier than usual was considerable.這就要求我比平時早11分鐘把自己從床上拽起來，這種自我約束是很艱苦的。
4 . I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning,我辯解說，早晨少耗費精力鍛煉，
5 . Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself.這樣一旦滑回到那些老習慣上去，我們在別人的眼裡會顯得更加難堪。
6 . In fact, I have just bought a book entitled How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute.事實上，我剛買來一本叫《一分鐘讀一千字的訣竅》的書。
7 . The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up.早鍛煉一共只有11分鐘，我打算在別人起床之前進行。
8 . I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home formwork Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to book.晚上下班回家看書時頭腦更清醒些。有幾天晚上，我極力擺脫了電視的誘惑，坐在自己的房間裡，兩眼盯在書上。
9 . Nevertheless,I managed to creep down into the living room for two days before anyone found me out.不過開頭兩天我還是成功地躡手躡腳地來到樓下起居室，被誰也沒發現。
10 . It was this that betrayed me.正是這副模樣洩露了我的秘密。
11 . but on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task.不過，新年第二天，我全力以赴地照著去做了。
12 . Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment.以往的經驗告訴我們有些事是辦不到的。
13 . I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read.便來到樓下坐在電視機前假裝看書。
14 . If we remain inveterate smokers, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure.如果我們煙癮大，戒不掉，那是因為屢戒屢敗，失去信心。
15 . One night, however, feeling cold and lonely,可是，有一天夜裡，我感到又冷又孤單，
16 . We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways.我們還犯有一個根本性的錯誤，即把我們的決心向大家宣佈。
17 . The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished.我花在鍛煉上的時間逐漸減少，
18 . After jumping about on the carpet and twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions,我在地毯上跳來蹦過去，扭曲身子，擺出各種姿勢，弄得渾身不舒服，
19 . That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to my old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen.這下我可完了，因為不一會兒，我就恢復了以前的壞習慣，在屏幕前打起瞌睡來。
20 . We resolve to get up earlier each morning,我們決心每天早晨起得早些；
21 . but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good-humouredly and soon everybody got used to the idea.但我心平氣和地頂住全家人的嘲笑和奚落。不久，大家對我習以為常了，
22 . The next morning the whole family trooped in to watch the performance.第二天早晨全家人結隊來到起居室看我表演。
23 . I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition.然後坐到桌邊吃早飯，一副筋疲力盡的樣子。
24 . Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just haven't had time to read it!也許這本書能解決我的問題，但我一直還沒時間去看這本書！
25 . An all-night party on New Year's Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying out either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year,新年除夕舉辦的一次通宵晚會，使我理直氣壯地在新年頭一天免去了這兩項任務。
26 . I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercise every morning and to read more of an evening.我深知這些問題，於是，今年我對自己的計劃要嚴加保密，只給自己定下兩項適中的任務；每天早上鍛煉身體，每天晚上多看點書。
27 . be nice to people we don't' like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day.對不喜歡的人友善一些；小心駕車；每天都要帶著狗散步；等等。
28 . The same old favorites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity.相同的決心以單調的規律年復一年地出現。
29 . That was really unsettling,這真叫人不好意思，
30 . By January 10th, I was back to where I had started from.到了1月10日，我恢復了原來的作息時間。
31 . Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out.我們大多數人想自我完善卻遭到失敗，這是因為我們的規劃過於宏大，而又根本沒有時間去實施。
32 . However, my enthusiasm waned.而這時我的熱情卻減退了。
33 . eat less, find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house,吃得少些；多花點時間與孩子們一起做遊戲；做大量的家務；
34 . Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero.慢慢地從11分鐘減到了零。
35 . Mentally, at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of 'dos' and 'don'ts'.至少在大多數人的心裡會編排出一份「應做什麼」和「不應做什麼」的令人生畏的單子。