第426期:Enlarge Your Advantage

中国有句古话叫做：天生我才必有用。我对这句话的理解就是，人不分种族，阶级，地域，性别，年龄，都会有自己的所长和价值。为什这么说？因为每个人都有自己的优点和缺点。如果一个人逐步放大并且培养自己的优点，那么，这看似非常细微的优点，就会逐渐转化成一个人的优势。今天我们来分享一篇英语美文，讲述的是法国著名小说家大仲马的故事。

大仲马简介：
亚历山大·仲马（Alexandre Dumas，1802年7月24日—1870年12月5日），人称大仲马，法国19世纪浪漫主义作家。大仲马各种著作达300卷之多，以小说和剧作为主。代表作有：《亨利第三及其宫廷》（剧本）、《基督山伯爵》（长篇小说）、《三个火枪手》（长篇小说）等。
大仲马信守共和政见，反对君主专政。先后参加了1830年“七月革命”、1848年推翻七月王朝革命、加里波第对那不勒斯王国的征战等活动。2002年，大仲马去世132年后遗骸移入了法国先贤祠。
大仲马小说大都以真实的历史作背景，情节曲折生动，往往出人意料，有历史惊险小说之称。结构清晰明朗，语言生动有力，对话灵活机智等构成了大仲马小说的特色。大仲马也因而被后人美誉为“通俗小说之王”。

New Words:
out at elbows穿得很破烂 捉襟见肘
geography n. 地理；地形
awkwardly adv. 笨拙地；尴尬地
succession n. 连续；继位；
advantage n. 优势；利益；有利条件
self-abasement n. 自卑；自谦
abound vi. 富于；充满

A young man out at the elbows wandered to Paris, expecting that his father’s friend find a business for a living.
一个穷困潦倒的年轻人流浪到巴黎, 期望父亲的朋友能帮助自己找到一份谋生的差事。
"Are you expert in mathematics," his father's friend asked him.
“你精通数学吗?”父亲的朋友问他。
The young man shook his head.
年轻人摇了摇头。
"How is your history and geography?"
“历史、地理怎样?
The young man shook his head again.
年轻人还是摇摇头。
"How about your law?"
“法律呢?”
The young man lowered his head awkwardly.
年轻人窘迫地垂下了头。
His father's friend asked in succession. But the young man could only shake his head and told him-he himself couldn't find out any advantages.
父亲的朋友接连发问, 年轻人只能摇头告诉对方—自己连丝毫的优点也找不出来。
"Then write down your address first."
“那你先把联系地址写下来吧。”
The young man wrote down his address and turned to leave, but he was grabbed by his father's friend. "Your name is written very beautifully, which is your advantage. You shouldn't satisfy with finding a job for a living."
年轻人写下了自己的住址, 转身要走,却被父亲的朋友一把拉住了:“你的名字写得很漂亮, 这就是你的优点, 你不该只满足找一份糊口的工作。”
Years later, the young man wrote the classical works that won the world fame. He was Alexandre Dumas, a famous French writer of 18th century.
数年后,年轻人果然写出享誉世界的经典作品。他就是法国18世纪著名作家大仲马。
There are many ordinary people in the world who all have many small advantages, but they are neglected because of their self-abasement. In fact, there abounds a gold mine in every ordinary life. If you're willing to dig, you will dig out treasures that Surprise yourself.
世间许多平凡之辈,都有一些小优点,但因自卑而常被忽略。其实,每个平淡的生命中都蕴涵着一座丰富的金矿,只要肯挖掘,就会发现令自己都惊讶不已的宝藏。

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