读英语名篇·致青年
这篇《致青年》（A Word to Youth）选自《西南联大英文课》，是80多年前的青年学英文时阅读的英语名篇。
文章讨论两个问题：1.你这辈子最宝贵的教训是什么？ 2.如果请你给年轻人一个建议，助他们度过难关，你会怎么提？
文章的答案可能会让我们更能理解，在抗日年代、条件艰苦卓绝之时，这群青年是如何满腔热血、如何度过难关的。
本音频为文章第二个问题的解答。
We must come to the second question, “What advice would you give to a young friend which would help him to keep his balance in the most difficult experiences of his life?”
That’s a question for a book, not for an essay. I think I should begin by insisting on the necessity for discipline. It is not well for a man or a woman to be ceaselessly seeking the whys and wherefores of everything. That a life may be happy, it must be based on fixed principles. I would almost say that it is of little importance what those principles are so long as they are solid, steady; and that we accept them without compromise. I am not speaking here of doctrinal creeds.“That,” says the poet Byron, “is an affair between a man and his Maker.” I am speaking of actions self-imposed, of building upon a solid base, of living by strict discipline. The discipline of a religious life, the discipline of work, of every kind of sport—these are all sane and wholesome, provided they are whole-heartedly believed in.
Another condition making for mental and moral balance seems to me to be unity in the plan, continuity in the pattern. A young person is tempted by every possibility, and the possibilities are infinite. Limiting himself to a choice irks him. He wants to have every kind of friend; to take every possible journey; to embrace all learning; to embark upon every kind of career; to experience every kind of love. But one of life’s conditions is that he must limit himself; he has to choose. Then, and only then, can he live deeply and steadily.
These, I think, would be my answers—if I were to answer.
▍生词好句
discipline n. 训练；控制能力；纪律
the whys and wherefores n. 解释及原因
compromise n. 妥协；折衷
doctrinal creeds n. 教义；信条
Byron n. 乔治·戈登·拜伦
配套音频和word文档，以上为文档例子
