一个女儿对父亲抱怨她的生活,抱怨事事都那么艰难。父亲用胡萝卜、鸡蛋和咖啡豆做实验,教会女儿如何应对逆境。

　　A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.

　　Her father, a chef①,took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

　　The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then he ladled②the coffee out and placed it in a mug③. Turning to

　　her he asked, "Honey, what do you see?"

　　" Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

　　He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled as she tasted its rich aroma④.

　　She asked, " What does it mean , Father?" He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity⑤- boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting⑥. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique,however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. " Which are you?" he asked his daughter. " When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

　　How about you, my friend? Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with pain and adversity you wilt⑦and become soft and lose your strength? Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable⑧heart? Were you a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a divorce, or a layoff have you become hardened and stiff? Your shell looks the same, but are you bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and heart? Or are you like the coffee bean? The bean changes the hot water, the thing that is bringing the pain, to its peak flavor when it reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit. When the water gets the hottest, it just tastes better.

　　If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and make things better around you.

　　Ask yourself how you handle adversity. Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?

　　[参考译文]

　　如何应对逆境

　　一个女儿对父亲抱怨她的生活,抱怨事事都那么艰难。她不知该如何应付生活,想要自暴自弃了。她已厌倦抗争和奋斗。好像一个问题刚解决,新的问题就又出现了。

　　她的父亲是位厨师,他把她带进厨房。他先往三只锅里倒入一些水,然后把它们放在旺火上烧。不久锅里的水烧开了。他往第一只锅里放些胡萝卜,第二只锅里放入鸡蛋,最后一只锅里放入碾成粉状的咖啡豆。他将它们浸入开水中煮,一句话也没说。

　　女儿咂咂嘴,不耐烦地等待着,纳闷父亲在做什么。大约20分钟后,他把火闭了,把胡萝卜捞出来放入一个碗内,把鸡蛋捞出来放入另一个碗内,然后又把咖啡舀到一个杯子里。做完这些后,他才转过身问女儿,"亲爱的,你看见什么了?""胡萝卜、鸡蛋、咖啡,"她回答。

　　他让她靠近些并让她用手摸摸胡萝卜。她摸了摸,注意到它们变软了。父亲又让女儿拿一只鸡蛋并打破它。将壳剥掉后,她看到的是只煮熟的鸡蛋。最后他让她啜饮咖啡。品尝到香浓的咖啡,女儿笑了。她怯声问道:"父亲,这意味着什么?"他解释说,这三样东西面临同样的逆境--煮沸的开水,但其反应各不相同。胡萝卜入锅之前是强壮的、结实的、毫不示弱;但进入开水后,它变软了,变弱了。鸡蛋原来是易碎的。它薄薄的外壳保护着它呈液体的内脏。但是经开水一煮,它内脏变硬了。而粉状咖啡豆则很独特,进入沸水后,它们倒改变了水。"哪个是你呢?"他问女儿。"当逆境找上门来时,你该如何应对?你是胡萝卜,是鸡蛋,还是咖啡豆?"

　　你呢,我的朋友?你是看似强硬,但遭遇痛苦和逆境后畏缩了,变软弱了,失去了力量的胡萝卜吗?你是内心原本可塑的鸡蛋吗?你先是个性情不定的人,但经过死亡、分手、离异或失业,是不是变得坚硬了,变得倔强了?你的外壳看似从前,但你是不是因有了坚强的性格和内心而变得严厉强硬了?或者你像是咖啡豆吗?豆子改变了给它带来痛苦的开水,并在它达到华氏212度的高温时让它散发出最佳气味。水最烫时,它的味道更好了。如果你像咖啡豆,你会在情况最糟糕时,变得有出息了,并使周围的情况改变好了。问问自己是如何对付逆境的。你是胡萝卜,是鸡蛋,还是咖啡豆?

　　Notes:

　　①chef:厨师

　　②ladle:(用勺)舀取或盛

　　③mug:大杯子

　　④aroma:芳香

　　⑤adversity:逆境

　　⑥unrelenting:坚定的,不退让的

　　⑦wilt:丧失勇气;畏缩

　　⑧malleable:可塑的

　　(文/北京　张英慧；英语通高中一年级版2003年第10期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)