Wherever you are, and whoever you may be, there is one thing in which you and I are justalike at this moment, and in all the moments of our existence. We are not at rest, we are on a journey. Our life is a movement, a tendency, a steady, ceaseless progress towards an unseen goal.
不论你身在何处，不论你是何等人物，在此刻，以及人生中的每一刻，你我之间有一点正好是相同的，那就是：而且只要我们活着，这个共同点就存在。那就是，我们并非停留不前，而是人在旅途。我们的生命是一种运动，一种趋势，是向一个看不见的目标无休止地奋进。
2We are gaining something, or losing something, everyday. Even when our position and our character seem to remain precisely the same, they are changing. For the mere advance of time is a change. It is not the same thing to have a bare field in January and in July. The season makes the difference. The limitations that are childlike in the child are childish in the man.
每天，我们都有所得，也有所失。即便我们的位置和角色看似与原来无异，但实际上也是时时变化的。因为时间的推移本身就是一种变化。对于同一片荒地来说，在一月和七月是截然不同的，季节造成了这种差异。能力的局限在孩子身上被视为天真烂漫，而在大人身上则是幼稚的的表现。
3Everything that we do is a step in one direction or another. Even the failure to do something is in itself a deed. it sets us forward or backward. the action of the negative pole of a magnetic needle is just as real as the action of the positive pole. To decline is to accept---the other alternative.
我们所做的每件事情都是朝着某个方向迈进了一步。即使是失败本身，也是有所得的，失败可以催人奋进，也可以让人一蹶不振。磁针负极的作用与正极的作用都是一样真实的。 拒绝也是一种接受，只不过是另一种选择罢了。
4Are you nearer to your port today than you were yesterday? yes, you must be a little nearer to some port or other for since your ship was first launched upon the sea of life, you have never been still for a single moment, the sea is too deep, you could not find an anchorage if you would, there can be no pause until you come into port.
你今天比昨天更接近你的港口了么？是的，你肯定离某个港口更近了。因为自从你的航船从生命的海洋上启航的那一刻开始，你没有哪一刻是静止的。大海如此深邃，即便你想停泊，也找不到地方；只有当你驶入自己的港口，你才能停止下来。
About Words
1. alike: adj. 相似的；相同的
e.g.
①They are much alike in character. 他们的性格很相似。
②The two sisters are very much alike. 姐妹俩长得很像。
2. existence: n. 生存，生活
e.g. ①They are battling for their existence. 他们正为生存而斗争。
3. rest: n. 休息，静止
e.g.
①What she most desired was a good rest. 她最希望的是好好休息一下。
②Having had an hour's rest,he renewed his strength. 休息了一个小时后，他恢复了精力。
4. movement: n. 运动
e.g.
①It was like an energetic movement through me.
就像一次穿过我的积极的运动。
②If you really care about starting a movement, have the courage to follow and show others how to follow.
假如你真正关心要发起一场运动，你要有勇气去跟随和向其他人展示怎样效仿。
5. tendency: n. 倾向，趋势
e.g.
①There is a tendency to externalize all religions.
存在把一切宗教都视为仅具外表形式的倾向。
②We have a tendency to think that everything is about us.
我们有一种倾向，认为任何事都要围着我们转。
6. steady: adj. 稳定的
e.g.
①Our ship began to steady again after a storm.
暴风雨过后，我们的轮船又开始变得平稳了。
7. negative: adj. 负的；阴性的
8. needle: n. 指针
9. pole: n. 电极
10. decline: vi. 下降；衰落；谢绝
e.g.
①The decline in sales embarrassed our company. 销售下降使我们公司陷于困境。
11. alternative: n. 二中择一；供替代的选择
e.g.
①What other alternative do we have? 我们有其他什么替代方法？
12. anchorage: n. 锚地
e.g.
①The ship remained in anchorage for a month. 船在锚地停了一个月。
About the Author
Henry van Dyke was an American author, educator, and clergyman, known for his works which included short stories, poems, and essays. He was an influential writer and contributed in various other fields such as religion, literature, education, diplomacy, public service, and nature.
亨利·凡·戴克，是美国作家,教育家演说家和传道士。因其著有的短篇小说、诗歌及随笔而被人们所熟知，并在宗教、文学、教育、外交等领域皆有所成就。
| 
