?Don’t wait!

By Kevin Ngo/郭玉章（譯）

◆語篇導讀

人生如一重大工程，定有截止期限！每日，每周，每月，每年，你皆有機會發奮拼搏。若有想做的事，請立即行動起來！現在還不晚！

Although people might not always feel like it,life is so short.It probably wouldn’t mean much or be worth much if it lasted forever.Because it’s so short,with the limited time that you have,I recommend creating something worthwhile,and if you dare,something amazing.

Think of your life as a major project,with a deadline.Every day,every week,month and year,you get the opportunity to either work on improving it,piece by piece,one section at a time or you can sit back and watch it corrode away.

That’s life.At some point,you have to be improving just to stay where you are.

At the end of it all,you will get to look at your project in its entirety,the life you’ve created,and how you will feel will depend on how good of a job you think you did compared to whatever standard you live by.

Regardless of the outcome,will you be satisfied knowing you did what you could or will you be filled with regret knowing you could have easily done a better job?

Life is too short to delay getting started.Forget New Years or your next birthday or whatever life event you’re waiting to occur.If there is something you want to do,to create,to experience in this life,start doing it NOW because whatever it is you’re waiting to happen before beginning might not ever happen.Then what?Squander your life away just waiting and waiting?

The deadline for this project is unknown.It can be due at ANY moment.So for the love of life,stop waiting and get started!

◆詞語積淀

recommend/,rek?'mend/vt.推薦；勸告

corrode away 腐蝕；腐朽

entirety/In'taI?r?ti/n.整體；全部

regardless of不管；不顧

occur/?'kз?(r)/v.發生；存在于

squander/'skw?nd?(r)/v.揮霍；浪費

due/dju:/adj.到期的；預定到達的

◆典句賞析

1.Because it’s so short,with the limited time that you have,I recommend creating something worthwhile,and if you dare,something amazing.正因人生短暫，時日有限，世人自當勇創自身價值，如若足夠果敢，那就爭創奇跡。

because引導了一個原因狀語從句，that引導的是定語從句，修飾time，if引導的是條件狀語從句，并列連詞and將前后兩個復合句結構并列連接起來。

【即時嘗試】如果你愿意，他正好又有空，你一定要好好抓住機會跟他學學英語。

2.Regardless of the outcome,will you be satisfied knowing you did what you could or will you be filled with regret knowing you could have easily done a better job?無論結果如何，你是否知曉己生已盡全力，自有滿意無憾；又或若，盡知本可大有作為，卻落得后悔不迭？

or并列了兩個由will you引起的一般疑問句，每個疑問句后面的現在分詞knowing短語構成狀語結構。在第一個knowing結構里，“what you could”作did的賓語。在第二個knowing結構里，“you could have easily done a better job”用作knowing的賓語；regardless of是常見的搭配形式，意為“無論……如何”，用作整個句子的狀語。

【即時嘗試】他不顧危險地爬上了山。

3.If there is something you want to do,to create,to experience in this life,start doing it NOW because whatever it is you’re waiting to happen before beginning might not ever happen.你若有所愿，所創，所欲經歷，當下即做；無論何事，盡自期盼久久，若無行動，自難發生！

if引導的是條件狀語從句，because引導了一個原因狀語從句，whatever引導了一個讓步狀語從句。除此之外，這個句子還使用了to do、to create、to experience這樣的排比結構。

【即時嘗試】如果你想說一口流利的英語，你就張口大聲說。

譯文助讀

盡管人們可能不總這樣感覺到，人生卻如此短暫。倘若人生持久永恒，生命的意義將變得淺薄，價值寥寥。正因人生短暫，時日有限，世人自當勇創自身價值，如若足夠果敢，那就爭創奇跡。

設想把你的人生設想成一項有截止期限的重大工程！每日，每周，每月，每年，你都有機會發奮拼搏，一次一點，點點滴滴，日臻完善；君亦可退而后坐，靜看人生腐朽！

這就是生活。每至重要時刻，雖欲停留原地，你亦需拼盡全力！

人生一日走盡，回首觀覽生命全景，你生所創，你生所感，盡決于你生標準之上，你之再創造。

無論結果如何，你是否知曉己生已盡全力，自有滿意無憾；又或者，盡知本可大有作為，卻落得后悔不迭？

人生苦短，自難推延啟動。忘記新年狂歡，生日慶典，抑或殷殷期盼之人生諸多大事。你若有所愿，所創，所欲經歷，當下即做；無論何事，盡自期盼久久，若無行動，自難發生！你將奈何？揮霍人生，盡自等待？

人生終期，難以知曉，隨時可至，無時不可。大愛人生，立即行動！