Understand these new words before you read this article.
1. sketch [sket?] v. 速寫
2. thriftiness [θriftinis] n. 茂盛，節儉
3. precarious [pri'kε?ri?s] adj. 危險的，不確定的
4. disparage [dis'p?rid?] v. 汙蔑，誹謗
5. hasty ['heisti] adj. 輕率的
6. comparatively [k?m'p?r?tivli] adv. 比較地；相當地
In order to tell what I believe, I must briefly sketch something of my personal history.
The turning point of my life was my decision to give up a promising business career and study music. My parents, although sympathetic, and sharing my love of music, disapproved of it as a profession. This was understandable in view of the family background. My grandfather had taught music for nearly forty years at Springhill College in Mobile and, though much beloved and respected in the community, earned barely enough to provide for his large family. My father often said it was only the hardheaded thriftiness of my grandmother that kept the wolf at bay. As a consequence of this example in the family, the very mention of music as a profession carried with it a picture of a precarious existence with uncertain financial rewards. My parents insisted upon college instead of a conservatory of music, and to college I went quite happily, as I remember, for although I loved my violin and spent most of my spare time practicing, I had many other interests. Before my graduation from Columbia, the family met with severe financial reverses and I felt it my duty to leave college and take a job. Thus was I launched upon a business career―which I always think of as the wasted years.
Now I do not for a moment mean to disparage, business. My whole point is that it was not for me. I went into it for money, and aside from the satisfaction of being able to help the family, money is all I got out of it. It was not enough. I felt that life was passing me by. From being merely discontented I became acutely miserable. My one ambition was to save enough to quit and go to Europe to study music. I used to get up at dawn to practice before I left for“down-town”, distracting my poor mother by bolting a hasty breakfast at the last minute. Instead of lunching with my business associates, I would seek out some cheap cafe, order a meager meal and scribble my harmony exercises. I continued to make money, and finally, bit by bit, accumulated enough to enable me to go abroad. The family being once more solvent, and my help no longer necessary, I resigned from my position and, feeling like a man released from jail, sailed for Europe. I stayed four years, worked harder than I had ever dreamed of working before and enjoyed every minute of it.
“Enjoyed”is too mild a word. I walked on air. I really lived. I was a free man and I was doing what I loved to do and what I was meant to do.
If I had stayed in business I might be a comparatively wealthy man today, but I do not believe I would have made a success of living. I would have given up all those intangibles, those inner satisfactions that money can never buy, and that are too often sacrificed when a man’s primary goal is financial Success.
When I broke away from business it was against the advice of practically all my friends and family. So conditioned are most of us to the association of success with money that the thought of giving up a good salary for an idea seemed little short of insane. If so, all I can say is“Gee, it’s great to be crazy.”
Money is a wonderful thing, but it is possible to pay too high a price for it.
我必須先對自己的經曆作個簡短的介紹，以便說明我的信仰。
放棄前途遠大的商業生涯，轉而學習音樂，這成為了我人生的轉折點。雖然我的父母和我一樣熱愛音樂，但他們不同意我以音樂為生。從我的家庭背景來看，這一點是可以理解的。我
的祖父在莫比爾的斯普林希爾學院從事了長達40年的音樂教學，雖然深受全院師生的喜愛與尊敬，但微薄的收入僅能勉強維持一家人的生活。父親常說，如果不是祖母精打細算，勤儉持家，一家人早就喝西北風了。結果便是，在我們的家裏，隻要提及音樂這個職業，大家的眼前就會浮現出那種收入朝不保夕的苦日子。父母不讓我上音樂學院，堅持讓我上大學，於是我上了大學——我還記得自己當時很開心，因為我雖然熱愛小提琴，並將大部分業餘時間用來練琴，但我對其他許多事也很感興趣。
在我從哥倫比亞大學畢業之前，家中出現了經濟危機，我覺得自己有責任退學找工作。於是，我投身商界，不過我總覺得那些日子簡直是在浪費生命。
我並不是在貶低經商，而是在說它並不適合我。我經商是為了賺錢，除了貼補家用為我帶來一點滿足感之外，我所能得到的一切就是錢。但這並不夠。我覺得時光正從我的身邊溜走。對職業的不滿使得我痛苦不堪。我唯一的願望就是掙夠錢，然後辭職去歐洲學習音樂。因此，我常常早起練琴，然後去市區上班，匆忙中都來不及吃倉促準備的早餐，這使可憐的媽媽擔憂不已。我不與業務合作人共進午餐，而是找個便宜的咖啡館，隨便吃點東西，寫寫和音練習曲。我不斷地掙錢，終於，一點一點地攢夠了出國的費用。家中的經濟壓力也有所緩解，不再需要我的幫助。我放棄了商業生涯，那感覺就像剛獲釋的犯人一樣，然後我漂洋過海去了歐洲。這一去便是4年，我的學習比以前想象的還要刻苦，卻很快樂。
“快樂”還不足以形容我的心情。我變得樂不思蜀，飄飄欲仙。我感覺自己是在真正地生活。我成為了一個自由人，做著自己喜歡且注定要做的事。
如果我一直留在商界，現在也許是一個相當富有的人了，但我不覺得自己已經擁有了成功的人生。也許我會放棄所有無形的、金錢無法買到的心靈滿足，而這些正是以發財致富為基本目標所付出的代價。
我離開商界的做法，幾乎違背了所有家人及朋友的意願。因為，我們很多人都早已習慣將成功與金錢聯係在一起，並認為放棄高薪去追求理想簡直是發瘋。如果真是這樣，我隻能說：“噢，瘋狂的感覺真好。”
金錢是極好的東西，但為了金錢，我們很可能已經付出了太昂貴的代價。
我必須先對自己的經曆作個簡短的介紹，以便說明我的信仰。
放棄前途遠大的商業生涯，轉而學習音樂，這成為了我人生的轉折點。雖然我的父母和我一樣熱愛音樂，但他們不同意我以音樂為生。從我的家庭背景來看，這一點是可以理解的。我的祖父在莫比爾的斯普林希爾學院從事了長達40年的音樂教學，雖然深受全院師生的喜愛與尊敬，但微薄的收入僅能勉強維持一家人的生活。父親常說，如果不是祖母精打細算，勤儉持家，一家人早就喝西北風了。結果便是，在我們的家裏，隻要提及音樂這個職業，大家的眼前就會浮現出那種收入朝不保夕的苦日子。父母不讓我上音樂學院，堅持讓我上大學，於是我上了大學——我還記得自己當時很開心，因為我雖然熱愛小提琴，並將大部分業餘時間用來練琴，但我對其他許多事也很感興趣。
在我從哥倫比亞大學畢業之前，家中出現了經濟危機，我覺得自己有責任退學找工作。於是，我投身商界，不過我總覺得那些日子簡直是在浪費生命。
我並不是在貶低經商，而是在說它並不適合我。我經商是為了賺錢，除了貼補家用為我帶來一點滿足感之外，我所能得到的一切就是錢。但這並不夠。我覺得時光正從我的身邊溜走。對職業的不滿使得我痛苦不堪。我唯一的願望就是掙夠錢，然後辭職去歐洲學習音樂。因此，我常常早起練琴，然後去市區上班，匆忙中都來不及吃倉促準備的早餐，這使可憐的媽媽擔憂不已。我不與業務合作人共進午餐，而是找個便宜的咖啡館，隨便吃點東西，寫寫和音練習曲。我不斷地掙錢，終於，一點一點地攢夠了出國的費用。家中的經濟壓力也有所緩解，不再需要我的幫助。我放棄了商業生涯，那感覺就像剛獲釋的犯人一樣，然後我漂洋過海去了歐洲。這一去便是4年，我的學習比以前想象的還要刻苦，卻很快樂。
“快樂”還不足以形容我的心情。我變得樂不思蜀，飄飄欲仙。我感覺自己是在真正地生活。我成為了一個自由人，做著自己喜歡且注定要做的事。
如果我一直留在商界，現在也許是一個相當富有的人了，但我不覺得自己已經擁有了成功的人生。也許我會放棄所有無形的、金錢無法買到的心靈滿足，而這些正是以發財致富為基本目標所付出的代價。
我離開商界的做法，幾乎違背了所有家人及朋友的意願。因為，我們很多人都早已習慣將成功與金錢聯係在一起，並認為放棄高薪去追求理想簡直是發瘋。如果真是這樣，我隻能說：“噢，瘋狂的感覺真好。”
金錢是極好的東西，但為了金錢，我們很可能已經付出了太昂貴的代價。
金錢可以買到書籍，但買不到知識；金錢可以買到小人的心，但買不到君子的誌；金錢可以買到武器，但買不到和平；金錢可以買到黃金，但買不到光陰；錢能可以買到床，但買不到睡眠；錢能可以買到夥伴，買不到朋友；錢能可以買到權勢，買不到威望；錢能可以買到服從，買不到忠誠；錢能可以買到軀殼，買不到靈魂；錢能可以買到虛名，買不到實學；錢能可以買到金銀珠寶，買不到美。
Seize Your Time
Please fill in the blanks with the proper words according to the given sentences.
1. They lead the most ________ existence of all.
他們是人類生活中最不安定者。
2. he never missed an opportunity to________ his competitors.
他從不放棄任何機會貶低他的對手。
3. She was _______, but good-humoured ; vain, but not affected.
她性子急，但脾氣好；自負，但是並不做作。
Practicing for Better Learning
Do the following statements agree with the information in the reading text?
Write
TRUEif the statement agrees with the information
FALSEif the statement contradicts the information
_______ (1) So conditioned are some of us to the association of success with money that the thought of giving up a good salary for an idea seemed little short of insane.
_______ (2) Money is a wonderful thing, but it is possible to pay too high a price for it.