我的好妹妹The Importance of Conscience
伊萊沙·M.韋伯斯特/Elisha M.Webster
I was faced with a decision.While delivering laundry into the appropriate bedrooms, I stumbled upon my thirteen-year-old sister’s diary, a modern-day Pandora’s box, suffused with temptation.what was I to do? I had always been jealous of my little sister.Her charming smile, endearing personality and many talents threatened my place as leading lady.I competed with her tacitly and grew to resent her natural abilities.I felt it necessary to shatter her shadow with achievements of my own.As a result, we seldom spoke.I sought opportunities to criticize her and relished surpassing her acevements.Her diary lay at my feet, and I didn’t think of the result of opening it.I considered not her privacy, the morality of my actions, nor her consequential pain.I merely savored the possibility of digging up enough dirt to soil my competitor’s spotless record.I reasoned my iniquity as sisterly duty.It was my responsibility to keep a check on her activities.It would be wrong of me not to.
I tentatively plucked the book from the floor and opened it, fanning through the pages, searching for my name, convinced that I would discover scheming and slander.As I read, the blood ran from my face.It was worse than I suspected.I felt faint and slouched to the floor.There was neither conspiracy nor defamation.There was a succinct description of herself, her goals and her dreams followed by a short portrayal of the person who has inspired her most.I started to cry.
I was her hero.She admired me for my personality, my achievements and ironically, my integrity.She wanted to be like me.She had been watching me for years, quietly marveling over my choices and actions.I ceased reading, struck with the crime I had committed.I had expended so much energy into pushing her away that I had missed out on her.
I had wasted years resenting someone capable of magic—and now I had violated her trust.It was I who had lost something beautiful, and it was I who would never allow myself to do such a thing again.
Reading the earnest words my sister had written seemed to melt an icy barrier around my heart, and I longed to know her again.I was finally able to put aside the petty insecurity that kept me from her.On that fateful afternoon, as I put aside the laundry and rose to my feet, I decided to go to her—this time to experience instead of to judge, to embrace instead of to fight.After all, she was my sister.
一個抉擇現在正困擾著我。正當我把洗好的衣服分別放進相應的臥室時，我不經意地看到了妹妹的日記本。妹妹今年13歲，她的日記本就像一個現代的潘多拉盒子深深地吸引著我。我該如何是好呢？過去，妹妹一直都是我妒忌的對象。我妒忌她迷人的微笑、可愛的個性，還有她的多才多藝，因為這些都挑戰著我作為老大的地位。我私下偷偷地和她較勁，對她才能的憎恨更是與日俱增。我迫不及待地想把她的影子從我的個人成就上抹去。結果，我們平時很少說話。我尋找任何可以批評她的機會，並且急切地想要勝過她。現在，她的日記就在我的腳邊，我根本沒有考慮打開它的後果。我在意的既不是她的隱私權、我的行為道德，也不是她可能會受到的傷害。我僅僅是想從日記中發現一些罪證，來打破我的競爭者始終優秀的可能性。我把自己的壞念頭歸咎為姐姐的職責：檢查她的言行舉止是我的責任。如果盡不到義務，才是我的失誤。
我猶豫不決地撥弄了幾次地板上的日記本，最終還是打開了它。我快速地翻著書頁，尋找著我的名字，確信一定能找到相應的證據。可是當我發現自己的名字時，臉一下子漲得通紅。遠比我想象得糟糕多了。我的腦袋一陣眩暈，癱坐在了地板上。既沒有陰謀也沒有誹謗，日記中記錄的僅僅是她對自己的簡單陳述、她的人生目標和夢想，其中還有一個對她影響深遠的人。我哭了起來。
我就是她心目中的英雄。她欽佩我的個性、我的成就，更具諷刺意味的是，還有我的正直。她想把我當成楷模。原來，這些年來她一直默默地觀察我的聲音和行為。我不再讀了，結束了我的“罪行”。我花了太多的精力和她作對，而沒有去好好地了解她。
這麽多年來，我一直浪費時間來憎恨一個有魔力的人——並且現在還辜負了她對我的信任。是我自己失去了這麽美好的東西，我下定決心再也不犯這樣的錯誤。
看了妹妹日記中誠摯的語言後，裹在我心上的冰已經慢慢融化，我要重新去了解她。最終，我拋棄了那種不信任，正是它造成了我們之間的隔閡。在那個意義深遠的下午，我把洗好的衣服放在一邊，站起來準備去找她——這一次是去感受而不是責難，去擁抱而不是爭執。無論如何，她是我的妹妹啊。
(1) stumble a.having significant consequences
(2) surpassb.exceed
(3) consequential?c.the act of defaming another
(4) conspiracyd.to come unexpectedly or by chance
(5) defamation?e.plot
Write
TRUEif the statement agrees with the information
FALSE?if the statement contradicts the information
_______ (1) The sisters all behaved well all the time.
_______ (2) The elder sister treated her sister very badlly.
_______ (3) It’s no doubt that they won’t get on well in the future.
1.It was my responsibility to_________her activities.It would be wrong of me not to.
檢查她的言行舉止是我的責任。如果盡不到義務，才是我的失誤。
2.She admired me for my personality, my achievements and_________,my integrity.
她欽佩我的個性、我的成就，更具諷刺意味的是，還有我的正直。
3.Reading the earnest words my sister had written seemed to melt an icy barrier around my heart, and I_________know her again.
看了妹妹日記中誠摯的語言後，裹在我心上的冰已經慢慢融化，我要重新去了解她。
4.I was finally able to_________the petty insecurity that kept me from her.
最終，我拋棄了那種不信任，正是它造成了我們之間的隔閡。