24篇魔术美文串记英语4级词汇 01.The Two Roads

（单词翻译）

It was Christmas Eve.An aged¹ man was standing² on the balcony,with uneasy,alarmed and pessimistic expression;he sighed for his miserable³ fate, and raised his sad eyes,gazed at the sparking stars in the deep blue sky. A falling star depicted⁴ a curve in the sky and disappeared,which seemed like the symbol of his life.

Then he cast them blow his floor,where a few more desperate people than him were moving towards their invitable destination--the grave.He had already expended⁵ sixty years on the way leading to it,and he had acquired nothing but agony and regret.Now his health was poor,his mind was vacant his heart was sorrowful,and his life was short of comforts.

The days of his youth appeared like dreams floating in his brain,and he recalled the strategic moment when he stood at the access to the roads--At the end of road,it was a peaseful and sunny place.It was covered with delicate flowers,fascinating bamboo forest,bunches of attractive grapes.There lived cute deer,tame lambs,and flying butterflies and echoed with the merry,sweet laughter.There were also winding⁶ tracks and hony peach trees dotted the gracefuk landscape.

At the end of the second road,it was a damp and dull cave,which was an absolute hell of great bulk.It was covered with moist ponds and marshes,nasty ditches and jungles,chilling ang thrilling jails,all aroud was emitting the stales acid flavor.There lived evil devils,giant monsters,poisonous snakes,and echoed with horrible barking of wolves.It was full of spiders, bats,frogs,damn rats,offensive bugs⁷ and other crawling insects.

He looked up to the sky and shouted aloud,"O youth,return!Return!"

And his youth did return,for all this was only a nightmare which he had on Christmas Eve.He was still youth though his faults were real;he had not yet entered the damp and dull cave,and he was still free to walk on the road which led to the peaceful and sunny land.

Those youngster,who are still wandering at the entrance of life and hesitating to choose the bright road,remenber that when years have passed and your feet are limping in the dark cave,you will cry bitterly,but in vain:"O youth,return!Oh give me back my early days!"