On Peace of Mind
First listen and then answer the questions.
1. What’s the most important element of all according to the wise elder?
2. Why is it the most important element?
Once, as a young man full of exuberant fancy, I undertook to draw up a catalogue of the acknowledged “goods” of life. As other men sometimes tabulate lists of properties they own or would like to own, I set down my inventory of earthly desirables: health, love, beauty, talent, power, riches, and fame.
When my inventory was completed I proudly showed it to a wise elder who had been the mentor and spiritual model of my youth. Perhaps I was trying to impress him with my precocious wisdom. Anyway, I handed him the list. “This”, I told him confidently, “is the sum of mortal goods. Could a man possess them all, he would be as a god.”
At the corners of my friend’s old eyes, I saw wrinkles of amusement gathering in a patient net. “An excellent list,” he said, pondering it thoughtfully.” Well digested in contented and set down in not-unreasonable order. But it appears, my young friend, that you have omitted the most important element of all. You have forgotten the one ingredient, lacking which each possession becomes a hideous torment.”
“And what,” I asked, peppering my voice with truculence, “is that missing ingredient ? ”
With a pencil stub he crossed out my entire schedule. Then, having demolished my adolescent dream structure at a single stroke, he wrote down three syllables: peace of mind. “This is the gift that God reserves for His special protégés,” he said.
“Talent and beauty he gives to many. Wealth is commonplace, fame not rare. But peace of mind—that is His final guerdon of approval, the fondest insignia of His love. He bestows it charily. Most men are never blessed with it; others wait all their lives—yes, far into advanced age—for this gift to descend upon them.”
曾经，当我是一个充满了丰富幻想的年经人时，着手起草了一份被公认为人生“幸福”的目录。就像别人有时会将他们所拥有或想要拥有的财产列成表一样，我将世人希求之物列成表：健康、爱情、美丽、才智、权力、财富和名誉。
当我完成清单后，我自豪地将它交给一位睿智的长者，他曾是我少年时代的良师和精神楷模。或许我是想以此来加深他对我早熟智慧的印象。无论如何，我把单子递给了他。我充满自信地对他说：“这是人类幸福的总和。一个人若能拥有这些，就和神差不多了。”
在我的朋友老迈的眼角处，我看到了感兴趣的皱纹，汇聚成一张耐心的网。他深思熟虑后说：“是一张出色的表单，内容整理详细，记录顺序也合理。但是，我的年轻朋友，好像你忽略了最重要的一个要素。你忘了那个要素，如果缺少了它，每项财产都会变成可怕的折磨。”
我立即暴躁地逼问：“那么，我遗漏的这个要素是什么?”
他用一小段铅笔划掉我的整张表格。在一拳击碎我的少年美梦之后，他写下三个单词：心之静，“这是上帝为他特别的子民保留的礼物。”他说道。
“他赐予许多人才能和美丽。财富是平凡的，名望也不稀有，但心灵的宁静才是他允诺的最终赏赐，是他爱的最佳象征。他施予它的时候很谨慎。多数人从未享受过，有些人则等待了一生——是的，一直到高龄，才等到赏赐降临他们身上。
为了寻求心灵的宁静，人们采取了各种各样的方式，有的醉心于琴棋书画，有的退隐山野卧居，有的皈依宗教，有的整日静坐冥思。殊不知，真正的宁静在于心灵的宁静，无论退到什么地方，采用什么方式都不如进入到心灵的宁静之中。其实宁静就在我们自己的心中，我们只要去把它找到。
Ace in the Hole
Keywords and expressions
1. exuberant
作形容词：繁茂的；生气勃勃的，充溢的
例：So why did financial markets remain exuberant for so long?
但是为什么长时间来金融市场依然火爆？
2. catalogue
作名词：目录
例：Can I have a look at your catalogue?
我能看一下你们的样本目录吗？
3. omit
作动词：省略；遗漏
例：Don’t omit his name from the list.
名单上不要遗漏了他的名字。
Chunks in Practice
Listen to the following passage twice and then fill in the blanks with appropriate
words.
1. As other men sometimes tabulate _ of properties they own or would like to own, I set down my inventory of earthly desirables: health, _ , beauty, talent, _ , riches, and fame.
2. Then, having demolished my adolescent dream _ at a single stroke, he wrote down three syllables: peace of _ . "This is the gift that God reserves for His _ protégés, " he said.
3. Wealth is commonplace, fame not rare. But _ —that is His final guerdon of approval, the fondest insignia of His love. He bestows it charily. Most men are never _ it; others wait all their lives—yes, far into _ age—for this gift to descend upon them. "
