Catch of a Lifetime
Understand these new words before you read this article.
1. bass['beis] n. 鲈鱼
2. lure[lu?] n. 诱饵
3. ripple['ripl] n. 涟漪
4. gill [d??l] n. 鱼鳃
5. negotiable[ni'g?u?i?bl] adj. 可以协商的
6. be supposed to 应该
He was 11 years old and went fishing every chance he got from the dock at his family’s cabin on an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake.
On the day before the bass season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching sunfish and perch with worms. Then he tied on a small silver lure and practiced casting. The lure struck the water and caused colored ripples in the sunset, then silver ripples as the moon rose over the lake.
When his peapoledoubled over, he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully worked the fish alongside the dock.
Finally, he very gingerly lifted the exhausted fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish, gills playing back and forth in the moonlight. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 P.M.—two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy.
“You’ll have to put it back, son.” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy.
“There will be other fish.” said his father.
“Not as big as this one.” cried the boy.
He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could tell by the clarity of his father’s voice that the decision was not negotiable. He slowly worked the hook out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the black water.
The creature swished its powerful body and disappeared. The boy suspected that he would never again see such a great fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect in New York City. His father’s cabin is still there on the island in the middle of the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing from the same dock.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a magnificent fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see that same fish again and again—every time he comes up against a question of ethics.
For, as his father taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult. Do we do right when no one is looking? Do we refuse to cut corners to get the design in on time? Or refuse to trade stocks based on information that we know we aren’t supposed to have?
We would if we were taught to put the fish back when we were young. For we would have learned the truth.The decision to do right lives fresh and fragrant in our memory. It is a story we will proudly tell our friends and grandchildren. Not about how we had a chance to beat the system and took it, but about how we did the right thing and were forever strengthened.
他11岁那年，一有机会就到新汉普郡湖心岛上自家小屋的码头钓鱼。
在鲈鱼季节到来的前一天，他和父亲晚上很早就开始准备了。他们用小虫做诱饵来钓太阳鱼和鲈鱼。他在银色的鱼钩上放好诱饵，开始练习抛线。鱼钩撞到水面上，在夕阳中荡起一片色彩斑澜的水波。接着，当月亮升起来时，水波就变得银光闪闪。
当他的鱼杆弯下去的时候，他知道线的那一端一定钓到了一条大鱼。他灵巧地在码头边沿和那条大鱼周旋。父亲用充满赞赏的眼神看着他。
最后，他很小心地将那条筋疲力尽的鱼从水里拉了出来。这可是他所见过的最大的一条鱼，而且还是一条鲈鱼。
男孩和他的父亲凝视着这条漂亮的鱼，它的鳃在月光下一张一翕。父亲点亮一根火柴，看了—下表。现在是晚上十点——离鲈鱼季节的开放还有两个小时。他看了看鱼，又看了看那个男孩。
“你要把它再放回去，儿子。”他说。
“爸爸!”男孩喊。
“还会有其他鱼的。”父亲说。
“但肯定不会有这样大的。”男孩喊道。
他看了看湖的周围，月光笼罩下，没有其他渔民或船只。他再一次看着父亲。尽管并没有人看着他们，也没有人知道他们是什么时候钓到鱼的，但从父亲那坚定的声音中，男孩知道这个决定是不可更改的。他慢慢地将鱼钩从大鲈鱼的唇上拿下来，然后蹲下去把那条鱼放回水里。
那条鱼摆了摆强健的身子，消失在水里。男孩怀疑他再也不可能看到那么大的鱼了。
那件事已经过去三十四年了。而今，那个男孩已经成为纽约城里一位成功的建筑师。他父亲的小屋仍然矗立于湖心岛上。他也曾带着自己的儿子和女儿回到那个码头去钓鱼。
他当时的猜想是对的。他再也没有见过那么大的鱼，大得像很久以前的那天晚上所钓到的那条鱼。但是，在他每次面对道德问题时，那条大鱼总会浮现在他的眼前。
因为正如父亲告诉他的那样，道德是简单的对和错的问题，但困难的是付诸行动。在旁侧无人时，我们能否仍然正当行事?我们是否会拒绝为了按时完成设计而草率了事？或者在明知不应该的情况下，根据不该得知的信息买卖公司股票呢？
当我们年轻的时候，如果有人让我们把鱼放回去，我们就会那样去做，因为我们从中将学到真理。选择去做正确事情的决定将在我们的记忆里变得深刻而清晰。我们可以把这个故事自豪地讲给朋友和后辈听。这不是关于如何攻击某种体制并战胜它，而是关于如何去做正确的事情，从而变得更加坚强有力。
有人对道德不屑一顾，有人认为道德不值一文，但道德的价值只有在失去后才能显示出来。一个人赢得道德，才会赢得尊重，赢得生命的价值。道德是简单的对和错的问题，但要付诸行动却很难。在没人注意的时候，我们是否仍能如终如一，一丝不苟。
Seize Your Time
According to the speech, match each of the following verbs with its meaning.
(1)strike a. to have an idea that sth is probably true or likely to happen
(2)swish b. to hit sb/sth hard or with force
(3)suspect c. to think or believe that sth is true or possible
(4)suppose d. to move quickly through the air in a way that makes a soft sound
Practicing for Better Learning
Do the following statements agree with the information in the reading text?
Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
______ (1) Someone saw the boy catch a bass at that night, so he had to set it free.
______ (2) When the boy grew up, he had caught a bigger fish again in the lake.
______ (3) The man once took his own children to fish at the same dock.
Now a Try
What would you do when you face the lure of profit?
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