{
  "title": "New Year resolutions",
  "title_zh": "新年的决心",
  "body": {
    "type": "narrative",
    "paragraphs": [
      {
        "en": "The New Year is a time for resolutions. Mentally, at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of 'dos' and 'don'ts'.",
        "zh": "新年是下决心的时候，至少在大多数人的心里会编排出一份“应做什么”和“不应做什么”的令人生畏的单子。"
      },
      {
        "en": "The same old favourites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity.",
        "zh": "相同的决心以单调的规律年复一年地出现。"
      },
      {
        "en": "We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less, find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house, be nice to people we don't like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day.",
        "zh": "我们决心每天早晨起得早些；吃得少些；多花点时间与孩子们一起做游戏；做大量的家务；对不喜欢的人友善一些；小心驾车；每天都要带着狗散步；等等。"
      },
      {
        "en": "Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment.",
        "zh": "以往的经验告诉我们有些事是办不到的。"
      },
      {
        "en": "If we remain inveterate smokers, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure.",
        "zh": "如果我们烟瘾大，戒不掉，那是因为屡戒屡败，失去了信心。"
      },
      {
        "en": "Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out.",
        "zh": "我们大多数人想自我完善却遭到失败，这是因为我们的规划过于宏大，而又根本没有时间去实施。"
      },
      {
        "en": "We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways.",
        "zh": "我们还犯有一个根本性的错误，即把我们的决心向大家宣布。这样一旦滑回到那些环的老习惯上去，我们在别人眼里会显得更加难堪。"
      },
      {
        "en": "Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself. I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercises every morning and to read more of an evening.",
        "zh": "我深知这些问题，于是，今年我对自己的计划要严加保密，只给自己定下两项适中的任务：每天早上锻炼身体，每天晚上多看点书。"
      },
      {
        "en": "An all-night party on New Year's Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying on either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year, but on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task.",
        "zh": "新年除夕举办的一次通宵晚会，使我理直气壮地在新年头一天免去了这两项任务。不过，新年第二天，我全力以赴地照着去做了。"
      },
      {
        "en": "The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up.",
        "zh": "早锻炼一共只有 11 分钟，我打算在别人起床之前进行。"
      },
      {
        "en": "The self-discipline required to drag myself out of bed eleven minutes earlier than usual was considerable.",
        "zh": "这就要求我比平日早 11 分钟把自己从床上拽起来，这种自我约束是很艰苦的。"
      },
      {
        "en": "Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living room for two days before anyone found me out.",
        "zh": "不过开头两天我还是成功地蹑手蹑脚地来到楼下起居室，被谁也没发现。"
      },
      {
        "en": "After jumping about on the carpet and twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions, I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition.",
        "zh": "我在地毯上跳过来蹦过去，扭曲身子，摆出各种姿势，弄得浑身不舒服，然后坐到桌边吃早饭，一副筋疲力尽的样子。"
      },
      {
        "en": "It was this that betrayed me.",
        "zh": "正是这副模样泄露了我的秘密。"
      },
      {
        "en": "The next morning the whole family trooped in to watch the performance.",
        "zh": "第二天早晨全家人结队来到起居室看我表演。"
      },
      {
        "en": "That was really unsettling, but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good-humouredly and soon everybody got used to the idea. However, my enthusiasm waned.",
        "zh": "这真叫人不好意思，但我心平气和地顶住了全家人的嘲笑和奚落。不久，大家对我习以为常了，而这时我的热情却减退了。"
      },
      {
        "en": "The time I spent at exercise gradually diminished. Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero.",
        "zh": "我花在锻炼上的时间逐渐减少，慢慢地从11分钟减到了零。"
      },
      {
        "en": "By January 10th, I was back to where I had started from.",
        "zh": "到了 1 月 10 日，我恢复了原来的作息时间。"
      },
      {
        "en": "I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning, I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work.",
        "zh": "我辩解说，早晨少耗费精力锻炼，晚上下班回家看书时头脑更清醒些。"
      },
      {
        "en": "Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book.",
        "zh": "有几天晚上，我极力摆脱了电视的诱惑，坐在自己房间里，两眼盯在书上。"
      },
      {
        "en": "One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read.",
        "zh": "可是，有一天夜里，我感到又冷又孤单，便来到楼下坐在电视机前假装看书。"
      },
      {
        "en": "That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to my old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen.",
        "zh": "这下我可完了，因为不一会儿，我就恢复了以前的坏习惯，在屏幕前打起瞌睡来。"
      },
      {
        "en": "I still haven't given up my resolution to do more reading.",
        "zh": "但我还没有放弃多看些书的决心。"
      },
      {
        "en": "In fact, I have just bought a book entitled How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute.",
        "zh": "事实上，我刚买来一本叫《一分钟读一千字的诀窍》的书。"
      },
      {
        "en": "Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just haven't had time to read it!",
        "zh": "也许这本书能解决我的问题，但我一直还没时间去看这本书！"
      }
    ]
  },
  "subtitles": [
    {
      "timestamp": null,
      "en": "[ti:New Year Resolutions]",
      "zh": "新年的决心"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": null,
      "en": "Lesson 50",
      "zh": "第五十课"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "00:02.79",
      "en": "New Year resolutions",
      "zh": "新年的决心"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "00:10.99",
      "en": "What marked the end of the writer's New Year resolutions?",
      "zh": "是什么导致这位作家的新年计划宣告失败呢？"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "00:16.81",
      "en": "The New Year is a time for resolutions.",
      "zh": "新年是下决心的时候，"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "00:19.91",
      "en": "Mentally, at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of 'dos' and 'don'ts'.",
      "zh": "至少在大多数人的心里会编排出一份“应做什么”和“不应做什么”的令人生畏的单子。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "00:27.54",
      "en": "The same old favourites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity.",
      "zh": "相同的决心以单调的规律年复一年地出现。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "00:34.27",
      "en": "We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less,",
      "zh": "我们决心每天早晨起得早些；吃得少些；"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "00:38.35",
      "en": "find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house,",
      "zh": "多花点时间与孩子们一起做游戏；做大量的家务；"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "00:44.12",
      "en": "be nice to people we don't like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day.",
      "zh": "对不喜欢的人友善一些；小心驾车；每天都要带着狗散步；等等。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "00:51.73",
      "en": "Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment.",
      "zh": "以往的经验告诉我们有些事是办不到的。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "00:57.86",
      "en": "If we remain inveterate smokers, it is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure.",
      "zh": "如果我们烟瘾大，戒不掉，那是因为屡戒屡败，失去了信心。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "01:07.83",
      "en": "Most of us fail in our efforts at sel-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out.",
      "zh": "我们大多数人想自我完善却遭到失败，这是因为我们的规划过于宏大，而又根本没有时间去实施。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "01:17.37",
      "en": "We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody",
      "zh": "我们还犯有一个根本性的错误，即把我们的决心向大家宣布。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "01:23.01",
      "en": "so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways.",
      "zh": "这样一旦滑回到那些环的老习惯上去，我们在别人眼里会显得更加难堪。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "01:29.20",
      "en": "Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself.",
      "zh": "我深知这些问题，于是，今年我对自己的计划要严加保密，"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "01:36.21",
      "en": "I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercises every morning and to read more of an evening.",
      "zh": "只给自己定下两项适中的任务：每天早上锻炼身体，每天晚上多看点书。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "01:46.61",
      "en": "An all-night party on New Year's Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying out either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year,",
      "zh": "新年除夕举办的一次通宵晚会，使我理直气壮地在新年头一天免去了这两项任务。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "01:57.90",
      "en": "but on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task.",
      "zh": "不过，新年第二天，我全力以赴地照着去做了。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "02:03.67",
      "en": "The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up.",
      "zh": "早锻炼一共只有 11 分钟，我打算在别人起床之前进行。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "02:13.40",
      "en": "The self-discipline required to drag myself out of bed 11 minutes earlier than usual was considerable.",
      "zh": "这就要求我比平日早 11 分钟把自己从床上拽起来，这种自我约束是很艰苦的。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "02:21.74",
      "en": "Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living room for two days before anyone found me out.",
      "zh": "不过开头两天我还是成功地蹑手蹑脚地来到楼下起居室，被谁也没发现。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "02:31.03",
      "en": "After jumping about on the carpet and twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions,",
      "zh": "我在地毯上跳过来蹦过去，扭曲身子，摆出各种姿势，弄得浑身不舒服，"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "02:37.82",
      "en": "I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition.",
      "zh": "然后坐到桌边吃早饭，一副筋疲力尽的样子。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "02:42.89",
      "en": "It was this that betrayed me.",
      "zh": "正是这副模样泄露了我的秘密。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "02:45.78",
      "en": "The next morning the whole family trooped in to watch the performance.",
      "zh": "第二天早晨全家人结队来到起居室看我表演。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "02:50.51",
      "en": "That was really unsettling but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good-humouredly and soon everybody got used to the idea.",
      "zh": "这真叫人不好意思，但我心平气和地顶住了全家人的嘲笑和奚落。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "03:00.40",
      "en": "However, my enthusiasm waned.",
      "zh": "不久，大家对我习以为常了，而这时我的热情却减退了。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "03:03.85",
      "en": "The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished.",
      "zh": "我花在锻炼上的时间逐渐减少，"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "03:07.67",
      "en": "Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero.",
      "zh": "慢慢地从11分钟减到了零。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "03:12.29",
      "en": "By January 10th, I was back to where I had started from.",
      "zh": "到了 1 月 10 日，我恢复了原来的作息时间。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "03:17.33",
      "en": "I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning,",
      "zh": "我辩解说，早晨少耗费精力锻炼，"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "03:23.54",
      "en": "I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work.",
      "zh": "晚上下班回家看书时头脑更清醒些。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "03:28.32",
      "en": "Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television,",
      "zh": "有几天晚上，我极力摆脱了电视的诱惑，"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "03:32.16",
      "en": "I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book.",
      "zh": "坐在自己房间里，两眼盯在书上。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "03:37.18",
      "en": "One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read.",
      "zh": "可是，有一天夜里，我感到又冷又孤单，便来到楼下坐在电视机前假装看书。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "03:47.05",
      "en": "That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to my old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen.",
      "zh": "这下我可完了，因为不一会儿，我就恢复了以前的坏习惯，在屏幕前打起瞌睡来。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "03:57.32",
      "en": "I still haven't given up my resolution to do more reading.",
      "zh": "但我还没有放弃多看些书的决心。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "04:01.22",
      "en": "In fact, I have just bought a book entitled How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute.",
      "zh": "事实上，我刚买来一本叫《一分钟读一千字的诀窍》的书。"
    },
    {
      "timestamp": "04:08.70",
      "en": "Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just haven't had time to read it!",
      "zh": "也许这本书能解决我的问题，但我一直还没时间去看这本书！"
    }
  ],
  "book": 3,
  "lesson": 50
}