If I were a Boy Again

If I were a boy again, I would practise perseverance more often, and never give up a thing because it was hard or inconvenient. If we want light, we must conquer darkness. Perseverance can sometimes equal genius in its results. There are only two creatures, says a proverb, who can surmount the pyramids: the eagle and the snail.

If I were a boy again, I would school myself into a habit of attention; I would let nothing come between me and the subject in hand. I would remember that a good skater never tries to skate in two directions at once. The habit of attention becomes part of our life, if we begin early enough. I often hear grown-up people say, I could not fix my attention on the lecture or book, although I wished to do so, and the reason is, the habit was not formed in youth.

If I were to live my life over again, I would pay more attention to the cultivation of the memory. I would strengthen that faculty by every possible means, and on every possible occasion. It takes a little hard work at first to remember things accurately; but memory soon helps itself, and gives very little trouble. It only needs early cultivation to become a power. (214 words)

假如再回到童年

假如我再回到童年，我会更多地培养自己的毅力，决不因为事情艰难或麻烦而放弃。如果我们要光明，就得征服黑暗。就其产生的结果而言，毅力往往可以与天才相媲美。谚语中说："只有两种生物能登上金字塔--雄鹰与蜗牛。

假如我再回到童年，我会培养自己专心致志的习惯；如果手头有事，决不让任何东西使我分心。我会牢记：一位优秀的溜冰手从不试图同时滑向两个不同的方向。如果及早养成这样的习惯，它就会成为我们生命中的一部分。我常常听到成年人说，尽管我希望能集中注意力听演讲或读书，但往往做不到，其原因就是年轻时没有养成这种习惯。

假如我能重新再活一遍，我会更加注意培养自己的记忆力。我要采取一切可能的办法，在一切可能的场合，增强记忆力。要精确地记住一切事物，起初的确要费番小小的努力；但用不了多久，记乙力本身就会起作用，使其成为轻而易举的事。只需及早培养，记忆自会成为一种才能。