How books can open your mind | Lisa Bu · TED
Lisa Bu分享她如何通过阅读书籍来拓展思维并重塑人生。适合练习听力和理解个人成长与文化差异主题。
Transcriber: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast
转录者：约瑟夫·杰尼 审稿人：莫顿·巴斯
So I was trained to become a gymnast for two years in Hunan, China in the 1970s.
20世纪70年代，我在中国的湖南接受了为期两年的体操训练，为成为一名体操运动员做准备。
When I was in the first grade, the government wanted to transfer me to a school for athletes,
我上一年级的时候，政府想把我转到一所专门培养运动员的学校去。
all expenses paid.
所有费用均已支付。
But my tiger mother said, "No."
但是我的“虎妈”（指严厉、强势的母亲）说：“不行。
My parents wanted me to become an engineer like them.
我的父母希望我能够成为像他们一样的工程师。
After surviving the Cultural Revolution, they firmly believed there's only one sure way to happiness: a safe and well-paid job.
在经历了文化大革命之后，他们坚信通往幸福的唯一可靠途径就是拥有一份稳定且收入丰厚的工作。
It is not important if I like the job or not.
我是否喜欢这份工作其实并不重要。
But my dream was to become a Chinese opera singer.
但我的梦想是成为一名中国戏曲演员。
That is me playing my imaginary piano.
那就是我在弹奏我想象中的钢琴。
An opera singer must start training young to learn acrobatics, so I tried everything I could to go to opera school.
作为一名歌剧演员，必须从小就开始接受训练，以便掌握各种表演技巧（包括杂技等）。因此，我竭尽所能地想要进入歌剧学校学习。
I even wrote to the school principal and the host of a radio show.
我甚至还给学校校长以及一档广播节目的主持人写了信。
But no adults liked the idea.
但是没有一个成年人喜欢这个主意。
No adults believed I was serious.
没有一个成年人相信我是认真的。
Only my friends supported me, but they were kids, just as powerless as I was.
只有我的朋友们支持我，但他们还只是孩子，和我一样无能为力。
So at age 15, I knew I was too old to be trained.
因此，在15岁的时候，我就知道自己已经太老了，无法再接受训练了。
My dream would never come true.
我的梦想永远无法实现。
I was afraid that for the rest of my life some second-class happiness would be the best I could hope for.
我担心，在我的余生中，所谓的“二流幸福”或许会成为我能拥有的最美好的东西了。
But that's so unfair.
但那太不公平了。
So I was determined to find another calling.
因此，我下定决心要寻找另一种适合自己的职业或人生方向。
Nobody around to teach me?
周围没有人可以教我吗？
Fine.
好的。
I turned to books.
我开始通过阅读书籍来获取知识。
I satisfied my hunger for parental advice
我得到了自己想要的关于如何当父母的建议（这些建议“满足了”我对这类信息的渴望）。
from this book by a family of
这本书出自一个家庭的……（原句不完整，此处“……”表示缺少后续内容）。
writers and musicians.["Correspondence in the Family of
作家和音乐家。
Fou Lei"] I found my role model
福来”，我找到了我的榜样。
of an independent woman when Confucian tradition
在儒家传统的影响下，独立女性的形象往往被赋予特定的内涵与象征意义……
requires obedience.["Jane Eyre"] And I learned to be efficient from this book.["Cheaper by the Dozen"] And I was inspired to study abroad after reading these.
这些书籍都强调“必须服从权威”的观念（例如《简·爱》）。从《一打更便宜》这本书中，我学会了如何提高工作效率；读完这些书后，我萌生了出国留学的想法。
["Complete Works of Sanmao" (aka Echo Chan)] ["Lessons From History" by Nan Huaijin] I came to the U.S.
《三毛全集》（又名《Echo Chan》） 南怀瑾所著的《历史教训》 我来到了美国。
in 1995, so which books did I read here first?
1995年的时候……那么我最初在这里读了哪些书呢？
Books banned in China, of course.
在中国被禁的书籍，当然有很多。
"The Good Earth" is about Chinese peasant life.
《大地》这部小说描绘了中国农民的生活。
That's just not convenient for propaganda.
这对宣传工作来说实在不方便。
Got it.
明白了。
The Bible is interesting, but strange.
《圣经》很有趣，但也有些奇怪之处。
That's a topic for a different day.
这个话题留到另一天再讨论吧。
But the fifth commandment gave me an epiphany: "You shall honor your father and mother."
但第五条诫命让我有了一个重要的领悟：“当孝敬你的父母。
"Honor," I said.
荣誉，”我说。
"That's so different, and better, than obey."
这和‘服从’完全不同，也更好。