二十一世纪大学英语读写基础教程学习笔记（原文）——4 - The Happiest Man in the World（世界上最幸福的人）

Unit 4 - The Happiest Man in the World（世界上最幸福的人）

One day, a man who seemed to own everything he could want suddenly felt a deep, inexplicable sadness. What's wrong with him? Did he finally regain his happiness? Here is the story...

The Happiest Man in the World

Adapted by Amy Friedman

Once upon a time there lived a man named Henry who had both land and money. He loved his wife and their strong and healthy children. In short, Henry had everything a man could want. At least that's the way it seemed to everyone who knew him.

But one morning Henry awoke from a deep sleep beneath a warm comforter, his eyes filled with tears. His heart felt heavy. "I'm unhappy," he said. For a moment he was frightened by such a feeling, but then he jumped out of bed, packed a picnic lunch and set off for a walk in the woods. He was determined to feel happy again.

Henry hiked for hours, looking at the bright blue sky, enjoying the crisp autumn day. Everyone he passed greeted him. His neighbor's dog barked hello. Another neighbor, meeting him as he returned home, handed him a freshly baked pumpkin pie, which he took home for supper.

Henry had always loved pumpkin pie, but even the pie, and his children's happy voices and the blaze of the fire in the hearth, did not lift his spirits. He fell asleep feeling unhappier than he had ever before felt in all his life.

When he woke the next morning, he was even sadder. "I must fix this," he said, and set off for the city, where he thought he would find a hundred ways to cheer himself. He purchased silver bracelets for his wife and bags of candy for his children. He bought himself a pair of the softest slippers he could find. He dined in an elegant restaurant, and ate his favorite foods. And still that night he felt a deep sadness.

Weeks passed in this way. The ripe pumpkins in the field that had once brought him joy did nothing to raise his spirits. Neither did the moonlit nights, the honking geese, the flowing streams, the fields of hay, the chatter of the children, the feel of his soft new slippers. Henry sipped hot chocolate. He ate ripe apples. He bathed in warm baths and listened to beautiful music. But nothing helped.

At last, at his wit's end, Henry went to see a wise man, and there he begged with a voice filled with misery and longing. "Sir, please tell me what I can do to find a way to lift my heavy heart. I must be cured of this terrible illness, which seems to have come from nowhere. I must find happiness."

"That which is clear to some people is sometimes hidden from others," the wise man said. "You must find the happiest man in the world. When you find him, ask him to trade his shirt for yours. Happiness will be yours once again."

Henry set off at once to find the happiest man in the world. One after another he came upon men who told him they were happy. Then Henry asked them one question: "Would you be happier if I gave you all my money?"

"Yes," each man answered.

"Then you are not the happiest man in the world," Henry said, and he went on searching.

One day as he walked through the forest, he heard someone in the distance singing the happiest song he had ever heard. He followed the sound and soon came to a woodcutter chopping logs.

"Excuse me. My name is Henry, and I am looking for the happiest man in the world," he said.

"You've come to the right man," the woodcutter said. "I'm happy as can be."

"Ah, then," Henry said, "would you like me to give you all my money?"

The woodcutter laughed. "I have no need for your money. Look at all I have," and he beckoned Henry to look at the forest—at the red and golden leaves, at the squirrels scurrying across the forest floor, at the birds perched overhead, at the deer grazing nearby.

"At last!" Henry cried. "I have been searching for you for a long time now. The wise man told me that if I exchanged shirts with the happiest man in the world, I would be cured of my illness. You see, I'm unhappy. Please, will you exchange your shirt for mine?"

The happiest man in the world looked closely at Henry, and then he began to laugh and laugh. He laughed until the forest echoed with his laughter.

When at last he quieted himself, Henry asked him, "How can you laugh at such a serious request? You see my shirt. It's made of the finest cotton, and it will be yours. All I need is to wear yours."

And then the woodcutter unbuttoned his tattered coat, and Henry saw that the happiest man in the world wasn't wearing a shirt.

"I own no shirts," the woodcutter said. "But now you know that you have the strength to seek all that you think you should have."

Henry smiled, for now he understood why the wise man had sent him on this journey. He felt his heart became light once more.

参考资料：

21世纪大学英语读写基础教程 Unit04_大学教材听力 - 可可英语

二十一世纪大学英语读写基础教程学习笔记（原文）——4 - The Happiest Man in the World（世界上最幸福的人）相关推荐

二十一世纪大学英语读写基础教程学习笔记（原文）——5 - Shipwrecked in Antarctica（沉船南极洲）
Unit 5 - Shipwrecked in Antarctica(沉船南极洲) Ernest Shackleton made many great achievements in his life ...
二十一世纪大学英语读写基础教程学习笔记（原文）——10 - The Future（未来）
Unit 10 - The Future(未来) What will our future be like? What might happen in the year 2144? How far c ...
二十一世纪大学英语读写基础教程学习笔记（原文）——2 - It‘s a New Day（新的一天）
Unit 2 - It's a New Day!(新的一天) In the following text, the writer tells us how we can manage to face ...
二十一世纪大学英语读写基础教程学习笔记（原文）——8 - Young and in Love（超年轻恋人）
Unit 8 - Young and in Love(超年轻恋人) When a seven-year-old boy declared that he had fallen in love with ...
二十一世纪大学英语读写基础教程学习笔记（原文）——9 - In Defense of a Simple Christmas（过个简单的圣诞节）
Unit 9 - In Defense of a Simple Christmas(过个简单的圣诞节) In the USA, Christmas has long been characterize ...
二十一世纪大学英语读写教程学习笔记（原文）——8 - Foreword（比尔盖茨《未来之路》前言）
Unit 8 - Foreword(比尔盖茨<未来之路>前言) Foreword Bill Gates The past twenty years have been an incredi ...
二十一世纪大学英语读写教程（第二册）学习笔记（原文）——8 - Unwritten Rules（不成文的规矩）
Unit 8 - Unwritten Rules(不成文的规矩) Unwritten Rules Bob Greene The restaurant was almost full. A steady ...
二十一世纪大学英语读写教程（第四册）学习笔记（原文）——1 - Who Is Great?（谁是伟人？）
Unit 1 - Who Is Great?(谁是伟人?) Who Is Great? Michael Ryan As a young boy, Albert Einstein did so poor ...
二十一世纪大学英语读写教程（第三册）学习笔记（原文）——6 - Every 23 Minutes（每隔二十三分钟）
Unit 6 - Every 23 Minutes(每隔二十三分钟) Every 23 Minutes Linda Weltner My husband and I went to a funeral ...
二十一世纪大学英语读写教程（第三册）学习笔记（原文）——8 - The Highs of Low Technology（“低”科技的优点）
Unit 8 - The Highs of Low Technology("低"科技的优点) The Highs of Low Technology Johanne Mednick ...

二十一世纪大学英语读写基础教程学习笔记（原文）——4 - The Happiest Man in the World（世界上最幸福的人）

Unit 4 - The Happiest Man in the World（世界上最幸福的人）

二十一世纪大学英语读写基础教程学习笔记（原文）——4 - The Happiest Man in the World（世界上最幸福的人）相关推荐

最新文章

热门文章