托福阅读材料之美国总统身上的十大优点

　With the Presidential race heating up, it makes you wonder what it takes to be a President.

　　随着美国总统大选逐渐升温，你或许想知道到底怎样才能成为总统吧。

　　Are there any special qualities that are required? Is it better to know your strengths or your weaknesses? Or both? Irrespective of whether you want to run for Presidency one day, there are specific traits that every man should have. They are:

　　是不是得有某些特殊品质?是了解自己的优点好还是了解自己的缺点好呢?或者两者都应有所了解?不管将来是否竞选总统，每个人都应从中学习以下优点：

　　1. Respect for others

　　尊重他人

　　You should respect everyone, irrespectiveof their stature in the society. Then, be it the CEO of a company or a waiter at a restaurant, every human being has as much right to respect and dignity as everyone else.

　　不管人们社会地位如何，你都应该尊重每个人。公司首席执行官也好，餐馆服务员也罢，每个人都有权得到与他人平等的尊重与尊严。

　　2. Patience to wait it out

　　耐心等待

　　Patience is one of the key traits for success. It’s like fishing. You ought to be ready to wait it out, to let the fish come to you, rather than grabbing at it. If you’re patient enough, you will probably snag the biggest one in the ocean.

　　耐心是成功的关键优点之一。就好比钓鱼，你必须学会等待鱼儿上钩，而不是迫不及待乱抓一气。如果你足够耐心，说不定就能钓到的那条鱼呢。

　　3. Progressiveness

　　不断进取

　　Have an open mind. Don’t surround yourself with yes men. Always look for challenges and be ready to face them. It’s only when you are challenged enough is when you do your best.

　　要愿意听取不同意见。别让身边尽是些俯首称是的家伙。随时寻求挑战并时刻做好准备面对它们。只有当你历经足够多的挑战时，才能做到。

　　4. Passion to take it all the way

　　保持激情

　　All ideas, great ones especially, will draw criticism initially. There will be people who will just not get on board. But these are the times when you have to keep your chin up and remain enthusiastic.

　　所有想法，尤其是伟大的想法，一开始总会招来批评。总有人不那么认同你的观点。所以有时候你得昂首乐观面对。

　　5. Accept your mistakes

　　承认错误

　　Always be ready to accept your mistakes. All great men are capable of doing that. Be the bigger man and apologise for your follies.

　　随时准备承认自己的错误。所有大人物都擅于此道。做有品行的人，为自己的愚蠢道歉吧。

　　6. Compassion for others

　　心怀宽悯

　　Don’t be quick to judge others. Consider where they are coming from. If you think someone has made a statement that sounds silly, doesn’t always mean that the person is dumb. It could also mean he is not aware yet. Just give people some time before you take a call on their character.

　　不要急于评定他人。多想想他们的生活背景吧。如果你觉得某人说话很愚蠢，并不代表这人是个笨蛋，或许他只是见识不多罢了。评定他人性格前，请多花点时间相处相处。

　　7. Modesty

　　谦逊

　　No matter how rich or famous you become, always be modest. The day you stop being humble, you’d be automatically down the road that will lead to your downfall.

　　不管你多么富有出名，请永远保持谦逊。一旦你骄傲自大，必将踏上失败之路。

　　8. Involvement

　　投入

　　Whatever you do, be involved in that process. If you work in an office, know the names of everyone on your team. Keep a tab on everything that is going around you.

　　不管你做的是什么，都应该投入其中。如果你在办公室工作，应该叫得出团队里每个人的名字。給自己的活动日程做个记录吧。

　　9.Initiative

　　积极主动

　　Be someone who gets out there and gets things done. People always respect those who take initiative. Always talk about things you want to accomplish than resting on your past laurels.

　　做一个拿出行动解决问题的人。积极主动的人总能赢得他人尊重。不要总是依靠老资本，而应该多谈谈自己想要实现的目标。

　　10.Tact

　　机智老练

　　To avoid long-term damage you need to be tactful. If someone calls you an ugly name in public, you need to deal with him diplomatically without creating a scene. Avoid conflicts for as long as you can.

　　要避免长期不利局面，你应该学会老练。如果有人当众辱骂你，你应该在避免纷争的前提下妥善解决问题。请尽可能避免冲突。