雅思阅读材料之人们常常后悔的20件事

Close your eyes and imagine that you’re at your own funeral—a bit morbid I know, but there’s a reason for it. Now think about what you’d like people to say about you. What kind of a life do you want to lead? People die with all kinds of regrets. Don’t be one of them.

闭上眼睛想象你是在自己的葬礼上，我知道这场景肯定是让人有些恐怖，但这其中是有原因的。现在想一想你想要和大家都说些什么。你想要过什么样的生活？人们总是带着各种遗憾后悔离开人世，不要成为带着遗憾离世的人。

1. I wish I’d cared less about what other people think

我希望我不那么在乎别人的想法

It’s only when you realise how little other people are really thinking of you (in a negative sense) that you realise how much time you spent caring and wasting energy worrying about this.

只有当你意识到别人真的很少对你有什么（消极）看法时，你才觉悟到自己浪费了太多的时间和精力在乎这件事。

2. I wish I had accomplished more

我希望我多取得一些成就

You don’t have to have won an Oscar, built up a business or run a marathon, but having small personal accomplishments is important.

并不是非获奥斯卡大奖不可，不是去干一番大事业也不是去跑马拉松，但小小的个人成就也很重要。

3. I wish I had told __ how I truly felt

我希望我说出对某事的真实感受

Even if the “one” doesn’t exist, telling someone how you truly feel will always save you from that gut wrenching “but what if…” feeling that could linger for life if you stay quiet.

即使这件事并不存在，对别人说出你的真实感受，总不至于那样揪心断肠想着“要是...” ，如果你总是保持缄默，这就等于浪费生命。

4. I wish I had stood up for myself more

我希望我多为自己发声

Sometimes, it’s too easy to think that if you go all out to please everyone you’ll be liked more or your partner won’t run off with anyone else. I think age probably teaches us to be nice but not at the expense of our own happiness.

有时候，我们会认为如果自己竭尽全力去讨好所有人，别人就会多喜欢你一点，你的爱人也不会跟别人跑了。这种想法太单纯了。我认为岁月很可能会教会我们：可以待人友好，但不要以以牺牲自己的幸福而作为代价。

5. I wish I had followed my passion in life

我希望我对生命抱以热忱的态度

It’s so easy to be seduced by a stable salary, a solid routine and a comfortable life, but at what expense?

往往容易被一份稳定的薪水诱惑，有规律的上下班工作，过着舒坦随心的日子，但代价是什么呢？

6. I wish our last conversation hadn’t been an argument.

我希望我们一次对话不是以一场争论结束的

Life is short, and you never really know when the last time you speak to someone you love will be. It’s these moments that really stay clear in peoples’ minds.

生命如此短暂，你真的不知道哪一刻就成了你和你深爱的人的临终对话。这样的时刻真的会给人留下清晰的印象。

7. I wish I had let my children grow up to be who they wanted to be.

我希望我把我的孩子抚养成他们想要成为的人

The realisation that love, compassion and empathy are so much more important than clashes in values or belief systems can hit home hard.

爱心、同情心和共鸣要远比利益冲突或信仰价值重要得多，这样的意识会在某一刻狠狠击中你。

8. I wish I had lived more in the moment.

我希望此刻长久一些

Watching children grow up makes you realise how short-lived and precious time really is, and as we age, many of us live less and less in the present.

看到孩子们长大成人，你会意识到生命如此短暂如此宝贵，随着年龄的增长，我们很多人的余生越来越短暂。

9. I wish I had worked less

我希望我减少工作时间

There’s always a desire to have loosened up a bit more with this one and the realisation that financial success or career accomplishment doesn’t necessarily equal a fulfilled life.

总渴望多放松一下自己，意识到经济成功或职业成就并不一定等于你拥有幸福满足的生活。

10. I wish I had travelled more

我希望我多出去旅游

It can be done at any age, with kids or not but many talk themselves out of it for all kinds of reasons such as lack of money, mortgage, children, etc. When there’s a regret, you know it could have been possible at some stage.

无论哪个年龄段的人不管有没有孩子都可以多出去旅游，但许多人却找各种各样的理由打消去旅行的想法，例如，缺钱、按揭、带孩子等。以后你可能就会后悔。