暑假作业当中，游记算是不好对付的一项。我们虽然已经工作多年，但仍记得在动笔时，那“哀鸿遍野”的惨烈景象：玩儿就玩儿呗，谁还会有那么多感想啊？没感想，我们只能生拉硬扯一些有的没的，这不是存心给咱添堵吗？倒也不至于。你看以前的人闲暇时间出去溜达一趟，就经常能发现点新鲜玩意儿，有的能帮他们看清一些人和事，有的甚至还能改变历史的进程。利用公休，约上几个相识一块儿去游褒禅山，原本挺高兴的。可再高兴的事，也禁不住王安石这么一通瞎琢磨。When Wang Anshi and his four companions climbed the mountain, at a flat area about halfway up, they found a secluded cave. One of them, a bold young man, suggested exploring the cave with a flaming torch. Eventually, all five gingerly entered the cave.王安石和同伴一路登山。在半山腰一处平坦的地方，同行者五人发现了一座隐蔽的山洞。一位胆大的年轻人提议不如大家手持火把进洞一寻究竟。最终，五人小心翼翼地进了山洞。Sure enough, the interior of the cave was extraordinary. As they went further in, the temperature dropped, and their torch started to burn low. Everyone began to feel anxious, and their once-bold footsteps began to falter. 果不其然，洞内的景色不同寻常。再往里走，温度变得更低了，火把也快燃烧殆尽，大家的心思有点动摇了。At this moment, a nervous young man said, "We should go back out now, otherwise we won't be able to get out. If our torch dies, we'll all be trapped in this cave." Alarmed at these words, everyone turned around, and scuttled back out of the cave. 这时，有一个胆小的年轻人提议道：“要不咱们出去吧，再不出去，火把可能要在半途中燃没了，这样大家都要被困在这洞里了。”众人听到这话，纷纷不安起来，于是掉头原路返回，不一会儿就走出了山洞。But then the following thought came to Wang Anshi: "When I heard that man's call to leave the cave, I did what the others did without even thinking. That shows that I am a coward, too. It was my fault that we turned back."王安石后来反思：“听到那个人的提议，我想都没想就跟着他照做了。说明我也是个胆小的人啊。半途而返，错在自躬。”越想越委屈，越品越恶心。
最后憋了三个月，老王实在绷不住了，把这段“痛彻心扉”的悔悟汇集成了一篇游后感《游褒禅山记》。一来宣泄一下负面情绪，二来时刻警醒自己：
I should take an independent attitude to decision-making. However, having analyzed a situation, I must always make decisions efficiently and decisively.
遇事要有主见，认准了就去搞，别墨迹，不给自己留遗憾。
说句旁的，王安石自责可能也没自责到点上：而在这趟褒禅山之行中，最应该让他惭愧的，或许另有其事。【文言文】性不好华腴，自奉至简，衣垢不浣，面垢不洗。【白话文】生性不爱锦衣玉食，践行平实朴素，衣服和脸脏了都不洗。抛开政见和人品不谈，单在个人卫生上，王安石是大宋的反面典型；再加上生活朴素，人家大概也看不上香露、香囊这些虚头巴脑的物件。是不是“顶风臭十里”咱们不知道，反正他肯定好闻不了。那么，在褒禅山洞这么一个让人摩肩接踵的狭窄场所，和王安石近距离接触的同伴们，会作何感想呢？我们有理由怀疑，建议“撤”的那位小哥，实际就是给大家和老王一个台阶下。“褒禅山事件”发生后没过几年，又有一个宋代文豪和哥们儿爬山去了，同样收获了不小的感悟。这次上山的人没这么多，就俩：一个叫章惇，另一个我们特别熟，叫苏轼。那会儿，苏轼当凤翔府判官，章惇做商州令；小哥俩都不到三十岁，耍得好、聊得来，一有闲暇就一起到处乱窜，关系挺铁。直到那次爬山，苏轼才发现了好友的另外一面。据《宋史》记载，俩人爬南山到了仙游潭，潭下是万丈绝壁深渊，只有一个独木桥通向对面。章惇撺掇苏轼在上面写个“到此一游”留个念，苏轼惜命、怂了，就没答应。章惇见状，健步走过独木桥，到了对面；然后把绳子拴树上，顺着绳子下去，用漆墨软笔在石壁上写下“苏轼、章惇来”。都说苏轼“豪放”，但跟大宋的“人猿泰山”章惇比起来，就是个小儿科。事实证明，苏轼的这个“游后感”猜对了：章惇的确是个办事不留退路的狠角色。当时，宋代朝野分成两派，一波是以“虱蚤之友”王安石为首的变法派，另一波是以“砸缸神童”司马光为代表的保守派。章惇、苏轼哥俩各站一边，逐渐就成了水火不容的政敌。章惇得势后，冲对面的保守派下了狠手，甚至提议皇帝给已故的政敌司马光开棺戮尸；至于昔日好友苏轼，则是一贬再贬，贬到了海南儋州这个天涯海角。另一方面，当年章惇为了救深陷“乌台诗案”的苏轼于死劫，也曾经置自己的政治生命于度外，不惜在皇帝面前怒怼煽风点火的当朝宰相王珪，为苏轼据理力争。能为朋友两肋插刀，也能狠到“对朋友两肋插刀”——通过出游途中的一件小事，就能看到一个人的极端性格。不得不说，苏轼这趟门，出得太值了。游记也好，日记也好，发挥空间还是挺大的：咱们可以像王安石那样，写写人世间的感悟；如果实在是没得写，也可以像庄子那样，发挥脑洞，编一出精彩的“阴间的奇遇”。说起庄子的这张嘴，可算是“人间精品”：怼过一起看鱼的惠子，怼过喜欢看“击剑”的赵王——更丧心病狂的是，在这个故事里，他连死人也不放过。这位“不幸”的死者据说是他出游去楚国的路上遇见的，都成骷髅了。正常人的话，要么绕道走，要么行个礼。可问题是，从行为上看，庄子不像是“正常人”......【英文】Tapping the skull with his horse-switch, he asked it, saying, 'Did you, Sir, did you do so, in the service of a perishing state, by the punishment of the axe? Or was it through your hard endurances of cold and hunger? Or was it that you had completed your term of life?' Having given expression to these questions, he took up the skull, and made a pillow of it when he went to sleep.【文言文】撽以马捶，因而问之曰：“夫子有亡国之事，斧钺之诛，而为此乎？将子有不善之行，愧遗父母妻子之丑，而为此乎？将子有冻馁之患，而为此乎？将子之春秋故及此乎？”于是语卒，援髑髅枕而卧。【白话文】庄子用马鞭敲打骷髅，问道：“您是死于国难呢？还是死于饥寒交迫呢？还是寿终正寝呢？”庄子说完这之后便拾起骷髅，拿回去当枕头，枕着它睡觉。”这亡魂估计也被整懵了：咋有这么贫的人啊？还这么心大，拿我脑袋当枕头？！【英文】In death there are not (the distinctions of) ruler above and minister below. There are none of the phenomena of the four seasons. Tranquil and at ease, our years are those of heaven and earth. No king in his court has greater enjoyment than we have.【文言文】死，无君于上，无臣于下，亦无四时之事，从然以天地为春秋，虽南面王乐，不能过也。【白话文】人死后，上没有国君的统治，下没有官吏的管辖，也没有四季的操劳，安逸地与天地同岁，就算是天王老子，也享不到这福。大概意思就是：“人死勿念，阴间乐，不思活也....对了，醒了之后别忘把我脑袋放回去。”但庄子不解风情，问骷髅：“我跟司命神打个招呼，让你满血满状态复活，不好么？”【英文】How should I cast away the enjoyment of my royal court, and undertake again the toils of life among mankind?
【文言文】吾安能弃南面王乐而复为人间之劳乎？
【白话文】放着天王老子的乐不享，回到人世间受苦，我图啥啊！
通过这则杜撰的游记，庄子想表达的是他对生命的感悟：生不足恋，死不足惧，拿得起、放得下，人生在世，何必那么多条框呢？
游记是假的，但感悟是真的。据说，庄子的葬礼也和那个骷髅的一个风格：以天地为棺，与日月同年，沐浴银河，托体山阿——把自己完全地交还给了自然。如果有什么心结或者难题解不开的话，也可以出去转转，蔡伦的案例告诉我们：人在河边走，一不留神，没准就能踩到“一大坨灵感”。这么说可能有点恶心，但人家蔡伦的灵感来源，的的确确可以论“坨”算的。Suddenly, something in the river caught his eye. He fished it out of the water, and began to examine it carefully.
突然，蔡伦眼前一亮，从水里捞出一样东西，捧在手里仔细地端详起来。Thinking that he had found a jewel, Cai Lun's colleagues crowded round him. When they looked carefully, they saw that what Cai Lun had in his hands was a piece of soaking cotton fiber, dirty and decomposed – evidently a piece of refuse. But Cai Lun was excited. "I've found it! I've found it!" he exclaimed. His colleagues didn't understand what he meant. They thought that Cai Lun had gone off his head. 小太监们以为蔡伦发现了宝贝，纷纷围了上来。仔细一看，原来是一团湿乎乎像烂棉絮一样的东西，又脏又烂，真是扫兴。蔡伦却非常兴奋：“找到了，找到了！”小太监们不解，心想蔡大人八成是傻了。蔡大人也可能没傻，而是得了连天才莫扎特都会患上的异食癖。至于莫扎特“异食”什么，这儿就不科普了，否则大家谁也别想吃下饭。
当时的小太监肯定不会想到，这一坨在郊游偶然发现的秽物，竟促成了蔡伦酝酿的一盘大棋——造纸术。He chopped up and steeped them in a pond. After a period of time, when they had all formed a stable pulpy mass, he fished it out, and pounded it in a stone mortar into a paste. He then tipped this paste into another pond. He separated the layers of pulp by scooping them up on bamboo screens. When they had dried, the layers became the first proper forms of paper.
蔡伦把它们切碎，泡在大水池里。过了一段时间，其中的杂物烂掉了，而纤维不易腐烂，就保留了下来。他再把纤维原料捞起来，放进石臼捣烂成浆，把浆倒进水池，用竹帘捞起一层浆，等干燥后揭下来就变成了最原始的纸。
Following continuous improvements, paper became stronger and more attractive. The emperor was delighted, and enfeoffed Cai Lun as Lord of Longting. Thereafter, people began to call paper "Lord Cai's paper."
后经过不断改进，造出来的纸越来越结实，越来越漂亮。皇上龙颜大悦，封蔡伦为 “龙亭侯 ”，人们也把这种纸称为 “蔡侯纸 ”。
——《用英语讲中国故事》（基础级）
一次郊游的偶然发现
你看，有心，旅途中就会有所得，哪怕是细微的发现。而这些看似细微的发现，说不定还能推动人类的历史进程。不过，只要我们用心观察生活，日常就不会缺少精彩，至少能够写在日记里的真实素材，还是够用的。
