Real Meaning of Peace
Guidance for Reciting
You cannot maintain a high aspiration without living a ****** life and you cannot achieve an ambitious goal without keeping a serene mind.
There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. But only two to his taste：one was of a calm lake like a mirror，towering mountains around. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds；the other one had mountains，too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky，rain falling and lightning playing. Down the side tumbled a foaming waterfall，a tiny bush growing in a crack where a mother bird had built her nest. The king gave the prize to the second picture and explained，“Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise，trouble，or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace.”
Notes
1.fluffy [5flQfi] a. 毛茸茸的，蓬松的
2.rugged [5rQgid] a. 高低不平的，崎岖的，粗糙的
3.tumble [5tQmbl] v. 翻倒，滚动
宁静的真谛
诵读导言
非淡泊无以明志，非宁静无以致远。
从
前有个国王，悬赏能作出一幅完美的展现宁静画面的画家。有许多画家都尝试了，但只有两幅合他的胃口。一幅画中是一片宁静的湖泊，四周群山环绕，而湖泊就是一面完美的镜子。上方是蓝蓝的天空，绵绵的白云。另一幅画也有山峰，不过它们崎岖、突兀。上面是乌云密布的天空，而且狂风骤雨、闪电雷鸣，一条白色的瀑布从山的一侧倾泻下来，在岩石的裂隙中却长着一棵小小的灌木，还有鸟妈妈正在建筑她的巢穴。国王最终把奖励给了第二幅画。他说：“宁静并不是指在这个地方没有喧嚣，没有烦扰，没有艰难的劳动。宁静意味着即使所有这些因素都存在于你的周围，你依旧拥有一颗宁静的心。这才是宁静的真谛。”