Understanding ideas

Like Father, Like Son

有其父必有其子

(The living room. Friday night. A table and two chairs at front centre. Grandfather and Father, seated at the table, are playing chess.)

(起居室。周五晚上。舞台正前方有一张桌子和两把椅子。祖父和父亲正坐在桌边下棋。)

Grandfather：And…I win！

祖父：嗯……我赢了！

(Son enters room.)

(儿子进入房间。)

Father：Not again! Oh look, here comes my boy. How are you, son?

父亲：怎么又输了！哟，我的孩子来了。最近怎么样啊，儿子？

Son：(nervously approaching the table) Erm… Dad, can we talk?

儿子：(小心翼翼地走近桌子)呃……爸爸，我们能聊聊吗？

Father：Sure! You know you can always turn to your dad for a chat.

父亲：当然！你随时都可以找你老爸聊天啊。

Son：OK. Here it is. I’ve decided not to go to university. I want to focus on my band and have a career in music when I leave school.

儿子：好吧。是这样，我决定不上大学了。我想专注搞我的乐队，毕业后走音乐这条路。

Father：(raising his voice in surprise) You can’t be serious! What about your future career as a lawyer？！

父亲：(惊讶地提高声音说)你是在开玩笑吧！你不准备做律师了吗？！

Son：I knew you’d say that. You just assume I want to be a lawyer, but that’s only because you are a lawyer.

儿子：我就知道您会这么说。您以为我想当律师，可那只是因为您自己是律师。

Father：What’s wrong with being a lawyer? Lawyers help people and are respected by others.

父亲：当律师有什么不好？律师帮助别人，还受人尊重。

Son：Yes, but I’m not interested in law. I want to work in a studio, not a court.

儿子：的确，但我对法律不感兴趣。我想在录音棚里工作，而不是在法院工作。

Grandfather：(looking at Father) Calm down. OK?

祖父：(看着父亲)先冷静一下，好吗？

Father：(ignoring Grandfather’s words) Stop daydreaming ! Playing in a band is not a job.

父亲：(无视祖父的话)别再做白日梦了！搞乐队根本不是份工作。

Son：Of course it is! The music industry is developing fast now. Making music is a job.

儿子：当然是！现在音乐产业发展得很快。做音乐是一份工作。

Grandfather：(stepping between Father and Son and raising his voice) Hey! I told you to calm down, both of you!

祖父：(走到父亲和儿子中间，提高嗓门)嘿！我说了冷静一下，你们俩！

Father：But I told him to study something useful at university!

父亲：可我也说了他得去上大学，学些有用的东西！

Grandfather：(laughing) Easy, son! I remember when you were his age, you said that you wanted to be a professional football player.

祖父：(笑)别生气，儿子！我记得你像他这么大的时候，你说你想成为一名职业足球运动员。

Father：And you wanted me to be an engineer!

父亲：可您想让我做工程师！

Grandfather：I just wanted you to be happy, and an engineer—a happy engineer.

祖父：我只是希望你能快乐，而且能当一名工程师——一名快乐的工程师。

Father：But in the end, you just advised me to think carefully.

父亲：但最后您是建议我认真考虑。

Grandfather：Yes, and you have found the career that suits your talents. I’m so proud of you. Your son is proud of you, too.

祖父：是的，而且你找到了能发挥你天赋的职业。我真为你感到骄傲。你儿子也为你感到骄傲。

Son：Of course I am, but I have different talents.

儿子：没错，但我的天赋不一样。

Grandfather：(turning to Son) Why don’t you also take my advice and think carefully before jumping in with both feet?

祖父：(对儿子说)要不然你也按照我说的，三思而后行？

Son：Well, I could try…

儿子：好吧，我可以试试……

Grandfather：If you go to university and play music at the same time, you will have two options for your future. And I’m sure playing in a band will help you make lots of new friends at university.

祖父：如果你边上大学边搞音乐，你的未来将有两种选择。而且，我相信加入乐队中能让你在大学里结交很多新朋友。

Father：Yes, lots of new lawyer friends!

父亲：是的，很多新的律师朋友！

Son：(with a sigh) Dad…

儿子：(叹了口气)爸爸……

(Curtain)

(落幕)

Developing ideas

JUST A BROTHER

只是一位兄长

It was the final part of the World Triathlon Series in Mexico. With just 700 metres to go, Alistair Brownlee was in third place and his younger brother, Jonny, was in the lead. Alistair pushed himself towards the finish line in the burning heat, but as he came round the corner, he saw his brother about to fall onto the track. Alistair had to choose—brotherly love, or a chance to win the race?

这是在墨西哥举行的世界铁人三项系列赛的最后一程。离终点只有700米，阿利斯泰尔·布朗利位列第三，他的弟弟乔尼则处于领先地位。阿利斯泰尔在燃烧的高温中奋力奔向终点，但就在他转过弯道时，却看到弟弟快要摔倒在跑道上。阿利斯泰尔必须做出选择——是要手足之情，还是要赢得比赛？

For Alistair, the choice was clear. His brother was in trouble. He had to help. Alistair ran towards Jonny, caught him and started pulling him towards the finish line. Alistair then pushed his brother over the line. The move put Jonny in second place and Alistair himself in third. It was an unexpected end to the race, but Alistair did not want to discuss it with the media. He just wanted to see his younger brother, who had been rushed to the medical area.

对阿利斯泰尔来说，如何选择显而易见。弟弟遇到麻烦了，他必须施以援手。阿利斯泰尔跑向乔尼，抓住他，并拖着他跑向终点。接着，阿利斯泰尔把他的弟弟推过终点线。这一举动使乔尼名列第二，而他自己名列第三。这是一个意料之外的结局，但阿利斯泰尔不想和媒体讨论此事。他只是想去探望被紧急送到医疗区的弟弟。

The Brownlee brothers have been doing triathlons since they were children. “Obviously, when your older brother is doing it, you think it’s a cool thing to do,” says Jonny. Alistair says that they encourage each other as much as they can when they train. Despite arguments over “stupid things” now and then, Alistair agrees that having a brother is an advantage. “Throughout my entire life, I’ve had my brother trying to beat me at everything I do. It has been an enormously positive force.”

布朗利兄弟从小就参加铁人三项。“显然，当你的哥哥参加铁人三项时，你会觉得这是一件很酷的事情。”乔尼说道。阿利斯泰尔称，他们在训练时尽可能互相鼓励对方。尽管偶尔会为一些“愚蠢的事情”争吵，阿利斯泰尔仍然觉得有个兄弟是一种优势。“在我的一生中，我弟弟总试图在各个方面打败我。这是一股非常积极的动力。”

Watched by millions, the ending to the race has divided opinions: should the brothers have been disqualified or highly praised for their actions? But for Alistair, this decision was easy to explain: “Mum wouldn’t have been happy if I’d left Jonny behind.” At that moment, he was no longer an athlete aiming for a medal—he was just a brother.