英语四级短文翻译综合
第一篇：英语四级短文翻译综合
英语短文翻译
Should I be allowed to make my own decisions?
Many teenagers have hobbies. But sometimes these hobbies can get in the way of schoolwork, and parents might worry about their child’s success at school. Teenagers often think they should be allowed to practice their hobbies as much as they want. Do you agree?
Liu Yu, a fifteen-year-old boy from Shandong, is a running star. He is on his school running team and has always wanted to be a professional athlete. However, his parents won’t allow him to train as much as he would like to. “Of course, we want to see Liu Yu achieve his dreams,” says Mr Liu, “and we know how much he loves running. That’s great, and my wife and I have watched him in every one of his races. We have nothing against running! But we do think that our son needs to be realistic. Now that he is getting older, he needs to think about what will happen if he doesn’t become a professional runner in the end.
许多青年有他们自己的爱好。 但这些爱好可能有时能在学习中用到，并且父母担心他们的儿童在学校的表现。 青少年应该去做他们所喜爱的事情， 您是否同意呢?
刘雨，从山东来的十五年男孩，是一个跑步明星。 他是在他
的学校田径队并且想当一位专业运动员。 但是，他的父母不允许他训练。 “当然，我们也希望刘雨实现他的梦想”，刘先生说， “并且我们也知道他多么热爱跑步。 那是美好的，并且我妻子和我计划了他的未来。 我们并没有反对跑步! 但我们认为我们的儿子必须接受现实。 因为他会变老，他需要考虑以后发生什么，如果他在最后不能成为冠军。
第二篇：英语励志短文翻译
打开心门拥抱生活
We often close ourselves off when traumatic events happen in our lives; instead of letting the world soften us, we let it drive us deeper into ourselves. We try to deflect the hurt and pain by pretending it doesn’t exist, but although we can try this all we want, in the end, we can’t hide from ourselves. We need to learn to open our hearts to the potentials of life and let the world soften us. 生活发生不幸时，我们常常会关上心门;世界不仅没能慰藉我们，反倒使我们更加消沉。我们假装一切仿佛都不曾发生，以此试图忘却伤痛，可就算隐藏得再好，最终也还是骗不了自己。既然如此，何不尝试打开心门，拥抱生活中的各种可能，让世界感化我们呢?
Whenever we start to let our fears and seriousness get the best of us, we should take a step back and re-evaluate our behavior. The items listed below are six ways you can open your heart more fully and completely. 当恐惧与焦虑来袭时，我们应该退后一步，重新反思自己的言行。下面六个方法有助于你更完满透彻地敞开心扉。 1. Breathe into pain 直面痛苦
Whenever a painful situation arises in your life, try to embrace it instead of running away or trying to mask the hurt. When the sadness strikes, take a deep breath and lean into it. When we run away from sadness that’s unfolding in our lives, it gets stronger and more real. We take an emotion that’s fleeting and make it a solid event, instead of something that passes through us.
当生活中出现痛苦的事情时，别再逃跑或隐藏痛苦，试着拥抱它吧;当悲伤来袭时，试着深呼吸，然后直面它。如果我们一味逃避生活中的悲伤，悲伤只会变得更强烈更真实——悲伤原本只是稍纵即逝的情绪，我们却固执地耿耿于怀。
By utilizing our breath we soften our experiences. If we dam them up, our lives will stagnate, but when we keep them flowing, we allow more newness and greater experiences to blossom. 深呼吸能减缓我们的感受。屏住呼吸，生活停滞;呼出呼吸，更多新奇与经历又将拉开序幕。
2. Embrace the uncomfortable 拥抱不安
We all know what that twinge of anxiety feels like. We know how fear feels in our bodies: the tension in our necks, the tightness in our stomachs, etc. We can practice leaning into these feelings of discomfort and let them show us where we need to go. 我们都经历过焦灼的煎熬感，也都感受过恐惧造成的生理反应：脖子僵硬、胃酸翻腾。其实，我们有能力面对这些痛苦的感受，从中领悟到出路。
The initial impulse is to run away — to try and suppress these feelings by not acknowledging them. When we do this, we close ourselves off to the parts of our lives that we need to experience most. The next time you have this feeling of being truly uncomfortable, do yourself a favor and lean into the feeling. Act in spite of the fear. 我们的第一反应总是逃避——以为否认不安情绪的存在就能万事大吉，可这也恰好妨碍了我们经历最需要的生活体验。下次感到不安时，不管有多害怕，也请试着勇敢面对吧。
3. Ask your heart what it wants 倾听内心
We’re often confused at the next step to take, making pros and cons lists until our eyes bleed and our brains are sore. Instead of always taking this approach, what if we engaged a new part of ourselves that isn’t usually involved in the decision making process? 我们常对未来犹疑不定，反复考虑利弊直到身心俱疲。与其一味顾虑重重，不如从局外人的角度看待决策之事。
I know we’ve all felt decisions or actions that we had to take simply due to our “gut” impulses: when asked, we can’t explain the reasons behind doing so — just a deep knowing that it had to get done. This instinct is the part of ourselves we’re approaching for answers. 其实很多决定或行动都是我们一念之间的结果：要是追问原因的话，恐怕我们自己也道不清说不明，只是感到直觉如此罢了。而这种直觉恰好是我们探索结果的潜在自我。
To start this process, take few deep breaths then ask, “Heart, what decision should I make here? What action feels the most right?” 开始前先做几次深呼吸，问自己：“内心认为该做什么样的决定呢?觉得采取哪个方案最恰当?”
See what comes up, then engage and evaluate the outcome. 看看自己的内心反应如何，然后全力以赴、静待结果吧。
第三篇：大学英语3课后短文翻译
Unit 1 十年之前，南希做了许许多多美国人梦寐以求的事。她辞去了经理职位，在邻近地区开了一家家用器具商店。像南希那样的人作出这种决定主要是想改善生活质量。
然而，经营小本生意绝非易事，在失去稳定的收入后，南希不得不削减日常开支。有时候她甚至没有钱支付她所需要的种种保险的费用。
幸运的是，通过自己的努力，她已经度过了最困难的时期，她决心继续追求她所向往的更加美好的生活。
A decade ago, Nancy did what so many Americans dream about. She quit an executive position and set up a household device store in her neighborhood. People like Nancy made the decision primarily for the improvement in the quality of their lives. But, to run a business on a small scale is by no means an easy job. Without her steady income, Nancy had to cut back on her daily expenses. Sometimes she did not even have the money to pay the premiums for the various kinds of insurance she needed. Fortunately, through her own hard work, she has now got through the most difficult time. She is determined to continue pursuing her vision of a better life.
Unit 2 亨森获得自由后不久就一心帮助逃亡奴隶，他几次偷偷地从加拿大回到美国帮助其他奴隶通过地下铁路获得自由。有一次在逃跑时，亨森和几个逃跑的奴隶被捕捉奴隶的人包围。他将逃跑的奴隶乔装打扮一番，成功地躲避了追捕。后来他在加拿大的德累斯顿为逃跑的奴隶建造一个居住小区，并建造了教堂和学校。他坚信奴隶制度终将废除，种族歧视消失的那一天一定会到来。
Shortly after Henson achieved freedom he became intent on assisting fugitive slaves. He secretly returned to the United States from Canada several times to help others to travel the Underground Railroad to freedom. Once, some slave catchers closed in on the escaping slaves and Henson when they were on the run. He disguised them and successfully avoided capture. Later he built a small settlement in Dresden, Canada for escaped slaves, setting up a chapel and a school. He held to the conviction that slavery would be abolished, and the day was bound to come when racial discrimination no longer existed.
Unit 3 人们几乎无法将蓄意行窃的盗贼拒之门外。所能做的只是没法阻拦他片刻，从而使其暴露在巡警面前。常识告诉我们，光照是犯罪行为的障碍物。家门口必须安装一盏灯，并在晚间开着。如果你碰巧是最晚一个回家，别只关门而不上锁。如果你决定购买精密的电子报警系统，别忘了索要报警器的标志，并把它们张贴在窗户和门上。此外，你还可以将报警系统连接到警署。
It is almost impossible to keep a determined burglar out. All you can do is discouraging him for a few minutes, thus exposing him to police patrols. Common sense tells us that lighting is a barrier to criminal activity. A light should be fixed in the doorway and switched on at night. Assure yourself that you don’t leave the door on the latch if you happen to be the last to come in. If you decide to buy a sophisticated electronic alarm system, be sure to ask for its signs and put them up on both windows and doors. In addition you may have it hooked up to a police station.
Unit 4 2005年最不寻常的事也许是联合国宣布这一年为世界物理学年，这一年是爱因斯坦发表相对论100周年，也是他去世50周年。1905年爱因斯坦发表五篇科学史上非常重要的论文，从而使物理学发生突破性进展。他的伟大成就可归于他令人惊叹的想象力、不断质疑和对权威的表现。毫无疑问，爱因斯坦是20世纪最伟大的科学家。 What was remarkable about 2005 was perhaps that the UN declared it “The World Year of Physics”. It was the 100th anniversary of Einstein’s theory of relativity and the 50th anniversary of his death. In 1905, Einstein published five highly important essays in the history of science, thus revolutionizing physics. His great achievements can be credited to his impressive powers of imagination, constant questioning, and not giving a fig for authority. It is beyond doubt that Einstein was the greatest scientist in the 20th century.
Unit 5 在感恩节的氛围中，乔治沉浸于阅读他父亲留给他的日记，他的父亲在连续两次完成环球旅行后在海上去世。这份日记使他回忆起自己与父亲一起度过的每一刻以及父亲为他所做的许多具体事情。乔治的父亲过去经常向他强调必须经历各种艰难困苦去追求卓越，即使今天，他依然记得父亲如何引用伊索名言来教导他要把懂得感激放在最重要的位置上。
Amid the atmosphere of Thanksgiving George was immersed in the diary left to him by his father, who died at sea after he completed two successive trips around the world. The diary brought back every moment George had spent with his father and many of the specific things his father did on his behalf. George’s father used to impress on him the need to undergo all kinds of hardship in quest of excellence. Even today, George still remembers how his father would quote Aesop’s famous saying “Gratitude is the sign of noble souls” and tell him to accord the greatest importance to it.
Unit 6 我们到处都能看到“抢眼”的青年艺术家。他们要么一年四季都穿着破旧的牛仔裤;要么大冬天也打着赤脚;要么饮酒过度;要么就是抱着创作一部杰作的幻想，实际上并不做任何创作的事。其实，他们中的很多人只不过是为了看上去像名艺术家，或是为了同其他艺术家“保持一致”才这么做的。他们忘了，只有通过不懈的努力才能获得成功。
Here and there we see young artists who stand out from other people. They may be in worn-out jeans all the year round, or walk in bare feet even in winter, or drink to excess, or cling to the fancy of creating a masterpiece without actually doing any creative work. In fact, many of them act like this just to look the part, or to be "in tunes with" other artists. They have forgotten that only through persistent effort can one achieve success.
Unit 7 汤姆生来跛足，有一条腿不管用。他很小的时候起就懂得，除非他努力摆脱自身的局限，他是无力谋生的;而除非他能独立谋生，他就不可能得到他人的尊敬。这是他要赢得做人的尊严必须付出的代价。
汤姆申请过许多工作，都遭到拒绝，最后他找到一份为必胜客送比萨饼的工作。后来他又到一个没有人想去的推销区做一家运动服装公司的销售代表。现在，他在他的家乡拥有一家颇为盈利的零售商店，还雇用了好几个人为他工作。
Tom was born a cripple, with one of his lower limbs useless. Early in his childhood, he learned that unless he so exerted himself as to rise above his limitations, he could not earn a living, and unless he succeeded in making a living on his own, he could not win/gain the respect of others. That was the price he had to pay for his dignity as a human being. Tom applied for numerous jobs, only to be turned down, before he finally got one as a delivery boy for a Pizza Hut. He then worked as a sales representative for a sports wear company in a territory no one else would want. Today he owns a fairly profitable retail shop in his hometown, and hires several people to work for him.
Unit 8 1997 年，苏格兰一组科学家的克隆实验使多利羊得以诞生。自那时以来，有关克隆人的激烈争论一直进行着。这一有争议的问题的焦点聚集在此项技术的伦理与社会含义上：此项技术会对人类生育、抚养孩子以及人的个性等的真正意义带来什么影响。
大多数科学家坚决反对繁殖性克隆，支持旨在治疗疾病的治疗性克隆。其理由是，治疗性的克隆技术不牵涉任何对人的生命的威胁，实际上还能为人们提供极大的缓解痛苦的可能。他们相信有适当地政策和监管以确保治疗性克隆被安全地使用，我们都能从这一过程中受益。
Dolly the sheep resulted from a cloning experiment by a group of Scottish scientists in 1997. A fierce debate on human cloning has ever since been going on. This contentious issue has focused on ethical and social implications of the technology: what the technology might do to the very meaning of human reproduction, child rearing, individuality, et cetera. The majority of scientists are adamantly opposed to reproductive cloning and support therapeutic cloning for treating diseases. The reason is that therapeutic cloning does not involve any type of risk to human life and actually provides tremendous potential for the relief of suffering in human beings. Scientists believe that with policies and monitoring in place to ensure that therapeutic cloning is used safely, we can all benefit from this procedure.
第四篇：综合英语四 翻译句子
综合英语四 翻译句子 Unit 1 1. 我安排他们在小酒吧见面，但那个小伙子一直都没有来。(Turn up) I had arranged for them to meet each other at the pub but the young man never turned up. 2. 你无法仅凭表象判断形势是否会变得对我们不利。(tell from appearance) You cannot tell merely from appearance whether things will turn out unfavorable to us or not. 3. 那个士兵每次打仗都冲锋在前，从而赢得了国家最高的荣誉。(stand in the gap) The solider, w
1. 人们正从周围农村涌进来。(flood) People were flooding in from the surrounding countryside. 2. 他的表现已经接近完美。(come close to) His performance has come close to perfection. 3. Mary 去伦敦时一路上精神恍惚。(in a daze) Mary was in a daze all the way to London. 4. 在这个山区疗养所你会找到全国最好的气候。(retreat) In this mountain retreat you can find the most favorable climate in the country. 5. 他倚在座位上，浑身放松，细细体味那份舒适。(savor) He leaned back into his seat, relaxed, savoring the comfort. 6. 让这对年轻夫妇引以为荣的是他们的孩子3岁就能背诗了。(recite…from memory) What makes this young couple proud is that their child could recite poems from memory at the age of three. 7. 他当众重复了他私下说过的话。(in public) He repeated in public what he had said in private. 8. 建立一个充满生机和爱意的家庭需要全家人的共同努力。(vibrant with) A family vibrant with life and love is to be built with the joint efforts of all its members. Unit 11 1. John的朋友都说John错了，但他坚决不承认。(stand one’s ground) John’s friends all said he was mistaken, but he stood his ground. 2. 受伤的大象向那棵树冲过去。(charge at) The wounded elephant charged at the tree with terrific violence. 3. 他回避了我们的问题，不愿告诉我们发生了什么事。(shrug off) He shrugged off our questions, unwilling to tell us what had happened. 4. 侦探在他们中发现了他长期以来所要搜捕的对象。(prey) The detective discovered among them his long-sought prey. 5. 一个美好的假日会使你精神振奋。(buck up) A find holiday will buck you up. 6. 他敬了个礼，一个转身冲出门去。(spin round) He saluted, spun round and bounced out. 7. 他一怒之下掏出枪打死了对手。(in a fit of rage) In a fit of rage, he took out a gun and shot his opponent. 8. 一有晋升的机会他就想抓住。(jump at) He would jump at any chance of getting a promotion. Unit 12 1. 我给你一周时间把你手下的人都整顿好，然后我希望一切都顺利运转。(sort out) I’ll give you a week to sort your men out, then I expect things to run smoothly. 2. 每逢我们变迁新居，总是有许多东西舍不得丢弃。(cling to) Whenever we move to a new house, we always cling to too many possessions.
3. 她非常健谈，一旦轮到她讲话，她就滔滔不绝。(in rapid succession) She is such a talkative woman that whenever she takes her turn to start talking, her words will come out in rapid succession. 4. 需要时他总会帮忙，这一点你可以相信。(reckon on) He will always help in time of need, on this you can reckon. 5. 他偷偷地把手枪塞进衣袋。(slide into) He slid his pistol into his pocket. 6. 这些噪音吵得我头昏脑胀，无法清醒地思考。(in a whirl) My mind is in a whirl with all this noise, so I cannot think clearly. 7. 那位农民把迷路的旅行者接到家里过夜。(take somebody in) The farmer took in the lost travelers for the night. 8. 他微微一笑，憧憬着一次长途旅行。(relish) He smiled, relishing the idea of a long journey. Unit 13 1. 过去日本妇女的活动更多地局限在家里。(be confined to) In the old days women in Japan were more confined to the household. 2. 这在一篇妙语连珠的发言中可是一个乏味的插曲。(sparkle with) This is a dull interlude in a speech sparkling with witticism. 3. 有些像Michael Jordan那样的篮球运动员以魔术般的技术扬名，而有些则以丑闻出名。(be renowned for) While some basketball players like Michael Jordan were renowned for their magic skills, others were notorious for their scandals. 4. 我们对他精湛的医术惊叹不已。(marvel at) We all marveled at the perfection of his medical skills. 5. 据说，原始人用石头制作一件工具要花上几个月甚至几年的时间。 (fashion) It is said that it took primitive men months or even years to fashion a single tool from stone. 6. 学生们在老师身边转来转去，想知道考试的结果。(hover) The students hovered round their teacher, hoping to hear the examination results. 7. 强烈的责任感使他接过了这项危险性很大的任务，(set…on) A strong sense of responsibility set him on taking over this hazardous task. 8. 没有谁跟你过不去，别那样想了。(get…out of one’s head) Nobody’s got anything against you at all. Get that idea out of your head. Unit 14 1. 政府不遗余力地支持我们的环保项目。(spare no effort) The government spared no effort to support our environment protection projects. 2. 她来之前对中国的历史、地理和文化一无所知。(have no knowledge of) She had no knowledge of Chinese history, geography and culture before she came to China. 3. 幼儿园里燃起的大火危及23个孩子的生命。(endanger) The fire that broke out in the kindergarten endangered 23 children’s lives. 4. 我们竭力吧Henry从那个话题上扯开，因为我们知道他会泄露机密。(head) We tried our best to head Henry off the topic, because we knew he would reveal the confidential information. 5. 演讲人洪亮的声音在大厅里回荡。(echo) The sonorous voice of the speaker is/was echoing in the hall. 6. 勤勉和忠诚有时可以弥补能力不足。(compensate for) Industry and loyalty sometimes compensate for the lack of ability. 7. 就我所知，他是从激烈的竞争中挣脱出来的少数人之一。(rat race) As far as I know, he was one of the few people who got out of the rat race. 8. 他留下了一些士兵来清除敌人的最后阵地。(clean up) He left a few soldiers behind to clean up the last battle field of the enemy.
第五篇：新职业英语·职业综合英语课文翻译
第一课 谷歌
上过互联网的人都见过谷歌，许多人要在互联网上查找某方面的信息时，他们都会去“谷歌”一下。作为全世界最有名的互联网搜索引擎，谷歌是网络业界功成名就的最好范例之一。
谷歌始于1996年1月斯坦福大学博士生拉里?佩奇的一个研究项目。为了找到一种能帮助网络用户搜索到相关网页的更好方法，佩奇设想可以通过检索网页之间的关系来实现。他认为其他网页链接最多的那些网页一定是最受欢迎的，这项技术结果看起来是成功的。
佩奇和他的合作伙伴谢尔盖?布林于1998年9月7日创建了自己的公司，并在之后的一周注册了google.com这一网址。这个搜索引擎很快声名鹊起，2000年谷歌开始在自己的网站出售广告。在投资者的热情资助下，经过几年的发展，谷歌上市了，谷歌的很多雇员一夜之间成了百万富翁。
谷歌最近收购了互联网最大的视频共享网站YouTube.com，而且每天都在不断增加一些新功能，如工具栏、邮件和广告。当然，成长与成功也带来了竞争。微软最近就试图收购雅虎以便能在互联网搜索引擎领域与谷歌抗衡。
随着公司的壮大与知名度的提高，谷歌在美国公司就业吸引力的排名也上升到第
一。他们尝试打破传统的办公室设计，努力把办公室变成员工感觉舒适、并能充分发挥自己才华的地方。
现在，谷歌已拥有YouTube、Blogger和其他一些热门网站，并且成为网络广告收入方面的领头羊。当初两个学生的一个小点子已发展成为一家拥有十亿美元资产的大公司，谷歌也成为全球最著名的商标之一。谷歌的发展史为当今的网络企业家树立了一个完美的典范，也提供了灵感。
第二课 秘书
秘书可能会有很多其他不同的头衔，例如行政助理、文员或私人助理。尽管所有这些头衔都以行政工作为主旨，但它们却反映了不同种类的秘书工作。秘书岗位十分古老，例如，古希腊和罗马的商人和政客们就曾雇用私人秘书和文员来管理他们的事务。
秘书的工作就是使办公室顺利运转。秘书的职责范围很广，依据他们所在办公室的不同而各异。就最低要求来说，秘书要处理信函，跟踪日程安排，管理文件系统，操作电话、传真机、复印机等办公设备。许多秘书还要接听电话，并将其转给适当的人员。有些秘书还要负责办公室用品的采购，他们也可能会处理预算、簿记和人事文档。秘书应当具备使用电脑和其他电子设备的经验，因为他们将处理大量的电子资料，包括往来信函。
好的秘书工作效率极高，且有条不紊。除了具备文书技能之外，他们还善于管理时间和人员。尽管他们的薪水和受尊敬的程度也许不如其他更高级别的人员，但在办公室中他们往往起着十分重要的作用。他们能预估办公室人员的需求，迅速解决问题。他们工作效率非常高，以至于许多人直到他们离开之后才意识到他们的价值所在。好的秘书还善于人际沟通。他们也非常值得信赖，可以委托他们处理机密文件，与高层管理人士打交道并应付在繁忙的办公室里经常会出现的混乱
情况。
秘书行业的就业前景通常很好，对有经验者尤其如此。许多职业学校为有意当秘书的人们提供了培训课程。这些课程包括打字、文件管理、文件归档，以及一个好的秘书在工作中所必须具备的其他技能。虽然没有这些培训要获得秘书职位也是有可能的，但这在一个越来越专业化的社会里可能非常具有挑战性。
第三课 饭桌生意经
作为商务宴请的一种形式，商务聚餐被越来越多地用于增进彼此间的信任和信心。从匆忙的早餐到“工作午餐”，从鸡尾酒会到正式的晚餐，西方人大量的商务活动都是在饭桌上进行的。
早餐会晤很少超过一个小时，带有一定的“紧迫”意味，在商务旅行中很方便安排。要加深对客人的了解，午餐则是最好的形式。当然，午餐中并不是非谈生意不可。花上45分钟或者一小时喝喝下午茶或咖啡，可以轻轻松松地谈生意。晚餐则比较正式，通常不宜谈生意，这是个彼此了解并享受相互之间交往的时刻。
商务聚餐背负着重重任务，常有可能演变为噩梦连连。如果想给人留下持久的印象，在任何此类应酬中都拿出最佳表现是非常有利的。当然，你得熟知所从事的领域，还得举止优雅，才能顺利应付这些场合。在典型的商务应酬中，你必须认真倾听，机敏问答，并满怀自信地谈论你的公司，同时表现得轻松自若、心情愉悦。
掌握良好的进餐礼仪非常管用，它能让你充满信心，相信自己可以做到举止得当。毕竟，你是要跟客人交流，而不是专注于用哪只餐叉。正确选择你面前的一堆银餐具并不像一开始看起来那么困难。一定要先取用离你餐盘最远的刀叉和汤匙，然后逐渐地向内取用。要记住一条简单的规则：液体放在右边，固体放在左边。礼貌进餐是西方人认为重要的行为准则之一。通过掌握这些技巧，你会更好地代表公司的形象，会成为一位令人愉悦的东道主，一位更受人欢迎的宾客。第四课 工业设计
我想设计一只闹钟，它带有一个移动式闹铃开关，闹铃第一次响时开关触手可及，但之后闹钟一次比一次难触碰到，于是闹钟闹个不停，直到我完全醒来。 作为工业设计师，我们的工作就是设计产品——所有批量生产的各种各样的产品，从法拉利汽车到烤面包炉，从家具到电视机。我们通过画图、素描、甚至涂鸦来构思产品，将生产厂商想象的某种产品的样子呈现给他们。
我们的职业目标之一是使产品具有吸引力。一位工业设计师草图本里的内容常常看上去就像平面化的科学狂人的实验室，满是各种各样产品的涂鸦。我们工业设计师们也用双手来进行创意，用粘土、造型泡沫这些工作室里的材料来展现产品的手感。米开朗基罗在大理石堆中“发现”了他的雕塑作品;工业设计师们在粘土堆、泡沫堆，或者偶尔在电脑软件的帮助下找到了最新款随身听的形状。不管用哪种工作材料，设计师们每次都会花上好几个小时去造型，去触摸，去把握，一遍又一遍地雕琢那些线条，不久，这些东西就会成为真正可以使用的产品，被千万个消费者触摸、把玩。当你抚摸着刚从盒子里取出的全新产品时，它的表面已经被设计师的双手和目光以这样或那样的方式抚摸和打量过成百上千次了。 我们也竭尽全力使产品不会令人生厌。有些产品外形又酷又好用——它们是一系
列会在潜移默化中提升你生活品质的奇妙物品。而另一些产品，其令人讨厌的设计几乎使其实用性变得不值一提，比如桌角伤人的咖啡桌，以及看起来像曼哈顿地图一般令人迷惑的遥控器。两类产品的区别在于其设计方式，在于其外观和手感，而造成这一切不同的正是工业设计。
第五课 国际贸易
每当我们走进商店、餐馆、剧院或者任何别的商业场所进行消费的时候，我们就在进行交易。从根本上说，国际贸易同我们在国内进行的贸易并无差别。理解贸易的关键是牢记贸易发生的原因。不管是哪里的人，他们进行贸易的理由是因为他们相信通过贸易可以获益。当我们想想另一种选择，即我们每个人都自给自足，那么贸易的意义就更容易理解了。
通过进出口可以创造出更加多样化的商品和服务，因为各个国家都可以专注于自己最有优势的产品。一个国家通过专门生产自己生产效率最高的商品，就能提高产量，就有机会来提高销量，并增加利润。更多的利润则可转化为员工更高的工资和对工厂及设备更多的投资。进出口也会为消费者提供更多廉价的商品。 我们可以用绝对优势和相对优势的经济学原理来解释贸易带来的好处。假设有一名律师和一名法律助理，如果这个律师准备案情摘要或打印信件所花费的时间比法律助理少，那么用经济学术语来说，该律师在准备案情摘要和打印信件方面都拥有“绝对优势”。如果到此为止，我们就有可能会说这个律师两件事都应该做，因为他这两方面都更在行。
按照相对优势的原理，该律师应专注于发挥其最强项——打官司，而法律助理则应专注于打印信件。如果各取所长，他们实际的工作效率会比各自都做这两项工作要高。通过专门从事各自最擅长的事情，然后以自己的产品去换取所需，双方均可获益。
通过国际贸易，不同国家得以用自己最高效生产的产品去换取别国最高效生产的产品。市场上的消费者越多，每个国家专营自己优势产品的能力就越强。需要着重强调的是，律师和法律助理都会从专业化分工和贸易中获益。同样，国际贸易对所有参与国来说都是一个双赢的局面。