英文故事 | 道歉，有用？

英语学习笔记： temper：/ˈtempər/ n.情绪，暴躁的脾气 nails：/neɪl/ n.钉子；指甲 hammer：/ˈhæmər/ v.用锤击，n.锤子 fence：/fens/ n.栅栏，围墙 driven：/ˈdrɪvən/ v. drive的过去分词形式，（把钉子）钉进 gradually：/ˈɡrædʒuəli/ adv.逐渐地 dwindled：/ˈdwɪndl/ v.缩小，减少 pull out：从...退出，撤离 scar： /skɑːr/ n.伤疤，留下损伤痕迹 wound：/wuːnd/ n.伤口，创伤 原文对照： There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. 从前有这么一个小男孩儿，脾气很不好。他的父亲就给了他一袋钉子，然后告诉他每次他控制不了自己的脾气的时候，就必须在围墙的后面钉上一个钉子。 The first day, the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. 第一天，这个小男孩在围墙上钉上了37个钉子。在后来的几周，当他学会了控制自己的愤怒的时，每天钉的钉子的数量也渐渐地减少了。他发现控制自己的情绪比往围墙上钉钉子更容易。 Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. 终于有一天这个小男孩完全没有发脾气。他告诉了他的父亲，父亲建议他从现在开始，每当他能控制住自己的情绪一天，就拔出一个钉子。日子渐渐过去，这个小男孩终于能告诉他的父亲所有的钉子都没有了。 The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry. The wound is still there." 父亲拉起了儿子的手，带他走到了围墙边。说道：“你做的很好，孩子，但是看看围墙上的这些洞，这个围墙再也不会和从前一样 了。你在愤怒时说出的话，它们会给人留下伤害，就像这个围墙一样。你可以拿着一把刀子捅向一个人再拔出来。但不管你说多少次对不起，那个伤口仍然在那儿。”