苗淑華

To many people， being “better” means smiling all the time， being quiet and polite and doing all their chores2 without being asked. You may think “being good” as going to school， saying please and thank you and never doing anything to hurt3 another person. It means being sweet and agreeable4.

對許多人來說，“更好”意味著一直微笑，保持安靜和禮貌，主動做完所有家務(wù)。你可以把“做好人”當成去上學(xué)，說聲“請”和“謝謝”，不要做任何傷害他人的事。這意味著變得嘴甜，會迎合他人。

Well， those actions are part of being a better person. Many times， to be a “better person” you need to say： NO.

好吧，這些行為是成為一個更好的人的一部分。很多時候，要想成為一個“更好的人”，你需要說：不。

Life can be so easy if you always say yes. Yes， youll run out of gym class. Yes， youll try to hit passing cars with rocks5. Yes， youll see if you can take something without paying for it. By saying yes， you go with the flow6. You follow the lead of someone else. You know what you are doing is wrong， but when a group of friends is looking at you， waiting for your answer， being “good” can be hard.

如果你總是輕易答應(yīng)的話，生活會很容易。是的，你會逃體育課。是的，你會試著用石頭砸過往的汽車。是的，你會試試看能不能不付錢就拿走某個東西。說“是”，你就跟隨大流，跟著別人走。你知道正在做的事是錯的，但是當一群朋友盯著你，等待你的回答時，做一個“好人”可能很難。

Saying NO can sound mean. Saying NO can make your friends unhappy. They might not even want to be friends anymore. That can make you unhappy. Being a good person sometimes means standing up for what is right， even when everyone else seems against7 you. Being good means saying NO.

說“不”可能聽起來很不友好。拒絕會讓你的朋友不高興。他們可能不想再做你朋友了，那會讓你不開心。做一個好人有時意味著堅持正確的事情，即使其他人都反對你。做好人意味著拒絕別人。

Saying NO can be hard. As your friends are looking at you， saying NO can be the hardest thing you will ever do. The problem is that saying yes can be even harder—but not at the time. After all， when you say yes， everyone laughs and slaps8 you on the back.

說“不”可能很難。當你的朋友看著你，說“不”可能是你最難做的事。問題是，說“是”可能會更難，但不是在當時。畢竟，當你說是的時候，每個人都會大笑，然后拍拍你的后背。

But by saying yes to your friends， you could put yourself in danger. You could get in trouble9. Saying yes to bad habits might not seem like a big deal10， but it could costs you much.

但如果你答應(yīng)了你的朋友，你會把自己置于危險之中，可能會惹上麻煩。對壞習(xí)慣說“是”似乎沒什么大不了的，但可能會讓你付出慘痛代價。

Saying NO can hurt. It can make people yell11 at you. It can make you seem like a chicken when in fact saying NO can take all the strength12 in your body. People talk about being better people—and saying NO can feel like the wrong way to do it. Thats a mistake13.

說“不”會刺傷別人，會讓人們對你大喊大叫。表面上它能讓你看起來很弱小，而事實上，說“不”會調(diào)動你體內(nèi)的一切力量。人們談?wù)撟鰝€更好的人，說“不”會讓人覺得這樣做是不對的。實際上那才是錯的。

Saying NO tells the world that you are able to think for yourself. It tells the world that you are working hard to be a good person， even when being a good person can hurt.

說“不”，就是告訴世界，你可以自己思考。它告訴世界，你正在努力成為一個好人，即使當一個好人會有痛苦。

Talk to your parents about saying NO. Talk to your friends about how hard it can be to stand up to bullies14 by saying NO. By learning early on when to say that little word， you are on your way to being a better person.

和父母談?wù)勅绾尉芙^別人的事。和你的朋友談?wù)劊瑢Π粤枵f“不”是多么困難的事。通過盡早學(xué)會說那個字，你才會成為一個更好的人。

（英語原文選自：safesearchkids.com）