新的一年，为自己制定两个可行的目标，并为之努力奋斗吧～
无注释原文（选自新概念英语三）：
New Year Resolutions
The New Year is a time for resolutions. Mentally, at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of ‘dos'’ and ‘don'ts' . The same old favourites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity.We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less, find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house, be nice to people we don't like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day.
Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment. If we remain inveterate smokers, It is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure. Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out. We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways.
Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself. I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercises every morning and to read more of an evening. An all-night party on New Year's Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying out 15 either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year, bat on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task.
The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up. The self-discipline required to drag myself out of bed eleven minutes eatlier than usual was considerable. Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living room for two days before anyone found me out. After jumping about on the carpet and twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions, I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition. It was this that betrayed me. The next morning the whole family trooped in to watch the performance. That was really unsettling, but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good-humouredly and soon everybody got used to the idea.
However, my enthusiasm waned. The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero. By January 10th,I was back to where I had started from. I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning, I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work. Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book. One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read. That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to my old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen.
I still haven't given up my resolution to do more reading. In fact, I have just bought a book entitled How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute. Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just haven't had time to read it!
New Year Resolutions
新年的决定
The New Year is a time for resolutions. Mentally, at least, most of us could compile formidable lists of ‘dos'’ and ‘don'ts' . The same old favourites recur year in year out with monotonous regularity.We resolve to get up earlier each morning, eat less, find more time to play with the children, do a thousand and one jobs about the house, be nice to people we don't like, drive carefully, and take the dog for a walk every day.
新年是下决心的时候，至少在大多数人的心里会编排出一份“应做什么”和“不应做什么”的令人生畏的单子。相同的决心以单调的规律年复一年地出现。我们决心每天早晨起得早些；吃得少些；多花点时问与孩子们一一起做游戏；做大量的家务；对不喜欢的人发善一些；小心驾车；每天都要带着狗散步；等等。
resolution
resolution /ˌrezəˈluːʃn/ a definite decision to do or not to do something 决心；决定
She made a resolution to visit her relatives more often.她决定要多走走亲戚。
compile
compile /kəmˈpaɪl/ to produce a book, list, report, etc. by bringing together different items, articles, songs, etc.; to collect information in order to produce a book, list, etc. 编写（书、列表、报告等）；编纂
We are trying to compile a list of suitable people for the job.我们在努力编制一份适合做这项工作的人员的名单。
formidable
formidable /ˈfɔːrmɪdəbl/ if people, things or situations are formidable, you feel fear and/or respect for them, because they are impressive or powerful, or because they seem very difficult 可怕的；令人敬畏的；难对付的
The task was a formidable one.这任务非常艰巨。
dos and don'ts
dos and don'ts instructions and warnings about what you should and should not do in a particular situation 该做和不该做的事；注意事项
Here is a list of do's and don'ts for anyone planning to start a business. 这是给打算创办企业的人的一份注意事项表。
recur
recur /rɪˈkɜːr/ to happen again or a number of times 再发生；反复出现
There is only a slight chance that the disease will recur.这种疾病复发的概率微乎其微。
year in year out
year in year out every year, especially in a way that seems boring（尤指单调沉闷地）年复一年，年年
We go to Mike's parents every summer - it's the same thing year in, year out. 我们每年夏天都去迈克的父母家——年年如此。
monotonous
monotonous /məˈnɑːtənəs/ never changing and therefore boring 单调乏味的
Students complained that the meals were monotonous.学生们抱怨饭菜单调。
regularity
regularity /ˌreɡjuˈlærəti/ the fact that the same thing happens again and again, and usually with the same length of time between each time it happens 规律性；经常性
Aircraft passed overhead with monotonous regularity.飞机一次又一次反复从头顶飞过。
a thousand and one
a hundred/thousand/million and one very many非常多的，许许多多的，极多的
I can't talk right now - I have a hundred and one things to do this morning.我现在不能闲聊——今天上午我有一大堆的事情要做。
Past experience has taught us that certain accomplishments are beyond attainment. If we remain inveterate smokers, It is only because we have so often experienced the frustration that results from failure. Most of us fail in our efforts at self-improvement because our schemes are too ambitious and we never have time to carry them out. We also make the fundamental error of announcing our resolutions to everybody so that we look even more foolish when we slip back into our bad old ways.
以往的经验告诉我们有些事是办不到的。如果我们烟瘾大，戒不掉，那是因为屡戒屡败，失去了信心。我们大多数人想自我完善却遭到失败，这是因为我们的规划过于宏大，而又根本没有时间去实施。我们还犯有一个根本性的错误，即把我们的决心向大家宣布。这样一旦滑回到那些坏的老习惯上去，我们在别人眼里会显得更加难堪。
attainment
attainment /əˈteɪnmənt/ success in achieving something 达到；获得
The attainment of his ambitions was still a dream. 他要实现的抱负仍然是一个梦想。
beyond attainment 表示无法达到的
inveterate
inveterate /ɪnˈvetərət/ done or felt for a long time and unlikely to change长期形成的；根深蒂固的
an inveterate gambler. 嗜赌成性的赌徒
Aware of these pitfalls, this year I attempted to keep my resolutions to myself. I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercises every morning and to read more of an evening. An all-night party on New Year's Eve provided me with a good excuse for not carrying out either of these new resolutions on the first day of the year, but on the second, I applied myself assiduously to the task.
我深知这些问题，于是，今年我对自己的计划要严加保密，只给自己定下两项适中的任务：每天早上锻炼身体，每天晚上多看点书。新年除夕举办的一次通宵晚会，使我理直气壮地在新年头一天免去了这两项任务。不过，新年第二天，我全力以赴地照着去做了。
pitfall
pitfall /ˈpɪtfɔːl/ a danger or difficulty, especially one that is hidden or not obvious at first 可能出现的问题；陷阱；隐患
I warned him about the (hidden) pitfalls of online dating.我警告过他网恋会有（暗藏的）危险。
keep...to oneself
keep...to oneself If you keep something to yourself, you do not tell anyone else about it. 把…秘而不宣；不将…说出去
There's one thing you can do for me. But keep it to yourself.有件事你能帮我做。但你要保密。
assiduous
assiduous /əˈsɪdʒuəs/ working very hard and taking great care that everything is done as well as it can be兢兢业业的；勤勤恳恳的
their assiduous efforts and attention to detail 他们孜孜不倦的努力和对细节的关注
apply oneself to
apply oneself to to make yourself work hard in order to complete something successfully努力（工作、学习）
She applied herself to learning the language.她努力学习这种语言。
The daily exercises lasted only eleven minutes and I proposed to do them early in the morning before anyone had got up. The self-discipline required to drag myself out of bed eleven minutes earlier than usual was considerable. Nevertheless, I managed to creep down into the living room for two days before anyone found me out. After jumping about on the carpet and twisting the human frame into uncomfortable positions, I sat down at the breakfast table in an exhausted condition. It was this that betrayed me. The next morning the whole family trooped in to watch the performance. That was really unsettling, but I fended off the taunts and jibes of the family good-humouredly and soon everybody got used to the idea.
早锻炼一共只有11 分钟，我打算在别人起床之前进行。这就要求我比平日早 11分钟把自己从床上拽起来，这种自我约束是很艰苦的。不过开头两天我还是成功地蹑手蹑脚地来到楼下起居室，被谁也没发现。我在地毯上跳过来蹦过去，扭曲身子，摆出各种姿势，弄得浑身不舒服，然后坐到桌边吃早饭，一副筋疲力尽的样子。正是这副模样泄露了我的秘密。第二天早晨全家人结队来到起居室看我表演。这真叫人不好意思，但我心平气和地顶住了全家人的嘲笑和奚落。不久，大家对我习以为常了。
self-discipline
self-discipline /ˌself ˈdɪsəplɪn/ the ability to make yourself do something, especially something difficult or unpleasant 自律能力；自我约束能力
It takes a lot of self-discipline to go jogging in winter.在冬天跑步是需要很大的自律力的。
creep
creep /kriːp/ to move slowly, quietly and carefully, because you do not want to be seen or heard悄悄地缓慢行进；蹑手蹑脚地移动
I crept up the stairs, trying not to wake my parents.为了尽量不吵醒父母，我蹑手蹑脚地上了楼。
troop
troop /truːp/ to walk somewhere together as a group成群结队而行；列队行进
After rehearsals, we’d all troop off to the cafeteria.排练后﹐我们大家就会一起走着去食堂。
fend off
fend off /fend/ to protect yourself from difficult questions, criticisms, etc., especially by avoiding them避开，回避（难题、批评等）
She managed to fend off questions about new tax increases.她设法避开了关于新增赋税的问题。
taunt
taunt /tɔːnt/ an offensive or unkind remark that is intended to make somebody angry or upset嘲笑（或讽刺、奚落等）的言辞
Black players often had to endure racist taunts.黑人运动员经常得忍受种族歧视性的奚落。
jibe
jibe /dʒaɪb/ an unkind or offensive remark about somebody 嘲讽；嘲弄；讥讽
He made several cheap jibes at his opponent during the interview.在采访中他好几次粗俗地嘲讽对手。
good-humoured
good-humoured /ˌɡʊd ˈhjuːmərd/ A good-humoured person or atmosphere is pleasant and cheerful. 心情舒畅的；愉快的
He offered his comments in a good-humored manner.他愉快地做出了评论。
However, my enthusiasm waned. The time I spent at exercises gradually diminished. Little by little the eleven minutes fell to zero. By January 10th,I was back to where I had started from. I argued that if I spent less time exhausting myself at exercises in the morning, I would keep my mind fresh for reading when I got home from work. Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book. One night, however, feeling cold and lonely, I went downstairs and sat in front of the television pretending to read. That proved to be my undoing, for I soon got back to my old bad habit of dozing off in front of the screen.
而这时我的热情却减退了。我花在锻炼上的时间逐渐减少，慢慢地从 11 分钟减到了零。到了1月10日，我恢复了原来的作息时间。我辦解说，早晨少耗费精力锻炼，晚上下班回家看书时头脑更清醒些。有几天晚上，我极力摆脱了电视的诱惑，坐在自己房间里，两眼盯在书上。可是，有天夜里，我感到又冷又孤单，便来到楼下坐在电视机前假装看书。这下我可完了，因为不一会儿，我就恢复了以前的坏习惯，在屏幕前打起瞌睡来。
wane
wane /weɪn/ to become gradually weaker or less important衰减；减弱
The scandal caused her popularity to wane.这桩丑闻使她的人气下降了。
diminish
diminish /dɪˈmɪnɪʃ/ to become or to cause (something) to become less in size, importance, etc.（使）变小，减少，减弱
The world's resources are rapidly diminishing.世界资源正在迅速减少。
hypnotize
hypnotize /ˈhɪpnətaɪz/ to put (a person) into a state of hypnosis对…施催眠术；使进入催眠状态
She agreed to be hypnotized to try to remember what had happened.她同意接受催眠以尝试去回想发生过什么事。
undoing
undoing /ʌnˈduːɪŋ/ the reason why somebody fails at something or is unsuccessful in life失败的原因
My quick temper was my undoing.脾气急躁是我失败的原因。
doze off
doze off /dəʊz/ to fall asleep especially for a short period of time小睡；打盹儿
She dozed off in front of the fire.她在炉火前打起盹儿来。
I still haven't given up my resolution to do more reading. In fact, I have just bought a book entitled How to Read a Thousand Words a Minute. Perhaps it will solve my problem, but I just haven't had time to read it!
但我还没有放弃多看些书的决心。事实上，我刚买来一本叫 《一分钟读一千字的诀窍》的书。也许这本书能解決我的问题，但我一直还没时间去看这本书！