Basic Training

"You may now alight, " boomed a loud voice over the ferry's intercom. Walking off of the ferry, I looked around in awe at the countless unfamiliar faces that shared a common fate: Basic Military Training Camp with the Singapore army. When I was younger, I had often laughed when my older friends departed for their three-month training. I quickly realized, however, that the first three months of my two-year national service would be no laughing matter.

With my first steps onto the sunny island of Pulau Tekong -- my new home -- I thought of Tony Blair's famous declaration: "It is the dawn of a new era." Apprehension overwhelmed me as I considered that my own life was about to take a drastic turn. Determined to make the most of the situation, I followed my orders to report to the auditorium, where I officially enlisted in the army.

My assignment placed me in Charlie Company, which was renowned for having the toughest training of all the companies in the island's two camps. Yet the first two weeks were not as horrible as I had envisioned. I spent my days doing foot drills and strength-building exercises, signing documents, and speaking with insurance representatives. In those first calm days, I frequently wondered why I had worried so much about basic training. I quickly discovered why.

Within another week, I was "falling in" at three in the morning, doing a hundred push-ups in the mud, spending hours practicing drills in the scorching sun, and marching ten miles with a 55-pound backpack. The Charlie Company officers worked hard to uphold their reputation as the toughest company, and my entire body ached to go home every day. Although each day seemed more grueling, I was surprised by how rewarding it felt to meet such a mentally and physically demanding challenge. The sense of accomplishment that I felt after three months of basic training was second to none.

Perhaps one of the most rewarding aspects of my time with Charlie Company was the friendship that developed among the eleven new recruits who shared a room with me. At first, I wondered how we would get along, given our divergent backgrounds. My own status as an honors student from overseas set me apart from the local polytechnic students and the poorly educated young men with whom I lived. As time went by, however, the camaraderie among the twelve of us grew into something that I have yet to experience again. Regardless of race, education, or religion, each recruit pushed the others to try harder, which in turn completely redefined our physical and mental limits. Knowing that eleven other people depended on me just as much as I depended on them made me understand the importance of teamwork.

After the monumental fifteen-mile march that marked the end of my military training, I was no longer the pampered teenager that I once was. My former lack of urgency, occasional tantrums, and childish outlook all dissipated after three months on the island of Pulau Tekong.

Successfully completing the most challenging endeavor of my life has convinced me that I can accomplish anything. Now, I face challenges and hardships head-on; backing out will never again be an option.

Many of my friends who did not have to go through military service scoffed at the idea of postponing university for what they saw as a waste of time. I view it in a different light. For me, my time in the military was a golden opportunity that allowed me to discover the absolute limits of what I can achieve. Without a doubt, the basic training that began my military service was "the dawn of a new era" for me.

太傻點(diǎn)評：

這一篇軍事訓(xùn)練的感情，主人公從開始恐懼軍事訓(xùn)練，到明白期間的艱苦，以及建立起令它畢生難忘的友誼，這一切成為他畢生受用的經(jīng)歷。而文章主要應(yīng)該是突現(xiàn)軍訓(xùn)后的強(qiáng)烈對比除了應(yīng)該著力寫軍事訓(xùn)練的艱苦外，更應(yīng)該加重筆墨在建立起的友誼如何成他們前進(jìn)的動力。文章的“新紀(jì)元”前后呼應(yīng)，使文章更為統(tǒng)一，后面的“新紀(jì)元”起到點(diǎn)晴一筆，表明主人宮所走的將會是他人生更為有意義的一頁。如果后面兩段可以合并聯(lián)合來寫，文章結(jié)構(gòu)將會更為明晰。

翻譯：

［評價一項(xiàng)重要經(jīng)驗(yàn)，成績，你所遇到的風(fēng)險，或者你所面臨的道德困境，及它對你的影響。］

基礎(chǔ)軍事訓(xùn)練

“你們可以下來了，”渡口的廣播系統(tǒng)隆隆地傳來洪亮的聲音。離開渡口，我環(huán)顧四周數(shù)之不盡的陌生面孔，我們有著同一命運(yùn)——與新加坡軍隊(duì)在同一個基礎(chǔ)軍事訓(xùn)練營。當(dāng)我年當(dāng)少時，我會嘲笑要去三個月軍事訓(xùn)練老朋友。很快我認(rèn)識到，無論如何，為國家服務(wù)兩年中前三個月軍事訓(xùn)練將不會是一個可笑的事情。

當(dāng)踏入我的新家——Pulau Tekong這個陽光島嶼，我想到Tony Blair’s的一句名言：“這是一個新紀(jì)元的開始。”憂慮困擾著我，只因?yàn)槲艺J(rèn)為這是我生命中一個殘酷的轉(zhuǎn)折點(diǎn)。當(dāng)我決定充分地利用每一個機(jī)會時，我照我所收到的命令到禮堂報(bào)到，而在那里從職務(wù)上我應(yīng)募入伍了。我的任務(wù)是Charlie公司指派的，而這間公司因在這島上兩個軍營所進(jìn)行的最艱難訓(xùn)練而出名了。前兩個星期并沒有我想象中那么恐怖。每天都只是做一些腳力訓(xùn)練，力量加強(qiáng)練習(xí)，簽訂文件和與保險經(jīng)紀(jì)溝通。在第二個平靜的日子里，我經(jīng)常地想知道我為什么對基礎(chǔ)軍事訓(xùn)練這么恐慌。很快我發(fā)現(xiàn)了答案了。

在另外一周里，我凌晨三點(diǎn)就被叫醒，在泥地里做一百個掌上壓，在烈日下進(jìn)行幾小時的訓(xùn)練，以及背著55磅的背包行軍十里路。公司工作人員的苦勞支撐起最艱苦公司的聲譽(yù)。盡管每天的幾乎累到受不了，但我所驚奇的是如何感激這個感覺上精神與肉體上如此苛刻挑戰(zhàn)。經(jīng)過三個月的基礎(chǔ)軍事訓(xùn)練，我的成就感覺是首屈一指無可比擬的。

可能在公司里最值得我回憶的是和我同一寢室的11個新成員所形成的友誼。首先，我想知道在不同的背景，我們是如何相處的。我的身份是一個有別于當(dāng)?shù)毓に噷W(xué)校的優(yōu)秀的海外學(xué)生，而與我相處的是受教育程度低的年輕人。隨時間的過去，無論如何，我們12個人之間的友情得到升華，至今我仍想再經(jīng)歷一次。無論種族，教育程度或者宗教，每個都會激勵其他人更加努力，更加堅(jiān)強(qiáng)，這反而完全重新定義肉體與精神界限。當(dāng)知道其他十一個人像我依靠他們一樣來依靠我時，我明白的團(tuán)隊(duì)的重要性。

經(jīng)過15里象征式的行軍標(biāo)志著我們的軍事訓(xùn)練結(jié)束，我不再像以前一樣是一個放縱的少年。以前的懶散，喜怒無常和孩子氣經(jīng)過三個月的島上訓(xùn)練一并洗掉。成功完成我生命中最具挑戰(zhàn)性的努力，使我深信我有能力完成所有事?，F(xiàn)在，我所面對的挑戰(zhàn)和困難：無論如何反復(fù)都不會動搖我。

我的許多沒有進(jìn)行過軍事服役的朋友嘲笑推遲大學(xué)而去軍事訓(xùn)練只會是浪費(fèi)時間。但我卻有不同的想法。對于我來講，軍事訓(xùn)練的時光是我的一個黃金機(jī)會去讓我發(fā)現(xiàn)我所能達(dá)到的絕對界限。毫無疑問，為開展的軍事服役所進(jìn)行的軍事基礎(chǔ)訓(xùn)練對于我來說是一個“嶄新的紀(jì)元開始”。