Leo Luo

不同的人对青春有不同的理解。有些人认为青春是一段转瞬即逝的宝贵时光，有些人认为青春是一种能击败时间的不老心态，还有些人则认为青春更像是一场能随时出发、不时获得新发现的探险之旅。大千世界，缤纷多彩，我们不妨跟随作者，且走且行，踏上探寻青春的路途。

国家航空航天博物馆

W hat does it mean to be young? Is it the explosive energy in one’s limbs1. limb： 肢，臂。, or perhaps the freedom from the responsibilities of society? Although most people romanticize youth as a time of life when restlessness and foolishness roared like a waterfall,sweeping those years into the annals of memory far too soon, I find such a definition too restrictive.2. annal： 记录，年鉴；restrictive：约束的，限制的。Instead of a certain period of time, youth should be considered as a certain kind of mindset, a kind of spirit. Just as the eyes of a newborn twinkle as they behold the world for the first time,the spirit of youth blazes with each discovery unveiled, each adventure undertaken.3. twinkle：（眼睛的）发亮；behold：看，看见；blaze with： 发强光，闪耀；unveil： 透露，揭露。Such a concept lasts far beyond one’s swinging4. swinging： 活跃的，时髦的。twenties, for everyday can be an adventure, and an adventure may simply be opening those doors that we pass by every day.

With the arrival of both a new year and a new semester at Georgetown University, I reflected upon my first semester at this world-renowned institution.5. Georgetown University： 乔治敦大学，是美国最古老的大学之一，位于美国首都华盛顿特区；reflect upon： 考虑，回想。My grades were pretty solid, my extracurricular activities

8. Warren Buffet： 沃伦·巴菲特，美国著名投资家，被人们称为“股神”。plentiful, almost too much. My two dance companies painted endless smiles upon my face.6. 我在两家舞蹈公司的工作给我带来了无穷的乐趣。As I cycled through all that I had accomplished during the first semester, I allowed a smug grin to creep up my cheeks.7. smug： 自鸣得意的，自以为是的；creep up：爬上。I was pretty satisfied with the way everything turned out, from attending various lectures on foreign policy to having the chance to see Warren Buffet8speak onstage.Only one aspect stuck in my mind like a thorn: I had remained cooped up in the privileged ivory towers of the university and the quaint neighbourhood as the outside world whizzed by.9. 外面的世界瞬息万变，而我仍然困在优越的大学象牙塔和大学周边的古老而有趣的环境里。coop up： 关闭，禁闭；privileged：有特权的；quaint： 古色古香的，奇特有趣的；whiz by： 飞驰，高速移动。I was a young man in the capital of the United States of America and yet had barely scratched the surface10. scratch the surface： 仅触及表面，浅尝辄止。of what this cultural metropolis had to offer. There were Smithsonian museums to get lost in, restaurants to delight in, and monuments to marvel at.11. Smithsonian： 史密森尼博物院，世界最大的博物馆体系，它所属的十六所博物馆中保管着一亿四千多万件艺术珍品和珍贵的标本。史密森尼博物院的总部设在美国首都华盛顿特区，文中提到的博物馆指位于国家广场两侧的十座博物馆和美术馆；marvel at： 对……惊叹，钦佩。If youth is defined as opening doors we never thought of opening,then my journey began by opening the gates of the National Air and Space Museum12. National Air and Space Museum： 美国国家航空航天博物馆。.

Jumping off the subway, I trekked down the National Mall,flanked on both sides by the classical architecture of various Smithsonian museums and monuments to the heroes of American history.13. 下了地铁，沿着国家广场步行，路的两旁是史密森尼博物馆古典建筑风格的各类展馆，以及纪念美国历史英雄的纪念碑。jump off： 离开； trek： 徒步；National Mall： 国家广场，位于美国首都华盛顿特区的一处开放型国家公园。