A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know she was going to make it and want to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
有一个女孩向她父亲抱怨她的生活，她觉得凡事都很艰难，不知该怎样挺过去，想放弃。她厌倦了不断的抗争和奋斗，似乎一个问题刚刚解决，另一个问题马上呈现。

Her father, a cook, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
她的父亲是个厨师，他把她带到了厨房。他在三个壶里分别装满了水，然后放到高温的火上烧。很快，壶里的水被煮开了。他往第一个壶里放了些胡萝卜，往第二个壶里放了几个鸡蛋，在最后一个壶里放了些磨碎的咖啡豆，然后，一句话也没说，他由着水把它们煮沸。

The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing. In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it in a mug. Turning to her he asked," Darling, what do you see?"
女儿咂巴着牙齿发出声响，不耐烦地等着，对父亲的行为感到很纳闷。大约二十分钟后，父亲关掉了火炉，把胡萝卜捞出来，放到一个碗里。又把鸡蛋拣出来放进另一个碗里，接着把咖啡用勺子舀出来倒进一个杯子里，然后转过头来，对她说，“亲爱的，你看到的是什么？”

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee." she replied.
“胡萝卜、鸡蛋和咖啡。”她答道。

He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots, she did and noticed that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. She smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma.
父亲把她带近了这些东西，要她去摸胡萝卜，她摸了之后，注意到，它们变柔软了。然后，他又要她去拿一个鸡蛋并把它敲破，在把壳剥掉之后，她观察了这个煮熟的鸡蛋。最后，父亲要她饮一口咖啡。尝着芳香四溢的咖啡，她微笑起来。

"What does it mean, Father?" she humbly asked.
“这是什么意思，父亲？”她谦逊地问道。

He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling water, but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and weak. The egg had being fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water. Its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
父亲解释说，这三洋东西面临着同样的逆境——煮沸的水。但它们的反应却各不相同。胡萝卜本是硬的，坚固而且强度大，但受到煮沸的水的影响后，它变得柔软而脆弱。鸡蛋本来易碎，薄薄的外壳保护着内部的液体。但是在经历过煮沸的水以后，它的内部却变得坚硬。不过，最独特的却是磨碎的咖啡豆，当它们被放入煮沸的水之后，它们却改变了水。

"Which are you?" he asked his daughter.
“哪一个是你呢？”他问女儿。

When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
当逆境找上你时，你该如何应对呢？ 你是胡萝卜、鸡蛋，还是咖啡豆？

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