英语经典美文精选（15篇）
在日常的学习、工作、生活中，说起美文，大家肯定都不陌生吧？美文重感性，长于抒情；杂文重知性，长于达意。想要学习写美文吗？以下是小编帮大家整理的英语经典美文，欢迎大家借鉴与参考，希望对大家有所帮助。
英语经典美文1
I believe that the greatest frontier of our ignorance lies in the relationship of man to man. I do not discount the marvelous development in the world of thins, nor do I devaluate the contributions of those who made these developments possible.
我相信，我们对人与人之间关系的了解是最为匮乏的。这并不是对物质世界非凡发展的低估，也不是对人们为此做出的巨大贡献的贬低。
Yet all these are but means, and unless we can learn to shape and to control them to ends that are constructive for the inhabitants of the earth, material miracles become not only futile but worse; worse, because they provide more means of destruction.
会制造并使用它们，使之对地球居民具有建设性的意义，否则物质生产的奇迹只会变得无用且糟糕，因为它们只会带来更多的毁灭手段。
I believe the frontier of human relationship can be extended. It will not be easy to do so. Man must learn more about himself than he already knows.
会制造并使用它们，使之对地球居民具有建设性的意义，否则物质生产的奇迹只会变得无用且糟糕，因为它们只会带来更多的毁灭手段。
The human emotions and the meaning of human behavior present difficulties in measurement much greater than those encountered in learning to measure steel or gold.
但这一切仅仅是人类必须更加了解自己。比起钢或金的纯度测量而言，对人类情感与行为意义的衡量更是难上加难。
Perhaps the greatest impediment to the advancement of knowledge about us has been the fact that we have assumed we know. The man who can predict accurately the smell or color of the vapor which arises when two substances are mixed excites his fellow citizens far more than one who tries to predict the result of the slash of two personalities. In the second phenomenon we tend to solve by one of two methods. We dismiss it as unpredictable prior to the slash, or, afterwards, we declare the result to have been inevitable and expected by everyone. In either case we are denying our ignorance.
或许，我们自以为了解自己，而这正是阻碍我们深入了解自己的最大障碍。两种化学物质混合并散发出蒸汽时，能够准确说出蒸汽的气味和颜色的人往往会令同伴兴奋不已，而与此相比，当人们试图预测两种个性碰撞的结果时，反响却远不及此。面对第二种现象，我们往往会采取下面的两种解决方法：在事发前，以无法预知其结果为由而不予理睬;或者事后，宣称所有人早已料到这不可避免的结果。无论采取何种方法，我们都是在拒绝承认自己无知。
We shall have over one of the largest obstacles to a solution of man's favorable relationship whit man when we know and acknowledge how little we know about ourselves. The step to follow our admission of ignorance is to seek the knowledge and understanding that we have concluded we do not have.
可以说，当我们知道并承认对自己知之甚少时，就已经战胜了妨碍人们建立良好人际关系的一大障碍。在接受自己的.无知后，接下来便是努力去获得我们所不拥有的知识与理解。
This will be a long and difficult road, as long perhaps as from learning how to make fire to learning how to fission the atom. Man must turn his eyes and interest inward.
这将是一个漫长而艰难的过程，或许会像从学会如何生火到学会如何分裂原子一样漫长。人必须将目光与兴趣投向自身。
He has already made more gadgets than he understands or knows how to control. He resembles a child after Christmas unable to manage the the strange and complicated machine toys that had challenged the interest of his parents. Our acceptance that we do not know and must seek to learn cannot wait.
对于他所知道与理解的控制范围而言，人类的发明与创造已远远超出了这个极限。就像圣诞节后的小孩，面对他父母曾感兴趣的陌生而复杂的机械玩具却束手无策。我们应马上承认自己的无知，并努力学习。我们不像小孩子那样可以选择。
We have not the choice of the child. We cannot play with spools and leave the more complicated machines to our parents.
我们不能只玩卷轴，而让父母去处理那些更复杂的机械。
英语经典美文2
there were a sensitivity and a beauty to her that have nothing to do with looks.
She was one to be listened to, whose words were so easy to take to heart.
I have thought about her often over the years and how she struggled in a society that places an incredible premium on looks, class, wealth and all the other fineries of life.
She suffered from a disfigurement that cannot be made to look attractive.
I know that her condition hurt her deeply.
Would her life have been different had she been pretty? Chances are it would have.
And yet there were a sensitivity and a beauty to her that had nothing to do with looks.
She was one to be listened to, whose words were so easy to take to heart.
Her words came from a wounded but loving heart, very much like all hearts, but she had more of a need to be aware of it, to live with it and learn from it.
She possessed a fine-tuned sense of beauty.
Her only fear in life was the loss of a friend.
It is said that the true nature of being is veiled.
The labor of words, the expression of art, the seemingly ceaseless buzz that is human thought all have in common the need to get at what really is so.
The hope to draw close to and possess the truth of being can be a feverish one.
In some cases it can even be fatal, if pleasure is one's truth and its attainment more important than life itself.
In other lives, though, the search for what is truthful gives life.
The truth of her life was a desire to see beyond the surface for a glimpse of what it is that matters.
She found beauty and grace and they befriended her, and showed her what is real.
英语经典美文3
Passage 4. A Little Girl
Sitting on a grassy grave, beneath one of the windows of the church, was a little her head bent back she was gazing up at the sky and singing,while one of her little hands was pointing to a tiny cloudthat hovered like a golden feather above her sun, which had suddenly become very bright, shining on her glossy hair,gave it a metallic luster, and it was difficult to say what was the color, dark bronze or &;nbsp;completely absorbed was she in watching the cloud to which her strange song or incantation seemed addressed,that she did not observe me when I rose and went towards her head, high up in the blue,a lark that was soaring towards the same gauzy cloud was singing, as if in I slowly approached the child,I could see by her forehead, which in the sunshine seemed like a globe of pearl,and especially by her complexion, that she uncommonly eyes, which at one moment seemed blue-gray, at another violet,were shaded by long black lashes, curving backward in a most peculiar way,and these matched in hue her eyebrows,and the tresses that were tossed about her tender throat were quivering in the this I did not take in at once;for at first I could see nothing but those quivering, glittering, changeful eyes turned up into my the other features, especially the sensitive full-lipped mouth,grew upon me as I stood silently seemed to me a more perfect beauty than had ever come to me in my loveliest dreams of it was not her beauty so much as the look she gave me that fascinated me, melted me.
英语经典美文4
美文欣赏:金钱能买来幸福吗？
Don't be too concerned about money, because all it will do is distract you from achieving happiness. And the irony of ironies is that people think they will be happy when they have money. Money has nothing to do with happiness. If you are happy and you have money, you can use it for happiness.
不要太在意金钱，因为金钱只会对你追寻幸福的过程造成干扰。最具讽刺意味的是，人们以为自己拥有金钱就会幸福。事实上金钱与幸福毫不相干。如果你感到幸福，同时又拥有金钱，你可以用金钱来换取幸福。
If you are unhappy and you have money, you will use that money for more unhappiness. Because money is simply a neutral force.
然而如果你没有感到幸福，却拥有金钱，那么你的金钱只能换来更多的不幸。因为金钱只是一种中性的作用力。
Don't misinterpret me: I am not against money. I am not against anything. Money is a means. Your money will enhance your pattern, whatsoever it is.
请别误会：我并非反对金钱。我不想反对任何对象。但是金钱仅仅是一种手段。金钱会让你按照已有的生活模式向前迈进，无论你此时的生活模式是好是坏。
But people keep looking for money as if money is going to bring happiness. People are ready, at any moment, to change their pattern, to change their ways, if more money is available somewhere else.
可是人们还是不停地寻求金钱，似乎金钱能带给他们幸福似的。任何时候，如果他们发现在生活之路的另一个岔路口上可以找到金钱，他们就会立刻扭转自己的生活模式，改变自己的生活道路。
Once the money is there, then suddenly you are no longer yourself; you are ready to change.
可是这些人一旦找到了金钱，却会立刻迷失自我，因为已经准备好了为金钱而改变自己。
This is the way of the worldly man. Remember, I don't call a person worldly because he or she has money. I call them worldly if they change their motives for money. This applies to people with no money as well - they may simply be poor. Just being poor is not equivalent to being spiritual; and just being rich is not equivalent to being a materialist. The materialistic pattern of life is one in which money predominates over everything.
这就是世俗中芸芸众生的生活方式。记住，我称其世俗并非因为他们拥有金钱，而是因为他们为了金钱而改变了自己的生活目标。对一文不名的人来说同样如此——或许他们仅仅是贫穷，而不是清贫。贫穷并不等于精神高尚，而富贵也并不等于拜金主义。真正的拜金主义生活方式是让金钱凌驾于一切之上。
The non-materialistic life is one in which money is just a means: happiness predominates, joy predominates, your own individuality predominates. You know who you are and where you are going, and you are not distracted.
而非拜金主义的生活方式，是将金钱仅仅视作一种手段：幸福、快乐和你的个体尊严都是高于金钱的。你知道自己是谁，知道自己的目标在何处，你不会受到旁骛的干扰。
Then suddenly you will see your life has a meditative quality to it.
能够如此，你就会发现，你的生活忽然有了一种禅意。
美文欣赏:善行无小事
I was in the Santa Cruz Mountains not long ago, speaking and singing at a women's conference. We were focusing on the theme of loving others in practical ways through our gifts, and something in particular happened during one of the sessions that will remain imprinted in my memory as a beautiful illustration of this practice.
不久前我在圣克鲁斯山脉，在一次妇女大会上有说有唱。我们关注的主题是通过送礼物等实用的方法来关爱他人。其中一个会议期间发生的一件特殊的事将成为最美的印迹永远铭刻在我的记忆中。
A young Syrian woman ("Lilith") had been invited to the conference at the last minute, and everyone seemed surprised and delighted that she'd actually come. Just a few days earlier, Lilith had fled her country and found refuge with one of the women attending the conference. As an Orthodox Christian in Syria, she and her loved ones had become targets of violent atrocities from radical terrorist groups in the country's ongoing civil war.
一位年轻的叙利亚女士（莉莉丝）在最后一分钟被邀请到会议上，大家看起来都很惊讶，也很高兴她真的来了。就在几天前，莉莉丝逃离她的国家，和另外一个参加会议的女士一起寻找避难所。作为叙利亚的一名东正教教徒，她和亲人们成为了这个国家正在进行的内战中激进的恐怖组织暴行的目标。
Lilith had witnessed horrors no one her young age should ever see. Despite the further danger it presented, she'd decided to leave her home and her family to find safety here in America. Knowing some of her story, and seeing her sitting through the sessions at the retreat -- head covered in a scarf, face bowed toward the floor -- broke my heart.
莉莉丝目击了她这个年纪的年轻人不该见到的恐怖。尽管要面临更大的危险，但她决定离开家和家人来美国寻求安全。知道了她的一些故事，看见她会议期间有些退却——头上包着围巾，脸朝着地面压得很低——我感觉心要碎了。
Lilith's story touched all of us, including Pam, an attendee who was a quilt maker. Pam had just finished a gorgeous, intricately-patterned quilt, and had brought it with her. She, along with a few of the leaders, decided to give it to Lilith as a symbol of their comfort and love. Lilith had left her own mother behind in her homeland, and I can't imagine how frightened and alone she felt. But in her absence I could see there were lots of "mamas" in this community of women who were more than ready to love on her.
莉莉丝的故事触动了我们所有人，包括与会的被子生产商帕姆。帕姆刚做出了一床华丽的、图案精致的被子，也带过来了。她和几位领导决定把它赠给莉莉丝，被子象征了他们的安慰和爱。莉莉丝把母亲留在了家乡，我无法想象她感到多么害怕孤单。但她的离开使我看到在这个女性团体中有很多“妈妈”，她们都准备好要把爱献给她。
During our last session together Lilith was called forward and prayed over, hugged, and wrapped up in that beautiful quilt. I thought of the many hours Pam undoubtedly spent working on it, unaware of the horrendous events that would lead Lilith to this moment--literally surrounded by the beauty and love the quilt embodied. I wept. When they told her it was for her, she wept. We all wept, honking our noses and wiping our eyes.
我们最后一次在一起开会时，莉莉丝被叫去站到前面，大家为她祈祷，拥抱她，把那条漂亮的被子围在她身上。我想到帕姆毫无疑问花了好长时间做这个被子，当时她根本不知道那些可怕的事会把莉莉丝带到这里——此时却被被子蕴含的美丽和爱所围绕。我哭了，她们告诉她这个被子是给她的时候，她哭了。我们都哭了，抽泣着擦着眼泪。
I thought about the words from 1 Peter 4:10: Serve one another with the particular gifts God has given each of you, as faithful dispensers of the magnificently varied grace of God. The words particular and varied suggest to me that there may be as many gifts as there are people and personalities. A quilt wrapped around a ravaged young woman is just one practical, loving act of service that demonstrates God's grace.
我想到了彼得前书的4章10节里的话：各人要照所得的恩赐彼此服侍，作神百般恩赐的好管家。这番话特别换了一种方式提醒我有多少人和个性就有多少礼物。一位受到伤害的年轻女子身上围的被子就是体现了上帝慈悲的一个充满爱意的行为。
It's the particular things we do that we sometimes think are too small or inconsequential compared to the overwhelming suffering we witness. But to do nothing when we see an opportunity--to serve, to comfort, to ease another's pain--is to withhold whatever facet of God's magnificently varied grace our gift offers.
这就是我们所做的特别的事，有时我们认为这和我们见到的势不可挡的苦难相比太过渺小或不重要。但有机会时-服务、安慰、缓解别人的痛苦-你什么都不做，就没有体现出上帝给予的恩赐所展现的各种慈悲的任何一面。
英语美文:加油，为了心中的梦想！
God puts dreams in our hearts. So, we must dream. We lose our sorrows and heartaches in dreams. And we live our fantasies in dreams. Some dreams are aborted while some come true.
上帝在我们的心中播种梦想。所以我们必须有梦。我们在梦想中丢弃悲伤与心痛，活在梦想的奇异世界里。一些梦想可能会夭折然而一些则会实现。
Most mornings, I'd sit by the Lake in my neighborhood just to witness the awesomeness of God; to be marveled at what Mother Nature is about to unfold... to shower us with her magnificence. The squirrels too gather by the edge of the Lake. The birds float effortlessly, circling the Lake in a beautiful ballet. The gators stand in awe. Yes, the gators! The leaves on the trees would suddenly stop their slow dance. Just like me, they are patiently awaiting for the grand entrance of the sun. The moon must go. Yes, the moon must go... to make room for the sun to rise. The sound of the gentle breeze is soothing, almost musical. I am filled with joy. I cannot describe the feeling of this awesomeness. You'd have to experience it to understand the feeling and joy of it. I know I am about to witness an amazing grace. So... I am silent. My spirit is at peace. The stage has been set. Behind those clouds, the sun awaits... waiting for the heavenly command. The ritual is in full bloom. Then I see a slice of sunlight, wafting through the clouds. Suddenly, the entire horizon is brightened, and the sun finally takes the center stage. Right there, I am still... humbled... to listen to God speak into my soul. When He's done, then, I share with Him all that my heart desires.
早晨我经常会静坐在家附近的湖畔，只为见证上帝的神奇之力；惊叹大自然母亲将展现的事物。。。震撼我们以其雄伟壮丽之景。松鼠也在湖边聚集起来。鸟儿轻快的.浮在湖面上，绕着湖转着圈，好似在跳优美的芭蕾。鳄鱼肃立着。没错，是鳄鱼！树上的叶子会突然地停下她们的曼舞，耐心地等待着太阳宏大的入场礼，就像我一样。月亮必须要离开啊。是啊，月亮必须要离开啊，得给太阳腾地方啊。徐徐微风，温婉静谧，如同和乐一般。喜悦之情，溢于言表。然此景之震撼实则无法用言语表达。人们须亲身经历才能明白这种感觉和其中的喜悦。知道即将亲眼见证这一奇妙的恩典，我没有出声。我心静如水，没有一丝涟漪。舞台已准备就绪。重重云雾背后，太阳静待，等着上天的召唤。礼教已经进入它的全盛时代。然后我看到了穿过云层透出来的一缕阳光。突然，整个地平线变得透亮，太阳最终站到了中心舞台上。然，就在那，我一动不动，谦卑地聆听着上帝对我灵魂的教导。待其结束，与上帝诉说着我的心愿。
Now, here's my personal dream story:
现在，为您呈上我关于梦的故事：
Eight years ago, a young couple very dear to my heart had a miscarriage after being attacked by armed robbers in their home. They were newly weds. They share the kind of love that makes one want to give love a second chance. Why? They truly love each other and, they take God on board with them in all that they do.
八年前，持械抢劫犯入室抢劫了一对跟我很亲近的年轻夫妻，他们因此而失掉了一个还未出生的孩子。他们刚结婚不久，之间有着使人想给爱第二次机会的那种爱。为什么呢？他们真心相爱，而且他们一切都与上帝同行。
I am your typical all-year-round-positive-kinda-girl. But, it doesn't mean I do not have my down moments. I stay positive and thankful because I know there's a reason for every season. Since the couple had that miscarriage, they felt empty. For awhile, they wondered if God had abandoned them. They fasted and prayed. They cried. They isolated themselves from family and friends. Basically, they were existing, and not living. They travelled far and wide, spending all their resources, seeing different OBGYNs. Nothing worked.
我是那种典型的一年到头都很乐天派女生，但这并不意味着我没有低落的时候。我乐观开朗，常怀感恩，是因为我知道每个季节都有存在的理由。自从那对夫妻遭遇那场不幸之后，就觉得很空虚。有那么一段时间，他们在想上帝是不是把他们抛弃了。他们禁食，祈祷，哭泣。离开家庭和朋友把自己孤立起来。基本上，他们只是单纯地存在着而不是生活着。他们倾尽所能，跋山涉水四处寻医问药，找各种妇产科医生。但毫无效果。
One day, I called them to say hello. The wife sounded like someone had died. When I asked, she said, "I am fine. Nobody died. Just tired." When I spoke with her husband, he shared with me that she had just seen her period, menstrual period, that is. I asked him if I could speak with her again. I believe till this day that it was the grace of God that led me to make that phone call. It was time to share my one dream with her.
有一天，我打电话过去问候他们。这位妻子的声音听起来就像谁去世了一样很是悲伤。当我问道她就说“我很好，没有谁去世。我只是累了.”当我跟她丈夫谈起时，他告诉我说她刚刚进入经期，仅此而已。我问道是否可以再跟他妻子聊会。我相信直到这一天是上帝恩惠让我拨打这个电话。是时候和她分享我的一个梦了。
"For eight years, I always had same dream, You were in it. You were always nursing a child while rocking him/her in a rocking chair. In the dream, there was always a celebration happening...like a Christening, and you were in it, with your husband by your side." She was silent. I had to share some life lessons with her. I also had to remind her that she must never allow her faith to be shaken, instead, it should be renewed with each sunrise because God is Hope.
“八年以来，我一直在做着同样的梦，你就在梦里面。而你总是在摇着摇椅照看一个孩子。在梦里，总是有那么一场庆祝活动在举办着，像是一场洗礼，而你在那里，你的丈夫站在你旁边。”她没出声。我必须说一些生活的经验给她听。同时我也必须要提醒她一定不能动摇信念，反之，信念应当在每次太阳升起的时候得到新生，因为上帝就是希望。
I read somewhere that when Life breaks us, "We are only broken to be made whole." Therefore, we must strive not to fall apart.
当生命将我们分开的时候我就会念到，“我们只有在要组成整体的时候才会被分离开来。”因此，我们必须努力不破裂。
I shared this dream with my mother. And each time, we got excited together and submitted this dream of mine to God in prayers and in songs of praise, after all, God is just a prayer away. And God sure loves to be praised.
我跟我母亲讲了这个梦境。每次我们都会变得很兴奋，并在祷文中和赞歌中与上帝分享我这个梦，毕竟，上帝是远方的一个祷告者。再者，上帝肯定也喜欢被称赞。
Many moons ago, I remember waking up in the middle of the night, covered in sweat. I was woken up by a sharp pain in my stomach. I had a dream. This time, I was the one pregnant. I went down on my knees in total submission to the Will of God...asking Him for my one dream to come true. And no, I did not wish to be pregnant (Laughs).
数月以前，我记得自己披着一件毛衣，在午夜醒来。我被腹部的一阵刺痛而惊醒，我做了一个梦。这回，怀孕的那个人是我。完全服从上帝的旨意，我跪了下来，请求上帝能实现我的一个梦--不，我不想怀孕。（此处有笑声）
I do know one thing for sure: Dreams really do come true when you believe in your dreams, when you give God something to work with (doing your part), and when you believe in and trust God.
有一件事我可以肯定：当你相信梦想，当你做出一些努力从而能让上帝能对你有所帮助，当你相信自己并信任上帝，梦想就一定会成真。
God finally granted me the dream of my heart. This winter, this man and wife are expecting their first child.
上帝终于恩赐了我心中的梦想。今年冬天，那个男人和他的妻子正期盼着他们第一个孩子的到来。
When I received this great news, I was not surprised. The awesomeness of God is immeasurable. I am always in total submission to His Will. I believed this dream was going to come true at God's own time. And, this is God's time. For this, I am most thankful and humbled by this amazing grace.
听到这个好消息的时候我并没有感到很惊讶。上帝的奇妙是无法估量的。我一直都服从着上帝的旨意。相信等时机到了，这个梦想就会成真。而现在就是那个时机。因为这个，我非常感谢并膜拜这奇妙的恩典。
美文赏析:伟大存在于平凡之中
Greatness is not this wonderful, esoteric, elusive god-like feature that only the special among us will ever taste. It is something that truly exists in all of us. The way it manifests itself in all of us differs from person to person.
“伟大”并不是什么特殊的人才能体会到的特质，也没有那么精妙奇异、难以捉摸，甚至被神化。他真实地存在于我们所有人当中。每个人所表现出来的方式又因人而异。
For those of us who are compassionate we sway others to our causes with our empathy.
那些富有同情心的，凭着自己的执着，号召他人加入自己的事业。
For those of us who are resourceful we complete our tasks without the resources we need.
那些足智多谋的，无需借助太多外力就能达成目标。
For those of us who are creative we find the solutions that no one else can think of.
那些勇于创新的，能找到独一无二的方法解决问题。
Creativity, communication, cooperation, decisiveness, leadership, love, passion, we are all born with different attributes that make us great, and it is our duty to discover that greatness. Discovering it is half the battle.
创造力、沟通能力、合作能力、决断力、领导力、爱与激情，我们与生俱来这些不同的特质，从而造就我们的伟大，发掘伟大的潜质是我们的责任。一旦发现了自己的潜质，我们就已经成功了一半。
When you do find out what it is that makes you great you will see the world before you and understand what opportunity lies in wait. It was waiting there for you all along, waiting for you to come to the realization that everything you needed to succeed in life was within you all along, and you will want to tell the whole world what you found, you will want to tell people about the greatness inside each of them, but they won’t understand because each person must discover it and declare it on their own.
当你发现了造就你的伟大的特质，你就能看清眼前的世界，就能明白是什么样的机遇在等着你。它一直在这里等了你，等着你醒悟过来，认识到成功所需的一切品质都一直都蕴藏在自己的灵魂里。你会想要告诉整个世界自己的发现，你会想要告诉大家每个人蕴藏着的伟大，可是他们不会明白，因为伟大需要每个人自己去发现，去把自己的发现宣告给这个世界。
美文阅读:老人的木碗
A frail old man lived with his son, his daughter-in-law, and his four-year-old grandson. His eyes were blurry, his hands trembled, and his step faltered.
一位虚弱的老人和他的儿子、儿媳还有四岁的孙子住在一起。他双眼模糊，两手颤抖，步履蹒跚。
The family would eat together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon, drooping to the floor. When he grasped his glass of milk, it often spilled clumsily at the tablecloth.
这家人每晚会在餐桌前共用晚餐。但是年迈的爷爷双手颤抖，视力退化，连吃饭都困难。豌豆从他的勺子里滚出来，掉在了地上。去拿牛奶的时候，他行动笨拙，也常常会把牛奶洒在桌布上。
With this happening almost every night, the son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.
这样的事每晚都在发生。他的儿子儿媳开始对这些繁杂的事情感到恼怒不已。
"We must do something about grandfather," said the son.
“我们应该对爷爷的问题想想办法了。”儿子说。
"I've had enough of his milk spilling, noisy eating and food on the floor," the daughter-in-law agreed.
“我受够了他了。他到处乱洒牛奶，吃东西很大声，还弄到地上。”儿媳也很同意。
So the couple set a small table at the corner.
所以这对夫妇在角落里又放了个小桌子。
There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed their dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in wooden bowls. Sometimes when the family glanced in grandfather's direction, he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence.
从此，在其他人在餐桌上享用晚餐的时候，爷爷就一个人在边上吃。又由于爷爷打碎了一两个碟子，他的食物就被放在了木头碗里端给他。有时，当这家人不经意瞥向爷爷的时候，能看见他眼中的泪水。不变的是，爷爷掉了一支叉或者打翻食物的时候，这对夫妇只会严厉地警告他。四岁的孙子目睹着这一切，一言不发。
One evening, before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly: "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy replied, "Oh, I'm making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.
有一天晚饭前，父亲注意到了他的儿子在玩木头屑。他亲切地问孩子：“你在做什么呢？”儿子同样亲切地答：“噢，我在做木碗呢。等我长大了，它们就是用来给爸爸妈妈吃饭的。”说完，四岁的儿子带着微笑，继续做他的木碗。
These words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears streamed down their cheeks. Though no words were spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening, the husband took grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.
儿子的语出惊人让这对父母顿时语塞，泪水从脸颊流下。虽然没有说一句话，他们都下定决心要做什么了。那天晚上，那位丈夫挽起爷爷的手，缓缓地带他回到从前那个餐桌前。
For the remainder of his days, grandfather ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk was spilled or the table cloth was soiled.
接下来几天，每顿晚饭爷爷都和一家人一起吃。因为某些原因，这对夫妻再也不在乎掉下的叉子、洒出的牛奶或是弄脏的桌布了。
美文赏析:你终将找到自己的节奏
We all find the rhythm.
我们终将会找到属于自己的节奏。
We all remember our first days of high-school, college, our first job.
这些场景都历历在目吧：高中第一天，大学第一天，上班第一天。
We all remember the feelings of butterflies in our stomachs when we took our first steps into those positions, the feeling that we were unqualified for what we were doing, that we didn’t belong.
我们都记得迈出第一步时，心中的手足无措，担心自己不够格、担心自己不属于这个地方。
What if my coworkers don’t like me?
要是同事们不喜欢我怎么办？
What if I’m terrible at my work?
要是我做出的工作成果很糟糕怎么办？
What if I mess everything up?
要是我把一切搞砸了怎么办？
These are the thoughts that run through your mind during those first few days as you tiptoe your way around the workplace, being careful that you don’t do anything that will get you noticed, with the fear that when they notice you, you will mess up. But eventually you do get noticed, and you don’t mess up, and soon you develop a rhythm.
这些都是工作的头几天里，脑海中会浮现出的想法。你小心翼翼地在公司里走着，恨不得踮起脚尖，生怕自己的一举一动会引起周围人的注意，生怕自己搞砸一切。然而，你终究还是受到了关注，但你并没有搞砸，并且你很快就找到了自己的节奏。
It has only been a week and you have already fallen into a rhythm. You walk into your workplace and say hello to the receptionist who now knows you by name, you get you morning coffee and strike up a conversation with a coworker who you’ve quickly developed a friendship with. Whereas before you looked around chaotically for the sugar and cream, now the location is familiar and your reach for it instinctual. You walk to your desk, take a rejuvenating sip of coffee, and look over your daily schedule that has become all too familiar to you.
仅仅过去了一周，你的节奏愈发自如。走进公司，你会很自然地和前台打招呼，而他们也叫得出你的名字。取咖啡的时候，你会和同事攀谈起来，不知不觉中你们已经建立了友谊。以前你焦头烂额地到处找糖和奶油，如今你可以轻松自如地找到它们。你走到办公桌前，小啜一口咖啡，一天的活力注满了全身。接着，你从容地翻阅着日程表，里面的内容都已太熟悉了。
You notice a new task that you haven’t encountered before, but you no longer feel uncertainty and fear of messing it up. You have survived a week in this place without messing up, people have congratulated you on how good of a job you’ve done, and you belong here. A smirk creases over your face as you look forward to undertaking this new unproven challenge. The day begins and you fall into your rhythm.
即使接到以前从没接触过的任务，你也会胸有成竹，不再担心自己会搞砸了。你已在这个地方度过了一周，没有搞砸任何事，人们甚至为你出色的绩效而喝彩。你属于这里。所以在准备迎接这个未知挑战的时候，你的脸上露出了一丝得意的笑容。新的一天又开始了，你找到了属于自己的节奏。
英语经典美文5
爱美The love of Beauty
The love of beauty is an essential part of all healthy human nature. It is a moral quality. The absence of it is not an assured ground of condemnation，but the presence of it is an invariable sign of goodness of heart. In proportion to the degree in which it is felt will probably be the degree in which nobleness and beauty of character will be attained.
Natural beauty is an all—pervading presence. The universe is its temple. It unfolds into the numberless flowers of spring. It waves in the branches of trees and the green blades of grass. It haunts the depths of the earth and the sea. It gleams from the hues of the shell and the precious stone. And these minute objects but the oceans, the mountains, the clouds，the stars, the rising and the setting sun—all overflow with beauty. This beauty is so precious，and so congenial to our tenderest and noblest feelings, that it is painful to think of the multitude of people living in the midst of it and yet remaining almost blind to it.
All persons should seek to become acquainted with the beauty in nature. There is not a worm we tread upon, nor a leaf that dances merrily as it falls before the autumn winds，but calls for our study and admiration. The power to appreciate beauty not merely increases our sources of happiness—it enlarges our moral nature, too. Beauty calms our restlessness and dispels our cares. Go into the fields or the woods, spend a summer day by the sea or the mountains, and all your little perplexities and anxieties will vanish, Listen to sweetmusic, and your foolish fears and petty jealousies will pass away. The beauty of the world helps us to seek and find the beauty of goodness.
英语经典美文6
Passage 1.Woodpecker
There are many apple trees in a garden. They’re good friends. One day an old tree is ill. There are many pests in the tree. Leaves of the tree turn yellow. The old tree feels very sad and unwell. Another tree sends for a doctor for him. At first, they send for a pigeon, but she has no idea about it. Then they send for an oriole, and she can’t treat the old tree well. Then they send for a woodpecker. She is a good doctor. She pecks a hole in the tree and eats lots of pests. At last the old tree becomes better and better. Leaves turn green and green.
Passage 2.A Busy Day
Today is Sunday! On Sundays, I usually play the flute.My father usually reads the newspaper. My motherusuallycleansthe house. Buttoday my mother is in bed. She is ill. My father has to do the housework. Now, he is cleaning the house. “Sam, can you help me?” “Yes, Dad!” Now, we’re washing the car. Where’s my sister, Amy? She is playing my flute. What a lucky girl!
Passage 3.The dog and his reflection
One day a dog with a piece of meat in his mouth was crossing a plank over a stream. As he walked along,helookedintowater,andhesawhis reflection. He thought this was another dog carrying
a piece of meat. And he felt he would like to have two pieces. So he snapped at the reflection in the water, and of course, as he opened his mouth, the piece of meat disappeared quickly.
Passage 4.An honest boy
Tony is seven years old. He is an honest and polite boy. One day, it was Sunday. Tony, his sister and his mother stayed at home. He was watching TV and his sister was reading books. His mother was washing clothes. Just then, his father came back with a bag
of pears. Tony likes pears very much and he wanted
to eat one. His mother gave him four and said, “Let’s sharethem.” “Whichpeardo youwant, Tony?” asked his mother. “The biggest one, mum.” “What?” said his mother, “You should be polite and want the smallest one.” “Should I tell a lie just to be polite, mum?”
Passage 5.A birthday party
Today is Susan’s birthday. She is nine years old. Her friends are in her home now. There is a birthday party in the evening. Look! Mary is listening to the music. And Tom is drinking orange juice. Jack and Sam are playing cards on the floor. Lily and Amy are watching TV. Someone is knocking at the door. It’s Henry. He brings a big teddy bear for Susan. The teddy bear is yellow. Susan is very happy. All the children are happy. They sing a birthday song for Susan.
Passage 6.The Farmer and the Snake
It was a cold winter day.A farmer found a snake on the ground. It was nearly dead by cold. The Farmer was a kind man. Hepicked up thesnake carefully and put it under the coat. Soon the snake Began to move and it raised its mouth and bit the farmer. “Oh, My god!” said the farmer, “I save your life, but you thank me in that way. You must die.” Then he killed the snake with a stick. At last he died, too.
Passage 7.Two Young Trees
Two young trees are standing on the top of the hill. Their names are Tim and Alan.
One day, it’s sunny and warm. Some birds are singing in the trees. The wind blows, and the trees are talking. “What do you want to be when you grow up?’’ asks Tim. “I’m not sure. I think I want to be a chair or a desk.” answers Alan, “Maybe I want to be
a toy box or a baseball bat. I like children.”“What do you want to be when you grow up?” asks Alan. “Me?” says Tim, “I just want to be a tree. I want to be
a house for birds and spiders. I want to have many apples. And when it’s sunny and hot, people and animals can stand under me.”
Passage 8.Hongkong is a nice place
Hong Kong is a nice place, especially in summer. JulyisahotmonthinHongKong.Butit’san excellent time for swimming. There is a beautiful beach at Repulse Bay (浅水湾). To get there, you can take a bus from Central. Lots of people go to the beach on Sundays and Saturdays. But if you go on a weekday, it is will be not so crowded.Visitors to Hongkong need passports. But people from many countries do not need visas. Hongkong is a nice place for holiday. There are many shops.
Passage 9.Water
Water is very important for living things. Without water, there must be no life on the earth. All the plants and animals need water to drink, to cook food and to clean ourselves. Water is needed in farms, factories, offices, schools, families and many other places.
Water is found in seas, rivers and lakes. It can be found everywhere in the world, and it also can be found in the air.
Passage 10.Twins’ Bedroom
This is the twins’ bedroom. It is a nice room. The two beds look the same. This bed is Lily’s and that one is Lucy’s. The twins have one desk and two chairs. Their clock, books and pencil-boxes are on the desk. Their schoolbags are behind the chairs. Some nice flowers are on the desk. Some nice pictures are on the wall. Is there a kite? Yes, it’s under Lily’s bed. The bedroom is very nice.
Passage 11.Dogs
One of the animals that help people a lot is the dog. In some countries, dogs pull wagons. In the cold north, dogs pull sleds.
There are other ways that dogs help us, too. Policemen use them to look for missing people. Soldiers use them to carry letters and medicine .On farms, dogs take care of sheep and keep them in the fields. At night, they take the sheep home. Dogs help the blind with work. Some dogs are good and kind. Some dogs are good at another skill.
Passage 12.The Best Job
Betty is a lazy girl. She doesn’t study hard, and she doesn’t help her mother with the housework, either. “What are you going to be when you grow up, Betty?” Mother asks. “You’re too lazy. No job will ever fit you.” “But I know one,” says the girl, “I’m going to be Father Christmas,” “You want to be Father Christmas?” Mother is surprised, “But why?” “Because he works only one day in a whole year.”
Passage 13.A Clever Monkey
A little monkey picks up a pumpkin and wants to takeithome.Butthepumpkinistoobig.The monkey can’t take it home.
Suddenly he sees a panda riding a bike towards him. He watches the bike. “l have a good idea. I can roll the pumpkin. It likes a wheel.”
So he rolls the pumpkin to his home. When his mother sees the big pumpkin, she is surprised and says, “How can you carry it home?” The little monkey answers proudly, “l can’t lift it, but l can roll it.” His mother smiles and says, “ What a clever boy!”
Passage14. What Are Stars Like?
Have you ever wondered about the stars? In some ways, stars are like people. They are born. They grow old. And they die. A star is born from dust and gas. Slowly the dust and gas make a ball. The ball gets very hot. Then it starts to give off light. The young star grows into a giant. Many years go by. The older star begins to get small again. At last its light goes out. The star’s life is over.
Passage 15.Radio and Television
Radio and television are very popular in the world today. Millions of people watch TV. Perhaps more people listen to the radio.
The TV is more useful than the radio. On TV we can see and hear what is happening in the world. However, radio isn’t lost. It is still with us. And listeners are becoming more. That’sbecause a transistor radio isn’t lost. It is still with us. It is very easy to carry. You can put one in your pocket and listen to it on the bus or your bike when you go to work.
Passage 16.It’s cool behind you
It’stwoo’clockintheafternoon.Thesunis shinning and it’s very hot. Nancy has to meet her mother at the train station.
Now she’s walking in the street. There are no trees and she’s fat. So she feels very hot. But she doesn’t find a boy walking just behind her. And she meets a friend and says “hello” to him. “Who’s the boy behind you？” asks the man . Now she sees the boy. She is angry and asks, “Why are you walking behind me, boy?” “There’snoshadeinthestreet, you know.” answers the boy. “It’s cool behind you, I think.”
Passage 17.Father’s Hobby
My dad works from Monday to Friday in a bank. he uses the computer to count money. His job is very important in the bank.
Dad is also busy at home. At weekends he cooks dinner. Usually he cooks Italian food. On Sundays he makesfive pieces of pizza. Sometimes hecooks chicken and makes Chinese food. My mum watches and helps him. I help my dad, too. I wash the dishes.
Many people think it is strange for a man to cook. But my dad enjoys his hobby. Cooking relaxes him. He is a weekend cook.
Passage 18.I don’t think so
Jack is a good boy but he doesn’t like to use his head. He often says something withou thinking.It makes others unhappy.
Mr. Black teaches math in a school. He’s old now and he likes children.On the Friday Mr. Black doesn’t go to work, because he’s ill in a hospital. And Jack’s mother will see him after dinner. “I want to be there with you.” says Jack. “You’re a rude boy. I can’t take you there.’’ says his mother. “Don’t worry, mum. I won’t do that again. Please believe me. ” says Jack. In the hospital, Jack says nothing at first. When they’re leaving , he says to Mr. Black, “You look fine. The doctor says you’re going to die, but I don’t think so. ”
Passage 19.Seven days in a week
There are about fifty-two weeks in a year. And there are seven days in each week. The first day of a week is Sunday. The other days of a week between SundayandSaturdayare Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Thursday and Friday. Monday is the second day, Tuesday is the third day, Wednesday is the fourth day, Thursday is the fifth day, and Friday is the sixth day. What’s the last day? Do you know?
Passage 20.My special Friend
I have a friend in the U.S. His name is Don Adams. I know him very well, but I have never met him. We write to each other all the time. My letters are very short. It is still hard for me to write in English. I received a letter from Don yesterday. It makes me very happy. He is coming to my country for a visit next summer. We are going to see each other for the first time.
Passage 21.A Day in My Life
My family lives on this street. In the morning, my father goes to work and all the children go to school. My mother takes us to school everyday. She does the housework. She always has her lunch at home, and sees her friends in the afternoon. In the evening all the children come home from school. They always get home early. My father goes home from work and he is often late. After supper my two brothers and I do our homework. We go to bed at ten.
Passage 22. The Sea
What do know about the sea? Some people have seen it but others haven’t. The sea looks beautiful on a fine sunny day and it can be very tough when there is a strong wind. What other things do you know about it? Of course, the sea is very large. In the world there is more sea than land. If you have swum in the sea, you know that the sea is salty. Rivers carry salt from the land into the sea. Some places of the sea are saltier than the other places. Do you know the Dead Sea? It is so salty that you can’t sink when you are in the water! And fish cannot live in it!
Passage 23.A Good Young Pioneer
Li Hua is a Yong Pioneer. He is going to the park. Now he is waiting for a bus. Suddenly he finds a watchon theground.He askssome people, “Whose watch is it?” But the watch isn’t theirs. So he gives the watch to a policeman.
Now Li Hua gets on the bus. He is sitting near the window. An old woman gets on the bus. She has no seat. So he stands up and says, “Here is a seat for you, Granny. Please sit here”
Passage 24.Sea horse
There are all kinds of horses in the world. But one of them you can’t ride. It doesn’t live on land, but in the sea. It looks like the head of horse. So the people call it sea horse. In fact, the sea horse is a small fish. It likes to live in warm water. A sea horse stands up in the water when it swims.
Father horse carries the eggs to keep them safe in its pouch. Whenthe eggsare hatched, the baby horses swim away.
Passage 25.A Cat and a Bird
There are three trees near the house. There is a big tree, and two small trees.
In the big tree there is a bird. Can the bird sing? Yes, it can. What’s under the big tree? It’s a cat.
“I want some food,” thinks the cat. “Bird, my good friend, Come here! It’s time to play games” says the cat.
“No today, thank you!” says the bird, “You can’t catch me! Goodbye!” Look! The bird is flying!
Passage 26.A Flying Fox
A flying fox is not a fox at all. It is a bat. But this bat looks like a fox. A flying fox is very big. It likes to eat fruit. Sometimes the flying fox is called fruit bat.
The flying fox flies into fruit trees. Then the bat eats all the fruit. So fruit farmers do not like the flying fox.
Passage 27.Flying Birds
Birds don’t fly high up in the sky. The air is too thin.
It is hard for birds to breathe in thin air. Thin air doesn’t hold them up.
Birds fly near the ground so that they can see where they are. The birds look for places they know. Then they do not get lost. Some birds fly so low over the ocean that the waves often hide them. Many birds fly a long distance in the spring and autumn.
Passage 28.Air
Air is all around us. It is around us as we walk and play. From the time we were born air is around us on every side. When we sit down, it is around us. When we go to bed, air is also around us. We live in air. We can live without food or water for a few days, but we cannot live for more than a few minutes without air. We take in air. When we are working or running we need more air. When we are asleep, we need less air. We live in air, but we cannot see it. We can only feel it when it is moving. Moving air is called wind. How can we make air move? Here is one way. Hold an open book in front of your face, close it quickly. What can you feel? What you feel is air.
Passage 29.Clocks
There are many clocks in the Brown’s house. They are in different rooms.A big clock stands in a corner of the sitting room. It is a very, very old clock, but it still keeps good time. Mr. Brown winds it once a week.
Passage 30. Swimming
Swimming is a good sport. It’s popular. People like swimming because the water makes people feel cool. But if they swim in a wrong place, it is very dangerous. These years, some people died when they were enjoying themselves in water and most of them were students. Summer holiday will be there again. I want to give you some advice. First, don’t get into the water when you are alone. Second, don’t get into the water if there is a No swimming sign. Third, you should be careful in the water. If you remember these, swimming will be safe and it’s good for your health.
英语经典美文7
There is a hill near my home that I often climb at night. The noise of the city is a far-off murmur. In the hush of dark I share the cheerfulness of crickets and the confidence of owls. But it is the drama of the moonrise that I come to see. For that restores in me a quiet and clarity that the city spends too freely.
From this hill I have watched many moons rise. Each one had its own mood. There have been broad, confident harvest moons in autumn; shy, misty moons in spring; lonely, white winter moons rising into the utter silence of an ink-black sky and smoke-smudged orange moons over the dry fields of summer. Each, like fine music, excited my heart and then calmed my soul.
But we, who live indoors, have lost contact with the moon. The glare of street lights and the dust of pollution veil the night sky. Though men have walked on the moon, it grows less familiar. Few of us can say what time the moon will rise tonight.
Still, it tugs at our minds.
If we unexpectedly encounter the full moon, huge and yellow over the horizon, we are helpless but to stare back at its commanding presence. And the moon has gifts to bestow upon those who watch.
I learned about its gifts one July evening in the mountains. My car had mysteriously stalled, and I was stranded and alone. The sun had set, and I was watching what seemed to be the bright-orange glow of a forest fire beyond a ridge to the east. Suddenly, the ridge itself seemed to burst into flame. Then, the rising moon, huge and red and grotesquely misshapen by the dust and sweat of the summer atmosphere, loomed up out of the woods. Distorted thus by the hot breath of earth, the moon seemed ill-tempered and imperfect. Dogs at nearby farmhouse barked nervously, as if this strange light had wakened evil spirits in the weeds.
But as the moon lifted off the ridge it gathered firmness and authority. Its complexion changed from red, to orange, to gold, to impassive yellow. It seemed to draw light out of the darkening earth, for as it rose, the hills and valleys below grew dimmer. By the time the moon stood clear of the horizon, full-chested and round and of the colour of ivory, the valleys were deep shadows in the landscape. The dogs, reassured that this was the familiar moon, stopped barking. And all at once I felt a confidence and joy close to laughter.
The drama took an hour. Moonrise is slow and serried with subtleties. To watch it, we must slip into an older, more patient sense of time.
To watch the moon move inflexibly higher is to find an unusual stillness within ourselves. Our imaginations become aware of the vast distance of space, the immensity of the earth and the huge improbability of our own existence. We feel small but privileged.
Moonlight shows us none of life’s harder edges. Hillsides seem silken and silvery, the oceans still and blue in its light. In moonlight we become less calculating, more drawn to our feelings.
在我家的附近有座小山， 我常在晚间爬上山去。此时，城市的喧嚣成了遥远的低语。在这黑夜的静谧中，我尽情地分享蟋蟀的欢乐，感受猫头鹰的自信。不过，我上山是来看月出的，因为这可以让我的内心重新感到被城市消耗殆尽的平静与清新。
在这座山上，我欣赏过许多次月亮升起的景象。每一次月的姿容性情都不同。秋天，满月如轮，充满自信;春天，月亮清雾迷蒙羞羞答答;冬天，银白色的月亮挂在漆黑的、悄无声息的夜空中，显得那样孤寂;夏天，桔黄色的月似被烟尘笼罩，俯瞰干燥的田野。每一种月亮，都像美妙的音乐，颤动我的心灵，令我的灵魂平静。
但我们这些深居室内的人，已与月亮失去了联系。城市中耀眼的街灯和污染性烟尘遮住了夜空。虽然人类已在月亮上行走过，但月亮对我们却更加陌生了。现在已很少有人能说出今晚月亮何时升起。
但无论怎样，月亮依然打动我们的心灵。
如果我们偶然遇见一轮黄灿灿的'满月高高挂在空中， 我们都会禁不住抬头凝望她那高贵的仪容。而月亮会向那些注视她的人赐予厚礼。
我得到她的厚礼是在山间七月的一个夜晚。我的车突然无缘无故地熄了火，将我孤身一人困在山中，束手无策。太阳已经落山，我注视着东边山头涌起的一团桔红色的明光，好像森林起火一般。突然，山头自己也似乎燃起火焰，一会儿，一轮又大又红的月亮从树林中慢慢现出身来，夏天空气中弥漫的灰尘与湿气令它显得异常怪异。大地灼热的呼吸扭曲了它，它变得非常暴躁，不再完美。附近农舍的狗紧张地狂吠起来，因为这团奇怪的光亮叫醒了野草中的魔鬼。
然而当月亮缓缓从山头升起，它聚集了越来越多的坚定与威严;它的面孔由红色变成了桔红，又变成金色，最后成为沉静的黄色。它似乎吸收了正在渐渐转暗的大地的光亮，因为随着它的升起，下面的丘陵山谷变得愈来愈朦胧。等到皓月当空，满月如盘，闪烁出象牙般的清辉，山谷便成了风景中一片幽深的阴影。那些狗明白了那团光原来是他们熟悉的月亮，也安定下来，停止了吠叫。霎时间，我也觉得信心倍增，心情舒畅，几乎笑了起来。
这奇特的景观持续了一个小时。月出是缓慢而充满神奇的。观看月出，我们必须回到一种古老的、耐心的时间观念中去。观看月亮不可阻挡地升上天空，会让我们找到内心的无比安宁，我们的想象力能让我们看到宇宙的辽阔和大地的广袤，能让我们忘掉自己的存在。我们觉得自身渺小，但又深感大自然的厚待。
月色下，我们看不到生活中坚硬的棱角。山坡在月光下如同笼上了一层柔和的银纱;大海在月光下宁静碧蓝;我们在月光下也不再像白日那般心计来往，而是沉醉于自然的情感中。
英语经典美文8
I think that, from a biological standpoint, human life almost reads like a poem. It has its own rhythm and beat, its internal cycles of growth and decay. It begins with innocent childhood, followed by awkward adolescence trying awkwardly to adapt itself to mature society, with its young passions and follies, its ideals and ambitions; then it reaches a manhood of intense activities, profiting from experience and learning more about society and human nature; at middle age, there is a slight easing of tension, a mellowing of character like the ripening of fruit or the mellowing of good wine, and the gradual acquiring of a more tolerant, more cynical and at the same time a kindlier view of life; then In the sunset of our life, the endocrine glands decrease their activity, and if we have a true philosophy of old age and have ordered our life pattern according to it, it is for us the age of peace and security and leisure and contentment; finally, life flickers out and one goes into eternal sleep, never to wake up again.
One should be able to sense the beauty of this rhythm of life, to appreciate, as we do in grand symphonies, its main theme, its strains of conflict and the final resolution. The movements of these cycles are very much the same in a normal life, but the music must be provided by the individual himself. In some souls, the discordant note becomes harsher and harsher and finally overwhelms or submerges the main melody. Sometimes the discordant note gains so much power that the music can no longer go on, and the individual shoots himself with a pistol or jump into a river. But that is because his original leitmotif has been hopelessly over-showed through the lack of a good self-education. Otherwise the normal human life runs to its normal end in kind of dignified movement and procession. There are sometimes in many of us too many staccatos or impetuosos, and because the tempo is wrong, the music is not pleasing to the ear; we might have more of the grand rhythm and majestic tempo o the Ganges, flowing slowly and eternally into the sea.
No one can say that life with childhood, manhood and old age is not a beautiful arrangement; the day has its morning, noon and sunset, and the year has its seasons, and it is good that it is so. There is no good or bad in life, except what is good according to its own season. And if we take this biological view of life and try to live according to the seasons, no one but a conceited fool or an impossible idealist can deny that human life can be lived like a poem. Shakespeare has expressed this idea more graphically in his passage about the seven stages of life, and a good many Chinese writers have said about the same thing. It is curious that Shakespeare was never very religious, or very much concerned with religion. I think this was his greatness; he took human life largely as it was, and intruded himself as little upon the general scheme of things as he did upon the characters of his plays. Shakespeare was like Nature itself, and that is the greatest compliment we can pay to a writer or thinker. He merely lived, observed life and went away.
英语经典美文9
You are rich。
你很富有
True wealth comes from within. Of course, money matters but so does the way you spend and treat it. If money is the only purpose of your life then you will never feel rich even if you become a millionaire. Treat money the way it was meant to as means to existence rather than the ultimate source of happiness and joy. Right now write down 5 things that make you a rich person and keep this list where you will always see it。
真正的富有来自内心。钱很重要，但你对待金钱的方式也很重要。假如赚钱是你生活的目标，那即使成为百万富翁，你也不会觉得开心。把钱看成是维持生存的.工具吧，而不是能带来快乐和幸福的源泉。现在开始，写下5件能让你觉得自己很富有的事，并把这张纸贴在醒目的地方。
英语经典美文10
Chinese Undergraduates in the US
Each year, elite American universities and liberal arts colleges, such as Yale, Harvard, Columbia, Amherst and Wellesley, offer a number of scholarships to Chinese high school graduates to study in their undergraduate programs.
Four years ago, I received such a scholarship from Yale.
What are these Chinese undergrads like? Most come from middle-class families in the big urban centers of China.
The geographical distribution is highly skewed, with Shanghai and Beijing heavily over-represented.
Outside the main pool, a number of Yale students come from Changsha and Ningbo,swhereseach year American Yale graduates are sent to teach English.
The overwhelming majority of Chinese undergraduates in the US major in science, engineering or economics.
Many were academic superstars in their high schools - gold medallists in international academic Olympiads or prize winners in national academic contests.
Once on US campuses, many of them decide to make research a lifelong commitment.
Life outside the classroom constitutes an important part of college life.
At American universities the average student spends less than thirteen hours a week in class.
Many Chinese students use their spare time to pick up some extra pocket money.
At Yale, one of the most common campus jobs is washing dishes in the dining halls.
Virtually all Chinese undergraduates at Yale work part-time in the dining halls at some point in their college years.
As they grow in age and sophistication, they upgrade to better-paying and less stressful positions.
The more popular and interesting jobs include working as a computer assistant, math homework grader, investment office assistant and lab or research assistant.
The latter three often lead to stimulating summer jobs.
Student activities are another prominent feature of American college life.
Each week there are countless student-organized events of all sorts - athletic, artistic, cultural, political or social (i.e.just for fun).
New student organizations are constantly being created, and Chinese undergrads contribute to this ferment.
Sport looms much larger on US campuses than in China.
At Yale, intramural sports from soccer to water polo take place all year long; hence athletic talent is a real social asset.
One of the Chinese students at Yale several years ago was a versatile sportsman.
His athletic talents and enthusiastic participation in sporting events, combined with his other fine qualities, made him a popular figure in his residential college.
英语经典美文11
Love makes the world go around.
爱开启了世界的转动之轮。
Love to us human is what water to fish. Love shines the most beautiful light of humanity, we born in it, we live by it. Too often we take it as granted, but we should know love is a priceless gift we should cherish. But how to cherish the love? I have heard a saying: the quickest way to receive love is to give it; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
爱对我们的意义来说就好比水对鱼的意义。爱照亮我们人性中最美好的部分。我们带着父母的爱出生，我们在爱的拥抱下成长。但我们经常把爱视作理所当然，事实上我们应该知道爱应该是无价的，它需要受到珍视。我曾听人说，想要得到爱的最快方法就是付出爱，失去爱的最快方法就是抓得太紧，保持爱的最好方法就是让爱自由飞翔。
When you are young, you may want several love experiences. But as time goes on, you will realize that if you really love someone, the whole life will not be enough. You need time to know, to forgive and to love. All this needs a very big mind.
年轻的时候会想要谈很多次恋爱，但是随着年龄的增长，终于领悟到爱一个人，就算用一辈子的时间，还是会嫌不够。慢慢地去了解这个人，体谅这个人，直到爱上为止，是需要有非常宽大的胸襟才行。
It is important for us to learn to love as the first class in our life. Only when you know how to love than you will be a real man in this world. Love brings us warmth in the fearful coldness, love brings us bright when life gets hard and dark. Love brings us confidence toward life when we are tired out and want to give up.
学会爱是我们人生重要的'第一课。只有当你知道如何去爱时你才会在这个世界中找到真正的自我。爱在我们恐惧时带给我们温暖，在我们疲惫气馁的时候带给对于生活的自信。
Love deserves all the admiring words, and love is even beyond the life and death. That is what love is all about in my eyes.
用一切言语来赞美爱情都不为过，爱超越了生死。这就是我眼中的爱。
英语经典美文12
It was the first day of school.
开学第一天。
As the principal made his rounds, he heard a terrible commotion coming from one of the classrooms.
校长正在视察各个教室，突然听见一间教室中传出骚乱声。
He rushed in and spotted one boy, taller than the others, who seemed to be making the most noise.
他快速走进那间教室，看见一个男孩子。这个男孩子比其他人都要高，并且好像就是他引起的骚乱。
He seized the lad, dragged him to the hall, and told him to wait there until he was excused.
于是校长抓住那个男孩，拽到大厅中，教训他说没有得到原谅之前不许动。
Returning to the classroom, the principal restored order and lectured the class for half an hour about the importance of good behavior.
回到教室，校长让学生们坐好，就行为规范的重要性做了半个小时的.训话。
"Now," he said, "are there any questions?"
“现在，”校长说：“还有什么问题么?”
One girl stood up timidly. " Please sir," she asked, "May we have our teacher back?"
一个女孩子小心翼翼地站起来说：“对不起，先生，能把我们的老师放回来了么?”
英语经典美文13
There are some people who are completely happy with themselves, their lives, and their prospects for the future. While they can be considered to be more fortunate than most, most who do not fall into that category are not as bad off as they tend to believe. Instead, they are simply lacking something, or making mistakes, which are standing in the way of their lives being as fulfilling as they would prefer. Some even go as far as to not realize the immense potential they possess.
What is the main difference between those lucky individuals whose lives seem to be wonderfully on-track and those who, often despite every step of trying on their part, appear to have all of the odds stacked against them? While in some cases it is a matter of some people having better luck than others, those whose lives are content in the moment and proceeding in the direction of their choice, do not live in the past.
Whether you are thinking about your personality or your life in general, success means focusing on the here-and-now. While it is important to acknowledge the choices and experiences which resulted in you being where you are today, it is equally important to not allow yourself to become so caught up in thoughts of the past that the present day passes you by.
Self-motivation is the key to ensuring that you do not continue repeating the same mistakes. You may have had one or more errors in judgment which led you to take the wrong path, or to make mistakes that were not in your best interest. You can acknowledge this without rehashing them over and over again in your mind, and simply be determined to make different, better decisions today.
Then is over; this is now. The less time and effort you put into looking at the past, the more you will have for living and experiencing this day. You will also find that letting go of the past will give you a deeper sense of strength. Instead of allowing past mistakes and worries to drain your energies, you will have a renewed energy to live your life to the fullest and enjoy it more.
Being content with yourself and optimistic about your future is not difficult. Whatever is in the past is over; learn from it and move on. When you are self-motivated enough to do this, you will see that moving ahead is the best definition of living life.
With that said, what can you do now? Sure it is easy for me to tell you to forget the past, yet it is a whole different practice to actually do it. Life is a complex set of events much of which of course is real, yet a large amount is just your view of what really happened.
Let me explain with an example. I know not everyone is a football fan but I am guessing most have watched at least part of a game on TV. Most plays and almost all the important plays are played over and over on the TV screen right after the play happened.
How many times have you watched a play and were certain and I mean certain of the outcome, say the player caught a pass, then watching the instant replay you realize you were totally wrong, the player dropped the pass. What you were certain you saw, never happened.
The first step in trying to minimize the effects of your past in order to concentrate on your future is to find out how much of the past that you are certain happened were just mistakes on your part.
A quick example might be as a teenager you tried to build a piece of furniture out of scrape wood in your father’s workshop. The piece of furniture looked good when you finished but fell apart before you could show your father and you assumed your were a lousy carpenter and the rest of your life you have avoided building anything. Yet the reality was the scrap wood you used was faulty and not your building ability.
Yet the rest of your life you have believed mistakenly you are a poor builder of things.
英语经典美文14
Dance With Me
By Jean Harper from Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul
When we’re young and we dream of love and fulfillment, we think perhaps of moon-drenched Parisian nights or walks along the beach at sunset.
No one tells us that the greatest moments of a lifetime are fleeting, unplanned and nearly always catch us off guard.
Not long ago, as I was reading a bedtime story to my seven-year-old daughter, Annie, I became aware of her focused gaze. She was starring at me with a faraway, trancelike expression. Apparently, completing The Tale of Samuel Whiskers was not as important as we first thought.
I asked what she was thinking about.
“Mommy,” she whispered, “I just can’t stop looking at your pretty face.”
I almost dissolved on the spot.
Little did she know how many trying moments the glow of her sincerely loving statement would carry me through over the following years.
Not long after, I took my four-year-old son to an elegant department store, where the melodic notes of a classic love song drew us toward a tuxedoed musician playing a grand piano. Sam and I sat down on a marble bench nearby, and he seemed as transfixed by the lilting theme as I was.
I didn’t realize that Sam had stood up next to me until he turned, took my face in his little hands and said, “Dance with me.”
If only those women strolling under the Paris moon knew the joy of such an invitation made by a round-cheeked boy with baby teeth. Although shoppers openly chuckled, grinned and pointed at us as we glided and whirled around the open atrium, I would not have traded a dance with such a charming young gentleman if I’d been offered the universe.
英语经典美文15
There was once a poor man who could no longer afford to keep his only son at home. So the son said to him, 'Dear father, you are so poor that I am only a burden to you; I would rather go out into the world and see if I can earn my own living.' The father gave him his blessing and took leave of him with much sorrow. About this time the King of a very powerful kingdom was carrying on a war; the youth therefore took service under him and went on the campaign. When they came before the enemy, a battle took place, there was some hot fighting, and it rained bullets so thickly that his comrades fell around him on all sides. And when their leader fell too the rest wished to take to flight; but the youth stepped forward and encouraged them and called out, 'We must not let our country be ruined!' Then others followed him, and he pressed on and defeated the enemy. When the King heard that he had to thank him alone for the victory, he raised him higher than anyone else in rank, gave him great treasures and made him the first in the kingdom.
The King had a daughter who was very beautiful, but she was also very capricious. She had made a vow to marry no one who would not promise her that if she died first, he would allow himself to be buried alive with her. 'If he loves me truly,' she used to say, 'what use would life be to him then?' At the same time she was willing to do the same, and if he died first to be buried with him. This curious vow had up to this time frightened away all suitors, but the young man was so captivated by her beauty, that he hesitated at nothing and asked her hand of her father. 'Do you know,' asked the King, 'what you have to promise?' 'I shall have to go into her grave with her,' he answered, 'if I outlive her, but my love is so great that I do not think of the risk.' So the King consented, and the wedding was celebrated with great splendour.
Now, they lived for a long time very happily with one another, but then it came to pass that the young Queen fell seriously ill, and no doctor could save her. And when she lay dead, the young King remembered what he had promised, and it made him shudder to think of lying in her grave alive, but there was no escape. The King had set guards before all the gates, and it was not possible to avoid his fate.
When the day arrived on which the corpse was to be laid in the royal vault, he was led thither, then the entrance was bolted and closed up.
Near the coffin stood a table on which were placed four candles, four loaves of bread, and four bottles of wine. As soon as this provision came to an end he would have to die. So he sat there full of grief and misery, eating every day only a tiny bit of bread, and drinking only a mouthful of ovine, and he watched death creeping nearer and nearer to him. One day as he was sitting staring moodily in front of him, he saw a snake creep out of the corner
towards the corpse. Thinking it was going to touch it, he drew his sword and saying, 'As long as I am alive you shall not harm her,' he cut it in three pieces. After a little time a second snake crept out of the corner, but when it saw the first one lying dead and in pieces it went back and came again soon, holding three green leaves in its mouth. Then it took the three bits of the snake and laid them in order, and put one of the leaves on each wound. Immediately the pieces joined together, the snake moved itself and became alive and then both hurried away. The leaves remained lying on the ground, and it suddenly occurred to the unfortunate man who had seen everything, that the wonderful power of the leaves might also be exercised upon a human being.
So he picked up the leaves and laid one of them on the mouth and the other two on the eyes of the dead woman. And scarcely had he done this, before the blood began to circulate in her veins, then it mounted and brought colour back to her white face. Then she drew her breath, opened her eyes, and said, 'Ah! where am I?' 'You are with me, dear lady,' he answered, and told her all that had happened, and how he had brought her to life again. He then gave her some wine and bread, and when all her strength had returned she got up, and they went to the door and knocked and called so loudly that the guards heard them, and told the King. The King came himself to open the door, and there he found both happy and well, and he rejoiced with them that now all trouble was over. But the young King gave the three snake-leaves to a servant, saying to him, 'Keep them carefully for me, and always carry them with you; who knows but that they may help us in a time of need!'
It seemed, however, as if a change had come over the young Queen after she had been restored to life, and as if all her love for her husband had faded from her heart. Some time afterwards, when he wanted to take a journey over the sea to his old father, and they were on board the ship, she forgot the great love and faithfulness he had shown her and how he had saved her from death, and fell in love with the captain. And one day when the young King was lying asleep, she called the captain to her, and seized the head of the sleeping King and made him take his feet, and together they threw him into the sea. When they had done this wicked deed, she said to him, 'Now let us go home and say that he died on the journey. I will praise you so much to my father that he will marry me to you and make you the heir to the throne.' But the faithful servant, who had seen everything, let down a little boat into the sea, unobserved by them, and rowed after his master while the traitors sailed on. He took the drowned man out of the water, and with the help of the three snake-leaves which he carried with him, placing them on his mouth and eyes, he brought him to life again.
They both rowed as hard as they could night and day, and their little boat went so quickly that they reached the old King before the other two did. He was much astonished to see them come back alone, and asked what had happened to them. When he heard the wickedness of his daughter, he said, 'I cannot believe that she has acted so wrongly, but the truth will soon come to light.' He made them both go into a secret chamber, and let no one see them.
Soon after this the large ship came in, and the wicked lady appeared before her father with a very sad face. He said to her, 'Why have you come back alone? Where is your husband?'
'Ah, dear father,' she replied, 'I have come home in great grief; my husband fell ill on the voyage quite suddenly, and died, and if the good captain had not given me help, I should have died too. He was at his death-bed and can tell you everything.'
The King said, 'I will bring the dead to life again,' and he opened the door of the room and called them both out. The lady was as if thunderstruck when she caught sight of her husband; she fell on her knees and begged for mercy. But the King said, 'You shall have no mercy. He was ready to die with you, and restored you to life again; but you killed him when he was sleeping, and shall receive your deserts.'
So she and her accomplice were put in a ship which was bored through with holes, and were drawn out into the sea, where they soon perished in the waves.
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