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(优秀)英语经典美文阅读15篇
在平时的学习、工作或生活中，大家一定看过美文吧？一篇美文是建立在真挚情感的基础上的。文字表达的是内心的感受，是真情实感的自然流露，如何写一篇“形散而神不散”的美文呢？以下是小编整理的英语经典美文阅读，供大家参考借鉴，希望可以帮助到有需要的朋友。
英语经典美文阅读1
You may believe me, when I assure you in the most solemn manner that, so far from seeking this employment, I have used every effort in my power to avoid it, not only from my unwillingness to part with you and the family, but from a consciousness of its being a trust too great for my capacity; and I should enjoy more real happiness in one month with you at home that I have the most distant prospect of finding abroad; if my stay were to be seven times seven years. But as it has been a kind of destiny that has thrown me upon this service, I shall hope that has my undertaking it is designed to answer some good purpose...
I shall rely confidently on that Providence which has heretofore preserved and been bountiful to me, not doubting but that I shall return safe to you in the fall. I shall feel no pain from the toil or danger of the campaign; my unhappiness will flow from the uneasiness I know you will feel from being left alone. I therefore beg that you will summon your whole fortitude, and pass your times agreeably as possible. Nothing will give me so much sincere satisfaction as to hear this, and to hear it from your own pen.
George Washington
1775
您应当相信我，当我以最庄严的方式向您保证时，我没有谋求这个职位， 我已就我所能竭力回避这个职位。 不仅仅是我不愿意与您和家人离别，而是由于我有自知之明，深感力不从心，难以胜任， 我宁愿与您在家享受一个月人间的天伦多乐，要是我在那呆七七四十九天，这乐趣在异乡得到最好的期望也无法比拟。 但既然命中注定委任我， 我只愿接受此任是为了实现崇高的目的……
我将完全依赖于上帝，上帝一直在保佑和厚待我。 今秋我一定安全无恙地回到您的身边。 我不会因军营的`磨练和危险而感痛苦， 您独自一人在家，我知道您会感到不安，您的不安却会使我忧心忡忡。 正因如此，我求您鼓足勇气，尽可能愉快地欢度时光。 再也没有比这更令我欣慰，再也没有什么比您亲笔写信能给我欣慰。
乔治华盛顿
1775年
英语经典美文阅读2
A farmer took on firewood by tramping over mountains and through ravines every day, In order to get a day's rations and let his son goes to school with the remaining money.
一位农民每天肩挑柴禾翻山越岭，为了换取一天的口粮钱，并用剩余的钱供儿子上学。
When his son came back in summer vacation, his father let him pick firewood and sell it in order to cultivate his hardship spirit. His son felt reluctant that take on firewood by tramping over mountains and through ravines, so he gave up finally. The father can't be helped, so he sighed and let his son rest at the side. He still took on firewood day by day.
儿子放暑假回来，父亲为了培养儿子的吃苦精神，便叫儿子替他挑柴禾上集市去卖。儿子不情愿地挑了一挑，翻山越岭肩挑柴禾着实把他给累坏了，最后放弃了。父亲没办法，只好叹着气让儿子一边歇着去，自己还是一天接一天挣钱养家糊口。
There's many a slip between the cup and the lip. The father was ill and he cannot get up. There was no income in home, so his son decided to provoke the burden of life. The sun had not yet risen, while the son learned his father cut firewood and sell it at the bazaar. Nevertheless, he was not a bit tired.
可天有不测风云，父亲不幸病倒了，起不了床。家里失去了生活来源，儿子终于挑起了生活的重担。每天天不亮，儿子学着父亲的样子上山砍柴，然后挑着去集市卖，尽管如此，一点也不觉得累。
“Son, don’t tired out!” the father looked at his son busy figure felt pitying and loving and said to him. The son stopped the work and said to his father:“It is strange that I feel tired when you asked me to do, however, I fell the burden more and more light even though I pick the more heavy ”
“儿子，别累坏了身子！”父亲又怜又爱地看着儿子忙碌的身影说。儿子这时停下手中的活儿，对父亲说：“爸爸，真是奇怪，刚开始您叫我挑柴时，我觉得特别累，怎么现在我挑得越来越重，相反倒觉得担子越来越轻了呢？”
The father nodded his head approvingly and said to his son:” your body's endurance is training out and It is important of your mature.”
父亲赞许地点点头，说道：“你身体的`承受能力练出来了，更多的是因为你心理成熟的缘故啊！”
This story tells us: to think of ourselves as stronger in life and bear the burden of life willingly.
这个故事告诉我们：要想象自己是生活的强者，而且愿意承担生活的重担
英语经典美文阅读3
I discovered the power of fear when I became stuck to my driveway, as if my feet were crazy—glued to the cement. As much as I tried, I could not move them. The realization that my daughters were playing in Nancy's house, just one-half block away, paralyzed my legs making me unable to move when I neared the end of our driveway. Dense, black smoke was rising from behind the Sycamore Maple trees on the other side of the street and was enveloping three houses, making them barely visible. Nancy's house was one of them.
我终于领略了恐惧的力量——我整个人被粘在车道上，就好像我的双脚被强力胶粘到了水泥路上一样，无论我怎样挣扎，就是不能移动半步。快走到车道尽头时我意识到两个女儿就在离此处半个街区的南希的房子里玩耍，这使我的两腿瘫软，不能动弹。浓密的.黑烟从街道对面的洋桐枫树后面升起来，包围了三幢房屋，几乎都看不到房子了。南希的房子就是其中之一。
英语经典美文阅读4
Gettysburg Address 林肯在葛底斯堡的演说
(Delivered on the 19th Day of November, 1863 Cemetery Hill, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania )
1863年11月19日,葛底斯堡,宾夕法尼亚
Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this continent a new Nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now, we are engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether that Nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that Nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
87年前，我们的先辈们在这个大陆上创立了一个新国家，它孕育于自由之中，奉行一切人生来平等的原则。现在我们正从事一场伟大的内战，以考验这个国家，或者任何一个孕育于自由和奉行上述原则的国家是否能够长久存在下去。我们在这场战争中的一个伟大战场上集会。烈士们为使这个国家能够生存下去而献出了自己的生命，我们来到这里，是要把这个战场的一部分奉献给他们作为最后安息之所。我们这样做是完全应该而且是非常恰当的。
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us; that from these honored dead, we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this Nation, under GOD, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the People by the People and for the People shall not perish from the earth.
但是，从更广泛的意义上来说，这块土地我们不能够奉献，不能够圣化，不能够神化。那些曾在这里战斗过的勇士们，活着的和去世的，已经把这块土地圣化了，这远不是我们微薄的力量所能增减的。我们今天在这里所说的话，全世界不大会注意，也不会长久地记住，但勇士们在这里所做过的`事，全世界却永远不会忘记。毋宁说，倒是我们这些还活着的人，应该在这里把自己奉献于勇士们已经如此崇高地向前推进但尚未完成的事业。倒是我们应该在这里把自己奉献于仍然留在我们面前的伟大任务--我们要从这些光荣的死者身上汲取更多的献身精神，来完成他们已经完全彻底为之献身的事业;我们要在这里下定最大的决心，不让这些死者白白牺牲;我们要使国家在上帝福佑下得到自由的新生，要使这个民有、民治、民享的政府永世长存。
英语经典美文阅读5
I have frequented the same chat line for more than 3 years now and have made some wonderful online friendships. However, I had become bored with the typical chat and the Internet all together. So, I decided to take a break.
After about a week of being off line, I returned late one night to check mail. There, in my box was an email from a lady friend I had met in chat. She was going on and on about a man that had recently entered the room and how he was supposedly the "male 1)incarnate" of myself. Anyone who knows me also knows that I am a bit of a "character". My sense of humor is one of a 2)warped 3)demented nature. The thought of finding anyone who doesn't become annoyed instantly is a chore. Much less a man that shared the same. I completely 4)discredited the email and went about my business.
Later that night, I found myself wandering the net. It was then I ran across a photo gallery that proved to be quite entertaining. As I clicked from one picture to the next, I ran across one gentleman's photo. I was 5)stunned by his presence. Approximately 10 minuets had gone by when I finally tore myself away from the photo and decided to venture into chat. There, I found the woman who had sent me the email earlier that week. She 6)proceeded to tell me all about this man. "You just have to meet him," she said, 7)ranting on and on about how much we were alike. I laughed at her thinking it was amusing. "No, I am serious! You have got to talk to him." I finally agreed that I would make effort to do so later on and left the chat quickly. Again, finding myself staring at this 8)anonymous photo I had found earlier.
Approximately 4 hours later, I ventured back into the chat. Only to find a few friends talking about daily events. Then, all of a sudden out of nowhere, a new name entered, 9)rambling on and on about being the presentment of madness. I quickly spoke up and told the stranger that title had already been taken by myself as I laughed. He was silent for a few moments. It was then I received a "whisper" from him. "So YOU are the woman I have heard so very much about." I replied by saying, "I see my reputation 10)precedes me." It was then I noticed his side 11)bar photo (this particular room has a side bar option for those wishing to post photos of themselves). I almost fell from my chair when I realized I was talking to the man in the photo. The photo I had found earlier that day while surfing. After several hours in "whisper" mode, we opted to enter my personal chat room. We found one another to be interesting. Not to mention, we thoroughly enjoyed our conversation.
Since then, our relationship has grown tremendously. Even going so far as to admit our love to one another. We both agree this seems crazy. The sort of thing you read about in a book. It hardly seems real. Neither of us was looking when fate led us to one another. Neither of us was in need of love. Hell, neither of us believed in love, especially online love 12)prior to our finding one another. We both want so badly to be together. To learn, to love, and to experience what this has to offer. It is simply amazing. So much for not seeking love, eh
英语经典美文阅读6
This is allegedly actual text from an American home economics text book, circa 1950.
Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal on time. This is a way of letting him know you've been thinking about him and concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
Prepare yourself. Take fifteen minutes to rest so that you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gather up school books, toys, paper, etc. Run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order; and it will give you a lift too.
Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they're small), comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.
Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.
Some Don'ts: Don't greet him with problems and complaints. Don't complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest that he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.
Listen to him. You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.
Make the evening his. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or other pleasant entertainment. Instead try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to unwind and relax.
The goal! Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can relax in body and spirit.
英语经典美文阅读7
Michael Jordan's Retired Speech
迈克尔·乔丹退役演说
I am here to announce my retirement from the game of basketball. It won't be another announcement to baseball or anything to that nature.
我在这里宣布从篮球场上退役，而且这次退役后不会再去从事棒球或其他类似的运动。
Mentally, I'm exhausted; I don't feel I have a challenge. Physically, I feel great. The last time in 1993 I had other agendas. I felt that I wanted to play baseball and I felt that at my age, it was a good opportunity and time to do it. And with the death of my father, and I was basically trying to deal with that.
由于精神上很疲惫，我感到自己非常蛙主耻战力，体力倒还不错。1993年那次退役时我有其他计划：想打棒球，我这个年纪正是从事桦球事业的极佳时机而且父亲刚好去世了，我只想尽力去面对这一切。
Actually I talked to very last year once the season ended and I told Jerry at that time, mentally, I was a little exhausted. I didn't know if I would play next year. I wanted to put him on awareness so that he could possibly prepare going into next season. And very, once we had our conversation, wanted me to take time as I did in 93 to make sure that it was the right decision because it was going to be the final decision.
事实上，去年赛季刚结束时，我和在里谈过一次。我告诉他我精神上有些疲惫，不知道下一年还能不能打我想让他幸识到这一点，以便为下一事丰做准备。杰里——有一次我们谈过这个问题——让我要像93年那样，好好考虑，以使做出明智的决定，因为这将是最后的决定。
I retired the first time when Phil Jackson was the coach. And I think that even with Phil being the coach I would have had a tough time , mentally finding the challenge for myself. I though he can somehow present challenges for me. I don't know if he could have presented the challenge for me to continue on to this season. Even though middle way of this season I wanted to continue to play a couple more years, but at the end of this season I was mentally drained and tired. 50 I can't say that he would have restored that.
第一次退役时菲尔.杰克逊是教练。但我觉得即使本赛季他还担任教练，我也会很困难，内心里 ，我已感到了挑战。当然克论如何，他都会给我一些应对方洁的`我不知道他是否还有办法使我打完这一赛季。在本赛季中间我还想着再打几年呢，但当赛季结束时，我却感觉精神枯竭，疲惫。因此我确实不能说他会使我恢复精力。
I will support the Chicago Bulls. I think the game itself is a lot bigger than Michael Jordan. I've been given an opportunity by people before me, to name a few, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Doctor J, Eljohn Baylor Jerry West. These guys played the game way before Michael Jordan was born and Michael Jordan came on the heels of all that activity. Mr. Stern and what he's done for the league, gave me an opportunity to play the game of basketball I played it to the best I could play it, I tried to enhance the game itself. I've tried to be the best basketball player that I could be.
我将支持芝加哥公牛队，我认为比赛本身比迈克尔.乔丹重要得多。我的很多机会都是篮球前辈们给的。我这里指出一些：里姆·阿卡杜·贾巴尔，J博士,伊利约翰 ·贝勒，杰里 ·韦斯特这些人早在迈克尔.乔丹出生前就活跃在赛场了。迈克尔.乔丹只不过是继承了他们的传统。斯特恩先生及其为联盟做出的贡献给了我打篮球的机会。找已尽我最大能力打球，我也努力拉动比赛本身的发展。我一直在努力，尽我所能成为最好的球员。
英语经典美文阅读8
家庭Family
The family is a strong supporter of society. However, too many of us take our family members for granted, duanwenw.com preferring to give priority to our friends and our careers. As it is often said, blood is thicker than water.
家庭是社会强大的支柱,但我们许多人却常常忽略家人,只是重视自己的朋友和事业。然而,俗话说得好:血浓于水。
We can choose our friends and our life partners, but we do not have a choice which family we are born into. But we do have a choice how to make the best of what we are given.
我们可以选择朋友和终生伴侣,却无法选择我们出生的'家庭。但我们可以选择更好地利用家庭赋予我们的一切。
A successful family life, whereby one is closely bonded to one’s family members in a closely-knit duanwenw.com environment, potentially brings more joy and fulfillment than anything else in this world. Yes, that’s the beauty of family life. And for many, family life is the meaning of life.
幸福的家庭往往是一个亲密无间的家庭,家人之间有着深厚的感情,它能比世界上其他东西带给人们更多的快乐和满足。没错,这就是家庭生活的美妙之处。对于许多人来说,家庭就是生命的意义所在。
英语经典美文阅读9
Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonders, the unfailing childlike appetite of what's next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station: so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the infinite, so long are you young.
无论是60岁还是16岁，你需要保持永不衰竭的好奇心、永不熄灭的孩提般求知的渴望和追求事业成功的欢乐与热情。在你我的心底，有一座无线电台，它能在多长时间里接收到人间万物传递来的美好、希望、欢乐、鼓舞和力量的.信息，你就会年轻多长时间。
An individual human existence should be like a river—small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past boulders and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being.
人的生命应当像河流，开始是涓涓细流，受两岸的限制而十分狭窄，尔后奔腾咆哮，翻过危岩，飞越瀑布，河面渐渐开阔，河岸也随之向两边隐去，最后水流平缓，森森无际，汇入大海之中，个人就这样毫无痛苦地消失了。
Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity,of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease.This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty.Nobody grows old merely by a number of years.We grow old by deserting our ideals.青春意味着战胜懦弱的那股大丈夫气概和摈弃安逸的那种冒险精神。往往一个60岁的老者比一个20岁的青年更多一点这种劲头。人老不仅仅是岁月流逝所致，更主要的是不思进取的结果。
Years may wrinkle the skin,but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.
光阴可以在颜面上留下印记，而热情之火的熄灭则在心灵上刻下皱纹。烦恼、恐惧、缺乏自信会扭曲人的灵魂，并将青春化为灰烬。
英语经典美文阅读10
How did a peddler of cheap shirts and fishing rods become the mightiest corporation in America?The short version of Wal-Mart’s rise to glory goes something like this：In 1979 it racked up a billion dollars in sales.By 1993 it did that much business in a we ek;by 20xx it could do it in a day.
It’s a stunning tale -- one that propelled Wal-Mart from rural Arkansas，where it was founded in 1962，to the top of the Fortune 500 this year.Sam Walton，Wal-Mart’s founder，pushed sales growth relentlessly while squeezing costs with sophisticated information technology.He exhorted employees to sell better with the“ten-foot rule”(greet customers if they are that close).He was，in other words，an early evangelist for the first commandment of today’s economy：Service rules.Wal-Mart，in fact，is the first service company to rise to the top of the Fortune 500.When Fortune first published its list of the largest companies in America in 1995，Wal-Mart didn’t even exist.That year General Motors was America’s biggest company，and in every year that followed，either GM or another mighty industrial，Exxon，was NO.1.
Wal-Mart’s achievement caps a bigger economic shift -- from producing goods to providing services.Manufacturing’s share of U.S.employment peaked in 1953，at 35%.It has been declining steadily since.In the decade that will end in 20xx，the Bureau of Labor Statistics figures that goods-producing industries will create 1.3 million new jobs，compared to 20 million for service industries.To look at it another way，today there are about four times as many people working in service jobs as in other kinds of jobs.And even within manufacturing，services are an increasingly large share of operations.
As America got richer consumption got more complicated.With more income to throw around，people started spending more on services -- movies and travel，mortgages to buy houses，insurance to protect those houses，the occasional decadent weekend at a luxury hotel.
Economists call this a shift in the demand pattern;Fortune calls it the main reason that 64 of this year’s top 100 are service companies.Over the next few years，only three of the ten fastest-growing occupations(software engineers，nurses，and computer support)pay middle-class salaries.The rest could be called，well，Wal-Mart kinds of jobs -- cashiers，retail assistants，food service，and so on.In short，the service economy is delivering more good jobs than ever before.
[参考译文]一个出售廉价衬衣和钓鱼竿的商店是如何成为美国实力最强的公司的?沃尔玛百货公司的发迹史可以浓缩为以下三个阶段：1979年它全年的销售额为10亿美元;到1993年，一周就能达到这个数额;在20xx年仅需一天之功。
这是一个惊人的故事——这个1962年始创于阿肯色州乡村地区的沃尔玛百货公司在今年一跃登上了《财富》500强的榜首。公司创始人萨姆·沃尔顿一面千方百计提高销售额，一面以先进的信息技术降低成本。他以严格的“10英尺规则”(向在这距离之内的顾客致意)鼓励员工提高销售质量。换句话说，他是当今经济戒律——服务规则——的'第一位传道者。事实上，沃尔玛百货公司是第一个跃居《财富》500强榜首的服务业公司。1955年，当《财富》杂志第一次公布美国最大公司的排名时，沃尔玛甚至尚未问世。那一年，通用汽车公司是美国最大的公司，此后不是通用汽车公司就是另一个大公司——埃克森公司独占鳌头。
沃尔玛的成就还标志着一个更重要的经济转变——从生产商品向提供服务的转变。1953年美国制造业的就业人数占总就业人数的比例达到最高点——35%，从此就开始逐年下降。根据劳工统计局的数字，到20xx 年底的未来10年间，制造业将创造130万个就业机会，而服务业创造的就业机会将高达20xx万个。换一个角度看，今天在服务业中工作的人数大约是其他行业的4倍。即使在制造业中，服务在业务经营中所占的比例也越来越大。
随着美国人的富裕程度日益提高，消费也变得越来越复杂，人们开始把更多的钱花在服务方面——看电影、旅游、抵押买房、为房屋保险、偶尔到豪华饭店度个奢侈周末。经济学家称这种现象为需求变化;《财富》杂志则认为这是本年度评出的100家最大公司中有64个是服务业公司的主要原因。在未来几年，10种发展最快的职业中只有3种(软件工程、护士和电脑支持)能够提供中等收入，其余的都可称作沃尔玛式的职业——收银员、售货员、食品服务，以及诸如此类的职业。总之，同过去相比，服务业正在提供更多相当不错的就业机会。
英语经典美文阅读11
She was six years old when I first met her on the beach near where I live. I drive to this beach, a distance of three or four miles, whenever the world begins to close in on me. She was building a sandcastle or something and looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea.
“Hello,” she said. I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small child. “I’m building,” she said.
“I see that. What is it?” I asked, not really caring.
“Oh, I don’t know, I just like the feel of sand.”
That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes. A sandpiper glided by. “That’s a joy,” the child said.
“It’s a what?” I asked.
“It’s a joy. My mama says sandpipers come to bring us joy.” The bird went gliding down the beach.
“Good-bye joy,” I muttered to myself, “hello pain,” and turned to walk on. I was depressed; my life seemed completely out of balance.
“What’s your name?” She wouldn’t give up.
“Robert,” I answered. “I’m Robert Peterson.”
“Mine’s Wendy... I’m six.”
“Hi, Windy.” She giggled. “You’re funny,” she said. In spite of my gloom I laughed too and walked on. Her musical giggle followed me.
“Come again, Mr. P,” she called. “We’ll have another happy day.”
The days and weeks that followed belonged to others: a group of unruly Boy Scouts, PTA meetings, and an ailing mother.
The sun was shining one morning as I took my hands out of the dishwater. “I need a sandpiper,” I said to myself, gathering up my coat.
The ever-changing balm of the seashore awaited me. The breeze was chilly, but I strode along, trying to recapture the serenity I needed. I had forgotten the child and was startled when she appeared.
“Hello, Mr. P,” she said. “Do you want to play?”
“What did you have in mind?” I asked, with a twinge of annoyance.
“I don’t know, you say.”
“How about charades?” I asked sarcastically.
The tinkling laughter burst forth again. “I don’t know what that is.”
“Then let’s just walk.” Looking at her, I noticed the delicate fairness of her face. “Where do you live?” I asked.
“Over there.” She pointed toward a row of summer cottages. Strange, I thought, in winter.
“Where do you go to school?”
“I don’t go to school. Mommy says we’re on vacation.” She chattered little girl talk as we strolled up the beach, but my mind was on other things. When I left for home, Wendy said it had been a happy day. Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and agreed.
Three weeks later, I rushed to my beach in a state of near panic. I was in no mood to even greet Wendy. I thought I saw her mother on the porch and felt like demanding she keep her child at home.
“Look, if you don’t mind,” I said crossly when Wendy caught up with me, “I’d rather be alone today.” She seemed unusually pale and out of breath.
“Why?” she asked.
I turned to her and shouted, “Because my mother died!” and thought, “My God, why was I saying this to a little child?”
“Oh,” she said quietly, “then this is a bad day.”
“Yes,” I said, “and yesterday and the day before and — oh, go away!”
“Did it hurt? “ she inquired.
“Did what hurt?” I was exasperated with her, with myself.
“When she died?”
“Of course it hurt!” I snapped, misunderstanding, wrapped up in myself. I strode off.
A month or so after that, when I next went to the beach, she wasn’t there. Feeling guilty, ashamed and admitting to myself I missed her, I went up to the cottage after my walk and knocked at the door. A drawn looking young woman with honey-colored hair opened the door.
“Hello,” I said. “I’m Robert Peterson. I missed your little girl today and wondered where she was.”
“Oh yes, Mr. Peterson, please come in. Wendy spoke of you so much. I’m afraid I allowed her to bother you. If she was a nuisance, please, accept my apologies.”
“Not at all — she’s a delightful child,” I said, suddenly realizing that I meant what I had just said. “Where is she?”
“Wendy died last week, Mr. Peterson. She had leukemia. Maybe she didn’t tell you.” Struck dumb, I groped for a chair. I had to catch my breath.
“She loved this beach; so when she asked to come, we couldn’t say no. She seemed so much better here and had a lot of what she called happy days. But the last few weeks, she declined rapidly...” Her voice faltered.
“She left something for you ... if only I could find it. Could you wait a moment while I look?”
I nodded stupidly, my mind racing for something, to say to this lovely young woman. She handed me a smeared envelope, with “MR. P” printed in bold childish letters. Inside was a drawing in bright crayon hues — a yellow beach, a blue sea, and a brown bird. Underneath was carefully printed:
A SANDPIPER TO BRING YOU JOY
Tears welled up in my eyes and a heart that had almost forgotten to love opened wide. I took Wendy’s mother in my arms. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” I muttered over and over, and we wept together.
The precious little picture is framed now and hangs in my study. Six words — one for each year of her life — that speak to me of harmony, courage, and undemanding love. A gift from a child with sea-blue eyes and hair the color of sand — who taught me the gift of love.
英语经典美文阅读12
It's never good news when your business adviser calls out of the blue and says, "Wes, we need to talk."
That's what happened to me one spring morning not long after I'd arrived at my office. I own a small agency that handles speaking engagements and literary rights for Christian entertainers, authors and leaders. I started the business in my 20s and it grew to about a dozen employees, earning me enough to provide a comfortable living for my family and to send my kids to college.
That year, though, the company hit a rough patch, so I'd hired a business consultant to give me some ideas for improvement. He's the one who called that April morning.
"Wes," he said, "your company is in more trouble than you know. We need to get together. Soon."
Before I could ask what was wrong he told me he had already been in touch with my banker and my accountant. "How about we meet at your house tonight?" I stammered out an okay and spent the rest of the day in a knot.
That evening, Ken, the consultant, Ed, my banker, and Tom, my CPA, sat down in my living room. Normally they were laid-back Southern guys. Tonight they looked deadly serious. Tom pulled out some spreadsheets and other documents. "Wes," he said, "do you realize how deeply your company's in debt?"
My eyes widened. A while back I'd transferred much of the day-to-day running of the company to two people I trusted. One was my chief operating officer. The other was Tim, my vice president. Tim had joined the business eight years earlier soon after graduating college. The COO had been with me 14 years. We were a team and close friends besides. Most weeks we spent far more time with each other than we did with our families.
Ed, the banker, said, "Wes, I've been getting these phone calls from Tim asking questions about the company's accounts I didn't think were proper."
"Did you know about this line of credit?" Ed continued, pointing to a paper with my signature authorizing the loan for a substantial sum of money. I didn't remember agreeing to borrow that much.
"Take a look at these expenses," Ken said, indicating high-priced hotel rooms and restaurant bills Tim and the COO had charged to the company.
I felt the color drain from my face. What on earth was going on? Yes, the past year had been difficult at work. I was in my 50s and eager to dial back, but I often disagreed with where Tim and the COO wanted to take the company. Still, none of our arguments ever suggested either of them wanted to deceive me.
"The bottom line, Wes," said Ken, "is it's pretty clear these guys are taking advantage of you. We need to do some more research, but at the very least you're going to have to let these guys go. Legal charges may even be in order."
I was stunned. The three of them went over some more figures then told me to lie low till we'd gathered enough documentation to make a clear case for dismissal. "In the meantime we're going to have to figure out how to get your company's finances back in order," said Tom. "You're in a pretty deep hole and it'll take some doing to climb out."
They left and I stumbled upstairs. My wife, Linda, was getting ready for bed. I told her everything. Her face turned ashen. "Wes," she said, "I can't believe it. Those guys are our friends. They betrayed you! Why?"
I shook my head. Until Linda used that word I hadn't thought of it as betrayal. These men were among my best friends. For some reason they'd taken advantage of my trust and drained money from the business we'd worked so hard to build. Maybe there was some explanation. Maybe it wasn't so utterly awful.
The next morning in the office I knew it was that awful. Shock and dismay must've been written all over my face because the minute I said hello to Tim and the COO they stiffened and gave each other a look. The company's offices were small, a two-story brick building in a complex outside Nashville. My office was downstairs. The other two guys worked on the second floor. That day and the days following I sat at my desk listening to the profound silence upstairs. The office was unbearably tense.
英语经典美文阅读13
The quality of human life has improved greatly over the past few centuries, but Earth isbeing harmed more and more by human activity. As we develop our technology, we demandmore from our planet. Eventually, this will harm people as well.
Our planet gives us everything we need, but natural resources are not endless. Stripmining devastates whole regions, leaving bare and useless ground. Deforestation removes oldgrowth trees that can't be replaced. Too much fishing may harm fish populations to the pointwhere they can't recover. We are too careless in taking what we want without giving anythingback.
There are more people than ever, living longer that ever. So is it any surprise that manyareas suffer from too much development? Anyone living in or near a city has experienced"urban sprawl". There is a new shopping area on every corner and new houses, townhousesand apartments everywhere. Traffic gets worse and worse because planners can't keep up withgrowth. Keeping up with human demand is hard enough. Environmental concerns come in last.
With growth comes pollution. Companies and communities dump waste into water.Landfills are full of trash. Emissions from factories pollute the air. Barrels of industrial waste andworse, radioactive waste, have no safe place to go. If we're not careful, we can harm
our planet beyond repair.
People need to respect the Earth and try to preserve it. If we don't, what kind of future willwe have?
英语经典美文阅读14
One night many years ago I was on the bridge of a ship that passed one of our large cities on a quiet night. I saw its lights reflected in the sky and heard the rumblings of the city’s noises.
多年前的一个晚上，我在宁静的夜色中乘船经过某个大都市。站在舰桥上，我眺望着万家灯火辉映在夜空中，聆听着城市的喧嚣。
As I looked to my other side, I could see nothing but open space of darkness and endless water. I realized how small I was and that my own problems of life did not seem great.
而在我的另一侧，除了无尽的黑暗与无边的海水之外什么也看不到。刹那间，我意识到自己是多么的渺小，生活中的一切烦恼也显得微不足道。
I have spent twentyfive years on boats. Now I am a docking pilot. My job is to bring in the large luxury liners and stay with them until they are safely moored in their berths. Sometimes this requires two tugs, sometimes many more, depending on the tide, the weather, and the draft of the vessel.
我在船上生活了25年，如今是一名港口领航员，负责将大型豪华客轮引航入港，直到它们安全地靠港。这项工作有时需要两艘拖船，或者更多，这要根据潮水、天气以及船只的吃水度而定。
Most of you no doubt have seen these tugs pushing and pulling at the big liners. What they are doing doesn’t seem to make much sense, but presently the big boat is alongside her pier, her hawsers made fast, and the job is done.
不用说，很多人都见过拖船拖拉巨轮的情景。看上去拖船的工作似乎微不足道，很快巨轮就可以停泊就位，下牢锚链，拖船也就完成了任务。
These tugs, whether one or ten, move about in accord with whistle signals I send them from the bridge of the big liner. These signals make up a language that is just as dependable as the spoken word; or even more so, because our docking signals are rarely misunderstood.
无论一艘还是10艘拖船，它们的行动都是听命于我在巨轮舰桥上的鸣笛信号。这些信号便是一种语言，它的可靠程度可与口头语言相比，甚至有过之而无不及。这是因为我们的汽笛信号几乎不会被误解。
The captain of each tug does his work according to the signals he receives. He never asks questions. He takes everything on faith, and it always works out.
每艘拖船的'船长会根据接收到的指令严格行动。而对于我的指挥，他们毫无疑问且完全信任，因此我们的配合一直很默契。
Working around tugboats, where so much depends on teamwork, has had its effect on what I believe. I believe that if I am to attain a successful place in the world I must have the help of my fellow man just as the great transatlantic liners depend on the help of the little tugs to bring them safely to port.
对于我的工作而言，团队合作尤为重要，这也影响着我的人生观。我相信，如果没有同伴们的帮助，我绝对不会有今天的成功，正如远洋航行的万吨巨轮要想安全入港停泊，还得依靠小小拖船的帮助一样。
I felt very important the first time I ever docked a big liner. She came riding up the harbor on a flood tide and towered high over the stout little tug that carried me. As we drew alongside, a doorway opened almost at water level and two smartly rigged sailors helped me aboard.
第一次将巨轮引航入港时，我感觉自己相当了不起。那艘巨轮乘风破浪驶向海港，高塔般矗立在我所在的矮墩拖船前。当我们靠近船边时，舱门打开到水平面一样的高度，我在两名衣着讲究的船员的帮助下登上了船。在他们的陪同下我走上舰桥，从船长手中接过船的“指挥棒”。
I was escorted to the bridge where I took over from the captain. I realized I was in control of a great ship worth millions of dollars and the owners were depending on me to bring her safely to her berth. After I had docked several of the large liners, I realized I was not important, but simply the quarterback who called the signals.
我意识到，自己正在掌控一艘价值百万美金的巨轮，而它的主人正依靠我将它安全停泊。后来，在引领了几艘同样的巨轮入港后，我明白自己不过是一个传达信号的人而已，没有什么了不起的。
In spite of what we read in the newspapers, I have a great faith in this country and I pray that a peaceful understanding will come to this unsettled world, so that my children can grow up in a world that will give them happiness instead of bloodshed. I believe this will come about.
不管每天从报纸上读到多少坏消息，我依然对国家充满信心。我祈祷着和平与理解降临到这个动乱的世界，让我的孩子们能够在一个幸福而非血腥冲突的世界中生活。我相信这一天终会到来。
I remember the understanding and sympathy that took over this country, back in 1949, when a little girl named Kathy Fiskus fell into an abandoned well out in California. Engineers and sandhogs and people in all walks of life worked almost three days, and when they got her out she was dead.
我还记得，在1949年，一个名叫凯西菲丝库斯的小女孩失足跌入了加利福尼亚的一口废井之中，全国的人们都对她充满了同情与关爱。当工程师、隧道工以及各行各业的人们经过三天三夜的努力将她从井底救出来时，她已经没有了呼吸。
People sent in thousands of dollars in rescue funds, but those who did the work and furnished the equipment wouldn’t take money. They worked for bigger stakes. I talked to captains of foreign ships that came into New York Harbor, and they were just as concerned as we Americans over the tragedy.
人们为营救工作捐了数千美金，但是营救人员及提供器械的人们却分文未收。他们之所以奋力救人是为了比钱更重要的东西。当时，我曾对驶入纽约港的一些国外客轮船长提及此事，他们也一样被深深地感动了。
I believe some way will be found to work together for world peace with the same sympathy and understanding that people worked to rescue little Kathy Fiskus. I believe God will someday bring this about.
我相信，如同人们营救小凯西一样，他日我们也定能用同样的同情与理解赢来世界的和平。我相信，上帝总会让我如愿以偿的。
英语经典美文阅读15
Every year, 32-hectare Keukenhof in Lisse is overlayed with more than four millions tulips and other flower species. Once a herb garden for a Dutch countess' kitchen in the 15th century, it has grown into the largest bulb flower park in the world.
每一年，库肯霍夫公园32公顷的面积上都开满超过400万朵郁金香，当然还有其他别的花卉。库肯霍夫公园在15世纪时曾经是一位荷兰女伯爵夫人的`香草园，现在已是全世界最大的球茎花卉公园了。
There are 15-kilometer footpaths, several cycling trails as well as a one-hour boat tour. Seats for the boat tour are limited, so be there early to guarantee a place. On the "Walk of Fame" you can see tulips named after famous people, non-fictional and fictional, such as Mozart, Ronaldo, Lion King and even a Teletubby.
公园的小径有15公里长，除此以外，还有几条自行车道以及1小时路程的游船项目。游船的位置有限，所以如果你想登船的话，记得早点去。在“名人之路”上你能看到一些用名人命名的郁金香，他们中有真实人物也有虚幻角色，比如：莫扎特、罗纳尔多、狮子王，甚至还有天线宝宝。
The annual flower parade will be held on April 21 this year, starting from Noordiwijk to Haarlem (outside Keukenhof) and will pass through Keukenhof in the afternoon. Visitors are allowed re-entry into the park after the flower parade on that day.
一年一度的花卉游行今年将于4月21号举行，从Noordiwijk到Haarlem(在库肯霍夫公园外)。游行队伍将在下午穿过公园，当天游客可以在游行结束后二度进入公园。
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