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經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文
在平平淡淡的學(xué)習、工作、生活中，大家都不可避免的會(huì )接觸到美文吧?美文是指不帶實(shí)用目的專(zhuān)供直覺(jué)欣賞的作品，帶有實(shí)用目的去寫(xiě)作，你有了解過(guò)美文的寫(xiě)作嗎？以下是小編精心整理的經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文，僅供參考，歡迎大家閱讀。
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文1
A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.
"Is this your car, Mister?" he said.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you nothing? Boy, I wish . . ." He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.
"I wish," the boy went on, "That I could be a brother like that."
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my car?"
"Oh yes, I’d love that."
After a short ride, the boy turned with his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked.
He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.
"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs.
His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m gonna give you one just like it . . . then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride. That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he said: "It is more blessed to give . . . "
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文2
The silence of men in general is overtalked about and overcriticized. To be sure, men never open up as much as women want them to, but there is a wordless understanding in which we function fairly well especially in friendships.
I believe, in fact, that most women would prefer a man to be gloomily uncommunicative than to spill his guts at the drop of a hat.
The push for men to express their feelings presumes that we have feelings, and we do have a few, but they remain submerged, and the airing of them often violates their authenticity.
I am no biologist, but my guess is that the male human animal was programmed for silence. I would go so far as to argue that men were programmed to be isolated from one another and that aloneness is our natural state. Silence in male friendships is our way of being alone with each other.
Once men have established a friendship that itself is the word. The affection is obvious, at least to us. A main component of our silence is an appreciation of the affection.
男人的沉默往往被過(guò)多地談?wù)撉疫^(guò)分指責了�？梢钥隙ǖ氖�，男人從未像女人所希望的那樣開(kāi)誠布公地說(shuō)出自己的心里話(huà)，但無(wú)言的理解，在男人當中卻很管用，尤其在維持友誼的時(shí)候。
我相信事實(shí)上大多數女人都寧愿男人郁郁寡歡不言不語(yǔ)，而不喜歡男人就像竹筒倒豆子，什么都說(shuō)。
都說(shuō)男人應該把情感表達出來(lái)，這說(shuō)明我們并非沒(méi)有感情的動(dòng)物。不錯，我們確實(shí)有一些，但隱而不露，若要表達出來(lái)就變味兒了。
我不是生物學(xué)家，但我猜想男人這種動(dòng)物天生就是沉默寡言的。我甚至認為男人天生就是彼此孤立的，孤獨是我們的自然狀態(tài)。即使成了朋友，也是無(wú)聲的友誼，這使得我們能彼此獨立地活著(zhù)。
一旦男人間建立起友誼，友誼本身就已說(shuō)明了一切。至少對我們來(lái)說(shuō)，情感是明顯的`。我們的沉默，主要就是來(lái)自于對這份情感的欣賞。
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文3
讓個(gè)性大放異彩
In the eternal universe, every human being has a one-off chance to live --his existence is unique and irretrievable, for the mold with which he was made, as Rousseau said, was broken by God immediately afterwards.
在茫茫宇宙間，每個(gè)人都只有一次生存的機會(huì )，都是一個(gè)獨一無(wú)二、不可重復的存 在。正像盧梭所說(shuō)的，上帝把你造出來(lái)后，就把那個(gè)屬于你的特定的模子打碎了。
Fame, wealth and knowledge are merely worldly possessions that are within the reach of anybody striving for them. But your experience of and feelings about life are your own and not to be shared. No one can live your life over again after your death. A full awareness of this will point out to you that the most important thing in your existence is your distinctive individuality or something special of yours. What really counts is not your worldly success but your peculiar insight into the meaning of life and your commitment to it, which add luster to your personality.
名聲、財產(chǎn)、知識等等是身外之物，人人都可求而得之，但沒(méi)有人能夠代替你感受 人生。你死之后，沒(méi)有人能夠代替你再活一次。如果你真正意識到了這一點(diǎn)，你就會(huì )明 白，活在世上，最重要的事就是活出你自己的`特色和滋味來(lái)。你的人生是否有意義，衡 量的標準不是外在的成功，而是你對人生意義的獨特領(lǐng)悟和堅守，從而使你的自我閃放 出個(gè)性的光華。
It is not easy to be what one really is. There is many a person in the world who can be identified as anything either his job, his status or his social role that shows no trace about his individuality. It does do him justice to say that he has no identity of his own, if he doesn't know his own mind and all his things are either arranged by others or done on others' sugg estions; if his life, always occupied by external things, is completely void of an inner world. You won't be able to find anything whatever, from head to heart, that truly belongs to him. He is, indeed, no more than a shadow cast by somebody else or a machine capable of doing business.
真正成為自己不是一件容易的事。世上有許多人，你說(shuō)他是什么都行，例如是一種 職業(yè)，一個(gè)身份，一個(gè)角色，惟獨不是他自己。如果一個(gè)人總是按別人的意見(jiàn)生活，沒(méi) 有自己的獨立思索，總是為外在事務(wù)忙碌，沒(méi)有自己的內心生活，那么，說(shuō)他不是他自 己就一點(diǎn)兒也沒(méi)有冤枉他。因為確確實(shí)實(shí)，從他的頭腦到他的心靈，你在其中已經(jīng)找不 到絲毫真正屬于他自己的東西了，他只是別人的一個(gè)影子或一架辦事的機器罷了。
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文4
A painter hangs his or her finished pictures on a wall, and everyone can see it. A composer writes a work, but no one can hear it until it is performed. Professional singers and players have great responsibilities, for the composer is utterly dependent on them. A student of music needs as long and as arduous a training to become a performer as a medical student needs to become a doctor. Most training is concerned with technique, for musicians have to have the muscular proficiency of an athlete or a ballet dancer。
畫(huà)家將已完成的作品掛在墻上，每個(gè)人都可以觀(guān)賞到。 作曲家寫(xiě)完了一部作品，得由演奏者將其演奏出來(lái)，其他人才能得以欣賞。因為作曲家是如此完全地依賴(lài)于職業(yè)歌手和職業(yè)演奏者，所以職業(yè)歌手和職業(yè)演奏者肩上的擔子可謂不輕。 一名學(xué)音樂(lè )的學(xué)生要想成為一名演奏者，需要經(jīng)受長(cháng)期的、嚴格的訓練，就象一名醫科的學(xué)生要成為一名醫生一樣。 絕大多數的訓練是技巧性的.。
Singers practice breathing every day, as their vocal chords would be inadequate without controlled muscular support. String players practice moving the fingers of the left hand up and down, while drawing the bow to and fro with the right arm—two entirely different movements。
音樂(lè )家們控制肌肉的熟練程度，必須達到與運動(dòng)員或巴蕾舞演員相當的水平。 歌手們每天都練習吊嗓子，因為如果不能有效地控制肌肉的話(huà)，他們的聲帶將不能滿(mǎn)足演唱的要求。 弦樂(lè )器的演奏者練習的則是在左手的手指上下滑動(dòng)的同時(shí)，用右手前后拉動(dòng)琴弓--兩個(gè)截然不同的動(dòng)作。
Singers and instruments have to be able to get every note perfectly in tune. Pianists are spared this particular anxiety, for the notes are already there, waiting for them, and it is the piano tuner’s responsibility to tune the instrument for them. But they have their own difficulties; the hammers that hit the string have to be coaxed not to sound like percussion, and each overlapping tone has to sound clear。
歌手和樂(lè )器演奏者必須使所有的音符完全相同協(xié)調。 鋼琴家們則不用操這份心，因為每個(gè)音符都已在那里等待著(zhù)他們了。 給鋼琴調音是調音師的職責。 但調音師們也有他們的難處： 他們必須耐心地調理敲擊琴弦的音錘，不能讓音錘發(fā)出的聲音象是打擊樂(lè )器，而且每個(gè)交疊的音都必須要清晰。
This problem of getting clear texture is one that confronts student conductors: they have to learn to know every note of the music and how it should sound, and they have to aim at controlling these sound with fanatical but selfless authority. Technique is of no use unless it is combined with musical knowledge and understanding. Great artists are those who are so thoroughly at home in the language of music that they can enjoy performing works written in any century。
如何得到樂(lè )章清晰的紋理是學(xué)生指揮們所面臨的難題：他們必須學(xué)會(huì )了解音樂(lè )中的每一個(gè)音及其發(fā)音之道。 他們還必須致力于以熱忱而又客觀(guān)的權威去控制這些音符。除非是和音樂(lè )方面的知識和悟性結合起來(lái)，單純的技巧沒(méi)有任何用處。 藝術(shù)家之所以偉大在于他們對音樂(lè )語(yǔ)言駕輕就熟，以致于可以滿(mǎn)懷喜悅地演出寫(xiě)于任何時(shí)代的作品。
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文5
有些人的愛(ài)情始于外表相悅，而有些人的愛(ài)情則始于心靈相悅。建立在外表基礎上的愛(ài)情最終經(jīng)不住風(fēng)吹雨打，像自然之花一樣終會(huì )凋謝；而建立在心靈基礎上的`愛(ài)情則可以經(jīng)得住任何考驗，永遠吐露芬芳，越是在障礙重重的時(shí)候，其芳香越是沁人心脾。真正的愛(ài)情在于后者。
John was waiting for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn’t, the girl with the rose. Thirteen months ago, in a Florida library he took a book off the shelf and found himself intrigued with the notes in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind.
In front of the book, he discovered the previous owner’s name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond.
During the next year and one-month the two grew to know each other through the mail. A Romance was budding. John requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really cared, it wouldn‘t matter what she looked like. Later they scheduled their first meeting-7:00 pm at Grand Central Station in New York.
"You‘ll recognize me, " she wrote, "by the red rose I‘ll be wearing on my lapel." So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for the girl with the red rose.
A young woman in a green suit was coming toward him, her figure long and slim and her eyes were blue as flowers. Almost uncontrollably he made one step closer to her, and just at this moment he saw Hollis Maynell-a woman well past 40. The girl was walking quickly away. He felt as though he split in two, so keen was his desire to follow her, and yet so deep was his longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned him and upheld his own.
He did not hesitate. He squared his shoulders and said, "I’m John, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?"
The woman smiled, "I don’t know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask me out to dinner, I should tell you that she is waiting for you in the restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"
It’s not difficult to admire Miss Maynell’s wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in it‘s response to the unattractive.
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文6
學(xué)校 The College
How can I ever forget the beautiful campus in Africa?
那兒處處是碧綠的芳草，綠草中鋪著(zhù)潔白的、筆直的石路。路兩旁種的那些樹(shù)分明是一品紅，然而原該為大紅色的排列為環(huán)狀的葉，卻變?yōu)槿崦牡姆奂t，還有著(zhù)淡綠色的邊兒。我常在這條長(cháng)長(cháng)的石徑上散步。走著(zhù)走著(zhù)，來(lái)到一座寬闊的臺子上，站在這里可以看到迷人的晚霞與夕照，偶然也能看到冒著(zhù)濃煙嗚嗚南去的列車(chē)。件轉身往回走，不遠便會(huì )來(lái)到實(shí)驗室和圖書(shū)館。這兒寬大的落地窗軟簾垂地。窗外的木棉樹(shù)上開(kāi)著(zhù)耀眼的紅花。再往前走便是餐廳了，那兒有一株美麗的樹(shù)，開(kāi)著(zhù)雪一樣白的花兒。那花兒開(kāi)得輕柔而又炯娜，一朵朵地連成一片，從遠處看去，美得像新嫁娘雪白的`頭紗。后來(lái)我才知道這就是我在書(shū)上讀到那么多次的曼陀羅。
The grounds were covered with dark green grass through which stretched a straight whitestone path .On both sides of the path were planted what I believed to be poinsettias. Now theflowers were surrounded by pinkish leaves instead of bright red ones as they should have been.Trimmed with light green edges，the leaves looked delicate and charming. Along the long pathI often took a stroll which would take me to a wide terrace，where 1 could watch theenchanting glow of sunset，and occasionally catch the sight of a train pulling and hooting onits way southward. On my way back I would pass by the laboratory and library building whoselarge French windows had soft curtains let fall to the floor. Just outside the windows kapokflowers glowed red in full bloom. A short way off stood the dining hall，where I found a treehearing snore-white blossoms so graceful and soft to the touch，Viewed together from thedistance, they were as beautiful as a bridal veil. Later I learned that it was a tree called daturawhich I had so often read about in hooks.
學(xué)校的中心地帶是個(gè)扇形的噴水泉，中間很藝術(shù)地擺著(zhù)些中國式的太湖石。這是新建的。
In the centre of the campus was a newly-built fan-shaped fountain. A number of Chinese taihurocks were arranged in it with a touch of artistry. And there was a story behind it.
在我們中國教師住的院子里，有一個(gè)跟這模式一樣的噴水泉，不過(guò)比這要小得多，像個(gè)盆景似的，那是早來(lái)這兒的老師利用業(yè)余時(shí)間建的。他們在池中放了些水草和金魚(yú)，可能是為了抒發(fā)對祖國的懷念之情吧，還在太湖石上用秀麗的隸書(shū)字體刻了“二泉映月”四個(gè)紅字，似乎這么一來(lái)，西湖便在他們的懷抱之中了，故鄉的月便也在向著(zhù)這些游子微笑了。
In the courtyard of the house where Chinese teachers were living，there was also a similar butmuch smaller fountain looking like potted landscape. It was built by the Chinese teachers whohad come earlier in their spare time. They had graced it with water plants and goldfish .Perhapsout of a yearning for their homeland，they had even engraved on a taihu rock four Chinesecharacters:“Er Quan Ying Yue’meaning“two springs reflecting the moonlight.”These characterswere painted red and written in an ancient calligraphic style. The homesick Chinese teachersseemed to feel that at the sight of these characters，they could by a flight of the imaginationbring to their presence a native moon smiling beaming over the West Lake.
一天，學(xué)校的校長(cháng)來(lái)到中國教師的住所。他對這個(gè)噴水池贊不絕口，定要中國教師為學(xué)校也設計一個(gè)跟這一樣的噴水池，建在校園的中央。于是在校園里，在綠茸茸的芳草和艷麗的花朵之間又加上了一個(gè)中國色彩的噴水池，在陽(yáng)光的輝照下，噴射著(zhù)亮晶晶的水珠兒。
One day the president of the college carne to visit the Chinese teachers. Delighted by thebeauty of their fountain he asked them to design another one for the college. Thus in thecentre of the campus, in a field of green grass and colourful flowers appeared a new Chinesefountain spurting out water drops glistening in the sunlight.
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文7
A great life doesn't happen by accident. A great life is the result of allocating your time, energy, thoughts, and hard work towards what you want your life to be. Stop setting yourself up for stress and failure, and start setting up your life to support success and ease. A great life is the result of using what you get in a creative and thoughtful way, instead of just what comes next. Customize these "secrets" to fit your own needs and style, and start creating your own great life today! 1. S—Simplify. A great life is the result of simplifying your life. People often misinterpret what simplify means. It's not a way to remove work from your life. When you focus on simplifying your life, you free up energy and time for the work that you enjoy and the purpose for which you are here. In order to create a great life, you will have to make room for it in yours first. 2. E—Effort. A great life is the result of your best effort. Creating a great life requires that you make some adjustments. It may mean re-evaluating how you spend your time, or choosing to spend your money in a different way. It may mean looking for new ways to spend your energy that coincide with your particular definition of a great life. Life will reward your best effort. 3. C—Create priorities. A great life is the result of creating priorities. It's easy to spend your days just responding to the next thing that gets your attention, instead of intentionally using the time, energy and money you have in a way that's important to you. Focus on removing the obstacles that get in the way of you making sure you are honoring your priorities. 4. R—Reserves. A great life is the result of having reserves—reserves of things, time, space, energy, money. With reserves, you acquire far more than you need—not 6 months living expenses, but 5 years worth; not 15 minutes of free time, 1 day. Reserves are important because they reduce the fear of consequences, and that allows you to make decisions based on what you really want instead of what the fear decides for you. 5. E—Eliminate distractions. A great life is the result of eliminating distractions. Up to 75% of your mental energy can be tied up in things that are draining and distracting you. Eliminating distractions can be a difficult concept to many people, since they haven't really considered that there is another way to live. Look around at someone's life you admire. What do they do that you would like to incorporate into your own life? Ask them how they did it. Find ways to free up your mental energy for things that are more important to you. 6. T—Thoughts. A great life is the result of controlling your thoughts so that you accept and allow for the possibility that it actually can happen to you! Your belief in the outcome will directly dictate how successful you are. Motivated people have specific goals and look for ways to achieve them. Believing there is a solution to the same old problems you encounter year after year is vitally important to creating a life that you love. 7. S—Start. A great life is the result of starting. There's the old saying everyone's familiar with "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." In order to even move from the couch to the refrigerator, you have to start. There's no better time to start than today. Don't wait for a raise, or until the kids get older, or the weather is better. Today, right now, is the right day to start to take a step in the direction of your heart's desires. It's what you do TODAY that will make a difference in your life tomorrow.
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文8
Dream to Be a Hero
Most parents who want to send their kids to camp in the summertime have to pay hundreds, even thousands of dollars.If your kid happens be a really good basketball player,you probably won"t have to pay a dime.Your kid will go to camp,basketball camp,courtesy of Nike Adidas.those shoe companies scour the country for the best basketball talent and compeite like crazy to get those kids into their brand,offering free shoes,free tips,free camps to even younger players.
Inteviewer :How old were you when they started
To singling you out? Were you just a little kid?
Tyson Chandler:It was about 5th garde,6th grade.
When we first met him in 1997,Tyson Chandler had just finished 8th grade but he and his teamnates on the southern Califolia all stars were already sponsored and equipped by Nike.
Interviewer:You are all wearing Nike.
Chandler:Yeah.
Interviewer:You are Nikemen
Chandler:AlI Nike.
Nike and Adidas have turned summertime into a huge basketball
bazaar,spending millions of dollars to coral every kid with a decent jump shot.Betting that one Of two of them wiIl develop into supestar and human bi11boards.
As soon as kids are finished with their junior high or high school seasons in the spring,coaches armed with free shoes are weid1ing to recruit them from Nike summer teams or Adidas summer team that will play all the way through August.
Both Nike and Adidas have sponsored youth tournaments in LasVegas.Hundreds of kids as young as 12 showing their skills on the court,and strutting their stuff on the strip. At an age when them only mail most kids get is birthday party nvitations,Tyson
got recruitment letters from UCLA and Arizona and Syracuse.
They wanted him for later,Nike already had him.Both companies also have their hooks in high school basketball teams,all around the country.
There are more than a hundred Nike high schools and a hundred Addidas high schools.They get free shoes,free uniforms and free equipment and often cash for the coach.In return Nike and
Adidas get exposure,loyalty and a pipeline for promsing players.More and more,the best teenage players are turning
pro right from high school.
Tyson"s mother is worried that things are moving to fast for her son.
Interviewer:Do you worry sometimes about what this is doing to your kid?
Mother:Yes,I do,I worry cause I don"t want him to move too fast,I still want him to be a kid.
Interviewer:He is a kid.
Mother:Yeah,but a lot of people overlook that because of his height.
許多父母情愿花上幾百,甚至幾千美元也要把孩子送進(jìn)夏令營(yíng)。如果你的孩子是一個(gè)灌籃高手,你也許就不用花費分文。你的孩子將可以參加一個(gè)由耐克和阿迪達任斯舉辦的籃球夏令營(yíng)。這些鞋業(yè)公司到全國各地搜羅籃鳴球精英,爭先恐后地將這些孩子招至自家公司旗下,甚至為小孩子們提供免費鞋子、對免費的旅行和免費的夏令營(yíng)。
記者:他們把你挑出來(lái)的時(shí)出候你多大?當時(shí)你還是個(gè)小孩子吧?
泰森·錢(qián)德勒:那時(shí)候我大約五、六年級。
1997年初見(jiàn)到泰森·錢(qián)德勒的時(shí)候,他剛剛讀完八年但他和他在加利福尼亞南部的全明星籃球賽的隊友們已全部獲得耐克公司贊助,并獲全套耐克裝備。
記者:你們都穿耐克。
錢(qián)德勒:是的。
記者:你的鞋子也是耐克的。
錢(qián)德勒:是的。
記者:你們都是耐克人。
錢(qián)德勒:全是耐克。
耐克和阿迪達斯把暑假時(shí)光變成了一個(gè)大型籃球市場(chǎng),為了一個(gè)優(yōu)美的跳躍投籃動(dòng)作就在每個(gè)孩子身上技資數百萬(wàn)美元,希望他們中的一個(gè)或兩個(gè)能成長(cháng)為超級明星或活招牌。一旦孩子們完成了春季的初中或高中學(xué)業(yè),那些以免費鞋子做誘餌的教練就開(kāi)始將他們從耐克或阿迪達斯夏令營(yíng)隊招募進(jìn)來(lái),然后整個(gè)八月便持續進(jìn)行比賽。
耐克和阿迪達斯都贊助了拉斯維加斯的青年錦標賽。成百上千的小孩子,甚至只有十二歲的小不點(diǎn)也在賽場(chǎng)上展示著(zhù)他們的球技,在繁華大街上炫耀著(zhù)自己的球技。同齡的孩子此時(shí)收到的只是生日宴會(huì )的.邀請函,而泰森則收到加利福尼亞大學(xué)洛杉磯分校、亞利桑那大學(xué)和錫拉丘茲大學(xué)的錄取通知書(shū)。這些大學(xué)只能排后了,因為現在他屬于耐克。兩家公司在全國中學(xué)的籃球隊里都有星探,全國大約有一百多所耐克中學(xué)和一百所阿迪達斯中學(xué)。他們提供免費的鞋子、免費的球服和免費的裝備,還為教練支付酬金。作為回報,耐克和阿迪達斯則獲得曝光率、忠誠以及輸送大有前途的球員。于是,這些出類(lèi)拔萃的少年球員一從中學(xué)畢業(yè)就成了職業(yè)球員。
泰森的媽媽有些擔心,這樣的發(fā)展對她兒子來(lái)說(shuō)是不是太快了些。
記者:有時(shí)你是不是會(huì )擔心孩子現在的經(jīng)歷?
媽媽:是的。我擔心,因為我不想他發(fā)展得太快。我想讓他做個(gè)小孩子。
記者:他本來(lái)就是個(gè)小孩子。
媽媽:是的,可是許多人都因為他的身高而忽視這一點(diǎn)。
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文9
Wisdom of the Birds
After raising three children to adulthood, my husband and I were sharing more time together, and we believed that we would have "money in the bank" some day in the not too distant future. "Won"t it be great when we"re retired?" became a frequent sentence in our conversations. Then, an unforgettable year arrived and changed everything.
It was one of those years, the kind when I found my inner voice whispering, "What else can go wrong?" My mom"s health was rapidly failing and our unwed daughter had moved back in with us after delivering a baby girl. During the previous winter, my husband"s mother died a slow, cruel death from Alzheimer"s disease and his father had been hospitalized following emergency surgery. My husband"s mental and physical health began deteriorating with the weight of life"s troubles. Our friends and relatives seemed to be experiencing their unfair share of hardships too. Then September 11th happened. Suddenly, my husband"s seemingly secure job became very insecure as the economy wavered. Life became a topsy-turvy struggle and our marriage was faltering under the strain.
Our daughter"s weakened emotional condition, created by the sudden out-of-state move by her baby"s father (he was to be the baby"s caregiver) created the need for me to request an emergency leave of absence from my job as a special education aide. I would care for her baby while my daughter was student-teaching - student-teaching was the only portion of her schooling left to earn the elementary education degree she needed to secure her future. Though I had been a dedicated district employee for eleven years, the unpaid, short-term leave I requested was denied. Unfortunately, I was caught up in the poor timing of a new superintendent and new special education supervisor; neither knew me. They didn"t realize that I had spent the last eleven years totally devoted to my special education students. Leaving a rewarding, stable job to care for my granddaughter would be a financial burden and a difficult choice, but my heart knew it was the only right choice.
From the time I was a young girl, my parents had instilled in me a love of nature, of all the best, beautiful, free things that life had to offer. Now, more than ever, I would need to draw on that love of nature; it would provide me with the strength needed to pull through the rough times. I began to take long walks with my granddaughter and I found that I would return home physically and spiritually renewed. Autumn was upon us; Alyssa would giggle with delight whenever I placed a leaf or a dried dandelion on the tray of her stroller.
As the trees became bare, I became aware of bird"s nests that had been hidden in the dense summer foliage. "Alyssa, look - a little bird"s nest," I would say. One of the most beautiful nests we found was a tiny, circular one created from bits of dried grasses. The weaving was tight, strong, and yet soft to the touch. Surely it would have rivaled one of Frank Lloyd Wright"s creations. Some were crafted from feathers, dryer lint and bits of pet fur. Still other nests were masterpieces of corn silks, twine, strands of Easter grass and cellophane. How resourceful those little birds were! Each day, my eyes were drawn upward as I discovered more nests. Some were reinforced with mud, forming super strong foundations. Through wind, rain, thunder and lightning, they held together. I began to think about the birds - how simple, yet how hard their lives were. It occurred to me that no matter what obstacles were placed in their path, they managed to overcome, to survive. And faithfully, they started each new day with a song.
Those walks helped transform an extremely difficult, desperate time in my life to a more peaceful one. Through my observations of nature, I had faith that everything would work out and we would prevail. Like the birds and their nests, our family had a strong foundation. We were now living a more simple life, spending only what we needed to spend, and all the time becoming more resourceful. Courageously, the little birds of the air huddle close during stormy times, and the current turbulence seemed to be drawing our family closer together. And in the same way that the little birds started each day with a song, we began to listen to beautiful music more often. A sense of tranquility was settling over our home.
Time has a way of healing, of smoothing over the bumpy parts of our lives. Gradually we see things from a different perspective. One afternoon, while out walking with my granddaughter, I witnessed the most exceptional message of all from the birds. "Look at the geese, Alyssa," I said, as a flock of geese flew overhead in a perfect V formation. For some odd reason, one goose left the group and started to fly in an entirely different direction. The main flock completely changed its course and gradually picked up their wayward member. As I watched this simple, beautiful display, I couldn"t help but think of my family. Our lives too, it seemed, had gone astray for a while. But through courage, inner strength and pure love, our family would change its course and triumph. I knew that all would be well. (:夏根建)
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文10
Isn't it amazing how one person, sharing one idea, at the right time and place can change the course of your life's history? This is certainly what happened in my life. When I was 14, I was hitchhiking from Houston, Texas, through El Paso on my way to California. I was following my dream, journeying with the sun. I was a high school dropout with learning disabilities and was set on surfing the biggest waves in the world, first in California and then in Hawaii, where I would later live.
Upon reaching downtown El Paso, I met an old man, a bum, on the street corner. He saw me walking, stopped me and questioned me as I passed by. He asked me if I was running away from home, I suppose because I looked so young. I told him, "Not exactly, sir," since my father had given me a ride to the freeway in Houston and given me his blessings while saying, "It is important to follow your dream and what is in your heart. Son. "
The bum then asked me if he could buy me a cup of coffee. I told him, "No, sir, but a soda would be great." We walked to a corner malt shop and sat down on a couple of swiveling stools while we enjoyed our drinks.
After conversing for a few minutes, the friendly bum told me to follow him. He told me that he had something grand to show me and share with me. We walked a couple of blocks until we came upon the downtown El Paso Public Library.
We walked up its front steps and stopped at a small information stand. Here the bum spoke to a smiling old lady, and asked her if she would be kind enough to watch my things for a moment while he and I entered the library. I left my belongings with this grandmotherly figure and entered into this magnificent hall of learning.
The bum first led me to a table and asked me to sit down and wait for a moment while he looked for something special amongst the shelves. A few moments later, he returned with a couple of old books under his arms and set them on the table. He then sat down beside me and spoke. He started with a few statements that were very special and that changed my life. He said, "There are two things that I want to teach you, young man, and they are these:
"Number one is to never judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you. "He followed with, "I ll bet you think I m a bum, don t you, young man?"
I said, "Well, uh, yes, I guess so, sir. "
"Well, young man, I've got a little surprise for you. I am one of the wealthiest men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want. I originally come from the Northeast and have all the things that money can buy. But a year ago, my wife passed away, bless her soul, and since then I have been deeply reflecting upon life. I realized there were certain things I had not yet experienced in life, one of which was what it would be like to live like a bum on the streets. I made a commitment to myself to do exactly that for one year. For the past year I have been going from city to city doing just that. So, you see, don't ever judge a book by its cover, for a cover can fool you.
"Number two is to learn how to read, my boy. For there is only one thing that people can't take away from you, and that is your wisdom. " At that moment, he reached forward, grabbed my right hand in his and put them upon the books he'd pulled from the shelves. They were the writings of Plato and Aristotle-immortal classics from ancient times.
The bum then led me back past the smiling old woman near the entrance, down the steps and back on the streets near where we first met. His parting request was for me to never forget what he taught me.
I haven't.
如果一個(gè)人，在適當的時(shí)候和地方因為一句話(huà)而改變了他的人生歷程，你會(huì )感到驚異和不可思議嗎？然而這的確是千真萬(wàn)確的，它就發(fā)生在我14歲那年。那時(shí)，我正在從得克薩斯州的休斯敦，經(jīng)由愛(ài)坡索市前往加利福尼亞州去的旅途中。日出即行，日落即息，癡癡地追尋著(zhù)我的夢(mèng)想。我本來(lái)在讀高中，也許我天生就不是讀書(shū)的材料，因此我不得不中途輟學(xué)。隨即我決心要到世界上最大的海浪上去沖浪，先準備到加利福尼亞州，再到夏威夷，然后我準備就在那里住下來(lái)。
在剛進(jìn)入愛(ài)坡索市區的時(shí)候，我看到有一個(gè)老頭，一個(gè)流浪者，坐在街道的拐角處。他看見(jiàn)了走路的我，當我就要從他的旁邊走過(guò)去時(shí)，他攔住了我，并開(kāi)口向我發(fā)問(wèn)。他問(wèn)我是不是偷著(zhù)從家里跑出來(lái)的，我想他這么問(wèn)我一定是看我太年輕，覺(jué)得我太嫩的緣故�！安煌耆�，先生，"因為是我爸爸開(kāi)車(chē)把我送到休斯敦的高速公路上的，他還一邊為我祝福，一邊說(shuō)：‘兒子，追尋你的夢(mèng)想和心中的憧憬非常重要�！�
然后那個(gè)流浪者問(wèn)我他能請我喝咖啡嗎？我回答說(shuō)：“不，先生，一杯汽水就可以了�！�
于是，我們走進(jìn)街道拐角處的一家酒吧，坐在一雙轉椅上，喝著(zhù)飲料。
在閑聊了幾分鐘后，這個(gè)和藹可親的老流浪漢要我跟他走。他告訴我說(shuō)他有一樣大東西給我看，要與我分享。我們走過(guò)了幾個(gè)街區，來(lái)到了愛(ài)坡索市的公立圖書(shū)館。
我們沿著(zhù)它前面的臺階向上走，在一處小小的咨詢(xún)臺前停了下來(lái)。老流浪漢向一位笑容可掬的老太太說(shuō)了幾句話(huà)，并問(wèn)她是否愿意在他和我進(jìn)圖書(shū)館時(shí)幫忙照看一下我的行李。我把行李放在那位老奶奶般的人那里，走進(jìn)了那座宏偉的學(xué)習殿堂。
老流浪漢先把我帶到一張桌子前，讓我坐下來(lái)稍等片刻，而他則到那些林立的書(shū)架中去尋找那個(gè)特別重要的東西去了。不一會(huì )兒，他腋下夾著(zhù)幾本舊書(shū)回來(lái)了。他把書(shū)放到桌子上，然后他在我的身邊坐了下來(lái)，打開(kāi)了話(huà)匣子，出口便不凡，其話(huà)語(yǔ)非常特別，改變了我一生的命運。他說(shuō)：“年輕人，我想教你兩件事，就是：第一是切記不要從封面來(lái)判斷一本書(shū)的好壞，因為封面有時(shí)也會(huì )蒙騙你。"他接著(zhù)說(shuō)道："我敢打賭，你一定認為我是個(gè)老流浪漢，是不是？年輕人�！�
我說(shuō)：“嗯，是的，先生，我想是的�！�
“嗯，年輕人，我要給你一個(gè)小驚喜：其實(shí)我是這個(gè)世界上最富有的人之一，人們夢(mèng)寐以求的任何東西我幾乎都有。我最初從美國東北部來(lái)，凡是金錢(qián)能買(mǎi)到的東西，我全都有。但是一年前，我妻子死了，愿上帝保祐她的'在天之靈，從那以后，我開(kāi)始深深地反思人生的意義。我意識到，生活中有些東西我還沒(méi)有體驗過(guò)，其中之一就是做一個(gè)沿街乞討的流浪漢滋味如何。于是我對自己發(fā)誓要像流浪漢一樣活一年。在過(guò)去的一年里，我從一個(gè)城市流浪到另一個(gè)城市，就像流浪漢一樣生活。所以，你看，切記不要從封面來(lái)判斷一本書(shū)的好壞，因為封面有時(shí)也會(huì )蒙騙你�！�
“第二，我的孩子，是要學(xué)會(huì )如何讀書(shū)。因為這個(gè)世界上只有一種東西是別人無(wú)法從你的身上拿走的，那，就是你的智慧！”說(shuō)到這，他俯身向著(zhù)我，抓住我的右手放在他從書(shū)架中找到的書(shū)上。那是柏拉圖和亞里士多德的著(zhù)作--尚古以降已經(jīng)流傳了幾千年的不朽的經(jīng)典。
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文11
What is Love? 愛(ài)是什么?
What is Love? The eternal question we all carry around deep within our heart. Love is the eternal search. Love is eternal when we find it. But do we really ever find it ? When we define it do we negate it? When we set limits on what we believe to be love do we begin to destroy it by hoping to understand or own it for ourselves? We offer it through all of our relationship we vary our giving, often by what we hope to receive in return. But is this really love?xiao84.com
愛(ài)是什么?這是所有人心底一個(gè)永恒的問(wèn)題。愛(ài)，是永恒的尋覓。愛(ài)一旦被找到，它也將變?yōu)橛篮�。但是我們真的找到過(guò)愛(ài)嗎?當我們定義愛(ài)的同時(shí)，是否也在否定愛(ài)呢?在給我們所認為的愛(ài)加種種限制的同時(shí)，我們試圖按自己的方式理解它，或想將其據為己有時(shí)，我們是否也在破壞它呢?我們將愛(ài)施與周?chē)乃腥�，而如何給予是由期望的回報來(lái)決定的。但這是真正的愛(ài)
I recently overheard someone say in a conversation that there is no such thing as “ unconditional love .” I would have to agree, although for different reasons. Love within itself is unconditional. Anything else is only an attempt to love, a learning to get us nearer to the one true knowing of love. It may be honorable, well-intentioned, passionate and desiring, courageous and pure. It may be felt as temporary, but if lost easily it may not have been love at all. Love cannot be thwarted and often fall short of what we hope love will be. This is where we learn we are human.
最近，我無(wú)意間聽(tīng)別人說(shuō)，世上沒(méi)有所謂的“無(wú)條件的愛(ài)”。在此，我不得不表示同意這一論斷，盡管理由不盡相同，但愛(ài)本身確是無(wú)條件的。其他一切都僅僅是愛(ài)的一種嘗試，通過(guò)它們去逐漸地理解愛(ài)的真諦。愛(ài)可能是高貴善意的，是充滿(mǎn)熱情和渴望的，是勇敢和純潔的;愛(ài)是勢不可擋的，而且，常常達不到我們的期望值。由此我們可以透察人性。
Love has been experienced as a life of living poetry. Love has been experienced as being the very notes of song, uplifting and generous to the wanting ear. Love has been experienced as the final act of giving one’s life for another in battle. Love has been experienced as an endless passionate over flow of emotion in the arms of waiting lover.
愛(ài)的經(jīng)歷就像一首鮮活靈動(dòng)的詩(shī);愛(ài)的經(jīng)歷就像一個(gè)個(gè)美妙動(dòng)聽(tīng)的音符，讓企盼的雙耳得到振奮、滿(mǎn)足;愛(ài)的經(jīng)歷就像戰場(chǎng)上舍己救人的一幕;愛(ài)的經(jīng)歷就像賦予人新生的選擇;愛(ài)的經(jīng)歷就像依偎在期盼已久的愛(ài)人臂彎時(shí)所流露出的無(wú)盡愛(ài)意。
What do you do with the love granted to you each day? How many times do we deny its expression for others because we fear what our own expressions will bring? Are we not denying our creator every time we deny the expression of love?
你是怎樣對待每天給予你的愛(ài)的呢?有多少次由于害怕被拒絕，我們未能向他人表達愛(ài)意?在每次拒絕愛(ài)的表白之時(shí)，難道我們不是拒絕造物主的'恩賜嗎?
Lost, empty, alone and searching. As individuals who have experienced separation or divorce, or even the loss of a loved one to death, the separation can be the most traumatic experience we live through. The heart-wrenching pain that seems to never really go away, the enormous waves that hit us daily, the times we hit the wall right after a strong and uplifting experience reminds us that we are learning. We are learning about strength, passion for our own life, about our own sincerity in our beliefs, about our loyalty to who we are, and certainly about our own genuineness. We search for that day when love will come again. We search everywhere, everyday, almost every hour.
迷茫、空虛、孤獨、尋覓。對于那些經(jīng)歷過(guò)分別、離異，甚至失去過(guò)愛(ài)人的人來(lái)說(shuō)，這樣的離別乃是生命中最大的傷痕。揪心的傷痛永無(wú)此境;生活中的挫折和磨難無(wú)時(shí)無(wú)刻不在提醒我們：我們正處于認知的過(guò)程中。我們正在認識自己生命的力量和激情，認識對信仰的虔誠，認識對自的忠貞，認識自己的本性。我們期待真愛(ài)重回的那一天，我們每時(shí)每刻都在每個(gè)角落尋覓。
It has been said for centuries that “ love is where the eyes meet with passion, for the eyes cannot hide what the heart feels.” So we have learned to look outward for this eternal love that will fulfill us, forgetting that it must first fill our own hearts. Perhaps that is why we fall into such pain and agony and sorrow when a love affair fails. It is at that moment that we realize we did not fail the other person we expressed love to , but we have somehow not fulfilled ourselves once again. We combat failure with a misunderstood unfulfilled promise. We lade it, not knowing if we will ever find it again. The emotion tides life and fall ,crash and settle, then lift again.
幾個(gè)世紀以來(lái)，我們一直說(shuō)：“愛(ài)就是充滿(mǎn)激情的目光相遇，因為眼睛掩飾不住內心的真實(shí)感受”。因此，我們都學(xué)會(huì )了向外看，去尋找那份永恒的能使自己充實(shí)起來(lái)的愛(ài)，卻忽略了它首先應占據我們自己心靈的領(lǐng)地�；蛟S，這就是當一段戀情受挫時(shí)，我們會(huì )如此地痛苦和悲傷的原因所在。此時(shí)，我們才意識到，我們并未負于曾向我們示愛(ài)的那個(gè)人，只是我們認為它沒(méi)能讓我們充實(shí)、完整。我們用誤解且無(wú)法兌現的承諾來(lái)抑制失敗。我們失去了愛(ài)，不知是否能再次找回它。感情的潮水起伏不定，時(shí)而洶涌，時(shí)而平和，繼而會(huì )再次澎湃。
No one else, no matter how much we talk or cry, can pull us through the anxious hours of soul repair and growth. It is our own fire within that needs rekindling, guarding against the winds that would blow it out and leave us dark, cold and helpless. It is at this time that we find the lobe that binds us together with every other being that surrounds us on the planet. Eventually we find the sun still rises to meet in the morning and the stars continue to show us the way each night. The rivers still flow downstream into oceans that will never turn them away. The trees still reach upward every day praising the God that made them. We stand up straight and take a lesson from it all.
無(wú)論我們說(shuō)了多少話(huà)，流了多少淚，無(wú)人能幫助我們過(guò)心靈修復的陰霾與成長(cháng)過(guò)程中的綿綿陰雨。我們的心靈為火需要再燃，需要呵護，不致讓風(fēng)將其吹滅，不致讓自己被黑暗、陰冷和無(wú)助所包圍。此時(shí)，我們便找到把我們與周?chē)拿恳粋�(gè)生命維系在一起的那份愛(ài)。我們終會(huì )發(fā)現，太陽(yáng)依然長(cháng)期升起，來(lái)迎接黎明的到來(lái);星光依然閃爍，來(lái)指引我們夜行的方向;江河依然流向下游，歸入廣納百川的大海;樹(shù)木依然日日向上生長(cháng)，歌頌賦予其生命的上蒼。我們挺直身軀，從這一切中汲取教訓。
What if you woke up one morning and realized that you were the only person left on the face of the earth? Who would you love? Why do we wait so long to start the journey that begins in the same place that it ends?Love, in all its endlessness, unboundedness and failed definitions is this experience.
如果某天早上，當你醒來(lái)，發(fā)覺(jué)這個(gè)世界只剩下你一人，你當如何應對?你去愛(ài)誰(shuí)?我們?yōu)楹我热绱碎L(cháng)的時(shí)間，才在終點(diǎn)重新形開(kāi)始新的旅程?這是一次無(wú)邊無(wú)盡、無(wú)從定義的愛(ài)之旅。
Love doesn’t ask why. It doesn’t come. It doesn’t go. It just is. It is not only in our hands, it is our hands. It isn’t only in our heart, it is what makes our heart beat every beat. It wraps itself around us so securely that all we need to do to survive against all odds is to recognize it as the very breath we just drew, and the last breath we just let go.
愛(ài)不問(wèn)理由。它不會(huì )走近你，也不會(huì )遠離你。愛(ài)始終存在著(zhù)。它就是我們的手中，在我們的心里，確切地說(shuō)就是我們的雙手，就是我們每一次心跳的動(dòng)力。愛(ài)將我們安全地包圍著(zhù)，我們把它當成每一次真切的呼吸，時(shí)刻與愛(ài)同在，是我們克服一切困難有秘訣。
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文12
Stray birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away.
And yellow leaves of autumn,which have no songs,flutter and fall there with a sign.
O Troupe of little vagrants of the world,leave your footprints in my words.
The world puts off its mask of vastness to its lover.
It becomes small as one song,as one kiss of the eternal.
It is the tears of the earth that keep her smiles in bloom.
The mighty desert is burning for the love of a blade of grass who shakes her head and laughs and flies away.
If you shed tears when you miss the sun,you also miss the stars.
The sands in your way beg for your song and your movement,dancing water,Will you carry the burden of their lameless?
Her wishful face haunts my dreams like the rain at night.
Once we dreamt that we were strangers.
We wake up to find that we were dear to each other.
夏天的飛鳥(niǎo),飛到我的窗前唱歌,又飛去了。
秋天的黃葉,它們沒(méi)有什么可唱,只嘆息了一聲,飛落在那里。
世界上的一小隊小小的漂泊者呀,請留下你們的腳印在我的文字里。
世界對著(zhù)它的愛(ài)人,把它浩瀚的面具揭了下來(lái)。
它變小了,小如一首歌,小如一回永恒的吻。
是大地的淚點(diǎn),使她的微笑保持著(zhù)青春不謝。
無(wú)垠的沙漠熱烈地追求一葉綠草的愛(ài),她搖搖頭笑著(zhù)飛開(kāi)了。
如果你因失去了太陽(yáng)而流淚,那么你也將將失去群星了。
跳著(zhù)舞的流水呀,在你途中的泥沙,要求你的歌聲,你的歡跳.你肯挾痂足的泥沙而俱下么?
她的熱切的臉,如夜雨似的,攪擾著(zhù)我的夢(mèng)魂。
有一次,我們夢(mèng)見(jiàn)大家都是不認識的`。
我們醒了,卻知道我們是相親相愛(ài)的。
�。ㄎ澹� Prometheus 普羅米修斯
Prometheus was a Titan ．In the war between Zeus the giants he had stood on the side of the new Olympian gods．Out of the clay he made the first man，to whom Athena gave soul and holy breath．Prometheus spent a lot of time and energy in creating the gift of fire．The fire raised man above all animals ．Later，there held a joint meeting of gods and men．The meeting was to decide what part of burnt animals should be given to gods and what to men．Prometheus cut up an ox and divided it into two parts：under the skin he placed the fresh，and under the fat he put the bones，for he knew the selfish Zeus loved fat． Zeus saw through the trick and felt displeased at the Prometheus' favor towards men．So in a masterful way he took away the gift of fire from mankind．However，Prometheus managed to steal fire from heaven and secretly brought it down to men．Flying into an anger at this unjustified act of rebellion，Zeus let the other gods chain Prometheus to a rock on Mountain Caucasus，where a hungry eagle ever tore at his liver which ever grew again．His period of pain was to be thirty-thousand years．Prometheus faced his bitter fate firmly and never lost courage before Zeus．At last Heracles made Prometheus and Zeus restore to friend ship，when Heracles came over in search of the golden apple and killed the eagle and set the friend of mankind free．
普羅米修斯
普羅米修斯是泰坦巨人之一。在宙斯與巨人的戰爭中，他站在新的奧林波斯山神一邊。他用粘土造出了第一個(gè)男人。雅典娜賦予了這個(gè)男人靈魂和神圣的生命。普羅米修斯還花費了很多時(shí)間和精力創(chuàng )造了火，并將之贈予人類(lèi)�；鹗谷顺蔀槿f(wàn)物之靈。在這之后，舉行了第一次神與人的聯(lián)席會(huì )議。這個(gè)會(huì )議將決定燒烤過(guò)的動(dòng)物的哪一部分該分給神，哪一部分該給人類(lèi)。普羅米修斯切開(kāi)一頭牛，把它分成兩部分：他把肉放在皮下，將骨頭放在肥肉下。因為他知道自私的宙斯愛(ài)吃肥肉。宙斯看穿了他的把戲。普羅米修斯偏袒人類(lèi)，這使宙斯感到不快。因此，他專(zhuān)橫地把火從人類(lèi)手中奪走。然而，普羅米修斯設法竊走了天火，偷偷地把它帶給人類(lèi)。宙斯對他這種肆無(wú)忌憚的違抗行為大發(fā)雷霆。他令其他的山神把普羅米修斯用鎖鏈縛在高加索山脈的一塊巖石上。一只饑餓的老鷹天天來(lái)啄食他的肝臟，而他的肝臟又總是重新長(cháng)出來(lái)。他的痛苦要持續三萬(wàn)年。而他堅定地面對苦難，從來(lái)不在宙斯面前喪失勇氣。最后，海格立斯使普羅米修斯與宙斯恢復了他們的友誼，找到了金蘋(píng)果，殺死了老鷹，因而解救了人類(lèi)的老朋友。
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文13
Why do leaves change color in the fall? asks Patricia Brown, of New York City.
Autumn's cool days are trimmed with deep blue skies and golden light, and brilliant leaves of yellow, orange and red. Leaves changing color in the fall are a tree's way of preparing for long winter, rather like we put up storm windows and pull warm clothes and blankets out of storage.
In summer, the leaves on trees like pin oaks and sugar maples are green because they are chock-full of the green pigment chlorophyll.
Trees need sunlight to produce chlorophyll. In turn, chlorophyll uses sunlight's energy to split water （H2O） into hydrogen and oxygen. Meanwhile, leaves also absorb carbon dioxide gas from the air. The end products of leaf chemistry: carbohydrates （homemade plant food for the tree）， and oxygen, released into the air （the gas we need to breathe）。 The whole process is called photosynthesis.
Along with green chlorophyll, most leaves also contain yellow, orange and red-orange pigments celled carotenoids. Trees don't need light to make carotenoids. Botanists call them "helper pigments," because carotenoids absorb some sunlight and （nicely） pass the energy along to chlorophyll. We don't see much of these deputy pigments （carotene, lycopene, and xanthophyll） in summer, because they are masked by abundant green chlorophyll.
But the ever-shortening days of fall mean less daylight and colder weather. The average tree is rushing to save all the nutrients it can for its winter hibernation. Nitrogen and phosphorus are pulled from leaves for storage in branches. A layer of corky cells grows between the leaves' stems and their branches, reducing the leaves' supply of nutrients and water.
With diminished sunlight, water, and nutrients, chlorophyll synthesis slows. Old, worn-out chlorophyll breaks down at the usual rate--ironically, sunlight destroys it--so each leaf's stock gradually dwindles. And as the green fades, yellow and orange emerge from hiding.
Unlike the green and yellow pigments, red and purple pigments （anthocyanins, part of the flavonoid class） actually form in leaves in the autumn, tinting leaves scarlet and burgundy.
Botanists have long wondered why some trees are genetically programmed to manufacture anthocyanins in the fall. New research indicates that anthocyanins may be a tree's own sunscreen.
Anthocyanins are made in a leaf's sugary sap, with the help of lots of sun and cool temperatures. Botanists think that anthocyanins shield the leaves' fading photosynthesis factories from too much sunlight, rather like the pigment melanin protects our skin from the sun. While the red pigments act as a shield, the tree feverishly breaks down and pulls nutrients out of leaves and into its limbs and trunk before leaves drop or die.
Anthocyanins may also act like Vitamin C or E, scavenging so-called "free radicals" before they can do oxidizing damage to a fall leaf's fragile structure.
Upper and outer leaves tend to be reddest, since they are most exposed to sunlight and cold. In some trees, like sugar maples, the reds of the anthocyanins combined with the yellows of the carotenoids make especially brilliant orange leaves.
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文14
Suddenly, I think of my youngest daughter, living now in Amsterdam. Very soon she will call and ask “Have you planted the bulbs yet?” Then I will answer teasingly that actually I’m waiting until she comes to help me. And then we will both be overcome by nostalgia, because once we always did that together. One entire sunny autumn afternoon, when she was three and a half years old, she helped me with all enthusiasm and joyfulness of her age.
It was one of the last afternoons that I had her around, because her place in school has been already reserved. She wandered around so happily carefree with her little bucket and spade, covering the bulbs with earth and calling out “Night, night” or “Sleep night”, her little voice chattering constantly on. She discovered “baby bulbs”, “kiddie bulbs”, and “mummy and daddy bulbs”, the latter snuggling cozily together. While we were both working so industriously, I watched my kid very deliberately. She was such a tiny thing, between an infant and a toddler, with such a round little tummy.
Every autumn, throughout her childhood, we repeated the ritual of planting the bulbs together. Every autumn I saw her changing, the toddler became a schoolgirl, a straightforward realist, full of drive. Never once dreamy, her hands in her pockets; no longer happily indulging in her fantasies. The schoolgirl developed long legs, her jaw-line changed, she had her hair cut. It was autumn again that I thought “bye roses, bye butterflies, bye schoolgirl”. I listened to her stories while we painstakingly burrowed in the earth, planting the promise of spring.
Suddenly, much quicker than I had expected, a tall teenager was standing by my side. She is taller than I. The ritual became rather silent, and we no longer chatter from one subject to another. I thought about her room full of posters and knick-knacks, how it had been full of treasures in bottles and boxes, white peddles, a copper brooch, colored drawings, the treasures of a child who still knew nothing of money, who wanted to be read to and who looked anxiously at a spider at her room and asked, “Would he want to be my friend?”
Then came the autumn when I planted the bulbs alone, and I knew from then on it would always be that way. But every year, in autumn, she talks about it. Full of nostalgia for the security of childhood, the seclusion of a garden, the final moments of a season. How both of us would dearly love to have a time machine. To go back. Just for a day.
經(jīng)典的英語(yǔ)優(yōu)秀美文15
Our character, basically, is a composite of our habits. “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny,” the maxim goes.
從根本上來(lái)講，我們的個(gè)性是塑成習慣的成分之一。有一句箴言講到：“播下一個(gè)想法，收獲一個(gè)行動(dòng)；播下一個(gè)行動(dòng)，收獲一個(gè)習慣；播下一個(gè)習慣，收獲一個(gè)性格；播下一個(gè)性格，收獲一份命運�！�
Habits are powerful factors in our lives. Because they are consistent, often unconscious patterns, they constantly, daily, express our character and produce our effectiveness or ineffectiveness.
習慣是我們生活中有力的因素。因為習慣的持續性，人們常常不能意識到它們。于是，每一天，我們的習慣總在彰顯著(zhù)我們的性格，我們是否有效率也源自習慣。
As Horace Mann, the great educator, once said, “Habits are like a cable. We weave a strand of it everyday and soon it cannot be broken.” I personally do not agree with the last part of his expression. I know habits can be learned and unlearned. But I also know it isn't a quick fix. It involves a process and a tremendous commitment.
正如偉大的教育學(xué)家霍瑞斯·曼曾經(jīng)說(shuō)的那樣：“習慣猶如一根纜繩。我們每日為其編織一股，不久它便不容易斷裂�！蔽覀�(gè)人不認同他最后一段的表達。我知曉有些習慣是后天習得的，而有些則是不學(xué)就有的�？晌乙裁靼琢晳T無(wú)法速成，它是一段涉及鄭重承諾的過(guò)程。
Those of us who watched the lunar voyage of Apollo 11 were transfixed as we saw the first men walk on the moon and return to earth. But to get there, those astronauts literally had to break out of the tremendous gravity pull of the earth. More energy was spent in the first few minutes of lift, in the first few miles of travel, than was used over the next several days to travel half a million miles.
我們之中見(jiàn)證過(guò)阿波羅11號登月的人，當看到人類(lèi)在月球上跨出第一步并返回地球時(shí)，瞠目結舌。但為了抵達月球，毫不夸張地說(shuō)，這些宇航員得掙脫地球對其極大的地心引力。在升起的頭幾分鐘、太空旅程的頭幾英里中，宇航員耗費的能量要遠大于之后幾天五十萬(wàn)英里旅程中的能量。
Habits, too, have tremendous gravity pull more than most people realize or would admit. Breaking deeply imbedded habitual tendencies such as procrastination, impatience, criticalness, or selfishness that violate basic principles of human effectiveness involves more than a little willpower and a few minor changes in our lives. “Lift off” takes a tremendous effort, but once we break out of the gravity pull, our freedom takes on a whole new dimension.
習慣也具有極強的牽引力，比大多數人意識到或承認的還來(lái)得多。對于一些根深蒂固的習慣，像是拖延癥、不耐煩、挑剔或自私，它們違反了人類(lèi)效率的基本原則。而要戒掉這些陋習，僅靠那一丁點(diǎn)的.意志力和生活中極小的改變，是無(wú)濟于事的�！捌痫w時(shí)分”要付出巨大努力，而一旦我們掙脫地心引力，我們享有的自由便會(huì )展現出一個(gè)全新的維度。
Like any natural force, gravity pull can work with us or against us. The gravity pull of some of our habits may currently be keeping us from going where we want to go. But it is also gravity pull that keeps our world together, that keeps the planets in their orbits and our universe in order. It is a powerful force, and if we use it effectively, we can use the gravity pull of habit to create the cohesiveness and order necessary to establish effectiveness in our lives.
與其他自然力一樣，地心引力對我們而言，是助力，亦可是對抗力。我們一些習慣所具有的引力也許正在妨礙我們抵達目的地。然而同時(shí)也是地心引力將世界凝聚，使各大行星在軌道上運轉，讓我們的宇宙井然有序。引力是很強大的，我們倘若能有效運用它，便可用習慣的引力來(lái)創(chuàng )建凝聚力和秩序，使我們的生活有效率。
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