經典的英語優秀美文15篇

在日常生活或是工作學習中，大家都經常看到美文的身影吧？在網絡時代人們接觸到的信息越來越多，微小説等很多網絡文章也被籠統的列入美文行列。你知道怎麼才能寫好美文嗎？下面是小編精心整理的經典的英語優秀美文，歡迎閲讀，希望大家能夠喜歡。

經典的英語優秀美文1

A Lesson Learned at Midnight By James Q. DuPont

午夜的一課 詹姆斯.Q.杜邦

Ever since one midnight, in nineteen hundred and nine, when I first heard my mother crying, I have been groping for beliefs to help me through the rough going and confusions of life. My dad’s voice was low and troubled as he tried to comfort Mother. And in their anguish, they both forgot the nearness of my bedroom. I overheard them. I was only seven then, and while their problem of that time has long since been solved and forgotten, the big discovery I made that night is still right with me: life is not all hearts and flowers; it’s hard and cruel for most of us much of the time. We all have troubles, they just differ in nature, that’s all. And that leads to my first belief.

自1909年的一個午夜第一次聽到母親哭泣以來，我一直尋找信仰幫我度過生活中的艱辛與困惑。父親安慰母親時，聲音低沉而憂鬱。極度的痛苦讓他們忘記我的卧室就在附近。我無意中聽到了他們的談話，那時我只有七歲。儘管他們當時的問題如今已經解決也被遺忘，但那一晚的重大發現仍然教導我：生活並不總是充滿鮮花和愛情。許多時候生活對於我們大多數人來説艱辛而殘酷，我們都有煩惱，只是煩惱的性質不同，僅此而已。這就是我的第一個信念。

I believe the human race is very, very tough—almost impossible to discourage. If it wasn’t, then why do we have such words as “laugh” and “sing” and “music” and “dance”—in the language of all mankind since the beginning of recorded time? This belief makes me downright proud to be a human being.

我相信人類十分堅強，幾乎不可能感到灰心沮喪。如若不然，為何有史以來人類所有的語言中都有“歡笑”、“歌唱”、“音樂”和“舞蹈”這樣的詞呢?這一信念讓我無比自豪，因為我是一個人。

Next, I believe there is good and evil in all of us. Thomas Mann comes close to expressing what I’m trying to say with his carefully worded sentence about the “frightfully radical duality” between the brain and the beast in man—in all of us.

其次，我相信我們都有善和惡的一面。托馬斯.曼字斟句酌地闡述了人類(我們所有人)身上存在的理智這一“極基本的雙重性”時，幾乎道出了我的觀點。

This belief helps me because so long as I remember that there are certain forces of evil ever present in me—and never forget that there is also a divine spark of goodness in me, too—then I find the “score” of my bad mistakes at the end of each day is greatly reduced. “Forewarned of evil, is half the battle against it.” I believe in trying to be charitable, in trying to understand and forgive people, especially in trying to forgive very keen or brilliant people. A man may be a genius, but he can still do things that practically break your heart.

這種信仰讓我受益，因為只要記住自己身上一直存在着某些邪惡的力量——但也從未忘記自己身上也有上帝賜予的善良火花——我就會發現每天結束時，錯誤和悔恨的“得分”大大降低。可見“事先警惕惡行是與之鬥爭成功的一半”。我相信人要儘量樂善好施，儘量理解和寬恕別人，尤其要寬恕特別敏鋭和聰慧的人，因為即使天才也會做出讓你傷心的事情。

I believe most if not all of our very finest thoughts and many of our finest deeds must be kept to ourselves alone—at least until after we die. This used confuse me. But now I realize that by their very nature, these finest things we do and cannot talk about are a sort of secret preview of a better life to come.I believe there is no escape from the rule that we must do many, many little things to accomplish even just one big thing. This gives me patience when I need it most.

我相信，即使不是全部，大多數我們提出的最富創見的思想，大多數我們實施的最富成果的行為，都不應讓人知道我們提出和實施的——至少要到我們去世之後才能讓人知道。這一點過去常讓我感到困惑，但如今我明白，我們完成這些最美妙的事情卻祕而不宣，實質上是暗地裏預見未來更美好的生活。我相信我們必須做許許多多小事才能成就大事，哪怕只一件大事。這一規律無法逃避。這種信仰使我在最需要辦大事的時候很耐心。

And then I believe in having the courage to be myself. Or perhaps I should say, to be honest with myself. Sometimes this is practically impossible, but I’m sure I should always try.

還有，我相信要有勇氣還自己本色。或許我該説，要對自己實事求是。有時這幾乎不可能，但我確信我應該永遠努力為之。

Finally, and most important to me, I do believe in God. I’m sure there is a very wise and wonderful Being who designed, constructed, and operates this existence as we mortals know it: this universe with its galaxies and spiral nebulae, its stars and moons and planets and beautiful women, its trees and pearls and deep green moss—and its hopes and prayers for peace.

最後一點，也是對我而言最重要的一點，我深深信仰上帝。我確信有一位非常睿智和神奇的神靈設計、建造並統治這個世界，就像我們凡人所認識的樣子：這個宇宙有星羣、螺旋型的星雲、星星、月亮、行星、美女、樹木、珍珠和深綠的苔蘚，還有希望和對和平的祈禱。

經典的英語優秀美文2

青春

Youth is not just a stage of life; it is a state of mind.

青春不只是人生的一個階段;它是一種心境。

It is not a matter of rosy cheeks，red lips and supple knees;

它不是指紅潤的臉頰、紅色的嘴脣和柔軟彎曲的膝蓋;

it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination，a vigor of the emotions.

而是指意志力、豐富的想象力、充沛的感情。

It is the freshness of the deep spring of life.

它是生命深泉之清新。

Youth means the predominance over of courage over timidity, of adventure over the love ofease.

青春意味着勇氣勝過膽怯，冒險犯難勝過貪圖安逸。

This often exists in a man of sixty more than in a boy of twenty.

六十歲的人往往要比二十歲的小夥子更持有這種精神。

Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years.

沒有人只因活了若干年而變老。

We grow old by deserting our ideals.

我們變老是因為我們拋棄了自己的理想。

Years may wrinkle the skin，but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.

歲月可以使皮膚產生皺紋，但是放棄熱誠則會消蝕靈魂。

Worry，doubt，self-distrust，fear and despair - these bow the head and turn the growingspirit back to dust.

憂慮、懷疑、缺乏自信、恐懼和絕望—這些都會讓我們垂頭喪氣，而且會讓成長的精神化為烏有。

Whether sixty or sixteen，there is in every numan being's heart the love of wonder,

每個人不管是六十歲或是十六歲，心中都有一股好奇心，

the sweet amazement of the stars and the starlike things, the undaunted challenge ofevents，

對星星及星狀的東西會產生一種歡喜之情，不畏任何挑戰，

the unfailing childlike appetite for what-next and the joy of the game of living.

對未知的事物有着一種像孩子般永不冷卻的熱望，以及遊戲人生的喜悦之情。

You are as young as your faith，as old as your doubt, as young as your self-confidence,

你有信心、自信和希望時，就會年輕;

as old as your fear, as young as your hope, as old as your despair.

而你若懷疑、恐懼和絕望時，就會衰老。

經典的英語優秀美文3

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)

經典的英語優秀美文4

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.

如果一個人，在適當的時候和地方因為一句話而改變了他的人生歷程，你會感到驚異和不可思議嗎？然而這的確是千真萬確的，它就發生在我14歲那年。那時，我正在從得克薩斯州的休斯敦，經由愛坡索市前往加利福尼亞州去的旅途中。日出即行，日落即息，痴痴地追尋着我的夢想。我本來在讀高中，也許我天生就不是讀書的材料，因此我不得不中途輟學。隨即我決心要到世界上最大的海浪上去衝浪，先準備到加利福尼亞州，再到夏威夷，然後我準備就在那裏住下來。

在剛進入愛坡索市區的時候，我看到有一個老頭，一個流浪者，坐在街道的拐角處。他看見了走路的我，當我就要從他的旁邊走過去時，他攔住了我，並開口向我發問。他問我是不是偷着從家裏跑出來的，我想他這麼問我一定是看我太年輕，覺得我太嫩的緣故。“不完全是，先生，"因為是我爸爸開車把我送到休斯敦的高速公路上的，他還一邊為我祝福，一邊説：‘兒子，追尋你的夢想和心中的憧憬非常重要。’”

然後那個流浪者問我他能請我喝咖啡嗎？我回答説：“不，先生，一杯汽水就可以了。”

於是，我們走進街道拐角處的一家酒吧，坐在一雙轉椅上，喝着飲料。

在閒聊了幾分鐘後，這個和藹可親的老流浪漢要我跟他走。他告訴我説他有一樣大東西給我看，要與我分享。我們走過了幾個街區，來到了愛坡索市的公立圖書館。

我們沿着它前面的台階向上走，在一處小小的諮詢台前停了下來。老流浪漢向一位笑容可掬的老太太説了幾句話，並問她是否願意在他和我進圖書館時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裏，走進了那座宏偉的學習殿堂。

老流浪漢先把我帶到一張桌子前，讓我坐下來稍等片刻，而他則到那些林立的書架中去尋找那個特別重要的東西去了。不一會兒，他腋下夾着幾本舊書回來了。他把書放到桌子上，然後他在我的身邊坐了下來，打開了話匣子，出口便不凡，其話語非常特別，改變了我一生的命運。他説：“年輕人，我想教你兩件事，就是：第一是切記不要從封面來判斷一本書的好壞，因為封面有時也會矇騙你。"他接着説道："我敢打賭，你一定認為我是個老流浪漢，是不是？年輕人。”

我説：“嗯，是的，先生，我想是的。”

“嗯，年輕人，我要給你一個小驚喜：其實我是這個世界上最富有的人之一，人們夢寐以求的任何東西我幾乎都有。我最初從美國東北部來，凡是金錢能買到的東西，我全都有。但是一年前，我妻子死了，願上帝保祐她的在天之靈，從那以後，我開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有體驗過，其中之一就是做一個沿街乞討的流浪漢滋味如何。於是我對自己發誓要像流浪漢一樣活一年。在過去的一年裏，我從一個城市流浪到另一個城市，就像流浪漢一樣生活。所以，你看，切記不要從封面來判斷一本書的好壞，因為封面有時也會矇騙你。”

“第二，我的孩子，是要學會如何讀書。因為這個世界上只有一種東西是別人無法從你的身上拿走的，那，就是你的智慧！”説到這，他俯身向着我，抓住我的右手放在他從書架中找到的書上。那是柏拉圖和亞里士多德的著作--尚古以降已經流傳了幾千年的不朽的經典。

經典的英語優秀美文5

種梨

Planting a Pear Tree

有鄉人貨梨於市，頗甘芳，價騰貴。有道士破巾絮衣，丐於車前。鄉人咄之，亦不去;鄉人怒，加以叱罵。道士曰：“一車數百顆，老袖止丐其一，於居士亦無大損，何怒為?”觀者勸置劣者一枚令去，鄉人執不肯。肆中傭保者，見喋聒聯不堪，遂出錢市一枚，付道士。道士拜謝，謂眾日：“出家人不解吝惜。我有佳梨、請出供客。”或曰：“既有之，何不自食?”曰：“我特需此核作種。”於是掬梨大啖。且盡，把核於手，解肩上鐫，坎地深數寸，納之而覆以土。向市人索湯沃灌。好事者於臨路店索得沸沈，道士接浸坎處。萬目攢視，見有勾萌出，漸大;俄成樹，枝葉扶蘇;倏而花，倏而實，碩大芳馥，累累滿樹。道七乃即樹頭摘賜觀者，頃刻向盡。已，乃以鐫伐樹，丁丁良久，方斷;帶葉荷肩頭，從容徐步而去。

A villager took his pears to the market to sell. His pears were juicy and sweet, but the price washigh. A Taoist priest, in an old cap and worn cotton robe, came up to his cart and begged for apear. The villager told him to go away but he would not. The villager got angry and began touse strong words at him. The Taoist priest said, "You've got a cartful of pears which must be inthe hundred, but I am asking for only one of them and one pear is not much of a loss to are you getting so angry shout it?" The onlookers said, "Give him a bad one and let himgo." A waiter in the tavern, hearing the noisy bickering in the street, came anti bought a pearfor the priest. The priest thanked him and said to the crowd, "As a Taoist priest I am not thatsparing. I've got first-class pears and I'd like to share them with you." Someone in the crowdsaid, "Why not eat your own pears then, since you've got some?"

"But I need the core of it as seed," the priest said and, holding up the pear with his hands,began to eat. When he ate up the pear, he held its core in one hand and, with the other, hetook off' a small shovel from his back. He began to dig in the ground a hole two or three inchesdeep, put the core in it and then covered it with earth. Lie asked if anyone in the crowd couldfind some hot water for him. One of them, an obliging person, fetched some boiling water froma strop by the street. The priest took it over and poured it where the core of the pear wasburied.

While tine people around watched, the core sprouted and grew and, in a moment, became atree with exuberant foliage and, in another couple of seconds, it began to blossom and bearpears. The pears were big, emitting sweet fragrance and the tree was heavy with them. Thepriest picked them and gave them to the people around and soon there were no more. Thenthe priest began to cut the tree and he worked at it for a long while before he felled it. He putthe tree, leaves and all, on his shoulder and walked off at a leisurely pace.

初，道士作法時，鄉人亦雜立眾中，引領注目，竟忘其業。道士既去，始顧車中，則梨已空矣。方悟適所儂散，皆己物也。又細視車上一靶亡，是新鑿斷者。心大憤恨。急跡之，轉過牆隅，則斷靶棄垣下，始知所伐梨本，即是物也。道士不知所在。一市粲然。

While the priest was playing the magic the pear seller, standing among the crowd, craned hisneck to watch, forgetting his own business. When the priest was gone he found that all hispears in the cart were gone. It was not until then that he realized the pears the priest haddished out were all his pears. And then he noticed that one shaft of his cart disappeared andthe cut was fresh. The pear seller was bursting with anger. He dashed off to run after thepriest. Turning the corner he found the lost shaft was lying at the foot of the wall. And by thenhe realized that it was the shaft of his cart, not the tree, that the priest was cutting. The priestwas nowhere to be found and the whole marketplace was immensely amazed.

經典的英語優秀美文6

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。

畫家將已完成的作品掛在牆上，每個人都可以觀賞到。 作曲家寫完了一部作品，得由演奏者將其演奏出來，其他人才能得以欣賞。因為作曲家是如此完全地依賴於職業歌手和職業演奏者，所以職業歌手和職業演奏者肩上的擔子可謂不輕。 一名學音樂的學生要想成為一名演奏者，需要經受長期的、嚴格的訓練，就象一名醫科的學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。

音樂家們控制肌肉的熟練程度，必須達到與運動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，他們的聲帶將不能滿足演唱的要求。 絃樂器的演奏者練習的則是在左手的手指上下滑動的同時，用右手前後拉動琴弓--兩個截然不同的動作。

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。

歌手和樂器演奏者必須使所有的音符完全相同協調。 鋼琴家們則不用操這份心，因為每個音符都已在那裏等待着他們了。 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絃的音錘，不能讓音錘發出的聲音象是打擊樂器，而且每個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。

如何得到樂章清晰的紋理是學生指揮們所面臨的難題：他們必須學會了解音樂中的每一個音及其發音之道。 他們還必須致力於以熱忱而又客觀的權威去控制這些音符。除非是和音樂方面的知識和悟性結合起來，單純的技巧沒有任何用處。 藝術家之所以偉大在於他們對音樂語言駕輕就熟，以致於可以滿懷喜悦地演出寫於任何時代的作品。

經典的英語優秀美文7

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.

從根本上來講，我們的個性是塑成習慣的成分之一。有一句箴言講到：“播下一個想法，收穫一個行動；播下一個行動，收穫一個習慣；播下一個習慣，收穫一個性格；播下一個性格，收穫一份命運。”

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。於是，每一天，我們的習慣總在彰顯着我們的性格，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.

正如偉大的教育學家霍瑞斯·曼曾經説的那樣：“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。”我個人不認同他最後一段的表達。我知曉有些習慣是後天習得的，而有些則是不學就有的。可我也明白習慣無法速成，它是一段涉及鄭重承諾的過程。

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.

我們之中見證過阿波羅11號登月的人，當看到人類在月球上跨出第一步並返回地球時，瞠目結舌。但為了抵達月球，毫不誇張地説，這些宇航員得掙脱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於之後幾天五十萬英里旅程中的能量。

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得多。對於一些根深蒂固的習慣，像是拖延症、不耐煩、挑剔或自私，它們違反了人類效率的基本原則。而要戒掉這些陋習，僅靠那一丁點的意志力和生活中極小的改變，是無濟於事的。“起飛時分”要付出巨大努力，而一旦我們掙脱地心引力，我們享有的自由便會展現出一個全新的維度。

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創建凝聚力和秩序，使我們的生活有效率。

經典的英語優秀美文8

why Measure Life in Heartbeats?

Hemingway once wrote that courage is grace under pressure. But I wouldrather think with the 18th-century Italian dramatist, Vittorio Alfieri, that"often the test of courage is not to die but t0 1ive." For living with cancerengenders more than pressure; it begets terror. To live with it, to face up toit-that's courage.

Hope is our most effective "drug" in treating cancer. There is almost nocancer (at any stage) that cannot be treated. By instilling hope in a patient,we can help develop a positive; combative attitude to his disease. Illogical,unproven? Perhaps. But many doaors believe that this must become a partof cancer therapy if the therapy is to be effective.

I have had the joy of two beautiful and wonderful wives, the happiness ofparenthood and the love of eight children. My work was constantly chal-lenging and fulfilling. I have always loved music and books, ballet and thetheater. I was addicted to fitness, tennis, golf, curling, hunting and fishing.

Good food and wine graced my table. My home was a warm and happyplace.

But when I became aware of my imminent mortality, my attitudes changed.

There was real meaning to the words, "This is the first day of the rest ofyour life." There was a heightened awareness of each sunny day, the beautyof flowers, the song of a bird. How often do we reflect on the joy of breath.

ing easily, of swallowing without effort and discomfort, of walking withoutpain, of a complete and peaceful night's sleep?

After I became ill, I embarked upon many things I had been putting offbefore. I read the books Ihad set aside for retirement and wrote one myself,entitled TheArt of Surgery. My wife Madeleine and I took more holidays.

We played tennis regularly and curled avidly; we took the boys fishing. WhenI review these past few years, it seems in many ways that I have lived alifetime since I acquired cancer. On my last holiday in the Bahamas, as Iwalked along the beach feeling the gentle waves wash over my feet, I felt apart of tlie universe, even if only a minuscule one,like a grain of sand on thebeach.

Although I had to restrict the size of my practice, I felt closer empathy withmy patients. When I walked into the Intensive Care Unit there was an awe-some feeling knowing I, too, had been a patient there. It was a special satis-faction to comfort my patients with cancer, knowing that it is possible toenjoy life after the anguish of that diagnosis. It gave me a warm feeling tosee the sparkle in one patient's eyes-a man with a totallaryngectomy-when I asked if he would enjoy a cold beer and went to get him one.

If one realizes that our time on this earth is but a tiny fraction of that withinthe cosmos, then life calculated in years may not be as important as wethink. Why measure life in heartbeats? When life is so dependent on such anunreliable function as the beating of the heart, then it is fragile indeed. Theonly thing that one can depend upon with absolute certainty is death.

I believe that death may be the most important part of life. I believe that lifeis infinitesinially brief in relation to the immensity of eternity. I believe,because of my religious faith, that I shall "return to the Father"in an afterlifethat is beyond description. I believe that though my life was short in years, itwas fullin experience, joy, love and accomplishment; that my owriimmor-tality will reside in the memories of my loved ones left behind, mother,brother, wife, children, dear friends. I believe that I will die with loved onesclose by and, one hopes, achieve that great gift of God-ileath in peace, andwith dignity.

何必以心跳定生死?

海明威曾經寫過，勇氣就是臨危不懼。不過，我更贊同18世紀意大利戲劇家維多利奧·阿爾菲利的觀點：“對勇氣的考驗往往不是去死，而是要活。”身患癌症，不僅帶來痛苦，而且引起恐懼。抱病生活，並敢於正視這一現實，這就是勇氣。

希望是我們治療癌症最有效的“藥物”。幾乎沒有任何癌症(無論發展到哪一期)是不能醫治的。把希望灌輸到病人心裏，我們就可以幫助他樹立起積極與疾病作鬥爭的觀念。也許此話不合邏輯，言之無據，是嗎?然而，許多醫生認為，要想使療法有效，這必須成為癌症治療的一部分。

我有幸先後擁有兩位美麗賢惠的妻子所帶來的歡欣，體驗過為人之父的樂趣，並得到八個子女的愛。過去，我的工作一直富有挑戰性，令人有成就感。我一向喜歡聽音樂和讀書，酷愛芭蕾舞和戲劇。我曾經醉心於健身運動、網球、高爾夫球、冰上溜石、打獵和垂釣。我的餐桌擺滿美酒佳餚。我的家温馨而又幸福。

可是，當我知道自己大限將至時，生活態度就變了。“這是您餘生的開始。”這句話對我有了實實在在的含義。對每一個晴天麗日，對鳥語花香，我的感觸倍加強烈。平日呼吸輕鬆，吞食自如，走路毫不費勁，一夜安寢到天明，我們幾曾回味過其中的樂趣?

患病後，我着手做以前擱置下來的許多事情。我閲讀了本來留到退休後才讀的書，而且還寫了一本題為《外科術》的書。我與夫人馬德琳度假更加頻繁。我們經常去打網球，勁頭十足地在冰上溜石，還帶兒子們去釣魚。回顧過去幾年，從許多方面來看，自從得了癌症以後，我似乎已經活了一輩子。上次到巴哈馬度假期間，我沿着海灘漫步，海浪輕輕撫揉着我的雙腳，此時此刻我驀然覺得自己與整個宇宙融為一體，儘管我微不足道，就像海灘上的一粒沙子。

雖然我不得不限制自己的醫務工作量，我感到與病人更加心靈相通。當我走進特別護理室時，一種敬畏之感油然而生，因為我知道自己也曾是這裏的病人。我明白，在經歷了被確診為癌症的極度痛苦之後，仍有可能享受生活，因此，安慰癌症患者成了一種特別的樂事。一位病人做了喉部切除手術，我問他是否想喝凍啤酒，而且為他拿來了一杯，這時我看到他眼裏閃現出了火花，一股暖流頓時湧上我的心頭。

倘若人們意識到人生在世只不過是宇宙的時間長河中轉瞬即逝的一剎那，那麼以歲月計算的生命就不會像我們所想的那樣重要了。何必以心跳來定生死呢?當生命依賴於心跳這樣一種不可靠的功能時，它的確脆弱不堪。而只有死亡才是人們唯一可以絕對依賴的。

我認為死亡可能是人生中最重要的一環。我認為與那漫長的永生相比，生命是極其短暫的。基於我的宗教信仰，我相信在我身後那難以描繪的時光裏，我將回歸聖父。我相信，我的生命以年月計算，雖然是短暫的，但經歷豐富，充滿了歡樂、愛情和成就;我將永遠活在我所愛的人，即我的母親、兄弟、兒女和密友的記憶中。我相信，在彌留之際，我的親朋好友將陪伴在我身旁：我希望得到上帝的恩賜——帶着尊嚴，安詳地告別人間。

經典的英語優秀美文9

泥土的微笑

All over my garden Ive planted nothing but roses, fragrant and if looked at from afar-ablaze with colour like sunset clouds. I would be very happy if any one of my visiting friends should desire to pick and take some for their homes.I trust that any friend of nune carrying the roses would vanish into the distance feeling that his emotion had been rekindled.

我在花園裏種滿了芬芳的玫瑰花，遠遠望去，他們像一片燃燒的晚霞。如果來訪的朋友想摘些花帶回家，我會很高興。我相信朋友捧着火紅的玫瑰漸漸走遠的背影，一定能點燃易感的情懷。

A close friend came for a visit the other day, I know her to be a lover of flowers and plants, and for that reason I told her at her departure that she should pick a bunch of roses to decorate her boudoir. I promised that the scent ofthe roses would be wafted far, far away.

有一天，一位非常要好的女友來探望我，我知道她平素最喜歡花花草草了，臨別時我説，採一束玫瑰點綴你的閨房，保證十里飄香。

That girl friend of mine, tiptoeing into the garden in high spirits, sniffed here and smelt there, but in the end she didnt pick a single rose. I said there were so many of them tbat she could pick as many as shed like to, I told her that I was not a florist and didnt make a living out of them. While saying so I raised the scissors for the sacrifice of the flowers, but she vehemently stopped me, crying no, no, no!

女友輕輕地跨進花園，東聞聞，西嗅嗅，神采飛揚，就是不肯採摘。我説沒關係，多的是，並讓她儘管採摘。我告訴她我又不是花店的老闆，不會靠玫瑰賺錢的，説完我就舉起剪刀準備獻美。女友急忙攔住，高聲叫着不可不可。

To cut such beautiful roses would hurt one, she her hands clutching at my sleeves, she told me that by no means should they be cut. Roses are the smiling face of the earth, and who could be so iron hearted as to destroy a smile so exhilarating

這麼美麗的玫瑰剪下來，讓人心疼，她説道。她緊抓住我的袖子叮嚀道：千萬不能剪啊，玫瑰是泥土的微笑，誰忍心殺戮美得醉人的微笑

My mind was thoroughly boggled: the ugly earth, the humble earth,the plain earth-it is only because of the roses that it reveals an amazing and bright smile, and it is for the sake of that smile that it wins the care and pity of men.

我的靈魂悚然一驚，醜陋的泥土、卑微的泥土、樸素的泥土，因為玫瑰，它露出了驚豔一笑。因為這一笑，它讓人愛惜非常。

Of late a friend of mine i_nvited me to appreciate a Tang Dynasty vase that he was fortunate enough to have bought at an auction. The vase, with its slim neck, plump body, and fine little flowers on a blue and white background, has a noble shape and a rich colouring, elegant, refined, proud, poised, and supercilious, an extreme embodiment of the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty. I was filled with wonder to think that while everyone present was talang great care not to cause the slightest damage to the Tang treasure, it was to me nothing but an object made of clay. It had only become a piece of classic art after being baked in a china kiln.

近日，一個朋友在拍賣會上有幸購得一個花瓶，花瓶細頸大肚，碎花藍白圖案，看上去流光溢彩。從造型到色彩，整個如唐朝盛世的化身，雍容、華貴、高傲、悠閒，目空一切。朋友邀請我們大家觀賞。奇怪的是每一個參觀者都小心謹慎，生怕碰壞這盛唐的寶貝。其實它不過是一撮泥土而已，在經過窯燒之後才幹修百鍊成瓷中經典的口.

Both the exqusiteness of the boccaro teapots made in south China, and the shockingly beautiful sculptures by Clay Sculptor Zhang of Tianjin arent they all smiles of the earth They are such exquisite treasures that-even if they look ugly, humble, plain, or whatever-they no doubt deserve respect and veneration.

江南的紫砂壺玲瓏剔透，天津泥人張的彩塑令人拍案叫絕，它們不都是泥土的微笑嗎它們彌足珍貴，即使曾醜陋，即使曾卑微，即使曾樸素，同樣讓人肅然起敬。

Now I understand that no one, however ordinary, should be condemned to anonymity, and that anyone who adds a dash of colour to life deserves our respect.

我懂得了，即使再平凡的人，也沒有理由被埋沒，只要努力活出色彩，一定會叫人刮目相看。

天才養成攻略

Lesson one: New challenges require new ways of thinking

面對新挑戰，要有新思路

Part car, part jet fighter, part spaceship, Bloodhound SSC aims to be the first land vehicle to break the 1,000mph barrier. One of the key challenges has been to design the wheels. How do you create the fastest wheels in history, make them stable and reliable at supersonic speeds, and with limited resources

部分汽車、部分噴氣式飛機、部分宇宙飛船，獵犬號超級汽車的目標是做世界上第一輛時速突破1000英里的汽車。而這面臨的一項關鍵挑戰是車輪的設計。如果換做是你，你會如何在有限的資源下發明出超音速汽車上用的輪子呢

After much deliberation, and devising ideas that pushed the boundaries of material technology, Mark Chapman, chief engineer of the Bloodhound project said the team decided to take a step back and change the way they were trying to solve problems. Theres very little weve actually developed thats new, he says, whats unique is how we apply technologies.

獵犬號項目的總工程師馬克查普曼思來想去，覺得材料還是不夠好。最後他和他的團隊決定退回一步、換個角度看有沒有別的辦法。我們實際創新的東西並不多，馬克説：我們的獨特之處在於應用技術的方式別具一格。

They adopted an approach called the design of experiments a mathematical technique of problem solving through doing lots of little experiments and then looking at the statistics all glued together. All of a sudden, where wed been knocking our head against the wall for maybe two, three, four months, we came up with a wheel design that would hold together and was strong enough, he says.

他們採用實驗設計的方法做了很多的小實驗，綜合所得的數據再得出精確設計。花了三四個月絞盡腦汁做盡各種實驗之後，很突然地我們做出了一個大膽的設計：把各種可用的(飛機、飛船所用的)技術都融合在一輛車上，從而使它足夠強大。馬克説。

Lesson two: Let evidence shape your opinion

觀點要用證據來證明

Like his peers, geophysicist Steven Jacobsen from Northwestern University believed that water on Earth originated from comets. But by studying rocks, which allow scientists to peer back in time, he discovered water hidden inside ringwoodite, which lies in the Earths mantle, and which suggests that the oceans gradually made its way out of the planets interior many centuries ago.

美國西北大學地球物理學家史蒂文雅各布森曾認為，地球上的水源於彗星。但通過對巖石的研究，他發現地幔的林伍德石裏面也藏有水，這一發現表明或許在N個世紀之前，海洋是從地球內部自己慢慢溢出來的。

I had a pretty hard time convincing others, he admits. Yet two key pieces of evidence uncovered this year seem to support his point of view. Time will tell whether the new theories are true, and there may be further twists to the tale. But thinking about the fact that you may be the first person to see something for the first time doesnt happen very often, he says. When it does its thrilling.

那時候我難説服別的學者相信這個。史蒂文説。但是今年新發現的兩個關鍵證據似乎支持了他的理論。所以，一個新理論的正確與否可能需要時間來慢慢印證，在被世人接受前可能會經歷很多曲折。但是如果你發現你是第一個發現這個規律的人，且時間又證明你是對的之後，你會倍受鼓舞的。史蒂文説。

Lesson three: It really is 99% perspiration

天才的99%確實是汗水

Sheila Nirenberg at Cornell University is trying to develop a new prosthetic device for treating blindness. Key to this was cracking the code that transmits information from the eye to the brain. Once I realised this, I couldnt eat, I couldnt sleep all I wanted to do was work, says Nirenberg.

康奈爾大學希拉尼倫伯格正在研究治療失明的新型假體，其中破解眼睛與大腦的信息交流密碼是最關鍵的。我意識到這一點之後，就吃不下飯、睡不着覺，只想全身心投入工作。尼倫伯格説。

Sometimes Im exhausted and I get burnt out, she adds. But then I get an email from somebody in crisis or somebody whos getting macular degeneration, and they cant see their own childrens faces, and it is like, How can I possibly complain It gives me the energy to just go back and keep doing it.

每次覺得筋疲力盡、江郎才盡的時候，我都會收到一些到正處於危險狀態馬上要失明的、或是患有黃斑部退化症的病人的郵件，這些人將沒辦法看清自己孩子的長相、無法看這五顏六色的世界。每當這個時候，我就跟自己説我怎麼能夠抱怨呢，然後就又動力十足的繼續工作。

Lesson four: The answer isnt always what you expect

結果並不總是和預想的一樣

Sylvia Earle has spent decades trying to see the ocean with new eyes. Her dream machine is a submarine that could take scientists all the way to the bottom of the deepest ocean floor. What sort of material could best withstand the types of pressure you would encounter thousands of miles below the ocean surface It could be steel, it could be titanium, it could be some sort of ceramic, or some kind of aluminium system, says Earle. But glass is the ultimate material. By her estimates, a glass sphere about four-to-six inches (10-15cm) thick should be able safely explore the ocean depths she dreams of exploring.

西爾維亞厄爾花了幾十年的時間試圖讓人們用新的方式親近海底，她的夢想號潛艇可以讓科學家潛入到最深的海底。那種材料才能夠承受住深海的巨大壓力呢厄爾説：我想過用鋼、鈦、陶瓷等，但最終發現其實玻璃才是終極王者。根據她的預計，一塊10-15釐米厚的玻璃板就能讓她進入夢寐以求的那片深海世界。

Glass is the oldest material known to man and one of the least understood, says Tony Lawson, Earles engineering director at Deep Ocean and Exploration Research Marine. It has a higgledy-piggledy molecular structure a bit like a liquid, rather than the ordered lattices often found in other solids. As a result, when glass is evenly squeezed from all sides as it would be under the ocean the molecules cram closer together and form a tighter structure.

厄爾的項目技術總監稱，雖然玻璃是人類已知的最古老材料，但是我們對它的瞭解卻甚少。玻璃的分子結構有點像是液體，排列方式沒有一般固體的有規律。因此，當玻璃被海洋裏的壓力從四面八方壓迫時，它的分子會被壓在一起，形成更緊密的結構。

Lesson five: A little luck goes a long way

偶爾的一點好運也可以維持很久

It was hailed as one of the biggest success stories in the history of space exploration 20 years of planning ended earlier this year with the Philae lander rendezvousing with Comet 67P over 300 million miles (480 million kilometres) away from Earth.

菲萊探測器被譽為太空探索史上最大跨越之一，歷經20年的策劃期終於在年初發射併成功在離地球四億八千萬公里的67P彗星上着陸。

The biggest challenge, says Stephan Ulamec, manager of the Philae lander programme, was how to design a probe to land on a body whose makeup they had little knowledge about. We had no idea of the size, we had no idea of the day-night cycle, which influences the thermal design, we had no idea of the gravity, so how fast would the lander impact, we had no idea how the surface looked, he says.

據菲萊項目的負責人斯蒂芬介紹，在這20年裏遇到的最大挑戰是對彗星構造瞭解較少，不知道該如何設計這個探測器。我們不知道彗星的晝夜循環情況會影響保熱設計，不知道彗星的重力也無法預測探測器着陸後對轉速的影響，甚至不清楚彗星表面的樣子。

They needed to create design parameters that could cope with an extremely wide range of possible comet structures but banked on the comet being a relatively even potato shape with enough flat surfaces for the probe to land on. Even then, not everything went to plan, and two decades of meticulous planning could have failed within minutes at touchdown. Philaes anchoring harpoons didnt fire as planned, and it bounced off the comet before settling onto its icy surface and successfully beaming data back to its relieved creators.

科學家們需要建立儘可能符合多種彗星結構的設計參數，但是還是得寄希望於彗星的表面要夠平坦。可即便是花了20年設計、縝密計劃過的菲萊還是在着陸的幾分鐘裏有點小失敗：魚叉系統未如計劃打開，無法準確釘入彗星表面。不過幸運的是，菲萊還是成功地把數據發回了地球。

Lesson six: Genius is indefinable

天才定義不明

Its a funny word: the word genius, says Nirenberg. I just sort of ignore it and just go on with life. You just do what you do independent of whatever labels attached to you. I dont know really how else to explain it.

天才這個詞很有趣，尼倫伯格説，我常常忽略這個標籤繼續走自己的路。只需要拋掉別人在你身上貼的各種標籤做自己想做到的事就好了。因為所謂天才真是判斷標準不一、無法解釋的事情。

旅行的N種正能量

I am currently on a massive adventure with my family: we are seven months into a year-long trip around Australia.

我和家人正在一同展開一場聲勢浩大的冒險活動：全年暢遊澳大利亞，這是其中的第七個月。

Coaching and traveling can bring up the same opportunities to shift long-held beliefs and ways of being.

無論是乘坐馬車觀光還是一般的旅行，都能為你提供許多機會，讓你改變積習的頑信，改換陳舊的生活方式。

When we sit down with a coach of any kind, it is because we want to achieve a particular goal in our lives, be it work, relationships, wellbeing or something else.

當我們坐上一列馬車無論是哪種馬車，我們想要的是實現一種心願，無論這心願是工作順遂，廣結善緣，生活安康還是其他的心願。

When we travel, we want to achieve a particular goal, be it experiences, connections, expansion or relaxation.

當我們外出旅行的時候，我們想要的是達到某一目標，無論這目標是積累經驗，構建人脈，博聞強識還是休閒放鬆。

When we are travelling, we find ourselves in new places and new spaces, physically and internally; it is the same with coaching.

在我們的旅行途中，我們會發現自己置身於新的地理位置，也獲得了新的心靈空間;乘馬車觀光亦是如此。

As travelers, we have to look at things in a different way; we need to draw on inner resources -- resources we may not have ever tapped into before. This builds inner confidence in other areas of our lives.

作為旅行者，我們會以不同的方式看待事物;我們要開放自己的內在感官這些內在感官或可能是我們從未開發過的礦藏。由此，我們能夠充實內在的信心，以便應對生活的方方面面。

When we travel, we have to be willing to look at things in a new way, a different way. We need to see things from another perspective and work with what is right in front of us, not with what we hope it to be.

在旅程中，我們應學會用新的，不一樣的眼光看待事物。我們應從不同的視角看待事情，接受當下所面對的人和事，而不是沉湎於自己所希冀的幻想之中。

One of the foundations of life coaching is knowing where you are starting from -- what is working in your life and what is not working -- and using that starting point to chart a course to where you need to go.

坐馬車旅程也是從人生旅途的某個驛站開始的行程。你要知道自己從哪裏出發你的生活中那些方面順心如意，那些方面不盡人意你從這個點出發，向着你必須到達的目的地，開始一段旅程。

As a roaming traveler, you do not have room for extra baggage: extra baggage wears you down emotionally and physically, a weight you do not need. Coaching allows us to uncover baggage we may not even know we have.

作為一個隨遇而安的旅人，你無需過多的行裝：過重的行李會讓你身體勞乏，心靈疲憊，你本可以避開這幅重擔。乘着馬車旅行，你會發現，原來你揹負着許多包袱，自己從未意識到。

When traveling with others (as we are in life), we have to forgive quicker, let go longer and generate compassion to ourselves and others, as a group/family dynamic can be as changeable as the wind.

當我們與旁人結伴旅行的時候(正如我們在生命中共同走過一段人生一樣)，我們應該原諒那些來去匆匆的人，放下獨來獨往的人，既要愛自己，也要愛他人，因為團隊/家庭成員之間的關係和風一樣善變。

When we move from one place to another we experience movement: I was in a different place yesterday to where I am today; tomorrow I can be somewhere completely different again.

當我們從一個地方來到另一個地方的時候，我們所體驗到的就是無所不在的變動：昨天我曾在一個不同的地方;今天我正在這個地方;明天我會去另一個完全陌生的地方。

經典的英語優秀美文10

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 . . . "

經典的英語優秀美文11

Two Truths to Live by

人生的兩條真理

The art of living is to know when to hold fast and when to let go. For life is paradox: it enjoins us to cling to its many gifts even while it ordains their eventual relinquishment. The rabbis of Old put it this way:" A man comes to this world with his fist clenched, but when he dies, his hand is open.

生活的藝術是要懂得何時緊緊抓住，何時學會放棄。因為人生就是一對矛盾，它促使我們牢牢抓住人生的很多賜予，但同時又註定了我們對這些給予最終的放棄。老一輩猶太學者是這樣説的：人來到這個世界的時候拳頭是緊握的，而當離開的時候，手卻是鬆開的。

Surely we ought to hold fast to life, for it is wondrous, and full of a beauty that breaks through every pore of God’s own earth. We know that this is so, but all too often we recognize this truth only in our backward glance when we remember what it was and then suddenly realize that it is no more.

當然，我們應該僅僅抓住生活，因為生活是神奇的，是充滿着美的——上帝創造的大地的每一個空間都充斥着至美。我們都知道這點，但我們卻常常在回首往事之時才明白這個道理，然後突然意識到逝去的時光已經一去不復返了。

We remember a beauty that faded, a love that waned. But we remember with far greater pain that we did not see that beauty when it flowered, that we failed to respond with love when it was tendered.

我們追憶逝去的美麗，殘缺的愛情，但是更令人痛心的回憶是當繁花盛開之時錯過了欣賞它的美麗;當愛情眷顧之時卻未能做出迴應。

This not an easy lesson to learn, especially when we are young and think that the world is ours to command, that whatever we desire with the full force of our passionate being can, nay, ill, be ours.

學會(珍愛美好的事物)是不容易做到的。尤其是我們年輕時，認為世界是由我們掌握的，只要我們自己滿腔熱情，全力以赴的去追求，我們想要的東西就能夠——不，是一定能夠得到。

But then life moves along to confront us with realities, and slowly but surely this second truth dawns upon us. At every stage of life we sustain losses—and grow in the ultimately, as the parable of the open and closed hand suggests, we must confront the inevitability of our own demise, losing ourselves as it were, all that we were or dreamed to be.

隨着我們的成長，生活使我們不得不面對現實，而第二種真理逐漸被我們所感知，所理解。 在人生的每一個階段，我們都要承受損失，在這個過程中我們慢慢的長大. 最終，正如鬆手和握拳的比喻那樣：我們自己也得走向不可抗拒的死亡，失去了原有的自我，失去了以往的或夢想過的一切。

The insight gleaned from that experience is really as commonplace as was the experience itself: life’s gifts are precious--but we are too heedless of them.

我們在閲歷中所積累起來的洞察力就像我們的經歷本身一樣的平凡生活的賜予是可貴的，可是我們卻常常忽視了它們的存在。

Here then is the first pile of life's paradoxical demands on us: Never too busy for the wonder and the awe of life. Be reverent before each dawning day. Embrace each hour. Seize each golden minute.

生命中有太多似非而是的矛盾，以下是第一種矛盾給我們的啟迪：不要過於忙碌而忽略領悟生命的神奇，失掉對生命的敬畏。在破曉時分懷抱虔誠心情迎接每一天，擁抱每一個時辰，把握好黃金般的每一分鐘。

Hold fast to life... but not so fast that you cannot let go. This is the second side of life's coin, the opposite pole of its paradox: we must accept our losses, and learn how to let go.

緊緊抓住生命但是不要過於執着而不懂得放手。這是生命之道的另一個層面，矛盾的另一極：我們必須接受失去，並且學會放棄。

經典的英語優秀美文12

The Olympics represents the noble ideal of sports overcoming the barriers of politics withchampion athletes of all nations gathering in the spirit of sportsmanship. However, the stakesgo beyond who wins the gold medal. Shortly after each competition, nations begin to vieafresh for the bid to host the next game. Winning the vote to host is not merely an honor, itis a political conquest in global recognition. It also spins revenue from the influx of tourists,participants and Olympic related paraphernalia.

However, all that glitters is not gold. For some residents of Beijing, the site of Olympic 2008,the impact of winning the bid cuts deep and far into their personal lives. The capital isexpecting to pour billions of dollars into sports facilities and related upgrades such as roads,public transport, landscaping and sanitation. For the bustling city of bicycles and traffic jamstucked among imperial relics, the Olympics is an opportunity for urban renewal.

Yet for those within the areas, something must give way to make room for the model OlympicVillage.

Decades of family homes will be uprooted and dispersed among apartments on the outskirtsof the city. Although modern plumbing and sanitation will replace chamber pots, the move isan upheaval of a community and its way of life and social dynamics. It will be interesting tofollow up on those and study the effects ofthe transplant.

The Olympics upgrades are not disposable stage props that can be easily discarded after theshow. Experts are afraid that without the heartbeat of ordinary people dwelling in the ancientcity, the high tech Olympic City would become culturally dry. Careful urban planning andstringent regulations such as building restrictions can preserve the impression of an intactneighborhood. Nevertheless, without the residents, aesthetic is lost and only the facaderemains, waiting to be filled by tourists and businesses.

Nonetheless who can begrudge anyone a more comfortable living environment? Even withoutthe Olympics, can the drumbeat of modernization be stopped? And whether the changes arefor better or worse, who should presume to judge such things other than those whose livesbear the brunt of the impact?

奧運會所代表的崇高理想，就是各國的運動選手用運動員精神超越政治障礙聚集在一起。可是，其利害關係不僅在於誰獲得金牌。每一屆奧運會後不久，各國又重新開始爭奪下一屆奧運會的主辦權。獲得主辦權不僅僅是一種榮譽，也代表着在政治上被全球認同的勝利。此外，還可以通過接踵而來的遊客、參賽者和和奧運會有關的設備迅速增加税收。

然而，我們不能只看其表面(該句亦可直譯為"閃閃發光的未必都是金子”)。對於北京2008年奧運會場地的那些居民來説，獲得主辦權對他們生活的'影響是深遠的。首都預計要在運動設施及其相關的改進，如道路、公共交通、環境景觀和公共衞生等方面投入數十億美元。對於其皇家遺址中到處存放自行車、交通擁堵的繁忙城市，奧運會是一次都市翻新的機會。可是對於那些住在規劃用地的人而言，他們必須放棄一些東西來為—個現代化的奧運村騰地兒。

幾十年的家園被連根拔起，而被分散到城市郊區的公寓。雖然現代化的管道和衞生設備將取代便盆，但是遷移對一個社區及其生活方式和社會變遷過程仍然是一個大變動。追蹤這些人並研究遷移給他們帶來的影響將是很有意義的。

為奧運會所做的改進工程，並非是戲劇演出結束後輕易就可以丟棄的舞台小道具。專家們擔心在這座古城中缺乏了普通 居民的聲跡，高科技的奧運城會在文化上幾近枯竭。即使細心的城市規劃和嚴厲的法規,例如建築管制可以保留原封不動的社區外觀，然而沒有了居民，美感仍會失落,而只留下空殼，等待遊客和商業的填充。

不過，誰能妒忌一些人有較舒適的居住環境呢?即使沒有奧運會，現代化的鼓點聲是否能被阻擋?而且社會變遷的好與壞，除了那些深受其影響的人以外，還有誰能擅自判斷呢?

經典的英語優秀美文13

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 your kid happens be a really good basketball player,you probably won"t have to pay a kid will go to camp,basketball camp,courtesy of Nike e 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 ing 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 reds 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 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 get free shoes,free uniforms and free equipment and often cash for the return Nike and

Adidas get exposure,loyalty and a pipeline for promsing 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.

許多父母情願花上幾百,甚至幾千美元也要把孩子送進夏令營。如果你的孩子是一個灌籃高手,你也許就不用花費分文。你的孩子將可以參加一個由耐克和阿迪達任斯舉辦的籃球夏令營。這些鞋業公司到全國各地蒐羅籃鳴球精英,爭先恐後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。

記者:他們把你挑出來的時出候你多大?當時你還是個小孩子吧?

泰森·錢德勒:那時候我大約五、六年級。

1997年初見到泰森·錢德勒的時候,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,並獲全套耐克裝備。

記者:你們都穿耐克。

錢德勒:是的。

記者:你的鞋子也是耐克的。

錢德勒:是的。

記者:你們都是耐克人。

錢德勒:全是耐克。

耐克和阿迪達斯把暑假時光變成了一個大型籃球市場,為了一個優美的跳躍投籃動作就在每個孩子身上技資數百萬美元,希望他們中的一個或兩個能成長為超級明星或活招牌。一旦孩子們完成了春季的國中或高中學業,那些以免費鞋子做誘餌的教練就開始將他們從耐克或阿迪達斯夏令營隊招募進來,然後整個八月便持續進行比賽。

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也在賽場上展示着他們的球技,在繁華大街上炫耀着自己的球技。同齡的孩子此時收到的只是生日宴會的邀請函,而泰森則收到加利福尼亞大學洛杉磯分校、亞利桑那大學和錫拉丘茲大學的錄取通知書。這些大學只能排後了,因為現在他屬於耐克。兩家公司在全國中學的籃球隊裏都有星探,全國大約有一百多所耐克中學和一百所阿迪達斯中學。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。於是,這些出類拔萃的少年球員一從中學畢業就成了職業球員。

泰森的媽媽有些擔心,這樣的發展對她兒子來説是不是太快了些。

記者:有時你是不是會擔心孩子現在的經歷?

媽媽:是的。我擔心,因為我不想他發展得太快。我想讓他做個小孩子。

記者:他本來就是個小孩子。

媽媽:是的,可是許多人都因為他的身高而忽視這一點。

經典的英語優秀美文14

野草 Wild Grass

有這樣一個故事。

There is a story which goes like this:

有人問：世界上什麼東西的氣力最大?回答紛紜的很，有的説“象”，有的説“獅”，有人開玩笑似的説：是“金剛”。金剛有多少氣力，當然大家全不知道。

Someone asked, "What is the most powerful thing in the world?" There was a variety of answers. "Elephant," someone said. "Lion," another said. "Buddha's guardian warrior," still another said half-jokingly. As to how powerful the Buddha's guardian warrior was, no one was sure.

結果，這一切答案完全不對，世界上氣力最大的，是植物的種子。一粒種子所可以顯現出來的力，簡直是超越一切，這兒又是一個故事。

In fact none of the answers was correct. The most powerful thing in the world is the seed of plants. The force displayed by a seed is simply incomparable. Here goes another story:

人的頭蓋骨，結合得非常緻密與堅固，生理學家和解剖學者用盡了一切的方法，要把它完整地分出來，都沒有這種力氣，後來忽然有人發明了一個方法，就是把一些植物的種子放在要剖析的頭蓋骨裏，給它以温度與濕度，使它發芽，一發芽，這些種子便以可怕的力量，將一切機械力所不能分開的骨骼，完整地分開了，植物種子力量之大，如此如此。

The bones of a human skull are so tightly and firmly joined that no physiologist and anatomist had succeeded in taking them apart whatever means they tried. Then someone invented a method. He put sonic seeds of a plant in the skull to be dissected and provided the necessary temperature and moisture to make them germinate. Once the seeds germinated, they manifested a terrible force with which he succeeded in opening up the human skull that had failed to be opened even by mechanical means.

這，也許特殊了一點，常人不容易理解，那麼，你看見筍的成長嗎?你看見過被壓在瓦礫和石塊下面的一顆小草的生成嗎?他為着嚮往陽光，為着達成它的生之意志，不管上面的石塊如何重，石塊與石塊之間如何狹，它必定要曲曲折折地，但是頑強不屈地透到地面上來，它的根往土壤鑽，它的芽往地面挺，這是一種不可抗的力，阻止它的石塊，結果也被它掀翻，一粒種子的力量的大，如此如此。

You may think this is too unusual a story to be grasped by the common mind. Well, have you ever seen how the bamboo shoots grow? Have you ever seen how frail young grass grow out from under debris and rubble? In order to get the sunshine and bring its will to grow into play, no matter how heavy the rocks are and how narrow the space between the rocks, it will wind its way up irresistibly, its roots drilling downward and its sprouts shooting upward. This is an irresistible force. Any rock lying in its way will be overturned. This again shows how powerful a seed can be.

沒有一個人將小草叫做“大力士，但是它的力量之大，的確是世界無比。這種力，是一般人看不見的生命力，只要生命存在，這種力就要顯現，上面的石塊，絲毫不足以阻擋，因為它是一種“長期坑戰的力，有彈性，能屈能伸的力，有韌性，不達目的不止的力。

Though the little grass has never been said to be herculean, the power it shows is matchless in the world. It is an invisible force of life. So long as there is life, the force will show itself. The rock above it is not heavy enough to prevent it from growing because it is a force that keeps growing over a period of time, because it is an elastic force that can shrink and expand, because it is a tenacious force that will not stop growing until it is grown.

種子不落在肥土而落在瓦礫中，有生命力的種子決不會悲觀和歎氣，因為有了阻力才有磨鍊。生命開始的一瞬間就帶了鬥爭來的草，才是堅韌的草，也只有這種草，才可以傲然地對那些玻璃棚中養育着的盆花鬨笑。

The seed does not choose to fall on fertile land but among debris. If it is filled with life, it is never pessimistic or sad, for it is tempered by resistance and pressure. The grass that fights its way out since the moment it is hom can be called "strong' and “temacious"; only the grass that fights its way up since its birth has the right to laugh with justified pride at the potted plants in glassed green houses.

經典的英語優秀美文15

Dear God,

Now that I am no longer young, I have friends whose mothers have passed away. I have heard these sons and daughters say they never fully appreciated their mothers until it was too late to tell them.

如今我不再年輕，一些朋友的母親已經去世。我曾聽這些子女們説過，他們從沒有向母親充分表達過他們的感激之情，而待到要告訴時為時已晚了。

I am blessed with the dear mother who is still alive. I appreciate her more each day. My mother does not change, but I do. As I grow older and wiser, I realize what an extraordinary person she is. How sad that I am unable to speak these words in her presence, but they flow easily from my pen.

幸運的是，我親愛的母親依然健在。我對她的感情與日俱增。母親沒有變，而我卻變了。隨着年歲的增長，我越來越懂事了，我認識道她是個非常了不起的人。這些話在她面前我難以啟齒，但在筆下卻可以輕易地寫出來，這令我感到多麼難過。

How does a daughter begin to thank her mother for life itself? For the love, patience and just plain hard work that go into raising a child? For running after a toddler, for understanding a moody teenager, for tolerating a college student who knows everything? For waiting for the day when a daughter realizes her mother really is?

一個女兒該怎樣開口感謝她的母親所給予的生命?感謝她在撫養孩子時所付出的愛、耐心以及無私的辛勤勞動?感謝她跟在蹣跚學步的孩子身後奔跑，對情緒不定的少女的理解，以及對一個自以為是的大學生的寬容?感謝她等待女兒認識到她真實一位好母親的這一天?

How does a grown woman thank for a mother for continuing to be a mother? For being ready with advice(when asked ) or remaining silent when it is most appreciated? For not saying:”I told you so”, when she could have uttered these words dozens of times? For being essentially herself—loving, thoughtful, patient, and forgiving?

一個成年女子該怎樣感謝母親依然如故的角色?感謝在被問到時她會及時提供良言，而在不需要時她會保持沉默?感謝她沒有説：“我告訴過你，”而她本來可以説上許多次?感謝她始終不變的愛心、體貼周到、耐心與寬容厚道?

I don’t know how, dear God, except to bless her as richly as she deserves and to help me live up to the example she has set. I pray that I will look as good in the eyes of my children as my mother looks in mine.

我不知道該怎樣來表達，親愛的上帝，除了請求你好好地保佑她——那時她該得到的——並幫助我朝她作出的榜樣看齊。我祈願在孩子的眼裏我會如同母親在我眼裏一般好。

　　A daughter

　　一個女兒