（热门）英语经典美文15篇

　　在日常学习、工作和生活中，说起美文，大家肯定都不陌生吧？美文重感性，长于抒情；杂文重知性，长于达意。如何写一篇“形散而神不散”的美文呢？下面是小编帮大家整理的英语经典美文，欢迎大家借鉴与参考，希望对大家有所帮助。

　　She left her shoes: she took everything else--her toothbrush, her clothes, and even that stupid little silver vase on the table we kept candy in. Just dumped it out on the table and took the vase. The tiny apartment we shared seemed different now:her stuff was gone. It wasn't much really, although now the room seemed like a jigsaw puzzle with a few pieces missing incomplete. The closet seemed empty too most of it was her stuff anyway. But there they were at the bottom, piled up like they usually were ,every single one of them,Why did she leave her shoes?She could have forgotten them, I knew too well that she took great pride in her shoe collection, but there they still were, right down to her favorite pair of sandals.They were black with a design etched into the wide band that stretched across the top of them,the soles scuffed and worn,a delicate imprint of where her toes rested was visible in the soft fabr

　　It seemed funny to me she walkcd out of my life without her shoes. Is that irony or am thinking of something else? In a way I was glad they were still here, she would have to come back for them, right?I mean how could she go on with the rest of her life without her shoes? But she's not coming back,I know she isn't. she would rather walk barefoot over glass than have to see me all of her shoes! All of them. every sneaker, boot and sandal, every high heel and clog, every flip-Ilop.What do I do? Do I leave them here or bag them up and throw thorn in the a trash? Do I look at them every morning when I get dressed and wonder by she left them? She knew it" she knows what she"s doing. I can't throw them out for fear she may return for them today. I can't be rid of myself of her completely with all her shoes still in my life, can't dispose of them or the person that walked in them.

　　Her shoes left deep foot print up my heart, and I can't sweep it away.All I can do is stare at them and wonder, stare at their laces and straps, their buttons and tread.They still connect me to her though, in come distant bizarre way.I can't remember the good times we had,which pair she was wearing at that moment in time.They are hers and no one else's.She wore down the heels,and she scuffed their sides, it's her fragile footpaint imbedded on the insole .I sit on the floor next to them and wonder how many places had she gone while wearing,these shots, how many miles had she walked in them, which pair was she wearing when she decided to leave me? I pick up a high heel she often wore and absently smell it.I don't think it is disgusting.It's just the last tangible link I have to her, the last bit of reality I have of her. She left her shoes; she took everything else except her shots.They remain at the bottom of my closet, a shrine to her memory.

　　珍贵的友情

　　I have a good friend, her name is Lily. We met each other since we were five years old. At that time, I moved next to her house, because of my father’s work. I felt so lonely when I facing the new environment. Then someday, Lily played in her yard and when she saw me, she smiled at me and asked me to play with her. I was shy at first, but then I was affected by her kindness. We became good friends soon. When I meet difficulties, she will help me without hesitation. I am so thankful to her, I am so lucky to have her as my friend. Our friendship is precious.

　　我有一个好朋友,她的`名字叫莉莉。我们在五岁就彼此认识。那时,我搬到她的房子旁边,因为我父亲的工作。我感到如此孤单，当我面临的新环境。然后有一天,莉莉在她的院子里玩耍,当她看到我,她对我微笑,让我和她玩。我很害羞,但是我感受到了她的友好。我们很快成了好朋友。当我遇到困难时,她会毫不犹豫地帮助我。我很感谢她,我很幸运拥有她作为我的朋友。我们的友谊是珍贵的。

　　Life in the world, who can not know yourself? An old song sings well, "friend and friend, have you ever remembered me?" If you are suffering from misfortune, please tell me. " A friend can feel dependent on your helplessness. It can help you to feel sorrow when you are most miserable. A friend is such a person. Do you have a bosom friend?

　　My popularity is pretty good. The so-called "friends" pile up, but there are not many of them, but they are not. Jiang Dan, a girl in my neighborhood, is my real confidant.

　　She has thick eyebrows, bright eyes, not tall but slender. When we are in the same primary school, we can say that it is inseparable. The entrance to the middle school is separated, but on the holiday, we stick together like a plaster. A lot of things have happened to me and her.

　　Remember that autumn, my father went to the field trip, mom and a temporary home to work overtime, I am the only one person, perhaps is a ghost story to see more, feel the house ghosts, the wind blew out of the trees rustling, I heard is frightened. Has more than seven points, I am afraid, then try holding the psychological to call Dan Jiang, she sought the consent of the parents, with the fastest speed and rushed to my house, he asked me not to eat dinner at home, advised me not to be afraid of such problems, and chat with me homework. Then she came back too late, and she slept in my house all night, and that night her every detail really touched me for a while.

　　Recently, because of some of my trivial things, we were unpleasant. At the beginning, no one would like to talk to anyone, but I realized for a few days that, because my mistake might lose this good friend, I sincerely apologized to her, or she magnanimous, immediately forgave me.

　　I have experienced a lot of bitterness and joy with Jiang Dan, I like her, she is my intimate friend!

　　Why is setting goals important? Because goals can help you do, be, and experience everything you want in life. Instead of just letting life happen to you, goals allow you to make your life happen.

　　Successful people imagine how their life should be and set lots of goals. By setting goals you are taking control of your life. It"s like having a map to show you where you want to go. Think of it this way. There are two drivers. One has a destination in mind which can be found on a map. She can drive straight there without any wasted time of wrong turns. The other driver has no goal, or destination or map. She starts off at the same time from the same place as the first driver, but she driver aimlessly around, never getting anywhere, just using up gas. Which driver do you want to be?

　　Winners in life set goals and follow through on them. They decide what they want in life and then get there by making plans and setting goals. Unsuccessful people just let life happen by accident. Goals aren"t difficult to set and they aren"t difficult to reach. It"s up to you to find out what you goals really are. You are the one who must decide what to achieve and in what direction to aim your life.

　　Research tells us that when we write a goal down we are more likely to achieve it. Written goals can be reviewed regularly, and have more power. Like a contract with yourself, they are harder to neglect or forget. Also when you write your goals in a particular way you are able to make yourself continuously aware of situations that will bring you nearer to your goal.

　　为什么确定目标很重要?因为目标会让你去做，去达到，去经历你生命中想经历的事情。不是仅仅让生活发生在你身上，目标使你把握你的生活。

　　成功人士设想他们的未来，订了很多目标。通过确定目标，你正在把握你的人生。目标就像地图一样告诉你该怎样走。可以这样想像：有两个司机，一个心中有画在地图上的目的地，她可以快速无误地直接达到那里。另一个司机没有目标也没有地图，她和前一个人同时同地出发，但她只会无目标地打转，哪里也去不了，最后耗光汽油。你想要做哪个司机呢?

　　人生的赢家总是确定目标然后坚持到底。他们通过做计划和订目标来得到他们想获得的东西。不成功的人只是等待生命中的偶然。目标不难确定并且不难达到。你就是那个必须确定自己想获得的东西和达到这些目的的方法的人。

　　研究表明当我们写下目标的时候我们更有可能到达它。写下来的'目标会经常被看到，也就有更强大的力量。好像同自己订下的契约，它们更难被忽略或遗忘。并且当你用一种特殊的方式写下自己的目标的时候，你就会让你自己不断地意识到能把你推向目标的情形。

　　Tell me whom you love，and I will tell you who you are.

　　告诉我你爱的人是谁，我就会知道你是什么样的人。——荷塞

　　John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and studied the crowd of people making their way1 through Grand Central Station2.

　　He looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn t, the girl with the rose. His interest in her had begun 12 months before in a Florida library. Taking a book off the shelf he found himself absorbed3, not by the words of the book, but by the notes penciled in the margin4. The soft handwriting showed a thoughtful soul and insightful5 mind.

　　In the front of the book, he discovered the previous6 owner s name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With time and effort he found her exact address. She lived in New York City. He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to write him. The next day he was shipped to another country for service in World War II.

　　During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile7 heart. A love began to develop. Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She explained: “If your feeling for me has any reality, any honest basis, what I look like won t matter. Suppose I m beautiful I d always be worried by the feeling that you had been taking a chance on just that, and that kind of love would make me sick. Suppose I m plain 8(and you must admit that this is more likely). Then I would always fear that you were going on writing to me only because you were lonely and had no one else. No, don t ask for my picture. When you come to New York, you shall see me and then you shall make your own decision. Remember, both of us are free to stop or to go on after that—whichever we choose... ”

　　约翰·布兰查德从长凳上站起身来，整了整军装，留意着格兰德中央车站进出的人群。

　　他在寻找一位姑娘，一位佩带玫瑰的姑娘，一位他只知其心，不知其貌的姑娘。十二个月前，在佛罗里达州的一个图书馆，他对她产生了兴趣。他从书架上取下一本书，很快便被吸引住了，不是被书的内容，而是被空白处铅笔写的批语所吸引。柔和的笔迹显示出其人多思善虑的心灵和富有洞察力的头脑。

　　在书的前页，他找到了书的前任主人的`姓名：霍利斯·梅奈尔小姐。他花了一番工夫和努力，找到了她的确切地址。她住在纽约市。他给她写了一封信介绍自己，并请她回复。第二天他被运送到海外，参加第二次世界大战。

　　在接下来的一年零一个月中，两人通过信件来往增进了对彼此的了解。每一封信都如一颗种子撒入肥沃的心灵之土。浪漫的爱情之花就要绽开。布兰查德提出要一张照片，可她拒绝了。她解释道：“如果你对我的感情是真实的，是诚心诚意的，那我的容貌如何并不重要。设想我美丽动人，我会始终深感不安，惟恐你只是因为我的容貌就贸然与我相爱，而这种爱情令我厌恶。设想本人相貌平平(你得承认，这种可能性更大)，那我就会始终担心，你和我保持通信仅仅是出于孤独寂寞，无人交谈。不，别索要照片。等你到了纽约，你会见到我，到时你可再作定夺。切记，见面后我俩都可以自由决定中止关系或继续交往——无论你我怎么选择……”

　　20. Books (1)

　　The good books of the hour, then, --I do not speak of the bad ones—is simply the useful or pleasant talk of some person whom you cannot otherwise converse with, printed for you. Very useful often, telling you what you need to know; very pleasant often, as a sensible friend's present talk would be. These bright accounts of travels; good-humoured and witty discussion of questions; lively or pathetic story-telling in the form of novel; firm fact-telling, by the real agents concerned in the events of passing history; --all these books of the hour, multiplying among us as education becomes more general, are a peculiar characteristic and possession of the present age: we ought to be entirely thankful for them, and entirely ashamed of ourselves if we make no good use of them. But we make the worse possible use, if we allow them to usurp the place of true books: for, strictly speaking, they are not books at all, but merely letters or newspapers in good print. Our friend's letter may be delightful, or necessary, today: whether worth keeping or not, is to be considered. (189 words) 21. Books

　　励志短篇英语美文背诵精选

　　最成功的投资

　　The Soundest Investment of All

　　by C. Jared Ingersoll

　　I feel very presumptuous and uncomfortable about trying to explain out loud the things Ibelieve in. But I do think that all human problems are in some way related to each other, soperhaps if people compare their experiences they may discover something in common in huntingthe answers.

　　I am a very fortunate man for I lead a full and what is for me a happy life. I say this eventhough I happen to have had, in the course of it, a couple of severe personal blows.

　　My first wife collapsed and died one day while she and I were ice skating, after eighteen years ofa most happy existence together. My only son, a sergeant in the army combat engineers, waskilled in Italy in the last war. Nevertheless, these tragedies did not throw me completely and Ihave been able to fill my life anew with happiness.

　　I do not mean to sound calloused. Those blows hurt me deeply. I guess that two basicallyimportant things helped me most to recover. One is the fact that I have come to see life as agamble. The other is a belief in what some people call the hereafter. I try to live fully so thatwhen and if my luck changes there will be little room for regret or recrimination over time lost ormisspent. My belief in the hereafter is wrapped in the intangible but stubborn thoughts of alayman. Very likely I would get lost in trying to describe or defend, by cold logic, my belief inGod but nobody could argue me out of it.

　　I have come to believe that I owe life as much as it owes me, and I suppose that explains thisfine satisfaction I get out of endeavoring to do a job to the best of what ability I have, and outof helping somebody else.

　　As a kid I used to ride a rake in the hayfields. I got a tremendous kick out of trying to sweepevery field clean as a whistle. Here I made a surprising and happy discovery: that there couldbe actual enjoyment in the exercise of thoroughness and responsibility, and that duty didn’thave to be a drudge.

　　I don’t know exactly why, but I like to do things for other people. Not only familyresponsibilities, work on a hospital board, and various church organizations but also the mostinconsequential things that might hardly seem worth the time. My office happens to be onIndependence Square and now and then I have occasion to direct a tourist to the Liberty Bell orfill him in on a little of the history of Philadelphia. The tourist doesn’t seem to mind and it makesme feel good. I’m afraid I’m not very profound. I have tried to comprehend why somethingso simple and so sound as the Golden Rule is so often forgotten or held in disrepute. I canonly say—and I say this quite selfishly—that I have found it a good investment. It has paid me avery high return, undoubtedly more than I deserve.

　　C.贾里德.英格索尔

　　我想，若是大声解释我的信仰，不仅会给人一种自大的感觉，也会使我感到不安。但是我认为，从某种程度上来说，人类所有的问题都是息息相关的。因此，倘若人们比较一下他们的经历，也许就能在寻找答案的过程中发现某些共同之处。

　　我是一个幸运的人，因为我的生活充实而幸福。不管怎样，我依然会这么说，即使曾经的多次不幸给我带来了沉重的打击。我与第一个妻子共同度过了18年幸福的婚姻生活，然而在我们去滑冰的那天，她突然倒下，撒手人寰。我唯一的儿子是一名工兵军士，二战期间，在意大利阵亡。然而，我并没有被这些不幸彻底打倒，而是再次让我的生活充满幸福。

　　我并不是想让大家觉得我冷酷无情。这些不幸确实对我造成了很大的伤害。我想我之所以能够重新振作起来，其中有两个重要的原因：一是我认为生活其实就是一场赌博，二是我对人们所说的来世深信不疑。为了在晦运时，不至于因虚度时光而后悔或自责，我努力让自己充实地生活。作为一个普通信徒，无形而坚定的思想正是我信仰来世的来源。我信仰上帝，也许我难以用冷冰冰的逻辑来描述这个信仰或为它辩护，但谁也无法说服我放弃它。

　　我相信，我对生活付出多少，就会得到多少。因此，我认为，我最大的满足正是来源于尽自己最大的努力去做一份工作或是帮助别人。

　　孩提时，我常会在干草地上开耙草机。在将每片草地耙干净的'过程中，我总会获得极大的成就感，并惊奇地发现：尽心而尽责地完成一件事会为你带来真正的快乐，而尽责也并不一定是做苦工。

　　我很喜欢为人服务。我不仅为家庭负责，在一家医院的理事会及各种教会组织中工作，我还会去做一些看似浪费时间的最无关紧要的琐事。我的办公室正好在独立广场，因此我偶尔会为去独立钟的游客带路，一路上给他讲一些费城的历史。虽然游客并不在乎这些，但我却乐此不疲。我自己并非知识渊博之人。我常常想弄明白，像黄金定律那样简单而合理的箴言为何总被人们遗忘或不屑一顾。我只能说，也自私地说，我发现为人服务是一项最成功的投资。毫无疑问，它给予我的回报远远高于我的应得。

　　短篇励志英语美文阅读欣赏

　　生命在时间的土壤里(托马斯.曼)

　　Life grows in the soil of time

　　What I believe, what I value most, is transitoriness.

　　But is not transitoriness - the perishableness of life - something very sad? No! It is the verysoul of existence. It imparts value, dignity, interest to life. Transitoriness creates time - and"time is the essence." Potentially at least, time is the supreme, most useful gift.

　　Time is related to - yes, identical with - everything creative and active, every process towarda higher goal.

　　Without transitoriness, without beginning or end, birth or death, there is no time, either.Timelessness - in the sense of time never ending, never beginning - is a stagnant nothing. It isabsolutely uninteresting.

　　Life is possessed by tremendous tenacity. Even so its presence remains conditional, and asit had a beginning, so it will have an end. I believe that life, just for this reason, is exceedinglyenhanced in value, in charm.

　　One of the most important characteristics distinguishing man from all other forms of nature ishis knowledge of transitoriness, of beginning and end, and therefore of the gift of time.

　　In man transitory life attains its peak of animation, of soul power, so to speak. This does notmean alone would have a soul. Soul quality pervades all beings. But man's soul is most awakein his knowledge of the interchangeability of the term "existence" and "transitoriness".

　　To man time is given like a piece of land, as it were, entrusted to him for faithful tilling; a spacein which to strive incessantly, achieve self-realization, more onward and upward. Yes, with theaid of time, man becomes capable of wresting the immortal from the mortal.

　　Deep down, I believe - and deem such belief natural to every human soul - that in the universityprime significance must be attributed to this earth of ours. Deep down I believe that creation ofthe universe out of nothingness and of life out of inorganic state ultimately aimed at thecreation of man. I believe that man is meant as a great experiment whose possible failure ofman's own guilt would be paramount to the failure of creation itself.

　　Whether this belief be true or not, man would be well advised if he behaved as though it were.

　　没有短暂，没有开始与结束、生与死，时间也就不复存在。永恒是毫无意义的停滞，它意味着时间永远没有结束，也永远没有开始，绝对令人乏味。

　　短暂是我的信仰，也是我认为最重要的东西。

　　然而短暂，如生命的消逝，不是非常哀伤的事情吗?不!它正是生命存在的精髓。它赋予了生命价值、尊严和情趣。短暂创造了时间——而“时间正是其本质”。至少，时间是至高的，是最有用的礼物。

　　时间与所有富有创造力和活力的事物，及每一个达到更高目标的进步息息相关——是的，它甚至等同于这一切。

　　没有短暂，没有开始与结束、生与死，时间也就不复存在。永恒是毫无意义的停滞，它意味着时间永远没有结束，也永远没有开始，绝对令人乏味。

　　生命顽强无比。即便如此，它的存在也依赖于一定的条件，正如它有始亦有终。也因如此，我坚信，生命的价值与魅力将会不断地增长。

　　人同自然界其他事物之间最重要的区别之一就是，人懂得短暂、始与终，所以也了解时间是一种恩赐。

　　可以这么说，在人身上，短暂的生命达到了其活力与精神力量的巅峰。这并不是说只有人拥有灵魂。万物皆有灵性。但是对于“存在”与“短暂”的可互换性，只有人的大脑才能最清楚地意识到。

　　对于人类来说，时间就如赐予的一片土地，等待他去辛勤耕种;是一个让他不断奋斗进取，实现自我价值，不断前进向上的空间。是的，在时间的帮助下，人可以从有限的生命中获得永恒。

　　在内心深处，我相信宇宙中最为重要的当属我们的地球，并认为这样的信念存在于每一个人的心中。从内心深处，我相信混沌中宇宙的创造，无机中生命的萌芽，最终都是为了创造人类。我相信人类本身便是一项伟大的实验，它可能会因人类自身的罪恶而失败，但这也成为创造本身最主要的失败。

　　无论这个信仰是否真实，人类如果能依此行事，将会获得更为有益的忠告。

　　励志优美英语短篇阅读

　　New challenges require new ways of thinking

　　面对新挑战，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?

　　部分汽车、部分喷气式飞机、部分宇宙飞船，猎犬号超级汽车的目标是做世界上第一辆时速突破1000英里的汽车。而这面临的一项关键挑战是车轮的设计。如果换做是你，你会如何在有限的资源下发明出超音速汽车上用的轮子呢?

　　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. “There’s very little we’ve actually developed that’s new,” he says, “what’s unique is how we apply technologies.”

　　猎犬号项目的总工程师马克·查普曼思来想去，觉得材料还是不够好。最后他和他的团队决定退回一步、换个角度看有没有别的办法。“我们实际创新的东西并不多”，马克说：“我们的独特之处在于应用技术的方式别具一格。”

　　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 we’d 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.

　　他们采用实验设计的方法做了很多的小实验，综合所得的数据再得出精确设计。“花了三四个月绞尽脑汁做尽各种实验之后，很突然地我们做出了一个大胆的设计：把各种可用的(飞机、飞船所用的)技术都融合在一辆车上，从而使它足够强大。”马克说。

　　He rounded the corner where cornstalks still stood, tattered heroes of the garden patch. Late-afternoon sunlight filtered through a canopy of bare branches, laying down a grid of shadows. Underfoot, the crunch of dry, caramel-colored leaves sounded the music of a Colorado autumn.

　　It was the season for "after harvest." Or, what Emma called their "time of plenty." A time to count their many blessings. Long after the last sun-ripened tomato was picked, the last of the autumn raspberries eaten and the garden put to bed for the winter, his wife always insisted on seeking out the later gifts of nature.

　　Fred knew the best places to start. Hadn"t he searched and gathered on every square foot of this property for forty-four years now? Planted it? Tended it? If Emma were here, she"d be out here with him.

　　But Emma wasn"t here. So he would do alone what they had always rejoiced in doing together.

　　At the grape arbor, Fred took out his pocketknife and cut away aged vines, careful to take only the overgrowth. When he had enough, he tucked and plaited, wove and wrapped, shaping the supple lengths to form a wreath.

　　At the lip of their hand-dug pond, Fred pawed through the disheveled heads of cattails. Finding two still nappy and whole, he snapped them from their stalks and laced them through one side of the circle.

　　At the fence line, Fred clipped a few twigs of juniper berries and harvested two feathery plumes from the towering pampas grass. Thick fingers knew automatically where to put them, how to secure them.

　　He paused beneath a flaming mountain ash. Its clumps of jack-o"-lantern orange berries added a festive touch. Satisfied, he studied the wreath, inspecting it for soundness. For balance. For beauty.

　　The drive to the Alzheimer"s unit was short and pleasant. Humming under his breath, Fred nodded a greeting at the nurses" station and walked into the day room.

　　Emma stared unseeingly out the bank of windows while her veined hand plucked rhythmically at her blouse. Fred laid his offering on a round table and leaned to kiss her.

　　"Look what I made today, sweetheart. It"s "after harvest," and the property is brimming with all your favorite things." Fred pointed to the circle. Emma"s bleached blue eyes focused on the wreath.

　　"Just see how thick and sound the grapevines are now, Emma. Remember how you insisted we plant those spindly things the very first year we moved to the farm?" Stilling her hand with his own, he guided her fingers around the broad circle.

　　"Why, looky here. Pampas grass. And cattails, two of them. One for you and one for me." Her tentative finger traced the velvety lengths.

　　"And, oh, sweetie, these beauties are clustered thick on the mountain ash. Nearly had to fight off the grackles to get to them this year!"

　　Emma was smiling. Fred squeezed her hand and grinned back. If she couldn"t tromp through the seasons herself, then he would bring those blessings to her. After all, it was a "time of plenty" - plenty of memories.

　　And Fred had gathered enough for both of them.

　　As food is to the body, so is learning to the mind. Our bodies grow and muscles develop with the intake of adequate nutritious food. Likewise, we should keep learning day by day to maintain our keen mental power and expand our intellectual capacity. Constant learning supplies us with inexhaustible fuel for driving us to sharpen our power of reasoning, analysis, and judgment. Learning incessantly is the surest way to keep pace with the times in the information age, and reliable warrant of success in times of uncertainty.

　　Once learning stops, vegetation sets in. It is a common fallacy to regard school as the only workshop for the acquisition of knowledge. On the contrary, learning should be a never-ending process, from the cradle to the grave. With the world changing so fast, to cease learning for just a few days will make a person lag behind. What's worse, the animal instinct dormant deep in our sub-conscious will come to life.weakening our will to pursue our noble ideas, undermining our determination to sweep away obstacles to our success and strangling our desire for the refinement of our character. Lack of learning will inevitably lead to the stagnation of the mind, or even worse, its fossilization. Therefore, to stay mentally young, we have to take learning as a lifelong career.

　　学习之于心灵，就像食物之于身体一样。摄取了适量的营养食物，我们的身体得以生长而肌肉得以发达。 同样地，我们应该日复一日不断地学习以保持我们心智的敏锐，并扩充我们的智力容量。不断的学习提供我们用之不尽的燃料，来驱使我们磨砺我们的推理、分析和判断的能力。持续的学习是在信息时代中跟时代井驾齐驱的最稳当的方法，也是在变动的时代中成功的可靠保证。

　　一旦学习停止，单调贫乏的生活就开始了。视学校为汲取知识的'惟一场所是种常见的谬误。相反地，从生到死,学习应该是一种无终止的历程。 由于世界变化得如此迅速，只要学习停顿数日就能使人落后。更糟的是，蛰伏在我们潜意识深处的本能就会复活，削弱我们追求高尚理想的意志，弱化我们扫除成功障碍的决心，而且扼杀我们净化我们人格的欲望。缺少学习将不可避免地导致心灵的停滞，甚至更糟，使其僵化。因此，为了保持心态年轻，我们必须将学习当作一生的事业。

　　最浪漫的回忆

　　As Anna looked out the window of her old beach house on the edge of the emerald sea, she bedpan to remember all the beautiful memories she had there throughout her many years. One memory in particular seemed to come to mind It was about 70 years ago late in the month of.August. Anna was 16 years old and that was her first summer together with Peter. Although she felt that she had been with him forever, it had only been a short month since then had tirst met on that very beach. This particular day was so memorable that Anna found herself thinking about it all the time, since Peter ha、passed away.

　　坐落在翠绿的海边的海滨别墅里，安娜望着窗外，开始回忆起她多年来在那里留下的美丽的瞬间，关于其中的某个瞬间的记忆犹为深刻。故事发生在大概70年前的深秋，那年安娜16岁，也是她和皮特一起度过的第一个夏天。尽管她感觉已经和皮特在一起很久了，可实际上自从他们第一次在海滩相遇才过去短短一个月而已。那是特殊的'一天，是值得回忆的一天，自从皮特去世后，安娜的思绪总是不自觉地回到那一天。

　　Early that morning at about 5:45, Anna awoke to the sound of a tapping on her window. When she opened the window, to her surprise Peter was standing there with a

　　picnic basket and a blanket. Peter told Anna that since it was his last day at the beach this summer that he wanted to spend the entire day with her. from the time of the sunrise to after the sunset on the horizon. After they watched the sunrise early that and ate their romantic picnic breakfast. they一sat on the swing at the nearby park.They talked for hours on end, telling each other how they would keep in touch until they could be together the following summer.

　　那天清晨约5:45,安娜就被轻轻敲打窗子的声音弄醒了打开窗，她惊讶地发现皮特站在窗外手里提着野餐篮和毯子他说今天是和安娜一起在海滩度过的这个夏天的最后一天，他想要一整天都和安娜在一起，从日出到日落他们一起观看老人那天清晨的的日出，一起享用了一顿浪漫的野餐早餐，一起在附近的公园荡秋千他们交谈了好几个小时，让彼此知道他们会一直保持联系，直到第二年夏天再次相见。

　　It was a beautiful day and the aun beamed down on them in the early afternoon as they swam in the waves of the crystal clear water at the beach. Anna could remember them splashing and playing in the water for what has seemed like a million years and not knowing where all the time had gone.

　　那天天气很好，他们在海边清澈的波浪里游泳，午后的阳光照耀在他们身上安娜仍然记得，他们在海里打着水仗，时间在嬉戏中不知不觉地流失。

　　It was already starting to get dark on the beach. So then, Anna and Peter dried off and found a pretty spot at the top of a hill they had often gone to talk throughout the summer. They set out their blankets and laid in each other's arm until all of sudder it began to pour. Most people would have thought that the rain would put a damper on their prfect day, but Anna still remembers the strike of excitement it sent through her, as the drops poured down.The way Peter had taken her by the hand and led her down the side of muddy hill to the beach sent chills up her spine.They began to dance right there on the sand, in th a pouring rain. As they danced. in each other strong embrace.Anna could still remember Peter's exact words. He said to her.‘f love you Anna and f want to be with you and only you for the rest of my life’At that very moment. Anna knew that she felt exactly the same and that they would be together for the rest of their lives.

　　海滩开始呈现夜色，安娜和皮特待衣服风干后，在整个夏天他们聊天常去的小山顶上找到了一处好位置，摊开毯子，彼此依偎，直到突然下起倾盆大雨.大多数人也许会觉得这场雨给他俩完美的一天带来些许遗憾，而安娜却仍然记得当雨点倾泻而至时自己体会到的兴奋皮特牵着她的手，带着她走下泥泞的山坡，一直走到海滩上的情形令她心动神摇倾盆大雨中，他们开始在沙滩上跳舞，他们跳着、紧紧地拥抱着对方，“我爱你，安娜，我希望能和你共度此生，也只想和你共度此生”，这些话，安娜仍然清楚地记得.在那一刻，她知道，她的想法和皮特一样，他们将共度余生.

　　As the rain bedpan to stop and the clouds cleared from the sky, Peter and Anna sat down to watch the most beautiful sunset that either of them had ever seen. Peter walked Anna home that night and regardless of how hard it was for the both of them to say good-bye; they both knew it had to happen eventually. Throughout that year, Anna still remembers sending and receiving dozens of letters and pictures to keep in touch.

　　雨过云开，安娜和皮特一起坐着欣赏未曾见识过的落霞美景晚上皮特送安娜回家，尽管他们都不愿意说再见，但他们明自，这个时刻始终会到来安娜清楚地记得，那一年，他们保持着频繁的信件和照片联系。

　　Thinking back through the 69 wonderful years that they had together, that one day is the one that stands out most in her mind Although she had many more memories that are unforgettable with Peter, she still thinks back to the way he looked that night. The way his wet dark hair fell over his sapphire blue eyes still put butterflies in Anna's stomach’!In addition, the way that his strong body made her feel so safe as they danced in the rain, like ht would never let her go.

　　回忆起他们一起走过的幸福的69年时光，有关那大的记忆最为深刻尽管还有很多有关皮特的无法忘怀的回忆，她仍然经常回忆起那天晚上皮特的样子，他湿湿的黑发垂在深蓝色的眼睛上面的样子仍让她的心如小鹿般乱撞此外，他们雨中舞动时，他那强壮的体魄给她一种强烈的安全感，让她感觉他永远都不会放开她.

　　Anna spent many days and nights for the past nine months since Peter had passed away reminiscing" about that one special day they had together, she never regretted any of the time they had spent together. She only cherished the way that sun looked as it raised and tell over the horizon. Anna continued to sit by her windowsill and dream of yesterday and she would continue to until the day she could be with her one true love, Peter again.

　　皮特去世后的9个月内，安娜日夜都沉浸在他们在海滩一起度过的那个特殊日子的美好回忆中。对于她和皮特一起度过的每一天，安娜井不觉得有任何遗憾，她只是在珍藏着那天日出日落的美景坐在窗边，安娜重温着昨大的记忆，日复一日，直到她和真爱皮特再次相聚的那天。

　　After winning several archery contests，the young and rather boastful champion challenged a Zen master who was renowned for his skill as an archer。

　　The young man demonstrated remarkable technical proficiency when he hit a distant bull’s eye on his first try，and then split that arrow with his second shot。

　　“There，”he said to the old man， “see if you can match that！”

　　Undisturbed ，the master did not draw his bow，but rather motioned for the young archer to follow him up the mountain。

　　Curious about the old fellow’s `intentions，the champion followed him high into the mountain until they reached a deep chasm spanned by a rather flimsy and shaky log。

　　Calmly stepping out onto the middle of the unsteady and certainly perilous bridge ，the old maser picked a far away tree as a target，drew his bow，and fired a clean，direct hit。

　　“Now it is your turn，”he said as he gracefully stepped back onto the safe ground。Staring with terror into the seemingly bottomless and beckoning abyss，the young man could not force himself to step out onto the log，no less shoot at a target。 “You have much skill with your bow，” the master said ，sensing his challenger’s predicament， “but you have little skill with the mind that lets loose the shot。”

　　在赢得几场射箭比赛后，一位年轻而又极为自负的冠军向一位以精湛的箭术而闻名的禅师提出了挑战。

　　这位年轻人展示了异常娴熟的技艺，他一箭射中了远处的靶心，接着第二枝箭将第一枝箭射劈。

　　“喂”，他对老者说，“看看你是否有得一比！”

　　禅师不以为然，并没有拉弓射箭，而是示意年轻的射手跟着他往山上走去。

　　射箭冠军对老人的.意图感到很好奇，于是紧随其后爬上山，来到一个峡谷前，连接两岸的圆木极不牢固且摇摇欲坠。

　　老禅师沉着地迈步走到那座摇摇晃晃、十分危险的独木桥中央，选了远处的一棵树做靶子，拉开弓箭，一箭射中，动作干净利落。

　　“现在该你了，”他说着，从容而优雅地走回到安全的地面。年轻人满眼恐惧，望着那看似令人心惊肉跳的无尽深渊，他连向独木桥上迈一步的勇气都没有，更别说射靶了。觉察到这位挑战者的窘境，禅师说道：“你拥有高超的弓箭术，但你缺乏自如射箭的心境。”

　　Taste the Wind

　　and savor the sweetness of spring

　　By Terry Miller Shannon from Reader’s Digest

　　There’s a word for this rainy winter day. That word is sullen. It describes the lead-gray sky pressing down upon us. It describes the fire smoldering in the hearth, mysteriously seeming to suck every bit of warmth out of the bleak, dank room.

　　But most of all it describes my spirit. I stare longingly out the window at the frost-wilted princess tree, and at the bare brown flower beds. Not so very long ago I was outside in the sunshine, inhaling the fragrance of rosemary and lavender, and picking a nosegay of penstemon and anemone. My mind remembers it, but my heart has forgotten it.

　　The rank smell of rotting garbage yanks me rudely into the kitchen. A milk carton, heaped with browning banana peels, onionskins and broccoli ends, reproaches me.

　　Last summer, the one I’m struggling to recall, my husband built me my heart’s desire: a compost bin. I delighted in my daily trip down the hill to dump the refuse on the pile.

　　But that was then, this is now. Now the wind slashes rain against the windows. I shiver. I don’t want to go out. But one thing is plain (and I may embroider it on a sampler): the compost pile waits for no woman.

　　Reluctantly I gear up in a hooded rainproof coat and heavy black boots. Snatching the milk carton, I shut the door behind me, a little harder than necessary.

　　The wet slaps my face like the tail of a fish. It steals my breath. I gasp and pull my hood so low over my eyes that I can barely see, and slip and stumble down the driveway. My garbage spills, and I crouch, buffeted by the lashing storm.

　　And there, not two feet from me, is a yellow crocus, and behind it, a purple one, each satin tube swelling and preparing to open. Deep, deep within me I feel a similar softening. I glance up to see an iridescent-green hummingbird hunkered down a fir branch, sheltered against the tree’s trunk. He doesn’t seem as surprised to see me as I am to see him.

　　I fling my waste on the compost pile. On the way back up the hill, I taste the sweetness of the sharp, sodden wind.

　　Tender green daffodil leaves poke through the grass, some even showing yellow buds. The blossom of one azure dwarf iris reflects the summer sky present only in my imagination. A maroon-and-orange salamander stalks across my path—a miniature dinosaur on a mission.

　　Back at the front door, I stop with the cold doorknob clutched in my even colder fist. Why go in? I certainly couldn’t get any wetter.

　　So I slosh through the yard, leaning against the wind and discovering more joys: a witch hazel sporting pale-yellow pompom-like blossoms, with a brisk citrusy scent. Dark-eyed juncos feasting at the suet cake. The tiniest unfurling of pale green at the tips of the alder trees’ branches. One lone azalea blooming brilliant red against the gray.

　　A jay scolds me shrilly from high within the wildly whipping branches of a cedar. “What are you looking at?” he seems to ask. “What’s there to see?”

　　This is what I see, I tell him silently. I see winter on the wane, slowly counting down to spring. I see that I will, someday, kneel again in my flower bed with a shawl of sunshine upon my shoulders and the scent of rosemary so sharp I taste it. I see sprouting, crawling, flying life, undeterred by weather.

　　But mostly what I see is that there’s glory to be found even in a sullen winter’s day.

　　Companionship of Books

　　A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.

　　A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age.

　　Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, ‘Love me, love my dog.” But there is more wisdom in this:” Love me, love my book.” The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them.

　　A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world of a man’s life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters.

　　Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time have been to sift out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive e but what is really good.

　　Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see the as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were in a measure actors with them in the scenes which they describe.

　　The great and good do not die, even in this world. Embalmed in books, their spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to which on still listens.

　　译文：

　　以书籍为伴（节选）

　　通常看一个读些什么书籍就可知道他的为人，就像看他同什么人交往就可知道他的为人一样，因为有人以人为伴，也有人以书籍为伴。无论是书籍友还是朋友，我们都应该以最好的为伴。

　　好书籍就像是你最好的朋友。它始终不渝，过去如此，现在如此，将来也永远不变。它是最有耐心，最令人愉悦的伴侣。在我们穷愁潦倒，临危遭难时，它也不会抛弃我们，对我们总是一如既往地亲切。在我们年轻时，好书籍陶冶我们的性情，增长我们的知识；到我们年老时，它又给我们以慰藉和勉励。

　　人们常常因为喜欢同一本书籍而结为知已，就像有时两个人因为敬慕同一个人而成为朋友一样。有句古谚说道：“爱屋及屋。”其实“爱我及书籍”这句话蕴涵更多的哲理。书籍是更为真诚而高尚的情谊纽带。人们可以通过共同喜爱的作家沟通思想，交流感情，彼此息息相通，并与自己喜欢的作家思想相通，情感相融。

　　好书籍常如最精美的宝器，珍藏着人生的思想的精华，因为人生的境界主要就在于其思想的境界。因此，最好的书籍是金玉良言和崇高思想的宝库，这些良言和思想若铭记于心并多加珍视，就会成为我们忠实的伴侣和永恒的慰藉。

　　书籍籍具有不朽的本质，是为人类努力创造的最为持久的成果。寺庙会倒坍，神像会朽烂，而书籍却经久长存。对于伟大的`思想来说，时间是无关紧要的。多年前初次闪现于作者脑海的伟大思想今日依然清新如故。时间惟一的作用是淘汰不好的作品，因为只有真正的佳作才能经世长存。

　　书籍籍介绍我们与最优秀的人为伍，使我们置身于历代伟人巨匠之间，如闻其声，如观其行，如见其人，同他们情感交融，悲喜与共，感同身受。我们觉得自己仿佛在作者所描绘的舞台上和他们一起粉墨登场。

　　即使在人世间，伟大杰出的人物也永生不来。他们的精神被载入书籍册，传于四海。书籍是人生至今仍在聆听的智慧之声，永远充满着活力。

　　Do Examinations Do More Harm Than Good?

　　Text

　　On Eggs and Exams

　　Ive been acting like an egg striking a rock. What is this egg? Its the campaign against the old-fashioned way of teaching . And what s the rock? It s the old-fashioned way of setting exams. So long as the old type of I.R. examination remains in force, the campaign against the old method of teaching I.R. cant win. Its like an egg striking a rock. Many people agree： Yes, this old-fashioned I.R. (OFIR) is certainly intensive; it calls for most intensive work by the students. But it doesnt teach them how to read. The more intensively the students study, the fewer books they read. And OFIR doesnt teach them language well either. Learning a language means learning to use it. OFIR doesnt do that. It teaches mainly about the language.

　　Well, if so many teachers and students agree that OFIR doesnt teach people how to read, why arent they willing to give it up? Because of that rock - the rock of the old examination system. If that rock is not smashed, the egg is smashed. The campaign against OFIR cant be won.

　　Many I. R. exams, until now, have actually includec reading material studied during the term. Does that examim how well the students have learnt to read? No. It examine how well they have learnt by heart the reading texts and the explanations the teacher has given them. A student might ge high marks on such .a test without having learnt to read much better than before she took the course. A true test would consist of unseen passages. That would show how well a studew could read and how much she had learnt.

　　家庭Family

　　The family is a strong supporter of society. However, too many of us take our family members for granted, duanwenw.com preferring to give priority to our friends and our careers. As it is often said, blood is thicker than water.

　　家庭是社会强大的支柱,但我们许多人却常常忽略家人,只是重视自己的朋友和事业。然而,俗话说得好:血浓于水。

　　We can choose our friends and our life partners, but we do not have a choice which family we are born into. But we do have a choice how to make the best of what we are given.

　　我们可以选择朋友和终生伴侣,却无法选择我们出生的家庭。但我们可以选择更好地利用家庭赋予我们的一切。

　　A successful family life, whereby one is closely bonded to one’s family members in a closely-knit duanwenw.com environment, potentially brings more joy and fulfillment than anything else in this world. Yes, that’s the beauty of family life. And for many, family life is the meaning of life.

　　幸福的家庭往往是一个亲密无间的家庭,家人之间有着深厚的`感情,它能比世界上其他东西带给人们更多的快乐和满足。没错,这就是家庭生活的美妙之处。对于许多人来说,家庭就是生命的意义所在。