中英美文篇一：80篇中英雙語美文

>01 The Language of Music

A painter hangs his or her finished picture 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. 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.

Singers and instrumentalists 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 strings have to be coaxed not to sound like percussion, and each overlapping tone has to sound clear.

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 sounds 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. 01 音樂的語言

畫家將已完成的作品掛在墻上，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于職業(yè)歌手和職 業(yè)演奏者，所以職業(yè)歌手和職業(yè)演奏者肩上的擔子可謂不輕。 一名學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(yī)科的學生要成為一名醫(yī)生一樣。 絕 大多數的訓練是技巧性的。 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。 弦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 右手前后拉動琴弓--兩個截然不同的動作。歌手和樂器演奏者必須使所有的音符完全相同協(xié) 調。 鋼琴家們則不用操這份心，因為每個音符都已在那里等待著他們了。 給鋼琴調音是調 音師的職責。 但調音師們也有他們的難處： 他們必須耐心地調理敲擊琴弦的音錘，不能讓 音錘發(fā)出的聲音象是打擊樂器，而且每個交疊的音都必

須要清晰。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(fā)音之道。 他們還 必須致力于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于他們對音樂語言駕輕就熟，以致于 可以滿懷喜悅地演出寫于任何時代的作品。

>02 Schooling and Education

It is commonly believed in the United States that school is where people go to get an education. Nevertheless, it has been said that today children interrupt their education to go to school. The distinction between schooling and education implied by this remark is important. Education is much more open-ended and all-inclusive than schooling. Education knows no bounds. It can take place anywhere, whether in the shower or in the job, whether in a kitchen or on a tractor. It includes both the formal learning that takes place in schools and the whole universe of informal learning. The agents of education can range from a revered grandparent to thepeople debating politics on the radio, from a child to a distinguished scientist.

Whereas schooling has a certain predictability, education quite often produces surprises. A chance conversation with a stranger may lead a person to discover how little is known of other religions. People are engaged in education from infancy on. Education, then, is a very broad, inclusive term. It is a lifelong process, a process that starts long before the start of school, and one that should be an integral part of one's entire life.

Schooling, on the other hand, is a specific, formalized process, whose general pattern varies little from one setting to the next. Throughout a country, children arrive at school at approximately the same time, take assigned seats, are taught by an adult, use similar textbooks, do homework, take exams, and so on. The slices of reality that are to be learned, whether they are the alphabet or an understanding of the workings of government, have usually been limited by the boundaries of the subject being taught. For example, high school students know that they are not likely to find out in their classes the truth about political problems in their communities or what the newest filmmakers are experimenting with. There are definite conditions surrounding the formalized process of schooling.

上學與受教育

在美國，人們通常認為上學是為了受教育。 而現(xiàn)在卻有人認為孩子們上學打斷了他們 受教育的過程。 這種觀念中的上學與受教育之間的區(qū)別非常重要。 與上學相比，教育更具 開放性，內容更廣泛。 教育不受任何限制。 它可以在任何場合下進行，在淋浴時，在工作 時，在廚房里或拖拉機上。 它既包括在學校所受的正規(guī)教育，也包括一切非正規(guī)教育。 傳 授知識的人可以是德高望重的老者，可

以是收音機里進行政治辯論的人們，可以是小孩子， 也可以是知名的科學家。 上學讀書多少有點可預見性，而教育往往能帶來意外的發(fā)現(xiàn)。 與 陌生人的一次隨意談話可能會使人認識到自己對其它宗教其實所知甚少。 人們從幼時起就 開始受教育。 因此，教育是一個內涵很豐富的詞，它自始至終伴隨人的一生，早在人們上 學之前就開始了。 教育應成為人生命中不可缺少的一部分。然而，上學卻是一個特定的形 式化了的過程。 在不同場合下，它的基本形式大同小異。 在全國各地，孩子們幾乎在同一 時刻到達學校，坐在指定的座位上，由一位成年人傳授知識，使用大致相同的教材，做作業(yè)， 考試等等。 他們所學的現(xiàn)實生活中的一些片斷，如字母表或政府的運作，往往受到科目范 圍的限制。 例如，高中生們知道，在課堂上他們沒法弄清楚他們社區(qū)里政治問題的真情， 也不會了解到最新潮的電影制片人在做哪些嘗試。 學校教育這一形式化的過程是有特定的 限制的。

>03 The Definition of "Price"

Prices determine how resources are to be used. They are also the means by which products and services that are in limited supply are rationed among buyers. The price system of the United States is a complex network composed of the prices of all the products bought and sold in the economy as well as those of a myriad of services, including labor, professional, transportation, and public-utility services. The interrelationships of all these prices make up the"system" of prices. The price of any particular product or service is linked to a broad, complicated system of prices in which everything seems to depend more or less upon everything else. If one were to ask a group of randomly selected individuals to define "price", many would reply that price is an amount of money paid by the buyer to the seller of a product or service or, in other words, that price is the money value of a product or service as agreed upon in a market transaction. This definition is, of course, valid as far as it goes. For a complete understanding of a price in any particular transaction, much more than the amount of money involved must be known. Both the buyer and the seller should be familiar with not only the money amount, but with the amount and quality of the product or service to be exchanged, the time and place at which the exchange will take place and payment will be made, the form of money to be used, the credit terms and discounts that apply to the transaction, guarantees on the product or service, delivery terms, return privileges, and other factors. In other words, both buyer and seller should be fully aware of all the factors that comprise the total "package" being exchanged for the asked-for amount of money in order that they may evaluate a given price.

"價格"的定義 價格決定資源的使用方式。 價格也是有限的產品與服務在買方中的配給 手段。 美國的價格系統(tǒng)是復雜的網狀系統(tǒng)，包括經濟生活中一切產品買賣的價格，也包括 名目繁多的各種服務，諸如勞動力、專職人員、交通運輸、公共事業(yè)等服務的價格。 所有 這些價格的內在聯(lián)系構成了價格系統(tǒng)。 任何一種個

別產品或服務的價格都與這個龐大而復 雜的系統(tǒng)密切相關，而且或多或少地受到系統(tǒng)中其它成份的制約。如果隨機挑選一群人，問 問他們如何定義"價格"，許多人會回答價格就是根據賣方提供的產品或服務，買方向其付出 的錢數。 換句話說，價格就是市場交易中大家認同的產品或服務的貨幣量。 該定義就其本 身來說自有其道理。 但要獲得對價格在任何一樁交易中的完整認識，就必須考慮到大量" 非貨幣"因素的影響。 買賣雙方不但要清楚交易中的錢數，而且要非常熟悉交易物的質量和 數量，交易的時間、地點，采用哪種形式付款，有怎樣的緩付和優(yōu)惠，對交易物的質量保證、 交貨條款、退賠權利等等。 也就是說，為了能估算索價，買賣雙方必須通曉構成交易物價 格的通盤細節(jié)。

>04 Electricity

The modern age is an age of electricity. People are so used to electric lights, radio, televisions, and telephones that it is hard to imagine what life would be like without them. When there is a power failure, people grope about in flickering candlelight, cars hesitate in the streets because there are no traffic lights to guide them, and food spoils in silent refrigerators.Yet, people began to understand how electricity works only a little more than two centuries ago. Nature has apparently been experimenting in this field for millions of years. Scientists are discovering more and more that the living world may hold many interesting secrets of electricity that could benefit humanity.

All living cells send out tiny pulses of electricity. As the heart beats, it sends out pulses of record; they form an electrocardiogram, which a doctor can study to determine how well the heart is working. The brain, too, sends out brain waves of electricity, which can be recorded in an electroencephalogram. The electric currents generated by most living cells are extremely small -- often so small that sensitive instruments are needed to record them. But in some animals, certain muscle cells have become so specialized as electrical generators that they do not work as muscle cells at all. When large numbers of these cells are linked together, the effects can be astonishing.

The electric eel is an amazing storage battery. It can send a jolt of as much as eight hundred volts of electricity through the water in which it lives. (An electric house current is only one hundred twenty volts.) As many as four-fifths of all the cells in the electric eel's body are specialized for generating electricity, and the strength of the shock it can deliver corresponds roughly to the length of its body.

電 當今時代是電氣時代。 人們對電燈、收音機、電視和電話早已司空見慣以致很難想 象沒有它們生活會變成什么樣。 當停電時，人們在搖曳不定的燭光下暗中摸索； 因沒有紅 綠燈的指示，汽車在道路上遲疑不前；冰箱也停止工作，導致食物變質。人們只是在兩個世 紀前一點才開始了解電的使用原理，自然界卻顯然在這方面經歷過了數百萬年。 科學家不 斷發(fā)現(xiàn)許多生物世界里可能有益于人類的關于電的有趣秘密。所有生物細胞都會發(fā)出微小的 電脈沖。 當心臟跳動時，

把它發(fā)出的脈沖記錄下來就成了心電圖，這可讓醫(yī)生了解心臟的 工作狀況。大腦也發(fā)出腦電波，這可在腦電圖上記錄下來。 許多生物細胞發(fā)出的電流都是 極微小的，小到要用靈敏儀器才能記錄和測量。 但一些動物的某些肌肉細胞能轉化成一個 個發(fā)電機，以致完全失去肌肉細胞的功能。 這種細胞大量地連接在一起時產生的效果將是 非常令人吃驚的。電鰻就是一種令人驚異的蓄電池。 它可以在水中發(fā)出相當于 800 伏特電 壓電流(家庭用戶的電壓只有 120 伏特)。 在電鰻的身體里，多至五分之四的細胞都專門用 來發(fā)電，而且發(fā)出的電流的強度大約和它身體的長度成正比。

>05 The Beginning of Drama

There are many theories about the beginning of drama in ancient Greece. The one most widely accepted today is based on the assumption that drama evolved from ritual. The argument for this view goes as follows. In the beginning, human beings viewed the natural forces of the world - even the seasonal changes - as unpredictable, and they sought through various means to control these unknown and feared powers. Those measures which appeared to bring the desired results were then retained and repeated until they hardened into fixed rituals. Eventually stories arose which explained or veiled the mysteries of the rites. As time passed some rituals were abandoned, but the stories, later called myths, persisted and provided material for art and drama.

Those who believe that drama evolved out of ritual also argue that those rites contained the seed of theater because music, dance, masks, and costumes were almost always used. Furthermore, a suitable site had to be provided for performances and when the entire community

did not participate, a clear division was usually made between the "acting area" and the

"auditorium." In addition, there were performers, and, since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the enactment of rites, religious leaders usually assumed that task. Wearing masks and costumes, they often impersonated other people, animals, or supernatural beings, and mimed the desired effect -- success in hunt or battle, the coming rain, the revival of the Sun -- as an actor might. Eventually such dramatic representations were separated from religious activities.

Another theory traces the theater's origin from the human interest in storytelling. According to this view tales (about the hunt, war, or other feats) are gradually elaborated, at first through the use of impersonation, action, and dialogue by a narrator and then through the assumption of each of the roles by a different person. A closely related theory traces theater to those dances that are primarily rhythmical and gymnastic or that are imitations of animal movements and sounds.

中英美文篇二：中英文美文

What we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.

我們知道的或相信的，本質上并不重要。唯一重要的是：我們做的。

-Just keep moving forward and don't give a shit about what anybody thinks. Do what you have to do, for you. (Johnny Depp)

——自己大膽往前走就好了，壓根別在乎別人怎么想。只為自己去做該做的事。

For the one who really cares for you, please save your true love.

為了某個在乎你的人，請節(jié)約你的真心。

Don’t look for love. Love will find you.

不用刻意去找尋愛，愛會自然找到你

Don't spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.

不要浪費時間敲一堵墻，你無法將其變做一扇門。

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

沒人能回頭重新來過；但誰都可以從現(xiàn)在起書寫一個不同的結局。

Growing in wisdom can be measured by the decrease in bitterness.

智慧的增長可用痛苦的減少來衡量。

It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

決定我們一生的，不是我們的能力，而是我們的選擇。

Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.

成功就是日復一日那一點點小小努力的積累。

A year from now, you will wish you had started today.

明年今日，你會希望此時此刻自己已經行動了。

Friendship is both a source of pleasure and a component of good health.

友誼既是快樂之源泉，又是健康之要素。

Nothing is impossible for a willing heart.

心之所愿，無所不成。

Patriotism is the highest of all. - Chopin

愛祖國高于一切。——肖邦

Curiosity is one of the permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous mind. 好奇心是活躍思維永恒明確的特性之一

Birds of a feather flock together.

物以類聚，人以群分。

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.

平靜由內而生。不要從外追尋。

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

千里之行，始于足下。

Youth is not a time of life, it is a state of mind.

青春不是一段年華，而是一種心境。

Love means never having to say you're sorry.

愛就是永遠不必說對不起。

Let life be beautiful like summer flowers and death like autumn leaves.

愿生如夏花之絢爛，死如秋葉之靜美。

Merry meet, merry part.

好聚好散。

It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

決定我們一生的，不是我們的能力，而是我們的選擇。

Marriage comes by destiny.

姻緣命中定。

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.

借鑒昨天，活在今天，憧憬明天。

There's no place like home.

任何地方都不能與家相提并論。

A day is a miniature of eternity.

一天是永恒的縮影。

Where there is life, there is hope.

留得青山在，不怕沒柴燒。

Happy is the man who is living by his hobby.

以愛好為生的人是幸福的。

The family is one of nature's masterpieces.

家庭是大自然創(chuàng)造的杰作之一。

The unexamined life is not worth living.

混混噩噩的生活不值得過。

Elegance is the only beauty that never fades.--- Audrey Hepburn

優(yōu)雅是唯一不會褪色的美�！獖W黛麗?赫本

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

沒有徹底擊倒你的東只會你更加強大。

Life is a series of commas, not periods.

人生是一系列的號不是句號。

Lookers-on see most of the game.

旁觀者清。

Every man dies, not every man really lives.-- Braveheart

每個人都會死，但并非每個人都曾真正活過�！队赂业男摹�

Happiness isn't getting all you want. It's enjoying all you have.

幸福不是得到你想要的一切，而是享受你所擁有的一切。

I don't really know where I'm going, but I hope I go far.

我不太肯定我的方向，但是我希望自己能走的遠一點。

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. But today is a gift.

昨日已逝，明天尚遠，今天才是老天賜予的禮物。

It doesn't really matter if your glass is half empty or half full. Be thankful that you have a glass and that there's something in it.

不管你的杯子是半空還是半滿，要心存感激，至少你還有半杯。

Face the past with the least regrets, face the present with the least waste and face the future with the most dreams.

不后悔過往，不浪費現(xiàn)在，滿懷夢想，面對未來。

There is always a bit of something hidden when you say “nothing.”

每當你說“沒事”的時候，心里或多或少都藏著點事。

Everyone's got a life that no one else knows about.

各自人生，冷暖自知。

You can learn great things from your mistakes when you aren't busy denying them. 當你不再急于否認錯誤時，你就學到了重要的一課。

Success is not an event. It’s a journey.

成功不是一個結果，而是一個過程。

When I was young, happiness was simple; now that I've grown up, simplicity is happiness.

小時候，幸福是件很簡單的事；長大后，簡單是件很幸福的事。

Natural abilities are like natural plants that need pruning by study.

天生的才干如同天生的植物一樣，需要靠學習來修剪。

Loveis patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps norecord of wrongs. 愛是恒久忍耐，又有恩慈；愛是不嫉妒，愛是不自夸，不張狂，不做害羞的事，不求自己的益處，不輕易發(fā)怒。

The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you will see.

你回首看得越遠，你向前也會看得越遠。——Winston Churchill

All the splendor in the world is not worth a good friend.

人世間所有的榮華富貴不如一個好朋友。

A person is not lovely for being beautiful but beautiful for being lovely. -Teenmix 不是因為美麗才可愛，而是因為可愛才美麗�！烀酪�

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.

無熱情成就不了偉業(yè)。

Your happy passer-by all knows, my distressed there is no place hides. ?.你的幸福路人皆知，我的狼狽無處遁形。

If you want to fly too high in relation to the horizon forget. ?.如果想飛得高，就該把地平線忘掉。

Each trauma, is another kind of maturity.

?.每一種創(chuàng)傷，都是另一種成熟。

Mistake is temporary regret but missing is the forever one. ?.過錯是暫時的遺憾，而錯過則是永遠的遺憾。

I forget, or you have not loved.

?.是我忘不掉，還是你未曾愛過。

I paid that well, but was felt unnecessary pain.

?.我在實收這幸福，卻被無謂感覺的痛楚。

I want to be strong with the cry, tears are not obedient.

?.我想堅強著不哭，淚卻不聽話。

Still keep their own small strong, have been strong.

?.還留著自己的小堅強，一直堅強著。

Emotion is the innate weakness of human.

?.情感是人類的本質弱點。

Don't waste your new tears for the old sorrow.

?.不要為舊的悲傷，浪費新的眼淚

I would rather be single than choose a wrong person.

?.與其找錯誤的人相伴，不如選擇單身。

Happiness needs comparison that is worse so that it can be felt. ?.幸福是個比較級，要有東西墊底才容易感覺到

Life is simple.You make choices and you don't look back.

?.人生很簡單，做了決定就不要后悔

The more you care, the more you have to lose.

?.在意的越多，失去的就越多

If my future has you in it, I'm not afraid of anything.

?.如果我的未來有你在，其他一切我都不怕了

Memory is a kind of inner rumor.

?.回憶，是一種內心的謠言

To forgive is easy,but to trust again is not that easy.

?.原諒是容易的。再次信任，就沒那么容易了。

I'm just folk.I have mood swings.

?.我只是個平凡人，我也有我的小情緒

So-called playboy is that you can't fill up my heart for 24 hours. ?.所謂花心，就是你無法24小時填充我的心

Those prosperitis I have granted to you belong to you.

?.那些我許給你的繁華，那就是屬于你的

The game of love, you will lose once you take it seriously. ?.愛情這個游戲，你一認真就輸了

Something is a knot when you reserve it,a scar when it's opened. ?.有些事，不說是個結，說了是個疤

中英美文篇三：高中生英語必背美文(中英文對照)

As a teenager，I felt I was always letting people down. I was rebellious out－side，but I wanted to be liked inside.Once I left home to hitch-hike2 to California with my friend Penelope. The trip wasn?t easy，and there were many times I didn?t feel safe. One situation in particular kept me grateful to still be alive. When I returned home，I was different，not so outwardly sure of myself.

I was happy to be home. But then I noticed that Penelope，who was staying with us，was wearing my clothes. And my family seemed to like her better than me. I wondered if I would be missed if I weren?t there. I told my mom，and she explained that though Penelope was a lovely girl，no one could replace me. I pointed out，“Ｓhe is more patient and is neater than I have ever been.” My mom said these were wonderful qualities，but I was the only person who could fill my role. She made me realize that even with my faults—and there were many－I was a loved member of the family who couldn?t be replaced.

I became a searcher，wanting to find out who I was and what made me unique. My view of myself was changing. I wanted a solid base to start from. I started to resist3 pressure to act in ways that I didn?t like any more，and I was delighted by who I really was. I came to feel much more sure that no one can ever take my place.

Each of us holds a unique place in the world. You are special，no matter what others say or what you may think. So forget about being replaced. You can’t be.

當我還是個10幾歲的少年的時候，覺得自己總是讓人失望。從外表上看，我似乎很叛逆，但是在內心深處，我是如此地渴望被人疼愛。

有一次我離開了家和我的朋友佩內洛普搭便車去了加利福尼亞。這次旅行并不輕松，而且有很多次我感覺不安。有一次的突發(fā)狀況讓我一直慶幸自己還活著�；氐郊遥野l(fā)覺自己變了，看上去不那么自信了。

我很高興能回到家，但不久我注意到和我們一起的佩內洛普穿著我的衣服，而且我父母看上去更喜歡她，我想知道如果我不在家的話他們是否會想念我。后來，我把我的想法告訴了母親，她說盡管佩內洛普是個可愛的女孩，但她始終不能取代我，我說：“她比我有耐心而且無論何時看上去她都比我要整潔大方。”母親說這些都是非常好的優(yōu)點，但我卻是惟一個能扮演好自己角色的人。母親讓我感到盡管我有缺點———似乎還很多———但是，我被家中每一個人愛著，誰也無法取代。

我成了一個探尋者，想要知道自己到底是誰，又是什么讓我變得獨一無二。我的人生觀開始改變。我需要一個堅固的基礎來發(fā)展，我忍受住壓力，不再做自己不喜歡做的事。而且我為真實的我感到高興。漸漸地我越發(fā)肯定自己無可替代。每個人在這個世界上都占有一個獨一無二的位置。無論別人說什么，你自己怎么想，你都是特別的。所以，不要擔心自己會被取代，因為你永遠是惟一的。

太多的時候，我們總認為光明就在腳下，就在不遠的前方，于是忘了去仰望頭頂的那片天……

If you put a buzzard1) in a pen2) six to eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten to twelve feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt3) to fly, but remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, who is a remarkable nimble4) creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is to shuffle5) about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation6) from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

A bumblebee7) if dropped into an open tumbler8) will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists9) in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat and the bumblebee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations10), not realizing that the answer is right there above them.

如果把一只禿鷲放在一個6～8平方英尺的無頂圍欄里，這只大鳥盡管會飛，也絕對會成為這欄中之囚。原因是禿鷲從地面起飛前總要先助跑10～12英尺的距離。這是它的習慣，如果沒有了足夠的助跑空間，它甚至不會嘗試去飛，只會終身困囿于一個無頂的小囚籠中。

晚上飛來飛去的普通的蝙蝠，本是一種在空中極其敏捷的動物，但卻無法在平地上起飛。如果被放在地板或平坦的地面上，它就只會無助地挪動，毫無疑問這樣很痛苦。除非它到了稍高的位置，有了落差，才可以立刻閃電般地起飛。 一只大黃蜂如果掉進了一個敞口平底玻璃杯里，除非有人把它拿出來，否則它就會一直呆在里邊直到死去。它永遠不知道可以從杯口逃出，只堅持試圖從杯底的四壁尋找出路。它會在根本不存在出口的地方尋找出路，直到徹底毀了自己。 其實在很多方面，很多人也像禿鷲、蝙蝠和大黃蜂一樣，使盡渾身解數試圖解決問題、克服挫折，卻沒有意識到解決之道就在正上方。 Vocabulary

1.buzzard n. [動]禿鷲 2.pen [pen] n. 圍欄，圍圈 3.attempt vt. 嘗試，企圖 4.nimble adj. 敏捷的

6.elevation n. 高地，海拔 7.bumblebee n. [動]大黃蜂 8.tumbler n. (平底)玻璃杯 9.persist vi. 堅持，持續(xù) 10.frustration n. 失敗，挫折

Both my parents came from towns in Mexico. I was born in El Paso, Texas, and when I was four, my family moved to a housing project in East Los Angeles.

Even though we struggled to make ends meet, my parents stressed1) to me and my four brothers and sisters how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities. They imbued2) in us the concepts of family, faith and patriotism. I got my first real job when I was ten. My dad, Benjamin, injured his back working in a cardboard-box factory and was retrained as a hairstylist. He rented space in a little mall and gave his shop the fancy name of Mr. Ben's Coiffure3).

The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three nights a week, which meant getting up at 3 a.m. To pick up trash, Dad used a little machine that looked like a lawn mower. Mom and I emptied garbage cans and picked up litter4) by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I'd sleep in the car on the way home.

I did this for two years, but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime. I acquired5) discipline and a strong work ethic6), and learned at an early age the importance of balancing life's competing interests7) — in my case8), school, homework and a job. This really helped during my senior year of high school, when I worked 40 hours a week flipping9) burgers at a fast-food joint10) while taking a full load of percolate courses.

The hard work paid off11). I attended12) the U.S. Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in law and business from Harvard. Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California state assembly. In these jobs and in everything else I've done, I have never forgotten those days in the parking lot. The experience taught me that there is dignity13) in all work and that if people are working to provide for themselves and their families that is something we should honor.

我的父母都來自墨西哥的小鎮(zhèn)。我出生于得克薩斯州的埃爾帕索城。我四歲時，全家搬到了東洛杉磯的一處低收入住宅區(qū)。

盡管我們當時要做到收支平衡都很困難，但父母仍對我和四個兄弟姐妹強調說，能在這樣一個充滿無限機遇的國家里落戶，我們是多么幸運啊！他們給我們灌輸了家庭、信仰以及愛國主義的觀念。

十歲的時候，我得到了人生第一份真正的工作。我的爸爸本杰明在紙箱廠工作時背部受了傷。經過再培訓，他成了一名發(fā)型師。他在一個規(guī)模不大的商業(yè)區(qū)租下了一個攤位，并給他的店取了個奇妙的名字：“本先生的發(fā)型”。

商業(yè)中心的老板在租金上給爸爸打了個折扣，但條件是每周打掃三次停車場，這意味著凌晨三點就要起床干活。爸爸用一個看起來像除草機的小機器來收撿垃圾，而我和媽媽則要清空垃圾桶并用手拾撿散落的垃圾。打掃這個停車場要用兩到三個小時。我總是在回家時的車里就睡著了。

這份工作我干了兩年，但從中學到的東西卻讓我受用終生。我學會了自律，建立了很強的職業(yè)道德。從小我就懂得了平衡生活中各種利益沖突的重要性——對我而言，就是上學、作業(yè)和工作。這在我高二那年真是很有用處。那時，我在一家快餐連鎖店制作漢堡包，每周工作四十個小時，同時還肩負著沉重

的大學預科課程的學習任務。

辛勤的工作終見回報。我考入了美國軍事學院，接著又獲得了哈佛大學的法律和商業(yè)碩士學位。后來，我進入洛杉磯一家著名

的律師事務所并被選為加州議會參議員。在做這些工作和其他所有事情的過程中，我從未忘記過在停車場辛勤工作的那些日子。那段經歷使我懂得工作無貴賤, 靠自食其力來供養(yǎng)自己和家人就值得人們敬佩。 Vocabulary

1.stress [stres] v. 強調，著重 2.imbue v. 灌輸，深深影響 3.coiffure n. 發(fā)式

4.litter n. 廢棄物，被胡亂扔掉的東西(尤指廢紙等雜物) 5.acquire vt. 獲得，學到 6.work ethic: 職業(yè)道德

給予比獲得更讓人幸福......

Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street boy was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.

"Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.

Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astonished. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you anything? 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 lad1 said made Paul quite surprised.

"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively2 he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?" "Oh, yes, I'd love that."

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, 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 crippled3 brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of4 squeezed up5 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 gonna6 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

7.interest n. 利益，利害關系 8.in one's case: 就某人的情況而言 9.flip vt. 使翻轉

10.joint n. 連接，結合，本文中指連鎖店 11.pay off: 得到好結果，取得成功 12.attend [E5tend] vt. 上(大學等) 13.dignity [5dI^nItI] n. 尊貴，高貴

three of them began a memorable holiday ride.

That Christmas Eve, Paul learned that it was more blessed to give....

保羅收到一輛汽車，那是他哥哥送的圣誕禮物。圣誕節(jié)前夜，保羅從辦公室出來時，一個街頭少年繞著那輛閃閃發(fā)亮的新車，十分羨慕。

“先生，這是你的車？”少年問道。

保羅點點頭：“這是我哥哥送我的圣誕禮物。”男孩十分驚訝：“你是說這是你哥送你的，你一分錢也沒花？好家伙，我希望……”他停住了。保羅當然知道男孩他希望什么。他希望能有一個那樣的哥哥。但那少年接下來說的話卻讓保羅大吃一驚。

“我希望，”男孩繼續(xù)說：“我能成為那樣的哥哥。” 保羅驚愕地看著那男孩，他沖口而出：“你要不要坐我的車去兜一兜風？”

“哦，當然，我愿意！”

車開出一小段路后，男孩轉過頭來，眼睛閃閃發(fā)亮地說：“先生，你是否介意把車子開到我家門前？”保羅微笑。他想他知道男孩想干什么。那男孩肯定是要向鄰居炫耀他能坐一部大轎車回家。但是這次保羅又猜錯了。

“你能不能把車子停在那兩個臺階前？”男孩要求。男孩跑上臺階，過了一會兒保羅聽到他回來了，但動作有些緩慢。他背來了他跛腳的弟弟。他讓弟弟坐在最下面的臺階上，略有些擠靠著自己，然后指著那輛車。“這就是那車，巴迪，就是我剛才在樓上對你說的。他哥哥送他的圣誕禮物，他一分錢也沒花。將來某一天我也會送給你一輛像這樣的車，到那時候，你就能自己去看我一直努力給你描繪的那些圣誕節(jié)陳列窗里的漂亮東西了�！�

保羅走下車子，把跛腳的男孩抱到車子前座。興奮得滿眼放光的哥哥也爬上車子，坐在弟弟身旁。三個人開始了一

次令人難忘的假日兜風。

那個圣誕節(jié)前夜，保羅體會到“施與比獲得更讓人幸

福……”

Sir Edmund Hillary is famous for being the first person to climb Mt. Everest (n. 珠穆朗瑪峰).

What many people do not know is that Sir Hillary did not make it to the top of Everest the first time he tried. The first attempt was a complete failure. His climbing party encountered one problem after another and more than half his climbing party died. Nonetheless (adv. 雖然如此), the British Parliament (n. 議會) decided to honor him with some type of award. When he entered the chamber to receive his award, Sir Hillary saw that a large picture of Everest had been setup.

During the standing ovation (n. 熱烈歡迎) that he was receiving, he walked over to the picture, shook his fist at it and said, “You won, this time. But you are as big as you are ever going to get. And I'm still growing.”

We frequently hear the stories of people who have succeeded. And we frequently assume that they succeeded the first time. But in fact it's the exact opposite.

The road to success is paved with the bricks of failure.

埃德蒙·希拉里爵士是登上珠穆朗瑪峰的第一人，他因此而聞名天下。

然而，很多人并不知道，希拉里爵士第一次試著攀登珠穆朗瑪峰時并未成功登頂。第一次登山以徹底的失敗而告終。他們接二連三遇到問題，登山隊中超過半數的人都喪生了。

盡管如此，英國議會還是決定授予他某種獎勵。希拉里爵士走進議會大廳領獎時，看到里面豎著一幅很大的珠穆朗瑪峰的畫。

大家起立熱烈歡迎希拉里爵士，這時他走到畫跟前，沖畫揮動了一下拳頭，說道：“你這次贏了。但是你就這么高，再也不會長，而我還在長�！�

我們常常聽到成功人士的故事。我們常常以為他們第一次就成功了。 但事實恰恰相反。

在無法看見彼岸的時候，請堅信濃霧后的不遠處一定是陸地……把你的目標放在心里！

When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog1. Her body was numb2. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours.

Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Now, at age 34, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast.

On that Fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense3 she could hardly see her support boats.

Alongside Florence in one of the boats, her mother and her trainer offered encouragement. They told her it wasn?t much farther. But all she could see was fog. They urged her not to quit. She never had...until then. With only a half mile to go, she asked to be pulled out.

Still warming her chilled

4 body several hours later, she told a reporter,“Look, I?m not excusing myself, but if I could have seen land I might have made it.”It was not fatigue5 or even the cold water that defeated her. It was the fog. She was unable to see her goal. Two months later, she tried again. This time, despite the same dense fog, she swam with her faith and her goal clearly pictured in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind that fog was land and this time she made it! Florence Chadwick became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel, eclipsing6 the men?s record by two hours!

當弗洛倫斯·查德威克朝前方看去時，除了一團濃霧，她什么也看不見。她的身體已經麻木，她游了快16個小時了。 她是第一位游泳往返英吉利海峽的女性。現(xiàn)在她已34歲了，她的目標是成為第一個從卡特林娜島游到加利福尼亞海岸

的女性。

1952年7月4日的早晨，大海就像個冰窖，霧濃得她連自己的支援船都看不見。

在靠近她的一艘船上，她的母親和教練在不斷鼓勵她。他們告訴她離岸已經不太遠了，但她的眼前只有霧。他們勸她不要放棄，她從未在中途放棄過……除了這次。她在離岸僅半英里處要求支援船把她拉上去。

幾個小時后，她還在暖著她那凍僵了的身體，她告訴記者：“聽著，我不是為自己辯解，但是如果我能看到陸地，我是可以成功的�！贝驍∷牟皇瞧诨蛘吆涞暮Ｋ菨忪F。她無法看到目標。

兩個月后，她再一次嘗試。這次，盡管霧依然很濃，但是她懷著堅定的信念，目標清晰地呈現(xiàn)在心中。她知道濃霧后的某個地方就是陸地，而這次她成功了！弗洛倫斯·查德維克成為第一個游過卡特林娜海峽的女性，而且還比男子紀錄快了兩個小時！

One of my fondest memories as a child is going by the river and sitting idly on the bank. There I would enjoy the peace and quiet, watch the water rush downstream, and listen to the chirps1 of birds and the rustling2 of leaves in the trees. I would also watch the bamboo trees bend under pressure from the wind and watch them return gracefully to their upright or original position after the wind had died down.

When I think about the bamboo tree?s ability to bounce back or return to it?s original position, the word resilience3 comes to mind. When used in reference to a person this word means the ability to readily recover from shock, depression or any other situation that stretches4 the limits of a person?s emotions.

Have you ever felt like you are about to snap5? Have you ever felt like you are at your breaking point? Thankfully, you have survived the experience to live to talk about it.

During the experience you probably felt a mix of emotions that threatened your health. You felt emotionally drained, mentally exhausted and you most likely endured unpleasant physical symptoms.

Life is a mixture of good times and bad times, happy moments and unhappy moments. The next time you are experiencing one of those bad times or unhappy moments that take you close to your breaking point, bend but don?t break. Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.

A measure of hope will take you through the unpleasant ordeal6. With hope for a better tomorrow or a better situation, things may not be as bad as they seem to be. The unpleasant ordeal may be easier to deal with if the end result is worth having. If the going gets tough and you are at your breaking point, show resilience. Like the bamboo tree, bend, but don?t break.

對我而言，童年時代最珍愛的回憶就是去河邊散步、在堤岸上慵懶地閑坐。在那里，我可以盡情地享受這份恬靜和閑適，看著向下游奔涌的河水、傾聽鳥鳴和樹葉的“沙沙”聲。我也會經常注視那片竹林，由于風的壓力，竹子會彎下身子，然而當風力逐漸減小乃至完全停止時，它們便會優(yōu)雅地恢復到原來那種豎直狀態(tài)。

當我回想起竹子所具有的這種恢復原狀的本領時，“韌性”這個詞便在我的腦海中浮現(xiàn)出來。這個詞用來形容人的時候，則表示一個人具有從驚嚇、沮喪以及其它任何超越人類情感極限的狀態(tài)中從容地恢復過來的能力。

你是否曾覺得自己就要垮掉？你是否曾感到自己正處在崩潰的邊緣？令人欣慰的是，當你談論這些事情的時候，你已經通過了這些考驗并使生活能得以繼續(xù)了。

當你經歷這些考驗的時候，你也許察覺到了對你的健康產生危害的復雜情緒；當你感到萎靡不振、心力憔悴時，各種討厭的病癥也很可能會接踵而來。

人生是復雜的，其中既有美好，也有痛苦；既有快樂，也有悲傷。當你下一次經歷痛苦或悲傷的時候，當你感到自己接近崩潰邊緣的時候，要順應而不是使自己崩潰，盡你的全力不要讓現(xiàn)狀戰(zhàn)勝你。

心懷希望將會幫助你度過難關。當你對一個更好的明天或者更好的狀況到來充滿希望時，所有事情都不會像看上去的那么糟糕。如果結局值得擁有，你將會更容易戰(zhàn)勝那些不愉快的考驗。

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