小川里沙
语言学习与 文化 学习是交织在一起的，语言习得者要掌握好一门语言，尤其是第二语言，具备充足的文化背景知识是必不可少的。下面是我带来的英文长篇美文阅读，欢迎阅读!英文长篇美文阅读篇一 Americans have any morals Do Americans have any morals? That's a good question. Many people insist that ideas about right and wrong are merely personal opinions. Some voices, though, are calling Americans back to traditional moral values. William J. Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education, edited The Book of Virtues in 1993 to do just that. Bennett suggests that great moral stories can build character. The success of Bennett's book shows that many Americans still believe in moral values. But what are they? 美国人还有道德吗?这是个好问题。许多人坚持对与错乃是个人的意见。但是，还是有些人在呼唤美国人回到传统的道德价值里去。威廉。班奈特，前任美国 教育 部长，正是为了此目的而在一九九三年编辑了「美德」这本书。班奈特认为伟大的道德 故事 可以建造性格。班奈持这本书的成功显示了许多美国人仍然相信道德的价值。但是它们到底为何? To begin with, moral values in America are like those in any culture. In fact, many aspects of morality are universal. But the stories and traditions that teach them are unique to each culture. Not only that, but culture influences how people show these virtues. 最开始，道德价值在美国就像在任何 其它 的文化一样。事实上，许多道德的观点是全球一致的。但是，不同的文化则有不同的故事和传统来教导它们。不仅如此，文化也影响了人民如何表现这些美德。 One of the most basic moral values for Americans is honesty. The well-known legend about George Washington and the cherry tree teaches this value clearly. Little George cut down his father's favorite cherry tree while trying out his new hatchet. When his father asked him about it, George said, “I cannot tell a lie. I did it with my hatchet.” Instead of punishment, George received praise for telling the truth. Sometimes American honesty-being open and direct-can offend people. But Americans still believe that “honesty is the best policy.” 美国人最基本的道德价值之一是诚实。众所周知的乔治。华盛顿砍樱桃树的故事，即将此道德教导地极为清楚。小乔治在试他新斧头时砍倒了爸爸最心爱的樱桃树。当爸爸问他的时候，乔治说，「我不能说谎，我用我的斧头砍了它。」乔治非但未被惩罚，反而因为诚实而被赞赏。有时候美国人仍然相信「诚实是最上策」 Another virtue Americans respect is perseverance. Remember Aesop's fable about the turtle and the rabbit that had a race? The rabbit thought he could win easily, so he took a nap. But the turtle finally won because he did not give up. Another story tells of a little train that had to climb a steep hill. The hill was so steep that the little train had a hard time trying to get over it. But the train just kept pulling, all the while saying, “I think I can, I think I can.” At last, the train was over the top of the hill. “I thought I could, I thought I could,” chugged the happy little train. 另外一个为美国人所尊崇的美德为坚忍。记得再龟兔赛跑这则伊索寓言吗?兔子以为它可以赢的很轻松，便睡了个午觉，但是乌龟再最后终因不放弃而赢了这场比赛。另一个故事谈到一个必须爬过陡峭山头的小火车，山头是这么陡，以至于小火车很难爬上去，但是它仍不断地爬，并不停地说：「我想我能做到，我能做到。」最后，火车终于爬过了山头，「我就知道我可以。」这个快乐的小火车继续往前去。 Compassion may be the queen of American virtues. The story of “The Good Samaritan” from the Bible describes a man who showed compassion. On his way to a certain city, a Samaritan man found a poor traveler lying on the road. The traveler had been beaten and robbed. The kind Samaritan, instead of just passing by, stopped to help this person in need. Compassion can even turn into a positive cycle. In fall 1992, people in Iowa sent truckloads of water to help Floridians hit by a hurricane. The next summer, during the Midwest flooding, Florida returned the favor. In less dramatic ways, millions of Americans are quietly passing along the kindnesses shown to them. 同情心，可能是美国的道德之最了。圣经中的「好撒玛利亚人」的故事，描述一个流露同情心的人。在这个撒玛利亚人出发去某城市的途中，看到一个可怜的旅客躺在路旁。这旅客被鞭打、抢劫，这位仁慈的撒玛利亚人非但没有视而不见，反而停下来帮助这位有需要的人。同情心还可以变成一个正面循环，在一九九二年的秋天，爱荷华州的居民将好几辆卡车的水送到受飓风侵袭的佛罗里达州;而就在第二年夏天，当中西部闹水灾的时候，佛州人便投挑报李。数以百万计的美国人民正用较不醒目的方式回报人们向他们表达的善意。 In no way can this brief description cover all the moral values honored by Americans. Courage, responsibility, loyalty, gratitude and many others could be discussed. In fact, Bennett's bestseller-over 800 pages-highlights just 10 virtues. Even Bennett admits that he has only scratched the surface. But no matter how long or short the list, moral values are invaluable. They are the foundation of American culture-and any culture. 在这么一篇短短的 文章 里，无论如何也不能将美国人所尊崇的道德述尽。勇气、责任心、忠诚、感激之心还有许多其它可以讨论的。事实上，班奈特最畅销的书──超过八百页──只谈到了十种美德。即使班奈特也承认他只谈到了皮毛而已。但是不论这张道德表是多长或短，道德价值都是无价的。他们是美国文化──和任何其它国家的文化之基础
毛毛爱囡囡
Floating Amidst The Stars Stargazing Meditation Since the beginning of time, humans have gazed at the stars in the night sky with awe, seeking in their luminosity everything from answers to inspiration to guidance. We have emerged from our contemplations with stories of gods and goddesses, maps of the universe, astrology, astronomy, math, and art. We have worshipped, wondered, and even projected ourselves out into space in an attempt to understand their magical essence. We know more now than we ever have about what those celestial lights are, how far away they reside, and what will happen to them over time, but facts and information are still no substitute for experiencing them yourself. Gazing at the stars is no doubt one of the earliest forms of meditation practiced by human beings, and it is readily available to this day. If you live in a city, you may have a hard time seeing the stars, but a short drive can take you far enough beyond the city lights to reveal their glory. If you live in a rural setting, all you have to do is wait for the sun to set and the night to settle to get the show of your life, every night. If you make a habit of it, you will begin to know the seasonal changes of the night sky, deepening your connection to the earth and the universe in which you live. One of the best ways to stargaze is to lie down on a blanket so that your body can fully relax. This position allows your breath to move easily through your tranquil form as you settle down into the earth, connecting your consciousness to the sky. As you look deeply into its vastness, allowing your awareness to alternate between the pinpoints of light and the blue-black space that holds them, your breath expands and contracts your body, just as the universe expands and contracts to its own eternal rhythm. You may feel as if you are floating amidst the stars or that they are raining down upon you. You may feel peacefulness, joy, and connectedness, or any of a full range of emotions. Simply continue to breathe, experiencing the wonder of this universe and your place within it.满意请采纳
zhangchanli
The Positive Meanings of Love We'd like to share some of the positive meanings love has for us. Love means that I know the person I love. I'm aware of the many sides of the other person - not just the beautiful side but also the limitations, inconsistencies and faults. I have an awareness of the other's feelings and thoughts, and I experience something of the core of that person. I can penetrate social masks and roles and see the other person on a deeper level. Love means that I care about the welfare of the person I love. To the extent that it is genuine, my caring is not possessive, nor does it hold the other person back. On the contrary, my caring frees both of us. If I care about you, I'm concerned about your growth, and I hope you will become all that you can become. Consequently, I don't put up obstacles to what you do that enhances you as a person, even though it may result in my discomfort at times. Love means having respect for the dignity of the person I love. If I love you, I can see you as a separate person, with your own values and thoughts and feelings, and I do not insist that you surrender your identity to match an image of what I expect you to be for me. I can allow and encourage you to stand alone and to be who you are, and I avoid treating you as an object or using you primarily to satisfy my own needs. Love means having a responsibility toward the person I love. If I love you, I respond to most of your major needs as a person. This responsibility does not include my doing for you what you are capable of doing for yourself; nor does it mean that I run your life for you. It does mean acknowledging that what I am and what I do affects you, so that I am directly involved in your happiness and your suffering. A lover does have the capacity to hurt or ignore the loved one, and in this sense we see that love involves an acceptance of some responsibility for the impact my way of being has on you. Love means making a commitment to the person I love. This commitment does not mean surrendering our total selves to each other; nor does it imply that the relationship is necessarily permanent. It does involve a willingness to stay with each other in times of pain, struggle, and despair, as well as in times of calm and enjoyment. Love means trusting the person I love. If I love you, I trust that you will accept my caring and my love and that you won't deliberately hurt me. I trust that you will find me attractive, and that you won't abandon me; I trust the mutual nature of our love. If we trust each other, we are willing to be open to each other and reveal our true selves. Love can tolerate imperfection. In a love relationship there are times when I am bored, times when I may feel like giving up, times of real strain, and times I feel I can't move forward. Authentic love does not imply enduring happiness. I can stay during rough times, however, because I can remember what we had together in the past, and I can picture what we will have together in our future if we care enough to face our problems and work them through. We agree with the idea that love is a spirit that changes life. Love is a way of life that is creative and that transforms. However, love is not reserved for a perfect world. Love is meant for our imperfect world where things go wrong. Love is meant to be a spirit that works in painful situations. Love is meant to bring meaning into life where nonsense appears to rule. In other words, love comes into an imperfect world to make it possible to live. Love is open. If I love you, I encourage you to reach out and develop other relationships. Although our love for each other and our commitment to each other might prohibit certain actions on our parts, we are not totally and exclusively married to each other. It is a false love that cements one person to another in such a way that he or she is not given room to grow. Love is selfish. I can only love you if I genuinely love, value, appreciate, and respect myself. If I am empty, then all I can give you is my emptiness. If I feel that I'm complete and worthwhile in myself, then I'm able to give to you out of my fullness. One of the best ways for me to give you love is by fully enjoying myself with you. Love involves seeing the potential within the person we love. In my love for another, I view her or him as the person she or he can become, while still accepting who and what the person is now. By taking people as they are, we make them worse, but by treating them as if they already were what they ought to be, we help make them better. To sum it up, mature love is union under the condition of preserving one's individuality. In love, two beings become one and yet remain two. 爱的真谛我们想把我们对爱情的一些积极看法跟大家分享。爱就意味着了解所爱的人。能够认识到这个人多个方面--不仅仅是美好的一面，还有他的局限，他的矛盾之处和他的缺点。要看到对方的情感、思想，感觉他的内心，要能够透过他在社交场合的表现和他的社会角色而看到他内心的深处。爱就意味着关心所爱之人的幸福。事实上，爱不是占有，也不是束缚。相反，两人都在爱中得到自由。关心一个人就是关心他的成长，希望他可以成为最好的他。因此，我不会为他的个人发展设置障碍，即使这样有时使我难受。爱就意味着尊重所爱之人。爱一个人，就是将其卸任一个独立的人，有自己的价值观、思想和感情。我不会为自己而坚持要他放弃个性变成我所希望的他。我能允许，也鼓励他我行我素，成为他自己。我不会视他为物，或利用他主要来满足自己的需要。爱就意味着对所爱之人负责。爱一个人，就要对他作为独立个体的需求做出回应。这种负责并不包括替他做他可以自己做到的事，也不是操纵他的生活。这种负责是承认我的所作所为会影响到他，他的欢乐痛苦都与我直接相关。相爱者确有伤害或忽略所爱的人的能力。从这个意义上说，我们认为，爱就要为自己的行为对对方产生的影响承担某种责任。爱就意味着对所爱之人做出承诺。这种承诺并非意味着把自己完全交给对方，也并不是说这一关系必然是天长地久，这种承诺否认在平静愉快时，还是困苦挣扎、失意绝望时，都愿意厮守相伴。爱就意味着信赖所爱之人。爱一个人，就要相信他会接受我的关心，接受我的爱，相信他不会故意伤害我;相信他会认为平静愉快有吸引力，相信他不会抛弃我;相信爱是相互的。如果我们彼此信赖，我们就愿彼此坦诚相待，敞开心扉。爱能够容忍不完美。爱人之间也会有时感到厌倦，有时想放弃，有时感到压力，有时感到无法前进。真正的爱并不意味着永远的幸福。但是，在困难时期我能坚守，因为我仍记得我们共同度过的日子，我也能想象如果我们愿意面对我们之间的问题、渡过难关、我们将共同拥有什么样的未来。我们一致认为爱是一种能改变人生的精神。爱是一种生活方式，它具有创造和改变的力量。但是爱并不是为完善世界而存在的，爱本来就是我们这个不完美、有缺陷的世界而存在的。爱应该是一种能缓解痛苦的精神力量。爱应该给我们这无聊的生活带来意义。换言之，是爱使我们能够在这不完美的世界上生活下去。爱是包容的。爱一个人，就要鼓励他与他人建立联系。尽管对彼此的爱与承诺不允许我们有某些行为，这种结合也不是全然排他的。两个人密不可分，再无个人发展的余地，这样的爱是不真实、不明智的。爱又是自私的。只有真正自爱自重、自赏自尊，才能接受别人。如果自己空虚，那么我能给所爱之人的也只是空虚。如果认为自己是充实的、出色的，那么我就能以自己的充实为所爱之人增光，给对方以爱的最好方法之一就是与所爱之人一起充分体验自己。爱就要看到所爱之人身上的内在潜力。爱一个人，在接受今日的他的同时，还要了看作明天他会成为的人。视人静止不变，则令其退步，而视其进步发展、如同他的潜力已经发挥，则助其进步。总而言之，成熟的爱就是在保持个体独立条件下的双方结合。在爱情中，两个人变成了一个人同时还保持着两个独立的个体。
