英文优美文章400字

经典美文,经得起时间的考验,被历史证明是最有价值、最重要的文化精髓,思想宏远,构思巧妙,语言精美。我整理了400字英语美文，欢迎阅读!

All the Difference in The World

整个世界因你而改变

Every Sunday morning I take a light jog around a park near my home. There’s a lake located in one corner of the park. Each time I jog by this lake, I see the same elderly woman sitting at the water’s edge with a small metal cage sitting beside her.

每个星期日的早晨我都会绕着我家附近的公园轻松地慢跑。公园的一角有一片湖。每当我慢跑经过这片湖，都会看到同一个老妇人，身边放着一个金属笼子坐在湖边。

This past Sunday my curiosity got the best of me, so I stopped jogging and walked over to her.

上个星期日我终于忍不住好奇，停止了慢跑，走到她身边。

As I got closer, I realized that the metal cage was in fact a small trap.

走近时我发现金属笼子其实是一个小陷阱。

There were three turtles, unharmed, slowly walking around the base of the trap.

三只乌龟安然无恙，绕着陷阱底部慢悠悠地爬着。

She had a fourth turtle in her lap that she was carefully scrubbing with a spongy brush.

她正认真地用海绵刷擦拭着第四只趴在她膝盖上的乌龟。

“Hello,” I said. “If you don’t mind my nosiness, I’d love to know what you’re doing with these turtles.”

“你好啊，”我说。“如果你不介意我多管闲事的话，我很想知道你在对这些乌龟做什么呢。”

She smiled. “I’m cleaning off their shells ,” she replied.

“我在清洗他们的壳，”她笑着回答说。

“Anything on a turtle’s shell, like algae or scum, reduces the turtle’s ability to absorb heat and impedes its ability to swim. It can also corrode and weaken the shell over time.”

任何乌龟壳上，像海藻、泡沫浮渣这些东西，都会减弱乌龟的吸热能力并且阻碍他们游动，时间长了还会腐蚀龟壳，让龟壳变得脆弱。

She went on: “I spend a couple of hours each Sunday morning, relaxing by this lake and helping these little guys out. It’s my own strange way of making a difference.

”她继续说道：“每个星期天早晨我都会花几个小时待在湖边，边放松自己，边帮这些小家伙摆脱困难。这就是我奇怪的制造改变的方式。”

“But don’t most freshwater turtles live their whole lives with algae and scum hanging from their shells?” I asked.

“但是，难道不是所有的淡水乌龟都是伴随着它们壳上的海藻和泡沫、浮渣度过一生的吗?”我问道。

“Yep, sadly, they do,” she replied.

“遗憾的是，它们的确这样。”她回答道。

“Well then, don’t you think your time could be better spent? And 99% of these turtles don’t have kind people like you to help them clean off their shells. So, no offense… but how exactly are your localized efforts here truly making a difference?”

“那么，你不觉得你在浪费时间吗?99%的乌龟都没有遇到像你这么好的人去帮他们清洗龟壳。所以，无意冒犯…但是你在这儿，通过你一个人的努力到底能带来多大改变呢?”

The woman giggled aloud.

老妇人大声咯咯笑起来。

She then looked down at the turtle in her lap, scrubbed off the last piece of algae from its shell, and said, “Sweetie, if this little guy could talk, he’d tell you I just made all the difference in the world.

接着她看看膝盖上的乌龟，把龟壳上的最后一块海藻擦拭干净，说道：“亲爱的，如果这只小乌龟会说话的话，它一定会告诉你我刚刚改变了整个世界。”

The Important Things in Life

生活中重要的事情

A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches indiameter.

课前，一位哲学教授站在讲台上，他面前的桌子上放了几样东西。上课后，教授什么也没说，他拿起一个又大又空的蛋黄酱罐子，然后往里面放入大概2英寸直径的小石块。

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

然后，他问学生这个罐子是否已经满了?学生们都回答说是。

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks.

然后教授就拿起一瓶小鹅卵石，然后把石头倒进罐子里，他轻轻地摇了摇罐子。这样小鹅卵石就进到石块的间隙中去。

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

然后，他又问学生这个罐子是否已经满了?学生们都回答说是。

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the remaining open areas of the jar.

然后教授就拿起一瓶沙子，然后把沙子倒进罐子里，沙子又填充进了间隙中。

He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.”

然后，他又问学生们，这个罐子是否已经满了?学生们一致同意说：“已经满了。”

“Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things – your family, your partner, your health, your children – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter – like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else, the small stuff.”

教授说：“现在，我希望你们把人生看作是这个罐子，石头就是那些重要的事情--你们的家庭，爱人，健康，孩子，吐过把除了这些之外的其他东西都丢掉，你们的人生其实还是充实的。鹅卵石就是那些对你们不是最重要但也要紧的东西，比如你的工作、房子、车。而沙子就是那些其他的无关紧要的小事情。”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party, or fix the disposal.”

教授继续说：“如果你先把沙子放进这个罐子，那罐子里就没有地方放小鹅卵石和石块了，你们的人生也是这样。如果你将所有的时间和精力都放在那些小事情上，你就不会有精力关注那些真正对你重要的东西。将精力放在那些真正和你的幸福息息相关的事情上。和你的孩子一起玩耍。带你的爱人出去跳舞。而工作，打扫屋子，举办场宴会，修理东西，这些事情总是会有时间的。”

“Take care of the rocks first – the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

“首先考虑岩石，即那些真正重要的事情。设置好你的优先事项。剩下的只是沙子。

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

在冰淇淋圣代还很便宜的年代，一个10岁的小男孩走进一家酒店的咖啡厅，在一张桌子旁坐了下来。一名服务员在他面前放了一杯水。

“How much is an ice cream sundae?”

“一个冰淇淋圣代多少钱?”

“50 cents,” replied the waitress.

“50美分，”服务员回答道。

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.

小男孩从口袋里拿出手来，仔细地数了一下手里的硬币。

“How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he inquired. Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.”

“一碟原味冰淇淋多少钱?”他问道。这时候有一些人正在候位，服务员有些不耐烦了。

“35 cents,” she said brusquely.

“35美分。”她粗鲁地回复道。

The little boy again counted the coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

小男孩又数了一遍硬币。“我要一份原味冰淇淋。”他说。

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed.

服务员拿来冰淇淋，把账单放到桌上后就走开了。小男孩吃完冰淇淋，付了钱，然后离开了。

When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed hard at what she saw.

当服务员回来的时候，他开始擦桌子，然后她被自己看到的一切哽住了。

There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were 15 cents – her tip.

在那里的空碟子下面整齐地放着15美分——她的小费。