流云归晚
改革开放三十多年以来,英语教育在我国已经广为普及,整个社会对英语的要求也愈加精益求精。本文是有关经典英文小短文，希望对大家有帮助!
On warm evenings I often sat in the boat playing the flute, and saw the perch swimming around me. I saw the moon traveling over the bottom of the lake, which was strewn1 with the fallen leaves and branches.
天气晴和的夜晚,我也常独驾一舟,弄笛湖上,看水中的鲈鱼饶舟不去。俯视湖底,落木坠枝,横斜交错,皓月一轮,行径其上。
Once, I used to come to this pond in dark summer nights with a friend. We would make a fire there, which we thought attracted the fishes. Late in the night, we threw the burning firewood high into the air, which, when it came down into the pond, went out with a loud hissing. And we were suddenly in total darkness. duanwenw.com Then, whistling a tune, we made our way to the village again. But now I had made my home by the shore.
以前,在那些深黝的夏日夜晚,我曾不止一次与友人寻胜至此。我们总是先在岸边燃起一堆篝火,我们认为此法最能把鱼招来。待到夜色渐深,我们便把那尚未燃尽的木柴像烟火似地抛入暗空,一阵闪亮之后,缀湖澌灭,嗤然有声。然后长啸一曲,摸黑寻回村落。不过我最近索性就迁居到那里,傍湖而居了。
Sometimes, after the family had all gone to bed, I returned to the woods. Partly for the next day’s dinner, I spent the hours of midnight fishing from a boat by moonlight. At this time, I heard owls and foxes serenade, along with the singing of some unknown birds. These experiences were very memorable and valuable to me. In the center of the water, there were sometimes thousands of small perch and shiners, breaking the surface with their tails. I sometimes threw a line into the pond as I drifted in the gentle night breeze, now and then feeling a slight shaking along it. Pulling the line out of the pond, I saw a perch wriggling in the air.(excerpt)
有时,待家人睡去,我又重新返回林中。半为明日的食物筹措,我于夜半自操一舟,趁着月色,独钓湖上。这时鸱鸣狐啸,伴着一两声怪鸟的戛鸣。回想这些夜游,至今历历难忘。在水中央,鲈鱼银鱼成群,不啻千百,翻舞嬉戏,不时在湖面翻起层层涟漪。有时,于夜风习习之中,我将钓丝投入湖里,但不时忽觉手下一丝微颤。轻轻将线一扯,只见一只鲈鱼在半空中活蹦乱跳。(节选)
Life is full of decisions and most people take their lifetime to master the ability to make one.
生活中,许多事情需要我们做出决定,因此,许多人用一生的时间去学习掌握做决定的能力。
Each of us makes decisions daily, such as what clothes to wear, what to eat, and what to drink. We’re all excellent at judging other people’s decisions. But what about our own decisions? What about the decisions each of us makes, such as going to college, quitting college, duanwenw.com quitting a job for another one and so on? These are life-defining moments that create two different life paths. None of these decisions should be taken lightly.
每个人每天都要做决定,如决定穿什么、吃什么、喝什么。我们都擅长判断别人的决定,但你擅长判断自己的决定吗?我们自己做的决定怎么样?如上学、退学、辞职另谋新生等等。这些都是对人生有界定意义、会创造两种不同人生道路的时刻,每一个都不能怠慢。
Although we are all skillful at judging others, we should spend some time to get comfortable with ourselves to make decisions without the fear of judgment. Judgment comes from insecurity3. Each insecurity that we have moves us further and further to make a good decision. In order to control our insecurities we need to identify them and be comfortable with ourselves. To accomplish that we can all use some help. You may get it from a friend or a family member.
即使擅长判断别人的决定,我们也应该花些时间让自己应付自如地做决定,而且不必害怕做出判断。判断力来自于不安全感。我们的每一个不安全感都会推动我们去做出正确的决定。为了控制我们的不安全感,我们需要辨别它们,让自己能无所顾忌。为了达到这个目标,我们可以寻求别人的帮助。你可以从朋友或者家人那里得到你需要的帮助。
The best part about decision-making is that there is no right or wrong answer. Decisions are choices, and choices are individual. Try to put some more effort into your own decisions and leave the judgment at the door.
关于做决定,其最美好之处在于答案没有对错之分。做决定是种抉择,而且抉择是仁者见仁、智者见智。尽力做出自己的选择,不必介意你的选择是对或是错。
Perhaps your idea is a business venture, a travel adventure, or a career that you would like to pursue. duanwenw.com When you get an idea that excites you, don’t push the idea away. Remember to follow your dream, because you have the power to make it come true.
或许你想去投资经商、旅游历险或是致力于你喜爱的事业。当你有了让自己激动的想法,那就坚持这个想法。记得坚持自己的梦想,因为你有能力让梦想成真。
Would you say your life is fun? Would you say you have more fun days than not? You would be surprised at so many people tell me that they do not think their life is fun and that most of their days are anything but fun. I find that a shame! Life is more fun than you think!
你会说自己的生活很有趣吗?你会说你度过的有趣日子比无趣的日子多吗?你会惊讶于许多人曾告诉我他们从不觉得自己的生活有趣甚至根本就无趣。这些人的话真令人感到遗憾。实际上,生活比你想像的要有趣得多。
What’s fun about it? That depends on you! What is it that would make your life more fun? duanwenw.com I know the answer for me. I find all sorts of things fun, but if my mind is thinking negatively, then nothing seems fun.
生活怎么才有趣?决定权在你。什么会让你的生活更有趣?我知道什么能让我的生活更有趣。我发现各种各样有趣的事物,但如果我的思想很消极,那一切有趣的事物都会变得很无趣。
How’s your thinking? If your head is in the wrong place, you could have a million dollars cash but you wouldn’t be having fun. On the other side of the coin, you could be changing a flat tire and, if your mind is right, it might be the most fun thing you have ever done.
关于有趣的生活,你有何见解?如果心态不对,即使拥有一百万美金你也不可能尽情享乐。换个角度想想,如果心态是对的,即使是在换爆掉的轮胎,那都可能会是你干过的最有趣的事。
You decide what is fun. When I do something, I just tell myself that I am not going to complain about it and that I will enjoy it; and I do.
你可以决定什么事情有趣。当我做事时,我会告诉自己不去抱怨而是享受。我确实做到了。
If you believe, think and act like everything is a pain, then it will be. If you think, believe and act like life is happy, then that will become your reality as well.
如果你的信仰、思维和行为表现得好像任何事情都是痛苦的,那任何事情就都会是一种痛苦。反而言之,如果你的思维、信仰和行为表现得好像生活很幸福,那你的生活也就会很幸福。
Which do you choose?
你打算做何选择呢?
Alice兔籽宝宝
阅读经典美文可以丰富学生的知识,巩固学习成果;可以提高学生的阅读能力和写作能力。我精心收集了关于经典英文短文，供大家欣赏学习!
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and suppleknees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.
Youth means a tempera-mental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over thelove of ease. This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spring back to dust.
Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being's heart the lure of wonder, the unfailing childlike appetite of what's next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart there is a wireless station: so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are you young.
When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at 20, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there is hope you may die young at 80.
青春
青春不是年华，而是心境;青春不是桃面、丹唇、柔膝，而是深沉的意志，恢宏的想象，炙热的恋情;青春是生命的深泉在涌流。
青春气贯长虹，勇锐盖过怯弱，进取压倒苟安。如此锐气，二十后生而有之，六旬男子则更多见。年岁有加，并非垂老，理想丢弃，方堕暮年。
岁月悠悠，衰微只及肌肤;热忱抛却，颓废必致灵魂。忧烦，惶恐，丧失自信，定使心灵扭曲，意气如灰。
无论年届花甲，拟或二八芳龄，心中皆有生命之欢乐，奇迹之诱惑，孩童般天真久盛不衰。人人心中皆有一台天线，只要你从天上人间接受美好、希望、欢乐、勇气和力量的信号，你就青春永驻，风华常存。
一旦天线下降，锐气便被冰雪覆盖，玩世不恭、自暴自弃油然而生，即使年方二十，实已垂垂老矣;然则只要树起天线，捕捉乐观信号，你就有望在八十高龄告别尘寰时仍觉年轻。
A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keepingan appointment. The unpunctual man，on one hand，never does what he has to do at theproper time. He is always ina hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. There isa proverb that says, "Time flies never to be recalled". This is very true. A lost thing may befound again，but lost time can never be regained. Time is more valuable than material things.
In fact，time is life itself. The unpunctual man is for ever wasting and mismanaging his mostvaluable assets as well as the assets of others'. The unpunctual person is always complainingthat he finds no time toanswer letters or return calls or keep appointments promptly. But theman who really has a great deal to do is very careful with his time and seldom complainsbecause he lacks it. He knows that he can not get through his huge amount of work unless hefaithfully attends to every piece of work when it has to be attended to ...
Failure to be punctual in keeping one's appointments is a sign of disrespect towards others. Ifa person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time，he keeps all the otherguests waiting for him.Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and allother guests present. Unpunctuality，moreover，is very harmful when it comes to doing one'sduty，whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge ofimportant tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time.A man who is known tobe habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men.And the unpunctual manis a source of annoyance both to others and to himself.
论守时
一个守时的人养成了按时做事的习惯，这样的人言必信，行必果。 另一方面，不守时的人却从不按时完成他应该做的事情。他总是匆匆忙忙的，到头来却既浪费了时间、又败坏了自己的名誉。 有句谚语说道："光阴一去不复返。" 此话千真万确。 一件东西丢了可能找回来，而弄丢了时间可就永远找不回来了。 时间较之财富更加珍贵。
实际上，时间本身就是生命! 因此，那些不守时的人是在不停地浪费自己的宝贵财富，同时也是在浪费他人的珍贵财产。那些不守时的人总是在抱怨，说自己没有时间去写回信、没有时间回电话、或者没有时间按时赴约。 然而那些真正有大量事情要处理的人则会非常仔细地安排时间，很少抱怨说时间不够用。 他们知道，除非自己按时处理好应处理的每一件事情，否则他们是不可能做完这一大堆事情的…… 赴约不守时是对他人极大的不尊重。
如果一个人应邀去参加晚宴，却没有按时出席，就会让其他的客人等他一个人。 这是对主人和其他客人极大的不尊重。 履行义务的时候--无论是公事还是私事--不守时是非常有害的。设想一下，如果把一件重大使命委托给一个不守时的人，结果他没有在恰当的时间和地点完成这项任务，那么结果会怎么样呢? 如果一个人以不守时而"闻名"，他怎么可能得到朋友和同事的信任! 不守时的人既惹别人生气，又弄得自己不快活。
To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and theymust all be real. It is no use starting late in life to say: “I will take an interest in this or that.”Such an attempt only aggravates the strain of mental effort. A man may acquire greatknowledge of topics unconnected with his daily work, and yet hardly get any benefit or relief.It is no use doing what you like; you have got to like what you do. Broadly speaking, humanbeing may be divided into three classes: those who are toiled to death, those who are worriedto death, and those who are bored to death. It is no use offering the manual laborer, tiredout with a hard week’s sweat and effort, the chance of playing a game of football or baseballon Saturday afternoon. It is no use inviting the politician or the professional or businessman, who has been working or worrying about serious things for six days, to work or worryabout trifling things at the weekend.
It may also be said that rational, industrious, useful human beings are divided into twoclasses: first, those whose work is work and whose pleasure is pleasure; and secondly, thosewhose work and pleasure are one. Of these the former are the majority. They have theircompensations. The long hours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward, notonly the means of sustenance, but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and mostmodest forms. But Fortune’s favored children belong to the second class.Their life is a naturalharmony. For them the working hours are never long enough. Each day is a holiday,andordinary holidays when they come are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbingvacation. Yet to both classes the need of an alternative outlook, of a change of atmosphere, ofa diversion of effort, isessential. Indeed, it may well be that those whose work is their pleasureare those who most need the means of banishing it at intervals from their minds.
工作和娱乐
要想真正生活得幸福和平安，一个人至少应该有两三种业余爱好，而且必须是真正的爱好。到了晚年才开始说“我要培养这个或那个兴趣”是毫无用处的，种这种尝试只会增加精神上的负担。在与自己日常工作无关的领域中，一个人可以获得渊博的知识，但却很难有所收益或得到放松。做自己喜欢的事是无益的，你得喜欢自己所做的事。广而言之，人可以分为三个类别：劳累而死的人，忧虑而死的人和无聊而死的人。对于那些体力劳动者来说，一周辛苦的工作使他们精疾力竭，因此在周六下午给他们提供踢足球或者打棒球的机会是没有意义的。对于政界人士，专业人士或者商人来说，他们已经为棘手的事务操劳或者烦恼了六天，因此在周末请他们为琐事劳神同样毫无意义。
或者可以这么说，理智的，勤奋的，有用的人可以分为两类：对第一类人而言，工作就是工作，娱乐就是娱乐;对于第二类人而言，工作和娱乐是合二为一的。很大一部分人属于前者。他们可以得到相应的补偿。在办公室或工厂里长时间的工作，不仅带给他们维持生计的金钱，还带给他们一种渴求娱乐的强烈欲望，哪怕这种娱乐消遣是以最简单，最淳朴的方式进行的。而第二类人则是命运的宠儿。他们的生活自然而和谐。在他们看来，工作时间永远不够多，每天都是假期;而当正常的假日到来时，他们总会抱怨自己有趣的休假被强行中断。然而，有一些东西对于这两类人来说都十分必要，那就是变换一下视角，改变一下氛围，尝试做点不同的事情。事实上，那些把工作看作娱乐的人可能是需要以某种方式将工作不时地驱赶出自己的大脑。
