英語有趣的文章閱讀

　　小編今天給大家分享一下課外的一些英語文章，這些文章雖然沒有聯絡到課文知識，但是多看也可以提高大家的寫作水平，有空的同學們可以多看一些一樣的文章，這樣可以有助提高自己的英語寫作能力哦

　　睡覺前決不能做的8件事

　　1. Exercise鍛鍊

　　No, you don't get to ditch your yoga mat or running shoes all together. Exercise is a vital activity for your health, and can actually contribute to getting better-quality sleep. The problem, though, is that exercising within three hours of bedtime can raise your body temperature, and make dozing off more difficult. Breaking a sweat, then, is best left for earlier in the day!

　　先別急著把瑜伽墊或跑鞋丟了。鍛鍊對於健康來將很重要，同時也能幫你獲得優質的睡眠。但問題在於，睡前3小時的鍛鍊能提高你的體溫，並讓你更加清醒。因此，鍛鍊這事兒最好放在更早些時候進行。

　　2. Watch TV/Surf the Web看電視或上網

　　Studies have shown that pre-slumber screen time can impede your body's ability to fall asleep. The likely culprit? Well, the bright lights of these screens can hinder the development of melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep. So close that laptop and turn off that TV about an hour before bed。

　　研究表明，睡前盯著螢幕能擾亂身體入睡的過程。罪魁禍首是誰?是這些螢幕發出的亮光。它們能阻斷褪黑素的形成，而褪黑素是幫你入睡的激素。所以，睡前一小時最好關掉電腦和電視。

　　3. Take a Hot Shower/Bath洗熱水澡/泡熱水澡

　　Like exercise, hot showers and baths can actually help you fall asleep. The problem, however, comes out of taking one too close to the time you plan on hitting the sack. Being overheated can bring same affects just like late exercises.

　　跟鍛鍊一樣，熱水澡能幫你入眠。但是，如果剛洗澡就睡覺，同樣會導致睡不好。體溫過高帶來的影響跟前文提到的鍛鍊太晚一樣。

　　4. Drink Too Many Fluids喝太多東西

　　Caffeine, of course, and alcohol both make it difficult to get a good night's rest. But drinking a lot of any liquid within the last hour or two before you go to bed will lead to those dreaded late night bathroom breaks, and further disrupt your slumber. You shouldn't go to bed thirsty, however, as you'll likely wake up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water. Balance is key here。

　　很顯然，咖啡因和酒精飲料都能影響睡眠。但無論是什麼，只要在睡前1-2小時喝的太多，都會讓你頻繁起夜而痛苦不堪，繼而影響到睡眠。渴著入睡同樣不推崇，因為半夜被渴醒也很不好受啊!平衡這兩者是關鍵。

　　5. Work工作

　　Whatever work or school issue it is, it can certainly wait until morning. Getting work done stimulates your brain and can cause you unneeded stress — pretty much the opposite of what you want to feel if you're trying to fall asleep!

　　無論是工作還是學習上的事，都可以推到明天再做。睡前幹活會刺激你的大腦，給你新增不必要的壓力——而這簡直是想成功入睡的大忌!

　　6. Read Engrossing Stories閱讀有趣的小說

　　Many of us have done this: you're reading a really interesting novel and you tell yourself, “Oh just one more page!” Suddenly, it's 2AM and you have to be awake in four hours. Yep, reading a really interesting book, essay or novel before bed will make it difficult to get to sleep. Perhaps you can remedy it by finding the most boring thing imaginable to read?!

　　很多人都這麼做過：你在讀一本很有意思的小說，邊讀邊對自己說：“再讀一頁!”然後突然間，已經到凌晨兩點了，距離起床只有4個小時了!嗯哼，所以，睡前讀有趣的書啊、文章啊或者是小說，都會讓你更難入睡。補救措施：要不，找本超級無聊的書，睡前讀?

　　7. Cuddle With Your Pets跟寵物膩在一起

　　As a child, I always wanted to have my beloved pet chihuahua sleep in my ***twin*** bed. And then came the reality: it's amazing how much space a 6 pound creature can take up, and how grumpy chihuahuas can be when you disturb their slumber. The point is, sleeping with a pet in your bed can seriously disturb your sleep。

　　我從小就想讓我的吉娃娃跟我一起睡。接著問題就來了：一個6磅重的傢伙，佔得空間一點也不小;而且，他們在睡覺的時候，萬一被打擾了，脾氣會相當暴躁。所以，關鍵點是：跟寵物一起睡覺的話，受到打擾的可是你。

　　8. Have Serious Conversations談論嚴肅話題

　　You've probably heard the phrase, “don't go to bed angry。” And, as it turns out, it's totally accurate! Research has shown that sleeping directly after a fight or traumatic experience will effectively preserve your emotions until you awake. The human body is adverse to falling asleep in dangerous situations — it's a defense mechanism. Thus, you'll have a much harder time falling asleep after a big blowout. It's best to resolve conflicts before you hit the sack。

　　你可能聽到過這樣一句話：“不要帶著憤怒的情緒上床”。事實證明這話對極了!研究表明，如果睡前跟別人吵了一架，或是受了心理創傷，那麼這種不良情緒會一直存在，直到你醒來。人體本能地對危險處境產生自我保護，表現方式就是干擾睡眠。所以如果你剛發完脾氣，入睡會很困難。最佳的方法是在睡前解決掉所有爭端。

　　感恩節的由來故事中英文對照版

　　The Pilgrims who sailed to this country aboard the Mayflower were originally members of the English Separatist Church ***a Puritan sect***. They had earlier fled their home in England and sailed to Holland ***The Netherlands*** to escape religious persecution. There, they enjoyed more religious tolerance, but they eventually became disenchanted with the Dutch way of life, thinking it ungodly. Seeking a better life, the Separatists negotiated with a London stock company to finance a pilgrimage to America. Most of those making the trip aboard the Mayflower were non-Separatists, but were hired to protect the company's interests. Only about one-third of the original colonists were Separatists.

　　乘"五月花"來到這個國度的旅行者***朝聖者***原本是英國分離者地下教會清教徒，他們的家在英國，因不堪忍受國內的宗教迫害，他們逃亡到荷蘭。在荷蘭，他們享受了更多的宗教信仰自由，但最終卻意識到在荷蘭的這種生活方式是對他們的主的褻瀆。為了尋求更好的生活，他們與倫敦貿易公司協商，由該公司資助他們到美國。在這趟旅途中，船上只有大約1/3的乘客是清教徒，其他大多數人並非分離派清教徒，而是公司僱傭來保護其利益的人員***契約奴***。

　　The Pilgrims set ground at Plymouth Rock on December 11, 1620. Their first winter was devastating. At the beginning of the following fall, they had lost 46 of the original 102 who sailed on the Mayflower. But the harvest of 1621 was a bountiful one. And the remaining colonists decided to celebrate with a feast -- including 91 Indians who had helped the Pilgrims survive their first year. It is believed that the Pilgrims would not have made it through the year without the help of the natives. The feast was more of a traditional English harvest festival than a true "thanksgiving" observance. It lasted three days.

　　1620年12月11日，旅行者們在"普利茅斯石"登陸。他們的第一個冬季是災難性的，第二年秋天來臨時，原來的102名乘客只剩下56人。但1621年他們獲得了大豐收，這些倖存的殖民者們決定和幫助他們度過困難的91名印第安人一起饗宴慶祝。他們相信，若沒有當地居民的幫助，他們是不可能度過這一年的。這次節日的盛宴不僅僅是一個"感恩"儀式，它更像英國傳統的豐收慶典。慶典持續了三天。

　　Governor William Bradford sent "four men fowling" after wild ducks and geese. It is not certain that wild turkey was part of their feast. However, it is certain that they had venison. The term "turkey" was used by the Pilgrims to mean any sort of wild fowl。

　　總督佈雷德福派了“四人捕鳥隊”去捕捉野鴨和野鵝。我們現在並不能確定是否有野生火雞在當時的筵席上，但筵席上肯定有鹿肉。當時，朝聖者用 "火雞"一詞來代表各種野禽。感恩節的故事

　　Another modern staple at almost every Thanksgiving table is pumpkin pie. But it is unlikely that the first feast included that treat. The supply of flour had been long diminished, so there was no bread or pastries of any kind. However, they did eat boiled pumpkin, and they produced a type of fried bread from their corn crop. There was also no milk, cider, potatoes, or butter. There was no domestic cattle for dairy products, and the newly-discovered potato was still considered by many Europeans to be poisonous. But the feast did include fish, berries, watercress, lobster, dried fruit, clams, venison, and plums.

　　現在，幾乎每家感恩節餐桌上都有南瓜餡餅――感恩節的另一種主食。但在當年的第一次慶典上卻不可能有這種食品。因為麵粉奇缺，所以麵包、餡餅、糕點等食物都沒有。但他們卻吃了煮南瓜，並用收穫的玉米制成了一種油炸麵包。也沒有牛奶、蘋果酒、土豆和黃油。沒有馴養的奶牛，自然沒有牛奶;而新發現的土豆被很多歐洲人認為是有毒的。第一次慶典上有魚、草莓、豆瓣菜、龍蝦、乾果、蛤、鹿肉、李子等。

　　This "thanksgiving" feast was not repeated the following year. But in 1623, during a severe drought, the pilgrims gathered in a prayer service, praying for rain. When a long, steady rain followed the very next day, Governor Bradford proclaimed another day of Thanksgiving, again inviting their Indian friends. It wasn't until June of 1676 that another Day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed.

　　緊接著的第二年***1622***卻沒有舉行"感恩"慶典。到了1623年，發生了一場嚴重的旱災，朝聖者們聚集到一起，舉行了虔誠的祁雨儀式，剛好在第二天，一場充沛的大雨從天而降。威廉佈雷德福總督宣佈再次慶祝感恩節，並再次邀請了他們的印第安朋友。之後數年無感恩節，直到1676年6月，感恩節才再次被提出。

　　On June 20, 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting to determine how best to express thanks for the good fortune that had seen their community securely established. By unanimous vote they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29 as a day of thanksgiving. It is notable that this thanksgiving celebration probably did not include the Indians, as the celebration was meant partly to be in recognition of the colonists' recent victory over the "heathen natives,"

　　1676年6月20日，馬薩諸塞州的查爾斯頓政府委員會召開了一次會議，討論如何才能最好表達對主的謝意：主賜予他們好運，庇佑他們安全地建立了他們的邦聯。經過意見不統一的投票，由書記愛德華.勞森宣佈6月29日為當年的感恩節。值得注意的是，因此次慶典在一定程度上是殖民者對戰勝"野蠻的土著人"的慶祝，故印第安人極有可能未參加此次慶典。

　　October of 1777 marked the first time that all 13 colonies joined in a thanksgiving celebration. It also commemorated the patriotic victory over the British at Saratoga. But it was a one-time affair.

　　1777年10月，13個殖民地第一次聯合舉辦了感恩節慶典，這也是對薩拉託加一役中戰勝英國人所取得的愛國主義的勝利的紀念。但只舉行了這一年。

　　George Washington proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, although some were opposed to it. There was discord among the colonies, many feeling the hardships of a few Pilgrims did not warrant a national holiday. And later, President Thomas Jefferson scoffed at the idea of having a day of thanksgiving.

　　17***，儘管出現反對的呼聲，華盛頓總統還是宣佈感恩節為全國性節日。在殖民地中也存在意見的分歧，不少人認為，僅僅一小撮朝聖者所經歷的那些艱難困苦並不值得用一個全國節日來紀念。之後，傑弗遜總統還對這件事嗤之以鼻。

　　It was Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, whose efforts eventually led to what we recognize as Thanksgiving. Hale wrote many editorials championing her cause in her Boston Ladies' Magazine, and later, in Godey's Lady's Book. Finally, after a 40-year campaign of writing editorials and letters to governors and presidents, Hale's obsession became a reality when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving.

　　若沒有薩拉·J·黑爾――一位雜誌編輯的努力，最終就不會有我們現在所謂的感恩節。在她主編的"波士頓婦女雜誌"及稍後的"Godey's 女士手冊"中，她撰寫了大量的社論，支援將感恩節定為全國性節日。40年中，她堅持不懈地發表評論，不斷致信州長乃至總統，最後，理想終於變為現實：1863年，林肯總統發表宣告，將11月的最後一個星期四定為感恩節――一個全國性的節日

　　Thanksgiving was proclaimed by every president after Lincoln. The date was changed a couple of times, most recently by Franklin Roosevelt, who set it up one week to the next-to-last Thursday in order to create a longer Christmas shopping season. Public uproar against this decision caused the president to move Thanksgiving back to its original date two years later. And in 1941, Thanksgiving was finally sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, as the fourth Thursday in November.

　　從此歷屆總統都按此行事。但具體時間也發生過幾次變化。最近的一次是富蘭克林·羅斯福總統宣佈的。為開創一個更長的聖誕購物季節，羅斯福總統宣佈將感恩節日期改在11月的倒數第二個星期四，即提前了一個星期。但公眾反對呼聲太高，兩年後，總統不得不將感恩節日期改回到原來的時間。1941年，美國國會最終通過決議，將感恩節定為美國法定假日，的時間是每年11月的最後一個星期四。