優美哲理英語文章

　　在英語聽說讀寫四大技能中，閱讀佔有極重要的地位。這是因為閱讀是現代人類社會認知的最基本方法，是人們獲得認知的最重要手段。下面是小編帶來的，歡迎閱讀!

　　1

　　仙女的新年禮物 The Fairy's New Year Gift

　　The Fairy's New Year Gift 仙女的新年禮物 by Emilie Poulsson，這個故事告訴大家，時間在溜走，看似抓不著，但是他在某處記滿了你此生所做的事，好事，壞事。珍惜時間，用心靈譜寫自己的人生

　　Two little boys were at play one day when a Fairy suddenly appeared before them and said, "I have been sent to give you New Year presents."She handed to each child a package, and in an instant was gone.

　　兩個小男孩有一天正在玩耍，一個仙女突然出現在他們面前，說：“有人派我來給你們送新年禮物。” 她給了他們每人一個小包裹，立刻消失了。

　　Carl and Philip opened the packages and found in them two beautiful books, with pages as pure and white as the snow when it first falls.

　　卡羅和非利普開啟包袱，發現了兩本很漂亮的書，書頁純白純白的，象剛剛落下的雪一樣。

　　Many months passed and the Fairy came again to the boys. "I have brought you each another book?" said she, "and will take the first ones back to Father Time who sent them to you."

　　很多個月過去了，仙女再次找到了這兩個孩子。“我又給你們帶來了兩本書，我得把上次那兩本時間老人送給你們的書帶走，還給他。

　　"May I not keep mine a little longer?" asked Philip. "I have hardly thought about it lately. I'd like to paint something on the last leaf that lies open."

　　“我能不能再保留多一點點時間?”非利普問：“最近我都沒想起它來，我想在最後一頁上畫點什麼。”

　　"No," said the Fairy; "I must take it just as it is."

　　“不行。”仙女說：“我必須把它們按原樣帶走。”

　　"I wish that I could look through mine just once," said Carl; "I have only seen one page at a time, for when the leaf turns over it sticks fast, and I can never open the book at more than one place each day."

　　“我希望我能一次看完我的那一本，”卡羅說：“我每次只能看一頁，因為書頁一翻過，就牢牢粘在一起了，我每天只能開啟一次。”

　　"You shall look at your book," said the Fairy, "and Philip, at his." And she lit for them two little silver lamps, by the light of which they saw the pages as she turned them.

　　“你現在可以看你的書了。”仙女說：“非力普，你可以看你的。”她為兩個孩子點亮了兩盞小銀燈，在燈光下，孩子們看著她把書一頁頁翻開。

　　The boys looked in wonder. Could it be that these were the same fair books she had given them a year ago? Where were the clean, white pages, as pure and beautiful as the snow when it first falls? Here was a page with ugly, black spots and scratches upon it; while the very next page showed a lovely little picture. Some pages were decorated with gold and silver and gorgeous colors, others with beautiful flowers, and still others with a rainbow of softest, most delicate brightness. Yet even on the most beautiful of the pages there were ugly blots and scratches.

　　孩子們好奇地看著。這還是她上次送給他們的那兩本書嗎?那些像初次飄落的白雪一樣潔白美麗的書頁到哪裡去了呢?在這一頁上，有幾個醜醜的黑點和歪歪扭扭的線條，在另一頁上，又有一副可愛的小小圖畫。一些書頁上，塗上了金色、銀色還有其他美麗的顏色，另一些書頁上，則畫上了美麗的花朵和明亮的彩虹。不過，就算是最最美麗的書頁上，也還是有一些小黑點和亂塗抹的線條。

　　Carl and Philip looked up at the Fairy at last.

　　最後，卡羅和非力普抬起頭來看著仙女。

　　"Who did this?" they asked. "Every page was white and fair as we opened to it; yet now there is not a single blank place in the whole book!"

　　“這是誰幹的呢?”他們問：“我們以前翻開的時候，每一頁都是潔白潔白的，可現在，整本書裡沒有一頁是空白的!”

　　"Shall I explain some of the pictures to you?" said the Fairy, smiling at the two little boys.

　　“讓我來為你們解釋一下其中一些畫吧。”仙女對兩個小男孩微笑著說。

　　"See, Philip, the spray of roses blossomed on this page when you let the baby have your playthings; and this pretty bird, that looks as if it were singing with all its might, would never have been on this page if you had not tried to be kind and pleasant the other day, instead of quarreling."

　　“看，非力普，當你讓一個還孩子玩你的玩具的時候，這一頁上就有了開放的玫瑰;而如果那天你不是努力對別人好，讓人覺得愉快的話，這隻可愛的小鳥就不會出現在這一頁上，你看，它好象在用盡力氣唱歌呢。

　　"But what makes this blot?" asked Philip.

　　“可，為什麼會有黑點呢?”非力普問。

　　"That," said the Fairy sadly; "that came when you told an untruth one day, and this when you did not mind mamma. All these blots and scratches that look so ugly, both in your book and in Carl's, were made when you were naughty. Each pretty thing in your books came on its page when you were good."

　　“這個，”仙女悲哀地說，“當你們有一天說了謊，或者把媽媽的話當了耳邊風，這些小黑點就出現了。當你們很淘氣的時候，這些最難看的小黑點就出現了，每一次你們做得很好的時候，書裡就會都一樣漂亮的東西。”

　　"Oh, if we could only have the books again!" said Carl and Philip.

　　“如果我們能重新擁有這兩本書就好了。”卡羅和非力普說。

　　"That cannot be," said the Fairy. "See! they are dated for this year, and they must now go back into Father Time's bookcase, but I have brought you each a new one. Perhaps you can make these more beautiful than the others."

　　“這可不行，”仙女說，“它們的這一年到頭啦，現在，它們得回到時間老人的書箱裡去了。但我給你們帶來了兩本新的。或者你們能讓這兩本書變得更漂亮一些。”

　　So saying, she vanished, and the boys were left alone, but each held in his hand a new book open at the first page.

　　說完，仙女消失了，孩子們的手裡多了本在第一頁翻開的書。

　　And on the back of this book was written in letters of gold, "For the New Year."

　　在書的背面，有幾個金色的大字：“新的一年。”

　　2

　　丟掉無謂的固執

　　有兩個貧苦的樵夫靠上山撿柴餬口，有一天，他們在山裡發現兩大包棉花，兩人喜出望外。棉花輕且貴，當下倆人各背了一包棉花趕路回家。

　　There once were two poor woodsmen who made a living by collecting woods in the mountain. One day, they happened to discover two large bag of cotton in the mountain and felt surprisingly happy. The cotton was light but valuable, so they carried it on their back and went back home.

　　走著走著，其中一名樵夫眼尖，看到山路上扔著一大捆布，他就和同伴商量。扔下棉花，背布回家。他的同伴卻有不同的看法，認為自己揹著棉花已走了一大段，到了這裡丟下棉花，豈不枉費了先前的辛苦，堅持不願換布。發現布的樵夫則盡其所能背起布走。又走了一段路，背布的樵夫望見不遠處的地上散落著數壇黃金。心想這下真的發財了，趕忙用挑柴的扁擔挑黃金。他的同伴仍是不願丟下棉花，並懷疑黃金不是真的。發現黃金的樵夫只好自己挑了兩壇黃金，和背棉花的夥伴趕緊回家。

　　When they were walking home, one of the woodsmen spotted a large bundle of cloth beside the road. So he discussed with his partner whether to discard the cotton and take the cloth instead. But his partner held a different view that since he had carried the cotton for such a long way, he would not change it with cloth because all his previous effort would turn out to be in vain. Therefore, the other woodsman abandoned the cotton and carried the cloth on his back. After walking for a while, the woodsman who carried the cloth spotted several jars of gold disseminated on the ground not far away. He felt so thrilled that he was going to be a wealthy man. So he gave up the cloth and used his carrying pole to carry two jars of gold, while his partner was still reluctant to abandon the cotton and wondering whether the gold was real or not.

　　誰知道剛走到山下。天竟下起雨來，倆人在空曠處被淋了個透。更為不幸的是，背棉花的樵夫背上的棉花，吸飽了雨水。重得背不動，實在不得已，只能丟下一路辛苦捨不得放棄的棉花，空著手和挑金子的同伴回家去了。

　　However, when they just went down to the foot of the mountain, it began to rain all of a sudden. Both of them were wet from head to toes. More unfortunately, the woodsman who carried the cotton found that his cotton had absorbed tons of water and became so heavy that he could no longer go on carrying it. Desperately, he had to abandon the cotton and went back home empty-handed with his partner carrying gold.

　　在人生的每個關鍵時刻，謹慎地運用智慧，做最正確的選擇，同時別忘了及時審視選擇的角度，適時調整。要學會從各個不同的角度全面研究問題，放掉無謂的固執。冷靜地用開放的心胸做正確抉擇。每次正確無誤的抉擇將指引你走在通往成功的坦途上。

　　This story implies that we should deliberately utilize our wisdom and intelligence to make the right choice in face of every critical point in our life. Meantime, we should not forget to review all the choices we have carefully and adjust our goal accordingly. We should learn to view a certain issue from different angles and avoid being stubborn. By opening your mind to the right choice, you will be guided to a smoother way to success.

　　3

　　Is Here For The Sake of Other Men　人是為了別人而活著

　　Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose.

　　我們在這個世界上的處境是奇怪的：每個人，都是來做一次短暫的訪問，不知道是為了什麼。不過有時似乎也會覺察到有某種目的。

　　From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know that man is here for the sake of other men --- above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day I realize how much my own outer and inner life is built upon the labors of my fellow men, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received. My peace of mind is often troubled by the depressing sense that I have borrowed too heavily from the work of other men.

　　但是從平日的生活來看，有一件事情我們是很清楚的：我們是為別人而活，最重要的是為了這些人活：他們的笑容和幸福構成了我們快樂的源泉。同時，我們活著還為了另外無數個不相識的生命，憐憫之心，將我們同他們的命運聯絡起來。每天，很多次，我都會意識到我的肉體生活和精神生活很大程度上是建立在那些活著的，和死去的人們的工作之上的，意識到我必須誠摯地、竭盡全力地努力去回報我所得到的東西。我經常心緒不寧，感覺自己從別人的工作裡承襲了太多，這種感覺讓我惴惴不安。

　　To ponder interminably over the reason for one’s own existence or the meaning of life in general seems to me, from an objective point of view, to be sheer folly. And yet everyone holds certain ideals by which he guides his aspiration and his judgment. The ideals which have always shone before me and filled me with the joy of living are goodness, beauty, and truth. To make a goal of comfort and happiness has never appealed to me; a system of ethics built on this basis would be sufficient only for a herd of cattle.

　　總體上在我看來，從客觀的角度，沒完沒了地思考自己為什麼會存在，或者是生命有什麼意義，是非常愚蠢的行為。不過，每個人都有一些理想，來指引著自己的抱負和辨別是非。始終在我面前閃耀著光芒，並且讓我充滿活著的喜悅的理想，是善、美和真理。對我來說，以舒適和享樂為目標的生活從來沒有吸引力。　以這些目標為基礎建立起來的一套倫理觀點只能滿足一群牲畜的需要。