初中英語朗讀比賽文章

　　英語是一種語言工具，學習英語的最終目標就是能利用這種工具與別人自由流暢的交流。下面就是小編給大家整理的，希望大家喜歡。

　　：Buy What You Love

　　I used to be a shopaholic.

　　How many of us can relate to that statement? Yet, when Saturday rolls around, off we go to the nearest boutique or shopping mall to buy more clothes, things, and possessions that we really aren't even sure we need or want.

　　"But it was on SALE..." is often one of the biggest defenses we use to justify our shopping habits and expenditures.

　　As someone who truly has been a shop-a-holic ***yes, I once spent $10,000 in one two month period on clothes -- my MasterCard entered the MasterCard hall-of-fame for that one!*** I can tell you that buying something just because it is "on sale" is not a good reason for making a purchase.

　　I spent far more money than I needed to simply because a store was going out of business and had too many great deals to pass up. But at what cost did I do this? If I had invested my money in real estate, I could have bought ten times the amount of clothes just three years later. Or, how many starving, hungry people could I have fed, if I had donated that money, instead? Did I need the clothes? Not really. I already had numerous suits, ties, and shirts that I hardly wore more than once a year.

　　So, if you're finding yourself nodding and saying, "hmm... yes, I DO have a lot of shoes I rarely wear.... yes, I do have more than I need... " then here are a few basic guidelines to help break the pattern and start creating the proactive life on purpose with our elegant -- yet SIMPLE lifestyle we seek:

　　1. Buy it ONLY if we NEED it and ONLY if we LOVE it. This is the most important guideline.

　　2. If I buy something new, and have something like it already, then the older something must be donated, given away, or thrown away. This is a basic of clutter clearing that when overlooked creates an abundance of stuff we no longer need cluttering up our lives.

　　3. If we need it, buy it if it is on sale, if possible, but do not let that be a deterrence to buying. However, buy consumables, furniture, and other things which stay in style longer at the end of seasons, and buy clothing which fades from style at the beginning of the season. We need to buy much less of the "fashion trend" type of clothing and much more of styles which will be staying around for a longer time, so we can maximize our clothing investment.

　　4. If we haven't worn it in a year, then consider getting rid of it.

　　5. Find a good tailor. Most of the problems with clothing and fit could be eliminated simply by having good tailor. Also, take outfits to the tailor for fitting any time we've gained or lost more than 5 lbs. Ever seen someone with a double breasted suit with the button in the wrong place? Or a suit that pinches in the middle? A dress that fits funny? Why not get it tailored professionally so we can look our best? That is what elegance is all about, isn't it?

　　6. If we have not used an item ***furniture, gadget, etc.*** for over a year, consider donating, selling, or otherwise getting rid of the item. There are some exceptions to this guideline, if collecting a certain item is our passion, but otherwise, this is a healthy guideline to keep our "stuff" simplified.

　　7. Before buying anything, always ask "Do I need this? Do I LOVE this?" If the answer is "no", then don't buy it.

　　As we start to buy proactively, with a plan for bringing new things into our life and donating or selling those things we no longer need, we will find your life will be far more free to spend the time doing what we love, rather than being a slave to fashion.

　　：With one small gesture

　　One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned ***parties and a football game with my friend tomorrow afternoon***, so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives.

　　He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now.

　　We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. The more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him.Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Dim boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.

　　Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.

　　Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.

　　Graduation day, I saw Kyle.. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found themselves during high school. He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him! Boy, sometimes I was jealous.

　　Today was one of those days. I can see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks ***the really grateful one*** and smiled."Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach.... but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give him or her. I am going to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."

　　I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.

　　Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.

　　：May I sit here?

　　I look at spiders and butter-flies. I watch caterpillars and moths. Sometimes I think I'm the only one who notices these things. But if it hadn't been for a crowded cafeteria, I wouldn't Have ever noticed Valeri. After all, I wasn't looking for new friends.

　　Valeri was a new student. She walked to class with her books huddled against her chest and her head down. He talked only when the teacher asked her a question. After a month at our school, she hadn't made any friend. At recess, she sat on a bench and read. If you asked who she was, you'd get a response like this, "She's in my PE class, I can't remenber her name."

　　One day at lunch, I had nowhere to sit. Most tables were full, my friends scattered among them. But Valeri sat alone, book in hand, I walked over to her.

　　"May I sit here?" I asked.

　　"Sure," she said.

　　The cafeteria was noisy, but silence hung between us. Valeri didn't seem to mind, but it drove me crazy. I searched my mind for things to say.

　　"So," I said, "is that a good book?" Valeri gave a small nod and went back to reading. "What's it about?" I asked, after several more agonizing seconds of silence. She looked at me, her eyes sparkling.

　　"Well, it's called Eragon, and it's about a dragon! This boy, Eragon, finds this dragon egg when he goes hunging one day. He thinks it's a rock! The egg hatches and Eragon hides the dragon from his cousin and uncle until it gets too big."

　　"That sounds cool." I said. I was about to ask her another question, but the bell rang.

　　As I rushed out of the cafeteria, I called to Valeri, "See you later."

　　"Yeah," she said, "see you later." She sounded doubtful.

　　A couple days later, I spotted Valeri looking for a place to sit at lunch.

　　"Valeri, come here." I pointed to an empty chair.

　　She sat down and pulled out her book. Everyone was talking about next week's talent show. "So, what are you doing for the show?" My friend Erin asked my friend Kelly.

　　"Oh, I don't know, probably nothing," Kelly sighed. "What are you doing?" She pointed to Valeri.

　　"Oh." Valeri put her book down. "I don't know. Maybe nothing."

　　The week flew by. Before I knew it. I was sitting in the auditorium, listening to a group of girls sing the latest pop songs at the talent show. I was bored out of my life, and I wanted it to end so I could read Eragon. I'd checked it out at the library, Then a shy girl walked on stage. I recongized her immediately. Valeri clutched a violin in one hand and a bow in the other.

　　She stared to play. The notes formed a soft, weet tune. Then it turned fast, then faster. The music stopped altogether before the tune retumed. Valeri ended the song with one hard, fast, loud note. The auditorium fell completely silent until we realized the music was finished. Still in a halftrance, we burst into applause. Valeri took a swift bow and walked off stage.

　　I smiled to myself. Valeri wasn't just a "quiet girl".She knew about wonderful books and could play the violin like nothing I'd ever heard. Like a caterpillar or butterfly, she was beautiful and amazing when you looked closely.