高中生日常生活英語美文

　　激發興趣,培養誦讀習慣,領略經典美文之美,培養學生良好的英語閱讀習慣。下面是小編帶來的，歡迎閱讀!

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　　Names of Virtues

　　十三項美德

　　I conceived the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection. I wished to live without committing any fault at any time; I would conquer all that either natural inclination, custom, or company might lead me into. As I knew, or thought I knew, what was right or wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other. But I soon found I had undertaken a task of more difficulty than I had imagined. While my case was employed in guarding against one fault, I was often surprised by another; habit took the advantage of inattention; inclination was sometimes too strong for reason. I concluded, at length, that the mere speculative conviction that it was our interest to be completely virtuous, was not sufficient to prevent our slipping; and that the contrary habits must be broken, and good ones acquired and established, before we can have any dependence on a steady, uniform rectitude of conduct. For this purpose I therefore contrived the following method.

　　我曾想出一個達到完美品德的大膽而又費力的計劃。我希望這一輩子都不犯任何錯誤，我要克服所有的缺點，不管它們是由天生的愛好而引起的，還是由於習慣或交友不慎引起的。因為我知道，或者自以為知道，什麼是對的、什麼是錯的，所以我覺得自己能夠只做好事而不做壞事。但不久我發現，自己想做的工作比原先料想的要困難得多。正當我的注意力放在克服某一缺點時，另一個缺點卻出乎意料地冒了出來。習慣利用一時的疏忽，而理智有時又絕非癖好的敵手。後來，我終於得出結論，僅僅抽象地相信完美的品德對我們是有利的，但還不足以防止我們的過失，壞習慣必須打破，好習慣必須培養和建立起來，然後我們才能希望我們的舉止能夠堅定不移、始終如一地正確。為了這個目標，我想出了下面這個方法。

　　In the various enumerations of the moral virtues I had met with in my reading, I found the catalogue more or less numerous, as different writers included more or fewer ideas under the same name. Temperance, for example, was by some confined to eating and drinking, while by others it was extended to mean the moderating of every other pleasure, appetite, inclination, or passion, bodily or mental, even to our avarice and ambition. I proposed to myself, for the sake of clearness, to use rather more names, with fewer ideas annexed to each, than a few names with more ideas; and I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that time occurred to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short percept, which fully expressed the extend I gave to its meaning.

　　我在閱讀的過程中，發現在列舉各種道德品質時，各種分類都或多或少地存在分歧，因為對於同一個詞的涵義，不同的作者可以做或多或少的闡釋。例如“節制”這個詞，有人把它的意義限於飲食，而另外一些人卻把它的意義擴充套件到調節其他快樂、慾望、癖好和肉體的或精神的情慾，甚至將其推廣到貪婪和野心上面。我總結出了13種美德，這是我當時認為必需的或適合的所有美德條目，並在每一項底下加了一條簡單的箴言，它充分說明了我認為這個詞的涵義所應有的範圍。

　　These names of virtues, with their precepts, were:

　　這些道德的名目及其涵義如下：

　　1.Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

　　1.節制。食不過飽，飲酒不醉。

　　2.Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

　　2.沉默。說話必須對自己或他人有益;避免無益的聊天。

　　3.Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

　　3.生活秩序。將每一樣東西放在它們應該放的地方;安排好做每件日常事務的時間。

　　4.Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

　　4.決心。做該做的事;決心做的事應堅持不懈。

　　5.Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i. e. waste nothing.

　　5.儉樸。花錢必須於人於己有益;換言之，切忌浪費。

　　6.Industry. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

　　6.勤勉。不浪費時間，只做有用的事，戒掉一切不必要的行動。

　　7.Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

　　7.誠懇。不欺騙人;思想純潔公正;說話也要如此。

　　8.Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

　　8.公正。不做害人的事情，不要忘記履行對人有益而且又是你應盡的義務。

　　9.Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

　　9.中庸適度。避免極端;要容忍你認為別人應得的處罰。

　　10.Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes, or habitation.

　　10.清潔。身體、衣服和住所力求清潔。

　　11.Tranquility.Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

　　11.鎮靜。不要因為小事或普通的、不可避免的事故而驚慌失措。

　　12.Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.

　　12.貞節。除非為了健康或生育後代，不常進行房事，切忌房事過度，傷害身體或損害你自己或他人的安寧或名譽。

　　13.Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

　　13.謙遜。仿效耶穌和蘇格拉底。

　　My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, I judged it would be well not to distract my on of some might facilitate the acquisition of certain others, I arranged them with that view, as they stand above.

　　我的目標是養成一切美德的習慣，因此我認為，為了不至於分散注意力，最好還是不要立即全面嘗試，而是在一段時期內集中精力於其中之一。當我掌握了那項美德之後，接著再開始注意另外一項，如此這樣，直到我做滿13條為止。因此先獲得的一些美德可以方便其他美德的培養，而我就按照這個主張把它們排列起來，就像上面的次序一樣

　　閱讀

　　Work and Pleasure

　　工作和娛樂

　　To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or three hobbies, and they must 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 great knowledge 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, human beings may be divided into three classes : those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death...

　　想要獲得真正的幸福與平安，一個人至少應該有兩三種業餘愛好，而且必須是真正的愛好。到了晚年才開始說“我要對什麼感興趣”是毫無益處的，這樣的嘗試只會增加精神上的負擔。在與自己日常工作無關的某些領域中，一個人可以獲得淵博的知識，但他幾乎得不到實在的益處或放鬆。喜歡幹什麼就幹什麼是無益的，你得幹一行愛一行。廣義而言，人類可以分成三個階層：勞累而死的人、憂慮而死的人和煩惱而死的人……

　　It may also be said that rational, industrious, useful human beings are divided into two classes: first, those whose work is work and whose pleasure is pleasure; and secondly, those whose work and pleasure are one. Of these the former are the majority. They have their compensations. The long hours in the office or the factory bring with them as their reward, not only the means of sustenance, but a keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and most modest forms. But Fortune's favoured children belong to the second class. Their life is a natural harmony. For them the working hours are never long e- nough. Each day is a holiday, and ordinary holidays when they come are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vocation. Yet to both classes the need of an alternative outlook, of a change of atmosphere, of a diversion of effort, is essential. Indeed, it may well be that those whose work is their pleasure are those who most need the means of banishing it at intervals from their minds.

　　或者可以這麼說，理智的、勤奮的、有用的人可以分為兩類：第一類，他們的工作就是工作，娛樂就是娛樂;第二類，他們的工作和娛樂是合二為一的。當然，很大_部分人都屬於第一類人。他們可以得到相應的補償。在辦公室或工廠里長時間的工作，帶給他們的不僅是維持生計的金錢，還帶給他們一種渴求娛樂的強烈慾望，哪怕這種娛樂消遣是以最簡單、最樸實的方式進行。命運的寵兒則屬於第二類人，他們的生活自然而和諧。在他們看來，工作時間永遠不夠多，每一天在他們看來都是假期;而當正常的假日到來時，他們總會抱怨他們沉迷其中的休假被強行中斷。然而，有一些東西對於這兩類人來說是十分必要的，那就是變換一下視角，改變一下氛圍，努力做一件別的事情。事實上，每隔一段時間，那些把工作看做娛樂的人們很可能最需要以某種方式把工作驅趕出他們的大腦。

　　學習

　　The Song of the River

　　河之歌

　　You hear it all along the river. You hear it, loud and strong, from the rowers as they urge the junk with its high stem, the mast lashed alongside, down the swift running stream. You hear it from the trackers, a more breathless chant, as they pull desperately against the current, half a dozen of them perhaps if they are taking up a sampan, a couple of hundred if they are hauling a splendid junk, its square sail set, over a rapid. On the junk a man stands amidships beating a drum incessantly to guide their efforts, and they pull with all their strength, like men possessed, bent double; and sometimes in the extremity of their travail they crawl on the ground, on all fours, like the beasts of the field. They strain, strain fiercely, against the pitiless might of the stream. The leader goes up and down the line and when he sees one who is not putting all his will into the task he brings down his split bamboo on the naked back. Each one must do his utmost or the labour of all is vain. And still they sing a vehement, eager chant, the chant of the turbulent waters. I do not know how words can describe what there is in it of effort. It serves to express the straining heart, the breaking muscles, and at the same time the indomitable spirit of man which overcomes the pitiless force of nature. Though the rope may part and the great junk swing back, in the end the rapid will be passed; and at the close of the weary day there is the hearty meal...

　　沿著整條河，都能夠聽見歌聲，洪亮而有力度。船伕們划著木船順流而下，船尾翹得高高的，船邊綁著桅杆。這也許是急促些的號子吧。縴夫們拼命地拉著纖逆流而上，如果拉的是小木船，也許就只有五六個人，如果拉的是過急灘、揚著橫帆的大船，就要二百多人了。一個壯漢站在船中央，不停地擊鼓助威，指引著他們加緊幹活。於是，他們用盡全身的力量，著了魔似的，俯身探地，有時用盡力了，就全身趴在地上匍匐前進，像是田地裡勞動的牲畜。他們用力，拼命用力，對抗著流水無情的阻擋之力。領頭的在纖繩前後不停奔走，看到有人沒有竭盡全力，就用竹板打他的光背。每個人都必須竭盡全力，否則就要前功盡棄。就這樣，他們仍舊唱著激昂而炙烈的號子，那洶湧澎湃的河水號子。我不知道用怎樣的詞語才能描寫出這其中的拼搏，它體現出了緊繃的弦，幾乎要斷裂的筋肉，同時也體現了人類以頑強的精神克服這無情的自然力。雖然繩子可能扯斷，大船可能倒退，但終能渡過激流。在筋疲力盡的一天結束之後，可以痛快地吃上一頓飽飯……

　　But the most agonising song is the song of the coolies who bring the great bales from the junk up the steep steps to the town wall. Up and down they go, endlessly, and endless as their toil rises their rhythmic cry. He, aw,ah,on. They are barefoot and naked to the waist. The sweat pours down their faces and their song is a groan of pain. It is a sigh of despair. It is heart rending. It is hardly human. It is the cry of souls in infinite distress, only just musical, and that last note is the ultimate sob of humanity. Life is too hard, too cruel, and this is the final despairing protest. That is the song of the river.

　　然而最讓人苦悶的歌是苦力的歌，他們揹著從船上卸下的大包，沿著陡坡爬上城牆。他們不停地來回上下，和著沒有盡頭的勞動，響起有節奏的喊聲：嗨，呦，嗨，呦。他們赤腳裸背，臉上的汗水不斷地向下流。他們的歌是痛苦的呻吟，失望的嘆息，讓人們聽起來心碎不已，難以相信是人的聲音。這是在無盡的悲涼中呼喊的靈魂，只不過配上了有節奏的音樂，那終曲簡直就是人性最終的低泣。生活如此艱難、如此殘酷，這喊聲正是最後絕望的抗議，這就是河之歌!