著名英語美文摘抄閱讀

　　讓他們沐浴在古詩文的陽光雨露中，努力去吸取經典美文的瓊漿玉液，讓一切美妙的修養和哲學毫無痕跡地從他們的口中滲入血液，滲入生命感受的深處，成為孩子們生命的一部分。經典美文可以陶冶情操，豐富想象，還可以培養學生對語言文字的興趣，有益於培養他們的文學素養。本文是著名英語美文，希望對大家有幫助!

　　著名英語美文：你為什麼要做手頭上的事呢?

　　It’s a serious question and one you’re likely not askedall that often.

　　這是一個很嚴肅的問題，但也是一個你不會經常問自己的問題。

　　Take a look at what you do each day and ask yourself “why am I doing this?”

　　看一下你每天都在做些什麼然後問問自己：“我做這些是為了什麼?”

　　On a typical day I’m up with my kids, playing with them,tending to them, teaching them. Why do I do it? Because I love them, I want them to have our values, I want to teach them and I want to experience what it’s like to be a mom. I could choose to go back to a job outside of the home and earn a fairly good income, but I choose to stay home because it just feels like the right thing to do … for me.I realize that this isn’t a luxury a lot of people have despite wanting it and believe me when I say I am grateful for being able to stay at home with my kids.

　　有一天，我抱起我的小孩，和他們一塊玩耍，照顧著他們，教育他們。我不禁想：我為什麼做這些事情呢?因為我愛他們，我想他們能夠擁有我們的價值觀，我想教導他們並且通過這些去感受作為媽媽的經歷。我可以選擇回去工作，而且會有一份相當好的收入，但是我選擇留在家裡因為我感覺這就是我要做的。我也意識到這並不是一件奢侈的東西，很多人都有，儘管很多人口裡都喊著想要這樣的生活，相信我，我很感激能夠呆在家裡和我的小孩在一起。

　　I write. Why? Because it allows me to get in touch with my creative side, something I didn’t get to do too often when I was heavily embedded in the sciences. Writing helps me gather and focus my thoughts. It allows me to.

　　我寫作。為什麼?因為寫作激起了我的創造靈感，這些靈感不是我堅信自然科學就能夠獲得的。寫作讓我收集靈感、專注於我的思維上，它給了我這樣的契機。

　　I coach/consult people. Why? Because it allows me to work in a way that I’m passionate about, I am able to contribute financially to my family, and it’s helping me get closer to my goal of personally funding 2 children’s wishes for the Children’s Wish Foundation. Since one of my son’s is a wish kid this is near and dear to me and at $20K a wish I have a VERY long way to go. But I don’t doubt I’ll get there in my lifetime.

　　我是顧問。為什麼?因為這份工作是我的激情所在。通過這份工作，我不但可以支援家庭，我也朝我的目標更近了一步：為兒童願望基金會資助兩名兒童，幫他們實現願望。我最親愛的兒子也是個愛許願的孩子，所以雖然幫每個兒童實現願望需要2萬美金，我得花很久才能實現，但是我堅信在我的有生之年我肯定能實現。

　　These are just a few examples of what I do and why I do them. They may not sit well with everyone but I do what I do in these respects with purpose and reason.

　　這只是我所做的和為什麼我要做這些的幾個例子。它們不可能適合所有的人，但我知道做我手頭上這些事情的目的和意義。

　　I could also mention that I watch TV from time to time. If you asked me why I do it, I wouldn’t have a very good answer – to curb boredom, to relax and just sit at the end of the day. There are a lot of better things I could be doing with my time but occasionally TV is okay.

　　在這裡我還想提到一點，即我時常也看電視。如果你問我為什麼會看電視?我可能沒有一個很好的答案，或許只是無聊，只是想放鬆一下，或許只想在一天結束的時候坐著休息一下。我的一生還有許多許多更美好的事情等著我去做，但偶爾看看電視也很好。

　　I think doing things without purpose, a plan or the bigger picture in mind can be fun but it may be wasting your time, effort, energy, talents and skills.

　　我認為做事情沒有目標，沒有計劃或是在腦海中沒有一幅藍圖，會很有趣，但這樣子確實浪費時間、精力、才能和你的技能。

　　So what are you doing and why are you doing it?

　　所以說：你在做些什麼?你為什麼要做?

　　Take inventory of what you’re doing in major life areas and try to understand why you’re doing them.

　　列下在你重要的人生領域裡，你所做事情的清單，找到做這些事情的原因。

　　Does what you do play to your strengths? Do you get great joy out of doing it? Is it helping you get closer to a goalor a dream you have?

　　你所做的有助於發揮你的實力嗎?你快樂嗎?做這些事情能幫你朝既定的目標或者夢想邁進一些嗎?

　　If you spend too much of your time focusing on things that don’t really matter, that don’t really excite you and you don’t have a reason for doing what you’re doing you could be missing out on a lot of great things.

　　如果你把過多的時間花在這樣一些事情上：無關緊要，不會讓你興奮，你也沒有很好的理由來解釋為什麼要做現在正在做的事情，那麼你將會失去很多美好的事情。

　　Think of all the opportunities you could be missing out on if you’re tied up in activities that don’t matter to you. Wouldn’t you hate to realize one day that what you wanted all along passed you by because you were too busy doing other things. Menial things.

　　想一下：如果你在一些無關緊要的事情上面忙忙碌碌，你將失去多少機會?你會不會有一天突然意識到：因為你忙著做一些其他你認為重要的事情，而你真正想要的東西卻通通都已溜走。

　　So my question remains: What are you doing and why do you do it?

　　所以我的問題依然是：你在做什麼，你為什麼做?

　　著名英語美文：大石塊

　　One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz.” Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. He then produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is the jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes."

　　一天，一名時間管理專家在對一群學習商業的學生講話時，為了論證一個論點，他用了一個令學生們永遠難忘的 表述方式。站在這群出類拔萃的學生面前，他說：“來，做個小測試。”他拿出一個一加侖的廣口玻璃瓶，放在他們面前的桌上。接著他拿出一小堆拳頭大小的石塊，小心翼翼、一塊一塊地放進瓶子裡。等石塊裝滿到瓶子，再也塞不下時，他問：“瓶子滿了嗎?”大家都說：“滿了。”

　　He replied, "Really?"

　　他問：“真的滿了嗎?”

　　He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel, then dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks.

　　他伸手到桌下提出一桶碎石，將碎石倒進瓶子裡，搖晃瓶子讓碎石漏進石塊的間隙裡去。

　　He asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"

　　他又問學生：“瓶子裝滿了嗎?”

　　By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered.

　　這時學生們領悟過來了。“可能還沒滿吧!”一個學生回答說。

　　"Good!" he replied.

　　“好!”他說道。

　　He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question,"Is the jar full?"

　　他伸手從桌底下拎出了一桶沙，把沙往瓶子裡倒，沙子塞滿了石塊與碎石的縫隙，他又一次問：“滿了嗎?”

　　"No!" the class shouted.

　　“沒滿!”全班學生大聲回答。

　　Once again he said, "Good!"

　　再一次，他說道：“好!”

　　Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager student raised her hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in!"

　　然後他又拿出一大罐水往瓶子裡倒，一直倒到水升到瓶口高。他看著學生們問“這個演示說明了什麼?”一個學生急忙舉手說：“說 明瞭：不管時間安排得多緊，只要你想辦法，總是可以見縫插針地做更多的事情。”

　　"Good answer, but no," the speaker replied, "that’s not my point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all. What are the’big rocks" in your life? In my life they are my children... my wife... my loved ones... my education... my dreams... charities and worthy causes... teaching or mentoring others... doing things that I love... time for myself... my health... Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all."

　　“回答得好，不過，”專家說：“這不是我想說的。這個例子告訴我們一個事實：如果你不是先放大石塊，以後 它們就永遠擺不進去。你生活中的‘大石塊’是什麼呢?在我的生活中，那就是我的孩子、妻子、所愛的人、學習、夢想、善行和有價值的事業、教導他人、做我喜歡做的事、留給自己的時間、健康，等等。要記住，必須先放“大石塊”，否則它們永遠放不進去。”

　　If you sweat the little stuff then you’ll fill your life with little things to worry about that don’t really matter, and you’ll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big,important stuff：the big rocks.

　　如果你奔忙於瑣事，那麼這些無關緊要的小事就會充斥你的生活，讓你成天操心，你就永遠沒辦法騰出有質量的時間來處理你的大事和要事***大石塊***。

　　著名英語美文：錯過的祝福

　　A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

　　從前，有位年輕人即將大學生畢業。數月來，他一直渴望得到某汽車商產品陳列室中的一輛跑車。他知道，他那富有的父親肯定買得起這輛車，於是，他便跟父親說他很想得到那輛漂亮的跑車。

　　As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

　　在畢業典禮即將來臨的日子裡，年輕人等待著父親買下跑車的訊息。終於，在畢業典禮那天上午，父親將他叫到自己的書房，並告訴他，有他這麼出色的兒子自己感到非常自豪而且非常愛他這個兒子。接著，父親遞給兒子一個包裝精美的禮品盒。年輕人感到好奇，但帶著些許失望地開啟禮品盒，卻發現裡面是一本精美的精裝本《聖經》，上面以金子凸印著年輕人的名字。看罷，年輕人怒氣衝衝地向父親大喊道：“你有那麼多錢，卻只給我一本《聖經》?”說完，便丟下《聖經》，憤怒地衝出房子。

　　Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realizing his father was very old, he thought perhaps he should go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make the arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

　　多年以後，年輕人已事業有成。他擁有一所漂亮的房子，一個溫馨的家庭。但當得知父親年事已高，他想，或許應該去看看他。自從畢業那天起他就一直不見父親。就在起程時，他收到一封電報——父親已逝世，並已立下遺囑將其所有財產轉給兒子。他要立即回父親家處理後事。

　　When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he was reading, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... "PAID IN FULL".

　　在父親的房子裡，他突然內心感到一陣悲傷與懊悔。他開始仔細搜尋父親的重要檔案，突然發現了那本《聖經》——還跟幾年前一樣嶄新。他噙著淚水開啟《聖經》並一頁一頁地閱讀著。忽然，從書的背面掉出一把鑰匙。鑰匙上掛著一個標籤，上面寫著一個汽車經銷商的名字——正是他曾渴望的那輛跑車的經銷商。標籤上還有他的畢業日期及“款已付清”的字樣。

　　How many times do we miss blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

　　我們多少次地與祝福擦肩而過，僅僅因為他們沒有按我們想象中的樣子包裝好?不要在渴望得到沒有的東西時損壞你已經擁有的東西，但要記住一點：你現在所擁有的恰恰正是你曾經一心渴望得到的。

　　Sometimes we don't realize the good fortune we have or we could have because we expect "the packaging" to be different. What may appear as bad fortune may in fact be the door that is just waiting to be opened.

　　有時，我們並沒有意識到我們已經擁有或本該擁有的好運，僅僅因為它的外表與我們想象中的有所不同。其實，表面上看起來像是壞運氣的東西或許正是等待開啟的幸運之門。