阅读经典美文是拓宽思维、增长见识、丰富情感、涵养素质的最有效手段。本文是经典的名家英语美文,希望对大家有帮助!
经典的名家英语美文:人生如诗
I think that,from a biological standpoint,human life almost reads like a poem.It has its ownrhythm and beat,its internal cycles of growth and decay.It begins with innocentchildhood,followed by awkward adolescence trying awkwardly to adapt itself to maturesociety,with its young passions and follies, its ideals and ambitions;then it reaches a manhoodof intenseactivities, profiting from experience and learning more about society and humannature; at middle age, there is a slight easing of tension,a mellowing of character like theripening of fruit or the mellowing of good wine,and the gradual acquiring of a more tolerant,more cynical and at the same time a kindlier view of life;then in the sunset of our life, theendocrine glands decrease their activity,and if we have a true philosophy of old age and haveordered our life pattern according to it,it is for us the age of peace and security and leisureand contentment;finally, life flickers out and one goes into eternal sleep, never to wake upagain.One should be able to sense the beauty of thisrhythm of life, to appreciate, as we do ingrand symphonies, its main theme,its strains of conflict and the final resolution.
The movements of these cycles are very much the same in a normal life, but the music must beprovided by the individual himself.In some souls, the discordant note becomes harsher andharsher and finally overwhelms or submerges the main melody.Sometimes the discordantnote gains so much power that the music can no longer go on, and the individual shootshimself with a pistol or jumps into a river.But that is because his original leitmotif has beenhopelessly over shadowed through the lack of a good self education. Otherwise the normalhuman life runs to its normal end in a kind of dignified movement and procession.
No one can say that a life with childhood, manhood and old age is not a beautifularrangement; the day hasits morning, noon and sunset, and the year has its seasons, and itis good that it is so. There is no goodor bad in life, except what is good according to its ownseason.And if we take this biological view of life and try to live according to the seasons, no onebut a conceited fool or an impossible idealist can denythat human life can be lived like apoem.
我想,从生物学的观点来说,人生品味起来就像一首诗。它有其自身的韵律和节拍,有其生老病死的内在循环过程。它以天真烂漫的童年为序曲;接着便是青涩的青舂期,带着青年人的热情和愚蠢、理想和抱负,羞涩、惽懂地迈向成人的世界;然后便进入一个活力充沛的成年时期,这个时期人们从阅历中获益,对社会及人性也有了更多了解;到中年之时,压力才稍为减轻,人的性格就像熟透的水果或醇厚的美酒一般,更为圆熟,这时候,对人生的态度也逐渐变得更宽容、更随性、更仁慈。此后,便到了我们的迟暮之年,内分泌腺的活动逐渐趋缓。如果我们对年老持一种真正的达观态度,并以此来安排我们的生活方式,那么,这个时期对我们来说,就是安宁、稳定、闲逸和满足的时期;最终,生命的火光摇曳不定,之后人将永远地长眠,不再醒来。人应该能够体会这种人生之韵的美,应该能够像欣赏盛大的交响乐那样,去欣赏人生的主旋律,欣赏它的冲突片断和最后的尾声。
这些循环过程的运动在每个常人的生命中并无二至,但是生命的乐曲须由我们每个人自己来谱写。在有些人的灵魂之中,不和谐的音符变得愈加刺耳,到最后完全盖过或是湮没了生命的主旋律。有时候,这种不和谐的音符会如此强大以至于生命的乐曲不能继续演奏,而使人饮弹自尽或者投河而亡。但男陽由于缺乏良好的自我修养,人最初的主旋律就已投上了无望的阴影。否则,一个正常人的生活会以一种尊贵的方式演进而最后得以正常结束。
没有人能够说,由童年、成年和老年组成的人生不是一种完美的安排; 就像一天有早晨、中午和晚上,一年有四季,如此存在就是美好的。人生并没有好坏之分,只要符合我们所处的阶段, 生活就都是人生的大好时光。而如果我们采纳这种看待人生的生物学观点,并且,尽量依照不同的阶段来生活,那么,除了狂妄自大的蠢人或不可理喻的理想主义者之外,没有人能够否认:人生可以活得像一首诗。
经典的名家英语美文:本杰明·富兰克林
Franklin’s life is full of charming stories which all young men should know how he peddledballads in Boston, and stood as the guest of kings in Europe;how he worked his passage as astowaway to Philadelphia, and rode in the queen’s own litter in France; how he walked thestreets of Philadelphia, homeless and unknown, with three penny rolls for his breakfast, anddined at the tables of princes, and received his friendsin a palace; how he raised a kite from acow shed, and was showered with all the high degrees the collegesof the world could give; howhe was duped by a false friend as a boy, and became the friend of all humanity as a man; howhe was made Major General Franklin, only to resign because, as he said, he was no soldier,andyet helped to organize the army that stood before the trained troops of England and Germany.
This poor Boston boy, with scarcely a day’s schooling, became master of six languages andnever stopped studying; this neglected apprentice tamed the lightning, made his namefamous,
received degrees and diplomas from colleges in both hemispheres, and became foreverremembered as “DoctorFranklin”, philosopher, patriot, scientist, philanthropist andstatesman. Self made, self taught, and self reared, the candle maker’s son gave light to all theworld; the street ballad seller set all men singing of liberty; the runaway apprentice becamethe most sought after man of two continents, and brought his native land to praise and honorhim.
He built America, for what our Republic is today is largely due to the prudence, theforethought, the statesmanship, the enterprise, the wisdom, and the ability of BenjaminFranklin. He belongs to the world, but especially does he belong to America. As the nationshonored him while living, so the Republic glorifies him when dead, and has enshrined him in thechoicest of its niches, the one he regarded as the loftiest thehearts of the common people,from whom he had sprung and in their hearts Franklin will live forever.
富兰克林的一生充满了令人着迷的故事,所有的年轻人都应该知道:他怎样在波士顿街头叫卖叙事歌谣唱本,而后来却成为欧洲各国君主的贵客;他怎样偷偷上船,在船上靠干活抵偿船票才来到费城,而后来却坐进了法国王后的乘舆;他怎样在费城沿街瞎逛,无家可归,没人理眯,仅买得起三便士的面包卷 (卷饼)当早饭,而后来却在君王的餐桌前进餐,在宫殿里接待朋友;他如何从牛棚上放起风筝,而后来却荣获世界上多所名牌 大学所能授予的一切最高学位;他在童年时如何被一个虚假的朋友所蒙骗,而后来却成为全人类的朋友;他如何被授予少将军衔,但是他却辞职不千,因为他说他没有军人气度,然而就是他 帮助组建了同训练有素的英德联军对阵的联邦军队。
这个波士顿的穷孩子几乎没有上过一天学,后来却掌握了六种语言,并且学习锲而不舍。这个被人忽视的学徒制服了闪电,扬名天下,获得了东西两半球各国大学的学位和证书,成为留芳百世的"富兰克林博士”、哲学家、爱国者、科学家、慈善家和政治家。这个蜡烛制造商的儿子自我奋斗、自学成才、自强自立,给全世界带来了光明;这个叙事歌谣唱本的街头叫卖者让全人类唱起了自由之歌;这个逃亡的学徒成了欧、美两块大陆最令人仰慕的人物,使他的祖国对他赞扬不已、崇敬备至。
他缔造了美国,因为我们的共和国能有今天,在很大程度上归功子本杰明•富兰克林的深谋远虑、远见卓识、治国之术、进取精神、大睿大智和精明能干。他厲干全世界,但是他更属于美国。他在世时,各国人民尊敬他,他去世后,共和国同样颂扬他,把他尊奉在最珍贵的壁龛里--个他视为最崇高的位置——普通老百姓的心中。富兰克林来自于人民,他也将永远活人民的心中。
经典的名家英语美文:坚持不懈
Napoleon declared, “Victory belongs to the most persevering.”Upon careful study we findperseverance depends upon three things - purpose,will, and enthusiasm. He who has apurpose is always concentrating his forces.By the will, the hope and the plan are preventedfrom evaporating into dreams.Enthusiasm keeps the interest up, and makes the obstacles seemsmall.
Life is in a sense a battle. The man who thinks to get on by mere smartness and by idling meetsfailure atlast.Perseverance is the master impulse of the firmest souls, and holds the key tothose treasure-houses of knowledge from which the world has drawn its wealth both of wisdomand of moral worth.
Great men never wait for opportunities; they make them. They seize upon whatever is at hand,work out their problem, and master the situation. The greatest thing a man can do in this worldis to make the most possible out of the stuff that has been given to him. This is success andthere is no other.
One of the important lessons of life is to learn how to get victory out of defeat. It takescourage and stamina, when mortified by humiliating disaster, to seek in the ruins the elementsof future conquest. Yet this measures the difference between those who succeed and thosewho fail. We cannot measure a man by his failures. We must know what use he makes ofthem. The man who has not fought his way upward and does not bear the scar of desperateconflict does not know the highest meaning of success.
拿破仑宣称,“胜利属于坚持不懈的人”。经过仔细研究,我们会发现,坚持不懈取决子于三个方面——目标,意志和热情。一个目标明确的人总是能够集中他的精力。有了坚定的决心,就能够避免希望和计划在梦想中化为泡影。而冲天的热情,能够让人永远兴致勃勃,藐视一切艰难险阻。
从某种意义上讲,生活是一场战役。那种妄想凭借小聪明闲混到出人头地的人最终只会落得失败的下场。坚持不懈是那些信念坚定的人主导性的精神动力,其把持着开启那些知识宝库的钥匙,全世界的人都可以从中获取智慧和道德的财富。
伟大的人们从不坐等机会;他们会自行创造。他们会抓住一切手边的机会,解决遇到的难题,并且自己掌控局面。在这个世界上,一个人所能做的最伟大的事情就是,从给予他的有限的机会之中进行最大可能的发掘。这便是成功,仅此而已。
人生最重要的一课,便是学会如何从失败之中迈向成功。身负失败的屈辱和不幸,我们需要勇气和毅力,在失败的废墟中寻找未来获胜的要素。而这恰能衡量出成功者与失败者的不同。我们不能用失败来衡量一个人。我们必须了解他如何利用这些失败。一个不思上进、没有绝望挣扎的伤痕烙在心头的人, 无法体会成功的最高意境。