爱华网就算我们只有三分钟的空余时间，其实也足够看完一篇英语励志经典小故事了，那么三分钟英语励志经典小故事都有哪些呢?一起来看看吧。
三分钟英语励志经典小故事：枕戈待旦
Lying with one's Head Pillowed on a Spear,Waiting for Day to Break
In the Western Jin Dynasty there were two young men.One of them was Zu Ti and the other was Liu Kun.Both of them were men of ideals and integrity who were chivalrous and of a sanguine disposition.They not only wrote excellent articles but also were fond of practising martial arts to keep fit, in order to render meritorious service to the country.Both of them were chief clerks responsible for document administration in Luoyang.Although in appearance the Jin Dynasty had jurisdiction of the Central Plains comprising the middle and lower reaches of the Haunch and threatened by foreign invasion.Zu Ti and Liu Kun often talked about the country's situation till late into the night,and each time they talking very excitedly again.Liu Kun fell asleep without knowing it,but Zu Ti was too excited to fall asleep." Cock-a-doodle-doo,"came the crow of rooster in the wasteland.
Zu Ti jumped up and kicked Liu Kun awake:"Listen.How inspiring the rooster's crow is.Let's get up and practised on a slope.From then on,they kept practising sword playing vigorously and energetically in the wasteland every day when they heard the first crow in the morning.Deeply moved by Zu Ti's patriotic passion,Liu Kun was determined to devote himself to his homeland.Once he wrote to his family:"At the time when the country is in dire peril,I am resolved to dedicate myselt to the service of my country.I often fear that I might lag behind Zu Ti in rendering service to the country,and,in fact,I am behind him..."
The words" sleep with my head pillowed on a spear,waiting for the day to break"vividly described Liu Kun's determination to dedicate himself to the service of the country and to fight the enemy at any time.Later,this set phrase is used to mean maintaining sharp vigilance and being ready to fight at any time."
西晋人祖逖和刘琨，都是性格开朗、仗义好侠的志士。年轻时不但文章写得好，而且都喜欢练武健身，决心报效祖国。当时，晋朝表面上还管辖着中原大地，但实际上已是内忧外患，风雨飘摇了。祖逖和刘琨一谈起国家局势，总是慷慨万分，常常聊到深夜。
一天，祖逖又和刘琨谈得十分兴奋，刘琨不知什么时候睡着了，祖逖却久久沉浸在谈话的兴奋之中，不能入睡。“喔，喔，喔--”荒原上的雄鸡叫了起来，祖逖一跃而起，踢醒了刘琨：“听，这雄鸡啼鸣多么振奋人心呀，快起来练剑吧!”于是，两人操起剑来，在高坡上对舞。从此，他俩每天清早听到头一声鸣叫，一定来到荒原上抖擞神练起剑来。
刘琨被祖逖的爱国热情深深感动，决心献身于祖。一次他给家人的信中写道：“在国家危难时刻，我经常‘枕戈待旦’(枕着兵器睡觉一直到天明)，立志报国，常担心落在祖逖后边，不想他到底走到我的前头了!……”
故事出自《晋书·祖逖传》。“枕戈待旦”出自刘琨《与亲故书》，形象地写出了刘琨随时准备杀敌报国的决心。后来用作成语，形容时刻警惕敌人，准备作战。
三分钟英语励志经典小故事：桃李不言，下自成蹊
Peaches and Plums Do Not Have to Talk, Yet the World Beats a Path to Them--Natural Attraction
Duing the Western Han Dynasty(206 B.C.- A.D.24)Period, there was a very famous general whose name was Li Guang. He was very brave and skillful in battle, and had fought more than seventy battles with the Huns, an ancient nationality in China.Having made brilliant achievements in war, he was deeply loved and esteemed by the officers and men as well as the common people. However,he did not claim credit for himself and become arrogant,although he held a high post,commanding a big army,and had rendered outstanding service in defending the county. He was not only polite and amiable, but also shared weal and woe with the soldiers. He always had the troops under his commandat heart,and whenever gifts were bestowed to him by the imperial government,he distributed the gifts to his officers and men. When marching, he endured the torments of hunger and thirst as the soldiers did when food and water were in short supply. When fighting, he charged at the head of his men,and ,when he gave the order,every soldier advanced bravely to engage in fighting,not fearing death.
When the sad news of the heath of General Li Guang reached the militaty camp,the officers and men of the whole army wept bitterly.
西汉时候，有一位勇猛善战的将军，名叫李广，一生跟匈奴打过七十多次仗，战功卓著，深受官兵和百姓的爱戴。李广虽然身居高位，统领千军万马，而且是保卫国家的功臣，但他一点也不居功自傲。他不仅待人和气，还能和士兵同甘共苦。每次朝廷给他的赏赐，他首先想到的是他的部下，就把那些赏赐统统分给官兵们;行军打仗时，遇到粮食或水供应不上的情况，他自己也同士兵们一样忍饥挨饿;打起仗来，他身先士卒，英勇顽强，只要他一声令下，大家个个奋勇杀敌，不握牺牲。这是一位多么让人崇敬的大将军啊!
后来，当李广将军去世的噩耗传到军营时，全军将士无不痛哭流涕，连许多与大将军平时并不熟悉的百姓也纷纷悼念他。在人们心目中，李广将军就是他们崇拜的大英雄。
汉朝伟大的史学家司马迁在为李广立传时称赞道：“桃李不言，下自成蹊。”意思是说，桃李有着芬芳的花朵，甜美的果实，虽然它们不会说话，但仍然会吸引人们到树下赏花尝果，以至树下都走出一条小路，李广将军就是以他的真诚和高尚的品质赢得了人们的崇敬。
“桃李不言，下自成蹊”这则成语出自《史记·李将军列传》,比喻为人真诚,严于律已,自然会感动别人,自然会受到人们的敬仰。
三分钟英语励志经典小故事：画饼充饥
Relieving Hunger with Pictures of Cakes
Once in the Three Kingdoms Period (220-280), the duke of the Wei, Cao Rui, planed to select a very capable man to work for him. He said to his ministers: 'When choosing a talented person, always beware of one with a false reputation. A false reputation is just like a picture of a cake; it can' t ease hunger.'
Later, this idiom came to be used to mean comforting oneself with unrealistic thoughts, without solving practical problems.
三国时代魏国的皇帝曹睿，准备选拔一个有才能的人到朝廷来做关。曹睿兑他的大臣说：“选择人才，不能光找有虚名的人。虚名好像是画的一块饼，只能看，不能解决肚子饥饿的问题啊!”
后来人们就用“画饼充饥”这个成语比喻用空想安慰自己，不能解决实际问题。
