说到经典的英语故事,你脑海中最先浮现出来的是哪一个呢?是为了爱而化为泡沫的小美人鱼,沉睡了几百年的善良公主睡美人,还是那建造各种房屋来防范大灰狼的三只小猪?每个人心中也许都有不同的答案,毕竟,这也与我们每个人都不相同的童年经历有关。一部分读者可能在小时候阅读环境较好,那么他们就有可能了解更多的经典英语故事;也有一部分读者可能在幼时只顾着四处玩耍,并没有过于关注这些各式各样的童话故事,那么,想必他们对这一方面就了解甚少了。接下来,小编就想为大家盘点一些经典英语故事,一方面帮助部分读者总结一下各种美好回忆,一方面也可以让部分在幼时没有接触过这些故事的读者对此有一个初步了解。 在阅读经典英语故事,一…
A cobbler passed his time in singing from morning till night;it was wonderful to see,wonderful to hear him;he was more contented in shoes,than was any of the seven sages. 一个皮匠从早到晚在唱歌中度过。无论见到他本人或听见他的歌声都使人觉得很愉快。 His neighbor,on the contrary,who was rolling in wealth,sung but little and slept less.he was a banker;when by chance he fell into a doze at day-break,the cobbler awoke him with his song. 他对于制鞋工作比当上了希腊七对还要满足。与此相反,他的邻居是个银行家,拥有万贯家财,却很少唱歌,晚上也睡得不好。他偶尔在黎明时分迷迷糊糊刚入睡,皮匠的歌声便于工作把他吵醒了。 The banker complained sadly that providence had not made sleep a saleable commodity,like edibles or drinkables.having at length sent for the songster,he said to him,"how much a year do you earn,master gregory?" 银行家郁郁寡欢地抱怨上帝没有睡眠也制成一种像食品或饮料那样可以买卖的商品。后来,银行家就叫人把这位歌手请来,问...
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. 一位年轻的总裁,以有点快的车速,开着他的新 Jaguar 经过住宅区的巷道。他必须小心游戏中的孩子突然跑到路中央,所以当他觉得小孩子快跑出来时,就要减慢车速。 As his car passed, one child appeared, and a brick smashed into the Jag's side door. He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid and pushed him up against a parked car,shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing?" Building up a head of steam, he went on"That's a new car and that brick you threw is gonna cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?" 就在他的车经过一群小朋友的时候,一个小朋友丢了一块砖头打到了他的车门,他很生气...
Years of storms had taken their toll on the old windmill. Its wheel, rusted and fallen, lay silent in the lush bluegrass. Its once animated silhouette was now a tall motionless steeple in the twilight sun. 多年的风雨毁坏了古老的风车。车轮已经锈了,倒了,静静地躺卧在茂盛的六月禾丛中。在落日的衬托下,曾经散发着生气的风车如今如耸立的尖塔般冰冷、生硬。 I hadn‘t walked across our old farm in fifteen years. Yet the sensations came flooding back. I could smell the freshness of new mown alfalfa. I could feel the ping of the ice cold summer rain, and the sun‘s sudden warmth on my wet shoulders when it reappeared after a brisk July thunderstorm. 我已经有十五年没有走过我们的农场了。然而,那些感觉又汹涌而至。我仿佛闻到了新割的苜蓿的清新气息,感觉到了冰冷夏雨敲打在身上,还有七月的雨后阳光照射在湿漉漉的身上骤然传来的暖意。 Rain or shine, I used to walk this path each day to see Greta. She always made me smile, even after Sis and I had just had a big squabble. I woul...
One of my patients, a successful businessman, tells me that before his cancer he would become depressed unless things went a certain way. Happiness was "having the cookie." If you had the cookie, things were good. 我有一位病人,他是一个成功的商人,告诉我,在他患癌症之前,凡事如果没有确定下来他就忧心忡忡。对他而言,幸福是“拥有小甜饼”。 If you didn't have the cookie, life wasn't worth a damn. Unfortunately, the cookie kept changing. 如果你拥有了小甜饼,一切都一帆风顺。如果你没有小甜饼,生活就一文不值。 Some of the time it was money, sometimes power, sometimes sex. At other times, it was the new car, the biggest contract, the most prestigious address. 不幸的是,小甜饼总是不断变换着,有时是金钱,有时是权力,有时是欲望。在其他时候,它是一辆新车、一份数额最大的合同、或者一个享有声望的通讯地址。 A year and a half after his diagnosis of prostate cancer he sits shaking his head ruefully. "It's like I stopped learning how to liv...
Life is good, really good. Sometimes I feel like the good karma train picked me up, and simply refuses to let me off. 生活不错,很不错。有时我觉得仿佛坐上了一列善有善报 的列车,想下车都不行。 I have an amazing wife, a teenage son that makes me glow with pride, good health, a wonderful family and the best friends a guy could ask for. I have a lot to be grateful for. 我有个人人夸好的妻子,有个给我脸 上增光的十几岁的儿子,我们身体健康,家庭美满和睦,还有 一帮世上最棒的朋友。我有好多值得感恩的东西。 For many years now, “thank you” has become my meditation as I start each day. 多年来,“感 谢老天” 经成了我开始每一天的默祷词。 But the truth is, life was not always this good. It wasn’t all that long ago, when the resume’ of my life looked radically different. 可是事实上,生活并不总是这么美好。就在不久前,我的 人生简历看上去还是迥然不同。 At one time, my life was filled with nearly everything people try to avoid. 曾经一度,我的生活充满了令 每个人都想躲避的东西。 Exp...
Several times my daughter had telephoned to say, “Mother, you must come see the daffodils before they are over.” I wanted to go, but it was a two-hour drive from Laguna to Lake Arrowhead. 好几次了,我女儿打电话来说:“妈妈,你务必得在那些水 仙花凋谢之前来看看它们。”我是想去,可从拉古娜到箭头湖要开两个小时的车。 “I will come next Tuesday,” I promised, a little reluctantly, on her third call. “那我下周二去吧。”在她第三次打来电话时,我极不情愿 地答应道。 Next Tuesday dawned cold and rainy. Still, I had promised, and so I drove there. 到了那个周二,清晨很冷又下着雨,不过既然答应了, 我还是开车去了。 When I finally walked into Carolyn’s house and hugged and greeted my grandchildren, I said, 等我终于到了卡罗琳家,拥抱问候过我的外 孙们,说: “Forget the daffodils, Carolyn! The road is invisible in the clouds and fog, there is nothing in the world except you and these children that I want to see bad enough to d...
Once there lived a king of great strength and wealth.Yet he was not happy. 从前有一位国王,很有权力和财富,然而他并不快乐。 He told his servants to find him things to make him happy,but each came back saying 他告诉仆人去找可以使他快乐的东西,但是每个回来的人都说: "Noting in the world can match the wonderful things you have already." “世界上没有什么比得上你已经拥有的极好的东西。” Then in that land,there lived a poor man with a patch over one eye and a crutch to help him walk.Although he had little,he was always happy. 当时那个国家住着一个穷人,他一个眼睛戴着眼罩并靠拐杖走路。虽然他拥有的很少,但是他总是很快乐。 When the king heard of this,he asked the man to teach him his secret. "I never push." the man replied,"and I never rush. 当国王听说这件事的时候,他要求这个人教他快乐的秘决。 “我从来不强迫,”这个人答道,“而且我从不匆忙。 Most of all,I never wish for...
When I was 11, I found out I had a brain tumor. I had surgery to remove it, but the size and location of the tumor caused my optic nerve to atrophy. For three years afterward, I had partial sight, but my ophthalmologist told me that eventually I would go blind. 11岁那年,我被诊断患有脑瘤。手术切除了脑疱.但肿瘤 的大小和位置却导致了我的视觉神经萎缩。3年后,我还能看见 一点点东西,但眼科医生说我最终会失明。 At the end of my 14th year, doctors pronounced me legally blind and said there was nothing that could be done. I had a 5 percent chance of surviving the tumor, and I did, but somehow I could never deal with the fact that I was going blind. I tried to behave as if everything were just fine. When it happened, I was devastated. 快过完14岁时,医 生断言我已经完全失明,并且亳无办法治疗,当时,我患上脑 瘤后,存活的几率只有5%,结果我活了下来,但对于即将失 明的现实,我却无能为力。我努力表现得一切正常,但当它真正 成为现实时,我却绝望了。 My dad...
As an airport skycap checked through a customer at curbside, he accidentally knocked over the man's luggage. 一个机场行李搬运员在航站楼边帮一个旅客搬行李时无意 中撞翻了这个人的箱包。 He quickly collected the fallen bags and apologized for the mishap. Unappeased, the traveler burst into an angry tirade, raging and swearing at the skycap for his clumsiness. 他赶快收拾起掉落的行李,并且为他的 过失道歉。然而那个旅客一点不领情,他大发脾气,言辞激烈, 粗暴地骂那个行李员笨拙。 Throughout the traveler's rant, the baggage handler simply apologized and smiled. The angry man continued to berate the skycap, until he finally headed off to catch his plane. 叫骂过程中,那个行李员始终都是微 笑道歉。那个暴怒的旅客一直不停地训斥那个行李员,直到最后 他去赶飞机。 Even then the baggage handler remained calm and passively smiled. 即使这样,那个行李员依然保持着平静和微笑。 The next customer in line witnessed the incident and marveled ...
The railroad station was jammed. Students from Lafayette College were crowding onto the train platform eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Carlisle Indian School's track and field squad. 火车站挤得水泄不通。拉斐德学院的学生们一齐拥上站台,热切地等待着卡莱尔印地安人学校田径队的到来。 NO one would have believed it a few months earlier. 倘若在几个月前,准没有人相信, A school that nobody had heard of was suddenly beating big, famous colleges in track meets. 一个谁也没听说过的学校,会在田径场上突然大败许多有名的大学。 Surely these Carlisle athletes would come charging off the train, one after another,like a Marine battalion . 不用说。这些卡莱尔的运动员抵达后,准会象一营海军陆战队队员那样,一个接一个冲下火车。 The train finally arrived and two young men——one big and broad,the other small and slight——stepped onto the platform. 火车终于到站了,两个年轻人——一位,个儿高,体态魁梧;另一...
关注公众号与新浪微博“双语文摘”,参与更多英语学习。 A man and his girlfriend were married. It was a large celebration. 一个男人和他的女朋友结婚,举行了一场盛大的结婚庆典。 All of their friends and family came to see the lovely ceremony and to partake of the festivities and celebrations. All had a wonderful time. 所有的朋友和家人都来到结婚典礼上参加欢宴和庆祝活动。大家都过得很开心。 The bride was gorgeous in her white wedding gown and the groom was very dashing in his blacktuxedo. Everyone could tell that the love they had for each other was true. 穿着白色婚纱的新娘漂亮迷人,穿着黑色礼服的新郎英俊潇洒。每个人都能看出他们彼此的爱是真诚的。 A few months later, the wife came to the husband with a proposal,¨I read in a magazine,a while ago, about how we can strengthen our marriage," she offered. "Each of us will write a list of the things that we find a bit annoying with the ot...
关注公众号与新浪微博“双语文摘”,参与更多英语学习。 Two friends and I moved into a house off campus when I was a junior at Iowa State University. 在爱荷华州大学读大三时,我和两个朋友从宿舍搬出来,租了一间房子。 We were all a bit afraid of our landlord, a gruff middle aged man who was "all business" when we signed the lease. 房东是一个粗鲁的中年人,我们都有点怕他。 He gave us a lecture about paying the rent on time and maintaining the house and appliances. We weren't really supposed to, but during the fall semester, my housemates and I threw a party. 他交代我们要及时交房租,好好爱护房子和电器。下半学期,我和室友举办了一个聚会。 We sent invitations to many friends and told everyone that we knew to come to our house on Friday night. We drew a large crowd and everyone had a great time. The last guests left in the wee hours of the morning. 我们邀请许多朋友,让他们星期五晚上都到家里来玩。我们一大群人玩得很尽兴,最...
关注公众号与新浪微博“双语文摘”,参与更多英语学习。 A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were so hard for her ,She did not know she was going to make it and wantde to give up. 女儿向父亲抱怨她的生活,她觉得凡事都很艰难,不知该怎样面对,想放弃。 She was tired of fighting and struggling .It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose. 她厌倦了不断的抗争和奋斗,好像一个问题刚解决,另一个有出现了。 Her father ,a cook ,took her to the kitchen ,He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high frie .Soon the pots came to a boil. 她的父亲是名厨师,他把她带进了厨房,在三个壶里分别装了水,然后放到火上烧。很快, 壶里的水开了。 In one he placed carrots,in the second he placed eggs, and in the last he placed ground coffee beans.He ler them sit and boil, without saying a word. 他一句话也没说,往第一个壶里放了些胡萝卜,往第二个壶里放了鸡蛋,在最后一个里放了些磨碎的咖啡豆,让他们煮沸。 ...
关注公众号与新浪微博“双语文摘”,参与更多英语学习。 The difference a teacher can make 老师的魅力- Steve, a twelve-year-old boy with alcoholic parents, was about to be lost forever, by the U.S. education system. Remarkably, he could read, yet, in spite of his reading skills, Steve was failing. He had been failing since first grade, as he was passed on from grade to grade. 史蒂夫已经12岁了,他的父母都是酒鬼,他就要彻底脱离自己的学校生活了。然而很明显,他能够阅读,但他总不及格。从一年级开始,一年一年过去了,他依然不及格。 Steve was a big boy, looking more like a teenager than a twelve year old, yet, Steve went unnoticed... until Miss White. 史蒂夫长得很健壮,看上去比12岁的孩子要大。但他一直都被人忽略,直到有一天怀特小姐的到来。 Miss White was a smiling, young, beautiful redhead, and Steve was in love! 怀特小姐总是笑容可掬,年轻,而且有一头迷人的红头发。她是史蒂夫喜欢的类型。 For the first time in his yo...
关注公众号与新浪微博“双语文摘”,参与更多英语学习。 Balzac once said artistic creation was “an exhausting strug-gle”. 巴尔扎克说过,艺术创造是“一场累人的斗争”。 He believed that only by tenacious work and fearing notafraid of difficulties could you show your talent. 他认为,只有顽强地工作,不怕困难,才能把自己的才华表现出来。 It was just likethe soldiers charging the fortress,not relaxing your effort foreven a moment. 这就好象向堡垒冲击的战士,一刻也不能松劲。 Once Balzac wrote for hours on end, he was so tired that hecould not hold out any longer. 有一次,巴尔扎克一连写了好几个小时,累得实在支持不住了, He ran to a friend's home andplunged headlong on the sofa.He wanted to sleep,but he told hisfriend he must be woken up within an hour. 跑到一个朋友家里,一头倒在沙发上。他想睡一觉,但他告诉朋友,一定要在一小时之内叫醒他。 His friend,seeinghim so tired,did not wake him up on tim...
关注公众号与新浪微博“双语文摘”,参与更多英语学习。 a glass of milk 一杯牛奶的温暖 One day, a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by selling goods door to door found that he only had one dime left. He was hungry so he decided to beg for a meal at the next house. 一天,一个贫穷的小男孩为了攒够学费正挨家挨户地推销商品。饥寒交迫的他摸遍全身,却只有一角钱。于是他决定向下一户人家讨口饭吃。 However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?" 然而,当一位美丽的年轻女子打开房门的时候,这个小男孩却有点不知所措了。他没有要饭,只乞求给他一口水喝。这位女子看到他饥饿的样子,就倒了一大杯牛奶给他。男孩慢慢地喝完牛奶,问道:“我应该付多少...
关注公众号与新浪微博“双语文摘”,参与更多英语学习。 My life was saved by a smile 一个微笑挽救了一条生命 I was sure that I was to be killed. I became terribly nervous. 一想到自己明天就没命了,不禁陷入极端的惶恐。 I fumbled in my pockets to see if there were any cigarettes, which had escaped their search. I found one and because of my shaking hands, I could barely get it to my lips. 我翻遍了口袋,终于找到一支没被他们搜走的香烟,但我的手紧张得不停发抖,连将烟送进嘴里都成问题。 But I had no matches, they had taken those. "I looked through the bars at my jailer. He did not make eye contact with me. 而我的火柴也在搜身时被拿走了。 “我透过铁栏望着外面的警卫,他并没有注意到我在看他。 I called out to him 'Have you got a light?' He looked at me, shrugged and came over to light my cigarette. " 我叫了他一声:‘能跟你借个火吗?’他转头...
Today we are reading a story about two sisters . Their name were Sundy and Candy . 今天我们来读一个关于两姊妹的故事。两姊妹的名字叫珊蒂与坎蒂。 They were very lonely . When their mother died , Sundy was only junior high student and Candy was an elementary school student . 她们非常寂寞。当她们的母亲去世时,珊蒂还只个是中学生,而坎蒂只是一个小学生。 Their father was a gambler . He gambled nights and days . And finally ended up in high debt . 她们的父亲是一个赌徒,从早到晚只知道赌博,最后落得债台高筑。 So to avoid repaying the money , he ran away and left the two sisters behind . 为了逃避赌债,他丢下两姊妹跑掉了。 At that time their mother had being died for five years . After their father walked down them. The two sisters could only stay at friend's house because their own house was giving away to repay their father's debt . 那时母亲也已经去世五年了。父亲遗弃她们后,两姐妹只能住在朋友家,因为她们自家的房...
Love Needs No Words "Can I see my baby?" the happy new mother asked. When the bundle was nestled in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she gasped. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. “我能看看我的孩子吗?”刚刚做了母亲的女人高兴地问。当襁褓被放到她怀里,她拿开挡着孩子小脸的布时,她倒吸了一口凉气。医生快速地转过身去,向外望去。 The baby had been without ears. Time proved that the baby's hearing was prefect. It was only his appearance that the marred. 孩子天生没有耳朵。事实证明他的听力完全没有问题。只是容貌有缺陷。 When he rushed home form school one day and flung himself into his mother's arms. She sighed, knowing that his life was to be a succession of heartbreaks. He blurted out the tragedy, "A boy, a big boy … called me a freak." 一天,他从学校飞奔回家,投入妈妈的怀抱。她叹息着,知道他的一生将有一连串的伤心...
Kobe Bryant's growing road 小乔丹科比·布莱恩的成长之路 Kobe Bryant first started turning heads on the basketball court when he was in middle school. 科比·布莱恩第一次关注篮球是他在上中学的时侯。 His talents dominated the game so much that high schools from all over the Philadelphia area watched him grow up. 他在篮球方面很有天赋,费城的各所中学都密切关注他的成长。 The almost six-foot tall seventh grader definitely had the make-up and genes for the game, as his dad was former NBA forward, Joe Bryant. 这个六英尺高的七年级学生的确有打篮球的基因,因为他的爸爸是前NBA前锋乔·布莱恩。 Kobe developed his basketball skills under the watchful eye of his father, helping his mission to become a professional basketball player. 科比在他父亲的关注下发展自己的篮球天赋,父亲帮助他成为了一个职业篮球运动员。 He worked daily on his game, watching...
To buy an hour from father-Samuel 向爸爸买一个小时 A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door. 一个人工作到很晚,带着疲惫与愤怒回到家里,却发现5岁大的儿子正在门口等他。 “Daddy, may I ask you a question?” “爸爸,我可以问你一个问题吗?” “Yeah sure, what is it?” replied the man. “当然,什么问题?” “Daddy, how much do you make an hour?” “爸爸,你一个小时赚多少钱?” “That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?” the man said angrily. “这不关你的事。怎么问这样一个问题?”父亲生气地说道。 “I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?” pleaded the little boy. “我只是想知道。请告诉我吧,你一个小时赚多少钱?”小男孩乞求地说。 “If you must know, I make $20 an hour.” “真想知道就告诉你吧,我一小时赚20美元。” “Oh,” the...
Mother's Hands 妈妈的手 Night after night, she came to tuck me in, even long after my childhood years. Following her longstanding custom, she'd lean down and push my long hair out of the way, then kiss my forehead. 母亲总是在我入睡之后,为我掖好被子,然后俯下身子,轻轻拨开覆在我脸上的长发,亲吻我的前额。日复一日,母亲一直保持着这个习惯,即使我已不再是小孩子了,这一切却依然故我。 I don't remember when it first started annoying me — her hands pushing my hair that way. But it did annoy me, for they felt work-worn and rough against my young skin. 不知从什么时候开始,母亲的这种习惯渐渐让我感到不悦----我不喜欢她那双布满老茧的手就这样划过我细嫩的皮肤。 Finally, one night, I shouted out at her, "Don't do that anymore —your hands are too rough!" She didn't say anything in reply. But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love. ...
visit with a tramp 一个流浪汉的来访 I was swinging on the front gate, trying to decide whether to walk down the street to play with Verna, my best friend in fifth grade, when I saw a tramp come up the road. 我在院门口晃悠,想着要不要去街对面找维娜玩,她是我五年级最好的朋友。这时,我看见从街上走来一个流浪汉。 “Hello, little girl,” he said. “Is your mama at home?” “你好,小姑娘,”他说,“你妈妈在家吗?” I nodded and swung the gate open to let him in the yard. He looked like all the tramps who came to our house from the hobo camp by the river during the Great Depression. His shaggy hair hung below a shapeless hat, and his threadbare shirt and trousers had been rained on and slept in. He smelled like a bonfire4. 我点点头,把门打开让他进了院子。经济大萧条时期,有许多流浪汉从河那边的游民营来过我家,他看起来跟他们一样,蓬乱的头发从那顶不像样的帽子下露了出来,破破烂烂的衬衣和裤子显然被...
Love without measure-Steve Goodyear 爱无尺度-史蒂夫·古德伊尔 Freda Bright says, "Only in opera do people die of love." It's true. You really can't love somebody to death. I've known people to die from no love, but I've never known anyone to be loved to death. We just can't love one another enough. 弗里达-布赖特说过:只有在歌剧中,人们才会为爱而死。 那是真的。你真的不能爱一个人而死。我知道有人因为缺乏爱而死,但我从不知道有人因被爱而死。我们只是不能彼此相爱够了。 A heart-warming story tells of a woman who finally decided to ask her boss for a raise in salary. All day she felt nervous and apprehensive. Late in the afternoon she summoned the courage to approach her employer. To her delight, the boss agreed to a raise. 有一个感人的故事,讲的是有个女人终于决定去向老板提出加薪的要求。整天她都觉得紧张和担心。下午晚些时候,她鼓起勇气向老板提议。让她感到高兴的是,老板同意给她加薪。 The...
Late At Night, Do You Turn Off Your Cell Phone? 深夜,你关机了吗? Late At Night, Do You Turn Off Your Cell Phone? Today, my friend asked me a question. At night, do you turn off your cell phone? If you don't, whom do you leave it on for? 今天,朋友问我一个问题,晚上的时候你的手机关机吗?如果不关机,那你是为谁开着的呢? I usually do not turn off my cell phone. Why? I have no idea. After reading an article, I seemed to understand a little bit: for that little bit of caring. I am now sharing this story with you. 我一向不关机,但是为了什么呢?我不知道。看过一篇文章后,我有点儿明白了,只为了那丝牵挂。现在我把它拿出来与大家分享。 The girl would turn her cell phone off and put it by her photo on the desk every night before going to bed. This habit had been with her ever since she bought the phone. 女孩每天临睡前会先关掉手机,然后把它放在写字台自己的相框前,这个习惯从她买手机...
love is just a thread 爱如丝线 Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. Every day they are very busy trying to earn money in order to pay the high tuition for my brother and me. 有时候,我真的怀疑父母之间是否有真爱。他们天天忙于赚钱,为我和弟弟支付学费。 They don't act in the romantic ways that I read in books or I see on TV. In their opinion, "I love you" is too luxurious for them to say. Sending flowers to each other on Valentine's Day is even more out of the question. Finally my father has a bad temper. When he's very tired from the hard work, it is easy for him to lose his temper. 他们从未像我在书中读到,或在电视中看到的那样互诉衷肠。他们认为“我爱你”太奢侈,很难说出口。更不用说在情人节送花这样的事了。我父亲的脾气非常坏。经过一天的劳累之后,他经常会发脾气。 One day, my mother was sewing a quilt. I silently sat down beside her and looked at her. ...
An ingenious love letter There once lived a lad who was deeply in love with a girl, but disliked by the girl's father, who didn't want to see any further development of their love. 一个小伙子非常爱一位姑娘,但姑娘的父亲却不喜欢他,也不让他们的爱情发展下去。 The lad was eager to write to the girl, yet he was quite sure that the father would read it first. So he wrote such a letter to the girl: 小伙子很想给姑娘写封情书,然而他知道姑娘的父亲会先看,于是他给姑娘写了这样一封信: My love for you I once expressed 我对你表达过的爱 no longer lasts, instead, my distaste for you 已经消逝。我对你的厌恶 is growing with each passing day. Next time I see you, 与日俱增。当我看到你时 I even won't like that look yours. 我甚至不喜欢你的那副样子。 I'll do nothing but 我想做的一件事就是 look away from you. You can ...
A Simple Hello 简单的一句问候 I have always felt sympathy and compassion for the kids I see at school walking all alone, for the ones that sit in the back of the room while everyone snickers and makes fun of them. 我一直对我看见的那些孩子保持同情和怜悯,在学校一个人孤零零走在路上的孩子,那些坐在教室最后面且被别人嘲笑和捉弄的孩子。 But I never did anything about it. I guess I figured that someone else would. 但我从来没有坐过类似的事。但我想肯定有人做过这样的事。 I did not take the time to really think about the depth of their pain. 我其实没有花时间去认真思考他们的痛苦。 Then one day I thought, what if I did take a moment out of my busy schedule to simply say hello to someone without a friend or stop and chat with someone eating by herself? ...
A Mouse Trap A Mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. "What food might this contain?" He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. 一只老鼠透过墙上的裂缝看到农夫和他的妻子正在打开一个包裹。“里面可能装的是什么吃的呢?”它想。可是当它看到里面是一个捕鼠器的时候,它吓坏了。 Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. "There is a mousetrap in the house, there is a mousetrap in the house!" 逃回牧场,老鼠郑重地发出警告:“屋子里有个捕鼠器,屋子里有个捕鼠器!” The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it." 小鸡抓着地,抬起头,咯咯咯地说:“老鼠先生,我看得出这...
A father was worried about his son, who was sixteen years old but had no courage at all. So the father decided to call on a Buddhist monk to train his boy. 一位父亲为儿子担心。儿子16岁了,却没有一点勇气。于是,父亲决定去拜访一位禅师,请他训练儿子。 The Buddhist monk said to the boy's father, "You should leave your son alone here. I'll make him into a real man within three months. However, you can’t come to see him during this period. " 禅师对男孩的父亲说:“你应该让他单独留在这里。不出3个月,我要让他成为一个真正的男子汉。不过,在这段时间,你不能来见他。” Three months later, the boy's father returned. The Buddhist monk arranged a boxing match between the boy and an experienced boxer. Each time the fighter struck the boy, he fell down, but at once the boy stood up; and each time a punch knocked him down, the boy stood up again. Several times later, the Buddhist monk asked, "What do you think of your child?&...
Keep Your Goals in Sight When she looked ahead, Florence Chadwick saw nothing but a solid wall of fog. Her body was numb. She had been swimming for nearly sixteen hours. Already she was the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Now, at age 34, her goal was to become the first woman to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast. 佛罗伦斯·查德威克向前方望去,除了绵延无尽的大雾,她什么也看不到。她一直在游泳,已经游了几乎16个小时,身体都麻木了。在那之前,她已经是第一位从两个方向游过英吉利海峡的女子。现在,她已34岁,她的目标是要成为第一个从卡达琳纳岛游到加利福尼亚海岸的女子。 On that Fourth of July morning in 1952, the sea was like an ice bath and the fog was so dense she could hardly see her support boats. Sharks cruised toward her lone figure, only to be driven away by rifle shots. Against the frigid grip of the sea, she struggled on—hour after hour— while millions watch...
I Love You Anyway 爱你没商量 It was Friday morning and a young businessman finally decided to ask his boss for a raise.Before leaving for work, he told his wife what he was about to do.All day long he felt nervous and apprehensive. Finally, in the late afternoon, he summoned the courage to approach his employer and to his delight,the boss agreed to the raise. 这是一个星期五的早上,一们年轻的商人终于决定要老板为他加薪水.临出门上班前,他把他的想法跟他的妻子说了.整整一天,年轻人都处于高度紧张和深深的忧虑之中,最后,傍晚时分,他鼓起勇气去见老板,让他喜出望外的是,老板同意了他的要求。 The elated husband arrived home and was surprised to see a beautiful table set with their best china and lighted candles. Smelling the aroma of a festive meal, he figured that someone from the office had called his wife and tipped her off. 兴高采烈的他回到了家,一进家门,他就看到餐桌上整齐摆放着他们最好的瓷餐具,还点...
A Silent Boy on the Train 火车上沉默的男孩 The first time I saw him I realized I had seen him before ,though exactly why i had not realy seen him before this "first time",i do not know. 第一次看到他的时候,我就感觉到我们曾经在哪儿见过,但我不明白为什么我们以前竟然没见过面。 Probably I was too busy with the plot of the story I was writing or a line in a poem I was composing. 或许是因为我正忙着构思小说,抑或正沉醉于润色某一行诗句。 Yet I had noted generally all the others—with their caps askew and their school sathels haning at various lengthes from their shoulders. 我却像往常一样注意到了其他人——那些外带着学生帽,斜挎着书包的学生们。 I had heard them too –the laughing,the whispering,the compressed exuberance of youth in a too small space ,the carriage of a buss. 不仅如此,我还听到他们的笑声,他们的窃窃私语声,目睹了他们那被压缩在这节狭小的火车车厢里的旺盛的青春活力。 ...
Salty coffee 咸咖啡 He met her at a party. She was outstanding; many guys were after her, but nobody paid any attention to him. After the party, he invited her for coffee. She was surprised. So as not to appear rude, she went along. 他在一次晚会上遇见了她。她很迷人,有很多男孩子追求,但是却没有任何人注意到他。晚会结束后,他请她出去喝咖啡,这让她很吃惊。出于礼貌,她去了。 As they sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything and she felt uncomfortable. Suddenly, he asked the waiter, "Could you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee." 他们坐在一家幽雅的咖啡店里。他紧张得说不出话来,而她也感到很拘束。突然,他叫来服务生,说道:“给我在咖啡里加点盐,好吗?” They stared at him. He turned red, but when the salt came, he put it in his coffee and drank. Curious, she asked, "Why salt with coffee?" He explained, "When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. ...
The Secret of Happiness 幸福的秘密 Once there lived a king of great strength andwealth.Yet he was not happy.He told his servants tofind him things to make him happy,but each cameback saying,"Noting in the world can match thewonderful things you have already."Then in thatland,there lived a poor man with a patch over oneeye and a crutch to help him walk.Although he hadlittle,he was always happy.When the king heard ofthis,he asked the man to teach him his secret. 从前有一位国王,很有权力和财富,然而他并不快乐。他告诉仆人去找可以使他快乐的东西,但是每个回来的人都说:“世界上没有什么比得上你已经拥有的极好的东西。”当时那个国家住着一个穷人,他一个眼睛戴着眼罩并靠拐杖走路。虽然他拥有的很少,但是他总是很快乐。当国王听说这件事的时候,他要求这个人教他快乐的秘决。 "I never push." the man replied,"and I never rush. Most of all, I never wish for too much."Thenhe smiled and was gone. ...
The Sense of a Goose 大雁的团队意识 Next autumn, when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in 'V' formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings,it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in 'V' formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. 明年秋天,当你看到雁群一路以“V”字队形飞往南方越冬时,你也许会想到科学己经对这种飞行方式作了解释:鸟儿鼓动双翼时,为紧随其后的鸟儿形成一种浮力。借助“V”字队形飞行,鸟群的飞行里程至少比孤雁单飞增加71%。 When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone--and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting powerful of the bird in front. 一只大雁脱离队伍时,会立即感到一股动力阻止它离开——借着前一个伙伴的“支...
Eyes of Kindness 善意的眼神 It was a bitter cold evening in northern Virginia many years ago. The old man’s beard was glazed by winter’s frost while he waited for a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. His body became numb and stiff from the frigid north wind. 多年前,在北弗吉尼亚的一个寒冷夜晚,一位老人正等着有人把他带过河,他的胡子已经被这冬日的严寒冻得像块玻璃了。这种等待好像遥遥无期。他的身体在这寒冷的北风中被冻得麻木而僵硬。 He heard the faint, steady rhythm of approaching hooves galloping along the frozen path. Anxiously, he watched as several horsemen rounded the bend. He let the first one passed by without any effort to get his attention, then another passed by, and another. Finally, the last rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a snow statue. As this one draw near, the old man caught the rider’s eye and said, “sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side? There doesn’...
I Love You Anyway It was Friday morning and a young businessman finally decided to ask his boss for a raise.Before leaving for work, he told his wife what he was about to do.All day long he felt nervous and apprehensive. Finally, in the late afternoon, he summoned the courage to approach his employer and to his delight,the boss agreed to the raise. 这是一个星期五的早上,一们年轻的商人终于决定要老板为他加薪水.临出门上班前,他把他的想法跟他的妻子说了.整整一天,年轻人都处于高度紧张和深深的忧虑之中,最后,傍晚时分,他鼓起勇气去见老板,让他喜出望外的是,老板同意了他的要求。 The elated husband arrived home and was surprised to see a beautiful table set with their best china and lighted candles. Smelling the aroma of a festive meal, he figured that someone from the office had called his wife and tipped her off. 兴高采烈的他回到了家,一进家门,他就看到餐桌上整齐摆放着他们最好的瓷餐具,还点着蜡烛,漂亮极了。不...
Happiness Is an Attitude 幸福是一种态度 The 92-year-old,petite,well-poised and proud lady,who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock,with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied,even though she was legally blind,moved to a nursing home today. 这位92岁高龄、个子小巧、自信而又骄傲的老太太,每天早晨8点就穿戴整齐了。她的头发时髦的护在帽子里,妆也化得恰倒好处,即使她今天合情合理地失明、要搬进一家养老院也不例外。 Her husband of 70 years recently passed away,making the move necessary. 一同走过70个岁月的丈夫新近去世,搬到养老院是必然之举。 After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home,she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.As she maneuvered her walker to elevator I provided a visual description of her tiny room. 在养老院的走廊上等了半天之后,她被告之房间已准备就绪,她亲切地笑了。当她推起助步车进入电梯时,我对她的小房间...
Too Dear for the Whistle When I was a child of seven years old , my friends , on a holiday ,filled my pocket with coppers . I went at once to a shop where they sold toys for children . Being charmed with the sound of a whistle that I hadseen by the way , in the hands of another boy , I handed over all my money for one . I then came home , went whistling all over house , much pleased with my whistle , but disturbing all my family .My brother and sister and cousins ,when I told of the bargain I had made,said I had given four times as much as the whistl was worth . they put me in mind of what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money, and laughed at me so much for my folly that I cried with vaxation . think about the matter gave me more chagrin than the whistle gave me pleasure. This , however , was afterwards of use to me , for the impression continued on my mind . so that often , when I was tempted to buy something I do not...
保持自我,永不放弃 Hold to your dream and never give up The adolescent girl from Tennessee is standing on the stage of a drama summer camp in upstate New York. It's a beautiful day. But the girl doesn't feel beautiful. She's not the leggy, glamorous Hollywood type. In fact, she describes herself as dorky. Since she was six years old, Reese Witherspoon has wanted to be a country singer. And Dolly Parton is her idol. But this flat-chested wisp of a girl is no Dolly Parton. Nevertheless, all of this summer she's been acting, dancing and singing---giving it her best. Play to your strengths. If you're going to make it in this business, it's not going to be on sexy—that's not who you are. Better focus on what you're good at. Celebrate yourself. Despite three years of lessons, at the end of camp her coaches tell her to forget about singing. They suggest she think about another ...
Once upon a time there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all the others, including Love. One day it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was going to sink to the bottom of the ocean. So all the feelings prepared their boats to leave . Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the island paradise until the last possible moment. When the island was almost totally under, love decided it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to ask for help. Just then Richness was passing by in a grand boat. Love asked, "Richness, can I come with you on your boat?" Richness answered, "I'm sorry, but there is a lot of silver and gold on my boat and there would be no room for you anywhere." Then Love decided to ask Vanity for help who was passing by in a beautiful vessel. Love cried out, "Vanity, help me please!" "I can't help you," Vanity said, &quo...
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. 一位年迈的木匠准备退休了。他告诉他的老板准备离开建筑业的打算,他说他想和他的妻子过一种更休闲的生活,享受天伦之乐。他还说他会怀念这里的薪水的,但必须退休了,他的离职他们慢慢就会适应。 The contrctor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his haert was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. 老板对他的这位优秀员工的离去感到非常遗憾,于是问他是否可以盖最后一栋房子作为私下里的帮忙。这位木匠答应了,但显而易见他做事的时候是心不在焉的。他的手工做得毛毛糙糙,用的材料也是次品。 It was an unfortunate way to end his career. When the carpenter finished his work and the builde...
A man, a great man, a fighter for freedom was traveling in the mountains. He stayed in a caravans① for the night. He was amazed that in the caravans there was a beautiful parrot in a golden cage, continually repeating "Freedom! Freedom!". And it was such a place that when the parrot repeated the word "Freedom!" it would go on echoing in the valleys, in the mountains. The man thought: "I have seen many parrots, and I have thought they must want to be free from those cages... but I have never seen such a parrot whose whole day, from the morning to the evening when he goes to sleep, is spent in calling out for freedom." He had an idea. In the middle of the night, when the owner was fast asleep, he got up and opened the door of the cage. He whispered to the parrot, "Now get out." But he was very surprised that the parrot was clinging to the bars of the cage. He said to him again and again, "Have you forgotten about freedom? Just get out!...
Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. So one day he asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?" 从前,有个孩子马上就要诞生了。于是有一天他问上帝:“听说明天您就送我去人间了,但是,我这么弱小和无助,我在那儿怎么生活呢?” God replied, "Among the many angels, I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take care of you." 上帝答道:“在众多的天使中,我特别为你挑了一位。她会守候你,无微不至地照顾你。” But the child wasn't sure he really wanted to go. "But tell me, here in Heaven, I don't do anything else but sing and smile, that's enough for me to be happy." 小孩还是拿不准自己是否真的想去:“但是在天堂,我除了唱唱笑笑外,什么也不做,这就足以让我感到幸福了。” "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your angel's love and be happy." “你的天使每天会为你唱歌,为你微笑。你会感受...
A woman named Emily renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked by the woman recorder to state her occupation. She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself. "What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job, or are you just a ... " 一位名叫埃米莉的妇女在县办事处给驾驶执照续期时,一名女记录员问及她的职业。她犹豫了一下,不敢肯定应如何将自己归类。“我意思是说你有没有工作,”那名记录员解释说,“还是说你只不过是一名……” "Of course I have a job," snapped Emily. "I'm a mother." “我当然有工作,”埃米莉马上回答,“我是一名母亲。” "We don't list 'mother' as an occupation ... 'Housewife' covers it," said the recorder emphatically. “我们这里不把‘母亲’看成是一个职业……‘家庭主妇’就可以了。”那名记录员断然回答。 I forgot all about her story until one day I found myself in the same situation, this time at our own Town Hall. The Clerk was obviously a career...
A man and his girlfriend were married. It was a large celebration. 一个男人和他的女朋友结婚,举行了一场盛大的结婚庆典。 All of their friends and family came to see the lovely ceremony and to partake of the festivities and celebrations. All had a wonderful time. 所有的朋友和家人都来到结婚典礼上参加欢宴和庆祝活动。大家都过得很开心。 The bride was gorgeous in her white wedding gown and the groom was very dashing in his black tuxedo. Everyone could tell that the love they had for each other was true. 穿着白色婚纱的新娘漂亮迷人,穿着黑色礼服的新郎英俊潇洒。每个人都能看出他们彼此的爱是真诚的。 A few months later, the wife came to the husband with a proposal, "I read in a magazine, a while ago, about how we can strengthen our marriage," she offered. "Each of us will write a list of the things that we find a bit annoying with the other person. Then, we can talk about how we can fix them together and make our lives happier...
The story goes that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. 话说两个好朋友正在穿越一个沙漠。途中他们忽然争吵了起来,其中一个一巴掌扇在另外一个人的脸上。 The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, he wrote in the sand: "Today my best friend slapped me in the face." 被扇的那个人受了伤害,但他一句话也没有说,只是在沙子上写道:“今天我最要好的朋友打了我一个耳光。” They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. 他们继续走下去,后来发现了一片绿洲,他们于是决定洗个澡。先前被打的那个人这时不小心陷入了一个泥潭里面,差点被淹死了,幸运的是他的朋友把他给救了出来。 After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: "Today my best friend saved my life." 他苏醒过来...