在日常的学习、工作、生活中,大家都看过一些经典的美文吧?在网络时代人们接触到的信息越来越多,微小说等很多网络文章也被笼统的列入美文行列。你知道写美文要注意哪些问题吗?以下是小编为大家收集的英语美文欣赏
英语美文欣赏[精]
在日常的学习、工作、生活中,大家都看过一些经典的美文吧?在网络时代人们接触到的信息越来越多,微小说等很多网络文章也被笼统的列入美文行列。你知道写美文要注意哪些问题吗?以下是小编为大家收集的英语美文欣赏,欢迎大家借鉴与参考,希望对大家有所帮助。
We’re like the cream. When the cream rises to the top, it separates itself from the milk. Perhaps that is what the New Age Movement is really all about.We find ourselves lonely at the top. Yes, it is.
我们就像奶油。当奶油浮到顶部的时候,它会和牛奶分离。也许这种现象正像是新世纪运动的写照。我们发现自己飞得越高,就会越感孤独。是的,这就是现实。
It is no different with political enlightenment, spiritual enlightenment, or even becoming enlightened about relating to each other. The more mentally healthy you become, the more spiritual, the more balanced, the wealthier, the more global you become… the more alone you may feel.
不论是政治或精神修养的造诣有多深,或者甚至是与他人之间有一种默契的关系,就孤独这一点而言,是没有区别的。你越是拥有健康有理智,精神修养的造诣越深,生活越平衡,越富有,或你的名气传播得越广,你也会感觉越孤独。
Often, we find ourselves unable to find those other rare inpiduals who are choosing the same path as ours. The path of sloppy and lazy is full of other people to meet and talk to. The path of whiners is full. The path of being safe, generic, and boring is so crowded you almost cannot even move forward. Isn’t that why you left that path? You had a need to move forward, a need for some elbowroom, a need to spread your arms wide, a need to be seen as special, unique, different. The masses may admire you, but they are not going to be able to really relate to you. You will be alone much of the time.
经常,我们很难找到那些选择我们和我们同路的人们。那条潮湿,慵懒的道路挤满了可以相遇并聊天的人。那条满是牢骚者的道路上也拥挤不堪。那条所谓安全,普通以及枯燥的道路是如此拥挤以至于你无法向前挪步。难道这不正是你离开那条道路的原因吗?你需要
向前挪步,需要活动的空间,需要展开你的双臂,需要被认知为特别,有个性,与众不同。万千大众仰慕你,但他们却不可能真正地融入你。大部分的时间里,你将是孤独的。
Do not be afraid of the loneliness of enlightenment. Do not force others to agree with you. Simply give your heart and know that you are growing and that they are free to grow or not. It is the nature of the game. We are all free to choose our paths.
不要害怕因造诣深而产生的孤独感。不必要勉强别人赞识你。做你自己,坚定着你自己的成长,别人是否愿意成长就由他们自己去决定吧。这就是自然界的规则。我们都有选择自己道路的自由。
英语美文阅读读后感悟:
请不要害怕孤独,孤独是成功者必备的.要素之一,毕竟成功者是少数的;请不要在意别人的眼光,坚持自己的理想,只要是对的,那么请勇敢的选择自己要走的路。前路或许曲折,但不要气馁,相信自己,相信自己的选择。实现梦想的路总有一天会变笔直。
家中只有一个画家了Only one artist in the family When Pable Picasso was a little boy, he lived in a small town in Spain. His mother liked to call him “Piz”. It is the Spanish word for pencil. As a baby, he liked pencils and chalks better than any of his toys. 巴勃罗.毕加索小时候住在西班牙的一个小镇上。他母亲喜欢叫他“皮兹”。这是“铅笔”的西班牙语单词。他从小就喜欢铅笔和粉笔胜过任何的'玩具。
Picasso’s father was an artist, He spent a lot of time teaching the little boy how to draw. 毕加索的父亲是个画家。他花了大量时间教他儿子怎样绘画。
Drawing was Picasso’s great pleasure. He usually sat by the windows and drew pictures of pigeons. 绘画成了毕加索很大的乐趣。他通常坐在窗户旁边画鸽子。
One day his father came back, He stood for a long time looking at Picasso’s picture. The pigeons in the picture looked quite real. 有一天,他父亲回来了。他站了很长时间观察毕加索画的画。画中的鸽子看上去十分逼真。
His father gave all his brushes and paint to Picasso. He told his son that from then on there would be only one artist in the family. 毕加索的父亲把所有的画笔和颜料全给了他。他对他儿子说,从那个时候起家中只有一个画家。
It seems that hip-hop music is ubiqrutous these days, from popular radio to TV commercials. Whatever your opinion of hip-hop music may be, there is no denying it has impacted pop culture around the world, and shows no signs of slowing down.
现在,从大众广播到电视广告,嘻哈音乐似乎无所不在。不管你对嘻哈音乐的看法怎么样,无可否认它已经对世界各地的通俗文化造成了冲击,并且没有减弱的'迹象。
Hip-hop brings with it its own unique terminology. Rap is the literal action of speaking over a beat. Hip-hop is both a kind of music and a culture, which includes four main elements: emceeing , deejaying , breaking , and graffih art . Along with these are other distinctive. aspects ofhip-hop culture such as language and fashion.
嘻哈风带来了一些专有术语: 说唱乐 是指配合节奏念文字的动作。 嘻哈 既是一种音乐,同时也是一种文化,嘻哈文化包含4大要素 MC (随节奏说唱)、 DJ (转动唱片及混音)、 霹雳舞 (一种特技般的舞蹈),和 涂鸦艺术_o除此之外嘻哈文化还有其他一些特殊
的方面,如语言和服装时尚等。
Hip-hop has its roots in the African traditions of percussion and oral storytelling. Its modernorigins, however, can be found in New York Citys crime-ridden South Bronx in the early 1970s. Fed up with the insipid disco of the times, youth who were short on money but rich in ingenuity created a new, dynamic art form: verbally competing and chronfcling life in the ghetto by rapping poetry over a beat.
4.Earthworms that Help Improve the Soil
The earthworm is a useful animal.Out of the ground,it is food for other animals.In the ground,it makes rich soil for fields and gardens.
Earthworms dig tunnels that loosen the soil and make it easy for air and water to reach the roots of plants.These tunnels help keep the soil well drained.
Earthworms drag dead leaves,grass,and flowers into their burrows.When this plant material decays,it makes the soil more fertile.
No other animal is so useful in building up good topsoil.It is estimated that in one year fifty thousand earthworms carry about eighteen tons of fine soil to the surface of an acre of land.One worm may add three quarters of a pound of earth to tho topsoil.
4.帮助改良土壤的蚯蚓
蚯蚓是一种有益的动物。来到地面上,它成了其他动物的食品,而在地里,它却为田地和花园制造着肥沃的`土壤。
蚯蚓挖掘风洞,使土壤变松,并使空气和水容易抵达植物的根部。这些风洞有助于土壤迅速排水。
蚯蚓把枯树叶、草和花朵拖进自己的洞中,这种植物性物质腐烂后,便使土壤变得更肥沃了。
在制造优良的表面土壤方面,没有别的动物能像蚯蚓这样有用。据估计,一年中,5万条蚯蚓能把大约18吨的细壤送到1英亩土地的表面,一条蚯蚓也许能把3/4磅的土壤加到地表层。
It is said that life is not measured by the breaths you take,but by the moments that take your breath away.
If this is correct,then are we really living our lives to the fullest? Are we enjoying every moment and giving each one the opportunity to mesmerize us? How many memories can you recollect that left you breathless and in absolute awe? Were you able to count beyond your fingertips? Think about it; 20,30,40 or more years,and just a few such moments?
The problem isn’t that such mesmerizing events rarely occur,but rather it is our lack of being present in the moment that allows us to miss it all.It is often the simplest things in life that are the most magical: from falling in love to watching a child take their first step,moments that make the heart skip a beat are hard to miss if you are paying attention.They aren’t expensive to the pocket and neither do they consume too much time—you just need to be consciously present in the moment to be able to encapsulate the magic that lies within.
We all know that life can sometimes get overwhelming: from rush hour traffic to the never ending workload,there is always something that needs our attention.As you get stuck in the monotonous everyday rut,take a moment to stop and acknowledge your existence.This isn’t to propose that you drop everything and enter into a state of meditation but rather simply be consciously present in even the most mundane of your everyday activities.
Life can crawl through you if you let negativity overtake your mind,and it will fly by in the blink of an eye if you get too engrossed in everyday life and fail to recognize and differentiate the you apart from the everything else.It is therefore very important that you find time to nurture yourself and give it the attention it deserves.
“Sir?”
The Maestro continued to play, not looking up from the keys.
“Yes, Rollo?”
“Sir, I was wondering if you would explain this apparatus to me.”
The Maestro stopped playing, his thin body stiffly relaxed on the bench. His long supple fingers floated off the keyboard.
“Apparatus?” He turned and smiled at the robot. “Do you mean the piano, Rollo?”
“This machine that produces varying sounds. I would like some information about it, its operation and purpose. It is not included in my reference data.”
The Maestro lit a cigarette. He preferred to do it himself. One of his first orders to Rollo when the robot was delivered two days before had been to disregarded his built-in instructions on the subject.
“I’d hardly call a piano a machine, Rollo,” he smiled, “although technically you are correct. It is actually, I suppose, a machine designed to produce sounds of graduated pitch and tone, singly or in groups.”
“I assimilated that much by observation,” Rollo replied in a brassy baritone which no longer sent tiny tremors up the Maestro’s spine. “Wires of different thickness and tautness struck by felt-covered hammers activated by manually operated levers arranged in a horizontal panel.”
“A very cold-blooded description of one of man’s nobler works,” the Maestro remarked dryly. “You make Mozart and Chopin mere laboratory technicians.”
“Mozart? Chopin?” The duralloy sphere that was Rollo’s head shone stark and featureless, its immediate surface unbroken but for twin vision lenses. “The terms are not included in my memory banks.”
“No, not yours, Rollo,” the Maestro said softly. “Mozart and Chopin are not for vacuum tubes and fuses and copper wire. They are for flesh and blood and human tears.”
“I do not understand,” Rollo droned.
“Well,” the Maestro said, smoke curling lazily from his nostrils, “they are two of the humans who compose, or design successions of notes--varying sounds, that is, produced by the piano or by other instruments, machines that produce other types of sounds of fixed pitch and tone.
“Sometimes these instruments, as we call them, are played, or operated, inpidually: sometimes in groups--orchestras, as we refer to them--and the sounds blend together, they harmonize. That is, they have an orderly, mathematical relationship to each other which results in...”
The Maestro threw up his hands.
“I never imagined,” he chuckled, “that I would some day struggle so mightily, and so futilely, to explain music to a robot!”
“Music?”
“Yes, Rollo. The sounds produced by this machine and others of the same category are called music.”
“What is the purpose of music, sir?”
“Purpose?”
The Maestro crushed the cigarette in an ash tray. He turned to the keyboard of the concert grand and flexed his fingers briefly.
“Listen, Rollo.”
The wraithlike fingers glided and wove the opening bars of “Clair de Lune,” slender and delicate as spider silk. Rollo stood rigid, the fluorescent light over the music rack casting a bluish jeweled sheen over his towering bulk, shimmering in the amber vision lenses.
The Maestro drew his hands back from the keys and the subtle thread of melody melted reluctantly into silence.
“Claude Debussy”, the Maestro said. “One of our mechanics of an era long past. He designed that succession of tones many years ago. What do you think of it?”
Rollo did not answer at once.
“The sounds were well formed,” he replied finally. “They did not jar my auditory senses as some do.”
The Maestro laughed. “Rollo, you may not realize it, but you’re a wonderful critic.”
“This music, then,” Rollo droned. “Its purpose is to give pleasure to humans?”
“Exactly,” the Maestro said. “Sounds well formed, that do not jar the auditory senses as some do. Marvelous! It should be carved in marble over the entrance of New Carnegie Hall.”
“I do not understand. Why should my definition--?”
The Maestro waved a hand. “No matter, Rollo. No matter.”
“Sir?”
“Yes, Rollo?”
“Those sheets of paper you sometimes place before you on the piano. They are the plans of the composer indicating which sounds are to be produced by the piano and in what order?”
“Just so. We call each sound a note; combinations of notes we call chords.”
“Each dot, then, indicates a sound to be made?”
“Perfectly correct, my man of metal.”
Rollo stared straight ahead. The Maestro felt a peculiar sense of wheels turning within that impregnable sphere.
“Sir, I have scanned my memory banks and find no specific or implied instructions against it. I should like to be taught how to produce these notes on the piano. I request that you feed the correlation between those dots and the levers of the panel into my memory banks.”
The Maestro peered at him, amazed. A slow grin traveled across his face.
“Done!” he exclaimed. “It’s been many years since pupils helped gray these ancient locks, but I have the feeling that you, Rollo, will prove a most fascinating student. To instill the Muse into metal and machinery... I accept the challenge gladly!”
He rose, touched the cool latent power of Rollo’s arm.
“Sit down here, my Rolleindex Personal Robot, Model M-e. We shall start Beethoven spinning in his grave--or make musical history.”
More than an hour later the Maestro yawned and looked at his watch.
“It’s late,” he spoke into the end of the yawn. “These old eyes are not tireless like yours, my friend.” He touched Rollo’s shoulder. “You have the complete fundamentals of musical notation in your memory banks, Rollo. That’s a good night’s lesson, particularly when I recall how long it took me to acquire the same amount of information. Tomorrow we’ll attempt to put those awesome fingers of yours to work.”
He stretched. “I’m going to bed,” he said. “Will you lock up and put out the lights?”
“May I attempt to create some sounds with the keyboard tonight? I will do so very softly so as not to disturb you.”
“Tonight? Aren’t you--?” Then the Maestro smiled. “You must pardon me, Rollo. It’s still a bit difficult for me to realize that sleep has no meaning for you.”
The Hand
手
过感恩节的真正意义并不在于收受他人给予我们的有形物质,而是借此机会回馈他人,无论是如何的微小的付出。
[1]A Thanksgiving Day editorial(社论)in the newspaper told of a school teacher who asked her class of first graders to draw a picture of something they were thankful for. She thought of how little these children from poor neighborhoods actually had to be thankful for. But she knew that most of them would draw pictures of turkeys or tables with food. The teacher was taken aback(吃惊;惊讶)with the picture Douglas handed in… a smile childishly drawn hand.
[1]感恩节那天,报纸刊登了一篇社论,其中讲到这样一个故事:有位小学一年级的老师叫班上的小朋友画出他们感恩的.东西。这些孩子均来自贫苦家庭,所以她料想他们多半会画桌丰富的感恩节佳肴,外加一只香喷喷的火鸡。但看到道格拉斯的作品后,她惊讶不已,上面画了一只手!
[2]But whose hand? The class was captivated(迷惑;困惑)by the abstract(抽象的)image. “I think it must be the hand of God that brings us food,” said one child. “A farmer,” said another, “because he grows the turkeys.” Finally when the others were at work, the teacher bent(弯腰;屈身)over Douglas’s desk and asked whose hand it was. “It’s your hand, Teacher,” he mumbled(咕哝;含糊地说).
[2]这是谁地手?班上地小朋友都兴致勃勃地开始臆测,“这一定是赐给我们食物地上帝地手。”一个小孩说道。“是农夫,他用这手养出火鸡。”另一个小孩也有意见。在一阵猜测后,小朋友们又跑回座位继续画画。这时老师走到道格拉斯身旁,弯下腰问他那是谁地手。“那是您地手,老师。”他怯怯地回答。
[3]She recalled that frequently at recess(课间休息)she had taken Douglas, a scrubby(身材矮小的)forlorn(孤独的)child by the hand. She often did that with the children. But it meant so much to Douglas. Perhaps this was everyone’s Thanksgiving, not for the material things given to us but for the chance, in whatever small way, to give to others.
[3]道格拉斯个头矮小,平时落落寡欢,但老师在下课时总会过去牵牵他的手。她常这样握孩童的手,但对道格拉斯而言,意义格外重大。也许过感恩节的真正意义并不在于收受他人给予我们的有形物质,而是借此机会回馈他人,无论是如何的微小的付出。
All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year, sometimes as short as 24 hours. But always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed hero chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited. Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings, what regrets?
Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with gentleness, vigor and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the Epicurean motto of Eat, drink, and be merry. But most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death.
In stories the doomed hero is usually saved at the last minute by some stroke of fortune, but almost always his sense of values is changed. He becomes more appreciative of the meaning of life and its permanent spiritual values. It has often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow of death bring a mellow sweetness to everything they do.
Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life.
The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill.
I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.
Recently, one of my best friends, whom I‘ve shared just about[几乎] everything with since the first day of kindergarten[幼儿园], spent the weekend with me. Since I moved to a new town several years ago, we‘ve both always looked forward to the few times a year when we can see each other.
Over the weekend, we spent hours and hours, staying up late[迟迟不睡] into the night, talking about the people she was hanging around with[交往]. She started telling me stories about her new boyfriend, about how he experimented[尝试] with drugs and was into other self-destructive[自毁] behavior[行为]. I was blown away[震惊]! She told me how she had been lying to her parents about where she was going and even sneaking out[偷跑] to see this guy because they didn‘t want her around him. No matter how hard I tried to tell her that she deserved better, she didn‘t believe me. Her self-respect seemed to have disappeared.
I tried to convince her that she was ruining her future and heading for big trouble. I felt like I was getting nowhere[毫无进展]. I just couldn‘t believe that she really thought it was acceptable to hang with a bunch of losers, especially her boyfriend.
By the time she left, I was really worried about her and exhausted[疲惫] by the experience. It had been so frustrating[灰心的], I had come close to telling her several times during the weekend that maybe we had just grown too far apart to continue our friendship - but I didn‘t. I put the power of friendship to the ultimate[最后的`] test. We‘d been friends for far too long. I had to hope that she valued me enough to know that I was trying to save her from hurting herself. I wanted to believe that our friendship could conquer[克服] anything.
A few days later, she called to say that she had thought long and hard about our conversation, and then she told me that she had broken up with her boyfriend. I just listened on the other end of the phone with tears of joy running down my face. It was one of the truly rewarding[值得的] moments in my life. Never had I been so proud of a friend.(by Danielle Fishel)
There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
从前,一位富有的商人娶了四个老婆。他最爱他的小老婆,给她华丽的衣裳和美味佳肴。他对她体贴入微,把最好的东西都给了她。
He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.
商人也很爱第三位老婆。他为她感到骄傲,并常把她作为在朋友面前炫耀的资本。但他同时也忧心忡忡,怕她与其他男人跑了。
He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's connfidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.
当然,商人也爱二老婆,她既善解人意又耐心。事实上,她是商人的红颜知己。每每遇到困难,他就会找她,而她也总能帮助他走出困境,度过难关。
Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
至于大老婆,她是一位忠诚的伴侣,替他照料生意、打理家务,忙里忙外,可谓劳苦功高。然而,尽管她爱得这么深,商人却偏不钟情于她,甚至没把她放在心上。
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, “Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I’ll be alone. How lonely I’ll be!”
一日,商人得了重病,他自知将不久于人世。当他回顾自己奢华的一生,不禁心中怅然:“现在我虽然有四个老婆相伴,但死后却要孤零零一人。多寂寞啊!”
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, “I loved you most, and owed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “No way!” replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.
于是,他问小老婆:“我最疼你,给你买最漂亮的衣服,还对你呵护备至。现在我就要离开这个世界了,你愿意随我而去,与我相伴吗?”“绝不可能!”她丢下一句话,径自走开了。
The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, “I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “No!” replied the 3rd wife. “Life is so good over here! I’m going to remarry when you die!” The merchant’s heart sank and turned cold.
小老婆的回答如一把尖刀插在商人心上。伤心的商人继而问第三个老婆:“我一直对你宠爱有加。如今,我将不久于人世,你愿意随我而去,与我相伴吗?”“不!”她拒绝道,“人间的生活多么美好啊!你死后我会改嫁他人!”商人的.心倏地下沉,渐渐变冷。
He then asked the 2nd wife, “I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?” “I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!” replied the 2nd wife. “At the very most, I can only send you to your grave.” The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
他再转向二老婆,问道:“我过去常常求助于你,你也总能为我排忧解难。现在我想再请你帮一次忙。我死后,你愿意随我而去,与我相伴吗?”“很抱歉,这一次我帮不了你,”她说,“我最多只能让你入土为安。”这句话犹如晴天霹雳,商人彻底绝望了。
Then a voice called out: “I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.” The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, “I should have taken much better care of you while I could have!”
这时,旁边传来一个声音:“我愿意随你一同离去。无论你到哪里,我都会跟着你。”商人抬起头,看到了自己的大老婆。她是那么消瘦,一副营养不良的样子。商人悲痛万分,他说:“我过去就应该好好地珍惜你啊!”
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives
其实,我们每个人的一生都有四位爱人相伴。
The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.
小老婆代表我们的躯体。无论我们花费多少的时间和精力想去装扮她,我们死后它终会弃我们而去。
Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
第三位老婆代表财产、地位与金钱。一旦我们撒手西去,它终究会转向他人。
The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
二老婆则代表了我们的家人与朋友。我们活着的时候,无论他们与我们多么亲近,他们最多也只能到墓前送我们最后一程。
The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure.
至于大老婆,她则是我们的灵魂。当我们沉迷于追求物质、金钱或感官享受的时候,她常常会被遗忘在一旁。
Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament.
结果呢?她才是唯一与我们永远相伴的。也许从现在开始,我们就应该悉心照顾好她,而不是等到临终之际才悔恨不已。
雨前
最后的鸽群带着低弱的笛声在微风里划一个圈子后,也消失了。也许是误认这灰暗的凄冷的天空为夜色的来袭,或是也预感到风雨的将至,遂过早地飞回到它们温暖的木舍。
几天的阳光在柳条上撒下的一抹嫩绿,被尘土埋掩得有憔悴色了,是需要一次洗涤。还有干裂的大地和树根也早已期待着雨。雨却迟疑着。
我怀想故乡的雷声和雨声。那隆隆的有力的搏击,从山谷返响到山谷,仿佛春之芽就从冻土里震动、惊醒,而怒茁出来。细草样柔的雨声又以温存之手抚摩它,使它簇生油绿的枝叶而开出红色的花。这些怀想如乡愁一样萦绕得我忧郁了。我心里的气候也和这北方大陆一样缺少雨量,一滴温柔的泪在我枯涩的眼里,如迟疑在这阴沉的.天空里的雨点,久不落下。
白色的鸭也似有一点烦燥了,有不洁的颜色的都市的河沟里传出它们的焦急的叫声。有的还未厌倦那船一样的徐徐地划行。有的却倒插它们的长颈在水里,红色的蹼趾伸在尾后,不停地扑击着水以支持身体的平衡。不知是在寻找沟底的细微食物,还是贪那深深的水里的寒冷。
有几个已上岸了。在柳树下来回地作绅士的散步,舒息划行的疾劳。然后参差地站着,用嘴细细地抚理它们遍体白色的羽毛,间或又摇动身子或扑展着阔翅,使那缀在羽手间的大珠坠落。一个已修饰完毕的,弯曲它的颈到背上,长长的红嘴藏没在翅膀里,静静合上它白色的茸毛间的小黑眼,仿佛准备睡眠。可怜的小动物,你就是这样做你的梦吗?
我想起故乡放雏鸭的人了。一大群鹅黄色的雏鸭游牧在溪流间。清浅的水,两岸青青的草,一根长长的竹竿在牧人的手里。他的小队伍是多么欢欣地发出啾啁声,又多么驯服地随着他的竿头越过一个田野又一个山坡!夜来了,帐幕似的竹篷撑在地上,就是他的家。但这是怎样辽远的想象啊!在这多尘土的国度里,我仅希望听见一点树叶上的雨声。一点雨声的幽凉滴到我的憔悴的梦里,也许会长成一树圆圆的绿阴来覆荫我自己。
我仰起头。天空低垂如灰色的雾幕,落下一些寒冷的碎屑到我脸上。一只远来的鹰隼仿佛带着怒愤,对这沉重的天色的怒愤,平张的双翅不动地从天空斜插下,几乎触到河沟对岸的土阜,而又鼓扑着双翅,作出猛烈的声响腾上了。那样巨大的翅使我惊异。我看见了它两肋间斑白的羽毛。
接着听见了它有力的鸣声,如同一个巨大的心的呼号,或是在黑暗里寻找伴侣的叫唤。
然而雨还是没有来。
The pigeons with faint finally etched a circle in the light breeze, have disappeared. Perhaps they mistook the gloomy sky and cold for the onset of night, or have a hunch that rain is approaching, so they fly back to their warm cabin.
A few days of sunshine on the willow, a touch of green, buried in the dust is haggard, it is a need for a washing. And the dry ground and the roots of the tree have long been looking for rain. The rain was hesitating.
I think of thunder and rain in my hometown. Those mighty crashes rumbled, from the valley echo Valley, as if spring shoots were shaking in the frozen ground, woke up, and anger out zhuo. Fine grass like soft rain with gentle hands stroked it, so that clumps of green leaves and pink flowers. This feeling of nostalgia about my melancholy. My heart is the North China climate and lack of rainfall, a tear in my dull eyes, such as lingering in the murky sky of the rain, for a long time not to fall.
The white ducks looked a bit tired, their anxious cries from the dirty city rivers. Paddling slowly some were not weary of the ship. Others were putting their necks in the water, red webbed toe extension in the tail, constantly beat against the water to support the balance of the body. I do not know to look for the fine food at the bottom of the ditch, or to greedy the cold in the deep water.
A few have landed. Walk in the willow swaggered back, the man Lao Shu interest. Then stood unevenly, with the mouth carefully ask them full of white feathers, and occasionally shake or spread their broad wings that compose in hand between the falling feather. One that had already finished, bending its neck on the back, long billed hiding in the wings, quietly closed its white fuzz small black eyes, as if it were going to sleep. Poor little animal, are you doing your dream?
I think the hometown people put ducklings. A large group of goose yellow ducklings in the streams. Limpid water, lush green grass on the banks, with a long bamboo pole in his hand. His team is glad to look after a sound, and how meekly with his rod head over a field and a hillside! Night, tent like bamboo shed on the ground, is his home. But this is what a distant imagination! In this country of dust, I only want to hear the sound of raindrops on leaves. A little raindrop dripping into my haggard dream, may grow into a round green shade to cover myself.
I raised my head. The sky was drooping like a grey fog curtain, and some cold crumbs fell on my face. A long distance to the hawk as if with anger, against the heavy weather anger, flat piece of wings do not move from the sky Xiecha, almost touched the hillock on the other side of the brook, and beat its wings and make violently. That great wing amazes me. I saw it two grizzled feathers.
Then he heard its powerful voice, like a great heart call, or the call of a companion in the dark.
But the rain did not come.
I used to watch her from my kitchen window, she seemed so small as she muscled her way through the crowd of boys on the playground. The school was across the street from our home and I would often watch the kids as they played during recess. A sea of children, and yet to me, she stood out from them all. I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids. She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her but no one could. I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone. She would practice dribbling and shooting over and over again, sometimes until dark. One day I asked her why she practiced so much. She looked directly in my eyes and without a moment of hesitation she said, “I want to go to college. The only way I can go is if I get a scholarship. I like basketball. I decided that if I were good enough, I would get a scholarship. I am going to play college basketball. I want to be the best. My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” Then she smiled and ran towards the court to recap the routine I had seen over and over again. Well, I had to give it to her—she was determined. I watched her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her varsity team to victory.
One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head cradled in her arms. I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her. Quietly I asked what was wrong. “Oh, nothing,” came a soft reply. “I am just too short.” The coach told her that at 5’5” she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team— much less offered a scholarship—so she should stop dreaming about college. She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She lifted her head from her hands and told me that her father said those coaches were wrong. They just did not understand the power of a dream. He told her that if she really wanted to play for a good college, if she truly wanted a scholarship, that nothing could stop her except one thing — her own attitude. He told her again, “If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count.” The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was seen by a college recruiter. She was indeed offered a scholarship, a full ride, to a Division 1, NCAA women’s basketball team. She was going to get the college education that she had dreamed of and worked toward for all those years.
Travels on Holidaysin China.
Nowadays, more and more people like to travel in their holidays. The other day I read a report about the ways people spend their holidays. It is reported that in recent yiars several new holiday habits have been developed. Among them, the most interesting one is the growth of the so-called holiday camps.
From the report we can see that in 1990,40 percent of people stayed at home for holidays. But now the proportion has reduced to 9 percent. More people go out for fun. The proportion of camping and traveling abroad was increasing steadily, from 10 percent in 1990 to 38 percent in 20xx, and 12 percent in 1990 to 26 percent in 20xx respectively.
People enjoy the fresh air, clean Water and green hills when they go camping in the suburbs. In 1990,38 percent people enjoyed going to the seaside while in 20xx only 27 percent prefer to go there. What great changes! Why did those changes appear I think there are several reasons. First, it s because people can afford traveling. Second, people prefer to pursue a high-quality and colorful life. Third, their attitudes to relaxation have changed.
Less people want to save much money by leading a simple life. In short, peoples living standard today has been rising greatly.
[美文欣赏]
The lives of most men are determined by their enviroment.They accept the circumstances amid which fate has thrown them not only resignation but even with good will.They are like streetcars running contendedly on their rails and they despise the sprightly flitter that dashes in and out of the traffic and speeds so jauntily across the open country .I respct them; they are good citizens,good husbands,and good fathers ,and of course somebody has to pay the taxes; but I do not find them exciting. I am fasinated by the men, few enough in all conscience , who take life in their own hands and seem to mould it in to their own liking. It may be that we have no such thing as free will, but at all events, we have the illusion of it. At a cross-road it does seem to us that we might go either to the right or to the left and ,the choice once made, it is difficult to see that the whole course of the world's history obliged us to take the turning we did.
[参考译文]
大多数人的生活被他们身处的环境所决定。他们不仅接受既定的命运,而且顺从命运的`安排。他们就像街上的电车一样,在他们既定的轨道上行驶,而对于那些不时出没于车水马龙间和欢快地奔驰在旷野上的廉价小汽车却不屑一顾。我尊重他们,他们是好公民、好丈夫和好父亲。当然,总得有些人来支付税收,但是,他们并没有令人激动的地方。另外有一些人,他把生活掌握在自己的手里,可以按照自己的喜好去创造生活,尽管这样的人少之又少,但我却被他们深深的吸引着。可能世界上并没有诸如自由意志这样的事情,但是无论怎样,我们总有关于自由意志的的幻想。当我们处在一个十字路口时,我们似乎可以决定向左走还是向右走,可是一旦做出选择,我们却很难意识到,实际上是世界历史的全部进程强迫我们做出了那样的选择。
FOR some people in this world, the glass always seems to be half-full. For others it is half-empty. But how someone comes to have a sunny disposition in the first place is an interesting question.
It has been known for a long time that optimists see the world selectively, mentally processing positive things while ignoring negative ones, and that this outlook helps determine their health and well-being. In recent years, it has also become clear that carriers of a particular version of a particular gene are at higher risk than others of depression and attempted suicide when they face traumatic events. The gene in question lies in a region of the genome that promotes the activity of a second gene, which encodes a protein called the serotonin transporter. Serotonin is a messenger molecule that carries signals between nerve cells, and it is known to modulate many aspects of human behaviour, although the details are complex and controversial. The transporter protein recycles serotonin back into the cell that produced it, making it available for reuse, but also reducing the amount in the junctions between cells and thus, it is presumed, the strength of the signal.
在这个世界上,对于一些人来说,玻璃杯里的水似乎总是半满。对于另外一些人来说,玻璃杯里的水总是半空。但是乐观者是如何首先获得这种积极向上的天性的呢?这是个很有趣的问题。
长久以来人们知道,乐观者们选择性地看待这个世界,他们的心理处理那些积极的事情但是忽略那些消极的事情,人们还知道这种心态有利于乐观者们的健康和幸福。最近人们还清楚地发现对于有些携带某种特别形式的某种特别基因的人,他们在面对创伤性事件面前更加容易患上抑郁症,也更容易尝试自杀。这种特别的基因位于人类基因组的某个区域,这个区域激活第二种基因,而这第二种基因对所谓的血清素传输子进行蛋白质编码。血清素是一种信使分子,它传输神经细胞间的信号。人们还知道血清素调节人类行为的许多方面,尽管其中的细节很复杂而且对其解释也有争议。传输蛋白把血清素“回收”到产生它的细胞,使其能重复利用,但是这也减少了细胞间的'节点数量,因此人们也认为减少了信号的强度。
It has looked increasingly likely, therefore, that genes—particularly those connected with serotonin—have a role to play in shaping a person’s outlook. So Elaine Fox and her colleagues at the University of Essex, in Britain, wondered whether genes play a part in the selective attention to positive or negative material, with consequent effects on outlook.
To find out, they took samples of DNA from about 100 people and then subjected these people to what is known as the dot-probe paradigm test to see how they reacted to different stimuli. In this test participants are briefly shown photographs that may be positive, negative or neutral in tone. They then have to press a keypad to indicate when a dot has appeared on the screen. It has been found by experience that the more distracting an image is, the longer a person takes to respond when the dot appears. That allowed Dr Fox and her team to discover how distracting particular people found particular images.
因此,人们越来越发现基因——特别是与血清素相关的基因很可能对人们形成“世界观”有作用。所以来自英国埃塞克斯大学(University of Essex) 的Elaine Fox 和她的同事想知道基因是否在对积极或者消极事件的选择性注意上起一定的作用,从而影响“世界观”。
为了找出答案,他们采集了大约100人的DNA样品,然后对这些人进行所谓的点探测任务实验,以便观察他们对不同刺激的反应。在这个实验中,实验参与者们短暂地看一些照片,这些照片的“格调”可能是积极的、消极的或者中性的。然后当这些实验参与者们在屏幕上看到一个点出现后,必须按一下键盘。经验发现照片越是分散人的注意力,那么当点出现在屏幕上后,人们就需要更长的时间做出反应。这就让Fox博士和她的研究小组发现特定的人对特定的照片是如何被吸引的。
In a paper just published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B they report that, sure enough, gene-related variation caused a bias in attention towards positive and negative material. Some people had two “long” versions of the promoter gene (one inherited from each parent), a combination that reduces the amount of serotonin in the junctions between nerve cells. These inpiduals were biased towards positive images and away from negative ones. By contrast, those who had either a long and a short version of the gene, or two short versions (and thus, presumably, more serotonin in the junctions), did not have such protective biases. In other words, the optimists really did see the world differently.
Rose-tinted spectacles may be good for one’s health, as these results fit in with wider ideas about how a tendency to look on the bright side of life is part of being resilient to stress. Those with short variants of this gene are expected to have an increased susceptibility to mood disorders following such stress. It is not all good news, though, for optimists. Because these results suggest that a person’s attitude to life is inherited, they serve as a stark warning to all buoyant optimists that trying to cheer the rest of the world up with nothing more than a smile and an effortlessly sunny disposition is doomed to failure.
在刚刚发表于《皇家学会学报B》(Proceedings of the Royal Society B)的文章中,他们报道说,与基因相关的变化肯定导致了人们对积极和消极事物注意力的偏爱。有些人具有两个“长”版本的启动子基因(遗传自双亲),这种组合减少了神经细胞节中血清素的含量。这些人偏爱积极的照片,而不喜欢消极的照片。相反,那些带有一长一短,或者两短“版本”启动子基因的人就没有这种保护性的偏爱,而这种基因组合可能使得神经节中的血清素含量更高。换句话说,乐观者们真地是以不同的方式看世界的。
积极的眼光可能对人的健康有好处,这些结果也和大众的观点相吻合, 那就是经常看到生活阳光的一面会有助于应付压力。而那些“短”版基因的人在这样的压力下可能更易受到情绪混乱的影响。然而,对于乐观者们来说,并非一切都是好消息。因为这些研究结果暗示一个人对待生活的态度可能来自于遗传,这对所有的乐观者们提供了一个严厉的警告:想仅仅依靠微笑和天生的积极性格让整个世界都高兴起来是注定不可行的。