高中英语美文欣赏

高中英语美文欣赏 高中英语美文欣赏 1惟独你不可取代 As a teenager，I felt I was always letting people down. I was rebellious1 out－side，but I wanted to be liked inside. 　　 Once I left home to hitch-hike2 to California with my friend Penelope. The trip wasn’t easy，and there were many times I didn’t feel safe. One situation in particular kept me grateful to still be alive. When I returned home，I was different，not so outwardly sure of myself. 　　 I was happy to be home. But then I noticed that Penelope，who was staying with us，was wearing my clothes. And my family seemed to like her better than me. I wondered if I would be missed if I weren’t there. I told my mom，and she explained that though Penelope was a lovely girl，no one could replace me. I pointed out，“Ｓhe is more patient and is neater than I have ever been.” My mom said these were wonderful qualities，but I was the only person who could fill my role. She made me realize that even with my faults—and there were many－I was a loved member of the family who couldn’t be replaced. 　　 I became a searcher，wanting to find out who I was and what made me unique. My view of myself was changing. I wanted a solid base to start from. I started to resist3 pressure to act in ways that I didn’t like any more，and I was delighted by who I really was. I came to feel much more sure that no one can ever take my place. 　　 Each of us holds a unique place in the world. You are special，no matter what others say or what you may think. So forget about being replaced. You can’t be. 　　当我还是个10几岁的少年的时候，觉得自己总是让人失望。从外表上看，我似乎很叛逆，但是在内心深处，我是如此地渴望被人疼爱。 　　 有一次我离开了家和我的朋友佩内洛普搭便车去了加利福尼亚。这次旅行并不轻松，而且有很多次我感觉不安。有一次的突发状况让我一直庆幸自己还活着。回到家，我发觉自己变了，看上去不那么自信了。 　　 我很高兴能回到家，但不久我注意到和我们一起的佩内洛普穿着我的衣服，而且我父母看上去更喜欢她，我想知道如果我不在家的话他们是否会想念我。后来，我把我的想法告诉了母亲，她说尽管佩内洛普是个可爱的女孩，但她始终不能取代我，我说：“她比我有耐心而且无论何时看上去她都比我要整洁大方。”母亲说这些都是非常好的优点，但我却是惟一个能扮演好自己角色的人。母亲让我感到尽管我有缺点———似乎还很多———但是，我被家中每一个人爱着，谁也无法取代。 　　 我成了一个探寻者，想要知道自己到底是谁，又是什么让我变得独一无二。我的人生观开始改变。我需要一个坚固的基础来发展，我忍受住压力，不再做自己不喜欢做的事。而且我为真实的我感到高兴。渐渐地我越发肯定自己无可替代。 　　 每个人在这个世界上都占有一个独一无二的位置。无论别人说什么，你自己怎么想，你都是特别的。所以，不要担心自己会被取代，因为你永远是惟一的。 　　　　 2就在正上方 太多的时候，我们总认为光明就在脚下，就在不远的前方，于是忘了去仰望头顶的那片天…… 　　If you put a buzzard1) in a pen2) six to eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten to twelve feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt3) to fly, but remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top. 　　The ordinary bat that flies around at night, who is a remarkable nimble4) creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is to shuffle5) about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation6) from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash. 　　A bumblebee7) if dropped into an open tumbler8) will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists9) in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself. 　　In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat and the bumblebee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations10), not realizing that the answer is right there above them. 　　 　　如果把一只秃鹫放在一个6～8平方英尺的无顶围栏里，这只大鸟尽管会飞，也绝对会成为这栏中之囚。原因是秃鹫从地面起飞前总要先助跑10～12英尺的距离。这是它的习惯，如果没有了足够的助跑空间，它甚至不会尝试去飞，只会终身困囿于一个无顶的小囚笼中。 　　晚上飞来飞去的普通的蝙蝠，本是一种在空中极其敏捷的动物，但却无法在平地上起飞。如果被放在地板或平坦的地面上，它就只会无助地挪动，毫无疑问这样很痛苦。除非它到了稍高的位置，有了落差，才可以立刻闪电般地起飞。 　　一只大黄蜂如果掉进了一个敞口平底玻璃杯里，除非有人把它拿出来，否则它就会一直呆在里边直到死去。它永远不知道可以从杯口逃出，只坚持试图从杯底的四壁寻找出路。它会在根本不存在出口的地方寻找出路，直到彻底毁了自己。 　　其实在很多方面，很多人也像秃鹫、蝙蝠和大黄蜂一样，使尽浑身解数试图解决问 题 快递公司问题件快递公司问题件货款处理关于圆的周长面积重点题型关于解方程组的题及答案关于南海问题 、克服挫折，却没有意识到解决之道就在正上方。 　Vocabulary 　　1.buzzard n. [动]秃鹫 　　2.pen [pen] n. 围栏，围圈 　　3.attempt vt. 尝试，企图 　　4.nimble adj. 敏捷的 　　5.shuffle v. 拖着脚走，慢吞吞地走 　　6.elevation n. 高地，海拔 　　7.bumblebee n. [动]大黄蜂 　　8.tumbler n. (平底)玻璃杯 　　9.persist vi. 坚持，持续 　　10.frustration n. 失败，挫折 3我的第一份工作 Both my parents came from towns in Mexico. I was born in El Paso, Texas, and when I was four, my family moved to a housing project in East Los Angeles. 　　Even though we struggled to make ends meet, my parents stressed1) to me and my four brothers and sisters how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities. They imbued2) in us the concepts of family, faith and patriotism. 　　I got my first real job when I was ten. My dad, Benjamin, injured his back working in a cardboard-box factory and was retrained as a hairstylist. He rented space in a little mall and gave his shop the fancy name of Mr. Ben's Coiffure3). 　　The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three nights a week, which meant getting up at 3 a.m. To pick up trash, Dad used a little machine that looked like a lawn mower. Mom and I emptied garbage cans and picked up litter4) by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I'd sleep in the car on the way home. 　　I did this for two years, but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime. I acquired5) discipline and a strong work ethic6), and learned at an early age the importance of balancing life's competing interests7) — in my case8), school, homework and a job. This really helped during my senior year of high school, when I worked 40 hours a week flipping9) burgers at a fast-food joint10) while taking a full load of percolate courses. 　　The hard work paid off11). I attended12) the U.S. Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in law and business from Harvard. Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California state assembly. In these jobs and in everything else I've done, I have never forgotten those days in the parking lot. The experience taught me that there is dignity13) in all work and that if people are working to provide for themselves and their families that is something we should honor. 　　我的父母都来自墨西哥的小镇。我出生于得克萨斯州的埃尔帕索城。我四岁时，全家搬到了东洛杉矶的一处低收入住宅区。 　　尽管我们当时要做到收支平衡都很困难，但父母仍对我和四个兄弟姐妹强调说，能在这样一个充满无限机遇的国家里落户，我们是多么幸运啊！他们给我们灌输了家庭、信仰以及爱国主义的观念。 　　十岁的时候，我得到了人生第一份真正的工作。我的爸爸本杰明在纸箱厂工作时背部受了伤。经过再 培训 焊锡培训资料ppt免费下载焊接培训教程 ppt 下载特设培训下载班长管理培训下载培训时间表下载 ，他成了一名发型师。他在一个规模不大的商业区租下了一个摊位，并给他的店取了个奇妙的名字：“本先生的发型”。 　　商业中心的老板在租金上给爸爸打了个折扣，但条件是每周打扫三次停车场，这意味着凌晨三点就要起床干活。爸爸用一个看起来像除草机的小机器来收捡垃圾，而我和妈妈则要清空垃圾桶并用手拾捡散落的垃圾。打扫这个停车场要用两到三个小时。我总是在回家时的车里就睡着了。 　　这份工作我干了两年，但从中学到的东西却让我受用终生。我学会了自律，建立了很强的职业道德。从小我就懂得了平衡生活中各种利益冲突的重要性——对我而言，就是上学、作业和工作。这在我高二那年真是很有用处。那时，我在一家快餐连锁店制作汉堡包，每周工作四十个小时，同时还肩负着沉重的大学预科课程的学习任务。 　　辛勤的工作终见回报。我考入了美国军事学院，接着又获得了哈佛大学的法律和商业硕士学位。后来，我进入洛杉矶一家著名的律师事务所并被选为加州议会参议员。在做这些工作和其他所有事情的过程中，我从未忘记过在停车场辛勤工作的那些日子。那段经历使我懂得工作无贵贱, 靠自食其力来供养自己和家人就值得人们敬佩。 　Vocabulary 　　1.stress [stres] v. 强调，着重 　　2.imbue v. 灌输，深深影响 　　3.coiffure n. 发式 　　4.litter n. 废弃物，被胡乱扔掉的东西(尤指废纸等杂物) 　　5.acquire vt. 获得，学到 　　6.work ethic: 职业道德 　　7.interest n. 利益，利害关系 　　8.in one's case: 就某人的情况而言 　　9.flip vt. 使翻转 　　10.joint n. 连接，结合，本文中指连锁店 　　11.pay off: 得到好结果，取得成功 　　12.attend [E5tend] vt. 上(大学等) 　　13.dignity [5dI^nItI] n. 尊贵，高贵 4饼干里的秘密 Ｊｅｒｒｙ　Ｈａｒｐｔ Forty-three years seems like a long time to remember the name of a mere1)acquaintance. I have forgotten the name of an old lady, who was a customer on the paper route in my home town when I was a twelve-year-old boy. Yet it dwells2)in my memory that she taught me a lesson in forgiveness that I shall never forget. 　　On a winter afternoon, a friend and I were throwing stones onto the slanted3)roof of the old lady's house from a spot near her backyard. The object of our play was to observe how the stones changed to missiles4)as they rolled to the roof's edge and shot out into the yard like comets5)falling from the sky. I found myself a perfectly smooth rock and threw it out. The stone was too smooth, however, so it slipped from my hand as I let it go and headed straight not for the roof but for a small window on the old lady's back porch6). At the sound of fractured7)glass, we knew we were in trouble. We turned tail8)and ran faster than any of our missiles flew off her roof. 　　I was too scared about getting caught that first night to be concerned about9)the old lady with the broken window in winter. However, a few days later, when I was sure that I hadn't been discovered, I started to feel guilty for her misfortune. She still greeted me with a smile each day when I gave her the paper, but I was no longer able to act comfortable in her presence10). 　　I made up my mind that I would save my paper delivery money, and in three weeks I had the seven dollars that I calculated would cover the cost of her window. I put the money in an envelope with a note explaining that I was sorry for breaking her window and hoped that the seven dollars would cover the cost for repairing it. 　　I waited until it was dark, snuck up11)to the old lady's house, and put the letter I didn't sign through the letter slot12)in her door. My soul felt redeemed13)and I could have the freedom of, once again, looking straight into the old lady's kind eyes. 　　The next day, I handed the old lady her paper and was able to return the warm smile that I was receiving from her. She thanked me for the paper and gave me a bag of cookies she had made herself. I thanked her and proceeded14)to eat the cookies as I continued my route. 　　 After several cookies, I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope, I was stunned15). Inside were the seven dollars and a short note that said, "I'm proud of you." 　　 记住一个仅是认识的人的名字，43年似乎是段很长的时间。我已经忘了那位老太太的名字，她是我12岁那年在家乡送报时的一位客户。不过，她曾给我上的那堂关于“宽恕”的课却始终让我难以忘怀。 　　一个冬天的下午，我和一个朋友在离这个老太太家屋后不远的一个地方往她家斜斜的屋顶上扔石子玩。我们的目的是观察这些石子如何顺着屋顶的斜坡变成一颗发射物，在滚落到屋顶边缘的瞬间，像滑过天空的彗星那样射入院中。我给自己找了颗十分光滑的石子，然后扔了出去。但是，这颗石子太光滑了，出手的一刹那，它偏离了方向。它没有落在屋顶上，反而直接击中了老太太屋后门廊上的一扇小窗户。听到玻璃破碎的声音，我们知道闯祸了。我们掉头拔腿就跑，跑得比任何一颗从她屋顶发射的石子都要快。 　　当天晚上，我太害怕被抓住，没有考虑到冬天里的破玻璃窗会给老太太带来什么样的麻烦。但是，过了几天，当我确信自己没被发现时，就开始对给她带来的倒霉事感到内疚了。每天我给她送报纸时，她依旧笑眯眯地迎接我。不过，在她面前，我已经不像过去那样自在了。 　　我决定把送报挣的钱攒起来。三周后，我便有了7美元。我估计这大概够赔偿她的窗户了。我把钱装进一个信封，并附上一张纸条，解释说我对打破她家的窗户感到很抱歉，希望这7美元足够赔付修窗户的钱。 　　我一直等到天黑，才悄悄走到她家门前，把这封没有署名的信从信箱口投进了她家。做完这件事情后，我感到自己的灵魂好像得到了解脱，获得了新的自由，能够重新正视老太太慈祥的目光了。 　　第二天，当老太太微笑着从我手上接过报纸时，我也能向她回报一个热情的微笑。她对我的送报工作表示感谢，送了我一纸袋她亲手做的饼干。谢过她后，我一边吃着饼干，一边继续去给别的客户送报纸。 　　吃了几块饼干后，我摸到了一个信封，就把它拽了出来。当我打开信封时，我不禁怔住了。信封里有7美元和一张纸条，上面写道：“我为你感到骄傲。” 5善待机会 The air we breathe is so freely available (adj. 可以得到的) that we take it for granted. Yet without it we could not survive more than a few minutes. For the most part, the same air is available to everyone, and everyone needs it. Some people use the air to sustain (v. 维持，持续) them while they sit around and feel sorry for themselves. Others breathe in the air and use the energy it provides to make a magnificent (adj. 壮丽的) life for themselves. 　　Opportunity is the same way. It is everywhere. Opportunity is so freely available that we take it for granted. Yet opportunity alone is not enough to create success. Opportunity must be seized and actedupon in order to have value. So many people are so anxious to "get in on the ground floor(n. 有利的地位，投机的初期)" of opportunity, as if the opportunity will do all the work. That's impossible. 　　Just as you need air to breathe, you need opportunity to succeed. It takes more than just breathing in the fresh air of opportunity, however. You must make use of that opportunity. That's not up to the opportunity. That's up to you. It doesn't matter what "floor" the opportunity is on. What matters is what you do with it. 　　我们呼吸的空气如此易得，以至于我们视它为理所当然，但没有了空气我们却坚持不了几分钟。从很大程度上来说，每个人呼吸到的空气都是一样的，并且每个人都离不开空气。有些人靠呼吸空气来维持生命，但他们只会坐在那里自怨自艾。另外一些人吸进空气，利用空气提供的能量为自己开创壮丽的人生。 　　机遇也是如此。它无处不在。机遇如此易得，以至于我们视它为理所应当。然而仅凭机遇却不足以创造成功。必须抓住机遇并采取行动才能实现其价值。有许多人一得到有利的机会，就急着要成功，好像有了机遇就万事大吉。这是不可能的。 　　正如你需要空气来呼吸，你也需要机遇来获得成功。但是只吸进机遇的新鲜空气远远不够。你必须好好利用机遇。这并不取决于机遇本身，而是由你自己决定。你在什么时候得到机遇并不重要。重要的是你怎样把握机遇。 6我要谨记的事情 Everybody doesn't have to love me. 无须人人都爱我 　　Not everyone has to love me or even like me. I don't necessarily like everybody I know, so why should everybody else like me? I enjoy being liked and being loved, but if somebody doesn't like me, I will still be okay and still feel like I am an okay person. I cannot make somebody like me anymore than someone can get me to like them. I don't need approval all the time. If someone does not approve of1) me, I will still be okay. 　　It is okay to make mistakes. 犯错误没什么大不了的 　　Making mistakes is something we all do, and I am still a fine and worthwhile person when I make them. There is no reason for me to get upset when I make a mistake. I am trying, and if I make a mistake, I am going to continue trying. I can handle making a mistake. It is okay for others to make a mistake, too. I will accept my mistakes and also the mistakes that others make. 　　Other people are okay and I am okay. 互相尊重 　　People who do things that I don't like are not necessarily bad people. They should not necessarily be punished just because I don't like what they do or did. There is no reason why other people should bethe way I want them to be, and there is no reason why I should be the way somebody else wants me to be. People will be whatever they want to be, and I will be whatever I want to be. I cannot control other people or change them. They are who they are; we all deserve basic respect. 　　I don't have to control things. 我无须控制一切 　　I will survive if things are different than what I want them to be. I can accept things the way they are, accept people the way they are, and accept myself the way I am. There is no reason to get upset if I can't change things to fit my idea of how they ought to be. There is no reason why I should have to like everything. Even if I don't like it, I can live with it. 　　I am responsible for my day. 我对自己的一生负责 　　I am responsible for how I feel and what I do. Nobody can make me feel anything. If I have a rotten2) day, I am the one who allowed it to be that way. If I have a great day, I am the one who deserves credit for being positive. It is not the responsibility of other people to change so that I can feel better. I am the one who is in charge of my life. 　　I can handle it when things go wrong. 出问题时我能应付 　　I don't need to watch out for things to go wrong. They usually go just fine, and when they don't, I can handle it. I don't have to waste energy worrying. The sky won't fall; things will be okay. 　　It is important to try. 试一试很重要 　　I can. Even though I may be faced with difficult tasks, it is better to try than to avoid them. Avoiding a task does not give me any opportunities for success or joy, but trying does. Things worth having are worth the effort. I might not be able to do everything. But I can do something. 　　I am capable. 我能做到。 　　I don't need someone else to take care of my problems. I am capable. 　　I can take care of myself. I can make decisions for myself. I can think for myself. I don't have to depend on somebody else to take care of me. 　　I can change. 我可以改变 　　I don't have to be a certain way because of what has happened in the past. Every day is a new day. It's silly to think I can't help being the way I am. Of course I can. I can change. 　　I can be flexible. 我能随机应变 　　There is more than one way to do something. More than one person has had good ideas that will work. There is no one and only "best" way. Everybody has ideas that are worthwhile. Some may make more sense to me than others, but everyone's ideas are worthwhile, and everyone has something worthwhile to contribute. 7一个那样的哥哥 给予比获得更让人幸福...... 　　Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street boy was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. 　　"Is this your car, Mister?" he asked. 　　Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astonished. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you anything? Boy, I wish...." He hesitated. Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad1 said made Paul quite surprised. 　　"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that." 　　Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively2 he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?" 　　"Oh, yes, I'd love that." 　　After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again. 　　"Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled3 brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of4 squeezed up5 against him and pointed to the car. "There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm gonna6 give you one just like it... then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about." 　　Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride. 　　That Christmas Eve, Paul learned that it was more blessed to give.... 　　 　　保罗收到一辆汽车，那是他哥哥送的圣诞礼物。圣诞节前夜，保罗从办公室出来时，一个街头少年绕着那辆闪闪发亮的新车，十分羡慕。 　　“先生，这是你的车？”少年问道。 　　保罗点点头：“这是我哥哥送我的圣诞礼物。”男孩十分惊讶：“你是说这是你哥送你的，你一分钱也没花？好家伙，我希望……”他停住了。保罗当然知道男孩他希望什么。他希望能有一个那样的哥哥。但那少年接下来说的话却让保罗大吃一惊。 　　“我希望，”男孩继续说：“我能成为那样的哥哥。” 　　保罗惊愕地看着那男孩，他冲口而出：“你要不要坐我的车去兜一兜风？” 　　 “哦，当然，我愿意！” 　　车开出一小段路后，男孩转过头来，眼睛闪闪发亮地说：“先生，你是否介意把车子开到我家门前？”保罗微笑。他想他知道男孩想干什么。那男孩肯定是要向邻居炫耀他能坐一部大轿车回家。但是这次保罗又猜错了。 　　“你能不能把车子停在那两个台阶前？”男孩要求。男孩跑上台阶，过了一会儿保罗听到他回来了，但动作有些缓慢。他背来了他跛脚的弟弟。他让弟弟坐在最下面的台阶上，略有些挤靠着自己，然后指着那辆车。“这就是那车，巴迪，就是我刚才在楼上对你说的。他哥哥送他的圣诞礼物，他一分钱也没花。将来某一天我也会送给你一辆像这样的车，到那时候，你就能自己去看我一直努力给你描绘的那些圣诞节陈列窗里的漂亮东西了。” 　　保罗走下车子，把跛脚的男孩抱到车子前座。兴奋得满眼放光的哥哥也爬上车子，坐在弟弟身旁。三个人开始了一次令人难忘的假日兜风。 　　那个圣诞节前夜，保罗体会到“施与比获得更让人幸福……” 8 Ａ　Ｌａｔｅ　Ｂｌｏｏｍｅｒ 　　The heart that seeks to do good will always bring something worthwhile to the world, something in which all can rejoice — even if for only a moment. 　　A cactus1) stood all alone in the desert, wondering why it was stuck in the middle of nowhere. 　　"I do nothing but stand here all day," it sighed. "What use am I? I'm the ugliest plant in the desert. My spines2) are thick and prickly3), and my skin is thick and bumpy. I can't offer shade or juicy fruit to any passing traveler. I don't see that I'm any use at all." 　　All it did was stand in the sun day after day, growing taller and fatter. Its spines grew longer and its skin tougher and it grew here and there until it was lumpy4) and unbalanced all over. It truly was strange-looking. 　　"I wish I could do something useful," it sighed. 　　By day hawks5) circled high overhead. 　　"What can I do with my life?" the cactus called. Whether they heard or not, the hawks sailed away. 　　At night the moon floated into the sky and cast its pale glow on the desert floor. 　　"What good can I do with my life?" the cactus called. The moon only stared coldly as it mounted its course. 　　A lizard6) crawled by, leaving a little trail in the sand with its tail. 　　"What worthy deed can I do?" the cactus called. 　　"You?" the lizard laughed, pausing a moment. "Worthy deed? Why, you can't do anything! The hawks circle overhead, tracing delicate patterns for us all to admire. The moon hangs high like a lantern at night, so we can see our ways home to our loved ones. Even I, the lowly lizard, have something to do. I decorate the sands with these beautiful brushstrokes7) as I pull my tail along. But you? You do nothing but get uglier every day." 　　And so it went on, year after year. At last the cactus grew old, and it knew its time was short. 　　"Oh," it cried out, "I've wondered so long, and I've tried so hard. Forgive me if I've failed to find something worthy to do. I fear that now it's too late." 　　But just then the cactus felt a strange motion