優(yōu)秀英語(yǔ)文章欣賞
優(yōu)秀英語(yǔ)文章欣賞
英語(yǔ)作為學(xué)習(xí)生涯中必不可少的課程，想學(xué)好真的不容易。小編在此獻(xiàn)上英語(yǔ)美文，希望大家喜歡。
英語(yǔ)經(jīng)典美文欣賞
10堂人生課 Ten Life Classes
There are so many lessons I wish I had learned while I was young enough to appreciate and apply them. The thing with wisdom, and often with life lessons in general, is that they’re learned in retrospect, long after we needed them. The good news is that other people can benefit from our experiences and the lessons we’ve learned.
我無(wú)比希望年輕的時(shí)候?qū)W到足夠多的東西，好好理解，好好利用。然而，關(guān)乎智慧以及人生課堂，往往都是在事過(guò)境遷之后的反思中才能得以領(lǐng)悟。我們這些過(guò)來(lái)人也十分愿意與你們分享經(jīng)歷，以及我們領(lǐng)悟到的人生課。
1. Money will NEVER solve your real problems
錢(qián)不能解決你的實(shí)際問(wèn)題
Money is a tool; a commodity that buys you necessities and some nice “wants,” but it is not the panacea to your problems. There are a great many people who are living on very little, yet have wonderfully full and happy lives… and there are sadly a great many people are living on quite a lot, yet have terribly miserable lives.
金錢(qián)只是個(gè)工具，能買(mǎi)到生活所需和一些不錯(cuò)的“必需品”，但不是解決你問(wèn)題的萬(wàn)能藥。有很多人雖然沒(méi)有很多錢(qián)，但仍然過(guò)著充實(shí)愉快的生活，相反，有些人十分富有，卻活得并不幸福。
Money can buy a nice home, a great car, fabulous shoes, even a bit of security and some creature comforts, but it cannot fix a broken relationship, or cure loneliness, and the “happiness” it brings is only fleeting and not the kind that really and truly matters. Happiness is not for sale. If you’re expecting the “stuff” you can buy to “make it better,” you will never be happy.
錢(qián)能買(mǎi)來(lái)好房子、好車(chē)子、漂亮的鞋子，以及一些安全感和舒適度，但卻無(wú)法修復(fù)一段破碎的關(guān)系，無(wú)法治愈孤獨(dú)，它所帶來(lái)的幸福感轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝也并不實(shí)在。幸福不能靠錢(qián)來(lái)買(mǎi)。如果你總是希望考買(mǎi)什么來(lái)獲得幸福，你永遠(yuǎn)都不會(huì)幸福。
2. Pace yourself
放慢腳步
Often when we’re young, just beginning our adult journey we feel as though we have to do everything at once. We need to decide everything, plan out our lives, experience everything, get to the top, find true love, figure out our life’s purpose, and do it all at the same time.
年輕的時(shí)候，我們總覺(jué)得成人之路剛剛開(kāi)始，總想一次把所有事都完成。我們需要為所有事作出決定，進(jìn)行人生規(guī)劃，體驗(yàn)所有的事情，達(dá)到頂峰，找到真愛(ài)，發(fā)現(xiàn)我們?nèi)松哪繕?biāo)，所有的都同時(shí)完成。
Slow down—don’t rush into things. Let your life unfold. Wait a bit to see where it takes you, and take time to weigh your options. Enjoy every bite of food, take time to look around you, let the other person finish their side of the conversation. Allow yourself time to think, to mull a bit. Taking action is critical. Working towards your goals and making plans for the future is commendable and often very useful, but rushing full-speed ahead towards anything is a one-way ticket to burnout and a good way to miss your life as it passes you by.
慢點(diǎn)吧，別太著急。慢慢開(kāi)始自己的生活，等等看看自己到了什么地方，花點(diǎn)時(shí)間去衡量一下自己的選擇。享受每一口食物，花點(diǎn)時(shí)間看看周?chē)?，讓別人完成他們的傾訴。給自己點(diǎn)時(shí)間去思考和沉思。行動(dòng)是十分關(guān)鍵的。朝著你的目標(biāo)前進(jìn)，為未來(lái)做出規(guī)劃的確很值得有用，但全速前進(jìn)似乎是張單程票，讓你無(wú)法回頭，還會(huì)讓你錯(cuò)失路邊的風(fēng)景。
3. You can’t please everyone
你無(wú)法取悅每個(gè)人
“I don’t know the secret to success, but the secret to failure is trying to please everyone” – Bill Cosby
我不知道成功的秘訣是什么，我只知道失敗的秘訣是去討好每個(gè)人——比爾•科斯比
You don’t need everyone to agree with you or even like you. It’s human nature to want to belong, to be liked, respected and valued, but not at the expense of your integrity and happiness. Other people cannot give you the validation you seek. That has to come from inside. Speak up, stick to your guns, assert yourself when you need to, demand respect, stay true to your values.
你不需要讓所有人都贊同抑或喜歡你。希望獲得認(rèn)可、喜歡、尊重和重視，這是人之常情，但別以犧牲你的正直和幸福為代價(jià)。你在追尋的肯定感，其他人給不了，這需要來(lái)自你的內(nèi)心。大聲說(shuō)出來(lái)，堅(jiān)持自己的想法，必要時(shí)捍衛(wèi)自己的立場(chǎng)，要求得到尊重，忠于自己的價(jià)值觀。
4. Your health is your most valuable asset
健康是最寶貴的財(cái)富
Health is an invaluable treasure—always appreciate, nurture, and protect it. Good health is often wasted on the young before they have a chance to appreciate it for what it’s worth. We tend to take our good health for granted, because it’s just there. We don’t have to worry about it, so we don’t really pay attention to it… until we have to. Heart disease, bone density, stroke, many cancers—the list of many largely preventable diseases is long, so take care of your health now, or you’ll regret it later on.
健康是無(wú)價(jià)之寶——要一直重視、呵護(hù)和保護(hù)它。年輕人往往在最值得呵護(hù)健康的年紀(jì)大肆揮霍，我們把健康當(dāng)成理所當(dāng)然的一件事，因?yàn)樗驮谀抢?。我們不想要?dān)心，所以也從未真正關(guān)注過(guò)它，直到健康出現(xiàn)問(wèn)題。心臟病、骨質(zhì)疏松、哮喘和癌癥——這個(gè)清單很長(zhǎng)，這些病實(shí)際上也都是可以預(yù)防的，所以好好呵護(hù)自己的健康吧，免得以后后悔。
5. You don’t always get what you want
你不可能一直得到自己想要的東西
“Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon
當(dāng)我們正在為生活疲于奔命時(shí)，生活已離我們而去。——約翰•列儂
No matter how carefully you plan and how hard you work, sometimes things just don’t work out the way you want them to… and that’s ok. We have all of these expectations; predetermined visions of what our “ideal” life will look like, but all too often, that’s not the reality of the life we end up with. Sometimes our dreams fail and sometimes we just change our minds mid-course. Sometimes we have to flop to find the right course and sometimes we just have to try a few things before we find the right direction.
無(wú)論你多么仔細(xì)的規(guī)劃和努力，有時(shí)候事情總是不按照你的計(jì)劃發(fā)展，沒(méi)關(guān)系，我們都有些許期待，對(duì)理想的生活有一定的設(shè)想，但這并不是我們真正的生活。也許有時(shí)我們的夢(mèng)想無(wú)法實(shí)現(xiàn)，或是中途改變了想法。有時(shí)我們不得不放棄而去追求正確的事物，而有時(shí)我們需要在找到正確方向時(shí)經(jīng)歷其他的東西。
6. It’s not all about you
世界不是圍著你轉(zhuǎn)的
You are not the epicenter of the universe. It’s very difficult to view the world from a perspective outside of your own, since we are always so focused on what’s happening in our own lives. What do I have to do today? What will this mean for me, for my career, for my life? What do I want? It’s normal to be intensely aware of everything that’s going on in your own life, but you need to pay as much attention to what’s happening around you, and how things affect other people in the world as you do to your own life. It helps to keep things in perspective.
你不是宇宙的核心。的確用你以外的視角來(lái)看世界有點(diǎn)難，我們都太過(guò)于專(zhuān)注自己生活里的一切，我今天需要干什么?這對(duì)我、我的工作和生活又意味著什么?我想要什么?對(duì)自己生活中發(fā)生的一切了如指掌無(wú)可厚非，但你也需要關(guān)心周?chē)l(fā)生了什么，你生活中類(lèi)似的事情又是如何影響到你周?chē)娜说?。這樣會(huì)讓你看待事物更加客觀。
7. There’s no shame in not knowing
不知為不知
No one has it all figured out. Nobody has all the answers. There’s no shame in saying “I don’t know.” Pretending to be perfect doesn’t make you perfect. It just makes you neurotic to keep up the pretense of manufactured perfection. We have this idea that there is some kind of stigma or shame in admitting our limitations or uncertainly, but we can’t possibly know everything. We all make mistakes and mess up occasionally. We learn as we go, that’s life. Besides—nobody likes a know-it-all. A little vulnerability makes you human and oh so much more relatable.
沒(méi)有人知曉所有事，沒(méi)有人知道所有問(wèn)題的答案。所以說(shuō)不知道根本不是什么丟臉的事。裝著完美只會(huì)讓你不完美。還會(huì)讓你看上去像一個(gè)神經(jīng)過(guò)敏的偽完美藝術(shù)品罷了。我們必須知道，有時(shí)需要承認(rèn)我們的無(wú)知和不確定，我們不可能知道所有的事情。我們都會(huì)犯錯(cuò)，還會(huì)弄砸一些事情。邊走邊學(xué)，這就是人生。再說(shuō)了，沒(méi)有人喜歡萬(wàn)事通。一些無(wú)知反而能讓你更加人性化，更易接近哦。
8. Love is more than a feeling; it’s a choice
愛(ài)不僅僅是感覺(jué)，而是選擇
That burst of initial exhilaration, pulse quickening love and passion does not last long. But that doesn’t mean long-lasting love is not possible. Love is not just a feeling; it’s a choice that you make every day. We have to choose to let annoyances pass, to forgive, to be kind, to respect, to support, to be faithful. Relationships take work. Sometimes it’s easy and sometimes it’s incredibly hard, but it is up to us to choose how we want to act, think and speak in a relationship.
迸發(fā)的愉悅，讓你心跳加快的愛(ài)情和激情都無(wú)法持久，但這并不是說(shuō)長(zhǎng)久的愛(ài)情并不存在。愛(ài)與感覺(jué)無(wú)關(guān)，是一個(gè)你每天都需要做的選擇。我們需要選擇忘記煩惱，去原諒，去友善、尊敬、支持以及忠貞。感情需要經(jīng)營(yíng)，有時(shí)很容易有時(shí)似乎無(wú)比艱難。這都取決于我們自己的選擇，到底想在這段感情中如何表現(xiàn)、思考和說(shuō)話。
9. Perspective is a beautiful thing
遠(yuǎn)見(jiàn)很美妙
Typically, when we’re worried or upset, it’s because we’ve lost perspective. Everything that is happening in our lives seems so big, so important, so do or die, but in the grand picture, this single hiccup often means next to nothing. The fight we’re having, the job we didn’t get, the real or imagined slight, the unexpected need to shift course, the thing we wanted, but didn’t get. Most of it won’t matter 20, 30, 40 years from now. It’s hard to see long term when all you know is short term, but unless it’s life-threatening, let it go, and move on.
往往失去遠(yuǎn)見(jiàn)時(shí)，我們就會(huì)變得焦慮和低落。我們生活里發(fā)生的每件事都那么重大那么重要，不做好就會(huì)死，但長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)來(lái)看，這一件小事似乎根本就微不足道。我們經(jīng)歷的沖突，沒(méi)有得到的工作，或有或無(wú)的輕蔑，突如其來(lái)的改變航向，我們想要卻沒(méi)有得到的東西。20、30、40年之后，大部分都會(huì)變得微不足道。當(dāng)你的眼光只放在近期，那么很難去看得長(zhǎng)遠(yuǎn)。所以除非是威脅到生命的事情，否則其他的就放下吧，繼續(xù)前進(jìn)。
10. Don’t take anything for granted
別把任何事當(dāng)做理所當(dāng)然
We often don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone: that includes your health, your family and friends, your job, the money you have or think you will have tomorrow. When you’re young, it seems that your parents will always be there, but they won’t. You think you have plenty of time to get back in touch with your old friends or spend time with new ones, but you don’t. You have the money to spend, or you think you’ll have it next month, but you might not. Nothing in your life is not guaranteed to be there tomorrow, including those you love.
很多東西直到失去我們才會(huì)懂得珍惜，這包括健康、家人和朋友、工作，現(xiàn)有或未來(lái)會(huì)有的金錢(qián)。年輕的時(shí)候，父母一直在身邊，但他們不能一直陪伴下去;你總覺(jué)得有充足的時(shí)間，和老朋友們保持聯(lián)系或是花時(shí)間和新朋友玩樂(lè)，但實(shí)際并沒(méi)有;你有錢(qián)花，然后覺(jué)得下個(gè)月也會(huì)有錢(qián)花，其實(shí)也許沒(méi)有。你生活中所有的事情明天都不一定還存在著，包括那些你愛(ài)的。
This is a hard life lesson to learn, but it may be the most important of all: Life can change in an instant. Make sure you appreciate what you have, while you still have it.
這些人生課很難學(xué)習(xí)，但卻是至關(guān)重要的：生活可以瞬間萬(wàn)變。只要好好珍惜現(xiàn)在所擁有的就足夠了。
英語(yǔ)經(jīng)典美文欣賞
永遠(yuǎn)別放棄夢(mèng)想 Never Give Up Dreams
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled，little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said，“Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I' m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”I laughed and enthusiastically responded，“Of course you may.”and she gave me a giant squeeze.
開(kāi)學(xué)的第一天教授做了自我介紹，他還要求我們?nèi)ソY(jié)識(shí)某位我們還不認(rèn)識(shí)的人。就在我站起來(lái)四處張望時(shí)，一只手輕輕地搭在了我的肩上。我轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身一看，一位滿臉皺紋個(gè)子矮小的老太太正沖著我微笑。這微笑使她渾身光彩照人。她說(shuō)：“嘿，帥小伙兒，我叫羅斯，今年87歲。我可以擁抱你嗎?”我笑了起來(lái)，熱情地答道：“當(dāng)然可以啦。”她緊緊地?fù)肀Я宋摇?/p>
“Why are you in college at such a young，innocent age?”I asked. She jokingly replied，“I'm here to meet a rich husband，get married，have a couple of children，and then retire and travel.”“No，seriously?”I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“你為什么在這么年輕而天真的年齡上大學(xué)?”我問(wèn)。她開(kāi)玩笑地回答說(shuō)：“我要在此遇到一個(gè)有錢(qián)的丈夫，結(jié)婚，生幾個(gè)孩子，然后退休，去旅游。”“真的嗎?不對(duì)吧?”我問(wèn)她。我很想知道，她這么大年紀(jì)，是什么促使她接受這樣的挑戰(zhàn)呢。
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one.”she told me. After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milk shake We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this“time machine”as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
“我一直夢(mèng)想接受大學(xué)教育。而現(xiàn)在我如愿以償了。”她告訴我說(shuō)。課后我們一同到學(xué)生活動(dòng)樓，共飲了一杯巧克力泡沫牛奶。我們一下子就成了朋友。在此后的三個(gè)月中，我們每天都一起離開(kāi)課堂，聊起來(lái)沒(méi)完沒(méi)了。在她向我傳授她的智慧和經(jīng)驗(yàn)時(shí)，我總是著了迷似地傾聽(tīng)這個(gè)“時(shí)間機(jī)器”。
Over the course of the year，Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed up her from the other students. She was living it up. At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech，she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said，“I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent(一種威士忌的牌子) and this whisky is killing me. I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just t ell you what I know.”As we laughed she cleared her throat and began：“We do not stop playing because we are old;we grow old because we stop playing. There are only four secrets to staying young，being happy，and achieving success.”
在這一年里，羅斯成了校園里的偶像。不管到哪里，她很容易地就交上了朋友。她喜歡精心打扮，陶醉于其他學(xué)生對(duì)她的注意。她盡情地享受這一切。到學(xué)期末，我們請(qǐng)羅斯在我們的足球宴會(huì)上講話。我永遠(yuǎn)也不會(huì)忘記她給我們的教誨。介紹完畢后她就登上講臺(tái)。正當(dāng)她要開(kāi)始已準(zhǔn)備好的演講時(shí)，她的5寸長(zhǎng)3寸寬的卡片掉在了地上。她有些不知所措，還有點(diǎn)尷尬，于是就靠近話筒干脆說(shuō)了起來(lái)：“很抱歉我這么緊張。我為大齋節(jié)戒了啤酒，而這威士忌可是毀了我。按原先準(zhǔn)備好了的講是不可能了，還是把我所知道的說(shuō)給你們聽(tīng)吧。”我們都笑了，她則清了清嗓子開(kāi)始說(shuō)：“我們并不因?yàn)樽约豪狭硕粖蕵?lè);我們因?yàn)橥Ｖ沽藠蕵?lè)而變老。要想保持年輕，過(guò)得幸福并取得成功只有4條秘訣。”
“You have to laugh and find humor every day.”
“每天都要笑，每天都要找到幽默。”
“You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams，you die. We have so many people walking around who are dead an d don't even know it.”
“一定要有夢(mèng)想。失去了夢(mèng)想，人就死了。在我們周?chē)心敲炊嘈惺呷獍愕娜?，他們卻不自知。”
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing，you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.”
“變老和成熟是有巨大區(qū)別的。如果你19歲，在床上躺一整年，而不做一件有成效的事情，你會(huì)到20歲。如果我87歲，在床上待一年什么也不做，我也會(huì)到88歲。誰(shuí)都會(huì)老，那不需要天才或能力。我的意思是要通過(guò)在變化中不斷地尋找機(jī)會(huì)而達(dá)到成熟。”
“Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did，but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.”
“不要后悔。年長(zhǎng)的人一般不會(huì)為我們所做的事而后悔，而會(huì)為我們所沒(méi)有做的事后悔。只有充滿遺憾的人才懼怕死亡。”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing“The Rose.”She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
她勇敢地唱了一首《玫瑰之歌》作為結(jié)束，還要求我們每個(gè)人學(xué)習(xí)歌詞并在日常生活中將詞意付諸行動(dòng)。
At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years a go. One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.
年末，羅斯結(jié)束了她多年前就開(kāi)始的大學(xué)生涯，取得了學(xué)位。畢業(yè)一周之后，羅斯在睡夢(mèng)中平靜地去世。
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.
兩千多名大學(xué)生出席了她的葬禮，對(duì)這位了不起的女士表示敬意。她以自身范例教育我們：發(fā)揮自己的潛能永不為晚。
Remember，growing older is mandatory，growing up is optional.
記住，衰老是無(wú)法抗拒的，而成熟卻是可以選擇的。