值得阅读的英语经典美文摘抄
美文,不禁联想到一种美幻的意境,充满情感的体验和丰富的表达。下面是学习啦小编带来的英语经典美文,欢迎阅读!
英语经典美文精选
The Green Boots
一双绿色的靴子 琳达.罗森伯格
On Monday morning I wore my green platform boots to school for the first time since I had started at Edison Middle School.
星期一早晨,我穿上了那双绿色的厚底坡跟靴去上学。自从到爱迪生中学上学以来,今天还是我第一次穿这双靴子。
It was the day of the poetry festival, and I was excited. At my old school, I had won the poetry ribbon every year. I’m horrible at sports, too shy to be popular and I’m not cute—but I do write good poetry.
那天正好是诗歌节,我非常兴奋。在我原来的学校,我每年都能获得学校的诗歌奖。我害怕体育,也怯于参加集体活动,还不漂亮可爱,但是——我却能写得一手好诗。
The poem I wrote for the Edison Roetry Festival was about my dad. I had a good feeling about sharing how special he was to me, even if it was just with the fifth grade and Mrs. Baker.
这次,我为爱迪生诗歌节写的诗是关于我爸爸的。我很高兴能让别人知道爸爸对我是多么特别,尽管只有我所在的五年级的全体同学和我的老师贝克太太分享我的感觉。
English class was not until after lunch period on Mondays, so by the time we started poetry, I was so nervous my mouth was dry as toast. When Mrs. Baker called on me, I had to clear my throat, take a breath and swallow about ten times before I could speak. I didn’t even bother to look at my paper. I’d spent so much time perfecting the rhymes, and counting the beats, that I knew the poem by heart.
星期一的英语课总是在午餐过后才开始上。那天我们开始研究诗歌的时候,我感到很紧张,嘴巴里干得就像吃的烤面包干一样。当贝克太太叫到我的时候,我不得不清了清嗓子,深深地吸一口气,并咽了大约十口唾沫,才开始朗诵。我甚至不必费神看我的诗稿,因为这首诗我花了很多时间完善韵律、对齐音步,所以我对这首诗了熟于胸。
I had just started the third verse when I noticed Mrs. Baker was glaring furiously at me. I stopped in the middle of a word and waited for her to say something.
当我正准备朗诵第三节的时候,我突然注意到贝克太太正愤怒地瞪着我。我一个词说到一半就停了下来,等待她说些什么。
“Linda, you are supposed to be reading an original work, a poem you made up yourself, not reciting something you learned. That is called plagiarism!”
“琳达,你应该为我们朗诵原创的作品,你自己写的诗,而不是去背诵你学到的诗。这叫剽窃!”
“Oh, but it’s not. I mean... I did make it up, it’s about my dad.” I heard a “Yeah, right!” from somewhere behind me, and someone else giggled.
“哦,这不是的。我的意思是……这首诗就是我自己写的,是我写我爸爸的。”我听到身后有人起哄道:“是的,没错!”其他人则都“咯咯”地笑了起来。
I felt as if I’d somersaulted off the high dive and then, in midair, realized that there was no water in the pool. I opened my mouth to explain, but no words came out.
顿时,我感觉自己像是从高台翻腾而下跳水,却在半空中发现水池没有水。我张着嘴想解释,但却一个词儿也说不出来。
“You will leave the room and will not return until you are ready to apologize,” said Mrs. Baker. “Now. Go!”
“现在请你离开教室,在你准备道歉之前不许回来,”贝克太太厉声说,“现在,出去!”
My last thought was a flash of understanding as to why the kids had nicknamed her “Battle-Ax Baker”—then my brain just fizzled out, and I turned and left the room.
就在那一刻,一闪念间我突然明白了为什么孩子们私下里给她起了个绰号“贝克战斧”——接着,我的大脑好像就停止了运转,我转过身走出了教室。
I’d been standing outside for about half an hour when Joseph, the school janitor, came over to ask me what heinous crime I’d committed to be banished for so long. He loved using unusual words.
就这样,我站在教室外面,大约半小时后,学校的大楼管理员约瑟夫看到了我,就问我究竟犯了什么弥天大罪要被驱逐出教室这么长时间。他说话的时候总喜欢用些不同寻常的词。
We’d made friends one morning before school, when he saw me sitting alone, pretending to do homework. He invited me to help open up the classrooms, and after that, it sort of became my job. He always talked to me as we wiped down the chalkboards and turned on the heat. Just that morning he’d been telling me that Mark Twain once said that the difference between the right word and the almost right word is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. I liked that. My dad would have liked it, too.
我和他成为朋友是在一天早晨上课之前。那天,我一个人坐在教室里装模作样地做作业,约瑟夫看到了,就邀请我帮他去打开其他教室的门。从那之后,这好像就成了我的一项工作。每次当我们一起擦黑板开暖气的时候,他总是滔滔不绝地跟我说个没完。就在那天早晨,他还对我谈起马克.吐温曾经说过的一句话:正确的话和差不多正确的话之间的差别就像是闪电和萤火虫之间的差别一样。我很喜欢这句话,我相信我爸爸也会喜欢这句话的。
Now as Joseph waited for me to answer, he looked so kind and sympathetic that I poured out the whole story, trying not to cry. A tightness flashed over his face, and he jerked an enormous yellow duster out of the pocket of his gray overalls. “So what are you going to do?” he asked, rolling up the duster into a tight ball.
现在约瑟夫正在等待我回答他的问题,他和蔼地注视着我,目光中充满了同情。于是,我忍住泪水,把整件事的来龙去脉一股脑儿地全告诉了他。他听着我的讲述,眉头皱了一下,然后,从他那件灰色工作服的口袋里拽出一块巨大的黄色抹布,问道:“那你打算怎么办?”一边把抹布紧紧地卷成—个圆球。
I shrugged, feeling helpless and sad.“I don’t know.”
“我不知道,”我耸了耸肩,感到好无助,好难过。
“Well, you are not going to stand here all day, are you?”
“那你难道打算一整天都站在这儿,是不是?”
I sighed. “I suppose I’ll do what she said. You know... say I’m sorry.”
我叹了口气说,“我想我只能照她说的去做了。你知道的……说对不起。”
“You’ll apologize?”
“你要去向她道歉?”
I nodded. “What else can I do? It’s no big deal. I’ll just never write anything good in her class again.”
我点了点头,说:“我还能怎么样呢?这没什么大不了的。今后,上她的课我只有再也不写这么好的诗了。”
He looked disappointed with my response, so I shrugged once more and turned away from him.
听了我的回答,他失望地注视着我。我再次耸了耸肩,转过身去。
“Linda.” The tone of his voice forced me to look back. “Accepting defeat, when you should stand up for yourself, can become a very dangerous habit.” He twisted the duster around his fingers. “Believe me. I know!”
“琳达,”他的语气迫使我不得不又转过头来。“当你应该勇敢地站出来为自己辩护的时候,你却接受失败,这会成为一个非常危险的习惯,”那块抹布在他手指上缠绕着,他说,“相信我。我知道的!”
He was staring right into my eyes. I blinked and looked down. His eyes followed mine, and we both noticed my green boots at the same time. Suddenly his face relaxed and creased into a huge smile. He chuckled and said, “You’re going to be just fine. I don’t have to worry about you. When you put on those boots this morning, you knew you were the only Linda Brown in the whole world.” As if he didn’t need it anymore, he cheerfully dropped the duster back into his pocket and folded his arms across his chest. “Those are the boots of someone who can take care of herself and knows when something is worth fighting for.”
看着他那逼人的目光,我眨了眨眼,然后低下了头。他的目光也跟着我看向地面。几乎就在同一时刻,我们都注意到了我脚上穿的那双绿靴子。突然,他那原本严肃的神情一下子放松下来,脸上也绽开了笑容。“你一定会很快好起来的,我根本就不需要为你担心的,其实,当你今天早上穿上这双靴子的时候,你就知道,世界上只有你才是唯一的琳达?布朗。”说到这,他兴冲冲地收起那块抹布,把它放回口袋里,就好像不再需要它似的。然后,双手交叉抱在胸前,微笑地注视着我说:“穿这双靴子的人一定是能照顾好自己,并知道什么时候什么事情是值得为之去奋斗的人!”
His eyes, smiling into mine, woke up a part of me that had been asleep since I’d come to this school, and I knew that he was right about me. I’d just lost direction for a while. I took a deep breath and knocked on the classroom door, ready to face Mrs. Baker—ready to recite my poem.
他的眼睛微笑地看着我,唤醒了我心灵深处的一种东西,自从我来到这所学校以后这些东西就一直沉睡不醒。我知道,约瑟夫对我的看法是正确的,我差一点儿就迷失了方向。然后,我深深地吸了一口气,敲响了教室的门,我要面对贝克太太——继续背诵我自己写的诗。
英语经典美文阅读
Aunt Dolly's Hat
多莉姨妈的帽子
Three things I was sure of as a child: My family loved me. The sun would come up tomorrow. I had a wonderful voice.I figured that was unquestionably true because I participated at the top of my lungs in all the family sing-alongs, and no one ever stopped me. So I was delighted when my second-grade teacher announced her plans for a musical pageant at Christmas.
当我还是小孩子时,曾对3件事情笃信不疑:我的家人都爱我;太阳每天早上都会升起;我的嗓音很美妙。对最后一点我尤其有把握。因为每当全家一起唱歌时,我都会扯着嗓门大喊,从来没有人阻止过我。所以当我的二年级老师凯瑟琳嬷嬷宣布她要在圣诞节当天举行一场演唱会时,我别提有多高兴了。
"Singing," said Sister Kathleen to our class, "is one of the most important ways you can tell God how much you love him." She said she would cast singers according to ability. All 26 of us students raised our hands in eager anticipation.
凯瑟琳嬷嬷对全班同学说:“歌唱是我们向上帝表达爱意的最重要的方式之一。”她说要根据我们的演唱天赋来编排节目,全班26个人都迫不及待地举起了手。
"Those who feel confident about a solo role, form a line to the right of the piano," Sister said. "If you feel more comfortable as a chorus member, stand to the left."
“想独唱的同学请站在钢琴右侧,想参加合唱的同学请站在钢琴左侧。”
I was first on the solo line before Sister reached the piano. She showed me a list of tunes, and I picked a family favorite, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling." Sister played, and I sang with all the emotion a seven-year-old could muster. "Thank you, Jacquelyn," Sister said, interrupting. "Next, please." I'd barely sung a dozen lines. Some of the kids snickered as I returned to my seat. What had I done wrong?
我就第一个站到了钢琴右侧。她给了我几支曲子,我从中挑选了我们家最喜欢唱的《当爱尔兰眼睛微笑时》。嬷嬷开始弹琴,我则以一个7岁女孩儿所能展示的最丰富的感情开始演唱。可没唱几句就被嬷嬷打断了:“谢谢你,下一位。”当我回到座位上时,看到有些同学在窃笑。难道我做错什么事了吗?
One by one the solo roles were filled. The rest of us were put into the chorus audition line. Sister listened to each student, then arranged us into small groups of similar voices. I was left alone.
独唱的名额很快就招满了。嬷嬷听了每位同学的试唱,然后将声音接近的人编排在同一个声部,最后只剩下我孤零零的一个人。
While the other children studied their music, Sister Kathleen motioned me to her desk. She looked kindly at me.
当其他同学开始熟悉歌谱时,嬷嬷把我叫到她的桌前,温和地看着我。
"Jacquelyn, have you heard the expression tone-deaf?"
“杰奎琳,你听说过‘音盲’这个词吗?”
I shook my head.
我摇了摇头。
"It means what you think you are singing is different from the music." Sister patted my hand. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, dear. You will still be in the pageant. You will be a lip-syncher. You may mouth the words, but no sound must be uttered. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
“就是说你发出来的声音与你自己想像的不一样,”她拉着我的手说。“这没什么值得害羞的,亲爱的。你仍然可以参加合唱队。在演唱时,你做出发音的口型就可以了,但不要发声。你明白我的意思吗?”
I understood, all right. I was so ashamed, I didn't go home after school. I took the bus straight to Aunt Dolly's house. She had an answer for everything.Independently single in an era when most women wed, she'd gone on safari, shook hands with President Eisenhower, kissed Clark Gable on the cheek, and planned to visit every country in the world. More than anyone else, she would understand that my world had been turned upside down by this terrible revelation.
“我明白。”我是如此羞愧,以至于放学后我没有回家,而是直接坐公共汽车来到了多莉姑姑家。在我眼里,没有什么事情能够难得倒她。在那个大多数女性都要嫁人的年代里,她勇敢地选择独身生活。她还参加过狩猎远征队,和艾森豪威尔总统握过手,吻过克拉克·盖博(好莱坞著名男影星)的脸,并打算环游整个世界。她能理解我的世界是如何被这个可怕的发现搞得翻了天。
Aunt Dolly served me cookies and milk. "What will I do?" I sobbed. "If I don't sing, God will think I don't love him."
多莉姑姑给我端来饼干和牛奶。“我该怎么办?”我抽泣着说,“如果我不能唱歌,上帝会以为我不爱他的。”
Aunt Dolly dunked her cookie in my milk. She drummed her fingers on the kitchen table as her brow creased in thought. Finally her eyes grew wide. "I've got it!" she said. "I will wear my hat!"
多莉姑姑的手指在桌上敲着,眉头皱在一起。最后她眼睛一亮,“有办法了!我将帽子戴上!”
Her hat? How can a hat help me with being tone-deaf? Aunt Dolly leveled her brown eyes on my face. Her voice dropped. "Jacquelyn, I'm about to reveal a bit of secret information about angels, but first you must swear that you will never tell a soul."
帽子?它能帮我解决“音盲”这个大问题吗?她那棕色的眼睛盯着我,声音忽然降了下来。“杰奎琳,我得透露一点儿天使的秘密,但首先你得发誓不会告诉任何人。”
"I swear," I whispered.
“我发誓。”我低声说。
Aunt Dolly took my hand in hers. "When I was in Rome, praying in St. Peter's," she said, "I overheard a conversation in the next pew. It seems that other tone-deaf people also have concerns about God not understanding their silence in song. They were told, in the strictest confidence, of course, that a simple piece of aluminum foil is the answer."
多莉姑姑抓着我的手说:“当我在罗马圣彼得教堂祈祷时,曾听到旁边座位上一个人讲话。他也是个音盲,也担心上帝听不到他的歌声。那里的牧师悄悄告诉他,一小块铝箔就可以解决这个问题。”
"I don't understand."
“我不明白。”
"You mouth the words," she said. "Your silent words reflect off the foil. Angels capture the words and put them in special pouches they carry up to God."
“你在嘴里默默地念出歌词,它们会通过铝箔反射,天使就能捕捉到这些声音,把它们放到特制的袋子里,然后送给上帝。”
As fantastic as it seemed, I could picture angels doing this. Absolute faith shone in Aunt Dolly's face. I knew she could see the angels too.
虽然听起来有些玄妙,但我相信万能的天使还是能够做到这一点的。况且多莉姑姑表情严肃,她是不会欺骗我的。
"The result," she said, "is that God hears your beautiful voice, singing in his praise along with your classmates."
这样上帝就能听到你和同学们一起唱赞美诗的美妙声音了。
"Where will I hide the foil?"
“那我把铝箔藏在哪儿呢?”
"My hat!" said Aunt Dolly. "I'll hide it in my hat. I'll sit in the front row. As for Sister Kathleen and your parents? Not a single word to them."
“藏在我的帽子里,”多莉姑姑说。“我会坐在演唱会的前排。不要对凯瑟琳嬷嬷和你的父母泄漏一个字。”
My entire family attended the pageant. I gave what Aunt Dolly called "an Oscar-winning performance." With my eyes firmly on her hat, the fact that none present could hear my voice didn't matter. My silent singing was for God's ears alone.
圣诞节那天,全家都去观看我的表演。我紧紧盯着她的帽子,根本不去考虑在场的人能否听到我的声音,我沉默的歌声是唱给上帝一个人听的。演出非常成功,多莉姑姑夸我的表演具有“奥斯卡水准”。
Four years ago Aunt Dolly died at the age of 90. When the nieces and nephews gathered to reminisce about her, we discovered something many of us had in common. Her angelic hat.A stutterer made it through a dreaded speech by concentrating on the hat. The family klutz didn't knock anyone over during his high school commencement march because he kept his eyes glued to the hat. Even the most timid of us took part in school plays, spelling bees and talent shows because Aunt Dolly sat in the front row wearing her hat.Her surefire faith that God's angels are here to help us overcome life's stumbling blocks enabled us kids to do things we thought were impossible.
4年前多莉姑姑去世了,享年90岁。葬礼结束后,我们晚辈聚在一起,追忆这位令人尊敬的姑妈。我们吃惊地发现,她的“天使帽子”曾帮过我们许多人。一个口吃的外甥盯着她的帽子,完成了自己首次登台演讲;一个胆小的侄女勇敢地参加学校戏剧演出,并在拼写比赛和天才竞赛中获奖。就因为多莉姑姑戴着帽子坐在前排,她让我们相信天使就在我们身边,帮我们完成了许多自以为不可能完成的任务。
Even now at times, when my world is turned upside down, I think of Aunt Dolly and remember that my childhood beliefs still hold true. My family loves me. The sun will come up tomorrow. And for one unforgettable Christmas pageant, I had a wonderful voice. I guess just about anything is possible when angels are on our side.
即使到了现在,当我在生活中遇到挫折时,还会想起多莉姑姑和她的“天使帽子”。我童年时的信仰仍然没有改变:我的家人都爱我;太阳每天早上都会升起;在那个难忘的圣诞节表演中,我拥有最美妙的声音。她让我们相信天使就在身边,让我们对自己充满自信。
英语经典美文学习
Your Name
你的名字
Jessica Blade
杰西卡.布莱德
I wrote your name in the sky,
我把你的名字写在蓝天,
but the wind blew it away.
可风却把它吹散;
I wrote your name in the sand,
我把你的名字写在沙滩,
but the waves washed it away.
可浪却把它冲散.
I wrote your name in my heart,
我把你的名字写在心间,
and forever it will stay.
它就留在那里,永远永远.