5本简单易读的入门英文书
听说有些小伙伴最近又书荒了,今天为大家奉上了十本简单易读的英文原著,这些小故事生动有趣,用词简单,非常适合入门级读者。如果你还没看过,不如从今天开始读起吧。
Charlotte’s Web
《夏洛的网》
E.B. White E.B.怀特
This is a lovely novel that all age groups can understand. Aimed at native English speaking children, there are many adults who still say this famous book is their favorite.
这是一本美妙的小说,各年龄段的人都能理解。书的目标读者是以英语为母语的儿童,许多成年人仍然说这本著名的书是他们的最爱。
This is part of the national curriculum in many schools around the world, so it’s quite possible this book will also come up in conversation. You can almost guarantee that the majority of native English speakers have read this book at least once.
世界上许多学校的教学大纲里都有这本书,所以人们在聊天时也很有可能谈到这本书。几乎可以保证,大多数以英语为母语的人都至少读过一次这本书。
plot summary
A baby pig called Wilbur is almost killed because of his status – he is the smallest pig that was born and he is considered to be useless and of no value.
一个名叫威尔伯的小猪,由于它生下来最小,派不上什么用场,也没有价值,所以差点被主人宰了。
Charlotte, the spider, knows that the farmers are planning to kill Wilbur. She promises to make a plan to save his life. The farmers are surprised the next day when they see the words “some pig” written in the web Charlotte has made.
一个名叫夏洛的蜘蛛知道农夫们要杀掉威尔伯,她承诺要救威尔伯。第二天,当农夫们看见夏洛用网织出的文字“王牌猪”时,他们感到非常惊讶。
Wilbur is sad when Charlotte disappears. But in the end, her baby spiders turn out to be great company for the pig. They continue to protect each other and the story ends well.
夏洛消失后,威尔伯很伤心。但最后,夏洛的孩子们变成了威尔伯最好的陪伴。他们继续保护着彼此,故事的结尾很美好。
Mieko and the Fifth Treasure
《枝子和第五件宝物》
Eleanor Coerr 埃莉诺·科尔
This book is not really so famous, but it is on the recommended book list. What’s great about “Mieko and the Fifth Treasure” is that it’s short. At only 77 pages long, this will be an easy read.
这本书不是那么有名,但它同样在推荐书单上。《枝子和第五件宝物》的优点是文章篇幅非常短。一本只有77页的书,读起来会非常容易。
Again this book is aimed at young native English speakers, so if you’re learning English, the level won’t be so difficult. This book will keep you interested as you’ll learn many interesting things about Japan and its culture.
这本书的目标读者同样是以英语为母语的年轻人,所以如果你正在学习英语,那么这种水平的读物对你来说不会很难。书中会讲到许多有趣的日本文化,它会一直吸引着你一直读下去。
plot summary
This is an emotional story about Mieko. Mieko is a talented artist and calligrapher (handwriting artist). Her hand is badly hurt during the bombings of the war. The scared little girl is sent to live with her grandparents in the countryside where it is safer.
这是一个关于枝子的动人故事。枝子是一个有才华的画家和书法家。在战争的轰炸中,她的手部严重受伤。这个受到惊吓的小女孩被送去更安全的乡下,跟爷爷奶奶生活在一起。
Mieko is worried and afraid that she’s lost her 5th treasure – the “beauty in her heart.” This treasure is the key to her happiness and her beautiful art.
枝子很担心,她怕丢了第五件宝物——“她心中的美”。这个宝物是她幸福和创作美丽绘画的关键。
Mieko starts a new school. Her new classmates are mean. They constantly laugh at her and tease her which just makes her angrier. Her grandparents eventually manage to lift her darkness through their patience and wisdom.
枝子开始在新学校上学。她的新同学并不友好。他们经常嘲笑她,欺负她,这使她更加生气。最终,爷爷奶奶用耐心和智慧驱除了她心中的阴暗。
The Outsiders
《边缘小子》
S.E. Hinton 辛顿
This short novel is perfect for EFL learners. It has modern themes and typical teenage issues that people around the world have experienced.
这部短篇小说非常适合英语学习者。它主题比较现代,并且有大家都经历过的典型青少年问题。
There are very few cultural notes in this, which means you don’t need much background information. The sentences are short and easy to understand. The vocabulary is also very easy. You should be able to read this book without difficulty.
小说中的文化注释很少,这意味着你不需要太多的背景知识。句子简短,易于理解,词汇也很简单,你应该能够毫不费力地阅读这本书。
plot summary
Ponyboy Curtis is one of the main characters. He is a part of a gang of teenagers called the Greasers. They meet up with the rival gang and the fight begins. One of the enemies is killed.
波尼博伊是小说的主要人物之一。他是当时被称为“油脂仔”的青少年帮派的一份子。他们遇见了另外一个团伙,双方开始打架。敌人中有个人被打死了。
Ponyboy is really scared. They hide in a church and try to hide their appearance by dyeing (coloring) their hair. A number of different fights break out between the two gangs. Eventually Ponyboy wakes up in the hospital.
波尼博伊真的害怕。他们躲在教堂里,试图通过染发来掩饰他们的外表。两个帮派之间爆发了一系列战斗。最终波尼博伊在医院醒来。
A trial is set in the courtroom and the judge has to decide Ponyboy’s fate (future). Is he guilty or not guilty?
审判在法庭上进行,法官将决定波尼博伊的命运。他到底是有罪还是无罪?
The House on Mango Street
《芒果街上的小屋》
Sandra Cisneros 桑德拉·希斯内罗丝
The great thing about “The House On Mango Street” is that it’s an interesting read. It’s written from the point of view of the writer. You can really feel what the protagonist (the main character) feels.
《芒果街上的小屋》的优点是,它是一个有趣的读物。它从作家的视角出发,让你切身体会到主人公(主角)的感受。
The sentences are really short so it’s also easy to understand. There are a few challenging words and a little bit of deive language, but you can usually understand them with the context. Another great thing about this is book is that it gives you a deep understanding of a different culture.
文中句子真的很简短,所以也很容易理解。其中有少部分具有挑战性的单词和一点点的描述性的语言,但你通常可以在语境中读懂它们。这本书的另一个优点是它可以让你对不同文化有深刻的了解。
plot summary
This book follows the life of Esperanza, a Mexican girl. Esperanza moves into a new home on Mango Street. Their new house is old and small. In the new home, Esperanza feels like she has no time to be alone. She promises herself that one day she will leave and have her own home.
这本书描绘了一个墨西哥女孩埃斯佩朗莎的一生。埃斯佩朗莎搬到了芒果街上的一个新家。他们的新房子又旧又小。在新家,埃斯佩朗莎感觉自己没有时间独处。她向自己保证有一天会离开这,并拥有自己的房子。
Throughout the novel the young girl grows up a lot. The story follows her life as she makes friends, her body changes and she begins to have feelings for a boy.
小说中,小女孩长大了很多。故事描述了她的生活,交友、身体变化、开始对一个男生有好感。
There is a lot of focus on other women in the community and Esperanza hopes never to be like them. Through watching the older women and how they are stuck, she knows that she wants to leave.
小说也描绘了社区中的其他女人,埃斯佩朗莎希望自己永远不会像她们一样。通过观察老妇女们和她们如何被困住,她知道她想要离开。
Thirteen Reasons Why
《13个理由》
Jay Asher 艾雪
This story takes place in the present, which means the writer writes using simple grammar. All sentences are short and the vocabulary is relatively easy.
故事发生在当代,这意味着作家运用简单的语法写作。所有的句子都很简短,词汇也比较容易。
The interesting grammar and short paragraphs make this a quick and easy book for ESL learners. This is an award-winning book and on the NY Times best books list, so it’s worth a read.
它语法有趣,段落简短,对英语学习者来说简单易读。这是一本屡次获奖的书,并上榜榜《纽约时报》最佳书单,值得一读。
plot summary
The main character is Clay Jensen, a quiet high school student. He comes home from school to find a parcel at his front door. He does not know who sent it. He opens it and discovers 7 cassette tapes. These tapes are from Hannah Baker, his previous classmate. She had emotional problems and has committed suicide (killed herself).
主角是克莱,一个安静的高中生。他从学校回到家,在门口发现了一个包裹。克莱不知道是谁寄的,于是打开它,发现了7盒磁带。这些磁带是他以前的同学汉娜寄来的,汉娜曾有精神问题并自杀。
The tapes came with instructions. The paper stated that they should pass the tapes from one student to another student. There are 12 people in total. In the paper, she explains to these people that they helped her die – she gives them 13 reasons.
磁带旁还有指令。纸上写道,他们必须把磁带从一个学生传给另一个学生。共有12人。汉娜向这些人解释说,他们都是她死亡的原因——共13个理由。
We hear about her pain. She talks about her first kiss, people who lied to her and stole from her. Everything started with gossip. The gossip then grew and became out of control.
磁带中我们听到了她的痛苦。她谈论她的初吻,对她撒谎的人,偷她东西的人。一切都始于流言蜚语。流言不断传播,后来变得越来越失控。