优秀英语文章欣赏
英语作为学习生涯中必不可少的课程，想学好真的不容易。小编在此献上英语美文，希望大家喜欢。
英语经典美文欣赏
10堂人生课 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.
我无比希望年轻的时候学到足够多的东西，好好理解，好好利用。然而，关乎智慧以及人生课堂，往往都是在事过境迁之后的反思中才能得以领悟。我们这些过来人也十分愿意与你们分享经历，以及我们领悟到的人生课。
1. Money will NEVER solve your real problems
钱不能解决你的实际问题
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.
金钱只是个工具，能买到生活所需和一些不错的“必需品”，但不是解决你问题的万能药。有很多人虽然没有很多钱，但仍然过着充实愉快的生活，相反，有些人十分富有，却活得并不幸福。
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.
钱能买来好房子、好车子、漂亮的鞋子，以及一些安全感和舒适度，但却无法修复一段破碎的关系，无法治愈孤独，它所带来的幸福感转瞬即逝也并不实在。幸福不能靠钱来买。如果你总是希望考买什么来获得幸福，你永远都不会幸福。
2. Pace yourself
放慢脚步
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.
年轻的时候，我们总觉得成人之路刚刚开始，总想一次把所有事都完成。我们需要为所有事作出决定，进行人生规划，体验所有的事情，达到顶峰，找到真爱，发现我们人生的目标，所有的都同时完成。
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.
慢点吧，别太着急。慢慢开始自己的生活，等等看看自己到了什么地方，花点时间去衡量一下自己的选择。享受每一口食物，花点时间看看周围，让别人完成他们的倾诉。给自己点时间去思考和沉思。行动是十分关键的。朝着你的目标前进，为未来做出规划的确很值得有用，但全速前进似乎是张单程票，让你无法回头，还会让你错失路边的风景。
3. You can’t please everyone
你无法取悦每个人
“I don’t know the secret to success, but the secret to failure is trying to please everyone” – Bill Cosby
我不知道成功的秘诀是什么，我只知道失败的秘诀是去讨好每个人——比尔•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.
你不需要让所有人都赞同抑或喜欢你。希望获得认可、喜欢、尊重和重视，这是人之常情，但别以牺牲你的正直和幸福为代价。你在追寻的肯定感，其他人给不了，这需要来自你的内心。大声说出来，坚持自己的想法，必要时捍卫自己的立场，要求得到尊重，忠于自己的价值观。
4. Your health is your most valuable asset
健康是最宝贵的财富
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.
健康是无价之宝——要一直重视、呵护和保护它。年轻人往往在最值得呵护健康的年纪大肆挥霍，我们把健康当成理所当然的一件事，因为它就在那里。我们不想要担心，所以也从未真正关注过它，直到健康出现问题。心脏病、骨质疏松、哮喘和癌症——这个清单很长，这些病实际上也都是可以预防的，所以好好呵护自己的健康吧，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东西
“Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” – John Lennon
当我们正在为生活疲于奔命时，生活已离我们而去。——约翰•列侬
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.
无论你多么仔细的规划和努力，有时候事情总是不按照你的计划发展，没关系，我们都有些许期待，对理想的生活有一定的设想，但这并不是我们真正的生活。也许有时我们的梦想无法实现，或是中途改变了想法。有时我们不得不放弃而去追求正确的事物，而有时我们需要在找到正确方向时经历其他的东西。
6. It’s not all about you
世界不是围着你转的
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。的确用你以外的视角来看世界有点难，我们都太过于专注自己生活里的一切，我今天需要干什么?这对我、我的工作和生活又意味着什么?我想要什么?对自己生活中发生的一切了如指掌无可厚非，但你也需要关心周围发生了什么，你生活中类似的事情又是如何影响到你周围的人的。这样会让你看待事物更加客观。
7. There’s no shame in not knowing
不知为不知
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.
没有人知晓所有事，没有人知道所有问题的答案。所以说不知道根本不是什么丢脸的事。装着完美只会让你不完美。还会让你看上去像一个神经过敏的伪完美艺术品罢了。我们必须知道，有时需要承认我们的无知和不确定，我们不可能知道所有的事情。我们都会犯错，还会弄砸一些事情。边走边学，这就是人生。再说了，没有人喜欢万事通。一些无知反而能让你更加人性化，更易接近哦。
8. Love is more than a feeling; it’s a choice
爱不仅仅是感觉，而是选择
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.
迸发的愉悦，让你心跳加快的爱情和激情都无法持久，但这并不是说长久的爱情并不存在。爱与感觉无关，是一个你每天都需要做的选择。我们需要选择忘记烦恼，去原谅，去友善、尊敬、支持以及忠贞。感情需要经营，有时很容易有时似乎无比艰难。这都取决于我们自己的选择，到底想在这段感情中如何表现、思考和说话。
9. Perspective is a beautiful thing
远见很美妙
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.
往往失去远见时，我们就会变得焦虑和低落。我们生活里发生的每件事都那么重大那么重要，不做好就会死，但长远来看，这一件小事似乎根本就微不足道。我们经历的冲突，没有得到的工作，或有或无的轻蔑，突如其来的改变航向，我们想要却没有得到的东西。20、30、40年之后，大部分都会变得微不足道。当你的眼光只放在近期，那么很难去看得长远。所以除非是威胁到生命的事情，否则其他的就放下吧，继续前进。
10. Don’t take anything for granted
别把任何事当做理所当然
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.
很多东西直到失去我们才会懂得珍惜，这包括健康、家人和朋友、工作，现有或未来会有的金钱。年轻的时候，父母一直在身边，但他们不能一直陪伴下去;你总觉得有充足的时间，和老朋友们保持联系或是花时间和新朋友玩乐，但实际并没有;你有钱花，然后觉得下个月也会有钱花，其实也许没有。你生活中所有的事情明天都不一定还存在着，包括那些你爱的。
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.
这些人生课很难学习，但却是至关重要的：生活可以瞬间万变。只要好好珍惜现在所拥有的就足够了。
英语经典美文欣赏
永远别放弃梦想 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.
开学的第一天教授做了自我介绍，他还要求我们去结识某位我们还不认识的人。就在我站起来四处张望时，一只手轻轻地搭在了我的肩上。我转过身一看，一位满脸皱纹个子矮小的老太太正冲着我微笑。这微笑使她浑身光彩照人。她说：“嘿，帅小伙儿，我叫罗斯，今年87岁。我可以拥抱你吗?”我笑了起来，热情地答道：“当然可以啦。”她紧紧地拥抱了我。
“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.
“你为什么在这么年轻而天真的年龄上大学?”我问。她开玩笑地回答说：“我要在此遇到一个有钱的丈夫，结婚，生几个孩子，然后退休，去旅游。”“真的吗?不对吧?”我问她。我很想知道，她这么大年纪，是什么促使她接受这样的挑战呢。
“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.
“我一直梦想接受大学教育。而现在我如愿以偿了。”她告诉我说。课后我们一同到学生活动楼，共饮了一杯巧克力泡沫牛奶。我们一下子就成了朋友。在此后的三个月中，我们每天都一起离开课堂，聊起来没完没了。在她向我传授她的智慧和经验时，我总是着了迷似地倾听这个“时间机器”。
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(一种威士忌的牌子) 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.”
在这一年里，罗斯成了校园里的偶像。不管到哪里，她很容易地就交上了朋友。她喜欢精心打扮，陶醉于其他学生对她的注意。她尽情地享受这一切。到学期末，我们请罗斯在我们的足球宴会上讲话。我永远也不会忘记她给我们的教诲。介绍完毕后她就登上讲台。正当她要开始已准备好的演讲时，她的5寸长3寸宽的卡片掉在了地上。她有些不知所措，还有点尴尬，于是就靠近话筒干脆说了起来：“很抱歉我这么紧张。我为大斋节戒了啤酒，而这威士忌可是毁了我。按原先准备好了的讲是不可能了，还是把我所知道的说给你们听吧。”我们都笑了，她则清了清嗓子开始说：“我们并不因为自己老了而不娱乐;我们因为停止了娱乐而变老。要想保持年轻，过得幸福并取得成功只有4条秘诀。”
“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.”
“一定要有梦想。失去了梦想，人就死了。在我们周围有那么多行尸走肉般的人，他们却不自知。”
“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.”
“变老和成熟是有巨大区别的。如果你19岁，在床上躺一整年，而不做一件有成效的事情，你会到20岁。如果我87岁，在床上待一年什么也不做，我也会到88岁。谁都会老，那不需要天才或能力。我的意思是要通过在变化中不断地寻找机会而达到成熟。”
“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。年长的人一般不会为我们所做的事而后悔，而会为我们所没有做的事后悔。只有充满遗憾的人才惧怕死亡。”
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》作为结束，还要求我们每个人学习歌词并在日常生活中将词意付诸行动。
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，罗斯结束了她多年前就开始的大学生涯，取得了学位。毕业一周之后，罗斯在睡梦中平静地去世。
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.
两千多名大学生出席了她的葬礼，对这位了不起的女士表示敬意。她以自身范例教育我们：发挥自己的潜能永不为晚。
Remember，growing older is mandatory，growing up is optional.
记住，衰老是无法抗拒的，而成熟却是可以选择的。
