美文,大概就是美的化身,它是一种情感,一种体验和一种表达。下面是我带来的经典英语美文摘抄，欢迎阅读!
经典英语美文摘抄篇一
什么东西比金钱更重要
It is physically impossible for a well-educated intellectual, or brave man to make money the chief object① of his thoughts; as physically impossible as it is for him to make his dinner the principal object of them.
一个受过良好 教育 、有头脑的、有胆识的人完全不可能将金钱当作他考虑的主要对象，正如他完全不可能将美餐当做他主要考虑对象一样。
All healthy people like their dinner, but their dinner is not the mainobject of their lives. So all healthy-minded people like making money--ought to like it and to enjoy the sensation② of winning; but the main object of their lives is not money; it is something better than money.
所有健康的人都喜欢享用美餐，但美餐并不是他们生活的主要目标。同样道理，所有思想健全的人都喜欢挣钱--喜欢并体验挣到钞票的兴奋感是正当的;然而，他们生活的主要目标并不是金钱，而是比金钱更珍贵的东西。
A good soldier, for instance③, mainly wishes to do his fighting well. He is glad of his pay--very properly so --and justly grumbles④ when you keep him ten months without it; still, his main notion⑤ of life is to win battles, not to be paid for winning them.
例如，一位优秀的士兵主要想打好仗。他为自己的薪饷感到高兴--完全合乎情理;假如，你扣发他十个月军饷，他发牢骚理所应当。不过，他的人生主要目标仍然是打胜仗，并非为了薪饷而打胜仗。
So too of doctors. They like fees no doubt--ought to like them; yet the entire object of their lives is not fees. They, on the whole desire to cure the sick, would rather cure their patients and lose their fee than kill them and get it. And so with all other brave and rightly trained men: their work is first, their fee is second, very important always, but still second.
医生也是如此。毫无疑问，他们都喜欢收诊费--本应如此;然而他们人生的全部目标并不是诊费。总的说来，他们都想把病人治好，而且宁愿把病人治好而得不到诊金，也不愿为了诊金而把病人治死。所有其他有胆识的、受过正当培训的人也是如此：他们总是工作第一、报酬第二。报酬尽管总是非常重要，但还是第二。
But in every nation, there is a vast class of people who are cowardly⑥, and more or less stupid. And with these people, just as certainly the fee is first and the work second, as with brave people the work is first and the fee second.
可是，在每个国家，都有一大批怯懦的、多少有点愚蠢的人。对于这些人而言，无疑是报酬第一、工作第二，正如有胆识的人工作第一、报酬第二一样。
And this is no small distinction⑦. It is the whole distinction in a man. You cannot serve two masters; you must serve one or the other. If your work is first with you, and your fee is second, work is your master.
这决非细微差异，这是根本性差异，区分一个人的根本性差异。你不能侍奉两个主人，你必须侍奉其中一个，非此即彼。假如就你而言是工作第一、报酬第二，那么工作就是你的主人。
Observe, then, all wise work is mainly threefold⑧ in character. It is honest, useful, and cheerful. I hardly know anything more strange than that you recognize honesty in play, and do not in work.
请注意，一切明确的工作本质上都具有三重性：诚实、有用和愉悦。人们在娱乐中讲究诚实而在工作中却不讲诚实--据我所知，没有比这更奇怪的事情了。
In your lightest games you have always someone to see what you call "fair play". In boxing you must hit fair; in racing, start fair. Your watchword is fair play; your hatred, foul play. Did it ever strike you that you wanted another watchword⑨ also, fair work, and another hatred also, foul⑩ work?
在最不重要的比赛中，你总是请人做裁判，确保人们常说的公平竞赛。 拳击 中，你出拳必须公正;赛跑时，你起跑必须公正。你的 口号 就是公正比赛，你所深恶痛绝的就是违反规则。那么，你可曾想过，你还需要另一个口号，那就是老老实实地工作;你深恶痛绝的应是投机取巧。
经典英语美文摘抄篇二
Mother & Child 妈妈与孩子
It was Christmas 1961. I was teaching in a small town in Ohio where my twenty-seven third graders eagerly anticipated the great day of gifts giving.
那是1961年的 圣诞节 。我在俄亥俄州的一个小镇上教小学三年级。班上27个孩子都在积极参加"礼物赠送日"的活动。
A tree covered with tinsel and gaudy paper chains graced one corner. In another rested a manger scene produced from cardboard and poster paints by chubby, and sometimes grubby, hands. Someone had brought a doll and placed it on the straw in the cardboard box that served as the manger. It didn't matter that you could pull a string and hear the blue-eyed, golden-haired dolly say, "My name is Susie." "But Jesus was a boy baby!" one of the boys proclaimed. Nonetheless, Susie stayed.
教室的一角被一棵树装点得熠熠生辉，树上缀满了金银丝帛和华丽的彩纸。教室的另一角是一个涂着海报油彩由纸板制成的马槽，这出自孩子们那胖乎乎、脏兮兮的小手。有人带来了一个娃娃，把它放在纸板槽里的稻草上(假装小耶稣)。只要拉拉它身上的一条细绳，这个蓝眼睛、金发的娃娃就会说道，"我叫苏西"，不过这都没有关系。一个男孩提出："耶稣可是个小男孩呀!"不过苏西还是留了下来。
Each day the children produced some new wonder -- strings of popcorn, hand-made trinkets, and German bells made from wallpaper samples, which we hung from the ceiling. Through it all she remained aloof, watching from afar, seemingly miles away. I wondered what would happen to this quiet child, once so happy, now so suddenly withdrawn. I hoped the festivities would appeal to her. But nothing did. We made cards and gifts for mothers and dads, for sisters and brothers, for grandparents, and for each other. At home the students made the popular fried marbles and vied with one another to bring in the prettiest ones. " You put them in a hot frying pan, Teacher. And you let them get real hot, and then you watch what happens inside. But you don't fry them too long or they break."So, as my gift to them, I made each of my students a little pouch for carrying their fried marbles. And I knew they had each made something for me: bookmarks carefully cut, colored, and sometimes pasted together; cards and special drawings; liquid embroidery doilies, hand-fringed, of course.
每天孩子们都会做点儿新玩意--爆米花串成的细链子、手工做的小装饰品和墙纸样做的德国式风铃，我们把这些风铃挂在了天花板上。但自始至终，她都是孤零零地远远观望，仿佛是隔了一道几里长的障碍。我猜想着这个沉默的孩子发生了什么事，原来那个快乐的孩子怎么突然变得沉默寡言起来。我希望节日的活动能吸引她，可还是无济于事。我们制作了许多卡片和礼物，准备把它们送给爸爸妈妈、兄弟姐妹、祖父母和身边的同学。学生们在家里做了当时很流行“油炸"玻璃弹子，并且相互比着，要把最好看的拿来。"老师，把玻璃弹子放在热油锅里，让它们烧热，然后看看里面的变化。但不要炸得时间过长否则会破裂。"所以，我给每个学生做了一个装"油炸弹子"的小袋作为礼物送给他们。我知道他们每个人也都为我做了礼物：仔细剪裁、着色，或已粘集成串的书签; 贺卡 和特别绘制的图片;透明的镶边碗碟垫布，当然是手工编制的流苏。
The day of gift-giving finally came. We oohed and aahed over our handiwork as the presents were exchanged. Through it all, she sat quietly watching. I had made a special pouch for her, red and green with white lace. I wanted very much to see her smile. She opened the package so slowly and carefully. I waited but she turned away. I had not penetrated the wall of isolation she had built around herself.
赠送礼物的那天终于到了。在交换礼物时我们为对方亲手做的小礼品不停地欢呼叫好。而整个过程，她只是安静地坐在那儿看着。我为她做的小袋很特别，红绿相间还镶着白边。我非常想看到她笑一笑。她打开包装，动作又慢又小心。我等待着，但是她却转过了身。我还是没能穿过她在自己周围树起的高墙，这堵墙将她与大家隔离了开来。
After school the children left in little groups, chattering about the great day yet to come when long-hoped-for two-wheelers and bright sleds would appear beside their trees at home. She lingered, watching them bundle up and go out the door. I sat down in a child-sized chair to catch my breath, hardly aware of what was happening, when she came to me with outstretched hands, bearing a small white box, unwrapped and slightly soiled, as though it had been held many times by unwashed, childish hands. She said nothing. "For me?" I asked with a weak smile. She said not a word, but nodded her head. I took the box and gingerly opened it. There inside, glistening green, a fried marble hung from a golden chain. Then I looked into that elderly eight-year-old face and saw the question in her dark brown eyes. In a flash I knew -- she had made it for her mother, a mother she would never see again, a mother who would never hold her or brush her hair or share a funny story, a mother who would never again hear her childish joys or sorrows. A mother who had taken her own life just three weeks before.
放学后，学生们三三俩俩地离开了，边走边说着即将到来的圣诞节：家中的圣诞树旁将发现自己心系已久的自行车和崭新发亮的雪橇。她慢慢地走在后面，看着大家拥挤着走出门外。我坐在孩子们的小椅子上稍稍松了口气，对要发生的事没有一点准备。这时她向我走来，双手拿着一个白色的盒子向我伸过来。盒子没有打包装，稍有些脏。好像是被孩子未洗过的小手摸过了好多遍。她没有说话。"给我的吗?"我微微一笑。她没出声，只是点点头。我接过盒子，非常小心地打开它。盒子里面有一条金色的链子，上面坠着一块闪闪发光的“油炸"玻璃弹子。然后我看着她的脸，虽只有8岁，可却是成人的表情。在她深棕色的眼睛里我找到了问题的答案。我在一瞬间明白过来--这是她为妈妈做的项链，她再也见不到的妈妈，再也不能抱她、给她梳头或一起讲 故事 的妈妈。她的妈妈已再也不能分享她充满童稚的快乐，分担她孩子气的忧伤。就在3个星期前她的妈妈离开了人世。
I held out the chain. She took it in both her hands, reached forward, and secured the simple clasp at the back of my neck. She stepped back then as if to see that all was well. I looked down at the shiny piece of glass and the tarnished golden chain, then back at the giver. I meant it when I whispered," Oh, Maria, it is so beautiful. She would have loved it."Neither of us could stop the tears. She stumbled into my arms and we wept together. And for that brief moment I became her mother, for she had given me the greatest gift of all: herself.
我拿起那条链子。她用双手接过它，向前探了探身，在我的脖子后把简易的项链钩系好。然后她向后退了几步，好像在看看是否合适。我低下头看着闪闪发亮的玻璃珠和已失去光泽的金色链子，然后抬起头望着她。我很认真地轻声说道：“哦，玛丽亚，这链子真漂亮。你妈妈一定会喜欢的。"我们已无法抑制住泪水。她踉踉跄跄地扑进我的怀里，我们都哭了。在那短暂的一刻我成了她的妈妈，而她送给了我一份最珍贵的礼物：她的信任和爱。By Patricia A. Habada
经典英语美文摘抄篇三
FAMILY
FAMILY= (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER, (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
Daddy, may I ask you a question?
Yeah sure, what is it? replied the man.
Daddy, how much do you make an hour?
That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing? the man said angrily. I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?
pleaded the little boy.
If you must know, I make $20 an hour.
Oh, the little boy replied, with his head down. Looking up, he said, Daddy, may I please borrow $10?
The father was furious, If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior.
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10 and he really didn't ask for money very often.
The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
Are you asleep, son? He asked.
No daddy, I'm awake, replied the boy.
I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier, said the man, It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $10you asked for.
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. Oh, thank you daddy! He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at his father.
Why do you want more money if you already have some? the father grumbled.
Because I didn't have enough, but now I do, the little boy replied. Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.
所谓美文,就是发表在报刊上的关于某篇课文的精美的赏析性短文或者教师自己撰写的此类文章。我精心收集了优秀英语美文，供大家欣赏学习!
Self-control is essential to happiness and usefulness. It is the master of all the virtues,andhas its root in self-respect. Let a man yield to his impulses and passions, and from thatmoment he gives up his moral freedom.
It is the self-discipline of a man that enables him to pursue success with superior diligenceand sobriety.Many of the great characters in history illustrate this trait. In ordinary life theapplication is the same.He who would lead must first command himself. The time of test iswhen everybody is excited or angry,then the well-balanced mind comes to the front.
There is a very special demand for the cultivation of his trait at present.The young men whorush into business with no good education or drill will do poor and feverish work.Endurance is amuch better test of character than act of heroism.
A fair amount of self-examination is good. Self-knowledge is a preface to self-control. Toomuch self-inspection leads to morbidness; too little conducts to careless and hasty action.There are two things which will surely strengthen our self-control. One is attention toconscience; the other is a spirit of good will.The man who would succeed in any greatundertaking must hold all his faculties under perfect control; they must be disciplined anddrilled until they quickly and cheerfully obey the will.
In the future days, which we seek to make secure,we look forward to a world founded uponfour essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - everywhere in theworld.
The third is freedom from want - which, translated into world terms, means economicunderstandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peace time life for its inhabitants -everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear - which, translated into world terms, means a world widereduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will bein a position to commit an actof physical aggression against any neighbor - anywhere in theworld.
That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable inour own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so called neworder of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.
To that new order we oppose the greater conception - the moral order. A good society is ableto face schemes of world domination and foreign revolutions alike without fear.
Since the beginning of our American history we have been engaged in change - in a perpetualpeaceful revolution - a revolution which goes on steadily, quietly adjusting itself to changingconditions - without theconcentration camp or the quicklime in the ditch. The world order whichwe seek is the cooperation of freecountries, working together in a friendly civilized society.
This nation has placed its destiny in the hands and heads and hearts of its millions of free menand women;and its faith in freedom under the guidance of God. Freedom means thesupremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gainthose rights and keep them. Our strength is in our unityof purpose.
To that high concept there can be no end save victory.
While popular in the U.S., the April Fool’s Day tradition is even more prevalent in Europeancountries,such as France and Great Britain. Although the roots of the traditional trickings areunclear,the French andthe British both have claims on the origin of the celebration.
One theory holds that the first April Fool’s Day was on April 1 of the year when King of Franceinstituted the new calendar.This new system placed the day that had formerly been the firstday of a new year on April 1.Many people were reluctant to adjust to the new calandar andcontinued to celebrate New Year’s Day on what had become the first day of April.Thus, theybecome the first April fools.Others began to give gaggifts on the day to mock the foolishnessof thosewho continued to celebrate the new year on April 1.
An English story about the day, however, holds that it began sometime during the 1200s.Atthe time, King John of England was in the habit of making a road out of nearly every path hewalked regularly.The citizensof one particular farm village were aware of this.To avoid havingtheir green meadows and pastures disturbed with one of the king’s roads,they built a fencethat prevented the king from walking through their countryside.The king sent a group ofmessengers to inform the villagers that they must remove the barrier.Upon hearing that theking was planning to do this, however, the villagers developed a plan of their own.Whenthemessengers arrived, they found what appeared to be a community of lunatics,with peoplebehaving in a bizarre manner, throwing things and running around wildly.The messengers,alarmed at what they had found, reported to king John that these people were so mad as tobe beyond punishment.So, the villagers saved their farmland by tricking the King. In GreatBritain,tradition only allows April Fool’s tricks from midnightto noon on April 1. Those who try toplay tricks in the afternoon become the fools themselves.
在 英语学习 中,阅读能力是学习者发展 其它 语言能力(听、说、写、译)的基础。下面是我带来的经典英语好 文章 摘抄，欢迎阅读!
经典英语好文章摘抄篇一
Change Makes Life Beautiful(生命美于变化)
To regard all things and principles of things as inconstant modes or fashions has more and more become the tendency of modern thought. Let us begin with that which is without——our physical life. Fix upon it in one of its more exquisite intervals，the moment，for instance，of delicious recoil from the flood of water in summer heat. What is the whole physical life in that moment but a combination of natural elements to which science gives their names?But these elements，phosphorus and lime and delicate fibers，are present not in the human body alone：we detect them in places most remote from it. Our physical life is a perpetual motion of them——the passage of the blood，the wasting and repairing of the lenses of the eye，the modification of the tissues of the brain under every ray of light and sound-processes which science reduces to simpler and more elementary forces. Like the elements of which we are composed，the action of these forces extends beyond us：it rusts iron and ripens corn. Far out on every side of us those elements are broadcast，driven in many currents;and birth and gesture and death and the springing of violets from the grave are but a few out of ten thousand resultant combinations. That clear，perpetual outline of face and limb is but an image of ours，under which we group them a design in a web，the actual threads of which pass out beyond it. This at least of flame——like our life has，that it is but the concurrence，renewed from moment to moment，of forces parting sooner or later on their ways.
生命美于变化
将所有事物和事物的原则统统归结为经常变化着的形态或风尚，这已日益成为近代思想界的一个趋势。我们可以从我们的生理活动等表面的事情说起。举个例子来说，选定在酷暑中猛然浸入滔滔清流的一刹那和感觉极其愉快的这么一个微妙的时刻。在那一瞬间的所有生理活动，难道不可以说是具有科学名称的各种元素的一种化合作用吗?但是，像磷、石灰、微细的纤维质等这些元素，不仅存在于人体之中，而且在与人体没有丝毫关系的地方也能检查出它们的存在。血液的流通，眼睛中水晶体的消耗和恢复，每一道光波、每一次声浪对于脑组织所引起的变异——都不外是这些元素永久的运动。但是科学把这些运动过程还原为更为简单和基本力量的作用。正如我们身体所赖以构成的元素所形成的我们的生理活动的力量，这些力量在我们身体以外也同样发挥着作用——它可以使铁生锈，使谷物成熟。这些元素，在种种气流吹送之下，从我们身外向四面八方传播：人的诞生，人的姿态，人的死亡，以及在人的坟头上生长出紫罗兰——这不过是成千上万化合结果的点滴例子而已。人类那轮廓分明、长久不变的面颜和肢体，不过是一种表象，在它那框架之内，我们好把种种化合的元素凝聚一团——这好像是蛛网的纹样，那织网的细丝从网中穿出，又引向他方。在这一点上，我们的生命有些像那火焰——它也是种种力量汇合的结果，这汇合虽不断延续，那些力量却早晚要各自飘散。
经典英语好文章摘抄篇二
The Date Father Didn’t Keep (父亲失约)
It happened in one of those picturesque Danish taverns that cater to tourists and where English is spoken. I was with my father on a business-and-pleasure trip，and in our leisure hours we were having a wonderful time.
“It‘s a pity your mother couldn’t come，”said Father.“It would be wonderful to show her around.”
He had visited Denmark when he was a young man. I asked him，“How long is it since you were here?”
“Oh，about 30 years. I remember being in this very inn，by the way.”He looked around，remembering.
“Those were gracious days-”He stopped suddenly，and I saw that his face was pale. I followed his eyes and looked across the room to a woman who was setting a tray of drinks before some customers. She might have been pretty once，but now she was stout and her hair was untidy.“Do you know her?”I asked……
“I did once，”he said.
The woman come to our table.“Drinks?”she inquired.
“We‘ll have beer，”I said. She nodded and went away.
“How she has changed!Thank heaven she didn‘t recognize me，”muttered Father mopping his face with a handkerchief.“I know her before I ever met your mother，”he went on.“I was a student，on a tour. She was a lovely young thing，very graceful. I fell madly in live with her，and she with me.”
“Does Mother know about her?”I blurted out，resentfully.
“Of course，”Father said gently. He looked at me a little anxiously. I felt embarrassed for him.
I said，“Dad，you don‘t have to-”
“Oh，yes，I want to tell you. I don‘t want you wondering about this. Her father objected to our romance. I was a foreigner. I had no prospects，and was dependent on my father. When I wrote Father that I wanted to get married he cut off my allowance. And I had to go home. But I met the girl once more，and told her I would return to America，borrow enough money to get married on，and come back for her in a few months.”
“We know，”he continued，“that her father might intercept a letter，so we agreed that I would simply mail her a slip of paper with a date on it，the time she was to meet me at a certain place;then we‘d married. Well，I went home，got the loan and sent her the date. She received the note. She wrote me：”I’ll be there.“But she wasn‘t. Then I found that she had been married about two weeks before，to a local innkeeper. She hadn’t waited.”
Then my father said，“Thank God she didn‘t. I went home，met your mother，and we’ve been completely happy. We often joke about that youthful love romance.”
The woman appeared with our beer.
“You are from America?”she asked me.
“Yes，”I said.
She beamed.“A wonderful country，America.”
“Yes，a lot of your countrymen have gone there. Did you ever think of it?”
“Not me. Not now，”she said.“I think so one time，a ling time ago. But I stay here. I much better here.”
We drank our beer and left. Outside I said，“Father，just how did you write that date on which she was to meet you?”
He stopped，took out an envelope and wrote on it.“Like this，”he said.“12/11/73，which was，of course，December 11，1973.”
“No!”I exclaimed.“It isn‘t in Denmark or any European country. Over here they write the day first，then the month. So that date wouldn’t be December 11 but the 12th of November!”
Father passed his hand over his face.“So she was there!”he exclaimed.“And it was because I didn‘t show up that she got married.”He was silent a while.“Well，”he said.，“I hope she’s happy. She seems be.”
As we resumed walking I blurted out，“It is a lucky thing it happened that way. You wouldn‘t have met Mother.”
He put his arm around my shoulders，looked at me with a heart-warming smile，and said，“I was doubly lucky，young fellow，for otherwise I wouldn‘t have met you，either!”
经典英语好文章摘抄篇三
改变一生的邂逅
Isn‘t it amazing how one person，sharing one idea，at the right time and place can change the course of your life’s history?This is certainly what happened in my life. When I was 14，I was hitchhiking from Houston，Texas，through El Paso on my way to California. I was following my dream，journeying with the sun. I was a high school dropout with learning disabilities and was set on surfing the biggest waves in the world，first in California and then in Hawaii，where I would later live.
Upon reaching downtown El Paso，I met an old man，a bum，on the street corner. He saw me walking，stopped me and questioned me as I passed by. He asked me if I was running away from home，I suppose because I looked so young. I told him，“Not exactly，sir，”since my father had given me a ride to the freeway in Houston and given me his blessings while saying，“It is important to follow your dream and what is in your heart. Son.”
The bum then asked me if he could buy me a cup of coffee. I told him，“No，sir，but a soda would be great.”We walked to a corner malt shop and sat down on a couple of swiveling stools while we enjoyed our drinks.
After conversing for a few minutes，the friendly bum told me to follow him. He told me that he had something grand to show me and share with me. We walked a couple of blocks until we came upon the downtown El Paso Public Library.
We walked up its front steps and stopped at a small information stand. Here the bum spoke to a smiling old lady，and asked her if she would be kind enough to watch my things for a moment while he and I entered the library. I left my belongings with this grandmotherly figure and entered into this magnificent hall of learning.
The bum first led me to a table and asked me to sit down and wait for a moment while he looked for something special amongst the shelves. A few moments later，he returned with a couple of old books under his arms and set them on the table. He then sat down beside me and spoke. He started with a few statements that were very special and that changed my life. He said，“There are two things that I want to teach you，young man，and they are these：
“Number one is to never judge a book by its cover，for a cover can fool you.”He followed with，“I bet you think I‘m a bum，don’t you，young man?”
I said，“Well，uh，yes，I guess so，sir.”
“Well，young man，I‘ve got a little surprise for you. I am one of the wealthiest men in the world. I have probably everything any man could ever want. I originally come from the Northeast and have all the things that money can buy. But a year ago，my wife passed away，bless her soul，and since then I have been deeply reflecting upon life. I realized there were certain things I had not yet experienced in life，one of which was what it would be like to live like a bum on the streets. I made a commitment to myself to do exactly that for one year. For the past year，I have been going from city to city doing just that. So，you see，don’t ever judge a book by its cover，for a cover can fool you.
“Number two is to learn how to read，my boy. For there is only one thing that people can t take away from you，and that is your wisdom.”At that moment，he reached forward，grabbed my right hand in his and put them upon the books he‘d pulled from the shelves. They were the writings of Plato and Aristotle-immortal classics from ancient times.
The bum then led me back past the smiling old woman near the entrance，down the steps and back on the streets near where we first met. His parting request was for me to never forget what he taught me.
散文 凭借精巧的谋篇布局,巧妙的措辞选景,来渲染气氛,创造意境,从而体现出它独特的风格。下面是我带来的英语优秀 文章 摘抄，欢迎阅读!
英语优秀文章摘抄篇一
A Lesson In Life 人生物语
Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there，they serve some sort of purpose，to teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be - your roommate，neighbor，professor，long lost friend，lover or even a complete stranger who，when you lock eyes with them，you know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.
And sometimes things happen to you and at the time they may seem horrible，painful and unfair，but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles，you would have never realized your potential，strength，will power or heart. Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of good or bad luck. Illness，injury，love，lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity - all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests，if they be events，illnesses or relationships，life would be like a smoothly paved，straight，flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet who affect your life and the successes and downfalls you experience - they are the ones who create who you are. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. Those lessons are the hardest and probably the most important ones.
If someone hurts you，betrays you or breaks your heart，forgive them for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart to. If someone loves you，love them back unconditionally，not only because they love you，but because they are teaching you to love and opening your heart and eyes to things you would have never seen or felt without them.
Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can，for you may never be able to experience it again.
Talk to people you have never talked to before，and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love，break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself，for if you don‘t believe in yourself，no one else will believe in you either. You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it.
“People are like tea bags - you have to put them in hot water before you know how strong they are.''
英语优秀文章摘抄篇二
老爸(Dad)
The first memory I have of him—of anything，really—is his strength. It was in the late afternoon in a house under construction near ours. The unfinished wood floor had large，terrifying holes whose yawning[张大嘴] darkness I knew led to nowhere good. His powerful hands，then age 33，wrapped all the way around my tiny arms，then age 4，and easily swung[摇摆] me up to his shoulders to command all I surveyed.
我对他——实际上是对所有事的最初记忆，就是他的力量。那是一个下午的晚些时候，在一所靠近我家的正在修建的房子里，尚未完工的木地板上有一个个巨大可怕的洞，那些张着大口的黑洞在我看来是通向不祥之处的。时年33岁的爸爸用那强壮有力的双手一把握住我的小胳膊，当时我才4岁，然后轻而易举地把我甩上他的肩头，让我把一切都尽收眼底。
The relationship between a son and his father changes over time. It may grow and flourish[繁茂] in mutual maturity[成熟]. It may sour in resented dependence or independence. With many children living in single-parent homes today，it may not even exist.
父子间的关系是随着岁月的流逝而变化的，它会在彼此成熟的过程中成长兴盛，也会在令人不快的依赖或独立的关系中产生不和。而今许多孩子生活在单亲家庭中，这种关系可能根本不存在。
But to a little boy right after World War II，a father seemed a god with strange strengths and uncanny[离奇的] powers enabling him to do and know things that no mortal could do or know. Amazing things，like putting a bicycle chain back on，just like that. Or building a hamster[仓鼠] cage.Or guiding a jigsaw[拼板玩具] so it forms the letter F;I learned the alphabet[字母表] that way in those pre-television days.
然而，对于一个生活在二战刚刚结束时期的小男孩来说，父亲就像神，他拥有神奇的力量和神秘的能力，他无所不能，无所不知。那些奇妙的事儿有上自行车链条，或是建一个仓鼠笼子，或是教我玩拼图玩具，拼出个字母“F”来。在那个电视机还未诞生的年代，我便是通过这种 方法 学会了字母表的。
There were，of course，rules to learn. First came the handshake. None of those fishy[冷冰冰的] little finger grips，but a good firm squeeze accompanied by an equally strong gaze into the other‘s eyes.“The first thing anyone knows about you is your handshake，”he would say. And we’d practice it each night on his return from work，the serious toddler in the battered[用旧了的] Cleveland Indian‘s cap running up to the giant father to shake hands again and again until it was firm enough.
当然，还得学些做人的道理。首先是握手。这可不是指那种冷冰冰的手指相握，而是一种非常坚定有力的紧握，同时同样坚定有力地注视对方的眼睛。老爸常说：“人们认识你首先是通过同你握手。”每晚他下班回家时，我们便练习握手。年幼的我，戴着顶破克利夫兰印第安帽，一本正经地跌跌撞撞地跑向巨人般的父亲，开始我们的握手。一次又一次，直到握得坚定，有力。
As time passed，there were other rules to learn.“Always do your best.”“Do it now.”“Never lie!”And most importantly，“You can do whatever you have to do.”By my teens，he wasn‘t telling me what to do anymore，which was scary[令人害怕的] and heady[使人兴奋的] at the same time. He provided perspective，not telling me what was around the great corner of life but letting me know there was a lot more than just today and the next，which I hadn’t thought of.
随着时间的流逝，还有许多其他的道理要学。比如：“始终尽力而为”，“从现在做起”，“永不撒谎”，以及最重要的一条：“凡是你必须做的事你都能做到”。当我十几岁时，老爸不再叫我做这做那，这既令人害怕又令人兴奋。他教给我判断事物的方法。他不是告诉我，在人生的重大转折点上将发生些什么，而是让我明白，除了今天和明天，还有很长的路要走，这一点我是从未考虑过的。
One day，I realize now，there was a change. I wasn‘t trying to please him so much as I was trying to impress him. I never asked him to come to my football games. He had a high-pressure career，and it meant driving through most of Friday night. But for all the big games，when I looked over at the sideline，there was that familiar fedora. And by God，did the opposing team captain ever get a firm handshake and a gaze he would remember.
有一天，事情发生了变化，这是我现在才意识到的。我不再那么迫切地想要取悦于老爸，而是迫切地想要给他留下深刻的印象。我从未请他来看我的 橄榄球 赛。他工作压力很大，这意味着每个礼拜五要拼命干大半夜。但每次大型比赛，当我抬头环视看台时，那顶熟悉的软呢帽总在那儿。并且感谢上帝，对方队长总能得到一次让他铭记于心的握手——坚定而有力，伴以同样坚定的注视。
Then，a school fact contradicted something he said. Impossible that he could be wrong，but there it was in the book. These accumulated over time，along with personal experiences，to buttress my own developing sense of values. And I could tell we had each taken our own，perfectly normal paths.
后来，在学校学到的一个事实否定了老爸说过的某些东西。他不可能会错的，可书上却是这样写的。诸如此类的事日积月累，加上我的个人阅历，支持了我逐渐成形的价值观。我可以这么说：我俩开始各走各的阳关道了。
I began to see，too，his blind spots，his prejudices[偏见] and his weaknesses. I never threw these up at him. He hadn‘t to me，and，anyway，he seemed to need protection. I stopped asking his advice;the experiences he drew from no longer seemed relevant to the decisions I had to make.
与此同时，我还开始发现他对某些事的无知，他的偏见，他的弱点。我从未在他面前提起这些，他也从未在我面前说起，而且，不管怎么说，他看起来需要保护了。我不再向他征求意见;他的那些 经验 也似乎同我要做出的决定不再相干。
He volunteered advice for a while. But then，in more recent years，politics and issues gave way to talk of empty errands and，always，to ailments.
老爸当了一段时间的“自愿顾问”，但后来，特别是近几年里，他谈话中的政治与国家大事让位给了空洞的使命与疾病。
From his bed，he showed me the many sores and scars on his misshapen body and all the bottles for medicine.“Sometimes，”he confided[倾诉]，“I would just like to lie down and go to sleep and not wake up.”
躺在床上，他给我看他那被岁月扭曲了的躯体上的疤痕，以及他所有的药瓶儿。他倾诉着：“有时我真想躺下睡一觉，永远不再醒来。”
After much thought and practice(“You can do whatever you have to do.”)，one night last winter，I sat down by his bed and remembered for an instant those terrifying dark holes in another house 35 years before. I told my fatherhow much I loved him. I described all the things people were doing for him. But，I said，he kept eating poorly，hiding in his room and violating the doctor‘s orders. No amount of love could make someone else care about life，I said;it was a two-way street. He wasn’t doing his best. The decision was his.
通过深思熟虑与亲身体验(“凡是你必须做的事你都能做到”)，去年冬天的一个夜晚，我坐在老爸床边，忽然想起35年前那另一栋房子里可怕的黑洞。我告诉老爸我有多爱他。我向他讲述了人们为他所做的一切。而我又说，他总是吃得太少，躲在房间里，还不听医生的劝告。我说，再多的爱也不能使一个人自己去热爱生命：这是一条双行道，而他并没有尽力，一切都取决于他自己。
He said he knew how hard my words had been to say and how proud he was of me.“I had the best teacher，”I said.“You can do whatever you have to do.”He smiled a little. And we shook hands，firmly，for the last time.
他说他明白要我说出这些话多不容易，他是多么为我自豪。“我有位最好的老师，”我说，“凡是你必须做的事你都能做到”。他微微一笑，之后我们握手，那是一次坚定的握手，也是最后的一次。
Several days later，at about 4 A.M.，my mother heard Dad shuffling[拖着] about their dark room.“I have some things I have to do，”he said. He paid a bundle of bills. He composed for my mother a long list of legal and financial what-to-do‘s“in case of emergency.”And he wrote me a note.
几天后，大约凌晨四点，母亲听到父亲拖着脚步在他们漆黑的房间里走来走去。他说：“有些事我必须得做。”他支付了一叠帐单，给母亲留了张长长的条子，上面列有法律及经济上该做的事，“以防不测”。接着他留了封短信给我。
Then he walked back to his bed and laid himself down. He went to sleep，naturally. And he did not wake up.
然后，他走回自己的床边，躺下。他睡了，十分安详，再也没有醒来。
英语优秀文章摘抄篇三
Picasso And Me (毕加索和我)
This is the 50th anniversary of the day I crossed paths with Pablo Picasso. It came about in a strange way. I had written a column showing how absurd some of my mail had become.
One letter was from Philadelphia. It was written by a Temple University student named Harvey Brodsky. Harvey said he was in love with a girl named Gloria Segall，and he hoped to marry her someday. She claimed to be the greatest living fan of Picasso. The couple went to a Picasso exhibit and，to impress her，Harvey told Gloria that he could probably get the artist‘s autograph.
Harvey‘s letter continued，“Since that incident，Gloria and I have stopped seeing each other. I did a stupid thing and she threw me out and told me she never wanted to see me again.
“I‘m writing to you because I’m not giving up on Gloria. Could you get Picasso‘s autograph for me?If you could，I have a feeling Gloria and I could get back together. The futures of two young people depend on it. I know she is miserable without me and I without her. Everything depends on you.”
At the end of the letter，he said，“I，Harvey Brodsky，do solemnly swear that any item received by me from Art Buchwald(namely，Pablo Picasso‘s autograph)will never be sold or given to anyone except Miss Gloria Segall.”
I printed the letter in my column to show how ridiculous my mail was. When it appeared，David Duncan，a photographer，was with Picasso in Cannes and Duncan translated it for Picasso.
Picasso was very moved，and he took out his crayons and drew a beautiful color sketch for Gloria Segall and signed it.
Duncan called and told me the good news.
I said，“The heck with Gloria Segall，what about me?”
David explained this to Picasso and in crayons he drew a picture of the two of us together，holding a glass of wine，and wrote on the top，“Pour Art Buchwald.”
By this time，the Associated Press had picked up the story and followed through on the delivery of the picture to Gloria Segall. When it arrived special delivery in Philadelphia，Gloria took one look and said，“Harvey and I will always be good friends.”
If you‘re wondering how the story ends，Harvey married somebody else，and so did Gloria. The Picasso hangs in Gloria’s living room.
It was a story that caught the imagination of people all over the world. I received lots of letters after the column was published. My favorite came from an art dealer in New York，who wrote：
“I can find you as many unhappy couples in New York City as you can get Picasso sketches. Two girls I know are on the verge of suicide if they don‘t hear from Picasso，and I know several couples in Greenwich Village who are in the initial stages of divorce. Please wire me how many you need. We both stand to make a fortune.”
Another letter，from Bud Grossman in London，said，“My wife threatens to leave me unless I can get her Khrushchev‘s autograph. She would like it signed on a Russian sable coat.”
摘抄要真正提高习作水平,必须做到多读精思,多思多写。我分享超经典英语美文，希望可以帮助大家!
The summer before fifth grade, my world was turned upside down when my family moved from the country town where I was born and raised to a town near the beach. When school began, I found it difficult to be accepted by the kids in my class who seemed a little more sophisticated, and who had been in the same class together since first grade.
I also found this Catholic school different from the public school I had attended. At my old school, it was acceptable to express yourself to the teacher. Here, it was considered outrageous to even suggest a change be made in the way things were done.
My mom taught me that if I wanted something in life, I had to speak up or figure out a way to make it happen. No one was going to do it for me. It was up to me to control my destiny.
I quickly learned that my classmates were totally intimidated by the strict Irish nuns who ran the school. My schoolmates were so afraid of the nuns' wrath that they rarely spoke up for themselves or suggested a change.
Not only were the nuns intimidating(吓人的), they also had some strange habits. The previous year, my classmates had been taught by a nun named Sister Rose. This year, she came to our class to teach music several times a week. During their year with her, she had earned the nickname Pick-Her-Nose-Rose. My classmates swore that during silent reading, she'd prop her book up so that she could have herself a booger-picking session without her students noticing. The worst of it, they told me, was that after reading was over, she'd stroll through the classroom and select a victim whose hair would be the recipient of one of her prize boogers. She'd pretend to be praising one of her students by rubbing her long, bony(骨的) fingers through their hair! Well, to say the least, I did not look forward to her sort of praise.
One day during music, I announced to Sister Rose that the key of the song we were learning was too high for our voices. Every kid in the class turned toward me with wide eyes and looks of total disbelief. I had spoken my opinion to a teacher - one of the Irish nuns!
That was the day I gained acceptance with the class. Whenever they wanted something changed, they'd beg me to stick up for them. I was willing to take the punishment for the possibility of making a situation better and of course to avoid any special attention from Pick-Her-Nose-Rose. But I also knew that I was being used by my classmates who just couldn't find their voices and stick up for themselves.
Things pretty much continued like this through sixth and seventh grades. Although we changed teachers, we stayed in the same class together and I remained the voice of the class.
At last, eighth grade rolled around and one early fall morning our new teacher, Mrs. Haggard - not a nun, but strict nevertheless - announced that we would be holding elections for class representatives. I was elected Vice President.
That same day, while responding to a fire drill, the new president and I were excitedly discussing our victory when, suddenly, Mrs. Haggard appeared before us with her hands on her hips. The words that came out of her mouth left me surprised and confused. "You're impeached!" she shouted at the two of us. My first reaction was to burst out laughing because I had no idea what the word "impeached" meant. When she explained that we were out of office for talking during a fire drill, I was devastated.
Our class held elections again at the beginning of the second semester. This time, I was elected president, which I took as a personal victory. I was more determined than ever to represent the rights of my oppressed classmates.
My big opportunity came in late spring. One day, the kids from the other eighth grade class were arriving at school in "free dress," wearing their coolest new outfits, while our class arrived in our usual uniforms: the girls in their pleated wool skirts and the boys in their salt and pepper pants. "How in the world did this happen?" we all wanted to know. One of the eighth graders from the other class explained that their teacher got permission from our principal, Sister Anna, as a special treat for her students.
We were so upset that we made a pact to go in and let our teacher know that we felt totally ripped off. We agreed that when she inevitably gave us what had become known to us as her famous line, "If you don't like it, you can leave," we'd finally do it. We'd walk out together.
Once in the classroom, I raised my hand and stood up to speak to our teacher. About eight others rose to show their support. I explained how betrayed we felt as the seniors of the school to find the other eighth graders in free dress while we had to spend the day in our dorky uniforms. We wanted to know why she hadn't spoken on our behalf and made sure that we weren't left out of this privilege.
For years I wanted a flower garden. I'd spend hours thinking of different things I could plant that would look nice together.
But then we had Matthew. And Marvin. And the twins, Alisa and Alan. And then Helen. Five children. I was too busy raising them to grow a garden.
Money was tight, as well as time. Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I'd have to say, "Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you know."
Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own. I started thinking again about having a garden.
I wasn't sure, though. I mean, gardens do cost money, and after all these years I was used to living on a pretty lean(贫乏的) , no-frills budget.
Then, one spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen. Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting(吹奏，狂欢) their horns as they drove by. I looked out the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard. I thought it must be a weeping willow(垂柳) , because I saw things blowing around on all its branches. Then I put my glasses on - and I couldn't believe what I saw.
There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look. It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree. Think of all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: "IOU eight hours of digging time. Love, Marvin."
Marvin kept his promise, too. He dug up a nice ten-by-fifteen foot bed for me. And my other children bought me tools, ornaments(装饰品) , a trellis(格子，框架) , a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books.
That was three years ago. My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted. When I go out and weed(除草，铲除) or tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did. It feels like they're right there with me.
I live up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where winters are long and cold, and summers are way too short. But every year now, when winter sets in, I look out my window and think of the flowers I'll see next spring in my little garden. I think about what my children did for me, and I get tears in my eyes - every time.
I'm still not sure that money grows on trees. But I know love does!
"If I never saw this kid again, Lord, I wouldn't be sorry!" I thought. Tears clouded my eyes as I stood in our laundry room(洗衣间) . Clenched(紧握的) in both hands were new jeans and a shirt belonging to my 16-year-old stepson, Brett. The clothing was already destroyed from burn holes and vomit stains(污点) after a drunken binge(狂欢，放纵) .
Exhausted and defeated, I sank to the floor. The clothes were just one more thing Brett had ruined. He had already kicked a large hole in his bedroom wall; his bedcovers(床罩) were torn. Numerous windows in our house needed repair due to his breaking in to steal money when he chose to live on the street. Yet none of this could compare to the emotional damage Brett had inflicted(遭受，给予) on our once quiet home.
I knew that Brett's needs were deep, and I had often prayed for wisdom and love. The second greatest commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," had taken on new meaning when Brett came to live with us when he was 12 years old. If I were to love my neighbor, was I not to love my own troubled stepson even more?
During those four years I had dealt with Brett as patiently as possible, but inside I was churning. "I don't want him in my house another day, Lord," I cried as I knelt on the laundry room floor. "I just can't stand him!"
Chest heaving, I poured out my despair. Then God tenderly spoke to me in my weakness. Matthew 25:35-40 rose in my thoughts---Jesus' declaration that when we invite a stranger, feed the hungry, clothe the naked or visit those in prison, we are doing it as unto Him. For the first time I saw this story in light of the action words. Jesus was saying, "Act. Meet these people's needs. Through your actions you are loving them and Me."
God's encouragement to me that day helped me to gather strength and continue parenting Brett. Still, Brett did not change his behavior.
When Brett was nearly 18, he landed again in Juvenile Hall, this time on suicide watch. Through prayer, my husband, Dave, and I sensed God's leading to send Brett to a boarding school(寄宿学校) with a high success rate for helping troubled teens.
The psychological training at Brett's school was rigorous(严格的，严酷的) . Out of more than 20 people in his class, Brett was one of only five graduates.
At the graduation ceremony the graduates stood one by one to thank those who had helped them. Each graduate held a long-stemmed, white rosebud to give to the person who had meant the most to him or her.
Brett spoke lovingly to his mother and father and for the first time took responsibility for the heartaches he had caused.
Finally Brett spoke to me. "You did so much," he said. "You were always there, no matter what. My mom and dad, I was their kid. But you just got stuck with me. All the same you always showed me such love. And I want you to know that I love you for it."
Stunned, I stood as Brett placed the white rosebud in my hand and hugged me hard.
At that moment I realized the truth in God's words to me. Although I had struggled with silent anger toward my stepson, Brett had seen only my actions.
Love is action. We may not always have positive feelings about certain people in our lives. But we can love them.
