经典美文,或是立意高远,或是思想健康;或是语言精美,或是构思巧妙……经典美文不仅是文学史中最具文学鉴赏价值、最富文化精髓的艺术作品,同时还是我们借鉴并用以指导学生写作的不可多得的范本。我精心收集了500字左右英语美文摘抄，供大家欣赏学习!
If you are feeling that life just cannot be any worse for you, it can be challenging to think positive thoughts. When we are stressed, depressed, upset, or otherwise in a negative state of mind because we perceive that "bad things" keep happening to us, it is important to shift those negative thoughts to something positive. If we don't, we will only attract more "bad things."
如果你感觉生活对你来说实在是糟糕之极，你可以挑战着想些积极的东西。当我们不堪重负、沮丧、失落，抑或因为我们认为倒霉的事总是光临我们而处于消极状态时，将这些消极的思想转变为积极的至关重要。如果我们不这么做，只会招致更多的霉运。
It is often very hard to think positive when so many things are negative, but I can assure you that someone, somewhere is worse off than you. We can choose to think differently by beginning with the smallest of steps.
有如此之多消极因素还要想些积极的东西，通常情况下这很难，但我可以保证，在某个地方有人比你情况还糟。我们可以换种方式，一步一步细细思考那些消极的东西。
If you start with one small, positive thing and repeat it during the course of your day, you will begin to move into a more positive situation: positive thoughts, feelings, opportunities and people will start showing up in your life. With practice, you will find that over time, you will change your outlook and choose to be happy, irregardless of the events around you.
从一件积极的小事情开始，并且一整天就一直重复想着，你将进入一个更加积极的状态：积极的思想、情感、机遇、人们开始装扮你的人生。这样练下去，很快你会发现你将改变你的观点，选择快乐的生活，而不在意周围那些琐事。
Here are a few examples for you to practice. Say them out loud and with feeling!
下面有一些方法供你选择练习。要有感情的把它们大声说出来。
1. Begin and end each day with a "Thank you for this wonderful, glorious day!"
在每一天开始和结束的时候，说一句“感谢这么一个愉快的一天”。
2. When you see the gas prices hiking, say "I am so glad that I am blessed to have a vehicle in which to get around."
燃气价格高涨的时候，说“我很高兴我至少还有着这辆车可以到处兜风。”
3. When you are late for work, say "I am so happy and grateful for my job as I know that many don't have one."
上班迟到时，说“我很幸福并感激我的工作，因为我知道很多人还没有工作。”
4. If you are having health problems, be grateful for what does work: "I really do appreciate my eyes that see, my ears that hear, my mouth that tastes, my legs that walk, my arms that lift, my hands that write, my mind that thinks, my knees that bend and my tongue that talks." The possibilities here are endless: insert what does work for you and feel good about it!
如果你的健康出了问题，对目前所拥有的要心存感激：“我真的感激我的眼睛还能看，我的耳朵还能听，我的嘴还能品味，我的双腿还能行走，我的双臂还能抬起，我的双手还能写字，我还能思考，我的双膝还能弯曲，我还能说话”。这儿有无穷尽的种种可能：珍惜你所拥有的，并善待它们!
5. Write down what you're grateful for each day. In moments when you're feeling really down, read what you wrote previously. This will help uplift your spirits. If you practice this regularly, you will find that your list will get longer and longer.
记下每天让你感激的事，每当你失落的时候，读一读你曾经写下的心情，这会让你从新振作起来。经常这样练习去，你会发现你所感激的东西越来越多。
The key is to move yourself into a positive thought and keep it there long enough to make it a moment of blissful peace. The more you practice, the happier you'll be.
转为积极情绪并长久保持着这种状态的关键在于为自己创造幸福、宁静的一刻。练的越多，你就越幸福。
Home on the Way
旅人的家
People need homes: children assume their parents' place as home; boarders call school "home" on weekdays; married couples work together to build new homes; and travelers … have no place to call "home", at least for a few nights.
人人都需要家：小孩子把父母的住所当做自己的家;寄宿生在平日把学校称为“家”;结了婚的夫妻要共同营造自己的新家;至于旅者呢……至少有几晚他们要住在不能称为“家”的地方!
So how about people who have to travel for extended periods of time? Don’t they have the right to a home? Of course they do.
那么那些不得不长期出门在外的人怎么办?难道他们无权拥有一个家吗?他们当然有!
Some regular travelers take their own belongings: like bed sheets, pillowcases and family photos to make them feel like home no matter where they are; some stay for long periods in the same hotel and as a result become very familiar with service and attendants; others may simply put some flowers by the hotel window to make things more homely. Furthermore, driving a camping car during one’s travels and sleeping in the vehicle at night is just like home -- only mobile!
有些经常出门的旅者会随身携带些属于自己的日用品，像床单、枕套或全家福相片等，无论走到哪里，这些东西都能带给他们家的感觉;有些人在长驻时会待在同一家旅馆里，使他们对店里的服务和人员都非常熟稔;再有的就可能只是在旅馆的窗边摆些花，使房间更像个家。此外，一路开着露营车旅行，晚上就住在车里，这就更像是真正的家了――只不过能移动而已!
And how about maintaining relationships while in transit? Some keep contact with their friends via internet; some send letters and postcards, or even photos; others may just call and say hi, just to let their friends know that they're still alive and well. People find ways to keep in touch. Making friends on the way helps travelers feel more or less at home. Backpackers in youth hostels may become very good friends, even closer than siblings.
那人们在旅程穿梭时，又是如何维系关系的呢?有些人通过互联网跟朋友联络;有些人寄信、明信片，甚至照片;还有些人可能只是打个电话问声好，目的仅是让朋友们知道他们还活着，而且活得不错。人们发现了各种各样的联络方式。在旅途中交朋友能帮旅者或多或少地找到一点家的感觉。青年旅店里的背包客也许会成为非常要好的朋友，甚至比手足还要亲!
Nowadays, fewer people are working in their local towns, so how do they develop a sense of belonging? Whenever we step out of our local boundaries, there is always another "home" waiting to be found. Wherever we are, with just a little bit of effort and imagination, we can make the place we stay "home".
如今，大多数人都是离乡在外工作，那么人们又如何能有归属感呢?一旦我们走出家门，就总有另一个“家”在等着我们去寻找。不论身处何处，只要稍加努力和想像，我们就能把栖身之地营造成一个“家”!
According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet, he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher.
据传说，一个年轻的男子在漫游沙漠途中看到一泉如水晶般清澈而可口的水。水的味道非常甜美，于是他灌满了他的皮水壶，这样就可以带一些回去，送给曾经是他老师的部落长老。
After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.
经过四天的旅程，他把水呈献给老人。老人深饮一口，和蔼地笑了笑，并深切感激学生赠予他甜美的水。年轻人怀着愉快的心情回到了村庄。
Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container.
后来，老师让他的另一个学生品尝水。学生吐了出来，说水太难喝了。它显然已经因为陈旧的皮革容器而变得不再新鲜。
The student challenged his teacher: "Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?"
学生质疑他的老师：“师父，水是臭的，你为什么要假装喜欢它?”
The teacher replied, "You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter."
老师回答说，“你只品尝了水的味道，我却是在品尝礼物的味道。水仅仅是装载善与爱之行为的容器，而没有什么东西比善与爱更甜美了。”
I think we understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of love from young children. Whether it's a ceramic tray or a macaroni bracelet, the natural and proper response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.
我认为当我们从天真的孩子们那里收到爱的礼物时，能够最透彻地明白这个道理。无论它是一个陶瓷托盘或通心粉手镯，我们自然而恰当的反应是欣赏，并表示感激，因为我们喜欢礼物所包含的心意。
Gratitude doesn't always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling embodied in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.
感恩并不总是自然而来的。不幸的是，大多数儿童和成人只看重被赠予的东西本身，而不是它体现的情谊。我们应该提醒自己，并教导我们的孩子，感情和对感激之情的表达是美丽而纯洁的。毕竟，发自内心给与的礼物才是真正的礼物。
阅读是人们在当今社会生存和发展所需的一项重要的社会文化技能。英语阅读，作为语言学习的四大基本技能之一，在英语学习中占有重要地位。我精心收集了500字英语短文，供大家欣赏学习!
Since I go to high school, I live in the school and stay away from my parents. I have three roommates, at the beginning, we have trouble in staying in the same room, but now we have got used to it. One of my roommates impresses me so much, since she comes to our room, she keeps the habit of reading the novel when we go to bed. She told me that when she lived with her parents, she dared not to read it because her mother would blame her for sleeping late. Now she is very happy that she is out of control, it seems that she is free. But I feel sorry for her, because she is short-sighted now, what’s more, she is lagging behind other students in the study. Staying away from her parents, she is not strong enough to behave herself. We should have the strong will and behave ourselves.
自从我上了高中，我就住在学校，远离父母。我有3个室友，刚开始，我们不习惯同处一室，但是如今，我们已经习惯了。有一个室友让我印象很深刻，自从她住进我们的房间，她就在我们睡觉的时候保持看小说的习惯。她告诉我们在她和父母住在一起的时候，她不敢看小说，因为她妈妈会责怪她那么晚睡觉。如今她很高兴再也不受控制了，似乎她得到了自由。但是我为她感到遗憾，因为她现在已经近视，而且，在学习方面也落后于其他同学。离开了父母，她不够强大，无法自律。我们应该有坚强的意志，并且自律。
Last night, as I was nothing to do, I searched the Internet and saw a good movie, which moved me deeply. The movie is made up of a real person. The story tells about a female principal who is from a famous primary school, she quits her job from the good school because she could do nothing to make the students better, the school asks her to obey to the parents’ will. The principle happens to see the news that a country kindergarten recruits a principle in the very low salary, she decides to do the job in case that the poor kids will lose the chance to be educated. The principle saves the kindergarten at last, she is so great. She shows to the people that the root of education is to care about the students and love them with heart.
昨晚，由于我没有事情做，我搜索了网络，看到了一部好的电影，深深地感动了我。电影是改编于一个真实的人物。故事讲述了一个来自小学名校的女校长，她辞掉了名校这份工作，因为她没有办法让学生变得更好，学校要求她遵从家长的意愿。这位校长偶然间看到消息说一所乡村幼儿园招聘低薪招聘一名校长，她决定做这份工作，以防这些贫困的孩子会失去受到教育的机会。这位校长最后拯救了这间幼儿园，她是如此的伟大。她向人们展示了教育的根本是关爱学生，并且用心爱学生。
I am the only child in my family, nowadays, people have the bad impression on the only child, they think the only child is spoiled by the parents, so they get bad temper and count on the parents so much. While I am not one of them, my parents are very strict to me, they never spoil me, when I make the mistake, they will tell me what the result will be which is caused by my mistake, so that I know I do the wrong thing and won’t do that again. My parents pay special attention to my independence, they will ask me to do the thing alone, sometimes they only teach me how to finish, but never give me a hand. To my parents’ education, at first, I feel they are unfair to me, but as I grow up, I am so thankful to them, they help me become a strong person.
在我的家庭里，我是独生子，如今，人们对独生子的印象很不好，他们觉得独生子被父母宠爱着，因此他们脾气不好，还很依赖父母。然而我和他们不同，我的父母对我很严格，他们从来不溺爱我，当我犯错误，他们会告诉我我的错误会造成的后果，这样我就知道自己做错了事，下次再也不犯这样的错误了。我的父母很注重我的独立性，他们会叫我去独立做事情，有时候他们只教我怎么去完成，但是从来不帮助我。对于父母的教育，刚开始，我觉得他们对我不公平，但是随着我长大，我很感激他们，他们帮助我成长为一个坚强的人。
There is a saying that man proposes, god disposes, which means man plan the things and the rest of the outcome lies in the luck. This saying reflects the connection between hard-work and luck, which is though sometimes we have worked so hard, luck occupies great position, the unexpected things happen and refrain us from succeeding. In order to be successful, people work so hard, they believe they can achieve their goals, but lacking luck stops them achieving their goals. So working hard doesn’t mean bringing people success directly, they just need to try more times, without luck, they still can make their goals. Luck can help people close to success, without hard-work, they can’t be successful. Hard-work and luck make people realize their goals, but without luck, people still can make it by trying more times.
有一句话说谋事在人，成事在天，意思是人们计划事情，剩下的结果依赖于运气。这句话反应了努力和运气之间的联系，那就是虽然有时候我们很努力工作，但是运气也占据了很重要的位置，意外的事情会发生，阻挡人们成功。为了取得成功，人们努力工作，他们相信能达到目标，但是运气的缺失让他们无法达到自己的目标。因此努力并不意味着能直接给人们带来成功，他们需要多试几次，没有运气，人们仍然可以达到目标。运气帮助人们接近成功，没有努力付出，无法成功。努力和运气能让人们实现目标，但是没有运气，人们多尝试几次，也能终将办到。
What is Love? 爱是什么?
What is Love? The eternal question we all carry around deep within our heart. Love is the eternal search. Love is eternal when we find it. But do we really ever find it ? When we define it do we negate it? When we set limits on what we believe to be love do we begin to destroy it by hoping to understand or own it for ourselves? We offer it through all of our relationship we vary our giving, often by what we hope to receive in return. But is this really love?
I recently overheard someone say in a conversation that there is no such thing as “ unconditional love .” I would have to agree, although for different reasons. Love within itself is unconditional. Anything else is only an attempt to love, a learning to get us nearer to the one true knowing of love. It may be honorable, well-intentioned, passionate and desiring, courageous and pure. It may be felt as temporary, but if lost easily it may not have been love at all. Love cannot be thwarted and often fall short of what we hope love will be. This is where we learn we are human.
Love has been experienced as a life of living poetry. Love has been experienced as being the very notes of song, uplifting and generous to the wanting ear. Love has been experienced as the final act of giving one’s life for another in battle. Love has been experienced as an endless passionate over flow of emotion in the arms of waiting lover.
What do you do with the love granted to you each day? How many times do we deny its expression for others because we fear what our own expressions will bring? Are we not denying our creator every time we deny the expression of love?
