经典美文,经得起时间的考验,被历史证明是最有价值、最重要的文化精髓,思想宏远,构思巧妙,语言精美。我精心收集了3分钟英语美文，供大家欣赏学习!
Shocking Bill
触目惊心的账单
A young man had a new girlfriend,whom he wanted to impress
一年轻人新交了一位女朋友，为了给她留下好的印象
so he invited her to go to a world-famous restaurant with him one evening.
一天晚上他邀请女朋友去世界闻名的饭店吃饭。
They dined wonderfully and had numerous drinks;
他们吃了顿丰盛的饭菜并且还喝了各种各样的饮料。
they danced until midnight,and there was fine musical entertainment.
伴随着一场优雅的音乐会，他们跳舞一直到深夜。
The girl enjoyed the entire evening,
女孩整个晚上玩的很尽兴。
and was suitably impressed by everything she saw,
她所看到的一切，给她留下了深刻的印象，
including several film stars.
包括看到的几个影星。
Then the waiter brought the bill at the end of the evening,
这时，服务员拿来了这天晚上的消费的账单。
and when the young man saw how much he had to pay,
但年轻人看到账单时，
he was so shocked by the total that he went as white as a sheet.
他被账单上的数目惊呆了，脸色苍白。
The helpful waiter, who was watching his face,
服务员注视着他的脸，
thought he might be going to faint,
他认为这个年轻人要晕倒了。
so he quickly poured out a glass of ice cold water
于是，他拿来一杯冰水
and emptied it over the young man's head
泼在年轻人的头上，
Then he took the bill back and added to it:Iced water-- 50 cents.
然后他又拿来账单，并在上面加上:"冰水，50便士。"
Love and Time
爱和时间
Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived:
从前，有一个岛屿上住着所有的感情：
Happiness,Sadness, Knowledge,and all of the others, including Love.
快乐，悲伤，知识，还有包括爱在内的所有其他所有情感。
One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink,
一天他们得到消息说这个岛屿将要沉没，
so all constructed boats and left. Except for love.
除了爱以外，他们都修建了船只，打算离开。
Love was the only one who stayed.
只有爱无动于衷，
Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.
她想在最后一刻才离开
When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.
当岛屿几乎沉没的时候爱决定寻求帮助。
Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat.
富裕乘着一艘巨轮从爱身旁经过，
Love said,"Richness, can you take me with you?"
爱问:"富裕，你能带上我吗?"
Richness answered,"No,I can't.There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat.
富裕回答说:"不行，我的船上有很多金银珠宝
There is no place here for you."
没地方留给你了。"
Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel.
爱决定求助于空虚，他正坐在一艘漂亮的船上。
"Vanity,please help me!"
"空虚，请帮帮我。"
"I can't help you, Love.You are all wet and might damage my boat,Vanity answered
"我帮不了你，爱，你全身湿淋淋的会毁了我的船的。"空虚回答说。
Sadness was close by so Love asked,"Sadness,let me go with you."
悲伤走了过来，于是爱问:"悲伤，让我和你一块走吧?"
"Oh...Love,I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"
"噢......爱，我很难过想一个人呆着!"
Happiness passed by Love,too,
快乐也从爱身边经过，
but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her.
她太高兴了竟然没有听到爱叫她。
Suddenly,there was a voice,"Come,Love, I will take you." It was an elder.
忽然，传来一个声音:来吧，爱，我载你。"是位老人。
So blessed and overjoyed,
爱是那么欣喜若狂，
Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going.
竟忘记了问老人他们要去哪儿。
When they arrived at dry land,the elder went her own way.
到了一块干地后，老人放下爱独自走了。
Realizing how much was owed the elder,
意识到自己亏欠老人很多时，
Love asked Knowledge another elder,"Who helped me?
爱问另一位叫知识的老人:"帮我的是谁?"
"It was Time." Knowledge answered.
"是时间。"知识回答。
"Time?"asked Love."But why did Time help me?"
"时间?"爱问，"为什么时间要帮我?"
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered,
知识意味深长地笑笑说:
"Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is."
"因为只有时间才懂得爱有多么珍贵。"
At the Post Office
在邮局
This was what happened to a Frenchman who lived in England
这是一个发生在居住英国的
and didn't know English very well.
而英语不太好的法国人身上的故事。
One day,he went into a post office with his letter.
一天他去邮局寄信
He bought a stamp and gave it together with his letter,
他买了一张邮票，将邮票和信一起
to the girl at the counter.
交给了柜台前的小姐。
"Oh,no."the girl said,"You must stick the stamp on yourself."
"哦，不，"小姐说，"你必须自己贴上邮票。"
The Frenchman was very surprised.He could not believe his ears.
这个法国人非常惊讶，他不相信自己的耳朵。
He said,"I want to post my letter,not myself.
他说:"我要寄的是信，而不是我自己。
Why must I stick the stamp on myself?"The girl smiled and answered,
为什么要在我自己身上贴上邮票?"
"I mean that you must stick the stamp on the envelope and must do it yourself
小姐笑着说:"我的意思是你必须自己把邮票贴在信封上。"
英语美文诵读有利于培养学生的英语语感,提高学生表达的准确性,丰富学生的英语口头表达内容,发展学生的英语听、说、写能力。以下是我为大家整理的关于英语朗诵短文1-3分钟，给大家作为参考，欢迎阅读!
“The days that make us happy make us wise.”----John Masefield
when I first read this line by England’s Poet Laureate, it startled me. What did Masefield mean? Without thinking about it much, I had always assumed that the opposite was true. But his sober assurance was arresting. I could not forget it.
Finally, I seemed to grasp his meaning and realized that here was a profound observation. The wisdom that happiness makes possible lies in clear perception, not fogged by anxiety nor dimmed by despair and boredom, and without the blind spots caused by fear.
Active happiness---not mere satisfaction or contentment ---often comes suddenly, like an April shower or the unfolding of a bud. Then you discover what kind of wisdom has accompanied it. The grass is greener; bird songs are sweeter; the shortcomings of your friends are more understandable and more forgivable. Happiness is like a pair of eyeglasses correcting your spiritual vision.
Nor are the insights of happiness limited to what is near around you. Unhappy, with your thoughts turned in upon your emotional woes, your vision is cut short as though by a wall. Happy, the wall crumbles.
The long vista is there for the seeing. The ground at your feet, the world about you----people, thoughts, emotions, pressures---are now fitted into the larger scene. Everything assumes a fairer proportion. And here is the beginning of wisdom.
译文：
快乐
“快乐的日子使人睿智。”
--- 约翰•梅斯菲尔德
第一次读到英国桂冠诗人梅斯菲尔德的这行诗时，我感到十分震惊。他想表达什么意思?我以前从未对此仔细考虑，总是认定这行诗反过来才正确。但他冷静而又胸有成竹的表达引起了我的注意，令我无法忘怀。
终于，我似乎领会了他的意思，并意识到这行诗意义深远。快乐带来的睿智存在于敏锐的洞察力之间，不会因忧虑而含混迷惑，也不会因绝望和厌倦而黯然模糊，更不会因恐惧而造成盲点。
积极的快乐 – 并非单纯的满意或知足 – 通常不期而至，就像四月里突然下起的春雨，或是花蕾的突然绽放。然后，你就会发觉与快乐结伴而来的究竟是何种智慧。草地更为青翠，鸟吟更为甜美，朋友的缺点也变得更能让人理解，宽容。快乐就像是一副眼镜，可以矫正你的精神视力。
快乐的视野并不仅限于你周围的事物。当你不快乐时，你的思维陷入情感上的悲哀，你的眼界就像是被一道墙给阻隔了，而当你快乐时，这道墙就会砰然倒塌。
你的眼界变得更为宽广。你脚下的大地，你身边的世界，包括人，思想，情感和压力，现在都融入了更为广阔的景象之中，其间每件事物 的比例都更加合理。而这就是睿智的起始。
We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you’ve read in the papers. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o’clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won’t need to live in fear of it.
Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us.
Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within. The first enemy that you’ve got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is! “Ho-hum, let it slide. I’ll just drift along.” Here’s one problem with drifting: you can’t drift your way to the to of the mountain.
The second enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy.
The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there’s room for healthy skepticism. You can’t believe everything. But you also can’t let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities nad doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I’m telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it.
The fourth enemy within is worry. We’ve all got to worry some. Just don’t let conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you’ve got to worry. But you can’t let worry loose like a mad dog that drives you into a small corner. Here’s what you’ve got to do with your worries: drive them into a small corner. Whatever is out to get you, you’ve got to get it. Whatever is pushing on you, you’ve got to push back.
The fifth interior enemy is overcaution. It is the timid approach to life. Timidity is not a virtue; it’s an illness. If you let it go, it’ll conquer you. Timid people don’t get promoted. They don’t advance and grow and become powerful in the marketplace. You’ve got to avoid overcaution.
Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears. Build your courage to fight what’s holding ou back, what’s keeping you from your goals and dreams. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become.
译文：
直面内在的敌人
我们的勇气并不是与生俱来的，我们的恐惧也不是。也许有些恐惧来自你的亲身经历，别人告诉你的 故事 ，或你在报纸上读到的东西。有些恐惧可以理解，例如在凌晨两点独自走在城里不安全的地段。但是一旦你学会避免那种情况，你就不必生活在恐惧之中。
恐惧，哪怕是最基本的恐惧，也可能彻底粉碎我们的抱负。恐惧可能摧毁财富，也可能摧毁一段感情。如果不加以控制，恐惧还可能摧毁我们的生活。恐惧是潜伏于我们内心的众多敌人之一。
让我来告诉你我们面临的其他五个内在敌人。第一个你要在它袭击你之前将其击败的敌人是冷漠。打着哈欠说：“随它去吧，我就随波逐流吧。”这是多么可悲的疾病啊!随波逐流的问题是：你不可能漂流到山顶去。
我们面临的第二个敌人是优柔寡断。它是窃取机会和事业的贼，它还会偷去你实现更美好未来的机会。向这个敌人出剑吧!
第三个内在的敌人是怀疑。当然，正常的怀疑还是有一席之地的，你不能相信一切。但是你也不能让怀疑掌管一切。许多人怀疑过去，怀疑未来，怀疑彼此，怀疑政府，怀疑可能性，并怀疑机会。最糟糕的是，他们怀疑自己。我告诉你，怀疑会毁掉你的生活和你成功的机会，它会耗尽你的存款，留给你干涸的心灵。怀疑是敌人，追赶它，消灭它。
第四个内在的敌人是担忧。我们都会有些担忧，不过千万不要让担忧征服你。相反，让它来警醒你。担忧也许能派上用场。当你在纽约走上人行道时有一辆出租车向你驶来，你就得担忧。但你不能让担忧像疯狗一样失控，将你逼至死角。你应该这样对付自己的担忧：把担忧驱至死角。不管是什么来打击你，你都要打击它。不管什么攻击你，你都要反击。
第五个内在的敌人是过分谨慎。那是胆小的生活方式。胆怯不是美德，而是一种疾病。如果你不理会它，它就会将你征服。胆怯的人不会得到提拔，他们在市场中不会前进，不会成长，不会变得强大。你要避免过分谨慎。
一定要向这引起敌人开战。一定要向恐惧开战。鼓起勇气抗击阻挡你的事物，与阻止你实现目标和梦想的事物作斗争。要勇敢地生活，勇敢地追求你想要的事物并勇敢地成为你想成为的人。
↓↓↓下一页更多 英语朗诵美文的相关精彩内容↓↓↓
可以选择就把握时间的文章来朗诵：
NewYorkis3hoursaheadofCalifornia
butitdoesnotmakeCaliforniaslow
纽约时间比加州时间早三个小时
但加州时间并没有变慢
Someonegraduatedattheageof22
butwaited5yearsbeforesecuringagoodjob
有人22岁就毕业了
但等了五年才找到好的工作
SomeonebecameaCEOat25
anddiedat50
WhileanotherbecameaCEOat50
andlivedto90years
有人25岁就当上CEO
却在50岁去世
也有人迟到50岁才当上CEO
然后活到90岁
Someoneisstillsingle
whilesomeoneelsegotmarried
Obamaretiresat55
butTrumpstartsat70
有人依然单身
同时也有人已婚
奥巴马55岁就退休
川普70岁才开始当总统
AbsolutelyeveryoneinthisworldworksbasedontheirTimeZone
Peoplearoundyoumightseemtogoaheadofyou
somemightseemtobebehindyou
世上每个人本来就有自己的发展时区
身边有些人看似走在你前面
也有人看似走在你后面
ButeveryoneisrunningtheirownRACE,intheirownTIME
Don'tenvythemormockthem
TheyareintheirTIMEZONE,andyouareinyours
Lifeisaboutwaitingfortherightmomenttoact
但其实每个人在自己的时区有自己的步程
不用嫉妒或嘲笑他们
他们都在自己的时区里，你也是
生命就是等待正确的行动时机
So,RELAX
You'renotLATE
You'renotEARLY
所以，放轻松
你没有落后
你没有领先
YouareverymuchONTIME
andinyourTIMEZONEDestinysetupforyou
在命运为你安排的属于自己的时区里
一切都准时
给你
别样的温暖声音
