第一篇：英語(yǔ)美文感想

英語(yǔ)美文感想Fair-weather friend

詹妙思

A fair-weather friend is like a banker who lends you his umbrella when the sun is

shining and taking it back the minute it rains.Two men were traveling through the forest and came across a bear.One of them

quickly climbed a tree but the other was unable to, so he lay on the ground and

played dead.The bear around his ear and left.The fellow from the tree came down

and asked him: “what did the bear tell you ?” The man replied :”He said ,do not trust

a friend who deserts you in danger.” The message is as clear as daylight.Mutual trust and confidence are the foundations stone of all friendship.正文翻譯：酒肉朋友

酒肉朋友就像一個(gè)銀行家，正值陽(yáng)光燦爛時(shí)他會(huì)將傘借給你，而天一下雨他就立即將傘收

回。

有兩個(gè)人在穿越森林的途中突然遇上一頭熊。其中一個(gè)人很快爬上了樹(shù)，但另一個(gè)不會(huì)爬

樹(shù)，因此他只能躺在地上裝死。熊嗅了嗅他的耳朵，離開(kāi)了。他的同伴從樹(shù)上下來(lái)問(wèn)他：“熊

對(duì)你說(shuō)了什么？”他回答：“它說(shuō)，不要相信危難中拋棄你的朋友。”這句話就像白天一樣喻

意明了。

相互之間的信賴與對(duì)彼此的信心才是友誼的基石。

感想：

這篇文章無(wú)疑是短小而精悍的，富含深意。讀過(guò)不少用英文寫(xiě)的描述或者介紹朋友之間

相處的文章，其中不乏美文，但就是這篇智慧英語(yǔ)讓我感覺(jué)有趣易懂。

短文采用的語(yǔ)法、詞匯都是簡(jiǎn)單易懂的。這些常見(jiàn)的詞語(yǔ)像“friend”“through the

forest”“climb a tree”“play dead”“trust”連串成瑯瑯上口的復(fù)合句，巧妙地應(yīng)用了“and”

“but”等連接詞，非但不會(huì)顯得累贅，更能表現(xiàn)出作者扎實(shí)的語(yǔ)法功底。例如開(kāi)篇第一句

“A fair-weather friend is like a banker who lends you his umbrella when the sun is

shining and taking it back the minute it rains.”就是夾帶著時(shí)間狀語(yǔ)從句的陳述語(yǔ)氣的賓

語(yǔ)從句。

詹妙思

第二篇：英語(yǔ)美文

美文欣賞

When You Are Old

When you are old and gray and full of sleep, And nodding by the fire, take down this book, And slowly read, and dream of the soft look, Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep.How many loved your moments of glad grace, And loved your beauty with love false or true, But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you, And loved the sorrows of your changing face.And bending down beside the glowing bars, Murmur, a little sadly, how love fled, And paced upon the mountains overhead, And hid his face amid a crowd of stars.當(dāng)你老了

當(dāng)你老了，白發(fā)蒼蒼，睡意沉沉，倦坐在爐邊，取下這本書(shū)來(lái)，慢慢讀著，追夢(mèng)當(dāng)年的眼神，那柔美的神采與深幽的暈影。

多少人愛(ài)過(guò)你青春的片影，愛(ài)過(guò)你的美貌，處于虛偽或真情，唯獨(dú)一人愛(ài)你那朝圣者的靈魂，愛(ài)你哀戚的臉上歲月的留痕。

在爐柵邊，你彎下了腰，低語(yǔ)著，帶著淺淺的傷感，愛(ài)情是怎樣逝去，又怎樣步上群山，將面龐藏在了繁星之間。

向大家推薦一首老歌——《昨日重現(xiàn)》，這是我12歲那年聽(tīng)到的第一首英文歌曲，當(dāng)時(shí)就被它的旋律迷住了，后來(lái)慢慢了解了歌詞的意思。很老，但很美！希望大家都能把美好留在自己的記憶里！卡朋特yesterday once more_在線視頻觀看_土豆網(wǎng)視頻 影視

Yesterday Once More

昨日重現(xiàn)-卡朋特

When I was young I'd listen to the radio

waiting for my favorite songs when they played I'd sing along，it make me smile.Those were such happy times and not so long ago how I wondered where they'd gone.But they're back again just like a long lost friend

all the songs I love so well.every shalala every wo'wo

still shines.Every shing-a-ling-a-ling that they're starting

to sing so fine when they get to the part where he's breaking her heart it can really make me cry

just like before.It's yesterday once more.(shoobie do lang lang)looking bak on how it was in years gone by

and the good times that had makes today seem rather sad, so much has changed.It was songs of love that i would sing to them

and I'd memorise each word.Those old melodies still sound so good to me

as they melt the years away every shalala every wo'wo still shines every shing-a-ling-a-ling that they're startingto sing

so fine all my best memorise come back clearly to me

some can even make me cry

just like before.it's yesterday once more.(shoobie do lang lang)every shalala every wo'wo still shines.Every shing-a-ling-a-ling that they're starting to sing

so fine every shalala every wo'wo still shines.Every shing-a-ling-a-ling that they're starting to sing.

第三篇：英語(yǔ)美文

Diogenes was a famous Greek philosopher of the fourth century B.C.,who established the philosophy of cynicism.He often walked about in the daytime holding a lighted lantern,peering around as if he were looking for something.When auestioned about his odd behavior,he would reply,“I am searching for an honest man.” Diogenes held that the good man was self-sufficient and did not require material comforts or wealth.He believed that wealth and possessions constrained humanity's natural state of freedom.In keeping with his philosophy,he was perefectly satisfied with making his home in a large tub discarded from the temple of Cybele,the goddess of nature.This earthen tub,called a pithos,and formerly been used for holding wine or oil for the sacrifices at the temple.One day,Alexander the Great ,conqueror of half the civilized world,saw Diogenes sitting in this tub in the sunshine.So the king,surrounded by his countries,approached Diogenes and said,“I am Alexander the Great.”The philosopher replied rather contemptuously,“I am Diogenes,the Cynic.”Alexander then asked him if he could help him in any way.“ Yes,”shot back Diogenes,“don't stand between me and the sun.”A surprised Alexander then replied quickly,“If I were not Alexander,I would be Diogenes.”

提奧奇尼斯是公元前四世紀(jì)一位著名的希臘哲學(xué)家,就是他創(chuàng)立了犬儒派哲學(xué)。他經(jīng)常在白天點(diǎn)著燈籠四處走動(dòng)、張望，像是在找什么東西似的。哪人們問(wèn)起他這古怪行為時(shí)，他會(huì)回答說(shuō)：“我正在尋找正人君子。”提奧奇尼斯認(rèn)為好人是自給自足的，不需要物質(zhì)享受和財(cái)富。他認(rèn)為財(cái)富、財(cái)產(chǎn)束縛了人們天生的自由狀態(tài)。與他的哲學(xué)相一致，他拿一個(gè)從別人從自然之母的廟里丟棄的大壇作為自己的家，還對(duì)此萬(wàn)分滿意。這個(gè)陶制的大壇叫做圣壇，過(guò)去在廟里是用來(lái)盛裝祭祀用的酒和油的。一天，征服了半個(gè)文明世界的亞歷山大大帝看見(jiàn)提奧奇尼斯坐在大壇里曬太陽(yáng)。于是這位君主在大臣們的簇?fù)硐伦哌^(guò)去，對(duì)提奧奇尼斯說(shuō)：“我是亞歷山大大帝。”哲學(xué)家相當(dāng)傲慢地回答說(shuō)：“我是提奧奇尼斯————犬儒學(xué)者。”然后亞歷山大問(wèn)他是否需要任何幫助。“是的”，提奧奇尼斯駁回道，“別站在我和太陽(yáng)之間。”大吃一驚的亞歷大繼而迅速回答道：“假如我不是亞歷山大，我就會(huì)是提奧奇斯。”

If I were a boy again, I would practice perseverance more often, and never give up a thing because it was or inconvenient.If we want light, we must conquer darkness.Perseverance can sometimes equal genius in its results.“There are only two creatures,” syas a proverb, “who can surmount the pyramids—the eagle and the snail.” If I were a boy again, I would school myself into a habit of attention;I would let nothing come between me and the subject in hand.I would remember that a good skater never tries to skate in two directions at once.The habit of attention becomes part of our life, if we begain early enough.I often hear grown up people say “ I could not fix my attention on the sermon or book, although I wished to do so” , and the reason is, the habit was not formed in youth.If I were to live my life over again, I would pay more attention to the cultivation of the memory.I would strengthen that faculty by every possible means, and on every possible occasion.It takes a little hard work at first to remember things accurately;but memory soon helps itself, and gives very little trouble.It only needs early cultivation to become a power.假如我又回到了童年，我做事要更有毅力，決不因?yàn)槭虑槠D難或者麻煩而撒手不干，我們要光明，就得征服黑暗。毅力在效果上有時(shí)能同天才相比。俗話說(shuō)：“能登上金字塔的生物，只有兩種——鷹和蝸牛。”假如我又回到了童年，我就要養(yǎng)成專心致志的習(xí)慣；有事在手，就決不讓任何東西讓我分心。我要牢記：優(yōu)秀的滑冰手從不試圖同時(shí)滑向兩個(gè)不同的方向。如果及早養(yǎng)成這種專心致志的習(xí)慣，它將成為我們生命的一部分。我常聽(tīng)成年人說(shuō)：“雖然我希望能集中注意聽(tīng)牧師講道或讀書(shū)，但往往做不到。”而原因就是年輕時(shí)沒(méi)有養(yǎng)成這種習(xí)慣。假如我現(xiàn)在能重新開(kāi)始我的生命，我就要更注意記憶力的培養(yǎng)。我要采取一切可能的辦法，并且在一切可能的場(chǎng)合，增強(qiáng)記憶力。要正確無(wú)誤地記住一些東西，在開(kāi)始階段的確要作出一番小小的努力；但要不了多久，記憶力本身就會(huì)起作用，使記憶成為輕而易舉的事，只需及早培養(yǎng)，記憶自會(huì)成為一種才能。

If I were a boy again, I would cultivate courage.“Nothing is so mild and gentle as courage, nothing so cruel and pitiless as cowardice,” syas a wise author.We too often borrow trouble, and anticipate that may never appear.” The fear of ill exceeds the ill we fear.” Dangers will arise in any career, but presence of mind will often conquer the worst of them.Be prepared for any fate, and there is no harm to be freared.If I were a boy again, I would look on the cheerful side.Life is very much like a mirror: if you smile upon it, I smiles back upon you;but if you frown and look doubtful on it, you will get a similar look in return.Inner sunshine warms not only the heart of the owner, but of all that come in contact with it.“ who shuts love out ,in turn shall be shut out from love.” If I were a boy again, I would school myself to say no more often.I might write pages on the importance of learning very early in life to gain that point where a young boy can stand erect, and decline doing an unworthy act because it is unworthy.If I were a boy again, I would demand of myself more courtesy towards my companions and friends, and indeed towards strangers as well.The smallest courtesies along the rough roads of life are like the little birds that sing to us all winter long, and make that season of ice and snow more endurable.Finally, instead of trying hard to be happy, as if that were the sole purpose of life, I would , if I were a boy again, I would still try harder to make others happy.假如我又回到了童年，我就要培養(yǎng)勇氣。一位明智的作家曾說(shuō)過(guò)：“世上沒(méi)有東西比勇氣更溫文爾雅，也沒(méi)有東西比懦怯更殘酷無(wú)情。”我們常常過(guò)多地自尋煩惱，杞人憂天。“怕禍害比禍害本身更可怕。”凡事都有危險(xiǎn)，但鎮(zhèn)定沉著往往能克服最嚴(yán)重的危險(xiǎn)。對(duì)一切禍福做好準(zhǔn)備，那么就沒(méi)有什么災(zāi)難可以害怕的了。假如我又回到了童年，我就要事事樂(lè)觀。生活猶如一面鏡子：你朝它笑，它也朝你笑；如果你雙眉緊鎖，向它投以懷疑的目光，它也將還以你同樣的目光。內(nèi)心的歡樂(lè)不僅溫暖了歡樂(lè)者自己的心，也溫暖了所有與之接觸者的心。“誰(shuí)拒愛(ài)于門(mén)外，也必將被愛(ài)拒諸門(mén)外。”假如我又回到了童年，我就要養(yǎng)成經(jīng)常說(shuō)“不”字的習(xí)慣。一個(gè)少年要能挺得起腰，拒絕做不應(yīng)該做的事，就因?yàn)檫@事不值得做。我可以寫(xiě)上好幾頁(yè)談?wù)勗缒昱囵B(yǎng)這一點(diǎn)的重要性。假如我又回到了童年，我就要要求自己對(duì)伙伴和朋友更加禮貌，而且對(duì)陌生人也應(yīng)如此。在坎坷的生活道路上，最細(xì)小的禮貌猶如在漫長(zhǎng)的冬天為我們歌唱的小鳥(niǎo)，那歌聲使冰天雪地的寒冬變得較易忍受。最后，假如我又回到了童年，我不會(huì)力圖為自己謀幸福，好像這就是人生唯一的目的；與之相反，我要更努力為他人謀幸福。

第四篇：經(jīng)典英語(yǔ)美文

有一種旅行叫做人生

Life comes in a package.This package includes happiness andsorrow, failure and success, hope and despair.Life is a learningprocess.Experiences in life teach us new lessons and make us abetter person.With each passing day we learn to handle varioussituations.人生好似一個(gè)包裹，這個(gè)包裹里藏著快樂(lè)與悲傷、成功與失敗，希望與絕望。人生也是一個(gè)學(xué)習(xí)的過(guò)程。那些經(jīng)歷給我們上了全新的課，讓我們變得更好。隨著每一天的過(guò)去，我們學(xué)會(huì)了處理各種各樣的問(wèn)題。

FailureandSuccess Failure is the path to success.It helps us to touch the sky, teaches us to survive and shows us aspecific way.Success brings in money, fame, pride and self-respect.Here it becomes veryimportant to keep our head on out shoulder.The only way to show our gratitude to God forbestowing success on us is by being humble, modest, courteous and respectful to the lessfortunate ones.失敗是成功之母。它讓我們觸及藍(lán)天，它教會(huì)我們?nèi)绾紊妫o予我們一條特殊的路。成功給予我們金錢、名譽(yù)、驕傲和自尊。這里，保持頭腦清醒便顯得尤為重要。唯一能讓我們感激上帝給予的成功便是始終卑微、謙虛、禮貌并且尊重沒(méi)有我們幸運(yùn)的人們。

美文:我們心中的“如果”“到那時(shí)”

IF and WHEN were friends.Every week they met and had lunch.Their conversation usually centered on all the things they weregoing to achieve.They both had many dreams and they lovedto talk about them.“如果”和“到那時(shí)”是一對(duì)好朋友。他們每星期相約吃一頓午餐。會(huì)面時(shí)，他們談?wù)摰脑掝}通常圍繞在他們即將要做的事情上面。兩個(gè)人都有著許多夢(mèng)想，并且他們熱衷于這種交談。

This particular Saturday when they met, WHEN sensed that IF was not in a great mood.As usualthey sat at the table reserved for them and ordered their lunch.Once they placed their order,WHEN questioned IF.“IF what is wrong with you? You don't seem your usual cheery self?” 這個(gè)星期六他們見(jiàn)面時(shí)“到那時(shí)”覺(jué)察到“如果”的心情不是很好。像往常一樣，他們坐在特意預(yù)留給他們的餐桌上點(diǎn)餐。剛一點(diǎn)完“到那時(shí)”就問(wèn)道:如果，你怎么了?你看起來(lái)好像不太高興。“

IF looked at WHEN and replied, ”I'm not sure, I just don't feel like I am making any progress.Thislast week I saw a course I wanted to take if only I had the time to take it.“ ”如果“看了看”到那時(shí)“答道”我也不知道怎么了，只是覺(jué)得自己沒(méi)什么進(jìn)步。上個(gè)星期我發(fā)現(xiàn)一個(gè)很好的課程，如果有時(shí)間的話，我就去學(xué)。“

WHEN knew exactly how IF felt.”Yeah,“ replied WHEN, ”I too saw a course and I am going toregister when I get enough money together.“ WHEN then said, ”well what about that new job youwere going to apply for.You were so excited about it last week, did you apply?“ ”到那時(shí)“非常理解”如果“的感受。他答道是啊，我也看到一項(xiàng)課程，等到錢充足的時(shí)候，我就去報(bào)名。對(duì)了，你打算申請(qǐng)的新工作怎么樣了?上星期見(jiàn)你說(shuō)得那么情緒激昂，申請(qǐng)了嗎? ”

IF responded, “If my computer didn't break down last week, I would have applied.But, mycomputer is not working, so I could not type my resume.” “如果”回答道“如果不是上周我的電腦壞了，我會(huì)申請(qǐng)的。但是它壞了，我無(wú)法打印簡(jiǎn)歷，所以只能放棄了。”

“Don 't worry about it IF, when you are ready another job will come through.I have been thinkingabout looking for another job also, but I will wait and when the weather gets nicer I will look then.”WHEN then went on to tell IF about his week, hoping that it would cheer him up a bit.“別著急，等到你準(zhǔn)備好時(shí)，另-個(gè)工作就出現(xiàn)了。我也一直考慮著換個(gè)工作，但是我想等到天氣看起來(lái)好一些時(shí)再行動(dòng)。”然后，“到那時(shí)”繼續(xù)跟“如果”談?wù)撝男瞧谟?jì)劃，希望這樣能使他的朋友高興起來(lái)。

The man at the next table couldn't help overhear WHEN and IF.They both were talking aboutwhen this and if that, finally he couldn't take it anymore.“Excuse me gentlemen,” the man said.IFand WHEN both looked at the man and wondered what he wanted.The man continued, “I'msorry, but I couldn't help hearing your conversation.I think I know how you could solve yourproblems.” 鄰桌的一個(gè)男人無(wú)意中聽(tīng)到他們的談話。他昕見(jiàn)兩個(gè)人一直在說(shuō)著“等什么什么時(shí)候如果這樣那樣”的話，他再也無(wú)法忍受了。于是，男人說(shuō)道“打擾一下，先生們。”“如果”和“到那時(shí)”吃驚地看著他，不知道他要做什么。男人繼續(xù)道很抱歉，我無(wú)意中聽(tīng)到你們的交談。我想我知道如何解決你們的問(wèn)題。“

IF smiled and thought, how could a complete stranger know how to solve all of their problems.Ifonly he knew.When he realized the challenges they faced there was no way he could solve theirproblems!Curious, IF asked the gentleman, ”How do you think you can solve our problems?“ ”如果“笑了笑，心想，一個(gè)完全陌生的人怎么會(huì)知道如何解決他們兩個(gè)人生活中的問(wèn)題呢。如果讓他認(rèn)識(shí)到他們所面對(duì)的困難，恐怕他再也不會(huì)那樣說(shuō)了。出于好奇”如果“還是問(wèn)道你認(rèn)為應(yīng)該如何解決我們的問(wèn)題呢? ”

The gentleman smiled and said , “You only need listen to yourselves.It reminds me of an oldproverb: ”If and When were planted , and Nothing grew.“ 男人笑著答道”你們說(shuō)的話讓我想起一句古老的諺語(yǔ):'只想不做，就會(huì)沒(méi)有收獲。“

IF and WHEN looked puzzled.The gentleman smiled and said, ”Start counting how many timesyou use the words 'if' and 'when'.Rather than thinking 'if and when', start doing, take action, stoptalking about 'if and when'.“ ”如果“和”到那時(shí)“疑惑地看著他。男人繼續(xù)說(shuō)從現(xiàn)在開(kāi)始，數(shù)一下你們用了多少次?如果'和?到那時(shí)'這兩個(gè)詞語(yǔ)。你們不要總是思考?如果怎樣怎樣到那時(shí)怎樣怎樣而是應(yīng)該著手去做，采取行動(dòng)，請(qǐng)不要再談?wù)?如果和到那時(shí)'。”

IF and WHEN both looked surprised, and suddenly realized that what the gentleman had said wasso true.Both of them were guilty of thinking,acting and living their life for the “ifs and whens', Thegentleman left and IF and WHEN's conversation changed.They made a pact that when they metfor lunch next week, there would be no ”ifs and whens“;they would only talk about what theyaccomplished!”如果“和”到那時(shí)“感到十分驚訝，他們突然意識(shí)到這個(gè)男人說(shuō)得很正確。兩個(gè)人都為自己把思想、行為、生活的希望放在”如果和到那時(shí)“上感到慚愧。男人離開(kāi)后，他們談話的內(nèi)容有了改變。他們約定下個(gè)星期一起吃午餐時(shí)，再也沒(méi)有”如果“和”到那時(shí)他們只會(huì)談?wù)撘呀?jīng)完成的事情。

Two Roads 兩條路

【英語(yǔ)散文賞析】

It was New Year's night.An aged man was standing at awindow.He raised his mournful eyes towards the deep blue sky,where the stars were floating like white lilies on the surface of aclear calm lake.When he cast them on the earth where fewmore hopeless people than himself now moved towards theircertain goal-the tomb.He had already passed sixty of the stagesleading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse.Now his healthwas poor, his mind vacant, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of comforts.這是新年的夜晚一位老人站在窗邊，憂傷的眼睛眺望著深藍(lán)的天空空中的繁星，猶如漂浮在清澈如鏡的湖面上的朵朵百合。他慢慢將目光投向地面。此刻，沒(méi)有什么人比他還絕望。他即將邁向他最終的歸宿——墳?zāi)埂Ｋ炎哌^(guò)通向墳?zāi)沟牧?jí)臺(tái)階，除了錯(cuò)誤和悔恨，他一無(wú)所獲。現(xiàn)在他體弱多病，精神空虛，心哀神傷，人到晚年卻無(wú)所慰藉。

The days of his youth appeared like dream before him, and he recalled the serious moment whenhis father placed him at the entrances of the two roads One leading to a peaceful, sunny placecovered with flowers, fruits and resounding with soft, sweet songs;the other leading to a deepdark cave which was endless, where poison flowed instead of water and where devils and poisonsnakes hissed and crawled.年輕歲月，如夢(mèng)般展現(xiàn)在他面前，老人想起父親把他帶到岔路口的那個(gè)莊嚴(yán)時(shí)刻。一條路通向安寧、快樂(lè)的世界，鮮花遇布，果實(shí)豐碩，甜美輕柔的歌聲在空中回蕩；另一條路則通向幽深黑暗，沒(méi)有盡頭的洞，洞內(nèi)流淌著的不是水而是毒液，群魔亂舞，毒蛇嘶嘶爬動(dòng)。

He looked towards the sky and cried painfully,“0h youth, return!Oh, my father, place me oncemore at the entrance to life and I'II chose the better way!”But both his father and the days of hisyouth had passed away.他仰望星空，痛苦地大喊：“啊，青春，回來(lái)吧！啊，父親，再一次帶我到人生的岔路口吧，我會(huì)選一條更好的道路。”但是，他的父親和他的青春歲月都已一去不復(fù)返了。

He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness, and these were the days of his wasted life;he saw astar fall from the sky and disappeared, and this was the symbol of himself.His remorse which waslike a sharp arrow struck deeply into his heart.Then he remembered his friends in his childhood,which entered life together with him.But they had made their way to success and were nowhonored and happy on this New Year's night.他看到燈光在黑暗中流逝，就像他揮霍掉的往昔；他看到一顆流星自天邊墜落，消失不見(jiàn)，就像是他的化身。無(wú)盡的悔恨，像一支利箭，深刺心間。他又記起和自己一同邁入人生之途的兒時(shí)玩伴，j但他們已功成名就，在這個(gè)新年之夜，倍受尊崇，幸福快樂(lè)。

The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents' earlylove for him.They had taught him and prayed to God for his good.But he chose the wrong waywith shame and grief he dared no longer to look towards the heaven where his father lived.Hisdarkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing effort.He burst out a cry:“Come back, myearly days!Come back!” 高高的教堂鐘樓傳來(lái)鐘聲，這聲音使他記起父母早年對(duì)他的疼愛(ài)：他們教育他，為他祈禱。然而，他卻選擇了錯(cuò)誤的道路：羞愧和悲哀使他再也沒(méi)有勇氣仰望父親所在的天堂：黯淡的雙眼溢滿了淚水，他絕望地嘶聲大呼：“回來(lái)吧，我的往昔！回來(lái)吧！”

And his youth did return for all this was only a dream which he had on New Year's night.He was stillyoung though his faults were real.He had not yet entered the deep dark cave, and he was still freeto walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.他的青春真的回來(lái)了，所有這些只是一個(gè)夢(mèng)，一個(gè)他在新年之夜所做的夢(mèng)，他仍然年輕，雖然他犯的錯(cuò)誤是真實(shí)的；他尚未走入那幽深黑暗的洞穴，還有自由選擇通向安寧、快樂(lè)的道路：

Those who still linger on the entrance of life hesitating to choose the bright road remember thatwhen years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains.You will cry bitterly, but invain.“0h youth return!Oh give me back my early days!” 仍在人生路口徘徊，仍在為是否應(yīng)當(dāng)選擇光明坦途而猶豫不決的人們啊，請(qǐng)記住：當(dāng)青春不再，當(dāng)你在黑暗的山嶺間跌倒時(shí)，你會(huì)痛苦地呼喊：“啊，青春，回來(lái)吧！啊，還給我往昔吧！”此時(shí)，一切已是徒勞。

散文:青春常在

No young man believes he will ever die.It was a saying of mybrother's, and a fine one.年輕人不相信自己會(huì)死。這是我哥哥的話，可算得一句妙語(yǔ)。

There is a feeling of Eternity in youth, which makes us amendfor everything.青春有一種永生之感——它能彌補(bǔ)一切。

To be young is to be as one of the Immortal Gods.One half of time indeed is flown — the otherhalf remains in store for us with all its countless treasures, for there is no line drawn, and we see nolimit to our hopes and wishes.We make the coming age our own — 人在青年時(shí)代好像一尊永生的神明。誠(chéng)然，生命的一半已經(jīng)消逝，但蘊(yùn)藏著不盡財(cái)富的另一半還有所保留，我們對(duì)它也抱著無(wú)窮的希望和幻想。未來(lái)的時(shí)代完全屬于我們——

The vast, the unbounded prospect lies before us.無(wú)限遼闊的遠(yuǎn)景在我們面前展現(xiàn)。

Death, old age, are words without a meaning that pass by us like the idea air which we regard not.死亡，老年，不過(guò)是空話，毫無(wú)意義;我們聽(tīng)了，只當(dāng)耳邊風(fēng)，全不放在心上。

Others may have undergone, or may still be liable to them — we “bear a charmed life”, whichlaughs to scorn all such sickly fancies.這些事，別人也許經(jīng)歷過(guò)，或者可能要承受——但我們自己“冥冥中有神保佑”，對(duì)于諸如此類脆弱的念頭，統(tǒng)統(tǒng)付之輕蔑的一笑。

As in setting out on delightful journey, we strain our eager gaze forward — 像是剛剛走上愉快的旅程，極目遠(yuǎn)眺——

Bidding the lovely scenes at distance hail!向遠(yuǎn)方的美景歡呼!

And see no end to the landscape, new objects presenting themselves as we advance.——此時(shí)，但覺(jué)好風(fēng)光應(yīng)接不暇，而且，前程更有美不勝收的新鮮景致。

So, in the commencement of life, we set no bounds to our inclinations, nor to the unrestrictedopportunities of gratifying them.在這生活的開(kāi)端，我們聽(tīng)任自己的志趣馳騁，放手給它們一切滿足的機(jī)會(huì)。

We have as yet found no obstacle, no disposition to flag;and it seems that we can go on soforever.到此為止，我們還沒(méi)有碰上過(guò)什么障礙，也沒(méi)有感覺(jué)到什么疲憊，因此覺(jué)得還可以一直這樣向前走去，直到永遠(yuǎn)。

We look round in a new world, full of life, and motion, and ceaseless progress;and feel inourselves all the vigor and spirit to keep pace with it, and do not foresee from any presentsymptoms how we shall be left behind in the natural course of things, decline into old age, anddrop into the grave.我們看到四周一派新天地——生機(jī)盎然，變動(dòng)不居，日新月異;我們覺(jué)得自己活力充盈，精神飽滿，可與宇宙并駕齊驅(qū)。而且，眼前也無(wú)任何跡象可以證明，在大自然的發(fā)展過(guò)程中，我們自己也會(huì)落伍，衰老，進(jìn)入墳?zāi)埂?/p>

It is the simplicity, and as it were abstractedness of our feelings in youth, that(so to speak)identifies us with nature, and(our experience being slight and our passions strong)deludes us intoa belief of being immortal like it.由于年輕人天真單純，可以說(shuō)是茫然無(wú)知，因而將自己跟大自然劃上等號(hào);并且，由于經(jīng)驗(yàn)少而感情盛，誤以為自己也能和大自然一樣永世長(zhǎng)存。

Our short-lives connexion with existence we fondly flatter ourselves is an indissoluble and lastingunion — a honeymoon that knows neither coldness, jar, nor separation.我們一廂情愿，癡心妄想，竟把自己在世上的暫時(shí)棲身，當(dāng)作千古不變、萬(wàn)事長(zhǎng)存的結(jié)合，好像沒(méi)有冷淡、爭(zhēng)執(zhí)、離別的蜜月。

As infants smile and sleep, we are rocked in the cradle of our wayward fancies, and lulled intosecurity by the roar of the universe around us — we quaff the cup of life with eager haste withoutdraining it, instead of which it only overflows the more — objects press around us, filling the mindwith their magnitude and with the strong of desires that wait upon them, so that we have noroom for the thoughts of death.像嬰兒帶著微笑入睡，我們躺在用自己編織成的搖籃里，讓大千世界的萬(wàn)籟之聲催哄我們安然入夢(mèng);我們急切切、興沖沖地暢飲生命之杯，怎么也不會(huì)飲干，反而好像永遠(yuǎn)是滿滿欲溢;森羅萬(wàn)象紛至沓來(lái)，各種欲望隨之而生，使我們騰不出工夫想死亡。

美文:擁抱生活

We often close ourselves off when traumatic events happen inour lives;instead of letting the world soften us, we let it drive usdeeper into ourselves.We try to deflect the hurt and pain bypretending it doesn?t exist, but although we can try this all wewant, in the end, we can?t hide from ourselves.We need tolearn to open our hearts to the potentials of life and let the worldsoften us.生活發(fā)生不幸時(shí)，我們常常會(huì)關(guān)上心門(mén);世界不僅沒(méi)能慰藉我們，反倒使我們更加消沉。我們假裝一切仿佛都不曾發(fā)生，以此試圖忘卻傷痛，可就算隱藏得再好，最終也還是騙不了自己。既然如此，何不嘗試打開(kāi)心門(mén)，擁抱生活中的各種可能，讓世界感化我們呢?

Whenever we start to let our fears and seriousness get the best of us, we should take a stepback and re-evaluate our behavior.The items listed below are six ways you can open your heartmore fully and completely.當(dāng)恐懼與焦慮來(lái)襲時(shí)，我們應(yīng)該退后一步，重新反思自己的言行。下面六個(gè)方法有助于你更完滿透徹地敞開(kāi)心扉。

1.Breathe into pain 直面痛苦

Whenever a painful situation arises in your life, try to embrace it instead of running away or tryingto mask the hurt.When the sadness strikes, take a deep breath and lean into it.When we runaway from sadness that?s unfolding in our lives, it gets stronger and more real.We take anemotion that?s fleeting and make it a solid event, instead of something that passes through us.當(dāng)生活中出現(xiàn)痛苦的事情時(shí)，別再逃跑或隱藏痛苦，試著擁抱它吧;當(dāng)悲傷來(lái)襲時(shí)，試著深呼吸，然后直面它。如果我們一味逃避生活中的悲傷，悲傷只會(huì)變得更強(qiáng)烈更真實(shí)——悲傷原本只是稍縱即逝的情緒，我們卻固執(zhí)地耿耿于懷。

By utilizing our breath we soften our experiences.If we dam them up, our lives will stagnate, butwhen we keep them flowing, we allow more newness and greater experiences to blossom.深呼吸能減緩我們的感受。屏住呼吸，生活停滯;呼出呼吸，更多新奇與經(jīng)歷又將拉開(kāi)序幕。

2.Embrace the uncomfortable 擁抱不安

We all know what that twinge of anxiety feels like.We know how fear feels in our bodies: thetension in our necks, the tightness in our stomachs, etc.We can practice leaning into these feelingsof discomfort and let them show us where we need to go.我們都經(jīng)歷過(guò)焦灼的煎熬感，也都感受過(guò)恐懼造成的生理反應(yīng)：脖子僵硬、胃酸翻騰。其實(shí)，我們有能力面對(duì)這些痛苦的感受，從中領(lǐng)悟到出路。

The initial impulse is to run away — to try and suppress these feelings by not acknowledging them.When we do this, we close ourselves off to the parts of our lives that we need to experience most.The next time you have this feeling of being truly uncomfortable, do yourself a favor and lean intothe feeling.Act in spite of the fear.我們的第一反應(yīng)總是逃避——以為否認(rèn)不安情緒的存在就能萬(wàn)事大吉，可這也恰好妨礙了我們經(jīng)歷最需要的生活體驗(yàn)。下次感到不安時(shí)，不管有多害怕，也請(qǐng)?jiān)囍赂颐鎸?duì)吧。

3.Ask your heart what it wants 傾聽(tīng)內(nèi)心

We?re often confused at the next step to take, making pros and cons lists until our eyes bleed andour brains are sore.Instead of always taking this approach, what if we engaged a new part ofourselves that isn?t usually involved in the decision making process? 我們常對(duì)未來(lái)猶疑不定，反復(fù)考慮利弊直到身心俱疲。與其一味顧慮重重，不如從局外人的角度看待決策之事。

I know we?ve all felt decisions or actions that we had to take simply due to our “gut” impulses:when asked, we can?t explain the reasons behind doing so — just a deep knowing that it had toget done.This instinct is the part of ourselves we?re approaching for answers.其實(shí)很多決定或行動(dòng)都是我們一念之間的結(jié)果：要是追問(wèn)原因的話，恐怕我們自己也道不清說(shuō)不明，只是感到直覺(jué)如此罷了。而這種直覺(jué)恰好是我們探索結(jié)果的潛在自我。

To start this process, take few deep breaths then ask, “Heart, what decision should I make here?What action feels the most right?”

開(kāi)始前先做幾次深呼吸，問(wèn)自己：“內(nèi)心認(rèn)為該做什么樣的決定呢?覺(jué)得采取哪個(gè)方案最恰當(dāng)?”

See what comes up, then engage and evaluate the outcome.看看自己的內(nèi)心反應(yīng)如何，然后全力以赴、靜待結(jié)果吧。

4.Engage your shadow 了解陰暗面

Many of us who are on the personal development path get caught up in embracing characteristicswe want to have, like happiness, compassion, love, and passion.In this pursuit we end up losingparts of ourselves that make us whole, such as suppressing our negative qualities instead ofengaging them.Try asking yourself a few questions: 很多人在成長(zhǎng)過(guò)程中都或多或少養(yǎng)成期望的性格，比如快樂(lè)、同情、愛(ài)心以及激情等等;與此同時(shí)，我們也會(huì)陷入消極壓抑的品性。這時(shí)，你就要問(wèn)問(wèn)自己：

What parts of myself could I do without? 我有哪些可以完全拋棄的性格?

How do I get in my own way? 有哪些品性會(huì)妨礙我的成長(zhǎng)?

Is there anything I?m hiding from myself? 我對(duì)自己是不是足夠誠(chéng)實(shí)坦白?

Don?t be afraid of what comes out;you might want to run from the answers, but instead,acknowledge them and be with them as much as possible.Once you?re a little clearer about whatexactly you?ve been hiding, from it gets easier to shine your light on it.別害怕最終得出的結(jié)果，也別逃避，相反，你應(yīng)該面對(duì)并盡量接受現(xiàn)實(shí)。如果你能確切了解自己的陰暗面，也就更容易去改正。

5.Spend time alone 享受獨(dú)處

For most of our lives we?re surrounded by people: our friends, colleagues, peers, family members,loved ones, and strangers.How often do we really spend time alone? 大部分人身邊總不缺陪伴：朋友、同事、同伴、親人、愛(ài)侶，還有陌生人。那么，怎樣才能真正獨(dú)處呢?

When you spend time in solitude, you?re free from the influences of other people, and can trulyopen yourself and explore whatever you?d like.See where your thoughts take you.The goldenticket here is to not let yourself become distracted;just see what it?s like to be alone.獨(dú)處使人免受他人干擾，能讓我們真正敞開(kāi)心懷去探究所喜所惡，讓自己跟著思緒游走——一定要保持專心，用心體會(huì)獨(dú)處的曼妙。

It might be painful or even scary at first, but by opening yourself up to these new feelings, you?lladd a whole new layer of depth, experience, and understanding into your life.一開(kāi)始可能會(huì)感到痛苦甚至惶恐，可一旦敞開(kāi)心胸面對(duì)這些感受，你便能達(dá)到更高一層境界，收獲別樣的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，也更理解自己的生活。

6.Get outside of yourself 走出自我

This may seem a little contradictory to the last tip, but in reality, they actually work hand-in-hand.After you?ve explored the depths of yourself, you come away with a new understanding.這和前一個(gè)建議貌似有點(diǎn)矛盾，但其實(shí)兩者卻是相輔相成的。獨(dú)處之后，你對(duì)自己獲得了全新了解。

Now, it?s time to share that — not through telling others, but through being with others.然后，你應(yīng)該把它分享出來(lái)——當(dāng)然，這不是要你直接把它告知與人，而是要求你通過(guò)與人交往進(jìn)行分享。

When you?re in a group of people, try to give them your full energy and attention so you canunderstand them just as you did yourself.Appreciate their uniqueness, as if they are an extensionof you.Lose yourself in the beauty of others;see what they can teach you about yourself.當(dāng)你與人交往時(shí)，請(qǐng)?jiān)囍眯娜チ私馑麄儯秃帽饶阌眯牧私庾约阂粯印８型硎艿匦蕾p他們的個(gè)性、觀察他們的優(yōu)點(diǎn)，看看自己能從中學(xué)到什么。

Remember, there?s no need to do every one of these at the same time.Take each one a day at atime, determine which work best for you, and see what you can discover.請(qǐng)記住：以上建議并不要求你一氣呵成，你可以每天嘗試一個(gè)，選擇最適合自己的建議，看看自己能從中收獲什么。

美文:2015如何做嶄新的自己?

THE annual ritual of the New Year?s resolution — I?ll lose 10pounds, get my finances in order, be more patient with myfamily, feel more grateful — misses the point.We try to steel ourwills to do what we already know we should be doing.Kick-in-the-pants reminders, however stern, are missed opportunitiesfor genuine self-renewal.(Not to mention that the shelf life ofany motivational juice we generate in January tends to expirein February.)制定新年規(guī)劃這個(gè)一年一度的常規(guī)動(dòng)作——我要減重10磅，要解決財(cái)務(wù)問(wèn)題，要更耐心地對(duì)待家人，要更知道感恩——總是放錯(cuò)重點(diǎn)。我們竭力強(qiáng)化意志，去做已經(jīng)意識(shí)到自己該做的那些事情。但好似“催命符”的備忘錄不管多嚴(yán)苛，都無(wú)法激勵(lì)人們進(jìn)行真正的自我更新。（更別提1月份才成形的這些宏圖大志是多么容易過(guò)期，2月份一到，它們往往就宣告破產(chǎn)。）

The turning over of a new year is an opportunity to create ourselves anew.How? The key, Isuggest, is in shifting our understanding of the choices we make.For many people, the mostimportant choices in life are sources of agony, dread, paralysis — even depression or suicide.Itdoesn?t have to be like this.新年來(lái)臨之際是重新塑造自我的良機(jī)。如何塑造呢？我認(rèn)為，關(guān)鍵在于換個(gè)角度來(lái)理解我們所做的選擇。對(duì)很多人而言，生命中最重要的一些選擇是痛苦、恐懼、無(wú)力的根源，甚至?xí)屓水a(chǎn)生抑郁和自殺傾向。但事情并不一定非是如此不可。

A hypothetical example: Eve works as a textbook editor at a Boston publishing house and wasapproached by a small but prestigious imprint on the West Coast that was looking for a fictioneditor.The job would be a big promotion, with a significant raise, and Eve had always wanted towork in fiction.比方說(shuō)，伊芙是波士頓某出版社的教科書(shū)編輯，西海岸一家正在尋找小說(shuō)編輯的出版公司找到了她。該公司規(guī)模雖小，但卻久負(fù)盛名。接受這份工作，伊芙的職位會(huì)大大提升，薪水會(huì)大幅提高，而且她一直都想在小說(shuō)領(lǐng)域發(fā)展。

But Eve is in crisis.Should she move her husband and young daughter from their cozy life inBoston, her home of 15 years, to the wilds of California? If she stays, will she be forsaking theopportunity of a lifetime? If she moves, will her new boss turn out to be a jerk? Will her child bebullied at school? What if her husband can?t find a good job? Will the family quarrel, the marriagedissolve, her boss fire her for being incompetent, and she and her child end up on food stamps ina homeless shelter? 但伊芙卻面臨著艱難的抉擇。她已經(jīng)在波士頓生活了15年，該讓丈夫和年幼的女兒拋開(kāi)這里的愜意生活，與她一起搬走嗎？如果選擇留在波士頓，她能夠割舍一生中難得的機(jī)遇嗎？如果選擇搬去西海岸，要是發(fā)現(xiàn)新老板是個(gè)混球可怎么辦？要是她的孩子在學(xué)校挨欺負(fù)可怎么辦？要是她丈夫找不到好工作可怎么辦？家里是否會(huì)爭(zhēng)吵不斷，婚姻是否會(huì)解體，老板是否會(huì)因?yàn)樗裏o(wú)法勝任工作而炒她魷魚(yú)，她和孩子是否會(huì)落得在收容所靠食品券度日的田地？

Many people are like Eve and see their choices as, in essence, problems of computation.Butchoosing between jobs is not like computing the distance between Memphis and Mumbai.The viewof choice as a matter of calculating maximal value is assumed in cost-benefit analysis, governmentpolicy making and much of economic theory.It?s even embedded in the apps you can downloadthat purport to help you decide whether to buy a new car, get married or change jobs.許多人都和伊芙差不多，他們其實(shí)把選擇看成了計(jì)算利害得失的問(wèn)題。但在不同工作之間做出選擇，跟測(cè)量從孟菲斯到孟買的距離可不是一回事。把選擇看作對(duì)價(jià)值最大化的計(jì)算，是內(nèi)化于成本收益分析、政府決策過(guò)程以及許多經(jīng)濟(jì)理論之中的一種觀念。它甚至潛藏在可以從網(wǎng)上下載的某些旨在幫助你決定是否要買新車、是否要結(jié)婚、是否要換工作的應(yīng)用程序之中。

At the heart of this model is a simple assumption: that what you should choose is alwaysdetermined by facts in the world about which option has more value — facts that, if only you weresmart enough to discover, would make decision-making relatively easy.該模型的核心假設(shè)非常簡(jiǎn)單：你的選擇總是取決于世界上的某些與哪個(gè)選項(xiàng)會(huì)帶來(lái)更大價(jià)值有關(guān)的事實(shí)——你只要聰明到足以發(fā)現(xiàn)這些事實(shí)，就能夠相對(duì)容易地做出決策。

But the assumption is false.When we compute distances, there are only three possibilities: onedistance is more than, less than or equal to another.Similarly, when we compute value, there areonly three possibilities: one thing is better than, worse than or just as good as another.But weshouldn?t assume that goodness is like distance.Values don?t have the same structure as facts.但這個(gè)假設(shè)是錯(cuò)誤的。我們測(cè)算距離的時(shí)候，所面對(duì)的可能性只有三種：一段距離比另一段長(zhǎng)，比另一段短，或者跟另一段相等。同樣，我們計(jì)算價(jià)值的時(shí)候，所面對(duì)的可能性也只有三種：一個(gè)事物比另一個(gè)好，比另一個(gè)糟，或者跟另一個(gè)差不多。但我們不該把事物的好壞和距離的長(zhǎng)短等同起來(lái)。價(jià)值的體系和事實(shí)的體系是截然不同的。

Options can be “on a par” — different in value while being in the same overall neighborhood.Ifyour alternatives are on a par, you can?t make a mistake of reason in choosing one instead of theother.Since one isn?t better than the other, you can?t choose wrongly.But nor are they equallygood.When alternatives are on a par, when the world doesn?t determine a single right thing to do,that doesn?t mean that value writ large has been exhausted.Instead of looking outward to find thevalue that determines what you should do, you can look inward to what you can stand behind,commit to, resolve to throw yourself behind.By committing to an option, you can confer value onit.各種選項(xiàng)可能會(huì)“平分秋色”——雖然價(jià)值不完全相同，但也相差無(wú)幾。如果你有一些平分秋色的選項(xiàng)，你無(wú)論選擇哪個(gè)，都不會(huì)犯判斷上的錯(cuò)誤。因?yàn)閮煞N選擇沒(méi)有優(yōu)劣之分，你不可能做出錯(cuò)誤的選擇。不過(guò)，它們也并非一樣好。當(dāng)選項(xiàng)平分秋色時(shí)，當(dāng)世界上并非只有唯一正確的答案時(shí)，那并不意味著真正的價(jià)值已經(jīng)枯竭。與其從外部尋找價(jià)值來(lái)判斷自己應(yīng)該做些什么，你可以向內(nèi)心來(lái)詢問(wèn)自己能夠支持、承諾，以及決心投身于什么。只要篤定于一個(gè)選項(xiàng)，你就為它賦予了價(jià)值。

Of course, this isn?t to say that you should commit to being a first-class jerk, pedophile ormurderer.That?s because being a jerk is not on a par with being a good person.當(dāng)然了，這并不是說(shuō)你應(yīng)該篤定于成為一個(gè)頭號(hào)混蛋、戀童癖，或者殺人犯。這是因?yàn)椋鲆粋€(gè)混蛋和做一個(gè)好人可不是平分秋色的選項(xiàng)。When we choose between options that are on a par, we make ourselves the authors of our ownlives.Instead of being led by the nose by what we imagine to be facts of the world, we shouldinstead recognize that sometimes the world is silent about what we should do.In those cases, wecan create value for ourselves by committing to an option.By doing so, we not only create valuefor ourselves but we also(re)create ourselves.Eve might resolve to make her life in Boston.Someone else, in her shoes, might resolve to start a new life in California.There is no error here,only different resolutions that create different sorts of people.當(dāng)我們?cè)谄椒智锷倪x項(xiàng)中做選擇時(shí)，我們就成了自己人生的創(chuàng)造者。我們不應(yīng)該被我們想象中的世界現(xiàn)實(shí)牽著鼻子走，而是應(yīng)該認(rèn)識(shí)到，有時(shí)，這個(gè)世界不會(huì)告訴我們應(yīng)該做什么。在這種情況下，我們應(yīng)該篤定一種選項(xiàng)，創(chuàng)造我們自己的價(jià)值。這樣做的話，我們不僅為自己創(chuàng)造了的價(jià)值，我們也（重新）創(chuàng)造了自己。伊芙可能決心在波士頓生活。而面臨同樣的境遇，另一個(gè)人可能會(huì)決定在加州開(kāi)始新的生活。這無(wú)所謂對(duì)錯(cuò)，只是不同的解決方案造就不同類型的人罷了。

So Eve, faced with her choice, should reflect on what kind of person she can be.Can she besomeone who abandons a contented life for a new adventure? A choice between alternatives thatare on a par is a precious opportunity to create the sort of person she can commit to being, bycommitting to being that sort of person.因此，伊芙在做出選擇時(shí)，應(yīng)該考慮的是，她能成為什么樣的人。她能為了新的冒險(xiǎn)而放棄舒適的生活嗎？在平分秋色的選項(xiàng)中做決定是一個(gè)寶貴的機(jī)會(huì)，可以創(chuàng)造出一個(gè)自己能夠決心成為的人，方法就是下決心成為那種類型的人。

第五篇：英語(yǔ)美文

;It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition.It would probably be a kinder world: without demands, without abrasions, without disappointments.People would have time for reflection(磨損).Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collectivity.Competition would never enter in, conflict would be eliminated, tension become a thing of the past.The stress of creation would be at an end.Art would no longer be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions.Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die of heart attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor.Anxiety would be extinct.Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart.Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be!

There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a sham(騙子).Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events? Now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating.Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one's own.But even the most cynical secretly admit that success exists;that achievement counts for a great deal;and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless.To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging.It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment, and regard for posterity.We do not choose to be born.We do not choose our parents.We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing.We do not, most of us, choose to die;nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death.But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift.We decide what is important and what is trivial in life.We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do.But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make.We decide.We choose.And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed.In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.