篇1：英語經典晨讀美文

The Song of the River

河之歌

W.S Maugham

毛姆

You hear it all along the river. You hear it, loud and strong, from the rowers as they urge the junk with its high stern, the mast lashed alongside, down the swift running stream. You hear it from the trackers, a more breathless chant, as they pull desperately against the current, half a dozen of them perhaps if they are taking up wupan, a couple of hundred if they are hauling a splendid junk, its square sail set, over a rapid.

沿河上下都可以聽見那歌聲。它響亮而有力，那是船夫，他們劃著木船順流向下，船尾翹得很高，桅桿系在船邊。它也可能是比較急促的號子，那是纖夫，他們拉纖逆流而上。如果拉的是小木船，也許就只五六個人;如果拉的是揚著橫帆的大船過急灘，那就要200來人。

On the junk, a man stands amidships beating a drum incessantly to guide their efforts, and they pull with all their strength, like men possessed, bent double; and sometimes in the extremity of their travail they craw on the ground, on all fours, like the beasts of the field. They strain, strain fiercely, against the pitiless might of the stream.

船中央站著一個漢子不停地擊鼓助威，引導他們加勁。于是他們使出全部力量，像著了魔似的，腰彎成兩折，有時力量用到極限就全身趴在地上匍匐前進，像田里的牲口。

The leader goes up and down the line and when he sees one who is not putting all his will into the task he brings down his split bamboo on the naked back. Each one must do his utmost or the labour of all is vain. And still they sing a vehement, eager chant, the chant of the turbulent waters.

領頭的在纖繩前后跑來跑去，見到有人沒有全力以赴，竹板就打在他光著的背上。每個人都必須竭盡全力，否則就要前功盡棄。就這樣他們還是唱著激昂而熱切的號子，那洶涌澎湃的河水號子。

I do not know words can describe what there is in it of effort. It serves to express the straining heart, the breaking muscles, and at the same time the indomitable spirit of man which overcomes the pitiless force of nature. Though the rope may part and the great junk swing back, in the end the rapid will be passed; and at the close of the weary day there is the hearty meal...

我不知道詞語怎樣能描寫出其中所包括的拼搏，它表現的是繃緊的心弦，幾乎要斷裂的筋肉，同時也表現了人類克服無情的自然力的頑強精神。他們使勁，拼命使勁，對抗著水流無情的威力。雖然繩子可能扯斷，大船可能倒退，但最終險灘必將通過，在筋疲力盡的一天結束時可以痛快地吃上一頓飽飯…..

But the most agonizing song is the song of the coolies who bring the great bales from the junk up the steep steps to the town wall. Up and down they go, endlessly, and endless as their toil rises their rhythmic cry. He, aw --ah, oh. They are barefoot and naked to the waist. The sweat pours down their faces and their song is a groan of pain.

然而最令人難受的卻是苦力的歌，他們背負著船上卸下的大包，沿著陡坡爬上城墻。他們不停地上上下下，隨著無盡的勞動響起有節奏的喊聲：嗨，呦——嗬，嗨。他們赤著腳，光著背，汗水不斷地從臉上流下。

It is a sigh of despair. It is heart-rending. It is hardly human. It is the cry of souls in infinite distress, only just musical, and that last note is the ultimate sob of humanity. Life is too hard, too cruel, and this is the final despairing protest. That is the song of the river.

他們的歌是痛苦的失望的嘆息，聽來令人心碎，簡直不像是人的聲音。它是靈魂在無盡悲戚中的呼喊，只不過有著音樂的節奏而已。那終了的一聲簡直就是人性泯滅的低泣。生活太艱難、太殘酷，這喊聲正是最后絕望的這就是河之歌。

篇2：英語經典晨讀美文

The Living Seas

The ocean covers three quarters of the earth's surface, produces 90 percentof allits life-supporting oxygen, and is the driving force behind the entireweather system. There are over 450 million cubic miles of sea water on theearth; and each cubic mile contains over 150 million tons of minerals.

So vast and so pervasive is the sea that if the earth's crust were made level,ocean water would form a blanket over 8,000 feet deep.

The oceans contribute immeasurably to the earth's life support system aswell as provide an untapped storehouse of food, minerals, energy, and ar-chaeological treasureAdvanced atmospheric diving suits permit researchers to descend to depthsof l,500 feet. Yet the ocean's average depth is greater than 12,000 feet. It is atthese depths that remarkable discoveries are being made, discoveries whichonly a short time ago would have been impossible.

In that depth, where darkness is absolute and pressure exceeds eight tons persquare inch, robotic submersibles have discovered enormous gorges, fourtimes deeper than the Grand Canyon Here, too, are volcanoes that vastlyoutnumber those on land. Landslides the size of Rhode Island have beenrecorded, as well as raging undersea storms that go completely unnoticed oitthe surface while dramatically rearranging the underwater landscapes.

And under these seas the largest single geological feature on earth hasbeen found-a mountain range that dwarfs the Himalayas. It's a range thatcovers nearly one quarter of the earth's surface.

All these discoveries have come from the exploration ofless than one-tenthof this undersea mountain range.

The earth is the only planet we know that has an ocean. The ocean is tlielargest feature on earth. Yet it's the one feature we know the least about. Weknow more about the moon 240,000 miles away than we know about thethree-fourths of the earth covered with water. Man has set foot on the moon,but not on the most remote part of the earth, 35,000 feet under the sea.

Technology is changing all that. It's literally parting the waves for today'sundersea explorers. And it's bringing about the opportunity to transformvision, curiosity and wonder into practical knowledge.

Properly managed as a tool to serve society, technology is the best hopefor overcoming economic and social problems facing people everywhere. Italways has been. The earliest relics of human life are tools. And our ancientancestors used these tools to understand and change the world around themand make it better. The same is true today.

The deep sea is the last frontier left to explore.

富有生命的海洋

海洋占地球表面四分之三。地球上維持生命的氧氣，90%產生于海洋，整個天氣體系變化的動力也是海洋。地球上的海水超過4億5千萬立方英里，每立方英里含有的礦物超過1億5千萬噸。

海洋如此廣大浩翰，如此分布遼闊，地球表層如果使之平整起來，那么海水可以形成深8，000多英尺的覆蓋層。

海洋對地球上的維持生命系統做出了不可估量的貢獻，同時又是一座尚未打開的寶庫，儲有食物、礦物、能源和具有很大考古價值的東西。

先進的常壓潛水衣可以使研究人員下沉到1，500英尺的深度。但海洋的平均深度超過12，000英尺。現在正是在這個深度才發現了驚人的情況，這些發現在不久以前是不可能辦到的。

這個深度的海中完全是漆黑一片，每平方英寸的壓力超過8噸，潛水機器人在這里發現了巨大的峽谷，比美國科羅拉多大峽谷深3倍。這里火山之多，大大超過陸地上的火山，也曾有過規模大到和羅得島一樣的山崩，還有猛烈的海底風暴，這種風暴在海面上一點也覺察不到，卻劇烈地改變著水下的景觀。 ，就在這些海洋中發現了地球上惟一的地質構成——一條使喜馬拉雅相形見絀的大山脈，這條山脈覆蓋了地球表面幾乎四分之一。

上述那些發現都是來自探索這條水下山脈不到十分之一的地區所見到的。

地球是我們所知有海洋存在的行星。海洋是地球構成的部分，而正是這部分我們知道得最少，這一覆蓋地球四分之三的水域我們所知的情況還不如我們對遠離地球24萬英里的月球所知道的多。

人類已涉足月球，但對海面以下3萬5千英尺地球最深邃的地方卻從未涉足過。

技術正在改變這一切，它正在劈波斬浪為今日的水下探索者開路。它正在創造機會使幻想、求知欲和高深莫測的事情轉化成實實在在的知識。

把技術當作服務于社會的工具適當地加以掌握，它就是克服各地人民所面臨的經濟與社會問題的希望所在。技術歷來都是如此。

人類生活的最早遺物就是工具。我們遠古的祖先使用那些工具來認識世界改造、世界使之日趨完善。今天的情況也還是如此。

深海是尚待探索的最后一個領域。

篇3：英語經典晨讀美文

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 came 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 knew 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. It 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!”

【參考譯文】

事情發生在丹麥的一個富有畫意的客棧里。這種客棧專逢迎游客，通用英語。我和父親這次旅行也是辦事，也游樂，空閑的時候，玩得很痛快。

父親說：“可惜你 媽不能來。如果能帶她來逛逛，多好。”

父親年輕時到過丹麥。我問他，“從你上次來，有多久了?”

“哦，差不多三十年了。我記得那時就住在這家小客棧里。”

父親四下望望，回憶道：“那些日子真美……”他忽然住口不言，臉色轉白。我順著他的眼光看去，只見房間那邊有個女人正端著托盤在客人面前上酒。她從前可能很美，但是現在已經發胖，頭發也很亂。我問父親：“你認識她嗎?”

他說：“從前認識。”

女人走到我們的桌前。問道“要酒嗎?”

我說：“我們要啤酒。”她點點頭，去了。

父親掏出手巾擦額，低聲說道：“她真變了!謝天謝地，幸而她沒認出我來。我認識她在你的媽媽之前，那時候我是學生，假期旅行到這里。她年輕漂亮，非常可愛。我愛她到了極點，她也愛我。”

我很不高興地沖口問道：“媽曉得她的事嗎?”

“當然知道。”父親略感不安地望著我。我都替他難為情。

我說：“爸爸，你用不著……”

“哦，我要告訴你，我不要你亂猜。她的父親反對我們相愛。我是外國人，又沒有好前途，還要依靠父親。我寫信給父親說要結婚，父親就不寄錢來。我只好回家。但是我又和她見了一次面，告訴她我要回美國去借結婚的錢，過幾個月就來找她。”

“我們知道，”他接著說，“她父親可能會拆看我們的信件，所以商量好我只寄給她一張紙，上面寫個日期，那是要她在某處和我見面的時間，然后我們就結婚。后來我回家去，借到錢把日期寄給她。”

“她收到了信，回信道，‘我準來。’但是她沒來。后來我才知道她已在兩個星期前嫁給一位當地客棧的老板了。她沒有等我。”

父親又說：“感謝上帝，她沒有等我，我回家去，遇見了你 媽媽，我們始終極為快樂。常把這一段年輕時的戀愛作為笑談。”

那個女人把啤酒送到我們面前。

她問我：“你們從美國來的嗎?”

我說：“是的。”

她笑道：“美國是好地方。”

“是的。那邊有許多你們的同胞。你有沒有想過要去?”

她說：“我不想，現在不想。我想過一次，那是很久以前的事了，但是我留在了此地。此地好得多。”

我們喝完啤酒就出來。一出客棧，我就問父親：“爸，你叫她等你的日期到底是怎樣寫的?”

他停下來，拿出一個信封，在上面寫了幾個字。他說：“這樣寫的，12/11/13，這當然是1913年12月11日。”

我叫道：“不對!在丹麥和歐洲任何國家都不是這樣寫的!他們先寫日子，后寫月份。所以那個日期不是12月11日，而是11月12日!”

父親抬起手摸了摸臉，叫道“那么她是去過了!因為我沒有到，所以她嫁了別人!”他沉默了一會兒，說道：“也好。我希望她快樂，她似乎很快樂。”

我們再往前走時，我又沖口說：“幸而如此，不然你不會遇見媽媽。”

父親伸手摟著我的肩膀，很溫暖地向我笑道：“小伙子，我是錦上添花，要不然我也不會有你了。”

篇4：英語經典晨讀美文

Promise of Bluebirds

The Pennsylvania-landscape was in severe wintry garb as our car sped westover the interstate Ul The season was wrong, butI couldn't get bluebirds outof my head.

Only three weeks before, at Christmas, Dad had given me a nesting box he'dmade: He had a special feeling for the brilliant creatures, and each spring heeagerly awaited their return. Now I wondered, will he ever see one again?

It was a heart attack. Dad's third.

When I got to the hospital at 2 a.m., he was losing the fight. As the familyhovered at his bedside, he drifted in and out of consciousness.

Once he looked up at.Mom sitting beside the bed holding his hand. “Theywant me to let go,” he said, ':but I can't. I don't want to.“Mom patted his arm. ”Just hold on to me,“ she murmured.

The next morning the cardiologist met us in the waiting room. ”He's stillfighting,“the doaor said. ”I've never seen such strengthMy youngest brother was only five when Ileft home 30 years ago. Relation-ships between my brothers- and sisters had become -frayed because of dis-tance and commitments to our own families. But Dad needed his childrennow, so we stayed at the hospital. During the long vigil, we reminisced aboutour years at home.

A miner, Dad had not had an easy life. He and Mom raised six kids at a timewhen coal miners eamed as little as 25 cents a ton, and he loaded nine tonsa day. Even now, I'm sure we don't know most of the sacrifices they madefor us.

I remembered Dad's hard hat, its carbide lamp showing a fine pall of coaldust. Dad's graygreen eyes seemed large and wise as an owl's in his black-ened face. They often sparkled with devilment when they met yours inconversation. .

Each evening he came home, eager to take up his crosscut saw or clawhammer. Dad could chock a piece of walnut on his lathe and deffly tum outa beautiful salad bowl for Mom. He could build a cherry fold-top desk withfine, dovetailed drawers as easily as he could fashion a fishing-line threaderout of an old ballpoint pen.

Dad bought our plain, two-story house from the coal company and immedi~ately began to remodel it. Our house was the first on the hill to have anindoor bathroom and hot water. He spent one summer digging out the clay-filled foundation to install a coal furnace. We children no longer shivered inour bed-rooms on cold winter mornings.

We loved to watch him work. When Dad needed something, we ran to getit. If we called it a “thingamabob he would say, ”That's a nail set“ (thetool for sinking the head of a nail below the surface of the wood). ”It has aname. Use it.“Dad carried a spirit of craftsmanship into every job and expeaed the samefrom all six children. Each job had its claim on your best efforts. And evertool had its name. Those were his principles, and we lived by them just aSDad did.

His playful spirit would set us to giggling-like the time he was buildingfireplace in the back yard. He sent us to look for the ”stone-bender“ he needeto make the comer stones fit more evenly. ”Guess I'll have to bend theiamyself,“ he said when we retumed empty-handed. We saw the sparkle in.bijeyes, and knew we'd been had.

Sitting in the hospitalwaitting room, I thought back to an afteon in Dad'sworkshop several years ago..He was retired by then, but he kept busy building beautiful furniture, now for his children's homes. A volunteer naturalist,I was eager to tell him about the help bluebirds needed.

When the early settlers had cleared forests for farmland, I explained, blueLbirds flourished, nesting in fence-posts and orchard trees. But their habitatwas disappearing, and now the birds needed nesting boxesDad listened as-I spoke, his hands gently moving a finegrained sand-paperover a piece of oak. I asked him if he would like to build a box. He said hewould think about it.

Several weeks later he invited me into his workshop. There, on his workbench,sat three well-crafted bluebird nesting boxes. ”Think the birds willlike themT'

he asked.

“As much as I do,”I replied, hugging him. Dad put up the boxes, and thenext spring bluebirds nested in his yard. He was hooked.

Dad became quite an expert on the species. Bluebirds, he would say, areharbingers of hope and triumph, renowned for family loyalty. A pair willhave two or three broods a year, the earlier young sometimes helping to feedthe later nestlings.

The presence of his children must have boosted Dad's spirits after his attackbecause he grew stronger and left the hospital on Valentine's Day WhenI visited my parents at the end of March, Dad was confined to the downstairs.

But I noticed that he paused longer and longer at the windows facing theback yard. I knew what he was hoping to see. And one day a bright flash ofcolor circled the nesting box closest to our house.

“Well, it's about time the rascals showed, don't you think?” Dad said.

Sporting a resplendent blue head, back, wings and tail, a male bluebird sanghis courtship song so passionately that we dubbed him “Caruso,” after theItalian tenor. A female appeared, but rejected the nesting box. Caruso foundanother in the field below the yard. He circled the new box, singing feverishly.

She remained aloof on a distant perch.

Dad was walking more and more each day as the love story unfolded. Icould see strength coming back into his wiry frame.

One day Caruso battled a rival for the female's attentions. Then she foughtan even more vehement battle with another female. Afterward she resumedher haughty. stance while he fervently continued with his rapturous repertoire.

Suddenly one exquisite morning, when the sky mirrored Caruso's courtingraiment, she flew back to the box nearest the house and inspected itthoroughly. Caruso hovered nearby and sang blissfully as she finally acceptedhim.

Shortly thereafter she proceeded to lay one egg a day until there were six.

Caruso fluttered outside, defending the nest while she incubated.

Dad was now well enough to go outside, but he still couldn't reach the back-yard. He asked us to check inside the nesting box once a day. When we'dreturn, the questions came. “Is she on the nest?” he asked. “Have the eggshatched? Did you see that showboat what's-his-name?”“Caruso, Dad,” I replied. “He has a name, you know.” Dad's sly grin re:

flected the devilment that had returned to his eyes.

When the eggs hatched, we marveled at the herculean efforts Caruso andhis mate expended to capture insects for their brood. Nestlings must be fedevery 20 minutes.

Near the end of May, the fledglings left the nest. By then Dad was able towalk to the fields beyond and see what other bluebird news there might be.

Mom and I would watch him from the kitchen window. “He gave some-thing to those bluebirds,” she said quietly one day. “Now they've given itback.”

藍知更鳥的希望

我們的汽車奔馳西行越過州界，賓夕法尼亞州一派嚴冬景象，時令不正常，可是我對藍知更鳥一直不能忘懷。

就在三周前圣誕節那天，爸爸把他自己制作的一個鳥巢箱給了我。他對這些色彩鮮艷的小生靈懷有特殊的感情，每年春天他都熱切地期待它們歸來。現在，我不知道他是否還能再見到一只。

心臟病發作，這是爸爸第三次犯病了。

凌晨兩點我到了醫院，他渾身癱軟無力，家人守候在床邊，他時而失去知覺，時而神志清醒。

有一次，他抬頭望著坐在床邊握著他手的媽媽說：“他們想要我松手，可是我不能松，我不想松。”

媽媽拍著他胳膊低聲說：“攥住我吧。”

第二天早晨，心病學專家?候診室遇見我們，這位大夫說：“他仍在搏斗，我從來沒有見過意志這樣堅強的。”

30年前我離開家的時候，最小的弟弟才五歲。后來因為我們居住相距甚遠，而且都忙于自己的小家庭，所以兄弟姊妹之間的關系不夠親近。但是如今爸爸需要他的孩子們，因此我們來到醫院，在長時間守夜期間，我們回憶起在家時的歲月。

爸爸，一名礦工，以前沒有過安逸的生活。他和媽媽養育六個小孩，而當時煤礦工人收入非常低，生產一噸煤炭只掙25美分，他一天要挖九噸。就是現在，我肯定我們也不知道他們為我們做出了多少犧牲。

我記得爸爸質地很硬的帽子，帽子上燃燒碳化物的照明燈上覆蓋著一層細細的煤炭粉末。在爸爸黝黑的面龐上，一雙灰綠的眼睛像貓頭鷹的眼睛一樣，顯得很大而充滿智慧。在交談時與你的目光相遇，他眼睛里經常閃耀著惡作劇的神情。

每天傍晚他回到家，就饒有興致地拿起橫切鋸或爪形拔釘錘。他能在車床上卡上一塊胡桃木，熟練地給媽媽制作一個漂亮的盛色拉的碗。他能利用舊圓珠筆制作釣魚穿線用具，同樣能毫不費力地制作帶有精巧楔形榫抽屜的櫻桃木的、桌面可折疊書桌。

爸爸從煤炭公司買了一所簡易兩層樓住宅，然后立即進行改造。

我們這所住宅是小山上第一家設有室內浴室和使用熱水的，他用了一個夏季的時間挖掘全都是粘土的地基，裝起了煤爐，冬天寒冷的早晨，我們孩子們在臥室里再也不凍得發抖了。

我們喜歡看著他干活，爸爸需要什么東西，我們跑著去取，如果我們把那件東西叫作“某東西”，他總說：“那是敲釘子的工具(把釘子楔進木頭里的工具)”，“它有個名字，叫它的名字。”

爸爸干什么活兒都講究技藝，而且希望所有六個孩子也同樣做。

每一件活兒都要求你盡努力，并且每件工具都有名稱。這些是他的原則，正如爸爸按照這些原則辦事一樣，我們也按照這些原則辦事。

他愛開玩笑的態度常使我們咯咯發笑。像那一次，他在后院修建壁爐，派我們去尋找他所需要的所謂石頭折彎機，以便把邊角石塊砌得更平穩。我們空手而回，他說：“看來我只得自己把石頭弄彎嘍。”我們看到他眼睛里閃耀的神色，于是知道我們受騙了。

我坐在醫院候診室里，回想起幾年前在爸爸車間里的一個下午，那時他已經退休，但是還不斷地忙著制造漂亮家具，是給他幾個孩子家里制作的,作為一個自愿研究動物的人，我迫切地要把藍知更鳥需要的幫助告訴他.

我解釋道，早來的移民砍伐森林開墾農田的時候，1藍知更鳥就成群結認地在籬笆樁和果園樹上筑巢，但是它們酣棲息衄越來越少，如今，藍知更鳥急切需我沈話時爸爸著，向手接住二張細粒沙紙在二塊櫟來上輕輕地摩擦，我問他是否愿意制作巢箱，他說他愿意考慮。

幾個星期后，他邀請我到車間去，在工作臺上放著三個制作精巧的藍知更鳥巢箱。“你認為鳥兒喜歡它們嗎?”他問道。 …“像我一樣，非常喜歡。”我緊緊擁抱著他回答說。爸爸支架起巢箱，于是第二年春天藍知更鳥便在他院里落了戶，而他也迷上了藍知更鳥。

爸爸成了這種鳥的行家里手，他常說藍知更鳥是希望和成功的預言者，它們家族成員的忠誠出了名，一對藍知更鳥一年下兩三窩蛋，早孵出的幼鳥有時幫助喂后來出殼的雛鳥。

爸爸犯病后他的孩子們都來了，這一定提高了他的情緒，所以他精力剛剛恢復就在情人節那天出院了。我于三月底去看望父母，爸爸被安置在樓下，可是我注意到，他在窗前向后院佇立的時間越來越長了。我知道他盼望看到什么。一天，有個色彩鮮明閃亮的東西，在緊靠我們房屋的巢箱周圍盤旋。

“喔，大概壞家伙們該露面了，你認為是不?”爸爸說。

一只雄藍知更鳥炫耀著華麗藍色的頭、背、翅膀和尾巴，唱著求愛的歌，他唱得那樣充滿感情，我們仿照意大利男高音歌手的名字給他起了綽號叫“卡魯索”。出來了一只雌鳥，但是她拒不進入巢箱。卡魯索發現另一只雌鳥在院子下方田地里，于是他圍繞著那個新巢箱狂熱地唱歌，可是她遠遠地停在棲木上。

隨著愛情故事的展開，爸爸一天天越來越能走路了，我看到他瘦長結實的身體逐漸強健起來。

有一天，卡魯索為了吸引雌鳥的注意和一個對手交戰。她卻同另一只雌鳥進行更加激烈的戰斗。后來，他使出渾身解數，繼續熱情地進行吸引對方的狂喜表演，她卻恢復了傲慢的姿態。

突然，一個氣候宜人的上午，天空中映出卡魯索求愛的衣飾，她飛回離房屋最近的巢箱，并且進行了徹底檢查。由于她終于接受了他的要求，卡魯索在附近翩翩飛舞，極其快樂地唱著歌。

此后不久，她開始一天下一個蛋，直到下了六個，她孵蛋時卡魯索在外邊振翅保護巢箱。

這時爸爸已經恢復到能走出房門，但是還不能走到后院。他要求我們一天檢查一次巢箱，我們回來時他提出許多問題，他問道：“她在窩里嗎?”“蛋孵化了嗎?…‘你們看見那個叫什?名字的家伙表演了嗎?”

卡魯索，爸爸，”我回答說，“你知道，他有名字。”爸爸滿臉滑稽地咧著嘴笑，他的眼睛里又表現出愛開玩笑的神情。

小鳥出殼后，卡魯索和他的配偶付出極其巨大的努力為幼鳥捉蟲，我們對此感到驚奇，幼鳥每20分鐘必須喂一次。

將近五月底，剛會飛的小鳥離開巢箱，那時爸爸能夠走到田野里更遠的地方，去看看其他藍知更鳥可能有什么新聞了。我和媽媽常從廚房窗口望著他。“他給了那些藍知更鳥一些東西，”有一天她輕輕地說，“現在他們已經回報。”

篇5：英語經典晨讀美文

The Blanket

By Floyd Dell

Petey hadn’t really believed that Dad would be doing It — sending Granddad away. “Away” was what they were calling it.Not until now could he believe it of his father.

But here was the blanket that Dad had bought for Granddad, and in the morning he’d be going away. This was the last evening they’d be having together. Dad was off seeing that girl he was to marry. He would not be back till late, so Petey and Granddad could sit up and talk.

It was a fine September night, with a silver moon riding high. They washed up the supper dishes and then took their chairs out onto the porch. “I’ll get my fiddle,” said the old man, “and play you some of the old tunes.”

But instead of the fiddle he brought out the blanket. It was a big double blanket, red with black stripes.

“Now, isn’t that a fine blanket!” said the old man, smoothing it over his knees. “And isn’t your father a kind man to be giving the old fellow a blanket like that to go away with? It cost something, it did—look at the wool of it! There’ll be few blankets there the equal of this one!”

It was like Granddad to be saying that. He was trying to make it easier. He had pretended all along that he wanted to go away to the great brick building—the government place. There he’d be with so many other old fellows, having the best of everything. . . . But Petey hadn’t believed Dad would really do it, not until this night when he brought home the blanket.

“Oh, yes, it’s a fine blanket,” said Petey. He got up and went into the house. He wasn’t the kind to cry and, besides, he was too old for that. He’d just gone in to fetch Granddad’s fiddle.

The blanket slid to the floor as the old man took the fiddle and stood up. He tuned up for a minute, and then said, “This is one you’ll like to remember.”

Petey sat and looked out over the gully. Dad would marry that girl. Yes, that girl who had kissed Petey and fussed over him, saying she’d try to be a good mother to him, and all. . . .

The tune stopped suddenly. Granddad said, “It’s a fine girl your father’s going to marry. He’ll be feeling young again with a pretty wife like that. And what would an old fellow like me be doing around their house, getting in the way? An old nuisance, what with my talks of aches and pains. It’s best that I go away, like I’m doing. One more tune or two, and then we’ll be going to sleep. I’ll pack up my blanket in the morning.”

They didn’t hear the two people coming down the path. Dad had one arm around the girl, whose bright face was like a doll’s. But they heard her when she laughed, right close by the porch. Dad didn’t say anything, but the girl came forward and spoke to Granddad prettily: “I won’t be here when you leave in the morning, so I came over to say good-bye.”

“It’s kind of you,” said Granddad, with his eyes cast down. Then, seeing the blanket at his feet, he stooped to pick it up. “And will you look at this,” he said. “The fine blanket my son has given me to go away with.”

“Yes,” she said. “It’s a fine blanket.” She felt the wool and repeated in surprise, “A fine blanket—I’ll say it is!” She turned to Dad and said to him coldly, “That blanket really cost something.”

Dad cleared his throat and said, “I wanted him to have the best. . . .”

“It’s double, too,” she said, as if accusing Dad.

“Yes,” said Granddad, “it’s double—a fine blanket for an old fellow to be going away with.”

17 The boy went suddenly into the house. He was looking for something. He could hear that girl scolding Dad. She realized how much of Dad’s money—her money, really—had gone for the blanket. Dad became angry in his slow way. And now she was suddenly going away in a huff. . . .

As Petey came out, she turned and called back, “All the same, he doesn’t need a double blanket!” And she ran off up the path.

Dad was looking after her as if he wasn’t sure what he ought to do.

“Oh, she’s right,” Petey said. “Here, Dad”—and he held out a pair of scissors. “Cut the blanket in two.”

Both of them stared at the boy, startled. “Cut it in two, I tell you, Dad!” he cried out. “And keep the other half.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” said Granddad gently. “I don’t need so much of a blanket.”

“Yes,” the boy said harshly, “a single blanket’s enough for an old man when he’s sent away. We’ll save the other half, Dad. It’ll come in handy later.”

“Now what do you mean by that?” asked Dad.

“I mean,” said the boy slowly, “that I’ll give it to you, Dad— when you’re old and I’m sending you—away.”

There was a silence. Then Dad went over to Granddad and stood before him, not speaking. But Granddad understood. He put out a hand and laid it on Dad’s shoulder. And he heard Granddad whisper, “It’s all right, son. I knew you didn’t mean it. . . .” And then Petey cried.

But it didn’t matter—because they were all crying together.

【中文譯文】：

一床雙人毛毯

(美) 弗羅伊德?戴爾

晴朗的九月的夜晚，銀色的月光灑落在溪谷上。此時，十一歲的彼得沒有觀賞月亮，也沒感覺到微微的涼風吹進廚房。他的思緒全在廚房桌上那條紅黑相間的毛毯上。那是爸爸送給爺爺的離別禮物。他們說爺爺要走。他們是這么說的。

彼得不相信爸爸真會把爺爺送走。可是現在離別禮物都買好了。爸爸今天晚上買的。今晚是他和爺爺在一起的最后一個晚上了。

吃完晚飯，爺孫倆一塊洗碗碟，爸爸走了，和那個就要與他成親的女人一起走的，不會馬上回來。洗完碗碟，爺孫走出屋子，坐在月光下。

“我去拿口琴來給你吹幾支老曲子。”爺爺說。一會兒，爺爺從屋里出來了，拿來的不是口琴，而是那床毛毯。

那是條大大的雙人毛毯。“這毛毯多好!”老人輕撫著膝頭的毛毯說，“你爸真孝，給我這老家伙帶這么床高級毛毯走。你看這毛，一定很貴的。以后冬天晚上不會冷了。那里不會有這么好的毛毯的。”

爺爺總這么說，為了避免難堪，他一直裝著很想去政府辦的養老院的樣子，想象著，離開溫暖的家和朋友，去哪個地方與許多其他老人一起共度晚年。可彼得從沒想到爸爸真會把爺爺送走，直到今晚看到爸爸帶回這床毛毯。

“是床好毛毯，”彼得搭訕著走進小屋。他不是個好哭的孩子，況且，他已早過了好哭鼻子的年齡了。他是進屋給爺爺拿口琴的。

爺爺接琴時毛毯滑落到地上。最后一個晚上了，爺孫倆誰也沒說話。爺爺吹了一會兒，然后說，“你會記住這支曲子。”

月兒高高掛在天邊，微風輕輕地吹過溪谷。最后一次了，彼得想，以后再也聽不到爺爺吹口琴了，爸爸也要從這搬走，住進新居了。若把爺爺一個人撇下，美好的夜晚自己獨坐廊下，還有什么意思!

音樂停了，有那么一會兒工夫，爺孫倆誰也沒說話。過了一會兒，爺爺說，“這只曲子歡快點。彼得坐在那怔怔地望著遠方。爸爸要娶那個姑娘了。是的，那個姑娘親過他了，還發誓要對他好，做個好媽媽。

爺爺突然停下來，“這曲子不好，跳舞還湊合。“怔了一會兒，又說，”你爸要娶的姑娘不錯。有個這么漂亮的妻子他會變年輕的。我又何必在這礙事，我一會兒這 病一會兒那疼，招人嫌呢。況且他們還會有孩子。我可不想整夜聽孩子哭鬧。不，不!還是走為上策呀!好，再吹兩支曲子我們就覺，睡到明天早晨，帶上毛 毯走人。你看這支怎么樣?調子有些悲，倒很合適這樣的夜晚呢。“

他們沒有聽到爸爸和那個瓷美人正沿溪谷的小道走來，直到走近門廊，爺孫倆才聽到她的笑聲，琴聲嘎然而止。爸爸一聲沒吭，姑娘走到爺爺跟前恭敬地說：“明天早晨不能來送您，我現在來跟您告別的。“

“謝謝了，“爺爺說。低頭看著腳邊的毛毯，爺爺彎腰拾起來，“你看，”爺爺局促地說，“這是兒子送我的離別禮物。多好的毛毯!”

“是不錯。”她摸了一下毛毯，“好高級呀!”她轉向爸爸，冷冷地說，“一定花了不少錢吧。”

爸爸支吾著說，“我想給他一床的毛毯。”“哼，還是雙人的呢。”姑娘沒完地糾纏毛毯的事。

“是的，”老人說，“是床雙人毛毯。一床一個老家伙即將帶走的毛毯。”彼得轉身跑進屋。他聽到那姑娘還在嘮叨毛毯的昂貴，爸爸開始慢慢動怒。姑娘走了，彼得出屋時她正回頭沖爸爸喊“甭解釋，他根本用不著雙人毛毯。”爸爸看著她，臉上有種奇怪的表情。

“她說得對，爸爸，”彼得說，“爺爺用不著雙人毛毯。爸爸，給!”彼得遞給爸爸一把剪刀，“把毛毯剪成兩塊。”

“好主意，”爺爺溫和地說，“我用不著這么大的毛毯。”

“是的，”彼得說，“老人家送走時給床單人毛毯就不錯了。我們還能留下一半，以后遲早總有用處。”

“你這是什么意思?”爸爸問。

“我是說，”彼得慢騰騰地說，“等你老了，我送你走時給你這一半。”

大家都沉默了。好半天，爸爸走到爺爺面前呆呆地，沒有一句話。爺爺望著兒子喃喃地說：“沒關系，孩子，我知道你不是這么想的……我知道……”這時，彼得哭了。

但沒什么，因為爺爺，爸爸都哭了，哭成了一團……

篇6：英文晨讀美文

英文晨讀美文推薦

Between the preparation and the work, the apprenticeship and the actual dealing with a task or an art, there comes, in the experience of many young men, a period of uncertainty and wandering which is often misunderstood and counted as time wasted, when it is, in fact, a period rich in full and free development. It is as natural for ardent and courageous youth to wish to know what is in life, what it means, and what it holds for its children, as for a child to reach for and search the things that surround and attract it.

Behind every real worker in the world is a real man, and a man has a right to know the conditions under which he must live, and the choices of knowledge, power, and activity which are offered him. In the education of many men and women, therefore, there comes the year of wandering; the experience of traveling from knowledge to knowledge and from occupation to occupation. The forces which go to the making of a powerful man can rarely be adjusted and blended without some disturbance of relations and conditions.

This disturbance is sometimes injurious, because it affects the moral foundations upon which character rests; and for this reason the significance of the experience in its relation to development ought to be sympathetically studied. The birth of the imagination and of the passions, the perception of the richness of life, and the consciousness of the possession of the power to master and use that wealth, create a critical moment in the history of youth, —a moment richer in possibilities of all kinds than comes at any later period. Agitation and ferment of soul are inevitable in that wonderful moment.

There are times when agitation is as normal as is self-control at other and less critical times. The year of wandering is not a manifestation of aimlessness, but of aspiration, and that in its ferment and uncertainty youth is often guided to and finally prepared for its task.

篇7：英語晨讀美文

隨著網絡文化的發展，美文的概念已經不限定于某種文體，或某類內容。網絡文化是一種開放、自由的文化，給美文的概念也賦予了更多的開放自由的`元素，好散文是美文，好詩歌是美文，好小說是美文，好論文是美文，一條寫得好的手機短信，或一段能讓人會心而笑的笑話也是美文，用通俗的講法，寫的好的文章，就是美文。下面我們來看一下適合晨讀的英語美文吧。

英語晨讀美文范文一：

One day thirty years ago Marseilles lay in the burning sun. A blazing sun upon a fierce August day was no greater rarity in southern France than at any other time before or since.

Everything in Marseilles and about Marseilles had stared at the fervid sun, and had been stared at in return, until a staring habit had become universal there. Strangers were stared out of countenance by staring white houses, staring white streets, staring tracts of arid road, staring hills from which verdure was burnt away. The only things to be seen not fixedly staring and glaring were the vines drooping under their loads of grapes. These did occasionally wink a little, as the hot air barely moved their faint leaves. The universal stare made the eyes ache.

Towards the distant blue of the Italian coast, indeed, it was a little relieved by light clouds of mist slowly rising from the evaporation of the sea, but it softened nowhere else. Far away the dusty vines overhanging wayside cottages, and the monotonous wayside avenues of parched trees without shade, dropped beneath the stare of earth and sky. So did the horses with drowsy bells, in long files of carts, creeping slowly towards the interior; so did their recumbent drivers, when they were awake, which rarely happened; so did the exhausted laborers in the fields. Everything that lived or grew was oppressed by the glare; except the lizard, passing swiftly over rough stone walls, and cicada, chirping its dry hot chirp, like a rattle. The very dust was scorched brown, and something quivered in the atmosphere as if the air itself were panting. Blinds, shutters, curtains, awnings, were all closed and drawn to deep out the stare.

Grant it but a chink or a keyhole, and it shot in like a white-hot arrow.

英語晨讀美文范文二：

Each spring brings a new blossom of wildflowers in the ditches along the highway I travel daily to work. There is one particular blue flower that has always caught my eyes.

I've noticed that it blooms only in the morning hours, the afternoon sun is too warm for it. Every day for approximately two weeks, I see those beautiful flowers. This spring, I started a wildflower garden in our yard. I can look out of the kitchen window while doing the dishes and see the flowers. I've often thought that those lovely blue flowers from the ditches would look great in that bed alongside other wildflowers. Everyday I drove past the flowers thinking, “I'll stop on my way home and dig them.” “Gee, I don't want to get my good clothes dirty...” Whatever the reason, I never stopped to dig them. My husband even gave me a folding shovel one year for my trunk to be used for that expressed purpose. One day on my way home from work, I was saddened to see that the highway department had mowed the ditches and the pretty blue flowers were gone. I thought to myself, “Way to go, you waited too long. You should have done it when you first saw them blooming this spring.”

A week ago we were shocked and saddened to learn that my oldest sister-in-law has a terminal brain tumor. She is 20 years older than my husband and unfortunately, because of age and distance, we haven’t been as close as we all would have liked. I can not help but see the connection between the pretty blue flowers and the relationship between my husband's sister and us. I do believe that God has given us some time left to plant some wonderful memories that will bloom every year for us. And yes, if I see the blue flowers again, you can bet I'll stop and transplant them to my wildflower garden.

英語晨讀美文范文三：

I have known very few writers, but those I have known, and whom I respect, confess at once that they have little idea where they are going when they first set pen to paper.

They have a character, perhaps two; they are in that condition of eager discomfort which passes for inspiration; all admit radical changes of destination once the journey has begun; one, to my certain knowledge,spent nine months on a novel about Kashmir, then reset the whole thing in the Scottish Highland. I never heard of anyone making an “outline”, as we were taught at school. In the breaking and remaking,in the timing, interweaving,beginning again, the writer comes to discern things in his material which were not consciously in his mind when he began. This organic process, often leading to moments of extraordinary self-discovery, is of an indescribable fascination. A blurred image appears; he adds a brushstroke and another, and it is gone; but something was there, and he will not rest till he has captured it.

Sometimes the passion within a writer outlives a book he has written. I have heard of writers who read nothing but their own books; like adolescents they stand before the mirror, and still cannot understand the exact outline of the vision before them. For the same reason, writers talk endlessly about their own books, digging up hidden meanings, super-imposing new ones, begging response from those around them. Of course a writer doing this is misunderstood: he might as well try to explain a crime or a love affair. He is also, incidentally, an unforgivable bore. This temptation to cover the distance between himself and the reader, to study his image in the sight of those who do not know him, can be his undoing:he has begun to write to please.

A young English writer made the pertinent observation a year or two back that the talent goes into the first draft, and the art into the drafts that follow. For this reason also the writer, like any other artist,has no resting place, no crowd or movement in which he may take comfort, no judgment from outside which can replace the judgment from within. A writer makes order out of the anarchy of his heart; he submits himself to a more ruthless discipline than any critic dreamed of, and when he flirts with fame, he is taking time off from living with himself, from the search for what his world contains at its inmost point.

篇8：晨讀英語美文

What is life? What is the purpose of life? Purpose cannot say unimportant, the purpose decides the direction of life, but life is not equal to the purpose, life is still toward the purpose of the whole process, life is a process! Ah, this is the simplest and most unnoticed mistake. The goal of life is our eternal tomorrow, our life is always today, is now, is fleeting now!

The person who has the goal is the person who lives meaningfully, the person who can value the process of life itself and grasp the process is the person who lives fully and truthfully -- “never live a lifetime!” It should be both objective and process quality. The goal is to say, aim high, start from the province, people will get the ideal education. However, many people live for a lifetime. In the end, they do not have the pleasure of life process and enjoy life, which is a lack of life consciousness and introspection. The ups and downs of life, the realization of each situation, not pleased by external gains not saddened by personal losses, gain and loss are the blessings of life.

Life is full of ups and downs. But we often use a kind of benefit coordinate to judge the condition of life. The forward is positive, the back is negative, the rise is superior, and the sinking is bad. In fact, life is far more complex than this coordinate, and the life interest in the ups and downs is far from being a single one.

People are eager to get promoted, to cherish their fame, and to expect the speed of their goals. Life in this way, the process of life more and more neglected, become a kind of look forward to return to pay, to target cost, even the computer can unwanted files, just because of the need to speed up! Acceleration is the commonest common behavior in economic society, because the benefit is directly related to the speed. We also remember that “time is money, benefit is life”, and life here is the life of enterprises and social groups, not people! If the pursuit of social benefits becomes the personal life process, that is what we often call alienation; The disease of life process rhythm is another kind of life state, when it is the realm of the individual life to emit light, disease has the beauty of disease, slow and gentle beauty.

Wang wei has a famous sentence: “the grass withered eagle eye disease, the snow to the horse's hoof light.” The flash of life is not necessarily the time when the grass grows; When life is good, it is not always the step back. Similarly, du fu's famous sentence: “the fine rain fish out, the breeze swallow the slope.” In the smooth and slow, write out the life calm, also write the love and joy of life. In his life, du fu did not have a chance to rise to the ground, but his soothing and peaceful life felt through thousands of years, slowly like rain, moistening our hearts.

篇9：晨讀英語美文

The art of living is to know when to hold fast and when to let go. For life is paradox: it enjoins us to cling to its many gifts even while it ordains their eventual relinquishment. The rabbis of Old put it this way:“ A man comes to this world with his fist clenched, but when he dies, his hand is open.

生活的藝術是要懂得何時緊緊抓住，何時學會放棄。因為人生就是一對矛盾，它促使我們牢牢抓住人生的很多賜予，但同時又注定了我們對這些給予最終的放棄。老一輩猶太學者是這樣說的：人來到這個世界的時候拳頭是緊握的，而當離開的時候，手卻是松開的。

Surely we ought to hold fast to life, for it is wondrous, and full of a beauty that breaks through every pore of God’s own earth. We know that this is so, but all too often we recognize this truth only in our backward glance when we remember what it was and then suddenly realize that it is no more.

當然，我們應該僅僅抓住生活，因為生活是神奇的，是充滿著美的——上帝創造的大地的每一個空間都充斥著至美。我們都知道這點，但我們卻常常在回首往事之時才明白這個道理，然后突然意識到逝去的時光已經一去不復返了。

We remember a beauty that faded, a love that waned. But we remember with far greater pain that we did not see that beauty when it flowered, that we failed to respond with love when it was tendered.

我們追憶逝去的美麗，殘缺的愛情，但是更令人痛心的回憶是當繁花盛開之時錯過了欣賞它的美麗；當愛情眷顧之時卻未能做出回應。

This not an easy lesson to learn, especially when we are young and think that the world is ours to command, that whatever we desire with the full force of our passionate being can, nay, ill, be ours.

學會（珍愛美好的事物）是不容易做到的。尤其是我們年輕時，認為世界是由我們掌握的，只要我們自己滿腔熱情，全力以赴的去追求，我們想要的東西就能夠——不，是一定能夠得到。

But then life moves along to confront us with realities, and slowly but surely this second truth dawns upon us. At every stage of life we sustain losses—and grow in the process.And ultimately, as the parable of the open and closed hand suggests, we must confront the inevitability of our own demise, losing ourselves as it were, all that we were or dreamed to be.

隨著我們的成長，生活使我們不得不面對現實，而第二種真理逐漸被我們所感知，所理解。 在人生的每一個階段，我們都要承受損失，在這個過程中我們慢慢的長大. 最終，正如松手和握拳的比喻那樣：我們自己也得走向不可抗拒的死亡，失去了原有的自我，失去了以往的或夢想過的一切。

The insight gleaned from that experience is really as commonplace as was the experience itself: life’s gifts are precious--but we are too heedless of them.

我們在閱歷中所積累起來的洞察力就像我們的經歷本身一樣的平凡生活的賜予是可貴的，可是我們卻常常忽視了它們的存在。

Here then is the first pile of life's paradoxical demands on us: Never too busy for the wonder and the awe of life. Be reverent before each dawning day. Embrace each hour. Seize each golden minute.

生命中有太多似非而是的矛盾，以下是第一種矛盾給我們的啟迪：不要過于忙碌而忽略領悟生命的神奇，失掉對生命的敬畏。在破曉時分懷抱虔誠心情迎接每一天，擁抱每一個時辰，把握好黃金般的每一分鐘。

Hold fast to life... but not so fast that you cannot let go. This is the second side of life's coin, the opposite pole of its paradox: we must accept our losses, and learn how to let go.

緊緊抓住生命但是不要過于執著而不懂得放手。這是生命之道的另一個層面，矛盾的另一極：我們必須接受失去，并且學會放棄。

篇10：晨讀英語美文

In the international marathon invitational tournament, the little-known Japanese player yamada has unexpectedly won the world championship. When the reporter asked him why he had achieved such a remarkable feat, he said: ”wisdom has triumphed over our opponents.“

This a yamada explained in his autobiography that he's ”wisdom“ : every time before the game, I have to drive circuitry of the game, read it carefully and draw more prominent signs of along the way, such as the first signs of a bank; The second sign is a big tree; The third sign is a red house, which is always drawn to the end of the race. After the game started, I raced to the first goal with the speed of 100 meters, and after reaching the first goal, I rushed to the second goal at the same speed. Forty miles of the race, I broke down into a few small goals to easily run out. At first, I did not understand this truth, I put my forty kilometers and aiming at the end of the line of the flag, the result when I ran to 10 kilometers of exhausted, I was in front of the distant journey scares.

In real life, we are do things by halves, why, often not because of difficult, but think success is too far away from us, to be exact, we don't give up because of failure, but because of who I am tired and lost.

篇11：晨讀英語美文

One day, the time management expert lectured to a group of business school students.

He made a demonstration at the scene, which left a lasting impression on the students.

Standing in front of students with high iqs, he said, let's take a quiz. Take out a one-gallon jar and set it on the table in front of him. Then he took out a bunch of fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them in a jar. When the jar was over the top of the jar and no more rocks could fit in, he asked, ”is the jar full?“ All students should say: ”full!“ . The time management expert replied, ”really?“ He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He poured some of the gravel in, and tapped the glass bottle wall to fill the gap between the stones. ”Is the jar full now? “He asked the second time. But this time the students understood, ”probably not,“ one student said. ”Good! Experts say. He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of sand. The sand is filled with all the gaps between the rock and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “is this jar full?” “No! ”Shouted the students. Once again he said, “good! Then he took a pitcher of water and poured it into the jar until it was flat. Looking up at the students, he asked, ”what is the point of this illustration?“ One eager student raised his hand and said, ”no matter how tight your schedule is, if you work hard, you can do more!“ ”No!“ The time management expert said, ”that's not what it really means. This example tells us that if you didn't blow up the rock first, you couldn't put it in the bottle anymore. So, what are the big rocks in your life? Spend time with the people you love, your beliefs, education, dreams? Remember to deal with these big rocks first, otherwise, you can't do it all your life!

So tonight, perhaps this morning, you are reading this essay, and you have tried to ask yourself this question: what is the “big rock” in my life? Then, please put them in the bottle of your life first. It is better to be busy with dreams than to lose your dreams by being busy!

篇12：晨讀英語美文

The love of beauty is an essential part of all healthy human nature. It is a mortal quality. The absence of it is not an assured ground of condemnation, but the presence of it is an invariable sign of goodness of heart. In proportion to the degree in which it is felt will probably be the degree in which nobleness and beauty of character will be attained.

愛美及是整個健全人性不可或缺之一部分。它是一種道德品質。缺乏這種品質并不能作為受到責難的充分理由，但是擁有這種品質則是心靈美好的永恒標志。品德的高尚與美好所達到的程度可能與對美的感受程度成正比。

Natural beauty is an all-pervading presence. The universe is its temple. It unfolds into the numberless flowers of spring. It waves in the branches of trees and the green blades of grass. It haunts the depths of the earth and the sea. It gleams from the hues of the shell and the precious stone. And not only these minute objects but the oceans, the mountains, the clouds, the stars, the rising and the setting sun – all overflow with beauty. This beauty is so precious, and so congenial to our tenderest and noblest feelings, that it is painful to think of the multitude of people living in the midst of it and yet remaining almost blind to it.

大自然的美無處不在，整個宇宙就是美的殿堂。美，在春日百花中綻放；美，在綠葉嫩枝間搖曳；美，在深海幽谷里游弋；美，在奇石與貝殼的繽紛色彩中閃爍。不只是這些細微之物，還有海洋，山川，云彩，繁星，日升日落 – 一切都是洋溢著美。這樣的美是如此珍貴，與我們最溫柔，最高尚的情愫是如此相宜。然而，想到很多人置身于美之中，卻幾乎對它熟視無睹，真是令人痛心不已。

All persons should seek to become acquainted with the beauty in nature. There is not a worm we tread upon, nor a leaf that dances merrily as it falls before the autumn winds, but calls for our study and admiration. The power to appreciate beauty not merely increases our sources of happiness – it enlarges our moral nature, too. Beauty calms our restlessness and dispels our cares. Go into the fields or the woods; spend a summer day by the sea or the mountains, and all your little perplexities and anxieties will vanish. Listen to sweet music, and your foolish fears and petty jealousies will pass away. The beauty of the world helps us to seek and find the beauty of goodness.

所有的人都應該去認識大自然之美。沒有一條我們踩過的小蟲，沒有一片在秋風拂掠之際飛舞的樹葉不值得我們研究與贊賞。欣賞美的能力不僅增加了我們快樂的來源，也加強了我們德性的修養。美使我們不安的心平靜下來，也驅散了我們的憂慮。到田野或森林去，在夏日的海邊或山上呆上一天，那么你所有微不足道的困惑與焦慮都會煙消云散。傾聽悅耳的音樂，你那愚蠢的恐懼與狹隘的嫉妒都會過去。世界之美將有助于我們找到為善之美。

篇13：晨讀英語美文

There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulences as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter—the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something.

大致說來有三個紐約。首先是那些土生土長的男男女女的紐約，他們對這座城市習以為常，認為它有這樣的規模和喧囂，乃是自然而然、不可避免的。其次是家住郊區、乘公交車到市內上班的人們的紐約--這座城市每到白天就被如蝗的人群吞噬進去，每到晚上又給吐出來。第三是外來人的紐約，他們生于他鄉，到紐約來尋求機緣。

Of these three trembling cities the greatest is the last—the city of final destination, the city that is a goal. It is this third city that accounts for New York’s high-strung disposition, its poetic deportment, its dedication to the arts, and its incomparable achievements.

在這三座充滿騷動的城市中，最了不起的是最后一座--那座被視為最終歸宿的城市，視為追尋目標的城市。正是由于這第三座城市，紐約才有了緊張的秉性、詩人的氣質、對藝術的執著追求、無與倫比的成就。

Commuters give the city its tidal restlessly; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion. And whether it is a farmer arriving from Italy to set up a small grocery store in a slum, or a young girl arriving from a small town in Mississippi to escape the indignity of being observed by her neighbors, or a boy arriving from the Corn Belt with a manuscript in his suitcase and a pain in his heart, it makes no difference; each embraces New York with the intense excitement of first love, each absorbs New York with the fresh eyes of an adventurer, ?each generates heat and light to dwarf the Consolidated Edison Company.

上班族給紐約帶來了潮汐般時漲時落的騷動，當地人保證了紐約的穩固和持續發展，而外來人則賦予紐約以激情。無論是從意大利來到貧民窟開小雜貨店的農夫，還是從密西西比州某小鎮跑出來躲避鄰居的淫穢目光的年輕姑娘，還是從玉米地帶1滿懷酸楚地拎著手稿跑來的小伙子，情況都沒有什么兩樣：每個人都懷著初戀的激情擁抱紐約，每個人都以冒險家的新奇目光審視紐約，每個人散發出的光和熱，足以令愛迪生聯合電氣公司相形見絀。

篇14：晨讀英語美文

One of the major pleasures in life is appetite, and one of our major duties should be to preserve it.

渴望乃生活之一大樂事，而心懷渴望則成為一項重要的任務。

Appetite is the keenness of living; it is one of the senses that tell you that you are still curious to exist, that you still have an edge on your longings and want to bite into the world and taste its multitudinous flavors and juices.

渴望意味著對生活充滿熱情，這種感覺表明你依然希冀生活，熱衷夢想，向往探索世界，歷盡世間百味百態。

By appetite, of course, I don’t mean just the lust for food, but any condition of unsatisfied desire, any burning in the blood that proves you want more than you’ve got, and that you haven’t yet used up your life.

當然，我所說的“渴望”不單指對食物的欲望，而指所有欲求未滿的狀態，及血液中燃燒的激情，這熾熱的激情證明你希望收獲更多，你的生命力并未耗盡。

Wilde said he felt sorry for those who never got their heart’s desire, but sorrier still for those who did.

王爾德曾說過，對未能夢想成真者，他深表惋惜；而對心愿已遂者，他則倍感遺憾。

Appetite, to me, is this state of wanting, which keeps one’s expectations alive.

對我來說，渴望就是這種想往的狀態，它總是讓人滿懷期待。

In wanting a peach, or a whisky, or a particular texture or sound, or to be with a particular friend.

因此，對我來說，渴望的最大樂趣之一在于心懷想往，而非心滿意足，比如，想往一只密桃，一瓶威士忌，一塊特質布料，或一種美妙的聲音，亦或期望與朋友團聚。

For in this condition, of course, I know that the object of desire is always at its most flawlessly perfect.

因為，我知道在這種情況下，心中渴求之物總是完美無缺的。

Which is why I would carry the preservation of appetite to the extent of deliberate fasting, simply because I think that appetite is too good to lose, too precious to be bludgeoned into insensibility by satiation and over-doing it.

懷著這種渴望，我特意安排了齋戒。原因很簡單，我覺得渴望是極好的事，不能喪失，它彌足珍貴，不能飽食生膩，耗費過度使其淪為麻木無知之境。

Fasting is an act of homage to the majesty of appetite. So I think we should arrange to give up our pleasures regularly—our food, our friends, our lovers—in order to preserve their intensity, and the moment of coming back to them.

禁是對欲望的神圣的一種膜拜。所以，我認為我們應該安排不時地放棄一些享樂之事—食物，朋友，愛人，這樣的話我們才能保持我們對他們的濃烈感情，才能保留與他們重聚的那一刻。

For this is the moment that renews and refreshes both oneself and the thing one loves. Sailors and travelers enjoyed this once, and so did hunters, I suppose. Part of the weariness of modern life may be that we live too much on top of each other, and are entertained and fed too regularly.

因為，這一刻讓我們自己和我們鐘情之物都煥然一新，充滿新鮮感。我想不管是水手，游客還是獵人都曾有過這種體會。或許現代生活的一部分令人厭倦之處就在于我們的生活太接近彼此了，我們的娛樂，我們的飲食都太有規律了。

Too much of anything—too much music, entertainment, happy snacks, or time spent with one’s friends—creates a kind of impotence of living by which one can no longer hear, or taste, or see, or love, or remember. Life is short and precious, and appetite is one of its guardians, and loss of appetite is a sort of death.

任何一樣東西—-音樂、娛樂、零食、與朋友在一起的時光---若是太多，就會形成一種無趣的生活，這種生活中，人們再也不能去聽，去品嘗，去看，去愛，去記憶。生命是如此短暫如此珍貴，而欲望就是它的一名守護者，失去欲望生命就近乎死亡。

So if we are to enjoy this short life we should respect the divinity of appetite, and keep it eager and not to much blunted.

因此，如果我們想要享受我們短暫的一生，我們就應該尊重欲望的神圣，讓它保持熱切程度不被磨鈍。

篇15：晨讀英語美文

Where shall you seek beauty, and how shall you find her unless she herself be your way and your guide? And how shall you speak of her except she be the weaver of your speech?

如果美不以自身為途徑，為向導，你們到哪里，又如何能找到她呢？如果她不是你們言語的編織者，你們又如何能談論她呢？

The aggrieved and the injured say, “Beauty is kind and gentle. Like a young mother half-shy of her own glory she walks among us.” And the passionate say,” Nay, beauty is a thing of might and dread. Like the tempest she shakes the earth beneath us and sky above us.” The tired and the weary say, “Beauty is of soft whisperings. She speaks in our spirit. Her voice yields to our silences like a faint light that quivers in fear of the shadow.” But the restless say,” We have heard her shouting among the mountains, and with her cries came the sound of hoofs, and the beating of wings and the roaring of lions.”

傷心痛苦者說：“美是善良而溫柔的。她像一位因自己的榮耀而半含羞澀的年輕母親，走在我們的身邊。” 熱情奔放者說：“不，美是強烈而令人驚畏的。她如暴風雨般震動我們腳下的大地，搖撼我們頭上的天空。” 疲憊怠倦者說：“美是溫柔的低語，她在我們的心中訴說。她的聲音波動在我們的沉默中，猶如一道微弱的光在對陰影的恐懼中顫抖。” 但活潑好動者說：“我們曾聽到她在山谷中大聲呼叫，隨其吶喊而來的是足蹄踏地、翅膀拍擊和雄獅怒吼的聲音。

At night the watchmen of the city say,” Beauty shall rise with the dawn from the east.” And at noon-time the toilers say,” We have seen her leaning over the earth from the windows of the sunset.” In winter say the snowbound, “She shall come with the spring leaping upon the hills.” And in the summer heat the reapers say,” We have seen her dancing with the autumn leaves, and we saw a drift of snow in her hair.”

夜晚，城市的守夜人說：“美將與晨光一同從東方升起。” 正午，辛勤勞作者和長途跋涉者說：“我們曾看到她透過黃昏之窗眺望大地。” 嚴冬，困在風雪中的人說：“她將與春同至，雀躍于山巒之間。” 酷暑，收割莊稼的人說：“我們曾看到她與秋葉共舞，雪花點綴于她的發梢。”

All these things have you said of beauty, yet in truth you spoke not of her but of needs unsatisfied, and beauty is not a need but an ecstasy. It is not a mouth thirsting nor an empty hand stretched forth, but rather a heart enflamed and a soul enchanted. It is not the image you would see nor the song you would hear, but rather an image you see though you close your eyes and a song you hear though you shut your ears. It is not sap within the furrowed bark, nor a wing attached to a claw, but rather a garden for ever in bloom and a flock of angels for ever in flight. Beauty is life when life unveils her holy face.

你們談到關于美的所有這些，實際并非關于她本身，而是關于你們未被滿足的需求，但美并不是一種需求，而是心醉神迷的欣喜。她不是焦渴的唇，也不是伸出的空空的手，而是一顆燃燒的心，一個充滿喜悅的靈魂。她不是你們想看到的形象，也不是你們想聽到的歌聲，而是你們閉上眼睛看到的形象，堵住耳朵聽到的歌聲。她不是傷殘樹皮下的樹液，也不是懸在利爪下的翅膀。而是一座鮮花永遠盛開的花園，一群永遠在天空飛翔的天使。 當生命摘去遮蓋她圣潔面容的面紗時，美就是生命

篇16：晨讀英語美文

A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.

通常看一個人可知道他的為人,以及所閱讀的書物以類聚,因為有一個人為伴,也有人以書為伴,朋友,我們都應該以最好的陪伴,無論是書友還是的`人。

A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age.

一本好書就像是一個最好的朋友。它始終不渝,過去如此,現在仍然如此,永遠不會改變。它是最有耐心、最令人愉快的伴侶。它不背棄我們臨到我們身處逆境,還是痛苦。它友善款待我們﹐始終如一很有趣,也教導我們,在青年時死亡、與慰解我們的年齡。

Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, ‘Love me, love my dog.” But there is more wisdom in this:” Love me, love my book.” The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them.

男人經常發現彼此之間親密無間的相互愛為一本書正如兩個人有時發現朋友共同仰慕另外一人而為娛樂的三分之一。古諺說:“愛我,也愛我的狗。”但有更多的智慧在這個:“愛我,愛我的書。”這本書是真實和高雅的聯系紐帶。人們能思考、感覺和彼此同情通過他們最喜愛的作家。他們住在他里面、他也住在一起。

A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world of a man’s life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters.

一本好書常常是最好的缸生活其中規定生活最美好的東西能有什么,因為世界上一個人的生命是什么,最主要的是,但是整個世界他的思想。因此,最好的書是金玉良言的金色的思想的寶庫;珍惜的,就會成為我們忠實的伴侶和永恒的慰藉。

Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time have been to sift out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive e but what is really good.

書籍具有不朽的本質。它是迄今為止人類不懈奮斗的珍寶。廟宇會倒塌,塑像會頹廢,但是書籍卻能長存人間。時間并不重要,那些偉大的思想,都永遠鮮活,當他們初次閃現在作者腦海,很久以前的事了。當時的話語和思想如今依然對我們說話,透過書頁。時間唯一的作用在于它篩除了糟粕,因為e的文學作品才能存留下來,但什么是真正的好。

Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see them as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were in a measure actors with them in the scenes which they describe.

書籍把我們引入最美好的環境,使我們與各個時代的偉大智者促膝談心。我們聽到他們在說什么,而行,我們看到,如果他們真的活了下來,我們深切同情他們的遭遇,享受,悲傷;他們的經驗成為我們的,我們感到仿佛我們是在演員的措施與他們所描述的場景

篇17：晨讀英語美文

What makes a home? Love and sympathy and confidence. It is a place where kindly affections exist among all the members of the family. The parents take good care of their children, and the children are interested in the activities of their parents. Thus all of them are bound together by affection, and they find their home to be the cheeriest place in the world.

組成家庭的因素是什么？答案即愛、同情和信賴。家是一個所有家庭成員凝結情感的地方。父母親悉心照料孩子，而孩子們也對他們雙親的活動感興趣。他們為愛所聯結，因而發現家是世界上最令人感到歡樂的地方。

A home without love is no more a home than a body without a soul is a man. Every civilized person is a social being. No one should live alone. A man may lead a successful and prosperous life, but prosperity alone can by no means insure happiness. Many great personages in the world history had deep affections for their homes.

一個沒有愛的家便不再稱其為家，如同沒有靈魂的軀體不再是人一樣。每一個有修養的人都是社會性的人。沒有人能夠脫離社會獨自生存。一個人也許過著成功而寬裕的生活，但是榮華富貴決不能保證幸福快樂。在世界歷史上，許多名人都對其家庭懷有深情厚意。

Your home may be poor and humble, but duty lies there. You should try to make it cheerful and comfortable. The greater the difficulties, the richer will be your reward.

你的家也許貧窮而簡陋，但那正是你的職責所在。你應該努力使其愉快和舒適。你遭遇的困難越大，所得到的報償也就越多。

A home is more than a family dwelling. It is a school in which people are trained for citizenship. A man will not render good services to his country if he can do nothing good for his home; for in proportion as he loves his home, will he love his country. The home is the birthplace of true patriotism. It is the secret of social welfare and national greatness. It is the basis and origin of civilization.

家不僅僅是一個供家人居住的地方。它還是一個培養人們成為公民的場所。一個人假如無法對家庭做出有意義的事情，也就無法為國家提供優良的服務，因為愛家和愛國是成正比的。家庭是愛國主義精神的真正發源地，是社會福利和國家昌盛的秘訣，是文明的基礎和起源。

篇18：晨讀英語美文

Quogue，Long Island

16 September1962，Sunday

于奎基，長島，星期日

1962年9月16日

My dear：

我的寶貝：

Well，here we are——but not here．You at St．Tim's，Sister in Princeton，and me in Quogue，and another brand new year is about to start for you．For me，too．I always seem to approach the autumn in the frame of mind that spring induces in most people．The excitement of new things；the new plays，the new books，new clothes，etc．，etc．，etc．At the same time the autumn for me is a season of a sweet melancholy that is hard to explain. I love the early evenings，the leaves burning，the lights in houses．

好了，我們到了——但不是到這兒。你在圣蒂姆斯，西斯特在普林斯頓，而我在奎基，對你來說嶄新的一年又開始了。對于我，也是如此。我似乎總是帶著一種春天在大多數人身上所激發的心情走近秋季。新生事物給人們帶來的興奮；新劇目、新書、新服裝，等等，等等，等等。同時，秋天對于我則是帶著美麗的憂郁的季節。這是難以用言語表達的。我愛黃昏，愛像火一樣燃燒著的紅艷艷的樹葉，愛房屋里的燈光。

It is the beginning of a big year for you，in many respects your biggest so far．By the time June comes around you will be 18，and graduating from school．In the past week or so I have called you“Kid” but subconsciously I have been doing that because your kid days are over，or just about．I suspect that you are going through the experience of first love，and no matter what else happens，after that experience you are never a kid again．

對你來說，這是至關重要的一年的開始，從許多方面來說這是你最重要的一年。到六月份你就18歲了，將中學畢業。在過去的幾周里，我稱你為“小孩子”，但在潛意識里我這樣做是因為你的少年時代已經過去，或正要過去。我猜想你已在經歷你的初戀，不管發生什么，有過初戀的經歷之后，你再也不是小孩子了。

Most of the nice things we associate with being a kid are okay——while you are still a kid．But you gain more than you lose．You gain in understanding standing，in appreciation of people，in understanding and appreciation of yourself．You begin to see the wisdom in that quotation I have so often repeated to you：to thine own self be true．Every year at this time I have repeated that quotation to you，and the time is not really too far distant when you will be passing it on to your own children．It is probably the best single piece of advice I can give you，or you can give them．

與當個孩子相關的許多美好的事物都是很不錯的——然而你仍然是個孩子。但你將得到比所失去的更多的東西。你將得到理解、人們的欣賞，以及你對你自己的理解和欣賞。你將明白我常常告訴你的那句話所隱含的智慧：真誠地對待你自己。每一年的這個時候我都對你重復這句話，而且這離你把這句話告訴你的孩子們的時候也為時不遠了。這句話也許是我能夠給你的最好的一條建議，或許也是你能夠給你的孩子們的最好的一條建議。

You have done well，and I am pleased with you，not only for what you have done，but for what you are．As Miss Finnegan said to Sister，“Wylie has the right reactions．”So good luck in your Senior Year，and always know that the old man loves you very much．

你做得很好，我對你很滿意，并不只是因為你所做的那些事，而且因為你本人。就像芬尼根小姐對西斯特所說的那樣“威利反應敏捷”。因此，祝你中學的最后一年交好運，并且永遠記住，我這個老人非常愛你。

Always

Dad

篇19：晨讀英語美文

As food is to the body, so is learning to the mind. Our bodies grow and muscles develop with the intake of adequate nutritious food. Likewise, we should keep learning day by day to maintain our keen mental power and expand our intellectual capacity. Constant learning supplies us with inex-haustible fuel for driving us to sharpen our power of reasoning, analysis, and judgment. Learning incessantly is the surest way to keep pace with the times in the information age, and reliable warrant of success in times of uncertainty.

學習之于心靈，就像食物之于身體一樣。攝取了適量的營養食物，我們的身體得以生長而肌肉得以發達。 同樣地，我們應該日復一日不斷地學習以保持我們心智的敏銳，并擴充我們的智力容量。不斷的學習提供我們用之不盡的燃料，來驅使我們磨礪我們的推理、分析和判斷的能力。持續的學習是在信息時代中跟時代井駕齊驅的最穩當的方法，也是在變動的時代中成功的可靠保證。

Once learning stops, vegetation sets in. It is a common fallacy to regard school as the only workshop for the acquisition of knowledge. On the contrary, learning should be a neyer-ending process, from the cradle to the grave. With the world changing so fast, to cease learning for just a few days will make a person lag behind. What's worse, the animal instinct dormant deep in our sub-conscious will come to life. Weakening our will to pursue our noble ideas, undermining our determination to sweep away obstacles to our success and strangling our desire for the refinement of our character. Lack of learning will inevitably lead to the stagnation of the mind, or even worse, its fossilization. Therefore, to stay mentally young, we have to take learning as a lifelong career.

一旦學習停止，單調貧乏的生活就開始了。視學校為汲取知識的惟一場所是種常見的謬誤。相反地，從生到死，學習應該是一種無終止的歷程。 由于世界變化得如此迅速，只要學習停頓數日就能使人落后。更糟的是，蟄伏在我們潛意識深處的本能就會復活，削弱我們追求高尚理想的意志，弱化我們掃除成功障礙的決心，而且扼殺我們凈化我們人格的欲望。缺少學習將不可避免地導致心靈的停滯，甚至更糟，使其僵化。因此，為了保持心態年輕，我們必須將學習當作一生的事業