值得閱讀的英語經典美文摘抄
美文,不禁聯想到一種美幻的意境,充滿情感的體驗和豐富的表達。下面是本站小編帶來的英語經典美文，歡迎閱讀!
The Green Boots
一雙綠色的靴子 琳達.羅森伯格
On Monday morning I wore my green platform boots to school for the first time since I had started at Edison Middle School.
星期一早晨，我穿上了那雙綠色的厚底坡跟靴去上學。自從到愛迪生中學上學以來，今天還是我第一次穿這雙靴子。
It was the day of the poetry festival, and I was excited. At my old school, I had won the poetry ribbon every year. I’m horrible at sports, too shy to be popular and I’m not cute—but I do write good poetry.
那天正好是詩歌節，我非常興奮。在我原來的學校，我每年都能獲得學校的詩歌獎。我害怕體育，也怯於參加集體活動，還不漂亮可愛，但是——我卻能寫得一手好詩。
The poem I wrote for the Edison Roetry Festival was about my dad. I had a good feeling about sharing how special he was to me, even if it was just with the fifth grade and Mrs. Baker.
這次，我爲愛迪生詩歌節寫的詩是關於我爸爸的。我很高興能讓別人知道爸爸對我是多麼特別，儘管只有我所在的五年級的全體同學和我的老師貝克太太分享我的感覺。
English class was not until after lunch period on Mondays, so by the time we started poetry, I was so nervous my mouth was dry as toast. When Mrs. Baker called on me, I had to clear my throat, take a breath and swallow about ten times before I could speak. I didn’t even bother to look at my paper. I’d spent so much time perfecting the rhymes, and counting the beats, that I knew the poem by heart.
星期一的英語課總是在午餐過後纔開始上。那天我們開始研究詩歌的時候，我感到很緊張，嘴巴里幹得就像吃的烤麪包幹一樣。當貝克太太叫到我的時候，我不得不清了清嗓子，深深地吸一口氣，並嚥了大約十口唾沫，纔開始朗誦。我甚至不必費神看我的詩稿，因爲這首詩我花了很多時間完善韻律、對齊音步，所以我對這首詩了熟於胸。
I had just started the third verse when I noticed Mrs. Baker was glaring furiously at me. I stopped in the middle of a word and waited for her to say something.
當我正準備朗誦第三節的時候，我突然注意到貝克太太正憤怒地瞪着我。我一個詞說到一半就停了下來，等待她說些什麼。
“Linda, you are supposed to be reading an original work, a poem you made up yourself, not reciting something you learned. That is called plagiarism!”
“琳達，你應該爲我們朗誦原創的作品，你自己寫的詩，而不是去背誦你學到的詩。這叫剽竊!”
“Oh, but it’s not. I mean... I did make it up, it’s about my dad.” I heard a “Yeah, right!” from somewhere behind me, and someone else giggled.
“哦，這不是的。我的意思是……這首詩就是我自己寫的，是我寫我爸爸的。”我聽到身後有人起鬨道：“是的，沒錯!”其他人則都“咯咯”地笑了起來。
I felt as if I’d somersaulted off the high dive and then, in midair, realized that there was no water in the pool. I opened my mouth to explain, but no words came out.
頓時，我感覺自己像是從高臺翻騰而下跳水，卻在半空中發現水池沒有水。我張着嘴想解釋，但卻一個詞兒也說不出來。
“You will leave the room and will not return until you are ready to apologize,” said Mrs. Baker. “Now. Go!”
“現在請你離開教室，在你準備道歉之前不許回來，”貝克太太厲聲說，“現在，出去!”
My last thought was a flash of understanding as to why the kids had nicknamed her “Battle-Ax Baker”—then my brain just fizzled out, and I turned and left the room.
就在那一刻，一閃念間我突然明白了爲什麼孩子們私下裏給她起了個綽號“貝克戰斧”——接着，我的大腦好像就停止了運轉，我轉過身走出了教室。
I’d been standing outside for about half an hour when Joseph, the school janitor, came over to ask me what heinous crime I’d committed to be banished for so long. He loved using unusual words.
就這樣，我站在教室外面，大約半小時後，學校的大樓管理員約瑟夫看到了我，就問我究竟犯了什麼彌天大罪要被驅逐出教室這麼長時間。他說話的時候總喜歡用些不同尋常的詞。
We’d made friends one morning before school, when he saw me sitting alone, pretending to do homework. He invited me to help open up the classrooms, and after that, it sort of became my job. He always talked to me as we wiped down the chalkboards and turned on the heat. Just that morning he’d been telling me that Mark Twain once said that the difference between the right word and the almost right word is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. I liked that. My dad would have liked it, too.
我和他成爲朋友是在一天早晨上課之前。那天，我一個人坐在教室裏裝模作樣地做作業，約瑟夫看到了，就邀請我幫他去打開其他教室的門。從那之後，這好像就成了我的一項工作。每次當我們一起擦黑板開暖氣的時候，他總是滔滔不絕地跟我說個沒完。就在那天早晨，他還對我談起馬克.吐溫曾經說過的一句話：正確的話和差不多正確的話之間的差別就像是閃電和螢火蟲之間的差別一樣。我很喜歡這句話，我相信我爸爸也會喜歡這句話的。
Now as Joseph waited for me to answer, he looked so kind and sympathetic that I poured out the whole story, trying not to cry. A tightness flashed over his face, and he jerked an enormous yellow duster out of the pocket of his gray overalls. “So what are you going to do?” he asked, rolling up the duster into a tight ball.
現在約瑟夫正在等待我回答他的問題，他和藹地注視着我，目光中充滿了同情。於是，我忍住淚水，把整件事的來龍去脈一股腦兒地全告訴了他。他聽着我的講述，眉頭皺了一下，然後，從他那件灰色工作服的口袋裏拽出一塊巨大的黃色抹布，問道：“那你打算怎麼辦?”一邊把抹布緊緊地捲成—個圓球。
I shrugged, feeling helpless and sad.“I don’t know.”
“我不知道，”我聳了聳肩，感到好無助，好難過。
“Well, you are not going to stand here all day, are you?”
“那你難道打算一整天都站在這兒，是不是?”
I sighed. “I suppose I’ll do what she said. You know... say I’m sorry.”
我嘆了口氣說，“我想我只能照她說的去做了。你知道的……說對不起。”
“You’ll apologize?”
“你要去向她道歉?”
I nodded. “What else can I do? It’s no big deal. I’ll just never write anything good in her class again.”
我點了點頭，說：“我還能怎麼樣呢?這沒什麼大不了的。今後，上她的課我只有再也不寫這麼好的詩了。”
He looked disappointed with my response, so I shrugged once more and turned away from him.
聽了我的回答，他失望地注視着我。我再次聳了聳肩，轉過身去。
“Linda.” The tone of his voice forced me to look back. “Accepting defeat, when you should stand up for yourself, can become a very dangerous habit.” He twisted the duster around his fingers. “Believe me. I know!”
“琳達，”他的語氣迫使我不得不又轉過頭來。“當你應該勇敢地站出來爲自己辯護的時候，你卻接受失敗，這會成爲一個非常危險的習慣，”那塊抹布在他手指上纏繞着，他說，“相信我。我知道的!”
He was staring right into my eyes. I blinked and looked down. His eyes followed mine, and we both noticed my green boots at the same time. Suddenly his face relaxed and creased into a huge smile. He chuckled and said, “You’re going to be just fine. I don’t have to worry about you. When you put on those boots this morning, you knew you were the only Linda Brown in the whole world.” As if he didn’t need it anymore, he cheerfully dropped the duster back into his pocket and folded his arms across his chest. “Those are the boots of someone who can take care of herself and knows when something is worth fighting for.”
看着他那逼人的目光，我眨了眨眼，然後低下了頭。他的目光也跟着我看向地面。幾乎就在同一時刻，我們都注意到了我腳上穿的那雙綠靴子。突然，他那原本嚴肅的神情一下子放鬆下來，臉上也綻開了笑容。“你一定會很快好起來的，我根本就不需要爲你擔心的，其實，當你今天早上穿上這雙靴子的時候，你就知道，世界上只有你纔是唯一的琳達?布朗。”說到這，他興沖沖地收起那塊抹布，把它放回口袋裏，就好像不再需要它似的。然後，雙手交叉抱在胸前，微笑地注視着我說：“穿這雙靴子的人一定是能照顧好自己，並知道什麼時候什麼事情是值得爲之去奮鬥的人!”
His eyes, smiling into mine, woke up a part of me that had been asleep since I’d come to this school, and I knew that he was right about me. I’d just lost direction for a while. I took a deep breath and knocked on the classroom door, ready to face Mrs. Baker—ready to recite my poem.
他的眼睛微笑地看着我，喚醒了我心靈深處的一種東西，自從我來到這所學校以後這些東西就一直沉睡不醒。我知道，約瑟夫對我的看法是正確的，我差一點兒就迷失了方向。然後，我深深地吸了一口氣，敲響了教室的門，我要面對貝克太太——繼續背誦我自己寫的詩。
英語經典美文閱讀Aunt Dolly's Hat
多莉姨媽的帽子
Three things I was sure of as a child: My family loved me. The sun would come up tomorrow. I had a wonderful voice.I figured that was unquestionably true because I participated at the top of my lungs in all the family sing-alongs, and no one ever stopped me. So I was delighted when my second-grade teacher announced her plans for a musical pageant at Christmas.
當我還是小孩子時，曾對3件事情篤信不疑：我的家人都愛我;太陽每天早上都會升起;我的嗓音很美妙。對最後一點我尤其有把握。因爲每當全家一起唱歌時，我都會扯着嗓門大喊，從來沒有人阻止過我。所以當我的二年級老師凱瑟琳嬤嬤宣佈她要在聖誕節當天舉行一場演唱會時，我別提有多高興了。
"Singing," said Sister Kathleen to our class, "is one of the most important ways you can tell God how much you love him." She said she would cast singers according to ability. All 26 of us students raised our hands in eager anticipation.
凱瑟琳嬤嬤對全班同學說：“歌唱是我們向上帝表達愛意的最重要的方式之一。”她說要根據我們的演唱天賦來編排節目，全班26個人都迫不及待地舉起了手。
"Those who feel confident about a solo role, form a line to the right of the piano," Sister said. "If you feel more comfortable as a chorus member, stand to the left."
“想獨唱的同學請站在鋼琴右側，想參加合唱的同學請站在鋼琴左側。”
I was first on the solo line before Sister reached the piano. She showed me a list of tunes, and I picked a family favorite, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling." Sister played, and I sang with all the emotion a seven-year-old could muster. "Thank you, Jacquelyn," Sister said, interrupting. "Next, please." I'd barely sung a dozen lines. Some of the kids snickered as I returned to my seat. What had I done wrong?
我就第一個站到了鋼琴右側。她給了我幾支曲子，我從中挑選了我們家最喜歡唱的《當愛爾蘭眼睛微笑時》。嬤嬤開始彈琴，我則以一個7歲女孩兒所能展示的最豐富的感情開始演唱。可沒唱幾句就被嬤嬤打斷了：“謝謝你，下一位。”當我回到座位上時，看到有些同學在竊笑。難道我做錯什麼事了嗎?
One by one the solo roles were filled. The rest of us were put into the chorus audition line. Sister listened to each student, then arranged us into small groups of similar voices. I was left alone.
獨唱的名額很快就招滿了。嬤嬤聽了每位同學的試唱，然後將聲音接近的人編排在同一個聲部，最後只剩下我孤零零的一個人。
While the other children studied their music, Sister Kathleen motioned me to her desk. She looked kindly at me.
當其他同學開始熟悉歌譜時，嬤嬤把我叫到她的桌前，溫和地看着我。
"Jacquelyn, have you heard the expression tone-deaf?"
“傑奎琳，你聽說過‘音盲’這個詞嗎?”
I shook my head.
我搖了搖頭。
"It means what you think you are singing is different from the music." Sister patted my hand. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, dear. You will still be in the pageant. You will be a lip-syncher. You may mouth the words, but no sound must be uttered. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
“就是說你發出來的聲音與你自己想像的不一樣，”她拉着我的手說。“這沒什麼值得害羞的，親愛的。你仍然可以參加合唱隊。在演唱時，你做出發音的口型就可以了，但不要發聲。你明白我的意思嗎?”
I understood, all right. I was so ashamed, I didn't go home after school. I took the bus straight to Aunt Dolly's house. She had an answer for pendently single in an era when most women wed, she'd gone on safari, shook hands with President Eisenhower, kissed Clark Gable on the cheek, and planned to visit every country in the world. More than anyone else, she would understand that my world had been turned upside down by this terrible revelation.
“我明白。”我是如此羞愧，以至於放學後我沒有回家，而是直接坐公共汽車來到了多莉姑姑家。在我眼裏，沒有什麼事情能夠難得倒她。在那個大多數女性都要嫁人的年代裏，她勇敢地選擇獨身生活。她還參加過狩獵遠征隊，和艾森豪威爾總統握過手，吻過克拉克·蓋博(好萊塢著名男影星)的臉，並打算環遊整個世界。她能理解我的世界是如何被這個可怕的發現搞得翻了天。
Aunt Dolly served me cookies and milk. "What will I do?" I sobbed. "If I don't sing, God will think I don't love him."
多莉姑姑給我端來餅乾和牛奶。“我該怎麼辦?”我抽泣着說，“如果我不能唱歌，上帝會以爲我不愛他的。”
Aunt Dolly dunked her cookie in my milk. She drummed her fingers on the kitchen table as her brow creased in thought. Finally her eyes grew wide. "I've got it!" she said. "I will wear my hat!"
多莉姑姑的手指在桌上敲着，眉頭皺在一起。最後她眼睛一亮，“有辦法了!我將帽子戴上!”
Her hat? How can a hat help me with being tone-deaf? Aunt Dolly leveled her brown eyes on my face. Her voice dropped. "Jacquelyn, I'm about to reveal a bit of secret information about angels, but first you must swear that you will never tell a soul."
帽子?它能幫我解決“音盲”這個大問題嗎?她那棕色的眼睛盯着我，聲音忽然降了下來。“傑奎琳，我得透露一點兒天使的祕密，但首先你得發誓不會告訴任何人。”
"I swear," I whispered.
“我發誓。”我低聲說。
Aunt Dolly took my hand in hers. "When I was in Rome, praying in St. Peter's," she said, "I overheard a conversation in the next pew. It seems that other tone-deaf people also have concerns about God not understanding their silence in song. They were told, in the strictest confidence, of course, that a simple piece of aluminum foil is the answer."
多莉姑姑抓着我的手說：“當我在羅馬聖彼得教堂祈禱時，曾聽到旁邊座位上一個人講話。他也是個音盲，也擔心上帝聽不到他的歌聲。那裏的牧師悄悄告訴他，一小塊鋁箔就可以解決這個問題。”
"I don't understand."
“我不明白。”
"You mouth the words," she said. "Your silent words reflect off the foil. Angels capture the words and put them in special pouches they carry up to God."
“你在嘴裏默默地念出歌詞，它們會通過鋁箔反射，天使就能捕捉到這些聲音，把它們放到特製的袋子裏，然後送給上帝。”
As fantastic as it seemed, I could picture angels doing this. Absolute faith shone in Aunt Dolly's face. I knew she could see the angels too.
雖然聽起來有些玄妙，但我相信萬能的天使還是能夠做到這一點的。況且多莉姑姑表情嚴肅，她是不會欺騙我的。
"The result," she said, "is that God hears your beautiful voice, singing in his praise along with your classmates."
這樣上帝就能聽到你和同學們一起唱讚美詩的美妙聲音了。
"Where will I hide the foil?"
“那我把鋁箔藏在哪兒呢?”
"My hat!" said Aunt Dolly. "I'll hide it in my hat. I'll sit in the front row. As for Sister Kathleen and your parents? Not a single word to them."
“藏在我的帽子裏，”多莉姑姑說。“我會坐在演唱會的前排。不要對凱瑟琳嬤嬤和你的父母泄漏一個字。”
My entire family attended the pageant. I gave what Aunt Dolly called "an Oscar-winning performance." With my eyes firmly on her hat, the fact that none present could hear my voice didn't matter. My silent singing was for God's ears alone.
聖誕節那天，全家都去觀看我的表演。我緊緊盯着她的帽子，根本不去考慮在場的人能否聽到我的聲音，我沉默的歌聲是唱給上帝一個人聽的。演出非常成功，多莉姑姑誇我的表演具有“奧斯卡水準”。
Four years ago Aunt Dolly died at the age of 90. When the nieces and nephews gathered to reminisce about her, we discovered something many of us had in common. Her angelic hat.A stutterer made it through a dreaded speech by concentrating on the hat. The family klutz didn't knock anyone over during his high school commencement march because he kept his eyes glued to the hat. Even the most timid of us took part in school plays, spelling bees and talent shows because Aunt Dolly sat in the front row wearing her surefire faith that God's angels are here to help us overcome life's stumbling blocks enabled us kids to do things we thought were impossible.
4年前多莉姑姑去世了，享年90歲。葬禮結束後，我們晚輩聚在一起，追憶這位令人尊敬的姑媽。我們吃驚地發現，她的“天使帽子”曾幫過我們許多人。一個口吃的外甥盯着她的帽子，完成了自己首次登臺演講;一個膽小的侄女勇敢地參加學校戲劇演出，並在拼寫比賽和天才競賽中獲獎。就因爲多莉姑姑戴着帽子坐在前排，她讓我們相信天使就在我們身邊，幫我們完成了許多自以爲不可能完成的任務。
Even now at times, when my world is turned upside down, I think of Aunt Dolly and remember that my childhood beliefs still hold true. My family loves me. The sun will come up tomorrow. And for one unforgettable Christmas pageant, I had a wonderful voice. I guess just about anything is possible when angels are on our side.
即使到了現在，當我在生活中遇到挫折時，還會想起多莉姑姑和她的“天使帽子”。我童年時的信仰仍然沒有改變：我的家人都愛我;太陽每天早上都會升起;在那個難忘的聖誕節表演中，我擁有最美妙的聲音。她讓我們相信天使就在身邊，讓我們對自己充滿自信。
英語經典美文學習Your Name
你的名字
Jessica Blade
傑西卡.布萊德
I wrote your name in the sky,
我把你的名字寫在藍天,
but the wind blew it away.
可風卻把它吹散;
I wrote your name in the sand,
我把你的名字寫在沙灘,
but the waves washed it away.
可浪卻把它衝散.
I wrote your name in my heart,
我把你的名字寫在心間,
and forever it will stay.
它就留在那裏,永遠永遠.
