英语经典美文诵读 1
母亲永远成不了父亲
A Unique Job
A father's job is unique.
If parents had job descriptions mine would read: organize bills, playmates, laundry, meals, laundry, carpool1, laundry, snacks, outings and shopping, and laundry.
The only thing on my husband's description would be the word “fun” written in big red letters along the top. Although he is a selfless caregiver and provider, our children think of him more as a combination of a jungle gym2 and bozo3 and clown.
Our parenting styles compliment each other. His style is a nonstop adventure where no one has to worry about washing their hands, eating vegetables, or getting cavities4. My style is similar to Mussolini5. I'm too busy worrying to be fun. Besides, every time I try, I am constantly outdone by my husband.
I bought my children bubble gum flavored toothpaste and I taught them how to brush their teeth in tiny circles so they wouldn't get cavities. They thought it was neat until my husband taught them how to rinse6 by spitting out water between their two front teeth like a fountain.
I took the children on a walk in the woods and, after two hours, I managed to corral7 a slow ladybug8 into my son's insect cage. I was “cool” until their father came home, spent two minutes in the backyard, and captured a beetle the size of a Chihuahua9.
I try to tell myself I am a good parent even if my husband does things I can't do. I can make sure my children are safe, warm, and dry. I'll stand in line for five hours so the children can see Santa at the mall ?? or be first in line to see the latest Disney movie. But I can't wire the VCR1 so my children can watch their favorite video.
I can carry my children in my arms when they are tired, tuck them into bed, and kiss them goodnight. But I can't flip them upside down so they can walk on the ceiling or prop them on my shoulders so they can see the moths flying inside of the light fixture2.
I can take them to doctor appointments, scout meetings, or field trips to the aquarium3, but I'll never go into the wilderness, skewer4 a worm on a hook, reel in5 a fish, and cook it over an open flame on a piece of tin foil6.
I'll even sit in the first row of every Little League game and cheer until my throat is sore and my tonsils7 are raw8, but I'll never teach my son how to hit a home run9 or slide into first base10.
As a mother I can do a lot of things for my children, but no matter how hard I try ?? I can never be their father.
母亲永远成不了父亲 A Unique Job
当爸是件无人能替代的活儿。
如果为人父母有职务简述的话，我的“职务简述”将会包括如下内容：管理账单和孩子们的玩耍同伴、洗衣、做饭、洗衣、安排与人合伙用车、洗衣、准备小吃、安排短途旅游、购物、洗衣。
我先生的“职务简述”是在上端用红色写出的两个大字——“乐子”。尽管他无私地给予孩子们百般关爱，尽其所能为他们提供所需，我们的孩子们更多的时候还是把他看作攀缘游戏架、大傻瓜和小丑的三合一。
我们俩为人父母的风格是互补的。他的风格是持续不断的探险，在这过程中，没有人需要操心孩子是不是洗手了，是不是吃蔬菜了，或者会不会长蛀牙。我的风格则类似墨索里尼的执政风格。我太忙了，为这操心，为那操心，哪里顾得上找什么乐子。再者，每次我试图逗孩子们开心，我总是被我先生比下去。
我给孩子们买来带泡泡糖香味的牙膏，教他们如何用牙刷转圈儿刷牙以免得蛀牙。他们认为那样刷挺好玩，直到有一天我先生教他们如何漱口——从两颗门牙间把水喷出来。他们发现这才叫好玩。
我带孩子们到小树林里去散步，两个小时后，我好不容易才逮住一个迟钝的瓢虫放进我儿子的虫笼里。在他们眼里我是够“酷”的，直到他们的父亲回家，在后院里只花了两分钟，便捕获了一只有奇瓦瓦小狗那么大的甲虫!
我劝慰自己我是个好妈妈，尽管我先生能做的事情我做不了。我可以确保我的孩子们是安全的、暖和的、干干爽爽的。我可以排队等5个小时，让孩子们在大商场里看到圣诞老人——或者第一个排队让孩子们看最新的迪斯尼影片。但是我不会给录像机接上电线，好让孩子们看他们喜欢的录像。
当孩子玩累时，我可以把他们抱到床上，亲吻他们，送他们进入梦乡。但是我无法让他们头冲下，那样他们可以脚踏天花板漫步;或者把他们扛在我的肩膀上，让他们看飞蛾如何在灯具里飞舞。
我可以带他们去看医生，参加童子军集会，或者带他们去参观水族馆，但是我永远也不会进入荒郊野地，在鱼钩上挂上虫饵，钓上一条鱼，然后把鱼用锡纸包起来在明火上烤着吃。
我甚至可以出席每一场少年棒球联合会的比赛，坐在第一排呐喊助威，直到我的嗓子喊疼了，我的扁桃体发炎了，但是我永远无法教我的儿子如何打一个本垒打或者如何巧妙进入一垒的位置。
作为一个母亲，我可以为我的孩子们做许多事情，但是不管我怎样努力——我永远成为不了他们的父亲。
by Debbie Farmer 牧野 选译
英语经典美文诵读 2
For Love of Children 给孩子的爱
This slender volume opens with the story of Beniah, an infant rescued by sanitation workers from the stack of garbage in which he had been left to die. Without ever losing sight of Beniah and the too many other deserted children, the author, Sharon Emecz, tells the story of the two homes for abandoned children, Happy Life Kasarani and Happy Life Juja Farm, organized in the area of Nairobi, Kenya.
Developed more than a decade ago by two indomitable couples, Sharon and Jim Powell from Delaware in the USA, and Faith and Peter Kamau from Nairobi, the two settings provide the physical and emotional comforts that would otherwise have been denied the 102 abandoned children now living there, as well as having nurtured the many more who have found adoptive homes. More than that even, the two homes have literally saved the lives of all those children.
The book provides detail of the structure and functioning of The Happy Life homes allowing for an appreciation of their organization (as well as a pattern for their replication), and provides as well brief portraits of some of the children saved, of those adults who have opted to share a part of their lives with them whether through work or volunteering, and the adoptive parents who have pledged to share their homes and their love with the children who have become their own. Ms. Emecz gives the reader a real sense of the spiritual journey she has undergone in traveling from London to Nairobi, a journey she and her husband, Steve, now make at least annually.
英语经典美文诵读 3
What I have Lived for 我为何而生
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.
I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy---ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of my life for a few hours for this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness---that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what---at last---I have found.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.
Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always it brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.
This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.
Clear Your Mental Space 保持心灵的整洁
Think about the last time you felt a negative emotion---like stress, anger, or frustration. What was going through your mind as you were going through that negativity? Was your mind cluttered with thoughts? Or was it paralyzed, unable to think?
The next time you find yourself in the middle of a very stressful time, or you feel angry or frustrated, stop. Yes, that’s right, stop. Whatever you’re doing, stop and sit for one minute. While you’re sitting there, completely immerse yourself in the negative emotion.
Allow that emotion to consume you. Allow yourself one minute to truly feel that emotion. Don’t cheat yourself here. Take the entire minute---but only one minute---to do nothing else but feel that emotion.
When the minute is over, ask yourself, “Am I wiling to keep holding on to this negative emotion as I go through the rest of the day?”
Once you’ve allowed yourself to be totally immersed in the emotion and really fell it, you will be surprised to find that the emotion clears rather quickly.
If you feel you need to hold on to the emotion for a little longer, that is OK. Allow yourself another minute to feel the emotion.
When you feel you’ve had enough of the emotion, ask yourself if you’re willing to carry that negativity with you for the rest of the day. If not, take a deep breath. As you exhale, release all that negativity with your breath.
This exercise seems simple---almost too simple. But, it is very effective. By allowing that negative emotion the space to be truly felt, you are dealing with the emotion rather than stuffing it down and trying not to feel it. You are actually taking away the power of the emotion by giving it the space and attention it needs. When you immerse yourself in the emotion, and realize that it is only emotion, it loses its control. You can clear your head and proceed with your task.
Try it. Next time you’re in the middle of a negative emotion, give yourself the space to feel the emotion and see what happens. Keep a piece of paper with you that says the following:
Stop. Immerse for one minute. Do I want to keep this negativity? Breath deep, exhale, release. Move on!
This will remind you of the steps to the process. Remember; take the time you need to really immerse yourself in the emotion. Then, when you feel you’ve felt it enough, release it---really let go of it. You will be surprised at how quickly you can move on from a negative situation and get to what you really want to do!
拓展阅读
1、经典英语美文欣赏浪漫之都·巴黎
ah, beautiful paris. for centuries this city has attracted the admiration of the world. the allure and charm of paris captivate all who visit there.
啊，美丽的巴黎!几世纪来，这个城市吸引了整个世界的崇拜。巴黎的诱惑与魅力吸引了所有到此游玩的人。
where can you discover the charm of paris for yourself? is it in the legacy of all the french rulers who worked to beautify their beloved city? is it in the famous castles, palaces, statues and monuments, such as the eiffel tower? can you find it in the world-class museums, such as the louvre? perhaps paris 8217; allure lies in the zest and style of the parisians.
你在哪里可以找到巴黎对你自己的吸引力呢?是否是在历任的法国统治者们在美化他所钟爱的城市所留下來的遗产里?还是在那些有名的城堡、皇宫雕像和纪念碑例如艾菲尔铁塔之中?你能否在世界一流的博物馆，倒如卢浮宫中找着呢?或许巴黎的诱惑力在于巴黎人的特殊品味和风格。
when you visit paris, you don 8217;t have to spend all of your time visiting museums and monuments. they are certainly worthy of your time, but ignore them for a day. first take some time to look around and experience life in paris. you 8217;ll find it charming.
当你到巴黎游玩时，別把时间全都花在看博物馆和纪念碑上面。它们当然很值得你花时间，但今天先忘掉它们。首先来四处看看，并体验一下巴黎的生活。你会发现它的迷人之处。
take a stroll along the seine river. browse through the art vendors, colorful paintings. peek through delicate iron gates at the well-kept gardens. watch closely for the french attention to detail that has made france synonymous with good taste. you will see it in the design of a doorway or arch and in the little fountains and quaint balconies. no matter where you look, you will find everyday objects transformed into works by art.
沿著塞纳河漫步。浏览艺术家们丰富色彩的绘画，透过那些精致的铁门，向內偷窺那些精心照看的花园。仔细留心法国人对于细节的留心。这使得法国成为“好品味”同义字。你可以在门廊或拱门以及小喷泉和古怪有趣的走廊的设计上看见。不管你往哪里看，你都可以发现日常物品已经变成了艺术品。
spend some time in a quiet park relaxing on an old bench. lie on your back on the green grass. when you need refreshment, try coffee and pastries at a sidewalk cafe. strike up a conversation with a parisian. this isn 8217;t always easy, though. with such a large international population living in paris, true natives are hard to find these days.
花些时间，在一个安静的公园里面的旧板凳上轻松地休息。躺在青草地上。想吃点心的时候，尝尝路边咖啡店的咖啡及点心。找一个巴黎人展开一段会话，但这也不太容易。有这么大的国际人口居住在此地。在这个年头要找到一个真正当地的巴黎人是很难的。
as evening comes to paris, enchantment rises with the mist over the riverfront. you may hear music from an outdoor concert nearby: classical, jazz, opera or chansons, those french folk songs. parisians love their music. the starry sky is their auditorium. you can also hear concerts in the chateaux and cathedrals. in paris the music never ends.
巴黎到了傍晚时分，随着码头上的雾气升起，巴黎的诱惑力也随之而起。你也会听到附近室外音乐会所演奏的乐曲。古典、爵士、歌剧或是香颂、即法国的民歌。巴黎人热爱自己的音乐，繁星点缀的天空，就是他们演奏的大礼堂。你也可以在皇宫或教堂里聆听音乐会。在巴黎，音乐是不会停止的。
don 8217;t miss the highlight of paris evening: eating out. parisians are proud of their cuisine. and rightly so; it 8217;s world famous. gourmet dining is one of the indispensable joys of living. you need a special guidebook to help you choose one of the hundreds of excellent restaurants. the capital of france boasts every regional specialty, cheese and wine the country has to offer. if you don 8217;t know what to order, ask for the suggested menu. the chef likes to showcase his best dishes there. remember, you haven 8217;t tasted the true flavor of france until you 8217;ve dined at a french restaurant in paris.
2、经典英语美文欣赏简单的举止改变人的一生
The Power of Your Actions
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, 8220;Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd. 8221; I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friend the following afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him, and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, I saw a tear in his eye.
I handed him his glasses and said, 8220;Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives. 8221;
He looked at me and said, 8220;Hey, thanks! 8221; There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. It turned out he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before coming to this school.
I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. We hung all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, 8220;Damn boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday! 8221; He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.
When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class.
I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn 8217;t me having to get up there and speak. ( to be continued)
当我还在上高一时，有一天，我看到我们班的一个孩子正步行回家。他叫凯尔。他似乎背着所有的书。我心想：“为什么有人在周五就把所有的书都带回家呢?他肯定是个书呆子。”我的周末计划得非常详细(先是派对，在第二天下午和我的朋友踢足球)。因此我耸了耸肩，走开了。
正走着，我看到一帮孩子朝他跑去。他们追上他，把他所有的书都从怀里扔到地上并把他绊倒，结果他摔在污泥里，眼镜也*飞了，我看到它落在离他10英尺远的草地上。他抬起头时，我看到他眼里极度悲伤的表情。
我的心也随他而去。因此，我慢步向他跑过去。在他爬着寻找眼镜时，我看到了他眼中的泪水。
我把眼镜递给他，说道：“那些家伙都是些蠢蛋，他们真该遭到*。”
他看了看我，说：“嗨，谢谢了!”笑容在他脸上展现。正是这样的笑显示出了真正的感激。我帮他捡起书，问他住在哪里。原来他住得离我很近。于是我就问他，怎么以前我从没有见过他呢，他说在来这所学校以前他上的是私立学校。
以前，我从不与私立学校的孩子交往。我们一路聊着回家，我帮他拿着书。他原来竟是一位非常讨人喜欢的孩子，我问他是否周六想跟我及我的朋友一起踢足球。他答应了。整个周末我们都在一起，对凯尔了解得越多，我越是喜欢他。我的朋友也都这么认为。到了周一早晨，凯尔又要背上那个巨大的书包了。我制止他，说：“傻孩子，你每天背这么一大堆书，想练就一身强壮的肌肉呀!”他只是笑，并把一半书都递给了我。接下来的四年里，凯尔和我成为最好的朋友。
到了高年级后，我们开始考虑上大学的事。凯尔决定去乔治敦，而我要去杜克。我知道我们永远都是朋友，距离决不会成为问题。他以后想当一名医生，而我则要用足球奖学金经商。凯尔是我们班致告别词的学生代表。
我总是取笑他是一个书呆子。他必须为毕业准备一个演讲。我很庆幸不是我要站在那儿演讲。(待续)
3、经典英语美文欣赏拥抱今天
Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.
我们的潜意识里藏着一派田园诗般的风光! 我们仿佛身处一次横贯大陆的漫漫旅程之中! 乘着火车, 我们领略着窗外流动的景色：附近高速公路上奔驰的汽车、十字路口处招手的孩童、远山上吃草的牛群、源源不断地从电厂排放出的烟尘、一片片的玉米和小麦、平原与山谷、群山与绵延的丘陵、天空映衬下城市的轮廓, 以及乡间的庄园宅第!
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering 8211;waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
8220;When we reach the station, that will be it! 8220;we cry. 8220;When I 8217;m 18. 8220; 8221;When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz! 8220; 8221;When I put the last kid through college. 8220; 8221;When I have paid off the mortgage! 8221; 8221;When I get a promotion. 8221; 8221;When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after! 8220;
然而我们心里想得最多的却是最终的目的地! 在某一天的某一时刻, 我们将会抵达进站! 迎接我们的将是乐队和飘舞的彩旗! 一旦到了那儿, 多少美梦将成为现实, 我们的生活也将变得完整, 如同一块理好了的拼图! 可是我们现在在过道里不耐烦地踱来踱去, 咒骂火车的拖拖拉拉! 我们期待着, 期待着, 期待着火车进站的那一刻!
8220;当我们到站的时候, 一切就都好了! 8220;我们呼喊着! 8220;当我18岁的时候! 8220; 8221;当我有了一辆新450SL奔驰的时候! 8220; 8221;当我供最小的孩子念完大学的时候! 8220; 8221;当我偿清*的时候! 8220; 8221;当我官升高任的时候! 8220; 8221;当我到了退休的时候, 就可以从此过上幸福的生活啦! 8220;
Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
8220;Relish the moment 8220;is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118：24： 8221;This is the day which the Lord hath made;we will rejoice and be glad in it. 8220;It isn 8217;t the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
可是我们终究会认识到人生的旅途中并没有车站, 也没有能够 8221;一到永逸 8221;的地方!生活的真正乐趣在于旅行的过程, 而车站不过是个梦, 它始终遥遥领先于我们!
8220;享受现在 8221;是句很好的箴言, 尤其是当它与《*·诗篇》中第118页24行的一段话相映衬的时候, 更是如此： 8221;今日乃主所创造;生活在今日我们将欢欣、高兴! 8220;真正令人发疯的不是今日的负担, 而是对昨日的悔恨及对明日的恐惧! 悔恨与恐惧是一对孪生窃贼, 将今天从你我身边偷走!
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. In stead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.
那么就不要在过道里徘徊吧, 别老惦记着你离车站还有多远! 何不换一种活法, 将更多的高山攀爬, 多吃点儿冰淇淋甜甜嘴巴, 经常光着脚板儿溜达溜达, 在更多的河流里畅游, 多看看夕阳西下, 多点欢笑哈哈, 少让泪水滴答! 生活得一边过一边瞧! 车站就会很快到达!
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