小布丁兒0126
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(到處) , in a wayward(任性的.，不規(guī)則的) course, ove r a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.
I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy(狂喜，入迷) –ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of 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(深不可測(cè)的) 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 tried to apprehend(理解) the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flu. 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 pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate(回想，反響) 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.
Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"
He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant. The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"
Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, "Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood." I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested."Yes, it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."
I reflected on(仔細(xì)考慮) what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gunpoint by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him.
Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma(創(chuàng)傷) center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I"d be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.
"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, or I could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness(知覺(jué)) ?" I asked.Jerry continued, "The paramedics(護(hù)理人員) were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the emergency room and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read, "He's a dead man." "I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked."Well, there was a big, burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry."She asked if I was allergic to anything. "Yes," I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, "Bullets!"
Over their laughter, I told them. "I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.Attitude, after all, is everything.
A couple,John and Mary,had two lovely children.John had just been asked to go on a business trip and would be gone for several days.Mary would go along too.They hired a reliable woman to care for children and made the trip,returning home a little earlier than they had planned.
As they drove into their home town feeling glad to be back,they noticed smoke,and they went off their usual route to see what it was.They found a home in flames.Mary said,”O(jiān)h,well, it isn’t our fire,let’s go home.”
But John drove closer and exclaimed, “That home belongs to Fred Jones who works at the plant.He wouldn’t be off work yet,maybe there is something we could do. ” “It has nothing to do with us, ”protested Mary.
But John drove up and stopped and they were both horror stricken to see the whole house in flames.A woman on the lawn was in hysterics screaming, “The children!Get the children! ”John grabbed her by the shoulder saying, “Get a hold of yourself and tell us where the children are! ”“In the basement, ”sobbed the woman,”down the hall and to the left. ”
In spite of Mary’s protests John bolted for the basement which was full of smoke and scorching hot.He found the door and two children.As he left he could hear some more whimpering.He delivered the two badly frightened and nearly suffocated children into waiting arms and started back asking how many more children were down there.They told him two more and Mary grabbed his arm and screamed, “John!Don’t go back!It’!That house will cave in any second. ”
But he ran into the smoke filed hallway and into the room.At last he found both children.As he stumbled up the endless steps,the thought went through his mind that there was something strangely familiar about the little bodies clinging to him,and at last when they came out into the sunlight and fresh air,he found that he had just rescued his own children.
The baby-sitter had left them at this home while she did some shopping.
娃娃哇娃娃呀
閱讀經(jīng)典美文是拓寬思維、增長(zhǎng)見(jiàn)識(shí)、豐富情感、涵養(yǎng)素質(zhì)的最有效手段。我整理了高中英語(yǔ)美文，歡迎閱讀!
肯尼迪總統(tǒng)就職演說(shuō)摘錄
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price，bear any burden,
告知諸國(guó)，不論是希望我們好或不好的國(guó)家，我們都會(huì)不惜任何代價(jià)，
meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty.
承擔(dān)任何重任，不辭艱辛地支持友邦，對(duì)抗敵國(guó)，以確保自由的存續(xù)與成功。
To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends.
對(duì)于那些在文化上或精神上與我們同源的舊盟邦，我們保證會(huì)以摯友的忠貞來(lái)對(duì)待他們。
United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures.
我們?nèi)魣F(tuán)結(jié)合作，則從事種種的合作計(jì)劃幾乎是無(wú)所不能。
Divided, there is little we can do, for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
但若分裂，我們將一籌莫展，因?yàn)槿绻覀冏约河捎谝庖?jiàn)分歧而分裂，便不敢面對(duì)強(qiáng)敵。
To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free,
至于那些新興國(guó)家，我們則歡迎他們加入自由國(guó)家的行列。
we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny.
我們誓言殖民統(tǒng)治結(jié)束后不會(huì)有更殘酷的暴政來(lái)取代。
We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view.
我們并不期望這些新興的國(guó)家會(huì)永遠(yuǎn)支持我們的觀點(diǎn)。
But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom-and to remember that，
但是我們永遠(yuǎn)希望他們能固守屬于自己的自由—而且也希望我們自己能永遠(yuǎn)記得，
in the past, those who foolishly sought to find power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.
在過(guò)去，愚昧地試圖騎著虎背仗勢(shì)求權(quán)的人結(jié)果反入虎腹。
To those peoples in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery,
對(duì)于那些居住在茅屋與村落里正奮力掙脫集體悲慘命運(yùn)的另一半地球民族，
we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required.
只要他們需要，不管到何年何月，我們保證將盡全力幫助他們自救。
Increasing Confidence
Robert Stuberg
The world is changing rapidly and most people are very anxious about it. In fact, I think it might even be stronger and more accurate to say that most people are downright fearful of what they see going on around them.
Technological change and innovation are completely altering many aspects of our lives and it doesn’t stop there. Economic changes, social changes, scientific changes, political changes… the list is endless. However, the big question we all face is how are we going to respond to these changes?
While the specific answers about what to do take time and thought to uncover, the best way to approach the future and all of the changes it will bring can be summed up in one word: Confidence.
Personal confidence is one of the greatest assets we all possess. Certainly some people seem to have much more of it than others but I believe that confidence is a skill that we can all develop. In some ways, it is undoubtedly the most important skill we can develop.
With confidence, all things are within the realm of possibility. Without confidence, even the smallest challenges seem insurmountable.
What I find fascinating is that people with confidence always seem to end up on top. They seem to overcome the obstacles that stand in their way. It’s as if problems and challenges run from the person who has confidence.
I think what’s so difficult for most people is the belief that confidence has to be based on having a specific solution at hand but that’s just not true.
What we all respect and admire is the person who can stand up against overwhelming difficulties and persevere without an answer.
Here’s the secret that most people never get. Life’s challenges are no match for the person with unstoppable confidence. While the problems or challenges might seem too big to be overcome, the person with confidence always finds a way to win regardless of the circumstances.
Ultimately, life’s challenges run and hide from the person that maintains confidence.
This is hard lesson to learn. The problems of life seem so big and scary and we often think of ourselves as so small and fragile. But that’s not the way it is. That’s the illusion that most people by into, but it’s not the truth.
The truth is that we are bigger than anything that can ever happen to us in life. We have the power and ability to overcome any obstacle in our path. And the most important tool we possess is personal confidence, believing in your ability to overcome the current challenge just like we have done so many times in the past.
Whatever challenge is currently in your life, know that it’s there to help you grow and expand. Use the problems you encounter to help you build your personal confidence. Remember, you wouldn’t have the problem if you didn’t have the power to overcome it. Expanding your personal confidence will allow you to take on whatever you need to in order to fulfill your personal mission.
A Reporter Quotes His Sources
It’s rather difficult in these noisy, confusing, nerve-racking days to achieve the peace of mind in which to pause for a moment to reflect on what you believe in. There’s so little time and opportunity to give it much thought—though it is the thing we live by; and without it, without beliefs, human existence today would hardly be bearable.
My own view of life, like everyone else’s, is conditioned by personal experience. In my own case, there were two experiences, in particular, which helped to shape my beliefs: years of life and work under a totalitarian regime, and a glimpse of war.
Living in a totalitarian land taught me to value highly—and fiercely—the very things the dictators denied: tolerance, respect for others and, above all, the freedom of the human spirit.
A glimpse of war filled me with wonder not only at man’s courage and capacity for self-sacrifice, but at his stubborn, marvelous will to preserve, to endure, to prevail—amidst the most incredible savagery and suffering. When you saw people—civilians—who where bombed out, or who, worse, had been hounded in the concentration camps or worked to a frazzle in the slave-labor gangs—when you saw them come out of these ordeals of horror and torture, still intact as human beings, with a will to go on, with a faith still in themselves, in their fellow man, and in God, you realized that man was indestructible. You appreciated, too, that despite the corruption and cruelty of life, man somehow managed to retain great virtues: love, honor, courage, self-sacrifice, compassion.
It filled you with a certain pride just to be a member of the human race. It renewed your belief in your fellow men.
Of course, there are many days (in this Age of Anxiety) when a human being feels awfully low and discouraged. I myself find consolation at such moments by two means: trying to develop a sense of history, and renewing the quest for inner life.
I go back, for example, to reading Plutarch. He reminds you that even in the golden days of Greece and Rome, from which so much that is splendid in our own civilization derives, there was a great deal of what we find so loathsome in life today: war, strife, corruption, treason, double-crossing, intolerance, tyranny, rabble-rousing. Reading history thus gives you perspective. It enables you to see your troubles relatively. You don’t take them so seriously then.
Finally, I find that most true happiness comes from one’s inner life; from the disposition of the mind and soul. Admittedly, a good inner life is difficult to achieve, especially in these trying times. It takes reflection and contemplation. And self-discipline. One must be honest with oneself, and that’s not easy. (You have to have patience and understanding. And, when you can, seek God.)
But the reward of having an inner life, which no outside storm or evil turn of fortune can touch, is, it seems to me, a very great one.
優(yōu)質(zhì)英語(yǔ)培訓(xùn)問(wèn)答知識(shí)庫(kù)
