十篇英语阅读文章.doc

NO.1: I want to know 我只想知道 (By Oriah Mountain Dreamer, a Native American Elder, who speaks of being in touch with your wellspring of happiness, of being in tune with yourself.) It doesnt interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your hearts longing. It doesnt interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive. It doesnt interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow, and if you have been opened by lifes betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide or fade it or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, and if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being a human. It doesnt interest me if the story youre telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself, and if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. I want to know if you can be faithful and trustworthy. I want to know if you can see the beauty even when it is not pretty every day, and if you can source your life from its presence. I want to know if your can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon Yes. It doesnt interest me to know where you live, or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children. It doesnt interest me who you are, or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back. It doesnt interest me with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else fails away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments. *NO.2: The only bed in town 意外的回报 One of the most difficult things to give away is kindness, for it is usually returned. - Mark Ortman With several major conventions in town, there was not a room to be rented anywhere. When an elderly couple walked in out of the cold rain, the desk clerk knew they would never find 1)lodging. In an act of kindness, he offered them the only bed in town, his own bed. The couple at first refused, but through reason and kindness, he persuaded the couple to accept his offer. When they checked out the next morning, the elderly gentleman said to the desk clerk, You are the kind of person who should be managing the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday Ill build one. They 2)chuckled about that and the elderly couple left. The incident and the elderly couple were forgotten by the desk clerk until two years later when he received a letter from the old man requesting he come up to New York and see him. There was a round-trip airline ticket with the letter. The desk clerk thought, Why not? and took the flight to New York. The old man met him at the airport and immediately took him to a construction site to show him an enormous 3)castle-like structure being built there. That, 4)proclaimed the old man, is the hotel Im building for you to manage! The old man was William Waldorf Astor, and the hotel would soon be known as the Waldorf-Astoria. The former desk clerk, George C. Boldt, became the first manager. *NO.3: Today is a Gift 活着是福 Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the rooms only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldnt hear the band - he could see it in his minds eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly and painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you. （怎样去听：1.浏览，查生词。2.泛听，培养语感。3.精听，在大脑中映出每个单词。4.听写，尽可能快的跟着材料听写。练完了，阁下也成精了，呵呵）*NO.4: The Cost of Love 爱的代价One day my daughter wanted to get paid for doing some routine household chores, so she gave me the following list:For washing the car.$5.00 For making my own bed this week.$1.00 Going to the provision shop.$0.50 Playing with little sister .$0.25 Taking out the rubbish.$1.00 Getting a good report card$5.00 And for sweeping the common corridor.$2.00 Total .$14.75 I looked at her standing there expecting payment. A thousand memories flashed through my mind. So I picked up a pen and turning the paper over, this is what I wrote: For 9 months I carried you, growing inside me.NoChargeFor the nights I sat up with you, doctored and prayed for you.NoChargeFor the toys, food and clothes and wiping your nose.NoChargeWhen you add it all up, the full cost of my love.NoChargeWell, when she finished reading, she had great big tears in her eyes. She looked at me and said, Mummy, I love you. Then she took the pen and in great big letters, she wrote, PAID IN FULL. 听完长篇的，是不是有些累？听些短的故事，会让你放轻松。：） *NO.5: I Can Sleep when the Wind Blows 风起入眠 Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. Are you a good farmhand? the farmer asked him.Well, I can sleep when the wind blows, answered the little man.Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him.The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the mans work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hands sleeping quarters.He shook the little man and yelled, Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away! The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.Enraged by the old mans response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot.Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, and he returned to bed to also sleep while the wind blew. 我希望，我们不只是练听力。因为这些文章，更有其超出本意的含义。*NO.6: Free to Soar 断线的风筝 One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds darting and dancing in the heady atmosphere above the earth. As the strong winds gusted against the kites, a string kept them in check. Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the restraining string and the cumbersome tail kept them in tow, facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say, Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free! They soared beautifully even as they fought the imposed restriction of the string. Finally, one of the kites succeeded in breaking loose. Free at last it seemed to say. Free to fly with the wind. Yet freedom from restraint simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic breeze. It fluttered ungracefully to the ground and landed in a tangled mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. Free at last free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to lodge lifeless against the first obstruction. How much like kites we sometimes are. The Lord gives us adversity and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Restraint is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. Some of us tug at the rules so hard that we never soar to reach the heights we might have obtained. We keep part of the commandment and (pardon the pun) never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground. Let us each rise to the great heights our Heavenly Father has in store for us, recognizing that some of the restraints that we may chafe under are actually the steadying force that helps us ascend and achieve. 由易入难，更高级的，在后面！*NO7: What Time is It? 时间观念谈 Before meeting with my friend Leticia from Honduras, Central America, I would ask her if she was arriving according to North American time or Latin American time. Smiling, she would answer, A la hora Latina, of course. This meant that she would be late. The concept of time is very different for Latin Americans than for North Americans. Life in the United States is fast-paced. There are fast food restaurants, overnight delivery services, shuttle services, instant cash machines, fast weight loss plans, and even instant minute rice. 1)Avidly following such sayings as, The early bird gets the worm, and, First come, first served, North Americans even have their meals in an efficient manner. Microwaves help nuke their early breakfasts, noon lunches, and five-oclock dinners. Time is money for big businesses. Everyone follows set agendas. Minutes are taken at meetings that are precisely scheduled. North Americans take pride in 2)juggling busy work schedules and still finding time to spend with family and friends. Latin Americans stroll leisurely through life. They 3)amble past open-air restaurants, across shaded 4)patios tucked behind walls of 5)Bougainvillea. In the cafes, the service is slow but 6)courteous. Outside on the streets, people walk by, not for weight purposes, but to get somewhere. Buses arrive and depart on their own schedule, sometimes sooner or later than their printed times. And if you miss the bus, wait. One will come along eventually. Mid-morning breakfasts are homemade. Lunch is around three in the afternoon and dinner could be anytime after the arranged time. No one follows a set agenda, but business is accomplished at a 7)gradual and comfortable pace. Watches are not followed precisely, and one barely ever hears the question, What time is it? This cultural difference has proven to be a problem for many North Americans visiting Latin American countries and vice versa. For example, this problem has 8)escalated on the issue of adoption. While in Honduras the summer of 1989, I translated for couples from the United States who were looking for children to adopt from Central America. All legal procedures were transacted between a lawyer from the U.S. and a Honduran lawyer. Legal matters on the North American end were handled almost immediately. The Honduran lawyer, however, was considerably slower with field work and paper work and was unable to give definite dates or times for the completion of the adoption. This created a cultural barrier and added to the confusion of the situation. Without understanding these cultural differences, one could eventually feel offended. Having lived for five years in the Dominican Republic, I am able to understand the two concepts of time but am torn between them. People in the United States, while accomplishing much, need to live less by the clock and stroll through more of their days. Although Latin America can sometimes be very frustrating and remind us that, indeed, patience is a virtue, one should slow down long enough to enjoy lifes simple pleasure. So whenever I am asked, Why are you late? I simply reply, According to whose time? 我的朋友莱蒂西亚是中美洲国家洪都拉斯人，每次约定见面的时候，我都会事先问她是依据北美时间到达还是拉美时间到达。她总会笑眯眯地回答说：“当然是按拉丁时间啦”，这意味着她将会迟到。拉美人和北美人的时间观念是大不相同的。 美国的生活是快节奏的，例如有快餐店、24小时速递服务、特快专列、即时提款机、快速减肥计划，甚至是速熟大米等等。美国人坚信的信条有：“早起的鸟儿有虫吃”、“先到先得”。 北美人就算是吃饭也很有效率，微波炉一早就把他们的早餐、午餐和五点的晚餐加热好了。 对于商业活动来说，时间就是金钱。每个人都按安排好的议程办事。开会所用的时间跟时间表上的时间一分不差。北美人对可以有效地兼顾事业和家庭感到很自豪。 拉美人的生活节奏显得从容不迫。他们悠闲地走过露天餐馆、穿过阴凉的天井，旁边的墙上密密麻麻地长满了九重葛。虽然咖啡馆上菜的速度很慢，可那里的服务态度却非常的好。大街上那些走着的人不是在减肥，而是为了去某处。公共汽车按照它们自己的时间表来来去去，有时会比预定的时间早或晚。如果你错过了一班公车，等吧！下一班车总会来的。中早餐是自己家里做的，午餐大概是下午三点钟，而晚餐则相当随意，多晚都行。他们的议程安排是随意的。但达成生意的节奏是轻松并且是循序渐进的。没人会精确地按时钟行事，几乎听不到以下的问题：“现在几点了？” 很多到拉美国家参观的北美人对这种文化差异感到很不习惯，反之，拉美人也有同样的感受。例如在儿童收养问题上，这种文化冲突问题就表现得很明显。1989年的夏天，我在洪都拉斯帮一对美国夫妇做翻译，他们想收养一个中美洲儿童。一位美国律师以及一位洪都拉斯律师被指定负责办理相关的法律程序。美国方面的律师很快就完成了有关法律文本的制作，但洪都拉斯的律师却是进展缓慢，他的调查工作和文本处理都显得很拖沓，并且他还不能给出办好手续的确切时间。这种文化冲突使事情变得更复杂。 如果不了解这种文化差异的话，有可能闹得很不愉快。在多米尼加共和国住了五年后，我对两地的时间观念有了深刻的理解，也深受其苦。美国人的效率很高，但却需要减少对时钟的依赖，让生活过得悠闲点。虽然拉美人有时候给我们的感觉是很消极的，但有耐心是种美德，每个人都应该留有充裕的时间慢慢享受生活中简单的乐趣。所以当有人问我：“你为什么迟到？”时，我总会回答说：“根据谁的时间呢？” *NO.8: If Only I had Known 假如我知道 Thomas Carlyle lived from 1795 until 1881. He was a Scot essayist and historian. During his lifetime he became one of the worlds greatest writers. But he was a human and humans make mistakes. On October 17, 1826, Carlyle married his secretary Jane Welsh. She was an intelligent, attractive and somewhat temperamental daughter of a well-to-do doctor. They had their quarrels and misunderstandings, but still loved each other dearly. After their marriage, Jane continued to serve as his secretary. But, after several years of marriage, Jane became ill. Being a hard worker, Carlyle became so absorbed in his writings that he let Jane continue working for several weeks after she became ill. She had cancer, and though it was one of the slow growing kind, she finally became confined to her bed. Although Carlyle loved her dearly, he very seldom found time to stay with her long. He was busy with his work. When Jane died they carried her to the cemetery for the service. The day was a miserable day. It was raining hard and the mud was deep. Following the funeral Carlyle went back to his home. He was taking it pretty hard. He went up the stairs to Janes room and sat down in the chair next to her bed. He sat there thinking about how little time he had spent with her and wishing so much he had a chance to do it differently. Noticing her diary on a table beside the bed, he picked it up and began to read it. Suddenly he seemed shocked. He saw it. There, on one page, she had written a single line. Yesterday he spent an hour with me and it was like heaven; I love him so. Something dawned on him that he had not noticed before. He had been too busy to notice that he meant so much to her. He thought of all the times he had gone about his work w