大学英语学生自选读物(简易精彩29篇).doc

大学英语自选读物（精彩篇）年月大学英语教学改革扩展项目课题组前 言亲爱的同学们，这本阅读材料是我们学校2005年的一个“大学英语教改”课题成果。它收集了当时参加课题实验的04级同学们（大一第二学期）自选的29篇精彩文章，字数约在1万1千字左右，涵盖爱情、工作、生活、人物等多种主题。我们最初让同学去自由选材，目的是了解同学们平时阅读的喜好、习惯以及可接受的阅读难度。我们共收集到了140多篇故事和小短文。这些故事和小短文让我们进一步了解了这些同学们的学习，为我们的英语教学提供了丰富的信息。现在，我们将其中的一小部分筛选出来，也让你们了解他们在读什么，读多大难度的文章，及他们都是在哪儿获得这些阅读材料的。我们根据材料的内容，编排了一些简单的问题，希望大家在阅读之后，并尝试回答每篇后的问题（后附答案）。我们认为这些简易有趣的读物对大家很快地增加词汇量和阅读速度有帮助。由于篇幅的关系，我们只收集部分同学的选文。另外，还因时间的关系，我们无法对材料中没有标注的同学姓名和材料出处一一核实，敬请原谅。我们感谢范永兰、王海兰、张玲梅和喻萍四位老师的辛勤工作。你们生活在一个英语学习的大好的环境中，周围的英语资源非常丰富。这些资料虽然有用，但也庞杂纷扰，容易让人迷失。我们希望这本阅读材料能为你起到引领的作用，使大家最终能获得英语学习的巨大成功。学习快乐！大学英语改革扩展项目课题组 章少泉，李勇忠，唐雄英Part I StoryWe used to be crazy about stories when we were little kids, and I believe we will always like reading them even now we are grown up. In fact, stories are what make our lives interesting and inspiring. 1 Things are not what they seemTwo traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied, “Things arent always what they seem.” The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have good nights rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field. The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, “How could this happen?” “Why did you not watch out for the cow? The first man had everything, yet you watched over his house.” she accused, “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you did not help.” “Things arent always what they seem.” The angel replied, “When we stayed in the basement, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal the wall so he wouldnt find it. Then last as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. Things arent always what they seem.”选自：征服英语一百篇New words: basement 地下室hospitable热情好客的Task: Fill in the blanks to complete a summary of this story:Two angels asked to spend the night with two families, one is rich, the other is poor. The rich one let them stay in the _, the poor one let them sleep in their _. In return, the rich lost _, the poor lost a cow. It seems _, but things are not _ _ _.2 A Safe BetIt was nearly seven oclock, when a man walked into a bar, ordered a drink and turned to watch the television.The seven oclock news was on and it was showing a man standing on top of a tall building. He was looking down at the crowd of people below.On the ground, a police officer with a megaphone was trying to persuade him not to jump.Lets talk about your problem, the police officer was saying. Perhaps we can help you.The man turned to the bartender and said, I bet you a hundred dollars he doesnt jump.The bartender looked at him. Youre offering me a hundred dollars if he jumps? Is that right?Yes. I dont think hell jump.The bartender smiled. O.K. Youve got a bet.The man turned back to the TV and watched it carefully. The bartender, however, did not seem to be very interested. He continued washing glasses and serving the other customers.Then, after about five minutes, the man on the building threw himself off the roof and fell to the ground.The man in the bar turned to the bartender.He jumped, he said. You win.He held out a hundred dollar bill to the bartender, but the bartender would not take it. I cant take your money, he said. I knew I couldnt lose. That story was on the six oclock news. I saw him jump.Well, yes, so did I, the man said, but I didnt think hed do such a stupid thing twice.李黎 选自：英文辅导报2004-2005第期New Words:megaphone 扩音器bartender 酒吧侍者Task: Answer the following questions.1. What did the two bet on?2. Who won?3. Why could the winner win? And4. Why did the other lose?3 Top SalesmanA young guy from Virginia moves to California and goes to a big department store looking for a job. The manager says, Do you have any sales experience? The kid says, Yeah, I was a salesman back home in Virginia. The boss liked the kid, so he gave him the job. You start tomorrow. Ill come down after we close and see how you did. His first day on the job was rough but he got through it. After the store was locked up, the boss came down. How many sales did you make today? The kid says, One. The boss says, Just one? Our sales people average 20 or 30 sales a day. How much was the sale for? Kid says, 101,237.64. Boss says, 101,237.64? What did you sell him? Kid says, First I sold him a small fish hook. Then I sold him a medium fish hook. Then I sold him a larger fish hook. Then I sold him a new fishing rod. Then I asked him where he was going fishing, and he said down at the coast, so I told him he was gonna need a boat, so we went down to the boat department, and I sold him that twin engine Chris Craft. Then he said he didnt think his Honda Civic would pull it, so I took him down to the automotive department and sold him that 4X4 Blazer. The boss said, A guy came in here to buy a fish hook and you sold him a boat and truck? The kid says, No, he came in here to buy a box of tampons for his wife, and I said, Well, since your weekends short, you might as well go fishing. 郑小明 选 New Words:hook 钩 rod 杆tampons 塞伤口等用的棉塞Task 1: Answer the following questions:1) How did you like the story?2) Can you guess what a 4X4 Blazer is?3) Do agree that the kid is an experienced salesmen?4) How can he make such a big sale?Task 2: Do you still remember the stuffs the kid sold to the customer? The customer first came in to buy a _, then the kid tried to sell a _, then a _, then a _, then a _, then a _, and finally the a _. The total amount of the sale is _.Task 3: Can you retell the story now?4 Thirteen Equals OneOur vicar is always raising money for one cause or another. But he has never managed to get enough money to have the church clock repaired. The big clock which used to strike the hours day and night was damaged many years ago, and has been silent ever since.One night, however, the vicar woke up with a start: the clock was striking the hours! Looking at his watch, he saw it was one oclock. But the bell stroke thirteen times before it stopped. Armed with a torch, the vicar went up into the clock tower to see what was going on. In the torchlight, he caught sight of a figure whom he immediately recognized as BILL,our local grocer.“Whatever are you doing up here Bill?” asked the vicar in surprise. “I am trying to repair the bell,” answered Bill. “I have been here night after night for weeks now. You see, I was hoping to give you a surprise!”“You certainly did give me a surprise.” Said the vicar, “and you have probably woken up everyone in the village as well. Still I am glad that the clock is working again.”“That is just the trouble!” answered Bill. “It is working all right. But I am afraid at one oclock it will strike thirteen times and there is nothing I can do about it!”“We will get used to it,Bill ” said the vicar, “thirteen is not as good as one , but it is better than nothing . Now lets go downstairs and have a cup of tea.”黄奕莹选自：新概念英语第三册New words:vicar 社区牧师torch火把Task: Can you summarize the story in your own words?5 Regarding JerryJerry 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 his style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, I dont get it! You cant 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, its 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: Its your choice how you live life. I reflected on 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 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, Id 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. Werent you scared? Did you lose consciousness? I asked. Jerry continued, The paramedics 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, Hes 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. 选自旺旺英语学习网上旺旺英语经典双语阅读栏下的 轻松英语中的英语文库中的New words:safe 保险柜slipped off 忘记，遗漏combination 开启号码锁的号码组合trauma 创伤，外伤scars 伤疤paramedics 护理人员allergic 过敏的Task: Have you something to say to Jerry?6 And It Was SoGod created the mule, and told him, You will be mule, working constantly from dusk to dawn, carrying heavy loads on your back. You will eat grass and lack intelligence .You will live for 50 years. The mule answered, To live like this for 50 years is too much. Please, give me no more than 20.And it was so. Then God created the dog, and told him, You will hold vigilance over the dwellings of Man, to whom youwill be the greatest companion. You will eat his table scrapsand live for 25 years. And the dog responded, Lord, to live 25 years as a dog like that is too much. Please, no more than 10 years. And it was so. God then created the monkey, and told him, You are monkey. You shall swing from tree to tree, acting like an idiot. You will be funny, and you shall live for 20 years. And the monkey responded, Lord, to live 20 years as the clown of the world is too much. Please, Lord, give me no more then 10 years. And it was so. Finally, God created Man and told him, You are Man, the only rational being that walks on the earth. You will use your intelligence to have mastery over the creatures ofthe world. You will dominate the earth and live for 20 years. And the man responded, Lord, to be Man for only 20 years is too little. Please, Lord, give me the 30 years the mule refused, the 15 years the dog refused, and the 10 years the monkey rejected. And it was so. And so God made Man to live 20 years as a man, then marry and live 30 years as a mule-working and carrying heavy loads on his back. Then, he is to have children and live 15 years as a dog-guarding his house and eating the leftoversafter they empty the pantry; then, in his old age, he is to live 10 years as a monkey-acting like an idiot to amuse his grandchildren.官自文/黄慧选自疯狂英语mule 骡vigilance 警惕，机智scrap 残余物idiot 白痴，傻瓜clown 小丑mastery 支配，掌握pantry 餐具Task: T or F?1. Mule did not like to be looked as a clown and refused to live longer.2. Man asked to live longer but lived a miserable life.7An Apple TreeA long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and lay around it everyday. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow. He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.Time went by. the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree everyday. One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad. Come and play with me, the tree asked the boy. I am no longer a kid, I dont play around trees anymore. The boy replied, I want toys. I need money to buy them. Sorry, but I dont have money.but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money. The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad. One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited. Come and play with me the tree said. I dont have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me? Sorry, but I dont have a house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house. So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad. One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. Come and play with me! the tree said. I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat? Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy. So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time. Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. Sorry, my boy. But I dont have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you. the tree said. I dont have teeth to bite the boy replied. No more trunk for you to climb on I am too old for that now the boy said. I really cant give you anything . the only thing left is my dying roots the tree said with tears. I dont need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years. The boy replied. Good! Old tree roots is the best place to lean on and rest. Come, Come sit down with me and rest. The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears. This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parent. When we were young, we loved to play with Mom and Dad. When we grown up, we left them, and only came to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could to make you happy. You may think that the boy is cruel to the tree but thats how all of us are treating our parents.龚忠清选自/onews.asp?id=41Task: Sad, isnt it? Tell what can you do to change the image of a heartless son or daughter?Part II Love and Romance Love is great. Love enables us to endure hardship. Love makes Love also brings us success and wealth. Well, love has been interpreted in many different ways8 Island Of FeelingOnce upon a time there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Knowledge, and all the others, including Love. One day it was announced to all of the feelings that the island was going to sink to the bottom of the ocean, so all the feelings prepared their boats to leave. Love was the only one that stayed. She wanted to preserve the island paradise until the last possible moment. When the island was almost totally under, love decided it was time to leave. She began looking for someone to ask for