經典英文散文精選
思想結晶改變人生命運，經典英文美文提高生活品位。下面是小編給大家帶來的，供大家欣賞。
：That's what friends do 朋友就該這麼做
Jack tossed the papers on my desk—his eyebrows knit into a straight line as he glared at me.
傑克把檔案扔到我桌上，皺著眉頭，氣憤地瞪著我。
"What’s wrong?" I asked.
“怎麼了?”我問道。
He jabbed a finger at the proposal. "Next time you want to change anything, ask me first," he said, turning on his heels and leaving me stewing in anger.
他指著計劃書狠狠地說道：“下次想作什麼改動前，先徵求一下我的意見。”然後轉身走了，留下我一個人在那裡生悶氣。
How dare he treat me like that, I thought. I had changed one long sentence, and corrected grammar, something I thought I was paid to do.
他怎麼能這樣對我!我想，我只是改了一個長句，更正了語法錯誤，但這都是我的分內之事啊。
It’s not that I hadn’t been warned. Other women who had worked my job before me called Jack names I couldn’t repeat. One coworker took me aside the first day. "He’s personally responsible for two different secretaries leaving the firm," she whispered.
其實也有人提醒過我，上一任在我這個職位上工作的女士就曾大罵過他。我第一天上班時，就有同事把我拉到一旁小聲說：“已有兩個祕書因為他而辭職了。”
As the weeks went by, I grew to despise Jack. His actions made me question much that I believed in, such as turning the other cheek and loving your enemies. Jack quickly slapped a verbal insult on any cheek turned his way. I prayed about the situation, but to be honest, I wanted to put Jack in his place, not love him.
幾周後，我逐漸有些鄙視傑克了，而這又有悖於我的信條——別人打你左臉，右臉也轉過去讓他打;愛自己的敵人。但無論怎麼做，總會挨傑克的罵。說真的，我很想滅滅他的囂張氣焰，而不是去愛他。我還為此默默祈禱過。
One day another of his episodes left me in tears. I stormed into his office, prepared to lose my job if needed, but not before I let the man know how I felt. I opened the door and Jack glanced up. “What?” he asked abruptly.
一天，因為一件事，我又被他氣哭了。我衝進他的辦公室，準備在被炒魷魚前讓他知道我的感受。我推開門，傑克抬頭看了我一眼。“有事嗎?”他突然說道。
Suddenly I knew what I had to do. After all, he deserved it.
我猛地意識到該怎麼做了。畢竟，他罪有應得。
I sat across from him and said calmly, “Jack, the way you’ve been treating me is wrong. I’ve never had anyone speak to me that way. As a professional, it’s wrong, and I can’t allow it to continue.”
我在他對面坐下：“傑克，你對待我的方式很有問題。還從沒有人像你那樣對我說話。作為一個職業人士，你這麼做很愚蠢，我無法容忍這樣的事情再度發生。”
Jack snickered nervously and leaned back in his chair. I closed my eyes briefly. God help me, I prayed.
傑克不安地笑了笑，向後靠靠。我閉了一下眼睛，祈禱著，希望上帝能幫幫我。
“I want to make you a promise. I will be a friend,” I said. “I will treat you as you deserve to be treated, with respect and kindness. You deserve that. Everybody does.” I slipped out of the chair and closed the door behind me.
“我保證，可以成為你的朋友。你是我的上司，我自然會尊敬你，禮貌待你，這是我應做的。每個人都應得到如此禮遇。”我說著便起身離開，把門關上了。
Jack avoided me the rest of the week. Proposals, specs, and letters appeared on my desk while I was at lunch, and my corrected versions were not seen again. I brought cookies to the office one day and left a batch on his desk. Another day I left a note. “Hope your day is going great,” it read.
那個星期餘下的幾天，傑克一直躲著我。他總趁我吃午飯時，把計劃書、技術說明和信件放在我桌上，並且，我修改過的檔案不再被打回來。一天，我買了些餅乾去辦公室，順便在傑克桌上留了一包。第二天，我又留了一張字條，在上面寫道：“祝你今天一切順利。”
Over the next few weeks, Jack reappeared. He was reserved, but there were no other episodes. Coworkers cornered me in the break room. “Guess you got to Jack,” they said. “You must have told him off good.”
接下來的幾個星期，傑克不再躲避我了，但沉默了許多，辦公室裡再也沒發生不愉快的事情。於是，同事們在休息室把我團團圍了起來。“聽說傑克被你鎮住了，”他們說，“你肯定大罵了他一頓。”
I shook my head. “Jack and I are becoming friends,” I said in faith. I refused to talk about him. Every time I saw Jack in the hall, I smiled at him. After all, that’s what friends do.
我搖了搖頭，一字一頓地說：“我們會成為朋友。”我根本不想提起傑克，每次在大廳看見他時，我總衝他微笑。畢竟，朋友就該這樣。
One year after our "talk," I discovered I had breast cancer. I was thirty-two, the mother of three beautiful young children, and scared. The cancer had metastasized to my lymph nodes and the statistics were not great for long-term survival. After my surgery, friends and loved ones visited and tried to find the right words. No one knew what to say, and many said the wrong things. Others wept, and I tried to encourage them. I clung to hope myself.
一年後，我32歲，是三個漂亮孩子的母親，但我被確診為乳腺癌，這讓我極端恐懼。癌細胞已經擴散到我的淋巴腺。從統計資料來看，我的時間不多了。手術後，我拜訪了親朋好友，他們儘量寬慰我，都不知道說些什麼好，有些人反而說錯了話，另外一些人則為我難過，還得我去安慰他們。我始終沒有放棄希望。
One day, Jack stood awkwardly in the doorway of my small, darkened hospital room. I waved him in with a smile. He walked over to my bed and without a word placed a bundle beside me. Inside the package lay several bulbs.
就在我出院的前一天，我看到門外有個人影。是傑克，他尷尬地站在門口。我微笑著招呼他進來，他走到我床邊，默默地把一包東西放在我旁邊，那裡邊是幾個球莖。
"Tulips," he said.
“這是鬱金香。”他說。
I grinned, not understanding.
我笑著，不明白他的用意。
He shuffled his feet, then cleared his throat. "If you plant them when you get home, they’ll come up next spring. I just wanted you to know that I think you’ll be there to see them when they come up."
他清了清嗓子，“回家後把它們種下，到明年春天就長出來了。”他挪挪腳，“我希望你知道，你一定看得到它們發芽開花。”
Tears clouded my eyes and I reached out my hand. "Thank you," I whispered.
我淚眼朦朧地伸出手。
Jack grasped my hand and gruffly replied, "You’re welcome. You can’t see it now, but next spring you’ll see the colors I picked out for you. I think you’ll like them." He turned and left without another word.
“謝謝你。”我低聲說。傑克抓住我的手，生硬地答道：“不必客氣。到明年長出來後，你就能看到我為你挑的是什麼顏色的鬱金香了。”之後，他沒說一句話便轉身離開了。
For ten years, I have watched those red-and-white striped tulips push their way through the soil every spring.
轉眼間，十多年過去了，每年春天，我都會看著這些紅白相間的鬱金香破土而出。事實上，今年九月，醫生已宣佈我痊癒了。我也看著孩子們高中畢業，進入大學。
In a moment when I prayed for just the right word, a man with very few words said all the right things.
在那絕望的時刻，我祈求他人的安慰，而這個男人寥寥數語，卻情真意切，溫暖著我脆弱的心。
After all, that’s what friends do.
畢竟，朋友之間就該這麼做。
：May I sit here?我可以坐這裡嗎
I look at spiders and butter-flies . I watch caterpillars and moths . Sometimes I think I'm the only one who notices these things . But if it hadn't been for a crowded cafeteria , I wouldn't Have ever noticed Valeri . After all , I wasn't looking for new friends .
我觀察蜘蛛和蝴蝶，還研究毛毛蟲和飛蛾。有時，我想我是唯一注意這些事物的人了。要不是一家擁擠的自助餐廳，我將永遠不會注意到瓦萊麗。畢竟，我一直都沒有找新朋友。
Valeri was a new student . She walked to class with her books huddled against her chest and her head down . He talked only when the teacher asked her a question . After a month at our school , she hadn't made any friend . At recess , she sat on a bench and read . If you asked who she was , you'd get a response like this , "She's in my PE class , I can't remenber her name ."
瓦萊麗是新來的學生。她總是將書抱在胸前，低著頭走進教室。只有在老師提問她時，她才肯說話。她來我們學校一個月了，還沒交到一個朋友。課間，她就坐在長椅上看書。如果你想知道她是誰，那你多半會得到這樣的答覆：“我和她在一起上體育課，但我不記得她叫什麼。”
One day at lunch , I had nowhere to sit . Most tables were full , my friends scattered among them . But Valeri sat alone , book in hand , I walked over to her .
一天，吃午餐時，餐桌差不多都坐滿了，我沒地方坐了，我的朋友們都分散開了。但瓦萊麗拿著書一個人坐在那兒。於是，我朝她走了過去。
"May I sit here ?"I asked .
“我可以坐在這兒嗎?”我問。
"Sure ,"she said .
“當然可以。”她說。
The cafeteria was noisy , but silence hung between us . Valeri didn't seem to mind , but it drove me crazy . I searched my mind for things to say .
餐廳裡喧鬧不已，而我們一直都沉默著。瓦萊麗好像並不在意，但我憋得受不了了。我絞盡腦汁，想找點話說。
"So,"I said , "is that a good book?"Valeri gave a small nod and went back to reading . "What's it about?"I asked , after several more agonizing seconds of silence . She looked at me , her eyes sparkling .
“呃，那本書很好看吧?”瓦萊麗輕輕的點了點頭，又繼續看書。“都寫了些什麼呢?”我問道。一陣令人惱火的沉默之後，她終於看著我，眼中閃出異樣的光芒。
"Well , it's called Eragon , and it's about a dragon!This boy , Eragon , finds this dragon egg when he goes hunging one day . He thinks it's a rock !The egg hatches and Eragon hides the dragon from his cousin and uncle until it gets too big ."
“唔，它叫《龍騎士》，講的是關於一條龍的故事!一天，一個名叫鄂爾根的男孩打獵時，發現了一枚龍蛋。他以為那是一塊石頭，但那枚龍蛋孵化出龍來，鄂爾根怕他的叔叔和堂兄發現，便把那條龍藏了起來，直到它長大。”
"That sounds cool."I said. I was about to ask her another question,but the bell rang.
“聽來真不錯。”我說。我還想再問個問題，可上課鈴響了。
As I rushed out of the cafeteria , I called to Valeri , "See you later ."
我一邊往餐廳外衝，一邊對她大叫：“再見。”
"Yeah,"she said,"see you later."She sounded doubtful .
“好的，”她說，“再見。”她的聲音若有若無。
A couple days later , I spotted Valeri looking for a place to sit at lunch .
幾天以後，我發現瓦萊麗正在找地方坐下來吃飯。
"Valeri , come here."I pointed to an empty chair .
“瓦萊麗，來這裡。”我指著一個空座位說。
She sat down and pulled out her book . Everyone was talking about next week's talent show . "So ,what are you doing for the show? "My friend Erin asked my friend Kelly .
她坐了下來，拿出書。當時，大家都在談論下個星期的才藝展示會。“你打算表演什麼?”我的朋友埃林和凱利交談著。
"Oh,I don't know , probably nothing,"Kelly sighed ."What are you doing?"She pointed to Valeri.
“噢，我不知道，也許會放棄，”凱利嘆著氣，“你呢?”她問瓦萊麗。
"Oh."Valeri put her book down ."I don't know . Maybe nothing."
“噢，”瓦萊麗放下書，“我不知道，也許什麼也不演。”
The week flew by . Before I knew it . I was sitting in the auditorium , listening to a group of girls sing the latest pop songs at the talent show . I was bored out of my life , and I wanted it to end so I could read Eragon . I'd checked it out at the library , Then a shy girl walked on stage . I recongized her immediately . Valeri clutched a violin in one hand and a bow in the other .
不知不覺中，週末就到了，我坐在會堂裡，聽一群女孩子唱當下最流行的歌曲，感覺卻枯燥極了，真希望演唱快點結束，那樣我就可以看《龍騎士》了，我在圖書館找到了這本書。這時，一個靦腆的女孩走上了舞臺，我立刻認出了她------瓦萊麗。她一手抓著小提琴，一手拿著琴弓。
She stared to play . The notes formed a soft , weet tune . Then it turned fast , then faster . The music stopped altogether before the tune retumed . Valeri ended the song with one hard , fast , loud note . The auditorium fell completely silent until we realized the music was finished . Still in a halftrance , we burst into applause . Valeri took a swift bow and walked off stage .
她開始拉提琴了。一個個音符變成了柔和,優美的旋律，韻律逐漸加快，她越拉越急，音樂聲戛然而止。樂曲在瓦萊麗拉出一串強硬，急速，洪亮的音符後歸於沉寂。會堂裡出奇的安靜，過了一會兒，我們才意識到她已經演奏完了。仍陶醉於美妙中的我們對她報以雷鳴般的掌聲。瓦萊麗快速地鞠了一躬，走下了舞臺。
I smiled to myself . Valeri wasn't just a "quiet girl" .She knew about wonderful books and could play the violin like nothing I'd ever heard . Like a caterpillar or butterfly , she was beautiful and amazing when you looked closely .
我暗自微笑，原來瓦萊麗不僅僅是一個“安靜的女孩”，她博覽奇妙的好書，能拉出我聞所未聞的小提琴曲。她就像那毛毛蟲或蝴蝶，當你靠近她，仔細的觀察，你會發現，她有著驚人的美。
：With one small gesture 不經意間的舉動
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, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned ***parties and a football game with my friend tomorrow 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. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives.
當我還在上高一時，有一天，我看到我們班的一個孩子正步行回家。他叫凱爾。他似乎揹著所有的書。我心想：“為什麼有人在週五就把所有的書都帶回家呢?他肯定是個書呆子。”我的週末計劃得非常詳細***先是派對，在第二天下午和我的朋友踢足球***。因此我聳了聳肩，走開了。正走著，我看到一幫孩子朝他跑去。他們追上他，把他所有的書都從懷裡扔到地上並把他絆倒，結果他摔在汙泥裡，眼鏡也被打飛了，我看到它落在離他10英尺遠的草地上。他抬起頭時，我看到他眼裡極度悲傷的表情。因此，我慢步向他跑過去。在他爬著尋找眼鏡時，我看到了他眼中的淚水。 我把眼鏡遞給他，說道：“那些傢伙都是些蠢蛋，他們真該遭到報應。”
He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" 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. As 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 now.
他看了看我，說：“嗨，謝謝了!”笑容在他臉上展現。正是這樣的笑顯示出了真正的感激。我幫他撿起書，問他住在哪裡。原來他住得離我很近。於是我就問他，怎麼以前我從沒有見過他呢，他說在來這所學校以前他上的是私立學校。
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. 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, "Dim boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.
我們一路聊著回家，我幫他拿著書。他原來竟是一位非常討人喜歡的孩子，我問他是否週六想跟我及我的朋友一起踢足球。他答應了。對凱爾瞭解得越多，我越是喜歡他。我的朋友也都這麼認為。到了週一早晨，凱爾又要背上那個巨大的書包了。我制止他，說：“傻孩子，你每天背這麼一大堆書，想練就一身強壯的肌肉呀!”他只是笑，並把一半書都遞給了我。
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.
接下來的四年裡，凱爾和我成為最好的朋友。到了高年級後，我們開始考慮上大學的事。凱爾決定去喬治敦，而我要去杜克。我知道我們永遠都是朋友，距離決不會成為問題。
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't me having to get up there and speak.
凱爾是我們班致告別詞的學生代表。 我總是取笑他是一個書呆子。他必須為畢業準備一個演講。我很慶幸不是我要站在那兒演講。
Graduation day, I saw Kyle.. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found themselves during high school. He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him! Boy, sometimes I was jealous.
畢業日來臨了——我看到了凱爾，他看起來帥極了。他是那些在高中真正把握住自己的人之一。他的約會比我還要多，幾乎所有的女孩都喜歡他。 天哪，有時候我都有些嫉妒。
Today was one of those days. I can see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks ***the really grateful one*** and smiled."Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach.... but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give him or her. I am going to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."
今天就是這樣。我能看出他對於演講有些緊張。因此，我拍了拍他的後背，說：“嗨，大小夥子，你會很出色的!”他看了看我，帶著那樣的表情***真正出於感激的那種***，笑了。“謝謝，”他說。開始演講時，他清了清喉嚨，開始說：“畢業的時候，你應該感謝那些幫助你度過最困難時期的人。你的父母、老師、兄弟姐妹、也許還有教練……但主要是你的朋友。我在這兒要告訴你們，做別人的朋友是你能給予他們的最好禮物。我要給你們講一個故事。”我不敢置信地望著我的朋友，他講的就是我們第一天相遇的故事。他本來打算要在那個週末自殺，他談到自己如何把課桌收拾乾淨，把他所有的東西都帶回家，這樣就不用媽媽以後再收拾了。他直直地看著我，給了我一個笑容。“謝天謝地，我獲救了。我的朋友阻止了我去做那不堪設想的事情。”
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.
當這位帥氣的、受歡迎的男孩告訴我們有關他的最脆弱的時刻時，我聽到人群中都深吸了一口氣。我看到他的爸爸媽媽都看著我，帶著同樣感激的微笑。直到那時我才意識到它的深刻。
Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.
決不要低估你的行動的力量，一個簡單的舉止也許會改變人的一生，無論是好是壞。