初一適合閱讀的英語美文

　　美文作為一種獨立文體的地位得以在文學史上確立。下面是小編帶來的，歡迎閱讀!

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　　Picasso And Me 畢加索和我

　　This is the 50th anniversary of the day I crossed paths with Pablo Picasso. It came about ina strange way. I had written a column showing how absurd some of my mail had become.

　　One letter was from Philadelphia. It was written by a Temple University student namedHarvey Brodsky. Harvey said he was in love with a girl named Gloria Segall, and he hoped tomarry her someday. She claimed to be the greatest living fan of Picasso. The couple went to aPicasso exhibit and, to impress her, Harvey told Gloria that he could probably get the artist'sautograph.

　　Harvey's letter continued, "Since that incident, Gloria and I have stopped seeing eachother. I did a stupid thing and she threw me out and told me she never wanted to see meagain.

　　"I'm writing to you because I'm not giving up on Gloria. Could you get Picasso's autographfor me? If you could, I have a feeling Gloria and I could get back together. The futures of twoyoung people depend on it. I know she is miserable without me and I without her. Everythingdepends on you."

　　At the end of the letter, he said, "I, Harvey Brodsky, do solemnly swear that any itemreceived by me from Art Buchwald ***namely, Pablo Picasso's autograph*** will never be sold orgiven to anyone except Miss Gloria Segall."

　　I printed the letter in my column to show how ridiculous my mail was. When it appeared,David Duncan, a photographer, was with Picasso in Cannes and Duncan translated it forPicasso.

　　Picasso was very moved, and he took out his crayons and drew a beautiful color sketch forGloria Segall and signed it.

　　Duncan called and told me the good news.

　　I said, "The heck with Gloria Segall, what about me?"

　　David explained this to Picasso and in crayons he drew a picture of the two of us together,holding a glass of wine, and wrote on the top, "Pour Art Buchwald."

　　By this time, the Associated Press had picked up the story and followed through on thedelivery of the picture to Gloria Segall. When it arrived special delivery in Philadelphia, Gloriatook one look and said, "Harvey and I will always be good friends."

　　If you're wondering how the story ends, Harvey married somebody else, and so did Gloria.The Picasso hangs in Gloria's living room.

　　It was a story that caught the imagination of people all over the world. I received lots ofletters after the column was published. My favorite came from an art dealer in New York, whowrote:

　　"I can find you as many unhappy couples in New York City as you can get Picassosketches. Two girls I know are on the verge of suicide if they don't hear from Picasso, and Iknow several couples in Greenwich Village who are in the initial stages of divorce. Please wireme how many you need. We both stand to make a fortune."

　　Another letter, from Bud Grossman in London, said, "My wife threatens to leave me unless Ican get her Khrushchev's autograph. She would like it signed on a Russian sable coat."

　　阿爾特?布赫瓦爾德著

　　鄒紅雲 譯

　　今天是我和帕勃洛?畢加索相遇的50週年紀念日。這件事發生得很是離奇。在那以前,我寫過一篇專欄文章,讓大家瞧瞧我收到的一些郵件有多荒唐。

　　有一封寄自費城的信,是坦普爾大學一位名叫哈維?布洛德斯基的學生寫的。哈維說他與一位叫格洛里亞?西格爾的姑娘墜入了愛河,希望有朝一日能娶她為妻。這位姑娘聲稱自己是活著的頭號畢加索迷。這一對兒去參觀了畢加索的一個畫展,為了打動她,哈維告訴格洛里亞他很有可能弄到畫家的簽名。

　　哈維的信繼續往下寫:“自從那件事後,格洛里亞不再和我見面。我幹了件蠢事,她就甩了我,並告訴我她再也不想見我。

　　“我寫信給你是因為我不想放棄格洛里亞。你能給我弄到畢加索的簽名嗎?要是弄得到的話,我覺得格洛里亞和我還能再走到一塊。兩個年輕人的未來就取決於這個簽名了。我知道,她沒有了我很痛苦,我呢,沒有了她心裡不好受。一切都靠你的了。”

　　在信的結尾,他寫道:“我,哈維?布洛德斯基,莊嚴宣誓:任何阿爾特?布赫瓦爾德寄給我的東西***即畢加索的簽名***,我決不會賣掉或送給除了格洛里亞?西格爾以外的任何人。”

　　我把這封信刊載在我的專欄裡,讓大家瞧瞧我收到的郵件有多可笑。信登出來時,攝影師戴維?鄧肯正在戛納和畢加索在一起,鄧肯就把這封信翻譯給畢加索聽。

　　畢加索很感動,他拿出有色粉筆,為格洛里亞?西格爾畫了幅彩色速寫,並簽上了名。

　　鄧肯打電話告訴我這個好訊息。

　　我說:“見格洛里亞?西格爾個鬼,有我的份嗎?”

　　戴維把我的話向畢加索做了說明,他便用有色粉筆畫了幅我們倆在一起手舉酒杯的畫,並在畫的上方寫道:“為阿爾特?布赫瓦爾德斟酒。”

　　這個時候,美聯社已嗅得了這個故事,並且一路追蹤到將畫交給格洛里亞?西格爾這一步。當畫以郵件快遞的方式到達費城時,格洛里亞一眼說:“哈維和我將永遠是好朋友。”

　　要是你想知道這個故事的結局,我可以告訴你。哈維娶了別人,格洛里亞也嫁了他人。畢加索的畫現掛在格洛里亞家的起居室裡。

　　這個故事引發了世界各地人們的想象力。專欄文章發表後,我收到了許多信。我最喜歡的一封信來自紐約的一位畫商,他這樣寫道:

　　“你弄得到多少畢加索的畫,我就能給你找到多少對不幸的人兒。有兩個我認識的姑娘要是得不到畢加索的迴音幾乎就要自殺了。我還認識格林威治村幾對正處於離婚初級階段的夫妻。 請打電報告訴我你需要多少這樣的人。我們倆也好賺一筆。”

　　另一封信寄自倫敦的巴德?格羅斯曼,他說:“我妻子威脅說要離開我,除非我能給她搞到赫魯曉夫的簽名。她想讓他把名字簽在一件俄羅斯的紫貂皮大衣上。”

　　*阿爾特?布赫瓦爾德***Art Buchwald, 1925—***美國幽默語言大師,美國藝術與文學院院士,曾獲普例策獎。舊版的《大學英語》精讀課本曾選用過他的“Ts There Life on Earth?”

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　　The Missed Blessings 錯過的祝福

　　A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

　　從前，有位年輕人即將大學生畢業。數月來，他一直渴望得到某汽車商產品陳列室中的一輛跑車。他知道，他那富有的父親肯定買得起這輛車，於是，他便跟父親說他很想得到那輛漂亮的跑車。

　　As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

　　在畢業典禮即將來臨的日子裡，年輕人等待著父親買下跑車的訊息。終於，在畢業典禮那天上午，父親將他叫到自己的書房，並告訴他，有他這麼出色的兒子自己感到非常自豪而且非常愛他這個兒子。接著，父親遞給兒子一個包裝精美的禮品盒。年輕人感到好奇，但帶著些許失望地開啟禮品盒，卻發現裡面是一本精美的精裝本《聖經》，上面以金子凸印著年輕人的名字。看罷，年輕人怒氣衝衝地向父親大喊道：“你有那麼多錢，卻只給我一本《聖經》?”說完，便丟下《聖經》，憤怒地衝出房子。

　　Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realizing his father was very old, he thought perhaps he should go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make the arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

　　多年以後，年輕人已事業有成。他擁有一所漂亮的房子，一個溫馨的家庭。但當得知父親年事已高，他想，或許應該去看看他。自從畢業那天起他就一直不見父親。就在起程時，他收到一封電報--父親已逝世，並已立下遺囑將其所有財產轉給兒子。他要立即回父親家處理後事。

　　When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he was reading, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... "PAID IN FULL".

　　在父親的房子裡，他突然內心感到一陣悲傷與懊悔。他開始仔細搜尋父親的重要檔案，突然發現了那本《聖經》--還跟幾年前一樣嶄新。他噙著淚水開啟《聖經》並一頁一頁地閱讀著。忽然，從書的背面掉出一把鑰匙。鑰匙上掛著一個標籤，上面寫著一個汽車經銷商的名字--正是他曾渴望的那輛跑車的經銷商。標籤上還有他的畢業日期及“款已付清”的字樣。

　　How many times do we miss blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

　　我們多少次地與祝福擦肩而過，僅僅因為他們沒有按我們想象中的樣子包裝好?不要在渴望得到沒有的東西時損壞你已經擁有的東西，但要記住一點：你現在所擁有的恰恰正是你曾經一心渴望得到的。

　　Sometimes we don't realize the good fortune we have or we could have because we expect "the packaging" to be different. What may appear as bad fortune may in fact be the door that is just waiting to be opened.

　　有時，我們並沒有意識到我們已經擁有或本該擁有的好運，僅僅因為它的外表與我們想象中的有所不同。其實，表面上看起來像是壞運氣的東西或許正是等待開啟的幸運之門。

　　學習

　　俠盜羅賓漢

　　Robin Hood was a legendary English outlaw. Some people believe he was a real person but most do not. In the story, Robin Hood lived with his band of merry followers in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire. They wore green suits and pointed caps, and they were gay and bold. Robin Hood and his men had many exciting adventures. The Merry Men robbed the rich and gave money to the poor. Robin Hood fought the sheriff of Nottingham, a corrupt official who treated the poor badly. So he became a hero of the common people. Robin Hood was a great archer. He never missed his target. He travelled around the country in many different disguises so that no one knew who he was. Whenever Robin Hood got into trouble he would blow his horn and his men would come to help him.

　　Friar Tuck, Little John, and Maid Marian were the best-known members of his band. Friar Tuck was a fat, jolly priest. Little John stood more than 7 feet tall and was known for his great skill with a bow and arrow. Maid Marian was Robin Hood’s sweetheart.

　　Although Robin fought and robbed landowners, church leaders and government officials, he and his band respected the ruling king, RichardⅠ. In many stories, the king disguised himself and joined the Merry Men, in order to capture Robin. But the king then discovered that Robin Hood and his fellows were honourable people and pardoned them.

　　羅賓漢是英國傳說中的綠林好漢。有人認為歷史上確有其人，做了不少考證，但大多數人還是傾向於認為他只是個傳說人物。羅賓漢和他快樂的夥伴們住在諾丁漢郡的舍伍德森林裡，身穿綠衣，頭戴尖頂帽，尋歡作樂，膽大包天，生活中充滿了冒險。他們劫富濟貧，專門與欺壓窮人的貪官諾丁漢郡長作對，因而成了平民百姓的英雄。羅賓漢還是個百發百中的神箭手。他總是化裝後出行，遇到危險無法脫身時就吹響號角，附近的好漢們就會來搭救他。

　　好漢們當中的著名人物有塔克修士、小約翰和瑪麗安姑娘。塔克修士是個性情開朗的大胖子，小約翰是個身高七英尺的大個子，也是個神箭手。瑪麗安姑娘是羅賓漢的女友。

　　雖然羅賓漢與地主、教士和貪官為敵並劫掠他們的錢財，但對國王理查一世卻懷有敬意。故事裡的理查一世化裝後加入羅賓漢一夥，俟機逮捕羅賓漢。但國王發現這夥人品行高尚，並百無法無天的歹徒，就赦免了他們。

　　題外話：英國中世紀的農民與中國的農民相似，總有一種頑固的想法：壞事都是貪官乾的，皇帝***國王***並不知情。羅賓漢一夥與梁山好漢們一樣，只反貪官，不反國王***皇帝***。