高中英語勵志小故事

　　適合高中生看的英語勵志小故事有很多，而且都是很有哲理的，那麼都有哪些呢?一起來看看吧。

　　：按圖索驥

　　During the Spring and Autumn Period, there was a man in the State of Qin whose name was Sun Yang. Sun Yang was very expert in looking at horses and judging their worth. Whatever the horse might be, he could tell whether it was good or bad at first sight. People called him Bo Le ***Bo Le was the name of one of the celestial bodies and was fabled to be in charge of heavenly steeds***, and he was often asked to appraise and select horses.

　　One day, when Sun Yang was passing a place, an old horse pulling a cart loaded with salt suddenly neighed to him without stopping. He came near, and saw that it was a horse that really could cover a thousand Li a day, and that the only problem with it was that it was a little too old. The old horse was pulling the heavy cart with difficulties and hardships. Sun Yang felt acutely that the horse was really unjustly treated, for it might have been a fine steed galloping on the battlefield. It was a great pity that it was pulling the cart loaded with salt without attracting public attention, which had taken the edge off its spirit and consumed its energy. When he thought of this, he was so grieved that he shed tears.

　　In order to help more people learn how to appraise horses so that fine horses which could cover a thousand LI a day would no longer fall into oblivion, and also in order to ensure that his unique skill in judging horses would not be lost, Sun Yang worte a book entitled The Art of Looking at Horses and Judging Their Worth, based on his experiences and knowledge accumulated over the years. The book was also illustrated with the pictures of various horses.

　　Sun Yang had a son who, after reading his father's The Art of Looking at Horses and Judging Their Worth, thought it was very esay to appraise horses. So he took the book with him to look for fine horses everywhere. At first he searched according to the pictures in the book, and accomplished nothing. Then he searched according to the characteristics of a toad fit very well the characteristics described in the book. So he happily took the toad back home, and said to his father, "Father, I have found a horse that can cover a thousand Li a day, only its hoofs are not good enough." Looking at the toad, Sun Yang did not know whether he should laugh or cry. Knowing that his son was stupid, Sun Yang said humourously. "It's a pity that this horse is too fond of jumping to pull a cart." Then he sighed, "That is just what we call looking for a steed with the aid of its picture."

　　Later, people have used the set phrase "look for a steed with the aid of its picture" to refer to handling affairs mechanically in the outmoded ways without being flexible. Somethimes it is also used to refer to trying to locate something by following up a clue. This set phrase originates in Lumbering in the Forest of Art written by Yang Shen in the Ming Dynasty ***1368-1644***.

　　春秋時候，秦國有個叫孫陽的人，擅長相馬，無論什麼樣的馬，他一眼就能分出優劣。他常常被人請去識馬、選馬，人們都稱他為伯樂***“伯樂”本是天上的星名，據說負責管理天馬***。

　　有一次，孫陽路過一個地方，忽見一匹拖著鹽車的老馬衝他叫個不停，走近一看，原來是匹千里馬，只是年齡稍大了點。老馬拉著車艱難地走著，孫陽覺得太委屈了這匹千里馬，它本是可以奔跑於疆場，可以發揮更大作用的寶馬良駒，現在卻默默無聞地拖著鹽車，慢慢地消耗著它的銳氣和體力，實在可惜!孫陽想到這裡，難過得落下淚來。

　　為了讓更多的人學會相馬，使千里馬不再被埋沒，也為了自己一身絕技不至於失傳，孫陽把自己多年積累的相馬經驗和知識寫成了一本書，配上各種馬的形態圖，書名叫《相馬經》。

　　孫陽有個兒子，父親寫的《相馬經》，以為相馬很容易，就拿著這本書到處找好馬。他按照書上所繪的圖形去找，一無所獲。又按書中所寫的特徵去找，最後發現有一隻癩蛤蟆很像書中寫的千里馬的特徵，便高興地把癩蛤蟆帶回家，對父親說：“爸爸，我找到一匹千里馬，只是蹄子稍差些。”父親一看，哭笑不得，沒想到兒子竟如此愚笨，便幽默地說：“可惜這馬太喜歡跳了，不能用來拉車。”接著感嘆道：“所謂按圖索驥也。”

　　故事出自明朝楊慎的《藝林伐山》。成語“按圖索驥”，比喻機械地照老辦法辦事，不知變通;也比喻按照某種線索去尋找事物。

　　：探驪得珠

　　Groping about the Chin of the Black Dragon to Get a Pearl-Bringing Out the Best

　　Long,Long age,there lived a family by the Yellow River.They lived a very poor lift,depending on cutting reeds,weaving hanging screens and dustpans for a livelihood.

　　One day,the son was cutting reeds by the riverside.With the scroching sun directly overhead,his head was swimming,so he sat down to take a rest.Looking at the river water in front which was his father had once told him.in the depths of the river there were a lot of rare treasures,but nobody dared to get them because a fierce black dragon was residing there.He thought that,if he could dive into the depts of the river and get the treasures,the whole family would not have to toil from morning till night and yet could not have enough to eat as now.He thought it would be better to have a try,and he was resolved to try in desperation.So he took off his clothes nimbly and dived into the cold water with a splash.

　　At first,he could see small fish here and there all around.However,the deeper he dived ,the darker it became,and the colder the river water.At last,it was pitch-dark all around,and he could see nothing.He became frightened,and was at a loss where he should swim to.Just at that time,he noticed a round object which was glittering not far away.He fixed his eyes on it,and saw it was a bright pearl.He held his breath and swam over there,held the pearl with both hands,pulled it with a great effort,and the bright pearl come into his arms.He came out from the water immediately,climbed up the bank,and made off for home at once.

　　His father saw the bright pearl,and asked where he had got it.He told his father the whole story exactly as it had happened.Hearing this,his father said repeatedly,"How dangerous it was!This precious pearl was grown on the chin of the black dragon.The black dragon must have been sleeping when you were pulling the pearl.If the black dragon were awake,you would be dead."When the son heard this,he considered himself very lucky indeed.

　　This story appears in The Works of Zhuang Zi.From this story,later generations have derived the set phrase "groping about the chin of the black dragon to get a pearl-- bringing out the best" to indicate that an article is to the point.

　　很久很久以前，有一戶人家住在黃河邊上，靠割蘆葦、編簾子簸箕為生，日子過得非常貧困。

　　有一天，兒子在河邊割蘆葦，烈日當空，晒得他頭昏眼花，於是他就坐下來休息。他望著眼前的河水在陽光下閃耀著粼粼波光，想起父親說過，在河的最深處有許多珍寶，可是誰也不敢去，因為那裡住著一條凶猛的黑龍叫驪龍，他想，要是潛到河底，找到珍寶，我們一家人就用不著像現在這樣一天干到晚，三頓還吃不飽，不如豁出去試一試。他把心一橫，三下兩下脫了衣服，一頭扎進冰冷的河裡。

　　開始他還看得見四周的小魚在游來游去，再往深處，光線變得越來越暗，水也越來越涼，最後，他什麼都看不見了，四周一團漆黑。他心裡有點害怕，不知該往哪兒遊。就在這時，不遠處有一個圓圓的物體在閃閃發光，定睛細看，啊，原來是明珠!他憋足一口氣游過去，雙手抱住明珠，使勁一拽，明珠就到了他懷裡。他迅速浮出水面，上岸後撒腿就往家跑。

　　父親一見明珠，就問他是從哪兒得到的。他把經過一五一十地向父親講述一遍。父親聽了說：“好險哪!這顆價值千金的明珠是長在黑龍下巴底下的，你摘它的時候黑龍必定是睡著了。它要是醒著，你可就沒命了。”故事見於《莊子列禦寇》。成語“探驪得珠”，比喻寫文章能緊扣主題，抓住要點。

　　：勢如破竹

　　In the last years of the Three Kingdoms period,Sima Yan conquered the Kingdom of Shu and seized the state power of the Kingdom of Wei, and became Emperor Wudi of the Jin Dynasty. Then he planned to send his troops to attack the Kingdom of Wu so as to unify China. He called his civil and military officials to discuss the plan to destroy the Kingdom of Wu. Most of them thought that it would be difficult to try to destroy the Kingdom of Wu with one action because the Kingdom of Wu was still powerfull. So it would be better to wait until fuller preparations were made. However,General Du Yu did not agree with them, so he wrote a memorial to the throne. According to Du Yu, it would be better to destroy the Kingdom of Wu as soon as possible, because it was still weak at that time. It would be more difficult to defeat the Kingdom of Wu later if it became stronger. After reading it, Emperor Wudi decided to send troops to attack the Kingdom of Wu as early as possible, so as to avoid future trouble. So Emperor Wudi made up his mind, and appointed Du Yu the Grand General for Conquering the south . In 279, sima Yan, Emperor Wudi of the Jin Dynasty, mustered more than two hundred thousand troops who were divided into six army divisions to proceed by both land and water to attack the kingdom of Wu. Battle drums thundering and the colours fluttering, the soldiers were full of power and grandeur. The next day, Jiangling city was captured, and a general of the Kingdom of Wu was killed. And the Jin army pushed on in the flush of victory. Hearing this, the troops of the Kingdom of Wu south of the Yuanjiang River and the Xiangjiang River were overwhelmed with fear, and they opened the gates of cities and surrendered one after another. Sima Yan ordered Du Yu to advance to Jianye, capital city of the Kingdom of Wu, by water.Someone feared that the Yangtze River might have a sharp rise and thought it more advantageous to withdraw the troops for the time being and wait until winter came. Du Yu resolutely opposed the idea, saying ," Now our army's morale is high,and our army is winning one victory after another, just like a sharp knife splitting a bamboo. It won't be too strenuous to conquer the Kingdom of Wu with one action. " Under Du Yu's command , the Jin army charged at the capital city Jianye, occupied it ,and thus destroyed the Kingdom of wu. In this way, Emperor Wudi of the Jin Dynasty unified the whole country. This story appears in "The Life of Du Yu "in The History of the Jin Dynasty. Later the set phrase" like splitting a bamboo" is used to refer to irresistible force or victorious advance.

　　三國末年，晉武帝司馬炎滅掉蜀國，奪取魏國政權以後，準備出兵攻打東吳，實現統一全中國的願望。他召集文武大臣們商量滅大計。多數人認為，吳國還有一定實力，一舉消滅它恐怕不易，不如有了足夠的準備再說。

　　大將杜預不同意多數人的看法，寫了一道奏章給晉武帝。杜預認為，必須趁目前昊國衰弱，忙滅掉它，不然等它有了實力就很難打敗它了。司馬炎杜預的奏章，找自己的最信任的大臣張華徵求意見。張華很同意杜預的分析，也勸司馬炎快快攻打吳國，以免留下後患。於是司馬炎就下了決心，任命杜預作徵南大將軍。公元279年，晉武帝司馬炎調動了二十多萬兵馬，分成六路水陸並進，攻打吳國，一路戰鼓齊鳴，戰旗飄揚，戰士威武雄壯。第二年就攻佔了江陵，斬了吳國一員大將，率領軍隊乘勝追擊。在沅江、湘江以南的吳軍聽到風聲嚇破了膽，紛紛開啟城門投降。司馬炎下令讓杜預從小路向吳國國都建業進發。此時，有人擔心長江水勢暴漲，不如暫收兵等到冬天進攻更有利。杜預堅決反對退兵，他說：“現在趁士氣高漲，鬥志正旺，取得一個又一個勝利，勢如破竹***像用快刀劈竹子一樣，劈過幾節後竹子就迎刃破裂***，一舉攻擊吳國不會再費多大力氣了!” 晉朝大軍在杜預率領下，直衝向吳都建業，不久就攻佔建業滅了吳國。晉武帝統一了全國。

　　故事出自《晉書·杜預傳》。成語“勢如破竹”，形容戰鬥節節勝利，毫無阻擋。

　　：草木皆兵

　　During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Fu Jian, king of the State of Qin, controlled northern China. In the year383, Fu Jian led 900,000 infantry and cavalry troops to assault the State of Jin which was south of the Yangtze River. Xie Shi and Xie Xuan, senior generals of the Jin army, led 80,000 troops to offer resistance. Knowing that the Jin army was short of men, Fu Jian wanted to seize this opportunity of being much more numerous in armed forces to stage a quick attack.

　　Unexpectedly, the van of Fu Jian's army of 250,000 troops was defeated in the Shouchun area by an ingenious military move of the Jin army and suffered heavy losses. The senior general of the van of Fu Jian's army was killed, and there were heavy casualties of more than 10,000 soldiers. Fu Jian's army was dispirited and its morale was shaken. Many soldiers were in such a great panic that they waited for opportunities to run away. Standing on the city wall of the Shouchun City, Fu Jian and his brother Fu Rong saw that the ranks of the Jin army were in good order and that the morale of the Jin army was high. Turning to his brother, Fu Jian said, "What a powerful enemy this is! Why did people say that the Jin army was short of men?" He deeply regretted that he had taken the enemy too lightly.

　　Overshadowed by the disastrous defeat, Fu Jian ordered his troops to be deployed in battle formation on the north side of the Feishui River, in an attempt to regain the initiative by relying on the superior geographical conditions. Then Xie Shi and Xie Xuan, the senior generals of the Jin army, suggested that Fu Jian's army retreat a little bit, leaving some space, so that the Jin army could cross the river to conduct ooperations. Fu Jian thought that his chance had come, believing that the senior generals of the Jin army did not have the elementary knowledge of warfare. It was his plan to stage a sudden attack while the troops of the Jin army was busy crossing the river, and he was sure that his plan would word. So he willingly accepted the suggestion of the Jin army.

　　Unexpectedly, the moment the order to retreat was given, Fu Jian's troops were utterly routed and could by no means be controlled. Taking advantage of this favorable situation, the Jin army crossed the river, pursuing and attacking the enemy. The trooops of Fu Jian's army threw away everything in headlong flight, and the field was littered with the corpses of the soldiers of Fu Jian's army. Fu Rong was killed in the tangled fighting, and Fu Jian was hit by an arrow and ran away. The Jin army won a brilliant victory by defeating a big army with its limited armed forces.

　　This story comes from "The Life of Fu Jian" in the volume "Records" of The History of the Jin Dynasty. The set phrase "every bush and tree looks like an enemy" is subsequently used to refer to a state of extreme nervousness.

　　東晉時代，秦王苻堅控制了北部中國。公元383年，苻堅率領步兵、騎兵90萬，攻打江南的晉朝。晉軍大將謝石、謝玄領兵8萬前去抵抗。苻堅得知晉軍兵力不足，就想以多勝少，抓住機會，迅速出擊。

　　誰料，苻堅的先鋒部隊25萬在壽春一帶被晉軍出奇擊敗，損失慘重，大將被殺，士兵死傷萬餘。秦軍的銳氣大挫，軍心動搖，士兵驚恐萬狀，紛紛逃跑。此時，苻堅在壽春城上望見晉軍隊伍嚴整，士氣高昂，再北望八公山，只見山上一草一木都像晉軍的士兵一樣。苻堅回過頭對弟弟說：“這是多麼強大的敵人啊!怎麼能說晉軍兵力不足呢?”他後悔自己過於輕敵了。

　　出師不利給苻堅心頭蒙上了不祥的陰影，他令部隊靠淝水北岸佈陣，企圖憑藉地理優勢扭轉戰局。這時晉軍將領謝玄提出要求，要秦軍稍往後退，讓出一點地方，以便渡河作戰。苻堅暗笑晉軍將領不懂作戰常識，想利用晉軍忙於渡河難於作戰之機，給它來個突然襲擊，於是欣然接受了晉軍的請求。

　　誰知，後退的軍令一下，秦軍如潮水一般潰不成軍，而晉軍則趁勢渡河追擊，把秦軍殺得丟盔棄甲，屍橫遍地。苻堅中箭而逃。

　　故事出自《晉書·苻堅·載記》。成語“草木皆兵”，形容神經過敏、疑神疑鬼的驚恐心理。