適合朗讀的英語美文3篇帶翻譯欣賞

　　參加一些英語的朗誦大賽，不僅能提高我們的英語口語，還能從各個方面提升自身的氣質，今天小編在這裡為大家分享一些適合朗讀的英語美文3篇，歡迎大家閱讀!

　　適合朗讀的英語美文：Leaders Who Use Humour and Charm to Reach the Top

　　領導靠幽默與魅力發跡

　　Humour and charm are a surprisingly powerful combination as a means of ascent in life.

　　作為人生髮跡的手段之一，幽默和魅力是一對效力驚人的組合。

　　I have met a number of entrepreneurs who have built fortunes on the back of their wit and general popularity -and not much else. They disarm us with self-deprecation, we enjoy their company-so why wouldn't we want to do business with them? Of course, it all has to be done well; sycophancy and flat jokes do not weave the same spell.

　　我遇見過許多憑藉風趣機智和好人緣白手起家的企業家。他們謙和自斂，讓我們生不起氣來。我們與他們相處愉快一一所以我們為什麼不與他們做生意呢?當然，這裡面必須講求技巧。一味溜頸拍馬，開一些乾巴巴的玩笑，不會產生同樣的魔力。

　　The British feel that some light relief amid the drudgery is essential for existence to be tolerable. It seems to be a cornerstone of our psychology and culture. In London, to say someone has no sense of humour is to condemn them utterly. Many important meetings I attend start with a little friendly banter to break the ice, a ritual to remind us that we are all human-rather than simply robots of commerce.

　　英國人認為，人生在世，就得苦中作樂。這似乎是我們心理學和文化的一條基本原則。在倫敦，說一個人缺乏幽默感，等於是說他一無是處。我出席的許多重要會議，都以一些善意的玩笑開場，以此打破沉默。這種慣例提醒我們，我們都是凡人，而不完全是商業機器。

　　I am sure foreigners must think our levity is baffling. My defence is that Brits subscribe to Horace's view: "A jest often decides matters of importance more effectively and happily than seriousness."

　　外國人肯定認為我們的輕浮舉止不可理喻。要讓我說，我們英國人是贊同賀拉斯的觀點：“遇到大事，比起一本正經的態度，開開玩笑固能夠更有效、也更開心地解決問題。”

　　Some years ago, a partner of mine practised what I called "management by laughter". He motivated and inspired by making the atmosphere at work fun, rather than the bullying and intimidation common in many workplaces.

　　幾年前，我的一位合夥人實行我所說的“歡笑管理”。他鼓舞和激勵士氣的方法，是營造充滿樂趣的工作氛圍，不同於許多工作場所常見的威逼和脅迫的氛圍。

　　But the 21st-century office can be a minefield for the amateur who enjoys a giggle. I was recently warned about a trap being sprung by a professional gang from eastern Europe. They plant an attractive female staff member in an organisation. At roughly the same time, a male co-conspirator also gets a job; the connection between them is unknown to the employer. After a little while, he sends a series of highly suggestive internet jokes to the pretty female. She complains of harassment and threatens to bring an embarrassing employment tribunal involving sexual discrimination-and, once she reveals that she has hired expert legal advisers and PR agents, the victim business settles quickly.

　　然而，對於喜歡逗笑取樂的人來說，21世紀的職場可能會是個雷區。我最近聽到警告，說一個來自東歐的專業犯罪團伙會設下這樣的圈套：在一家機構安插一名漂亮迷人的女員工，再讓一名男同夥也混進去。兩人前後腳進入這家公司，他們的關係不為人所知。不久後，他就向那位美女傳送了一堆黃色網路笑話。於是她投訴遭到騷擾，並威脅要以性別歧視為由，告到讓人頭大的就業法庭。而一旦她透露出已聘請了專業法律顧問和公關代理，受害企業就會趕緊花錢了事。

　　In these litigious, politically correct times, the perils of making cheap gags can be considerable. Recently, I attended a dinner at a trade conference. The speaker was a well-known executive who told a number of jokes in poor taste, some at the expense of influential figures in the room. Just as a vulgar best man's speech at a wedding can strike the wrong note, so I sensed as we chatted after the speech that the jibes would not be swiftly forgotten.

　　在這種動輒法庭上見、政治上正確的時代，講低階笑話可能會相當危險。我最近出席了一個貿易會議舉辦的晚宴，席間一位頗有名氣的高管發表了演講。他講了許多低階趣味的笑話，有些還是取笑在座的顯要人物。演講後我們在閒聊時，我感覺到，他的那些話不會被很快忘記，這與婚禮上伴郎講話粗俗不合時宜一樣。

　　Some one once said: "Brains, integrity and force may be all very well, but what you need today is charm." This is the age of celebrity, even in the boardroom, and none of us is impervious to the presence of those legendary characters when they switch on the full blast of their glittering personality. Perhaps it is their reputation, perhaps their smile, perhaps their brilliance with words-or possibly their rapt attention.

　　曾有人說：“擁有才智、誠實和力量固然不錯，但當今你需要的是魅力。” 這是一個名人的時代，即使在董事會也是如此。那些鼎鼎大名的人物一旦全力展現他們迷人的個性或者是名聲、或者是微笑、或者是口才，又或者是專注的神情，投入能夠抵禦。

　　I am often struck how often young children utter the phrase "Look at me!" They want appreciation, and fundamentally not much changes, even when we are 50. Genuine approval from the boss can taste better than anything-even a pay rise.

　　小孩子常常會說“看我的!”，對此我常常感到驚訝。他們想要得到讚賞。這一點在長大後基本上也不會改變，即使到了50歲。老闆真心的稱讚比什麼——甚至加薪，都更讓人覺得受用。

　　Are charm and a sense of humour acquired traits? They certainly improve with effort and practice. Ronald Reagan used his years in showbiz to hone his performance skills before succeeding in politics.

　　魅力和幽默感能夠後天培養嗎?努力練習肯定會有作用。羅納德·里根早年在演藝界幹過，練得一身表演才能，後來才進入政界，成就了一番事業。

　　I have sat with stand-up comics before they go on stage. The most brilliant appear almost nonchalant, rather than rehearsed or anxious, and their acts are mostly learnt word-perfect yet appear spontaneous.

　　我曾經在一些笑星登臺前與他們坐在一起。最出色的笑星出場前幾乎都顯得若無其事，既沒有背臺詞，也沒有焦慮不安。他們表演的內容基本上都是事先背下來的，但卻顯得像是即興發揮。

　　So it is with outstanding business leaders who persuade their teams to laugh and try harder: they apply themselves assiduously to the task. Most world-class chief executives possess charisma-really a captivating blend of charm and wit. And, believe me, they graft at it far more than they admit.

　　傑出的企業領導能夠讓他的團隊既開心又賣力工作：他們自己會勤於工作。世界級的執行長大多魅力非凡——這實際上是吸引力和風趣機智的迷人組合。另外，請相信我，他們花費在這上面的心力，遠遠超過他們所承認的。

　　適合朗讀的英語美文：World's Largest Cupcake

　　World's Largest Cupcake

　　世界最大的杯蛋糕

　　A 4 feet cupcake weighing a hefty 1,224 pounds has been officially recognized as the world's largest by the Guinness Book of Records.

　　一個“身高”4英尺、“體重”達1224磅的杯蛋糕日前被《吉尼斯世界記錄》正式認證為世界上最大的杯形蛋糕。

　　Unveiled on Monday, in Detroit, Michigan, US, the enormous cake -with a whopping circumference of 11 feet-was over eight times bigger than the previous record holder.

　　這塊巨型蛋糕於本週一在美國密歇根州的底特律市公佈於眾，它的“腰圍”驚人，達到11英尺，比之前的記錄保持者大8倍之多。

　　Baked over the course of 12 hours, the gigantic cup cake was made from 200 pounds of flour, 200 pounds of sugar, 200 pounds of butter and 800 eggs.

　　這一龐大的杯形蛋糕經過12小時烘製而成，共用掉200磅麵粉、200磅糖、200磅黃油和800個雞蛋。

　　When covered with frosting and custard, the one-of-a-kind dessert boasted 2,000,000 calories. The brainchild of American firm Gourmet Gift Baskets, the cupcake smashed the previous record of 151 pounds set on July 20.

　　再加上糖霜和蛋奶沙司，這塊獨一無二的大蛋糕所含的熱量高達200萬卡路里。這塊蛋糕的創意來自美國“美食禮品籃公司”，它打破了之前於7月20日創下的151磅的記錄。

　　Appearing at the Woodward Avenue Dream Cruise Classic Car Show in Detroit, proceeds from the sale of the cupcake went to cancer charity Passionately Pink for the Cure.

　　這塊蛋糕在底特律的伍德沃得大街夢想之航經典車展上亮相，它的銷售收益將捐獻給“粉色激情治療”癌症慈善組織。

　　Ryan Abood, CEO of GourmetGiftBaskets, assembled a cupcake "dream team" including master-baker George Algarin to begin making the cake on August 12, five days before the scheduled unveiling.

　　“美食禮品籃”網站的執行長萊恩·阿布德組建了一支製作杯蛋糕的“夢之隊”，其中還包括特級麵包師喬治·阿爾加林。這塊蛋糕於8月12日開始製作，當時據計劃展出還有5天的時間。

　　"We started off with a goal of a 7,000 pounds cupcake but fate intervened on Friday morning when the baking was supposed to be complete," said Mr Abood.

　　阿布德說：“我們一開始的目標是一個7000磅的蛋糕，但就在週五早上快完工時，命運跟我們開了個玩笑。”

　　"The huge 8x8 feet oven was opened and we found that the weight of the expanding batter crushed one of the main convection mbes blowing hot air into the heart of the cupcake causing cup-cake to collapse."

　　“當我們開啟8乘8英尺的巨型烤箱時，發現麵糊膨脹的重量把其中一根主對流管壓壞了，結果熱空氣吹到杯形蛋糕的中心部位，導致蛋糕坍塌。”

　　Luckily, the team managed to avert disaster by rustling up a cake with only half a day to go, still managing to beat all other cupcake records in the process.

　　幸運的是，“夢之隊”在離最後期限還剩半天的時間裡又重新趕製了一個，避免了一場大麻煩，而且還是打破了所有其他杯形蛋糕的記錄。

　　An adjudicator from Guinness had flown in from London, especially to measure the cupcake and announced the record to a crowd of hundreds at the motor show.

　　來自吉尼斯世界紀錄的一名評審員特地從倫敦飛往底特律為這塊杯蛋糕進行測量，並向前來參加車展的數百民眾公佈了這一記錄。

　　適合朗讀的英語美文：Dad Sure Could Play that Mandolin

　　Dad Sure Could Play that Mandolin

　　父愛無邊

　　My father was a self-taught mandolin player. He was one of the best string instrument players in our town. He could not read music, but if he heard a tune a few times, he could play it. When he was younger, he was a member of a small country music band. They would play at local dances and on a few occasions would play for the local radio station. He often told us how he had auditioned and earned a position in a band that featured Patsy Cline as their lead singer. He told the family that after he was hired he never went back. Dad was a very religious man. He stated that there was a lot of drinking and cursing the day of his audition and he did not want to be around that type of environment.

　　我父親是個自學成才的曼陀林琴手，他是我們鎮最優秀的絃樂演奏者之一。他看不懂樂譜，但是如果聽幾次曲子，他就能演奏出來。當他年輕一點的時候，他是一個小鄉村樂隊的成員。他們在當地舞廳演奏，有幾次還為當地廣播電臺演奏。他經常告訴我們，自己如何試演，如何在佩茜•克萊恩作為主唱的樂隊裡佔一席之位。他告訴家人，一旦被聘用就永不回頭。父親是一個很嚴謹的人，他講述了他試演的那天，很多人在喝酒，咒罵，他不想呆在那種環境裡。

　　Occasionally, Dad would get out his mandolin and play for the family. We three children: Trisha, Monte and I, George Jr., would often sing along. Songs such as the Tennessee Waltz, Harbor Lights and around Christmas time, the well-known rendition of Silver Bells. "Silver Bells, Silver Bells, its Christmas time in the city" would ring throughout the house. One of Dad's favorite hymns was "The Old Rugged Cross". We learned the words to the hymn when we were very young, and would sing it with Dad when he would play and sing. Another song that was often shared in our house was a song that accompanied the Walt Disney series: Davey Crockett. Dad only had to hear the song twice before he learned it well enough to play it. "Davey, Davey Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" was a favorite song for the family. He knew we enjoyed the song and the program and would often get out the mandolin after the program was over. I could never get over how he could play the songs so well after only hearing them a few times. I loved to sing, but I never learned how to play the mandolin. This is something I regret to this day.

　　有時候，父親會拿出曼陀林，為家人彈奏。我們三個小孩：翠莎、蒙蒂和我，還有喬治通常會伴唱。唱的有：《田納西華爾茲》和《海港之光》，到了聖誕節，就唱膾炙人口的《銀鈴》： “銀鈴，銀鈴，城裡來了聖誕節。 ”歌聲充滿了整個房子。父親最愛的其中一首讚歌是《古老的十字架》。我們很小的時候就學會歌詞了，而且在父親彈唱的時候，我們也跟著唱。我們經常一起唱的另外一首歌來自沃特•迪斯尼的系列片：《戴維•克羅克特》。父親只要聽了兩遍就彈起來了， “戴維，戴維•克羅克特，荒野邊疆的國王。 ”那是我們家最喜歡的歌曲。他知道我們喜歡那首歌和那個節目，所以每次節目結束後，他就拿出曼陀林彈奏。我永遠不能明白他如何能聽完幾遍後就能把一首曲子彈得那麼好。我熱愛唱歌，但我沒有學會如何彈奏曼陀林，這是我遺憾至今的事情。

　　Dad loved to play the mandolin for his family he knew we enjoyed singing, and hearing him play. He was like that. If he could give pleasure to others, he would, especially his family. He was always there, sacrificing his time and efforts to see that his family had enough in their life. I had to mature into a man and have children of my own before I realized how much he had sacrificed.

　　父親喜歡為家人彈奏曼陀林，他知道我們喜歡唱歌，喜歡聽他彈奏。他就是那樣，如果他能把快樂奉獻給別人，他從不吝嗇，尤其是對他的家人。他總是那樣，犧牲自己的時間和精力讓家人生活得滿足。父親的這種付出是隻有當我長大成人，而且是有了自己的孩子後才能體會到的。

　　I joined the United States Air Force in January of 1962. Whenever I would come home on leave, I would ask Dad to play the mandolin. Nobody played the mandolin like my father. He could touch your soul with the tones that came out of that old mandolin. He seemed to shine when he was playing. You could see his pride in his ability to play so well for his family.

　　我在 1962 年 1月加入了美國空軍基地。每當我休假回家，我都請求父親彈奏曼陀林。沒有人彈奏曼陀林能達到像我父親那樣的境界，他在那古老的曼陀林上撫出的旋律能夠觸及你的靈魂。他彈奏的時候，身上似乎能發出四射的光芒。你可以看出，父親為能給家人彈奏出如此美妙的旋律，他是多麼的自豪。

　　When Dad was younger, he worked for his father on the farm. His father was a farmer and sharecropped a farm for the man who owned the property. In 1950, our family moved from the farm. Dad had gained employment at the local limestone quarry. When the quarry closed in August of 1957, he had to seek other employment. He worked for Owens Yacht Company in Dundalk, Maryland and for Todd Steel in Point of Rocks, Maryland. While working at Todd Steel, he was involved in an accident. His job was to roll angle iron onto a conveyor so that the welders farther up the production line would have it to complete their job. On this particular day Dad got the third index finger of his left hand mashed between two pieces of steel. The doctor who operated on the finger could not save it, and Dad ended up having the tip of the finger amputated. He didn't lose enough of the finger where it would stop him picking up anything, but it did impact his ability to play the mandolin.

　　父親年輕的時候，曾在農場為爺爺工作。爺爺是農場使用者，要向農場所有人交納穀物抵租。 1950 年，我們全家搬離農場，父親在當地石灰石採石場謀得職位。採石場在 1957 年倒閉，他只好另覓工作。他曾在馬里蘭州登多克的歐文斯遊艇公司上班，還在馬里蘭州的洛斯的託德鋼鐵公司上過班。在託德鋼鐵公司上班期間，他遇到了意外。他的工作是把有稜角的鐵滾到搬運臺上，這樣焊接工才能作進一步加工來完成整個工序。在那個特殊的日子裡，父親的左手第三個手指被纏在兩片鋼鐵中。醫生對手指施手術，但未能保住那隻手指，最後父親只好讓醫生把那手指的指尖給切除了。那個手指並沒有完全喪失拿東西的能力，但是卻影響了他彈奏曼陀林的能力。

　　After the accident, Dad was reluctant to play the mandolin. He felt that he could not play as well as he had before the accident. When I came home on leave and asked him to play he would make excuses for why he couldn't play. Eventually, we would wear him down and he would say "Okay, but remember, I can't hold down on the strings the way I used to" or "Since the accident to this finger I can't play as good". For the family it didn't make any difference that Dad couldn't play as well. We were just glad that he would play. When he played the old mandolin it would carry us back to a cheerful, happier time in our lives. "Davey, Davey Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier", would again be heard in the little town of Bakerton, West Virginia.

　　事故後，父親不太願意彈奏曼陀林了，他覺得再也不能像以前彈得那麼好了。我休假回家請求他彈奏曼陀林，他以種種藉口解釋不能彈奏的原因。最後，我們軟硬兼施逼他就範，他終於說： “好吧，但是記住，我撥絃再也不能像過去一樣了。 ”或者會說： “這個手指出意外後，我再也不能彈得像過去那樣好了。 ”對於家人來說，父親彈得好不好並沒有分別，我們很高興他終於彈奏了。當他彈起那把陳舊的曼陀林，就會把我們帶回昔日那些無憂無慮的幸福時光。 “戴維，戴維•克羅克特，荒野邊疆的國王”就會再次響徹西弗吉尼亞州的貝克頓小鎮。

　　In August of 1993 my father was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. He chose not to receive chemotherapy treatments so that he could live out the rest of his life in dignity. About a week before his death, we asked Dad if he would play the mandolin for us. He made excuses but said "okay". He knew it would probably be the last time he would play for us. He tuned up the old mandolin and played a few notes. When I looked around, there was not a dry eye in the family. We saw before us a quiet humble man with an inner strength that comes from knowing God, and living with him in one's life. Dad would never play the mandolin for us again. We felt at the time that he wouldn't have enough strength to play, and that makes the memory of that day even stronger. Dad was doing something he had done all his life, giving. As sick as he was, he was still pleasing others. Dad sure could play that Mandolin!

　　1993 年 8月，父親診斷得了不宜動手術的肺癌。他不想接受化療，因為他想體面地過完他生命最後的時光。大約在父親去世的一週前，我們請求他能否為我們彈奏曼陀林，他說了很多藉口，最後還是答應了。他知道這可能是他最後一次為我們彈奏了，他為老曼陀林調絃，彈了幾個音。我環顧四周，家人個個都淚水滿眶。我們看見在我們面前是一個安靜的、謙虛的人，以生命最後的力量，用愛的力量支撐著。父親再也沒有足夠的力量彈奏，這使我們對那天的記憶更加強烈。父親做著他一生都在做的事情：奉獻。即使生命已走到了盡頭，他卻仍盡力為他人創造歡樂。沒錯，父親一定還能彈奏曼陀林的。