勵志英語故事

　　有很多都是值得我們花時間去閱讀品味的，那麼都有哪些呢?一起來看看吧。

　　：小約翰

　　One day, Robin Hood went hunting alone in the forest. He had told his men that if he should fall into any danger and could not escape he would blow his horn so that they might know and come to help him. When he was crossing a river by a long bridge he met a huge man at the middle. And neither of the two would give way to the other. Robin Hood got angry and put an arrow to his bow and made ready to shoot. The stranger said it was unfair for Robin Hood to shoot a man who had only a staff in his hand. Hearing this Robin Hood lay down his bow and pulled up a small tree and returned to the stranger.

　　They agreed to fight on the bridge, and that the one who first fell in the stream would be the loser. Robin Hood first struck the stranger a blow, but the stranger did not fall. Then the stranger gave him such a hit on the head that blood flowed. This made him so angry that he attacked the stranger violently as if he wanted to kill him. But then he received another blow and fell into the river. The stranger laughed loudly. Robin Hood swam to the bank, pulled out his horn and blew it so that the valley echoed with the sound. At this fifty men came out of the wood, all in green, and they asked Robin what had happened. Robin said the stranger had caused him to fall into the water. When his men were going to seize the stranger to duck him as well, Robin Hood stopped them. He praised the stranger for his strength and courage, and asked him what his name was and if he would be one of his men, living a merry life in the forest. The stranger said his name was John Little, and he was very glad to join them and to be true to Robin Hood.

　　But the merry men preferred to call the stranger Little John. Of course it was only a joke, because he was actually seven feet high and more than three round at his waist. Little John later became the leader of the band just below Robin Hood.

　　有一天，羅賓漢獨自到林子裡去打獵。他跟手下人說好，一旦他遇到危險無法脫身，他就吹號招呼他們前來救助。他從一條長長的窄橋上過河時，在橋的正中遇到一個大個子。兩人都不肯給對方讓路。羅賓漢發起火來，把箭搭在弓上，瞄準對方。那陌生人說，羅賓漢向手裡只有一根棍子的人射箭，未免有欠公平。於是羅賓漢放下弓箭，拔了一棵小樹回來。

　　兩人說定，就在橋上一比高低，先掉進河裡的就得認輸。羅賓漢先打中那人一棍，但那人身軀龐大，只晃了晃，沒掉下去。陌生人接著一棍子打在羅賓漢的頭上，打得頭破血流。這下可惹惱了羅賓漢。他發起狠來，恨不得結果那人的性命。但他急中生錯，讓對方看出破綻，一棍子把他打落在水裡。陌生人哈哈大笑。羅賓漢游上岸，吹起號角來。號角聲在山谷裡迴盪。霎時間，從林子裡冒出50個身穿綠衣的漢子，問羅賓漢為何事召喚他們。羅賓漢說明原因，漢子們就要動手把那人按進水裡，但羅賓漢阻止了他們。他誇獎陌生人的力量和勇氣，問他是否願意入夥，在森林裡過快活日子。陌生人自稱名叫約翰•利特爾，很願意入夥為羅賓漢效力。

　　但羅賓漢一夥把他的姓和名顛倒過來，改成了小約翰。這當然是開玩笑，因為小約翰是個大個子，身高七英尺，腰圍有三英尺多。後來小約翰成了羅賓漢的副手。

　　題外話：中國人提起神箭手，總能想起楚國的養由基，他百步穿楊，箭無虛發。英國傳說中的神箭手，則非羅賓漢和小約翰莫屬了。

　　：不要降低自己的標準

　　Suppose a child comes home with a report card with five As and one B. Usually the first thing his parents will say is "Why the B?" What do you think will go through the child’s mind? Did he try for the B? Or should his parents congratulate the child for the B and accept a lower standard? Not at all.

　　What the child is really looking for acknowledgement and encouragement for the effort in getting the five As. A parent after acknowledging and praising the As, can make clear his expectations of seeing all six As and offer help if needed. If we lower our standards, the chances are pretty good that the performance next time would drop to those expectations.

　　Similarly at work, an employee does 100 things right and one thing wrong. Guess what the boss picks on.

　　Acknowledge the positive but don't lower your standards.

　　假如一個孩子帶回家一張五個A，一個B的成績單，他的父母親首先通常會這樣問：“為什麼得了個B?”你認為孩子心裡會怎麼想?難道他是爭取得個B嗎?或者父母親應該祝賀孩子得了個B，並接受這較低的標準嗎?根本不是。

　　孩子真正盼望的是，他因努力而獲得的五個A能得到承認和鼓勵。父親或母親可以在承認和讚揚這些A之後，表明想要看到六個A的願望，並表示如果需要，可以提供幫助。如果我們降低自己的標準，那麼下一次的成績很可能低於那些期望。

　　同樣，在工作上，一個僱員做了100件正確事而做了一件錯事，猜猜老闆會挑出哪件事。

　　承認積極面，但不要降低自己的標準。

　　：禪師和男孩

　　摘要：一位父親為兒子擔心。兒子16歲了，卻沒有一點勇氣。於是，父親決定去拜訪一位禪師，請他訓練兒子。

　　A father was worried about his son, who was sixteen years old but had no courage at all. So the father decided to call on a Buddhist monk to train his boy.

　　The Buddhist monk said to the boy's father, "You should leave your son alone here. I'll make him into a real man within three months. However, you can’t come to see him during this period. "

　　Three months later, the boy's father returned. The Buddhist monk arranged a boxing match between the boy and an experienced boxer. Each time the fighter struck the boy, he fell down, but at once the boy stood up; and each time a punch knocked him down, the boy stood up again. Several times later, the Buddhist monk asked, "What do you think of your child?"

　　"What a shame!" the boy's father said. "I never thought he would be so easily knocked down. I needn't have him left here any longer."

　　"I'm sorry that that's all you see. Don't you see that each time he falls down; he stands up again instead of crying? That's the kind of courage you wanted him to have."

　　一位父親為兒子擔心。兒子16歲了，卻沒有一點勇氣。於是，父親決定去拜訪一位禪師，請他訓練兒子。

　　禪師對男孩的父親說：“你應該讓他單獨留在這裡。不出3個月，我要讓他成為一個真正的男子漢。不過，在這段時間，你不能來見他。”

　　3個月後，男孩的父親又來見禪師。禪師安排這個男孩和一位經驗豐富的拳師進行拳擊比賽。拳師每次一出手，男孩就倒在地上，但男孩又馬上站起來;每次將他擊倒，他就又站起來。幾個回合後，禪師問道：“你認為自己的孩子怎麼樣?”

　　“真丟人!”男孩的父親說，“我絕沒想到他這樣不堪一擊。我不需要他再留在這裡了。”

　　“很遺憾，你只看到了這一點。難道你沒看到他每次倒下後並沒有哭泣，而是重新站起來了嗎?這才是你想要他擁有的那種勇氣。”