中考英語(yǔ) 美文-Almond-shaped brooch 一份愛(ài)的禮物索材人教版

1、Almond-shaped brooch 一份愛(ài)的禮物愛(ài)思英語(yǔ)編者按：“我有錢(qián)啦!”魯本一本正經(jīng)地告訴店主。店主走向櫥窗，取出魯本夢(mèng)寐以求的東西。魯本一路狂奔到家，沖進(jìn)前門(mén)。媽媽正在廚房擦洗灶臺(tái)?！扒?，媽媽?zhuān)∏?！”魯本一邊跑向她一邊大叫著。他把一個(gè)小盒子放在她因勞作而變得粗糙的手上。為了不損壞包裝紙，她小心翼翼地把它拆開(kāi)，一個(gè)藍(lán)色天鵝絨的首飾盒映入眼簾。多拉打開(kāi)盒蓋，淚水頓時(shí)模糊了她的雙眼。在一個(gè)小巧的心狀胸針上刻著金字：母親。那是1946年的母親節(jié)。多拉從未收到過(guò)這樣的禮物；除了結(jié)婚戒指外，她沒(méi)有別的飾物。哽咽無(wú)語(yǔ)，她把兒子一把攬入懷中，臉上洋溢著動(dòng)人的光彩。In 1945, a 12-ye

2、ar-old boy saw something in a shop window that set his heart racing. But the pricefive dollarswas far beyond Reuben Earle's means. Five dollars would buy almost a week's groceries for his family.Reuben couldn't ask his father for the money. Everything Mark Earle made through fishing in B

3、ay Roberts, Newfoundland, Canada. Reuben's mother, Dora, stretched like elastic to feed and clothe their five children.Nevertheless, he opened the shop's weathered door and went inside. Standing proud and straight in his flour-sack shirt and washed-out trousers, he told the shopkeeper what h

4、e wanted, adding, "But I don't have the money right now. Can you please hold it for me for some time?""I'll try," the shopkeeper smiled. " Folks around here don't usually have that kind of money to spend on things. It should keep for a while."Reuben respectf

5、ully touched his worn cap and walked out into the sunlight with the bay rippling in a freshening wind. There was purpose in his loping stride. He would raise the five dollars and not tell anybody.更多信息請(qǐng)?jiān)L問(wèn)：Hearing the sound of hammering from a side street, Reuben had an idea.He ran towards the sound a

6、nd stopped at a construction site. People built their own homes in Bay Roberts, using nails purchased in Hessian sacks from a local factory. Sometimes the sacks were discarded in the flurry of building, and Reuben knew he could sell them back to the factory for five cents a piece.That day he found t

7、wo sacks, which he took to the rambling wooden factory and sold to the man in charge of packing nails.The boy's hand tightly clutched the five-cent pieces as he ran the two kilometers home.Near his house stood the ancient barn that housed the family's goats and chickens. Reuben found a rusty

8、 soda tin and dropped his coins inside. Then he climbed into the loft of the barn and hid the tin beneath a pile of sweet smelling hay.It was dinner time when Reuben got home. His father sat at the big kitchen table, working on a fishing net. Dora was at the kitchen stove, ready to serve dinner as R

9、euben took his place at the table.He looked at his mother and smiled. Sunlight from the window gilded her shoulder-length blonde hair. Slim and beautiful, she was the center of the home, the glue that held it together.Her chores were never-ending. Sewing clothes for her family on the old Singer trea

10、dle machine, cooking meals and baking bread, planting and tending a vegetable garden, milking the goats and scrubbing soiled clothes on a washboard. But she was happy. Her family and their well-being were her highest priority.Every day after chores and school, Reuben scoured the town, collecting the

11、 hessian nail bags. On the day the two-room school closed for the summer, no student was more delighted than Reuben. Now he would have more time for his mission.All summer long, despite chores at home weeding and watering the garden, cutting wood and fetching waterReuben kept to his secret task.Then

12、 all too soon the garden was harvested, the vegetables canned and stored, and the school reopened. Soon the leaves fell and the winds blew cold and gusty from the bay. Reuben wandered the streets, diligently searching for his hessian treasures.Often he was cold, tired and hungry, but the thought of

13、the object in the shop window sustained him. Sometimes his mother would ask: "Reuben, where were you? We were waiting for you to have dinner.""Playing, Mum. Sorry."Dora would look at his face and shake her head. Boys.Finally spring burst into glorious green and Reuben's spiri

14、ts erupted. The time had come! He ran into the barn, climbed to the hayloft and uncovered the tin can. He poured the coins out and began to count.Then he counted again. He needed 20 cents more. Could there be any sacks left any where in town? He had to find four and sell them before the day ended.Re

15、uben ran down Water Street.The shadows were lengthening when Reuben arrived at the factory. The sack buyer was about to lock up."Mister! Please don't close up yet."The man turned and saw Reuben, dirty and sweat stained."Come back tomorrow, boy.""Please, Mister. I have to

16、 sell the sacks nowplease."The man heard a tremor in Reuben's voice and could tell he was close to tears."Why do you need this money so badly?""It's a secret."The man took the sacks, reached into his pocket and put four coins in Reuben's hand. Reuben murmured a t

17、hank you and ran home.Then, clutching the tin can, he headed for the shop."I have the money," he solemnly told the owner.The man went to the window and retrieved Reuben's treasure.He wiped the dust off and gently wrapped it in brown paper. Then he placed the parcel in Reuben's hand

18、s.Racing home, Reuben burst through the front door. His mother was scrubbing the kitchen stove. "Here, Mum! Here!" Reuben exclaimed as he ran to her side. He placed a small box in her work roughened hand.She unwrapped it carefully, to save the paper. A blue-velvet jewel box appeared. Dora

19、lifted the lid, tears beginning to blur her vision.In gold lettering on a small, almond-shaped brooch was the word Mother.It was Mother's Day, 1946.Dora had never received such a gift; she had no finery except her wedding ring. Speechless, she smiled radiantly and gathered her son into her arms.

20、轉(zhuǎn)貼于：24EN.COM Travel on Foot徒步旅行The past ages of man have all been carefully labelled by anthropologists. Descriptions like "Palaeolithic Man". "Neolithic Man", etc., neatly sum up whole periods. When the time comes for anthropologists to turn their attention to the twentieth cent

21、ury, they will surely choose the label "Legless Man". Histories of the time will go something like this:" In the twentieth century, people forgot how to use their legs. Men and women moved about in cars, buses and trains from a very early age. There were lifts and escalators in all la

22、rge building to prevent people from walking. This situation was forced upon earth-dwellers of that time because of their extraordinary way of life. In those days,people thought nothing of travelling hundreds of miles each day.But the surprising thing is that they didn't use their legs even when

23、they went on holiday.They built cable railways, ski-lifts and roads to the top of every huge mountain.All the beauty spots on earth were marred by the presence of large car parks." 更多信息請(qǐng)?jiān)L問(wèn)：When you travel at high speeds, the present means nothing: you live mainly in the future because you spend

24、 most of your time lookiong forward to arriving at some other place. But actual arrival,when it is achieved, is meaningless. You want to move on again. By travelling like this, you suspend all experience; the present ceased to be a reality: you might just as well be dead. Dish washing 父親讓我洗盤(pán)子周日吃過(guò)早飯后

25、，父親總會(huì)圍上印有賽車(chē)圖案的圍裙說(shuō)：“都走吧，我來(lái)洗盤(pán)子！”然后哼著民謠快樂(lè)地開(kāi)工。我想，一個(gè)男孩的父親穿上一件圍裙一定會(huì)讓人感覺(jué)不習(xí)慣。但我沒(méi)有想到，有朝一日父親會(huì)把這項(xiàng)任務(wù)交給我。那是八月的最后一個(gè)周日。在我們從教堂回家的途中，父親的心情似乎格外不錯(cuò)?！皽?，每個(gè)男孩子都需要承擔(dān)責(zé)任，現(xiàn)在到了你承擔(dān)更多家務(wù)的時(shí)候了?！比藗兘?jīng)常說(shuō)在父親和兒子中間存在著一種特殊的默契。當(dāng)我馬上要發(fā)火時(shí)他回到廚房中。他的右手拿著那件舊圍裙?！拔蚁胱屇銚碛兴?，湯米。它不會(huì)使你的衣服變濕?！痹谖冶硎究棺h前，他已把圍裙系到了我身上?！爸x謝你，兒子。你母親和我都對(duì)此很感激?！監(jiān)n Sundays my father a

26、lways wore that dull gray apron the one with the race cars all over it. The ritual began after breakfast when Dad always announced: "Go ahead everyone. I'll take care of the dishes!" With that my mother disappeared into the folds of the Sunday paper. Off came the suit coat he had worn

27、to church that morning. Up went the shirtsleeves. On went that apron. For the next hour Dad did the dishes, singing ballads like "I Had a Hat When I Came In" and "Who Put the Chow in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?"I suppose it was strange for a boy's father to wear an apron even

28、one with race cars but I never thought much of it until the day that Dad broke with tradition. It was the last Sunday in August. My father seemed in an expansive mood as we walked home from church together."Tommy," he said letting my name roll off his tongue. My mind raced ahead of his wor

29、ds: The birds and the bees? A new bike? A part-time job?"There comes a time in every boy's life when he must take on responsibilities." This was important. I might even get to back the car out of the driveway."Responsibilities?" I asked."Yes. It's time you took a gre

30、ater role in the household." Power tools? Boss my baby brother?"Starting today, I want you to do the dishes on Sunday morning so your mother and I can work the crossword puzzle together.""The dishes!?""Anything wrong with taking over the dishes, son?"I started to s

31、ay something about a man's job or woman's work, but I knew immediately that my protests would fall on deaf ears.I didn't taste a bit of breakfast that morning. Dad seemed in a jovial mood as he described an exceptional Yankee game seen through the eyes of Mel Allen on the radio last nigh

32、t."Mickey Mantle drove the ball right over the center field wall," he said. "Just a straight line climb in right out of the stadium." He looked out the window as if trying to pick the ball out of the cloud formations. I tried to imagine Mickey Mantle wearing an apron.Suddenly, ev

33、erything grew quiet. My sister began to clear the table. My brother was scraping the last of the egg from his plate. And then that ancient family ritual that had filled so many Sunday mornings came to an end. My father announced: "Let's go read the paper, Hon.""Aren't you doin

34、g the dishes?" my mother asked fretfully."Your oldest son has generously offered to fill the position."更多信息請(qǐng)?jiān)L問(wèn)：My brother and sister stopped cold. So this was what my life had come to. A dark angel sat on my left shoulder and reminded me that I could hit a baseball farther than anyone

35、 in my class. I could bench-press my weight. I knew three declensions in Latin, the language of Caesar. Ask me to run through a rainstorm. Command me to ride the roller coaster backward. These things I would do. But I could never do those dishes. There was nothing left but to refuse.People often say

36、 there is a special chemistry between a father and a son. He came back into the kitchen just as I was about to storm out. He had loosened his tie and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt ready to relax. In his right hand was the old apron."I want you to have this, Tommy. It'll keep your cloth

37、es from getting wet." And before I could mount a protest, he had put the thing on me. "Thanks, Son. Your mother and I appreciate this."With that he disappeared into the Sunday paper. I looked down at the plastic. It had seen better days. I could see my dad reaching for the dishes. The

38、 dark angel flew off. Soon I was singing about Mrs. Murphy's chowder. The words came out of nowhere. And out of nowhere I knew the kind of man I wanted to be.Cherish Today珍惜今日I will avoid with fury the killers of time. Procrastination I will destroy with action; Doubt I will bury with faith; Fea

39、r I will dismeber with confidence.Where there are idle mouths I will listen not; Where there are idle hands I will linger not; Where there are idle bodies I will visit not. Henceforth I know that to court idleness is to steal food, clothing and warmth from those I love. I am not a thief. I am a man

40、of love and today is my last chance to prove my love and my greatness.The duties of today I shall fulfill today. Today I shall fondle my children while they are young; Tomorrow they will be gone, and so will I. Today I shall embrance my woman with sweet kisses; tomorrow she will be gone, and so will

41、 I.Today I shall lift up a friend in need;tomorrow he will no longer cry for help, nor will I hear his cries. Today I shall give myself in sacrifice and work;tomorrow I will have nothing to give, and there will be none to receive.更多信息請(qǐng)?jiān)L問(wèn)：And if it is the last, it will be my great monument.This day I

42、 will make the best day of my life. This day I will drink every minute to its full. I will savor its taste and give thanks. I will make the every hour count and each minute I will trade only for something of value. I will labor harder than ever before and push my muscles until they cry for relief. 照

43、亮黑暗角落的光芒愛(ài)思英語(yǔ)編者按:黑暗似乎具有能夠遮斷一切光明的魔力。但是人類(lèi)對(duì)于光明的向往是永遠(yuǎn)也不可能被阻斷的。鏡子容易破碎，但是破碎的鏡片依然能反射出完好的陽(yáng)光。是光或者不是光也罷，重要的是要盡自己所能來(lái)反射光明，雖然微弱，也能驅(qū)走黑暗。"Dr.Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?"The usual laughter followed, and people stirred to go.Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a

44、long time, asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was."I will answer your question."Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter.And what he said went like thi

45、s:"When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.更多信息請(qǐng)?jiān)L問(wèn)："I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not pos

46、sible, so I kept only the largest piece. This one, and, by scratching it on a stone, I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine-in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became

47、a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find."I kept the little mirror, and, as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child's game

48、but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light-truth, understanding, knowledge-is there, and it will shine in many dark places only if I reflect it."I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not

49、 know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world-into the black places in the hearts of men-and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life."照亮黑暗角落的光芒愛(ài)思英語(yǔ)編者按:黑暗似乎具有

50、能夠遮斷一切光明的魔力。但是人類(lèi)對(duì)于光明的向往是永遠(yuǎn)也不可能被阻斷的。鏡子容易破碎，但是破碎的鏡片依然能反射出完好的陽(yáng)光。是光或者不是光也罷，重要的是要盡自己所能來(lái)反射光明，雖然微弱，也能驅(qū)走黑暗。"Dr.Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?"The usual laughter followed, and people stirred to go.Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time, asking with

51、 his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was."I will answer your question."Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter.And what he said went like this:"When I was a s

52、mall child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.更多信息請(qǐng)?jiān)L問(wèn)："I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only

53、the largest piece. This one, and, by scratching it on a stone, I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine-in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get l

54、ight into the most inaccessible places I could find."I kept the little mirror, and, as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for wha

55、t I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light-truth, understanding, knowledge-is there, and it will shine in many dark places only if I reflect it."I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, w

56、ith what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world-into the black places in the hearts of men-and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life."照亮黑暗角落的光芒愛(ài)思英語(yǔ)編者按:黑暗似乎具有能夠遮斷一切光明的魔力。但是人類(lèi)對(duì)于光明的向

57、往是永遠(yuǎn)也不可能被阻斷的。鏡子容易破碎，但是破碎的鏡片依然能反射出完好的陽(yáng)光。是光或者不是光也罷，重要的是要盡自己所能來(lái)反射光明，雖然微弱，也能驅(qū)走黑暗。"Dr.Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?"The usual laughter followed, and people stirred to go.Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time, asking with his eyes if I was ser

58、ious and seeing from my eyes that I was."I will answer your question."Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter.And what he said went like this:"When I was a small child, during the

59、 war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.更多信息請(qǐng)?jiān)L問(wèn)："I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece. Thi

60、s one, and, by scratching it on a stone, I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine-in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find."I kept the little mirror, and, as I went about my growing up, I wou