高中英語推薦課外閱讀文章10篇

1、精選優(yōu)質(zhì)文檔-傾情為你奉上高中英語推薦課外閱讀文章10篇A lifetime friendshipThomas Jefferson and James Madison met in 1776. Could it have been any other year? They worked together starting then to further American Revolution and later to shape the new scheme of government. From the work sprang a friendship perhaps incomparabl

2、e in intimacy1 and the trustfulness of collaboration and induration. It lasted 50 years. It included pleasure and utility but over and above them, there were shared purpose, a common end and an enduring goodness on both sides. Four and a half months before he died, when he was ailing, debt-ridden, a

3、nd worried about his impoverished family, Jefferson wrote to his longtime friend. His words and Madison's reply remind us that friends are friends until death. They also remind us that sometimes a friendship has a bearing on things larger than the friendship itself, for has there ever been a fri

4、endship of greater public consequence than this one? "The friendship which has subsisted between us now half a century, the harmony of our po1itical principles and pursuits have been sources of constant happiness to me through that long period. If ever the earth has beheld6 a system of administ

5、ration conducted with a single and steadfast eye to the general interest and happiness of those committed to it, one which, protected by truth, can never known reproach, it is that to which our lives have been devoted. To myself you have been a pillar of support throughout life. Take care of me when

6、 dead and be assured that I should leave with you my last affections."A week later Madison replied-"You cannot look back to the long period of our private friendship and political harmony with more affecting recollections than I do. If they are a source of pleasure to you, what arent they

7、not to be to me? We cannot be deprived of the happy consciousness of the pure devotion to the public good with Which we discharge the trust committed to us and I indulge a confidence that sufficient evidence will find in its way to another generation to ensure, after we are gone, whatever of justice

8、 may be withheld9 whilst we are here. "ê 推薦詞匯：1. intimacy n. 熟悉；親近2. collaboration n. 合作3. impoverished adj. 窮困的；無力的4. beheld v. 注視著（原形為behold）5. devoted adj. 忠誠的；獻身的6. withheld v. 克制；隱瞞（原形是withhold）God Had to Be FairWe always knew our daughter Kendall was going be a performer of some sort

9、. She entertained people in our small town by putting on shows on our front porch when she was only three or four. Blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and beautiful, she sang like a little angel and mesmerized everyone. When Kendall was five, we began to notice that she was blinking a lot and clearing her thr

10、oat frequently. We had her tested for allergies, but the doctor said she wasn't allergic to anything at all. After the problem worsened, we took her to our local children's hospital where she was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome. It was pretty devastating because other children constan

11、tly made fun of her, and sadly, even a teacher teased her. When the tics were especially bad, Kendall had to wear a neck brace. She only had one or two friends, but that was okay because they were - and continue to be - real, the kind who stick by her, no matter what. Through all this, Kendall conti

12、nued to sing and entertain. Remarkably, her tics disappeared when she sang. We took our daughter from doctor to doctor, but all they did was give her medication that just made it worse, so we decided to go the natural route. Through chiropractic therapy, changes in her diet, and other natural treatm

13、ents, the tics gradually lessened.In 2005 when Kendall was sixteen, we thought she was pretty much out of the woods - or at least heading in that direction. However, as if Tourette's Syndrome wasn't enough for a beautiful young girl to deal with, a freak accident happened. At a birthday part

14、y, Kendall hopped on a friend for a piggyback ride. He bent lower than she expected, and she jumped higher than he expected. Kendall flew over his back and landed on the cement floor - on her neck. An ambulance rushed her to the hospital where she spent the next week, paralyzed from the neck down. I

15、ronically, her biggest concern wasn't whether she would walk again, but whether she would be able to audition for American Idol. Doctors said Kendall had central cord syndrome. The pain was excruciating and required morphine to control it. Sometimes it was so unbearable she had to bite down on a

16、 toothbrush to take her mind off it. As the days dragged on, feeling returned to her left side, but she was still paralyzed on the right. We didn't know for sure how much of her movement would ever come back. I believe Kendall wanted the American Idol audition so much that she willed herself to

17、move again. One of her friends brought a microphone to the hospital and put it on her bed. Every day, Kendall tried hard to pick it up with her right hand. It was more important for her to pick up that mic than a spoon or fork. Sometimes we all cried because of the pain we witnessed. But on the day

18、Kendall walked into the stadium to audition for American Idol - a mere three months after her accident - we cried tears of joy. And our tears turned into shouts when she was given a golden ticket to Hollywood. As a parent, you always think your child is the best ever - that's just what parents d

19、o. But after seeing Kendall perform, I know she's one of the best, even though she didn't make it into the Top 24.Kendall is eighteen now, living every day to its fullest. She's recorded a CD with some of John Mellencamp's band members. She's also on CMT's Music City Madness

20、for an original song and video, and is having some good success. I'm absolutely sure she's going to make it big some day. Kendall just puts it all in God's hands. When she was a little girl trying hard to be strong, she looked up at me, her big eyes brimming with tears, and asked me why

21、she had to have Tourette's Syndrome. My heart ached to make the world right for my child. But I looked right back at her and told her the truth as I see it. "Kendall, God gave you a pure heart, an angelic voice, a strong mind, and a beautiful presence. With all of that, he had to make it fa

22、ir for everyone else."ê 推薦詞匯：1. mesmerize v. 使著迷2. allergy n. 過敏3. allergic adj. 過敏的（用法：be allergic to 對過敏）4. devastating adj. 毀滅性的；令人震驚的5. brace n. 支架；括號 v. 撐住6. remarkable adj. 不同尋常的7. lessened adj. 減少的8. hop v.跳9. idol n.偶像；紅人10. mere adj. 僅僅的The Doll and the White RoseI hurried into th

23、e local department store to grab some last minute Christmas gifts. I looked at all the people and grumbled to myself. I would be in here forever and I just had so much to do. Christmas was beginning to become such a drag. I kind of wished that I could just sleep through Christmas. But I hurried the

24、best I could through all the people to the toy department. Once again I kind of mumbled to myself at the prices of all these toys, and wondered if the grandkids would even play whit4 them. I found myself in the doll aisle5. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a little boy about 5 holding a lovely doll

25、. He kept touching6 her hair and he held her so gently. I could not seem to help myself. I just kept looking over at the little boy and wondered who the doll was for. I watched him turn to a woman and he called his aunt by name and said, "Are you sure I don't have enough money?" She re

26、plied a bit impatiently, "You know that you don't have enough money for it." The aunt told the little boy not to go anywhere that she had to go and get some other things and would be back in a few minutes. And then she left the aisle. The boy continued to hold the doll. After a bit I a

27、sked the boy who the doll was for. He said, "It is the doll my sister wanted so badly for Christmas. She just knew that Santa would bring it. "I told him that maybe Santa was going to bring it. He said, "No, Santa can't go where my sister is. I have to give the doll to my Mama to

28、take to her. "I asked him where his sister was. He looked at me with the saddest eyes and said, "She was gone to be with Jesus. My Daddy says that Mamma is going to have to go be with her."My heart nearly stopped beating. Then the boy looked at me again and said, "I told my Daddy

29、 to tell my Mama not to go yet. I told him to tell her to wait till I got back from the store." Then he asked me if I wanted to see his picture. I told him I'd love to. He pulled out some picture he'd had taken at the front of the store. He said, "I want my Mama to take this with h

30、er so the doesn't ever forget me. I love my Mama so very much and I wish she did not have to leave me. But Daddy says she will need to be with my sister." I saw that the little boy had lowered his head and had grown so quiet. While he was not looking I reached into my purse and pulled out a

31、 handful of bills. I asked the little boy, "Shall we count that money one more time?" He grew excited and said, "Yes, I just know it has to be enough." So I slipped my money in with his and we began to count it. Of course it was plenty for the doll. He softly said, "Thank yo

32、u Jesus for giving me enough money." Then the boy said, "I just asked Jesus to give me enough money to buy this doll so Mama can take it with her to give my sister. And he heard my prayer. I wanted to ask him give for enough to buy my Mama a white rose, but I didn't ask him, but he gav

33、e me enough to buy the doll and a rose for my Mama. She loves white rose so much. "In a few minutes the aunt came back and I wheeled my cart away. I could not keep from thinking about the little boy as I finished my shopping in a totally different spirit than when I had started. And I kept reme

34、mbering a story I had seen in the newspaper several days earlier about a drunk driver hitting a car and killing a little girl and the Mother was in serious condition. The family was deciding on whether to remove the life support. Now surely this little boy did not belong with that story. Two days la

35、ter I read in the paper where the family had disconnected the life support and the young woman had died. I could not forget the little boy and just kept wondering if the two were somehow connected. Later that day, I could not help myself and I went out and bought some white roses and took them to th

36、e funeral home where the young woman was. And there she was holding a lovely white rose, the beautiful doll, and the picture of the little boy in the store. I left there in tears, their life changed forever. The love that little boy had for his little sister and his mother was overwhelming. And in a

37、 split second a drunk driver had ripped the life of that little boy to pieces.ê 推薦詞匯1. grab v.抓??；理解2. grumble v. 抱怨；嘟囔3. mumble v.嘟囔；含糊的說4. whit n.一點；絲毫5. touching adj.令人感動的6. split v 劈開；adj.分開的7. rip v. 撕開8. ripped adj. 喝醉的；吸毒的（美國俚語）A Plate of PeasMy grandfather died when I was a small boy, an

38、d my grandmother started staying with us for about six months every year. She lived in a room that doubled as my father's office, which we referred to as "the back room." She carried with her a powerful aroma. I don't know what kind of perfume she used, but it was the double-barrel

39、ed, ninety-proof, knockdown, render-the-victim-unconscious, moose-killing variety. She kept it in a huge atomizer and applied it frequently and liberally. It was almost impossible to go into her room and remain breathing for any length of time. When she would leave the house to go spend six months w

40、ith my Aunt Lillian, my mother and sisters would throw open all the windows, strip the bed, and take out the curtains and rugs. Then they would spend several days washing and airing things out, trying frantically to make the pungent odor go away. This, then, was my grandmother at the time of the inf

41、amous pea incident. It took place at the Biltmore Hotel, which, to my eight-year-old mind, was just about the fancies place to eat in all of Providence. My grandmother, my mother, and I were having lunch after a morning spent shopping. I grandly ordered a salisbury steak, confident in the knowledge

42、that beneath that fancy name was a good old hamburger with gravy. When brought to the table, it was accompanied by a plate of peas. I do not like peas now. I did not like peas then. I have always hated peas. It is a complete mystery to me why anyone would voluntarily eat peas. I did not eat them at

43、home. I did not eat them at restaurants. And I certainly was not about to eat them now. "Eat your peas," my grandmother said."Mother," said my mother in her warning voice. "He doesn't like peas. Leave him alone." My grandmother did not reply, but there was a glint i

44、n her eye and a grim set to her jaw that signaled she was not going to be thwarted. She leaned in my direction, looked me in the eye, and uttered the fateful words that changed my life: "I'll pay you five dollars if you eat those peas." I had absolutely no idea of the impending doom. I

45、 only knew that five dollars was an enormous, nearly unimaginable amount of money, and as awful as peas were, only one plate of them stood between me and the possession of that five dollars. I began to force the wretched things down my throat. My mother was livid. My grandmother had that self-satisf

46、ied look of someone who has thrown down an unbeatable trump card. "I can do what I want, Ellen, and you can't stop me." My mother glared at her mother. She glared at me. No one can glare like my mother. If there were a glaring Olympics, she would undoubtedly win the gold medal. I, of c

47、ourse, kept shoving peas down my throat. The glares made me nervous, and every single pea made me want to throw up, but the magical image of that five dollars floated before me, and I finally gagged down every last one of them. My grandmother handed me the five dollars with a flourish. My mother con

48、tinued to glare in silence. And the episode ended. Or so I thought. My grandmother left for Aunt Lillian's a few weeks later. That night, at dinner, my mother served two of my all-time favorite foods, meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Along with them came a big, steaming bowl of peas. She offered me

49、 some peas, and I, in the very last moments of my innocent youth, declined. My mother fixed me with a cold eye as she heaped a huge pile of peas onto my plate. Then came the words that were to haunt me for years. "You ate them for money," she said. "You can eat them for love." Oh

50、, despair! Oh, devastation! Now, too late, came the dawning realization that I had unwittingly damned myself to a hell from which there was no escape. "You ate them for money. You can eat them for love." What possible argument could I muster against that? There was none. Did I eat the peas

51、? You bet I did. I ate them that day and every other time they were served thereafter. The five dollars were quickly spent. My grandmother passed away a few years later. But the legacy of the peas lived on, as it lives on to this day. If I so much as curl my lip when they are served (because, after

52、all, I still hate the horrid little things), my mother repeats the dreaded words one more time: "You ate them for money," she says. "You can eat them for love."ê 推薦詞匯1. aroma n.香氣2. apply v.運用；申請3. frantically adv.坦誠地4. pungent adj. 刺激性的；刺鼻的5. infamous adj.聲名狼藉的6. providence

53、 n. 深謀遠慮；節(jié)儉7. jaw n.下巴8. impending adj. 即將到來的9. doom n 厄運 v.注定要發(fā)生的An Angel Among UsI woke up early today, excited over all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. I have responsibilities to fulfill today. I am important.My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have. Today I can comp

54、lain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free. Today I can fell sad that I don't have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste. Today I can grumble about my health or I c

55、an rejoice that I am alive. Today I can lament over all that my parents didn't give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born. Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses. Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can

56、excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honored because the Lord has provided shelter for my mind, body and soul. Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor6 who gets to

57、 do the shaping. What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have!ê 推薦詞匯1. fulfill v. 實現(xiàn)；履行 2. lament n.悲哀；v.哀悼 3. embark v.上船；開始做4. murmur v./n. 低聲說；耳語5. sculptor n. 雕塑家11 Benefits to be Single 1. SINGLE PEOPLE EXERCISE MORE If you're single, there's a

58、good chance you're hitting the gym more often than your married peers: A 2011 study found that men and women who have never been married exercised more than people in any other marital1 category (including currently married men and women, as well as divorcees and widowers). 2. AND MAINTAIN A HEA

59、LTHIER WEIGHT. You're also more likely to maintain a healthy weight. Multiple studies have found that men and women tend to pack on the pounds after they get married. One study found that married men are more likely to be overweight than their single peers, while another found that women who los

60、t weight in preparation for their weddings had a tendency to gain weight in the six months following the ceremony. 3. THEY SLEEP BETTER. It should come as little surprise that sharing a bed with another human being can affect how much sleep you get. After all, having someone tossing and turning, snoring, and talking in their sleep beside you can affect even