最新高中課外英語(yǔ)美文欣賞45篇

PAGEPagePAGE55ofNUMPAGES551惟獨(dú)你不可取代Asateenager，IfeltIwasalwayslettingpeopledown.Iwasrebellious1out－side，butIwantedtobelikedinside.

OnceIlefthometohitch-hike2toCaliforniawithmyfriendPenelope.Thetripwasn’teasy，andthereweremanytimesIdidn’tfeelsafe.Onesituationinparticularkeptmegratefultostillbealive.WhenIreturnedhome，Iwasdifferent，notsooutwardlysureofmyself.

Iwashappytobehome.ButthenInoticedthatPenelope，whowasstayingwithus，waswearingmyclothes.Andmyfamilyseemedtolikeherbetterthanme.IwonderedifIwouldbemissedifIweren’tthere.Itoldmymom，andsheexplainedthatthoughPenelopewasalovelygirl，noonecouldreplaceme.Ipointedout，“ＳheismorepatientandisneaterthanIhaveeverbeen.〞Mymomsaidthesewerewonderfulqualities，butIwastheonlypersonwhocouldfillmyrole.Shemademerealizethatevenwithmyfaults—andthereweremany－Iwasalovedmemberofthefamilywhocouldn’tbereplaced.

Ibecameasearcher，wantingtofindoutwhoIwasandwhatmademeunique.Myviewofmyselfwaschanging.Iwantedasolidbasetostartfrom.Istartedtoresist3pressuretoactinwaysthatIdidn’tlikeanymore，andIwasdelightedbywhoIreallywas.Icametofeelmuchmoresurethatnoonecanevertakemyplace.

Eachofusholdsauniqueplaceintheworld.Youarespecial，nomatterwhatotherssayorwhatyoumaythink.Soforgetaboutbeingreplaced.Youcan’tbe.

當(dāng)我還是個(gè)10幾歲的少年的時(shí)候，覺得自己總是讓人失望。從外表上看，我似乎很叛逆，但是在內(nèi)心深處，我是如此地渴望被人疼愛。

有一次我離開了家和我的朋友佩內(nèi)洛普搭便車去了加利福尼亞。這次旅行并不輕松，而且有很屢次我感覺不安。有一次的突發(fā)狀況讓我一直慶幸自己還活著?；氐郊?，我覺察自己變了，看上去不那么自信了。

我很快樂能回到家，但不久我注意到和我們一起的佩內(nèi)洛普穿著我的衣服，而且我父母看上去更喜歡她，我想知道如果我不在家的話他們是否會(huì)想念我。后來，我把我的想法告訴了母親，她說盡管佩內(nèi)洛普是個(gè)可愛的女孩，但她始終不能取代我，我說：“她比我有耐心而且無論何時(shí)看上去她都比我要整潔大方。〞母親說這些都是非常好的優(yōu)點(diǎn)，但我卻是惟一個(gè)能扮演好自己角色的人。母親讓我感到盡管我有缺點(diǎn)———似乎還很多———但是，我被家中每一個(gè)人愛著，誰(shuí)也無法取代。

我成了一個(gè)探尋者，想要知道自己到底是誰(shuí)，又是什么讓我變得獨(dú)一無二。我的人生觀開始改變。我需要一個(gè)鞏固的根底來開展，我忍受住壓力，不再做自己不喜歡做的事。而且我為真實(shí)的我感到快樂。漸漸地我越發(fā)肯定自己無可替代。

每個(gè)人在這個(gè)世界上都占有一個(gè)獨(dú)一無二的位置。無論別人說什么，你自己怎么想，你都是特別的。所以，不要擔(dān)憂自己會(huì)被取代，因?yàn)槟阌肋h(yuǎn)是惟一的。

2就在正上方太多的時(shí)候，我們總認(rèn)為光明就在腳下，就在不遠(yuǎn)的前方，于是忘了去仰望頭頂?shù)哪瞧臁璉fyouputabuzzard1)inapen2)sixtoeightfeetsquareandentirelyopenatthetop,thebird,inspiteofitsabilitytofly,willbeanabsoluteprisoner.Thereasonisthatabuzzardalwaysbeginsaflightfromthegroundwitharunoftentotwelvefeet.Withoutspacetorun,asisitshabit,itwillnotevenattempt3)tofly,butremainaprisonerforlifeinasmalljailwithnotop.Theordinarybatthatfliesaroundatnight,whoisaremarkablenimble4)creatureintheair,cannottakeofffromalevelplace.Ifitisplacedonthefloororflatground,allitcandoistoshuffle5)abouthelplesslyand,nodoubt,painfully,untilitreachessomeslightelevation6)fromwhichitcanthrowitselfintotheair.Then,atonce,ittakesofflikeaflash.Abumblebee7)ifdroppedintoanopentumbler8)willbethereuntilitdies,unlessitistakenout.Itneverseesthemeansofescapeatthetop,butpersists9)intryingtofindsomewayoutthroughthesidesnearthebottom.Itwillseekawaywherenoneexists,untilitcompletelydestroysitself.Inmanyways,therearelotsofpeoplelikethebuzzard,thebatandthebumblebee.Theyarestrugglingaboutwithalltheirproblemsandfrustrations10),notrealizingthattheanswerisrightthereabovethem.如果把一只禿鷲放在一個(gè)6～8平方英尺的無頂圍欄里，這只大鳥盡管會(huì)飛，也絕對(duì)會(huì)成為這欄中之囚。原因是禿鷲從地面起飛前總要先助跑10～12英尺的距離。這是它的習(xí)慣，如果沒有了足夠的助跑空間，它甚至不會(huì)嘗試去飛，只會(huì)終身困囿于一個(gè)無頂?shù)男∏艋\中。晚上飛來飛去的普通的蝙蝠，本是一種在空中極其敏捷的動(dòng)物，但卻無法在平地上起飛。如果被放在地板或平坦的地面上，它就只會(huì)無助地挪動(dòng)，毫無疑問這樣很痛苦。除非它到了稍高的位置，有了落差，才可以立刻閃電般地起飛。一只大黃蜂如果掉進(jìn)了一個(gè)敞口平底玻璃杯里，除非有人把它拿出來，否那么它就會(huì)一直呆在里邊直到死去。它永遠(yuǎn)不知道可以從杯口逃出，只堅(jiān)持試圖從杯底的四壁尋找出路。它會(huì)在根本不存在出口的地方尋找出路，直到徹底毀了自己。其實(shí)在很多方面，很多人也像禿鷲、蝙蝠和大黃蜂一樣，使盡渾身解數(shù)試圖解決問題、克服挫折，卻沒有意識(shí)到解決之道就在正上方。Vocabulary1.buzzardn.[動(dòng)]禿鷲2.pen[pen]n.圍欄，圍圈3.attemptvt.嘗試，企圖4.nimbleadj.敏捷的5.shufflev.拖著腳走，慢吞吞地走6.elevationn.高地，海拔7.bumblebeen.[動(dòng)]大黃蜂8.tumblern.(平底)玻璃杯9.persistvi.堅(jiān)持，持續(xù)10.frustrationn.失敗，挫折

3我的第一份工作BothmyparentscamefromtownsinMexico.IwasborninElPaso,Texas,andwhenIwasfour,myfamilymovedtoahousingprojectinEastLosAngeles.Eventhoughwestruggledtomakeendsmeet,myparentsstressed1)tomeandmyfourbrothersandsistershowfortunateweweretoliveinagreatcountrywithlimitlessopportunities.Theyimbued2)inustheconceptsoffamily,faithandpatriotism.IgotmyfirstrealjobwhenIwasten.Mydad,Benjamin,injuredhisbackworkinginacardboard-boxfactoryandwasretrainedasahairstylist.HerentedspaceinalittlemallandgavehisshopthefancynameofMr.Ben'sCoiffure3).TheowneroftheshoppingcentergaveDadadiscountonhisrentforcleaningtheparkinglotthreenightsaweek,whichmeantgettingupat3a.m.Topickuptrash,Dadusedalittlemachinethatlookedlikealawnmower.MomandIemptiedgarbagecansandpickeduplitter4)byhand.Ittooktwotothreehourstocleanthelot.I'dsleepinthecaronthewayhome.Ididthisfortwoyears,butthelessonsIlearnedhavelastedalifetime.Iacquired5)disciplineandastrongworkethic6),andlearnedatanearlyagetheimportanceofbalancinglife'scompetinginterests7)—inmycase8),school,homeworkandajob.Thisreallyhelpedduringmysenioryearofhighschool,whenIworked40hoursaweekflipping9)burgersatafast-foodjoint10)whiletakingafullloadofpercolatecourses.Thehardworkpaidoff11).Iattended12)theU.S.MilitaryAcademyandwentontoreceivegraduatedegreesinlawandbusinessfromHarvard.Later,IjoinedabigLosAngeleslawfirmandwaselectedtotheCaliforniastateassembly.InthesejobsandineverythingelseI'vedone,Ihaveneverforgottenthosedaysintheparkinglot.Theexperiencetaughtmethatthereisdignity13)inallworkandthatifpeopleareworkingtoprovideforthemselvesandtheirfamiliesthatissomethingweshouldhonor.我的父母都來自墨西哥的小鎮(zhèn)。我出生于得克薩斯州的埃爾帕索城。我四歲時(shí)，全家搬到了東洛杉磯的一處低收入住宅區(qū)。盡管我們當(dāng)時(shí)要做到收支平衡都很困難，但父母仍對(duì)我和四個(gè)兄弟姐妹強(qiáng)調(diào)說，能在這樣一個(gè)充滿無限機(jī)遇的國(guó)家里落戶，我們是多么幸運(yùn)?。∷麄兘o我們灌輸了家庭、信仰以及愛國(guó)主義的觀念。十歲的時(shí)候，我得到了人生第一份真正的工作。我的爸爸本杰明在紙箱廠工作時(shí)背部受了傷。經(jīng)過再培訓(xùn)，他成了一名發(fā)型師。他在一個(gè)規(guī)模不大的商業(yè)區(qū)租下了一個(gè)攤位，并給他的店取了個(gè)奇妙的名字：“本先生的發(fā)型〞。商業(yè)中心的老板在租金上給爸爸打了個(gè)折扣，但條件是每周清掃三次停車場(chǎng)，這意味著凌晨三點(diǎn)就要起床干活。爸爸用一個(gè)看起來像除草機(jī)的小機(jī)器來收撿垃圾，而我和媽媽那么要清空垃圾桶并用手拾撿散落的垃圾。清掃這個(gè)停車場(chǎng)要用兩到三個(gè)小時(shí)。我總是在回家時(shí)的車?yán)锞退恕＿@份工作我干了兩年，但從中學(xué)到的東西卻讓我受用終生。我學(xué)會(huì)了自律，建立了很強(qiáng)的職業(yè)道德。從小我就懂得了平衡生活中各種利益沖突的重要性——對(duì)我而言，就是上學(xué)、作業(yè)和工作。這在我高二那年真是很有用處。那時(shí)，我在一家快餐連鎖店制作漢堡包，每周工作四十個(gè)小時(shí)，同時(shí)還肩負(fù)著沉重的大學(xué)預(yù)科課程的學(xué)習(xí)任務(wù)。辛勤的工作終見回報(bào)。我考入了美國(guó)軍事學(xué)院，接著又獲得了哈佛大學(xué)的法律和商業(yè)碩士學(xué)位。后來，我進(jìn)入洛杉磯一家著名的律師事務(wù)所并被選為加州議會(huì)參議員。在做這些工作和其他所有事情的過程中，我從未忘記過在停車場(chǎng)辛勤工作的那些日子。那段經(jīng)歷使我懂得工作無貴賤,靠自食其力來供養(yǎng)自己和家人就值得人們敬佩。Vocabulary1.stress[stres]v.強(qiáng)調(diào)，著重2.imbuev.灌輸，深深影響3.coiffuren.發(fā)式4.littern.廢棄物，被胡亂扔掉的東西(尤指廢紙等雜物)5.acquirevt.獲得，學(xué)到6.workethic:職業(yè)道德7.interestn.利益，利害關(guān)系8.inone'scase:就某人的情況而言9.flipvt.使翻轉(zhuǎn)10.jointn.連接，結(jié)合，本文中指連鎖店11.payoff:得到好結(jié)果，取得成功12.attend[E5tend]vt.上(大學(xué)等)13.dignity[5dI^nItI]n.尊貴，高貴4餅干里的秘密Forty-threeyearsseemslikealongtimetorememberthenameofamere1)acquaintance.Ihaveforgottenthenameofanoldlady,whowasacustomeronthepaperrouteinmyhometownwhenIwasatwelve-year-oldboy.Yetitdwells2)inmymemorythatshetaughtmealessoninforgivenessthatIshallneverforget.Onawinterafternoon,afriendandIwerethrowingstonesontotheslanted3)roofoftheoldlady'shousefromaspotnearherbackyard.Theobjectofourplaywastoobservehowthestoneschangedtomissiles4)astheyrolledtotheroof'sedgeandshotoutintotheyardlikecomets5)fallingfromthesky.Ifoundmyselfaperfectlysmoothrockandthrewitout.Thestonewastoosmooth,however,soitslippedfrommyhandasIletitgoandheadedstraightnotfortheroofbutforasmallwindowontheoldlady'sbackporch6).Atthesoundoffractured7)glass,weknewwewereintrouble.Weturnedtail8)andranfasterthananyofourmissilesflewoffherroof.Iwastooscaredaboutgettingcaughtthatfirstnighttobeconcernedabout9)theoldladywiththebrokenwindowinwinter.However,afewdayslater,whenIwassurethatIhadn'tbeendiscovered,Istartedtofeelguiltyforhermisfortune.ShestillgreetedmewithasmileeachdaywhenIgaveherthepaper,butIwasnolongerabletoactcomfortableinherpresence10).ImadeupmymindthatIwouldsavemypaperdeliverymoney,andinthreeweeksIhadthesevendollarsthatIcalculatedwouldcoverthecostofherwindow.IputthemoneyinanenvelopewithanoteexplainingthatIwassorryforbreakingherwindowandhopedthatthesevendollarswouldcoverthecostforrepairingit.Iwaiteduntilitwasdark,snuckup11)totheoldlady'shouse,andputtheletterIdidn'tsignthroughtheletterslot12)inherdoor.Mysoulfeltredeemed13)andIcouldhavethefreedomof,onceagain,lookingstraightintotheoldlady'skindeyes.Thenextday,IhandedtheoldladyherpaperandwasabletoreturnthewarmsmilethatIwasreceivingfromher.Shethankedmeforthepaperandgavemeabagofcookiesshehadmadeherself.Ithankedherandproceeded14)toeatthecookiesasIcontinuedmyroute.Afterseveralcookies,Ifeltanenvelopeandpulleditoutofthebag.WhenIopenedtheenvelope,Iwasstunned15).Insidewerethesevendollarsandashortnotethatsaid,"I'mproudofyou."記住一個(gè)僅是認(rèn)識(shí)的人的名字，43年似乎是段很長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間。我已經(jīng)忘了那位老太太的名字，她是我12歲那年在家鄉(xiāng)送報(bào)時(shí)的一位客戶。不過，她曾給我上的那堂關(guān)于“寬恕〞的課卻始終讓我難以忘懷。一個(gè)冬天的下午，我和一個(gè)朋友在離這個(gè)老太太家屋后不遠(yuǎn)的一個(gè)地方往她家斜斜的屋頂上扔石子玩。我們的目的是觀察這些石子如何順著屋頂?shù)男逼伦兂梢活w發(fā)射物，在滾落到屋頂邊緣的瞬間，像滑過天空的彗星那樣射入院中。我給自己找了顆十分光滑的石子，然后扔了出去。但是，這顆石子太光滑了，出手的一剎那，它偏離了方向。它沒有落在屋頂上，反而直接擊中了老太太屋后門廊上的一扇小窗戶。聽到玻璃破碎的聲音，我們知道闖禍了。我們掉頭拔腿就跑，跑得比任何一顆從她屋頂發(fā)射的石子都要快。當(dāng)天晚上，我太害怕被抓住，沒有考慮到冬天里的破玻璃窗會(huì)給老太太帶來什么樣的麻煩。但是，過了幾天，當(dāng)我確信自己沒被發(fā)現(xiàn)時(shí)，就開始對(duì)給她帶來的倒霉事感到內(nèi)疚了。每天我給她送報(bào)紙時(shí)，她依舊笑瞇瞇地迎接我。不過，在她面前，我已經(jīng)不像過去那樣自在了。我決定把送報(bào)掙的錢攢起來。三周后，我便有了7美元。我估計(jì)這大概夠賠償她的窗戶了。我把錢裝進(jìn)一個(gè)信封，并附上一張紙條，解釋說我對(duì)打破她家的窗戶感到很抱歉，希望這7美元足夠賠付修窗戶的錢。我一直等到天黑，才悄悄走到她家門前，把這封沒有署名的信從信箱口投進(jìn)了她家。做完這件事情后，我感到自己的靈魂好似得到了解脫，獲得了新的自由，能夠重新正視老太太慈祥的目光了。第二天，當(dāng)老太太微笑著從我手上接過報(bào)紙時(shí)，我也能向她回報(bào)一個(gè)熱情的微笑。她對(duì)我的送報(bào)工作表示感謝，送了我一紙袋她親手做的餅干。謝過她后，我一邊吃著餅干，一邊繼續(xù)去給別的客戶送報(bào)紙。吃了幾塊餅干后，我摸到了一個(gè)信封，就把它拽了出來。當(dāng)我翻開信封時(shí)，我不禁怔住了。信封里有7美元和一張紙條，上面寫道：“我為你感到驕傲。〞5善待時(shí)機(jī)Theairwebreatheissofreelyavailable(adj.可以得到的)thatwetakeitforgranted.Yetwithoutitwecouldnotsurvivemorethanafewminutes.Forthemostpart,thesameairisavailabletoeveryone,andeveryoneneedsit.Somepeopleusetheairtosustain(v.維持，持續(xù))themwhiletheysitaroundandfeelsorryforthemselves.Othersbreatheintheairandusetheenergyitprovidestomakeamagnificent(adj.壯麗的)lifeforthemselves.Opportunityisthesameway.Itiseverywhere.Opportunityissofreelyavailablethatwetakeitforgranted.Yetopportunityaloneisnotenoughtocreatesuccess.Opportunitymustbeseizedandacteduponinordertohavevalue.Somanypeoplearesoanxiousto"getinonthegroundfloor(n.有利的地位，投機(jī)的初期)"ofopportunity,asiftheopportunitywilldoallthework.That'simpossible.Justasyouneedairtobreathe,youneedopportunitytosucceed.Ittakesmorethanjustbreathinginthefreshairofopportunity,however.Youmustmakeuseofthatopportunity.That'snotuptotheopportunity.That'suptoyou.Itdoesn'tmatterwhat"floor"theopportunityison.Whatmattersiswhatyoudowithit.我們呼吸的空氣如此易得，以至于我們視它為理所當(dāng)然，但沒有了空氣我們卻堅(jiān)持不了幾分鐘。從很大程度上來說，每個(gè)人呼吸到的空氣都是一樣的，并且每個(gè)人都離不開空氣。有些人靠呼吸空氣來維持生命，但他們只會(huì)坐在那里自怨自艾。另外一些人吸進(jìn)空氣，利用空氣提供的能量為自己開創(chuàng)壯麗的人生。機(jī)遇也是如此。它無處不在。機(jī)遇如此易得，以至于我們視它為理所應(yīng)當(dāng)。然而僅憑機(jī)遇卻缺乏以創(chuàng)造成功。必須抓住機(jī)遇并采取行動(dòng)才能實(shí)現(xiàn)其價(jià)值。有許多人一得到有利的時(shí)機(jī)，就急著要成功，好似有了機(jī)遇就萬(wàn)事大吉。這是不可能的。正如你需要空氣來呼吸，你也需要機(jī)遇來獲得成功。但是只吸進(jìn)機(jī)遇的新鮮空氣遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不夠。你必須好好利用機(jī)遇。這并不取決于機(jī)遇本身，而是由你自己決定。你在什么時(shí)候得到機(jī)遇并不重要。重要的是你怎樣把握機(jī)遇。6我要謹(jǐn)記的事情Everybodydoesn'thavetoloveme.無須人人都愛我Noteveryonehastolovemeorevenlikeme.Idon'tnecessarilylikeeverybodyIknow,sowhyshouldeverybodyelselikeme?Ienjoybeinglikedandbeingloved,butifsomebodydoesn'tlikeme,IwillstillbeokayandstillfeellikeIamanokayperson.Icannotmakesomebodylikemeanymorethansomeonecangetmetolikethem.Idon'tneedapprovalallthetime.Ifsomeonedoesnotapproveof1)me,Iwillstillbeokay.Itisokaytomakemistakes.犯錯(cuò)誤沒什么大不了的Makingmistakesissomethingwealldo,andIamstillafineandworthwhilepersonwhenImakethem.ThereisnoreasonformetogetupsetwhenImakeamistake.Iamtrying,andifImakeamistake,Iamgoingtocontinuetrying.Icanhandlemakingamistake.Itisokayforotherstomakeamistake,too.Iwillacceptmymistakesandalsothemistakesthatothersmake.OtherpeopleareokayandIamokay.互相尊重PeoplewhodothingsthatIdon'tlikearenotnecessarilybadpeople.TheyshouldnotnecessarilybepunishedjustbecauseIdon'tlikewhattheydoordid.ThereisnoreasonwhyotherpeopleshouldbethewayIwantthemtobe,andthereisnoreasonwhyIshouldbethewaysomebodyelsewantsmetobe.Peoplewillbewhatevertheywanttobe,andIwillbewhateverIwanttobe.Icannotcontrolotherpeopleorchangethem.Theyarewhotheyare;wealldeservebasicrespect.Idon'thavetocontrolthings.我無須控制一切IwillsurviveifthingsaredifferentthanwhatIwantthemtobe.Icanacceptthingsthewaytheyare,acceptpeoplethewaytheyare,andacceptmyselfthewayIam.ThereisnoreasontogetupsetifIcan'tchangethingstofitmyideaofhowtheyoughttobe.ThereisnoreasonwhyIshouldhavetolikeeverything.EvenifIdon'tlikeit,Icanlivewithit.Iamresponsibleformyday.我對(duì)自己的一生負(fù)責(zé)IamresponsibleforhowIfeelandwhatIdo.Nobodycanmakemefeelanything.IfIhavearotten2)day,Iamtheonewhoallowedittobethatway.IfIhaveagreatday,Iamtheonewhodeservescreditforbeingpositive.ItisnottheresponsibilityofotherpeopletochangesothatIcanfeelbetter.Iamtheonewhoisinchargeofmylife.Icanhandleitwhenthingsgowrong.出問題時(shí)我能應(yīng)付Idon'tneedtowatchoutforthingstogowrong.Theyusuallygojustfine,andwhentheydon't,Icanhandleit.Idon'thavetowasteenergyworrying.Theskywon'tfall;thingswillbeokay.Itisimportanttotry.試一試很重要Ican.EventhoughImaybefacedwithdifficulttasks,itisbettertotrythantoavoidthem.Avoidingataskdoesnotgivemeanyopportunitiesforsuccessorjoy,buttryingdoes.Thingsworthhavingareworththeeffort.Imightnotbeabletodoeverything.ButIcandosomething.Iamcapable.我能做到。Idon'tneedsomeoneelsetotakecareofmyproblems.Iamcapable.Icantakecareofmyself.Icanmakedecisionsformyself.Icanthinkformyself.Idon'thavetodependonsomebodyelsetotakecareofme.Icanchange.我可以改變Idon'thavetobeacertainwaybecauseofwhathashappenedinthepast.Everydayisanewday.It'ssillytothinkIcan'thelpbeingthewayIam.OfcourseIcan.Icanchange.Icanbeflexible.我能隨機(jī)應(yīng)變Thereismorethanonewaytodosomething.Morethanonepersonhashadgoodideasthatwillwork.Thereisnooneandonly"best"way.Everybodyhasideasthatareworthwhile.Somemaymakemoresensetomethanothers,buteveryone'sideasareworthwhile,andeveryonehassomethingworthwhiletocontribute.7一個(gè)那樣的哥哥給予比獲得更讓人幸福PaulreceivedanautomobilefromhisbrotherasaChristmaspresent.OnChristmasEvewhenPaulcameoutofhisoffice,astreetboywaswalkingaroundtheshinynewcar,admiringit."Isthisyourcar,Mister?"heasked.Paulnodded."MybrothergaveittomeforChristmas."Theboywasastonished."Youmeanyourbrothergaveittoyouanditdidn'tcostyouanything?Boy,Iwish"Hehesitated.OfcoursePaulknewwhathewasgoingtowishfor.Hewasgoingtowishhehadabrotherlikethat.Butwhatthelad1saidmadePaulquitesurprised."Iwish,"theboywenton,"thatIcouldbeabrotherlikethat."Paullookedattheboyinastonishment,thenimpulsively2headded,"Wouldyouliketotakearideinmyautomobile?""Oh,yes,I'dlovethat."Afterashortride,theboyturnedandwithhiseyesshining,said,"Mister,wouldyouminddrivinginfrontofmyhouse?"Paulsmiledalittle.Hethoughtheknewwhattheladwanted.Hewantedtoshowhisneighborsthathecouldridehomeinabigautomobile.ButPaulwaswrongagain."Willyoustopwherethosetwostepsare?"theboyasked.Heranupthesteps.TheninalittlewhilePaulheardhimcomingback,buthewasnotcomingfast.Hewascarryinghislittlecrippled3brother.Hesathimdownonthebottomstep,thensortof4squeezedup5againsthimandpointedtothecar."Theresheis,Buddy,justlikeItoldyouupstairs.HisbrothergaveittohimforChristmasanditdidn'tcosthimacent.AndsomedayI'mgonna6giveyouonejustlikeit...thenyoucanseeforyourselfalltheprettythingsintheChristmaswindowsthatI'vebeentryingtotellyouabout."Paulgotoutandliftedtheladtothefrontseatofhiscar.Theshining-eyedolderbrotherclimbedinbesidehimandthethreeofthembeganamemorableholidayride.ThatChristmasEve,Paullearnedthatitwasmoreblessedtogive保羅收到一輛汽車，那是他哥哥送的圣誕禮物。圣誕節(jié)前夜，保羅從辦公室出來時(shí)，一個(gè)街頭少年繞著那輛閃閃發(fā)亮的新車，十分羨慕?！跋壬?，這是你的車？〞少年問道。保羅點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭：“這是我哥哥送我的圣誕禮物。〞男孩十分驚訝：“你是說這是你哥送你的，你一分錢也沒花？好家伙，我希望……〞他停住了。保羅當(dāng)然知道男孩他希望什么。他希望能有一個(gè)那樣的哥哥。但那少年接下來說的話卻讓保羅大吃一驚?！拔蚁Ｍ?，〞男孩繼續(xù)說：“我能成為那樣的哥哥。〞保羅驚愕地看著那男孩，他沖口而出：“你要不要坐我的車去兜一兜風(fēng)？〞“哦，當(dāng)然，我愿意！〞車開出一小段路后，男孩轉(zhuǎn)過頭來，眼睛閃閃發(fā)亮地說：“先生，你是否介意把車子開到我家門前？〞保羅微笑。他想他知道男孩想干什么。那男孩肯定是要向鄰居炫耀他能坐一部大轎車回家。但是這次保羅又猜錯(cuò)了。“你能不能把車子停在那兩個(gè)臺(tái)階前？〞男孩要求。男孩跑上臺(tái)階，過了一會(huì)兒保羅聽到他回來了，但動(dòng)作有些緩慢。他背來了他跛腳的弟弟。他讓弟弟坐在最下面的臺(tái)階上，略有些擠靠著自己，然后指著那輛車?！斑@就是那車，巴迪，就是我剛剛在樓上對(duì)你說的。他哥哥送他的圣誕禮物，他一分錢也沒花。將來某一天我也會(huì)送給你一輛像這樣的車，到那時(shí)候，你就能自己去看我一直努力給你描繪的那些圣誕節(jié)陳列窗里的漂亮東西了。〞保羅走下車子，把跛腳的男孩抱到車子前座。興奮得滿眼放光的哥哥也爬上車子，坐在弟弟身旁。三個(gè)人開始了一次令人難忘的假日兜風(fēng)。那個(gè)圣誕節(jié)前夜，保羅體會(huì)到“施與比獲得更讓人幸福……〞8ＡＬａｔｅＢｌｏｏｍｅｒTheheartthatseekstodogoodwillalwaysbringsomethingworthwhiletotheworld,somethinginwhichallcanrejoice—evenifforonlyamoment.Acactus1)stoodallaloneinthedesert,wonderingwhyitwasstuckinthemiddleofnowhere."Idonothingbutstandhereallday,"itsighed."WhatuseamI?I'mtheugliestplantinthedesert.Myspines2)arethickandprickly3),andmyskinisthickandbumpy.Ican'toffershadeorjuicyfruittoanypassingtraveler.Idon'tseethatI'manyuseatall."Allitdidwasstandinthesundayafterday,growingtallerandfatter.Itsspinesgrewlongeranditsskintougheranditgrewhereandthereuntilitwaslumpy4)andunbalancedallover.Ittrulywasstrange-looking."IwishIcoulddosomethinguseful,"itsighed.Bydayhawks5)circledhighoverhead."WhatcanIdowithmylife?"thecactuscalled.Whethertheyheardornot,thehawkssailedaway.Atnightthemoonfloatedintotheskyandcastitspaleglowonthedesertfloor."WhatgoodcanIdowithmylife?"thecactuscalled.Themoononlystaredcoldlyasitmounteditscourse.Alizard6)crawledby,leavingalittletrailinthesandwithitstail."WhatworthydeedcanIdo?"thecactuscalled."You?"thelizardlaughed,pausingamoment."Worthydeed?Why,youcan'tdoanything!Thehawkscircleoverhead,tracingdelicatepatternsforusalltoadmire.Themoonhangshighlikealanternatnight,sowecanseeourwayshometoourlovedones.EvenI,thelowlylizard,havesomethingtodo.Idecoratethesandswiththesebeautifulbrushstrokes7)asIpullmytailalong.Butyou?Youdonothingbutgetugliereveryday."Andsoitwenton,yearafteryear.Atlastthecactusgrewold,anditknewitstimewasshort."Oh,"itcriedout,"I'vewonderedsolong,andI'vetriedsohard.ForgivemeifI'vefailedtofindsomethingworthytodo.Ifearthatnowit'stoolate."Butjustthenthecactusfeltastrangemotionandunfolding,anditknewaflowofjoythaterasedalldespair.Atitsverytip,likeasuddencrown,agloriousflowersuddenlyopenedinbloom.Neverhadthedesertknownsuchablossom.Itsfragrance8)perfumedtheairfarandwideandbroughthappinesstoallpassingby.Thebutterfliespausedtoadmireitsbeauty,andthatnighteventhemoonsmiledwhenitrosetofindsuchatreasure.Inthedesert,avoicewassounding:"Youhavewaitedlong,andtheheartthatseekstodogoodwillalwaysbringsomethingworthwhiletotheworld,somethinginwhichallcanrejoice—evenifforonlyamoment."一株仙人掌孤獨(dú)地站在沙漠里，困惑為什么它被困在蠻荒之地?！拔艺煺驹谶@里無所事事，〞它嘆息道?！拔矣惺裁从媚?？我是沙漠中最丑陋的植物。我的刺又粗又多，我的皮又厚又糙。我不能為任何過路的旅行者提供蔭涼或者多汁的果實(shí)。我看不出自己到底有什么用。〞仙人掌所做的只是日復(fù)一日地站在太陽(yáng)底下，長(zhǎng)得更高更胖。它的刺長(zhǎng)得越來越長(zhǎng)，而它的表皮那么更加堅(jiān)韌，它向四處瘋長(zhǎng)，直至變得粗笨結(jié)實(shí)、倒向一邊。它確實(shí)長(zhǎng)得很奇怪?！拔蚁Ｍ夷軌蜃鳇c(diǎn)有用的事，〞它嘆息道。白天，有幾只鷹在它頭頂?shù)母呖毡P旋。“我能做些什么呢？〞仙人掌大聲說道。那幾只鷹也不知道聽見沒有，但都飛走了。晚上，月亮浮現(xiàn)在天空中，將其蒼白的月光投射在沙漠上。“我能為我的生活做點(diǎn)什么有益的事呢？〞仙人掌大聲喊道。月亮只冷冷地看了仙人掌一眼，就踏上了行程。一只蜥蜴從旁邊爬過，它的尾巴在沙地上留下一道淡淡的痕跡?！拔夷茏鲂┦裁从袃r(jià)值的事呢？〞仙人掌大聲喊道。“就你？〞蜥蜴駐足片刻，笑道。“有價(jià)值的事？嗨，你什么也做不了！鷹在上空盤旋，描繪出精巧的圖案供我們大家仰慕。月亮高高地掛在天上，就像夜間的一盞燈，所以我們才能看清回家的路，與我們所愛的人團(tuán)聚。即便是我——地位這么低下的蜥蜴，也有事可做。我拖著尾巴走路時(shí)留下了這些美麗的線條，裝點(diǎn)了沙地。而你呢？你除了每天變得更丑之外什么也沒做。〞日子就這樣年復(fù)一年地過下去。最后，仙人掌變老了，它知道自己的時(shí)間不多了?！芭叮曀舐暫艉?，“我已經(jīng)困惑了很久，而且我一直如此努力。如果我沒有找到值得去做的事，那就原諒我吧?？峙卢F(xiàn)在已經(jīng)太遲了。〞但是就在此時(shí)，仙人掌感覺到一陣奇怪的沖動(dòng)和舒展，它意識(shí)到一股消除了所有沮喪的喜悅。在它的頂端，一朵燦爛的鮮花霎時(shí)綻放，就像一頂突然出現(xiàn)的王冠。沙漠里還從不知道有這樣的一朵花。它芬芳的香氣向四處飄散，并且給所有路過者帶來了快樂。蝴蝶們停下來夸贊它的美麗，而就在那天晚上，月亮升起，發(fā)現(xiàn)了這一珍寶時(shí)，也綻放出了笑容。在沙漠里回響著一個(gè)聲音：“你已經(jīng)等了很久，試圖做好事的心總會(huì)給世界帶來一些有價(jià)值的東西、一些讓所有人都欣喜的東西——哪怕只存在一瞬間。〞Vocabulary1.cactus[5kAktEs]n.[植]仙人掌2.spine[spaIn]n.[植]剌3.prickly[5prIklI]adj.多刺的4.lumpy[5lQmpI]adj.粗笨的5.hawk[hC:k]n.[鳥]鷹6.lizard[5lIzEd]n.[動(dòng)]蜥蜴7.brushstroke[5brQFstrEuk]n.一筆8.fragrance[5freI^rEns]n.芬芳9成長(zhǎng)不息SirEdmundHillaryisfamousforbeingthefirstpersontoclimbMt.Everest(n.珠穆朗瑪峰).WhatmanypeopledonotknowisthatSirHillarydidnotmakeittothetopofEverestthefirsttimehetried.Thefirstattemptwasacompletefailure.Hisclimbingpartyencounteredoneproblemafteranotherandmorethanhalfhisclimbingpartydied.Nonetheless(adv.雖然如此),theBritishParliament(n.議會(huì))decidedtohonorhimwithsometypeofaward.Whenheenteredthechambertoreceivehisaward,SirHillarysawthatalargepictureofEveresthadbeensetup.Duringthestandingovation(n.熱烈歡送)thathewasreceiving,hewalkedovertothepicture,shookhisfistatitandsaid,“Youwon,thistime.Butyouareasbigasyouareevergoingtoget.AndI'mstillgrowing.〞Wefrequentlyhearthestoriesofpeoplewhohavesucceeded.Andwefrequentlyassumethattheysucceededthefirsttime.Butinfactit'stheexactopposite.Theroadtosuccessispavedwiththebricksoffailure.埃德蒙·希拉里爵士是登上珠穆朗瑪峰的第一人，他因此而聞名天下。然而，很多人并不知道，希拉里爵士第一次試著攀登珠穆朗瑪峰時(shí)并未成功登頂。第一次登山以徹底的失敗而告終。他們接二連三遇到問題，登山隊(duì)中超過半數(shù)的人都喪生了。盡管如此，英國(guó)議會(huì)還是決定授予他某種獎(jiǎng)勵(lì)。希拉里爵士走進(jìn)議會(huì)大廳領(lǐng)獎(jiǎng)時(shí)，看到里面豎著一幅很大的珠穆朗瑪峰的畫。大家起立熱烈歡送希拉里爵士，這時(shí)他走到畫跟前，沖畫揮動(dòng)了一下拳頭，說道：“你這次贏了。但是你就這么高，再也不會(huì)長(zhǎng)，而我還在長(zhǎng)。〞我們常常聽到成功人士的故事。我們常常以為他們第一次就成功了。但事實(shí)恰恰相反。成功之路是由失敗之磚墊就的。10我希望充實(shí)地生活L.A.Youth是洛杉機(jī)一家青少年報(bào)紙。它隔期選一個(gè)主題，進(jìn)行征文大賽。大賽獲獎(jiǎng)作品語(yǔ)言流暢、見解獨(dú)到，我們將摘錄一些獲獎(jiǎng)?wù)魑模c大家分享。本期選登的是2005年11～12月份征文大賽一等獎(jiǎng)得主的作品，該期的主題是“WhatIdreadaboutthefuture？〞本文很有感染力，充分表達(dá)了作者對(duì)生命的熱愛。Whenthefinalsunsetcomes,willIbeabletowalkawayknowingIhadcompletelyenjoyedthedaysofmylife?Ioftenfindmyselfthinkingandreflecting.However,attheendofitall,Irealizethatmyfearaboutthefutureisnothavingafuture.I'mworriedthatintheblink1ofaneyemylifewouldend.Iwouldnothaveexperiencedeverythinglifehastoofferoraccomplishedallmygoals.Mylifewouldbelivedwithouteverhavingapurpose.Ineedtolivealifewithapurpose,thepurposeofimprovingandimpacting2others'lives.Idon'twanttoclosemyeyes,withthemillionsofthingsinmylifeleftundone,notexperienced,notachieved,runningendlesslyuntilmylastbreathisapainfulregret.Ihavenotyetbroughtjoytomyparents.Themanyexpectationstheyhaveformehavenotbeenmet.Iwanttomakethemproud;thelovetheyhavegivenmeisbeyondwords.Tobringhappinesstothembyfulfillingtheexpectationstheyhaveforme,willbethefirststepinlivingafulfilledlife.IhavenotyetbecometherolemodelIwanttobeformyyoungersiblings3.Iwanttobethepersontheylookupto,thepersonthattheyturntoforguidance.However,Ihavenotyetbeenthroughenoughoflife'shardshipstobewiseenoughtogivethemtheadvicetheyneed.Ilovetheinnocenceintheirsmiles,butIalsoknowwithtimethatwillfade.Iwanttobethepersonwhoprotectsthemandtheonewhoshowsthemtherightwaywhenthey'relostinpeer4pressureortheirowndepression.Ihavenotyetexperiencedtruefriendship.Lifehasgivenmemanyfriends,butitseemedwithtime,peoplechangedandsodidtherelationships.Friends,itseems,comeandgo.Ivaluefriendship,butsofarinlife,distanceoranotherfactoralwayscomesinthewayofmaintainingafriendship.Ihavenotyethadmyheartbroken.IwanttolivelifeuntilIamabletobeinlove.Iwanttobeabletotrustaboyenoughtogivehimmyheart,andyetnotbeafraidtogetitbroken.Iwanttofeelthewarmthofbeinginloveandthesorrowsofhavingmyheartbroken.Ifearmyfuturewillnevercome,mylifeendingunfinished.Iamnotreadyformyfinalsunset.Iwanttocontinuemydaysinthesun,toexperiencethehappinessofthesunshineandthepainofthesunburn.Mylifeisnotreadytoend;itisbarelybeginning.Ihavejuststartedtolearnthemeaningoflife,mywantsandneeds,mygoalsanddreams.Iwanttobeabletolivelongenoughtoliveafulfilledlife,alifethatwillberemembered,alifethatmadeanimpact.Asofnow,Iamenjoyingthesunrise,hopingthesunsetwillcomewhenIwillbeabletowalkawayknowingIcompletelyenjoyedthedaysofmylife.當(dāng)生命中最后一次日落來臨，我能否在離開人世之前，已然知道自己已充分享受了生活？我時(shí)常想起并思考這個(gè)問題。但最終，我意識(shí)到我對(duì)未來的恐懼就是害怕沒有未來。我擔(dān)憂一眨眼的功夫我的生命就到了盡頭。我還未經(jīng)歷生命所給予的每件事，還未實(shí)現(xiàn)我所有的目標(biāo)。我的生命將毫無意義地度過。我需要過有意義的一生，來改善和影響他人的生活。當(dāng)我的生命中還有無數(shù)件事情沒有去做，沒有去經(jīng)歷，沒有實(shí)現(xiàn)或者還在無限運(yùn)轉(zhuǎn)時(shí)，我可不想就這樣閉上雙眼，在痛苦中遺憾地呼出最后一口氣。我還沒有給父母帶來歡樂。他們對(duì)我抱有很多期望，我還沒有實(shí)現(xiàn)。我想讓他們?yōu)槲叶湴?；他們給予我的愛無以言表。實(shí)現(xiàn)他們對(duì)我的期望，給他們帶來歡樂，這將是充實(shí)生活的第一步。我想成為弟妹的典范，但還未實(shí)現(xiàn)。我想成為他們仰慕的對(duì)象，希望他們來找我尋求引導(dǎo)。然而，我在生活中經(jīng)受的艱難還不夠多，還沒有足夠的智慧給他們所需的建議。我愛他們笑容中的天真，但我也知道這天真也會(huì)隨著時(shí)光的流逝而消失。我想成為他們的保護(hù)者，當(dāng)他們遇到來自同輩的壓力或陷入沮喪時(shí)，我希望能給他們指出正確的道路。我還未經(jīng)歷過真正的友誼。生活已經(jīng)給予我很多朋友，但是好似時(shí)間一久，人們就變了，我和他們之間的關(guān)系也變了。朋友們好似都匆匆而來，又匆匆離去。我珍惜友誼，但目前在生活中，距離或別的因素總阻礙我去維持一份友誼。我還未曾心碎過。我想活到我能愛上一個(gè)人的時(shí)候。我想能充分信任一個(gè)男孩，把我的心交給他，卻不怕心碎。我想感受戀愛時(shí)的那種溫暖，心碎時(shí)的那種悲傷。我害怕我的未來永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)到來，生命還未完整，就走到了盡頭。我并沒有為最后一次日落做好準(zhǔn)備。我想在太陽(yáng)下繼續(xù)過我的日子，去經(jīng)歷陽(yáng)光明媚時(shí)的歡樂，以及受到陽(yáng)光灼傷時(shí)的痛苦。我的生命還沒有準(zhǔn)備好終結(jié)；它才剛剛開始。我才開始領(lǐng)悟生命的意義，知道我想要什么，我需要什么，我的目標(biāo)和夢(mèng)想是什么。我想能夠活足夠長(zhǎng)的時(shí)間