英语美文精华双语摘抄
英语美文精华双语摘抄
英语美文,即使用地道、优美的英语语言写的文章;英语美文赏析,则是在接触地道英语语言的基础之上,了解和理解英语语言文化背景。下面小编整理了英语美文精华双语,希望大家喜欢!
英语美文精华双语摘抄
Dig a Little Deeper
再挖深一点
There's a story about the California gold rush that tells of two brothers who sold all they had and went prospecting for gold. They discovered a vein of the shining ore, staked a claim, and proceeded to get down to the serious business of getting the gold ore out of the mine.
这是一个发生在加利福尼亚淘金热时期的故事。兄弟两个卖掉他们所有的财产,西去淘金。他们发现了一个闪闪发光的矿石脉,于是买下这一矿石脉的所有权,便开始了从矿石中挖取黄金这一严肃重大的劳作。
All went well at first, but then a strange thing happened. The vein of gold ore disappeared! They had come to the end of the vein, and the spot of gold was no longer there. The brothers continued to pick away, but without success.
开始时,一切进展顺利,但后来一件奇怪的事情发生了——金矿脉消失了!他们快要挖到金矿脉的尽头了,然而那儿却没有金块。兄弟两人继续挖着,但是毫无结果
Finally, they gave up in disgust. They sold their equipment and claim rights for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. Now the man who bought the claim hired an engineer to examine the rock strata of the mine. The engineer advised him to continue digging in the same spot where the former owners had left off. And three feet deeper, the new owner struck gold. A little more persistence and the two brothers would have been millionaires themselves.
最后,他们非常沮丧地放弃了。他们卖掉了他们的淘金设备和淘金所有权,换了几百美元,然后乘着火车回家了。现在有人重新买下这一矿脉所有权,他雇佣了一名工程师来探测矿石的岩层结构。这位工程师建议他在原来物主挖的地方继续挖下去。结果,仅仅挖了三英尺深,这个新的物主挖到了黄金。只需要多坚持一会儿,那两个兄弟就会成为百万富翁。
That's gold in you too. Do you need to dig three feet farther?
每个人都蕴藏着一块金子,你是否需要再挖三尺深呢?
英语美文精华双语鉴赏
The Marbles
大理石
Once upon a time, there was a foolish boy who had a bag full of beautiful marbles. Now this boy was quite proud of his marbles. In fact, he thought so much of them that he would neither play with them himself nor would he let anyone else play with them. He only took them out of the bag in order to count and admire them; they were never used for their intended purpose. Yet that boy carried that coveted bag of marbles everywhere he went.
很久以前,有个愚蠢的男孩,他有一包满满的美丽大理石。男孩因为拥有这些大理石感到特别骄傲。事实上他太在意它们了,他既舍不得与大理石玩耍,也不让别人与它们玩耍。他只是将大理石拿出包来,数一数有多少,然后便赞叹地欣赏起来。他从没有有目的地去使用过它们,但是不管去哪儿,他都要背着那包令他垂涎三尺的大理石。
Well, there was also a wise boy who wished he could have such a fine bag of marbles. So this boy worked hard and earned money to purchase a nice bag to hold marbles. Even though he had not yet earned enough with which to purchase any marbles, he had faith and purchased the marble bag. He took special care of the bag and dreamed of the day it would contain marbles with which he could play and share with his friends.
还有一个聪明的男孩,他希望他能拥有这样一包美丽的大理石。因此,男孩努力去挣钱想买一个装大理石的好包。尽管他挣的钱不足以买任何大理石,但他却信念坚定,于是买了一个大理石包。他对这个包特别小心,梦想有一天包里装满大理石,他自己与大理石玩耍,并且跟朋友一起玩耍。
Alas, the foolish boy with all of the marbles didn't take care of the marble bag itself, and one day the bag developed a hole in the bottom seam. Still, he paid no attention and, one by one, the marbles fell out of the bag.
然而,那个拥有大理石的笨男孩对大理石包漠不关心。一天,包底的缝合处开了个口子,但他根本没有注意到,结果大理石一个接一个地从包里掉了出来。
It didn't take long, once the foolish boy's marble bag developed a hole, for the wise boy to begin to find those beautiful marbles, one at a time, lying unnoticed on the ground. And, one by one, he added them to his marble bag. The wise boy thus gained a fine bag full of marbles in no time at all. This boy played with the marbles and shared them with all of his friends. And he always took special care of the bag so he wouldn't lose any.
自从笨小孩的包破了洞后,聪明的男孩开始发现那些漂亮的大理石一个接一个地躺在地上,没人理睬。于是,他就一个接一个地将它们捡起,放到自己的大理石包里。就这样,聪明的男孩很快便有了一包美丽的大理石。从此,他自己玩大理石,并和他的所有朋友一起玩。他总是给予装大理石的包无微不至的关心,以免包破后把大理石丢了。
And what about the foolish boy? Because he was selfish and careless, he lost all of his marbles and was left holding the bag.
结果那个愚蠢的男孩怎么样?因为他自私自利,粗心大意,丢失了他所有的大理石,到头来只剩下一个空包。
英语美文精华双语赏析
Too Dear for the Whistle
得不偿失
When I was a child of seven years old, My friend, on a holiday, filled my pocket with coppers. I went at once to a shop where they sold toys for children. Being charmed with the sound of a whistle that I had seen by the way, in the hands of another boy, I handed over all my money for one. I then came home, and went whistling all over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My brothers and sisters and cousins, when I told of the bargain I had made, said I had given four times as much as the whistle was worth. They put me in mind of what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money, and laughed at me so much for my folly that I cried with vexation. Thinking about the matter gave me more chagrin than the whistle gave me pleasure.
当我还是一个七岁的孩子的时候,有一次过节,朋友们往我的衣袋里塞满了铜币。我立刻向一家卖儿童玩具的店铺跑去。半路上,我却被另一个男孩手中的哨子声吸引住了,于是就主动要求用我所有的铜币换了他的哨子。然后我回到家里,吹着哨子满屋子转,非常得意,却打扰了全家人。我的哥哥、姐姐和表姐们知道了我所做的这笔交易,便告诉我,为了这个哨子我付出了比它原价高四倍的钱。他们还使我懂得,用那些多付的钱可以买到多少好东西啊。大伙儿都笑我傻,竟使我懊恼地哭了。回想这件事给我带来的悔恨远远超过了那只哨子所给我的快乐。
This, however, was afterwards of use to me, for the impression continued on my mind, so that often I was tempted to buy something I did not need, I said to myself, “Don’t give too much for the whistle”, and I saved my money. As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who “gave too much for the whistle”. When I saw some men too eager for court favour, wasting his time at court gatherings, giving up his rest, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps his friends, for royal favour, I said to myself, “This man gives too much for the whistle”. When I saw another fond of popularity, constantly taking part in political affairs, neglecting his own business, and ruining it by neglect, “He pays, indeed”, said I, “too dear for his whistle”.
不过,这件事情后来却对我很有用处,它一直保留在我的记忆中。因此当我常常打算买一些不必要的东西时,我便自己说。“不要为哨子花费太多”,于是便节省了钱。当我长大走进社会,观察了人们的所作所为,我感到,我遇到许许多多的人,他们都“为一只哨子付出了过高的代价”。当我看见一个人过分热衷于恩宠荣禄,把自己的光阴在侍候权贵、谋求接见之中。为了得到这种机会,他不惜自己的休息、自由、品德。甚至自己的朋友。我便对自己说,“这个人为他的哨子付出了太高的代价”。当我看见另一些人醉心于名望,无休止地投身于政界的纷扰之中,而他自己的事情却被忽视、被耽误了,我说,“他的确也为了他的哨子付出了过高的代价”。
If I knew a miser who gave up every kind of comfortable living, all the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of his fellow citizens and the joys of friendship, for the sake of gathering and keeping wealth – “Poor man”, said I, “you pay too dear for your whistle”. When I met a man of pleasure, who did not try to improve his mind or his fortune but merely devoted himself to having a good time, perhaps neglecting his health, “Mistaken man”, said I, “you are providing pain for yourself, instead of pleasure; you are paying too dear for your whistle”. If I saw someone fond of appearance who had fine clothes, fine houses, fine furniture, fine earrings, all above his fortune, and for which he had run into debt, “Alas”, said I, “he has paid dear, very dear, for his whistle”. In short the miseries of mankind are largely due to their putting a false value on things – to giving too much for their whistles.
如果我听说有个守财奴,他为了积累财产而宁愿放弃各种舒适的生活,放弃一切为别人做好事的乐趣,所有的同乡们对他的尊重,以及慷慨无私的友谊的欢乐。“可怜的人啊”,我说,“为了你的哨子,你付出了过高的代价。”当我遇到一个寻欢作的人,他不愿使自己精神上或命运方面得到一切可赞美的改善,而仅仅为了达到肉体上的享受,为了这种追求损害了自己的身体。“误入歧途的人啊”,我就说,“你真是有福不享自找苦吃;为了你的哨子,你付出了太高的代价啊”。如果我看到一个人沉迷于外表,或者是漂亮的装束,讲究的住宅,上等的家具,精致的耳环,这一切都远远超出了他收入的水平。为了得到这一切,他举借外债,最后以被投进监狱而告终。“天哪!”我说,“为了他的哨子,他付出了太高太高的代价。”总之,我认为,他们所遭受的人类很大一部分的悲苦都是由于他们对事物的价值所做出错误的估价而造成的,都是“为他们的哨子付出了太高的代价”。