英语短篇美文

第一篇：英语短篇美文

A Key to Happiness(1)by James T.Mangan

“ It is one of the most beautiful compensations sincerely try to help another without helping of life that no man can himself.” J.Pearson Webster

To help others, you don’t have to be an efficient the intention.You may be crude and clumsy, expert in the art, the main thing is wasteful try but to help, and your ineffective, attempt but if you sincerely knows your intention and is strengthened and good.The one you are produces trying nothing to help encouraged nearly every case, your simple desire to help, by the magic of your sharing.In converted sought.But perhaps the greatest good is the into action, produces the good good that you yourself get out of the attempt.Service than good, you free yourself into a clean world of the to joy others you deliver delivers to more them.joy In to doing you joy and light.The good you simply try to do, regardless of the outcome, is always a success inside yourself.What is An Educated Man ?(2)By George A.Coe

An Educated Man is one who is trained to use the tools of human intercourse with readiness, precision accuracy, especially language and the rudiments of numbers.An Educated Man must be able to study to think without guidance from others.He must be-to some extent—a thinker, not an imitator.An Educated Man must have sufficient knowledge of nature to understand the main processes upon which human life happiness depend.An Educated Man knows enough history to enable him to understand the main achievements of man.An Educated Man is acquainted with the major resources for intellectual and esthetic enjoyment.He knows nature, literature, music, and the other arts sufficiently to choose superior to inferior enjoyments.快乐之钥

“任何一个人，如果真诚地试行帮助旁人，必然也同时帮助了自己，这乃是人生当中最优美的补偿之。”——韦布斯特

想去帮助旁人，你不必是这值种艺术的能干的专家，主要的条件是意向。你也许是粗陋而笨拙的，浪费而低能的，但是如果你真诚地试行帮助旁人，你的尝试必然产生善。你所打算帮助的人晓得了你的意向，并且被你的分担负荷的神秘力量所增强和鼓励。差不多在每一个事例之中，你的单纯的助人愿望，在化为行动之后，都会产生所寻的善。但是最大的善，也许还是你自己从这项尝试中所获得的益处。在帮助旁人的时候，你本身所获得的快乐要比你带给那些人的快乐为多。在行善之中，你把本身从自我的可怕的附和之中解放出来，你脱离了自我，而进 入一个快乐和光明的清纯世界。只要你去试行为善，不论其结果如何，再你的内心理面都永远会是一项成功。

怎樣才算是一個受過教育的人？

一個受過教育的人，要能夠很敏捷而正確地運用人類溝通思想的工具，尤其是語言和基本數學。

一個受過教育的人，要能夠獨自研究和思想，而不受旁人的指導。他必須是一個相當有思想的人，而不是模倣者。

一個受過教育的人，對於自然必須具有充份的知識，能夠瞭解為人類生活和幸福之所繫的一些主要程序。

一個受過教育的人，要有充份的歷史知識，能夠瞭解人類的主要成就。

一個受過教育的人，熟知各種智力樂趣和唯美樂趣的主要源泉。他通曉自然、文學、音樂、和其他藝術，能夠選擇高雅的享樂。

General MacArthur’s Prayer For His Son(3)by Douglas MacArthur

Build me a son , O Lord , who will be strong enough to know when he is weak;and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid;one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat , and humble and gentle in victory.Build me a son whose wishes will not take the place of deeds;a son who will know Thee — and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge.Lead him , I pray , not in the path of ease and comfort , but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.Here let him learn to stand up in the storm;here let him learn compassion for those who fail.Build me a son whose heart will be clean , whose goal will be high, a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men;one who will reach into the future , yet never forget the past.Companionship of Books(4)by Samuel Smiles

A good book may be among the best of friends.It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change.It is the most patient and cheerful of companions.It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress.It always receives us with the same kindness;amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age.Books introduce us into the best society;they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived.We hear what they said and did;we see them as if they were really alive;we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them;their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were in a measure actors with them in the scenes which they describe.麥师為子祈禱文

主啊，请陶冶我的儿子，使他成为一个坚强的人，能够知道自己什么时候是软弱的；使他成为一个勇敢的人，能够在畏惧的时候认清自己，谋求补救；使他在诚实的失败之中，能够自豪而不屈，在获得成功之际，能够谦逊而温和。

请陶冶我的儿子，使他不要以愿望代替实际作为；使它能够认识主——并且晓得自知乃是知识的基石。

我祈求你，不要引导他走上安逸舒适的道路，而要让他遭受困难与挑战的磨练和策励。让他藉此学习在风暴之中挺立起来，让他藉此学习对失败的人加以同情。

以书为伴

好书就像是你最好的朋友。它始终不渝，过去如此，现在如此，将来也永远不变。它是最有耐心，最令人愉悦的伴侣。在我们穷愁潦倒，临危遭难时，它也不会抛弃我们，对我们总是一如既往地亲切。在我们年轻时，好书陶冶我们的性情，增长我们的知识；到我们年老时，它又给我们以慰藉和勉励。

书籍介绍我们与最优秀的人为伍，使我们置身于历代伟人巨匠之间，如闻其声，如观其行，如见其人，同他们情感交融，悲喜与共，感同身受。我们觉得自己仿佛在作者所描绘的舞台上和他们一起粉墨登场。

Friendship(5)

No young man starting life could have better capital than plenty of friends.They will strengthen his credit, support him in every great effort, and make him what, unaided, he could never be.Friends of the right sort will help him more---to be happy and successful---than much money or great learning.Friendship is no one-sided affair.There can be no friendship without reciprocity.One cannot receive all and give nothing, or give all and receive nothing, and expect to experience the joy and fullness of true companionship.Those who would make friends must cultivate the qualities which are admired and which attract.If you are mean, stingy and selfish, nobody will admire you.You must cultivate generosity and large-heartedness;you must be magnanimous and tolerant;you must have positive qualities, for a negative, shrinking, apologizing, roundabout man is despised.On Staying Young(6)by Samuel Ullman Youth is not a time of life;it is a state of mind;it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees;it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions;it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity of the appetite, for adventure over the love of ease.This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty.Nobody grows old merely by a number of years.We grow old by deserting our ideals.Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.友谊

by Oriaon Swett Marden

刚刚开始人生途程的青年人，他所能具有的最大资本，莫过于许多朋友。朋友可以加强他的声誉，在每一项伟大努力之中对他加以支持，并且使他成为一个更好的人，而如果没有那些朋友的帮助，他便永远无从变成那样的人。为了达到幸福和成功的目的，益友对于他的帮助要比大量金钱和渊博学问为多。

友谊不是单方面的事情。没有交互关系，便不会有友谊。一个人如果只取不与，或只与不取，便无从体验真实友谊的快乐和丰满。

想结交朋友的人们，必须培养那些受人钦敬并且具有吸引力量的性质。如果你小气、吝啬、而自私，没有人会钦敬你。你必须培养慷慨和大度；你必须宽宏大量，善于容忍；你必须具有一些积极的性质，因为一个消极、畏缩、辩解，而转弯抹角的人是被人轻视的。

永保青春

青春并不是人生当中的一段时期，而是一种心理状态；代表青春的并不是红光满面，身手矫捷，而是坚强的意志，高超的想像，旺盛的感情；青春乃是生命之幽深泉源的一股清新气质。

青春的含义，是用勇敢克服懦弱，以冒险代替安逸。一个年届耳顺的人，有时可以比二十岁的少年更富于青春气息。单是岁月的增进，并不足以使人衰老；放弃自己的理想，才会使人衰老。

岁月会在皮肤上面留下皱纹，失去热情则会在灵魂上面留下皱纹。忧虑、怀疑、缺乏自信、恐惧和绝望——这些情绪会把心灵压垮，使精神崩溃。

By John F.Kennedy Courage(7)dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final The courage of

life is often a less moment, mixture of triumph and tragedy.A man does but it is no less a magnificent what consequences, he must dangers and pressuresspite in spite of obstacles of personal and of all human morality.qualifications, To be courage…requies no combination of time, place and circumstance.no magic formula, exceptional no special It presented is an opportunity one to us that sooner or later is courage.arena which all.imposes Politics merely special furnishes tests meet challenge of courage, whatever may be In whatever arena of life one may of the conscienceeach even man the must esteem decide of his for of they can teach, they can offer hope, they can past courage can define that ingredient-provide courage inspiration.into his own soul.itself.For this But each they man cannot must supply look

勇气

日常生活中的勇气往往不象最后时刻的勇气那样辉煌壮观,但它依然算得上是一个悲喜交加的非凡的混合体.无论个人结果怎样,无论要经历多少阻碍、危险和压力,一个人必须做他该做的事情,这是一切人类道德的基础.做到勇敢,并不需要非凡的资质,也无需神奇的方案,以及特定的时间、地点和环境,它只是一个迟早都会出现在我们所有人面前的机会.政治不过是提供了一个舞台,在这个舞台上能够对勇气进行特殊的测试.无论是在人生的哪一个舞台上,我们都有可能遇见挑战,如果他循规蹈矩的话,任何牺牲都有可能是他所要面对的--失去朋友,失去运气,失去知己,甚至失去同胞的尊重--每个人都必须决定自己将要走的路.所有昔日关于勇气的故事能够详细界定勇敢的因素--这些故事可以教育我们,可以给予我们希望,也可以激励我们,但是它们无法为我们提供勇气.正因为如此,每个人都必须审视自己的灵魂.

第二篇：英语美文

英语演讲稿:colours and life 多彩的生活'

Life is full of colors and different colors reflect different attitudes towards life.What is your favourite color? Are you in favour of those warm colours, such as yellow, orange, or red? If you do, you are likely to be an optimist, a leader, and an active person who enjoys life, work and excitement.Do you prefer those cold colors such as grey and blue? Then you may tend to be a pessimistic, quiet, and shy person, you would rather follow than lead.Is this true? Maybe.At least, this is what psychologists have told us, and they should know, since they have been seriously studying the meaning of color preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings’ lives.They tell us that we do choose our favourite colors as we grew up, and we were born with our love for special colors.If you happen to love a special color, you were made to do this the moment you opened your eyes, or at least the moment you could recognize different colors.There is no doubt that colors do have an impact on our moods.A yellow room can make most people feel cheerful and relaxed while a dark green one makes you feel cold and afraid.And a red dress brings warmth and pleasure to the saddest winter day.Of course, the color black will probably make you feel depressed.It is reported that a black bridge over the Thames River used to be the scene of more suicides than any other bridge in the area until one day it was repainted green, the number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply;perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.Light bright colors make people not only happier but more active in their work.It is an established fact that students work better, harder and will make fewer mistakes when their notebooks and study tools are of these colors rather than black or grey.So now do you know what kind of person you are belonging to? Just find your life color, and enjoy your life!

白日梦：

To have everything done by my robot, I sit in the garden of my villa and watch the pink snow flowing in the sky with all kinds of delicious food circling around me.I reach out for the goodies.Ling-ling-ling!Suddenly the telephone rings.Oh, it’s only a daydream.With the mixture of romance and imagination, the girl who likes daydreaming appears to be here.Martin Luther King had his big dream that is to liberate his Negro brothers, and I have my small daydreams.But we share something in common which is that we all desire for a bright future.With my love for delicious food, I always daydreamed of many goodies being severed to me.Although I awoke every time without having a taste at those goodies, these interesting experience have relaxed my brain, and the hope for a bright future has encouraged me to be more diligent to realize my daydreams.The necessary element romance has helped me to have more fun in my daily life and get closer to the beautiful nature.The element imagination has helped me to be more creative in my study and daily life.But daydreams need a limit.I only allows myself to daydream at the right time and for certain times for fear that I would get too far from the real life or will be too lazy to work hard lost in those remote daydreams.Maybe I will find a job that will realize my daydreams and offers me more time for daydreaming, but who knows? Another daydream will probably change my idea.Days and days, dreams and dreams, and that are daydream.Young girls, enough imagination, and that are my daydreams.Who is the girl that is standing there? Lovely dress, beautiful shoes, and a prince who is holding her hands, dancing at the ball.Oh!A daydream once again.Thank you for listening!

第三篇：英语美文

;It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition.It would probably be a kinder world: without demands, without abrasions, without disappointments.People would have time for reflection(磨损).Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collectivity.Competition would never enter in, conflict would be eliminated, tension become a thing of the past.The stress of creation would be at an end.Art would no longer be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions.Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die of heart attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor.Anxiety would be extinct.Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart.Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be!

There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a sham(骗子).Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events? Now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating.Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one's own.But even the most cynical secretly admit that success exists;that achievement counts for a great deal;and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless.To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging.It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment, and regard for posterity.We do not choose to be born.We do not choose our parents.We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing.We do not, most of us, choose to die;nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death.But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift.We decide what is important and what is trivial in life.We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do.But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make.We decide.We choose.And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed.In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.

第四篇：短篇英语美文[定稿]

1Life is a Chess-board

The chess-board is the world: the pieces are the phenomena of the universe;the rules of the game are what we call the laws of nature.The player on the otherside is hidden from us.We know that his play is always fair, just and patient.But also we know, to our cost, that he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance.By Thomas Henry Huxley

参考译文

棋盘宛如世界：一个个棋子仿佛世间的种种现象：游戏规则就是我们所称的自然法则。竞争对手藏于暗处，不为我们所见。我们知晓，这位对手向来处事公平，正义凛然，极富耐心。然而，我们也明白，这位对手从不忽视任何错误，或者因为我们的无知而做出一丝让步，所以我们也必须为此付出代价。It was the best of times, it was the worst of times;it was the age of wisdom,it was the age of foolishness;it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch ofincredulity;it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness;it was thespring of hope, it was the winter of despair;we had everything before us, we had nothing before us;we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going directthe other way.Excerpt from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

参考译文

这是一个最好的时代，也是一个最坏的时代；这是明智的年代，这是愚昧的年代；这是信任的纪元，这是怀疑的纪元；这是光明的季节，这是黑暗的季节；这是希望的春日，这是失望的冬日；我们面前应有尽有，我们面前一无所有；我们都将直下地狱……Equality and Greatness

Between persons of equal income there is no social distinction except the distinction of merit.Money is nothing;character, conduct, and capacity are everything.Instead of all the workers being leveled down to low wage standards and all the rich leveled up to fashionable income standards, everybody under a system of equal incomes would find his or her own natural level.There would be great people and ordinary people and little people, but the great would always be those who had done great things, and never the idiot whose mother had spoiled them and whose father had left a horned thousand a year;and the little

would be persons of small minds and mean characters, and not poor persons who had never had a chance.That is why idiots are always in favour of inequality ofincome(their only chance of eminence),and the really great in favour of equality.收入相当的人除了品性迥异以外没有社会差别。金钱不能说明什么；性格，行为，能力才代表一切。在收入平等制度下，每个人将会找到他或她正常的地位，而不是所有的工人被划到应拿低工资阶层，所有的富人被划到应得高收入的阶层。人有卓著伟人，平庸之辈和碌碌小人之别，然伟人总是那些有所建树之人，而非从小深受母亲溺爱，父亲每年留下一大笔钱之人；碌碌小人总是那些心胸狭窄，品德卑劣之人，而不是那些从未获取机会的穷人。愚蠢之众总是赞成收入不平等（他们职能凭借这种机会才能为人所知），而真正伟大之人则主张平等相待，原因就在于此。

4Great Expectations

As the night was fast falling, and as the moon, being past the full, would not rise early, we held a little council: a short one, for clearly our course was to lie by atthe first lonely tavern we could find.So ,they plied their oars once more, and I looked out for anything like a house.Thus we held on, speaking little, for four or five dull miles.It was very cold, and, a collier coming by us, with her gallery-fire smoking and flaring, looked like a comfortable home.The night was as dark by thistime as it would be until morning;and what light we had, seemed to come morefrom the river than the sky, as the oars in their dipping stuck at a few reflectedstars.天黑得很快，偏巧这天又是下弦月，月亮不会很早升起。我们就稍稍商量了一下，可是也用不着多讨论，因为情况是明摆着的，再划下去我们一遇到冷落的酒店就得投宿。于是他们又使劲打起浆来，我则用心寻找岸上是否隐隐约约有什么房屋的模样。这样又赶了四五英里路，一路上好不气闷，大家简直不说一句话。天气非常冷，一艘煤船从我们近旁驶过，船上厨房里生着火，炊烟缕缕，火光荧荧，在我们看来简直就是个安乐家了。这时夜已透黑，看来就要这样一直黑到天明，我们仅有的一点光亮似乎不是来自天空，而是来自河上，一浆又一浆的，搅动着那寥寥几颗倒映在水里的寒星。The doer of Deeds

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, the doer of deeds could have done them better.The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the are ‘ns, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;who strives valiantly;who errs, and comes short again and again;because there is not effort without error and shortcoming;but who does actually strive to do the deeds;who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions;who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumphs of high

achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.真正令人尊敬的并非那些评论家和那些指出强者是如何跌倒，实干家本该做得更好的人。

荣誉属于那些亲临竞技场，满脸污泥，汗水和鲜血的人。他们不懈努力，他们曾犯过过错，并一再失败。因为付出即意味着犯错和失败。他们满怀激情地努力做事，执着不懈，将生命奉献于崇高的事业。他们为经过艰辛努力最终取得的伟大成就而自豪，如果失败，他们夜败的荣耀。因而，这样的人永远不应与那些不知道胜利，也从未失败过的冷淡而胆怯的灵魂相提并论。

第五篇：英语美文

Jaguar is an endangered animal.It is said that there are less than 20 jaguars in the world currently, one of which is now living in the national zoo of Peru.In order to protect this jaguar, Peruvians singled out a pitch of land in the zoo for it, where there are herds of cattle, sheep and deer for the jaguar to eat.Anyone who has visited the zoo praised it to be the “Heaven of Tiger”.However, strange enough, no one has ever seen the jaguar prey on the cattle and sheep.What we could see is its lying in its house eating and sleeping.美洲虎是一种濒临灭绝的动物,据说,现在世界上尚存不足20只,其中有一只生活在秘鲁的国家动物园里。为了保护这只美洲虎,秘鲁人在动物园里单独圈出一块地,让它自由生存,圈地中有成群的牛、羊、鹿供老虎享用。参观过虎园的人都说这是“虎的天堂”。然而奇怪的是,没人看见这只老虎去捕捉牛羊,唯一见到的情景就是它躺在空洞的虎房里吃了睡、睡了吃。

Some people thought that the jaguar felt too lonely, so they collected money and rented a female tiger to accompany it.Nonetheless, it did not make too much sense.The jaguar just sometimes went out of its house with its “girlfriend”and stayed in the sun for a while before it came back to its house again.“It is normal for the jaguar to be lazy in this environment.Tiger is the king of forest but you simply put some small animals around him.That is why the jaguar shows no interest in going out.Why don’t you put two wolves or at least a jackal around him?”A visitor proposed.Others all agreed with him and put five panthers into the jaguar’s territory.Since then, the jaguar did not go back to its house any more.It either stands on top of the hill roaring or goes down from the hill strolling without sleeping all day long.It did not eat the meat provided by the zoo staff and has totally got back to its nature.一些市民认为它太孤独了,就集资从国外租雌虎来陪它生活。然而此举并未带来多大改观,那只老虎最多陪伴外来的“女友”走出虎房,到阳光下站一站,不久就又回到它的“卧室”。“它怎能不懒洋洋呢?虎是林中之王,你们放一群吃草的小动物,能提起它的兴趣吗?这么大的一个老虎保护区,你们不放两只狼,至少也得放一只豺狗吧?”一位来此参观的市民建议道。人们觉得他说得有理,就把5只美洲豹投进了虎园。结果,自从豹子进园后,美洲虎就再没回过虎房,它不是站在山顶长啸,就是从山上下来,在草地上游荡,不再长时间睡觉,不再吃管理员送来的肉,基本恢复了本性。

Actually, this principle does not only apply to animals, but also apply to human beings.Here is another story.There was a rich man who was selecting a husband for his only child among a multitude of pursuers.The man led all the pursuers to a river and pointed to the crocodiles, saying, “Anyone who can swim across the river safe and sound will marry my daughter.” Those pursuers looked at each other and no one dare take the initiative.At that moment, a man plunged into the river bravely and swam at a staggering speed to the other side.All the people applauded for his courage with great sense of admiration.Nevertheless, the man, after landing on the bank, shouted angrily, “Who pushed me into the river just now?”

不仅是动物,人也如此。有则故事说,一个富人为独生女儿选婿,求婚者众多。于是这个富人将求婚的男子们带到一条河边,指着河中的鳄鱼说:“如果有人能够安全地游到对岸,我就把女儿嫁给他。”这些男子你看我我看你,谁也不敢跳进河里。正在互相观望之际,突然有一个男子“扑通”一声跳了下去,然后以超乎寻常的速度游到对岸。大家对这个勇敢的男子充满钦佩和羡慕, 报以热烈的掌声。没想到这个男子上岸后,生气地大声问:“刚才是谁把我推下河去的?”

Maybe the man, after thinking of the whole process and the good consequence he is going to obtain, will feel obliged to the one who pushed him into the river.It is fairly common that disadvantages will turn into advantages and misfortunes into fortunes!But many of us cannot manage to realize the significance of our “rivals” to our success.Generally speaking, many people will see the one who “pushes him into the river” as an opponent.However, if you think in a deeper sense, you will realize that it is also a blessing and opportunity to have someone like that!It is the one who “pushes you into the river”who makes you feel the sense of crisis and stimulates your ambition and desire to strive!You will resolve to eliminate all difficulties and progress to another stage of your life!

也许那位男子回过神来想一想,他应该感谢那个把他推下去的人。不利变为有利,坏事变成好事,现实生活中比比皆是,但许多人往往认识不到造成这个结果的那个“对手”的作用。一般来讲,许多人都会把推他“下河” 的人视为敌人,但只要仔细想一想,便会发现有一个强劲的推自己“下河”的人存在,未尝不是一种福分,一种机遇。因为这个推你“下河”的人,会让你产生危机感,会激发你更加旺盛的精神和斗志,会让你下定决心排除一切艰难险阻,在超越中实现矛盾的转化。

In our world, one creature without any rivals is a lifeless creature.If a man lives without rivals, he is bound to be satisfied with the present and will not strive for the better.He would hold back before all difficulties and decline in inaction and laziness.Adverse environment tends to cultivate successful people.Therefore, your rivals are not your opponents or those you grudge.Instead, they are your good friends!In our lives, we need some rivals to “push us into the river”, leaving us striving ahead in all difficulties and competitions.In our work, we need some rivals to be picky about us and supervise our work with rigorous requirements and standards.Due to our rivals, we can bring out our potential to the best;Due to our rivals, we will continuously promote our capabilities when competing with them!一种没有对手的生物,一定是死气沉沉的生物;一个人假如没有了对手,同样难免会变得安于现状,不思进取,知难而退,在怠惰和没落中消沉。逆境往往造就成功。所以,对手既不是敌人也不是冤家,而是诤友、挚友。人生中,我们需要一个对手推自己“下河”,让自己在阻力中前进,在竞争中发展;工作中,我们需要一个对手,对自己横挑鼻子竖挑眼,督促你发现不足,严要求,高标准。有了对手,我们就会把自己的潜能发挥到极致;有了对手,我们就会在与对手的比拼中提高素质,不断进步。

机遇就存在于生活的细节中。同样的一件事，一个成功的人会看得更多更远„„

John and Bobby joined a wholesale company togther just after graduation from college the same year.Both worked very hard.After several years, however, the boss promoted Bobby to the posotion of manager but John remained an ordinary employee.John could not take it anymore, tendered his resignation to the boss and complained the boss did not know how to delegate and did not value hard working staff, but only promoted those who flattered him。

约翰和博比同年大学毕业后，被同一家批发公司录用。他们二人工作都很努力。然而，几年后，老板提拔博比为部门经理，而约翰还是一名普通员工。约翰再也无法忍受，冲动之下写了一封辞职信，并抱怨老板不会用人，不重用那些敬业的员工，只提升那些奉承他的人。

The boss knew that John worked very hard for the years.He thought for a moment and said, “Thank you for your criticism, but I have a request.I hope you will do one more thing for our company before you leave.Perhaps you will change your mind and take back your resignation.”

老板知道这几年约翰工作确实很努力。他想了一会儿说：“谢谢你对我的批评。但是我只有一个请求，我希望在你离开之前再为公司做一件事情。或许到时你会改变决定，收回辞呈。”

John agreed.The boss asked him to go and find out anyone selling watermelon in the market.John went and returned soon.He said he had found out a man selling watermelon.The boss asked how much per kg? John shook his head and went back to the market to ask and returned to inform the boss $1.2 per kg。

约翰答应了。老板让他去市场找到一个卖西瓜的人。约翰去了并很快回来。他说他找到了一个卖西瓜的人。老板问他每公斤多少钱？约翰摇摇头，回到市场去问，然后又回来告诉老板每公斤1.2美元。

Boss told John to wait a second, and he called Bobby to come to his office.He asked Bobby to go and find anyone seling watermelon in the market.Bobby went, returned and said, boss, only one person selling watermelon.$1.2 per kg, $10 for 10kg, he has inventory of 340 melons.On the table 58 melons, every melon weights about 2 kg, bought from the South two days ago, they are fresh and red, good quality。

老板让约翰等一会儿，这时他把博比叫到办公室。他让博比去市场找到一个卖西瓜的人。博比去了，回来之后说：“老板，只有一个卖西瓜的人，每公斤 1.2美元，每10公斤卖10美元。这个人一共有340个西瓜，其中58个放在货架上，每个西瓜重约2公斤，都是两天前从南方运来的，新鲜，红瓤，质量好。”

John was very impressed and realized the difference between himself and Bobby.He decided not to resign but to learn from Bobby。

约翰受到很大的触动，他意识到自己与博比之间的差距。他决定收回辞呈并向博比学习。

My dear friends, a more successful person is more observant, thinks more and explores in depth.Chances exists in the daily details.For the same matter, a more successful person sees more and farther so that he can find out an opportunity and catch it to realize his aim.If a person sees one year ahead, while another sees only tomorrow.The difference between a year and a day is 365 times, how could you win?

亲爱的朋友们，成功的人更善于观察，勤于思考和孜孜探求。机遇就存在于生活的细节中。同样的一件事，一个成功的人会看得更多更远。有人看到一年后的情景，而你只看到明天。一年与一天的差距是365倍，你怎么能赢呢？

Slow Down

As the old saying goes,“What is learned in the cradle carried to the grave.” How often I wish I could read a story leisurely and patiently, word by word as I did when I was eight years old or even younger.As a little girl with fervent desire to seek knowledge, my motto had been,“Soon ripe, soon rotten.Soon learn, soon forgotten.” So I preferred spending lots of time on repeatedly reading a lovely story through and through.At that time, maybe some other children about my age thought of me as a deranged person.However, I just let myself do what I liked, saying nothing.But, then, the quick fix lifestyle today is getting more and more popular.One can not put back the clock.Efficiency means life or death.Therefore, I can not avoid changing my reading habits.Usually, I do not have enough time and energy to read a lovely story word by word.I have no other alternative but to enjoy a pre-digest instead, especially when I am too busy.As a result, I am forced to lose a chance to linger over every word of classic novels or the latest best sellers.Do not get me wrong.I am not saying every work is worth reading word by word.Sometimes, perhaps reading in this way is just a waste of time and energy.But I am saying that it will be really a big pity when I run into a wonderful work I have no time and energy to enjoy it, that is to say, I can only read it superficially.In addition, some works are easy to understand and not worth spending too much time reading thoroughly.For those works, we might discard the dross and select the essence as well.Sometimes, it is the truth that “You may know by a handful the whole sack.”

Why not slow down and enjoy a lovely story like an innocent child?

放慢速度

俗话说：“在摇篮里学的东西会带进坟墓。”我多么希望自己能够像8岁甚至更年幼的时候那样，悠闲、有耐心、逐字逐句地进行阅读。作为一个有着强烈求知欲的小女孩，我的座右铭曾是：“学得快，忘得快。”所以我喜欢花大量的时间去反复地阅读一个可爱的故事。或许那个时候，一些同龄的孩子会把我当作神经病。不过，我坚持我喜欢做的事，没理会他们。

但是，话说回来，现在快节奏生活方式越来越普遍了。时光不会倒流，效率就意味着生命。因而我不得不改变我的阅读习惯。现在的我通常没有足够的时间和精力去逐字逐句地阅读一个可爱的故事。所以我别无选择，只能享受浓缩版，尤其是太忙的时候。无奈，我失去了推敲经典小说或最新畅销书中每一个字的机会。

不要误解我的意思。我不是说每一部作品都值得逐字逐句去阅读。有时候，这样的阅读方式反而是浪费时间和精力。我是说当我邂逅一部伟大的作品时，却没有时间和精力去细细品味，或者说，我只能大致地浏览一番，对我来说实在是个大遗憾。而有些作品比较易懂，也不值得花太多时间去深究。对于这样的作品，我们不妨取其精华，去其糟粕。“见微知著”或许是对的。

因此，何不放慢速度，做一个天真的孩子，去享受一个可爱的故事呢？