英語(yǔ)短文閱讀(一)

英語(yǔ)短文閱讀(一)

每天閱讀幾篇英語(yǔ)短文，可以提高我們的語(yǔ)感，養(yǎng)成良好的閱讀習(xí)慣，并且同時(shí)積累大量詞匯，今天來(lái)看看聽(tīng)力課堂小編給大家?guī)?lái)的美文吧!

一、The Color of Friendship 友誼的顏色

Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed that they were the best. The most important.The most useful.The favorite.

從前，世界上的各種顏色進(jìn)行過(guò)一次爭(zhēng)吵。每一種顏色都說(shuō)自己是最好的,最重要的， 　　最有用的,和最討人喜歡的。

Green said: "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."

綠色說(shuō)：“顯然，我是最重要的。我是生命和希望的標(biāo)志。我被選作青草，樹(shù)木以及葉子的顏色。沒(méi)有了我，所有的動(dòng)物都會(huì)死去。展望田野吧，你會(huì)看到，到處都有我。”

Blue interrupted: "You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing."

藍(lán)色打斷了它的話(huà)：“你只考慮了地上，想想天空和海洋吧。水才是生命的基礎(chǔ)呀，云彩把水分從深邃的大海帶到了天空。天空給了人們空間、和平和寧謐。沒(méi)有我的和平，你們將不復(fù)存在。”

Yellow chuckled: "You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun."

黃色咯咯地笑出了聲：“你們都太嚴(yán)肅了。我給這個(gè)世界帶來(lái)了笑聲、歡樂(lè)和溫暖。太陽(yáng)是黃色的，月亮是黃色的，星星是黃色的，每一次你看向日葵的.時(shí)候，整個(gè)世界都開(kāi)始?xì)g笑。沒(méi)有我就沒(méi)有快樂(lè)。”

Orange started next to blow her trumpet: "I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you."

橙色馬上開(kāi)始自吹自擂：“我可是健康和力量的顏色。我可能比較稀少，但是我非常寶貴，因?yàn)槲覞M(mǎn)足了人們生活的需要。我攜帶了大多數(shù)重要的維他命。想想胡羅卜、南瓜、柑橘、芒果和番木瓜。我并不經(jīng)常出沒(méi)在天空，但日出或日落我在天際登場(chǎng)時(shí)，我的美麗足以驚世，沒(méi)有人還會(huì)想起你們。”

Red could stand it no longer he shouted out: "I am the ruler of all of you. I am blood - life's blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy."

紅色再也忍不下去了，他喊道：“我，是你們所有人的主宰。我是血液——生命的血液!我是危險(xiǎn)和勇敢的顏色。我愿意為了一個(gè)目標(biāo)而斗爭(zhēng)。我把烈火帶入血液。沒(méi)有了我，地球會(huì)象月亮一樣變得空虛。我是激情和愛(ài)的顏色，是紅玫瑰、猩猩木。

Purple rose up to his full height: He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me! They listen and obey."

紫色站起身來(lái)：他非常高，說(shuō)起話(huà)來(lái)風(fēng)度十足：“我是王權(quán)和力量的象征。國(guó)王、酋長(zhǎng)、主教都選擇了我，因?yàn)槲蚁笳髦鴻?quán)威和智慧。人們不會(huì)對(duì)我提出疑問(wèn)，他們只能聆聽(tīng)和服從。” 　　Finally Indigo spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: "Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace."

最后，靛青說(shuō)話(huà)了，他的聲音比其他人都輕，但卻比其他人都斬釘截鐵：“想想我吧。我是沉默的顏色。你們幾乎注意不到我，但是如果沒(méi)有我，你們?nèi)紩?huì)變得膚淺。我代表著思想和反省，代表者黎明的微光和深邃的海水。你們需要我來(lái)平衡和比較，來(lái)祈禱和獲求內(nèi)心的安寧。”

And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.

這樣一來(lái)，顏色們就不停地自夸，每個(gè)人都深信自己無(wú)比優(yōu)越。他們的爭(zhēng)吵聲越來(lái)越大。突然，電閃雷鳴。雨無(wú)情地傾盆而下。顏色們驚恐地蜷縮起來(lái)，彼此擠在一起捱過(guò)著恐怖的時(shí)刻。

In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak: "You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me."

在一片喧囂聲中，雨開(kāi)始說(shuō)話(huà)了：“你們這些愚蠢的顏色，彼此相互爭(zhēng)斗，每個(gè)人都想支配別人。你們難道就不知道每個(gè)人都是天造地設(shè)，都是獨(dú)一無(wú)二，彼此不同的嗎?攜起手來(lái)吧。” 　　Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands. The rain continued: "From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The Rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow." And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a Rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another.

顏色們按照著雨的話(huà)，團(tuán)結(jié)在一起，攜起手來(lái)。雨接著說(shuō)：“從現(xiàn)在開(kāi)始，每次下雨的時(shí)候你們都要變成一個(gè)巨大的彩色弓形橫跨天空，以證明你們能夠和平相處。彩虹就是未來(lái)希望的標(biāo)志。”所以，每當(dāng)大雨沖刷這個(gè)世界時(shí)，彩虹都會(huì)出現(xiàn)在天空，讓我們記住彼此要珍惜。

二、That's what friends do 朋友就該這么做

Jack tossed the papers on my desk—his eyebrows knit into a straight line as he glared at me. 　　杰克把文件扔到我桌上，皺著眉頭，氣憤地瞪著我。

"What’s wrong?" I asked.

“怎么了?”我問(wèn)道。

He jabbed a finger at the proposal. "Next time you want to change anything, ask me first," he said, turning on his heels and leaving me stewing in anger.

他指著計(jì)劃書(shū)狠狠地說(shuō)道：“下次想作什么改動(dòng)前，先征求一下我的意見(jiàn)。”然后轉(zhuǎn)身走了，留下我一個(gè)人在那里生悶氣。

How dare he treat me like that, I thought. I had changed one long sentence, and corrected grammar, something I thought I was paid to do.

他怎么能這樣對(duì)我!我想，我只是改了一個(gè)長(zhǎng)句，更正了語(yǔ)法錯(cuò)誤，但這都是我的分內(nèi)之事啊。

It’s not that I hadn’t been warned. Other women who had worked my job before me called Jack names I couldn’t repeat. One coworker took me aside the first day. "He’s personally responsible for two different secretaries leaving the firm," she whispered.

其實(shí)也有人提醒過(guò)我，上一任在我這個(gè)職位上工作的女士就曾大罵過(guò)他。我第一天上班時(shí)，就有同事把我拉到一旁小聲說(shuō)：“已有兩個(gè)秘書(shū)因?yàn)樗o職了。”

As the weeks went by, I grew to despise Jack. His actions made me question much that I believed in, such as turning the other cheek and loving your enemies. Jack quickly slapped a verbal insult on any cheek turned his way. I prayed about the situation, but to be honest, I wanted to put Jack in his place, not love him.

幾周后，我逐漸有些鄙視杰克了，而這又有悖于我的信條——別人打你左臉，右臉也轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)去讓他打;愛(ài)自己的敵人。但無(wú)論怎么做，總會(huì)挨杰克的罵。說(shuō)真的，我很想滅滅他的囂張氣焰，而不是去愛(ài)他。我還為此默默祈禱過(guò)。

One day another of his episodes left me in tears. I stormed into his office, prepared to lose my job if needed, but not before I let the man know how I felt. I opened the door and Jack glanced up. “What?” he asked abruptly.

一天，因?yàn)橐患?，我又被他氣哭了。我沖進(jìn)他的辦公室，準(zhǔn)備在被炒魷魚(yú)前讓他知道我的感受。我推開(kāi)門(mén)，杰克抬頭看了我一眼。“有事嗎?”他突然說(shuō)道。

Suddenly I knew what I had to do. After all, he deserved it.

我猛地意識(shí)到該怎么做了。畢竟，他罪有應(yīng)得。

I sat across from him and said calmly, “Jack, the way you’ve been treating me is wrong. I’ve never had anyone speak to me that way. As a professional, it’s wrong, and I can’t allow it to continue.” 　　我在他對(duì)面坐下：“杰克，你對(duì)待我的方式很有問(wèn)題。還從沒(méi)有人像你那樣對(duì)我說(shuō)話(huà)。作為一個(gè)職業(yè)人士，你這么做很愚蠢，我無(wú)法容忍這樣的事情再度發(fā)生。”

Jack snickered nervously and leaned back in his chair. I closed my eyes briefly. God help me, I prayed.

杰克不安地笑了笑，向后靠靠。我閉了一下眼睛，祈禱著，希望上帝能幫幫我。

“I want to make you a promise. I will be a friend,” I said. “I will treat you as you deserve to be treated, with respect and kindness. You deserve that. Everybody does.” I slipped out of the chair and closed the door behind me.

“我保證，可以成為你的朋友。你是我的上司，我自然會(huì)尊敬你，禮貌待你，這是我應(yīng)做的。每個(gè)人都應(yīng)得到如此禮遇。”我說(shuō)著便起身離開(kāi)，把門(mén)關(guān)上了。

Jack avoided me the rest of the week. Proposals, specs, and letters appeared on my desk while I was at lunch, and my corrected versions were not seen again. I brought cookies to the office one day and left a batch on his desk. Another day I left a note. “Hope your day is going great,” it read. 　　那個(gè)星期余下的幾天，杰克一直躲著我。他總趁我吃午飯時(shí)，把計(jì)劃書(shū)、技術(shù)說(shuō)明和信件放在我桌上，并且，我修改過(guò)的文件不再被打回來(lái)。一天，我買(mǎi)了些餅干去辦公室，順便在杰克桌上留了一包。第二天，我又留了一張字條，在上面寫(xiě)道：“祝你今天一切順利。”

Over the next few weeks, Jack reappeared. He was reserved, but there were no other episodes. Coworkers cornered me in the break room. “Guess you got to Jack,” they said. “You must have told him off good.”

接下來(lái)的幾個(gè)星期，杰克不再躲避我了，但沉默了許多，辦公室里再也沒(méi)發(fā)生不愉快的事情。于是，同事們?cè)谛菹⑹野盐覉F(tuán)團(tuán)圍了起來(lái)。“聽(tīng)說(shuō)杰克被你鎮(zhèn)住了，”他們說(shuō)，“你肯定大罵了他一頓。”

I shook my head. “Jack and I are becoming friends,” I said in faith. I refused to talk about him. Every time I saw Jack in the hall, I smiled at him. After all, that’s what friends do.

我搖了搖頭，一字一頓地說(shuō)：“我們會(huì)成為朋友。”我根本不想提起杰克，每次在大廳看見(jiàn)他時(shí)，我總沖他微笑。畢竟，朋友就該這樣。

One year after our "talk," I discovered I had breast cancer. I was thirty-two, the mother of three beautiful young children, and scared. The cancer had metastasized to my lymph nodes and the statistics were not great for long-term survival. After my surgery, friends and loved ones visited and tried to find the right words. No one knew what to say, and many said the wrong things. Others wept, and I tried to encourage them. I clung to hope myself.

一年后，我32歲，是三個(gè)漂亮孩子的母親，但我被確診為乳腺癌，這讓我極端恐懼。癌細(xì)胞已經(jīng)擴(kuò)散到我的淋巴腺。從統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)據(jù)來(lái)看，我的時(shí)間不多了。手術(shù)后，我拜訪了親朋好友，他們盡量寬慰我，都不知道說(shuō)些什么好，有些人反而說(shuō)錯(cuò)了話(huà)，另外一些人則為我難過(guò)，還得我去安慰他們。我始終沒(méi)有放棄希望。

One day, Jack stood awkwardly in the doorway of my small, darkened hospital room. I waved him in with a smile. He walked over to my bed and without a word placed a bundle beside me. Inside the package lay several bulbs.

就在我出院的前一天，我看到門(mén)外有個(gè)人影。是杰克，他尷尬地站在門(mén)口。我微笑著招呼他進(jìn)來(lái)，他走到我床邊，默默地把一包東西放在我旁邊，那里邊是幾個(gè)球莖。

"Tulips," he said.

“這是郁金香。”他說(shuō)。

I grinned, not understanding.

我笑著，不明白他的用意。

He shuffled his feet, then cleared his throat. "If you plant them when you get home, they’ll come up next spring. I just wanted you to know that I think you’ll be there to see them when they come up."

他清了清嗓子，“回家后把它們種下，到明年春天就長(zhǎng)出來(lái)了。”他挪挪腳，“我希望你知道，你一定看得到它們發(fā)芽開(kāi)花。”

Tears clouded my eyes and I reached out my hand. "Thank you," I whispered.

我淚眼朦朧地伸出手。

Jack grasped my hand and gruffly replied, "You’re welcome. You can’t see it now, but next spring you’ll see the colors I picked out for you. I think you’ll like them." He turned and left without another word.

“謝謝你。”我低聲說(shuō)。杰克抓住我的手，生硬地答道：“不必客氣。到明年長(zhǎng)出來(lái)后，你就能看到我為你挑的是什么顏色的郁金香了。”之后，他沒(méi)說(shuō)一句話(huà)便轉(zhuǎn)身離開(kāi)了。

For ten years, I have watched those red-and-white striped tulips push their way through the soil every spring. In fact, this September the doctor will declare me cured. I’ve seen my children graduate from high school and enter college.

轉(zhuǎn)眼間，十多年過(guò)去了，每年春天，我都會(huì)看著這些紅白相間的郁金香破土而出。事實(shí)上，今年九月，醫(yī)生已宣布我痊愈了。我也看著孩子們高中畢業(yè)，進(jìn)入大學(xué)。

In a moment when I prayed for just the right word, a man with very few words said all the right things.

在那絕望的時(shí)刻，我祈求他人的安慰，而這個(gè)男人寥寥數(shù)語(yǔ)，卻情真意切，溫暖著我脆弱的心。

After all, that’s what friends do.

畢竟，朋友之間就該這么做。

小編希望大家都能養(yǎng)成每天閱讀的好習(xí)慣哦!