英語美文賞析初中美文英語晨讀

1、A Strange PresentOne day, when I was 14, my uncle sent me a pink T-shirt from ST. Louis,Missouri as my birthday present. On a beautiful Sunday morning, I worethis pink T-shirt and walked gently to the market. On the way, some boyswhistled at me. I became very nervous, so I walked faster and moreprop

2、erly with more decorum, but more and more boys whistled at melater. Therefore, I couldnt help but become more agitated. Suddenly, Iturned back and run to my home. I asked my mother, “Why did the boyswhistled at me?” My mother looked at my T-shirt with a smile and saidnothing. Then I turned to my fat

3、her. “Why did the boys whistle at me?”My father looked at my beautiful new T-shirt and then laughingly asked,“Are you lonely?” Suddenly, I realized why the boys were whistling atme. The message on my pink T-shirt was“I am lonely”.注釋：whistle: a small wind instrument for making whistling sounds by mea

4、ns of the breath 口哨properly: characterized by appropriateness or suitability; fitting 恰當?shù)膁ecorum: the conventions of polite behavior 禮貌agitated: 激動的，表現(xiàn)不安的Vacations in SpaceWant a ride in a spaceship? It will cost you about 20 million US dollars.At least thats what Dennis Tito recently paid for a tri

5、p to theInternational Space Station. What if you arent rich, but still want totravel in space? Dont worry. Research supported by NASA might makeyour dream come true. Scientists are refining a process that, if successful,will enable rockets to take off from the back of an airplane. If people doend up

6、 taking vacations in space, dont worry about finding somewhere tostay. Businessmen like British Richard Branson are already thinkingabout building hotels out there.注釋：NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (美國)國家航空航天局；美國航天及太空總署end up: 結束；告終Keeping PleasantIn these grim times, weighed do

7、wn with tension and pressure from therealities of life, many people have lost their sense of humor. They tend tokeep a straight face all day long and fail to keep life in perspective. Theyforget how to smile and finally become physical and mental wrecks. Theyregard life as a burden, and tend to look

8、 on the dark side of things.Well goes a saying, “Laugh, and grow fat.” Laughter releases tension,and smiling helps create a pleasant social atmosphere. And, thus, in a way,a sense of humor is an elixir that helps cure mental diseases. Somepatients even improve their physical and mental health by rea

9、dinghumorous stories or watching funny movies. This proves that a sense ofhumor helps us look at the world in a true and healthy light and makesour life worth living. 注釋：grim: rigid 無情的，嚴酷的tension: uneasy suspense 緊張(狀態(tài))，不安perspective: subjective evaluation of relative significance; a point of view

10、觀點，評價； indim bimbo 又笨又壞的女人The Man I Respect MostMy father is the man I respect most. Stern as he may be, he never fails toshow his care and consideration. Once I broke a neighbors window.Seeing nobody around, I ran away immediately. When Dad came home,he noticed my uneasiness and asked me what had h

11、appened.I could only tell him the truth. Rather than scold me, he praised myhonesty and then encouraged me to apologize to our neighbor. I learnedfrom this episode that not only does Dad take care of our health but healso teaches us how to be good citizens. How lucky I am to have such agood father!

12、注釋：stern : severe, strict 嚴厲的consideration : careful thought; deliberation 體諒，考慮uneasiness : 不安episode : an incident or event that is part of a progression or a larger sequence 插My Time of Happiness Each DayAs a student, most of my time is spent on school work and otherschool-related activities. Con

13、sequently, my time of happiness each day isvery limited.However, this is not to say that I am not happy every day. In fact, Ireally enjoy coming home from school each evening and having dinnerwith my family. After dinner, I read or watch some TV with my family.This is a happy time for me every day.

14、But my happiest time of a day is just before I fall asleep. Lying inbed, I think about all I achieved that day, and it makes me happy to knowthat the day was full.注釋：consequently : therefore 從而，因此achieve : to perform or carry out with success; accomplish 完成，達到Stopping by Woods on a SnowyEvening風雪夜 林

15、邊停是一首著名的詩歌。寫的是雪夜美景？寫的是守諾如一？寫的是人生不得不向前行？不同的讀者會有完全不同的理解。這大概就是文學批評中所說的“接受美學”的觀點吧。Whose woods these are I think I know,His house is in the village though.He will not see me stopping here,To watch his woods fill up with snow.My little horse must think it queer,To stop without a farmhouse near,Between the

16、 woods and frozen lake,The darkest evening of the year.He gives his harness bells a shake,To ask if there is some mistake.The only other sounds the sweep,英語晨讀精華87Of easy wind and downy flake.The woods are lovely, dark and deep,But I have promises to keep,And miles to go before I sleep,And miles to g

17、o before I sleep. Robert Frost 注釋：queer : deviating from the expected or normal; strange 奇怪的farmhouse : a dwelling on a farm 農(nóng)舍，農(nóng)家harness : the gear or tackle, other than a yoke, with which a draft animal pulls a vehicle or animplement (全套)馬具, 系在身上的繩子downy : made of or covered with down 絨毛的，柔和的flake

18、 : a flat, thin piece or layer; a chip 薄片；雪片Robert Frost: 弗羅斯特·R.（18741963）美國詩人。生于舊金山，求學于哈佛大學。它的詩集新罕布什爾、詩選和又一片牧場均獲得普利策獎，被公認為美國無冠的桂冠詩人。HomeA Joy ForeverHome means a lot to me. “Be it ever so humble, there is no place likehome.” I appreciate the warmth of my home, and regard it as one of thebrigh

19、test and dearest spots on earth. It is the place where I can take refugewhenever I meet with difficulties, failures and even frustrations in mydaily life. At home, my dear parents and brothers and sisters will comfortme and cheer me up. And with their concern and encouragement, I willregain my self-

20、confidence and muster up all my strength and courage toface the stern realities of life. To me, home is forever a joy where I canalways find love, understanding, care and help.注釋：humble : low in rank, quality, or station; unpretentious or lowly 粗陋的refuge : protection or shelter, as from danger or ha

21、rdship 庇護，避難，避難所frustration: the act of frustrating or an instance of being frustrated 挫敗，挫折，受挫muster : to call forth; summon up 鼓起(勇氣等)，積聚stern : hard, harsh, or severe in manner or character 嚴厲的，嚴酷的Summer夏日晨風，拂過我的臉龐，擾動我的夢想，飛揚在這青春讀書的好時光。I chanced to rise very early one particular morning this summe

22、r, and tooka walk into the country to divert myself among the fields and meadows,while the green was new, and the flowers in their bloom. As at this seasonof the year every lane is a beautiful walk, and every hedge full ofnosegays, I lost myself, with a great deal of pleasure, among severalthickets

23、and bushes that were filled with a great variety of birds, and anagreeable confusion of notes, which formed the pleasantest scene in theworld to one who had passed a whole winter in noise and smoke. Thefreshness of the dews that lay upon everything about me, with the coolbreath of the morning, which

24、 inspired the birds with so many delightfulinstincts, created in me the same kind of animal pleasure, and made myheart overflow with such secret emotions of joy and satisfaction as are notto be described or accounted for. Joseph Addison, Tulips 英語晨讀精華90注釋：divert : to entertain by distracting the att

25、ention from worrisome thoughts or cares; amuse 消遣，通過把注意力從煩惱之事上轉(zhuǎn)移開而娛樂meadow : 草地hedge : 樹籬nosegay : 花束thicket : 灌木叢animal pleasure： 快感instinct : 本能overflow : to have a boundless supply and to be filled beyond capacity 溢出，充滿Joseph Addison 艾迪生·J. (1672l 719)，英國隨筆作家和詩人。生于威爾特郡，曾就讀于牛津大學。曾任貿(mào)易和殖民地事務專員，

26、1717 年被任命為國務大臣。同年他還創(chuàng)辦旁觀者雜志。本文選自他的郁金香。Exploring the Oceans海洋是生命的搖籃，風雨的故鄉(xiāng)，氣候的調(diào)節(jié)器，交通的要道，資源的寶庫。繽紛的海洋世界到底有多少未知的秘密?Ever wonder what lives in the Earths waters? Some 300 scientists from53 different countries are wondering the same thing. For the first time inhistory, scientists are trying to count how many

27、 species of fish, animalsand plants live under water.They are conducting a census of life in the worlds oceans, whichcover 70 per cent of the Earths surface. The study began in 2000 and isexpected to end in 2010, at a cost of US$1 billion. So far, scientists havecounted more than 15,000 species of f

28、ish and around 200,000 species ofanimals and plants in the oceans. They expect to find at least another5,000 species of fish.Scientists believe that the animals and plants theyve found so farrepresent just 10 per cent of the worlds total underwater population. Thatmeans that they expect to find almo

29、st 2 million species of animals and英語晨讀精華103plants by 2010. “Our goal by 2010 is to know as much about life in theoceans as we know about life on land now,” says a marine biologist whois working on the project.The newly-discovered species are not all new species. Many of themhave just never been rec

30、orded before. Scientists fear that the growinghuman population is decreasing the variety of species living in the ocean.They hope the census will help them learn how human activity, such asfishing and agriculture, is affecting the oceans.注釋：species : 品種（單復數(shù)同形）census : official counting of the inform

31、ation 普查，種群普查conduct : to direct the course of; to manage or control 進行，主持surface : the outer or the topmost boundary of an object 表面represent : to stand for; to symbolize 代表underwater : relating to, occurring, used, or performed beneath the surface of water 水中的biologist : 生物學家decrease : to grow or

32、cause to grow gradually less or smaller, as in number, amount, or intensity減少variety : a group that is distinguished from other groups by a specific characteristic or set ofcharacteristics 種類Spring Song布萊克的詩讀起來朗朗上口，有音樂的美感，充滿感性，喜歡的人很多。希望你也喜歡。Spring is coming, spring is coming,Birdies, build your nest

33、;Weave together straw and feather,Doing each your best.Spring is coming, spring is coming,Flowers are coming too:Pansies, lilies, daffodillies Now are coming through.Spring is coming, spring is coming,All around is fair,Shimmer and quiver on the river,Joy is everywhere.William Blake 英語晨讀精華112注釋：stra

34、w : a single stalk of threshed grain 稻草，麥稈pansies, lilies, daffodillies: 三色紫羅蘭、百合花、喇叭水仙花sahimmer : to shine with a subdued, flickering light 微光quiver : to shake with a slight, rapid, tremulous movement 顫抖，振動William Blake， 布萊克（17571827），英國詩人，著有詩集天真之歌(1789)經(jīng)驗之歌（1794）。他最重要的繪畫有坎特伯雷香客和雅各的夢。New Pictures o

35、f an Old Universe這段科技文章看似復雜難懂，其實不難。讀的同時不妨仔細分析這類文章的特點，這對于在考試中閱讀理解同類文章一定有幫助。For thousands of years humans have wondered how and when theuniverse first began. Now, thanks to some photographs taken byWilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), scientists are muchcloser to understanding, even seeing, th

36、e universe in its beginning years.This is all possible thanks to the WMAP satellite in orbit about onemillion miles above Earth. The satellite is specially designed to recordone kind of cosmic energy: microwave radiation. It can use this radiationto show us what the universe looked like 13.3 billion

37、 years ago!Wait a minute . how can this satellite show us a picture of theuniverse billions of years ago? The Big Bang created the universe in ahuge explosion, and at the same time it created a specific field ofradiationcalled the cosmic microwave background, or CMB. ThisCMB still lingers in the uni

38、verse today. What the satellite actually does istake pictures of the CMB.So what did scientists learn from these new pictures? First, theylearned that stars formed very soon merely 200 million years afterthe Big Bang. And they were able to confirm estimates of the universesage: it was born about 13.

39、7 billion years ago. This is the age that英語晨讀精華116scientists long suspected to be true, but now they have the birthdaypictures to prove it!注釋：microwave: a high-frequency electromagnetic wave, one millimeter to one meter in wavelength,intermediate between infrared and short-wave radio wavelengths 微波p

40、robe: an exploratory action, expedition, or device, especially one designed to investigate andobtain information on a remote or unknown region 探測（器、衛(wèi)星、宇宙飛船）satellite: a celestial body that orbits a planet; a moon 衛(wèi)星orbit: the path of a celestial body or an artificial satellite as it revolves around

41、another body（運轉(zhuǎn)）軌道cosmic: of or relating to the universe, especially as distinct from Earth 宇宙的radiation: energy radiated or transmitted in the form of rays, waves, or particles 輻射explosion: a release of mechanical, chemical, or nuclear energy in a sudden and often violentmanner with the generation

42、of high temperature and usually with the release of gases 爆炸specific: special, distinctive, or unique 特定的，明確的linger: to be slow in leaving, especially out of reluctance; tarry 徘徊suspect: to have doubts about; distrust 懷疑，猜測Three Days to See下面的文字摘選自海倫·凱勒的自傳假如給我三天光明。海倫雖然自幼喪失了視力和聽覺，但卻是一個生活在黑暗中而給人類

43、帶來光明的女性。她在1904 年獲得學位，成為優(yōu)秀的講師和作家?！拔乙褎e人眼睛所看見的光明當作我的太陽，別人的耳朵聽見的音樂當作我的樂曲，別人嘴角的微笑當作我的快樂。”她接受了命運的挑戰(zhàn)，獲得了超越自己的喜悅。我們?yōu)橹袆拥牟粌H是文字本身的優(yōu)美和其中所含的真情，還包括字里行間所反映的那顆偉大心靈。Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we mustdie, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are inbuoya

44、nt health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. Thedays stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardlyaware of our listless attitude toward life.I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being werestricken blind and deaf for a few days at som

45、e time during his early adultlife. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence wouldteach him the joys of sound.Now and then I have tested my seeing friends to discover what they英語晨讀精華126see. Recently I was visited by a very good friend who had just returnedfrom a long walk in the wo

46、ods, and I asked her what she had observed.“Nothing in particular,” she replied. I might have been incredulous had Inot been accustomed to such reposes, for long ago I became convincedthat the seeing see little.How was it possible, I asked myself, to walk for an hour through thewoods and see nothing

47、 worthy of note? I who cannot see find hundreds ofthings to interest me through mere touch. I feel the delicate symmetry of aleaf. I pass my hands lovingly about the smooth skin of a silver birch, orthe rough, shaggy bark of a pine. In the spring I touch the branches oftrees hopefully in search of a

48、 bud the first sign of awakening Nature afterher winters sleep. I feel the delightful, velvety texture of a flower, anddiscover its remarkable convolutions; and something of the miracle ofNature is revealed to me. Occasionally, if I am very fortunate, I place myhand gently on a small tree and feel t

49、he happy quiver of a bird in full song.I am delighted to have the cool waters of a brook rush through my openfinger. To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is morewelcome than the most luxurious Persian rug. To me the pageant ofseasons is a thrilling and unending drama, the action of wh

50、ich streamsthrough my finger tips.Helen Keller 英語晨讀精華127注釋：buoyant: having or marked by buoyancy 有浮力的，輕快的unimaginable: 想不到的，不可思議的vista: an awareness of a range of time, events, or subjects; a broad mental view 展望，回想listless: lacking energy or disinclined to exert effort; lethargic 倦怠的，冷漠的，情緒低落的incre

51、dulous: expressive of disbelief 懷疑的，不輕信的accustom: to familiarize, as by constant practice, use, or habit 使習慣于symmetry: exact correspondence of form and constituent configuration on opposite sides of adividing line or plane or about a center or an axis 對稱，勻稱silver birch: 白樺樹shaggy: having a rough nap

52、 or surface, as a textile 表面粗糙的delightful: greatly pleasing 令人愉快的，可喜的velvety: suggestive of the texture of velvet; soft and smooth 像天鵝絨的，柔軟的remarkable : attracting notice as being unusual or extraordinary 不平常的，非凡的，值得注意的，顯著的convolution: a form or part that is folded or coiled 回旋，盤旋，卷繞brook: 小溪lush: h

53、aving or characterized by luxuriant vegetation 青蔥的，豪華的luxurious : fond of or given to luxury 奢侈的，豪華的pageant: 壯觀thrilling: 顫動的, 發(fā)抖的，令人振奮的I Have a Dream馬丁·路德·金(19291968)，美國黑人解放運動的著名領袖，1968 年被種族主義者刺殺。1963 年8 月28 日，美國首都華盛頓舉行大規(guī)模的黑人集會，為黑人爭取自由、平等和就業(yè)。馬丁·路德·金在會上發(fā)表本篇演說。I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation wherethey will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content oftheir character. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governorslips are presently dripping