英语教师应该以培养学生的素养为目标,抓住各种机会,充分利用课内外的点点滴滴,让美文走进课堂,对学生进行道德教育,为学生的全面发展和终身发展奠定基础。下面是小编带来的优秀英语美文,欢迎阅读!
优秀英语美文篇一
Cinderella - The Real Story
I'm sure you have all heard the story of Cinderella. You know the beautiful girl with the two mean step-sisters, and wicked step-mother. Well you already know the ending, the beautiful girl marries the handsome prince, and they live happily ever after. Well that was the fairy tale, this is the real story.
My name is Oscar and I am a mouse.
I am not related to Mickey, Minnie, or Mighty, (even though there is a small resemblance to that super-hero Mighty mouse). I live in the attic in Cinderella's house. You might say Cindy and I were roommates.
When she was small, and her father was alive, we shared a beautiful room downstairs. But after her father died, she was put in the attic. I naturally followed, because I knew she would need my company. And need me she did. At first, she thought of me only as a common ordinary mouse. Night after night she would throw me crumbs. (I thought she was very kind). Then one night, after her step-mother locked the door, she began to cry. I climbed up on Cindy's lap. She talked to me and gave me my name. I thought at the time it was a nerdy name, "Oscar", but I am used to it now. I even kind-of like it.
Everyday I watched Cindy work sooo hard. Finally one day, quite by accident, I found a way to help her. You see, her step-sisters were ordering her around, and they made her cry. Cindy cried a lot. ( I never knew a girl could hold so much water!.) Anyway, I ran to Cindy and they saw me.
Boy, you should have seen them clear the room!. Faster than a speeding bullet-- they almost broke their necks as they ran screaming from the room. You should have heard them! "Eeeek... a Mouse!","Mother!!", "Help!!!". Cindy and I laughed so hard. It was a really good moment.
Then there was the time when I hid on a plate of food that was meant for Cindy's step-mother. When she saw me, first she fainted, then she had hysterics for three days!. Three days of peace!, that was really nice!.
The only other person who was not afraid of me was Esmerelda. She was Cindy's fairy God-Mother. We called her Essie for short. She just popped up on the day of the big ball. Poor Cindy had run herself ragged waiting on those step-sisters, trying to do the impossible, and make them.. not beautiful..but just presentable. I mean they were sooo ugly... it wasn't skin deep, it was all the way to the bone!.
Anyway, Cindy was talking to me in the garden, when this strange looking woman walked through the gate. Most people think she magically appeared in a beautiful white light, but she didn't.
She just walked in the yard with a brown Foodtown shopping bag in her hand. I really thought she was here for a hand-out. Cindy must have thought the same thing, because she offered her a glass of milk and some cookies. She didn't look much like a fairy God-mother, either. Her dress was torn, her shoes had holes, and her hair... well, let's just say I've seen a better hair-do on a horse I used to know.
I mean, this fairy God-mother looked like she needed a fairy God-mother.
I was about to say something like "Hit the road", when Essie asked Cindy why she was not preparing to go to the ball. Cindy told her she had no clothes or transportation. Well!, faster than you could say " the rat ate the cheese", the old woman reaches into her bag and pulls out the most beautiful blue ball gown you have ever seen!. It was royal blue, with little white stars, and it was just Cindy's size!. Then, she reached in her bag again and pulled out a white evening bag, a silver crown, and the famous glass slippers. ( I had to turn my head while she provided the unmentionables.) Then she told Cindy to hop to it, and go change her clothes, while she sees what can be done about the transportation. I told her to call a cab, but she said "One does not arrive at a Kings palace in a cab or a rent-a car!".
Anyway, while I'm looking around for something to use, the old girl goes in the bag again, and pulls out a small coach. It was just about my size. She put it on the ground, and darned if the thing didn't begin to grow!. I ran for cover. When the coach finally stopped growing, it was just right for Cindy. The wonders of modern science!
Right then Essie called me, and.. like a dumb-dumb, I came. Before I knew what hit me, I had four hoofs and a tail. Seeing my alarm, Essie assured me it was only temporary. I didn't mind a little sacrifice for the cause (but I hate oats!).
By this time Cindy appeared, and she was looking hot!. (I even tried to whistle, but it came out a whinny). Cindy got into the coach and then we all realized the old girl had forgotten one thing... a driver.
So she grabbed a frog hopping through the garden, and turned him into a driver.
If you ask me, we would have saved a lot of time if she had just made him a Prince instead. They're always doing that in other fairy tales, but noooooo, we had to do things the hard way.
Cindy was a smash at the ball. The Prince was totally captivated.
At midnight, they were going to get a cold drink of lemonade, when Cindy's dress started to come apart.
Well!, it didn't take a genius to figure out that she'd better get out of there. So she took off, with the Prince on her trail. .
Fortunately he was clumsy, and he tripped. That gave Cindy just enough time to jump into the coach and leave the Palace grounds. About half-way home the coach shrank so small, that Cindy had to get out and walk. It was then when she realized she had lost a shoe. Hobbling home on one shoe is no joke!.
All night long, Cindy talked about the Prince, the ball, and the great time she had. It was like her tongue got stuck by a phonograph needle. Essie finally gave up and left about 4:30 a.m., mumbling something about creating a monster. Cindy wore herself out around 6:00 am. It was a good thing the "steps" slept late that morning, or Cindy wouldn't have had any sleep at all!. Later that afternoon, the word came through the cheese-vine. The Prince would begin a search for the love of his life tomorrow. He had fallen in love at the ball last night, with a young lady he knew only by a slipper she left behind.
I was so excited to hear this news, I immediately went to tell Cindy. I must say she took the news rather well. With just a "Oh, that's nice to hear", she went back to her work. (I was expecting at least one jump for joy!)
The next day, the Prince came to our house and the "steps", (including their mother!), all tried to get their size 10 feet into this size 4 slipper. It's a wonder the poor slipper didn't break!. Cindy was locked in the garden and had no chance to try on the slipper.
That is when I saved the day.
As the Prince entered his coach, I ran under the horses hoofs. The stupid beasts were so frightened of a little mouse, they ran straight through the garden gate, nearly trampling Cindy in the process. It's a good thing that girl is light on her feet!.
The Prince was so apologetic it took him at least ten minutes before he realized this girl had not tried on the slipper. Well... we all know the end. She tried it on, it fit like a glove, and they lived happily ever after.
So the next time you hear the story of Cinderella, remember you heard the real story here first...from a small grey mouse named Oscar.
优秀英语美文篇二
Big Rocks
人生的大石头
One day, an expert in time management was speaking to a group of students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget.
一天,时间管理专家为一群学生讲课。他现场做了演示,给学生们留下了一生都难以磨灭的 印象。
As he stood in front of the group of overachievers he said, "OK, time for a quiz." He pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouth jar and set it on the table in front of him. He also produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"
站在那些高智商高学历的学生前面,他说: “我们来做个小测验” ,拿出一个一加仑的广口瓶 放在他面前的桌上。随后,他取出一堆拳头大小的石块,仔细地一块放进玻璃瓶。直到石块 高出瓶口,再也放不下了,他问道: “瓶子满了?”
Everyone in the class yelled, "Yes." The time management expert replied, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. He dumped some gravel in and shook the jar, causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. He then asked the group once more, "Is this jar full?"
所有学生应道: “满了! ” 。时间管理专家反问: “真的?”他伸手从桌下拿出一桶砾石,倒了 一些进去,并敲击玻璃瓶壁使砾石填满下面石块的间隙。 “现在瓶子满了吗?”他第二次问道。
By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"
但这一次学生有些明白了, “可能还没有” ,一位学生应道。 “很好! ”专家说。他伸手从桌下 拿出一桶沙子,开始慢慢倒进玻璃瓶。沙子填满了石块和砾石的所有间隙。他又一次问学生: “瓶子满了吗?”
"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good." Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager student raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!"
“没满! ”学生们大声说。他再一次说: “很好! ”然后他拿过一壶水倒进玻璃瓶直到水面与瓶 口平。抬头看着学生,问道: “这个例子说明什么?”一个心急的学生举手发言: “无论你的 时间多少,如果你确实努力,你可以做更多的事情! ”
"No," the speaker replied, "That's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is if you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all. What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Time with your loved ones, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching or mentoring others? Remember to put these big rocks in first or you'll never get them in at all." So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life?
“不! ”时间管理专家说, “那不是它真正的意思,这个例子告诉我们:如果你不是先放大石 块,那你就再也不能把它放进瓶子了。那么,什么是你生命中的大石头呢?也许是你的道德感、你的梦想?还有你的---切切记得先去处理这些大石块,否则,一辈子你都不能做! ”我们 可曾问过自己这个问题:人一生的“大石头”是什么?找出自己人生的“大石头” 。
优秀英语美文篇三
All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Robert Fulghum
Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.
These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work some every day.
Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die. So do we.
And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK . Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation, ecology and politics and sane living.
Think of what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and clean up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.