沙子与石头 Sand and Stone

有这样一个故事：两个朋友正徒步在沙漠中旅行，途中两人发生了争执，其中一个扇了另一个人一记耳光，那位被扇的朋友很伤心，然而他一言不发地用手指在沙滩上写下了：“今天我最好的朋友扇了我一个耳光。”
A story goes that two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, he wrote in the sand with his finger: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE."

他们继续往前走，终于来到了一片绿洲。他们决定洗去身上的浮尘。先前被扇耳光的那位一不小心陷入深潭之中，差点被淹死，他的朋友连忙相救。被救起后，他用一把小刀在石头上刻下了：“今天我最好的朋友救了我一命。”
They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After the friend recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone with a knife: "TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE."

先前打他耳光，后来又救了他的这位朋友好奇地问：“为什么我打了你以后，你写在沙滩上，而现在却刻在石头上呢?”
The friend who had slapped and in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?"

朋友回答道：“当受到伤害时，要写在沙滩上，让风来吹散它、抚平它；而受到的恩惠则必须刻在石头上，任何风都不能抹灭它！
The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it."

狗和影子 The Dog and The Shadow

一只狗嘴里衔着一块肉，走过一条河上面的桥，看见他自己在水里的影子，以为是另一只狗，那时狗衔着的肉，比他自己的还要大一倍。因此他仍掉自己的那一块，狠狠地扑向那只狗，想夺到那一块较大的肉。结果两头都落了空，因为他想要抓取在水中的那一块，只不过是一个影子，而原来的那一块，也被水冲走了。
It happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat and was carrying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace. Now, on his way home he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow reflected in the water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of meat, he made up his mind to have that also. So he made a snap at the shadow in the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen more.

谨记，切莫因追逐幻影而丢失已有的东西。
Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.

英语名句欣赏 Famous English Sayings

不管是谁，匆匆忙忙只能说明他不能从事他所从事的工作。
Whoever is in a hurry shows that the thing he is about is too big for him.
－Philip Dormer Chesterfield（英国政治家切斯特菲尔德）

要做到与人融洽相处，需要仔细地思考，认真地努力和痛下决心。
It takes a lot of thought and effort and downright determination to be agreeable.
－Ralph Waldo Emerson（美国思想家爱默生）

工作是一种乐趣时，生活是一种享受！工作是一种义务时，生活则是一种苦役。
When work is a pleasure, life is joy! When work is duty, life is slavery.
－Maxim Gorky（俄国作家高尔基）

不能爱哪行才干哪行，要干哪行爱哪行。
It is no use doing what you like; you have got to like what you do.
－Winston Churchill（英国首相，丘吉尔）

追求自身的利益，不是自私；只有忽视他人的利益，才是自私。
A man is called selfish, not pursuing his own good, but neglecting his neighbour’s.
－Richard Whately (美国牧师惠特利)

一次痛苦的经验抵得上千百次的告诫。
One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning.
－James Russell Lowell（英国诗人洛威尔）

整个一生， 我们都有赖于从一些人群中获得友爱、赏识、尊重、道义支持和帮助。
Throughout life, we rely on small groups of people for love, admiration, respect, moral support and help.
－Ralph Waldo Emerson（美国思想家爱默生）

不肯让朋友共享果实的人，不要指望朋友与他共患难。
He that will not allow his friend to share the prize must not expect him to share the danger.
－Aesop（古希腊寓言作家伊索）

英语幽默 English Humour

三 条 理 由 Three Reasons
老师：约翰，请说出三条理由来证实地球是圆的。
Teacher: John, please give me three reasons why you know the earth is round．
约翰：妈妈是这么说的，爸爸是这么说的，你也是这么说的！
John: Mum says so, Dad says so, and you say so.

家 庭 作 业 Homework
老师：我只能读通你的一篇作文，另一篇实在是糟透了。
Teacher: I＇m able to read one of the compositions you did for homework, but you wrote the other one very poorly．
学生：是的，先生——我妈妈的文采要比我爸爸的好多了。
Student: Yes, sir----my mother is a much better writer than my father．

箴言妙语诵读 English for Recitation

目标指明方向，方向产生信念，信念激发勇气，勇气滋生热情，热情迸发能量，能量孕育生命，生命让你越过阻碍。
Goals give purpose. Purpose gives faith. Faith gives courage. Courage gives enthusiasm. Enthusiasm gives energy. Energy gives life. Life lifts you over the bar.

我们必须先播种再收割，播种在收割之前，我们必须先给予再索取，我们不能放人燃烧前希望得到热量。
We must sow before we reap. Sowing takes place before reaping. We must give before we get. We cannot expect the fireplace to give us heat before we put in the fuel.

wisdom