经典英语优美的散文.docx

经典英语优美的散文经典英语优美的散文诗盈)所造的那张焦尾琴。近期我看了蔡文姬的演出，自然而然想起了焦尾琴，想起了关于焦尾琴的故事：IntheplayCaiWenji,newlywrittenbyvenerableGuoMoruo,referenceismadetojiaowenqin,azithernpartlymadeofscorchedwoodbyCaiYong,fatherofCaiWenji.Recently,afterIsawtheplayonthestage,mymindnaturallywenttojiaowenqinanditsstory.蔡邕由于不愿趋附权贵，怕被人陷害，曾经亡命江南，往来于吴会之间(今江、浙一带)，计十二年。据讲他在吴(今苏州)的时候，有一天听见邻家煮饭的柴火中发出一种爆裂的声音，他熟悉这种声音，知道这声音来自一种极好的桐木，这种桐木是造琴(4)的最好材料。他就跟邻家主人商量，把这段烧焦了的桐木要了来，造成一张琴。这张琴弹起来果然非常好听。由于它的一端是烧焦的，所以大家都叫它焦尾琴。CaiYongdislikedplayinguptobigwigsand,toavoidframe-ups,hewentintoexileintheSouth,wanderingaboutfortwelveyearsinJiangsuandZhejiangProvinces.ItissaidthatonedayduringhisstayinSuzhouwhenheheardthecracklingoffirewoodfromhisnext-doorneighbouratcookingtime,heknewthefamiliarsoundcamefrompaulownia,akindofchoicewoodbestformakingzitherns.Now,talkingitoverwithhisneighbour,hewasgiventhepieceofscorchedwood,whichhesubsequentlymadeintoazithern.Thismusicalinstrument,whenplayed,turnedouttobeextremelypleasanttotheear.Peoplecalleditjiaoweiqinbecausethetailofitssound-boardwasmadeofscorchedwood.当我想起这个故事的时候，使我对耳闻不如目见这句成语不能不有所怀疑。确实，我们认识这个物质世界，有时候不是用眼睛来看而是用耳朵来听的。蔡邕能够从木材燃烧时发出的爆裂声来辨别木材的好坏，充分讲明了耳闻不一定不如目见。当然，耳闻不如目见这句话的原意是指间接经历不如直接经历那样可靠，这是完全正确的。但是，假如对这句话只是从字面上来理解，以为耳朵听到的总不如眼睛看见的那样可靠，那对耳朵来讲，却是极大的冤枉(6)。WhenIthinkofthestory,Icannothelphavingdoubtsaboutthevalidityoftheproverb,Seeingisbetterthanhearing.Factis,toknowthematerialworld,wesometimesusenottheeye,buttheear.ThatCaiYongcouldtellthequalityofwoodbylisteningtoitscracklingsoundwhileitwasburninginthekiitchenstovemakesitcrystalclearthathearingisnotnecessarilylessreliablethatseeing.Theabove-mentionedproverbliterallymeansthatsecondhandexperienceislessreliablethanfirsthandexperience,whichisperfectlytrue.But,ifweshouldtakethissayingatitsfacevalueandregardtheearasinvariablylessreliablethantheeye,weshalldotheformeragrossinjustice.我们应该成认，眼睛是直接经历的主要来源，可是我们也成认，眼睛是最会骗人的。举一个极普通的例子来讲，我们大家觉得早晨的太阳比中午的太阳大得多，可是假如你用照相机给太阳在早晨和中午各照一个相，你就会发现摄得的相片是一样大小的。谁会想到，在这个天天接触到的日常现象上，从古到今，无论是什么人，无论在什么地方，都一直在受着眼睛的骗?并且骗得我们好苦，不但古代的大学问家如孔子，没有能回答(7)为什么早晨的太阳看起来会大于中午的太阳，连当代的科学家，对这个问题也不曾有一个令人特别满意的解释。这个现象对迷信眼睛的人来讲，是一个有力的挖苦。Whileweagreethattheeyeisthemainsourceofdirectexperience,wemustadmitthatitisalsomostmisleading.Takeamostcommonexample.Weallagreethatthesunismuchbiggerintheearlymorningthanatnoon.Butifwetakeaphotoofitintheearlymorningandatnoonrespectively,weshallfinditofthesamesizeinbothcases.Whowouldhavethoughtthat,whenitcomestothiscommonphenomenoninourdailylife,peopletheworldovershouldhavebeenfooledbytheirowneyeseversincetimeimmemorial?Theopticalillusionhasindeedlandedusinindescribabletrouble.NotonlyweregreatancientsageslikeConfuciusstumpedbythequestionwhythesunwasseeminglybiggerintheearlymorningthanatnoon,evenscientistsoftodayhavefailedtogiveawhollysatisfactoryexplanation.Thisisakeensatireonthosehavingblindfaithintheeye.当然，我们这样讲，并不是要否认眼睛的作用。我们只是讲明，眼睛固然有非常广阔的活动范围，可是它是有缺点的。我们不能迷信眼睛，小看了耳朵的作用。耳朵的活动范围固然小，可是它的作用也不只是听听讲话，听听音乐。它还有其他的特殊功用。在某种场合，它不但无愧于(8)以耳代目这句话，而且比眼睛做得更好。OfcourseIdonotmeantodenytheroleplayedbytheeye.AllIwanttoshowisthatalthoughtheeyehasanextremelywidescopeofactivities,itis,nevertheless,farfrombeingfaultless.Weshould,therefore,neverover-trusttheeyeandunderestimatetheusefulnessoftheear.Althoughtheearhasasmallerscopeofactivities,itsfunctionsarenotconfinedtolisteningtoconversationormusiconly.Ithasotherspecificfunctionsofitsown.Undercertaincircumstances,itisnotonlyworthyofthesaying,Lettheeardodutyfortheeye,itcanevenexceltheeye.英语散文二Nightisdeadlyboringunderaroof;butintheopenitpasseslightly,withitsstars,dews1andperfumes,andthehoursaremarkedbychangesonthefaceofNature.在屋里，夜晚是死寂的单调光阴;但是在露天的野外，由于有星星、露珠、还有野外芬芳的陪伴，黑夜得以轻快地流逝，大自然的变化赋予夜晚的每一刻不同的意义。Whatseemsakindoftemporarydeathtopeoplechokedbetweenwallsandcurtainsisalightandlivingslumbertosomeonesleepingintheopen.AllnightlonghecanhearNaturebreathingdeeplyandfreely;evenasshetakesherrest,sheturnsandsmiles.Andthenthereisthestirringhourunknowntothosewhodwellinhouses,whenawakefulinfluencegoesabroadoverthesleepinghemisphere,andalltheoutdoorsgetstoitsfeet.禁锢在墙壁和窗帘之后的人觉得夜晚像一种短暂的死亡，而露宿野外的人会觉得夜晚就是一场充满生机的小睡。整个夜晚，他都能够听见大自然深沉而自由的呼吸，大自然即使是在休息时间，仍不停运转，并面带微笑。当沉睡的半球清醒，室外万物复苏，而这种冲动人心的时刻是在屋内熟睡的人所不知道的。Thenthecockfirstcrows,nottoannouncethedawn,butlikeacheerfulwatchmanspeedingthecourseofnight.Cattleawakeonthemeadows;sheepbreaktheirfast3ondewyhillsides,andfindnewlairs4amongtheplants;andthehouselessmenwhohavemadetheirbedsoutdoorsopentheireyesandappreciatethebeautyofthenight.雄鸡最先啼鸣，然而这并非报晓，而更像是一名愉快的守夜者催赶着黑夜的脚步。草地上的牛群醒来;挂满露珠的山坡上羊群开场进食，并开场寻找它们的新家而那些无家可归、露宿在外的人也睁开双眼，欣赏即将逝去的美丽夜色。经典英语优美的散文