英文美文欣赏.doc

3我的第一份工作 Both my parents came from towns in Mexico. I was born in El Paso, Texas, and when I was four, my family moved to a housing project in East Los Angeles. Even though we struggled to make ends meet, my parents stressed1) to me and my four brothers and sisters how fortunate we were to live in a great country with limitless opportunities. They imbued2) in us the concepts of family, faith and patriotism. I got my first real job when I was ten. My dad, Benjamin, injured his back working in a cardboard-box factory and was retrained as a hairstylist. He rented space in a little mall and gave his shop the fancy name of Mr. Ben's Coiffure3). The owner of the shopping center gave Dad a discount on his rent for cleaning the parking lot three nights a week, which meant getting up at 3 a.m. To pick up trash, Dad used a little machine that looked like a lawn mower. Mom and I emptied garbage cans and picked up litter4) by hand. It took two to three hours to clean the lot. I'd sleep in the car on the way home. I did this for two years, but the lessons I learned have lasted a lifetime. I acquired5) discipline and a strong work ethic6), and learned at an early age the importance of balancing life's competing interests7) in my case8), school, homework and a job. This really helped during my senior year of high school, when I worked 40 hours a week flipping9) burgers at a fast-food joint10) while taking a full load of percolate courses. The hard work paid off11). I attended12) the U.S. Military Academy and went on to receive graduate degrees in law and business from Harvard. Later, I joined a big Los Angeles law firm and was elected to the California state assembly. In these jobs and in everything else I've done, I have never forgotten those days in the parking lot. The experience taught me that there is dignity13) in all work and that if people are working to provide for themselves and their families that is something we should honor. Vocabulary 1.stress stres v. 强调，着重 2.imbue v. 灌输，深深影响 3.coiffure n. 发式 4.litter n. 废弃物，被胡乱扔掉的东西(尤指废纸等杂物) 5.acquire vt. 获得，学到 6.work ethic: 职业道德 7.interest n. 利益，利害关系 8.in one's case: 就某人的情况而言 9.flip vt. 使翻转 10.joint n. 连接，结合 11.pay off: 得到好结果，取得成功 12.attend vt. 上(大学等) 13.dignity n. 尊贵，高贵 4饼干里的秘密 Forty-three years seems like a long time to remember the name of a mere1)acquaintance. I have forgotten the name of an old lady, who was a customer on the paper route in my home town when I was a twelve-year-old boy. Yet it dwells2)in my memory that she taught me a lesson in forgiveness that I shall never forget. On a winter afternoon, a friend and I were throwing stones onto the slanted3)roof of the old lady's house from a spot near her backyard. The object of our play was to observe how the stones changed to missiles4)as they rolled to the roof's edge and shot out into the yard like comets5)falling from the sky. I found myself a perfectly smooth rock and threw it out. The stone was too smooth, however, so it slipped from my hand as I let it go and headed straight not for the roof but for a small window on the old lady's back porch6). At the sound of fractured7)glass, we knew we were in trouble. We turned tail8)and ran faster than any of our missiles flew off her roof. I was too scared about getting caught that first night to be concerned about9)the old lady with the broken window in winter. However, a few days later, when I was sure that I hadn't been discovered, I started to feel guilty for her misfortune. She still greeted me with a smile each day when I gave her the paper, but I was no longer able to act comfortable in her presence10). I made up my mind that I would save my paper delivery money, and in three weeks I had the seven dollars that I calculated would cover the cost of her window. I put the money in an envelope with a note explaining that I was sorry for breaking her window and hoped that the seven dollars would cover the cost for repairing it. I waited until it was dark, snuck up11)to the old lady's house, and put the letter I didn't sign through the letter slot12)in her door. My soul felt redeemed13)and I could have the freedom of, once again, looking straight into the old lady's kind eyes. The next day, I handed the old lady her paper and was able to return the warm smile that I was receiving from her. She thanked me for the paper and gave me a bag of cookies she had made herself. I thanked her and proceeded14)to eat the cookies as I continued my route. After several cookies, I felt an envelope and pulled it out of the bag. When I opened the envelope, I was stunned15). Inside were the seven dollars and a short note that said, "I'm proud of you." 第三篇文章译文： 我的父母都来自墨西哥的小镇。我出生于得克萨斯州的埃尔帕索城。我四岁时，全家搬到了东洛杉矶的一处低收入住宅区。 尽管我们当时要做到收支平衡都很困难，但父母仍对我和四个兄弟姐妹强调说，能在这样一个充满无限机遇的国家里落户，我们是多么幸运啊！他们给我们灌输了家庭、信仰以及爱国主义的观念。 十岁的时候，我得到了人生第一份真正的工作。我的爸爸本杰明在纸箱厂工作时背部受了伤。经过再培训，他成了一名发型师。他在一个规模不大的商业区租下了一个摊位，并给他的店取了个奇妙的名字：“本先生的发型”。 商业中心的老板在租金上给爸爸打了个折扣，但条件是每周打扫三次停车场，这意味着凌晨三点就要起床干活。爸爸用一个看起来像除草机的小机器来收捡垃圾，而我和妈妈则要清空垃圾桶并用手拾捡散落的垃圾。打扫这个停车场要用两到三个小时。我总是在回家时的车里就睡着了。 这份工作我干了两年，但从中学到的东西却让我受用终生。我学会了自律，建立了很强的职业道德。从小我就懂得了平衡生活中各种利益冲突的重要性对我而言，就是上学、作业和工作。这在我高二那年真是很有用处。那时，我在一家快餐连锁店制作汉堡包，每周工作四十个小时，同时还肩负着沉重的大学预科课程的学习任务。 辛勤的工作终见回报。我考入了美国军事学院，接着又获得了哈佛大学的法律和商业硕士学位。后来，我进入洛杉矶一家著名的律师事务所并被选为加州议会参议员。在做这些工作和其他所有事情的过程中，我从未忘记过在停车场辛勤工作的那些日子。那段经历使我懂得工作无贵贱, 靠自食其力来供养自己和家人就值得人们敬佩。 2