经典的英语背诵文章

内心世

界。我们可以击碎原子，却不能突破思想偏见；我们写得很多，可学到的很少；计划很多，可完成的很少。 我们学会了追赶时间，却没学会耐心等待；我们拥有的财富越来越多，道德品质却日益沦丧。我们生产更多的电脑

用于存储更多的信息和制造更多的拷贝，而相互间的交流与沟通却越来越少。我们拥有的是数量，缺乏的是质量。

这是一个快餐食品和消化迟缓相伴的时代；一个体格高大和性格病态并存的时代；一个追名逐利和人情冷漠相生的

时代。我们的休闲多了。乐趣却少了；食品种类多了，营养却少了；双薪家庭增加了，离婚率也激升了；居室的装

修华丽了，家庭却残缺破碎了。

15. The Handsome And Deformed Leg Benjamin Franklin

There are two sorts of people in the world, who with equal degrees of health, and wealth, and the

other comforts of life, become, the one happy, and the other miserable. This arises very much from

the different views in which they consider things, persons, and events; and the effect of those different views upon their own minds.

In whatever situation men can be placed, they may find Conveniences and Inconveniencies; in whatever company, they may find persons and conversation more or less pleasing; at whatever table, they may meet with meats or drinks of better and worse taste, dishes better or worse dressed; in

whatever climate they will find good and bad weather; under whatever government, they may find good

and bad laws, and good and bad administration of those laws; in every poem or work of genius they

may see faults and beauties; in almost every face and every person, they may discover fine features and effects, good and bad qualities.

Under these circumstances, the two kinds of people above mentioned fix their attention, those who

are to be happy, on the conveniences of things, the pleasant parts of conversation, the well- dressed dishes, the goodness of the wines, the fine weather, and enjoy all with cheerfulness. Those

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who are to be unhappy，think & speak only of the contraries. Hence they are continually discontented themselves, and by their remarks sour the pleasures of society, offend personally many

people, and make themselves everywhere disagreeable. If this turn of mind were founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. But as the disposition to critics, or be disgusted, is perhaps taken up originally by imitation, and is unawares grown into a habit, which those at present strong may nevertheless be cured when those who have it are convinced of its bad

effects on their felicity;

I hope this little Admonition may be of Service to them, and put them on changing a Habit, which those in the exercise it is chiefly an Act of Imagination yet has serious Consequences in life, as

it brings on real grieves and misfortunes. For as many are offended by, & nobody loves this sort of

people, no one shows them more than the most common civility and respect, and scarcely that; and

this frequently puts them out of humor, and draws them into disputes and contentions. If they aim

at obtaining some advantage in rank or fortune, nobody wishes them success, or will stir a step, or

speak a word, to favor their pretensions. If they incur public censure or disgrace, no one will defend or excuse, and many join to aggravate their misconduct, and render them completely odious. If these people will not change this bad habit, and condescend to be pleased with what is pleasing, without fretting themselves and others about the contraries, it is good for others to avoid an acquaintance with them; which is always disagreeable, and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one finds one's self entangled in their quarrels.

An old philosophical friend of mine grown from experience, was very cautious in this particular, and carefully avoided any intimacy with such people. He had, like other philosophers, a thermometer

to show him the heat of the weather, and a barometer to mark when it was likely to prove good or

bad; but, there being no instrument invented to discover, at first sight, this unpleasing disposition in a person, he for that purpose made use of his legs; one of which was remarkably handsome, the other, by some accident, crooked and deformed. If a stranger, at the first interview, regarded his ugly leg more than his handsome one, he doubted him. If he spoke of it, & took no

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notice of the handsome leg, that was sufficient to determine my Philosopher to have no further Acquaintance with him. Every body has not this two-legged Instrument, but every one with a little Attention, may observe signs of that carping, faultfinding disposition, & take the same Resolution of avoiding the Acquaintance of those infected with it. I therefore advise those critical, querulous discontented, unhappy people, that if they wish to be respected and beloved by others, and happy in themselves, they should leave off looking at the ugly leg.

好看的腿和难看的腿 本杰明?富兰克林

世界上有两种人，他们的健康、财富以及生活上的舒适状况大致相同，结果一种人快乐，另一种人却痛苦。这些都

起因于他们对物、对人和时事的观点的不同，因此那些观点对于他们心灵上的作用也不同。

人无论处于什么境遇，总会有便利有不便利；无论与什么人相处，所接触到的人物和谈吐，总有让他愉快的和不那

么让他愉快的；无论在什么餐桌上，他总会品尝到可口的和不那么可口的酒肉，菜肴也会烹煮得有好有坏；无论在

什么气候条件下，他总会遇到好的和坏的天气；无论他生活在什么政府的统治下，他总会发现它的法律有好有坏，

而法律的实施也有好有坏。在天才所写的诗文里，他会发现瑕疵与优美并存。几乎在每一张脸上和每个人身上，他

总可发现优点和缺点，好的和坏的品质。

在这些境况之中，上面提到的两种人把他们的注意力集中在不同的地方。快乐的人所注意的是事物的便利方面、谈

话的有趣部分、精烹的菜肴、美味的佳酿、晴朗的天气等等，愉快地享受一切；沮丧的人所想的和所谈的却恰恰相

反。因此他们永远感到不满意，他们的言论在社交场吅总是令人扫兴，当面得罪许多人，以致他们到处不讨人喜

欢。如果这种古怪的性情是天生的，这些不快乐的人就更可怜了。但那种吹毛求疵、令人厌恶的性格，也许最开始

由模仿得来，在不知不觉中成了习惯，那么，如果他们认识到这种坏习惯对他们一生的幸福会有多么不良的影响，

即使这习惯已经到了根深蒂固的程度，也还是可以改正的。

我希望这一小小的忠告会对他们有些用处，促使他们改变习惯；这种坏习惯主要产生于偏见，但是它却会在生活中

造成严重的后果，带来实实在在的悲哀与不幸。他们得罪了大家，谁也不喜欢这种人，至多以最常见的礼

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貌和尊敬

来对待他们，有时甚至连这种礼貌和尊敬都谈不上。这往往使他们很不高兴，从而卷入种种争执和冲突。他们如果

想要地位上升或财富增加，没有人会希望他们成功，没有人肯为他们实现愿望而出力或说话。如果他们遭受公众的

指责或羞辱，也没有人会为他们辩护或予以原谅；许多人还要加入进来，夸大他们的错误，把他们骂得体无完肤。

如果这些人不愿改掉这种坏习惯，不肯屈尊喜欢一切原本可爱的东西，停止以乖戾折磨自己和他人，那么大家还是

避免和他们交往为好。因为这种人总是令人不快，一旦你发觉自己被牵扯进他们的争吵中，你会觉得非常麻烦。

我有一位颇有哲学头脑的老朊友，由于阅历丰富，格外谨慎，总是小心地避免和这种人有密切的关系。他像其他哲

学家一样，有一只测量气温的气温计，和一只预示天气好坏的气压计。既然世界上还没有人发明这样一种仪器，可

以让他在第一次见面时就能发现谁有这种令人讨厌的性情，为此他就得利用他的两条腿：一条长得非常好看，另一

条却由于某意外事件而变得弯曲和畸形。陌生人初次和他见面，如果对他难看的腿比对他好看的腿更为注意，他就

可有所疑虑。如果此人只谈及那条难看的腿，而不注意那条好看的腿，这就足以使我的哲学家朊友决定不再和他进

一步交往下去。并不是每人都有这样一双腿可作为测量人心的仪器，但是只要稍为留心，每个人都能看出一些迹

象，表明谁有这种吹毛求疵的脾气，从而可以决定避免与染上这种毛病的人交往。因此，我劝告那些苛刻挑剔、牢

骚满腹、事事不满、郁郁寡欢的人们，如果他们希望自己受人敬爱而享有幸福，他就应该不再去看人家难看的腿。

16. Shakespeare’s Anniversary

We know that he was baptized on April 26，1564，so that somewhere between April 20 and April 23，

four hundred years ago，was born an Englishman who possessed what was probably the greatest brain

ever encased in a human skull.

William Shakespeare's work has been performed without interruption for some three hundred and fifty

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