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高中英语必读美文
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1
During summer
vacations, I would volunteer at the vet’s, so I’d
seen a lot of dogs. Minnie was by far the
funniest-
looking dog I’d
ever seen. Thin curly hair barely covered her
sausage
-shaped body. Her bugged-out
eyes always seemed surprised. And her
tail looked like a rat’s tail.
She was brought to the vet to be put to
sleep because her owners didn’t want her anymore.
I thought
Minnie
had
a
sweet
personality,
though.
one
should
judge
her
by
her
looks,
I
thought.
So
the
vet
spayed her and gave her
the necessary shots. Finally, I advertised Minnie
in the local paper:
dog, well behaved,
needs loving family.
When a young man
called, I warned him that Minnie was strange
looking. The boy on the phone told me
that his grandfather’s
sixteen
-year-old dog had just died.
They wanted Minnie no matter what. I gave Minnie
a good bath and fluffed up what was
left of her scraggly hair. Then we waited for them
to arrive.
At last, an old car drove up
in front of
the vet’s. Two kids raced
to the door. They scooped Minnie into
their arms and rushed her out to their
grandfather, who was waiting in the car. I hurried
behind them to see
his reaction to
Minnie.
Inside the car, the grandfather
cradled Minnie in his arms and stroked her soft
hair. She licked his face.
Her rattail
wagged around so quickly that it looked like it
might fly off her body. It was love at first lick.
I was thankful
that Minnie had found the good home that she
deserved.
That’s when I saw that the
grandfather’s eyes were a milky white color
- he was blind.
2
Tomorrow was his
girlfriend’s birthday
and
the
young man
was having
a difficult time deciding on a
present for her. She already had more
clothes than she
knew what to do with
them, so he couldn’t get any
kind of
apparel. She never ate sweets, so candy was out of
the question. What then? He had a very special
reason
for
wanting
to
impress
her
with
just
the
right
gift;
tomorrow
he
was
going
to
make
an
offer
of
marriage to her.
1
He finally
decided on perfume . All
girls liked
perfume. That raised another problem, however.
What
kind did she prefer? He couldn’t
ask her, because that would ruin the
surprise.
At last the young
man hit upon a brilliant idea. That afternoon,
pretending to take his girl-
friend’s
fox
terrier, little dog. Together, the
young man and the dog went directly to the perfume
counter of the town’s
biggest
department store. Good! There was a large array of
perfume. He beckoned a clerk, instructing her to
open a large number of bottles and wave
the stoppers under the dog’s nose.
Nestled in the young man’s arms, the
terrier began to be restless and bored as this
seemingly pointless
game went on. Then
Fritz suddenly became frisky, wiggling in the
yo
ung man’s arms and barking excitedly,
as the clerk waved one stopper under
his nose.
“I’ll take that one,” said
the young man to the clerk. The price was high;
but it was worth it, he thought.
“My favorite perfume!” said the
delighted girl the next evening
as she unwrapped the package. “How
did you know?” she asked, dabbing some
perfume behind each ear.
“Intuition,
I
guess,”
said
the
young
man,
deciding
that
it
wasn’t
exactly
wrong
to
tell
a
lie
under
the
circumstances. One day,
after they were married, he would admit that his
intuition had really been a little
dog
named Fritz.
3
My parents
were in a huge argument, and I was really upset
about it. I didn’t know who I should talk
with
about
how
I
was
feeling.
So
I
asked
Mom
to
allow
me
to
stay
the
night
at
m
y
best
friend’s
house.
Though I knew I wouldn’t tell her about
my parents’ situation, I was looking forward to
getting out of the
house. I was in the
middle of packing up my things when suddenly the
power went out in the neighborhood.
Mom
came to tell me that I should stay with my grandpa
until the power came back on.
I was
really disappointed because I felt that we did not
have much to talk about. But I knew he would be
frightened alone in
the
dark.
I
went
to
his
room and told him that
I’d stay with
him un
til
the power was
restored. He
was quite happy and said, “Great
opportunity.”
“What is?” I
asked.
“To talk, you and I,”
he said. “To hold a private little meeting about
what we’re going to do with your
mom
and dad, and what we’re going to do with
ourselves
now that we’re in
the situation we are in.”
“But
we
can’t
do
anything
about
it,
Grandpa,”
I
said,
surprised
that
here
was
someone
with
whom
I
could share my feelings
and someone who was in the same “boat” as I
was
And that’s how the most
unbelievable frie
ndship between my
grandfather and me started. Sitting there in
the dark, we talked about our feeling
and fears of life---from how fast things change,
to how they sometimes
2
don’t change fast enough. That night,
because the power went out, I found a new
frie
nd, with whom I could
safely talk about all my fears and
pains, whatever they may be.
Suddenly,
the lights all came back on. “Well,” he said, “ I
guess that means
you’ll want to
go now. I
really like our
talk. I hope the power will go out every few
nights!
”
4
I
really love my job
because
I enjoy working with
small
children and like the
challenges
and awards
from
the job. I also think my work is important. There
was a time when I thought I would never have that
sort of career.
I wasn’t an
excellent student because I didn’t do much
schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking
what I might do and found I didn’t have
much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn’t the
type to have a career.
I
then found myself a job, looking after two little
girls. It wasn’t to
o bad at first. But
the problems began
when I agreed to
live in, so that I would be there if my boss had
to go out for business in the evening. We
agreed that
if
I
had to
work extra hours one week, she’d
give me time off the next.
But
unfortunately, it
did
n’t often work out. I was
getting extremely tired and fed up, because I had
too many late nights and early
mornings
with the children.
One Sunday, I was in
the park with the children, and met Megan who used
to go to school with me. I
told her
about my situation. She suggested that I should do
a course and get a qualification if I wanted to
work
with
children.
I
didn’t
think
I
would
be
accepted
because
I
didn’t
take
many
exams
in
school.
She
persuaded me to phone the local college
and they were really helpful. My experience
counted for a lot and I
got on a part-
time course. I had to leave my job with the
family, and got work helping out at a
kindergarten.
Now I’ve got a
full
-time job there. I shall always be
thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that
you could have a career, even if you
aren’t top of the class at school.
Each of us fails from time to time. If
we are wise, we accept these failures as a
necessary part of the
learning process.
5
Donnie was a shy, nervous
perfectionist. His fear of failure kept him from
classroom games that other
children
played with joyous excitement. He seldom answered
questions -- he might be wrong. Written
assignments, especially math, reduced
him to nail-biting frustration. He seldom finished
his work because he
repeatedly checked
with me to be sure he hadn't made a mistake.
Then one
morning we were working math problems at the
chalkboard. Pleased with their progress, I
3
left the children with
Mary Anne
，
my student
teacher, and went for art materials. When I
returned, Donnie
was in tears. He'd
missed the third problem. Anne looked at me in
despair. Suddenly her face brightened.
She reached the drawer we shared for
some pencils.
arms.
mistakes too. Lots of them. But we
erase the mistakes and try again. That's what you
must learn to do, too.
She kissed
him and stood up.
remember that
everybody makes mistakes, even
teachers.
glimmer of a smile -- the
first I'd seen on his face that year.
The pencil became Donnie's prized possession.
That, together with Mary Anne's frequent
encouragement
and unfailing praise for
even Donnie's small successes, gradually persuaded
him that it's all right to make
mistakes -- as long as you erase them
and try again.
6
A little
boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip
to where God lived, so he packed his
suitcase with potato chips and root
beer and started his journey.
When
he stopped by in a park, he met an old woman. He
was about to take a drink from his root beer
when he noticed that the old lady
looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She
gratefully accepted it and
smiled at
him.
Her smile was so pretty that
the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her
a root beer. Again, she
smiled at him.
The boy was delighted! They sat there all
afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said
a
word.
As twilight
approached, the boy realized that he got to go
back home. When the boy opened the door, his
mother was surprised by the look of joy
on his face. She asked him,
Meanwhile, the old
woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her
home. Her son was stunned by the look
of peace on her face and he asked,
Too
often we underestimate the power of a touch, a
smile, a kind word, a listening ear, or the
smallest act
of caring, all of which
have the potential to turn a life around. People
come into our lives for a reason, a
season, or a lifetime. Embrace all
equally!
4
7
A few weeks ago, I followed a friend
into an art-supply store. I found him picking out
tubes of water-
color paint, which
surprised me because he’s not an
artist.
“I signed up for a
water
-
color class, and it
starts next week,” he said sheepishly. “I don’t
really have time
for it, but it was on
my list o
f 50 things to do before I
die, so I went for it.” This sounds interesting,
“What
else is on the
list
﹖
” I asked
him.
“All kinds of things,”
he said. “Every few months I look at the list and
decide what to focus on next.
Before I
had the list, I regretted a lot about what I was
missing in my life. Now I just do
stuff.”
“Can I see your list
sometime
﹖
” I
ask
ed.
“I don’t know,” he
said. “It reveals a lot about me. Write your own
list, and you’ll see what I mean.”
So that night I did just that, and he
was right. The list revealed a whole lot about
what was important to
me. It also
revealed how hopelessly behind I am at getting to
the things I really want.
Just writing
the list helped me sort through some of my
priorities. I filled up the first 20 blanks
quickly,
but then began to think
carefully. Eventually I added items I’ve thought
about for years, dreams I’ve
carried
with me since I was young, and things
that I was longing for when I first heard about
them.
I have a cousin who has
accomplished an amazing string of interesting
things. She told me the key was
preparing the ground so that life could
work in myst
erious ways. “If you want
your ship to come in, you
must build a
dock,” she said.
Thanks to
my list, I’m working on some big docks.
8
Last night was
the last game for my eight-year-
old
son’s soccer team. It was the final quarter. The
score
was two to one,
my
son’s team in the lead. Parents surrounded the
playground, offering encouragement.
With less than ten seconds remaining,
the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son’s
teammate, Mickey.
With shouts of “Kick
it!” echoing across the playground, Mickey
tur
ned around and gave it everything he
had. All around me the crowd erupted.
Mickey had scored!
Then there was
silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the
wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For
a moment there was a total hush. You
see, Mickey has Down
syndrome
（唐氏综合症）
and for him
there is
no such thing as a wrong goal.
All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from
Mickey. He had even been
known to hug
the opposing players when they scored.
The
silence
was
finally
broken
when
Mickey,
his
face
filled
with
joy,
hugged
my
son
tightly
and
shouted,“I scored!
I scored.
Everybody won! Everybody
won!”
For a moment
I held
my breath, not
sure
5
how my son
would react. I need not have worried. I watched,
through tears, as my son threw up his hand in
the classic high-five salute and
started chanting,
“Way to go Mickey!
Way to go Mickey!” Within moments
both
teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and
congratulating him on his goal.
Later
that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I
smiled as I replied,
“It w
as
a tie. Everybody
won.”
9
Life whispers in your soul
and speaks to your heart.
Sometimes
，
when you don't
have the time to listen...
Life throws
a brick at your head.
A young and
successful CEO was traveling down a neighborhood
street
，
going a bit too fast
in his new
Jaguar. As his car
passed
，
one child
appeared
，
and a brick smashed
into the Jag's side door. He slammed
on
the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from
where the brick had been thrown.
He
jumped out of the
car
，
grabbed the kid and
pushed him up against a parked
car
，
shouting
，
was that
all about and what the hell are you doing? That's
a new car and that brick you threw gonna cost a
lot. Why did you do it?
“Plea
se
，
mister
，
please
，
I'm sorry. I
didn't know what else to do!” pleaded the
youngst
er.
“It's my
brother,” he said. “He rolled off the curb and
fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him
up.”
Sobbing
，
the
boy asked the executive
，
hurt and he's too heavy for
me.”
Moved beyond
words
，
the driver lifted the
young man back into the wheelchair and took out
his
handkerchief and wiped the scrapes
and cuts
，
checking to see
that everything was going to be okay.
，
sir. And God
bless you
，
boy
push his brother to the sidewalk toward their
home.
It was a long walk back to his
Jaguar... a long
，
slow walk.
He never did repair the side door. He kept the
dent to remind him not to go through
life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at
you to get your
attention.
10
Many say their most
painful moments are saying good-bye to those they
love. After watching Cheryl,
my
daughter-in-law, through the six long months her
mother suffered towards death, I think the most
painful
moments can be in the waiting
to say good-bye.
Cheryl made
the two-hour trip over and over to be with her
mother. They spent the long afternoons
praying, soothing, comforting, and
retelling their shared memories.
6
As her
mother‘s pai
n intensified and more
medication was needed to ease her into sedation,
Cheryl sat
for hours of silent vigil by
her mother‘s bed.
Each time she kissed her mother before
leaving, her mother would tear up and say,
so far and sat f
or so long
and I didn‘t even wake up to talk with
you.
Cheryl would tell
her not to worry, it didn‘t matter, still her
mother felt she had let her down and
apologized at each good-bye until the
day Cheryl found a way to give her mother the same
reassurance her
mother had given to her
so many times.
Cheryl‘s mother
nodded.
You waited for me
after every game and each time I felt
bad and apologized to you for wasting your
time.
her mother‘s hand.
I didn‘t come to see
you talk, I came to see you.
Her mother understood and smiled
as she floated back into sleep.
Their afternoons together passed quietly into
days, weeks, and months. Their love filled the
spaces
between their words. To the
last day they ministered to each other in the
stillness, love given and received
just
by seeing each other.
A love
so strong that, even in this deepened silence that
followed their last good-bye, Cheryl can still
hear her mother‘s love.
11
One day, a poor boy who
was trying to pay his way through school by
selling goods door to door found
that
he only had one dime left. He was hungry so he
decided to beg for a meal at the next house.
However, he lost his nerve when a
lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a
meal he asked for
a drink of water. She
thought he looked hungry so she brought him a
large glass of milk. He drank it slowly,
and then asked, “How much do I owe
you?”
“You owe me nothing,”
she replied. “Mother has taught me never to accept
pay for a kindness.” As
Howard Kelly
left that house, he not only felt stronger
physically, but it also increased his faith. He
was
about to give up and quit before
this point.
7