篇一：A Better Tomorrow
People often wonder why historians go to so much trouble to Pserve millions of books, documents and records.
Why do we have libraries? What good are these documents and history books? Why do we record and save the actions of men, the negotiations1 of government officials and the events during wars?
We do it because, sometimes, the voice of experience can cause us to stop, look and listen. Sometimes, past records, when understood in the right way, can help us decide what to do and what not to do. If we are ever to create lasting peace, we must seek its origins in human experience and in the records of human history.
From the stories of courage and devotion of men and women, we create the inspirations of youth. History records the suffering, the self-denial2, the devotion, and the heroic deeds of people in the past. These records can help us when we are confused and when we really need peace.
The main purpose of history is to create a better world. History gives a warning to those who promote war, and inspiration to those who seek peace.
In short, history helps us learn. Yesterday’s records can keep us from repeating yesterday’s mistakes. And from the pieces of mosaic4 assembled5 by historians come the great murals6 which rePsent the progress of mankind.
翻譯：一個更好的明天
人們常常心存疑慮,為什么歷史學家要費盡周折地保存數(shù)以萬計的書籍、文獻和記錄。
我們?yōu)槭裁匆袌D書館呢？這些文獻和史書有何用處呢? 我們?yōu)槭裁匆涊d并保存人類的行為、政府官員的談判和戰(zhàn)爭中的事件呢？
我們這么做的原因在于有時候經(jīng)驗之音能促使我們停步、觀察和傾聽。也因為有時候過去的記載經(jīng)過正確地詮釋,能幫助我們決定何事可為、何事不可為。如果我們想要創(chuàng)造永久的和平,我們就必須從人類的經(jīng)驗以及人類歷史的記載中去探索其淵源。
從體現(xiàn)男性和女性勇敢和奉獻精神的故事之中,我們獲得了青春的啟示。英語短文歷史記載著人類的一切苦難、克己、忠誠和英勇的事跡。這些記載在我們困惑和渴望和平時能對我們有所幫助。
歷史的主要目的是創(chuàng)造一個更加美好的世界。歷史對那些力主戰(zhàn)爭的人給以警告,給予那些尋求和平的人以啟示。
簡而言之,歷史幫助我們學習。昨日的記載可以使我們避免重蹈覆轍。這些歷史學家們創(chuàng)作的像馬賽克一樣色彩繽紛的歷史片斷匯聚成了代表人類進步的偉大壁畫。
篇二：If You Could Choose
If you could choose what kind of world to live in, what kind of world would you choose? If you could decide what would happen tomorrow, with what kinds of things would you fill it?
If you had the power to decide what types of opportunities would come your way, what opportunities would you select? If you knew that your experiences would match your expectations, what would your expectations be?
In fact, you do have the power to choose your own way. You do have the ability to decide what kinds of events, experiences, opportunities and circumstances come your way.
The world you experience is the world that your dreams, your thoughts, your expectations and your actions most closely resonate. The world you see and live in is the world you most sincerely expect to see.
The universe is filled with endless possibilities, and those possibilities keep growing with every minute. The way you live determines which of those possibilities will come into your life.
With your thoughts, your actions, your values, your dreams and expectations, you choose what kind of world you live in. The way you live is closely mirrored in the world you see.
翻譯：如果你可以選擇
如果你可以選擇在什么樣的世界里生活,那么你將會選擇怎樣的世界呢？如果你可以決定明日之事,你將會怎樣充實它呢？
倘若你有力量決定自己的機遇,你會怎樣選擇呢？倘若你知道你的經(jīng)歷會如你所愿,那么你會如何期待呢？
事實上,你有能力選擇你要走的路。是你自己決定你將要做的事、英語短文你將獲得的經(jīng)歷、你將得到的機會和你將置身其中的環(huán)境。
你體驗的這個世界和你的夢想、思維、期待甚至行為產(chǎn)生共鳴。你看到的世界和你時下生活的這個世界就是你真心期待見到的世界。
這個宇宙充滿了無限的可能,這些可能每一分鐘都在增加。你的生活方式?jīng)Q定了何種可能性會來到你的世界。
你所選擇生活的世界取決于你的想法,你的作為,你秉持的價值理念,你的夢想還有對未來的期待。你有什么樣的世界觀就會有什么樣的生活方式。
篇三：A Little Bit More
Today is an excellent day for small improvements. Whatever is working for you, find a way to improve it just a little. There’s no need to make a huge change, just a small one, something you can do right now.
If you called just one additional customer each day, over the course of the next month you would talk to about 20 new people. If you learned just one more new word each day, in the next year you would increase your vocabulary by more than 300 words.
Small improvements can add up over time into big accomplishments. Look around you. Consider the work you do each day. Think about how you could do it just a little bit better.
In a marathon race, each step the winner takes is just a little bit longer and a little bit faster than each stride taken by the 100th place finisher. Yet over the course of the race, that small difference adds up in a big way.
Do just a little bit more today, and tomorrow too, and each day after that. Anyone can make just a small improvement, and that can make a big, big difference.
翻譯：再多一點點
今天就是你可以做改進的極好的一天。無論你在做什么,找一個方法去做一點點的改進。不用做太大的改變,只要一點點??你現(xiàn)在可以做到的一點點。
如果你每天多給一個顧客打電話的話,一個月下來你會發(fā)現(xiàn)你又多認識了差不多二十個人。如果每天多學會一個新詞,過一年,你的詞匯量將會增加300多個。
小小的改進能夠逐步積累成大的成就。觀察你的周圍。思考你每天所做的工作。英語短文想一下你怎么能做得更好一點。
在馬拉松比賽中,冠軍的每一步都只比第一百名的選手的步伐大一點點、快一點點。英語短文但是在比賽過程中,那些小小的不同積累成了巨大的區(qū)別。
今天、明天、今后的每一天盡力做更多一點點。任何人都能做一點小小的改進,但那小小的改進將會起到非常大、非常大的作用。
篇四：Thoughts and Actions
Some people go through life standing at the excuse counter.
They say they’d like to do this or that, but then they offer all the excuses in the world for why they can’t do whatever it is. No matter what the excuses are, the only thing that is usually limiting them is their own self-perception.
If I’ve learned anything, I’ve learned that a person ?any person ?may do anything they set their mind on doing. The things you need are willingness to work for what you want, patience to learn what you need to know and, most important of all, belief in yourself. You only need a seed, and then your faith in yourself will grow with you as you move forward.
If your self-perception is that you can’t accomplish something because you’re not smart enough, then take the time to learn what you need to know, and then your self-perception will change.
If your self-perception is that you can’t accomplish something because you never finish anything you start, then go and finish something and change your self- perception.
If your self-perception is that you’re too lazy, too busy, too unworthy, too unfocused, too dePssed, or too dependent on others to accomplish great things, then you’re right. You are that because you believe you are, but in fact, you can change that! Life is change, and the past doesn’t equal the future. Your reality today is the result of your past beliefs and actions. Change your beliefs and actions, and you will change your future. Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right. You are what you think.
Think about that the next time you need an excuse.
翻譯：思想與行動
有些人的一生都在借口中度過。
他們總是說喜歡這喜歡那,只是隨之給出各種理由來解釋他為什么沒能去做。但無論是什么借口,唯一能限制他們行為的通常只是他們的自我認知。
如果說我確實明白了一些事情,那就是了解了一個人,任何一個人,幾乎可以做成任何事情,只要他們下決心去做。你需要的只是為夢想而奮斗的意愿、為學習必要知識的耐心,但是最重要的是你的自信。你只需播下一粒夢想的種子,你的信念將會隨著你一起成長。
如果你自認為是因不夠聰明而不能完成某件事情,那么就花些時間去學習所需要的知識,這樣,你的自我認知就會改變。
如果你自認為你不能完成某件事情常常是因為半途而廢,那么就去做完它,將這種自我認知徹底改變。
如果你自認為是因太懶惰、太忙、太卑微、太不專心、太消沉、太依賴別人而不能做成大事,那么你是對的。英語短文你確實是這樣,因為你自己就是這樣認為的。但事實上你能夠改變。生活無時無刻不在變化,過去不等于未來。你的現(xiàn)在正是你過去所想所做的必然結(jié)果。改變你的信念和行動,成就你的將來。如果你認為你能或不能做什么,那么你是對的,因為正是你的思想造就了你。
下次你找什么借口的時候,仔細思量一番。
篇五：We’re Just Beginning
“We are reading the first verse of the first chapter of a book whose pages are infinite…”
I do not know who wrote those words, but I have always liked them as a reminder that the future can be anything we want to make it. We can take the mysterious, hazy future and carve out of it anything that we can imagine, just as a sculptor carves a statue from a shapeless stone.
We are all in the position of the farmer. If we plant a good seed, we reap a good harvest. If our seed is poor and full of weeds, we reap a useless crop. If we plant nothing at all, we harvest nothing at all.
I want the future to be better than the past. I don’t want it contaminated by the mistakes and errors with which history is filled. We should all be concerned about the future because that is where we will spend the remainder of our lives.
The past is gone and static. Nothing we can do will change it. The future is before us and dynamic. Everything we do will affect it. Each day brings with it new frontiers, in our homes and in our business, if we only recognize them. We are just at the beginning of the progress in every field of human endeavor.
翻譯：一切剛剛開始
“我們正在讀一本書的第一章第一行，這本書的頁數(shù)是無限的……”
我不知道是誰寫的，可我很喜歡這句話，它提醒我們未來是由自己創(chuàng)造的。我們可以把神秘、不可知的未來塑造成我們想象中的任何模樣，猶如雕刻家將未成形的石頭刻成雕像。
我們每個人都像是農(nóng)夫。灑下良種將有豐收，播下劣種或生滿野草便將毀去收成。沒有耕耘則會一無所獲。
我希望未來比過去更加美好，希望未來不會沾染歷史的錯誤與過失。我們都應(yīng)舉目向前，因我們的余生要用未來書寫。
往昔已逝，靜如止水；我們無法再作改變。而前方的未來正生機勃勃；我們所做的每一件事都將會影響著它。只要我們認識到這些，無論是在家中還是在工作上，每天我們的面前都會展現(xiàn)出新的天地。在人類致力開拓的每一片領(lǐng)域上，我們正站在進步的起跑點。
