英語美文精華雙語摘抄
英語美文,即使用地道、優美的英語語言寫的文章;英語美文賞析,則是在接觸地道英語語言的基礎之上,瞭解和理解英語語言文化背景。下面小編整理了英語美文精華雙語，希望大家喜歡!
Dig a Little Deeper
再挖深一點
There's a story about the California gold rush that tells of two brothers who sold all they had and went prospecting for gold. They discovered a vein of the shining ore, staked a claim, and proceeded to get down to the serious business of getting the gold ore out of the mine.
這是一個發生在加利福尼亞淘金熱時期的故事。兄弟兩個賣掉他們所有的財產，西去淘金。他們發現了一個閃閃發光的礦石脈，於是買下這一礦石脈的所有權，便開始了從礦石中挖取黃金這一嚴肅重大的勞作。
All went well at first, but then a strange thing happened. The vein of gold ore disappeared! They had come to the end of the vein, and the spot of gold was no longer there. The brothers continued to pick away, but without success.
開始時，一切進展順利，但後來一件奇怪的事情發生了——金礦脈消失了!他們快要挖到金礦脈的盡頭了，然而那兒卻沒有金塊。兄弟兩人繼續挖着，但是毫無結果
Finally, they gave up in disgust. They sold their equipment and claim rights for a few hundred dollars, and took the train back home. Now the man who bought the claim hired an engineer to examine the rock strata of the mine. The engineer advised him to continue digging in the same spot where the former owners had left off. And three feet deeper, the new owner struck gold. A little more persistence and the two brothers would have been millionaires themselves.
最後，他們非常沮喪地放棄了。他們賣掉了他們的淘金設備和淘金所有權，換了幾百美元，然後乘着火車回家了。現在有人重新買下這一礦脈所有權，他僱傭了一名工程師來探測礦石的岩層結構。這位工程師建議他在原來物主挖的地方繼續挖下去。結果，僅僅挖了三英尺深，這個新的物主挖到了黃金。只需要多堅持一會兒，那兩個兄弟就會成爲百萬富翁。
That's gold in you too. Do you need to dig three feet farther?
每個人都蘊藏着一塊金子，你是否需要再挖三尺深呢?
英語美文精華雙語鑑賞The Marbles
大理石
Once upon a time, there was a foolish boy who had a bag full of beautiful marbles. Now this boy was quite proud of his marbles. In fact, he thought so much of them that he would neither play with them himself nor would he let anyone else play with them. He only took them out of the bag in order to count and admire them; they were never used for their intended purpose. Yet that boy carried that coveted bag of marbles everywhere he went.
很久以前，有個愚蠢的男孩，他有一包滿滿的美麗大理石。男孩因爲擁有這些大理石感到特別驕傲。事實上他太在意它們了，他既捨不得與大理石玩耍，也不讓別人與它們玩耍。他只是將大理石拿出包來，數一數有多少，然後便讚歎地欣賞起來。他從沒有有目的地去使用過它們，但是不管去哪兒，他都要揹着那包令他垂涎三尺的大理石。
Well, there was also a wise boy who wished he could have such a fine bag of marbles. So this boy worked hard and earned money to purchase a nice bag to hold marbles. Even though he had not yet earned enough with which to purchase any marbles, he had faith and purchased the marble bag. He took special care of the bag and dreamed of the day it would contain marbles with which he could play and share with his friends.
還有一個聰明的男孩，他希望他能擁有這樣一包美麗的大理石。因此，男孩努力去掙錢想買一個裝大理石的好包。儘管他掙的錢不足以買任何大理石，但他卻信念堅定，於是買了一個大理石包。他對這個包特別小心，夢想有一天包裏裝滿大理石，他自己與大理石玩耍，並且跟朋友一起玩耍。
Alas, the foolish boy with all of the marbles didn't take care of the marble bag itself, and one day the bag developed a hole in the bottom seam. Still, he paid no attention and, one by one, the marbles fell out of the bag.
然而，那個擁有大理石的笨男孩對大理石包漠不關心。一天，包底的縫合處開了個口子，但他根本沒有注意到，結果大理石一個接一個地從包裏掉了出來。
It didn't take long, once the foolish boy's marble bag developed a hole, for the wise boy to begin to find those beautiful marbles, one at a time, lying unnoticed on the ground. And, one by one, he added them to his marble bag. The wise boy thus gained a fine bag full of marbles in no time at all. This boy played with the marbles and shared them with all of his friends. And he always took special care of the bag so he wouldn't lose any.
自從笨小孩的包破了洞後，聰明的男孩開始發現那些漂亮的大理石一個接一個地躺在地上，沒人理睬。於是，他就一個接一個地將它們撿起，放到自己的大理石包裏。就這樣，聰明的男孩很快便有了一包美麗的大理石。從此，他自己玩大理石，並和他的所有朋友一起玩。他總是給予裝大理石的包無微不至的關心，以免包破後把大理石丟了。
And what about the foolish boy? Because he was selfish and careless, he lost all of his marbles and was left holding the bag.
結果那個愚蠢的男孩怎麼樣?因爲他自私自利，粗心大意，丟失了他所有的大理石，到頭來只剩下一個空包。
英語美文精華雙語賞析Too Dear for the Whistle
得不償失
When I was a child of seven years old, My friend, on a holiday, filled my pocket with coppers. I went at once to a shop where they sold toys for children. Being charmed with the sound of a whistle that I had seen by the way, in the hands of another boy, I handed over all my money for one. I then came home, and went whistling all over the house, much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My brothers and sisters and cousins, when I told of the bargain I had made, said I had given four times as much as the whistle was worth. They put me in mind of what good things I might have bought with the rest of the money, and laughed at me so much for my folly that I cried with vexation. Thinking about the matter gave me more chagrin than the whistle gave me pleasure.
當我還是一個七歲的孩子的時候，有一次過節，朋友們往我的衣袋裏塞滿了銅幣。我立刻向一家賣兒童玩具的店鋪跑去。半路上，我卻被另一個男孩手中的哨子聲吸引住了，於是就主動要求用我所有的銅幣換了他的哨子。然後我回到家裏，吹着哨子滿屋子轉，非常得意，卻打擾了全家人。我的哥哥、姐姐和表姐們知道了我所做的這筆交易，便告訴我，爲了這個哨子我付出了比它原價高四倍的錢。他們還使我懂得，用那些多付的錢可以買到多少好東西啊。大夥兒都笑我傻，竟使我懊惱地哭了。回想這件事給我帶來的悔恨遠遠超過了那隻哨子所給我的快樂。
This, however, was afterwards of use to me, for the impression continued on my mind, so that often I was tempted to buy something I did not need, I said to myself, “Don’t give too much for the whistle”, and I saved my money. As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who “gave too much for the whistle”. When I saw some men too eager for court favour, wasting his time at court gatherings, giving up his rest, his liberty, his virtue, and perhaps his friends, for royal favour, I said to myself, “This man gives too much for the whistle”. When I saw another fond of popularity, constantly taking part in political affairs, neglecting his own business, and ruining it by neglect, “He pays, indeed”, said I, “too dear for his whistle”.
不過，這件事情後來卻對我很有用處，它一直保留在我的記憶中。因此當我常常打算買一些不必要的東西時，我便自己說。“不要爲哨子花費太多”，於是便節省了錢。當我長大走進社會，觀察了人們的所作所爲，我感到，我遇到許許多多的人，他們都“爲一隻哨子付出了過高的代價”。當我看見一個人過分熱衷於恩寵榮祿，把自己的光陰在侍候權貴、謀求接見之中。爲了得到這種機會，他不惜自己的休息、自由、品德。甚至自己的朋友。我便對自己說，“這個人爲他的哨子付出了太高的代價”。當我看見另一些人醉心於名望，無休止地投身於政界的紛擾之中，而他自己的事情卻被忽視、被耽誤了，我說，“他的確也爲了他的哨子付出了過高的代價”。
If I knew a miser who gave up every kind of comfortable living, all the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of his fellow citizens and the joys of friendship, for the sake of gathering and keeping wealth – “Poor man”, said I, “you pay too dear for your whistle”. When I met a man of pleasure, who did not try to improve his mind or his fortune but merely devoted himself to having a good time, perhaps neglecting his health, “Mistaken man”, said I, “you are providing pain for yourself, instead of pleasure; you are paying too dear for your whistle”. If I saw someone fond of appearance who had fine clothes, fine houses, fine furniture, fine earrings, all above his fortune, and for which he had run into debt, “Alas”, said I, “he has paid dear, very dear, for his whistle”. In short the miseries of mankind are largely due to their putting a false value on things – to giving too much for their whistles.
如果我聽說有個守財奴，他爲了積累財產而寧願放棄各種舒適的生活，放棄一切爲別人做好事的樂趣，所有的同鄉們對他的尊重，以及慷慨無私的友誼的歡樂。“可憐的人啊”，我說，“爲了你的哨子，你付出了過高的代價。”當我遇到一個尋歡作的人，他不願使自己精神上或命運方面得到一切可讚美的改善，而僅僅爲了達到肉體上的享受，爲了這種追求損害了自己的身體。“誤入歧途的人啊”，我就說，“你真是有福不享自找苦吃;爲了你的哨子，你付出了太高的代價啊”。如果我看到一個人沉迷於外表，或者是漂亮的裝束，講究的住宅，上等的傢俱，精緻的耳環，這一切都遠遠超出了他收入的水平。爲了得到這一切，他舉借外債，最後以被投進監獄而告終。“天哪!”我說，“爲了他的哨子，他付出了太高太高的代價。”總之，我認爲，他們所遭受的人類很大一部分的悲苦都是由於他們對事物的價值所做出錯誤的估價而造成的，都是“爲他們的哨子付出了太高的代價”。
