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1、新课标英语高考备考经典英语美文四篇A Grain of SandHere is a story. A participant in the long-distance race got his shoes filled with sand when he was crossing a beach. He had to stop to get the sand out hastily before he resumed running. Unfortunately there still was sand rubbing the sole and its effect became increa
2、singly telling so that each step meant a twinge of pain. Reluctant to halt and get rid of the sand he continued to run in spite of the pain until he could stand no more. He dropped out of the contest just a few yards from the finishing line. As he managed to get out of the show he was surprised to f
3、ind the cause of his lasting torment was only a grain of sand.It seems that the greatest obstacle on ones way forward may not be a high mountain or a deep valley but a grain of sand that is hardly visible. To avoid blame on a minor fault one may tell a lie. That adds a burden to a heavy heart and we
4、ighs it down. In the days to come he will have to fabricate one falsehood after another to cover the lie he told and the fault he committed. Thus he will never be able to free himself from lingering anxiety, worry and regret, to the ignorance that all his sufferings originate in only a grain of sand
5、-the first lie he told.一粒沙有这么一个故事：有一个参加长跑的选手在走过一片沙滩时，鞋子里灌满了沙子，他匆匆把鞋子脱下，胡乱地把沙子倒出，便又急急地继续往前跑。可是仍有沙子留在他的鞋里，在他以后的路程中，那沙子磨着他的脚，使他走一步，疼一步。但他并没有停下把鞋子脱掉，抖出磨自己脚的沙子，而仍是匆匆前进，在离终点不远的地方，因脚痛难忍，他不得不止步，最后放弃了比赛。当他忍着揪心的痛把鞋脱掉时，他发现让自己痛苦了几小时并放弃比赛的竟只是一粒沙子。看来，有时阻挠我们前进的不是高山、深渊，而是极细小的一粒沙子。为了避免因一次轻微的过失遭指责，我们便编出谎言来掩盖。于是从编造第一个
6、谎言开始，我们便背上了两个沉甸甸的包袱：“过失”与“谎言”。以后的日子，便常常为掩饰“过失”与“谎言”而不得不再造出新的谎言，此次自己便不得不在紧张、担心、悔恨的岁月中熬过。那第一个谎言就是一粒沙。An Identity of Ones OwnIn the eternal universe, every human being has a one-off chance to live-his existence is unique and cannot be renewed, for the mold with which he was made, as Rousseau said, was
7、immediately broken by God.Fame, wealth and knowledge are merely worldly possessions within the reach of anybody striving for them. But your experience and feelings about life are your won and not to be shared. No one can live your life over again after your death. A full awareness of this will point
8、 out to you that the most important thing in your existence is your distinctive individuality or something special of yours. What counts is not your worldly success but your peculiar insight into the meaning of life and your commitment to it, which can add luster to your personality.It is not easy t
9、o be true to oneself and show what one really is. Many a person in the world can be easily identified, for you can take his job, his status or his social role as his identity, which has nothing to do with the person himself. It does do him justice to say that he has no identity of his own, if he doe
10、snt know his own mind, has to follow others advice or let others arrange things for him; if his life, always occupied by external things, is completely void of an inner world. You wont be able to find anything whatever, either his brain nor his heart, that truly belongs to him. He is, indeed, no mor
11、e than a shadow cast by somebody else or a machine capable of doing work on borders.活出个性在茫茫宇宙间，每个人都只有一次生存的机会，都是一个独一无二、不可重复的存在。正像卢梭所说的，上帝把你造出来后，就把那个属于你的特定模子打碎了。名声、财产、知识等等是身外之物，人人都可求而得之，但没有人能够代替你感受人生。你死之后，没有人能够代替你再活一次。如果你真正意识到了这一点，你就会明白，活在世上，最重要的事就是活出你自己的特色和滋味来。你的人生是否有意义，衡量的标准不是外在的成功，而是你对人生意义的独特领悟和坚守，
12、从而使你的自我闪放出个性的光华。真正成为自己不是一件容易的事。世上有许多人，你说他什么都行，例如是一种职业、一个身份、一个角色，唯独不是他自己。如果一个人总是按别人的意见生活，没有自己的独立思索，总是为外在事物忙碌，没有自己的内心生活，那么，说他不是自己就一点儿也没有冤枉他。因为确确实实，从他的头脑到他的心灵，你在其中已经 丝毫真正属于他自己的东西了，他只是别人的一个影子和事务的一架机器罢了。In all ones lifetime it is oneself that one spends the most time being with or dealing with. But it is
13、 precisely oneself that one has the least understanding of.人生在世，和“自己”相处最多，打交道最多，但是往往悟不透“自己”。When you are going upwards in life you tend to overestimate yourself. It seems that everything you seek for is within your reach; luck and opportunities will come your way and you are overjoyed that they cons
14、titute part of your worth. When you are going downhill you tend to underestimate yourself, mistaking difficulties and adversities for your own incompetence. Its likely that you think it wise for yourself to know our place and stay aloof from worldly wearing a mask of cowardice, behind which the flow
15、 of sap in your life will be retarded.人生走上坡路时，往往把自己估计过高，似乎一切所求的东西都能垂手可得，甚至把运气和机遇也看做自己身价的一部分而喜不自胜。人在不得意时，又往往把自己估计过低，把困难和不利也看做自己的无能，以至把安分守己，与世无争误认为有自知之明，而实际上往往被怯懦的面具窒息了自己鲜活的生命。To get a thorough understanding of oneself is to gain a correct view of oneself and be a sober realist - aware of both ones st
16、rength and shortage. You may look forward hopefully to the future but be sure not to expect too much, for ideals can never be fully realezed. You may be courageous to meet challenges but it should be clear to you where to direct your efforts. Thats to way so long as you have a perfect knowledge of yourself there wont be difficulties you cant overcome, nor obstacles you cant surmount.悟透自己，就是正确认识自己，也就是说要做一个冷静的现实主义者，既知道自己的优势，也
