短篇英语美文摘抄（一）
巴黎文化
Ah, beautiful Paris. For centuries this city has attracted the admiration of the world. The allure and charm of Paris captivate all who visit there.
Where can you discover the charm of Paris for yourseIf. Is it in the legacy of all the French rulers who worked to beautify their beloved city? Is it in the famous castles, palaces, statues and monuments? Can you it in the world-class museums, such as the Louvre? Perhaps Paris' allure lies in the zest and style of the Parisians.
When you visit Paris, you don't have to spend all of your time visiting museums and monuments. They are certainly worthy of your time, but ignore them for a day. First take some time to look around and experience life in Paris. You'll find it charming.
Take a stroll along the Seine River. Browse through the art vendors colorful paintings. Peek through delicate iron gates at the well kept gardens. Watch closely for the French attention to detail that has made France synonymous with good taste. You will see it in the design of a doorway or arch and in the little fountains and quaint balconies. No matter where you look,you will find everyday objects transformed into works by art.
Spend some time in a quiet park relaxing on an oid bench. Lie on your back on the green grass. When you need refreshment, try coffee and pastries at a sidewalk cafe. Strike up a conversation with a Parisian. This isn't always easy, though. With such a large international population living in Paris, true natives are hard to find these days.
As evening comes to Paris, enchantment rises with the mist over the riverfront. You may hear music from an outdoor concert nearby classical, jazz, opera or chansons, those French folk songs. Parisians love their music. The starry sky is their auditorium. You can also hear concerts in the chateaux and cathedrals. In Paris the Music never ends.
Don't miss the highlight of Paris evening: eating out. Parisians are proud of their cuisine. And rightly so; it's world famous. Gourmet dining is one of the indispensable joys ofliving. You need a special guidebook to help you choose one of the hundreds of excellent restaurants. The capital of France boasts every regional specialty, cheese and wine the country has to offer. If you don't know what to order, ask for the suggested menu. The chef likes to showcase his best dishes there. Remember, you haven't tasted the true flavor ofFrance until you've dined at a French restaurant in Paris.
After your gourmet dinner, take a walking tour of the floodlit monuments. Cross the Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in the city. The most famous landmark of Paris looms up in front of you the Notre Dame Cathedral （Cathedral of Our Lady）。 Stand in the square in front of the cathedral. Here, you are standing in the center of France. All distances are measured from the front of Notre Dame. Every road in France leads to her front door. All French kings and leaders have journeyed here to commemorate important occasions and give thanks. Notre Dame is the heart ofParis and the heart of France.
Your visit in Paris has only just begun. You've just started to discover the charm ofthis old city. May the rest of yourjoumey be unforgettable. When it is time to leave, you will go reluctantly. You will say with the French, "A bientot, Paris, a bientot!" （See you again soon, Paris!）
英语美文翻译：
啊，美丽的巴黎！几个世纪以来，这个城市赢得了整个世界的崇拜。巴黎的诱惑与魅力吸引了所有到此游玩的人。
你在哪里可以找到巴黎对你的吸引力呢？是否是在历任的法国统治者们在美化他们所钟爱的城市时所留下来的遗产里？还是在那些有名的城堡、皇宫、雕像和纪念碑里呢？你能否在世界一流的博物馆，例如卢浮宫中找着呢？或许巴黎的诱惑力在于巴黎人的特殊品味和风格。
当你到巴黎游玩时，别把时间全都花在看博物馆和纪念碑上面。它们当然很值得你花时间去参观，但今天先忘掉它们。首先来四处看看，并体验—下巴黎的生活。你会在其中发现它的迷人之处的。
沿着塞纳河漫步吧。浏览艺术家们丰富色彩的绘画，透过那些精致的铁门，向内偷窥那些精心照看的花园。仔细留心法国人对于细节的留意，这使得法国成为“好品味”的同义词。你可以在门廊或拱门以及小喷泉和古怪有趣的走廊的设计上发现这一点。不管你往哪里看，你都会觉得日常物品已经变成了艺术品。
花些时间，在一个安静的公园里面的旧板凳上轻松地休息或是躺在青草地上。想吃点心的时候，尝尝路边咖啡店的咖啡及点心。你也可以找一个巴黎人展开一段会话，但这也不太容易，有这么大的国际人口居住在此地，要找到一个真正当地的巴黎人是很难的。
到了傍晚时分，随着码头上雾气的升起，巴黎的诱惑力也随之而起。你也会听到附近室外音乐会所演奏的乐曲，其中包括古典乐、爵士乐、歌剧或是香颂即法国的民歌。巴黎人热爱自己的音乐，繁星点缀的天空，就是他们演奏的大礼堂。你也可以在城堡或教堂里聆听音乐会。在巴黎，音乐是不会停止的。
不要错过了巴黎的夜生活中最重要的一部分：下馆子。巴黎人对其烹饪非常骄傲，他们理当如此，因为它世界驰名。美食本来就是与生活享乐不可分割的。为了帮你从几百家绝佳的餐厅中作选择，你需要—本特别的指南。法国的首都以各地的特色风味、乳酪和酒着称于世，如果你不知道要点什么，可以要“推荐菜单”来看。大厨喜欢在此将他最拿手的菜作一番橱窗展示。请记住，在你尚未在巴黎的法国餐厅里吃过饭之前，都不算尝过法国真正的风味。
在你的美食晚餐之后，可以到被聚光灯照耀的纪念碑去走一趟。穿过（Pont Neuf）这个城市中最古老的桥——第九桥，你将到达城市之岛（Ile de la Cite），此时巴黎最有名的标志——圣母院会隐约地呈现在你的面前。站在教堂前面的广场，此时你也正处于法国的正中心，因为所有的距离皆是以圣母院前门开始计算，法国的每一条路都通往它的前门。所有的法国国王或统治者都曾经旅游到此来纪念重要的节日或感恩。圣母院是巴黎的中心，也是法国的中心。
你的巴黎之旅才刚刚开始呢。你才刚刚开始发现这个古老城市的魅力。希望你剩余的旅程将令你难以忘怀。当你该起程回家时，你会依依不合。然后用法文说道：后会有期，巴黎！
短篇英语美文摘抄（二）
孤独
I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time.To be in company,even with the best, is soon wearisome. I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for the most part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. A man thinking or working is always alone, let him be where he will. Solitude is not measured by the miles of space that intervene between a man and his fellows. 'The really diligent student in one of the crowded hives of Cambridge College is as solitary as a dervish in the desert. The farmer can work alone in the field or the woods all day, hoeing or chopping，and not feel lonesome. beacause he is employed; but when he comes home at night he cannot sit down in a room alone, at the mercy of his thoughts, but must be where he can "see the folks," and recreate, and,as he thinks. remunerate himself for his day's solitude; and hence he wonders how the student can sit alone in the house all night and most of the day without ennui and "the blues"; but he does not realize that the student, though in the house, is still at work in his field, and chopping in his woods, as the farmer ire his. and in turn seeks the same recreation and society that the latter does, though it may be a more condensed form of it.
大部分时候，我发现独处都是有益于健康的。有人陪伴，即使是最好的同伴，不久也会心生厌烦，兴致将消散。我爱独处。我没有遇见比孤独更好的伴侣了。我们置身国外，立行人群之中，通常比独处室内更加寂寞。一个思考着的或工作着的人总是孤独的，就让他去他想去的地方吧。孤独不是以和同伴之间的距离里程来衡量的。真正勤奋的学生，在剑桥学院一个拥挤的蜂房里，就像沙漠中的苦行僧一样孤单。农夫可以整日在田间或林中独自工作，耕地或者伐木，却并不感到寂寞，因为他有活儿干；可是当他晚上回到家中，却不能在房间坐下独自思考，而必须去“能看到乡亲”的地方消遣娱乐，正如他所想的，去补偿他五天的孤寂；因此他不明白学生如何可以整日整夜地独坐在家里，而不感到倦怠和“优郁”；但他没有意识到，学生虽然身处室内，(www.unjs.com)却依然在自己的田野上耕耘，在自己的森林中采伐。就像农夫在他的田地林间工作一样，之后学生也和农夫一样要去寻求消遣，山要去交朋结友，只是娱乐方式可能更加简明一些。
短篇英语美文摘抄（三）
We meet at very short intervals, not having had time to acquire any new value for each other. We meet at meals three times a day, and give each other a new taste of that old mushy cheese that we are. We have had to agree on a certain set of rules, called etiquette and politeness, to make this frequent meeting tolerable and that we need not come to open war.We meet at the post office, and at the sociable,and about the fireside every night; we live thick and are in each other's way, and stumble over one another, and I think that we thus lose some respect for one another. Certainly less frequency would suffice for all important and hearty communications. Consider the girls in a factory-never alone, hardly in their dreams. It would be better if there were but one inhabitant to a square mile, as where I live.The value of a man is not in his skin.
我们相聚的时间十分短暂，没有足够的时间让彼此获得任何有价值的新事物。我们在一日三餐的时候见面，我们就如陈腐的奶略，却让彼此相互品尝出新味道。我们必须一致同意若干条规则，也就是我们所谓的礼节和礼貌，使这种经常的聚会相安无事，我们还要一致同意我们没有争吵的必要。我们在邮局碰面，在社交场合碰面，每天晚上在炉火边碰面；我们生活得很拥挤，相互干扰，彼此牵绊，我想，我们因此失去了对彼此的尊重。当然，所有重要的、真诚的沟通，次数少一些就足够了。想一想工厂里的女工——永远不会独处，甚至在梦中也难得是独自一人。如果一平方英里只有一个居民，就像我这样，那要好多了。一个人的价值不在于他的外在。