英文文章閱讀

　　英語是一種語言工具，學習英語的最終目標就是能利用這種工具與別人自由流暢的交流。下面就是小編給大家整理的，希望大家喜歡。

　　：單身也快樂

　　Singles are happy to be single, believe they're more open to new experiences, and in better physical shape than couples, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive. Survey results were released in honor of National Singles Week, Sept. 16-22.

　　Asked to compare themselves to married couples ***or couples living together*** 88 percent of the singles surveyed said they were happier or just as happy as their "coupled" peers. Also, 51 percent of singles said they were more open to new experiences while 33 percent at least as open to them.

　　Also, according to the survey findings, 78 percent of singles believe they are more or equally physically fit than their "coupled" peers. In their careers, 81 percent of the singles believe they were about as successful or more successful than the couples they knew. Some 61 percent of the singles surveyed said they were more self indulgent than their "coupled" peers.

　　Finally, 71 percent of the singles surveyed said they felt more or at least as financially secure as the couples they knew.

　　"Singles, according to this study, perceive a lot of positives in their lives when they measure themselves against their married peers," says Caroline Presno, commenting on the survey findings, "Singles are seeing their lives as more of an adventure. Singles are seeing their lives as more of an adventure."

　　Presno is a psychotherapist and author of "Profiling Your Date, A Smart Woman's Guide to Evaluating a Man".

　　：給予 讓你我相連

　　I have lived with passion and in a hurry, trying to accomplish too many things. I never had time to think about my beliefs until my 28-year-old daughter Paula fell ill. She was in a coma for a year and I took care of her at home, until she died in my arms in December of 1992.

　　During that year of agony***極大的痛苦*** and the following year of my grieving, everything stopped for me. There was nothing to do -- just cry and remember. However, that year also gave an opportunity to reflect upon my journey and the principles that hold me together. I discovered that there is consistency in my beliefs, my writing and the way I lead my life. I have not changed, I am still the same girl I was fifty years ago, and the same young woman I was in the seventies. I still lust for life, I am still ferociously independent, I still crave justice and I fall madly in love easily.

　　Paralyzed and silent in her bed, my daughter Paula taught me a lesson that is now my mantra***咒語***: You only have what you give. It's by spending yourself that you become rich.

　　Paula led a life of service. She worked as a volunteer helping women and children, eight hours a day, six days a week. She never had any money, but she needed very little. When she died she had nothing and she needed nothing. During her illness I had to let go of everything: her laughter, her voice, her grace, her beauty, her company and finally her spirit. When she died I thought I had lost everything. But then I realized I still had the love I had given her. I don't even know if she was able to receive that love. She could not respond in any way, her eyes were somber pools that reflected no light. But I was full of love and that love keeps growing and multiplying and giving fruit.

　　The pain of losing my child was a cleansing experience. I had to throw overboard***及其熱心的*** all excess baggage and keep only what is essential. Because of Paula, I don't cling to anything anymore. Now I like to give much more than to receive. I am happier when I love than when I am loved. I adore my husband, my son, my grandchildren, my mother, my dog, and frankly I don't know if they even like me. But who cares? Loving them is my joy.

　　Give, give, give -- what is the point of having experience, knowledge or talent if I don't give it away? Of having stories if I don't tell them to others? Of having wealth if I don't share it? I don't intend to be cremated with any of it! It is in giving that I connect with others, with the world and with the divine.

　　It is in giving that I feel the spirit of my daughter inside me, like a soft presence.

　　：在困境中尋找成功的希望

　　When you smile at someone and they smile back, you automatically feel better. Even if they don't smile back, you will feel better because you know the most destitute***窮困的*** person in the world is the one without a smile. You immediately become richer by giving that person yours.

　　The same goes for the compliment. When you sincerely compliment a person or extend him a courtesy, he is going to receive a direct benefit and like himself better. It is impossible for you to make someone feel better and no feel better yourself.