[素材积累]经典英语美文

Run through the rain

She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth, it has no time to flow down the spout.

We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We all waited, some patiently, others irritated, because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, “Mom, let's run through the rain." she said.

What? Mom asked.

Let's run through the rain! She repeated.

No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit. Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."

We'll get soaked if we do. Mom said.

No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning, the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm."

This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?

Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.

Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. Time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith. "Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If get wet, well maybe we just needed washing." Mom said. Then off they ran.

We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories. So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day!

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.

The Key of a Car

一把车钥匙

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

从前，有位年轻人即将大学生毕业。数月来，他一直渴望得到某汽车商产品陈列室中的一辆跑车。他知道，他那富有的父亲肯定买得起这辆车，于是，他便跟父亲说他很想得到那辆漂亮的跑车。

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curiously, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" Then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

在毕业典礼即将来临的日子里，年轻人等待着父亲买下跑车的消息。终于，在毕业典礼那天上午，父亲将他叫到自己的书房，并告诉他，有他这么出色的儿子自己感到非常自豪而且非常爱他这个儿子。接着，父亲递给儿子一个包装精美的礼品盒。年轻人感到好奇，但带着些许失望地打开礼品盒，却发现里面是一本精美的精装本《圣经》，上面以金子凸印着年轻人的名字。看罢，年轻人怒气冲冲地向父亲大喊道：“你有那么多钱，却只给我一本《圣经》？”说完，便丢下《圣经》，愤怒地冲出房子。

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realizing his father was very old, he thought perhaps he should go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make the arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

多年以后，年轻人已事业有成。他拥有一所漂亮的房子，一个温馨的家庭。但当得知父亲年事已高，他想，或许应该去看看他。自从毕业那天起他就一直不见父亲。就在起程时，他收到一封电报－－父亲已逝世，并已立下遗嘱将其所有财产转给儿子。他要立即回父亲家处理后事。

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he was reading, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... "PAID IN FULL".

在父亲的房子里，他突然内心感到一阵悲伤与懊悔。他开始仔细搜寻父亲的重要文件，突然发现了那本《圣经》－－还跟几年前一样崭新。他噙着泪水打开《圣经》并一页一页地阅读着。忽然，从书的背面掉出一把钥匙。钥匙上挂着一个标签，上面写着一个汽车经销商的名字－－正是他曾渴望的那辆跑车的经销商。标签上还有他的毕业日期及“款已付清”的字样。

How many times do we miss blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? I trust you enjoyed this. Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

我们多少次地与祝福擦肩而过，仅仅因为他们没有按我们想象中的样子包装好？我相信你也有这样的经历。不要在渴望得到没有的东西时损坏你已经拥有的东西，但要记住一点：你现在所拥有的恰恰正是你曾经一心渴望得到的。

Sometimes we don't realize the good fortune we have or we could have because we expect "the packaging" to be different. What may appear as bad fortune may in fact be the door that is just waiting to be opened.

有时，我们并没有意识到我们已经拥有或本该拥有的好运，仅仅因为它的外表与我们想象中的有所不同。其实，表面上看起来像是坏运气的东西或许正是等待开启的幸运之门.

 A father's love



 父爱

Daddy just didn’t know how to show love. It was Mom who held the family together. He just went to work every day and came home; she’d have a list of sins we’d committed and he’d scold us about them.

爸爸根本不知道怎样表达爱。把这个家维系在一起的人是妈妈。爸爸天天去上班，回家，然后是妈妈向他数落我们所做的一连串错事，爸爸再为了这些事把我们骂一顿。

Once when I stole a candy bar, he made me take it back and tell the man I stole it and that I’d pay for it. But it was Mom who understood I was just a kid.

有一次我偷了一根棒棒糖。爸爸硬是要我送回去，还要我告诉卖糖的人是我偷了糖，并说我愿意帮他拆箱开包作为赔偿。但妈妈却理解我，她知道我只不过是个孩子。

I broke my leg once on the playground swing and it was Mom who held me in her arms all the way to the hospital. Dad pulled the car right up to the door of the emergency room and when they asked him to move it saying the space was reserved for emergency vehicles, He shouted, “What do you think this is? A tour bus?”

再有一次，我在操场荡秋千摔坏了腿，一路抱着我到医院的人是妈妈。爸爸将车正好停在急诊室门口。因为那儿是专供急救车停靠的，医院里的人就叫我爸爸把车开走。爸爸大声吼叫起来：“你以为这是什么车？难道是旅游车吗？”

At my birthday parties, Dad always seemed sort of out of place, He just busied himself blowing up balloons, setting up tables, and running errands, it was Mom who carried the cake with the candles on it for me to blow out.

在我的生日聚会上，爸爸总显得有点不得其所。他不是忙于吹气球，就是摆桌子，或做些跑腿的活儿。将插着蜡烛的生日蛋糕捧进来让我吹灭的人总是妈妈。

When I leaf through picture albums, people always ask, “What does your Dad took like?” “Who knows? He was always fiddling around with the camera taking everyone else’s picture. I must have a zillion pictures of Mom and me smiling together.”

我随便翻阅相册时，别人总会问“你爸爸长什么模样？”这还真说不出。他总是摆弄着相机为别人拍照。我和妈妈在一起微笑的照片一定多得都数不清了。

I remember when Mom told him to teach me how to ride a bicycle. I told him not to let it go, but he said it was time. I fell and Mom ran to pick me up, but he waved her off. I was so mad I showed him,I got right back on that bike and rode it myself. He didn’t even feel embarrassed and just smiled.

我还记得有一次妈妈叫爸爸教我骑自行车。我叫他扶着车子别松手，他却说是时候了。我摔了下来，妈妈跑来扶我，他却挥手让妈妈开走。我真是气得发疯，决心非要让他看看我的本事不可。我马上骑上车，竟能一个人骑了。爸爸却一点也不尴尬，只是笑笑。

When I went to college, Mom did all the writing. He just sent checks and a little note about how great his lawn looked now that I wasn’t playing football on it.

我上大学了，给我的信总是妈妈写的。爸爸只知道寄钱，顶多附上一张便条，告诉我他的草坪现在修整得多么好，而如今我却不能在上面踢球。

Whenever I called home, he acted like he wanted to talk, but he always said, “I’ll get your mother.”When I got married, it was Mom who cried. He just blew his nose loudly and left the room. All my life he said, “Where are you going? What time are you coming home? No, you cannot go.”

每次我打电话回家，爸爸总像是有话要说，但结果他总是说“我把你妈叫来接”。我结婚的时候，妈妈哭了，爸爸只是大声打着鼻响，离走出了房间。在我一生中，他总是说：“你去哪儿？你什么时候回家？不，你不能去。”

Daddy just didn’t know how to show love, unless…

爸爸就是不知道怎样表达爱，只会这样……

Is it possible he showed it and didn’t recognize it ?

爸爸向我们表达了爱，难道他只是没有意识到吗？

Not a simple dress

不凡的连衣裙

“Do you like my dress?"she asked of a passing stranger."

你喜欢我的连衣裙吗？“她问一位正走过她身边的陌生人。”

My mommy made it just for me.She said with a tear in her eyes.

我妈妈专给我做的。”她说道，眼里冒出了泪珠。

Well,I think it's very pretty,so tell me little one,why are you crying?

“嗯，我认为你的裙子真漂亮。告诉我，小姑娘，你为什么哭呢？”

With a quiver in her voice the little girl answered."After Mommy made me this dress,she had to go away."

小姑娘声音有些颤抖，回答道：“我妈妈给我做完这条裙子后就不得不离开了。”

Well,now,said the lady,"with a little girl like you waiting for her,I'm sure she'll be right back."

“哦，是这样，”陌生的女士说，“有你这样一个小姑娘等着她，我敢肯定她很快就会回来的。”

No Ma'am ,you don't understand,said the child through her tears,"my daddy said she's up in heaven now with Grandfather."

“不，女士，您不明白，”女孩透过泪水说，“我爸说她现在和我爷爷在天堂里。”

Finally the woman realized what the child meant,and why she was crying.Kneeling down she gently cradled the child in her arms and together they cried for the mommy that was gone.

女士终于明白孩子的意思了，也明白她为什么哭泣。她跪下，温柔地把女孩搂在怀里，她们一起为离去的妈妈哭泣。

Then suddenly the little girl did something that the woman thought was a bit strange.She stopped crying,stepped back from the woman and began to sing.She sang so softly that it was almost a whisper. It was the sweetest sound the woman had ever heard,almost like the song of a very small bird.

忽然小姑娘又做了件让女士感到有点奇怪的事。她停住了哭泣，从女士怀抱中抽出身，向后退了一步，然后开始唱歌。她唱得如此轻柔，几乎像章晨低语。这是女士听到过的最甜美的声音，简直就像一只非常小的小鸟在吟唱。

After the child stopped singing she explained to the lady,"My mommy used to sing that song to me before she went away,and she made me promise to sing it whenever I started crying and it would make me stop."

小女孩唱完后解释说：“妈妈离去前经常给我唱这支歌，她让我答应她我一哭就唱这支歌，这样我就不哭了。”

See,she exclaimed,"it did,and now my eyes are dry!"

“您瞧，”她惊叫道，“真管用，现在我的眼睛里没有眼泪了！”

As the woman turned to go,the little girl grabbed her sleeve,"Ma'am,can you stay just a minute?I want to show you something."

女士转身要走时，小女孩抓住她的衣袖：“女士，您能再停留一小会儿吗？我想给您看点东西。”

Of course,she answered,"what do you want me to see?"

“当然可以，”她回答，“你想要我看什么呢？”

Pointing to a spot on her dress,she said,"Right here is where my mommy kissed my dress,and here,"pointing to another spot,"and here is another kiss, and here,and here.Mommy said that she put all those kisses on my dress so that I would have her kisses for every booboo'that made me cry."

小女孩指着裙子上的一处，说：“就在这里，我妈妈亲了我的裙子，还有这里，”她指着另外一处，“这里有另外一个吻，还有这里，这里。妈妈说她把所有这些吻都留在我的连衣裙上，这样我遇到什么事哭了，就会有她的亲吻。”

Then the lady realized that she wasn't just looking at a dress,no,she was looking at a mother…who knew that she was going away and would not be there to kiss away the hurts that she knew her daughter would get.

这时，女士意识到在她眼前的不是一件连衣裙，不是的，她在凝视一位母亲……这位母亲知道她将离去，无法随时守候在女儿身边，吻去她知道女儿必然会遇到的种种伤心事。

So she took all the love she had for her beautiful little girl and put them into this dress,which her child now so proudly wore.

所以她将所有对她美丽女儿的爱倾注在这件连衣裙上。现在，女儿如此骄傲地穿在身上。

She no longer saw a little girl in a simple dress. She saw a child wrapped…in her mother's love.

她看到的不再是身穿一件简单的连衣裙的小女孩。她看到的是一个……被妈妈的爱裹着的孩子。

0n Christmas Eve

圣诞之夜

A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as Christmas present. On Christmas eve, when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shining new car, admiring it.

我有个朋友，保罗，在圣诞节那天收到了一份来自他哥哥的礼物，一辆轿车。在圣诞前夜，当保罗从他的办公室走出来时，一个街头顽童正围着他的新车打转地看，非常羡慕。

Is this your car, Mister? he said.

“这是您的汽车吗，先生？”他说。

Paul nodded, "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."

保罗点了点头，“我哥哥给我的圣诞礼物。

The boy was astounded, "You mean your brother gave it to you, and didn't cost you anything?"

小男孩诧异了，“你是说你哥哥给你的，不用花你一分钱？”

Boy, I wish... he hesitated.

“兄弟，我希望...”他迟疑了。

Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paull all the way down his heels.

保罗当然清楚他希望什么，他希望他也有个那样的哥哥。但这个小家伙说的话，使保罗大吃了一惊。

I wish, the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."

“我希望，”小男孩继续说道，“我可以做一个那样的哥哥。”

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then inpulsivly he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my car?"

保罗惊奇地看着小男孩，然后激动地说了句，“你想不想做我的车去兜兜风？”

Oh, yes. I'd love that.

“哦，想！我喜欢！”

After a short ride, the boy turned his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"

跑了一小段路后，小男孩眼光水灵闪闪地说道，“先生，您可以把车开到我家门前吗？”

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbours that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again.

保罗微微一笑。他觉得他知道这个小家伙想要干什么，他想要向他的邻居炫耀他可以坐一辆大汽车回家。但是，保罗又一次想错了。

Would you stop at those with two steps? the boy asked.

“您可以在那有两个台阶的房子前停下吗？” 小男孩问道。

He ran up stairs. Then in a little while, Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He set him down on the bottom step. Then a sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

他跑着上楼去了。然后一小会儿，保罗听到他回来的脚步声，但他没再用跑的了。保罗看见他正搀扶着他的跛脚的弟弟，他扶着他坐在最底层的台阶上，然后拥抱着他，指着这部车。

There she is, buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and didn't cost him a cent. And some day, I'm gonna give you one just like it. Then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the chirstmas windows that I was trying to tell you about.

“小弟，那就是我在楼上跟你说的那部车。他哥哥给他的圣诞礼物，不用花他一分钱。将来某天我也要给你一部像那样的车，那样你就可以自己去看我以前尽力想让你知道的那些窗边的圣诞饰品了。”

Paul got off and lifted the lad into the front of his car. The shinning eyed old brother crimbed in beside him. And three of them began a memorable holiday ride.

保罗下车把跛脚的小孩抱上了车的前座，他的眼睛水灵灵的哥哥爬上了车，坐到了他旁边。然后他们三个开始一段令人难忘的旅程。

That Christmas eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant, when he said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive..."

那个圣诞前夜，保罗收获了很多，他真正体会了耶稣所说的那句话，“施舍比接受更有福...”

嘤嘤嘤，觉得好的话点个喜欢呗~

装满吻的盒子

有这样一个故事，爸爸因为三岁的女儿浪费了一卷金色的包装纸而惩罚了她。家里很缺钱，当孩子想要用包装纸装饰一个挂在圣诞树上的盒子时，爸爸生气了。然而，第二天早上小女孩把盒子作为礼物送给了爸爸，“这是给你的，爸爸。”

女儿的这个行为让爸爸感到尴尬。但是当他发现盒子是空的时候，他的怒火再一次燃烧了。他对女儿喊道，“难道你不知道给别人礼物的时候，里面应该放有东西吗？”多女孩抬头看着父亲，眼里含着泪水，“爸爸，盒子不是空的。我把吻放在了盒子里，都是给你的，爸爸。”

爸爸感动极了，他搂住女儿，恳请她的原谅。之后不久，一场事故夺走了小女孩的生命。据说，父亲便将那个小金盒子放在床头，一直陪伴着他的余生。无论何时他感到气馁或者遇到难办的事情，他就会打开礼盒，取出一个假想的吻，记起漂亮女儿给予了自己特殊的爱。

从一个非常真实的意义上说，我们每个人都被赠与过一个无形的金色礼盒，那里面装满了来自子女，家人，朋友及上帝无条件的爱与吻。人们所能拥有的最珍贵的礼物莫过于此了。

 A box full of kisses

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy.”

The man was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found out the box was empty. He yelled at her, stating, "Don't you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside? The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and cried, "Oh, Daddy, it's not empty at all. I blew kisses into the box. They're all for you, Daddy."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness. Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. It is also told that her father kept that gold box by his bed for many years and, whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each one of us, as humans beings, have been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses... from our children, family members, friends, and God. There is simply no other possession, anyone could hold, more precious than this.

 Promise

 永恒的承诺

In 1989 an 8.2 earthquake almost flattened America, killing over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of utter devastation and chaos, a father left his wife safely at home and rushed to the school where his son was supposed to be, only to discover that the building was as flat as a pancake.

1989年，一次8.2级的地震几乎铲平美国，在短短不到4分钟的时间里，夺去了3万多人的生命！在彻底的破坏与混乱之中，有位父亲将他的妻子在家里安顿好后，跑到他儿子就读的学校，而触目所见，却是被夷为平地的校园。

After the unforgettably initial shock, he remembered the promise he had made to his son: "No matter what, I’ll always be there for you!" And tears began to fill his eyes. As he looked at the pile of ruins that once was the school, it looked hopeless, but he kept remembering his commitment to his son.

看到这令人伤心的一幕，他想起了曾经对儿子所作的承诺："不论发生什么事，我都会在你身边。"至此，父亲热泪满眶。目睹曾经的学校成为了一堆瓦砾，真叫人绝望。但父亲的脑中仍然牢记着他对儿子的诺言。

He began to direct his attention towards where he walked his son to class at school each morning. Remembering his son s classroom would be in the back right corner of the building; he rushed there and started digging through the ruins.

他开始努力回忆每天早上送儿子上学的必经之路，终于记起儿子的教室应该就在那幢建筑物后面，位于右边的角落里，他跑到那儿，开始在碎石砾中挖掘，搜寻儿子的下落。

As he was digging, other helpless parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying: "My son!" "My daughter!" Other well meaning parents tried to pull him off what was left of the school, saying: "It s too late! They’re all dead! You can’t help! Go home! Come on, face reality, there s nothing you can do!"

当这位父亲正在挖掘时，其他束手无策的学生家长赶到现场，揪心地叫着："我的儿子呀！" "我的女儿呀！"一些好意的家长试图把这位父亲劝离现场，告诉他"一切都太迟了！"他们全死了！"这样做没用的"，"回去吧，这样做只会使事情更糟"。

To each parent he responded with one line: "Are you going to help me now?" And then he continued to dig for his son, stone by stone. The fire chief showed up and tried to pull him off the school s ruins saying, "Fires are breaking out, explosions are happening everywhere. You’re in danger. We’ll take care of it. Go home." To which this loving, caring American father asked, "Are you going to help me now?"

面对种种劝告，这位父亲的回答只有一句话："你们愿意帮我吗？"然后继续进行挖掘工作，在废墟中寻找他的儿子。消防队长出现了，他也试图把这位父亲劝走，对他说："火灾频现，四处都在发生爆炸，你在这里太危险了，这边的事我们会处理，你回家吧！"对此，这位慈爱、关切的父亲仍然回答："你们要帮我吗？"

The police came and said, "You’re angry, anxious and it s over. You’re endangering others. Go home. We’ll handle it!" To which he replied, "Are you going to help me now?" No one helped.Courageously he went on alone because he needed to know for himself: "Is my boy alive or is he dead?" He dug for eight hours...12 hours...24 hours...36 hours...then, in the 38th hour, he pulled back a large stone and heard his son s voice. He screamed his son s name, "ARMAND!" He heard back, "Dad!?! It s me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you d save me and when you saved me, they d be saved. You promised, No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you! You did it, Dad!" "What s going on in there? How is it?" the father asked.

警察赶到现场，对他说："你现在又气又急，该结束了，你在危及他人，回家吧！我们会处理一切的。"这位父亲依旧回答："你们愿意帮我吗？" 然而，人们无动于衷。为了弄清楚儿子是死是活，这位父亲独自一人鼓起勇气，继续进行他的工作。他挖掘了8小时，--12小时，24小时，36小时--38小时后，父亲推开了一块巨大的石头，听到了儿子的声音。父亲尖叫着："阿曼德！"儿子的回音听到了："爸爸吗？是我，爸，我告诉其他的小朋友不要着急。我告诉他们如果你活着，你会来救我的。如果我获救了，他们也就获救了。你答应过我， 不论发生什么，我永远都会在你的身边， 你做到了，爸！""你那里的情况怎样？"父亲问。

There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We’re scared, hungry, thirsty and thankful you re here. When the building collapsed, it made a triangle, and it saved us.

我们有33个，只有14个活着。爸，我们好害怕，又渴又饿，谢天谢地，你在这儿。教室倒塌时，刚好形成一个三角形的洞，救了我们。

Come out, boy!

快出来吧！儿子！

No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, cause I know you ll get me! No matter what happens, I know you’ll always be there for me!

不，爸，让其他小朋友先出来吧！因为我知道你会接我的！不管发生什么事，我知道你永远都会来到我的身边！

明天还是接着发两篇呐~