短篇英語美文摘抄（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!）
英語美文翻譯：
啊，美麗的巴黎！幾個世紀以來，這個城市贏得了整個世界的崇拜。巴黎的誘惑與魅力吸引了所有到此遊玩的人。
你在哪裡可以找到巴黎對你的吸引力呢？是否是在歷任的法國統治者們在美化他們所鍾愛的城市時所留下來的遺產里？還是在那些有名的城堡、皇宮、雕像和紀念碑里呢？你能否在世界一流的博物館，例如羅浮宮中找著呢？或許巴黎的誘惑力在於巴黎人的特殊品味和風格。
當你到巴黎遊玩時，別把時間全都花在看博物館和紀念碑上面。它們當然很值得你花時間去參觀，但今天先忘掉它們。首先來四處看看，並體驗—下巴黎的生活。你會在其中發現它的迷人之處的。
沿著塞納河漫步吧。瀏覽藝術家們豐富色彩的繪畫，透過那些精緻的鐵門，向內偷窺那些精心照看的花園。仔細留心法國人對於細節的留意，這使得法國成為「好品味」的同義詞。你可以在門廊或拱門以及小噴泉和古怪有趣的走廊的設計上發現這一點。不管你往哪裡看，你都會覺得日常物品已經變成了藝術品。
花些時間，在一個安靜的公園裡面的舊板凳上輕鬆地休息或是躺在青草地上。想吃點心的時候，嘗嘗路邊咖啡店的咖啡及點心。你也可以找一個巴黎人展開一段會話，但這也不太容易，有這麼大的國際人口居住在此地，要找到一個真正當地的巴黎人是很難的。
到了傍晚時分，隨著碼頭上霧氣的升起，巴黎的誘惑力也隨之而起。你也會聽到附近室外音樂會所演奏的樂曲，其中包括古典樂、爵士樂、歌劇或是香頌即法國的民歌。巴黎人熱愛自己的音樂，繁星點綴的天空，就是他們演奏的大禮堂。你也可以在城堡或教堂里聆聽音樂會。在巴黎，音樂是不會停止的。
不要錯過了巴黎的夜生活中最重要的一部分：下館子。巴黎人對其烹飪非常驕傲，他們理當如此，因為它世界馳名。美食本來就是與生活享樂不可分割的。為了幫你從幾百家絕佳的餐廳中作選擇，你需要—本特別的指南。法國的首都以各地的特色風味、乳酪和酒著稱於世，如果你不知道要點什麼，可以要「推薦選單」來看。大廚喜歡在此將他最拿手的菜作一番櫥窗展示。請記住，在你尚未在巴黎的法國餐廳里吃過飯之前，都不算嘗過法國真正的風味。
在你的美食晚餐之後，可以到被聚光燈照耀的紀念碑去走一趟。穿過（Pont Neuf）這個城市中最古老的橋——第九橋，你將到達城市之島（Ile de la Cite），此時巴黎最有名的標誌——聖母院會隱約地呈現在你的面前。站在教堂前面的廣場，此時你也正處於法國的正中心，因為所有的距離皆是以聖母院前門開始計算，法國的每一條路都通往它的前門。所有的法國國王或統治者都曾經旅遊到此來紀念重要的節日或感恩。聖母院是巴黎的中心，也是法國的中心。
你的巴黎之旅才剛剛開始呢。你才剛剛開始發現這個古老城市的魅力。希望你剩餘的旅程將令你難以忘懷。當你該起程回家時，你會依依不合。然後用法文說道：後會有期，巴黎！
短篇英語美文摘抄（二）
孤獨
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.
大部分時候，我發現獨處都是有益於健康的。有人陪伴，即使是最好的同伴，不久也會心生厭煩，興致將消散。我愛獨處。我沒有遇見比孤獨更好的伴侶了。我們置身國外，立行人群之中，通常比獨處室內更加寂寞。一個思考著的或工作著的人總是孤獨的，就讓他去他想去的地方吧。孤獨不是以和同伴之間的距離里程來衡量的。真正勤奮的學生，在劍橋學院一個擁擠的蜂房裡，就像沙漠中的苦行僧一樣孤單。農夫可以整日在田間或林中獨自工作，耕地或者伐木，卻並不感到寂寞，因為他有活兒乾；可是當他晚上回到家中，卻不能在房間坐下獨自思考，而必須去「能看到鄉親」的地方消遣娛樂，正如他所想的，去補償他五天的孤寂；因此他不明白學生如何可以整日整夜地獨坐在家裡，而不感到倦怠和「優郁」；但他沒有意識到，學生雖然身處室內，()卻依然在自己的田野上耕耘，在自己的森林中採伐。就像農夫在他的田地林間工作一樣，之後學生也和農夫一樣要去尋求消遣，山要去交朋結友，只是娛樂方式可能更加簡明一些。
短篇英語美文摘抄（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.
我們相聚的時間十分短暫，沒有足夠的時間讓彼此獲得任何有價值的新事物。我們在一日三餐的時候見面，我們就如陳腐的奶略，卻讓彼此相互品嘗出新味道。我們必須一致同意若干條規則，也就是我們所謂的禮節和禮貌，使這種經常的聚會相安無事，我們還要一致同意我們沒有爭吵的必要。我們在郵局碰面，在社交場合碰面，每天晚上在爐火邊碰面；我們生活得很擁擠，相互干擾，彼此牽絆，我想，我們因此失去了對彼此的尊重。當然，所有重要的、真誠的溝通，次數少一些就足夠了。想一想工廠里的女工——永遠不會獨處，甚至在夢中也難得是獨自一人。如果一平方英里只有一個居民，就像我這樣，那要好多了。一個人的價值不在於他的外在。