Jack tossed the papers on my desk—his eyebrows knit into a straight line as he glared at me.杰克把文件扔到我桌上，皱着眉头，气愤地瞪着我。 "What’s wrong?" I asked.“怎么了？”我问道。 He jabbed a finger at the proposal. "Next time you want to change anything, ask me first," he said, turning on his heels and leaving me stewing in anger.他指着计划书狠狠地说道：“下次想作什么改动前，先征求一下我的意见。”然后转身走了，留下我一个人在那里生闷气。 How dare he treat me like that, I thought. I had changed one long sentence, and corrected grammar, something I thought I was paid to do.他怎么能这样对我！我想，我只是改了一个长句，更正了语法错误，但这都是我的分内之事啊。 It’s not that I hadn’t been warned. Other women who had worked my job before me called Jack names I couldn’t repeat. One coworker took me aside the first day. "He’s personally responsible for two different secretaries leaving the firm," she whispered.其实也有人提醒过我，上一任在我这个职位上工作的女士就曾大骂过他。我第一天上班时，就有同事把我拉到一旁小声说：“已有两个秘书因为他而辞职了。” As the weeks went by, I grew to despise Jack. His actions made me question much that I believed in, such as turning the other cheek and loving your enemies. Jack quickly slapped a verbal insult on any cheek turned his way. I prayed about the situation, but to be honest, I wanted to put Jack in his place, not love him.几周后，我逐渐有些鄙视杰克了，而这又有悖于我的信条——别人打你左脸，右脸也转过去让他打；爱自己的敌人。但无论怎么做，总会挨杰克的骂。说真的，我很想灭灭他的嚣张气焰，而不是去爱他。我还为此默默祈祷过。 One day another of his episodes left me in tears. I stormed into his office, prepared to lose my job if needed, but not before I let the man know how I felt. I opened the door and Jack glanced up. “What?” he asked abruptly.一天，因为一件事，我又被他气哭了。我冲进他的办公室，准备在被炒鱿鱼前让他知道我的感受。我推开门，杰克抬头看了我一眼。“有事吗？”他突然说道。 Suddenly I knew what I had to do. After all, he deserved it.我猛地意识到该怎么做了。毕竟，他罪有应得。 I sat across from him and said calmly, “Jack, the way you’ve been treating me is wrong. I’ve never had anyone speak to me that way. As a professional, it’s wrong, and I can’t allow it to continue.”我在他对面坐下：“杰克，你对待我的方式很有问题。还从没有人像你那样对我说话。作为一个职业人士，你这么做很愚蠢，我无法容忍这样的事情再度发生。” 英语美文阅读第14篇：我可以坐这里吗 I look at spiders and butter-flies . I watch caterpillars and moths . Sometimes I think I'm the only one who notices these things . But if it hadn't been for a crowded cafeteria , I wouldn't Have ever noticed Valeri . After all , I wasn't looking for new friends .我观察蜘蛛和蝴蝶，还研究毛毛虫和飞蛾。有时，我想我是唯一注意这些事物的人了。要不是一家拥挤的自助餐厅，我将永远不会注意到瓦莱丽。毕竟，我一直都没有找新朋友。 Valeri was a new student . She walked to class with her books huddled against her chest and her head down . He talked only when the teacher asked her a question . After a month at our school , she hadn't made any friend . At recess , she sat on a bench and read . If you asked who she was , you'd get a response like this , "She's in my PE class , I can't remenber her name ."瓦莱丽是新来的学生。她总是将书抱在胸前，低着头走进教室。只有在老师提问她时，她才肯说话。她来我们学校一个月了，还没交到一个朋友。课间，她就坐在长椅上看书。如果你想知道她是谁，那你多半会得到这样的答复：“我和她在一起上体育课，但我不记得她叫什么。” One day at lunch , I had nowhere to sit . Most tables were full , my friends scattered among them . But Valeri sat alone , book in hand , I walked over to her .一天，吃午餐时，餐桌差不多都坐满了，我没地方坐了，我的朋友们都分散开了。但瓦莱丽拿着书一个人坐在那儿。于是，我朝她走了过去。 "May I sit here ?"I asked .“我可以坐在这儿吗？”我问。"Sure ,"she said .“当然可以。”她说。 The cafeteria was noisy , but silence hung between us . Valeri didn't seem to mind , but it drove me crazy . I searched my mind for things to say .餐厅里喧闹不已，而我们一直都沉默着。瓦莱丽好像并不在意，但我憋得受不了了。我绞尽脑汁，想找点话说。 "So,"I said , "is that a good book?"Valeri gave a small nod and went back to reading . "What's it about?"I asked , after several more agonizing seconds of silence . She looked at me , her eyes sparkling .“呃，那本书很好看吧？”瓦莱丽轻轻的点了点头，又继续看书。“都写了些什么呢？”我问道。一阵令人恼火的沉默之后，她终于看着我，眼中闪出异样的光芒。 "Well , it's called Eragon , and it's about a dragon!This boy , Eragon , finds this dragon egg when he goes hunging one day . He thinks it's a rock !The egg hatches and Eragon hides the dragon from his cousin and uncle until it gets too big ."“唔，它叫《龙骑士》，讲的是关于一条龙的故事！一天，一个名叫鄂尔根的男孩打猎时，发现了一枚龙蛋。他以为那是一块石头，但那枚龙蛋孵化出龙来，鄂尔根怕他的叔叔和堂兄发现，便把那条龙藏了起来，直到它长大。” "That sounds cool."I said. I was about to ask her another question,but the bell rang.“听来真不错。”我说。我还想再问个问题，可上课铃响了。As I rushed out of the cafeteria , I called to Valeri , "See you later ."我一边往餐厅外冲，一边对她大叫：“再见。”"Yeah,"she said,"see you later."She sounded doubtful .“好的，”她说，“再见。”她的声音若有若无。A couple days later , I spotted Valeri looking for a place to sit at lunch .几天以后，我发现瓦莱丽正在找地方坐下来吃饭。"Valeri , come here."I pointed to an empty chair .“瓦莱丽，来这里。”我指着一个空座位说。 She sat down and pulled out her book . Everyone was talking about next week's talent show . "So ,what are you doing for the show? "My friend Erin asked my friend Kelly .她坐了下来，拿出书。当时，大家都在谈论下个星期的才艺展示会。“你打算表演什么？”我的朋友埃林和凯利交谈着。"Oh,I don't know , probably nothing,"Kelly sighed ."What are you doing?"She pointed to Valeri.“噢，我不知道，也许会放弃，”凯利叹着气，“你呢？”她问瓦莱丽。 "Oh."Valeri put her book down ."I don't know . Maybe nothing."“噢，”瓦莱丽放下书，“我不知道，也许什么也不演。” The week flew by . Before I knew it . I was sitting in the auditorium , listening to a group of girls sing the latest pop songs at the talent show . I was bored out of my life , and I wanted it to end so I could read Eragon . I'd checked it out at the library , Then a shy girl walked on stage . I recongized her immediately . Valeri clutched a violin in one hand and a bow in the other .不知不觉中，周末就到了，我坐在会堂里，听一群女孩子唱当下最流行的歌曲，感觉却枯燥极了，真希望演唱快点结束，那样我就可以看《龙骑士》了，我在图书馆找到了这本书。这时，一个腼腆的女孩走上了舞台，我立刻认出了她------瓦莱丽。她一手抓着小提琴，一手拿着琴弓。 She stared to play . The notes formed a soft , weet tune . Then it turned fast , then faster . The music stopped altogether before the tune retumed . Valeri ended the song with one hard , fast , loud note . The auditorium fell completely silent until we realized the music was finished . Still in a halftrance , we burst into applause . Valeri took a swift bow and walked off stage .她开始拉提琴了。一个个音符变成了柔和,优美的旋律，韵律逐渐加快，她越拉越急，音乐声戛然而止。乐曲在瓦莱丽拉出一串强硬，急速，洪亮的音符后归于沉寂。会堂里出奇的安静，过了一会儿，我们才意识到她已经演奏完了。仍陶醉于美妙中的我们对她报以雷鸣般的掌声。瓦莱丽快速地鞠了一躬，走下了舞台。 I smiled to myself . Valeri wasn't just a "quiet girl" .She knew about wonderful books and could play the violin like nothing I'd ever heard . Like a caterpillar or butterfly , she was beautiful and amazing when you looked closely .我暗自微笑，原来瓦莱丽不仅仅是一个“安静的女孩”，她博览奇妙的好书，能拉出我闻所未闻的小提琴曲。她就像那毛毛虫或蝴蝶，当你靠近她，仔细的观察，你会发现，她有着惊人的美。
英语美文阅读第15篇：不经意间的举动
One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friend tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives.当我还在上高一时，有一天，我看到我们班的一个孩子正步行回家。他叫凯尔。他似乎背着所有的书。我心想：“为什么有人在周五就把所有的书都带回家呢？他肯定是个书呆子。”我的周末计划得非常详细（先是派对，在第二天下午和我的朋友踢足球）。因此我耸了耸肩，走开了。正走着，我看到一帮孩子朝他跑去。他们追上他，把他所有的书都从怀里扔到地上并把他绊倒，结果他摔在污泥里，眼镜也被打飞了，我看到它落在离他10英尺远的草地上。他抬起头时，我看到他眼里极度悲伤的表情。因此，我慢步向他跑过去。在他爬着寻找眼镜时，我看到了他眼中的泪水。我把眼镜递给他，说道：“那些家伙都是些蠢蛋，他们真该遭到报应。”He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now.他看了看我，说：“嗨，谢谢了！”笑容在他脸上展现。正是这样的笑显示出了真正的感激。我帮他捡起书，问他住在哪里。原来他住得离我很近。于是我就问他，怎么以前我从没有见过他呢，他说在来这所学校以前他上的是私立学校。We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. The more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him. And my friends thought the same of him.Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Dim boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books.我们一路聊着回家，我帮他拿着书。他原来竟是一位非常讨人喜欢的孩子，我问他是否周六想跟我及我的朋友一起踢足球。他答应了。对凯尔了解得越多，我越是喜欢他。我的朋友也都这么认为。到了周一早晨，凯尔又要背上那个巨大的书包了。我制止他，说：“傻孩子，你每天背这么一大堆书，想练就一身强壮的肌肉呀！”他只是笑，并把一半书都递给了我。Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem.接下来的四年里，凯尔和我成为最好的朋友。到了高年级后，我们开始考虑上大学的事。凯尔决定去乔治敦，而我要去杜克。我知道我们永远都是朋友，距离决不会成为问题。Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.凯尔是我们班致告别词的学生代表。我总是取笑他是一个书呆子。他必须为毕业准备一个演讲。我很庆幸不是我要站在那儿演讲。Graduation day, I saw Kyle.. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found themselves during high school. He had more dates than me and all the girls loved him! Boy, sometimes I was jealous.毕业日来临了——我看到了凯尔，他看起来帅极了。他是那些在高中真正把握住自己的人之一。他的约会比我还要多，几乎所有的女孩都喜欢他。天哪，有时候我都有些嫉妒。Today was one of those days. I can see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled."Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach.... but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give him or her. I am going to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable."今天就是这样。我能看出他对于演讲有些紧张。因此，我拍了拍他的后背，说：“嗨，大小伙子，你会很出色的！”他看了看我，带着那样的表情（真正出于感激的那种），笑了。“谢谢，”他说。开始演讲时，他清了清喉咙，开始说：“毕业的时候，你应该感谢那些帮助你度过最困难时期的人。你的父母、老师、兄弟姐妹、也许还有教练……但主要是你的朋友。我在这儿要告诉你们，做别人的朋友是你能给予他们的最好礼物。我要给你们讲一个故事。”我不敢置信地望着我的朋友，他讲的就是我们第一天相遇的故事。他本来打算要在那个周末自杀，他谈到自己如何把课桌收拾干净，把他所有的东西都带回家，这样就不用妈妈以后再收拾了。他直直地看着我，给了我一个笑容。“谢天谢地，我获救了。我的朋友阻止了我去做那不堪设想的事情。”I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and Dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.当这位帅气的、受欢迎的男孩告诉我们有关他的最脆弱的时刻时，我听到人群中都深吸了一口气。我看到他的爸爸妈妈都看着我，带着同样感激的微笑。直到那时我才意识到它的深刻。Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse.决不要低估你的行动的力量，一个简单的举止也许会改变人的一生，无论是好是坏。
英语美文阅读第16篇：友谊的颜色
Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel. All claimed that they were the best. The most important.The most useful.The favorite.从前，世界上的各种颜色进行过一次争吵。每一种颜色都说自己是最好的,最重要的，最有用的,和最讨人喜欢的。Green said: "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees and leaves. Without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."绿色说：“显然，我是最重要的。我是生命和希望的标志。我被选作青草，树木以及叶子的颜色。没有了我，所有的动物都会死去。展望田野吧，你会看到，到处都有我。”Blue interrupted: "You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. Without my peace, you would all be nothing." 蓝色打断了它的话：“你只考虑了地上，想想天空和海洋吧。水才是生命的基础呀，云彩把水分从深邃的大海带到了天空。没有我的和平，你们将不复存在。”Yellow chuckled: "You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, and the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun." 黄色咯咯地笑出了声：“你们都太严肃了。我给这个世界带来了笑声、欢乐和温暖。太阳是黄色的，月亮是黄色的，星星是黄色的，每一次你看向日葵的时候，整个世界都开始欢笑。没有我就没有快乐。”Orange started next to blow her trumpet: "I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and papayas. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you." 橙色马上开始自吹自擂：“我可是健康和力量的颜色。我可能比较稀少，但是我非常宝贵，因为我满足了人们生活的需要。我携带了大多数重要的维他命。想想胡罗卜、南瓜、柑橘、芒果和番木瓜。我并不经常出没在天空，但日出或日落我在天际登场时，我的美丽足以惊世，没有人还会想起你们。”
英语美文阅读第17篇：咸咖啡
He met her at a party. She was outstanding; many guys were after her, but nobody paid any attention to him. After the party, he invited her for coffee. She was surprised. So as not to appear rude, she went along.他在一次晚会上遇见了她。她很迷人，有很多男孩子追求，但是却没有任何人注意到他。晚会结束后，他请她出去喝咖啡，这让她很吃惊。出于礼貌，她去了。As they sat in a nice coffee shop, he was too nervous to say anything and she felt uncomfortable. Suddenly, he asked the waiter, "Could you please give me some salt? I'd like to put it in my coffee."他们坐在一家幽雅的咖啡店里。他紧张得说不出话来，而她也感到很拘束。突然，他叫来服务生，说道：“给我在咖啡里加点盐，好吗?”They stared at him. He turned red, but when the salt came, he put it in his coffee and drank. Curious, she asked, "Why put salt in the coffee?" He explained, "When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea. I liked playing on the seaside ... I could feel its taste salty, like salty coffee. Now every time I drink it, I think of my childhood and my hometown. I miss it and my parents, who are still there."她和服务生都看着他。他脸红了，盐端上来了，他往咖啡里放了一些，喝了起来。她好奇地问：“为什么在咖啡里放盐呢?”他解释说：“小时候，我住在海边，喜欢在那里玩耍……海水是咸的，就像这杯咸咖啡。每次喝咖啡时，我就想起了童年和家乡。我怀念这种味道，想念那里的父母亲。”She was deeply touched. A man who can admit that he's homesick must love his home and care about his family. He must be responsible.她被深深地感动了。一个有思乡情结的男人一定很爱家，很关心家人。他一定是值得信赖的。She talked too, about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family. That was the start to their love story.于是，她也谈起了遥远的家乡，她的童年和家人。他们的爱情故事就这样拉开了帷幕。They continued to date. She found that he met all her requirements. He was tolerant, kind, warm and careful. And to think she would have missed the catch if not for the salty coffee!之后，他们常常约会。她发现他宽容、善良、热情而细心，这些正符合她的标准。她想，若不是那杯咸咖啡，她或许就错过了他。So they married and lived happily together. And every time she made coffee for him, she put in some salt, the way he liked it.最后，他们结婚了，幸福地生活在一起。每每给他冲咖啡时，她总会放些盐，因为他喜欢喝咸咖啡。After 40 years, he passed away and left her a letter which said:40年后，他去世了，留了一封信给她，信中的内容是这样的：My dearest, please forgive my life-long lie. Remember the first time we dated? I was so nervous I asked for salt instead of sugar.亲爱的，请原谅我——有一个谎言，我隐瞒了你整整一生。还记得我们的第一次约会吗?我很紧张，原想要糖，却说成了盐。 英语美文阅读第18篇：爱是什么
What is Love? The eternal question we all carry around deep within our heart. Love is the eternal search. Love is eternal when we find it. But do we really ever find it ? When we define it do we negate it? When we set limits on what we believe to be love do we begin to destroy it by hoping to understand or own it for ourselves? We offer it through all of our relationship we vary our giving, often by what we hope to receive in return. But is this really love?爱是什么？这是所有人心底一个永恒的问题。爱，是永恒的寻觅。爱一旦被找到，它也将变为永恒。但是我们真的找到过爱吗？当我们定义爱的同时，是否也在否定爱呢？在给我们所认为的爱加种种限制的同时，我们试图按自己的方式理解它，或想将其据为己有时，我们是否也在破坏它呢？我们将爱施与周围的所有人，而如何给予是由期望的回报来决定的。但这是真正的爱I recently overheard someone say in a conversation that there is no such thing as “ unconditional love .” I would have to agree, although for different reasons. Love within itself is unconditional. Anything else is only an attempt to love, a learning to get us nearer to the one true knowing of love. It may be honorable, well-intentioned, passionate and desiring, courageous and pure. It may be felt as temporary, but if lost easily it may not have been love at all. Love cannot be thwarted and often fall short of what we hope love will be. This is where we learn we are human.最近，我无意间听别人说，世上没有所谓的“无条件的爱”。在此，我不得不表示同意这一论断，尽管理由不尽相同，但爱本身确是无条件的。其他一切都仅仅是爱的一种尝试，通过它们去逐渐地理解爱的真谛。爱可能是高贵善意的，是充满热情和渴望的，是勇敢和纯洁的；爱是势不可挡的，而且，常常达不到我们的期望值。由此我们可以透察人性。Love has been experienced as a life of living poetry. Love has been experienced as being the very notes of song, uplifting and generous to the wanting ear. Love has been experienced as the final act of giving one’s life for another in battle. Love has been experienced as an endless passionate over flow of emotion in the arms of waiting lover.爱的经历就像一首鲜活灵动的诗；爱的经历就像一个个美妙动听的音符，让企盼的双耳得到振奋、满足；爱的经历就像战场上舍己救人的一幕；爱的经历就像赋予人新生的选择；爱的经历就像依偎在期盼已久的爱人臂弯时所流露出的无尽爱意。What do you do with the love granted to you each day? How many times do we deny its expression for others because we fear what our own expressions will bring? Are we not denying our creator every time we deny the expression of love?你是怎样对待每天给予你的爱的呢？有多少次由于害怕被拒绝，我们未能向他人表达爱意？在每次拒绝爱的表白之时，难道我们不是拒绝造物主的恩赐吗？Lost, empty, alone and searching. As individuals who have experienced separation or divorce, or even the loss of a loved one to death, the separation can be the most traumatic experience we live through. The heart-wrenching pain that seems to never really go away, the enormous waves that hit us daily, the times we hit the wall right after a strong and uplifting experience reminds us that we are learning. We are learning about strength, passion for our own life, about our own sincerity in our beliefs, about our loyalty to who we are, and certainly about our own genuineness. We search for that day when love will come again. We search everywhere, everyday, almost every hour.迷茫、空虚、孤独、寻觅。对于那些经历过分别、离异，甚至失去过爱人的人来说，这样的离别乃是生命中最大的伤痕。揪心的伤痛永无此境；生活中的挫折和磨难无时无刻不在提醒我们：我们正处于认知的过程中。我们正在认识自己生命的力量和激情，认识对信仰的虔诚，认识对自的忠贞，认识自己的本性。我们期待真爱重回的那一天，我们每时每刻都在每个角落寻觅。