英语美文背诵

Passage One

What Life is About

What is life about? We push very hard everyday to make more money, to gain power and recognition.

We neglect our health, time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding beauty and the hobbies we love to do. One day when we look back, we will realize that we don't really need that much, but then we cannot turn back time for what we have missed.

Life is not about making money, acquiring power or recognition. Life is definitely not about work! Work is only necessary to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life.

Life is a balance of work and play, family and personal time. You have to decide how you want to balance your life. Define your priorities, realize what you are able to compromise （妥协）but always let some of your decisions be based on your instincts （本能）.

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim of human existence. So, take it easy, do what you want to do and appreciate nature. Life is fragile（脆弱的）. Life is short. Do not take life for granted. Live a balanced lifestyle and enjoy life!

Chasing after your dreams

Dreams! How nice do they sound? I am not talking about the dreams we have when we are asleep but about the lifelong aspirations (愿望，抱负) in each one of us. I am sure many or rather should I say all of us have goals in our lives. Even if your goal is something small, you should be proud that you do have a goal.

Some never tend to think about goals in life. Although this may come as a surprise it is true. These people take life as it comes without planning and go with the flow of events in their life.

In fact, having a goal in life would make anyone more focused and determined in reaching that target. I have heard some grumble （怨言）that their dreams are just dreams and can never become true. Well, it all depends on what kind of goals you're aiming at. If you're very determined to make something and take pains, you can be pretty sure that you're already half-way there to make your dream into a reality.

So never say that your dream will forever be a dream. Go ahead, plan on making that dream a reality and watch how easily you can attain that target（目标）.

Mistakes

Mistakes and errors （错误）are the discipline through which we advance in life. Mistakes are great teachers.

Success comes to those who are willing to risk making mistakes in the pursuit of their goals and aspirations, and those who are able to learn from those mistakes must be willing to pay for them.

Mistakes can be enormously （巨大的）valuable but when you look to others to pay for your mistakes, then you deprive （剥夺）yourself of the opportunity to learn from them. When something goes wrong, it's usually very easy to find someone else to blame. But what does that really accomplish（完成）?

When you make a mistake, the last thing you want to do is run from it. Rather, accept it. There is much value to be had when you claim it. The mistake has been made, so make the most of it. Pay the price, learn the lesson, and grow that much stronger.

When you make a mistake, don't look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind, and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The present is yet in your power and be sure to take full advantage in achieving your goals and aspirations.

Opportunity

The air we breathe is so freely available that we take it for granted. Yet without it we could not survive more than a few minutes. For the most part, the same air is available to everyone, and everyone needs it. Some people use the air to sustain them while they sit around and feel sorry for themselves. Others breathe in the air and use the energy it provides to make a magnificent life for themselves.

Opportunity is the same way. It is everywhere. Opportunity is so freely available that we take it for granted. Yet opportunity alone is not enough to create success. Opportunity must be seized and acted upon in order to have value. So many people are so anxious to “get in” on a “ground floor opportunity”, as if the opportunity will do all the work. That’s impossible.

Just as you need air to breathe, you need opportunity to succeed. It takes more than just breathing in the fresh air of opportunity, however. You must make use of that opportunity. That’s not up to the opportunity. That’s up to you. It doesn’t matter what “floor” the opportunity is on. What matters is what you do with it.