初一英語美文摘抄（一）
If the past has taught us anything,it is that every cause brings effect -- every actionhas a consequence.This thought,in my opinion,is the moral foundation of the universe; it applies equally in this world and the next.We Chinese have a saying:"If a man plants melons,he will reap melons; if he sows beans,he will reap beans." And this is true of every man's life:good begets good,and evil leads to evil.True enough,the sun shines on the saint and sinner alike,and too often it seems that the wicked wax and prosper.But we can say with certitude that,with the individual as with the nation,the flourishing of the wicked is an illusion,for,unceasingly,life keeps books on us all.In the end,we are all the sum total of our actions.Character cannot be counterfeited,nor can it be put on and cast off as if it were a garment to meet the whim of the moment.Like the markings on wood which are ingrained in the very heart of the tree,character requires time and nurture for growth and development.Thus also,day by day,we write our own destiny,for inexorably we become what we do.This,I believe,is the supreme logic and the law of life.
如果過去的日子曾經教過我們一些什麼的話，那便是有因必有果──每一個行為都有一種結果。依我之見，這種觀念是宇宙的道德基礎；它也同樣適用於今生和來世。我們中國人有句諺語說：「種瓜得瓜，種豆得豆。」這也適用於每個人的生活：善有善報，惡有惡報。的確，聖人與罪人皆會受到陽光的披澤，而且常常似乎是惡者大行其道。但是我們可以確信地說，不管是對個人或是對國家而言，惡人猖獗只是一種幻象，因為生命無時無刻不將我們的所作所為一筆一筆記錄下來。最終，我們就是我們行為的總和。品德是無法偽造的，也無法像衣服一樣隨興地穿上或脫下來丟在一旁。就像木頭紋路源自樹木的中心，品德的成長與發育也需要時間和滋養。也因此，我們日復一日地寫下自身的命運，因為我們的所為毫不留情地決定我們的命運。我相信這就是人生的最高邏輯和法則。
初一英語美文摘抄（二）
"Thank you for your application.We would like to congratulate you," the letter read.Those words can make your heart skip a beat and bring tears to your eyes.The feeling of following your dreams is inexplicable and proof that all your hard work was worth it.It is a signpost in life,a trail marker.It is a day you will never forget,the day you opened that envelope and your future was revealed.But what about all those days in-between - the ones that make and break you,the days that are nothing special.Would you have received that acceptance letter had you not attended the college fair at your school?What if you had forgotten to send an essay with your application,would you have been rejected?In life,one step creates the next.Each day is of equal importance,no matter how good or bad.There is no moment in life that does not matter.Regardless of how insignificant,each choice,each day,each idea,is the birth of the next.Something simple can completely reshape your life.It's just like the Butterfly Effect and you never know what is at the end.To go back in time and change one moment in the many that create your life could change everything that follows.If I've learned anything,it is that everything matters.You can struggle through life in an attempt to create the perfect path,but the truth is you will always wonder if it could have been better.Everything is important and nothing need be changed - to climb up the hill may be difficult,but you'll reach the top no matter which path you choose.
「感謝你的申請。我們要恭喜你，」信上寫道。那些話能使你的心為之一顫，讓你熱淚盈眶。追隨夢想的感受是難以言喻的，並且證明你所有的努力都是值得的。那是人生中的一個標記，人生路上的里程碑。那是你永遠不會忘記的日子，那天你打開那個信封，你的未來就隨之展現。但是在你獲得錄取信之前的所有日子呢？那些使你成功也使你崩潰的日子，那些平平淡淡的日子。要是你那時沒有參加學校的學院展，你還會收到錄取信嗎？如果當時在寄申請書的時候，你忘記附上一篇個人陳述，你會被拒絕嗎？人生中，步步相隨。無論好與壞，每一天都一樣的重要。人生中沒有一個時刻是無關緊要的。不管如何不值一提，每個選擇、每一天、每個想法，都會引出下一步。簡單的事情可以完全重塑你的人生。那就像是「蝴蝶效應」，你永遠不知道最後的結果是什麼。若回顧從前並改變創造你人生的眾多時刻中的一個，隨後的一切也會被改變。要是說我悟出什麼道理，那就是任何事情都是重要的。你可以奮鬥一生，試圖創造完美的人生之路，但事實是你總是懷疑是否原本有更好的路可以走。每件事情都是重要的，任何事情都無需改變——攀山的過程可能是艱辛的，但無論你選擇哪條道路，你終會到達頂峰。
初一英語美文摘抄（三）
Ambition
It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition. It would probably be a kinder world: with out demands, without abrasions, without disappointments. People would have time for reflection. Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collectivity. Competition would never enter in. conflict would be eliminated, tension become a thing of the past. The stress of creation would be at an end. Art would no longer be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions. Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die of heart attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor. Anxiety would be extinct. Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart.
Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be!
There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a sham. Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating. Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one』s own. But even the most cynical secretly admit that success exists; that achievement counts for a great deal; and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless. To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging. It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment, and regard for posterity.
We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift. We decide what is important and what is trivial in life. We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do. But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.
抱負
一個缺乏抱負的世界將會怎樣，這不難想像。或許，這將是一個更為友善的世界：沒有渴求，沒有磨擦，沒有失望。人們將有時間進行反思。他們所從事的工作將不是為了他們自身，而是為了整個集體。競爭永遠不會介入；衝突將被消除。人們的緊張關係將成為過往雲煙。創造的重壓將得以終結。藝術將不再惹人費神，其功能將純粹為了慶典。人的壽命將會更長，因為由激烈拼爭引起的心臟病和中風所導致的死亡將越來越少。焦慮將會消失。時光流逝，抱負卻早已遠離人心。
啊，長此以往人生將變得多麼乏味無聊！
有一種盛行的觀點認為，成功是一種神話，()因此抱負亦屬虛幻。這是不是說實際上並不豐在成功？成就本身就是一場空？與諸多運動和事件的力量相比，男男女女的努力顯得微不足？顯然，並非所有的成功都值得景仰，也並非所有的抱負都值得追求。對值得和不值得的選擇，一個人自然而然很快就能學會。但即使是最為憤世嫉俗的人暗地裡也承認，成功確實存在，成就的意義舉足輕重，而把世上男男女女的所作所為說成是徒勞無功才是真正的無稽之談。認為成功不存在的觀點很可能造成混亂。這種觀點的本意是一筆勾銷所有提高能力的動機，求取業績的興趣和對子孫後代的關注。
我們無法選擇出生，無法選擇父母，無法選擇出生的歷史時期與國家，或是成長的周遭環境。我們大多數人都無法選擇死亡，無法選擇死亡的時間或條件。但是在這些無法選擇之中，我們的確可以選擇自己的生活方式：是勇敢無畏還是膽小怯懦，是光明磊落還是厚顏無恥，是目標堅定還是隨波逐流。我們決定生活中哪些至關重要，哪些微不足道。我們決定，用以顯示我們自身重要性的，不是我們做了什麼，就是我們拒絕做些什麼。但是不論世界對我們所做的選擇和決定有多麼漠不關心，這些選擇和決定終究是我們自己做出的。我們決定，我們選擇。而當我們決定和選擇時，我們的生活便得以形成。最終構築我們命運的就是抱負之所在。