2024年4月8日发(作者：)

美文赏析

初中版 > 21世纪学生英文报·初三版 > 第332期

Never forget how small you are

There was once a young man who, after some small achievements, began to feel self-satisfied

(自满的).

One day, the young man took a walk with a wise man from the town. On the way the young

man was bragging (吹牛) about himself, but the wise man didn‟t say a word. “Look downward,

what do you see?” asked the wise man once they got to a peak (山顶).

“I see trees, farmland, houses and people as small as ants working in the fields (田野),” the

young man said.

“What do you feel?” the wise man asked.

“Everything is below me. I feel like I ” the young man answered.rule the Earth,

The wise man said nothing. After a minute, he asked the young man to look up. “What do you

see this time?” the wise man asked.

“I see birds flying around high mountains, the white clouds on the mountains and the blue sky

above the white clouds,” the young man answered.

Then he asked the wise man‟s feelings.

“I feel small and powerless,” the wise man answered. “A person who knows to look upward

can clearly understand his position. A person who knows the blue sky is always overhead won‟t be

so foolish as to believe he rules over the Earth or any other people.”

The young man felt foolish for his pride. From then on, whenever he began to feel as if the

world owed him something, he looked up at the sky and remembered how small he really was.

初中版 > 21世纪学生英文报·初三版 > 第333期

How much for a miracle?

An 8-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother Andrew. All she knew

was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him.

One morning, the girl heard her father say to her mother: “Only a miracle can save Andrew now.”

The girl went to her bedroom, collected all of her money and counted it carefully. She hurried to a

drugstore (药房).

“How can I help you?” asked the salesman (售货员).

“I want to buy a miracle,” the girl answered. “My brother has something bad growing inside

his head. My daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?”

“We don‟t sell miracles here, my dear. I‟m so sorry,” the salesman said, sadly.

“What kind of a miracle does your brother need?” asked a well-dressed man standing nearby.

“I don‟t know,” she answered. “He‟s really sick and needs an operation in his head. So I

brought all my money.”

“How much do you have?” asked the man.

“$1.11,” she answered.

“Well, what luck,” said the man. “$1.11 is the price of a miracle. Let‟s go to see your

brother.”

That man was Dr Carlton Armstrong, a famous brain doctor. The operation was successful

and it wasn‟t long before Andrew was well again. Sometimes miracles do happen.

1. The girl hurried to the drugstore to _______.

A. buy some medicine for her parents B. ask the salesman to buy a miracle for her

C. ask someone to help her brother D. buy something called a “miracle” for her brother

2. Why did the man say “$1.11 is the price of a miracle”?

A. Because a miracle just cost $1.11. B. Because he wanted to sell more miracles.

C. Because he was moved by the girl. D. Because he didn‟t know the real price.

3. Andrew was well again because _____.

A. his parents made enough money B. his sister bought some medicine for him

C. a famous brain doctor helped him D. his sister did an operation on him

4. From the passage, we learn that _____.

A. miracles may happen when there is love B. $1.11 is the right amount of money to buy a miracle

C. we can buy miracles in drugstores D. miracles can be found everywhere

初中版 > 21世纪学生英文报·初三版 > 第334期

Be a potato, but be the best

A young college student thought that he chose the wrong major (专业) at a common college,

so he drank every day and didn‟t study at all. He became more and more frustrated.

But he was never absent from Professor Yang‟s biology class. He liked the course. Besides,

Yang‟s class was so interesting that he always listened carefully, never caring about whether the

other students were paying attention or not in class.

Once he put a note in the homework he handed in, saying: “Professor, it is said that today‟s

college students are cheaper than potatoes. Do you agree?”

That day Professor Yang sent for him after class. When he came, he found the professor at a

table with food on it. They drank happily over their meal.

When they became half drunk, the professor produced a small potato that was sprouting (发芽

的). “Do you know how much this costs?” he asked the young man. “It‟s soft but poisonous (有毒

的). Nobody will take ” He then threw the potato away.it even if it‟s free.

The professor then showed him another potato. It was half the size of a football and perfectly

round. “This potato is organic (有机的). It is not only large and fresh but also free of pollution. It

is in high demand and quite expensive.”

The young man was impressed by what he‟d heard. “Be such a potato,” said the professor.

初中版 > 21世纪学生英文报·初三版 > 第332期

A Show off your talent

Can you sing or dance? Do you ride a unicycle (独轮车)? Do magic tricks? Drink a glass of

milk in ten seconds? Recite poems from memory? Well, you‟ve got talent, my friend! And what

better time to show it off than at the school talent show!

Middle school talent shows in the US happen every year. Whatever you‟re good at, you have

five minutes to show the world. It‟s early in the school year, and kids can become little celebrities.

The shy boy who spends his evenings practicing Spanish guitar will surprise his classmates with

beautiful music. The sporty girl on the soccer team will wow (让……惊叹) the crowd with her

sweet singing voice. Everyone has a chance to shine.

Almost anyone doing almost anything is allowed into a talent show. As long as your act isn‟t

rude or illegal (不合法的), it‟s a “go” (尝试). Of course, you must audition (试演) first, usually in

front of a group of teachers. You will have a few weeks to practice your act and there will be at

least one dress rehearsal (彩排).On the day of the show, all the students sit in the school

gymnasium, ready to cheer for the many skills of their classmates (and sometimes teachers, too).