英語優美文章的段落閱讀1
The big rocks
One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, todrive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in frontof the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, Okay, time for a quiz. Then he pulled outa one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. He thenproduced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, Is the jarfull Everyone in the class said, Yes.
He replied, Really
He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel, then dumped some gravel inand shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space betweenthe big rocks.
He asked the group once more, Is the jar full
By this time the class was on to him. Probably not, one of them answered.
Good! he replied.
He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand inthe jar and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more heasked the question, Is the jar full
No! the class shouted.
Once again he said, Good!
Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the he looked at the class and asked, What is the point of this illustration One eagerstudent raised her hand and said, The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you tryreally hard you can always fit some more things in!
Good answer, but no, the speaker replied, thats not my point. The truth this illustrationteaches us is: If you dont put the big rocks in first, youll never get them in at all. What are thebig rocks in your life In my life they are my children... my wife... my loved ones... myeducation... my dreams... charities and worthy causes... teaching or mentoring others... doingthings that I love... time for myself... my health... Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in firstor youll never get them in at all.
If you sweat the little stuff then youll fill your life with little things to worry about that dontreally matter, and youll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff：the big rocks.
大石塊
一天，一名時間管理專家在對一羣學習商業的學生講話時，爲了論證一個論點，他用了一個令學生們永遠難忘的表述方式。站在這羣出類拔萃的學生面前，他說：來，做個小測試。他拿出一個一加侖的廣口玻璃瓶，放在他們面前的桌上。接着他拿出一小堆拳頭大小的石塊，小心翼翼、一塊一塊地放進瓶子裏。等石塊裝滿到瓶子，再也塞不下時，他問：瓶子滿了嗎大家都說：滿了。他問：真的滿了嗎
他伸手到桌下提出一桶碎石，將碎石倒進瓶子裏，搖晃瓶子讓碎石漏進石塊的間隙裏去。
他又問學生：瓶子裝滿了嗎
這時學生們領悟過來了。可能還沒滿吧!一個學生回答說。
好!他說道。
他伸手從桌底下拎出了一桶沙，把沙往瓶子裏倒，沙子塞滿了石塊與碎石的縫隙，他又一次問：滿了嗎
沒滿!全班學生大聲回答。
再一次，他說道：好!
然後他又拿出一大罐水往瓶子裏倒，一直倒到水升到瓶口高。他看着學生們問：這個演示說明了什麼一個學生急忙舉手說：說明了：不管時間安排得多緊，只要你想辦法，總是可以見縫插針地做更多的事情。
回答得好，不過，專家說：這不是我想說的。這個例子告訴我們一個事實：如果你不是先放大石塊，以後它們就永遠擺不進去。你生活中的大石塊是什麼呢在我的生活中，那就是我的孩子、妻子、所愛的人、學習、夢想、善行和有價值的事業、教導他人、做我喜歡做的事、留給自己的時間、健康，等等。要記住，必須先放大石塊，否則它們永遠放不進去。
如果你奔忙於瑣事，那麼這些無關緊要的小事就會充斥你的生活，讓你成天操心，你就永遠沒辦法騰出有質量的時間來處理你的大事和要事(大石塊)。
英語優美文章的段落閱讀2
A Lesson for Living
Everything happens for the best, my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. If you 1)carry on, one day something good will happen. And youll realize that it wouldnt have happened if not for that 2)previous disappointment.
Mother was right, as I discovered after graduating from college in 1932. I had decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way up to sports 3)announcer. I 4)hitchhiked to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station - and got 5)turned down every time.
In one studio, a kind lady told me that big stations couldnt risk hiring an 6)inexperienced person. Go out in the sticks and find a small station thatll give you a chance, she said.
I 7)thumbed home to Dixon, Illinois. While there was no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said Montgomery Ward had opened a store and wanted a local 8)athlete to manage its sports department. Since Dixon was where I had played high school football, I applied. The job sounded just right for me. But I wasnt hired.
My disappointment must have shown. Everything happens for the best, Mom reminded me. Dad offered me the car to job hunt. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, a wonderful Scotsman named Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer.
As I left his office, my frustration boiled over. I asked aloud, How can a fellow get to be a sports announcer if he cant get a job in a radio station
I was waiting for the elevator when I heard MacArthur calling, What was that you said about sports Do you know anything about football Then he stood me before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an 9)imaginary game.
On my way home, as I have many times since, I thought of my mothers words: If you carry on, one day something good will happen. Something wouldnt have happened if not for that previous disappointment.
I often wonder what direction my life might have taken if Id gotten the job at Montgomery Ward.
生活的一課
每當我遇到挫折時，母親就會說：一切都會好的。如果你堅持下去，總有一天會有好事發生。你會認識到，如果沒有以前的挫折就不會有現在的一切。
母親是對的，發現這個時是在1932年，我剛從大學畢業。我已決定試着在電臺找個事兒做，然後爭取做體育節目的播音員。我搭便車到了芝加哥，挨家電臺地敲門推銷自己--但每次都被拒絕了。
在一個播音室裏，一位好心的女士告訴我，大的廣播電臺是不會冒險僱傭沒經驗的新手的。去鄉下找一家給你機會的小電臺吧，她說。
我搭車來到我的家鄉，那是伊利諾斯州的迪克森。在迪克森當時還沒有電臺播音員這樣的工作，父親說，蒙哥馬利沃德開了一家新商店，想僱請一個本地的運動員管理店裏的`體育部。我中學時曾在迪克森打過橄欖球，出於這個原因我去申請了這份工作。工作聽起來挺適合我的，但是我沒被聘用。
我的沮喪心情一定表現出來了。一切總會好的，母親提醒我說。爸爸給我買了一輛汽車找工作用。我試到愛荷華州達文波特的WOC電臺去求職。那裏的電臺節目負責人是一個很棒的蘇格蘭人，名叫彼得麥克阿瑟，他告訴我他們已經僱到播音員了。
離開他辦公室時，我憤怒極了。我大聲地說：一個連在電臺都找不到工作的傢伙又怎麼能成爲體育節目的播音員呢
等電梯時，我聽見麥克阿瑟喊道：你說什麼體育你瞭解橄欖球嗎接着他讓我站到麥克風前，請我解說一場想象中的比賽。
在回家的路上，以後也有很多次地，我思考着母親的那句話：如果你堅持下去，總有一天會有好事發生。如果沒有以前的挫折，就不會有現在的一切。
我常想，如果我當年得到了蒙哥馬利沃德的那份工作，我的人生之路又會怎樣走呢
