英语-朗诵比赛文章

1、Passage 1A Greek to RememberDiogenes was a famous Greek philosopher of the fourth century B. C., who established the philosophy of cynicism. He often walked about in the daytime holding a lighted lantern, peering around as if he were looking for something. When questioned about his odd behavior, he

2、would reply, "I am search ing for an hon est man." Dioge nes held that the good man was self-sufficie nt and did not require material comforts orwealth. Hebelieved that wealth and possessi ons con stra ined huma ni ty's n atural state of freedom.In keeping with his philosophy, he was p

3、erfectly satisfied with making his home in a large tub discarded from the temple of Cybele, the goddess of nature. This earthen tub, called a pithos, and formerly been used for holding wine or oil for the sacrifices at the temple. One day, Alexander the Great, conqueror of half the civilized world,

4、saw Diogenes sitting in this tub in the sunshine. So the king, surro un ded by his coun tries, approached Diogenes and said, "I amAlexander the Great." The philosopher replied rather contemptuously, "I amDiogenes, the Cynic." Alexander then asked him if he could help him in any w

5、ay." Yes, "shot back Diogenes, "don't stand between meand the sun." A surprised Alexander then replied quickly, "If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes."Passage 2Saying Good-bye to Cambridge Aga inVery quietly I take my leaveAs quietly as I came here;Quietly I

6、 wave good-byeTo the rosy clouds in the western sky.The golden willows by the riversideAre young brides in the sett ing sun;Their reflect ions on the shimmeri ng wavesAlways lin ger in the depth of my heart.The float in gheart grow ing in the sludgeSways leisurely un der the water;In the gen tle wav

7、es of CambridgeI would be a water pla nt!That pool un der the shade of elm treesHolds not water but the rain bow from the sky;Shattered to pieces among the duckweedsIs the sediment of a rainbow-like dream?To seek a dream? Just to pole a boat upstreamTo where the gree n grass is more verda nt;Or to h

8、ave the boat fully loaded with starlightAnd sing aloud in the sple ndour of starlight.But I cannot sing aloudQuiet ness is my farewell music;Eve n summer in sects keep sile nee for meSile nt is Cambridge toni ght!Very quietly I take my leaveAs quietly as I came here;Gen tly I flick my sleevesNot eve

9、 n a wisp of cloud will I bring awayPassage 3A Psalm of LifeTell me not in mour nful nu mbers.Life is but an empty dream!For the soul is dead that slumbersAnd thi ngs are not what they seem.Life is real! Life is earn est!And the grave is not its goal;Dust thou art, to dust retur nest,Was not spoke n

10、 of the soul.Not enjo yme nt, and not sorrow,Is our desti ned and our way;But to act,That much to-morrow.Find us farther tha n to-day.Art is long, and time is fleeting.And our hearts, though stout and brave.Still , like muffled drums , are beat ingFun eral marches to the grave。In the world ' s b

11、road field of battle,In the bivouac of Life,Be not like dumb, driven cattle!Be a hero in the strife!Trust no future, howe ' er pleasant!Let the dead Past bury its dead!Act, act in the living Present!Let us, the n, be up and doing,With a heart for any fate;Still achiev ing, still pursu ingLear n

12、to labour and to wait.Passage 4A Forever Frie nd"A friend walks in when the rest of the world walks out." Sometimes in life, You find a special frie nd; Some one who cha nges your life just by being part of it. Some on ewhomakesyou laugh un til you can't stop; Some one who makesyou bel

13、ieve that there really is good in the world. Some on ewho convin ces you that there really is anuni ocked door justwait ing for youto ope n it. This is Forever Frie ndship. whe n you're dow n, and the world seemsdark and empty, Your forever friend lifts you up in spirits and makes that dark and

14、empty world sudde nly seem bright and full. Your forever friend gets you through the hard times,the sad times,a nd the con fused times. If you turn and walk away, Your forever friend follows, If you lose your way, Your forever frie nd guides you and cheers you on. Your forever friend holds your hand

15、 and tells you that everything is going to be okay.Passage 5If I were a Boy Aga in (1)If I were a boy aga in, I would practice persevera nee more ofte n, andnever give up a thing because it was hard or inconvenient. If we want light, we must conquer darkness. Perseveranee can sometimes equal genius

16、in its results. “ There are only two creatures, " says a proverb, “ who can surm ount the pyramids the eagle and the sn ail. "If I were a boy again, I would school myself into a habit of attention;I would let nothing come betwee n me and the subject in han d. I would rememberthat a good sk

17、ater never tries to skate in two directions at once. The habit of atte nti on becomespart of our life, if we beg in early eno ugh.I ofte n hear grow n up people say“ I could not fix my atte nti on on thesermon or book, although I wished to do so" , and the reason is, the habit was not formed in

18、 youth.If I were to live my life over again, I would pay more attentionto thecultivati on of the memory. I would stre ngthe n that faculty by every possible means, and on every possible occasi on .It takes a little hard work at first to rememberthings accurately; but memorysoon helps itself, and giv

19、es very little trouble. It only needs early cultivation to become a power.Passage 6If I were a Boy Again Nothi ng is so mildIf I were a boy again, I would cultivate courage.and gen tie as courage, nothing so cruel and pitiless as cowardice, " says a wise author. Wetoo often borrow trouble, and

20、anticipatethat mayneverappear. " The fear of ill exceeds the ill we fear." Dan gers will arisein any career, but presenee of mind will often conquer the worst of them. Be prepared for any fate, and there is no harm to be feared.If I were a boy again, I would look on the cheerful side. Life

21、 is very much like a mirror: if you smile upon it, it smiles back upon you; but if you frown and look doubtful on it, you will get a similar look in return. Inner sunshine warms not only the heart of the owner, but of all that come in con tact with it.“ Who shuts love out,i n tur n shall be shut out

22、 fromlove."If I were a boy aga in, I would school myself to say no more ofte n. I might write pages on the importanee of learning very early in life to gain that point where a young boy can stand erect, and decline doing an unworthy act because it is un worthy.If I were a boy aga in, I would de

23、ma nd of myself more courtesy towards my compa nions and frie nds, and in deed towards stra ngers as well. The smallest courtesies along the rough roads of life are like the little birds that si ng to us all win ter long, and make that seas on of ice and snow more en durable. Fin ally, in stead of t

24、rying hard to be happy, as if that were the sole purpose of life, I would, if I were a boy again, I would still try harder to make others happy.Passage 7Love Your LifeHowever mean your life is, meet it and live it;do not shun it and call it hard n ames .It is not so bad as you aret looks poorest whe

25、 n you are richest.The fault-finderwill find faults in paradise.Love your life,pooras it is.You mayperhaps have somepleasant,thrilling,glorioushours,evenin a poor-house.The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the alms-house as brightly as from the rich man's abode;the snow melts before

26、its door as early in the spri ng.l do not see but a quiet mind may live as conten tedly there,a nd have as cheeri ng thoughts,as in a palaceThe town's poor seem to me often to live the most independent lives of any. Maybe they are simply great eno ugh to receive without misgi vin g.Most think th

27、at they are above being supported by the town;but it often happens that they are not above support ing themselves by disho nest means, which should be more disreputable.Cultivate poverty like a garden herb,like sage.Do not trouble yourself much to get new thin gs,whether clothes or friends.Turn the

28、old,returnto them.Things do not change;we change.Sellyour clothes and keep your thoughts.Passage 8Th ink it OverToday we have higherbuildingsand wider highways,but shorter temperame nts and n arrower poi nts of view;We spe nd more,but enjoy less;We have bigger houses,but smaller families;We have mor

29、e compromises,but less time;We have more kno wledge,but less judgme nt;We have more medic in es,but less health;We have multiplied out possessi on s,but reduced out values;We talk much,we love only a little,and we hate too much;Wereached the Moonand came back,but we find it troublesome to cross our

30、own street and meet our n eighbors;We have conq uered the utter space,but not our inner space;We have higher in come,but less morals;These are times with more liberty,but less joy;We have much more food,but less nu triti on;These are the days in which it takes two salaries for each home,butdivorces

31、increase;These are times of finer houses,but more broken homes;That's why I propose,that as of today;You do not keep any thi ng for aspecial occasion. Because every day that you live is a SPECIALOCCASION.Search for kno wledge, read more,sit on your porch and admire the viewwithout pay ing atte n

32、ti on to your n eeds;Spendmore time with your family and friends,eatyour favorite foods,visitthe places you love;Life is a cha in of mome nts of enjo yme nt;not on ly about survival;Use your crystal goblets.Do not save your best perfume,a nd use it everytime you feel you want it.Removefrom your voca

33、bulary phrases like"one of these days"or "someday"Let's write that letter we thought of writing "one of these days"!Let's tell our families and friends how much we love them;Do not delay anything that adds laughter and joy to your life;Every day,every hour,a nd

34、every minute is special;And you don't know if it will be your last.Passage 9You Are My LifeThere was a boy who was sent to a boardi ng school. He used to be the brightest student in his class. He was at the top in every competition.But things changed after that. His grades started dropping. He h

35、ated being in a group. He was Ionely all the time. He felt worthless and that no one loved him.His pare nts bega n to worry. But eve n they did not know what was wrong.So his dad decided to visit the school and talk with him.They sat on the bank of the lake n ear the school. The father startedasking

36、 him casual questions about his classes, teachers and sports. Then he a sked, “ Do you know, son, why I am here today? "The boy said, “To check my grades?"“No, no, " his dad replied. “ I am here to tell you that you are themost important person for me. I want to see you happy. I don