英语 每天朗读文章

The First Post Written on June 19th, 2009 I will participate in the demonstrations tomorrow. Maybe they will turn violent. Maybe I will be one of the people who is going to get killed. I‟m listening to all my favorite music. I even want to dance to a few songs. I always wanted to have very narrow eyebrows. Yes, maybe I will go to the salon before I go tomorrow! There are a few great movie scenes that I also have to see. I should drop by the library, too. It‟s worth it to read the poems of Forough and Shamlu again. All family pictures have to be reviewed, too. I have to call my friends as well to say goodbye. All I have are two bookshelves, which I told my family, who should receive them. I‟m two units away from getting my bachelors degree but who cares about that. My mind is very chaotic. I wrote these random sentences for the next generation so they know we were not just emotional and under peer pressure. So they know that we did everything we could to create a better future for them. So they know that our ancestors surrendered to Arabs and Mongols but did not surrender to despotism. This note is dedicated to tomorrow‟s children... The Second Post Written on June 20th, 2009 Yesterday I wrote a note, with the subject line “tomorrow is a great day perhaps tomorrow I‟ll be killed.” I‟m here to let you know I‟m alive but my sister was killed... I‟m here to tell you my sister died while in her father‟s arms. I‟m here to tell you my sister had big dreams... I‟m here to tell you my sister who died was a decent person... and, like me, yearned for a day when her hair would be swept by the wind... and, like me, read “Forough”... and longed to live free and equal... and she longed to hold her head up and announce, “I‟m Iranian”... and she longed to one day fall in love with a man with shaggy hair... and she longed for a daughter to braid her hair and sing lullabies by her crib... my sister died from not having a life... my sister died as injustice has no end... my sister died since she loved life too much... and my sister died since she lovingly cared for people... my loving sister, I wish you had closed your eyes when your time had come... the very end of your last glance burns my soul... sister, have a short sleep, your last dream be sweet. Day2: You are my joy She was dancing. My crippled grandmother was dancing. I stood in the living room doorway absolutely stunned. I glanced at the kitchen table and sure enough-right under a small, framed drawing on the wall-was a freshly baked peach pie. I heard her sing when I opened the door but did not want to interrupt the beautiful song by yelling I had arrived, so I just tiptoed to the living room. I looked at how her still-lean body bent beautifully, her arms greeting the sunlight that was pouring through the window. And her legs… Those legs that had stiffly walked, aided with a cane, insensible shoes as long as I could remember. Now she was wearing beautiful dancing shoes and her legs obeyed her perfectly. No limping. No stiffness. Just beautiful, fluid motion. She was the pet of the dancing world. And then she‟d had her accident and it was all over. I had read that in an old newspaper clipping. She turned around in a slow pirouette and saw me standing in the doorway. Her song ended, and her beautiful movements with it, so abruptly that it felt like being shaken awake from a beautiful dream. The sudden silence rang in my ears. Grandma looked so much like a kid caught with her hand in a cookie jar that I couldn‟t help myself, and a slightly nervous laughter escaped. Grandma sighed and turned towards the kitchen. I followed her, not believing my eyes. She was walking with no difficulties in her beautiful shoes. We sat down by the table and cut ourselves big pieces of her delicious peach pie. “So…” I blurted, “How did your leg heal?” “To tell you the truth—my legs have been well all my life,” she said. “But I don‟t understand!” I said, “Your dancing career… I mean… You pretended all these years? “Very much so,” Grandmother closed her eyes and savored the peach pie, “And for a very good reason.” “What reason?” “Your grandfather.” “You mean he told you not to dance?” “No, this was my choice. I am sure I would have lost him if I had continued dancing. I weighed fame and love against each other and love won.” She thought for a while and then continued. “We were talking about engagement when your grandfather had to go to war. It was the most horrible day of my life when he left. I was so afraid of losing him, the only way I could stay sane was to dance. I put all my energy and time into practicing—and I became very good. Critics praised me, the public loved me, but all I could feel was the ache in my heart, not knowing whether the love of my life would ever return. Then I went home and read and re-read his letters until I fell asleep. He always ended his letters with „You are my Joy. I love you with my life‟ and after that he wrote his name. And then one day a letter came. There were only three sentences: „I have lost my leg. I am no longer a whole man and now give you back your freedom. It is best you forget about me.‟” “I made my decision there and then. I took my leave, and traveled away from the city. When I returned I had bought myself a cane and wrapped my leg tightly with bandages. I told everyone I had been in a car crash and that my leg would never completely heal again. My dancing days were over. No one suspected the story—I had learned to limp convincingly before I returned home. And I made sure the first person to hear of my accident was a reporter I knew well. Then I traveled to the hospital. They had pushed your grandfather outside in his wheelchair. There was a cane on the ground by his wheelchair. I took a deep breath, leaned on my cane and limped to him. ” By now I had forgotten about the pie and listened to grandma, mesmerized. “What happened then?” I hurried her when she took her time eating some pie. “I told him he was not the only one who had lost a leg, even if mine was still attached to me. I showed him newspaper clippings of my accident. „So if you think I‟m going to let you feel sorry for yourself for the rest of your life, think again. There is a whole life waiting for us out there! I don‟t intend to be sorry for myself. But I have enough on my plate as it is, so you‟d better snap out of it too. And I am not going to carry you-you are going to walk yourself.‟” Grandma giggled, a surprisingly girlish sound coming from an old lady with white hair. “I limped a few steps toward him and showed him what I‟d taken out of my pocket. „Now show me you are still a man,‟ I said, „I won‟t ask again.‟ He bent to take his cane from the ground and struggled out of that wheelchair. I could see he had not done it before, because he almost fell on his face, having only one leg. But I was not going to help. And so he managed it on his own and walked to me and never sat in a wheelchair again in his life.” “What did you show him?” I had to know. Grandma looked at me and grinned. “Two engagement rings, of course. I had bought them the day after he left for the war and I was not going to waste them on any other man.” I looked at the drawing on the kitchen wall, sketched by my grandfather‟s hand so many years before. The picture became distorted as tears filled my eyes. “You are my Joy. I love you with my life.” I murmured quietly. The young woman in the drawing sat on her park bench and with twinkling eyes smiled broadly at me, an engagement ring carefully drawn on her finger. Day3: Desperately lonely at only 17 years old may not be normal, but so many things had happened in my life to make me feel like my world was crashing down. Growing up poor had never been easy, but somehow I managed to live my life around it. My mother, a single mother of four, was struggling to make ends meet working at our local McDonalds. I was the oldest and just a year before had all the hopes and dreams of any normal 16 year old girl. I was moderately attractive and at times, perky and outgoing. Always striving to do my best, I managed to squeeze out some pretty good grades. I took college prep classes in the hopes of someday being a nurse. 十七岁就感觉孤独无望也许并不常见,但在我生命里发生的很多事使我感到我的世界正 在倒塌。自幼生活在贫苦当中是不容易的,但无论如何我还是走了过来。作为四个孩子的单 亲妈妈,母亲在我们当地的麦当劳餐馆工作,艰难地维持着基本生活。我是最大的孩子。就在 一年前,像其他所有普通的十六岁女孩一样,我对生活充满希冀和梦想。我长得算是迷人,有时 还挺自信和外向的。我总是尽自己最大努力去拼搏,成绩也算不俗。我报读了大学预科班,希 望将来成为一名护士。 However, poverty whisked my dream away. My mother could not afford our four tuition fees and she had to start making me stay home from school during days she worked day shift to care for my 3-year-old brother. Eventually I quit school. My dreams of going to college were washed away in the blink of an eye. I was now assuming the role of a mother to my little brother, taking on all the responsibility of any stay at home mom. When my mother worked nights, my responsibility grew to two additional children, who were school aged, and all that it entailed. Most nights I would go to bed exhausted and depressed. I often wondered if my life was ever going to change. I would not cry to my mother about my pitiful life because I did not wish to upset her. I was feeling like I had no way out. It even occurred to me that fortune did not favor me and my life was done. 然而,贫困葬送了我的梦想。我母亲无法负担我们四个孩子的学费,不得不开始让我留在 家里,好让我在她上白班时照顾三岁的弟弟。最后,我辍学了。我的大学梦眨眼间破灭。我现 在担当弟弟的“母亲”角色,负担起任何留守家中的母亲所要承担的责任。当我母亲上晚班 时,我还得照看另外两个已到读书年龄的孩子并担负起相关杂活。大多数夜晚,躺到床上,我已 精疲力竭,满心沮丧。我常常思忖自己的人生是否会有所改变。我不会向母亲哭诉自己悲惨 的人生,因为我不想让她难过。我感觉自己无路可走。我甚至觉得好运没有垂青于我,我的人 生完了。 One of my friends tried to enlighten me by telling me that she worked with a young man who had a younger brother my age, who just moved here from Cincinnati, Ohio and didn‟t know anyone. She got his number and wanted me to give him a call. I was not interested at all but loneliness overwhelmed me and I needed to find my way out. I tried to call one afternoon and got his older brother. The brother, Brandon, said that the one who I was calling for, Scott, was in Cincinnati for the week visiting old friends. But he invited me to a party that evening and said Scott would show up. My friend and I went to that party that evening and she introduced me to the brother she was working with, Brandon. No sooner were we introduced, at that very moment, and in walked a boy I had never seen in town before. The moment he walked in, our eyes locked. I honestly could not hear what everyone else was saying. And to my surprise, he was walking right up to me, my friend and Brandon. All of a sudden, Brandon looked at me, and said, “By the way, this is my brother, Scott!” 我的一个朋友努力开导我,她告诉我,她的一位年轻男同事有个和我同龄的弟弟,刚从俄 亥俄州的辛辛那提市搬到这里,人生地不熟。她拿到了他的电话号码,要我打电话给他。我根 本就没兴趣。但孤独充斥着我的心,我需要找到一个宣泄的出口。有天下午,我试着打电话给 他,接电话的却是他哥哥,布兰顿。他告诉我,斯科特(我要找的人)当周去了辛辛那提市拜访一 些老朋友。但他邀请我参加当晚的一个派对,他说斯科特会出席派对。那晚,我和朋友去了派 对,她把我介绍给她的同事布兰顿——斯科特的哥哥。就在朋友介绍我们相互认识那刻,一个 我从未在镇上见过的男孩走了进来。他走进来的那刻,我们四目相投。坦白说,那刻其他人在 说什么我根本没听到。更让我诧异的是,他正向我和我的朋友,还有布兰顿走过来。突然,布兰 顿看着我说道:“顺便介绍一下,这是我的弟弟斯科特!” I was lost in my own thoughts, while gazing into his eyes. I fumbled over my words. He repeated, “This is my brother Scott...Scott, this is Tara.” We simultaneously said hello and shook hands. But when we shook, we held on for just a moment longer than most. Among the rustle and bustle of the restaurant, I was in my own little world. Happiness came over me and we had a wonderful evening. When I got home, he called me and we talked for 5 hours. Two days later, he came to visit at my house with a single rose in hand. Shortly after, young love blossomed, and in 6 months, we were engaged. 凝视着他的眼睛,我陷入自己的思绪当中。我在思索着如何措词。布兰顿重复道:“这是 我的弟弟斯科特„„斯科特,这是塔拉。”我们同时向对方问好,并握了握手。但我们握手的时 间比多数情况下的都要长。在饭馆的嘈杂喧闹声中,我沉浸在自己的小小世界里,心头充满幸 福感。那一夜我们过得很快乐。我回到家,他就打电话给我了,我们聊了五个小时。两天后, 他手握一支玫瑰到我家来拜访。不久,我们两个年轻人坠入了爱河。六个月后,我们订婚了。 Mother was uncomfortable with our engagement because she thought we were too young to get engaged. Love injected a thread of hope and joy into my life and for the first time I truly believed that I had my fate in my hands. On November 13th,1993, one week after my 18th birthday, we exchanged vows in front of our close friends and family. Many were unhappy about our wedding. They informed us that we wouldn‟t last 3 months. Last year we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary! 我母亲对于我们的订婚感到不安,因为她觉得我们还太年轻。爱情给我的人生注入了一 丝希望和快乐。人生的头一回,我深信命运就把握在我的手中。1993年11月13日,也就是我 十八岁生日的一周后,我们在我们的亲朋好友面前交换了誓言。很多人并不为我们的婚礼感 到高兴。他们告诉我们,我们的婚姻熬不过三个月。而去年,我们庆祝了我们的第十五个结婚 纪念日! Life is not easy for young couples. We have endured many trials and tribulations in our time together. We survived financial hardships, the death of both of his parents, loss of jobs, sickness, and most recently, our house burnt down. We lost everything but our lives. What hasn‟t killed us, has only made us stronger. 生活对于年轻夫妇来说并不容易。在一起度过的时光中,我们经受了很多考验和磨难。 我们挺过了一个又一个难 关——经济困难、他父母去世、失业以及疾病,就在最近,我们的房 子被烧掉了。除了生命,我们变得一无所有。但那些没将我们置之于死地的灾难只能使我们 更加坚强。 We had each other and fought fate to make things better. I even got to start nursing school in 2000. We made a commitment to each other when we were probably too young. But we knew we loved each other from the start. Who knows where I‟d be today had fate not thrown me into that restaurant all those years ago. I recognize the limitations of my fate but most importantly I recognize the vastness of the possibilities we control with our free will. While we cannot do absolutely anything, we can do so many things that we can consistently surprise ourselves, and make our lives as unique and meaningful as we wish. 我们拥有彼此,和命运抗争只为创造更美好的生活。2000年,我甚至开始进卫校学习。当 我们向对方许下诺言时,我们也许太过年轻。但我们知道,我们从一开始就爱着对方。如果那 些年以前命运没有让我走进那间饭馆,谁知道我今天又会在哪里呢?我意识到自己命运的局 限性,但最重要的是,我意识到我以自由意志掌控人生还是有着无限的可能。尽管我们不可能 随心所欲,但我们能做许多事来不断给自己创造惊喜,使我们的人生像我们所憧憬的那样独特 而有意义。 Life is like a train ride Life is like a train ride. We get on. We ride. We get off. We get back on and ride some more. There are accidents and there are delays. At certain stops there are surprises. Some of these will translate into great moments of joy; some will result in profound sorrow. 人生就如一趟火车之旅。我们上车,前进,下车。接着,我们又回到火车上,再乘坐几程。这当中 会有意外发生,也会出现延误的情况。在某些站点,我们会遇上令人惊异之事,或会化作喜悦时 刻,或会以刻骨悲痛收场。 When we are born and we first board the train, we meet people whom we think will be with us for the entire journey. Those people are our parents! Sadly, this is far from the truth. Our parents are with us for as long as we absolutely need them. They, too, have journeys they must complete. We live on with the memories of their love, affection, friendship, guidance and their constant presence. 出生后,第一次踏上火车时,我们会遇见一些我们自以为将陪伴我们走完整个旅程的人,那就 是我们的父母!令人难过的是,事实远不是如此。在我们的确需要我们的父母时,他们会在我们 身边。但他们也有他们必须完成的旅程。带着他们的爱、深情、友谊、指引和时刻相伴的这 些记忆,我们继续着自己的生活。 There are others who board the train and who eventually become very important to us, in turn. These people are our brothers, sisters, friends and acquaintances, whom we will learn to love, and cherish. 还有些登上火车的人最终会成为对于我们至关重要的人。这些人就是我们的兄弟、姐妹、朋 友和熟人,我们将学着去爱他们,去珍惜他们。 Some people consider their journey like a jaunty tour. They will just go merrily along. Others will encounter many upsets, tears and losses on their journey. Others still, will linger on to offer a helping hand to anyone in need. 有些人把他们的人生看作是一次无忧无虑的旅程,他们一路上都会快乐前行。另一些人会在 他们的旅程中遇上许多烦心的事,泪流连连,每每失落。另一些人则会驻足停留,向任何需要帮 助的人伸出援手。 Some people on the train will leave an everlasting impression when they get off. Some will get on and get off the train so quickly, they will scarcely leave a sign that they ever travelled along with you or ever crossed your path. 火车上的一些人下了车,还会让你久久难忘。一些人匆匆上车又匆匆下车,几乎没留下任何曾 和你一同走过一段旅程抑或曾遇上你的痕迹。 We will sometimes be upset that some passengers, whom we love, will choose to sit in another compartment and leave us to travel on our own. Then again, there‟s nothing that says we can‟t seek them out anyway. Nevertheless, once sought out and found, we may not even be able to sit next to them because that seat will already be taken. 有时,当我们所爱之人选择坐在另一节车厢里,留我们独自旅行时,我们会感到心烦意乱。但话 说回来,也没规定说我们不能主动去找他们。然而,一旦找到,我们却会发现,自己也许已不能坐 在他们身旁了,因为那个位置已被别人占了。 That‟s okay …everyone‟s journey will be filled with hopes, dreams, challenges, setbacks and goodbyes. 没关系„„每个人的旅程都将充满希望、梦想、挑战、挫折和离别。 We must strive to make the best of it… no matter what. We must constantly strive to understand our travel companions and look for the best in everyone. 无论如何,我们必须努力使我们的人生之旅过得充实精彩。我们必须不断努力去理解我们的 旅伴,从他们每个人身上发掘最亮的闪光点。 Remember that at any moment during our journey, any one of our travel companions can have a weak moment and be in need of our help. We, too, may vacillate or hesitate, even trip. Hopefully, we can count on someone being there to be supportive and understanding… 记住，在旅程中的任何时刻，我们的任何一位旅伴都可能有脆弱的时候,并需要我们的帮助。 我们也会有犹豫不决、迟疑,甚至跌倒的时候。只是希望我们能依靠身边的人给予我们支持 和理解„„ The bigger mystery of our journey is that we don‟t know when our last stop will come. Neither do we know when our travel companions will make their last stop. Not even those sitting in the seat next to us. Personally, I know I‟ll be sad to make my final stop… I‟m sure of it! My separation from all those friends and acquaintances I made during the train ride will be painful. Leaving all those I‟m close to will be a sad thing. But then again, I‟m certain that one day I‟ll get to the main station only to meet up with everyone else. They‟ll all be carrying their baggage, most of which they didn‟t have when they first got on this train. 我们的旅途较为神秘之处在于,我们不知道我们何时到达人生的最后一站,也不清楚我们的旅 伴,甚至是那些就坐在我们身旁的人何时走完他们的最后一程。就我个人而言,我知道走最后 一程时,我会悲伤„„这点我很肯定!和所有在旅程中遇见的朋友和熟人分别,我会很痛苦。离 开所有我亲近的人是件让人难过的事。但话说回来,总有一天,我会到达中心车站,和其他所有 人会合。他们都会提着各自的行李,而其中大部分行李是他们初次踏上这列火车时不曾有的。 I‟ll be glad to see them again. I‟ll also be glad to have contributed to their baggage and to have enriched their lives, just as much as they will have contributed to my baggage and enriched my life. 再次见到他们,我会很高兴。自己曾作为部分记忆被装进他们的行李箱,丰富了他们的人生, 就像他们曾作为部分记忆被装进我的行李箱,丰富了我的人生一样,对此,我会感到开心。 We‟re all on this train ride together. Above all, we should all try to strive to make the ride as pleasant and memorable as we can, right up until we each make the final stop and leave the train for the last time. 我们所有人一起乘坐着这趟火车。最重要的是,我们都应该尽可能地使我们的人生之旅过得 愉快而难忘,直到我们每个人都抵达最后一个站,最后一次走下火车。 All aboard! 乘客全部到齐! Safe journey!! 一路平安!! BON VOYAGE! 旅途愉快!