经典英语散文阅读精选精编.docx

经典英语散文阅读精选英语散文：The Song of the River(河之歌) The Song of the River 河之歌 W.S Maugham 毛姆 You hear it all along the river. You hear it, loud and strong, from the rowers as they urge the junk with its high stern, the mast lashed alongside, down the swift running stream. You hear it from the trackers, a more breathless chant, as they pull desperately against the current, half a dozen of them perhaps if they are taking up wupan, a couple of hundred if they are hauling a splendid junk, its square sail set, over a rapid. 沿河上下都可以听见那歌声。

它洪亮而有力，那是船夫，他们划着木船顺流向下，船尾翘得很高，桅杆系在船边它也可能是比较急促的号子，那是纤夫，他们拉纤逆流而上假如拉的是小木船，或许就只五六个人;假如拉的是扬着横帆的大船过急滩，那就要200来人 On the junk, a man stands amidships beating a drum incessantly to guide their efforts, and they pull with all their strength, like men possessed, bent double; and sometimes in the extremity of their travail they craw on the ground, on all fours, like the beasts of the field. They strain, strain fiercely, against the pitiless might of the stream. 船中心站着一个汉子不停地击鼓助威，引导他们加劲于是他们使出全部力气，像着了魔似的，腰弯成两折，有时力气用到极限就全身趴在地上匍匐前进，像田里的牲口。

The leader goes up and down the line and when he sees one who is not putting all his will into the task he brings down his split bamboo on the naked back. Each one must do his utmost or the labour of all is vain. And still they sing a vehement, eager chant, the chant of the turbulent waters. 领头的在纤绳前后跑来跑去，见到有人没有全力以赴，竹板就打在他光着的背上每个人都必需全力以赴，否则就要前功尽弃就这样他们还是唱着激扬而热切的号子，那汹涌澎湃的河水号子 I do not know words can describe what there is in it of effort. It serves to express the straining heart, the breaking muscles, and at the same time the indomitable spirit of man which overcomes the pitiless force of nature. Though the rope may part and the great junk swing back, in the end the rapid will be passed; and at the close of the weary day there is the hearty meal... 我不知道词语怎样能描写出其中所包括的拼搏，它表现的是绷紧的心弦，几乎要断裂的筋肉，同时也表现了人类克服无情的自然力的坚韧精神。

他们用劲，舍命用劲，对抗着水流无情的威力虽然绳子可能扯断，大船可能倒退，但最终险滩必将通过，在力倦神疲的一天结束时可以痛快地吃上一顿饱饭….. But the most agonizing song is the song of the coolies who bring the great bales from the junk up the steep steps to the town wall. Up and down they go, endlessly, and endless as their toil rises their rhythmic cry. He, aw --ah, oh. They are barefoot and naked to the waist. The sweat pours down their faces and their song is a groan of pain. 然而最令人难过的却是苦力的歌，他们背负着船上卸下的大包，沿着陡坡爬上城墙他们不停地上上下下，随着无尽的劳动响起有节奏的喊声：嗨，呦——嗬，嗨他们赤着脚，光着背，汗水不断地从脸上流下。

It is a sigh of despair. It is heart-rending. It is hardly human. It is the cry of souls in infinite distress, only just musical, and that last note is the ultimate sob of humanity. Life is too hard, too cruel, and this is the final despairing protest. That is the song of the river. 他们的歌是苦痛的.悲观的叹息，听来令人心碎，简直不像是人的声音它是灵魂在无尽悲戚中的呼喊，只不过有着音乐的节奏而已那终了的一声简直就是人性泯灭的低泣生活太艰难、太残酷，这喊声正是最终无望的.这就是河之歌 英语散文：The Living Seas(富有生命的海洋) The Living Seas The ocean covers three quarters of the earth's surface, produces 90 percentof allits life-supporting oxygen, and is the driving force behind the entireweather system. There are over 450 million cubic miles of sea water on theearth; and each cubic mile contains over 150 million tons of minerals. So vast and so pervasive is the sea that if the earth's crust were made level,ocean water would form a blanket over 8,000 feet deep. The oceans contribute immeasurably to the earth's life support system aswell as provide an untapped storehouse of food, minerals, energy, and ar-chaeological treasureAdvanced atmospheric diving suits permit researchers to descend to depthsof l,500 feet. Yet the ocean's average depth is greater than 12,000 feet. It is atthese depths that remarkable discoveries are being made, discoveries whichonly a short time ago would have been impossible. In that depth, where darkness is absolute and pressure exceeds eight tons persquare inch, robotic submersibles have discovered enormous gorges, fourtimes deeper than the Grand Canyon Here, too, are volcanoes that vastlyoutnumber those on land. Landslides the size of Rhode Island have beenrecorded, as well as raging undersea storms that go completely unnoticed oitthe surface while dramatically rearranging the underwater landscapes. And under these seas the largest single geological feature on earth hasbeen found-a mountain range that dwarfs the Himalayas. It's a range thatcovers nearly one quarter of the earth's surface. All these discoveries have come from the exploration ofless than one-tenthof this undersea mountain range. The earth is the only planet we know that has an ocean. The ocean is tlielargest feature on earth. Yet it's the one feature we know the least about. Weknow more about the moon 240,000 miles away than we know about thethree-fourths of the earth covered with water. Man has set foot on the moon,but not on the most remote part of the earth, 35,000 feet under the sea. Technology i。