英语美文欣赏87Every day is a lucky dayI teach economics at UNLV three times per week. Last Monday, at the beginning of class, I cheerfully asked my students how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend had not been so good. He had his wisdom teeth removed. The young man then proceeded to ask me why I always seemed to be so cheerful.His question reminded me of something I'd read somewhere before: "Every morning when you get up, you have a choice about how you want to approach life that day," I said. "I choose to be cheerful.""Let me give you an example," I continued, addressing all sixty students in the class. "In addition to teaching here at UNLV, I also teach out at the community college in Henderson, 17 miles down the freeway from where I live. One day a few weeks ago I drove those 17 miles to Henderson. I exited the freeway and turned onto College Drive. I only had to drive another quarter mile down the road to the college. But just then my car died. I tried to start it again, but the engine wouldn't turn over. So I put my flashers on, grabbed my books, and marched down the road to the college.""As soon as I got there I called AAA and arranged for a tow truck to meet me at my car after class. The secretary in the Provost's office asked me what has happened. 'This is my lucky day,' I replied, smiling."" 'Your car breaks down and today is your lucky day?' She was puzzled. 'What do you mean?'"" 'I live 17 miles from here.' I replied. 'My car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway. It didn't. Instead, it broke down in the perfect place: off the freeway, within walking distance of here. I'm still able to teach my class, and I've been able to arrange for the tow truck to meet me after class. If my car was meant to break down today, it couldn't have been arranged in a more convenient fashion.'""The secretary's eyes opened wide, and then she smiled. I smiled back and headed for class." So ended my story.I scanned the sixty faces in my economics class at UNLV. Despite the early hour, no one seemed to be asleep. Somehow, my story had touched them. Or maybe it wasn't the story at all. In fact, it had all started with a student's observation that I was cheerful.Free to soar有限的自由上天让我经历逆境，体验束缚的滋味，并定下规则约束我们，让我们从中成长起来，获得人生的力量……One windy spring day, I observed young people having fun using the wind to fly their kites. Multicolored creations of varying shapes and sizes filled the skies like beautiful birds darting and dancing. As the strong winds gusted against the kites, a string kept them in check.Instead of blowing away with the wind, they arose against it to achieve great heights. They shook and pulled, but the restraining string and the cumbersome tail kept them in tow, facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and kept them in tow, facing upward and against the wind. As the kites struggled and trembled against the string, they seemed to say,” Let me go! Let me go! I want to be free!” they soared beautifully even as they fought the restriction of the string. Finally, one o f the kites succeeded in breaking loose. “Free at last,” it seemed to say. “Free to fly with the wind.”Yet freedom from restraint simply put it at the mercy of an unsympathetic breeze. It fluttered ungracefully to the ground and landed in a tangled mass of weeds and string against a dead bush. ”Free at last”, free to lie powerless in the dirt, to be blown helplessly along the ground, and to lodge lifeless against the first obstruction.How much like kites we sometimes are. The heaven gives us adversity and restrictions, rules to follow from which we can grow and gain strength. Restraint is a necessary counterpart to the winds of opposition. Some of us tug at the rules so hard that we never soar to reach the heights we might have obtained. We keep part of the commandment and never rise high enough to get our tails off the ground.Let us each rise to the great heights, recognizing that some of the restraints that we may chafe under are actually the steadying force that helps us ascend and achieve.Run Through the Rain雨中的记忆世间万物皆有自己的季节，做任何事情也有一个恰当的时机。

如果有机会，你也可以在雨中狂奔一回……She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, 1)freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that 2)gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to flow down the spout.We all stood there under the 3)awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others 4)irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always 5)mesmerized by rainfall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome 6)reprieve from the worries of my day.Her voice was so sweet as it broke the 7)hypnotic 8)trance we were all caught in. "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said."What?" Mom asked."Let's run through the rain!" She repeated."No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain.""We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said."No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm."This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?""Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. Time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith. "Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said. Then off they ran.We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing. Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories. So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day!To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It waspouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to flow down the spout.We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in. "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said."What?" Mom asked."Let's run through the rain!" She repeated."No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain.""We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said."No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm."This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?""Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. Time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith. "Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said. Then off they ran.We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing. Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories. So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day!To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.为人父母If it was going to easy, it never would have started with something called labor!Shouting to make your children obey is like using the horn to steer your car, and you get about the same results.To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today.The smartest advice on raising children is to enjoy them while they are still on your side.The best way to keep kids at home is to give it a loving atmosphere and hide the keys to the car.The right temperature in a home is maintained by warm hearts, not by hot heads.Parents: People who bare infants, bore teenagers, and board newlyweds.The joy of motherhood : What a woman experiences when all the children are finally in bed.Life’s garden age is when the kids are too old to need baby-sitters and too young to borrow the family car.Grandparents are similar to a piece of string-handy to have around and easily wrapped around the fingers of grandchildren.A child outgrows your lap, but never outgrows your heart.God gave you two ears and one mouth…so you should listen twice as much as you talk.There are three ways to get something done: Do it yourself, hire someone to do it, or forbid your children to do it.Adolescence is the age when children try to bring up their parents.Cleaning your house while your kids are at home is like trying to shovel the driveway during a snowstorm.Oh, to be only half as wonderful as my child thought I was when he was small, and half an stupid as my teenager now thinks I am.There are only two things a child will share willingly: communicable diseases and his mother’s age.Money isn’t everyt hing , but it sure keeps the kids in touch.Adolescence is the age at which children stop asking questions because they know all the answers.An alarm clock is a device for awakening people who don’t have small children.No wonder kids are confused today. Half the adults tell them to find themselves; the other half tell them to get lost.People hardest to convince that it’s time for retirement are children at bedtime.Kids really brighten a household; they never turn off any lights.The difference a teacher can make史蒂夫已经12岁了，他的父母都是酒鬼，他几乎都要辍学了。