最新四级晨读主题美文100篇 60

Not Being Grateful Without Missing

　　All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified¹ time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year; sometimes as short as twenty-four hours, but always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed² man chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned³ criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly⁴ delimited.

　　Such stories sep us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstance. What associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings? What happiness should we find in reviewing the past, what regret?

　　Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with a gentleness, a vigor⁵, and a keenness of appreciation⁶ which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama⁷ of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the epicurean motto of "Eat, drink, and be merry", most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending⁸ death.

　　Most of us take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far as in the future, when we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista⁹. So we go about our petty task, hardly aware of our listless attitude towards life.

　　The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of our faculties¹⁰ and sense. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings¹¹ that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to shoes who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sound hazily¹², without concentration, and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful without missing.
失去后才懂得珍惜

我们都读过一些令人兴奋激动的故事，故事的主人公只能再活一段很有限的时光。有时长达一年，有时却短至24小时。但是在探究这个将要离世的人选择怎样度过他最后岁月的问题上，我们都充满兴趣。当然，我说的是有选择权利的自由人而不是死刑犯。死刑犯的活动范围是受严格限制的。

这样的故事使我们思索，如果我们自己处在相似的情况下，应该做什么？临死之时，什么样的事情、体验、关系该被放入最后的时光中呢？回忆往昔，什么使我们快乐开心？什么又使我们悔恨抱憾呢？

有时，我常这样想，每天活得要像明天即将死去一样，这或许是一个非常好的规则。这样的态度可以鲜明地强调生命的价值。我们应该活得优雅从容，朝气蓬勃，观察锐敏，而这些将会日复一日，月复一月，年复一年慢慢丢失。当然，也有一些人一生只是“吃、喝、享受”，然而，大多数人们在得知死亡的确存在时都会有所收敛。

我们大多数人认为生活是理所当然的。我们知道总有一天要面对死亡，但总认为那一天还在遥远的将来。当我们身强体健时，死亡好像是不可想象的，我们很少考虑它。日子多得好像没有尽头。因此，我们一味忙于琐事，却没意识到这种对待生活的态度太盲目。

我担心同样的冷漠也存在于我们对自己所有官能和意识的使用上。只有聋子感激欣赏听力，只有瞎子体会得到看见事物的乐趣。这种研究特别适合那些在成年时丧失了视力与听力的人。而那些从未体会过丧失视力和听力之苦的人们，很少能充分使用这些美好的官能。他们心不在下焉，也不太感兴趣，用眼睛和耳杂模糊地看着和听着周围的一切。正如人们不知道珍惜自己拥有的直到失去了才明白它的价值一样，人们只有在病的时候，才意识到健康的好处。

1 specified   

adj.特定的

参考例句：

• The architect specified oak for the wood trim. 那位建筑师指定用橡木做木饰条。
• It is generated by some specified means. 这是由某些未加说明的方法产生的。

2 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

3 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

4 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

5 vigor   

n.活力，精力，元气

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• She didn't want to be reminded of her beauty or her former vigor.现在，她不愿人们提起她昔日的美丽和以前的精力充沛。

6 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

7 panorama   

n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置]

参考例句：

• A vast panorama of the valley lay before us.山谷的广阔全景展现在我们面前。
• A flourishing and prosperous panorama spread out before our eyes.一派欣欣向荣的景象展现在我们的眼前。

8 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

9 vista   

n.远景，深景，展望，回想

参考例句：

• From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
• These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。

10 faculties   

n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院

参考例句：

• Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬，但头脑仍然清晰。
• All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中，你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

12 hazily   

ad. vaguely, not clear

参考例句：

• He remembered her only hazily. 他只是模模糊糊地记得她。
• We saw the distant hills hazily. 我们朦胧地看到了远处的山丘。