英语美文：信念的力量

 　信心之所以有着不可思议的强大力量,因为它们对我们的生命就像方向舵对轮船一样,控制着我们的方向和命运。我们并不总是像自己表白的那样去生活,而是一直都生活在我们的信念里。简单地说,如果我相信我是一个失败者,我就注定会是一个失败者。如果我相信我会成功,我就会成功。

　　Born in 1758, Horatio nelson, the son of a pastor¹, was a small, frail1 child who loved sailing. As a young teenager he joined the British Navy³ and, while journeying to the East Indies, caught a fever that seriously damaged his health. But he never allowed this to hold him back. At age 18, he was appointed a lieutenant2 in the Royal Navy and by the year 1802 was made commander-in-chief. 

　　Two years later, at the battle of Trafalgar, Nelson defeated the combined3 French and Spanish fleets4. This was the greatest naval⁵ victory in British history and left British in control of the seas for the rest of the 1800's. Unfortunately, Nelson was mortally injured but lived long enough to know that his fleet⁴ had won the battle. His last words were, "Thank God I have done my duty."

　　Nelson was a man of fearless courage and devotion. He believed in his country, in his cause, and in himself. He once said, "I am of the opinion5 that the boldest⁶ measures are the safest." Nelson was a man greatly admired by others who said about him, "His frail² body housed6 a great spirit." 

　　One person with a belief is equal to a force of 99 who only have interest. 

　　Beliefs are remarkably⁷ powerful in that they are to our lives what a rudder7 is to a ship. That is, they control the direction and destiny⁸ of our lives. While we don't always live the life we profess8, we always live the life we believe. Simply put, if I believe I am a failure, I will set myself up to fail. If I believe I am a successful person, I will succeed, and so on. 

　　One very successful woman, a well-known entertainer, didn't have much going for her. She would never win a beauty contest and at age 38 was living on welfare. After reading Claude Briston's The Magic of Believing and beginning to believe in herself, her life took a dramatic⁹ turn. One gift she had was the ability to make people laugh. Once she believed this, she didn't allow what she didn't have to stop her using what she did have. 

　　Jimmie Durante was another entertainer who wouldn't have made a fortune with his looks. But he capitalized on9 his weakness and turned it into one of his great strengths -- what he did have -- and put these to good use because he believed he could. 

　　 英语美文 信念的力量 单词注释 

　　①frail adj.脆(薄、虚)弱的,不坚固的,易碎的 

　　②lieutenant n.(英)陆军中尉,海军陆战队上尉 

　　③combine vt.使联合(结合) 

　　④fleet n.舰队 

　　⑤of the opinion 持有……的看法 

　　⑥house vt.容纳 

　　⑦rudder n.(船等的)舵;(航空)方向舵;指针 

　　⑧profess vt.声称,承认,明言,宣布 

　　⑨capitalize on利用

1 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

2 frail   

adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的

参考例句：

• Mrs. Warner is already 96 and too frail to live by herself.华纳太太已经九十六岁了，身体虚弱，不便独居。
• She lay in bed looking particularly frail.她躺在床上，看上去特别虚弱。

3 navy   

n.海军，海军人员，海军军力，藏青色

参考例句：

• My brother is in the navy.我兄弟在海军服役。
• He has transferred from the army to the navy.他从陆军转到海军。

4 fleet   

n.舰队；船队，机群

参考例句：

• He made his money with a fleet of moving vans.他靠一队家具搬运车赚钱。
• He was placed in command of the fleet.他被任命为舰队司令。

5 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

6 boldest   

adj.明显的( bold的最高级 )；粗体的；勇敢的；冒失的

参考例句：

• And the government's offsetting policy offensive has been the rich world's boldest. 而政府采取的旨在抵消这些负面影响的政策攻势在发达国家中也是最为大胆的。 来自互联网
• Yet the outcome of Marcus Wallenberg's boldest technology investment is still uncertain. 马库斯？瓦伦堡最激进的技术投资的结果依旧待定。 来自互联网

7 remarkably   

ad.不同寻常地，相当地

参考例句：

• I thought she was remarkably restrained in the circumstances. 我认为她在那种情况下非常克制。
• He made a remarkably swift recovery. 他康复得相当快。

8 destiny   

n.命运，定数，天命

参考例句：

• Nobody knows his own destiny.没有人知道自己的命运。
• It was her destiny to become famous.她命里注定出名。

9 dramatic   

adj.引人注目的；戏剧的；演戏的

参考例句：

• She plays a very dramatic woman with flashing eyes.她饰演一位双眼闪光的引人注目的妇人。
• His speech was dramatic.他的演说激动人心。