所谓读书破万卷,下笔如有神。一定的阅读功底会对作文产生潜移默化的效果。特别是非母语的英语,大量的阅读积累是写作的基础和前提。小编分享经典优秀英语美文，希望可以帮助大家!

经典优秀英语美文：How to Prepare for the First Time at Anything

Forget what others think

In order to decrease the stress you feel about your first time, just forget what others are thinking of you.

First, many people don't really care that much if you happen to fail at something. If you are open about your inexperience, they are most likely to forgive your inability to perform well.

Second, remember that others have also started from "zero" as well (driving a car, giving a public speech, going out for a date, etc.).

Third, focus on your own performance — not on others. For instance, if you're going to be running in your first marathon ever your goal is just to pass the finish line, not to run a new world record.

Ditch the perfection

On very rare occasions can you manage to do something perfectly the first time you do it, so when you do something for the first time, it is time to ditch the notion of perfection.

I remember the first time I drove a car in traffic after getting my driver's license. I was very nervous and I was overwhelmed by the traffic — my driving style showed that I wasn't a very confident driver. Now I'm much more experienced as a driver. Although I still don't consider myself a perfect one, I'm much more confident behind the wheel than what I was when I started.

In general, it is useless to strive for perfection when you do something for the first time. You are setting the bar too high and you just feel bad when you are not able to meet the level you have set.

Also, perfection is just another way to procrastinate(耽搁，延迟), so trying to be perfect is just a waste of time. You want to pursue excellence instead.

The time you spend doesn't matter

One common characteristic of doing something for the first time is that it is most likely to be more time-consuming than subsequent times. If you are inexperienced, the first few times you are just going to be learning anyway — and hopefully getting better in the process.

Just take your time and try to learn as much as possible as you go. You will realize that the second time is much easier, since you already have some experience in your pocket.

Plan and prepare

If possible, try to plan and prepare as much as possible before doing something new. This way you will gain more self-confidence, and by planning and preparing you actually may have a bit more control of things.

But you don't always have that sense of control. For instance, if you are going out on a first date, you cannot plan every possible topic to talk about in advance — nor is it reasonable to do that.

On the other hand, if you are going to take a certification test related to your profession, you can study and prepare so that you can reach a whole different level when you take the exam.

Prepare for the second time

Once you have gone through your "first time experience", you'll have broken the biggest barrier of all. The excitement and fear is most likely gone and the next time won't be that scary anymore.

To make the next time even a smoother experience, do these two things during your first time:

Take notes. It never hurts to write things down as you go. These notes can help you to feel more confident and you can go them through when preparing for the second time

Run through a checklist. Create a checklist, so that you can prepare even better for the next time. For example, to prepare yourself to give a presentation, write down a checklist to go through before the actual event. This way you can make sure that all the necessary requirements are met before the presentation begins.

Conclusion

You'll never be fully prepared for the first time at everything, but if you use the tips above the next time you face something new you'll have a much better chance to enjoy the experience. And then you'll want to do it again.

经典优秀英语美文：What New Challenge are You Going to Take This

If you want to grow, you need to expand your personal capacity. It's an important topic that deserves constant reminder.

Expanding your personal capacity is essential for your personal growth. It will take you the next level in life. It will make you a better person. For that, what you need to do is taking a new challenge. You should move out of your comfort zone and do something that stretches your skills and abilities. It's inconvenient, but that's the way to grow.

What new challenge are you going to take this year?

We still have eleven months in 2012 which is enough to work on a new challenge. Don't waste them by just doing what you always do. Do something that will take you to the next level in life.

To help you choose a new challenge to take, here are a few ideas:

Take an online course

Is there a subject you are fascinated about and want to study if you had time? Well, this year might be the time for you. There are a lot of courses available on iTunes U that you can choose from, not to mention other sources like YouTube. There is even a new breed of interactive courses that will give you assignments and give you feedback (here are some examples). With so many options available, I'm sure you can find something on the subject you are interested in.

Start a side business

Perhaps you already have an idea for a side business. It could come from your hobby or from a specific need that you come across. Why don't you make it a reality this year? Having a side business is a good way to expand your capacity because it will teach you a lot in the process. Plus, it could give you an extra cushion(垫子，缓冲) in this uncertain economic times.

Start a blog

Today everyone can express his or her thoughts through a blog. You are no longer limited to just being a consumer of information. If you have a subject you are passionate about, it's a good idea to start a blog on it. You will learn a lot more by writing about it, plus you will meet interesting people along the way.

One word of caution: don't expect instant success if you decided to build something. It takes time to build something, so don't get discouraged if your blog didn't attract many readers or your business didn't give you enough revenue in the beginning. Remember, your goal here is to expand your personal capacity.

经典优秀英语美文：Taffy Twist

"How's it look?" my mother asked me. I stared into the boiling pink goo(感伤，粘性物) bubbling up in the pan. My mom had decided that we should have an "old-fashioned" Christmas this year, and we were experimenting with making taffy(太妃糖) for the first time in our lives.

"I think it's ready," I said. The candy thermometer read 265 degrees. My mother checked it.

"It's definitely ready," she said. "Let's pour it out."

My little sister, Janet, had a large cookie sheet buttered and ready to go. My brother Mike and his best friend, Jimmy, looked on as my mother took the hot pan off the stove and poured the pink taffy slowly onto the cookie sheet. It looked shiny and delicious.

"While we wait for that to cool, let's pull this one," my mom said, pointing to the white taffy we'd made earlier.

"Yeah!" we shouted. It was the moment we'd been waiting for. My mom cut the white taffy into two halves and gave one hunk to Mike and Jimmy, and the other hunk to Janet and me. As teams, we began pulling on opposite sides of our taffy, making long stringy(绳的，纤维的) lengths, folding it in half and pulling it out again. We did this over and over until our sticky taffy turned smooth and satiny. It was hot work, but no one minded on such a cold December night in Alaska. It made us feel cozy even though huge snowflakes spun past the streetlights outside.

Now that the taffy was pulled, we rolled it into one big ball. From there, we took small pieces and formed them into little taffy "snakes." When the pink taffy was cool enough, we repeated the process.

"Now," my mother said, "watch this." She picked up a length of white taffy and a length of pink taffy and twisted them together. She pinched the ends and formed a crook(骗子，弯处) at the top. "It's a candy cane!" she said.

"How cool!" we said, excited to be making our own candy canes from scratch. We got busy twisting the taffy and soon had a large batch of candy canes ready. We took them out to the living room and hung them one by one on our Christmas tree. Our tree was decorated with homemade ornaments in the spirit of an old-fashioned Christmas and the freshly made candy canes added just the right touch. We took a moment to admire our handiwork and then headed back into the kitchen to clean up our mess.

After the last pan had been washed and dried and the kitchen was tidied up, we returned to the living room to enjoy our creations and relax in front of the fire. But when we entered the living room, the sight of our tree made us stop and stare in amazement.

The homemade taffy candy canes were now two and three feet long! They oozed from branch to branch like thick pink and white spider webs.

"Oh no!" my mother shrieked. "The heat from the fireplace is melting the taffy!"

Mike stifled a laugh. That did it. In an instant, we were all hysterical(歇斯底里的) with laughter as we watched the blobs of taffy slowly plop(扑通落下) onto the carpet.

The next year at Christmas, we bought candy canes from the store.