在英语教学中,开展经典美文教学不仅能提高学生的文学水平,而且能提高学生的语文素养,对培养学生的语言素养和人文素养具有极大益处,更能丰富学生的精神世界,磨炼学生的意志。本文是关于经典英语美文，希望对大家有帮助!

关于经典英语美文：美国革命的历史意义

The Historical Significance of American Revolution

The ways of history are so intricate and the motivations of human actions so complex that it is always hazardous to attempt to represent events covering a number of years, a multiplicity of persons, and distant localities as the expression of one intellectual or social movement; yet the historical process which culminated in the ascent of Thomas Jefferson to the presidency can be regarded as the outstanding example not only of the birth of a new way of life but of nationalism as a new way of life. The American Revolution represents the link between the seventeenth century, in which modern England became conscious of itself, and the awakening of modern Europe at the end of the eighteenth century. It may seem strange that the march of history should have had to cross the Atlantic Ocean, but only in the North American colonies could a struggle for civic liberty lead also to the foundation of a new nation.

Here, in the popular rising against a "tyrannical" government, the fruits were more than the securing of a freer constitution. They included the growth of a nation born in liberty by the will of the people, not from the roots of common descent, a geographic entity, or the ambitions of king or dynasty. With the American nation, for the first time, a nation was born, not in the dim past of history but before the eyes of the whole world.

美国革命的历史意义

历史的进程是如此错综复杂，人类行为的动机是如此令人费解，以至于想把那些时间跨度大，涉及人数多，空间范围广的事件描述成为一个智者或一场社会运动的表现的企图是危险的。 然而以托马斯 ·杰弗逊登上总统宝座为高潮的那一段历史过程可以被视为一个特殊的例子。 在这段历史时期里不仅诞生了新的生活方式，而且民族主义成为了一种新的生活方式。 美国独立战争成为联结 17 世纪现代英格兰的自我意识和 18 世纪末现代欧洲的觉醒的纽带。 历史的行程需要跨越大西洋，这看起来似乎有些奇怪，但却只有在北美殖民地为民权和自由的斗争才能导致新国家的建立。 这里，反对"暴政"的民众起义的成果不仅是获得一个包含更多自由的宪法，还包括了一个依照人民的意愿诞生在自由中的国家的成长。这个国家不是基于血缘、地理、君主或王朝的野心。 由于有了美国，第一次一个国家的诞生不是发生在历史模糊的过去，而是在全世界人们的眼前。

关于经典英语美文：Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie, known as the King of Steel, built the steel industry in the United States, and,in the process, became one of the wealthiest men in America. His success resulted in part fromhis ability to sell the product and in part from his policy of expanding during periods ofeconomic decline, when most of his competitors were reducing their investments.

Carnegie believed that individuals should progress through hard work, but he also felt stronglythat the wealthy should use their fortunes for the benefit of society. He opposed charity,preferring instead to provide educational opportunities that would allow others to helpthemselves. "He who dies rich, dies disgraced, " he often said.

Among his more noteworthy contributions to society are those that bear his name,includingthe Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, which has a library, a museum of fine arts, and amuseum of national history. He also founded a school of technology that is now part ofCarnegie-Mellon University. Other philanthropic gifts are the Carnegie Endowment forInternational Peace to promote understanding between nations, the Carnegie Institute ofWashington to fund scientific research, and Carnegie Hall to provide a center for the arts.

Few Americans have been left untouched by Andrew Carnegie's generosity. His contributions ofmore than five million dollars established 2,500 libraries in small communities throughout thecountry and formed the nucleus of the public library system that we all enjoy today.

安德鲁 ·卡内基 被称作钢铁大王的安德鲁 ·卡内基在美国建立了钢铁工业。 在这个过程中，他变成了美国最富有的人之一。 他的成功，部分来自于他销售产品的能力，部分来自于经济萧条时期的扩充策略。 在萧条时期，他的多数对手都在缩减投资。卡内基认为个人应该通过努力工作来获得进展，但他也强烈地感到有钱人应该运用他们的财富来为社会谋取福利。 他反对施舍救济，更愿意提供教育机会，使别人自立。 卡内基经常说："富有着死去的人死得可耻。"他对社会的较重要的贡献都以他的名字命名。 这些贡献包括匹兹堡卡内基学校。 这个学校有一个图书馆，一个美术馆和一个国家历史博物馆;他还创立了一所技术学校，这所学校现在是卡内基 梅隆大学的一部分;其他的慈善捐赠有为促进国家间了解的"卡内基国际和平基金"，为科学研究提供经费的华盛顿卡内基学院以及给各种艺术活动提供活动中心的卡内基音乐厅。安德鲁 ·卡内基的慷慨大度几乎影响到每个美国人的生活。

由于他超过五百万美元的捐款，2500 个图书馆得以建立起来，遍布在美国各地的小村镇，形成了我们今天还在享用的公共图书馆系统的核心。

关于经典英语美文：Animals' Compasses

Researchers have found that migrating animals use a variety of inner compasses to help themnavigate. Some steer by the position of the Sun. Others navigate by the stars. Some use theSun as their guide during the day and then switch to star navigation by night. One studyshows that the homing pigeon uses the Earth's magnetic fields as a guide in finding its wayhome and there are indications that various other animals from insects to mollusks, can alsomake use of magnetic compasses. It is of course very useful for a migrating bird to be able toswitch to a magnetic compass when clouds cover the Sun; otherwise it would just have toland and wait for the Sun to come out again.

Even with the Sun or stars to steer by, the problems of navigation are more complicatedthan they might seem at first. For example, a worker honeybee that has found a rich source ofnectar and pollen flies rapidly home to the hive to report. A naturalist has discovered that thebee scout delivers her report through a complicated dance in the hive, in which she tells theother workers not only how far away the food is, but also what direction to fly in relation to theSun. But the Sun does not stay in one place all day. As the workers start out to gather thefood, the Sun may already have changed its position in the sky somewhat. In later trips duringthe day, the Sun will seem to move farther and farther toward the west. Yet the worker beesseem to have no trouble at all in finding the food source. Their inner clocks tell them just wherethe Sun will be and they change their course correspondingly.

动物的罗盘

研究人员已经发现迁徙性动物可以借助各种各样的体内罗盘来校正方向。 有些动物借助太阳的位置辨别方向，有些则依靠星星。 还有的白天利用太阳，晚上利用星星。 有研究发现信鸽以地磁场为向导来找到回家的路。 还有迹象表明许许多多其它生物，从昆虫到软体动物，也能利用这种磁场罗盘。 具有这种磁场罗盘，对候鸟来说当然非常有用，因为如果乌云遮日，它可以以磁场为向导继续飞行，否则它就只好着陆，等待太阳重新出现。 即使是借助太阳或星星导航，其中的学问也比它表面看起来的要复杂得多。 例如，一只工蜂找到了花圃蜜园，急忙飞回蜂房报信。博物学家发现这只蜂探在蜂房里跳了一段极为复杂的舞，通过这段舞她不但告诉其它工蜂食物有多远，而且报告了以太阳为参照的飞行路线。但太阳不会呆在天上不动。 当蜂群出发采食时，太阳可能已经多少改变了它在天空中的位置。出发得越迟，太阳就越偏西，可这似乎没给寻找食物源的工蜂们带来任何不便。 它们体内的时钟告诉他们太阳应在的位置，据此它们相应地改变前进的方向。