初中英语小短文

I earnestly hope to lead a healthy and prosperous life in the future. Judging from my aptitude inclination and personality streaks, my ideal life will be that of a scientist, researching, lecturing, and writing books. As I am from a farming family, I particularly enjoy being close to earth. If I can afford to live a pastoral life in the countryside, I will feel most blessed. As far as social life is concerned, simplicity is what I intend to pursue, so I really don't need too many friends. All these will be mere talk if I am idle now. To attain my goal, I must make a point of training my body and mind. This is a highly competitive society in which everyone is eager to come out on top. That is not only a competition of physical strength and mental power, but a marathon of patience, faith, and perseverance. Life is not all roses, but with what I am being equipped with by the top teachers in this elite school, I surely deserve a promising prospect.

我恳切地希望将来能过着健康而顺遂的一生。从我的能力倾向及人格特质来判断，我理想的生活方式将是担任一名科学家，从事研究讲学以及著作。由于我来自农家，尤其喜欢亲近土地。如果我有经济能力在乡下过着田园生活，我会深感福佑。至于社交生活，「单纯」是我所要追求的，所以我确实不需要太多的朋友。如果我现在懒散，这一切都将流于空谈；要达成目标，我必须重视锻炼自己的身心。这是一个高度竞争的社会，人人都渴望拔得头筹。那不但是一场体力和脑力的竞争，也是耐心、信心和毅力的马拉松。人生并不全是美好的事，但以我目前得自这所精英聚集的学校的顶尖老师所施的教化，我必定有个光明的前程。

1 Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is the most important festival for Chinese people all over the world. It is also called the Spring Festival or the Lunar New Year. The exact date of the Spring Festival on the Western calendar changes from year to year. However, Chinese New Year takes place between January 1 and February 19.
On the Chinese calendar every year has an animal's name. These animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. A Chinese legend says that these twelve animals had a race. The first year was named after the rat, the winner. The other eleven years were named according to the order in which the animals arrived in the race. The clever rat jumped onto the ox's back, and then at the end jumped over the ox's head to arrive first!
The Chinese believe that a person born in a particular year has some of the characteristics of that animal.

lunar 月(亮)的 exact 确切的 calendar 日历 rat 鼠 ox 公 牛 rabbit 兔子 ram 公羊 rooster 公鸡 legend 传说 name after 按....命名 particular 特殊的 characteristic 特征

春 节
对于全世界的华人来说，中国的新年是最重要的节日。人们也称它为春节或农历新年。 公历春节的确切日期每年都在变化。但是春节一般都在 1 月 1 日 到 2 月 19 日 之间。 在农历中，每年都有一个生肖。这些生肖是鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗和猪。据传说，这十二个动物举行了一次赛跑，第一年就以获胜者鼠命名，其他十一年就根据动物们到达终点的顺序命名。聪明的鼠跳在牛背上，在最后时刻跳过牛的头顶第一个到达终点！
中国人相信在某一年出生的人具有这一年生肖的一些特征。

Response Ability

An Ogden, Iowa, minister was matching coins with a member of his congregation for a cup of coffee. When asked if that didn't constitute gambling, the minister replied, "It's merely a scientific method of determining just who is going to commit an act of charity."

Philosopher Bertrand Russell, asked if he was willing to die for his beliers, replied: "Of course not. After all, I may be wrong."

A newspaper organized a contest for the best answer to the question: "If a fire broke out in the Louvre, and if you could only save one painting, which one would you carry out?"
The winning reply was: "The one nearest the exit."

答问技巧

衣阿华州奥格根的一位牧师正在与一位教友为一杯咖啡而猜硬币。别人问他那是否构成赌博行为时，牧师答道：“这仅仅是决定由谁来做一件善事的一种科学方法。”

当我人问哲学家罗素是否愿意为了他的信仰而献身时，他答道：“当然不会。毕竟，我可能会是错的。”

一份报纸组织了一场竞赛，为下面的问题征集最佳答案：“如果卢浮宫起了火，而你只能救出一幅画，你将救出哪一幅？”
获奖的答案是：“最接近门口的那一幅