精美英文欣赏:一朵美丽的花

This happened many summers ago. There was a young flower in a desert where was always dried and sad-looking. It was growing by itself, enjoying everyday¹ and saying to the Sun “When shall² I be grown up?” And the Sun would say “Be patient. Each time I touch you, you grow a little.” And she was so pleased because she would have a chance to bring beauty³ to this corner of sand, and this is all she wanted to do-bring a little bit of beauty to this world.

One day, the hunter⁴ came by and stepped on her. She was going to die and she felt so sad， not because she was dying，but because she had no chance to bring a little bit of beauty to this corner of the desert.

The Great Spirit⁵ saw her and was listening “Indeed” he said “She should be living.” And he reached down and touched her and gave her life.

And she grew up to be a beautiful flower; and this corner of the desert became so beautiful because of her.

这个故事发生在很多很多个夏天以前。

在一个周围充满着干燥与衰落景象的沙漠中，有一朵小花正绽放着……她孤单地生长着……快乐地过着每一天……她对太阳说：“我什么时候才能长大呀？”

太阳回答说：“不要着急——我的光芒每接触你一次，你就会长大一点儿……”小花听了非常高兴。因为她有机会为这片沙漠增添一处绚丽的景色了……这就是她梦寐以求的——为这个世界带来一点儿美丽。

一天，一个猎人经过这里——并从她身上踏了过去。——她即将死了——她感到十分悲伤。她悲伤的原因，并不是因为她将要死去，而是因为她再也没有机会为这片沙漠增添一处绚丽的景色了。

一个伟大的精灵看到了她，并听到了她的哭诉。——事实上，他说……她应该活下去……于是，他来到沙漠上抚摸着她，并赋予了她生命。

后来，她终于长大成了一朵美丽的花儿……这片沙漠也因她的存在而变得格外美丽。

1 everyday   

adj.每天的，日常的，平常的

参考例句：

• Sweeping the floor is his everyday work.扫地是他的日常工作。
• He practices speaking English everyday.他每天练习说英语。

2 shall   

v.aux.（主要用于第一人称）将

参考例句：

• I shall always love you.我将永远爱你。
• Which club shall we join?我们要参加哪个社团？

3 beauty   

n.美；美景；美好的人或事物

参考例句：

• We enjoyed the beauty of nature.我们欣赏大自然的美。
• She was famous for her beauty.她以美丽而出名。

4 hunter   

n.猎人；搜索者

参考例句：

• He's a real hunter.他是个真正的猎手。
• He is a patient hunter.他是一个耐心的猎手。

5 spirit   

n.烈酒（常用复数）；精神；情绪

参考例句：

• You're feeling her spirit.你感受着她的精神。
• His selfless spirit is worth praising.他的无私精神值得赞扬。