幫你提高四六級閱讀水平的入門級英文原著（一）

1.Charlotte’s Web
《夏洛的網》
E.B. White E.B.懷特

This is a lovely novel that all age groups can understand. Aimed at native English speaking children, there are many adults who still say this famous book is their favorite.這是一本美妙的小說，各年齡段的人都能理解。書的目標讀者是以英語爲母語的兒童，許多成年人仍然說這本著名的書是他們的最愛。

This is part of the national curriculum in many schools around the world, so it’s quite possible this book will also come up in conversation. You can almost guarantee that the majority of native English speakers have read this book at least once.世界上許多學校的教學大綱裏都有這本書，所以人們在聊天時也很有可能談到這本書。幾乎可以保證，大多數以英語爲母語的人都至少讀過一次這本書。

plot summary
A baby pig called Wilbur is almost killed because of his status – he is the smallest pig that was born and he is considered to be useless and of no value.一個名叫威爾伯的小豬，由於它生下來最小，派不上什麼用場，也沒有價值，所以差點被主人宰了。Charlotte, the spider, knows that the farmers are planning to kill Wilbur. She promises to make a plan to save his life. The farmers are surprised the next day when they see the words “some pig” written in the web Charlotte has made.一個名叫夏洛的蜘蛛知道農夫們要殺掉威爾伯，她承諾要救威爾伯。第二天，當農夫們看見夏洛用網織出的文字“王牌豬”時，他們感到非常驚訝。Wilbur is sad when Charlotte disappears. But in the end, her baby spiders turn out to be great company for the pig. They continue to protect each other and the story ends well.夏洛消失後，威爾伯很傷心。但最後，夏洛的孩子們變成了威爾伯最好的陪伴。他們繼續保護着彼此，故事的結尾很美好。
2.Mieko and the Fifth Treasure
《枝子和第五件寶物》
Eleanor Coerr 埃莉諾·科爾
This book is not really so famous, but it is on the recommended book list. What’s great about “Mieko and the Fifth Treasure” is that it’s short. At only 77 pages long, this will be an easy read.這本書不是那麼有名，但它同樣在推薦書單上。《枝子和第五件寶物》的優點是文章篇幅非常短。一本只有77頁的書，讀起來會非常容易。Again this book is aimed at young native English speakers, so if you’re learning English, the level won’t be so difficult. This book will keep you interested as you’ll learn many interesting things about Japan and its culture.這本書的目標讀者同樣是以英語爲母語的年輕人，所以如果你正在學習英語，那麼這種水平的讀物對你來說不會很難。書中會講到許多有趣的日本文化，它會一直吸引着你一直讀下去。 plot summary
This is an emotional story about Mieko. Mieko is a talented artist and calligrapher (handwriting artist). Her hand is badly hurt during the bombings of the war. The scared little girl is sent to live with her grandparents in the countryside where it is safer.這是一個關於枝子的動人故事。枝子是一個有才華的畫家和書法家。在戰爭的轟炸中，她的手部嚴重受傷。這個受到驚嚇的小女孩被送去更安全的鄉下，跟爺爺奶奶生活在一起。Mieko is worried and afraid that she’s lost her 5th treasure – the “beauty in her heart.” This treasure is the key to her happiness and her beautiful art.枝子很擔心，她怕丟了第五件寶物——“她心中的美”。這個寶物是她幸福和創作美麗繪畫的關鍵。Mieko starts a new school. Her new classmates are mean. They constantly laugh at her and tease her which just makes her angrier. Her grandparents eventually manage to lift her darkness through their patience and wisdom.枝子開始在新學校上學。她的新同學並不友好。他們經常嘲笑她，欺負她，這使她更加生氣。最終，爺爺奶奶用耐心和智慧驅除了她心中的陰暗。
3.The Outsiders
《邊緣小子》
S.E. Hinton 辛頓
This short novel is perfect for EFL learners. It has modern themes and typical teenage issues that people around the world have experienced.這部短篇小說非常適合英語學習者。它主題比較現代，並且有大家都經歷過的典型青少年問題。There are very few cultural notes in this, which means you don’t need much background information. The sentences are short and easy to understand. The vocabulary is also very easy. You should be able to read this book without difficulty.小說中的文化註釋很少，這意味着你不需要太多的背景知識。句子簡短，易於理解，詞彙也很簡單，你應該能夠毫不費力地閱讀這本書。 plot summary
Ponyboy Curtis is one of the main characters. He is a part of a gang of teenagers called the Greasers. They meet up with the rival gang and the fight begins. One of the enemies is killed.波尼博伊是小說的主要人物之一。他是當時被稱爲“油脂仔”的青少年幫派的一份子。他們遇見了另外一個團伙，雙方開始打架。敵人中有個人被打死了。Ponyboy is really scared. They hide in a church and try to hide their appearance by dyeing (coloring) their hair. A number of different fights break out between the two gangs. Eventually Ponyboy wakes up in the hospital.波尼博伊真的害怕。他們躲在教堂裏，試圖通過染髮來掩飾他們的外表。兩個幫派之間爆發了一系列戰鬥。最終波尼博伊在醫院醒來。A trial is set in the courtroom and the judge has to decide Ponyboy’s fate (future). Is he guilty or not guilty?審判在法庭上進行，法官將決定波尼博伊的命運。他到底是有罪還是無罪？ 4.The House on Mango Street
《芒果街上的小屋》
Sandra Cisneros 桑德拉·希斯內羅絲
The great thing about “The House On Mango Street” is that it’s an interesting read. It’s written from the point of view of the writer. You can really feel what the protagonist (the main character) feels.《芒果街上的小屋》的優點是，它是一個有趣的讀物。它從作家的視角出發，讓你切身體會到主人公（主角）的感受。The sentences are really short so it’s also easy to understand. There are a few challenging words and a little bit of deive language, but you can usually understand them with the context. Another great thing about this is book is that it gives you a deep understanding of a different culture.文中句子真的很簡短，所以也很容易理解。其中有少部分具有挑戰性的單詞和一點點的描述性的語言，但你通常可以在語境中讀懂它們。這本書的另一個優點是它可以讓你對不同文化有深刻的瞭解。 plot summary
This book follows the life of Esperanza, a Mexican girl. Esperanza moves into a new home on Mango Street. Their new house is old and small. In the new home, Esperanza feels like she has no time to be alone. She promises herself that one day she will leave and have her own home.這本書描繪了一個墨西哥女孩埃斯佩朗莎的一生。埃斯佩朗莎搬到了芒果街上的一個新家。他們的新房子又舊又小。在新家，埃斯佩朗莎感覺自己沒有時間獨處。她向自己保證有一天會離開這，並擁有自己的房子。Throughout the novel the young girl grows up a lot. The story follows her life as she makes friends, her body changes and she begins to have feelings for a boy.小說中，小女孩長大了很多。故事描述了她的生活，交友、身體變化、開始對一個男生有好感。There is a lot of focus on other women in the community and Esperanza hopes never to be like them. Through watching the older women and how they are stuck, she knows that she wants to leave.小說也描繪了社區中的其他女人，埃斯佩朗莎希望自己永遠不會像她們一樣。通過觀察老婦女們和她們如何被困住，她知道她想要離開。
5.Thirteen Reasons Why
《13個理由》
Jay Asher 艾雪
This story takes place in the present, which means the writer writes using simple grammar. All sentences are short and the vocabulary is relatively easy.故事發生在當代，這意味着作家運用簡單的語法寫作。所有的句子都很簡短，詞彙也比較容易。The interesting grammar and short paragraphs make this a quick and easy book for ESL learners. This is an award-winning book and on the NY Timesbest books list, so it’s worth a read.它語法有趣，段落簡短，對英語學習者來說簡單易讀。這是一本屢次獲獎的書，並上榜榜《紐約時報》最佳書單，值得一讀。 plot summary
The main character is Clay Jensen, a quiet high school student. He comes home from school to find a parcel at his front door. He does not know who sent it. He opens it and discovers 7 cassette tapes. These tapes are from Hannah Baker, his previous classmate. She had emotional problems and has committed suicide (killed herself).主角是克萊，一個安靜的高中生。他從學校回到家，在門口發現了一個包裹。克萊不知道是誰寄的，於是打開它，發現了7盒磁帶。這些磁帶是他以前的同學漢娜寄來的，漢娜曾有精神問題並自殺。The tapes came with instructions. The paper stated that they should pass the tapes from one student to another student. There are 12 people in total. In the paper, she explains to these people that they helped her die – she gives them 13 reasons.磁帶旁還有指令。紙上寫道，他們必須把磁帶從一個學生傳給另一個學生。共有12人。漢娜向這些人解釋說，他們都是她死亡的原因——共13個理由。We hear about her pain. She talks about her first kiss, people who lied to her and stole from her. Everything started with gossip. The gossip then grew and became out of control.磁帶中我們聽到了她的痛苦。她談論她的初吻，對她撒謊的人，偷她東西的人。一切都始於流言蜚語。流言不斷傳播，後來變得越來越失控。